#i really don't see how jade and i can get along but people i've talked to said he's perfect for me (ignoring rook as my oshi)

[jangmi-latte]

Slowly but surely, you’re being reeled into the watery depths of true Octavinelle appreciation.

I MEAN IT'S NOT LIKE I DON'T LIKE THEM THEY'RE JUST NOT MY TYPE BUT AS HONEST AS I CAN BE THEIR AESTHETIC, BRAINS, COLORS, BUSINESS??? ALL IN GENERAL IS PRETTY AND INTERESTING

i just don't like jade JWKFKAJDKA i don't even know why BHAJWJAHAHAHA not like i'd avoid him or whatever. it's like when i'm talking to him or just around him i feel tense or i just daze off or just feel squirmy DO YOU GET ME

azul and floyd has my thumbs up (esp floyd he can have my heart idk i liked him ever since chapter 3's release) 👊👊👊 I AM A SCIENCE STUDENT I LIKE A MAN WHO CAN MAKE THINGS EXPLODE OUT OF NOWHERE

i'm not making any point here buddy

[drdemonprince]

Your blog is like a breath of fresh air. Thank you for all the wonderful thoughts and writing.

That said I actually have a question. I am pro-palestine(it feels stupid to call it that, as if it should even be a debate) and in a very left leaning friend group. But also a very white academic one. You know the type, read Marx, dream of the revolution but continue studying to end up in 9 to 5s instead of doing anything(I am guilty of it too, this isn't meant as insult just a description)

Anyways, as you can imagine they have been extremely hesitant when it comes to having any opinion on Israel or Palestine. That wouldn't be a problem in itself, I know how to start topics with them and get them thinking usually but in this case there is an additional problem. Whenever I try to broach the topic I get shutdown with "Look at all the shit that is going on here, our country is falling into fascism, I just don't have the energy to deal with this conflict. Please don't talk about it because it's triggering". And I have zero clue what to do. Forget getting them to go on protests with me, I can't even speak to them about it and feel really guilty. Its me bringing up a heavily triggering topic after all. It feels wrong to feel guilty though. I know at the end of the day it's not important if I could convince some people to give a fuck but do you have any advice? How to get over this guilt or maybe how to broach a topic with that considered?

My main problem is my fear of losing my friends because I have been ill for some time(as in physically unable to leave the house for more than a short grocery run, or my visits to the doctor, because of pain and my friends are what keep me alive) and losing their help would be not good.

My exact situation aside, do you have advice for someone to broach a topic that others describe as unpleasant/triggering without causing a huge rift in the group?

Thanks for your kind words and your question, Anon.

I think your friends suck and that you can do better than them. I think you should get out there and find yourself some Black, brown, working class anarchist and anarco-communist buds (and Marxists who show up for others in a real, observable way in their regular lives) as soon as you can.

I know that wasn't the answer you were looking for. But I have seen this kind of entirely theoretical, jaded, self-superior, passive, white well-off Marxist type a thousand times before, and I've failed to ever see them show up for other people in any kind of consistent way.

And it's not only the people systematically crushed beneath the wheel of Capital half a world away that they neglect, either. They tend to be pretty shitty friends and neighbors when it all comes down to it on the micro-level, too. Their smug over-intellectualism and dispassionate cynicism allows them to justify remaining disengaged and going along with the status quo in a way that ultimately serves capitalism very well.

There is a theoretical basis to this selfishness and disengagement, I will admit. This type of overly academic Marxist typically believes that the fall of capitalism is inevitable, that humans lack free will and only behave as befits their obvious material interests, and that there is nothing that one can do on a personal level to hasten any kind of Revolution, so there is nothing left to do but wait, and take care of oneself, and allow the future to unfold.

This is a perspective explicitly advocated for by people like the Chapo Trap House guys, and among academic white boy communist types, it is incredibly popular. I remember hearing Matt Christman saying on his vlogs that he essentially does not believe the conditions allowing capitalism to fall will happen in his lifetime, and so his only responsibility is to just take care of himself and his family and be comfortable.

Ultimately, these types wind up sounding and behaving exactly like capitalist economists who believe that everyone is rationally motivated only by increasing their personal wealth. They are disengaged from politics except insofar as they like to make snide jokes about current events for their own entertainment and enrichment, and they don't see themselves as having the capacity to exert a positive influence on the world, nor any obligation to. It's bleak shit.

At the same time, if your friends are in the circles that tend to read and listen to and promote this kind of stuff, surely they have also been exposed to popular leftist voices advocating loudly for the Palestinian cause. And yet still they have done nothing.

Hasan Piker has been vocally pro-Palestine his entire career, and his Twitch channel has been providing near constant coverage of Palestinian issues since October 7th. True Anon has had multiple episodes on the Israel Lobby, the suppression of pro-Palestinian activism and journalistic coverage, and has aired interviews with Normal Finkelstein. Palestine is the central topic of nearly every Trillbilly Worker's Party podcast for months now.

These are widely popular voices among the very types of Marxists that you say that your friends are, and many of these creators are close friends with the Chapo Trap House guys, whom your friends almost certainly are taking notes from. So it's nearly impossible to imagine that your friends have not encountered the near constant coverage of the struggle of the Palestinians that all the rest of us have. And yet still your friends do nothing. Still they do not care, and dismiss you when you share with them how despairing you feel.

Your friends have turned off an essential part of their hearts, I think. And I don't mean they lack empathy. Not having empathy is fine, I don't have it either -- but I make the conscious choice to care about the Palestinian cause and to advocate for it, because it aligns with my values. I give a fuck. My giving a fuck is conveyed through my actions, not through what I think about or how I feel.

Your friends are showing no interest in learning more about this genocide or doing anything about it. Perhaps some degree of ignorance or hesitancy could be justified early on because the Israeli apologist propaganda is so far reaching, but we're well past the point of that explaining away inaction by now. Over 100,000 people are missing and over 30,000 are known to be dead and little girls are being shot by snipers while seeking medical care while babies are left to rot in their NICU beds.

Your friends know this. Maybe not everyone in the world does, but if they're so well-read about leftist issues, your friends do. And they have chosen, for some reason, not to care. They've disconnected from the pain the Palestinian people are in, unplugged from the steady stream of upsetting information, sought comfort in a politics that says all too conveniently that nothing they do matters, and when you try to share with them how much anguish you are feeling about the mass deaths happening throughout the world, they're dismissive toward you.

Your friends suck. If acknowleding reality and confronting the horrors of a genocide is too tough and triggering for them, then a lot of horrors here at home will be too much for their fragile egos too. There are so many leftists you could be surrounding yourself with instead, I promise -- people who give back to their communities, people who are in the streets doing the tough work of feeding and housing and fighting for the release from prison of people every day, instead of using those local struggles as a shield for their inaction on a more global scale.

