#On a scale of 1-10 how upset am I?

[respectthepetty]

Not an ask more of a I need to type yell somewhere THERE WAS NO ONE TO COMFORT MORK!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Anon, instead of writing 3,000+ words ranting about my grievances, I'll just leave this here.

22/10 Alans

Last Twilight, we got beef.

[just-a-ghost00]

The way you make me feel ~

Images found on Pinterest. Deck used : golden thread tarot. Reading written from their POV.

Group 1

Hermit, Temperance, Queen of pentacles, The Magician, knight of pentacles, ace of pentacles

You make me feel safe. Cared for. Loved in ways I never thought were possible. Nurtured. Understood. Appreciated, not only because of my work or my wealth but solely for who I am as a person. You make me feel strong. Like the world is at the tip of my fingers and all I got to do is to reach further to make my wildest dreams come true. You make me feel strong. Determined. Wise. With you, everything seems so simple. So bright and warm. You make me feel like time has stopped and it's just the two of us. I feel like I am in a bubble. A cozy cocoon that was made just for me. I feel like I belong somewhere. Like finally, after so many trials and errors, I get to be rewarded. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. I still wonder how all of this is possible. You make me want to believe in magic again. I feel like I'm walking on a line, perfectly balanced and at peace with myself, reassured by the thought that whatever I decide to do, whichever way I decide to go, you'll be there to catch me if I fall. Like you'll always follow me and never leave my side. I feel so happy I could cry. You make me feel like everything is possible and nothing can stop me from my success. I feel invicible with you by my side. You make me want to believe in myself and move forward with my head held high, slowly but surely, at my own pace, on my own terms. With you I feel secure, confident in my ability to create a life I can be proud of, to embody a person that people can look up to with respect in their eyes. You make me feel grand, so much bigger than I am. You bring so much in my life that I don't know how I could ever thank you. In your presence, I feel like I am given a second chance at life. Like my time has come and I can be born again.

Group 2

10 of swords, 4 of wands, Temperance, 9 of pentacles, Hanged man, ace of wands

You make me feel puzzled. I don't know if I should be mad at you or adore you. You get on my nerves and yet you make me so proud. With you I feel like I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I don't feel as lonely as I used to be. I feel like I can hope for a better future than what I've been handed so far. I feel like I can overcome my fears and face any obstacle coming my way. Like I am worthy of love and interest. I feel alive again. I feel hopeful about the future and inspired to move forward. My creativity has rocketed. I feel triggered. Like everything I thought I knew is complete BS and that honestly shakes me and upsets me in a way. I feel like I have to start all over again, like my work wasn't enough and as good as I thought it was. You make me feel like focusing on myself and taking care of my own goals isn't as bad as it sounds. That I too am capable of creating a reality I can be proud of. Like my unique perception of life and lonely nature can actually be an asset and a driving force. You give me the courage to face my demons and be a better person. You make me feel like I can tip the scales in my favor and change the course of action. Like life isn't as harsh and bad as I thought it was. Like I can be whole again and enjoy the pleasures this world has to offer. You make me feel bold and curious again. You make me want to celebrate and have fun, to shift my perspective and learn. You challenge me. And as much as that confuses me that also sets me free. I'm not sure why or how you do this but I thank you for the clarity you bring into my life.

Group 3

Empress, 8 of pentacles, 8 of cups, High Priestess, 9 of pentacles, 10 of swords

You make me feel whole. Worthy of love and attention. Beautiful. Valuable. You make me feel powerful and important. Like all the worries in the world are nothing for I am stronger than this. With you I feel like there will never be a day where I feel sad again. Like I can tackle anything and turn dust into gold. You make me feel fearless. With you, the dark and sorrow don't sound as scary as they once were. You make me feel like my despair is over. Like my prayers have finally been answered. But I also feel scared. Scared that my depth and darkness will have a repelling effect on you. I fear that the more I grow, the more chances I have of losing you. You make me feel attractive. You make me want to love myself more and work harder to be a version of myself I will adore. You make me feel human. For the first time in my life I feel like I don't have to apologize for who I am. You make me feel understood, seen and appreciated. With you I feel protected. I feel like sadness can no longer hold me down. You make me want to reach higher heights and set higher goals, to prove everyone how wrong they were of underestimating me. You make me want to fight. You make me feel like I can own the world. Like I can finally stand in my power and embrace the entirety of my being without shame nor fear. You make me feel brand new, like I am reborn, like I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. You make me want to go beyond my limits and transform my being, to heal my wounds and move on once and for all from my past. I can't find the words to describe how much this means to me.

[meymmey]

pspspsp i wanna know about this girlfailure!!

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW HAPPY I AM TO HEAR THAT

I LOVE YOU ANON, THANK YOU

I'm sorry, but I needed to get this idea out of my system first,,, (I will get to the reference art later, I promise!)

Now, let me introduce you to Cristine "Cris" Mellon...

Unlike Clay (who is almost the shortest kid at school), Cristine is tall. Really tall. She could even compete with Ren in Step 1!

She had a crush on Tamarack literally at first sight but got in terms with it only somewhere in the middle of Step 2 (it was a long road... From thinking "I just want to be her reaaaaally close friend!" to "Wait... Why does she look so pretty right now. WHY DO I WANT TO KISS HER-" and finally to "I hope I will kiss her someday. And maybe hold her hand. Gently.")

Cristine is quite popular at school because she is really pretty (that's usually what her classmates say at least) but she is considered weird and nobody really talks to her in Step 2 because of her "weird and sudden obsession with fish and stuff". She can tell you all about the underwater world and its habitants, starting from their full names to what conditions they need to feel at home in an aquarium, if only you will listen. However, since nobody really wants to hear Cris mumble about some strange things only she cares about, she usually just listens to music on her mp3 player alone. (but if one of her friends is near she will obviously talk to them!)

Of course it's not the only thing she can talk about but the reputation she has is strong and she got tired of trying to change it for the better. So alone time it is.

Things weren't that dull in Step 1, but it's a talk for another day...

Let's get back to less sad things.

When she is really flustered her whole face goes red! Even a bit of her neck and ears too.

Cris can't dance for the life of her, so in Step 1 she tried to cope with it by thinking that dancing was just stupid. She didn't tell Qiu to not upset them. However, she is really good at singing and performs on school events. She is also in a choir.

Has average grades. Like average average. And in Step 2 Cris doesn't really want to study to change that, even though in Step 1 she did try (the attempt was not successful).

She has low spice tolerance! Doesn't like spicy food because of that lol

Cristine isn't really talkative in Step 2, but she will open her mouth to say how beautiful Tamarack looks today. Or to ask Qiu how much on a scale of 1-10 she and Tamarack look like a good pair in their eyes. (okay I am half joking here, again, she can talk about more than two topics lol)

Cris calls Tamarack "Tammy" in Step 2 :3 (While Clay calls her "Tamma" btw)

Oookay, that's all for now, thank you again anon for the question! (not really a question but you get what I mean)

[solradguy]

Recently I've started to try and study a lot of the artwork for Guilty Gear, particularly the artwork by Daisuke. I was reading your translation of the notes in the XX artbook and I realized that on a lot of the artwork I really liked, Daisuke mentioned mistakes he made. I found this odd since, again, most of them I thought were absolute masterpieces.

I know that people always say "You're your own worst critic", especially to artists, but I guess that it never really set in until I was reading those.

I get nobody's art is perfect (Daisuke is no exception, there are pieces in the artbook that even I could see were rather flawed), but the fact that I am staring in aw at some artwork and I then read that the creator of it was upset that the perspective was all off feels insane. Kinda makes me think about how I critique my own art when I have so many people in my life who think I'm an amazing artist.

I know this is gonna sound stupid and corny but I wanted to get this out of my head since it's been in there for at least a week or two now. Probably didn't word this the best since it's getting a bit late since I decided to stay up to listen to the new (and by new I mean two years old) Red Hot Chili Peppers album while drawing and I thought of this again.

Also thanks for translating the art book. Although the artwork by itself is still great, the comments (as I have stated) were really insightful for me personally. You really are a rad guy, at least in my eyes.

When I first translated Artworks of GGX 2000-2007, I thought Daisuke's harshness towards his art was possibly a Japanese cultural thing, since it's not uncommon for creators in Japan to kind of talk down their own accomplishments ("kenkyo"; [1] [2]). But then I got a bit better at Japanese and read commentary and autobiographical works by other artists—Hirohiko Araki, Kentarou Miura, and Ryoko Kui [3]—and they're much more positive about their creations. They're still humble about it, as any professional generally is, but they certainly aren't as critical as Daisuke is in Artworks 2007. It's definitely odd.

Artworks 2007 is an updated/expanded reprint of an edition that came out 3 years earlier, Artworks of GGX 2000-2004, so a little over half of the captions in Artworks 2007 were written between 2000 and 2004. If it wasn't kenkyo that made Daisuke critical about his art, then, I thought, maybe all the work he had on his plate leading up to the Sammy-Sega merger, which threatened the Guilty Gear IP as a whole[4], had him in kind of a depressive/hyper-critical mindset? That still feels like it could be plausible; his more recent (>2010) commentary is a lot kinder.

