#it boils down to this. a character that cannot express what they really want

[schwarzeneggr]

the tsundere trope has never been exploited well ONCE

[dedenneblogs]

HEARTBREAK HIGH S2 ANALYSIS PART 1 (buckle up this is going to be a doozy)

so... it's out (the trailer).

my excitement cannot be expressed...

BUTT! today, i will be doing my iconic mouse analysis of this trailer (this is actually the first time im doing something like this so it's not rlly iconic BUTT it will be soon) with the most comprehensive inspection i can using under 2 minutes of video as a basis....

with that said lets

BEGIN!

the heartbreak highers are back for another "cursed" term....

so glad to see the trio back in action. like. actually so happy. MIGHT explode from excitement... as always, their outfits slaylay.

the boyfriends... friends? boys? BUGS??? found out on hh s2!

these goons are back... gayer then ever,,, seriously. when will these two have an episode long make out 'sesh? unlikely, to much dismay....spoiler alert...you'll see....

MISSY!!!!! and sasha, i guess

SPOILER ALERT AGAINNNN missy looks like she'll be more prominent in this season so...WIN!!!!

also why is she mewing who is rizzing up

and new on the the chopping block-- Rowan Callaghan!

we'll get to rowan when we get to rowan

in other (more important) news-- SHE'S HEALING! HARPER IS HEALING!!!

i... *sobs* i she's growing her hair out oh my GAW...... she's getting better...she... there's a lower chance she'll cock-block amerie (oh but she'll get cock [spoiler-- again!])

butt let's not celebrate just yet-- it's still "everyone hates amerie" up in this joint, smellas

may as well... shot them. huh. well. pop off, i suppose... (amerie asserts her right to bear arms-- truly patriotic coming from an aussie!)

...touché coming from the (still) most hated student in heartly who only adds salt to the wound by... using the pink 'ildo from s1 as a mic... chat... she's lost it.

(unrelated but in the background-- MISSY AND MALAKAI!!! they were building up a relationship between them in s1 and how she and her brother (i think? 'memory's fuzzy) helped him heal from the shit he had to go through in s1 and even better connect him with his aboriginal roots. i hope to see more of these two interact come april 11th and i binge the whole season)

ALSO also ANOTHER new character-- Zoe Clarke!

we will ALSo get to zoe when we get to zoe

anywho-- cue: AMERIE'S ONLINE HARASSMENT ARC! becuz every show needs one...unfortunately. Give a cold welcome to Bird Psycho, heartbreak highers (we will get to bird psycho when we get to bird psycho)

(who ever is doing this shit is a bitch but either way: "you dont get to be the hero" shut your goofy ass up)

oh that's gore. that's core of my comfort character.

ok so maybe this bird psycho cuck isnt fucking around because clearly he's gotten to our girl ams :(

(dw they uh...take her out for ice cream. after this. proabably.)

moving foward-- STAND BACK I SAID STAND BACK WEIRD GIRL QUINNI

oughh im gonna be sick. of course. OF COURSE SHE WOULD GO FULL SHERLOCK HOLMES TO HELP HER BESTIE.

yeah anyways with this in mind she'd totally try and crack the fnaf lore wouldn't she. wouldn't she.

she's slay she's girlboss but at the end of the day she's a weirdo

anywho nuff of my rambling there--

ominous of you to say zoe

BUT ENOUGH OF HER CA$$HHHHHHHHHHHH

ca$h omg eshay eshay eshay pspspspsp,,,

i am so happy to see him (spoiler alert for 2 secs throughout the whole trailer) but anywho remeber? remeber right he's in prison. but seems to be doing okay... (maybe for the best heartly drama is really coming to a boiling point)

<3

and-- oh. uh... chicken dumbell... okay... pop off, missy...

when i said i wanted more missy i didnt expect this

spider seems to be into tho maybe what ??1/1/111.1/?!??!/1/1/1

missy x spider was NOT on my bingo card

WHEN MISSY SAID SHE WAS STARTING TO LIKE WHITE BOYS I DIDNT THINK SHE MEANT THIS.

BUUTTTttttt-- i. am. down. for. it... somehow. frankly, spider needs someone to put him in his place and low and behold, missy seems to be the student to do so..........

hey. if they're both happy with their...chicken dumbells, i am too.

amerie dont be alarmed but there's a white boy to your right

in other news this love triangle scares the diarrhea out of me

look at them. they're the perfect couple (malakai x amerie 4life) and rowan is--

well he's a nice boy but cmon

LOOK AGAIN IM DOWN FOR THEM TO BE HAPPY BUTT when it comes in between THE BEST SHIP IN THE SHOW (looks at amerie x spider shippers with affectionate disdain) i draw the line.

but who knows? rowan seems nice enough, and if he's able to make amerie happy, let them have each other! <3

also knowing malakai's track record i wouldn't put it past him to get freaky with rowan too (threesome attempt 2??? actually no wait thats a horrible idea NEVERMIND [gets s1 ep4 flashbacks])

also also "classic love triangle" scene gives major "erm...well this is akward!" vibes from ams (we stan cringey amerie in this household tho)

and well. shart. max limit of 30 photos. oh well-- ill make a second part! tune in for the update heartbreak highers :3

[captain-azoren]

I want someone to tell me what "non-evil" thing Azula was supposed to do when Aang was going into the Avatar State that wouldn't have been incredibly incompetent or out of character or made no sense in general.

How would you have written Azula in a way that makes her less evil but keeps the story the same? Just make her smirk less?

I see a lot of talk about Azula's agency and the choices she makes, but if she's trying to win, why would anyone expect her to anything differently?

And before anyone starts, this is not making excuses, this is trying to understand where the character is coming from.

Azula sees Iroh as a traitor and a disgrace. She legitimately hates him. Of course she's going to do a lethal sneak attack on him. Zuko betrayed her, their family and their nation. He also hates her. Azula had no reason to like him, so why is it so hard to fathom she wants him dead by the end of the series?

Azula isn't going to feel remorse because she believes she is the good guy, or at least that the Fire Nation winning is for the greater good. And newsflash, so does the vast majority of the FN. If any other loyal soldier in the FN had to make those choices, they likely would have done the same.

Nearly every single FN soldier had been trying to kill these kids. That includes Zuko. Zuko was literally RIGHT THERE fighting Aang and Katara in the crystal catacombs, but he doesn't get called evil or heartless all because he was too incompetent to strike a killing blow on Aang while he was powering up and then later expressed regret.

Except Zuko only regretted betraying Iroh. Need I remind people Zuko hires a damn ASSASSIN to kill a 12 year old in the next season? If you think Azula coming the closest to killing Aang somehow puts her at a higher grade of evil than 99% of the villains who attacked the Gaang, you have moral myopia and are full of shit.

Azula isn't going to bat an eye at killing Aang because Aang being a child is secondary to Aang being the single greatest threat to her goal. You cannot reasonably expect her, within the circumstances, to politely ask Aang to surrender. You cannot expect her to just lay down and accept defeat when her level of skill, her tactical cunning, and her upbringing under Ozai all point her towards shooting Aang in the back.

Why shouldn't she try to kill Zuko and Katara? She's the enemy and he's a traitor. She hates them and she's pissed. This isn't some moral event horizon.

Azula hates Ursa because she felt neglected and that Zuko getting more attention was unfair. It might be a misunderstanding, but as a child it isn't Azula's responsibility to sort things out.

Azula has arguably the least agency due to her age and having the most oversight by a powerful adult, so yeah I'm not letting that go.

I'm not saying Azula isn't bad. She has a pretty unpleasant personality and dies some shitty stuff. But it's only some, and on the whole she isn't even particularly bad compared to the other villains in the franchise. Is the smirking bad? It is only if you consider having nasty thoughts to be a crime. A bad sign, but just a sign.

But that's all it really ever boiled down to, isn't it? That damn smile of Azula's that shows you just how much she enjoys hurting people. Well the fact is, no matter how much Azula seems to enjoy her actions, no matter how little remorse she shows, it doesn't make her actions any worse than if she had a cold, emotionless or angry frown. It makes her unpleasant, yes, but ultimately you have to judge people on their actions and less on their thoughts and feelings.

No matter how conflicted Zuko was, he still stole that girl's horse when he could have kept walking, hard as it was. No matter how jolly or enlightened Iroh was, he still waged war for decades.

If you expect me to forgive Zuko and Iroh for all their wrongdoings just because they turned things around, then I'm going to hold Azula to that same standard and say that, smirk or no smirk, her actions are, not excusable, but forgivable.

And yes, I do sincerely believe that Azula caused less harm to the world than Zuko and Iroh in the months she was actually active. I understand that conquering BSS was bad and burning down the EK would have been an actual atrocity, but I also understand that conquering BSS was something the FN as a whole was aiming for and burning the land have zero objections by any of the FN military.

