#children have to learn warmth and joy and safety from the adults around them to be well-adjusted individuals

[plutorine]

every once in a while i think about whether or not stepan's indiscriminate sharing of his troubles to the young nikolai was what triggered the latter's descent into depravity... i don't have a lot to go off on here, so this is all probably just conjecture. i also remember that stepan didn't say or do anything positive that could have counteracted his TMI-ing to a young boy. and obviously, children aren't meant to carry the emotional weight of a grown ass adult.

if stepan was his tutor, nikolai would have trusted him to some degree and would consequently be affected deeply by what he tells him. kids tend to be sponges; they absorb easily what adults around them do/say, so it might have been possible that nikolai's idea of the world — as a young boy — was shaped by everything stepan had told him during those nights. and by forgoing any positive counteraction, stepan also neglected teaching nikolai that there is good in the world, and that it's what one should strive to uphold.

also, children don't just learn empathy with a snap of a finger. it's something they have to be assisted in developing. i don't think stepan would have been able to explain to little nikolai that his problems should not be understood through a singular perspective only; even then, that's not something a child should be expected to do. they should be eased into learning empathy instead, with the help of the adults around them. nikolai was also sent away to study at sixteen. i doubt he had any good role models who could've taught him to see and feel things from the perspective of others. i think that's why he's so arrogant, too. so he grew up to be this messed up adult who can't interact with the world around him without positioning himself as the sole focus of everything, and in the end, when he does try to seek absolution, he's still operating with that same arrogance he's used to understand the world around him.

(or idk man i'm probably just spewing bullshit)

[theoutsidelandhere]

A Mere Touch of Light - Grogu’s Journey

Summary: A short retelling of Grogu’s journey from Order 66 to meeting his tin can father.

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: brief mention of blood, loneliness, loss

Author’s Note: I don’t specifically answer the question of who saves Grogu, and some of this will probably not be canon, especially everything that happens in between Order 66 and meeting Din for the first time!  (Basically, more questions than answers) 

____________________________________________

The Jedi Temple was home.

The younglings’ laughter echoed throughout the halls, much to the joy of Master Yoda. Everyday, the children ran around, daring one another to open compartments and doors that they weren't supposed to be in. The happiness on the children’s faces brought some warmth to everyone at the temple, even if it was fleeting. The stark contrast of the raging destruction on the horizon and the younglings’ excitement for learning was jarring, but sometimes that small piece of sunshine was enough to get through the day.

Seeing little Grogu waddle to his friends was one reason to smile. This youngling, a small green child with the big eyes that got everyone to melt, was powerful. Most would notice how he was half the size of his fellow younglings, but when it came to training, he shined. While friendly competition did enter the minds of the younglings, at the end of the day, the children were back to causing a ruckus, together.

Today though, the world seemed...terrifying. What could this possibly be? Looking out to Coruscant, the place roared in every direction. Worry plagued their minds. This couldn’t possibly be part of their training. Where was everyone? In a brief show of courage, one child ran up to the opening to get a peek at the halls.

No one. They were alone.

In their short years in the temple, they have never been alone. Everywhere they turned, there was always reassurance that someone would be there to greet them, or give even the smallest smile. As their hopes of seeing help disappeared, the younglings quietly guided one another into hiding.

Grogu thought of how the adults might have been disappointed at how obvious their hiding place was, but they didn’t dare leave one another. Despite being concealed in the shadows of the corner of the room, Grogu had to convince himself that he was safe. Until-

A lightsaber ignited.

Grogu carefully tried to get a peek at the commotion, but no, it can’t be.

His mind could not fathom what’s in front of him. Everything happened so quickly. Was safety an option? He never got to say goodbye, no, he didn’t even get to save his friends. Did he have enough time to run away? But, how far could he go? As his thoughts were scrambling, he didn’t even see who picked him up.

A swift hand, gentle but determined, got him out. How? He still doesn’t understand. A blanket was quickly wrapped around him, and he felt the thumping of running feet as this mysterious figure tried to find a way out.

Grogu doesn’t remember much of the ride. All he felt was the quick, beating hearts in his chest and of his savior.

______________________________________________

Darkness. This is all this small, green child knows. Years have passed, and his savior has long gone. Everyday he trembles at the smallest sounds. Alone, again. He misses hearing the playful banter of his peers, sometimes smug, but still endearing.  He misses his friends, the ones who laughed with him, who trained with him.

But, the joyful youngling, hungry to learn, was gone. Danger was always coming to get him. The feeling of safety always came and went.

He never saw who the mysterious figure was with his own eyes. There was only a voice that woke Grogu up and announced whenever there was food ready. He remembers the clanging and buzzing of metal. Days later, he was presented with a pram, filled with fabric that warmed him up when the breeze flew through the tiny hairs on his head.

Everyday, the routine stayed the same, until the voice, heaving and in distress whispered,

I’m sorry Grogu, I have to leave, now.

That was the last time he heard his name.

_______________________________________________

The world outside the pram continued to frighten him. If he attempted to fend for himself, there was a chance he could be killed. Hiding in fear became the only way of living.

But, he felt compelled to get out, once. There was no way he could just stay put. Shouting and pain filled his ears, until he could bear it no longer. His heart couldn’t take it, there were so many outside with wounds. Perhaps this was the chance he didn’t have before. Healing. Saving.

The man outside was bleeding out of his right leg. Grogu ran as fast as his legs could take him. Hovering over the wound, it slowly started closing, until there was nothing. In that moment, Grogu felt some joy, joy that he never thought he could experience again. This man would be okay. Immediately, his mind raced at the thought that he could continue to do this to help many others.

Unseen by him, someone else smiled darkly by the far corner.

“Perhaps this creature was exactly what they were looking for,” he thought.

As quickly as Grogu felt his joy, so soon did he go back into darkness. Someone grabbed him. Unlike the gentle nature of his savior on Coruscant, this hand was rough and swiftly shoved him back into the pram. It quickly closed shut, leaving him once again unable to see past the darkness that surrounded him.

He couldn’t tell if hours passed or weeks. The journey was brutal, with his pram rocking all over the place. Not once did anyone even try to check on him.

Grogu wondered if this was going to be his life forever. He hadn’t eaten in ages - weeks? Months perhaps. There was no way to keep time. His stomach growled as his hunger echoed throughout his body, growing weaker by the second.

_____________________________________________

He was still. The pram hadn’t moved for a while, and it seemed as though his travels had come to a stop. It must have taken years to get to this point. The tiniest bit of sunlight shone through the crack in the center of the pram. Silence granted him a short-lived time of peace.

The silence was soon interrupted by chattering outside. Inhaling sharply, his heart started beating quickly. The walls around him were starting to shake, pieces falling down in large chunks. The sounds of blasters traveled through his ears.

Grogu closed his eyes; he tried to remind himself of all the times he’s survived similar circumstances. The calm voice of his protector, forever in his mind.

A loud thud echoed, as metal hit the floor, then, a blast. Footsteps grew closer, too close.

In seconds, the pram opened, something that he had not anticipated would ever happen again. Pulling back the covers, he saw two droids...no, one droid and a living being. Grogu wasn’t even listening to what they said, instead staring at the two figures in front of him. Who were they?

Stifling a gasp, he watched in curiosity as the shiny living being pulled out a blaster, aiming at the droid.

A moment of silence passed as a hand slowly reached into the pram-gentle, unlike the seconds before. Deep in thought, Grogu reached his hand out to meet the other hand in the middle. Hesitant hope arose in him. As he basked in the light, something that he wanted for so long, Grogu pondered the idea of a new start-

A new home.

if ur interested!! Tags: @awheeler27​ @another-swgal​ @sana-katarn​ @dinthisisthe-wayson​

[sope-and-shine]

Christmas Special: Day 21

-> Pairing: Dog Hybrid!Jeongguk x Cat Hybrid!Reader // Yoongi x Named OC(Ara) -> Hybrid!AU // Fluff and sadness -> Word Count: 3.3k -> Summary: Being the last hybrid in the shelter for Christmas isn’t what you want, but maybe Santa will have a better plan for you. -> Warning(s): Abandonment // cute little boy

A/N: I kinda wanna make this a series, so let me know what y’all think.

Family has always been your number one priority. It’d been instilled in you since you were a kitten, and you’ve always taken pride in taking care of your loved ones when you could. Growing up with two younger brothers made that easy - Jimin and Taehyung always did manage to get themselves in trouble - and with you being 8 years older than them, it made taking care of them a lot easier. The three of you were separated from your mother after a bad storm when you were only 11 and your brothers were 3. You’d been scared and worried about hybrid control finding you before you could make it to your mother, and you were sure that you would be separated for good. But Mrs. Kim - the nice, old lady that you live with now - took you in and promised to keep you safe. She found you outside of her little tea shop carrying both of your brothers soaked to the bone, and she had no problem bringing you in to the warmth of her own home. 

To give you and your brothers a new one. 

During the day you helped Mrs. Kim with her everyday chores and running the shop, keeping an eye on your brothers playing with toys in the corner near the window at the front of the shop. You taught your brothers everything that your mother taught you, and you taught yourself as much as you could when everyone was asleep. Day after day you would do your best to be just like your mother, so that your brothers had someone to look up to. Being with Mrs. Kim gave you that opportunity to take care of them and give them a better chance in this world for what the 3 of you were, and if they were lucky then they’d find a home or a job with someone who would appreciate the work that you put into raising them. You spent 6 years raising them with Mrs. Kim at your side to take care of you, until the day she fell.

And then she was gone.

It wasn’t that she didn't make the fall, but she had to be placed in the care of someone who could do a better job than you could. She had to leave you, and that meant you’d be given to someone new. It meant that your brothers would be given to someone new, and there was no guarantee that this new owner would be kind, or that they would even take both of them. There was a chance that no one would take either one of them, and that scared you the most! Hybrid’s left in shelters for so long never stood a good chance, and there was always the possibility of being sold to a warehouse for constant, grueling labor with poor conditions. If your brother’s ended up in a position like that, you would actually keel over and die from heartbreak.

