#because they have important parts I have to mention them

[bludhaven-times]

Dick was orphaned. Bruce was/is - in some runs - not always the greatest guardian. This is not to suggest he’s a bad person or cannot be a good father, only to say that unhealed trauma is a core part of Bruce’s story and character , and others around him can be impacted by this.

Even if we take the scenarios where Bruce was the best he could be, that doesn’t take away the experience of loss or grief on a child. Nor, the loneliness and isolation that comes with it. Bruce was - in the beginning - a complete and utter stranger to Dick. And Dick not only had to cope with the loss of his parents, but also had to adjust to a lifestyle and environment so very different from everything he had ever known before. (Not to mention the runs where he was in care or Juvenile Hall first). I feel that to suggest Dick was never ‘orphaned ,’ is to minimise the role Dick’s parents played in his early life, and how that loss shows in his character even as an adult. When Dick lost his parents, absolutely everything about his life changed. As an example, by this metric, Bruce wouldn’t be an ‘orphan’, because he grew up in his own home and had someone he had known from early childhood (Alfred), to support, raise and guide him as a parental figure.

This is not to diminish the bond that Bruce and Dick grew to have, or the family they found in each other. Both of them have healed something in each other. I agree with all of that! Bruce is very, very important to Dick. I just think that to say the transition was almost painless, seamless and that Dick’s status as an orphan is technical, just because Bruce cared and understood, lacks the nuance of loss.

I don’t think you guys understand- dicks parents died when he was fucking eight and yet he was never orphaned because Bruce was right there and picked up the slack as much as he was able to and dick never had to feel unloved or like he didn’t have a reliable parental figure he could always trust and fall back on and it just gives so much more depth to their relationship and their stories because they’ve been in each others lives for so fucking long and have such a deep connection because they’re two sides of the same coin and that is why dick will always forgive Bruce and why Bruce will always see dick as his greatest success and his one true successor because they pulled each other from the darkness and gave each other the family they had both lost. 

[chokingonchairs]

Tutorial on how to edit graphics! (Or improve your edits! + tips!) Part 1..

Well firstly, if you’re entirely new to editing or a beginner. Then editing can seem very confusing and tricky, especially the intense psd, cluttered kind of edits, mine are also very cluttered but I think the best way to go as far as being a beginner is to figure out what style you want to do.. minimalistic? Cluttered? Eye strain? Gif/animated? I personally don’t do very many animated graphics and I also don’t do eye strain, so.. you’re on your own for that but it’s important to know what ur GOAL is. You need to know the basics of editing before doing anything else.

The editing apps I recommend are photopea and ibisPaint X, both are free. I really don’t recommend any paid apps other than ibispaint.. yes there’s ibispaint x then ibispaint. (The paid version has everything in it and is a one-time purchase, and has the same mechanics as the free version. If you are editing on pc or laptop, there is a version of ibispaint on desktop but you are only able to use it for 1 hour, if you are most comfortable with ibispaint then you can just delete it and re-download it. But if you don’t want to do that (you can use photopea!) I don’t use photopea so this will be a tutorial using only ibispaint! I can probably find a moot of mine that uses it LOL

So as far as resources go.. they’re everywhere.. I know @/lavendergalactic, @/llocket and @bydollita have a lot of good resources. (I didn’t fully mention the other two because well.. they’re not my moots so I felt awkward LOL) I can probably post some of my most used ones on a separate side blog like I did with my last account so.. also tell me if ur interested in that.

But for the basics of your resources: you want the character or person. An image then a transparent cut-out of them, a frame and/or pfp/image mask to use, and some decorative PNGs like bows, curtains, hearts, whatever you’d like. I can link some good resource rentries too!

Once you have all of that: find a reference/inspo, if you are taking HEAVY inspiration off of someone from tumblr or whatever, PLEASE check if they are okay with it, message or send them an ask in their inbox if it’s okay.. or they might have it somewhere on their pinned post if they allow it.

And now.. the question ur probably asking.. how do I do all of that?!

I had quickly made this. You can see the main components. The character cut-out, the inner image behind the frame, the decor, and the silly texts and textures behind the graphic to make it pop.

If you want ur graphics to be this cohesive there’s a few things to note. You need to know colours look best together, what style of editing looks best with certain art styles, and characters.

If you’re wondering “why does this character look so out of place?” Or just finding yourself in a rut with certain characters, you need to examine the character, like you can’t make a goth style graphic with a happy and cheery character like emu otori (depending on the card you choose) or like paimon from Genshin impact.. like that’s just gonna look SILLY. So take note of what this character looks like and what their original colour palette is. Are they a happy person? Are they emo and depressed? What colours do you usually see this person in?

Having range in your editing style will help you a lot, so branch out and edit different characters, and use different colours, and aesthetics!

Now for colours, you need to understand colour theory which quite frankly.. I am not about to teach out so probably at the end of this post I will have some videos linked for you to look at and watch that just overall will help you understand better how to edit that includes a video about colour theory!

If you are an editor and find yourself not being able to edit a certain style or can’t fulfill someone’s request for a certain aesthetic.. don’t be afraid to decline because a lot of the times you’ll have people who know nothing about what looks good with ur editing style or what aesthetics fit certain characters so it’s okay to decline stupid people… (/j.. they’re not stupid but ykw I mean..)

Using the stroke filter on ibispaint or photopea, aswell as the glow filter on ibispaint make ur edits look VERY good! (I use it on everything because it gives everything a little bit of separation yk? So you can see the different layers to the graphic!

Using textures over top of your graphics make it look very visually appealing aswell!

So as I mentioned I will link some videos, and I will also link some posts for good textures, and then add some photos for downloadable fonts to use on ibispaint (if you don’t know how to download fonts on ibispaint I can make a tutorial too! If you are also confused on how to use ibispaint they have a built-in tutorial, and it’s also best to learn as you go, look at all of the filters, the effects, the built-in images/materials)

Please for the love of god.. DONT over-do it with ur overlays and psds, unless that’s the style you like, don’t do it.. me personally.. I don’t like it but if you like it then go right ahead but over-usage of overlays and colourings make it look kinda bad 😭 and kind of confusing to look at, please make sure you can see the different components of your graphics and what is what.. if it’s too confusing to look at, chances are you’re less likely to have people like it or enjoy it. And don’t over-do it with fonts either… people need to be able to see whatever ur trying to say.. I wear glasses and people who over-do stupid fonts piss me off.. I literally block them, so keep that in mind aswell 🫶🏻

Photopea tutorial How to use a pfp/icon mask Colour theory If you needed a visual for how to make graphics here you go Some textures and overlays How to make a rentry How to use borders on rentries How to make blinkies

Some tags for reach: @frilliette @blinkndgone @hellhoundsdoth0wl @smilepilled @nomkiwi

[lkblackham]

Had the image of a half human, half Qunari baby pop in my head and got some good therapy practicing drawing cute babies.

Being the child of a nurse-midwife, I have witnessed many births and many different kinds of new dads (on video, to be clear - my mom didn't drag me around to births in person). And so, it is my belief that Emmrich would definitely be the weepy type of new dad. I love those dads.

My personal fanfic headcanon stuff that may or may not be cringe, I make no apologies:

1) Qunari kids, much like goats, do not fully grow their horns until they hit puberty. Which is definitely for the best, because a) birth OUCH and b) can you imagine a hyperactive 2-year-old running around with what amounts to two giant spears attached to their head?

So for the first 12+ years of their life, they just have cute lil forehead nubbins that still really hurt when they headbutt you during a tantrum.

2) It's a girl. Because we all know that Emmrich has strong Girl Dad energy.

3) Atash and Emmrich had a really tough time with names - both given names and surnames. Atash isn't particularly attached to her surname (Laidir) and so was totally fine with just 'Volkarin' for their kid. Emmrich was insistent on including 'Laidir', however, as he felt very strongly about Atash's heritage and story sharing an equal part with his in naming their daughter. So she's got 2 last names - one for Nevarra and one for Rivain. She can pick whichever she prefers, or neither, or both. What matters is that both are there to begin with.

This line of thinking also, obviously, complicated the given name. It's really hard when you're pretty certain this is going to be your only kid, and you're from two very different cultures with their own ideas about names, AND you have a rather tragically long list of people you love who have passed on and deserve to have a child named after them. Not to mention, both of you have names you just personally like, saved away in your head just in case you ever did have a kid to name.

In the end, Atash and Emmrich came up with a compromise, for which they really hope their daughter won't resent them in the future: they gave her *four* names. One for a family member, one for a fallen friend, one for her Qunari heritage, and one that's just hers and no one else's.

So, all together, it came to:

Lobelia Elannora Lace Nazay Laidir Volkarin

It's. It's a lot. Atash and Emmrich both acknowledge that. But it felt wrong to not include those tributes in their daughter's name.

Besides, this just means she has a lot of options, right? Right? Right. Definitely.

(They also acknowledge that Lace Harding would think this was absolutely ridiculous and laugh at them over it, but that mental image being there is part of why they did it)

And yes, of COURSE they chose a flower name.

4) Manfred is really friggin excited to get the chance to watch someone grow up and maybe teach THEM some things himself. Emmrich is really friggin excited on both a personal and academic level to raise his daughter alongside his ward, teaching her about spirits while Manfred learns from her about mortals.

Manfred's also a really great diaper changer because he doesn't have a nose and he's not squeamish about literally anything.

(Not that Atash or Emmrich take advantage of this.)

(Often.)

BY THE WAY, VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not believe that the default Happy Ending for everyone is having kids. In another universe, Emmrich and Rook are just as happy teaching Manfred how to be a person and mage (or not, if Emmrich became a lich) and going off on their own kid-free adventures. YOU MAKE THE CHOICES THAT ARE BEST FOR YOU and fuck what the tropes say.

This is just *my* fantasy cringe fluff. You do you. ♥️

[signanothername]

As someone with little to no empathy because of autism, I can vouch that it does it hurt when you upset someone you love because of the lack of empathy.

The thing about a lack of empathy is that you cannot relate to or understand or connect to *other* people's emotions but you do have your own emotions to go off of. It's like a bubble where nothing can go in or out emotion wise and you are stuck with your own tilted view that you distinctly know doesn't encompass everything but it's the best you have.

The closest you can get is an approximation of someone's pain when you hold it up to your own, comparing the physical reactions and trying to think of when you did those things and the feelings attached to them.

It doesn't always work because you don't know when you are *missing* an emotion, something that wasn't present in you to start with or it's an atypical expression of an emotion that the general populace doesn't experience. So with no internal knowledge and faulty data you turn to research about it so maybe you can at least know what not to do to hurt someone even if you don't know why.

You do all of this because you love this person and care about them enough to try and parse through an emotional language you don't even know the alphabet for.

