#and the maturity and emotional capabilities of a 12 year old boy

[fogemorfem]

I can't emphasise enough how wrong my impression of the show Lucifer was before I started watching it. The promo photos had me rolling my eyes, like yeah, "cool" "sexy" show that takes itself too seriously. When I realised people on tumblr watched it, and Neil Gaiman was somehow involved, I was confused. Decided to give it a shot. After less than a minute I was gagging from the "cool" "sexy" dude who took himself too seriously, so I turned it off.

Than I saw another post about it, and I was like... okay. I'll really try this time.

And I continued from where I had left off. And it's not long before it's clear that

a) Lucifer Morningstar is a complete clown, I love it

b) there's more to him than his superficial persona (and clowns with emotions are kind of my favourite kind of character so yay)

c) ...but he's in complete denial of his own complexity and emotions (more favourite character traits 👌)

d) it's a murder mystery show?? The actual devil is up on earth solving crimes, that is a wild concept.

e) this show is hilarious and warm and interesting

f) there will be PINING! YES!

g) and a supernatural (emotionally inept) character falling for a human, do you know how much I eat that shit up?

I'm still kind of flabbergasted about how wrong I was able to be. But also, I can't believe how much the promo photos misrepresent the show. It's all suave people posing over a red background and/or fire. Why? They should at least have one picture of the clown sap looking at the woman of his dreams.

[semi-imaginary-place]

umineko ep7 pt2

Slaps roof of character wow they get so many names and character designs and personalities/personas. We got ushiromiya lion and the red suit. Clair the white ghost witch who has the role of urban legend beatrice who also shows up as elder sister gold Beatrice in .. ep5? And then chick younger sister beatrice. Then we got the og italian beatrice, and her incest daughter kuwadorian beatrice2. Oh yeah and gaap is also a beatrice. Lion and beatrice have gold hair why does shannon have dark hair.

Natsuhi and battler are so right, go get rudolph's cheating two timing ass. Rudolph being all torn up about battler hating him and cheating, and kyrie is out there popping off champagne and dancing on asumu's grave. It says something that 12 year old battler was more emotionally mature than kyrie. Kyrie to some degree even resented battler and hated asumu enough she was resolved to kill her. Battler meanwhile doesn't hold rudolph's decisions against ange and even admires kyrie. 12 year old battler shouldn't have carelessly promised things he couldn't keep. forgetting about what he said is so 12 year old core. In a way you can think the ushiromiya family incident as rudolph's fault. It sounds like shanon was more infatuated with the idea of marriage than any one boy, like girl you agreed to marriage at 16. Also something insidious about george probably wanting marriage for children to continue the family line and what not and idk if shanon is even capable of pregnancy. In the long run 6 years is pretty short, it just so happens to be at a critical time in a kids life, Rudolph didn't get to see battler grow up. Shannon high off copium deluding herself that this is all a test of her love that the longer battler stays away the more devoted he is. vs. the reality that like most 12 year olds and he forgot and didn't think it was important.

Huh white beatrice took on shanon's love for battler. She just made kanon??? You can do that? Scary. Shanon so repressed she made an edgy emo boy alter. And then clair remade her form to be battler's exact type, which just so happens to look like og beatrice. Or did she rewrite og beatrice's appearance? white beatrice changing her hair color still doesn't explain why shanon and lion have different hair colors. Unless yasu's hair was originally gold but in making the shanon servant persona they changed the hair color from gold to black/brown. Beatrice 2 3 is also classic anime 1 drop of white blood makes your family white forever (see ann takamaki) where as in reality 1 european parent 1 east asian parent always (excluding rare mutations) ends up with dark haired children like you get a dark chocolate brown at lightest. So beatrice2 (F1) being blond is almost impossible. I'm not even going to think of why kinzo has white hair or the ushiromiyas in general have light hair i heard someone say this is just for audience interest where in universe everyone has black hair. So at best bea2 would also be dark haired with recessive alleles. And then incest backcrossing to the same dark haired alleles means it's still impossible for bea3 to have blond hair. Which brings it back to blond lion unless that is just visual design and not canon.

Ah the epitaph was to decide whether genji would reveal yasu or not.

The thing is battler doesn't know beatrice exists so even if he did come back he wouldn't love her. The one battler has a past and relationship with was shanon. In taking that love from shanon they doomed it. Also i get they're a hivemind thing but it's kinda disturbing that emotions can be cut and pasted from one person to another

Weird that the translation is using a mix of romanized and japanified names but very few of the actual taiwanese names which are mandarin chinese. Like the translation uses Tansui when it's actual name is Danshui which is an actual place. The eng translators probably don't know but replacing existing names with japanese ones is one of the main tactics of japanese imperialism and colonialism to forcefully assimilate the population, cultural genocide and all that.

Not genji dressing her up to be presented to kinzo, feels sooo bad. Ok i wasnt sure which version because this beatrice acts like shannon but is being narrated by clair. But kinzo's line about your face and voice resemble your mother part i want to throw up. Get away from them, i must protec. Yeah sure you carry beatrice's blood but you're also 3/4 kinzo. Every line out of kinzo's mouth just gets worse! Die right now. Hell is too good for kinzo. Making them cosplay as their dead mother is so messed up. Kinzo was a bastard until the end didn't natter that he was ruining someone else's life or dumping massive trauma on them or that they'd been a servant since 6 and so many labor laws broken like child labor little rest nor vacation verbal abuse with holding food, noo all the mattered was making himself feel better.

First order as head: i quit. I guess this vaguely makes the george shanon relationship better, even if it's beatrice side that became the master the one with love for battler, and not shanon. Although really now that bea/lion/shanon/yasu (i hate this series most confusing identities ever!) knows, why didn't you choose someone who isn't a cousin/nephew. Oh wait i just realized they are 19 i remember earlier they were talking about faking yasu's age. In some ways the george relationship makes more sense. Shanon/clair/beatrice is so passive about their life. She hands over the position of head because they don't want to decide anything, leave everything up to fate and go where fate takes her. George offers that kind of certainty were he decides things for shannon and she goes along with it.

I dont get whats going on are clair and will undoing the previous episodes and murders?

Yasu/shannon/beatrice/clair/etc. (am i missing any?) is soooo normal. Girl splits her persona when her preteen crush ghosts her that's not a healthy response. She is not coping well. Shannon chooses george to tell her how to live and what to feel (not dissing lifestyle subs or anything but girl what). She sets up a bomb to blow up the island with an elaborate serial murder plot. Girl is mentally unwell. Oh yeah and then kinzo trauma dumps and makes her spiral. Oh yeah and kanon. I cant tell if their character is meant to be coded with dissociative identity disorder like maria is autism coded or not. They need therapy, and feminism. Actually all the ushiromiyas need therapy and feminism.

Gun safety everyone. This is why you store guns and ammo separately, don't fight over a loaded gun, and don't put your finger on the trigger unless you plan to shoot. Wow hideyoshi "let's hide the murder and bodies". Something about that fascist gold fever making everyone go crazy and murderous (except erika who's already deranged, and battler who's battler). You don't even need the explosion plot you can always lie and say krauss and natsuhi got in an argument about hiding kinzo's death and the inheritance.

Damn kyrie killing everyone is cold blood. Forgot she's a yakuza heir. She really lets hate rule her life. Asumu's gone so she just transfers her hatred into battler. Kyrie and rudolph a match made in hell, they're both terrible people. I've honestly checked out of all the main romances (battler beatrice, george shannon, jessica kanon). the most interesting are eva hideyoshi which is girlboss + malewife but they're both deeply sexist. And kyrie and rudolph, they're such terrible people but they really do match each other and make good partners. I'm not sure rudolph and kyrie are on the same page. Oh that's how eva survives makes what happens with ange more painful given what she accuses eva of.

Eva is the luckiest person alive. The ange angst train continues. Wow kyrie might be an actual psychopath (the actual clinical definition not the pop psych twitter definition), utterly self centered and self serving, kinda impressive but wow. The truth huh, the inside of Schrodinger's catbox. I guess battler won in the end with the anti witch anti magic hypothesis. But battler isn't dead yet. And of course ange's fragment of miracles is one where kyrie and rudolph succeed in massacring everyone.

What does that red scene mean?? Beatrice is reluctant about kinzo's "feelings" ew this better not be incest round 2 with beatrice3. They hate their body because of a terrible injury which she describes as unable to love. Or is this beatrice2.

Given kyrie's love for ange turned out to be a lie i wonder about her relationship with rudolph. Maybe it was pragmatism afterall it can be pointless to love someone who's dead and kyrie sees thing that way but I've never met anyone with that degree of control over their emotions. Most of the time when people can control emotions it usually is just repression ignoring and stuffing down emotions rather than changing them. Less often people are talking about indirectly affecting their emotions like rewarding yourself with a cookie to bring your mood up or leaving an environment that is making you angry I've never met anyone who can turn love on and off like a light switch. Kyrie admits to testing rudolph so i do think it possible she would have killed him too if he'd been unable yo murder george and battler. Which makes me wonder if she did love rudolph in her own way as much as she was capable of. The two certainly got along well, had good chemistry, and seemed well matched in dispositions being able to keep up with and push each other, similar hobbies, etc. or was rudolph an achievement, a possession, a trophy husband for her. Kyrie did devote 18 years to getting him but it almost to me seemed more about destroying asumu for daring to get in the way of what kyrie wanted. The other thing is why does kyrie twice now monologue about her motives. Flipping the chessboard bern shows it to torment ange. But what about kyrie to vent? To distress her opponent?

[nobodiesheartlessshitblog45]

My headcanons For Gojo Satoru

This Dingus right here is a huge movie fan. Loves pretty much anything, the old classics black and white movies, foreign films, main stream movies and so bad that it’s good movies. He loves TV shows, he’s big Supernatural fanboy. Loves Dean  Winchester and strong shipper of Deancel, Walking Dead fan all the way. Both the comics, Tv show and games. (He only played the first season and balled his eyes out for a weeks, and refuses to play rest of the games) Dose have a soft spot of horror movies, Like The Screams, Halloween, The Saw  franchise, classic monster movies of course. Gotta respect the classics.

His favorite movies of all time are  Beetlejuice (Satoru’s roll model) Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Edward scissors hand The Princess Bride , all the old George Romero zombie movies, again classic monster movies, The Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit  franchise. He’s a big Bruce Campbell fan, and loves, loves all the Evil Dead movies and show. Loves Deadpool and has a huge man crush Ran Reynolds. Loves all Marvel Movies. Big Spider Man fanboy.

His favorite Disney movies are Princess and the frog, disney’s Atlantis, Tangrled, 101 Dalmatians, Emperors new groove, Hercules, Toy Story, but he can’t watch the 3rd because he will cry for ours.

He wasn’t a sorcerer, he would have loved to be an actor or  film Director.

Dose play videos games, Pretty much played all the telltale games, Loves Red Dead redemption games The second one is his favorite, and loves Arthur Morgan. He’s only played Season 1 of the Walking Dead and still not over Lee’s death. Loves Stardew Valley, Pokemon and Animal Crossing.

Our boy loves his sweets, but hates eating his veggies. Trying to get this grown ass man to eat veggies is like a small fish trying fight a great white shark. It’s fight everyone is going to lose.

His favorite Tv shows’s are the Walking Dead, Game of Throwns, The Office both American and British, Big Big Doctor Who fan, loves the 10th Doctor (David Tennen is his boy) Watched Pokémon Anime that has come out the years, knows the lore like that back of his hand.

This man loves to crossdress, love to wear fancy ballgown dress, sundress and  skirts. He can walk around in high heels with easy. He owns a lot high heels shoes.

Drinks a lot of coffee, 5-8 cups a day. Cannot stand the bitterness plane coffee. He adds 12 spoonful of sugar and milk to each cup. Hell is coffee isn’t really coffee pure sugar and milk or as Nanami dubs a cup of diabetes and tooth decay.

This man has the maturity of a 6 year old. He still think fart jokes are hilarious, it you say the word ‘booger’ this man child will start laughing uncontrollably, and he makes a lot dick jokes whenever he can and innuendos. He will even go into random empty classrooms and draw a lot of stupid doodles of random shit, like you would see in kids notebook if they were bored in class, and he draws lot of that penises. For some reason he draw dicks all over the chock bored. He’s been doing this since meddle and high school, he still thinks it funny. No body else dose. ... possibly Yuji.

He will out no where will start singing show toons. He just dose. Weather he’s in a meeting, doing a mission, teaching a class or singing in the shower, he will hum or sing out right of no where. Disney songs he knows by heart, themes of anime he’s into or watching. It helps him to relax... Or annoyed the shit of the others. 

He dose not care spots but he dose enjoy baseball.

Gojo Satour’s ideal s/o

This man is a huge tease and jokester. He need someone who can match or almost his Energy.  Humor is a very important thing to him, help deal with some shit that he had to go through. Someone with a good sence of humor is one attraction to him.

He’s a patien guy, and understands that it some people take getting out their shells, and he’s very excepting, but as long as you don’t try to kill or hurt is students things should be fine.

He is very overprotective lover. His s/o could very powerful sorcerer, capable of handling themselves in battle with curses or evil sorcerers, still doesn’t change that this man will worry and will step in if things will get hairy for liking. But al the same time of s/o a very strong sorcerer and knows how to care of themselves in n a battle it dose put Satoru’a mind at ease in away, still hate the idea of being away from his lover is something to them or they get hurt. If his s/o got badly injured or his s/o was about the brink of dying. HELL. HAVE. NO. FURY. TO. THIS. MAN’S. ANGER. He kill without think twice. No mercy, no secret changes, just death. He’ll rushed over to help his S/o and take them to Dr. Shoko, and will not leave until they are taken care and healed.

He’s his overprotective of his s/o and students so don’t fuck with any of them and no has to die. This man kill with thinking twice about it.

This man is loaded. As cash, and would give Yuji, Megumi and Nobara some money to enjoy themselves with. But this man dose love to spoil his s/o when he could. Somethings he will go overboard and his s/o tells him but it’s not necessarily to spend all this money on them. Which makes him love them even more because they not love him for his money. However Gojo being, well, Gojo will randomly get bouquets of flowers for his lovely s/o I will bring it to them randomly. It doesn’t matter if they’re teaching a class or and a very important meeting with Yaga-San, he’ll ust pop out of nowhere with a big goofy grin on his face and give his s/o the flowers kiss them and disappears, there is an awkward and annoying silence from from the students or the principal. And his s/o mildly embarrassed, but flattered shall go on as if nothing happened. And it becomes has become a running joke around in the school.

Hugs, Kissses and Cuddles are a must.  Again Satour doesn’t give a shit there is a meeting or A class being taught when this man wants affection, he’s going to get affection. He’ll come from behind and rest his head on his s/o’s chin on his s/o’s head. (Because the guy’s freakishly tall) And will just annoyin the shit out of then until he gets what he wants. Then he will leave them alone, maybe not. He’s Hot mess of chaotic energy after all. Plus he thinks it’s adorable When they get a little annoyed with him.

Being Married To Gojo Satoru or just have a  domestic life with him

This man never really saw himself getting married. It’s something that he was rather against for a while, until he meets his s/o. Nothings really changed in their relationship after they got married, did a few years and they just try to not have nowhere Most of everyone at the school cannot believe that someone would actually marry this maniac. Either his s/o is as as patient as a saint, just as bad shit crazy as Gojo Satour himself.

He dose everything in his power too make this work, and so dose his s/o. The two of them being power for sorcerers is basically a couple goal, The ultimate couple. At least Satour says. That being said working as a Jujutsu Sorcerer is both a mental, emotional and sometimes a physical strain on people. When things get too much for S/O, this man will stop what he’s doing, and will will be there his s/o, and his will be there for him when he the most. Having someone being there each is the most important thing in a relationships.

His clan was very against their relationship from the beginning. But Satour did not care, he loves who he loves so his clan/family can suck it.

