#i just need to be able to recommend them to people without making them jump through the hoops of piracy

[devilofthehounds]

[image id: An edited version of the "McDonald's Alignment Chart" meme. Written at the top is "Children Yelling: McDonalds! McDonalds! McDonalds!" To the left and below the text is chibi art of the Caligula Effect Overdose protagonists. The main part of the meme features a triangle with the three corners labelled, each featuring a character from Devil Survivor 2. The top corner is labelled "We have food at home" and features Io Nitta. The bottom left corner is labelled "*Pulls into the drive through as children cheer* *Orders a single black coffee and leaves*" and features the Devil Survivor 2 protagonist. The bottom right corner is labelled "McDonalds! McDonalds! McDonalds!" and features Daichi Shijima. /end id]

Bought Caligula Effect Overdose on sale, so have a niche crossover meme featuring an OT3 and a dream headcanon.

[spreadingawarenessandlove]

FUCK ALL THE PEOPLE BASICALLY DEFENDING WILLIAM GOLD (WILBUR SOOT) BY SAYING HE'S AUTISTIC.

(starting notes: this is most likely going to be very much rambling and jumping from one thing to another. I am just very upset about the situation and what some people are saying about it and needed to clear my head.)

I, myself am autistic and ADHD and regardless of whether you realize it or not, you are stereotyping autistic people by basically saying that they don't know when to stop when asked and can't understand boundaries. Well!! spoiler alert!!! WE DO UNDERSTAND BOUNDARIES. AND IF SOMEONE ASKS US TO STOP IF WE'RE HURTING THEM/MAKING THEM UNCOMFORTABLE? WE WILL!!! WHY??? BECAUSE IT'S BASIC HUMAN DECANCY.

Autistic people are people too. With feelings, emotions, opinions, and boundaries. Just like every other human being on this planet. We are human, just with a more different mindset than most. And most Autistic people try their best to respect people's boundaries and to listen to people when they say no or to stop. If William Gold really is autistic and has a known habit of biting, he could have easily gone on Amazon and gotten a chewing necklace to help with the habit. They're like $5-11 and they almost always come in packs of 3-5 or more. I've had several throughout my life, and they really do help with said habit. So he has NO reason and NO excuse to be biting someone else instead. ESPECIALLY TO THE POINT THE PERSON IS SCREAMING AT THEM AND USING A SAFE WORD TO STOP.

And you people have to keep in mind that the biting isn't the only awful thing he's done to Shelby. He has physically abused her. He had pinned her down and had told her to try her hardest to get him off with full knowledge that she has been $e×ually assaulted before and then said something along the lines of that, he was so much stronger than her and that "she wouldn't be able to fight back". Had likely loved bombed her at the beginning of the relationship to make her stay(which, if you didn't know is a big red flag). Threw away almost all of her things after they broke up without even telling her. Manipulated her and gaslighted her (saying he wanted kids/marriage and then further into the relationship telling her he never wanted that & never said that) plus A LOT more.

Long story short:

-The autistic excuse is a load of fucking bullshit.

-PLEASE do some research about Neurodivergent people before you say anything relating to them online.

-While you're at it, research different kinds of abuse and manipulative behavior because you obviously don't understand that THIS? BITING someone to the point it HURTS AND THEY ARE SCREAMING? IS VERY CLEARLY ABUSE.

-Stop defending someone who already owned up to it (in the most shittiest and self-centered way possible, making it all about himself and also not even mentioning her NAME ONCE).

-Get off whatever social media platform you're on and either go play a game, go outside, read a book, or go to sleep if its late.

-And Always Support The Victim. NEVER The Fucking Abuser.

___________________________________________

(Final notes: I seriously recommend that you watch Shelby's VOD of you haven't and read these websites start to finish. You'll find a lot that relates back to William's behavior. Both inside and outside this relationship.

Shelby Shubble VOD

After reading them, I still recommend that you do more research about the topics I brought up. It could save your life one day.)

[salted-bird]

One of the things I love about Limbus' Abnormality encounters, besides how cool the designs are, is the way the game uses them to tackle the topic of performative empathy vs actual empathy.

You can't just try to fix an Abnormality's core problems and expect it to work. And it's not because the Abnormality will attack you before you get the chance to do anything, rather, following this approach is a consistent way to hit your own party with demerits due to the simple fact that YOU ARE THE ONE HURTING THE ABNO IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Trying to remove the Umbrella Fox's umbrellas is incredibly painful for it because it involves tearing off chunks of its flesh, mimicking the Weeping Toad's cry will cause it to flee because what it actually wanted was someone who would listen, removing the brambles will make the Bride and Groom sad because it means you are destroying their home, giving water to a blazing metal bull obviously isn't going to help, etc.

Your intentions can be good, but as the Umbrella Fox itself puts it, solutions without "forethought" have the potential to be incredibly harmful.

Which brings me to the similarities this has with IRL ableism, and how often body-abled people will tell you to do X thing under the claim that it will help you feel better (or even cure you) without considering the implications of their own suggestions for a single second. Some wonderful examples of this are telling someone with a respiratory disease or injury to just "take a deep breath", telling a person with chronic fatigue to "go jogging, it will give you more energy" or recommending to an autistic individual that they "learn common sense".

I'm sure you can imagine yourself (or know from first-hand experience, sadly) the rest of horrible 'magical solutions' disabled people have to hear on a regular basis, so back to the point, this type of acts share the same kind of impulsive and patronizing empathy as the "help(?) this Abnormality" choices in Limbus Company.

Not only do they not help anyone at all, in reality they are an active detriment to the physical and emotional wellbeing of the target you are supposedly trying to help with the action. In the end, the only benefit obtained is that you get to say you TRIED to help someone, hence the performative part of this behaviour, it makes you look good to others and to yourself by awarding you some imaginary reputation points that mean nothing.

Now it's very possible that you are thinking (or not) something about the lines of: "But hey, I unplugged the electric sheep being sacrificed to fuel a city, and I also sprinkled water on the tree suffering from a drought, I did have success helping a handful of the Abnos!".

This may appear to contradict my logic as described above, but I want you to consider a key difference between the Abnormalities the game does let you help and those for whom trying to do so is an insult. The former group suffers from external circumstances that can be changed through concrete actions, the latter faces permanent issues because of the very way they are.

So on the first camp;

-The Electric Sheep doesn't suffer because it's electric, it's suffers due to being exploited for energy.

-The Desert Twiggy Ghost Tree doesn't suffer because it's allergic to water, it suffers because it doesn't have access to any water.

-Similarly, the Electric Centipede only suffers because people are experimenting on it and you choose how to torture it.

You can liken them to disabled people with low-support needs, whose difficulties would in theory go away once you implement a social model of disability because the problems they face are, as the name implies, mainly social.

Now, contrast this with how for example, removing the brambles from the Rose Thorns Cross involves destroying its very body, and you should notice the theme Limbus is trying to convey through these encounters; Nobody is the same.

Sure, jumping the gun may work sometimes, if the problem is small enough to be dealt with through individual action, but more often than not the reality of what the other person is going through is so different from yours that an attempt to force your own experiences and judgement on them is only going to result in pain, and what's worse, pain for both parties if you genuinely were trying to help.

Which is not to say there's no point in desiring to offer help, my favourite part about how Limbus handles its event choices is that it teaches you a lesson about the value of simple understanding.

Tearing off its umbrellas won't help the fox, but going past its threatening appearance to show that you care by petting it will, the same goes for the gloomy frog that is so grateful to you for listening to its woes that it leaves one of its eyes behind as a gift. You don't need to change the Abnormalities' nature as Abnormalities to make them happy, being there for them and accepting them as they are is more than enough.

I could write more about the parallels between Abnormalities as a group of "non-humans" that go against the general idea of normal while existing solely to be exploited for resources and the way IRL disabled people are exploited by doctors and pharmaceutical companies for easy money while society at large doesn't care, but in the end the message is simple, imagine a world where instead of treating them like children or even complaining about them, abled people showed those with disabilities this type of empathy, the real type.

[liyacreate]

(obey me) maybe how the characters quietly show their affection towards Mc? Like bringing trinkets or lingering near them? Love your writing!!^^

Omg that's such an adorable idea!! I enjoyed writing this!! Also thank you!

Also also I changed up the format for this one. Bullets felt more appropriate.

Dateables vers.(Coming soon)

Lucifer

He's a very busy guy but nonetheless he want you to know he cares

Whenever he sees you working hard, he likes to make you a cup of coffee, chocolate, or tea (depending on what you like, he also likes to remember how you like it)

If you work too hard, he makes sure you get enough rest and are at least taking care of yourself

Likes to gift you things that he knows you'll use (he remembers when you say you've run out of something or when you say you need something) which he usually just leaves in your room with a note if he's too busy

He likes to give you headpats whenever you do a good job

Manz is a crow, he gifts you any shiny thing he thinks you'll like

Mammon

Mountains of gifts which he makes sure is bought using hard earned money

He also likes to take you shopping a lot

Yknow how in the game they say the people in Mam's good graces gets very lucky in the money department?

