#don’t get me wrong they’re awful but it’s similar i how i feel about like. Freddy Kruger or something

[lavenderjewels]

kenjaku benefits a lot from being closer to the classic evil mad scientist than just an evil mastermind

[desos-records]

The part I appreciate the most in the Lockwood and Co show is how it handles depression and suicidal thoughts in teenagers. As a theme, it’s not often (ever) done well. Lockwood and Co is the only story I can think of that depicts it in a nuanced, realistic, non-romanticized way

but first, before I get into it: [if you’re in crisis or need someone to talk to and don’t want to/can’t use your national hotline, highly recommend Samaritans, genuinely saved my life] okay, let’s go

Lockwood is the most obvious, with his general disregard for his own life and admitted suicidal ideation. Lucy struggles with her self-worth and the intensity of the emotions she’s subjected to. George worries that he doesn’t belong, that there’s something useless or wrong about him. The show depicts these thoughts and feelings in a way that isn’t overblown or dramatized, it’s all but casual. Which is how it happens. Depression or suicidal thoughts don’t crash into you all at once, they creep into your life without you noticing

But more importantly (and again, something I’ve never seen anywhere else), the show also offers counterpoints to those thoughts and feelings. It shows that there is a way out, even though you may feel trapped and hopeless. This is crucial for the show’s target demographic. Bad media depictions of depression or suicide get internalized, contribute to the stigma, and make it harder for people to ask for help. This show doesn’t do that. This show tells its audience that, yes, things are scary and painful and it fucking sucks, but it’s not hopeless. And it says it so well

In the second episode, when Lucy wants to quit, she admits something that I’m almost certain she’s never told anyone

“sometimes I just think I’d be better off dead”

And when I watched this the first time, I expected Lockwood to react the way I’ve seen people react in my own life; with silence or panic or downright dismissal. But he didn’t. He stays calm and he says something that is so so important to hear when you’re struggling under the weight of feelings like this

“I understand that”

Saying this tells someone several things: that you’re on their side, they aren’t strange or monstrous for feeling like this, and that you’re not going to attack or abandon them because of it. And you can see the impact it has on Lucy, the way her face clears. She went from struggling to breathe and near tears to calm and steady. It’s no mistake that in this moment we hear his and Lucy’s theme for the first time (those simple, beautiful guitar strings)

The next thing he says is also important

“and it’s not true”

Simple, to the point, directly addressing her feelings, and (the most common mistake) doesn’t make it about him. Telling someone that you love them or that they’d be upset to lose you might sound nice, and it can be later on in the conversation, but in a moment like this, it’s infinitely more helpful to confront the thought itself

A similar moment in the first book stuck with me too, when they’re underneath Combe Carey Hall and Lucy almost steps into the well. What she’s hearing in her head (and the general phenomenon of malaise that ghosts produce) is very similar to depressive or suicidal thoughts. Before she can fall, Lockwood pulls her back

“no, Lucy, that’s not the way it’s going to be”

Depressive and suicidal thoughts deal in absolutes, so sometimes it takes an absolute to counter it

In the last episode, George has that heart-breaking moment where he says all the awful things he thinks about himself, partly because of the influence of the boneglass and Bickerstaff, but it’s also been building up, there in the background. Increasingly, it’s Lockwood and Lucy working together and George working on his own, which picks at old wounds (engineer, engineer, engineer, weirdo). He bonds with Joplin because he feels like she understands him in a way the others don’t

“it’s nice to have someone to show off to”

But Lucy pushes back against all that because she sees herself in all the ugly things George is saying, because she’s felt that way too. She understands that. She’s so surprised and horrified to hear him saying those things, resigning himself to dying down there, she’s not going to let him go on believing them

“you’re not a third wheel or an oddball or whatever it is that you think you are”

“you’re the best of us”

“we are not losing you, Georgie”

Flo called him that earlier too, but Lucy wasn’t there for that and coming unprompted from her it sounds so much like something you might call your slightly annoying younger brother. She’s so absolute about it all, with no opening for doubt, and you can see something like surprise on George’s face (but also pain because now Lucy’s in danger too)

For all Lucy knows, the boneglass will kill her. I don’t think for a second she genuinely believes her talent will protect her; she told Joplin that to protect George. It’s unclear when exactly she came up with the plan to use the skull, but she was willing to risk it anyway. And she knows, she knows, George will blame himself for this (because she would too, if it were the other way around), but even then, she’s very clear

“this isn’t your fault”

Their whole scene down in the catacombs is two kids trying to keep each other alive, physically obviously, but on the inside as well. And, oh god, George almost crashing down next to Lucy after he’s knocked over the boneglass, trying to wake her up. His voice

“Lucy, Lucy, it’s me, it’s me, say something, speak to me”

I think it’s down in those catacombs that George and Lucy really understand each other for the first time. In their own ways, they’re both curious and suspicious about the Problem and what causes it, trying to learn more about it (and stressing Lockwood out in the process). They both left their families; they both struggle with feeling strange and different than everyone around them. That connection pulls them both back from the edge

Lockwood, for all his confidence, is practically in crisis or was fairly recently (I suspect living with George helped). It’s fairly common, actually, for someone suicidal to overcompensate with an exterior shell to hide it, which can manifest in different ways depending on the person (they may not even realize they’re doing it, I didn’t)

And I love how the show handles it. He’s not made into this dark, tragic figure. He’s so full of life it hurts. He jokes around with George and Flo, fights with Kipps, admires Fairfax. He has dreams (plans) for the future. He’s struggling with trauma, they all are, but he’s not Broken™ in the way similar leading characters are often made out to be, in the way we often fear we are

And, of course, there’s Lucy, a wreaking ball through the precarious balance of Lockwood’s life. It’s not so much that she gives him a reason to live (although she definitely helps), but she holds him accountable in a way no one else does. This is the difficult part of recovery that no one talks about. Having people care for you (George) and sympathize with you (Flo) is great and necessary, especially early on. But at some point, you have to take responsibility for yourself and the noise in your head (you have to open your door on the landing)

What that looks like is complicated and messy and different for every person, but seeing it played out in a story is remarkable. I’ve never seen anything like it. This is a difficult thing for anyone to learn (many adults never even try)

That shot of George, Lucy, Lockwood (and Kipps) rising up on the catafalque sums it all up for me. Each of them fell into darkness alone and rose out of it together. They inspired each other to fight and win their individual battles, even when they couldn’t be there to help

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if i talked to the school councelor because i suspect one of my friends is autistic? 👁️

(note: asshole is probably a strong word - what i’m mostly asking is if it would be a good idea)

I (17) have a friend (17) we’ll call Alex. I’ve been friends with Alex since we were in first grade, because our parents knew eachother. We kind of grew up together. Our entire lives, they’ve always been “weird,” they’ve never picked up on social cues well, they’re obsessed with chickens and know an absurd amount about them, they describe themself as a “creature of habit,” they struggle to understand when people are joking vs serious, and they are really bad at spelling, just to name off the top of my head. Now, any of these thing in a vacuum wouldn’t warrant anything necessarily, but all together i’m pretty certain they have undiagnosed autism.

Some added context, im not autistic myself, but i do have ADHD and i have an interest in psychology and how the brain works. In doing my own research to see if i was autistic, i noticed a lot of similarities between what i was reading and how i’ve known Alex as a friend my whole life. I’ve had the idea of them maybe being autistic rolling in the back of my head for like, two years now? But haven’t ever said anything about it, because i was afraid I was wrong or overthinking.

Now, here’s why i’m worried about bringing it up to anyone. Their parents are very… “nuclear family” ish. they’re very catholic, and have six kids with a seventh on the way (we live in the suburbs) and a part of me feels they don’t believe in mental health/illnesses/disorders or anything like that. They’re also transphobic, but you didn’t hear that from me. I just fear that telling a counselor would spread the info to parents who either wouldn’t understand, wouldn’t care, or would try and “cure” it. Alex already isn’t doing well mentally (they’ve talked about feeling textbook dysphoria and are in denial about it - i think they’re a transmasc egg) and i really don’t want to bring it up if it will cause problems.

