#in my opinion this is them in their truest form

[alicethederpwastaken]

Commission from OblivialMiki on youtube.

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Between Sonic and Tails, who do you think would end up confessing their feelings first?

Good question. Definitely depends upon the iteration and context, but for the most part (at least in my head) getting either of them to confess (and in some cases even ruminate on their feelings and admit to themselves the nature of them) is hard

Like, for example, I personally think that game!Sonic (and post sgw Archie Sonic and IDW Sonic) kind of take Tails' presence for granted in a way. To them, it will always be the two of them (Sonic and Tails). The ideal future is that they keep on hanging out and still fight side by side sometimes and that even if Sonic goes it alone he can always come back from his adventures to chill with Tails or crash at his place. In other words, in Sonic's fantasies of the future, things like getting married or raising families or anything like that are just kind of tacked on as something that will just kind of be true at best and ignored at worst. If he even considers a future where things are a bit different because Tails is together™ with someone, to him it's only natural that Tails would be in his life the same way and nothing would really change. And so to that end, even if Sonic DOES realize his own feelings, he probably wouldn't see any good reason to confess. It would make things more complicated, especially if Tails doesn't share those feelings, and he doesn't have to worry anyways because Tails will always prioritize the two of them and be at his side, right?

And then it's even worse for versions of Sonic more akin to, say, pre sgw Archie Sonic. This is because in addition to the already existing unwillingness to change things and the assumption that he doesn't ever have to worry about no longer being the center of Tails' world (or a major figure in it at least), there is some palpable internalized homophobia within that hedgehog with an added complexity. For Archie Sonic in particular, I think even if he realized that he wanted to even be with Tails forever in a strictly non brothers fashion, he would feel mixed feelings about that (perhaps that coming out about it would ruin things or make things weird, or that getting together with Tails at any point would deprive him of "normalcy", or that he'd pressured Tails into it, or even just weird or a bit creepy).

As for Tails, I actually think that most iterations of him have figured their feelings out by this point. In all honesty, there's only so long you can go on fixating on someone and admiring them, and structuring your life around them before you realize your "I want to be with them" isn't just about simply admiring them. It's just that Tails' main obstacle to me is the avoidance of ruining anything.

On one hand, there's Sonic's avoidance to being tied down. We've seen time and time again Sonic rejecting people who pursue him openly or looking uncomfortable with them. Archie Sonic in particular made it clear that this version of Sonic couldn't stand the idea of not being able to freely be himself or adventure. He couldn't stand the idea of having to tie himself down and taking on extra responsibilities and expectations simply because he's with someone. I can see Tails being afraid that by confessing, he could scare Sonic away. If he happened to confess and Sonic thought Tails meant to stifle him or Sonic felt uncomfortable by that open expression, wouldn't that risk their relationship? Even if Sonic wouldn't go so far as to drop him as a best friend (which he never would do that for the record), there's still real fear in making things weird or different between himself and Sonic.

And that feeds right into the other hand. On the other hand, Sonic probably doesn't see him that way, right? Though Sonic is special to him and Sonic also cares for him back, at best Sonic has never thought about it and never will, or he just wouldn't feel the same (in Tails' eyes). With Archie Tails in particular, even if Tails gets over his own interlized homophobia about it and recognizes his feelings for what they are, he probably feels that there's no way to be anything different than a brother to Sonic, and thus confessing would be a terrible move. If Tails confesses and Sonic doesn't feel the same, it also runs the risk of making things weird between them or (in Tails' eyes) ruining it.

All this to say that my general opinion is that as long as things stay exactly the way they are forever, even if they start spending even more time together, I find it hard to believe either of the two will opt into confessing on purpose

But, with that being said, a confession is not an impossibility. I don't think either of the two are immune to being put in a position where they finally confess (and no, with the state of things for them, simply saying "I love you" will not count as a confession). And if we barred situations where like. They're literally about to die or one can do anything they like without the other (or themselves) remembering the outcome, I actually can give you an answer

And honestly, if one of them had to confess eventually, I believe it would probably end up being Sonic.

Why? Well, out of the two, Tails actually sits back and thinks about his emotions more often than not. I think even before he figured out the exact nature of his feelings he knew he felt very strongly for Sonic. But, no matter which media you're touching upon, I feel as if Tails fits into that archetype of "person who has been in love with their best friend since literally forever, but knows their best friend will never feel the same". The longer Tails ruminates on these feelings, the stronger he feels them, the more he watches Sonic (especially as someone who cares about plenty of people other than him), the more time he spends with Sonic, the less incentivized he feels to actually confess. Especially if Sonic would never feel the same, the best Tails can hope for is that things stay the same between them and Sonic never replaces his role.

Or in short, Tails is so in his head about it at this point, it's very hard to convince him that confessing is ever a good idea or necessary.

But while Tails is more obviously attached to Sonic, Sonic is much less obviously attached to Tails and other people as a whole. With him being "free as the wind" and the kind of figure he is, he kind of benefits from having the persona of a guy who doesn't need his friends but (nevertheless) can be assisted by them. He probably seems cool for being so strong and independent while equally caring that people live. But this doesn't mean Sonic doesn't have attachments (far from it). Rather, for Sonic, his attachments to others seem to naturally grow. And the more time he spends with them, the more he grows used to their presence. And especially with someone like Tails, who has been around as his companion the longest, he doesn't sit around long enough to consider that Tails would ever leave his side. Once he grows used to that person, he doesn't have to recognize his attachment or even think about the nature of his own feelings because it is and always has been whatever it is. So, in other words, even if he becomes more and more reliant on the fact that Tails will always be around or that Tails will always assist him, he doesn't have to admit more than "This is what our best friendship is. This is what it's like"

All of this is to say that while my idea of present Tails would be trying to do anything in his power to stay with Sonic (as long as Sonic is willing of course), even if that means never confessing the exact nature of his feelings for the hedgehog, Sonic isn't already thinking about these things. This means that while Tails has very few pathways to confession, Sonic has plenty!...if you scare him well enough.

For example, Idw Sonic has been more clearly spending more time with Tails (even baseline just. Crashing at his place more often) after the metal virus arc. Couple this with post neo metal incident 2 electric boogaloo idw Sonic who just wants to have a break and live peacefully for a minute, this is a Sonic who has become scared enough to want to indulge in spending more time with Tails. I also think that post Sonic Prime Sonic is also a version of him who would start to spend more time with Tails than before after having already lost him and having to deal with the Tails shaped hole in his life once.

So, if you got a Sonic to the point where he'd fully accepted his feelings and he felt like confessing them would be necessary to secure the future he wants, then he'd confess. Honestly, the easiest way I'd see this going about would be a story where Tails is framed as leaving him to go do something or be somewhere else, away for Sonic, possibly indefinitely, or if Sonic actually has to spend enough time without Tails after initially telling himself his own feelings wouldn't matter so long as Tails is happy wherever he is. But, if it came down to confessing being something that might actually bring Sonic to his desired future (especially if Tails rejecting him is no different from prolonging the separation they already have if he says nothing), then I think he could work up the courage to do it.