Azula also suggests it to keep Zuko from saying something stupid and to get on Ozai's good side. I do not believe she suggested burning the land because she sadistically wanted to kill thousands of people. Azula probably thought it was a brilliant tactic for stampings out the last few rebellions for good.

Is it bad? Yes, it's very fucking bad, because Azula doesn't understand the sheer gravity of what she's saying or the devastation of Ozai's escalation. But that's true for everyone in that room but Zuko. It isn't JUST Azula, it's the whole damn Nation.

You know what Azula does that's just plain mean? Destroying a sand castle. Taunting Zuko about Ozai going to kill him is pretty cruel. Azula probably could have found a nicer way to get Ty Lee on her team.

But don't give me any bullshit about Zuko being Azula's abuse victim. It was a toxic rivalry. And I guarantee you if Zuko had gotten the upper hand on Azula sooner he would have done what he could to humiliate her, because he hates her out if envy, not just because she's mean.

And why should Azula be nice to Zuko, who is always belligerent and angry towards her for being better? That is how she sees him, in her eyes Zuko is the bad sibling who needs to be humiliated and taught a lesson because he's stubborn and entitled and spoiled by their mother who loved him even when he failed, unlike their father who gave attention when it was deserved and earned.

Yes, that's a fucked up way of seeing things, but that's how Azula sees it, that's what she believes is right, and you shouldn't expect her to know otherwise because she IS 14 and has no exposure to anything else.

Azula DOES regret some things, she regrets always having to use fear to control people, but as the series itself spells things out, it's literally all she knows, it's all that she thinks she's even capable of from her failed attempts at being normal in the Beach.

Azula doesn't think she has a choice,band if you don't think you have a choice, then THERE IS NO CHOICE. There is NO opportunity or chsnce to change without guidance, and what so many dumb casuals and antis just don't GET is that Azula really doesn't know right from wrong. That these supposed second chances she's getting to change her ways are utterly pointless if she lacks the wisdom to see them as choices.

None of us are excusing Azula, because that would defeat the purpose of wanting her to finally understand for herself what she did wrong and to get better, but we can't blame her for everything either.

Just because what she did wasn't right doesn't put her beyond forgiveness. The right thing to do would be to trying and actually guide her and help her, not just throw second chances at her and be shocked when she makes another bad decision.

This is a hard pill to swallow for some of you, but a victim is a victim, and no matter how bad or abusive they are, a victim NEEDS HELP. So get over your hangup and do something useful, and if you can't do that, then stay out of the way and let someone else help.

I'm sick of people trying to convince me to forsake a kid, no matter how cruel or messed up she is. Stop telling me to give up hope, stop telling me to keep fighting to save that one little kernel of goodness buried deep down.

I've been doing this shit since I was a teenager, both for myself and for actual people who made bad choices. Even if Azula laughed at Zuko's pain or was willing to kill, she deserves to heal from her abuse as much as she needs to right her wrongs. Fuck anyone who thinks it's okay for her to suffer.

[varpusvaras]

It's getting late.

Seventeen stares at the screen. He's not exactly sure what they are watching anymore. They had sat down to watch the newest episode of Call the Pilot, which Seventeen still can't believe he's watching voluntarily. Most of the characters are more or less annoying, but the old Twi'lek doctor is at least funny enough for him to enjoy the rest of it as well.

The episode has ended a long time ago. Seventeen thinks what's on now is a documentary about- something. Doesn't really matter. He's not concentrating to any of it. It's just colors on the screen and words he cannot understand. Still, he sits there and stares at it, not able to make himself move or even pick up anything else to do- he does that a lot now, doesn't he? Does something with his hands. He's incapable of staying still these days. Before, he could focus on one point for hours, but now he thinks he would get bored after just a few minutes.

He's losing his touch. It's infuriating.

He's not doing anything now, though. Not that he's focusing on anything either.

A mass of something moves in front of the screen. Seventeen blinks.

Arell is staring at him, unimpressed, his dark eyes unmoving. Seventeen stares right back.

A short silence stretches between them, before Seventeen remembers that he can, in fact, move.

"What?" He asks, scowling.

Something relaxes ever so slightly in Arell's expression. It's barely noticeable.

"You need to take your medication soon", he says. "I read the instructions. They said that you can't take them to empty stomach."

"So?" Seventeen glares at him. "I'm not taking them to empty stomach."

"You are not, since I made food", Arell says. "It's in the kitchen."

It strikes him as odd, for a brief moment. Arell doesn't enjoy cooking. He barely tolerates standing in the kitchen in order to put the water to boil to make the tea he likes.

Then Seventeen decides it's not worth thinking about. Arell can do whatever the hell he wants. It's not any of Seventeen's business.

He gets up. His legs still work.

Arell follows him into the kitchen. They don't speak to each other while they pick up their plates and sit down at the table, and Arell turns the volume higher on the documentary. It's about desert ecosystems in the Galaxy.

Seventeen eats his soup while listening to the narrator talking about moisture cycles and their importance to the local fauna. When he gets up to take his medication, there's a full glass of water next to them.

Seventeen takes it and takes his medication. He puts the water to boil before he walks out of the kitchen.

[tialinffxiv]

FFXIV Writing Challenge 2024

Prompt #1: Steer

Kicking it off with something bigger and also very important to those two characters of mine~ Warning: it's emotional (I was sobbing writing this but I'm a big softie, sooo there's that y_y; Also: mentioned psychological abuse and child neglect. Wall of text incoming, read below!

“Do you think this is funny?”

Tia flinched for the ice-cold tone of voice behind him and turned to see Kai, who entered his office, closing the door behind him. Eyes gray like storm clouds were piercing Tia, who frowned in response, crossing arms on chest. “What do you mean?”

“Stop playing dumb.” There was a hint of growl in Kai’s voice. He stared Tia down, towering over him. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“You are always annoyed by everything I do, so no, I don’t know what you mean this time.” Tia barked back and only after seeing the slight change in Kai’s expression did he realize that maybe it wasn’t the best thing to say right now. He knew, of course, what could possibly piss him off but he didn’t assume that Kai would actually confront him so openly about it. Tia sighed, frustrated. “Okay… I guess you are angry because I was hanging out with your friends? Ava mentioned that you are busy and both she and Kult are kinda bored, so I offered to spend time with them. Is it such a bad thing?”

Kai’s lips turned into a thin line and his brows furrowed even more. Tone of Tia’s voice, sounding as if he wanted to shrug it off like something not important, was making his blood boil. “You did that on purpose.”

Tia chewed on his cheek. Well… Kai wasn’t totally wrong about this. This was in fact a little petty display of Tia’s annoyance for having his helping hand slapped away once again. Which doesn’t change the fact that Kai always reacts in a similar way to everything related to Tia, no matter what he would do. “You should know by now that I always try to take some time to hang out with everyone in this house. I would be glad to do that with you too if you only allowed it. And really… Why are you so angry about that now? I only spend some time with them. What’s so wrong about cooking with Ava? Or taking Kult to Ul Dah, so he could play at Quicksand and just have fun? Why are you being so childish about such innocent things…”

It took all of Kai’s strength to not just straight up punch Tia. Adam sighed somewhere at the back of his mind- this was going bad and he was readying himself to step in. As much as he would like to avoid it…

When Kai managed to speak again, fighting with rage making his hands shake, his voice was much louder than usual and filled with so much anger that Tia did a small step back. “Do you really think I’m stupid? Do you think I cannot see that there’s another motive for you behaving like this?” Kai paused, rage bubbling inside of him making it a bit difficult to put thoughts into words. “Innocent things, huh… And what about that thing with Kult when you two came back at night. I saw you there, at the gate.”

At first Tia frowned and tilted his head, pondering over Kai’s words. A thing with Kult?… He tried to recall the clouded memories of yesterday’s evening- they went to Quicksand, Kult played for the crowd there- Tia joined him for a song or two- then they had a drink. One drink turned into a few more~ They came back home quite late, both in great moods. Tia was a bit more than just tipsy perhaps, giggling over the cuddly Miqo’te purring at him and stroking his cheek~ And then…

oh

Tia swallowed slowly, slightly flattening ears on his head. That’s right… Kult managed to steal a kiss from him, which was perhaps a bit more than a simple smooch on cheek. And was in fact still nothing serious- Tia chuckled over it, once he shook off the first shock and Kult, well- it was a very Kult’ish thing to do and he for sure didn’t mean anything too serious with that beside, as he called it, ‘a thank you for the lovely evening’.

But… the fact that Kai actually saw it…

“Kai, listen… I know what it may look like but there’s really nothing serious behind it…”

“Is it some kind of punishment? Because I don’t like you, like everyone else does, so you go and try to steal friends from me now?”