So it hurts and it's frustrating when you mess up and upset them anyway even when you are trying desperately not too. Sometimes you don't even know what happened immediately and that's the worst part.

You don't know how to fix it and comforting doesn't come naturally because you can't connect emotionally like that. So you do your best, you do things that help you and you do the things that you read about that helps while doubting it's effectiveness without the correct emotional display behind it.

But you try and that's the important part.

I know how it feels to watch your loved one go to others for comfort, not out of malice for you, but simply because you can't give them what they need at that moment. No matter how much you want too. (It seemed like killer tried to maybe fix his mistake but it wasn't helping color calm down so he had to let the others take over)

With an added layer of turbo dissociation and not in tune with his own emotional displays or behaviors. I'm sure killer has to get really analytical about it and given his penchant for research and high intelligence, I'm sure it's even more frustrating for him to hurt color when he has gone through all of the things not to do and he should have been watching colors body language and all that but he slipped up because he got too comfortable around color and wasn't paying attention (a product of being around someone you love) mistakes happen and situations pop up that you weren't even beginning to prepare for yet (you can't prepare for everything).

But yeah sorry for the ramble and these are my own personal experiences and I wanted to say something because I have been in killers exact situation and he has become even more baby to me.

(I like to think that when color isn't as upset anymore killer wanders in and puts a cat in his lap without saying anything and curls up next to his feet on the ground and does his weird purr equivalent bone rattle thing because he knows cats help him and he knows purrs help calm down skeletons so he does his best)

Fun fact about me: I have little to no empathy as well

I simply don't mention it

The problem with the stigma around empathy is the false view that you have to have empathy to be even remotely capable of doing good things, which is absolute bullshit, empathy is morally neutral, someone who has empathy can be an absolute asshole and someone with zero empathy can be kind

It's actions that matter not thoughts or what you feel or lack thereof

Killer lacks the understanding of what Color truly needs emotionally, but it doesn't mean that Killer enjoys hurting Color, it just means that he ends up lost on what to do to make it better, and when he tries to do what he knows best (acting on what his mind says than heart) it doesn't work at times cause it's not what Color is in need of at that critical moment

That's where love comes in

Color fully understands this, but he has some social needs that Killer can't provide at the moment, he needs to be held close and to have someone reassure him, and Killer simply can't provide that, and Color does not hold it against Killer in any way, and that's how deep their love for each other is

Killer of course, does try to fix it the best he can, the only way he knows how is by what he observes of Color, what Color likes and what might put a smile on his face

And most of the time it works, others it doesn't, but Color still sees and appreciates Killer's efforts when he knows full well that being connected doesn't come naturally to Killer at all

(Also that image is honestly so adorable gbsdcbsud)

[thecommunityoftrustworthysinks]

and when I caught myself lamenting silently that a boy child of an acquaintance would probably grow up to be Like That and immediately felt less benevolent towards the child, I kind of ground to a halt because what the actual fuck.

i wanted to highlight this part because i had a conversation with a friend awhile ago that mentioned similar things, and one thing i said was that That Certain Kind Of Man is shaped, and if my friend had kids they would be able to raise them such that they wouldn't become that way

and i think that's something really really important to keep in mind. especially for young boys, because if you treat them like they're unfixable, then they have no reason to even try to be better. it's not innate. we CAN make it better

i see "men bad" jokes as very similar to suicide jokes. like making them every once in a while isn't the worst thing, but if you Keep making them constantly. it DOES shape how you start thinking and you WILL become a more unpleasant and bitter person and also make people around you uncomfortable. and sometimes you just gotta choose to not make or engage with certain jokes, even if they are amusing to you, because its just not who you wanna be

[flutterbyoz]

It always surprises me, or maybe it doesn't given what the general TWD fandom can be like, that people are using the fact that The Ones Who Live is a love story as a reason to criticise the show.

The fact it is a love story was never hidden, it was never a secret or kept as a surprise, it's what the show was repeatedly promoted and advertised as. Andy, Danai and Scott never misled anyone into thinking it was going to be anything else, they were quite clear and pointed out that TOWL would be a love story every chance they got. So if someone saw any of the promo, interviews etc whether online or on TV and were going into this show expecting something else then I don't really know what to say other than they probably should have paid more attention.

The show was not aimed at or made for people who hate Richonne. I get that not everyone is a Richonne fan, to each their own for the most part, but when you watch their spin off, what else are you expecting other than a love story? Especially with Andy and Danai at the helm, it seems some people really don't understand the characters at all.

I know some people tuned in just to see what happened to Rick and that's great, the show isn't solely for Richonners but if the love story with his wife and love of his life annoys you so much that you can't continue watching your fave in their spin off and the feel the need to announce that you quit half way through then not only do I have to wonder why you hate their relationship so much but also say that you're purposefully ignoring a huge part of who Rick is and why he does what he does. I don't think you can fully understand and know Rick without his relationship with Michonne and how his love for her and hers for him shapes him into the man he is today. Without Michonne, Rick is a shell of himself, she is his entire world, she and their kids are his reason for everything so you're not going to get a Rick story without Michonne, because without Michonne there isn't really a Rick.

Had this been Rick and Daryl instead of Rick and Michonne, had they been the ones with the emotional scenes I can pretty much guarantee a large majority of the people who complained about Rick and Michonne would have no problem with Rick and Daryl. It's what a lot of them have been calling for since Rick was taken not to mention the people who are bitter that Richonne gets everything they have wanted for their ship for years.

Attacking a show because it is what it was promoted as and did exactly what it set out to do is more than a little bizarre to me but I suppose it's just another way to criticise and disregard Rick and Michonne's relationship and diminish Michonne's importance.

I know, if we see Richonne again, it's going to be another love story and those who complained before will most likely complain again but only one spin off has been the most successful, a hit for the franchise and for AMC, included on numerous best of lists, gained Emmy buzz, received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and fans alike, has multiple Saturn award nominations and given this franchise a new lease of life. I find it strange to watch a show knowing full well you're only doing so to find something to complain about and though those viewers are just a small percentage of TOWLs overall viewers they did the exact opposite of what they wanted to do. Instead of bringing the show down they're just raising it up even higher!

Nothing will stop this ship, everyone wants a piece of them, they draw everyone in even those who say they don't care or even like them together and that's the power or Richonne!

[measuredingold]

my soul is useless without you

author's note: part two to i'd walk through hell for you is finally here ! i'm not sure if i want to do a third part, but we’ll see lol but i'm currently working on something for folio 👀 as always, i hope you enjoy and feedback is appreciated ! also, if yall have any requests, send them my way :) i'm in the mood to write but inspiration is running thin lol

pairing: noah sebastian x reader

divider: @saradika-graphics

word count: 3.5k

cross posted on ao3 / part one

cw/tw: angst, hurt/comfort, Noah Sebastian Is Bad At Feelings But A Good Friend, reader is going through it, anxiety, hints/mentions of depression, noah is just a good guy and cares about reader a lot ( more than he realizes ), friends to lovers pining lol, 18+ minors do not interact

It's when Jolly asks Noah in-between takes if he'd heard from you recently that the anxiety finally settles in.

Because he doesn't know the last time he's heard from you. Which isn't normal.

He's a bad texter, notorious for looking at messages and making a note to reply to them later or replying in his mind, but he always makes sure to reply to you whenever the two of you aren't together. It's just always been a thing, to always have some form of communication with you when he wasn't over at yours or if you weren't at his, so it panics him when he can't remember the last time he'd spoken to you.

He goes through your messages and finds that it wasn't him this time who didn't respond, but instead it was you. Relief washes over him briefly, the guilt of forgetting to respond to his best friend vanishing, but then that anxiety comes back full force. 

You didn't respond.

You always responded.

He sends off a quick message to you, apologizing for being in studio mode and not leaving the house and asks if you're alright. He waits. They go through another take, he somehow doesn't fuck it up even though his mind isn't all the way there. You still haven't responded by the fifth take and that's when he starts to feel sick, stomach twisting with the worry of what could be wrong. 

He tries to think back to if you've ever gone this long without speaking and he can't think of a time when that has happened. 

"Earth to Noah." Jolly's voice pulls him away from his thoughts.

"Oh. Uh, sorry." 

"All good, man." His bandmate eyes him for a second before his eyes flicker towards his phone. "She respond?"

"Um. No." His brows furrowed as he stared at his phone, the black screen mocking him. "Kind of worried."

"Yeah... I am, too." Jolly murmurs. He clicks around on the screen a few times before twisting his chair around to fully face Noah, arms crossing over his chest. "You should go over there. Check and make sure she's alright."

Noah raises a brow at him. "We're in the middle of recording?"

"And?" Jolly shrugs, waving him off. "We got a lot done today, we can wrap it up. Something's obviously wrong and she might need you. That's more important than some song."

He blinks at his friend, letting his words settle in. Jolly's right, he thinks. You are more important than whatever song they're working on. That confirmation makes him feel funny, something tightening beneath his chest but he ignores it, nodding slowly. 

"Okay. You wanna come?"

Jolly shakes his head. "Nah. The both of us might be overwhelming. If you do need me then call, if not..." He shrugs again before lifting himself up out of his chair, groaning softly to himself, "...might be best for just you to go. She'd probably feel better if it's just you, anyways. You know how she is."

Noah isn't quite sure what he means, but nods along anyways. He checks his phone again and still no text, but he notices that you read the message. He should feel relieved at the sign of life but it only makes his anxiety worse, stomach twisting violently. 

"Okay. I'll text you when I get there." 

He's practically running out of the studio after that, the only thing on his mind was you. He needed to make sure you were okay. Deep down he knew that if this was him, you would've already been here, and he feels guilty all over again. He should've paid more attention, shouldn't have let this slip his mind so easily. He thinks back to your last messages together and how you were talking about your work day, overwhelmed and quite frankly, upset about it all. He should've paid closer attention.

He makes it to yours in record time, legs moving him to the door before he can even think about it. He sends up a quiet prayer to the universe that you had given him an extra key months ago and uses it to unlock the door, slowly pushing it open.

He calls out your name, but no answer.

His eyes sweep over your apartment as he enters, scanning the open space. Your kitchen looked untouched, minus the few dirty dishes that were in your sink. A few boxes of Chinese take-out and some bottles of water. He feels almost relieved. You'd been eating and as far as he can tell you'd been keeping yourself somewhat hydrated, so that was a plus. He knows how bad you can be when you get into this headspace - brain fog, forgetting to do basic things like eating and drinking water. But this... this is a step in the right direction.

His eyes move towards the living room and it's just about the same. A pile of blankets lay together at one end of the couch, pillows scattered along the length of the cushions. You'd been there quite a bit, he can tell, but other than that nothing was too bad.