And in the end...I think it has to be Sonic. Although I on occasion enjoy fantasizing about moments where Tails can't take it anymore and confesses, only for Sonic to realize his own feelings in the process, I think that Sonic would have to be the one who confesses his feelings/wishes for the future for Tails to even believe that his pipe dreams are a possibility. I think it's Sonic who would need to pull Tails out of his head, because the probability that Tails works up the courage to confess is more unlikely.

So...yeah. In my head, Sonic is driven to a point where he confesses and pulls Tails out of his head about it.

[shaykai]

party banter for Wyll and Vat’il?

27. Party banter with Wyll

Vat’il: Wyll. That novel you were reading earlier in camp… Is it any good?

Wyll: The romance novel? I didn’t know you had an eye for such things. It’s cliché, but I find myself passing the time with it more often than not. Have you read it before?

Vat’il: Possibly, though I wouldn’t remember if I had.

Wyll: Ah, right. If you ever feel your curiosity being piqued, I’d be glad to share my library.

Vat’il: I might take you up on that… Thank you.

[tarabyte3]

Mayhaps you could elaborate your top 5 hear-me-out monsters? 😏

Mr. Pyramid head makes me very blushy

Spectacular topic. Pyramid Head is an excellent monster. 😏

Yautja

They're strong and ripped, B I G, the intense body language 🤌, they have a code of honor that makes them fascinating characters, they can absolutely provide for you, and I have recently realized one of my types is apparently men in masks (Paz Vizsla, Immortan Joe, Yautja, Doctor Doom). I mean, just look at them!! Mask on or off, I don't even care. I love my crab faced boyfriends. (Crucified Predator from Predators (2010) is my favorite 😍)

Demons

You could include the devil (and D&D devils) in with this as well. I love corruption tropes, and demons are the embodiment of corruption. Too often they are portrayed in horror as just another violent Creature, when they're so much more than that. I love when they're intelligent, patient, cunning. Why turn to violence when temptation is so much more fun? They're a mirror to my Priest Kink. Seducer vs the seduced. Plus religion is actually fun when you're sexualizing it. 😇

Minotaur

The physicality and bestial aspect of a minotaur is similar to that of werewolves with one (in my opinion) very important distinction: Werewolves can shift their form to something human and a minotaur cannot. There's no split between man and beast. He IS the beast. So it then becomes about acceptance of the monstrous in its entirety. Not expecting it to change. Loving it anyway exactly as it is.

Death from Death and the Maiden paintings

This one is difficult for me to articulate. In this motif, Death is very seductive. It beckons and lures and corrupts, and is often portrayed as doing so in a very erotic and passionate way. Oftentimes moreso than depictions of two humans, even. I find it very appealing in a similar way as demons, despite the lack of any sort of anatomy or flesh. Apparently it just scratches some part of my brain. I suppose you could say I want to 😎 bone him.

Caesar from The Planet of the Apes

HEAR ME OUT. I know this isn't a very monstrous answer. And I know I am tempting fate here because I have been fighting for my life in my asks for saying Caesar is hot. BUT. Caesar is a monster. He's not truly an ape and he's not human. He's a very intentionally human coded Other. The first and truest next link of evolution as the result of a virus.

For anyone reading this and getting ready to send me MORE hate mail, let us refer to the Harkness Test: Does it have human intelligence (or "greater")? Can it talk or otherwise communicate with language? Is it of sexual maturity for its species?

Caesar passes all of them. He's a monster. He has Andy Serkis's voice and grunts and growls. And he's sensitive, intelligent, kind, brave, loving, and he's HOT. 😤

[devouredbyflame]

Loki’s Faces

I get that this is mostly considered “UPG” however, I didn’t really create all of this inside of my own head so it’s not personal. It is observed behavior from Loki during my years of time working closely with Him and in relation to others.

I don’t think any resource ever has done Him any justice and I think it’s the best practice to just not assume anything people write about Him here or otherwise is factual or evidence of His character.

Loki is controversial - but only because you cannot place Him under one single signifier. He is accessible but not because He is interested in being everyone’s friend - in fact, I’ve never really known Him to tolerate just anyone and He actively doesn’t.

The standards He has for those - humans as well as Gods - who He allows to see His true face are high.

Those who are just around for show tend to not see the entirety of who He is and instead see what He isn’t. He wears different masks for different reasons and not because He is them - they are apart of Him, but they do not define Him.

Most people will likely never see the fullest extent of Loki if only because they can’t or don’t want to. So much mixed information goes around in His community because people don’t often see who He is beneath all of the grandiosity and playfulness.

Otherwise, He is extremely private and keeps to Himself most of the time. You’ll find He doesn’t share information about Him to just anyone. He also doesn’t go out of His way to show just Himself to people, either.

It’s intentional that not everyone gets to see His truest form or nature. It would be like showing everyone your hand in poker. When all of the cards are thrown, you have the power to be defeated. Loki uses His secrecy to His advantage and tends to only show people what they want to see because it’s easier than giving them the benefit to having any sort of power over His moves in the game.

The point of this is to say most people don’t really know Loki. When I say “most” I’m not talking about only a select group of people do know Him, I mean mostly, people don’t know that He isn’t obvious about His most truthful intentions, personality, and otherwise unless He chooses to be.

I’ve been led down false paths by Him that lead to dead ends for years. I’ve been told false things that I really only told myself were true that He let me believe because it suited what He wanted from me.

I stayed in groups I thought were good for me because I thought that’s what He wanted for me. I stayed with people because I thought He wanted me to stay with them because He wanted me to power through difficult things.

In reality, Loki is an extremely discerning and opinionated Deity and would sooner have told me what He really wanted for me had it not also developed who I am as an individual and given me the power of discerning Him from my own false narrative and belief about Him. He has let me fail and believe false things about Him and others so I can get to the truth of the nature of my relationship with Him and also the truth of the people around me.

Loki is a trickster. Not because He lies or tells people false things, or because He’s full of jokes and games or leads them into chaos but He let’s them believe things that are false to show otherwise. He shows people some of who He is if it suits the way He intends on it going. He doesn’t show anyone the cards in His hand unless He knows it’ll be kept secret and hidden or if it suits His intention.

The best thing you can possibly do with Loki is to allow Him to show you Himself. Allow yourself to be part of the game and allow yourself to be shown the truth. You’re going to fail in front of Him and it will probably be miserable, but that’s part of the strategy. You’re also going to be proven wrong many times.

He will let you go in circles until He can convince you what He wants you to do. He will let you believe things about Him or others even when it hurts your feelings. He won’t try to convince you unless you’re willing to listen and give it the benefit of the doubt.

If things haven’t changed for you, if you keep having the same issue again and again, it’s probably because there’s more to it than whatever you think He is trying to say.

People who don’t like Loki or get uncomfortable by Him only tend to do so because they don’t like what they see in themselves because of Him. They don’t actually know who He is. And they likely won’t.

Trust is a reward for the failure. Trust in Him and trust in yourself because it is not handed to you willingly. If you can’t listen to your inner guidance, you’ll never really know the truth anyway and you’ll never fully listen, either. The reward is always greater than the cost in the end. Loki is generous to those who wander and those who are willing to get lost along the way.

[morallysuperiorlips]

How I Come Up With Compelling and Fun Characters!

Back at you again with another TedTalk.