BUT. I talked to my mom about all of this (we’re very close and i knew she wouldn’t make a big deal out of it) and she recommended talking to the school counselor, and im just wondering if it’s a good idea. In the best case scenario, the counselor would work to get them a diagnosis and HOPEFULLY a therapist (oh my god do they need a therapist), but in the worst case? in the awful world for autistic people we live in? i just don’t know if it’s wise. So here i am turning to tumblr, the most neurodivergent site around. WIBTA if i talked to the counselor about my friend who i heavily suspect is autistic?

[redrose10]

Hii your fics are great!!

I want prompt #26 and prompt #35 with yoongi :)

Aw thank you! I hope this is okay!

#26 It was you the whole time

#35 Do you regret it

Warnings: Minor violence, reader called a whore

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You laughed watching your husband curse at the wood fired oven as he looked over the charred loaf of bread. “I told you that it was too hot.”, you chuckled. He shook his head before tossing the loaf out the window for the birds to pick at. The early morning sunlight hit him in a way that made him look perfectly angelic. You stared at him while taking in the moment thinking back to the events that lead you here.

You and Yoongi had practically grown up together. You were close in age and similar in personalities. The only difference being that he was born a prince destined to be a king that ruled the kingdom and you were born a servant girl orphaned at a young age therefore bound to spend your life at the beck and call of the Min Family.

One day you tripped while carrying a load of laundry down the stairs and Yoongi quickly dropped everything and rushed over to check on you much to the dismay of his parents. He flashed you a gummy smile as he helped you up and it was love at first sight for you.

By the time the two of you were young adults, the king and queen were quite wary about how close you and Yoongi had become. Whenever Yoongi turned the other way they would be quick to remind you of your place in their family and that you would never carry the Min name. If they only knew about the Min family ring you secretly carried in your pocket at all times, a gift from Yoongi on your 16th birthday.

One evening you were in Yoongi’s room tidying it up while waiting for him to return from a dinner with his parents. You’d just finished changing the bedding when you heard the large oak door slam shut so you turned around to see Yoongi pacing back and forth with his hair disheveled and his fists clenched. His face a dark shade of red.

“What’s wrong?”, you asked concerned never having seen him so upset before.

“They’re forcing me to get married.”

“What? To who?”

He scoffed, “I don’t know. Some princess from another kingdom. I didn’t care to listen. They said I don’t have a choice.”

You had figured this day would come. Arranged marriages especially for royalty were very common. You just didn’t expect it to happen so soon and without warning.

“Okay well it’ll all be okay. You need to do whatever is expected of you.”

Quickly Yoongi was standing in front of you shaking his head, “No Y/N. I won’t let them separate us like this. It’s bad enough we’ve had to sneak around all these years. I’ll figure something out. I’m not giving up on us.”

You smiled to try and calm him but deep down you knew it wasn’t that easy.

Over the next couple of weeks the king and queen introduced everyone to Princess Ina. She was beautiful and kind. You couldn’t help but feel a little jealous every time you saw her with Yoongi even though he only saw you.

The night before the wedding there was a grand ball. All of the guests were invited to the palace to celebrate the upcoming nuptials.

You were busy walking around providing drinks or appetizers to the guests. Yoongi was never more than a few feet away even though you kept scolding him that you were both going to get in trouble. After the hundredth time of you telling him to stop and leave you alone he’d had enough and quickly pulled you outside to the balcony.

“Yoongi what are you doing? We could get caught and then they’ll have both our heads.”, you giggled feeling his fingers grip tightly on your hips.

“I don’t care. I hope they find us and call off this whole stupid thing.”, he smiled before chasing after your lips for a kiss.

You rolled your eyes but agreed. The kiss between you felt like home. You both had been so busy that you forgot how good it felt to have his lips on yours. You tried to pull away before you got caught but that only made Yoongi grip you tighter.

“Min Yoongi! What do you think you’re doing?”, a woman screeched from the doorway.

Quickly pulling apart your face turned red with embarrassment and fear finding the king and queen standing there.

“I told you to stay away from that servant girl.”, his mother spoke.

“”I won’t. I’m not staying away from her and I’m not marrying Ina either. I’m going to marry Y/N whether you like it or not.”, Yoongi said. His father stepped forward making you flinch in fear. Yoongi noticed quickly pushing you behind him.

His father grabbed his wrist pulling him forward, “I will not have the future king married to some lowly servant girl. You will marry the princess and that is final!”

“No! I’m not your pawn to use for political and financial gains. You marry the princess if it’s so important to you.”

The king slapped Yoongi bringing him to his knees from the impact. As Yoongi kneeled on the ground trying to regain his composure the king grabbed him by the collar pulling him up, “You will not disobey me Min Yoongi. I will lock your little whore away if I have to. Now go to bed and be ready for the wedding tomorrow morning.”, the king spat before throwing him back down to the ground.

After they left you quickly helped Yoongi up and walked him to his room before saying goodnight.

You didn’t expect to be able to fall asleep but somehow you managed. Only being woken up by someone gently shaking you.

“Yoongi what are you doing?”, you whispered.

“Come on. We’re running away.”, he said handing you some clothes.

“No you can’t give up everything for me. You need to marry the princess as requested so that you can rule the kingdom one day.”

He leaned over and gave you a kiss, “Y/N, you’re the only princess for me.”

That’s how you both ended up here, in a small village on the other side of the world with your own little bakery that you worked very hard to achieve. Yoongi’s parents knew he had run away with you that night. They weren’t that stupid. They never bothered to look for either of you instead telling the kingdom that he had attempted to run away from the marriage but was killed by wolves in the forest, his body too mangled for any kind of public funeral. They thought that was less embarrassing than admitting their son loved a servant.

Yoongi had given up on the bread and was now working on the blueberry pies. “I hate blueberries. They stain everything.”, he said showing you his hands.

When you didn’t respond he walked over to stand in front of you, “Y/N are you okay?”

You looked him over. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. His pants were covered in patches to hold them together until you could afford a new pair. He had burns on his arms from the hot oven. His wedding ring slipping down his finger since it was slightly too big but it was the cheapest one you could find. He gave up a life of wealth and luxury for you and suddenly you felt guilty.

“Do you regret it?”, you asked fidgeting with the Min family ring you wore now as a wedding band.

“Regret what?”

“Giving up everything to marry me. You could be married to princess living a life of luxury in a palace but now you live above a bakery while working hours and hours a day. You should’ve stayed there and married her and your life would be so much better.”, you said feeling the tears begin to break.

Yoongi stopped your ramble with a kiss, “Y/N, it was you the whole time. From the minute I saw your embarrassed face as I helped you up after you fell down the stairs I knew I wanted to marry you. I’d live in a tent in the woods if it means I’ll have you by my side. The only thing I regret is not running away with you sooner.”

You leaned into his embrace feeling better after hearing his words.

“Come on Mrs. Min, the strawberry tarts aren’t going to bake themselves as nice as that would be.”, he chuckled pulling you along with him. His hand ever leaving yours.

[noturlondonboy]

Headcanons for genderqueer Kate coming out to Yelena?

