#I think a lot of people are looking at it as. huge news in the fact that a transgender person could be elected to this position

[lilacchao]

alright, time for me to Opine Lengthily as i often do

continents are trying to do to much at once - they're simultaneously distinguishing geology and culture, two hugely complicated things, and we should have more Types Of Thing than just continents

plate tectonics are a good start, they give us some decent chunks and happen to already have some very useful coincidences built in (arabian plate, indian plate, north / south american and caribbean plates, australian plate, isn't it great?)

but some of these aren't useful, and some are too big and demand further subdivisions, probably by bodies of water and mountain ranges and deserts and peninsulas and population density first, oh wait the un's done this job already! that saves me a lot of work (i'd... already done a lot of that work, but it was shoddy work, based partially on my eurocentric prior knowledge, best let it stay shrouded in mystery)

a lot of this seems well justified, but some of it's rubbish born from "well we don't want to split a country in two because this is for diplomacy" (yes we do, countries are too big, split them in twain! screw diplomacy! destroy any justification they might have for their ridiculous "borders"!) or "we don't have any good reason politically to distinguish these" (fuck politics, cleave those nations)

let's have a look at mountain ranges, drainage basins as shorthands for mountain ranges, population density, big things like the sahara and the amazon and the

mountain ranges:

drainage basins:

the köppen climate classification:

population density:

the amazon rainforest:

the sahara desert:

so. the un's thing is deeply flawed, but is a huge step up from the ridiculous 7 continents (or is it 6, or 5, or 4, or 8, or 12?) that people get taught (and everyone gets taught differently), and does have the advantage of major organisations actually referencing it for anything! im gonna make some more subdivisions though, because while some of these are sensible, wow some are ridiculous

reasonable-looking-at-a-glance subdivisions:

northern america: alaska, the remaining pacific drainage basin, greenland + all those islands, the remaining arctic drainage basin, northeast of the great lakes (the labrador peninsula), the remaining euroafrican drainage basin, the gulf coast of the us, the remaining american drainage basin

central america: the caribbean plate, the remaining pacific drainage basin, the remaining american drainage basin (basically the gulf coast of mexico)

south america: the amazon (and north/west of it), the andes and pacific drainage basin, eastern south america

eastern europe: central europe (the area of eastern europe the holy roman empire once occupied, this is a big deal culturally, the pope got involved and everything), eastern europe (west of the ural mountains), siberia (east of the ural mountains)

asia: idk enough about asia to say much about these, except that the indian subcontinent should probably be distinguished

africa: similar boat to asia, i simply don't know enough to question this, it takes the sahara into account, it's correctly split from the arabian plate, i can't really subdivide it drainage-wise, yeah

australia and new zealand: new zealand (it's so far away from australia! stop conflating them!), other than that uhhhhh the drainage divisions look good so probably some combinations of these? west, central, east coast, north peninsula? (ha! you thought you were free of images! you were wrong!)

anyway so i don't know enough geography to back any of this up but i do think im erring closer to correct than the un here, at least partly because i don't believe in or respect states, and i think i learnt a lot and made an informative post here, so yay! *closes the 103 tabs i opened throughout this post*

I think it's time we all got serious. Europe isn't a continent lmao and the only reason anyone thinks it is is because white people are too racist to share a continent with nonwhite people so they split it from Asia arbitrarily.

[urrmomzfavorite]

PAC: Your Next Relationship (who, where, when)

✨💖 Heyyy cuties! 💖✨ Don’t be shy, take a little peek at my other posts—you know you wanna!

Pile One🐲:

Who: A bombshell—someone sexy. You’ll see this person as eye candy. They’ll catch your eye the second you’re in the same room as them. They have a magnetic aura, they command authority simply with their presence. They could be taller than average. I’m hearing tall,dark and handsome. Where: I’m getting the image of someone’s hands holding your waist, saying, “Excuse me?” Ooooh, this is dangerous. The second they touch you? Electrified. The eye contact lingers, and the sudden rise in temperature sets your body on fire. You’ll fall for each other at first sight. I can feel the sexual tension, the people around too.lol. This is this type of thing when everyone at work can clearly see you guys like each other but you still play it slow. This feels like having a crush when you’re younger. Getting excited to go to work because you know they will be there. This is really cute, you guys make each other blush. When: This could happen when you’re starting something new—maybe a new workplace, a vacation, or even a cruise for some. It could happen after a move, I see movement. You won’t see it coming, but trust me, it’s coming. 18+ Thoughts: “You need a spanking” “Let me worship you” “Moan my name”

✨💖 Heyyy cuties! 💖✨ Don’t be shy, take a little peek at my other posts—you know you wanna!