It is reassuring knowing that even incredibly skilled artists like Daisuke can still fall into being mean about their own art. Some things never change haha Here's hoping, like Daisuke, we all crawl out of that hyper-critical borderline self-loathing art pit 💪

Thanks for reading the translation!! And for the compliment. Artworks 2007 was my very, very, first large scale GG translation project and I'd like to redo it some day, some of the translations are a little wobbly.... I didn't make a Japanese manuscript for it though, which means I'll have to rescan every page again to get the text off them 😵‍💫

~ https://sakuratips.com/2020/10/20/humble/

~ https://interculturalwordsensei.org/kenkyo/

Hirohiko Araki is known for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Kentarou Miura for Berserk, and Ryoko Kui for Dungeon Meshi

~ https://www.siliconera.com/arc-system-works-now-owns-the-rights-to-guilty-gear/

(sorry for the ~ before the links lol tumblr really wanted to turn them into embeds...)

[peceraynadamas]

So on a scale of 1 to 10 how disopted would you be not seeing Vaggie and the Carmine sisters not bonding

on another note what do you think the two sister think of Charlie?

I will be this guy^ if we don’t get to see them bond so like 8.

I wouldn’t be super upset if we don’t because I am aware of the time constraints placed on the seasons, but I do believe it would be a disservice to vaggie’s character to not include it. She was sidelined crazy hard in season one, and while I’m glad we received confirmation that her and Charlie’s relationship is getting more of a spotlight (and a song, yippee!!), some individual focus on her through her developing a relationship with the Carmine girls would be really nice.

| on another note what do you think the two sister think of Charlie?

Hmm. Since we have so little on Odette and Clara, I’ll have to speculate based on Carmilla’s stance on Charlie that her royal status likely means little to them. She’s just Vaggie’s girlfriend, who they did a huge favor for and helped during the battle against Adam and the exorcists. A hefty favor, really, but I think they'd both respect her for the fact she took Heaven on at all. If they are fond of Vaggie they'd absolutely be fond of her well-intentioned dorky girlfriend.

Based on my own hcs for the girls, I'd love to see Clara and Charlie become fast friends while Odette needs some time to warm up to the idea despite Charlie's many attempts to reach out. There are lots of ways to go about it, and regardless of the show's route, I'll definitely be making silly comics of my own.

[incorrect-riordanverse]

Riordanverse Characters as quotes by people i know have said

dedicated to @lord-of-pterodactyls, i know you asked for friends in particular but i’m broadening it as even people i consider my nemeses (old ass philosophy teacher) are funny

Percy: i truly feel as if nothing will ever incapsulate my being as truly as the singing monsters water wubbox

Annabeth: *screaming from adjoining room* GET LOST APPLE MUSIC PRIVACY

Piper: *in bikini* i don’t like people with big boobs

Jason: *trying to compliment piper* your hair looks like dementia

Leo: *emerging from the stinky depths of his room after being in there for 16 hours straight and no showers with clothes from 5 days ago, red scabs all over his body and lips so dry it looks like a snake shedding its old skin by how crusty it is* guys on a scale from 1 to 10 how sexy do i look rn?

Hazel: *yeets her foot out and jiggles her toes menacingly at people she dislikes as an intimidation tactic because her toes are particularly hideous*

Frank: *after literally being targeted by a racial ‘joke’* worse than that, you white people eat spam

Grover: *pats air purifier* a good trusted friend

Nico: *drifts into hazel’s room* bro i ain’t even gonna lie, the holidays are better than the black plague *leaves room before she can question him further*

Reyna: *sleeptalking* stallion le meghan

Rachel: *pretending her coloured markers are vapes*

Thalia: *pointing at luke* my bro be the victim and the perpetrator

Tyson: *when talking about doing math* all i have are my fingers and a dream

Clarisse: *sees a sick person in bed* you’re looking pretty vulnerable *proceeds to ransack their room and steal their sheets like some gremlin*

Octavian: i am THE riddler *speaks in riddler voice and puts on devious little expression* what is... a curtain?

Will: *sees a dying person and looks pointedly at nico* and thats because they didnt take their cenovis vitamin c

Luke: i am constantly one snap away from either committing homicide or suicide

Apollo: *feeling face after new skincare routine* gosh my face feels as soft as a silicone tit

Meg: *pointing at apollo after redemption arc* YOU WON’T GO TO HEAVEN BECAUSE YOU ARE A COMMUNIST!

Magnus: *eating falafel* this is an orgasmic experience

Samirah: *substituting random words in english for arabic and not realising no one understands what she’s saying*

Alex: *laughing at the death threats she gets online after posting a meme about BTS in the military*

Blitz: *does something naughty* omg sorry im such a libra（＾ν＾）

Hearth: *walks into room* god is dead.

Carter: *walking into sadie’s room visibly upset with a box of cadbury favourites* here take them. if you don’t im going to eat them all. please, dont make me do this

Sadie: take a shit and be late to school or dont take the shit and be on time hell loop

Zia: my top artist on spotify this year will be xi jinping’s wife

Walt: *simply, appreciatively and completely without context* yeah, buddha is a pretty amazing guy

Anubis: i dislike being emo because i can only go as death note characters for halloween

Bast: *absolutely entranced by watching love island uk and is just repeating everything any person says back in a treacherous essex accent*

Bes: *walking into classroom full of young teens with an oversized ‘free james assange’ shirt* today i am a nice, trendy leftist. tomorrow, who knows?

[obxone]

Pogue Like Me (Part Three)

Edited-ish. ~4.8k words

Tag list: @gillybear17 @i-love-rafe @sublimepenguinpeach-blog @nomorespahgetti @lmg-stilinski24 @f4ll-for-you @user3737338292 @iheqrtaustin @jayblackpanther @calmoistorm @paintygirl

Warning: drug use

Master Page

The phone rings while you nervously worry your teeth over your bottom lip and wait for the line to pick up. What you are doing could be a dumb idea, or it could be a great idea. You are not sure yet. 

"Hello?" Sarah's voice filters through the car speakers.

"Hi."

"What's up?" She asks, and you can hear the smile in her voice. "I'm glad you called me."

"I am actually about to pull up to the Chateau. Wondered if we could have girl talk for a minute?"

"Oh!" You hear a door open and close. "Umm… yeah, but everyone is here."

You exhale, hands tightening on your steering wheel. "Well…"

"You should still come… we can go for a walk or something. I want to talk to you and see you. I don't… lunch the other day-"

"Sarah," you interrupt her. "I know."

She exhales before letting out a nervous laugh. "Still come, please?"

"I am turning onto the dirt road now."

"Great!"

"See you in a second," you reassure her before hanging up. "I can do this, I can do this," you whisper over and over as you get closer and closer to the Chateau. Exactly like she said, you spot the Twinkie, Kiara's car, and JJ's bike. Pope would likely have caught a ride with one of them. "Great."

You park and turn off the engine, pressing your hands to your thighs and trying to calm your panicked heart. 

"I can do this." You whisper, squeezing your eyes shut a moment. "I have to do this."

Knuckles knock on the window of your door, and you open your eyes to see Pope standing there. You ease the door open to peek at him through the small gap. 

"Pep talk?"

"Uh-huh."

He chuckles. "It'll be fine, come on."

You resume running your teeth over your bottom lip until Pope's hand finds yours, and he squeezes while walking to the backyard. Being nervous and still upset is a bad combination, and you know that, but until you talk to Sarah or someone else about this situation, you will stay that way. 

"Scale of 1 to 10, how bad?" You whisper.

"Six…maybe eight."

You start to turn away to go back to your car, but he grips your hand tighter, stopping you both in your tracks. 

"You've done nothing wrong." He says quickly. His hands are gripping your shoulder, and he stares down at you. "You were honest and direct. Which is a first for you, but if it was Kiara or JJ, they would not think twice."

"Okay," you sigh in relief that you have someone on your side, and he is right. All his points are valid and accurate. You wrap your arms around his waist in a hug murmuring a quiet thank you. He hugs your back, patting your shoulder. 

"We've got to stick together, right?"

"Right." You let him go and step back. "Let's do this."

He grins at you before leading the way. His hand brushes yours again once you step into view of the other four. All four heads turn and Sarah smiles brightly, hopping out of her chair to hug you. 

"It's okay," she whispers in your ear, rocking you back and forth in a tight hug. 

You nod, letting her go and moving forward. 

John B lifts his hand to smack yours when you pass him. "Missed you. Where you been?"

"Around."

"With Rafe," JJ mutters, stabbing a stick into a muddy spot by his boot. Kiara rolls her eyes at him, but her gaze never meets yours. She lays in the hammock, and JJ lingers close by. They were likely sharing it before you arrived. 

"Rafe?" John B asks, and you are fully aware that he is playing devil's advocate now. Sarah slaps him on the back of the head, solidifying your opinion even more. He winces but continues to look at you. "Really?" His nose scrunches slightly, and you fight back a laugh at how endearing it is. 

