#it actually fits AND I like it- so I'm just going to put this here in the public.

[froggiequarium]

1k words; rafayel making nail art... for you (working on this when i'm supposed to be working on a new fic for main oops.... raf invaded my mind what can i say?)

-

rafayel noticed your little habit of constantly switching out your press-on nails every couple of weeks. infact, you often began asking him his opinions on which to use next after catching his curious eyes glued to you as you prepped your nails for the newly decided set, and he'd confidently point out the one he thought would suit the season or occasion better.

one day, after showing him the new sets you'd bought during a sale and oogling at the cute art and charms they were decorated with, he offhandedly asked if they were difficult to make.

"hm? well, i've seen videos that make it easy, but usually things look easier than when you actually try it yourself, so i just stick to buying them," you sheepishly point out with a little laugh.

and suddenly, rafayel has an idea.

in the next week or so, when its around the time to switch out your nails once more, rafayel calls you and tells you to meet him at his studio, that he has a surprise waiting for you.

curious and excited, you immediately make your way there, having no other plans for the day, mentally going through special days to make sure you're not forgetting any occasion.

though, it wasn't likely, given rafayel's nature of spoiling you with surprise gifts for no particular reason.

you make your way inside of his studio and find him in the living area, just finishing arranging some things before his gaze flits up to yours.

"well hello, miss bodyguard. you got here quick."

you take slow steps towards him, grinning.

"a certain fishy said they had something for me, i couldn't just keep him waiting."

he grins back.

when you close the distance and are standing right before him, he holds his hands out, palms facing up.

"give me your hands," he coaxes.

you do as you're told, sliding your hands over his, and he grips them gently, inspecting your hands— you don't have a new set on yet, just as he expected.

perfect.

"why don't i do your nails for you this time?"

you tilt your head.

"is this your surprise?"

"part of it."

"are you sure? i didn't think you'd be interested, and i'm used to doing it myself...."

"nonsense, let me decorate your hands for you this time, cutie."

you raise an eyebrow, suspicious at his insistence, but allow yourself to be dragged to the couch and seated next to him as he reaches for the utensils that you use to prep your nails.

"why did you have everything ready? were you that confident i'd let you do my nails for me?"

he holds up the nail clippers, moving close to begin snipping down your nails.

"its already been a couple of weeks since your last set, so i knew you'd be working on another one sooner or later."

something about the attention to detail rafayel pays when it comes to you makes your heart thump a little faster in your chest.

"right..."

he's finished trimming and filing your nails quickly before he grabs a spikier tool to push your cuticles back, trimming some as he sees fit. afterward, he's grabbing another tool and begins gently buffing the surface of each nail. when he reaches for a small alcohol wipe to drag over each nail bed, you speak up again, realizing something.

"wait, what set are you even going to put on? did you decide without me?"

he cleans the last finger, setting the wipe down beside him before reaching for the nail glue to have ready.

"give me a second."

he reaches for a little box that was hidden in plain sight behind a cup of paintbrushes on the nearby table. its a pretty blue and wrapped in a little purple ribbon. he hands it to you, and you slowly take it from him.

"this is the real surprise," he smiles, gesturing for you to open it.

you look up at him before pulling at one of the ends of the ribbon, gently unraveling it and popping the lid off of the box. you can't help the little gasp that escapes you at the sight within.

it's a new set of nails, pristine and pretty, looking like the ones that are on the pricier end of the websites you buy from.

they're a mix of pearly white and ocean blue, different images from seashells and little fish to a seahorse being painted on a few of them, embellished with small colored-pearl looking charms and some shiny gold glitter for highlight. even more, the shape of them is exactly your preference.

you're looking at them for a long time in silence due to the awe of the detail and beauty of them. rafayel watches you marvel at them, but grows too eager to hear your thoughts.

"do you like them?"

rafayel's voice breaks you from your trance and you finally manage to tear your gaze away from the nails to meet his eyes.

"did you.... make these?"

rafayel only shrugs in response.

"i decided to try it out. it wasn't the easiest thing, but it was simple enough, and i got the hang of it easily. still, i think my back is still hurting from the weird angle i had to be at to paint on such a tiny canvas," he whines, rubbing his lower back for emphasis.

you breathe out a laugh, pushing yourself forward and kissing the pout off of his lips.

"these are the prettiest nails i've ever had, raf. thank you," you beam.

his ears are bright red.

"its not that big a deal," he looks to the side, shy. the volume of his voice is lower at his next words. "besides, there's more where that came from, so its nothing..."

you nod, making a note to ask to watch him at work later. for now, you hold the box out to him, gaze expectant.

"well, i'm ready for my new nails, mister nail artist~"

he's back to his normal self at your words, pleased expression crossing his face as he snatches the box from you before picking up the glue.

"leave it to me!"

needless to say, you received the most compliments on this set than you had from the other sets you wore, everyone hounding you for which new nail place you went to this time for such a beautifully effortless result.

you were all too satisfied to turn to each of them and proudly reveal the secret nail tech, the curious gazes immediately growing stunned.

"my boyfriend!"

-

you cant convince me he wouldn't be good at nail art.... inspired by the next press-on set im going to use looking cutely painted (not ocean themed though) & it made me think ab how rafayel would definitely make you your own sets.... nail tech raf anyone???

-

[redfeatheredreptile]

Here's my piece for @creatingblackcharacters' Black History Month Challenge! She's one of my sci-fi story's main OCs, Zola! (That's why she's Afro-Polaran, Polara 5 is her home planet) I had a ton of fun working on this, and I really learned a lot! But, of course, let me know if there's anything I can improve on with how I depicted her.

(copied from the replies)

Ice's question: What do you want to tell your Black viewers, through this character or the effort you put into her?

A: Thank you for asking! I’ve seen this come up repeatedly in my readings on Black women: the general stigma and disapproval around Black girls and women being feminine or girly, especially in a ‘loud’ way— without being sexualized. With Zola I really wanted to show that she loves who she is; fashionable, pink and cute things and all, while still enjoying her Blackness as well, which I tried to show with her hair and her accessories. I would love it if she inspires women (or anyone Black!) to express themselves the way that feels good, whether it’s girly or not.

More info under the cut!

I challenged myself to listen to only Black artists while working on this piece, and to read poems by Black women and find ones I think fit Zola. It's been good to broaden my music horizons. My 'Black Artists' playlist is still growing. Things I learned:

1) Don't blindly color-pick for skin tone, especially dark ones. The ones I got were suuper washed-out. I changed her skin colors maybe 4 or 5 times just to get it right =.=; I'm still learning, so I hope I didn't overcorrect and over-saturate her. I went back and re-read lessons 3 and 4 and that helped me figure out what shade I actually wanted for her. If I were to draw her again, I would change the lighting to something better, too. 2) Black hairstyles are FUN to draw! I've only drawn a few specific ones from reference so far but they really force me to think about the shape and texture of the hair, how light bounces off it, etc. I also like doing curvy lines, detail, and drawing hair in general, so it was a treat. I learned a lot from the lessons on Black hair types and styles, as soon as I learned about twists and looked at the different styles for them I knew it would be Zola's favorite. I need to draw her in a twist-out, next!

