#It's like I actually enjoy scrolling through my dash again

[userautumn]

++

[kyeomofhearts]

Back For More | J.WW

+ summary: while adjusting to your new life in college, you couldn't help but attract the attention of wonwoo, someone who you happen to have a history with.

+ pairing: badboy!wonwoo x fem!reader

+ word count: 2.7k

+ content: badboy!wonwoo, college au, mature language, flirting (wonwoo is a menace), jealousy. [pls let me know if i missed anything!]

HC | Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

[ᝰ.ᐟ] i hope you guys enjoy this! it's most likely going to be a two-parter so definitely let me know if you want to be added to my taglist! i would greatly appreciate it if you guys reblogged (maybe with comments too ^^) since i thrive on your guys' validation :)

You were tired, very tired.

Granted, this was your own doing. Maybe if you hadn't pushed your responsibilities to the side last night you wouldn't have had to wake up so early to study for an exam, but what's done is done. This whole college thing was not going so well, to say the least. Sure, it's only the beginning of the second semester, but you already feel exhausted by all of your class workloads.

Just ten more minutes of this boring lecture and you could finally go home and crawl into bed. But… that's only if you avoid him today. Which now that you’re thinking about it, you hope he isn’t waiting for you outside, again. That would be the last thing you needed today.

With that being said, things have felt a little weird if you were being honest. Of course, this was your first year of university, so things were bound to feel new and different. But there was something, or rather someone that was making you feel strange.

Around two weeks ago you noticed that Wonwoo, an old classmate of yours, had recently started to become a bit friendly towards you. While that normally wouldn’t be considered weird, you couldn’t help but feel skeptical about his intentions. You knew the kind of people he surrounded himself with, and especially the girls he would go after; which was the exact opposite of you. So what exactly did he want from you?

What also makes this situation more odd is that you’ve basically known Wonwoo for your whole life. Of course, you don’t actually know him, you just happened to go to the same elementary, middle, and high school (which is insane if you think about it). Acquaintance is a perfect word to describe your relationship with him, nothing more nothing less. So yeah… it’s a little weird when the guy you have been around for (almost) your whole life is suddenly trying to befriend you, there definitely had to be something wrong with him.

All you knew about Wonwoo was that he was on the more reserved and quiet side; mainly keeping to himself most of the time. His group of friends was quite the opposite of him, which always made you wonder how he even became friends with them in the first place.

Seeing how the lecture was ending soon, you started to pack your stuff; you were more than ready to dash straight out of the classroom. Having finished all of your assignments for today, you had nothing left to worry about. So once the professor had made her goodbyes, you made a straight beeline to the door, nothing was going to hold you back from your long-awaited nap. Your pace was brisk, attempting to avoid the backed-up main exit, you decided to go to the opposite door. The walk back to your apartment wasn’t too bad either, most of the time you saw it as a way to daydream and listen to music. So while you scrolled through your various playlists, you happened to miss the (very obvious) figure following you.

Wonwoo called out your name a few times until it finally dawned on him that you had your headphones on. He took a few long strides to catch up to you; he was very adamant on getting your attention this morning. With ease, he quickly plucked your headphones off of your head.

“What are we listening to today?” He said while adjusting the headphones on his head. It took you a second to fully process what he was doing. You knew he was doing it to provoke you, but you were determined to not let that happen today. So to his surprise, you simply kept walking. You figured that he would continue with his antics if you gave him the reaction that he wanted so you did the opposite, you ignored him.

What shocked him the most was seeing you pull out an old pair of earbuds and plugging them into your phone. He was dumbfounded to say the least, how were you so prepared and why were you ignoring him?

And again, he quickly caught up with a few simple steps. He took your headphones off of his head and tapped them against your shoulder.

With a tired sigh, you turned around to face him but couldn’t help but admire his face. You really didn't want to lose that ‘expressionless’ look you were going for (to help you ignore him of course), but that small smile of his was enough to crack you down. It's like he knew that it was your one weakness when it came to him. This was the most annoying part of it all. Anytime he smiled or looked at you, a tiny part inside you secretly liked it, making you crave his attention at times.

Objectively speaking, Wonwoo was very handsome. That was something you could never deny, you would even go as far as to say that he was your type but you didn't particularly like the people he called his ‘friends’ so you were stuck in a weird limbo.

“Is there something on my face, birdy?”

You scoffed at the nickname. “I told you not to call me that.”

Wonwoo’s eyes were looking straight into yours, a smirk slowly creeping up to his lips. It didn't help that he was looking really good today either, his messy hair combined with the whole biker fit did wonders for your eyes. He was about to say something before you heard your ringtone go off, evidently cutting him off.

Oh.

It was Hyunwoo. That's odd... you finished your shared project with him rather early, what could he be calling you about? Either way, you answered the random call in front of a rather annoyed Wonwoo.

"Hello?"

"Heyyy yn, I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch later today?" You couldn't help but feel your eyes widen at his sudden question. Since when did he want to hang out with you? Last time you checked he had a plethora of girls that he was talking to... maybe he was interested in you? No, you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself...

"Um... let me check if I have anything to do first. Can I call you back?" You knew that you sounded nervous but how else were you supposed to feel when the cute guy from your physics class was literally asking you to eat lunch with him?

As soon as you ended the call, you felt Wonwoo's arm snake its way down to your waist. You couldn’t help but yelp at the sudden intimate contact. Chuckling at your reaction, he leaned down, closer to your ear. “Who was that?”

"No one." You stated simply, it wasn't his business anyway.

"Hm, okay," Wonwoo rested his head on your shoulder, continuing to speak lowly in your ear. "I'll remember that birdy."

Before you could even come up with something to counter him, he decided to speak up once again.

"Well, I do have something rather important to tell you." His voice was so calm and soothing, you could honestly listen to it for hours on end if you had the chance.

"What is it?" You hoped he couldn't sense your rather, embarrassing, curiosity.

"Heard you used to have a little crush on me," his voice was evidently smug, knowing that this would surely get a rise out of you.

Which it did.

Your face burned at the memories of when you used to have a crush on Wonwoo. But, that had to be in fourth grade… so how could he have known about that? Nonetheless, you scoffed at his statement, not wanting to know that you were a little embarrassed by the sudden reminder.

“Key word, had,” you rolled your eyes at him. This did make you curious though, who could have possibly told him that? So you asked him exactly that.

“How do you even know about that?” His smile never faltered even as you lightly pushed his hand away from your waist. If anything, this made him want to touch you even more.

“I have my ways,” he stated simply. Of course, he does. You hated when he would shrug things off, now this was going to bother you for the entire week!

One thing about Wonwoo was that he has always been curious about you, this interest stemming back all the way to your elementary days. This curiosity eventually intensified in junior year of high school when you began to show your blatant distaste towards him. He just had to get to know you.

He looked down at you, his face was unreadable like always. You never knew what was going on in that mind of his.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your actual friends?" Sometimes you couldn't help but blurt out your thoughts to him even if they sounded a bit rude. His face faltered for a split second, probably caught off guard by the random question. Shoot, you really didn’t mean to say that out loud. Although, it looks like Wonwoo didn’t take any offense to your sudden question. If anything, it made him... smile?

“I am hanging out with my friend,” he stopped you to face him, “which is you.” You rolled your eyes at him. That had to be the corniest thing he has ever said to you if you were being honest. You just hated that giddy feeling he would give you any time he said something remotely cheesy.

"Ugh, you're so dumb," you groaned while checking the time on your phone. It was getting close to noon and you hadn't responded to Hyunwoo's question from earlier. Maybe it was best if you didn't go... who knows what he wanted from you. If you were being completely honest, you didn't know if you had it in you to see other people at the moment, aside from Wonwoo of course.

"Have somewhere to be?" Wonwoo asked, a hint of concern peeking through his voice.

"No, thank god, but I do have a scheduled nap to get to so if you don't mind-" you were cut off by the sound of an engine revving, making your body jump at the unexpected noise. You turned to see where the source of the commotion was coming from but then realized it was coming from a group of bikers nearby; most likely Wonwoo's friends.

Or so you thought?

Wonwoo didn't seem too pleased with the group that was getting closer to where the two of you were. On the contrary, Wonwoo looked pissed. His jaw was visibly clenched, the gentle grip he had on your waist tightened, and his eyes lost that playful spark he had earlier. You couldn't help but feel guilty for thinking about how hot Wonwoo looked when he was angry. Of course, you would never want to be on the receiving end of his anger but seeing it on the sidelines was quite... interesting.

Wait. This might actually be serious, so it's best if you leave before anything crazy happens.

"I think I'm going to head out now..." you said quietly as you tried to slip away from Wonwoo's (awfully) strong grasp.

He turned to look at you, his eyes softening once they landed on your figure. Why did they have to come and bother him at this exact moment? He knew that whatever was going to happen was not going to be pretty, but he found himself reluctant to let you go.

Before truly letting you go, he quietly asked, "Are you sure? I can take you home if you want me to." As soft as his voice was, he still managed to sound composed which was comforting considering the situation.

