#even if it's an objectively good trait!

[bothzangetsus]

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[crookedtines]

I finally took the time to photograph my vintage dip pen nib collection, and I need to share with you all how wonderful and diverse their designs are.

These two are my favorite. Just look at them! One of them is named Gorille and the other Mephisto, but to me they're little pumpkins.

And of course you gotta love the Pinocchio nib. You get to write with the nose of a tiny guy! Just not something you get to do anymore.

[hanaybuns]

Idk why my love for ramuda is somehow translating into a love for karamatsu bc logically i feel like that love should have converted into a love for todomatsu

i mean... LOOK AT THEM!! pink? check. fashionable? (questionably) check. cute? check. intentionally portrays themselves as cute to mask the horrors? check. not actually as evil and selfish as they portray themselves as but instead is a layered character that's a product of their environment and traumas? check check check check

really i should've joined the ranks as a grandmaster level 10000 totty stan, but somehow karamatsu got to me first.

...that being said, todo and kara are very much two sides of the same coin. They’re both very self obsessed and insecure at the same time, they both crave attention, they're both utter boyfails, and they both have moments of genuine goodness hidden under layers of posturing. and i mean many. many layers.

i mean...LOOK AT THEM they both have their own iconic cute/cool poses that they just HAVE to do in official arts. The thing is, Totty is waaaaay better at pulling off cute than Karamatsu is at pulling off cool, which is part of why they feel so different. Season 1 karamatsu was punished for his failed attempts at being cool while season 2 todomatsu was punished for his success at being cute. Todomatsu is also less concerned with keeping up the cute act in front of his brothers. He's more concerned with appearing cute and stylish to the public (women) and appearing normal/trendy. On the other hand, karamatsu is entirely concerned with being the cool, kind older bother for his brothers (and himself) while ALSO being this cool, handsome lone wolf for the public (women).

I think part of the reason why todomatsu is hated and karamatsu is loved is because kara's definition of cool involves being kind, so he’ll play up being the kind older brother even when he doesn't have the best intentions. But totty's definition of cute involves being spoiled, so he’ll really play up the selfishness (and brattiness), even when he has purer intentions than he lets up on. Ultimately though, their dedication to keeping up their outward appearance almost always masks their true intentions or desires (though imo karamatsu is a little more closed off than todomatsu is).

idk, maybe i became a todomatsu girl along the way, he really grows on you.

[bogunicorn]

Interview with the Vampire is, in terms of genre queer melodrama, what fandom really wanted something like SPN or even Hannibal to be. It has the longing, the drama, the messiness, the blood and violence, and it also lets the vampires fuck.

And it made Claudia and Madeleine lesbians who get to tell the other characters to fuck off and Madeleine refusing to be saved because "Claudia is my coven" is everything I want in a tragic love story. RIP Claudia and Madeleine, you would have been amazing vampires and would have been happy if you weren't surrounded by fucking idiots

[harukapologist]

Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then you have to send this to ten of your favorite followers! 🖤

OMG CREATURE!!! 🥺 this is so sweet uuauwuaua I would send this to you too because you're one of my absolute favorite followers as well but the fact you sent it means you already received it X) so I would like to take it as a moment to tell you that you're Very cool and nice and the Shidou mutual ever!!!! wao!w!!!!!!🧙‍♂️💓

Hmmm that is quite difficult but well lets try?

1. I'm a very sensitive person sometimes that is a useful thing

2. I think my current art skill is decent enough. Younger me would be happy :D

3. I think my writing isn't bad too~

4. I try my best at EVERYTHING I do. I am very very sincere about what I feel and pour my heart into everything I do. When I care about something, I REALLY care about it!!!

5. I really like helping people!! and being of service!!! (when I don't overdo it)

[musical-chick-13]

Oh not me avoiding a wildly popular piece of media that I’d probably actually like out of sheer spite.

[acanthemp3]

i really really need to try voice training i hate my voice so fucking much at least this summer is a really good opportunity since ill be at home with my parents instead of my roommates and id be a lot less self conscious in front of them lets just hope three months is enough time to actually make progress.........

[fionnaskyborn]

one day when i am not busy dying on the inside and out i will write an honest-to-god essay about how people are, for the lack of a better descriptor but simultaneously for the lack of a more perfect one, too edgy about five.

[bonefall]

Since you were discussing Outcast, it reminded me of how much I disliked the tribe books as a kid. I always found them so boring because it was the same song and dance every single time. But then I remembered how Sign of the Moon is my least favorite and I've been wanting to complain about the time travel aspect for like a week. It's interesting if not super silly even for Warriors, but what infuriates me the most is Jayfeather, as Jay's Wing, inventing the entirely of the tribe while back in time. It's like an American going back to before people started colonizing America and inventing an indigenous tribe, and it pisses me off.