Tia’s eyes went wide. “I…no! That’s absurd… Kai, really…” Tia swallowed, suddenly hit with how bad of an idea it was to let his annoyance guide his actions. “That was never my intention! I just wanted to–”

“DO YOU GET SOME WEIRD SATISFACTION FROM SHOWING OFF HOW BETTER THAN ME YOU ARE??”

Tia jolted. He couldn’t recall hearing Kai shout like this, ever. He opened mouth to try and calm him down, to explain himself. But then a sharp, splitting pain clutched his head and Tia staggered, as the room around him turned into a blur…

When he opened eyes again, he was in a different place. It took him a moment to recognize it- and the kid standing in front of him. There was no mistake who those big gray eyes belonged to. Tia looked over little Kai- it was so long ago…

Kai looked up at him with pleading eyes… No… he looked at someone standing behind- the younger version of Tia. How old was he back then?… 18? 19? Kai was no older than 10 for sure.

“Can I… go with you?” Kai’s voice was so quiet, so frail and shaken. “I… I want to see the world and learn all that… just like you. Could you ask your dad? If he would take me with you… please…”

Tia grit his teeth. Of course Echo would show him this moment now… And he knew what’s coming- what his younger self would do and say. He didn’t forget.

Younger Tia flicked his tail and looked down on the kid, pondering over something for a moment. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. You are still a little kid, Kairen. You have a family and safe home here.” He smiled a bit at Kai.

“But… but you were also still a kid when you first traveled out with your dad! I can do that too… I can learn!…” Kai protested, clenching fists. “That’s… not fair…” The resolve he had in him for a split moment seemed to deflate suddenly as his chin trembled.

“Stay here and listen to your mom, Kairen.”

Kai stared down at the floor, holding back tears. Miqo’te petted his hair and turned away to leave the tavern, not gracing him with another look.

Then the scene changed slightly and Tia blinked- there was a little Kai again, this time with his mother. And Tia’s heart sank hearing her words. She was scolding the kid for the ‘idiotic ideas that he was bothering Tia with’. Calling him stupid. Telling him to go back to his room. And so Kai did- and once in his room, he sat on the floor in front of the window. At first motionless- but then Tia noticed how his shoulders were trembling and he could hear the quiet, muffled sobbing.

…he told him then to listen to his mom. That he has a family and safe place here. But those were all lies… How one could feel safe being treated like this… That was in fact very unfair…

Tia wanted to reach out for him. To run to this little kid and hug him… to apologize. Do something he failed back then, when he could change this kid’s life…To steer him in the right direction.

But a sharp pain returned and Tia gasped, curling under the weight of another wave of dynamis.

He opened eyes, with a struggle due to pain drilling his head and a nauseous feeling of sudden swap back to reality. He blinked trying to clear his vision- in front of him stood Kai. It took Tia a moment to be able to speak again.

“Kai… I’m so–”

“Do you still see me as just a stupid kid? As someone below your level?” Kai’s voice was quiet and trembling now. And yet every word was like a needle right into Tia’s chest. “Are you doing all this because you want to show off even more? Of how great and caring you are, right? Is that why you asked me to move in here?”

“No…” Tia shook his head. He wasn’t sure what to say. That wasn’t the truth- but how he could best explain himself to Kai? “No, I invited you here because I wanted to somehow repay you… for what I did in the past. Or rather… what I failed to do.” He paused, avoiding Kai’s gaze. “I realized it way too late… and I still don’t really know how to fix that.”

“Do you have any idea how much it hurts to be sent away like that? And by you- who I always looked up to. Who was praised so much by everyone… Who I wanted to be like. But you were just the same as all of them… seeing me just as a problem, bother. Someone not worth it…”

Tone of Kai’s voice made Tia look up at him and his chest tightened painfully when he noticed tears dripping down Kai’s cheeks. Guilt was clenching his heart in a steel grip. He remembered that moment and always knew of how big a mistake he made back then. But now, seeing it all and from a different point- it did hurt twice as much.

“Kai… I know that you have all the reasons to hate me. And rightfully so.” Tia closed eyes for a moment, before he continued quietly. “But I didn’t send you away back then because of that. I don’t want to excuse myself with that, because I was still in the wrong either way but… the real reason was that… I was sure that if dad agreed for you to join us back then, then his whole focus and time would be placed on you instead of me. And I didn’t want you to steal that from me- because he was the only family I had. And I thought that since you have yours- that it’s best for you to just stay. I failed to notice how they really treat you… Failed to realize that taking you with us would change your life for so much better. I was selfish and stupid in that… and you are right- I was never the perfect person as some may see me.” Tia paused, taking a deep breath. “When I finally grew up enough to notice all that- it was way too late to fix anything. But I thought I still can steer it back on the right track… that’s why I was pushing on you to come live here, with us. I just want to help you now… even if you will never forgive me I still want to try to pay you back for all that.”

Kai stood there, motionless, staring on the floor. His cheeks were wet from tears. “Then why are you doing things like this…”

“I’m not trying to steal them from you, Kai.” Tia looked all over Kai- he really wasn’t sure how to deal with him to not do even more damage. But telling the truth seemed like the best option. “I was angry with you because you were so stubborn about that burned hand. So, when Ava said they are bored and you are busy I thought that it’s a nice idea to entertain them… and annoy you with that. And that was stupid and I’m sorry for that. But that was all to that, really…”

Kai was avoiding Tia sight, rubbing his arm nervously. Tia could guess just by looking that he’s trying to process his words and it’s rather a difficult task. He wanted to comfort him somehow… but what else could he do beside talking? He felt so powerless when it came to Kai…

There’s a thing you can do, silly you~

It worked on him that one time, back then, right? When he was stressed about his other soul- you even managed to put him to sleep, so he could rest and you could talk with Adam. Remember?

…yes, but…

What are you afraid of? He may not like it- but he sure needs it right now.

Tia clenched fists, bracing himself for possible consequences… and slowly walked closer to Kai.

If he would ask for permission then Kai surely would say no to that, right…

So, he took a deep breath and gently embraced the much taller boy.

As predicted, Kai flinched, his body going all stiff and Tia could feel how he’s all shaking. But he couldn’t let go now, even if Kai hated it. Instead, Tia leaned forehead on his chest- he could clearly hear his shallow breaths and fast beating of the heart. Among all that anxiety shaking him, Kai remained silent- beside the stifled groan at first. Tia closed eyes and purred softly- two things that were making this calming effect stronger were physical contact and vibrations of his purring. He tried to calm his own breath, daring to tighten his arm around Kai’s waist.

Kai was standing still. He didn’t push Tia away, which he assumed to be the most possible outcome, so Tia let out a small sigh of relief and listened carefully as Kai’s pulse slowed down and his breathing calmed. At some point he could feel a few warm drops landing on his ears, so he hugged him tighter. And then, after a moment of silence, Kai raised hand and petted Tia’s back in an awkward gesture.

“Kai, you don’t even know how sorry I am–”

“Can I go sit somewhere… I feel sort of dizzy.”

“Oh, of course!” Tia nearly jumped and stepped away from Kai, gazing up at him. He looked much calmer but still avoided Tia’s sight. His face red and eyes swollen a bit from crying. “You can go to the workshop here, it’s a room behind this bookshelf” Tia gestured towards it and Kai nodded slowly. “There’s some comfy chairs. I can bring you tea if you want?”

Kai just nodded and walked to the other room. Tia ran down to the kitchen to prepare some tea- but when he walked back to the room, carrying a cup of hot, aromatic beverage, Kai was fast asleep on the chair. So he put the cup on the table and pulled a warm, soft blanket from a drawer of the desk and covered Kai with it. Then quietly walked out of the room and flopped on his own chair, behind the desk, exhaled heavily and rubbed tired eyes. But his rest got disturbed soon after, with a loud knocking on his window. Tia stared surprised at it- the source of noise was a big, black bird. He opened the window and let Adam hop inside and on his desk.

“You okay, buddy?” Adam asked, tilting the bird head to the sides, gazing over Tia.

“Yeah, I… I will be okay, don’t worry.” Tia petted the back of the raven, trying to smile a bit.

“I was wondering at some point if to not step in… but I think it was best that I didn’t.” Adam continued but at the same time leaned into Tia’s hand for pets.

“Do you really think it was all for good?… What if things get even worse now.”

“He didn’t push you away, right?” Adam tilted his head again, gazing at Tia. “You did well explaining to him your side of the past things.”

“Yes but still… I don’t know how I can help him. To repay all that.”

“Oh, it’s simple, really~” Adam chirped, hopping around the desk. “Just don’t help him.”

