#fascinated by the 'well you may not be beautiful/but it's not for me to judge

[leguin]

i've seen you when your ship came in and when your train was leaving

[awkward-walking-potato]

Ahhh hello! I saw you mention Kurt and immediately came to the ask box LMAO I love him so much😭

Anywasy, imagine if he met a reader who also has a physical mutation (I always imagine her having like a chameleon mutation so she has the hands of a chameleon etc.) and they both bond and get super close because they both know what it’s like to be judged for their physical mutations 😭

Anyways I just love the thought of them feeling less alone cus they have each other

Have a good day❤️

Shades of Us

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the grounds of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Inside, the common room was buzzing with the usual evening activities. Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler, was sitting quietly in one corner, his tail wrapped around his legs as he read a book. His golden eyes flicked up periodically, watching the students and teachers move about with an ease he admired but sometimes felt distant from.

In the midst of this bustling environment, a new student had recently arrived—someone with a chameleon-like mutation. Your arrival had been met with a mix of curiosity and hesitation from the other students. Your hands, covered in delicate, scale-like patterns, were an unusual sight, and your ability to blend seamlessly with your surroundings made you both fascinating and enigmatic. Despite your unique traits, you kept to yourself, finding solace in the quieter parts of the mansion.

Kurt had noticed you from the start. Your subtle movements, the way you shifted colors to blend into the background, and your quiet demeanor piqued his interest. He had seen how the other students occasionally looked at you, some with curiosity, others with barely concealed judgment. It was a look he knew all too well.

One evening, as he was making his way through the mansion’s halls, he saw you sitting alone in a sunlit alcove, sketching in a notebook. Your fingers, with their chameleon-like grip, moved delicately across the page. The sight tugged at something in Kurt’s heart, and he decided to approach you.

“Guten Abend,” Kurt said softly as he approached, his tail swaying slightly. He didn’t want to startle you. “May I join you?”

You looked up from your sketchbook, eyes wide with a mix of surprise and curiosity. You nodded, motioning to the empty space next to you. “Of course.”

Kurt took a seat beside you, his tail wrapping around his legs as he settled in. He glanced at the sketches on your notebook, admiring the intricate details and vibrant colors. “These are beautiful,” he remarked sincerely. “You have a real talent for capturing the world.”

You smiled shyly, a soft blush coloring your cheeks. “Thank you. I just like to draw the things I see around me. It helps me feel less… invisible.”

Kurt nodded, understanding more than you might have realized. “I know that feeling well,” he admitted quietly. “Sometimes, it feels like people only see the surface, not what’s underneath. It’s like being judged for something you can’t change.”

Your gaze met his, and for a moment, you saw a reflection of your own struggles in his eyes. “Exactly. It’s comforting to meet someone who understands.”

Kurt’s golden eyes softened, and he reached out, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “I understand more than you know. We’re both used to being seen as different. But here, we don’t have to hide who we are.”

The sincerity in his voice was comforting, and it made you feel a bit braver. “It’s nice to be around someone who doesn’t judge,” you said softly. “Someone who sees the real me.”

Kurt’s smile grew, and he leaned in slightly. “And I see someone who is incredibly special. Your abilities, your art—they’re all part of what makes you unique and wonderful.”

The warmth of his words, coupled with the kindness in his eyes, made you feel a sense of belonging you hadn’t felt before. “Thank you, Kurt,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

As the evening wore on, you and Kurt began to share more about yourselves—your past experiences, your dreams, and the small things that made you who you were. The conversation flowed easily, a natural connection forming between you as you both found solace in each other’s company.

Eventually, the conversation shifted to your powers. Kurt was fascinated by the way you could blend into your surroundings, your skin changing colors seamlessly. “It’s like you’re a part of the environment,” he said, his voice filled with admiration. “It’s something I can’t do, but I find it amazing.”

You laughed softly, a genuine, relaxed sound. “It’s not always as great as it seems. It’s easy to disappear, but sometimes I just want to be seen for who I am, not just what I can do.”

Kurt nodded in understanding. “I feel the same way. My appearance can be… jarring to some. But here, with you, I don’t have to worry about that. We can just be ourselves.”

The night grew darker, and the two of you eventually decided to take a walk outside. As you strolled through the garden, Kurt’s tail gently wrapped around your waist, his touch light but reassuring. It was a gesture of affection and solidarity, a way of saying, “You’re not alone.”

You looked up at him, surprised by the tenderness of his touch. “Kurt, you don’t have to…”

He smiled down at you, his eyes filled with warmth. “I want to. It feels right. And besides, it’s nice to have someone to share this with.”

As you walked together, the world seemed a little less daunting. The shadows of the evening wrapped around you like a comforting blanket, and for the first time in a long while, you felt truly seen and appreciated.

The connection between you and Kurt grew stronger with each passing moment. In each other, you found not only understanding and acceptance but a deep and genuine bond. You both knew that the world could be harsh, but in each other’s company, you found a sanctuary—a place where you could be your true selves, without fear or judgment.

And as the night deepened, you both embraced the comfort of the other, knowing that, together, you were no longer alone in a world that often felt indifferent.

[fushiglow]

Who the hell is Gojō Satoru?

Some thoughts on his character in 236

Seeing everyone arguing about Gojō’s characterisation in 236 over the last week makes me realise just how good the chapter is, no matter how dissatisfied I am with Gojō's death.

When you're upset about something, it's hard to judge accurately whether something is 'bad' or whether you simply don't like it — and they are different things. Interestingly, 236 presented me with a conflict I've never experienced when following a story before. I'm really disappointed with the way Gege Akutami chose to end Gojō's story, but I think 236 will go down as one of the most beautiful chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen. In that sense, my feelings about the chapter after a week of sitting with it aren't too unrecognisable from my initial feelings — just with all of the big emotions that were colouring my judgment stripped away.

I think there *is* value in immediate reactions, and I think much of the initial outrage about the chapter was simply people grieving what was an intentionally shocking end to a beloved character. I hate that people tried to police social media reactions to the chapter, because I think everyone should be allowed to process their feelings in their own online space (as long as they don't bring harm to others, of course).

Aside from the outpouring of emotion, there have been countless arguments about 'who' Gojō was as a person in the end, and that doesn't sit right with me either. I think many artists would be disappointed to hear fans of their work insist that there is one 'proper' interpretation — because the value of sharing your art with the world is in how different people receive it based on their own experiences.

To me, that's Gojō Satoru as a character.

I know lots of people have already shared some variation of the post below (and everyone has moved on to 237 now anyway) but this was sitting in my drafts so I thought I may as well hit post before 237 is officially released!

In my analysis of Gojō's character after 235, I talked about how Gege Akutami keeps Gojō at a distance from both the readers and the characters around him, making it deliberately difficult to know who he is as a person. Despite that, everyone in-universe and out has something to say about Gojō's character, but we've never really known how Gojō views himself until this chapter.

For maybe the first time in Jujutsu Kaisen, we get to deep dive into Gojō's interior world and hear his innermost thoughts when he's at his lowest and most vulnerable. As a result, something fascinating happened across the fandom.

Even when Gojō literally tells Getō that the 'wretchedness of isolation' is something he shares with Sukuna, that he gave everything he had so that Sukuna might understand him and be understood in turn, and that he knows not everyone will get it, some people called Gojō 'out of character' in 236.

And isn't that just so damn meta?!

Akutami loves challenging readers' assumptions through his characters, so while the chapter is shocking, it isn't really surprising. I'd even go as far as suggesting that the journey of emotions the reader experiences while reading 236 is the exact same journey Gojō is going on in-story.

The thing is, I've seen tons of people arguing about whether Gojō was selfless or selfish, whether he fought for the love of his students or for the love of the fight, whether he took strong young sorcerers under his wing from a place of care or simply as a means to an ends — but I think the point is that it's always been all of those things at once.

Because he's human, and humans contain multitudes.

I think we were meant to have our view of Gojō shaken by 236 — the same way Gojō's view of himself is challenged in this chapter. However, just because we can find some truth in Nanami's criticism of Gojō, doesn't mean that his interpretation of Gojō's character is the correct one — especially when it's entirely possible that what happens in the airport isn't even real.

Getō listens with empathy as Gojō confesses his self-doubt and regrets, the solitude of his strength, and the dehumanisation he experienced as the 'Strongest'. He even expresses jealousy when Gojō admits he had fun fighting someone strong enough to understand him. Then, only two pages after Gojō says, 'You can cherish a flower and help it bloom, but you don't ask it to understand you', Nanami appears and calls him a pervert for his approach to sorcery.

It's actually really funny.

Importantly, Nanami isn't exactly wrong for saying the enjoyment Gojō gets from fighting is a little disturbing (and, to be clear, I *adore* this about him) — it's just not the whole picture of Gojō Satoru.

Akutami actually gives us some lovely imagery to visually represent the gulf between those who understand the solitude of strength and those who don't — Gojō and Getō sit on one side of the bench while Nanami and Haibara sit on the other, with each duo facing in opposite directions.

I don't think Akutami is implying that either side is wrong or right — it's just two different perspectives. Nevertheless, Gojō is pictured side by side with someone who understands him, and back to back with someone who doesn't understand him but who cares for him all the same.

Recognising this, he pivots to asking Nanami about something they can both relate to and receives an important lesson in return. What Nanami means and what Gojō takes from it is deliberately ambiguous, like everything that's discussed inside the airport:

Could Sukuna have won without the Ten Shadows?

Who does the 'flower' represent: Gojō, the people around him, or both?

Did Gojō reach Sukuna like he hoped?

Why exactly is Getō jealous?

Does Gojō feel satisfied?

Is Nanami's assessment of Gojō's character correct?

What is the relevance of north and south?

Which direction did Gojō choose?

Is it all in Gojō's imagination or is it real?

Whether we'll receive answers to those questions remains to be seen, but I highly suspect that most of them don't even have a definitive answer.

Once again, it's just a matter of perspective, and I think that's Gojō's character in a nutshell. Whichever side of the bench you're sitting on, whatever you see in Gojō says more about you than it does about him — and that's exactly why it's so fascinating to see the fandom erupt into arguments about who's interpreting the character correctly.