Pile Two🧚🏾:

Who: You know them. Yes, it’s them. I know you’re tired of hearing about them, but listen—you need to talk to this person. They don’t want to let go. They can’t let you go. It’s you; it has to be you. Wow, someone’s spiraling.This person is losing their mind over you. You might be ignoring them, a little taste of the silent treatment huh? They can’t handle it. Now it’s clear they have no power, and by the way they are reacting, they know time is up? You’ve given a lot of time/chances to this person. It’s funny how karma works, all that time wasted on them is now being repaid by constant obsession and insecurity when it comes to their place in your life. Their position is rocky? Do they even still have one?

Where: I don’t know if this person is blocked, but they’ve spent an insane amount of time in their Notes app, trying to come up with the best way to start a conversation. Adding you on social media with fake accounts? This is actually wild. I don’t feel like they’re dangerous—they just seem desperate for your attention and approval. They seem determinated? Needing to know what you are doing, with whom? This person is unwell. Pile two this is your next relationship reading, but you don’t have to make space for someone in your life when they are in this state. Also you don’t even have to date them, but they have a huge pull on your energy, frantikly trying to hold onto you. They regret not telling you how they felt, how much you mattered. They don’t know why they tried so hard to make you feel like you didn’t. Omgggg this is actually hurting my head.

When: I think you haven’t talked to this person in a while, and that’s the problem. Paranoia has had time to grow, and now it’s like a virus. They’re losing sleep over this. It’s like all those times they tried desperately not to think about you—and succeeded—are coming back to haunt them. And they’re not letting go 18+ Thoughts: “ I want to make it up to you in bed” “Answer my calls” “I miss you caressing me”

✨💖 Heyyy cuties! 💖✨ Don’t be shy, take a little peek at my other posts—you know you wanna!

Pile Three🍀:

Who: You don’t know this person yet. They’re really tall and love earthy colors—green looks amazing on them. This person is crafty and loves spending time in nature. They have this quiet confidence. Where does it come from? From knowing exactly who they are. They are secure in themselves and it shows in the way they walk, talk, breath.lol. This person has a strange effect on you, they feel like a warm blanket, and this feeling is constant. No roller coaster. As if you were spending the early mornings on a beach watching the sun rise. This is finally a love that doesn’t take anything from you, it just adds to your life.

Where: This will happen outside on a summer day—maybe in a garden or a park. This person sees you reading? LOL, they quickly Google the book on their phone before approaching. Smart one! This person knows what they want and doesn’t play games. They’re also excellent cooks! You could meet them at a class someone invites you to—you’re trying it out for free. This person feels so refreshing, they are exactly what you need when you meet them. They see you and already start plotting, They don’t look like it tho. With their dazzling smiles. I’m getting surfer boy energy lol. They seem so zen, so at peace, and this energy will rub off on you.

When: They’re slow-moving, and your paths haven’t aligned yet. I’m hearing that both of you need to make some lifestyle changes before being united. This one is really up to divine timing but it is worth it.

18+ Thoughts: “Let’s break the bed.” “Let me tie you up.” “I want to make you c*m”

✨Psst check my masterlist if you want more readings from me !✨

[feyburner]

hello, i hope you're doing well, the world keeps getting crazier which means that i'm spending more time on fanfictions and i've been thinking about your jaytim fics. particularly, jason and how human he is when you write him. his awkwardness bc he was dead for a while and then doing. not very good. and how he probably has to catch up on simple stuff like who even taught him how to shave??? sure he learnt how to wire bombs but that didn't leave much time for stuff like sexuality and romance? just some experiences that he was robbed off. also very much interested in your take on jason's morality re: killing and what it means to him. anyways i'll dive back into my jason comic marathon <3

God yeah I think about this all the time, it's one of the things that interests me most about his character. Like how fucked up to die at 15 and wake up at like 18 and immediately launch yourself into your big crazy revenge plot that you think it's going to make you feel less howling animal inside but all it does is destroy your chances at ever having like, a normal interaction. By the time you calm down a little you've basically skipped from 15 to like 20. And everyone around you is also a freak who will never live a normal life and some have even also died but you're the only one missing a huge chunk out of your formative years. (Don't care about conflicting canon timelines or retcons.) (I also like this on a meta level bc it mirrors the fact that Jason was For Real Dead from 1988-2005.)

Re: morality, killing: A lot of his character is about catharsis to me. He is hotheaded and impulsive and direct and unsubtle (see: heads in a duffel bag) in a way the other Bats aren't. Who among us hasn't seen a news story and thought "I don't believe in state-sanctioned violence but damn, someone should kill that guy"? He is the guy who kills that guy. And sometimes it's for "noble" reasons and sometimes it isn't, and sometimes he might like to think it is but it isn't, and sometimes it immediately backfires and makes things worse for the people he is trying to help, and it can and has made him a hypocrite. It is also, I believe, an understandable stance for someone who was murdered as a child by a guy famous for essentially walking around wearing a T-shirt that says "I Love Hurting and Killing People (and I'm Definitely Going to Do It Again)." Bruce doesn't kill people because senseless violence made him an orphan. Jason kills people because senseless violence made him dead. Of course a child who lived and a child who died would look at death from opposite sides. It destroyed both of them at a formative age in opposite ways. Bruce crystallized around the after, and Jason around the before. I think it makes perfect sense that for the rest of their lives they would keep seeing only the after, and only the before, and in doing so keep looking past each other.

