#like... what happens now. what is going on. does anyone have any genuine life advice here

[rustchild]

real talk though. what the fuck is happening

[bellanothadidloa]

I've been receiving a lot of inquiries since sharing my success story, and while I'm not planning to start a blog, I do want to address some common questions here.

Did I manifest everything from the void?

Yes, everything I listed was indeed manifested when I entered the void, as outlined in my story. I've had some successes with various experiments before, but none reached the level of my most recent attempt.

What was the most crucial factor in achieving the final breakthrough?

I wish there was a straightforward answer, but it probably boils down to the realization that no matter how much I complained or cried, I was determined not to give up. I would read success stories and find myself in tears because they mirrored the life I aspired to have. I wanted to shift realities, be wealthy, happy, and beautiful—it might sound vain, but that's what I desired. I longed to feel free, unbound by any world, and to pursue my own path. Who wouldn't want that? At some point, I asked myself, would I still be trying to shift at 30, while struggling with dietary issues caused by gut praxis disorder? If the answer was yes, what did that mean? It meant I wasn't going to give up. So, I kept trying different things, knowing that eventually, something would work. Inner work is essential, but I believe it's inevitable. The longest journey I've seen took seven years. Do I want that for myself? Absolutely not, but what if it happens? The very acceptance of that possibility means you're not giving up, so what does it matter?

What method did you use?

As I've mentioned, I've tried every method. The final one that worked was the morphic field. I don't really care whether it was the morphic fields or something else that clicked within me. As I mentioned earlier, I realized I was sad, but I knew I wasn't going to give up, so I let myself be sad. Who cares? Let me be angry; I'm still not giving up. So, why fight those feelings? I cared and was disappointed and scared, but I just decided to trust in the fields because, in the end, it didn't matter whether they worked or not. I wasn't giving up.

How do you feel now that you've achieved your dream life?

I've managed to transform my life and self-concept, and along with being incredibly happy, I feel a mix of sadness for everything I endured and pride for how I pushed myself before succeeding. Initially, I thought it would be hypocritical to say I love myself after I changed everything about myself, looks and life, but I realized this is my life, and I'm still the same person, just with desires that now align with my reality. Why would I want to be unhappy in a life that makes no sense to be sad in? I don't believe anyone deserves or doesn't deserve anything. Do what you want, pursue inner work if you wish, or just manifest your desires. Personally, I didn't feel the need to do the inner work after manifesting my dream life, but I know some people do, and that's beautiful too. Life is just beautiful.

How to mend your relationship with the void?

The only advice I can offer from my experience is to acknowledge that you're not giving up on it. It reminds me of toxic relationships where despite infidelity, they say, "I know where home is." Unlike those misguided people, the void genuinely serves its purpose and supports you. It already knows its home is with you, whether you realize it or not, and that's all that matters.

How did you exit the void state ?

Exiting the void was a simple experience for me. I simply took a deep, calming breath and set a clear intention to leave. The sensation that followed was like tunnel vision, where everything around me seemed to narrow and focus. This was followed by a profound sense of detachment from any sense of self, almost like becoming weightless or losing a sense of individual identity. When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself in a completely new room, confirming that I had successfully transitioned out of the void and back to reality with everything on my life

Did everything you wanted come true?

Oh, absolutely—and then some! I ended up getting things I didn't even know I wanted. The way I look now is even better than my Pinterest boards ever dreamed of. Like, I had this idea for how I wanted my room to look, trying to mash together different vibes and aesthetics, and it turned out way better than I could have pictured. I was stuck between wanting a curvy figure and that sleek Bella Hadid look, but somehow I got the best of both worlds, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

I wasn’t even thinking about changing my eye color, but it happened, and I absolutely love it. I thought I'd revise old friends, but instead, I found new, amazing people who fit into my life perfectly. Now that I’ve got a better sense of self, I see this is exactly what I really wanted deep down. Everything just fell into place so perfectly, and it feels like I've finally got a handle on what I truly wanted all along.

Can you manifest things for other people?

