#i guess it's just some kind of natural progression of things right

[antirepurp]

another minecraft unfiction piece pops up in my radar and riles up my expectations of witnessing a strange meta-narrative or a development story before it turns into not much more than a fun little story that uses minecraft as a platform for said story and im just like oh okay

[tgcg]

bad mouther, hole master

TG: kissing with tongue is gross as hell

CG: COME THE FUCK OFF IT.

TG: what

CG: I'M SAYING SHUT UP.

TG: oh

CG: IT'S NOT THAT WEIRD. IT'S LIKE THE NATURAL PROGRESSION OF REGULAR KISSING TO EVENTUALLY INCLUDE THAT. IF YOU HAD ANY SEMBLANCE OF ROMANCE GHOSTING THROUGH THE DEVOLVING REMNANTS OF YOUR THINKPAN YOU'D APPRECIATE WHAT IT BRINGS TO THE NUTRITION PLATFORM OF ANY CONSENTING CONCUPISCENT RELATIONSHIP!

TG: youre talking about it like its a goddamn military weapon or some shit

TG: some kinda scientific fuckin method to fondle a dudes mouth with your own mouth thats

TG: thats gross

TG: this isnt supposed to be a debate before fuckin congress on the pros and cons of getting your mack on

TG: its i would say a reasonably personal thing to react about and thats just my reaction man you dont gotta arbitrate it

TG: and like why the hell do they have to linger on it so long in these movies do they really want me to immerse myself in people necking each other that much

TG: roll the sounds around in my earholes like im swilling a fine fuckin wine

TG: well my professional opinion is that shit tastes and sounds mad gross and tbh i havent seen a single movie where it was close to being any kind of necessary

TG: its just a cringy waste of everyones time

CG: YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND I DISAGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT OF YOUR IGNORANCE GASH, YOU LUMP OF TIGHT-LIPPED CLUELESSNESS.

TG: did you just homestar me

CG: FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, SINCE YOU'RE APPARENTLY DESPERATE TO START SHIT WITH ME RIGHT NOW: HAVE YOU EVER EVEN DONE IT?

TG: hell no

CG: THANK YOU FOR PROVING MY POINT.

TG: proving your point--

TG: bro have uh

TG: have YOU???

CG: EXCUSE ME? HAVE I WHAT?

TG: come on

TG: i walked into this stupid conversation with a fucking shovel and by god am i digging myself a damn hole big and wide enough for every dave across time to squeeze in so i might as well get cosy in this shit before we all start collectively shoving dirt in our mouths

TG: bet your ass im taking you down with me though

TG: grab your spade and get digging man

CG: GRAB MY WHAT????????

TG: just tell me

CG: ???????!!!!!!!!

TG: karkat

CG: NO!

TG: f-

CG: WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!!!!! WHAT PART OF "SHUT UP" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND????

TG: wait no

TG: oh my god dude

TG: you can spin that shit all you want but you can do it the hell away from me

TG: i do not need to be hip to your weirdo foursquare fantasies

TG: patently not my business

CG: STOP RIGHT THERE. JUST SHUT IT. I AM PUTTING US OUT OF OUR MISERY RIGHT NOW. I AM CONDUCTING AN ACT OF MERCY ON THIS INSANE FUCKING CONVERSATION AND YOU ARE GOING TO ZIP YOUR LIPS AND TAKE IT.

CG: HERE IT IS: YOUR SINGLE OPPORTUNITY TO PRETEND YOU NEVER SAID THAT TO ME. I AM GOING TO FORGET YOU MADE A COMPLETE MOCKERY OF ME AND MY CULTURE THIS ONE TIME. AND LET YOU CONTINUE TO DIG YOUR STUPID, SHITTY HOLE.

CG: AND DAVE, I AM BEGGING YOU NOT TO WASTE IT.

CG: TO ANSWER YOUR SHOCKINGLY INAPPROPRIATE QUESTION, NO I HAVE NOT DONE IT.

CG: WHO GIVES A FLYING FUCK.

CG: HAPPY?

TG: ……..

TG: way to defuse the situation solid work

TG: real gold star effort grabbin that lit wick and blowing on it

TG: ok first of all you asked me first so dont act like im the one being a weirdo about this

TG: second of all i didnt mean it like that and you know it

TG: THIRD of all what the hell was the point of engaging the knightly theatrics then if you cant even verify that shit

CG: WELL FUCK, SORRY DAVE! I GUESS I'M JUST A FUCKING ROMANCE ENTHUSIAST! I GUESS I GIVE A MAJOR SHIT ABOUT THE THING YOU'RE OPENLY MOCKING TO MY FACE! IS THAT SO IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO WRAP YOUR THOUGHT SPONGE AROUND?

CG: AND IT WAS COMPLETELY REASONABLE FOR ME TO ASK YOU THAT, YOU CONGEALED FETID NOOKSTAIN! MY STATUS ON THE MATTER HAS LITERALLY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE POINT EITHER OF US IS TRYING TO MAKE.

CG: TRY TO KEEP YOUR NUGBONE FROM CAVING IN ON ITSELF WHEN I DROP THIS BOMBSHELL: I'M ALLOWED TO HAVE OPINIONS ON THINGS I ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT, EVEN IF I HAVEN'T DONE THEM! I DON'T JUST GO TROUNCING THE FUCK ABOUT LOBBING MY UNFOUNDED OPINIONS AT PEOPLE LIKE I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING. UNLIKE SOMEONE WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE INVOLVED IN THIS CONVERSATION WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW!

TG: youre

CG: I’M TALKING ABOUT YOU BY THE WAY. THE SOMEONE IS YOU.

TG: oh gimme a break

TG: bro youre going apeshit over something you havent even done

TG: you know what that sounds like to me it sounds like an overcompensating fake fan who doesnt get any

TG: you heard of troll napoleon complex

CG: AT LEAST I ACTUALLY FORMED MY OPINION BASED ON CAREFUL CONSIDERATION --

TG: -- oh yeah i bet huh

CG: -- INSTEAD OF JUST BANKING ON NUBJERK --

TG: -- not a real thing you just said

CG: -- REACTIONS AND WRINKLING MY SNIFF NUB AT ANY SIGNS OF GENUINE PHYSICAL INTIMACY!

TG: stop saying nub

CG: YOU EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED BULGEWAD

TG: not too much worse than being a perpetual fountain of emotional diarrhea

CG: DON'T YOU DARE.

CG: DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO USE THAT AS A "GOTCHA", YOU--… YOU! FUCK!

TG: dude did you actually run out of insults

TG: okay this is getting concerning

TG: youre the international dude of verbal dunks

TG: that can not be happening

CG: AAGHRJRGHJRGRHJAGHRJGRHJAGRHJRGRHJRGRHRJR

TG: you cant run out of em youre like the ultimate peddler of hate

CG: YOU DON'T THINK I'M CRITICALLY AWARE OF THE HOOFBEASTSHIT I'M SPEWING NIGH FUCKING CONSTANTLY?! I AM PAINFULLY COGNIZANT OF HOW MORONIC EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS!!!!

TG: feel like ive done some damage here

CG: ESPECIALLY MYSELF!

TG: alright bud time to calm down

CG: YOU CALM DOWN!!!!

TG: okay whatever!

CG: WHATEVER!!!!!!!!

TG: jeez

…

TG: here

…

CG: UGH.

TG: yeah

TG: really glad stuff like this happens in private

CG: YEAH. SAME HERE.

CG: JEGUS, CAN WE GO BACK TO BEFORE WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION? I DON'T ASK YOU MANY FAVORS, SO SURELY YOUR SLURRY OF ILL-DEFINED TIME POWERS CAN ALLOW YOU TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

CG: JUST LIKE, WIPE THAT WHOLE THING OFF THE SLATE.

CG: LET'S START OVER. SAY, FIVE MINUTES AGO. HOW DOES THAT SOUND?

TG: what conversation?

CG: OKAY, GOTCHA.

[justasecretflower]

🥀- Dating Jeff! The killer before he became a proxy!

- fluff.

‼️swearing! its jeff obviously…

_______________________________

- Liu was 100% the more popular brother, he was more gentle, more kind, had more looks and friends.

- so naturally, Jeff didn’t even believe you when you said you liked him, like Toby.

- he thought you were just trying to get close to his “better” younger brother.

- you have to keep trying for him to actually believe you. You kept asking him out, telling him he looked nice, or complimenting him for getting a good score.

-he finally believes you after like a month of this and he went out to the park as a date. You brought some snacks and stuff to drink.

- You both hid in the slide. Lying right next to each other in the plastic red slide away from everyone else, talking for just hours straight. He knew he had to go home, but he didn’t care. This was his first ever date.

- “where’s my hug at?” Btw.

- “guess who?” While closing your eyes

- acts like a super senior without the pedophilia

- holds stuff above your head too.

- the first time you kissed he was fed up of procrastination. You sat next to him under the bleachers late at night, then randomly got grabbed by your cheeks and kissed roughly.

- it was a long, deep, rough kiss. He put all of his passion and love for you in that kiss.

- he didn’t apologize for how rough he grabbed you, or how sudden it was, he only went in for a second kiss.

- late night walks>>>>>>

- him giving you that dirty white hoodie he always wears when you get cold.

- makes little notes for you in class, forms a paper airplane and aims straight for your head. Then snickers about it.