I feel like queerness in general is still a bit of a learning curve for Yelena considering her oppressive upbringing (but that’s my headcanon! All good if you don’t see it that way)

No you are so correct my friend let’s see what I can cook

WALL OF TEXT GO

-we could start on her coming out as gay first honestly. She’s not exactly nervous about it but she’s already crushing on Yelena and doesn’t really know how to go about it

-plus the internalized homophobia is strong and horrible. Yelena knows about Gay People, yea, but she’s convinced herself that nobody she knows personally is queer and there’s no excuse for her to be attracted to women

-Kate decides to just casually drop it into a conversation by mentioning a past girlfriend or a woman she thinks is really pretty (cough cough Florence Pugh)

-Yelena is just giving her A Look and asks is Kate is attracted to women, and her tone isn’t exactly very nice because she’s freaking the fuck out on the inside

-Kate gets all quiet and nods and gets ready to be rejected in some form or another but Yelena is completely silent and just leaves

-she goes to Natasha immediately and kinda just has a meltdown because she realizes that yes, she is massively into Kate and yes, it feels awful and wonderful at the same time and she’s terrified and wants to run away

-Natasha says the right things but is also just kinda like “…you know that I’m dating Wanda/Maria/Peggy (choose your favorite) right?”

-she eventually decides that she needs to see Kate and apologize for how she left and heads back to her apartment

-Kate meanwhile is NOT having a good time. Miss girl is kinda just crying on the couch with her dog because she’s just like me actually

-Yelena knocks on the door for the first time in her life because she feels bad. She calls out for Kate when she doesn’t respond, but still the door doesn’t open for her and she knows she doesn’t have the right to pick the lock like usual

-she apologizes through the door and explains why she reacted the way she did and that she doesn’t think Kate is disgusting and maybe lets it slip that she’s kinda into her

-which of course prompts Kate to open the door immediately

-Yelena can see that she’s been crying and nearly bursts into tears herself “oh malen’kiy yastreb… I’m so sorry”

-unclear who moved first but suddenly they’re kissing and obviously it’s the fucking best cuz duh

-they’re dating for a whileeee before Kate starts to explore her gender. (Pretty similar to it went in some of the other posts I’ve made) but it makes her panic a little when she realizes that she should probably talk to Yelena about it

-Yelena knows something is up but doesn’t want to push it

-Kate is trying to work up the courage to just blurt it out but accidentally goes “would you still love me if I was a worm” and Yelena just goes of course stupid because Kate asks her that like three times a week

-except when she looks over at her Kate is on the verge of tears and looks so distressed and disconnected and something is clearly actually wrong

-Yelena asks if she’s ok and Kate just shakes her head and starts crying and Yelena is kind of expecting the worst because yes, Kate gets upset about things, yes Kate has cried before and struggled and had a hard time but this is clearly different

-“I don’t think I’m a girl, Lena”

-Yelena does NOT know how to respond to that but she can see that Kate is kinda goin through it so she just nods and says ok and they cuddle

-she takes the night to think about it, and meanwhile Kate is just panicking and stressing and trying not to cry herself to sleep but it also feels so good to have finally just voiced it

-they talk in the morning, and Yelena apologizes for not really saying anything but assures Kate she still loves her and doesn’t want anything about their relationship to change

-she’s never given gender much thought in the first place and she’s gotten so much more comfortable with stuff that’s lgbtq related and honestly if Kate needs something to be different in order to be comfortable Yelena will make it happen

-Yelena would explode buildings and dismantle governments for Kate Bishop ok

[louisisalarrie]

https://www.tumblr.com/seasurfacefullofclouds1/749100329213247488/the-paradox-of-this-man-he-is-a-self-confessed

This man is not as chaotic as he lets on! He really isn’t! He’s well put together, articulate, never misses a show (through illness or anything) and seems totally focused when it comes to rehearsals etc. You never hear anything but good stories from people that have worked with him. I’ve never heard anyone say he was late or didn’t show up for something - please correct me if I’m wrong - and other artists/musicians always comment on how he has such a clear vision/knows what he wants/is very collaborative. THIS is not chaos! He might be loud but this guy is actually very un-chaotic and unproblematic in real life.

I genuinely think he feels chaos is more rock n roll so that’s how he portrays himself but in reality that’s not him ;-)

Hahahaha yep, he’s such a sweetie. Truly mastered being rock n roll and also the most gentle human ever.

And yeah, only ever good things about his work ethic and him as a person. The crew when he toured AU just couldn’t shut up about how professional but chill he was. I actively saw him thank every venue staff member as he walked past them, even if they weren’t doing anything for him at that current moment of time. Like… a security member being stationed there (not directly near him, but next to the stage waiting for show start and making sure only accredited people pass through) for hours, and he thanks her as he’s about to jump on stage.

He makes a lot of eye contact, turns up early for soundcheck (and is very particular on getting the sound right), and doesn’t waste anyone’s time. He’s just very genuine and a mix of being totally carefree and lovely, while being extremely professional and well spoken at the same time.

When Harry was here, it was a similar thing. Just absolutely wonderful, and not a diva at all. But his public persona already kinda portrays that, where louis is seen more as sex, drugs, and rock n roll. So it’s always refreshing to hear how both of them are so incredibly gentle and caring and professional and they don’t take what they’re doing for granted (I’ve had a lot of artists who are AWFUL lol).

He works hard, plays hard, and is an all around sweetheart.

[ilikethisacompletelynormalamount]

Halfway through their Actors on Actors conversation, Brie Larson and Andrew Scott discover something they have in common: Neither of them is a trained actor. Larson brings up the subject almost hesitantly, to explain why she has difficulty talking about her craft. “I didn’t go to school for it,” she says. “No! I didn’t either!” Scott replies. Excitedly, Larson says: “I knew I liked you!”

Despite any self-professed deficiencies about discussing acting, Larson and Scott insightfully talk about how they each got their start at a young age, and then dive into their current television projects: his remake of “Ripley” on Netflix and her Apple TV+ limited series “Lessons in Chemistry,” which Larson also developed as an executive producer. Both shows originate from books — Patricia Highsmith’s classic thriller and Bonnie Garmus’ 2022 bestseller, respectively — and though their characters are very different (Tom Ripley is a grifter turned murderer; Elizabeth Zott is a thwarted physicist), both stand apart from society, looking in from the outside...

RIPLEY LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY ACTORS ON ACTORS

BY KATE AURTHUR

ANDREW Scott & BRIE Larson

ANDREW SCOTT: I was reading that you were shy as a kid.

BRIE LARSON: Not anymore. I’m totally fine now. I’m totally confident and cool.

SCOTT: I really related to you when I was reading that, because that’s why I started as a kid. I think there’s a slight myth about actors — that they’re very outgoing or sort of precocious. So did you ask to start acting?

LARSON: Yeah. My parents were chiropractors, and I was super shy. I wouldn’t let it go. Of course, it’s changed the course of my life in so many ways. But at a time when I was so shy and had such a hard time expressing myself, at 6 years old, I was basically given, like, “OK, here’s a script for how you have a conversation.” The actual fiber of how I understand how to have pleasant conversations with people is based upon weekly acting sessions.

SCOTT: I used to go to these drama classes on a Saturday, and I would be fully shaking before you go in. And then you’d have to get up in front of your other 7-, 8-year-olds, and do an improvisation, or say a poem or something. I don’t feel like it’s an overstatement to say that I think it’s completely changed my life — not just my career. I had a really bad lisp when I was a kid, so I had to do elocution lessons. I had to go, “He sees seashells by the seashore,” and I just completely got rid of it.

Do you feel shy now?

LARSON: I had to face myself in so many different ways; that’s part of the thing that I actually seek now. I mean, I’m so grateful that I had so much rejection growing up. It’s wild! I very much had a slow burn in my career. I’d get close to things, so I knew that I had something, but I wasn’t booking, or I’d book one job a year or something — just enough to give me hope. It gave me so much experience so that when I was given the opportunities, I was truly ready for it. I never had a time on set where I was like, “Oh, gosh. This is bigger than what I understand.” It was always, like, well paced.

SCOTT: Absolutely. People who get an awful lot of scrutiny at an early age, I think, find it harder to experiment a little bit. So it’s good that I was unemployed for so long.

LARSON: It turns out I’m so happy that it seemed like it wasn’t working out for me! Look at us now! But, yeah, when I was stalking you online, I was like, “Wow, it feels similar.”

