#everyone else is probably younger than 30 but older than 25

[maximusboltaqon]

i keep trying to figure out the ages of the main family members and then remembering ohhh right none of this matters because of the timescale. these ages will be inaccurate in like six months.

[zahri-melitor]

How old are the bats supposed to be?

During which period? There are variations depending on what time period you're reading.

Pre-Crisis? As at COIE, characters are roughly these ages:

Bruce is in his early 30s

Barbara is in her mid 20s

Dick is 19 or just 20 (depends which side of Crisis you put NTT18)

Jason is 13ish years old

Post-Crisis? (1986-2011) This is the clearest and most consistent period, with regular markers of the progress of time. As at Flashpoint, characters are about these ages:-

Bruce is probably 42

Barbara is in her mid-late 20s

Helena B. is in her mid-late 20s

Kate Kane is in her mid-late 20s (at MOST. Her timeline doesn't make sense otherwise)

If JPV was alive, he'd be 25ish

Dick is about 24-25

Cass is 20 years old

Jason is 19 years old

Steph is 18 years old

Tim is 17 years old and probably about to turn 18

Damian is 10 years old

(the middle kids' ages are all based on Tim being close to a birthday. Cass is 6 months older than Jason, Jason's birthday is a month after Tim's. If Tim's a long way from a birthday, Cass may still be 19)

Then we get the New 52 (2011-2016) and everyone's ages are indeterminate but young! This is my best approximation from not enough age markers and the entire period being about a year in-universe.

Bruce is somewhere between 28-32 (deep sigh)

Kate Kane is probably about 28 years old (it depends on how old Bruce is and how old he was when his parents died; she's younger than he is but not by much)

Julia Pennyworth is in her mid 20s

Barbara is 22-23 years old

Dick is 22 years old

Jason is 20-21 years old, and definitely 21 by the end of the period (SIGH)

Luke Fox is about 20 years old

Tim is 16 years old

Cass is an indeterminate teenage age, probably 16-17

Steph is 16 years old

Harper is 16-17 years old

Duke is, you guessed it, 16ish years old

Damian is 10-11 years old

This is why I don't like New 52 ages.

As of Rebirth (2016 to date), the timeline gets about 10-12 years reinserted in it and some sanity in terms of ages and age gaps starts to re-emerge (though it's clumpy and there's a lot of varying indications). At present characters are approximately these ages:-

Bruce is in his mid 40s

Kate Kane sure is An Age. She's probably about 28-30, unless she's in her late 30s/early 40s (look. Kate's age makes absolutely no sense. Do not look at it too closely. Her timeline is not coherent matched against anyone else's, given the requirement she was kicked out of West Point)

Barbara is probably around 30ish

Dick is about 28-30 years old

Jason is probably about 23-25 years old depending on timeline and writing.

Luke Fox? I haven't sussed out what they've done to all the Fox Kid Ages again in the wake of John Ridley's retcons. He appears to be in his 20s right now.

Cass is supposed to be 23-24 years old but may be written anywhere down to 16.

Steph is somewhere between 19-22, depending on if the writers remember she's not 16 today

Tim is probably anywhere between 18/19 (practical lower limit) and 21 years old

Duke is probably still around 17-19 years old

Damian is 14.

This whole section is messy as the only definite age we have at the moment is Damian being 14. It's mostly assumed that ages have returned to the Post-Crisis gaps, except where noted otherwise (Tim probably lost 1-2 years in his age gap to Damian as of Rebirth, as he is definitely 16 years old at the start of Rebirth. Jason seems to have kept a extra year or few in his gap to Tim, rather than it being 2 years)

[kebriones]

Socrates is literally a disgusting pervert who gets off on small boys like Lysis but uses intellectual manipulation to perpetuate unequal power relations; Alcibiades calls him out for it unironically in the Symposium (warning Agathon) and you keep romanticizing this despite both Plato and Solon explicitly making laws that condemn the exploitation of young boys through pederasty.

τι τραβαω χρονι��ρες μέρες...

1. Plato didn't make any laws. But even if he did, laws from 2k years ago do not affect what I'm allowed to do now, i think. Also have you actually read the Lysis?

2. I haven't studied in depth the laws of solon neither could i find anything with a cursory google search about any of his laws pertaining to the practice of pederasty. If you have a source for that I'd love to have it for future reference.

3. Agathon in the symposium is 30 years old I don't think he fits in this discussion.

4. I am not a historian or archaeologist or a scientist that studies these things. There are many people more qualified than me to talk about this matter and you can find them online if you actually care about this topic. However, from the few things i understand and have read, here's what i think: when discussing pederasty in ancient greece, we need to understand that several things were vastly different from what we now know and understand. Girls would be getting married at like 15, so boys would also be having lovers at that age. Many many older societies didn't have the knowledge we have about the detriment these things, like getting married at that age to an older man, can have on a person and yes, this is one huge problem that has existed in patriarchal societies since forever and still does exist in the world.

5. In classical athens specifically, the younger partner had a level of control over the relationship, although of course that didn't erase the power imbalance. Especially teens from rich families who were most likely to enter such relationships (because their primary function was to initiate future citizens into the adult life and politics, via a mentorship that for one reason or another included an erotic aspect) would always be accompanied by attendants to protect them from unwanted attention. There were rules for schools and gymnasiums to protect boys from getting harassed. It was up to the teenager to accept a lover who he thought would benefit him. Of course now we know more about maturity and power dynamics and so on, but these were different times. I don't know how much more to stress that we're talking about entirely different societies from 25 hundred years ago. Other societies around the world also had questionable initiation rituals and cultural practices that nowadays we know are terribly harmful.

6. If you actually read the symposium, Socrates specifically refuses Alcibiades' sexual advances when Alcibiades was in his late teens, and part of the reason why is that Alcibiades was too young.

7. I am always drawing Alcibiades as an adult, so what I'm "romanticizing" is love between two grown adults. Do I think that their relationship as described in plato had toxic elements? Sure. Do I agree that Socrates was manipulative in general? Sure. That's part of what makes their dynamic interesting to me. Alcibiades was also a powerful manipulative individual who did horrible things. He'd had lovers other than Socrates who probably did manipulate him in his teens for sex much more than Socrates is ever shown to do. This is also why I like their relationship, because Socrates loves Alcibiades as a person first and foremost, unlike literally everyone else around him who wants him because he's physically attractive.

8. Please just block me or something if I'm bothering you. This is the last anon ask of this kind I will be answering. Please READ stuff before forming opinions and going up to random people to complain about their art, so you can have better arguments. Have a nice day.

[trimmedbushproductions]

so today, while looking up stuff on the CR wiki for fic research, it struck me that Veth is much younger than I thought she was

like she is, of course, the Certified MILF of the Mighty Nein, a real actual mom, so I'd gotten in the habit of thinking of her as older than most of the party. but she's not! Sam gave her age as being "about 25", which puts her firmly in the younger half of the party!

for posterity, per the Encyclopedia Exandria wiki, here's a summary of what we know about character ages during the year the campaign started:

Beau, around 22-23 (this makes her the ONLY member of the Nein who is definitively younger)

Jester, somewhere between 20 and 28

Mollymauk, physically 25

Veth, about 25

Yasha, unknown, possibly in her 20s

Fjord, early 30s

Caleb, 33

Caduceus, 80-120

Essek, early 120s

(arguably, Cad and Essek are still pretty young by their species' standards, but I don't think they're "early 20s" young)

so. that's wild. I feel like a huge piece of her characterization just clicked into place for me. I've been picturing her like that kind of late 30s-early 40s mom who's still trying to act like a young hip college kid, but no, she's only just exiting early adulthood. did everyone else know or assume this and I'm super late to the party??? (probably.)

anyway. post-campaign Veth is only about 27 and she's already got a hubby, a son, multiple successful business ventures (and a money laundering scheme), and a spell invented by and named after herself. #GirlBoss. forget about competitions, she and Laerryn should make a club for the wizarding equivalent of 30 Under 30

[miniscrew-anon]

About Dark and Shadow's Past

Finding out that Dark and Shadow knew each other before Dark went away was eyeopening, because that means they've known each other for a really long time. But exactly how long? And how old were they when they met? Time for me to do my patented Over-analyze move and scrape every canon detail together to form a rough timeline.

Okay so let's start with what we know and work backwards; Time, as of the HSH, is 38. Twilight is 23. And Four is 22-23.

We know Time was dealing with the Termina situation for years, although the number of years is unclear. The only information we have is that we know Malon and him divorced just a few weeks before Majora was murdered and Time was put in the hospital. Thanks to the hospital records Hyrule sends Twilight in HSH ch.4, he know Time was between 25-30 years old at the time. That means that at max the Termina Conflict was between 8 and 13 years ago.

That would make Time, as of his divorce and Majora's deaths, between 25-30.

Next, we also know that the last time Twilight saw Time and Malon together and happy was when he was "a kid". Not super descriptive, but at least we can say that he was probably 12 or younger. That would mean at minimum it happened 11 years ago, which falls neatly between our 13-8 year gap. Since I don't think there's any definitive way to narrow it down further, I'm going to just go with Time and Malon being divorced when Time was 27. And since we know that Time and Malon were newly weds when they moved to Termina (the townhouse was the first time they were living together as per HSH for the Holidays ch.4), that means they got married After Time had dealt with Ganon. Let's assume they were married for 2 years - long enough for the divorce process, Malon to grow roots in the city and stay after the divorce, and have a dysfunctional marriage.

So Time was approximately 25 when he was married.