Fuck these people for real. This is a big glaring red flag and it will be relevant to your friendship and your life. One day many of them might see you and your problems and your human needs as too much of a distraction from their dry academic jerk-off sessions too. I've seen it a dozen times. Sorry to be so blunt. But you seem like a person who is putting their attention in all the right places and I don't want to see that compassion squandered on people who won't ever show you the same consideration. You can find people who actually walk the walk, they're everywhere.

[aalghul]

Okay, I’ve been emboldened by your recent assertion that you don’t bite and differences in opinions are okay. I also have a genuine question for you. Mine is re: Roy and Jason. It is my understanding that pre new 52 Roy fell in love with and made a baby with a literal assassin. I’ve seen so many references from Roy fans that given Roy’s pre new 52 characterization, he could/would never become friends with Red Hood Jason. I am unable to square the circle of that reasoning in my mind, given his history with Jade/Chesire. If you were interested on espousing on this topic, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Roy and Jade's relationship never lasted in the end (despite how desperately they've loved each other) because she would not give up that life and he could not compromise on someone that close to him killing. Roy is more than willing of working with and even understanding people who use lethal force (I think I've mentioned a few times that him teaming up with Jason temporarily would work for that reason), but he can't be heavily involved with that person long term, in any way. He's an incredibly flexible character when it comes to the types of people he can get along with, and he has more love and understanding in his heart than most. But Roy draws a line for himself. He couldn't even stay in the outsiders long term because he belongs where the traditional heroes are. You can see where the difficulty is in trying to make Jason and Roy best friends, or even in carrying out a team-up as long term as RHATO.

Separate from the morality conflict, Roy also has a specific dynamic with many people younger than him that I think we forget to take into account. His interactions with people noticeably younger than him (while he was in his mid-late 20s) generally seem to follow him trying to be a leader and guiding figure, with the younger person learning from him. His friendships with those people is rarely ever the same as the friendship he has with people his own age. Jason's ~7 years younger than Roy, and is around 19-21 in the years after UTRH. That would make 26-28. Roy's experienced fatherhood at this point, he had relationships and ups and downs and established a place for himself in the hero community. Jason is a teenager who's really only just now realizing there's a life ahead of him. Any dynamic they have will need to take all of that into account. This is a huge part of why they don't work as each other's best friends.

I know you didn't ask for that last bit, but I was thinking about it a while ago and I don't think we talk about it enough. It's just as much of an issue with Roy and Jason being best friends, or anything along that line, as morality is.

If you see more aggressive assertions about how Roy would hate Jason, then that's probably frustration more than anything. Roy's entire character has been replaced by for the sake of Jason and Roy's RHATO dynamic. It's not surprising that anger makes people exaggerate or believe that because they're so personally sick of seeing it. I understand that and honestly, if Roy was my favourite character, I'd never want to hear about Jason near him either lol

[fromtenthousandfeet]

Is the love and support for Jimin deep, but not wide? Did we succeed in growing his fanbase, or did we just get smarter? We were told to get Apple, which I did. I learned to properly stream Spotify and YouTube, which I do. I bought different versions of his album, which I don't need.

But what is the point of all these charts and wins and firsts? I'm not interested in a pissing contest with other K-pop groups, other BTS members, or Billie or Harry or Jade, or anyone else.

I would like to enjoy Jimin's music in the way I can enjoy the music of any other popular and successful artist. To walk into a store and hear Like Crazy playing. To turn on the car radio and start singing along to Who. Ah, serendipity!

Why is this too much to ask? Why won't they put him on the radio? How is he supposed to reach the GP if nobody hears him?

I'm tired of doing Hybe's work for them. I'm tired of enriching the pockets of these assholes only for them to mock and sneer at us. BTS is the cash cow, but so are we.

One line I haven't crossed: buying anything from a BTS store. Have never, will never.

And as for now, I will keep streaming--as pointless as it may feel--but I'm not buying any more albums. Enough. Basta!

Forgive my rant. I pretty much freaking worship Jimin, but I'm just so fed up with this Hybe/Geffen B.S.

Talk me down, please.

Hmm. Are you reading my mind?!?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to successfully talk you down, but I'll try.

First, let me start off by saying that I am in no way an expert on Korean culture and I'm basing what I'm about to say on watching an obscene amount of K-dramas (embarrassing but true) and newspaper articles I've read about the Korean educational system. Broad generalization - Koreans are obsessed with rankings to an extremely unhealthy degree.

BTS didn't just export K-pop to the rest of the world, they seemed to have exported the obsession with charts, superlatives, placements, accolades, accomplishments. I don't blame BTS per se, but more the fandom who have made it their life's work to make sure BTS always did well on music charts and music competitions. I see that it's both a labor of love and a means of expressing support to the group, but at what cost? And who really cares? All that stuff takes the focus away from supporting good music for good music's sake. And as long as the focus is on chart placement above all else, the general public will continue to view K-pop as fraudulent.

What's the point of literally billions of streams of songs that never make it to human ears? What's the point of albums sold that end up in landfills? And it's almost an insult to the artists who make the music. Can you imagine knowing your fans aren't even listening to your music, they just feel obligated to buy it, or worse, do it to compete with other K-pop acts. Yes, initially this effort was a way to bring attention to BTS outside of Korea when the industry ignored their existence, but at this point, the streaming culture and obsession with charts is a mental illness.

So who has the courage to say no more? What will it take to collectively agree that Jimin lovers will enjoy his music and his amazing performances and stop stressing themselves out over charts and awards? I don't know, but I do know that Jungkook's fake accomplishments are like fuel the fire in this situation. PJMs, wounded from the incessant gaslighting from the company and JJKs alike, aren't going to stop trying to prove reality anytime soon. Everyone needs therapy!

I do have a suggestion, though, and that is to focus all our efforts on getting radio for WHO. I think this is infinitely more important than mass streaming and buying. You are right that the Jimin fandom is deep, and while wide, it's not wide enough to accomplish what all the scolds on Twitter we do. There are a finite number of people who have both the will and means to stream incessantly. And the number of buyers will dry up. As my mother used to say, you can't get blood from a turnip.

Fans' money and labor is better spent getting the word out to the general public about Jimin's insane talent. He's met us half way with a song that appeals to the general pop music-consuming public. He's given us a compelling music video. It absolutely sucks that the onus to market him falls upon his fandom, but it is what it is. The powers that be at HYBE are definitely afraid of the success he would achieve with just the basic promo package.