But someone seemed to be looking out for you.

After Mrs. Kim’s fall and she was moved to her new home where she could be watched 24/7 by trained nurses and hybrid’s, her son placed you and your brothers in the best care he could on behalf of his mother. Seokjin had two hybrids of his own at home on top of his three children, and you could understand why he couldn’t take your brother’s. Thankfully, he knew someone who ran a shelter unlike any other shelter in the city. A shelter that ensured the safety of their hybrids and didn’t allow anyone to leave with a hybrid without a full background check. Min Yoongi built his shelter from the ground up with his older brother when he turned 22 - as you learned when you first arrived with your brothers - and he’s kept it running by himself with the help of his volunteers and his wife Ara. 

It’s a large building that’s set up like a cafe in the front with a children’s themed cafe for the younger hybrids next to the counter. A small hallway runs between the kids cafe and the counter, leading to the back of the building where small rooms are built for said hybrids. It’s like a small hotel, enough to keep them safe, warm, and sane throughout their stay until they were placed in a good home. Everyday when you first arrived, Yoongi would appear in the small room he’d set up for you and your brothers at the back of the large shelter to bring you breakfast. He was used to hybrids being uncertain when they first arrived, especially older hybrids that didn’t have good experiences from their youth to now. 

“You don’t have to join us if you don’t want to, but my wife and I will be around all day, okay? Anything that you need, we can get it for you.” He said to you. Everyday he assured you that he and his wife would help you in anyway they could, and he kept true to his word. He fed the three of you, clothed you and your brothers, helped to teach you and your brothers, and he did his best to find the most trustworthy owners for you and your brothers.

Unfortunately, just as you thought, you and your brothers wouldn’t be able to stay together forever. Ara managed to find the perfect owner to take in your brothers, and after meeting with them in the cafe 8 times just to be sure...you didn’t have it in your heart to keep them from a better life. A man named Jung Hoseok, his heart shaped smile and the pure joy he showed when interacting with your brothers was the true deal sealer to give you the strength to let them go. The 3 of you had never cried that much since Mrs. Kim had her fall and you all had to leave her, and watching them get in the car with Hoseok and driving away was the hardest thing you ever had to do. You were sad to see them leave, but every part of you knew that you had to.

Even if you would be alone.

Now, with the holidays approaching and the hybrids around you being adopted for children and those in need of company, you find yourself to be the only hybrid left in the shelter. It wasn’t like you really expected anyone to adopt you before the holiday, but you had hope that maybe one person would take you in. You’d taken to sitting at the table next to the window of the cafe drawing whatever came to your mind: sometimes your brothers, sometimes Mrs. Kim, and even the stray picture of Ara and Yoongi spraying whipped cream at each other. When kids come in to visit, they’ll sit with you and pet your ears while you draw and color for them. Adults come in to talk with you once in a while or get opinions on things that they’re unsure of, but they always leave when they’re done.

At least you’re no stranger to their absence.

Thankfully, Yoongi and Ara are not willing to let you continue on that way. When it came time for the shelter to close for Christmas and the couple to return to their home, they surprised you in the best way possible.

“You want to me to what?” You ask, staring at the two before you in disbelief as you try to grasp what they just said to you.

“We want you to join us for Christmas.” Ara repeats, holding a coat for you to take out into the cold air. Yoongi holds a bag, presumably with your belongings for the few days you’ll be with them.

You shake your head in confusion, “Why?”

Ara’s face drops immediately, in more shock than she should be after the years she’s spent doing this. “Sweetheart...the fact that you even have to ask that-”

“-We’re not leaving you alone for the holiday.” Yoongi says. 

“We have plenty of space for you to join us, and I refuse to leave you here when you can spend Christmas with our family.” Ara assures.

They both look at you with such fondness and hope, that it’d be impossible for you to try and deny them anymore. You shrug, “I guess it would be rude to refuse.”

That’s how you find yourself being led into the tall apartment building the two have made a home in, being taken to a floor almost completely at the top of the building - in the elevator which was a very scary experience for you - and stopping in front of a door with a wreath hanging off of it and a doormat with a cat telling neighbors to kindly ‘go away’ instead of knocking. You could smell their dog hybrid all the way out in the hallway, and it made you nervous to think he’d be aggressive with you entering his territory.

Ara places a gentle arm over your shoulder, making you feel nice and protected from your worries, “It’s okay, Sweetheart, Jeongguk is a good boy. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Yeah, the real threat you need to worry about is-” Yoongi is cut off by a loud crash as soon as the door opens.

“Kookie! Throw Jun-Jun higher!” A small voice yells.

The three of you walk further into the apartment and find a small boy being held high above the floor while a boy about your age with fluffy brown hair and black ears, sweats with a fluffy black and brown tail peeking out and a t-shirt stares at the broken glass below him with wide eyes. His ears are up, and it’s clear he knows everyone is home now.

“Kookie will throw Jun-Jun higher as soon as Kookie cleans the glass.” He says to he little boy and breaking away from his chance. He rests the boy on his hip with a sigh and turns to offer the three of you a sheepish smile, “Hey guys. How was work?”

Ara turns away with a sigh, almost unbothered by the event like it happened every time they come home, “I’ll get the dustpan.” 

“Just bring him over here and we’ll take care of it, Gukkie.” Yoongi instructs. He turns to you and wraps an arm over your shoulder with a welcoming smile before turning back to Jeongguk, “Come and meet (Y/n). She’ll be staying with us for the holiday.”

“Nice to meet you.” He nods. You watch as Jeongguk’s eyes stare directly at Yoongi’s hand placement, watching part of his tail wrap around the little boy in his arms. Nervous yourself, you nod back to him.

“Kitty~” Thankfully, little Jun was more than happy to save the awkward tension. His arms fly out to reach for you, wriggling as much as he can in the dog hybrids tight hold. He was excited to have a new friend, and it looked like Jeongguk was also trying to hold himself back from really greeting you in fear of how you would react. But the little boy was wanting to waste no time, “Jun-Jun want pretty kitty!”

You blush, a small smile etching on your face. He reminded you of your brothers when they were younger, and you wanted nothing more than to experience that again. Hesitantly, dropping your ears and trying to not make eye contact with the more dominant hybrid, you reach your arms out in want, “May I please hold him?”

Ara and Yoongi watch hesitantly as they watch Jeongguk think for a moment before he slowly walks closer with Jun, nodding and letting the little boy leap into your arms. It’s almost unreal for the two to watch your eyes light up and a smile they hadn’t seen since your brothers had helped to make a cake for you for your birthday. You looked like it was Christmas day already as you bounce the toddler happily in your arms like he were your own, and that made the two adults happy to see you pleased as well.

“We already ordered dinner for tonight, so it should be arriving soon. Why don’t the two of you play with Minjun and get to know each other while we get some plates ready?” Yoongi suggest.

Ara nods in agreement, “You both like to draw, maybe you can start with that.”

“You draw?” Jeongguk asks, his ear perking up.

You look to the floor, avoiding his eye contact and shrug, “I draw the people I see out the window when I’m at the cafe. It gives me something else to think about.”

“I used to live at the shelter with my brother too. Ara and Yoongi talk about you alot, and I know how you feel when it comes to being separated from family.” He explains. 

“I’m sorry.” You mutter, unsure of what else you should say.

“It’s okay, I got to come here and get a new brother!” He says with a big, goofy smile. He turns to Minjun in your lap and gets face level with the boy. “Isn’t that right, Minjunnie?”

“Big brother Kookie is the best brother for Jun-Jun!” Minjun agrees, falling off of your thigh to reach out and give Jeongguk a sloppy kiss to his cheek. The both of them together made your heart feel a little more full than it had since your brothers left for Gwangju with Hoseok, and you just felt yourself feeling more and more relaxed as you continued to play and chat with them. Even through dinner, you were able to enjoy their company, along with the familiar, calming presence of Yoongi and Ara. It felt like you found a family you could trust, but their was still the fact that you’d be returning to the shelter once the holiday was over.

And then you’d be alone again.

When it came time to go to bed so Santa could come and surprise Minjun with his gifts, you were offered the spare bedroom across from his room and next to Yoongi and Ara’s. Jeongguk was right next to Minjun across from the bathroom, so it made it easier if something were to happen and Minjun needed something in the night. Minjun was actually intent on sleeping with both you and Jeongguk, but Ara was quick to talk him down for your sake. Though, the both of you did sit with him in his room to help him fall asleep.

“And then, the two little kittens jumped through the window and saved the Princess from the monster!” You tell, bringing the story based on your two brothers to an end. You watch as Minjun’s eyes try to close against his will, fluttering shut every now and then as Jeongguk strokes his hair.

“They sound so cool…” He mutters, hands holding your tail very gently as he continues to fight the sleep.

You smile, joining Jeongguk in moving stray strands of hair from Minjun’s face as his drift close, “They are! They fear no monster, and are praised when they return to the King with tales of their adventure.”

Eyes still closed, Minjun sighs, “I want...to do that too.”

“You can, Minjunnie.” Jeongguk assures him, nuzzling his nose into the little boys hair. It isn’t long before his soft snores finally reach your ears.

“He’s so easy to put to sleep.” You whisper, continuing to stroke the boys hair as he sleeps. 

Guk laughs, “Yeah, it’s how you know he’s Yoongi and Ara’s kid.”

“I remember my brothers at this age. I forgot how much I missed it…” You sigh, remembering the days where you would tell your brothers story of your mother and cuddling with them until they fell asleep. It was nice to have someone to coddle again, especially someone you didn’t have to coddle alone. “He’s so cute.”