"Not really," you remark as you sit in one of the empty lawn chairs. You can tell they do not believe you, so you opt for honesty. "Maybe a little."

He bobs his head, processing your words while rocking back onto the back legs of his chair. "Why?"

You shrug. "He is helping me with something. What is with the questions?"

"Are you dating?"

"What are these questions?" You laugh, trying to stave off the panic that feels like it is piercing you between the ribs. They have been discussing you and Rafe in your absence. 

John B shrugs, and the front legs of his chair hit the ground. "Dunno."

JJ speaks up then, and you can feel his stare burning into your side profile. "He's a kook."

"So was Sarah…" you mumble, gesturing to the blonde with a sympathetic smile. "And we still gave her a shot."

"Fair," she whispers, pursing her lips. 

"But this is Rafe!" His voice grows louder, and he shifts to lean closer toward your direction. 

"Also, fair," Sarah adds, frowning at the idea that her brother could become a pogue like her. 

You stay silent, gaze darting away from Sarah and John B down to your hands. They tremble, but you refuse to grip anything solid to hide the reaction they are pulling from you like you are tempted to do. "I'm not sure what you want to hear right now."

"Tell us it's not true!" JJ jumps up, waving his arm in a sweeping gesture for the group assembled. "Tell us that it is a prank!"

"But it's not."

He groans, running his hand through his hair. "Why won't you look at me?"

You lift your chin then and meet his gaze. Tears collect in your eyes, and you swallow the hurtful words you want to throw at him. "Happy?"

"No!"

You shrug, looking away then. This is a losing battle with all five of them present, and your emotions waver on the edge. "I should probably go."

"No!" Pope, Sarah, John B, and Kiara shout together. You flinch, your hands tightening around your thighs, despite not wanting to do so. 

"Stay. We need to talk about this!" Sarah begs, moving closer. 

"About what?" You ask, looking at her as a tear falls down your cheek. "How you all expect me to stay the quiet, timid little girl that never thinks for herself or goes after what she wants?"

Sarah frowns. "That's not… no!"

"Well, that's what it feels like," you respond, standing as well. "You are all supposed to be my best friends." Your eyes cut to JJ. "You are supposed to be my very best friend, and it feels like you do not care about me, not really."

"That's not true," JJ says, shaking his head. His face screws up in frustration. "Never has been!"

Reaching up, you wipe away the tears and exhale. "Feels like it to me."

"We just don't think Rafe is healthy," Kiara finally speaks up from the hammock. "You've been different since your birthday and…."

"Because I'm standing up for myself!" You cut her off. "You guys lied to me for three weeks!" You gesture between her and JJ. "You lied to all of our faces! You keep secrets! You broke our rules!"

JJ starts to talk, his panic getting the best of him, but you lift your hand to stop him. 

"Best friends don't do that!" You state, more tears starting to spill over. "Did you even notice I left the party?!" You look at each of them. "Any of you?!"

No one says anything, and you laugh, shaking your head. 

"I left my own birthday party, and not a single one of you noticed." You look at Sarah. "I want to talk, but I can't do this… not here, not now."

She closes the small space between you, gripping your wrist. "Please don't leave. Not like this."

"I'll be fine," you murmur, squeezing her hand in yours.

"Are you dating him?" JJ asks, and you close your eyes, dropping your head. 

Sarah shifts her weight, and you can sense the tension thickening in the air. "JJ! Not now."

"Then when?!" He asks, a humorless laugh bubbling up. "When we've already lost her!"

"Guys," John B starts talking while getting to his feet, but the nail is already in the coffin. The wounds are too fresh and deep. 

"Go fuck yourself, JJ!" You snap at him. "Because honestly, if you were my friend, a true best friend, then you would not give a shit about who I dated if I was happy! Because that is what a friend does. That is what I am trying to do for you, but you are making it so fucking hard!"

"Okay, easy," Sarah whispers, her arm circling your waist to keep you away from JJ.

"This isn't solving anything!" Kiara shouts and turns to JJ. "We need to be reasonable and listen to each other."

"I am listening!" He yells, and Kiara shakes her head, the disappointment clear on her face.

"Guys," Pope and John B both try to calm the chaos, but it is too late. Hell's gates are open, and there is no going back. 

"You're my family, all of you," you say quickly, looking at each of them in the face, and fresh tears well up. "And I love you more than anything, but I don't feel loved. Not right now." You remove Sarah's arm from your waist and step away from the small circle of chairs and your friends. Your eyes cut to JJ and Kiara as they stand close together. "And you both can go to hell with your hypocrisy."

You leave without another word. Sarah's mouth drops open in surprise, and Pope shakes his head, looking away from the newest couple. John B groans, pressing his hands to his face. 

Without waiting for someone to stop you or even giving them a chance to try to stop you, you leave the Chateau behind and attempt to focus on where you are going. Tears blur your vision, and ragged breaths escape as the panic swallows you whole. You barely make it a mile before you have to pull over on the shoulder to try to calm yourself. 

Your cell phone ringing breaks the quiet, and you silence the call before dropping your head onto the steering wheel. You had done it. You had sealed and buried your childhood friendships. The tension had come to the surface and snapped before your very eyes. The phone rings again, and you groan, answering it without looking. 

"What?!" You snap. "I'm not coming back!"

"Whoa, pretty girl," Rafe's voice breaks through your panicked thoughts. "You okay?"

"No."

He can hear the upset and panic coating your voice. There is shuffling on his end and a faint 'Where you going, Country Club?'. "What happened?"

"Long story," you whisper, closing your eyes, teardrops hitting your thighs. "I don't want to talk about it over the phone."

"Where are you?"

"Side of the road."

He groans, and you hear a car door open and close. 

"I'll be fine, Rafe. What do you need?"

"I got something for you. I was going to bring it by."

You laugh and open your eyes to see the droplets of tears littering your jean shorts and the skin of your thighs.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing," you mumble, closing your eyes again. "I would rather not go home right now. Meet somewhere?"

"Sure," he says, and you can hear him driving. "Parking lot from your birthday?"

"Oh, god," you groan, and he laughs. Flashbacks of the night fill your head, and you bite your lip, thighs pressing together at the phantom feel of his touch on you. "See you in a few minutes."

"All right."

It does not take long for you to find one another. You sit on the trunk of your car until Ward's truck pulls into the mostly empty lot. The setting sun is ending many beachgoers' perfect day, and soon you will have the beach to yourselves. He steps into view seconds after parking next to you. His hand brushes your leg, his head tipping to the side while he looks at you.

"This is twice now that you've cried leaving John B's and been on the side of the road."

You sniffle and reach up to wipe away the tears. 

His knuckles knock against your knee. "Talk to me."

You exhale, dropping your hands onto the trunk beside your thighs. The metal is warm from the sun beating down on it all day. "We got in an argument, and I may have told JJ and Kie to go to hell."

Rafe laughs, his eyes crinkling before he shakes his head. "I really am rubbing off."

You roll your eyes. "I'm not proud of myself."

"I am!"

You frown, looking away to watch a family load into a minivan. Sunburnt kids, boogie boards, and beach gear are all in tow. You smile a little and try to ignore the promising sting of fresh tears stirring up. 

He moves closer, his abdomen pressing against your knees. "I have something for you."

"Yeah?" You ask before turning your attention back to him. 

He nods, fishing in his jean pocket before producing a bag of weed. He drops it on your lap and grins at you. "Just in time, huh?"

You nod, closing your eyes for a moment. "Who did you get this from?"

"Barry," he mutters, his fingertips skating over your exposed thighs. "Do you want to do some now?"

"On the beach."

He grins before pocketing the bag and helping you down from your trunk. He leads the way to the beach, and you follow. You smile politely at the tourists leaving until he finds a secluded spot nestled among some driftwood.

He watches you fish around in your purse until you produce a bowl, grinder, and lighter. He chuckles, brushing his hand over his mouth. "You come prepared."

"I like weed," you mutter, plucking the baggie from his other hand. "Makes me feel less anxious and clears the bad thoughts."

"Bad thoughts?"

You nod, putting what you need in the grinder before turning the lid back and forth.

"What bad thoughts?"

You exhale, meeting his curious eyes. "That I'm not good enough. That I don't deserve to live sometimes…" You swallow. "That I'm failing and not doing anything right. That everyone is going to leave me." You let out a harsh laugh. "But it looks like I've pushed them away instead."

Rafe frowns, studying you. "I have bad thoughts too."

You stare at him, waiting for him to continue. 

"Umm…" He looks down at the sand, his arms resting on his knees. "Sometimes I think things… a-and I know they aren't okay. I'm not okay. I thought I was. But I keep having these thoughts in my head, and I can't control them. I try," he presses his hands to his face. The heel of his palms press to his eyes before he drops them and looks at you. "I'm afraid of what is going to happen."

You reach across to touch him. Your hand is grasping his. 

"I'm afraid of what I am going to do."

You steady your breathing and tighten your hand on his. "I think talking about it is the first step."

He nods, agreeing. "I should get clean. I should get my shit together."

"Rafe," you sigh and look back at him. "You can. I know you can."

