#it's possible to live on your own (and i'd say the question of safety is ultimately where you're looking to live)

[pynkhues]

What is life like in Melbourne? I’m looking into moving there from the UK and would love some insights and whatever else from people who live and work there 💕

I love living in Melbourne. I moved here from Brisbane over the new year in 2018/2019 (not the best time given the pandemic hit just a year later and the city had some of the longest lockdowns in the world lol), but it's a vibrant place with good people and it feels like an exciting place to live both culturally and politically. My brother actually got back from Europe recently (he moved at the same time I did for a range of reasons), and he was quite taken with a bunch of cities he visited over there in the sense that he felt like the best years were past them? What was interesting to him in coming back to Melbourne is that it does feel like it's a city on the cusp of its brightest years which just - - yeah, makes it an exciting place to be.

That's not to say it doesn't have it's issues too, it absolutely does, but overall, I'm really happy here and think the pros outweigh the cons.

In terms of the process of migrating, I'm not really too comfortable answering, unfortunately, anon! I was born in the country, and while I could probably answer questions about moving from interstate, the logistics of doing so from overseas go a bit over my head and I'd really hate to lead you astray. I've got a few friends though who have moved from overseas and asked them for you, and they all recommended the Moving to Australia Facebook Group, and the Sunset Travellers blog on moving here (particularly this post) for really good advice. :-)

[wannaeatramyeon]

Lookism: "If you die tomorrow, would you have any regrets?"

G/N. Jake, Goo, Gun, DG, Ryuhei, Sammy. Reminder that Gun is canonically a gamer lmao.

Jake looks up at you in surprise, the morbid question catching him off guard.

"Why?" he asks, tilting his head.

"It was just a question I read."

"Hmm," Jake rubs at his chin and gazes off somewhere in the distance, no doubt thinking about all that has happened in his life. "Yeah. Loads."

Oh. You weren't expecting that-

"A lot of things I've made my peace with," Jake shrugs and you know he means Sinu and Samuel and Big Deal.

The mess with Workers, the falling out with Samuel and end of the Golden Era, the arrest of so many of his crew. He knows his mom is disappointed that he is so much like his father, his time in juvie, and Jake thinks if he tried better in school instead of fighting then maybe things would have worked out a lot differently.

"But-" he tugs on your hand, pulling you off-balance and falling straight into his lap.

"I'd regret not spending more time with you. All the time trying to be a good boss rather than a good boyfriend."

You open your mouth to argue that he is a good boyfriend but he continues on-

"I'd regret leaving you on your own. Even though I know you'd find someone easily," And Jake manages a small wistful smile, "I'd regret not being there for you."

.

.

"Me?" Goo blinks, looking up from his manga.

"Yes, you. The only other person here."

"Just checking, Cupcake." Goo thinks briefly for a moment before making up his mind.

"I'll regret not seeing how this manga ends," then he narrows his eyes, stabbing angrily at the page, "And not going to Japan to hunt down this asshole for killing my fave off-screen."

"Goo!" Maybe this is on you for expecting a serious answer.

He gets up and makes his way to you, peppers kisses all over your face as you roll your eyes. "You're not planning on killing me are you, Sweetheart?"

"Yes. Tonight. There's a knife under my pillow."

"Make sure you don't wake me, do it quick," he grins mischievously then-

An unpleasant thought pops up and he pulls a face. "Once I'm dead, you better not fall in love with anyone else. My ghost will haunt you, y'know."

"Fine, I'll just be sad and alone and mourning over you forever."

"Perfect!"

But what would Goo actually regret?

What's the saying? You can't take it with you.

Goo has such fun plans once he retires from all this crew shit. Neither of you have to work another day again, you can just spend the rest of your lives terrorising the general public instead. Travelling the world, swimming in a pool of money together, sleeping on a bed of cash. All that fun stuff.

Goo doesn't regret the time amassing his fortune, his little safety net for the future. But if he was to die tomorrow, he would regret not having that future with you.

.

.

Gun pauses the video game at your question, then turns to you with a brow arched, "Why do you think I'm going to die?"

"It's hypothetical. Like in a fight or something."

An arrogant smile spreads, "And who's strong enough to kill me?"

You click your tongue in annoyance at his response although you hate to admit that damn, you find his attitude sexy as hell. There's just something about him being able to back up his confidence with his skills and talent.

"Just answer my question!"

"No I would not have any regrets," he says, already turning back and resuming his game.

Of course Gun doesn't. As if someone like him would have any regrets.

Eyes still on the screen and fingers clicking on the controller, Gun adds quietly. "But you will be taken care of."

Oh.

If Gun were to die tomorrow, he would regret not being able to take care of you. Being by your side. In his line of work, it is always a possibility no matter how strong he is. The least he could do, and has done, is make sure that at least no harm or hardships befalls you after he is gone.

Money, protection, freedom. If he can't have a future, then he will assure yours.

.

.

DG falters mid-stride, giving it the briefest of thoughts before coming to a conclusion.

"Nope," he says with a cocky smirk.

He has very little to regret. His life as DG is what most people dream of. Fame and fortune, power and influence.

As James Lee he has proven he's the strongest, he's the peak and untouchable.

There's very little left for him to accomplish. Why would he have any regrets?

But, he supposes, as he is later handled by the assistants and the stylists, then plasters on a fake smile for TV appearances before being ushered to some event full of schmoozers and fakers and having to make small talk as DG, the idol and CEO-

Is that maybe if he could do it again, he would choose something with more privacy. More freedom. That he could do what he wants, whenever he wants.

And most importantly-

That he can walk hand in hand with you down the street without rabid fans screaming and the paparazzi photos making headlines.

Without you being on the receiving end of death threats and unhinged letters, and his agent and company telling him that he needs to apologize for his relationship. Backtrack it. Single idols sells better, appeals to the public more.

If DG died tomorrow, he thinks that actually he would regret this. He regrets keeping you in the shadows.

.

.

Ryuhei doesn't hesitate and tells you he wishes you were his first. For everything.

Even hand holding. Even hugs.

You pull a face at that.

"That's... Sweet." You say, lying through your teeth as Ryuhei looks at you with concerned puppy eyes.

"You wish the same, right?"

"Sure," you agree because where's the harm in appeasing this goofball.

In truth, and Ryuhei hates thinking about it, is that he does desperately wish that he met you first. Before Mitsuki, before anyone else.

Nevermind that it's a completely futile, fanciful dream because everything that has happened has led him to you.

But he thinks it would have worked out better. He could have been a better person, a better boyfriend. If he met you before he had a chance to develop his sex pest tendencies and obsessive behaviour that you had to stamp out.

It's pointless though. Not even worth dwelling on. What has happened has happened and he could only try to be better now.

Ryuhei considers the question again with a sigh. If he dies tomorrow, what would he regret?

Oh yeah! He would absolutely regret this!

"I'd regret that we can't bang anymore!"

"Ryuhei!"

.

.

Samuel immediately feels defensive at your question.

He thinks about what he hasn't yet achieved. All his dreams of becoming King, being at the top, and yet he's no closer.

"Why?" he asks, eyes starting to narrow behind his glasses.

You hold up both palms, in a gesture to indicate you didn't mean anything by it and your face tells him to just chill.

"I dunno. I found it and thought it was an interesting question."

"It's not." Samuel says, effectively ending the conversation and eyes dipping back down to his phone.

But it doesn't just end.

Samuel spirals and doesn't talk to you for the rest of the day, his shortcomings haunting him instead.

He drinks and he smokes and he spends even more time at work, trying to dull the ache of his inferiority.

The mornings and nights pass by in a blur, a string of toxic behaviours and self sabotage, until eventually - he comes to.

His failures and faults pushed to the back of his mind, rather than a constant reminder.

Then like a fog clearing, he finds clarity again. He sees your face, the worry, the trepidation... The guilt for asking an innocent question.

And Samuel knows that his biggest regret of all if he dies tomorrow is that you deserved better and he hasn't been able to give that to you.

[oneatlatime]

Hiii!!! I’ve been binging through your blog for the past few weeks and I noticed how you talk about how Kataang(Katara x Aang) is portrayed in the show. Honestly yeah, I will admit I didn’t like it at first but now I just don’t really care for it. But I’d be interested hearing an in-depth opinion on the ship(unless you already did and I just never noticed or forgot 😭).

Another question, do you think you’re going to read the comics that came out the series? If you’re asking my opinion I’d say they’re a uuuh 7-8 out of 10 IG?

