#it has a TL;DR

[piowasthere]

Ok, I'll say this for the first and hopefully only time.

(I know it's long, but it's quite important, so please read.)

If you ask me to draw anything in a form of a request (but also applies to trades or even commissions in a way)

I am not obligated to do it. If I do decide to do so, it's because I have the time, strengths, and will I am kind enough to do it for you. I do not. Owe you. Shit.

If I say I'll be willing to do something before discussing the details, I am 100% free to just say no if the thing you want is not something I am comfortable with.

And I do not need to give an explanation why. Most of the time I'll just go silent about it. Because I am not good with serious talk, I don't like it, I am awkward, social anxiety etc. And because I also want to try and be kind.

So if I ghost you after such a thing. You may text me again. Once. To make sure I didn't just forget, it happens. If I still go silent, that means it's not happening. Give up.

Weird shit includes oversexualizing characters or putting them in weird scenarios.

Sure, I do some questionable shit, but I don't usually go outside of suggestive or just thirst traps if I feel like it. I don't do explicit NSFW. (in a sexual sense, I use curse words and enjoy some heavy gore quite often, but those are not the focus of this.)

Or weird kinks or somethin'. No kink shaming. Just don't ask me to make shit I don't like. I think it's that simple. If You're aware, what you are going to ask for is questionable - make sure the artist you're asking is ok with that - and if you won't find anything about it - don't. At the very least, ask about their boundaries. Don't just slap them with that.

I legit am traumatized by some shit some people asked me to do. And I am not easy to get a reaction from.

It's ok to ask me for stuff I've done already - take for the example the 'Solar's hips' joke I have going on. Some people would probably consider it weird in some way, but it's just harmless simping and poking fun at a character that canonically has been called out for being a twink

It's a small gag I have going on with some people I know on Tumblr

if I was uncomfortable with it, I would not take it as far as I did. I think it's funny, and I do enjoy drawing that candy corn, so it's win-win for everyone.

This also comes down to me drawing characters suggestively only if I myself find them attractive in some shape, way or form. I find it funny or there's other context behind it.

Even if it's a character I like, not always will I do that to them.

I can draw shit out of Shadow, but I will not touch Tails with that. I love both of these characters, but I see them very differently. Also, Tails is literally like 8yo, but that's a completely different discussion.

When it comes to commissions - yes. You pay me to do something for you. But because of that factor - I am willing to do more and get more out of my comfort zone than if I was doing it for no profit. (still not NSFW. I mean, more character design or somethin') And the thing is discussed before payment. I will not agree to it if it makes me feel in any way I do not enjoy.

This issue appeared only on DeviantArt, thus far, and I am really happy Tumblr doesn't put me though that too. (update: I actually got one kinda weird ask there once, but it was more of a cursed thought, a laugh and that's about it)

if I ever get anything like that again and don't break my arm while trying to break the monitor, I'll just be deleting everything that person said and if they keep on pushing, I'll just block. I don't usually block people, but I am kinda tired at this point.

Apologies if it's a very long, aggressive rant but-- idfk I'm fed up with that bs.

TL;DR

don't ask any artist to draw you weird shit that might make them uncomfortable, don't act/sound demanding and behave like they owe you their work for any reason, bc in this situation you're the one begging somebody else to do work for you for free. Basically.

I had to rant.

This post goes onto both Tumblr and DA btw. DA to hopefully stop that bs and Tumblr to hopefully prevent it from happening.

[egophiliac]

Hi it's just to let you know that the official romanization of Revaan's name is Raverne ! Also they have romanized Baul's name to Baur !

Twst coming back at us again with the least expected romanization! thank you everybody (oh god my inbox) (no it's great, I literally asked for this and the reactions have been INCREDIBLE, thank you all!)

I do like Raverne though, I think it's got a nice fancy sound to it! (I had kinda suspected it was going to be an R instead of an L, so the fact that it's SO close to Laverne except for that is hilarious to me personally.) and Dragoneye Duke is honestly probably the best translation for his title, I wasn't envying the localizers that one. :') Baur instead of Baul I was NOT expecting, but in retrospect I think his name's supposed to be a reference to the Bauru crocodile, so that actually makes way more sense!

someone else also said Meleanor has become Maleanor, which is the REALLY weird one to me, because I was so surprised it was written as Mel instead of Mal in the first place?! oh god no I can't decide which one I like better. 😭 (I wonder if they might change it to Mal...they have made romanization changes before) (like I remember House of Distraction being corrected to House of Destruction in Playful Land) (I did check and she's still Mel for now, but I dunno, they might Mal her up and some point and save me from having to make a decision about which one to use) (HECK I CAN'T DECIDE)

uhhhh thank you for letting me ramble about anime names, let's just say MONOGRAMMED SWEATERS FOR EVERYONE

[nyancrimew]

just noticed your bio now says it/its rather than it/she, but the wikipedia article still refers to you as she; should this be changed?

please refer to the last 50 times i answered this exact same ask, the three different notices on my wikipedia article about this or the three separate threads about this on my articles talk page.

