#and people to talk about my blorbos with at length

[quillyfied]

Was talking to my sibling about the first three eps of OFMD s2, and said something to the effect of “but I’m waiting for the whole season so I can watch it as a whole and dissect it and dig into the themes and foreshadowing and symbolism” and it occurred to me that 1. That’s the most English major thing I’ve ever said, and 2. I often fall into the pit of bitterness for majoring in that bc while I have passion for it, I haven’t been able to make it a viable career for myself, and in that existential angst I’ve been languishing for something to tingle that part of my brain that adores literary/media creation and analysis (that I can also get paid for), and. I forgot. That I’m using those exact skills when I participate in fandom. Which is why I fell so hard in love with the fandom life in the first place. It’s fun for the sake of fun, analysis because stories matter and they matter to me.

Listen I’m intelligent, I’m not smart XD

[captainmera]

Mx.mera!! (No pressure take all the time you need ) when is the next tgb chapter ?? :3

It's on indefinite hold atm, dont expect updates anytime soon. I'm juggling a lot atm.

(None of this is directed at you personally. This is just my general state on working on TGB and why it is standing stale. If you're curious why it's not updating)

TGB was always meant to just be a fun side thing I did as a writing exercise. It helped me identify a lot of my writing flaws and hiccups, and also my writing style. Which has been very enlightening.

There's a lot with TGB I need to go back and edit, so I need to re-read my own work (which I've been informed is the length of two LOTR books?? Sweet jesus, I need to cut it down) before I get back to it.

My ideas have become much longer and drawn out than I wanted, the pacing is very slow (which is fine, but I wanna get to the fun parts.) Which is another problem I've identified. I'm writing book form, chapter by chapter, rather than the episodes I'm seeing in my head. And it's frustrating.

Because I see it as episodes, but write them out, the chapters get really long. And I spend a lot of time being anxious about that.

Drawing comics is easier because I don't have to describe feelings or environments. I can just show it right away.

And no, I'm not gonna draw TGB as a comic. That's too much. I tried drawing future scenes (as comics) I thought of and wanted to envision, but I got people being upset about it being spoilers. So I stopped doing that.

Actually, I got worried about anything I drew of any characters being spoilery because I'd get asks or comments about it being for TGB. I usually just delete comments or asks like that, so I don't have to see it, but reading so much of it builds up in my head, yknow?

I also got a few people (might've been just one person. They were on anon) that wouldn't stop berating me about Willow and Hunter's body types. And some people got REALLY weird and insinuated that drawing them hugging and kissing was sexual. And some people try to trick me into drawing fetish things (feederism being one).

So, in all honesty? I liked writing TGB, with all the flaws it has or not. I loved drawing Huntlow and the hexsquad; until people got 1) weird about it. 2) pushy about continuing it. 3) upset it wasn't writing fast enough or I didn't draw x, y, z.

It honestly has robbed me of all the fun to post fanart.

Which is a shame because I still like the characters a lot.

I know that if I update a chapter, I'll get a revival of people spamming me these things again, and I'm not mentally or emotionally strong r/n for any of that.

So.... I'm doing witteclaw. Because nobody is pressuring me to do anything. Not to update, not to draw x,y,z. People are just happy with whatever I put out in whatever pace I put it out in. I get to talk with people about theories about the show and discuss writing in a fun, mature, way.

I also just really like witteclaw in general. But I don't like ut more than the hex kids. There's just less demand and pressure.

Which makes hanging out in the fandom still fun.

Don't get me wrong. I love sweet huntlow, I love the noceda trio, the galactic duo are still my best boys (i miss drawing gus and hunter), and the emerald trio is my blorbos (I got so many pins and keychains u guys lol) and I love the hexsquad the most, I love soft lumity, I wanna draw more grunge Vee, Camila is best mum.

The owl house is SO much fun.

But the fandom is kind of demanding. And maybe that's my fault for having open requests. But I don't regret that, I do enjoy art requests.

But people got less polite and more demanding, and some got angry(?), and some use lingo that I understand is meant to be funny but comes across as incredibly entitled and mean spirited. Some also don't seem to understand I'm a person, and that all art takes time. I had a person once get upset that I didn't out enough effort into their request as I had into another. Which... girl, you're not paying me, sit down.

It got pretty uncomfortable. It stole the fun out of drawing similar things for people who asked nicely and enthusiastically. I also realised a lot of these people read TGB, since requests were often about that.

It wouldn't always be art requests. It would just be a straight-up request to write the next chapter already.

TGB was fun, until the pressure to prioritise it became the majority from people who followed me. and people wrote things like:

Tbf that's the only one who dared to be that public about it. But I get asks like this at least once a week, and I turned off DMs because it happened every second to third day.

It's like.... not very nice or cool, yknow? :,(

it genuinely has made me feel really sad about working on my passion project IBWR too. Because people kept making it pretty clear they were annoyed I spent time on something else than what they were following me for.

It's like, whatever I guess, but it still hurts.

TD;LR

No, no tgb anytime soon. A few people killed the party, and I need time to like it again how I used to. Without the enjoyment of creating and writing, and enjoying the process, bring robbed from me.

Thanks.

Maybe I just need thicker skin I dont know. I'm trying to find a good balance with it. People are allowed to like/dislike my work and comment on it. I don't mind critique. It's just not really been critique at all? It's just demands and that hits different on the heart.

[positivelyapunovexponent-good]

One of the really amusing things about college is that if you pay attention you sometimes can discern some of your professor's favorite pet concepts.

For instance, in my Topology course this semester, the Zariski topology has come up at least once in every single homework set so far, and in multiple lectures.

And okay, that's not that weird. The Zariski topology is a really important object in a LOT of fields, especially algebraic geometry. And discussing it at length is a really pedagogically sound move because the Zariski topology is a good example of a topology with a very well motivated structure (the closed sets are the algebraic sets!) that still very naturally gives rise to a lot of strange features, like the way all open sets in the standard topology are Zariski-dense. It was quite effective at startling me out of the complacency of unconsciously basing my intuition of how topologies behave entirely on the standard topology on the reals. So my professor bringing up Zariski so often doesn't necessarily mean he has any special affection for it.

except...

My professor writes many of the homework problems himself. Not all of them - the less interesting ones he lifts from the textbook- but some. Well, every single Zariski topology question I've encountered so far is an original from this guy. I know because the all the questions he writes personally have paragraphs of commentary contextualizing why he thinks the problem is interesting and where the ideas in the problem are going later in the course. And well- let's just say the asides on the Zariski topology have been copious indeed

AND THEN there's the way he talks about the Zariski topology in class! It's with this blend of enthusiasm and fascination only comparable to the way I've seen tumblrites talk about their blorbos. Like hey! Come behold this sgrungy little guy! Isn't he fucked up? Isn't he marvelous? And I look and I can only conclude YEAH that is indeed a spectacular specimen, he's so strange, I want to put him in a terrarium and study him (and then I get to! In my homeworks!)

Anyways. It makes me really happy picking up on how excited my professor is to share this topology with us. I'm kind of baffled that people assume math is a boring field full of boring people when there exist folks like my professor who get this passionate about a topology!

[utilitycaster]

like actually it's wild to me as someone who mostly exists on the fringes of the D20 fandom, since CR is by far my main one, that a lot of the really popular voices there are popular fanartists who low-key hate like 99% of what D20 is and tend to fixate on like, ships between barely-seen side characters. Like okay, so you don't like D&D as a system and think it's inherently imperialist and violent; you don't like that they no longer do hour-long Adventuring Parties (which started when they were in full lockdown and quickly ended once the industry was back on fairly regular footing); you don't like that they joke around in the talkback show even though that's true of every AP talkback show and I listen to at least four of them; you don't like the D20 formula of ending with a big combat at the end; and you don't like that characters weren't redeemed because you feel as though the narrative didn't give them time to be redeemed and this season should have been longer despite it being standard length for an Intrepid Heroes season and "the narrative" is shaped by Brennan Lee Mulligan, DM, as well as the cast's choices.

Like, real talk, I watch/listen to a lot of actual play and at least four talkback shows (for CR, NADDPod, WBN, and sometimes D20) and when fans get mad that the talkback has too much joking around it's an almost flawless litmus test that person hates the show but their blorbo is on it or their fandom identity rests on it or some other sunk cost fallacy. And if they start talking about the story as if it is not driven by the DM and the cast, you know they're really mad about the DM-ing and the cast choices but are too cowardly to say "Hey, I disliked what Brennan did here." And if you add it to the fact that D20's fandom in particular has a real problem with "liking the right stories is activism :)" and this story doesn't spell out Capitalism is the BBEG (thought it does, hilariously, take some very good shots at Evangelical Christianity and the hypocrisy of the religious right) you get this. I really think a lot of these people don't like D20 much; they like some platonic ideal of D20 mixed in with no small dose of their own personal desires and it's like, if you want a more than 20 episode series that's low combat...why are you going to D20.

[the-fluff-piece]

Headcanon: introducing them to your big family

They've had their rough childhoods and their single dads. But now they meet your big, loud family! They love him and take him in like their own.

Just imagine the poor blorbos finally being loved and pampered!

