#also someone else was like thank you for an amazing term!! it was really nice getting to know u and ur so cool

[caninecowboy]

just got done for the day and i have a raging headache :/

[harrysfolklore]

of the jealous kind - charles leclerc blurb

inspired by this request ! i hope you like it

MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

The Miami heat embraced your skin as you walked holding Charles' hand through the Ferrari garage. It was race day and you were beyond excited to be joining him.

The Miami Grand Prix was known to be a place where all kinds of celebrities wanted to be, from actors to influencers, the paddock and the garages were filled with starlets who wanted to meet the drivers. So you wondered who would you be seeing around the area and possibly fangirling if any of your favorite celebrities happened to attend

"They told me Ed Sheeran is coming," Charles said, as if he read your mind, "I really want to meet him, he's a legend."

"Look at you, fan boy," you teased, pinching his side and letting him wrap his arm around your shoulders, "Are you going to tell him how many times you play his songs around the house?"

"Definetely, I'm also going to ask him to sign my forehead," he said and you threw your head back in laughter, "Are you good? Do you want anything to drink? Or anything I can get you."

You smiled tenderly at him, one of Charles' many love languages was always making sure you felt comfortable and happy, no matter the place or setting.

"I'm all good, baby," you pecked his cheek affectionately, "I can't wait for the race to start, honestly."

"Me too, I have a great feeling about this one," he moved his arm to placed around your waist, squeezing your hip, "I feel like it's going to be special."

Before you could reply, someone from his team called for him.

"I'll be back in a minute, mon coeur," he kissed your lips quickly, "Don't go too far, okay?"

"Don't miss me too much." You winked at him and sent him his way, watching as he walked off with a confident stride.

As you waited for Charles to return, you took in the atmosphere of the garage. Mechanics rushed around, making last-minute adjustments to the cars, while team members and guests mingled, discussing the upcoming race. You spotted a few familiar faces among the crowd, fellow drivers and their partners, all sharing in the pre-race anticipation.

Lost in thought, you almost didn't notice when a voice called out your name. Turning, you could swear your jaw fell to the floor as you realized that it was Zayn, your ex-boyfriend.

You and Zayn dated for almost two years and broke up nearly six years ago, the breakup was healthy and you were in good terms with him after it, but it had been years since you had seen each other, and you had never expected to run into him here, of all places.

"YN, hey," Zayn said, a warm smile on his face as he reached you, "Wow, it's been a while,"

"Yeah, it has," you replied, returning his smile. "What are you doing here? Are you a fan of Formula 1 now?"

"Yeah, I'm really into it," he said, "I was dying to meet the drivers and hang around here, I'm glad I could finally do it."

"That's amazing," you said, genuinely surprised. "I had no idea you were into that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, it's been a huge hobby of mine for a while now," Zayn explained. "But enough about me, how have you been? What have you been up to?"

You filled Zayn in on your life since you last saw each other, telling him about your job, your hobbies, and of course, your relationship with Charles. Zayn listened intently, nodding along and asking questions, clearly interested in hearing about your life.

"I'm really happy for you, YN," Zayn said sincerely. "It sounds like you're in a really good place right now."

"Thank you, Zayn," you replied, smiling sincerely at him, "I'm glad we ran into each other. It's nice to catch up."

Before any of you could say anything else, you felt a presence behind you and a strong arm wrapping protectively around your waist.

You didn't have to turn around and look at his face to know that Charles was jealous.

"Hey, love," he said, his gaze fixed on your face, "All good?"

"Yeah, I was just catching up with Zayn. Zayn, this is Charles,"

"Her boyfriend," he said before you could even speak, and you almost rolled your eyes comically, "It's nice to meet you, mate."

"Nice to meet you too," Zayn said as you shook hands, "YN was just telling me about you, I'm a big fan."

"Likewise," Charles replied, his tone polite and kind but and with a hint of possessiveness "Are you visiting all the Garages?"

"Yeah, that's my goal for the day," Zayn said, "Actually, I should probably get going, It was really nice seeing you, YN. And it was great meeting you, Charles."

"Yeah, it was nice catching up," you replied, offering him a smile.

"Take care, both of you, and goof luck on the race." Zayn said, returning your smile.

As Zayn walked away, you could feel Charles relaxing beside you. He turned to you, his expression softening, and you looked at him with accusing eyes.

"So, care to explain what was that?" you said, raising your eyebrows at him.

"What was what?" Charles looked at you innocently, but you could see his jaw was still tensed

"Don't play dumb, Charles," you chuckled, nudging him with your elbow. "You were totally jealous back there, acting all petty and protective."

"I wasn't jealous," he protested, but his eyes betrayed him, glancing away for a split second before meeting yours again, "I wasn't!"

"Sure, sure," you teased, wrapping your arm around his waist and leaning into him. "It's cute, you know. Seeing you get all protective."

"Okay, you win," he rested his arm on your back, "I just wanted him to know you're with me now."

"Don't worry, I think he got the message," you teased, leaning into his side.

"Good," Charles chuckled, pressing a kiss to your temple "Because I don't like sharing."

"Don't be ridiculous now," you rolled your eyes playfully, "You're like a big, jealous puppy."

"Hey, I can't help it," Charles protested, a grin on his face, "You're stunning and such a catch, anyone would die to be with you," he said, instantly making you blush, "I just love you so much."

"I love you too," you replied, leaning up to kiss him softly, "Now, come on, let's go watch you win this race."

"Sounds like a plan," Charles said, squeezing your waist, "I hope Verstappen doesn't ruin that plan though."

[luveline]

hotch overhears r telling the girls that hotch isn’t interested because he’s not flirting back and is like 😦 i have the biggest crush on u wdym?!?! i think he would be so oblivious hehehe. but only if you are so inclined! love you bunches miss jade 💘💘

Thank you for your request, you have a huge brain <3 fem!reader

Hotch is standing in the kitchen with the curtain pulled shut, reclaiming just the smallest bit of space after a long week of close quarters. You, JJ and Emily sit toward the front, and he’s no idiot — as soon as he’d entered the kitchen your easy conversation had stopped.

Not stopped. Quietened.

You’re speaking in whispers.

He’s perhaps a bad boss for trying to listen. He turns his good ear to the curtain and holds still, fighting to make sense of it over the low thrum of the jet engines.

“It looks like it’s going well!” That’s Emily, whispering but excitable, the loudest out of the three of you.

“Sometimes I think it is…” That’s you. He hears the beginning but not the tail end, your whispers too careful.

“They need more help than they’ll admit to,” JJ says softly.

“That’s the thing– I thought I was helping, you know? I’ve actually been awful.” You laugh and his brows ease up from their natural scowl. It’s a really nice sound. “I don’t know how many casual arm touches I have left in me.”

“He likes you, I know it,” says Emily.

“I really don’t think he’s interested,” you say, and you sound sad. Not in any danger of crying, simply sad. A depressed hush. “I complimented his haircut, a few days ago, and he didn’t even answer. He just smiled. I’m striking out.”

Hotch almost drops his cup of coffee because you’re talking about him. He’d had a feeling, of course, but that’s plain confirmation, unless you’re going around telling all your male friends you like their hair. And said male friends had also been pleased into silence, flustered and smug that you’d even noticed. It’s not like his hair ever gets very long.