[cubbihue]

What does Timmy think of his little brother Peri growing up to have a neurotic personality?

Peri's always had severe anxiety. It sorta comes with being the first baby born in a 1000 years and constantly being kidnapped by everyone around you.

Timmy's just glad Peri grew up to be more confident in himself, and more assertive.

Bitties Series: [Start] > [Previous] > [Next]

[shinelikethunder]

hey. USians and anyone who might visit. some facts about cops in the USA:

they are allowed to lie to you. they are allowed to make false claims about leniency in exchange for a confession. they are allowed to lie about there being evidence against you. they are allowed to fabricate forensic evidence against you to see how you react when confronted with it. if they bully you into a polygraph they WILL tell you you failed it just to see how you react.

you are allowed to terminate an interview or interrogation at any time. even if you have been read your miranda rights, waived them, and talked to the cops, you can decide to shut the fuck up at any time. they do not want you to know this. they will try to weasel their way around this any way they can. you might have to say the literal words "am i free to go?", "i invoke my right to remain silent," and/or "i invoke my right to a lawyer." do it. and then shut the FUCK up no matter how hard they try to wheedle you into "casual" "conversation."

DO

NOT

TALK

TO

THE

COPS

[silliestgirlintheworld]

The demons in my brain refused to let me rest until I drew Phyuri so here you go :)

(some headcanons under the cut bc I love yapping)

I feel like Dani and Fi during the peak of their career would accidentally get slotted into the 2010's niche of "not like other girls" content and they'd both have really complicated feelings about it, especially due to their sexualities and how they each feel about gender.

It would confuse Fi, as she doesn't want to imply that she thinks less of women around her but she also feels deeply uncomfortable with expressing herself femininely. She knows she wants to dress more masc and explore that part of herself (butch fi forever!!) but she lacks the self confidence, so for most of the peak of their career she just comes off as very uncomfortable with femininity in an internalized misogyny sort of way. Cue think pieces about how "Fi is setting a bad example for young girls by not embracing her womanhood" and extremely uncomfortable viewers pick my outfits videos where she's forced into dresses. Eventually after cutting all her hair off in 2018 and coming out she'd figure things out and be much happier and more free and I think a lot of people would feel bad about how she was treated while she was trying to work shit out.

I think Dani would lean into it, the idea of being "not like other girls" feels very in line with old danisnotonfire sketches and it would be a way of coping with feeling like she can't measure up to the societal expectations of women as a deeply closeted lesbian. She'd dress femme in a 2010's tumblr grunge sort of way and wear a lot of makeup but it would never feel fully authentic. Post coming out this would all fuck with her head, both in terms of reckoning with a lot of problematic rhetoric she spread due to her internalized misogyny, and also now she finally feels free to express herself how she wants, but what does she even want? I think Dan in every universe would always have some gender stuff going on and I can clearly in my mind imagine Dani going on yap tangents about how differently straight girls and lesbians express their own femininity and whether or not she even wants to be feminine at all deep down because her only experience with it is years trying to conform to heteronormative ideals of what femininity is whilst closeted. She's on a long journey to figure out a form of expression that feels right to her and I don't see her identifying as a femme lesbian because I think no version of Dan would want to fully commit to a label and she's got her own secret third thing going on. Danigender.