Headcanon for Law, Sanji and Zoro

Also check out my other headcanons and stories

Law

He's afraid. So much. He plans to get through it like any social interaction: keeping everyone at arms length and not talking

Your mom will not have it. The boy needs some meat on his bones. If he wants to or not. After initially refusing her various foods, he falls in love with her rice recipes

He's overwhelmed by the sheer number of people he meets at family events. He has to make a list of names

Doesn't let it on, but he absolutely wants them to like him. He reads books about social interaction now

Surprisingly, he gets along well with the little ones of your family, treating them to ice cream and taking care of their little injuries

Sanji

He's very confident that they'll love him - especially the ladies

He looses control of his tears the first time someone tells him "You're family now, boy!" and he feels warm and special, deep inside

He'll find out that your grandma knows the secret recipe to your favourite childhood meal. He'll do anything to prove himself to her so she may share it with him. Will pick apples in her garden, cook applesauce and pickle stuff for her to get it

When you're dad gives him the talk about how he's gonna get in trouble if he hurts you - he is fully on board and demands to be punished if he ever made you cry. Your dad is confused, but content

Cooks and bakes for all family events. He loves Big family events. He knows everyone's name and favorite and he likes the hugging and asking how it's going

Zoro

Super chill about it at first, but gets super stressed once the whole family is asking him about everything he did in life

Soon fears that he didn't achieve enough if he's not the greatest swordsman ever and can never marry you

Ends up being the life of the party once there is booze for everyone, drinking at the bar and having fun

Is absolutely the type to sit with other silent men during events without booze

Likes to tease the younger ones and shows them a few moves

[thesharktanksdriver]

Dicentra D. Boa

Content warning going in: implied rape, human trafficking, slavery, implied sexual assault, implied Sa of children, and massacres. It’s not talked in length or in detail but it is alluded to due to the Boa sisters backstory and Dicentra’s conception. I wanted to be sure to give a warning just in case because of the nature of these topics. If any of these themes are triggering please skip past the section labeled “Josephine” and go to “childhood” instead

Also sorry if she’s cringe or Mary sue but she’s my little blorbo and I love her. Writing her is also my excuse to write (and rewrite) about Boa Hancock because I think she’s underrated and I think her character could’ve been handled better by oda (this is in regards to her liking Luffy which is really weird since she’s a grown adult who fell in love with a 17 year old after being victimized through a decent portion of her life by adults)

General information

Name: Dicentra D. Boa.

Following after the flower naming convention of the Amazon lily, Dicentra is the scientific name of the bleeding heart flower. Her name was chosen by Hancock since dicentra’s birth mother didn’t know what to choose

The D. Is gained to her by her birth mother Josephine D. Etheus. Though Dicentra is apart of “the will of D” she has no idea about it due to the fact Boa swore to Josephine that no traces from her would connect back to Dicentra.

Age: 13

Dicentra was born a few hours before the mass breakout of Mary geoise when Hancock was 16.

Race: half-lunarian

Dicentra’s motherJosephine was a full lunarian captured in the massacre of her people. Despite Saturns extermination efforts a few celestial dragons wanted a lunarian as apart of their collection and were able to accomplish this secretly

Being only half lunarain attributes to her white hair and darker toned skin. But along with this it also acts as a reason as to why her wings are so small and why she doesn’t have an eternal spark.

She can’t create fire because of this, but she could control already lit flames if she needed to. But she has not found this out yet

(Fun fact is that whenever in a room with some type of fire, she subconsciously pulls that flame slightly towards herself. Kinda like how sunflowers face the sun, flames direct themselves towards her)

Personality: curious, sometimes oblivious, good hearted, optimistic, overly eager and a bit chaotic

As a young sheltered girl Dicentra is naturally curious of the world and just about anything she can get her hands on. She enjoys soaking in all of the knowledge of the great world beyond the Amazon lily, whilst also secretly yearning to see it for herself.

Another side effect of her sheltered upbringing is the fact she’s very oblivious to things. Whether that be wandering into a bad situation due to curiosity of something that caught her eye or just being unaware of concepts like men not being hideous monsters that’ll kill her (Hancock taught her this lol). Despite her being oblivious to these environmental concerns she’s actually very observant of others emotions when needed.

Unlike her mother’s cold and dominating facade Dicentra is very openly warm to those around her. She often times is found conversing with others around her, joyfully asking about things and recounting new stuff she discovered.

Along with this she can be very eager about whatever catches her eye. Leading her to blindly and stubbornly pursue it even at her own detriment (much to her mother’s and Nightshade concern). This has lead to her acting without foresight and acting on the first thing that entered her mind which can have varied results…like biting someone’s hand

Interests and hobbies: journaling, exploration, drawing, dance and song

Once more due to her interest in the world beyond the Amazon lily Dicentra has taken to journaling all she’s learned. When her mother brings her gifts from far off places she enjoys documenting everything she can about it. Of all subjects she loves writing about the most she enjoys exotic Fish, birds and gemstones the most.

Due to her journaling she ends up exploring places quite a bit. From the city of her home to the jungles and mountains she’ll explore. Some of it from blind interest and from plain eager stubbornness

Something gained from her journaling is her hobby of drawing. Though years of practice she’s gotten decent at drawing, though it’s less out of passion and moreso just for proper documentation.

Her real hobbies are that of song and dance. As a princess Dicentra had taken up many hobbies but the two that stuck with her are dancing and song. She enjoys dancing since it’s an active activity and picking up new instruments to learn and play.

She’s particularly fond of the Erhu (I’m taking in some Chinese inspiration due to the Chinese influence of the Amazon lily)

Habits and quirks: Manners, stiff posture, back issues, lack of shoes, playing with her hands, love of berries/fruits and tendency to put others before her

Dicentra as princess (though that title is moreso just a title since the Amazon lily leadership is based on strength rather than bloodline) she was educated to have proper manners. While she’s a tough and tumble kind of girl she still implores these manners in most social situations until she finds something interesting and throws manners to the wind.

Due to these manners she can sometimes also have a stiff posture in mix with her back pains. Hiding her wings is a hassle for her so binding them along with keeping a certain posture as to be sure their hidden is important. When around those she trusts she lets up a bit and is more relaxed but that’s if they know of her wings. If not she keeps up the posture to be sure they won’t be found

As stated above she gets quite a lot of back pain and jolts of discomfort due to her hiding her wings. It’s an unfortunate thing she has to deal with, something all the boa sisters feels guilty about but know it’s for Dicentra’s best interest in the end.

Despite being taught manners Dicentra can’t stand wearing closed toe shoes. She doesn’t mind sandals but she loves being barefoot much to her mother’s ire. Dicentra loves the feeling of grass and sand beneath her feet.

A nervous quirk she has is that she plays with her hands quite a bit.

Also is a giant sweet tooth for things but especially loves Berries, Fruits and her favourite food of peach buns with a custard filling. It’s definitely due to the D trait.

Another tendency she has is for her to value others above herself. As princess though it’s more of a title she believes that her mom and the Amazon lily comes first. She’ll put down or put away her own feelings and ambitions if it means she can’t help others. It’s the reason as to why she stayed in the Amazon instead of exploring like she wanted, why she asks questions about the outside world and sees glimpses of it through stories and objects instead of pursing it herself.

Relationships: Hancock, Marigold, Sandersonia, Nightshade, Rayleigh and Shakuyaku, Gloriosa, Salome and Ouroboros

Hancock: Dicentra has a very strong relationship with her mom and looks up to her as her hero (for various reasons). She loves her mom deeply for both her kindness and dedication to protecting the Amazon lily. She knows deep down her mom is a lot more tender than she lets on but puts up a front to protect everyone else (and herself). Even though dicentra wishes to explore the world she follows her mom’s rules of staying in the Amazon Lily knowing there has to be some reason as to why her mom is so insistent on it. Along with this she follows her mom’s rules of hiding her back and binding her wings even if it’s uncomfortable (something Boa wishes she didn’t have to make Dicentra do but does it out of necessity). Her favourite activity with her mom is having her mom brush her hair

Marigold: Dicentra loves her aunt Marigold but is sometimes a little bit intimidated by her. Granted she knows her aunt would never do anything bad but Marigold is sometimes too stoic for Dicentra to read which makes her nervous she’s doing something wrong. Unbeknownst to her Marigold very much loves her but gets worried of messing up and internally panics because she overestimated herself. Dicentra’s favourite memory with Marigold is when she taught her how to make flower crowns

Sandersonia: Dicentra loves hanging out with her Aunt Sandersonia. Unlike with Marigold Sandersonia is more in tune with her emotions so Dicentra is able to read her better and therefore know if she’s bothering her. If Sandersonia isn’t busy with something she’ll often tag along with Dicentra’s exploring of the Amazon lily and play games together. Dicentra’s favorite thing to do with Sandersonia is petting her aunts zoan tail

Nightshade (another oc): Nightshade is Dicentra’s sworn guard and protector assigned by Hancock herself. Dicentra sees Nighshade as her closest companion and as a big sister to her. Though Nightshade sometimes gets frustrated at Dicentra throwing caution to the wind and running off she knows that Nightshade doesn’t typically get legitimately mad unless something really bad happened. Nightshade beside the Boa sisters is the only one who knows of Dicentra’s wings and origins, something the bodyguard takes in the upmost seriousness. Dicentra knows Nightshade isn’t her original name but hasn’t pushed about the subject. Her favourite thing to do with Nightshade is playing hide and seek.