His favorite nicknames for s/o are Sweetness, cutiepie, pumpkin, sugar, sweetheart, honeybuns and to get cringy Pookie. So weird one’s like Mochi cheeks, and beautiful or handsome. 

His favorite nickname that his s/o calls sweetie, honey, goofball, goober and  whackadoodle, knucklehead and dingus

When s/o are going away for a mission for a few a few days or few month, or Vice versa they would text, FaceTime pretty everyday. They talk about they day, and talk about the missions that had. Satour would have his students in the background who would say hello, and he and Yuji would make stupid jokes, and Nobara would laugh a bit and Megumi would roll his eyes in the background. And when his s/o get back from a mission this man is a very clingy little shit, he will hug the hell out his s/o when they get back. And would pout and whin if you have to a meeting or don’t have to see him. He’s a big a baby like that.

Over all this man is just big goofball, sure he’s annoying as fuck sometimes, but he dose cares about other’s. He’s a hot chaotic mess of a man, by God we love him for it.

[gameofdrarry]

Wizards Hearts Recs: 12 Grimmauld Place Setting

Wizards Hearts was a four-month-long Drarry reading fest. Players were given a playing deck of 52 tropes, and were asked to find 52 different fics to read and comment on to fill their decks. To prevent the same few fics from being read, fics were restricted to only being used for the game three times before being considered ineligible for further points. The tropes and submissions list can be found here.

Check out the masterlist of fics for this trope below the cut!

📜 Colliding By Design by Asterie Rated:  Explicit Words:  21491 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Interior Decorating, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Witch Weekly, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Auror Harry Potter, Interior Designer Draco Malfoy, Hipster Wizarding London Summary:  Draco Malfoy has used his time under house arrest to launch a promising career in interior design, and Harry Potter has inherited a magical house in desperate need of renovation. It’s an age-old story, brought to you with a little “help” from Witch Weekly Magazine. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Only Ash Remains by Saulaie, shilo1364 Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  66870 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Depression, Disability, invisible disibilities, Healing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Slash, Grimmauld Place, Malfoy Family, Malfoy Family Feels, POV Harry Potter, Community: harrydracobang, Harry/Draco Big Bang 2018 Summary:  One year after Harry defeated Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts, he still has no idea what to do with his life. He’s been living at No. 12 Grimmauld Place with Hermione and Ron, but they’ve spent the past few months on an extended stay in Australia to try and restore Hermione’s parents’ memories. Alone, he feels set adrift. Everyone else is focused on enjoying their summer before Hogwarts reopens (after a one year rebuilding period), but without Ron and Hermione, Harry doesn’t know if he can go back. Everything changes when the Malfoys dramatically re-enter his life, and together they learn to live again. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 keep it down by warmfoothills Rated:  Explicit Words:  13657 Tags: Living Together, Housemates, omg they were roommates etc, Grimmauld Place, switching POVs, between the boys and ginny also gets a couple of interludes because we love her!, backyard quidditch, Yoga, Masturbation, references to draco/others, including blaise, not so accidental aural voyeurism, not so accidental aural exhbitionism, Clothes Stealing, shampoo borrowing, wall sharing, rugby and denial (harry), snobbery and slobbery regarding food (draco), Massage, a long hot summer, bit of breathplay, one small linny reference, it’s porn but i make you read 10k of faffing about first, an EXCESSIVE amount of parentheses, harry’s an idiot, draco’s only slightly less of an idiot Summary:  Malfoy’s an inconsiderately loud roommate and Harry’s over it. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 almost heaven by M0stlyVoid Rated:  Explicit Words:  12432 Tags: Sentient Magical House, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Malfoy Manor, House magic, Magical Theory (Harry Potter), Wizarding Culture (Harry Potter), Sex Magic, Rituals, Happy Birthday Tacky!!, Minor Character Death Summary:  Draco’s father dies. Harry’s house has a tantrum. When it turns out the two are related, Harry has to decide how far he’s willing to go to set his home to rights. And when Malfoy ends up looking like that, Harry finds he’s willing to go a lot farther than he ever thought he would. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 I could be wrong, I could be ready by harryromper Rated:  Mature Words:  57343 Tags: Post-Hogwarts, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Second War with Voldemort, POV Alternating, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Pining, Romance, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, wizarding houses, House magic, Magic, Families of Choice, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Wizarding Traditions (Harry Potter), Magical Theory, Brooklyn, Roller Coasters, Socks, Quidditch Player Ginny Weasley, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Minor Hannah Abbott/Neville Longbottom, Professor Neville Longbottom, Curse Breaker Bill Weasley, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, Godric's Hollow, Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place, H/D Erised 2018, Community: hd_erised, Lovers to Friends Summary:  At first Harry wonders if they’ve managed to destroy his vaults and are trying to tell him in the most oblique way possible. But when he turns the page he realises they’ve found a vault. A vault in the name of Lily and James Potter. The parchment trembles a little in Harry’s hand. He takes another gulp of wine. Harry Potter left Britain after the war and didn’t look back. Ten years later, when Gringotts discovers a vault containing his parents’ belongings—including their badly spell-damaged wedding rings—he’s forced to face up to friends and family who’ve grown in ways he could never imagine, a wizarding London rebuilt beyond his expectations, and the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the entirely unforeseen problem of Draco Malfoy. Featuring pureblood wizarding traditions, ancestral magic, open mic nights, marriage equality, a diner in Brooklyn, and the return of Fleamont Potter. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Modern Love by tackytiger Rated:  Explicit Words:  61322 Tags: Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Slow Burn, Oblivious Harry Potter, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, idiots to lovers, Politics, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Songfic, Friendship, Found Family, Mentions of Cancer, References to Illness, Chemotherapy, references to canonical child abuse, references to canonical deaths, References to Depression, Drunkenness, Sad Harry Potter, Church Services, Hymns, Atheism, Kissing in Church, Religious Discussion, Light Angst, Boxing & Fisticuffs, Minor Injuries, Blood and Injury, Gay vicar, Original Character(s), Original Character Illness, Magical Theory (Harry Potter), Scars, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Minor Draco Malfoy/ Sexy Tall Vicar, Draco Kisses Someone Briefly That's All I Promise, Magic/Muggle Relations, Jealousy, Family Drama Summary:  Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is. And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t? Because things don’t really change, do they? And if Harry can’t be happy, he’ll settle for a good night’s sleep, some posh antiques, and the opportunity to find out what Malfoy has been up to for all these years. And that’s what starts it all. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 In Every Universe by skeptique Rated:  Mature Words:  27179 Tags: Dubious Consent, More Detailed Warning in End Notes, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Post-War, Several Dracos Malfoy, depiction of mental health issues, Depiction of Anxiety Attacks, Brief Mentions of Drowning (in a dream), Mystery, Multiverse, Parallel Universe, Canon Content Warnings Apply, Moral and Ethical Quandaries Abound, Implied Drug Use, alcohol use, Smoking, Biracial Harry Potter, Black Hermione Granger, Minor Character Death, A Very Light Sprinkling of Smut Summary:  They sent Professor Harry Potter to search for Unspeakable Draco Malfoy. Draco has stolen a Firebird, an experimental magical device from the Department of Mysteries that lets you enter parallel universes as yourself. As Harry traverses from universe to universe, he begins to think Draco might be the one searching for him. A story about whether knowing what's possible makes it possible. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Haunt the corner of my eye by harryromper Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  23358 Tags: Post-Hogwarts, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Mystery And Angst With A Happy Ending, Auror Harry Potter, Student Draco Malfoy, Healer Luna Lovegood, Wizarding Politics (Harry Potter), Number Twelve Grimmauld Place Summary:  Harry’s life is very much on track. After a successful career as an Auror, he’s set to become the youngest ever Minister for Magic. But strange things are starting to happen at Grimmauld Place. Items he doesn’t recognise are appearing left and right, and somehow he never feels quite alone. There’s only one thing Harry knows for sure: it has something to do with Draco Malfoy. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Portrait of a Marriage by glitteringvoid Rated:  Mature Words:  130626 Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Marriage of Convenience, Marriage Proposal, Domestic Fluff, Developing Relationship, Relationship Discussions, Enemies to Friends to Something More, Lack of Communication, Self-Discovery, Self-Esteem Issues, Consent Issues, Internalized Acephobia, Ferrets, Bickering, Asexual Draco Malfoy, Touch-Averse Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter Can't Cook, Slow Burn Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley Friendship, Minor Hermione Granger/Pansy Parkinson/Ron Weasley, Post-Hogwarts, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, H/D Sex Fair 2020, Dubious Consent Summary:  Harry didn't want to marry Malfoy, he really didn't, but he also does want this house and Malfoy looked so smug and well - now they are married, and the house still doesn't like him, and Malfoy only looks more smug. Draco didn't want to marry Potter, he really didn't, but he also does want this house and he never seems to be capable of escaping Potter anyway, so if he is already doomed to being married off he might as well decide for himself what he is worth, sign the papers and ignore everything wrong with that plan until physically no longer possible. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Litany by thistle_verse Rated:  Mature Words:  7170 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Pandemics, Quarantine, Isolation, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Wizard's Chess (Harry Potter), Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Touch-Starved, Drinking, Draco Malfoy in Azkaban, Ghosts, Guilt, Lists, H/D Erised 2020 Summary:  With the wizarding world on lockdown due to a magic-draining pandemic, Harry is stuck in Grimmauld Place, bored and alone—until the ghost of Draco Malfoy shows up to haunt him. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Cleaning Up The Mess by Samunderthelights Rated:  Teen and Up Words:  3469 Tags: Drarropoly: Founders Edition - A Drarry Game/Fest, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, 12 Grimmauld Place Summary:  Harry has been hiding away at 12 Grimmauld Place, trying his best to clean up the place. He has fallen into a quiet and boring routine. But when Draco shows up at his door one day, asking for his wand back, that quiet and boring routine of his is about to be broken. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Grimmauld Christmas Curse by crimsonheadache, inspired_being, kitty_collab (kitty_fic), Ladderofyears, Vaysh Rated:  General Words:  2323 Tags: Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Christmas Tree, Christmas Decorations, Aunt Walburga (portrait), Curse Breaker Draco Malfoy, Meme Insert Summary:  "I'm telling you, Hermione, the house is out to get me." Harry poured two cups of tea and passed one across the kitchen table. "Don't be ridiculous, Harry, it is not out to get you." Or is it? ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Distractions by pottergerms Rated:  Explicit Words:  2239 Tags: Grimmauld Place Summary:  Kingsley was not his friend. He was not a paperboy. And Harry Potter was definitely not the hottest thing alive. ❤️ Read on AO3

[count-yeti]

Twenty seven years ago, a crazed alchemist created a new lifeform, the first homunculus created in over 500 years. The alchemist referred to the new lifeform simply as “Doll”, not giving it a proper name. Doll lived with this alchemist, named Xavier Ludwig St. James, for 10 years, until the mad alchemist accidentally killed himself in a lab explosion. Doll was left without anyone to care for him, and he knew no-one: his creator had never allowed Doll to meet anyone, besides his own master, who had died 5 years previously. Doll had no experience with emotions, feelings, deep thoughts, so when his creator died, he felt nothing more than annoyed that his source of food had disappeared. He’d never felt any sense of loyalty to his creator, viewing him only as a means of shelter and food.

A few months before this, a young mermaid in the Atlantic by the name of Umi lost both of her parents when their house collapsed. Umi had sneaked out of her house that night to watch the glow fish in the park at the edge of town, something her parents never let her do, so she was safe from the collapse. Though her parents had been strict, she still cared for them, and with them gone, she no longer had anyone to turn to. She had no friends, he only family had been her parents. What was she supposed to do?

While living on the streets, she overheard a conversation between two mermages, magic users. They were discussing a forbidden magical technique that would turn a merperson into a human. Umi had always been interested in the human world, watching human cartoons every chance she could, so when she heard those words, she immediately continued listening, learning the technique.

She went to the shore, drew a sign in the sand where the water met the land, and placed seashells in each of the cardinal directions, chanting a quick incantation. When next the waves came up the beach, erasing the sign in the sand she had made, she suddenly felt a sharp, burning pain in her tail. She writhed in pain on the beach as the sun rose on a new day. For some reason, no matter how loudly she tried to scream, no sound came out.

After what felt like a week, the pain subsided, and she laid in the sand, letting the sea lap over her. Without realising it, she fell asleep there. She was awakened several hours later when a child was walking along the beach, alone. He wore plain, dirty clothing, much like Umi herself wore.

“Oh, hello,” the young boy said, uninterested, looking down at her. “Why haven’t you got any pants on?”

Umi became embarrassed, and quickly curled up, covering he legs with her arms. She tried to speak, but no matter how hard she tried, no words came out. Why couldn’t she speak?

“Well, whatever. You mind moving over a little? You’re in my spot” the boy said with the same uninterested tone, sitting beside Umi after she had obliged, watching the surf.

Again, Umi tried to speak, and again no words came out. What was happening? Maybe I lost my voice after screaming in pain after the ritual, she thought to herself. No, wait, she thought, I wasn’t able to scream.

“You don’t have to try to force yourself to speak. I can clearly see you aren’t capable,” the young boy stated, matter-of-factly, as if observing that the sky or sea were blue.

What was with this boy? She thought. He acts so mature, but it doesn’t feel fake like it did when she saw kids acting mature on TV. It’s like he’s an adult in a child’s body, she said to herself. She tried to laugh at her thoughts, but found the she couldn’t even laugh. This revelation made her even more depressed than she was already feeling, and she uncurled herself from the fetal position she was in, laying flat on her back once more.

“Are you alright?” the boy asked her, still maintaining his unaffected tone, as if his asking were merely a formality.

Umi shook her head as best she could while laying in the sand and surf, feeling the sand getting all over her hair. She didn’t care, though, she didn’t care about anything anymore, really.

“Come with me,” the boy said in his emotionless voice, getting up and extending a hand down to Umi.

Umi waited a moment, confused. She then remembered she wasn’t wearing any pants, and became embarrassed again, curling up into a ball for a second time, hiding her naked lower half. She looked up at the boy, her face red, but he still had a blank expression, as if he didn’t care that she was half naked. What a weirdo, she thought. Weirdo though he was, she felt comfortable around him. She accepted his hand, and he carefully helped her stand.

This turned out to be a mistake, as almost immediately she fell back to the ground. She’d never walked before, after all. She’d been born a mermaid, and lived as a mermaid for 12 years. Legs were so weird.

“Hmm,” the boy said, finally showing an emotion: curiosity.

Umi looked up at him, feeling even more embarrassed than she had when she realised she was half naked. This boy had not only seen her without pants, he’d seen her fall so ungracefully, too!

“Here,” the boy said, taking off the thin jacket he was wearing and wrapping it around Umi’s waist after helping her up once more.

For some reason, him getting so close to her made her feel even more embarrassed, and she pushed him away, but not before he had finished wrapping his jacket around her waist, covering her bare legs, at least to some extent.

Unfortunately, he had been her support, and after she pushed him away, she once more fell to the ground. This time, she started feeling overwhelmed, and started to cry. Though no noise came from her throat, she could feel the hot tears streaming down her face. Crying felt so different on dry land…

The boy crouched, putting his hand gently on Umi’s head. Umi looked up at him, and though he still showed no emotion, she was starting to understand that he was kind. For some reason, seeing his expressionless face while she sat there in the sand getting wet from the surf and the tears streaming down her face, she started to laugh. Only, she still couldn’t make any sound.

“That’s good,” the boy tried to smile, but he couldn’t, as he’d never genuinely smiled in his ten years of existence.

Seeing his attempt at a smile only caused Umi to laugh even harder, and she realised she’d forgotten why she had been crying in the first place.

Once more, she tried to stand with the boy’s help, but unlike her previous attempts, this time she managed to stay standing. The boy crouched, and gestured for her to climb on his back. Umi didn’t understand, but she obliged, and the boy stood up straight once more with Umi on his back, giving her a piggy back ride.