Noah feels like he can breathe for just a second, eyes going straight to the cracked open door to your bedroom. He hears the faint hum of your television and hears the muffled voice of your favorite characters in your favorite comfort show. His chest tightens. You only ever watch it when things get bad inside your head, when things start to become too overwhelming and you need to cling onto something that you know. Something that won't throw any surprises at you and make things worse. 

He makes his way towards your room, ready to call out your name again as he pushes open your door but stops halfway. You're curled up in your bed, covered in a pile of blankets. He steps closer to get a better look at you and he doesn't think he's ever seen you look so peaceful. Lashes against the tops of your cheeks, lips parted. The crease between your brows is relaxed, which never happens. 

Noah takes a deep breath.

You're alright. He can see that you're safe and sound, at least for now, and that's enough for him. He shuts your door behind him and makes his way back into the main room, taking his shoes off by the door. He takes another deep breath to center himself as he looks around your space, hand finding its way to his hair. 

He decides he'll clean up your kitchen and living room. It isn't too bad, and it won't take him too long. He also just... doesn't want to leave yet. He'll wait until you wake up. Make you talk to him, ask what’s up. Probably make you eat something. Then he'll head home. 

Sounds like a good plan to him.

Even though your door is shut he still tries to be quiet, making sure to carefully wash and put away your dishes without making too much of a fuss. After the dishes, he throws away all the take-out boxes and water bottles. He even makes a note to take the trash out for you when he's all done, because he knows you would've done it for him. 

The constant reminder of you and knowing that you'd do something like this for him, and have, is the motivation he needs to continue. It makes him feel warm all over and he thinks how lucky he is to have someone like you as his best friend.

And he definitely ignores the bitter taste in his mouth at the word best friend. 

It's maybe an hour after he's finished, curled up on your couch that now has its pillows in place, and the pile of blankets are neatly folded and put away, that you finally emerge from your room. You rub the sleep out of your eyes, not noticing him on the couch at first, but when you do you make a noise of surprise that has Noah laughing.

"Hey."

He notices the slight flush of your cheeks but ignores it. "Hi?"

"I uh," He scratches the back of his neck, sending you a sheepish smile. "Hadn't talked to you in a few days. Got worried. So did Jolly. Told me to come over. Check on you. You were sleeping so I just," He throws his arms around, gesturing to the space around him, "cleaned up a little? Figured you would appreciate a clean house when you woke up so..." 

He's talking too much, he knows it, but he can't seem to stop the word vomit from coming out. Noah knows you wouldn't mind, but he was nervous, especially because all you do is stare at him without saying a word. Stare and stare and stare until you sniff, brows furrowing.

"...Thanks."

You're unusually quiet and it makes his stomach turn again. You sniff again and Noah swears you look like you're on the verge of tears, and he sits up on the couch. He watches you closely as you wring your hands together in front of you, mouth opening and closing as if you want to say something. You don't, and Noah catches the exact moment when your bottom lip trembles, and he's moving before he can even think about it.

"Hey. It's okay. You’re okay."

He tries to keep his voice soft and free of any panic, but his heart is beating so rapidly against his chest he swears you can hear it. You sniff again, head shaking as your lip continues to tremble and he does the only thing he can think of. He pulls you into his arms and presses you into his chest. You don't move for a second, but eventually your arms circle around his waist. You squeeze, tight, but he doesn't mind. He just squeezes you back. 

Your body begins to shake as the cries start to rack through you, the sound muffled by the fabric of his shirt. Noah swallows down the lump that was beginning to form, cheek resting on the top of your head. He's always hated when you cry. He himself wasn’t one for much display of emotions, but when it came to the people he cared about, he hated seeing them anything but happy. 

Especially you.

He's seen you cry a few times. Well, more than a few times. Sometimes it was over nothing, and then sometimes it was over an incredibly cute dog you'd seen scrolling on Twitter. He didn't mind those, but when it was over something serious, he fucking hated that. He never wanted you to be anything but happy, and whenever you weren’t, it’s like a piece of him breaks. 

“What’s wrong?” He whispers into your hair, trying to pull you even closer to him.

“Everything.” You eventually mumble against his chest, sucking in a deep breath as you try to control your tears. “Fucking everything is wrong.” 

He fucking hates the way that answer makes him feel. His chest feels like it's on fire, and he swears his heart just fucking broke at how sad you sounded, voice muffled by his shirt. He squeezes you to his chest again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

He wants you to talk about it, to tell him what's wrong so he can make it better. Noah knows it'll probably be damn near impossible to even do that, but god, he'd try absolutely anything to make your tears stop. You take a long moment to respond, trying to control your breathing, before you eventually shake your head against his chest.

"Not right now." 

"Okay.” He mumbles, raising a hand to smooth down your hair. “That's okay, we don't have to."

"Thank you."

You stay like that for a moment, in the middle of your living room. Noah doesn't plan on letting go any time soon, thinking for a split second that he wished he could keep you in his arms forever. If you were there, he'd always know if you were okay. The thought fades before he could think too hard about it when you finally pull away from him, and Noah catches sight of your slight red and blotchy face. He frowns.

He doesn't remember the last time he's ever seen you so sad. So defeated. Whatever was going on really pained you, and he wishes you'd just tell him so he can fix it. Another passing, fleeting thought, but he thinks he'd do just about anything right now to see you smile again. 

"Have you eaten?" He breaks the silence between the two of you, not waiting to hear whatever you were planning on saying.

You blink up at him. "Um... no. Not since this morning. Had some fruit and coffee." 

"I figured." He guides you towards the couch, practically pushing you onto it. You snort when he grabs a throw blanket and dumps it onto you. "Pick something to watch." 

It's not a question, but more of a command, and Noah ignores the way his chest flutters at the small smile you give him. He turned away from you, pushing whatever feeling was brewing inside of him so far down and got his brain to focus. Food. You need food. To be honest, so does he. He’d been so worried about you for the last few hours that he didn’t even think of getting something to eat. 

It takes him a few minutes of rummaging around your kitchen to settle on making something easy - instant ramen. He’s surprised you hadn't eaten it all in the week you’ve been off-grid, but thankful nonetheless. Noah's way too impatient to wait any longer to actually cook something, especially knowing you hadn't eaten anything since this morning. Every so often he looked over his shoulder to watch you, wishing you'd say something, but would find you either staring blankly at the television or your phone.

A bitter taste settles in the back of his throat every time he turns back around to the stove. He hated this, and he fucking hated that he couldn't do a goddamn thing about it.

He brings your bowl to you once he's finished, already making a mental note to clean up the mess he had made while cooking. You blink up at him and reach for it, giving him a quiet, "Thank you."

Noah doesn't verbally say anything, just hums out a response as he ventures back into the kitchen to grab you something to drink. When he comes back he notices you had slowly begun to eat, and he feels his shoulders finally relax. Just knowing you ate something eases him, the tension in his body leaving him completely. You're already reaching out for the glass of water in his hand that he happily hands off to you, giving you a gentle smile.

"Need anything else?"

You shake your head, peering up at him. "No. Just want you to come sit with me." 

That same fluttery feeling beneath his chest returns and he wishes he could ignore it again, but it doesn't go away. No, it stays perched underneath his chest, as if it's decided that it's making a home there and never leaving. He doesn't say anything, just nods at your request before grabbing his own bowl and a Pepsi you had in the fridge before making his way back to you.

You wait until he's settled on the couch to scoot closer to him, legs pressed flushed together. You're already halfway through your ramen and for a split second he forgets that weird feeling in his chest, instead focusing on the intense pride filling him. He was able to get you to eat, he was able to help out in some way. Knowing you were alright for the most part and it was from his doing made him feel good.

The both of you eat in silence as whatever show you decided to put on plays in the background. He’s just now realized it was The Office, and he huffs out a small laugh at something Michael Scott said. Another one of your comfort shows, something easy. 

It isn't until you both are finished with your food and Noah's back in the kitchen cleaning up that you finally speak. He doesn't hear you come up behind him, focused on washing the dishes and making sure everything's clean and good to go, so he can't help but jump when he feels your arms slip around his waist and squeeze.

"Shit." He swears, followed by a breathy chuckle. "You scared me."

You don't say anything to that, just squeeze him harder and he feels you press your face against his back. Then ever so softly, he picks up the faintest, "Thank you," muffled against his back. His face flushes, eyes casting down to the soapy water his hands were currently submerged in. He's glad you can't see the blush on his cheeks, and he fucking hopes you can't hear the way his heart is pounding beneath his chest. Can probably feel it, though, and that makes his face burn even more. 

"For what?" He manages to mumble out, resuming his efforts. Your arms squeeze his waist again.

"For being here." You sound so small. "You don't have to be, but you are, and I can't thank you enough for that."

"You'd do it for me." His response comes easily, voice nonchalant because it's true. He knows you'd do the same for him, and the thought has his stomach flipping every which way. "And have done it for me. It's the least I can do."

You're silent after that but don't part from him, and Noah can't help the smile that spreads across his lips at the feeling of you rubbing your face against him. It makes him feel warm all over, and that damned fluttery feeling in his chest is back yet again. You stay like that until he's finished with the dishes, moving with him as he shuffles to the side to dry them off. You don't pick your head up even when he manages to turn in your arms, finally facing you. 

Noah's arms wrap around you, pulling you closer to him and now you can rub your face against his chest. He laughs softly, pressing his cheek against the top of your head.

"Still don't wanna talk about it?" He knows he's pressing but he can't help it, a part of him still needs to know what's wrong and how he can fix this for you.

You shake your head. "Not yet. Tomorrow, okay? I just... don't wanna think about it tonight."

"Okay." He thinks he can handle that. 

"Thank you." You say again and finally lift your head up from his chest, blinking up at him. There's still a sadness there, roaming around behind your eyes, but not as prevalent as it was earlier. He’s at least done something right. "I'm really fucking lucky to have you, you know that, right?"

The way you're looking up at him is overwhelming, Noah's throat tightening at the softness surrounding your tired eyes. You smile at him and this time it reaches your gaze, not faked but real, and his heart slams against his chest. A thought passes his mind again, something he hasn't thought of in years, and he pushes it back with a hard swallow.

"You're just saying that because you didn't have to do the dishes."

You roll your eyes but that smile never drops from your lips, and Noah thinks he'd like to keep you smiling like that for the rest of his life. 

"Shut up. I'm being serious." You're giggling now, eyes crinkling and he catches a glimpse of the real you for the first time in hours - probably days, weeks even. 

"So am I." Noah yelps when you pinch his side, your laughter growing louder. "Hey!"

"I'm trying to be nice here, asshole. You can at least try, too."

He softens at that, eyes meeting yours. He's well aware his face is on fire right now, cheeks pink.

"You already know I'm lucky to have you. Didn't realize I had to say it."

