#because I do really appreciate everyone’s collective efforts a lot

[waywardstation]

Choo-choo! We've almost reached the likes goal on the reblog game!

Please be mindful of future likes for this game!

Now then get ready for departure soon! All Aboard!

For this post

Thank you everyone so, so, so, SOOOO MUCH!!! I set an incredibly difficult goal for this honestly, and yet you all helped it be reached!! I appreciate it so much, thank you!!

Unfortunately however, the next part is not finished yet. I was planning to have it finished and ready weeks ago, but I became severely sick and have been unable to finish it to have it ready for this wonderful moment :( I’m so sorry. And I am still pretty bad off, and I’m unsure how much longer it’ll be like this for me.

But!! It was still pretty far along when I had to stop. A lot of it is done. And I have tried to make it up to everyone by making the part extra long. And it is becoming more lighthearted and about comfort now, the next choice to make falls into that ^^

ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU EVERYONE!! It means a lot to me to see that people are actually commenting on the comic and celebrating that it has reached its goal. It means a lot to see that people care!! I am so excited to get the next part out to you guys and to continue on this once again!! ^^ <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[not-neverland06]

I don't know why I bite

Logan howlett x fem!reader

a/n: Had Mitski’s ‘I Bet on Losing Dogs’ on a loop while writing this, now I’m sad Inspired by the isle of dogs quote “I’m not a violent dog, I don’t know why I bite” BECAUSE OUCH (they’re both toxic, fair warning) bittersweet ending Summary: You've tried for so long to get Logan to accept you the way he does the others. You want so desperately to be someone who means something to him. But he doesn't want you, maybe he never has. And you both seem to be stuck in this loop of hurting each other.

You’re stability, security, but you’re never comfort. Try as you might, you just can’t get Logan to accept you. You want to. So desperately, you want to be something good for him. But he hates you, or at the very least, he can’t stand you. 

You don’t know what it is about Jean that he craves, but you wish you could replicate it. You’re not your friend, though, you never will be. And it’s pathetic, trying to change yourself to make someone else happy. You’ve never done that before. Yet, there is something about Logan that you want so desperately to help. 

You clean his wounds, metaphorically because he’s never once needed anyone for that. You lift him up after a rough mission and you remind him that the team does need him. They do love him. They want him in that uniform beside them, even Scott. 

You have your suspicions that he doesn’t appreciate your efforts. He’s never outright said anything to you. But you can tell the novelty of your kindness is wearing off. He used to brush your efforts off with a simple look. 

But he’s begun to be mean, saying these little things that you can never completely call out. A lot of what he says is based in truth. “Do you ever stop talking?” No, you don’t. You like talking with your friends, like sharing stories, and laughing together. 

“Has anyone ever told you to fuck off?” Yes, and it hurt. And it continues to hurt. “Why don’t you just shut up for once?” You can’t. You can’t because if you stop talking, if you stop distracting yourself then you’ll actually feel everything. You can’t stop talking, you can’t stop taking care of others because you cannot take care of yourself. You’re incapable of it. 

You can’t say that he’s being rude or mean. He’s just being blunt, and gruff, that’s just how he is. That’s what everyone tells you. They tell you to just ignore when he’s being a dick because he doesn’t really mean it. That’s just what he does because he doesn’t know any other way. 

You shouldn’t have listened. You shouldn’t have placed so much faith in others. You should have just left him alone. Maybe then he wouldn’t have snapped, wouldn’t have said such cruel things to you. 

It broke you a little inside. Hearing what he really thought of you. Despite it all, despite the cruel words and harsh attitude, you had hope. You thought they were all right, that he just needed to warm up to you. And you so desperately just wanted to be something for him to lean on because you’ve never had that before and you know what it feels like to be so lonely. 

“Hey, Logan.” You step into the kitchen, rooting around in the fridge for something to snack on. “Weren’t there apples in here?” You’re talking aloud, but it’s meant for yourself. 

It’s that moment that it all finally comes crashing down. This pathetic illusion that he wants anything to do with you or your friendship. It almost makes you laugh, that this mundane moment is when you feel your heart shatter in your chest. When you get so sick to your stomach your bones ache and your limbs tingle with this odd phantom pain. 

“Could you just shut up?” his voice is low as he leans over the counter. His fingers spin idly around the neck of a beer bottle. You wonder how he managed to sneak it in here, Charles has banned alcohol. You watch the condensation collect on the cracks of his palm and shrug the pain off. 

You’re used to this. This is normal. “Right,” you squeeze past him and look in the pantry. “Sorry,” you whisper, if you speak any louder your voice will crack and that will just make everything worse. 

“You’re just always around, aren’t you?” You glance over your shoulder at him but you don’t respond. Deny it as much as he wants, you have gotten to know him. You recognize the tells. 

He’s had a bad day, he needs a way to get it out of his system. You just happened to walk into the kitchen at the wrong time. It could be anyone he snaps at, but today it’s you. Which seems to be happening more often. 

You do what you did when you were a kid, eyes forward, face flat. You keep yourself neutral, let yourself sink into that apathetic place so whatever he yells at you doesn’t hurt. “You tiptoe around me, act like I’m this wounded stray you need to fix.” 

Your brows pinch in confusion and you shake your head. Second mistake. You shouldn’t have walked into the kitchen in the first place. And you definitely shouldn’t have argued. “No, Logan, that’s not true-”

Although, maybe he has a point. You can’t fix yourself so you try and fix him. 

“I don’t know why they keep you around. You contribute nothing, you do nothing for any of us. We can’t even take you out on the field,” his voice begins to raise and you find yourself backing into the cabinets, hating the way this is beginning to make you feel. “You’re so fucking sensitive we can’t trust that you won’t just kill us all if something goes wrong! You don’t deserve a spot on this team!”

You jump back as he shouts at you, hip jamming into the corner of the island so hard you have to bite your lip so you don’t make a noise. Spit flies from the corners of his mouth, the ferocity of his voice and words are that strong. 

You take in a few quick breaths, blinking the sting out of your eyes and focusing on the wall behind him. “Get it through your thick fuckin’ skull,” he warns, his voice quieter now. “I don’t want you around. Leave me alone.”

You don’t cry, you can’t cry. You don’t speak because you’re afraid of what other cruelties that might provoke. Maybe you would understand all this if you’d been bugging him when he’d already made it clear he needed space. All you wanted was a fucking apple. 

You don’t feel much of anything as you slowly nod your head, not agreeing but appeasing. He watches you with something like surprise on his face. You don’t know that he’s wondering why you’re not saying anything back. 

It’s why he yells at you when he doesn’t know what to do. You can take it, you can put him in his place. But you’re not speaking and he doesn’t know why this time is so different. 

Finally, you turn on your heel and leave, footsteps soft as you retreat back to your room. Logan watches you go with an odd twisting feeling in his stomach. He didn’t think you could be pushed too far. You seem to always just have this endless patience. 

You treat him gently, even when the others get sick of the way he processes things. Today was hard, you just happened to be nearby. He didn’t mean half of what he said. He doesn’t know why he lashes out the way he does, he just doesn’t know what else to do. 

He doesn’t like it, contrary to what the others think. He doesn’t like hurting you or being mean to you. He doesn’t know what it is about you that provokes this side of him that no one else does. Maybe it’s because he’s afraid. He can’t say what he’s afraid of, he’s never been able to admit it to himself. 

He’s yelled at you plenty of times before. You don’t know what it is about that one day that was so different. Normally, it doesn’t bother you. You’ll set him straight or give him space. But today, it was needless. You weren’t doing anything. 

You didn’t deserve to be lashed out like that, cornered and scared in the place you call home. 

It was unprovoked and maybe it finally made you see him for what he really is. A bully. It doesn’t make sense, how he can be so kind and caring to Marie. How he can help Jean and Ororo so sweetly, but can’t muster one kind fucking word for you. 

You don’t let yourself cry, even though you want to. Even though there’s a cloying, suffocating feeling clawing its way up the back of your throat. His room is on the same hall as yours and you don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he made you cry. 

You, at the very least, finally stop asking yourself what you did wrong. Instead, you start to wonder what’s wrong with him. You get sick to your stomach, thinking about all the ways you cared for him. Remembering how much of yourself you gave up to make him happy. 

He was right about that, you are pathetic. He never deserved your help or your patience. You should never have offered him any grace. You’re embarrassed that you didn’t see it sooner. This isn’t a little boy pulling your pigtails because he likes you. This is a grown man who can’t regulate his emotions and decided you were the next best punching bag. 

You take in a few deep, shaky breaths and close your eyes until you’re forced to fall asleep. You don’t want to think or feel any of what just happened.

Logan hovers in front of your doorway for ten minutes before he heads downstairs. He’s got a class to run, he doesn’t have time to wait for you to wake up, he reasons. He’ll find you later and apologize then. 

It didn’t take a genius to realize he had gone too far yesterday. Even if you could take his usual level of dickishness, you didn’t deserve it. He just didn’t know what to do around you. You made him confront so many different conflicting emotions. It’s like every time he looks at you his brain is being ripped in twenty different directions and he doesn’t know what to do. 

You’re so endlessly patient and gracious. It makes him realize he wants to be a better man and he can’t be. He resents you slightly for that. For having such a wonderful idea of what he could be, even though he knows he can never be that man.  

He doesn’t find you that day. He makes up enough excuses that he goes to bed promising himself he’ll apologize tomorrow. Which he never does. Because actually saying it would be an admittance that he knows what he did was wrong. And what does that make every other time he’s yelled at you? What does that make him?

It returns to the same cycle it always does. He waits a few days until things are cooled down and you’ll have already forgotten about it. He starts to feel overwhelmed and he goes to find you because you always know what to do. And if you don’t, then you provide an outlet. 

He spots the back of your head in the gardens. You’re with Jean and he expects the usual dirty look she gives him after you’ve both fought. Instead, she smiles warmly at him and waves. Which is odd, usually you tell her about what’s happened between the two of you and she holds the grudge longer than you do. 

You glance over your shoulder, a small smile on your lips, to see who she’s waving at. Logan sees the way it falls when you see him and his steps falter. You never do that, you always look so happy to see him. 

“Jean,” he greets curtly, eyes on you. 

She says hello and they both look to you. Normally, you would have already spoken. But you don’t, you turn your eyes to the kids. Jean frowns and turns back to him, “Everything alright, Logan?” 

He can’t take his eyes off of you. You read his moods, and know them better than he does. You should have already offered to talk. Maybe he really does need to apologize. The thought leaves a sour taste in his mouth. 

He says your name and your brows just barely raise in question, though you couldn’t seem less interested. “Need to talk to you.”

You shrug, “Sorry, can’t. I’ve got a meeting to get to.” You brush past him and walk back into the mansion. He and Jean both watch you go, each of them shocked by how dismissive you were. That’s never happened before. 

“What the fuck did you do?” Jean demands, the smile gone from her face and her tone deadly. She glares at him, clearly expecting an answer. But he doesn’t have one. Because this is something he’s done a million times and this has never happened. He doesn’t know what’s gone wrong. 

He thought your absence would be a relief. After a few more days he begins to realize that he was wrong. He thought that not having someone constantly badgering him to be better and set good examples for the kids would be a relief. 

There’s no one nagging him. No one forcibly checking on him after a mission when he doesn’t need it. No one to care. 

There are chunks of his day that you would normally fill that now seem to drag on. Lunches are quiet without you constantly rambling about nothing in his ear. When there’s friction among the team and they’re ganging up on him, you remain silent. He supposes he should be grateful. 