SCOTT: Just to wrap that shyness thing up, somebody said a really brilliant thing to me, which was, like, “There’s nothing wrong with being shy. Be shy. It’s a nice thing you go a little bit red.”

LARSON: I blush very easily. It’s horrible.

SCOTT: So “Lessons in Chemistry.”

LARSON: Let’s talk about our shows.

SCOTT: She’s singular, but it’s not shyness. She’s actually quite forthright. It’s beautiful stuff. And you’ve been involved with it for …?

LARSON: I think it took two years. Maybe longer. But I think it was about two years when we started working on it to then actually filming it.

SCOTT: Are you so proud of this?

LARSON: Yeah, I think so. I’m proud of what we achieved in the time that we did. I don’t have a connection to when it goes out in the world; it just feels like then it’s not about me anymore — it’s just images and feelings. I am proud of how much we said in the show. I felt like we got a lot in it, and a really amazing group of people that worked on it. And I loved playing her.

SCOTT: Were you looking at the edit and all that kind of stuff?

LARSON: All the time. And nonstop.

SCOTT: Did you find that you were able to …

LARSON: … detach? You have to. I’m just like, “Of course I didn’t do it all right.”

SCOTT: I think there’s maybe a fear that people are going to say, “We need another close-up of me, please.”

LARSON: I felt very committed to finding what things weren’t working. Especially with a character that I also felt was very different from me, and how little she emotionally expresses.

SCOTT: I love that about it.

LARSON: I struggled with it a lot, and I felt very lost with it. I am just very used to my understanding of when something’s working — when it feels very true and I’m just in it. And I would be in it with her, but I felt like the part of me that would want to cry, for example, was being pushed. She’s always twisting the knot inside, and won’t give it to anybody.

When you’re playing Tom Ripley, what does it feel like to lie when he’s lying?

SCOTT: Well, I tried to make him lie as little as he could get away with, so that he lies in order to get himself out of a situation. And he murders to get himself out of a situation. He’s not bloodthirsty. I mean, he could have not murdered, I suppose.

LARSON: Yeah.

SCOTT: We all make that decision.

LARSON: Yeah, no, it’s a choice you make every day.

SCOTT: I suppose any of those things about him being a liar or sociopath, I found unhelpful. The kind of stuff that Tom Ripley, I suppose, is famous for as an iconic literary character — “Is he a psychopath?” or “Is he a murderer?” or whatever. But the murder-y parts — we shot it for nearly a year, and they only took up a few weeks.

LARSON: He’s mostly not murdering. I have a question about playing a character that has existed in many different iterations and forms. I feel like you have experience with that, because you do theater as well. Do you have the same approach every time, in terms of researching and watching previous versions of it? Or do you just block it out?

SCOTT: Absolutely, I block it. Because, No. 1, I adored the film “The Talented Mr. Ripley” — the Minghella movie with Matt Damon and Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow and all those amazing people. But mercifully, I hadn’t seen it in a very long time. One of the first conversations I had with Steven Zaillian, our writer-director, was “Why?” And he had such a singular vision for it. He wanted it a very particular way. I was worried that I was too old and blah, blah, blah — I had just a very specific idea that was based on the film.

I had to remind myself that that film was also a reiteration of something: There was another version with Alain Delon before. There were loads of different ones. So it has been reinterpreted a lot. And I feel like it’s very important that he said, “We want to age the characters up.” And he was talking about this very particular kind of noirish black-and-white vision that he had. And that made me feel very comfortable. And I always think that it’s important, because it happens in the theater so much — if it was a Shakespeare character, thousands of people have played one character. I always find that really interesting. I think the response, I suppose, is to be respectful, but not too reverent. What’s the point of doing it if you’re going to do it exactly the same way? So I didn’t look.

LARSON: What do you think about some sort of Ripley universe — into the Ripley-verse? Just all the Ripleys.

SCOTT: Like Marvel? Sort of like the Fantastic Four? Is that a thing? Oh, and they all get together?

LARSON: Yeah, Ripleys together. I’m just curious. I got a couple studios interested, so I just …

SCOTT: You do? So kind of you! You make things happen. Are you not tired? You’ve been setting up projects for me? God, you’re kind.

LARSON: No, I’m writing a part for myself as well.

SCOTT: You’d be a good Tom Ripley! 

[atopvisenyashill]

the ‘what’s the worst things my favs have done’ is hilarious becuz it’s either things that are acceptable in medieval fantasy (murder with dragons, executions, lying, blackmail) and then like, actual crimes like r*pe and shit like that.

rhaenyra out here calling for the heads of her allies after suspecting they’re on some bullshit and aegon can’t keep his hands to himself nor his dick in his pants, then there’s fucking maegor and my beautiful queen rhaena who did nothing wrong ever.

and then dany trying, like literally trying and then failing, and then fucking theon being fucking theon.

the range, man, the range.

No exactly aksjdjd it’s like when you’re talking about bran, the worst thing he’s done is obviously the hodor mindrape, which is a completely fantasy based crime, and you compare to davos, whose crimes are more similar to ned in that it’s about how he’s rationalizing the harm the feudal system does & how he’s just SO hypocritical about stannis exhibiting the exact same violence as the other lords + i guess like, being kind of a deadbeat husband? but then you get to ROBERT and it’s like WHERE DO WE BEGIN AKSJDJD and how do we define “worst thing” which IS the same thing as dany funny enough bc like do you weigh the structural harm over the warring or over the interpersonal violence??

with robert it’s like……idk you could probably group the awful husband + awful dad stuff together but his complete inability to actually LEAD & taking the easy way out from the trident incident down to his handling of the lannister-stark beef when ned is injured is SUCH a big moral failing to me because of the combination of it being disastrous politically AND personally. like, ned is your BEST FRIEND and you put him in this powder keg of a situation with your insane & evil family that you drive CRAZY and he can’t even do ned the decency of siding with him when his son starts and loses a fight against a toddler & his wife is asking for one of their pets to be murdered in retaliation. like bro what was the point of even asking ned to come in this case. AND A WAR STARTS OVER THIS.

but it’s crazy to put that side by side with “eight year old invades & controls the mind of his cognitively disabled companion” you know. i don’t want to understate that what bran is doing here is a gross violation of hodor’s personhood & he is old enough imo to realize “hodor does not like when i do this, i should talk to jojen about this and see if it’s okay” especially when this is something luwin scolds him about & bran feels a lil quirk of guilt which says to me it’s clear he understand the lesson of “you shouldn’t be treating hodor in this way.”

and then there’s like, sansa & arya who, in incredibly stressful situations, kinda reactively Do A Thing that gets someone else killed. that’s not the same at ALL aksjd bc with bran this is a pattern of egregious behavior that he should understand is wrong and sansa & arya just reacting bad in a situation. oh sansa gets wine drunk & reacts wonky during a fight. oh sansa pulls a ouat snow white & tattles about something she doesn’t realize is so serious to a Trusted Adult. oh arya is running for her life and accidentally gives the stable boy a killing blow. oh arya on the run for her life during a horrific war basically gets scooped up like one of those stolen orphan war adoptees you read about except instead of a wasp family it’s an assassin’s guild. see hers is just as absurd as bran’s akskdkd just in the opposite way. bran absolutely did that shit (but LISTEN-), arya is innocent your honor!!

[pinetreepilgrimage]

Post about the ugly Chainsmoker because I’m full of thoughts, just like this guy is full of noxious fumes

First off, I dislike this guy. It’s not about how the character works or is written, that stuff is all fantastic, however hearing him in game gives me a headache knowing if I time it wrong, he’s going to get me and the run is over because of THIS. THING.

He reminds me of The Clown from Dead by Daylight. They look SO SIMILAR

yuck, gross, get it away from me. The Clown’s power is also based on throwing colorful smoke bombs at you so that does NOT help. I do not wanna think about his death scene ANY MORE. But anyway

Chainsmoker is one of the angler variants that appeared after the facility went under, like Froger, Pinkie, and Blitz.