He makes a show of opening the curtain and keeping his head down when he returns to his seat. Reid and Morgan both nod at him, a chess game between them that Morgan thinks he’s winning, and Reid knows he’s winning.

If he thought it wouldn’t make you an anxious ball of nerves, he’d stop you on your way past him and ask if he can speak to you at the office. As it stands, any hint that he’s heard your conversation would be a cruelty, so he smiles when you meet his eyes and doesn’t say a word. He loves smiling at you; you’re a frequent receiver and yet every time you get one you act like it’s a gift, your own doubling in size and your eyelashes kissing with the force of it.

Only when the jet’s touched down and you’re all making your way back into the office for paperwork does he hold you back. He actually reaches out for you, fingers over your pulse.

“Can I steal you?” he asks, trying to sound as you sound, sometimes, that lilting sweetness that comes with your flirting. “It won’t take long.”

He doesn’t miss the knowing glances from Emily and JJ. They’re a brilliant confidence booster, actually.

If Hotch weren’t your boss, he’d have asked you out by now. But he is, and so he needs this to be on your terms. That being said, he’s certainly not about to discourage you. The rest of the team keep walking, leaving you and him alone.

“I wanted to commend you for some amazing work this week. It was a long case, and you didn’t falter.”

You glow.

“Oh, thank you.” Brilliance melds to confusion. Hotch isn’t the type to pull someone aside for praise and nothing else. “It was rough but, uh, we’re a good team, aren’t we? We always get it done in the end.”

“We’re a good team,” he repeats. Then, because he has a huge, awful crush on you, and he needs to inspire some more bravery from you, “Sometimes I need more help than I’m willing to admit to.” He claps your upper arm gently. “You don’t let me down.”

He quickly stops touching you, taking a slow step toward the door that you follow automatically. He wants you to have the space to think about what he’s said, worried he’s read the signs wrong, worried he’s come on too strong, but you catch up and tuck your hand into the crook of his arm.

“I like helping,” you say, quiet but undeniably delighted. Your smile is cherubic. “People have said that about me, I’m a helper.”

“Yeah?” he asks with a laugh.

Your cheek touches his shoulder, the heat of it seeping through his suit. “Definitely.”

[puriette]

appreciation for some of my mutuals & non-moots on here!

@chocospresso - i don't interact with you as much as i used to but you are the first person that i followed & we're still moots! i used to follow your mogai account and that's (mostly) what got me into coining <3

@egodoll - your flags & edits have me inspired when i don't feel like doing anything or if i don't have any ideas on what to do! you are soo nice and kind to everyone!

@phantasverie - one of my best friends on here, you've always been so kind to me 🫶 every time i talk to you, i feel so much better than before! thank you for always being someone i can talk to & also, your flags and everything you make always puts a smile on my face. you are so awesome!!!

@phaea - mostly friends on discord but you are so interesting and i love all of your edits & frames & things! i always want to use them even if i have no idea what to make. i'm proud of you tbh for making flags and doing what you want to do! keep being so cool

@daybreakthing / @revenant-coining - i LOVE your terms & seeing them always make me feel better about myself. i use a lot of them and i'm always happy when i get to see something new on my dash!

@smilepilled - i always get so happy when i see your posts & your reblogs!! you are such a nice person here & on discord! your views on thing always make so much sense to me & i love learning about new things from you 🫶🫶

@zombmelukitty - my sibby!! your flags are so nice to look at & i love talking to u on discord even if it's about random things! i love learning more things about u :3

@rwuffles - HI!!! your flags are so awesome & i love every single term you make! you're always positive and make me want to be nicer all the time :3 you've always so creative, i love seeing what you come up with!

@winecovered - omg okay so. i love using your flags & terms whenever i can! the way you use colours is always so amazing! you always come up with things that everyone loves and i have no idea how! you have such a special little brain /pos

@riamuverse - hi kolette. this is a hate post actually (joke). anyways, you are so creative, i love seeing what you make! you always bring something new & you're actually a really kind person and nothing like engagekiss (sorry not sorry)! idk if this is gonna make sense but we use a lot of similar terms & it makes me happy to see that someone else closer to my age using the same stuff!

@lunentity - also one of the people i've followed for a while! your flags never cease to amaze me! the things you come up with aren't close to anyone elses and that makes you so very unique! you are also always so kind and helpful, i'm happy to consider you my friend :3

i will probably reblog this with more people because i always forget some! anyways, love to you all, thank you for being awesome always 🫶🫶🫶 (feel free to send me an ask if you feel like i forgot you :3)

[crumblinggothicarchitecture]

I was so impressed with your toe-to-toe comment on the French philosophy anon. So happy to have found you, omg! I heard Taylor called her ttpd set as the "female rage musical." I take it she knows the impact of the song Labour by Paris Paloma which has been dubbed as the female rage anthem. So naturally, here is the 34 year old culture vulture, can't-have-any-ideas-of-her-own that is Taylor Swift hopping there wanting to get the attention away from it when that song is quite phenomenal. One song compared to her 31 diss tracks that's nothing to me, at least, but the excessive sentimentality of an infantile woman in her 30s. It's gross the confessions she's put on that album. And even her own fans are comparing her to Olivia Rodrigo. That's she's copying everything about her - song, outfits, the "female rage" theme just to mock her. Somehow, Swift thinks it would do her a world of good. People are catching on to her antics which are absolutely disgusting, btw. I'm hoping one day you write about all these completely ridiculous gross things she's done using her own lyrics. You know what I mean? I hope someone write about her nasty lyrics and that it completely destroys her.

Thank you ha, I'm glad you found something meaningful in that post. I will not lie, that Anon actually hurt my feelings for a second (I got over it by writing my response), but I was upset at being so misunderstood. I'm not out here levying unreasonable criticism at Taylor Swift. All will be based on reality, or interpretation of her own lyrics.  I’m defs out to get her though- in the most legitimate way possible- and maybe someday I will publish for real on her. I have a couple of criticisms that I will not be putting on my blog- because I want to say it on a bigger platform. : )  

I do see a lot of harmful things in her music that I have been resisting the urge to write about for YEARS! Even back in 2009, listening to "Love Story" I remember thinking to myself, oh this is nothing like what Shakespeare meant and it's also a weird appeal to the patriarchy through the "I talked to your Dad/ Go Pick out a white dress." It's so clear that she's just reduplicating mainstream attitudes on romantic relationships by using Christian Conservative social standards of needing the father's permission to ask the girl's hand in marriage. She obviously wanted to attract the Christian- Conservative fan- base with that song, and that's exactly what happened. Her marketing is tied to the phrases she places inside her songs in a way that is extremely calculating. She, Afterall, learned from the best at attracting mainstream, Christian, conservative fans, Toby Keith (hate that fascist, white nationalist freak). (WHoops, that was mean- oh well, he’s dead anyway). (and if he wanted me to be nice- he shouldn't have been a fascist).  

It's so obvious, and I really figured everyone else was also aware of the ways in which Swift interpolates patriarchal standards in her music. I have many more examples- I could write a whole essay on it.  

