#but honestly the more languages the better

[richarlotte]

What do you think makes your friends so magnetic?

It’s because they’re genuinely interesting, funny, well-rounded women. They’re not just people who you want to get to know better; they’re people you look up to and want to be. They’re put together, qualified, educated, and great to be around. They all have goals, they’re all motivated, and they’ve all had experiences that they’ve allowed to shape them for better or worse. They’re all confident in who they are, and they all have passion projects and interests that they’ve spent hours pouring themselves into.

Twilly has her travel blog, her zine, her poetry, her cooking, and her fascination with other cultures and ways of life. She’s rarely afraid of taking action or doing something new, and I’m proud to call her my bravest friend. She leaps at the chance to do new things, goes to parts unknown, and vibrancy and creativity are her life’s goals. She’s an amazing person to get to know.

Camilla speaks seven languages (not including English), has walked at Copenhagen Fashion Week, and is amazing with people. She’s always talking about interning for Condé Nast, how she’d style people, what she’s experienced, and how she’s honed her eye for aesthetics and design. I honestly believe that Camilla has the potential to become one of the best fashion editors and artistic directors of our generation.

Those are just two examples, but having a clear image of the sort of woman you’d like to be one day and doing what it takes to build your confidence and your personality, finding what makes life feel better for you (having passions and hobbies), and learning how to convey your emotions and converse with people are some of the steps you need to take. People are drawn to people who they are genuinely interested in; that’s always been the case and always will be. Part of making yourself interesting is being someone people want to hear more from, being able to speak about yourself without coming off as pompous, actively trying to engage with the world around you, and building quality relationships with more people.

[the-astronome]

Apparently unpopular opinion, but what I can judge from the screenshots we got today, the Capital is not just St. Petersburg, it’s more of a melange between St. Petersburg and Moscow. (Tbh, we got just one shot of the capital, so any opinion here is not really objective, but whatever)

Okay, so there is this:

My first thought was “wow is that inspired by Nevsky or by Tverskaya?”. (i. e. Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg and Tverskaya Street in Moscow). Consensus on Twitter is that this photo stinks of Nevsky vibes, however, I would like to point out several things, e. g. there are no sunny days in St Petersburg from architecture of the two Russian capitals to game design decisions made to create an atmosphere of a certain time period.

1) Architecture

I recall some people seeing the picture above and instantly suggesting Nevsky as an inspiration behind. I would like to point out, especially to the people who’d never been to either of the cities, that Moscow and St. Petersburg partly resemble each other (dear people of St. Petersburg - I know, sacrilegious of me to compare you with greedy Muscovites, no I’m not sorry).

Moscow is not only the Seven Sisters and modern skyscrapers. Petersburg is not only 200-300 y.o. buildings. Both cities underwent major changes during 19th and 20th centuries, both cities eventually adopted a somewhat similar style, a mix of late empire (1910s) and early soviet rule (1920s-1930s). Moreover, in many cases, these are even the same buildings, with a ground level from say 1913 and other floors from e.g. 1927. I’ll do you one better, if you compare historical districts of major cities of former Russian empire (e.g. Kyiv or Minsk), you’ll see the same thing. Yes, they’re not identical, but you can clearly see this specific architectural style of 1910-1920s.

Coming back to our screenshot above, I definitely can see Nevsky Prospect influence. However, when I saw those little decorative towers, they immediately reminded me of Tverskaya. I did some digging, and hey, there is actually something similar there:

Yes, not identical, but again, imo design of the Capital is done with goal to remind you of something you saw, not a copy, but close enough to understand the influence, to get the atmosphere of the city.

2) Historical aspect

Okay, from now on it’s my deluded gibberish, but hear me out. Considering the technologies presented in Pathologic (antibiotics, that massive ass artillery gun from P1 which honestly suspiciously looks like Schwerer Gustav), the game can be placed somewhere vaguely in 1920s-1930s. Taking into account what kind of language characters speak (for instance, Dankovsky speaks in a very specific manner, such Russian is more found in literature, than in actual spoken language. The same applies for most of the Utopians), lack of soviet-specific abbreviations and vocabulary, we can say that apparently October Revolution never happened. To be honest, Daniil wouldn’t survive the Revolution or early Soviet rule (read about repressions against intellectuals or the infamous Philosopher’s steamer)

You can argue: “but hey, isn’t Pathologic just a theatre play where such details don’t matter?”. Yes and no. Because it’s a theatre play, many otherwise important details are omitted. However, developers drop hints here and there, to set the tone and visually convey what kind of country and society they’re talking about. No offence to non-russian-speaking fans, but I’m still convinced that IPL still considers russian-speaking countries their primary audience. This leads to certain design choices, including architecture of the Capital.