Well, yeah, but it’s kind of like it's really just about yourself in a way. I mean, there have been times when I managed to manifest things for my brother, but oddly enough, I struggled to do the same for myself. It's weird, right? I don't fully understand how manifestation works in every detail. I just kind of go with the flow and assume it works the way I want it to. If I can pull off all these manifestations, then why not just trust that I can manifest whatever I want, however I want it? That's the mindset I've adopted, and it seems to work for me.

What's it like being a master shifter?

It's like waking up and remembering who you truly are, and almost laughing at all the suffering you experienced. When you think about it, you might have lowkey created that suffering yourself, which is kind of sadistic, but instead of holding onto any negative emotions about the journey, I just appreciate my life more. It’s a mix of joy and bliss. I still remember my old life, sure, but somehow, this new reality feels just right. It's like destiny exists, and I’ve finally found mine.

This concludes everything for me, and I’ve decided I won't be continuing my blog any longer. I've shared a lot of helpful insights in the past, but I won't be actively posting from now on. Thank you all for the love and support. I’ve reached a point where I no longer have a reason to continue here, and soon, you won't either. Goodbye and take care!

[m4nj1r0s]

Slightly!Yandere Shinichiro general headcannons

Note: I went off-track a little with cute moments 😭

- SIMP. You’ve probably heard it 100 times, so let me be the 101st, he is a SIMP.

- Has your picture as his lock screen and Home Screen, has a polaroid of you two in the back of his CLEAR phone case, another polaroid in his wallet and a framed picture of the two of you in his shop.

- Looks at you with love-hearts in his eyes whenever you’re talking. It could be about the economical state of the world and he’d still listen intently just because you’re the one saying it.

- Everyone says he doesn’t have any skills with girls, which is true, but he is genuine and that’s already better than the majority of men.

- Will hug and kiss you in front of his friends because he literally does not care what they think. They’ll all probably groan and tell him it’s gross.

- Has accidentally blown a puff of smoke in your face from a cigarette and when you started to cough he panicked. Got you a cute teddy bear to say sorry though.

- Has your skincare and makeup routine memorized, and products. This man knows your shade and the brand you use for foundation and concealer. Always stocks it up for you when he sees you’re running low. Loves to watch you apply skincare and makeup and will get flustered if you ask him to put it on for you.

- Is always so gentle with you. He hasn’t hurt you, and won’t ever. Not even accidentally. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him!

- Benkei and Takeomi give him bad girl advice. Wakasa knows better but he’s never around when the other two give Shinichiro advice… When he tries it with you, he gets genuinely shocked when you tell him you don’t like whatever he tried.

- One time, he asked you if you were on your period because you were mad at him, and when you asked him why the hell he would ask that, he replied “Takeomi told me that you’d think I was attentive and knowledgeable about women’s hormones if I asked you!!”

- They’re probably the reason he doesn’t get girls tbh

- But he has you, he doesn’t need anyone else.

- He does get jealous super easily. He doesn’t even know how he pulled you in the first place, but he WON’T lose you.

- Has and will use his connections from the Black Dragons to beat anyone who tries to get with you. He’s not going to get his hands dirty (probably because he doesn’t know how to) if he has people to do it for him.

- Celebrates every little milestone in your relationship. Expects you to remember as well. Like, what do you mean you forgot this is the anniversary of the first time he fed you?!

- Dreams of a nice, domestic life with you in the future whenever he sees you with Emma and Mikey. He wants 4 kids and a nice house by his grandpa’s dojo.

- Mikey and Emma LOVE you. You’re their big sister now! Especially Emma. It’s hard for her in an all male household, so you’re her rock when it comes to things her brothers and grandpa don’t understand.

- Emma loves to do girl things with you, like face-masks, doing nails and gossiping about boys you guys like. Although it’s only really Emma who talks about boys she likes, since she’ll get grossed out if you talk about Shinichiro in a romantic manner. That’s her stupid, goofy older brother after all..

- Mikey is constantly asking you if Shinichiro is paying you to pretend to be his girlfriend because you’re wayyyyy out of his league! Shinichiro is a bland 4 and you’re a 10!!

- Mikey and Emma definitely crash your guys’ dates sometimes. Especially if you guys are going on a picnic or to the mall.