Rayleigh and Shakuyaku: dicentra knows very little about these two but does hold them in high regard hearing they helped her mom and aunts. The most funny thing about this though is that she has no idea Rayleigh is a male (boa taught her men were ugly evil creatures lol) . She’s never met them but she hopes to one day do so.

Gloriosa: dicentra sometimes sneaks out to see the former empress of the Amazon despite being a “traitor” to learn more about the outside world. Though she doesn’t like how her mom and Gloriosa don’t get along well Dicentra holds respect for Gloriosa.

Salome and Ouroboros: Dicentra adores Salome and all the snakes of the Amazon. Her fight or flight instinct of bite first ask questions later was somewhat developed due to watching Salome when she was younger. Dicentra has a snake of the same species as Salome named Ouroboros, aptly named for its penchant for…eating its tail all the time. No one has any idea why boros does this but Dicentra loves her beloved snake even if all it does is act as a necklace for her half the time. Half the time people don’t notice they’re alive if not for their occasional blinking. She loves petting the scales of Salome and Ouroboros, absolutely loves the texture

(Meme break before getting to serious stuff. Nightshade is also included here)

Backstory

Prologue: Josephine

Dicentra’s birth mother Josephine was a lunarian born on the red line and raised with her people. She lived atop the red line in peace for many years, she was particularly gifted in being a graceful flyer amongst others her age but lacked control of her flames. Despite the peace at a young age she could tell something was coming somehow, she had a sixth sense for that thing (observation Haki). Eventually when her people were massacred to build Mary Geoise atop her ancestral home she was taken by a celestial dragon who wanted one of her kind as “apart of his collection” even though that wasn’t technically allowed. This all happened when she was 15.

For Years Josephine was kept in a cell, wings broken and unable to conjure flames even if she tried due to being underfed and weak. She’d spent so long being toyed with and abused with no relief but an empty cell to return to when she was finished being “useful”. Eventually though she got cellmate in the form of the young Boa sisters. For the first time in years Josephine felt something as she stared at the young girls, mirror showing her how much of a shell of her former self she was. She used to be young and free, used to be afraid and now she had felt nothing in years. And staring into the fearful tear stained eyes of these girls she swore to herself they wouldn’t end up like her. Broken and empty.

In that cell in the span of months turned to years Josephine would do her best to protect the sisters. Though she could not always protect them she was able to lessen their suffering. She cared for them, began to see them as her own just as they began to see her as a mother in this hell. Through her wings were broken she’d use them as blankets for them in the damp cold of the cell. Josephine would share the little food she had with them. She’d also tell them stories of her people who once proudly flew the skies, sang in hushed tones the songs passed on from generation to generation. Hell had at least become bareable

Eventually much to her own fear and horror Josephine became pregnant. It at some point was bound to happen but all the same it horrified her for the fact she knew her child would be killed. A bastard to celestial dragon was purged for the fact of “tainting” their holy blood, and that was just for normal cases. She was a lunarian, the people they purged and were still actively being hunting down from how that devil gloated about “owning such a rare species”. She had to hid this and hope for the best, and that’s what she did with the help of the Boa sisters.

Somehow hiding her pregnancy was a task in of itself but it had been somehow done, but with that came the actual delivery. Weak and Malnourished as she already was without proper medical care in a dark cell wasn’t a good mix. She’s left at deaths doorstep clinging barely to life after the deed was said and done. The only upside to it all was she felt that sixth sense again, things were changing and her daughters would be free. Before letting herself rest she makes the girls promise to never tell her daughter of her heritage, to protect her and love her as she loved them. Tearfully the girls agree, Hancock vowing she’d raise Dicentra as her own. With how Josephine falls asleep the girls believe her to be dead, and in a way she is…but not fully yet

The mass escape of slaves happens and her daughters flee, through this all Josephine laid on deaths door in her cell. She was ok with dying, had for so long dreamt of such a thing, but anger had let her from not dying quite yet. Half dead and powered only by the knowledge she’d die Josephine gets up. Broken wings crack and move, the pain so blinding it became numb. She had to protect her daughters, had to erase all trace of them here lest a trail is somehow left. And despite never knowing to master her flames she ignites because she herself is the kindling. The already aflame Mary geoise is lit with newer more intense fire that burned to the fire. Josephine burns with mother’s rage and a single wish. Cleanse her homeland with flame just as it was meant to be oh so long ago.

Josephine kills her tormentor and bastard of a man who’s father to her daughter, watches the flames bath him in agony as she holds his face in burning hands. Scarlet eyes glaring down at him as everything burned, her once small flickering flame behind her neck so intense and big it hurt to look at and consumed the background. Flesh melts and blood sizzles in her palms. Josephine dies kneeling on the red earth of her home, staring up to the smouldering sky with broken wings and an outstretched hand to the heavens she so loved. Her scream echoes out among flickering flames and chaos, echoes and reverberates into the sky before turning to nothingness. She burns so intensely that nothing of herself and twenty feet surrounding her body is left besides ash, soot and a trail of bloody feathers littering the ground just outside the crater as her scream of agony faded.

Chapter 1: Childhood from the eyes of a mother

Dicentra grows up on a lie just as everyone else of the Amazon lily does. From the time she could walk and speak she’s told of how her mother and aunts slayed a fierce-some gorgon that had killed her birth mother which led to her being adopted. That gorgon cursed her mom, aunts and herself with a curse bared on their backs. For her mom and her aunts it’s an odd symbol and for Dicentra it’s her wings. But all the same Dicentra knows that her mom is her hero (and though that story is a lie it’s still true she’s her hero) and the young princess stared at her mother in awe and such innocence. It’s something that eats Hancock up inside, that she’s lying to her daughter about everything. Of her wings, her lineage and birth mother and yet she made that vow and she won’t go back in it.

All this leads to though is Hancock being fiercely protective of her daughter, not just for the fact of her blood but because she wants better for Dicentra. She wants her daughter to live happy not plagued by the burden and shame that she and her sisters suffers daily. The memories, the pain, the loss of it all. She wants Dicentra to live the life Hancock wished she had, of never being ripped away from a safe and loving home to be hurt over and over again. It’s why she keeps a close eye on her, especially in the early years where everything is still fresh in her mind of the escape. Perhaps she’s a tad overbearing at times but knowing her daughter is happy and safe within the walls of her nation is all that matters. But as time progresses she does become more lenient towards letting Dicentra do things on her own with the only condition being a bodyguard accompanying her.

At 6 Dicentra has Nightshade assigned as her personal bodyguard and protector. Before then it was randomly assigned guards or Salome who took over watching over the already curious and slightly mischievous young girl. Much to Hancock’s displeasure her daughter takes to running off into the jungles of the Amazon but at the same time she can’t help but be happy her daughter takes her freedom in such strive and not forgranted. Dicentra talks of all range of things she came across once she comes home, from rocks she found to bird feathers pressed in pages. Nightshade with now wild tangled hair standing beside Dicentra posed and proper even with a few leaves and sticks lodged in once straight black hair.

By 7 Hancock decides to have Dicentra be taught proper manners and help her find some hobbies that aren’t just running off into the brush. It’s there that Dicentra finds her talent in Dance and playing instruments, she specifically likes playing the Erhu traditionally played in the Amazon lily. It’s a hobby especially Hancock enjoys because it quickly becomes a source of calm when old memories plague her mind. Perhaps a lifetime ago she would’ve picked up the instrument as well, but now she resides herself to listening to old tunes that would play before that fateful day on a ship leaving home. Whilst she listens she holds her daughter, time seems to slip away and for once all is well for those minutes playing song.

At 9 Dicentra begins to do more things around the Amazon lily. Knowing the jungles area and documenting the plants she finds ends up being useful to apothecaries and doctors on the island. Along with this she starts to also help in delivering things and having a hand in public events. It’s here that she begins to realize what being a princess means even if it’s more a title than anything. To the Amazon lily her mom is cold and respected, the citizens of the island fear and love her and Hancock knows this. They don’t see her compassion behind closed doors but Dicentra does. If her mom is the cold and cool leader that in secret cared, then Dicentra would be a sliver in that door for others to see that kindness. She tells the truth, that her mom asked her to try and find ways to help the other kuja women. As princess the women of the island love her and she notices she means something to everyone there. For the women of the island Dicentra is their kind princess in contrast to their lovely but cruel empress, to Hancock Dicentra is what little hope is left in the world.

At 10 the young princess starts asking Hancock more about the outside world and it leaves the empress silently terrified. They aren’t bad questions, moreso just innocent ones of if places she’d been to were like home. But to Hancock they signify the end. She knew from the moment her bright eyed daughter began to run before learning to walk, began looking out to the sea on the horizon and climbed to the tops of the snake statues overlooking the entire tribe she’d one day be curious enough to leave. That this island would become too small to satisfy her need to see and experience the world. A selfish part of her wished that the luxuries she spoiled her with and the nights in which she’d hug her close whilst promising she’d always be safe here would disway her, but Hancock always knew because of the spark in her eyes that she’d one day leave. It terrifies her and yet she knows one day she’ll have to because she can’t take away Dicentra’s freedom just as hers had been taken. But for now she was safe, leaving was in the future but now she was safe in her arms.