Apparently, everyone thought she was a feminist? Bro, she became a "feminist" if only to evade criticism and capitalize on mainstream pop-feminist trends. She's not a real feminist. Her use of “feminism” to evade critique ties directly into her other marketing strategy of telling the world “I’m so innocent and young” all the time. 

Also, her co-opting of the phrase Female Rage has made me angry, exceptionally angry. I saw that she's trying to trademark the phrase. I am incensed. I will post about it soon. 

I wish Swift would stop co-opting legitimate terms and pulling only the most shallow- self-centered conception of the term out to use in her mediocre music. She’s like if Pinterest was a person- and I’m tired of it.  

Paris Paloma’s “Labour” is amazing, because guess what- it actually speaks about the experience of women under patriarchal standards in a way that respects the seriousness of the topic. I absolutely believe that Swift saw how viral that song went and decided she needed to cash in on that too.  

And she is totally copying Olivia Rodrigo. Can you imagine being 34 and trying to act 20? I would die of embarrassment. But it's so obvious that it's getting weird.

I have much more to say on this topic- sincerely I could write a book on the conceptual point of “Female Rage” in media. I have thousands of examples, and I’ve been studying this stuff for years. I will, however, ramble on no longer. Thank you for your kind words- and I hope you enjoy my upcoming writings.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hey! I really appreciated what you said about minors in “nsfw” ( not the right term but idk how else to word it) spaces. Seeing people constantly throw a curtain over my eyes to try and protect my ‘innocence’ (I guess?) is super frustrating, and makes the guilt and shame I already feel around exploring/expressing my body/sexuality just that much worse. So I truly appreciate you going against that notion!!

Anyway, do you have any advice for someone who’s just started figuring this stuff out? For me, I think a constant thought running through my head is ‘an I doing this right’ specifically in regards to like, romantic/sexual feelings. Are the feelings I’m feeling actually romantic/sexual ones or do I just want to be a person who has romantic/sexual feelings? That kind of stuff

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and thanks so much again for talking about this kinda stuff!! Your blog has been an amazing resource for me

hey anon,

come in, sit down. grab a glass of water. take a deep breath.

I have great news: it is literally impossible to do any of this wrong. it's all feelings; you can't do feelings wrong! nobody gets to decide what's true about you but you, so whatever you decide on is automatically the right answer. and here's the sickest part: there can be a different right answer every month if you want. every week. hell, you can be one thing in the morning and another in the afternoon. new sexual orientation every hour, if you want. and they'll all be right. this applies to everyone, by the way, you're not special.

I mean, you are. but you're not the only person in control of your own fate this way.

I think maybe instead of stressing about the hypothetical macrolevel questions of Who You Are and What Your Deal Is and all that, maybe it's more helpful to look on the microlevel.

is that person attractive to you? in what way? do you want to spend time with them? how? as part of a group or one on one? what activities do you imagine doing with them? is this someone who you want to be emotionally close to? how do you feel if you imagine yourself in the context of a romantic relationship? what does a romantic relationship mean to you, anyway? what might you want out of that, if you want it at all? how do you feel about the idea of having sex with this person? if it's scared and stressed, don't do that! is it excitement, or at least curiosity? okay, maybe we'll check that out! or maybe not. up to you! do you want romance sound nice but not sex, or sex but not romance? awesome, that's also fine.

oh, what's that? another person? okay. now run through all of these questions again.

hang on, what now? your answers to the questions about the first person have changed based on spending more time with them and getting to know them more? incredible! information gained!

sex and romance can mean whatever you want, man (gender neutral). sometimes you just have to follow the vibes.

[sevasey51]

Hello buddy!, I was thinking about something about Chris Evans x daughter reader, also do this if you feel comfortable, but it would also be with Alba Baptista, you are their daughter, and I don't know, how would they both be with you, or if you want Invite your friends to the house, what would they be like?🥺❤️

Thank you anon for this ask I hope you like it, and thank you for all for still interacting with my page even though I’ve not been active a lot. It’s good to be back!

“it was you, your dad and Alba”

Chris Evans x daughter!reader (featuring Alba Baptista)

What would they be like with you, I could imagine this is during your teen years,

They’d both be insanely supportive and proud of you of course, they love you to all end of the earth.

Chris especially because he’s always wanted a daughter because every dad wants to have the status of “girl dad” it’s all he ever dreamed of. So when he finally had you with your mum (his ex wife). You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face or the giddiness that was infectious.

When Chris and Alba got together when you were 13 of course you would shy away at first but you were like that with newer people in your life. Because she was going to be apart of your life, you saw the way your dad looked at her, how he was enchanted, the same look he had when he found out he was a girl dad 13 years ago. You knew he found the one.

Alba was nothing but kind and pleasant with you, she knew it would take time for you to get used to having her around but she’d always do it on your terms, it became a thing every 2 weeks at the weekend you’d go on a girls date and get your nails done. Because it’s an “Abla & y/n thing” or at least that’s what your dad called it.

She never expected to you to call her mum, but really you loved to have a maternal figure in your life, you’d expressed it to your uncle Scott that you loved it and that it was nice to now have someone else you could gossip about your girl problems to, but Scott was still the best at it.

When it came to friends and them coming over they were both more than happy to host them, as Chris knew more than Alba your friends were your rocks and they did help you though the tough time of when you were still really unsure of the relationship your dad had, because you felt it was new and a very sudden change that you didn’t cope too well with. Chloe, Ben and Millie were life lines for you too, and to be fair your whole family loved them too.

Looking back, Chris couldn’t be prouder of you, for accepting alba in to the family and into the little unit you and your dad had become after being alone in each others company for so long. It was just you and your dad. But now it was you, your dad and Alba.

taglist!

@mcuamerica @limxrxncx-blog @angelbaby-fics @angelbabydoll28 @ace-of-gay @chrisevansonly @lu-morningstar @sarahrogersevans @aliciacat20 @buckybarnesandmarvel @cevansgirlf @writersblog20 @youre-amazing-say-it @dumb-fawkin-bitch @imyourbratzdoll @anotherfuckingmarvelfanaccount @mrvlxgrl @stuckysgirl27 @nana1000night @marvelstarker-mha98 @f10werfae @full-timephoebefanatic @hulkstacos @jessybarnes @thatsamericasazz @haleyhunwritingss @haleybr @buckymcbuckbarnes

if you guys would like to be added to my tag list please do comment or just send in an ask:)

Reblogs, feedback and asks are appreciated <3

[cripplecharacters]

Hi! : ) You guys are amazing.

Sorry if this is stupid or offensive but i have a question regarding terminology describing facial diference/ disability

So my first language/ the language i write in is not english so while the terminology post is helpfull since i can translate it/ use it as a genereal guide in what to look out for it does not cover everything. I am sorry if this falls into the category of research question but how do i find good resources for terminology in my own language/ make sure its a good resource with the terms people with facial diferences in my country prefer? Its hard since my country is small and not great when it comes to ableism so there is not many resources availibel in the first place.