Ever since I was little, I've always loved sociology. My upbringing was marked by trying to 'reconnect' with culture. Without getting too into it, my primary parent escaped a very destructive cult-like flavor of born-again Christian evangelism. In the aftermath they tried to find meaning they felt had been taken from them by that traumatic generational event.

(what we 'reconnected with' was inaccurate in hindsight and we narrowly avoided getting swept up into ANOTHER cult-like religion but... I don't want to get too into it. I will confirm though that I am not American indigenous.)

I connected heavily to the way that Firestar's Quest introduced SkyClan, this group that was lost and destroyed by the others, my little baby kid hero Firestar declaring that he'd right this ancient wrong. Then with Code of the Clans, it felt like I was discovering the evolution of the culture in hindsight, like I was unearthing a lost history.

And then the Tribe came along, and I felt so excited. It was like, HERE IT IS! Now we're gonna find out what they were like! We get to see a culture that's survived for generations without the Code, and we get to see what the Clans used to be!

(keep in mind I was... 11? 12? and smack in the middle of rejecting the fear that comes with evangelism. i am more nuanced about this topic now, haha. there's no perfect halcyon period to return to in an ancient culture, but hey, at the time it made me feel I could live without something I was taught I couldn't.)

So... just sit with me for a moment and imagine what it felt like when the books started saying, loudly, that the Tribe was useless. Primitive and ineffective. Outcast was particularly painful, because the christian-coded Clan cats sent a mission's worth of guys to proselytize how the Tribe has to abandon what matters to them, just to become a 6th Clan, and the Tribe cats are treated as stagnant and unreasonable for that.

...And how every time the Clan cats lose their (christian) values, they go back to abandoning elders, killing indiscriminately, disconnecting with their culture...

AND THEN, JUST LIKE YOU SAID, it gets WORSE! Because THEN they didn't even allow the Tribe to really be ancestral. Jayfeather is the one who MAKES it what it is.

Not even the ancient clan cats can decide things. Jayfeather's vote makes them leave. Jayfeather teaches Half Moon to be a healer. Jayfeather brings them to the mountains. EVERYTHING just ends up going to a religious authority who decides how they're going to do things from now on.

And... it was painful. It hurt Little Bones a lot; it flew in the face of what I was escaping. Implying I'd be nothing without it. That there was nothing for me to find in my own history.

The Stones, man. The Stones. The Tribe's Stones haunt me.

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

My dad at any given opportunity: “I used to have an as good or even better memory than [my name] and you know how good her memory is.”

I feel like this guy is competing with me by remembering how he was at my age — always has.

And (unrelated) if I criticize him or say anything at all with anything other than happiness or neutrality in my voice, his response is always “Sorry, but you have to understand I’m not feeling good right now. I’m trying to be a father to you; I wish I had a father at your age. I’m suffering. I have [this this and this] wrong with me; and THE ELDERS—“ Dad, Dad… you NEVER feel good; you know this and you’ve lied to me COUNTLESS times by saying you’d try to get help. Go to therapy for fuck’s sake.

“But Jehovah’s organization!” Fuck Jehovah’s organization. If Jehovah’s organization really cared about its members, you wouldn’t be so frightened of defaming its good name at the expense of your mental and PHYSICAL health. If Jehovah’s organization really cared for you, you wouldn’t be hiding your trauma from people who can help “because it’ll hurt Jehovah” like a wife who developed Stockholm syndrome from being beaten by her love-bombing husband.

[psychiclounge]

"not superstitious, just a little stitious” garrett >>>>>>>>>>

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[reblog-house]

My green flag is that if I don't like someone or someone bothers me... I don't remember them. I genuinely don't. I don't remember the name of half my school classmates and not a single one that actively bothered me (minus one I eventually became short-lived friends with). I could probably figure it out but there, it's gone. And even if I do remember them, I don't know them¹ anymore so why feel resentment lol.

¹ Either I don't know their current personality or I simply never interact w them now so I don't care if they still have the same personality. I'm just. Not affected by them, so why care either way.

I may dislike or get annoyed by someone, but out of sight, out of mind.

[schizopositivity]

Hearing people throw around the words "delusional" and "delulu" so often when they clearly don't know what it means is so silly to me at this point, but also a little frustrating.

Like I heard someone in a video say "she's the worst type of delulu, where she actually is in a different reality" while describing someone being cocky and overconfident.

As a reminder, delusional means someone is holding a belief or altered reality that is persistently held despite evidence or agreement to the contrary, generally in reference to a mental disorder. Delusions are typically beliefs that exist outside of objective or common reality (so not something subjective like "this art is good"). It is often unshakeable, people can't be talked out of their strongly held belief even if it is completely nonsensical. They typically cause a disturbance to your life, unlike a spirituality or religion that you enjoy.