Now, let's talk Dark's timeline. We know very little about him. The only truly definitive information we have is that he was caught and jailed when he was 19 and that his capture did not coincide with Ganon's defeat. He was questioned in prison, so he had active information that the crown was still using to combat Ganon. We also know that he was modified to look like Time. Being so young, he would have to have been close in age with Time, who I can only assume is slightly older than Dark. Also Time would have had to have made some sort of name for himself to prompt Ganon to create Dark. The process to look for someone to deal with Time started when Dark was 16, so that's another 3 years that Time must have been an active participant in the war.

Time didn't finish high school, so I think he got recruited at around 16 (not sure - I don't remember specifically. My mind doesn't hold Time lore like is does for everyone else lol. Please if someone's got that old post about Time's backstory send me the link so I can double check). Assuming he didn't get actively involved for a few years to train, let's say the Great Deku Tree died 3 years later when Time was 19 - old enough to be a participant but still young. A year or so would be sufficient to make a name, prompting Ganon to start looking for a double.

So during the Ganon War, Time is 21 and Dark is 16.

Time arrests Dark when he is 24 and Dark is 19. A five year gap.

That means as of HSH, after 14 years of prison, Dark is roughly 33.

Now for Shadow.

We know even less about him, if you can believe that. In fact just about the only thing we know about him is that he's around Four's age.

Four is 22-23. Let's say 23, to give ourselves as much leeway as possible. At first I would have put Shadow at the same age but if Shadow is 23 that means Dark would have gone away when Shadow was 9. Not impossible, but not plausible either - Shadow seems too young to connect to Dark and I doubt 19yr old Dark would care about a kid that young. So I'd say Shadow is actually a few years older than Four, maybe 25-26. That would make Shadow 11-12 when Dark was arrested. Old enough to have some time to form some sort of a bond if Shadow is mature for his age.

So that means that by the time Dark was captured, he was 19 and Shadow was about 12.

This may not be accurate - there is very little concrete evidence and there's plenty of wriggle room for change. Maybe Dark is younger, maybe Shadow is older. I have no idea. The only thing I do know is that I'm intrigued by these two and their mysterious connection.

These days they have that antagonistic friendship that is so typical for a duo of skrunkly criminals. But I do wonder what kind of relationship they had back in the day - some sort of twisted Big Brother Program energy? Or was it friendly with Dark using Shadow as a way to subconsciously cling to some form of childhood, despite how messed up both of them were. Or was Shadow trying to get a leg up by networking with Ganon's shiny new child soldier? Did Dark warn Shadow off of getting involved with the Dragmire clan to spare him the shit he himself went through?

I have so many questions and I am, as always, eagerly awaiting any information about these two.

(@st0rmyskies how did I do? Did I get even slightly close or am I off by a mile?)

[courtingchaos]

Wooo I’m feeling some kind of way recently. Stress will do that to you.

A/N: this is fluff but seriously, no minors. I mean it.

But like, paint this picture with me.

Older Eddie (Professor Munson in my imaging), remembering all the things that make you happy. He notices you’re upset because job stuff and you’re having a hard time being in your 30’s and he gets it. It wasn’t that long ago he was there and he’s been watching you ghost around the townhouse for a week. Hair clipped up and the same pajamas you’ve had on for at least three days. He still trips over himself to see you though, even unwashed and snapping and sad. Every day he comes home and searches for you, and every day this week he’s found you in the spare room you’ve slowly turned into your space.

He’s told you he’ll clear it out and get you real office furniture but that makes you sink deeper into your depression. You talk about not being able to pay him back and he’s never once expected that.

You don’t have to. He doesn’t want you to. Let him do something for you. He just wants you to feel better.

And maybe that starts a fight because he’s already got his career and his friends and his money and his home. You’re floating in a job you hate and looking for another one to bide your time in because you actually hate the degree you spent 7 years getting. You only did it to prove to everyone else you could and now?

Now you live off of your boyfriend in his big, expensive brownstone. He’s 12 years into his field and settled and also 25 years older than you.

So what is it? You only like charity cases or something? Gotta rescue the idiot?

He knows you’re mad. He knows you lash out like this. He knows you’ll push so that everyone else leaves and you can feel like you got left instead. So maybe he snaps back at you for a second. Reminds you if he didn’t want you living with him and dating him he could find someone more age appropriate (he says with an eye roll). When you stomp up the stairs to your room he yells up to you that if he didn’t love you and was 20 years younger he’d be throwing your shit out onto the pavement outside, damn the old money next door.

Maybe you avoid him till the weekend when he’s home the whole time. You haven’t slept in the same bed and you haven’t answered a single knock or text or FaceTime. He sends you little flower emojis and a string of stars. He finds a tiktok about the Mars rover that he knows you’ll want to see and sends you some screen shots of the new menu for the whiskey bar you two like to go to. While you were sleeping he slid into your room and left your Sunday morning fancy coffee on the nightstand and when you finally wake up and notice it, you can hear him moving around in the kitchen.

You still feel like shit but at least you know he isn’t kicking you out. You know he wouldn’t, not over a stupid fight like that but still. It’s when you’re wrapped up in your robe and heading down stairs to finally speak to him you notice the bedroom door open. The bedroom you normally sleep in, with a sticky note on it. An arrow pointing in with a smiley face and crudely drawn horns. On the bed there’s a little paper bag from the expensive soap place you rarely buy from and it seems Eddie has outdone himself again. The rose shower melts and the lemon soap and that stupid body pouf you like so much that smells like candy. If you cry about it in the shower you don’t tell him and he doesn’t bring up your puffy face when you finally pad into the kitchen.

He’s baking something, it smells sweet and you spot the split packaging of the orange cinnamon pillsbury rolls in the trash and you have to swallow the lump in your throat. He hates those so you know he ran these errands yesterday when he left for those few hours. Probably ran by the grocery store first and then into that boutique that he always complains smells too much. He pauses when he see you staring into the trash can, silent and still. Doesn’t say anything, just tilts his head to try and catch your eye.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I don’t know what to do about anything and I’m panicking.

He just shrugs and smiles. He gets it. He always gets it. There’s something in him that always gets your mood swings and that deep seated anger. He’s never asked you to try and snuff that flame out, just helps you tend it.

It’s a controlled burn. You gotta let it get all the kindling out so new shit can grow.

Eddie pulls you into a hug and you lean into him. Breathe him in slow to try and get that lump to go away. You thank him for your shower and then gesture sadly behind you at the oven and thank him for the cinnamon rolls you know he hates. He laughs and it rumbles against you. He hums along to the music and you tuck your head into his neck and realize he’s got Neil Young on. There’s an old man joke on the tip of your tongue but then he starts singing along to Harvest Moon and you shut up. The tears you’ve been holding in since getting out of the shower push up and over and stain your cheeks and wet his old tshirt and he just shushes you. Sways you against him until the timer goes off and he sways you over to the stove and manages to get the round pan out without burning either of you.

Maybe it’s a rainy day and the drops patter against the windows. Eddie knows you like the rain and he dances you across the living room so he can crack the window so you can hear it coming down.

Because I’m still in love with you, I wanna see you dance again…

Sings quietly into your hair and tucks you up close and let’s you cry on his shoulder and when he feels you slowing down, taking those deep breaths to steady yourself, he pulls his phone out and replays the song so he can properly dance with you. He wants you to laugh so he holds your fingertip and first knuckle, acts like he’s playing a tiny harmonica. You giggle and he feels better, lighter. There’s color in your cheeks again and you’re looking him in the eye before you give him a kiss and drape back over him.

It’s cozy and it smells like cinnamon rolls and you’re swaying with him and you both are happy.

[unchained-hound-dog]

Could you please do AustinxReader with a bit of an age gap have a blowout fight stemming from reader’s insecurity and Austin is frustrated but ends in fluff?

Here you go!!

p.s my requests are still open!

-

Since your relationship with Austin became public a month ago, you'd recieved a very mixed review. Previous to it being public knowledge that you were dating him, you thought his fans would be happy for him but you weren't naive to the fact a lot of people would have things to say, negative things, your age gap being one of them.

Austin had been known to date women a few years younger than him, and when you met him at a mutual friends party, the idea of him being 5 years older than you did make you question the situation. You were 25, Austin was 30 and although you liked to think of yourself as independent, you had only ever dated guys your own age.

However being with Austin never made you feel as though there was an age difference, you were still old enough to be seen as a mature woman so what did it matter? Well according to a million instagram account, it mattered a lot.

why is Austin with another girl who was probably in diapers when he started filming for Elvis?!

this new "relationship" just screams gold digger

imma take a nap, wake me in a week when this shit show is over

The comments went on and on, making you feel physically sick that people could be so rude to someone they'd never met. You'd mentioned it to Austin before, after the first comment you saw you spoke to him about it and he simply explained that people would be jealous but if neither of you saw an issue with it then why does it matter?

You agreed, you loved Austin, but you'd never been in the public eye before and so when you start posting pictures on instagram and people are commenting horrific things, Austin suggests you turn your comments off, or only allow certain people to comment on your things.

But that doesn't stop people sharing photos of you walking around with Austin, or on your own, and ridiculing everything you do.

'Baby I'm home' Austin's voice calls through your small appartment, you didn't live together, but you'd given him a key to your place as it was closer to a lot of the meetings and sets he was currently going back and forth to.

'In the kitchen' you called out, placing your phone down on the side and turning to pull the meal you'd cooked out of the oven.

'mm something smells good' his voice was low as he set his phone and keys on the kitchen island, pressing a kiss to your cheek before moving to the fridge to get a drink.

'it's not much' you shrugged, you both moved around each other to get to what you needed.

'when was this taken?' Austin's looking at your phone which you'd left unlocked on a forum dedicated to posting hate about you.

'Oh not sure just came across it' you went to snatch the phone from the side but Austin had already picked it up and was scrolling.

