#i don't like to get too personal here but it's nice to have something good happen for once yknow

[monsterblogging]

[Image Description] Bluesky thread posted by Kit Whitfield - fantasy author (@kitwhitfield.bsky.social) on January 13, 2025. It reads:

Nice people are struggling over the revelations on Gaiman and something I keep hearing is, 'His work had a big influence on how I shaped my own identity.' So here's something to remember:

You did that. He didn't do it for you.

I was never a deep Gaiman fan, so maybe I can't talk, but I do know how a certain kind of charisma works.

There's a THING people love, and someone is a star at it. Not just into it, but 'make it their own.'

Say: they don't just paint with a lot of blue, they're the Blue Artist.

Do you like blue too? You'll find a lot of it in their work. Maybe you'll develop your love of blue looking at it. Maybe their work is where you first realised how much you love blueness.

Cool.

But they don't own the color blue.

It was your eyes that saw the colour, your brain that interpreted it, your heart that felt its beauty.

You didn't love it because they're the Blue Artist, but because you were always a person who could love the sky.

And if you came across their work when you needed to figure some things out, and you used it to do that?

You put in the work to build yourself.

They don't get to be your identity landlord just because you both see beauty in blue. They are smaller than the sky.

Some artists are very, very good at branding themselves so you might feel like you have to go through them to love the thing you love.

But it's just branding. People can make great use of blue, but nobody IS blue.

You stand under the same rainbow.

So if his stuff helped you figure some things out? Those were things about you, figured out by you.

You love mythology? Comic or dark fantasy? Imagination? Fiction?

So did he.

So just keep loving the stuff you love. It was never his. he just accessed the same things you did.

Sometimes art can be a mirror. Sometimes we need to look at ourselves and think about who we want to see looking back. A mirror can help.

Seems like one thing people are saying helped was reading the authors who influenced Gaiman, so how about we gather some here?

@mayteramarble.bsky.social mentioned Roger Zelazny.

I can't recommend Angela Carter enough.

What else, guys? xx

User Fitzcamel (@fitzcamel.bsky.social) adds: Hope Mirrlees and Lord Dunsany. [End Image Description]

I don't really believe in separating the art from the artist, but I remember how much it hurt when I found out Rowling was an absolutely shit person and so I do worry about the Gaiman fans out there who are in pain because of the article that was dropped today. I hope this helps.

[sweetfictionalworld]

Good Girl

Pairing: Hwang In-ho / Front Man x Female Reader

Warnings: Nsfw, Smut, Daddy Kink, Age-gap.

Requested by anon: Request for just some old fashion smut?? In-ho x fem!Reader. Maybe some age gap, praise,...daddy kink...just an idea.

Summary: You're a servant for the VIPs. One of them is getting a little too close, and The Front Man steps in and handles the situation. Little do you know, The Front Man wants you for himself...

Author's notes: I'm always a sucker for some good, old fashion daddy kink 😉 Thank you so much for your request! I hope you like it ♡

It wasn't easy serving the VIPs, but it was a chance for you to make some more money. It was your third time at the games working as one of the circle guards and your second time as a waiter. The higher ranks made more money than you, but you didn't have the stomach for killing. It was bad enough to clean up the scene after a game.

You examined yourself in the mirror before putting on the black mask. You didn't really feel comfortable in the black, lace bodysuit and high heels you were forced to wear. The VIPs were always a little too touchy for your comfort, but it was something you had to endure.

You took a deep breath before you entered the VIP room with a tray of drinks in your hand.

"Well, look who it is! Our hot, little bunny!" the older man in the tiger mask cheered as you walked into the room. The other VIPs joined in and you could feel their gazes glued to your body as you walked past them.

"The game will start momentarily."

The Front Man's voice made you turn, your stomach flipping at the sight of him in his dark-grey outfit and black mask. There was something about him you found utterly attractive. Perhaps, it was the mystery of what he looked underneath that mask? Or maybe, it was that dark, sexy voice of his?

"Come here, bunny! I want a drink!" yelled the man in the tiger mask. Pulled out of your thoughts, you went over to the VIP. He smiled up at you from beneath his mask.

"Damn, I've missed this fine ass!" he bellowed and slapped your ass, boomed with laughter when you gasped and nearly dropped your tray.

"Why don't you serve the others and then you come back to sit next to me, huh? I want my little bunny close to me," he grinned.

You were glad he couldn't see the repulsive expression on your face. After doing what he said, you returned to the VIP, who pulled you down next to him.

"How old are you, bunny?" he asked, licking his lips as his eyes traveled down to your breasts.

"25, Sir."

"Oh, nice...I like my meat young and firm. How about you serve me personally now, huh?" The VIP chuckled and roughly cupped your tit. You let out a shocked gasp and grabbed his wrist to try and pull him away. You struggled against him, but it only seemed to spur him on.

The VIP chuckled loudly. "I like girls who are a little fiesty."

Suddenly, his hand was pulled away and you stared up at the Front Man standing there with the VIPs arm in his hand.

"No sexual activities unless the servants agrees. The Host's rules. Do you agree, number 5?" he asked, turning his attention towards you.

You stared at him in surprise. He knew your guard number?