You nodded in response, "I don't live that far from here so it's fine, thank you for the offer though." You managed to flash him a small, awkward smile before turning away from him and heading toward the direction of your apartment. You didn't know what exactly was going on between those guys and Wonwoo but it for sure wasn't friendly. Although it wasn't exactly your issue, you couldn't help but feel worried about Wonwoo, even if he was a pain in the ass sometimes.

Much to your dismay, that scheduled nap never came your way that day.

You blame Wonwoo, how were you supposed to sleep peacefully knowing he was probably getting jumped? Okay, you might be jumping to conclusions but what else were you supposed to think about when he was visibly angry at the mere sight of those guys?

Realistically speaking, it's only been two days since that whole incident happened. Granted, you haven't seen Wonwoo since then but that could mean a lot of things.

[...]

While you were in line to get a smoothie from one of the pop-up shops near the campus, you felt a sudden tap on your shoulder.

"Did my little birdy miss me?" You felt Wonwoo say right next to your ear, his breath fanning across your earlobe. It sent a wave of tingles down your spine, making you shudder in turn. Though you weren't a fan of his spontaneous appearance.

"God, you need to stop doing that! I almost slapped you I swear-" You stopped mid-way once you turned around and saw his face. He had a few cuts on his lips and eyebrows and one big bruise across his cheek. Those guys really did a number on him.

Your eyebrows furrowed in concern, "are you okay?"

He tried to wave it off but you could tell he was bothered by your question, "It's fine, really, don't worry about it." Was he insane? How were you not going to worry when he was visibly injured?

"Were these from the guys on Tuesday?" You couldn't help but ask, where else would he get these cuts and bruises if it didn't come from them?

His demeanor immediately switched and he pushed himself away from you.

"It's none of your business so stay out of it."

"Okay." That was the only thing you said before grabbing your smoothie from the worker and quickly walking away from the shop. If he wanted to be like that then so be it. You most definitely were not going to wait for him to 'open up' by all means, he could throw himself a pity party for all you care.

"Wait-" He tried reaching for your arm but you were too quick for him. Your steps were swift, helping you create a reasonable distance between you and Wonwoo. He called out your name a few times before giving up, he didn't want to gather any unwanted attention from the people nearby. Reaching your pace, Wonwoo was finally close enough to grab your wrist and make you look at him.

"Are you seriously ignoring me?" His voice was a bit jagged, no doubt coming from the unexpected cardio you made him do to catch up to you.

Unfortunately for him, you were petty. "You said it wasn't my business, so please do not talk to me because I really do not care." You brushed past him once again this time making sure he could not grab your arms or wrists.

He exhaled in annoyance, "Look I'm sorry-" Wonwoo was mid-apology before being abruptly cut off by the voice of a guy yelling your name out loud.

Speaking of the devil, what immaculate timing.

"Hey yn! Did you still want to get food after class?" Hyunwoo jogged to where you were standing but saw how Wonwoo was still trying to talk to you.

"Sorry, were you busy with him?"

You instantly responded to Hyunwoo, "No, he was just asking for directions, but yeah I'm down for food." Like before, you made your way towards Hyunwoo, making sure to bump into Wonwoo. He couldn't help but stay frozen in place as he watched you walk to class with some random guy, jealousy slowly invading his mind.

Directions? Did she really...?

As much as Wonwoo wanted to be mad at you, he really had no one to blame but himself. The whole situation with his old group of 'friends' was really getting to him so once you popped that question it just seemed to send him over the edge. He just didn't know how far you would go to express your annoyance towards him. Now all he had to do was find a way to properly apologize to you before that Hyunwoo guy got to you first.

The only thing stopping him? He didn't have your number or any of your socials...

[Part Two: II]

[softpine]

can i just word vomit for a min...

there was a point in late 2023 where i felt like i overstayed my welcome on simblr and i planned on just wrapping frozen pines up as quickly as possible and moving on. continuing to write when it's clear that the audience for it is dwindling felt so embarrassing that i almost didn't even want to put effort into it anymore, because i was afraid it just looked pathetic (obligatory disclaimer: no one made me feel this way, you're all so lovely, it's just the nature of seeing a community change over 7 years). writing already feels very personal to me and it's becoming increasingly harder for me to put my work out there (again, for reasons unrelated to simblr and entirely related to mental illness 🤙🏻). i know my story is so long that it deters new readers, and so sporadic that it makes old readers drop off with time. this has really been bothering me lately because i don't know what i can do to fix it. i don't think there IS anything i can do.

but. okay. don't make fun of me for saying this. dan and phil returning to youtube kinda changed my mindset? they may be pulling a fraction of the views they got in their peak, but they're happier than they've ever been and they're working on things they actually want to do, not things they think will be particularly popular. seeing that has made me realize that it is possible to keep finding joy in a community that has largely moved on without you. obviously my little blog is nowhere near the same scale, so this feels kind of silly, but i've been thinking about all the things i used to do on simblr that were never fun for me, i mainly did them because i knew they would get notes or because i felt like i had to do it. making cc, lookbooks, sim requests, reshade help (oh my god the reshade help), lot downloads, etc. they DID get notes, but i can't imagine spending my time doing any of that stuff ever again tbh.

on top of that, it makes me sad to scroll through my dash and realize that i don't recognize most of the people i see anymore. i still talk to some wonderful people here who i consider friends and that's invaluable to me (💖), but the broader community aspect is something i no longer feel a part of. and believe me, i know i'm at fault here because it's not like i'm going out of my way to talk to new people or participate in trends like i used to. i don't blame anyone except the passage of time!!

frozen pines, and simblr by extension, played such a gigantic part in my life when i needed it the most. and that's not to say that i don't still care about it, because i absolutely do, but it's a different kind of feeling. i've always promised that i would give frozen pines a satisfying conclusion rather than silently abandoning it someday, and though i do intend to keep that promise, i know it's possible that i might never get there. but i don't want to let my own insecurities get in the way of something i really enjoy doing. writing is an intrinsic piece of me that i'll never quit doing, but sharing my writing on tumblr is something that can't (and shouldn't) last forever. i know that. but i'm going to enjoy it to the fullest while we're all still here together 💞

to anyone who's still reading my silly story after all these years (especially those of you who still check in on my blog even though you're not on simblr anymore): thank you thank you thank you THANK YOUUU. you don't have to change a single thing about what you're doing. this is not me fishing for compliments or putting down an ultimatum, this is just me trying to make sense of my feelings.

but with all this being said, i've decided to quit simblr and start my own exclusive streaming service for $60 a year, i hope you'll all support me as i increase my production value 😌

(just kidding. ily. okay that's all)

[akkpipitphattana]

aw, man. i actually don't like conflict or negativity, and i hate that some ppl seem determined to pit the couples against each other in the first place, but i've seen/read two things in particular today that have got my hackles up (the poll being one) so i'm gonna say it: i don't think i've seen a single post that enthuses about kb at the expense of fs (maybe one anon but that's bout it), whereas the number of times scrolling through the tag i've seen ppl feel the need to crow about how much more invested they are in fs, how fs are carrying the show, etc. - yes, we all vibe with different characters/dynamics and that's fine - vibe away! nay, enthuse away! but, shocker, you can actually do that without invoking your lack of interest in kb (which, frankly, is your loss!). and, since i'm being blunt, there are, imo, two fairly obvious main reasons for the scale of the disparity (so beyond general variation in taste), and neither are particularly flattering for those in question, so i'm not gonna say them out loud! and that's because i recognise some things you can just keep to yourself, and that way everyone gets to have a good time! sorry to be bitchy, but when stuff like that is in the general tag it's hard to avoid, and even though i know i should just brush it off (cos everyone's entitled to their wrong opinions!), it gets me down nonetheless.

yeah, i'll never understand the need to pit them against each other for one reason or the other tbh. like you said, everyone has their own feelings and opinions and sometimes you're just gonna be drawn to one couple over the other, or one character over the other! i know i personally enjoy both fadelstyle and kantbison, and i adore all of our main four characters in their own ways. it's funny cause in the first few episodes, i was sort of flipping back and forth in terms of who i was more invested in, which was honestly a shock to me because while i have enjoyed joongdunk in the past, their shows and characters haven't compelled me in the same ways that firstkhao's have, so i went into thk figuring that they would be the ones to hold my attention the most. and while that did end up being the case, fadel and style have ALSO become beloved to me in their own ways and there was even a period in the beginning of the show where i was MORE invested in them! but kb have definitely captured my attention the most and again, it does just come down to personal taste - i find the layers of their story to be personally more compelling, and i find kant's character specifically to be incredibly fascinating because of the absolute lack of agency he really has in anything he does up until now.

but again, it's all a matter of personal taste. i recognize not everyone is going to view these characters the same way i do or have the same attachment, and that's okay! and it's very odd to me the way that a lot of people who prefer fs will choose to hate on kb or flaunt which one they prefer more. like if you post about the things you love, we'll get the message either way without you needing to bring down the other pair and make others feel bad for enjoying them. i don't think anyone before now has really questioned which couple i prefer, but the only time i ever actually acknowledged that (outside of this ask) was to say that i was SAD fs didn't interest me more because i do genuinely enjoy them as characters, but kb take up so much of my brain that i just can't focus on them as much.

and it's not to say if you wanna be a hater, you can't be a hater, like that's fine. but at the same time idk. people that DO like those things don't wanna see that when they're just trying to enjoy the tag of their fave show, yknow? but that's also why i at least prefer to keep to my dash instead of going into tags, cause i prefer keeping it to those i trust to keep it tasteful than those that will go into main tags and shout their hate for things from the rooftops sjdfsdkj

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

When did you start the original owl vid blog and what was it like? Was it more focused on reviewing owl videos? I’m just curious as to how you ended up involved in a bunch of discourse* about not-owls.