'You really lookin' at all this shit? What have I told you? Why does it matter what everyone else thinks about OUR relationship?' his eyebrows are slightly raised as he looks at you for an answer.

'I just-'

'No Y/N, you're gunna make yourself sick looking at this crap all the time'

You both left the conversation there, neither one of you wanting to argue over it so you both sat and ate your food in front of the TV. When you were both done you'd set your plates on the coffee table and were on either ends of the couch. Austin was watching whatever was on the screen whilst you were texting your friend.

girl, have you seen this?! why can't people leave you both alone!'

You clicked on the link she'd sent you and it led to an article, the title was something about Austin dating a younger woman but the picture made a lump form in your throat. The picture was a terrible angle of you and Austin looked moody, the caption below it saying 'trouble in paradise'. You weren't sure why you were crying but the tears began to fall and you suddenly let out a sob, catching Austin's attention.

'Y/N? What's happened?' you shake your head and lock your phone, facing towards the TV in an attempt to move on

'Hey, talk to me' Austin was concerned, but when you informed him your upset was due to another article, he switched.

'How many god damn times are we gunna have this arguement? Are you so insecure in this relationship?' he was shouting now and you looked at him in annoyance.

'Yes Austin! Yes I am insecure, when everyone is telling me I'm too young to be dating you, too ugly, not good enough. Yes, it makes me feel like crap'

'What the hell do you want me to do about it?!' you're both yelling now, the moment getting heated.

'I don't know!' you scream at him, your body retracts into the couch as you sob and wipe your tears.

'Baby' Austin's voice is calmer now, he moves to sit beside you and pulls you into his chest.

'I'm sorry, this is just all so much so quick, I'm not used to it yet' your voice cracked and Austin's heart broke, he held you tight and kissed your head.

'I'm sorry baby, I should have been more understanding, why don't we leave our phones for tonight and just relax?'

'Not gunna make them go away'

Austin sighs at this, knowing you're right but having no idea how to handle the situation. Whilst you're taking a shower that evening he's posting a picture of you from the set of Elvis, it was before people knew about either of you, you were sitting in his chair in hair and makeup grinning up at him as he told a cheesy joke that got you smiling, it was also his lock screen. He captions the picture;

my one true love

[olderthannetfic]

Are age gaps always a bad thing? Is it possible to be at a different 'level' from someone else your own literal age?

I'm 21 but I really don't feel it. Many of my friends are very mature and know what they're doing with their lives but I don't. I feel several years behind everyone else and, in terms of experience, I am. I got out of a cult that forbade a lot of normal teen stuff and tried to have more experiences, then covid hit and my pre-existing health condition-having self avoided people like the plague. I worry that by the time I feel ready for a relationship, everyone my age will be too far ahead of me.

One of my friends is 19. They dated a 17 year old. This is the kinda relationship antis start shit over when it's fictional. I think it's probably fine - I can believe that a 17yo is a bit more mature and a 19yo is a bit more immature. But some of my friends seem bothered by it so I'm not sure what I should think.

What is normal and okay?

--

Many people feel out of step with their supposed peers. Age gaps aren't inherently bad, but I don't necessarily think they're the answer to feeling out of step.

What is normal and okay are relationships that are healthy for the people involved. These are relationships that respect boundaries and provide support and positive feelings for both/all parties. That's how you judge health, not absolute metrics like age.

I'm sorry I can't give you a clear-cut rule. I know how difficult it is to just "trust your gut" if your instincts were honed in a cult. Your internal compass is all wonky. (You'd be surprised how many people I know who were raised in cults.)

17 and 19 is commonplace. It's only in the rarefied atmosphere of tumblr and such that people think it's a problem. I have no idea if your friends' relationship is healthy or not without knowing them.

For you at 21, I get feeling behind, but I wouldn't go for someone significantly younger, personally. If you're in college, dating another college student makes sense, but I wouldn't date anyone not yet in college.

Instead, I would look for other people who also feel out of step. Hell, I might look for someone older who's gone through what you're going through. It's not only cults that do it: an illness or a tragedy in the family can put people "behind" in similar ways. Neurotic perfectionist types also just tend to feel behind because they think they should have it all figured out by now.

But nobody actually has it figured out. Sorry.

It's fine to go sow some wild oats and recreate some of the teen experiences that you missed, but don't imagine that even people with "regular" adolescences all had the Hollywood version of everything. Sometimes, you imagine you're missing out on a lot more than you actually are. It's not about the experiences: it's about your feelings of incompleteness. Sometimes, you fix it by going out and getting those experiences. Sometimes, you fix it by working on the feeling themselves.

I do think there can be ages where it feels like everyone else is getting married and doesn't want to go out partying or like everyone settled down before you and nobody worth having is left when you want to settle down yourself, but that shit tends to be in your late 30s, and it's still a mistake to take a general tendency as a rule for your own life. Plenty of individual people settle down or still want to party at any age.

21 is a tough age because every year or two feels like a huge gap. But even by 25 and certainly by 30, it stops being like that. There just isn't that much difference between a bunch of adult coworkers. I know plenty of people who got together with somebody 20 years older but who was a hobby or work peer. And sure, occasionally, it's some old person creeping on nubile young things because they're a jackass, but just as often, it's reasonable adults connecting because they have things in common.

Most people's 40s are a fuckton better than their 20s, no matter what media tells you. Tumblr is full of people wondering when the lies on TV will come true in their 20-something lives. The pandemic derailed so many people's plans too. You're much less alone than it feels.

It's normal to feel at sea in a world that's on fire. Give it a couple of years, dude. Nobody has it figured out anyway, but especially nobody has it figured out in 2022.

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Time for me to ramble about The Wingfeather Saga to try and distract myself from my depression and the fact that I’m sick and miserable!

~*Spoilers*~ for all the books

*

Okie so in the 3rd Wingfeather show episode Tink calls Peet old and I just. I just wanna address that for a second because it’s been poking around in my mind ever since. xD

So here’s what I think the ages of the adults in the Wingfeather Saga are as based on the kid’s ages, how long it’s been since Anniera fell and logic:

Let’s start with Esben and Nia. Since their kiddos were very little when Anniera fell (Janner was only three) it follows that they were also quite young, I’m gonna say mid-20′s, around 24-25. Nine years later that’d make them 33-34 years old, which seems logical.

I headcanon that Artham and Esben have the same age gap as Janner and Kal, so assuming Artham is only a year older than his brother that’d put him at about 25-26 (my age ;-;) when Anniera fell and 34-35 during the events of the series. That’s. That’s not old. Even if you headcanon him as several years older than Esben (say 3 or so) he’d still be in his 30′s.

(I’m not knocking Tink btw, he’s 11 and everyone’s old when you’re a little kid, especially weird guys with whitish gray hair that you don’t know are related to you.)

I don’t have any concrete idea of how old Podo is and it bothers me, Leeli in book 4 keeps saying he’s like, really old, but she’s also 9 so that’s probably not reliable. Assuming Nia’s in her 30′s during the books Podo is probably(?) in his mid-late 60′s. (Especially since we know he did a LOT when he was young, he ran with the Stranders, he was a pirate, and when he came to the Hollows he said he never sailed again until he traveled to Anniera for Nia’s wedding). I feel like Wendolyn was younger than him by maybe 5-6 years since she isn’t married when they meet, despite being an attractive and well-to-do young woman.

Mentioning grandparents, has anyone else ever wondered where the HECK Artham and Esben’s parents are? Like, they’re barely even mentioned in the books, I think we actually learn their names from a genealogy Janner gets from Oskar/the Great Library. And this is especially weird when you consider that Podo and Wendolyn are actively helping Nia and the kids escape when Anniera falls. That, and Esben is king already when Anniera falls and unless their parents had kids when they were older (which is possible) they won’t be that old and Idk why his dad wouldn’t still be ruling. Like, why pass the throne off to your 20-something son if you don’t have to? Why not train him more?

So here’s what I think happened to Jru and Nala Wingfeather: I think Bonifer killed them. Not Bonifer himself, of course, but I think he arranged their deaths in some way. It would be pretty easy, tbh, to have an “accident” where they died. All you’d need to do would be hire some pirates to attack a ship they’re sailing on, or sabotage the ship so that it sank once it set sail.

Bonifer would have several good motives for this, I think. First and foremost, it’s going to be much easier for him to trick Esben, a brand-new, very young, king into believing his lies than an older, more experienced, king and queen. Not that I think Esben (or Artham) was an idiot, but Bonifer has had a really long time to learn how to lie and be a terrible person, and the younger you are the more likely you are to fall for stuff like that (generally speaking, there are always exceptions. like, I don’t think Maraly would have been easily tricked by Bonifer’s shenanigans because she grew up with the Stranders who are a bunch of lying tricksters. Meanwhile, Janner was tricked because he grew up among trustworthy and loving adults. Same thing with Esben and Artham).

Second, it’s possible that Jru and/or Nala had learned something that made them suspicious of Bonifer or were close to finding something about Gnag/the Fangs that would have ruined their plans, so Bonifer had them killed. Again, it’s really easy to set up an “accident”, especially when sailing is involved.

And finally, Bonifer just. really hates the Wingfeathers. Because he’s got issues. So of course he’d try to cause them all the suffering he could.

So, yeah, that’s why I think Esben and Artham’s parents aren’t around/aren’t mentioned in the books. Also my headcanons about ages.

[charismaandcashmere]

don’t be afraid to pivot

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in my early 30s. I don’t consider this a “level-up” blog, but I follow many of those types of blogs here, and I might be one of the older ones in these spaces.

Something that saddens me when it comes across my dash is when someone in their early or mid-20’s thinks the Bus of Life has already passed them by. They think it’s too late to change their career, their love life, their social circle, whatever else.