- he bites. Not as something sexual just a little sign of affection. Your arm, shoulder, and jaw have become a constant place for him to bite.

-no, he will never do it hard; ever.

- can’t afford flowers, picks up weeds while walking and gives them to you.

- if you’re eating something, he snatches it up and takes a bite.

-same goes for if you’re drinking something, don’t mind him just taking a little swig.

- writes his initial and hearts on your hand all the time

-writes YOUR initial and hearts on his converse

- has a picture of you in his hoodie pocket, sure it’s a little dirt and crumpled but it’s something.

- neck kisses, on the back of the neck :(

- doesn’t know how to express his love, so he does tiny things like picking up cool trinkets he finds on the ground, helping you with a problem in school, and drawing tiny hearts everywhere (on you and your paper)

- has a tiny version of your purfume that he keeps to spray his pillows when he wants to pretend like he’s holding you.

__________________________________________

“Hmmm…a doctor?” You ask, this was the 5th thing you’ve asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, so far he’s said no to everything and it’s been getting progressively harder to think of more careers. The chill of the autumn air dances between the strands of mine and Jeff’s hair, lightly kissing my cheek and making my cheeks and tip of my nose red. He was climbing up towards the monkey bars. Hopping to one of them he thrusts an arm out to reach for the other bar. “Fuck no. Too much work” Jeff huffs a laugh. Lifting his body up to curl his legs on one of the bars, leaving him hanging upside down. I walk towards him, putting my hands on his cheeks. “I give up, what do you wanna be when you grow up.” He looks at me, eyes getting softer, lighter. “With you.” He says, smashing our lips together, like he always does, but pulling away quickly. “Don’t tell anyone I said that corny shit..” he mumbles, hopping down from the bars and rubbing his hands together. I just smile brightly.

________________________________________

- all of his movements seem like he’s scared of losing you, like you’re gonna disappear within seconds.

- grips your hand with a death grip, kisses you rough and fast, hugs you so tight you can’t breathe.

- it’s only in the quiet of the night when he stays over, spooning you does he gently hold your hand and softly kiss your face.

Pt 2. Meeting Jeff! The killer again after dating him before he was a proxy

Tags

[meanbossart]

ASK COMPILATION: LORE, CHARACTERIZATION, AND THE ONE IN WHICH I RUIN A BUNCH OF PEOPLE'S FUN

As usual, this is far from all of the asks in my inbox but I'm trying to catch up 😩thank you everyone for your patience!

For the record, if your ask isn't being answered, that most likely means one of three things:

I am saving it as a possible art prompt.

I sincerely don't have a very interesting or good reply for it yet!

It's a question I have been asked multiple times/the answer is in my pinned post.

Glad you like them!!

As much as I don't limit what I draw to canonical events, vampirism is so antithetical to DU drow's character journey that I couldn't really envision it, to be honest, but who knows! Maybe I'll cook up some Ascended Astarion scenario someday that is kind of a role-reversal of the Bhaalist DU Drow AU I have going on in tandem to the story.

I'll be honest, this is one of the rare times where I'm really not sure which aspect of DU drow's weirdness this is in reference to. Do you know something I don't? 😅

His masochism is very... Classic, I guess? He's in it for the pain and for the emotional connection, and the process of being pierced wouldn't cut it whatsoever, it's too subtle. The body modifications he has are an incidental result of it, but they were never really the goal.

Also having stuff dangling off his face or body would just irritate him, he specifically only does rings because all other types of jewellery get in the way too much. Pre-tadpole Bhaalist drow obviously wore them by the ton, but only as a symbol of status and because he had a permanent new-money complex🤷 so yeah not a piercing-type of character at all, sorry!

He's smooth from the eyelashes-down and profoundly weirded out by body hair LOL

I don't personally think that whatever Astarion had for a home before would bear my resemblance to it after 200 years - having probably gone through several owners, remodeled, if not completely lost to the destruction of the end-game. I do HC that he used to visit it whenever he could as an enthralled spawn to read his mail, but he stopped after his father passed.

THANK YOU, I THINK? I can't say that isn't a passionate description at least!

I'm honestly surprised that this comes up as often as it does LOL but it's just an stylistic choice on my end!

The latter - for sure. He figured that them dying at each other's hands at the end was a given and took that assumption entirely for granted (and I'm sure daydreamed about it often while Gortash went on and on about political strategy during their dinner meetings.)

;))) way ahead of you and by "way ahead" I mean "eventually and whenever I can figure out when to do it alongside the other 30 ideas I am currently juggling" (but I really do want to make a little comic out of it!)

He used them! Not immediately, but he grew to trust the guardian after some initial suspicion and happily gobbled up those squirmy little things alongside Astarion. Because I made his character on a whim and without any planned backstory, I didn't really put any thought into his Guardian's appearance either, so she's just a human woman with a Joan of Arc look going on who's of no significance to him or his past.

But DU drow did trust her, again not immediately but eventually. It was honestly a big kick in the gut to him when the Emperor revealed himself and it definitely set their relationship up to fail from the get-go.

This is also why he didn't ascend to the next stage of Ilithid power, he just stomped the thing dead right on the spot LOL

LMAO I think Gortash is too proud to chase a tail he can't catch like that

He was probably very overwhelmed by the sudden realization that OH, THIS IS ALL HAPPENING BECAUSE OF ME which naturally didn't come across whatsoever to anyone present since he immediately bottled it up and tucked it away out of sight. However, as the story progressed and DU drow helped his friends get out of their respective pickles he was probably able to justify it to himself as it having been for the greater good - since it led to Astarion being freed from his master and Shadowheart to defying the Sharrans.

As for all of the rest of the ensued destruction and death that resulted from it? Well you can't make an omelette without cracking some eggs, or whatever is the wizard version of that saying. He has essentially turned the entire situation into a net-positive in his mind and sleeps great at night because of it.

[everythingiguess]

Thamepo is just so interesting to me. I enjoy this show a lot and I need to talk about it.

It may seem like a pretty common plot —which could have something to do with the fact that it had been in the works for about 5 years before its actual release- but personally I feel like that's what makes it so enjoyable. You can't really go wrong with this kind of plot if it's handled correctly.

And I actually love all the main characters, which is something I usually have trouble with. In most cases I start liking them a lot but as the show progresses I notice that I don't really know all of them as I would like to.

And that's not the case with Thamepo! It makes me so happy; the fact that the show took its time to let us know each of them individually is one of the best things they could've done. This gave them a strong foundation to tell their story.

I know some people feel frustrated about Thame and Po not having scenes together as much as other bls, which is understandable, but I think that with a show like this it's the right way to go. I feel like it was necessary to focus on establishing the whole story and the environment, otherwise it wouldn't be believable. That includes getting to know all the band members, the people around them and the roles they play in their lives. Now that it's all established, they can focus on Thame and Po's relatioship more, which is what it looks like they're going to do; I remember seeing a clip of the actors talking about how surprised they were fans were so invested in the first half of the show because they thought people would start tuning it for the second part, so I'm guessing it's because that's where we have all the romance.

It's great and I love it because once Thame and Po are in a relationship, their dynamic will be very different from those in other shows; Thame is a popular idol and Po is not and that's a problem. This by itself should let us know that they will have a lot of difficulties and we've been given a glimpse of it in the Pepper-focused episode. Once it all begins, as an audience we'll completely believe in everything that happens because we're now immersed in the story and how everything works for people like the Mars' members. They won't need to explain every single thing to us because we already know and understand their situation.

We know because they took their time with the story, and they've done it so naturally. So of course I love it, and I think a lot of hard work has gone into this series and it shows.

I'm confident that if they hadn't done it like this it would have felt weird, absurd and careless.

[black00olive]

Ready for Racing

A/N: Woah,,,, this silly guy is posting something again?? That's crazy,,,, Anyway this was just a small drabble I wanted to create for the art piece you see in the header. I have another post for the full art and you can also check it out on my twt (@black00olive yes it's the same username). This one is especially self-indulgent since Neige is the absolute loml but I'm bland enough that I thought others might enjoy the scenario as well.

Pairing: Neige Leblanche x reader

Wordcount: ~2k words

Summary: NRC and RSA have entered a racing event, and now it's aparently your job to take all of the promotional photos for the participants in place of the paparazzi. At least this gives you the chance to talk with Neige...

“Alright, I’m done. What do you think?” You take out the photo from the Ghost camera and give it to Riddle. 

“This is wonderful,” he muses before giving it back with a smile, “you’ve truly become very adept at photography, haven’t you?”

“Haha, I guess so,” you shrug as you place the photo into your binder before stuffing the whole thing back in your bag. There should only be about three more photos to be taken before you’ve finished your job here. “I mean, that was the natural progression, wasn’t it? Considering how I’ve practically become the school photographer. It would be kind of sad if I hadn’t improved at all during these past few years.”

That forces a laugh out of Riddle as he nods, “Yes, I suppose it would be so.”

“Welp,” you say suddenly as you dust your hands off– even though you really hadn’t done anything to warrant the motion– and turn back toward Riddle, “I guess I should get going to the next person so I can finish this before the actual event starts. Hope you do well during the race. See you later, Riddle.”