You finally listened to him for once. But he’s angry. He always seems to be angry and he doesn’t understand why. There is so much of his mind and life that was stolen from him. He wonders if he got any of it back if it would explain why he is the way he is. 

It doesn’t matter because it wouldn’t fix what he can’t undo. He sees you with the others constantly. You’re always laughing, always happy. Like nothing’s happened. Like you haven’t cut him out of your life completely. And then, when you’re around him, it’s like a switch is flipped. 

You’re irritatingly silent. Practically a brick wall. He pokes and he prods, using every weapon in his arsenal to try and provoke a reaction from you. But you give him nothing. 

There is an ache in his chest when he sees the way your smile drops when he walks into a room. He doesn’t understand the feeling. This is exactly what he wanted. To be left alone. 

It feels so wrong. 

It happens in the kitchen again. Odd, that that’s become such an important place to you. 

Your back is to the entrance and you’re busy slicing up some fruit for yourself. You don’t hear him come in. Not until he speaks. “I’m-” you jump at the sound of his voice. Whirling around with a shocked look on your face. 

He chuckles a little at the reaction but when you don’t smile he stops. “I’m sorry,” he blurts out. It sounds semi genuine. But it also sounds like it hurt him to say. “I’m sorry, so can you please just stop ignoring me?”

You shrug and go back to cutting up the fruit. “I’m not ignoring you.”

“No?” He demands. “Then why don’t you talk to me? Why don’t we eat lunch together anymore? You can’t even fucking look at me.”

You slam the knife down on the cutting board, taking in a deep breath so you don’t do something you regret. Your nails dig into your palms, trying to center yourself. “I’m doing exactly what you wanted,” you utter, voice low. 

You turn just enough to make eye contact. “I’m leaving you the fuck alone. That’s what you wanted right? I don’t think I could have misheard while you were screaming it at me.” You turn to leave, abandoning your fruit because you don’t have an appetite anymore. 

“I didn’t mean it,” he whispers before you can make it out of the kitchen. “I,” he stops and starts again, “I miss you. I’m not a mean person, I don’t know why I hurt you.”

You stare at him, face unflinching. You give him nothing and he knows it's what he deserves. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, and I’m not asking for it-”

“Good,” you cut him off with a disgusted sneer. “Because I’m not looking to hand it out. Especially not to you. You only want me because you miss what I do for you. You don’t deserve my forgiveness. You don’t deserve me.” You turn on your heel and walk away from him, unwilling to entertain any more conversation. 

This is what you’ve always done. When someone hurts you, really irrevocably hurts you, they’re gone. They’re gone from your life. From your mind. More importantly, your heart. You don’t have any obligations to entertain him or speak with him outside of professionalism. 

You thought cutting him out of your life would hurt more. But it’s like you can breathe for the first time in months. You’re no longer striving to gain someone’s approval. You’re not chasing after something you’ll never catch. 

You can find happiness within yourself. Begin to do the things you would do for him, for you. It’s a relief. And a little sobering. Perhaps, in your mission to help him, you’d burdened him with the desires you had for yourself. 

You believe that you’re unfixable. You believe there are facets of yourself that are too dark to face. That you are undeserving of love and kindness. You recognized those things in Logan and tried to force on him what you’ve always wanted for yourself. 

It was wrong. A mutually toxic relationship that never would have made it far had anything actually happened between you two. You can’t paint yourself the victim and you never meant to. It’s why you didn’t tell anyone what happened between the two of you. 

They wonder, of course, why you no longer spend lunches together. Why you no longer rush to defend him when he doesn’t need the help. Why you don’t smile around him anymore. There are questions that you deflect. Saying, you just needed space from each other. 

Your harm was a silent one. Forcing him into a mold he was never going to fit in. Despite the claims of loneliness, you can see the way your absence benefits him. He’s calmer, less likely to yell when provoked. He just needed the space to find himself. Not to have someone try and make him something new. 

You feel an ache in your chest when you think about how differently things could have been had you just let him be. If you had let things happen between the two of you naturally then maybe you really could have been something great. 

A month goes by without speaking to each other. After that day in the kitchen, he seems to understand that there’s no putting back together what was broken. It was already cracked to start with, the break was inevitable. 

You warm slowly to him. Give him polite greetings when you see him. And he smiles at you sometimes, on the jet when Scott says something ridiculous, or just in passing. It’s nice, being a stranger to him. It’s comforting. 

“We need to stop meeting like this.”

You look up from the paperwork in front of you and give Logan a small smile. He’s hovering in the entrance to the kitchen and you know he’s waiting for your permission. “Hi,” you say softly.

He takes that as the go-ahead and walks in, heading for the fridge. You listen to him rummage around before he pulls out a beer. “Where do you hide those things?” You ask, and you almost bite your tongue. This is the most you’ve spoken to each other in a long time. It feels wrong to joke so easily. 

“Can’t tell you or Wheels is gonna stop me,” he grumbles. You just nod and turn your head back to your paperwork. It’s silent for a few minutes after that. He sits a little further down the island, nursing the beer while your pen scratches across the reports your students gave you. 

He clears his throat and you glance over at him from the corner of your eye. “I,” he starts but quickly closes his mouth. “Ah, forget it.”

Your brows pinch in confusion but you decide to leave it. You oddly don’t feel scared or anxious. You don’t worry that he’s going to snap at you if you provoke him. You choose not to because you’re not interested in engaging. 

You don’t really recognize the man before you. Maybe it’s because you never tried to get to know him before you tried changing him. It causes that familiar clenching feeling of guilt in your gut. 

You know if you gave him a chance things would be different. You could be friends, real friends. There’s a reason you latched so readily onto him. There’s a familiar pain in him that’s reflected back in you. 

You stand up, shuffling the papers into a neat stack and pushing your stool in. Logan straightens up as he watches you wash off your dishes and collect your items. Before you can make it out of the kitchen he’s standing from his chair. 

He stops in front of you, hand outstretched before him. “Logan,” he greets. 

You tilt your head in confusion, glancing between him and his hand before it finally clicks what he’s trying to do. Start over, reintroduce yourselves. Actually give each other chances to understand the other. 

This all started because you shared the same pain and you resented each other for it. But you could comfort each other instead. Be pillars of stability and strength in each other’s lives instead of trying to tear the other down so you don’t see yourself in them anymore. 

You were both too afraid to face who you truly are and it nearly destroyed you. But this is a stranger in front of you. You don’t know this man, but you think you’d like to. You give him your name and shake his hand firmly. “Nice to meet you,” you whisper, a slight joke to your tone. 

He holds on for a second longer than he should, the breath rushing out of him like he hadn’t thought you would accept. You smile softly at him before you pass by to go upstairs. His hand lingers on your, skin tingling under your touch until you can no longer hold on. 

You don’t know what it means for you, this odd new truce between the two of you. But you won’t linger on that tonight. You’ll go to bed feeling comforted that for the first time since you’ve met him, Logan has made you happy. 

a/n: felt more like a diary entry than a fic, sorry lol

end. — I do not own the characters or the comics/movies Wolverine/X-Men, but this writing is my own all rights reserved © not-neverland06 2024. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

General Taglist: @evasmlp

Logan Taglist:  @nonamevenus @smexy-bucky-waifu @wh1sp @peony-always ♡

[shoomlah]

how do you consistently draw the same character without it looking weird or off every different time?? also how do i coordinate faces, i always make the eyes too far apart or too big or too small or make the mouth too close to the nose or chin edge. If you have any advice I'd really appreciate it since it looks like you have your art shit figured out 🙏

Oh man SO so much of it is just practice, and you're not alone! I honestly think everyone struggles with a sort of "generification" of their characters' features the more they draw them, even seasoned professionals. There's a tendency to just sort of average everything out into an unrecognizable mush over time, and it takes a lot of conscious effort to push back against that.

Here are a couple tips and tricks that I've found to be helpful over the years:

Make turnarounds and model sheets. There's a reason animation/game studios do this, and it is because we are all still bad at drawing a consistent face. Despite being gainfully employed. What are we, graphic novelists?? We wish. Anyway it's a great way to familiarize yourself with your character's face from multiple angles, and it gives you a single source of truth to return to anytime you need a refresher:

Gather real-life reference. Anytime I'm designing a character I'm pulling together a ton of reference of actual people who look, to some degree, like the character in my head. It's always a collection of analogues, never just a single person, but it can be a great cheat sheet for understanding how your character might move, emote, etc:

Make a 3D model. I know it seems daunting, but with the advent of programs like Blender and Nomad Sculpt it's becoming remarkably more accessible. Heck, even James Gurney was sculpting maquettes out of clay for Dinotopia back in the day! It doesn't have to be particularly detailed—just a sort of proportionate lump will do—but it's another great way to have dynamic reference that you can rotate and light accordingly:

Practice, practice, practice. Make expression sheets for your character! Either right there on the spot, just start drawin' expressions, or you can slowly collect drawings of your character that you like, as you draw them, and compile them all in one place for your own reference. Need to draw your character's head from a weird angle? Maybe you've already drawn it before and you can copy your own homework! Doesn't count as stealing when the call's coming from inside the house 😎

I'd love to pretend there's a magical point where you can just immediately rotate your character's head in your brain like some sort of photorealistic apple in a twitter meme, but a lot of the time it's reference, hard work, and whole lotta repetition. 😐👍🏼

[tarot-by-tabitha]

PICK A CARD: What made you stands out from others?

Hello everyone 💫 in this reading you’ll explore what makes you uniquely stand out from others. Whether it’s your personality, hidden qualities, how others perceive you etc. this reading will help you to understand yourself better and what sets you apart from others.

For this pick a pile I’m using tarot cards, Lenormand, wild unknown archetypes oracle, uncover your past lives oracle, life purpose oracle and work your light oracle.

How can you choose your pile accurately?

1. Pick a pile: take a deep breath, relax and choose a picture that calls out to you the most.

2. Once you’ve picked your pile, scroll down to your reading🫶

I also really appreciated feedback!

Please note: this pick a card reading is a collective reading. While the insights may resonate deeply, please take the reading with a grain of salt and always trust your own judgement when making decisions 💫

✨If you like my readings you can tip me here or paypal.me/TabithaSky13

Want a personalised and in depth reading? 🔮 You can find it here

Pile 1

Cards: 6 of pentacles, 7 of pentacles rx, The Underworld, Stork, Healer, Boundaries

Your core traits: So pile 1.. I sense here at the core you’re a person with natural generosity. You like to give to others without expecting too much in return but you want it to be fair, you still know boundaries. I’m seeing that people are drawn to you because you have a sense of equality, you’re the one who always makes sure everyone is taken care of and no one is left out. You’re the kind of persons who everyone goes to because you��re just accepting of everyone. I’m sensing a libra placements for some of you here.

With 7 of pentacles rx I’m sensing that you also might struggle with impatience. You want to see results quickly especially when you’re investing your time and energy into people or situations. Sometimes you feel that you’re putting lots of effort without getting much back. It could be in job, school or relationships and you questioned if all you hard work is really worth it. It’s natural to feel frustrated but this also shows how much you care about others and about things working out fairly at the end. You don’t give up easily and others notice this resilience of you and it’s something that earns you lot of a quiet respect, even if you feel like things are moving slowly, people around you see how dedicated you are and your persistence is something they admire.

your hidden strength: With The Underworld card I’m seeing that you’re not afraid to face darker or more difficult aspects in life. Among many people who avoid tough conversations, you’re the one who’s there for others when things get hard. When your friends face tough times and others might choose to distance themselves, but instead you stand by the . It makes you incredibly unique. People around you see that you don’t shy away from challenges. They’re drawn to your strength in those moments. You have ability to sit with people in their pain and help them feel understood, which is something that not everyone can do. You know how to stay up to date with modern looks too and you’re versatile with your style.

how others see you: Stork card is a sign of growth and transformation. I’m seeing that you’re kind of person who don’t stay stagnant or get stuck with old habits. You constantly grow. People who don’t see you for a long time and when they see you they’ll notice how much you’ve changed or grown. People see that you’re always moving forward. This makes you stand out because you inspire people to grow as well.