*lets just call it that for simplicity’s sake ahah

I made the original in either January or February 2020 after being frustrated to a breaking point seeing another video of an owl in an obviously bad situation being shared uncritically because the OP had mislead their followers about what was going on. “Oh this owl LOVES his kitten and duck friends!” “Oh look at this owl having SO much fun in the bubble bath!” It was endless. At the time there was genuinely no one questioning anything going on in any of them. My only outlet was to vent it to some of my friends in group chats and such. We would pass around different videos that ended up on our dashes and discuss the issues amongst ourselves just to be in a space where people actually said something because outside of those chats we were going mad seeing it time and time again.

I made the blog while scrolling tumblr aimlessly during a particularly long winded seminar I was sitting in on, I had reblogged a photo of a wild owl and tumblr began recommending various owl abuse videos mislabeled as cute. I had enough. I made a blog name and used large bold letters and emphasizing colors so my posts would be seen by people scrolling the reblogs. I scoured the entire owl tag and rated every single video I came across, typing paragraph upon paragraph detailing everything wrong with those photos and videos and it didn’t take more than a day or two before I had amassed a few thousand followers, people were interested. People were listening, there were a few “okay Karen” types here and there, but the large majority were willing to listen in a way I had never seen before. I had made posts like this on Facebook (not under an alias) and my posts were always immediately met with “who cares if the owl dies it’s just a fun video it’s not that deep let people enjoy things” and threats of lawsuits for “defamation” from the online personalities and “sanctuaries” i critiqued. To say tumblr was a breath of fresh air was an understatement, I have been on this website since ~2013-2015 (not on a themed blog, just various personal blogs I deleted and remade a few times, and a discourse blog or two mixed alongside a few admin slots making pride icons with cartoon characters for people), and I can honestly say this initial experience was the last thing I expected from this hellsite.

For the first few months, I wanted to hang onto that. I didn’t want to bring politics into it, this was just about owls and wildlife, I didn’t want to detract from the goal of educating people on how to spot animal abuse. And for a time that worked well. I was happy. The followers were happy. Until I started paying attention to the people following me and interacting with my posts. Usernames like “radical-clit” or “jake1488” would start to pop up more often. More icons would have kekistan pride flags, or just iron crosses outright. Some icons proudly just said “TERF is a slur” while others were naked white women in wheat fields. I had what I asked for, a truly “apolitical” space where everyone, even Nazis and TERFs felt very welcome.

And I took exception to that.

I made the first real post using my voice and my stances. I said trans women are women. I said Black Lives Matter. I said ACAB and I said wear a mask when COVID started to hit. I started blocking the ones that didn’t scatter from my blog like roaches, I went through my follower list manually and blocked every TERF, Nazi, and any other type of sleazeball I could find. I manually vetted a few thousand people.

This resonated with people. I expected backlash, and there was a fair shake of it, but I received more asks than I had before. Hundreds of strangers thanking me for making my stance clear and letting them know they were welcome. And that stuck with me.

I had made this blog to educate, and that is what I was going to do. So when I started getting asks from those opposed to my open sharing of political subjects, I responded to their hate mail as though it was a debate. I wasn’t trying to change their minds, I’m not that naive, it was to further educate anyone else reading about it, to tell the full story and to arm them with tools to fight back against bad faith talking points the right weaponizes. From that point on, I would get off topic asks questioning my political stances, and I continued to answer them. I wanted it to be clear where I stood because I did not want marginalized people to ever question if I was secretly a bigot.

I never stopped actually reviewing owl videos, however I did stop using the flashy long format responses to avoid annoying people. I had a following by then, I didn’t need to shout to be heard over scores of people fawning over animal abuse. I still rate videos today, but if it’s one that I’ve rated at all within the past year or especially one I’ve rated multiple times, I tend to ignore the message. I don’t go looking for them anymore for the same reason I’d imagine you probably don’t go out of your way to find videos of dogs and cats being abused. It’s upsetting, it’s emotionally tolling. There’s also only so many ways I can say “owls cannot safely cohabit with other species or more than one other owl”, “owls cannot swim well and don’t like being fully submerged in water for a viral tiktok”, or “owl cafes and pet keeping of owls are inherently abusive”.

If I’ve already rated three videos of people letting their toddlers or other pets manhandle large owls, do I really need to be sent six more? My point is Education, not sending as many upsetting videos of animal abuse as I can find to place on your dash and say things you already know if you’ve seen my other posts.

Anyway, for a shorter answer to your question: I get non-owl discourse consistently because I don’t shy away from addressing it. I don’t want my stances to be vague, I don’t want good people wondering if I support trump or genocide. I am a firm believer that silence is violence. I’m not going to do what white culture favors and simply look away and avoid the topic of injustices simply to make white users more comfortable.

This blog was never meant to be comfortable.

This is the “animal abuse is bad stop that” blog.

It would be weird of me to oppose animal abuse and them remain silent on abuses and injustices faced by human beings.

I don’t wake up in the morning saying “okay today will be 80% international politics, 12% discourse about the causes and ethics of pedophilia as a mental disorder, and 8% birds with 1% of that being owls. If someone asks me if I support trans rights I will answer them. If someone attacks me for that then I will respond to their attack.

If some days I don’t feel like looking for upsetting animal abuse and formulating an entire essay on why abusing said animal for entertainment is wrong, I do something else.

[nikibogwater]

Niki Blethers: Echoes of Wisdom gameplay (spoiler free)

I've only been posting about EoW's story/characters/aesthetic so far. I think it's time to gush about the gameplay itself for a while. Honestly, I would've done this sooner, but I've had the hardest time finding the words to describe just how GOOD this game feels when you're playing it. Like the title says, there's no spoilers in here, just discussion of raw gameplay, but I've gone ahead and put most of it under the cut to avoid clogging everyone's dashes.

First thing I noticed right off the bat is the movement and controls. I don't know what voodoo witchcraft the devs used to make this, but just moving around in the world feels so silky smooth. Which is excellent, because it turns out a surprising chunk of the gameplay involves rudimentary platforming.

You can jump in this game. Just, right off the bat, no items required, that's a thing you can do. And it's not like Link's little hops in Breath of the Wild either. These are proper jumps.

Outside of combat (which I'll get to in a minute), you mainly use the Echoes to explore. Building bridges, getting up on high ledges--stuff like that. There's no weird collision or confusing perspective that makes placing Echoes difficult. When you move, you move in the way you actually WANT to, and when you interact with an object, it goes the way you'd expect. I know this shouldn't surprise me--this is Nintendo after all--but janky platforming is one of my pet peeves when it comes to gaming, so I deeply appreciate how polished EoW's is.

EoW draws a lot of inspiration from Breath of the Wild when it comes to puzzle-solving. Once again, there are multiple different solutions to any given challenge, and progress isn't locked behind acquiring specific pieces of equipment. But unlike BotW, EoW doesn't give you all the puzzle-solving mechanics you will ever need at the start of the game. Instead, it merely provides you with the means to acquire those abilities for yourself.

Once you've made it through the tutorial section, you will only have a handful of basic object Echoes, plus a couple of weak monsters to help you fight. At this point, the world opens up for you, and you can go just about anywhere you want (though the story can only be progressed by completing Main Quest objectives, which are a bit more linear than they were in BotW). There's a real incentive to explore Hyrule here, because discovering new objects and creatures is the only way to expand your arsenal of Echoes.

Case in point, I've mostly just been focusing on the main quest storyline, and haven't spent as much time exploring all the different areas. As a result, I ended up finding myself encountering a puzzle in the main quest that I wasn't able to solve with my current collection of Echoes. I had to leave and go find new ones. If that sounds like a tedious backtracking nightmare to you, don't worry. This game is very generous with Waypoints that you can warp to at any time and from anywhere. Getting back to where I was after I'd found the Echo I needed took roughly 30 seconds.

Now, while I love the Echoes as a gameplay mechanic, they are also the source of my one and only complaint with this game: namely, the inventory system. Throughout the game, you will inevitably collect dozens, if not more than a hundred individual Echoes to choose from, and finding the specific one you want quickly becomes a chore after a few hours of gameplay. I've said this in another post, but Nintendo really needs to figure out a way to give us a customizable quick-select function--some way to equip just a handful of Echoes to a scroll wheel so that you don't have to bring up the pause menu to avoid cycling through your entire collection of Echoes. Coincidentally, this was also my biggest complaint for Tears of the Kingdom. I guess someone over at Nintendo just really enjoys scrolling through long lists of items. Anyways, it's not a huge issue, it's just one of those annoying things that feels like it should've been ironed out at some point during beta testing.