He’s characterized as a green blobfish with empty holes in place of it’s eyes and a massive gaping mouth spewing green smoke that causes you to exit your locker earier due to the increase of cleithrophobia.

Chainsmoker is connected to Paranoia’s Box, which is an item in the lore that constantly emits green fumes from inside. These fumes emit chemicals that increase strange phobias in those who inhale it. It is said in documents that the containment procedures for Paranoia’s Box must have a ventiltion system above it to suck up any excess fumes. Though since the facility is in ruin, these fans failed and the fumes have spread accross the facility. This is why your character cannot get in a locker too early, if they stay in one too long they become faint and panicked, jumping out. When you die to Chainsmoker, you are sent to a pocket dimension full of rolling green fog and a thin strip of land to walk on, where a massive version of Paranoia’s box sits at the end. There’s also chains in the fog, constantly moving. If you approach the box, it will immediately kill you.

There’s a lot to think about here. How is Chainsmoker so strongly connected to Paranoia’s Box? Was this variant changed by the box when it appeared or was it a creation of the box itself? The other anglers have at least 2 glowing eyes, whereas he has none. Why is that? This leads me to believe that Chainsmoker is dead.

First off, Chainsmoker is based on a blobfish. “Blobfish” aren’t actually a real species of fish, from what I know they’re fathead sculpins. The reason they look so strange and gross is because they’re not dense at all and live in the extremely pressurized water of the deep. Bringing one to the surface basicallly destroyed it’s mass and caused it to look horrendous. This is what they actually look like.

I strongly Believe Chainsmoker is a vessel of Paranoias box that could have once been “alive” or at least untouched and more like a regular angler. Basing him off a blobfish was really smart because not only is the area Hadal Blacksite very depressurized, it gives the appearance that he’s been bloated by the fumes. Whatever Chainsmoker once was has been corrupted by Paranoia’s box. I notice that in his audio, you can hear chains moving and clinking. In the pocket dimension, there are shifting chains everywhere. I think getting too close to Chainsmoker doesn’t have you killed by him specifically, but sends you to this pocket dimension via proximity. I don’t think he’s actually aware of anything going on, given the fact he’s shown no signs of conciousness. He also lacks the black smoke that surrounds other anglers, being replaced by green smoke instead. Though he does keep the fish appearance and electro field that flickers and kills the lights. I feel like he would smell awful ingame, oh my god. It’s said the fumes contain sulfur and the fact he fills rooms full of his awful smoke, I cannot imagine that would be pleasant. If i had to navigate Hadal Blacksite and fetch the crystal, I’d think the worst part of it would be Pandemonium and Chainsmoker due to how terrible they’d both smell.

Let me know your thoughts of you’d like to add anything, I might make a Pandemonium post.

[rosetheocto]

Hey! Hope you're doing well. Mind sharing your takes on Simple Bob?

Thanks for the ask!! Bob’s basically the CEO of Daniel’s Miis having a bigger lore than just being props for a Mario Kart game and I think he NEEDS more respect for that alone lol

How I Feel About This Character

I LOVE HIM!!!! There’s so much I wanna know about him,, especially his past with Punnyatta!! Dude’s gone through a similar thing to Erica and I think that should be explored more… I love you Demon Hunters/Mario Kart Mii Making it’s a shame that only like 5 people are aware of its existence (and its status as Failtopia’s Prequel)

His whole arc in S1 where he learns to become less simple and develops a personality of his own is just. I love it. it’s so good!!! (S2 post game ruins it but S2 Post Game Doesn’t Exist) also shoutouts to Bob canonically being a flirt fr, looking at S1 he’s got a surprising amount of charisma :0

All The People I Ship Romantically With This Character

I ship him with both Smuk and Rose!! Their dynamic is so healthy to me and they’re all just cute together ngl,, I have more thoughts on them but it’s nothing I can really put to words rn lol

My Non-Romantic OTP For This Character

Erica and Bob, in S1 at least. I like the idea that before Erica’s multiclass Bob gave her a tip or two for how to use a sword! I think that especially after S2 they would be close! I also think that Bob and Punnyatta’s dynamic would be SO FUN to see in Miitopia’s style!! I’d kill for more lore on Bob’s life before TFFM, I hope someday we can get some more info on his first party…

and while this isn’t really an OTP, but I think Bob’s dynamic with C!Fail is so interesting, they were the original duo, but by the end of the series Bob seemed more than willing to leave him under the bus when C!Fail needed his help!

My Unpopular Opinion About This Character

I don’t really have any unpopular opinion on him, unless not liking his return in post game counts! He could’ve worked! Just… not like that

One Thing I Wished Would Happen/Had Happened With This Character In Canon

BOB HATING MAR!! The very few times we’ve seen them interact in Post Game they seemed cool with each other, and that feels wrong to me! With the lore we have now, we know that Mar was the one who killed Punnyatta instead of Hank. He’d hate both Mar and Floop I think, and probably held a bit of resentment towards C!Fail, Chi, and Erica for being so willing to be on a party like this while knowing and experiencing first hand all the awful things Mar did to the world!

[granulesofsand]

Educational

I don’t know where Legion gets most of their statistics, but I do think it’s important to know the difference between a person in the role of an educator and a person just existing. In our time, most people we hear using quotes and statistics do so for communication. The point is to call attention to a piece of information, not to be accurate.

In academia, we expect people to be giving truthful and reliable information, which includes the statistics and direct quotes given. New information is peer-reviewed and held up to standards in the field.

Not every piece of media is created to be academic. Even nonacademic media can be brought into academic fields, and there are a few accepted means of doing this.

I’ve not been under the impression that the Legion’s content is primarily educational. When it is, they are still largely sharing their own lived experience and opinions. You could absolutely cite Legion on any experiential topic, and you could also cite disprovable data with the same risk as always; if they’re wrong, so are you. Many survivors have a social media presence without attempting to be academically educational.

The primary complaint we hear about Legion’s content is directed to their document, ‘The Alpha to Omega of Torture Based Mind Control’. This follows the same rules as any other text, and there are pieces that cannot serve as reliable citations in academic contexts. The majority of what’s written is a recategorization according to Legion’s own experience, which I believe was intended to replace an external list of similar terms that had been overwritten on the original site.

I like it. I find it beneficial to move away from the Greek letter programs aliases we were using, as those were taken from a document that was even more unreliable (and that also had usable information), titled ‘How the Illuminati Create an Undetectable Total Mind Controlled Slave’. Having alternative names for programs keeps survivors from having to disclose the perp-given designations of their own programs, or having to describe what a program does.

We agree that Legion should be using Content Warnings appropriate for the material they share, but that in itself does not make them unreliable as much as it does inconsiderate. Letting others know that content creators might be triggering is different from telling everyone to stay away, and consuming content you cannot prove is not bad so long as you understand when you can or can’t cite it as a source.

We don’t use any statistic we can’t find in an academic text or by computing it ourselves (with a calculator or academically reliable program, we’re awful at math). We don’t encourage any to behave differently. And. We do cite anything and everything we find relevant, because sometimes that makes sense.

Just like you can cite a bag of chips in some academic writings, there are times where you can cite people; it shows what a population might believe, what was happening during a period, how ideas have evolved up to and from that point. Does that make sense? We would feel comfortable citing Legion for a paper (with permission), but not for their peer-reviewed academic opinions (because they don’t have them atm).

Still, no one has to interact with Legion or any other who makes them uncomfortable. It’s just important to me that we know which data we can use where, and not marking any source as all good or all bad. Even the most inaccurate information has pieces we can use, and people are more that just provable information.

(If you are Legion or have friendly contact with them, feel free to ask this be removed. We don’t love making targeted posts, especially with negative outlook, and we will take it down. Couldn’t reach them ourselves if this section is still here.)