I do have thoughts on Kataang which I haven't shared yet. Part of me thinks I should wait to answer your ask until I've finished the series; it's obvious to me that these two are being set up to be the big finale couple, which means if I talk about them now I'm probably missing the pieces I need to have a full, well-rounded opinion. But you know what? I feel like talking about them now. So here goes.

Short answer: It peeves me that Aang comes from a culture that seemingly doesn't even have parents, yet he still manages to date his mother.

Long answer: they're both way too young. I'm a huge fan of letting the kids be kids for as long as possible. Especially with these kids, who have been prevented from being kids by the war. As Katara points out in the opening scene of the very first episode, she's been the mother since her own died (or at least she feels like she has had to be the mother). Call me crazy, but I'd rather Katara spend a few years after the war doing dumb childish stuff to recapture that lost childhood than jump straight into a relationship. Isn't the safety and space to do dumb childish stuff one of the things those who are trying to end the war are fighting for? Shouldn't she get to enjoy that? And Aang is just way too young no matter what way you look at it. He's 12 right? I think that would make him a grade 6 student. Back in my day (yells at cloud) Grade 6 students collected yugioh cards and feuded over who had the snazzier lunch box. I could picture a 12 year old having a crush on a slightly older girl that goes to the same school, but it would be short lived and unactionable. I guess Katara would be around 14? So, a grade 8 student. A grade 8 girl would not date a grade 6 boy. It would just never happen.

They've both got bigger fish to fry. Aang is the last Air Nomad AND the current Avatar. When he fully takes on both of those positions, what time will he have for a girlfriend? Katara is the only Southern Waterbender. Whether or not she wants the responsibility, it will be her duty to single-handedly reconstruct a huge portion of her nation's culture from the ground up once she returns south. Does she have the time to ping pong around the globe mothering her boyfriend as he rides giant animals or does Avatar stuff? Say she wants to: what will her family and the rest of her tribe think of the only person who can access such a huge part of their culture riding off into the sunset?

Their current relationship dynamic is still too mother/son. This is more obvious in season 1 than in season 2 (maybe that's growth?) but you can't depict a male/female pair as pieta and then expect me to ship. I think this could change somewhat, but I've already been disappointed in that. I thought that once Katara had mastered waterbending and therefore felt she had something other than mothering to contribute to the group, she would back off with the mothering. And she did, a little, but not enough for my tastes. Maybe as Aang fully steps into the Avatar role and the last Air Nomad role (sidenote: no idea what the latter would look like) he'll move on to a more equal relationship with Katara.

I think Katara is meant for better things than rebirthing a nation. Bending seems to be at least somewhat genetic. So if Aang wants Airbending in any form to survive after his death, he's going to need a billion kids. While I could definitely see Katara wanting children, I don't see her as the barefoot pregnant type.

I'm not convinced that Aang has a clear picture of Katara. She has flaws, which is good! Does Aang see them?

I get the feeling that, while they are helping each others' skills grow as they travel the globe, they are also preventing each others' personalities from growing. As long as Aang is around, Katara has someone to mother. As long as Katara is around, Aang has someone who prevents him from feeling the full weight of his responsibilities. Again, this is worse in season 1, but how often did Katara deny that Aang was to blame for something that was at least somewhat his fault? Aang will never become a fully rounded person until he can look at his flaws and mistakes dead on and say "my bad" without a Katara in the background going "no you're perfect!" Katara deserves to find out what kind of person she is outside of a nurturing role. Quick thought experiment: what if you pair Katara with someone who needs no nurturing, or better yet, nurtures her? And what if you pair Aang with someone as bluntly truthful as Toph? Katara and Aang might find both of those situations uncomfortable at first, but I think it would contribute to their growth.

Aang having a crush on an oblivious Katara would be a great single season arc. I think it would fit both of their characters well, and I think Aang growing past latching on to the first person he saw after the iceberg would be a good way to show that he's rooting himself in his time-displaced present, and fully committing to ending the war. And don't get me wrong, I love Aang and Katara both as a fighting team and as friends.

These kids are all fighting a war, and all kids. I don't mind the supporting characters having romances, because it's not like Sokka or Suki can end the war, no matter how hard they try/might want to. But I'm a big believer in doing one thing at a time, and I think if you're the only person in the whole world who can end a war, then ending the war should take precedence over dating. I'm aware that that's an unrealistic expectation and out of step with the show's theme of balance. In the real world, birth rates skyrocket during war time because people live for the moment and grab happiness (read boinking) wherever they see it. But both these kids are pre-boinking age so I'm going to be a cranky old fart about it.

Being the wife of the Avatar is a position that will often come with being relegated to second place, especially with the amount of work that undoing a century of war will take. Although she works well in a team, Katara is a naturally dominant personality. Katara did enough of putting herself in second place before the series started. I think Katara could very easily fall into the pattern of subjugating her own needs and desires and putting her husband's first, but I don't want that to happen. And one way to prevent that from happening is to prevent her from dating the single most politically important person in the universe. (To be clear, Aang would never deliberately squish a wife like that, I just think the workload of being Avatar and last air nomad would cause that to happen)

A lot of my objections to this pairing are very adult objections. I don't know what I would have thought about this pairing when I was the age of the show's target audience. It undoubtedly would have bothered me less, although I probably would have been put off by how twee it is. As an adult, all I can see are babies playing house.

As for the comics, I hadn't made any concrete plans to read them. I don't know where I'd get access to them. I'm not sure how canonical they are. I guess I should probably decide whether or not I want to read them after I've finished the whole series. I've been told that my girl Jin appears in one of them, so I definitely have some interest. I have also had the Avatar Kyoshi novels strenuously recommended to me. But so much of Avatar's charm, to me, is in the medium. And while comics are closer to animation than books are, they're still static. Avatar does movement so well.

[lilghostiequinni]

Arrival

Main Masterlist Avatar Masterlist

Pairing: Na'vi!female oc x Neteyam

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, mentions of character death, talk of death, forced movement of a person,

Part Summary: In which she learns that she, as the only girl, is destined to live the life she didn't want to.

Part One of the Whether Or Not series; prev. part & next part

Requested: NO / yes

In the trees and caves of the Floating Mountains of Pandora, the home of the Omyatica rested there, watching and fending off other tribes from their lands.

The leader of them all, the Ole'tekyan, Toruk Makto, Jake Sully, held to a higher esteem because of his triumphs over the sky demons after they took Home Tree. He walked through his village, looking for his eldest son, his heir, Neteyam, he was to be the next Ole'tekyan of Omyatica.

Jake found his son on the highest peak of the Mountains, sitting there, meditating.

"My son, what of your duties?"

"I finished morning duties a few hours ago, and thought I'd stay for a while." Neteyam didn't open his eyes as he replied, but he did when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to clear my head. All I see is the water from before," Neteyam said as he looked away from his father's eyes as he sat down next to his son.

"It's okay, I just came to ask if you knew what your mother was planning on telling you later about the council's decision." Jake had questioned, even though he knew, he wanted to know if his other son, Lo'ak, who had eavesdropped on the whole ruling, had told the person the proceedings were about what had happened.

"No, Lo'ak said he knew, but I flew away before he said anything else," Neteyam responded.

"Well, don't tell your mother, but as you know it was about you and who would be your mate, but also about the tribe to the east of our land. They have been restless with the return of the Sky People and want to ensure safety," Jake tells as he looks ahead of him to the view his son has been enjoying for hours.

"Alright, what are we to do then?" Neteyam asks, glancing in the direction of his father.

"There is talk of an alliance with them in case it comes to war and to settle the rising tensions of the clan in the east," Jake says, meeting his son's eyes.

Neteyam just nods before feeling his father stand, "Come your mother did send me to you for a reason. She has called the family for dinner."

Neteyam stands up next to his father and calls from his ikran, which has never gone far from him since the accident.

The duo flies back down and goes to the Sully family hut, which is further away from the rest of the huts and village for added privacy of the Ole'tekyan and his family.

The two come through the door as the rest of Neteyam's siblings come out of their rooms within the hut, well beside Kiri as she sits next to their mother helping.

Neteyam sits next to his mother with no words as Jake gives his son a betrayed look before Kiri moves to her normal place around the fire, and Jake takes the spot she vacated.

"Your father tell you of the council meeting?" His mother was never one to 'beat around the bush' as his father had said many times, a phrase in English that was one only his father used.

"Only parts about the neighboring eastern tribe," Neteyam tells, leaving the rest because he wasn't really told what his fate in mating was.

"Good, but you do know of the other matter discussed by the council, yes?" Neytiri questioned her eldest.

"Not much, just that it's a real possibility that I will not choose my mate," Neteyam while not happy about being able to choose his own mate, never really thought of any other way, mainly because there was no one in the village he liked, he knew them all to degree and none felt right to him, he had his pick of anyone, but none never appealed.