3) For writing them, reading Ice's lessons helped a lot too! She's still not had much time yet in the story (she gets introduced later) but it helped me develop what kind of character I actually want her to be. She got more of a sensitive side rather than a generic 'strong woman'TM. She's still very confident and self-assured, but I've planned moments in the story where she doesn't have to be and gets to be emotionally vulnerable. She's also got a larger role in the story that involves her backstory and her family, and not just helping the other members of the 'party'. Hope to flesh her out a lot more as I continue writing!

Misc: Her 'face claim' is technically Mirakela Love, but between making her fatter than the model and my cartoony style I don't think it ended up looking much like her. Still helped to have reference, though. The color scheme for her outfit is meant to evoke the Lesbian flag. She gay and proud. Zola's meant to be both girly and fashionable, but I'm not a super fashionable person, so I just did my best and combined some outfits I liked. Then I added Jinx-style boots for funsies. Do hoops go with the rest of it? I don't know!

[animentality]

I've always harboured a mild dislike for x reader stuff. I never really held it against people because I don't have the time to antagonise them, but it was so upsetting when every time I opened the fandom tag and all I saw were posts and posts and posts of bland x reader stuff that clearly is ooc with no real substance to them at all. So many of the RP blogs seem the same way.

As someone who tries to make analysis posts and art for the same fandom, it is disheartening when I spend hours and hours on an analysis post about a character and it maybe hits 120 notes while an OOC x reader of the same character soars to the thousands. Maybe it's selfish of me to say but I say it anyway.

The fandom is full of youngsters and I never felt comfortable voicing my opinion for the same because it just felt wrong to tell kids to stop existing in communities. But the amount of times I've been put down for shipping characters with each other rather than myself is an honestly surprising number.

Um. I don't really know where I was going with this.

But your post definitely opened my eyes a little bit on even why I dislike x reader so much. It's sinking in a little bit. My hatred for OOC stuff seeps into this, I suppose. So I wanted to say that. Yeah. I agree with you.

Thank you for saying it.

Signed,

A fellow analyser / artist / fanfic writer lmao

— @lunarcloak

I get you, man.

I know self shippers have always existed.

I don't mind them. If that's how you enjoy the media, then fine.

However.

I just don't think that the sudden rise of self shippers over fan analysis and shipping is a good sign.

I think it comes from a lack of media literacy and willingness to actually engage with a piece of fiction. At least shippers and fan analysts actually talk about the world and plot itself.

self shippers imagine themselves dating a character in an au that is completely disconnected from the story, and acting in a way that's not even close to how they are in canon.

which to me is like... you have a creative writing prompt but it's not a story you're actually engaging with. someone showed you a picture of a handsome man and said write a story about how he'd kiss you.

and it's like... ok. there's no crime in just being horny, but... when that's all a fandom is... I don't consider it a fandom, it's just a masturbation fantasy.

I thought the whole point of fiction was to dive into the human experience and try and understand ourselves better. See the perspectives of others. Live vicariously in another person's shoes.

Fan analysis about themes? Perfect. You're thinking. You're feeling. You're articulating. You're growing as a person as you decide what you like or don't like, or try to put together puzzle pieces so that the whole picture makes sense. Shipping? You're imagining scenarios. You're bending canon to fit your interests. You are developing your own ability to write characters, and growing as an artist and a writer.

But self shipping...?

Eh.

You're writing, I guess, but when you reduce yourself to just... idk, some generic girl that Gojo decides is the Bella to his Edward... I mean I'm glad you're happy and all.

But how happy are you

Are you happy at all, or are you frustrated by this aching loneliness deep in your gut that you just don't understand, and it never quite feels whole bc you keep cramming nothing into it.

And it's not the loneliness or the social awkwardness that I'm criticizing here ok, shippers and fan analysts can be just as lonely. I just think that the human relationship to art should be confusion and appreciation.

you should be trying to understand others or yourself.

you can insist well what's so wrong with escapism? why does everything have to be an intellectual exercise?

it doesn't have to be ... but there's a reason people feel so hollow watching marvel movies.

art without substance is consumption. it's a distraction from your own humanity, it is not anything more.

not to you, anyway.

and I don't know.

that's really sad.

I've made so many friends through ships and babbling about canon and gushing about narrative beats.

I feel like I got something out of fandom, if other people force me to see the world in another light. I feel like a story has done its job if it's made me feel something. and it's really done a great job if I feel invested enough to hope two characters smooch.

but self insert?

eh. so you just like the character and think they're hot. that's fine.

not that interesting to talk about either. requires very little analysis on your part.

they just provoke sexual feelings or romantic feelings , which are easiest for you to process, and then you can move on to the next pretty boy you can turn into a Dom.

it irks me, man.

just a tad bit.

[the-unconquered-queen]

I had a realization about my Blades MC x LI dynamics which means absolutely nothing but has been living rent-free in my head all day regardless. Here goes:

TyrilMC/AerinMC - Lovers who happen to be best friends

MalMC - Best friends who happen to be lovers

Ramble I had to add under a read more because it was originally going in the tags before I realized I was approaching 30 tags with no end in sight (it's gonna show):

Look, I can't speak for y'all's MCs and pairings and playthroughs, but that's literally how it is in mine. And I'm not favoring one type of dynamic over the other, it's just a difference I've noted and this is how I finally put it into words. And I can't speak for all LI/MC dynamics either, which is why I'm limiting this to the LIs I personally romance.

I was just thinking that Mal's scenes often feel like they have a bit more of a friendship element to them even when they're romantic compared perhaps to the others, if that makes sense? I mean, MC is literally said to be Mal's best friend regardless of whether you're on his route or not, whereas for my other two LIs, there is definitely a strong friendship, but it feels like it is strengthened by their relationship with MC.

The more obvious example of the two is Aerin. Lbr, who is his best friend if not MC. And I feel like being on his route emboldens his being intimate with MC, and I'm not even referring to physical intimacy, just in an opening up kind of way, an expressing himself more freely kind of way. 'Cause if you're not on his route, there's no real reason for him and MC to be particularly close as a duo within the larger group, and they are not portrayed as one by the book either. MC is often not even particularly nice to him outside of his diamond scenes. So while my MC does genuinely enjoy Aerin's company, I know their bond is harder to justify on canon alone if they're not dating.

And then in Tyril's case I think his romantic relationship with MC really propels their specific Kilvali, even though I think there'd be a special kinship between them regardless if he and MC are the only elves in the party (which is the case in my pt) and they nevertheless would grow closer by virtue of him being a link to MC's lost culture and heritage that he enjoys teaching her about, but I think their love is what makes them such a close duo and therefore reinforces their friendship. I mean, consider how long it took for Tyril to recognize his relationship with MC as Dinvali vs how much longer it was for Kilvali, even though they had a blossoming friendship before it turned sexual.