“Huh…” Tia frowned. That didn’t make sense…

“Let’s take the case of a burned hand as an example, so I can try to explain it. Kai got annoyed when you jumped to him to help, right? Do you know why?”

“He’s always annoyed by most things I do, so that’s nothing new. In fact it’s pretty expected at this point…”

Adam gazed over him with a dark, curious eye. “But that’s not exactly the truth, dear. He got angry over that because he in fact could take care of it by himself and yet you ignored that and tried to force your help on him. Does that make sense?”

Tia stared at Adam. A little bit of light was forming in his mind. “So… he got angry because I made him feel that he cannot do something by himself?”

“Exactly!“ Adam hopped around the desk again. “Now, another thing- do you recall how Kai was behaving towards the newly hatched dragon?” Adam paused waiting for Tia to collect thoughts and continued when he nodded. “He tried so hard to help the baby dragon with everything, almost spoon feeding it. Even when Ash made it clear, several times, that it doesn’t need that at all. Do you think he learned that kind of ‘care’ at his home? From parents that ignored him most of the time?”

“Uhh… no, I don’t think so.” Tia frowned, still not quite sure what Adam meant by that.

“The answer is- he learned it from you.” Adam flapped wings, creating a small gust of wind that lifted papers around him on the desk. Tia’s eyes went wider. “That’s right- you are always the one to run to anyone who needs help- or at least who do you think needs it. Most folks will be of course grateful for it, in most cases it’s maybe really the right thing to do. But Kai is different- when you go and try to force your help on him, he will feel that you think of him as someone not able to do a simple task like that. And it’s something he always wanted to disprove to family- that he’s in fact very able to do everything by himself. So, the way you act like a mother hen towards others and especially him- this is what annoys him the most.”

Tia pinched the bridge of nose, thinking. “That does make sense… But why then he repeats my actions, if he hates those?”

“Have you missed the part of him telling you that he always wanted to be like you?” Dark eye of the raven pierced Tia. “There’s some part of his mind that unconsciously does such things, because of the deep-rooted assurance that doing the things like you will get him the love and adoration he so long for. I don’t think he’s really aware of that… at least most of the time.”

“Okay that… explains a lot of things…” Tia sighed deeply and flopped on his chair. “I still don’t know how to make things right. But at least now I know why some things are the way they are, I guess.”

“Don’t try so hard, let things flow in their natural rhythm~ For now, go get some rest too. I will keep an eye on Kai.”

“Alright.” Tia stretched. “Thank you. I will also try to get a nice nap.” He petted the raven's head and walked quietly to the other room; gazed over Kai sleeping calmly on the armchair there and sighed, before leaving to his own room. Maybe this will finally help him to set things between them in the right direction.

[satancopilotsmytardis]

I mean this in the most platonic way possible, but I think I might be in love with the way your brain works; your writing is honestly phenomenal! Your stories bridge the gaps cannon can’t, satisfy all of the what-ifs I didn’t even know I had, and I cannot thank you enough for the escape from reality they’ve provided for me over the past few years <3 I wish nothing but the best for you, and hope that everything goes your way!

Additionally, please ignore this part entirely if it is not something you wish to touch upon, but I noticed you mention in response to another ask that you’re ‘uninterested in Hawks’, and wondered if this meant he would no longer be a main/POV character in your fics going forward? Or if it was simply referring to him being included in the ‘catbi’ story? I entirely respect the decision either way, but if it was the former, I was curious if there was perhaps a reason why? (Your shigadabihawks fics were how I originally discovered you, so they hold a dear place in my heart! I adore your purely shigadabi fics just as much though!!) You, of course, owe zero explanations for anything, I really hope this question doesn’t come across as disrespectful in any way, I apologise if so!

Again, thankyou for everything you do! Leaving public comments on Ao3 makes my skin crawl with the mortifying ordeal of being known, so I am relieved to finally get to express my appreciation to you! (Only took me 2 entire years to find your tumblr,,)

Stay safe <3

— Ako

Thank you so much! I'm so glad that my writing has been a source of joy for you! I've been having a great time writing and I'm so grateful that people have been enjoying reading it!

As for being uninterested in Hawks, essentially that this boils down to it my not liking him anymore as a character. I've seen a few leaks of the upcoming arc, and how his character has been handled completely ruined him for me, making me not want anything to do with him in my writing. I have not wanted to write him at all which is why I have been avoiding working on any of my ongoing Shigadabihawks fics (the recently uploaded chapter of Shattered has been written for 7 months I just edited it). In fics outside of those ongoing series, I will be writing around Hawks as much as possible, much like I do with Kurogiri, who is another character I have no love for. Updates for those series will be extremely infrequent as I will only be working on them when I have the mental fortitude to force myself to write for Hawks. This is just where I stand on him as a character right now, but of course this is no judgment on people who like Hawks/Hawks ships! I'm grateful for the Shigadabihawks stories I wrote starting this journey and for the opportunities they gave to meet so many wonderful people! And I'm even more grateful for everyone who has stuck around even as I've moved away from that character!

I'm glad you found the blog, and congrats! It's only been up for a little under 1 year now, so you're not that late to the party! Thank you so much for the kind words and I hope you continue to like the nonsense I spout!

[superblysubpar]

Missed your request initially and then when I started seeing other responses (@palmtreesx3 murdered me with that analysis and I will never recover) I found myself kind of blanking on just why that story has resonated so much?

Cos I would love to give you specifics of why I like it so much and I think could spend all day talking about the nuances of the story and how it comes together. But I think what it ultimately boils down to is something I find so difficult to convey in my own writing: chemistry.

And not just between Steve/R—it’s the chemistry between every character that makes the audience really care about what happens. Even when Steve pisses us off, we still want him and R to work out. We want to protect R and Robin’s friendship the way we would protect our own; we want R to open up to Eddie when he’s trying to help and we totally believe him as a threat to Steve. Even R and Nancy have a lot of sweet moments like when she is the one to comfort her in the bathroom at that game. You really feel like everyone cares about each other deeply beyond just romantic interest. It doesn’t position those friendships as less meaningful or less important than romantic ones and I think that’s a position stories like this don’t take enough.

I cannot begin to express how much these are all meaning to me you guys. You're making me so emotional 💛💛💛

I'm really thrilled and filled with just this overwhelming like "holy shit" feeling whenever any of you talk about the friendships of WCIL, and reading something like this makes me stare at the ceiling and just be like oh my god someone is telling you exactly what you wanted someone to get out of it.

I had this really weird, okay not weird...ambitious? Not typical of fanfic? Idk, roll with weird, goal of not wanting WCIL to be about steve and reader mainly. I 100% wanted the focus of reader realizing love was all around her if she just woke up and could see she keeps running away from it. I didn't want Robin, Eddie, and Nancy to just be there, she was scared of losing all of them because of losing Steve.

So when you say you felt their chemistry - all of them- that they all care about each other deeply and that their relationships are not less than the romantic ones makes me shrivel into a ball and start sobbing, truly.

Thank you so much for being so supportive always and for sending this 💛

[the-casbah-way]

Bro I love the way you write Jamie sm, lemme see inside your brain /hj

thank you i'm really happy that people are liking the way i write him !!! i feel like there isn't as much of a canon personality for jamie as people act like there is, especially because i get the impression he very much has a Work Persona that he specifically puts on at the office and we don't see much of him outside that. to me though jamie is one of those characters where my brain automatically fills in the gaps. with malcolm i have to think long and hard about why he does the things he does and how he views the world but with jamie it just sort of clicks. which is probably a bad thing because i really relate to the way he carries himself and the way he deals with difficult situations and the way he voices his emotions but still. to me there's a lot less complexity to him than there is to malcolm but that in itself is interesting. i think it all boils down to passion. again i'm projecting here but i think jamie just cares a lot about a lot of things and he doesn't know where to put it all. the way he moves makes it seem as though he physically cannot contain all his energy, even his facial expressions are like. so animated compared to people like malcolm who keep everything below the surface or people like ollie and glenn who seem to be constantly sporting this look of blank disdain or confusion. jamie just. sticks out. in every way. i say it in my most recent fic but he brightens everything up. there's an air of real passion and positivity to him that doesn't really tend to last long in politics. he doesn't seem to get bogged down like malcolm does when things go wrong, he just keeps moving and keeps reacting and doesn't stop until he either gets what he wants or dies trying. you can call it a flaw and i think sometimes it has to be, but however you see it it always stems from passion and drive and determination. i like to imagine that he really cares about making things better for normal people (or rather sticking it to posh cunts who deserve it) but even if it isn't that, i think if you give him something to sink his teeth into he's just going to do it and do it as well as he can. in my sort of headcanon version of jamie his anger is always righteous. whether it’s anger over the government or his own past and problems, anger at people and the world in general. the anger just gets misdirected a lot of the time. he’ll take it out on pretty much anyone and in all manner of unwarranted and violent ways purely because there’s so much built up inside of him and anger is the only way he’s ever been able to let it out. i just think he’s a wee powerhouse of a guy who is too Heat Of The Moment to be self aware enough not to act like a bit of a nutter sometimes. and anyway uh that’s how i see jamie. not that you asked

[prettyflyshyguy]

Ok place your bets how angry am I going to get at spn for their handling of S4 Sam because Dean's right.

