#also the fact he's a lot more supportive in a sense than our mom when it comes to video games because he totally gets it

[astrxealis]

think there's a big chance i'll be able to see hamilton this year when they come here because my dad is also really interested

[frodothefair]

Sometimes I become that middle-aged conservative mom (even though I don't have kids, so I suppose a metaphorical mom) who perennially rants about how nobody appreciates her.

I'm not a saint, after all. I crave a little recognition now and then.

An example, recently, has been my chronically online housemate who continues to struggle with her mental health. (Cut for sensitive material).

She's had yet another meltdown over something that happened on twitter (she's a trans person, so maybe that makes sense), and the only reason yet another hospitalization was averted was that her friend came over and took her to her house for the weekend.

So Mr. Nisilë, said friend, and I have been talking a lot about what we can do to help the housemate, and at one point Mr. Nisilë opined that he wishes he were easier to talk to, that we could have created a more supportive environment and engaged with her more, though coming from him, this is a ridiculous statement -- he can build rapport with anyone, which is why I was drawn to him in the first place.

So I went off on him. I ranted that we had done more than enough in letting her into our home in the first place, because she's not family; she's barely even a friend. That we pay her phone bill every month, and buy her groceries when our other house mate, who pays for the majority of her food, is unable to or is unavailable. That we're ok with her lack of hygiene, the state of the bathroom that's closest to her room, her tone-deaf singing and her random yelling. That we routinely drive her places, because she has no car and does not know how to drive, and neither gas nor time is free. That we're ok with her having hookups in her room with people she meets on apps, that we've seen her through two hospitalizations and two attempts on her life; we've hidden sharps, spoken to hospital staff, driven her to appointments and helped her find resources.

Believe you me, I know of what I speak when I say most people wouldn't do this. When I was ten or so, my mother, younger brother, and I had to flee an abusive situation. We were a respectable family in dire straits, a hardworking mother with two well-behaved children, and we had many friends and acquaintances, but everybody denied us a place to stay for completely BS reasons. The only person who didn't was my grandmother's employer. He was a man with an elderly sick mother, and my grandmother worked as their live-in housekeeper and caregiver. The three of us lived in a tiny bedroom in their home for three months -- the bedroom was meant to be my grandmother's, but she slept on the couch.

That is why I will never begrudge our housemate what I do for her. I will never see her as a burden. But to hear that I haven't done enough when I already have done more than 99.9% of the population would do was extremely upsetting. That's different from seeing her as a burden. I can deal with all of the above inconveniences, but I should still be allowed to be angry with her for not acknowledging my efforts, the fact that she f-cking won the lottery between me, Mr. Nisilë, and our other housemate.

A sarcastic voice inside might say, "well, what, do you want a medal now" for hearing people's problems all day and trying to solve them, for your financial contributions, for helping out another person in need?

Well, you know, maybe I do. I do a lot, and none of it is easy, because I have disabilities of my own. I may have some relative privilege, but also disadvantages in spades, from day one. So maybe a simple thank you would be nice -- explicit appreciation of how nice the house we keep is, the fact that we have enough resources to help out, that we don't care about a lot of things that would have been dealbreakers for other people.

But the thing is, the housemate is hardly capable of such a thing. She has too many troubles in her head to think of others, and that's part of her illness. So maybe it is not fair of me to expect that.

It's just that... They say a good deed is its own reward, but sometimes it does not feel like enough.

[onestepbackwards]

Our Angel Pt. 3

Hello! Welcome to part 3 of my Greaser Submas x reader series!

I will admit, I kinda struggled this chapter. I had a lot going on when writing this. Regardless, I still hope you all enjoy this short chapter!

Summary: It has been a few days since Emmet had left your home. Just as you are about to give up hope on seeing him again, a stranger who looks just like him knocks in your door…

CW: minor mentions of injuries, mentions of getting jumped, mentions of toxic family

Word Count: 2825 Words!

Like my writing? Come check me out here and support me! Every bit helps!

First: Here

Previous: Here

Next: ?

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It had been a few days since Emmet had snuck out of your bedroom window.

Just as you had predicted, you haven’t seen him since that day.

It honestly was a little… disappointing.

The thought was silly, that you kinda wanted to see the greaser again. He had been a little goofy, but he was sweet. Even if he was a flirt.

It made your life interesting, for a day. For the first time in years, just helping a guy out had made you feel more alive than you have in a long time.

Because of this, you hadn’t been able to get him out of your mind.

He had been such a breath of fresh air! …If you don’t count the fact that you had been terrified for two days that he might die in your bathtub.

When he was fine(ish) though, he had been nice. A lot nicer than at least half the people you knew.

You just hoped it wasn’t the concussion doing most of the talking. However, you had your doubts you would ever find out.

He hadn’t come back, after all. Nor had you seen heads or tails of him on your walks back from campus.

“Figures…” you mumbled, head in hand as you sat at your desk. At least you got to experience it when you did. It would be a fun story to tell when you were finally free of this place.

Though you would admit, when the doorbell rang, your hopes shot up.

You squashed them down, of course. No doubt it was a friend of your parents or a salesman or something.

At first you tried to ignore it. Your parents weren’t home, after all, and you didn’t want to deal with someone selling you something. Or even worse, your dad’s stupid work friends, or your mom’s friends from her book club.

After a second series of knocks, however, you heaved out a sigh. Closing your book, you left your room, and headed to the front door.

You opened it, already putting a fake smile on your face, preparing to deal with whoever was willing to bother you.

“Hello, how may I….”

The words died in your throat, however, when your eyes met silver ones.

He was back.

At first, you fully believed it was Emmet. Silver hair, silver eyes, similar get up. However, something was off about him.

This guy… he had no injuries.

When Emmet had left your home, he had a nasty black eye, bruises everywhere, a busted lip… you doubted he could heal that quickly.

He also had his hair parted slightly different, and his clothes were completely black, instead of the white shirt. A small detail, but you felt it was off.

There also seemed to be what you assumed as a tattoo of some sort peeking out just from under the mans’s jacket collar on his neck. You had seen Emmet shirtless, and he definitely didn’t have that tattoo as far as you remembered.

Then there was the frown on his face. It was something that seemed so out of place for Emmet. However, he didn’t seem upset. In fact, he straightened up almost excitedly when you pulled open the door.

You both stared at each other for a moment, neither saying a word.

He was just as pretty as Emmet was. Were they siblings?

The man seemed to snap out of it after a moment, and began to speak.

“Hello there. I am Ingo, Emmet’s twin brother.”

You blinked, perked up, and took that in.

It made sense. You were sure if you hadn't seen Emmet with all those wounds, they’d be practically identical. The only differences being the smile, clothing choices, and the way they part their hair.

“How is he? Is he alright? Are his injuries healing okay?”

At that moment, a switch flipped in Ingo’s mind, and you didn’t even know it.

But you did see his eyes grow a teeny bit wider.

It seemed he wasn’t as expressive as Emmet was.

“Yes! Thanks to you, he is healing up nicely! There haven’t been any issues so far with his healing.”

You slumped against the doorframe, relieved. If you were being honest with yourself, the thought of his well being had been weighing on you since he left that day. If he even made it home, or recovered at all.

“Oh thank goodness. I had wondered if he was alright after sneaking out after being unconscious for so long. With those injuries too, no less.”

Giving Ingo a small smile, you didn’t notice how his cheeks had grown slightly pink.

“Thank you so much for letting me know!”

Now you would hopefully be able to sleep a bit better at night, knowing Emmet was gonna be okay.

This man, Ingo, you think he said his name was, cleared his throat.

“I wanted to give you this.”

You stared at him blankly for a moment, before looking down.

He was holding out a piece of paper in his hand. Hesitantly, you took it from his grasp.

Much to your surprise, it was a set of numbers, along with his name written in cursive. Not something you expected from a greaser, but you knew from Emmet looks were deceiving.

“Are you… giving me your number?” You asked, feeling your face heat up as it really hit you over what he had given you.