"Well at least your father hasn't told you then," Neytiri said before turning to your son. "The council has decided to further talk about it tomorrow, but there is a great chance that you will be mating with the eastern tribe to form the alliance with them, as I told, the council is meeting further before meeting with the eastern tribe's council and Ole'tekan."

Of course, his mother didn't wait until after the meal to tell her son of the impending mating that was a real possibility to better the tribe, and its relations.

Mayu ran through the trees of her village, happy to hear her father was home from his long trip with the council to discuss an alliance with the tribe to the west, the Omyatica.

The people greeted her and, she greeted back, some even laughed at her antics as she was the only girl of her father and the youngest of her five, four older brothers, this happened whenever she found something new on her adventures or when her father and brothers came back from a long trip or hunt.

She made it to her family's hut in the center of the village and ran to inside to her father, jumping on his back as she did.

"Father, you are back. I found something on my adventures yesterday, you must see!!" Mayu was an excited person there was never not a time when she didn't have a smile on her face.

Well, there was that one time...

Her father laughed as she ran to her partitioned room and grabbed whatever it was she found the day before.

"I went exploring the water's edge, you know the place between the glacier and the sea, and I found this," She pulled out a necklace that was crafted of shells and beads, but she specifically pointed to the the center of the necklace, a larger shell that seemed to be from the warmer waters and not the relatively colder waters of the edge.

"It must have traveled a great deal; it looks like it's from the Metkayina tribe of the southern waters, the reef people," Her father admired the shell she found. He entertained her little adventures while she was scolded by her mother for wandering from the village.

It wasn't like she had many duties to do. She wasn't the eldest child of her father, she wasn't going to be Ole'tekyan or Tsaik, and her eldest brother had a mate who was learning from her mother and aunt.

Mayu always knew her fate.

She would either find a mate on her adventures or be betrothed to some other member of her tribe when her father and mother finally agreed on a man and her father was ready for her to leave.

"Ma Reyon, you must tell her the wonderful news." Her mother's voice interrupted the musing of father and daughter.

"I will Ma Chise, after Mayu finishes telling what she intends the necklace for," Her father was never one to not listen to her mother, but he hadn't seen his daughter in days, and what was she to be told would draw his only daughter away from him.

"It's okay, Sempul, I can tell you later, I want to hear about your trip." Mayu was also a kind soul who never knew when to stop caring for others.

"No, what is the necklace for, then I will tell you of my own adventure." Reyon was to excited to see his daughter and hear her story to tell her of what transpired on his council trip to the Omyatika.

Mayu, while disappointed to not learn of his adventure, perked up at the reason behind her necklace and about the promise of hearing of her father's adventures.

"I was going to give it to my mate, whether you and Sa'nok choose him or not," Mayu told not catching the look that her mother gave her father over her shoulder.

Before her father could get a word out about his adventures, his five four sons came through the door, and Mayu quietly went to her room to put away her necklace, before her brothers could see it.

Her brothers were way too overprotective in her eyes, not her father's. Of course, he was just as bad sometimes, most times.

Her brothers never wanted to hear anything about their baby sister mating or betrothed, for the simple fact that no one was good enough for her or her heart.

Baby is a term used loosely, she's almost twenty and two cycles old, but again, it's hard to convince her brothers and father of this.

"Rayon!" Her mother says, exasperated at what was happening, she knew what must be said and that it must be told to, at least, her daughter now, or it would never get told until later, meaning the day before it was to happen. "Now!"

Rayon's head fell as he knew what must be done, he gathered his family and told them to sit, everyone sat around the fire as their mother passed out the food she was making.

Her brothers to the left of her mother, her father to the right, with her to her father's right, but she was not next to her closest brother, there was a place between the two.

Both Mayu and her mother looked at the spot too long and almost broke down in tears.

"There is something I must tell you, Mayu; it is about your betrothals. One has been found." Rayon tried not to let his eyes water as his sons were silenced with the raise of a hand from their mother.

"He isn't from the village or the people, he is the next Ole'tekyan of the Omyatica. He is a good man, Toruk Makto's son. The ceremony is to be held in one moon's cycle." Her father says, just get it out there, not beating around the bush, knowing it would be better in the end.

Mayu has no words for her father, and while the rest of her family waits for a response, even her once-protesting brothers are waiting for her to speak first before saying anything.

But a word never comes from her mouth as she stands and goes to her sectioned-off space in the hut.

Afterward, no one made a sound, not having the heart to speak after Mayu left for her mat, they ate their meal in silence, and nothing but the sound of breathing and the sound of chewing from the bites taken could be heard anywhere in the hut.

Mayu returned just moments before everyone was done.

"Can we still be part of the mating? We've had everything ready for months. After he had that dream that you didn't believe." Mayu's voice was quiet as she voiced her question.

Rayon just nodded at his daughter as her mother wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, giving her the pouch of food she left earlier.

Mayu took it and her brothers, who could eat a whole parkle to themselves each, took more and moved to other, lighter topics than what was previously being discussed.

Maka, her eldest brother, tried to push Koa, the youngest elder brother, into the fire with the help of No'ak, the third oldest, the one before Koa, as Testey, the second eldest, just watched the three laughing.

Mayu stood in the doorway of her family home, grabbing the last of her stuff, she walked to the closed-off space next to her's, and she walks in, grabbed a few things that she wanted, and walked back out to the entrance looking back once again, a single tear falling down her cheek as she turns her back and walks to her ikran, which is near her family.

Her brothers Koa and No'ak going with her on her journey to the Omatikaya and will stay with her until the ceremony, when the elders, important members of her tribe, and the rest of her family come to watch as well.

The three set off after tears were shed by her mother and a final hug from her father. The three flew off towards the Omatikaya lands, crossing the border with a few more ikrans with Omatikaya people joining as they cross the border.

The three are shown the way to two pods, one for Mayu and the other for her two brothers.

Mayu stands just inside her pod as her stuff is brought into the pod by two of the four people who flew them to the base of the Omatikaya people.

"Thank you," Mayu whispers as the two leave.

With no mother or family to make her cry more and no people to see her cry, Mayu lets out a few tears and whimpers.

She quickly wipes them away when a knock is delivered to the side of the doorway, which she covered after all of her stuff was brought in.

With a quick "Come in," the person at the door entered the pod. Mayu turned to see who it was and found her brothers with five unknown people in tow.

"Mayu, this is Toruk Makto, Jake Suli, his mate Neytiri, and two of their children, also the Tsahik of the Omatikaya." No'ak introduces as he points to each person as he says, with Koa watching his little sister's expressions.

Mayu doesn't know what to say, so she just delivers a small wave to the five. Realizing she has to say something, she whispers a small "Hello."

Jake just smiled at the girl as he also just waved, the same with his daughter. The son and mother kept quiet, though, as the Tsahik walked closer to her and didn't say anything.

She pokes her with the small dagger that was hidden in her head peace, Mayu's brothers became alert for their sister, but Mayu held up her hand to the two, knowing the common practice as she studied under her mother even if it was of no use to her then.

The Tsahik looks to the other four and gives a nod before leaving the way she came, stopping once at the door to say, "I will return later to help prepare the pre-ceremony rituals of the Omatikaya."

Mayu gave the woman a nod of understanding before turning her attention back to the others.

"I was wondering if it would be okay to go to your spirit tree. I must ask the advice of Eywa, Ryuu, and Kani," Her question may have seemed outlandish to the four Omatikaya because their eyes widened in surprise.

Jake recovered first and responded with, "Of course, it is now your spirit tree. Lo'ak will take you."

Jake gave his son a pointed look as Lo'ak beckoned the girl who was to mate with his brother a gesture of follow.

The others left the pod not long after Lo'ak and Mayu left; both got on their ikran, and Mayu followed Lo'ak to the spirit tree of the Omatikaya.

"This must be new to you?" Lo'ak tried to make conversation on the short ride over to the tree.

"No, not really. I always knew I would be here. Well, not here with the Omatikaya, but away from my home," Mayu's response quieted Lo'ak for just a minute.

"Who are Ryuu and Kani?" Lo'ak asked her, as he descended to the clearing around the spirit tree.

"Ryuu was my former betrothed and friend, while Kani is my brother," Mayu said both names with a hint of sadness to them.

Lo'ak looked at her and nodded, "I will stand here while you talk to them. I really can't get in trouble, I was in enough before you got here."

Mayu chuckled at the end of Lo'ak's statement, "Kani would've liked you, and No'ak will too."

"No'ak?"