[sakuraluck]

this moment will never fail to make me feral bc he gave up!!! till, the boy who rebels even when all it does is get him hurt, the one who burns as brightly as the stars in the sky, the flame that lasted for almost two decades finally gave up!!! he snuffed out!! he closed him eyes and stopped fighting!! do you understand how devastating that is??

especially to ivan who idolizes and adores him for it?? who has only ever known till for his never-ending love and will that never falters? to see the man he loves broken down like this—a hurt that extends far beyond that of the physical body but to his soul— must’ve been terrible

and you can see it

ivan’s crumpling too. his mental state is on the verge of snapping too. his shoulders are dropped and his eyes are bloodshot.

till’s given up and ivan can see it and as his hands tighten around the other’s neck, a voice whispers what if you don’t let go?

because that’s what till wants right? he isn’t going to win against luka like this. he wants to die and no matter what ivan does, it’s not going to change that. so why not kill him?

that way they can die together.

wouldn’t that be wonderful?

ivan has always had a great potential for darkness and he holds it back most of the time, rarely ever letting it come to the surface. it wouldn’t be far off to assume this was one of those moments, where emotions are high and last minute regrets and wishes are surging forth—it isn’t far off to think there was a small part of him that was seriously contemplating throwing away his decision to sacrifice himself alone.

but then he gets shot in the chest, through the lungs, and the pain snaps him out of it. because this is it. this is the end. and he remembers why he’s doing this.

he remembers his desire to save till despite how foolish as it may be, how hypocritical it may be. the light reappears in his eyes and it’s ivan in love again. it’s ivan swelling with pure love, looking at till for last time.

it’s ivan doing the one thing he’s never been able to do:

it’s ivan letting go

[khattikeri]

honestly postcanon i need shen qingqiu to tell yue qingyuan his sincere opinion, that he really likes and respects zhangmen-shixiong as a person and always thought he was cool. because i think it'd completely break yue qi's brain

[palarien]

kabumisu doodles (´▽｀)

[nathaniacolver]

i feel like tumblr NEEDS to know about Dr. Ally Louks, and the term "Olfactory Ethics"

(long post incoming)

storytime/timeline:

on november 27, 2024, an excited English Literature PhD recipient posted a picture of herself with her thesis, titled:

"Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose"

as you can see (on the bottom row, above), the tweet has been viewed over 119 MILLION times, and has received over 250k likes. unfortunately, within days (most of the replies dating december 1st), she had garnered what seems like every possible insecure man with a twitter account to post their vitriol and rage concerning the fact that a woman is clearly more well-researched than them. regardless, she tanked it ALL with kindness and with a smile:

AND I MEAN VITRIOL (queen of making boundaries clear):

(inserting reading break for the timeline's space's sake):

here's her abstract:

and in case the abstract wasn't clear, she has since (date: december 16th) taken the time to re-summarize her thesis for the layman (yes that is a link! click it! 3min read!)

she has repeatedly shown just the perfect amount of kindness and understanding for those who are simply Not Comprehending (mostly december 1st):

(the chatGPT hate in the next one is my favorite:)

has upheld an incredibly high moral standard of how she interacts with the situation (december 2nd):

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: regardless of this crap, she made it clear that as a professor, her FIRST priority at the end of the semester would be taking care of them (december 3rd)

(CAN SHE GET MORE BASEDDDDDDDDDD)

she stays both 1) educating the masses, and 2) engaging with pop culture as much as a normal person would (december 9th-17th):

she also supports a free palestine (WHO IS SURPRISED. NOT ME.) ((december 15th))

here's the BEST FREAKING THING ABOUT THIS. since this all has happened, RANDOM TWITTER USERS, UNKNOWINGLY, have REPEATEDLY proven her thesis to be true,

again,

and again,

AND AGAIN.

EVEN CARDI B DO YOU HEAR MEEEEEEEE

COMBATING MISOGYNOIR WITH HER OWN BARE HANDSSSSS

oh she knows she's mother

here's some more she never saw/commented on (INCLUDING SOME FROM TODAY. IT IS STILL GOING ON. EVERY SINGLE DAY LIKE CLOCKWORK SOMEONE POSTS SOMETHING THAT PROVES HER POINTS ABOUT OLFACTORY ETHICS):

THE WICKED MOVIE REFERENCE HELLO

apparently, OTHER academics are mad at her for being so famous and influential, but she stays unbothered (december 16th, and TODAY, december 19th):

and she's partially getting her post-doc on how people's sense of smell has been altered (december 1st):

and the best part is!

all of these screenshots i've collected are only a SAMPLE, illustrating dr. louks' indomitably kind and ethical character.

anyway. i want ALL of y'all to start saying, out loud, "olfactory ethics", or even better, "dr. louks was RIGHT" (something something women's names are erased something) every time you see something that plays into her thesis. never let her influence die. THINK THROUGH what you're REALLY saying when you comment on the smell of something, or how your perception has been shaped by society. USE THIS PHOTO IF YOU HAVE TO:

follow her on twitter (@DrAllyLouks) or bluesky (idk her handle, if someone tells me i'll edit it in)