[hot-take-tournament]

HOT TAKE TOURNAMENT

PRE-PRELIMINARY #19

Submission 55

Tohru Adachi is a better character than Goro Akechi

[SUBMITTED JUSTIFICATION UNDER THE CUT]

Pre-preliminaries will be used to determine what qualifies as a hot take. Propaganda is encouraged!

Also, remember to reblog your favourite polls for exposure! (exposure like when your exposed to critical levels of radiation)

They're both terrible people but P4 doesn't try to justify Adachi's actions even if you pick the accomplice ending and side with him, meanwhile P5 constantly goes 'but he was sad tho :( his daddy doesn't love him so he's allowed to kill ppl' after the reveal that Akechi's the traitor. Also I did the math and in the cutscene where the train gets derailed alone Akechi killed at least 100x more people than Adachi did in the entire game. There's nothing wrong with liking evil characters (IMO) but acting like they're sweet innocent babies is lame

Adachi and Akechi have similar roles in the story. They’re both the subject of the main mystery of their respective games, the killer and the traitor, and in order to hide their involvement, they have fake detective personas (lowercase p personas not Personas). The issue is that while Adachi’s fake personality is a lovable dork who goofs off work by hanging out in the lobby of a department store, “accidentally” leaks critical information about the case to a bunch of teenagers, and has a weird friendship with an old lady who thinks he’s her son, Akechi's is just generic “crime bad, criminals bad” detective man with zero substance to any of his interactions with the main cast outside of literally all of them fucking hating him (the correct and morally right response to Akechi talking to you). But that’s just their fake personalities, right? It’s totally fine for a completely false, constructed persona to be a little shallow, right? Well Akechi’s real personality is just as bad. I already mentioned how his entire motivation is “Waah my dad doesn’t love me so I’m gonna help him achieve his goals then kill him” which is completely fucking stupid by the way just kill the dude and be done with it if thats what you’re gonna do anyway man, but his personality boils down to ‘generic angsty villain whos gonna get a completely undeserved redemption arc’ (thankfully cognitive Akechi killed him before that could happen, the one good thing he did and it wasn’t even really him). Adachi’s real personality is completely unhinged, his big motivation speech can be summed up as “ACAB!” “But you’re a cop!?” YEAH AND I’M A TOTAL BASTARD WHAT PART OF THAT DON’T YOU GET!?” You love to hate him, and that’s what makes a good antagonist, not feeling sorry for him because his dad doesn’t love him. Guess what Akechi, a lot of people's dads don’t love them and none of them became domestic terrorists to try to regain his love and respect!

And you might think that I’m exaggerating with how the player is supposed to sympathise and eventually forgive Akechi, but after he explains his awful motivation, the first person to extend a hand of sympathy is Haru, the girl who’s father Akechi murdered in front of her like two months prior. The second person is Futaba, who spent her entire adolescence traumatised because she thought she was such a shitty daughter that it drove her mother to suicide BECAUSE AKECHI KILLED HER MOTHER IN FRONT OF HER (the dude’s consistent I’ll give him that.)

[thisismeracing]

I- I loved these new layers!!!!! Hahaha//

queen I have layers for dayzzz. I’ve spent the last 2+days hyper fixating on this couple. the lore that my silly little brain has thought up is wiiild. So forgive me if I become annoying. Just tell me to stop and I will. No hard feelings

Adding the online hate and maybe, just a tiny bity of toto not supporting their relationship at first or jugding and yup reader goes all in to keep it a secret and mick is 100% the supportive partner making sure she knows theres nothing wrong with their decision.//

oh this was something I was thinking about too. like I don’t even see this as being anything major either. like it’s wasn’t Toto issuing ultimatums or fuck smashing any headphones. he was just skeptical. He knows his child and she is a sensitive girl. wasn’t sure if Little Wolff had what it took to be in a relationship like this. I’ve kinda head cannoned that she’s not a social media person, she doesn’t like attention for attention sake, she’s almost the antithesis of your stereotypical gen z(very similar to Lance’s vibe. Happy with his safe people. Quite otherwise). So Toto is rightly concerned. He knows that dating a driver specially a Schumacher, whether they like it or not going to cause some media attention. I think in the beginning just assumed it would be a short-lived relationship and was just hoping that he didn’t have to pick sides. Or that anybody got their feelings too hurt. As soon as he realized that this was serious, his attitude completely changed. Very supportive. But. I do think that that’s stuck around in the back of little Wolff’s mind whether she realized it or not. So when all the drama happened and she found out she was pregnant, she made the choice to keep her normal routine, just hiding as long as she could physically and then to subtly drop off the face of the planet for the last couple months that she couldn’t hid it. She just kinda because a homebody. And just made sure that any video calls were chest up. Don’t think it would be too hard to hid with how crazy the end of the year schedule is and then does anyone really expect the young couple to be around during the first couple weeks of break?? The answers no. Everyone except them to be held up somewhere shagging like rabbits.

The seb part!! Gosh. That golden boy menace has my heart. Always has always will. But there just something about him being beekeeper age that just hits different 😝

AND NOW MICK TELLING TOTO TO KEEP IT DOWN SO IT WONT STRESS HIS WIFE KAMCKWJNFNS AAAAAAAAAAA *fanning myself w my hands oof 🤭😮‍💨*//

and like they’re not married! Micks just been calling her that especially in the hospital b/c everyone’s just assumed. But in his mind. Like that’s his WIFE. She will not be disappointed after giving him this magical gift. Mick doesn’t give a fuck if Toto is technically his boss. Muck doesn’t care if he has to go full NEPO baby. He’s a Schumacher, he’ll challenge all of his father’s BDE/psychological warfare to keep that woman happy.

Alright, you got me into the secret baby train choo choo //

Aw but see the great thing about the secret baby train is if it’s done well it’s not the main plot point. Like just a stop. There’s already so much going on it’s just kinda swept away.

I won't ever get annoyed with thots, you can keep them coming as long as you want <3

wasn’t sure if Little Wolff had what it took to be in a relationship like this. // I think papa wolff is protective enough to have a hard time picturing his girl in any relationship, ti doesn't matter if its with a driver or a regular dude, toto just doesn't really vibe with this idea. he's used to be the one who protects her, and he's used to be the one she runs to hide behind, he won't admit it but he's jealous of sharing this duty with someone else.

Mick doesn’t give a fuck if Toto is technically his boss. // they blurred the lines the second he started dating wolff!reader so at this point he doesn't even try to be the nicest, he's honest, and he's clear about his priority and who she wants to please and that is wolff!reader and nobody else, she's the only wolff he'll get shit from (and jackie because jackie absolutely adores mick -cue to baby fever and all- although toto tried making his youngest pick the wolff family side, jack loves the schumachers way too much).

[cocozydiaries]

Can you tell me more about your mha dr please?

HIII tysm for the ask!!

noticed two mha related asks really close to each other? anon are you the same person twice🤨

okay okay if ur not new here u probably know i did post about my mha dr before BUT THAT POST WAS AWFUL so now it’s deleted and gone. sorry😞

Honestly with my updated version i’ve just kept most things kinda vague. Don’t get me wrong I love scripting, but i don’t do it that much anymore coz now i just let my subconscious handle it so my scripts are kinda empty.

I do still script, just less but dw i’ll share what i have!! I love over sharing🫶

be warned this is unorganised asf since i wrote it all at like 2am😭

My dr name (spoiler alert i don’t have one):

even tho i think names are very important I haven’t picked a name for myself in any of my drs💀. Partly coz I wanna be surprised but also partly coz just coz i’m lazy.

I did however script that my name suits me and has a nice meaning. I also scripted that my siblings and i all have the same first letter of our names (smth we have here!) but my parents also have different names for each of us, like a sorta nickname (mine is yara coz i have a love/hate relationship with butterflies)

Onto actual stuff related to my mha dr. Also probably the only thing you really care about smh. yeah ik your intentions anon🙄

Quirks!!

soooo basically quirk basically siren/mermaid irl?? tbh idk but the main thing (aside from occasionally cosplaying as ariel) i’m basically able to shape and manipulate water. Very korra coded of me ik but she has always been my favourite.