I’m also seeing that people who choose pile 1 have eyes that exudes friendliness, well groomed and others seem you as graceful. Some of you also have magnetic energy too, strong, intense eyes that pulls others on, you have a brooding charm. You could also have a confident and self assured demeanor that enhances your attractiveness, you look composed and in control.

how your past life influence you now: In past life I’m seeing that you might have been someone who cared for others, you might be a healer, midwife or herbalist. That nurturing energy has carried over into your current life. Today, people see you as someone who knows how to comfort others and offer advices to them. Even without you realizing it, just with your presence can heal those around you. You are the kind of person who makes others feels better just by being there. This isn’t something everyone has, you have energy that makes people feel safe and understood which is why people are naturally drawn to you.

how can you embrace your uniqueness: Boundaries card remind you while you’re amazing at helping others you also need to protect your own energy. This is important because as much as people value your support, you can sometimes give too much. Setting boundaries makes you even more impressive because it shows that you know your worth. People respect you even more when they see that you know when to say “no” and when to prioritise you own well being. You have a courage to set boundaries when necessary though and it sets you apart.

Random signs that might resonates with you: Libra moon, Scorpio rising, Capricorn mars, Pisces sun, Sagittarius in big 6, Virgo in big 6, anime, someone might have Native American descendants, white clothes, likes wearing necklaces with pearl, wealthy hence likes sharing with others.

Pile 2

Cards : 5 of Swords, Death, The Kiss, Moon, Nature Worship, Support

Your core traits: Pile 2, at the core you are someone who’s transformative and resilient in challenges. I see that you’ve been through many conflicts and struggles but instead of breaking you, those challenges made you grow stronger. What sets you apart is your ability to move through endings and new beginnings freshly. You don’t fear changes. Instead you embrace it because you know it’s necessary for your growth. People notice how you always rise from difficult situations even when others might give up.

I’m seeing some of you have been leaving a toxic job and relationships, and you take that as a lesson instead of dwelling on sadness and you entered a better relationships, getting in better and more supportive jobs, you’re becoming stronger. People admire you for your courage and strength.

Your hidden strength: The Kiss card here is about emotional depth and passion. You stand out because you have intense and magnetic charm, that people can’t help but notice. You might be someone who forms deep and passionate connections with others. You are not the type who’ll get into relationship that are surface level. One night stand, friends with benefits thingy are just not you. You dive deep. When you care about someone, they feel it in every word and action.

I’m seeing that you might have sensual or romantic aura that draws people to you. You’re someone who leave a lasting impression even after only brief interaction, wheter through kind words, meaningful gesture or simply just making someone feel seen. You’re full of genuine passion.

How others see you: With Moon card, you’re a dreamer and you have mysterious quality about you. People might not always understand you fully but that’s what makes you even more intriguing. You have natural intuition and emotional intelligence that others recognise even if they can’t quite put their finger on it. Your mysterious side makes people curious and keeps them interested, wanting to get to know you more.

I’m seeing also for some of you, you guys have creative and imaginative side. You’re good at art, music and experessing yourself and it makes you unique. You think outside of the box and kind of unpredictable making people curious of you.

How your past life influences you now: In your past life, you likely had deep connection to nature and spirituality. This connection still influences you in this life. You might be someone who are drawn to nature, animals or simple and peaceful environments. You bring kind of stillness to people around you and that rare gift in today’s fast paced world. This past life influence gives you wisdom that make others feel safe and grounded when they’re around you.

how can you embrace your uniqueness: One of your unique gifts is your ability to help others even when you’re going through your own challenges. You’re naturally supportive and you’re the person people turn to when they need advice or helping hand. Embracing this supportive role will allow you to stand out even more because it’s part of who you are.

You don’t need to be in spotlight to have an impact, whether it’s listening to a friend, offering advice or just being there for others , people see you as someone they can count on.

Random signs that might resonate with you: Scorpio sun/moon, Pisces moon/venus, Taurus rising, Virgo Venus, 12H placements, good singing, picnic, rooftop, someone visited Japan, number 4, wearing cute clothes

Pile 3

Cards: The Wheel, 9 of Chalices, Apocolypsis, Man, Injustice, Pleiades

Your core traits: you are someone who moves with flow of life and you know how to embrace highs and lows of life. You have sense of inner fullfilment. You know how to be happy and enjoy life even by just being by yourselves. You believe that no matter what happens you know things will work out in your favour. You’re the person who stay calm even though plans or event change unexpectedly. While others freak out over this, you just stay calm and trust that life will sort itself out. You’re that person who manages to see the silver lining and that positivity rubs off on everyone around you. Your lighthearted yet grounded energy makes people remember you.

Your hidden strength: what people might not see right away is your deep ability to uncover the truth. You have hidden talent to dig deep into situations, getting to root of issues and reveal things that others might miss. You’re able to read between the lines in conversations. Maybe someone trying to hide their true feelings but you could sense it instantly. Or when situation seemed confusing, you could see the bigger picture clearly. This ability makes you stand out because you see things that others don’t.

How others see you: when people first see you, they immediately see you as someone reliable and a natural leader. There’s something about your energy that makes people feel secure around you. You have a presence that commands respect and others feel like they can count on you. You’re likely the person in friend group or family who’s always there when someone needs help. If things go wrong people know they can call you because you know how to take care of things practically. Even when you’re not trying to be in charge people naturally look up to you because they trust your judgement.

You’re an approachable person and you’re confident. You have a warm and inviting smile. You’re not the type to flaunt your looks but you carry that grounded, confident and commanding energy. You have a blend of softness and strength.

How your past life influences you now: in past life, you faced deep injustice either you experienced it firsthand or you were someone who fought against it. This influences you in this life to have strong sense of right and wrong. You likely stand out because of your fairness and desire to make things right. You might find yourself defending others who are being treated unfairly or maybe you can’t stand it when you see something that feels off in terms of justice. People admire this about you. You can’t sit quietly when things are unfair and it makes you a strong and noticeable figure.

How can you embrace your uniqueness: your soul’s mission is bigger that just your own journey. You are here not only to live your life but to help others rise as well. This makes you stand out because you bring kind of energy that uplifts other around you. You become mentor or guide to friends, family or even strangers. People might come to you for advice or comfort without even realizing why. You’re here in this world to channel something bigger and by being yourself , you can lift others up too.

Random signs that might resonates with you: Sagittarius sun, Capricorn Venus, libra mars, Pisces moon, 7H placements, 2H placements, cigarettes, someone’s into modelling, people noticing you have glass skin, sport person, hiking, teacher.

Pile 4

Cards: Knave of Chalices, Temperance, The Sustainer, Castle, Power, Freedom

Your core traits : I’m seeing that you have a calm and chill vibe but you’re full of compassion. You’re emotionally open and you connect with people easily because you genuinely care. You come across as someone balanced, you’re the kind of friends who can stay calm even when things are chaotic, you can find middle ground and keeping peace. People notice how calm you are no matter the situation. You have easygoing and soft hearted nature. You’re also patient and rarely overreact and it makes you stand out.

Your hidden quality: even if you don’t always realise it , you’re the backbone for people around you. You’re a steady person who hold things together when they’re falling apart. People rely on you and you’re always there for them even if they don’t say it out loud. You naturally help others when they are stressed and confused. I’m seeing you helping your friends when they have drama or problems with others and instead of stirring out the situation you tried to be understanding and giving out support and offering gentle solution.

How people perceive you: on the outside you give off vibe of someone who’s bit guarded and selective about who you let on your circle. People might see you as someone who has strong boundaries and little bit mysterious. While you’re approachable and kind, you don’t just let anyone get close to you. At the same time, people see you as someone who has their life together, dependable and trustworthy. People might say that while you’re friendly, they know there’s deeper side to you that they haven’t seen yet. This sense of well guarded makes other curious.

People see that you’re well groomed and elegant. You might don’t like flashy clothes or bold makeup, you might prefer lighter and softer makeup that shows elegance and refined look. You’re physically appealing to to others not just because of your features but also your warmth and guardedness. You look effortlessly put together.

How your past life influences you now: in past life, you held position of authority or influence and this energy carries into this lifetime. In your past life you might have been a leader. While in this life you may not actively seek power, others can still sense your inner authority. You could also come from a powerful family in this lifetime.

How can you embrace your uniqueness: you thrive when you’re allowed to be independent and follow your own path. One of the things that makes you stand out is your ability to live life on your own terms. You don’t follow the crowd and you’re not scared to make choices that reflect who you truly are. When you embrace this freedom you inspire others to do same.

You might be type of person who choose unconventional career paths or life goals and others admire you for it. Your ability to live authentically and confidently makes you stand out as someone who’s both independent and true to yourself.

Random signs that might resonates with you: libra rising, Taurus Venus, Saturn in 10H, cancer moon, moon in 4H, 8H placements, leo midheaven, libra in big 6, batman?, red colour, bracelets collector, dying hair blonde, beach lover, social butterfly

Pile 5

Cards: 5 of wands rx, 8 of pentacles, The Womb, Rider, Maritimer, The Age of Light.

Your core traits: you stand out because of your ability to remain calm and focused. You’re not the type to be caught up in drama or competition, you naturally avoid conflict and more interested in honing your skills and just improving your abilities. You are a dedicated, hardworking and prefer to quietly perfect what you do instead of seeking the spotlight. People notice your strong work ethic and peaceful energy. You are the “quiet achiever”, you get things done without needing to make a big fuss.

I’m seeing that some of you might love to learn languages, painting and coding. You’re a productive person.

Your hidden quality: you have a nurturing and creative energy that people not immediately notice. You’re person who provides safe space to others. When someone is going through hard times instead of giving harsh or loud opinions or trying to fix it you try to make them feel heard and understood. You also have so many new creative ideas and you like to create many things that is meaningful and useful. I’m seeing that you are an inventor even if it’s not something that is worldwide level.

How others perceived you: people see that you always move forward and seek new opportunities, you’re always on the look of something better even that you’re doing it in calm way. In career or personal life people notice that you’re constantly improving yourself , learning new skills, taking new projects etc. you like to try many new things. I’m seeing also a scene where you and others are talking about new activities or course, while others might say they’ll look into it, you’ve already signed up. You’re the person people come to when they want to know latest trends or opportunities.

I’m seeing that you have a practical and approachable look. Your style is simple, elegant. I’m seeing some of you likes to wear flowy dress. Simple pastel colour tops with cutbray jeans. Some of you likes to wear blue because you want to be seen more lighthearted or you just simply love ocean.

How your past life influences you now: in past life you may have been an explorer or traveler, connected to the sea. Now you still have natural curiosity of the world and quiet sense of adventure. Even if you’re not actively travelling the world, you have spirit that’s always looking for the next things to learn and explore.

You might be drawn to documentaries about faraway places , you may have list full of adventures you want to go on. you might also loves going to ocean and going on cruises. You’re not afraid to experience new things even if it comes with some risks. In life, you’re willing to take chances on new career paths, relationships etc because you know it brings growth and knowledge.