By 11 Dicentra waits by the docks as Hancock sets off to yet another warlord meeting that would go nowhere. Hancock when her daughter was younger would leave her with Sandersonia as she and Marigold would set off into the ocean. But Hancock decides that this time her daughter was old enough to last a few days on her own (despite how terror still grips her heart). Nightshade swears she’ll look after the young girl and none of the Boa’s doubt that. Not when the ex-assassin turned bodyguard has the same look Hancock does when the young girl does something as simple as gifting a flower. It’s a look of wanting to protect something so desperately because it was one of the last pieces of kindness in their world. None of the Boa sisters trust easily, especially not Hancock, and especially if it came to her daughter. But Hancock trusted Nightshade, and that was a feat in of itself. And so Hancock sets off on her ship, trusting her beloved daughter to her bodyguard and ex-empress of the Amazon. Though it’s only for a few days Dicentra helps keep things afloat alongside Gloriosa.

Chapter 2: where the story begins

By 13 Dicentra knows the Amazon lily like the back of her hand. She knows every trail, bend of the river and cove there’s to find in the lush landscape populated by snaking vines and flowers. Pollen coats the air in sweet smells as the distinct smell of rain coming sets in for the young princess and her shadow. But the Rowling black clouds did little to dismay the young girl, if anything it only made her more excited as she quickened her pace and hopped over twisting roots. Having a storm in the calm belt was a rare occurrence, the lack of wind and still waters kept for a stagnant environment but once in awhile a storm would drift from the grand line and breeze briefly through the still water and die off. It made for decent rainfall and any occasional change in weather from the hot climate was always something welcome to the young girl. Nightshade would agree in that retrospect, from the few moments she talked of times past was she talked of a place described as an eternal flowering spring, not cold but not yet summer (though apparently a northern area had snow). So Dicentra raced to the many hidden beaches and coves of the Amazon lily.

its towering cliffs her beloved home had many secret coves beside the main waterway into the heart of the city. Many laid forgotten to time, old boats used generations ago laying still in soft sand that crunched beneath her feet. Typically there was no tide at these hidden beaches and coves, just stagnant water lifting at a certain level against the sand. No white foam decorating its edges like lace if not for the storm stirring the waves. She can’t help but giggle at the sensation, even if her stockings got wet in the ordeal. A few feet away nightshade stood as the wind blew past, still and silent yet eased by now dropping of rain on warm skin.

The rain is cool and refreshing, trailing down and leaving hair damp.

But calm only lasts a moment.

Typically when a storm blew through the calm belt it was mild at worst and calm rain at its least. It was almost always that way with nothing to keep feeding its trajectory as it fizzled out and died.

But sometimes depending on how large the storm was prior it could survive long enough to be just as powerful as it was in the grand line.

One second Dicentra is standing at the waters edge basking in the cool rain, the other second she’s dragged in by once cerulean blue waves that became crashing cold darkness. The void encompasses the entirety of her as she’s choked from air and the cold grasping at her bones. Instinct sets in immediately but the shock of near icey waves and pulling current tossing her like a rag doll make it impossible to do so. Helplessly she floats in near darkness as storm clouds blocked out sun and made the waters a chilling void. The image of complete utter darkness as she reaches blindly engraved itself in her mind. Never once has she felt such a fear of the dark. When she was younger she hadn’t feared it, rather was intrigued to explore it instead. But now it grips and drags her down down, down into is abyss.

But then a hand appears from the dark, Nightshade.

Twitchy and icey fingers grasp the stronger hand that then pulls.

She lands on the old rickety boat with a thud and immediately sea water streams out in pained coughs. Wind blows wildly tussling hair as waves crash against the edges of the boat. She can barely see over wet hair clinging to her face but she feels Nightshade hold her for dear life and above the yelling waves her protector screams to hold onto her with all she can.

Dicentra does as says and feels a colossal pain hit her before a once friendly darkness consumes her vision.

Chapter 3: turning point

Waking up is typically a calming routine for Dicentra. If mom wasn’t on a warlord meeting she’d brush sit down with her and her mom would brush her hair. It was a daily tradition, on in which her mother would hum quietly and gently comb through her hair. Sometimes she’d check to see if the pink dye of her hair was loosing its pigment, if so she’d ask if she wanted to leave it natural or dye it once more. Dicentra always opted to dye it again. Crushed up flowers mixed with imported hair products then used to stain once lily White hair again. That was their tradition together alongside at night having mom look at her wings and care for them. Apologizing as she helped her wings molt or placing a soothing cream on the sore hurting appendages. So waking up one morning with sunlight streaming on her face on linen instead of the familiar feeling of silk is odd. Not bad but it doesn’t make sense for a few moments as her sleep plagued brain thought through what had happened.

She remembered a storm, darkness gripping her, coughing up slat water that burned her lungs and then clutching Nightshade for dear life.

Nightshade!

Despite her body feeling like wet bricks Dicentra finds herself dragging herself from the small bed she was laid on. Blindly she reaches out expecting to find her closest companion besides her family. Instead though she meets something else instead.

Nightshade was a lithe person. beautifully strong despite her lack of visible muscles. She used to ask her shadow of a bodyguard how she was able to be so strong without being as muscular as aunty Marigold. The quiet woman would simply hum, saying something about she isn’t strong but has good instincts and reflexes. Point being in all of this the arm she grabbed wasn’t that of Nightshade, it was muscular

“Oh yoi? You’re awake finally.” The voice is weirdly deep and as her eyes adjust Dicentra is faced with someone crouching down to her level. Blue eyes stare at her from behind glasses….this was a weird looking woman.

This is where things would come into motion

I’ll leave it at this for now. But rest assured she has more story

[ultraviolet-cello]

Good afternoon everyone, late analysis/detail watch for @tristampparty today! Had a busy day and I am ready to chill out by being so so normal about Trigun ^_^

Spoilers for Trigun Stampede and Trimax, CW for me discussing/theorizing abt Vash's injuries + discussion of harm coming to children specifically!

Roberto is my old man blorbo (he is not that old) and I essayed Hard about him today, good luck reading!

So when I originally watched this episode when I saw the tower I was like oh flying saucer haha!

and then it is a flying saucer. I hate that (/j)

the bugs under the rock when I lift it up:

On a more serious note I do like the transition from Wolfwood getting REALLY jumpy (to the point of like. Punching Vash for sneezing. babygirl there are better ways to cope with bringing the man you adore to what is probably his doo- actually there probably isn't, he's on his own) to them working extremely in sync to try and get away from the guards - even in the two months that they've been traveling together they've developed that back to back fighting style. It's very sweet, and I think that aspect of them is heavily emphasized in 98 actually, episode 9 when Wolfwood first appears. I really do miss that episode's story, I think it's my favourite standalone plot :]

Again take this with a grain of salt because my subtitles are Janky, but this line hits me real hard [Where Vash is telling Wolfwood not to shoot at the July guards]. They're at July, this is where Wolfwood needs to hand Vash over despite all his inner conflict; but he values the orphanage, it's so important to him. Would the morally righteous thing to do be trying to fight alongside Vash out of this? Possibly. But the risk is too great; It's not the time to be a saint.

Both of their expressions here - Wolfwood stepping back then forward to try and push Vash out the way, or block the bullet, and Vash just slowly lowering his arms with that real haunted look.

Studio Orange once again knocking it out of the PARK with their facial expressions

[Purging the Vashwood from my system for just a moment] He really does just. Grab him around the waist huh. He doesn't try to spin Vash around to assess the damage, or immediately drag him away, but most importantly he doesn't shoot back. Not after Vash asked him to.

Why's this bitch not clean his table!!! The hell!!! Unsanitary. Or... Or someone was just there. Not sure what's worse at that point. It's also that the shape of that cross is also to accommodate children

[Tucking these screenshots into my purse for safekeeping] [Also CWing this section for a little bit of injury discussion] Most of the injuries here aren't necessarily the scars that Trimax and 98 Vash have, which makes me wonder if he's going to get more post-July. In any case, a lot of these look like failed/only partial skin grafts or wounds that required skin grafts but did not get it [Just trust me on that, don't look it up if you can't stomach gore].

I wonder if Vash can't receive skin grafts due to the sheer amount of scarring/can't receive any donated grafts due to differences in biology, or if he's just... not been able to get them healed. Some of it appears to be patched up with metal, but the rest of it.... Mm.

Anyway!

I think it's very telling that the thing that Roberto starts really speaking up on is challenging Conrad on his treatment of orphans and disadvantaged people. Roberto's a reporter, so of course he's going to have seen how powerful people often use the marginalized as their playthings; and Roberto does have a pretttty good moral code when it comes to it. Time and time again he's chosen to help Meryl instead of preserve his own life.

And now he's actively taking Meryl's side, challenging Conrad, sticking up for people, which. One of the first hints of Roberto that we got that wasn't him being so gruff was his defense of Vash (who was getting the shit beaten out of him) in the very first episode.

I've talked at length abt how children are. Kind of the most precious thing to most people on Gunsmoke/NML - so many of the individual stories revolve around parents and children, brothers, siblings, Wolfwood and Hopeland, Legato sparing all the children in that village in 98, Elendira leaving a gaggle of children alive to bury Livio in Trimax. I particularly remember a scene in Trimax volume 14, chapter 3, when the feathers are falling and a young girl has lost her mother, but these big rough and tough men guide her back. I think that's kind of the essence of what Roberto represents to me.