You shook your head. "No, Sir."

The Front Man let go of the VIPs arm. "You heard her. She doesn't want you. So, how about we return to what you're really here for. The Game."

The VIP glared at him but knew there was nothing he could do to but obey the Host's rules, so he just nodded.

"Good." The Front Man returned his attention to you.

"Stand up, number 5."

You did as he ordered, holding your gaze to the floor. His intimidating presence and the closeness of his body made you feel so very small and subservient. He lifted your chin, holding it with his forefinger and you stared up at his blank, black mask while holding your breath.

"Continue serving them food and drinks. He won't bother you anymore."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir," you whispered and bowed.

In-ho watched as you walked away to get more food and drinks, his gaze panning down to the roundness of your ass. There was another reason he had stopped the VIP. He didn't want your pussy ruined by that old man's cock before he fucked you himself.

The game was over for this time and the VIPs had left. You remained in the room, tidying the last things up before it was time to leave and return home. The money you'd made after your third time was enough to pay off your debts. You didn't have to return for another game.

"You're still here."

Startled by the voice, you looked up and stared at the Front Man, your eyes widening when you realized you'd taken your mask off.

"Don't worry. The game is over for this time. No need to cover our faces. Besides, there's only you and I here," he said and took off his mask.

You stared at him as he approached you with a small smirk playing on his lips. He was a handsome man, no doubt about it, maybe in his fifties. His dark-brown eyes had a twinkle of cruelness and playfulness in them that made your belly flutter as his gaze traveled down your body.

"Do you agree?"

At first you frowned, didn't know what he meant. Then, it dawn on you and your eyes widened as you stared at him breathlessly and nodded.

"I need you to say it."

"Y-Yes, Sir. I agree."

"Good girl." The Front Man smirked and leaned down to your ear, inhaling your scent. A growl of appreciation rumbled in his chest, and the sound along with his hot breath on your skin caused a trail of goosebumps down your body. You couldn't believe this was happening, couldn't believe how quickly your body was responding to his touch. The Front Man's finger slid down the nape of your neck, sending another wave of goosebumps down your skin. A keen whimper slipped from your lips and you became shamefully aware of the arousal pooling between your thighs. The Front Man growled at the sound coming from your lips, his hand landing on your waist.

"I can see your arousal in your eyes, little one," he growled, digging his fingers into the soft flesh of your hips, coaxing an embarrassed moan from your lips.

His hand found its way underneath your lace bodysuit, two of his long fingers slipping between your soft folds and into your wet, spongy core. You gasped and grabbed his arms as his fingers stretched you out.

"So wet and tight," Front Man mumbled and started moving his fingers inside you, grunting at the squishing sounds your pussy was making. His cock jerked at the feeling of your wetness, twitching, and hardening to life, eager to fill your tight, little cunt to the brim.

"Oh fuck," you gasped at the feeling of his fingers thrusting into you.

"Such foul words coming from such a sweet, little thing," Front Man chuckled, the sound vibrating through your core. "Tell me, little one...Do you crave my cock inside you?" At the last word, he pushed his fingers deeper inside you, pushing against your g-spot and you screamed out in pleasure.

"Y-Yes Daddy! Please, yes!" you whimpered, tears welling up in your eyes as he repeatedly thrust his fingers into you at a rapid pace.

"Daddy, huh? I like that," Front Man smirked and took out his fingers from your pussy. "Undress for me."

Cheeks flushed with heat, you obeyed him and pulled down the straps of your bodysuit, slowly wriggling out of the tiny piece of clothing, leaving you naked in only your high heels.

"Gorgeous," was all he said and kneaded the soft flesh of your tits, felt the weight of them in his hands, and rubbed his thumbs across your nipples that hardened at his touch.

"P-Please, Daddy...," you begged, bit your lip at the feeling of your pussy aching and clenching desperately to be filled.

Front Man snickered. "So desperate for Daddy's cock, aren't you?"

"Y-Yes...please Daddy..."

He chuckled at your desperation. "Get down on your hands and knees."

You obeyed on trembling legs, gasped when he grabbed your hips with both hands, pulling your ass up in the air. Then, you heard the unzipping of his slacks and felt him at your entrance, slowly pushing the bulbous head between your fold and into the tight hole of your pussy. Your eyes widened, breath coming out in short gasps through your parted lips.

In-ho groaned in pleasure when the head of his cock suddenly popped inside your warm, wet entrance. At that point, he couldn't control himself anymore. Grabbing your hips harder, he bucked his hips against your ass, pushing his cock into you halfway before pulling back.

You cried out, back arching and head thrown back as his cock stretched you out more than you thought was possible. Then, he thrust forward again and you screamed a silent moan, realizing he had only been halfway inside you and he was now fully seated in your womb.

"Feels so good...you're doing so well, little one, taking Daddy's cock," he crooned, almost lovingly, as he started a slow and gentle pace of fucking you. Your vision got blurrier with each of his thrusts, sending wave after wave of pleasure through your body. Soon, your mind became dazed and numbed, and a smile spread across your lips when all you cared about was how absolutely divine his cock felt inside you. You could feel the pressure building in your core with each thrust, bringing you closer and closer to orgasm. Then, Front Man suddenly pulled out and you whined at the loss of contact, of feeling so empty inside.