Yep you've become the monarch of luck now

Very clingy pt. 1

He WILL make sure he's touching you be it a hand on your shoulder or your arms are so close they're touching

If he can't touch you in any way, he gravitates instead to the closest he can get to you

He also makes sure everyone in the room KNOWS they can't mess with you or else they'll be messing with him as well

Manz is protective

Leviathan

His love language is gushing to you about his favorite manga or anime

Whenever he's excited about something, ymhis first instinct is to send you a bunch of messages about it

He also likes to buy merch he thinks you might like whenever he's buying merch for himself

Very clingy pt. 2

He doesn't outright make physical contact because he's scared he'll cross a boundary or you'll hate him but he does definitely want to snuggle up to you all the time

If you convince him enough that you're fine with it, he'll start off with holding parts of your clothes to make sure you're near and after a while he'll warm up to actually holding you

Satan

Lots of book recommendations and poems

He also entertains any questions you have, no matter how ridiculous it is, and he'll always think about the question seriously no matter how silly it is

Whenever you are falling behind in class, he makes sure to help you

Sends you a lot of cat pics throughout the day

The cat pics vary from adorable cats that will make you coo out loud or chaotic cat memes that he knows will make you snort

He also likes to stay close to you whenever the two of you do your reading sessions (or when he's reading a book and you're on your DDD)

I feel like he's be one of those guys that leaves little notes here and there for you along with flowers

Asmodeus

Always makes time for you, usually at night when he loves to do a nightly routine with you

Loves using the best products he recently bought with you

Very clingy pt. 3

He MUST have some sort of contact with you

He gets pouty when he doesn't

Whenever you're out in a very crowded place, he keep an eye on you to make sure you're ok and having fun even if he gets surrounded by a bunch of people

Secretly makes sure no one dares make a move you wouldn't like

Also for some strange reason, you never have any bad rumors about you and if you ever do it always only circulates a day or two before it stops

Beelzebub

You are one of the few that have the privilege to be able to take some of his food without dying

He even offers you food at times

He also likes to linger near you

Whenever you're out or even just in the same room, he likes to stick close

He wants to always be ready to jump in if you're ever in trouble

He also always offers to help when you need to open a very stubborn jar or carry heavy objects

Beel is always willing to help you out with anything

Belphegore

Clingy pt. 4

He always finds a way to lean on you whether it's sitting down, standing up, or lying down

If you're sitting, he'll either have his head on your shoulder or lap

If you're standing he somehow ends up sleeping while leaning on your back

He also leaves little enchantments in your room to make sure you always have nice dreams

Have a reccuring nightmare and tell him about it? Surprise! It's gone the next night

[ts-witchy-archive]

Hello! I've seen a bit of wiccan (?) things for a while, if I were to start I wouldn't even know how to start though. (my autistic ass does not leave the house and my mom would probably think it's weird to make strange concoctions of things) I also don't really know how deities work and how do you find out which one your communicating with? Tbh I've always felt like someone is around but whatever god it is seriously fucking hates me /hj Been better since I started medication but like the luck I have is 50/50 good bad and that is probably not normal. If you answer this it'd be very helpful.

Hi! Thanks for the ask!

I just want to start by defining a few terms for you :)

Wicca/Wiccan: A pagan religion that focuses on nature, magic and witchcraft. It was founded in the mid 20th century and Wiccans primarily worship 2 Gods which are personifications of nature.

Witch: Just a person who practices witchcraft. It's a non-gendered term and a non-religious term/practice. Not all witches are Wiccan but all Wiccans are witches. Witches can be absolutely anyone

Personally, I'm not Wiccan so I can't really tell you much about that but if there is one thing I know, it's witchcraft! There are many different places to start but I'm going to condense it down as much as humanly possible. It'll probably feel like a bit of information overload so just try to take it slow and relax. Enjoy the learning.

My favourite book for beginner witchcraft is 'Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within' by Juliet Diaz. She is a fantastic author and wonderful human. Everything about the basics of witchcraft you could need is in that book (imo). You should be able to find a pdf online if you can't get a physical copy.

As for youtube channels with solid content:

Harmony Nice: She covers everything Wicca. She has a playlist with all her Wiccan/witchy content witch is linked here

The Witch of Wonderlust: Olivia has been a favourite witchy youtuber of mine for a while. I wouldn't recommend jumping into her videos without any prior knowledge but once you have a grasp on the bare bones it should be okay. Here is a playlist she made with everything you could possibly need when beginning witchcraft. SOrt through the videos and see what peeks your interest.

The Hearth Witch: Another wonderful account if I remember correctly. Her videos used to be on the longer end (30-60mins) so if you have a short attention span then maybe not but she has a wealth of information.

I also recommend joining a few discord servers, following a few pages on tumblr just to get acquainted with the community and terminology.

Okay, on to the deity work situation. Deity work is generally considered more intermediate in the witchcraft community. key words being 'Deity WORK'. Worship is completely fair game. Setting up an altar, praying, leaving offerings, doing activities in devotion to the deity is absolutely something you can do relatively quickly.

As for IDing a deity, most people do it through 'divination' which is things like tarot, a pendulum, dice, bone throwing, and other ways. Most people also ask for signs that a specific deity is 'reaching out' to them or wants them to pay attention. You can also politely ask someone who is volunteering their time on tumblr or a discord server to find out for you via divination. If they don't say their doing free readings, obviously, don't ask.

Finally. luck is luck. It makes no sense for a literal God to hate a human. We all have periods of shitty luck and awesome luck! I wouldn't blame that on anything. Sometimes bad things just happen unfortunately. But sometimes amazing things also happen, even if it's just as small is finding 5 cents on the footpath.

That was so long. Congrats if you made it to the end because I nearly didn't when writing this. I hope this helped a bit. Feel free to reach out if you need a hand with anything. Thanks :)

[seidenbros]

Don't Panic, I'm a Mechanic - Part 1 Lover's Lake

Pairing: Mechanic!Eddie x Shy!Plussize!Bookstore!Reader

Warnings: modern AU, female reader, allusions to smut, fluff, insecurities (body image), I tried not to include anythign about yn's looks uncluding skin colour, so if there's anything you find, anything I can make better, please let me know, cause I wanna try to make you all enjoy this, best friend Steve, very shy y/n, teasing and petnames (princess), mutual pining, eddie &reader are 29/28 (let me know what I misses)

Word Count: 2198

Author's note: here we are, I'm not gonna have chapters in themselves, like the next part won't start exactly where this one leaves off. There might be shorter blurbs or longer parts, I don't know yet, but they will (hopefully) appear in order.

Summary: You like Eddie, Eddie likes you, but you are too shy and cannot talk to him properly. Especially not when he keeps teasing you. Meanwhile Eddie thinks you don't like him like that and just get flustered beause he teases you. A day at Lover's Lake suddenly brings a little change when Eddie sees what book you read and you get closer than you've ever been before.

Part 2

The unmistakable sound of a motorcycle made your ear perk up. It wasn’t just any motorcycle, you knew exactly who it belonged to. Even the sound of his motorcycle made your skin tingle and your heart beat faster. What it was about Eddie Munson that made you behave the way you did, you couldn’t tell, but he’d gotten to you the moment you’d set eyes on him.

For some time now, you’d been part of the same group of friends, because Steve had pretty much adopted you when you’d moved to Hawkins, Nancy had become one of your closest friends as well, and when you’d been introduced to Eddie after some time, he’d taken your breath away, and he’d occupied your thoughts and fantasies. But you were never able to say anything. Well, it was hard for you to speak at all sometimes, when he was around. With everyone else, it wasn’t a problem at all. You were witty, made them love, showed how enthusiastic you could become about something you loved, but with Eddie? Your mouth betrayed you, and you weren’t able to form coherent sentences sometimes. Especially not when he called you princess. Rationally, you knew that he called a lot of people that, but when he used that petname for you and gave you that little smirk, you were close to a heart attack. He was only teasing you, you knew that, but it still got to you.

Today, you spent the time with the others at Lover’s Lake. You’d planned this day ahead, so Steve had brought pizza and beer along, and you’d helped him carry everything, cause he’d picked you up and taken you along with him. You’d gotten into a bit of a rush in the end, so you’d just grabbed two books from your table to bring them along. You never left the house without a book, no matter where you went, even if it was just to go grocery shopping. Ever since you were little, you’ve stuck your nose in a book, so it was probably not a big surprise that you were working at a bookstore now. Whenever someone needed a book recommendation, they could come to you and ask you about it. There was a good possibility that you knew just the right book for everyone.

You sank lower in the water when you watched Eddie approach. While he walked, he pulled the helmet off, shaking out his locks. When he found your spot, he put down his bag as well as the helmet and took off his leather jacket. You felt your whole body heat up when he lifted his hands to put his hair into a low bun, his shirt riding up to reveal just a little patch of his stomach, but enough for you to see that little happy trail.

“What’re you looking at?” Steve’s teasing voice was close to your ear, making you jump slightly, before you duck under water completely, nearly letting out a frustrated scream. Steve knew you too well. Way too well, and he always managed to tease you like that when it came to Eddie. But he’d promised never to breathe a word about your feelings. Nancy had found out all by herself, and she had also promised you not to say anything. She only tried to encourage you to say something to Eddie. Yeah, but that wasn’t possible if you always managed to stumble over your words when it came to him. With everyone else, it wasn’t a problem at all, but Eddie…

When you came back up for air, Steve was grinning at you. Goddamn, you should have known that Eddie would be here as well, that he’d come by when he’d finished work for the day, but you’d somehow forgotten about the time, because you were enjoying yourself with the others. Otherwise, you would have been out of the water, wrapped in a towel or dressed again already when he got here.

There were days when you felt really good in your own body, but then there were days when you just wanted to vanish, when all the insecurities bubbled up. Usually those days were rare, and your friends hyped you up so much that you felt comfortable in going for a swim with them, in putting on a bikini and joining them. But with Eddie around, you somehow felt more aware of the size of your body. Not that you thought that Eddie would judge you, he was one of the least judgemental people you knew when it came to something like that, but… still, something in your head switched and made you want to put on some more clothes, or go swimming with a shirt over the bikini.

“I should… get out of the water,” you let Steve know before you swam to the edge and got out of the water. Eddie’s eyes were on you the moment he spotted you getting out, and he didn’t take his eyes off you. That was only more reason for you to walk quicker to grab the towel to wrap around your body. You didn’t want to be rude and sit down somewhere alone, you were friends after all, so you hurried to your clothes and put on the flannel you’d brought with you that hit you about mid thigh, grabbed a book from your bag, and walked over to Eddie.

“Hey Eddie,” you managed to say, before you sat down on the landing stage, leaving a bit of space between the two of you, dipping your feet into the water.