How can you embrace your uniqueness: you’ve been preparing for this lifetime of quiet mastery and growth over many lifetimes. This is your time to embrace your purpose and trust that everything you’ve been working toward is aligning perfectly. You might have moments where you doubt if you’re on the right path. But rest assured that all of your efforts are building toward something bigger.

Random signs that might resonates with you: Capricorn sun, cancer in big 6, Taurus placements , Pisces placements, 9H placements, 4H placements, Gemini sun, Sagittarius Venus, love to curl hair, loves writing, wearing long skirts, Jade, doing TikTok dance, headband, travelling to Arabic countries.

[ms-demeanor]

I appreciate your calm-the-fuck-down post a lot, ngl - from following you, I've seen you have a pretty good handle on understanding what ToS does and doesn't say, and are good at explaining the difference - and I was hoping you could give some insight on whether or not the actually clicking the 'I agree to terms of service' button (note: multi-step process) required to turn off the New! flag makes a difference in the level of data collected - I would expect at the very least it would act as a gateway for whether or not user data is shared with the third party integration, but legalese isn't my field of study.

Agreeing to the ToS to get the little notification thing to turn off would allow tumblr live to share the data that it collects with 3rd party apps and would allow tumblr live to collect location data from your device whether or not you are actively using the app; whether you want to do this is up to you. I do generally recommend having location tracking shut off at a device level, which makes this data collection pretty useless, but I recognize that most people don't have location tracking turned off on their phones.

*HOWEVER*

People are talking about doing this to turn off the New! flag (which IS very annoying) but the most recent post from @changes makes it clear that that is an ongoing bug they are working on; Tumblr has been pretty decent recently about following up on the info they post about on the changes blog and I see no reason to believe that they won't get that bug fixed pretty quickly.

Rather than agree to the ToS I would suggest waiting a few days because I very much doubt that will stick around for long.

And this is not directed at you but I want to use this ask to point to another recent example of tumblr conspiracism: people are seeing the "new" flag as tumblr attempting to force users to agree to the live ToS even as they have offered a longer snooze period and saying that one negates the other - this is being interpreted as malice and a dark pattern and user hostile design.

And I just want to remind people that some time between eight months and a year and a half ago the notifications changed and it was briefly impossible to clear the new flag on the notification button - this is an issue that we've seen tumblr have before with "new" flags after they changed a feature. It's something that people yelled about and sent around guides for blocking the element. It's something that was addressed quickly and was done unintentionally.

I really wish people would stop attributing to malice the bullshit that happens at tumblr that is clearly the result of this website being hilariously broken and held together with hope and chewing gum.

There are ways in which this site is broken that does genuine harm and I'm willing to be cautiously optimistic that the new staff crew is taking steps to fix it (this is about blocked tags; I've been following what various staff members say about this and I have seen small positive steps, staff does seem to be making an effort to unfuck the tags and I can respect that while still being frustrated that it's taking so long). It isn't *good* that the site is held together with chewing gum and hope but it does seem like staff is at least trying to add some popsicle sticks and duct tape to that mix.

The new flag is annoying and I hope they get it fixed quickly and I believe they actually will get it fixed quickly; if you're really bothered by it there's not much harm in accepting the live ToS because the data collected by tumblr live is still pretty minimal compared to most other social media apps, but from a paranoid "fuck all this bullshit" perspective accepting the Live TOS doesn't do much harm at all if you have location data off on your devices (which I think everyone should) and use adblockers (which I think everyone should).

[qqueenofhades]

as a starting history major i wanna ask how do you read/evaluate academic history papers/books? i'm trying to avoid just blindly agreeing with whatever the author is writing because it seems correct. how can you tell what is good scholarship and what is more shaky?

This is a great question for you as a freshman history major to ask (many of my toiling colleagues and I can attest that we wish more of you would!) and shows that you're already taking initiative and investment in your studies and want to be the best prepared you can. So truly -- thank you! Us on the faculty/staff/administrative end of academia can feel as if we are pouring into an empty bucket at times, and it's always gratifying to hear otherwise. We really appreciate it.

As a college freshman and/or underclassman (or so I'm assuming) your first job is learning how to collect basic information from the things you read, collate and cite them accurately, and make them converse intelligently with each other in an entry-level piece of academic writing (such as an essay responding to an assigned prompt). So before you have to worry about understanding complex nuance and granular-level fact-checking, the first step is just getting comfortable with academic forms, styles, and conventions. There's an occasional anti-intellectual strand of thinking that pops up on Tumblr, basically insisting that everyone everywhere should be able to understand everything in fifth-grade words and if not then it's Elitist Gatekeeping, but this is a symptom of TikTok brainrot where people's brains have been literally rewired to only process spoon-fed chunks of incredibly simplistic (and uh, often wrong) information, and literally can't parse anything longer, even if it's written in accessible language. Yes, many academics are not necessarily great writers, but you also have to let go of the mindset that you can speed-read once and understand everything. You will need to slow down, take your time, and make a note of concepts that are confusing or that you want to double-check, words you need to look up, and things that make you say "hmm I should look into that more," whether because you're interested or they seem questionable. I always read academic texts or papers (I prefer hard copy, because I am Fucking Old) with a pen in hand, because if I don't, I often feel like I didn't read it at all.

Basically, this is an interactive process between you and the text, and requires you to develop a different kind of reading mentality than just buzzing through a novel or fanfic for pleasure. You have to expect that it will take time and that if you regularly skive off the readings, you won't be prepared for class, your professors will be annoyed, and you won't be able to write good essays, because you haven't engaged with the material. In your case, it sounds like that will be less of a problem, because you are eager to know how to do it right, but I can tell you from my experience that nothing frustrates us more than students who just won't do the reading (and you know, use ChatGPT to write their essays) because then what are you even DOING here? What do you want to get out of this? Why are you wasting your precious tuition money like this? Yes, you probably have to fill a requirement, but STILL. It's disrespectful to your teacher, who has invested a lot of effort in being here to help you with this and doesn't want you to just quit because it looks hard, and your peers, and to you. So anyway, /Captain Holt voice/ apparently that's a trigger for me. Basically, if you learn nothing else from this ask: please do the reading. Even if it's only to admit you need more help or want to talk about this concept in class or otherwise take advantage of all the structures that are in fact there to help you understand it! Thankee.

Likewise, because you're an underclassman, you have an advantage in that your teacher will select the class readings for you ahead of time. That means you will be receiving things that a professional has already checked, decided are useful and trustworthy, and you don't have to do independent research and vetting yourself (that will come if you decide for some godforsaken reason to pursue graduate and/or doctoral study). So you don't need to spend tons of extra time and effort deciding if the sources given to you in class are reliable on a basic and functional level; your professor has already done the work for you to make sure that they are. Your job is now to read those sources, keep a record of what they say (hence the aforementioned pen or other way to make quick notes) and figure out how to put them together in an essay. For example, if Author A cites Factor A as, say, the main cause of the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and Author B insists that Factor B was in fact more critical, what is your best approach to reconciling that information? You would search in the rest of those texts to see what else they say in support of their position, and you would probably end up with a qualified statement to the effect of, "While Author A argues A, Author B thinks B, representing the lack of consensus and the difficulty in attributing one single cause to an event as complicated as the fall of Rome." (And then because you're smart, you would go on to mention Byzantium and the Eastern Roman Empire and show that you are aware of the further context.) All of which is true! Historians do that all the time! You don't need to select THE RIGHT ANSWER and vigorously discredit all other theories, ever, and we tend to look suspiciously on people who do (cough cough Philippa Langley).

In other words, we are certainly not expecting you as a freshman, and even as a more advanced student, to be able to pick out ONE ANSWER from the material. We just want to see evidence that you have in fact read it, are able to evaluate and place theories side by side and possibly make a judgment as to which one you find more compelling, and also to properly cite where you got that information. We've seen a lot recently about plagiarism and that being the pretext on which Harvard president Claudine Gay was forced to resign (which is a whole other can of worms, but never mind). A lot of professors think that saying "Don't Do Plagiarism" is enough, but then don't explain what it is and the different forms it can take. It's not just a matter of copying verbatim chunks of someone else's work (or you know, ALL OF IT, like certain recently discredited YouTube scumbags) and acting like it's your own. If you are relying substantially on someone else's work, whether in their wording, arguments, conclusions, structure, or anything else, even if you've changed some of the words (yep, still plagiarism!), that needs to be cited appropriately according to the relevant style guide. Direct quotes from anyone need to go in quotation marks or indented blocks and have the author cited immediately afterward. History usually uses Chicago, MLA, or MHRA, and you can find cheat sheets for how to do that online. It's a pretty simple and straightforward style, and your professor will be extra impressed.

If you're expected to do an independent project or a senior research thesis, as some undergraduate history students do, then it will come when you have already had three years of experience in reading, evaluating, and writing historical scholarship, you will probably have a faculty member assigned to you for one-on-one mentoring and personalized feedback sessions, and they will be able to provide suggestions and support for useful sources. So even then, you still don't have to do it entirely on your own. They'll probably also be MORE than happy to debate with you which ones are good and which ones are suspect, because it's all a part of developing your ability to flex that muscle for yourself. (And as noted, faculty members Will Have Strong Opinions.) That likewise doesn't mean you just have to copy whatever they say (at least if you have a good teacher who wants you to think for yourself and not just be a mini-clone of their pet theories), but it means that by the time you reach that stage, you will have been prepared enough to feel confident in taking more steps on your own. I think not enough people realize that studying history (or anything, really) isn't just throwing you out there and being like "tough luck sucker, do it all yourself."

That's why academia is so collaborative, why plenty of historians with doctorates and tenure will still have to say "I don't know, let me get back to you" when someone asks them a question at a conference, and you don't have to fear that if you don't have The One Right Answer, you will be immediately exposed as a fraud and thrown out. History as a discipline is also moving away from the 19th-century German approach that attempted to systematize it as a singular social science with One Right Answer, and to focus more on multiple perspectives and incomplete answers. That's why the goal is not necessarily to know everything (which alas, is impossible), but to make better sense of what we can know and search for ways in which the existing record is flawed and needs to be revised, expanded, or reworked with new perspectives (which have existed all this time, but haven't been privileged by the white male western academy for the obvious reasons). And that work is fun and important! I don't want you to be scared of getting to that point, because someone will be there to support you the whole way and by the time you do, it will make sense to you in a way it probably doesn't right now, just because it's a new skill and like any new skill, it takes a long time to learn and to be able to apply confidently, consistently, and at a high level. And plenty of us who do it as a career still often have to say "I don't know, let me ask Dr. So-and-so who specializes in this," so yeah. It's a process of becoming comfortable with both learning how to answer what we can, and to ask others for help with that, and it never really ends. Which is the fun part. There's so much more to do.

Good luck!

[grapenehifics]

I have the house to myself this weekend which means I get to have musicals on in the background (I am the only one in my family who appreciates this art form) and this morning I've had The Sound of Music running and...I'm having thoughts. Fascism thoughts.

Anakin is nearing the age (early 20s) when he should be taking the Trials and he *says* he's sure he wants to continue on the Jedi path (his mom sure always really wanted him to! He doesn't want to disappoint his Master!) but he's always been a little unorthodox, a little different, and Yoda and Mace and the Council and even Qui-Gon try to (gently) tell him that it's okay if he wants to or needs to take a different path and this life isn't for everyone and there's no shame in it; there's lots of ways to serve the light.