He smiles a little before laughing harshly. "But my father doesn't think I can."

You huff, going back to your task. "Ward sometimes gets in his own way."

"What do you mean?"

You shrug, filling the bowl. "Look at Sarah. She's a pogue now because he did not listen to her. And you… you're trying to figure it out, and he keeps pressuring you instead of listening to you."

Rafe's lips press into a thin line, and you worry you have crossed the line, but then he clears his throat. "I've told him I'm not okay, but he says to 'man up.' So I'm trying to do that."

You smile weakly before you offer him the packed bowl and lighter. "Want the first hit?"

He takes it, and you watch him light it and inhale before passing it back to you. He blows it out a few seconds later and relaxes against the driftwood. 

"Who knew?" You mutter before taking a hit. You copy his actions of exhaling and relaxing against the sun-bleached tree trunk. "The kook and pogue outcasts, becoming friends."

He laughs before shaking his head. "I'm not your friend, y/n."

You pout, but he reaches over and pokes your bottom lip. 

"I'm your outlet."

"Outlet?" Your eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. "For drugs?"

He shrugs. "And sex, if you need it."

You laugh and drop your head onto his shoulder, enjoying the beginnings of your high. "I think that I want to date whoever I let fuck me first, Rafe."

He is silent for a moment, but his fingers continue to skate up and down your thigh and around your knee. "Date me."

"What?" You laugh and turn your face to look at him. Surprise is in your voice and expression.

He shrugs. "Why not? Might help get my dad off my case, and it'll piss your ex-best friends off."

You frown at the mention of your friends. You do not want to talk about it anymore. You would rather forget tonight happened for a little while. "Is this so you can 'pop my cherry'? Another notch on your bedpost?"

"No," he responds, brushing his knuckle against the hem of your shorts. "But when you are ready, I can do it. No notch."

You hum before taking another hit. "Okay." You supply after you exhale. "Two bad thoughts make a positive action, right?"

He laughs, slinging his arm around you and pulling you against him. "Maybe."

"Why are we doing this?" You ask Rafe. It is too late to back out now as he leads you toward a kook house. A party is happening to celebrate someone's college acceptance. 

Rafe shrugs. "I have party favors to sell and a new girlfriend to show off."

You snort at the last part, but your hand slides into his. Your fingers interlacing together right before you step through the main door. 

"Rafe!" Kelce is first to greet him. "Where you been, man?"

"Had to get my girl," Rafe answers Kelce, clasping his hand and pulling him into a hug. 

"Your girl?" Kelce questions, and Rafe tugs you forward. Kelce smiles. "I fucking knew it!"

You laugh, leaning into Rafe's side. His arm hooks around your shoulders as he grins proudly. 

"Well, enjoy!"

"Hey!" Rafe grabs his arm quickly, pulling him back. He leans in, and you already know he is telling him about the party favors he brought. "Spread the word!" He tells him as Kelce walks backward with a smile and a thumb up in agreement. Rafe turns to you once Kelce is out of sight. His hands secure around your hips. "Want a drink?"

"Please." You smile up at him. 

"Cool, umm…" He looks around and spots an empty patio loveseat on the deck. "Wait for me out there, all right?"

"Yep." You peck his lips before passing through the partygoers to take the loveseat. Once you are settled and people-watching, you notice Sarah and John B by a group of kooks you knew. Scarlet and Olivia are two of them. Olivia has it bad for Kelce, and he has never noticed, from what you can tell. Sarah's eyes connect with yours, and her lips part in shock. You lift your hand in an awkward wave, aware of how tense it is. 

"Here you go." Rafe reappears at that time and holds out a cup for you. You take it and hum in appreciation at the fruity punch in the cup. "Careful, it's Ryn's secret recipe." 

He takes the seat next to you, his arm hooking around your shoulders. You lean into his side, looking at the plastic bag he has dropped on the table. 

"How much do you think you'll sell tonight?"

"I don't know."

You hum before glancing at Sarah and John B, who are both openly staring at you. "Your sister is here."

"Oh, yeah?" He asks, laughing a little before following where you are looking to see her. "And that pogue."

"John B," you offer before taking another sip.

"John B," he repeats before tapping your chin. You tip your head to look at him, and his lips press to yours. His intentions are not intended to be good for the pair watching you, and you know that, but you also know no matter what you do now, the pogues will think what they want to. 

You kiss him back, your hand skating over the line of his jaw. His lips turn up against yours in a devilish grin. His hands sneak under your skirt, his fingertips possessive against the skin of your thighs. You moan into his mouth when his thumb brushes between your thighs. Your fingers weave through his blond locks, tugging him closer. It is indecent, and you cannot help yourself. 

"Are you serious right now?!" Topper's voice cuts through the haze of Rafe's mouth on yours. The kissing ends, and Rafe smirks at his friend. "Since when?"

You shrug, looking at Kelce coming through the door, a couple of pretty girls on his arms and trailing behind him. You smile at him. It is no secret that you prefer Kelce over Topper. Kelce had never been crass or actively rude to you like Topper had. 

"Yesterday."

Topper accepts Rafe's answer without another word. 

"Come sit with me," Rafe mumbles against your jaw while his arms hook around your waist and pull you onto his lap. "Give Kelc some room."

You hum, leaning back against his chest. You can feel how your indecent behavior has affected him, so you tease him a little. "Also, to hide your boner?"

He laughs against your shoulder. His lips warm against your skin. 

"Kelce!" Topper clasps his hand before Kelce throws himself onto the couch beside you. He smirks, admiring you on Rafe's lap. 

"You two look good." His attention shifts to Topper again. Kelce is gauging his friend and how he feels about Rafe and you, but you do not care what the blond kook thinks.

You roll your eyes and sip from your cup before your gaze cuts to Sarah and John B across the room. John B is clinging to her arm, trying to keep her with him and not storming after you. You can read her lips easily as she states that she only wants to talk to you.

John B visibly groans and releases her. 

"Sarah is coming," you warn Rafe, and he groans loudly in annoyance, shuffling you around on his lap as he tucks his product away. He mutters something about her snitching and tells Kelce to hang out for a minute. 

"Hey!" Sarah says, dropping onto the armrest of the chair that is adjacent to the loveseat. Her expression does not match her happy tone. Instead, she looks like she is expecting answers. "What's going on?"

"Just hanging out," Kelce answers before either you or Rafe. 

Rafe's arm snakes around your waist. His chest presses into your back as he leans forward to collect his drink. "What do you want, Sarah?"

"To talk to my best friend."

He can tell you are on edge and nervous about being around them again, especially now that you are officially together. Your hands grip his free hand that rests on your thigh.

Rafe chuckles, shaking his head. "From how I hear it, you guys are not treating her like friends, much less best friends."

You exhale, pushing your hand onto his thigh. "Rafe."

"No," she says, looking down at her shoes. "He's right."

You watch her, ignoring the sting of yesterday's argument drudging back up. "John B does not look comfortable alone."

She frowns, glancing at her boyfriend, and he shakes his head, leaning back against the wall. "He wants to talk to you, but…." Her gaze flickers over the three kooks. 

"I'll come over there," you offer. John B and Sarah were trying, so you would too. You pat Rafe's arm to signal for him to let you go. 

"Don't go far," he says into your ear, squeezing you back against him one last time. "I don't trust them."

And then his arm falls away, and Sarah helps you to your feet. Glancing back at Rafe as you head for John B, you notice a frown on his face while he watches you until Topper and Kelce demand his attention. 

You can do this. This time it would be only two pogues and not five.

"John B."

He smiles at you, shaking his head. "I don't like not being friends."

"Me either," Sarah adds quickly. "No one does."

You frown at them before downing the rest of your drink quickly. "I'm not enjoying it either."

"Then can we talk about it?" She asks, her hand gripping yours. "Please!"

"Sure."

She exhales a breath of relief. "So… are you dating my brother?"

You stare at her and then John B, gauging them before clearing your throat. "Yes."

John B groans, eyes closing, and his head falls. Sarah frowns at him before turning her attention back to you. 

"Since that day JJ saw you?"

"Yesterday, actually." You cross your arms over your waist. Your nails bite into the soft inside of your arms. "After the argument, we met up, talked, and realized that we like one another."

She nods, licking her lips. "Are you sure it is a good idea?"

"No," you laugh, glancing over your shoulder at him, but he is forming lines and collecting payment. "Probably the worst idea, but I need something different."

She leans closer to you, her voice dropping. "Is this because of Kie and JJ?"

"No."

Her eyebrows raise in disbelief at your statement, and you groan. 

"No, it has nothing to do with them and everything to do with me."

John B clearly knows what you are talking about, even with Sarah whispering as he clears his throat. "JJ is just as upset as you. I've never seen him like this."

You frown, eyes darting away from John B to the floor. "I can't please everyone."

"But you can talk to me," JJ's voice states from behind you, and you turn to see all three missing pogues behind you. 

Pope moves closer first, his hand brushing your arm. "You okay?"

You nod once, glancing over his shoulder to JJ, who is watching you with concern. "Umm…" You exhale. "I don't know what you want to talk about since no one wants to listen to me."