“Hello princess, already enough swimming fun for today?” Eddie tilted his head to the side, eyes roaming over your body until they focused on your eyes. God he really couldn’t get enough of looking at you. Especially when he saw you talking with someone else about something you really loved. Books most of the time. He just wished that you would talk to him like that, but there was something holding you back. He was pretty sure you didn’t like him all that much, at least that was the feeling he got, but Steve had assured him that this wasn’t the case. Steve, who always managed to make you laugh. Steve, who even made you squeal when started tickling you to make you loosen up. Steve who was always there to save the day for you.

Honestly, Steve was Eddie’s friend, a good friend even, but when he saw you two together, he couldn’t shake that feeling of jealousy that crept up on him. Rationally, Eddie knew that there was nothing going on between the two of you, but his poor heart didn’t really listen to that all the time. Especially not when you were so open and always smiling with Steve, and with him… you always seemed to have nothing to say, when he knew for a fact that you told wonderful stories.

“Yeah… just… need a break I guess,” you managed to say, focusing your eyes on the water in front of you, nibbling on your bottom lip.

“Too bad, I thought I could join you, but maybe I can convince you to get in the water with me again.” He smiled at you, his eyes scanning over your thighs, then slowly up your torso to your face. To the way your teeth bore into your lips, the way your nose scrunched up slightly before you answered.

“Yeah… maybe.” That was as good as he was gonna get, he knew that. But he was determined to at least get you talking a little bit, so he asked about the one thing he knew you were passionate about.

“Whatcha reading there?” Eddie nodded towards the book in your hands. Since you had no idea which book you’d taken, you simply handed it to him.

“Haven’t started reading it yet,” you managed to say, looking over at Steve, who asked you without a sound, if you were alright. You weren’t really, but that was because of your heart beating for the metalhead next to you. The guy who made you so nervous that you had trouble speaking. But apart from that…? So you nodded.

“See Jane Score,” Eddie read the title, turning the book over to read the blurb on the backside. You tensed next to him, figuring that you had grabbed the one steamy romance novel from the table. There had been five books altogether, all of them different genres, and you had chosen that one blindly. Fucking perfect. It was the second book in a series you had just started, and the first one had already made you squirm in your seat when you’d read it. Maybe because it combined ice-hockey and the steamy romance aspect. But now that Eddie held it in his hands, you felt your whole body heat up again, your flannel suddenly feeling way too tight and warm for this day.

“Sounds interesting,” he said, looking at you with a twinkle in his eye, when he handed the book back to you. “Should maybe give it a read myself.”

You took the book back from him, his fingers lingering on yours a moment too long, but you tried your best to ignore it, putting the book beside you.

“It’s not… it’s completely different from what you read most of the time, so… I-I don’t know…” You sighed, shaking your head.

“If I’ll like it? Gotta have to try to find that out. Besides, I wonder what makes you tick, what you enjoy.” He winked, before he slowly got up, rising to his full height, before he whipped his shirt over his head.

“W-What are you doing?” you asked, eyes wide with surprise, because you hadn’t expected this at all. For a moment, your eyes were glued to his stomach, before you were able to shake your head and rip your eyes from him and stop your mind from wandering. What he did to you with his mere presence was simply not fair.

“Getting in the water, what does it look like?” There it was again, that smirk that made your knees weak. “You gonna join me?” The soft smile on his lips, the pleading look in his eyes… you weren’t able to say no. Gone were your insecurities for the moment when you started unbuttoning your flannel again, while Eddie dropped his pants and pushed them aside.

“Lemme help you,” he offered, holding out his hand for you. Without thinking about it, you took his hand, expecting him to just help you up, but instead, he pulled you flush against his chest as soon as you were up. Your boobs were squished against his chest, your eyes set on his lips, slowly moving up to look into his deep brown eyes. God, you were sure, he could feel your heart beating, could probably even hear it.

“Hold your breath,” Eddie mumbled before he jumped into the water with you. You managed to do as you were told, but once beneath the cold water, Eddie let go of you, even pushed you slightly towards the surface, because he didn’t want you to swallow any water or lose your breath. He stayed below the surface a moment longer. When you came up, you gasped for air. The water managed to cool your body down a bit after everything Eddie had done to it, to you with his presence and the closeness just now.

Every single one of your senses was on high alert, your skin tingling, your heart racing, your thighs clenching together just because of Eddie. Eddie who was gone a moment longer before he popped up again a bit away from you, pushing the loose strands of hair from his face to look at you.

“You alright? Didn’t wanna tackle you like that.” A look of concern crossed Eddie’s face, but it was quickly gone when he saw the pretty smile on your lips.

“‘M alright… Was getting a bit hot anyway.” But that was not exactly due to the weather.

“Yeah… Yeah me too,” Eddie admitted, but he was quickly called over by Dustin and diverted his attention to his friend. He needed that, needed the distraction from you. because he’d pushed you away from himself beneath the water for a reason. A reason that was very prominent in his boxers right now, so he really had to cool and calm down, and definitely stop himself from thinking about your soft body beneath his, his hands all over you while he was buried deep inside you. Needless to say, you’d had the same thoughts being flush against him, but neither of you did anything about it, and instead, you’d be spending your evening in bed, writing up another scenario for your readers on tumblr with your original characters Wallace “Ace” and Heather… Steve was the only one who knew about that, and he was your biggest fan. He just had to blend out that you had modeled Ace after Eddie.

Tag-List: @hellv1ra @sweetpeapod @eddiemunson95 @e0509 @munsonology @niceboyeds @loverology @bolontiku @tessab154 @m00nlight101 @tellhound @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @bellamy-barnes @hardysbitch @give-em-hellfire @samlealea @hacker-ghost @kirsteng42 @princesseddie @anaisweird @harringtonfan4 @ethereal27cereal @goldenkinglouis @goldylions @lightvixxen  

Tagged a few of the people who asked about it and who I thought might be interested 💚 let me know if you want to be added or taken from this list 💚

[accessibleagere]

Accessible agere #2: image descriptions

Time to talk about image descriptions!

What are they?

An image description is using words to say what's happening in a picture. For example, a photo of a red ball would be described as "a red ball."

Why are they used?

Image descriptions help people who are blind or have low vision, as well as some people who have visual processing issues, to be able to know what an image is, the same way most people would with their eyes.

How do I write one?

I'm not the best person to explain, because my language issues make them difficult for me to do, so I'm using information from other websites (linked at the bottom of the post.)

Think about what's most important to you or jumps out right away when you look at the image you're describing. What is the main focus of it? If you were telling someone about it, what would you say to them?

Don't over complicate it! Use simple, easily understandable language and put the most important parts first and in the most detail. Try to keep it to 125 words or less if possible.

How do I add them to my images?

Tumblr has the ability to add descriptions to images! Click the three dots that appear on an image in a post you're making and select "add alt text." Pictures that have alt text added will have a badge that says ALT that you can click to show the text.

Can I add them to someone else's post?

You can't directly add them to an already posted image without editing the post, but you can reblog and add a description in regular text.

Do I have to do them for every image? What if I can't?

Ideally, every image would be described, but that's not always possible. You might not know how to describe something, or you might not have the energy for it. You can try reaching out to other people for help with it. If it's an image of text, like a interaction banner or a screenshot, you can put it through an image to text converter. If you can't describe it at all, tagging the post as "undescribed" can help people who need image descriptions to avoid it by filtering it out!

(Sources / recommended reading: https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-write-an-image-description-2f30d3bf5546

https://www.accessiblepublishing.ca/a-guide-to-image-description/ )

Thank you for reading! Questions? Comments? Requests? Feel free to reply or send asks, just keep things polite!

[ruinaimagines]

rodya x reader hcs maybe..... :3

Uh yes, absolutely. Wife.

Rodion x Reader Headcanons:

Rodya’s casual demeanor and confidence make her a partner who is not afraid of complimenting you and being affectionate when she sees fit. Given her general indifference to others’ opinions this includes when in the presence of others so long as you yourself do not mind.

At first it can be a bit difficult to tell whether or not she’s interested in you, or just being friendly like she is with any other. You’ll find though that through lingering touches, devoting more time alongside you, as well as almost trying to impress you in some ways that it is the first option.

Fret not though if you’re a bit oblivious. Much of what Rodya does is just her winging it. She is not devoid of anxieties, in fact she has plentiful self doubt, it is just hidden under a guise of boldness. I can see her confessing as a risky and impulsive jump into the unknown as she does with many things.

She’s very observant of the body language and the mood of others, being quite the empathetic and compassionate person. This extends especially to people she hangs around in particular. Even if you’re doing a good job at hiding something she will be able to sniff it out.

Has an excellent ability to raise the moods in solemn situations, assuming that they aren’t bad enough that it would be inappropriate to do so. If you’re having an off day, you can worry not because Rodya will manage to pull you out of it. Whether it’s by words, or actions, she knows what to do and hates just leaving you upset.

Very physically and verbally affectionate! This tall woman will randomly walk up behind you and drape her arms over your shoulders in a hug if you’re shorter than her, resting her head sideways on your shoulder. Encourages you to sit next to her, and if this is on the bus sorry to whoever was next to her but they’re kind of getting kicked out of their seat

I wouldn’t describe her as needy by any means, but she is quite the tease. If you’re in the middle of something that requires your full attention, she might huff about it. It’s all fun and games though, she doesn’t actually mind.

You might expect that being in a relationship with this woman would be rather eventful due to her relatively strong personality, but something you’ll find is that a lot of the time she just enjoys sitting in silence and small talk with you. She’s an extroverted individual who’s good with people, but that doesn’t take away the fact that sometimes she just needs to slow down from everything.

Sometimes you can catch her staring at you or whatever it is you’re doing, occasionally accompanied by a question or two as she props her face up in her hands, leaning over to look. Honestly kind of nosy, might even scare you if you aren’t paying attention because you’ll just suddenly hear “Whatcha working on, hmm?” over your shoulder. Chances are she won’t be leaving without an answer too.

You can always tell when she wants a favor from you because she will get a certain tone of voice and a loose, mischievous smile. Doesn’t even need to open her mouth because next thing you know she’s wrapping her arm around you and going “Heyyyy~ You busy?” Makes it out to be something really big she’s asking of you when it usually isn’t really much of a problem. Definitely will call you any nicknames if she has them for you. If you’re unavailable for it she won’t press too much either, usually just accepts it and finds someone else or does it herself.

