#also i know some gen z are adults because my little brother is gen z

[djpachipikachu]

omgomg i’m so interesting in you usagi/tmnt iteration!!!

okok first what’s like.. the starting point/inciting incident of the story if there is one?

second what are the characters personalities/inerests like?

HAIIII excitedly kicking my legs

the start of the main plot is when usagi goes back in time and is forced into the tmnt’s era of time ,,, he accidentally comes across an ancient relic in the woods with spot (these woods are made of massive ancient trees with equally expansive entangled roots , like if the ocean itself had been a forest instead of filled with water it is kinda horrifying) and it takes him and spot back to the tmnt era , before the relic itself was even created

i do plan on making a comic for this so it wont start out immediately like that but itll have some like . oneshots/episodic comics of usagi’s adventures before that happens, similar to usagi yojimbo’s way of storytelling

PERSONALITIES!!!! WEEHEEE!!!!!

usagi:

most similar to usagi yojimbo, a mature but still like . silly kinda guy ! in the usagi era he takes joy in chatting with people he meets on his travels, incredibly polite, loves to tell stories of myths and gods to children

although most of his days are spent alone with spot , his steed (spot is like horse sized)

he tends not to attach to people or things very much because he knows how easy it is to lose everything, so as much as he enjoys talking to people, he keeps his distance.

he doesnt dedicate himself to being a hero or anything … he will help if he feels people need the help but all hes really trying to do is survive on his own

hes basically like a formless side character . forced bystander in this story

its for the character development i promise

leo:

cold

hes the leader/general of an army, a bit harsh in his personality, doesnt want to be approachable or get close with anyone

hes stern and quiet and kind of a workaholic, his brothers think he needs a life outside of being a leader and Only a leader

tired ! so very tired !

a lot of shit that he internalizes

however a very strong leader and strategist, he is well trusted by those who follow him and they know that his main priority is to get everyone out Alive, more than fight for their cause

he protects fiercely , just insanely bad at showing it . the worst at social things out of all his brothers easily

forced to be an adult at a young age so he never rly got the chance to form a personality outside of his responsibilities

she likes reading in her lonesome though

raph:

PASSIONATE ! ABOUT MANY THINGS !

theyre the sibling that goes out the most and interacts with people on personal levels the most out of everyone ! they have a good rep in the general yokai public !

they do have problems with anger but a lot of the time they channel it into training newbie recruits , the main motivational speaker , they know how to encourage and pump ppl up

a bit recklessly bouncy in how they fight, imagine rottmnt mikey’s energy with mutant mayhem raph’s enjoyment of fighting

the most down to earth out of all their siblings . arguably the most mentally stable out of necessity

they love feeding pigeons and they teach lion dancing to a children’s dance group in the city !

donnie:

obnoxiously gen z . good god . insanely chronically online . most similar to mutant mayhem donnie

he doesnt go out like whatsoever Partially bc he has chronic fatigue syndrome and its easier for him to just stay home, partially bc his brothers are over protective of him and dont want him fighting in the war

so he helps from afar, piloting drones, targeting firearms into battle, building gear for everyone

he likes engaging in arguments online . most exciting thing to him . little fuckass teenager this guy

kendra is his worst online enemy and rival but also like . his only friend . rly sad . joking is his coping mechanism

he loves researching and learning things, it takes up most of his time when he finds a topic to extensivelt research and take notes on

his main interests are the usual coding, engineering, etc As well as the inner workings of mystic power

mikey:

most sociable next to raph !! a very altruistic spirit

he’s most similar to idw mikey i think , most upbeat and relaxed kinda nature !

However . he’s not at all as emotionally aware as any other iteration mikey

he’s very strong in his opinions, stubborn about being right, can very easily fall into a black and white point of view about things, its hard to get thru to him

he loves to dance the most, its how he uses his mystic power

whew okay yeah they might not be the Most accurate bc im still ironing out the main traits but here they areee

[jalshristovski]

what's your opinion about the Nordics?

Omg a real life ask!!! In real life!!!

I would like to preface by saying the Nordics are some of my favourite characters in the whole series, I love them dearly

But let’s start with my favourite two characters in the entire show

~~~~

Sweden:

He is my favourite and my all time comfort character. He’s so dad-coded, and I love him for it. I love how awkward he is, and the gentle giant vibes fit him so well

Also the fact he is our canon gay rep, it fits him so well but mayhaps Himaruya looked at some Finnish memes about Sweden lol

I love how soft he is, and how he’s such a real character. For someone who doesn’t show up as much as some other characters do, he has so much depth to his personality. He’s deeply caring about his neighbours, especially Finland and Iceland, but he’s also considerate of everyone else (even if he’s not entirely sure HOW to do it). His communication issues sometimes hold him back from working at his full potential but I think that makes him more human. Even with those issues he still has close friends and companions, which I think he more than deserves

As scary as he is, he is so kind and considerate of everyone, even if it doesn’t come across as such, and I think he is just so wonderful for that. Ok, maybe not to Denmark but I think that is justified

He is in no way perfect, but he does his best for everyone and is constantly willing to inconvenience himself for others (especially Finland)

Iceland:

Also my favourite character and comfort character, I always interpret him a little more chaos gen z than is maybe canon but I still think it fits with his actual personality

As emo as he is, you can tell he really cares what other people think of him and I think his need to feel like an equal tracks pretty well with how teens are. Especially I think the inferiority complex fits not only with his physical age but his actual age too, because he ISN’T a young country. He’s older than much of modern Europe, but with how disconnected, physically younger, and perhaps more culturally/political irrelevant he is, he feels like he maybe will never be seen as an equal unless he argues for it

Tying him back to Sweden as well though, I like the bond they share with Sweden treating him as an equal but also trying to teach him it’s ok to not be so serious all the time (like with the ‘what’s wrong with big brother?’ bit) (also ironic coming from Sve who is perceived as super super serious. Though we know he’s just a silly goofy guy)

I also like seeing his soft side, like when he told Romano “deep down you don’t mind it so much” in regards to being teased by others, showing maybe it does bother him a bit to be teased but he knows it’s just good fun, not serious

I think Iceland really just gets teased too much by the other Nordics (mostly Norway tbh). Enough that it’s bothersome and maybe it’s starting to not FEEL like a joke, but he knows it is. Deep inside he knows they see him as an equal, and I think that really gives him personality when it shows in moments like with Romano, but also like the Nordic meeting where they joked about the drinking age

I think he’s a good interpretation of a teen/young adult just doing his best, but also someone who is very accomplished but doesn’t get much credit for what he’s done

Denmark:

Another very deep character, I think a lot deeper than most people give him credit for

He’s of course somewhat of a comic relief, the sunshine character, golden retriever-type character but he also has his moments where he shines and truly shows his character. He jokes a lot but he’s a very worried older brother of the Nordics who seems to almost worry over them like a parent would. But also I think he doesn’t realise how much the other Nordics appreciate him

Like the scene he found out Norway was living in deep poverty without complaint because he saw how hard Denmark was working, and Denmark started sobbing because of how much it meant to him, presumably the emotions behind getting noticed for what he does

Also having been to Denmark I think he’s pretty in-character. Danes are super super friendly and I think a lot more open than they give themselves credit for. Genuinely the nicest people I have ever met, probably. So I see where he gets it. Denmark and the Danish people aren’t perfect but they’re certainly welcoming, hardworking, and overall very friendly, which definitely reflects in him

Norway:

I think the levels of ‘I’m so done’ this man radiates all the time is very great and tbh maybe a reflection of how Norwegians feel about the other Nordic countries (more specifically the other Scandinavian countries)

Though on the same note, he’s definitely a lot nicer than he too is given credit for. When it really counts he speaks his mind, and I think he is very considerate of the other Nordic countries regardless of maybe some grievances

I the a lot of the time he just follows along with what the other Nordics do without much input (aside from a few maybe mean jokes) which maybe is a reflection of him basically getting pushed around between Sweden and Denmark for a very long time. I think he’s not much afraid to share his opinion or make comments but habitually he follows the others anyway

Regardless though I like how sometimes goofy he is. His mean sense of humour I think is relatable to a lot of people, including myself. It really does give the dynamic with Iceland of older/younger sibling, with bully older sibling and perpetually annoyed younger sibling. I think their personalities mesh perfectly into those roles

Finland:

As a Sweden stan I absolutely love Finland too. I love how he interacts differently yet so same to everyone, yet he is always kind. Even if he’s feeling awkward or annoyed he never gives the impression of being mean or rude. I think he fits so well in a group of characters who genuinely might usually just bully the fuck out of each other

I love that he isn’t super out of place regardless of his differences especially with his language, and while he might make some comments about it, ultimately he is one of the Nordic 5. It’s never the Nordics and Finland, they are the Nordic 5

Also it’s a little goofy but good goofy that he’s this sweet guy, he’s an angel, always sunshine and flowers in regards to his energy but when he gets to choose names and designs it’s always so dark and dreadful as an homage to perpetual Finnish misery with aura and demeanour (and being the largest producers of heavy metal in the world). He found a way to combine them being the happiest country in the world, but also (affectionately) hardasses

I also like how he interacts with the non-Nordics, and how they interact with him. Like him and Germany being on friendly terms, even if it’s not a whole lot of interaction, it’s enough you can see he’s friendly with everyone (except Russia), not just his neighbours. Conversation about Germany’s lunch, friendly (or maybe not so friendly) banter about America with England and France (although they kinda clowned him, he was very nice to them). Justice for Finland and the butter churn ✊😔

I think it’s also a great that he’s not afraid to be a little silly goofy, he’s kinda like a Gen X midwestern mom in that aspect and genuinely I am obsessed

EXTRAS!!!!

Sealand:

I LOVE!! THIS BOY!!

It is genuinely so random that he is atp one of the Nordics, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It makes my soul happy to know that while most people find Sweden scary, Sealand just sees him as his goofy pappa that he is NOT afraid of 🫵

I think his relationship with the other Nordics isn’t touched on as much as it is with Sweden and Finland (mostly Sweden) but I still think it’s sweet he’s shown as part of the family regardless. Also knowing Sweden made the little curl when he was cosplaying as Canada is so silly, Sweden going along with his child’s shenanigans is what I thrive on

I love how friendly and open Sealand is, but how like a light switch he can go to calling someone a jerk and bragging about himself. Even to people who are mean to him though, he is kind. Yet sometimes to people who aren’t England he just flips the brat switch and I think that’s so good for a kid his age

I think the thing most compelling about his character is that he IS a kid. He acts like a child. People sometimes have said he’s annoying but he’s ??? 12??? We were all weird as 12 year olds. If he was totally mature it would be strange

Ladonia:

Random fun fact, I have Ladonian citizenship lol. It has no legal binding but I technically qualify as a citizen of the internet country and have been since 2020 🤌 anyway

Onto his character. I think he’s a very interesting take on Ladonia as a place. I don’t know what personality I’d give to Ladonia personally but I think the choice for him was super creative and silly, and I love him

As far as I remember he doesn’t have a canon age but I’m pretty sure he is younger than Sealand, so he’s still very much a young child and acts as such. A kid who loves Pokémon and practices how he introduces himself to people, still believes in Santa, and also reminiscent of a kid who tries (and fails) to grow up too fast

I think in the recent chapters he’s been shown to be a lot more mature and kind (ofc he was a little mean previously) to the others which could either just be a change in personality, or just character development from him. And I like it, because if it is character development for him, I think it just goes to show that he’s grown fond of the other micronations over time

One last thing I will mention is the scripts. I think it’s so silly, and I love how obvious the scripts are yet Ladonia doesn’t seem to notice or mind them because Sweden pays attention to him and those scripts usually give power to Ladonia, like genuinely just the monotone screams and the ‘I lost my meatballs’ line showing Ladonia may have bested him (when we know he genuinely would not have) but Sweden still tries to give him that power in a silly way