While EoW feels very comfortably Zelda-ish in all other aspects, the combat is radically different from what series fans are used to. I think that more than anything is going to be what makes or breaks this game for people.

Outside of Swordfighter Mode (which I will also get to in a minute), Zelda cannot do any direct damage to enemies by herself. If a monster gets close enough to hit you, you don't have any immediate defense or counter-attacks. This means that every encounter with an enemy has to be approached from a small distance. You have to think about how you're going to defeat enemies before you actually fight them, otherwise you will get overwhelmed.

While you are given plenty of objects to hurl at your foes, a lot of the combat will be fought by your own monster Echoes. There's a large variety of creatures to collect Echoes of, and they all have different abilities and fighting styles, which means certain monsters will fare better against one kind than another. But the game doesn't tell you about any of those advantageous monster match-ups. You have to figure those out for yourself.

Creature Echoes can be directed to attack anything you're currently Z-targeting, or they can be let loose to attack according to the whims of their AI. Echoes can also be directly moved around with the Bind ability, which is handy for repositioning any monsters who might've gotten stuck on some terrain or what have you.

You have a limited amount of energy to spend on Echoes, which means you can only have so many out at once. That energy is immediately replenished once an Echo is defeated or recalled, which allows for some pretty hectic swapping strategies that are a lot of fun to pull off. Individual Echoes have their own energy costs, based on how strong they are. So you can't just sic 3 copies of the same mini-boss on every Moblin who is unfortunate enough to cross you.

The best way I can sum it up is that the combat is like a turn-based strategy game set in real time. And as someone who has played an ungodly number of hours of Fire Emblem, I really enjoy it. I downright revel in strategically summoning minions to fight for me (my favorite attack is spawning in a bunch of crows like a malevolent little witch). However, if you're someone who prefers the more direct style of fighting from past Zelda games, this might end up being a deal-breaker for you.

Swordfighter Form is your other major weapon in combat. For a limited amount of time, Zelda can assume Link's abilities and weapons, allowing her to attack enemies directly and do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. But since this ability has limited duration, and the energy guage has to be manually refilled by collecting a specific item, it cannot be your go-to default way of handling every fight. Swordfighter Form can be upgraded as you progress through the game, allowing you to extend its duration and increase its moveset and damage output. But it's always going to be something that you use sparingly, mostly just to get yourself out of overwhelming combat scenarios.

So yeah, I think that just about covers the major gameplay mechanics. In conclusion, Echoes of Wisdom is not only its super cute aesthetic, banger soundtrack, and engaging story. Ignoring all of the more superficial stuff, at its core, this is a really good game, that feels really good to experience. If you've enjoyed any of the past 2D Zelda titles, or even just want to see what all the fuss is about, I genuinely cannot recommend this game enough. Regardless of its differences in presentation, Echoes of Wisdom was made with the same level of care and craftsmanship as any of the other entries in the Zelda series, and I've adored every moment of it so far.

[ssruis]

Hii. Character you didn’t like at first, what made you get into pjsk, and/or fav card set outside of wxs?

Hmmm I didn’t like akito that much when I started out after reading the vbs main story but he grew on me… I also don’t think I liked tsukasa as much as the other wxs members until I read the torpe event. & now he’s infected my brain like a fungus. Tsukasa Tenma Stockholm syndrome is real…

I got into pjsk as a rhythm game first and foremost! I’d played muse dash until I exhausted all the fun songs, and had an on and off again relationship with beatstar, but I wanted a rhythm game that didn’t cap out how many times you could play per day at an absurdly small number unless you payed (beatstar is a bad game). I remember trying to download it and seeing the size and going no thanks, & then crawling back to it when I saw someone playing it while scrolling through the hellhole that is YouTube shorts. I got into the characters because of emunene actually - I picked the gamer & funny pink thing as my designated favorites after going through their main story, read close game offline, and decided to read the rest of the wxs events, and now the clowns are inside my head 24/7.

I like the VS WLE cards a lot & whip the wimp girl is also peak… I usually just think about cards individually when ranking how much I enjoy them so I will say one card that I’d rank high enough to beat out a lot of wxs cards is honami’s regulus card.

Flawless stunning beautiful. Gorgeous card I have no notes.

[hush-writes-preg]

Tips?

Hello! Hope you having a good day/night! I've been following your work for awhile and have been thoroughly enjoying it. You truly are a master of your craft!

I just recently started my own fantasy pregnancy and birth blog that I wanted to write for but am at a loss on where to start so I was wondering if you have any tips on how to write labor and birth?

I ask for tips on the generic basic birth to get myself started but if you willing to share tips on other types like long/painful/fast/pleasurable/breech/etc I would appreciate that too!

Hey there, Anon! Thanks so much for sticking around with me, and also for the kind words! 💗

As far as tips go... hmm. That's a pretty general ask. Regarding where to start, I'd suggest scrolling through your dash and see if any particular themes really inspire you. That inspiration will take you a lot further than trying to decide on what's "right" or "popular" to write about. Use your passion, darling!

Then comes research. I'm not saying that anyone has to be an expert at a topic to write about it, but when you're writing for an audience with an above-average understanding of said topic, you don't want to come across as a dummy who couldn't be bothered to look up even the most basic of facts. This research can come from places like online encyclopedias, studies, articles, and forums. If you want to know about the nuances of the first stage of labor, for example, look it up! If you want to see a diagram of birth positions, there are tons of them out there! And that research can turn out to be inspiration in itself.

When it comes to writing in general, one of the most helpful guidelines I'd advise anyone to be aware of is the 'show, don't tell' strategy. Don't give me a list of the actions your character is completing. That's freaking boring. Focus on a character's senses, movements, emotions, thoughts, that sort of thing, and use those to weave depth into your story.

And if you've gotten this far and want to hear about a personal pet peeve of mine? Don't write your character screaming through labor in all caps—especially if you're giving us an onomatopoeia of their Lamaze breathing. I get it, some people are really into reading "HEE HEE HOO HOO" in their labor fic, but think about it. What could you be writing instead to really drive home that scene? As a reader, I find it a lot more engaging to read about how a character is reacting: like struggling against their contractions, the emotional upheaval, interacting with other characters, etc. Even dialogue with actual substance ("I am never going to let you touch me again!" they wailed before sucking in a deep breath to bear down again.) is better than keyboard smash.

That's what I've got at the moment, Anon. If you've got more specific questions, I'd be open to tackling them. And feel free to link me to your new blog if/when you're comfy!

[ijustreallylikepirates]

So my Alenick fanfic kinda blew up a bit so I decided I was going to do a small continuation of it 👍🏻

So this is a little different from the first part. Just to warn yall: there’s a little more making out and swearing, but also subtle smut. Not too much, but if that’s not the kind of thing you read just scroll. Anyways I hope you enjoy this, thanks for reading and ily all!!! <3

So. My first date with Nick.

It was great, there was nothing I would change about it. We went out to dinner at this nice fancy restaurant. Nick paid. It was very expensive but he’s such a gentleman (and a rich kid) that he didn’t complain.

We were talking and laughing all night. Nick even threw a couple of dirty jokes my way and I maybe might have told him one or two myself.

But what blew me away about this night was seeing Nick in that dashing suit and tie he was wearing. I was just wearing a simple t-shirt with a cardigan pulled over it and my nicest pair of jeans I had.

When he first picked me up and I first saw him in that suit, I just froze and thought to myself, ‘Wow, he’s really hot.’

But enough about his suit. (But like the suit…) After dinner, I stupidly asked if he was going to drive me home or if I was gonna have to hoof it home.

He just laughed and said, “Why don’t you come back to my place and we can watch some movies together on my couch?”

I just smirked and said, “Sounds wonderful. Wasn’t really ready to end the night anyways, I was just afraid to ask for more of your time.”

Nick chuckled and opened the passenger side door of his blue ass car for me. “You’ll never take up too much of my time, Passenger Princess. Hop in.”

I sat my old ass on the car seat and he shut the car door, then he rounded around the car and got into the drivers seat. We drove home listening to old hits from the 90s, including old bands like Wham!, R.E.M, and Weezer. And trust me, you do not want to hear Nick when he listens to Say It Ain’t So.

When we got back to his house, he opened the car door for me like I was royalty. I mean, I was the passenger princess wasn’t I?

He unlocked the front door and gestured for me to go in. “Hot old men first.”

I rolled my eyes and said, “I’m literally 4 years older than you. I’m not that old.”

“You’re literally 30, old man,” he said, giggling as I walked through the door. He discreetly shut the door behind us.

I looked around his house. For a rich white man his house wasn’t very extravagant. It’s cozy and warm, which is the kind of house I like. I’m not looking for a rich man anyways. Just someone who will treat me right. Like Nick.