"So far all you've told me about is a manipulative bitch who uh, screwed you, played mind games with you and did everything in the book to get you to go bad."

Yeah babey I'm tired, it's my day off, and I've braved myself up to tackle the tumultuous S4 because it's giving mixed feelings!!!!

You know the drill. Unhinged thoughts, commentary and screaming under the cut. I've been in full media analysis mode for the last week so it might get a little academic too, who knows.

A warning - I'm not enjoying the Heaven x Hell sub plot. I know, I'm sorry (not really.) I will persist as long as I can but you can't rip seasons 1-3 out of my cold dead hands because I'm clinging to them too strongly. They just hit the spot near perfectly. World's biggest fandom member disappointment, and proud, over here.

Anyway commentary bellow!

S4E9/10 - I Know What You Did Last Summer & Heaven and Hell

Ok so, this is a real topic, and I'm going to tread lightly here, but I appreciate the sinister undertones of Ruby coming onto Sam and him actively pushing back - he's vulnerable, abusing a substance, and she's actively taking advantage of that and doesn't stop after he makes it clear he's uncomfortable the first time. A boundary is broken and pushed through. Very icky. I have seen spoilers for Ruby's character (unfortunately!) and like, have to say, she got me. But I think I'd start to really clue in with this episode that something is deeply not ok - based on that one scene alone.

I am however, deeply worried, that the emotional manipulation is not going to be handled with the consideration it needs (especially with regards to a woman coming onto a man and being too pushy) and it'll be played off lightly. I guess we'll find out. But I'm getting defensive already. Appreciate that Dean clocks it immediately however.

On a lighter note - go psychic boy go

Anytime Dean makes this face I go mental. He looks like a concerned version of the Eyes emoji. Top 10 expressions I have too much fun trying to replicate in art. Buddy being dead for 6 months must've sucked you've missed so much Oh No.

Supremely embarrassed that it ONLY JUST CLICKED that they're doing a whole Sam's with the Demons, Dean's with the Angels thing.

I'll focus in on the most specific shit and then something so blunt will fly over my big idiot head. Amazing.

Ironic of course, and clearly intentional that its cause Sam was always appointed the 'better one' but that's only cause Dean purposefully inserted himself as the moral-fall character as a way to try and protect Sam. Obsessed with that concept, not so much with the heaven v hell stuff.

REGARDLESS, two angels rocking up and Ruby's immediate response being to turn on the demon eyes makes me wonder - is this intentional - did she choose to do this, was an otherworldly force compelling her to do it?

No I'm not just asking these cause I'm cooking up ideas for Sam to get more demonic nooooooo what're you talking about noooooooo

Hilarious that Cas and his mate rock up like "Hello we are literal fucking angels, we want this human woman please we're going to kill her now, please hand her over"

like they can't just yoink her regardless.

And this is starting to stray into "Why Shy really isn't enjoying the heaven-hell stuff in spn" - which I should save for an entirely separate post, but most of it boils down to the stakes don't feel serious anymore, the comparative power levels of character's feels unbalanced, it takes away ANY weight to Sam's personal faith as a character trait, and--

I'm sorry I just cannot get behind any of it. Really dislike it. Unfortunate. Oh well. Sozzles.

Heaven and Hell was a real hard episode for me to watch for a number of reasons and overall, I deeply disliked it, but the ending scene of Dean breaking down was extremely well done so huge props for that. Fantastic writing and acting all through. Much to consider!!

S4E11 - Family remains

The summary for this one looks. Fun.

"And what am I running from?"

"What you told me. Or are we pretending that never happened?"

OUGH. OUGH. AUGH. OOMF. ACK. AUGH.

I appreciate that unlike every ghost hunter I've watched on youtube, this show recognises that EMF readers cannot be completely trusted. 10/10 thank you supernatural. One small little line about the needle being wacky, and Dean noting that there's power lines right next to the house. Love it.

Nice.

I can sense I'm going to enjoy this episode.

I LOVE A GOOD GHOST-HUNTING EPISODE!!

Also love that this episode forcibly made the boys reconcile with the confliction of killing humans vs killing creatures, but the humans were in a way like the creatures (monsters), the same way the monsters can be like humans.

Anyway, tonal whiplash, yet again with this show:

S4E12 - Chris Angel Is a Douche Bag

The Winchesters need worksafe inspector fake ID because It'd be perfect for this episode specifically

I LOVE the three older magician characters. These guys are great.

WHAT

Anyway this is a good bit. This is a really good bit.

Yeah Sammy what kind of kool aid are you drinking?????

That was.... A weird one but a fun one.

Anyway I'm really starting to feel like I want to cherry pick eps but I'm going to hold off. Till I hit S5 at least.

Like I rabidly consumed seasons 1-3 like a starving animal and now I'm reluctant to watch episodes cause I know there's good shit in here, and each episode has some important development moments for characters, or relevant plot that I want to know about so I don't feel like I can start picking and choosing episodes based on descriptions yet. But damn. Lot more misses than hits for me this season. Seriously considering buying a dvds of just S1-3 cause GODDAMN. Loved almost everything about the first three.

[mybrainproblems]

the thing is i'm hyperaware of the fact that i'm Weird About Andrew Dabb but it comes from a place of me realizing back in fall 2021 that i wanted to identify why exactly i didn't like him and deciding to do a close watch of his spn eps. and when i realized i was enjoying parts of it, i decided to see what i could turn up any of his non-spn work. (this is something i've always tended to do with creatives: tracking down older stuff for a more holistic view of their work.)

i was so stuck on how much i hated some parts of his writing (s7 dabb-loflin is horrendous) and couldn't get past that... then i found out independently that he was showrunning the upcoming netflix resi show (a franchise i both love and have complicated feelings about) which filled me with dread that the guy who co-wrote 07x22 would helm a show with a predominantly black cast -- especially with the ultimate villain, albert wesker, played by a black man (RIP lance reddick, you are dearly missed). i wanted to be optimistic but i was ready to be infuriated and was so nervous that i'd hate something i'd been looking forward to as some camp horror tv.

but then. oh. OH. it was everything i ever wanted from resi and never thought i could have. i could not conceive of a resi like this. a resi where women and poc are treated with empathy and as nuanced characters with interiority. where they are the central characters. the video games have their own issues but the movies are truly egregious when it comes to black characters. so to have a predominantly black cast (and a black female protag, no less!) and have them treated respectfully was amazing. this was a show that had heart and a somewhat diverse writer's room and bts crew (not saying it was perfect) and you could see that difference in how characters were treated and how the plot and direction was handled. (i think having female directors and producers in particular helped a lot.)

for those who have not seen the anderson/jovovich movies: there is always a token black character and they will always die by the halfway mark bc they make stupid decisions. it's non-stop tits and ass shots of jovovich (which feels super weird when the director is her husband). alice (jovovich) is an Action Girl who is frequently subjected to sexualized violence but unfortunately, i love the camp horror of it. it's complicated. the video games have their own issues with the portrayal of women and ada wong being DLC feels really shitty when she's so pivotal. women are largely either helpless or Strong Sexy Action Women.

like i really cannot express just how much 8 episodes of tv so wholly changed my opinion of a writer/showrunner bc it showed such growth. a showrunner is only one piece of the puzzle of a tv show but they are the ones guiding it and the ones who have substantial influence in the hiring and development/direction of the story.

it's like. i don't forgive dabb for 07x22 and the shit he wrote with loflin (or solo, tho he improved a lot without loflin), but to see how resi turned out and to read/watch interviews with him and the bts crew is like. oh, okay. i think this person gets it now. i don't think i can forgive and forget bc s7 makes my blood boil, but i can accept that growth has happened here and that's what we should want from people.

also i'm gonna say that when i look at how i am Weird About Dabb and take a step back, i can see that i'm about as weird about him as some folks are about other writers and actors from spn (and willing to acknowledge his faults). i just chose a weird writer to be Weird about.

sorry but i just have a lot of feelings about resi.

[thatgordongirl]

Fanfic ask! 🥺 🤡 🛒💋🤩🤗

Thank you so much for the ask! If anyone else wants to send one, the list is here

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Most of the time, I write singular character focused stuff, but Julian being uncharacteristically kind to someone has always been endearing to me. Whether it be taking Captain outside to avoid loud party music or reassuring Pat that it’s not his fault he got cheated on. Hugging his wife or hanging out with his daughter, stuff like that. 