JJ glances at Kiara before he drops her hand and moves closer. "We're worried."

"I know."

"Then help us understand," he offers, his touch light as he grazes your wrist with his thumb. "You're my best friend, y/n. Please."

You close your eyes and exhale. You open them to look at JJ as you deliver the answer. He seems to know already but hates the idea of it. "I'm dating Rafe. We hung out a few times and decided to give it a go last night."

JJ steps back, his expression shifting to annoyed and frustrated. "He's not safe."

"You don't know him."

He gapes at you, and Kiara shakes her head, looking at Sarah for help. He ignores the silent pleas for help from Kiara. "Yes, we do! How many times has he belittled us? How many times has he hurt one of us? Do you get th-"

"Pogues," Rafe's voice cuts into JJ's rant as he moves behind you. His cologne and body heat wrapping around you. His hand finds your hip, and he looks at JJ over your head. "I thought this was a kook party."

"We stopped by to see our friend," Kiara spits out. Her gaze shifts to you, silently pleading for you to walk away from him, but you do not. 

He nods, looking down at you, and you look up at him. "Ready to go?"

"I think so," you state before shifting your attention to Sarah. "I'd like to talk just us, one-on-one, eventually."

"We will." She watches you with her brother before glancing at John B, who moves forward and blocks JJ from moving any closer. If he did get closer, you are sure a fight would start. The rage in his ocean eyes and the tight fists tucked against his side tell you enough. 

"We should go," you whisper before taking Rafe's hand. "I'll see you guys around." You offer with a small wave. 

"You pogues enjoy the party, all right?" Rafe taunts and lets you lead him away from the small cluster that continues to build with tension. 

(Part Four)

Reblogs, likes, and comments are welcome and appreciated!

[littleandless]

SEASON 2 EPISODE 7 THOUGHTS

i wonder how rhaenyra will discover that addam is corlys’s son. because there’s no way that can stay a secret, right? either corlys himself will make it known when he asks her to legitimize him or mysaria (if she knows—which i assume she does or will soon). i understand why addam didn’t just tell her outright, even if it would have been easier in some ways. corlys is still his liege lord before anything else and airing out his dirty laundry probably wouldn’t get him a pat on the back from papa either.

NEW TULLY LORD!!!! oscar and his men outnumber daemon, so he can afford to get a bit sassy. it’s a shame about willem though. oh well! i knew he was toast as soon as he started pleading with daemon to rescue him…he doesn’t give a fuck my boy😭 plus all the war crimes

more visions of viserys. i didn’t find this one very compelling, seeing as it’s just “i never wanted to be king boo hoo. why do you want this shit so bad?” when it is all so very obvious. and no alys????? i better see at least 10 minutes of screen time from her in the next episode.

we finally got an emotional outburst from jacaerys! thank the gods. his mother royally fucked him over by making him bastard-born and now (despite it being necessary) weakens his only claim to legitimacy. he has every right to be upset. as aegon2 once said: “everybody knows.” he loves his mother and is loyal to her, but he can’t quite cope with the danger she’s put him in. and she could never fully appreciate what it means for her sons, even if she does hear the insults. she can’t bolster her own claim without weakening his. poor jace, luke, & joffrey. they were truly doomed from the start. my sweet boys :(

we finally had a proper gathering of potential dragonriders and not just one measly person at a time. that’s good. i don’t like that they all had blonde hair, though. you’re telling me all the other bastards got white hair but not rhaenyra’s heirs? the blood of the dragon is just that strong? jacey is so doomed by the narrative.

also…hugh son of saera????? i was kind of hoping he’d just say her name but i guess we’re being coy about it. it’s a fun easter egg i suppose but 1. it reaffirms the targaryen blood purity BS they were just questioning two seconds ago and 2. poor saera not only had a shit dad that shamed her but also a failson who’s embarrassed of his rich sexy princess mother #justiceforsaera

alicent deciding to fuck off into the woods was the right decision. it’s probably the last moment of peace she’ll ever have. so hey, why not run away and go for a swim, take in the fresh air, ride a horse, and dream of disappearing forever? i said it before, but her part in this power struggle is basically over. now all she can do is wait.

am i wrong or did aemond send his brother’s bffs to the wall? i can’t remember their names and i don’t care to look it up, but it seems the most likely.

larys wants aegon to recover so bad lmao. i know he will eventually, but still. give it a rest bro i doubt he is as charmed by your camaraderie as you think he is…especially since you’re making him speedrun these physical therapy sessions! i’m surprised he’s still bothering with these people. he also basically fucks off in f&b and then reappears later. i wonder if that’s going to happen in the show or if he’s here to stay.

alrighty. the scales have tipped in rhaenyra’s favor. now she has seven dragons: syrax, vermax, moondancer, seasmoke, vermithor, silverwing, and caraxes (kind of). sheepstealer hasn’t been seen in the show yet, but since rhaena will probably claim him we can tentatively add his name to the roster. in f&b the blacks also had tyraxes, who i believe was shown last episode but is obviously still a baby. team green has vhagar and now tessarion. dreamfyre as well, even though i don’t believe she’s been shown before. i assume they’ll have to now unless the showrunners want to make the balance very dramatically skewed. and princess jaehaera has morghul but he also hasn’t been shown, and in f&b he was never even ridden. sunfyre is dead i think? so yeah, wow. sky lizards abound.

can’t wait for more! i’m sad we only have one more episode of this season. but hey, at least george said the writers are meeting up soon for season 3. hopefully we’ll only wait one year instead of 2😆

[mayhaps-a-blog]

OK, having seen Tales of the Empire, I don't think the Thrawn stuff is as retconned as people are shouting about. Gotta get a bit puzzle-piece here - fitting pieces together - but it does all work out.

1. We don't know what Pellaeon was doing before he served under Savit, or even what he was doing while serving under Savit. His connection with Thrawn on screen could be seen as a close partnership, but honestly, could equally be a one-time introduction: Pellaeon attends a presentation on a new starfighter, Savit (if presents) grunts that it's too expensive, Pellaeon is intrigued by the design and looks up an Admiral who might be interested, forwarding the idea along. Thrawn picks it up, gets Pellaeon to arrange an introduction of his choice, they amicably part ways until Treason.

Thrawn: "I want to make sure she can fight. Sneak in my assassin to try and kill her."

Pellaeon: "...Yes, sir (?!?)"

Thrawn: "You can wait below until she wins. I'll lurk menacingly on the balcony."

Pellaeon: (mental sigh. There's worse people in the Empire, such as that blithering Moff) "Alright. Fine. Sure. Whatever. You got it, sir." (I am never working with this nutjob again.) (Two years later: kriff.)

2. Elspeth was active on Corvus, but they stated pretty directly that they were only interested in the raw materials. Lothal had specifically the fuel refinery and doomium mines. So, strip mine Lothal, harvest Corvus, assemble the parts on Corvus in the factories and ship the final pieces to Lothal for assembly, fueling, and testing. Pretty standard for large-scale production, these days - almost nothing is harvested, designed, and produced all in the same place. Even the Death Star had multiple bases for production - more, if you count the prison labor in Andor, and wherever they were shipping the raw materials from. Andor was just parts assembly!

3. They never said that Thrawn had the 7th Fleet - he said "my fleet", which is also just a term for a large group of ships. Could easily have been referring to his Task Force, which he had as an admiral, when speaking with a civilian (Elspeth) and thus using the informal term.

There's a few points I can understand people being upset about - Thrawn's no longer the TIE Defender's initial designer, although how much he may have improved on before the final design is unknown. This is in line with Legends, where we see less of a direct hand from Thrawn and more of a "collect all the genius designers to work for me" in terms of practical engineering, but we see him tinkering more in Canon, so arguments could be made either way as to how it should go. I will point out that something as complex and large as a ship would definitely not have one singular designer - that is a team effort, with the project lead's name getting stamped on the final package but a whole host of experts right underneath.

My personal quibble is that Pellaeon seems eternally stuck in his 60s-70s - this has to be at least 10 years before his cameo in the Mandalorian, and yet he looks exactly the same! Did his hair ever have color or is he just forever an old man? XD

[eee-isat-au-blog]

Encore Et Encore: Act 1, Chapter 2: Hour Time Together

Full Game Spoilers for In Stars And Time, Including Twohats! (technically not in this episode but it's in episode one so you should read that first)

It took a while for Siffrin to remember who and where he was, but that was normal for suddenly waking up.

…why did he wake up again?

He had a really weird dream. He was standing there with 2 other figures…

The dream slipped through his mental hands like sand. He closed his eyes again.

♢: "--frin! Siffrin!"

A shadow covered the sunlight that was previously piercing his eyelids.

♢: "… Siffrin…?"

Judging by the voice, that was Mira here to wake him up. Or maybe Isa was doing a really really good impression. He snickered at the thought.

♢: "Siffrin, are you making puns even in your dreams? What am I saying, of course you would be…"

♢: "Anyway, good morning! Or, good afternoon rather… sleep well?"

☆: “mmbl.. grmbl…” was all he could say in response

♢: "… You’re still half asleep, huh..”