- Grandpa Sano likes you as well, you’re keeping Shinichiro from getting into trouble and being a goof. Although, most of that is just how he is.

- Mikey definitely introduces you to Draken as his big sister. And Draken probably sees you as his big sister too, you guys probably do have cute moments.

- One time, you saw Draken sat on a bench on his own and you took him to the convenience store and got him candy to cheer him up and talk about why he was looking down. Mikey joined you guys half-way through with a bag of dorayaki (no, he did not share).

- All in all, you guys are a cute ass couple and the kids all look up to you two.

[ascendanttarot]

PAC: Channelling Your Present Energy

Hi, guys! This will be a PAC on your energy as of right now. I'll be channelling using tarot and automatic writing. I tried to make this reading as clear as I could, but all the messages I got were more sensory feelings than outright words/phrases. I hope you find this reading useful to you regardless. :)

I will not be listing any signs before the reading as I do with my other longer PACs. I suggest really going with your gut here, and if the message immediately doesn’t feel right, I recommend picking a different pile.

Please remember your fate is not set in stone so your answers may change depending on the actions you take and will take if you please. Tarot is not a substitute for professional advice. The images I’ve used are not mine.

From left to right, Pile 1, 2 & 3.

Pile 1

Your Cards: The Magician rx, The Ace of Cups

Your Reading: Before we start Pile 1, I want to say that I actually had difficulty tapping into your energy. When I closed my eyes to channel instead, I smelled rain, but I couldn’t feel the rain on my skin as if to say you’ve cried all the tears you had left. I saw a fog, but I couldn’t see anything beyond that. When I tried pulling your cards again, the exact same cards (even the reversal stayed the same) from last time came out while I was shuffling, so that shows a level of certainty despite the confusion.

Your present energy feels like quiet hope, like a calm after the storm, not before it. Your present energy feels misty. Going back to the storm analogy, it feels like there was a storm in the middle of summer, and the rain poured down while you were outside, and you kept anticipating a lightning bolt to strike you down because you felt your hair stand up without your volition but it never came.

I think you’re starting to regain a bit of optimism in your life, but you aren’t letting it show because you’re scared you’ll jinx yourself. I think you’ve been manifesting something specific in your life too, but you haven’t told anyone because of self-doubt and fear of people undermining your ambition. It’s an ‘I’m not happy now but I could be’ energy. I could see golden threads around your aura connecting you to your manifestation, and your soul tugs on it from time to time. You may not see that happening but whenever you get a surge of motivation to work on your goals, this is your higher self pulling this golden string towards you just a little bit closer.

Thank you for letting me be your reader, Pile 1!

Pile 2

Your Cards: The Tower, Justice rx (clarified by The Star)

Your Reading: The first thing I saw when I channelled your energy was this Katniss Everdeen-type character. I know this message is odd, but I genuinely saw this blank character in the woods fighting for their life, and they’re whistling to try to get someone’s attention but the only reply was an echo of your previous whistle. You’re alone. I can physically feel leather armour digging into my skin like I haven’t taken it off for days.

Okay onto the reading. We can’t ignore the fact that you got all major arcana cards. Even the extra card that jumped out to clarify Justice was The Star. That speaks huge volumes about what your energy is like right now.

Pile 2, do you have a fear of being judged? Does this fear come from past experiences when you felt people didn’t listen to you correctly? Because your energy also feels like listening to the news using an old radio, but you just can’t seem to fix the signal. You tried walking around the house and moving the antenna only to make the audio quality sound worse.

Your energy screams potential. Why do you think people tried to put you down? There’s a strong message here that you don’t have to dim your light because you’re scared of blinding the neighbourhood. Of course you’ll overgrow your ‘house’—your ‘home’ was always meant to be something bigger. Don’t let anyone stop you from building that.

Thank you for letting me be your reader, Pile 2!

Pile 3

Your Cards: 7 of Pentacles, The Emperor

Your Reading: Okay, stay with me here, but your energy feels like a crocheted gift. Interwoven between the yarn is this bright yet earthy energy of hard work and time. In fact, it feels like time acts differently around your energy.