~~~~

Anyway that’s all I have, thank you for listening and if you read this far, THANK YOU!!! I apologise for the length, I really love the Nordics so much, they’re my favourite characters and I am so fond of them and their characters

I’ve given them much fanon personality as well but I tried to keep this mostly relevant to canon so anyway, thank you 💪

[kaizokuseb]

okay, i admit it. i’m too old for new internet slang. but i have a burning question: why don’t tone tags go at the beginning of the sentence?

example:

“i am so mad. i hate you /j”

vs

“j/ i am so mad. i hate you.”

i don’t really use tone tags anyway (except for /j (joke) or sometimes /s (sarcasm)), but if we’re concerned about people misunderstanding tone, it feels like it would be most appropriate to use the tag first followed by the statement, right? or am i just too old for this?

side note: i really like /s and /j. i have always hated using sarcasm in text because i struggle so much with understanding when other people are using it. it’s cool that the kids came up with a way to make it clearer. none of this is a complaint about kids or their slang, and i will bite anyone who does whine about that. gen z are my children. i love you.

[hollywoodbabylondean]

@spnwomenweek DAY 5 - NEW SCHOOL

The sign that heralded "Singer Auto and Body" has been knocked down for a while. So have the remains of the old house that burned down something like ten or so years ago. Jody said the owner had no next of kin, he was an old friend of hers named Bobby. Claire thought it's funny, when she first moved here a lifetime ago, barely an adult, she was called "Bobby 2.0". Maybe it was the same guy. She wondered what he must've been like, living among all these cars and... A massive cache of weapons in a cellar that hadn't been destroyed. With a devil's trap and walls of iron coated in salt. A hunter.

Gran didn't have much of an estate, and with Amelia being missing for ten or so years without financial activity, Dad being missing, because Cas finally made his own fake ID instead of using Jimmy's, and whatever odd jobs Claire and Kaia worked between hunts (and a small loan from Jody)... She'd managed to scrounge up enough to get a house built.

It was Kaia's idea, really. For obvious reasons, she never had the stomach for hunting. She had to do enough to survive while she was gone. She deserved her own place. The Mills' place. Novaks? Winchesters? Hanscums? They were still workshopping their last name. Yes, they've been married for almost five years. Whatever. If you're a hunter, what's on paper is a lie. That's something she'd come to know for a long time. Reality is what's in the dark, what's on the centuries old rare books or weird chat rooms with no credibility, and most importantly, what's in your heart.

Claire Novak is 28 and she has a wife and a house. An accomplishment, for a gen z kid. They have a table full of phones, neatly labeled, FBI, CIA, USFWS, BLM, Texas Rangers, and, when she's feeling fancy and has to work up north, RCMP.

Kaia's the one who answers them. Not just for her, but in the manner of both sets of Claire's adoptive parents, they ran into some hunters along the way, too. A lot are older than her, but Claire's been hunting since she was 18 and running from demons since she was 12. There's a grudging respect for seniority among hunters. Especially when you're the ones with a laminator in the office where the blade of one of the most elite of Heaven's warriors hangs over their head. Along with a smug reminder that she was 18 when she earned it.

There's a kid a couple years younger than her. Ben Braeden. Total rookie, but good heart. Stupidest aliases ever, though. And, of course, she hears from the old crew every so often.

Claire and Kaia are still close with Jody and Donna. Of course they are. Claire even attempts to make dinner for them once in a while. Kaia is definitely the cook in the relationship after she confused the cayenne pepper for the paprika, though. And, well, they're old enough that the mantle of "protector of Sioux Falls" has definitely been passed to the Mills-Hanscum-Winchester-Novaks. Cas and Dean have also decided that since Jack is ten now (God, Claire's getting old), he's allowed to just run around the house when they need a weekend off and Sam and Eileen are off traveling to Europe to find more lore or whatever." Kaia once again asks if they can go to Europe. Claire once again asks if she's okay spending weeks at sea with her because there's no way in hell she's flying. And there's that look between Dean and Cas. Ugh, she really is turning into her parents. Jesse and Cesar are retired. In Mexico. Plus, she only really knows them via the even smaller network in the hunter network of young gay hunters. So, it's really a shock when they show up at their door with presents.

"Uh, I think you're a few months early for Christmas," Kaia laughs as she brings them inside.

"It's five years, isn't it?" Jesse asks his husband.

"Yeah, Claire. Your blog post says it's five years."

Claire raises an eyebrow. "Okay, now you have me curious. I haven't touched that thing in months."

Kaia swears under her breath and laughs. "Ugh, trust the guy with the obsession with cicada monsters to remember dates." Kaia leans up a little and pecks Claire's lips. "Since I got out."

"Oh." Claire and Kaia both try to forget about it, about losing two years of their relationship to Kaia's other self and her spear.

"Plus, we have about eight years of presents from nice old ladies in town to regift."

"Ugh, I hate you," Claire says lightly. "My baby brother is God, you know. He can and will turn you into chickens."

[allisonreader]

I’m in a rambling type of mood. So we’ll see if anything below will actually make sense or not in the end.

This is one of those things that I’ve thought about a lot and every so often something makes me think about it again. Mainly right now about how common knowledge is kind of a misnomer saying. There’s no real thing as common knowledge, at least not in the way we necessarily always think of it. True common knowledge would be things like the sky is blue, rain comes from clouds, grass is green and such. But other things that we THINK should be common knowledge, often aren’t. A song that you think that everyone should surely know, is likely not to be known by everyone. Those types of things depend very much on how you grow up and what kind of culture you grow up in and what time you grow up in. Like my brothers don’t know some of the kid’s shows that I grew up watching, just because they’re just that much younger than me. Though I know many of the shows they watched. Same goes for music. There’s just some stuff they don’t know in relation to me. There’s honestly songs they have no clue about/don’t recognize, but I love. So I just always think it’s so funny when someone thinks something is common knowledge and it might be for their group, but isn’t for the world at large.

I also think that it’s funny that my brothers and I are actually in different generation groups, though our age gap is less than 10 years. And I’m in that weird millennial end period where I’m technically a millennial, but just right close to the cut off of a millennial. Just right at that cusp where as my brothers are a couple years into gen z. But my age gap between my brothers and I is definitely a noticeable enough one. I had a distinct before brothers era and the continual after brothers era. I did act as a bit of a built in babysitter because there is enough of an age difference for that. I held what height I had over them as long as possible, because now they both tower over me. I had read or heard somewhere that if you are an only child for the first five years of your life before you have a sibling, that you actually tend to keep a bit of only child syndrome/tendencies with you. Which I definitely get. I still love the one moment that I had with my baby brother (baby brother=youngest brother, little brother=middle child of us three siblings). It was in the last five or so years and I don’t remember exactly what we were doing or talking about, other than being up at the lake, but whatever it was my brother ended up asking me how I had known whatever it was and I told him something like, "you may be taller than me, but I’m still 7 years older than you and have that much more experience than you. That is something that will never change. Even though you know different things than me." Or at least something along that line.

On a similar type of note, I’ve often been considered mature for my age. Considering that for the first 5 years of my life I was surrounded by more adults than kids. All my cousins were in that 7-10 years older than me range and I never spent much time with them, though they would play with me. Then my brothers a a bit younger than me (5 and 7 years and closer to 5 and a half and 7and a half), which puts you into a responsible role at a young age. Plus I’ve always been a bit introverted and independent. So my one coworker a few years ago, thought I was 25 when I was 20. But I had also heard a few times that I was mature for my age. It goes the other way too though. I haven’t noticed it lately, but at that similar time, clothing shopping with my mom the one time I was asked if I was under 18, which meant one of the taxes for clothes would be taken off, but I wasn’t. Though I did notice it the one time when my parents and I went to a casino for a concert (I was already 21, the legal age here is 19) the guards were looking at me like I was way too young to be there. If I wasn’t there with my parents, I would have been carded.

Going from there, I’ve definitely been discriminated at work because of my age and how young I look. Not so much for age anymore, as I’ve been in my job long enough and for the most part have enough knowledge for what people are looking for. But still on occasion because I am a girl and not A TECHNICIAN. As a fairly recent example there was a man who came in with a machine and I TOLD him, what was going to have to be done and the labour required was going to be the cost of a full service, but for the life of me, he would not listen, so the tech had to phone him when he had the machine on the desk and tell him that the cost was going to have to be exactly what I told him in the first place. So it’s not like I don’t know what I’m talking about, but some people need a man or the official tech to tell them.

Other interesting work stories include the lady who tried to scam us into getting a more expensive machine because we "gave her the wrong one." We did not. I brought the machine in for service, I gave her the same machine back when it was done the service. The next day the machine she brought back to us with the claim that I gave her the wrong machine, was NOT the machine I gave her, nor had it been to see our techs before or at least recently. It was a much cheaper and lighter machine than the one I gave her. AND she wasted an hour and FOURTY-FIVE minutes making my boss phone people to see if they got the wrong machine. All while acting flaming mad. (Which I don’t do good with, so I hid while my boss and coworker dealt with her, while thinking that this had to be a scam, trying to get a new machine for nothing.) She wouldn’t even leave that machine, claiming she was keeping it for collateral. So after she finally left, the three of us, all decided that yes, she was trying to scam us and that no, we weren’t going to try and contact her again. She never contacted us afterwards, so it probably was just a scam, but it really got my goat and I could go into much deeper details than I did.

Now onto a really funny work story, instead of stressful, frustrating ones that still get me riled. This one still makes me laugh, though with it having been quite a few years ago I no longer remember it as well as I did. For context, I live in Canada, over 5 hours from the U.S.A. border, in Saskatchewan (Last Saskatchewan Pirate, anyone?), which is one of the only two landlocked provinces, closer west than to the east, just keep that in mind, it’s important. It starts off with me answering a phone call with a little old lady (you could tell by her voice) asking where we were located. Normal enough question, we get it all the time. So I started off with my normal little shpeal. "We’re just off so and so, by such and such land mark…" it was clear she hadn’t a clue where that was. I think she might’ve asked where that was, so I answered with my city, and there was this silence of her not clueing in to where we were yet, so cautiously I said Saskatchewan. It still wasn’t clicking, so I think I tacked on Canada there but maybe not quite yet. Anyway, she asked if that was upstate. "No, we’re in Canada." "Are you sure you’re in Canada." "Yes, I’m sure I’m in Canada." Desperately trying to hold in my laughter and urge to say that I’m pretty sure that I know where I live and work. I barely got off the phone with her and starting to explain and laugh about the other side of the conversation, when she phoned back. Having to cut the spreading laughter, and getting asked again if we were in Canada and if there wasn’t an American location. Which we don’t have. Before finally getting off the phone and laughing our guts out over this unexpected call from where I can only assume was New York. Have I told this story to absolutely everyone that I can, yes, because it’s funny.