So someone saying "I'm the most attractive and most talented person in this room" might be annoying, but it is that person's subjective belief. It's your subjective belief that they are not, but neither is right or wrong because it is subjective.

Having a crush on a celebrity and wanting to marry them and imagining that happening is a conscious choice, it's a daydream. Meanwhile delusions are not conscious choices, it is a symptom a person has whether they want it or not.

It's important to uphold the true meaning of this word, because it describes a mental condition that impacts many people. Having the words definition change by making it mean other things does harm us. If we want to open up to a friend about a serious mental problem in our lives by saying "I have delusions", that person should know the gravity of that, and not think it's some fun quirky personality trait that everyone has.

Also the way people misuse the word tends to be in a negative or insulting way, aimed at the delusional person. But delusions dont indicate anything about the delusional persons personality and morals. The delusions are caused by a mental health problem and not chosen by the person. This is important to remember when people have strange, mean, self centered, taboo, or scary delusions, it doesn't mean that a person wants to believe that, they can't control it.

So please try and use the words "delusion" and "delusional" correctly, don't give it a cute trendy nickname like "delulu". And try and educate the people around you about the actual meaning of these words, and the impact of misusing them.

[3hks]

CORRECTLY Writing "Morally Gray" Characters

Want to write a hot, cool, and bad character but DON'T want he/she to come across as toxic, downright bad, or, god forbid, cringe? Well, I've got a couple of tips that may help you create exactly what you want!

1. Softness

Okay, yes we want this character to be tough and cool, but there also needs to be a certain softness, no matter how small, that comes with them. If there's someone that your character prioritizes or cares about, there has to be a point or two that it shows--a moment where they're soft only for the people that they care about. Why? Because this establishes the humanity in them. It shows the readers that your character IS human, not an emotionless monster.

2. Goals

Key to any good characters are their goals. The thing is, for this type of a character, their objectives can't be so random. They need a reason for their actions, and it needs to be valid. Usually, this is reasoned out by some kind of past epiphany, which is crucial because without it, your character doesn't have anything solid backing up their goals. We need to see where they're coming from.

Bad decisions, but for an understandable reason.

Establishing their morals is important for nearly the same reason.

Now, why is this important? Because it can pull readers to their side. As long as they understand the cause, they have a chance to follow your character's side, increasing their likeability!

3. Neutrality

Notice how this is a "morally gray" character, not a "completely evil" one. Why does this matter? Well, a trait people tend to overlook when writing these characters is the morally gray, or neutral, part. It's important to just occasionally show that your character is walking the fine line and in my opinion, a great way to achieve this is to have them help the protagonist out (instead of always fighting against them) one, or even two times!

4. Positive Characteristics

This is a very simple one, but make sure to depict a couple positive qualities (besides just being hot) of your character! Like my first point, it's pivotal to illustrate that they have some humanity, and this is an easy and great way!

Throw in a few good characteristics (I have a post with some examples of redeeming qualities for villains if you need some help), and let it show that they are still respectable!

5. Backstory

I believe that with certain characters that play certain roles in the story, explaining their backstory is a NEED for them; and this character type is no different! Introducing even a bit of their past can get the audience interested in your character. It also allows for better understanding of them and shows how they changed over time.

6. CONFIDENCE

Be confident in your skills when writing this character! To many, the idea of "cringeness" makes them second-guess how they should write. In reality, it's better to write it however you wish, because if you're confident in one moment and clearly less in another, the readers are able to sense any unexpected changes in things in your character's tones, expressions, and actions.

It's important to keep your character in, well, character. Still, there's going to be a few moments that break it, but it shouldn't be in any unnatural way.

If your character is flirty, then let them act flirty. If they mess around a lot, then let them mess around. Don't limit their actions or words just because you think some people might find it cringe!

Alright, that's it for me! What do you think? Are they valid or unreasonable?

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[dcxdpdabbles]

I had an idea while reading demon & angel brat.

Instead of like faking time travel stuff, the reason no-one remembers Danny is BC he's actually in the wrong timeline after his batfam got killed or something... Prolly doesn't make much sense but like. He's not completely in their universe, but he knows they're his family and he's gotta keep them safe

Danny has been watching them for days now. When his family had died back home, he had run into the Ghost Zone in an attempt to make sure he didn't go mad with grief.

He couldn't afford to let Dan have access to the human world, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to stay away completely.

So, he found a world similar to his but slightly different. In this one, his dad was a fit billionaire, and his mother a dangerous assassin. Jazz didn't exist, nor did Tucker or Sam, but he had more siblings than he could count. Adopted siblings since his father was unmarried and seemed to have a knack for taking in strays.