The second is a bit more specific. I want to include a character with cleft palate in the wider supporting cast, or at least in the background. So not a mayor/important character I can't spend much time describing them and i dont want to center their description on their facial diference. The term for cleft lip in my language literaly translates as "hare lip" into english whic is...yeah. Its probably not an uniqe case either. There might be some better term for it but i have not been abel to find it and i am not sure there is anything thats not overly medical. If that is the case should i use the medical term instead even if its jarring and include what it describes in a footnote? Does the mod team have sugestions on what else to do in this situation/ similar ones I probably will find myself in? How do i handel ableism thats literaly the integral part of my language. How do i catch terms that have ableist/ bad conotations bejond the basics since it is less called out over here i might not even notice its problematic? I dont want to make the issue any worse, further normalise bad terms by not caring about terms.

I thank you, so much in advance.

Hi! No such thing as a stupid question.

I'll just say that I very much relate to these issues considering my native language calls congenital disabilities “innate flaws” : ) so;

As for first question:

The first step would be to check if there are any organizations/groups that have resources in your language about facial differences, or checking if some international orgs have translations of their pages where they talk about facial differences. Moebius Syndrome Foundation has a page on face equality in 8 languages (+ English).

If there aren't any (high probability that this is the case unfortunately), try to see if there are any advocates for face equality that write in your language and what do they use (and in what contexts!).

If you still have issues, there's always the ultimate beauty of writing - making words up! When there's nothing you can use as a reference, the best way is to just create the word that you need. I'm aware that it could be hard to figure out what's appropriate and not accidentally offensive or insensitive, but your good intentions and putting care into it are already doing a lot of the work for you.

I really like this essay - which is about a very different disability-related topic - that asks a great question in this “how do we make [language thing] good for disabled people?” sphere: what feels beautiful? What term do you feel like sounds nice and not othering or pointlessly medicalized? Because honestly, if I encountered an invented word for facial differences in my native (very non-English) language and the explanation behind it was “I thought it sounded pretty” then I'd take it. Always better than “gross deformity” that many consider neutral without thinking about it at all.

Obviously the easiest way would be to ask someone who speaks your language and has a facial difference, but I'm aware that not everyone has that possibility - still, it could be a good idea to reach out to your local disabled community if you're able to. Or just ask on whatever social media is popular where you live!

You can also send us what is the language that you're having this issue in - despite the blog being very America-centric and English-only, a lot of us speak different languages and might just happen to know the one!

Second question:

First thing I'll address is that cleft palate and cleft lip are two separate things. They are often lumped together because they very often co-exist together, but a person could only have one of them.

Cleft palate hasn't, AFAIK, been referred to as a harelip anywhere, so I'm going to assume the question is about a cleft lip.

There's a few options as to what you can do here, in my opinion;

you describe the cleft lip without using any specific term (“they had an opening/a faded scar on between their upper lip and their nostril”);

the character calls it by the medicalized term* because that's what their doctor has told them, and they could mention how awkward/long/difficult to say/no one knows what it is/etc. the word is;

the character is self-aware and points out that the term “harelip” is weird as hell to say about a person when someone refers to it as such;

or, again, you make a word up. The word “lip” probably has to stay for clarity's sake, but try to replace the animal part with something: cleft, split, parted, fissure, opening, etc.; You can also check how other terms with “cleft” are called in your language: cleft chin, cleft palate, cleft hand/foot, etc.;

or you can make up a word fantasy-writer style and describe a cleft lip but give it a completely new name that fits the setting more - [Name]'s lip, [Some sort of deity]'s blessing, you can kinda do whatever (take a look at the Terms That Suck guide below first though!).

*my go-to way of finding the medical term is going through English Wikipedia (yeah, I know, but it works for this) and switching the language to the one I need. The cleft lip and palate page has 55 languages, so there's a chance it's on there - if it is, you might potentially find a nicer synonym in the “other names”.

Now for my (very personal) guide on catching if a term Kinda Sucks because doctors have some... tendencies in how they name various conditions:

does it use a word that is just a synonym for evil, or otherwise immoral or broken?;

does it have an animal connotation? (hares, wolves, elephants, fish... there's so many...);

does it have a monster/fantasy creature connotation? (i.e., Donohue syndrome being called leprechaunism, Hypertrichosis being called Werewolf disease, etc.);

does it just sound rude? (my native language uses the word “maw” to mean cleft palate, which I find to be fucked up);

is it straight up racist and/or xenophobic? (like most of the historic words for syphilis were just “[nationality] disease”).

There's obviously nuance to everything (“vitiligo” is considered neutral, despite being derived from the word for “blemish” in Latin) but as a vague framework I find these to be useful. Again: what feels good or neutral will probably be the better option over “animal face disease”.

I hope this helps!

mod Sasza

[empressofthewind]

Hey there, Meronia fan! Do you mind if I ask for Meronia fics recs? And, do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamics remind you of Mello/Near?

You can't imagine, how excited I am to find your blog. Let's just say in my older anime/manga group who love Death Note mostly ship Lawlight & Matt/Mello, anti Meronia and are Near haters. So when I said I love Meronia, some blocked me and said I was the weird one. So, I never said it again. But now, after I got out from that group I feel better. Then finding your blog with amazing Mello and Near's metas, I'm so happy! Thanks for your blog...

Thank you very much!!! I'm so happy to hear this :-) in my experience most people on Tumblr are pretty normal about Meronia, and it's SO easy to block/filter users who aren't.

Unfortunately re: ships with similar dynamics, I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I'll put this post in the ship tag; I'm sure someone else will have an answer!! In terms of fic recs, I've actually set up my bookmarks page on AO3 to function like a rec list. I have 36 fics there each with a little blurb and I'm constantly updating it, so hopefully a decent amount that you haven't read! I'll pick 10 of them to link here for easy access (ordered by rating in case you can't/don't want to read the mature ones):

the roof by @lightningblade | 3692 words | Rated T

This is a college AU focused on the development of Mello and Near's relationship through a series of encounters on a rooftop. The writing is GORGEOUS, the progression is masterfully done, and it removes the element of the rivalry without removing the core of what makes Meronia such a great ship! There's also a companion piece up as of yesterday which I'm still recovering from (very very positive).

Dear Mello by @tzviaariella | 4158 words | Rated T

This fic is written during the canon timeline through a series of emails. It's an AU where Mello survives, originally written for the 2023 Meronia Zine but also posted on AO3 (which is what I've linked here). The format is really creative and I'm OBSESSED with the way Mello and Near's dynamic is written. The petty back-and-forth is very entertaining and in-character, and there's a certain familiarity and fondness underlying it that I adore. There are also a few artworks throughout which is a nice treat!!

How to Get Any Guy to Fall in Love with You by Sick_head_Sweet_heart | 7025 words | Rated T

This one has such a late-2000s fandom classic feel to it that I'm surprised it's only a few years old??? It's set at Wammy's House, in which Matt gives Near advice on how to make Mello fall in love with him. The dynamic is insanely cute and I'm obsessed with the way Matt and Near's friendship is characterised here. Them scheming together is something I need more of in fics!!