Some people view time in two categories: time spent and time lost. You, on the other hand, don’t go against time but are working with it like you’re one and the same. This energy feels like hyper-focusing on a task until you go through everything with a fine-tooth comb to perfection, and there’s a calendar in front of you but it switches between languages every second until the years look like glitched-out glyphs.

It’s like you’ve got this celestial energy no one can seem to pin down. It's weird because people think you’re lucky, but they underestimate you at the same time. And guess what? They’re wrong on both accounts.

I mean, c'mon, you literally got The Emperor! I think the people who see you working hard don’t see a point in what you’re doing. Like, if we’re going back to the crochet analogy, they may think you’re wasting your time crocheting a scarf when you could just buy it. What they don’t realise is that this skill will lead to a successful business in the future, or maybe you’ll discover a new technique after a few months that will give you the recognition you deserve. The people who think you’re lucky will think you rose to the top out of nowhere and that you haven't actually earned your status.

There’s a message to not listen to them. They only know as much as they have lived. They don’t know how much work you’ve put in to be able to get to where you are and where you will be.

Thank you for letting me be your reader, Pile 3!

[eggcats]

I'm still working on chap3 (I have a bunch of unconnected little things, but I'm a bit stuck on how to connect them quite yet - but hopefully soon I'll he able to write and edit)

But instead I decided to write a "current day" slice of life fic, based on my AU, where they meet Charlie and the Happy Hotel

(some ideas came from @shizukasobsessions and my replies in the comments of my fic♥️)

There's so many different pieces here tho, lmao - like, Alastor killed Valentino and took Angel's soul to replace him as the overlord of porn, to prevent Angel from failing he gave him Husk to guide him on being an overlord, (Alastor refers to Angel as solely Anthony, the less he thinks of the pornography offshoot of their media empire, the better)

Vox is still the face of their company, Voxtek is still named after him (Alastor has no issues taking a more behind the scenes role, there's a reason he WAS the radio demon but mostly got that name from torturing souls on the radio, not by trying to force everyone to only listen to his radio show - he has no issues with Vox doing just that with television/hypnosis but he doesn't mind allowing him to truly embrace his cult-leader personality here. Vox is still his housewife behind closed doors, tho, Alastor just doesn't want to hobble him in any way)

So it's really funny to think Charlie is just dealing with overlord after overlord (and one former) as she's trying to run her hotel

I'm thinking in this AU, Angel/Anthony decides to let some of his employees stay and try out the whole "redemption " thing, as long as Charlie gives them a safe place to stay rent free - in my AU, Angel was originally owned by Valentino when Alastor killed him, so Angel not only knows what brings people to his studio, he knows he can't protect them all - hence his agreement with the princess of hell

However, Angel and Vox are friends (Husk's #1 piece of advice to him, while Angel was freaking out that his soul chain changed hands along with a bunch of new responsibilities, was "make Vox like you - if Vox likes you then you're almost entirely safe from Alastor, trust me, I know it looks the other way but it's not")

(Angel now does genuinely like Vox, and they get along pretty well, but he will admit - if only to himself - that he originally became his friend to prevent from being torn to pieces like he watched happen to Valentino)

Alastor still obviously doesn't believe in redemption, but the only reason he's there at the hotel is because Vox asked him to be (and Vox is there because Angel asked him on behalf of Charlie for some advertising for the hotel)

And @proshipper-on-ship mentioned the Chaggie parallels of Charlie finding Vaggie at a dumpster, and Alastor doing the same, and I thought it'd be really funny to have their first meetings come up

Charlie, awkward but trying to come to terms with the truly alarming amount of Overlords in her hotel: "So...how'd you two meet?"

Alastor, smiling as he finally can set up his punchline: "Found him in an alley and brought him home with me."

Charlie, super excited: "OHMIGOSH, that's basically how I met Vaggie!! How'd you find him?! I was looking for anyone to help after the Extermination!"

Alastor: "I sensed someone using my radio waves and immediately went in search of who."

Charlie, actively looking at Alastor like he's as harmless as a kitten: "OhEmGee that's so sweet! And you were just going to take him under your wing but then you fell in love?!"

Alastor, deadpan: "No, I was going to kill him."

Charlie, looking exactly like 😦: "What."