Teases you a lot. Prepare for it, because it comes in basically any form or way she sees opportunity for. If you’re shorter than her, this includes holding things away from you, randomly picking you up. Will enjoy flustering you and getting on your nerves in an impish way (nothing too serious). I do recommend establishing some boundaries if there are anything off limits, because even though they can seem a bit rude she does it out of love and in a play-fight manner. 

RIP if you don’t like PDA because she will almost never leave your side and will be very vocal about her care for you. You seem embarrassed? That encourages her more. Is constantly leaning on you, playing with your hair, holding onto you, whatever it may be. There is no subtleness.

The good news is she isn’t absolutely unbearable, while you two have become a bit of an infamous couple, she has enough decency that people don’t dread being in the same room as you. A lot of the time the reason you’re so aware is because you’re the recipient.

Rodion will take risks for fun all in the sake of having a good time and dragging you along. Takes rules more like suggestions, and if you’re on a date and she sees a scenic place behind chain link gates and ‘no-trespassing’ signs she will find a way to convince you to come along. To her unless they are explicitly very dangerous private properties, it’s all fair game as long as no one sees you, right?

If you’re as adventurous as her, great! Though admittedly that will probably get you into some messes. If you’re a bit apprehensive she is a very smooth talker, and will encourage you to come along and that there’s nothing to worry about. I mean, look at the place, it’s completely vacant! No need to fret, you’re just taking a peek.

Whether you realize it or not you will be coming with her unless you genuinely convince her otherwise. She keeps a very close eye on you, reassuring you and settling down in a spot with a beautiful view.

She is all for trying new things, and depending on just how intricate and fun it is to get to, you might end up having a new hangout area in the city if you’re staying there for a bit. Some place up and away from the usual buzz of the population. Just you two.

If you do get caught well.. Rodya’s charisma has had to save you one too many times. Usually it’s only by thugs on the street or those part of lesser syndicates, still through carefully selected words you usually get of there without a scuffle. 

She laughs about it later, to her that’s just part of the fun, and even if you are a bit anxious her bright attitude to the situation will help you loosen up too. For now, you’ll have to settle in a familiar place, but you got an interesting story out of it!

Without a doubt takes you to get drinks and the two of you are so rambunctious, she finds everything funny and because of her stupid humor, even if you aren’t under the influence you can’t help but laugh along. Tears are in her eyes as she’s wheezing and grabbing onto you for support, nearly collapsing in her seat.

Whenever she’s out shopping she will buy you little things she thinks are cute and that remind her of you. Usually these are little keychains either with charms or plushies on them, especially if said plushes look a little wonky. She says it gives them personality.

[deathsplaything]

LOCATION: The Sugar Pot TIMING: Current PARTIES: Alistair & Booker (@detectivefinlee) SUMMARY: Booker goes back to the Sugar Pot to get some tea and hang around. Lucky for him, Alistair is working the counter.

“If I may… what makes a person jump from pharmacology to tea, doctor?”

He had been to this tea shop once already with his kids, just a few days ago. They had struggled through convincing their father which teas he ought to buy as loose leaf to keep at home: the point being that they were supposed to be caffeine free and relaxing, but of course he was immediately drawn to all the black teas. The floral ones sounded so… well… not really his thing. But he had relented, allowing them to make the choices for him while he planned to come back another day and at least get a cup of that masala chai stuff. That had smelled nice. 

Stepping into the Sugar Pot alone today, Booker felt a small smile creeping on him and quickly cleared his throat to dismiss it. No need to be grinning like a fool when there wasn't even anyone with him he could blame as having told a good joke. The place was cozy, and it was the local crafts on display that had triggered such a muted but present reaction from the older man. He loved crafts. He wasn't very good at many of them, but he enjoyed picking up little knick knacks from local artists to set on his mantle and among his books on their shelves. Fingers dove into the pocket of his jacket, alighting upon the small, needle felted barn owl that waited patiently for its turn to be left someplace where someone else could find it. That was the one thing he'd found he did have talent for, and at the behest of Amos and Avery, the detective had pursued the hobby. He'd been at it for about ten years now, and while he'd never made any money off of it (that wasn't his goal), he did like carrying a few with him any time he went out and leaving them in odd places. He didn't usually witness their discovery, but on the rare occasion when he did, it always brought a smile to his face. 

Wandering among the crafts for a few minutes before making his way slowly to the counter, he shifted his attention from the products to the people, analyzing them without meaning to. Not just the employees, but the other patrons as well. There was a man in the corner who wore a suit and sat with his laptop open in front of him, looking overworked and undervalued. Booker wondered if he had ever looked like that man. Probably. His hazel gaze flitted from one person to the next, his mind picking up and storing little tidbits of information as it went. Finally, he let his focus settle on the person at the counter. “... ah. I've forgotten the name of it,” he admitted with a soft, breathy chuckle. “It was the black, spicy tea. Started with an M, I think?” A movement caught his eye and he glanced to the side to see someone else striding out from behind a curtain that separated the shop from its back rooms. “Sorry, don't mean to be a bother. I'll just have a cup of whatever you recommend. For here.”

—

Standing behind the counter while Melody did inventory in the back, Alistair was rather confident in his abilities to get things done despite his lack of eyesight. With Melody, the pair were able to create a space that was accommodating for Alistair, to be able to work despite his disability. He loved it there for that reason, that he could truly never hate his job despite what he did before. He perked up at the sound of footsteps coming in through the front (they had the front door open on account of the beautiful weather). He waited patiently as the customer walked about the store, and Alistair took a moment to look through Brutus’s eyes, who was peering over at the newcomer, though kept his head down on his front paws, debating on drifting back to sleep. The man was taller and had his gaze fixed on the artisan crafts Melody had adamant that they sell to support local artists.

Alistair severed the connection the moment that Brutus closed his eyes again. No need to force the pup to work when he was content on relaxing and dozing off. The footsteps neared Alistair, and the redhead snapped to attention, his unseeing gaze settling on looking at the man as soon as he spoke, indicating where his mouth roughly was. “Well that’s not a problem,” Alistair decided with a soft tilt of his head to the side, a friendly smile crossing his features from the normal stoic expression he was so keen on wearing. He heard the back door close softly, which meant Melody was no longer in the back. She gave a pleasant smile to Booker before joining Alistair behind the counter to help him make whatever it was the customer decided to order.

“So you like black teas, and you like it spicy. Might I challenge your love for spiced black teas and introduce you to a Saigon chai? It’s black tea from India, and has cinnamon, ginger, pink peppercorns, cardamom, and cloves with some vanilla and cinnamon flavoring.” He tapped his fingers as he listed off the ingredients. It was popular with a lot of people who visited the shop, Mack included. It was obvious upon speaking to Alistair that he took tea rather seriously. Through knowing what flavors might work based on people’s desired tastes and listing ingredients that would work together, Alistair had it figured out. He was proud of what he did, despite it not being pharmaceuticals. He could still use it, kind of. There were herbs they sold that helped with certain ailments that people sought him out for. 

“But if I couldn’t challenge what it is you’re clearly after, which is the masala chai…” He made a little face, then nodded his head, setting to work on making the masala chai that the stranger was after. “Masala chai has cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves. But if it’s true spice you’re after, some of our customers like it when I add red pepper flakes to it.” These customers, of course, Alistair had sussed out as zombies. He wasn’t so sure that this customer was among them or not, and nor did he really care. Melody watched Alistair as he flitted about the space, picking up a mug, grabbing the spices needed and depositing them into a tea bag, then adding the hot water and steamed milk into the mug and turning around to present it to the customer. “Masala chai, no red pepper flakes,” Alistair announced with a tight smile. “Though I will have to show you that Saigon chai sometime.”

—

Booker listened intently as the other person spoke, explaining to him the difference between these teas (he hadn’t realized there was more than one kind of ‘spicy’ tea, though it seemed a foolish thing in retrospect), committing what was said to memory. Before he could answer on whether or not he’d like to challenge his palette (which was pretty nonexistent when it came to tea, anyway), they were going about making the masala instead of the saigon, speaking all the while. He had noticed the way their gaze had not fallen on him until he spoke, and he noticed now the way in which they moved, the way in which the whole place was arranged, and of course, the dark lenses indoors—the most telling piece of evidence. He made a mental note to be conscientious of that.

“Fascinating,” Booker interjected softly. “I never would have thought to put something like that in tea, of all things.” He accepted the drink when it was offered, his gaze jumping between the two strangers as an easy smile flitted across his grizzled features. “Is that how you get people to come back? Tell them about all the things they could be enjoying while making them something else?” It was clear by his tone and the grin he wore that he wasn’t upset or offended by it, but rather amused. “Smart tactic. I’d love to try that Saigon chai some time.” Fishing out his wallet, Booker paid for the drink (at which point the woman intervened), then returned his attention to them both, addressing them at the same time. “A pleasure to meet you both. I’m Detective Finlee. Booker, to be less formal about it.” It wasn’t a matter of pride that encouraged him to introduce himself as such, but rather his way of cracking open that door that so many people kept tightly shut all their lives, thanks to a general lack of trust in authority figures. Not that he was particularly authoritative, neither in personality or responsibility, but still. If someone he met had a problem or concern or knew something that they wanted to share but felt they could not, he wanted to present himself as someone they could reach out to. “Just moved to town.” He paused, squinting his eyes for a moment as he recalled an earlier online conversation. “... I don’t suppose this is the establishment that was being asked to serve shrimp broth, was it?”

—

Alistair smirked as Booker called them out on how they suggested similar items. It was something they often did with people who seemed eager to learn, more to help them expand their horizons than to get them to come back. Still, it often worked out that they came back anyway. “A detective indeed,” Alistair replied with a knowing smile creeping over their lips. “A pleasure to meet you, Booker,” Alistair spoke with a nod of his head in the direction of the man’s voice. “If we’re using fancy titles, I’m Dr. Alistair McKenzie, a former pharmacist turned tea maker.” They waved a hand towards the sets of apothecary shelves. “Hence the overall aesthetic of the shop.” They explained with a simple shrug. 