“No need to hope, you should know I never do anything less than perfect, Prefect,” he smirks as he waves you off. You roll your eyes which contrasts the way you snort before shaking your head and turning on your phone. Scrolling through your checklist of participants you need to take photos of, you check Riddle off of the list. You read out the next person’s name, and as you do you hear the exact same name being exclaimed not too far away. Which isn’t very surprising, considering who it is.

“Neige Leblanche!”

“Neige Leblanche, look over here!”

“Can we get a statement before the race begins, Neige Leblanche?!”

A horde of paparazzi have gathered around him as different cameras and microphones are all being shoved in his face. Somehow, Neige still manages to have a gentle smile on his face as all of this transpires– a clear show of his media training which would have impressed you if you weren’t so preoccupied with wondering how they all managed to get in. There was a reason you had to do all of the photo taking today, that reason being so they could still get photos without having to have paparazzi this close to the students. 

Something that would never cease to surprise you is how similar paparazzi act both in your world and in Twisted Wonderland. That wasn’t a good thing though, especially considering the status’ many of the students participating in this race held. 

“One more question, Neige! The race hasn't started yet, so you must have some time!”

Another reason they didn’t want paparazzi here was just because of this as well: They would take up all of the participants' preparation time. Sighing, you begin walking over to Neige and the horde of paparazzi surrounding him.

“How do you feel your chances are against Vil Schöenheit and Crown Prince Malleus Draconia?”

“Excuse me, Neige is actually needed elsewhere right now,” you suddenly interrupt as you grab Neige and place him behind you, “in any case, I’m fairly sure you aren’t allowed in here. You should leave before I call security.”

The paparazzi stutter as they try to make up excuses, you just ignore them as you grab Neige’s wrist to lead him away. You walk away, while doing so you take out your phone and type out a quick message to Crowley as you glance back. Thankfully your warning was enough for most of them to grab their things and leave, but you still sent the message just to be safe.

“Alright, we should be far away now. Sorry for just grabbing you like that,” you say as you let go of his wrist.

“Oh, no! It’s alright, I should thank you for getting me out of that situation,” he responds with a thankful smile before suddenly remembering something, “right! You said I was needed somewhere?”

You give him a funny look before remembering that you actually had made up something like that while you were talking to the paparazzi. “Huh, yeah, no. That was just something I made up to get you out of there,” you shrug as Neige’s eyes widen before bursting out into giggles. 

“Haha! Oh, I see,” his eyes crinckle in the corners as he smiles at you, “I suppose thanks are due then?”

“Pfft, no, it’s okay. I’m staff right now, so it’s technically just part of my noble duty,” you wave him off with a smirk, “plus, if I hadn’t chased them away they would have ended up bothering the rest of the participants anyway, you know?”

Neige plays along with amusement coating his voice, “Right, right, of course. What would we do without you, O’Noble Knight in confrontational armour?” The two of you stare at each other for a moment before both bursting out in laughter. 

“Okay, yeah… I did drag you away… for some less noble… reasons as well,” you say between your attempts at stifling your laughter. “Ah, truly? I would have never been able to guess,” Neige muses before you continue. “Those reasons being that it’s your turn to get your photos taken.”

That causes Neige’s eyes to widen again as if he had forgotten about it, “Oh right, we are getting our photos taken by you,” which he evidently had.

“Yeah, I am. C’mon, let’s go to your car so I can take them,” you motion toward where the RSA participants have their cars stored.

“Neige, you’re back!” Doc exclaims as he looks up from where he was messing with the wheels of the car. “Those people didn’t bother you too much, did they?”

“No, I’m fine! They were just asking questions,” Neige tries to placate as Dominic fusses over him.

“I swear, those guys can never just mind their own business! Always bothering us…” Grum grumbles as he glares at nothing in particular. “You should just yell at them to leave you alone!” He eventually exclaims which causes Neige’s smile to drop a little.

“Grum! You know why Neige can’t do that!” Dominic chastises as Neige simply just laughs a little half-heartedly. 

You get Grum’s sentiment, it’s why you had spoken out in place of Neige earlier. At first you hadn’t really understood it, but after spending more time with him you had finally come to understand how fragile Neige’s image really was in the media. Ever since he was a kid Neige had been in the spotlight, always in the pure, sweet hero role, and that’s the role he had been forced to take in real life as well. If he were to ever break that mold he was placed in he would have hell to deal with.

“Well, are you guys done with fixing the car? Neige is going to get his photo taken now,” you interrupt the heavy silence that had taken over the conversation while holding up the ghost camera. Neige sends a grateful smile in your direction before Dominic answers.

“Oh, Prefect! Yeah, we are,” Dominic nods as he begins to push Grum away, “we’ll get out of your way so you can take his photos!”

You thank him as you take off your bag and get into position. Neige tilts his head and looks at you before you tell him to sit on the ground, leaning on the car's side. Thanks to having already taken more than a dozen photos already you had been able to try a ton of different positions, which resulted in you already having an idea for how you wanted Neige’s photo to look like. 

The session goes incredibly smoothly and before you realise it, you’ve already finished taking the one perfect photo that was needed– plus several more. As the last photo comes out of the ghost camera you don’t immediately give it to Neige to look at. It was probably the best out of all the photos, in your opinion of course. Really, it was no wonder Neige was so popular. Even overlooking his acting talent and just how kind he was, he was beautiful, gorgeous even. 

It was different from the beauty that Vil had– very different. Where Vil was a striking, eye-catching beauty, one that was meticulously curated and perfected, and even intimidating. Neige was a type of beauty that creeps up on you– in a way. He had the kind of beauty you might see as you walk down the street which causes you to look back and won’t leave your mind for the rest of the week. Welcoming, warm, and inviting, those were all words you would use to describe his beauty. In all the ways Vil was sharp and arresting, Neige was soft and charming. You never understood why Vil would compare himself to Neige when the two of them were both winning, just in two different categories.

“Prefect!” Neige’s voice suddenly brings you out of your thoughts as you bring your eyes away from the photo.

“Huh?”

“I’ve been calling you for a while now, what has you so zoned out?” He asks as he looks over at the photo you were holding. “Oh,” he squeaks before suddenly leaping away from you as if you had burned him.

“Haha, yeah, I was looking at your photo,” you say as you feel your cheeks heat up, “you really are gorgeous, but I’m sure you know that already.” You itch your nape as you bring your eyes back up towards his. Neige always had especially rosy cheeks but now they practically looked like two tomatoes were put in place of his cheeks.

“Well, it’s always nice to hear you say it… Not that I’m trying to fish for compliments or something! I’m just saying that it’s always nice to hear compliments, you know? I’m not trying to be egotistical or something, ‘cause like, I know I’m quite pretty, it’s just extra nice to hear someone you really like say something nice about you! Really like- because you’re my friend! You’re my friend so I really like you and like when you say nice things… Eugh…” Neige exclaims as he flails his hands around, talking so fast someone might have genuinely thought he took up rapping. Eventually he resolves into mumbling before covering his face with his hands and groaning. 

You can’t help but laugh as you half-heartedly cover your smile with your fist. This only causes Neige to glare at you– albeit it’s a glare with no heat behind it– as he gives you a light shove. “It’s okay, Neige, I get what you mean. Anyway, that should be everything, I should go to the next person now. Only two more and I’m free,”  you chuckle as you finish placing all of the photos into your binder. Your eyes find their way back to Neige’s and you feel your cheeks heat up again. 

“I suppose you should… Well! Thank you for helping me earlier, and for taking such lovely pictures of me,” Neige says as he suddenly averts your eyes with a small smile. 

“Right…” You continue to stare at him, neither of you making any move to leave, before impulsions suddenly take over you and you find yourself brushing back his bangs– even though there was no need for it. With wide eyes Neige looks back at you and you let your hand rest on his shoulder. You squeeze lightly as if it would be enough to convey your message before you begin: “I’ll see you later, yeah?” 

With his face being a slightly more reddish hue he nods and agrees: “Yeah.”

“Mhm, well… Good luck on the race then, I’ll be cheering you on,” you remove your hand from his shoulder as you smile at him. A little awkwardly he nods at you and you nod back before you find yourself on your way to find the next participant you need to take a photo of.