"Yes, the older of my two brothers that came with me." Lo'ak nodded his head at her statement as she then walked the path to the tree.

After the earlier mishap, I finished it as it was mostly done. The other Avatar series I wanted to start will be up hopefully tomorrow or within the next 24ish hours. Also, I'm not that happy about the ending, but, I mean, I don't think I could do much better without going into what I have planned for the next part.

Tags: @etherynn @thiawithvoid @bakugouswaif

If you want to be removed from a tag list, let me know, so I don't keep tagging you

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

Because I love coral reefs I am hoping to create a beautiful coral reef planet full of them. A few things that are on my mind. Obviously, coral reefs only grow in tropical areas, which should probably exclude the poles. That's fine. So a few questions on that. What is the best way to extend the tropical range? What is the narrowest possible temperature range between equator and pole? How well can I do if I diversify my corals with plenty of heat or cold resistant coral? What characteristics do those corals need? Also, this is very much a living and evolving planet so I have questions on how these coral reefs have changed over the different periods What would make the current period long-lasting and not have had the last mass extinction too soon? I want certain coral species to be ancient and have survived multiple mass extinctions. How can I design those?

Addy: I did some searching, but I'm no climate-dinosaur expert, so the best I've got for you are some rough outlines of our own planet's history.

We've had many coral reefs over the eons - the largest (from my understanding) were during the late Devonian period, but they were actually made of different creatures than what make up our modern reefs. They died off, though, and our modern corals took their place. Those modern corals really took off during the Cretaceous period, so I'm looking at that for climate stuff.

The Cretaceous period had high water levels (~300+ ft above modern sea level), which meant that you had large, shallow stretches of ocean over areas that would otherwise be land. The poles didn't have ice caps (average polar water temperature was around 40°F), and Antarctica was covered in forests.

You did have periodic oxygen deprivation events, but you could probably prevent those by introducing some more currents into your oceans. Our Cretaceous period had some pretty clustered continents, which, to compare it to HVAC, meant that they didn't get a lot of ventilation. Really easy for it to get stuffy in a room without ventilation… or to use up all of your oxygen and suffocate. So! Make the areas a bit less clustered, give your continents a bit more room to breathe. Open a metaphorical window. That'll help prevent mass extinctions.

For land temperatures… from what I could find online, the areas within the latitudes from the equator to ~10° were tropics, the 10°-30° latitudes were arid subtropics*, the 30°-45° latitudes were humid subtropical with moderate/heavy rainfall, and then the polar regions were temperate.

* Might be from the oceans getting squeezed like that, not much room for the winds to pick up ocean spray

A couple useful links:

https://www.climate-policy-watcher.org/global-climate-2/cretaceous-era.html shows some specific temperatures for certain regions

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/fossils-and-geological-time/corals/ info about corals

https://www.britannica.com/science/Cretaceous-Period info about the Cretaceous period

So if you've got a warm planet with large regions of shallow ocean, then you've got a coral-happy environment. We have sections of modern Earth that are like this, but they're only sections. Cold-resistant coral are going to live a bit deeper in the ocean, and are a sort of bastion of safety when ocean temperatures rise. They don't support the same marine species as the shallower reefs, but the cooler temperatures they live in are generally safer during periods of global warming (which we're seeing again now, as the planet warms).

Certain coral species to survive… I'd say that you'd get family lines that'd survive, that's easy, no problem. Whatever didn't die in the last mass extinction lives on, and its offspring will be whatever species come next. If you want it to be an exact species, then you'd probably need to have the last extinction to have happened relatively soon. If you're just looking for something that looks similar and acts pretty much the same, then it can have happened however long ago, no issue. 

[detransdamnation]

you can stop medical transition for medical reasons but do you think social detransition will make you happier? would it make your life easier? if not will it worth it at the end?

This message has been in my inbox for months. Only just now getting around to it. I've reread it a few times and genuinely cannot tell if these are serious questions from a well-meaning individual or if this is a troll trying to catch me in some sort of gotcha. In the case it's the latter, there's a possibility I'll embarrass myself actually making the effort to answer. But alas, maybe my response will give something to someone out there.

Three years on, I'm still living as the opposite sex and the fact I'm still stalling is kind of sad. Like, the type of sad you can't help but laugh at because it's so ludicrous. But I try to be patient and understanding underneath the self-deprecating jokes. I can admit that I'm clinging onto what little of my transitioned self I still have, even with the knowledge it's long been time to let go. I know what awaits me once I pull that trigger, which is exactly what I was trying to run from by transitioning—and the fact it's likely to be even worse today not only considering how the sociopolitical climate has developed, but also how the physical effects of my hormones still remain (...and at this point, it's unlikely that'll ever change).

This is a win for my dysphoria, a roadblock in my social detransition. At this point, I don't think I would even be able to pass as my own sex lest I dress and act like yet another hyper-stereotypical caricature. The reason I say this with so much confidence, even while knowing dysphoria can and will play these tricks on you, is that I'm honestly barely trying to pass half these days, yet still, the most deviation from my norm is the occasional "What are your pronouns?"—and I can often tell, just based off their body language, the person I am speaking to expected exactly what I always say (the opposite sex's). These are strangers I will never see again who have no reason to lie to me, or even give me any sort of courtesy. I could still count on one hand how many times others (to my knowledge) have actually guessed correctly. And even if all of these people were just being polite... I obviously look ambiguous-but-leaning-more-THIS-way enough for the prospect of guessing THAT way to be an uncomfortable thought for most.

Logically, I understand it doesn't matter how other people see me—but emotionally, it is hard to feel at home with your own sex when others, without even trying to, would consider you an outsider if you were to try to line up with them. It makes you think your own suspicions—that you don't belong—have some truth to them. It makes me hesitant to go all in, not even just because of dysphoria and crutches but for reasons of safety. Maybe I'll be riding these waves 'til all that's left is shore. I know I will crashland because I know what I was running from and I am not looking forward to having to face that, head-on, and indefinitely.

Will social detransition make me happier? Would it make my life easier? No. Not necessarily. I'm delaying it after all this time for a reason. But even despite everything, it remains a goal for another:

The fact that I transitioned at all ensured that "happier" and "easier" would no longer be viable for me to use to justify making any particular decision in this area of my life.

Being transgender is hard. And sure, I might have been happier, anyway, just going off how I'd self-report on an average day way back. But in the greater scheme of things, when I compare myself then to myself today, I only ever re-confirm to myself that throwing my dysphoria into a transgender identity never actually made any sort of tangible difference to my well-being—and even if it did, it still wouldn't have been worth the physical damage that transition did to my body, or the emotional damage the community did to my psyche, neither of which I would ever be able to fully disassociate myself from if I were to change my mind. I know that for certain. There were times I had tried—and I never succeeded.

No matter which way I go, even if that way is remaining in limbo, some part of me is going to be unhappy. Some parts of my life will always be harder than if I'd stuck with the alternative. And the factors that led to my transition will still be there whether I'm grasping at bandage solutions to hide from them or not. All of this will always be a constant on some level, just in different ways.

But the only way I could actually solve the elephant in the room here, is if I could go back in time and never transition in the first place. This is not merely an identity or a topic. It is a cycle. You can enter it, or you can not—but if you do, it will always be with you. Down to the physical changes you had once welcomed so warmly.

So, it is not a matter of what makes me happier or what is easier. It is what is rational, objectively—and what I deserve between two imperfect scenarios, both boasting features I will embrace as well as lament. Detransition is far from the perfect scenario—but it is better than my only alternative. And that, in and of itself, makes all of what I just said worth it.

I couldn't give myself the best when I was younger. I will never be able to change that. I will always live with those consequences. But I can make the consequences easier—and give myself the justice I didn't know I deserved—by giving myself the best I can.

And so I am detransitioning. It's the best I can.

[dicenote]

I have some questions about Echo! First of all, I want to say that I liked her sm <3

So I wonder how her story would have unfolded if she had joined Kira's capture. Would she use tactics similar to L or Near, or would she be riskier like Mello? Or perhaps she would have her own way of investigating this case? I'm also curious about which Death Note character she'd like to work with, and which characters might possibly be friends with her!

Omg thank you so much! And thanks for the interesting questions <3 It's really given me a lot to think about!

(For most of this, I'm gonna use the pseudonym "Dix" for her since she wouldn't have the name "Echo" if she worked on the Kira case. I hope that's not too confusing!)

For the first question, let's suppose that Dix overheard Roger telling Near and Mello about L dying back in 2004 and that she wanted to join the case ASAP. How would she go about it?