“This here is Melody, my lovely partner in crime.” They nudged Melody, who simply gave a bright smile toward Booker, waving a hand. “Just moved here, hm?” Alistair thought for a moment, then remembered the conversation they’d had online with someone who had just arrived in town and gotten the attention of the shrimp cult. “Ah, yes. I remember you now.” Alistair spoke, and nodded their head slowly, fingers pressed against their chin. “A pleasure to meet you in person, I will not be serving you shrimp broth no matter how much you beg.” Alistair’s voice was easy and chipper despite the strong detestation against shrimp tea.

“So you’re a detective with the police then?” Alistair asked casually, suddenly, more than ever, aware of what they had done in the backroom of their shop. “Fancy title, that.” Alistair picked up the discarded rag to begin to wipe down the countertop to keep their hands busy while Melody slipped toward the back of the store, allowing the two to speak without getting in their way. Alistair hardly showed interest in talking to strangers, and she desperately wanted them to make a single friend, she was desperate.

Before Alistair could open their mouth to speak again, Brutus was getting up from his spot in the corner, stretching and letting out a big yawn, then trotted over to Alistair, tail wagging, nosing their hand to let them know that he was awake and ready to help. “Oh, and this is Brutus, he’s my eyes.” They patted the top of Brutus’s head, then slipped their slender hand through the lead of the harness. 

—

Booker laughed, shaking his head. “Dang, and I really had my heart set on some shrimp broth… ah well, suppose I’ll live.” He watched Alistair wipe down the counter while sampling the tea he’d been handed. “Mm, yeah. Currently off duty, but that’s subject to change at a moment’s notice. The more I learn about this town,  the more worried I am about my free time.” There was a pause as he took another sip of his tea, then glanced down at the mug. “Oh, that’s… good, actually,” he admitted, somewhat surprised. “Sorry, nothing against you, I’ve just always been more of a… coffee guy. But… trying new things.” 

He glanced around the place again, gaze falling on the dog as it walked up to its owner, who introduced them. “Hey, Brutus. Handsome fella, aren’t you?” There was a questioning rattling around in his head, and after the dog looked at him and chuffed, he felt compelled to ask it. 

“If I may… what makes a person jump from pharmacology to tea, doctor?”

—

Alistair hummed in response to the man’s apparent disappointment with no shrimp broth, rolling their eyes playfully. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m sure there are plenty of places around that would be more than happy to serve you soup.” Alistair lowered their head with a raised brow as if trying to make a point. “Tea and soup, while both hot liquids are not the same. I’ll die on this hill.” Their playful annoyance turned to a genuine smile as their work was complimented. “I’m glad you think so,” they responded. “Though between you and me? I’m also more of a coffee person.” They spoke it in a whisper as if such a statement were sacrilegious. And when working in a tea shop, it certainly was.

“Your doctor tell you to lay off the coffee? That seems to be the biggest reason for coffee people to step foot into my shop,” Alistair remarked with a smirk, crossing their arms over their chest after discarding the rag on the countertop. Brutus was busy wagging his tail a mile a minute at the compliment from the stranger, seemingly happy to be acknowledged. “Brutus, suidhe,” Alistair commanded, and the dog sat down, tail still wagging.

Then, the man asked the question that everyone seemed to want to know. It wasn’t a hurtful question, he was well within his rights to ask it. Still, every time he was asked, it stung a bit, a sinking feeling in his chest. “Turns out they don’t let you continue to be a pharmacist when you can’t see anything,” Alistair explained, waving a hand in front of their eyes for emphasis. “Melody had a mission to open a tea shop, and I decided I could use my knowledge of herbalism to put towards good use, that way not everything was lost.” They shrugged a shoulder as if the question didn’t bother them nearly as much as it did. 

—

So it wasn’t something the tea sommelier was born with, but rather an injury that came later in life. Late enough for them to have already had an established career as a pharmacist that got ripped away from them. “Sorry to hear that,” he apologized, recognizing that it might’ve been an insensitive thing to ask. He couldn’t help himself, sometimes. Sensitivity was not something he often had the luxury of affording in his day to day work. “There’s always a push for more accessibility, but I guess it makes sense that some things just require certain senses we don’t all possess. A shame.” He paused to take another sip of the tea, shaking his head as he lowered the mug again. “For whatever it’s worth, which I suspect isn’t much, I don’t think everything’s been lost. If you can get an old stuck-in-his-ways curmudgeon like me to enjoy tea, I’d say you’re doing something very right.” 

The man scanned the shop again, spotting an open table by a street-facing window. “Well. I’m going to have myself a sit at the window seat over there with this perfectly un-pepper-flaked tea, but if you find yourself with time and a desire for conversation… my afternoon is free.” All he intended to do that day was loiter in the shop and work on a felted fox that was kept securely inside a tin tucked into the inner pocket of his jacket. After politely excusing himself, the detective made his way to the table and took out his felting tin, setting the little half-finished fox in front of him and rooting around through his materials for a few moments before resuming his project. 

—

It was hard to get Alistair to give someone a genuine smile, but Booker? He’d done it. Before Alistair could process what was happening, a soft smile curled across their features, warm and inviting despite how hard the necromancer tried to appear anything but. This person, whoever he was, decided that Alistair was worth their talents and that not everything was wasted because they were good at what they did. People didn’t go out of their way to tell them that, and it was very much appreciated. “Your words are kind and very much appreciated,” Alistair spoke in response, nodding their head once. 

It was a rare opportunity that Alistair had a chance to make a friend, to sit down and talk with someone close in age. Most people that came in were either elder spellcasters looking for ingredients for a spell, or young people looking to get their fix of the latest tea. And there was Booker, inviting them to join him. Melody finally looked up from her counting in the back of the store and made her way to the counter, whispering to Alistair to go make a friend for once that wasn’t her and Tommy. Alistair grumbled something unintelligible but discarded the rag onto the counter and sauntered over to sit across from Booker. 

Something about Booker brought back that gentle side of Alistair that they kept locked away tightly, that this was someone that they could trust and befriend, even if they hadn’t allowed themselves to do so in quite some time. Brutus trotted over to his companion, laying down at Alistair’s feet to let the spellcaster know that he was there. That’s where they would sit, slipping in between conversation and comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other’s company.  It was something that Alistair wasn’t afforded, thought they would never be allowed to have again, a companion in someone else. A friendship where they thought friendship wouldn’t be allowed after losing all that they’d lost. But Booker? Booker opened up a piece of the necromancer they’d long thought lost, a piece of them that was kind and considerate, that wanted to have a friend and someone to spend time with. That’s what they’d learned that day, that maybe, just maybe, not all hope was lost.

[allylikethecat]

Just read your reply to an ask about a fix of matty singing them to sleep and the suggestion/idea of fictional Matty singing fictional George or vice versa to sleep has me wanting to eat my hand and sob (in a good way) 😭

The best way to deal with your self imposed stress of not finishing a fic by your self dictated deadline is obviously to work on a different one 😂 I felt really bad that I wasn't able to fill that one prompt request for that anon looking for a matty x reader blurb where he sung the reader to sleep (I don't see myself ever writing x reader fic i'm sorry!! there are so many wonderful talented people who do though! that's just not my writing niche unfortunately) ... but like was totally down to write one of him singing fictional!George to sleep, and then I saw that YOU lovely anon had sent this in in response to that ask, so obviously I had to jump it to the top of my massive list of prompt fill requests that I really do promise I will finish in 2024 lol

So, alas, here it is, Fictional!Matty sining Fictional!George to sleep. I hope you like it, if not let me know and I will attempt a take two! Thank you so much for sending this in though, and for reading, and being so lovely and supportive! I hope you have a very happy new year and a great rest of your week!

❤️Ally

Singing to sleep

George was sick, and George never got sick. Matty was at his wits end, he was the one with the shit immune system. He was the one who didn’t take care of himself and allowed his body to get run down, seeming to constantly be coming down with a perpetual case of the sniffles. George did yoga. George remembered to eat, and drank water, and got the recommended eight hours of sleep each night. He wasn’t supposed to be congested and running a fever, a trail of used tissues laid out like bread crumbs as if he would lose his way back to the bedroom without them. 

George wasn’t supposed to be arguing with Matty that he wasn’t sick when he clearly was. Shaking his head, his voice rough and nasally, insisting that he was fine even as he had to halt his argument every few minutes to cough. George was not supposed to be sick, and with a sinking realization, Matty was learning that George was an even worse patient than he was. 

“Please,” Matty begged, he knew he looked ridiculous wearing the frilly apron his Mum had gotten him as a joke when they had bought the new house and Matty had shown her the high end kitchen as if he was going to actually use it. The joke was on her, he was wearing the apron and currently trying to use the kitchen. “Please just go lay back down.” 

“I’m fine,” George rasped again before breaking off into another coughing fit, his arms wrapped around himself as he shivered. Matty glanced at the clock on the stove, it was still too soon for him to take another dose of paracetamol. 

“You are not fine!” Matty snapped, turning away from the stove and the soup that he hoped was simmering and not boiling, he wasn’t entirely sure of the difference. He waved his wooden spoon at George for dramatic effect. “You need to go lay down and get some fucking rest so you can get better!” 

George opened his mouth and Matty waved the spoon more aggressively, flicking his wrist at George. “No, no arguments, upstairs, now please, let’s go.” Matty said, nudging George’s shoulder so that he could guide him towards the staircase. 

George sighed, breaking off into another coughing fit, his shoulders shaking before doing as Matty said. He padded barefoot towards the stairs, Matty hot on his heels to make sure he actually got into bed instead of trying to snag his work laptop out of the office. The soup would be okay for a few minutes without him, Matty thought as they climbed the stairs. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to be watching for anyway, or what he was even supposed to do if it did do something. 