Jeongguk lays head head on the pillow above Minjun, beginning to feel drowsy himself, “I bet your brothers really miss you too. You seem like you took good care of them.” 

You smile, “I like to think I did.” 

You lay down with your head just above Minjun’s but lower than Jeongguk’s when he asks, “What do you think they’re doing now?” It’s a question that you think about a lot when you’re at the cafe or getting ready for bed in your now empty room in the shelter. It was nice to know where they were, but it was still heartbreaking that they were so far away.

You sigh, “Well. I hope they’re being given the best life their owner can offer them. I know he’s a good guy, so I’m not worried about their treatment, but I really hope they’re happy together.”

“They are.” Jeongguk assures, seeing the longing in your eyes. He could tell how well you took care of them, and he knows just how good Yoongi and Ara are at finding homes for their hybrids. He had faith that your brothers were okay.

“How do you know?” You ask, head tilted and ear folded. Jeongguk can’t stop himself from smiling at how cute you look, reaching over the sleeping child between you and scratching your ears. 

“I can feel it.” He assures you, making sure to be gentle as he continues his petting.

By the time morning comes, the both of you don’t even realize you fell asleep in Minjun’s bed beside him. It’s only when the little boy begins jumping up and down excitedly on top of the both of you that you even realize where you’d fallen asleep. Thankfully, with Minjun dragging you to the living room to look at presents instead of the fluffy haired canine hybrid, you have no time to feel embarrassed at sharing a bed with him. 

As soon as Minjun finishes waking up his parents and they both begrudgingly leave the safety of their bed for their sons happiness, you all settle in by the tree filled with presents and begin to unwrap the treasures left for you. Gifts from husband to wife, gifts to a child disguised as a beloved holiday figure, and gifts to not one but two hybrids under the tree. It’s a happiness you didn’t think you’d get to experience again, and you’re more than happy to share it for one day with people that seemed to genuinely care about you.

“I have one more present.” Ara announces. She reaches around the side of the couch and pulls out an orange bag with purple and pink tissue paper sticking out. She places it right on top of Yoongi’s lap and pulls out her phone with a smile, “Open it.”

Yoongi is hesitant with Ara filming him, but complies anyways. He pulls at the flimsy paper until he pulls out a baby binky, staring at it like he was suddenly constipated until his face lights up in realization. He turns to her with a sudden gleam of happiness, “Are you serious?”

“That’s why I’ve felt the need to be more gentle around you.” You says, now realizing why you’ve felt so attached to her recently. She was pregnant, and you had subconsciously known this whole time.

Yoongi’s eyes are brimming with tears as he leans into his wife’s shoulder and pulls her close. He can’t express his emotions well enough in this moment of surprise, “Angel, I’m really happy…”

“So am I. Especially since we still want to add one more person to our little family besides baby #2.” She says, now turning to face you instead. Her smile doesn’t leave her face as she continues just staring at you with a look you can’t quite place.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask. You don’t get it until you take one glance at Jeongguk and he nods to you, “Wait...you mean me?”

“Yeah, we mean you.” Yoongi assures, sitting up and wiping the tears from his eyes with his arm still firmly wrapped around his wife.

“Kitty stay!” Minjun cheers, clapping happily.

“So what do you say?” Ara asks.

Jeongguk places a hand on you shoulder and teasingly asks, “Kitty stay?” As if Minjun were the one asking you to stay with them. Even so, you can’t help the smile that spreads across your cheeks or the tears that fill your eyes.

You nod, “Kitty stay.”

[headoverjojo]

Since Tumblr really likes to swallow my request, could you please do some HCs for La Squadra di Esecuzione as fathers? ;) Thank you and good luck with your work

How you know me well, Medusa, hitting right on my softest spot, aaaaaaaah

La Squadra di Esecuzione as fathers

(Under the cut for lenght!)

Risotto Nero

Risotto is already used to deal with his often childish boys, so he’s not scared by parenthood. He’s trained, he’s ready and he tries his best to be more present both for his s/o and their child: he doesn’t want to be remembered as an absent father.

His child is his treasure and the light of his eyes. When they’re a toddler, he loves to keep them in his arms, safe on his chest: his warmth and calm heartbeat always lull the little one to a peaceful sleep.

The more the child grows, the more Risotto learns about the unique love that bonds a father and his child; he’s here when they take their first steps, when they start to talk. He loves to read them tales and children books before sleeping and to help them with their homeworks when they need it.

He’s the proudest and most supportive dad ever. To an outsider it could seem that he behaves exactly like always, but his child knows him too well. They can see the small smile that thugs his lips and how soft their father’s strange eyes are. Risotto makes sure to always make them feel appreciated.

Even if he doesn’t pamper or spoil them, he’s really protective towards his child. He’s one of the most dangerous -and hated, among other gangs- men in all Italy, so he has tons of enemies. He’s always on guard, trying to be with his family as much as he can, always doing his best not to let the child notice that their father is on patrol and murder mode. He wants his child to have a happy and peaceful childhood and future life, hopefully away from mafia.

Prosciutto

As Risotto, Prosciutto always took care of someone for all his life. So, when he receives the news, he thinks to be more than ready and capable to take care also of his child. He’s, however, more and more nervous as the birth time approaches: this is his child, not one of the neighborhood kids or Pesci… all his worries and fears, however, vanish when he sees his child for the first time: he knows, deep in his heart, that he’ll do everything and even more for their happiness and safety.

He tries to learn everything he can in order to help his s/o and to be the best father he can. He often loses track of time when he’s with his child, watching them sleep peacefully or play. His kid is the only one who can mess with his hair without receiving a growl or a frown back: Prosciutto just can’t keep a dark face around his child, his joy and light.

He absolutely supports to hell and back his child, encouraging them to follow their dreams and passions. He couldn’t ever have a normal life, so he does his best to keep his work out of home. The only ones who know about his child are Risotto, of course, as his Capo and mentor, and Pesci, who gladly becomes an uncle for the little one.

As much as Prosciutto is caring and sweet with his child, he’s merciless and unrestrainable towards who dares to put in danger his family. A powerful mafia man like him, the second in command of la Squadra di Esecuzione, has a lot of enemies who’d be really glad to know that he has a weakness: he’s ready to slay anyone who even thinks about harm his s/o and his precious child.

Pesci

As much as he wanted to be a father, one day, he doesn’t feel ready for a child. What if he accidentally hurt them? What if he’s not enough? He’s not strong or determined like his fratellone, what if he just screw everything up? Seeing his child for the first time, however, helps him to realize one thing: he’d die a thousand times for them and nothing will stop him from being the best father he can.

He’s a soft and sweet dad, up to do every game his child wants to do: hide and seek? He’s already counting. Building something with lego bricks? Let’s do it! His favourite moments, however, are when he takes his child to the beach and they fish together. He loves to see the small focused frown on his child’s little forehead, while they watch intently the water, hoping to catch a fish. When they’re tired of fishing, they play with sand and go on shells hunting, chit-chatting and laughing.

Pesci tries his best not to spoil his child, knowing that it’s unhealthy, but his kid, in fact, has him wrapped around their pinkie. If they really want something, they can be sure that Pesci would do anything he can to get it for them.

Prosciutto is obviously involved in the little one’s life: he’s Pesci’s fratellone, he wants him to be his child’s uncle! In the beginning, however, he’s a little worried that his own child could prefer uncle Prosciutto to him; his insecurity is wiped out when he sees that they still go back to him every time. When Pesci confess it to Prosciutto, he just rolls his eyes, with a little smile, and says that his child will never replace their own father with someone else.

Formaggio

Formaggio never actively thought about having a child. Yes, sometimes, seeing a child walking hand in hand with their mother or father, he imagined, for a moment, his and his s/o’s life with a child of their own, but nothing more. Now, however, that imaginary child is so real that it almost scares him: he doesn’t think of himself as a good father. He has too bad habits, he’s not really responsible, the poor kid would surely be unhappy with a father like him.

He almost is tempted to run away, when the child is born, but he steels himself: he can’t be so coward. When he has the child in his arms, when he feels his little fingers wrapping around his one, he feels his heart flutter and he’s almost on verge of tears. This is his child, the most important legacy he will leave on this planet when he’ll be gone. It’s his duty to protect them and to make them happy as best as he can.

So, first of all, he tries to keep at least in line his bad habits, for his child’s sake. He wants to be a good father for them, not like his own. He doesn’t want them to end up like him, first a thief, then a mafia man and a murderer. He wants better for them.

After he gains a bit of security, he’s a really affectionate and playful dad. He’s always up to play with them, when he’s at home, and to cover them with raspberries and to tickle them, to make them laugh ‘till no end. He just loves his little child’s laugh and smile: it’s the concrete proof that they’re happy, that he’s not a scum of man but a decent dad for them. At least he’s making them happy.

He’s really protective towards his child. He knows well how scary and dangerous the world can be and he doesn’t want his child to have to face his nightmares. He’ll not pamper him: his kid will have their own challenges, as it should be, but they would never have to face their father’s one. He takes care of anyone who dares to bother or thinks to put in danger his family: using his Little Feet he eradicates the problem without even batting an eyelash.

Melone

Melone is ecstatic. A child, a real child!! He’s almost jumping off his skin at the news. He always wanted a child; in the end, Babyface’s sons were just palliatives for the absence of a real one. He immediately starts to read and study everything he can about toddlers, phases of childhood and how children’s brains work: he wants to be more than ready for his little kid.

He soon clashes into the most obvious difference between Babyface’s sons and his real kid: the different growing speed. Babyface’s sons are practically adults in days, if not less; his child would need many years to reach adulthood. If this, on one hand, bugs him a little, at least in the beginning, on the other hand it almost assures him; his child is not going to die soon like Babyface’s sons, they could have a happy and long life and Melone wants to guarantee it to them with all his might.