Obi-Wan meanwhile (Force sensitive but his parents said no thank you when the Order came calling when he was a kid?) is fairly recently widowed with seven (or maybe not seven, but some number of) children who he doesn't see all that much because he's...not *the* leader of Stewjon but definitely a higher-up in their government (maybe like a House of Lords/ruling council sort of situation?). And he - like the Republic - sees the writing on the wall about the encroaching threat of the Empire and the members of the Republic who are against this idea (Padmé, Bail, etc) are very interested in keeping Obi-Wan on their side - he's maybe trying to convince the rest of his government to join the Republic? and if they do have to go to war Obi-Wan is one of the few with actual military experience (I'm picturing some sort of Admiral Yularen/Republic Navy-ish) - so when Obi-Wan asks the Order to send a Jedi as a governess for his kids (some - or all? - of them are Force sensitive too, but Obi-Wan and his wife kept them home as kids rather than sending them to Coruscant), even though the answer would *usually* be no (you can't have it both ways Obi-Wan; there are no part-time Jedi) the Republic basically begs the Jedi Council to say yes.

They (reluctantly) agree that sending Anakin to Stewjon might be okay - they wouldn't send anyone else but he's on the fence anyway and this might give him some time to decide if he really wants to be a Jedi or if a home and a family might suit him better. Anakin has to be talked into it - "you're kicking me out??" "NO, Padawan Skywalker..." - but he goes. Of course he actually bonds really well with all the kids (I love Anakin with kids!) and his new boss is surprisingly hot, especially in his Stewjoni military uniform.

Obi-Wan got (quite quickly, after his wife died) engaged to the Duchess Satine of Mandalore, which both parties (and everyone in their respective governments) know is a political marriage but they do also genuinely like and respect each other, and enjoy debating politics with each other - if war breaks out, Satine is determined Mandalore will remain neutral, and Obi-Wan argues against, and that it's their moral obligation to fight - but whatever happens, Mandalore wants Stewjon on their side and vice versa. She's busy running her own system but comes for a visit, and meets Anakin, and picks up right away on the rampant UST between Obi-Wan and his new nanny. (She finds this hilarious.)

Obi-Wan throws a Mandalore/Stewjon unification-type ball at his house (mansion, palace, w/e) and Anakin has the kids show off the more impressive of the Force "tricks" he's taught them (floating rocks, etc). The kids tell Anakin that their dad can move things with the Force, too, and he used to all the time, but doesn't anymore. Anakin is intrigued by this new knowledge.

They get word from Coruscant that Palpatine did as threatened and has staged a coup (?? haven't really worked out the finer details yet) and despite Obi-Wan's best efforts Stewjon as a collective whole looks like it's going to fall on the side of the Empire. He's not the only one determined to fight but he's definitely the most vocal/highest-ranking of the dissenters and Satine warns him that he at least needs to get his family out of harm's way, and if he can get them to Mandalore she can protect them and they can join the Rebellion from there. (Form the Rebellion? This part is still a little muddy).

(Obi-Wan checks that this offer still stands even though he's breaking up with her. She's like a) I called that and b) "oh my god Obi-Wan I'm a pacifist not a monster. I'm not going to let your family *die* just because you're marrying Anakin instead of me, what do you take me for?")

Their escape plan - like in the movie - is to perform in some sort of National Stewjon Talent Show, except swap the Force for a cappella singing. The Jedi - let's say Palpatine hasn't gotten around to Order 66 in this AU - attend this Talent Show, and *obviously* it's a cover for getting Anakin and the Kenobis out (they have to have the same conversation - "you mean you'll still help me even if I'm getting married instead of becoming a Jedi Knight?" "yeah, we're not dicks, it's the right thing to do") but no one can actually call the Jedi out on it even though while they're blinking their eyes all innocently they totally have bolt cutters and stun guns hidden under their robes.

Also there's a subplot where Obi-Wan's oldest breaks up with her boyfriend because "I DON'T DATE STORMTROOPERS."

(Someday I will be able to watch a movie without having Obikin thoughts about it. But it is not this day!)

[zwy01]

Noble OCs - Volo

More OCs from one of my four original noble clans, the Volo! They are the Clan of the Healers and their current Clan Leader is Zephyrus Volo, whose heir is his daughter Azurine Volo. Their clan’s soul weapon is crystal ball Octavio.

For complete info please check out the link below:

(Just a quick note, everyone is a noble here. There are no hybrids. In my headcanons “pureblood” and “non-pureblood” are just terms that nobles use with each other to broadly describe how affiliated someone is with their own clan. And I say “broadly” because there is much more to it and I think it deserves a post of its own. For now “pureblood” can be seen as a “strong enough and qualified to inherit the clan’s soul weapon and become Clan Leader” and “non-pureblood” as “an ordinary clan member” kind of thing. And being either has little to do with lineage and more of just the individual itself. Again, definitely posting more on that in the future)

Straight to the characters.

Hyacinthus Volo: Non-pureblood. Father/soul fragment donor of Ludis Mergas, husband/lover/friend (?) of Valentina Mergas. Alive in the present day, belongs to the Previous Lord’s generation.

Hyacinthus used to work under Zephyrus’ predecessor, the previous Volo Clan Leader, as one of the many Volo antidote researchers. He got kicked out eventually because he kept messing things up. He did things like throwing out his colleagues’ work-in-progress vials and potions because he thought they were trash, forgetting to do his part thus causing a failed experiment and indirectly forcing everyone back to square one, accidentally knocking over precious ingredients, setting the old records on fire… etc. Hyacinthus got a job as a scribe instead because that was the only thing they could count on him for. Despite his occasional sloppiness and forgetfulness, his fellow researchers couldn’t bring themselves to be annoyed with him for too long because he is a cheerful and amiable man. Outside of work, he is a great friend. His presence alone is enough to lighten gloomy moods and his friends sometimes compare him to a clear blue sky on a beautiful sunny day. Hyacinthus is neither extrovert nor introvert, instead something in between. He doesn’t need to socialize on a regular basis, but he never declines invitations. He’s “that” person nobles with little to no friends would always invite to their parties and events because they can count on him to show up. As a result, Hyacinthus is always busy. Want a hiking buddy? Will be there for ya. Don’t have a dancing partner? Sure can rearrange my plans. Just want someone to vent to? Will give plenty of hugs too. For this reason, Hyacinthus has a powerful network of friends who are more than willing to help him because the effort is mutual. Mostly weirdo friends because he’s one of the only people who would accept them for who they are, but normal friends too. He gets mountains of gifts piled at his doorstep and they still keep coming in. Hyacinthus is humble and tells his friends that they don’t need to give him anything, but they insist on showing their appreciation for him.

Hyacinthus’ hobby is button making. Buttons for clothes, buttons for toys, buttons for collection… just lots of buttons. He carves them from coconut shells, fruit pits, wood, and other common materials. He makes a button whenever there is a special occasion to keep for himself or to give away as a gift. Hyacinthus makes one for his son Ludis’ birthday every year and Ludis has a treasure box full of them. Each one of them has a unique design, and Hyacinthus continues this tradition for his grandchildren.

No one really knows what his exact relationship with Valentina is. They seem to be more than friends but there is no solid answer. Valentina doesn’t answer when questioned and Hyacinthus just says “guess”. Well, that’s going to remain a mystery for now. Hyacinthus misses Valentina very much since the day she entered eternal sleep with the Previous Lord. He too makes a button for her every year on the day they said their final goodbyes to each other, which is the day she died.

Ludis gets the blueish tint in his grey hair from Hyacinthus.

Rurik Volo: Pureblood. Uncle of Zephyrus Volo, father of Malati Volo. Alive in the present day, belongs to Gejutel’s generation.

Rurik was supposed the be the next Volo Clan Leader after his predecessor and mother as her then-only child, but he detested the traditional Volo self-poisoning antidote-researching training regimen so much that his mother had no choice but to have another child because clearly he was not the one. The training regimen is absolutely mandatory and has been the tradition since the Volo Clan came into existence, and rejecting it means forfeiting your right to succeed the clan as the heir. So be it. The position of Clan Leader eventually went to Rurik’s younger sister, who is the mother of Zephyrus. Rurik didn’t want to work alongside ordinary clan members as a researcher either, and in the end his mother couldn’t find a job for him within the clan and he became unemployed. During his youth, Rurik couch surfed a lot and his friends all thought he got disowned or something, but he actually left home on his own accord because he was too ashamed to face his mother and family for failing to fulfill his destiny. He just couldn’t do it. The pain and self-harm is too much for him. He can’t even comprehend how his mother and all of the previous Clan Leaders were able to put themselves through such torture. Rurik’s little sister seems to be willing to do it, and while he is proud of her determination, he also feels sorry for her because he is the reason why she was born. As his replacement, because he chose to escape from his duty. She wouldn’t have needed to do this to herself if he had more courage. For this reason, Rurik can’t seem to look at her in the eye either. He ends up avoiding his mother, sister, and clan members, and became a basement dweller who rotated between the homes of his friends. Fortunately, as an extrovert, he had many friends and they were happy to host their troubled buddy. Rurik eventually finds his passion in music composition. He settles down in a place of his own, far away from the Volo’s main residence because he still can’t bring himself to face his family. In the present day, Rurik writes music for Lukedonia. His work all sound sad, for some reason. Stunning and graceful, but sprinkled with melancholy.

Rurik is a decent fighter and has an extensive knowledge of buff and debuff spells. Despite leaving home at a young age, he worked very hard and secretly taught himself how to use magic as a Volo because he didn’t want to ask anyone for help as he was too embarrassed to do so. He doesn’t even know how impressive this is and continues to think of himself as a loser.

At some point, Rurik had his daughter Malati with an unnamed noble, presumably one of his friends who hosted him during his couch surfing days.

Aeron Volo: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Raskreia’s generation. No one really likes Aeron. He’s full of negativity and brings that unpleasantness with him wherever he goes. His shortcomings are always the fault of others, and his life is miserable because the world is against him. Aeron has a normal family and his parents did everything they could for him, but he turned out like this anyway. Aeron ends up offending almost everyone around him and he has no friends. He never fulfills the promises he makes, he invalidates people’s achievements, and even goes as far as to say that his Clan Leader Zephyrus’ daughter and heir Azurine doesn’t deserve to become the next Volo Clan Leader just because she “ingests poison” and “makes cuts on her arms”. Anyone can do that. This would enrage his fellow clan members and if Aeron is lucky, he gets an intense scolding. If he is unlucky, he gets a violent beating. Only after they dare him take the poison Azurine takes on a regular basis does he learn that she is doing something incredibly selfless for the greater good of all nobles. Aeron almost dies, and drops to the floor screaming and writhing in pain until they give him the antidote. You thought that was bad enough? That’s not even a third of Azurine’s daily dose. And the antidote to this poison only exists because she put herself through this pain in order to analyze what it does to the body to come up with countermeasures. Aeron finally realizes how much of a fool he was. He’s still unpleasant at times, but he has been humbled and no longer speaks like that about people, especially his future Clan Leader. Aeron’s issues aren’t completely gone yet, but at least he doesn’t invalidate people’s achievements anymore. He even starts to develop a sense of admiration for Azurine. Eventually, with hard work, Aeron discovers that he has some talent for debuff spells. Turns out his nastiness was rooted in his insecurities all along, and hey, he’s not completely useless either.

Aeron is currently training to become a knight, and hopes to become strong so he can serve his future Clan Leader, the Lord, and Lukedonia well.