Realizing he was still holding the spoon, Matty sheepishly sat it down on the dresser, brushing past George to fluff up his pillows and blankets.

“Get in the bed,” he said, holding his arms out as if he was a briefcase girl on a game show.  

“You trying to take advantage of me?” George rasped, batting his eyelashes teasingly, the effect was lost though by the glassy sheen of his eyes and his dry red nose. 

“Always,” Matty deadpanned and George sighed, climbing back into bed and allowing Matty to rearrange the blankets around him while he pouted like a child.

“Now get some rest,” Matty said, leaning down one last time to press a kiss to George’s forehead, frowning when he realized just how hot it was. He turned away, planning on heading into the bathroom to get George a damp wash rag to try and cool him down some before returning to his soup when George caught his wrist. 

“Wait,” said George looking up at Matty, looking extra pathetic with his pale skin, red nose and shiny eyes. 

“I’ll be right back,” Matty assured him, his heart squeezing. “I’m just going to get you a cold rag.” 

“I’m fine,” George said again, his voice convincing absolutely no one. “But will you,” George flushed, and Matty wasn’t sure if it was from fever or embarrassment. George swallowed hard, his sore throat bobbing painfully. “Will you sing to me?”

Matty blinked, in confusion, not expecting the request. “What?” he asked dumbly and George’s blush deepened, embarrassment it is then, Matty thought fondly, his heart flipping at the request. 

“Will you sing me something?” George asked again, his eyes wide and earnest. “Please.” 

Matty exhaled slowly, he wanted to get George a cold wash rag for his forehead, and he needed to go check on his soup. But who was he to refuse George a song when he was poorly. 

“Yeah,” said Matty softly, feeling like his insides had turned to goo with just how much he loved George. “Yeah, I can sing you something.” 

His Gibson Hummingbird was leaning against a decorative chair where he had left it two days prior, and he winced, knowing he should have put it away properly but thankful for his laziness as he scooped it up, feeling silly as he quickly tuned it and sat down on the edge of the bed. 

He played the opening chord and George smiled, instantly recognizing the song. 

Tell me what you thought about

When you were gone and so alone

The worst is over

You can have the best of me

We got older but we're still young

We never grew out of this feeling that we won't give up

George was asleep, snoring softly, before Matty even finished the song. 

[pruning-the-minds-garden]

On Trust

Lets talk about trust in kink generally, and in hypnokink specifically. First, about Proximal Trust, then about Trusting me, and last about Accountability.

Something I want, I need people in the hypnokink space - and in general, really - to watch out for is Proximal Trust. This is when [Person A] gains a level of perceived trust or integrity in the eyes of other people, by being associated with (in proximity to) [Person B]. A concrete example: "I've seen HypnoDude being friendly with and sharing the content of SpiralChain for ages, and I trust SpiralChain, so HypnoDude has to be legit..."

Let me let Gen. Ackbar tell you what that is -

There are a lot of people I talk to in the hypnokink community, who exist in a space where... well... it's not that I think they're untrustworthy, but at the same time I cannot attest directly to whether they are trustworthy and respectful partners. That's not because I have doubts about them as people, but because I have never interacted with them in that specific way. They've never been sexually, kinkstually or whatever interested in me, nor I them, and that is a very different level of interaction to, "hey how's the weather? You like D&D 5E? Oh cool, so what's your favorite kind of induction?"

I cannot, and you should not, assume that just because someone is able to maintain a friendship with me without setting off alarm bells in my head, that they are a considerate, ethical, and compatible partner. It is just not a good or safe assumption to make. Yes, a lot of really skeevy people will squick me out and I will avoid them right off the jump... but a lot of others won't.

Cloaking one's predatory nature or broken stair-ness in order to get in the proximity of trusted folks is a great strategy to get access to a more steady stream of potential partners, and so it is one oft employed. And, it often works. I cannot possibly vouch for everyone I interact positively with, nor everyone who shares my content, nor everyone who upvotes or likes my ideas. I can only vouch for the small circle of people I've actually had intimate interactions with or whom I've directly seen interacting in that way for a long enough time to feel comfortable drawing conclusions from said observations. I wish predators and unethical actors and broken stairs came with badges, but sadly they do not.

If you have questions about individuals, ask me about them in DM. I will tell you what I know, and admit what I do not (which is often a lot). I will be as honest and forthright as possible, to give you the ability to make an honest risk assessment for yourself. I'm always here to help, too, should things should go awry, in whatever way you deem necessary. I limit the extent to which I publicly call people out to those people who have, in my eyes, repeatedly and unapologetically done things that cross serious ethical lines, and for whom there is sufficient and publicly-available evidence.

On a related note, everything I said above about other people applies to me, too. I know I make a lot of content on ethics and safety and consent and that might recommend to suspicion that I'm "automatically" a trustworthy person. I'ma let Gen. Ackbar take that one again -

Don't assume you can trust me. I really do appreciate that I've helped people, it means a ton to me. It matters. I am really, really, really super glad to have made the amount of difference - however big or small it is - that I have. I'm grateful for all of your support and accolades and all of that.

However.

No amount of difference, no amount of kudos, no amount of good a person could do, ever, makes them automatically worthy of your trust. That goes double in an intimate, kink context. Always, always, always vett your potential intimate and kink partners as best you can. Just because someone has a bunch of good friends, that does not mean that can't then turn around and be a consent violating asshole in the proverbial (or literal) bedroom. Just because someone talks a good - or great - game, that doesn't mean that when push comes to shove they aren't sus as hell. Vett. Your. Partners. Please. Not doing so does not excuse unethical or injurious behavior on their part - that's their doing and their failing, not yours - but it will help greatly to keep you safe. In an ideal world it would not be required, but we don't live in that ideal world, and until we do we have to live in the one we do.

That brings us to Accountability. I've said a lot here about not trusting the wrong people, so I want to make something absolutely, crystal clear: if someone does something hurtful to you, that is THEIR fault, not yours. Where you put your trust and how you vett people does matter but it does not, in any way, to any extent, make the things that happen to you "your fault." Accountability for those hurtful, abusive actions is 100% on the shoulders of the people who do them. It will never be anywhere else. All of the above - vetting, proximal trust, etc - is said with a mind to practicality and self-protection, to keeping you safe in the future, and not with even a hint of suggestion of blame or responsibility for anything. I know that when you are in the grips of something like that it can be easy to get into a blame, shame or self-hate spiral, wondering how you could let something like that happen and... you didn't. Things like that don't passively occur, they are actively pursued, and done so in ways that specifically overcome or bypass or evade the protective mechanisms that we all use to keep that from being done to us. It's. Not. Your. Fault.

Is this in response to a specific situation? Yes. More than one, honestly. Am I going to spill the proverbial tea? If I was going to, I would have already. I value given promises of privacy and even implicit ones far more than the social currency of naming-and-shaming and "✨#drama✨". If the time comes for that, though, rest assured it will happen. In the mean time, I'll do what I can to see that people are safe, healthy, and steps are taken to prevent future harm, as appropriate. I care about this community and I want to do right by it, and by all of you, as best I can.

[finelinens1994]

i also feel like this whole culture comes from young people feeling desperate to fit in and feel like they are a good person. when you're young and your brain is still developing and you're already in these spaces, it's hard to ignore the loudest voice saying "if you support xyz then you are [insert a type of bigot]" because you want to be a good person and you don't want the other people in that space you are friends with to question your morals or unfollow you or tell people you are a bigot. so many young people don't feel confident enough in their ability to think critically and say "actually no i disagree" while still knowing that they genuinely care about the cause and disagreeing with this one person jumping to an extreme doesn't negate that. with enough work and maturity, being a true advocate is when you can speak freely about issues without feeling terrified of saying something a little wrong and being able to talk about multiple sides of a situation. online activism has made so many of these young people feel like anything less than the strictest take or any empathy given to someone who has fucked up is equal to being the enemy because if they don't then they, too, will be seen as the enemy.

i totally get what you mean. when you can screenshot every line of a conversation, a lot can be seen in a negative light when taken out of context. if you've ever had even just one statement taken out of context and used to paint you as a Bad Person, it can easily make you fear that every conversation you have is being had in bad faith. like everyone is waiting on you to use a wrong word, phrase something in a way that can be interpreted differently from your intention, not respond fast enough so they can point out the timestamp and claim you were doing something bad in the meantime. it can feel like even your friends are just enemies lying in wait! it's scary! social media is scary, and it makes all of us paranoid. empathy is weakness and nuance is indecisiveness, because only someone with faulty morals or a poor education would feel unsure.

that being said, critical thinking is a thing that we all learn over time! we're all learning it! it's like a muscle you need to exercise regularly in order to really use it well. i can recommend some cool videos if you want to learn more about critical thinking: "introduction to critical thinking" a 35 video course from wireless philosophy, an animated ted-ed video about the socratic method, an animated ted-ed video about critical thinking.

I KNOW I ALWAYS SHOW UP WITH CITATIONS but it's genuinely fun to learn new things i swear... two of them are 5 minute cartoons...

[rewordthis]

The struggles of art, are not for everyone.

It’s really not, indeed.

You have to like the process first and foremost.

If when putting the tip of the pencil down onto paper your main thoughts are how you’re bad, how you won’t have any progress, or hope you’ll be as good as those famous artists you follow on here or Twitter, then you’re really doing it wrong.

I’ve been drawing for forever and I still don’t seem to make anything better than before but having an old drawing around always puts things into perspective. I draw because it gives me peace of mind. If it just gives you anxiety then sure, it’s not for you.

And in the end, what I love the most about it is the sensation of my pencil-tip scratching that blank void that a sheet of paper is. Not the prospect of earning likes, a following, or money from it. I have tons of art that’ll never see the light of day for many reasons, that I’m so hang up on the fact that I made it. I was in my best condition when I made those pieces, in the right headspace, I was whole. The muses guided my hands these times, God smiled down on me.

What can I say? I’m a girl of simple things.

But the whole debate about whether AI is a medium for creation or easy theft, has soured my mood.