Jack Fenton once said he would take in any child if the family could afford it. Danny always admired the man for his open heart and warm disposition. It's nice to know that those traits were a universal constant.

Danny had been devastated by his older sister's absence, but he had made a promise to Clockwork that he would never go back to the Zone. To ensure Danny kept his world, access to this world and the Realms was sealed.

Who was he now in a world without Jasmin Fenton? A world that never had her?

It turns out the answer was a homeless boy who watched his father and his children whenever they went out in public. He was starving and freezing and only survived due to his powers, but it was all worth it if he could hear Jack Fenton's laughter even from afar.

They did not need another son, and Danny didn't want to replace what he had lost; he just wanted a reminder of what once was. He figured he was excellently spying on them, always staying behind an object or within the shadows, never too close to hear what they were talking about but able to read their lips.

The Waynes—his family's name in this world—always seemed larger than life. They wore the best of the best, laughed and smiled without a care in the world, and the love between them was so evident it made his heart squeeze. If Danny's new life was created by shadows, the Waynes were the sunlight.

They seemed so bright, so light, so happy to be alive that sometimes Danny would imagine what it was like to be part of them. Then, he would feel guilty for even thinking of it. He came here not to go mad with grief over the loss of his real family.

Trying to be a part of a new one would insult his loved ones' memory.

Knowing this, Danny couldn't bring himself to leave his hiding place. He was ducking behind three trash bins, the press of the small rocks in his knees the only discomfort he felt.

Across the street, the Waynes had entered a bakery cafe and were visible through the large window. They were studying the menu, facing away from him, but seemed to be poking fun good naturally, even at something as simple as ordering coffee.

Danny's heart squeezed again. It ached worse than the empty pit in his stomach. At one point, Damian gestured to the side of the building, likely going to the bathroom.

Danny follows his movement until he walks around the front into a small hallway. That one is him. They look too much alike to not be counterparts, but Damian had green eyes while Danny bore their father's. He sometimes wonders what would happen if they met, if they spoke. Would the universe collapse? Would he go mad?

Would nothing happen, and he would just have a conversation with a version of himself that still had everyone he loved? Danny didn't know but didn't feel it was right to risk it.

He always lost everything; there was no reason to cause the same fate to befall Damian Wayne.

Danny returns to watch the rest of the Waynes, taking in Tim, Steph, and Jason's playful roughhousing. Bruce- his dad!- is watching the scene in the same way, absentminded goof that his Dad used to watch Jazz and Danny.

Dick, Cass, and Duke weren't part of the roughhousing as they were busy sharing drinks and taking pictures of their pastries. When he's been watching them, he discovered those three run a food blog- he used the library to look up the Waynes- and would likely write a review about it later.

They looked so happy.

The food looks so good, too.

His stomach growls, digging its hunger into his soul, and Danny can only press his hand against it in hopes of controlling the pain. He lost a lot of weight when he arrived. He caught a glimpse of himself in the library window and was sure if his family saw him now, they wouldn't recognize him.

He was far too dirty and skinny now. His eyes burn a little from the shame, but he shakes it away. Danny rarely sees them in public like this. Usually, the Waynes are seen going from fancy cars to fancy buildings, and Danny can only watch them for a few seconds.

He can't waste time on his sadness when he rarely could watch them for so long in person.

One of them must have said something funny because Bruce throws his head back into a roaring laugh. Danny drinks in his joy, recognizing Jack Fenton within the smaller face, and he can't help but smile at the sight even when it hurts.

"You look so happy, dad." He whispers, wondering if Jack can hear him. Maybe. Jazz before the ghosts used to say loved ones were always watching over them and could listen to them. "I hope you're happy."

"Hey! Get away from my trash!" a man yells from behind Danny. Danny whips around to find a scowling man in an apron inside the restaurant doorway. His hiding place was the alley between Robert's burgers and a laundry mat.

Danny usually tries to pull out unfinished food from their bins and has received multiple threats. He figured coming back in the day would make things easier to avoid the mean owner of Roberts when he spotted the Waynes.

It was dumb of him, especially since the man had a bat. He likely wasn't above hitting a kid if said kid was from the streets. Most people wouldn't step in for a street kid, too.

Quick as a flash, Danny scrambles out of the alley into the street with the man yelling insults behind him, heart beating a mile in his chest.

He misses Robin dropping down from the roof, kicking the bat out of the man's hands, and politely reminding him that he can not hit a minor. He also misses the way Robin stares into the direction he ran away in before he clips on his earpiece. The pain whimpers of a full-grown man mean nothing to him as he speaks.

"Father, I do not believe our stalker is dangerous. If anything, he seems to need our help." The young hero crouches down to pick up the forgotten bag the boy left behind. He finds a half-eaten pudding cup and narrows his eyes at it. "I gathered some DNA. We will know who he is real soon."