🤡 What’s a line, scene, or exchange you’ve written that made you laugh?

I technically haven’t written it yet, but there’s a scene I’m planning for the fic where Julian and Pat live, and Pat finds some of Thomas’ poetry online, though it isn’t attached to him. Pat shows Julian and the conversation basically boils down to:

Pat: Well it really spoke to me….

Julian: it’s about worms

I don’t write a lot of funny stuff, I usually write when I’m sad, or if an idea suddenly hits me. 

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

I’m really attached to Captain and butterflies, not only does it symbolise his transformation, but also his disconnect from his former self. A caterpillar looks almost nothing like a butterfly, but it becomes it’s true self when it changes in such a way. Julian and alcohol intertwine quite a lot, but that’s probably due to my own experiences with people drinking. Stories involving Thomas usually have more similes and metaphors, or colourful descriptions because that’s how I think he would describe it in his head. He’d try to make a poem and end up comparing one thing to another in no particular pattern. I try to make it sound more pretty? If that makes sense? Like 1800s novels I’ve read. I know he’s from 1824, but I drew a lot of inspiration from The Picture of Dorian Gray when writing Thomas stuff. 

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

I love reading them, even if it’s a ship I don’t like because how it comes about is interesting regardless. But I cannot write them to save my own life, I’ve done it before and it never seems to go well. It’s so much more natural for me to write love that can’t be expressed like Captain or complicated like Julian or Thomas. I’ll get used to it eventually, but for now, I’ll just enjoy other people’s lovely works. 

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write? 

Captain feels the most natural because he’s the first Ghosts character I ever wrote and probably the character I’ve wrote the most for, but I don’t know what more I can explore about him that someone else hasn’t already written, considering he’s so popular. I feel bad throwing my own Captain onto everyone else’s good Captain fics. Julian is really fun to write because me amuses and frustrates me so much as a person. The best way to describe what it’s like to write Thomas is flowery and I love it. 

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

I don’t know if I’m qualified enough to give advice, since I’ve only been posting a year or so, but I’ll throw my two cents in anyway. Don’t feel obligated to post or finish a story just because you think it’ll disappoint someone if you don’t. Engage with your readers and fellow writers, @ginevralinton always leaves wonderful comments on my fics and writes fantastic ones of her own. You’ll feel more connected with the fandom your write for. 

[normanbased]

AHOY i am not Entirely sure if you got my ask about norman’s character progression (tumblr may have eaten it, but it was the one about him gradually seeming angrier/more frustrated throughout the films at the knowledge that he’s trapped in this cycle of loneliness and violence but can’t do anything about it) but BUILDING ON THAT right right right

in the first film especially (and at certain points in the second), i feel like norman’s anger is very tranquil. in fact the reason it’s so intense is because he’s very clearly holding back. and this partly ties in with the post you reblogged ages ago about Characters Who Are So Inauthentic and who Only Let You See What They Want You To See but. idk i feel like he has a complicated relationship with anger and resentment because. i’m sure he has a lot of it, but he’s painfully aware that allowing it to overtake him has the potential to scare the shit out of people, and he doesn’t want to make himself any more isolated than he already is. part of me also wonders if he really really doesn’t want it to manifest in him the way it did in his mother. or if he never really felt allowed to express it at all growing up, and he assumes people will respond to it the same way his mother did

and so the fact that this resentment keeps building in him over time is, in and of itself, probably something that’s enormously frustrating to him. he doesn’t want to be this person, by god he never wanted to be this person, but the situation he’s in is just so cyclical and so goddamn unfair, how else is he supposed to feel about it? he resents his past, he resents his circumstances, but above all, i think, he’s angry with himself

i don’t know if this made ANY sense but i was seized by a divine vision and had to write it down and if it’s completely incoherent i cannot be held accountable /j (fr tho ive been thinking about this all day)

<33 I quite literally couldn’t have said it better, I always find the outburst he has with Duke for example in III where he’s like “YOU THINK IM STUPID DUKE??” to be super interesting. It mirrors the “and I’m not capable of being deceived” line from the first film. Like, it’s the same sentiment but expressed so differently like, Psycho I Norman would never have done that.

His development up to his third iteration is so fucking interesting because you just know he’s been lied to, manipulated, and deceived consistently throughout the franchise and it’s boiling over.

Like, do people seriously think he’s stupid?

[bambiraptorx]

🎱🕯️📚🎨

🎱 post your AO3 total stats 

Total Word Count: 161,237

🕯️on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

Hm, maybe a 6 or a 7? It's definitely usually easier for me than writing the rough draft lol.

🎨link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

Probably this one, of my more recent (ish) stuff. Honestly it was mostly experimental and the lighting wasn't quite what I wanted, but I drew an entire violin for this piece lol. I was pretty proud of that.

📚 post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

This might get a little spicy but I'm gonna be real here. I know that a lot of people like the comic design for Big Mama's Assistant (and I've seen some well-done fanart to be sure), but I really don't care for the way that people are defending it.

(read more cause this got ranty and is generally negative lol)

One of the most annoying responses that I've seen to her design (and a common defense) is people saying something along the lines of: "Oh but it makes perfect sense that she'd wear makeup, because Big Mama does!"

First of all, not all girls whose mothers wear makeup are going to wear makeup too. Second of all, that's technically based on an assumption with no grounding in canon, which is that Big Mama is a mother figure to her assistant at all. Their interactions in the show itself are all strictly professional, and while the idea of Big Mama being an adoptive parent to her assistant is definitely an interesting one to explore, it is not canon. (And no, I don't count any tweets Ron Corcillo might have made about this topic as canon lol.)

Honestly, a lot of the defenses for her wearing makeup that I've seen are less about why she might wear it (especially given that she literally wears a mask over it so it's not like people can actually see it) and seem to more carry a tone of "but girls wearing makeup is normal so I don't see what the issue is!"

And that is... exactly the problem. As of the comic Big Mama's assistant has essentially been confirmed as the only female sibling, and her design heavily reflects that. So heavily. It's like getting hit in the face with "She Is A Girl With Makeup On So You Can Tell She's A Girl!!!!"

Now, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of interesting reasons for why she might be wearing makeup. The thing is, I haven't seen any of the people who actually like her design give any of those reasons. If you want the reason for her wearing makeup to be "it's a form of self-expression that she does for herself, even knowing it won't be seen", for example, say that. If you want it to be "she exists in an environment where business professional is expected of her and that includes makeup (which implies that she's seen without the mask on at least some of the time)", then say that. If I can come up with these and half a dozen more explanations, then could the people who actually like the design come up with more than "Well Big Mama wears it so her assistant does too."

Really, it feels like what I've seen could be boiled down to "She's a girl and girls wear makeup so it's fine". And the fact that there's people who don't see an issue with it and even defend it, without thinking any deeper? It seriously rubs me the wrong way.

And like, look, I'm not trying to police what designs people can and cannot like. I just wish the defenses for it were more thought out, you know? If people can put the time into making fanart surely they can put the time into coming up with a good explanation for why the design is Like That even when her face is meant to be covered by a mask.

Rant over lol, it's gone on too long as it is.

ask game

[inkpot909]

Josuke Higashikata x Hippie!Reader Headcanons

↳ Reader is written as gender neutral. There’s a lot of traits, habits, practices, and different types of people that fall into the definition of a hippie. This list is focuses on a ‘flower child,’ defined in the 60s and 70s.

Warning(s): Mention of drug use for underage characters. If positive mentions of marijuana will make you uncomfortable, or put you in a bad place, please do not read.

There’s hardly anyone who understands your ‘outdated’ fashion sense more than Josuke.

He would never think to describe his hair or your own in such an unfavorable way, however, the same cannot be said for others. Josuke hasn’t met many alternative individuals before in person, so it stands out to him to see someone with fashion so distinct.

Upon learning more about you, he in turn understands further the extent of what your community means to you. Fashion is quite special to you, a symbol of the counterculture that you find yourself at home being a part of. It’s a direct reflection of your values, as well as personal taste. Therefore, a direct insult or just a passing scoff might really sting.

It makes Josuke’s blood boil; the personal nature of counterculture styles reminds him of how he feels towards his own appearance. Whether you want him to or not, Josuke’s going to defend you if someone has something smart to say about what you wear. Josuke can be quite cruel protecting the honor of people he’s close to, and when it comes to you, he’s prone to even try to show off a bit. Even over the littlest comment, he’s at your side ready to clock someone over the head for daring to mess with you. If the insulter really hit you where it hurts, Josuke will use his stand to rearrange their face in the hopes that it’ll make you smile.