I feel like a lot of Jason meta is either "The Bats are so naive, Jason is the only realist" OR "Here's why Batman is right and Jason is an irredeemable monster" or whatever. Neither of those readings are compelling to me. I don't care which character is "right" or "good." If I wanted to read about good people making morally airtight choices I would go read Goofus and Gallant but only the Gallant parts and then kill myself. None of the Bats act in a way that aligns with my real-life morals. I think the "killing question" is most interesting viewed in the context of an individual character's relationship with violence and justice and atonement and forgiveness and consequences and least interesting in the context of pitting characters against each other to determine Who's Right and Who's Wrong.

I wrote the following exchange a while back as an exercise to explore this very topic.

Warning for CSA mention below the cut.

-

“I mean, hell, what if he got hit by a bus? Anyone can die, any time. Think of me as a big angry red bus.” Tim’s eyes on him feel like burning, but not so immediate as fire. More like the warning heat of sunburn: for now a faint prickling, for weeks after an ache. “End of the day? I don’t think he should be alive. I don’t think the state should get to decide who lives and who dies, but I’m not the state. And I know people can be rehabilitated. I know there’s a chance he could change, and never do it again, and spend the rest of his days saving kittens and helping little old ladies cross the street. But from what I’ve seen, this kinda guy, we’re talking a puny fucking chance. There’s people the system fails and people who could be helped by a better system and then there’s people who aren’t gonna fucking change. They’re just gonna keep doing awful shit, because it gets them off. Hurting kids. Hurting anyone they think is less powerful, or less of a person. Fuck that. The thing is, I know they’re people. And I’m a person too. And I don’t have the fucking right. To be the arbiter of fucked-up justice or whatever. But you know what? I can’t find it in me to give a shit. If those scumbags wanna kill me back, they can have at it, that’s their prerogative. Until then, some fuck rapes a five-year-old? No, fuck that. What if he does it again? He’s already done it. Hurt that kid forever. Snuffed out that thing inside them, whatever it is that makes kids think the world isn’t a shitshow. Can’t unring that fucking bell. Why should he—once was too many! Don’t you get it? That kinda guy—once was already too many! Why should he get to do it twice? And so fucking many of ‘em do it twice. Can’t keep your hands off a little kid? Fuck you. Headshot. Problem solved. You can’t change my mind about this, Red. I didn’t make the choice to kill people on a fucking whim. I thought about Hell and decided I’m up for it. Alright? Fuck off.” 

“You don’t have to convince me.” 

“And another thing—” His mouth clicks shut. “I—what?” 

“I said you don’t have to convince me.” Tim examines his glass, tilting the last swallow of watery gin back and forth. “If I were going to argue with you, I suppose I’d quote a statistic about how something like 93% of childhood sexual abuse is perpetuated from within the immediate family, and killing the abuser could drastically destabilize the child’s living situation and potentially place them at risk for other types of harm—”

“There’s nothing stable about—!”

“—but I’m not going to argue with you, because I don’t want to, because frankly I don’t care. I should—some days I’m better, and I do—but I don’t at the moment. Not tonight.” 

Jason stares at him for long enough that Tim grows visibly uncomfortable, shoulders stiffening. 

“What,” he says, eyes darting up to Jason’s, then away. His long fingers never stop playing with the glass, rolling it slowly, tracing the same wet circle on the tabletop. Jason wishes he would just finish his drink. And hold still. 

“You don’t care,” Jason repeats. “Great. Namaste. So what’s with the interrogation?”

“Interr—?” Tim looks startled. “Jason, I was asking.”

-

So yeah.

[charlieaboveandbeyond]

hear me out: OctoKids special episode

starring: Koshi, Pinto, Periwinkle, Orson and Ursa

I need the kids to have a spotlight for an episode. I need them to band together on an adventure and be pushed out of their comfort zone and essentially act as a mini version of the crew

It would be set primarily in somewhere like the Himalaya Mountains - huge environment, massive species diversity, lots of potential for a special episode

"Hey, Koshi, do you reckon you could fly the OctoRay?"

"Uh, no?"

"But your sister can! And it can't be that hard, right?! :D"

"Pinto, I'm not - "

"Didn't Donna Doxi fly a plane once?"

"..."

They indeed tried to fly the OctoRay.

This did not go well.

SO. Now the kids are stuck in the Himalaya Mountains with no OctoRay and damaged OctoWatches. I'm picturing Koshi & Pinto taking the lead, as the two Junior OctoAgents of the group - they lowkey give off Barnacles & Kwazii vibes (caring confident leader & daredevil lieutenant) and I'm here for it.