Front Man positioned himself above you, on his hands and feet as he pushed inside you again, his frame hovering above yours as he thrust into you. You moaned when he pushed back into you again, smiled as you looked up at him over your shoulder. You looked into his eyes and held his gaze as he quickened the pace once more, rapidly shoving his dick inside you over and over until your senses were overflowing.

Front Man looked back into your eyes as he slammed into you hard and fast, rougher with each thrust. The slapping sounds filled the room, blending with your high-pitched moans and the Front Man's grunts above you. The pressure in your belly intensified and finally erupted just as you felt the Front Man pump into you a final time, burying himself deep inside you as he came. His cock twitched inside you and the feeling of his seed pulsing into you brought you swiftly over the edge.

"Daddy, I'm coming!" you cried out, your pussy clenching and milking every last drop out of him as your orgasm rippled through your body.

"Fuck!" Front Man groaned and threw his head back, his loud, guttural growl echoing between the walls as he emptied the last of his seed inside your belly. You collapsed onto the floor, panting for air and your body becoming limp as you felt his cum flow out of you.

In-ho stood above you with a smirk on his lips, watching as his cum created a white river on the floor between your thighs.

"You're mine now," he muttered quietly and out of breath as he picked up your exhausted body and laid you down on one of the VIP couches. You smiled tiredly and looked up at him through heavy eyelids.

"Yours, Daddy. Forever."

[chippedshake]

prompt request: cherry and bob on their first date WALK WITH ME ON THIS ONE

okay okay so I will definitely be writing this in the near future but for now here's the skeleton of my idea because I'm impatient ok (i've never written either of these characters so bear with me):

we open with a Marcia and Cherry scene

Cherry's getting ready to go on her date with Bob and she's kinda not all that excited because she's gone out with guys before and she always thought they were sweet and smart and nice and whatever but they turned out to just be assholes who were into her because she was pretty and popular

so even though she likes Bob, she can't convince herself that he's different from everyone else

I have developed a whole strategy for how she'll pick out her clothes

I love Marcia so even though she isn't in these bullet points you better believe she's gonna be in the fic

Then Bob appears

Cherry describes like an archetype of what first dates are usually like and Bob will subvert. every. single. point.

like 1st one is the guy always shows up with flowers that are always a pain because they die quickly and Cherry doesn't even like flowers all that much but lo and behold Bob shows up with a chocolate chip cookie from her favourite place

when she asks he says she mentioned once that she doesn't like flowers and finds them depressing and that they ran into each other in the bakery a couple months ago and she said it was her favourite place

Bob is down bad okay

1.5th point because I'm adding this later and don't feel like editing everything: the guy will always say "you look pretty" the moment they see her and Cherry doesn't like it because it feel artificial, like it's just their obligation to say it

Bob trained with Bev (idk if you've seen/heard of the musical but she's a Soc girl they made up to be friends with Cherry and Marcia) about what to say to a girl and compliments her earrings in particular and the colour combination

then the 2nd point is that they always bring her to a way too fancy restaurant that neither of them really like

They go out for a picnic and it's actually a really pretty setting and Bob is a terrible cook so he brought like sandwiches or something that his mom had to help him make

also 3rd point. guaranteed awkward silence when they have nothing to talk about, followed by the guy rambling about himself.

First question Bob asks: what do you wanna work as

and they talk about how Cherry wants to be a kindergarten teacher

then she asks the same question back and he says he wants to be a lawyer

when she asks why he just says his dad's a lawyer

maybe a cute moment where she says he’s his own person? idk

4th point: at some point the guy puts his hand on her thigh or something and she tries to wriggle out as subtly as possible

subverted, as usual

I'm sorry but Bob absolutely will earn the "stood out from the crowd" and "he was sweet" title, okay? In Ponyboy’s words: Cherry's smart. She wouldn't like him just 'cause he's good-looking

5th point: they're ridiculously smooth and are still flirting with her on the date, and it feels like they're trying to conquer her or something and it's incredibly uncomfortable

Bob stutters a bit and messes up and goes back on his words and will accidentally make like fifteen innuendos and apologise each time but Cherry likes it because it makes her feel like he actually likes her and is nervous (that's because it's true mijita)

finally, 6th point: they always try to kiss her goodnight even when she makes it abundantly clear they won't be seeing each other again

Bob actually fucking shakes her hand and goes to head back to his car

They end up hugging goodbye and make sure to coordinate a second date

the end

they're very cute and I love them. I hadn't ever thought about them really so thank you for the ask <3333

[sodascribbles]

YEAR OF THE ECHIDNA - INNOCENCE

@year-of-the-echidna

contains: knuckles being a little kid. maddie being a good mom.

relationships: knuckles & maddie

characters: knuckles & maddie; the other wachowskis appear very briefly

read on ao3 here!

. . .

Tails charges into the house with a bundle in his arms. "I made a mistake!" He's on the verge of tears; Sonic's at his side in an instant, Tom and Maddie close behind.