Radio play means fans won't have to work so hard for charting and won't have to buy so much. But most of all, as more regular people recognize and compliment JImin's talents, the more confident PJMs will become. As it stands now, his fanbase is altogether too insecure. (Did none of you grow up with an older brother who teased you relentlessly? Was I the only one? Don't take the bait!)

So, what to do to get that garbage company to give Jimin radio? I hate that it already feels like we've lost too much momentum, but let's not give up. How many fans live in Los Angeles?! HYBE America's office is located at 2110 Colorado Ave STE 200, Santa Monica, CA 90404-3763. Any PJMs up for a little protest outside their office? Santa Monica is lovely. Maybe hit the beach afterwards? Trucks parked outside of HYBE headquarters? Tagging the songwriters and producers from WHO? Using shame and public humiliation seem to be the only tools in our toolkit. Twitter/X is pretty much useless these days.

Anon, I've been doing what you've been doing. I even bought from the BTS store, despite my better judgement. I agree with you, though. Enough is enough. Basta!

We are only two people, but change has to start somewhere. Let's encourage others to celebrate Jimin's artistry and accomplishments and stop playing the K-pop numbers game.

[moonyasnow]

SSR Veronica Dragomir - Birthday Kid Vignette

"Happy Birthday"

PART 1 (PART 2) (PART 3)

[Octavinelle Dorm – Mostro Lounge]

NRC School Newspaper: A Birthday Interview with Veronica

Firstly, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.

You and every other person I've never met.

What do you want?

Just to ask you some questions.

Huh...

For that whole 'Newspaper' thing, right? Whatever. Just get on with it.

How does it feel having all these people celebrate your birthday?

Really?

As you can see I'm having the time of my fucking life. Thank you very much for asking.

I-- [*sigh*]

...I don't like it. I don't like all these people I've never talked to coming up to me and acting like they know me.

There. Next question.

Then, what would you consider your ideal birthday?

Ideal?

Hm...

I guess...just one I can share with Victor. That's all I've really thought about what I'd want my birthday to be.

So long as Victor is there, and we can eat sweets together, that's all that matters to me.

Are you not a big fan of birthdays in general?

...I guess I'm not.

It just puts a bad taste in my mouth. Being given gifts and treated nicely and celebrated by everyone even though I haven't done anything to celebrate. I'd much rather be celebrated for something I accomplished.

I hate all the niceties and empty praise.

That's why I wanted to have a small, quiet party.

How did you plan this party?

Victor wanted it to be a special occassion, a real celebration, so we compromised on just having a meal at Mostro Lounge with just the two of us.

We don't exactly get along great with each other's circles.

Then Jade and Floyd decided to crash it, some kind of 'perk of giving us a discount', they said... It's impossible to shake those two when they've decided they wanna do something. But I respect it.

But then somehow everyone found out. And now no one is ever going to be quiet about my birthday again.

I really wanted today to be just the two of us, like it used to be.

We haven't had a birthday together in so long...

@another-random-paradise @thehollowwriter @faefum @cactus13-rolloflammesimp @beneathsakurashade

@nyx-of-night @theolivetree123 @babyghoul138 @skibidibabygirl @screamintoad

PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU WANNA BE TAGGED IN FUTURE STUFF!

[simslegacy5083]

Not So Berry (Straud Descendants) Gen 9

Today's (8/23/2024) Episode: Gaming and Goodbyes

As everyone settled down for dinner after Skye aged up, Luigi snagged a seat across from Jade and wasted no time launching into 20 questions. 

"I'm one of the only sims around here who believes in The Watcher" he told her, "other than some real crackpots on the internet anyway." He shuddered. "So, what's it like for you, living under their direct influence? My Papa always said The Watcher could control just about anything but if that's true the one around here has a sick sense of humor!"

He then went on to describe some of the many misfortunes that had befallen him and Noemi in the past.

"Oh…my…that's a lot " was all Jade could think to say when he'd finally wound down. Well, Isra did warn me… she thought before responding.

"I don't think our Watcher controls everything. For example, my mom's friend Summer died quite unexpectedly recently, it was really hard on her. Being a legacy family may mean The Watcher keeps a closer eye on us, but in general more crazy things happen when we're around, not less!" 

"Do you know the legacy family here?" she asked "Isra and Par haven’t heard of one, but I thought The Watcher had favorites in every nation.”

"Well, actually…" Luigi began, before Noemi cut him off. "No. We've never heard anyone even mention a legacy family." she said, glaring at him. 

Jade could tell she'd stepped in something with her question, though she wasn't sure what. Now more ready than ever to extract herself from the awkward conversation she rose "It was nice chatting with you, but I think I'm going to go inside and get out of this heat for awhile."

"Hey! If we’re going inside, I’ll fire up the gaming console and start the real fun.” Rhys said. "Anyone else ready to join us?”

“You know that’s my jam." Luigi stood too, causing Jade to suppress a groan. At least if we’re playing he’ll stop talking so much! she thought.

“My foot has a prior appointment with Darth’s ass," Beau chimed in “Just give me a minute to visit the bathroom for the hundredth time today first." 

After a great session of gaming with the chatty e-sports pros Jade was almost sorry to see them off at the end of the night. “It was great to meet you, kid” Luigi told her. “Sorry about all that doom and gloom earlier. I have a tendency to get wrapped up in myself, but you were a trooper about it, and a pretty good video gamer to boot! If you decide to explore a career in E-Sports look me up, I can introduce you to some people.”

“I’ll do that” Jade fibbed, trying to be nice despite having no interest in becoming a professional nerd herself. “It was nice to meet you too.”

“Luigi, I know you believe yourself to be a legacy heir the same as Jade's sister and mother do, but we both know that isn't a "thing" here." Noemi reminded him once they’d returned home. "I thought we agreed we were going to keep that little piece of Lawbourne lore to ourselves." 

Luigi sighed "I know. I just got so excited meeting someone from another legacy; I got carried away. Thank you for reining me in, as usual."

"Happy to do it" she chuckled “now, how about you get Skye to bed while I get started on my latest side project? This one wants all their phone icons updated to penguins! The things sims come up with to do with technology…"

"Thank you again, so much, for having me. I had a blast!" Jade gushed the following morning. "I've got the pictures we took, the gifts you made for everyone, and your donation for Sims United in my inventory. I'm sure everyone will love them." 

"It was so wonderful to see you again" Wren smiled "I'll be stalking you on social media; I can't wait to see those graduation photos!"

Isra chimed in, “All Elyse wanted to talk about this morning was how much she loved hanging with "silly Auntie J!“, making Jade blush happily.