With all the strength he could muster, he lightly nodded in response.

♢: "Well, I'll let you rest a little longer, gotta be ready for tomorrow and all! Make sure to come to town soon though!"

He sighed, lightly blowing the hair in his face up, before it fell right back down.

☆: “…” Wake up Siffrin, you have a country to save.

He stood up after a moment and stretched, stretched, stretched, his body was really feeling the whiplash of the sudden wake. After a bit he began wandering to the town of Dormont, where a statue of the Change God stood proud and tall in the center, visible even from this distance.

He watched as two birds sang to each other in the woods, one was light, the other was dark. He envied them a bit, and chuckled. At least they weren't aware of the potential end of the world.

Eventually he met up with Mira.

♢: "Well that didn't take long, haha! How did you sleep by the way? Scale of 1 to 10?”

☆: “Hm… 3, a weird dream, and a certain someone woke me up.” He sticks out his tongue playfully at her.

♢: “Noooo I’m sorry! It’s just we have a lot to do, prepping for the King and-”

☆: “How dare you Mirabelle, punishment for a millenia.” He holds his hand out dramatically, as if cursing her. She puts on a big, obviously fake frown.

♢: “Noooo, not punishment for a millenia!!!”

They both laugh.

♢: “OH!! BY! THE! WAY! I wanted to talk to you about something! Um… I had a nice idea for how we can make the night before the final fight special, how about a nice sleepover? Eat food with friends, tell stories, all that stuff!”

Siffrin took a second to wonder how that was different from what they normally do.

☆: “Uh… How is that different from what we normally do?”

♢: “Oh crab… you’re right.. It was a dumb idea, just forget about it…” She lightly facepalms her face.

Siffrin immediately panicked. He made Mira upset. This is the worst thing probably ever.

☆: “N-no no! It’s a good idea! We should do it! And make the best of all the times we did it ever!”

♢: “You think so?”

☆: “Of course!” He smiled reassuringly.

♢: “Heh, thank you Siffrin.. Oh, if we’re doing it you should probably go tell everyone! I wrote down a crafted note and everything! Isabeau is at the Favor Tree, Madame is at the shops, and Bonnie is at the fields! Tell them to meet at the Clock Tower, okay? You should also check out the Change God Statue for good luck!” She hands him the note.

That’s a lot of things. Siffrin waves as Mira leaves, looking at the note. He decides to head to Odile first, since the shop was just over there.

He opened the door, the shopkeep jolting up slightly, clearly they were dozing off a bit. He walked to the end of the shop and found Odile inspecting various things on the shelf.

♤: “Hmm.. Oh, Siffrin, you look well rested, I take it you slept well?” She looked at the stuff on the shelf as she spoke, before turning to give full attention.

☆: “Well enough at least, Mira woke me up.” He fake-pouted.

♤: “Heh, probably for the best, don’t want you sleeping on the day before the possible end of the world. Anyway, how can I help you?”

☆: “Right, Mira wanted me to tell everyone about a sleepover at the Clock Tower.” Odile lightly scoffs.

♤: “A sleepover? Gems alive, you really are kids.”

☆: “Yea, but it’ll be fun to forget about things for a bit.”

♤: “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there, poor Boniface likely needs it. Maybe we all do. Nevertheless, the Clock Tower has 3 beds, no? I’ll have you know I plan on having a bed to myself.”

☆: “Yeah, Mira and Bonnie will be sharing, probably”

♤: “So who’s sleeping on the floor, you or Isabeau?”

☆: “We’ll probably share as well”

♤: “…Mhm. Anyway, I’ll be there.”

Siffrin waved goodbye and left, checking Odile off the list, albeit mentally, since he had nothing to write with. Next up was Bonnie, so he headed east, saying hi to the townsfolk as he passed, eventually finding Bonnie staring at vegetables.

☆: “Hey, Bonnie!”

♧: “…heyfrin.”

☆: “We’re going to do a sleepover at the Clock Tower tonight.”

♧: “A sleepover? That’s dumb, I’m not a kid, Frin. Was it your idea?” Siffrin sighed lightly.

☆: “Mira’s idea, actually.”

♧: “Oh, then it's a great idea, sucks you stole it from Belle.” The small one snickered and pointed teasingly at him. He sighed again.

The two leaned on the fence, staring out to the vegetable field. Most of it was frozen. The squash was out of seconds, the mushrooms were out of minutes, and the onions were out of hours. Siffrin would keep this thought rolling if he hadn't noticed Bonnie was nervously glancing at him.

♧: “D-Don’t you got somewhere to be, Stupidfrin?”

☆: “Wow, I can’t enjoy a moment staring at veggies?”

Bonnie took a moment, did they hurt Frin’s feelings?

♧: “S-sorry I just- want some time alone!!”

☆: “No it’s fine, Bonnie. I don’t carrot-all” He smirked down at them, as they frowned in return.

♧: “Get out of here!! Stupidfrin!” Siffrin leaves without another quipping word, checking Bonnie off the mental list as well.

One left. Siffrin headed for the Favor Tree to talk to Isabeau. The tree was very big, paired with the Change God statue in the center and the Clock Tower to the east, it made the town of Dormont very symmetrical, even, nice.

They approached the Favor Tree’s designated area, with Isabeau leaning on a nearby, non-favorable tree.

☆: “Isa!!” They grinned.

♡: “Sif!!!” He held out his arms wide as Sif approached.

☆: “Isaaaaaa!!!!”

♡: “Sif!!!!!!”

☆: “ISAAAAAAAA!!!!” They continued playing it up. Isa chuckled.

♡: “Ok that’s enough, we don’t wanna be here all day, do we?”

☆: “Booooo…” They stuck out their tongue playfully.

♡: “So, how’s it going? Here to wish at the Favor Tree? It’s crazy how big the thing is!”

☆: “Hm… Yeah, It’s a…” They got that look on their face, that both them and Isa knew well.

♡: “Mhm??” Isabeau waited in anticipation.

☆: “..A real TREE-at.” Their smirk was so sharp it could kill a sadness.

♡: “HA! HAHAHA! YES!!” He raises a hand to their shoulder as he laughs, but stops just short and brings it to his side as he wipes his damp eyes.

♡: “Ha… that was good.”

☆: “Anyway, Mira wanted me to tell everyone we’re meeting at the Clock Tower for a sleep over tonight.”

♡: “Sleepover? Crab yeah, now I’m excited. Though, the Clock Tower only has 3 beds if I remember correctly… and M’dame will absolutely demand a bed to herself- more power to her- so I suppose we’re sharing again?” He said that less like an actual question, and more like a confirmation, because he was pretty confident in his conclusion, but wanted to make sure with his bunkmate.

☆: “Yea, that sounds about right.”

♡: “Alright! I’ll be there!” He gives a big thumbs up

♡: “I’ll let you do your Favor Tree thing now! I'll be up north if you wanna talk again! Cya, Sif!” They both waved as he walked away.

Siffrin approached the Favor Tree. It was towering, to the point they were a bit nervous to make a wish. Like asking a teacher to use the bathroom back in school. Or at least that's what Mira and Isa said. He never went to school.

Think… What would be a good wish to ask… Talking with their party was nice… Traveling with them was the happiest you remember being, though your memory always was spotty… but if something was better than this, it probably wasn’t good enough to remember. They shake off the conflicting nature of that sentence and think.

Mira.. Isa.. Odile.. Bonnie… He loved them all so much. He knew his wish. He took a leaf and held it to his mouth, whispering to it.

☆: “I wish to stay with those I care about, when all is said and done.”

He folded it up and sent it to ride the wind. The breeze brushing the tree made a strange sound, like a group sighing. Vaugarde is so weird. Welp, should probably make it over to the Clock Tower.

As he made his way over, he noticed the Change God statue again. Stars, he knew he was forgetting something. He needed to make a prayer for good luck. Though, doing that right after making a wish on the Favor Tree felt… greedy. But he said he would, so do it he shall. He approached the statue’s stature.

Mira and Isa told him that Change prayers were manifested by simply believing strongly, for nothing concrete, the Change God is a lazy deity after all. Seemed a bit off. A god taking a backseat to its domain? Though he supposed the inverse was also a problem. Whatever, he wasn't here to critique the culture. He was here to save the world.

He believed strongly…. For understanding.

And with that, he bowed slightly to the statue and made his way to the Clock Tower as the sky darkened from the curse. If they won or lost tomorrow, at least today still happened.

[kattythingz]

Attack attack attack 🕯️🥤🥐🥝🐝

Literally every one of these questions was a targeted attack, what the FUCK Jinx. But fine.

🕯️ - on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? Why is that?

Unless I'm in a bad mood and/or the premise doesn't interest me, it's actually most often a 9. Sometimes even a 10. It took me a long time to realize this (hello fiction workshop), but it turns out my passion for editing is its own beast. Something about helping others' writing. Pointing out their mistakes not to laugh at them, but to further their writing because I want to see that!!! I want my friends to see their best writing and I want to help them get there! It's the greatest honor! And, when I really get into it, it's honestly just a fun process!