AND SAY HER NAME!! DR. ALLY LOUKS

[fourswords]

fsa is placed at the end of the four swords subseries timeline and as such ganon canonically never breaks out of the seal of the four sword despite him being able to break out of seals in multiple other games. i like to think that the reason for this is because the four sword just straight up ate him over a long period of time. like from inside the seal

[ctrl-alt-cel]

pro duelist jou...jou keeping up with the meta... pov jock at your locals ashes your combo as politely as he can

[sunflowersniffles]

Based on recent happenings

[vulpixisananimal]

[A:3 C:57] (Ramos)

“Any tummy troubles?” (Gina asks Bonnie.)

“Nuh uh.” (Bonnie replies, still in bed.)

“Weird memory stuff?”

“Nothin’ weird.”

“Do you ever feel bad feelings for no reason?”

“Uhm, I don’t think so.”

(Gina looked over at Nille, who sat next to you. She shrugged.) “They feel bad for things that’s not their fault.”

“HEY!!!” (Bonnie pouted.) “Nuh uh!!”

“Yuh HUH!!”

“YUH HU-” (Bonnie was interrupted by a wheezy coughing fit. Gina gently rubbed their back and helped them through it, then handed them some water.)

“You’re alright, just remember, no yelling, okay?” (The Doctor reassures.) “You can sit down, Nille, it’s alright.”

(You didn’t even see Nille jump up to Bonnie's side; what speed. She sat back down.)

(The check in continued. Gina wanted to ask a few things, make a few checks, get a few ideas for what could be causing the nightmares. Apparently, the weird shade and damage was from something to do with the island you couldn’t remember. Either way, Bonnie should be free to go soon. You didn’t even need to be here, but Pétronille asked you.)

(You could ask that tea person about herbal teas, couldn’t you? Maybe that’ll help-)

(Nilles thoughts had been a constant string along the same line of thinking; how to help Bonnie. It was sweet, really, big sister just wants little sibling to be okay. Stars, you had to get a lid on this mind craft.)

(PTSD Nightmares? Possible. Unknown allergy? Low chance, they’re a cook, spices-?)

(Gina's mind was a steady stream of information. Connecting one thing to another like a puzzle. Some pieces slotted into place right away, others required some work, and some were put aside until the puzzle was more complete. The only thing it was interrupted by was by a special someone. Huh!)

(But Bonnie's mind. . . .)

(---------------------------------------------)

(They just sounded like empty air.)

(No matter how hard you listen, you can’t hear anything from Bonnie's head. Why? Was it because they were still a kid? That’s weird, if it is.)

“How’d you sleep last night by the way?” (Gina asks.) “You slept almost until noon!”

“Uhm. . . It was pretty good?”

“R-really?!?” (Nille asks, excited.) 

“Uh huh.” (They fiddle with the blanket on the bed.) “It was, uhm, still a nightmare, but. . .”

“Buuuut?”

“There was a uhm. . . A weird, glowy, moth in it this time.”

(?!?!?!?!??!?!?!??!??!?!!)

(Bonnie continues as you try to hide your reaction.) “It, uhm, stayed around the whole time, and if there were any really scary parts it’d land on my nose, ‘n I couldn’t look away from it ‘ntill the scary part was over.”

“Huh!” (Nille crosses her arms.) “Weird! What kind of- Gina what’s with the face?”

(Gina’s face was one of absolute shock, mouth hung open. He shook his head clear.) “U-uh, that, t-that I. . . O-oh Change that. . .”

(He glanced over at Nille, then to you, once he saw your expression mirrored his own.)

(Your mouth was open, hair on end, face sweaty and cold. You felt a lump in your throat, a pit in your stomach. T-that. . . Your gaze drifts to the dreamlight. As does Ginas.)

“. . . I-I, wouldn’t have thought, in a million years. . .” (Gina sounded dumbstruck.)

(. . . You know what you need to do next, right?)

(You, stand up. Legs made of dried tinder. You felt like you were about to collapse like a house of cards. Each step begged you to keel over and die. You walked, wordlessly, to the dreamlight.)

(You tap it once; to exchange greetings.)

(You tap it twice; to give thanks.)

(. . . . . . T-thank you. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. I-I, I, I don’t know why, but, thank you so much, thank you, thank you. . . I’ll, I’ll make it up to you I, thank you. . .)