"I'll be sure to send along any fun kid appropriate memes I find for you to share with my little nieces and nephew.“ After one final hug and kiss she headed towards the teleporter that would take her home, her family watching her retreating back until she blinked out of sight.

Once Jade had disappeared back to her homeland Isra’s quietly weeping par buried their face in her shoulder and whispered, “It was wonderful to see her, but so hard to watch her go.”

“I know” Isra agreed “You want to come home with me and give your grandbabies a snuggle?"

Wren nodded, grateful for Isra’s loving support as they stepped out into the warm paradise of a sunny Sulani day.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[bengiyo]

Hi! I'm here for the ask game and ready for you to choose violence! I'm interested in questions #3, 12, 18, and 25. If you don't mind, I want to narrow these questions to BL only, unless you have a particularly violent non-BL answer that's too good not to share. I don't have any specific BLs in mind, but if a restriction like "only those that finished or will finish airing this year" or "not this year" is interesting or productive, have at it. Thanks!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

I'm just gonna keep talking about La Pluie. I saw multiple reactions calling most of episode 8 boring. I am sorry, but if you came to the show interrogating the concept of soulmates and were bored because the two romantic leads said that they choose each other even if they aren't destined to be together, I think you are too jaded and need to take a break from romance.

Sincerely, it baffles me to see people engaging with genre stories and seemingly getting mad that a show is playing around with the conventions of the drama. The spoiler culture brain rot is destroying media literacy and it really makes me sad that it seems like we're chasing the high of something new and unexpected. This on the website of the people reading the same kind of fanfic for the umpteenth time to get their fix.

I just don't get going into romance and being mad that they're doing the big romance things in a show literally about big romance.

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

I am going to interpret this to mean a character that the fandom doesn't like, and not just someone that folks don't know about. I could write about Uncle Man from 21 Days Theory, and I've already written about Framboise.

So I'm going to write about Korn from UWMA. Sometimes I will say on the podcast that "y'all don't like gay men when we're not pretty, funny, sexy, or entertaining." I have to suffer through comments about how Kao is a bad actor or that Korn sucks all the time, and both are wrong. Y'all just don't care about the stoic gay boys that try their damndest to pass and quietly suffer.

Korn is a tragic character because he was trying to be the man that he was expected to be, and then Intouch came along. He was harsh to Intouch throughout much of their romance because he knew what he was going to do. You can see the pain leaking out of that man's eyes the entire time. Intouch tried to save him. Hell, they brought Perth Tanapon to cry about their deaths to hammer home how sad the whole thing was.

It just makes me really sad sometimes around here that we're only ever going to get worked up about the loud and flamboyant characters, or the especially pretty and charming ones.

I am here for characters like Korn (UWMA), Mamoru (Kabe Koji), Shiro (WDYEY), Mitsuru (EY), Teh (IPYTM), Cairo (Gameboys), Shin (3WBF), Inthawut (180DLPTU), and many more.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

Currently, I feel some kinda way about how people keep looking for reasons to hate Patts in La Pluie, as if his ideal partner signalling is somehow to be mistrusted. It's just a bit sad for me that folks seem determined to hate the lead in this.

I don't really ever get second lead syndrome that often, so everyone on the Lomfon-Tai train confuses me. Lomfon is RUDE, and I do not fuck with that boy.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

Not a specific complaint, but I've said many times around here that I really hate when folks abuse the tools of criticism to say that they didn't like something. Y'all really don't need to pathologize why you don't like something and reach for flaws in the storytelling or production to justify why you don't like something.

We are a niche fandom. We are not seeing the huge sums of money poured into our productions that huge setpieces are going to get. Y'all need to show a little fucking grace to the creators bringing these things to us.

🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

[hsslilly-blog]

okay im here w my list :)

celebrity skin (but purely for the sound. like do you think it represents her aside from the lyrics?)

just your general thoughts/interpretation on shes a carnival in relation to claire. same as drive my car and fascination

lastly this masquerade. how does it relate to claire? like what specifically makes it define her character and what does it define?

hii!!! okay you asked me about two songs i was dying to talk about (fascination and this masquerade). sorry for taking some time to reply, i wanted to dedicate myself to this lol. for almost all of these i'll have to talk about other songs as well because of the way i structured the playlist following a character arc of sorts. it's long!!!

(playlist here)

celebrity skin: yeah!! the lyrics are pretty straightforward, but i placed it in a spot so the grunge-y guitar riffs would come out as jarring (right after an abba song and with no comparable examples up to that point in the playlist). claire not only grew up in the 90s, but her high school friend group was comprised of two melancholic goth kids and a self important wannabe filmmaker (and goth-adjacent). she was the preppy token friend, visually. in reality her interests aligned a lot with theirs. i think her interests section on her myspace page show this a little. horror, gothic literature, goth culture and 90s/early 00s alt scene really influenced her since she was surrounded by it almost all the time. also seen throughout her film career. back to the placing on the playlist, it works as a divide after many up-beat, positive (?) songs. most of the songs prior to ir characterise claire, her wants and her way of interacting with people. and then there's a jaded, grunge/alt rock song about being a star in hollywood. since the playlist follows a narrative, i think this would fit right around the time she's almost expelled from hollywood u because of backstabbing, petty tatics and because the industry favours some over others. she knew this, of course, but going through it it's different.

she's a carnival: one of my favourite songs from siouxsie lol. i think it serves to further characterise her/people's perception of her. she's fun. she's an amusement show. a fête.

is she a person, though? does she exist only to fulfill your fantasies? it is true that she revels on public attention, but what does this attention transforms her into? it comes right after bubblegum bitch as well, which is also a song i interpret being about others' perception of her.

this is especially in regards to men, i think. claire is a serial dater (for a pletora of reasons) and i don't think she feels like men see her. florence's dream girl evil would fit here nicely too. men fantasise her, then see her as evil once this fantasy is broken (queentex, latex; madonna/whore)(a portrait of a poison)(you like me better in your head)(je suis la belle dame sans merci!).

and not so subtle, but venice carnivals are famous for their masks. theatre is symbolised by masks. these three talk about archetypes: film archetype, psych archetype, etc. she says she doesn't care. is it true?

drive my car: also forms a trio along with material girl and money, money, money. claire likes money lol and she likes scamming men. <- not outright scamming them, but if they're going to use her she might as well get something out of them. the opening is great. "asked a girl what she wanted to be // she said, baby can't you see // i wanna be famous, a star of the screen // but you can do something in between". she states her goal and men are not the first thing on her mind. they're simply a distraction.