Coming up with well-rounded characters is my favorite part of the writing process. I like to come up with convoluted plots, so ofc convoluted characters have to follow. While I am someone who is VERY guilty of injecting my own traits/experiences into my characters (because I like to live vicariously through them or use them to cope don't @ me), I try to do that once I've established them as their own people. Because then they just end up being other versions of me, and we don't want that trust me

The adage I like to live by is "when the character feels real to you, they'll feel real to the reader," so I try to go out of my way to know as much as I can about them before I start to put them down on paper.

I know full names, birthdays (down to the hour), exact heights, blood types, favorite colors, foods, etc. and I try to know most of the surface-level things. I'll try to delve a little deeper but I do like to let my characters breathe when I'm writing them because sometimes they do things that make me stare into the camera like I'm on the Office and I want to give them the room to do so because that's like 60% of the process (in my humblest of opinions as a self-taught/ professional hybrid)

When I first started writing my novel, I could tell you off the top of my head that my protagonist, Odette Harmonie Cinq-Mars, was born in the little fictional town of Pendulum Province, France on December 14th, 1997 at 8:16pm, her blood type is AB+, she's 5'0, she's left-handed, and her favorite color is royal purple. I could also tell you she has anger issues, is hyper-observant, is a classically trained singer and dancer, and is kind of cold as a person. That last trait ended up writing most of itself out as she developed, but it's how she started, and I never got much deeper than that until I wrote her.

But, rewinding a little bit, I like to come up with ideas for my characters from tropes and stereotypes. My truest formula for coming up with characters is:

Trope/Archetype

- Some tropey traits

+ Traits you might not normally see in that trope/archetype

+ As many details as possible

+ Putting them in random situations that come to mind and watching them figure it out (even if it might be unrelated to the plot)

+ A little bit of yourself (always optional)

For example:

My "tropiest" character's name is Noel Masse; he was heavily based on the archetype of the peacocky gay theater kid who kinda has a hoe streak. Before you come for my neck, hear me out.

What are traits of this trope I could erase (or heavily modify) for him? From my experience theater kids get kinda cliquey--not all, but some--Noel has his friends, but he's the type who wants to be friends with everyone. He doesn't like to judge unless people give him a reason to. Theater kids might have their heads in the clouds all the time, and Noel airs on the side of keeping himself grounded when he needs to.

What are some odd traits I could add to him? What can I expand on? Noel has severe indecision--he's a theater kid who doesn't know if he wants to be theater kid. He has dedicated his life to being a musical theater star, but he has a calling in mystery solving, coding, and all things tech. This indecision often cripples him, and even seeps into his love life, which leads to some promiscuity~

What are the little details I know about Noel? Noel Coretyn Masse is a natural born witch, born in a little (fictional) city in France called Athamera on September 9th, 1997 at 12:11am. He is 6'0, 175 pounds, blood type O-, ENFP-T, right-handed, his favorite color is royal blue, and he has a gifted vocal octave range (3.8), and is very good at most forms of dance.

What scenarios have I put him in that helped him build? This was actually how I decided he was good with technology and all things coding, hacking, computers, etc. I figured out he was good at this stuff when I needed a character to hack something later on in the story and I threw him into the mix just to see what would happen and it stuck IMMEDIATELY. So, this category can also help build category 2 for sure.

Bits of me? His dedication to the arts and his desire for a large friend group hope I didn't just roast myself lol

DISCLAIMER: I want to make a note for anyone who thinks that this is overkill: yes, it probably is. But, I also want to note that I have been told time and time again that my characterization in my stories is my strongest point. So, clearly I'm doing SOMETHING right here.

I also want to note that this is NOT the "correct" way of coming up with characters. In fact, I don't think there is a "correct" way (as is with most things artistic and creative). This is just MY way of doing things. If you have a way that you come up with characters that works for you, I'd love to hear about it!

[vesora]

is law of assumption real? yeah

i have come across an individual vilifying the loa community and i find their statements kinda funny and stupid but i love having my beliefs challenged bc i can know why i believe in this. please also read my response to this other girl who thought loa ppl were crazy. it is ok to think if it’s crazy. ur welcome to criticize it. also, i am using aesthetic pictures bc of my ocd, i need things to be divided.

this is for the people who want to listen whether LOA is real from MY perspective:

firstly, i was primed for law of assumption from a young age. this means that i experienced many and i mean MANY spiritual things from a young age. i saw spirits (not hallucinations, it was my dead grandma who i had never seen and i described her down to her ring to my dad and he started crying because it was her), started speaking french at random points without ever having consciously learned the language, heard random piano compositions in my ear which i had never heard before, had visions which protected me/warned me about the future/informed me about the future and many manyyy more things. this proves to me the power of the subconscious mind.

the difference between someone who was born with their third eye awakened versus someone who has no spiritual experiences + is not open-minded to it, is that they will view spiritual phenomena from a materialistic practical sense.

this is saddening, because humans before being impacted by materialism were so spiritual and we were the ones who created the pyramids and all the structures you see on earth. we did that.

anyways,

is it real?

my opinion: yes. 

no i am not in a cult waiting to pounce on the next vulnerable piece of meat. in fact, my future career is removing people out of cults and helping trafficking victims but anyways.

i have manifested things far beyond logic. you know how and why? because manifestation is the most basic human trait. and awakening to the fact that you are the creator of your reality is the most liberating amazing feeling and practice. i manifested one of my dying cats becoming free of cancer. that is not luck. that is manifestation. i manifested bad circumstances away. not luck, manifestation. i manifested all my exes leaving me the SAME way because i had assumed they would. not a coincidence, manifestation. there is definitely a lot we don’t know about the universe. i can’t say with certainty that all things are attributed to us which is also why i hate any form of victim blaming. but one thing is for sure is that humans have more control over our lives than we think. we don’t need a divine presence outside of us to dictate us the circumstances in OUR lives.

also, law of assumption is not law of attraction. law of attraction is “AHHH DONT THINK BAD THOUGHTS OR U WILL GET BAD JUJU” very fear-based, also seen in dogmatic religions. law of assumption uses a CBT based approach to change assumptions and therefore, influence reality. you have every right to not believe in this and even chastise me for it, i understand. however, i know this is real for me.

i was a victim of many racist attacks, however, as soon as i decided that the outside world is safe for me, i never had ONE negative experience. is this a coincidence? not for me, no. this is a human taking control of their life. this is a human not bound by societal expectations and leaning into divine energy and expressing the truest essence of one’s self. i am not blaming myself for being a victim, it is the racist’s fault. i am not blaming other victims, it is the perpetrators’ fault. however, if there is any fucking chance i can help a victim, i will take it, i do NOT care.

things i manifested regarding other people towards me:

1. no more racism towards me, family and friends.