(The chime dies down. You wanted to throw up.)

“. . . I didn’t know you practiced Flickerism, Ramos.” (Gina comments.)

“. . . I-I, don’t.” (You shake your head.) “Not since Eri took me in.”

“Oh.” (His tone changes, softer.) “. . . I guess Flicker likes you. Are you going to be alright?”

“I, just, need to step outside.” (You quickly walk to the door, ignoring any questions or concerns, then step out.)

(You lean on the wall next to the door, then slide down to the floor.)

(Breathe, breathe, breathe, breath.)

(Breathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathebreathe-)

(You ran away because of that. You ran away because of that. You ran away because of that why did they listen to you why did they help you why why WHY!!!)

(Likes you?!? LIKES YOU!?!?!?!? WHY!?!?!? You ran away!! You ran away and didn’t look back!!! You abandoned them!!! You abandoned them for Change! For the Universe and the Stars!!! Why!!! You’re panicking. You need to calm down. You need, to-)

(Calm down please calm down calm down calm down-)

“Hey.” (You snap to attention. Nille’s standing next to you. You look up at her.)

(. . . She kneels down, then hugs you.)

“. . . Thanks.”

(You, hesitate, then hug her back.)

(. . . . . .)

“. . . Wanna talk about it?”

“. . . A, a-another time.” (You take a shaky breath.) “I, asked for help the other day. Didn’t expect to, actually get it.”

“Gods are weird.” (She pulls back from the hug, smiling softly.) “But, thank you, really. Going out like that for Bonbon, I owe ya one.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Nille.” (You chuckle, leaning back against the wall.) “I just, need a second, but thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it.” (Nille pats your shoulder, then gets up to walk back in the room. She smiles at you before going back in.)

(. . . Stars. . .)

>>>

(Siffrin) {Mal Du Pays} <Null> |Asterion|  [Loop] [(Saffron)]

|Bonnie was safe. Stars be blessed Bonnie was safe.|

|Soon after Siffrin and the others returned from the medhouse, Siffrin switched out and you were here once again. Oh. . . You’re not sure how much you could handle it. You had been fronting so much lately, stars know why. But, between what happened with Boniface, how Ramos is developing. . . Oh. . .|

|It was. . . Only a matter of time.|

|You were in Ramos’ room. Well, the room yourself, Ramos, and Isabeau shared, now. You lay on the bed while the others were downstairs; you just wanted time to think. You even left Siffrin's dagger down there to dissuade any worries.|

|So. . . What, do you do?|

|Keep who you are hidden? Not possible. Madame Odile could sniff you out. Or Ramos could read a stray thought and out you.|

|Talk to the other headmates? Absolutely not. Each and every one of them despises you, and for good reason. TO discover you’re here, in their mind. . .|

|Talk to the party? Hmm, maybe. . . But, one at a time.|

|Lady Mirabelle? You were to freeze her home in time, she would hate you. Madame Odile? Also no, she is far too intimidating, far too. . . Knowing. Isabeau? Hmm. . . Maybe. . . He has been kind to you. . . But, well, he may not react well. Boniface? No. Pétronille? Also, no.|

|And, Ramos. . . They, well, they were-|

|There’s a quick knock on the door and it opens. You jump in place as Ramos walks in, a box in hand. They look at you and wave.|

“O-ohuh, still Asterion?”

|You nod.| “Yes, ah, s-sorry. I can leave, if you. . .”

|Ramos stops for a second, then shakes their head.| “No, it’s, it’s okay.”

|They close the door behind them. They pause, then walk over to the window, placing the box down to the side. You watch as they wordlessly examine the window.|

“. . . . Ah, is, everything, alright?” |You blink, confused.|

“O-oh, uh. . .” |They look to you, then away.| “. . I’m, trying to figure out where the sun would come through the window.”

“Oh!” |You hop off the bed and walk over.| “Let me.”

|Ramos steps back and watches as you look over the window, mouthing to yourself as you think. This window faces the west, since you’re somewhat close to the equator the sun should line up well. . . It is winter, but that still means you got a lot of daylight. At this angle. . . Considering the rest of the year. . .|

|You trace a finger from the window, across the room, to a blank part of the wall.| “Here, along that line is where you will get the most sun throughout the whole year.”

|You turn back to Ramos, their face is. . . Oh, quite the mix of surprised and grateful. You smile, softly.| “. . . Did, that help?”