[uncloseted]

I'm 99% sure I don't want to have kids, the role of mother doesn't appeal to me and I think my mental illness/childhood trauma wouldn't be good for raising a kid, but anyway I'm really nervous I'll regret it. like people tell me Ill have no one to care for me when I'm old or it's hard to make friends when everyone else has kids and you don't. So I'm like should I have kids just because I might regret it or it might make life harder? But then again kids are so expensive and it's a little human, how am I supposed to deal with that you know?? I can barely raise myself lol.

I think having kids is something people should enthusiastically opt into instead of defaulting to. There are enough children out there who grow up without feeling wanted or loved or cared for, who have parents that aren't ready or aren't willing to be parents, or who grow up without a family at all. I personally think that people should only have kids if they know they really want them and know that they can afford them, take care of them, and provide them with the emotional support they need. This is especially true right now, when raising a child is very expensive but wages are stagnated, when there's no parental leave or legally mandated time off work (in the US, at least), and when we're facing a global climate catastrophe.

I also don't think having children has to be as black and white of a situation as we sometimes make it out to be. Maybe you don't have biological children, but you tutor or teach, or you're a healthcare professional who works in pediatrics. Maybe you're a mentor to children, or you're a CASA advocate, or you're a Big Brother/Big Sister, or you run a Girl Scout troop. Maybe you babysit/nanny/provide child care for someone in your life who wouldn't have access to it otherwise, or are a godparent to a child. Maybe you decide that having kids isn't for you, but later in life you change your mind and foster or adopt. Maybe you decide that having kids isn't for you, but you freeze your eggs in case you do want to carry a pregnancy later on. Not having biological children of your own doesn't mean that you can't be an important part of a child's life, or that you can't have the experience of parenting.

In terms of more practical things, like it being hard to make friends or not having someone to take care of you when you're old, I think it is true that the world (and Western cultures in particular) is designed with parenthood in mind. However, I do think that's changing. To take the two examples you brought up:

While it is true that historically, it has been difficult for people (and women in particular) to make friends when they don't have children, that's changing. Millennials (and likely also Gen Z) are having fewer children than their predecessors. Some studies have found that over half of Millennials do not intend to have children at all. To me, that suggests it will become easier to make friends even if you don't have children, since so many other people will be in the same boat.

Sort of similarly, due to the fact that most developed countries have an ageing population, it's likely that we'll see more resources invested in caregiving for the elderly, particularly resources that allow people to "age in place" instead of moving into a care home or moving in with their children. We're seeing that even now- although we have this idea that children take care of their ageing parents, that's not really the case. As of 2016, only 3.4 million adults over the age of 65 live in the homes of their children (about 7%), and that number is expected to continue declining.

If you're not sure where you stand on having kids of your own, perhaps try taking care of a kid and see how it goes. For example, I worked in a pre-school for a while, and it helped me to solidify that even though I really like children, having children of my own probably isn't for me. Getting some exposure to what it's like to have a kid, whether through teaching, babysitting, or something else entirely, can help you figure out where you stand.

[neapolitanadonna]

Omg can we have the high school headcanons with the Nordics please!!! I loved your original post!!!1

Of course!!! 

Also, sorry for the general inactivity this week. I’ve been super busy with graduation things, college things, work, and everything else in between. I’ve also been having a total existential crisis cause I’m gonna be an adult and leaving to go to college soon like WHAT

Writing this gave me a crush on all of them though I wish I went to this school :/ also I use a lot of American terminologies for things which is MY BAD and I’m not trying to erase their cultures! Let’s all just assume a world wide made up fictional academy would have traditions and terminologies from all over the world, in this case varsity sports and prom-

Anyway! Here’s the original post!  

Mathias Kohler 

Everyone knows Mathias. Everyone loves Mathias. Mathias is the varsity volleyball captain, but doesn’t use his status as a way to look higher than everyone else. He’s the kid who dances with everyone at prom, high fives kids in the hall, stands up for kids who are being bullied, makes eye contact with teachers to let them know somebody’s paying attention, says thank you to the lunch ladies, makes sure everyone feels included, and sometimes refers to teachers by their first name just for the laughs. If you haven’t had a crush on Mathias Kohler at some point in your high school career, you would be lying. He isn’t particularly all that bright, he relies on Lukas and Berwald to get his grades up A LOT (and may or may not cheat on an algebra test here or there) but his character gets him far in school. He’s a complete goofball, but in a sweet and harmless way. However, teachers are warned ahead of time if him, Gilbert, and Alfred are put in the same class. 

Lukas Bondevik

Lukas is the guy who everyone knows for one thing, but other than that, he stays on the down low. He’s the kid in your AP Chemistry class who is silent the entire year, but on the last day of school, he says something in response to Mathias being stupid, and the whole class goes wild because a) he talked, and b) he’s funny. He’s also known for being the schools witchy kid, which gains him some popularity with tiktok cottagecore lesbians, kids who watched American Horror story one too many times, and teenage girls who follow their horoscopes way too closely. In between classes or in study halls, he’ll do tarot readings for other students, which freaks out the teachers sometimes, but its all in good fun. He’s had several instances where a jock has outwardly criticized him for it, then asked him for a reading, and he would purposefully pull ten of swords or five of pentacles, just to freak them out. He’s terrible, he knows.

Emil Steilsson

For his first two years of high school, Emil is known for being Lukas’ brother, and it pisses him off. Teachers will accidentally call him “Lukas” instead of Emil, and teachers will tell him stories of how great of a student Lukas was, and how intelligent and motivated he was in school. It drives Emil half near insane. Emil is the kid you’ll find sitting in the corner of a band practice room (he’s first trumpet in his schools band, and it’s his biggest flex.) He’s snarky, funny, and a little bit disliked by teachers just because he will never kiss anyone's ass as long as he’s alive. He runs a big Instagram meme page that only a couple people know about, he doesn’t live for the clout. You can win his heart by buying him an iced coffee before first period, and hitting on him instead of his very popular hype beast best friend Leon (he gets flustered by compliments but seriously loves them.) 

Berwald Oxenstierna

Unproblematic king. Everybody likes Berwald because he’s proven himself to be unproblematic, and a total sweetheart. He’s the kid who takes all the technology/home improvement/workshop electives, so most of his day is spent in that particular section of the school. However, since he’s fast to finish projects, if you ask him if he’ll make you something, he always will. He’s known for 3D printing or carving small figurines of Hello Kitty, dogs, frogs, hearts, or other cute things for girls who ask him to. Him making little things for people when they ask has become a school wide wholesome meme. Though he doesn’t really talk all that much, he’s the best seatmate to have in class. He’ll share his answers if you’re confused, and is a really good listener when you talk to him. 

(I know he’s supposed to be scary in the show okay shut up he isn’t scary he’s a big softie and gen z understands that.) 

Tino Väinämöinen 

Tino has played high school like a video game. He is a school renowned teachers pet and a straight A student, and he does it with no shame. He’s never a jerk about it, oh no, he could never, he’s just very, very, very sweet to everyone he’s ever met. He does theater and can be very passionate about it, but hates theater kids more than anyone else. He’s the kid who will gain a cult of underclassmen who were shunned by other upperclassmen, and spill all the tea to them. All around though, he’s a very wholesome person. Everyone in the cast knows that he has a not so subliminal crush on Berwald the set designer, and they aren’t so hush hush about it. Berwald made him a small Moomintroll figure once and Tino half near went into cardiac arrest backstage. His friends will never let him live it down. 

[fizzingwizard]

Yay it’s my favorite time of the week! Digimon Adventure:! Can’t believe we’re already at episode 16! This week somewhat recapped the mission we’ve been on for... 14 episdoes now x’D and I realized I forgot all kinds of shit. It’s so funny, when I was ten and watching Digimon Adventure I could remember everything, but now that I’m sadly an adult I can’t keep track of these high paced children’s shows!

(Supposedly they spoon feed kids stories so they can understand it more easily... but I gotta say I think I’m the one that needs the help, bahahaha)

ALSO... apparently there was an earthquake this morning! It was too north of me so I didn’t feel it (I was... also sleeping >-> so...) But it was right when the show started airing so the info came scrolling across the screen. At first it said

“Just in case, be careful of tsunami”

and like just three min or so later

“There is no need to worry about a tsunami due to this earthquake”

Phew! Also, Digimon causes earthquakes! Hide yo wife hide yo kids! Is that meme still current?? Does it matter???? I’m a millennial, boomers hate me, gen Z hates me, at least let me have my memes! XD

OK enough goofing off, on to what really matters, freaking Digimon man! This episode gave me tons of Taichi spam. Mmm my favorite kind of spam! But it also gave me avocado cheeseburger spam too!

So although I completely forgot about it, I was pretty excited for this ep when they allegedly return to the real world! Last week’s preview made it pretty obvious it was going to be either a fake reality or the evil Digimon had taken over the real world much more deeply than we realized. Fake reality made the most sense. But they tried to trip us up anyway! The opening shots are clear references to the famous episode 21 of 99 Adventure, although given that was the best animated episode of the entire show, this one just doesn’t do it justice.

He’s not sweating, the sun isn’t as intense... it just makes Fizz nostalgic

Finding them suddenly home, the kids are all pretty bewildered at first. Predictably, Mimi is the first to recover. What motivates her?

AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER! AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER!

From Burger Jack’s bahahahaha

Mimi starts excitedly listing all the things she wants to do now that they’re home. Aside from eat delicious burgers, she wants to take a shower, change clothes...

I’m like “Oh, so these kids HAVE been feeling the effects of how much traveling they’ve been doing!”

Seriously though why didn’t anyone comment on it before now?? In 99 Adventure most of the kids couldn’t shut up about the lack of basic necessities and creature comforts. It was really easy to feel how much they were struggling! Everyone in this series is so darn serious all the time. Sora even brought that big bag of emergency supplies but we only rarely see it get used.

Taichi and Koushirou are a little more wary, though they come across as mainly confused.

Mimi wants to go eat burgers right off, but Taichi convinces her they should go home first. “Oh yeah, I have parents” - Mimi, probably.

They get on a train. The Digimon are very cute. They finally notice that no one’s paying attention to them. It took 0.3 seconds for Tokyoites in ep 21 of 99 Adventure to start freaking out over Koromon, so this was a big clue if you somehow missed that there’s something not right.

On the other hand, for a world that is presumably an illusion created by some Digimon, it sure is, er...