Even if he doesn't say it often, he is very lucky. So incredibly lucky to have you in his life, for sticking by him and for understanding him. For always being patient with him. Jolly reminds him occasionally how lucky he is to have you, how all of them are lucky to have someone like you in their lives. He doesn't know what the fuck he or anyone did to be so deserving of you, but dammit, he's fucking thankful for it everyday. 

You don't say anything, just continue to beam up at him and Noah can't seem to stop himself, tilting his head down to brush his lips against your forehead. He feels you press further into his chest, if it was even possible, and practically melt in his arms. 

He wishes he could keep you here forever, tucked away in his arms. He thinks there isn't much he wouldn't do to keep you safe, to make sure you were okay, and that thought alone scares him. He'd never admit it, at least not out loud, and he tucks that thought away for another time. Or to possibly be never thought of again, he doesn't know. He doesn't really care.

No, all he cares about right now is that you're okay, at least for now, and that you're nestled against his chest like it's the only place you want to be. 

And that's enough for him. 

[qin-qin16]

Murder Time Trio as a poly... or something else

NOTE: This was supposed to be a relationship chart, but I couldn't find any that I liked, and I got frustrated trying to make one, SO I decided to do it in the form of text and headcanons and is slighty ooc because i can’t write them realistic, its against my policy

Before I elaborate on my thoughts about Murder Time Trio poly, I will present to you a summary of the BACKGROUND that I will use for my upcoming discussions about this trio.

In this post I share a bit about that thought and there is this au created by @what-have-i-unleashed named Mermaid Bunny AU, you can find it on their pinned post (is focused on kist in some parts, read the warnings before reading!)

However, since that post I made was more focused on Killer, I will also comment on the other parts of this relationship below!!

NOTE²: To avoid confusion, the first Killer will be called Kei (as a way to start fresh, he chose to abandon the name given to him after his code was altered), while the second Killer will simply be called Killer, as he has neither the desire nor the order to change the title given to him – a title his best friend, his partner, gave him. That being said, let’s move on to their background

HORROR'S ARRIVAL

Horror was the second to arrive, dragged by the slimy tentacles against his will – Kei vaguely remembers hearing his screams calling for someone, spitting threats at Nightmare as if he had no fear for his own life. He didn’t even notice his soul subtly writhing when Nightmare did nothing but toss the skeleton at his feet. "Show him his new home." Those were the orders he heard, and not even a minute later, they were already walking through the abandoned place (whatever it was, the hallways were too long to be considered part of a house, and the rooms were dark enough to make Horror question the things he saw inside them).

It wasn't for lack of trying that their almost-friendship was created – as fragile as a thin twig. Kei had been ordered to teach Horror everything he knew: what Nightmare liked to hear when they returned from missions, how to act when spotted by any resident of the universe they were exploring, what not to do when the hallways of their home (Kei called that dreadful place home, even though it was worse than the hell Horror said Snowdin was) seemed to grow darker and darker, how to ignore the torn and moldy paintings when they appeared to move in the shadows… Everything Kei had learned, he passed on to Horror, but like a mule being whipped to carry its load, Horror would always stall at the most important moments.

Like the time he screamed to go back home, for Nightmare to throw him back into the deep hole that was his past problems. Kei never heard Horror mention his old home again after that night – at least, not while Horror was conscious; only on nights when he finally fell asleep, so light that even the faintest sound would bring that red orb back to life. Of course, Kei knew this – who else but him would keep an eye on his copy to make sure he didn’t try anything stupid? He had to check and act as the loyal right-hand man he was. It wasn’t as if Horror was the only somewhat safe company for him there, no – he couldn’t allow himself to get attached to someone that he would abandon at the first chance he gets.

But Kei could be a little selfish, couldn’t he? Horror was selfish too when he claimed the least uncomfortable bed would be his when they were traveling, or when he shrugged whenever Kei questioned the disappearance of some witnesses who had seen them lurking too close to AUs near the Omega Timeline. Or when Horror got too close to his body on freezing nights, trembling after hours of walking through the thick snow surrounding their home. “This thing is warm.” He pointed at the circle in front of Kei's chest, seeming to hesitate – or not wanting – to call it a soul.

Kei could be selfish if Horror was the one to blame for making it impossible for him to sleep in separate rooms after that.

MURDER'S ARRIVAL

Horror never thought that a third member would be added to the chaotic and dysfunctional duo that was him and Kei. From what he could hear through the poorly closed and fallen door of the room where Kei and Nightmare often argued about their performance, the boss (even though Horror would never call him that) never mentioned anything about adding another screw-up monster like them to the group.

But it wasn't as if Nightmare cared about their opinion on anything, or even cared about their existence - as long as they stayed alive, that was enough.

Murder's entrance was so different from his, so much more... silent. No sudden movements, no explosion of LV, nothing but incomprehensible murmurs beneath that dark hood. If Horror thought Kei was unpredictable and full of weird traits, Murder had just stolen his place. It wasn't as if Horror was a healthy or sane person either, but Murder was an extreme even for him: clothes covered in monster dust, eyes — when lit — always twitching, looking side to side as if others were in the room besides the three of them.

And it was agonizing to see someone so similar to his former self — when there was no danger around them, or when Murder seemed to finally relax those pale bones, those two little lights would glow in white, in a nostalgic way. Horror didn’t like that feeling. Kei was another one who seemed out of place with Murder’s addition to their little group.

“You’re real…” he murmured between laughs — an almost undistorted reflection of himself.

It was hard to adapt Murder into their already chaotic and unpredictable routine, almost like caging an euphoric animal alongside two others already in captivity — the rare calm of before was quickly torn apart by Murder's trembling and impatient presence. As sadistic as the last one, Kei once commented, referring to Horror, who just scoffed and mumbled something like "don’t compare me to that..." It wasn’t a good start between them, definitely.

And no matter how much Horror tried to deny it and even fight with himself, he wasn’t so different from the other two. Nightmare’s motivation in handpicking each of them was clear — it almost had a bitter kind of charm to it, if it weren’t so inconvenient. At least he and Murder seemed to want to be as far away as possible from there, but Kei? Why was he so loyal to that demon?

Horror never knew Kei’s deep desire to escape that hell, to crush Nightmare’s rotten soul underfoot like an insignificant insect. At least, Kei never confessed it to them specifically. No, no.

"As if I care who you talk to outside of work..." Horror once huffed, sounding strangely genuine. "If you want to chat with that rainbow skeleton, that's your problem, don't drag us into your issues, capiche?" And so Kei did.

Part two is on their way~

[bunbun-mochi]

Reyna III - Queen of Onychinus

Sylus x MC

Warning: fluff, non-major character deaths, torture, mentions of kidnapping, violence

Word Count:

Preview: continuation of Reyna II

The room was dark and quiet, only the sound of the water dripping and the heavy panting. Two men kneeling in the middle of the room, tied and gagged. They were confused. First, they were at the auction trying to buy the so-called "Sylus' Wife" and then chaos ensured. They knew Sylus would come, but didn't realize he would come this quickly. They couldn't see him, they didn't even catch a glimpse of him. They saw his wife, at least that's what she introduced herself as. The entire auction room was so dim they couldn't see her face clearly. By the sound of her voice, she is equally crazy as Sylus. No wonder he married her.

A rhythm of the high heel hitting the floor. Each step getting closer and closer. Then the door opens, and the light floods into the room. They looked up, trying to see who the person was, however, they couldn't as light only shone through her back so her face was hidden in the shadows. But her voice. Her voice, they knew all too familiar. She has the same voice as the one who claimed she is the Onychinus infamous boss' wife.

"Hello there," Her voice is silky and confident. "Heard you guys brought me. Shall we get started? You two said you wanted to take turns?"

They both shook their heads, unable to speak because of the gag. But she continued as if she didn't know their mouth were covered.

"Close the door," She commanded and the door closed immediately. "Now," They heard her step closer toward them. "Let's get started, no?"

Although the room is soundproof, the guards outside can still hear things being broken and muffled screams that it send chills down their spine.

Two guards stood outside the door. They both looked at each other nervously. This lady truly made a name for herself. A few members of Onychinus had actually seen Sylus. Many only see some glimpse but he's always in the shadows, making his face unable to be seen. Many people always speculate about what he looked like.

Many Onychinus members had seen the twins. Those two are very well known within the Onychinus base. They were known to be very close to the Onychinus boss, doing his dirty work around the Onychinus base. They are more easygoing than their boss but extremely mischievous. They know how to make someone talk. All of what happened in the base was reported directly to Sylus.

And finally, the last person. The person nearly no one in Onychinus had seen. Some higher-ranked ones said they had met her presence but never seen her face. One even said that she made the infamous Onychinus leader bow down on his knees.

Today, the guards had been "cursed" by her presence. All that happened was they were called by their higher-ups to escort a very important person. So important even the Onychinus Boss emphasized the word "important". They had seen her, and although part of her face was covered, there were some noticeable things about her. She has red rosy lips, wears red, and has rubies around her neck, ears, and wrists. She was wearing everything red with some specs of black. Contrary to her husband who wears all black and specs of red.

And she is the one and only, Queen of Onychinus. No one knew her name. They only heard Sylus say 'sweetie' and 'my queen' but had never called her name. So instead, the base gave her a name. Reyna. A name fit for a queen.

I sighed as I slouched on the couch. I haven't slept for a day and a half. Right after the auction, I decided to interrogate those two people who were at the box balcony near Sylus. Apparently, he really wanted me and he used nearly all his money to buy me. Pathetic. Then I have extra work to do. Those people who kidnapped me, one ran away while the rest died. I needed to know who dared to step into our territory.

Perhaps from the amount of work I had done and the lack of sleep, I passed out on the couch. The last thing I thought was that I hoped I have an alarm on so I could wake up in time...

Sylus sighed in frustration. He had been dealing with families who were retaliating against him. They had investigated where he and his wife were currently staying and paid to have her kidnapped. His eyes burned with fury. The audacity of those people.

He opened the door to his office and his frustration immediately melted away. His beautiful wife is slouched on the couch, fast asleep. He checked the time and saw that around this time is when he sleeps. He smiled to himself. His wife's sleep schedule is starting to match more and more to his.

He picked her up and carried her to their shared bedroom. They have a few hours to spare, why not sleep?

I woke up with a start. I blinked for a second before grabbing my phone, panicked. I sighed in relief when I noticed that I still had an hour left. I flopped back to bed. Then I realized that I was in bed.

Someone groaned beside me before tightening their grip on my waist. I stretched into his embrace, "Love, wakey wakey."

A deep chuckle rumbled, "Yes, yes, I'm up."

And yet we continued to stay in bed curled up into each other's embrace.

Then Sylus' phone rang. He groaned, "We need to go now."

I nodded. We both got up and got ready for the things we needed to do.