When he finally manages to snap out his “how to kill a man in 101 and more creative ways” way of teaching, he’s actually a good teacher. He’s patient and gentle and ready to explain more time when the child doesn’t understand. His way of teaching is also funny: he uses a lot of images and games to teach him various things, from writing to reading to do basic math. When they go to school, they’re already above their classmates thanks to their father’s lessons.

He’s really careful about their health too: he always makes sure to make them eat healthy and nutrient food and, when they’re older, to do proper gym to always be in health. He religiously follows the saying “mens sana in corpore sano”, teaching his child to take care about their body health as much as their education.

He’s a cuddler. He loves so much his child and he demonstrates it also cuddling them to no end. He’s the one who carries them to sleep, to his s/o’s amused huff, and lulles them in his arms until they fall asleep. He stops it just when his child themselves asks him to, and Melone whines about it with his s/o for ages.

Illuso

As Formaggio, Illuso never actively thought about having a child, but, when he hears the news, he’s not as shocked and in denial as Formaggio. He accepts it without batting an eyelash, immediately pondering about the best way to keep the child safe from his work and dark world. He also does his researches about everything inherent to the child, both from books and direct observation from mirrors in kindergartens and hospitals, to see how a baby must be carried and which is the best approach to teach a kid. He even asks advice to Prosciutto, the best expert on the teaching topic, but avoids Melone, knowing that he would have surely given him great advice about how to teach his children how to perfectly kill before his second birthday but nothing actually useful and normal.

Illuso is a chill but always observant dad. He doesn’t pick his child on until they ask to be picked; he lets them play with his ponytails, softly petting their hair, and lets them sleep on his chest, always careful to their surrounding. When he has to go on a long mission, for, like, more days, he asks his s/o to stay safe in the mirror world: so, his family takes a sort of “little holydays” in the mirror world, which his child adores, until he’s back.

He’s attentive but not overwhelming; when he sees that they need help he goes to help them but, if he sees that they’re doing well alone, he let them so, observing, always ready to go if they struggle too much. He knows that they have to learn how to approach the world by instinct, for a lot of things, but still he has to forcefully restrain his father instinct that kicks him and screams at him to go to help his child, even if they’re doing good alone. When they’re done, however, he makes sure to pat their head and to tell them he’s proud of them and their accomplishment.

Not the most affectionate dad around, but surely supportive as hell. He’s his child’s first fan and loves to hear about their dreams and projects. They can be sure that their dad will always be here to cheer for them, a safe presence to always go back to to ask for advice and help or just to have the certainty that they’re appreciated beyond imagination by someone.

Ghiaccio

Ghiaccio freaks out when he knows he’s going to be dad. He’s not ready!! He’s the last person in the world who could ever be a father! He needs some minutes to scream in a pillow and to let White Album freeze the room he’s in, before calming, at least, a bit down. When he’s back, he’s no more on the verge of snapping, but he’s still nervous as hell.

For the first times, he’s terrified by the idea of holding his baby. He’s scared to drop them, to break them. They’re so frail and his hands took the life of so many people… with time, however, he mellows around the baby. He notices that his hold on them is gentle and that the baby themselves enjoys being near their dad, often falling asleep on his chest, their little hands clenched around his finger or shirt. He watches them in awe, still not believing that he has helped to bring to this world a sweet and precious creature like his child; he’s so deep in his contemplation that he doesn’t even notice that the baby is drooling on him.

Again, not one of the best cuddly and physically affectionate dads, but sure as hell the most passionate fan of them. He’s also, surprisingly, understanding if they fail in something, sitting next to them and reassuring them, encouraging them to do better next time. In those moments, his child can really feel all the affection their dad feels for them.

He never yells at his child, never. He doesn’t want them to be scared of him, so, if he had a bad day and his child did something to worsen it, he just takes a moment to go to the bathroom -or his and his s/o’s bedroom-, close the door and scream in a pillow, venting out all the rage and the stress. When he comes back, he’s way calmer.

It’s not unusual, especially when his child is really little, like one-two years old, that they tire him so much that he just falls asleep on the couch -or on the carpet-, crooked glasses and messed hair and his child on his chest. In those moments, he hugs them tightly, as to unconsciously protect them while he’s not vigilant as usual.

BONUS: Sorbetto and Gelato

They probably picked up their child from the streets. They knew how hard was that life and they couldn’t bear the sight of a child so little in a situation like that: they took them at home, washed and feeded them, given them a bed and a house. Most importantly, they gave them a family when they had anyone.

The child brings them even closer: now they have to protect not only each other, but also their little sparkle of joy. They’re really secretive about their existence: just Risotto knows, both ‘cause he’s the Capo and ‘cause he’s their favourite -and first- pupil. He actually helps them to keep them a secret from everyone’s eyes, even the Boss’ ones.

Among the two, Gelato is the cuddler. He loves to pick their child up and carry them around, often falling asleep with them on his lap and safely nestled in his arms. He’s also the one who spoils them much, to Sorbetto’s grumbles, and, hearing them, Gelato whines, doing big puppy eyes, immediately imitated by their child. At this point, Sorbetto just huffs a laugh, ruffling both his lover and his child’s hair, making them laugh.

Sorbetto is the stricter parent. He’s the one who says stop to a tv show when it’s time to go to sleep and the one who carries them to their study session. His child, however, doesn’t hold any grudge to him: Sorbetto is also the one who immediately hears them whimper when they have a nightmare and the first to go to them to hold them tight while they cry, soon reached by Gelato too. They’re their child’s rocks, even if so different, but both necessary and complementary for their child’s happiness.

[curdinway-blog]

Spirited Away

Spirited Away is the greatest anime film of all time.  Its accolades stretch to astonishing heights; it won the Japan Academy Award for Best Picture, is the only foreign film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and has been widely acclaimed by film critics as one of the finest animated films of the century.  It smashed box office records in Japan, overtaking James Cameron’s fabled Titanic.  It enjoyed robust box office drawings in the United States and worldwide as well.  To this day, it is the most famous work from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, and one of the most beloved and iconic animated features to ever grace the screen.

If there is any work that invites immediate comparisons, it is MGM’s classic The Wizard of Oz.  Like that film, Spirited Away has plenty going on beneath the surface, but is celebrated most for the sheer scope of its imagination, bursts of color, and visual inventiveness.  Miyazaki literally births a whole new world, limitless in its possibilities and bizarre to our normal expectations, and utterly rich in wonder.  There are absurdly large babies, talking frogs, pieces of soot performing menial labor, and a 6-handed man working a furnace.  The principal setting is one of the all-time greats; a dazzling, ritzy bathhouse for wayward spirits where humans are not welcome.  

Into this strange new environment drops Chihiro, a girl still struggling to deal with an impending move.  A new home and school end up seeming pretty mild by the time the girl’s parents turn into pigs and she is stuck wiling with an unscrupulous witch and a horde of wacky creatures for her freedom and survival.  Spirited Away is a growing-up story, and a great one at that.  Critics and audience have marveled at the way Chihiro progresses through the movie from apathetic, weak, and frightened to a newly self-reliant and strong person. The movie has also been lauded for its cleverly submerged themes.  The problems faced by Haku, one of the resident spirits, and an appallingly gooped-up “stink spirit” are concerned nods at pollution and environmental concerns, while the workers’ lust for gold and Chihiro’s parents’ rude advances at a food stand are condemnations of greed.  

The characters are some of Miyazaki’s best, and oh so memorable. Yubaba is a manipulative and opportunistic witch, whom you might hate if she were not so damn good at running that bathhouse.  Haku is an amnesiac, whose current condition has him struggling to do good as he grows increasingly cold.  Lin is a hilariously sour woman who takes Chihiro on as her protégé.  But the best of all is No-Face, a sprite who goes from sad and lonely outcast to absolute blood-curdling nightmare in about zero to sixty, then somehow manages to reverse course again.

Leading and anchoring everything is Chihiro.  Surely one of Miyazaki’s finest heroines, Chihiro was reportedly fashioned after the daughter of a friend who visited the director on occasion.  As stated previously, her personal growth is remarkable characterization and a true joy.  However, I have always been bothered by reviewers’ initial assertions of Chihiro. “Lazy”, “cowardly”, and “whiny” are common adjectives; even Miyazaki seemed to share the sentiment, referring to her and real-life girls her age as “lazy bums.”  It is worth noting that the people Chihiro was a stand-in for are now roughly my age. ��That’s right; Miyazaki, a Baby Boomer, was trashing Millennials before it was cool (joking, of course).  It is interesting that my assertion of Chihiro is so much different…and perhaps that is because I identify with Chihiro so much.  Kids fear differently than adults do.  Irrational fears predominate, and are often not given serious credence by adult figures…such as Chihiro’s parents.  Childhood fears are often more deeply intense as well; catastrophic, paralyzing events made worse by the fact that children have not yet developed the emotional maturity and skills to manage them.  To me, it is not at all unnatural for Chihiro to be depressed and upset by such an upending life event.  I had difficulty managing my various fears well past her age.  Chihiro’s apparent apathy may be a side-effect of her emotional struggles; alternatively, they may also simply represent a relative inexperience with work which is not out of place for someone of her years and maturity.  