... accurate in surprising ways, bahahaha

(no seriously did we NEED bikini girls?? did we NEED them? I know it’s everywhere on every train for all kinds of proucts but did we NEED them here)

(the TEEN 17 in particular is killing me)

Some gratuitous Taichi spam

Mimi lives in the affluent Shibuya area now so the kids split up to continue on home. I love Taichi called her ‘ojousama.’

Taichi wonders if Yamato and the others got home okay too. Koushirou wonders if whatever was causing the blackout has really been defeated. (Mimi’s theory is “Sora-san and the others must have done something about it!” Which I just liked because by naming her she identifies Sora as the one she feels closest to awww)

They won’t say it, but the truth is these two are kinda disappointed... lol

However they won’t be disappointed for long... because this midnight train really isn’t going anywhere. *wink* see what i did there

Mimi’s walk home has also turned into a labyrinth. Which is totally normal for Toyko subways really. Mimi gets so tired from walking that she starts hallucinating that Palmon’s head is in fact an avocado.

Girl you got a problem but no judging. I got the same problem.

AVOCADO BURGER!! Think of it in your heart and it will appear!

Now that’s not creepy at all.

Several episodes ago we learned that Mimi has never seen The Mummy. Apparently she’s never seen any horror movies at all, because she still approaches the counter to order her freaking burger even after seeing the cashier’s shadowy clearly evil visage.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR LITTLE GIRL

On finally realizing that this train can’t go anywhere but Shibuya, Taichi and Koushirou get off and reunite with Mimi, who has learned nothing and continues talking to people. The only possible result of this is...

... creepy eyes appearing and trying to EAT her

Mimi: “Taichi-san!!”

she could ask her partner for protection but Taichi’s around and he’s everyone’s big brother so

The cause of all this mischief turns out to be this creepy dude! He’s kind of cute!

Also rather larger and more solid than I anticipated!

Of course this nightmare won’t end so easily.

You know you’re in for it when the walls are covered in glowing red eyes. That uh, shoot laser beams at you.

Cyclops: Not lasers! Concussive optic rays!

It turns out there wasn’t just one creepy dude, there were many. I’ve found my Halloween costume!

Our heroes finally figure out that this world is not their real world when they come across these tetris people.

For someone who’s never watched a single scary movie, Mimi does an impressive white-girl-in-a-horror-flick face.

I know she’s not white I’m saying she’s good at impressions she should become a comedienne

Now that we know the blackout in Japan is still ongoing and causing all sorts of issues, we get our usual peek into what’s going on for the people of Tokyo. We get to see Hikari! She’s cool as a cucumber. Her mom’s freaking out and packing a suitcase. Her mom says “Hikari go get ready!” Hikari just says “Oh I’m ready anytime!”

Hikari: I’m not worried about anything, big brother’s taking care of it!

Awww we get to see Miko! And that looks like a cat carrier <3 Mom’s not leaving their furry friend behind in the dark while they evacuate to grandpa’s place in Ibaraki...

... She is apparently cool with leaving behind her only son though! X’D

The letter reads “Taichi, we’re going to Grandpa’s place in Ibaraki. Call me when you get home.” The arrow says “Address.”

Ibaraki is a bit over an hour from Tokyo (I used to live there!) so not too far and very easy to get to by train. Still... there’s a huge power outage, I can only assume Mom’s reason here really is evacuation and not just “seems like a great time to go on a visit!” but she doesn’t know where one of her kids is and she’s just like “eh no worries he’ll figure out his way home!” Does she KNOW her son is 11? Japanese kids use trains very independently but again, POWER OUTAGE. ONE HOUR+ AWAY.

I’m remembering episode 1 when Taichi was acting like such a Dad and his mom was totally on board. Apparently that is going to be a Thing in their family. Taichi is the kid in Home Alone. Scratch that, he’s like the pets in Homeward Bound X’D

Mimi is understandably disappointed that she doesn’t get to shower... I mean see her parents... I mean, eat a freaking avocado cheeseburger

But Palmon knows how to make her feel better. “We’ll come back here someday and eat avocado cheeseburgers together.”

Mimi: “Heck YEAH I’m psyched!! AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER!”

this show understands the only true way to a woman’s heart is through food.

Our heroes are surrounded by Homunculus from FMA.

They merge together forming the aptly named EYESMON!!! lmao

Look at freaking long Greymon’s cyborg arm is. Whut.

AtlurKabuterimon gets hit by a train buhaahaha. Somehow this was way funnier to me than Lilymon getting hit by a plane or buildings falling on MetalGreymon.

The kids are outnumbered when look who appears!

The three of them sitting on Zudomon is the cutest thing ever also I JUST NOTICED ZUDOMON’S DOLPHIN PATCH WHAT THE HECK HAS THAT ALWAYS BEEN THERE!??!?!?!!?

So this was the reunion ep after all! I’m a little disappointed just because I wanted something more dramatic.

What Fizz, illusion magic and homunculi plus exploding Shibuya isn’t dramatic enough for you?

I mean EMOTIONALLY dramatic. Like, someone should hug.

Oh well. This is the face Taichi makes when he sees Yamato. D’aww. I guess i’ll be satisfied with this.

Yamato gets them started on a plan and they all fight as a group!! But Koushirou’s realized that this Digimon, whatever it is, is what’s causing the blackout. They can’t properly defeat it...

... and it’s already the night of the third day. Soon their 72 hour window will be up. Then Ariel will turn back into a Mermaid and the Sea Witch wins :’<

We end with an ominous digivolution! Next week....

Orochimon!!! I love multi headed monsters.

More Taiyama action!!! Lookin a bit beat up but still cool!

OK so in sum this episode was pretty fun. I still feel like the writers for this season just don’t dig in deep enough to really make things come alive. They’re so concerned with battles that they miss moments for fun character interactions etc. And in the end, the whole of this episode can be recapped simply as “They discover the world they’re in is an illusion and they fight the bad guy.” However, we got a lot of fun with Mimi in particular, and though we didn’t get the kind of Taishiro teamwork my heart yearns for, at least we saw them sticking together and hashing things out.

I really do hope this show dials up the character relationships a bit soon though. We keep getting tidbits so it’s not like they don’t have things planned. It’s just a matter of execution. Anyway I’m happy to have the whole group (well as many as we’ve got so far) together again!

[nickgerlich]

Clothes Calls

I remember when I was growing up. I was fortunate to always have new clothes for each school year. They may not have been fancy, but they kept me covered. And given that I, like every other child, was going through growth spurts and so forth, it meant that in a year or so, I had outgrown those threads--that’s what we called them in the 60s--which meant that my younger brother became the recipient of a new wardrobe.

Little did we know it back then, but were were participating in a rather rudimentary version of thrifting, even if it was inter-family. I have no idea what happened to those clothes after my brother outgrew them, because they were no longer my concern. I suspect, though, that they went to the landfill with holes in the knees and elbows, and if they had any life remaining, they were donated to a charity.

Today, though, thrifting has become a major enterprise, primarily because of the cost of clothes in general, and the preoccupation with fast fashion. For those who buy new, stores like F21 and H&M have become Meccas of whatever is cool. While the prices appear to be cheap, the quality is often low, and given our whims and fashion sensibilities, the price-per-wearing can actually be quite high.

The result is young people, namely Gen-Z and Millennials, which thus includes everyone under 41, are flocking to Goodwill  and other thrift stores in search of bargains. Franchise chains like Plato’s Closet each have unique inventories based on who brings in clothes to unload, and it is always open season to see what you can find. Even older folks--ahem--can shop at places like Clothes Mentor, which primarily targets people like my wife.

And then there is Depop, the online reseller that Etsy just bought for $1.63 billion. If you needed proof that thrifting is a big deal, this is it. Analysts project this market to hit $64 billion in 2024.

The bulk of Depop’s customers is under 26 years of age, which is nearly exclusively the domain of Gen-Z (those born 1997 or after), and it is a demographic that has no problem with the idea of reselling or buying previously-used clothes. It has more than 26 million users in 147 countries. Whereas I grew up with a no-way-in-hell are we buying used clothes, it’s perfectly OK today.

Etsy, that bastion of craft items, limits how and where clothing is resold on its site, but with Depop, they have jumped into the deep end of the pool. Given the new consciousness of younger generations, it is the environmentally friendly way to do things.

Remember the mantra: Recycle. Reuse. Repurpose. Resell. Or something like that. And I like it, even if it is an idea new to me.

Just one look at my closet and you will quickly surmise that I should be doing this. I’ll go one step farther and say that pretty much every adult American should be doing this. How many of you have garments in your closet still bearing the manufacturer’s tags? How many of you have items you have worn not more than once? And how many of you have complete wardrobes for “different size you” depending on whether you’ve been pounding too many beers?

Time for me to step in front of the mirror. Be right back.

By now you might be thinking, why don’t you just post this stuff on eBay? After all, a lot of people have been doing that for years. Just ask my wife. She’s the Queen of eBay. But eBay isn’t as cool as Depop. It’s the Trendyville of used clothing, where streetwear and vintage share equal billing and the founders turned a garage sale into a social network.

Naturally, if a bunch of old people like me started using it, the coolness factor would go way down. Can you imagine someone posting button-down Oxford dress shirts and neck ties? Ummm...not so much. Then again, maybe there’s a market for a boomer Depop.

While we ponder those prospects, consider also the fact that when Simon Beckerman started Depop a decade ago, he probably didn’t have an exit strategy in mind. Even if he did, it would be hard to imagine a better ending, because now he can buy that island we all dream about retiring on.

Maybe he’d like to buy some of my “different size me” beachwear.

Dr “Time To Sell Some Clothes“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

[local-femme-gentleman]

10 things I’ve watched in the quarantine (so far)

1. Dazed and Confused 1993 ‧ Comedy/Indie film ‧ 1h 43m

So, I kicked off the apocalypse lockdown with Dazed and Confused - and yes, even though the movie made me realise I was going to have to survive literal months without my usual amount of marijuana consumption, it also filed me with that warped sense of nostalgia and longing for a bygone era that Dazed and Confused always leaves me with - especially a deep yearning for seventies music because the soundtrack of this movie may be one of its best aspects. It is equal parts kinda stupid, ridiculously fun, and wholly introspective, and at the end of the day I love this movie for helping me see what my boomer parents - and their whole generation - were like as teenagers more than anything else.

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 ‧ Sci-fi/Adventure ‧ 2h 44m

2001: A Space Odyssey has since its release become an absolute classic, and I for one adore it to absolute death. This was one of the first ‘adult’ movies I watched, I was 11 years old at the time - and although I didn’t understand it then, and frankly got a little bored, revisiting it now (after having rewatched it many many many times, and as a slightly older, well, kid) I’ve come to absolutely love it. I personally was looking for some slightly longer movies for the lockdown - considering I have more than enough time, and if you are too then this one may be just what you’re looking for - even if you’ve seen it already. There’s always more to discover in a movie like this one.