Meanwhile, with Mal, it's like their relationship was the natural progression to their friendship, making it the other way around for MalMC—as in, their friendship strengthens their relationship. Because if I take away all romantic elements of my MC's relationships with them and leave only the platonic—and also strip personal headcanons about their dynamics and personalities to focus on what the books actually wrote (because, for example, you can hc an MC who has basically the same personality as Tyril/Aerin which is why they get along so swimmingly, so maybe a sarcastic, blunt MC for Aerin or a cool, sort of stoic MC for Tyril, who then is a perfect fit for their respective LI, but that doesn't mean that's how the writers wrote MC, who, like it or not, does still have a canon personality that is closer Mal's and not much like the other two), anyway yeah, so strip all of that and Mal would likely be the one of the three MC is closest to. I think that canon MC personality is a big reason why the MalMC dynamic is pretty effortless, while I feel like if I don't make the active effort to include TyrilMC/AerinMC in my playthrough (with romance being the more effective method imo, bc it leads to coded moments instead of just vanishing entirely as soon as a diamond scene is over), the game will not do it for me and they will not be as prominent.

And this is something that I think works for these LIs' personalities! Because Tyril and Aerin are more reserved characters who need to be close to someone (in this case, through a relationship) before they are comfortable letting loose and truly being themselves. As in, you have to get past their initial lack of charm to get to their actual charm. Whereas Mal is the opposite because he is very charming and charismatic right off the bat, so you don't need to tease that out of him, but it's within the relationship that he can be more real, such as him admitting to MC after a b1 hookup that (before her) he wasn't used to wanting certainty, a home, and someone to share it with, plus the rest of that vulnerable conversation. So then, instead of Mal starting out more serious and having the relationship show him how to let loose, he starts out casual and the relationship emboldens him to be serious, I think is a way it could be put.

Aside from personalities, it's possible that the timelines play into this as well, when you think about it. Yeah, all three of these LIs have stated at different points throughout the series that they were attracted to MC upon meeting her, but Mal was the one who was a friend the longest before the dynamics took a turn for the romantic. Because while Mal's and Tyril's relationships with MC were both taken to another level that night they had their first kisses in the lodge, Mal had been traveling with MC longer (consider how long it takes the group to get from one location to another off-screen) and therefore had more time to grow platonically before something else was added to the mix.

And Aerin, of course, took the fastest track, given that MC could kiss him the very day they met, and, if romanced since book 1 (which is the case in my playthrough) at no point has their relationship ever been solely friendly as a result, and even when they grow back together in book 2, MC learning to be friends with him post-betrayal happens simultaneously as MC and Aerin rekindling their past romance. Considering his characterization, I'd like to point out that Aerin seems to have an easier time with romance than friendship, as (so far—shoutout non-VIPs) he doesn't really show hesitance when it comes to being with MC romantically (aside from worrying—completely reasonably, may I add—that she wouldn't want him after the stuff he's pulled) and does often take the lead in that regard, but it's the idea of budding friendship that sent him running for the hills. Even now, as of b3 ch 11, he's said he's "not there yet" about his closeness to the party, but didn't even hesitate before proudly introducing MC as the "love of his life" to his mother. In his case, it's definitely the relationship helping the friendship progress.

To finish this off, I'm not saying all of this stuff I've been pointing out is exclusive to the romance routes. Certainly someone who's not romancing these LIs can have moments in their playthroughs where they let down their guards to their MCs, but I feel that, within my playthough in which they are romanced, this is how their dynamics appear, and this recontextualizes scenes and dialogues that any player can get outside of their romances. So yeah, I'm not trying to minimize whatever friendships other people's MCs might have with these LIs and I'm definitely not implying that either friendship or romance is inherently better or more profound than the other. But just that ever since I came to the conclusion that the MalMC friendship feeds and elevates the MalMC romance while the TyrilMC/AerinMC romance feeds and elevates the TyrilMC/AerinMC friendship, I feel like I'm seeing their dynamics in a new light.

[awkwardtickleetoo]

Butterfly Kisses

i mentioned this in my other post but this is a little baby fic from like may of 2022 that i never finished and rediscovered recently, so i decided to fix it up and finish it so i could post it <3 it’s nothing crazy, just something short and sweet to be posted between longer fics i’ve been working on :)) i hope you guys like it in the mean time!!

lee!dream, ler!sapnap, 1.4k words

enjoy!!

--

Sapnap blinked tiredly, bringing himself back to reality as he saw his phone light up beside him. He glanced over, rubbing at his eye with his knuckle as he watched the texts from Dream come through one at a time.

can u come to my office for a sec

need ur opinion on smth

Sapnap typed out a quick 'k one sec' before turning off his phone, slipping it into the pocket of his shorts as he stood up, stretching his shoulders out before making his way to Dream’s room.

When he arrived, he gently knocked on the door before slowly pushing it open. Inside, Dream sat at his desk, slightly hunched over, looking down at his phone with one side of his headphones slid behind his ear, and he glanced over when he heard the door opening and put his phone down on the desk.

"Hey," Dream mumbled as Sapnap walked over to him.

"Hi," Sapnap responded. "What's going on?"

"Okay, so, like," Dream started, straightening his back and looking at the computer screen. "I'm editing the video we just filmed earlier this week, and I'm, like… so close to being done, I have, like, less than half an hour of footage left, but this one part is just… fucking killing me." Dream pulled his headphones fully off and ran a hand through his hair. Sapnap furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head, nodding in understanding, having felt like that himself countless times.

"What's going on with it?"

"I don't even really know, it's just, like… there's this part that I wanna keep in because I think it's funny and it adds to the video but I feel like the cut right here makes it feel jumbled and rushed, and it doesn't super fit with the music that's in the background," He finished, resting his elbow on the desk and leaning over to rest his cheek on his hand. Dream looked up at Sapnap, handing him the headphones. "Here, put these on, I'll show you."

Sapnap slid the headphones on, one hand falling to land on Dream's back as the other man hit play. Sapnap rubbed his palm in circles on Dream's upper back as he watched– an absent-minded habit that he had picked up from Karl the last few times they'd hung out– and he missed the way Dream let out a relaxed sigh, clearly needing the comforting touch.

"I think it's okay," Sapnap started once Dream hit pause again a few moments later. He pulled the headphones off and hung them around the side of Dream's desk as he continued. "Maybe if you cut the music earlier and then let it play out until there's a more natural silence before cutting it, it won't be so awkward-feeling when you bring both back in."

Dream stared up at Sapnap, blinking a few times for emphasis, glancing between him and his computer screen with his mouth agape.

"You're a fucking genius," Dream mused, making Sapnap giggle and playfully shove his shoulder. "That’s a really good idea, actually."

"Yeah, of course it is, because I came up with it," Sapnap boasted jokingly, and Dream joined in on his giggling dazedly. He looked back at the computer, smile fading, letting out a sigh and slumping his shoulders again. “There’s something else on your mind,” Sapnap said, not a question, knowing Dream well enough to know he was right. His hands traveled up to Dream’s shoulders, rubbing and massaging gently, hoping to relieve some tension he held there.

"I dunno, I feel like I'm… losing the groove with this video. Maybe I'm just tired. I don’t know. A lot of it seems strained, I don't think it's gonna turn out as good as I hoped it would."

"Hey," Sapnap said in a soft voice, tilting his head and furrowing his eyebrows. He pulled one hand up from his shoulder to gently pull his head over until his cheek pressed against the soft fabric of Sapnap's hoodie, running a hand through Dream's wavy hair. Dream let out a content sigh, and he relaxed as Sapnap cradled his head and continued his soothing massage. "Don't talk like that. You're just second guessing yourself because you're sleepy and you hit a bump in the process."