“By the way, you can call me Doll. My creator never gave me a name, but he always called me Doll. I don’t have anyone to name me, so I guess I’m stuck with such a silly name,” the boy sighed, showing another brief emotion, as he effortlessly carried Umi up the beach.

Umi still couldn’t speak, so she just thumped Doll on the shoulder twice, letting him know that she’d understood.

Doll carried Umi for several miles, before finally reaching a nicely-sized house in a clearing in the woods. It reminded Umi of something out of an old horror movie, but it didn’t scare her. It actually felt kind of sad to her. It looked like the place wasn’t well-looked after, where it had been until just recently.

“Pardon the overgrowth,” Doll said to Umi, as if reading her mind. “My creator recently died, and now there is no one to take care of this place.”

Umi listened to him, noticing that though he was speaking of death, he still showed no emotion. What was with this boy, Doll? He was so strange, but being with him made her happy for some reason.

Inside was just like Umi was imagining it would be: dark, kind of dank, and straight out of an old horror movie, though just like the outside, it felt more sad than scary. Doll carried her a short way before setting her on a sofa in the living room.

“Wait here, I’ll get you some crutches or a cane to help you walk,” Doll said, leaving Umi sitting on the couch.

She looked about the room, noticing that it looked much like the typical living rooms from the mid century that she saw on reruns of old TV shows. The only modern looking thing in the room was the flat screen TV that sat opposite the sofa, hanging above a fireplace. The screen was covered in dust, as was most everything else in the living room.

Doll returned a few moments later with a pair of crutches. He helped Umi stand, and adjusted them to her meagre height. After he let go, she almost fell backwards onto the sofa, but using the crutches she managed to keep herself upright.

“Alright, now you don’t need to rely solely on me to get around, but I’ll try and be nearby at all times until you get the hang of walking,” Doll said simply.

Umi tried to thank him, but still no words would come, so she simply nodded her head in thanks.

Doll disappeared again, returning momentarily carrying a pair of shorts in his hands. He handed them to Umi, and stood, waiting. Umi looked at him with embarrassment, hoping he would understand that she felt uncomfortable changing in front of him, but he didn’t seem to get it, so she silently sighed and took off his jacket that had been around her waist and put on the shorts, which seemed to fit her quite well.

“I’m glad they fit,” Doll said, trying and failing to smile again.

Umi nodded her head in thanks again.

“Are you hungry?” Doll asked her out of no where.

Umi nodded, telling him she was.

“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Doll responded, leaving the living room.

He was gone for nearly 45 minutes, and Umi was getting really worried, but she didn’t feel there was anything she could do, as she still wasn’t confident enough to walk. Just as she was about to throw caution to the wind and leave to find him anyway, the front door opened, and Doll was standing there, a fishing rod in one hand and a bucket full of several fish in the other. She hobbled over to him quickly, and looked at him with big eyes, feeling a massive sense of relief that he’d come back.

“Sorry I was gone so long, it took a while for them to start biting. I hope you like fish,” he said, setting the rod next to the front door in the umbrella stand and bringing the fish into the kitchen.

Another 45 minutes passed, and Doll walked into the living room, carrying two large plates piled high with fish, and returned to the kitchen, coming back with two large bowls of rice. This boy must have a huge stomach, Umi thought, awing at the quantity of food he’d brought out.

Umi looked at Doll expectantly, and he sat beside her on the sofa, grabbing two dinner trays from behind the seat and placing them in front of Umi and himself, setting the plates and bowls on top of them. With that done, Doll began to eat.

Umi now looked at Doll for a different reason, and it took him a moment to notice, but when he turned to look at her, she tilted her head in the direction of the TV, wondering if she could turn it on.

“Oh, sure, here’s the remote,” Doll said, distractedly digging around for the remote in the armrest before handing it to her.

She spent a few minutes flipping through the channels, gawking at the sheer volume of choices to pick from. Back home, there were only a few dozen channels, which didn’t come close to the hundreds she could choose from here on land.

“Not used to all the choices?” Doll asked between massive forkfuls of food, reading her mind.

She nodded her head, before realising she hadn’t touched her food, and hurriedly digging in.

“Don’t eat too quickly,” Doll instructed, not realising that he had no right to talk on the matter of eating too quickly.

Umi simply looked at him with a quizzical look.

“What?” Doll asked, his fork still in his mouth.

She shook her head in response and returned to her meal. It’d been a while since she’d eaten real food, especially with somebody else, having lived mostly on scraps after her parents died, leaving her alone.

Doll noticed the look on her face as she recalled her loneliness, and tried again to smile at her. He failed, and Umi started laughing again, briefly forgetting her pain.

“That was not the intended reaction,” Doll said demurely, taking another mouthful of food.

Umi smiled at him, and went back to eating her meal. The two of them spent the rest of their meal in silence, the only sound being the TV and their forks clinking against their plates.

After they Umi finished her dinner – Doll finished a good 5 minutes before she did – Doll collected their plates and brought them to the kitchen, cleaning them. He came back to the living room carrying a small tray of cookies and a pitcher full of milk.

“Do you like cookies?” Doll ask, setting the tray and pitcher on the coffee table.

Umi just stared at him dully, not being able to answer. She’d only seen cookies while watching TV, she’d never had cookies herself.

“Hmm,” Doll intoned, looking at Umi with an emotion he’d shown earlier when they’d first met: curiosity.

She became self conscious of his eyes on her, and turned her gaze to the cookies on the table. She couldn’t stop thinking about the intensity of his stare, but she also couldn’t stop wondering what cookies tasted like. Umi started to laugh again, amused by the simplicity of the thought of cookies. She’d spent several months living on the streets after her parents died, she never thought she’d have dessert again, or be able to laugh – though she wasn’t sure she could call it laughing since no sound was coming out.

“Here you go. I only gave you one for now, since it seems like you’ve never had cookies before,” Doll said with his usual tone of voice, setting a small plate with a single cookie and a glass of milk in front of Umi.

Umi slowly started eating the cookie, following Doll’s lead as he dunked his own cookie into his glass of milk before eating it. She stuck the cookie, now wet with milk, in her mouth, and savoured the taste. She’d never had anything like it! In her hometown, the food was generally rather plain, even the desserts, so she’d never really grown up with sweets. Still, the taste of the cookie reminded her of home, of her parents. She wished she could have shared the cookies with them, but now she would never see them again.

“Are you alright?” Doll asked her while staring intently at her face after he had finished his own cookies.

She wasn’t sure what he meant. Why was he asking if she was alright? Then, she felt the tears streaming down her face. How had she not noticed the tears? She couldn’t stop them…

Doll got up from the sofa and left the room briefly, returning with a handkerchief, and taking his seat once more, dabbing softly at Umi’s face as she cried. She couldn’t stop crying, thinking about her parents. She grabbed Doll’s hand as he went to dry her eyes again, and pulled him close, wrapping him in a big hug as she continued to cry. Doll, intrigued by her emotions, simply allowed her to hold him.

After she finished crying some 10 minutes later, she sat awkwardly on the sofa while Doll brought their plates and glasses from the cookies to the kitchen. She’d clung to him for 10 whole minutes! What was he going to say when he came back? Surely he felt like she was weird, she had suddenly started crying and then wrapped him in a huge hug without letting go.

“Are you better now?” Doll said softly, showing an emotion she hadn’t thought him capable of before: concern.

For his part, Doll was confused by the tone of his voice, too. Why had it come out that way? He couldn’t tell, and that confused him further. Umi looked at him, trying to seem like she wasn’t staring when she was, and saw that he was confused, too. She started blushing and nodded her head in answer to his question.

“That’s good,” Doll said, sounding somewhat distracted.

He returned to his seat on the sofa, folding up the dinner trays and putting them back behind the couch. After that, he silently sat and watched the TV, not seeming very interested in what was on.

“Can you write?” Doll asked suddenly some minutes later, surprising Umi and making her jump a little.

Umi shook her head; she could speak and understand spoken English as her parents had taught her, and many of the shows she watched were in English, but she’d never learned to write the language.

“Hmm,” Doll hummed. “Do you want me to teach you how?”

She nodded her head. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be unable to speak for, so it would be useful to be able to communicate some other way besides gestures.

“I’ll be right back,” Doll said as he got up and left the room once more.

He returned 10 or so minutes later, carrying some books and a small dry erase board and marker. He stood in the doorway briefly, looking around the living room, before turning around and leaving again. A minute later, he came back into the living room empty handed.

“Come on, we can study in the study where we’ll have more work space,” he said to Umi, offering her his hand to help her up.

Umi slowly hobbled behind Doll on her crutches. He was going as slow as he could so she could keep up, but he didn’t seem too bothered by his need to accommodate her slow pace. In fact, he didn’t seem to be bothered by Umi at all, even though she couldn’t speak, couldn’t walk, and kept breaking down into tears.

“Alright, you can sit here, across from me,” Doll said after they’d reached the study, which was on the other side of the house from the living room.

Together, they spent the rest of the day until the sunset studying. Doll would occasionally leave the room and return with snacks for the two of them, and they’d continue working as they ate. Umi worked hard, and by the end of the day she had at least gotten most of the alphabet down.

“Good work,” Doll said simply, patting her on the head for some reason. “I saw that on TV, apparently it’s a way of rewarding someone after a day of studying.”

Umi blushed and cast her eyes downward. Doll was really weird, but she liked being with him, and was really grateful towards him for helping her study.

“Oh, that’s right – do you have a place to stay?” Doll asked her, turning around in the doorway as he was leaving.

She shook her head.

“Alright, you can stay here from now on, then. I’ll show you around,” he said, going back to her and helping her get up from the chair she’d been sitting in.

She almost fell over as she tried to stand, not used to sitting for so long, but Doll caught her before she could land on her but like she had in the morning, when they’d first met. She blushed and rested her crutches under her arms, and followed behind Doll as he walked slowly out of the room.

He showed her around the house that had once belong to his creator, but was now his. The kitchen, the dining room, the many bedrooms and bathrooms. At the end, he showed her to a bedroom that was bigger than the others, and looked more well maintained.

“This will be your room. It’s the main guest room, so we always kept it cleaner than the other rooms. It also happens to be right next to my own room. If you need anything, just knock on this wall,” Doll said, speaking more words in one go than Umi’d heard him speak since they’d met.

Umi nodded her head and sat on the soft bed. She’d never slept in a bed before: mermaids didn’t sleep in the traditional sense, instead families had communal rooms that they would share and rest in together, simply sort of floating in the water in a state of half consciousness, semi-aware to their surroundings. Though, after her parents died and her home was destroyed, she instead generally slept in a patch of kelp in the park.

Doll noticed the reticence that showed on her face, and walked over to the other side of the bed and got into it.

“You’re not from the world of humanity, are you?” Doll asked her, looking down towards her from his spot in the bed.

She didn’t know how to respond, and started feeling frantic. She looked at his face, and she calmed down. Something told her that she could answer truthfully, and that he wouldn’t say anything bad. She nodded her head slowly.

“Hmm. Are you a mermaid?” he asked, using the same tone of voice one uses to ask what time it was.

Umi once again felt frantic. How had he figured it out? Could he read her mind, or something? Again, she looked at his face, and calmed down. He seemed to have such a calming effect on her, how weird. He was just a weird guy in general… She nodded her head, telling him she was a mermaid.

“I see,” he said, putting his hand under his chin in thought. “I believe my master had a mermaid-turned-human friend, though I never met him.”

She looked at him with a burning gaze, questions all over her face. Before she could ask any questions, however, she realised that Doll had fallen asleep. Wasn’t this supposed to be her bed? She shook his shoulders, but he didn’t wake up. She shook him again, this time successfully waking him.

“Huh? My apologise, I didn’t mean to fall asleep so suddenly,” he said, showing the emotion of regret.

Umi shook her head, saying she didn’t mind.

“Right, this is your bed,” Doll said, slowly getting himself out from under the covers and standing up. “I’m going to go look through my creator’s books to try and find his notes on his mermaid friend. Maybe I’ll find something that will help you; in the meantime, go ahead and get some sleep.”

With that, he left the room, closing her door behind him. Umi didn’t know what to do. She’d seen people going to bed on TV before, and Doll had just demonstrated it to her himself, but she’d never slept in the human sense. How did one get to sleep? Doll had done it so naturally himself just now, but Umi wasn’t sure how to. Maybe it wasn’t too different from what she was used to? With that final thought in her head, she cautiously got under the covers and laid her head on the pillows.

Not long after, she fell asleep.

[meseob]

I just realized that I’ve only rewatched Avatar like almost 12 years later. I started watching it when I was 10 and was 12 once it was over. Back then I instantly fell in love with Aangs character and the show in general. When I started rewatching it I was wondering if some of my opinions would change regarding some aspects so that was something I was a little excited about. Like maybe this time my favorite character would turn out to be Zuko since he is older and everything and that I might even start to ship him with Katara since it sometimes pops up on my dash from time to time and I just never got it and maybe this time I would.

But here I am, age almost 24 and I fell in love with Aangs character all over again and I probably love him more than ever because now I understand a lot more. When I was little I don’t think that some of the darker aspects quite sunk in. Like Aang awakening after a 100 years only to find out his whole race was wiped out and him being the last of his kind and all of his friends and loved ones being gone. His immense guilt for running away, not having been there to help his people or prevent the war. The huge burden he had to shoulder at only twelve years old while everyone was forcing their expectations on him.

When he said I’m just one kid, that line broke my heart because a lot of the time people on the show actually treated him more like an adult. Whenever there was a situation going on it was expected of Aang to resolve the situation, it didn’t even matter if he was or felt capable of doing it. We have to remember that from Aang’s pov he himself only found out not that long ago that he was the Avatar yet everyone was always expecting him to do his Avatar duties even though he was nowhere near being a fully realized Avatar. 

All of Aangs behaviour, reactions, mistakes were always very reasonable to me and I could always see or imagine where he came from. And the fact that he still can be so cheerful and kind after all the loss, the guilt, the shame and his burden is really so amazing.  But lets forget about those things, he is just such a loveable character in general. The love and loyalty he has towards his friends and how he is so humble. And while he does act according to his age a lot of times to me he is one of the most mature characters in the show. The boy just loves having fun and I mean who the fuck doesn’t, with Aang it’s like he can find joy in everything and I think that’s very beautiful. I loved how he stuck to his believes until the very end even though everyone told him otherwise and how he shaped his own destiny when everyone wanted the 12 year old kid to fight and kill the mighty fire lord. 

His whole relationship with Katara was very beautiful and imo made totally sense and was well enough developed for what it was since the show didn’t focus that much on romance which was pretty great. Their last scene together was really satisfying and Zuko and Katara still didn’t make sense to me after all though I guess I can see why people would find it appealing.

Anyways my initial point was that I wasn’t even aware that the last/first time I watched it was THAT long ago and it led me to have another great experience, this post got way out of hand but this kids series is making me feel way too emotional and I just love this fictional boy. Avatar is such a great fucking show and it literally makes me wanna be a better person.

[lunelantern]

~Sasusaku analysis ~

~Sasusaku analysis ~                                ~~ Sasuke and Sakura - - pair analysis ~~                                            ~THE BRIDGE SCENE~                            (Team 7 Reunion - - after the Five Kage Summit)

                                ---PART 2---

The bridge is broken it can't connect she can't reach to him.

"Why would you want to join me?", again, shockingly and amusingly, it's Sasuke who initiates the dialogue in such a personal and intimate note. He knows about her underlying intentions, he's inwardly insulted by her rather cowardly act (to moor to such a precious past memory of sincerity from him as a deceiving tool to kill him) and yet he still doesn't snap.

He's severely injured, his weakened, he's tired, he's bleeding, he is almost blind, he is running out of time, he's chased by strong shinobi, enemies are on his tail, the Kage are probably rushing to get their hands on him, he has all the reasons in the universe to cut any trifling conversation short and vanish from there.

But no!