fascination: i've loved the beaches since 2017 this is not important to the ask but damn i love them so much. anyway. this is from side b, after her moment of reflection in what is it about men (last song from side a). in that song, claire consciously acknowledges her behavioural patterns/fears/thoughts about relationships/herself. the next song is national anthem. she wants to be someone's national anthem. and later on you have fascination. this last bit of the playlist is about her relationship with hunt.

this is a song about her approaching this relationship (it's not a relationship yet) in the same way she has always done: lightheartedly and without much thought put into it. it's not serious. why would she be into her professor? lol. it's just a crush, don't be stupid. right after fascination comes stupid cupid. it's the first song in the playlist where she approaches romance in a non-cynical way and it's very silly and it was done on purpose. she feels silly and she's acting in a way she doesn't usually do. she doesn't run after men, this is stupid. and then the next songs approach the subject much more directly and without putting on a front.

also this comes straight out of a scene in red carpet diaries. i've waited years to post this screenshot.

this masquerade: this one works as a reference to hollywood u: the first time hunt and claire have a moment together is in a masquerade ball and they're both wearing masks. literally, figuratively, everything in between.

(i made my friend transcribe this to me so she'd read hollywood u lol). his line about her "seducing" him also call back to femme fatale/bubblegum bitch/she's a carnival. and what is he talking about? do you want her to believe he did not recognise her because of a mask? have you seen claire??!! lol. lmao even. loser. i like her lines about him knowing it was her subconsciously and nothing clouding his feelings and i think it fits here. yeah he wanted it to be her. also psych major moment but you must've noticed there's a theme going through all of these songs.

it's also just representative of their relationship up to the point they actually get together. they're both playing a game they're bound to lose in the end, especially if it's not addressed.

i think that's it. sorry for the lenght + any spelling mistakes, i wrote all of this in one sitting.

[dropout-if]

hi izzy!! i’m not sure if you’re still doing the emoji asks hehe but can i ask for 🖍️🌈🌪️🌠☄️ for all the ros please?? thank you <3

Hi Nikka~ I'm still doing them yep🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ I was looking forward to someone asking a few of those ty💕

🖍️ CRAYON - what advice would you give to them?

Generally, I'd tell everyone to see a therapist (I'm very tough-love-approach when it comes to giving advice so picture me saying all this menacingly).

Jade/Jean- it's okay to not be perfect, it's okay to not be needed.

Uma- your pain is valid but so is everyone else's. You should communicate more openly.

Statler- take a break. You deserve it.

Wanda- you think everything is dandy, but ignoring your problems doesn't make them disappear.

Kai- eat your veggies. Please. Take better care of yourself.

Travis- sometimes it's better to talk things out instead of bottling it all up.

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

Jade/Jean- “Don't be afraid to take risks and follow your dreams. Trust yourself more and remember that setbacks are just opportunities to grow stronger. And don't forget to cherish the moments with loved ones along the way.”

Uma- “Explore your creativity fearlessly. Don't worry too much about what others think. Embrace your uniqueness and let your heart guide you. Your journey is your own, and it's worth every twist and turn.”

Statler- (they're the kind of person who gives advice but doesn't really apply it to themself) “Don't be afraid to express your feelings and show vulnerability. People value your compassion and support.”

Wanda- “Don't be so trusting of people who promise you the world. Be safe. Love yourself. Take chances, have fun, and don't be afraid to express yourself. Follow your passions and let your infectious energy inspire those around you.”

Kai- “Be more confident. Care less about what people think. It's okay to be different and march to your own beat. Embrace your curiosity and dive deep into your interests.”

Travis- “Trust in your intelligence and your ability to achieve your goals. Focus on your long-term vision and don't get too caught up in petty conflicts. Your determination will lead you to success.”

🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

Jade/Jean- I think J has always been J in a way. They were the first character I created for dropout and I've always had their character very clear. There's one thing that's spoilery to say but I did change their main conflict.

Uma- wasn't a tattoo artist originally, just a struggling artist trying to get through life. Uma wouldn't really want a life in which they didn't work through art, so tattooing was a very fitting solution (I was also cleaning one of my tattoos when I thought of it lol).

Statler- has probably changed the most? They used to be very stuck up and unkind they were honestly a little annoying to write? Their high school version retains some of those qualities but I like this self-sacrificing version of Statler much more.

Wanda- Gabi's dad was an important character in Wanda's plot but to my own daddy issues I completely erased him from existence lol.

Kai- wasn't originally into the whole sleeping around thing lol. They completely rejected people, even the idea of friendship. Kai atm is much more approachable, they want to be around people (but not too much).

Travis- there used to be no grievances between Travis and MC. He was the third best friend but as I developed his backstory... things changed. It's made his entire disposition towards MC generally more angry.

🌠 SHOOTING STAR - if they could make any wish with no repercussions, what wish would they make?

Jade/Jean- unparalleled success and recognition. Also enough motivation to finish their book.

Uma- inspiration to finally create a painting worthy of being in an art gallery.

Statler- world peace + the ability to heal and bring happiness to those they care about.

Wanda- to change the past.

Kai- to travel the entire world for the rest of their life.

Travis- complete control over his own destiny and the ability to shape the future.

☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

Jade/Jean- J is always confident and has their life together. It is accurate to an extent. While J exudes confidence, they also struggle with their own insecurities, moods, and past regrets.

Uma- people often see Uma as carefree/careless and aloof. Uma is indeed a little serious toward strangers, but this is not the case with their friends. They also have a deep emotional complexity beneath their carefree exterior.

Statler- their life is perfect, as Statler themself is perfect. People also assume Statler is always the dependable and caring friend. They are most definitely not perfect, nor they have had the perfect life. Statler's caring nature is genuine, but they also grapple with their own challenges, including Noir.

Wanda- people tend to think Wanda is careless and naive due to her bubbly/vibrant personality. Wanda generally portrays a positive disposition, but she faces her own struggles as a single mother and has her own set of concerns.

Kai- a carefree fuckgirl/boy who doesn't seem to care about anything or anyone but themself. In reality, Kai's adventurous spirit hides deeper emotions, and their relationships have more depth than meets the eye.

Travis- people assume Travis is cold and unforgiving. Though they are partly right (he is somewhat spiteful) Travis' thought process is a little more complicated than that.

[danwhobrowses]

So I watched AEW All Access Episode 1

Gotta say I quite enjoyed it, you see the humanity of it all behind the curtain, which can work in and out of AEW's favour especially in a time where online speculation is rampant. Here's my hot takes though

I know Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa don't get along, while it's a bit malicious Baker does make a bit of an objective point. We all hated Toni having the 'Interim' label for so long and it was strange that Rosa couldn't work but still fly around doing PR, I can understand the irk of that especially when they're all working with injuries themselves and unclear on the nature of Rosa's own injury. I think people who want to hate on Baker are using this to double down on it, or make it about something else other than that they don't get along. It's not a positive moment for either side, and I am not on either side, but it is insightful.