Between them, I'd reckon they'd have quite a good knowledge of survival skills: Koshi & Pinto have OctoAgent training, Periwinkle goes to Otter Scouts, and Orson and Ursa are Polar Bear Scouts. They can survive in the wild until they're rescued, right?

(Meanwhile, back on the Octopod)

("Captain, it appears the OctoRay has gone rogue")

("Hey, Captain, have you seen Pinto?")

("Actually, that's a good point, Peso, I haven't seen Periwinkle for a while")

("Let me ask Koshi, I'm sure she'll know, they were playing hide and seek together the last time I checked")

("Anything?")

("Would you like the good news or the bad news, Captain?")

("Uh...")

("The good news is that all the kids are together. Koshi, Pinto, Peri, Orson and Ursa.")

("...what's the bad news?")

("They took the OctoRay and it crash-landed somewhere in the Himalayas.")

("the F [censored because it's a kids' show]?!")

Back to the Himalayas!

I think this episode would be focused on the kids employing their shared skillset to survive out in the wild.

Do they encounter tigers? Absolutely.

Do the tigers think they're food? Also absolutely.

What I would especially love to see in an episode like this, in terms of character arcs:

Koshi becoming the de-facto leader. She's been shown in A&B to almost mimic some of Barnacles' mannerisms, her sister is the captain of the OctoRay, she spends a LOT of time around people in leader roles and it's bound to rub off on her. Whilst I'd love for some Donna Doxi references, I'd almost want her to not slip into her mystery-solving mode? This time, SHE'S the mystery, SHE'S the one who's lost, and she has her friends to look after and I think she'd do a great job.

(But because it would be a special-length episode, there's almost certainly a side plot for the gang to help a nearby creature with something - a missing friend, perhaps?)

Also, Pinto gets some great character development in A&B, and it would be reflected in this special. Peri, Orson & Ursa are younger than him and Koshi, and whilst their own skillsets are invaluable, I think they're more likely to be thrown off by this new situation? Pinto would be an AMAZING older brother figure to them, keeping them distracted with fun activities and games whilst keeping an eye on them.

Also. Koshi telling them all stories around a campfire. That's it, that's the whole scene.

I'm gonna be honest this sounded way better in my head, but I had to share what I had with the world, so ya, let me know what you think :D

[miriammctroi]

New fav Headcanon: Regulus bullying Sirius into helping him woo James

By the second half of their schoolyear, James was 100% convinced the brothers could communicate telepathically.

One day in May, James followed Lily to the library to study with her. Lily liked Remus the most out of all the boys, so she often joined him when he studied.

When they reached Remus, he was sitting with the Black brothers.

Regulus looked up when they approached and touched Sirius's shoulder. He gave him a look. Just a look. Somehow, Sirius understood. He looked up at James and then back at Regulus and frowned.

“No.”

Regulus looked at him intently.

“No,” Sirius repeated. “I’ve told you all year and I won’t change my mind.”

Regulus kicked his leg.

“Stop, you’re too young. And too annoying.”

“Do you know what this was about?” James whispered to Remus.

“I don’t wanna.”

Sirius clicked his tongue. “It’s nothing.” He turned back to his brother and enunciated: “Nothing. Right, Reggie?”

Regulus gave him another look. Sirius looked right back. That was where the telepathy started. James knew they did it. Otherwise, how was it possible that they looked like they were having an entire conversation without uttering a word?

Finally, Sirius clicked his tongue again and groaned. “Can’t you get your own friends?”

“Who said anything about friends?”

James wasn’t entirely sure, but this might be the longest string of words he had ever heard Regulus say. Sirius looked appalled and another series of looks ensued between them – occasionally Lily must be the topic between them from how Sirius slightly nodded in her direction, and Regulus frowned at her before looking away. Lily, engrossed in her homework, didn’t notice.

James didn’t understand anything about the brothers sometimes, not their relationship, not their conversations – and he was always fascinated by things he didn’t understand. Regulus Black was a mystery to be studied.

***

The time came to return home for the summer holidays. The group boarded the train. Regulus, who was with them, kept hitting and tapping Sirius’s arms.

“No,” Sirius said.

Regulus hit him again.

“No.”

A kick to his ankle.

“Still no.”

Another hit. The child was relentless.

“Nope. Nope. Nope.”

Regulus made a frustrated noise and stepped on his brother’s food.

“Ow! Okay! Fine. I will. Now, Stop it.”

They sat down in their compartment and Regulus kept staring at Sirius with those huge, grey eyes of his.

The older one cleared his throat. “So, James, do you think you’ll try to ask Lily to be your girlfriend again?”

James hummed. “I have to. She’s my future wife.”