You… never had a guy’s phone number before outside of school, since that was always for projects…

Ingo gave you a look, one you had a feeling was a more serious one than his regular face.

“Yes. If you need anything, anything at all, call me. I’ll take care of it for you.”

Shock must of been evident on your face, becuas his look seemed to shift into a somewhat amused one. His frown wasn’t as prominent, and the look in his eyes seemed lighter.

“But… why?” You asked, genuinely confused. He didn’t even know you, and you had a feeling having this guy’s favor was probably a big deal.

He tilted his head at you, confused as to why you would ask.

“Because you saved Emmet’s life. We both owe you a great debt. If you had not helped him, he very well could have died.”

His words settled into your stomach like rocks. Yeah, you knew he was in bad shape, but thinking how Emmet could have died without your help was an unsettling thought.

“Ah…” you only managed to mumble.

You then let out a squeak when Ingo was suddenly directly in front of you. His right are rested against the door frame above you, and his other hand was suddenly gently grabbing your chin.

“I mean it. Anything you want or need, it will be yours. I know Emmet is especially desperate to do anything you wish.”

Your face was red, and you found yourself sputtering at the sudden shift and contact. It didn’t help you swore you could see a smirk pushing through that ever present frown.

“We owe you so much. Please, even if it’s just to talk, call or message me.” He asked, having you look at him. Gone were the traces of the smirk, and his face seemed serious again.

Slowly, you nodded.

“I-… okay.” You agreed, you heart hammering in your chest.

All you were doing was agreeing to take his number and tell him if you needed anything, so you didn’t have to call him…

But the thought of getting to make sure Emmet got better whispered into the back of your mind. This way, you could make sure he was okay….

This was a risky game though. You knew greasers were trouble, so you would be playing with fire the more you associated with them.

Though you couldn’t help but wonder; was it really that bad that you wanted to talk to them, to make sure one was okay? They certainly didn’t seem all that bad…

Unaware of your inner turmoil, Ingo backed away, though he seemed much happier and brighter than when you had first opened the door.

“Excellent! Now, would you like to-“

Before he could finish, your phone made a small jingle, signaling your mother had messaged you. Ignoring Ingo, you scrambled for the device, and opened your messages.

Your heart nearly fell in your stomach. It seems your mother’s shopping trip was ending early, saying she couldn’t find everything she needed and would be home shortly.

Panicking, you didn’t notice the look of concern on Ingo’s face as you slipped your phone back into your pocket.

“I-I’m sorry, but you have to leave.”

The man’s eyes widened, taken aback by your sudden panic.

“What? Why-“

You shushed him, and looked further out the door and down the street.

“My mother is on her way home. If she sees you, she’ll freak out and start yelling. She’ll probably call the cops too.”

Quickly, with a quiet ‘sorry’, you grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around. You pushed him down the sidewalk towards what you assumed was his car.

“I’m so sorry, but she can’t see you. I promise to try and message or something, but for your sake, you must leave!”

You absolutely hated doing this to him. He seemed nice, if not a bit more reserved than Emmet. But you knew if your mother saw a greaser of all guys talking to you, she’d blow a gasket. She’d make accusations, scream, yell, probably ground you…

Then she would tell your father, who would make things worse. He may even go as far as to pull money for your tuition, or even try to get these guys arrested for just talking to you.

Even as an adult, you were still shackled to your parent’s wills.

Thankfully, Ingo didn’t resist you, and quickly walked with you to his car. Before he went to his door to get in, he gave you a look.

“Are you going to be okay, Angel?” He asked, his voice surprisingly soft compared to how loud it had been before.

You blinked, brain nearly freezing at the nickname.

“I-Yes-I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about what could happen to you. I can’t be seen talking to you or Emmet by my parents, and my mother is on her way home.”

Ingo’s lips tightened into a fine line, and he gave you a brisk nod.

Before he turned to walk over to the driver's side of his car, he surprised you.

He grabbed your hand, and pulled it up to his lips, giving the back of your hand a kiss.

You sputtered, feeling hot all over again.

He smirked against the back of your hand, before releasing you.

“Take care, Angel. I look forward to hearing from you.”

You almost didn’t register his words, too flustered from the gesture. It wasn’t until he climbed into his car, and shut the door, that you were taken out of your daze.

“W-Wait, I-“

He drove off with a wave before your brain could finish catching up.

Standing there a bit dumbly, you could only watch as his car turned a corner, and out of your sight. You ended up not moving for a few minutes, nearly jumping in surprise when your mother drove up behind you with a honk.

Spinning around, she rolled down the window as she pulled over closer to the sidewalk where you stood.

“Hey sweetie! Why are you standing out here?” She asked, a bit confused. She even tried to look in the direction you were facing, trying to see what you were looking at.

“Um…” you spoke, trying to keep the panic out of your voice.

“There were some rowdy kids on bikes yelling just a minute ago down the street. I was just…. Seeing if there was anything wrong.”

Your mother tutted, and then scoffed.

“Probably just some no good brats from a few blocks down. Don’t worry about them dear, they are nothing but trouble. They would drag you down just for wanting to help.”

She then rolled up her window and began to pull into the driveway, but you hardly noticed. Your mothers words echoed in your ears as you followed her inside to help woth groceries.

‘They would drag you down just for wanting to help.’

Would they, though?

—

Ingo stared hard at the drivers wheel in the driveway at home, heart racing.

You, he didn’t know what to expect when he met you…

And yet…

You were so cute and sweet!

He had wondered if Emmet had exaggerated at all when he talked about you, but given how Emmet seemed so infatuated…

It made Ingo wonder just what was so special about you before.

His brother didn’t talk about you like you were just some flame he wanted to win over, oh no. He talked like he had been in love.

That had been surprising to Ingo.

Both twins had their fair share of partners, but neither had acted like this before.

No doubt Emmet will throw a fit when he finds out Ingo went to see you on his own without taking him, but Ingo had to see you in person. He had to see what kind of a person you were without his brother nearby.

Only the best would be allowed to properly date his baby brother, instead of just being a small flame for fun.

After meeting you, Ingo began to understand. You fit that criteria perfectly.

Ingo now knew why Emmet was so infatuated with you.

You were already cute, that much was certain. You were gorgeous, even.

But Emmet hadn’t been kidding when he said how sweet and kind you were.

How you were so worried for his brother still, who was a stranger to you.. Ingo knew right then and there that Emmet had not been exaggerating one bit. You, someone who didn’t know either of them, truly cared if Emmet was recovering.

You didn’t even care if you were talking to a greaser, you just genuinely cared if a stranger was okay.

Ingo felt his heart skip a beat in that moment. You really were an angel.

When he gave you his number, you didn’t even seem scared, or excited. That last bit may be a surprise, but given him and his brother were leaders of their group, many people wanted to be in their favor.

You just seemed a little hesitant and confused. He decided to take that as a good sign.

Ingo then sighed, pressing his head against the steering wheel once more.

It wasn’t uncommon for him and Emmet to share a partner, they both had similar tastes after all.

But he knew Emmet was already possessive and protective of you. There was a good chance he’d fight about it after he learned of Ingo’s own interest.

“Oh hell…” he mumbled. He couldn’t fight with Emmet. Not yet. Not when he was still healing.

After that?

It was fair game.

Until then, all he had to look forward to was you messaging or calling him.

Ingo’s frown then deepened after he thought about it.

Would you be able to safely?

You had seemed rather spooked when you got a message on your phone, mentioning something about how your mother can’t see him with you. All for his sake, you had said, but he felt there was a lot more to it than that.

Emmet mentioned you had him sneak out a window, that he would most likely have the cops called on him by your parents if they saw him.

Add that with what little tidbit he learned today… he wasn’t liking the picture that was forming in his head.

Were you safe? Were you okay?

Ingo began to also understand what Emmet meant when he would mention he was worried for his Angel.

Ingo gripped the steering wheel.

He had to figure this out, nor would he just let you sip through their fingers. You were a diamond in the rough, he could already tell.

If you didn’t want them? Fine, they could live with that. They could be happy being your friends and protecting you.