In my opinion, IPL had to mix visuals of Moscow and St. Petersburg in order to convey a certain vibe. You see, since it’s somewhat suggested that revolution didn’t happen, developers have to utilise aesthetics of 1910s culture to show that we are talking about “Russia” from works of Gorky, Chekhov, and Bunin. At the same time, IPL have to add elements of early soviet culture, so the game world doesn’t look like weird 1910s with antibiotics and far too much advanced technologies.

How’s that connected to the Capital? Russian capital in late empire was St. Petersburg. In later years - Moscow. Moreover, if we are talking about Dankovsky as a character, his design (among other things) is heavily influenced by works of Bulgakov. But in Russian mindset Bulgakov is tightly associated with 1920s Moscow, you just can’t escape it. So, consequently, IPL decide not to sacrifice one for another, and just mix the two capitals, stylistically, in order to create the desired impression on the player.

We’ll see if all that is at least partially true from P3. Hopefully, even from the upcoming demo.

[sinnabarmoth]

Tribute for the Dragon (6/18)

Pairing: Dragon|Sylus x Fem|Reader

Summary: After the events of the hot spring you take to avoiding Sylus. It goes well until your accidentally wander somewhere you shouldn't have been.

Content Warnings: Adult language.

Length: 2k

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Read on AO3

“I am going to hurl myself off the mountain.” you muttered into your pillow. “I’m really gonna do it. I can’t go back out there and face him now. My only option is death now.”

You had been hiding back in your bedroom since that morning. You knew you technically had duties but you could not bring yourself to leave the room. When you thought about what happened back in the hot spring your entire body got heated.

It was one thing to have your own little forbidden fantasies that confused you but it was another to actually live them! You couldn’t act like Sylus wasn’t attractive. He was. If he were human then you probably wouldn’t be feeling so conflicted about it. But he is at least part dragon and while it looked like the only differences were cosmetic ones, you had not taken into account that there would be biological differences too!

He could really smell when you were aroused! That was beyond unfair! Now what were you supposed to do? Apparently if you got aroused you stunk up the entire mountain! You would reek and he’d know and how were you  meant to go about your normal duties knowing that at any moment you could have a sudden fleeting desire and he’d pick up on it like a hunting dog tracking a rabbit!

Then his offer to help! Dear gods above, you were going to get aroused again if you thought of the implications.

Maybe it would be fine. You could survive this. Knowing what you knew now the lust would eventually fade and things could go back to normal. He’d get bored of teasing you and--

No. He would not get bored of teasing you. It was stupid to think otherwise. But he may at least stop making blatant comments about it at some point.

With that in mind you decided to be brave and go back to your work. You were just going to do your best to avoid Sylus until you felt that you could be normal about this again. And avoid him you did. You crept through the tunnels like you were a thief in the night. The moment you heard him you darted in the other direction.

When it came to preparing meals you cooked them, shouted that the food was ready, and took off again. And you knew that Sylus could tell that you were avoiding him. If he really wanted to he would come seek you out wherever you were. For whatever reason he was letting you play this out. Perhaps he found it humorous or maybe he understood why you were doing it and was giving you that space. It was impossible to say which was correct.

All you knew was that the thought of seeing him made your skin alight and your legs tremble. Honestly, knowing that he could sniff out your desire made you feel aroused more often now. It was like when your foot was itchy but you didn’t realise it was itchy until you thought about it. If he had never said anything you probably would have been fine.

You didn’t know how long you could keep this up. Something had to give.

Then one day you were walking about the mountain when you heard Sylus coming down the same hall. You panicked and ducked into the closest room to you. At the time you hadn’t noticed the X carved over the archway.