2. parents being emotionally available with me

3. my friends expressing affection the way i want them to

4. my mum making me the exact food i visualised many times

5. my professor saying the exact words to me as i visualised

6. my friends saying to me the exact words i visualised

7. this guy flirting with me out of nowhere because i visualised it

8. and many more stuff this shit is too easy so

maybe i feel this strongly because i am a fighter for the working class. my main goal in life is to help liberate all oppressed people. if there is any chance that it can be done by mind, i would take it. would you not? would you not help people by the means you have helped yourself?

how can you so strongly and with such conviction without ever practising the law come to a conclusion that is a harmful new age ideology when the maxim prevalent in so many esoteric practices (yes, non-white too) have preached that reality is made by the mind? will we ignore the science behind it too? will we ignore the cia declassified documents? will we ignore ancient accounts of reality shifting? will we ignore hermes trismegistus? will we ignore rumi? will we ignore plato? 

you can ignore this. i won’t, however. this is the liberation of the human soul. having said this, anyone is welcome to criticise the LOA community, look at us as vultures, think we are crazy. i value all opinions (even if they’re wrong HAHA sorry). 

how is loa different from dogmatic religion?

well for one, there is evidence for conscious manifestation (e.g. dr joe dispenza’s books). i personally do not like religion. i have religious trauma so if you are religious, id advise you to not read this section. abrahamic religion is based on fear to oppress minorities, trap human potential and it also makes you rely on luck and wishful thinking (this view is only if the holy books were to be taken in the literal sense and abused by ministers etc) whereas the human is able to decide its own fate. law of assumption liberates the human by putting the human from an us vs them view to an us AND them view, meaning everyone is one and the same. this is not a christian thing, this is a well documented thing featured in asian philosophy. consciousness is the thing that unites us all. it is within you and it is within me. religion (abrahamic) forces you to look at the people who are not like you, aka dont believe what you do, as these other creatures who have defied the will of God and ahhh will face wrath. LOA instead empowers the individual and promotes free will. i understand if you think this is dangerous, the woo-woo stuff, just dont practise it.

how is loa not a cult?

loa CAN be misused in a cult but on its own it is not a cult. no one in the loa community is forcing the individual to join this practice which lowkey is just manifestation. however, i get your concerns and i advise you to read this reply: x

i wish i took pics of my cat when she was sick so i could provide u guys evidence but of course i didnt take any pics.

anyone is welcome to leave. anyone is welcome to adjust loa to their lives the way they see fit.

the void state

i doubt that so many people are lying about manifesting in the void state. i do think it’s not a big deal but i definitely don’t think it’s fake. besides, whats the harm in trying?

thing is right, if you are not garnering results or whatever, u dont need to stay. i stayed regardless of whether i manifested my shit instantly or not (which in the beginning was hard for me) because i believed in the philosophy, it resonated with me and it didn’t make me alienate my fellow man. however, if you feel you have a chance of being manipulated here or idk what, don’t join this practice. seriously, it’s okay. i am not being sarcastic or anything, because you are welcome to stay or leave. you are welcome to compliment me or insult me. i will love you either way for you are my fellow man.

also this is so random and a general thing but only psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychologists use the subconsciously thing.

[wellgoslowly]

Lockwood and Co. How do I begin to talk about this insane universe that has literally changed my life in so many ways in such a small amount of time?

I think it was probably January 27th that I actually got the notification for the trailer for the show from Netflix’s Youtube. I don’t know exactly what it was that made me interested in the trailer in the first place and set it apart from the hundreds of trailers that netflix has posted that I’ve ignored, but there was just something about it that made me think “oh, this looks interesting, let me take a look at the trailer.” Thank god I did.

If I were to go back in time to that version of linnie and tell them that their life was about to be changed, I think they would’ve laughed. At that period of time I’d had a 2 year long hyperfixation on the grishaverse and I couldn’t think of anything that would’ve possibly broken me out of that long ass period of chaos. And then I watched Lockwood and Co and I immediately fell in love with an entirely new world.

Lockwood and co means so much to me for so many reasons. One of them is that I’ve never seen myself more reflected in a character than I see myself in Lucy Carlyle- hence the name Linnie. I didn’t even realize it until Aaron ( @queer-and-nerdy ) pointed it out (after I pointed out how much of a George kinnie they are) and then everything made sense in a way? Like Lucy Carlyle is the truest form of a comfort character for me because we are basically the same person and I never realized how special a character could be until I met Lucy Joan Carlyle.

Another reason why I love this universe so much is because I love found family, and I love the found family that Jonathan Stroud has written. The Iron Trio will always be so special to me because of how often it is shown and how deeply it is known that they love each other unconditionally, Even George and Lucy, who have their differences when they first meet, grow to love each other in their own way and I genuinely believe that the family found within the Iron Trio is one of the most beautiful relationships I’ve ever read or seen portrayed on screen.

I also just truly love the worldbuilding. The world that Jonathan Stroud has created has such an amazing homely feel to it that I will never tire of. I love literally everything about it- the lore, the execution, the way that he was able to make ghosts even more terrifying for such a young audience.

Lastly, I love the fandom. I’ve talked a little bit about how much a kind and welcoming fan space like the l&co tumblr means to me and how I have had rocky situations in a fandom in the past, but I truly cannot even begin to talk about how much this online space has truly changed me in so many ways. I feel like I can have open, honest, and constructive opinions on here without being scared to speak my mind or fear the repercussions of not being 100% happy all the time. This fandom is the most accepting and loving fandom I have ever known, and I’d like to tag a few of the people who have made this place so loving and enjoyable to partake in. Shout out to @ikeasupremacy @oblivious-idiot @losticaruss @youmanynotrestnow @neewtmas @thisgameissonintendo @readyafterthesunrise @waitingforthesunrise @yveni @uku-lelevillain @impossibleclair @donutcats @jesslockwood @kazbrekkerfast @krash-and-co @carlyleandco @biscuitrule @maraschinomerry @lockwood-lover @lvockwoods @givemea-dam-break @someonetooksendnoodles @nomolosk @thedonutdeliverygirl @neverendinglabyrinth @tangledinlove - I defo missed a lot of people but these are just the few that I could remember right off the top of my head <33

All in all, I love this show and these books and this world more than I could ever possibly express. Happy 10th Birthday to The Screaming Staircase, and a very Happy Lockwood & Co Day to all whom I have the honor of celebrating with. I love you all very dearly, and remember: “just reckless enough”.

xoxo,

linnie <3

[justyouraverageficwriter]

Push and Pull

Mina X M Reader

Tags: Smut, Edging, with a little bit of Fluff.

WC: 2.5K

A/N: Well this one took a while, y'all be the judge. Enjoy.

Well the plan all goes to shit, you think. The clock strikes 24 minutes past 11 in the evening. The dinner is already cold and she's not home yet. Your phone didn't even rung once, she might not have had the chance to send you a quick message to let you know that she'll be late. You get it, her work schedule has no fixed time. Sometimes it does not end until the wee hours of the morning. She's a model alright, and a damn good one.

Deflated, you resign yourself and collapse on the sofa. The decorated table will have to wait until tomorrow to be cleaned up. A shame really, you thought you cooked the steak to perfection only to be put to waste. But you don't have the appetite to eat it alone, somehow you still wish the dinner will still be possible when she comes home. Wishful thinking at best.

And she did, eventually. You wake up to the sound of the door opening, the scuffle as she removes her footwear. You thought for a second, maybe you'll pretend you're asleep and wait what she will do. There's that small hope in you, maybe she'll surprise you or anything. However just like your night, the plan didn't materialize the way you wanted to.