No, he takes his time to chatter with Sakura who, hypothetically speaking, means nothing but a severed and unimportant past bond to him.

This only proves that Sasuke cares SO MUCH about Sakura that he's actually rendering his running-out time to silence and takes his time to explain their differences to her, as she seeks to still reel in confusion.

Using personal, intimate phrases with such a tone in his voice like he's her lover. The tragi-comedy derived from this act is bittersweet humorous and very theatrical. And so unlike the conniption that Sasuke normally displays.

This time, the reader is directly introduced into the manga to increase the tension and the feelings of the moment. Unlike the first time when no one was present, not even the reader when the departed from the village, ar have Karin as a witness hut she's the voice of the reader. And so we as the audience can have full access to feel the built up drama of the moment. We feel the pain and angst and haunting anticipation churning in our own hearts as viewed through Karina's lenses (a metaphor for letting us know that we could also be seeing a distorted, false representation of what transpires between them _the manga wants to confuse us even more).

"What are you trying to pull?" he flat out warns her to proceed with cautious when touching memories that he treasures deeply as thru are iconic and holy to Sasuke (he tells Danzo "do not talk to me about Itachi, as per reference to how Sasuke doesn't react well when someone touches something that's untouchable and sacred to him). Also letting her know first-hand that she can drop her act of deception because it will never work with him.

It's a double insult. Not only she's ridiculing a precious memory but she is also mocking his shinobi skills.

He's still calm yet which speaks volumes for how easily his conniption flames when provoked. It proves that Sakura is definitely someone of utter importance to him, someone very special if he's that patient with her.

What is she trying to achieve by appearing before him in this morn of the biggest manga conflict? Why does she stand before him with so much inner turmoil?

Sakura's confusion shows the difference between them. "I have no ulterior motive!" she knows that it's pointless to deny it and she'll only make herself look ridiculous in his eyes using such cliché and feeble deceiving methods to corner a top-tier shinobi like Sasuke. Also, her words could be interpreted as the respond to what Sasuke inwardly tried to ask as she lets him know that, in spite of any linger animosity that separate them, she's honest when she says she wants to be with him.

She suggests that her love is still honest despite their differences which seem to be unconquerable as per now.

She changes everything with her very next answer. "ever since you've left the village I've regretted not going with you!" this is exactly where the genius of the author unravels. How makes the transitions between conflicting emotions flow in  effortlessly sublime cursively description.

In the blink of an eye, Sakura as provoked by Sasuke's conflicting reactions and his TOO personal approach - he's even more direct and overtly more mature and less censored with her than his 12 years old boy self in the evening of his puberty, let her emotions fly free form her heart, like setting a caged nightingale free from its golden cage.

And so, the atmosphere shifts along with her.

She is one hundred percent SINCERE.

This is her speaking form the bottom of her heart like an apology and a confirmation to Sasuke that she isn't trying to invalidate or make fun of his "thank you" and tarnish their precious moment.

She regretted not being able to leave with him, she was broken by his departure, she was desperate not to lose him and she had lived with that haunting pain of losing someone she loves up to today.

Not being with him is something that she still desires. She loves him even now and Sasuke sees it.

He feels her honesty, she unclad from her veneer of shinobi deception and shouts to him words that come straight from the bottom of the heart of a woman who loves him. Her melodious voice is laces with the familiar despair as a torment and pain renders Sasuke speechless.

If Sasuke doesn't know what's like to lose someone you love, then no one does.

Nagato teaches Naruto that pain (negative emotions) have a stronger impact than love (positive emotions), for they have the transcendental power to bring two people together as brothers.

And it's exactly this pain which now e wreaths Sasuke and Sakura with invisible threads, creating a bond.

Sasuke knows the pain of losing someone and Sakura wholeheartedly confesses that she still harbors the pain of losing him - - the pain of distance between lovers - - in her heart.

The two following panels are illustrative and speak for themselves to support Sakura's words. Karin portrays the shock that her words produce in the eyes of the audience and cementing Sakura's perspective as Sasuke's lover - she appears before him as a lover and not Sakura the Leaf shinobi - and Sasuke's atmosphere soothes and softness.

Quietly, he let her words sink in for she touches deep parts of his bleeding hearts that were deeply buried under piles of broken mirrors and ashes, pain and remorse.

His facial expression is sweeter, softer, introspective and touched by the blurt of sincerity for her.

The drama unfolding between them is purely genius work of art in the finesse of its masterpiece execution. Sasuke is presented in such a moment, a furtive moment of sweetness and softness, right after he clashed with Danzo and had his fulminant near dead experience eight the Five Kage - - all moments when his spirit grew so fill of demons and darkness that stunned even Gaara and Danzo!

This is the real power that lies in Sakura's character. This is why she's one of the manga's pillar. Her symbolism, the heart-touching metaphor of her iconic character shines brighter than thousand suns: Sakura is the prosopopeia of the LOVE THAT HEALS.

Her love is sacred, holy. She represents the God's supreme sacrifice in the name of love, the supreme sacrifice done out of love to purge the entire sin from the world. Such love elevates, it's a blessing from Heaven, the Hand of God anointing the pitiful spirit of the mortals and imparting Forgiveness and Mercy.

Hers is the love that has been blessed with holiness. The power TO save the fallen angel from Purgatory and to RAISE THE FALLEN SOUL TO HEAVENS.

Such an irresistible force is capable to placate Sasuke as he stares back at her in silence. Speechless.

No visual prowess, no magical power, there's no human power that's capable to stay strong in front of such omnipotent and divine love. None!

Love is supreme, is holy, it's the liaison that God has imparted to mortals. The only anchor to reunite with God is love.

What follows is another stupendous craftsmanship of the authors genius and intelligence because we have the duality of Sakura's character conjoined in one single panel, but in reverse. She says: "I'll do whatever you want. I don't want to have anymore regrets."

Sakura realizes her moment of weakness in her previous moment of sincerity and hastily tries to ward those feelings off as they distract her from her purpose (she came with a strong resolve as a dutiful shinobi of the Leaf - - to kill an S ranked International criminal), and tries to correct her mistake, but in her haste, her next sentence is what cements her downfall.

She fails terribly and irrecoverably when she says: "I'll do whatever you want." This like led to her doom. She almost invalidated everything that's she achieved so far with this mistake.

And Sasuke instantly responds accordingly. He reverts back to his dark, furious self, he glares at her in sheer angst, furrows his eyebrows as a reference that he didn't like what he heard and mocks her darkly, punishing her for her stupid slip: "Do you know what I want to do?" implying that only a helpless fool would toss such a mindless offer to the enemy.

But... She was honest when she immediately added that "I don't want to have any more regrets."

Which means that no matter what an international criminal like him asks, she'll do anything obediently and willingly with NO regrets?! Sasuke seems like he won't let anyone ridicule the concept of pure love, not even Sakura herself. He can't stay passive and let her make fun of her own self. He won't forgive even her for making fun or taking what's precious to him lightly. "I won't forgive even you"

He punishes her for both her mindless assertion of staining the sacrosanct image of love AND for attempting to fight a shinobi of his caliber using such sheer stupid machinations.

Even the fact that she manages to infuriate Sasuke so much proves that Sakura means more to him than the eyes can see. Otherwise she won't be capable to elicit such strong emotions from him. If she was someone unimportant Sasuke would have disposed if her like nothing. One doesn't get angry at someone or something if it doesn't evoke strong PERSONAL feelings.

Ironically enough, the fact that Sasuke reacts so vehemently is a solid proof of how much he loves Sakura.

The fact that their feelings are mutual and their perfect communion and connection is revealed by the parallelism of their expressions: when Sakura is sincere, Sasuke's expression softens. When she is deceiving and rough with him, he scowls and his tone turns dark, dangerous and calloused.

"Do you know what I want to do?" Sasuke's forewarning words - - akin to saying "be careful what you wish for" - - delineate the end of their encounter as lovers. From here on out, the heart-jerking romance takes a dramatic turn.

From here on out, is a battle between two shinobi with Sakura doing everything wrong because she can't find balance between the shinobi and the woman in love. True to Zabuza`s words, she can't mask her inner feelings and act as a heartless shinobi. She can't forgo being human.

And Sasuke is taxing her for every single mistake. If she wants to face him as a shinobi, then he'll act exactly like that, both psychologically and physically and he's million miles away ahead from her, excelling in both.

He responds to her attempt to  psychologically corner and weaken him with words so crushingly sincere that pierce the knife of terror and fear so violently straight to her heart, revealing exactly what his intentions are: he wants to crush the world she lives in ("I want to destroy the village and everyone inside").

Sakura isn't stupid or naive as she knows that Sasuke isn't either. She knows that if she plunges at him directly at him wearing her heart on her sleeve, she stands no chance.

So her only hypothetical chance is to use deception and intelligence to try and lure him into a clever trap which is hard because there are so many elements that she doesn't know about this new Sasuke. She doesn't know the real level of his current powers, she doesn't know how smart he's become, he doesn't know what's capable of, he doesn't know his heart, he doesn't know anything about THIS Sasuke anymore - - he left as a child and now he's an adolescent.

Her only chance would be a prolonged tactical battle in which she keeps at distance and tries to gain Intel on him.

Practically, no matter how insanely intelligent, resourceful and strong Sakura is... She stands no chance against him. None.

And she knows it.

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - Sports

Any kind of sports or physical activity. Swimming. Skiing/Snowboarding. Football. Hockey. Others. I have a separate list for dance aus.

***** SWIMMING *****

Summer nights by Alwaysevak2121 (1k words) - Summer night, heat and swimming.

Sommernatt by Bewa (5.1k words) - The only thing that kept his mood up today was that it was Friday, and Even had promised him a surprise when he got home from work. Birthday.

cupid by evak1isak (5.2k words) - Isak, a water polo player and uni student, didn't think that he'd bump into his high school crush again. When he does, he wasn't expecting so much drama in his life.

from an earth to its sun by traumatic (18k words) - the entire world goes to bed normally and wakes up with glowing countdowns above their heads. No one's sure what causes the numbers to drop, only that when they hit 0, you hit the ground.

Drowning in your love by depressed_mermaid_53 (62k words) - Even is captain of the swim team. Isak and the boy squad join the team. In this universe a pool is a bigger part of their story.

Panic And Patch Me Up by intothewind (70k words) - (5/6 chapters posted) Swimmer Isak, Boxer Even and Boxer Jonas. Involves Josak. The thing with Jonas is complicated, but the thing with Even isn't making it any easier.

***** SKIING/SNOWBOARDING *****

Sprained Ankles, Netflix and Chill by Bellakitse (1.1k words) - Isak sprains his ankle while on a school ski trip, Even keeps him company in the main cabin.

Hot Chocolate and Snow Angels by GayaIsANerd (1.2k words) - Isak hates skiing. There’s nothing deep or traumatic about it, he just hates skiing.

Suck My Board Bitch by nyicris (1.3k words) - When Isak and Even go on a ski trip to Switzerland with their squad, they meet another LGBT couple. They don’t get competitive. At all. E!Online Poll AU + henrik’s extra ass (wow this brings back a lot of memories!)

From A Safe Distance by MinilocIsland (1.4k words) - Isak hasn't bothered to watch skiing for years. Or, so he claims. Even knows him too well not to sense the truth.

The First Noel by colazitron (1.9k words) - Even's parents have a cabin in Hemsedal where the family traditionally spends Christmas. This year, Isak's coming with.

Just Kids When We Fell In Love by wyoheartsmusic (5k words) - Isak and Even go to university 3000 km away from each other. Luckily, it's Christmas break and they had the brilliant idea to go on a cabin trip together.

Shred by Jules1398 (23k words) (SERIES, 2 FICS) - There were two versions of Isak Valtersen. The first Isak was the one that his friends knew. The second Isak, the real Isak, was trans, gay, and then there was his five year-old son, Adrian. Keeping the two Isaks separate wasn't that difficult. At least, not until he saw Even again.

Cabins, Coziness and Conspiracies by evakuality (24k words) - Isak and Even have to share a bed, their friends are strangely obsessed with their lives and things are not exactly as they might appear. Cabin ski trip.  

My Very Personal Ski Trainer by Crazyheart (28k words) - Sana has invited Even and her other friends to a Holiday cabin trip, and Even needs to get in shape so that he can beat his buddies in Sana’s planned ski race.

Different, but same by Crazyheart (31k words) - Isak and Even had broken up almost a year ago, and Even was devastated. He tried to get over it and went on a ski holiday with Yousef and Elias. He met a guy that looked like Isak, except his dark, buzz cut hair, well trained body and rough, charismatic personality. The fact that he called himself Markus Simensen was even more confusing... Even started to doubt who the guy was but of course... he had to be Isak.

***** FOOTBALL *****

Norway. A Summer's Tale by wyoheartsmusic (7k words) - Isak, as the first openly gay footballer and newly recruited teammate on Norway's National Squad, travels to Russia for the FIFA World Cup 2018

Chapter 3 of take me into your loving arms by diminuendodaydream (955 words) - The Pat is a hug that is all about friendship and camaraderie.

Take Me As I Am by givemesumaurgravy (9.9k words) -  Isak is the coach of Even’s daughter’s football team and Even likes Isak’s bum. One day there’s a parent football game and Isak, just maybe, starts hitting on Even and, just maybe, Even gives in.

Hail Mary Pass by thekardemomme (20k words) - the term hail mary pass has become generalized to refer to any last-ditch effort with little chance of success. sleeping with isak valtersen until time starts running out is what causes even to realize just how vital these passes can be. American football

i didn't mean to kiss you (you didn't mean to fall in love) by shadesofcool (24k words) - football/cheerleader au with not much football and cheerleading because i(the writer) only know the basics

If You Love Me, If You Hate Me by MacksDramaticShenanigans (44k words) - (9/11 chapters posted) Isak could be chill. He was the chillest. He was a mature, reasonable adult that was perfectly capable of controlling his emotions. Not even Even could ruin that.

we've made it this far, kid by everythingislove (straykid) (60k words) - Isak is just trying to raise his nephew as best he can with the help of his best friends. He doesn't expect to fall for Felix's gorgeous football coach along the way.

And at night I dream of golden curls and pink hair bands by Zabn (80k words) - WIP. Last update Oct 2019. Even swore himself to never get involved with a football player ever again, but then he meets Isak...

***** HOCKEY *****

it started with a kiss by pansexuaIeven (1.8k words) - Chris surprises Isak with tickets to a hockey game. Things don't work out as planned, but maybe they still end up okay in the end.

"So, it was you?" by Julieseven (2.4k words) - Isak is an amateur hockey player and Even kind of falls for him from afar

Checking From Behind by DickAnderton (156k words) - Isak is to captain his hockey team this season which means he has to somehow learn to cooperate with the newest addition to their team: Even Bech Næsheim.

Checking From Behind. 2809. by DickAnderton (102k words) - Sequel.  Isak has been drafted to potentially play hockey for the KHL in Helsinki. Even is soon going to face his abusive coach in court. 

***** OTHERS *****

Seriøst? by CiaraSky (716 words) - Isak and Even go ice skating.

Fireworks by multifeelings (1k words) - Just how a baseball game brings two boys together in a different way than you may think.

powerslide by evak1isak (1.6k words) - Summer is boring and Jonas teaches Isak how to skate. And at the park, Isak meets Even.

Brunch Dates and Basketball by waitineedaname (2.5k words) - In which Sana and Yousef host a double date with Isak and Even. Basketball 

Flying High by colazitron (3k words) - Isak Valtersen has announced his retirement from the quidditch pitch and, ahead of his last World Cup, sits down for an interview with Magical Norway's quidditch correspondent Even Bech Næsheim.

Off the Backboard. by Samanthaa23 (3.8k words) - Isak and Even meet for the first time during a basketball game between Bakka and Nissen. They don't meet again until 5 years later at a charity basketball game.