Sammy and Tay are genuinely nice and supportive, and y'know I'm not surprised. I've kept on saying it over and over but people do struggle to draw the line between Sammy Guevara the heel and Sammy Guevara the person. I hope at least their excitement and their earnestness allows people to at least soften on all the outside-of-kayfabe hate.

It's interesting how they acknowledged how much association with Sammy derailed Tay's babyface run, as Sammy said it is unfortunate, we need to see more of her in the ring.

Anyone who thought that this show was gonna cover the Brawl Out in detail was fooling themselves, like honestly I don't think anyone in that locker room wants to talk about it let alone for TV.

We didn't see him speak, but there was something quite nice about Luchasaurus being there with the Bucks through backstage. I do miss the guy, hope the whole mask deal gets resolved.

Adam Cole Bay Bay too, he really laid it out for us all, talking about his parents' divorce, his fears about not wrestling, his brotherhood with Kyle, his relationship with Britt, the mental strength to shoulder the fact that he couldn't come back when he wanted to. AEW know what they're doing as well, Cole is gonna be the company's big babyface in due time, maybe even after DoN

So it's a good start, I'm interested to see who else they follow in this time, because I'd love to see them go through some other talents, not just your Eddies, Jades and Omegas but your Sakuras, Athenas, and Takeshitas. The key takeaway though is that Wrestlers are People. They play a character on TV but they are just as unsure, self-conscious and multilayered as we are, sometimes we have to take a moment to remember that.

[newwwwusername]

Victorious - Beck/Robbie - Cleft Awareness Month Prompt 15 : Cleft Palate

Prompt : Write a fic (can be fluff, hurt/comfort, whatever you see fit) in which either one or both of the characters in the pairing (romantic, platonic, whatever) has a cleft palate Headcanons : Robbie has a cleft palate, Nonbinary!Robbie, Autistic!Robbie (if you squint)

Robbie was a very strange individual.

The puppet was the most obvious thing right off the bat but, even after they dropped that hobby from their day-to-day life, they still weren't what one would consider typical.

Their decidedly not binary approach to gender, the weird songs they wrote, the odd jokes, their nasally voice, their lack of social awareness- It all added up to someone that was absolutely fascinating, even within their friend group.

Beck was always fascinated by them, maybe even beyond the realm of pure, platonic interest and so, when he and Jade broke up, he decided there was no better time to get to know them a little better.

It was after school one day when the topic of Robbie's very distinct voice came up.

They had just been practicing on their guitar and humming along when Beck decided to make a comment. It was nothing particularly notable, just a small compliment about how he liked their voice, but they seemed really happy about it.

"Y'know, most people say my voice is annoying" they said after a moment, an almost relieved smile on their face. Beck sat up.

"What do you mean?"

"Cause it's kinda nasally, I guess" Robbie shrugged, suddenly very interested in the tuning pegs of their guitar. "Which I get, but it's not my fault"

"Well, yeah" Beck said. "I mean, you can't really control the way you sound"

"I, um..." Robbie swallowed. "I was born with a deformity in the roof of my mouth" they explained. "When I was born, they realized there was a split there, which meant there was a direct passage to the nasal cavity" they continued. "Obviously that's not��good, so they repaired it, but I still don't really have a soft palate, so a lot of the air when I talk just... Goes out my nose"

"Huh" Beck hummed with a small, slightly confused nod. He'd never heard of that happening before. "I've never heard of that happening before"

"It's called a cleft palate" Robbie smiled weakly. "Sorry, that was really random, uh-"

"No" Beck was quick to reassure. "I'm glad you felt comfortable sharing that with me" he said and Robbie seemed a bit more calm at that. He liked learning more about the fascinating enigma that was Robbie Shapiro so he would never complain with a random tangent into previously unknown Robbie lore. "And, for the record, I never found your voice annoying. Like I said, it's actually pretty nice"

"Thanks, Beck"

Do not repost on other sites! If you want to participate in this month's challenge, there are 31 cleft-centered prompts that you can find here

[hiratelier]

Man it's going to be 10 years since I started using UTAU and joined the UTAU community...I got into the whole singing robot gig in 2014 all because of a Hetalia jinriki video, and then many things happened in my time in the community like it was a pipebomb exploding in my face LOL. It's that time when I sort of miss the old 2014 UTAU days, when the community was chill amidst the usual online discourse, when the DeviantArt UTAU community was active, and so on...

I suppose my experience with the community itself has been alright, and it's had its ups and downs. But when I was using Twitter a lot during 2017-2023, I was constantly being exposed to so much discourse that it ended up impacting my mental wellbeing and the way I enjoyed using UTAU. Just constantly seeing the people you looked up to turning out to be horrible and among other things just made my enjoyment with UTAU more and more miserable to the point when I didn't use Twitter for a couple of months.

I think the more positive experiences in this community were among the more memorable ones, among one of them being my participation in the Anison Sprint medley hosted by KIRA and cheesum. Participating in UtauVision 2017 and UHP-CB 2018 were also good memories for me. Over time, I worked on my voicebank production and cover making skills for fun while trying to have a good time, which progressively got harder as online discourse got more frequent. But I made a fair amount of friends along the way, even including those I looked up to a lot.

These days, I don't really interact with the UTAU community that much because of how toxic it can get at times, but I'm trying my best to see the good in it, and I know that there are some good people in there. It's pretty hard to see that since online discourse pops up a lot, especially when it happens on Twitter. And I barely use Twitter other than to retweet art and post my own works there, curating my feed vigorously. I don't really pay that much attention to the more negative stuff that's happening, so I think that has benefited my health significantly.

I guess I just feel like a half-jaded UTAU veteran who's still recovering from a massive cover burnout and is trying to appreciate the UTAU community in spite of everything, and I'm learning not to be obligated to post covers frequently unlike last year. I find myself engaging in other fun hobbies and interests, and at least I'm working on personal projects that don't have to do with singing robots constantly. The only UTAU-related things I'll do for this year is finish up updated standing image artwork and reference sheet for my UTAUs, upload something for their 9th anniversary, and then publish a cover if the inspiration comes to me. Admittedly, even after stepping away from the program, I don't feel THAT pressured to work on something, even when I feel inspired. Maybe it's because of the additional hobbies I've picked up, plus I've been treating my UTAUs as more like OCs these days.