I walked over to his couch. I didn’t even notice he was following me until he came up behind me and slapped my ass.

I jumped and laughed. “Stop! Oh my God!” I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss, then threw him onto the couch.

The couch creaked loudly and he laughed. I threw myself on top of him and kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me harder.

Then I pushed off of him and said, “Let’s actually watch movies like we said we were and not make out again. We can save that for the library bathroom.”

Nick chuckled, then sat up. “You’re a dork.” He grabbed the TV remote and turned the TV on. “What do you wanna watch?”

I snatched the TV remote out of his hand and said, “Are you sure you want to let me pick the movie?”

Nick gave me a side eye and said, “Whatever you want, sexyback.”

I clicked a couple buttons on the remote and put on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I put the remote down on the couch, then looked over at Nick.

He was giving me a bored look.

I giggled and said, “What? I told you that you shouldn’t have let me pick the movie.”

Nick just laughed and said, “I’ll make it work.”

Nick stood up and walked behind the couch and opened a door, then disappeared inside the room. He came back out with a blue fleece blanket.

He sat back down next to me on the couch and draped the blanket over our legs. He pulled the ottoman over and pat the spot in front of me with his hand, then propped his feet up. I propped mine up next to his.

I turned my head to him and asked with a smile on my face, “Why are you treating me like royalty?”

He smirked and said, “Because you deserve it, my Prince. Wait, actually…” He blushed a little, wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my shoulder. “My King.”

Now I was blushing! I smiled and kissed the top of his head. I turned my head back to the TV and wrapped my arm around his waist.

He turned his head back to the TV as well and laid his head on my shoulder. I kissed the top of his head again and laid my head on top of his.

We sat and watched the movie for a while, up until the part where Harry got to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. I was convinced Nick had fallen asleep for a long time. He had his eyes closed but that theory was immediately debunked when Nick’s eyes shot open, just for him to squeeze my ass, call me sexyback, and go back to watching the movie. I swear, sometimes this man is too much.

A little more into the movie when Harry had arrived at Platform 9 3/4, Nick stared me down until I finally turned my head to look at him. He looked around suspiciously and asked me, “So… wanna make out a little more?”

I blushed and smirked. “Sure, why not British boy?” Before he could say a word, I threw my hands on his neck and shoved my lips onto his.

He quickly wrapped his arms around my waist.

After that long kiss, he pulled away from me. I leaned in for another kiss but he shoved his finger on my lips. “Wait a second.” He turned his body to the side again, then hoisted his leg over my waist and made himself comfortable on my lap, coming face-to-face with me. “Now you can kiss me.”

I smirked and said, “You’re a daredevil.” I put my hands around his waist. “I like that in a man.”

He wrapped his arms around my body as I kissed him. His lips were so warm, his hands so soft as they made their way under my shirt and up my back.

I grabbed his shirt in my hands and kissed him harder. He moved his hand up my back and to my neck, then into my hair.

But he slowly untangled himself from me. He put his hands on my shoulders and smirked before asking me, “So, uh… wanna take this to my bedroom?”

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. This man was the Devil himself! I raised an eyebrow at him and said, “Lead me there.”

He winked, then got up off my lap and grabbed my hand. He dragged me up off the couch, then off to the room where he had retrieved the blue fleece blanket from.

As soon as he shoved the door closed, he took me by my shoulders and shoved me against the door, then pressed his lips on mine.

I quickly grabbed his waist and pulled him closer to me. He kissed me harder, his hands traveling up my shirt.

We made out at the door for a while, then he brought his hands back to my chest and pulled away from me. He pulled my cardigan off, then the t-shirt under it.

I quickly mirrored his actions and started to unbutton his suit vest. Once I pulled the vest off, I untied his tie and threw it on the ground. He pressed another kiss on my lips as I unbuttoned his white button-down and slipped it off his arms.

As our clothes lay in a heap on the floor, he went to grab at my belt. I pushed him back and asked, “What are we doing?”

He raised his eyebrow, his hand still held out, and asked me, “What do you mean? I thought we were gonna…” He spun his hand around in circles, meaning exactly what you think it means.

I raised my eyebrow back and said, “Yeah, but at the door?”

He laughed, then placed his hands on my waist and said, “We can take this to my bed.” He put his lips up against mine, just barely enough space to let out a shaky breath. “If you want.” As the whisper escaped his mouth, I could feel his hot breath on my chin.

I sneaked a quick kiss from him, then took his arms and wrapped them around my neck. “That would be easier,” I said. “But I’m gonna be the top.” I poked his chest for emphasis.

He rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever, sexyback.”

I winked at him, then continued to pick him up off the ground. “Wrap your legs around me.”

He quickly did so, and I grabbed him under his thighs to keep him up. I walked over to his bed and threw him down on the mattress. Then I quickly hopped on the bed, right on top of him.

He stared at me with a sly grin on his face. I gave him one back. We both grabbed at each other’s belts at the same time and well… things went on from there.

~

As I woke up the next morning in Nick’s bed, I looked over to my right and saw he wasn’t there next to me. I looked to the front and saw the bedroom door wide open, the smell of bacon wafting through my nose. He must be making us breakfast. What a gentleman.

I looked over to my left and saw he had left me a clean folded white towel on the nightstand next to me. I smiled, then took the towel and got out of his bed.

I quickly wrapped the towel around my waist, just in case Nick decided he wanted to stare at me through the door. Sneaky Brit.

I walked across the room and quietly opened the bathroom door in his bedroom. I snuck inside and closed it just as quietly as I had opened it.

I turned his shower on, took off my glasses, and put my hair down, then hopped in.

As I cleansed myself of what we, uh… did… last night, I could hear Nick belting out Billy Joel in the kitchen…

And he could not sing!

But I knew this song…

So I started singing the lyrics along with Nick. “Sing us a song, you’re the piano man / sing us a song tonight / we’ll, we’re all in the mood for a melody / and you’ve got us feelin’ alright”

Nick paused in the kitchen. I paused mid way through shampooing my hair as he switched the music off.

I heard his footsteps and then: “Am I really that bad of a singer?”

I laughed. “You shouldn’t quit your day job.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. I get to spend many hours of my day with you when I’m at work.”

I didn’t say anything back, I just blushed.

I heard the floorboards creak as he started walking back to the kitchen. “You have really nice voice.”

I couldn’t say anything before he walked away.

I just finished my shower, blushing wildly. Once I got out, I quickly started to get dressed.

Nick had turned the music back on and the song Movin’ Out was now playing. I hummed along with the music as I pulled on my pair of jeans that I wore last night back on. I didn’t have any other pants, I guess I’ll just put a different pair on when I get home later.

As I strapped my belt through the belt loops, my phone vibrated on the bathroom counter. I picked it up and I saw a text from Nick: ‘Don’t leave the bathroom. My girlfriend just got home. Be really quiet and don’t respond to this text.’

My heart started to race. He told me he didn’t love his girlfriend anymore. He failed to mention he didn’t ever break up with her.

As I stopped my humming, I heard Nick in the other room talking to a woman: his not-so-ex-girlfriend. I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

As his girlfriend walked into the bedroom, I threw my hand over my mouth to muffle my breathing and stood as far away from the bathroom door as I could go.

Silence. Then: “Nick!”

Nick came into the room. “Yeah?”

“Would you mind telling me what this is?” she asked him in an angered tone.

Uh oh. I don’t recall leaving anything behind that could’ve given away the fact that Nick was cheating on her. Right?

“What do you mean?” Nick had that tone in his voice that obviously meant he knew what she meant.

“Why did I happen to find a lock of brown hair on your bed? Your hair is blonde and so is mine! Whose hair is this?”

My hair! Of course a piece of my hair had to fall out onto the bed!

“I…uh…” Nick started.

“Yes!? What girl did you sleep with while I was gone?”

“Hey, it wasn’t even a girl, okay!?” Nick shouted.

Nice move, Nick. I almost smacked my forehead, but then remembered I couldn’t make any sound.

It must feel great to find out your boyfriend tried out men while you were gone. ‘Surprise, I’m gay now!’ Love it.

“It’s a guy,” Nick said, as if it wasn’t obvious.

A beat.

“Why did you do it, Nick?”

“I’m sorry, I just… I just don’t love you anymore. I’m sorry I kept that from you for so long. This wouldn’t have happened.”

More silence.

“Why didn’t you just tell me that earlier?” she asked. “I would’ve understood.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t.”

“Well, I do understand. We can… end our relationship if that’s what you want.”

A small silence, then from Nick: “Yeah… yeah, okay.”

I took my hand off my mouth slowly.

Then, Nick said, “He’s actually still in the bathroom right now! Wanna meet him?”

Fuck!

I might have to kick Nick’s ass when I get out of this bathroom.

“Sure?” Nick’s now-ex-girlfriend said skeptically.

I stayed silent in my position.

I heard footsteps getting closer to the door. “Alec, you can come out now,” Nick said softly. He sounded a little seductive but maybe that’s just my Nick-infused brain working overtime.

I sighed, then said, “Hold on.”