[guiltycorp]

Damn i really want to know tf happened in the writing room of arcane s2. Some of the downgrades were inevitable due to the show's corporate limitations (not being able to progress the class war story in a meaningful way, having to tie things back to league of legends in terms of making playable characters more appealing to well, play... rip Mel and Viktor in particular), sure. But i still feel like it's even worse than that? There are so many bad decisions that i couldn't even start listing them all... the characters, plot, pacing, themes, it's just such a mess? Even the dialogue writing, it feels much more mm Marvel at its worst i suppose. What i am most bothered by is probably just the straight up harmful messaging so um... Cycles of violence and abuse can be broken by individual decisions to become a better person! Got nothing to do with systemic oppression, living conditions, mental health issues, you can just conveniently ignore aaall the social context, live laugh love and then things get better automatically yep, oppressors famously stop oppressing you when you show them that you're harmless and won't put up a fight anymore. Literally three out of three suicidal characters dying to redeem themselves? Not even in a tragic/cathartic way but in a bittersweet 'they finally atoned for their mistakes' way? Groundbreaking lmao. Romantic relationship between Vi and Caitlyn including no communication about their biggest fight, just conveniently skipping to sex and getting back together - would have loved that if it was framed as the unhealthy fucked up thing that it is, skipping over Vi's hurt and her background to once again become a cop, her girlfriend's direct underling at that (!) due to her not having any other support systems... But nope that was our cute lesbian romance wrapped up, a good thing all around, not concerning at all. Jayce telling Viktor that what he 'always admired about him' was his disability and his deadly disease (??? from a character who spent the whole s1 and first act of s2 desperately trying to help Viktor find a cure? sure) and that those imperfections don't need fixing, just wtf truly. Magic bullshit was also weird, some implications of 'natural magic is ok, but achieving that power through other means corrupts you into a crazy robot bitch or just wilts your trees i guess', but tbh it was written in such a weird and inconsistent way that we can skip this one... Yeah actually a lot of things were just such a mess that I feel silly pointing to specific moments or lines I didn't like, I mean duh, it barely makes sense as a story at all... I am happy we have s1 which comparatively was a masterpiece, and i also really enjoyed s2 act1, i truly believed it would lead somewhere good at the time, my mind still kind of cuts off the story at that point when i think about it, that WAS the open ending of the show to me (is it possible that there were rewrites? targeting act 2 and 3? idk, wishful thinking perhaps). Despite my extremely negative feelings about this season's conclusion i remain glad that so many people appreciate the show regardless, it is clear that there was STILL a lot of love in the process of its creation (although i'd argue that even some of the visual aspects of the show suffered in quality, once again i have to wonder about behind the scenes mood of it all) and i get very upset when i see creatives online despairing over reception of their projects even when i'm absolutely in the disgruntled crowd hahaha... ...however yeah, this wasn't great In a world that increasingly grows more and more right-wing politically... we really needed something different i think.

[cinnamonest]

Also on note of that “bone breaking” post I believe Xiao is an absolute menace to the innkeepers because of his inability to gauge human sickness and injury. He's thoroughly convinced any slight discomfort you experience is a near-death situation.

Human life is incredibly fragile. Their bodies are nearly unbelievably susceptible to death from even very mild injuries and sicknesses, they die so easily it's frightening. Which is why he has to be very vigilant with you.

You once got a bit nauseous from eating something a bit past expiry date — you insist it's just food poisoning over and over, but he practically drags you to a pharmacist anyway “just in case,” because there are many deadly pathogens and parasites humans can die from that begin this way, and you will drop dead before you even know something is wrong.

If you have a headache, it's probably an oncoming aneurysm that will cause sudden death. You may think you have a mere common cold, but he is well aware that many very dangerous and severe illnesses begin as symptoms of common colds, some of which progress so rapidly you may not have time to notice before sudden death.

You try to explain your throat hurts because what you ate is giving you heartburn, but if it has the word heart, which is a very vital organ, that can only mean you are at great risk of, you guessed it, sudden death.

More than once now you've been sleeping a little too deeply — your breaths are so slow that it looks like you're barely breathing at all, so he has to shake you awake to ensure you are still alive. Any cough or sneeze is met with this head-jerk in your direction and yellow eyes wide open staring in panic, and you have to swear up and down you just got swallowed the wrong way or inhaled some dust.

Not even period pains are safe — it's normal, so you insist, you can't hide your discomfort so you're all but begging him not to worry about it, but this one time he remembers about seven hundred years ago he once heard a villager mention a woman who had internal bleeding mistaken for just that and died, so it must be seen professionally (yes, each month). The whole concept bothers him — you're bleeding and in pain, those things are bad, how can you be sure it's the normal amount of bleeding and pain and not too much, that you're not actually five minutes away from dropping dead? That's right, you can't know, which is why you have to let him carry you to the harbor for the third time this week.

Injury is even worse — yes, he's aware that human flesh bruises easily, but this bruise is on your ribcage, and you don't recall how it got there, there are organs underneath there and you could very well be internally bleeding out.

Both innkeepers are, at this point, used to him coming bounding into the main lobby in full-fledged panic, demanding to hand over the emergency medical kit kept by the front desk so he can save you from bleeding out (you accidentally cut your finger on a splinter on the baseboard), and they no longer bat an eye or ask where you're going when he comes barging through carrying you (protesting, at that) out the door without a word before vanishing in the direction of the nearest village with a doctor… even when you try to get their help to please tell him I'm fine, they just ignore you at this point, knowing it's futile.

There's a death at the inn once — you try to be reasonable and explain that it was a very elderly and sickly man who most certainly died of natural causes, but see, you don't know for sure that he didn't have some kind of rare rapid-onset deadly illness that can spread from the bottom floor all the way up to where your room is, so it is imperative that you be disinfected professionally.

He annoys the doctors too — they're all used to it at this point too, but many of them are aware of him, and none of the humans really want to oppose or risk upsetting one of these beings they have a degree of reverence for, so much to your dismay, all of them continue to treat his concerns as legitimate, even though it's very blatantly clear to you that they're faking taking it seriously.

On the bright side, having some pity on your suffering perhaps (or being tired of dealing with the same thing over and over), the harbor pharmacist managed to convince him that an over-the-counter mild painkiller was a miracle cure for a wide variety of ailments, so unless you feel that you need more, he says, then that should be enough… which cuts down on the frequency of your unnecessary emergency care visits, but only somewhat.

At this point, surely at least one of the concerns has been legitimate, he has definitely saved your life more than once by now. And yet, you have not thanked him for this, you continue to be so naive to your own fragility and do nothing but complain about it when you literally owe him your life. Unbelievable.

But rest assured, your ungratefulness will not deter him from continuing to take the utmost care of you, he'll continue to save you, regardless of how unappreciated these life-saving efforts are.

[nonbinarypirat]

Hello! I really like your character analysis from m!ik. I wanted to ask you what do you think of Amerie? And her influence on Iruma? And their relationship?

Great question! Okay, I’ll go in order of your questions since you have a few for me :)

Okay, so I have issues with how Ameri is written on the character, some of the few issues I have with Nishi’s writing thus far. But before I talk about the negatives I want to focus on the positives of Ameri and her character because I do think she has a lot of potential that I hope we get to see! Ameri is a classic capable but soft character type that we see in both her romance fantasies but also her deep care for her fellow students. She isn’t just a student president because of the prestige or power it could give her, it’s because her ideal is for every demon to be proud of themselves and their authentic selves. And this is a quality in her that I find deeply profound and beautiful. She’s proud of herself and she wants others to be proud of themselves as well. And what I like about Iruma and Ameri is that she encourages him to strive for more, more than he ever could have dreamed of in the beginning. And he makes her enjoy herself more rather than overworking herself. He makes her be still more, stop to appreciate the little things. She also has the power to inspire others, a nature born leader, and one that is willing to do anything for her fellow students. Not to mention she has given her fellow student council members a place to belong and by doing so, they have deep respect and loyalty to her. And for demons who are inherently selfish and idealistic, this says a lot. They aren’t with her because of her strength, they care for her and I think that speaks volumes in itself.

What I have a problem with is how much her growth is tied to iruma. I think in this Nishi failed at making her an independent character. For instance, we don’t get to see her work towards rank 7, which would help her in her main ambition. We know she wants to take over for her dad, but we don’t know why that’s so important to her yet. And we don’t get to see the steps she takes towards that goal. Her growth is her progress in her relationship with Iruma and I think that’s a let down. Like I said, I love how she inspires and pushes iruma to be a better version of herself. I enjoy that a lot about their relationship. But I don’t find myself interested at all in the romance aspect of the two, mostly because of how they met each other. The trope is that in so many animes and mangas (and the romance genre in general) have two characters run into each other and instantly fall for the other. They went for the trope, we had some laughs about it, but then it kind of just… stuck around? It’s making fun of the clique while also adhering to it and to me it just didn’t land. I think for the joke to work and to make the relationship flow better, the immediate attraction should have quelled and from there a more slow burn of feelings for Ameri. I think if she didn’t become so Iruma crazy so soon into the story, it could have made a more compelling relationship compared to the current one we have. Right now, besides motivating each other I don’t see much in the way of their relationship? I think it’s also hard because we see so little of her in the actual plot and story so the relationship feels like it’s going at a snail’s pace while also going too fast when we do get to see them interact again to make up for the lack of Ameri. It’s weird, they’ve gone on three or four dates (or at least, we can categorize them as dates even if both characters haven’t called it that) but at the same time it’s like nothing has happened for them. I guess besides Ameri realizing her feelings, Iruma blushing when hugging Ameri, and the talk with Henri. I wish the relationship was more friendship focused or the feelings took longer to develop. Because she’s a busy woman and she’s a year above Iruma, we don’t see her actively take part of the plot often and it just makes it hard to get to know more personal stuff about Ameri.

This isn’t to say I’m a Ameri x Iruma hater, I just don’t find their relationship a fun part of the story. I do also admit to having a bias for the love trio when it comes to Iruma ships. But I do hope that the relationship develops more in an in-depth way because I could see her and their relationship becoming more interesting if Nishi takes the time to write her (in my opinion) better.

[lsunstreakerl]

yup, you guessed it, more darkbull. 1.5k words, Max, Daniel, and Carlos. Max POV pre-kidnapping, where nothing is weird and everything is fine! (again: darkbull)

"I thought the FIA had a jewelry rule?"

Max tilts his head at Christian as the Cartier associate carefully screws the bracelet together. Christian is watching from where he's standing next to Max, eyes laser focused on each rotation of the screw.

"Christian?"