"I— I was working on an invention, and Knuckles was helping me—"

"Knuckles was helping you?"

"Well, he was listening, but it was helpful! It— it exploded! And I don't know if it was chaos energy or if I did something, but— but—"

"Something exploded?" Tom echoes incredulously.

"Is anyone hurt?" Maddie interjects, "Where's Knuckles?"

Tails shifts the bundle. Laying there, small, miserable-looking, and quite frankly adorable, is Knuckles.

He's on something comfortable. If he was napping, maybe a little more wouldn't hurt. . . is what he would say if he were just a puggle! He sits up and lets the blankie fall from his shoulders. He's a big kid. He doesn't need naps.

. . .

Jmm. Knuckles rubs blearily at his eyes. Had he fallen asleep? He hopes not— he's getting too big for naps.

There's a voice beside him, muffled, speaking words that are familiar but somehow aren't processing to him. He makes a sleepy little hum and shakes his head.

The person sitting next to him is not an echidna. He freezes. Something in the back of his head says safe and trust and Mother.

"Sweetie," she says, with a face that's trying not to look worried but is looking worried anyway. Oh. Knuckles can understand her. "Can you hear me?"

"Mhm," he responds, rubbing his eyes again. His head hurts; his whole body feels... strange. Maybe this was the healer's burrow.

The Mother sighs in a good way, but her face is still worried-but-pretending. "Thank goodness. Hi, baby. How are you feeling?"

Knuckles considers this for a long moment. He doesn't really know. "I d'nno," he responds honestly. "Head hurts a little. But I'm okay."

"Do you, um, know who I am?"

He doesn't know a lot of things right now. She looks familiar. His memories are all fuzzy, but he knows she's nice. The back of his head is still saying 'Mother,' but that can't be right, because she's not an echidna. Was she? No.

"Yes. And no," he hums. He looks up at her. Soft face. Long hair (fun to play with. Maybe if he asked really nicely she'd let him braid it.) Pink sweater. Warm hugs.

"Okay," she whispers. Her face wobbles a little. Knuckles hadn't meant to make her sad. . . "Do you know my name? Do you know *your* name?"

"I'm Knuckles," he says, puffing up his chest. That's what people like Mother and Fast and Fluffy and Father called him. So it had to be his name. (Something in his chest screams wrong wrong wrong like a little wailing puggle.) "And you're Mother."

×

Knuckles has never called her mom before. Maddie tries to find the 'right' way to respond, takes too long, and doesn't respond at all. She internally smacks herself in the face as his big, observant eyes tip downward. He fidgets with his adorable little hands. Paws? Claws? His little hands.

"Okay," Maddie finally says, her voice warm. She carefully swallows the fluttery feeling she gets when her boys call her mom. "I'm glad you know me, sweetie. You said your head hurt?"

"A little," Knuckles responds, shrugging. "Feels all. . . fuzzy. Like the blankie. Blanket."

Maddie has melted into a little puddle on the floor, by the way. Not literally. But seeing his adorable little face scrunch up and hear him say 'blankie'. . .

In a more bittersweet way, it's nice to see him honest. When he was big, Knuckles would have denied a headache until he literally couldn't anymore.

"Anything else?" She prods, restraining every urge to reach out for him. He scrunches his face up again (adorable!) and thinks for a moment.

"Nope."

"Well, that's good," Maddie hums. She's pretty sure he's not concussed— the headache must just be a side effect of suddenly becoming a child again. She supposes that makes sense, or at least as much sense as anything can when one's talking about suddenly becoming a child again. "Are you hungry? Do you want some, um. . . grapes?"

Knuckles' eyes go huge and bright and excited. He looks up at her like she's hung the stars. (The look is familiar. He always looks at her like that, just. . . less. Subdued. She shoves the thought away for later.)

"I like grapes."

"I know you do, sweetie." She stands from the couch. "You want to come with me, or do you want me to bring them to you?"

"I can help!" Knuckles hops off the couch and plants his hands on his hips. He smiles. There's a big gap where a tooth is missing. Maddie is still a metaphorical little puddle on the floor.

She leads the way to the kitchen. "I'm sure you can," she says.

Maddie swings open the fridge and does not even slightly get the chance to grab the bag of grapes before Knuckles gets to them. He clambors up a shelf and when he jumps down, he's got the bag over his head, victorious.

Knuckles beams at her. She closes the fridge (miraculously unharmed), and helps him up into a seat at the table. He folds his little hands and doesn't take any grapes until she gives them to him. He's so. . . different. Open. Starry-eyed.

Maddie steals a grape to distract from the sudden lump in her throat. Knuckles doesn't talk a lot about what his life was like before the Wachowskis. Apparently Sonic and Tails knew about some of it, but— well, it wasn't their place to tell her, and she would respect that.

"Thank you, Mother."

She's never going to recover. "You're welcome, baby."

"'M no' a baby," he pouts through a mouthful. Oh, he's such a baby. Maddie's little baby boy.

"Sure you aren't," she responds, soft and warm. Knuckles looks so proud of himself for 'convincing' her.

She lets him eat. The lump in her throat remains.