You ducked inside, pressing yourself into the shadows waiting for him to pass. You stared into the darkness of the room and slowly your eyes adjusted. It looked like an empty spacious room. The only thing you could make out was the glint of metal further in.

Your curiosity got the better of you, no longer worried about Sylus coming down the hall and got closer. In the wane light you were able to make out what was there. It was an old chest. No shiny adornments on it or anything, just plain wood and iron.

Why was this in here all by itself? You glanced back at the doorway. You didn’t hear Sylus. He must have passed by.

Slowly you hefted the lid, the hinges creaked loudly as if they had not been moved in years. Perhaps they hadn’t. You had to squint and angle the chest towards the light from the doorway but you could make out a few things inside. Most of it was some old books and clothes but there were two things that caught your eye. One was a large piece of what looked to be an eggshell and the other was a shining gold pendant. Pendant was the wrong word. The disc you held in your hands was as wide as a dinner plate on a chain as thick as a rope.

It was dazzling. It almost seemed to glow in the darkness, a thin shine of red coming off of it. The design on the face was simple but masterfully done. Swirling designs crisscrossed the surface into some looping star shape.

Why would Sylus keep something like this in here and not the hoard room?

“Are you done snooping?”

Shit!

You froze, dropping the pendant back in the chest and closing the lid. Sylus was standing behind you, silhouetted in the door. You couldn’t see his face against the shadows but the ice in his voice was indicator enough that he was pissed. “I told you not to come in here.”

“Sorry.” you blurted out. “It was an accident.”

“And was it an accident when you went through my things?” he stalked further into the room.

“No…I just saw the chest and my curiosity got the best of me. I’m sorry. Really I am.”

“Well, I hope it was worth it. Now get out.”

In all the time that you had been here, this was the only time you had heard him genuinely angry. Your heart clenched and you held your arms close to your chest.

“Yes, master.” you squeaked out and fled the room as fast as your feet could carry you.

You did not see Sylus for the rest of the day and this time it wasn’t because you were avoiding him. He had disappeared from the mountain again. The room, when you walked past it later, had been blocked off with a mountain of rubble. Whatever that room was, whatever was in that chest meant, it was clear that Sylus did not want you in there again.

You felt guilty about looking through his things. There was no excusing your actions and if you had been smarter about it you would have never touched that chest. You would have recognized you were in a room you shouldn’t have been in and left the moment you were sure Sylus was gone. But now he was angry with you and you did not know how that would affect things between you.

This was arguably worse than the whole masturbation debacle. At least you knew where you stood with him regarding that. Now, you were scared. Not of him. You didn’t think he would hurt you. But you were worried that he would put you at a distance now. What if all you ever were to him from here on out was a servant? What if he decided he didn’t want you around anymore? Would he send you back to the village?

“Damn it.” you sighed. “I have to talk to him.”