As far as I know, there are a few families that are trying to "dethrone" Sylus. They thought they had a chance against him while banding together. This early evening, they invited Sylus to their meeting. Could they be more oblivious?

Even though Sylus has many enemies, that doesn't mean he doesn't have any loyal subordinates. Quite the contrary. He has quite many loyal subordinates... well lot more than I thought he had. I used to think Luke, Kieran, and Mephisto were his only loyal subordinates...

I got into the passenger seat while Sylus got into the driver seat. He turned on the car and we zipped through the city. One hand on the steering wheel while the other sneakily snaked onto my thigh. I could see a faint smile on his lips and I wanted to tease him. I picked his hand up from my thighs and I saw his smile immediately fade. I crossed my legs and placed his hand on my upper leg and his small smile returned. It's so easy to satisfy him. The entire car ride, we sat in silence while he rubbed my thigh and I rubbed my hands along his forearm, feeling the veins and muscles under my fingers.

When we arrived at the outskirts of the N109 zone, I have gotten a bit nervous. I wasn't sure what could happen and what Sylus had planned but he told me to trust him. Sylus gently led me into the mansion and into the meeting room.

There are three people sitting on a long sofa and on the other side is a sofa chair with just enough for one person. They were surprised to see me there, expecting just Sylus.

Sylus glanced at the sofa chair and looked at them as if saying "Really?". He guides me toward the sofa and I sat down. Part of me wished that I get to sit on his lap but I knew that would be risky. Sylus wants to be able to move quickly in case of emergency.

They looked back and forth between Sylus and me. I just casually sat on the sofa as if saying "Of course, Sylus would give up his seat for me". Sylus stood beside me, one hand in his pant pocket. His deep voice startled the whole room, "Start the meeting." He commanded.

It's so hilarious to see those people trembling in front of him as if they didn't just retaliated against him a moment ago. Perhaps they finally witness the aura that Sylus brings with him that they have lost confidence.

Contradictory to other meetings I had been to, this is by far the best meeting I went to. They were talking to Sylus, telling him how they wanted him down and ridiculous things like those while tripping on their own words. They were stuttering and mumbling. I sat there, enjoying watching them sweating buckets. A moment ago they demanded Sylus to step down and now they are like they are begging for their lives, trying to make excuses on why they would say such things and pointing fingers at each other.

Then I started to get bored. Although it was entertaining, it is very boring now. At this point, they are just dragging on, trying to live a few seconds longer.

"Enough," Sylus commanded and the entire room quiets down. He walked toward them threateningly. The guards behind them started to point their weapons at him. In a blink of an eye, Sylus destroyed the weapons with his mist before throwing guards out the window. Then he looked at the three people on the sofa who were trembling like a newborn fawn.

"I was about to be merciful and let you go. But then you bored my wife." He said and they looked at him in disbelief.

"W-w-w-wh-at," One stammered.

Sylus smirked, "Your life depends on how well you entertain my wife since you had your fun before." His smile then faded, "You failed."

Before they could beg for mercy, Sylus already brought out his gun. Three gunshots. Three dead bodies.

I yawned and stretched, "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

Sylus turned toward me and smiled, "Whatever my wife says."

I leaned back on the chair and sighed with bliss, "I'm so full."

We ordered several dishes of food at this fine dining. I would get a little from each dish while Sylus eats the rest. The sheer amount of food intake this man eats is ridiculous. Not only that but when I finished my meal, he already finished his. I'm starting to believe a black hole exists in his stomach.

"No dessert, sweetie?" Sylus asked while smiling, already knew my answer.

My face immediately lit up, "Yes, dessert!"

Sylus chuckled at my reaction and called our waiter over to order. It didn't take them long to bring out my dessert. Even though I have a second stomach for dessert, I wasn't able to finish them so I passed them over to Sylus.

When we finished our dinner and dessert, we decided to stay for a bit longer to finish our wines. When the bill arrived, I was ready. I proudly gave my card to the waiter before Sylus and shooed the waitress before Sylus could stop him.

Sylus playfully glared at me while I pretended to be innocent.

"My dear wife, what would people think about me now that you had paid?" Sylus asked, pretending to be hurt.

I giggled, "Perhaps they think that your wonderful wife is managing your financial accounts."

Sylus reached over and interlocked his fingers into mine and brought my hand toward him and he gently kissed my knuckles, "Thanks, sweetie."

I was honestly happy that I was finally able to pay. I might as well savor this moment because I know that I won't be able to pay for a long time.

@madam8

[artist-issues]

Mufasa Re-Do: Zazu

For my first adjustment; Zazu! Zazu and his interactions with the rest of the cast.

In the Mufasa We Got, Zazu is supposed to be young, and comedic relief, because he is following Sarabi around like he’s on her staff somehow, because the rest of her pride was scattered by the villain. He doesn’t interact directly with Taka or Rafiki beyond flying in the same traveling group as them, and he has one interaction with Mufasa where Mufasa tells Zazu that he can save the day by using his bird wings to cover their tracks so the villains don’t find them. 

They’re inconsistent with Zazu’s characterization, and with what he’s doing in the story. At first, he seems to be dedicated to Sarabi as part of her honor guard, though she mentions he’s just her scout. That’s supposed to be funny, because he’s like a 1lb-bird claiming to protect a 200+lb lioness. But any time there’s trouble while they’re in the traveling part of the movie, he turns into a coward and darts into the sky with a one-liner about how he didn’t sign up for this danger. Even though he had no trouble “confronting danger” when it was Taka and Mufasa. Then, even later in the climax, he seems to lose all cowardice (inexplicably) and has to be rescued because he’s trying to fight three evil lions at once.

None of which has anything to do with the Zazu we know and love from The Original Lion King. 

He has one line at the end where he seems to be a stickler for tradition, which would be in-character for the Zazu we know—he tells Mufasa that he must banish Taka for betraying them. But uh…where does that tradition come from, and how does Zazu know it? He just got to this kingdom ten minutes ago. Also, THIS young Zazu has not demonstrated any personality-bent toward tradition until this moment. Basically what I’m saying is, they just needed someone to suggest banishment in that moment, and Zazu was luckily nearby and they could give him that line. It only fit his adult-characterization by accident. 

In the WHOLE movie, they should’ve been showing that he was a stickler for rules and pomp and circumstance. They should’ve been showing how he was THRILLED to be part of a royal lioness’ staff, and wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from him. 

In the movie, however, I love one moment with Zazu, which was totally inconsistent and never gets addressed again, but they should’ve been focusing on it much more and it could’ve been great:

It’s when Mufasa encourages Zazu to use his wings to cover their tracks. 

This scene accomplishes 3 things:

1 - It gives Zazu a moment where he can be validated, and feel useful, as a young bird in the company of royal lions. That could be a real character beat that shows us how he got to the majordomo we know & love in The Lion King. 

2 - It shows Mufasa’s “superpower” as a character; he “respects all creatures in the Circle of Life” and can not only empathize with them enough to see how they can be useful—but he can INSPIRE them to work together for the greater good. He can make a plan, see how someone else can be delegated-to to put it into action, and then inspire them to get it done. You know. Like a good leader.

3 - It shows all the characters around Mufasa, from Sarabi to Taka to Rafiki, that there’s a different way to think; animals of all species can be useful. For Taka, he needs to learn that to become the evil-genius who thinks of allying himself with hyenas. For Sarabi, she can admire the way Mufasa trusts others, and see that they CAN be trusted.

The problem is? The Movie We Got doesn’t lead up to it well. Zazu acts insecure and uncertain, in this ONE scene, until Mufasa believes in him and gives him a pep talk. But earlier, Zazu seemed to have no problem with confidence and self-importance. The other characters’ interactions with Zazu don’t lead up to this moment well either. Actually, they’ve barely interacted with him at all. He’s just flying around saying one-liners to himself.

So! Here’s what I would’ve done.

Young Zazu:

Instead of being all-over-the-place with his characterization, I would’ve made Zazu an intensely loyal bird who thinks he can be useful to the Grand Scheme of Things. Unfortunately, he has way too much confidence in being able to do anything, when actually, he needs to learn that he;s just a bird. He can do some things well, but he won’t fit into ANY place in the Circle of Life—he needs to find HIS specific place. A place where he can be of the most service. (That’s a recurring theme in my idea for the movie.) So, first he thinks he can be a bodyguard for Sarabi, then he almost gets her and himself killed and loses all confidence—then Mufasa gives it back to him by showing him that he can be more useful in a smaller way. Like covering their tracks.

Zazu and Sarabi:

Sarabi’s father did leave Sarabi in Zazu’s care. But it was a panicked, spur-of-the-moment decision. It went like this:

Sarabi’s father heard there were Rogues hunting in his territory and, like a good King should, interrupted their illegal hunt and tried to chase them out. They happened to be toying with young Zazu at the time when Sarabi’s Dad burst in and fought with them. But he was overpowered, underestimating their numbers, and Sarabi’s Dad realized that his kingdom was about to be taken over. So in the middle of what became his last stand, he commanded Zazu, who was still nearby,  to go find his daughter, the Princess, and warn her to run away. But Zazu actually found her after she already escaped, on her own, and insisted that “your father left you in my care!” Then he won’t leave her alone.

And in my concept, she hates that.

 In The Movie We Got, Sarabi was very inconsistent, too, just when it came to Zazu. She’s like, “I don’t need anybody’s help— and nobody’s WOULD help me, anyway.” She acts that way with Mufasa & Taka, she acts that way with Rafiki, and she eventually acts that way when Mufasa wants to get help from elephants. BUT. She does NOT act that way with Zazu. Which is not only inconsistent, but ridiculous, because he is, again, a 1lb-bird, and making her consistently annoyed by his offer of help would have strengthened the story and given Mufasa more of a spotlight, by contrast, because he DOES value Zazu.

Anyway.

Sarabi should find Zazu bothersome, especially because she CAN’T get rid of him. He flies out of her reach whenever she tries to scare him away, but he never goes far, and he won’t shut up. At first. He’s convinced the King, her father, condescended to save his life and entrusted him with something important, he’s thrilled to have that mission in life, and he doesn’t (at first) care what she or anyone says to the contrary.

For most of the movie, Zazu and Sarabi’s relationship is one-sided. Eventually she softens her dismissal of Zazu into seeing him more like an “annoying little-brother,” (because they bond over Zazu’s brief connection to her late father + they spend more time together + Mufasa sets a more empathetic example and it rubs off on her.) 

Then they have one tense moment where Zazu’s bad-fit as her bodyguard really leads to bad consequences for Sarabi, and he loses all confidence, until Mufasa fixes that.

By the end of the movie, Sarabi and Zazu are friends and she’s come around to Mufasa’s way of thinking—all animals in the Circle of Life should be respected in their own right, and Zazu is their first example of why.