I can honestly say I think the chapter is really beautiful even though I hate what happened to Gojō, and that's an entirely new experience for me. For that alone, Akutami has my praise. Whatever happens in the rest of the story will determine whether 236 becomes my favourite chapter in the whole of Jujutsu Kaisen — isn't that bizarre?

By the way, I found a really thoughtful post about some of the word choices in 236. The poster shared some really interesting insights across a series of posts and they convey the tone of the chapter really well. Well worth checking out!

[ninadove]

Nina reads Dracula 🦇

May 5th

My good friend Jonathan has made it to Dracula castle at last! Although his travels were a little more stressful than he would have liked. I’m not worried though!!! He’s always sooo dramatic!!!

So what do we start with?

There are many odd things to put down, and, lest who reads them may fancy that I dined too well before I left Bistritz, let me put down my dinner exactly.

Of course. 🤦‍♀️ I sure hope this love for food won’t be used to quiet his survival instincts later in the evening…!

I could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd; so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag and looked them out. I must say they were not cheering to me, for amongst them were "Ordog"—Satan, "pokol"—hell, "stregoica"—witch, "vrolok" and "vlkoslak"—both of which mean the same thing, one being Slovak and the other Servian for something that is either were-wolf or vampire. (Mem., I must ask the Count about these superstitions) (😢)

As he spoke he smiled, and the lamplight fell on a hard-looking mouth, with very red lips and sharp-looking teeth, as white as ivory. One of my companions whispered to another the line from Burger's "Lenore": — "Denn die Todten reiten schnell"— ("For the dead travel fast.") (😡)

THIS IS NOT NICE!!!!! We don’t judge people based on appearances!!! So what if he has fangs and claws and turns into a bat when he thinks no one’s looking? Down with these unrealistic beauty standards!!!

As we wound on our endless way, and the sun sank lower and lower behind us, the shadows of the evening began to creep round us. […]

Sometimes, as the road was cut through the pine woods that seemed in the darkness to be closing down upon us, great masses of greyness, which here and there bestrewed the trees, produced a peculiarly weird and solemn effect, which carried on the thoughts and grim fancies engendered earlier in the evening, when the falling sunset threw into strange relief the ghost-like clouds which amongst the Carpathians seem to wind ceaselessly through the valleys. […]

The only light was the flickering rays of our own lamps, in which the steam from our hard-driven horses rose in a white cloud. […]

It grew colder and colder still, and fine, powdery snow began to fall (!), so that soon we and all around us were covered with a white blanket. (!!!)

Environmental storytelling… snow like a shroud over my good friend Jonathan… I’m not worried at all! ❄️

[…] but just then the moon, sailing through the black clouds, appeared behind the jagged crest of a beetling, pine-clad rock, and by its light I saw around us a ring of wolves, with white teeth and lolling red tongues, with long, sinewy limbs and shaggy hair.

🎶 TAAAAALE AS OOOLD AS TIIIIIIIIIIME 🎶

Was this a customary incident in the life of a solicitor's clerk sent out to explain the purchase of a London estate to a foreigner? (Completely customary. Please carry on.)

Solicitor's clerk! Mina would not like that. (🥺) Solicitor—for just before leaving London I got word that my examination was successful; and I am now a full-blown solicitor! I began to rub my eyes and pinch myself to see if I were awake.

Oh so we do find out what he came here for!!! I love that Mina supports his career and that the thought of her brings him comfort… even though there’s nothing to fear:

"Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own will!"

"Welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring!"

For this is perfectly normal alive human behaviour!!! 🦇

The Count himself came forward and took off the cover of a dish, and I fell to at once on an excellent roast chicken. This, with some cheese and a salad and a bottle of old Tokay, of which I had two glasses, was my supper.

You may fascinate a human by giving him a piece of cheese 🧀

His face was a strong—a very strong—aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils; with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; these protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale, and at the tops extremely pointed; the chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor.

Hitherto I had noticed the backs of his hands as they lay on his knees in the firelight, and they had seemed rather white and fine; but seeing them now close to me, I could not but notice that they were rather coarse—broad, with squat fingers. Strange to say, there were hairs in the centre of the palm. The nails were long and fine, and cut to a sharp point. As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder. […]

I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul. God keep me, if only for the sake of those dear to me!

MY GOOD FRIEND JONATHAN YOU HAVE A FIANCÉE/GIRLFRIEND/MINA

You know what, I’m sure it’s just exhaustion talking. He’ll see more clearly after a good night’s sleep! 💤

< Prev 🦇 Next >

[darklinsblog]

Loss of Words | Sandman Imagine

Summary: Y/N never seems to get the right words when it comes to the Dream Lord

Pairing: Morpheus x Dreaming! Reader

Requested: Yes

Your relationship with the Dream Lord had always been complex to put it one way, you had lived in the Dreaming for centuries now, and you were the type of person others would come to for advice.

Even the King himself, which in relatively short time made you his counselor, like Morpheus you were very selective with the words you spoke. Your intellect was never in question, he would always seek for your advice, he loved to hear you speak.

To him, you were the most fascinating woman, beyond your obvious beauty he felt stimulated by you, but you would only speak the absolute necessary, not a word less, not a word more.

In truth, this was mostly because of Morpheus, he was such a strong, imposing and beautiful entity it was hard to form words around him, when the king asked you to be his counselor you wanted to decline his offer.

But you knew he wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important to him, so you accepted. Thus, every time he would come to you, you had to mentally remind yourself not to get lost in his beauty and focus on what he was saying.

“…In that time… did you experience any…” Dream trailed off, not daring to look directly into your eyes, as if he was struggling to find the right words.

Fuck, you weren’t listening.

You snapped out of your own thoughts, facing his deep gaze as a soft blush creeped in your cheeks. What were you supposed to say now?

“I’m afraid I’m not following, my king” you sincerely spoke, lightly embarrassed, Morpheus chuckled nervously, he was fearing that same thing. But he too, was distracted by the way you said “my king”.

He knew it was a sign of respect, he was used to being referred to by title, but he couldn’t explain why whenever you would say it, it would provoke a different sensation in him.

“I’ve told you many times Y/N… you may call me Morpheus or Dream, whatever you feel comfortable with” he teased, making your cheeks burn brighter and look away, your heart going as fast as a train going off the rails.

You knew you had a level of confidence, that was very uncommon but you still weren’t sure if you it would be appropriate for you to cross that line.

“I know, kin- I mean, Dream. But I wonder if it’s appropriate” Dream’s eyes shined with excitement, his name sounding like a beautiful sonnet in your lips.

“Well I believe I am the judge of that” he teased, making you giggle quietly

“I suppose you are, yes”

God, Morpheus was drooling over you, he would hear you talk by days on end, he did appreciate your wisdom, but he too, wanted an excuse to be as close to you as possible, he needed to hear your voice, like you were a remedy to all his malaise.

He would hope, that with time he was able to break the barriers of “appropriateness” to court you, like it corresponded, but only time could tell.

[yellowfingcr]

15 lines of dialogue

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

tagged by: @oathloathed & @rotten-pest, thank you ;w;

tagging: @necrophcge, @fishermcn, @sihilkaah, @miserycorde, @starcaller-scholar, and YOU, yes you

"Why such rush? Do stay! Time nips not at your heels, friend. Warm your bones, breathe a little. The world can concede a moment's respite to you; concede it to yourself."

"Name's Heysel! I'm a wanderer, arcane scholar, mediocre player of gittern, collector of fascinating dry leaves, and appreciator of poor jokes. In short, no one of note."

"I also happen to be an assassin. Believe me when I say that it's not the most important detail about myself. Tell me of yourself, rather!"

"The ghost dog's presence is not negotiable, I'm afraid."

"Ha! You again! A delight to see you, and whole at that! Will you believe me if I said I was just thinking about you?"

"Here. As a reward for... well, the never so obvious task of surviving! Choose a hand. One is empty, the other has something for you."

"Never expect a crab to share a thing with you. They're quite shellfish."

"Beautiful night, isn't it? I'm still not used to a static sky! Makes me want to extend my arms and try to pluck stars out of the black even more than when I was a child. I so wanted to grab them. I so wanted to place one inside my mouth, then bite down and feel the cold sour-bright flavor of it burst on my tongue."

"Friend! You live still. More rewards for you hidden in the correct hand. Buuut! Only if you first tell me what do you think of this whole... mission you've been tasked with. Saving the world. Fixing it, rather. You've been pondering it, surely? Unless you're just chasing bloodlust. I do not judge, either way."

"Come on now. I'm just a little guy. I'm a just a little guy, and it's also my birthday."

"I just can't help but think- is this right? To kill and kill and kill until you stand bloodied and alone on that throne. To conquer the power to change wholly the face of history through a violence so perfect none are left to oppose you. Is it right? It's exactly what's demanded of you."

"I do miss my hometown. Something of Sellia remains, sure. I suppose a pile of stone and ghosts is better than nothing."

"Don't give me that look. Of course I have my secrets! It's the best part about me!"

"I'm not a good person. This is not an attempt at teasing soothing words out of your lips but a mere passing of a sentence I believe in. A letter of sorts, seal-closed. Keep it in mind, is all I ask."

"A word, if I may steal a moment of your time. I have, ah... a request, if I may be so bold. At one point of your journey you might feel like you're about to face something final. An event the likes of which no one will come back from the same. And I ask that you call for me. Take me with you. I'd like to present. Please."

[purple-plum-petals]

Hello! If not a bother, I'd like to request a TWST matchup (either platonic or romantic is fine). I enjoy writing a lot (particularly darker content). I love theater and the natural world a lot (to the point my entire family and all my friends are now giving me animal- and marine based presents lol), perhaps it's the 'tism, but I find it so fascinating and beautiful, every creature is just a lovable little guy to me, and the way every plant, fungi, and cell work together to create the world we know, is incredible.

I have been told that the traits I find loveable aren't universally shared, such as when I find it cute that snails can have thousands of teeth. But I just find it hard not to marvel at all these things.