You searched the mountain but like you had suspected earlier, he was missing. Probably gone on another flight. You went to the entrance and sat down. He’d come back at some point and you’d be waiting.

~~~

Sylus had been trying to give you the space you so desperately wanted after what happened in the hot spring. You were embarrassed and nervous, he expected that. But he had been sure you would get over it in time. So he let you hide and run, partly amused by how nervous you were.

Then he had caught you in that room. There were few places he didn’t want you treading, most of them were for safety reasons. The room that you went into though trying to hide from him was one that he had marked off for personal reasons. What he kept in there was for his eyes only. At least it was until you opened that chest.

He had seen what you were holding and all he wanted was for you to drop it. Forget everything you had seen.

When you looked at him…what he saw…what he smelled even. You were scared. Scared of him. The sour stench followed you out of the room. He didn’t want that. You were never supposed to be scared of him.

He went to the chest, checking the contents inside and slammed the lid shut once more. He then blocked up the entrance so no one could enter again. There was no reason for anyone to be going in there. Never again.

That sour stench of your fear was still in the hall. “Damn it.” he didn’t want to be here when the mountain smelled like this. It only reminded him of that terrified look you had thrown at him. You had looked so helpless, so small. The only time he had seen you look half as scared was when you first came to the mountain in that ridiculously extravagant dress and the makeup that had sweated off your face. But then, that fear had never been directed at him. You had always been so strong and so brave about everything that happened to you.

With one look he was scared that he had destroyed the trust you had put in him. What if you wanted to return to the village now? If you were truly that unhappy he would let you go in an instant. But the mountain would be so quiet without you. He needed to correct this before you were too far gone. But he also needed to clear his own head first.

He stayed out in the sky, flying without direction. He hadn’t noticed how long he had been gone until the sun started to set in the sky. He immediately turned back, hoping that he could catch you before you went to sleep.

It was dark when he returned. The mountain no longer smelled of your fear. And to his surprise, there you were.

You were at the mouth of entrance, propped against the stone wall, eyes closed as you slept. Had you been waiting for him?

“You didn’t need to wait out here,” he murmured to your sleeping face. He shook his head and gently scooped you up into his arms to take you back to the bedroom.

He had just gotten you back to the bedroom when you started to rouse, your eyes opened and squinted up at him. “Sylus? Where did you go?” you said through a yawn.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m back.” he set you on the bed.

“I’m sorry.” you rolled over to keep looking at him.

“I know you are. Go back to sleep.” he pulled the blankets up around you. He turned to leave but you caught him by his hand. “What is it?”

“I really am sorry. I don’t know what it was about that room or that chest that you didn’t want me to see but I do feel bad about going through it. I just…” your hand gripped his tighter, “I guess part of me looked through it because I wanted to know more about you.”

Sylus had not been expecting this. “What do you mean?” he asked, kneeling next to the bed so you were eye level.

“For as long as I’ve been here the most I feel I know about you is your name.” you said. “I don’t feel like I know anything else.”

“You wish to know my past?”

“Not even that.” you sighed, “I just want to know you. If I am to spend the rest of my life here, I may as well know the only person I may ever get to talk to.”

The rest of your life…

You weren’t asking to go back to the village. That’s all that mattered to him.

“That is fair enough.” Sylus said. “You may ask as many questions as you want, in the morning though. Then we can both get to know one another better.”

You smiled, it was sleepy and small but you had smiled at him. “Good.” your eyes closed again.

He looked down and saw your hand was still curled around his claw as you drifted on back to sleep. “What a strange little human you are.”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I always repeat it but I truly love the way you write Leona ☹️ you portray not only his personality but also his inner thoughts and how he processes information around him so well... I love all your writings but specially your Leona related works (sorry for being very much biased)

I hold your Leona interpretation so close to my heart 🤲💛 I often see a lot of mischaracterization (and I kind of get it- he's hard to decipher sometimes), so seeing such a good portrayal that I feel encapsulates his whole being is so important to me ☹️☹️

[Not sure if this is feedback in response to a particular writing piece I did, but just in case, this Leona interaction was the most recent one before receiving this ask.]