Christian startles before looking at Max with a reassuring smile, gently bumping his shoulder.

"They're lax on it, and the car is fast enough that a few pieces of jewelry aren't going to hurt."

Max nods as the associate lets go of the first bangle, carefully securing the second around his wrist.

There's two of them, so they'll clink together whenever Max moves his hand. They're gold, embedded with diamond and sapphire and rubies. The way they glint in the light is addictive, and Max keeps letting his eyes drift back down. "Redbull" is engraved on the inside, which is nice of them, giving him a gift like this.

They've given him gifts before, but this one settles warm in Max's chest. He's not temporary to them like some other drivers- they're proving it right now, name pressed against his pulse point.

He's pretty sure Danny and Carlos don't have these, but they'd recently given him a gift as well- he has a necklace resting between his collarbones, linked rings at the hollow of his throat. It's got some kind of weird clasp that Max can't figure out, so it's a good thing it's waterproof.

The associate sets the tool back down, passing Christian two boxes to hold the bracelets if Max ever needs them somewhere for safekeeping. Christian takes them, but he pockets the dust bag with the tool in it. Max should probably ask him for that later, just in case he needs to remove them for something, but Christian is already nudging him to stand, so he shelves the thought for some other time.

Max stands, lets the weight of the bracelets settle on his wrist, cool metal against his skin. It's nice, a physical reminder that the team cares about him.

Not that he's doubted it, necessarily. He's so grateful to them for everything they've done- if GP hadn't been there for him when Jos disappeared, Max isn't sure what he would've done. Fallen to pieces, probably.

But Redbull had been there. They'd supported him, helped take so many things off of his hands so that he had room to breathe.

The Lambiase's had moved him into their home, and Alice had swooped in to help him handle his finances- he's got savings accounts and investment accounts that he doesn't even know the names of, trusts her to handle it.

Everyone at the factory is so kind, and they're so present, always right where Max needs them. It's incredible, really.

Carlos and Danny have been amazing as well. Max isn't sure how he managed to swing both of them, but it certainly makes life easier- he doesn't need to worry about a partner that gets frustrated with the race schedule, or having to leave someone behind whenever he travels.

It had been Max and Carlos first, and Max remembers how easy it had been. There had been a time, right at the beginning before Jos disappeared, where he and Carlos had been somewhat at each other's throats, just because it was what their fathers did.

Afterwards, though.

The first time Max had run into him in the hallway after Jos was gone and tried to muster up the anger, tried to piss off Carlos in the way that had once been so easy-

He'd gotten choked up halfway through, the weight of everything pressing down on him, and Carlos had softened, pulled Max into hug.

After that, Carlos had been everywhere. It was like he'd appointed himself as Max's emotional support, sticking by his side. They compared data and did sim runs together, they grabbed lunch at the same time, Carlos sat on his left side during meetings. (Never his right- that was GP's spot.)

It had been a natural progression from there. It had been one of their sim days, Carlos casually watching over Max's shoulder as he set purple sectors around Spa. He'd been kind to Max all day- little things, like bringing him coffee, brushing his fingers across the small of his back, telling him after every lap what a good job he was doing.

It had started to sink into Max's brain, making him wait for whatever Carlos decided to tell him next, warm breath ghosting across the back of his neck.

Sure enough, his best lap time yet- Carlos had leaned over and kissed him, achingly gentle. Max hadn't even thought about the fact that some of the engineering team could see them, didn't even realize until later that night while he was trying to fall asleep.

The only indication the team had given was a brief talk from Christian- that if Carlos did anything Max wasn't okay with, to immediately go to him or GP.

Otherwise, there's never been any kind of conversation about PDA, even when Max was expecting it. Carlos certainly isn't subtle- he gives kisses all the time, likes to come up and just have his arms around Max. It's never even phased the team, which Max is a bit impressed by. They simply continue as normal.

Max has never had to worry about Carlos making him uncomfortable either. Carlos is steady and reassuring, broad chest and broader shoulders, likes to wrap his arms around Max and sway them to whatever music is playing. He's tactile, which is good, because Max has found he likes to always be touching people. He hadn't known that about himself when he was with Jos- all touch had been bad.

Now, he knows he can lean against team members, can wrap himself around Carlos or Danny like some kind of octopus and trust them to hold his weight.

(Mostly. He'd done it to Danny by the pool once and the fucker had just lifted him and cannonballed them both into the water, laughing the entire time.)

Max pauses, steps stuttering briefly, and Christian immediately turns to check on him.

"Max?"

One of Max's hands comes up to fiddle with the rings at his throat.

"Christian, the fourth driver- what if they don't get along with any of us?"

Christian furrows his brows, frowning slightly.

"Max, we wouldn't take on a driver that doesn't like you."

Max wraps the chain around his index finger, coiling it up before letting it fall again.

"Not just me- what if they don't like Danny or Carlos?"

Christian's face smooths out in understanding.

"I see. Max, I don't care if we have to go through the entire development program, or if we have to snatch from another team- we'll find someone. Driver compatibility is important to me. You, Daniel, and Carlos have something really good going. We'll find someone that enhances it."

He steps forward, curling his palm around the back of Max's neck, warm and heavy.

"If you ever don't like someone on the crew- just tell me. We'll get it worked out."

Max feels his shoulders relax, both at Christian's words and the reassuring gesture. It's nice that the team takes his comfort so seriously. It helps him be the best possible driver for them.

Still- he's learning to be a little bit more careful with his grievances. He'd half-heartedly complained about someone to Danny the other day after the race, and the next time they'd had a meeting-

The man was gone. Nobody mentioned it, and the new girl was very nice, introduced herself to Max and everything. He's sure there's more to it than just his complaint, but he doesn't want to be the straw breaking the camels back for some poor employee.

Unless they're really rude.

------

Triple headers are rough, and Max doesn't always want to go all the way back home between races, so he's dropping his stuff off in his room at the factory. His keycard beeps against the door, but he can smell food when he steps in, and the lights are on already.

Max sets his duffel down at the entryway, poking his head around the corner. Daniel is leaning against his fridge, scrolling his phone while Carlos messes with something on top of the stove.

He feels himself relax. He hasn't said anything, but triple headers stress him out a bit, make him feel more on edge than normal.

For both Danny and Carlos to be here, soft and domestic-

It makes him less nervous about the upcoming weeks.

Daniel spots him in the doorway, tucking his phone into his pocket as he grins, opening his arms.

Max drops into them, smells Danny's coconut shampoo from where his hair is wet and curled by his ears.

There's a warm weight against his back a moment later, Carlos bracketing them both in.

Max lets them both support him for a few minutes, decompressing.

"I did not think you both would be here yet."

Daniel tilts Max's head up to kiss him, soft and sweet. Carlos has his hands on his waist, heat burning over his hips like a brand.

"We wanted to come in a little bit sooner."

His voice is low against Max's back, and he can feel the vibrations of it through his chest.

Max is fine with that.

[oiblackestsheep]

what, in your opinion, are an intp’s needs in a relationship? (coming from an infj.) love your blog, you’ve got some amazing insights 🫶

Aww, thanks INFJ anon. 🫶 I try my best to have interesting insights that bring something fresh to the table!

INTP's Needs in a Relationship

I've been in the same relationship for 8.5 years (and we actually MET ON TUMBLR BECAUSE OF THIS BLOG WHICH IS SO FUNNY AND NERDY), all of this to say, I've had a lot of time to think about my relationship needs even from the MBTI perspective as an INTP, because that was how my ENFJ and I kinda started out getting to know, like, what we each needed from each other, so, here we go!

Disclaimer: This is assuming that the INTP is already getting everything that everyone needs in a basic healthy relationship like, you know, feeling emotionally safe and being treated with respect, etc..

Intellectual stimulation: INTPs generally love understanding new things and how they work, so ideally their partner can share that interest with them in some way! They can be pretty curious people, so joining them in their quest for uncovering the "how" and "why" of everything will make them feel understood, themselves, and closer to you in the process!

Clear explanations of your feelings: Because INTPs have inferior Fe, they tend to have a habit of intellectualizing their own emotions when they talk about them, which can cause complications with understanding other people's emotions, too. Finding a way to be patient and know that even healthy INTPs might still struggle with connecting with other people's emotions (especially at first in a relationship) isn't necessarily because they don't want to, but more that it doesn't always come naturally, so they don't always know how to. If they're a healthy person, they will want to understand, just try not to take it personally while they are practicing/learning!

Alone time: This one should be pretty straight-forward lmao. They're introverted, so they like to recharge doing solo-activities, and they're intuitives, so they have their own little theoretical world full of bizarre ideas to entertain themselves with that might not always be easy to follow at first. I find that introverts in general (maybe the INxx types even moreso) like to engage in parallel play where their partner also does something quietly nearby, but still a separate activity. As an INFJ, yourself, I'm sure you can relate in your own way, so it's likely easy to give them what they need!