The bus hasn’t passed you by, and it isn’t too late. Don’t be afraid to pivot.

First, your life is just getting started. Take a moment to breathe and focus on that. I implore you to lessen the time you spend of social media and go read the book Late Bloomer: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement. The author, Rich Karlgaard, breaks down how 1.) it’s quite stupid to assume literally everyone on God’s green earth will “bloom” on the same timetable 2.) there are benefits to be being a late bloomer. We live in a society where being good at a few things is praised, and perhaps rightfully so because there’s only so much you can do effectively with your fairly brief life.

However, if you are like me and you’ve dabbled in a few different things from hooping to traveling to being an aspiring polyglot, it can seem as though you are wasting time. You’re not creating the next Facebook (which we probably don’t need.) You’re not creating the next multimillion company. You’re just trying on different hats. And you stumble upon information among the level up blogs and maybe something clicks. And you want to get your life together…whatever that may mean for you. But oh my gosh, you have so much work to do, from style and eloquence to deportment to culture to standards to everything else. And your one wish is that you had known of this when you were younger.

Improving yourself and undoing bad habits takes time. It may take a lot of time, if you’re like me and have to work through maladaptive thought patterns and insecurity. You’re on a journey that’s going to take quite a bit of time. I think that’s why, unfortunately, the feminine aesthetics have been the focus for many people in this space. It’s relatively easier to change up your style and start doing your nails than digging deep and figuring out what you truly want in your life. That is not something you can rush.

One day I was lamenting, in a tongue in cheek manner, to my tutor about how my life was over now that I was in my 30s. He’s several years younger than me and he said, “Oh no, your 30s…that’s when life is just beginning.” I do lament my twenties because I spent most of them being so insecure, but I also tried on many different hats, and trying new things is how you grow.

So please, if you’re younger than me, even if you’re my age or even older, don’t be afraid to pivot. It will take work including overcoming mental blocks and whatever stops you from achieving what you desire. And such work won’t always be easy or pretty. But it’s better than the alternative of wallowing in your shoulda-coulda-woulda’s.

(I don’t want to focus on attracting men too much, but while it’s true that men often prefer younger women, there are benefits to being a bit older in the dating game that people don’t want to acknowledge because god forbid we have anything nice to say about women over the age of 25. So if you’re in the dating game and are trying to find a decent man, I implore you to read Seductress and watch videos from other “femininity” experts such as Candace Oneida.)

[all-pacas]

okay i was just talking about this on discord but wanted to post it on tumblr too, and that being what is for me the fundamental disconnect of erend’s character.

and that is this:

erend is about twenty five in the game. give or take a couple of years. we don’t actually know for sure, but it seems like a safe guess, as avad is in his early thirties (was around thirty when the revolution happened), ersa was probably about his age, and erend is her younger brother. 25-30.

erend is young. he’s sheltered and protected and naive. his sister has always taken care of him and he’s never had to act on his own, make his own decisions. in the guidebook they even outright state that erend thought of her as a surrogate parent. erend is young. he is immature for his age. he makes a fool of himself when he meets aloy, he acts kind of inappropriately trying to hit on her: it’s not harmful, just awkward and unwanted and he completely misses that it is. (contrast this with the older avad, who also makes aloy uncomfortable later on and then realizes and sincerely apologizes — avad isnt better, he’s just. older. he’s a functional adult. and erend is young and immature for his age.)

and it isn’t a bad thing that erend is immature and young for his age. he comes from a background of abuse and neglect and leans heavily on his sister to the point of using her as a crutch — the guidebook mentions that ersa took the same abuse and used it as a reason to be hyper-successful at everything she did, to push herself; the liberation comic shows her as stoic, rarely smiling, and in both that and the games she is very much the person who everyone relies on. she becomes the Caretaker, the Responsible One, the Problem Solver. she’ll make hard decisions so avad doesn’t need to; she’ll deal with dervhal personally so no one else is involved; she’ll take care of erend so that he never has to grow up. as she lies dying after weeks of imprisonment and physical torture, she remains stoic, thinking only of the need to protect others. and yes she was fridged and i’m mad about it, but it’s telling: even in the moment of her death, she’s trying to Take Care Of Things. she tells him it’stime to grow up. she can no longer protect him.

and so when she dies suddenly, erend breaks down. absolutely cannot function. he’s immature! not as an insult but as a fact, he has literally never had to live as an independent person or adult. so he goes on a messy breakdown all over meridian, clings to the idea that maybe he can get revenge or something? or hey! maybe ersa is still alive! he tries to rope aloy into his denial and she is not having it and hilariously only reluctantly agrees to start his side quest (when normally you just need to point her in the direction of a needy npc for her to go hunting sawtooth hearts or something). erend is a hot mess, because he is fundamentally still immature. he is still a child.

now let’s talk about varl.

[img described: varl from horizon zero dawn. he is a young Black man with blue face paint wearing a mix of furs and metal armor. he has short hair in a mixed undercut and short dreads style.]

varl, according to the guidebook, is 25-26 during the game. this makes sense. he looks pretty young, but he’s an established fighter and member of nora society presented as a few years older than 19 year old aloy. he comes off as pretty quiet and mature and reasonable, but also tends to rush headfirst into battle and danger despite his ‘cooler’ exterior: he’s secretly kind of a hothead! he and aloy basically reenact the “you fight good” scene from mulan! he reads easily as a dude in his mid twenties: an adult who knows himself and is pretty capable, but who is still young enough to get affected by his mother’s emotional neglect and carried away by his impulses.

he is the same age as erend.

that erend is more immature is fine; they’re different people in different circumstances and erend was pretty coddled but ersa. it’s not a contest. but varl acts and looks like a dude in his twenties who is doing his best…

and erend acts like it, but is voiced and modeled after a dude in his forties.

[img desc: erend from hzd. he’s a large, white man with a brown mohawk and a truly wild mutton chops/mustache, wearing an orange scarf and brown metal armor]

erend just does not look like he’s young. he looks easily ten years older than varl, and that’s fine, the fact that erend is about 25 isn’t relevant in the game really, except that his immaturity absolutely is. and it reads very differently from a man who looks and sounds like he’s 40 than from someone barely out of his teenage years.

i spent the entire game thinking i should probably like erend but just being driven a little crazy by him. “get over yourself,” i’d think, even though half the characters in this game are dealing with grief and acting it out in various ways: vengeance and denial and desperation to find her mother from aloy, wishy-washy indecision from avad, who is also suffering from a lack of Ersa Handling Shit, major depression and suicidal thoughts from elida, confusion and an urge to prove himself in varl’s case. that erend reacts with emotions and messiness is fine, it’s just that his messiness is written as so young and he’s designed to look and sound like a 40 year old. he has a good design and his voice and appearance match really well — great casting — but it just doesn’t fit. he’s varl’s age. he’s not much older than aloy and acts like her contemporary. but he doesn’t look like it, and it throws me every time.

[bqstqnbruin]

Always be my plus one

Here we go, y'all. We're ignoring that it's 3:30 in the morning but I'm just yeeting the first part of this into the wild and hoping it goes well. Ignore typos, we all know that everything I post is a first draft.

I need to thank @hockeywocs, @chara-hugs, and @zinka8 (WHY CAN't I TAG YOU) and all the anons who have come into my ask box to help me with this! ily all!

WARNING: some description of child birth

Hope you like it!

Series masterlist

------------------------------

Part 1: Christmas Day and the day after Christmas

The name for Christmas comes from the shortening of “Christ’s Mass,” a traditionally Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ to the Virgin Mary and Joseph in a manger in Bethlehem. Although the exact date of his birthday is unknown, around the fourth century the Catholic church fixed the date of this celebration to be December 25th. Other religions and belief systems have similar celebrations around the same time, such as the Winter Solstice, or Midwinter. Celebrations include a mixture of pre-Christian, Christian, and non-secular traditions, such as gift giving, completing an Advent Calendar or Advent Wreath, Christmas music, church services, a special meal with family and loved ones, Christmas trees, lights, nativity scenes, and Santa Claus to name a few.

The day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day in some European countries, is traditionally known as a shopping holiday. In America, this is typically the day when people start to return any unwanted Christmas gifts, stock up for next Christmas on items that are marked down on sale, or see friends that they hadn’t been able to see before Christmas.

=============

December 21, 2021

“One fifteen means fifteen minutes before I have to clock in. Fifteen minutes before a twelve-hour shift that I’m not ready for and don’t have enough caffeine for,” Anne muttered to herself, staring at her reflection through her car's rearview mirror. “But, fifteen minutes before getting to do something that I thankfully love, something that I enjoy doing.” No matter how long the shift in front of her, Anne had developed a habit of giving herself a pep talk before she got out of her car. “Whatever happens, you’ve helped someone.”

The last part wasn’t always true, knowing that there was the possibility that something could go wrong that she and the other nurses and doctors wouldn’t be able to fix. Lying to herself that everything was going to be ok was the only want to convince herself to go into the hospital every day. Finally mustering up enough courage to get out of her car, she grabs her bag from the backseat, heading in for yet another long day right before the Christmas holiday.

The maternity ward where Anne worked never ceased to be hectic, the miracle of life happening at least once an hour. No matter how much Anne had studied in nursing school, nothing could have prepared her for the stress that could come from the job, the long hours, the potential for something so right to turn so wrong in a minute, the way nothing can go planned since the baby dictated all, the mess that comes with every birth, or the joy that results from a former patient sending her the occasional picture of a baby she helped deliver as they’re growing up.

“Hey, Tyson, come on!” comes from inside the open doors of the building, Anne not paying attention to who it was coming from, causing her to collide with a stranger, spilling her much-needed coffee all over the both of them.