I'm very patient, and while things often fly over my head, and I struggle to read people, I try very hard to understand everyone around me, as a result, I tend to not judge people, instead getting to know them, and I value communication highly, as I am not good at guessing or intuitively knowing.

I do tend to get a bit lost in my own head and interests though, and tend to spend a lot of time alone, being quite introverted - so sometimes I might need a reminder to actually interact, but I'm working on it.

Thank you for sending in a match-up; I think that either Rook Hunt or Silver would be good matches for you!

I was actually debating between Silver and Jade, but ultimately, I picked Silver for your match-up since I think with Jade you would need to be good at guessing how he's feeling since he's not open and honest about himself in that regard. He would be a great person to talk to about your interests and hobbies, though, considering he loves fungi and is literally a merman haha.

Rook loves that you, too, appreciate theatre as it's something he does as well. He'd also love to read your stories if you were willing to share them with him as he doesn't mind consuming a darker story every now and again. Rook is also quite the outdoorsman, so he would love to accompany you if you want to take a hike or venture out into the wilderness. Rook is also someone who can understand your awe at the beauty of the world, even such small and seemingly minuscule things such as how cells function, and he does so without any judgement; he's honestly very supportive of you and your interests and would happily sit and listen to you talk about them all day every day if he were able to. Rook would also relate to your ability to find traits or facts universally deemed as being weird or gross to be cute instead; he, too, sees the beauty in the "strange" and "unconventional." He's also understanding of your need for alone time and space, but he's also the kind of person who will happily give you reminders to get out and socialize; Rook won't overstep your boundaries, but he's there to give you a push if you need it.

Silver has an almost supernatural ability to draw animals of every variety to him so if you ever wanted to see a specific animal up close and personal, Silver would be happy to make your dreams a reality as he somehow seems to communicate with the animals without ever uttering a single word. Silver is also, much like you, a very patient individual who also has a difficult time reading others. Unlike some of the other students at Night Raven College, Silver is always open to communicate with you about how he's feeling or how you're feeling in regard to your relationship, and he always does so calmly and kindly with no judgement. He also understands and respects your need to be alone given your introverted nature and will gladly give you space if you need it as all you need to do is tell him. Thankfully, though, being with Silver doesn't take as much social battery as it may with other people. You two spend a lot of your time together alone in silence, Silver usually sleeping while you focus on learning or reading about the things you are passionate about.

[starrysnowdrop]

Hello! Another little Hali question if I may?

Feeling a bit inspired by the screenshots you posted of Hali and Aymeric in Ishgard, I was wondering what Aymeric made of Sharlayan and it's culture?

I've really enjoyed reading about Hali's impressions of Ishgard, but I'm wondering how it went when she accompanied Aymeric to Sharlayan and how she might have helped him to make sense of any cultural differences?

Fortunately Aymeric has exquisite manners, so that probably helped, but were there any challenges (other than the cuisine I imagine!).

I expect that the scholarly proclivities of the Sharlayans were not entirely alien, given his familiarity with Saint Endalim's Scholasticate, but were there things that surprised him? Did Hali show him around the Noumenon? Or even take him to dance beneath the artificial stars of Labyrinthos?

After all the time she spent away from home, did she quite enjoy playing tour guide? Or did she feel somewhat ambivalent about her homeland and her connection with it?

Yay!! I’ve been blessed with another Mimble ask!! And this is a good one too, because I’ve been meaning to talk about Aymeric’s impressions of Sharlayan since I’ve talked extensively about Hali’s impressions of Ishgard already. So let’s jump right into it! 💖

Aymeric had heard so much about Sharlayan from Hali over the years, and he was familiar with the abandoned Sharlayan colony and Idyllshire, so he had seen ruins of Sharlayan architecture before, but it still didn’t prepare him for just how beautiful Sharlayan is (as were many of us too when the EW trailer came out). It was breathtaking, with the white marble buildings, the harbor with the Thaliak statue, and all of the water features found throughout the city. Aymeric appreciates fine art and architecture, so he was quite impressed with all the sights.

Another element that Aymeric was impressed by was that there was no class or caste system in Sharlayan society. Everyone was equal, and there was a true democracy in place that Aymeric really enjoyed seeing. It was prevalent everywhere he went, and all had an equal opportunity to make a good life for themselves. Well, unless you were an outsider that is.

You see, Aymeric was treated very well, and him being so polite, respectful, and dignified, most Sharlayans were very welcoming to him… until they found out that he was Ishgardian. He found out rather quickly that many Sharlayans are, well, snobby and think very highly of themselves. No one said anything to him directly, but he was well aware of the looks that they gave him. They were judging him for being an Ishgardian, and just as Fourchenault looked down on Eorzeans when he visited Gridania, it was likely due to fighting the Dragonsong War for a thousand years, something that Sharlayans frown upon.

Even with this, Aymeric still enjoyed himself overall, as Hali was happy to give him the full tour, showing him the Noumenon with more books than he ever could imagine, the Studium where Hali studied and graduated from, eating at the Last Stand where he ate some great food (as Hali made sure to keep Archon Loaf far away from him), and of course Labyrinthos, her actual home where she was born and grew up. He visited with Hali’s parents in their home in Labyrinthos, and he was fascinated with the artificial sky, but he quickly understood why Hali was so adamant about leaving Sharlayan and seeing the world. An artificial sky and artificial environment could never replace the real thing, and he was happy to finally see where a little girl who dreamed to see the real world had grown up to become the woman he fell in love with.

That’s about it for now! Thank you so much @mimble-sparklepudding for this amazing ask! It really helped me to brainstorm how Aymeric would feel about Sharlayan, and I might expand on all of this in the future. You also gave me some gpose ideas (dancing underneath the artificial night sky in Labyrinthos being at the top of the list), so thank you!!! 🥰💖

[the-sparrow-sings]

REGARDING THE CORRUPTION POST-- YOU GET IT!!!!!! YES THAT'S EXACTLY IT

AHH THANK YOU FOR MESSAGING ME ABOUT IT!! I WAS GOING TO MAKE A POST DELVING DEEPER INTO IT BUT I GOT DISTRACTED

Okay so these are my tags for those who haven’t seen them on @floating-goblin-art ‘s beautiful post about Reaver hiding horns under his hat(link added for those who haven’t seen the art I’m referring to)

But yeah context given, I need to Brain Dump about this after doing a little more thinking, because it makes SENSE!!

There are a LOT of characters who should have more evidence of corruption in Fable 2 with how easy it is for Sparrow’s appearance to change (admittedly it’s hard to necessarily say who has hero blood, and it IS possible that the whole horns thing was meant to just be an Archon blood thing, but there are characters who we go up against that in my opinion most likely have Hero Blood—like Dash, the Bandit who claims to be “The Fastest Man Alive”, and the Cult Leader who you can kill to protect Oakfield)

However, if we assume that Morality in Fable (2, at least) is NOT judged by an otherworldly being, but the values of an individual and their lifestyle personally, it would make more sense that they don’t end up sprouting horns or glowing cracks in their skin even when the narrative clearly shows them as villainous. Sparrow on the other hand, we know grew up on stories of Heroism that Rose made up for them until her death, and that they FINISHED growing up under Theresa’s guidance and training for the explicit purpose of getting vengeance upon Lucian. The specific types of things that raise CORRUPTION(not Evil) in Fable 2 relate VERY well to the base of Sparrow as they’re shown in game and that fascinates me.

It’s been a while since I’ve played, but if I remember correctly the biggest “Corrupting” influences in Fable 2 are 1: Rich Foods and Alcohol, and 2: Raising Rent Prices. The rent prices specifically are a betrayal of who Sparrow was as a child—they grew up on the streets before Theresa took them in, to raise the rent and further impoverish families is not only a shitty thing to do, but it’s SPECIFICALLY shitty from the perspective of Sparrow’s childhood. The food is fascinating as well, because when I first played the game I thought “Well this is kind of fucked up” from the perspective of disordered eating, but I don’t think it’s ACTUALLY about the Food and Alcohol itself—this may be a reach, but I suspect that the reason cooked foods(and alcohol in general) raise corruption is that they represent slowing down to enjoy life, as opposed to remaining staunchly devoted to The Mission™️ and avenging Rose.

Theresa reminds us throughout the narrative that Sparrow has a PURPOSE. I suspect that betrayals of that purpose are what cause corruption, since I don’t think we get any corruption when we perform Evil acts in The Spire.

As far as Reaver goes, he as a character REPRESENTS the things that are Corruption for Sparrow, and yet he’s beautiful(narratively speaking, regardless of personal opinion, though I obviously agree. ALSO it’s fascinating that Sparrow gains Evil but no corruption for carrying out the sacrifice on the girl in the Shadow Court). This makes sense because Reaver himself feels no remorse for the drinking and the killing and the hedonistic enjoyment of his life—he feels guilt over Oakvale, but that was centuries ago, and he hadn’t known the cost when he made his deal. In truth, I actually think failing to ENJOY his long life would be corruption to Reaver, because if he’s not enjoying his life than everyone he ever knew in Oakvale died in vain.

That makes me think that in Fable 3 (which has no corruption mechanic, but I’m getting more into Lore territory than actual mechanics) Reaver HAS failed to enjoy himself. Reaver’s betrayed the man he’s spent CENTURIES as by trying to erase all history of his Piracy. This is my opinion, but Reaver in Fable 2 seemed much more ALIVE and overall pleased with life than he does in Fable 3. In Fable 2, we saw that most people Reaver rubbed shoulders with were other Pirate types and in general grittier people, where as in Fable 3 he’s surrounded by rich idiots (and also Balverines, but these Balverines are also very likely rich idiots)

This may just be the unrepentant Spreaver shipper in me—but I do feel as though it may have something to do with Sparrow’s death. I have a hard time wondering what else could have been significant enough to have him suddenly and brutally erase his history as Pirate King.