(Usually. We don't talk about the fucking blood that went into editing ch4 of Crown.)

🥤 - recommend an author or fanfic you love.

MAY I INTRODUCE THE FINE PEOPLE TO @asthmaticbee's BRILLIANT HP X FMA AU "of elder, stone and cloth (of death, rebirth and closure)". THE SURPRISE RAREPAIR IS AMAZING AND I AM SO UPSET I DON'T HAVE OTHER CONTENT FOR THEM AND THE CHARACTER WRITING IS PHENOMENAL. THIS AUTHOR GETS ED ON SUCH A DEEP LEVEL. It quite literally had me high for the three or so days I spent bingeing the fic. I CANNOT recommend it enough.

🥐 - name one internet reference that will always make you laugh.

SONIC FANDUBS LMAO. My little brother and I recite them at each other all the time (I suspect it's a verbal stim at this point?), and I can't. It's so fucking funny each time.

🥝 - do you lie a lot? What's the most recent lie you told?

Jinx, seriously. What have I done to insult you lately? /j

I do actually lie a lot lmao. That's kinda a necessity in a controlling household like mine, so it uh. Kinda happens like breathing. Which is mayhaps not a good thing, but. You know. Gotta do what you gotta do. I can't remember my most recent lie, aha. (Another shining endorsement for me, ik.)

🐝 - tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them.

I am honestly so blessed to say—it's so many people? I can't even tag them all off the top of my head. The recent support I received on ch5 of Crown was so fucking huge, I'll forever be unwell over how nice all my readers are?? I'm so grateful to everyone.

Off the top of my head, however, I MUST specifically tag @ilovepannacotta @sirchenchen @hijinks-n-lowjinks @crystalizedirongoblin and @thewitchqueen281

Panna, you brilliant fucking bitch, you've been struggling with your art lately but you are genuinely my favorite edling artist out there. You never fail to blow my expectations out of the water, and I hope you'll agree with me on that one day. Chen, your mind is so brilliant, and your aus are so thoughtful and deep and you ask questions I never considered before that then get ME thinking. Jinx, your understanding of Greed as a character, and Al too, have quite literally saved my ass several times. Citrine, I... can't think of sth specific cuz we don't actually talk often, but your support for my yj x fma crossover motivated me so much more than you think, esp since I was in a dry spell with Crown at the time. And Avi, you've literally been my ground support since ch1 of Crown. Your early asks gave me so much hope that this revamp might actually stand a chance, and then you further devastated me by writing me a goddamn 8k fic.

I'm grateful to all my readers, but you guys esp... you did sth deep to me. And I don't think I'll be normal again cuz of it. I love y'all <3

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

Ranking 327 Episodes of Supernatural

(And I need your help first!)

Okay, so I'm finally planning to live up to my blog's name by doing a full rewatch of Supernatural (Only 3+ years after the show ended and 1+ years after I made this blog for this purpose 🤦‍♀️ ). Anyway, I’ll be "Rewatching Sam and Dean," in other words. (Sorry 🙄.)

I'm not only gong to rewatch it and comment, but I'm going to try to rate and rank every episode. I'm generally bad at ranking on a large scale, but I want to be able to say with confidence what my top 5, 10, 20, etc. episodes are. Because right now, I can list episodes I love, but I can’t say which one I like best among my favorites. Also, ranking gives me an additional purpose to my rematch.

(I’ll put my particular criteria for ranking under the cut, so there no need to skim through that part if you’re not interested in specifics.)

So, you might be asking, "Why do I care about this?"

And if you don’t, that’s cool. But, I’m posting about it here because I’m hoping to get some ideas for things to track as I’m watching the episodes. I don’t want to do too many things because that’s a sure way to get bogged down and make this feel like work, but there are often those little things that I wish I had a quick answer to, and looking for them as I go through each episode should be easier than hopping back and forth to track things down. And I know there are things like Superwiki for that (though they aren’t perfect), but I want to track some things for myself, too

So, these are some things I’m already planning to watch out for:

How John is described/acts, and his relationship with both boys

Sam and Dean's "anger issues"

How/when each brother responds when the other is upset (and how this changes), and which brother shares more

How Bobby treats each brother

How each brother relates to Mary and how she treats them

When each brother prays; who is it to, and what is it about?

Times when Sam and Dean are depicted as classic brothers, vs. blatantly compared to a couple, a parent-child, friends, or are just weird.

So, if you made it this far, could you please give me your suggestions for other things I should keep an eye out for while watching? Or, suggest other things that might be interesting to rate/rank as I go through the show?

Thanks for reading!

How I’ll be Rating the Episodes:

Now, when I rate these episodes, I’ll be determining MY FAVORITE episodes, not what I think are technically THE BEST episodes. For example, "On the Head of a Pin " is a very well executed episode, but I can pretty much guarantee that it wan’t be in my top 25 or anything, because Alistair disgusts me so thoroughly that I can't stand rewatching it.

I’ve created a bit of a rubric for myself to quasi keep myself honest, though there is still a lot of room for subjectiveness in my ranked areas. So far, my criteria is:

1. The Brothers: Are there good or meaningful brother moments? Do we learn anything new about either brother or their relationship? Are they behaving in character?

2. The Monster: Is the monster or antagonist of the episode interesting, frightening, handled in a unique way?

3. Story: Is the narrative strong, impactful to the show as a whole, or entertaining? Is there canon-breaking or retconning that damages the show?

4. Recurring/Side Characters: Are the characters who are sharing the screen with Sam and/or Dean interesting, effective, important, and/or standouts in some other way? Do I care about them?

5. Re-watchability: On Subsequent viewings of the episode, am I still entertained? Do I gain a new perspective or find more to enjoy when I watch it again? Does the episode lose impact, relevance or entertainment value (in a significant way) on repeat viewings?

Anyway, as I said, this is deeply subjective, so maybe no one will be interested in my takes, and that’s fine. But, I will give reasons with canon support, for what I like or don’t like, so my ratings won’t be based on what I head-canon to be true. I’d ideally like to do this on YouTube with edits, but I’m not sure I want to put myself out there to that extent. Either way, I’ll be on here, too. Either I’ll post here, or link my videos (if I ever make them) here.

My Pilot Review

From ages ago …

Also, if anyone is interested, you can find my original attempts at episode reviews HERE. My format for rewatching will likely be a bit more structured now (and not take multiple posts per episode), but here’s how my brain works, if you’re interested.

[system-of-a-feather]

So if you said something that you feel kind of bad for saying (may that be in an actual guilt / empathy way or in a "I think it would have been better to do XYZ to show that I care"), its almost always okay to acknowledge that your actions did not align with how you would like to express your feelings / relationship / care for another party.

For example, I grew up in a household where, particularly with my middle sister, one of the only ways to secure both attention / acknowledgement AND survival resources (food, clothes, etc) was to make the other person look small, stupid, lesser, etc in ways ranging from minute to large scale. Since we've made amends like two years ago, we both have really tried to wean off of that sort of behavior when we are around our parents (we don't have it when we aren't, its a learned trauma behavior)

And so the other day I passively made a small comment that implied that "oh you think 9:30 / 10:30 am is *morning* haha" when 1) I know she doesnt because of her work and that its only 'early' because she has jetlag and 2) no one cares and its petty as shit and 3) bitch (@ me) that is morning you just have a stupid morning work schedule

And so after the fact, even though she didn't seem offended and it was honestly not really even acknowledged, I found myself a bit disappointed as I would rather NOT have my words and actions undermine the message of respect and care I have for her, and even though I doubted she cared, I dropped a quick acknowledgement and apology just to make it clear and touch bases that "hey, even if it doesn't bother you, I want to clear up my intentions and apologize anyways just to make sure my intent to respect you as someone I care about is not muddied by this misaligned behavior from me."

And she thought it was sweet even though she wasn't at all offended and was more annoyed at having jet lag than anything else. Which is way better than leaving it up to interpretation as to whether or not she noted that small comment as anything larger

If anyone wants to copy my homework and steal a script, here is a details-stripped version of the message I sent her

Hey btw, I'm sure its not a huge deal [only true if there is no clear reason to suspect she was upset], but in case it is and cause I like to hold myself to a higher standard than I displayed, I just wanted to apologize for the [action done that did not align with how you would like to act]. It was [effect] and just [why it could have been harmful]. It was done without thinking and I just wanted to apologize in case any offense or harm was made as I want to do my best to show my respect and care for you as a person.

[rodismancave]

🥃 On a scale of 1-10 how much am I allowed to get away with in terms of doing science things. 1 being I need clearance for everything and 10 being I can make a new and better shrink ray to use however I like.

Like, maybe 8... just 'cuz Mags would be soooo sad at not bein' able to fill in for your requests. I'd say ten if it made you do some kind of potion. or, kissed me on the cheek. I'd do a ten for a kiss on the cheek. Oh but I don' like makin' Mags upset, you'd still run it by him, right? Even if you kissed me on the cheek?