cbjddbwkkeoqhd Thank you!! I try to do the same thing Yana did when first conceptualizing the Twst characters… I try to put myself in their shoes and wonder what it must be like to be them in a given situation. The example Yana provided in one interview was something along the lines of, The poison apple didn’t want to be poisonous, but the Evil Queen forced it to. How did that make the apple feel? I want to think about not only how someone would speak, but also about their body language, their thoughts, their emotions, previous interactions in similar scenarios, their life experiences, their goals, their strengths and their flaws, how those can color their perception of others and the world--everything that makes up a character! I also aim to make my dialogue distinguishable, even if there's no name attached to it. If you can swap out several other character's names and the dialogue still works, then the intended character's voice isn't coming through strong enough and I rewrite it from scratch. If I write "You've earned my brother's respect," that's not good enough for me. It has to be “Oh, would you look at that. You’ve gone and earned my dear onii-sama’s respect and admiration. How good for you," to properly convey Leona's sarcasm and haughtiness.

The Twst characters are all very complex and multifaceted (particularly those we're given the most detailed backstories about *stares at the OB boys*), and there's also tons of content to comb through between the all the characters, main story, vignettes, events, and additional materials (interviews, art books, mangas, light novel, etc.). As a result, it can be easy to overlook elements of a particular character or to simplify/condense characters--either making them the extreme of being too cruel or the other extreme of being too kind--to make them easier to write. It takes time to nail that characterization, so I encourage my fellow writers to keep trying ^^

To speak a little more about writing Leona! It's honestly hard because you have to balance his arrogance with his lack of motivation and his depression-like beliefs about himself without whiplashing between those components. He's also very intelligent, and those kinds of characters can be difficult to do, especially for inexperienced writers. Leona works in subtle ways to get what he wants, and you have to find a way to communicate that between himself and the reader, but not give away what he's scheming to the other characters involved, who are not in his headspace. Then, of course, there's that whole ongoing debate about whether Leona would treat women significantly "better" than men (which is a topic worthy of a whole separate discussion post; I won't get into that here since it would elongate this post by a ton)... There's several things to consider when writing him. If you enjoy my interpretation of Leona, then that makes me happy ^^ I genuinely do put forth a lot of effort to capture the characters in my writing, so it's nice when those efforts are recognized.

[kiwiana-writes]

that bookmark script you shared is magic omg and i guess i know what im gonna do this sunday!! i wanna ask if you have a few more magic scripts you can share that's gonna make ao3 better? thank you so much!!!!

I do! First of all I honestly just highly recommend browsing GreasyFork specifically for AO3 scripts, because everyone uses the site differently, but apart from the bookmark maker I already shared, here's the ones I use:

AO3 floating comment box: this lets you enable a little… well, floating comment box that you can copy/paste particular lines from the work into as you read if you want to leave those amazing 'quote a line and scream' comments a bit easier

AO3 Word Count Script: this one adds word counts to chapter links on AO3 Chapter Index pages and in stats on each chapter page. I actually use this more for bookbinding than for reading, because I am an 'entire work on by default' sort of reader lmao.

AO3 Rekudos Converter: this one's fun! If you click the 'kudos' button on a fic you've already kudosed, it will give you the option to instead leave a random comment from a selection of comments. You can confirm that you want to leave the rekudos comment, but you DON'T get to pick or edit - it will just automagically post it. I believe the default rekudos comments are "Extra Kudos<3", "This is an extra kudos, since I've already left one. :)", "I just wanted to leave another kudos<3" but you can customise that list, and I have haha.

AO3 Display what chapter a comment is on in inbox: This also does what it says on the tin and in your AO3 inbox, will show which chapter a comment was left on (if it's a oneshot, it will show 'chapter 1'). Great for comments on multichaps and especially if you're a co-writer looking to only reply to comments on the chapters you wrote lol (I know at least one friend who uses it for exactly that purpose)

I also have one I use as a writer which is one I coded myself (so isn't on GreasyFork sorry!!!) which activates on the new work page, and does the following: sets the rating to Explicit, archive warnings to No Archive Warnings Apply, fandom to RWRB bookverse, category to M/M, and relationship to Alex/Henry (because let's be real, that's most of what I write); adds a template to the summary and beginning author notes fields; adds the link to my tumblr in the ending author notes fields; sets the language to English; sets commenting permissions to guests and registered users; sets the skin to my default work skin that includes EVERYTHING. I can always go back and change any of those things if I want to, but it's just a bit of a time-saver! During Kinktober I also added a bit to this script to also add the fic to my Kinktober 2024 collection, because that's all I was writing that month anyway lmao.

[tea-cat-arts]