Maddie loves Knuckles. Maddie will always love Knuckles. But there's a part of her that knows she's going to miss this little guy. She mourns his loss of innocence; she's unfathomably angry at the circumstances that lead this little boy to become. . . well, Knuckles.

He tilts his head at her like he can read her mind. Maddie swallows thickly, and smiles at him.

She'll take care of him for as long as she needs to. And maybe, when he's big again. . . maybe she can help him get some of this back. Maybe she'll see the stars in his eyes again.

[hwnglx]

felix's real personality behind the scenes

based on tarot. i do not know these idols personally. energies are always changing. what i say is NOT straight fact. pls take it with a grain of salt!

+ so the central theme for the first part of the reading, was the word “healing”. this is sweet actually, since i do think a lot of his public image is also tied to that, and it does appear to be a genuine part of his personality.

felix is a person who can have a profound impact on people, in a way where he just soothes them quite naturally. his presence alone can have that calming effect. there's a lot of gentleness to his energy. he's someone people would want to seek out when there's chaos and stress in their life, and they need a source of comfort and positivity. he enjoys giving that to people, and being that type of existence for them. it fulfills him, and can make him feel better about himself.

the stray kids member is the type of person who, instead of being relentlessly competitive and drama-prone, chooses to connect to people in a close manner. he's someone who truly doesn't enjoy drama and conflict.

felix wants to put himself into other people's shoes, genuinely empathize with them, make them feel validated and understood. he usually isn't a person who feels the need to selfishly put himself above anyone in order to lift himself up, or sees people as competition somehow. he just isn't the type who'll consciously choose to fight you, if he can befriend you instead. definitely an “everybody's darling” type of energy.

however, what's definitely worthy to note.. his softness does not equal weakness. on the contrary; felix is someone who's much more masculine and bold than some people might think. he isn't an easy target or pushover, and is in possession of his strong opinions he won't budge away from. if he feels strongly about something, he will not be the type to surrender that easily. in fact, he's very passionate in his autonomy.

i kept getting this feeling, that he's just amazing at wisely picking his battles, and acting with clear intention. although i do see him having his explosive moments, that definitely might catch some people off guard sometimes, considering the duality that's present here.. i don't really see him being a person who allows himself to let loose at the wrong time. i don't see him being someone so overly impulsive that he steps on people's toes, or crosses lines he shouldn't cross.

he's still got a tight enough grip on his emotions, that he's capable of staying conscious of when to let them bubble to the surface. if it's justified and he clearly feels like he's in the right though; you're likely to see a different side to felix, that's much more opinionated and dominant than you think.

this man just has amazing tact, and knows when to let out different sides of himself. he knows who to be more submissive towards, and who he can be more commanding with. he knows how to behave according to what benefits him the most, and which behavior will be to his biggest advantage. some people could look at this as selfish, and see it as more of a yellow flag. the lines are a little blurred here.

felix will be the sweetest and most generous person in the world, if he feels like you can help him out in some manner.

if there's someone who knows how to network in this business, it's him. i wouldn't be surprised if a good amount of his deals are a result of people just genuinely liking him as a person, and almost feeling this desire to return his kindness. (i'm not downplaying his talents! but he just gives the industry's darling too, which i saw in my jyp reading as well)

i can see him doing things like giving gifts, and being of service, or just extra nice to some people in power, who can give him the opportunities or attention/clout he wishes for.

he definitely can have his materialistic and opportunistic tendencies, which again, is likely to be more blurred in terms of “green and red flags”

he's just very clever and strategic, as well as more calculated than what meets the eye. he knows exactly what he's doing when sweetly smiling at you; he knows what effect he has on you. he's someone who charms people like it's the easiest thing in the world, and knows how to make use of his appeal.

- so, emphasizing this again; felix isn't stupid, he's very smart. he isn't a fool, he isn't the naive and innocent angel that he might portray himself as at times.

he's good at detaching himself from people.. the type that makes you feel like you're close to him, when you probably only know like 15% of who he actually is.

he's great at hiding away several parts of himself, especially the more “negative” ones. meaning, he usually disguises e.g. his negative opinions on people behind an agreeable smile, holds grudges deep down he probably won't tell you about, if he feels like it'd ruin the image you have of him. if felix openly and straight up tells you he doesn't like you, it's probably because he doesn't really see any use in being nice to you.

in addition, i can see him weaponizing his kindness at times. going back to the insights for the green flags, he is someone who's genuinely sweet towards many people.. however, some of that does come from him wanting to earn something and benefit from those acts of service.

if you end up in an argument with him, it's likely for felix to throw those acts of kindness into your face, and guilt-trip you for being so ungrateful. he's amazing at making you feel like an awful person. he was being so nice to you, and you're doing him wrong like that? felix is definitely someone who's great at manipulating narratives to his own advantage, and making himself look like the good guy in most scenarios.

he's for sure another idol, who i'd add to the list of “i suggest not fighting him” unless you wanna see a completely different side to him.

it's highly likely for a colder and less considerate side to come out, once you manage to rile felix up, and he feels done wrong by you. he can get very defensive, and quite ruthless and harsh, especially verbally. more cut-throat than he usually is.