If I was to go out and meet Nick’s ex, I definitely wanted to do it with a shirt on. I slipped on my t-shirt and cardigan, then squeezed out my hair with the towel and tied it into ponytail. I cleaned my glasses before propping them up on my nose. Then I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.

Standing there next to Nick was a blind woman in a white casual business suit. Her face was dotted with freckles.

I awkwardly waved and stood in the doorway. Then Nick walked forward and grabbed my arm, then pulled me into the bedroom to stand next to him.

“Alec, this is Lennie.” Nick gestured to his ex. “Lennie, this is Alec.”

I waved again, and she waved back.

An awkward silence filled the air for a moment.

“So I guess you’ll want me to move out now,” Lennie said, crossing her arms.

Nick’s face washed over with panic. “What!? No! You bought the house. You should have it! I’ll find somewhere else to live!”

I looked from Lennie, to Nick, then back to Lennie. “Yeah, he can live with me in my house!”

Nick blushed but Lennie said, “No, I’ll move out. I wanted to get a different house anyway. Now I have a reason for a new house.”

Without another word, she left the bedroom.

Nick and me just stood in silence. Then Nick said, “So the house is gonna be pretty empty without Lennie around-“

“You want me to move in, don’t you?”

Nick laughed. “Maybe. If you want.”

I gave him a peck on the cheek. “Sure. I need some company anyway.”

Later on, Nick drove me home.

Once Lennie moved bought a new house and moved out, I packed my bags and moved in. It was gonna be a… different experience living in the same house as Nick but hey! I know the experiences we do share will be great!

Anyways I hope yall enjoyed this!! Again, if this wasn’t your type of thing, don’t come at me please 🙏🏻 anyways ily all, have a good day and love alenick 🔥🔥🔥

[sonkitty]

The Harmony Connection Part 2

I'm going further with my thoughts from The Harmony Connection Part 1.

In S1E4, Crowley chooses to wait for the end of the world by watching an animation at a cinema.

This scene informs us Crowley likes cartoons, so Crowley liking or knowing of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is not as far-fetched as I initially thought.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic really was a Saturday morning cartoon.

S2 further clues us into Crowley liking cartoons because of the exaggerated way he brings out the scroll in the first Job minisode scene.

The Good Omens book does actually mention "My Little Pony" though as all one word ("mylittlepony") as a little girl goes on about her own birthday with cartoons and presumably toys she got. This dialogue is excluded from the first season though where it would have appeared is easy to guess from the kid going on about getting to see Penn and Teller. Her dialogue cuts off just before the toys would have been listed as she says, "got a—".

My Little Pony is also referenced in Discworld. Susan, Death's granddaughter, had a My Little Binky toy set, mentioned in the novel Soul Music. Binky is Death's horse.

These references are to the franchise overall, not the show, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. That cartoon premiered much later, in October 2010.

There is, in fact, a character with "Harmony" in the name for both seasons, and Harmony is more specifically tied to MLPFIM. Mr. Harmony is one of the three Nazi spies in season 1 who eventually becomes a zombie in season 2. Of the group, he is the lip-reader so the first character to say "dash of nutmeg" in the dialogue.

That phrase was my clue to find Rainbow Dash's name during The Door Trick through the Rainbow Connection and my guess at where the "dash of nutmeg" is.

While I can't really find anything that outright said that Terry Pratchett himself watched and enjoyed the cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, there is a character named Ted Flutter in the Discworld novel, Snuff. MLPFIM would have been airing before and at the time this book was published.

If he did indeed watch the show and like it, Mr. Pratchett would have been able to enjoy MLPFIM's earlier seasons. It aired between 2010 and 2019. He died in March 2015. That would be after season 4 finished and before season 5 started. There are 9 seasons total. The season 4 ending is one of my favorites.

MLPFIM is a colorful, vibrant show filled with fantasy, humor (including word play), and friendship, so I think he would have liked it based on my reading of his Discworld novels.

I am also left with the impression that Fluttershy was his favorite.

Fluttershy is the character I said represents Kindness. I linked her and her Element of Harmony to The Window Trick.

When Crowley makes it rain in S2E3, the sequence is a special part of the play in Earthly Objects for studying windows.

It plays a big role in understanding The Window Trick itself that happens at the end of episode 6.

This special sequence ends with a rainbow.

Here is S1 Crowley upon learning about the rainbow being a promise not to drown everyone again:

"How kind."

These events both happen in episode 3 of the given season.

Here is Genesis 7:14:

they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.

Fluttershy loves animals.

Based on my reading of the Discworld novels and Terry Pratchett's biography, Terry Pratchett himself also loved animals.

A few verses before Genesis 7:14 is Genesis 7:11 that states:

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Note the end of that verse is "the windows of heaven were opened," and Crowley had a special windows sequence were he made it rain that ended with a rainbow.

Windows.

Kind.

Fluttershy represents the Element of Kindness.

...

Another thing I've mentioned about MLPFIM is that I have a deep love and appreciation for a well-known fanfiction, Austraeoh.

Austraeoh is a series that was planned as 12 books. As of this typing, it only ever reached book 9 and has remained incomplete for nearly 4 years now.

Book 8, Utaan, is quite long compared to the others, and in my opinion, the best. The other books are really good, but Utaan is really, really good. It is my favorite book ever.

So, if you have any interest in reading the whole Austraeoh series and are trying to avoid spoilers, you should stop reading this post right now.

Here are my imagined connections for the Elements of Harmony to the Threshold Tricks:

Magic = The Pocket Trick Generosity = The Perfect Entrance Trick Laughter = The Bigger Thresholds Trick Kindness = The Window Trick Honesty = The Sunglasses Trick Loyalty = The Door Trick

If you follow along with my posts, you'll know that I never, ever use this order to list the Threshold Tricks. I usually go by when they finish or the order I found them.

This order is based on Austraeoh for the books, Yaerfaerda, Ynanhluutr, and Utaan.

As an aside, and definitely by coincidence, Austraeoh is known for the simple tag line, "Rainbow Dash flies east." Aziraphale is the Angel of the Eastern Gate.

In Austraeoh, before the story starts and relayed as something in the past, a horrific sequence of events led to 5 of the Mane 6 dying, leaving only Rainbow Dash alive with a curse in which she is also host of a monstrous form of Discord, the villain from the show's season 2 premiere. Discord is the Lord of Chaos.

Only the Element of Loyalty remained as a physical, tangible object. It is a source of extreme magic that helps contain Rainbow Dash's chaotic half. The other physical forms of the Elements of Harmony are gone.

Eventually, and it is the end of book 6, Yaerfaerda, to even start this eventually, the 5 friends return as ghosts linked to Rainbow Dash and her surviving Element of Harmony, Loyalty.

As the story progresses, each ghost and Rainbow Dash herself acquires a power that is based on their Element of Harmony. For instance, the first ghost is Twilight Sparkle. She is the Element of Magic, so her power is the ability to detect magic.

So, as a list, it goes:

Twilight Sparkle, whose Element is Magic, can detect magic. Rarity, whose Element is Generosity, has spatial awareness. Pinkie Pie, whose Element is Laughter, has a Pinkie sense. Fluttershy, whose Element is Kindness, has empathy. Applejack, whose Element is Honesty, is basically a lie detector.

I'm at a loss for how to describe Rainbow Dash's power. She sees a golden stream leading her to her objective while also having to deal with Discord, not as a monster form, but as an unwanted companion replacing that of her friends depending on the circumstances. Yeah, he died too, even though his appearance takes shape on Rainbow Dash's monster form.

To go further on Rarity's power, she can detect structures and the types of materials involved.

One of the story's original characters, Keris, my favorite, describes Pinkie's power as, "A randomly occurring, split-second and remarkably accurate prediction of spontaneous hazards."

Fluttershy's empathy, while useful, is very much a curse. A compassionate character liker her is then left to feel the pain and suffering of others.

Am I going on about all this to say there's an Austraeoh connection too?

Well, let's start with The Pocket Trick for Magic.

Is there any magic detection?

In Touch #1 (Triple Part 1), that's more like an audience player detecting magic since that's the main way to discover the Tied Hands exist.

Then just before Touch #2 (Triple Part 2) is shown on screen...

Aziraphale manifests by Crowley's car, and we hear the miracle sound for it. So, that's definite magic detection even if we know we've heard or seen Crowley detect miracle magic in other ways.

How about Touch #3 (Double)?

Aziraphale tempts Mr. Arnold in the music shop with giving away a book, and Crowley definitely notices because he turns his head in quiet, mild surprise.

Touch #4 (Triple Part 2)?

Not during but after.

Crowley asks Aziraphale about French, so that's a magic detection of Aziraphale being able to forget the language so he can learn it the hard way.

Touch #5 (Single)?

Michael's foot is over by the magic circle for Beelzebub's and Gabriel's special Pocket Frame of Standing Chandeliers that happens just before this touch happens.

That's more like an audience player detecting magic than it is Crowley, especially since this little thing might help Beelzebub and Gabriel fade away how and when they do, depending on how you wish to use your imagination for it.

Take in the three touches between the first and last touch and...you meet a Rule of Three.