But oh, they wanted you. You really were an angel.

One Ingo had decided, they both would do just about anything for.

Now all he had to do was wait for you to call or message him. He’d take this slow, and let you lead. Ingo was sure Emmet was thinking the same thing, even now.

Thrumming his fingers against the wheel, he heaved out a sigh.

Until then, he had to go inside, and pray Emmet was still in bed healing.

You would no doubt be incredibly upset if he hurt himself again, after all. Something Ingo proudly used against Emmet when he tried to crawl out of bed.

Ingo grinned, happy to finally have a means of temporarily wrangling in his brother.

Yes, Ingo would enjoy this opportunity while it lasted.

[sanddollarpoems]

The truth is, I started in a very different place than I am now. Perhaps I am the evidence of evolution, that a person can go from one side to the other in a matter of years. I have family and friends who still think the same way. They echo the same hurtful words. They babble the same disrespectful slogans.

Last week, while feeling scared, disappointed, and emotionally bruised, I had to explain why people like me felt like I did. I had to be the adult, take the slander, and share about why people like me who didn't agree, people who feared for their rights as a human, were angry and sad and upset.

To be fair, I grew up on the other side. I grew up listening to my dad rage against the "flaming liberals" and the "fema-nat-zees," listening to Rush Limbaugh, and conservative talk radio. And as I grew up, the information I was fed was consistent. I was surrounded by people of like minds, and it was very easy to agree. No one challenged me. No one asked me WHY I thought what I did. No one pointed out my racism, my hurtful words, or my prejudice.

I got married young to a man who enjoyed telling me how to think and what to believe. And perhaps that's when I started feeling the cracks in my belief system. I started having my own thoughts, secretly, of course. I started struggling with the things that didn't add up.

It's so easy to pick someone's motives if you don't know that person. It's so easy to "other" them if they don't fit into your tiny understanding of the world. But God has a sense of humor. He gave me a double dose of empathy and compassion. I started meeting people, and they didn't fit into my categories. I started meeting people who I couldn't make sense of. I started meeting people who I had been taught to hate. But I didn't hate them. They were just people who hoped, and loved, and lived just like me. In fact, I started seeing they were all just like me.

And then, I became the "other." With my divorce, 90% of the people I had called friends, left me. My church, who had been like a family to me, left me. I was the sinner. I was the outcast. And because I was a victim of abuse, I had been talked out of asking for child support, even though he made over three times what I did. Now, I was also the woman standing in line at the grocery store, using my EBT "food stamps." I was a "leech on society," as my dad would say.

Remember how I said God has a great sense of humor? Well, guess who were the ones to come around me and support me and love me and lift me up? That's right. It was the people who I used to "other." It was the single mom's, the LGBTQ, the "flaming liberals," the atheists, the women of color...

For the first time in my life, there was no judgment, just kindness. There were no impossible standards, no mistreatment for being different, no more expectations to conform. There was freedom.

I have since come to a place where all those things my dad used to insult people with are now true of me. And this past week, as my friend was talking about the "woke morons," I gently told her that I'm one of those.

The truth is, we're all just people. We all want safety and well-being for ourselves and our families. A lot of us want that for our communities, and some even want it for the world. Most of the people I've met on both sides are generally good-hearted people. We all have been taught to say hurtful things, to believe hurtful things, and sometimes to even do hurtful things to "others." But I believe that for most people, these are learned behaviors.

My dad used to quote the Bible and say, "believing that there's good in people is a lie. Everyone is evil if they're not a Christian." These days, I believe God made humans in his own image. And having kindness and love are the traits that everyone has inherited from him. These are the things I have seen in others. And so I continue to believe that everyone has the ability for great kindness, and if we all exercised that kindness more readily, this world will not be such a scary place for any of us. Even if we don't all agree on the politics.

[dangermousie]

1. ML of Love of Nirvana still continues to be a mini drama ML rampaging in a “proper” production. I love it but that man is 100% a goner by the end. He’s got enough death flags to open a whole flag franchise.

2. I sped ran through Pinocchio. As you can tell by the fact that I did a 20 ep drama in less than a day, there was a lot of skipping and 4x.

Honestly, out of all the LJS dramas I’ve watched, I like this one the least except for Big Mouth (and Big Mouth was actually a better drama imo just not my type of narrative.) LJS is great as usual and Park Shin Hye surprisingly OK (she’s one of the very popular actors where I don’t get the love) and supporting cast quite solid but the story was honestly a mess, various narratives stitched together haphazardly.

I am still trying to figure out what is the point of having a separated brother who’s a killer, gets arrested in ep 8 and then occasionally dispenses world wisdom from behind bars. (Not even getting into the fact that a man who’d kill three men for revenge the way he did is not gonna be sure fair enough bring down the rest legally little bro I am gonna confess. Or the fact that the way they wasted Yoon Kyun Sang in that pointless role was criminal.)

And the mom is a character who makes no sense - the way she randomly got redeemed as a journalist and mother made zero sense. Also not a fan of the whole “she got bribed” narrative as the original one of journalist just seeking eyeballs and doing anything for it hit harder and is more common.

The way she escaped truly significant punishment was…well.

Anyway, that drama was a mess.

3. My next modern binge drama (since My Country the New Age is too heavy and meaty to really mainline) is Hello Monster aka I Remember You.

I am less than half an ep in but I am adoring it. I miss the days when Jang Nara played roles that did not revolve around cheated on wives. Also only she could make that character adorable instead of annoying. And this drama has EVERYONE!

Clearly I need my drama to have a serial killer in it to be addicted. So..

In conclusion that’s FL about ML in Hello Monster. Persistence is our all!!!

[plasmasimagination]

Um, hi! I hope you're doing well! I saw your match up event and I'd like to request a Genshin and HSR match up (if you still can ofc, I don't wanna force it owo). I don't really wanna be paired with any of the female characters (as much as I love em, I perceive them more as best friends or sisters than possible lovers, if that makes sense—).

1. My pronouns are she/her. My MBTI is ENFP.

2. I hope you don't mind if I give you more than my big 3 in Astrology, since the planets up until Saturn (especially Venus, since it's in conjunction with my Sun, and Saturn, since it's in conjunction with my Rising) are pretty prominent for me. My Sun is in Aries ♈️, my Moon is in Leo ♌️, and my Rising is in Cancer ♋️. My Mercury is in Aries ♈️ as well (natal retrograde), my Venus is in Pisces ♓️, my Mars is in Aquarius ♒️, my Jupiter is in Libra ♎️ (natal retrograde), and my Saturn is in Cancer ♋️ and a few degrees away from my Rising.

3. As for my appearance, I have a height of 147cm (idk what it is in inches and feet, but it's pretty short, I know, it runs in our family), and I'm on chubby side when it comes to my body, but I sure as hell don't have an hourglass body shape. I have wavy-ish black hair (currently experiencing some form of hair loss tho) that reaches just above my chest. I also wear glasses and my fingernails are often short because I bite them.

4. A lot of who I am is influenced by the fact that I have ADHD (mostly hyperactive/impulsive presentation), so I tend to be restless and hyperactive, energetic and talk excessively, sensitive and emotional (emotional dysregulation go brr haha). I have pretty strong opinions about a lot of things (mostly politics and social issues), but I'd be open to discussion that could possibly change my mind unless I consider the view to be morally or wholly wrong with regards to other people.

I consider myself to be intuitive and able to sense even the slightest change of emotion or energies within someone or in a room, wanting to be the one to support, comfort, and advise someone when they need it. Idk, I like feeling needed and wanted by others. I'm pretty expressive with my emotions and can become easily vulnerable and share/be open about them to others. I do know that I often don't like being told what to do or how to feel, in addition to becoming defensive, closed-off, and silent after being given certain criticism/comments.

5. As for what my friends think about me, they probably find me a bit too overwhelming, especially when I become too restless and overthink and about tasks, but I'm also kind of the mom friend in my friend groups, trying to be a lil level-headed and making sure everyone doesn't get into too much trouble. I'm also pretty affectionate with them, saying how much I appreciate and love them often, confiding to them about how I feel and vice versa. I enjoy showing and giving love to the people I care about, and sometimes I get scared that I'm too annoying or that I'm overwhelming.