But at the beginning, it’s pretty tense. He insists he can be useful and she demonstrates how much she refuses to need help by wishing she could eat him.

Zazu is introduced to the rest of the group like this:

While Sarabi is slinking through the bush, trying to put as much distance between herself and her fallen kingdom as she can, Zazu won’t stop flying overhead, yammering. He’s talking about how danger can come from anywhere, and pontificating on what a good Royal Escort’s policy should be to watch out for it, and she’s shushing him but he’s taking no notice.

 Taka and Mufasa spot him flapping and monologuing above some bushes as they are making their own escape, and when they get closer, THAT’S how they find and meet Sarabi.

Taka thinks Sarabi is beautiful at first sight and tries to pounce on Zazu as soon as he gets the opportunity, kind of to show off and make an entrance. Zazu protests that he is Sarabi’s Royal Escort, and should not be eaten. Sarabi wants him to shut up—she doesn’t know if these two strangers are part of the Rogues that she’s running from, and she doesn’t want them to know who she is (more on that in my Sarabi-focused post.)

But Mufasa? 

Zazu and Mufasa: 

Mufasa hears that Zazu is Sarabi’s Royal Escort and he thinks that’s a great idea. He admires that she works with a bird, immediately. (Remember, in the great Lin-Manuel/Lebo M. Song, “I Always Wanted a Brother,” Mufasa admires birds for their freedom and ability to see more than he can?)

He shows how Zazu can be useful, and eventually convinces Sarabi that Zazu IS useful. This can happen more than once, but the best moment I’m thinking of is Zazu flying to get help when Sarabi is knocked out by the elephants. (That’s scene was almost strong, so I want to keep it.) 

Zazu does this without thinking, even though a moment ago he was downhearted and feeling useless after his Big Mistake Moment. But Mufasa takes notice, after getting Zazu’s message and saving Sarabi. He reminds Zazu of  his helpfulness as a messenger later on, when they need him to cover their tracks, and that convinces Zazu that he really is believed-in by the lions. Then Zazu goes to Mufasa for orders in the climax, further hitting the nail-on-the-head that Mufasa’s True Place in the Circle of Life, where he serves others the best, is as their natural leader.

Because he can see the respectable nature of all creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope. And it starts with Zazu!

Zazu and Mufasa are fast friends, from the beginning. This is obviously because Mufasa does more than tolerate a bird traveling with them, he actually laughs at Zazu’s jokes and treats him civilly—but he also stops Taka from eating Zazu.

Zazu and Taka:

The running gag for much of the movie is that Taka finds Zazu annoying, as one of his maneuvers to have something in common with Sarabi. Also from an early age, Taka believes other animals are only as useful as they are tasty, or maybe as entertainment. 

Zazu dislikes Taka’s presumption to always be walking alongside Sarabi. He keeps getting in the way every time Taka tries to put the moves on the Princess. Sometimes Taka comedically menaces Zazu, but once or twice at the end of the movie, to show how violent and bitter Taka is getting as Mufasa gets the spotlight, Taka really tries to smack Zazu around. 

Mostly, Zazu serves as a way for Taka to demonstrate how differently he and Mufasa think…and Sarabi is caught in the middle of the two worldviews.

Zazu and Rafiki:

Zazu starts out skeptical of Rafiki and even being a little jealous of him. He sort of unconsciously liked that he was the only non-lion traveling companion of Sarabi—it gave him a sense of special-importance. He also likes things to be proper, and Rafiki seems a little crazy, so their personalities don’t exactly mesh. 

But then I’d hint every now and then at the idea that Rafiki, in their travels, is teaching Zazu about the traditions of the Great Kings, and how lion prides have been run in the Pridelands. Zazu likes that, because in his mind he’s part of Sarabi’s nonexistent court, and now he has rules and regulations to insert into conversations with her.

This way, by the end, if Mufasa needs someone to suggest punishment for Taka, Zazu can believably be the one to do it. And it won’t come out of nowhere. It’ll feel like this was always where Zazu was headed, because now we’ve seen where he came from. 

[eyneyke]

Mad Max

Pairing: Max Verstappen x PewDiePie!sibling Summary: What if Felix had a genius brother who works as a RedBull's engineer and is also secretly dating Max part 38 of A Calm to my Storm Masterlist

Max gets hate

Max playing with fans that Sam’s "boyfriend" is the worst guy ever while he's secretly talking about himself. Here’s how it went down in interviews, with Max just throwing out ridiculous comments as fans don’t realise are about himself:

Video 1: Max Being Asked If He Knows Sam’s Boyfriend

In a post-quali interview, a journalist casually asks Max if he knows anything about Sam’s mysterious partner, and Max goes all in.

Max (sighing dramatically): "Oh, yeah. I know who is his boyfriend. Absolute bore of the guy. I mean, who dates someone and just, like, smiles all day at work? It's super annoying, honestly. Bet he leaves dishes everywhere. But Sam seems happy I guess."

Fans’ Comments:

User 415: "MAX! He called Sam’s boyfriend a douchebag, I’m dead😂"

User 416: "The shade! lmao But now we at least know it's a boyfriend"

User 417: "It’s so weird that Max dislikes Sam’s boyfriend so much. Maybe he’s jealous?"

User 418: "Max throwing shade like he doesn’t care at all, but lowkey I bet he’s just protective of Sam."

Video 2: Max Going Overboard About Sam’s Boyfriend

After the race, Max is being interviewed again, and the journalist mentions Sam’s boyfriend, asking Max what he thinks about him. Max rolls his eyes and goes full throttle on the sarcasm.

Max (mock serious): "Oh, Sam’s boyfriend? Total nightmare. He’s always trying to keep him away from work, texting all the time, sending these stupid, sappy messages. I mean, seriously? It’s embarrassing. And don’t get me started on his sense of humor. It’s awful. Just terrible. I mean, Sam says he is happy but he could do so much better." (Max smirks, clearly having fun with it.)

Fans' Comments:

User 419: "Max is being brutal. Sam’s boyfriend must’ve really done something to piss him off! 😂"

User 420: "‘He could do so much better’ – Max is not holding back at all. Damn."

User 421: "Max: ‘Sappy messages are embarrassing. He is trying to keep him off work.’ Also Sam during one of Pewdiepie's streams: 'Max is spamming me because he is bored and I'm not giving him attention.'"

User 422: "Imagine if Sam’s boyfriend sees this interview, Max is gonna get in trouble for sure, lol."

Video 3: Max Chatting With Daniel Ricciardo About Sam’s Boyfriend

In the paddock, a fan caught Max and Daniel chatting during a break in the background of their video. Daniel brings up Sam’s boyfriend, and Max just unleashes his sarcasm.

Daniel (laughing, sees the fans and cameras on them): "So, Sam’s boyfriend... What’s he like?"

Max (grinning): "Oh, you wouldn’t believe it, Dan. He’s just the worst. Always interrupting Sam as he's working at the garage, thinking he’s super important. Like, dude, nobody cares! He’s one of those guys who thinks he’s really smart but can’t even remember to charge his phone before it's at 1%. And don’t even mention how clingy he is. He’s always blowing up Sam’s phone. It’s honestly pathetic."

Daniel (snickering): "Sounds like a real catch."

Max (deadpan): "Oh, yeah. Sam really hit the jackpot with this one."

Fans’ Comments:

User 423: "Max out here tearing Sam’s boyfriend to pieces, and Daniel just losing it in the background😂"

User 424: "‘Thinks he’s important but has to be reminded to charge his phone’ – Max’s insults are on another level!"

User 425: "Max is really out here hating this guy like it’s personal. I love it."

Video 4: Max Getting Questioned by Lando Norris About Sam’s Boyfriend

During a playful exchange between Max and Lando, the subject of Sam’s boyfriend comes up again, and Max wastes no time.

Lando (curious): "So, what’s the deal with Sam’s boyfriend? Is he cool?"

Max (overly dramatic): "Cool? No way. He’s clingy, needy, and always acting like he’s so funny when he has a really weird sense of humor. Absolute nightmare. And the worst part is that Sam seems to actually, genuinely like him. Like, he can do so much better."

Lando (laughing): "Sounds rough."

Max (with a grin): "Oh, you have no idea. I wouldn’t wish that guy on anyone."

Fans' Comments:

User 426: "Max really said Sam’s boyfriend has a weird sense of humor. 😂 Savage!"

User 427: "Max’s sarcasm is next level, I’m dying. He’s roasting this guy so bad!"

User 428: "Max is so protective of Sam, it’s actually adorable."

User 429: "I swear Max is sooo jealous. There’s no way he is okay with losing all the Sam-time he was used to!"

Video 5: Max Being Extra Dramatic About Sam’s Boyfriend to the Media

During another interview, Max was asked if he had any idea why Sam liked this “boyfriend” of his so much, as Max apparently hates him, and Max decided to just run with the joke.

Max (fake thinking): "Honestly? No clue. I mean, the guy’s a disaster. I mean he got lost in the garage a few days ago and ended up in Aston Martin. But Sam? Oh, Sam’s all about him. It’s confusing, really. But hey, love is blind, right?"

Journalist (laughing): "Really? Is he that bad?"

Max (nodding seriously): "Absolutely. Sam deserves so much better. I’ve tried to talk sense into him, but what can you do? Some people are just into lost causes."

Fans’ Comments:

User 430: "MAX. Just when I thought he couldn’t go harder. ‘Got lost in the garage and ended up in AM garage’? This man’s on a mission to ruin this guy’s reputation."

User 431: "Max is roasting the boyfriend so hard, I’m almost starting to feel bad for him."

User 432: "The sarcasm is too real. Sam’s boyfriend is either the worst or Max is trolling us all."

User 433: "Love how Max cares so much about Sam’s relationship, like he’s Sam’s bestie, haha"

User 434: “Max here trying to make us hate this guy before we even know who he is.”

Max clearly enjoyed running with the joke, and the fans ate it up. Every interview where he described this “terrible boyfriend,” he was just taking shots at himself, knowing that what he is speaking is the truth. Sam loved talking with Max at the end of the day about what Max now said online. Meanwhile, Christian and Newey are just smirking behind the scenes, amused by how long Max can keep this act going. Fans were none the wiser, and Max’s exaggerated, sarcastic digs only fueled the mystery further, making everyone even more desperate to figure out who Sam’s “boyfriend” really was.

[captain-kit-adventuress]

I haven't read any cozy fantasy, to be fair, but because these posts are mostly talking about the fundamentals of good writing while the fundamentals of cozy fantasy are taking more of a backseat, I feel comfortable throwing in my pov. I agree with all of the above, but I think we should probably add on discussion of why tension works even when stakes are low.