My relationship with UTAU as a hobby is still healing, and maybe one day, I'll get back to posting more covers. But for now, I'd just like to work on other things. It's been a hectic 10 years, and I'd like to it easy. BUT I'm always down to talking about UTAU, because even after all this time, I'm still passionate about it (albeit even more compared to past years) - especially when it comes to voicebank development.

[utsuboh]

i think not only the game, but i myself have made it pretty obvious jade cares about his brother a lot. and vice versa. their dynamic is really fun, and honestly a lot more wholesome than many others i've seen. azul comes in pretty close, but no one else understands jade and floyd better than each other. they're siblings, so that's a given. they have their spats, sure, but what kind of siblings don't?

something very important about these two, and their dynamic: is that they accept all the bad, as well as the good. it's a lot easier to see this i think in how jade talks about floyd. he knows his brother is capricious, he has mood swings. and the only time he ever gets on him about it-- is when it's genuinely a problem. not because it happens to inconvenience him, or annoys him. the way he approaches it, is not to ridicule his brother, but to calm him. and at times jade even encourages floyd's behavior, and goes along with some of his antics. it's also good to note, jade enjoys the unexpected and unpredictable-- and no one is more unpredictable than his brother.

there is some dependency i think on one another too. and it helps with maintaining their fairly healthy relationship. they are after all two merfolk in the middle of a school of land dwelling species. yes azul is there too, but floyd admits he didn't even know azul existed until middle school. neither of them approached him until then. so they've only ever had each other to that point. jade knows how to calm his brother down, and floyd knows how to read jade when no one else can.

there is no one jade trusts more than floyd. i know i know, i've said this once or twice hahha-- but seriously. despite his brother's unpredictable nature, jade trusts him completely. he is as honest with him as he will ever be with anyone. and hides very little, if anything from him. i wont get into it too much more here, but floyd also is the only person who knows the real jade. like, we all know jade is fake as hell. he can be nice and mean it, but he is always appealing to people. serving their needs, to make sure his own are fulfilled and protected.

anyway. i love them, they make me happy. just two funky lil eels getting up to mischief when no one is looking. they're there for one another, and support each other when they need to. sobs.

[book-of-baba-fett]

Hi, can I be curious about your OCs?

Where did you get the inspiration for Talia, and did it take long for you to flesh her out?

I love reading about her, she's so well-developed and alive!

Keep up the awesome work, and please remember to drink water :)

omg Hi Anon! You can ALWAYS be curious about my OCs (they're my babies and i love to talk about them).

So I watched The Clone Wars and Rebels for the first time in 2021, and I quickly became obsessed with Rex. I just thought he was such a compelling character, and i was so curious about the gap between The Clone Wars and Rebels for him; how was he so jaded that he almost didn't join the ghost crew and the rebellion? I was reading some fic at the time too, and eventually the idea crept into my mind of "what if Rex had been in a relationship with a Jedi, lost her in the war, and that was a reason why he was that way when we first see him in Rebels?" So all through my Rebels watch, i kept getting nudged in the brain about this mysterious Jedi woman that Rex was involved with and that's how Talia entered my brain.

It took me a few months to really get her started, especially cause i was brainstorming this fic before i had written ANY fic before. I debated if I just wanted to tell this story as a Reader fic, but that felt like a disservice to the character she was becoming/some of her decisions would be harder for all readers to relate to.

As a character I wanted her to be her own, while also being the type of person who it would make sense for Rex to fall for. In a lot of ways she's a parallel to Anakin, which helped me craft her. I also drew inspiration from some of my favorite female characters (Elizabeth Swann, Mulan, Eowyn, Arwen, and Sansa Stark plus some others) to really build her traits. Her story was crafted very quickly; I've known exactly how it was going to arc for a long time, but some details have been added in along the way.

Thank you so much for your kind words: i was actually really scared to create an OC story because I was afraid people would see her as just some generic white girl OC, but hearing people compliment her development and character is the best feeling.

Also @ everyone: HOW DO YOU ALL KNOW I DON'T DRINK WATER.

[bravewolfvesperia]

"Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night, and for a second, I forget who I am."

@mistralxsoul

There was no reason for Yuri to be so alert hearing that. Flynn was himself now. He was in his own body. It would of course worry him, but he knew he didn't need to be scared to hear that. He just... couldn't help it. Not after he'd tossed and turned for nights on end thinking about how Flynn wasn't... Flynn. Not after he'd been woken from nightmares about Flynn not being himself.

"Does it... bother you...? If it's causing you any anxiety, you know you can wake me up, right?" Of course Flynn was taking it all in silence, and of course he didn't want to be a bother to Yuri. Maybe more than that, he probably didn't want to burden Yuri with the memory of that time, but... Yuri was never going to forget it anyway. That last thing he wanted from all this was for Flynn to suffer from it and not tell him and just ask for comfort. He couldn't even imagine how Flynn felt the whole time on his side of things...

It hadn't been that long since all of that happened, so it made sense Flynn wasn't fully back to normal yet, but... Yuri really did feel like he was right for the two of them to hang back at the base as much as possible. Sometimes Yuri would go out and do things on his own - heck, he'd tagged along with Jade entirely on his own - but what was most important was knowing Flynn was here and safe.

No, Flynn didn't need to be coddled or kept home like a child, but... he needed time to recuperate. Though he was lucky not to have been in the same shape Johnny was left in, he still needed to rest and get used to being back in his body. Just because Johnny hadn't been a victim of possession didn't mean he wasn't weak and injured, either. With the way Bifrost treated people who weren't originally their people, Yuri wasn't sure he even wanted to know the state Flynn would've been in if he'd fought back.

It made him angry knowing the kind of danger Flynn could have been in. Whenever he saw Stahn talk about Johnny's situation, he could see even the kindest among their massive crew was burning with a rage that was so rare of Stahn. So unlike his gentle soul. Even he couldn't tolerate what Bifrost was doing though. In a way it was... relieving to Yuri. To see and know someone was just as angry as he was. To see even the kindest among their ranks unable to let this go. Yuri knew Baldo hadn't meant ill by the end of it everything, but... he still couldn't shake that grudge and discomfort.

Yuri wished he were better at trying to ease someone. He knew if it was Flynn that needed him, his presence would at least help to some degree. That didn't mean Yuri didn't worry though. Was it enough? Was it enough that they weren't separated anymore? Never in Yuri's life had he felt so disconnected from Flynn, being unable to reach him if he wanted to. For a year, all he could do was stress about it at night. No idea where he was, if he was okay, if he would ever see him again... and it turned out, he was right to worry.