In turn, he’s throwing compliments at you all day- even prior to dating. He didn’t know much on how to flirt or show interest, so this was his go-to before becoming more familiar with expressing himself in that way. It was adorable, if not a little ridiculous at it’s quantity (although always genuine).

A more familiar and confident Josuke surprises you with his keen observance when offering compliments; he always knows when you’re wearing something new. From a brand new shirt down to the smallest accessory, he’ll be sure to say something sweet.

Josuke also likes to give gifts seemingly at random, a natural part of his love language. It serves to quietly expresses his grasp on your personal taste. Initially, he would misjudge how you’d feel about certain patterns or designs. He took every reaction you had into account, and adjusts his understanding accordingly. In short- he knows your tastes very well after just a month or two. From what you like wearing to what records you’re hunting for, Josuke becomes a walking encyclopedia on how to buy for you.

He’ll actively ask you questions about hippie history and culture. Josuke had a rough overview of the psychedelic era before meeting you, mostly limited to what he’s learned in school. Nowadays, it’s you he runs to for help if he has a test on anything related to that point in history rather than some boring textbook. Regular studying could never compare to the way your eyes shine when telling him about or events impacted by the community you identify with.

If you get so excited you end up speaking too fast or assuming Josuke already knows a particular aspect of the 60s time period, have no worries. It’s nothing short of adorable to him. If you’re that caught up in what you’re getting at, it speaks volumes of your passion. Before you began dating, it would make the two of you quite flustered:

“… Revolution 1’s message was panned by hippies everywhere; especially in the United States. If yippies themselves were anything to go by, it’s that the group wasn’t as deathly afraid of violence as Lennon, and other artists at the time, seemed to think. If the conversation was civil rights, of course they-“

“Wait, wait, hold on,” Josuke waves his hands in the air, chuckling lightly. “I’m sorry to interrupt- but… what’s a yippie?”

“Oh!” you blurt, eyebrows raising. Your gaze falls, eyeing your feet intently. A slight breeze picks up, grass tickling the bottoms of your shoes. The two of you were sitting together on a park bench, taking a (extended) break from walking. “Oh, I’m sorry. I haven’t… explained that to you before have I?” you asked, rubbing the back of your neck.

A warm smile grows on your friend’s face, one charming and warm enough to make your heart skip a beat. He scoots closer to you, as always, ignorant to the bind he has you in. Poking your side teasingly, he laughs out, “You got ahead of yourself again!”

You swallow a lump of saliva down your throat, jumping at his touch. Josuke’s actions only made your cheeks heat further in embarrassment. How rude of me to speak without even thinking first! Josuke didn’t even know the difference between between mods and hippies until two months ago- certainly it makes sense he wouldn’t know much about yippies as well. I should’ve left that out- or asked if he knows what they are! Stupid, stupid. He must think it sounds dumb; everyone else does when they hear that word. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Next time, I ought to-

“You’re cute…” A sigh slips through Josuke’s calming laughter, blue eyes softening.

Oh.

You blink, pulled back into the moment. Staring at Josuke, his usual pale cheeks flush a full red color. It seems both of you let something slip out without properly thinking.

“You… you think I’m cute?” you ask honestly, voice quiet.

“I-I, uh,” Josuke stammers, avoiding direct eye contact and eager not to dwell. “I do happen to think that… yes. A-Anyway, please continue- you were telling me about yippies, then?”

If watching documentaries on the time period are your thing, he’ll be more than willing to sit down and watch with you.

Don’t- unless, that is if you actually want to pay attention. He gives it his best effort, but soon enough your lap looks too comfortable for him to resist. And once he’s perched there he may as well start playing with you hair. Just to tease, why not block your view for a moment? If you want him to leave you alone, he requires a kiss and then maybe he’ll think about it. All the while he’s cracking jokes; usually at the expense of whoever or whatever the documentary is on. His absolute favorite is to playfully critique the fashion on display, claiming with  artificial arrogance he has a keen eye for vintage fashion thanks to you.

As far as music goes, it’s hit or miss with Josuke. He doesn’t mind the pop side of things; baroque pop specifically stands out to him. You lose him once 60s heavy metal are thrown into the mix. Something about blues’ influence on the era’s music also is something he’s not too fond of. However, Josuke’s not the type to complain about it much and he’s willing to give song’s a try for you at least once.

He will love teasing you a little over the era’s more illusive or avant-garde content if you’re not the type that minds. Sometimes he just can’t help himself, though. You tell him you’re playing a song by The Flying Burrito Brothers and he swears he’ll give it an honest listen after he stops rolling on the floor laughing.

The best support in activism you could possibly ask for. He may get into it a bit himself after some time passes- especially regarding human rights and environmental topics. He mentions it to just about anyone he brings you up to, a lovesick grin plastered across his face each time. Everyone in his close circle of friends is well aware of this fact about you, very well aware. He just loves boasting about you, and the deep care you have towards social issues is a shining example of your character.

Josuke’s eyes gleam with admiration merely thinking about it. To him, it’s your way of protecting your community (he respects it even more if you’re not a stand user). Josuke would never think of discouraging such an attitude, even if you favor unconventional methods.

Passing an electronics store, Josuke nearly trips over his own feet attempting to whirl his body around. Something particular caught his attention, causing his body to jerk. Regaining balance just in front of the window, he peaked inside eagerly.

In the display window, there’s a large set of state-of-the-art televisions being advertised. Each were turned on to the same exact station- a local news channel. Bending down, his jaw drops to concrete below. The reporter on-screen said nothing he could understand without sound, but stood calmly in front of a large crowd. Bold text at the bottom of the screen indicated the report was live, showing the current time as well.

Josuke’s gaze stayed glued to the report’s title, which told of a protest currently being held in downtown Tokyo. A gasp escapes the teen’s lips, immediately pressing his face and hands to the window. His cheeks puff out obnoxiously and warm breath fogs the window just below his line of vision.

An middle-aged man walking his dog glances curiously at the teen while passing by. After a moment, they approach the window next to him. Without a word, he curiously examines the TV sets. He reads over the marked prices over and over, rubbing his chin. The two stand there for a moment, the only sound coming from the man’s dog softly tugging on its leash.

On TV, the camera pans away from the reporter, showing a shot of specifically the protest crowd. Josuke slams his pointer finger on the glass, making the man and his dog jump. Josuke turns his head to the side, exclaiming proudly, “My boy/girlfriend’s there!”

The stranger raised an eyebrow, tugging quickly on their dog’s leash. Seemingly no longer interested in TV prices, they leave an attentive Josuke to watch alone. Not that he minds much.

If you’re a spiritual type of hippie, Josuke offers you a much quieter support that’s just as persistent. Religion and anything like it is sensitive, so he doesn’t press you on your views.

However, if your definition of a spiritual experience is laying outside in an open field buck-ass nude he’s all for joining you.

If you smoke pot, he might try it with you. Further along into your relationship (around a year) is when he’ll even think to consider it. Unless it’s a problem, he doesn’t care what you do. It’s just that the thought of doing it himself causes more anxiety than excitement for a while. Still, he maintains a curiosity about it. Given time, he may shyly ask you about trying it.

This is a huge step for Josuke trust-wise. If he puts himself in this position, it’s no doubt because he loves you and knows you would never do anything to intentionally scare him. He’s also insistant that it’s only the two of you the first time (Okuyasu wanted to join in and try it too, poor guy).

Josuke is quite giggly when stoned, but not hyper. His brain power equals to that of Okuyasu; tell him and he’ll deny it adamantly with rosy cheeks. He mostly likes to stay in and cuddle with you. Listening to music or watching television is all the same to him, it’s all up to whatever you want. He will draw the line at video games. Josuke refuses to make a fool of himself in front of you (gaming is one of his ‘cool’ hobbies; he wants to impress you rather than make you laugh over his impaired incompetence).

[austenpoppy]

"Ginny's brothers didn't notice she wasn't herself" - debunked

This is not an attack on anyone, I'm simply disagreeing with your interpretation of this part of the books if you share the view expressed in the title. This isn't a criticism of Ginny, either, in case you were wondering; Ginny's my second favourite character after Ron and she was a child when this happened. I'm simply saying that the idea Ginny's brothers didn't see she wasn't behaving like herself is false, which doesn't make Ginny's time under the control of Voldemort less horrifying.

Ron

Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover.

"But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris," Ron told her bracingly. "Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ginny's lip trembled. "Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts," Ron assured her. "They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking -" Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

I really love this moment, because it shows many things about how Ron acts around people. As you can see here, Ron noticed that Ginny was decisively "disturbed" by what had happened to Mrs. Norris, and incorrectly deduced that it was because she loved cats.