...

Up next is The Perfect Entrance Trick for Generosity.

Is there spatial awareness?

Yes. The foot is decidedly choosing to be on the edge of the sidewalk, and when the camera pans up, we don't see Crowley looking to see he got it right. He is not looking as he has his fingers set to touch the thresholds of his car. He is then deliberately touching the lock instead of the push plate while managing the three digits on the door panel and the thumb tip on the window pane.

...

Up next is The Bigger Thresholds Trick for Laughter.

In Austraeoh, that's the ghost power of Pinkie sense.

Okay. There is definitely no Pinkie sense, right?

Right.

This one isn't really feasible. At most, you could say that Crowley deliberately avoids a touch on Mr. Brown at the ball when Mr. Brown moves to address Shax. We don't know what might have happened, but I can tell Crowley made an effort for both him and Mr. Brown to not touch each other. It didn't save Mr. Brown at the time, but Crowley does resurrect him later. This scene is definitely not The Bigger Thresholds Trick. Its only connection is that Mr. Brown was the encounter in the pub, which was the first location of The Bigger Thresholds Trick.

...

Up next is The Window Trick for Kindness.

That's empathy. That's feeling what the person, the other being, is feeling.

Crowley has a general compassion for humanity, but during The Window Trick, we mainly know that he is looking while coping with his own feelings of loss as well.

He is not shown to definitely be feeling what the humans he sees feel.

So, I would say this one also does not connect.

...

Then there is The Sunglasses Trick for Honesty.

This one mostly does not connect either. The closest it gets is the touch for when Crowley interrogates Gabriel since Crowley is actively trying to figure out what is happening with Gabriel's honesty, and on some level, he does. It's not through the touch on the sunglasses but the events that transpire after he stops Gabriel from jumping out a window.

...

At last, there is The Door Trick for Loyalty.

In Austraeoh, the power is some sort of Harmony sense that involves seeing gold.

This one is like...anti-connection. Gold is a crucial color in play for the mechanics involving The Door Catch and the Rainbow Connection with The Door Trick. Still, Gold is not the color of the Rainbow Connection, and Gold not being the color is significant. The Rainbow Connection ends at Green partly thanks to Gold not being the same as Yellow.

So, the writing is like, Don't you dare think there is an Austraeoh connection here—because there isn't!

Okay, fine, fine, I get it, Crowley. There is no Austraeoh connection!

As an extra joke, the gold in question is the "H" for Heaven, which by sheer coincidence, matches the first letter in the word, "Harmony."

...

And that's a wrap for this post.

[trainsinanime]

The season 5 finale

Spoilers for everything up to and including Recreation. I'm trying to get this out quick to sort out my own thoughts before I've read too many other takes that influence mine. That said, I reserve the right to do a 180° on anything I'm about to say almost immediately depending on hot takes by other, smarter people.

Let's start with the most crucial part: I had fun! This was really a lot of fun. I had a Ladybug day today, with the movie first (thoughts about that later) and then these two episodes, and I really enjoyed every bit of it.

I generally really liked what this finale was doing, everything I didn't like were just things it left out… but wow, it sure left out a lot. Like Adrien!

Now, I am on record as saying that it's great that Ladybug is the main hero, and that it's perfectly okay that Chat Noir isn't constantly at her side and not quite equally important. I stand by that. But… he's kind of important, isn't he? Like, the relationship between him and Ladybug, and the one between Marinette and Adrien, that's one of the core elements of the show, but it didn't appear here at all, and that's weird. I miss him. He's my little guy. And my guess is that this is the main complaint everyone will have with the finale.

The other main question is, of course: Is that it? I'm okay with Marinette talking Gabriel around until he uses his wish for something good, sacrificing himself in the process, but it also seemed way too easy in a lot of ways. And the lighting in the final scenes was just off enough to be noticeable, so I'm guessing that this isn't actually the end of all that story yet. I hope Chat Noir gets involved a little bit. Oh, and a Ladynoir kiss would be great.

Also missing: Kagami and Felix. They kept acting like she was important, and Felix was important, and sentimonsters were important, and that this was all part of the plot back in Representation, so it's a bit odd that it isn't addressed here at all. I guess that's a plot hook for season 6?

With regards to the akuma, I think it's okay that it's a faceless one in huge numbers, but I think you could have done way more with the idea that "the way we overcome our nightmares is together".

But, again, I had fun! Lots of moments that were WTF in a really good way. Is this a good conclusion to the storyline we've been watching for the past five season? I think not. But I do think it's a really fun AU, well told, and in that regard it really worked for me.

I am not looking forward to scrolling through my dash and figuring out what everyone thought, because I'm sure there will be a lot of people who really hated it for reasons I can't entirely disagree with. But I didn't! I had fun with this, I'm looking forward to season 6, and I do hope we'll get some more normal episodes.

Oh wait, one more thing: Alya came this close to getting a cool black cat fursona, but then she didn't. J'accuse! We were robbed, I say, robbed!

[fizzingwizard]

Loading Tumblr has improved somewhat, though now I get this problem where it'll be working fine and then it's like. Nah. I'm done. And will just not do anything for a few minutes. Meanwhile other sites work fine.

Main reason this is annoying is because of the general lack of pagination on Tumblr. So if I'm going through a blog and I'm on page 50 or something, and Tumblr decides it's tired and not going to load anymore, often I can't just refresh or just go back to that page once Tumblr starts to behave again. I'll be redirected to the first page of the blog and have to load every page till I get to where I was. That's why I hate endless scrolling on Tumblr and the fact that blogs no longer generate their own space (as opposed to the sidebar thingy, obvs I don't know the terms here). Tumblr used to be okayish for enjoying older posts, but these days posts just get buried forever once they're past the first couple pages unless the user goes to lengths to make that stuff usable. There are a lot of fun old blogs I still like to visit but I just can't see their oldest stuff unless I've got literally hours to devote to paging through them, an effort that is undermined in a snap when Tumblr decides to not work.

Another problem which I get periodically, then it disappears, then comes back: My side-blogs don't recognize me when I visit them. I'm logged in, but I can't edit any posts on the blog - I can only edit them under "Account" from my dash. Which, thanks to aforementioned lack of pagination, is really really Not Good if the post I want to edit is many pages back. I've been on Tumblr for more than ten years. I decided at one point that I wanted to get rid of my "water" tag because there were just too many of those posts, and re-tag them with "ocean" "lake" etc. Well, I got partway through, then stopped for a while, and when I went to continue Tumblr treats me like I'm a visitor on my own sideblog. It asks me to "follow" my sideblog and won't let me interact with my posts. I can't realistically comb through ten years of posts with no help from page numbers and refreshing always reverting to the front page. I do actually have a life.

I don't get how the current way is better. I know other social media sites often only care about what's on the front page. They made that choice from the start, so that's what users expect. But Tumblr started us off with blogs that came with page numbers and tags and were able to be at least somewhat decently organized. Now being like "Nothing before yesterday matters" just totally upsets what I like about it. Might as well move to Instagram, idk.

[stormwarnings]

WAIT WAIT WAIT I FORGOT WE WERE TUMBLR MUTUALS!! HI HELLO!!!

i'll backtrack a bit!! hi this is eta (currently elwinged but i was also previously radiantsusan/phantomsjulie) and i don't think we've ever actually talked but we ARE mutuals on tumblr and i LITERALLY didn't realise until i was scrolling through my old posts (as you do) and went WAIT I'M MUTUALS WITH STORMWARNINGS (and the answer was YES) and the reason i was so surprised is because i've been bingeing so many of your fics on ao3 recently bc i got back into star wars and! they're! so! good!!!!

i have a special appreciation for 'bury me beneath the tree i climbed when i was a child', it's so gorgeously heartwarming and made me feel all the good feels because it felt so lovely and healing! (my ao3 bookmark says: oh!! oh this was so heartwarming i'm about to cry!!)

and then ALSO (sorry this is going to be a long one) your series 'how i long to grow old'??? THANKS I'M SOBBING????? like it's fix it series but also i am crying over how much these people have lost and yet they still keep getting up???? i love how you write cody and rex and their various interactions, their grief and burdens feel so so so real (also. hey. hey. *grips you gently on the shoulder*. fox. WHY. i am sobbing.) AND THAT TITLE???? YES THEY DO. THEY LONG TO GROW OLD. SCREAMING.

and then ALSO (i said this was going to be a long one) the one that i keep reading and not realising it's also by you, an author who has written many of my favourite fics ('come down from your moutnain')!!!!!! you got the commanders and their relationships with their jedi SO RIGHT!!!! like "are they all like that?" "like what?" and the answers being BEAUTIFUL CLEVER MERCILESS BURNING BLOODSTAINED UNNERVING and you've got them pinned down to a POINT you've got their characters dissected you write them so well!!! i am in awe (and also have that passage screenshotted and favourited)

and you ALSO have written one of my fave silm pieces ever (and i... also didn't realise that stormwarnings who wrote the silm piece and stormwarnings who wrote the codywan au were the same person until a couple months ago and i went. HUH. WAIT.), 'celestial bodies', which is such a gorgeous gorgeous explanation of idril and maeglin if they were a little bit kinder to each other. like--- "you knew my mother. would you tell me about her?" I AM LYING ON THE FLOOR FACEDOWN. and how you emphasise their age and how that shapes them differently!!! lomion is so young and idril has seen things that will never be seen again and it's THEM, it's how it SHAPES them, it's how they understand each other!! i am losing it.

anyway! sorry for the extremely long ask, i was just kind of going ??? the whole morning being like WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M MUTUALS WITH ONE OF MY FAVE AUTHORS!! so!! thanks for writing some of the absolute best works i've ever read + i hope you have a wonderful day!!