"M'not that sleepy," Dream mumbled, defensive, but Sapnap knew all his tells, and he knew that better than anyone.

"Dream," Sapnap started firmly, other hand leaving Dream’s shoulder to curl around the front of his neck, tilting his head back to make him look up, keeping eye contact with him even when Dream’s sleepy eyes stayed half lidded. "You know what you're doing. You know what you want, and how you want this video to turn out. Take a break, hit it again tomorrow, and I guarantee you'll have it done and ready to upload by the end of the day at the latest. You always pull through, right?"

Dream's face was tinted pink, the outline of a smile ghosting his lips as he averted his eyes and tilted his chin back down.

"Sapnap, I–"

"You know I'm right," Sapnap said matter-of-factly, the interruption making Dream glance back at him, keeping his hand on the side of Dream’s neck to keep him steady. "You're good at what you do, Dream." Sapnap leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his hair. "You got this." He kissed his forehead this time, making a show out of it when Dream tried to pull away.

"Okay, stop," Dream giggled, reaching up to softly push at Sapnap's wrists.

"No, I wanna give you kisses, let me." Sapnap held Dream's face more firmly in his hands, not letting him pull away as he peppered kisses all over his face– on his cheeks, his temples, his forehead, his nose, and anywhere else he could reach.

Dream couldn't stop himself from giggling up a storm, squeezing his eyes shut and scrunching up his nose at the actions. He couldn't really find anything to do with his hands, so they simply stayed loose in the air next to his head, curling into fists when he got too giggly or lightly holding onto Sapnap's arms.

"Sahaha- ah! Sapnahap!" Dream giggled out, unable to stop himself from trying to shake his head. "St-stop it!"

"Why? Can't you see I'm just trying to give my baby boy the attention he deserves?" Sapnap asked, leaving another kiss on Dream's temple as his laughter became lighter.

"It feels weird! Stahahap!” He complained, swatting at Sapnap again, but Sapnap only leaned in further.

“It feels weird? What does that mean?” Sapnap teased, having his own guess, but wanting Dream to confirm it regardless.

“Stohohop it– get ohoff!”

“It sounds like it tickles,” Sapnap teased, earning another round of laughter from his squirming friend. “That’s a tickle laugh.”

“Shuhuhut uhup!” Dream complained, letting out a surprised squeak when Sapnap trailed the kisses down the side of his neck, practically trapping him in the chair with how far he was leaning down and crowding Dream’s space. He shook his head, pulling one knee up into the chair to curl up as much as he could, squeezing his eyes shut, clamping his lips together, scrunching his neck up, and then suddenly bursting into squeaky, raspy giggles when Sapnap landed a tiny, tingly raspberry right on the back of his neck. “AH–!” He squealed, his whole body flinching, and Sapnap couldn’t help but fall into his own laughter at the adorable reaction, pulling Dream close and resting his forehead on his shoulder.

“You’re so cute, Dreamie, do you know that?” Sapnap mused, his voice nauseatingly fond, and Dream crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, still curled up and blushing.

“Shut up, you’re so dumb,” He argued, but Sapnap could see a smile tugging at his lips either way, his knee swaying in the air as his other foot twisted the chair side to side slowly– bashful and antsy, just as Sapnap knew he’d be. He giggled again, pressing one more tiny raspberry to the spot just below Dream’s ear and earning another squeaky burst of laughter, before ruffling his hair and standing up straight.

“C’mon,” Sapnap invited, flicking his head to the side and extending his hand out to Dream to encourage him to follow. “Why don’t we go downstairs and order some food. We can watch something and you can chill, then you can come back here and get back to it. Sound good?” He proposed, and Dream couldn’t help but smile up at him, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” He said as he took Sapnap’s hand, letting himself be dragged downstairs to the living room and shoved unceremoniously onto the couch with a laugh.

Exactly as Sapnap predicted, the video was uploaded before the end of the next day.

[welcometoteyvat]

finally typing up my late lantern rite thoughts (very long). overall 100/10 quest I love hu tao

The amount of Xingqiu's brother mentions were insane. Surely we'll see him either as an NPC soon, right? Right? /j Honestly here he sounded pretty competent, nothing like "a simpleton" like Xingqiu's troubles voiceline suggests hmm...

The little model animations were SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. contributed a lot to the experience and made it feel so much more alive. hu tao's expressions especially, but also yun jin's expressions, and Xiangling's "come back, get over here and eat!!!!!1!1!!!" was also really fucking funny. they've been adding these small animations for a while but this event specifically had so many of them and the effort paid off <3

in a similar vein I'm impressed how smooth the animation/model actions were when Xiao put the sigil on us

hu tao lan yan and qiqi fill in the gap fic please

timaeus is kind of silly, also very funny he and ying'er still going strong 2 years later. he's literally learning liyue language for ying'er? genuinely his dedication is impressive. they should make events replayable because how will everyone who missed 3.5 windblume know why timaeus simps for someone a whole country over

we finally know what the fake chinese characters in all those liyue signs represent (kinda ig). I need to look over this part again

if hu tao&/xiangling or hu tao &/yun jin stocks on ao3 don't increase after this I will start biting. MY GIRLS T_T T_TT_T_T_T_T_T_T. bro the farewell section was so tender I enjoyed it greatly. Their relationships with each other got developed on screen.. yun jin and hu tao's banter especially was really cute and really shows us their relationship aside from the hints in their VOs

YUN JIN OPERATIC HILITUNE ON SCREEN. the fanvid of it from bilibili can finally rest, thanks for your service, canon got here 4 years later.

Yun Jin, having practiced the tao dou opera, MUST have known something correct?? or else she wouldn't have asked hu tao so many times to promise to come back, right? She trusts Hu Tao so much :'''' . if Hu Tao says she can handle it, Yun Jin knows there's no stopping her, and she will find a way, but it doesn't stop her from worrying nonetheless :''').

hu tao's death flags during part 2......

my agenda is speaking, but I wish Xingqiu and Hu Tao directly talked during the farewells section. something something chivalry and sacrifice. Hu Tao makes her peace with giving up everything to resolve the Tao Dou issue, but is Xingqiu at peace with losing a friend even tho its selfish of him to want her to stay? he has personal stakes in this please just let them talk a little

I'm really really glad they went through with the death, they showed Hu Tao's emotions, they showed her father and grandfather waving her off. I broke, she looked so tired but satisfied (thinking about her vision story, where she waited so long for her grandfather to never appear vs him visiting her for just a brief moment here)

my other favorite shot is when traveler pulls her out and she looks at them in muted surprise. she just looked so sad and fragile and in need of a hug :(((

the Themes (waves hands wildly). hu tao's father's lingering regrets were his fatal flaw, and so Hu Tao settles her affairs properly and steels herself before going to die. she leaves behind the plum blossom branch just like her grandfather left his hat.. genuinely what the hell. the parallels between her cutscene goodbye and her saying "happy lantern rite" kills me

the epilogue last year with the fontaine tourists was pretty fanservicey, and tbh the epilogue the year before was also somewhat fanservice to me, (liyue gang dinner and zhongli venti teasing) though I liked it better. However I think this epilogue was actually really good— the hanging out and the fluff felt natural, it fit with everything else and wasn't super sudden. Maybe this was because of all the setup that happened (Yun Jin and Xiangling's promises to Hu Tao, Xiao and Yelan's dynamic built up in Perilous Trails and their earlier exchange), so the payoff is good instead of forced. After the trials and danger they got put through, everyone gets a chance to relax, and I appreciate the slice of life after the main plot. also Yun Jin's opera was crazy good considering it was not a cutscene, the animation and camera angles really sold it

I thought the special guest was xiao again, like how LR 3.4 had him dragged to the harbor by Hu Tao.... xiaolan banter was also v good though.