Humor them/hear them out: This might sound a little vague, and I guess in some ways it is, but this is mostly about their auxiliary Ne. ENTPs and ENFPs get most of the attention when it comes to high Ne, but INTPs (and INFPs, too!) place a lot of importance on it, too, which can often manifest itself in conversations like "what if __", "imagine if __", etc.. To put it bluntly, it might seem a bit... directionless, and that's because sometimes it kind of is! It's just about thinking of random possibilities that are non-serious and funny in the moment, and don't really go anywhere else outside of the current discussion or hold any larger, overarching significance. Sometimes it's less about the actual topic itself, and more about having some random fun and "playing along" that makes a world of a difference to a playful INTP (or high Ne user in general). This point got away from me a little bit which I think, in a way, is the perfect exemplification of what I was trying to say in the first place, lmao. Hope that makes sense! If your INTP ever sounds like whatever the hell I just said, just try not to disengage right away, because they probably have a point that they are struggling to reach. Put that dom Ni to work and summarize it for them, I know you can do it from experience with my own ENFJ lmao.

Anyway, uhhhhh: Every single point on this list has gotten progressively longer because my Ne loves extrapolating (and I love Ne, but sometimes its gotta CHILL you know?), so I'm gonna end it here before it gets WILDLY OUT OF CONTROL.

This was a fun question, anon!: Thanks again for reaching out, and basically giving me full range to just write multiple paragraphs about myself and my relationship!

[indignantlemur]

If you’ve answered anything like this before, feel free to ignore this ask! I don’t think you have, but I could be missing something 😅.

Anyway, my question is: How do Andorians view human family systems, and our lack of keths? I’m rereading Emigre rn, and there’s a part where Thoris asks about Dagmar’s Keth, and she reiterates that she doesn’t have one; but Thoris just kind of walks away, and we don’t get to know his thoughts on the matter. So I guess what I’m asking is: if you feel comfortable doing so, please tell us what Dagmar’s friends and coworkers were thinking when they first find out she has no family or keth. Did Thoris really not care, or did he just feel too awkward to voice any thoughts? I get the distinct impression he *does* care, at least a little, about Dagmar, but is just a grumpy old man that doesn’t know how to show it within the constraints of the strict Andorian social hierarchy. I’ve been dying to know the answer to this for a long time now.

Hello, hello! This is a long one, so the bulk of this is under the cut!

Andorians are a bit confused about how Human families work, to be honest. Most Humans seems to live in singular family units, all separate from each other - and yet they also claim to have keths, which makes no sense.

At one point in Emigre, Dagmar explains that Humans do have clans, but they're not huge entities in politics and the world at large like Andorian Clans are. They're still about family, still about shared blood and kinship, but they're not movers and shakers in the Human world.

Compared to what Andorians are used to, the things that Humans think of as 'clans' are isolated, powerless, and tenuous associations based on shared heritage and little else. There's no reason to stay in a Human clan, beyond sentiment.

The very idea is uncomfortable to imagine, but a growing number of Andorians are beginning to think that this is why Humans are so alarmingly friendly with everyone. Their own Human not-Clans simply don't provide the security they need, so Humans must constantly seek out other sources for it! And, of course, it was only natural Humans would be drawn to Andorians, who are fierce and strong in their own right! Really, it's all to their benefit that Andorians are also generous allies and have agreed to shelter the hapless things under their auspices! Truly, one shudders to think of what might have become of Humans if they had not met Andorians when they did.

(Humans, of course, have a very different recollection of events. And no one asked the Vulcans for their opinion. Or the Tellarites.)

So, when it comes to Dagmar and her total lack of family, reactions from the Andorians around her are a little mixed. Andorians unfamiliar with Dagmar don't view the information as anything more than a simple fact, and largely don't think on it much - if at all. It's not their problem, and they're not invested in an alien they don't know. Some of her coworkers, however, might find themselves feeling a kernel of pity for her, all alone in the world as Dagmar is. It's a terrible thing to be; for Andorians, to be alone is to be unprotected and vulnerable.

Still, most of the Andorians at the embassy are well aware that Humans are different in a number of ways. For the most part, since Dagmar doesn't seem to be outwardly bothered by her situation, most assume that it must be fine. Perhaps Humans are a hardier sort, in these matters? Who can say?

I'd like to think, however, that Dagmar's friends feel genuine dismay for her, at least. As proud as Andorians are, it's difficult to imagine how a Human should feel in such a situation; among their own kind, an Andorian would be devastated to be found in such dire straits. Close friends, like Thelen, are a bit more aware of Dagmar's feelings on the subject, but even so they don't fully mesh. An Andorian thus isolated would quickly seek to join a new Clan, if they were able, but Dagmar only seems to grieve and grieve. There's no progression, no action taken to deal with the matter as an Andorian might. She is alarmingly stagnant.

✨✨✨

The scene you're asking more specifically about in chapter five, for reference, goes like this:

"And what became of them? Your people?"

Dagmar suppressed another flinch and dragged her eyes away from the floor to look at the shorter Andorian male. "Dead, sir. A long time ago. I'm the last one."

Yes, she supposed she was. She was the last of her family. There were a few descendants - from her brother, from her cousins - but there had been no connection between herself and them, when she had tried to talk to them. Umpteenth-great grandnephews and grandnieces, and cousins so distant as to be almost without relation. They might as well have been strangers, bearing bits and pieces of her family in their faces and within bodies. Her brother's eyes or maybe his pianist's hands, her father's nose and clever smirk, her mother's smile and chortling laugh - all scattered like old, dead leaves amid unfamiliar traits. She had to look long and hard to find the familiar, hiding behind someone else's cheekbones, someone else's ears or brow. There was so little of her blood in them, after so long, and they saw nothing of themselves in her.

No, she had no one. She was the last. 

Thoris inquired, imperious and demanding, his antennae lashing minutely before curving forwards, "And your keth?"

Dagmar blinked, wondering what part of her response the male hadn't understood, what part hadn't made it across the cultural gap. Slowly, deliberately, she repeated herself. "I'm the last."

There was something truly horrible about the words –like nails holding a coffin shut while you were in it, still alive, still breathing. It was like suffocating and breathing too fast at the same time, dizzying and frightening.

Thoris left without another word; Andorians did not waste time with unnecessary small talk.

At this time in the story, Thoris had not yet been fully debriefed by the Terran government at that point, so he (and his staff) were largely unaware of Dagmar's precise circumstances beyond some vague mutterings from the Terran public media now and then - and those are not sources Thoris paid overly much attention to at the best of times. Even Shral and Thelen didn't really know, though they both paid a little more attention to the Terran side of things and noticed that Dagmar seemed to be on the wrong side of some public opinion or another. As she was a diligent worker and had never made any trouble during her time at the embassy, they let it go - a fact they later rued, to their chagrin.

The thing about Thoris in this scene is that he didn't quite know Dagmar yet, but he'd interacted with her before and found her to be reasonable enough as far as Humans go. He liked Dagmar better than the other translator who usually handled his paperwork, at least, and she was much more respectful of Andorian culture as well. She collected weapons herself and admired his arsenal with a keen, appreciative eye rather than the vaguely worried expression most of her compatriots sported. So, in short, Thoris was not entirely fond of Dagmar at this stage, and yet not entirely dismissive either. (And, of course, his personal aide had been making a fool of himself over the woman for a few months now, so she couldn't be completely useless.)

(This turned into a story fragment instead of an explanation, somehow... Enjoy!)

All that considered, hearing that she lacked keth and kin was a surprise to Thoris; he was compelled to wonder why? Was she an orphan, perhaps? If so, then why was she not adopted into another family? Or perhaps her parents had passed naturally, due to age - but then, where were her siblings, her cousins and nieces and nephews?

Thoris had been in politics for far too long to let anything obvious slip into his expression, but as he turned on his heel and stalked off the lack of information irritated him. He sent Shral to deep dive into the personnel files to see what could be found, while he himself reviewed what he actually knew of the Human translator.

When Shral came back with barely enough information to fill a single page on a datapad, all of it altered in the days after initial submission, Thoris did what he did best; he bullied the information out of some cowering politician, and kept going until he was read into whatever nonsense these Terrans thought was worth keeping secret.

And then, because the Vulcans had clearly found a way to bug his communications (bastards) they demanded to be included in the debriefing as well.

Finding out what, exactly, had happened to Gunnarssen was a shock. Thoris would never have guessed he was dealing with a Human from what was purportedly a much more uncivilized era in Human history - but even though the claims were outlandish, what evidence could be found was solid. Moreover, the reports answered his questions in full.

The Vulcan interim-ambassador had a snit about vital information being withheld, or as much of one as Vulcans could have without having some kind of aneurysm, and Thoris - Thoris processed. The implications of the report were profound, and he would be going over the detailed reports very thoroughly in the future.

Meanwhile, the Vulcans demanded that the Human be dismissed for gaining employment under false pretences, despite the fact that the woman's documents had clearly been altered after being submitted to the embassy, and none of the alterations changed the fact that Dagmar Gunnarssen still had all of the correct qualifications and clearances for her position.

Truthfully, Thoris was furious that the information had been withheld from him in the first place, and he made that perfectly clear to everyone in the room. Then, when the fury passed, Thoris began to turn the information over in his head. Perhaps there was a way to turn this into something useful? No keth meant no ties - no security, no sanctuary, yes, but also no prior bonds or obligations. Clanless Andorians couldn't be wholly trusted, everyone knew that, but Humans were different, weren't they? A Clanless Human wasn't a saboteur or an infiltrator waiting for an opportunity. A Clanless Human was just... alone.

(Thoris rarely felt pity, having had that beaten out of him during his early years as a Guardsman a long time ago, but even so... there was perhaps a flicker of it, then. Just one, very briefly.)