The Mihael Factor by spiritcrimson | 16 chapters | Rated T

One of the longest completed works I've ever read for Meronia and I have been DYING to find something like this ever since. It's a talent agent x singer AU, and it's literally everything I could have asked for in a longfic. A unique idea, compelling progression and a fun antagonistic dynamic that blossoms into a really sweet romance. It's a slowburn but it doesn't drag on at all, and the ending is SO well worth the wait.

3 + 1 by @squidish | 2423 words | Rated T

x + 1 fics are a favourite trope of mine, as is the general concept of Mello and Near behaving inappropriately in the workplace, and this one combines both of those perfectly. The premise is 3 times Mello and Near got walked in on by one of the SPK members, and 1 time they were caught by the whole group. The writing is SO delightful and there are several lines in this that are permanently lodged in my brain. I find humour in writing immensely difficult to pull off so I'm always in awe of authors who can integrate it naturally, and squidish's writing is a great example of that! (Worth noting that this one is slightly more mature than the other T-rated fics here, so I've put it closer to the M & E section; however the smut scenes are not explicit)

it's friday, i'm in love by @neallo | 2676 words | Rated M

You could read literally anything by neallo and it's guaranteed to be good, but to keep this list short, I've included one angsty fic and one lighthearted fic so you can pick the vibe. This one is more lighthearted, and it depicts a very tender moment in which Mello shows up at Near's door drunk and dances with him in the kitchen. This is a prequel to a bigger AU focusing on a casual relationship between them, but it also holds up as a standalone fic! It's unbearably sweet and there are many lines in there that made me audibly laugh.

Speculation on Demisexual Sex Drive by SayHiDestery | 4069 words | Rated M

The smut scene in this fic is so intimate and perfect, I'm melting just thinking about it. It's an established relationship fic in which Near has PTSD and has certain struggles with intimacy, and Mello guides him through it. It's quite slow-paced and takes its time to linger on the small details, which I absolutely adore, and the writing itself is vivid and beautiful. It also features demisexual Near!!

Winning the Game by clearmain | 4134 words | Rated E

This one is a PWP set mid-canon, immediately after the raid on the SPK. I'm a huge sucker for bold & bratty Near and that's EXACTLY what this fic serves. The way this introduces elements of rivalry and competition into their relationship is excellent and makes this fic feel faithful to their canon dynamic. It's a compelling push-pull with an open but hopeful ending that very succinctly captures the complexities of their relationship.

A Certain Hush by BlueberryAsh | 5434 words | Rated E

One of the first fanfics I read for Meronia and I'm not exaggerating when I say it changed my life. This fic has had SUCH a massive influence on the way I view and write the ship. It's a little glimpse into Mello and Near's relationship immediately after getting together. It's really cute and sweet in a way that feels authentic to the characters, and I'm incredibly impressed by the way it manages to give just enough backstory for their relationship to make sense without getting caught up in the details. Genuinely a masterpiece!

i want to hold you (hostage) by @neallo | 4 chapters | Rated E

The aforementioned angsty neallo fic! This one is an exes AU set during the canon timeline, and it is, as you can imagine, a very fraught dynamic done SO incredibly well. The tension is absolutely delicious and there are earnest moments littered throughout that are guaranteed to have you tearing up. Brilliant setup, brilliant writing, brilliant dynamic; just an absolutely stellar fic on all counts!!

[imtrashraccoon]

Do you know what tatting is? It’s a kind of lacework, but I’m curious how you think the Underfell bro’s would react to an MC with tatting as a hobby

Thanks for sending this ask, it was fun to write out! I actually had to look this up as I hadn't heard the term before. Totally thought it was related to tattoos until you specified lol. Headcanons under the cut as they got a bit lengthy...

Both brothers would likely be a bit confused about the term unless they saw you in the process of actually making the lace. While both would find the process and techniques interesting, they would have slightly different reactions from each other.

Sans:

He would be absolutely amazed that you both have the time and patience to make such a delicate creation. He's certainly not known for his patience, especially when it comes to fiddly things like this with all the tiny loops and chains required to make lace. Also, he has sharp claws and would likely tear the thread or otherwise ruin the lace if he tried himself.

While he isn't interested in taking the time required to even attempt to make something like this, he is impressed that you are. Even though he makes a habit of doing nothing most of the time and often has long periods of his day dedicated to doing nothing, he couldn't see himself putting that time into something like this. He's still a lazy bonehead it seems.

He may not fully understand why you enjoy making lace. It takes hours upon hours to do and when you're actually done, you end up with such a tiny and delicate piece that doesn't really do anything? It does look nice but he wouldn't dare wear any lace out in public - he has a reputation to uphold afterall.

However, he might make an exception if you two are in a relationship and you make something specifically for him. He cares a lot about you, and this hobby of yours is one of the many things he admires about you as it shows how gentle, patient, and basically the complete opposite of everyone else he's ever known is like.

He's both proud and protective of your skills. If someone belittles you or thinks it's a dumb hobby? He will convince them otherwise, which may or may not involve a beat down depending on how mean they were.

Papyrus:

He is fascinated you know how to do this and whenever you're casually doing so, you'll have a captive audience. He wants to know how you do it, even if he isn't sure he'd actually be able to replicate it like you can. He'll try his hardest though, even if it results in the obvious outcome of torn thread from his sharp claws. He'll get it eventually, just bear with him a little, and be patient.

Being a member of the Royal Guard doesn't allow him much free time and when he does, he generally spends it doing chores or running errands. He's motivated enough to slot this hobby of yours into his schedule though and would appreciate it if you helped him make time for it. He prefers spending time together with you, even if he is a workaholic, and this is the perfect reason to do so.

Much like Sans, Papyrus isn't interested in actually wearing the lace pieces but would likely use it for decorations around the house. Unfortunately, he also has a reputation to uphold and wouldn't tell anyone about his new hobby as a result. He would be the type to hype up your skills though if someone is visiting and compliments your lacework. He might even admit that he took up the hobby because of you, but only if they genuinely liked it.

He also might make an exception to wearing lace if it was a gift that you specifically made for him. He cares a lot about your talent and the commitment it requires to make it. He would be very proud to wear your gift if you two were in a relationship, regardless of what other people think.

He's already rather protective of you and your hobby is no exception. However unlike his brother, Papyrus is a bit more calculating if someone were to be mean to you or belittle your hard work. He could resort to physical violence but he'll try other methods first if the situation allows. The bully may not even know he was angry until they get a surprise visit from the Guards at an inopportune time, especially if they were already involved in criminal activity. If you find out about this, Papyrus will likely give you a wink and mention karma came for them, but you know he was purposely involved.

[ink-splotch]

Hi!!! I just wanted to tell you that seeing your new game reminded me that Stay? exists and that it's soooo good. It's been a while since I played it, so I don't remember the details, but I do remember being amazed at how much variation there was, how every detail was perfectly woven into the story, and how human the characters felt despite us not getting that much time to know them. Plus, I personally love war plots, and yours DID NOT disappoint. I also really loved how the different "career paths" impacted your story, and just how many different details and paths you could get depending on what you did at every step of the way. I don't know, I just remember liking it a lot and feeling really accomplished once I managed to beat it.