The average person on that planet is rough, traumatized, probably knows how to shoot, they kill each other, they rob, they steal. And yet when it comes down to a little girl crying in the crowd, they will guide her back to her mother. Noman's Land is made up of families; they hurt each other and they commit atrocities, but at the end of the day, that was someone's child, and people try to respect it.

Roberto has a bit of a stronger ethical streak, but he's really kinda hostile to Conrad in this scene (GET HIS ASS ROBERTO WOOO!!!) and I think when he saw children involved that really signaled part of it to him.

It's also that Roberto has developed as a character, being more open and trusting of Meryl, but I also just. The family thing gets me every time (I think it's because I work with children and am a huge advocate for said children, but. yaknow)

[Pointing at him] I love this guy!!! I miss him!!! I really really thought I was gonna hate him but every rewatch i get sadder that he's gone!!!!!

Also he calls out Conrad on being non-empathetic towards, well experimenting on children which is yeah!!! shit!!! Roberto shuts him down like 3 times!! "What matters is how you feel with these children in front of you" GET! HIS! ASS!

Roberto has progressed so so much, with his ability to actually insert himself into situations according to his opinions and ethics, with his relationship to Meryl becoming softer, and then he's just,,, Gone, soon.

On a lighter note, tf you mean Elendira's powers are equivalent to a supply door Conrad she can kill a man!!! I spose a supply door can also kill a man but like. I wonder if she's gonna get. Bigger nails. More powers in the future.

Also a nice parallel of how Roberto kept dragging Meryl back and flinging her away from danger, but now he's grabbed her and is carrying her with him - it feels different. He really really does care about her and it's so evident in these last couple of episodes.

Also Meryl is just pick up-able what can I say.

Roberto being shocked at his ability to deflect Elendira's nails just feels kinda cruel. Man's been spending the entire anime facing horrors beyond his comprehension and he just figured out he can fight against this one, but in the end she's the one who gets him.

Also I talked about Roberto being really standoffish when he realizes children are being harmed? Uh, that's probably what gets him killed. If he'd have shot Elendira here, there is a decent chance he would have lived; if he hadn't hesitated the several times he did, he wouldn't be so rattled. That's... Painful.

"That was close" I hate everyone here [/j]

Not an unpopular opinion, but I'm not a super fan of what they did to Elendira. I'm of the opinion of her character divorced from her Trimax counterpart is really really interesting, but I have to treat her like an entirely different character, so we'll be moving on with that in mind.

So Elendira's been like this for what, twenty years at least? That doesn't seem to line up with how Plants age - Vash and Knives take like 5 years to look like they're fifteen, and. I hope we all know that humans typically take 18-20 years to reach adulthood lmao.

My three theories on why she hasn't aged is that

A) Whichever Plant cells (Probably Tesla's) that they used on her is inhibiting her growth, disallowing her from progressing past a certain point. Perhaps if she ages more something... Bad will happen to her body. Sub-idea, if it is Tesla's cells, they might not be letting her age past the point Tesla was when she died. Which is a little horrific actually.

B) Conrad and/or Knives are the ones not allowing her to grow, for some reason. I don't really have any ideas of what.

But it seems to me that she is somewhat inverse to Wolfwood; she's been living for at least twenty years, trapped in the mind and body of a child. She speaks with the cadence and articulation of an adult most of the time, but her body's pain tolerance and her subsequent reactions are that of an undeveloped mind/body.

That or she just doesn't wanna go through puberty because she's already trans and just doesn't wanna deal with that shit (valid) but, yaknow. I am a very big supporter of "Let Studio Orange cook, they've done pretty good so far!" but Elendira and Razlo are the two I am. Most scared of seeing how they turn out lmao, and even with Razlo I do have some hopes. But Elendira,,, man. I dunno.

Hooo boy. Okay. I'm ready to talk about Roberto again now. I've been talking about how he recently seems to have softened his demeanor specifically towards Meryl, bringing out a lot of that joking tone, but here is particularly on display.

He tells Meryl that it's okay to run away sometimes and that really really. Got to me. Like he wants her to live. He wants her to do whatever she thinks is right, and he wants her to live, and he is going to do what he can in his dying moments to make that better for her.

I miss him :(

I also wonder if he had anything outside of his job. Friends? Family? A partner? Or was he mostly obliterated along with most of July, kept only in memory by his, now Meryl's, derringer?

Also Vash does Not know that Roberto is dead and if he asks about him post-rejoining the gang in season 2 I'll start screaming.

Oh Knives is here! Yippee!!

So uh. The thing with him saying this is, like a Lot of things Knives does/says in Tristamp, is rooted in truth to some degree.

Like uh. Yeah. That is kind of the basis for a Major part of Vash's personality, the guilt complex of Knives shifting the burden and (honestly projecting a lot of his own guilt probably) onto Vash. But to attribute All of Vash's character to just that is disservice, and horrible for Vash to hear.

The thing about Vash is that he tries. He tries so so hard to make things right, even despite the harm that comes to him and the grief and pain of how he lives his life. Even if it were just his guilt, that is still 150 or so years of healing plants, helping children, going from town to town to do what good he can.

Love, in that case, is not inherent, but created. It's hard to just unconditionally love something just because it's in your life, but if you work at it, dedicate yourself, put in the effort, do so much good, then is that not love in itself? Does it really matter the basis if you love, regardless?

Where it becomes a problem with Vash, is when he refuses to kind of,,, accept that he worked for it instead of just having that love inherent to him, because he's so desperate to hold that guilt complex, that "I'm a bad person" close to him

I dunno, I'm autistic, so maybe I have a strange reading of this because I personally have had to work towards the things I hold dear to me, but it's,,, definitely a facet of Vash, to me.

I Do Not Like This Photograph. In Trimax, it seems they took Tesla and Immediately began experimenting on her - Some arguments over ethics with Rem, yeah, but overall the dissenters were overruled. But why have this picture? Tesla is clearly not a baby in this image. Did she have more contact and interactions with the scientists?

The cruelty in Tesla's story, at least in my view, is that she never got to be a character. Her agency was stripped from her by scientists, by death, and then by Knives. We don't know shit about her - did she die cursing all of humanity? Would she have agreed with Knives, that the pain inflicted on her was an example of the great atrocity of humanity? Or would she have decided people can grow and change, that she just got a bad lot, that people are messy and complicated but ultimately capable of love? Did she see Rem, and wonder if she knew humanity better than Tesla did?

We just don't know - will never know - and that's why Knives using her as an excuse for his actions is particularly egregious. Did her death traumatize him and irreparably damage his trust of humans, sending him down a spiral he was too unlucky to fight his way out of? Yes. Does that make it justifiable to try and commit a genocide under her name, assuming she would have wanted that even if there's a possibility she didn't? ....Definitely not.

millions-dykes referred to Conrad as looking "DILFy" in this scene and if I have to suffer that, so do you. sorry

There's a couple of bits of language in that ending scene that I find particularly uh. Interesting (derogatory) (deeply interesting and analysis-worthy), but I'll be saving those for next episode so I'll pop them in there :]

Today was a hell of an essay! Thanks for reading as always, I'm so >:3 about all the fun comments and ideas ppl have added on.

[tragedycoded]

oc intro: nevada pethes

I don't want to think about the election so I'm going to think about my new blorbo instead come look at him for a second.

To use Sav's phrase, this is going to be quick and dirty. He's scratching at the door and wants everyone to perceive him.

Name: Nevada Pethes Age: 30 Zodiac: Aries Gender: Male

Height: 5'8" | 172.5cm Weight: Skinny Hair: Blond (dyed purple) Eyes: Dark blue

Location: Texas Occupation: 7-Eleven cashier by day, retro game streamer by night

Reference Pictures

I'm screwing around with the idea of having the reader pick a pfp for him to use during the story, since I've decided Nev streams without his camera on.

(Hereafter referred to as "Cartoonish," "Uwu," and "Realistic.")

Miscellaneous

vegan

single child

raised by his grandparents

will play horror games with his collaborator but not alone

won't start a fight but knows how to finish one

he's trans!

What Is He In

My Novelember WIP, "The Video Game That Eats People" (working title.)

What About...?

My askbox is open, and IDK shit about him yet. I'll update this as I think of more details.

Is there a tag list?

Let me know if you want me to tag you when I post about Nevada (it will only be essay-length talking-to-myself posts) or TVGTEP (only snippets or significant milestones, not every stray thought that wanders through my skull.

New Data:

He is from Austin, specifically, and has strong opinions about planned obsolescence (spec: it's bullshit.) Thank you, Gioia :>

He struggles with anxiety, if he hasn't been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. He hides this.

[atlaskrr]

HOLY SHIT I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO SEE THE NEW SPIDERVERSE MOVIE TODAY AND GAH DAMN

Here's a penny for my thoughts:

The animation team continues to impress me with the animation and in this movie more so than the first cause of how they made each universe feel

THAT OPENING (love me ambiguous openings where you slowly piece it as it continues)

Spot = traumatized silly guy turned into very dangerous traumatized guy

We all thought pavitr would be ✨TRAUMATIZED✨ but I'm so glad miles was able to help him save both (maybe he is traumatized if his universe is destroyed but let's hope not since he's so blorbo)

Love his silliness with his whole introduction introduction the romantic tension comments and "Oh he doesn't know about hobie" like a whole romantic drama is about to play out

I thought I was gonna hate hobie with how much police he was talking but I grew to be amused and fond of him (the true mvp)

Idk if this is controversial or not but even though miguel o'hara is traumatized I still don't like him (if it's not clear I hate it when people try to be "the system". Looking at you light yagami)

THE COLOR THEORY ON THIS 👏✨🙌

Like the color shifts in gwen's universe and the inverted colors on the scenes of earth 42 and gwen's universe is another on point moment

There is so much more that I can't possibly mention of the top of my head at the moment but all the visual symbolism (not just in color) is *muah*

PARALLELS (that's all I have to say)

MAYDAY 💞 is. so. ADORABLE AND CHAOTIC.