6. Other info about me is that I love playing games, designing, and learning in general. My love languages are words of affirmation and quality time. Because of my diagnosis and my experiences in life, I'd like someone who'll make me feel at ease, someone who won't judge or limit me, but instead support and be patient with me, especially when I (inevitably) fuck up. I like being reassured and having healthy communication okay—

I hope this isn't too much— Thank you so so much in advance, and please take care, wherever you currently are! Sending lots of energy and appreciation your way! 🥹🫶

Heyy sweetheart

.

.

.

ALBEDO

Albedo is calm and analytical, he's a non judgemental being and always open to learn more about his sweetheart

Similar to you, he enjoys learning and designing, he's very open to any new knowledge, so there could be mutual conversations about different topicd

Albedos calm nature can provide you with reassurance, his patient and quiet attitude can provide you with a comfortable feeling without feeling overwhelming

He's willing to support and encourage your interests.

When combining this with his love for words of affirmations, it creates a comfortable environment all around.

As an alchemist, he appreciates you sharing your thoughts and feelings, opening an environment of healthy communication.

JING YUAN

Jing yuan, the perfect man

He's incredibly good at communication and reading people

He's the type of person that you could tell everything that bothers you without feeling like he's gonna judge you or disregard your feelings

He's a general, meaning he's dealt with a lot of new people at the job, he's got more than enough patience and rarely gets frustrated or mad

His love languages are mostly words of affirmations and physical touch

His sweet words and soothing voice could make anyone fall to their knees

Jing yuan is someone you can love for an eternity and he'll never get enough of it, his heart is always open and he'll definitely rainprocrate your love and offer you the same if not more back

[myanxietydisorderhasanxiety]

MY CON EXPERIENCES!

So as someone who has been to multiple cons before, I feel like I have quite a bit to say on the topic. As an autistic person, I feel like I can add some nuance that not everyone experiences, but I’d like to specify I speak for myself ONLY on the autistic experience at cons. Autistic support needs vary widely across the community.

The first con I went to was a local con in 2020. It’s a smaller con, and my friend had invited me to go with her for her birthday. It was definitely a lot more muted of an atmosphere given the fact that we were in the midst of a pandemic, but I’d like to specify everyone I was with took any and all necessary health precautions. Being in that environment for the first time was unbelievable, even for as small and toned-down of a con as it was. It’s nerd culture EVERYWHERE. I was 17, it was my first experience going to any kind of fan event, and I’m sure anyone who’s been to cons before could probably tell I was new at con culture. Everyone we met was friendly and we saw lots of cool collectibles. I’ve been back to that con a few times now, and there was a lot more to see and do when restrictions lessened. I’ve also gotten more into cosplay since I started, so my con pictures have been UPGRADED in a major way.

The biggest (and best) con I’ve attended so far was FanExpo Philly 2023. The pictures above were all taken there, and it was overall just a really amazing experience. I’d never been to Philly, and I asked my cousin on a whim if she wanted to go to the con when I heard a particular guest would be there (10 points if you can guess who I’m talking about), and she said YES. So I took my first solo plane ride across the country and went to a huge con in a city I don’t know. And it was worth it ten times over.

Going to a con that big is overwhelming. There’s multiple show floors in a huge convention center, and the amount of people going to a con in such a major city is about 100 times more than my first con. It was also my cousin’s first con EVER, so it was really interesting to get to introduce her to con culture. (Spoiler alert: she loved it.) The con was bustling all three days, and certain lines were HOURS of waiting. My social anxiety was naturally still present, but there was a sense of camaraderie there that I can’t say I’ve felt anywhere else. We spent so long looking at all the different vendors and shopping in addition to meeting our favorite celebrities. (Seriously, cons are a fan’s paradise. I’m a sucker for Funko Pops for about 3 fandoms and I was SO HAPPY.)

Saturday we had a photo op with Michael J Fox & Christopher Lloyd, and that line was insanity. Definitely the biggest individual draw there especially for Gen X. We spent maybe 2 hours in line, and people didn’t really get snippy like they do at theme parks, we all just wound up talking (and yes, sometimes moaning and groaning about the wait) with people around us for the most part. When we got to the photo op, it was super quick due to the number of people, but my cousin whispered “we love you guys!” To Michael and Christopher and Michael turned around to say something to us. Unfortunately we didn’t hear it because it was so loud but he didn’t turn around for the previous guests we’d seen. I also handed an attendant a letter I’d written to Michael J Fox about what an inspiration he is for disabled people and how thankful I was for his advocacy work.

Sean Astin’s line was less crazy, still packed but less crazy. With him, we were allowed to hug or stand next to him, it was a little more casual, and he was cracking jokes and very friendly. When we went back up to the autograph table (me for a signed 8x10 and my cousin to get her Balrog Funko Pop signed) he was super friendly and just such a nice person. I told him my family said hi, and my mom had been a fan since the Goonies, and he said “next time bring your mom”. So when he came to my small local con in March 2024, that’s exactly what I did. He was just as nice and friendly the second time, and my mom enjoyed it too.

Sunday at FanExpo was my busiest day. We had multiple photo ops with the Stranger Things guests that had all gotten pushed to one day because of some visa issues for one of the guests (poor Joseph Quinn had to do THREE DAYS of stuff in one day). I was pretty nervous, I’m a HUGE Stranger Things fan, my first cosplay was actually season 3 Eleven. We got up to photo op 1 with Joseph and I asked if I could hug him for the photo and he went ���of course you can!” Photo op 2 was with him and Grace van Dien, and I’d made friendship bracelets for both of them. She was an absolute angel (I WILL DEFEND GRACE VAN DIEN AGAINST THE HATERS!) and wore the bracelet for our picture and I saw it in the next picture too. Photo op 3 was just Joseph (I’d purchased multiple intending to do it on multiple days and have multiple cosplays). I wound up by myself in line while my cousin went to go get food (we were DYING). I met some of the nicest people in line (we’re Facebook and instagram friends now) and honestly I don’t know when social interaction has been easier. That photo op was the BEST one yet, and had the best story behind it, which if you want, I can share more details of. Suffice it to say, he is an absolute gem of a human being and deserves every bit of success he’s getting, and I’m really glad I got to meet him when he was only famous for Stranger Things. Anyone who thought I was cringy at the time for going to meet him is going to regret not meeting him when they could’ve, especially with Gladiator II and Fantastic Four coming out soon.

Something I’d like to mention in regards to Joseph Quinn, and any celebrities you meet at a con. You need to be respectful of their boundaries NO MATTER WHAT. THEY DO NOT OWE YOU ANYTHING BUT WHAT YOU PAID FOR, which is a picture or an autograph. They’re human beings and just because you paid for a photo op doesn’t mean you get to touch them in any way you want or put them in uncomfortable situations re: posing. I say this because a few weeks after I met him, at another FanExpo, a con-goer tried to touch him in an inappropriate way that was overtly sexual in nature (best approximation from witnesses is attempted groping). This is deplorable, and CONSENT IS KEY whenever you are having an interaction at a con. You can ask, but they don’t owe you hugs, poses, anything. CONSENT should always be the top priority when interacting with celebrities and other guests, no matter what. He was kind enough to give me a hug, but not ONCE did I expect or demand it, nor would I have hugged him if he hadn’t said yes. Paying for a photo op isn’t consent, being famous isn’t consent, cosplay isn’t consent. He was so lovely to myself and other guests and it’s heartbreaking anyone would do something so blatantly sexual and inappropriate.

Rant aside. I LOVE CONS. I love them so much. I’ve met some of my absolute heroes at cons and fan events, and it’s honestly such a wonderful experience overall, at least speaking for my personal experience. I encourage you if you’re curious, go to a con. Get single day admission even and just go get a photo with someone you think is cool. Chances are you’ll have a great time.

[autumnslance]

Back to it...