He could, perhaps, use such a creature to his benefit. Gunnarssen got along with his staff, after all. She spoke their language, ate their food - and she didn't seem to mind the cold overly much, either. His chief of security spoke well of her, and his aide wasn't going to stop pining any time soon from the looks of it. They'd want to keep her around, if they could, and the other translators had no complaints about her work or her conduct. She was, barring today's incident, a model employee. Furthermore, Gunnarssen came into his employ of her own free will, and overcame quite a few obstacles to do it, as he was just now beginning to understand the full extent of.

So, why not? Why shouldn't he keep the Human? Indeed, the more he lingered on the Vulcan interim-ambassador's demands, the less inclined he was to dismiss Gunnarssen.

Besides, Vulcans had no business dictating who he employed, or any other Andorian citizen for that matter. Thoris certainly wasn't going to be the one to set that precedent! How dare they even try to meddle in his affairs! The very idea was intolerable!

Scowling, Thoris told himself he primarily was doing it to irritate the interim-ambassador and had Shral draw up the necessary paperwork that night.

He would see what, if anything, he could make of a Clanless Human. As an experiment, he thought. A trial.

(He didn't expect to actually start to like her, somewhere along the line.)

TL;DR? Thoris' POV in a nutshell:

Hope this answered anything! 💙

[delurkr]

A barely-edited ramble as I try to figure out stuff about David and other 1692 folks

Under cut because boy those paragraphs got long

I was never a fan of how David is called a farmer in the subtitles before we learn his name, because with all the other type of people it took (and takes) to make a town just calling him a farmer with ultimately no textual backing comes off as rather uncreative or uninformed, as if someone just assumed that of course he would be a farmer because it's ye olden days and nobody did anything else (not an uncommon perception but super dumb). Of course it's possible that there was more thought behind it, but still there were plenty of positions available in towns like Salem and Andover in their time; craftspeople of all kinds and storekeepers and merchants of varying scope are some basic ones (also I've seen it said that the prior increase of business and trading in the area is considered to be a contributing factor to the societal instability that fed the witch trials, not that I'm going to fact check right now or give a citation for that). He's also only 20 years old, and under normal circumstances he's not likely to be a landowner yet so calling him a farmer in his own right is less believable, but it's certainly not a given that the Miltons' circumstances are normal so that's less important.

Now thinking about the museum, there's a mannequin dressed in David's clothes and it's set up at some sort of work table or piece of machinery, and I have no clue what it is but someone on reddit once suggested that it looked a little like a potter's wheel, which seems to be as good a guess as anything. So I've always liked the idea that David was trained as a potter but never progressed in that occupation before he turned to farming for some reason.

So in the interest of filling in backstory for the 1600s characters, because I'm woefully deficient in that department and grasping at anything, an idea I'm considering is that the father of Tabitha, David, and Mary was a potter who was training David in the business, but then when the mother Martha Milton was taken in the Commencement Day Massacre in 1690, when Tabitha was 20 years old, Mr. Milton couldn't deal and left to buy milk as they say and hasn't been heard of since (not to make it all dramatic but if he up and disappeared from LH town with no news from any of surrounding town near or far it leaves an open question with a good amount of potential answers). That would have left Tabitha as the head of household she appears to be, and there might naturally be debts to settle on top of a sudden loss of income with Mr. Milton gone which might have taken the pottery business and the associated livelihood off their hands one way or another, so the Miltons hired themselves to the Lamberts in whatever arrangement best made sense and lived and worked on the Lamberts' farm by 1692.

That gives David his farmer label, and the other side of it is that the Lamberts would have needed someone like him around, because while I know Strong Farmer Joseph is an appealing idea I lean towards the doubles sharing each other's physical capabilities beyond just physical likeness, and farming takes truckloads of stamina but even adrenaline couldn't give John a whole lot of that (I mean let's be real, John is normal in that situation and the others are generally abnormal in their ability to do that much running around for an entire night with barely any effect, but that's a tangent). John also seems to have some concern about his heart, whether there's an actual medical reason behind that idk, so that may be a thing for Joseph too. So I imagine Joseph needed to take a step back from the heavy work on their property and David was needed to take that place, and of course there's plenty for Tabitha and Mary to do as well.

So yeah, that's what I'm considering to give background to the idea of the Miltons working for the Lamberts, which was the one part I'm solid on. If anybody has other ideas I'm lowkey desperate to hear them lol

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Ok y’all it’s time for a grishaverse world-building rant (mainly linked to soc/ck) and there’s a good chance this is gonna turn into a long and rambling post but bare with me.

*CONSISTENT GRISHAVERSE SPOILERS AHEAD*

In the Netflix show, why did they replace Alby’s lion toy with a toy train? I wanna talk about the absence of the lion, but also of all things why did they choose a train?

The train really stuck out to me when watching season 2 and at first I wasn’t my sure why, and just struck it up to the fact that I was expecting a plush lion. I think it’s absolutely notable that they exchanged the lion for a different toy, because the TV show didn’t give us as much opportunity for the foreshadowing surrounding Alby Rollins’ existence as we had in the book, since Van Eck is the key to a lot of the passages that foreshadow Rollins having a child. The fact that Kaz was able to present the lion was what served as “proof” for his attack on Alby, and is one of the best scenes showcasing Kaz’s incredible intellect. Since Kaz had never seen Alby, in fact had no concrete evidence of his existence whatsoever, he based the entire presence of the toy lion on Pekka’s pride in his gang, the Dime Lions. But since the show doesn’t have the opportunity to explain the gang culture of Ketterdam in as much detail as the books, which is obviously understandable and it’s the kind of thing I would expect to be lost in the transition from source to adaptation, they can’t make the assumption that the audience will associate the lion with the Dime Lions, particularly since they haven’t explored the gang tattoos (as a side note the meanings behind the tattoos are just *chefs kiss* but anyway-) So unless they were making specific effort to try and include more references to the lions earlier on, it makes sense to change the toy. It also leaves open the option for later in the show (fingers crossed, I’m praying for good news right now) to bring the lion in for different schemes and to create more anticipation and build up for the absolutely iconic Inej move of replacing the lion with a crow in the last chapter of Crooked Kingdom. So I understand the choice to change the type of toy that Kaz takes from Alby, especially since we already know that it’s Alby being used as the threat in this scene and in the books we didn’t, but of all the options why would they choose a toy train? My best guess is that it’s a nod to the Conductor and the train across the fold in season one, but it kind of annoys me because, other than the train that was added for the show and the tank in ck that is explained as amongst the first of its kind, THERE ARE NO MECHANICAL VEHICLES IN THIS UNIVERSE YET. None!!

We have to remember that the development of a constructed world is based on its needs and it’s understanding of it’s resources, not on mimicking the development of our own world; so although some people are probably thinking ‘well they recently developed flying vehicles, it makes sense for trains to exist before that’ I would genuinely argue that in this world it makes no sense whatsoever. We know from explanations in soc and ck (in Retvenko’s chapter mostly, but also in Joost’s and a few other references) that there has been no need to develop engines for boats because the winds can be calmed or summoned by Squallers; they fill the sails or fend off storms to keep the ships moving, there is no need for development thus far because grisha possess the natural resources to maintain the power they need. But in Ravka the presence of the shadow fold meant it became necessary to develop other options, so progress came about and Nikolai developed the Hummingbird. But it’s very important to note that (to my understanding at least, if you happen to know I’m wrong please feel free to correct me) the Hummingbird is still entirely dependent on Squaller power to maintain its flight, because development is always based on the previous model. Similarly, the tanks being the first motorised vehicles we’re introduced to makes perfect sense in the world we’ve come to know and understand, especially since we’re learning from the perspective of mostly Kerch-born or Kerch-living characters. Jesper tells us that there are very few carriages on the streets of Ketterdam, that horses are a luxury because the space to keep them is a luxury, not because they open up further modes of transportation - this is also emphasised by the knowledge that one of the greatest signs of prosperity in Ketterdam is a house with its own dock. This is because canals are the main way of moving, and since the boats and their squallers are a time-proven method of travel there’s no current need to develop engine mechanisms for boats, and cars aren’t needed because no-one would use them to travel. I’d also like to add that I realise not everyone has access to Squaller power, but the rich of Ketterdam do and they live in an incredibly classist society. In the Barrel, most of the boats are moved by rowing and/or punting, as is made clear at the end of soc when the crew row to meet Van Eck and he is brought by Squallers, and the theme is continued throughout ck.

The most likely place for cars to crop up first, based on what we’ve seen of the different countries, is probably Ravka; the country is a hub of innovation and the fabrikators there are the most free to practice their craft. However, Ravka is also a country that has been at war since it was founded, there is no room for any type of development that does not further their chances of survival against Fjerda, Shu Han, or their own civil war. Other places we might have expected to see motorisation pop up faster could be the farming provinces of Kerch and Novyi Zem, since they could be utilised for tractors and ploughs. But most innovation in Kerch is centralised around Ketterdam, where the engines are currently unecessary, and although I don’t know enough about Novyi Zem to argue either way the auction in Crooked Kingdom may imply that their government’s budget is lower those of Kerch, Fjerda, and Shu Han. (But again, we don’t have bundles of information about the Zemeni government so I’m not super confident there). We do, however, know that Jesper was the only one other than Matthias who already knew what a tank was when they got to Fjerda, and so it’s fair to predict that there’s been at least some development in that area in Novyi Zem, or at least enough interest for news of them to reach the gunsmith Jesper worked with. But let’s assume that the invention did come from Fjerda itself, at least for the time being. This makes perfect sense!! It was mostly likely developed, unbeknownst to Matthias, by the parem-drugged fabrikators being held at the Ice Court. Now that they have access to this power, Fjerda achieves all of the same tickboxes to be the initial place of engine development as Ravka does. Of course, Fjerda is also at war or under threat of it, but I think it’s important to remember that the Fjerdan government doesn’t really see war with Ravka as a threat at all. They see it more as an opportunity to prove themselves, to properly cement their position in the world economy and as a global power, which we know Kerch - or at least the general population of the country, if not the government - does not currently see it as. So it makes sense that their developmental focus would not be on ease of travel for the majority of its people by developing cars or flight machines, but on engines that can be used for dominance: tanks.