Given all of the GBBO mentions, let's liken writing a story to baking. So what differentiates a cake from bread from a biscuit from [insert thing here]? Mostly ratios. Cakes and breads and biscuits are all made with the same fundamental ingredients, for the most part, but the ratios of each differ greatly between them, as do some of the techniques used. A more traditional fantasy is mostly plot-driven. That's one ingredient. Of course, you still need character and setting and all the rest, but because a traditional fantasy tends to use a big window into its world, you'll need lots of plot and worldbuilding in the mix. There is The Quest or The Prophecy or The Villain's Downfall or The Hero's Redemption or whatever, and these kinds of story tropes require a lot of moving parts to get to the end. Character is still important in a plot-driven book because it will enrich whatever that plot is, but the big window you're opening will swallow up the characters if you're not careful to get the other ratios just right.

But a cozy fantasy isn't like that. The window is much smaller, and so the ratio of ingredients necessarily has to change. Tension vs stakes is a great way to think about that ingredient mix, but when you're shifting your main base, you also have to shift the ratios of the other ingredients or it's going to turn out wonky. With a smaller window generally comes a smaller (though no less important) story. We don't see as much of the world in a cozy setting, so focusing too much on worldbuilding might crowd out the other elements in the story and overpower them. What tends to fit well in a smaller window is character. But if you want to create tension instead of stakes--and it is incredibly important to know the difference between the two, as the above post illustrates well--you can't rely on plot so much. Tension is all about character.

The reason tension works in GBBO is not just because the characters care about the outcome, it's that we bond with them and care about it also. We want it to go well for them. (Or at least, go well for our favourites lol.) So with bland, uninspiring, nothing characters, even introducing tension isn't going to work well if readers have no reason to root for your characters, and wanting to see good in the world just won't cut it. In the case of the fantasy coffee shop idea, why do we care that this coffee shop survives? What makes the character care? What is the thing (or things) that makes the character get out of bed every day to run this shop? It doesn't have to be a big reason, either. It's not like it has to be to honour the memory of their dead mother whose dying wish was to own a shop like this, it needn't be dramatic. But it does have to feel like a real reason this person would be so motivated.

A different cozy genre that does this well is cozy mysteries, and those are all about characters. We always know there's going to be a murder (or at least the appearance of one). So that part of the plot is taken care of. What the author of a cozy mystery must do, then--besides solving the mystery--is tell us why that murder matters. The only question an author needs to answer before writing a cozy mystery after they've answered whodunit is why they did it. And you can only do that through the people that are still alive. The worldbuilding may contribute to it, but the murder doesn't matter except as it relates to the ones who are left in the aftermath.

Something I've noticed in recent years is that some authors are starting to approach independent stories like they do fanfic. To some extent, that's fine because good writing is good writing is good writing. One of the biggest differences between independent stories and fanfiction, however, is that fanfiction doesn't need a reason to exist. You can write that cute scene with no stakes and no tension and people will read it because it's like a deleted scene from the original, and it has all of the canon to support it. The existing canon is the primary reason fanfiction exists.

Independent stories are not like that. They must have a reason to exist outside of "this is cute and I like it." We readers don't have access to the world in your head in any other way than through the published material, and it's an author's responsibility when writing independent stories to give us that access. You have to show us why we should care, and if you're spending too much time worldbuilding and plotting and dialoguing and not enough time making us care about the people in the story, we're not going to be any wiser at the end, and tension vs stakes vs anything else isn't going to matter.

Cozy Fantasy and Why It Doesn't Work

I think I am among many who feel like they should love cozy fantasy and have found it an incredibly lacking genre.

This newly branded "cozy fantasy" genre that has taken readers by storm since 2020 and while it is new that books are now marketed as cozy, the genre itself isn't new. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a great example of the genre before it was labeled and also how to make it work.

Cozy fantasy is defined by many as fantasy with low stakes. Fantasy aesthetic but less sword fights. On paper, it sounds great. But the execution has been less than stellar for readers like me. The lack of physical stakes has also impacted the emotional stakes of these books, creating forgettable characters with boring problems. As a romance reader, I find this frustrating. Romance is known for being a predictable and formulaic genre, the now defunct Romance Writers of America defined romances as needing happy endings, a term romances have continued to follow. Yet these romance texts manage to have low physical stakes (how to date your neighbor, how to confront your toxic friends, etc) while still maintaining high personal stakes that keep readers invested and begging for more. So I was initially confused why cozy fantasy authors struggle to write texts that connect to readers like me.

I think I have found the answer which is the genre is just here for vibes. It is all about aesthetic, not even worldbuilding that fantasy is known for as most cozy fantasy I read have so many problems as soon as you ask one question. It is hard to acknowledge that a genre that is pitched to work for readers like me doesn't work for many of us. Especially because occasionally there is one that works beautifully to my taste.

I often say my favorite cozy fantasies that are more contemporary are short and visual, which I plays into the idea of the genre being an aesthetic. The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz is a good example because it is a simple story that is given the perfect amount of pages and gorgeous visuals without dragging on when the message is very clear and easy to understand. Books like The Phoenix Keeper and Legends and Lattes have absolutely nothing for me, their very clear message hitting the reader over and over so the readers don't miss it and focusing on the aesthetic of worldbuilding rather than the reality of the fantastic elements within the world.

I guess my point is. . . I realize this genre isn't for me since I have realized it is more of an aesthetic than anything. .. .but I want it to be. Should I let it go and put my efforts elsewhere? Or should I keep exploring this new trend and find the hidden gems?

[swee7dream]

dreamies as manhwa characters 𓍯𓂃𓏧♡

genres miscellaneous + headcanons triggers one mention of gagging (?) just to be safe . note purely for myself . i have no one to talk to about my 300+ reading list of shoujo manga/manhwa so you all get this .

mark lee (ᓀ‸ᓂ)

saebom from no office romance !

is it really mark lee-coded if it’s not (childhood) friends-to-lovers? exactly.

saebom and mark are walking green flags full of reasonable expectations, goofy mannerisms, and encouraging words even if it will not result in the best outcome for them personally

everyone loves them, it’s impossible to hate them!

even when their jokes are pity laugh-worthy with their loud barfing sounds and accidentally guilt-tripping gags

they mess up as all humans do but they always do their best to fix it as soon as possible to minimize damage.

they’re considerate of others but also (rightfully) proud of their work and aren’t shy to display it when the time is right. hashtag stream fraktsiya

huang renjun ૮ ˙Ⱉ˙ ა

cheol from after school lessons for unripe apples !

obviously i’m not thinking physically when i consider them similar.

but on the inside. on the inside… they are one.

they aren’t too open about their feelings. sometimes it feels like they don’t understand them themselves. and so they have a thin veil of mystique around them

it’s just nerves

they’re both just nervous guys who feel the need to protect everything at all times while also trying to hold back because, why should they? that’s not their job. they’re not getting paid for this.

but it’s just such an innate action on their part they just can’t help themselves !

they are responsible individuals who are just chaos magnets.

lee jeno ૮ .◜◡◝ა

zachary from a marriage of convenience !

men of little words. men of… easily misunderstandable words.

we’re not going to go into zachary’s story because if you haven’t read marriage of convenience i am on my knees begging you to

it’s easy to write them off as tsuns, especially with the way jeno treats jisung, but they’re NOT

they are such big lovers they will move heaven and earth for their loved ones and still be understanding if you ask for something else or more, even

they are well aware of their grand accomplishments, but also keep their eye fixed on their loved ones’ expectations, always making room for improvement

also… great physiques GUYS WHO SAID THAT TUMBLR BLOG SWEE7DREAM GOT HACKED GET THE NEWS REPORTERS

lee donghyuck ʕ˙Ⱉ˙‧:ʔ

kevin from spirit fingers !

specifically, more last arc kevin.

they’re silly, they’re clingy, they love their partner !!!!!!

the banter is always next level with them yet so are the dramatics and sulking.

their confidence is just attractive whether its romantic, platonic, whatever !

they know that no matter what they wear or if they have makeup on or not, their pretty privilege will cancel out the fact that there’s toilet paper clinging to the bottom of their shoes

their positivity is like a purifying beam to the people around them. their kind words and actions are done with the purpose to uplift the people around them.

you can’t have a low self-esteem around them, they are professional cheerleaders! hypemen! supporters!

how could you not love them?

na jaemin ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭

camute from the crow’s prince !

i was originally gonna put tamaki from ohshc but that’s like saying the sky is blue. we all know that, why beat a dead horse?

so, camute it is !

first of all, blond. they both eat up the hair color. blueprinted, invented, copywritten !

that aside, they are so open in communication it’s like you just got hit in the eyeball with a neobong with how much of a green flag they both are.

they won’t make you say anything you don’t want to say in the moment, but will make sure to get the point across that they expect to have a conversation about the subject in the near future because YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM.

they’re also highly protective to the point it’s SILLAY. they’re a sulky kind of jealous not a ‘i will lock you up in a basement in an abandoned mansion on the top of a remote mountain for making eye contact with Frank From Work’ kind of jealous

jaemin on bbl… ‘my bag is heavy :(’ ‘oh ur gonna help me? WRONG ANSWER. NEVER TRUST ANY MAN.’

so true king 💯

zhong chenle (ᯟ︿ᯏ)

kahir from i’m the tyrant’s secretary !

‘you love me? duh, of course you do.’

very positive self-perception. nothing can tear this man down. except you, even though he’ll act otherwise.

has a different standard than everyone else from clothes and technology to relationships. to them, it’s easy to act as if money is no object, instead placing more effort into the people that they care about.

their thoughtful gifts are sometimes extravagant to the eyes of anyone aside from themselves, but they really have a different standard of what is considered acceptable, especially if it is something that is going to belong to their loved ones.

don’t you realize how their gifts are also a reflection of themselves? how could they gift anything less than perfect????

quick to cut out anyone that could even be THOUGHT of as a bad influence around their people, and they’ve already warned and cut ties with the person for the simple claim of Bad Vibes (they’re right most of the time it’s actually creepy)

park jisung (∩˃o˂∩)

nadrika from i have fallen into a reverse harem game !

they’re just so soggy wet dog coded

jisung is a five-time loser of the modern public ridicule that is awsaz. you can tell him to do anything and he will, red-faced and sighing the entire time, but he’ll do it

there is just something so ‘aww :(’ about him that makes the people around him go ‘I WILL PROTECT YOU’ at their 5’11 height

they’re either in their own little world, thinking about what life would be like if they lived in saturn rather than earth, or staring at you like painted each star that dots the night sky as you speak

they do not think twice before sacrificing their pride and reputation for the sake of their loved ones (even if it is not asked of them), too shy to ask for but also too obvious to hide the fact they are expecting praise and affection in return

soggy wet dogs that are like 300 pounds but still want to be treated like lap dogs

[dangermousie]

OK, probably out of cussedness and an occasional sneaking fondness for a hate watch, I tried ep 2 of Luv Scout.