Seeing that, Ron tried to console her, and in the span of one paragraph he changed tactics four times. First, he told her that Mrs Norris wasn't a great cat and that Ginny wouldn't have liked her, implying there was no reason to feel too sad about the fate of a cruel cat. Yet he caught sight of Ginny's reaction, and understood that this had done nothing to make Ginny feel better, so he "assured" her that this wasn't something that happened often and that the culprit would be caught "in no time". Then he tried to cheer Ginny up by making a joke, and immediately specified that it was only a joke when it had the opposite effect.

Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap.

"What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge.

Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn't

think who.

"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Ron asked Ginny what was wrong because she looked "tense and nervous", and was ready to listen to her. The fact that she wanted to confide in Ron first out of all her brothers says a lot about their sibling bond.

Fred and George

Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues. They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having

nightmares.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Also love this, Fred and George behaved in a way that was really true to their character by trying to cheer Ginny up with flippant pranks - something that can go really well or very badly wrong. They pretty much acted the same way when Ron lost Scabbers.

I'm also noting that Percy told them to stop, but I cannot be sure whether he told them to stop because he didn't think it was appropriate, or because he noticed Ginny's reactions to their joke - either is plausible.

Percy

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was kept busy by a sudden spate of colds among the staff and students. Her Pepperup potion worked instantly, though it left the drinker smoking at the ears for several hours afterward. Ginny Weasley, who had been looking pale, was bullied into taking some by Percy. The steam pouring from under her vivid hair gave the impression that her whole head was on fire.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Percy noticed (and potentially others) that there was something wrong with Ginny even before Halloween. He incorrectly thought she was ill, and caringly forced her to take a potion to get better.

"Get - away - from - there -" Perry said, striding toward them and starting to bustle them along, flapping his arms. "Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner -"

"Why shouldn't we be here?" said Ron hotly, stopping short and glaring at Percy. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat!"

"That's what I told Ginny," said Percy fiercely, "but she still seems to think you're going to be expelled, I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of her, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business -"

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Here Percy is telling Ron that Ginny was very upset and that he tried to reassure her by saying Ron was innocent and wouldn't get expelled (so the truth is that when Mrs. Norris got Petrified, Ron thought she was sad because Ginny loves cats, and Percy deduced that she was sad because she feared Ron might get expelled). As you can deduce from that, there are a lot of conversations between Ginny and her brothers that we didn't get to see because Harry wasn't there to witness them.

Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me…

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K.Rowling

Even Ginny told her diary that Percy "[kept] telling [her] [she was] pale and not [herself]", which means Percy repeated over and over to Ginny that there was something wrong. Percy was the oldest Weasley brother at that point (so in some ways the most mature one), and considering that he watched over Ginny even more than the others did.

Conclusion

All the Weasley brothers thought that Ginny wasn't being herself because the Weasleys are a close-knit family, and they all tried to help her in their own awkward way. Ron tried to reassure her and to make her feel better about the situation, and was also ready to listen to her. Fred and George attempted to cheer her up by pranking her. Percy harassed her lovingly about the state she was in, forcing her to take potions and repeating over and over to her that something wasn't quite right.

You can't fault them for not having all the tools for dealing with that kind of situation. They were teenagers, for Merlin's sake. However, they still loved their sister, they knew she wasn't completely herself, and they all tried to help her.

The Weasleys are great.

[writingwithcolor]

I've been re-doing my human OC's and making them mythological creatures (ie: one is an elf and another is a merman) but the one I had questions about is my native Hawaiian character (specifically born on O'ahu)- I made him a werewolf before considering Hawaiian mythology, but I did some research and it looks like the only werewolf-like being from Hawaiian mythology is the kaupe. But I don't want my OC to be a malevolent spirit, he's a good guy. He's also trans and I really want to explore the link between trans men and werewolves- that's the main reason I made him a werewolf. (I'm trans and the inexplicable link between trans men and liking wolves or werewolves has always interested me)

Is there anything specific I should consider about making him a werewolf?

Hawaiian werewolf character

In all honesty, I cannot, as a person of Hawaiian descent, advise taking on writing a character that intersects the identities of Hawaiian people and trans people unless you are prepared for a lot of research or are writing from personal experience as a trans Hawaiian person. 

Additionally, if being Hawaiian is a core part of this character, I would like to point out that Hawaiians have our own gender identity outside of the binary. It is vital that those who write about transgender identities in Hawai’i are aware of the current climate of transphobia in Hawai’i and simultaneous reclaimation of māhū within the Hawaiian communities that I’ve discussed in Hawaiian and Samoan-Inspired Non Binary Characters

Ren 

I’ve covered Indigenous werewolves before under Werewolf Natives: Problems or Not? (in which I essentially say “uh, don’t unless you’re willing to subvert all the cultural narratives that Indigenous people are animals which will take A Lot Of Work and might actually be impossible right now”). But I would like to expand upon this when you’re specifically using werewolves as a metaphor for gender:

As Ren said, gender is cultural. This means werewolves are only a metaphor for certain trans people. I am not saying werewolves as a metaphor for transness is “a white thing.” I am saying it will not be universal at all. It’s rooted in a certain expression of being trans, a certain cultural framework for being trans, and while any one race can be a part of this framework and identify with it, you’re gonna have to do a lot of work nailing down what the common points between all the trans people you know are.

If it so happens that they’re all white? Yeah. That points to this being a metaphor for white people. If you don’t know a single trans Hawaiian who identifies with this framework? Keep them out of it, because as Ren said, trans and Hawaiian is an intersection that is very fraught with culture-specific issues that might not even apply to this metaphor. 

Should you find or already know any people of colour who identify with this framework, you’ll really have to listen to them because animalistic PoC is a problem in media representation. You can see a collection of opinions in the werewolves tag, and it mostly boils down to “it depends, but be cautious” to outright “absolutely not.”

I know it’s important to diversify trans representation, because it skews so white, thin, and middle to upper class. But different cultures/peoples experience transness differently, from whether they even have the concept of trans people (see: a lot of Indigenous cultures with third+ genders, as some of us have more than three genders), to whether their cultures are more collectivist or individualistic, to a whole host of factors.

You can’t just write your or your friend group’s experience with transness as something everyone experiences, and that goes double when a supernatural element that has been weaponized against PoC gets factored in. Selection bias is a thing: you’re a trans person into werewolves, so you’re going to find trans people into werewolves way more than a trans person not into werewolves. It’s gotta stay culturally within that group. Because even if you haven’t explored the demographic factors of this, there are going to be common demographic factors that make this such a thing. 

What they are I have no idea, because I am a trans person who is not into werewolves, and I have no idea why you identify so much with them. It’s not an inexplicable, constant link; it’s a subculture of identification at best. I’ve never identified with shapeshifters of any kind because it just… doesn’t resonate with me. 

I can logically understand why trans people want to be shapeshifters, but I personally am tired of every trans character being a shapeshifter. Major factor: I don’t have much physical dysphoria, and my social dysphoria I blame on society instead of me not looking the way I want to be perceived. If everyone else stopped associating my shape with a certain gender, then my social dysphoria would be 0.

Is this because I grew up with some collectivist principles? Because I’ve always been a bit of a sociologist and have some education in anthropology? Is it purely individual from a lack of dysphoria? I don’t know; I’ve never spent the energy trying to figure it out. 

If you want to write a story using werewolves as a metaphor for gender, you have to spend the energy figuring out what cultural factors make the trans people you know identify with them. And you have to ask people why they don’t identify with werewolves, as well. 

It’s really that simple. You’ve got to examine yourself and others for the hidden cultural factors that make it feel so natural, and then you’ve got to stick to characters who match those factors. And also look up any other intersections (race, class, education, country of origin) that will influence the representation in other ways.

Diversifying marginalized identities means looking at both the intersections that make them unique and their commonalities towards your experiences. I’m sure even under the umbrella of “trans people into werewolves” there's a huge variety based on personal experiences that might be missing in your analysis of it. 

As I mentioned, selection bias is a thing. Don’t just look at a single data point and assume that it’s more common than it is, and don’t look at the commonalities and assume everyone’s logic is the same as yours for why they like it. 

It will make for a better story, it will make the identity you’re using feel seen, and it will lead you to knowing yourself and others better. All pluses. Even if you end up writing something that matches your logic but with different demographic factors to you, you’ll be able to craft their story so much more richly because you’ll know other paths that could lead to the same conclusion.

You’ve just gotta do the work.

~ Mod Lesya

P.S. I would also be cautious just throwing random mythical traits onto random characters, because as discussed in the fantasy and coding tags, there are a lot of pitfalls when you cross over various groups with often European magical creatures. Indigenous fairies and elves have huge pitfalls, for example, and not every group wants to be part of every fantasy creature set. Just a side-note to the ask.