Also, out of curiosity, who are all the LIs? In my lifetimes, I remained pretty faithful to Myka (love of my life, she was so great!!!), but I imagine Esteban, Jo, Suzette and Gemma to be romanceable. Did I miss someone else?

Another question I have is: how did you get the idea for the game? And by that I mean, what was the inspiration for the plot and all the different characters + why did you even decide to make a CYOA in the first place?

Because, again, it was incredibly good and I'd like to know which stars do I have to thank for it existing.

Anyways, once I'm really excited to play More a Haunting than a History, and I just know it's gonna be as great as Stay? was!

Thank you so much and have a nice day! ~ 🍪

Hello there! Thanks for writing me. There are five major romanceable characters in Stay?: Myka, Esteban, Jo, Gemma, and Suzette. Technically, there are some minor romanceable NPCs (ex. the different folks you can live your life with in the "fuck off into the hills" ending), but those five are the main gist of it. The main five can also also each be platonic life partners for you, rather than traditional romantic partners, if that's more your style.

Myka is my wife's favorite love interest in Stay? by far, so great taste.

Stay? actually has a very clear origin story for me. My friends and I played Outer Wilds, which I highly highly recommend, and I was so delighted by its balance and structure that I wanted to see if I could make something built on the same bones. I drafted up my @sortinghatchats quiz to get used to the ink system, and then dove into Stay?. It was the most fast/obsessed I've ever put a story on paper (so to speak) and I admit I may still be chasing that high.

I built the basic structure first, and then added on the setting, characters, plot macguffins, details, etc. on top, trying to interweave and connect them. I like how it turned out. The plotline with the southern lands, to be vague for spoilers reasons, was actually a very late addition and I think it, in many ways, is what made the game work for me.

I hope you enjoyed MAHTAH! It's a very different game than Stay?, in some ways; and I'm proud of myself in different ways in terms of what I tried to build there.

[magicalara]

A Date to Amaze

"How would Grelle, Sebas, William, and Undie plan a first date with a fem (or gn) reader 🤔" requested by the lovely @cafeguaba-blog

I hope you enjoy and thank you for requesting!!

Includes: Grelle Sutcliff, Sebastian Michaelis, William T Spears, Undertaker x gn reader

TW: none :)

❤ Grelle Sutcliff ❤

- When Grelle goes to plan your first date with her, she’s almost shaking thinking about it. Not necessarily out of nervousness, though the feeling is present, but more out of excitement. She is purely just…excited to be able to go out with you after having had feelings for you for so long.

-  We’ve seen her crush on William, that thing has been around practically since they first met; can you just imagine how long she waits before properly making a move on you?? Sure, there’s the flirting and subtle innuendos (with consent, she does make sure you’re okay with them first) that she makes, but like, that’s because it’s Grelle Sutcliff. If she isn’t flirting in some way or form at least once a day then there is something wrong.

-  But this?? No, this is special, and Grelle will make sure that you feel how much she really does care for you even if it kills her

- She knows that there’s that little niggling feeling of doubt that comes with her having a romantic interest in someone, what with the way she always talks about her dear Bassy and William and all. As such, she wants to be able to solidify that you are the only person in her sights. 

- Grelle has the absolute urge to go all out for your first date, extravagance is her forte, after all. However, she also knows that “above and beyond” isn’t the best approach to this. So instead of the super fancy and expensive dinner and best seats to the latest show at the theater, Grelle plans a nice dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall place she frequents when she’s out reaping.

- She still shows up at your doorstep with the nicest bunch of roses that she can find, and pays for dinner, and even walks you home afterwards, but she tries to keep the extravagance to a minimum. Grelle knows she doesn’t have to be dramatic around you, she can be the calmer, more real version of herself that she usually keeps hidden. 

- Towards the end of the night, as you both walk with your fingers interlocked and hands swaying slightly between you two, she realizes how nice it was to be able to just be…herself. Not the fabulous Grelle Sutcliff, red reaper, but just Grelle (though she most definitely is still fabulous)

- And if you end the date with the offer to cuddle up on the couch with some tea or wine or coffee, well, who is she to say no?

👿 Sebastian Michaelis 👿

-  Is Sebastian capable of love?? Let’s ask that question first. /j

- No, but in all seriousness, if you’ve managed to capture the heart of this demon, props to you because whew boy. Sebastian doesn’t just like someone, he doesn’t harbor little crushes, no. When Sebastian falls for you, he falls for you. You are all that he thinks about whenever he allows his mind to wander and as much as he might will himself to stop at first, he just can’t.

- And so he does the only thing he knows- he asks you out on a date. He thinks that it will be a cure-all to get rid of his feelings, but uh yeah no, that’s not how that works, silly demon. Our Sebas doesn’t know any better, though, and so, in his mind, a perfect date will get you out of his head and won’t cause any long-term issues.

- Let’s be honest here- anything Sebastian does will be perfect because that’s just how he is. But this date?? Oh, honey, he goes above and beyond to make sure everything’s extra perfect. He doesn’t want to get too far away from Ciel so your date will have to be on the grounds of the manor but he makes sure that everything is still as amazing as it would have been if you guys were somewhere else.

- Sebastian plans a nice picnic out in the gardens for the two of you to enjoy around sunset. Living in such a secluded area does have its perks, after all, and the sunsets are most definitely one of those perks. Sebastian knows a perfect section where you can just see the land stretch out as the colors of the sky are painted before your eyes.

- He admires your features as you admire the sky and, as it gets darker and darker, realizes that he really was in love and there was no way he could rid you from his mind or heart; no, you were there to stay. And so, once the sky was dark enough where he knew it was safer to bring you inside, Sebastian grabs your hand and does just that, promising a warm cup of tea and an even better view of the night sky from above.

- Your night ends with you leaned up against his side next to a window as he tells you stories of the stars and all the endless possibilities they hold, the demon next to you completely and utterly enthralled with how such a rough being such as himself could possibly deserve the angel next to him.

�� William T Spears 👓

- William T Spears is a busy man who has no time for such frivolous activities like dating…right? That’s what he, as well as everyone else in the office, thought.

- But then, here you were, a member of the library staff, not only just as enthralled by reaper history as he is, but even more so enthralled by reaper history. Sure, he knew his quick facts here and there, but never did he think he’d be able to find someone who could practically recite every history book cover to cover.

- And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as to why William is absolutely captivated by you; you’re also amazingly sweet and nice to everyone, have really funny jokes, actually do your work, and are just captivatingly beautiful. It also helps that you work in the library bc that’s his favorite place and he has a thing for librarians 

- Anyways, because it’s been so long since Will’s thought of anything romantic, he doesn’t really know how to ask you out. So what does he do? Make what was, in his mind, not a very good decision at first. He went and asked the one guy he knew who knew everything about dating: Ronald Knox.

- Ronald’s shocked at first because William T Spears??? dating??? It’s a miracle y’all. But once the teasing went down, Ronald gets to business asking everything that Will knows so that he can help make sure this date is successful. He’ll even go in and be a wingman to his senior if need be.