“Are you sure about that though? Maybe you should look for someone else… what’s your type?”

“My type?” James looked at him confused.

“If you were to get on with anyone else,” Sirius said through gritted teeth.

“Hm… well, dad said I have to like her and she has to share my humour.”

“That disqualifies Lily,” Peter mumbled. “She doesn’t think you’re funny at all.”

“She’ll come around! So, my wife has to like me, be funny, smart and share my interests – so, she should like Quidditch. Oh, and pretty! The prettiest girl around.”

“Disqualifies a lot of people,” Sirius said pointedly. James didn’t understand why.

Regulus scowls deeply and produces his notebook from somewhere so scribble into it for the rest of the train ride.

***

The beginning of third year started much like the last.

Sirius and Regulus were the last to enter their compartment, both severely overdressed.

The difference was that Regulus said, “Hello, James,” which was a whole word more than last year. He ignored Remus and Peter and sat between James and Sirius. The brothers had one of their telepathic conversations again.

When they were in the carriage driving from the station to the school, Regulus produced a whole ten words in a row: “I am going to try out for Quidditch this year.”

He was looking at James, waiting for his answer. His eyes were still too big for his face, like two silver coins.

“That’s cool, Regulus! Maybe we’ll have a match against each other soon, then. What positions are you trying out for?”

“Seeker.”

“Oh, wow. That’s awsome. I hope you get in. I didn’t know you were interested in Quidditch at all.”

“He wasn’t until summer,” Sirius muttered, which earned him an undeserved kick from Regulus. “Ow. Merlin, I can’t wait for you to grow out of that habit. You’ll break my ankles one day!”

Regulus just shrugged.

“It is so touching how much you care, Reggie, truly.”

Regulus gave his brother a sarcastic, wide smile. James thought that this might have been the first time he had ever seen Regulus smile.

***

All in all, the third year was very exciting but James made scarcely any progress regarding Lily.

Lily got even prettier over the summer and James didn’t miss any time in telling her so.

Regulus made the Slytherin teem as their big-eyed, tiny Seeker – blatantly underestimated by every single team in every single match which led to the Slytherins winning every game. Every single one. That kid was quick, sharp-eyed, and smart. They didn’t stand a chance.

“Your brother is amazing,” James had muttered while watching Regulus’s first match against Hufflepuff.

Sirius had rolled his eyes, sighed deeply, and said, “I’ll have to tell him you said that.”

[atruththatyoudeny]

Happy 28th! Here are the fics I read in the last two months:

If you stay | kingofthefridaynight | [66k] “I might not look it, but I do know what hard work means.” Looking at him, Louis couldn’t help but wonder how in the world he would, with his soft curls, preppy hands, and the beautiful dress around his waist. Nothing about Harry screamed hard work; everything about him screamed sheltered, rich, and worst of all, spoiled. Just as he was about to leave, Louis couldn’t help but say, “Fine, but I won’t teach you to ride in a dress.” “You’d be surprised how well I ride in dresses,” Harry said with a smirk. Or, the one where Harry stays at Louis' ranch to escape the spotlight, there are chickens on the loose, disastrous riding lessons, baby lambs to play with, and a whole lot of falling in love.

Rogue omega | Loretheloner | [38k] Written for prompt 6 of the 1DAngstFest 2025: Louis is a rogue on the run from his birth pack, who want to kill him because he's a male omega. He ends up in the Styles pack's territory, trying to get away from his hunters. But it's too late--the alphas surround the exhausted omega and attack him. The last thing he sees, before he passes out, is a huge black wolf with green eyes. What a sight to die to. A story about prejudice, prophecies, and rejection. Also a story about kindness, resilience and soulmates.

Zero Complications | galactic_larry | [8k] Harry and Louis have only been on two dates so far, but things seem to be going great between the two of them. What happens when the third date ruins everything?

Too Young | jaerie | [18k] “Do you think it hurts to get a bond mark?” Louis asked one day. Harry shrugged. “We could bite each other to see what it feels like?” “Yeah, I want to know,” Louis nodded as he pushed himself back and forth on the swing just enough that his feet never left the ground. “Do you?” Or accidentally bonded as 8 and 10 year olds, Louis starts resenting Harry once they were old enough for him to realize what had been taken away from him and now they're roommates who fuck out of obligation

no matter where you are (no matter how far) | ceaseandexist | [35k] "You kind of have to be a little bit dumb to decide to climb Everest, I think,” Harry says. “Like at some point you should probably say to yourself, ‘Hey, this is really dangerous and expensive and stuff, and maybe I should just, like, become an architect or something.’” Louis cocks an eyebrow. “An architect, Haz? Is that your secret dream? You want to build --” “Shh,” Harry says, holding a finger up to Louis’s lips. “I’m trying to make a point. Just that, like, at some point, we all make a stupid choice to put our lives in danger, but that’s just part of why climbing this mountain is such an accomplishment, right? Because most people aren’t dumb enough to try.” Or: An Everest AU where Louis sets out to climb the tallest mountain on the world and meets a curly-haired guy named Harry who worms his way into Louis's life. It's not long before reaching the summit becomes the least of Louis's worries.