3. Okja 2017 ‧ Adventure/Drama ‧ 2 hours

Of all the movies on this list this may be the one I recommend the least. Not because it’s a bad movie, because it honestly and truly isn’t ( Bong Joon Ho still definitely came through for this one), however, this movie is, in my opinion, far too heartbreaking for this exact moment in time. If it was any other period in history I would be overwhelmingly promoting this movie, because I honestly and truly loved it - but it made me want to give up meat in a period of time where I simply do not have the resources for that to be an option. So if you’re down with your day just getting a little bit sadder, albeit in a not entirely bad way, I’d say watch Okja - if not, then I’d say, just for now, maybe stay away.

4. Spirited Away 2001 ‧ Animation/Fantasy ‧ 2h 5m

Okay, I love this movie, my parents love this movie, your parents love this movie, your sister loves this movie, your best friend loves this movie, you’re-cousin’s-nephew’s-dog’s-best-friend’s-owner loves this movie - and, if you don’t love this movie, well, each to their own but you’re kind of a monster. Spirited Away is one of those universally agreed upon masterpieces, everything about this movie just makes you feel good, from the colours, to the world, to the characters, to the animation. Spirited Away wraps you up in a blanket of all things warm and comforting in this world - if you’re looking to just feel better, which given current situations you probably are, this is the one for you.

5. Before Sunrise 1995 ‧ Romance/Drama ‧ 1h 45m

I’ve always loved this trilogy, yes, it may be one of the most teenage girl things to ever exist, the ultimate teenage girl fantasy, but what’s wrong with that? Before Sunrise, at every watch and rewatch, makes me want to meet a stranger on a train and just wander somewhere in europe for a single night. I’m fairly sure this will never happen, but this is the perfect time for daydreaming and so I will. Honestly, this movie truly is good, the amount of angles explored in Jesse and Celine’s still forming relationship over a single night is fascinating and it’s a very pretty film. If you’re just looking for something light and easy to watch - that gets you just the right amount of emotional, this is the one for you.

6. The Royal Tenenbaums 2001 ‧ Drama/Comedy-drama ‧ 1h 50m

Oh so you thought I’d go one recommendations video without mentioning Wes? Ha. Okay look, The Royal Tenenbaums is probably my fifth favorite Wes movie, but considering I love basically every Wes Anderson movie that isn’t not saying much. The Tenenbaum siblings stand as some of my favorite Wes Anderson characters and I love Angelica Houston no matter who she plays. The Royal Tenenbaums is just a good Wes Anderson film, and you get exactly what you’d want and expect from it - whip pans, impeccable wardrobes, symmetrical shots, a Wilson Brother, a sugary colour pallette, the futura font, and rich white people, well, being rich white people

7. American Vandal 2017 ‧ Satire ‧ 2 seasons

Ok I’ll say it, this is the perfect quarantine show. It’s completely stupid in the smartest way possible, absurdly funny, and overall one of the best shows netflix has ever produced. If you’re looking for a laugh, and I know I was when I clicked on this, then this is the one for you. American Vandal is satire at its peak - and I can officially say that both seasons hold up at a third rewatch, because yes, I’ve watched this entire show three times over. If you like true-crime series, or The Office and Parks and Rec (and yes I see the disparity in genre) then you will absolutely adore American vandal - and the fact that this show didn’t get a third season is a whole tragedy. Shame on you Netflix, shame on you.

8. Marriage Story 2019 ‧ Comedy-drama/Drama ‧ 2h 17m

Again, considering current times Marriage Story may have not been the best choice, but hey, I love this movie, and as sad as it makes me, it also makes me incredibly happy in a bittersweet sort of way. The good thing about marriage story is that it’s one of those films you truly get lost in, when I watched it just a few days ago, I truly and honestly, for just those few moments, forgot about everything going on right now, and - i say this at a risk of sounding selfish, I know - it felt good. Marriage Story is by far one of my favorite movies of last year, the writing is gorgeous, the editing is genius, and although the movie isn’t intrinsically happy in nature, it may just be what you need right now.

9. Every John Mulaney Special New in Town ‧ The Comeback Kid ‧ Kid Gorgeous ‧ etc.

So I, in true Gen-Z fashion, have watched every John Mulaney Comedy Special  many many times. I love these specials, they truly mean quite a bit to me. I like playing these in the back while I do other things like cleaning my room or cooking. I think I watched him so much  that his voice has become almost comforting - I may have formed a bit of an attachment. Chances are you’ve probably seen at least one John Mulaney Special, if you’ve only seen one watch the rest! And if you’ve seen the all then rewatch like I did! For me, this is the perfect time to just watch some good standup, so even if it isn’t John, just watch a comedian who makes you happy - trust me, it’ll help.

10. Tangled 2010 ‧ Animation/Musical ‧ 1h 40m

Ok so honestly my friends put this on together on Netflix Party to watch that first song and get some self-quarantine ideas - but then we just watched the whole movie so, yeah. I do love Tangled though, it was one of my favourite Disney movies as a kid, granted I’ve always been more of a Pixar girl (speaking of which this is the best time to binge on Pixar movies!!!!). Honestly, this is just a solid disney movie, it’s cute, it’s adorably animated, I properly adore Pascal and Maximus because no matter how old I get I will always adore a fun animal sidekick. Honestly, now is just a good time to watch a good disney movie, I had fun with this movie okay, no lie it was great.

[trisanachandlers]

I read Wild Magic really fast and here are all my thoughts on THAT:

the only thing this book is missing for which there is NO excuse is Raoul. 5/5 stars. needs more Raoul. that is my entire review

I had forgotten how deeply I love these books and these characters, including and perhaps especially Numair? and by “these books”, to be clear, I mean Wild Magic, Wolf Speaker, and Emperor Mage, you know, the Immortals trilogy

Ok that’s my whole review I’m actually done now

just kidding

Honestly make Daine like 5 years older so she’s 17-18 at the beginning and 20-21 at the end and like... it’s fine. I wouldn’t mind. It’s still not great but it’s okay. That’s my take, that in fact if/when Immortals gets adapted I will be fine with Daine/Numair as long as she is a young adult at the beginning when they meet instead of a literal 13-year-old. Just do what g*me of thr*nes did with Daenerys in the beginning! it’s fine!

haha daine and daenerys. dainerys. haha

mother of dragons haha wait a minute -

HOLD ON JUST ONE SECOND HERE

these books predate a s*ng of *ce and f*re I’m just saying

I forgot Onua was like at least in her 40s (based on she’s been working with horses for 28 years) and like she’s a cool early-middle-aged lady with a no-nonsense attitude who wanders the wilderness with her dog? oh boy is 23-year-old lesbian me into THAT, conceptually, in a way kid me was not so much yet

of course everyone is gay but YOU KNOW WHO’S GAY? MIRI. THIS IS MIRI’S INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH:

“She had dark hair cut boyishly short and a pair of dancing green eyes. With a tip-tilted nose, a cleft chin, and a dusting of freckles, she looked like pure mischief.”

GAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know things were not exactly the same in the 1990s as they are now but this is just every single late millennial/gen z queer I have ever met in my entire life

anyway

Just generally it is very cool how many more women are in this book, because as much as I love Jon (usually) and Raoul and George and Myles and Thom and Coram and and and, up until Thayet and Buri showed up in Lioness Rampant there were like... not a lot of women who were around very much in SotL and it’s just very nice that in this book the cast is much closer to even

“Let’s only name our plot-relevant children after our dead relatives whom readers will remember from the last book,” the friends all agreed collectively

Can you imagine Maude’s face when Alanna was presumably like “Maude, I have a favor to ask of you. I’ve just had a son, and I hope you’ll come help me take care of him as you raised my brother and me. I’ve named him after Thom and he has the Gift” Maude: oh gods FUCKING help us all

anyway I love Roald, Kally, and Thom so much and I wish there was more of all of them in the books but especially Kally? like we do get plenty of Roald development in Protector and there’s a little of grownup Thom in Trickster but Kally agrees to not go for her shield and be a princess and a healer instead and then goes to Carthak to marry Kaddar when she grows up and where is that quartet, dammit

Speaking of Thoms, I assume Alanna meeting Arram went something like this:

Arram: hello

Alanna: oh fuck. ok everyone out of the way, let me handle this, I’m the expert on dealing with vain and overconfident magical prodigies around here as I have trained literally since the moment of my birth and you guys sure royally fucked it up when I was gone last time so I’m adopting this overgrown puppy of a mage. he is mine now. I will not be hearing objections good day

Arram: ... okay cool!

I have so many questions about the timeline of Numair’s backstory that make me think I need to reread Tempests & Slaughter before I go any further because if he’s 25 in this book (for some reason I always thought he was 14 years older than Daine, not 12, turns out I was wrong about that) and he’s been in Tortall doing his thing for 5 years that means everything with Ozorne and the multiple years of being homeless and on the run (as well as becoming a Black Robe!) all happened before he was 20, and I do not remember how old he was at the end of Tempests & Slaughter and the wiki is deeply unhelpful on that cause apparently no one has updated it since that book was published???? I guess I could fix that but my first day of my second semester of law school is tomorrow so I’m not going to

I want Cate Blanchett to voice the mom dragon and that is my one (1) strong opinion on tv show casting that I have developed from rereading these books so far

I also think whoever plays Roger should voice the kraken, just to make viewers go “wait... no. wait. what? no. what?”, because it would be fun

Actually the 10-year time skip makes me really question how they’d even include Song of the Lioness in a tv show (since Immortals + Protector pretty much run straight through), except that a) it’s kind of necessary to get that backstory in order for people watching to have the degree of attachment to all the adult characters in this book that readers do, and b) I guess the Numair books should fill in the gap basically right? but also because the Lioness and Protector books are so inconsistently paced (4:4:1:1 years for SotL, 1:3:4:1 years roughly for PotS) I don’t know how they’d pace out seasons and obviously if they tried to adapt it all and keep about 1 season for every 2 years or so they’d end up with like. 20 seasons total which, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

anyway I really really love Numair and I’m very angry about how thoroughly that love is going to get destroyed a few books from now

[thesoundofnat]

Still fixing all the cracks

ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD

Summary: When May reappears after the snap, it’s in front of a moving car. She survives, but needs to stay at the hospital for a while. Where else is Peter supposed to go but to stay with Pepper, Tony and Morgan?

A/N: I turned an angsty prompt from @insane-sociopath slightly less angsty by having May (and Tony!) survive. I hope you like it!

Warnings: Endgame spoilers, nightmares, hints at trauma and PTSD.

Words: 2 100

Tony had known May Parker had vanished after the first snap, and as awful as it sounded he’d been grateful for it. The pain he’d been feeling after Peter had turned to dust, disappeared right in front of him, had almost broken him. He couldn’t imagine how May would’ve felt, losing someone who was her own flesh and blood. If he was to lose Morgan now he was certain he’d go insane.

Not that his love for Peter was any less because of their lack of a blood relation. He would still kill and die for that kid.

Point was, he was grateful May hadn’t had to go through it. It hadn’t been fun.

“Mr Stark?”