“. . . Yeah, i-it, it did. A lot.” |They let out a breath, and turned to open the box they brought. After a moment of looking inside, they pull out a. . . A dreamlight?|

|They stand there holding it for a minute. You walk over, curious.| “. . . Isn’t that the. . . Ah, Flickerism, thing?”

“. . . Y-yeah.” |They take a shaky breath in, and out.| “. . . Eri got it for me on my 10th birthday. They thought it would be a nice little thing but. . .” |They shudder.| “It, just brought back memories, so we packed it away in the attic.”

“. . . Ah. . .” |You slowly reach up and put a hand on their shoulder.| “. . . Bad memories?”

“Yeah. . .” |They close their eyes.| “. . . Most of my birth family, and the town, was torn between Flickerism and Soleanism. . . Eventually, every conversation would go back to those arguments. . . My mom was a Soleanist, my dad was a Flickerist.”

“Dad wanted my metamorphosis, o-oh uh, a coming of age ceremony, to be the Flickerist one. Cut your hand open, pour some blood into a dish of sugar water, stay up all night with the moths that would gather in self reflection.”

“Mom wanted to do the Soleanist one, spend three days in a cave with no food, no light, and a knife. On the first day you cut your right hand, the second, your left, and you rest on the third.” |Ramos looked up at the ceiling, face sad.| “It was, a lot.”

“One day I asked about what changing meant, if I could do that. Dad was hesitant, but would support me if the Dreaming One decided it was alright. Mom said I couldn’t until I come of age, because at that point I was ‘no longer her son, I was the Radiant Ones son.’”

“That’s when I realized that I had to leave. They didn’t care about me, just about their Gods. And the Gods didn’t care about me.”

|Ramos lets out a shaky breath, then looks back down at the dreamlight.| “. . . But then Dreaming One, Flicker, helped Bonnie last night, so. . . I don’t know what to think.”

“. . .” |You stand next to Ramos, then lean your head on their arm.| “I. . . I know the feeling.”

|Ramos turns to you, a silent request to go on.|

“. . . The Universe asks that we follow, and it will guide. In return it grants our wishes.” |You take a shaky breath.| “We. . Used to think it did not care about us, some still think that. With how our wish was granted, with how it seemed like no matter what, we were always lost.”

“We thought it abandoned us. . . But it didn’t.” |You close your eye.| “It made mistakes. Very human mistakes. It was trying to fix things, make things better. . . Some say the Universe is a teacher, and I suppose, it is a teacher who should feel guilty if its students all fail a class.”

|Ramos considers this for a moment, then smiles. Moving their arms to pull you into a side hug.| “Heh. . . Yeah, maybe. . . Thanks, Asty”

“A-ah--” |Asty?!? You’re blushing, just a little.| “I-it’s, it’s nothing, Ramos. . . S-so, do you plan to put this dreamlight up, then?”

“Yeah.” |Ramos squeezes you, then lets you go. They grab a hammer and nails from the box and walks to the part of the wall you pointed out.| “You hang dreamlights in a bedroom, where the sun shines the most. Gimmie a hand?”

|You help them put it up, Ramos talks as you work.| “Dreamlights, or crucelights if you’re a Soleanist, act as a bridge between the dream realm or divine realm respectively. They’re basically the same thing but y’know, semantics.”

“I don’t remember what you do with crucelights, but with a dreamlight, all you’re asked to do is hang it up. It’s customary that every few days you tap the dreamlight once to essentially just, say hi to Flicker? While the dreamlight chimes, you just think about how you’ve been doing, what’s been happening in your life, that sort of thing. You’re essentially sending Flicker a mental letter like you would an old friend.”

|Ramos was hammering a nail into the wall.| “You tap it twice if something particularly good happened to you that you think the Dreaming One was responsible for; sending a mental thank you letter while it chimes. Then you tap it a third time if you desperately need help, and, well you get the idea.”

|You help hang up the dreamlight. The sun was going to shine on it soon. Ramos continues.| “The other day I. . . Well, I tapped it three times, asked Flicker for help, not really thinking they’d do anything. Let alone anything so. . . Direct.”

|You both step back, looking at the copper disc on the wall.| “. . . It, shook me up, I won’t lie.”

“. . . I. . . Understand that.” |You hold your hand out, Ramos takes it, and squeezes.|

“. . .” |They look away.| “. . . I hope, they’re not mad at me, for following Change. A-and, the Stars, to an extent.”