"I get you might not wanna wake me up, but... if you're anxious or scared, just... wake me up, okay? I don't want you to feel like you have to go through that alone. If you need me to stay up and talk to you, we can talk. I can remind you about all sorts of things only we would know. If you don't wanna talk about it and just wanna lay down with me and stay close to me... we can do that too."

Yuri leaned over and rested his forehead against Flynn's, hands lightly resting on Flynn's shoulders. "I'm here now. You're not going through this alone anymore." A small smile formed as he continued, accompanied by the tiniest lighthearted laugh. "I've always dropped anything and everything I was doing for you, haven't I? Since we were kids... Nothing's sure as hell stopping me now. Especially not now, when we're in a different world... So... don't ever worry about telling me when something's wrong if you don't wanna get through it alone, or if you can't... If it happens during the day, too? Same thing. Doesn't matter when it happens. You can always tell me. Okay...?"

[pianostarinwonderland]

Azul's Vulnerability

Happy birthday to me, and as a way to celebrate this, I'm going to be talking about my biggest gripes on how people view Azul in general 🤩🤩🤩 ok I'm not gonna attack anyone but I do want to speak about something that has been on my mind for a while

Having exposed myself to a lot of Azul content, I've seen a very common trend in the fandom when it comes to how people write about him. Much of the written content I see always has something to do with Azul being a so-called crybaby, particularly in x reader fics and headcanons. Reader would comfort Azul as he's crying, and they'd wipe his tears away while assuaging his insecurities. This also influences the NSFW content that Azul has as well. Reader would be the one to top Azul, and they would be the one in control in the bedroom.

I want to preface first that this is all valid. Write whatever you want. I don't have the right to stop any of you from writing Azul like this. NSFW especially is something that's really valid because a lot of the times, females want to experience having agency in the bedroom (let's not deny it, a majority of x readers are fem readers). In fact, fics and hcs where readers can comfort Azul stem from a desire to be the person to give him the comfort that Twisted Wonderland never gave him. We all want to be that person whom Azul can feel vulnerable to. We want to comfort him and to be close to him, and this is the best way we can do that.

But with that in mind, those fics and hcs also reflect the way people see Azul. People tend to write him as that crybaby. Whenever people talk about Azul, that's the one trait that they tend to attribute to him. I've heard people say it as an insult to him or to make fun of him as well. I'd even say that in the NSFW space, people choose to bottom Azul for that reason. And as someone who loves Azul, I really want people to see that Azul is more than just "a crybaby".

In fact, I would argue that the Azul we know now is not a crybaby. After his overblot, when everyone compliments his notes, Jade and Floyd comment on how Azul looked like he was about to cry. But pay attention to the way that they comment on it:

Floyd: What now? Azul, are you getting a little misty eyed? Jade: My my, have you gone back to being the ink-spitting crybaby? [shel_bb book 3 chapter 35]

The kind of wording in Jade's comment implies that Azul hasn't cried in a while. If he still cried often, Jade would have said something along the lines of "are you going to cry again".

And besides, if one is ashamed of crying, there would be a resolve built to stop themselves from crying. Personally speaking, I have a hard time crying unless something big happens because I had family either telling me to stop crying or laugh at me for crying over something trivial. Azul had been made fun of for the way he cries as a child—that has to have some traumatic impact on him, and it would make him hate crying and tell himself to never cry again. People who can cry easily are those who don't think it's a bad thing to cry.

There's this one anon ask that I will never forget that is related to this topic. It was one that a friend received, and it was a hc request to write Azul and Vil "being their vulnerable selves". As in, they explicitly said that the kind of confidence they exude is all a facade to hide the real emotional vulnerability underneath them, thereby saying that their vulnerable insecure selves are the real Azul and Vil and their confidence is faked.

A Vil essay can be made another day and probably by another person, but for now, we focus on Azul.

First of all, this will never be forgotten from memory because it shocks me that someone thinks Azul's confidence is wholly faked just to hide his insecurities. Now I'm not saying there's no merit to it nor that it's totally wrong. It's true that Azul's charm feels plastic. It's true that Azul does have a strong front that hides a painful past. But it doesn't mean that the Azul now who makes deals, runs a restaurant, and achieves high grades is not the real Azul.

What I want people (and most especially Azul himself but that's another post entirely) to realize is that he's grown to be so much more than the little octopus who used to be bullied and made fun of by other merfolk. The charisma and confidence he has is real. He worked hard to develop his social skills, and that hard work cannot be faked. I think if anything, the part that would feel fake is the part where he chooses to be Azul the businessman and not Azul as in Azul.

And Azul as in Azul is not just his insecurities. It's Azul with his wit and his strategical mindset. It's Azul with his joking remarks and his anger. Chapter 6 and Glorious Masquerade show Azul's real self the most in the game. When he shows his enthusiasm over City of Flowers' food culture in GloMas. When he teases Riddle during the part where the OB boys were playing video games after their experiments in ch6. When Azul roasts Deuce in response to a comment Deuce made about financier cake matching Azul in GloMas. When Azul gets mad at Riddle because he disagreed with his way of doing things in the tower chapters of ch6. There's just so much to Azul.

And lastly, I want to address the idea of Azul's vulnerability. Loads of times, when we think about vulnerability, we think about the sides we wish to not show to people, but we tend to associate those with insecurities and tears. Maybe it's just me, but Azul's vulnerabilities don't always have to manifest in the form of tears. Look at how he acts in narrating his flashback in 3-34 and in the way he reacted when Riddle in chapter 6 says that he can never be top 1 in their year because Azul runs his restaurant too. He's not bursting to tears as he's face to face with the insecurities—he's angry. He's angry about the circumstances he was placed in, angry at the people who hurt him. He's angry at Riddle for essentially saying everything he does was a waste.

It's also important to remember that to the general public, Azul keeps a certain image of himself. Capable of helping. Unable to be stepped on. So in a sense, anything that contradicts his image or even has the potential to harm it is in some way a vulnerability for him.

I think giving Azul a bunch of cuddles as he's crying is really cute. But you can also write about how Azul would open himself up to you—late night rant sessions about certain people, a secret about himself that not many people know. Something to remember as well is that he likes to be in control. Azul will have a tight hold on the kind of image he shows to people. Azul will choose carefully what people should hear and should not hear. So imagine him just letting himself be around you, with little thought about keeping that control of himself... that in itself is a sign of Azul opening up to you.

I acknowledge that this is a little bit messy, but I do want people to see that Azul is more than the breakdown that he had in chapter 3. He's got a more vibrant personality than that. And I would love to see more fics that explore his character a lot more, especially in romance fics.