THE ADEPTI. they're still watching over Liyue in their own way :') the affectionate bickering about hu tao's name :''''''''

I barely mentioned lan yan in this... her part was pretty minor ngl, her habit of learning everything about a person to the point of sounding a bit creepy is kind of fun though.

alright. fantastic quest absolutely no notes I got almost everything I ever wanted and I am so glad Hu Tao had such an incredible 2nd story quest. chongyun and shenhe exorcist lantern rite next year?

[witchygagirlwrites]

Until You-Part 1

Connor Rhodes x Reader x Will Halstead/Rhodestead x Reader

You've known Will for a while but becoming Jay's partner puts him further into your life than before. Then of course you meet Dr Connor Rhodes officially and it appears life may become a little complicated.

Working out of the twenty first precinct meant you knew the members of intelligence already. You happened to be one of the patrolmen Sergeant Platt and Sergeant Voight agreed on liking so anytime they needed an extra set of hands yours was called on. You also happened to be lucky enough to be friends with Fireball, the girlfriend of Detective Jay Halstead and their tech expert Greg “Mouse” Gerwitz which meant you were friends with the unit on top of a working relationship.

Even knowing all of that you hadn’t expected that four days after Detective Lindsay took the job with the FBI in New York to walk into work one morning and get told to report upstairs. When you made it up to the floor intelligence used Voight was waiting at the top of the stairs and led you to his office. “Have a seat” he motioned to the chair across from him then walked around the desk and sat down.

You smiled slightly “Why am I up here?” “As you know, I have an opening on my team” he replied and you nodded “Yes sir. I was at Erin’s going away party” he smiled slightly “Well when she and I spoke about a possible replacement for her, she recommended you. I looked at your record,spoke to Trudy and Al and well I agree. You’re a good fit” 

“Are you offering for me to join intelligence?” you asked and he nodded “It’s a one time deal” you grinned “I’ll take it!” he laughed “Ok. Go get changed.You’ll be partnered with Halstead”  “Yes sir”

You stood and thanked him before heading to the locker room. You quickly changed your clothes and headed back out into the bullpen.

_________________________

Jay was sitting on the edge of his desk with Mouse and both men smiled when they saw you. “Should we be worried that Erin picked you as her replacement?” Jay asked and you shrugged “She knows I'll look out for fireball and not let you two get into any trouble, well not anymore than I can help” 

Mouse grinned “Welcome to the team Y/N” you nodded “Thanks” Jay raised an eyebrow “I'll decide at the end of the day if I'm gonna welcome you or not” Mouse shook his head “If he gives you a hard time during the day just dip into med and tell on him” You laughed lightly “Thanks for the tip Gerwitz I'll be sure to remember that”

“Why haven't you taken the detective exam?” Jay asked as he drove. The two of you were headed to interview a witness at the hospital. They'd caught a bullet in the process of a robbery. Luckily it hadn't hit anything major and from what you were told a full recovery would be made. You shrugged “I like the twenty first and before this offer came up if I took the exam that would have meant changing districts when I passed” 

“When?” He asked with a slight smirk and you nodded “Yeah, when. I could pass that exam with my eyes closed Halstead” he shook his head “I see why you and our girl get along so well now”  you shrugged “She's a smart gorgeous woman and so am I?” He shook his head “and modest to boot, look at that”

Jay parked his truck so you slipped the chain with your badge on it over your head before climbing out and following him across the parking lot. “Well mighty detective, are you taking the lead?”

He rolled his eyes “Ok now I see why Erin picked you. It's like she never left” you grinned “Now that is a compliment if I've ever heard one” 

__________________ 

The E.D. was actually not insane for the first time in a while considering. You and Jay stopped at the front desk to ask Maggie about the shooting vic. “Cheryl Lockwood. She's on the second floor. Room two fifteen” “Thanks Maggie” Jay told her and she nodded “Your girl has a break in half an hour by the way” he grinned and cut his eyes at you “We may just have to hang around”

You shrugged “Hey I'm good” and nodded towards the elevator “Besides, who knows how long the interview may take?” The two of you walked to the elevator and stepped on. You hit the button for the second floor and cut your eyes at Jay “Wasn't your brother one of the docs that caught this case?”

He nodded “Yeah, Will and Connor Rhodes are the two I think” you had met Dr Rhodes in passing only. Just enough that you knew him by face. “Don't know about Rhodes but Will's a decent doctor” he shrugged “Will says he's an ass but a decent doctor. Fireball says he's alright that Will has some sort of crush he won't admit to” 

You barked out a laugh “Damn Jay put your brother on blast like that” he shrugged “Not judging. I have a boyfriend and a girlfriend who are boyfriend and girlfriend” you shrugged then “Good point” and he laughed “See? Can't say I'm judgmental at least”

___________________

The elevator stopped on the second floor and when it opened you waved your hand “Please, age before beauty” he shook his head “The sass I deal with at home has now been added to at work” 

You laughed and stepped off behind him “Maggie said two fifteen” he looked around then pointed to a sign on the wall saying rooms two ten through two sixteen were to the left “We go left” you nodded “Let's go”

__________________

You knocked on the door of room two fifteen before pushing it open. There was a blonde woman sitting up in the bed, a sling was on her left arm and her upper torso was covered in gauze and bandages. “Mrs Lockwood?” she turned towards the two of you “Are you the detectives from intelligence?” Jay pointed at you “Well, she’s an officer from intelligence. I’m a detective from intelligence”

You shook your head at Jay then introduced yourself before asking her if she felt up to giving her statement. “Of course, anything I can do to help catch these people”

____________________

“Thank you for your time Mrs. Lockwood. We'll be in contact with you” you told her with a smile as you and Jay walked out of her room, closing the door behind yourselves. 

He cut his eyes at you “Who knew. You may be a decent cop after all” you rolled your eyes “Your previous partner picked me and your girlfriend likes me” he laughed “She also loves me and Mouse so what's that saying for her taste?”

You shook your head and checked the time “Well lookie there. By the time we get downstairs she'll be on break” a grin slipped onto his face “I will buy you lunch for a week if you agree that it took us longer than it did to get Cheryl's statement” 

You laughed “I'll just go grab food in the cafeteria. Go see your girl, maybe you'll be in a halfway decent mood the rest of the day” the two of you stepped on the elevator and he bumped your shoulder “I think we'll get along fine”

____________________

When the two of you made it back down to the E.D.  Will was at the front desk and spotted Jay when the two of you stepped off the elevator. “Jay!” He greeted with a smile then his eyes landed on you and he spoke your name with a hint of confusion.