Me, some of my siblings, and parents mostly have different quirks tho due to that fact that my parents adopted us. That’s a whole different thing tho we can get into later.

I haven’t scripted my family’s quirks because again lazy asf and wanna be surprised. I’m assuming based on their jobs they’re gonna have either powerful or really useful quirks anyhow. Just makes sense

Anywhooo onto actual mha stuff like

UA:

Idk if i’m gonna get in lmao💀 all i scripted is IF i do i’ll end up in class 1A. I did that coz i wanna know if i can get into class UA without scripting it. I mean ik i will but idk funsies ig.

I also changed the uniform coz it’s ugly asf. Honestly i just think dark blue would’ve been so much better than that vomit izuku inspired green.

i also scripted that midnight and mineta are actually chill and normal people. IM SORRY GUYS💔 but mineta is lowkey funny when he isn’t a creep and midnight is so extra i love her. i just don’t like when they’re…. icky. so i scripted that out!

and i scripted that toru gets a proper hero outfit kinda similar to mirio’s thing. makes absolutely NO sense that his hero outfit was made to adapt to his quirk but they leave my girl to freeze? nuh uh

i’ve actually scripted quite a few minor difference or things i want to happen. let me know if that’s smth you guys are interested in!!

Anyways that’s kinda it coz idk what to say… I need y’all to ask me specific questions PLS😭 i suck at answering vague stuff💔

EXAMPLE: “coco” (or yara since you lot did technically unlock a new name) “exactly what are you gonna do when you wake up in ur dr at 5:21am because you heard one of ur rat siblings cluttering around outside ur door while getting ready for school.”

how i’m feeling after checking what other people’s dr intros look like and realising i was only meant to write a couple of sentences and not explain why i picked each thing i scripted for my dr in a stupid amount of detail: 😐

i can drive in my dr btw!! can’t do that here tho. thought you should know. IDK HOW TO

[genderless-spoon]

Okay I’m gonna rant on here for a sec cause I’m frustrated and have nowhere to put it.

I don’t know if you guys know what the term “ingredient household” means but essentially it’s a term that describes a house that doesn’t really do a lot of snack and meals that are pre-made or, in my case, even pre-planned.

Adding on to this concept, I’m sure many of us on here heard our parents claim we “had food at home” or “had plenty of food in the house” and we were “just picky and/or lazy” whenever we asked about getting food out or buying groceries or anything similar.

This was my house. We were mostly an ingredient household but my parents didn’t plan out the meals for which they were buying ingredients, my mom would just buy the same generic groceries every time with very little variety and would improvise throughout the week. This meant we ate a lot of the same food made in slightly different ways all the time (which is not, in itself, the problem). It also meant that when I got home from school and both my parents were at work, not to return home for at least a few hours each (often well after dinner time) I was usually hungry and we had no snacks unless I wanted to shove handfuls of chocolate chips in my mouth or eat spoonfuls of peanut butter (both things I used to do). This paired with the fact that my parents needed time to settle in and my family didn’t tend to eat dinner until pretty late, meant I was often told to find food myself if I was hungry.

My mom did this to us a lot growing up, but starting from a pretty early age when even making a sandwich was kind of a lot. I always wished she’d have taught me how to make at least a few small things, because when I was told that we had food and it was all just ingredients I genuinely didn’t have any clue what to do. I have been seeing a lot of parents on social media complaining about the “we have no food” line that their children pull, and it’s starting to really bother me. Obviously I know this is not the same situation for all of these kids but I think children in general tend to be pretty resourceful and creative, and do not want to sit there hungry unable to do anything about it. They aren’t just acting helpless so their parents do things for them, they are literally children, they’re supposed to be more helpless than an adult in that regard.

I think a lot of parents (especially gen x parents) seem to assume that just because something seemed simple to them their children should already know instinctively how to do it, but everyone has to learn their skills somewhere and making that process a little easier on your children is such a great way to show them how much you love them. Involving the kids in the process of making dinner little by little and encouraging them to learn is much more effective than just one day expecting them to know how to take care of themselves. If you don’t want to spend all that time making food for your children (which, by the way, is literally what you sign on for when you choose to have kids), then at least take a bit of time every so often to provide them with the skills they’ll need to be successful without your help. Children are still learning how to be humans and sometimes they need a little extra help.

I now really struggle to prepare dinner for myself regularly as an adult because I’m starting from scratch having never really learned much beyond the easy stuff I could make myself as a middle schooler. I’m also disabled (in multiple ways) and going through the whole process is so draining that I often end up not eating or eating something pre-made, and while there’s nothing wrong with that food it is frustrating to feel awful all the time from eating that kind of food but not have the time, energy, or money to figure out a way without it.

My parents never prepared me for real life tasks and self care responsibilities and my parents are my biggest critics when I fail or struggle with simple tasks like cooking dinner despite them being the reason for it. Every time I so much as attempt to make myself food that isn’t frozen or pre-made my mom has to comment on how it looks or how healthy it is when I’m literally just lucky I was able to do what I did.

I don’t know how relatable this is, maybe it’s only going to make sense to a select few people, but I just needed to get it off my chest. I’m sorry for the rant, thank you for reading. Let me know if you relate to this so I know I’m not just yelling into the void lol.

[jayden-okayden]

Arthur, John, Dutch, Charles, Micah, Sean, and Kieran- “Their Insecurities”- SFW

ANONYMOUS REQUEST: Can I request a prompt where the reader is really in tune with the other persons mood, or something similar? like maybe Arthur, Kieran or John when they’re feeling insecure about themselves and reader comes in to make them feel better? Sfw please!

ABSOLUTELY. I love this request, thank you so much for sending this!! I hope you don’t mind me adding a few other characters that I thought would fit well with the prompt! Enjoy!!!

CONTINUES UNDER THE CUT

Arthur

-Well obviously the man has insecurities.

-As much as you push him to just talk to you, he never opens up about them.

-The only time he gets close to doing so is when he’s feeling particularly rough.

-This time you were sitting at the camp fire with the others. Javier was singing while playing his guitar, and after you tried (and failed) to get Arthur to dance with you, you sighed and went to someone else instead.

-Your alternative dance partner seemed thrilled at the offer, and the brunette frowned slightly as he watched you, the others ability to keep up with you souring his already bitter mood.

-He stood abruptly, sulking over to his tent.

-Of course you noticed, so you excused yourself and followed him.

-He was on his cot, pouting and scribbling something into his journal angrily.

-“You alright?”

-“I’m fine.”

-“I don’t believe that for a second.”

-“It’s nothing. Go back and dance with _____.”

-Ah, so that’s what it was. You sit down next to him on the cushion, and he shuffles awkwardly.

-“My love, it’s just a bit of fun. Besides, have you seen _____ dance? They’re terrible.”

-That seems to make him smile a bit, but it’s short-lived.

-“Wouldn’t you rather be with someone younger, though? Someone who can keep up with you, like Lenny, or Javier, or Karen?”

-“Arthur Morgan, are you breaking up with me?”

-He freezes, eyes widening as he finally turns to look at you fully.

-“Wh- No! No- I just- I know I’m not exactly a prize catch-“

-“Then be quiet, Arthur. I’m not interested in anyone else, because I love you. Ain’t nothin’ gonna change that.”

-He relents, and you don’t miss the sigh of relief as he melts into you, an arm snaking around your waist as he plays with a strand of loose hair.

-“Love you too, darlin’.”

John

-This is John we’re talking about.

-Naturally, after Abigail and him decided to separate, he’s felt inadequate in most aspects.

-Now that you’re together, he’s constantly asking you things that you know roughly translate to “do you still love me?”