Beer Pongs and Mistletoes by yllawonders (5.2k words) - Then somehow they ended up arm wrestling and this time Even won’t pretend to lose because Isak thinks he is a tough guy when he knows and he will prove it today that he is in fact, a big fat softie.

the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes by ikerestrella (5.9k words) - Set six months after the events of Season 3. They are on a hiking trip, and Isak definitely did not get them lost in the woods. 

Slippery Slope by Laika_the_husband (11k words) - the guys wrestle in sun oil and the Balloon squad shows up.

scarves of red tied 'round their throats by puddingandpie (15k words) - The last time Isak saw Even, he was sweaty and naked underneath him, only to pack up and leave the next morning. Now, they're together at the Winter Olympics, a coincidence which was never going to be a coincidence considering Isak was well aware of the profession that Even was in as well. Figure skating, snowboarding, hockey, skiing...  

Head Over Heels by LostInAdmiration (46k words) - Isak wished for the hundredth time that his stupid friends could just be normal so that he could go home and bundle himself in his duvet and re-watch Breaking Bad again, instead of spending all of his spare time outside in a pathetic excuse for a skate park.

Breaking Free (Outta the Closet) by valtersass (58k words) - (11/12 chapters posted) Isak, the popular captain of the basketball team, and Even, the brainy and beautiful member of the academic club, break all the rules of Hartvig Nissen society when they secretly audition for the leads in the school's musical. HSM au

Next to you, is where I call home by LostInAdmiration (101k words) - “Why don’t you start track too? You’d be a good sprinter, I’m sure you’d do great,” suggested Isak. Isak wasn’t entirely sure why he asked - he mostly liked being alone and he barely knew Even - but there was just something about Even that had drawn Isak to him.

The trip to you by charlyflowers (148k words) - Isak hates Even. He hates him with all his heart. What a pity the art class is also coming to the trip to Germany. Volleyball.

To Proudly Bleed These Colors From My Veins by Evensleftbigtoe_91 (164k words) - WIP. Last updated Aug 2019. Mixed martial artist Isak's dream is to feel the weight of a UFC Title Belt across his waist. But Isak has a long and difficult path in front of him. (I haven't had the chance to read this yet so I'm not sure if Evak is the main or endgame pair. But this fic sounds really cool.)

[writingonesdreams]

Novel Prep tag Game 3 - New wip: Flickers in the dust

So a new wip, another Novel prep tag game. These questions are just perfect for testing and developing ideas so here we go.

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

The question: How can a bunch of people with "useless" skills survive an post-apocalyptic world?

Impassive procastrinator Alysa travels with her self-destructive childhood friend Kyle, and the energetic 8 yeal old neighbour Iris, with the delinquent but vigorous boxer Roman and his werewolf friend Wes through the desolated world left after the apocalypse, trying to reach a better life in a bigger city.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

A novel for now.

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

Dusty wastelands. Long field road. Vacant ghost towns and abandoned cars. Dust storms. Constant dark cloudy sky.

4. What other stories inspire your novel?  

Megalo Box, Wolf’s rain, The promised Neverland, Ergo Proxy

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

6. Who is your protagonist?

Alysa is a talented, thoughtful girl and former child prodigy, but she had trouble deciding what she wanted from life and started to fail her university exams. Her lack of self-discipline, motivation or healthy socilaization led her to believe she is quite unfit for the adult life or the world in general. After the apocalypse happenes she is forced to drastically change her priorities and negative thinking for the sake of survival.

7. Who is their closest ally?

Kyle is emotionally abused, burned-out genius with a self-destructive streak and fondness for dark humor. His will to live and emotional stability has steadily decreased over the years. Staying alive has been enough of a challange, so activelly fighting to survive seems like a pretty impossible feat to him.

8. Who is their enemy?

The desolated world after the apocalypse and it’s survival challanges, including insane mutated humans, ruthless gangs, isolated research centers, way too intelligent wolf packs and their struggle not to give up on their will to live.

9. What do they want more than anything?

The main characters want to be capable enough to survive and in addition to that live in a somehow meaningful way. To find out what's really important and what's the main difference between survival and living.

10. Why can’t they have it?

Alysa was pretty much a failing existence when it came to finding her place in the adult society and now she is supposed to survive in a world that's 100 times worse after the apocalypse. How can she do that when she had trouble surviving in the normal one?

Kyle struggled to find reasons to stay alive after his emotional abuse and depression. He has been saved by his friends and family from this, but now it's not just his survival at stake. Will a boy that had to be constantly saved from himself, be able to save someone else?

Roman was a boxer and convict before the apocalypse happened. His violent past marked him as unfit to decent people, but ironically made him exceptionally suitable for this destroyed world- he pretty much has better chances for a good life now then before. Does this make him a bad person? Does he deserve to win against the world or will he change to match it's cruel conditions?

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

Alysa believes she is worthless and incapable as a person.

Kyle feels like he is living on borrowed time anyway and doesn't see any perspectives for himself.

Roman isn’t sure if his abilities to survive that are based on his violent past don’t make him a bad person.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

Alysa is tall and slender girl, has middle long wavy blond hair, light blue eyes and ivory skin. She has very delicate features and is rather pale.

Roman is muscular and tall with tanned olive skin, black curly hair and amber eyes. He is covered in scars, most notably on his chest, arms and neck.

Kyle is tall, lanky and not visibly muscular even though he is trained in martial arts. He has a bit longer black hair, with bangs falling in his eyes, very pale skin and grey eyes.

Wes in his human form has dirty blond curly hair and eyes that change from green-blue to black according to his mood. He has dusty grey fur in his wolf form.

Iris has short red hair and vibrant green eyes.

Plot Points

13. What is the internal conflict?

The characters struggle with their will to live in a destroyed world and with their feelings of worthlessness and inaptitude to fend for themselves or build happy lives.

14. What is the external conflict?

Surviving in the destroyed world, maturing and growing stronger, adapting to change and fighting for themsleves in a world that is aiming to make it as hard as possible for them.

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

To die because they gave up on life instead of the world actually killing them. Losing to the harsh conditions of the world would be better then losing to themselves (albeit not much).

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?  

How do you not give up when everything seems hopeless? Who is the worse enemy in this destroyed world - the mutated monsters or the humans left? Where does the will to carry on come from? Is it possible to hold on to humanity in a world of ruin? And what is it that makes us human?

17. Do you know how it ends?  

Nope. I’m happy I don’t, since it makes it seem like a very exciting story to work on!

18. What is the theme?  

Self-worth, aptitude for life, will to live, not giving up, true companions, bonds, drive, meaning

19. What is a reoccurring symbol?  

Dust, wind, dark sky, endless road, storms

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)  

A destroyed post-apocalyptic Earth, where the majority of the population died and the rest flocks together in desperation into cities for protection from the zombie-like humans affected by the radiation and mutated over-intelligent wolves.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?  

Many scenes, dialogues, themes, flashes of setting and atmosphere.

22. What excited you about this story?

Something about the destroyed post-apocalyptic world fascinates me. It’s a plot around survival and hard conditions forcing the protagonists to face their inner demons and self-doubts if they want to survive and have the will and drive to fight, witch often makes the difference between life and death. Also the necessity for the characters to trust and rely on each other and their group dynamics development is very exciting.

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!  

I always start with characters that I stick in different scenarios or in my favourite movies and series or books and let them interact. From those I mostly get inspiring scenes that I try to connect through a plot. Afterwards I work on characterisation, world-building, research details and outline stuff a bit. I also write little snippets that sometimes turn long and can be used as chapters.

-

I'm tagging a few peeps I haven't seen doing this game if you are interested: @piratequeenofpixies @imaghostwriter @tenacious-scripturient @writingwhithotchocolate @cabaretofwords @nemowritesstuff @emmathenovelist  @bos-ingit @my-desk-is-full-of-used-pens @purpleshadows1989 @whiteblack-raindrops @surroundedbypearls & anyone who wants to!

Wip tag list:  @tenacious-scripturient @hyba @urbanteeth (tell me if you want to get on/off)

[grailbot143]

Any New Guesses on His Age

I have a hard time with his age because some of his personality traits don't fit well with others. I'll speculate a bit.

Steven's emotional state often seems a bit like a young primary schooler. He's often self-involved and doesn't notice or mind the emotional world around him. Also, he often is looking for reassurance of his actions and capabilities from adults around him ( Greg and the Gems ). In this he seems to me like a 5-7 year old. Generally after 7 up into the tween years, kids are more comfortable in independent roles and less in need of assurance from parents and other adults ( unless they are especially competitive, but Steven is not ).

Other times though, Steven seems about 12. He is independent in a lot of ways and comfortable navigating the town and it's people ( without all the adults freaking out he's about on his own ). He has a legitimate crush on a girl. This usually happens earlier for typical girls than boys. Boy's early crushes are different than crushes in the preteen years, where I would say their crushes are more "legitimate" and more often focused on a girl in the same age range as themselves. Also, tweens are often more self-involved than other ages similar to younger children, but often this egocentricism expands to a group of friends or special family members. This is the case with Steven and his relationships with the Gems, Greg, and a few other people in town.

This by the way is all based solely from my own experiences with my own children and not based around any scientific study or even preliminary research, or even a google search. Technically, my kids could all have special emotional dna makeup that does not follow the average levels of maturity found in the rest of the world.

[judgments-archive]

How do you think a younger Hirahara would act like?

( Honestly? If we’re talking a child’s age (specifically maybe 9-12 years old), then the exact same as he is now, albeit a little quieter and more hesitant. If we’re talking mid-late teens… that’s a different story. In his mid-late teens, he was most likely a lot more capable and mature yet still pretty happy and yeah, dumb at times. I mention this since I headcanon he died around 17~19 years of age.

 Since he processes things so quickly, he reacts simplistically. It’s not that he doesn’t get things, it’s that he gets them SO quickly that he instantly forgets it in lieu of reacting or keeping up with the conversation. And he has suffered from some slight mental regression after being reanimated. I headcanon that he most likely died from severe wounds and head trauma/brain damage. That doesn’t just go away when the body is reanimated again. If anything, it just stunted his mental and emotional capabilities. It’s possible for him to work past it– and he is trying –but he has to have a reason to do that. As of now, he has very little incentive. 

More below the cut since this is a VERY good question and I want to elaborate more! 

         So, I’m not going to go into a long-winded scientific talk about my headcanons for him, but like I said before, I do believe his death was caused by lethal injury and brain damage. That damage didn’t just magically disappear when he was reanimated. The human body doesn’t work like that, and all of them were human before they became escorts. 

         The way I see it, the Gokusotsu boys were basically treated like frozen food; toss it in the freezer for a while, wait, take it out and heat it up, BOOM you’ve got dinner. Except now replace that with young men who most likely died in a combative/militaristic environment. They would have sustained a considerable amount of bodily damage and psychological damage. With my headcanons, that psychological damage subconsciously manifests in the most stereotypical parts of their personality. So the mindset they were in when they died has a direct correlation to those outrageously archetypal parts of their personalities. And what are Hirahara’s most prominent traits? Optimism and childishness. 

         To me, the optimism has always been part of his personality. He was always the ‘happy bastard’, but obviously when he was alive and growing up he got more common sense and smarts about him. He probably was still quick to jump the gun and a little dense, but he had more wherewithal when he was alive than he does now. And the way I see it, he was being delusionally optimistic when he died. The childish part though, that part comes from head trauma that caused something in his brain necessary for progression to switch off. He lost quite a chunk of the cognitive and emotional development he had up until then when that damage occurred. It wasn’t a split second thing though; it was gradual. He didn’t die right away. 

         I have no doubt he might have already been suffering from some chemical imbalances before he died, either. That mixed with head trauma and the emotional and physical strain of dying a slow and most likely excruciating death made something emotionally snap as well. The development he lost would have been from those years where he was starting to mature, which would have been when he was involved with the military. That type of environment would have forced him to mature, anyway. But then his death happened, something got jolted out of place, and he was left with a brain that was starting to malfunction when he died. And now that he has no memory of ever being human, what are we left with? 

        The mental and emotional capacity of both a child and a young man, all mixed up into the weird amalgamation that is Hirahara’s personality. He lost that space between where a good chunk of development happened that would have bridged that gap. As a reanimated escort, he’s relearned some of that responsibility and regained some of the capacity that’s expected of him since he’s responsible for finding and condemning souls. Now he’s constantly hopping back and forth between those parts of his personality and displaying the kind of behavior and capabilities one would expect from a young man (work ethic, mental processing, endurance, strength, forming interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships) and what one would expect from a child (sudden outbursts, extremely simple reactions, flawed logic, a constant state of blissful ignorance, etc.). )

SO TL/DR: The exact same thing, just with less gumption to do what he has to do and probably more hesitation/quietness. The head trauma I headcanon he sustained while dying caused even more chemical imbalances and completely erased a huge chunk of cognitive and emotional development. However, since that mental regression wasn’t able to happen entirely due to dying and then being reanimated, he now has an odd mix of aspects of someone his age would have and aspects a child would have. That’s why he’s able to process things in more depth than he shows– its’ also why he gets childishly frustrated when he realizes he’s not able to speak or convey what he’s thinking or feeling very well. 

[paleorecipecookbook]

10 Benefits of Play

In the public mind, play has long been relegated to the confines of childhood. However, a rapidly expanding body of research indicates that this perspective is inaccurate and outdated. In fact, play isn’t just for kids—adults need play, too. It’s an intrinsic human need throughout the lifespan that benefits our bodies and brains, helps us build and maintain healthy relationships, and even enhances our creativity and productivity at work.

Read on to learn about the 10 benefits of play in childhood and adulthood and how to incorporate more play into your life.

What Is Play?

Before diving into a discussion of the benefits of play, it helps to understand what defines play.

Play is an activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, rather than any serious or practical purpose.

It is voluntary, spontaneous, and stress-free. For many people, play also occurs “outside of time and self,” meaning that we become less conscious of time, and of our own bodies and idiosyncrasies, when we play.

Play includes a variety of pursuits as diverse as peekaboo and paintball, stickball on the beach and adult softball leagues, roughhousing and rock climbing. Play can be free and unhindered by rules or structured and codified, such as in the games of soccer and golf.

Play can also be solitary or social—the individual whipping up a new recipe in his kitchen is “playing” just as much as a group of children running around outside playing tag on a beautiful summer day. It takes countless forms that vary depending on an individual's age, personality, and unique interests.

Think playtime is just for kids? Think again. Check out the top 10 benefits of play and learn how to incorporate a little more irreverence into your life.

Here are just a few examples of play that you or your children likely engage in on a regular basis:

Roughhousing with pets or children

Playing make-believe

Playing organized sports such as soccer, baseball, or basketball

Engaging in other forms of physical activity such as rock climbing, skiing, surfing, or ultimate Frisbee

Playing board games

Dancing

Going outside and walking in nature

Engaging in creative expression such as making art, music, gardening, or cooking a meal

Performing creative, innovative work (yes, work can be play!)

Engaging in playful banter at your job or a party

Having a playful relationship with your partner or spouse

Imagine life without these activities. It wouldn’t be much fun, right? Without play, life becomes dull, and we quickly succumb to fatigue and pessimism due to the hectic busyness of our lives. Unfortunately, our society has long devalued play, instead placing emphasis on the importance of constantly engaging in “productive” activities.

Dorothy Sluss, a professor of early childhood education, has gone so far as to state, “We don't value play in our society. It has become a four-letter word.” (1)

However, if play is truly purposeless, as some scientists have led us to believe, then why has it persisted throughout the animal kingdom and human history, and why does it feel so essential to our well-being? Assessing play from an evolutionary perspective can help us answer this question.

The Evolutionary Origins of Play

Anyone who has ever watched a dog perform a “play bow” with its forelegs extended, rump in the air, and a goofy, expectant look on its face or seen dolphins chasing each other gleefully in the ocean understands that humans are not the only animals who love to play.

Dogs, dolphins, otters, killer whales, bears, and birds all engage in play. In fact, the smarter an animal is, the more it plays. Animals have unique play signals, such as a relaxed open-mouthed expression, that are recognized across species lines and invite others to join in the fun. Observations of animals at play have sparked scientific interest in the origins and utility of play.