"You're home." Disappointed you might be but the sight of her always puts a smile on your face. She's gorgeous in her outfit, like how in everything she wears. The checkered white top with the black pants works wonders on her. And the abs, damn the abs.

"Can you prepare the shower for me, love? I badly need one." Mina is somehow stern and cold in her words.

"Is something wrong, love?" You set aside how you feel to check on her.

"Just prepare the shower. You know the temperature I like." She shrugs off the question like it's nothing.

Well fuck! You didn't think your night was going to be any worse yet it did. Mina likes her shower hot, maybe a bit too hot for your taste. It needs to be prepared now so you head to the bathroom to do what she asks. Before entering however, you notice her casually strips all her clothes right there in the living room. It is impossible to ignore her, it's impossible not to watch as each piece of clothing is discarded to form a pile on the floor revealing her wonderland of a body.

"Do you want me to prepare the shower for myself, love?" She jeers at you when she realizes you got distracted.

Maybe something happened at work, but you'll find out later. You know her well, and you know what to do to not add to her thoughts. It's just a tiny bit harder now, given you have your own heartache to deal with as well.

"Is it ready?" Her voice snaps you off from your thoughts. You didn't notice that she's at your back already. Thankfully the water is at the right temperature now. You nod and gesture to lead her inside the shower.

Mina is bare naked, and every bit of her is perfect in your opinion. You've seen her in her truest form more than a few times, yet every time feels like the first time.

"Don't just stand there, I need you to scrub my back."

Understanding what to do, you take off your clothes on a whim. Once again you are reminded of the failed night, you dressed to look good you have noticed. It does matter little now, she orders you to undress and join her and you did just that.

Mina moans as she steps into the shower. The temperature is perfect, it is clear to see. You watch as the water inevitably drench her whole body. Hypnotized, you follow a single drop travels from her ass cheek down to her legs. Then it hits you, your penis is now up and about.

"You know what to do." Mina hands you the bath soap. "Only my back."

Only her back? You repeat the words in your mind. She said them with such conviction it sounds like a threat. Maybe it really is.

You pour the soap on your hands and lather her back with it. Her words echo yet again on your mind forcing you to abide and do the task properly, scrubbing her back and hard to reach places. Her soft skin distracts you but other than the proud standing member, you are able to keep to yourself.

"That should be enough." Mina then turns around and pulls you in closer, flinching at the contact of the hot water on your body. When you are fully drenched, Mina starts to apply soap on your chest, carefully, sensually.

"Did something happen at work?" You attempt to ask the lingering question.

She just shakes her head and continues what she's doing, or at least you thought she would. Instead her hand wraps around your dick and works it. The sudden pleasure surprises you, and you let out a moan. Desperate for more contact, you reach out to her ass to pull her closer to you.

"Hands off love, or I'll stop."

Your hands instantly dislodge from its hold, not wanting to leave the current paradise. Not wanting to be kicked out from its gates. Mina knows you, like the back of her hand. Throw in the front too given how good the handjob she's giving you. All the while, she maintains eye contact in which you struggle to keep yourself.

"It's so good, love." Well it's completely obvious that it is, your body couldn't deny it.

It did not take long for you to feel like you're going to blow anytime soon. Your body starts to tense up and your breaths short. The firm grip, the elegant upward and downward motion as Mina jerks your dick, the constant eye contact. Every single thing contributes towards the imminent climax of pleasure. It's a big load, you can feel it will be.

"I'm going to fucking cum, love." You ready yourself to let go. You're not going to last any longer, you've held on long enough. Besides, it looks like she's not letting up too.

Then pandemonium.

You expected to release all that was kept inside, all the cum and all the pleasure. You were on the edge, but no. Mina leaves you hanging.

"What the fuck, love! Seriously?" Your voice raises more than you want to.

"Language, love. Language." Her cold but pretty face stoic and expressionless, her eyes fixated on you judging every wrinkle of your annoyed face. You took a deep breath in response, settling to just let it slip.

Mina moves again and kisses your neck. "Mind your mouth, alright? Your language earlier cost you an orgasm." She then proceeds to kiss your chest, down to your belly and finally kneeling down on her knees. "Let's try again, shall we?"

You did not have the luxury to answer as you feel another surge of pleasure greater than earlier. Your dick softened up a bit due to annoyance. However, it only took one lick at the tip to bring it back to life. Mina masterfully sucked the tip at first. The contact of her tongue is divine circling around your shaft, lathering it with the juices of her mouth.

The view from your perspective is a form of art. You admit you enjoyed the sense of control a bit, being able to move your hips to meet her mouth. The urge to curse is a constant battle, you don't want to make the same mistake again. You want to hold her head or pull her raven colored hair for her to choke on your dick, say a few degrading things but you don't want to risk it. Your thrusting is even crossing the very thin line. So you bite your tongue and moan.

The pressure is once again close to its peak. The familiar feeling of pleasure and helplessness envelopes you once more. Mina hastened the pace of her blowjob, you're quite sure now that she'll finish what she started. You're close, way too close to the edge that you raise your head and close your eyes.

Then it stops.

You already knew what she did, but you open your eyes to be sure. Mina is on her way out of the shower walls, true enough she did the same thing. She leaves you hanging for the second time. What the fuck.

"What did I do this time? Don't start it if you don't intend to finish it." You watch her annoyingly as she wraps herself with the robe.

"You can finish it yourself, love." She casually combs her hair in front of the mirror, nonchalant.

"Yes, I'll make damn sure I'll finish it." Something inside you snap, getting out of the shower and joining her in the sink. You pulled down her robe with force to expose her shoulders as you take your place behind her, pinning her to minimize resistance if any. From underneath, your hand works its way to her entrance. You're going to make sure she's going to beg.

Your fingers are teasing her clit, she starts to squirm yet still composed. Mina tries her hardest to keep a straight face. Although her folds betray her as it starts to get wet and wetter. Both your eyes meet in the mirror, she's doing a really great job at playing pretend. But it didn't last long, she finally gave in when you kissed her shoulders while doing circles on her cunt.

"I'm so sensitive down there, love." The proud facade is gone. You have played your cards right. Now it's just a matter of making the most out of it.

You slip one finger inside, letting her know what's to come; or what has been missing. Her thighs spread wider to accommodate more of you. Watching her in the mirror, every twitch of her face, every moaning and whimper, you know she's building herself up to her release.

"Oh my god, love- ahhhh". She's smart for not mentioning that she is going to cum, but you're no fool. You did the same thing she did earlier, pulling your finger out a second too soon denying her of an orgasm. Expecting some kind of outburst, you pin her a little bit tighter.

"I want to curse you for doing that, love. But I won't give you the satisfaction." You admire her composure so you want to tease her more.

You turn her around and drape the robe back on her shoulders, fixing and tying the knot too. "Well I guess that's it then." Kissing her forehead to somehow properly end the night.

"Fine! I'm sorry. Please love, don't leave me hanging." There is desperation in her voice, stopping you from fully stepping away. You risked your way into a bluff and it paid off, big time. Mina unties the knot and let the robe fall to the floor, her nakedness exposed once again.