Moreover, Chihiro has a good heart.  She consistently acts with sensitivity, compassion, and generosity throughout the movie, letting in No-Face when he is left outside in the rain, pursuing friendship and meaningful relationships over wealth, and risking her own safety and comfort repeatedly to help loved ones and strangers alike. This is in marked opposition to the characters around her, who manage to be far more efficient, resilient, and self-reliant than her, but are also motivated by empty capital (gold), are consistently self-serving, and lack emotional warmth and compassion.  When Miyazaki criticized girls like Chihiro as “lazy bums”, he also added that he knew they had tremendous potential as well.  Notice that when the “stink spirit” enters the bathhouse, it is Chihiro who recognizes the problem instead of just trying to get the job over with and the unwanted guest out.  Her removal of tangles of garbage from the spirit’s side is symbolic of environmental clean-up; suggesting Miyazaki believes Chihiro and her kind will bring greater emphasis and effort towards meaningful environmental protection.  Extrapolate further, and you can say the same for social empathy and non-materialism. If we truly take this analysis to the extreme and consider Chihiro to be a surrogate for Millennials and the bathhouse workers to be a surrogate for Baby Boomers, an interesting dynamic emerges. Chihiro learns from her stewards’ tough love to become an independent, resilient, and confident actor so that she can bring her inner disposition forth to do good in the world.  At the same time, Chihiro gradually thaws her teachers, so that they can act more empathetically and selflessly.  This successful generational interplay helps both parties to better themselves; perhaps, an applicable lesson for today’s divided society.

One of the finest aspects of Spirited Away is in that it refuses to sugarcoat the process of growing up. There are a lot of joys to be had, for sure; Chihiro has a grand adventure, after all, making new friends, overcoming obstacles, and opening her horizon to beautiful new things. However, there is definitely a darker side towards becoming an adult.  Fear and uncertainty are an easy observation in her maturation and in ours; the only way to improve one’s mettle is to test it.  Less apparent to me, at least the first time around, was Miyazaki’s less-than-flattering critique of the modern workplace.  Essentially, once Chihiro becomes employed at the bathhouse she is treated as an adult, and we become proxy to a fascinating array of observations.  First, there is the perception of being trapped.  Whether it is Yubaba’s contract, Chihiro’s obligations to her now-pig family, Lin’s lamentations that she would love to leave the place, or the liberation presented by a train ticket away, the bathhouse’s oppressive atmosphere is an easy stand-in for many modern workplaces.  There is also notably an aspect of distance and isolation to everyone who works there; in Haku’s case, the longer he has worked there, the colder and more aloof he has become.  The necessity to watch out for one’s self as an adult separates us from one another, Miyazaki argues.  That effect is a mere trickle into the core vein running throughout the movie: loneliness.

Notice the water which surrounds the bathhouse.  On my second viewing, it struck me that the supernatural flooding is not merely a plot device to prevent Chihiro from escaping her situation; it is also a visual representation of the world as viewed by an adult.  The infinite horizon of its waters provokes the vast expansion of worldview that comes with growing up, but also an increasing sense of solitude, emptiness, and personal reflection.  Joe Hisaishi’s wonderfully sensitive score frequently adopts a longing, minimalist tone, and we feel a certain absence and sadness in the events happening onscreen.  Of all Chihiro’s various trials, the impact of loneliness strikes most devastating and realistic of all.  Miyazaki’s solution to this common adult malady is friendship.  The essential nature of friends to a normal and healthy adult life is driven home by Chihiro’s experiences.  Fear, threats, and harsh treatment do not significantly transform Chihiro.  It is only when she is approached from a place of support and caring that she finds courage and stability to act with decision, and the confidence in herself to succeed and respond to failures.  Even as relationships with family fade, the relationships we form with others can help us reform a socially abundant life so that we can thrive and be happy.

Growing up is a process.  Fraught with peril and difficulties, chock-full of excitement and rewards, it is as tumultuous and constant throughout life as it is necessary.  The fear we have as children towards change may mute somewhat as we grow older, but it is still ever-present, accompanied by a second, sharper note…nostalgia.  The takeaway message of Spirited Away is that we don’t really have to be afraid, because we’ve been there before.  By the end of the film, it is not entirely clear what Chihiro will be facing next.  She has no guarantee of ever revisiting her friends at the bathhouse, or her friend from her former school.  But she has stopped looking backward towards what has been, and is looking down the road to whatever comes next, reassured by the fact that whatever happens, she can handle it.  That is what matters.

That is what growing up is all about.

[duckybeth99]

@genjis-girlfriend asked: I have no idea what I want :0 gimme like. 7 that you like that are Good and Angsty with uhhh some pirate au (2.0?) ghostmo, some electric dreams, some Johnny and ghost, some chill pill,, some Thomas stuff lol, maybe somethin with Adam and ghost? Makoto and ghost? literally whatever u want lol but 7 oughtta keep u busy fknfjcncnbc

strap in it’s a bunch of tiny baby fics

Pirate 2.0 Ghostmo - “I’ve spoken of my feelings to not a soul.”

“Then perhaps it’s time you do,” Moirin speaks softly, approaching her husband slowly. Ghost continues to stare out the porthole window and lament over his past.

Her arms, gentle, warm and easy, wrap themselves around Ghost. He flinches at the motion—it’s still new for him. He isn’t sure if he’s ready.

She presses her head against his back, arms curling tighter but she’s gentle. She’s loving, still, all the same. Ghost takes a breath and lets his fingers run over hers.

She’s right.

And yes, it is foreign, a feeling lost for years and returned, creating a dissonance with himself. But he’s ready. He knows.

She’s right.

Electric Dreams - “I don’t know why, but in some ways I feel I can tell you anything. It’s like I’ve known you forever.”

“Maybe you have,” Johnny shrugs as him and Esther lie on a hill in the UpSideDown. Giant glowing fish swim above them in the sky, illuminating their faces in the night. Esther breaths softly, turning to her side and holding Johnny’s hand, a sign for his serious attention.

“I never told you about the man I was engaged to,” Esther murmurs, “did I?” Johnny shakes his head.

“That was for you to tell me,” he says. Esther smiles softly. He always was gentle and slow with her when she needed.

“He was a wonderful man, like you,” Esther begins softly. “He had a brave heart. He was to be our legendary hero, defender of everything my home was and stood for. Similar to you. Papa approved of him. He proved himself. He looked even kind of like you… perhaps that was why Papa was hesitant about us, on top of everything else.

“He proposed to me after getting Papa’s blessing and before he had to leave for government matters. War broke out shortly after. With Papa gone, and my fiancé leaving for war, it was just me. And… then he was killed. I was devastated. I wrote to Papa and he came home was soon as he could to comfort me.” Esther looks at Johnny and squeezes his hands, looking at them. His black polished nails, the warmth of his touch, the strength his hand alone holds but the gentleness he has reserved only for her…

“You aren’t the same as him,” Esther notes, “but that isn’t bad. In fact… in no offense to him, I think you’re better.”

“I mean,” Johnny smirks proudly, “I am, in fact, better than most, if not all guys.” Esther giggles. Johnny moves closer and presses his forehead with Esther’s speaking low and comforting, “Hey… I’m glad you told me about this. Felt comfortable enough to talk about it. It means a lot to me.”

“Thank you,” Esther smiles, and she presses a kiss to Johnny’s slim nose, making him let out a little laugh at the cold tickle of it. “And I… I hope I’m not too forward in confessing this… but I do want to marry you. Someday. If I can.” Johnny smiles back at her gently.

“There’s these things called promise rings,” he explains. “Maybe we could get those. You want to?”

“Yes,” Esther beams excitedly, laughing in joy, “I would love to.”

Bosteau Boys - “No! I will not make you suffer as I have!”

“A bit overdramatic, Pops.”

“I just…” Ghost sighs and runs a hand through his grey hair, and the teenager’s own hard expression softens. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life, son. I confessed to who I was before people were accepting. I had to hide. I don’t want you to suffer in a similar fashion to me, in any way.”

“Pops,” Johnny sighs, sitting with his dad on the sofa, “I gotta live. I wanna see Realms, I wanna be who I am at school, I wanna be part of things… you gotta let me.”

“I don’t want anyone hurting you for who you are. I was terrified of that for myself.”

“You remember how you and I were isolated when I was real little? You eventually came around to that. We’ve been living with things more complicated than gender and sex for almost all my life!”

“I know,” Ghost sighs, rubbing his face. “I want you to be you, and I want you to be happy more than anything else in the world. But you have to promise me that this is what you want, and that if anything happens, you tell me or you tell another adult. You deserve as much happiness and safety as anyone else. No matter what. And know… that I’ll always be in your corner.”

“I know,” Johnny smiles up at his dad. Ghost places both his hands on his son’s shoulders and squeezes them. “I’ll learn to care for myself. I can take it.”

“Know that you shouldn’t have to,” Ghost speaks firmly, “much less alone. I’ll be there for you every step. Let’s see about getting you some new binders, huh? I want you to be all ready for school.”

Chill Pill - “I don’t feel comfortable discussing this with you.”

“Well, clearly your mother and school haven’t discussed it with you, so I’m the only other option right now,” Ghost huffs, “and believe me, I don’t exactly want to go over this either. But we have to.” Beth’s face is flushed red. She tucks her head into her knees, her legs trying to cover the red spot on her jeans. Ghost clears his throat. “Put your legs down, please. Just sit like normal. It’s fine.” Beth slowly does so. She’s still bright red and sniffling.

“When a child goes through puberty, a lot of things begin changing within them, and the changes reflect their biology,” Ghost begins, and the thirteen year old doesn’t seem to be any happier or more comforted as he delves into a scientific talk. Beth finds herself covering her ears at some points, Ghost finds himself uncomfortable referring to Beth as a ‘woman’ and tries to stick to as much to scientific lingo as possible.

When Johnny comes home, his sister is lying on the couch, head smushed against a pillow. Johnny asks if Ghost gave her the talk. He nods. Johnny sits on the sofa next to Beth and plops a new pair of jeans, underwear, package of pads, and baggie of chocolate on the floor next to her. Through her muffled crying, she manages to thank him.

Johnny just pats her back and lets her cry the emotions and cramps out. Ghost makes tea and sets painkillers on the coffee table for when she’s relaxed a little. They play Mario Kart later and the guys let her win.

Thomarion - “You may strategically place your wonderful lips upon my posterior and kiss it repeatedly!”

“That’s your version of an insult and cursing?” Thomas tries to hold back a laugh. Marion crosses her arms with her head held proudly up.