i do think a lot of this comes from “i will hurt you before you can hurt me.” deep down, felix seems to have some unhealed wounds, especially in terms of his self worth.. this can lead to him becoming extra defensive if he feels like you could potentially rip off the bandaid, since he's still trying to heal.

note; this is lowkey making me sad, since.. many of his green flags were about healing and helping others, making them feel validated. it's almost like, he wants to heal others, because he can struggle healing himself.

i have to add, i do believe he cares more than he'd like to admit to himself, especially about people's opinion on him. again, i just don't think he wants to, since it can consume him a lot.

felix is someone who needs validation, and wants to feel like he's some sort of use to people in order for him to feel worthy.

the stray kids member is the type to overcompensate because he can quickly feel inadequate for people; especially when it comes to his work. i can see him being obsessive about his craft, his public image, his reputation. he seems to struggle finding real satisfaction, and can often pour way too much of himself into his work out of this fear that he isn't enough.

he's the type of person who's better at recognizing the things he lacks, rather than acknowledging his abilities, or the high place he's at. it's like.. something's always lacking, it's never truly enough. he can get very thirsty in terms of his career.

i do think a large part of this, comes from a lack of genuine and substantial self-love, without all the glamour and fame. he sees himself at his most lovable in work- and idol-mode, and can quickly feel like he's of much less value outside of that.

i can also sense him easily feeling like he doesn't have much to offer, outside of his more superficial qualities. like people wouldn't like him the way they do, if he wasn't in possession of his good looks, his money, his status. this can result in him getting pretty obsessive over keeping those things in check.

this is something i've seen in a few idols now. it's almost like fame can turn into this.. type of drug almost, that gives you this high, which you always end up chasing. a lot of idols realize, especially later on in their careers, that so much of that is just empty. it's a shallow type of “fulfillment” that looks nicer on the outside than it actually is. but once you're there, it can quickly turn into something you still can't get enough of.

[karikitdemonrp]

Kari looked up at Inuyasha and gave a nod. "Kay." She muttered softly, taking in what he said only to look up as the monk walked in. She waved, clearly a bit nervous. "Hi, I'm Kari Kana Lee Himura and this---" Kari moved slightly and grabbed her tattered rabbit plushie and held it out. "Is Tsuki." She chirped while another person walked in wearing pink and black armor and what looked like a large boomerang on her back, though she sat it to the side.

Kari was about to introduce herself again but smiled when she saw Shippo on the woman's shoulder. "There she is, Sango! That's Kari, the girl I mentioned came from wherever Kagome came from!" shippo smiled and hopped off of the woman's shoulder and trotted over. "Hey! Has inuyasha been nice?" The kitsune asked with a chuckle.

Kari blinked and gave a nod. "Yeh. Nicer than what I'm used to anyway." Kari shrugged while Kagome came back in with Kari's second helping of food with a hum, glancing at Miroku, making sure he didn't pull anything. Knowing the monk he might pull his usual schtick but given Kari was younger than thirteen Kagome wasn't too worried.

"By the way, Kari, how old are you?" Kagome asked, trying to inform Miroku tactfully without worrying Kari. The child gave a soft chirp.

"I'm seven." She informed and happily took the second helping of food. "Thank you for the food, again." With that Kari began to eat, still rather quick but she was slowing down a bit in comparison to earlier.

Sango looked over the girl while sitting down and accepting her food. "So, Kari right? What exactly happened to get you here?"

"Weird wind sent me into this freaky old tree. I passed out from the hit and woke up with the tree lookin' different and was found by Chiyo and brought here." Kari summed up as quickly as she could and Sango gave a hum in thought. She could sense something from Kari, but couldn't pin point what. That was when Kagome gave a hum.

"Well, I was planning on taking Kari back to that tree tommorrow to try and figure out what exactly happened, I thought it would be a good place to start since we don't have much else to go off of." She sighed then glanced at Kari, noticing her scarf was getting dirty. "Kari, you're getting your scarf dirty, here I'll go--"

"DON'T!" Kari panicked and moved away as Kagome reached for the scarf in an attempt to take it off the child to wash it. "Ah! I-I mean... It can't... Be taken off... And I don't like people touching it. It means a lot to me. I dunno why but I've had it for as long as I remember." Kagome was a bit freaked out by Kari's sudden out burst but frowned. Then something clicked.

"Wait, can't take it off?" Kagome asked and Kari nodded, moving to pull on her scarf as if to take it off. The scarf strained a bit, giving the faintest shimmer as if fighting to stay around the child's neck. The shimmer was clearly unnatural and caused by some kind of enchantment or something of the sort. A strong one at that.

"Never could and honestly I never really wanted to. Guess that's why the wind didn't knock it off." The child shrugged softly, her heart calming down from the panic attack as she went back to eating.

Sango narrowed her eyes slightly. "Kari, who put that on you?" She asked, her tone laced with worry. Kari shrugged again.

"I dunno. Maybe my parents but I never knew 'em." The child again acted like this was a normal responce, not really caring about the message between the lines. Sango gave a nod and sighed.

"Well, in that case I can help you wash it when you take a bath next if you like." She offered and Kagome smiled.