I think the most important thing is that Dix would not want to deal with such a big case alone. She enjoys being around people, and the thought of having to isolate herself for years out of safety sounds horrible. She'd consider asking Near or Mello since they're already on the case, but Mello leaves soon after he hears the news, and Near is much too passive in his investigation for her tastes. So instead, Dix asks the third-best Wammy's kid, Matt, for help.

(Side note: I'd like to think that out of Matt, Mello, and Near, she'd be closest to Matt. And by that, I mean he plays games with her a lot. He also loses a lot. I originally intended for Dix to be about 4-5 years older than the three of them and be more of a distant "older cousin" figure, but I messed up the birthdate. So she's only a little older than Matt, but still acts like a cooler older sister.)

Matt, eager for adventure and kinda bummed that Mello left without him, agrees and sets off for Japan with Dix. They figure, based on their own observations, that Kira has got something to do with the NPA, so they start there. I'm not too set on the details, but they'd probably get wrapped up in a lot of goofy "sidequests" and such in their search for Kira. Maybe they try getting jobs in the NPA to do undercover work and run into Light? Again, not totally sure there.

I don't think that Dix and Matt alone are going to solve the case, unfortunately, though they probably speed things up by a few years. If Matt died, for example, it might motivate Mello to make his moves faster. Dix's work might be able to eliminate the suspects down to the Task Force quickly, but she probably won't be able to get the crucial evidence to get Light arrested. Regardless, Dix and Matt would have a very fun time on the case (if they both live, of course).

I'm getting kinda off-topic from your question, but I think Dix would have an investigation style that's most like how L investigates the Kira case. See, her deductive reasoning isn't as strong as L's or Near's (another reason why she needs Matt with her), but she is incredibly good at reading people. That means that in order to make good deductions, she needs to speak with her targets directly, or at least be able to observe them. If she were in L's shoes back at the start of the case, she would totally enroll in Light's university and play weird mind games with him to see what he does, much like L. She's a bit of a risk-taker like L, but she wouldn't go as far as to use Lind L. Tailor or actually handcuff herself to Light.

Now for the other question, which characters she'd work with or be friends with... This is pretty hard, since she's pretty removed from the cast once she leaves Wammy's. She probably still thinks fondly of the others and occasionally sends letters to the orphanage when she can.

Like I said before, if she was working on the Kira investigation, she'd wanna work with her fellow Wammy's kids. She'd prefer to work with all of them because they all have different skills that balance each other out, but that would never happen. Mello and Matt are her first choices over Near, but she does appreciate the work Near does.

In the normal version of canon where she isn't involved with the Kira case and instead is a radio host, Echo would probably run into Takada here and there since they're both in the same industry. Maybe they met at a convention or something early into their careers and ended up talking. This makes January 25th, 2010 a rough day for her, as two of her oldest friends and one of her only new ones die horrifically.

Also, I think she'd at least know of Demegawa. Maybe she's heard a few stories from friends and coworkers. She doesn't like him, though, and especially stays clear when he gets wrapped up in "Kira's Kingdom".

A funny random thought I had was that Echo and Matsuda live in the same apartment complex during the second half of Death Note. They run into each other at ungodly hours of the night and make small talk every so often. Echo thinks that "Taro" must be hiding an affair or something because he isn't home all that much and always looks "off" to her. Eventually, she figures out it's something bigger than that, but neither of them ever realize that they're both connected to Near.

Also, I don't think they'd ever interact in canon, but I think Echo would like the SPK members, especially Gevanni and Halle. Maybe not in a strictly "friendly" sense, but she thinks that what they do looks pretty neat.

[my-castles-crumbling]

little question

i wanna come out as a lesbian to some friends who have been my friends for maybe 3 or 2 years

i would’ve told them earlier but again we mostly goof around and don’t really do proper “talks”

one is younger than me and the other is older than me and they’re both siblings so i figured i could tell them when they’re both together

but again they’re different ages compared to me so they’ll have different takes on it

how do i muster up the courage to tell them??

🫶🏽

Hi! <3

So, first of all, congrats on feeling ready to come out! That's a huge step! I'm proud of you for accepting yourself exactly as you are!

I guess I have a couple questions here- have you come out to anyone else? (besides me, lol) Do you have any sense of what type of household these friends were raised in? And, of course, make sure it is safe to do this.

If you've not come out to anyone else, my gut feeling is that you should start with a person or people you know will be receptive. It's a scary thing to come out, especially if you live in an area where it's not accepted, and I'd hate for your first experience to be a negative one. If possible, start by building up a group of people who are supportive and have your back.

If you have come out before and you have some supportive people, then as long as it's safe to tell your friends, heck yeah!

For me, when talking to friends about something more sensitive, I try to think through their possible reactions. You know these people better than I do- do you have any instinct on how they'll react?

Here's the thing, though. I don't think age has anything to do with reaction. It's how someone is raised and their own lived experiences and morals. I would hazard a guess that two siblings are more likely to act similarly.

All this to say, here are the two simplified possibilities: First, they could be cool with it and you could become closer by bringing up a deeper topic. Or, they could be weird and you could realize, hey, I probably don't want to be friends with them anyways.

If you're okay to deal with either of these reactions, then how do you get up the courage? I guess...remind yourself that you are worth people who accept you for you. And you're telling them because you want friends like that, not matter what the outcome. Just keep telling yourself, you are worth acceptance.

I hope that helps, and I'm always here if you need to talk!

(As always, remember to put your safety first and foremost!)

[simplepotatofarmer]

Genuine question, have you ever assisted an egg hatching? Like is it even okay to do that? I assume you would do that if it’s been past the expected hatching date, but when do you know if it needs assistance?

i have, both with quail and chickens!

there's debate in the chicken raising world on whether it's okay to help them hatch with the idea being that if a chick isn't strong enough to hatch, then it's not strong enough to live.

and there's some truth to that because sometimes a chicken ends up with issues but i don't really hold to that idea. i helped a quail chick with a club foot and he's doing really well, i get pictures from his new owner sometimes!

the way i look at it is, these are going to be my pets. i don't care about cross-beak or a chick that's much smaller because i'm willing to put in the effort to help the chick. so if you're going to assist with hatching, be prepared to maybe have to give that chicken extra help or to cull it humanely if need be. but i assist because i want to give the chick every chance possible.

however! you don't want to interfere unless absolutely needed because you can end up doing more harm than good. so here's my tips:

always mark your air cells right before putting them into lockdown. that way if a chick pips outside of the air cell, you know to give it some help! in that case, i'd just carefully widen the hole so it doesn't suffocate.

if a chick pips within the air cell, wait. some of them take a very long time to actually hatch. it's a lot of work! so wait until around 24 hours before doing anything. if you're really worried, keep an eye on the pip. you can typically see the chick breathing by the way the pip moves. if you see bubbles, definitely assist. that's something that happened to one of my chicks, mango.

don't assist all the way! your best bet is to moisten the membrane (i like to use coconut oil), carefully widen the pip hole with either tweezers or needle, then slowly break the shell in a circle, making sure the veins in the membrane are dried up, the way a chick would 'unzip' the egg. that gives the chick the air it needs and some help. put it back in the incubator and hopefully it'll push the rest of the way out on its own when it's ready! if at any point in 'unzipping' the egg, it begins to bleed, stop! i use flour or cornstarch to stop heavy bleeding but regardless, put the egg back and wait.

if you're worried about the membrane sticking to it/drying out or it hasn't come out on its own, you can go back and remove the top half of the shell fully. do not pull the chick out! moisten the membrane again. you need to be careful because if the yoke isn't fully absorbed or the veins aren't dried, the chick will likely die. if you have a paper cup or something small, you can set the chick with the bottom half of the egg into it with some paper towels so it can't fall out and the yoke can absorb. chances are at that point, it'll let you know when it's ready to move.

anyway!

it's definitely not a super easy process to do but it's not impossible and the three chicks i've assisted in the past all ended up being super healthy, coconut's club foot notwithstanding! there's a lot of guides online that give more detail.

whether or not you assist is completely up to you and a lot of people have a lot of opinions and i can't say either side is wrong or right, it's just up to you!

one thing i'll remind people of is, sometimes hatching takes a lot longer than we think it will so definitely don't let panic make you assist with a chick that might be just fine and taking its time.

eta: if there's no pip at all over two days from hatch day, take the egg out and candle it before deciding what to do! then start with a small 'safety hole' so it doesn't suffocate.