“I’m a lady!” she huffs, “And I have a young boy with me most of the time. Pardon me for not practicing foul language in front of him!”

“Well, at least you can fight if someone messes with you,” Thomas chuckles, “because cursing someone out or looking intimidating won’t work.”

“Hey!”

Adam and Ghost - “Do you have any idea what you put me through?”

“Relax, mon amour,” Adam Fontaine coos, and Ghost looks more frustrated the more romantic Adam tries to be. “I’m only a little late and we haven’t been caught yet. Enjoy what we have.”

“People are getting onto us,” Ghost urges in a hushed voice, as Adam simply plays with Ghost’s red curls. “Stoker might be gossiping. I think Collins saw us!”

“You’re too much of a worrywart,” Adam waves his hand. “Remember what I told you? Just breath. You’re too anxious for your own good, Jonathan Bosteau, and I swear it’ll be the death of you.”

“And your recklessness will be what ends you,” Ghost murmurs. But he does as Adam suggests, taking a deep breath and slowly relaxing. Adam smiles and hums, the two sitting together within the privacy of Adam’s classy, hidden home. They share kisses, wine, and relaxation for just a moment from their stressful careers.

Makoto and Ghost - “For if a man can become a monster, then a monster can become a man.”

“I’ll help you come back to life,” Makoto breaths slowly, sitting down on the floor with the glowing ghost before her, “I promise. But you should know, I don’t believe you to be a monster.” Ghost lowers his head, his glow turning not as bright.

“Makoto,” he whispers sorrowfully, “I’ve done… terrible things. And look at what I am now. All signs point to that being what I am. All I wanted when I died was to free myself from the monster I was, to make up for my wrongdoings the way I thought I was supposed to. I thought my death was what must happen.”

“Death never fixes anything,” Makoto speaks softly, wisely, placing her warm, live hand over his cold and transparent. “Never. What kind of place would we live in if the eye for an eye theories were true? You don’t deserve death, Jonathan. You need to make things right.”

“How?” Ghost looks up at her slender face, begging, pleading in his eyes and the wet, tightness of his voice. Makoto thinks carefully.

“By living,” she says. “Live to be a better person. Live to help fix yourself from who you once were, and live to help those who are like you hurt before. The children you spoke of… learn not for your gain, but to help them. Does… that make sense?” Ghost considers Makoto’s words. His hand tightens around hers.

“I think I do,” he murmurs, staring down at her small hand. He lifts his eyes to look at her almond-shaped ones, and he finds himself falling for her beauty. Outward, and the beauty of her within. Her words, her intellect…

Their eyelids lower.

A kiss is shared, and Ghost thinks he feels something, for the first time in a long while. Makoto feels as though she leaves her body for a moment, as if her heart stops for only a second, the breath being taken from her.

But oh, how wonderful it feels.

[luvs-like-a-hurricane]

I met these friends just two days before our adventure to Gatineau Park

Every little kid knows the rule growing up: don’t talk to strangers. And fair enough! The world is a dangerous place. Kids are vulnerable. You never know people’s true intentions. However as we get older, the narrative continues. Especially as a girl, I am continually encouraged to keep my guard up around people I just met, not to trust too quickly. Stranger danger becomes a way of life, a way of looking at the world.

While we definitely need to be thoughtful, wise and aware, I think that the intense and immediate distrust of strangers, the assumption that people are bad or dangerous until proven otherwise, is a communal mindset that drives us towards a more individualistic and frankly, more boring society. As children, yes, a blanket rule of thumb is required for safety. But as adults? I would argue that we all could use some more stranger “danger” in our lives. Not literal danger y’all, just a couple steps outside our comfort zones will do!

Choosing to interact with people you don’t know in a genuine and engaged way brings so much joy and interest to our day to day lives. It teaches teaches us about what true hospitality looks like and helps foster an encompassing sense of community that humanizes the “other”.

Friends have, I’m sure, heard me say it before, I may have even written it in the blog, that “strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet”. I don’t say that to be naïve. I’m not assuming everyone will like me and I’m not disregarding the fact that there are indeed dangerous people out there with malicious intentions. However, that is not the majority. Everyone you have ever known was a stranger at some point. Maybe you were introduced by a friend or had a class together and you got to know each other in what is societally considered a safe space.

But

Who’s to say that guy reading a book in the park isn’t also going to be super cool and share your love of skiing?

Unless you ask her, how will you know that the women sitting next to you on the bus has walked the entire Great Wall of China or that she has her pilots license or that she and her husband have the best love story you’ve never heard?

If you don’t talk to strangers you may never hear why someone would want to be vegan or how one goes about building their own sailboat or what it’s like to work in a brewery or what it’s like to be a diplomat in Syria. My parents always told me, “you can’t do everything”. They were right! But SOMEONE out there has done everything. Don’t you want to hear their stories?

Aside from being purely interesting, it also teaches us how to love more fully. Inviting someone into your life and into your space isn’t always easy and it may require a little bit of sacrifice. But choosing community and choosing hospitality is SO WORTH IT.

In the woods, exploring with Remi, Jess and Mike

As many of you probably read last week I ended up going to Montréal by myself. While we’re on the subject, thank you all so much for the support! I received countless messages of encouragement after my plans got flipped on their head. Spontaneity and risk taking y’all, it pays off.  Now I could have spent all weekend exploring by myself but where’s the fun in that? I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and so I couldn’t wait to get to know these people that had been unexpectedly thrown into my life. Getting to know people and hearing their life stories was one of my favourite parts about my trip to Iceland and I didn’t see why Montreal had to be any different!

I ended up meeting people from all over: Scotland, England, France, Germany, China, Australia, Brazil, etc. Everyone had different reasons for traveling, they were of all different ages and we spoke about all kinds of things, from music to politics to language learning to sailing to what it’s like to be Canadian. I wasn’t just talking to strangers. I made friends. 

And although it might have made my mom uneasy, I actually ended up inviting a couple of guys, David and Frank to stay at my apartment back in Ottawa with my roommates and I as they continued their Canadian adventures. You know what? It made my week having them there. Aside from the fact that they were completely respectable houseguests, they were also fun guys! We took them to see the light show on Parliament Hill, went to a karaoke bar, went to Blue’s fest and also just chatted. My roommates and I felt a little lonely when they finally moved onto the next leg of their trips, after each having spent 4 nights sleeping on our couch!

David and Frank, our couch surfers. They were trying to see if the cucumber would scare our cat?

They were strangers. Who quickly became friends.

This isn’t the first time I’ve made fast friends about people and welcomed them into my life. There are a couple of people I’ve met through blogging/Youtube who I’ve actually met and hung out with in real life. There are a couple of girls I connected with on Facebook before coming to university who are still friends of mine. My host family in Switzerland were total strangers and they were some of the most wonderful and kind souls. Speaking of exchange, my current roommate is a girl I met in the airport on my way to Switzerland 3 years ago. Our other roommate was literally a stranger.  And you know what? I love them both so much it’s crazy.

Roomie love 

I’ve made friends with strangers in the park and random people on buses and in coffee shops. I’ve had fantastic conversations with people I will never see again. I’ve gotten to go on outdoor adventures with friends of friends of friends because I decided to talk to them.

More strangers turned friends!

It’s scary to talk to strangers. They represent a total unknown. They could be rude. They could be having a bad day (in which case maybe a friendly banter with you is exactly what they need?). Maybe they re someone unlike anyone else you know – and maybe that makes you uncomfortable. Maybe they have incredible stories to tell and maybe you’ll find them incredibly boring.

But try. Invite someone to have coffee with you. Treat acquaintances with more warmth and hospitality than they are expecting. Smile at the man standing next to you at the cross walk. Take time to step outside of the individual bubble we’ve all taught ourselves to walk about in. Start seeing people as the complex, puzzling, dazzling pieces of art that they are. I promise that your life will become infinitely richer with each story you tell, each face that becomes familiar and each human being you choose to call friend instead of stranger.

Until next time

  Sam

Ready for an afternoon paddle – with a bunch of total “strangers” as per the usual!

          (Don’t) talk to strangers? Every little kid knows the rule growing up: don't talk to strangers. And fair enough! The world is a dangerous place.

[luckycolorlucario-blog]

About

GENERAL Name: Anubis Age: Adult Gender: Intersex Female Pokemon Species: Shiny Lucario Types: Fighting/Steel  Appearance:

(Normal)

(Mega)

Personality: Anubis is very shy around new faces, especially as a Riolu. She’s very friendly when people and pokemon make an effort to help her break out of her shell. The few people that she is always comfortable around are her brother and grandpa. She has a tendency to become anxious and scared, but this is more likely to occur when she was a Riolu. Anubis loves helping out her friends and will often babysit the little ones when she can. She will protect those who cannot protect themselves with her life.   Nature: Timid  Characteristic: Mischevious Ability: Inner Focus (Normal), Adaptability (Mega)  Moves: Move 1: Dragon Pulse Move 2: Aura Sphere Move 3: Flash Cannon Move 4: Dark Pulse Previous Forms: Shiny Riolu FAMILY & IMPORTANT CHARACTERS Mother: Unknown Father: Unknown Siblings: Riolu/Lucario Important Family: Riolu/Lucario, Grandpa  Allies/Friends: Other people and pokemon in her kingdom Rivals: none  Who Is/Are The Enemy(ies)?:  Hunter J and other poachers EXTRA: Held Item: None (Riolu), Lucarionite (Lucario) Phobias (or Fears): Hypodermic Needles, loosing her brother and grandpa or being separated from them. Accessory: none FaVoRiTeS: Berry: Pecha Flower: Gracadea Season: Fall Weather: Rainy Song?: Instrumental Color?: Too many to list DiSlIkEs: Season: Winter Weather: Hot and humid Song?: Depends on how well it is composed Color?: Pink History: 

Anubis and her brother Riolu never met their parents. All they remember is being cold and hungry until warmth enveloped them. The two Riolu were abandoned on the doorstep of the one they call Grandpa. He took them in and raised them like his own children. Being a wood carver by trade, Anubis and Riolu’s days were spent happily helping Grandpa with his works of art. Things were very peaceful and happy for a long time. Until the small family began to notice strangers watching them from afar, nothing bad ever happened to Anubis or Riolu. 