"I'm afraid an apology alone won't be enough, Minari." You relish the sense of control. You take her hand and make her face the full body mirror. "Promise me you'll do anything I'll ask you to." Taking your position behind her again, groping her fat ass in the process. Mina nods her head without hesitation.

"Good! Let's try again, shall we?" Throwing her words back at her. She smiles in disbelief in which you find adorable yet quite seductive, damn the duality. You wrapped one hand around her chest in contact with her perky tits. The other wanders on top of her entrance, mimicking what you did earlier. She's still wet as fuck, explaining the desperation.

You hear a moan of pleasure, yet more of a relief. Mina indulges herself in pleasure more openly, moaning a little louder, reciting her usual profanities in lustful situations. She shows her flexibility by hooking one arm around your neck, twisting her body for a kiss when you ask for it.

"Look at you, love. Look at yourself in the mirror. You're so hot." Both your eyes meet in your reflections again, now it's her turn to struggle keeping the contact. Eyes that are full of haze of lust. Her walls clamp around your fingers a little tighter, Mina is going crazy turned on by the act.

"Cum for me, love. Cum for me. And don't you ever look away." You whisper sensually in her ears. She bites her lip as she fights to keep her eyes open, fixed on you. Her breath, ragged and shivering in sync with the ever increasing pace of your fingertips buried inside her.

In the last moments, she grits her teeth but ultimately loses. A long drawn out moan together with her liquids squirting out of her. Some are in your hands, some in her thighs, but most went straight down to the floor.

"Oh my god, love. Fuck that was good." Even she's surprised by the amount of her cum. You support her weight as her legs give in while she catches her breath. She turns around and wraps her arms around your neck and you share a moment of silence, standing and looking at each other.

"We're not done yet, you know." There's your dick still upright touching her abs, reminding you both of what you still need to accomplish.

"Let's go to bed and you can fuck me there. My legs are long gone, love." She responds.

"Your hair is still dripping, you'll soak the covers."

She pushes you off her and walks out towards the bed. "It's me or the covers." Her confidence rose up once again. The choice is clear, to hell with those covers.

It didn't take long for you to find a home on top of her, in between her legs. Her pussy is as welcoming as ever, tight and slick. You pound her with gusto, missionary style. It has always been your favorite position, nothing beats the full view of her melting in pleasure underneath you. The ease of kissing her, the view of her boobs, her beautiful face. The abs, damn the abs again.

"I'm going to cum inside you, my love." Finally after two failed orgasms, you're going to let it all out.

"Yes please, all of it. Empty yourself in me." With her consent, you muster all strength to chase your peak. The rhythm quickens, the strokes shorten. One last appeal to God and your cum floods her walls. You lost count of how many times your cock pulses ropes of semen, you're just relieved you're finally satisfied.

Your cum leaks out of her the moment you pull out. Both of you laughed at the mess you made. She's a mess. She is yours.

"I'm sorry I missed our date, love. The schedule turned into shit." There's the reason for her lateness. You take your place next to her.

"I should have grievances, you know. I think the steak turned out so well to be ignored like that. But given the state of things, I don't have a reason to complain." You both burst out laughing after.

"You should have seen your face when I stopped fapping you." She teases you.

"Oh no miss. We will not talk about that."

It's 1:40 AM. Your night was not too bad after all.

-------------

Fin.

[digimon--kaiser]

Very glad you asked user @daikusai-fishing ! But it is not about the unused voice lines, I do not know anything about Naoto's unused voice lines but now i'm interested in them if you want to share that. For the sake of not sparking gladiatorial combat in my notes I am going to be referring to Naoto with they/them pronouns. "Read more" to not clog someone's dash. English is not my first language so if anything's super misspelled or something- sorry..

What I realised was regarding Naoto's dungeon bosses, specifically, those that are not their shadow. Meaning I will be speaking on the Dominating Machine and the Extreme Vessel. I will warn this is a very "the curtains might just be blue" moment, so take everything I say with some grains of salt, or a shaker if you feel so inclined. To make this more palatable because I have no idea how long I'll be talking for, I'll be splitting this up into two segments, one for the Dominating Machine, and another for the Extreme Vessel.

I will note that despite this being Naoto's dungeon, and them both being bosses that I believe to carry a form of significance in their character, neither are of the Fortune Arcana. Which was what sent me spiraling last night in the first place.

The Dominating Machine

A large, hulking action figure brought to life, it scowls at your party with green eyes. Parts of it's exterior are painted red, with silver accenting. On each block-like shoulder, it carries kanji, that spells "Just Righteousness." (? that's my best guess. Take that with some salt as well.) However, beneath the paint, it's truest metal pieces are painted black. It carries it's mask on it's chest. It carries a silver, red-hilted sword in it's left hand.

The Dominating Machine is a shadow of the Justice Arcana, and it seems to represent that well. The Justice trump (or major arcana card) is a card that, outside of the context of Persona, is a card that represents equality. It is the card of balance and wrongs that have been righted. Inverted, of course, it is a card of partiality and favouritism. But also of legal manipulation. While the cards inverted meaning means little here, I do believe it is an interesting card in general. But that's a discussion probably best not held at the moment.

In short, I believe that the Dominating Machine is somewhat of a power fantasy(?), or moreso, a hope that one day the workforce will be fair to Naoto Shirogane as they are. The Dominating Machine is, as it's name implies, is a machine that dominates, but more than that, it's created purpose, as painted on each of it's shoulders, is to be a form of judge or prosecutor, maybe even an executioner of Justice. A being to make things fair. Without Naoto themselves having to try to make any of those changes themselves. They'd rather wait for someone else, for something else to change the system causing them grief.

Of course, that's how I see it and I may be wrong. I do encourage anyone taking the time to read this to form their own opinions on what these symbolise and such.

The Extreme Vessel

A hollow wooden body adorned with silver spikes, from raised boards in it's build, guns, or maybe cannons, sprout out, pointing in every direction. It spins without clear focus. Eyes unseeing through it's yellow mask prepped at the top of the machine, the Roman numerals VII engraved in it's forehead in charred black. Imprinting it with the number of it's given arcana.

As I just mentioned in the above summary of the appearance of this shadow, it's arcana is the 7th of the major, or trump arcana. Better known to more casual Persona fans as The Chariot Arcana. While the games paint a certain picture for this arcana through it's character tropes, for the sake of my analyses (? spiral into madness?) I will be disregarding that to focus on the meaning of the tarot both upright and inverted.

The trump card of the Chariot is a card of regality, in a sort of way. It depicts a man wearing armor in the box of a Chariot beneath a canopy, usually adorned with stars. In one hand, he holds a wand, in the other, he usually places a hand on the chariot itself, two sphinx crouch before the chariot.

The Chariot, outside of how it's outside looks, is a card that preaches that subjugation of others in it's meaning. It is a card that tells that moving forward quickly, without allowing others to stop you, will help you win. It is a card that of which has a meaning associated with spoils of conquest. A card of ambition and will power. When inverted, the card can speak of rebellion, or aimlessness, at times, even telling the subject of the reading that they need help.