[immortalled]

hi! i’m so sorry if this is strange, i’m just working on a story and i’d love a second opinion ^^’ no pressure to answer this at all! it’s very hard to explain without proper context so bare with me

i was wondering how you think nathan would react upon finding out he’s the only person who can kill a creature that’s been plaguing him and his friends for a while, in a sort of IT inspired way? most of his friends would be dead at this point, so it’d be like a heroic attempt to make up for their losses by strapping himself with explosives lmao

he’d be around the age he appears in the show but in a tiny rural town setting with no powers

it’s a little up in the air for me on whether he would do it and what could happen afterwards, i’ve kept this quite vague mostly because it is just a loose storyline i’ve strung together while listening to a song, but if it sparks anything for you i’d love to hear!

Hi, Nonnie! Not strange at all! I love talking to people. ♥ (And apologies in advance, this got long because I started analyzing him LOL. Please feel free to skip the analysis under the cut if that doesn't interest you.)

Okay, so first off, I'm flattered you're asking me, and secondly, this sounds like a really fun fanfiction. If you're comfortable, I'd love to read it! If you ever post it on Ao3, please feel free to drop me a link! I'll subscribe!! c:

As for your question... Of course, please do always play with him however you want! I'm far from any kind of... idk, definitive authority on his character LOL, and fancreations are your own sandbox, so I'd never want anyone to change what they want to do based on my or anyone else's personal interpretation of a character. But! My personal two cents is that whether or not Nathan would sacrifice himself like that is really down to how strong his connection with his friends has grown and if he thinks there is anything to gain or save by doing so!

Nathan Young is a character who loves living. He's the embodiment of the early 2010s YOLO motto and that particular brand of unapologetic, teenagery/young adult joie de vivre attitude is why I think the storm gave him immortality as a super power. The rooftop scene in the S1 finale is a great example of this and his entire speech about going crazy while you're young, even if it's dangerous, is actually a really solid look into Nathan's worldview and what seems to drive his impulses. In fact, I think rewatching that entire episode might help you get a better perspective on Nathan and how he might handle the situation in your fanfic!

So, that is to say, I don't think mortal!Nathan is the kind of person to sacrifice his life for anything without very good reason. In fact, I'd argue that he wouldn't at all without immortality as a safety net. He's kind of a coward at times and tends to dodge anything painful or unpleasant, be it emotional or physical. But let's look at the times he sacrificed or almost sacrificed himself in canon!

S1E6 - Falling from the Wertham Community Centre. Nathan does not know he's immortal here and he almost doesn't go back for his friends at all. He only decides to try stopping Virtue because he's been pushed to the edge and realizes how much his weird little ASBO family means to him. Without them, he's totally alone again, and Nathan hates being alone. Although, in fairness, I also do not think Nathan believed there was a possibility of dying in this scenario. Rachel was mind-controlling people, not murdering them, and he clearly did not account for the fact that either of them would lose their balance. I am unsure that he would have done any of this had he known he might not make it out alive... maybe if he had exhausted all other options? Either way, the key here is that he did take risks because he thought he could still save his friends.

S2E2 - Trying to save Jamie. Nathan doesn't think before running toward the burning car to save his half-brother. He could have died here because the ecstasy he took reversed his power, but it's unclear whether or not he heard Simon's warning or if it would have made a difference. Considering how blind the reaction looked, I don't think being immortal or mortal would have mattered. But, still, he was acting on the hope that he could save Jamie.

S2E4 - Almost lets Tim gut him. In order to keep his friends from being killed by Tim the Crazy GTA NPC, Nathan agrees to be killed in their stead. However, he has to be pressured into it by his friends despite knowing he will come back to life. I think Nathan would have deeply regretted it if he had let Tim kill them, but in that moment he was far more afraid of the pain of death than anything else.

S2E6 - Suicide for fame and going toe-to-toe with the Murderous Milkman. This is one of the best examples of Nathan's growth and how he has begun to cope with his power in an extremely unhealthy way. In this episode, we see him toy with the idea of allowing himself to be killed for fame (albeit not without a little bit of peer pressure from his manager), which he does on-camera. We also see him try to legitimately fight someone for the first time when he seeks out Brian specifically for revenge after learning Brian murdered Kelly. In both instances, Nathan knows he will or could die, but he's willing to go through with it anyway because he's immortal. Dying hurts, it sucks, but he's learning to see it as something unimportant when he's able to come back to life. Obviously, he wouldn't kill himself on camera without immortality, but I think it's fair to question whether or not he'd attack someone out of revenge for a dead friend. Maybe? I don't personally think so, but it might be worth watching this episode again and analyzing the scene for yourself.

S2E7 / The "Christmas Special" - Blocking a gunman from shooting his friends. I admittedly have some beef with the characterization and overall writing of this episode, but I don't think that this particular scene is OOC. In this episode, an armed gunman bursts into the bar where Curtis works and is about to shoot. Nathan wastes no time getting in front of the gun and telling him to shoot, who cares, he's immortal. It's all very badass until he's reminded uh oh! he sold his power and is actually mortal now. Realizing that, Badass Hero Nathan vanishes and he flings himself out of the way to avoid being shot (which gets Nikki killed in the process). Now, obviously, this scene is set up entirely just to fridge Nikki and you could argue that Nathan isn't as close to Nikki as his other friends, but I don't think that would have mattered. If Nathan, mortal, had the choice between jumping between his friends and a bullet or hiding... I really do think he'd hide.

Don't get me wrong, Nathan can be selfless and heroic. The fact that he's immortal does not cheapen the fact that he was willing to endure the pain of death and what appears to be a very unpleasant resurrection process for the sake of potentially saving or avenging his friends. Nathan's an ass, and he's regularly selfish, but he is not a bad guy and he sticks his neck out for people he loves way more often than any of them give him credit for. But I also just do not think that he'd be willing to sacrifice or get himself hurt if he had no supernatural "take-backs". If he sacrificed himself, I think it would have to be accidental, as with running to save Jamie; some great, fatal risk that he does not consider fatal because he's too wrapped up in an emotion greater than his fear of dying.

For your story, I think you would have to either push him to the point of not being able to think past a greater fear, or you would have to remove all other options from him. Friends gone, family gone, way of living, maybe even the rest of the world, gone. Or perhaps he's trapped, somehow, in a place where he can't return to the rest of the world? Maybe he's stuck in a place where it will forever be just him and the monster that's been hounding them. I think that he would have to sit with that revelation for a while, wear down, and then maybe he would seriously consider destroying himself to destroy the creature, if the alternative is too suffocating and grim to bear. Whatever the reason, without his friends to save, the catalyst for his decision would need to be something that directly affects Nathan, not people who are no longer alive.

Anyway, that's just my very long two cents. Again, fictional characters are up to interpretation and I think most any character can be pushed and changed to do whatever you want in the right circumstances, especially AUs. So don't let my opinions stop you if you want to take his character a different direction! The most important thing is to have fun and write the story you want to tell. c:

If you have any more thoughts or want to brainstorm some ideas, though, I'm happy to bat around some stuff with you and see what sticks! I read IT several years ago and loved it, so seeing the Misfits gang thrown into a similar situation sounds like a ton of fun.

[blankticket]

7, 17, 19

7) If you could “borrow” one aspect of Vash and apply it to yourself or your own life, what would you borrow?

plant powers tbh. wrt the lifespan thing, for the record im pretty staunchly anti-immortality anti-singularity etc. bc as i've made vash say as much, none of us will need forever. plus any sorta tech like that if it's ever possible is going to prioritize, if not exclusively save, those who can afford such a thing. but anyway the idea that i would get to live for as long as i want is appealing.

i'm not thinking of a longer lifespan as a safety net for failures, cause i think i'd appreciate being imperfect with a longer lifespan, but rather thinking of it in terms of how i could then guarantee there's more good that i'll be putting out into the world. i'd probably have to take a page out of vash's book and travel around a lot so that people don't realize the same 20-something's been around for centuries but eh. idk maybe my feelings would change 300 years in, who knows

17) Why do you think you connect to Vash?

made a face like i licked a lemon reading this question bro i wont lie. the same reasons i connect to vash are the same reasons i avoided trigun for many many years. i was afraid (trigun maximum) vash's character would hit too close to home. particularly the twin stuff, even before knowing that vash would lose his own brother, too—being a lifelong lone twin myself. in comparison to maximum, stampede emphasizes much more on the twins, and even besides that, a lot of vash's deal in stampede feels uncannily similar to my own experiences. um you ever bump into a fictional character you feel completely #read by and just want to fucking run and leave and forget for as long as you can. well. yeah it was like that except now i'm much more able to handle this shit so i'm here now

sharing the same personality as him (in vash so far i definitely see a lot of who i used to be as well, when i was so much more of a self-deprecating people-pleaser bc i believed so much in my own worthlessness), the twin bereavement thing, wearing glasses (myopic deadeye), preferring revolvers (when he spun the cylinder while loading bullets in i was like omgg hes just like me fr), thinking nicholas d wolfwood is hot, all these connections definitely inform my interpretation and portrayal of vash. and i kin the guy but that's obvious enough

19) If you had to judge Vash and sentence him to a “fair” fate, what would your judgment be? Would you punish him? Reward him? How?

ok in my opinion. and also this is going to sound hilariously ridiculous without the context of trigun maximum but whatever. it looks like orange is ultimately going to turn vash into a giant apple tree or otherwise use the last of his lifespan to save his brother. i'm not completely set on how i feel about that, given that not even a little teaser for the final phase season is out yet! but for how i feel right now at least, i think that fate is pretty fitting. can't say whether that's exactly either a reward or punishment though

spirale-wise it's so much harder to say lol, i'm not writing vash keeping an ultimate endpoint in mind or ever considered one for him…

hm. well, if i come up with something, it'll be a hypergiant challenge deal. i have considered doing something like that for him 2 years after last year's giant challenge, to mirror how in-canon the timeskip is 2 years post-julai. but idek if i'll still be writing him by then. stay tuned?