The Purpose of Play

Scientists working in this field seek to answer the question, “What is the purpose of play?”

The overwhelming consensus is that play offers an evolutionary advantage to animals, including humans, by enhancing health and improving the ability to survive and reproduce.

In fact, some scientists have gone so far as to theorize that play has become preventative to human extinction. (2)

Scientists have observed that bears who play the most during adolescence live longer, healthier lives and leave more offspring behind, promoting the continuation of their species. (3) Rats who experience plenty of playtime as youngsters demonstrate enhanced brain growth and neuronal plasticity, processes that contribute to optimal motor control, balance, coordination, and social behavior throughout life. (4, 5)

In humans, playfulness is associated with positive behaviors that enhance survival and quality of life, including:

Creativity

Productivity

Flexibility

Optimism

Empathy

Social altruism

Cooperation

Problem solving

An increased ability to manage stress

Importantly, play also forges social connections and creates a sense of community and belonging. Play is now considered so crucial for child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child. (6)

What about Video Games and Mobile Games?

The use of electronic media, including video games, cell phones, and iPads, plays a significant role in many children’s lives. Video games have exploded in popularity over the course of the past few decades, with a staggering 99 percent of American boys and 94 percent of American girls playing video games. (7) The amount of time children ages 8 and younger spend glued to screens, including iPads and cell phones, has increased steeply in the past decade, with most spending over two hours per day on screen media. (8) Some might argue that electronic media use constitutes a form of play.

However, the real question is, are video games and cell phone/iPad games an ideal form of play for children?

While some studies have shown that playing video games improves coordination and increases social behavior and learning, video games lack the interpersonal nuance and multisensory engagement that characterizes play in the “real world.” (9) Increased time spent playing on electronic devices also decreases time spent engaged in physical activity, outdoors, and building relationships with other children, which are key features of free play.

There are also legitimate concerns about the addictive nature of video games and other forms of electronic media. (10) As such, video games should not be the sole source of play in a child or adult's life.

The 10 Benefits of Play

Play has a wide variety of physical, mental, emotional, and social health benefits. Far from being a frivolous, purposeless activity, it’s crucial to the development of our physical bodies and brains and our cognitive, emotional, and social health.

1. It Builds a Healthy Body

Play is essential to the development of a robust, healthy body in childhood.

When kids play, they develop reflexes and learn fine and gross motor skills, flexibility, and balancing skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Outdoor play benefits children's physical health by exposing them to sunlight, natural environments, and fresh air, which contributes to bone formation and a robust immune system. (11, 12)

By increasing physical activity, play also:

Builds muscle strength

Improves heart and lung function

Helps prevent obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol

The rates of U.S. children suffering from chronic health conditions, including asthma, obesity, and diabetes, are rapidly rising. This research indicates that increased playtime should be a frontline intervention in our strategy to combat the chronic disease epidemic in children. (13)

2. It Builds a Healthy Brain

Play is an integral part of neurological growth and development in young animals and children. Research indicates that rates of play in mice correlate strongly with the rate of growth of their brains, particularly the cerebellum, a region associated with motor control. This seems to suggest that play performs a crucial role in shaping a mature brain capable of optimizing muscle control.

In mice, play also promotes the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a protein that mediates the growth, differentiation, and survival of neurons and establishes neuronal connections in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region intrinsically involved with cognition and emotion. (14)

Conversations between adults and children occurring during play also strengthen neuronal connections in brain regions critical for language. (15)

In other words, play is essential for the growth and development of a healthy, fully functional brain. (16) The brain health benefits of play don’t stop with children; in adults, play keeps the brain sharp and reduces stress. These effects may help stave off dementia, which could have a huge impact on the last 10 years of your life. (17)

3. It Teaches Emotional Intelligence and Boosts Self-Esteem

Imagine that you are four years old and building a block tower. Suddenly, another child runs up to your prized tower and knocks it down. What do you do? Tell your teacher? Inform the child that her actions are against the rules? Cry?

Situations such as this frequently occur in unstructured play situations and are crucial for helping children learn how to feel and control and express their emotions. Less verbal children can express their views, experiences, and frustrations through play. The emotional intelligence forged during playtime will help a child navigate social situations and relationships throughout her life.

In addition to creating emotional intelligence, play helps children develop healthy self-esteem. That endows a child with the confidence and resiliency she needs to find her place in the world and face future challenges. (18)

4. Play Builds Healthy Friendships and Romantic Relationships

The ability of play to forge emotional intelligence goes hand in hand with its ability to help children establish peer relationships and make friends. The unstructured nature of free play builds neuronal circuits in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which helps the brain (and child) navigate complex social interactions. (19)

Friendship has a tremendous impact on our well-being. Preschool friendships help children develop social and emotional skills and promote a sense of belonging, while adult friendships provide a strong support network and help reduce stress. (20, 21)

Conversely, a lack of friendship and feelings of social isolation tend to cause depression, chronic health issues, and a shorter lifespan. (22) Adult romantic partners who frequently engage in play experience reduced relational conflict, increased intimacy, and accumulate more “emotional capital,” which refers to collections of positive experiences that can be drawn upon in times of conflict. (23) Play also sparks feelings of excitement in romantic relationships and combats relationship boredom over the long run. (24)

Play serves as a bridge that connects us to other people, helping us develop healthy relationships that will sustain us throughout our lives.

5. It Forges a Healthy Parent–Child Relationship

The developmental trajectory of children is mediated by relationships with parents and caregivers, and one of the primary ways these relationships develop is through play. (25)

When parents play with their children, they are sending the child a simple message: you’re important to me. The undivided attention a parent gives his child during playtime lets a child know that he or she is valued, teaches the parent how to communicate more effectively with the child, and affords the opportunity for parents to offer nurturing, gentle guidance. Play can serve as a cornerstone in the foundation of a healthy, enduring parent–child relationship.

6. It Teaches Cooperation

When children engage in free play, they gain critical knowledge about how to cooperate with others. (26) Rather than relying on rules and regulations to govern their experiences, they must work together with their peers to create and achieve mutual goals. That cooperation may involve sharing, negotiating, and resolving conflicts. (27)

The ability to cooperate with others, a skill learned through play, helps individuals navigate interpersonal interactions throughout their lives in school, work, and family settings.

7. Play Teaches Problem Solving

In children, free play encourages the development of a concept called divergent thinking, which refers to the ability to generate ideas by exploring many possible solutions. (28) Convergent problem solving, on the other hand, involves solving a problem that has a single solution.

While convergent problem solving is emphasized in the classroom and on conventional intelligence tests, divergent problem solving is linked to creativity and is more applicable to the complex, nuanced world we live in. The ability to problem solve divergently, developed through the process of play, may help a child navigate the “real world,” as opposed to merely encouraging good performance on standardized tests.

8. It Stimulates Creativity

Many people consider creativity to be a special skill only possessed by a few fortunate individuals, such as artists and musicians. However, the truth is that all humans can be creative, and play is one method we can use to stimulate our innate creativity.

The ability to be creative serves as a healthy outlet for children to express their emotions and reflect on their experiences. (29) In adults, play can water the seeds of creativity that may have been dormant since childhood. This may foster success at work, as they expand their ability to think “outside the box.” Enhanced creativity may also help adults better manage the stress and emotions drummed up in day-to-day life.

9. It Improves Work Outcomes

Imagine having the opportunity to play a pickup game of soccer over your lunch break, or the freedom to take 30 minutes out of your workday to dabble on an instrument or build a Lego structure at a designated “play” area in your company’s corporate office. For many adults, this situation sounds like a fantasy; for others, it is a reality.

A growing number of organizations, including Facebook and LinkedIn, are embracing the idea of play at work because it can have beneficial effects on a variety of work outcomes. (30)

For example, research has found that play at work:

Enhances job satisfaction

Increases creativity

Relieves boredom in a monotonous job

Enhances employees’ ability to deal with work-related stress (31, 32, 33, 34)

Psychologist Dr. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute of Play, has personally observed the positive effects of play on work performance:

“When employees have the opportunity to play, they actually increase their productivity, engagement, and morale … Not only does having a playful atmosphere attract young talent, but experts say play at work can boost creativity and productivity in people of all ages.” (35)

Based on these studies and observations, office “playtime” may soon become the new-and-improved 21st-century version of the “water cooler break”!

10. It Reduces Stress and Builds Resilience

Unfortunately, modern-day life is fraught with psychological stress, and it can quickly overwhelm us if we fail to engage in stress-reduction activities.

While contemplative practices such as meditation have their place in stress management, play serves a crucial but underappreciated role as a buffer that dampens the impact of daily stressors on health and modulates our interpretations and reactions to stressful events. (36)

Studies on the benefits of play and its impact on stress have revealed some profound findings. A study comprising nearly 1,000 students recruited from three universities found that those students who described themselves as more playful reported lower levels of perceived stress than their less-playful counterparts. The “playful” students also demonstrated better coping strategies in stressful situations and were less likely to engage in negative behaviors commonly triggered by stress. (37)

A study of older women involved in the Red Hat Society—“a playgroup for women created to connect like-minded women, make new friends and enrich lives through the power of fun and friendship”—also found that playfulness fostered resilience. It enabled the women to be more flexible in the face of adversity and bounce back quickly from difficult conditions. (38, 39)

Play is a hallmark of the human species and a strong predictor of our health and well-being. Play creates the optimal developmental milieu to prepare children physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially for the experiences and challenges of life. In adults, it nurtures faculties that may have been lost over time, such as creativity and emotional expression, while:

Bolstering brain health

Facilitating productivity at work

Decreasing the health risks associated with isolation, loneliness, and chronic stress

While researchers have taken a keen interest in the abundant health benefits of play, many have also observed and come to understand the profound health consequences of a lack of play, referred to as “play deprivation.” Just as play is an index of health, play deprivation is a strong predictor of numerous adverse health outcomes.

The Harmful Effects of Play Deprivation

Whereas abundant play enhances survival and quality of life, a lack of play has serious repercussions for physical, mental, and emotional health. “Play deprivation” is a term used to describe the adverse developmental, emotional, and social repercussions of a lack of play.

Unfortunately, our hurried lifestyles, declines in recess time at school, and an increased emphasis on academic achievement and high-stakes athletic activities for children leave kids with little time for idle, creative, unstructured play. This observation is backed up by alarming statistics: A recent survey found that the average kindergarten offers far less free play time than is recommended for optimal child development, and another survey found that the number of schools with at least one recess period decreased by nearly 30 percent between 1989 and 1999. (40, 41)

In the pursuit of higher academic scores, athletic achievement, and other “enrichment” activities, play deprivation is becoming commonplace, even accepted, in our society. But what are the consequences of play deprivation for our children?

What Happens When Kids Don’t Get Enough Time to Play

The consequences of inadequate playtime are profound. Children who are deprived of quality playtime experience decreases in brain and muscle development, reduced social skills, and impaired problem-solving abilities and are more likely to become violent and antisocial. (42) Play-deprived children also experience a loss of sensory stimulation that causes withdrawal and decreased brain activity and are at an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and obesity.

In other words, all work and no play makes kids makes kids depressed, unhealthy, and less intelligent.

Could the answer to rising rates of childhood obesity, anxiety, depression, and falling scores in science and math be a “prescription” for more play? The answer appears to be a resounding “yes!” In fact, adding extra recess time to children's school schedules has been found to improve academic skills, classroom behavior, and adjustment to school life, among the many other cognitive, emotional, and social processes mentioned above. (43)

Play Deprivation Matters for Adults, Too

Play deprivation also has serious consequences for adults. Psychiatrist Stuart Brown has noted that adults who have “forgotten how to play” have narrow, rigid thinking and a decreased ability to handle stress. (44) In his own clinical practice, Dr. Brown has found that playless adult lives are also associated with controlling behavior, over-ambition, envy, and in some cases, emotional breakdown. (45)

How to Incorporate More Play into Your Life

Play is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. While some individuals have a natural predisposition toward fun, anyone can learn how to become more playful, given some time, effort, and a few helpful tips. (46, 47) With the importance of play in mind, here are some tips for encouraging more play in your life.

Choose Activities You Loved as a Child

What was your favorite childhood game? Perhaps it was climbing trees or playing stickball in the yard with your neighborhood friends. Make a list, get creative, and see how you can incorporate these activities into your current adult life. Instead of climbing trees, you could give rock climbing a go, and an adult softball league could be a great way to get back to your stickball-playing roots.

Pick Activities That Bring You Joy

What activities spark a fire in you? Make a list and keep it in a place where you’ll see it every day. Try to engage in play activities at least several days of the week, if not every day!

Keep in mind that play can be fun, but also absorbing, challenging, and demanding. To this end, activities like working on your car, undertaking a DIY project in your home, or planting a garden can be considered play, as long as you’re having fun along the way.

Create Opportunities for Play

If you look for chances to play, you’ll find that they are everywhere. Go on a walk in the woods, have a board game night, throw a stick for your dogs, or build a fort with your kids—the possibilities are endless.

Embrace “Beginner’s Mind”

In Zen practice, the term “beginner’s mind” refers to an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject. This state of mind is an excellent one to cultivate for play. A beginner’s mind can help you let go of self-consciousness and concern about being awkward or unskilled, which is a legitimate fear for many adults who are unfamiliar with play.

Make Play a Priority

Schedule time for play just as you would schedule time for other activities in your life, such as going to your job and working out. Given the health benefits of play, it deserves some dedicated time in your life!

Do you make time for play? What’s your go-to activity? Tell me in the comment section below.

The post 10 Benefits of Play appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Source: http://chriskresser.com September 03, 2018 at 09:01PM

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Sun enters Gemini

May 20 - June 21, 2018

Gemini: my need to communicate with and learn from others (Bloch and George, Astrology for Yourself)

Solar transits, according to the experts: Bernadette Brady: “A reassessment of personal identity.” Steven Forrest: “The ego itself confronts the world - or vice versa.”

If a sign needs a theme song, one of the Gemini contenders would have to be “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper. The sign at its best exhibits all the giddy glee of that final “class dismissed” via the final bell. Yippee!

Given the vast number of sextiles the Sun will make during this year’s trip through Gemini, we can be sure there will be plenty of opportunities as we settle into the new seasonal routines. In the US, it might just as well be Officially Summertime: plans for summer school and/or summer reading lists; summer camps; re-establishing ourselves in our neighborhoods; making plans for the long hot days ahead.

(I am always open for southern hemisphere people explaining to us how the signs and seasons work, down there.)

This is a social sign - even we introvert Geminis can fake it for a while - chatty, informal, and lighthearted. We don’t like it to get too heavy. We can consider each sign as being something of a reaction to the previous one. Here in Gemini, we break away from the Taurus propensity to be “set in stone.” We treasure our changeability and versatility. (My daughter and I are Geminis - we’ve never been able to figure out why being fickle is a bad thing. Isn’t it useful to know when something isn’t going to hold people’s attention?)

Unfortunately, it isn’t going to be all sparkles. There are a couple of “downers” during this month, which bring into focus the Gemini tendency to be on the Internet 24/7 as well as their general refusal to be “just one thing.” (We aren’t supposed to be just one thing! Otherwise we’d be Taureans!) I hesitate to say it’s setting us up for some challenges of the Sun’s upcoming trip through Cancer, but that just might be what’s happening.

But, overall - it’s a breezy, sociable month; get out and do that stuff, and enjoy it as it’s happening to you!