Tattoos and Temptations | refusethyname | [67k] “Love,” he drawled, the word dripping with sinful allure, “I’ve got tattoos that are older than you,” he murmured, his voice a rough whisper, his breath warm against Harry’s lips. Harry tilted his head, a teasing smirk of his own tugging at his mouth despite the rapid beat of his heart. “What can I say, I like experienced men.” Louis chuckled low in his throat, a sound that sent heat rushing through Harry’s veins. “Cheeky little thing, aren’t you?” he murmured, his hand sliding up Harry’s back to tangle in his curls. He tugged lightly, just enough to tip Harry’s head back and expose more of his neck. “You’re the one winding me up.”

Over-the-Ocean Love | blessin_n_curse | [30k] Harry is a single omega who has dedicated his life to teaching psychology at Oxford University. Louis is an alpha who left his life behind when it fell apart, only to start a new one with his daughter in rural Italy, where they both run a B&B. Prompt: Harry needs a change - a change of scenery and a change of luck. Ditching his place and items, he books an airbnb of his dreams for 3 months while he figures himself out. Louis owns the airbnb and tries to be respectful, but he can’t ignore the amazing omega that has come into his life so randomly. Especially when they start to chat in the evenings on the back patio, watching the sunset. Maybe the change Harry needed is right in front of him.

Your Fingers Read Me Like A Headline | paradise_is_getting_closer | [3.5k] Harry is very picky when it comes to people in his inner circle. Especially for jobs that are very...hands-on, so to speak. That's why he's more than a little surprised when his PA informs him they've found the perfect person, only shortly after the job advertisement was placed. or The one where Louis has a surprising mix of qualifying features for a job that's close to where Harry's heart is. Or maybe where he's hardest?

Touch Me (Like Nobody Else Does) | goldensweetmemory | [11k] Prompt: A/B/O - strangers snowed in for an extended period of time and the omega starts to get touch-deprivation xx The alpha’s grin returned tenfold, deep dimples popping into his cheeks. Holy shit, he has dimples. “No, I don’t mind at all. I know where to find you when I need it back,” he said with a chuckle before leaning back into his seat. Louis let out a small giggle before nodding. “I’ll be sure it gets returned to you…?” He trailed off, one eyebrow raised at the other man. “Harry,” he replied, amusement still shining in his eyes. “And you are?” “Louis,” the omega responded before leaning back into his seat averting his eyes once again. “Thank you, really, for the charger. You’re a lifesaver. I’m not sure how I would’ve made it through without my Netflix.”

can't even think straight | shimmeringevil | [34k] His eyes are blue. Sharp cheekbones, long eyelashes and a doll-like face, pretty features contrastingly set in such arrogant disdain. Harry can’t stop staring at him. “Straight,” he blurts out when his eyes drop to the man’s mouth. “I’m straight.” “Thank you for sharing,” the waiter says dryly. The captivating movements of his lips form an even more captivating voice. “Y’alright if I grab your wallet for you, or is there anything else you’d like to get off your chest?” “No, um—no. Sorry. I mean, thank you. Thank you and sorry.” — OR — Harry is definitely straight, even if no one seems to believe him when he tells them. Things change when he meets a pretty stranger who patiently waits for him to figure it all out.

Always Lou | Darling28 | [101k] Ten years have passed since Harry and Louis lost sight of each other. As teenagers, they wrote letters to their future selves via 'FutureMe' - filled with dreams and secret hopes. But life led them down different paths - Louis is about to get married to his girlfriend, while Harry has never been able to forget his deep feelings for Louis over the years. When their paths cross again, the two are confronted with their past and their unspoken feelings. While Louis rediscovers his own identity and sexuality, Harry lovingly stands by his side. Together they have to find out if what they once shared as childs & teenagers could be the key to their future together.

from underneath your glow | outropeace | [53k] With years of bitter experience and a tuition debt that would outlast three generations, Louis did what anyone in his position would; he developed an almost flawless five-step system for scamming alphas. Step One: Find the target. The scummier the alpha, the better. Step Two: Find the target’s soulmate mark. This part could take either a day or sometimes months of stalking every single social media the target have. Patience is key. Step Three: After learning about their hobbies and activities, mold your personality to the target. There’s nothing more irresistible to alphas than to date their mirror. Step Four (and the most important one): Plan the exit route. This will mostly depend on the target. There are alphas who’d pay to make a soulmate disappear from their lives forever, but some took a little more work. The trick? Simple, break their little fantasy. Show them traits they wouldn’t stand. If they like red, suddenly you are all about blue. If they like going out, you start craving nights in. Speak your mind freely—honestly, they hate that. Becoming clingy or basically having any type of need outside theirs also helps a lot. Step Five: Disappear.