"I'll help too. You could get a nice bath when you wake up after eating if you like." The young priestess offered with a grin. "You look like you could use one. It could help your feet too." She informed and Kari puffed out her cheeks as a blush formed, clearly emberassed.

"K-kay." Was all she said, moving to finish her food. Kagome explained what she could to get Sango and Miroku all caught up on Kari's situation so they were fully informed.

Once done with her food Kari yawned, clearly looking tired and having clearly had her fill of food. She swayed, trying to stay sitting up for a bit, clearly fighting off sleep just a little bit longer. Shippo was about to act and get Kari to a spot to sleep, but the child passed out, falling backwards with a thud, not really reacting to any pain. Poor girl was finally able to relax enough to fall asleep, or maybe it was that she finally had a full belly to get comfortable enough to pass out. Either way she was asleep.

Inuyasha watched the scene unfold, ears twitching as he observed Kari’s skittishness. He frowned, his golden eyes narrowing slightly at Kagome’s firm tone. “Oi, Kagome, don’t go scaring the kid like that. She’s been through enough already,” he muttered, crossing his arms. Then, glancing at Kari, he softened his tone. “You’ll get used to her bossiness after a while. Trust me, she means well… even if she sounds like she’s yelling at ya.”

Before anything else could be said, the sound of footsteps approached, and Miroku poked his head into the hut, a warm smile on his face. “Good morning, everyone,” he greeted, his gaze sweeping over the group before landing on the small figure near Inuyasha. His eyebrows rose in curiosity as he stepped fully inside. “And who might you be, young one?”

[rimouskis]

can I be so open and vulnerable with you guys. the card I was given from people at my old office was sincerely so nice and really validating but also I feel like the main impression I left other people with was "she's really nice" WHICH IS GOOD, I DO WANT TO BE KNOWN AS NICE but also part of me is like... should I maybe strive for "innovative" or "creative" or "a go-getter" because being The Nice One just feels a little mealy-mouthed of me y'know?

[worstloki]

prize for least genre aware protagonist 👑

[altruistic-meme]

if you could... describe aftg in 5 words

oh this is not as easy a question to answer as it should be akfhsdkf bc like. i could describe its plot, or my thoughts on it as a fan, or how it makes me feel, or just make a joke, or or or and bc idk why you're asking it makes it harder :'))

but let's see...

plot: gay sports mafia found family.

fan: drama, familiarity, trauma, comedy, home

feelings: love, understanding, chaos, joy, comfort

joke: you know, i get it-

(as you can see, i couldn't pick which one to go with, so choose whichever 5 words you want lmao)

[doggytail-duck]

I'm at the point where it's increasingly hard to function again, I can't even do fun stuff let alone things I need to get done

[onrainynights]

I'm about to be so annoying btw

[running-in-the-dark]

.......

[kenzan-kiwami]

2 weeks into my new job and it's already driving me absolutely stir crazy but my adachi jacket arrived today and everything is alright (for the moment)

[weaselle]

i had to make a solution for this for myself, mostly because of depression, but it makes a nice How To for folks who are low on spoons or could use some help in the kitchen.

Fortunately i was a professional cook for over a decade. UNfortunately the first post i made explaining it was suuuuper long. Let's see if i can do better

So you select any protein that you can cook in a frying pan -- chicken breasts, ground beef, pork chops, sausages, steak, chicken thighs, whatever. You also select one or two types of veggie (mushrooms or tubers also work, i just did this with potatoes and carrots for dinner tonight).

[i like cooking for vegetarians, but this is how i cook for myself when i'm low on spoons - perhaps i'll do another post for meatless meals]

You'll also need some kind of oil, and a sauce or two of your choice in a bottle. All cooking gear is a large frying pan with lid (i prefer non-stick) a spatula, a cutting board, and a knife.

You cut the veggies into bite size pieces, cut up enough for two meals. One kind of veggie is fine, or you can do mix two or three

Put frying pan on medium heat with a little oil. Tubers or mushrooms or go in the pan a few minutes before the protein. 2 portions of the protein goes in the pan, about 5 minutes with lid (don't worry you can still get a good sear on both sides)

Now flip your protein if it's flip-able and add normal veggies, put the lid back on another five-ish minutes.

Take your protein out and put it with one portion of the veggies in a microwave safe container. That's going to be your lunch tomorrow. Put the other portion of protein on a plate to rest (you have to let a cooked protein sit a couple minutes before you serve it or when you cut into it all the juices run out and it goes dry - the liquids thicken as it cools, preventing this drying out if you let it rest, the goal is to serve it very warm but not hot hot)

While it's resting, pour some sauce from your bottle in the pan with the rest of the veggies and turn up the heat. A single sauce/bottle is fine, i like to get fancy and mix a couple. Two examples of personal favorite mixes are 1: bbq sauce and a hot sauce like sriracha 2: roughly equal parts low sodium soy sauce and worcestershire (makes something similar to a teriyaki sauce) A swallow of wine is almost always a great option if you want to add that to your sauce too, just add it to the pan before the other sauces so the alcohol has time to burn off.

...