Celebrities with Sun in Gemini:

Paul McCartney, Miles Davis, Notorious B.I.G., Helena Bonham Carter, Jean-Paul Sartre, Judy Garland, Marquis de Sade, Chris Pratt, Joan Rivers, Queen Victoria, Michael J. Fox, Ice Cube, Anne Frank, Lauryn Hill, Zoe Saldana, Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes, Philip Mountbatten, Anderson Cooper, Richard Wagner, Albrecht Durer, Kat Dennings, Helen Hunt, Isabella Rossellini, Jamie Oliver, Alice Bailey, Andre 3000

Tuesday, May 22, Chiron/Aries sextile Sun/Gemini, 1:37;  Wednesday, May 23, Mars/Aquarius trine Sun/Gemini, 2:54

“Re-establishing ourselves in our neighborhood,” right! This is a lot of intellectual arrogance and braggadocio, serving to camouflage feelings of personal unworthiness. There is some other challenging astrological nonsense happening at this time (Merc opposite Jupiter, with special guest stars), and I’m seeing this double sextile primarily as powering us past those difficulties.

Planets/Points affected lie between 0:37 and 3:54 of the yang signs Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius.

Wednesday, May 30, North Node/Leo sextile Sun/Gemini, 8:59;  South Node/Aquarius trine Sun/Gemini, 8:59

With the Sun ruling that Leo North Node, we’ve got a chance to find some true personal uniqueness and authenticity. Kind of like being role models for ourselves? It’s easy for us to feel capable of being individual human beings with a lot to offer. Because this aspect matures not quite 21 hours after a Full Moon, we can best use this to define and project ourselves as global citizens. (I almost typed “citizens of the Universe” - but, baby steps.)

Planets/Points affected lie between 7:59 and 9:59 of the yang signs Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius.

Tuesday, June 5, Mercury/Gemini conjunct Sun/Gemini, 15:20

The latest “Superior Conjunction” of the Sun-Mercury cycle. The style of the Gemini energy will shift, moving us away from exploring new ideas, to rattling off old ideas. Not that there’s anything wrong with either one! As my Gemini daughter always asks rhetorically, why not both? This is also very tied in with what follows tomorrow….

Planets/Points affected lie between 14:20 and 16:20 of all signs; and between 0:00 and 1:20 of the fixed signs Taurus*, Leo*, Scorpio*, and Aquarius*.

Wednesday, June 6, Uranus/Taurus (1:05) semi-square Sun/Gemini (16:05);  Neptune/Pisces square Sun/Gemini, 16:27

Our “reassessment of personal identity” intersects with the ongoing Uranus-Neptune Semi-Square Of Amok Technology. What good is it to be alert to and aware of what’s happening at your antipodes, if you remain ignorant of what’s happening in your own neighborhood? Geminis are too prone to using technology to maintain emotional distance between themselves and everybody else. The roaring waterfall of information which the Internet provides, is too tempting for us.

Planets/Points affected lie between 15:05 and 17:27 of the mutable signs Gemini*, Virgo*, Sagittarius*, and Pisces*; and between 0:05 and 2:27 of the fixed signs Taurus*, Leo*, Scorpio*, and Aquarius*.

Monday, June 11, Juno/Aries sextile Sun/Gemini, 21:16;  Thursday, June 14, Eris/Aries sextile Sun/Gemini, 23:59;  Saturday, June 16, Ceres/Leo sextile Sun/Gemini, 25:28

I could not resist the urge to lump these sextiles together. Because they involve Lady Asteroids and a TNO, not every astrologer would give them any weight or attention at all. Well, this one will! Overall this is a pleasant week, almost the epitome of Gemini’s cheerful, carefree charm. The Ladies link us to our immediate communities, while the TNO asks us to reach out to Others. In particular, the sextile to Ceres happens the day before Father’s Day - take Dad out to the ball game!

Planets/Points affected lie between 20:16 and 26:28 of the yang signs Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius.

Tuesday, June 19, Vesta Rx/Sagittarius opposite Sun/Gemini, 28:29; Jupiter Rx/Scorpio (13:57) sesquare Sun/Gemini (28:57)

Alas, we end Gemini on a discordant note. This will highlight the two-faced nature of Gemini. I’m reminded of the late Keith Moon, drummer for the Who - during the course of one interview, he was asked to quit clowning around (hah) and be honestly himself. Poor Keith drooped, looking absolutely haggard, and replied heavily, “The truth, as you want to see it? Oh no, dear boy. You couldn’t afford me.” We’re channeling Keith’s melancholy today, to be sure, mourning the split between who others need us to be, and who we really are.

Planets/Points affected lie between 27:29 and 29:57 of the mutable signs Gemini*, Virgo*, Sagittarius*, and Pisces*; and between 12:29 and 14:57 of the fixed signs Taurus*, Leo*, Scorpio*, and Aquarius*.

[astrotranslations]

ASTRO for 10+Star (2018 February issue)

10: You shot for a pictorial with 10+Star for our December issue in 2016 but you’re now our cover model. Cha Eunwoo: I’m proud. Back then I said, "Next time let’s meet when we’re the cover models," and it came true. The new year energy feels good.

10: Advanced congratulations. 23rd February is the day where ASTRO turns two. Moonbin: Seems like yesterday we put out our first album but now we’ve already released up to five. It was possible because we had AROHAs (ASTRO’s fanclub name). Also, our staff who are always zealously helping us behind the scenes, had a huge part to play. I’m grateful to my members, the people around us and everyone.

10: You debuted as the youngest boy group in 2016 but next thing we know, you’ve all grown into adults with the exception of Sanha. Rocky: I was at 2017 MBC Gayo Daejejeon when it turned 1st February 2018. As soon as the day changed, I could feel the adult swag inside me emanating (everyone laughs). Cha Eunwoo: I turn 22 years old this year. I think that a guy gets cooler with age so I want to quickly grow older. I believe that 10 years later I would’ve become an ASTRO and a Cha Eunwoo who’s strong, who has a comfortable status and who other people can rely on. Yoon Sanha: Growing older makes me upset and sad. When we debuted, I was the youngest in the whole entertainment industry but now there are many younger than me. There were a lot of good points being the youngest… Anyhow, I want to remain as ASTRO’s baby forever (everyone laughs).

10: What are 'the star of the Year of the Golden Dog' MJ’s ambitions? MJ: I’m now 25 years old. Seeing as how the other members are young, I wasn’t too happy about growing older (laughs). I’m trying not to feel impatient. As the star of the year of the dog, I want to really improve on myself this year and produce results that grab attention.

10: Moonbin was in DBSK’s music video 12 years ago. DBSK, who completed their military service last year, are promoting again starting this year so how do you feel? Moonbin: Back then, I appeared in the music video for 'Balloons' as U-Know Yunho sunbae-nim’s younger self and last year, I got to sing the song at a music broadcast. After becoming a singer and singing once more the song that I was in the music video for, it felt odd. I harboured the dreams of becoming a singer because of DBSK’s sunbae-nims. They’re seniors who are really special to me. From what I heard last year, U-Know Yunho sunbae-nim apparently remembers me. I feel like my heart will beat fast if we meet at the broadcasting station. I want to tell him, "I watched you, earnestly learnt and harboured dreams of becoming a singer." (laughs) I hope that I’ll mature to become a cooler singer than I am now and be someone else’s dream. I think I’ll be really really proud.

10: What’s the most memorable event when you look back at the last 2 years? MJ: There are so many… If I had to pick one then it would be our first solo concert held in July last year. ASTRO’s lightstick with the name 'robong-ie' was first introduced that day (laughs). The concert started and the robong-ies our fans in the audience were holding onto, twinkled and that sight couldn’t have looked any prettier. Cha Eunwoo: I was the happiest preparing for our concert too but it was also hard on me. Firstly, I was able to cross off one of the things from my bucket list which I dreamt about since debut so I was happy. It was also fascinating how the number of songs we’ve released has reached over twenty. Having only watched other singers’ concerts but then becoming that very protagonist on stage, left me in a deep sea of emotions. What tired me then was that I had to prepare for the concert and our album while at the same time film for my drama so it wore down my stamina. Thanks to that I now don’t feel exhausted during most of my schedules (laughs).

10: Your performance and AROHAs’ card section at 2017 MBC Gayo Daejejeon became a hot topic. Cha Eunwoo: It was a stage that I’ll remember for a long time. On the day of recording, we had an athletics completion with the fans before shooting for the performance video. It was really fun. As for the card section, the fans had separately practiced for it for around 2 hours. We secretly watched them. There was a hole in the waiting area so we observed them and the fans were really really cute (laughs). I felt proud that these people were my fans. I replayed the card section video several times after the broadcast.

10: I heard that you’ll be momentarily busy due to schedules with your overseas fans. JinJin: ASTRO will be going on an international tour, 'ASTROAD', starting with Taipei. The bigger picture is the same as what we pulled off at our Seoul concert last year but we’ll try to add on a special stage to show. Also, the previous time was our first solo concert so we’re preparing with the mindset that we should compensate for the things we felt regretful about. Yoon Sanha: I want to let the whole world know of ASTRO though this world tour. We took part in overseas concerts several times but it’s a first for us to be holding a solo tour. It’s not just about getting our name out there, I want people to realise that ASTRO is a team that excels.

10: Are you going towards the direction that you hoped of when you first debuted? MJ: I think we’re running at a faster speed than I had expected. It hasn’t been long since we’ve promoted but we’re receiving so much love. Cha Eunwoo: It wasn’t as I imagined. But still, I think that I’ve grown enough that I’m able to tell myself, "Hey, you’re doing well" (laughs).

10: Which areas do you feel like you’ve improved upon in the 2 years? Moonbin: There are a lot of things I’ve gained since debuting. Being a trainee was a period for me to build my weaponry and brush up my skills while debuting is a period where I’ve been put into action and I’m making use of my skills. I learnt through that process what skills I should use in what situation. MJ: I’m the youngest at home but the eldest in the team. That’s why I played the hyung role wrong in the beginning. As time passed, I slowly tried to become a hyung who’s reliable and who looks after his younger members. Cha Eunwoo: Individual Cha Eunwoo improved his social skills and learnt patience. Team ASTRO gained a sense of self. We’re participating more in the production of our albums. So I’m looking forward even more to our next album.

10: It’s really a moment for you to cement your team’s color. You’ve kept to your 'refreshing-idol' concept up till now. JinJin: We practiced powerful dances pre-debut. I was perplexed that we were promoting with a bright concept. I talked about this a lot with the company. Based on what I’ve seen from monitoring, I also think refreshingness is a color that suits us well. But it’s not like all our songs are bright and refreshing. We also have a lot of ballad tracks which you can feel are slightly richer in emotions. I want to slowly let others now that we are a team capable of pulling of various genres. Moonbin: For 'Crazy Sexy Cool' from our last album, 'Dream Part. 02', we went with a 'refreshing sexy' concept. We held onto our refreshing image but mixed in a different color. It’ll continue to be like that. Our next concept could be 'refreshing power' (laughs). If I had to compare to a movie, it doesn’t mean that just because 'Spiderman' is coming out with a new series that the protagonist should change. The protagonist ASTRO and the refreshing image will stay as is but I want to add on new elements. Rocky: What’s clear is the fact that we have a lot more to show in the future. Really, what we’ve shown up till now isn’t all of it.

10: How well did you think you pulled off the 'refreshing sexy' concept in 'Crazy Sexy Cool'? If you had to express it as a score out of the perfect 100? Cha Eunwoo: 85 points. I worried a lot about whether the fans would feel the difference in our new concept but I heard a lot of compliments as we promoted. I’m satisfied with myself. Yoon Sanha: I want to give us 80 points. We’ve certainly grown as compared to when we first debuted. But there are definitely awkward aspects since we’re still young. So I took off 20 points. JinJin: 80 points for me too. To be honest, there are a lot of regretful bits but the fans liked it so I raised the score (laughs). We’ll make up for the remaining 20 points with our diverse sides which we’ll show in the future. Moonbin: An expected 80 points from me. I think it’s significant that I challenged new attempts whilst referencing concert videos from Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake whom I admire. MJ: Then 80 points for me too… No, 70 points! It was a concept we were trying for the first time so it was hard. It was our first challenge so I’ll give us 70 points first and I’ll try to show you a sexiness of 100 points in the future (laughs). Rocky: 30 points for me. I’ve just turned 20 years old so what could I possibly know? (everyone laughs) I tried my best to express myself but the way I see it, I just came across as pretending to be sexy. I think that once I grow older, I’ll be able to give off diversified vibes.

10: Cha Eunwoo heavily promoted individually as 'ASTRO’s face'. You must’ve felt a sense of burden and responsibility. Cha Eunwoo: It was burdensome when we first debuted. I was really worried that the members might be affected because of me. But its not like that now. It’s not as though carrying that feeling of burden means things go smoother for me (laughs). My mindset is that if I do my best at everything then it’ll reflect good on the team. The members are also doing well already. I want us to quickly grow and go up to a higher place together. JinJin: Eunwoo’s really mature. He’s in no way at all conceited. He tries to apply to our team what he’s seen and learnt during his individual promotions. For example, he’s currently the MC for MBC’s Show! Music Core and he’ll come to us after watching their stages and suggest, "This team is strong at this, how about we try doing it too?" Then I’ll listen to him and search more. As a leader, I’m thankful to Eunwoo. I think there exists what’s called an 'order'. Starting with Eunwoo, that order will come to all the members. Recently I’ve been looking forward to Bin-ie’s promotions. He’s someone who’s good at singing and acting so I hope that he’ll make use of his talent and try his hand at various promotions.

10: Is there a promotion that each of you want? Moonbin: I want to try acting if the opportunity arises and I want to appear on variety programs. An eating broadcast like Olive’s One Night Food Trip! I’m confident in explaining taste (laughs). I also want to go on SBS’s Law of the Jungle. It’ll be a memory I can never forget. If I go to the jungle, wouldn’t I be able to realise that the things I enjoy on the norm aren’t to be taken for granted? I think it’ll be an opportunity for me to look back upon myself. Rocky: Rap’s a given but I want to be good at singing, dance, composition, everything. I also want to act. I took acting lessons for my entrance exams to university and felt its charm. I want to accomplish each of them slowly. Becoming an all rounded entertainer is my goal (laughs). I want to try promoting as units with my members. For example, a unit between myself and MJ hyung. Everyone thinks that MJ hyung will sing while I’ll rap but we’ll be switching roles. MJ: That’s… I don’t think it’s a unit meant for broadcasts. Let’s just show it to our fans only (everyone laughs).

10: What would you like to say to AROHAs who are together with you for your 2nd anniversary since debut? Cha Eunwoo: I don’t know if it’s right for a singer to feel this towards his fans but ours are really reliable and I’m proud. Thank you. We’ll try to become singers who AROHAs can rely on and who you can be proud of. Don’t waver and let’s have fun promoting together. Yoon Sanha: The fans think it’s a shame I haven’t been doing as much aegyo lately. It’s not that I purposely don’t do it. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown older but it just doesn’t come out well (everyone laughs). Instead, I’ll be a Sanha who communicates with AROHAs more often in the future! MJ: We’ve reached where we are now because AROHAs like us, praise us and treasure us. We’ll make you happier in the future. Trust us and run with us. We’ll do better.

10: What would you like to say to ASTRO? Cha Eunwoo: Do more. We still have a long way ahead of us so don’t be complacent. Let’s focus on our goals we set in place at the start and run passionately. Rocky: Let’s do it. Whatever it may be, work hard at it and with that strength, win no. 1. Moonbin: 5 years have passed since our trainee days that we’ve been together and in that time, our relationship has grown to become one where we know and understand the other well so let’s maintain the teamwork we have now and work hard. JinJin: Let’s enjoy ourselves. The drive in all of us is so strong that are a lot of times where we feel stressed but whenever that happens, look around you and I hope that we’ll enjoy ourselves in good spirits as we look out for one another. MJ: Let’s be happy. Days where we smile will definitely come if we continue without giving up, as we’ve done up till now. Yoon Sanha: You’re doing well. We can do it. So let’s be a little stronger.

http://tenasia.hankyung.com/archives/1408677

Translations by @99pmh​ Take out with full credits

[russellthornton]

What Is A MILF? The Surprising Truths & Thoughts Behind Its Meaning

‘MILF’ is code for Mother I’d Like To Fuck. But there’s really much, much more to it. Here’s a unique take on what is a MILF exactly.