- They find out your favorite flowers, drinks, food, activities, any and everything they need to. The best course of action seems to be a new exhibit at a museum that you took an interest in recently but haven’t had much time to visit. So when it comes time to ask you out, William shows up at the end of your shift with a small bouquet of your favorite flowers and a proposition to go to the museum and maybe stop by a cafe afterwards if time permits. He’s all nervous on the inside, but is very good at hiding it.

- Obviously, you accept and the date goes just amazing. Both of you thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit with all it had to offer. William definitely did that thing where he just stands back and watches you as you get all excited with a small smile on his face.

- No kisses happen at the end once he’s brought you back to your apartment (he is a proper gentleman after all), but he does give you a hug goodbye and watches as he makes sure you get inside.

- Ronald hounds him the day after wanting to know how it went and bragging that of course it went well because William had the expert Knox on his side. William gives him overtime for the comment afterwards

💀 Undertaker 💀

- It had been so long since Undertaker had had someone who he thought of in such a way with such a strong prospect of it going well that he almost surprises himself at how happy he is whenever you end up walking into his shop. One thing’s for sure, though: he doesn’t want to mess this up.

- Undertaker knows he isn’t the best partner in the world, he runs an underground necromancy ring for heaven’s sake. But what he is good at is being romantic so his first date with you will be as romantic in his little way that he can make it. 

- He doesn’t really leave the shop very much (definitely not for dates, at least) so for your first date, he plans to take you stargazing on the roof. He bakes his little treats and makes that really good tea that he only saves for special occasions. There’s even an old telescope he drags out of his storage so you can see the sky better. 

- It’s a beautiful night out, but Undertaker definitely says that you’re more beautiful than all the stars in the sky. Wraps his arms around you from behind and sways as you just gaze out at the sky, humming any random tune that comes to his mind.

- Just lots of soft, whispered affection. Undertaker doesn’t really do the whole “date first, relationship later” thing, y’all are already together I probably should have mentioned that first oops. But basically, when he finds someone that won’t leave his mind and they aren’t leaving physically, Undertaker doesn’t waste time. Sure, he has all the time in the world, but he is all too aware of the fact that you don’t. 

- So he’ll spend as much time as he can giving you affection and showing his love for you, this “first date” is no exception to that rule. Undertaker is a romantic, but he also doesn’t do those huge grand gestures to show it; these moments under the stars are all that he needs.

- The date ends with him insisting that you stay over as it’s much too late for you to go home now and “No lady should be out wandering late at night lest they get into some sort of issues, especially when they’re as pretty and precious as you, m’dear.”

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ruggie Bucchi Bloom Birthday Personal Story: Part 3

"Happy Birthday"

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[Savanaclaw Dorm – Birthday Party Venue]

Rook: Ah, how time flies when you're having fun. This is the last question.

Rook: “How do you spend your days off?”

Ruggie: My day off, hm… I mean, I don't really have many restful days, so, I dunno.

Rook: Oh, is that so?

Ruggie: Most days I got Magical Shift practice or matches, so…

Ruggie: ANY TIME I DON'T GOT THAT, I WANNA CRAM AS MANY SMALL JOBS IN MY DAY AS I CAN!!!

Ruggie: I'm pretty busy with my classes, so I can't do any long-term jobs, so for now, I'm basically doing one-off jobs down at the town at the foothills.

Rook: Wow, you do stay busy. But, I'm sure there are times that you are unable to find a job that suits your tastes, no?

Ruggie: Whenever that happens, I usually do odd-jobs for my dormmates, classmates, or clubmates.

Ruggie: They don't really pay good, but… Sometimes they'll treat me to a meal, or give me random stuff I find when I'm cleaning up.

Ruggie: And when I sell those things, I can make a good chunk of change. One man's trash is another man's treasure!

Rook: Très bien! Not only do you have an abundance of work experience, but you also care for the environment. I'm impressed!

Ruggie: Uhhh, I don't think it's anything that great, but… Uh, whatever.

Ruggie: Ah. But the other day, I didn't do any kind of part-time or odd-job, instead I went down to the town with few of my clubmates

Ruggie: After morning practice, we flew down on brooms. Basically, it was supposed to be my pre-birthday celebration.

Rook: To see such friendship forged through the trials of your club activities… Beauté! Such a beautiful relationship.

Ruggie: I mean, it's not like were always hangin' out with each other like best friends or anythin'. But, sure…

Ruggie: I guess I was happy enough that they were doing this as a return gift, or in return for doing their club chores.

Rook: You do look happy. What did they give you?

Ruggie: First, we did lunch. I had them treat me to the most expensive meal on the menu at the hamburger shop.

Ruggie: After that, we just kinda wandered the streets, lookin' at all the special sales they had going on…

Ruggie: And just as we started getting' kinda thirsty, we stopped at this pretty popular café.

Ruggie: It's not a place I tend to even think about going into, 'cause a drink costs close to 1000 madol, but…

Ruggie: If someone's treatin' me, then that a whole different story! Maaan, that sweet café au lait with all that whipped cream on top was sooooo good.

Ruggie: They blended the coffee, milk, syrup, and the ice into one smooth drink…

Ruggie: It was totally perfect for a slightly humid day! I also like that I can drink the whole thing without leaving anythin' behind.

Ruggie: Normal drinks'll leave ice in the end, so it kinda loses its good taste, tho.

Ruggie: But there's no way I'd be drinkin' that special drink if I had to pay for it. I wanna drink it again sometime, on someone else's dime, of course.

Rook: Fufu, it seems that you received a wondrous present.

Ruggie: I got tons, like candy-coated fruit, or bread that was stuffed with pasta and the like…

Ruggie: And a bunch of other stuff, all for free. I even got some snacks to take home, so it was awesome!

Ruggie: I had an amazing day and I didn't even need to spend 1 madol. And today, I'll be able to eat my heart out at the feast later…

Ruggie: Birthdays are the absolute best! Coming here to Night Raven College really confirmed that!

Rook: Reluctantly, I must say… We've made it to the finale. Ruggie-kun, please accept this broom.

Ruggie: Thank you! I don't really know much about flowers if I can't eat 'em, but these look kinda tasty. They got a nice color reminds me of baked pastries.

Ruggie: But man, this looks real fancy. I wonder how much it'd fetch if I sold it… Haha, I'm just kidding!

Rook: I'm relieved to hear you are only joking. This bouquet has a warm and gentle ambiance. Please take good care of this as a memento of today.

Rook: Now, Monsieur Dandelion. TAKE TO THE SKIES ALONGSIDE THIS BROOM OF YOURS!

Ruggie: Yeah, yeah, gotcha. 'Kay, guess I gotta show 'em what I got.

Ruggie: Only a little bit more 'til I get to go to the party I've been waiting for. Gotta fly hard so I'll be ready to eat at the feast!

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[a-linearis]

an appreciation post: jet siquliak

dedicated to: the friend who introduced me to tpp a few months ago

I really, really like Jet Siquliak.

He's probably the first character of anything ever I'd say I "kin" (if i'm understanding the term correctly)

Season 3 of the penumbra podcast was so good in the way that it experimented with the perspectives of the members of the Carte Blanche but Jet's just hit different oml

He is just so wise and intelligent, I find his rare sense of humour (and the way Juno interacts with it) hilarious! Him and M'tendere was just something else, like them two trying to battle with their own sense of guilt and trying to fix their wrongs, like d a m n. When M'tendere dies (spolier!) I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't.