Waking up at the hospital, a model of a prosthetic arm on a table across from him courtesy of Bruce, had been jarring. Partly due to the pain and the drugs, but he’d been so sure he was hallucinating Peter being back for the first couple of days that he’d hated his brain for doing that to him.

“How am I alive?” had been his first sentence. The second a demand to see Pepper and Morgan, even though Pepper had been sitting next to him, her trembling hand holding his own. Only something like this could’ve turned Tony Stark into a confused mess, Rhodey had joked, his eyes wet.

“Mr Stark?”

Tony’s body had barely been in any shape to keep his heart going. They all called him a miracle. A once in an existence type of survival.

“I did it for you, you know,” Tony had said to no one in particular, because truly it didn’t matter. It hadn’t mattered and it would never matter.

“I’m so mad at you,” Pepper had said one evening or morning or midafternoon (Tony hadn’t been keeping track). “You could’ve died.”

Tony had smiled, or at least had tried to smile. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“The worst part is that, if you hadn’t done it, you would’ve lived with that regret for the rest of your life.”

“I can’t seem to calm down, can I?”

Pepper had stroked his face. “I’m sure you’ll be calm now.”

“Mr Stark?”

“Hmm?”

Peter - the actual real life alive Peter - must’ve said his name at least three times before he’d realized. Tony focused his gaze on him; took in the tears streaming down his face. “Shit, Pete-”

“It’s nothing bad!” Peter said, sniffling, panicked, voice too loud in the quiet hospital room. “It’s just… well, Aunt May reappeared and-”

Shit, shit, shit.

“An accident and-”

How the hell could life take away the last blood relative that precious kid had?

“She’ll be out in a couple of weeks and-”

“Wait, hold on, back up.”

Apparently May had vanished into dust in the car and reappeared in front of another one, breaking several bones as Earth had welcomed her back. Typical. She’d be fine, but she was going into surgery and wouldn’t be able to leave the hospital for a while.

“I don’t know why I’m such a mess,” Peter said, still his rambly self, after everything.

Tony, only days into his new life post snap, blinked at him. It was, unfortunately, all he managed before the drugs knocked him out again.

When he woke Pepper had made a decision for all of them.

“He’s staying with us until his aunt is back on her feet,” she said. Tony didn’t protest. Why would he?

“I could just crash at Ned’s,” Peter said for the hundredth time, but Pepper shushed him. Tony could tell she’d handle teenage Morgan with no trouble.

By the time Tony got to go home, Peter had been staying there for two weeks already. May’s condition, though not entirely life threatening, had been worse than they’d thought. Peter tried to not let it show how worried he was, for some reason, but it was all but written on his face. Tony, weak and constantly exhausted, felt so helpless he nearly cried.

“I like him,” Morgan said, the two of them alone in Tony’s bedroom, just about avoiding spilling the juice of their melting popsicles onto the bed sheets.

“He’s nice, eh?”

“Very. He makes me laugh.”

“Ah, a comedian. Maybe I just never appreciated his weird gen Z humor.”

Morgan didn’t provide his to her strange remark with any response. Tony had to resist the urge to wrap her in his arms every other minute. As close as they were, he was sure she’d start getting annoyed at him eventually.

He had no idea how much she knew. How close he and the world had been to being entirely ruined. He prayed to god she had no clue, but she was smarter than any kid he’d met (and to be fair, than some adults as well).

If she knew, she hadn’t told him.

“What do you think about him staying with us?” Tony asked her, attempting to sound casual.

“I think it’s fun.”

“But do you miss it just being us?”

“A little,” she said, swallowing the last of her ice cream. “But it’s okay. I like him and he needs us. That’s what mommy said.”

“Mommy’s right, you know.”

“She says he’s like your son.”

Tony doubted Pepper had worded it like that, but he tilted his head anyway. “I care about him.”

“Why did he never come visit before?”

Crap.

“He was away, for a bit.” Tony smiled, ignoring the sudden rush of emotions. “I’m happy you finally got to meet him.”

*

“Mr Stark, you have a daughter.”

“Yes, Pete, we’ve established that.”

Morgan’s feeling toward Peter were nothing compared to Peter’s delight and utter surprise at Tony having put a child into the world (or well - Pepper). Every so often, usually after Tony and Morgan had interacted in any way, Peter would repeat these words. Tony wasn’t sure if he should be offended at the awed tone or not.

“How was it?”

“How was what?”

“When she was being born?”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure you’re asking the wrong parent here.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “I mean, how were you feeling?”

Tony shrugged. “I was a complete mess, to be honest. Crying and laughing and pacing all over the place. When I first got to see her-” He broke off, clearing his throat. “It was the best moment of my life.”

Peter’s smile could light up the whole goddamn world. “I wish I had been there.”

Tony reached for him, pulling him into a half-hug. “Me too, kid. Me too.”

“But I’m here now, and I’m gonna be the best- uh.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What were you about to say?”

Peter had turned red. “I was gonna say big brother, but I felt like- well, I didn’t want to-”

“Of course you’re her big brother, you nerd.”

“Oh.”

Tony snorted. “Well, she did call you my son.”

“Did you correct her?”

“Nah.”

This time Peter’s beaming face was turned downward, bashful.

Tony ruffled his hair. “Come on. Let’s go make the queens of the house some dinner, shall we?”

*

The weeks of Peter’s stay had some dark moments, mostly consisting of Tony’s body not cooperating or Pepper’s heart breaking all over again if she remembered almost losing him or Tony thinking of the moment Peter turned to dust, over and over. It was sleepless nights and trips to the hospital for check ups and visits and all the while Peter feeling guilty for enjoying his stay when his aunt was alone in an empty room.

“You’re there about 90% of your days,” Tony told him. “She doesn’t expect you to do more. In fact, I think she’d kick both your ass and mine if I allowed you to sleep in those torture devices to chairs.”

Tony went to visit her without Peter at times, when he was in school. They didn’t say much because it wasn’t needed.

“I’m sorry you had to spend five years without him,” May said one day, her hand gripping Tony’s perpetually trembling one. The prosthetic one was steady.

“We fixed it,” he said, voice hoarse and slightly too quiet.

“I’m so glad you did.”

“We lost some along the way,” he added, his mind on Natasha, as it often was.

May gave his hand a squeeze. They didn’t speak again for a while.

*

Having a teenage superhero in the house meant helping them with - and forcing them to do -  homework and making them promise to not be out to late and “no, Pete, Spider-Man isn’t needed tonight.” Maybe he was being hypocritical, but at least he could laugh at each look Pepper shot him whenever he reprimanded Peter for things he’d probably done himself.

It also meant running into him when they were both wandering the house in their sleepless states, both confused, both feeling too much with no relief in sight. Tony had been surprised seeing Peter the first night, but, despite his saying he had nothing to make him feel like this really because the snap hadn’t lasted five years for him, Tony couldn’t blame him.

“I’m sure it was traumatic in ways you can’t explain,” Tony said, remembering the hysteria just before he vanished. “And to be fair, the whole goddamn battle was a mess. I’d be worried if you weren’t having trouble sleeping, as much as I wish you didn’t.”

“Does it hurt a lot?” Peter asked then, eyes on Tony’s trembling arm.

“This? Nah. It’s just my body not being as strong anymore. It’s getting better.” Tony hadn’t told any of them of the times he’d entered his lab trying to create something only for him to scream in frustration and not go back in days. His prosthetic arm was working just fine, but the rest of him, parts he’d gotten so used to using whenever he built or tinkered around, were still recovering. That was what Tony said, at least. No one had promised him his old body back. He reckoned he couldn’t really expect them to lie so awfully to him.

“I’ve never been as scared as I was when I saw you sitting there, arm practically crumbling-” Peter cut himself off. “Sorry. Jesus. You probably don’t wanna hear about that.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Talk.”

“I can’t.”

Tony understood.

Some nights, Morgan found them, blinking up at them in the light of the kitchen, confused. “Daddy?”

“Hey, pumpkin, why aren’t you in bed?”

“Why aren’t you?”

And Peter would grin, whenever the tiny little four year old would be smart with her genius father. Tony’s heart was never as full as it was in those moments.

And then, it was over. May, recovered, got to go home and bring Peter with her. They all knew it had been coming.

“You’re sad, aren’t you?” Pepper said the first night without him.

Tony nodded. “A bit. It’s silly.”

“It’s not.”

“Maybe not.”

“You can visit him this time, you know.”

Tony laughed, so loudly he must’ve startled Morgan, wherever she was in the house. “I know.”

“I’m gonna miss having him in the house,” Pepper said. “It wasn’t the same being in the Tower or the Compound. People feel so much closer here.”

“It’s because this is a normal house, which apparently is what normal people live in.”

Pepper laughed. “Domesticity suits you.”

“I try.”

“I know.”

She always did.

“How are you?” Peter asked a couple of weeks later. They hadn’t seen each other since he’d gone back home.

“Me? Doing better. How’s May?”

“She’s doing much better.”

“And how are you?”

Peter didn’t reply immediately, eyes finding the street they were walking next to. “I’m doing all right, mostly.”

“Ah.”

“No new nightmares.”

“But old ones?”

“Always the same ones.”

“I know the feeling.”

If Tony could take all of Peter’s pain and trauma, he would, but he knew that wasn’t possible, so he did the next best thing.

“Let’s grab some ice cream. I think that daughter of mine has made me addicted to that stuff.”

Peter laughed. “I miss her.”

“Well, then I think it’s about time you come visit her, hm?”

“Just say when and I’ll be there.”

“No need. You can show up whenever you want, as long as it isn’t in the middle of the night. Unless it’s an emergency, of course.”

“You say that now, but I bet you’ll raise an eyebrow at me when I walk in on your date with Pepper.”

“As if we won’t have enlisted you to babysit Morgan to begin with.”

“Happy won’t be happy. Hah, that was unintentional.”

“Happy will have to learn to share his duties.”

They were gonna be okay.

[dumbhypmicheadcanons]

the truth of when hypmic takes place: part two

Now that I have argued my point, it is time to actually use this information. Let’s start with birth years for everyone. This is, of course, assuming that the HypMic universe is currently at the date of 7/7/27, because this theory (and everything else tbh) revolves around Dice and Dice’s birthday. So, without further ado…

Jakurai: January 9th, 1992

Doppo: May 15th, 1998

Jyuto: May 30th, 1998

Hifumi: June 22nd,1998

Rio: June 21st, 1999

Samatoki: November 11th, 2001

Ramuda: February 14th, 2003

Gentaro: April 1st, 2003

Dice: July 7th, 2007

Ichiro: July 26th, 2007

Jiro: February 6th, 2010

Saburo: December 16th, 2012

These dates could easily be moved around if you change up which day we’re going by, for example, if we changed it to be December 31st, many of these characters would have been born a year later. These are simply estimates, but they are close enough for them to be useful.