If you’re a dude you’ve probably used this term more times than you care to admit. Walking down the street with your boy, you see an unusually attractive older lady and you’re like, ‘Bro, check out that MILF.’ But if you’re wondering, what is a MILF, it’s time to educate yourself.

What is a MILF?

It’s just one of those words we like to say. It rolls off the tongue like sweet honey… Sometimes we say it for humor. Other times the word MILF is just… definitive. The truth. There’s even a male equivalent—‘DILF’, which is code for Dad I’d Like To Fuck.

Primarily, being a MILF/DILF means you’re older but still look remarkably attractive. MILF is sort of similar to the term cougar, which is a woman who is independent, older, and likes her meat younger.

But MILF/DILF are different in that those terms suggest you have parenting responsibilities. Which could also suggest you’re in a committed relationship… [Read: How to make an older woman fall in love with you]

Which is why the term MILF feels kind of taboo

Let’s take it back…

#1 ‘You low-down Mother Fuckers.’

– US soldier to his draft board, 1911

#2 ‘You see this cat, Shaft is a bad mother

(Shut your mouth)

But I’m talking about Shaft

(Then we can dig it)’

– Isaac Hayes in his song ‘Shaft’, 1971

Another controversial term: ‘Mother fucker’ was used as early as the late 19th century. But throughout the years, mother fucker was softened into minced oaths such as:

– Motherfugger

– Mother for you

– MOFO

The cool thing about this word is that you can’t say it, and even when you do you’re expected to make it cryptic. Unless you really don’t give a fuck and want to make your feelings clear… *‘Mother fucker, I dare ya! NO, I double dare ya!’*.

The funny thing is most people don’t think about ‘mother fucker’ in terms of actually having sex with a mother. Counter-intuitively, they associate it with awesomeness OR sometimes with offensiveness. [Read: What’s in it for the older woman dating the younger man?]

‘That movie was mother fucking amazing.’

Or

‘Yeah, well, fuck you, you dumb mother fucker.’

THEN the internet hit and these things happened…

– Lots and lots of porn

– Lots of sexualized material on TV/movies/media

– Even more sex on social media, which popularized acronyms for sex like: mofo, ons, dtf, bdsm, bbw…

– Lots of new dating sites/apps that made dating/sex a whole different ballgame

– Everything became a candidate for ‘LOL cool’, e.g. Stiffler’s mum in American Pie

This is why I think the word MILF is sort of an evolution of the phrase mother fucker. However, it’s also a very unique and ultra-modern word. Let’s take a deeper dive into its meaning…

#1 Milf is short-code. People need short codes to speedily distinguish between categories of things in the world. MILF generally makes it clear that the mentioned person is an older woman.

If I’m with a buddy on a crowded street and want to let them know about an older lady with a gorgeous look, I’ll say, ‘MILF dead ahead, 8 out of 10.’ He knows to skip over the faces under 30 and search for the hot 35+ year old. It’s simply a matter of critical timing. [Read: You guide to scoring yourself a MILF]

#2 A MILF is the wet dream. Teenagers going through puberty may be unable to attract or connect with girls their own age. For example, an adolescent who spends too much time watching porn and doesn’t have good social skills…

Due to his inexperience, he might naturally be drawn to a more maternal, nurturing figure—thinking she will mother him up unconditionally and acceptingly.

#3 A MILF is emotionally developed. Maybe you’re bored of club life and people with stringy attention spans. You want more depth. You can find depth in young people, but many higher order character traits take a lifetime to build. And it’s a never-ending journey. So, some people will consider a person to be a MILF if they meet the emotional connection criteria.

#4 A MILF is very cute or hot. There’s a somewhat universal attractiveness level spectrum, whether or not we like to admit it. In other words, people can generally agree on whether someone looks attractive or not and roughly what level of attractive they look, even if they’re not specifically ‘their type.’

This might sound controversial, but if you’re honest with yourself you may agree *ever heard the phrase ‘she’s out of his league’?*.

Things like facial details symmetry and body shape all factor in. And with that said, some people age better than others and stay looking attractive for longer. Which means that they stay looking remarkably attractive for longer. Note that the word GILF *for grandmother* isn’t popular, because there’s less chances a woman will stay looking hot at that stage of her life *although there are many exceptions*. [Read: The 30 traits of hot women that men love]

#5 The MILF is a new kind of woman. Women had massive inequality pre-world wars. Post-world wars, they slowly gained more rights. Today they’re more on an equal footing with men societally than they have been in any other time. In some arenas, such as within education, they outperform guys. It’s no longer a given that a woman’s role in society is to get married and to have children by a particular age.

Customs are unclear—more open-ended. Women have more independence and make their own sexual decisions with less social repercussions. Words like MILF pop into existence in times like this. People aren’t so sure that an older lady is probably someone else’s wife or that she won’t be DTF. [Read: The meaning of DTF and signs she’s feeling it]

#6 The MILF is straight to the point. Being messed around by a 22-year-old Colombian chick who doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going? One of the appeals of MILFs is that they don’t play games with you.

It’s a popular belief that if a MILF doesn’t feel you she won’t take your info or reply to your messages. But if she is into you she really means to follow through and may even initiate things, because she’s confident enough in her own skin and knows what she wants *she probably also works out if you’re the real deal faster*. [Read: The pros and cons of dating a woman in control]

#7 A MILF might not be a mother. I’ve never been walking with a friend and we see a hot older lady and my friend says: ‘That is either a hot MILF or a hot cougar.’ He probably doesn’t care if she’s mothered offspring. What’s important is that she looks like she could mother offspring.

We’re usually attracted to people that look capable of passing on genes to create healthy offspring. When we notice curvaceous hips or a buxom chest, this is us looking out for signs of genetic health. The hips don’t lie.

#8 The 20-year-old MILF? Of course, a woman in her 20s could be a MILF. But you often hear ‘baby mother’ used more in that situation. A MILF is a bit more like a fine wine… something that takes a given amount of time to develop properly.

Though I saw a girl who was 22 and had a toddler. It was the first time I’d dated a mother, and I definitely used MILF more than a few times.

#9 The 30-35 MILF. A popular MILF imagery is the ‘dirty 30s’ MILF who is sexually ravenous or a recently divorced single mum. She’s rediscovering who she is and is going yolo. She may be dating several guys at the same time and looking for completely no strings attached sex. [Read: 17 important guidelines for NSA sex]

#10 The conqueror’s trophy MILF. To get with one, you may need to be direct. You should also know what you want. She’s seen too much in her time to be won over by timidity. To add to this, she’s not a commonly ‘available’ demography. Think about it this way: the market tends to value things based on supply and demand. So, if something is in high demand, but seems to be in relatively short supply, it’s going to increase in value.

There are simply fewer older and hot women still dating compared to younger women. So, this literally makes MILFs a hot product. And hunters of MILFs get a sense of self-validation from knowing they won something difficult to get. It’s competition.

Say you’re 20, and a MILF you come across is 45. Chances are it’s less socially acceptable for her to get with you. There’s more in your way in terms of natural social obstacles. So, if you proceed to get her despite this, it says something about your tenacity and abilities.

#11 A MILF can have dirty affairs. I think being a parent tends to make you mature sooner, both emotionally and spiritually, whatever your age. This is because of the higher amount responsibility you bear. When a MILF does anything she does it properly. That means a sweeping, mature, lusty affair. By comparison, a ‘baby mother’ is more likely to bring drama and angry ex-lovers who carry guns. This is simply because younger people generally have less life experience than older folk.

By the time you’re in your 30s you’ll have more perspective on some of life’s absurdities. So, a MILF is more likely to have emotional control and able to keep a dirty secret. [Read: 15 dirty ways to have the sexiest rough sex ever]

#12 A MILF understands sex and sexuality. Think of a hot 20-year-old girl… It’s not hard to get the feeling that her body as it is just popped into existence one day and she woke up with an uber-slim waste line and a perky bubble butt. She didn’t go to the gym for it. She might even have a diet of cigarettes and Coca-Cola.

The same thing is likely to be the case with that girl’s sense of her own sexuality. She’s not matured fully yet. She doesn’t yet know what she likes and enjoys, or what she really appreciates in a partner.

A MILF’s sexuality is practiced. It’s deep, subtle, knowing. She truly appreciates sexuality to a level that shocks you. A MILF may dress modestly and show her sexuality in subtle ways. Her sexuality may seem to emanate from her sleekly and stylishly. However, when you make a moment of intense eye contact with a MILF, there’s a knowingness there.

Don’t get me wrong, people can be impulsive and naïve whatever their age, but wisdom and skills generally tend to form with time.

[Read: Cougar dating: 10 rules to dating an older woman]

Hunters like to explore. They know that variety is the spice of life. Understanding what is a MILF and the slightly taboo off-limits temptation can only be addressed in a socially acceptable way through code.

The post What Is A MILF? The Surprising Truths & Thoughts Behind Its Meaning is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.

[teachmixerofficial]

10-Year-Old Child Development Milestones

As children reach the age of 10, many will start to think of themselves as being almost teenagers. But, it's not always the case. While some will start looking and acting more mature, others will remain more child-like, both physically and emotionally.

Being 10 is all about change. It is a period of transition that can offer challenges and delights as children start to embrace the approach of adolescence.

Physical Development

Many children will start to experience major growth spurts by the time reach the fifth grade. Girls tend to grow at a faster pace and may suddenly find themselves towering over boys the same age.

By contrast, many 10-year-old boys may only just beginning to show the signs of puberty, while others will have to wait until they are 11, 12, or even 13. This disparity in growth can create discomfort in many children, either because they are growing too fast or not fast enough.

Demonstrates improved agility, speed, coordination, and balance

Begins to show signs of puberty such as oily skin, increased sweating and hair growth in the genital area and under the arms

Experiences an increase in small muscle coordination.

Although 10-year-olds often act more mature, they still need an early bedtime. Children this age should get between 9 and 10 hours of sleep each night.

Emotional Development

At 10 years of age, children are developing a better sense of who they are in the world. Many are preparing for the start of middle or junior high school and are getting ready to navigate new social settings.

For girls, who generally develop physically at a faster rate and enter puberty earlier than boys, the transition into adolescence can trigger a host of emotions: excitement, uncertainty, trepidation, and even embarrassment.

At age 10, you can expect your child to have more control over emotions and may see her becoming more skilled at handling conflict and negotiating solutions with friends. At the same time, you may see some volatility in her emotions.

Another factor that can play a role in mood swings is the stress that a typical 10-year-old may be under as she tries to deal with all the physical changes and other shifts in her life. A 10-year-old child may be trying to keep up with ever-more difficult school work, working to fit in and socialize with friends, and dealing with the physical changes of growing up.

Admires and imitates older youth

Beginning to question authority

Are accepting of parent/family beliefs

Help your child to learn how to deal with uncomfortable emotions including frustration, anger, disappointment, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and boredom.

Social Development

Ten-year-old girls cope with cliques, as an insider, an outsider, or both, on a daily basis. At ten, girls may become possessive of their friends and can be jealous of one another.

Ten-year-old boys may have an easier time with friendships. Boys' relationships tend to be based on mutual interests rather than close, personal feelings.

Ten-year-olds have good ability to sense the emotions of others and to read facial and body language. At ten, acceptance by the peer group is a critical step that seems to have a strong effect on the next level of development. Poor peer acceptance at age ten is a strong predictor of behavioral and emotional problems in adolescence.

Ten-year-olds do feel very close to their parents, siblings, and extended family. They may have frequent squabbles with siblings, fighting especially with younger siblings.

Peer pressure can play a big role in social relationships of most 10-year-olds. At this age, kids will be eager to fit in by wearing the right clothes, listening to the right music, or liking and disliking the same things.

Enjoys creating secret codes and passwords with their friends

Identifies with individuals of the same gender

Prefers to work in groups and enjoys cooperative activities

Allow your child to have some privacy with friends. Holding private conversations and sharing secrets is socially appropriate at this age and it can be important to your child’s healthy development.  

Cognitive Development

Parents may notice that around 10 years old, children start thinking and sounding almost “grown-up.” Children this age are on the cusp of adolescence and have the language skills and cognitive ability to gather information and formulate well-organized opinions and thoughts. As such, many 10-year-old children can be pleasant company at dinner and at social gatherings, capable of expressing their thoughts on current events, books, music, art, and other subjects.

For many children, the development phase around 10 years old is packed with learning and rapid-paced cognitive growth. Learning accelerates significantly in fifth grade as children prepare for the middle-school years. It is in fifth and sixth grade that kids begin to tackle more complicated materials in math, reading and other subjects.

In math, fifth graders can be expected to work with fractions, hone multiplication and division skills, and learn more complex geometry concepts. You can expect your fifth grader to learn concepts such as symmetry of shapes, how to use formulas to calculate the area and volume of shapes, and possibly begin early algebra. Your 10-year-old will start to practice more mental math skills and will be increasingly more able to use logic and abstract thinking to solve verbal math problems. 

When studying other subjects, such as history or social studies, 10-year-old children will expand their research skills and use resources such as library books and websites for school projects and presentations. Eager-to-learn fifth graders will delight not only in assembling their research but will also enjoy crafting their thoughts and having people appreciate their work.

Your 10-year-old will be transitioning toward greater independence in managing and organizing school work and homework, requiring less supervision from parents.

At this stage, reading skills move toward reading and enjoying more complex and lengthier chapter books. They may learn concepts such as metaphors and similes and will continue to encounter more difficult vocabulary words. They will be able to analyze stories, offer criticism. Their ability to think logically will become more pronounced. They will be able to write persuasive essays and argue viewpoints and opinions with more confidence and organization.​

Many 10-year-olds love to run, bicycle, skate, and play sports. They may enjoy team sports or individual activities.

They follow their favorite sports teams and know all the details of their favorite TV programs. They are also beginning to be aware of popular singers and groups as well as their favorite celebrities.

Many 10-year-olds enjoy electronics. They are often interested in taking pictures with digital cameras or they may enjoy playing video games.

Learning to use good judgment

Shows interest in sports teams or pop culture

Have an increased attention span and can often spend long periods of time working on activities they enjoy

Set your child up for academic success by encouraging good study habits. Establish a homework time and a designated homework area. Create rules, such as no TV during homework time, that will help your child succeed.

Other Milestones

Children this age may also begin to place more emphasis on physical appearance and may want to fit in and conform with peers more than they used to. Body image issues can also develop at this age in some children—particularly girls.

Be a good role model when it comes to body image. Avoid making comments that criticize your own body (such as calling yourself “fat”) and set an example of healthy eating habits.

You can expect to see an increased desire for privacy in children this age. Ten-year-old children are becoming more aware of their bodies and are more likely to want privacy when bathing and dressing. They are also more likely to pay attention to things like clothes and hairstyles and what their friends are thinking and wearing.

When to Be Concerned

If your child’s flashes of bad temper are fleeting and only happen occasionally, it’s probably nothing to worry about. But if your child still becomes aggressive or his angry outbursts interfere with his relationships, it could be a sign of a bigger problem.

If you see behavioral or personality changes,(trouble sleeping or eating, or not wanting to go to school, for example), talk to your child’s pediatrician or teacher.

Children of this age also develop physically at different rates. Early puberty in girls may lead to an especially high risk for body image issues. It’s important to hold regular conversations about your child’s changing body and to emphasize the importance of health over appearance.

If you are worried that your child is not developing as he or she should, start by reminding yourself that now is a time of transition for a 10-year-old. There is not a set place as to where your son or daughter should be. While some will be toying with makeup and sports, others may be happy playing with dolls or reading comic books. Both are fine and perfectly healthy.

If you are still concerned that your child is lagging, speak with your pediatrician. He or she may be best qualified to assess your child's development and to refer you to the appropriate specialist if needed.

Parent's Guide to Navigating the Tween Years