Sharlayan and Labyrinthos today!

I'm always fond of the conservationist angle FFXIV takes in many of the crafting and gathering quests, and Erenville's duties, at least, fall along the same lines.

Other gleaners dealing with procuring knowledge not related to flora and fauna...we don't hear a lot of, though Shaggles' quest chain has a gleaner who apparently pestered an alchemist for a specific tool when they probably just coulda...gotten a similar one? But that might be that particular gleaner; it's a "not enough info" situation.

Mandatory MMO poop side quest. Also a Werlyt mention for a rare cheese created by masters in that region.

Erenville says workers right, and we love him for it. Also for clocking Our Heroes in their frog disguises.

The "heartbloom", better known later as Elpis flower, introduced here too, with Krile finally realizing why she's had issues since arriving in Labyrinthos. What we know now, it makes sense this is where they start conversing. Also where we get reassured as to the fate of Minfilia's soul, hints of Emet-Selch's, and reassurance Hydaelyn hasn't bound the WoL.

Keep Galuf Baldesion's name out of your mouth, lady. The Crystal Exarch comes out to play with the Forum; G'raha's experience with civic matters and city budgets and planning coming in quite handy. His slight tone and stance shifts when he goes Exarch-mode are my favorite things.

Thanks for the hand, Scholarch. Also Sevestre in the background, one of the few not wearing one of the Forum's dumb hats.

And time to meet Ameliance. Another mention here of her funding and donating to the Scions, as a way to support her children, though later we learn she was involved even before the twins left Sharlayan, keeping a hand in her father-in-law's endeavor. But she's a tad cautious here in this discussion with the WoL.

Also pretty sure her correspondence with Tataru is what got her the twins' current measurements and clothing preferences, and is the reason our receptionist didn't gift them new gear on returning from the First; Tataru knew Mom had it covered.

There's also the gift of Fourchenault's old nouliths for Alphinaud.

A few hints too from Ameliance on Fourchenault's behavior versus his true feelings, and who exactly is actually running this household. In fact, there's something about Ameliance that reminds me of Venat; not just the superficial "pale white-haired woman" angle, but the mischief, rule bending, the general delight at the world--while underneath there is a sharp, canny mind, a will of iron, and a desire to do what's right, though perhaps in a more roundabout way than we might prefer. And I feel like there's an intent there and I may need to muse over it a bit more.

You can really see where the twins get a lot of their traits when studying both Fourchenault and Ameliance.

Also sorry Alisaie, but your house is massive and fancy. My apartment could fit in the foyer. You were raised as a "spoiled princess" (and we have the receipts from ARR, darlin'), just deal with it.

So many little lore reminders and hints of things to come in later quests, or even the patches. Well worth replaying so much later for the refresher, as well as fixing my notes.

[alex-the-otherkin]

❤️ How my brother reacts to my othekin tendencies 💙

🐺 Werewolf 🐺

I have started biting to show affection, my entire family says it's weird except my little brother. He's nine years old and Autistic + ADHD as all hell but he's the sweetest little bean I've ever met. I'll be looking nervous or chewing in something and he will just hold out his arm and look at me telling me to bite him. He giggle when I bite him affectionitally and will give me the purest or pure smiles.

He also doesn't mind when I sniff him. It sound really weird but it calms me down to smell his scent. He honestly smells like baloney with a hint of orange juice. The weird thing is he hates orange juice. But anyways he will giggle when I sniff him and he jus kinda cuddle up with me.

I was reading a omegaverse fic when I hears that some werewolves make nests. I rearranged me room so my bed is in the middle and one side is my nest and the other is my room. It took me one time of telling him he can't come in my nest without permission and now he asks every single time. He also likes to give me small trinkets to put on my desk that I have in my nest. I asked him if he had a blanket I could use for my nest and he just straight up gave me one of his favorite blankets.

🧛🏻‍♀️ Vampire 🧛🏻‍♀️

I am honestly exstreamly pale. It came from my exstrealy pale parents and the fact that I hate the sun. I will naturally let out a low hiss whenever I have to go into the sun. My brother started calling me a vampire, wich honestly skyrocketed my ego. He offers me his sunglasses on bright days and doesn't really mind whenever I would rather stay indoors that play outside.

He will call my canine teeth fangs. It makes sense cause mine are a bit more pointy than average, but hearing him say this makes me super happy. I thought he did this with everyone but nope, it's just me he does it with.

😇 Angel 😇

I've always had a really strong connection with animals. I loved them all, even the ones that everyone hated like spiders and snakes. My little brother likes to comment om it a lot. He will bring me to ay animal and let me talk to them. He doesn't mind and actually finds it super duper cool.

I have phantom wings. Somtimes I like to stretch them out and whenever I do this he will move out of the way as if he can see them right there. He will somtimes massage my back and once when we were little he told me "sissy, I need you to move your wings". The thing is I wasn't wearing fake wings or anything like that.

😈 Demon 😈

I have certin thoughts that a lot of people would find demented. Like once I had a though of "What would if your happy and you know it clap you hands sound like in a room full of depressed people". My little brother just straight up responded "Crikets". He either laughs at my comments or goes along with them.

I started calling my dad Satan, my mom chosen vessel, and my brother demon spawn when we are out in stores. Mostly because I want people to avoid us, but for some of my species euphoria. My parents just sorta rolled with it but my brother went full up into charecter. He would call our dogs hellhouds and agree with my demonic comments. Like I would say "wow, earth sure does have a lot of human on it." And he would just straight up say "Yeah sissy, there aren't this many people were we come from".

💙 End Note ❤️

In all my little brother is fucking awesome. He is the sweetest little bean you could ever met but one wrong move towards me and he would beat anyone to a pulp. I know this cause he's told me before. He doesn't even know what otherkin is, but he's still super supportive. So in conclusion my little brother is the best.

[here-lies-golden-kamuy]

The Case of Ogata Hyakunosuke and Love (2)

Thank you for supporting the first meta and happy birthday to the one and only Ogata Hyakunosuke!!! Because of that, I was pumped to continue my observations and thoughts on our favorite (derogatory) catboy and his views on [tsurumi voice] loooove~! 

Wanna read the first part? Click here! 

MAJOR manga spoilers and a lot of thoughts under the cut! 

Main argument: Because of his less-than-savory upbringing, Ogata craves love but (1) doesn’t exactly realize that he does in the first place, and (2) does not exactly recognize nor react well when he is loved. This may arise from the fact that Ogata sees love as something that is obligatorily passed on from one source to another, rather than something that may evolve given time, effort, and patience. I personally think Ogata is attracted (not inherently romantic) to people who love and care for him first. 

Okay, so we tackled a little bit about how Ogata’s past affected how he views love. To reiterate, because of his poor upbringing and modeling of love from his mom (and to a certain extent, his dad too), he grew disillusioned with the notion of love and decided that maybe he didn’t have the capacity to love in the first place.

For this ask, I’d tackle the second part of the argument: Ogata has an interesting way of viewing love, at least for me. For him, love is something inherent and obligatory. What do I mean by that? Ogata has an idea that love is something “passed on” from parent to child. And what’s important about this idea is that the parents are the “fount” of love, and from that shared love, they pass on the ability to love to their child. 

Where does this come from? I kinda extrapolated this mindset from his words in chapter 103, page 11: “A child born from two parents who don’t love each other…grows up to be an adult that’s lacking something fundamental, don’t you think? Regardless of how high-ranking their father might be.” 

But it’s also interesting that Ogata also thinks that the love is affected by social rank. He seems to put his high-ranking father on a pedestal with those words — there’s seemingly a sentiment of a different aspect of love when he considers the social rank of his father. Is it purity or quality of love? Is it the depth of the emotion? Or was he referring to how his father’s “pure blood” should’ve contributed something different in himself? But because he thinks his parents never loved each other (well, until chapter 310 that is), he was born “broken”. 