“Shit,” she says, not looking up from the brown splatter on what should be mint green scrubs. “I am so sorry.”

Standing in front of her was a curly-haired boy, about her age, wearing what she was sure was a Colorado hockey jersey. Beyond that, she had no idea. “No, no, it’s my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going. Let me buy you another,” he offers, ignoring the persistent calls from his friends to hurry up.

Anne checks her watch: 1:19. “It’s ok. I don’t really have the time, I have to clock in in eleven minutes, and knowing the cafeteria or the vending machines, it would take a lot longer,” she says, trying to get by him. Before he can protest, she gets to the elevator that would bring her to her floor, thankful that it was ready to get her there without her having to wait. The doors start to close, only to be stopped by a hand stuck through them, the curly-haired boy with the coffee stain down the front of him getting on the elevator with her. Anne gives him a confused look, begging him to explain why he was trying to make her late for her shift.

“If you aren’t going to let me buy you one now to make up for it, at least let me see where you work so I can drop one off for you.”

Anne rolls her eyes, unamused by the man in front of her as he attempts to flirt with her. “That would be nice, but the chances of me getting it before it goes cold are slim to none, so you need to suggest something else if you really want to buy me a coffee.”

“Let me get your number so I can buy you one when you aren’t working?” he asks, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. 1:25. “I’m Tyson, by the way.”

The elevator dings, signaling that they were on Anne’s floor, opening the door to nurses and doctors running around, expectant fathers who were probably kicked out of the delivery room for making the mom too nervous pacing the halls, grandparents trying to control younger children who had little to no idea what was going on as they waited in the strange building. Anne walks to the backroom to drop her stuff off and clock in, typing her information into the stranger’s phone as he followed her like a puppy, his friend’s texts coming across the top of his screen asking where he went so they could leave.

“I’m Anne, and I’ve got to go,” she tells him, handing back his phone. There was no way he was going to text her, and it’s not like the coffee was that big of a deal to him. She could go to the vending machine down the hall and grab one during her break, or have someone else on their break do it for her if she needed it sooner.

“Can’t wait for our coffee date, Anne,” he says, winking at her before shoving his hands in his pockets and sauntering back down the hallway.

“Who is he?” her coworker, Jess asked, popping up out of nowhere. “He’s hot.”

“In more ways than one, apparently,” Anne jokes, “he’s also wearing my hot coffee on his shirt.”

“You didn’t,” Jess scolds her, turning her around to see the coffee that was spilled down Anne’s own outfit, knowing Anne’s tendency to be a little absent-minded as she gets wrapped up in her own thoughts. “Anne, you did.”

“Not on purpose!”

“DeFormicola?” Anne’s supervisor, Jackson, pops his head into the room just as she was clocking in, “We need you in room 414.”

“Saved by the bell,” Anne teases, walking down the hall to where all the noise was coming from, trying to throw on the appropriate clothing before she went into the room, struggling to get the gloves on as she entered.

“Ok, Erin, we’re going to need you to push,” one of the doctors says, Anne standing behind him as she watched the baby’s head crowning.

This was her favorite part of the job, helping the mother stay calm and trying to make sure that despite the child coming out of her, she was as comfortable as possible. Normally, she would be with the mom as soon as she came in, Erin clearly nervous as to what was going on. They had to be first-time parents, the dad going back and forth to Erin’s side and behind the doctor, looking mortified each time and clearly regretting what he was seeing.

“It’s a boy!” the doctor says, handing the new baby to a breathless Erin.

“A boy! A boy!” the dad yells, going out to the hallway, Erin clearly unamused by whatever antics he was going about.

“Don’t worry, he’s not the first one to do that,” Anne reassures her, knowing that something like that would happen at least five more times during her shift, hearing the father’s voice repeating the phrase. “I’m going to get him cleaned up and then get him right back to you, ok?” Anne asks, reaching for the baby as everyone else around her tries to clean everything else up.

“Be careful with him,” Erin warns, not meaning anything bad by it. She was definitely a first time mother.

“I will be,” Anne tells her, feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket as she does. “So you have a name picked out yet?”

“We were thinking Matthew.”

Anne turns her head, smiling at Erin. “That’s a good name. My older brother is named Matthew.”

Erin smiles at her, the father finally coming back in, clearly overjoyed by the birth of their new baby. Anne hands him back to his parents, Matthew screaming his head off as they get wheeled into another room.

Anne goes over to the desk, sitting down where she was supposed to be for the start of her shift to do paperwork, but the uncertainty in the hour by hour of the schedule was not surprising. She pulls out her phone, ‘Maybe: Tyson’ coming up across her screen.

“He’s already texting me,” she alerts Jess whose head whips away from her computer to look over Anne’s shoulder at what message the mystery man could have sent her.

“He’s horny.”

“Jessica!” she squeals, wishing she was more shocked by what her friend had said. “Why is that always your first reaction to a boy sending a message?”

She shrugs, swiveling back to her own computer, “I’m normally right. What’s he saying?”

“He wants to know when he can buy me coffee.”

“Horny.”

“Enough.”

“You should date him.”

Anne turns to her, clearly unamused by Jess’s need to continue the conversation. “I don’t have to date anyone.”

Jess lets out a long sigh, Anne knowing that she was rolling her eyes. “I’m not saying you have to, I’m saying you should.”

“Ok, I don’t want to date anyone.”

“Oh, come on Anne,” Jess says, getting up and plopping herself on the desk in front of Anne, fiddling with the wire connecting the mouse to the rest of the computer. “You work in a maternity ward where people become parents every day, and you haven’t even thought of finding a man?”

“You don’t have a point,” Anne tells her, not making eye contact with her.

“My point,” Jess says, leaning over to block Anne’s view of her computer screen, “is that you can’t be single forever.”

“Says who?”

“Didn’t you tell me that you were named after the patron saint of the town your grandmothers were from?”

Anne rolls her eyes, knowing where this was going. It was going in the same direction that this conversation always went in when she had it with her mom every single holiday. “All four of us are named after the patron saints of the towns our grandparents are from.”

“St. Anne is the patron saint of child care, grandparents and mothers.”

“She’s also that patron saint of unmarried women, so your argument is invalid, as usual.”

Jess takes in a breath to say something, cut off by Jackson calling for Jess to go into one of the delivery rooms. “Just don’t say no because you think you have to be single,” she advises as she walks away.

Anne leans back in the chair, rubbing her hands over her face. “This is how Christmas is going to go, isn’t it?” she asks herself.

=============

December 25, 2021

The number of cars lining her parent's driveway meant that she was one of the last ones there, but knowing her aunts and uncles, she wasn’t the last one there. Her parents were the ones who did Christmas Day for her dad’s family, Christmas Eve being the anniversary of her mom’s mom’s death, and, on top of that, Teresa doesn’t talk to her family over some argument and grudge being held over their parent's house.

Scanning the cars, she didn’t see the one belonging to her brother Matthew, or his wife, Stephanie. “I’ll just leave Harper’s gifts in the car,” Anne mutters to herself, trying to juggle as many gifts as she could while also balancing the box of pastries her mom asked her to pick up for dessert.

Without a free hand to open the door, Anne did everything she could to ring the doorbell with her elbow, praying that someone would come to open the door before she dropped anything.

Her younger brother, Sebastian, opens the door, a disappointed look on his face. “What the fuck is all this for?” he asks, taking some of the bags from her arms to lighten her load.

“Merry Christmas to you, too,” she remarks, “Yours is still in my car if you’re wondering.”

“Did you have to get gifts for everyone?” he asks, Anne greeting her aunts and uncles on the way to the tree to put everything down for later.

“Well, it’s Hazel’s first Christmas," she explains, referencing their sister's youngest daughter, "So getting her something and not getting the other children something seemed wrong, and then Jessica took me shopping and kept saying things like ‘oh this would be perfect for Lucy,’ or ‘oh don’t have you an aunt who likes mystery novels?’ And everything went downhill from there.”

Sebby groans, walking with Anne back out to her car to retrieve the rest of the gifts, Anne still holding the box of pastries since they hadn’t made it to the kitchen yet. “Please tell me you didn’t get Aunt Lisa that Agatha Christie illustrated novel that the bookstore was selling.”

“Please tell me you didn’t get Aunt Lisa that Agatha Christie illustrated novel the bookstore was selling,” Anne laughs, Sebby nodding his head. “I got a gift receipt.”

“What did you end up getting Matthew?” he asks her. Anne had texted Sebby in panic on Black Friday, coming home from a day of shopping with Lucy that left her without a gift for Lucy’s twin brother.

Grabbing the rest of the gifts and handing them to Sebby, she closes the door to her car and starts to go back inside. “I found this ‘make your own wine’ kit that I think he would like. That way Steph doesn’t have to listen to him complaining about how the stuff she drinks is ‘too sweet.’”

“What about for me?” Sebby asks, nudging Anne with his elbow as they arrange the rest of the gifts in the already mountainous pile under the tree.

“Oh, I knew there was someone I forgot,” she says sarcastically, Sebby ripping the bow off one of her carefully wrapped presents and throwing it at her. “Ok, now I’m never getting you a gift again.”

Sebby laughs, helping his older sister off the ground. The two of them wander into the kitchen, slipping in unnoticed due to the sheer number of family members and noise that was filling the room. “Aunt Anne! Aunt Anne!” Harper and Skylar squeal in unison when her nieces spot her, hoping that either she or Sebby had grabbed Harper, Matthew, and Stephanie’s gifts. She didn’t think there was anything left in her trunk.