This is the shadow that replaces Naoto's shadow boss in their dungeon. A hollow, wooden body at the center of this dungeon. I love this for Naoto. I believe, in a way, it represents Naoto themself while they were in the process of being kidnapped, the events leading up to that moment. A teenager who refused to stop, convinced that they could act as a vessel, a hollow, empty body to be thrown away for the sake of this case. Naoto treats themselves without much care, like bait. Somehow managing to both embody the meaning of the Chariot upright, and reversed.

SoRRY I JUST LIKE NAOTO. i'm probablyy wrong on so many things here take this all with a grain of salt. or a lot of salt I'm not like. the CEO of naoto or anything man

[herejusttosufferalong]

I’ve held off writing anything about this until now, but I’ve seen one too many comments. Something must be done…

In no way do I want to defend A. She has purposefully aligned herself with someone who is professionally and socially above her. She is out of her depth. But if you identify as female and you are demanding L control A and her social media habits, then you are perpetuating a sexist, dehumanizing, and demeaning ideation. In my opinion, that level of control is a form of abuse. L should NEVER try to “control” her. She should be empowered to be her truest, authentic self.

We can all agree, L should not be with her. It’s partly because of her age, but it’s more about her ability to become her best self. All relationships should be based on the possibility of a fulfilling relationship. BOTH should be able to be their most authentic selves in every area of life. Amongst other things, L & A’s values are not compatible. Take, for instance, their views on privacy…their values are not equal thereby making the couple incompatible.

With the exception of a few anons, we all know that this is not a healthy relationship. But we—especially the women in the room—must honor, respect, and defend our fellow woman to have the right to become the best version of herself even if her choices are upsetting for us as a fandom or for her partner. He gets to choose what he does with his life too.

I will not defend A for her choices, but she has a right to make those choices (and be judged or held accountable for them) without being controlled or handled by the man she’s chosen to sleep next to…if she’s still next to him at all.

"if you identify as female and you are demanding L control A and her social media habits, then you are perpetuating a sexist, dehumanizing, and demeaning ideation. In my opinion, that level of control is a form of abuse. L should NEVER try to “control” her. She should be empowered to be her truest, authentic self."

If this was an average couple I would agree with you 1,000 percent but it is not.

They are unfortunately tied together publicly now and he has every right to make certain requests, that is not control. Does not mean she has to abide by them but to claim otherwise is not fully recognizing their public status, namely L's.

When you are under public scrutiny you carry yourself and move differently than if you weren't and I'm sure she is aware of this.

You can view it as control if you'd like but maintaining an image requires a certain level of self control.

But tbh I don't think either of them are currently worried about their public image for various reasons...

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

I have completely turned around my opinion on the scum villain skin creatures, I am no longer stricken with fascinated horror, now I simply cherish them and wish to see even more.

They are….beautiful. The best collective creation a fandom has ever produced, perhaps. The most elevated reading of the characters in fact, their truest forms.

Blessings, may Skinhe be with us all.

[cinco-guijarros]

hi i'm doing a thing and i NEED to know your opinion on the ancients having disabilities. thank you. :)

Hi hello. Thank you for reaching out!!

So I asked an expert on RW lore (my Friend) so we could bounce some ideas at each other, and I will try to summarize our thoughts in bullet points, hope this helps :)

Well, let's get the basics out of the way and say that there absolutely were disabled ancients, regardless of technological progress.

In fact there probably exists a lot of support for disabled ancients, going from mobility aids, aids in day to day life to prosthetic body parts.

Heh, now that I think about it maybe some people even had purposed organisms designed to be guide or support animals.

My Friend also suggested that body modifications were common, which I feel a lot of disabled people could take advantage of, not necessarily to gain functionality but just because it's cool, same with mobility aids.

Picture someone on a wheelchair passing everyone on the street, Maybe even power it with void fluid I Don't Know.

We both did agree that there was likely some ableism present in their beliefs, sadly. But my friend suggested that there's no reason for that to be representative of all of their society.

Like, maybe an inclination from the Ancients in high society would be to not put any effort on disabled people or consider them worthy of life, but commoners don't need to agree.

There definitely is space for community support and care, I think.

On my end I feel like it was possible that some abled ancients kinda pushed the idea that disabled folks were closer to ascension because their conditions would "deprive them" of ever fulfilling some urges and kinda thought that they were more fit to reach personal ascension.

But like, I think most of us agree ableism in fiction is tiring and overdone and that the above POV doesn't need to be generalized, so let's move on to other stuff.

Despite all of this, I think there could be a lot of value in diversity, and the unique contributions they can make in society.

So, for instance, I can think of disabled communities using qualia records as a way to assert their identities, and use these records as a statement of the worth of their own experiences.

Kind of like saying "My experiences matter and are worth being shared in their truest form."

Like I can see this as something ancients with sensory disabilities or folks who don't use verbal language could do really cool things with.

I'm also thinking that some disabilities may be more prevalent because of the places the ancients live in. People affected more deeply by pressure changes, lack of air, and so on definitely were impacted when the cities moved to be on top of the iterator superstructures.

Also, if you're making your ancients have different base abilities or senses compared to humans, for anything they have, there definitely exist some way in which someone can be disabled with it, yknow? Those are cool concepts to explore too.

And lastly! Cycles, death and rebirth could also be cool topics to play around, such as the question of whether some disabilities carry across cycles, or whether they're only present in one of them. This, of course depends on how you think cycles work, whether people change body's but preserve a sense of continuous identity or the body itself just regenerates to some degree.

In my opinion, I could definitely see both disabilities that persist and some that don't, but I will leave that more open.

[lilith-vodkaaunt-of-demons]

So I've been listening to a lot of music from my childhood recently, and that inevitably lead me to listening to The Pillows, a great Japanese Alt Rock Band that was pretty big in the late 90s, early 2000s (iirc.) They produced most of, if not the entire OST of cult classic anime FOOLY COOLY or FLCL.

FLCL is, in my opinion, an anime everyone should watch at least once, and imo it's a very good litmus test for whether or not a person has any kind of media literacy and is able to pick out themes and stuff.

I say all this as basically the long way of saying I listened to a song I really liked when I was younger that was also part of the OST of an Anime I really liked when I was younger and so I watched it all over again today, and now I'm gonna make it your problem.

So anyone with any kind of media literacy can tell you that the major theme of FLCL is growing up, and anyone with decent media literacy can tell you that on the flipside the actual theme of FLCL is "The most immature thing you can do is grow up too fast." With a secondary theme being "Adults will use maturity to manipulate you."

But what if I told you there's a secret, third theme, and it actually changes who the main character of the show is, and it's stated in the opening scene of the first episode, with the REAL main character?

So the show opens on Naota and Samemija Mamimi, immediately establishing Naota and Mamimi's very codependent relationship, with Naota using Mamimi to feel more mature than he actually is, and Mamimi using Naota as a rebound and stand in for his older brother Tasuku, who moved to America to pursue a career in Baseball, which has burned both Naota and Mamimi in different ways.

This is also the establishing shot for the actual theme of the show. In a voice over, Naota explains that nothing amazing ever happens in the town of Mabase, directly after Mamimi explains to him that if she were ever to "Overflow" something amazing would probably happen.