(On a side note, I would love to think more about Ogata’s relationship with his father — I feel like from early on his life, there was heavy resentment for how an absent man would steal all his mother’s love for him. And of course, he would resent him that he didn’t come to his mother’s funeral, after all the “work” he did to make them see each other again. But at the same time, I think he was also longing to know his father: the one his mother loved to her dying breath. I wonder if the first time they truly met was when Ogata killed Hanazawa…I feel like Ogata was severely disappointed.) 

Let me expand more on how Ogata may have viewed love as inherent and obligatory. I think that for him, love was supposed to be present in a person for everyone they meet. Again, love is passed down from parent to child — a “normal” child is someone who experiences a sense of love for the people they meet. Which is something I’d like to connect with his interaction with Yuusaku during the war with the Russian prisoner of war (chapter 165). 

In chapter 165, page 13, Ogata says that he (and everyone else) doesn’t feel guilt for killing people. But Yuusaku quickly refutes (in a way that comes off condescendingly, if I may say. I know he didn’t mean it though), that he’s wrong. I think it just fully reinforced in Ogata’s mind that he’s different from others because he doesn’t have this inherent love for other people — something that comes so easy to Yuusaku, someone he sees as a blessed child. He sees a further divide from himself and other “normal” people, and further resents love (and Yuusaku) in itself.

[kitkatwinchester]

WHAT THE F*CK?!

Oh my GOD there's so much to unpack.

I did that thing where I let it finish out again, and now I have a LOT to talk about, so let's just jump right in, shall we?

Order of events-ish, but mostly POVs.

SCIRAAAAA!! I CANNOT! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!

That whole flashback scene with the two of them laying in bed together. First of all, I LOVE what they did with the bookending of the "It's a good plan" line, because that was really well done and a perfect way to transition in and out of that flashback. Second of all, just their entire freaking conversation about how they haven't had time to go on a real date because, ya know, saving the world and all that, but just the wholesomeness of the fact that neither of them have seen a movie in forever and they both want to so bad...god I really hope they get that chance. <3

And then there's the beautiful little kiss and IMMENSE relief when she successfully brings him back (we were cutting that WAY too close, for the record..).

And THEN we get that beautiful ending scene between the two of them, where they're just casually holding hands and sitting there together, staring at each other and supporting each other and being there for each other and just being SO FREAKING CUTE. The fact that Scott is so quick to tell Kira to be with her mother (quick aside, I absolutely loved the small Melissa and Noshiko team-up, and I love that they stuck together and did their best to help and protect each other--we love our moms of the group <3). And THEN, the fact that Scott was able to put together the pieces about the Banshee, and Kira was able to see his train of thought, and they were both able to realize that their plan actually DID tell them something...

AHHHH!! I LOVE THEM!!! SCIRA ALL THE WAY!! <3 <3 <3

...admittedly, I'm also mildly terrified about where Scott's nightmare ended up right before Kira pulled him back, but I also know that Scott would never EVER hurt Liam. ...but I hate the implication of it nonetheless.

BUT SCIRA THOUGH!!! <3 <3

Anyways…

SPEAKING OF BANSHEES...

Well.

Now we know who Lydia got her powers from. And now....we have a new suspect.

The question is, if it is her....where is she, and why is she doing this in the first place?

Also, Natalie said "Meredith Walker" all knowingly and then didn't actually answer that question...she just started talking about Lydia's grandmother (on her dad's side, for the record, which...where is her dad in all this, exactly? We literally haven't seen that man since Season 1.).

And now we know the entire lake house is made of Mountain Ash (did her grandma do that, or did her dad do that? I guess it would've had to have been her grandma, unless her dad lied about locking his mom away in Eichen House in order to protect her secret...), but her mom obviously knows nothing (there goes that theory) and just thinks her grandmother was crazy, so really, we just have more questions than we do answers. However, if anyone can figure them out, it's Lydia Martin. <3

Speaking of figuring things out, Peter is 100% up to SOMETHING, because he obviously sent Kate to find out if Scott was dead, which is suspicious af (as a very quick aside, that moment between Kate and Chris was freaking BEAUTIFUL and I loved everything about it, and as many issues as I have with Kate, that sibling dynamic between her and Chris just SENDS me). He claims he's not The Benefactor, but he's also not on the list, and even though he said "Thank God" in response to Scott being alive...I don't know if I believe him.

Like, okay, the Banshee theory means he probably isn't the actual Benefactor, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was somehow in cahoots with it.

Although...his money was what was stolen, right? So that doesn't really make sense either. But...it also doesn't really make sense that his name isn't anywhere on the Deadpool, so...

Basically what I'm saying is that Peter, per his usual, is clearly manipulating this whole situation in SOME way, and no one should trust him under any circumstances.

Which brings me to Malia.

This girl, omg. I feel sooo bad for her, and the fact that she and her mom got into a fight right before the car crash makes everything a million times worse, and I wish there was something we could do to make that better.

However...I don't know if finding her mother is it, and I REALLY don't know if trusting Peter to help her is it, because Peter is Peter, and who KNOWS what other tricks he has up his sleeve.

What IS it, however, is Stiles (because Stiles is always it lol). I mean, how this boy is still functioning is beyond me, because the amount of things he shoulders and then pushes down is seriously bound to be fatal one of these days, but he does it. He has now watched his best friend practically die twice in the span of a few days, and his girlfriend stormed off and left him, and then all of a sudden, there she was in his room, broken and scared and guilty, and he handled it like a CHAMP.

I love the fact that he was giving her distance and giving her space, uncertain about where they stood, but then he couldn't resist stepping closer to her in his desperate attempt to convince her that she's so much better than she's making herself out to be. But even as he tries his best, Malia is too torn and upset and angry, and she walks out yet again.

But even in all of that, the fact that she came back, that she took the time to come to Stiles, to open up to him, to talk to him...it proves she still trusts him, still loves him, and still cares what he thinks, and even though she's upset and hurting and probably having a major identity crisis with an ever-growing guilt complex, she still came back, because she knows Stiles will be there for her. And that's exactly what he did.

I hope she finds answers, and I kind of also hope that maybe Stiles can help her find them. More than anything, I hope she can learn to forgive herself for what happened, and I REALLY hope Peter doesn't take advantage of her in the process.

Now of COURSE, since I talked about Stiles, and we're at the end of this post, you KNOW I have to over-analyze those itty-bitty Sciles moments. They're small, since Scott was, ya know, "dead" for most of this episode, but you know how I feel about a protective Stiles.

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT--

TWO PEOPLE tell Stiles to leave. MULTIPLE times. Chris tells him to run (supposedly so that he can hold her off and Stiles can be safe), and Kate tells him to get out of the way.

And EVERY TIME, Stiles just moves CLOSER to Scott. Chris tells him to leave, and instead, he shifts over, blocking Kate. And then when Kate tells him to leave, he shifts even more, giving that cursory glance to the place where his best friend's body is to make sure that he is truly 100% between her and him, and he DOESN'T MOVE. He stands there, and even though he's clearly scared (bonus points for the joke about the vending machine, AND bonus points for Chris being equally protective of Scott <3), he refuses to back down, because just like always, if you wanna get to Scott, you're gonna have to go through him first. And trust me, he's tougher than he looks.

And of course, you KNOW I have to point out the absolute RELIEF on Stiles's face when Scott does finally wake back up. The sigh, the hand up to his mouth, the turning away...that boy loves his best friend SO MUCH, and he was SO WORRIED, and he was SO RELIEVED when he did come out of it okay. In the heat of the moment, Stiles always puts up that front, and he always makes things seem okay for everyone else's benefit, but whenever Scott is in danger, he will ALWAYS be worried, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, and I love him for that. <3

SCILES ALL THE WAY!!! I HAVE MISSED YOU MY BELOVED!! <3 <3

Ahhhh. It's so good to be back to watching this show.

I probably won't be able to watch more today, but definitely Tuesday, and in general, I'm gonna try really hard to watch at LEAST an episode a day, but...probably more, because there's no way I finish in the next couple of weeks if that's the goal I set for myself lol.

ANYWAYS.