“Hey there, fireflies,” Anne greets them, bending down as they both kiss her on the cheek. “Guess what? Santa stopped by my place and left some gifts for you, but he made me promise that you two were really good today if you want to open them after dessert, ok?”

The two girls nod excitedly, bouncing up and down at Anne’s words. To still be young and believe in Santa, that must be nice.

“Hey, ma,” Anne finally finds her mother, putting down the box of pastries in front of her and kissing her on the cheek. “Upstairs or downstairs fridge?”

“It goes downstairs. Come on, I have someone I want you to meet,” her mother says, dragging you away from your aunts that had aggregated around her. They all had excited looks on their faces, something that instantly worried Anne as she followed her mother down the stairs with the box. She could hear Matthew and Lucy’s voices, knowing that her brother and sister’s wife and husband had to be down there with them, too. “Matthew told me about this friend of his who couldn’t make it home for Christmas,” her mother whispers before she got to the last step.

“Mom, no,” Anne says, already knowing where this was heading. “I told you: I don’t need a boyfriend.”

“But I don’t have a grandson,” her mom whines, shaking Anne’s hand in her own against her chest.

“How is that my fault?”

“If you just find a nice boy, and get married, I just know you’re going to be my child that has a boy.”

“Oh my god,” Anne groans, pushing past her to get to the fridge.

Teresa pulls Anne over to the couches where her siblings were, Lucy sitting on one with her feet in Jason’s lap, Jason’s hand lazily rubbing his wife’s shins. Matthew was on the other, Stephanie nuzzled against his shoulder, all four of them with a glass of wine and three bottles open. Next to Matthew was a guy sitting there awkwardly, straightening his back when he saw you while Sebby tried to contain his laughter as he sat on the floor. “Jeremy, this is my youngest daughter, Anne. Anne, this is Jeremy,” she introduces the two of them before running up the stairs.

“I do have a girlfriend, actually,” Jeremy says, “So I’m sorry.”

Anne and her siblings burst out laughing, Lucy pouring her sister a glass of wine. “If only this were the first time Ma tried to set Anne up with a guy who was seeing someone.”

“I even tried to tell her that but she didn’t listen,” Matthew adds. “It’s better than when she tried to set you up with Adam,” he says, referencing Lucy’s partner at their optometry practice.

“Yeah, his husband wasn’t too thrilled by that potential match,” Sebby says.

They all keep talking, Anne just sitting and listening to them reminisce about all the people their parents had tried to set her up within their desperate attempt for her to no longer be single. It didn’t help that the last time she listened to them about dating was Andy, the boy who cheated on her when they got to college. Apparently going to school half an hour from each other wasn’t enough for him to keep up their two-year relationship instead of shoving his tongue down multiple girls throats before doing god only knows what else.

“When do you think they’ll stop trying to set me up with someone?” Anne finally pips in, accidentally cutting off something Jeremy was saying as she stared at the wine she was swirling in the glass.

“When you get a boyfriend,” her siblings say in unison.

“I hate all of you for doing that,” she laughs. “But, seriously, why is it so important that I have a boyfriend?”

“Oh, you know your mother,” Jason says, putting his glass down on the floor. “She saw what Lucy and I had and then wanted that for all her children.”

Lucy playfully shoves him, kissing him as Anne and Sebby groan. “She just wants you to be happy, and to her and dad, happiness is marriage and a family.”

“Where am I going to meet someone if I go to work or here where they try to bring in non-single non-potential suitors?” she asks, looking over at Jeremy. “Sorry.”

He shrugs, not able to get a word in before Matthew starts, “What if you met someone at work like how Steph and I met?”

“Yeah because there are so many single men walking around the maternity ward,” she says, her phone buzzing in front of her. “What about you, though, Seb, how’s Collins?” Anne asks, changing the subject.

“Eh,” he shrugs, his eyes wandering to Anne’s phone screen, “I’m not sure we’re going to last to graduation.”

“What?” Lucy squeals, causing Jason to jump as she threw her legs out of his lap. “I thought you said she was ‘the one’?”

Sebby looks down at his glass, a stupid smirk on his face. “Nah, that changed. She doesn’t want me to go to law school in Boston, she wants me to stay here or move to California with her.”

“But the adventure of moving with your girlfriend to another state!” Matthew offers, Stephanie rolling her eyes.

“Matthew, not everyone needs adventure like you do, hon.”

Anne’s phone buzzes again, a reminder that she had a text waiting for her. Picking it up before Sebby can see who it is, ever the nosy little brother, she sees a message from Tyson popping up as they continue their conversation about Sebby’s love life and Anne’s lack thereof. . They had only been texting for a few days since their encounter at the hospital, but every time his name came up she couldn’t help but smile, lifting the wine glass to her lips to cover it in hopes of her siblings not noticing.

How’s your Christmas been so far?

A simple ‘eh’ as a response was all that she needed to send. It could be worse, but her mom trying to set her up with a guy with a girlfriend was definitely not something that made for a good Christmas. The only thing that could be worse is if their dad came home early from the flight he was on with a guy he picked up in whatever country he had to go to that prompted him to miss the holiday. Normal dads who had to travel would bring their kids back little trinkets or a postcard, but Anne wouldn’t put it past Tony to borderline kidnap someone from the plane he was flying and bring them home for Anne.

Tyson’s contact comes up again, an incoming call that prompted Anne to step away so she could answer it. “What’s up?”

“You said your Christmas was ‘eh.’ What’s going on?”

“It’s a long story,” she groans, pressing her back up against the fridge.

“Well, what if I have something that might make it better?” he flirts.

“Oh? Like what”

“What if I said I’m 100% free to buy you that coffee any time tomorrow, since I know you said you didn’t have work, and you can tell me about Christmas then?”

Anne hears her siblings laugh not ten feet away, praying that they couldn’t hear her conversation. Taking in a deep breath, she knew that her cheeks were turning pink at his words. “Sure, that sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asks, walking back over to join her siblings.

“I’ll text you details,” he tells her, hanging up.

“Oh, my god,” Lucy yells, interrupting their conversation. “Anne was talking to a boy.”

“What the hell? What makes you think that?” she asks.

“Your cheeks are red," Lucy says, prompting Anne to raise her hand to feel the heat radiating from her face, "Who else would you be seeing tomorrow?” her sister eggs on, her eyebrow raised since she knew she was right.

Anne tries to find her words, unable to think of a name that wasn’t a guy's name to blurt out.

“Is it Tyson?” Sebby asks, Anne’s unlocked phone in his hand.

“You jackass!” she yells, lunging at her brother to try to get her phone back.

Teresa’s footsteps sound down the stairs, her poking her head between the gap in the stair rail and the steps themselves, Anne and Sebby looking like a deer in headlights when they see their mom. “I was coming to say that dinner was ready, but what’s going on here?”

“Anne has a boy she wasn’t telling us about,” Sebby blabs, earning an ‘I’ll kill you’ look from Anne.

“Oh! Annie!” their mom squeals, running down the stairs to pick her up off the ground and hug her. “Why didn’t you tell us about him?”

“I, uh,” Anne starts, still not sure what to say.

“You have to bring him to New Year’s Day at Uncle Vince’s house,” she tells her, the rest of the siblings following Anne being dragged back up the stairs for dinner, her mom announcing that Anne had a boyfriend when she, in fact, didn’t.

=============

December 26, 2021

“So, are you going to tell me why your Christmas was only ‘eh,’ or am I going to have to guess?” Tyson asks, setting down two cups of coffee in front of them. Tyson had asked Anne to meet him at a small coffee shop that was within walking distance of her apartment, thankful that she didn’t have to drive through Denver on the day where everyone was returning anything unwanted, like her Aunt Lisa returning one of the copies of the Agatha Christie novel that her and Sebby each got her.

Anne groans, the images of last night’s dinner flashing through her mind. “Can we talk about something else, first?”

“Fine,” Tyson says, taking a long sip of the coffee, “What did you get for gifts?”

She raises her eyebrow at him, Tyson mirroring her expression except with a goofy grin on his face. Rolling her eyes, she starts listing off the stuff she got: “My parents got me a new attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer since my younger brother, Sebby, broke it last time he was over and a voucher for a flight anywhere in the country like they do every year, um, some gift cards from my aunts and uncles, my nieces all did their best attempts at drawing a portrait of me, Sebby told me he was going to come over and make dinner for me, which scares me because he can’t cook, Matthew and his wife got me some books they thought I would like, and Lucy and her husband got me this bracelet,” Anne tells him, extending her arm out to show him.

“I have so many questions,” Tyson starts.

“I might have answers,” Anne tells him, raising her cup to him.

“How big is your family?”

“I’m the third of four, Lucy and Matthew are twins and are about five years older than me, then Sebby is a year younger than me. Lucy has two daughters and Matthew has one. My dad has two brothers; one older, one younger. The older one has three kids, the younger has two and then three grandchildren.”

“Mom’s family?”

Anne looks down at her coffee. “I’m the only one who talks to anyone on that side of the family. My mom and her brother got into a fight when their parents died over what was left to them. My uncle has two daughters and two granddaughters.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, looking between the coffee and Anne.

She shrugs, not really bothered by it at this point. “It’s whatever. I talk to them because I want to, so it’s fine. What other questions do you have, though?”

“The ticket voucher?”

“Yeah,” Anne laughs, “Our dad is a pilot with Southwest Airlines, so every Christmas they give us a voucher to fly anywhere we want. They say they want to make sure that we take time for ourselves, but I think Dad gets some sort of bonus for every voucher he buys.”

Tyson throws his head back laughing. It wasn’t that funny, but seeing him so happy, Anne couldn’t help but smile back at him. “What about you, what did you get for Christmas?”

“My mom and sister flew down and basically restocked my kitchen for me.”