The two Riolu learned quickly that they were very special cases indeed. They could use Aura like their evolved forms while still unevolved. The two knew the move Aura Sphere from as far back as they could remember, and often used the Aura ability to stay out of trouble.

One day, Anubis and Riolu were outside with their grandpa. Grandpa was working on two small wood carvings for Riolu while he and Anubis were playing. Once he finished, he happily called them over to give the carvings to them. 

Anubis and Riolu were in love with the carvings of themselves that grandpa had made for them. It couldn't have been a more perfect moment...    

The sound of a car door slamming alerted the two siblings to danger. A stranger with two strangely clothed guards and a Drowzee began to approach them. Both siblings got the feeling that these people weren't friendly. 

The stranger introduced himself as a scientist interested in the siblings for their early use of Aura. But Anubis and Riolu saw the malicious and wicked aura coming off of the strangers. They hid behind Grandpa, who stood up for them. 

Suddenly they were pushed in opposite directions while grandpa screamed at them to run away. 

Anubis ran away quickly, clutching the carving that Grandpa made her to her chest. She ran into the forest and hid until evening, when she felt safe to go home. She rushed home to find Grandpa waiting on the steps for them to return home. 

Anubis cried out with worry, causing him to look up quickly from where he was staring at the ground. She was okay. She was safe! 

They waited all night for Riolu to return home.

And he never showed.

Fearing for Riolu’s safety, grandpa called the pokemon rangers and reported the incident. For now all they could do was wait and hope that he was alright.

Anubis and Grandpa didn’t get a call back until a few days later, where the rangers told them that Riolu was alright and coming home safely. Anubis wept tears of joy at the news. Things weren't the same without her brother. 

They drove to where the Rangers said to meet them, which took a little bit. The siblings knew that the other was there as soon as the car pulled up at the meeting place. Riolu rushed over to the car while Anubis had her face pressed to the glass, tails wagging happily as soon as they saw each other. 

As soon as the door opened, Anubis and Riolu rushed at each other. Hugging tightly and making relieved yips to the other until grandpa got out of the car. Both of them rushed towards him, jumping up and down happily until he picked them both up.

Anubis got to meet a very special trainer named Ash and his friends. They along with the pokemon rangers banded together to help being Riolu home. Both Riolu and Anubis said thank you to Ash with their Aura, Anubis adding that he was free to visit anytime he wanted.

So the small family went home to the kingdom they were born in. Riolu and Anubis took up battling and practicing fighting styles so what happened with Hunter J would not happen again. Days turned into months, and months turned into years. The two were now fully evolved Lucario by this point, and still lived with Grandpa.

But grandpa was getting older and more frail by the day. His hands started shaking so badly he he had to stop carving wood, and he was always in pain. His children were often at the house, humans that Anubis and Lucario had never seen before until now. They helped the siblings care for him until one day he called the two Lucario into his bedroom. 

He had something for them... Something that could not be found very often. In fact, he had two of them. Grandpa presented Anubis and Lucario with Lucarionites as thanks for all the happy memories that he had gained from them.

The megastones were set into metal bracers that fit on their wrists. They turned to thank grandpa for the gift, but wailed in sadness to see that he had just passed away. Grandpa was their friend for so long... 

What would they do now?

The two Lucario decided to leave the kingdom they called home and search for an new place to be loved together. Who knows what they’ll find out in the vast world.      

[lovebooksgroup]

Sue Reid Sexton lives in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Mavis’s Shoe was the first new Scottish novel to be published simultaneously in Braille and in print. It was Waterstones ‘Book of the Month’, in Waterstones ‘Books of the Year’ list 2011, a Books from Scotland ‘Book of the Month’, and was included in ‘Books to Treasure’ Book Week Scotland 2013.

Rue End Street is the sequel, as meticulously researched as Mavis’s Shoe, and takes us the length of the Clyde Estuary and all the dangers and turmoil of the port of Greenock, known during WW2 as ‘Port Number One’.

Sue has appeared on TV and radio talking about her work and is available for events and workshops.

Her advice to new writers is: ‘Do it and keep doing it until you know what you’re doing. Do it everybody else’s way but finish with doing it your own. Learn to run. I mean real physical running as in jogging if you can. I ran before I wrote seriously. What I learned about running taught me a lot about how to write. Writing anything good, especially long stuff like novels, requires massive stamina, awareness of your environment and awareness of yourself.’

She has a website: http://www.suereidsexton.com And a blog: http://www.suereidsexton.blogspot.com

This strong and uplifting novel about the Clydebank Blitz during the Second World War has recently been selected by the Daily Record for its top ten children’s books about Scotland in the Second World War. It was also selected by Waterstones in its Scottish top 10 books in its year of publication. In Mavis’s Shoe, Lenny survives the bombing, but in the chaos of that night, she cannot find her mum and her little sister, Mavis. The story is told by Sue Reid Sexton in an urgent, true-grit voice, and the early part of the narrative describes the devastation of the blitz as seen through Lenny’s eyes. During her desperate search for her mum and sister, Lenny finds a shoe she thinks belongs to Mavis and it becomes her talisman in the days that follow. Lenny is forced to flee over the hills to the hut community of Carbeth in the company of a scary neighbour, Mr Tait, her old school teacher, Miss Weatherbeaten, and little Rosie, a girl who is oddly like Mavis. With Mr Tait’s help she finds her mother but still no Mavis.

It is left to Lenny herself in a desperate act to return to the terrifying scenes of devastation and search amongst the rubble for her little sister. This is a powerful story, suitable for ages 10+, and it celebrates the importance of family, friends and supporting each other in a community.

Written by Glasgow writer, Sue Reid Sexton, who has worked with war veterans and as a counsellor specialising in trauma, this book is extensively researched and covers what went on in Clydebank, Glasgow and Carbeth during this harrowing time in Scotland’s history.

Buy your copy here ~ AMAZON UK

Q&A ~ The Real You ~ Sue  Reid  Sexton

Describe yourself using three words?

Truth conquers all. What inspired you to write your first novel?

I met my friend’s elderly aunt at a party and she told me about the Clydebank Blitz, a huge bombing incident which happened over two nights in 1941 and devastated that town. She had lived through it. I knew nothing about it until then and was horrified when I began my research.   What time of day do you like to write?

I write best in the early morning when no-one else is up but this isn’t often practical. I also go off in my tiny campervan when I need peace to submerge myself in a project for a few days, or even a day. What is your favourite book and why?

I don’t have a favourite book. I’ve been inspired by too many books to choose one.

How did you pick the title of your book?

Mavis’s shoe is the central image of the book. Lenny keeps it with her like a talisman, the last thing that links her to her little sister who goes missing. This is common with people who have suffered loss and trauma. Are the characters in your book based on real people?

The main characters are not based on real people, but their experiences are derived from the real experiences of people who lived through the Clydebank Blitz or other similar bombings, or who went for safety to Carbeth, the hut community north of Clydebank, during the war. There are also one or two people in it who really did exist. What’s your favourite word?

I can’t choose one favourite word because it’s combinations of words that are really interesting. If you were a colour what would it be?

As with words, it’s the combination of colours that interest me, and my personal colours change every day. Do you plan your story beforehand or go with the flow?

I do a bit of both. I plan characters and settings and so on and I might have a rough outline of beginning, middle and end, and perhaps a few stepping stones in between. If I try and plan too much I get bored when I get down to writing it.

You are attending a dinner party with four fictitious book characters who would they be and why?

I only eat real food with real people.

What book are you reading at the moment?

The Atlantic Sound by Caryl Phillips and also Scotland and the Abolition of Black Slavery, 1756-1838 by Iain Whyte.

Where in the world is your happy place?

In my tiny campervan by the Atlantic coast, tea in hand and working on a project. You can read about it in Writing on the Road: Campervan Love and the Joy of Solitude. If you had one superpower what would it be?

A photographic memory. It would help my research. If you could give any literary villain a happy ending who would you chose?

Good books don’t generally have clear goodies and baddies. Real characters are more complex than that. I think a happy ending for any literary villain would be to learn the error of their ways and make amends. Personal progress would make them happy and the reading more interesting. Are you working on a new project?

Yes. The subject is a secret and it will be both fiction and non-fiction. Do you have any upcoming events our members can attend?

I’ll  be at Glasgow’s South Side Festival in May, date to be confirmed, talking about solo campervanning, writing and escape.

This is the story of a young girl who is coming to terms with changes in her family she is not ready for. A passionate story, told with warmth and conviction set in Greenock and Carbeth in the Second World War.

It is September 1943, more than two years since Lenny’s world was devastated by the Clydebank Blitz and she and her family are safe in the beautiful green hut community of Carbeth, Scotland. But as the tides of war turn and Italy joins the Allies to fight the Nazis, the fists of war and fear are set to grab Lenny once more. Adversity threatens each moment, and Lenny is about to lose her closest ally.

Told the family must move back to Clydebank with its smoke and factories and now overcrowded, teeming dwellings, Lenny refuses to give up her rural sanctuary. When her mother Peggy returns to Clydebank for a job, leaving Lenny to become a little mother to her siblings, Lenny lies about her age to look for work locally. But this new turn is bewildering. Exhausted, Lenny seizes on news of her father, convinced that if only she can discover the truth about where he is, if only she can find him, she can make their family complete again. But no-one will meet her eye.