I couldn't find most of the gifs I wanted, but I DID get Scott and Kira, and I found a different Sciles gif, so we're tacking those both on here. XD <3

(I JUST LOVE BOTH OF THESE RELATIONSHIPS SO MUCH!! Scira will forever and always be my Scott OTP, and then Sciles will forever and always be my ultimate brOTP, because LOOK AT THEM!! <3 <3)

[subbyfoxelf]

[webseries review] dimension 20: escape from the bloodkeep (2019)

this is so unreasonably wholesome. the moment of this campaign that’s a microcosm of the whole thing is brennan just exclaiming in mock dismay, “this was supposed to be the evil campaign!!”

this is the first non-intrepid heroes adventure we watched, and tbh i was kinda halfway thinking we should just watch all the intrepid heroes stuff first and get to the side adventures if/when we got to them, but i’m so glad we didn’t end up going that route. obviously the fact that this is a loving parody of lord of the rings helped a lot, as did the fact that we still had our incomparable dungeon master brennan lee mulligan.

it also helped that i already knew a lot of the players from other dropout & youtube content. trapp of course i knew as the wonderful host of um actually. erika ishii was already probably one of my favorite performers on dropout just in the various gameshows/etc i’d seen her in, so i really appreciated getting to see her sink her teeth into something more juicy (see it’s funny because her character is literally a spider queen). i know matt mercer is famous for critical role, but since i haven’t gotten into that i’ve really only seen him on um actually where he’s flexed his d&d knowledge on a number of occasions so it was cool to get to see him in his element, and i’m even more interested in eventually checking out critical role than i already was. rekha & amy i’ve seen in a ton of dropout stuff and they’re just incredibly smart & funny, and the only person i didn’t really recognize was ify, but he grew on me basically immediately, and he has a play in the last battle that is legit one of the coolest & most creative tactical moves i’ve ever seen in dungeons & dragons. so, yeah! that’ll work.

as alluded to in the first paragraph, the tone of this thing is just this wonderful combination of wholesomeness & warmth and just terrifying evil? like, erika’s character lilith is a spider queen who wants to conquer the world, but she’s also an amazing mom? and i’m sorry, but i think her son jason is my favorite character in the whole damn campaign, i’m sorry, brennan’s npcs are just so great! but i love that they’re that great without actually detracting from the players’ characters. you also have trapp’s character sokhbarr lovingly caring for gross monsters, matt mercer’s legally distinct nazgul character leiland having weird good boy energy (and ending up in the devoted service of the literal infant dark lord heir apparent), and just… i could keep going with each character, but yeah!!

this is an extension of the tone that pretty much every dimension 20 campaign has of combining the mundane with the fantastical in surprising ways, and the players always being just incredibly wholesomely supportive of each other. seeing that applied to basically the faceless enemies of the lord of the rings movies (or books, if you must) was just such a fucking vibe!! my only complaint is that none of them were orcs, and actually the orcs were one of the big “bad guys” of the campaign? and like, i get it, structurally it makes sense, but dang it, i love me some orcs & gobbies!!! and not because i’m thirsty for them.

i mean, not just because i’m thirsty for them.

[imaginmatrix]

Tbh, I’m not afraid to write slight/more than slight OOC characters anymore. Like, yeah I’ll cringe if someone portrays a character in a way I don’t like, or I’ll complain about misinterpretations of characters I LOVE, but… sometimes it can be fun to read or write characters slightly different than canon.

Percy in a lot of my fanfics IS ooc. Like, not to the point of being unrecognizable as the same character, but enough that I do sometimes get comments about it.

And it’s definitely something I do on purpose.

Most of my fics are AUs— meaning the characters have different experiences, relationships, memories, and privileges that can affect them in a way that might make their personality or even how others see them different than what we’re used to in canon.

For example, TGAR Percy is popular, a golden boy, and he dates around a bit. This is obviously very different from the kid in the books who was branded a trouble maker, who didn’t have any school friends outside of people who turned out to be like him (Grover and Tyson), who had a hard life that showed.

But in TGAR, that wouldn’t make sense— they live in a world where everyone knows the gods exist and their whole society has been built up around that fact. Demigods are minor celebrities. Children of the big three moreso.

Percy grew up with private trainers, with a spotlight on him (but his mom still around to keep him grounded), adhd and dyslexia are revered and accommodated in a way they aren’t in our world because they’re signs of divine blood so he wouldn’t have had as much trouble in school, he didn’t have Smelly Gabe, he didn’t have to worry about money or constant danger or any of that— so while he’s still sarcastic, powerful, loyal, a bit of a doofus but one who has a lot of intelligence other people overlook, he’s also very well adjusted.

Any quests he went on were his choice, for fun or training. Because of his status as a son of Poseidon, people were more eager to befriend him, to date him. Without Sally that could have very well messed him up in other ways, but he had a GOOD support system. He likes to date, because he still craves a genuine connection when surrounded by so many yes-men, but he’s still Sally’s son and very respectful even if his relationships are short lived (they’ve never felt right to him.)

Then in “all of you, all of me”, he’s a little closer to canon Percy, but now with an academic twist. I won’t get too much into it since the story isn’t there yet and spoilers, but he had a similar experience growing up as canon Percy. But in the absence of gods and magic powers, he found something else to focus on, to pull him through, to work hard at.

And then there’s “follow like share” Percy who I honestly think is the closest to what an adult Percy from the books would look like without Annabeth’s influence on him growing up. A little edgier, a little more sarcastic, a little more dry.

ANYWAY, I think a lot of fanfic authors are scared to write their characters as ooc in any capacity— I’ll admit, if I’m reading a story and everyone is acting so far outside what I see them as, it will turn me off of it. And everyone will have a different threshold for that. But especially if you’re writing an AU, don’t be afraid of tweaking their personalities. If the Percy in your story is a hipster who brews homemade kombucha but has the same sense of humor, loyalty to his friends, and outlook on life, who cares if he’s also a little bit more granola? If you want to write Annabeth as a girly girl who loves pink and makeup and skirts, but also is just as driven, prideful, and stubborn, do it! It’s for fun!!!!!

[robinchan-hananomi]

Okay, so in One Piece 1069 we got a new theory about Devil Fruit

Vegapunk thinks that Devil Fruits came from the desire of human’s to be better than what they were, to surpass the limits of the body and completely recreate themselves. And because of how unnatural that was, the sea itself rejected these changes and cursed the beings who ate these fruits.

It’s an interesting theory but it leaves a few questions that I have. So on one hand, Vegapunk’s theory actually kind of makes sense and has a basis in our actual real belief systems. In a few cultures and folklore's there are various entities that can be created entirely based off of belief. Enough people believing in it, believing in it strong enough, and manifesting it into existence. The question is then, when did the Devil Fruits come into existence and what force of nature limited them to only having one power each?

In One Piece we have a lot of supernatural aspects to the world that makes it very possible that this theory is true. The fist is the Klabautermann, based off the same folklore in real life with the same name. If a ship is loved and respected that much, it pretty much creates a soul that can protect the ship and crew in times of impending doom. And that is pretty much the very same principal that Vegapunk is proposing for the devil fruits. People’s believed so strong they created spirits that inhabited fruits and gave those spirits onto those who ate the fruits, granting them the powers of the spirit. Another thing to support that is that even the Five Stars mentioned that devil fruits, especially zoan, have wills and desires of their own. This also leads to another fascinating question of what other devil fruits are out there that absolutely nobody knows about?

We also know inanimate objects can receive souls and wills of their own based off the desire of it’s creator. The most illustrated example of this in One Piece is swords. Zoro learned that every sword has a will and a soul of it’s own, and those swords have expectations of their masters. When a swords expectations surpass the wielder’s skills, they may drain the wielder and kill them. Those are the blades referred to cursed blades. The sword can easily reject the person wielding it, and if that happens they may die. So again, we see more evidence to support Vegapunk’s theory.