Here is the important bit. While your veggies are finishing, wash your cutting board and chef knife. Then when you dump your veggies and sauce over your protein on the plate, while it is still too hot to eat, you wash your frying pan and spatula before you eat. Now the only dishes you have left to do are your plate and fork. Maybe a steak knife.

...

The whole thing takes about 35 minutes even with washing the dishes, and that includes your lunch for the next day- just pour a different sauce on and stick it in the microwave for a couple minutes (or five minutes back in the frying pan) and you have a full healthy lunch with a different flavor

You can use this technique every single meal and it yields hundreds of combinations, from pork and potatoes bbq, to salmon and broccoli teriyaki, to chicken and zucchini in a soy glaze.

It will keep you down to less than an hour of kitchen time per day total for both lunch and dinner including all dish clean up, uses the least dishes, the least effort, requires the least technique, and is, depending on what you pick out, very affordable

here are a couple more examples from this month; i didn’t take pictures of the salmon i did recently, but you get the idea

it's not super fancy, but it is easy, affordable, quick, and any flavors you want. Hope this helps some folks

Happy Cooking!

[sleeperagentclone]

I am too socially inept to deal with all the weird people my dad has collected over the years

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

There's a viral video circulating from the Fort Worth Zoo, of two keepers who ended up in a habitat at the same time as a silverback gorilla. Spoiler for good news: neither the humans nor the gorilla got hurt. It's a bad situation that ended extremely well, and that's why I want to talk about it.

The audio for this video is mostly someone praying loudly, so if you need to turn the audio off to watch it, you won't miss anything relevant. If you don't want to watch it, here's the summary: it starts with a keeper running around the corner into the main exhibit, pursued by a large male gorilla. She is quickly able to get into a doorway at the back of the exhibit, but does not completely close the door because the gorilla is standing across from her, watching. He eventually moves off to the right hand side of the exhibit, where we can see a keeper is trapped in the corner at the front. She was trying to move towards the exit as he moved to the right, and she stops, standing very still behind a tree, while he stays along the far right wall. They stay like that for a minute, and then the gorilla runs to the front right corner, and the keeper is able to run to the door in the back of the exhibit and get to safety.

Let's start with basic information. Even though it's just going viral now, this video is from October of 2023. It was taken not by a guest, but by the zoo security officer responding to the situation. Hmmm, seems like he maybe should have been doing something else during that situation, instead of than taking a phone video. It's going viral now because the guy (who is no longer employed at the zoo) decided to post it on TikTok for his five minutes of fame. This guy immediately started giving all sorts of media interviews, answering questions like "why no tranquilizers" inappropriately, making memes out of his own video, generally distasteful shit.

Zoo spokesperson Avery Elander gave a public statement that "thankfully, there was no physical contact between keepers and gorilla, and all staff and animals are safe." A comment from the zoo has also indicated that the incident was due to keeper error. (As opposed to, for instance, something in the fencing breaking.) According to the guy who posted the video, a lock was left unsecured and the gorilla was able to open the door to the habitat. I don't know if I buy it, and again, this just... is probably why he doesn't have a job anymore. By sharing that detail - real or not - he places a ton of public scrutiny and blame on that keeper team. (If that's what happened, I can promise you it will have been dealt with internally.) He also was nice enough to say he wouldn't name the women in the video... but verified they're still staffers at the zoo... which means they're eminently identifiable! Excuse me while I ragequit for a second.

So there's two reasons I wanted to talk about this. The first is to make sure it is well known that this guy is purposefully and intentionally exploiting the worst day of someone's life for media attention. Their lives were in danger, and he's using it for fame. His name is in the media articles - I'm not going to share it because he doesn't deserve that attention. The second reason, though, is because this video is a masterclass on how to survive if you end up sharing space with a gorilla. Every zoo person I've spoken to or seen comment on the video is so, so impressed with how the keepers handled themselves.

The gorilla in this video is 34-year-old Elmo. All apes in AZA zoos are managed in protected contact, so keepers are supposed to be separated from them by a barrier at all times. The zookeepers were in the habitat putting out a mid-day meal when he got out. Watching the video, you can see he's not actively being aggressive towards them - he's not making threat displays or trying to approach them. Mostly, Elmo seems like he doesn't know what is going on and he's kinda freaked out about it. (This is confirmed in the zoo's press statement, too). The staff stayed calm, and importantly, watched and waited to see how he'd move and act.

The zoo did say one thing, though, that's a bit misleading. In one article, their press person I quote as saying “In general, gorillas are considered the “gentle giants” of the great ape species.” Just because this may be true in comparison to other great ape species doesn't meant gorilla aren't still incredibly dangerous. This type of messaging always worries me, because I think it leads people to misunderstand the risks of being close to megafauna. Gorilla are extremely strong animals, and their social norms/behaviors are very different from that of humans. That's why it's such a big deal any time people end up in gorilla habitats, and why sometimes in those circumstances lethal measures have to be taken to protect human life.

These keepers are incredibly lucky to be unharmed. These women stayed safe specifically because they're trained professionals who knew how to act around gorilla, they knew this particular animal well, and they'd learned the escapes from the exhibit just in case this ever happened. We should applaud them for their cool heads and quick thinking.

As for the guy who posted the video? As a colleague put it, may he always step on a Lego.