Esther Volo: Non-pureblood. Entered eternal sleep, belonged to Lagus’ generation. Esther was an eccentric woman. She had a conspicuous sharp-pitched giggle and an unusual obsession with scissors and cutting things up. Her clothes, the curtains, the books on the shelves, the flowers on the hillside… even herself. More like she found pleasure in ruining things and then returning them to their original state like nothing had ever happened. This just felt so romantic to Esther and she never had any other hobby. She cooed and baby talked to things as she cut them up. The vibrations that traveled from the scissors blades to her hands with each and every snip excited her more than anything else. The more the material resisted, the more ecstatic she became. Eventually Esther moved onto cutting off pieces of her own face, fingers, and even legs. Slicing her own cheeks off was just as fun as feeling her femur split into two. Her delicate, soft fingers were nice as additional decorations to the flowers in her vase. Gives it an extra pop of color. And that’s what being a Volo meant to her. She’d just use healing spells on herself. Rinse and repeat. With inanimate objects, she used basic restoration spells. The nobles were aware of Esther’s obsession and most stayed away from her, as they were scared and suspected that she would cut them up too. Those were just assumptions, of course, because Esther never messed with other people or their belongings. She only experimented on her own possessions and body. Reassuring to hear, but doesn’t make it any less creepy.

If Esther considered someone as her friend, she would invite them to her home and show them her massive scissors collection hanging on the wall, arranged by size from small to big. Those who didn’t run away became her best friends.

Esther wore poofy floor-length dresses throughout her lifetime and hid all sorts of scissors under layers of lace. Sometimes the nobles could hear the scissors clack against one another as she walked. She eventually entered eternal sleep because she had already cut up everything she could find in the world and had nothing exciting to look forward to anymore.

Malati Volo: Pureblood. Daughter of Rurik Volo, and cousin of Zephyrus Volo. Alive in the present day, belongs to the Previous Lord’s generation.

Malati is confident and imaginative. As a child, she always went around asking “why?” to every question she could think of. The adults thought she was just another curious child, but in no time it became apparent that she was dead serious about it. Malati didn’t want to live at home with her less-than-confident father Rurik who somehow always avoided her questions, and sometime during her teenage years, she moved to Titus Paradiso’s library tower Minerva and has lived there ever since. Malati misses her father, but knows better than to hold back her true potential to keep him company… plus, he seems more interested in his music anyway. He wouldn’t miss her, it’s okay. Or so she thought, because she was a bit saddened when he didn’t really have a reaction when she announced that she was going to move out. Well, she’s better off chasing her dreams than staying at home with such a mood killer. In a way, Professor Titus felt more like a father figure to Malati, as he would always be brimming with enthusiasm whenever the two of them talked about newest discoveries. Titus and Malati have a close relationship, and when the former’s twins Anabella and Anastasia are born sometime in the future, Malati becomes family to them. The twins call her “Auntie”.

Malati’s current goal is to figure out exactly how two soul fragments merge together to create a new soul, which is the nobles’ way of having children. The old records don’t offer any clear explanation either. The nobles only know that it happens, not how. The mechanism behind it remains a mystery to this day. Malati wants to get her hands on a physical soul fragment so she can dissect it or something, if that is even possible at all. Maybe she’ll eventually discover a way for nobles to have children through soul fragments without having their lifespans reduced so parents can spend more time with their children. Perhaps it is ambitious, but Malati is hopeful.

Eventually, Malati and her father Rurik reconcile with each other and it is revealed that the latter chose not to respond to his daughter’s questions because she was a brilliant child, and he was afraid that he would drag her down because he didn’t have the confidence to match her excellence. Rurik thought that Malati would be disappointed in him like the rest of his family since he was the failed heir. The two of them talk out their misunderstandings and share a tearful moment. Rurik asks Malati if she wants to move back home, which would become an offer she rejects gently because Minerva is her home now. Understandable for both father and daughter, so they exchange letters to keep in touch. Rurik sends Malati his newest sheet music, and she shares with him her research progress on various topics. While they don’t completely understand what each other is talking about, their exchanges are filled with affection.

Malati is currently working to find an antidote to reverse lifespan loss for nobles who had children.

Malati’s partner is a Paradiso scholar.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for future posts!

[malkshake]

feel free to ignore if you got flooded with asks about Flight Rising—just another perspective:

Flight Rising is (imo) best enjoyed as a slow-burn, do-a-little-every-day game. The central premise is dragon customization which includes breeding dragons with specific colors/genes and dressing them up. You can also battle against NPC monsters in the coliseum for loot and some people enjoy participating in battles where you level up dragons to send to your god. Winning battles rewards you with food, trinkets that can be sold for profit, and rarely genes or NPC mosters you can decorate your dragon page with and earn treasure from. Dominance is calculated every week and the winning flight gets little bonuses like discounts on apparel in shops. Apparently there's active discord communities around it and lots of people enjoy the community. Personally I find it boring/carpal tunnel inducing but it really depends on where your brain draws the line between tedious and calmingly repetitive. If you enjoy shiny hunting in Pokemon it might be up your alley.

Personally, I prefer the breeding part of the game because you can design (skry) a dragon you like—which often involves discovering what genes (with their varied accent colors) pair well together—then trying to find dragons that can breed it based on color range. The color wheel is pretty big and dragons have long real-time cool downs (up to a month for rarer species) so projects can take weeks, months, sometimes even years. But the cool thing is (almost) every dragon was bred/hatched—so everyone's favorite dragon came from the effort of another real person. There's an exception in generation 1 dragons which have no parents and are a whole rare thing that people collect for aesthetics/enjoy the gamble. Finding the perfect outfit/accent (which you can design/sell) can be a lot of fun too. Granted the dressing room is busted rn so you can't rearrange the order of apparel but if you own the apparel that's not a problem. There's also a dedicated community of players who are happy to gift new players with everything they need to get started.

TL;DR Flight Rising isn't perfect, nor really designed around instant gratification but if you're the type to enjoy mobile games where you do a little bit every day it's kinda like that with a bit more unique customization. :>

Very thorough description and analysis, I appreciate it!

Like I mentioned around the comments of one ask, be it another time and era, I could've pictured myself getting obsessed with this easy, as much as I did with shiny hunting some years ago. But there's a reason that stopped being a thing in my life too, I just no longer have the patience for the slow grind or the need to subject myself to it.

[flailypichu]

Everyone collects themselves after that near death (not even near death, they watched him die and reform) experience and decide to put off the trip to the moon for at least a day, just to breathe and process. And make sure Ashton doesn't explode again. Like, really make sure.

Fearne doesn't make eye contact with him, each clop of her hooves sounding deep in his body as she gets further away. She links arms with Imogen and Laudna, who glance back at them with twin worried and frustrated expressions. Ashton doesn't think he burned any bridges today, but a few of them are heavily singed to match the rest of him.

FCG and Chetney help them up to their rooms, where Lord de Rolo has banished them to recuperate, Lady Allura still stunned behind him while he gave the order, face blank as she processes what could have happened. The smaller members of the group aren't honestly that much help when it comes to his movement, but if FCG could be pale, they would be, so Ashton lets them hold his hand and appreciates the warm flow of healing still being pumped into him.

And that leaves Orym. Quiet by nature, Ashton is disconcerned to find him near silent. He appears to have retreated into some sort of training, because even though he can see Orym moving slightly behind him, the halfling makes no noise. It's not until they reach the room Ashton was sharing with FCG that Orym says "I'll take them. I bought some healing potions before this, that I can use if we need to. You two get some rest, that took a lot out of you, Letters."

FCG pushes one last burst of healing into Ashton and squeezes their hand. With a firmness rarely heard, they say, "we are going to talk about that later. When I've gathered my thoughts." Ashton wants to bring him in for a hug, but the body language says he wouldn't be welcome. Tomorrow, maybe.

The two of them transfer his care to Orym and Chetney gives a small wave, pulling a lingering FCG into his room. Ashton can hear him muttering something to FCG but doesn't try to make it out, focus narrowing to the small figure standing like a statue in front of him.

Orym also hasn't met his eyes once since he opened them. Ashton waits.

With a hand on his thigh, Orym pushes him into the room and shuts the door. The silence presses in on them, and Ashton almost breaks the silence, but knows any words he wants to say need to take a back seat to whatever is brewing in Orym.

"What was that." Orym's voice comes flat like a bit of flint, wanting to be struck. Ashton chooses his words carefully.

"The stronger I am, the better chance we have to win this fight. The shard made me stronger."

"The shard made you dead." And Ashton does flinch at that. A tiny convulsion of muscles he doesn't have, at the pain in Orym's voice that's seeping into the coldness. "You exploded, and you reformed, and we watched while only two of us could do anything at all." His fists shake by his sides and with effort he flexes them and sits down on the bed. Ashton doesn't sit next to him, but on the floor in front, forcing himself to look up into eyes that swell with tears. Ashton makes an aborted movement towards Orym's hands, stopping themselves at the last moment, only for Orym to close the gap and squeeze.

Tears begin to slip silently down his cheeks and Ashton doesn't regret his choice - he's alive, he has more power with which to help his friends - but he regrets that it caused these tears. "I'm alive, I made it. Orym-" and he rocks back with the force of Orym throwing his arms around them. Long buried instincts kick in and he lifts his arms to return the embrace. Orym has always been careful with his touches, especially with Ashton, and the intensity of this one gives him pause. Orym pulls back and runs his hands through his hair, making it stick up with sweat.

"You idiot -" and suddenly Ashton is being kissed for the second time that day. After the shard settled he'd felt warmth flood his body, and then recede to a gentle simmer. It comes rushing back with the feel of Orym's chapped lips pressed to his, and he rests his hands on Orym's waist, unable to do anything more than helplessly kiss back.

And as soon as it started, Orym retreats and is halfway to the door before Ashton stands up with some notion of stopping him. But Orym stops at the threshold, turning back to say, "I don't know if what I'm feeling for you is going anywhere, but you dying before I can figure it out isn't going to help anyone. Stop throwing yourself into danger, Ashton. Please." And with that he's gone.

Ashton stands stock still, lips buzzing, new arm tingling. "Well, fuck."

[brooklynislandgirl]

Dear Nonnymouse... Who sent me this:

it’s only friendly advice, but you’ll never get far in the star trek rpc with some of the people you keep around. {redacted} is fine. it’s the people close to {redacted}. one of them being the biggest issue. even if {redacted} is the only {muse}, i understand wanting to interact with the canon muses. her {muse} isn’t even bad. she is. it’s unsolicited advise, but it’s trying to warn you about someone in the rpc. you don’t need to be apart of her collection when there are a lot of us who would love to write with your oc. {redacted} only wakes up for popular canons. don’t let yourself be disappointed when she won’t give your oc the time of day.

this really is being sent with a true hope this finds you well and to help you in your future rp journey.

~*~ Howdy. First, let me explain. Normally I don't tend to respond to things like this but I feel there's merit in posting this just so that everyone can understand where I am coming from and we can all get on with out day. Also, I redacted the names and muse of the two people you specifically named in this PSA. Why? Because I do not engage in call out culture and I wish to be respectful to all parties involved in this. Secondly, I can only assume that you are both young and/or maybe wrote this on your phone, but I appreciate punctuation, complete sentences, grammar, the Oxford comma, capitalisation where appropriate, and the like. Call me elderly if you wish but as a librarian and a teacher, I can say that this almost hurt to read, though not as much as other anons I have received in the past. Third, you acknowledge that this is, in fact, unsolicited advice, and on that front you are absolutely correct. I did not ask for it. Where your advice fails is such: I. You assume I need a warning label about the people with whom I interact. I am actually quite capable of choosing with whom I wish to write, when and how according to our schedules and availability, the nature of what that writing entails, and other details that should matter only to my writing partner and myself. Whether canon or oc, whether rookie or veteran a mun, I will give anyone a chance on my blogs and with my muses based on their merit and not the gossip of others. II. You assume I want to 'get far' in the Star Trek rpc. Nonny, darling, understand this; I have a multitude of books, television, film and other mediums to which I have great love and respect, and am ever so happy to create a verse for should the opportunity arise. But I. Do. Not. Participate. In. Any. Specific. RPC. Mostly because they are little incestuous and toxic little echo-chambers that breed mostly only contempt and favouritism. Every single one I've come up against reminds me of high-school with cliques, tropes, petty squabbling, and other behaviour I find absolutely appalling. Really, honestly, y'all can miss me with this mess. III. You don’t need to be apart of her collection when there are a lot of us who would love to write with your oc. {These are your words, not mine}. I'm looking around here. I've seen exactly...none of y'all... following me out of the blue, knocking on my metaphorical door, engaging with me in any way to make this a valid point. The friends I make are mostly organic; if I see a blog where I enjoy the writing, I will read the rules and peruse the muse or muses that are available. I will follow and try talking via DM or discord, and work out what we're going to create. I take people who follow me at face value and offer them welcome, support, and my best efforts. Sometimes we are not compatible as people and that's fine. I feel that maybe this could be put under the first section but here we are. IV. Finally, we come to the most important address of this post. The specific Mun you oh-so-cordially needed to warn me about.