UMMMM

I can't stand the FL. The whole "competent at work and useless at anything else" is ridiculous and the fact that she doesn't bother to memorize any of her employees' names is GROSS AS FUCK. It would be one thing if she couldn't remember any names, because then it's just a memory issue across the board, but she can remember names of her targets which means the reason she doesn't remember her employees' names is because "it's not important enough" and that's gross. GROSS.

I don't mind bitchy or even evil characters (I was a huge fan of Princess Wanning in The Double and that woman was a torturing murderess) but the drama has to agree with my take that they are fucked up not go tee-hee quirky. Not to mention an unpleasant superior who tantrums hits a little too close to home for most modern people as compared to crazy period princess.

Also, I am almost never a fan of the secretary/assistant x boss dynamics for the couple because the power dynamics is so in your face and unless handled perfectly gives me the ick. So something like Secretary Kim worked for me in part because he was very grateful and attached and she was basically the boss in a lot of ways. But this is obviously not like that. She's rude as fuck to him - adults manage to be polite to others unless others deliberately were rude to them first.

PS WHO HIRES A HEADHUNTER TO BE IN CHARGE OF FINDING THE BEST ARCHITECT FOR THE TALLEST BUILDING IN ASIA?! This is insane. This is not how building projects work. Have these makers been dropped from Mars on our earth three months ago?

PPS This is not green flag or love behavior for ML (I've seen those comments), this is him desperately trying to keep a job. There is a difference. Do people think waiters solicitously pouring you a glass in hopes of a decent tip are green-flagging or wooing?

[cookie-lore-keeper]

Gonna do a thing where I show a cookie's ingredients and also an explanation on how they reproduce is in here

The witches have entrusted me with information on cookies, each cookie's ingredients, whether they're made by the witches or not, etc, etc. Boring stuff you probably don't care about. Let's just say I have too much time and too many old books in my archives (no relation to the City of Wizards. Mine are WITCHES archives).

But, I have the recipe for each Cookie on Earthbread, which shows how some of these cookies are made. Here's an example with Clover Cookie's ingredients!

We don't include the ingredients such as personality traits, talent, etc, since those are always fluctuating, and those are ingredients gathered through life. So, while Strawberry Crepe Cookie is right when they mention Clotted Cream Cookie's 2% connivingness, we tend not to include such things.

Strawberry jam, life powder, and flour are always present. Sometimes, we can use sugar substitutes, but not often.

Anyways, explaining how ingredients work.

Cookies made by other cookies and not by the witches have a unique way of producing other cookies. Cookies who want to have a child will use parts of their own dough (little parts so that it heals. Don't crumble your arm off!). Since this dough already contains life powder, strawberry jam and all the other vital things, the cookies don't need to go and seek it out (like many humans believe). Cookies will use various means to get the dough soggy again and good for baking. They will then search for other ingredients to add to the dough.

It's important to note that the offspring will always have some of the parents' ingredients. While many assume Tiger Lily Cookie has no juice in her dough, her dough actually contains both juice and berries! Her Resonate Ingredient, a Tiger Lily, is just more prominent.

A Resonate Ingredient can be both added or might even just be there before extra ingredients are added. Dark Cacao Cookie, as an example. His resonate Ingredient is a Dark Cacao Bean, but his son, Dark Choco Cookie's, resonate Ingredient is a Dark Cocoa Bean, because the process of baking him roasted and processed the bean(s) in his dough. Even though Dark Cacao Cookie most likely bred asexually and didn't tamper with the dough much, the Resonate ingredient was still different (even if still a bit similar).

Parents can shape the flavor and scent of their young by their ingredients. A child won't always have the same flavor or scent as it's parents.

Once complete, the dough is put into a special oven built for them (usually found in hospitals and such), where the fresh dough can safely be baked. The process allows all the mixed material to form, including the life powder, which gives the baby Cookie life. Then, out comes a baby dough.

Even out of the oven, the dough is still a bit soft. Don't worry though. It'll harden with time. It's important for freshly baked dough to get a lot of sunlight so their dough remains crunchy and healthy.

Cookies can breed asexually and even have more than 2 parents because of this procedure. If two or more cookies want to have a child together, they each take parts of their dough off and mix it together.

This was all used just so I could show Clover Cookie's ingredients, but I got too excited to explain Cookie Reproduction... But, if you want to see more pages from my ingredients book, just ask me!

[calsappstore]

COLUMBINE ICEBERG (PT 3)

Third shooter: A theory that has been quite active for years is that Columbine High School Massacre was committed by three people. There are people who thought they saw more than just two shooters; I read somewhere that both Eric and Dylan had trench coats on in the beginning, but later on took them off, so maybe that is why they thought they saw more people. A man that is oftentimes mentioned, particularly by witnesses was Robert Perry (he was known to have terrible acne, crooked teeth and his behavior would lead people to describe him using negative terms). The hypothesis here would be that people mistook Perry for Klebob (both have similar height and long hair). Another person who was believed to be that third shooter is Chris Morris (leader of the trench coat mafia and someone who openly hated the school and the people in it), another man who was believed to the potential third shooter is Joseph Stair, he would partake in the trench coat mafia, but he had graduated a year prior. Stair was known to be a weirdo and also expressed hatred for the school. From my understanding, a few kids that belong to the TCM (Trench Coat Mafia) did talk to Eric and Dylan on AoL about guns, they would make pipe bombs for fun, but Eric and Dylan knew enough about guns and explosives to pull the attack alone. Eye Witnesses oftentimes make mistakes in identifying suspects, and that is okay, obviously everyone was in a stressful (to put it mildly) situation, it truly is no one’s fault; also, Mandela effect is a thing, a few people recalled Klebob, Perry or Stair being around 6,8 feet (none of them were that tall) or the shooters wearing balaclavas (there is no evidence that either Eric or Dylan wore that).

REBDOOMER and Harris' Wads: Eric Harris loved Doom, he wrote about the game, even in his school papers. He talks about how what he could not do in real life, he would do in Doom. Even in his AoL profile, Doom is written as being a major part of his life, describing himself as a “professional doomer”. His fascination with the game went so far, he wrote letters to ID Software (the developers of Doom) and even had copies of the Doom novels. REBDOOMER was one of Harris’ most infamous AoL profiles. Eric built a website to showcase his Doom wads (acronym for where’s all the data, it is a file format used by Doom, you start with an IWads and then graduate to a Pwad). This is relevant because Eric modded several wads for Doom 2 (Deathmatching in Bricks, Mortal Kombat Doom, Killer and Station) and at least one for the game Quake.

REB and VoDkA: These were the names that Eric and Dylan went by. Eric was Reb because he liked the idea of being a Rebel, also, the word Rebel was used in the school’s teams for basketball, baseball and football. Eric used to be a soccer player in his freshman and sophomore year of high school, where Dylan would eventually join him. Eric really liked soccer, he left the Columbine soccer team, but joined an extracurricular soccer team called “The Colorado Rush”. Harris went frequently by REB (spelled in all capitals) at work and online, a few people at work did not even know his real name, to them, that guy was just REB. Eric was rather attached to his nickname, contrary to Dylan, who did not care that much about being called VodKa. Quite a few people have noted that REB and VodKa were alter egos, so when they vandalised something or did any rebellious act, they were not Eric and Dylan, but REB and VodKa, which makes sense. Whatever the case, the names unquestionably played an important part in the event.

Austin Eubanks: Another highly recognisable survivor of the massacre, he happened to be in the library when the worst of the massacre took place, Austin was really good friends with Corey DePooter, who sadly lost his life. Austin was next to DePooter and had to witness his friend being tragically shot. Eubanks was also shot in the hand and knee, but he managed to survive the attack. Austin’s story is quite sad, he got addicted to prescription medicine, he attended treatment in 2006 and then later in 2011, in hopes of getting better. For a while, he got better and he worked at an addiction treatment center and was a voice for recovery. However, unfortunately, in 2019, Eubanks was found dead in his home due to an OD. I sincerely hope he was able to find the peace he deserved.

Survivor/ Witness Accounts: A lot of information that we know to this day is thanks to the witness and survivors’ accounts. Many of them have courageously told their stories to help shape the event. There is not a lot to say here because this is pretty self explanatory.

We are Columbine: On the topic of survivors, “we are columbine” is a documentary released in 2018, it featured survivors’ testimonies. They tell their stories and how the event affected their lives. Due to everything, classes were moved and suspended until the crime scene was cleaned up. When these students went back to their high school, they walked in chanting “We are Columbine” to restore the school pride. A couple of students made a flag with the Columbine flower and the slogans “we are columbine” and “we strive to survive” written on it. The flag was a symbol that although they were to move forward, they would never forget the lives that were tragically lost that day.

Klebob’s drinking: Dylan Klebob really lived up to his nickname of VoDKa, he liked to drink and was proud if it. On his diversion file, when asked if he’s ever drank or used drugs by himself, he responded yes “alcohol a couple times” but he says that he never experienced withdrawal and that he never used them with members of his family. He states that the first use of alcohol or marihuana was at age 15, but he did say it was with his brother (so did he or did he never use it with a member of his family?) at their house, and that Dylan was curious about what alcohol tasted like. Likewise, when asked about his relationship with alcohol, he states that he was “careful with it”. Dylan had to take random urine scans, during his whole diversion program, which lasted for about a year. All of them came back negative. In his first journal entry, he described being drunk with a screwdriver, he explains that alcohol is cleansing for him, in a moral sort of way. Klebob’s drunkness can be seen throughout his writings, as he would make spelling mistakes and say things that are absolutely unhinged. Dylan did not use alcohol as means to socialize, he drank as a remedy, which would make him more dependant on it later in life. Some signs of alcohol use disorder that he displayed were: problems at school (falling grades, complaints from staff, reports of cutting class and absences), mood changes (issues with depression, irritability and anger), uncharacteristic periods of lethargy and low energy; changes in weight and withdrawals from family (but some people act like this when they’re sober).

Rebel Missions: Eric, Dylan and Zack (REB, VoDKa and KIBBZ) would TP houses, set off small explosives and superglue door handles, in an attempt to get back to those who bothered them. Eric was defined as the instigator, as these typically happened around Eric’s neighbourhood and to people Eric seemed to have a vendetta against. However, in 1998, the Brown family made a report about a garage window that had been broken by a paintball gun, Eric was named as the prime suspect, but it is worth noting that there is no proof that this was done by him.

Rachel’s drawing: Rachel Scott, the first victim of the attack, was a 17 year old christian girl known for her kindness and compassion towards others. The day of the shooting, Scott drew a picture of some eyes with tears that end up becoming blood. This drawing is significant and many people interpret it as her having some form of premonition on what’s to come. Overall, it tends to be seen as a rather eerie coincidence.

There’s part 3, this is for educational purposes only.