However Vegapunk’s whole theory falls apart if the sea itself doesn’t have a soul or a spirit. If the ‘mother sea’ as he called her doesn’t have it’s own will or soul then it can’t very well reject a person who is ‘unnatural’. However we learned that One Piece does in fact have souls. The best examples of this are Big Mom and Brook, whose very existence show us that in One Piece everyone has a soul and there is a place for the souls to go after they leave the body, else where else would Brook have ‘returned’ from. Which leads to the next question, is there a god in One Piece? We know there are beliefs in gods and demons, even Hell since a cult was trying to summon a demon from Hell. But does One Piece actually have deities or just supernatural forces? Like the will of the very world?

And of course all this could just be a crazy theory of Vegapunk’s and the Devil Fruits could have easily been manufactured by the Ancient Kingdom. Even then it could still essentially be fulfilling Vegapunk’s theory, since humans desired it so they created it. It is very possible that they Ancient Kingdom could have created the devil fruits, after all Vegapunk was able to pretty much recreate Kaido’s devil fruit and we see Kadio even creating artificial devil fruits. Yes, they are flawed but the fact that they got this far and the Ancient Kingdom was far more advanced then even Vegapunk says it is very possible that they engineered these. Which again leads to the question of why did they stop at just one of each type? How are Devil Fruits’ reborn? And why would the sea reject them if it wasn’t due to the spiritual side of things?

I loved this theory because it opened up a whole new slew of questions and I really can’t wait to see the answers to them.

[khaleesiofalicante]

"I'm sorry you were not truly loved and that it made you cruel." -Warsan Shire

Great, so we got rid of David-being-the-Prince-of-Darkness problem! Now we have the we-don't-know-who-is one!

Shadowhunters are so stupid holy fuck

Oh, mirror mirror in the sky!!! It makes sense now!!! I support Lexi's idea 100%. But I do feel this is going to leave some issues left...

The irony of finding a way to kill something that can't be killed 🥰

Something poetic about the fact that they are going to use the resources of the Devlins for themselves.... But also there's an itch I can't figure about it...

Jace and Simon are idiots 😂😂 but also, mood

I would like to personally thank you for the throne sex references kshskdjd

They had won. But it didn’t feel like it. For some reason, it felt like the worst was yet to come. yeah this feels odd

He can call Manus just by tapping the floor oh my god kshdkdk

David stop stealing demons and making them pets!!!

I agree killing Mallory would solve everything, but I am proud of my rosewood tho🥺

“Our memories are part of our identities too,” David whispered. “Who are we if not for the memories of who we have been and memories of who we wished to be?” David is a better person than me bc I would take the memories of that bitch right away, but he is also right

I agree with Rafael bc Anjali in that throne would be HOT AF🥵

Yes to Malec solving inmortality nerves in a hell dimension💙

Who tf does Hunter think he is to demand a different trial?? Its so ridiculous is kinda funny lmao

Yeah I don't love that decision either but there's nothing left to do so...

My queen is too good for you❤️

A clean fight. Nice😎 also “Even if we’re family,” Alec said. “You mistake me for someone who gives a shit.” ???? Damn, this man is gorgeous!!!

No Max, she is a crazy bitch, I promise

No one in my life has tried to kill me before, but I don't automatically assume they love me for it, Mallory!!

Yes he met Merlin!!! They are the cutest 🥺💙💙💙

My moral compass is whatever Gigi says😌

WHAT. THE. ABSOLUTE. FUCK. JUST. HAPPENED??????? HOLY FUCK SHIT. WHAT?? HOW??? WHEN?? WHY?? HOW?? ISTG I JUMPED AND I FELL OFF MY BED BC OF THE SHOCK OH MY GOD😭😭 I KNEW IT!!! OTHER MAX IS FUTURE MAX!! Also it makes sense Nico asked for him, maybe he knows warlock math and can figure this shit out?!?!!!

I... I don't know how I am alive after that last part. I have a lot of questions. And I almost cried. And then I went to tell everything to my mom even if I knew she didn't understand shit of what I was saying but I don't care because wtf?!?!!!

Questions (I know you probably can't answer them but I will ask them bc my mind is chaos):

What did Leviathan meant??? Everything that needed to be done?? What does Legacy mean?? Although yes, the competition is not even close, obviously David wins!!

“It’s not a romcom,” Max shook his head. “It’s a love story.” WHEN I TELL YOU MY HEART STOPPED-

Who cried for eleven days??? David?? What did Mallory do?? And how?? And what was horrible enough to make Max do this??

Also the parallels here😭 Louder said first from David to Max, them from Mallory to David and finally Max to Mallory in different context, and Max saying there is nothing that could make him like her but also this and- god I want to make an analysis of this but my phone is dying 😭😭

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH

This was in equals parts satisfying, terrifying and just fucking confusing.... HOW ARE THERE JUST THREE CHAPTERS LEFT???

There is not amount of words or time that can express correctly the feelings I have rn. This was an absolute fave. I am confused. I loved it. I have questions. The quotes were on some other level. Wow. You never not surprise me!!

💙.💙.💙.

But also bold of you to asume I won't come back with more screaming

Aight aight aight. Let's look at these questions.

Oh wait.

The answer for all the questions is "you'll find out soon" lmao bye

[riakida]

No problem - anything to help you get back into writing *hugs*. Last thing I want is to overwhelm you or make you feel uncomfortable. You probably need to be in your own head to focus.

Yes I have “written” in this AU - I am your anon writer friend :) - I put “written” in quotes because new material is mostly in my head for now.

The James sibling one was to be a surprise for you because you wanted it a while back. The idea was he comes back in from riding his broom outside telling his parents he knows what he wants for Christmas all excited. He’s probably 8 or 9. He wants a brother to play with. His parents gently explain to him that it’s not possible and that they were blessed to get him.

It ends with his mom telling him that someday when he goes to Hogwarts, he might make a friend that will be “like a brother” and that is special too. She promises to treat this friend well and make him feel at home.

Yes, politics are difficult especially because our system is so polar and corporations own everything. How do they do elections in Germany? Is it possible to have a “third party” or have non-partisan individuals vote in all elections? What is your system like?

We also fail because we don’t count write ins in over 30 states and the electoral college is “winner takes all” and dates back to slavery days. I try to pick battles too - I have shown people one person at a time that gender scholars are not the big bad wolf.

In fact, Arlie Hochschild - a gender scholar wrote a book about Trump supporters calling for sociological empathy. We must know why they saw an ally in him, where do we need to spread for them, and how can we change hearts. Many were disenfranchised by “elite” concerns and felt neglected in rural areas.

It’s always wonderful seeing your updates and hope you are able to take care <3

I thought it was you, writer anon :) it's funny but the writing process takes place in the head so much that i see even thinking about a story as being situated somewhere on a wide continuum that constitutes "writing". So i get that totally.

Awww it's a super sweet idea to have Mrs Potter remember that promise later when James brings home Sirius. Also looking at this from the boys' perspective, it makes sense that James got so close with Sirius so quickly because, while James was deep down looking for a brother, Sirius was also looking for a family. So this could be an explanation of why they "clicked" so quickly and easily.

Hmm the German system is super difficult to explain but we have lots and lots of parties. I think in the parliament we have 6 parties right now and bc none of them usually get the majority of votes, they always have to form coalitions in order to create a government that has more than 50% of the votes. On the federal level, there's a margin of 5% which means that very small parties (which get like 1% of the votes or 0.001%) won't get any seats in the parliament, so these votes are in fact also getting lost. These parties can be more influential on the communal levels though. Other votes for the main parties are divided into direct mandates and indirect mandates that will balance out the seats for the smaller parties, cause if we did a winner-takes-it-all-process, of course in most voting districts the big centrist parties would get the seat and smaller parties would get nothing. This is why, on the ballots, we actually have 2 votes. The result of this is however that the parliament is growing bigger and bigger - it has 733 members right now.

I don't understand why people get so upset about the gays and gender. I mean, i do get it in a way, there's safety in stability and simplicity, but it can get ridiculous too. But like you explain it, Arlie Hochschild's perspective makes a lot of sense. Is the book called "strangers in their own land"? I might actually see if my library has this book, it sounds like an interesting read.