I love peter b. parker having a child cause he liked the idea of raising his child to be like miles... cause he's a good person

Also peter b. parker is SUCH a father figure towards miles

Speaking of miles THEY REALLY CANT LEAVE THE POOR BOY ALONE WTF (give him a break man)

The humour in this movie. PEAK. (Idgaf what you say)

I love all the cameos and references of the many spiders and will deffo pick apart every scene once I can get my hands on the full length movie on my pc

They make every spiderperson's attack feel unique and get creative with techniques and styles

I love the 2d-3d look it has as always

I love miles' parents and its nice to see gwen reconcile with her dad

GOOD OLD PARKER TRAUMA

EARTH 42. ITS ALL CONNECTED. THAT REVEAL WOAA.

I'm glad they brought back the old spiders that miles first met into the squad

GOD DAMN THE CLIFFHANGER

i LOVE all the details in this movie

I also love the theme and characterization

[princeescaluswords]

Currently thinking of certain factions of fandom who tend to demonize Laura Hale. What exactly did she do that was so awful?

Leaving her injured and catatonic uncle in a care facility? Do they think he would've miraculously healed in New York if she brought him along (if that was even an option)? They seem to think she abandoned him or should've done more. What exactly, dear fandom?

Laura was a young woman who suffered a devastating loss and had to be the leader and look out for her younger brother and injured uncle. Cora was assumed dead too. Similar to Scott, she didn't ask to be alpha.

What did they expect her to do? Wage war against the perpetrators? She didn't know who was involved but she did return when Peter lured her. Fandom thinks she was unfit for the role of alpha because she wasn't ripping throats out and hunting down culprits, that she ~abandoned~ her uncle in a vulnerable state, blah blah.

The way they get angry at Scott disobeying Peter and Derek, you'd think they'd be livid over Peter killing his alpha who was also his niece who was the ~heir~ to Talia. Sacrilege!

Scott didn't ~trust~ Stiles? Well, Petey didn't trust his alpha! Why the secrecy? Why not report in immediately upon gaining consciousness?

*dons the stylish hat of Fandom Logic* Oh, oh Peter was involved in the Hale Fire! He always craved the mantle of alpha and needed Talia out of the way. But he got betrayed by Kate in the end and locked in with the rest of the family. That's why he insisted he's always been the alpha, he was promised the power if he helped destroy the pack. It's why he lured Laura back and killed her instead of communicating, he just wanted the power.

Your question puts me in mind of an argument both This Discontented Winter and Athena Dark have made to counter my indictments of fandoms worship of Peter Hale. To paraphrase TDW, "does all entertainment have to be a morality play?"

The simplistic answer to their bad faith riposte, is "No, it doesn't." You can watch two people sit in a room and not talk to each other. You can watch art hang motionless on a wall or paint dry, but these wouldn't be particularly popular forms of visual entertainment. What excites an audience is how the actors, the characters, the players treat each other, which is governed by principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. In other words, morality.

People watch the Real Housewives franchise because they want to watch rich women behaving badly. People watch John Wick movies because they want to watch ultra violence performed without regard for human life and instead operate on a different code of behavior. Telenovelas, true crime documentaries, space operas, super hero movies -- all the pleasure their audiences gain from it revolve around decisions people make about how to treat each other. They watch it FOR the morality -- or the LACK of it.

The only forms of modern entertainment I can think of that don't focus on morality are professional sports and talent shows, and both of these take it as a given that neither side is cheating. Even Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom proposed to show us the behavior of animals so we can recognize their beauty and right to exist. My apologies to the BNF, but that's morality, too.

When This Discontented Winter bemoans the idea of all entertainment as morality play and Athena Dark that storytelling doesn't have to have a message, what they are in fact arguing for is the ability to celebrate evil. To freely indulge in the type of moral equivocation that allows them to take pleasure in the triumph of a man murdering his niece for power. You know how I know this, because if they truly wanted to enjoy something without the moral dimension, they wouldn't go to such great lengths to protect their blorbos from any moral condemnation.

Thus, we get the idea that Laura deserved death because she abandoned Peter in the long-term care facility, in which he rested safely for six years without the Argents even being aware of his location. We get the idea that Laura deserved death because she didn't seek vengeance for her family, even though she was absolutely looking for the person responsible for the death of her family -- we saw actual physical evidence of it. Thus we get the idea that Peter had no idea what he was doing, that he was out of his mind, only to find out later -- when none of the other characters believe that anymore -- that he was aware of what he was doing all along.

Remember Master Plan (2x12):

Peter: No. It's a laptop. What century are you living in? A few days after I got out of the coma, I transferred everything that we had. Fortunately, the Argents aren't the only ones that keep records.

Wow, that's a remarkable amount of foresight for a person who was supposedly so out of his mind that he shouldn't be held responsible for what he did.

The true problem with BNF trying to argue that we don't have to approach the show with an eye toward morality is because the show absolutely did. It was baked into the substance of the show from the get go. The characters are formed to make choices about how they treat other people. To use their own words, we have to treat the entertainment that is called Teen Wolf as a morality play because it IS a morality play. Every story is.

And this is the problem with fandom, which I've noted again and again and again in regards to Star Wars, Shadow and Bone, and now Loki. They want to extract the characters from the moral schema in which they were situated and put them in a new situation, yet pretend that there isn't a moral dimension to this act. And there is, because this new situation is one where only certain considerations are treated as valid, mostly exploitation of the baser instincts of human nature for the benefit of a very small class of stand-ins, defined by race, class, and gender.

[jerzwriter]

Mostly Pleasant Surprises 2 of 4 Discovery

This is the final installment of "how they finally got together." I promise. 😊

Book: Open Heart (Book 2 Timeline) Pairing: Tobias Carrick & Casey MacTavish (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 2,000

Series Summary: It's been months since the chemical attack, and "kind of" exes-turned-friends Tobias & Casey have been stubbornly denying their growing feelings for each other. But when a series of events threatens to come between them, will they find their way back together?

Part 2 Summary: A startling discovery fills Casey with doubt, just as Tobias comes to an important conclusion.

A/N: OK, again, there are like 2 people alive who may care about this, but I'm filled with so much joy as I'm finally writing this pivotal part of their tale. Let me tell you, there is something so freeing about writing solely for me and my blorbos. It's hard to describe! :)

I expect this to be told in four parts, though it may be three. I guess we'll find out with the next installment. :)

Series Masterlist || Tobias x Casey Masterlist Full Masterlist

Catch up here

Her.

The too-pretty-to-be-human creature Casey nearly collided with earlier that day. The one that made an old pair of scrubs look good and, holy hell, the way she looked when all dressed up. She was exquisite. Breathtaking. So much so that it took Casey a moment to notice the man sitting at her side...closely at her side... and that's when her heart began to race.

It... it can't be...

Her phone felt like a leaden weight in her trembling hand, but it flew like a feather when she pelted it across the couch as if its very touch scorched her.

Is he... are they...

She was furious... furious at the situation, at him, but mostly with herself. She cursed herself for beginning to tremble, as if she had a right to, and tried to steady herself as a million questions raced through her mind.

How did I not see this? How could I have been this stupid? Oh my God! Has he been seeing her this whole time? Did she know he's been spending so much time with me? Is that why she gave me that look today?

She jumped to her feet, mindlessly pacing the length of the living room.

Of course, she knew! I'm that pathetic woman from the chemical attack. So fucked up she could barely leave the house. Tobias felt guilty... he told me he felt guilty! No wonder he 'had' to help me. UGH. And I let myself fall for him—I let myself believe he was falling for me. Casey, you idiot!

She tried to convince herself that none of this mattered. She couldn't be heartbroken over something that never happened. We can't grieve for something we never had... can we? But when hot tears sprung to her eyes, and one had the audacity to roll down her cheek, Casey grabbed her phone and retreated to her room. Right now, crying herself to sleep felt like the only logical thing to do.

Did you really think he wasn't seeing anyone since the attack? Seriously? He's Tobias Carrick, for fucks sake! But did I imagine it all? How close I thought we had become? We talk all the time... so why... why wouldn't he just tell me if he were seeing someone?

But as she flung herself onto her bed, the answer became vividly clear.

Because you're not dating. He's not your boyfriend, he's just your friend... and he doesn’t have to tell you a damn thing.

It hurt. It hurt like hell. She tried repeating those words over and over, hoping they might usher in an acceptance that would ease the tightness in her chest. But as she tripped over the conclusions she came to in her mind, it was apparent that pain would be her companion for some time. Her eyes closed tight in the darkness, and she hoped sleep would provide some respite, but then her door burst open.

“This doesn’t necessarily mean anything….” Sienna blurted, her own phone screen turning her face blue as she spoke. “I don't think this picture was taken tonight... it looks old to me."

Casey listened in dejected silence as her friend's voice grew more frantic with each word.