Desperate, and in need of a happy ending, Lenny sets out, but all is not as she hopes… Her steps take her the length of the great Clyde estuary, and into new dangers in the vast, dark, threatening and adult war-time ports of Helensburgh and Greenock …

Snap yours up ~ Amazon UK

  Writing on the Road – Campervan Love and the Joy of Solitude is not just funny (or sad) stories of campervan trips in Scotland; it is not just ‘Zen and the art of campervan maintenance’ (with stories of sweetness and light that will entertain or make you cry), and it is not just nature writing (with observations of wildlife in the western Scottish Highlands).

But if you enjoy reading about how books are written and about recovery stories from relationship breakdowns, and if you like reading about women travelling alone and all the things that can go wrong (and right), about strategies for facing fear, dealing with creepy crawlies and noises in the night, and about surviving all that life throws at you (especially when you are over a certain age), then you will probably enjoy this book.

This new book is by Sue Reid Sexton. Over the last six years, Sue wrote two novels. In the process of writing them, Mavis’s Shoe (sold over 5000 copies) and Rue End Street, Sue needed to escape from her hectic household to create some space in her life to focus. As the mother of two and a step-mum of four, Sue realised her only real option was to get into her campervan and have it function as a mobile office. Whether she camped by a beach overlooking the Atlantic in the Kintyre peninsula with buzzards, golden eagles, deer, seals, surfers, other campervanners and dead fish for company, or in the hills around Glasgow, or on Skye, Morvern, the Cowal peninsula or even in southern France, her main aim was to switch off her phone, get out her laptop and write. Sue has made countless journeys in campervans in the last few years and thanks to her practice of taking notes as she travels, we, too, can enjoy her campervan experiences. Sue’s chosen and preferred van of travel is a Romahome, British-made, and she writes extensively about her Romahome campervan.

In Writing on the Road Sue also writes about the many and varied practical difficulties of campervan life that she has had to overcome. They include locking herself out of the campervan at night miles from home; coping with local byelaws and negative attitudes to campervans and to women travelling solo;driving a hundred miles with a window open before she could empty a cracked toilet; and finding out the wrong (and the right) way to buy a campervan. We hope this book will inspire anyone looking for encouragement in the expressive arts to get creative and persuade any would-be campervanners to get out there and enjoy the campervan life.

Grab your copy ~ AMAZON UK

For all your paperback copies ~ Waverley Books Store Online

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#Author Special with @SueReidSexton @WaverleyBooks #RT Sue Reid Sexton lives in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Mavis's Shoe was the first new Scottish novel to be published simultaneously in Braille and in print.

[a-drop-in-the-ocean000-blog]

To the Voltron: LD fandom, let me tell you a story…

Mary is a great swimmer. She has won a lot of competitions at a very young age. One day, she walks into a public pool with her friends just to have fun. It was a great place; everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Mary walks around to look until she ends up looking at a picture on a wall. It was a drawing of the very pool they were in, and there seems to be a human figure swimming in the pool. She looks at the drawing closer. Based on how the figure looks (short arms and legs, lack of body mass), she figures that the human figure on the pool was a minor. Mary panics; how could they display an image of a minor alone in a pool without a flotation device! Mary is furious! That was irresponsible of whoever drew that image!

Mary starts shouting and showing people the image. She keeps telling them; this picture is wrong! What if some child looks at the images and thinks it’s ok to dive in a pool without a flotation device? What if a parent sees the image and thinks that it’s ok to leave their child unattended? It’s dangerous!

Mary looks for the artist who drew the image. She finds the artist sitting in a sun chair with a drawing pad on her lap, making a sketch. Mary strides and confronts the artist whom she finds out was named Joan.

Mary: Why did you draw an image of a minor swimming in a pool without a flotation device? You’re being stupid!

Joan: I’m sorry?

Mary shoves the drawing at Joan’s chest. Joan holds the drawing and looks at it.

Mary: Look at this! The figure is clearly a minor! This is child abuse!

Joan: No! I just drew someone who was having fun in the pool! I never really thought of making the figure a minor or an adult. I just wanted to draw how nice the place is!

Mary: Look at it! It has short arms and legs! The floatation devices are also all over the image, why didn’t you put the child in one? Well it’s clearly irresponsible! Your image sends a message to others that it’s ok to leave their child unattended!

Joan: What are you talking…

Before Joan can finish her sentence, they hear a loud splash. When Mary and Joan looked at the direction of the pool, there it was;

A child, without a floatation device, was drowning.

Mary watched as the child flailed, clearly unable to swim. She watched as the child’s movement slow down, and then stop.

Mary scowls at Joan and points to the child.

Mary: You see? Look at him! He drowned because of the image you drew. This is your fault!

Joan feels bad about her drawings. She decided to go home and never draw a single thing her entire life.

Mary points at the child in the pool and starts telling everyone around them how she was right, that the image that was drawn influenced the child do jump in.

Now everyone in a public pool is uncomfortable and starts leaving. The parents of the child who drowned sobs wail at the loss of the child.

Now let’s talk about Mary. It was clear that Mary knows what she was talking about. She trained for so long, took classes about safety in swimming, the whole nine yards.  However, despite knowing how to swim, and knowing that child was drowning, she chose to do something that didn’t help at the moment.

Instead of jumping into the pool and saving the child, she just screamed and shouted on Joan.

She also assumed that the child drowned because of the image that was drawn. The question is, did the child look at it before jumping in the pool? The child could have slipped from his parent’s watch and jumped in on his own. Or, someone could have pushed the child. Or maybe he had slipped. There are dozens, even hundreds, of other reasons why it could have happened. But Mary would never know that, because all she’s doing now is gloat on the fact that she was right, and everyone was wrong. She didn’t even bother trying to find out what truly happened.

Now, let’s talk about Joan. All Joan wants to do was to draw. She wants to capture the joy she felt when she saw the pool. She just wants to share the happiness she felt to others, and maybe encourage others to try out the pool for themselves. However, now that Mary had discouraged her, she would never be able to share her happiness, and people may never find out how great the pool was.

As for the people around them, the event may cause them to no longer visit the pool because of their discomfort on the event. Some may stop visiting the pool altogether. Eventually, if there are no visitors in the pool, it may end up closing.

Lastly, for the parents of the child who drowned, especially the child, they are the ones who needed the attention, the real victims in this story. However, no one pays attention to them because of the scene that Mary created. If you look at it, Mary was diverting the attention from the real victims, thinking that she is helping them when in fact, she wasn’t. Sadly, their situation was overlooked because Mary want to prove a point.

To all the antis, if you think you are right, and you are really passionate and knowledgeable about what you believe in, then, by all means, share and direct your resources, energy, and time to the right channel so you can help. Join organizations, help victims of abuse, maybe even study and be a psychologist so you can help victims and future perpetrators. Teach children on how to avoid possible predators. Hating on others doesn’t make you an advocate, it makes you a bully. You just found the perfect weapon to use to attack others. You’re just like Mary, kicking and screaming at a drawing and its artist without facing the reality that there are victims all around you that truly needs help.

Don’t use abuse as your weapon; it’s a very delicate subject that even experts are debating over. Don’t dive in into a river thinking that it’s shallow enough for you to reach the bottom because you never know how deep it actually runs. You think you know everything from looking at the surface, but you don’t. Using abuse does not help you get your point across, you’re only triggering victims who are struggling every day to forget and be better.

I, for one, am a victim of child abuse. Believe me, what happened to me was nowhere near what’s happening to the paladins.

Art, whether it’s a drawing or a story, is open for interpretation. The artist’s interpretation is not necessarily the same as yours. You may see the blue curtain as a representation of the artist’s state of emotion as he is creating his art. But to the artist, the curtain is fucking blue. Does it make the artist wrong? No. Does it make you wrong? No. Art is something to appreciate. If you don’t appreciate it, then don’t, and move on. Clearly, it’s not for you. If you think something better could have been done, something more meaningful and more in line with your belief, then stand up and do it yourself. It’s the most productive action to take because not only do you get to show what you believe in, you also hone your skills in doing so.

Don’t attack artists and writers, they have their reasons to draw or write what they like. They’re looking for like-minded people to be friends with and they are also practicing their skill to improve. They’re simply doing what they love and sharing it. If you attack them, all you do is crush someone’s dream. If you attack one artist, and that artists stop, what makes you think that no other artist would pop up and draw something you think is not right? Some are wiser and would not bend to your ranting. Were you able to get your message across to them? No, all they would learn about is your hate, and it will only make them hate you back. What you’re doing is insulting their ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and belittling their intelligence. They will continue to do what they want to do because they know what’s right and wrong, what’s fiction and reality. The only difference is, they now hate you.

Lastly, stop spreading vitriol on the fandom. At the end of the day, if people stop watching Voltron because of their displeasure of its fan’s attitude, and no one watches it, then the show may get canceled. Whose loss is it? Sadly, it’s ours, the fandom. Fanart and fanfiction keep the hype for the show alive! It makes people pay attention to the show although it’s not currently running. That’s why creators encourage it; it’s free advertisement that fans are willing to do just to make sure that they get a new season.

At the end of the day, when we close our phones and turn-off our laptop, we go back to reality. We know what’s right or wrong. We can delineate what is fantasy and what is reality, and we know that we should do what is right and avoid what is wrong. We all have our moral compass; you don’t have to act as one for the rest of us. We also know what is against the law. Trust people’s intelligence and morality, not everyone’s a criminal. There are a lot of good people in the world, and they don’t deserve hate just because they don’t like the same pairing as you do (because seriously, that the only reason all this is happening, whether you deny it or not). If you keep on attacking people in Tumblr, all you do is throw fuel to the fire that burns no one else but you and other users. We should all be sitting around the fire, enjoy the warmth and sharing stories, instead of fighting and throwing each other at the fire pit.

 P.S. Yes, I have a real account, but I only want positivity and creativity to thrive on it, not hate.