[crygimethydgoode]

Just Take Me Home chapter 2 - Tia Kofi x La Grande Dame, Plane Jane x Nymphia Wind Summer in Italy college abroad AU

A man who was drawing self portraits walked forward to approach Tia, but Dada swiftly dodged him, lightly guiding Tia to the side.

“Stupid tourist trappers,” Dada muttered, Tia let out a hesitant laugh. “He will not even do a good job drawing you, Jane would do better.”

“Does Jane draw?”

“Absolutely not,” Then Tia was laughing again, and they continued to walk around. Dada spoke again, Tia was a little surprised. “So. Why Italy?”

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55522132/chapters/140973091#workskin

MASTERLIST

Chapter two

one of your girls - florence

pop the culture iconography is standing right in front of me

…

“So! In cities like beautiful Florence, we really have no use for the bus. She’s in a parking garage collecting dust right now. Quite beautifully, if I may add. So! Hope you packed some sickening sneakers because we’re going on a walking tour!! Yass!” Jane said in front of the group at hotel breakfast, way too energized for 9am. “AND Gothy gets a good break from driving!!!”

“WHOO!” Crystal cheered, Nymphia buried her head in her hands as she laughed.

“And this tour will be led by me and Dada, not a free guide I found from a budget backpacking blog. How’s that sound?” Jane said, once again the group just looked at her. Tia, Nymphia, and Crystal exclaimed at the same time;

“SLAY” and Jane had never looked happier as she responded.

“SLAYYY!!!!!”

Tia was starting to think maybe the jokes about Jane and Dada not being qualified to be tour guides weren’t actually jokes. To start, Tia had barely heard the tall blonde address the group, it seemed she was just there to hang out in the back as Jane lead, pointing out “Really pretty!” buildings and leading them down what Tia figured was one of the main tourist streets, judging by the throngs of people they were brushing arms with. “O.M.G! It’s so crowded like Coachella! Kudos to the Italian tourism board.”

Tia desperately wished she hadn’t heard Jane say that. She literally had to stop walking for a moment just so she could rudely laugh. A few guys in the group passed her, Tia realized she was alone in the back. Well- not entirely alone. The other tour guide was there, cigarette hanging loosely from her lips as she walked looking utterly bored. Tia tried not to check her out, but it was hard. Her long toned legs made her light washed denim mini skirt look even shorter, the lilac baby tee she had clearly ultra-cropped herself just barely covering her chest. Tia saw no bra in sight. God she was so fucking hot. Almost too hot.

“Is Florence not doing it for ya?” Tia asked, fascinated by the tour guide who already hated her, who seemed surprised that Tia was actually talking to her.

“I have been to Florence four times now, looks the same every time,” Dada said shortly. Tia had a feeling that was supposed to be the end of their conversation, but she just couldn’t stop herself.

“Ah yes, flashy fashion Florence,” she didn’t even remember where she heard that from, but it made Dada exhale through her nose, maybe a sign of laughter? And Tia let out a small laugh herself. “It is crowded. Perugia was crowded too but- not like this.”

“Well, that is what you get for coming in peak tourist season. It’s not as awful once summer is over,” Dada supplied. Jane said something as she turned left, leading them down a less crowded street. “The sun goes down earlier and the tourists go home.”

“Yeah then the seasonal depression really kicks in,” Tia joked and this time Dada actually laughed, even if it was quiet and short.

“Dada, Tia, YOU GOTTA KEEP UP WITH THE GROUP I DON’T WANNA LOSE YOU!” Jane yelled, the group was already taking another turn about to leave them behind. Dada hadn’t realized how much she and Tia had slowed down. She picked up her pace a little, Tia following closely behind her.

Who was this girl anyways? Dada could feel her eyes trailing up and down Tia’s body, a pale tangerine tube top and low waisted jean shorts making it impossible for her to look away. Dada usually had the perfect plan in place to have the easiest summer being an unqualified tour guide; Act like a mysterious asshole to the people in the tour group so they don’t talk to her at all. But there was something different about this summer. Dada didn’t necessarily mind Tia trying to talk to her, better her than Crystal and Nymphia, or god forbid Vanjie. But Dada usually preferred silence in the hotel rooms or a small coffee shop while the group did whatever. But Jane kept on begging Dada to come, that she couldn’t do it without her.

“Well Jane, you like being a tour guide all of a sudden. I dont,” was all Dada had to say to that. But of course she wasn’t gonna leave Jane on her own like that, knowing that Gothy still refused to go on the tours, opting to rest in her room instead. So far Dada only regretted it a little. She watched Jane in the front, pointing things out excitedly to Nymphia. And Crystal, who was walking slightly behind them on the sidewalk, just as invested in the conversation. Yes. Better Tia than those girls. Although Dada knew they were a little group together, Tia, Nymphia, and Crystal. It seemed like it only took them getting drunk together once to become a tight band of thieves, going everywhere together, staying in each other's hotel rooms until they could barely keep their eyes open. Dada could hear them saying goodnight last night, she hadn’t closed her door yet, just in case.

“Tia, get your ass up here!” Nymphia yelled. Tia obliged without a thought, running to the front of the group, leaving Dada in the back. Whatever. Hate to see you go, love to watch you walk away.

The rest of the walking tour went by quickly, except for Nymphia’s incessant complaining as she bolted up the large staircases turned into a trail going uphill to Piazzale Michelangelo, the best (and most touristy) spot in Florence to watch the sunset looking over the city.

The group stayed up there a couple hours, taking photos, going to the different vendors, eating way too much Gelato in Nymphia, Tia, and Crystal’s case, and of course watching the sunset, hiking back down right before the sun dipped below the clouds so they’d have enough sunlight to see.

It was nine pm when they arrived back at the hotel, everyone sweaty with sore feet from walking under the hot Italian sun all day. Tia realized she really was gonna be getting her steps in on these trips. Jane wasn’t kidding about having good walking shoes.

“I only brought platform crocs,” Crystal whispered, horrified, laying on her bed in the hotel room. Tia and Nymphia cackled while Crystal just laid staring at the ceiling, spiraling. “I’ll have to buy sneakers tomorrow. Italian sneakers. If we even get free time, what if Jane makes us do a twelve hour day again? I’m so tired. I’m so tired and it’s only the third day. Oh no. Is Italy gonna break me? No. No, I’ll be fine. Fine. Nymphia, why did you EVER complain that they weren’t coming on the tours? We’d be able to do whatever we wanted then,” Crystal rambled but Tia could barely hear her over her and Nymphia’s laughter.

Luckily, they did get free time the next day. After breakfast they only had to walk five minutes to an art museum, Jane claimed it was super famous, the Uffizi Gallery. Tia thought it was cool enough, she was more interested in the architecture of the rooms than the actual art. After pretending she knew what she was supposed to be looking at for a couple hours, she was relieved when Jane told them to go off and find some good Gelato or a charming bookstore, or “Maybe... maybe find yourself. Meet at the hotel at six so we can all walk to dinner together! Bye sisters!” Tia honestly couldn’t decide if she liked their tour guides or not yet. At first she thought Dada was rude, she thought Dada hated her. But yesterday they had actually talked and it was kinda… nice. Yes, Dada’s accent was thick and she was sometimes a little hard to understand, but she took her time speaking and the most interesting things came out of her mouth.

Tia figured Dada didn’t hate her… hopefully. Jane liked their little group enough, but sometimes she’d come up with some out of pocket insult that could actually be hurtful if they weren’t laughing so hard. Crystal thought Jane was just really funny, Nymphia swore she was a secret bitch. Tia just figured she liked the attention, whether it was good or bad.

Dada was the complete opposite, keeping her eyes downcast, the constant cigarette smoke surrounding her body like some sort of force field. Her furrowed eyebrows basically spelled proceed with caution. At least when she was with the tour group. There were a few times Tia saw Dada laughing brightly with Gothy, teasing Jane about her new nickname before dissolving into giggles.

There was something about her that Tia couldn’t quite put her finger on. Something about her that Tia needed to get to the bottom of. Actually, no. Tia needed to just mind her own business and leave Dada alone like she wanted. But what if that’s actually not what she wanted at all? Why did Tia care so much? Whatever. She was broken from her thoughts by Nymphia slamming a pack of cigarettes on the little wire table they sat at outside some gelato shop.

“Do you wanna smoke this whole pack of cigarettes and do absolutely nothing? Please please please please?” She pleaded, Crystal let out a laugh as she opened the pack, putting a cigarette between her lips. Nymphia reached across and lit it for her.

“I gotta get sneakers, but other than that, absolutely!” Crystal responded, her feet up on the extra chair. “My feet hurt so bad. Which I don’t get, because I would wear my crocs to work all the time and they never bothered me. So. I’m pretty pissed.”

“I bet your job didn’t have cobblestone floors and steep hills, idiot,” Nymphia pointed out, Tia let out a laugh. “I need to find Jane at some point tonight and propose an itinerary for tomorrow. She’s doing such a bad job planning, I don’t understand. Aren’t these companies just supposed to have some set itinerary? ALSO, did you know the first ever Gucci store was opened here? In Florence? Why were we wasting our time at art museums today? I’m getting pissed off…”

“What’s pissing you off?” Jane came up behind Nymphia, putting her hands on the back of her chair. Nymphia jumped slightly but stayed composed, refusing to turn around. Instead she leaned back in her chair, head brushing against Jane’s chest. Tia looked away, feeling like she wasn’t supposed to see that. What the fuck? Crystal stood up.

“I’m going to Foot Locker, I’ll be right back. Love you girls,” she left without another word, high fiving Jane who immediately took her seat next to Nymphia.

“So what’s pissing you off Nymphia?”

“You.”

“Why??” Jane asked like she was going to love the answer.

“Did you know the first Gucci ever is here? In Florence?” Nymphia asked like she’d been waiting to confront Jane about this all day. Maybe she had.

“No, I actually didn’t. That’s cool! Are you gonna check it out with your freetime?” Jane suggested. Nymphia glared at her.