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

Now that I've slept on things and the high from the Reruns announcement is out of my system I gotta say... I can't be excited about this. All I see now is yet more proof of Paperfold's greed and their lack of care for their players, as well as for the longevity of LADS.

I don't want to be a party pooper. Truly, I don't. I want to be unreservedly pumped and happy about this. As someone who came relatively late to the game, Reruns are something I've prayed for since late October when I ordered my Tablet specifically to play LADS (yes, that's how much of a Sylus simp I am). But this is not the way to go about it, imo. It's a slap in the face to F2Players and low spenders, as well as to those of us who spend a fair amount.

Just think about it. Assuming the rerun banners will have the same pity system as the regular banners, we'll need 140 wishes to be guaranteed the card we want. Now run that banner alongside a new banner, and in worse case scenario you'll need to cough up 280 wishes, in the span of a week or two. That's a lot of dias/money. And now imagine you want to rank them up...💀

And the company does this whilst giving us no additional ways to farm dias. It's a fact that at present we don't have ways to grind dias or mats regardless of whether you spend money or no. Orbits and abyssal chaos are finite. SHC is the one renewable source of dias we have and as we all know SHC is hard as shit. Especially if you main Sylus or Caleb b/c they just do not have enough cards nor Stellactrum. In Sylus' case, his one yellow four star was locked behind a paywall in the form of a Promise card, which is now no longer obtainable. As for red, he only has one. Single. Card. That's it. So basically, you will need to brute force with him not only in SHC but in Orbits which require tons of mats and stamina. Leveling up one card in this game is hella time consuming and hella expensive. Same goes for protocores. Those are also expensive af to level up.

So what I'm saying is that the game is now throwing additional banners at us whilst giving us no way of keeping up which is a HUGE issue. Hell, we can barely keep up as is. This is not conducive for longevity. The moment a competitor comes out, one with equally pretty graphics and appealing LIs, a lot of people are going to migrate to it. Because why stay with a game that does not care about its playerbase? That does not give you ways to grind or keep up? That does not even communicate with us?

And don't come at me with "Is this your first gacha?" It's a moot point. What I've written above still stands: we aren't given enough resources. Not even the bare minimum. That's a fact. And look, neither I nor anyone else is saying that this game should be free, or that F2Players should be able to obtain every single card of every single LI. Of course not. But I truly do believe that obtaining every card of your favorite LI is not unreasonable. Paperfold would not lose out on it. Whales are gonna whale anyway, and those who want to increase affinity will go for R1 or above of their fave LI regardless.

The thing is, Paperfold make tons of money. They're not a small fresh on their feet indie company. They are a multimillion company. They can afford to be more generous to their players. They can afford to give us more resources and additional ways to grind. But they do not. Because they are greedy and they do not care enough about us to even give us the bare minimum in return for all the time, money, and free marketing we give them. It's as simple as that.

(Note that when I speak negatively about Paperfold it is always directed at the execs, management team, CEO etc. The devs and the writers are amazing and deserve nothing but love and praise)

So yeah. I feel very sad and disappointed by this, especially so b/c Reruns were one of my biggest wishes for this game. But the issues and greed are too blatant for me to ignore :/

[whentherewerebicycles]

three baby updates:

I think he is having another growth spurt and my god this child is large. he’s been to the doctor a couple times in the past two weeks and they measure him every time. a couple weeks ago he was 99th percentile for height and then the most recent time the doctor was like ‘well he’s officially off the charts.’ (I mean I think ‘off the charts’ is still just 99th right? but still lol.) it will be SO funny to me if this gigantic baby ends up being like, 5’8 as an adult. but if it’s anything like with puppies I think he’s going to be huge. he has the biggest hands and feet you ever saw. anyway he’s perfect and also carting this child around should count as weight training lol.

he is ON! THE! MOVE!!!! today was his first full day of being a full-fledged crawler and he LOVED it. you put him down and look away for a second and he’s like ‘bye mom’ and is all the way across the room when you look back. crawling facilitates many new activities, like Motoring Towards the Forbidden Wires, but his fave new activity is head-butting people. this is how it works: he puts his big ol noggin down and crawls directly towards you at top crawling speed (read: very slowly) until he runs into you with his big ol noggin. and then he backs up a little bit and runs into you again. and again. and again. and again. then when he is tired of this he will fall over sideways into your lap and look up at you and giggle because that was soooo silly. he spent a lot of time this evening head-butting liz’s daughter (his baby best friend) and she just watched him head-butt, reverse, head-butt again, reverse like ten times and then leaned down and tried to chomp the back of his head with her new teeth.