Jay put a hand on your shoulder “She's my new partner. Erin kind of picked her out and Voight agreed” Will's brown eyes landed on yours and you felt a smile slip onto your face, the elder Halstead was always gorgeous in your opinion. He nodded slowly “I say it's a good pick” then he cut his eyes at Jay “She just went to the doctor's lounge”

Jay grinned “Thanks Will” then patted your shoulder “Keep Firecracker company man. Go buy her lunch in the cafeteria or something. You know what's decent and what to avoid” he patted your shoulder then disappeared in the direction of the doctor's lounge.

____________________ 

You watched him scurry off then looked back at Will “You don't have to babysit me” he shrugged “I normally take my break with Fireball but considering she's busy I could use the company?” You shrugged “in that case Dr Halstead let's go”

The two of you fell in step with each other to head towards the cafeteria “So, intelligence?” He asked and you nodded “I know it's a big jump but I've been working with them for years. I think I can handle it” he nodded “You'll be fine. You're a good cop” you smiled “Thank you”

You motioned back towards the direction the two of you had come from “Those three are something else aren't they?” He raised an eyebrow “Oh, Jay and Mouse and Fireball?”

You nodded “I've never seen a relationship with only two people work so well” he shrugged “They've gone through hell at each other's sides. It wasn't easy but they never gave up on each other and the love they have for each other is unimaginable” you smiled “If only we were all so lucky”

He shrugged “Who knows what tomorrow may bring, right?” By then the two of you had gotten to the cafeteria so he held the door open for you then offered you his arm “Stick with me because some of this stuff will have you back in the E.D. before end of shift” you laughed “Lead the way”

_____________________

You and Will were talking while you ate. You were laughing about the time you responded to the call when some woman who was in the Rangers decided to come into Mollys and try Fireball on for size. “I walked in, she grins and says Firecracker, what's up? While her hands bleeding from busted knuckles and chic is still laying in the busted table”

He laughed “Jay's the one I'd call the hot head, Mouse is normally the calmer one unless he's really pushed but her? She's kind of the wild card” you nodded “Best way to keep men on their feet” he grinned and the way he looked at you made your face warm, damn he was good looking. “Yeah, got to love those wild cards” he agreed.

“Halstead. Who's your friend” you cut your eyes up to see Dr Rhodes walking towards the two of you and he smiled “I know you” you waited until he said your name then nodded “Good job” he grinned “Why are you here with Will?” You shrugged “Good company?” 

He motioned “Can I sit?” You shrugged “Sure” he sat down next to Will, across from you, his blue eyes glued to yours as you said “I'm also Jay's partner now and Jay is around here somewhere with his girl because she was on her break so me and Will got lunch”

He nodded “Good partner to kill time for him” You shrugged “Like I said, I've had worse company then Will” he cut his eyes at Will then winked at you “Any time you want better company, come find me Firecracker” you felt your face warm again and saw Will raise an eyebrow but thankfully Jay chose that time to appear over your shoulder. 

His lips were clearly swollen a bit and his hair was tousled and you couldn't help but laugh “Damn Halstead” he smoothed a hand over his hair and stole Will's drink “Not a word. Come on Firecracker. We gotta go”

You nodded then looked back at Will and Connor “I'll see you two around?” Will nodded “Of course. You're partnering with my brother now” and Connor winked at you “If I'm lucky I'll see around”

Once you were back in Jay's truck he pulled out onto the road then cut his eyes at you “Were my brother and Connor both flirting with you?” Your eyes widened “No”

He laughed “That was a quick answer” you narrowed your eyes “Mouse doesn't get jealous over you and her having time alone” he shook his head “We don't really do jealousy amongst the three of us but me and her have ways to chill him out even if he did” you shook your head “I don't even wanna know” and he smirked “No, you don't. But back to you with my brother and Connor because that was flirty”

“JAY” You warned and he held up his hands defensively “Ok ok. Just saying…” “Don't” you warned and he started laughing “Fine but just know I would be supportive” you glared at him “Your boyfriend and girlfriend are the only reason shooting you isn’t an option” and that only made him laugh harder.

@desimarie12

@bonnyclydecat

[indomitable-rp-resources]

The Wild Robot Sentence Starters

Change pronouns and terms as needed!

“Hello! Bonjour! Guten tag! Hujambo! ¡Hola!”

“Do you need assistance?”

“DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE??”

“Are you here to kill us?”

“Ooooh, pretty. Get it!!”

“This is what I get for taking a walk.”

“Where’s your mommy, little guy?”

“You gotta die faster!”

“Uh, why aren’t we killed yet?”

"That ___ stalks me, emits noise, and makes simple tasks more complicated or impossible."

“As far as he’s concerned, you’re his mother now.”

“I do not have the programming to be a mother.”

“But it’s not all bad. Just… mostly bad.”

“Patience is the key.”

“It’s okay, Mom, I’m alive!”

“It’s okay, I won’t eat him.” / “Are you crazy?! I might eat him!”

“Do you believe everything you hear?”

“I believe I am under attack.”

“Ugh… Do I have to do EVERYTHING?”

“Kindness is NOT a survival skill."

"Understood. Do not mention dead family."

"Swimming's easy; I can teach him the way my mom taught me. SWIM!"

"Just... I dunno... Don't get attached to the little guy."

"Ugh. So we're doing this."

"New project!"

"Is it normal to burp this much?"

"I know it was you. And I know where you live."

"Kids need to feel safe and loved and all that junk."

"NOT YET!"

"Yeah, well, when you grow up without something, you... spend a lot of time thinking about it."

"Death's proximity makes life burn all the brighter."

"I prefer he be independent closer to home."

"He won't die. Well... probably won't die. It's unlikely he would die... just right now."

"(Name), focus on me!"

"So was it just guilt? Is that why you did this?"

"You don't understand anything! You don't feel anything!"

"You're not my mom."

"I don't know!! I'm just making stuff up!"

"I don't know what I'm doing, and I have to! I have to because he's relying on me!"

"I have a kid."

"You are in the wrong place, and you have become the wrong thing."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not sure I'd want to see the sort of place you actually 'fit in'."

"Your life is not negotiable."

"I'm fine. Go again."

"Remember, there's nothing he can do that you can't."

"(Name) was never supposed to get this far. You know that."

"GET YOUR BUTT BACK UP IN THE AIR WHERE IT BELONGS!"

"Gentle motivation is a mom skill. You'll learn it."

"Funny how life works."

"Thank you for looking after my... For looking after (name)."

"You are a credit to... whatever species it is you belong to."

"I'd say you shine like new."

"How do you know if you love something? Some... one?"

"Sometimes hearts have their own conversations."

"Sometimes, to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be."

"I need you to promise me one thing: a truce."

"He'll be here. I know he will."

"You seem... happy."

"Despite my cheery demeanor, I am unfeeling, inflexible, and morally neutral."

"Lying your butt off back there!"

"I'm already home."

"It's all you. Make it look good."

"We need everything inside that head of yours."

"Can I keep just... one?"

"What happened was not your fault."

"What you did to try and fix it is everything."