Naota's claims of nothing amazing ever happening in Mabase are, of course, undercut by the antics of the entirety of FLCL, but, as an itty bitty Egg living in a small, nowhere town in Kansas USA, and even later, as a Trans Woman, in a different, but still very much the same Small, Nowhere Town in Kansas USA, the specific type of Ennui Naota feels is well known to those who live in Small, Nowhere towns across the globe.

It's the kind of apathy that lives and thrives in small communities that revile change. It is, in its truest form, Stagnation, and it is what FLCL is really about. Stagnation is the Enemy of Maturity. And that is why Mamimi is the true protagonist of FLCL.

Mamimi has the most to gain from holding onto the past, the most to gain from nothing ever changing. And she fights against it with all her strength, to the point that she'd rather die (or have the world destroyed) than have them change. When Naota manages to "Swing The Bat" and stop the bomb heading for Mabase, she's disappointed, showing that she's tired of the life she's got, but not so much yet that she's willing to take her life herself.

Mamimi yearns for Stagnation. Yearns for the past, when things were better. We never see what Mamimi's home life is like, to the point that there is no credible evidence as to whether or not she's homeless. What we do know is that she's incredibly poor, bullied, and alone, and for at least some of that, it didn't used to be that way. She used to have Tasuku, or Ta-kun, she used to not be bullied, she may have even had a good relationship with her parents, or a home to go to.

But things keep changing. Tasuku left, people look down on her, Naota is maturing, meanwhile she's stuck in the past, and is fighting to stay there...until she can't anymore. Naota is no longer satisfied with being a stand-in for his older brother, she's going to need a job to support herself, and Tasuku isn't coming back.

Through out all of this, there is a theme of Mamimi taking pictures, hinting that even she, in fact, has dreams of the future. Which does culminate in the ending, of Mamimi leaving Mabase to become a Photographer, her picture of Naota holding Haruko's Rickenbacker 4001 is even seen in the magazine the anime is named after, Fooly Coolly.

Mamimi is the secret protagonist of FLCL because she embodies the secret theme of the show, that Stagnation, never growing beyond the fence posts of your backyard, is truly the enemy of Maturity. Throughout the show, all the children spend their time trying to be more mature than they are, while Mamimi is seen as having never matured despite actually, secretly, being more mature than all of them, but wishing she didn't have to be. Throughout the show, she is abandoned, belittled, and bullied, and it isn't until the very end of the show that she breaks, feeding the technology of all the people who wronged her to Core Ta-kun. Even trying to stop Core Ta-kun from eating the truck of the Friend Trio because they didn't do anything to her. Then she escapes. She breaks the confines of Mabase, and goes on to become a Photographer. Was she successful? Was she happy? We'll likely never know, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is she broke free.

[invece-sto-sdraiato]

this is obviously the one pic out of all that made me hyperventilate the most (believe me, the sounds I made were definitely unholy) -more under the cut-

I was really surprised and intrigued at how the pictures were generally really intimate and brought a spotlight to their personalities, starting from kris. Their expressions (especially bojan's) made me think I was looking at someone else. For a second, it didn't feel like the joker out that we knew. But it's them. The truest, rawest version of them, stripped of all the facade and expectations.

But jan and nace? Their pics were what made me think. A lot. This one above, just proved how much they are willing to showcase their love for each other, let it be platonic or romantic. They aren't scared to let us see it. The extent to which they are affectionate with each other always made me so happy and proud, but this is another level. Also we've seen how comfortable they are with their sexualities and physical affection. But this picture, shows another whole level of intimacy which tbh, scares me a bit. Why, you may ask. I'm not about to delve into my issues with intimacy right now, but all I want to say is that I'm really happy they found each other. But I'm still a bit confused on what exactly they are conveying. I hope someone else can give a clearer opinion on this. We'll never truly know what the meaning behind this is, but no harm in trying to form an idea, right?

[leafatlaw]

what is something you always want to talk about

Basically creepy pastas are a lot more varied and creative than a lot of people give them credit for, so fucking creepy pasta categories. (Disclaimer I am no means an expert in creepy pastas, I’ve only occasionally scrolled r/ no sleep and pretended to have a crush on Ben drowned in 2012. This is only based on my limited knowledge and if anyone wants to add on or correct me go ahead.)

So there’s really a lot of different types of creepy pastas from the stereotypical Jeff the killer type to stuff that eventually gets published. To start it off I’ll talk about the first kind, probably the best known which is the killer type aka whatever the slender verse is. I would put anything in this category that is mostly about creepy guy(gender neutral) that kills people. Laughing jack, ticci toby, Jane the killer, ect ect. While Ben drowned is typically associated with this crowd I would really say he doesn’t fit in this category. While most of the examples listed above are mostly underwelling in scare factor, the expaiok of these stories have created some truly awesome tales. These are a staple of the genre and I adore them no matter how poorly they’ve aged.

Beyond that I’m going to skip ahead and talk about one of my favorite subgenres Lost Episodes/Media. I love these stories so much because they take specially childhood memories of vhs tapes and nostalgic games, and made it so that there’s a chance something safe and familiar can be twisted and distorted. In this category we have classics like Squidwards suicide, Suicide mouse, and Dead Bart. This genre will typically be either badly edited clips or basically stories passed around (in the truest form of creepy pasta). The real gem of this genre in my opinion is the creepy pasta “Lost Episodes can be found Again”, which is a genuis written take on this subgenre and tries to basically explain it. No spoilers just go read it it’s great and interesting even if you’re not well versed in lost episodes.

Okay back to where I should have started, what I call first person accounts. Where the story is told from a first person perspective of someone who has the event happen to them. Oddly this is much more common on r slash nosleep which I belive requires stories to be treated as real events, even in comments. Basically this is where I would put Ben drowned, Ted the caver (arguably the first creepy pasta), most .exe horror stories, and genuinely most of the genre could fit into this category. (The above lost episodes mostly fit in here but it’s easier to separate them into specifics). This genre is great because it is for the most part terrifying as the first person pov lets you really expedite what the characters are going through. The real gem of this genre though is stories where the writer is mia, which adds to the suspense of if they survive or not. In most stories in this genre it is simply oh the author is alive or how can you be reading this first person account? But the real interesting stuff happens when it’s a roommate sharing this on their behalf or a story someone heard from a friend of a friend who is now dissappeared. (Ben drowned does maybe the best job of this with the original creepy pastas ending revel being downright bone chilling.)

Oh before I forget, let’s talk about the -Rules creepypastas. Basically any stories that has a title like “I started working at x and there’s so man weird rules !!” This can be anything from a movie theater, convinent store, fast food, and campground. Expanding on that last one, is a subversive take on the genre, How to Survive Camping. Originally posted on r slash nosleep it’s now a publish series ! But besides that there’s genre follow a simple structure: introduce a rule give an example of that rule in action. There stories are normally really creative AND creepy, as they often invoke a fear that there might be something dangerous right in our midst that we are unaware of.

Finally because this is stupid long, I’m going to just quickly mention what I call, Super old cursed object. This is rarer and typically will fall under the lost media category but occasionally there will be something that shines. The main reason I’m mentioning this is to give a shoutout to Cold Relics, which is a series of creepy stores that posits that there are relics from the Cold War era that are not right. Toy Laser gun that vaporizes people, kiddie park that might not have existed, ect ect. It’s great, the horror of something old mysterious.