So, with this information, let me tell tell you a thing. Jakurai? A millennial, through and through. He’s also a real 90’s kid. Jyuto, Doppo, Hifumi, and Rio are all fake 90’s kids that no one respects because they can’t remember shit about the 90’s. They, and potentially Samatoki, Ramuda, and Gentaro, all grew up thinking they were millennials but then people started calling them Gen Z and no one is quite sure which they are because they’re in that middle ground. The rest? Gen Z. They’re all constantly joking about how they want to die and playing Fortnite. Also, Saburo was born only days before everyone thought the world was going to end. This means there is a possibility that the bros are orphans because their parents drank like it was the end of the world because they thought it genuinely was and then they died.

I am aware that Japan almost definitely doesn’t have the same generational structure as the west, and I have been told that all of the characters were born in the Heisei era, but I have no clue what that means and I’m pretty sure Japanese people don’t stereotype people based on which emperor was ruling when they were born??? Eh maybe they do. I’m not an expert. However, we’re not here today to learn the good info and make accurate posts, we’re here for me to project myself onto these characters. So now, using these dates, lets analyze the childhoods of everything… through my American eyes.

Jakurai is a 90′s kid, which means he grew up in the prime era of moon shoes, tamagotchi, furbies, and of course, the gameboy. Jakurai played the original Pokemon games because he was Cultured like that.

Doppo, having no friends, absolutely started playing Pokemon when he was old enough to know how to press buttons. He probably really wanted to play Gold and Silver, but they came out before he knew how to read and his parents didn’t want to buy him some random video game. As soon as Ruby and Sapphire were released, however, he cried for days until his parents finally gave up and got him a copy of Sapphire. He played the fucking shit out of it, his first starter was a Mudkip and he adored it. When he and Hifumi met, he was appalled that Hifumi had never played Pokemon before and practically forced Hifumi to get a copy of Ruby so they could trade and battle each other. Doppo was such a hardo, he had a perfectly balanced team that could overcome pretty much any type weakness and he leveled up all of his Pokemon and tried to teach them really good moves. Hifumi literally just caught any cute looking Pokemon and didn’t train them at all. He never beat the Elite Four. His starter was a Torchic but as soon as it evolved into a Combusken he started crying because his adorable fire-chicken turned into a weird fighting penis-chicken but he still loved it and tried his best. Hifumi’s favorite part of the game was contests. They continued playing Pokemon for years and they still play it even in 2027, they will always buy the latest game no matter how old they get. Hifumi still sucks at it but Doppo doesn’t mind. They bought the game for Jakurai and got him to play it and he is so confused because like??? Horde battles? Mega-evolution?? What the fuck is this new shit he hasn’t picked up a game since Platinum??? And yet even without knowing what the fuck he’s doing, Jakurai is still better at the game than both of his other teammates and they don’t understand how he’s managed to perfectly EV train his team when he has never heard of EVs before.

Gentaro and Ramuda were around 7 when Silly Bandz got big. We all know that Ramuda fuckin loved those things. He was the kid who made his parents buy all of the newest designs, he would always make unfair trades with other kids like “I’ll give you my tiger if you give me your penguin, dolphin, and princess.” Ramuda was also the kid who had so, so many of them and he would wear all of them at the same time so he always had to be sent to the nurse for potentially cutting off circulation to his hands because he had Silly Bandz, in rainbow order because he was good at art class, from his wrists up to his shoulders. Ramuda got them banned from his school and every one in a 20-mile radius.

Now, let’s look at how old these characters all are today, this very day, April 22nd, 2019 (in my timezone). This is accounting for birthdays that have already happened, but if you are seeing this post at a much later date it will probably be wrong. It also will need to be adjusted if you don’t believe the Hypmic universe revolves around Dice like I do. However, the ages are close enough for shitposting purposes.

Jakurai: 27

Doppo, Jyuto, Hifumi: 20

Rio: 19

Samatoki: 17

Ramuda, Gentaro: 16

Dice, Ichiro: 11

Jiro: 9

Saburo: 6

What does this mean? Well, it means a lot of things.

Jiro is playing Fortnite at this very moment, yelling Russian slurs at random-ass people. Several other characters could also be playing Fortnite, like Dice, but Jiro is that fuckin kid that keeps beating the shit out of you and spending all of his brother’s money on v-bucks. Saburo is just a little boy, probably dealing with Jiro playing Fortnite at every opportunity. I don’t know what six-year-olds do with their time in this day and age but if I had to guess from the ones who constantly yell at each other in my vicinity, it would probably be roasting each other and playing Fortnite so… I guess Saburo is roasting Jiro over Fortnite?

The 29-year-olds are currently 20 which means they are adults in Japan and can get drunk off their asses legally! It also means they’re probably in college and their bloodstreams have been replaced with vodka and ecstasy. Jyuto does not have ecstasy in his system because he wants people to stop being drug addicts but he does keep going to parties and offering to be a stripper as long as he gets paid.

Samatoki is running a hardcore feminist Tumblr blog right now. Some people think it’s creepy that a 17 year old boy is reblogging posts that say something along the lines of “All men should fucking die they’re all scum” but he’s just being respectful. 

Gentaro? He’s writing fanfiction now. That really nicely written rarepair slowburn with a bunch of poetic smut in the later chapters? Gentaro wrote that. He’s got some drafts for an original story he wants to write but he keeps putting it off and writing fanfiction instead. 

There’s definitely other shit that I’m forgetting but these are my interpretations of Hypmic life that I can remember. Feel free to fight me or add your own interpretations, whichever makes you happier.

[polar-stars]

C, D, G, i, J, M, N, O, P, Q, S, T, U, V, Z for the fandom meme thing please?

Ooh so much ! Thanks for the ask, I hope it won’t be too controversial....ha ha

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice)

Shun /x/ Yuki, for completely biased reasons. Also it’s just not my kind off dynamic you know and I can only see that as platonic. Honestly, to me their relationship is even quite big brother and little sister-esque so pairing them up is just weird to me as well.

Also everything adult/minor. So things like Haya//Jun also are a “nah” from me. In this particular case, Jun is a mother-figure for Akira to me which makes the ship pretty uncomfortable for me honestly.

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t (again: be nice)

Eh....canon So//rina so to speak? Like I don’t hate So//rina on its own, I still love the ship and their dynamic.

But I stand by my opinion that they were handled awfully in canon and that it was completely butchered.

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it

Daisy x Luigi from the Mario series !

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why

Tumblr mainly is responsible for me not bothering to check out things in the first place. But I honestly don’t know anymore which ones that were.

J - Name a fandom you didn’t care/think about until you saw it all over tumblr

MCU kinda. Though I still have to catch up with a huge majority of the movies. Also I actually watched through Steven Universe’s Finale thanks to tumblr.

Tumblr also made me consider Boku no Hero Academia (which I have kind off abandoned though because honestly that’s just the usual for me sadly)

M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship (or its shippers, or anything related to you)

Doromame’s Art for Asahi and Erina is really pretty even if the ship is a huge, huge no for me.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

1. .....A little bit more variety maybe? Like, don’t get me wrong, everyone is allowed to do and ship what they want.....but sometimes it just feels stale seeing the exact same line up of ships everywhere. What also just makes it a bit more troubling for me personally that things that step out of said line up have a much harder time to be accepted honestly. It’s like it’s unwritten law in this fandom to stick to the particular line up in this fandom sometimes it feels.......and sometimes that just frustrates me

2. A bit more appreciation for rarepairs and minor characters maybe, MAYBE

3. Stop bashing on your opposing ships. Stop making a war out of So//rina and Sou//Megu. You’re free to dislike either of them but be a bit more respectful ! (And don’t drag Taku//Megu into it)

O - Choose a song at random, which ship or character does it remind you of

“Upside Down” by Diana Ross

uhhhhhhhhhhhh

I dunno it kind off makes me think of Rindou? But I don’t know why.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

Adding to my trillions of Royalty AU:

AU where Nene is a princess in an arranged marriage and on her way to said arranged marriage but gets kitnapped on the way by the soldiers of a barbaric, power-hungry king on his way to world domination. (Three times you can guess who that is) She absolutely hates it.

(I actually am kinda at writing a Royalty AU thingie for EtsuNe, but the ask was about coming up with something at random and yeah............honestly that one is also just a slight alternation to another Royalty AU I plan writing for them some far day in the future....I have too many Royalty AUs, hi)

Q - A ship you’ve abandoned and why

Kuga //x// Nene Maybe?! Like ahdhdhd I still ship them don’t get me wrong they are adorable but like? I was actually about to include them into my Next Gen Fanfic but just.....kinda heartlessly threw their kids out for two assholes and their screaming little brother? It’s a sort of abandonment I feel.

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

Yuki Yoshino is scared of thunder !

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything)

Takumi and Ikumi can dance-battle anyone to the world, you can’t change my mind.

U - 5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms

(I’ll leave out SNS for that, since I listed my favorite characters there. Honestly SNS is also my only “true” fandom....with the ones I will list now I am pretty much a casual fan)

Star Wars: Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader and Princess Leia (Sorry they only come as double for me)

Mario: Princess Daisy

Love Nikki Dress Up Queen: Bobo

ATLA: Katara

MCU: Steve Rogers/Captain America

V - 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

(I’ll be leaving out SNS again, because I named my two OTPs for that)

Star Wars: HanLeia

Mario: Luaisy

ATLA: Zutara

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go (prompts optional but encouraged)

I really wish for Shokugeki to end open-ended in terms of pairings, honestly. It’s a very unpopular opinion, I know but I feel it’s just the most peaceful solution.

Also most “ships” have barely got much true, canon development so for many it would be a quick Snapshot-Getting-Together anyway and honestly? They deserve better than that.

[geekygirlexperience]

221B Con Panels are up! There’s more to 221B Con than just Sherlock Holmes!

If you want a convention that’s like 80% women, LGBTQA+ people, and just awesome, PLEASE CHECK OUT 221B CON! They just announced this year’s panels!

221B Con isn’t JUST an everything Sherlock Holmes convention. It also features other fandoms, LGBTQA+ panels, and writing workshops. Here’s some of the non-Sherlock panels they announced this year.

I’m applying for the Thrawn panel this year!!!

Thrawn - The Sherlock Holmes of Star Wars (And His Watson’s) - A look at the parallels between Grand Admiral Thrawn and Sherlock Holmes (and his various Watsons like Eli Vanto, Gilad Pellaeon, and Karyn Faro)

Fandom Panels:

-After Canon Ends - What happens to a fandom when there is no new canon? Why do some fandoms survive or even get stronger while others die? Is it the fabric of the original work or the fervor of the fandom that sustains it? Why does Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter fandom thrive when Battlestar Galactica and Babylon dwindle?

-Captain Marvel - Finally a Marvel movie headlined by a woman! Sorry Black Widow. We were rooting for you first.

-D&D Level 0 - A beginner’s guide to Dungeons and Dragons.

-Discrimination Within the Canon - From the KKK in the Five Orange Pips and the little girl in the Yellow Face to Holmes’s own dismissal of women, how do we square our love for Canon with the problematic nature of Victorian ideals? (While this s Sherlock Holmes centric, I’m sure other fandoms will be discussed)

-Doctor Who: A New Chapter - Moffatt is gone and we have a female doctor for the first time ever. How is the show holding up?