I do NOT consider AI art when its main ‘reference’ is straight up stealing and plagiarising someone’s sweat and tears. Before feeding it your favourite artist’s (or writer’s) work to mince and chew it up like it’s nothing in order to vomit a halfassed attempt at creation on your part remember this, the artists and writers the works of you used, are real people. They breathe, they eat, they cry. They pour TIME into their works. Time that you do NOT respect. They put feelings into their works. Feelings that you do NOT respect. For some of them, it’s also their main income. Income that you DEVALUE by stealing what is considered a unique trait of their trade!

You will NEVER learn anything nor get better at anything other than stealing that way. Because you haven’t known the value of hard work. The value of putting a chip of your soul into what you make. The value of living inside every work you’ve ever CREATED. You never lost sleep, food, or a piece of your sanity trying to make something from scratch. Trying to make it work. Trying to give birth to something unique.

What pitiful existences really, are those who can’t value someone else’s soul enough to respect it…

Anyway… this is getting heavy for me so I’m not going to rant over this anymore. I just want to say that I’m going to release some basic everyday steps for those who really want to learn drawing to follow on their own. Art takes time. Great writing takes time. It also takes for someone to be happy each time for what they were capable of creating.

That said, let me be clear that these mini exercises aren’t gonna clinch you a job at mappa, nor are they going to teach you proportions or whatever else those tutorials promise you, they’re specific to making you understand how 3D and observation works in order for you to be able to pick the elements you need every time you make a new piece. That’s all!

Progress isn’t jumping from 3yo art to fucking Rembrandt. It’ll suck ass before it even looks remotely decent!

Make sure to have that☝️printed and posted on your wall. That’s an order! *flexes whip*

Ok, I’m kidding, but seriously that’s your only motto from now on if you want to get better.

And now let’s prepare the ground for your exercises.

What you’ll need first is either a normal pencil or a 2mm one. No 0,5’s or whatever… in general NO mechanical pencils. Personally I’d recommend starting with a wooden pencil, though.

A good eraser that doesn’t smudge. It doesn’t matter what colour or brand as long as it erases the graphite well and without too much mess. Remember, NO SMUGES! *Forgot to say, a charcoal eraser will be a good friend, if it’s affordable. (Sorry for forgetting that.)

Now, hardness:

Find your typical hand writing pressure in the table below.

Generally the harder you press, the more difficult to erase. So bigger pressure (aka black marks, scratches etc) is 5.

5 4 3 2 1

2H H HB B 2B

How it works:

If you’re 3 you’ll need:

H: tracing

HB: outline

2B: shading

If you’re a 5 you’ll need:

2H: tracing

H or HB: outline

B: shading

If you’re 1 you’ll need:

HB: tracing

HB or B: outline

2B: shading

If you are 2 or 4 you’ll have to go through trial and error. Sorry. Just keep in mind that depending on where you lean; extremes or average (3), you follow the guidelines above.

For example, I am a hard 5 (if not 5,5 lol) so at some point I resorted working with just 2H and HB. I only ever use B when I need something to be black— which admittedly happens rarely. It’s only a few times you’ll need to depict actual black.

> You generally need a tracing pencil that won’t leave too dark visible marks behind when erased. People 5 and 4 will have to be a little careful though and not scratch the paper but that will come with practice.

> Your outline has to be enough to ‘stain’ the paper so you won’t lose your main sketch. It’s also correction time. Yey!

> Your shading shouldn’t smudge because you’re going to use layers. Yes. Even in traditional art you darken in layers, typically in as light moves as possible and in varying angles until you get the shade you want but that’s for later.

I personally don’t have any specific papers to propose to you (bitch you’re using basic photo-printing A4 papers wth lol). You’ll just need a hard surface, especially my 5 and 4 palls.

Ok, that’s it for today, folks.

Let me also slap a disclaimer here: I am NOT a professional art tutor. I just love art. 🤗

[askatrigenderlgbt]

Marvel Prompt~

(Loki is sitting on the floor of the common room facing the window, deep in concentration. Constantly fidgeting around, scratching at his arm absent mindedly. Tony and Clint walk into the room.)

Tony:Lokes? What are you doing on the floor?

(Loki didn't answer, not even appearing to hear Tony at all. Sharing a look with Clint he tries once more. Still, Loki doesn't answer. Clint walked carefully into Loki's field of vision before getting closer, then he gently taps on the mage when he still doesn't seem to notice him. Loki startles.)

Clint: Sorry! Sorry, didn't mean to make you jump. Just wanted to know if your okay?

Loki: *Confused* I... I am fine, really. But what made you think I wasn't?

Tony: *Walking over* You were staring out the window at nothing with a look. We thought you had something on your mind that was bothering you.

(Loki paused, considered it, then blushed slightly in embarrassment.)

Loki: *voice slightly quieter* I was trying to remember what I forgot, that I was supposed to remember, but I can't remember. My head feels... Full. Yet, it feels full but also feels like it's empty. Different things seem to be too much right now, things are louder without any logical reason, and I just can't seem to start any of my tasks. I can barely focus on getting these words out coherently.

(Clint and Tony turned to one another, a rapid and clear conversation passing within seconds by mere eye contact. Tony faces Loki and asks him a question.)

Tony: Loki, I think I might have a clue what is wrong but I need to ask what might seem to be a random question. Is it ever hard for you to sit completely still? Like, without fidgeting at all?

Loki: *head tilt* People can actually sit like that?

(Tony and Clint recommend Loki to take a few tests in order to confirm their suspicions. It didn't take much to confirm that Loki in fact had ADHD like them.)

(Finding out he had ADHD, Loki found a few answers for things he would do in the past. The emotional dysregulation, anger issues, body dysmorphia, and ect, made a lot of Loki's past more easier to understand why he did things the way he did. It also probably didn't help that his family was already dysfunctional as it was.)

Loki:... Up side is, I now know I have potentially MORE power if I am able to manage my disorder! I maybe unstoppable now! Villains shall face my fury!!!!

[melishade]

In the War Continuation Timeline, how's everyone doing? The Autobots have a couple of advantages, the Deception are conquering more land, Megatron is high as a satellite, Breakdown's "dead " Arachnia wishes she was dead, and Dreadwing is questioning his life choices.

Part 13: Dreadwing's role

So there's definitely a lot going on that I had to review, but lets get into it.

So, first thing's first, Megatron is obviously pissed off at the fact that a bunch of humans took down the Nemesis. Not to mention Breakdown is considered deceased. A few vehicons ended up getting killed in the process. RIP to them. But Megatron's pride and ego are definitely bruised. And he decides to resort to drastic counter measures. AKA, he's going to infect the power of the titans with dark energon and start using that link to force Zeke Jaeger and Bertholdt Hoover to do his bidding. Despite protest from Knockout, Megatron doesn't listen. Annie is still in her crystal prison and the Decepticons still can't get her out without killing her. Zeke Jaeger gets dark energon injected in his body and Megatron tries to command him to do his bidding, but there's resistance. Despite Zeke Jaeger being of royal blood, there's still resistance and not complete control. It's frustrating him! Why! Soundwave reveals some additional scouting that Lazerbeak did on the island, including spotting Arcee and Hanji talking about their torture of Airachnid. (Part of Airachnid's torture was happening around the same time the people from Marley came to the island). And they hear Eren's name being dropped along with the information Airachnid gathered about him being the holder of the Founding Titan.

That intel, makes Eren Jaeger a high priority target for the Decepticons and they intend to attack the island. However, Megatron doesn't want to just groundbridge his forces there, knowing that the Autobots and Optimus were there. Meaning he needed to get his ship up and running. (He's going to inject it with dark energon, but that plot line will be addressed for another ask because I still need to think about it!)

Meanwhile on the island, the Autobots and the Survey Corps are concerned about the Survey Corp members that jumped onto the Nemesis to get Bertholdt and Annie back. (Mikasa, Jean, Historia, Ymir, and Mike (who is now deceased. Killed by Soundwave when the Nemesis crash landed)). So the island has to divide resources. Because they don't have a groundbridge, there's recommendation that some of the Survey Corps and Autobots that can fit on the ship the Marleyans came in, use that same ship to go back to the mainland. Eren practically begs to go because he doesn't want to see Mikasa or any of his other comrades get hurt. Marco just got his friend Jean back; he doesn't want him to die. And then there's also the risk of Megatron using the power of the titans to his benefit.

So they are able to test the ship's support and see that it is able to support both Arcee and Bumblebee, so they are tasked with protecting the team while the other Autobots remain on the island. Erwin, assuming that an attack from the Decepticons on the island will be imminent suggests that Eren does go on this exposition. If Megatron's target is ultimately him, Eren will be a lot harder to find if he's off the island and on the mainland. Along with Eren goes Marco, Sasha, Armin, Petra, Oluo, Levi, Porco, Pieck, and Yelena since they know the layout of Marley. Everyone else stays behind to bolster defenses on the island. And Hanji gives everyone experimental weapons to try out with Ratchet's careful instructions.

Meanwhile, after Mikasa and Jean crashed after the ship fell, they are found by Kenshin's team and taken back to the underground facilities where Kenshin and Lara are. Mikasa and Jean are naturally on edge when they wake up, and the soldiers are surprised to see the weapons on Mikasa and Jean, but Kenshin introduces himself and explains who he is, who Lara is, and their situation. He asks Mikasa and Jean their stories, and they explain how they were on Megatron's ship with others before taking it down. Everyone is stunned at that. How did humans managed to take down the floating ship? How did they even get on the ship in the first place? Jean explains they got on the ship through the groundbridge from the Walls, but they still didn't know how bad the treatment of the Eldians are on the outside. So once the soldiers hear that, they immediately turn their weapons on Mikasa and Jean, calling them devils. Kenshin quickly has to try and calm them down, considering the fact that they just created the biggest advantage they could ever hope for! The soldiers are still suspicious, but Kenshin notices Mikasa's bandage is gone, revealing the Azumabito crest. Kenshin remembers his history about the original heir to the throne being lost during the fall of the Eldian Empire, and he quickly realizes who Mikasa is. He grabs her wrist and shows the mark to everyone else, demanding they stand down and listen to their empress. Kenshin uses his knowledge to force the soldiers to back off, but Mikasa and Jean are floored. Mikasa's royalty?