“Ah, ahaha. .” |You cover your mouth a little as you laugh.| “I don’t know about the Change God, but, if my instincts are right, I believe those following the Universe had many arguments with Those of the Soluna religions.”

“Oh?” |Ramos turns to you, curious.|

“Soleanists follow the sun, the singular sun above all others.” |You chuckle.| “To those who follow the Stars, it is practically an insult to disregard all other stars just because one is a bit closer!”

“Pfft-” |Ramos chuckles back.| “Well, heh, I promise I won’t go starting any arguments then. N-not that I, plan to, well. . .”

“. . . .” |You squeeze their hand.| “. . . I understand.”

“Thanks. . .”

|. . . Oh Universe. Jinn. Please, allow me this little drift from your path. You let go of Ramos’ hand, walk up to the dreamlight, pause. . . Then tap it, once.|

|. . . . .|

|. . . . . Greetings, Dreaming One.|

|I am unsure if you do hear me, or I am speaking to nothing but dust. But, I digress. My friend, my close friend, revealed to me just now their history with you. I helped them put this dreamlight up, even. So, I thought it would be appropriate to say hello, as it were. So, hello!|

|A few days ago was the first time I learned about your dreamlights, and soon after, it helped me jog memories, old arguments, discussions, etc. But I don’t really care about the discourse of religion anymore; you helped Bonnie, so no matter what, you have earned my respect.|

|As has Ramos, actually. They may believe themself to be a failure, but they are one of Siffrins family now. They are doing better, we all are. . . But, I have my own sadness to deal with; the blood on my hands, and how it wont wash off. Hopefully, if I ever chime your dreamlight again, I won’t be fearing for how they will react.|

|. . . . . The chimes died down. You turn to Ramos.| “. . . Did, I do that right?”

|Their face was, soft, an emotional soup of joy, fear, excitement, sadness, and relief. They nodded.| “Yeah, I’m sure you did.”

|You walk to them, and give them a full hug.| “You’re a very wonderful person, Ramos.”

|You feel their arms slowly close around you.| “H-haha, why is everyone complimenting me today?!?”

“Because you deserve it?” |You look up at them.| “Ran faster than any other to get Bonnie to safety, made a wish to a deity you thought abandoned you, helped calm Nilles nerves in recovery. . . Stars, Ramos, you have been. . . incredible!”

“A-asty. . .” |They pull their bandana over their mouth.| “I’m, just, trying my best to be useful.”

“You’re always useful, helpful, and kind, Ramos. . .” |You rest your head in their shirt, and sigh, relaxed.| “. . . T-that’s, why. . .”

“Hmm?” |You feel their hand in your hair.| “Is, everything okay?”

|. . . You make the decision.|

“. . . N-no, no. It is not, Ramos.” |You hold tighter to them.| “I. . . I Have something to talk about. None of the party knows, none of my headmates do, either.”

“. . . You can talk to me about it.” |You feel them gently run their fingers through your hair, you feel your shoulders relax.| “I-if you want. I can keep a secret.”

“Alright. . . Please, please keep it to yourself.” |You, very shakily, breathe in. . . . . . . . and out. . . . . . . . .| “. . . You understand what Null is, yes? Where he has ‘come from?’”

“An introject?” |Ramos says, questioningly.| “Latched onto a personality while being formed, right?”

“That is right.” |You gently let go of Ramos, and back up. You sit on the floor, legs crossed.| “He is a fictive, as the personality his psyche latched onto was from a piece of fiction.”

“Okay. . . Are, you like that?”

“P-partially. . .” |Oh. . . It, was time.| “I. . . I am an introject, but a factive. One who is based on another real person, not of fiction.”

“Alright. . ?” |Ramos sits down across from you.| “Is it, is it someone the others wouldn’t, like to, uh. . .”

|Rip the bandaid off.| “I am a factive of The King.”

|There’s an uncomfortable silence. You look at the ground, praying to the Universe this was the right move. . . You continue.|

“I. . . I have fake memories of being the King. Both things that happened, and that did not. I look like the King, I feel like the King. But, I do not want to be anything like him! I-I, I don’t want to hurt them, I want to help them. A-and, I want to atone for what he, I, did. B-but, I cannot do that if I hide, but, I-I. . .”

|You feel a hand on your shoulder. Looking up, Ramos had kneeled down to your level.|

“. . . . . Breathe for me?

“. . . O-okay. .”

|You, breathe. In and out. . .|

“. . . You're okay, Asterion.” |Ramos got closer. Another arm around you| 

“. . .am, I?”