Now that Honkai part 1 is over, I really hope Mihoyo dubs it in more languages. I know that it’d be a lot of catch-up work, but it’s just a very text heavy game and it’s an absolute bitch to get through if you’re like me and have both adhd and eye tracking issues so I think it would make the game a lot more accessible

[talaofthevalley]

I have no clue why they didn't make Amity more akin to a rival character instead of a bully. Because it would have solved A Lot of problems in regards to Amity and Willow, and Lumity becoming a thing.

The thing is that Lumity feels Super Weird at the start when Luz is trying to befriend Amity long before the girl shows any remorse for bullying Willow and making up for it. And it's not something easily brushed off when Amity is introduced being condescending and a dick to Willow. The bullying isn't something of the past, it's still going on.

Willow comes off as an afterthought in this dynamic, when she's the one who's been wronged by Amity the most. Their arc never feels like it resolves itself either, it just kinda peeters out.

If you've watched Little Witch Academia, Diana is who I think Amity should have emulated more. Diana is the top student at the school, she's stern and no-nonsense, a bit stuck-up, she comes from a prestigious family, she gets in conflict with the protagnoist, Akko, not because of bullying but because they have very different personalities and butt heads because of it. Akko considers Diana her rival, but this is one-sided on her part.

Willow and Amity could still have been friends in the past, but Amity instead pointedly ignores Willow's existence after their friendship has ended. She doesn't call out her friends for bullying Willow(that would make it seem like she cares) but she doesn't participate or encourage it. She's still not a good person, she still has to apologise to Willow, but changing their relationship from 'active bullying' to 'pretending Willow doesn't exist' would do a lot going forward for them I think. Still terrible, but more palatable in my eyes.

[brucie-baby]

also could you talk more about the violence as language thing for the batfam? I'm very interested in that and still new to the comics so I don't think I've picked up on it yet

Absolutely, I can!! It's pretty explicitly stated at one point, actually. I can give a couple examples.

Bruce hits Tim in #71, and this conversation happens in #81:

[Bruce says: "It was a message. Part of their training. A language. I teach them, when we spar, how we can communicate through blows. In case someone's watching. We were in plain sight. The blow told the bat-family to go quiet, to switch to other, more secure comms. In the meantime, I pursued Bane, knowing I would be defeated. I wanted them to break me, to see me broken. So that I might discover a way to defeat them outside of their watching eyes."]

I don't recall the language being explicitly mentioned at any other time but another example of this that I love is in Batgirl #50:

[Barbara says: Then why? Why in the name of god did you put yourself and Cassandra through that?" Bruce says: "Because she needed it. We both did." Barbara says: "What? Are you saying it was all some kind of screwed-up therapy session?" Bruce says: "What other therapy would Cassandra understand? She grew up with no other contact apart from violence. Fighting is her language, Barbara. The core of her being... of her soul. She had things she needed to get off her chest. And so did I." Barbara says: "You're crazy." Bruce says: "So they say. But it works."]

The thing about with these two is that violence is Cass' first language and Bruce's chosen language. It draws a lot of parallels between not only Bruce&Cass but also Bruce&Cain (but that's a post for another time).

I think it plays a big part in why Cass and Bruce click so well, because they both speak violence. It's a part of them. Bruce just doesn't always understand that while they're similar in this regard, they are not the same, and so he sometimes misunderstands what exactly Cass needs.

Also, I may be remembering this wrong (someone please correct me if I am), but there's a point in Batgirl (2000) where Cass is essentially like 'kill me because dying would fix me', and she's right. It does help her.

There's also this, from the Bruce Wayne - Murderer? storyline:

[Dick, attacking Bruce: "Aren't you even going to try to hit me? Acknowledge me! Damn it, Bruce!"]

I could go into real detail about these panels but honestly I think it's better to read the whole story yourself (very much recommend Murderer/Fugitive, love it). One thing I will mention, however, is that this is after Bruce is like 'Bruce Wayne is a mask, I'm Batman' and Dick is like 'Okay well if that's true then who am I the adopted son of? Who raised me?'

I just think the different ways you can interpret this fight are so interesting. Is it just Dick's anger? Is this Dick trying to prove that Bruce Wayne is not a mask, that he has people he cares for? Is it Dick trying to see how far gone Bruce is? Is it Dick being so used to speaking through violence with Bruce that this is the only way he can talk to him right now? Is the violence so normal that hitting Dick would prove that Bruce is still in there somewhere, still feeling, or would it prove that he truly isn't Bruce anymore? I have my own thoughts on this, but like I said, I recommend reading the whole thing for yourself and finding your own interpretation (it mostly depends on the version of Bruce in your head, to be honest).

The only thing that's definitive here is that the fight is a conversation. By the end of it, Dick has reached a conclusion. It's an argument and a heart-to-heart and a lecture and a vent all in one.