I’m hoping I’ve kind of got my point across here even if in a slightly convoluted way, but I want to add Inej’s quote from the scene with the tank to really cement the idea that this was development on a scale they had never experienced before: “They were moving - and not a horse in sight!” Someone who has seen a train at any point in her life, or who has any understanding that trains exist and work, is not going to be absolutely blown away by the concept of moving without the aid of horses. So why pick a train??? I don’t know, I’m clearly thinking far too much into it but I just… I dunno, it bothered me, there were so many other things to choose. I didn’t really mind the train in season one because it was set up like a one-of-a-kind contraption, but the idea of there being toy replicas of steam trains implies a very different level of development in a world clearly implied to be pre- its industrial revolutions.

Anyway, thanks for reading my mad ramblings! I have SO MANY thoughts about world building and structure in the Grishaverse, and world building as a browser topic as well, so if you want to hear anything more please let me know!

[mariaofdoranelle]

Cemetery Buddies

Written for @throneofglassmicrofics, prompt “Petrichor”

So, I wrote this today at the cemetery instead of the chapters I actually have to finish, because it felt too weird to write smut by my grandfather’s grave. I was there the entire afternoon and I kinda conjured this fic on the spot, but I really hope you like it!

Warnings: mentions of death of loved ones, quick mention of death by covid

Words: 888

Aelin’s picnic blanket did a good job of protecting her clothes from the dewy grass, but not from its gentle prickling on the exposed part of her legs. It felt peaceful, though. She got used to the silence, the soft ruffling of leaves and chirping of birds filling her days in the past two years.

Just her and her parents hanging out together, like old times.

The cemetery staff were even kind enough to lend her a beach umbrella in case the rain came back.

A delighted sigh. Don’t you love the smell of petrichor, Mom? Aelin echoed inside her head, because she still thought it was weird to talk to a grave.

She slid her crochet hat over her face and closed her eyes, feeling the nature surrounding her instead of watching this landscape of flowers and white stones she knew so well. Feeling the wind battle against the edges of her blanket and lose it when her weight overpowered its strength. The sunlight peeking from parted post-rain clouds burned in a delicious way the long stretches of skin her overall shorts left exposed.

She lived in Orynth, after all. Aelin and her parents always made a point to make the most out of summer, for however long this freezing city and its climatic crisis allowed them to.

“You okay there?”

Aelin lifted her hat from her face enough to take a peek into the outside world, but she didn’t need it to know it was her cemetery buddy.

Fully sat on the blanket now, she eyed the Heineken six-pack on Rowan’s hand with a smirk.

“Better now that you brought the good shit.”

He gave her a close-lipped smile and unfolded the two chairs provided at the entrance by the staff, since Mr. Fancy Pants preferred it over lying on the grass like Aelin.

To an outside observer, the difference between them is striking. Rowan in his dark suit and tie, brooding with that permanent scowl on his face; right by his side, Aelin’s in denim overall shorts, red top and crochet hat, being her usual fun, dazzling self.

Both hanging out together, sharing beer by their loved ones’ graves. What made them good friends wasn’t their differences, but how similarly they were miserable.

“So.” She cleared her throat and eyed the six-pack. “I guess things didn’t go the way you wanted at work?”

“Lorcan—“

She tilted her head, brows furrowed in confusion.

“The boss’ kiss-ass,” he explained.

“Oh, that guy.” Aelin said with a grimace. She did not like this Lorcan person, even if he had a friendship of sorts with Rowan. “Tell me what he did this time.”

Today, she was loosened up enough by the weather and the beer, and it happened that Rowan was also a little chatty as well. Sometimes they silently sit side by side. Sometimes Aelin doesn’t sit, she kneels on the grass and hums ancient Terrasenian laments, which her buddy raptly listens to. Sometimes Rowan starts venting about his lack of ability to keep his deceased wife’s garden, leaves for the bathroom and comes back with red-rimmed eyes.

It’s getting progressively less dramatic, though. During the majority of the last few months, they’ve been just talking and sharing snacks.

His wife and Aelin’s dad died of COVID at approximately the same time, four years ago—hence why their graves are so close together. Her mom ended up sharing a grave with her husband a while after, but Aelin and Rowan didn’t cross paths at the cemetery until a year and a half ago, when their respective visiting habits finally overlapped.

And at some point during visits to their loved ones’ graves concurrently, they slowly forged a friendship—emphasis on the slow part, and no thanks to Rowan’s closed-off personality.

However, their conversation was cut short when an employee signaled that they were nearing closing time.

“So…” Aelin let out a performative sigh to chase away the awkwardness of goodbye. “Same time next week?”

Instead of answering, Rowan pointed his phone at her face, squinted at the screen for several seconds, then retreated the device.

Aelin tilted her head. Care to explain? she silently asked.

Rowan had a soft smile while he studied whatever was on his screen, for a longer time than expected, then jutted his chin towards her face. “I’m sending my mom a picture.”

During one of the rare occasions Rowan’s mom visited Lyria’s grave with her son, they found Aelin alone under a merciless sun. The older woman was scandalized. She made Aelin stay under her umbrella, forced Rowan to walk the long stretch back to the reception and get another one with the staff, and in the meantime very surreptitiously asked Aelin what her favorite color was.

With a soft chuckle, she took off her crocheted red hat with white daisy patches, handmade especially for her. “Did you tell her how much I love it?”

“Only after the first few times you told me to. The woman’s already too smug.”

“As she should be!”

Aelin still hadn’t got used to it, the sound of Rowan’s laugh. Maybe he was different outside of the cemetery—she wouldn’t know—but now he had a lightness of sorts that showed itself more and more frequently as the days passed, and she could only be happy to witness this change in him.

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[wasyago]

how did u get so good at composition:3 did u like to draw background all the time or it came to be after practice how long does one piece usually take:333

hehe well, thank you first of all. second of all... um both? practice yes, no one gets it on the first time. and just. i dont know? doing it over and over again and trying new things and experimenting, seeing what works, what doesn't, where the background is needed and not.

i remember i heard a lot of artists around me saying that they didn't like or couldn't draw backgrounds, and for some reason i decided that im not gonna be like other girls and learn to do it. and i uhhh.... just started? drawing backgrounds? i was trying, and watching tutorials on youtube, and seeing how other people did it and eventually it got easier? i can say that i definitely enjoyed figuring out how to do it, struggling to get the perspective and composition right. like, it was hard but i had a lot of fun doing it, so it felt natural and just like, normal art progression? it didn't feel like i was going out of my way to draw backgrounds, i just did it when i felt like it?

at some point i joined a character ask, you know, when people ask questions and you draw the character answering. and i decided that im gonna draw a background for each answer instead of it being a character on a blank background. and doing this, like, specifically trying to draw backgrounds and tell a story with them, and doing it regularly and coherently, it helped me progress a lot. like, i started with a character sitting on a couch in a room, and then it got better and better, multiple rooms, multiple angles of the same room, different locations and images. it helped me a ton. just, figuring out when you need a background, when its rather i did something simple for one frame and focused on the other instead, where the character needs to be positioned, etc.

i can say i didn't do a lot of proper studies, and if i did maybe it would've been helpful... i only drew things that were in my head, with characters that i liked, with imaginary locations and stuff. never really drew from photos... we did go on plein-airs, or whatever they're called, when i was in art school, so drawing backgrounds from real life probably also helped a little, but i can't remember anything about it so it didn't do as much.

i looked at a lot of art from cool artists and expanded my visual library, i analyzed their art trying to figure out why i like it and how to make my art have the same kind of feeling. and i still do! sometimes something just takes over me and i scroll pinterest for 3 hours looking at pretty art and going to artists' profiles and saving art and using it as inspiration later. and it helps! a lot!

i dont know where this post is going ummm. i guess if you want to learn to draw something, just like, start. scrap it if you don't like it and try again, have fun, don't get attached. and uhh, i felt a little nostalgic so here are some of my pieces that i did throughout the years. definitely feels like i got better at it recently, but there's still a lot of room for improvement

oh and for your second question. one piece takes about ummmm... more than a thousand episodes, thats 20 minutes times 1000 devided by 60 devided by 24... we're looking at about 14+ days of non stop watching?

no but for real. i dont really keep track of time when im drawing, uhh. plus depending on the complexity... my recent jrwi drawings are sketches, so they took maybe one or two hours max. something rendered uhhh, maybe 5 hours? if i don't finish it in one day the chances of this drawing ever getting done are super low, soo yeah