“You are, I promise.” |Both arms around you, they were hugging you.| “You don't want to hurt them, right?”

“R-right. . .”

“Then you're alright. They forgave me, they'll understand.” |They squeeze you, close.|

“. . . A-and, headmates. . . ?”

“. . . Here, how about this?” |They lean back to look at you.| “When you're ready to talk to them, I'll hop into your head, and be there with you. Okay?”

“. . . R-ramos. .”

|You dive onto them, holding them tight in a hug.|

“Thank you. . .”

[todayisafridaynight]

journalists underestimate the magnitude of my addiction and how far i'll go for the bit

[genericpuff]

I feel mean criticizing an author's old work that they've deliberately buried, but sheesh the dialogue in Rachel's old stuff is really stilted. As awkward as LO's writing is, it honestly does show some improvement, so like...good for Rachel I guess?

I mean, it hasn't really improved though? Normally no, I wouldn't criticize someone's older work because by the virtue of something being old, it will naturally be improved upon and shouldn't be judged against what's created in the present (trust me, as someone with work from 10 years ago that hasn't aged well, I get it LOL).

But what's in the present... has all the same issues. I think it's easy to convince ourselves LO's writing is "better" because it relies on Greek myth to piece itself together, but when you aren't filling in the blanks for her based on assumptions made from the source material (which you shouldn't have to do) her writing in LO still doesn't have much to offer. Like, can we really call this an improvement?

If anything the writing in LO got even worse over time because it started to feel like ChatGPT was writing the dialogue and the narrative was crumbling under the weight of Rachel's lack of foresight / planning ahead.

I mean, just to get my point across, let me ask you one simple question: What is the actual theme of LO? What is the conclusion it comes to by its end to contribute to that theme?

This isn't me trying to minimize whatever improvements she may have made between the past and present, I just don't see those improvements, and there's a lot more to suggest that she was a lot more prolific 20 years ago as an artist than she is today. All of that stuff about Persephone / herself being a "workaholic" is based on stuff she went through 20 years ago that she doesn't even put on display now because it's all buried in deactivated Tumblrs and LiveJournals. But that's besides the point.

I think at best the "improvement" simply boils down to "at least she finished this one". But that's not necessarily a good thing because it's clear LO went on longer than it ever should have and that the only reason she even made it this far was because she was bound to a contract through WT. I guarantee you if it weren't for the success that WT's gave her through constantly advertising LO everywhere (and the fact that LO fit a very specific niche that was popular at the time) she would have ended LO ages ago, because just about every series she's done up until this point have been passing fancies that she's bounced between while still retaining a lot of the same tropes and crutches she always has.

LO is about a naive valley girl with mommy issues who goes to school to better herself. This is also the plot of The Doctor Foxglove Show. And while comics like Castle Castle, Woman King, and The Maiden don't involve school settings, they do still center around "girlboss" characters who hate their parents. LO isn't really an "improvement" among these tropes, just another rehashing that's hidden way better because 1.) she put it behind the veil of Greek myth and 2.) she's done everything in her power to hide the fact that she's been writing about the same pink-haired girls with mommy issues and trauma from evil men "except for that one guy who's perfect in every way" for 20+ years now.

And that issue of stilted dialogue goes way beyond even the comics. Read transcripts of her interviews or the Q&A from the end of the series that she did in her Discord and you'll see she has a really hard time finishing the thought she started on. I'm sure a lot of this can be chalked up to her ADHD / dyslexia, which is totally valid, but it just goes to show she hasn't done any work to actually improve her work in spite of her hindrances. She doesn't know how to separate Internet trolls from valid criticism and she seems to absorb any and all criticism as "proof" that she's better than everyone else, actually, and it's not her fault that other people are stupid and don't get her "vision". And I'm not pulling this assertion out of thin air, she's displayed this exact behavior before both within the LO fandom as well as her pre-existing fandoms around her other series.

Like, I can totally get the sentiment that "hate mail is a sign of success" and turning a negative into a positive, but there's a difference between deflecting hate mail from trolls and deflecting genuine criticism that's meant to identify your weaknesses and help you grow. That's what makes it all the more telling that she's built an audience around protecting and enabling her weaknesses rather than celebrating her strengths and empowering her to do better. She can't fall back on Webtoons as the only excuse for why the writing in LO is bad, her writing has always been like this and I feel like that's half the reason she's trying to hide it.