"I love you... Mom."

"Male bovine excrement!"

"Now say I'm cool. And don't lie."

"(Name) has nothing to do with this."

"We will just keep coming until we have you!"

"Don't be afraid."

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! D-Don't you need that?!"

"I have everything I need."

"Do not scare me like that again."

"If they come back, I'm gonna bite them."

"They will just keep coming until they have me."

"We can fight them off as many times as we need to."

"There are things there that I must put right."

"What if I need to tell you something, and you're not here?"

"When it is time, I promise I will find my way home."

[calware]

ok starting off with dresses bcs that's the original topic

honestly idk if my memory is just blanking but i could barely find any drawings i've made of characters wearing dresses that show more than just the top </3

^ there's these with jake and rose (the rose one was by request all the way back in 2021), and one for dave i drew also in 2021 (on the left):

(blocked out the head bc i don't like it...) i was actually thinking of that old drawing while making the new one, almost like a spiritual successor. i did NOT do that first image justice i have no idea what i was doing.... but i really like how the new one came out

whenever i draw outfits for june, i usually try sticking to this palette of like... cream, brown, and Iime (and sometimes cyan gets thrown in there too). i love that color combo for her. for the outfit on the right specifically i was thinking about an outfit she would put on without much thought, just a hoodie and sweatpants, typical depression-era "don't look at my body" fit. iirc i mentioned in the caption of that drawing that my idea was that jade had dragged her outside to play pokemon go, and i wanted to give her an outfit that matched that vibe

i also like giving rose fun button-up shirts with collars. i think they look nice on her. i like gravitating to green and orange for her because of the light aspect & kanaya respectively (i feel like purple is a color i use least in my drawings)

for dave, there's less a specific outfit piece i usually go for and moreso little details i like to include. for example i picked up the pants with the cinched ankle from kimquatz, the CD/DVD shirt from gvroerotica, and the drawstrings on the godtier outfit from indigonite

for jade there are two main things i gravitate toward: shirts with teal and lime or overalls (or both, for the one in the middle-left). and if i'm giving her a t-shirt, i like to do something where the sleeves are a different color from the torso. for her godtier outfit, sometimes i like to add to add a bit more detail, and my favorite addition to make is drawstrings with beads colored to match her friends

iiii kind of ran out of steam after this one, so i'll end it off here with jane. i like giving her a more androgynous style. and once again, i like collared shirts... yay

i was struck with the sudden urge to compliment how you outfit the characters in your drawings. especially when they are in dresses. put more of them in dresses.

WAAAH thank you so much :')!! sometimes i don't put any thought into their outfits at all (white t-shirt goes crazy) but other times i do put thought into it so i'm glad it's appreciated <3 i actually don't draw dresses very often because i. forget that they exist 😦 but for your sake i will try to remember more often <3

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

putting my prediction on record now that the coming decade is going to see the rise of viral-marketed fancy at-home water filtration systems, driving and driven by a drastic reduction in the quality of U.S. tap water (given that we are in a 'replacement era' where our current infrastructure is reaching the end of its lifespan--but isn't being replaced). also guessing that by the 2030s access to drinkable tap water will be a mainstream class issue, with low-income & unstably housed people increasingly forced to rely on expensive bottled water when they can't afford the up-front cost of at-home filtration--and with this being portrayed in media as a "moral failing" and short-sighted "choice," rather than a basic failure of our political & economic systems. really hope i'm just being alarmist, but plenty of this already happens in other countries, and the U.S. is in a state of decline, so. here's praying this post ages into irrelevance. timestamped April 2023

[fisheito]

Heeyyy Fiishhhh

So I decided to make a list of how Nu Carnival boys would react to unsolicited dick pics in their mail!

(yes those have to be what, photographs or portraits teehee)

Yakumo: loses his mind thinking that someone could have seen him hold the picture, drops it on the ground as if burnt, quickly snatches it back... (It stays in his panties drawer, (un)safely hidden because he can't make himself destroy it

Olivine: takes it quickly and hides it, looks at it in detail in his room after sermon, does a few *offerings*, jerks off to the memory every now and again (destroys the thing)

Garu: woofs! And goes show it to Eiden

Blade: it takes him a millisecond to determine it's not Darling on the portrait, he sends it in the trash

Kuya: sneers and burns it with his magic

Quincy: leaves it in his mailbox. Does he have one? Idk idk

Edmond: is very much scandalised, destroys the shtick immediately!!!!!🔥🔥🔥 Then thinks about it during lonely nights on patrol (would it be good enough? Too small? Too thin?)😅

Aster: sends out Morvay to find the owner and PUNISH HIM, no one dares messing with the great vampire tycoon!!!!!!

Morvay: his alone time is interrupted by a mad Aster who makes him do the unimaginable and actually go find that dick he's just gotten in the mail?! How come???? (The dick owner is going to come more times than is healthy ☺️ Morvay will make sure of that)

Rei: while he is trying to decide whether the person who sent him the tasteless thing is good enough to use as experiment material, the dick owner gets ambushed by Morvay AND TOTALLY BECOMES WORTH EXPERIMENTING ON yay

Dante: seethes (it's been days, the portrait is long burnt to dust and ashes)

Eiden: laughs and starts reminiscing about the olden days on twitter and such

the DEDICATION of someone sending and delivering a dick pic in kleinverse is ... something to be admired you gotta PAINT that shiet no instant snaps someone gotta DRAW THAT PEEN OUT in METICULOUS DETAIL wrap it up. maybe in a nice lil envelope with ribbons so it gets past the messengers wait for it to physically arrive at someone's doorstep and hope that no one other than the addressee opens the mail

[rosewheresheshouldntbe]

> Rose: Confess to Kanaya!

Rose: I love you.

Kanaya: Y Yo Ati, Rose.

> Rose: Get swallowed by something that looks like Venom.

> Rose: Get sent to super hell!

> Kanaya: Have something very gay and homophobic happen to you.

Kanaya: ...

What an absolute diversity loss. You find yourself thinking "love loses!"

[some-pers0n]

Every once in a while I think about the ship I've been obsessed over for close to two years now and feel like I'm ascending to another plane of reality. Like sometimes you just encounter a ship that hits every single mark and is perfect in every regard and you're left stunned how something like that can even exist

[oneluckygoose]

O'Knutzy Week Day 5

Yooo, we've made it to the end!! (Of creating at least, still two more days left but I didn't have time to make anything. Also still written in advance to the actual week.)

Anyway, I figured for the last day I would share the songs on my O'Knutzy playlist I listened to while writing my stories (+ the characters they remind me of and why they did)

Credit of this beautiful thing we call Logan Tremblay, Finn O'Hara, and Leo Knut to @lumosinlove , and thanks to @oknutzy-week-2024 for also just being amazing.

Anyway songs under cut :)

shhh its a shit ton of Hozier

Line Without a Hook, Rick Montgomery - Ok look at me and tell me this isn't Harvard Era Finnlo. "You can hold my hand if no ones there" LOGAN! "All my emotions feel like explosions when you're around" FINN! Nuff' said.

Wish You Were Sober, Conan Gray - I only need one word to explain this one. Harvard. Next!