“He hasn’t commented on it... but I don’t think he’s been online. I looked at her account, though, and he hasn't interacted with her in ages. Like... not at all. But you... he interacts with you all the time... I think this is just a...”

“Si,” Casey interrupted. “When I left his Kenmore today, she went into his office after I left.”

“So? She works at Kenmore, too. That doesn’t mean….”

“It doesn't matter what it means," Casey gulped. "It's like I've been saying all along... we're just... we're just friends. And I'm an absolute idiot for letting myself think we could be anything more."

"Oh, Casey!" Sienna frowned. "That's not true! I know how much he cares for you, and before you jump to any conclusions, please, just talk to him."

“To say what? What can I say without sounding pathetic? No, I've been a fool too many times before. I'm not doing it again."

“Case... but...”

“No!” Casey snapped. “No. I’m not asking him. I’m not going to make myself look as ridiculous as I feel right now. I just... I just want to go to sleep.”

“All right,” Sienna replied sadly. “Can I at least get you ice cream? Or perhaps give you a hug?”

“A hug,” Casey sniffled.  “A hug would be really nice.”

And a hug is what she received. Sienna slid onto Casey's bed, holding her friend close and refusing to leave until she was fast asleep.  

~~~~~

It hadn't exactly been the birthday he would have ordered, but he had seen Casey, so Tobias was content enough. Still, it was time for the long day to end. He shut his laptop and placed it in his briefcase, but as he went to turn off his desk light, he caught a glimpse of the time. It was only nine o’clock... not too late. Maybe they could get a quick drink at Donahue’s? It wasn’t out of the question, and then he could end his birthday the only way he really wanted to... with her. Taking a chance, he dialed her number, but let out a sigh when his call went right to voicemail. She must have gone to bed early, so he let the idea go and hung up without leaving a message.

When his phone buzzed in his pocket just a moment later, a big smile spread on his face, but it wasn't Casey. It was Sasha, one of his closest friends, telling him to check Instagram at once. Given that she wasn't known for hyperbole, Tobias took heed, quickly scrolling through his feed until he saw it.

“Son of a bitch….” he spat as he rushed to the nurses' station.  

“Where's Kenner?” he blurted upon approach.

“Audrey?” The night nurse asked.

“Do we have another Kenner?”

“I think she’s in the break room. I saw her going....”

The sentence remained suspended in the air as Tobias rushed off to confront Audrey. When he stepped into the lounge, she was sitting alone, picking at her half-eaten salad with little enthusiasm. But that changed the moment she saw him, her face lighting up in an instant.

“What the hell is this?” He asked, holding his phone inches from her face.

“It’s me wishing you a happy birthday," she replied with as much confidence as she could muster, though the slight quiver in her voice belied the act.

“That's not all this is, Audrey. Why are you going out of your way to make it look like we’re together? You didn't do things like this when we were together. It makes no sense."

"I never posted pictures of us?" she challenged. "You know that's not true."

"And you know what I mean..." he countered, growing less amused by the second.

Knowing she could make it fairly believable, she considered spinning a tale. Some ridiculous reason why she thought it would be a good idea, but when her eyes met his, she couldn't bring herself to lie.

“T, I… I don’t know why I did it. But if we're being honest, there was a time you wouldn’t have minded. So why is it such a big deal now?"

“Audrey,” his voice was full of sincerity as he pulled a chair up to the table. “I know our... thing... was on and off for years. But we've been off for a while. Have I given you any indication that I wanted to start up again?”

“No,” she chuckled sadly. “But maybe that was my way of letting you know that... perhaps I did.”

“Well... I’m flattered, but I don't want to reopen that door. So this post is a step too far, and I'd really like you to take it down."

“Fine,” she snapped, pulling her phone out of her pocket, but she stopped just before hitting delete. "But why does it matter so much? It's not like you're with anyone, so what’s the harm of...” She let out a sigh and placed her phone on the table. “It’s the blonde... Casey. Isn't it?"

“What?”

“Don’t deny it. You like to play down what we meant to each other, but I did come to know you pretty well over the past six years, and... I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Seen me like what?” He defended nervously.

“Tobias, you've been... different. The gossip mill hasn't linked you to anyone in ages; you're hardly ever at the Puddingstone anymore...."

“Well, I just turned thirty-seven. Maybe the gossip mill finally grew bored with me, and I'm trying to grow up a little?"

“Pfft,” she chortled. “As if! I know you two dated, and then she dumped you before the attack at Edenbrook."

"Did you get that from the rumor mill?" he asked.

"Yep, and a pretty reliable source! They also told me you've been spending a lot of time with her since the attack. Are you... together?"

"Together?" He sputtered far too quickly. “No, we're not together. We're friends, that's all."

"I saw the look in your eyes when she came to visit today. That's not a look you give friends. Everyone's been saying you've been different lately... I can't help but think she's the reason why."

"Audrey, Casey means a lot to me, but we're not together, OK?"

"But you want to be. I can tell by looking at you. I've always known you to go after what you want, even when you know it’s a dumb idea. So... what makes this different?"

“What makes this different?” he droned, his head turning out the window to gaze over the city lights. "What makes this different... I guess I’m a little frightened because this might be real, and I've never done real before. I almost don't know what to do with it."

Audrey smiled, surprised that this hurt a little less than she anticipated. Lifting her phone from the table, she deleted the post.

“There. It's down. I did my part, now why don't you do yours? Go talk to her, Tobias. I don't know if she saw it, but if she did, just tell her I’m some asshole, and she has nothing to worry about because... obviously, she doesn’t."

Audrey reached over and gently squeezed his hand with a smile. "Now, if you’ll excuse me... I have a shift to get back to.”

Tobias listened to Audrey's footsteps as they left the room and drifted down the hall. When they were gone, there was nothing but silence—silence and his thoughts—and he was blown away by how loud the latter could be.

He wasn’t stupid... he loved Casey. He’d known that for some time, but he always had a reason to keep the truth from her. After the attack, he promised her... and everyone who knew her... that they'd just be friends. He had no ulterior motives, and he cared too much to overstep. But that was months ago now. Time, thoughts, hell, even kisses had been shared between them, and so much had changed. Still, for a hundred different reasons and in a hundred different ways, he was terrified to come clean.

But today was a special day. After all, it isn't every day a man turns thirty-seven, and as he sat alone in the desolate break room, it became abundantly clear. The only reason he hadn’t made plans to celebrate his birthday this year was that there was no way for him to celebrate the way he wanted to—with Casey by his side - and not as his friend.

He glanced at his phone. He knew she had an early shift tomorrow and needed to rest, so waking her up was not an option. But remaining silent about his feelings was no longer an option. He didn't know what would happen when he told her, but he knew one thing for sure: He loved her, and that was something he could no longer keep to himself. He took out his phone to send her a quick text...

He took a deep breath before rising to his feet, knowing this was a birthday he'd never forget. He had just taken the first step toward the future he desperately craved, and to his great surprise, he only felt relief. A tiny smile crossed his lips. The next time he saw Casey, he'd be telling her how he felt, and now, that moment couldn't come quickly enough.

[mayonaisalspray]

SEVIPER TETRA‼️‼️

(+a size comparison drawing)

Unstructured un edited hand made blorbo design ramblings under the cut if you don’t give a shit about these losers keep going

Okay so first I want to talk about Jester and Tetra’s normal designs and why I find them so appealing and all the little things I like abt it because I’m the only one who’s probably going to ever ask for it. Well me ask and you shall receive

Jester:

Jester was the first character of the two to be made, but he came way after Trix. The two shared more design similarities early on, though they both do still share a lot of similarities. Maybe I’ll talk about that one day. Hm.

Anyway. Jester’s clown like appearance is due to his desire to not be taken seriously. Jester is a firm believer in the idea of Jester’s Privilege, which is the idea that jesters are able to talk freely and mock people on account of being a jester. Jester (whose “real” name is Jay. Btw. Because it takes up identities that have names starting with J. Just wanted to finally put this info out into the world) doesn’t want to be taken seriously, because he sees himself as a mockery of both the human and Pokémon worlds. He’s torn between the two, unable to fit in either. This is also because it doesn’t want to take himself or his problems seriously but whateva

The rest of his design is more. Hm. Practical probably isn’t the word but idk what is. His hair is long and covers his eye because 1, its eye on that side was removed and it makes his life harder if people see it, and 2, because he doesn’t care to cut it. The sweater is an old gift from Wade, and it wears it so often because it’s one of the few high quality (not ripped) pieces of clothing he has. The pants are brown to hide dirt so he doesn’t have to wash them as often. Things like that.

The only part of its appearance that Jester puts any effort into (besides the clown makeup and collar) is painting his nails. Jester’s nails are very important to it, since a Zangoose’s claws are its strongest weapon. This mostly manifests in the form of manicures.

Tetra:

When I tell you I’m pretty sure Tetra beamed his design into my brain you have got to believe me. I was sitting in the car listening to the mochi madness theme and then BOOM. Twink in my mind.

The most obvious parts of Tetra’s designs are the poison aspects. Tetra has a pretty clear poison motif, from the literal drip that is his sweater, to the toxic chains coming from his head, to the little Pecharunt collar.

But that’s it. He’s just poison, not a specific Pokémon. Jester’s design is (at least partially) based around Zangoose, but aside from the Pecharunt influences, there’s no clear Pokémon theme. That would be thanks to the fact that years of being mind controlled by Pecharunt’s brain poison has left him fairly devoid of identity. Tetra is more the idea of a person who once existed then any real person who still exists.