“Ok, that’s a great present, though,” she says. “Where was your dad?”

The smile from Tyson’s face fades, not looking up at Anne. “I never knew him. My mom and grandmother raised me.”

“Oh, Tyson,” she says, reaching out for his hand. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

He shrugs, a forced smile on his face. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything, I don’t think. My mom and my grandmother are the reason I am who I am. I wouldn’t give that up or change it.”

The two of them sit there, Anne trying to think about how many times she helped deliver a baby when the father was nowhere to be found. She normally figured they were busy or just not in the delivery room, not being there all together was something she couldn’t even begin to imagine. “But enough about me. Why was your Christmas ‘eh’?”

“My family has it in their heads that I need a boyfriend,” she admits, Tyson smirking at her words. “And my brother saw your texts coming up on my phone and being the asshole that he is, announced that I was texting a boy, so now, I need to find someone to bring with me to my uncle’s house on New Year’s Day that I can pass off as you.”

Tyson gives her a confused look. “Why wouldn’t you just bring me?”

Anne sits there, a shocked look on her face. “Because they think ‘Tyson’ is my boyfriend, and you aren’t?”

“So we pretend. They don’t need to know,” he shrugs, acting like it was no big deal.

“That would never work,” Anne dismisses him.

“Why not? You don’t think I’m a good actor?” Tyson whines, acting insulted at Anne’s words.

She scoffs, “Ok, one, hockey players are never good actors, and two, Sebby or Lucy are bound to figure out that you are not my boyfriend. Sebby wants to be a lawyer so he analyzes everything and Lucy is just this perfect anomaly of a human who would be bound to figure it out.”

“I think I can play your boyfriend for New Year’s Day,” he says, confidence dripping in his voice.

“No, I can’t have you do that.”

The maternity ward where Anne worked never ceased to be hectic, the miracle of life happening at least once an hour. No matter how much Anne had studied in nursing school, nothing could have prepared her for the stress that could come from thhe job, the long hours, the potential for something so right to turn so wrong in a minute, the way nothing can go planned since the baby dictated all, the mess that comes with every birth, or the joy that results from a former patient sending her the occasional picture of a baby she helped deliver as they’re growing up.

[more-than-chaos]

GENSHIN AGE HC'S: MONDSTADT (1/3)

as promised here is the genshin stuff!!! I've decided to share my genshin age hc's. This is how I see them. And yes this might be disregarding some canon, time moves weird in Teyvat and I really don't think that everyone can be like, 20 because really where are the responsible adults in which case.

Bear in mind, while I have all of the 4* in here, most of them are friendship 1-3 (with a few exceptions), and so I haven't unlocked many voice lines about them, and I also have 2 5*, and not all of their lines have been unlocked either. Also I did the story quests ages ago (like, August?? I think? Before Inazuma), so my memory might not be the best.

as usual, it's gonna be split into 3 parts (one per nation available)

MONDSTADT

Diluc: at least 30 man has eyebags, goes out at night to fight and runs a bar. he's tired let him sleep. Also he's literally the owner of the whole wine industry in Mondstadt, possibly the best in Teyvat.

Kaeya: 25. He's younger than Diluc, but he hangs out and drinks with Venti and Rosaria, so I'd like to think that he wouldn't hang out with people who are heaps older/younger than him (it's just awkward man). I'm not too sure how old he is based on all the lore, there's a lot to go through but I DO think he ages at a different pace to everyone else.

Jean: 30. There is no way this woman is 24 Varka would NOT leave a lass that young in charge also she's Diluc's childhood friend they're around the same age.

Lisa: 32. Okay, hear me out. She's older than Jean and also her lifespan was cut in half. Let's say she was like 24 when she got the power. That makes her 3/4 through her life now. Makes sense right?

Klee: This child is 7. I do not make the rules. She's old enough to know right from wrong and judging by her speech patterns, knows words but messes them up sometimes. Also how else would everyone forgive her for blowing heaps of stuff up?? You're way more likely to forgive a 7 year old who goes "I'm sorry, I didn't know :(" (I won't though).

Diona: 11-12. I think it's canon that she's around this age, but also she's old enough to know her dad's an abusive asshole (he hits her when drunk), but young enough to try and delude herself about it. Poor girl :(

Venti: Chronologically he's around 6000, he's the only "original" archon left, and Rex Lapis was over 6000 years old when he died, therefore, old. Looks-wise, probably around 23-24. Diluc knows he's old enough to drink, and regularly serves him alcohol, even before it's known that Venti is Barbatos.

Rosaria: 24. I think that despite being a bit goth or emo, she's actually kind of young, especially in comparison to the other nuns.

Barbara: 16. This girl is 16 no one can convince me otherwise. Unfortunately this does mean that Albert is creepy but we already knew that.

Bennett: 16. I think in one of his birthday mail things it says how he's only had 4 birthdays on his actual birth day (29th Feb), so he's 16.

Fischl: She's canonically 16, she was 14 when she got her vision and no electro visions have been handed out for 2 years.

Razor: also 16, however he's slightly feral, so y'know. He probably acts a bit younger and didn't have proper schooling so may seem stupid (poor boy, he's smart I promise).

Amber: 21. In the webtoon, she complains that Kaeya still treats her like a rookie, and I think that being a young adult kinda suits her, she's bubbly and hasn't really "given up" on being fun (I suppose). It's also stated multiple times that while she's allowed to drink, she chooses not to do so very often.

Noelle: 19. I think she's just into adulthood mainly because Jean doesn't want her being a knight yet due to overworking herself, and I think that Jean also wants her to have a bit of freedom while she's young before she gets "locked" into a strict life of being a knight.

Sucrose: 22. She's a responsible young lass, and in the latest Dragonspine event we get to see her sassier side (talking to Timaeus).

Albedo: I'm not actually sure. He isn't a "real" human, so I'm not sure he ages like everyone else. If I had to choose, I'd go with 25-26.

Mona: 19. I struggled a bit with coming up with her age, partially because of her outfit (literally wtf girlie you are in a leotard and tights how do you not freeze also don't you think its a bit racy (even compared to the other "fanservice" outfits)), but also partially because surely if she were older she would've gotten a job by now (that sounds so mean omg) (usually people are reluctant to hire younger people for fear of them messing it up).

Eula: 23. While her family is a bit old fashioned (read: incredibly rude and nasty to everyone who's not an aristocrat/Fatui), she's been hanging out with the Knights for long enough that she's changed. Kinda like the Gen-Z at Christmas dinner, if you will. That said, I do think that she's a little bit older than Amber, despite them hanging out a lot.

I think I got everyone but I'm so sorry if I missed someone!! Please let me know if I did!

Once again, these are just my headcanons about ages, it's not really "canon", although most of them fit in the "canon" age brackets they've been given.

[fakeghostpirate]

Generational Timeline

@cyber-phobia

So this isn’t directly related to the question “How did OfA survive as long as it did?” But I was working on it anyways, and the timeline of OfA is in there, and I’ve kind of been stalling on this, so I’m just going to submit this rough draft thing to you, and let everyone else worry about it

EDIT: This timeline is outdated! New version here.

~

Assumption 1: “Generation” as referred to in the phrase “X Generation Quirk” is in reference to “social” generations since the Dawn of Quirks, not how many generations quirks have been in an individual’s family

I’ll be using 25 year generations, because while I could use 30 year ones, the shorter generations make for a nice snug timeline, and I don’t want to do double the math to show both variations of the timeline at once

Inko is 4th generation (Chap. 1, pg 19) and 42 years old in canon (Character bio + birthday)

Izuku is 5th gen. and 16 in canon (bio + birthday)

Assumption 2: The kids in the Remedial chapters are supposed to be the start of the 6th gen (based on the fact that the Quirk Singularity first gets brought up by Mic and Meatball in 166, and basically everyone makes a point of bringing up how powerful their quirks are)

These kids are in primary school, and based off their appearance and the school’s name (translated “precocious brat”) I’d say they’re probably 6-7, 8 at the oldest. I will average this to 7, meaning that the current timeline is approximately 7 years past the start of the 6th generation, which gives us an almost exact timeframe (~132 years)

Now we can start working backwards.

Years ago / Years from the Dawn of Quirks

6 - less than 7 /132-126

5 - 7-32 / 125-101

4 - 33-57 / 100-76

3 - 58-82 / 75-51

2 - 83-107 / 50-26

1 - 108-132 / less than 25

Izuku was born 9 years before the end of Gen 5, or 16 years into it, meaning he’s a mid-5th gen child

Assumption 3: AfO was born during the first year of quirks

Daruma Ujiko is over 120 (Chap. 270, pg 3)

AfO would be in his 60s when he meets the doc in his 50s

I’d also like to point out just how convenient it is for AfO that Ujiko would just so happen to be rendered completely destitute and thus devote himself and his longevity quirk to AfO (chapter 270, 4) right around the time that he’s probably starting to worry about old age doing him in

AfO and OfA are both adults when OfA the quirk is created, so it was likely made approx 30 years after quirks, though I suspect for symbolic reasons it was ~32 years, so that OfA would be exactly 100 years old and that’s the reason it’s “reaching singularity” for Izuku

All Might Rising shows Nana died when AM was 18, then he leaves the country less than a year later

Before that Gran says All for One is OVER 100 years old, which means this is at maximum ~31 years ago, so All Might’s probably 48/49

Also, since he had OfA for ~30 of its 100 years, that means each of the previous holders would have had it for an average of 10 years

Assuming they all (except All Might and Izuku, of course) were adults when they got it, the approximate timeline for when they had it would be something like this:

First: ~100 years ago - ~90 years ago (had it in early-mid 2nd gen) (First generation quirk, obviously)