Sun, Two Door Cinema Club - Mainly reminds me of Finn, especially when he's in Gryfindor and Logan's still at Harvard. But also like listen to it, literally the entire song is just them.

Young In America, Barnes Courtney - Just gives me that Harvard vibe yk, Finn and Logan being best friends and then being drawn apart, it just fits them Imo. ALSO THAT LAST FUCKING VERSE IS SO UGH FINNLO (Also happens to be my favorite song rn so that may be part of it but like it's still them)

Running In Circles, Dead Poet Society - LOGAN. Specifically Logan his last year of college without Finn and him being in pain. Him having to hide it as well, and pretending he's not completely fucking devastated without Finn. Just the angst.

Atlantis, Seafret - Makes me think of Logan being scared and constantly telling Finn they can't and pretty much everything after the night Finn leaves Harvard. The feeling of helpless and inevitable heartbreak is very in line with that period of time.

Mind Over Matter, Young The Giant - Very Logan coded. Kinda how I imagined him with Leo and Finn before they got together. Also, "Cause' I'm a young man built to fall" is just something I think Logan would have told himself on why he couldn't tell Finn or Leo.

To Someone From A Warm Climate, Hozier - Also very Logan coded, I imagine him just quietly singing this into Leo's ear in the dark of a winter night, which are cold in Gryfindor which Leo is NOT used to.

Francesca, Hozier - Ahem, "the entire fucking song". Finn. This song = Finn. More exactly reflecting back on all of the hurt he and Logan went through together and knowing he would do it again. And again. And again. Especially when he's a Lion and O'Knutzy isn't a thing yet.

Home, Good Neighbours - Leo's homesickness, Logan missing Gryfindor in NY, Finn wanting to go back to Logan at Harvard. All of it. Though it did mainly make me think of Leo going home for a little bit after the Rangers knocked the Lions out of the playoffs in Vaincre.

TIMEZONE, Maneskin - Let me take you back to a lovely place called Logan fully ditching all-stars to see Leo and Finn in Vaincre. If this isn't the most Logan song I've ever heard, I don't even know. Also could be Logan in NY, or even Finn in Gryf while Logan's at Harvard.

Heaven Must Have Sent You, The Elgins - Leo. Just the way Leo tends to think about Finn and Logan, and he's definitely played this while dinner was cooking and the three of them danced in the kitchen.

Can't Take My Eye's Off You, Frankie Valli - Leo sings this at karaoke night constantly and you cannot tell me otherwise. Anyway, self explanatory, moving on.

Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene, Hozier - Finn and the way he thinks of Leo and Logan. I think that's enough.

From Eden, Hozier - Yk, I don't actually have a clear explination for this one, it just gives me those O'Knutzy vibes.

Somewhere Only We Know, Keane - Reminds me of Harvard and the Roof, but also just a very O'Knutzy and FinLo song that makes me want to reread Coast to Coast.

Ditmas, Mumford and Sons - FinLo falling apart after Finn graduates. The angst is very appropriate and obviously it doesn't last but this is how I imagine it was back then.

i wanna be your girlfriend, girl in red - Very self explanatory, we don't need to dwell on it.

Figure You Out, VOILA - Hey remember when Logan freaked out when he though Finn got a girlfriend? This, it's this. Every time one little romantic interest and Logan just turns into the embodiment of this song.

Mercy, Shawn Mendes - Ok yes Ik it's basic but this is totally how Finn felt when him and Logan were doing their little dance around each other and it was absolutely Killing Finn.

Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran - OK I GET IT ALSO BASIC but it does genuinely make me think of an older O'Knutzy, one that will love each other for a very long time and will love each other no matter what happens and how they change.

High, Stephen Sanchez - Sorry this song is so Finn being fucking horny over Logan in college and thinking about all the things he would do to him given the chance.

Beautiful Things, Benson Boone - SHUT UP I KNOW BASIC, but anyway this is Logan thinking over the last few years and how things have gotten so much better but also being so so so scared he could lose it all in a moment. His beautiful things are Finn and Leo.

Supernatural, Barnes Courtney - Finn constantly at Harvard. Logan and him are dancing around each other and Logan keeps fucking touching him and being so close and it drives him insane. And just a very Harvard Era song.

Like Real People Do, Hozier - Not Finn saying "can we for once not kiss while we're both crying" and that's literally just this song in different words, ok?

If She's Anything Like Me, MALINDA - Logan with every single girl Finn talks about or even looks at. Finn is genuinely the most perfect and lovable person in his eyes, so why wouldn't everyone else love him, too? And just because he doesn't have the guts to say it, that doesn't mean they won't.

Heat Waves, Glass Animals - Ok ok ok ok ok hear me out..... Actually I don't have much to defend this so Ig it's just all of them staying up late at night just thinking about each other.

Home, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - A very FinLo coded song, especially with the "Jade...Alexander....I was falling deep deep deeply in love with you," part because tell me that didn't happen. Also Leo works in here too because home is with his boys and their home will always be with him, too.

When He Sees Me, Kimiko Glenn & co - Definitely what Leo came into his Rookie season thinking. Especially once he met Finn and Logan knowing he'd be head over heels if he wasn't careful. Just very Leo as well because ofc he's fucking defensive of his heart right after Jack bitchass Archer.

She, Foxy Venus - Guess, take a wild guess. Did you guess Harvard Era Finlo because yeah, that's it. More specifically I think Finn and trying to get Logan out of his mind and move on and that not working whatsoever.

Can't Help Falling in Love, Elvis Presley - This took me an embarrassingly long time to add but yeah Very much Leo with his boys and then Logan and Finn with Leo.

Can't Pretend, Tom Odell - Also took me an embarrassingly long time to add considering it HAS THE SAME TITLE AS ONE OF MY FUCKING WORKS but we don't need to dwell on it. Anyway, FinLo again, especially canonically when they have their little talks about loving each other and not admitting it.

This playlist will probably grow but y'all ain't getting my Spotify so it's just a list rn, might add onto it, idk. Anyway, hope this was suitable for a final O'Knutzy week post and figured it be fun to show you what I was listening to while writing all this. Genuinely I had To Someone From A Warm Climate on repeat while writing the first half of With a Straight Face because if y'all we're confused about the vibe, it's that (especially the beginning). Also Supernatural was on repeat for the first part of When We Can't Pretend (Oh and High was on repeat during the Kiss in the second half, lol).

Ok peace I genuinely can't wait to see everything when I get back in August!

[pa-pa-plasma]

i don't think i'll ever get over how people treat kids that aren't good in school as worthless no matter what. "oh it can't be that bad" my guy idk how to tell you this but the last time i went to a normal high school the principal called me into his office to brag about how he failed me in all of my classes before the semester was even finished & i should quit while i'm ahead cuz i'm too stupid ("officially" diagnosed as such by a school counselor & a psychiatrist!!) to succeed. & this is considered normal

[batfamfucker]

Appreciation post for 'girly girl' characters and/or shows that celebrate traditionally feminine things that girls and women are shamed for.

Characters on this list that love makeup, fashion, hair, etc. Characters that are still written as strong, intelligent, brave, etc. That told young girls that these interests are valid, they are not lesser interests. Being feminine and liking traditionally feminine things does not make them weak.