[holocene-sims]

oc deep dive

thank you @stargazer-sims for tagging me!! naturally, because i am predictable, i'll answer these questions for grant 🙈

not sure who has done this tag because it went around mostly when i was on hiatus, but i'll tag: @windermeresimblr @nectar-cellar @papermint-airplane @queeniecook @sparkiekong + anyone who wants to do it 💌

what uncommon/common fear do they have?

common: he's a major germaphobeeeeeee

hello, mr. showers-multiple-times-a-day! 🧼

btw i always headcanon grant as wearing masks frequently in public and always in very crowded places like airplanes. you just don't see that in-game because all the mask cc i have installed conflicts with his glasses and/or eyelashes 😔

uncommon: idk if he's afraid of anything uncommon. the main ones for him are germs + being yelled at or physically pushed around, which are common. i guess you could say noses kind of freak him out; the whole cartilage/bone/close-to-the-brain combo is a very unpleasant thought for him lolz

do they have any pet peeves?

you know how most people hate it when a two-person party at a cafe/restaurant sit on the same side of the bench? grant actually hates it when the other person sits opposite of him; he finds it a little bit awkward and lonely. he'd much rather have the friend or partner sit next to him, provided they're cool with it and a side-by-side seating arrangement is possible! ❤️

what are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

his cat, probably

hand sanitizer (citrus scent)

pikachu plush acquired during the korea arc with henry

what do they notice first in a person?

physically: hair 💇 simply because hair is the first thing his eyes can see when looking at someone...unless they're the same height as him, at which point he can finally look someone in the eyes lmao

personality-wise: if they're nice to servers or other customer service workers and tip well

on a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

at this point, it's a 10. his body is a little (a lot) banged up from old injuries and being chronically ill. when he was super young, his pain tolerance was not that great, like stubbing a toe was a serious hour-ruining problem, but he's had to get used to feeling much worse, so his "i feel great, let's go run a marathon!!" days now are probably an average person's 6 on the pain scale but a 2 or so for him. it's not that things hurt *less*, it's more that the conditions that would get him to notice his pain, pay more attention to it, or rate the pain level at a 6 or well above that are far more extreme.

do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

it depends what kind of pressure. if it's some kind of social pressure, aka being in an argument with someone or having upset someone, it triggers major fight or flight response, and usually, he's a flight kind of person. it's changed, though, over the course of the story. i think he's more willing to fight or at least just feel the fight/flight response while responding with a cool head.

if it's a non-social pressure like a situation at work, even if people are involved in the situation he needs to deal with, grant responds very differently. he doesn't get the fight or flight response here, he's always pretty level-headed and logical about non-social situations.

do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

his family is too big, but he adores them all (sans his parents and one of his sisters). grant is 1000000% a family person!

what animal represents them best?

personally, i think he could be a panda. large, cuddly, and endearing

what is a smell that they dislike?

ultimate irony: he hates the smell of cigarettes ☠️

and he finds it funny. he's unfortunately been addicted to smoking forever, but he's so irritated by the smell and also scared of bothering anyone with it that he takes extreme measures to avoid not absorbing cigarette scent lmao

have they broken any bones?

oh dear. yes, he has. lol. the whole "i accidentally knocked out/broke some of my teeth playing hockey thing" was real 😭😭

the teeth were probably the most obvious/annoying bones to break, but he did also break the pinky finger on his left hand, aka his dominant hand, at church when he was like six. he was fucking around in the church basement with his cousins and friends after some church event, and when they were leaving to go back upstairs, he shut the giant wooden door too quickly, which jammed his finger hard enough to break it 💀

how would a stranger likely describe them?

physically: giant, should have played basketball

personality-wise: charming

are they a night owl or a morning bird?

i think he's somewhere in between! he's happy to stay up late and get up early. although, even if he does stay up late, he still will always get up early. he's used to that from work and also from chronic pain bothering him in his sleep.

what is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

love: coconut, chocolate, citrus, coffee

hate: strawberry, vanilla, tea

do they have any hobbies?

cooking, baking, playing video games, dungeons & dragons/TTRPGs, painting, stargazing/reading about astronomy, watching airplanes irl or in videos, watching youtube, watching cat videos on instagram reels, hiking when he feels up to it, working out, traveling, reading (he's trying to fully get back into it), etc.

boom, surprise birthday party! how do they react to surprises?

honestly, grant is one of those people who does muchhhh better with surprise birthday parties than planned parties. if you give him zero time to think about receiving love, gifts, and affection, he can't do the whole "woe is me, i don't deserve it, you're too nice" shtick

do they like to wear jewelry?

at this point, he doesn't really own any. he used to have piercings (the only ones remaining are the 🍒💍, and he did have a claddagh ring, which was a gift from his great uncle, but the piercings were lost to career dress codes, and the ring disappeared with all his other stuff that his mother threw out years ago.

so, he's not anti-jewelry, like he'd totally wear rings at least, and he regrets that his one very nice ring was lost :( i think he'd also wear a necklace if someone gave him one, but grant himself would not naturally consider himself a necklace guy, so he wouldn't go out of his way to purchase one of his own volition.

(author's note: he deserves a nice necklace)

he does wear a leather watch all the time, though, but i'm not sure if that should be categorized as jewelry or just an accessory!

do they have neat or messy handwriting?

he has very neat handwriting!

what are two emotions they feel the most?

probablyyyyyy contentment (i know that may seem ironic given the story, but i think he's generally chill *now*, and my image of him is always a little bit colored by the yet unpublished end of everything the stars promised, which will get posted some day when the plot gets to that point) and shame

do they have a favorite fabric?

he may not own anything in this fabric but minky dot!! grant has visited fabric & craft stores many times with grandma aoifeeeeee, and when he and his cousins were younger, they loved to run around the stores feeling up all the fabric. he's always fond of minky dot because (1) it's soft, and (2) the dots are fun to poke at.

what kind of accent do they have?

i feel like i've answered this so many times, but grant, in my mind, has a unique accent!! he grew up in small town upper peninsula michigan, so he's had plenty of time to absorb the yooper/midwestern accent, but he was also raised by a family full of immigrants and spent most of his childhood hanging out around his grandparents specifically and traveling overseas to visit family, so at the same time, his accent turned irish-y early on. he's not the only one that combo accent happened to, but he probably has the strongest case out it outside of his aunt and uncle.

basically, with 100% certainty, i deem that grant has never and will never be able to pronounce the th sound with the h in it or vowels without them being nasally.

it's hard to put what i think he sounds like on paper, but it's some mix of these people: (1) (2) (3)

[minti-tales]

Vierapril 2024 - Master Post

Entries Written/Staged: 30

Total Word Count: About 4600

Top Post (As of 4/30/24): Vierapril, Day 15 - Spark (Tumblr)

Prompt List:

Day 1: Regal

Day 2: Payment

Day 3: Wish

Day 4: Danger

Day 5: Color

Day 6: Victory

Day 7: Pause

Day 8: Relinquish

Day 9: Damage

Day 10: Breath

Day 11: Longing

Day 12: Progress

Day 13: Release

Day 14: Embarrass

Day 15: Spark

Day 16: Tough

Day 17: Energy

Day 18: Stretch

Day 19: Ethereal

Day 20: Heavy

Day 21: Pure

Day 22: Showers

Day 23: Beam

Day 24: Echo

Day 25: Wave

Day 26: Style

Day 27: Set

Day 28: Pride

Day 29: Shape

Day 30: Scale

Author thoughts are below the break.

It's been another big month for me. This is the first time where I've had something for every prompt, which is great! The Signora got more than a few prompts this time around.

Recently, there was a comic from /u/PizzaCakeComic on Reddit, which was poking fun at people who write women terribly. Man goes into the doctor with his wife? girlfriend?, doctor says that the woman is suffering from "Shitty Female Character" personality. I won't go over the whole comic, but the end panel has the man given a brochure that reads "How to See Women As Actual People And Not Living Sex Dolls." Roll credits.

Minti is not the first female character I've written for. There have been others in the past: supporting characters for a D&D adventure I wrote, several D&D characters, and Sabbac (my beloved). Every time, I think I've gotten better at telling stories about people who are different from me.

The Adventure was the first time I was taught not to bury your gays. I am forever thankful for my editor for helping me with this.

My druid needed to find her courage in the face of world-ending catastrophe. My cleric was on the cusp of becoming a great leader, until the DM (and a bunch of bad rolls) took the essence of who she was away from her. I'm still upset about that.

Sabbac blossomed into this beautiful, outgoing Darkspear troll who loved people and performing on stage. Even when she became a death knight (not one of my best writing decisions), she got resurrected, and claimed her happy ending.

While I felt upset at the comic, I have to remember that I'm trying to do a good job of fleshing out my characters. The Signora, for example, is a villainous, hungry voidsent whose stories are brutal and horrific. Heimar is a counterpart to Minti, a reminder of the person the viera used to be. And Fray is always nearby, ready to take over if the need arises, but never forceful about it. I want to think she's the Gentle Reaper in my stories, like Death from Neil Gaiman's Sandman.

I'm trying to give my characters the lives they deserve. I'm trying to make them real.

Minti may have started as a "What if I make a FFXIV character with my guildmates," but she's become a whole lot more.