Jet's voice is also just really nice to listen to.

His friendship with Rita is so wholesome, I love how they seem to balance each other out perfectly (Him and Rita watching conspiracy theory documentaries lmao), and his friendship with BUDDY AURINKO has literally become my model for any relationship I'd like to have with anyone, like, ever. Their friendship literally makes my heart ache, it's so well done, they know each other so well and they can always pick each other back up. ("Hi, this is Jet, your friend of 8 years" lol)

Jet as the "Unnatural Disaster" is also something I really like exploring (especially when i'm daydreaming lol). He's suppressing a part of himself, in fear that he's going to get out of control and hurt someone/cause problems, and for some reason, I found myself relating to the feeling of having to stop yourself/suppress parts of yourself that are deemed/you deem unacceptable (idk what this has to say about me oops-)

He's also AROACE like when he mentioned that to M'tendere, I was fully gasped, in public. As an ace + demiromantic person I was like "IS THIS FOR REAL??? FOR REAL???". And it's just so nice seeing an aroace person forming amazing, meaningful relationships that aren't sexual/romantic. Nice :)

we love jet siquiiak, we appreciate jet siquliak

thank you to the penumbra podcast!

[sincerely-sofie]

One thing I will say is that saying you "disagree with the term queer" Is Not A Great Look, but that could easily be a me not getting the wording as intended thing - The above assumes you mean just, queer in general though it feels more like you might've meant in reference to yourself? (Which is entirely fine - I'm of the opinion that any given label should be opt-in to anyone who's genuine about it rather than mandatory.)

Really, the main important thing I appreciate is being able to accept others where they're at. Being able to just say "Yeah, sure, ok" and go along even if I don't personally understand is honestly one of my core beliefs* too, and with minimal disrespect it's nice seeing this from a Christian. The little I actually know suggests something worth looking into, and the notion of an eternal soul is something I find fairly agreeable (if not strictly the outcomes of that.) Then again, I'm someone whose personal experience with religion can be described as a tangled web of jokes that ran too long and accidentally became character traits, so, maybe not the best judge of anything here. Also, wow, this post got away from me quickly. Originally meant to just put in the first paragraph and call it good.

*I draw a hard line the second that personal belief starts meaning harm to others. Believe what you want about yourself, but anyone saying someone else needs to change their ways (bar the very beliefs this targets, primarily meaning bigotry/racists) because of a thing YOU feel a certain way about simply can't be tolerated.

Thanks for the critique! Looking back, I definitely should have written “disagree with the term queer FOR myself” (which was actually the original wording I drafted) rather than “disagree with the term queer myself”. I was trying to cut down on my wordiness as I edited my response, but I ended up just making it a confusing sentence to read. Curse my proofreading anxiety. 

I'll try not to get into it too much here because it'd probably derail this entire response to your ask, but I've got a lot of mixed feelings with most labels, especially ones that were formerly derogatory terms. My church has worked hard to pivot from being called “Mormons” because among other (honestly more important) reasons, the term was basically used as a snide and condescending way to refer to my church, and it quickly became the default phrase for addressing us. The fact that members of my faith were basically referring to themselves with an insult as I grew up in the church never really sat well with me, even if we took pride in it. I'm super impressed by those who can take once-painful words and make them into badges of honor, but for me personally, it's a real emotional minefield. Hence, in part, why I don't agree with using the term queer for myself. It's a matter of preference and personal implications.

Agh, I really rambled on for a while there. I hope that made sense.  

For your second paragraph— it's sad to me that so many people have had such disheartening experiences with Christians. I swear, most of us are loving people. There's just an unfortunate amount of very vocal bible-bashers who forget that God's greatest instructions to us were to love Him and love others. 

If you're interested, there's a lot of resources on my church’s website if you'd like to learn more about what we believe (though there's no pressure from me to read up on it!) I just felt like I should share because we don't believe in a Hell where people burn for all eternity. 

We believe in three different “kingdoms” that everyone will be sorted into, with interaction between them being possible so families and friends can visit each other if they end up divided. The least glorious kingdom (for lack of a better term) is still an absolutely amazing place, full of light and happiness. There is a sort of Hell called Outer Darkness that I guess anyone reading about could see it as a form of eternal punishment, but people choose to go there themselves— it's a form of willing separation from God that happens when people who have an absolutely perfect knowledge of the gospel still choose to go the opposite direction. It's not somewhere you go because you drank coffee or swore in life. That'd be ridiculous.

… I opened my mouth and a missionary came out. Oops. 

Anyhoo, that last paragraph is a big deal, Anon! People need to be able to choose for themselves what they'll do in their lives— any forced change is not change at all, and the second you do harm to another person that isn't in the defense of yourself or others, you're in the wrong. As you can probably tell from my tangent above, I'm an advocate for missionary work, which could be seen as telling people they need to change their ways, but the type of missionary work I stand behind is the kind that invites people to learn more— never forces— and respects when they say no. Always honor agency is my motto. Invite, don't incite. That sort of thing. 

Thanks again for the critique! I appreciate your willingness to send it in and share your thoughts. I'll add a link to this ask in my original post so that if anyone else is confused by my wording, they'll be able to see this and get some better information. 

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Your character studies and the depth you’ve given to Aegon and Aemond are incredible. You’ve taken the breadcrumbs from FaB and combined them so well with the (at times ridiculous) characterisation from HotD and it’s so amazing.

I guess my question is what are your thoughts about Daeron and Helaena? What do you think the show did well about them, what do you think the text implied, and how would you characterise them? (Obviously Daeron existing is very nice….)

Love you! 🫶 You are so skilled and bring us all so much joy!

Awwwww bestie!!! Thank you so much for this lovely message 🥹😭🥰 I absolutely adore our tortured, beautiful, insane blonde boys and I am so grateful to have wonderful people like you to share my strange little stories with! As for the other siblings...

Helaena: I think the show got right that Helaena is peaceful and a bit odd/misunderstood, and also that she loves animals, although that should include Dreamfyre too!!! 😤 I also disagree with Helaena's visions being super clear like they suddenly became in Season 2, I feel like the Season 1 portrayal of her being haunted by horrifying yet vague premonitions is way more accurate according to F&B. My major disagreement with HOTD is that I perceive Helaena as being more emotionally attached to her family, including Aegon and her children (even if she isn't attracted to Aegon romantically). Lastly, I feel like Helaena could be demisexual, and doesn't really have any interest in romance unless she happens to meet someone she clicks with (this was the case in Martyrs).

Daeron: I'm glad he officially exists in the show, although I am not hopeful about what the writers have planned for him in terms of characterization (what else is new). Personally, I can envision Daeron in 2 ways: either as a sweet, innocent, not necessarily super intelligent sunshine child (like in NICIY, Comet, or Martyrs) OR as snarky, assertive, and sometimes reckless, basically a less sad version of Aegon (like in WTWICD). It sounds like HOTD is setting him up to be the "perfect" brother, and I'm not sure if perfect characters are very interesting. But we'll see what happens! 👀