“No. My feet hurt from being forced to walk all day. Take us tomorrow, I’m resting right now. I also wanna go to the Carousel that you refused to stop for yesterday. And you need to find me the best Gelato shop in the city or you’re fired,” she said, and this time Jane looked unimpressed. Dada walked up the group without a word, sitting in the chair across from Jane, Tia to her right. Where was Crystal?

“These all sound like things you could be doing right now, not tomorrow when I already have our day planned,” Jane said evenly, Nymphia passed her the cigarette without even thinking.

“No. I told you, I’m resting my feet. Your plan for tomorrow is probably stupid anyways, if you even have one. Gucci, carousel, gelato, maybe a WINE TASTING, it’s the perfect day,” Nymphia insisted, not backing down. And Tia knew, despite only being around her for five days, Jane wasn’t gonna back down either.

“Well actually those all sound awful and I’m not changing my itinerary for you. So. Either rest your feet or go to Gucci. Cause we’re not going tomorrow.”

“Fine. You��re fired.”

-

“Good morning my friends! Did you all sleep well? Great! Good job bringing your luggage down on time, Gothy and Dada are loading it up right now. We’ll be spending the day in Florence, then leaving around five for dinner at seven in Bologna which is going to be a pretty sickening affair, if I may say so myself. After dinner we’ll be off to Venice, hopefully arriving before midnight. But enough about that, let’s live in the moment, amirite? We’re gonna begin today with a very important historical landmark. Did you know that the first ever Gucci was opened right here in Florence, Italy?” Jane said to the group at hotel breakfast the next morning, her face bright red and Nymphia’s grin as cocky as ever.

Soon Jane was leading the group through the busy streets of Florence. She walked backwards, Dada to her right this time, back to the group. Tia, Nymphia, and Crystal stood behind them in the front, and Nymphia’s grin would indeed remain all day.

That day, Tia had the best Gelato she’s had yet, explored the first ever Gucci store opened, sampled sweet wines at a little wine shop, and of course she rode on that stupid carousel in the city center, getting off after a round even though Jane, Nymphia, and Crystal were committed to staying on until the workers forced them off. Turns out Nymphia’s genius itinerary wasn’t quite long enough to get them to five pm, even with a break for lunch.

Tia didn’t see anyone else from the group until she spotted Dada sitting on an otherwise empty bench. Not knowing where else to go, Tia approached her. She was surprised when Dada stood up, walking to meet her halfway.

“You’re smart for getting off, they will be so sick in ten minutes. That Nymphia girl makes Jane stupid,” Dada said, Tia let out a surprised laugh. Maybe Dada really didn’t hate her. Maybe she was just a little shy, much like Tia was back home.

“When did Jane give into Nymphia’s itinerary?” was all Tia could think to ask. She didn’t really know what to say to Dada, she had no clue how to interact with her. Things were going okay so far…

“The minute she said it. Jane is an idiot.”

“Nymphia hates her. She won’t stop talking about it. She even asked her mom to submit a formal complaint. I think she was joking though, I hope she was,” Tia and Dada began to stroll through the plaza, walking past the different street vendors and artists. A man who was drawing self portraits walked forward to approach Tia, but Dada swiftly dodged him, lightly guiding Tia to the side.

“Stupid tourist trappers,” Dada muttered, Tia let out a hesitant laugh. “He will not even do a good job drawing you, Jane would do better.”

“Does Jane draw?”

“Absolutely not,” Then Tia was laughing again, and they continued to walk around. Dada spoke again, Tia was a little surprised. “So. Why Italy?” Tia faltered for a moment, thinking to herself before talking, not really sure what she was even saying.

“Well… my family was scared about me traveling… Italy seemed safe enough. My cousin went a couple years ago, she loved it. I didn’t wanna go to France because they seem really stuck up… I would drink way too much in Germany, or smoke and party too much in Amsterdam, and… well… Italy is a cool place. I don’t know, it just felt right. And Eat, Pray, Love was a great movie. So,” Tia somehow came up with. All of these were true, she supposed. She didn’t know how to say that she didn’t care where she was going when she chose a spot, she just needed to get out, sick of living with her boring roommates at her boring university. It was then Tia realized Dada was staring at her, brows raised in surprise, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

”Did you just imply I’m stuck up?” Dada asked, she didn’t sound offended at all, if anything she sounded amused.

“Oh my god-,” Tia instantly burst out laughing, it hitting her what she had just said. Dada failed to fight back a smile.

”Wowwwwww…” she trailed off laughing.

“I’m sorry,” Tia wheezed out pathetically, those cigarettes already taking a toll on her lungs.

“Mmhm.” Dada hummed, hoping Tia knew she was just fucking with her. She turned to see Tia grinning back at her, she understood. “Good answer, though, some people come because they think they will find themselves, like Jane. Or because they think it is the most beautiful place in the world, which… it isn’t.”

And right before Tia could let out a surprised laugh, a young American woman wearing a hiking backpack approached them, a film camera in her hands.

“Hi, I’m so sorry to bother you-” she began, but of course Dada was too quick for that.

“I forgive you,” she said smoothly as she once again led Tia around her, who was a mess of giggles as they walked quicker past the different vendors until finally circling back to the carousel.

“You’re awful! I was about to get discovered!” Tia joked, and Dada couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head. Jane, Crystal, and Nymphia were off the carousel at this point, walking up to Tia and Dada. Dada could see the rest of the group at their designated meeting spot just out of the corner of her eye. Their time in Florence was coming to an end.

Jane and Dada led the group back to the bus, it was just a short walk to the parking garage Gothy had left it at. She could hear Tia talking to Crystal and Nymphia behind her, she had a feeling Tia knew she was listening.

“A man wanted to paint my portrait, and a lady was totally gonna ask me to be her model for a photo shoot. And do you remember that lady at the Gelato shop? She was totally flirting with me. I- yeah the MILF. She was flirting with me!” Dada was glad Tia couldn’t see her face, her mouth twisting into what could only be described as a fond, knowing smile. Without turning around, she spoke up.

“They only want your money, Tia. Nothing more,” Dada said dully. Nymphia and Crystal laughed, Jane just looked at her in surprise. “People know tourists love to tip.” Dada had no clue what possessed her to say this, all she knew was that she desperately wanted to see the look on Tia’s face, whether she was amused or shocked or… whatever. At this point Dada had reached the doors to the bus, waving to Gothy who was in the driver’s seat waiting for them. As Gothy opened the doors, Dada finally turned and looked at the group. And of course, Tia was right in the front.

“Yeah right. These cities are all gonna fall for me,” she said, a dazzling smile on her face as she hopped up the stairs. And Dada felt like she just had the wind knocked out of her, she couldn’t stop smiling. Jane could only look at her and laugh, pushing her on the bus after everyone.

After eating a long, seven course, “the most expensive one on this whole trip, probably” meal in Bologna, a tipsy Nymphia, and fairly drunk Crystal and Tia got onto the bus with dead sober Jane and Dada. “Who said I was a bad tour guide? Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Jane bragged to no one who was listening as the bus took off. Tia immediately fell asleep, and she was just sober enough to stop herself from thinking about Dada too much.

Everybody loves you, baby

You should trademark your face

Linin' down the block to be around you

But, baby, I'm first in place

Face card, no cash, no credit

Yes, God, don't speak, you said it

Look at you

Skip the application, interview

Sweet like Marabou

Look, look at you

Give me a call if you ever get lonely

I'll be like one of your girls or your homies

Say what you want, and I'll keep it a secret

You get the key to my heart, and I need it

Give me a call if you ever get desperate

I'll be like one of your girls

Everybody wants you, baby (everybody)

You should insure that waist (with the highest policy you can get)

Bet nobody wants you bad as I do

Baby, let me plead my case, yeah

Face card, no cash, no credit

Yes, God, don't speak, you said it

Look at you

Pop the culture, iconography

Is standin' right in front of me

Look, look at you

Give me a call if you ever get lonely

I'll be like one of your girls or your homies

Say what you want, and I'll keep it a secret

You get the key to my heart, and I need it

Give me a call if you ever get desperate

I'll be like one of your girls

Ah, ah-ah (ah, ah-ah)

Give me a call if you ever get desperate

I'll be like one of your girls

[ultraviolet-ink]

Hiii idk if it's still relevant BUT

for the choose violence ask game: 3, 10, 12 ! 😁

Hello!! I'm always down for asks, thanks for sending this one!! (o^▽^o) 3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr Oh god there's this one take I've seen a year or two ago that still makes me lose my mind lol! Basically it was a post talking about how no one understands the point of the joke "Dead Dove, Do Not Eat" and how it's not supposed to be "what's on the tin" but the absurdity of someone putting a dove in a fridge, and THAT was why it was a joke. Fam, do you not know the next line? "I don't know what I expected", dead dove note on a bag -> dead dove in the bag! That's the joke!! That's why we use it in fic to be an extra label (Aka, mind the tags, product may contain peanuts, etc.) tbh, funniest bad take I've seen in a while tho

10. worst part of fanon Found. Family. It went from one of my most favorite tropes ever, to the one that makes me roll my eye the hardest. People can be close without calling each other family, they're allowed to be friends (Like hell I'm calling one of my old professors my "dad" or "weird uncle", or "mom" or "vodka aunt" we're JUST friends). I also don't like how it all just defaults to a nuclear family set of roles, like there has to be two parents, some kids, and then everyone else is somehow a cousin. I've been getting into GOT/HOtD lately, and damn THOSE family lines are easier to follow than some of the shit that gets passed off as "FAMILY DO NOT SEPARATE OR WE WILL SEND DEATH THREATS!!" And to harp on that second point, it just brings so much wank! I have a friend who made a super SUPER niche DGS ship, and no one ever said these characters were family before they started posting about it-- but one of the characters is often headcanoned to be a lesbian (which, yeah, I'm basic, I also hc the same), so when this "rival" ship came about, it was suddenly "fOuNd FaMiLy". Mostly, I just roll my eyes now at this trope, which is sad because it can be so beautiful. Family really can be a bunch of people you find, and it doesn't need labels!! to summarize: Fuck the concept of the nuclear family, all the homies hate the concept of the nuclear family

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Seishirou Jigoku, he's big and dumb and beefy, pure babygirl <3 But in all seriousness, he is such a fascinating character to me! He really seems like the kind of person who could have done good things in his own little sector, totally inconsequential and mundane, but good. I think he shares a lot of the same characteristics as Genshin and Yujin, optimistic and a bit patriotic. I like to think that he was pretty close with Yujin, it was HIM that convinced the latter to go on the trip after the death of Ayame after all! I just love to think about him so much, how he is with those around them. When it's just him as the judge, he's calm and collected, serious and gets the job done. With Yujin (And I presume with Genshin as well), he's jovial, a little bit goofy and all around enjoyable to be around However, with Stronghart, he twists in on himself, and he leads himself to hell. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and I think that really does describe his character so well! He wanted to change the court system in his home, to make it brilliant, but he had to eventually do the unthinkable that fateful night in the cemetery <//3 At the end of the day, he's a small and bitter man... See, he's so interesting!! Prompts here!