Kenshin asks the two of them for more details about the Decepticon ship as he gives a tour of their underground base while also introducing them to the creator behind it, Lara Tybur. They explain they were trying to stop the Decepticons from taking titan shifters in their custody, but weren't able to retrieve Annie or Bertholdt from the Decepticons. They had lost their squad leader and the Jaws Titan was currently missing in action, jumping off the ship and into the water.

Mikasa explains that they need to get back to the island and to their comrades. The Autobots would know how to stop Megatron-!

"Autobots?!" Lara and Kenshin yelled.

"Yes?!" Jean exclaimed in surprise at their outburst.

"Is there an Optimus Prime there?!" Kenshin begged.

"How do you know that name?!" Mikasa demanded.

Lara and Kenshin nod to each other and show them where they are keeping Starscream, which gets them on the offensive. Kenshin explains he's being cooperative for now, but the Emperor and the War Hammer Titan have never been so full of hope before. Meanwhile, Starscream is annoyed as hell at the optimism in the room.

Ymir and Historia would probably run into Colt and Breakdown. Meanwhile Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus, and Smokescreen are still on Earth trying to hash stuff out.

(There's a lot to cover and address in the War Timeline considering the many plot points but I hope this was adequate.)

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Author Discussion: Silence Louder than Words

OKAY SO LET’S GET THIS GOING.

AUTHOR DISCUSSION IS BELOW THE CUT.

And if you haven’t read Silence Louder than Words, the latest installment of Another Level, it’s recommended you do before reading this because there are SPOILERS in this discussion :) 

Read Another Level on AO3 💕

Before I say anything, though, I wanna put a disclaimer: Don’t be upset with Nanami.

He really, really means well. He just wants them both to be okay, and he knows that Gojo needs someone. And he knows that Rinko wants to help. 

As for the joking he does, remember that by this point, Rinko and Nanami really, truly see each other like siblings, so of course he’s going to joke with her about these things. He’s going to tease his work sis about her fuckbuddy needing to relieve some tension because it’s funny and normally, she’d laugh.

I’ll address the MAJOR question I have a feeling most people have first:

Why the fuck did Gojo wait until Rinko was asleep to say that last line?

So many reasons. So, so many reasons. 

But the first is because that was him recognizing that feeling for the first time. This was the first time he’s allowed himself the headspace to even consider that as a possibility. And so, as they laid there, him watching her drift to sleep after she sat with him in silence for hours, it almost smacked him in the face that he really doesn’t ever want to be without her and that feeling is likely love.

On top of that, while she told him her thoughts, told him she doesn’t think he should fault himself, she accepts that she can’t force him to change his mind. But she lets him know that she just sees an impossible situation that he did the very best he could at the time in.

He’s realizing that there is someone in his life who won’t ever try to force him to be someone they expect him to be for their own benefit, and he’s finally understanding that he wants her around at all times because he likely loves her.

And this could not have happened earlier. It couldn’t have.

Much like Yuzuki dying made room for Gojo, Geto’s death is going to make room for Rinko.

With Gojo beginning to accept that Geto is going to be gone from his life forever, he’s going to be able to open up a bit more to allow Rinko inside. And, like I’ve said before, that fucking terrifies him. Because Geto was the only other person he’s ever trusted this much.

I’m warning you now: this isn’t where their relationship begins. Because 1) Gojo is a drama queen and wants to do this the way he thinks is the best way and the most dramatic. 2) Rinko still isn’t ready, and Gojo knows this.

They just reestablished that their relationship is just sex a couple of months ago. Gojo turning right around and saying ‘Hey jk, I’m in love with you’ would send Rinko running for the hills. And he is well aware of this.

Also, he’s going to need some time to make sure that he understands this feeling before jumping in and saying something too quickly. He needs to process this realization before saying anything to her.

Why was this time different than the last time she checked on him?

A great question, thank you so much for asking! 😌

Again, many, many reasons.

You’ll notice how Rinko specifically told Nanami to mind his own damn business and then seems to do exactly as he says. But she doesn’t. Not really.

She looks for Gojo and then says nothing once she finds him. She stands outside of the classroom until he speaks first.

She does not invade the space he has made for himself.

She stood in the doorway, at the threshold until he gives her permission to enter.

And she waits for him to speak before she says anything. She’d been standing there for a while before he acknowledged her, which is why she made the joke asking if he meant the room or Tokyo. She knew he knew as soon as she found him because she hadn’t made an effort to hide her duplicates while she searched.

But she kept it light, and let him be the one to make it heavy if that was what he wanted. She acknowledges to herself that if he asks her to leave, then she will with no other questions because she assumes that he’ll want her to leave.

She also notes that her gut told her to at least see him before leaving.

And that is important because she’s not listening to Nanami, she’s listening to her gut telling her to see Gojo before she leaves. And let him see her. Because she only wants him to know that she cares and is there if he wants to talk. But she will give him the space he needs if he tells her to go.

That is why he lets her stay: because she asked.

Remember, at the very end of Hollow Echoes, Gojo specifies: “Just don’t come barging in whenever you want without asking first.”

Her respecting the space he made for himself and asking if she’s allowed to enter, making it clear that she will respect his wish if he tells her no, is what prompts him to nod when she asks to sit with him.

Then, once he allows her to stay, she does exactly what she said she would: she sits with him.

She doesn’t speak, doesn’t ask him questions, or try to fill the silence, she just sits.

Because just like she admits to herself in the very beginning: she can’t make things better. She can’t make the situation any less shitty and they both know it. But she can just make sure he isn’t completely alone to deal with whatever thoughts are racing in his mind. She can let him know that she cares about him and that she’s there if he needs her and that he doesn’t have to be alone if he doesn’t want to be.

When she sat with him in silence, that made him realize that that was why he hated being around people whenever he was upset: because they always tried to fix or make him feel better or justify or anything in between. They always talked to him to try to make it better. But they never allowed him to just sit and process his thoughts like he wanted and needed.

Rinko does. She sits and lets him do whatever it is he needs and offers companionship through it, which is why he pulls her closer because he realizes that he doesn’t want to be alone. He just wants to be allowed to process without someone trying to force him to be better before he’s ready.

He’s grieving and instead of telling him to grieve faster, she sits with him and gives him the space to take however long he needs.

And that is just really beautiful.

Realistically, most people are fixers. And people don’t like when others’ emotions affect them. People also don’t like when people they care about are hurt or upset, so they try to make it better. But sometimes, what they end up doing is making things worse. Because they either fill the space that is needed to process, or they make the one grieving feel guilty for burdening others with their emotions.

I planned this part so early on for these two because it’s vital for the shift in how Gojo views and trusts her. This doesn’t mean they’re going to jump into a relationship at all because he’s still going to need time to grieve Geto, but it marks the shift in his mindset and how he sees his future.

Gojo can now see a future outside of missing Geto and regretting what happened and realizes that he wants Rinko to be in that future with him more than anyone else he’s known.

Again, they are not jumping into a relationship after this. Because this is just Gojo having this realization.

Rinko still is not ready.

I mean it when I say that were Gojo to confess to her now, she’d run. She would disappear from his life. Because not only would she think he’s only saying that out of grief and his emotions are high, but she’d think that she can’t ever be near him without risk of him saying things she doesn’t think he could ever truly mean when he’s hurting or struggling.

He knows this. He knows her. And he knows that if he were to turn to her as soon as Geto is dead and tell her that he loves her, she’d book it and he would likely never see the Rinko he’s just realized he’s in love with ever again. He knows that while he might see her, and be near her physically, she would withdraw and would never, ever open herself up to him ever again.

Because he knows how she sees him. 

Remember how they started all of this in Semi-Grade:

“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t usually see someone more than once.” She raised her eyebrows, giving her phone a look of disbelief. “Gojo,” she said, scoffing again. “You don’t need to bullshit me-” “I’m serious,” he cut her off again. “I’ll make you a deal. Because I said I want to be your friend - and I meant that, by the way - I won’t lie to you about this shit. If you’ll agree to the same. Occasional, casual sex, and we let the other know if that changes or something happens.” Tilting her head to the side, she mulled his words over. He made it sound too easy, just like recommending her for Grade 1. “Kurisaki?” he asked, and she realized she’d been completely silent. “You there?” “Yeah,” she called, walking back to her phone and staring down at the stupid contact picture he’d taken. “Kinda unclear though, what do you mean by if anything changes? Like, if we have a partner we think may have given us something?” “Or if you get a boyfriend…”

He was being honest when he told her he didn’t usually sleep with someone more than once. He did that in order to avoid them having feelings. And he told Rinko that their arrangement would only change if she started dating someone seriously because he knew that he wouldn’t be doing anything of the sort. He wanted her to understand that it was all he would ever want before they agreed to continue. And it’s because of all of that that he knows Rinko doesn’t think he’s capable of love because he didn’t think he really was until this realization.

The last thing I’ll address is why he specifies that he needs her to be in Kyoto:

Because he wants her in Tokyo with him. He wants to ask her to be at Shinjuku with him because her presence would help ease his mind.

But he knows that not only will she be needed in Kyoto, but that he needs to know Kyoto will be safe. And if she’s there, he knows it will be.

We’ll find out that he’s added Nanami as a last-minute addition on the day of the death parade. He does not do this because he thinks Rinko can’t handle it alone. It’s because he knows that it’ll ease her mind to have Nanami there to back her up. And he just wants her to feel as secure as possible in what he knows she’s capable of.

This one was a real labor of love for me. I really, really love the complexity of Silence Louder than Words, because I feel it shows growth on both of their parts while still displaying that they're still very messy humans who finally fuckin gave each other one of the damn hugs they both need.

These two are so adorable and damaged and so good for each other and they will eventually realize it enough to end up happy together. 💕💕