Seriously, it took me almost 4 hours to stop laughing about this. This mun has disappointed me. She has enraged me to the point of contemplating murder. She's also consoled me when my heart was broken. She's eaten at my kitchen table and made my husband laugh so hard I think a little beer came out of his nose. She's made me fall in love with things I vowed to hate, and we've given each other untold worlds and lives and loves over the years. There are things we will harbour grudges into the afterlife and beyond with one another. Even when we reach a point that we're contemplating what we would look like in prison orange, we still have each other's backs. We have also been friends for nearly a quarter century. This is no exaggeration.

We have written together, created communities, talked ad nauseam about via text/messages/on the telephone and in person for longer than a lot of people in these rpcs have been alive. We could fill my library with the amount of things we've ever talked and written about. There is nothing anyone can 'warn' me about that I don't already know. That same is true for people telling her things about me that they feel are valid.

So, in conclusion. Nonnymouse, you are swimming up some deep streams that you know nothing about, about people you've formed an opinion about without any substantial information to go on except for maybe some hurt feelings and jealousy, if I've read between the lines, and let's face it... You're not exactly Willy Wonka so the sugar-coating about being concerned for my emotional welfare and stability and wishing me happiness in my rp journey {which I've been doing just fine in for the last 8 years}, comes across as fake as William Shatner's toupee.

TL;DR version: Well aren't you precious. Bless your heart. <3

~Sincerly, Turtlemun.

PS: I promise if I have to do this again, I will decline being so polite.

[fadebolt]

I've seen some people posting their attacks collection from this year, so here's mine:

With the lovely targets being:

1. meowynn

2. aquaticnebulae

3. soul-sylver

4. sb-is-a-thing

5. saintwyrm

6. bindibites

7. phishtoast

8. pansear-doodles

9. toiletpapericecream

Decided not to ping them here, since I already did it once when I posted the attacks individually. But these are their blog names, and they're cool people with cool art - so feel free to look through their stuff!

This was an awesome first year of Artfight! Huge thanks to everyone who sent me their creations involving my powerswap scugs, I adore them all quite a lot! And thanks for all the wonderful comments and reactions to my attacks as well!

You guys were wonderful, and I hope I'll get to see you next year as well! :)

(Bonus ramblings about AF thoughts below cut. Be warned, they do be lengthy)

So when I was starting out with the site, I looked around on the internet to see what people had to say (out of curiosity, and to maybe find something helpful). And apparently, there are a bunch of entitled users that complain if the art you send them isn't "high quality" enough, or if you don't send a revenge for their attacks.

And I'm just sitting here, and wondering which Artfight did these people show up to, cus I've frankly never seen a person like that. Everyone was super sweet and appreciative when I attacked them, and I received zero scorn from attackers I didn't revenge. Perhaps it's something that happens only outside the Rain World community?

Anyhow, I ended this year with a solid 9/5, which might seem like rookie numbers for many, which... is actually kind of fair, considering that I am technically a rookie.

I really didn't expect to get attacked at all, considering that my refs were slightly rushed, and not particularly polished (something I'll hopefully get around to addressing in the meantime). Though I did have hopes that sharing my profile on Tumblr, and some Discord servers might help.

Funny thing is, I don't think any of those 5 people came from there, as they haven't interacted with me on Tumblr yet, and they haven't joined the servers that I was in. There's no way for me to confirm this, but they probably found me while browsing through the AF website itself, which is extremely flattering (especially since I initially thought that folks usually just attack their friends... turns out that ain't quite the case).

But this also proves that my theory about people liking powerswap Slugcats was actually correct! Which is great, cus they're a blast to create, and hopefully by next year, I'll get to have the other half of the cast (name ideas are 'Lightcat', 'The Crusader', 'The Solitary' 'The Augmented' and 'The Gambler', but it's all subject to change).

There were also some of my OCs which showed up in my attacks - I'm planning on adding them in, too. (So if you like necromancers, wizards that copy the spells of others, and weird fanchildren of niche ships, then I got some wonderful news for you!)

Speaking of my attacks, I definitely didn't draw nearly as much as I did for Art Month. That's because I decided it would be better to take things a bit slower, to have more fun, and avoid burnout. As I would rather send over a few attacks that I enjoyed, than to rapidly rush out like 60, to hit as many people as possible.

Sure, it'll mean that I won't get to attack as many people, but I still think it's worth it, as I get to enjoy myself more, while my target gets a better piece.

I was slightly concerned that a lot of people would find it insulting that I used a randomizer to pick targets, but nobody seemed to mind, which is great. After all, there were no bad intentions on my part, I just simply had too many people I considered worthy of being attacked, and I needed some outside help to combat my indecisiveness. There's simply too many great artists in this community!

My list consisted of SC members that stayed (I was grateful for their efforts to keep the place alive, and I felt this would be a great way to thank them), some other people from the fandom that I liked, and my attackers, who were given a multiplier of 5 to their chances, cus yeah xd

There were over 30 people there, so it's safe to say that I didn't get to most of them. I think next year, I'll give them increased chances too, and hopefully, I get around to most of 'em. (Unless I'll have to work on my thesis in July... I don't quite remember when that's going to happen. Hopefully, that won't be the case, and I'll have a bunch of free time, like this year, and I'll be able to do more than 9 attacks then. Fingers crossed)

So that's pretty much all I wanted to say here. I'm not sure if I should post any updates or uploads I do to my characters there btw. I suppose we'll see.

But the event was real fun, and I'm looking forward to experiencing it again!

[satans-left-asscheeky]

Fo4 Romanced Companions react to Sole getting them a Christmas gift

Maccready

"Sole I- I don't know what to say..."

Maccready usually spends the months leading up to December saving money and selling less useful things so he can afford to spoil Duncan, and in the past Lucy, so he's used to not getting anything and he's okay with that because the look on his kiddos face is enough. So when sole handed him a present it really did warm his heart because he knows the effort he goes through to get his loved ones gifts and the idea of someone doing that for him is enough to make tears swell in the corners of his eyes. The man's a total sentimental sap so whatever it is sole got him he'll cherish and keep for the rest of his days

Hancock

"Well what have we got here... I still don't know what I did to deserve you sunshine"

He'd be happy just to spend Christmas with them.. He'd spent the upcoming months so focused on trying to pick out the perfect gift for them he hadn't even really considered the fact that they'd probably end up getting one for him. Safe to say the gesture didn't go unnoticed

Cait

"Look I ain't good at this mushy shit, but I hope you know it means a lot to me"

She'd never had a single Christmas growing up so the present would mean more to her than sole would ever know. Sole never failed to amze her with how genuinely kind they were

Danse

"I appreciate the gift soldier. No ones gone out of their way to get me something in a vary long time... thank you"

His first memories (whether their his or not the first memories he has) were of him collecting junk to sell just to get by. The only person who ever cared enough about him to buy him a gift in his whole life was Cutler so when sole did it he was elated. He hadn't even realized how much the little gesture had meant until later when he ended up crying while looking at the gift.

Curie

"Oh this is just perfect!!! How did you know just what to get me?"

Curie had had her eye on the medical supplies for months with these new tools she could really make a difference at the local settlements! It's not just a gift for her, to a gift to everyone and that's what made it so special

Deacon

"No way! You my friend are one of a kind. Gotta be honest didnt see exchanging christmas gifts on the agenda way back when I vouched for you, but hey I'm all for it.... also I kinda didn't get you anything... Oops?"

He was used to pretending Christmas was just another day since Barbara, so he hadn't even thought of the possibility of sole getting him a gift, and obviously hadn't gotten them one which made him feel a bit bad. He would end up going and grabing them something he thought they might like later though. Hey better late the never?

Piper

"Oh my goodness Blue, you didn't!"

Her dad used to always celebrate Christmas with her and nat, but since he'd passed it had become just another day of working to survive.... that is until sole came around and got presents not just for her, but for her little sister as well. Piece by piece they filled gaps Piper didn't even know were missing and to say she was grateful was an understatement

Nick

"Wow... this brings me back. Haven't had a proper Christmas since before the bombs..."

The small pocket watch would bring him back to simpler times, and if he could nick would've probably shed a few tears when he opened the present. He'd keep it in his coat pocket as a reminder of sole.

Preston

"General you really are something else you know that? They sure don't make em like they used to"

This man neglects himself in favor of focusing on others so when sole got him a gift it truly did mean the world to him.

X6-88

"I appreciate the gesture ma'am/sir"

Truth be told he doesn't get the tradition, but it does make him feel uncharacteristicly happy that sole had thought of him

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 26

All right, let's put this to bed.

There's a lot of text in this episode, and it opens with a "recap" of the previous episode, claiming that we're witnessing the realization of the Human Instrumentality Project, which is apparently the unification of all human minds into a single merged consciousness. But Episodes 25 and 26 only depict the process through a single individual, Shinji, because "there is not enough time to show the entire process". Well whose fault is that?

Tell you what, let's take this at face value for a minute. I refused to accept that this is really what the HIP was supposed to be, because the information is coming to me in a pair of episodes that appear to be set in Shinji's imagination. At best, it could only be what Shinji thinks the Human Instrumentality Project could be, but I doubt he's even heard of it.

But let's accept that it's true, and right after Shinji killed the last Angel, Gendo put into motion his master plan, which was apparently some application of the Evas' ability to synchronize the thoughts of different life forms. He flips some switch, and now all humans everywhere are suddenly linked together. Shinji experiences this and is horrified, because he's still coming to terms with killing the last Angel, on top of all the other issues he's been wrestling with his whole life.

I guess it makes a measure of sense, because this would be Gendo's only hope of seeing his dead wife again. I think she was accidentally absorbed into the Eva she was working on, and they tried to restore her body like they did with Shinji several episodes ago, but it didn't work. So maybe Gendo figures if everyone merges together the same way, they'll all be reunited, and Yui can be part of that communion, even if she can't get her body back.

At least, that's a plausible motivation for him to want to do all of this. Gendo's never really fit into the world, and maybe he sees this as the only way to find peace. This way, he doesn't have to worry about being offputting and cold, because we're all one, and the differences between us no longer exist. But while Gendo finds that desirable, Shinji finds it horrifying.

Yeah, this is starting to make a little more sense. In this scenario, Shinji and Asuka would find it difficult to adjust, because they've each placed so much of their perceived self-worth into their careers as Eva pilots. Shinji hates himself a little less when he's piloting the Eva, and Asuka feels like she has an identity of her own when she's piloting the Eva. But in this unified consciousness, that distinctiveness is stripped away. They don't to be with their parents because they've put so much effort into getting away from their parents, and now this situation forces them to confront all the things they used to easily avoid.