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Hello, God, it's me again ahhh! I think I may have another request for you after rereading the demon! weston boys request you did for me for the hundredth and tenth (mayhaps?) time >-< If it's okay, could I request demon! Doll, Beast, Bravat, and double Charles with a human s/o? They've been on my mind for a while now because not only do I love them to bits, but I would also love to read more of your content for them; after all, you do such a great job writing them!

-💙🌹

YESSSS PLEASE I love the demon AUs so much!! <3

thank you aaa you're so sweet~

She’s probably your stereotypical ‘femme fatale’ type of demon. Her image, of a pale beauty with ink-black hair, red lips, and dressed seductively with hellfire in her heels, is what most people picture when they think of a female demon. Not only is she the perfect image of one, she has the confidence to match. She never writes cheques with her mouth that her fists can’t cash, as they say.

Isolation has been her whole life, aside from a group of other demons who she meets up with regularly. They don’t live together, they’ve spread out for safety to cover more ground across England, so she’s lonely. Perhaps that’s why she’s taken up with a human? Others would tell her she’s too desperate for company that she’d take anything. In turn, she’d give them the whip for daring to question her S/O’s value as a person.

Talking to and manipulating animals is basically her demon power. So, well… if (Name) doesn’t already have pets, they’re probably going to. Unlike, say, Sebastian, her affection isn’t limited; she loves all animals. While she’s partial to the ones she can cuddle with, especially with her S/O present as well, she doesn’t hate any animal and is appalled by anyone who abuses any kind of animal. (Though, maybe insects are an exception. Pesky bee!) If her S/O has pets, she likes to spend her days talking to them and taking care of them. One has never truly lived until they’ve seen a scantily clad demon woman reclined on a sofa, baby-talking to her lover’s furry, feathery, or scaly friends.

She goes by Beast because that’s what other demons call her as a reference to her powers. But if (Name) manages to gently take down her walls enough to reveal her softer heart, they’ll get a quiet confession that she picked a ‘human’ name for herself. Most other demons think that’s silly. She thinks she can trust them with it, though. Her name will be very safe in their mouth. And it’s Mally. And if they start to call her that frequently, they’ll see her unravel in the best way.

This man is powerful enough on his own… and also incredibly lazy outside of serving his masters. While he does share their goals, he’s more like the executioner rather than judge or jury. He wouldn’t go out and do things to pursue those goals on his own, nor would he have ever thought them up on his own. He’s very dreamy, very head-in-the-clouds, and he does have some out-there ideas… but he needs motivation and fuel to create things. Else, he’ll simply lay around with his head in his S/O’s lap, playing with crystals and tarot cards all day.

… Has a bit of a fascination with blood? His own, and other people’s. Some of it might come from his masters’ influence and plans; some of it is just a curiosity. He’s especially interested in how other creatures’ blood differs from his own. Now, while he absolutely will not draw blood from his S/O, if they happen to be injured, he’ll be sure to lick at some of it as he patches them up. This has the potential to creep even other demons out — however, he views it as a form of bonding between himself and (Name). There’s nothing that makes one more close with another than literally consuming the other person’s blood, is there?

He comes across as quite fake to other demons, and indeed a lot of humans. The near-constant smile, the saccharine compliments, the unfailing friendliness to other people. (Name) sees it as genuine, and it is genuine, and their opinion is really all that Bravat cares about. Why care about anyone else’s? He’s not sharing his life with everyone else; he’s sharing it with his lover. It’s comical for them to watch at times, of course. He could have just been run through with a sword, and he’d just laugh and say, “Oh, dear! (Name), darling, could you take this out for me, please?”

Stargazing with his S/O is one of his favorite things to do when he isn’t being prodded at by his masters. This is one of the reasons he loves the human world. The stars. Despite being a demon, he can look up at that big sky, dotted with millions of little crystal-sparkling stars, and feel small. Powerless. He actually loves that feeling. It’s especially prominent because stargazing with his S/O, he can feel small and powerless… and immediately curl up in their lap to feel protected. It’s a strange and beautiful dichotomy that he can’t get enough of. Will they do that with him every night…?

Their yearning for a so-called ‘normal’ life is even stronger as a demon than it would be as a human. It’s like an aching in their bones that refuses to go away, and it hurts, so bad. Being among humans makes them feel so out of place, but… they want the life they see humans living. Marriage, children, friends, hobbies, games. It’s all so mundane and they couldn’t love it more. It’s probably why they decided to pursue a human S/O rather than another demon.

The most enthusiastic, full-of-life person (Name) has ever met, including other humans. Especially considering they’re a demon, though, they’re incredibly vivacious. They’re always going, always doing something. They wear their poor S/O out at balls, because they want to dance to every single song! They don’t require food or drink so if they don’t absolutely have to stop, they don’t want to. That said, they’ll take breaks if only to try food and alcohol. They just… adore dancing. It means they get to cozy up to their beloved for a long time, in public, and move in sync. They’re just existing with one another, so close; it’s like an odd healing to Freckles’ dark, broken little soul.

Candy!!! Fire and brimstone, sweets are this demon’s biggest weakness. Their S/O can bribe them to do something by setting wrapped sweets out in a trail to whatever activity or room or what-have-you that they’re trying to lure Freckles toward. Freckles will follow them happily, despite that they’ll probably be a bit irritated when they find out they’ve been tricked. They can’t stay too mad, really, considering that (Name) just shoves a lollipop in their mouth. Sugar keeps them strangely docile.

They can float in midair, at greater heights unassisted and for longer periods than many other demons. Several of England’s citizens may have reported someone who looked like a tightrope walker, except doing so in the sky. Oops. They’ll just have to be a bit more careful, particularly due to the fact that they’re physically frail. Whenever they tumble or even fight another demon, they end up with some scrapes that don’t heal as quickly. There’s a positive to that — they get endless kisses on their wounds from their S/O just by claiming it will make them feel better!

… One whole showboat demon, and he doesn’t even care. He’s just very careful about when and where exactly he lets loose. Fighting other demons for food or territory just comes naturally, so why should he wage war on his instincts? Those instincts are there for a reason, after all. He’s just find slashing his sword at another demon if he wants the soul they’ve cornered, or if they get a little too close to his S/O.

His possessiveness is maybe a little more intense than the average demon’s. For whatever reason, he doesn’t like anyone who seems to have the slightest bit of romantic intent around (Name). Whenever he’s somewhere he has to act like a human and blend in, that side of him doesn’t just vanish. He makes sure that everyone knows his S/O is spoken for. Anyone who doesn’t get the message or insists on approaching anyway will be straight-up challenged to a duel; he gives no fucks and pulls no punches. He’s also quite fond of calling his S/O ‘my human’. (There are many humans, but this one is his!)

He’s one of those demons who is scared right down to his core of angels. Sure, most angels leave demons alone if there’s no reason to get involved… what about the sadistic ones, though? It’s something he’s seen in person, an angel deciding to either obliterate a gathering of demons or systematically hunting down demons to kill. If an angel shows up, expect him to suddenly cower behind his S/O. Unless there are other demons around and he needs to protect his reputation, he can’t pretend he isn’t terrified. The white light they give off makes him sick. However, if an angel threatens (Name), Grey is very capable of wrangling his fear away so he can defend them. The power of love!

That stomach of his is still a bottomless pit even as a demon. The only trouble is, there are only so many souls to go around. He doesn’t want to be needlessly cruel, so he usually only targets criminals who were slated to die anyway, or people committing crimes who are unlikely to be brought to justice. He can’t just slaughter humans indiscriminately, both because of his own moral code and because it would attract attention. Being that he’s living with a human, permanently, he cannot attract that kind of attention. The good news is that if he manages to get his hands on a soul, he has a special power that will let him magnify the way it nourishes him. He can pretty much double the time it will sustain him… something to be grateful for when other demons in similar situations are often literally starving.

He’s really a much more quiet, submissive demon than his peers. At any rate, he’s not what many people imagine when they think of a demon. He isn’t keen on fighting unless he has to, he doesn’t hurl taunts and insults at the other party even when he does fight, and overall he’s just sort of… passive. If you put him in a room with white wallpaper, whilst he’s dressed in white, you probably would forget that he was there. That’s how he likes it; he views himself as an ambush predator. If he keeps a low profile, he’ll get everything he needs using his mind, without attracting any unnecessary (and likely negative) attention.

Prefers to simply sit with his S/O and sew, or do some kind of craft. He has a friend who is also a demon (cough Grey cough) who teases him mercilessly about his ‘boring life and unsatisfying hobbies’. Those things are things that Phipps just takes in stride, because to him, a boring life is a safe life, and his hobbies are actually quite fulfilling, thank you. Other people might not see the appeal in the life he wishes to live, but that’s fine. He isn’t living it for anyone aside from himself and his S/O. Anyone who thinks they can pass judgment on it or (Name) will quickly find out that a passive demon is still a demon.

Actually, he doesn’t mind if his S/O wants to dress him up and take him to balls. It’s amusing to watch the way humans interact with each other… so much goes on behind closed doors, doesn’t it? People who claim to be the best of friends will turn around and say horrible things about each other once one person’s back is turned. So-called loyal employees will silently plot the downfall of their superiors. Politics and intrigue is something that, while he wants it to stay far away from his own life, is something he very much likes to watch. All in all, a ball is just free entertainment — he gets to grab a glass of wine and take in a show.