-The Good Place - I Kant Stop Watching!: Motherforking shirtballs! We’re renewed for a fourth season! Someone tell Janet to bring me a frozen yoghurt to celebrate!

-Kingdom Hearts - A discussion of Disney’s hit game.

-Legalities and Ethics of Fan Works - As creators become more aware of fan made content, what are the legal rights of the fan?

-The Magicians - A fan discussion of the hit Syfy show.

-McElroy Panel - A panel for all things McElroy-related. My Brother, My Brother and Me, The Adventure Zone, etc. Come in your favourite Taako cosplay, that’s what we really want to see right?

-MCU - A closer look at the Marvel Universe. Is Tony back from space? Is Peter okay?

-Representations of Women in Modern Science Fiction - From Ripley to Okoye, an in depth discussion of how women are viewed differently in science fiction and fantasy.

-Tabletop Gaming and Fandoms - Tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, Vampire, and Starfinder, have been around for decades. And the number of people that play have grown from a few people in a room to full conventions across the globe. Come join us as we discuss our favorite or even some lesser known tabletop games, what we love about them, and the fandoms born from them.

Tarzan in Cinema - Along with Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, Tarzan is one of the most adapted characters in movie history. Let’s discuss the good and the bad that came from these films.

-Yuri!!! On Ice in 2019 - What Will it Mean for the Fandom: With the anticipated new canon for Yuri!!! On Ice what will it mean for the fandom going forward?

 LGBTQA+ Panels:

-50 Shades of A - Asexuality in Fandom and Canon: This panel will discuss representations of asexuality in fandom and canon.

-Bitextuality in Sherlock Holmes - exploring the canon through the images that accompanied them.

-Polyshipping Time - More More More: Is more always better? It is in a polyfic! Come discuss the proliferation of plurality and passion.

-Queer Interpretations of Holmes and Watson - The beauty of Sherlock Holmes is the ability to adapt it to other times and places. The Canon is open to interpretation of many kinds. Come discuss the queering of Holmes and Watson in Canon and beyond.

Fanfiction and Writing Panels:

-ABO (18+) - ABO is one of the most discussed and misunderstood tropes in fan fiction today. Our panelists will discuss the where ABO began, where it is, and where it is going.

-Beyond Wikipedia - A crash course in research methods for the discerning writer.

-Co-Writing - The Ups and the Downs: Join our panelists as they discuss their experiences with co-writing, both positive and negative, and offer tips for making co-writing work.

-Cuddle Fic and Fluff - A look at the softer side of fanfiction.

-Every Disguise Is A Self Portrait: Healing Through Fic - A discussion of reading and writing fic as a method of obtaining support for self-discovery, personal growth and recovery. Helpful tips for writers having difficulty addressing important, yet uncomfortable, issues in their own work (homophobia, abuse, addiction).

-Fanfiction Panel - All ages discussion of fan works.

-Freaks in Love: Thank You, May I Have Another? - A discussion of bdsm, consensual kink, power dynamics, and the challenges of writing a scene. 18 and up (ID Required).

-How to Scrub Your Fanfiction - Are you interested in publishing your fan fiction as an original work? Panelists will give tips on how to rework a story to make it viable for publication.

-Insecurity, Imposter Syndrome and other Creative Pitfalls - Back by popular demand. Being a fanfiction writer or artist is hard. You put your stuff out there and hope for the best. But there's often that feeling of not measuring up, that your stuff isn't good enough, that nobody really cares. It's important to talk about this, because it's normal, and it's okay. Everyone starts from somewhere, and someone does want to read or look at your stuff.

-OCs Encouraged - How To Go From Writing Fanfic to Creating Your Own Novels -Authors give insight into moving into the publishing world.

-PWP Fic - We all know that adult themes abound in fanfiction but why do we interact with this specific type of media differently than things that would traditionally be deemed pornographic. 18 and up (ID Required).

-World Building for Writers - Creating in depth universes to play hosts to your characters. What are some pitfalls we have all faced and how do we get around them?

 Other Fun Panels You Should Check Out!

-221B Baking Street - Join us for a scrumptious panel on how Sherlock has inspired marshmallows, tea blending, and other foods.

-Anachronistic History - Research is always important in period pieces but modern storytelling and sci fi have made it possible to alter the rules of time. A look at out of place technologies in different historical eras.

-Communicating in a Meme Culture - A discussion of how millennial and Gen Z members use a collective and fast changing meme culture to communicate.

-Creativity and Neurodiversity - How does one take care of themselves while also creating, and how can one use the gifts that an unusual mind can give.

-Designing and Building an Original Costume - What do you do when you love Steampunk AND Disney, or Moulin Rouge AND Star Wars, or historical fashion AND superheroes? What if you have a great LARP character who needs a definitive “look?” Maybe you want to cosplay a non-human character, or an object! We've got you covered.

-Drug Use in the Victorian Era - It was a crazy time when opiates were readily available and women used cocaine for headaches. A discussion of drugs during the reign of Victoria. Spoiler alert: A 7% solution would have killed you.

-Edgar Allan Poe - As we observed the 170th anniversary of Poe’s death, let’s look back on his work and his contributions to detective fiction.

-Fandom Un-raveled: We’re Crafty – A look at online communities for Sherlock fans and fiber arts: knitting, crocheting, spinning and weaving.

-How to Make Podfics and Audiobooks - A How To guide for those starting out.

-Tattoos and Sherlock Holmes - A group discussion of Sherlock Holmes related tattoos and what they mean to you. Do you have a fandom tattoo? Come share your story.

-Teaching and Fandom - Many of us in fandom are teachers or Librarians, and no matter what subject we teach, fandom has influenced our teaching practice in many ways. In this panel, a group of educators will share ideas and talk about how participating in fandom has made us better teachers.

 AND there’s of course all of the many Sherlock Holmes panels too! All Sherlock Holmes welcome from the original canon to the Great Mouse Detective, House, Psyche, and all the actors too! Check it out at 221bcon.com

[jcatalinacordova-semi-aband-blog]

which story should I work on?

notes: 

+ So a lot of these are untitled for now, so I just put the name of the shows/movies/comics as the titles. 

+ Most of my characters are female/non-binary teenagers who are typically Hispanic, mixed, or black, but I’m thinking of stories that include other gender identities and other races. I can and will write for men and other races, these are just the ideas I have for now. Also, I mostly write teenage characters for those people who like reading stuff about a parent/child relationship like Tony Stark x Daughter, y’know? Since I am a teenager, I like reading and writing about older characters as father or mother figures, or sibling figures, rather than stories about dating. Personally. 

+ I hope you enjoy the summaries of my stories. I’m not great, but I tried my best.

+ requests for reader inserts are open as well.

Bat-family (Jason Todd x Sister!Original Character)

Summery: Amelia Rodriguez, aka Purple Starling, first met the Bat family when she was a beginner vigilante. She roamed the streets helping other kids in need. She was also a homeless kid, but wanted to help the very little ones. One night she ran into Batman and Robin (Tim Drake at the time). She helped them fight off some attackers and Batman offered to take her in. Later one, she gets into  a fight with Bruce and joins the Red Hood. The rest you will have to read... 

This story will be full of comedy, but also angst. I think you’ll like it.

Marvel (Avengers x Kid!Original Character)

Summery: Camren Rivera was born a mutant. Angel-like wings protruding from her back and extraordinary powers coursing through her veins. As a child she was kidnapped by HYDRA and forced to learn how to fight. She was very involved with the Winter Soldier, making him teach her how to fight (this begins when she turns 10, but she knew of him before then). At age 13, she’s rescued by SHIELD and they help her get back to a semi-normal state before putting her in the care of Iron Man. 

Very focused on the main Avenger storyline as well as the Captain America one. 

Marvel (Avengers/Winter Soldier x Teen!Original Character) 

Summery: Jessica Cordova grew up as a generally happy and bouncy child. She loved animals and playing in the mud. Most of all, she loved playing jokes on the adults. After the death of her parents, she is heartbroken and scared. At the orphanage, she rarely talks or eats and the therapists don't know what to do. At age 13, she starts to look into the death of her parents. She searched and investigated for a full year until at age 14, she went a little too deep and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. HYDRA, the reason for her parents’ death, kidnaps her and tortures her until her already broken spirit is demolished. Her fire for justice is dissipated. Eventually, they notice this and decide they can make her useful. They set up a training schedule with their best soldier. They put her intelligent mind to the test as well, finding her to be very good at puzzles and problem solving. During this time, she notices what they do to the Winter Soldier and slowly, as she gets closer to him, she gets her fiery spirit back. She’s determined to help him get out of this situation as well as herself. Though she doesn’t get the opportunity, because she’s captured by SHIELD and interrogated. She even talks to Steve Rogers about what she saw in there. She’s then put in Avengers/Stark tower as her temporary home. She’s thankful she’s out, but she’s also worried about the Winter Soldier. A couple month later, he comes after her new family and she comes face to face with him again. 

Captain America and Avengers story lines (CA:WS, Avengers: AOU, CA:CW, and Avengers: IW)

Supernatural (Winchesters x Teen!Original Character) 

Summery: Lizette Harrison was raised by a pair of famous hunters, Anarosa and Kordell Harrison. Even with the dangerous life constantly chasing them around, she’s raised to be relatively normal until the age of 12 when they decide to teach her about the life they live. Barely a year later, her parents vanish and she is sent to a nearby orphanage just outside of Lebanon, Kansas. She stays there until a group of 4 vampires attack the orphanage. She manages to escape and runs to a far away motel. With their phone, she dials the number she found in the back of her mother’s journal. The Winchesters come and pick her up, letting her stay at the bunker. Over some time, they all become very close and Lizette is like a little sister to them. Eventually, they also find out what happened to her parents. 

Starts season 11 and continues on. Very involved with Lucifer, Jack, Crowley, etc as well as the Winchesters. I thought a “They find that taking care of a sarcastic, typical Gen Z teenager is an odd experience.” thing would be funny with Dean, Sam, and Castiel. So like, them dealing with a Gen z kid.

Among the Grey [a Star Wars story]

Summery: Anakin Solo, a young girl trapped within the First Order by her older brother and the Knights of Ren, simply can't choose the light or the dark. Living a life of danger was never what she wanted, but it seems like she has to for the greater good of the galaxy. 

Starts pre-tfa and continues on.

The Dark Knight [Joker x Teenage!Original Character]

Summery: Natalie Hernandez is an extremely intelligent and observant 15 year old girl who is dedicated to becoming a detective. She lives in a small, dirty apartment with her deathly ill mother. One day, she runs into a man at a bookstore with Glasgow scars and immediately connects his makeup-less facial features to those of the Joker. She’s curious and introduces herself as if she doesn’t know who he is. She just wanted to know how he talked up close, memorize his mannerisms. She thought it would be the last time she saw him, but unfortunately she sees him several times later until they oddly become close. At the same time, Batman has seemed to take an interest in her skills. 

I really couldn’t figure out how to summarize this story.