he was sooooo giggly tonight at liz and A’s god it killed me!!! he’s intensely social right now and loveeeees engaging people and imitating them. liz and A were howling like wolves at him and he would clap his hands together and do his big gummy delighted smile and then howl back at them. he’s actually getting pretty good at howling lol and it has become his default greeting for people he knows. the PT today was like I notice he’s making a lot of ooooooooo sounds and I was like unfortunately he thinks he’s being raised by wolves. it’s not a developmental issue we just positively reinforce the behavior multiple times a day by cracking up and howling at him. WHAT CAN I SAY it’s just too cute haha

[skypiea]

I mean. I think the ideas “a transgender person holding a heretofore unprecedented seat of power in our representation based government is a big deal and potentially a good sign for the future of trans people being able to hold that sort of representational power in the future & have a voice on transgender issues” and “the transgender woman who was elected is just as financially and emotionally invested in continuing the genocide of Palestinians as the majority of elected officials and cannot be supported uncritically on the basis of being transgender” are two ideas that can very easily coexist.

[maaaxx]

dont get me wrong i am more excited for this atla remake and the inevitable renaissance part 2 than i have ever been for anything in my life. however im also terrified of what changes this is going to bring to the fandom. Obviously the 2020 renaissance brought a lot of new and good things (zukka, a ton of amazing fics, etc). But more people joining the fandom means new people joining ao3 and interacting with fics and authors and artists too. Even in the few years that i've been active in fandom i've noticed a dramatic shift in how people interact with artists and authors especially. And I can't see this not getting worse as more people whose main social media experiences include tik tok and instagram coming to ao3 and tumblr. Like these people are used to content creators who revolve their content around what their audience wants because its their job, and I know this isnt going to translate well to the culture around ao3 writers especially when unconsolidated comments and 'advise' is already a problem for a ton of authors. And for people who dont understand that fics and fanart are supposed be transactional in the sense that you need to leave comments and kudos and reblog stuff when they're used to simply liking something *maybe* being enough. Idk whats going on with other fandoms, but I do know that these things have been an ongoing issue for the atla fandom and like I said, I can't imagine having another 'renaissance' and this stuff not getting worse.

[gu6chan]

Not to be dramatic and point fingers but why is it that the worst people with no respect towards art or anything that doesn't involve mindless consumption for "the lore" always have to be drakengard 3 and nier fans. like i don't even try to look and search for things to complain about regarding them but somehow every stupid fucking thing in this fanbase comes back to them

[minimoll7]

Man, really hoping I can get some good sleep these upcoming nights

I've been struggling a lot with sleep lately and its killing me Dx

[boyapologist]

I know this should be the least of my worries right now but it's just crazy to think that 8 years ago when this happened for the first time, taylor was writing miss americana and feeling completely disolated by the news. and now she's probably at a party somewhere being ~politically neutral~ about it with her trump supporter football player girlfriend squad

[andromedasummer]

you know what i would love to be an option in bg3? making your own party member. like Icewind Dale style. choose their class, voice, appearance and travel with them. obvs i understand why they didnt, but it wouldve been so fun to have the option to make your own member, esp if they could be incorporated into your backstory. a sibling, parent, spouse, adventuring buddy, best friend.

[nonuggetshere]

So they didn't become void, they were "born" that way

In FaaF there are different species and kinds of higher beings (still a MASSIVE work in progress tbh, trying to figure out how these cunts work, but for now I'm thinking they're extremely rare species with far greater abilities and lifespans than a normal bug's that have a chance to ascend to true godhood (but even if they don't ascend that doesn't stop mortals from worshipping them as they're already very god-like from a normal bug's perspective)), "pale beings" being one of these kinds/mutations.

Well, there was also a different kind once, "void beings", but they all went extinct a very long time ago by the beginning of the story. Shade Lord was one, and last, of them and it lost its life in a fight with Radiance - the same fight that drove her to make her permanent residence in the dream realm out of her new-found fear of death (which backfired spectacularly ngl). Its body was buried in the Abyss, where it broke apart and decayed, or decayed as much as a non-living thing can, before it was unearthed many ages later by the pale wyrm.

Not much is known about them since they've been gone for so long, and the vessels are the only void beings remaining, but since they're not "pure" void beings it'd be foolish of anyone to assume that the ancient extinct species behaved the same way as these ones do. But they were generally greatly feared thanks to the void's freaky, dangerous properties, which partly lead to their extinction as some of the other higher beings purposefully attacked and killed them whenever they stumbled across one out of fear. Now the only thing remaining of them are the rare void sources, where their former bodies still refuse to fully die.

Shade Lord does get accidentally resurrected in the story bc of all the tomfoolery happening with its body before almost immediately getting killed again by Ghost who inherits its title and reign. Don't ask me how that works, haven't figured that out yet. Magic god shit or something idk LMAO

[seilon]

no like when I say any answer on the queerest city poll that’s not San Fran is wrong I mean it is factually and historically WRONG