Humans in general, and especially his S/O are… fascinating to him in general. It’s all the little things for him. Feeling the texture of their hair as he runs his hands through it or plays with it in some other way. Seeing the way their face flushes either bright red or with a more subtle shade of pink when he flusters them. Their body language, their voice that is uniquely theirs, the feel of their skin as he dances his fingers across it. His favorite things are when he lies next to them at night, wide awake as they sleep, and he holds them. He can rest his head on their chest and hear the lullaby their heartbeat creates, and feel the gentle puffs of warm air as they breathe. They’re so… wonderful. He feels so very lucky that he gets to be in their life.

[runcriedthecrawlingif]

I just read the entirety of the current build, and wow, this is one of the strangest WIPs I've ever read (positive).

The setting is absolutely fascinating, and I love Faren and Kal so much I don't even know how to express it! They are both so awesome! I also like the MC's personality a lot. A MC with a somewhat set personality can be very hit or miss obviously, but it's a big hit in this case, since clearly their personality allows for interesting growth. The way we can still fine-tune their mindset and what they value is also a nice thing. Like mine is bold and sarcastic, but cares a lot about people and always thinks before acting and tries to negociate before fighting.

I did encounter two situations I think were bugs though. Like I said, my MC is very charismatic and has a silver tongue - that's what I've been focusing on every time it was possible. But in two instances, it seems the game considered my MC isn't charismatic? - The first one, I'm not sure if it's a mistake or not, but if it isn't, it seems a bit out of character: when playing the truth or fiction game with Reva in chapter 2, I've picked the option to tell the truth hoping to fool her into thinking it's fiction, but she figured it out - I think it's an instance where a charismatic MC should be able to fool her, right? And also, slightly unrelated, but when she figures it out she says "That's fact. The blush on your face says it all.". But would she notice that with the very unique lighting coming from the bioluminescence? And even then, on darker skintones it would be invisible anyway, most likely. - Second instance is a bug for sure: during the hilenite fight in chapter 5, but this one is evidently some sort of coding error. If I try to taunt the leader, no matter if it's on the attack or the evade path, I have this:

Considering this is my MC's specialty, it should have worked? I mean, the fact the game says "it's never worked for you before" doesn't make sense. This is a screenshot from the Evade path, but on the Attack one it's the same issue.

Oh and also, there's a typo (or well, some stray code, rather) here:

That aside, a few theories I have, because why not:

The whole rot theme makes sense since, judging by the name of the "gods" they are related to fungi and thus, rot is part of it.

MC's nightmare with their mother is a memory, not a mere nightmare, and whatever she did to the MC in that memory, it "protects" them against the "gods". A lot of fungi are parasitic and I think the bond people make with gods is basically the gods being parasites that control their hosts to a degree. The MC must have some sort of protection against that now.

The "flowers" the MC has to interact with and is supposed to "feed" with their blood are all part of a huge interconected organism linked to the gods, and this is what the "path" is. Normally, I guess the nutrients from the person's who undertakes the Path blood probably create some sort of reaction of revitalization that makes more "flowers" (or whatever) bloom alongside the "veins" that link the organism, until they reach the core of it where the actual "gods" are. But since the MC is poisonous to them, the blood produces a decay instead. But since these veins are present anyway, the "Path" - as in, the visual representation - is still visible, but doesn't appear as it should since what should be revitalized dies instead.

The sheen over the grass and various other elements of the story make me think these "gods" are vulnerable to metal in general, and that whatever the MC does now is somehow related to that.

The character other than the MC that we can name seems to appear as "Vein" on the character screen before you set a name for them... It's uncannily the same word that the one I was thinking about when I was trying to understand the Path, and that sort of lead me to think they may be one of the "gods", or at the very least a "byproduct" of sorts. Also, the way they are described as so beautiful and what not is similar not only to the description of the entity in MC's dreams (and rejecting the entity lowers their relationship score, besides), but also to the way the entity in Kal's "dream" was described.

That leads me to wonder if Kal didn't already "bond" with a "god" in the past. I somehow feel like they came in contact with something they shouldn't have, and they fell victim to the parasite. That could explain why they were in favor to the stranger joining - if said stranger is indeed a "god" or part of that organism, Kal may not be able to refuse them, physically.

Aaand I think that'll be it! I'm not expecting you to answer to my theories of course, but I hope you at least find them entertaining. I rarely think so deeply about all implications and possible reasons behind what's happening in a story (more often than not, I'm just in for the ride and enjoy), but this is really too fascinating not to think more deeply about.

This is honestly super helpful, I won't say anything about the theories for reasons but I love hearing them anyways.

For the charisma bugs (including lying to Reva because there was already a variation in there), I am a fool who types too fast and has a peppering of $charimsa variables in my code. They should be fixed by today.

As for the MC with semi-set personality... As much as I want players to be able to have agency over who their heir is, I think for the purpose of character growth and developing relationships, there are some things that do need to be set. Like the fact that the heir has grown up having to prove themselves. Or the way their relationships with their mentors/parents shaped them.

[old-hyper-super-clover]

Klee’s first club day

~ Mountain Lover’s Club ~

This is part two of @tokamiart 's, @berribabyyy 's and my MCs in their respective clubs at Night Raven College. All of them are first years experiencing their first day at club.

Please enjoy and feel free to share your thoughts ☘️🐟✨

A nervous smile was painted on Klee’s lips as he made his way to the main street. The hiking backpack felt heavy on his shoulders, but it was a good kind of burden to carry. He had made sure to pack everything he needed: his camera, notebooks for all three - flora, fauna, fungi - as well as a few older books in case he wanted to add anything to his herbarium. He had prepared a nicely arranged lunchbox for the club especially and was looking forward to eating it in a quiet corner within nature.

Klee took another peek at the information paper he had printed out for today. The group would be navigated by its club leader, namely a “Jade Leech”, through the Mirror and into a forest Klee hasn’t been in before. That fact alone had Klee excited all day, he had made it his personal quest to investigate every forest there is in Twisted Wonderland.

Truth be told, however, Klee was a bit unsure about going there with many other students that he most likely didn’t know. It might turn out great, since they must be fellow nature lovers like him, but also, he couldn’t think of a time where people had actually… supported his hobbies. Shared his fascination. Other things had always been considered “cool” and “interesting”, like sports, theatre…

Klee shook his head to ban the thought from his head. He shouldn’t be worried either way. After all, people would usually form their groups to hang out with sooner than Klee could even consider joining any of them, so he was sure he would be fine.

Stepping onto the main street, the Ignihyde student was surprised to see… no one, except for one tall figure in similar attire as himself. Since that student was looking around curiously, he was quick to spot Klee, approaching him immediately.

“Ah, there you are!”

Klee couldn't identify his dorm in that getup, instead mustering the male's appearance as a whole: his hair had a teal colour, except for a darker strand that cupped his left cheek nicely. His getup matched his hair, dressing him in earthy colours that here and there took on marine tones – was that a tiny mushroom dangling off the zipper of his jacket?

As the student came to a stop in front of him, Klee also noticed his eyes were heterochromatic, one yellow, one olive.

He also was REALLY tall. Klee had to throw his head way back to acknowledge the smooth, pale skin of his opponent.

“Judging by your equipment" The student spoke up, mustering Klee himself. "I take it that you’re Klee?”

His odd eyes were decorated with a polite smile… that however began to fade as he somehow didn't seem to receive a response. He blinked in confusion, seeing as Klee was definitely staring at him, his mouth slightly opened but not answering. "... Hello?"

“... Beautiful ” Klee breathed.

“Pardon me?” The student tilted his head. “Did I perhaps mistake you with someone else?”

Klee flinched out of his stare in a sudden.

“NO” Klee blurted out. “You are sorry, I am beautifu- I mean, YOU’RE beautiful and I am right-'' His face contorted into a stressed mess. “I… I am Klee, yes” he finally said, breathing quite heavily from the inner stroke he just had. Nodding a few times as if to reassure he did make clear what he wanted to say, Klee then looked up, surprised to see a grin on his opponent's face. “... And you are?”

“‘Beautiful’, as it seems” his opponent grinned deviously, flashing his pointy teeth that had Klee’s curious eyes widened once more. “However, you may refer to me as Jade, your clubmate.”

"Ah… okay" Klee mumbled, not hiding at all that he was still attentively analysing him, which Jade on the other hand mustered in amusement. "So you are the club leader?"

Jade chuckled. "Seeing as I am the club's founder, you could say as much, yes." He straightened the backpack on his shoulders. "Shall we get going, then?"

Klee tilted his head. "Aren't we going to wait for the other members?"

"We're the only members," Jade explained, his smile now curling bittersweet. He moved his head to point at the way ahead, so now the two of them started making their way to the hall of mirrors.

“Oh…” Klee didn’t quite know how to feel about this. He assumed he was happy about having more privacy, yet his heart was beating faster somehow…

Wasn't that… kind of…

… romantic…?

Jade kept throwing his new club member curious looks. “It is sad, truly” he let out a sigh. “No one seems to appreciate the abundance and the beauty of what surrounds us. The nature on land has miracles to offer like I have never witnessed under the sea, yet neither of my childhood…” Jade’s voice drifted off, seeing that Klee’s sparkling pair of eyes had been glued onto him again. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. “You’re quite the gazer, aren’t you?”

Somehow, the teasing tone in Jade’s voice completely missed Klee. “You’re a merman?” he asked instead, gasping in awe when Jade gave a nod. “I’ve never met one before…” Several thoughts crossed Klee's head, so many that he ended up not voicing anything of that fascination within him.

The two had reached the hall of mirrors, where Jade opened one of the mirror’s gates to their destination for today. When he turned around to make sure Klee had read the flyer and knew where they were headed, he was surprised to see the freshman rummage through his stuffed backpack.