2nd: 90-80 (mid 2nd/early 3rd) (first generation quirk)

3rd: 80-70 (early-mid 3rd) (1st or 2nd gen quirk)

4th: 70-60 (mid-late 3rd) (2nd gen quirk)

Daigoro: 60-50 (early-mid 4th) (Black Whip, 2nd or 3rd gen quirk)

6th: 50 - 40 (mid 4th) (3rd gen quirk)

Nana: 40 - 30 (mid-late 4th) (Float, 3rd gen quirk)

AM: 30 - 1 year ago (early 5th-early/mid 6th) (4th gen, quirkless)

Izuku: 1 year ago to now (early/mid 6th) (5th gen, quirkless)

Off to another point

Kotaro was 32 some 15-20 years ago before he died (bio + math doesn’t work if he would have been 32 now) when Shigaraki was 5, and we know Tomura’s in his 20s now, which means Kotaro would be around the same age as, or slightly older than, All Might if he was alive

Which raises an interesting insight into his character. Since we know

A. Nana gave him up when he was younger,

B. He would have been around 18 when she died,

C. Nana probably had OfA around 10 years just like her predecessors,

We can get a timetable something like this: Nana gets OfA, AfO kills her husband shortly after, and she gives up Kotaro. Then she goes off to be a (public?) hero for A DECADE, eventually picking up Yagi because he’s around the same age Kotaro would be, before dying. From his perspective that would be around ten years of watching his mother be a hero and not coming back for him, and just as he’s reaching adulthood and maybe coming to terms with things, she dies in a way that almost certainly wasn’t publicized. (If the general public is mostly unaware of him save as an urban legend, there’s no way the government told people he killed her.) Which really puts his whole “Heroes hurt their families to save strangers” thing into perspective.

Now to a different thing,

The Meta Liberation Army had been in hiding “for generations” when ReDestro was a child, and since there’s no way he’s not in his 40’s bare minimum, (the man is balding for god’s sake, even in a high-stress environment there’s no way he’s the same age as Aizawa)(not to imply Aizawa is not in a high-stress environment) that means he’s 4th gen, and the only way things work out is if Destro was 1st gen and the Liberation War was during the 2nd gen. Which probably seems obvious without all the math, but that just helps confirm it’s not baseless.

~

Originally I was going to use this timeline as a backdrop to make a meta about the Quirk Singularity, but it kudzu’d, my focus is whack and you started making timeline posts and I wanted to throw my two cents in, so I’ll just summarize that:

A. The Quirk Singularity refers specifically to the increase in physical backlash from quirks over time, not just increasing power

B. Ujiko was correct that the earliest signs of it were visible in the fourth generation (Endeavor)

C. You can actually track the general trend of the singularity in the manga, based off characters’ ages (this was the part I still needed to get evidence for, but Aizawa’s dry-eye doesn’t seem anywhere near as severe as Shigaraki starting to disintegrate himself during Deika or Aoyama, and Recovery Girl and Gran Torino’s quirks both seem to not have any negative effect on them at all)

[transxiao]

Hu Tao is most definitely older. She was NOT 13 when she became the 77th Director of Wangsheng. Her grandfather, the 75th Director, had passed away, and it mentioned that she had planned the funeral for him herself and impressed lots of people because her grandfather had asked for her to do so. Because of this and her hat, which was passed down to her directly from him, it's implied that they were close and he had high hopes for her in the business.

Hu Tao's father or mother were probably the 76th Director, though it's never stated. The title numbers imply that one of them, or someone else, definitely took over before she did, and most likely she didn't take over until she turned 18, as that's the age in China when people can become legal representatives of a business. She most likely still participated casually and was an undertaker, but she didn't become the 77th Director until then, most likely.

It is very silly to me that people will see the words "young" and think automatically a minor. 20 years old is still young. 25 years old is still young, even. Even 30! Zhongli refers to her as a "child" because he is 6000+ years old. Everyone might as well be a child to him. Plus, she IS very childish - she plays pranks on him constantly. There is just no logical way that they'd let a 15-17 year old, let alone a 13 year old, take over any sort of business.

ah yeah, i misread and she was 13 when she planned her first funeral which was for her grandfather, but she likely wouldve waited a few years until she became director. i will say i think she can still be under 18 and still be director - i understand in modern day china thats when u can be representative of a business but that doesnt mean its the exact same in genshin. its like how diona is a partender or barbara is a deaconess.

i think its also of note hu tao is the only person who zhongli calls a child. hes not calling everyone a child because theyre younger than him - if that was the case you would see him use the word at least for someone else. i know the word young is is very vague, i just think it gives a ballpark and given that zhongli calls her a child i think she is very young. she could be an adult but her being a teenager is not out of the question for me, especially as shes in the same age range as xingqiu, xiangling, xinyan, and chongyun

[abyssal-werewolf]

I understand your frustration, but I can't help but feel like - and I don't mean this in a judgy way, just as neutral feedback - you're a bit too salty about this?? I'm not trying to start a fight or sound snappy or whatever, but it's just...

okay, let's start here: a huge part of the community are children, yes. that means most of the actual lifestyle-ish advice will be targeted towards folk still in school or just barely out of it. a 16 year old high schooler can't really give you advice on how to deal with your job (sorry, this sentence sounds kinda snappy but I can't seem to word it any better). I'm 22 and currently in university, living on my own with my boyfriend, we have to pay bills, manage the apartment, etc - advice for how to deal with shifts in school isn't helpful for me either and yeah, that kinda sucks, but those kids CAN'T give me advice on anything else lmao. also, from the POV of a teenager, anyone over Idk 25 (or even younger maybe) probably seems like a Real Adult and basically ancient. So naturally, those "old otherkin" are treated as community elders in a way, which makes sense because you very very rarely find nonhumans over 30 here on tumblr. doesn't mean they don't exist obviously, but they're probably on other websites and in forums. what I mean is (again, in a neutral way): if you feel weird in a community this young, maybe tumblr just isn't the right place for you. it's natural for generations to kind of, chill in seperate places because The Vibes of older and younger people are just different from each other. So, they will each find their own places and if you feel like the community here is too young for you, that's okay! but that doesn't mean the community is bad or "internet poisoned" - it's just not what you vibe with. what I'm mainly trying to say, is: I understand your disappointment, I really do, but instead of dwelling on this and seemingly forcing yourself to try and participate in a community that doesn't feel good to you, maybe you should try to focus your energy on finding places that DO feel nice and fitting.

on the definition of otherhearted: to my knowledge, the distinction is pretty clear. otherkin = identify as vs. otherhearted = identify with. I AM a werewolf but I see myself IN ravens. and about the whole "everyone had to figure it out for themselves" - yeah. that's the thing with identity after all. definitions and words can help to find ways to express what you feel, but you have to find out what you feel on your own. that does suck sometimes, true, but you saying you could learn more about yourself from a meet-up with other nonhumans than you could from reading essays just points this out. essays can give you words and insight in other's experiences but only you and your feelings can tell you what you are any which words might describe you. the same goes for coping mechanisms, what might work for others might not work for you. you can look for helpful tips online, but in the end you have to figure out how to deal with your urges at your workplace. I'm sorry, maybe I'm reading too much into your post, but that part of it just seems like you expect others to give you a definite guide on how to deal with your specific situation...

Lastly, I have to admit that I maybe took your post a tiny bit personal?? as in, I didn't feel attacked (that would be fucking pathetic anyway lmao) but I felt called to comment on it in a hopefully constructive way. Idk, something just doesn't sit entirely right with me when you call a panel someone put work into "useless garbage", just because it wasn't helpful to you personally. Also, I agree that a lot of discourse is pointless, but certainly not all of it - and you don't have to participate in it of course, but you just seem a little judgy towards people who do (and basically same thing with the comment on the "you're valid"-stuff, a huge chunk of it is annoying and useless, true, but just generally calling it stupid is... meh)

anyway, Idk if I will regret my long-ass comment or not, but to end this: I don't want to start a fight, nor do I have anything against you personally (I don't know you after all lol), nor am I angry or whatever. I just wanted to offer you a sort of different perspective ok things and also just, feedback. hopefully no bad blood after this and good day/night from your probably not-so-local werewolf ^^

Sorry for being so inactive lately... been busy irl, and have been meaning to post here more often, but also, like... I always feel a bit shy approaching the 'kin communities on here because it kind of feels like everyone is sort of... "internet poisoned"? For lack of a possibly-better word. A lot of folks here on tumblr in the 'kin and alterhuman communities are children, and a lot of more prominent community figures treated like "elders" are only about my age or younger, and it feels really strange, to be honest. There's a lot of discussion of feelings and terminology, but very little "lifestyle"? It's like there's a universal expectation for everyone to just figure everything out on their own; you get some definitions here and there yeah, but the amount of variance says much more loudly "just figure out what it all means on your own, pal". ex. Not only can no one actually explain what "otherhearted" actually means sans relation to otherkin, but it feels like I never see anyone talk about dealing with what one could call "kin feels" in the workplace, when unable to acquire your habitat, etc... Othercon is online-only, and while I'm pretty sure I'd be unable to attend an in-person event, part of me has a hard time feeling like everyone is really taking it all seriously and is really unafraid of being "cringe" when obviously it's so much easier to act like you're so confident online. I kinda feel like meeting some wolfkin stereotypes in a park for snacks and doing a group howl would do more for me than years of reading essays on tumblr ever has.

I dunno, I tried watching a recording of an Othercon panel I felt would be relevant and useful to me once, and was floored at just how... utterly useless it was. Despite its promising title, it was just shallow "you're valid" garbage and internet discourse... Makes me feel severely alienated, to be honest.