-It would be amusing, and kind of endearing if you didn’t know the root of his insecurity.

-You were bandaging a wound on his arm that resulted from a job gone wrong. He was silent most of the time until you spoke up.

-“You’re awful quiet today.”

-“Sorry.”

-“What are you apologizin’ for?”

-He apologized again quietly, and you sighed, not knowing what you expected.

-“What’s on your mind, love?”

-He held back for maybe a second, before beginning his rambling. You simply listened, still holding his hand as he spoke.

-“I guess I’m just trying to ask, do you still like me?”

-you pretended to think about it, looking away from him and tapping your chin in mock-thought. He watched nervously until you looked back and rolled your eyes.

-“Yes, John, obviously I’m still in love with you.”

-He breathed a sigh of relief.

-“I know shit has happened between you and Abigail, and I know first hand how hard it is to let that kind of thing go, but I need you to understand I’m not gonna leave you, because you’re not the same man you were when you were together.”

-He sat, stone still as you spoke.

-“I love you, John, and I’ll tell you every minute of every day until it finally sets in.”

-You leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips and squeezing his hand in yours. He smiled against you, and you pulled back so your foreheads were just touching.

-“I love you too, sweetheart, I’m gonna try to get better at all this.”

Dutch

-Most would scoff at the idea of Dutch having insecurities. I mean, it’s Dutch. The “man with a plan.” He’s untouchable, and confident, and strong.

-That doesn’t change the fact that he’s aging, and he knows that all too well. And yes, he’s often found himself worrying if he’s satisfying you. (Sexually or otherwise.)

-He would take that secret to the grave with him if you weren’t so good at picking up on when he’s in a bad mood.

-One afternoon, he thought he had some alone time. You were supposedly helping Charles with prepping some game for provisions, and Dutch had time to mope privately.

-He was currently standing in front of the mirror in his tent, the flaps drawn and fastened. His vest and button-down were folded over a chair as he stared at himself, brow furrowed and lip tucked between his teeth in a grimace.

-He turned to the side, lifting his shirt and pulling a face while he examined his gut that stuck out a bit too much.

-Suddenly the tent opened, and you stepped in. Dutch jumped slightly, and saw you smirking at him.

-“Just can’t get enough of yourself, huh?”

-He made a noise of mock amusement, and cleared his throat when you raised a brow.

-“You alright?” No, he was not alright. But the man knew you already knew that.

-“C’mere.” He did, and you took his face in your hands, brushing the hair out of his eyes carefully.

-“Dutch, love, you’re perfect. I hate seeing you mopin’ about like you ain’t.” The outlaw melted into your touch, humming.

-“Thank you for comforting me, my dear, I love you too.”

Charles

-Your boyfriend is a gentle giant. Everyone in camp is aware of that. Whenever help with manual labor is needed, he’s the first to offer his assistance.

-And as much help as Charles is to the gang, he isn’t immune to self-doubt. He sees all the work everyone puts in to help their small community, and he wonders if what he does is enough.

-More often than not, you’re there to settle his thoughts, but sometimes, his worries consume him, and he ends up isolating, like he is right now.

-The ravenette was seated on a log as he was on guard duty, and you approached him as you left the camp.

-“You okay, my love?” You asked, and sat down next to him, listening quietly as he told you about what he was thinking.

-“I just don’t know if I’m doing as much as I can for this group.” You shook your head, patting his arm comfortingly.

-“You do so much, love. I’m ashamed you can’t see that. I would give you the world if I could.”

-“Thank you, flower. It makes me happy to hear you say that.”

Micah

-Much like the leader, Micah doesn’t outwardly show that he has any insecurities.

-Unlike Dutch, however, he is more in the habit of pushing those insecurities onto others.

-You’re well aware of this, so you and Micah sat down together one day and discussed ways to remedy his unhealthy behavior.

-It’s taken time, but the plan seems to be working. He hasn’t been picking on anyone, even Arthur, (much to the blondes chagrin) even half as much as he used to.

-But one evening, after supper, you left Pearsons wagon after helping clean to look for Micah. When you couldn’t find him for nearly ten minutes, you began to worry.

-Eventually, you catch him out of the corner of your eye over by the horses, talking animatedly to Kieran. You could only assume what he was doing, and made your way over as fast as possible.

-“Micah! Leave the boy alone!”

-That got his attention, and he spun around to look at you, knowing you caught him red handed.

-“Apologize. Now.”

-He did, albeit reluctantly, and you gave Kieran an embarrassed nod before dragging Micah off to his tent.

-“What’s going on? Why were you picking on Kieran?”

-Micah looked away, pouting, before turning back to you.

-“Was just messin’ around with him..”

-The look you gave him made him rephrase.

-“I was just.. Jealous of you spendin’ time with him. When you went fishin’.”

-You sighed, and pulled him into a lazy hug, petting his hair.

-“Kieran and I are just friends. It’s difficult to be in a gang and not get along with people. You know that better than most, love.”

-He scoffed, rolling his eyes, and you kissed his temple gently.

-“I love you, Micah. Sooner you know that the better.”

-A sigh, and he melted into your embrace.

-“You too, sunshine.”

Sean

-He hides it well, with his friendly, lighthearted demeanor, but the redhead often frets over whether he is good enough for you.

-Often times, he doesn’t bat an eye at you when you ask how he’s feeling, typically waving it off with a joke.

-But sometimes, when he decides to go heavy on his drinking, (he always does, but some nights are heavier.) his inebriated mood changes from drunken stupidity and flirtations to one more befitting of a man who has been through as much pain and suffering as he has.

-Every time, you will coax him back to your tent, and the Irish man will go on for hours, bringing to light each doubt and uncertainty in his heart.

-More often than not, you will spend the night with him, telling him everything you love about him, and simply letting him lay his head in your lap as you play with his hair.

-Come morning, he’ll have a massive hangover, and your boyfriend will apologize profusely to you for his ranting the night before, only for you to dismiss it.

-“My love, all I want is for you to be content in your own skin. I would happily comfort you every night like that if it were necessary, so please, don’t apologize.”

-Whenever you say things like that, Sean instantly tears up again, smothering you with kisses.

-“Oh god, what ever did I do to deserve this beautiful love of mine, and how do I make sure I never lose them?”

Kieran

-It’s Kieran. The boy has probably had insecurities since he was able to form coherent thoughts.

-Damn it all if you won’t do everything you can to make those thoughts disappear, though.

-Every chance you get, you’re leaning in, telling him how handsome he looks today, or how good of a job he’s doing taking care of the horses.

-It turns him into a red faced, blubbering mess each time, but to you, it’s worth it to make sure he knows you think the world of him.

-Whenever you leave camp without him, or the other way around, you find yourself thinking of the brunette more than anything else. You worry if he’s eating enough, sleeping enough, or if whoever he’s with is being kind to him.

-You know it makes you sound like an overprotective parent, but you’re aware of how much he’s been through, and you can’t help but want to look out for him.

-And heaven help the poor sod who decides it’s a good idea to pick on him. Even if you aren’t around to see it happen, you nearly have a sixth sense for when Kieran is upset, and you’re always able to get him to open up about whatever happened.

-One time in particular, you happened upon Micah harassing him, calling him disgusting names, and it took nearly five minutes, a broken nose, and a dislocated shoulder for both Arthur and Charles to peel you off of the blondes now-unconscious body.

-You always find yourself feeling guilty afterwards. Not for Micah, no, but for the way Kieran looks at you, an expression half between embarrassment and guilt that he created such a situation.

-The two of you end up sitting with the horses, your partner bandaging your bloodied knuckles in awkward silence as you both tried to think of something to say.

-“I’m sorry, my love, I just never want you to doubt that you’re the most precious thing in my life.”

-His face will redden, and he nods, leaning in when you begin to close the gap between you.

-“I know, sugar, I love you too.”