RADIANTSUSAN OMG I WAS WONDERING WHERE YOU HAD GONE!!!!!!!!!! eta this made me cry in my first class genuinely this is the sweetest message and such a nice thing to wake up to!!!!

i am SO happy that you (and so many others) were touched by 'bury me beneath the tree' because that fic was truly a labor of love and a little piece of my soul and it makes me so happy to hear how much it was enjoyed. also i promise there is more of 'how i long to grow old' in the works - i have probably ten other fics plotted out, ive just been so busy with college and work and life. as for my other fics, thank you! im still really proud of 'celestial bodies', and the art that my trsb partner made was so beautiful.

anyway NO YOU your art and edits are always so lovely! so happy to see you pop up on my dash again :) have a fantastic day!

[literaphobe]

no😭😭😭 im sorrrrryyyyyyyy atm im not That into the miraculous fandom i just vibe and enjoy everyone being nuts about them and im also more of a teen&up/ mature reader for that fandom specifically? im sure ur writing is wonderful, the snippets i've scrolled through are really cool! (also i read sadf and i know this is a totally different story but the point is ur writing is really enjoyable :)) idk i think part of the reason i got turned off w the fic here is i like searching on ao3 specifically bu it's hard to find fic that i like for this fandom if im searching on ao3 bc 1) we've gone through so much through so many seasons and 2) a lot of the well-known ones have this weird undertone of Straightness that i really dislike so i mainly look around on tumblr when i'm interested lol (also What is with the dcu crossovers. and class bashing lmfao)

ive been here since the dnf times actually! through the mcc rants and sadf and the dream love and then the dream indifference and quackity love and quackity indifference and u playing twenty and some adhd rants and babbling about singapore's education system and tutoring etc and you've just been on my dash ever since, i got into miraculous apparently at the start of 2022? when you started reblogging stuff about it i got excited ngl but i was also kinda terrified bc a lot of people hatewatch the show or find it cringey and i was worried one of the blogs i liked would end up thinking the same but you ended up adoring it too! another fun anecdote that you might not remember - i also sent you an ask very early on about how i liked the french dub better lol

wishing you the best! hoping you get SO MANY comments and hits and kudos! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

omg anon NOOOO don’t feel sorry!! it doesn’t matter at all i was just curious :D also yeah in a really big fandom it’s hard to find what appeals specifically to you… if u ever get a bit more into mlb again i hope u find content that suits u!! tysm for following all these years ^_^ here’s to many more

[kay-elle-cee]

Last day?!? Oh how time flies! Please don’t mind me being late to this, but it’s better late than never, right?

First I wanted to say, Congratulations on this milestone that you received. It just shows how many hearts you’ve touched across the world with your writing and personality! I’m always happy to read your stories, and of course the angsty ones are my absolute favorite, your writing is very addicting. I hope you know that I appreciate all the effort you put into your stories, and behind the scenes takes on the characters. 

It never ceases to amaze me, with the amount of talent and passion you have when you write your stories. Each story you write is special in its own way, and I’ve already told you which are my favorites, and as always IBFIBG will have a special place in my heart, no matter what. If one day you decide to step away from writing for any reason at all, I hope you know the impact that you have not only on myself but also on each and everyone of your followers/subscribers.

 I hope you continue doing what you love to do. You have probably received many congratulations and hopefully receive many more, I just wanted to share how much I appreciate you not only as an author but as a person as well. I feel as though people seem to forget that behind every name there is a person, and your name will always be special and one that I look forward to seeing each time I go on Tumblr or A03. Your writing is truly captivating and I hope you know that even if you are unhappy with your stories for whatever reason, someone out there is falling in love with the stories you chose to share. 

Now for the asks, both game/TSwift

 Getting to know your fic writer:

#61) Why do you continue writing fics? 

#24) Worst writing advice anyone has given you? 

TSwift Song lyric game:

#31) This is me swallowing my pride (Only if you want to of course, no pressure)

Hopefully you’ve been getting enough rest. If not, feel free to hold off on responding to this until you get some much needed r&r. I’m happy to have read one of your Jilymicro fics while I was scrolling through Tumblr. I hope you never doubt your abilities when it comes to writing, because there are a lot of people who care for you, and love seeing you on their dash, including me of course. I wanted to send this before I head off to work, again congrats, you deserve all the recognition that you deserve and then some.

Nena I'm gonna cry over here, you are so lovely and I hope you know how much I enjoy seeing YOU on my tumblr/discord/ao3. <3333

For someone who's written over 200k words this year, I fear I can't find the right ones to fully respond to all your kindness except thank you, I appreciate you, and thank you again <333333. I'm so happy (and baffled) that people continue to read my little scenarios and feel affected by them. I know I've said I've been a little burnt out lately, but I don't plan on stepping away (in a permanent capacity) any time soon. Just need a little R&R (if I could actually make myself stop and rest, that would be GREAT lol).

I know I've already tagged you in your prompt (here on ao3), so now for your questions!

#61) Why do you continue writing fics?  I enjoy it, and I keep. getting. ideas. 😅 I remember when I was finishing up restless waves rise and fall I was like "oh man I only have like 4 other ideas....what happens if I run out?" and let's just say that is 1000% not a problem anymore. Now my problem is "how can I get through all these ideas before something in RL demands my undivided focus?" which might account for why I've been SO active this year.

I talk about how I work in a creative field, and that's true, but I don't get to create from scratch, and fic scratches that itch. And it's totally at my whim! No client briefs to meet, no writing to rigidly fit what other people expect, just....whatever the fuck I want.

#24) Worst writing advice anyone has given you?  "Write what you know." I think that's fine advice to get your feet wet, but if we all did that, I think ao3 would be boring as hell 😅. That's not to say if it works for you, don't do it—if writing what you know is what works, great! But for me, I had to break out of that mindset to really start writing some of my favorite things.

Thank you again, Nena! I appreciate you so much! <3

[katieskarlette]

You might have seen it already but, there's an official Wrathion plush now!

I saw. He's adorable and I'm sorely tempted. I just wish they'd made him years ago when I was really obsessed with the character. Oh well, I had a very cuddly dragon plushie (the "Merlin" one by Douglas Toys) that was "my" Wrathion.

I should probably update this blog with the status of my interest in WoW, since it's been a long time.

I wish I could say I'm back in love with Warcraft, but I'm not. My subscription ran out several months ago.

TL;DR version of the part below: Not feeling the WoW love anymore. Wish I was. I'm not really on this site much these days, either. This blog will continue to exist, just with very few updates unless I suddenly feel the spark again. I've been doing original writing instead these days. Hope everything is well out there in Tumblr-land.

Due to changes and crap at my job I didn't have any PTO left to take like I normally do for Blizzcon, but I'm just kind of numb about the franchise these days so I honestly don't think I would have taken it off, even if I had the option. Which is depressing, because that was a tradition for me as long as Blizzcons have been livestreamed.

Shadowlands just plain killed my love for the franchise to such an extent that even a dragon-centric expansion couldn't revive it. I wanted it to so, so much, but if that didn't do it, nothing can. Maybe I shouldn't blame SL completely, though, because I'd been playing since vanilla and that's a long time to be deeply immersed in any fictional universe. Maybe it was just time. I don't know, but it still makes me sad that I can't get dopamine from WoW anymore, when it was a sure-fire supplier for so long.

I'm not 100% ruling out that I'll get back into the game at some point in the future, but I'm not feeling it these days.

This blog isn't going anywhere. I have literally thousands of posts, hundreds of screenshots, and many years invested here.

However, my motivation for Tumblr kind of fizzled at around the same time my WoW love did, so I haven't scrolled through my dash in ages. I sometimes will search for a topic or see a post I like as I pass by on my way to update the blog for my original universe, @kavrillia, so once in a while I reblog something to @skarletterambles, my off-topic/multi-fandom catchall blog, but even that's pretty dead these days.

I've spent most of my leisure time writing, editing, and drawing for my original universe these days--which I'm enjoying a lot, but nobody else is familiar with it so I'm basically doing it all for myself.

*insert self-deprecating joke about how not many people read my WoW fics so what difference does it really make*

Anyway, sorry if this post is a downer. Like I said, I wish I still got the enjoyment out of the Warcraft franchise that I did for so many years, but I can't force my brain to feel a certain way. I hope if anyone actually read this far that they're still having a lot of fun with WoW. Thanks for following my blog!