Alastor: "He wasn't a radio, though, so I decided to let him live."

Vox, with his screen in his hands: "Alastor, you gotta stop telling people that."

Alastor, thinks it's secretly very funny: "Why not, it's the truth, darling?"

I just love the idea that Charlie, for a second, thinks Alastor might be as soft and kindhearted as herself as she sees similarities in their relationships, and then Alastor just immediately breaking the illusion.

[kazoo-goddess]

So, I've wanted to make a post like this for some time, but I only just got the motivation because of an ask I got recently. I want to give a piece of advice to everyone, in general, to keep in mind when using any social media platform--advice that I wish someone had given me way back when, that I feel is important to pass on:

Not every post you see is for you. Not every post is about you.

This is not meant to be a negative thing, or a put-down! It is not meant to dismiss anyone. It's really what it says on the tin: When you see a post cross your feed, and you disagree with the post or it upsets you because you disagree with the message it has, try and keep in mind that you may not be the target audience for the post. In particular, take this into account for advice and positivity posts--The OP doesn't have anything against you personally when they share words that are meant to be uplifting that you don't agree with. A post that says "Keep going! You can do it, even if you think you can't!" probably isn't meant to put down people who are in a position where they very literally cannot do it or think their way out of their situations. Like this post, it's more likely that the OP is sharing positivity or advice that they themselves would have liked to hear.

Even this post, the one I'm writing now, might not be for you or about you! If you disagree with my viewpoint, that's okay, and there's nothing wrong with that! But I, personally, am writing this post for people who might need to hear it--people like me, who are easily upset or hurt by things they see or hear in passing, whether on the internet or real life. I'm not writing it because I want to spark an argument, I promise.

Posts aren't always meant to spread outside the OP's original circle of followers and friends. But that's a hazard of posting to public social media websites--a joke originally meant to have an audience of 12 people close to you can suddenly explode, getting thousands and thousands of views and reposts and going completely out of the OP's control overnight! It's no one's fault; it's not done maliciously. Sometimes a post or joke just resonates with others. But maybe it doesn't resonate with you--that really is okay! Just try and remember, if it gets under your skin, that it isn't for you. And if it's not for you, it's okay to just ignore it and move on! It can definitely get annoying when it's something you keep seeing over and over from friends and acquaintances reposting it, and I'd never fault anyone for losing their temper over it--but sometimes, just taking a second to remind yourself that you weren't the audience for something can really help calm you down and help you feel better and move on with your day.

While this goes for advice/positivity posts, it also goes for opinion posts! And in this case, to be completely, perfectly clear: I mean harmless opinions. A ship they like that you don't; a tv show they enjoyed that you didn't; a character they really love that you absolutely cannot stand. The kind of opinion you disagree with so much that makes you feel absolutely steaming mad. (Again: This does NOT extend to these things when they go into a genuinely harmful category. No homophobia, no pedophilia, nothing like that. I am talking about harmless, mundane disagreements.)

Maybe you see a post talking positively about a manga that makes you feel ick. The OP more than likely didn't write that post with the hopes that it would reach you specifically just to make you upset! (And if they did, that's rude, and an entirely different can of worms that this post is not about! >_>;) But the post upsets you anyway, even if it wasn't MEANT to. It's understandable, it happens! But the thing is: You don't need to engage with that post if it makes you feel bad! If you have a post blocker, you can block the post or blacklist the tag; if you don't, you may just have to scroll past. It can be so, so, so tempting to try and get in a biting comment in the replies to snap at the OP and tell them, "No, you're wrong, your opinion makes me mad and I don't want to hear it!" Trust me. I know. I get it, because I've been there! But in the grand scheme of things, it's not worth it or healthy to burn yourself out over it. It wasn't for you, and it wasn't about you! And you're better off doing what you can to take care of yourself, and preserving your health and happiness where you can.