“Is something the matter?” Jade asked, impressed to see the plethora of equipment peeking out of Klee’s bag. Finally, the Ignihyde student pulled out a small notebook and got back on his feet.

“Here” Klee started. “This is my forest to-do list. It’s not completed, but I remember the places I haven’t visited yet, and a compiled list might be more useful for you.” He handed Jade the notebook. “Since you probably haven’t been able to see that many yet. And since you’re merfolk and… I’m not. Y-you don’t have to take it, but… yes.” he gave a shrug upon having realised he said all he wanted to and kept quiet afterwards.

Truly surprised, Jade skimmed through the pages. In addition to the forests’ names and locations, Klee had made an effort to note especially rare sights to look out for in each of them. Some plants or animals were highlighted with exclamation marks or little hearts, and next to a few fungi, he noted a reminder to bring enough bags to collect mushrooms for dinner.

Jade’s odd eyes jumped between this remarkably organised list and that boy who could barely see between the messy strands of hair cupping his face. Who seemed like he was both, overly aware and attentive of his surroundings, but also so far, far away, somehow.

Another smile creeped up Jade’s face. This one was genuine, however.

“Thank you,” he said. “I will take only the greatest care of it.”

Klee’s lips curled into a tiny smile of his own. “Okay, that's good.” He peeked at the mirror. “We can get going now, I’m ready.” He didn’t notice that Jade’s eyes were holding onto him for a little longer. Then the Octavinelle student gave a nod before he turned to the gate, too.

“Splendid” Jade hummed. “Then, hereby, I would like to officially welcome you into the Mountain Lover’s Club. I am looking forward to venturing through nature’s beauty with you, Klee.”

It took a moment, in which Klee’s expression was unreadable, pondering…

… then, he flashed a wide grin.

“I am looking forward to it, too, Jade.”

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Review: Norah's Ark by Victoria Williamson

This cover manages to be simultaneously fascinating yet ambiguous as to what the story is really about and that made me even more excited to see what was going on. Thank you to The WriteReads for having me on the blog tour and to the lovely people at Neem Tree Press for sending this beautiful copy my way.

Norah lives with her dad in temporary accommodation and they move around regularly. They never have any money and rely on foodbanks. She has never had a mum or a friend but she often has small pets and is happy as she can be. When Adam got sick, his parents kept him inside. His world shrank and his Olympic dreams faded. Now that he's better, his mum still insists on keeping Adam's world small but he's desperate to get back outside. That's when he meets Norah.

An important message that this story delivers without being heavy-handed about it is not to judge others until you know them. It's a recurring theme within the book and it's a lifelong lesson that young readers need to learn and older readers regularly need to be reminded of. It's done beautifully several times and I loved it.

Both Norah's and Adam's stories are heartbreaking and I desperately wanted to help both of them. Norah really wants a true friend and the fact that she is so impermanent to pretty much everyone she meets is really cruel. I know that her situation is reality for lots of kids and that realisation is really hard to have. She manages to stay kind and calm through everything that she goes through and for such a young child, it's so commendable that she manages that. In many ways, Norah felt like a Jacqueline Wilson heroine and I don't think I could possibly give a higher compliment than that.

Adam is being kept as prisoner by his mother and I was so frustrated at the way she was behaving towards him. I understood her fears that his cancer might return but she was wholly irrational about it. His body, his lifestyle, his education and his dreams had all changed dramatically and rather than help him get back to those things, she pushed his old life further and further away. Overprotective, anxious parents really are the worst!

Norah's Ark is a heartwarming, hard-hitting middle-grade contemporary that celebrates friendship and finding it within those who you may not usually come across. It's also about looking after animals and the planet that we all come from as well as extending that compassion and love to everyone around us. A gorgeous, pretty special children's book.

[debong29]

The Day our paths crossed: A reflection on the Analogy.” Lockdown Litanies: Countless Untold Stories” an Essay by Dave Pilotin

First of all, it was fascinating how the author created these unique stories. Although the plotlines and conclusions of each of these stories differ, they all teach us that even though we may every once in a while feel hopeless, we should never give up and lose confidence and trust because better days will eventually come. Instead, we should simply hold on and make progress every day, even if it's only tiny steps.

The first poem which is “Dear Diary” I felt something as I was reading this poem. “Got stuck in front of my screen and became distant from people I know.” I picked this line because it was honestly relatable. Life is like that, there are times that you have to go through the lows in order to appreciate the highs in life. You are going to lose people in your life and that’s okay too. “Move away and discover a world on my own.” This line has struck me the most, the author did not lose hope but instead they found a way to end the toxic cycle and heal themselves. You Are Enough by Sleeping At Last, The reason I chose this song is because even though we might felt like our lives are really messed up or we are having a hard time, we must always believe that we will always be enough.

As I read the “The Tale of a Modern Sisyphus,” I realized that the first part was all about royalties as it was mentioned ‘Every girl’s dream to wear the most coveted crown’ Then on the last line of the part one, I think the narrator are judging the women who’s competing as they said ‘Haven’t seen a woman who’s clearly a ten– let alone the judges; they chose a far less seven.’ On the second part, I really like the line ‘A burden is less felt when carried together.’ It is true because you have someone to talk to about it or depend on them unlike when you’re alone, you’d have to do it all by yourself. I have two songs in mind for this poem, You're Beautiful by James Blunt as I believe that every girl should have a crowned and we should empower women more and Lego House by Ed Sheeran because the part ‘I'll pick you up when you're getting down’ in Lego House is all about not being alone and also depending to others.

The third part of this anthology, “O’ Yayi (A Prose Poem)” made me think at first that it would be just like other poems about soldiers or World War II. However, as I reached the end of O’ Yayi, I never expected it to be so heartbreaking. The man loved Yayi for years and never left her side, he was actually the definition of a perfect husband that every woman could ask for. That's why it was upsetting that he was never valued by Yayi and even forgot all about him but he still loved her so much. I could not think of a better song than Joji’s Glimpse of Us because it was also about the person being in a relationship even though they still loved their past lover and always remember a glimpse of them with their ex.

As for the fourth part, “Two Red Laces on the Wonderwall,” A poem about two people in love. “Tried my luck with several men, but you felt like home, where I belong.” This actually shows what love really is because even if you tried denying it or running away from it, your love for someone will never change. When I first read the title of this poem, I felt like the ‘Two Red Laces’ was like the ‘Red Thread of Fate’. This poem reminds me of Naked by James Arthur especially on the last line that says ‘All because of you, I bare my soul.’ is similar in the song, ‘I’m standing here naked,’ as both of the lines are about taking risks and giving everything now to their partner.

The fifth part of this anthology, “Umbilical” is about an unborn child who felt the mother’s pain. ‘The pain she suffered just for me to see.’ This line definitely explained well how our mother always sacrifices everything, it doesn’t matter if it might kill her or make her suffer because as long as it’s for her children, the mother would do it. ‘Drained herself to save me from misery’ and ‘Wrinkles, fragile bones, gaunt face in plain sight’. I love the way the author made the lines so perfect and beautiful in every way. The song “You're Gonna Be” by Reba McEntire ‘Life has no guarantees but always loved by me. You’re gonna be me, always loved by me’ This shows how much a mother can love her child, it’s always and forever.

Moving along to the sixth part, “RE: Paper.” Honestly, when I was reading this poem, it was really confusing yet it was also interesting. I believe that it demonstrates our current living situation. It’s difficult to find a job and not only that, our school life is also affected as we are forced to adapt to online classes and modular work. The poem had a line that said, ‘Teachers must upskill on how to implement these competencies for student development’ " and I agree since sometimes it is the teachers who are to blame when students struggle with their studies. That’s why I chose Teacher Teacher for this poem.

For the seventh poem which is “3 A.M Awakening,” I feel like this piece is a person experiencing an extreme emotion that’s why he needed to be calm. ‘Breathe as if it’s easy to do today’ although breathing is an involuntary movement, there are days that it can be harder to breathe especially when you’re stressed out or even when angry. ‘People hold truth in fiery tongues and spit’ How the author constructed this line is really good as there are situations when people are expressing the truth but saying it incorrectly can affect the truth. “Breathin” by Ariana Grande is the song I believe fits on poem perfectly, ‘I can so overcomplicate, people tell me to medicate’ this line made me feel like it was related to one of the lines of the poem, ‘Heaven spoke lies to me telling I’m sick with people’s daggering every inch’.

As I read the eighth poem, “My frail lady,” It was very clear that the poem was all about a girl who committed suicide. The moment I read ‘The most beautiful suicide’ and the name ‘Evelyn Mchale’ I instantly know who she is as I already read the article before, it was about a girl who jumped off the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building. ‘Freedom at long last upon here long, quiet pause,’ this line at first was light to read but as I was reading it over and over again, I realized how dark this line is because she finally got her freedom after a long pause which is passing away. A song that I could relate this piece to is “Goodbye I'm Sorry” by Jamestown Story, ‘So here's my goodbye, no one will cry over me. I'm not worth any tears.’ The girl from this poem actually has one wish which is to have no service and remembrance for her.

For the last poem in this anthology, “Major Arcana,” I could not really get what the poem is all about at first as all I think is that it was about Tarot Card as there were 6 cards all of that was from the Tarot Card. For me, I believe that each card from the poem represents happenings in our lives. It shows difficulties but also hope for each card, ‘You silently sit on the storm you created for yourself.’ This line from the poem shows that the storms we created are the results of most of our bad decisions that we make and for that I chose Here Comes The Sun by the Beatles because even though we might face difficulties in our daily lives, it’s also important to believe that everything will be okay.

In Conclusion, after reading this anthology, it was clear that each poem was unique from the others, thus to sum it up. However, I truly like how distinct and fascinating each of their individual stories is. The poem "Umbilical," which shows how strong our mothers are and how their love for their family always comes first, is my favorite in this collection. This Anthology also enabled me to view things from a different perspective. Some of the stories even convinced me that because we are all flawed, it is normal to make mistakes and that what matters is what we do next—are we going to strive for improvement or reject change? The author(s) of this anthology should be extremely proud of their work because it is well-made and built.