[blizziedoodles]

🌾🌺🌸 and I feel super bad but I doNOT remember his name...Blizzie's boyfriend! The blue guy with the camo pants, I've drawn him before

🌾 What would your OC be like if they were evil. Or if they’re already evil what would they be like as the good guy?

"You know, these questions seem to have something in common, and I don't know if I like the thought of that. I'd like to say that I'm a pretty good person, and honestly I don't want to know what I'd be like if I was evil. So...pass?" So Kezador is the white knight who isn't trying to be a white knight, if that makes sense. He's put a lot of time and effort into creating a place that is safe and secure, where people can live without fear, judgement, etc. I think the logical next step is that if he was evil, he would be very overbearing. The society he created would be very dystopian in that you'd be punished or kicked out for even minor infractions, you'd constantly have to watch what you say around him. As a villain, he would essentially create a police state, even though his FULL INTENTION would have been to create a place of safety and security. He would become paranoid and lash out at perceived wrongs, and since it's his society, his refuge camp, HE would be the one to make the rules, break them when he decided the cause was great enough, and over all become a terrible dictator of sorts. Side note: It's super easy to slip into this sort of mindset if you believe yourself to be a good person. Because if you believe that you're a good person and you're doing the right thing, you can start to feel like you're above reproach, that you can't be doing wrong because that wasn't what you intended to happen. And well...yeah.

🌺 In what situation would your OC be pushed to commit an act of violence? Would they go as far to kill someone if they had to? How would this affect them and their relationships with others?

Kezador had a bit of training from an old veteran who acted as his father figure for a while, so he's good in a fight and knows how to wield multiple weapons at least moderately well. Kezador will fight if the need arises. He prefers to defend rather than go on the offensive. If you don't count self defense as violence, then under normal circumstances, he would never commit an act of violence. However. There are a significant number of people that mean more to Kezador than his own life, and if any of them was killed or murdered (there is a difference), I think that would spark him to...attempt several acts of violence against the culprit. Kezador would kill if it was absolutely necessary. He would not like it and he would try everything in his power not to do it, but when push comes to shove, he would make the call and take the shot. Anyone who knows him well would know that this was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do and they would be there for him. Obviously there would be people who couldn't see him the same way again, but when it all came down to it, the people who matter the most would understand.

🌸 What would your OC do if they were given god-like powers or the ability to change anything about the world for a whole day?

"I would want to use my powers to get rid of evil. There are so many people living in fear all the time. I would want to make it so they didn't have to look over their shoulders at night. I would want to make it so people can live happily and safely. I would also probably try to get rid of diseases and illnesses, and that is...a little selfish on my part because I would 100% get rid of my own diabetes." I'd also like to pop in here and say that of course Kezador would have fully good intentions, but since he is 16 his idea of evil is not as nuanced as it could be. He would want to help as many people as possible, but because he thinks certain things qualify as evil that..shouldn't, he would ultimately cause a lot of problems with those powers. It's just a matter of trying to do the right thing, but not thinking about it from every angle, like when you ask for a wish from a genie and they get you with a loophole.

[adollchild]

Hihi~! Recently as of now, I've been debating on whether or not I should become a caretaker/caregiver/etc. This thought first occurred to me when I first took a deep dive into the world of agre! And now has occurred once again, now that I am in a few discord servers with some littles/ageres.

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I'd like/plan to be a long-distance/digital CG (if its possible ofc!)

But if I were to become a CG, I do not feel entirely comfortable with adult littles. I also don't really feel comfortable with in-person CG. (Being online will do me just fine!)

Reason; I am a minor, so I think it would be best preferred of me to CG other littles with big age's like, (eg. 13-17)

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Yes, I have been flipping through your CG guide reblogs. I don't think there's any for new online CGs :{. (From what I found searching, maybe I'm not searching hard enough lol.)

But in your honest opinion, do you feel comfortable and think it's alright for minors like me, to become a CG? Do you think minors should only caretaker other minors? (Sorry for the complicated tie breaker question here!) Uhh Thank You so much if you do answer this ask, it means a million from me~! I've just been doing a lotta thinkin at the moment and self-discovery typa stuffs.

Cheers!

Hi there ♡

I fully understand why you aren't comfortable taking care of adult regressors. I think it’s a really good idea to only engage in this type of relationship with someone your own age, rather than someone way older/younger than you.

I am in no way an expert on the subject, but I’m worried that having the full responsibility of another person’s safety and well-being over an extended period of time might negatively affect your own mental health when you’re still very young yourself.

While I can definitely see the appeal of taking care of a regressor over a longer period of time, I would recommend waiting until you’re older before engaging in that type of relationship and taking on that huge responsibility that comes with it.

If you want to get started as a caretaker as a minor, I’d recommend starting out by looking into being a babysitter for a regressor around the same age as you, since taking on babysitting gigs is something that is also common for teenagers to do outside the context of age regression. It’s still a big responsibility, I’m pretty certain that the risks of it having long term negative effects on your well-being are generally smaller, especially since babysitting occurs during a shorter amount of time as opposed to taking on a full time caregiver role.

Also, remember to be really careful when engaging with people online that you don’t know irl. You never really know who’s on the other side of the screen. I’d recommend not sharing pictures of yourself until you have verified that the other person is who they say they are. Some ways to do this is either by having a video call or meeting up at a crowded public place (like a café or a pet store), and staying there during the first meeting(s) (this option might not be a possibility if you live far away from each other). Another good tip for meeting in person is to bring someone else along with you, preferably a trusted adult.

As a final note, don't share things like your full legal name, social security number, passwords, home address, the name of your school, etc. online. This is sensitive information that can easily be used to hurt you very severely and pose a great threat to your safety in the wrong hands. (You probably already knew this, but better safe than sorry! I don't want you to get hurt.)

I hope you could use my reply. Sorry if it got a bit long ^-^

[sentientgopro]

My parents are currently trying to figure out a way for me to not have to share a bedroom with my brother, to the extent of considering a room in the garden. I said its probably just not worth it, Ive managed living in the room with him for many years, Im sure I can make do for another year and a half, and she said to me "You can't just put your life on hold like that for a year and a half until you move out". And she has no clue that had an entirely different meaning to me.

Yes, I DO have to put my life on hold until I move out, in a much more severe and damaging way than she realises, because of her transphobic ass.

But regardless of the twat saying it and the irrelevant context, I've been dwelling on those words. Its already getting kinda difficult a month into cracking doing nothing. Ive still got about another 20 to go before I even START transitioning and thats far from an instant problem fix, isn't it.

And I already wanted to think more in detail about how it will go when they inevitably find out, but this has presented a nice opportunity to think about it a bit more. My Dad will be absolutely pissed, plain and simple, to the extent that I'd have to make sure he finds out from a long distance for my own safety. He's gotten very aggressive over alot less. My mother, on the other hand, is a much more complex question.

She's the only one I've really ever talked to about issues (particularly issues relating to Dad, as well as mental issues), shes a psychologist so she kinda has a bit of idea what shes talking about. and she has said, on many occasions, that she thinks I'm very emotionally intelligent. She thinks I know myself very well. So if I told her about something I know she fundamentally disagrees with, will she just forget all that?

The thing is, she's been locked into conservative beliefs, but she can be reasoned with. One example was of a general discussion over the existance of gender dysphoria and validity of trans people, and I convinced her that gender dysphoria is real, there are scientific explanations behind why trans people feel the way they do. And she cannot find an argument against me so she resorts to "Okay, people like that exist, but I think most just do it because they think its trendy" cool, an entirely unmeasurable, impossible to back up claim that I cant even outright disprove so it pretty much ends up as her being right because she just knows better apparently. But, up to outright convincing her to change her beliefs, she can be reasoned with.