That’s also partially communicated through the fact that he’s a literal corpse! Yeah there’s a reason he’s that fucking pale, it’s cause he’s dead. Tetra, like the loyal three, ALSO died on the night Ogerpon attacked. But, with Pecharunt’s return, his body “healed” itself. Tetra is still very dead though (I could also talk at length about what I think Pecharunt’s poison can do but it already late and this is long as fuck).

This is a small thing but, before I decided to make them a thing neither of them really had canon heights? But ever since I did I knew Tetra had to be taller then Jester. It just feels right

SEVIPER TETRA:

Alright here’s the main event. I feel like it’s pretty obvious why I made the a design where Tetra finally gets a Pokémon influence and made it Seviper. But why shiny Seviper? You could argue that regular Seviper fits Tetra’s color scheme better.

Uh the reason is I think its cooler and more badass and I like how it brings out details of his design that are more subtle when he’s normal style

The original purple of his toxic chains, toxic stitches, and hell even his choker, all made it pretty clear that this was poison, but it looked like parts growing off him, not as much part of him. Now that it’s pink, it’s more obvious that this is his blood! Yep, the poison in Tetra’s body is the only thing keeping him alive. Without it, Tetra would probably just disintegrate into a bone heap.

Tetra’s eyes, which were originally yellow to match the loyal trio, now reveal their true color. His eyes have always actually been purple. He’s always been under Pecharunt’s influence, even when it isn’t there to directly control his actions. The whites of his eyes are also bloodshot now cause I think it looks cool

I’ve added a (admittedly very light) skeleton motif as well, by trying to make the triangles on Seviper look like rib bones, and modifying the ends of his toxic chains for look more like skulls. I’ve also tinted his skin slightly green, to add more to that undead aspect.

Now why did I do this? Well I got the idea for an animatic and part of it is Jester having a nightmare about Seviper Tetra because Jester has been chasing a group of people he calls his Sevipers for years because of something they did to someone he cares about, but now that the something is directly happening to it (and he doesn’t care about itself) he cannot bring himself to stop Tetra’s mistreating of him. And also because it makes Tetra hotter

Anyway thanks for reading all this if anyone will good NIGHT

[themyscirah]

Feel like as a fandom so many people have forgotten how to write meta other than like 'because of XYZ, man sad :(' or just like talking about Bruce or Jason

Like where are the discussions of morality, of politics, of religion, of race, of culture, of language, of grief and family in the greater dc fandom (beyond just a select few of the bats)

It's like I want to see more meta about the characters I love and care about, and just a wider variety of the ways that can be shown!

Trying not to frame this as complainy (although I know us comics fans love complaining haha!) because it's a change that I also want to see more in myself and the stuff I put out on this platform

So just like imagine it with me guys.... essay length examinations on blorbo.... the political ramifications of her actions, his relationship with his mother and ethnicity, her moral stances and how she will deviate from them when under immense stress, or their relation with gender and how it interacts with their powers

Think about it guys... this could all be yours for the low, low price of taking my hand and moving into this beautiful world together

[fanfoolishness]

🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

Thank you for sending these! <3 Haha I'mma get a bit spicy with the second one.

🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis

@stardustandash is super cool! I love your posts :-D

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

Sorry to anyone who likes reader fics here! But:

Folks, I Do. Not. Understand. Reader characters. I do not get it. Not one little bit. Maybe it's the Old in me talking, maybe it's the fact that it's almost totally limited to smut fic, maybe it's the fact I first encountered it in a fandom where I was firmly convinced the main character was aroace (Din Djarin, looking at you!) and so the idea of reading him in smut with "me" at the helm was just a visceral hell no for me. I don't know. I like smut fine! I've written plenty of it! I have a (sadly now defunct) blog called @smuttyfoolishness ! But if you write that "MY" tits are doing something my reaction is OH HELL NO THEY AREN'T. I have blocked every single permutation of reader this, reader that that I can think of and they still keep appearing somehow. I don't understand "reader" having a romance or fling with my blorbo, because I am not supposed to be in that situation at all. I am supposed to be holding my blorbo like a dolly and mashing them together with another dolly and hollering "NOW KISS." I am not In the Situation, I make the Situation. It just makes me recoil to think otherwise. I have no problem with people enjoying it since it clearly somehow (again I do not understand how??) makes many people happy, but I scroll away instantly, blacklist tags, block or unfollow when it pops up.

Now as to writing original characters, I've written many NaNoWriMos and wrote my first novella-length story when I was 13. Will I forever love my first real OC Philocia Trenn, no matter how cringey she was back in 1997? Of course I will and I do, she is a smol precious polyglot bean. I also love writing for any of my Shepards, Wardens, Hawkes and Inquisitors, though that's a bit different -- we're all starting from a similar jumping off point with our characters as a feature of the game, not a bug, and then branching out to differentiate them. It's always felt different to me than coming up with an OC in a TV-based fandom, and I've had little interest in writing about a Star Wars, Severance, Steven Universe, etc. OC. I do appreciate people who do them well with complex backstories and the like, I just have no draw to them myself.

[itsnotthaaatserious]

i'm a casual reader of lore olympus. i enjoy it passively for what it is and check tumblr after updates just to ruminate on it a bit or catch the thoughts of other fans. i have no intention of talking about lore olympus at length or even really using this blog because, honestly? lore olympus is not that serious. it's a soap opera inspired by greek myths with a pseudo modern aesthetic. it's campy, cookie cutter, and sure as fuck not the place i would go to to get a fresh or faithful take on the persephone/hades myth. i mean it's a webtoon for fuck's sake. a cursory look at the art style and marketing will tell you all you need to know about how deep this story's going to be.

And yet. the tags on this godforsaken website are absolutely overrun with anti lo / lo critical hot takes expressing the oh-so-novel idea that lo isn't very good, to which i say... no shit? the art's inconsistent/disproportionate. writing is often mid. characterization is... ok, i'll show my hand here. I think a lot of people's problems with the characters themselves is just a fundamental disagreement on interpretation, because the greek gods are by and large colossal assholes and can be twisted to be as saintly or sinister as you want them to be. that particular point is just a subjective "noooo my greek god/goddess blorbo was done so dirty" without taking anything else (such as creative decisions) into consideration. but i digress.

my ultimate point here is the pseudo intellectuals getting worked up over a webtoon soap opera are fucking annoying. greek mythology has been adapted TO DEATH because it is the most well known mythology in human history. if you don't enjoy lo there is nothing wrong with that. after all, as i already said, it's not that good - it's the equivalent of trash tv. so why the everloving fuck are so many people so pressed and dedicated to criticizing lo? literally just go find a different adaptation. lo is hardly a cultural juggernaut forever tainting the high-brow sophistication of greek mythology (lmao) and your constant need to fill the tags with criticism is more indicative of how emotionally invested you are in this comic than the actual quality of the comic itself. i swear to god almost all these posts i see average under a 100 notes. lo barely has a fandom presence on tumblr. the fuck are you all doing.

anyway *steps off my soapbox*

[bizarre-blorbo-bracket]

Round 1 poll 18: Antonio the Violinist from Identity V vs Waldo Trumbull from The Comedy of Terrors

Propaganda under the cut:

Antonio the Violinist

Antonio is a less popular character from an obscure video game. He's an incredibly tall, lanky, undead man based partially on the real life Niccolò Paganini and legends surrounding him. I have purchased things for research on Paganini to fuel my obsession with Antonio. He has prehensile hair and I just want him to carry me in it. I research harder into his lore than I do for any other character in this game, and he has very little. He's possessed by the devil because the devil got him out of music based slavery. He plays the violin and spins around when he hits a survivor. His original animation for a survivor struggling out of his hold was changed from him falling on the ground and getting up without using his arms to him swiping at the air around him. He has music magic that hurts you. He has no connection to any other playable character as of my submission. He's spooky yet handsome. One of his accessories implies he died alone in the cold of winter. He has insane amounts of gender. He can play violin on a single string. He can play that single stringed violin with his HAIR. He's full of skill and diseases. His first deduction(lore snippet gained by completing tasks) shows that he's got a CVS receipt length of medical disorders, and the second one shows that he's the only character in the game confirmed to fuck for pleasure. I want him carnally. I want him to be my bestie IRL. I want to be him. I want to hold him. I want to comfort him. I want to tear his limbs off and stitch them back on. I want him to be turned into a marketable plushie.

Waldo Trumbull

He's from a rarely talked about 1963 film which is absolutely ridiculous slapstick + dark comedy combined. He's a complete arsehole who there is no good reason to like--not only is he a serial killer (murders people to bring in customers to his undertaker's business) but he's also just a petty dick. He is built like a stick insect and moves around like a live-action cartoon, ungainliest creature ever. Has the personality of a scraggly feral cat that will bite and scratch if you get too close. He asks "May I?" before touching the breast of a *wooden carving* of a woman. His name is *Waldo Trumbull*, his first name only being revealed late in the film as he seems to know it's ridiculous and goes by his last name or "Mr W. Trumbull" (you can't pretend your first name is just W, Waldo, that's not how it works). Half of me wants to grab and shake him, half of me wants to keep him as a pet, he is such a creature.