Overall, Bruce finds it easier to speak through blows than words. Maybe this is because he was exposed to violence at a young age, not raised by parents but an employee who allowed him to find himself through fighting and training and discipline. Whatever it was, the violence as a language started with Bruce and was given to his children. Bruce sees this in Cass and finds a kindred spirit. Bruce may not like violence, but he thrives in it.

[viric-dreams]

I may have lost this painting when I quit my drawing programme, but I can offer a small writing snippet to accompany the WIP screenshot, so it's not all gone to waste:

“What are you painting?”

Tamara hadn’t heard Ockham come in, but the way the corners of her vision shift around her, harsh lines of light softening to a dreamy blur, she should’ve realised it much sooner.

“It’s the view from my bedroom balcony. In Varchas,” she says, choosing her words carefully in a tongue that still feels foreign and clunky.

Ockham squints, studying the painting with a furrowed brow, and the expression suddenly reminds her of her auntie. Tamara shakes her head, dismissing the illogical comparison. They clearly look nothing alike. They shouldn’t, at least.

Ockham’s hand traces along the line of a wall of mirrors, where it intersects with a planter containing long dead greenery, careful not to touch the still wet paint. She’s suddenly aware that the perspective on the planter is off, and makes a mental note to fix it as soon as she’s able.

“It is not a very nice view,” Ockham finally says.

Although it’s a somewhat rude thing to say, it’s not entirely wrong. There was nothing special or aesthetically pleasing about the view. She’d barely paid it any mind herself, in all of the years she’d lived and slept in that room. The part of her brain that had been slowly developing since she’d picked up this new hobby urged her to move some elements, give the piece stronger tones than the monotonous muddy yellow characteristic of Varchaasi evenings. But that would go against the aim of painting it in the first place.

“It is not a very nice view, no. But it’s the one I had, and if I don’t paint it how it was, I fear one day I won’t remember how it really looked like anymore.”

Ockham’s studying her now, and she wishes, not for the first time, that she had any insight into her flatmate and companion’s mind, whether it even worked the same way as a real person’s would. If Ockham would find her thought offensive.

“Ok.”

“Ok?” she repeats, confused.

“Ok,” Ockham nods, then moves away from the painting towards the door, “I go now on the market. Is there something not on the list that we need?”

She nods no, then catches herself and changes the motion.

“No, nothing.”

“Ok.”

Ockham is gone again. This time she hears the door click closed. With a sigh, she draws her brush across the canvas, determined to fix that planter before it cements itself as warped in her memories.

[expatesque]

Being (nearly) 30 is so weird because like, the men around my dad's age who previously were no nuisance to me because they filtered me (correctly) into 'too young' are now not as concerned.

[qtubbo]

Btw I really do not want anymore english players in actual qsmp (unless it ends up like spanish players and they all disappear into the void) but if you like creator go check out their actual works outside of purgatory, a lot of the people added have a history with mcrp or stream a lot on their own :]

[spearxwind]

Honestly though sickness aside this was such a fun end of the year for what honestly is probably the best year of my life so far ngl

ive been getting into a lot of different things, having fun, being loved by a lot of people, i really couldnt ask for anything else

[jedibongrip]

a (semi)minor pet peeve of mine in fic writing/fanart spaces is when people tag anything to do with wearing feminine clothes or having a vagina as 'feminization.' like yeah, you can be feminizing someone while they wear a dress or as they engage in sexual acts with their vagina, but neither of those things NECESSARILY INHERENTLY equal feminization!!!

clothes are always gender-neutral!!!! a man wearing a dress is not necessarily a man who is feminizing themself or being feminized, even if theyre having sex!!! having a vagina does not automatically make a person feminized too!!!! having a vagina is also gender-neutral!!! even if terms like 'pussy' or 'cunt' are used, that does not equal femininity or an alignment with womanhood!!!

like i GET what people are trying to say when they say 'no feminization' or whatever but, its like. all it does is tell ME that THEY are unable to conceptualize clothing and bodies outside of the colonial gender binary. get a more exciting gender then write porn

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

I don’t get why people feel like the Duolingo owl is threatening, if I ever feel like he is I just get mad at him. I could fight an owl. I don’t know if I’d win, but I don’t think I’d lose (two things that can apparently coexist). I think I’d survive at least and that’s not really winning but also not losing.

You wanna be so threatening? Da bør du drepe meg!

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

rewatching 13s era for me is not so much diminishing returns as it is something opposite and eviler...............increasing losses? increasing losses

[astro-g0re]

I went on a half rant about how Meulin could've been so much better deaf representation if only a little more research was put behind her being written and if she wasn't only a joke character, but I don't think Tumblr is ready for it yet