And besides, if Im so emotionally intelligent, surely I should belong to the group of people who aren't faking it, by her logic?

Honestly, if she was just outright never going to accept me like him, itd be easier. But the fact that theres a genuine question here makes it so difficult. Like, her helping cover for me and keep it a secret from my Dad and Brother while I start HRT is a genuine, possible outcome. Its also very unlikely.

But, if I could convince her Im not making it up, which should work in theory, and if she holds the belief that I can't just put my life on hold, its a forseeable outcome. And I don't know how I feel about that.

(Short bit of context for the next bit) One of my Sixth Form teachers has gotten extremely ill, we don't know the details but basically, hes disappearing for a while and we dont know if hes ever coming back. He is the ONLY member of staff in the school capable of teaching the subject. So, my mother arranged a meeting with the head to ask what happens next, and raised concerns over my education. In return, the head tried to ignore it by pinning it on me, saying I'm struggling already, and basically turn it around on me as if our only teacher isnt disappearing.

So I tried defending myself in a few ways, one of them being, since the last round of tests, Ive been feeling like, ALOT better, better motivated, to an extent that is affecting me on a day to day basis and making it easier to get work done, so there should be a massive improvement since my last tests. So after the meeting, naturally, my mother wanted to know what it was exactly that changed, and I realised I fucked up. The thing that changed was realising I was trans and realising that, eventually, I could be happy, and I have something to look forward to and work towards. So now shes gonna keep asking and wanting to talk about what it was. She keeps asking to go on a walk and talk about it.

And it keeps making me imagine, far into the walk, after she keeps poking and prodding, just going, "Fuck it, leap of faith". Because the more I dont tell her, the more suspicious shes probably gonna become.

idk, theres no real end point to this. This is more of a vent than figuring out my feelings. Supportive relatives are great, unsupportive relatives suck, but questionable relatives are fucking anxiety provoking. This is nothing new Im discovering here, really, this is a trans experience thats older than time itself. But I've never been a big risk taker, so Ill probably just take the long route and make sure they find out as late as possible.

[ourdillo]

🎷📣 - Inoci

🙈 🕷️ - No Name

🚆 🍩 - Thomas

Oh great choices, actually! Thank you!

[INOCI.]

🎷 "Do they play instruments? Are they any good at it?"

Inoci is actually a gifted pianist and violinist! He learned to play the piano and violin after his first two years on earth while he was in his human disguise in Milan, Italy. He was fond of the sounds they made, as they reminded him of his late mothers beautiful hum that he would listen to in the days she was still around his old home. Thanks to his skills, it has made things easier for him to break the ice with anyone he is romantically interested in but also makes for a good distraction and disguise given how a hit is going. There are others he can play but not as good, the worst instrument for him is a flute cuz he just blows it without using his fingers.

📣 "How loud are they? What do they speak like? Got a calm voice?"

So he usually talks quite loud and energetic, often due to his mentality of life and how he views many things as a fun Saturday morning cartoon. Imagine someone who just won the lottery but was coherent with their speech! Now, saying this, he does actually have a calm voice but it's more mood depending. In an interrogation he's a lot calmer, sadistic and menacing with his words as that usually helps get the egg to crack. He can also talk calmly in an almost whisper when he's feeling romantic or seductive, this is only when he wants to set a mood however whether its the wholesome kind or the spicy kind. If he's close enough with a partner he will be his usual loud self but he also knows when to be calmer and more sugary sweet! If he can detect something is bothering his partner, he usually talks low and softly with a shoulder rub to help.

[NO NAME.]

🙈 "What's a side of your OC that they don't want to show other people?"

Ahh good question as No Name is an openly admitted furry, so what would he not want others to see? Well, it would be his strange obsession with the feeling of pudding against his chrome skin. Yes. I'm serious. No Name enjoys how it feels when pudding is gently caressed against him with his favourite locations being his pecs, abs and the face area of his head. It isn't at all sexual, but he's scared people would think it is. It's more a feeling of comfort and... safety for him, he can't explain it himself but it makes him feel more confident in himself. Now obviously he doesn't do it a lot as it's a bitch to wash off and then polish but after a hard case closed he may treat himself to a pudding massage! Also, if he lives with someone and there is pudding in the house, two cups may be missing. Also also, his favourite texture wise is berry pudding.

🕷️ "What is their biggest fear? Do they have any irrational/mundane fears?"

His biggest fear is never being good enough for those he cares for, it's why he's often so clingy and willing to help as he hopes it makes others view him as more than he does himself. Another fear is losing himself, I'd consider him morally grey but willing to do things a certain way to make the best outcome, but he sometimes worries about the possibility that he'd go down a dark path which is actually something he encountered during a dimensional rift. As for irrational/mundane, that's tough to say as he is very calm and stoic with his words and how he behaves but if i could think of one thing it would be mirror houses. He sees his own damn reflection so much, he's fine with mirrors but if he is surrounded by them he may actually crumble into a fetal position and hyperventilate.

[THOMAS.]

🚆"What is there answer to the trolley problem?'

So this is when the trolley is moved once the decision is made, yeah? If so, he would just lazily ask each individual person what their favourite flavour of chips would be and then asl them morality based questions. He would then choose the one person regardless as he feels more lives is better than one. Now, what if the one person is close to him? Then its tricky for him, as he would now have to actually use his brain and think. It depends on how much he loves and enjoys said person too, in the end it would either be a noble sacrifice or "fuck it" and kill others to save his friend/lover. NOW TAKING ASIDE ALL LOGIC he would legit just build a third set of tracks, tie himself down and then wait for some other shmuck to come by and start saying "pick me I enjoy Big Mouth" to further ensure he is chosen.

🍩"Favourite sweet treat?"

He would never answer this as he would just go into a blank and think about the universe, some sweet treats he enjoys would be chocolate, sprinkled donuts, your single OCs (ayy), ice cream and gummy bears. Now, if we were to take all those sweets and lay them down in front of his dumbass, which would he go for? The donut would smell good and catch his attention, but the chocolate especially if a little melted may make his mouth water... your single OCs would fluster him, which would be cooled off nicely by the ice cream which THEN would make the gummy bears taste even better. So, final answer? His favourite sweet is sugar. Just sugar. He will eat a bag of straight sugar. Why did I break all that down for a simple answer? Cuz Thomas is a man who speaks in simple single word phrases, so the fact I typed this much for him, which he never would consider typing or saying, is funny.

[venusiancarbondioxide]

5, 7, and 9 for the fanfic asks!

fanfic asks for the new year!

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

i'd normally say hart and the hunter, which is my giant oc-centric post-tgaa2 fic, but that's a large enough project that there's a real chance it won't be finished in 2024. however, i do have a svin/gray (there are maybe ten people on earth who see the genuine potential of this ship and i'm one of them) case files au one shot i want to get done this month and i will happily give a little snippet of that.

After several months in London, Gray still isn't in the habit of wanting things. She has a respectable list going in the back of her journal, maybe half a page long: she wants El-Melloi II to see Iskandar again, and she wants to be less afraid of ghosts, and she wants everyone in the El-Melloi class to do well in the new semester. She wants the cute pair of boots she saw in a store window last week—black leather with the bright yellow stitching. She wants to make more friends. She wants to get better at understanding magecraft, to maybe be good enough to take some of the lower-level classes and get a decent grade in them. She wants to be happy, or at least to keep getting happier; she's on the right track for that one. She's getting better at it every day.  The last thing Gray wants isn't something she can write down. It's too incriminating, but it's darkly necessary information. It’s hard to want anything else, let alone everything else, without this one prerequisite met. If the answer to her question is yes, then she’s on her way to a bulletproof guarantee of safety, a way she can live long enough to try for all of her other silly little desires. The want from which all other wants spring.  It's also impossible to accomplish on her own; Gray needs a proper mage at her side, a bonafide practitioner of the art. She needs someone better than herself.  And so, in the stark early morning, Gray starts another list. Possible Accomplices, she writes at the top of the page. She underlines it, twice. 

7. Will you change anything about the way you interact with other writers?

i'm hoping to just do more interaction in general! so that definitely includes other writers. i will hopefully be commenting more and having conversations and all of the good stuff.

9. Short term goals… what do you hope to complete this week or in January?

other than finishing that svingray one shot, i want to get the first half of chapter 5 of hart and the hunter done, and maybe make some headway on an original project!