I guess maybe Rei has an easier time adjusting to this status quo, since she was already a sort of collective organism, and didn't have much self-identity in the first place.

So in his panic, Shinji closed his mind off from the others. He wished for a haven apart from everything that caused him pain, but that just means he's alone and apart from the rest of the world. The others--or perhaps his imaginings of the others-- convince him that this is useless. Shinji worries about being liked and appreciated and understood, and defines himself by how others perceive him, but ultimately one's self-perception isn't all that different from the perception other's have of you.

To illustrate this, they show Shinji floating in a white void. It's unlimited freedom, because there are no obstacles to impede him. He can literally go anywhere he wants in any direction, but there's also nothing there, so there's no point to any of it, and nowhere to go and nothing to do.

But draw a line on the space, and now he has a floor. It gives him a reference point. Now he can walk around and there's a ground and a sky. There's finally a sense of place, but it costs him a degree of freedom.

By extension, the additional boundaries imposed by others is what shapes and defines the self. In a world all by himself, Shinji is completely undefined. Surrounded by nothing, he may as well be nothing, because there's no point of reference.

And that's a salient point, because it calls back to Kaworu's final words before Shinji killed him in Episode 24. According to Kaworu, only one life form would survive their conflict--the Angels or the Humans. But if the Angels prevailed, then what would remain? Kaworu was the last one, so with humanity's destruction, he would inherit an empty world. That's why he was happy for Shinji to win, because at least his victory could actually mean something. And while Shinji was upset about killing him, I think he also respected what Kaworu was trying to say. At least, I think he gets it now, in this empty world, where he's getting a taste of the fate Kaworu wanted to avoid.

So Shinji finally imagines something else, and wakes up in a different world, one where he and Asuka and Rei are ordinary schoolchildren. He even does the thing where he collides into the new girl (Rei) on their way to school, and Rei's got the toast in her mouth and everything. Misato's their teacher, and it's all a little too idyllic, but that's not the point.

The point is that Shinji can imagine himself in any kind of reality he chooses, and still retain his sense of self in such a world. He doesn't pilot an Eva in that world he just envisioned, and he was still himself. Asuka was still Asuka. So the idea that his identity is bound up in piloting an Eva is false. He doesn't need a particular job to matter. He just needs other people around him to define who and what he is.

So that seems to resolve part of Shinji's trouble, but there's still a catch: He hates himself, and thinks everyone around him hates him as well. But that's just a matter of perspective. He hates himself because he chooses to hate himself, and so he chooses to believe himself worthy of hatred, so he assumes everyone else hates him too.

And slowly, Shinji starts to consider loving himself, and wanting to be himself, and wanting to exist in the wider world. As he does, the cracks start to form in the barrier he's created around himself, and...

He's here. Wherever here is. I'm going to stick with this premise and say that he's finally accepting his place in this collective consciousness that his father has put together. That's why everyone is here to meet him, and why they're all congratulating him for figuring it out. Perhaps everyone in this new merger has had to go through a similar process to make it to this stage, and so they understand what Shinji just went through to make it this far.

Of course, Kaji's supposed to be dead, so I can't quite explain why he would be here, unless his existence in this world is just the memories others had of him. Or maybe he didn't die after all. We never saw a body.

And Pen-Pen isn't human, so I don't know how he got in. Maybe there was a Penguin Instrumentality Project that we didn't know about.

I could just be blowing smoke. My gut tells me this episode is a train wreck, like Episode 25. I'm having to do a lot of heavy lifting to make this fit into some coherent narrative. It would have helped if Gendo had discussed what HIP was before Episode 24, so we could recognize any of this as what he had been aspiring to achieve.

But, it's appealing to try to take this literally. To say "That's not just Shinji imagining his parents in some dream, that's actually his parents, reunited in an artificial heaven of their own design. Their family was broken in the past, but in this reality, they can heal." At least that's a compelling notion, and a somewhat satisfactory ending to the series.

I don't know that I buy it, though. Asuka deserved a more focused resolution to her character arc than this. They sort of tacked her identity crisis onto Shinji's, but that doesn't work for me. In a better planned series, there would have been enough episodes left to give each of them their own moment of growth.

Mostly, this ending blows because there was so much lore that didn't get explained in this show, and I don't know if that's because they thought it wasn't worth getting into, or if they were just too fixated on Shinji's turmoil to prioritize anything else. I really wanted to know what the deal was with the Second Angel, and this show totally blew it off.

Or did it?

Now that I've finished the box set, I decided to look in the character bios on the last disc, and I found this one, about Lilith, the Second Angel. This is great, because it confirms what I thought was going on in Episode 24. Everyone called this guy "Adam" and assumed he was the First Angel, but it was actually the Second, Lillith, and no one knew the difference until Kaworu got close enough to notice.

I mean, maybe SEELE, Gendo, and possibly Ritsuko knew who it really was, but that's why Third Impact never happened whenever the Evas or Angels approached it. Apparently the purple on Lillith's face is a mask depicting the SEELE coat of arms, so maybe they put that on her as a disguise, which is why the Angels never knew the difference until the very end.

Adam is the forebearer of the other Angels, and Lilith is apparently the progenitor of humans, so I guess that explains why the Evas made from Lillith were like Angels without being Angels themselves. I still have other questions, but at least I'm somewhat satisfied.

So that's it. I finally finished the NGE TV series. Now I want to check out End of Evangelion, and maybe start perusing the fan wikis for other information I missed. This is nice. I have to say, this series has been kind of uneven. Great in some places and downright crappy in others. But it's very gratifying to have finally experienced it for myself. I've been curious about it for a long time, and sating my curiosity feels more rewarding than the actual quality of the show.

Play us out, 4kids.

[bridgeportbritt]

Willington Palace | Sage, SimDonia

Diana on phone: Lydia, The Grand Duchess rarely takes time off, plus all of her engagements were covered. That's why it was approved.

Diana: Sure, it was a little last minute, but I've heard she's not doing so well considering so I figured at the very least let her go see her family. And I stand by that decision. Look, I'm heading into another meeting. We'll talk later.

???: Your Majesty, are you here for your check-up?

Diana: Yes, I'd also like to see Dr. Fitzgerald.

???: Absolutely, ma'am. You can have a seat. The nurse will be right with you for your check-up while I get the doctor.

Diana: Thank you.

Nurse: You and baby are looking very healthy, ma'am. No signs for concern.

Diana: That's wonderful. Therapy must really be helping.

Nurse: Absolutely, especially after such a successful state visit. You're clearly doing great work, ma'am. Oh, I've also collected more samples for our research.

Diana: Thank you very much.

Dr. Fitzgerald: Your Majesty, It's go great that you're here. I have some exciting things to show you!

Diana: Perfect! I was hoping to see some progress on what we've been working on.

Dr. Fitzgerald: You absolutely, can, ma'am. Are things all squared away here?

Nurse: Yes, I'm all good. Nice to see you again, Your Majesty.

Diana: Likewise and thank you.

Dr. Fitzgerald: Right this way, ma'am.

Diana: I love seeing the work you and your team are doing here, Dr. Fitzgerald.

Dr. Fitz: Thank you, ma'am! We have some of the best people in the country working around the clock on this research.

Diana: That's very impressive. We appreciate your efforts.

Dr. Fitz: We appreciate the opportunity. I believe everyone is excited that you've built this facility. I mean to work in Willington Palace is a dream come true.

Diana: I'm glad to hear that, Doctor.

Dr. Fitz: Okay, so the samples we've been able to collect from each Royal family member have truly been gamechanging. We'll use this sample from Grand Duchess Lillian for example.

Diana: Alright. I'm glad to hear that's it helpful.

Dr. Fitz: It's beyond helpful! It seems like for a long time there had only been extensive testing on monarch's and sometimes heirs. But with so much more data, we're able to expand our testing efforts which offer us far more knowledge.

Diana: Has it helped you discover anything so far?

Dr. Fitz: Yes, we've been able to make some great discoveries including the one I'm most proud of. I believe our team has been able to trace back the origins of the genetic defect.

Diana: You mean, you know where it came from?

Dr. Fitz: Yes. You see with Lillian's samples in comparison with the one you just supplied, these strains are showing up differently. Lillian, along with Grand Duke James and Adam all apear to actually not have the genetic defect. This discovery helped us a lot because we were able to determine what genetic makeups did have the defect and see where it originated in your family line.

Diana: And?

Dr. Fitz: And, we're fairly certain we know that your grandfather - King William ll, was the first to pass the genetic condition down.

Diana shocked: Wow, really?

Dr. Fitz: Yes. Through our testing, we were able to determine that Grand Duke Ian, your brother and Grand Duke Emmitt including all their children and grandchildren. The link between you is William ll.

Diana still shocked: And were you able to determine anything else?

Dr. Fitz: We're still working through this theory, but we know your grandfather worked as a locksmith before starting the revolution. I'm considering that the metals he used during that time could have caused the defect. We're currently researching what metals were used along with what safety precautons were taken during that time period. We figure it's likely things weren't up to today's code back then. I believe studying this theory will bring us an answer.

Diana: This is absolutely incredible work, Doctor. I'm very impressed.

Dr. Fitz: Thank you, Your Majesty.

Diana: So now that we are closer to knowing the cause, is there any chance there could be a cure?

Dr. Fitz: It's hard to say, Ma'am. But, I believe if we're allowed to continue our research and testing, it's possible.

Diana: Of course. And thank you again. Not only for your hard work, but also your discretion on the matter.

Dr. Fitz: Absolutely, Your Majesty. Thank you for entrusting me and my team. I'll have a full report on these findings for you soon.

Diana: Great. Have a great day, Doctor.

[a-room-of-my-own]

the UN - an organization with some branches that openly support Hamas and the Iranian regime

Do u have proof for this? Id like to take a look

Sure, I’m sorry I’m at work (late) and it’s going to be a bit scrambled. For Hamas, there’s quite a lot of sources online about UNRWA’s compromissions with them, notably some UNRWA employees who were keeping Israeli hostages in their homes. I can share some of your have trouble finding them.

For Iran, the UN has backtracked a little bit since 2022, but here are a few things

Mourning Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi

A month ago, after Iran sent drones on Israel + Raisi was involved in numerous, horrific human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killings of thousands of political prisoners. The fact that the secretary general would salute the passing of someone like this says enough.

Inviting Iran to a 4-year term on its Commission on the Status of Women in 2021

It’s the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The country was expelled the following year

Praising Iran for its commitment to Human Rights in 2020

"In the discussion, the delegations appreciated Iran’s cooperation with human rights mechanisms and the acceptance of the majority of recommendations received. Iran’s efforts to provide for refugees despite challenges it faced and the efforts to empower women, promote school enrolment and reduce the mortality rate for children at birth were acknowledged. "

Inviting Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Ensieh Khazali

so that she could demand the revocation of Israel's participation to the commission for women's rights, where she went as far as saying that Iran had made rapid progress since the Islamic Revolution in the field of gender justice.

Authorizing Iran's representatives to chair a U.N. human rights council meeting in Geneva last November

And that’s on the top of my head but there’s more. The UN is made of many commissions / members / stakeholders, so it doesn’t support Iran as an institution, but over the last few years there’s been several attempts to normalize the Iranian regime.

That’s why I was angry when I read about that meeting with the Talibans because I really don’t think normalizing works with that kind of people, if they’re brought to the table they just think they « won » not that everyone made a collective effort to talk to them despite what they’re doing.