I feel like I'm writing this with sort of childish language, and it might feel like I'm talking down to others. But really, I think I'm just writing it in a way that a younger me would have understood and taken to heart if she'd seen it. I hope that, if you read this, you can see it that way too! There's a part of me that feels scared that this post in itself could explode with notes that will be very upset with me for my thoughts on this, whatever their reasons may be, but I wouldn't be making it if I weren't prepared for that possibility. If the message I intend to get out can reach even one person who it can help, then I think that's worth writing it for. Because, I want to reiterate it one more time, because it can be so easy to forget it and get yourself furious in a self-destructive way, sometimes you have to remember:

Not every post you see is for you! Not every post is about you!

[irkendogma]

tak is the main antagonist for this crossover fic im writing and due to the lack of canon content beyond literally that one episode and some of etf, sometimes i worry im not doing her any justice or it’s too ooc. what do you think would be the best way to write tak in your opinion? (if you happen to have any advice on the matter. just wondering! byeeee💃)

i'm genuinely so relieved at the specification of "in your opinion" because i have such a strange long-lasting attachment to tak that i think i would second-guess my thoughts on her in an objective vacuum to the point of just saying "she should be purple". but as it is i now have the freedom to go stupid crazy about it

i think there's a number of crucial elements to tak, but i think the one that people miss most in writing her is that she isn't just meant to be a more competent counterpart to zim - she's a direct parallel in terms of her ego, motivation, and backstory (the latter particularly as a result of treatment by irken society)

like zim, tak has an enormous ego and an audacity that places herself above anyone else, even the empire itself (see: her custom invader insignia. that's like drawing a crucifix but substituting yourself for jesus after being refused by the church), and like zim, in spite of her disregard for the empire's rulings she's striving for recognition both by it and within it (to quote her: "the plan i have in store for this nasty rock will so impress the tallest that they'll have no choice but to make me an invader"). the same way zim "quit being banished", tak "escaped" from the janitorial squad she was placed under as a stopgap job until the next elite test in seventy years

i've seen some people write her as tall, but in my opinion her being only very, very slightly taller than zim is not just a stylistic choice but an essential part of her character that draws her backstory together: technically that janitorial job wasn't even a punishment, it was just deemed the most suitable position for her in the absence of official imperial proof that she was capable of anything "better" or "higher" that would've been afforded to a taller more easily

that she made it so far in the elite course at all in spite of her height gives context and precedent to the competence and sheer refusal to admit defeat she exhibits in her attempt to destroy earth, a planet she initially believes is already undergoing an officially-sanctioned invasion judging from how bitterly she tells zim about what should've been "rightfully hers", down to specifically mentioning the great assigning - loops back to her audacity, in that she has zimlike degrees of ego regardless of how hard the circumstances logistically are aligned to stomp her back down (see again her quote where she confidently states her plan to hijack an official invasion will impress the tallest to the point they won't mind her flagrantly flaunting the rules). she would've spent so much of her life striving to meet her own exceedingly high expectations, not the exceedingly low ones assumed of someone her height, that this likely isn't far from her standard procedure of "show them i can do it better than the rules say"

what sets her apart from zim, i think, is in how much she's allowed herself to let those miserable expectations get to her and leave her pettier, more vindictive, less grandstanding speeches like zim than showing off everything she's capable of as often as possible, no matter how necessary (ALL the stupid parkour she does for no reason) - which i think is admittedly less her fault than partially being the result of her having actually experienced her confidence failing her when the entire future she'd set up for herself was pulled out from underneath her

unlike zim, who experiences failure regularly but never has it truly sink in, tak had the entirety of her progress wiped off the board in a single moment as a result of circumstances entirely beyond her control: i think a large part of the reason she resents zim so deeply and sincerely isn't solely because of the practical consequences of her missing her test (though it is in no way insignificant to it) but because he was the one who broke her streak - he was the one who made her brutally aware that no matter how she built herself up, no matter what proof she offered, she could still fail and be crushed into exactly the nobody she was expected to be

and she just cannot abide that, no matter what, because even if the memory of helplessness and humiliation will never go away (not that she'd acknowledge it wouldn't), if she can make him hurt the same way maybe that will give back to her some of the power and control over her life and her identity that she lost in losing her potential status as a real, sanctioned invader

also, i do think she should be purple. she seems to have a great attachment to aesthetics and individual style, given her custom pseudo-elite uniform (which we see her wearing even in training, on her test day), the fact she designed and programmed her hologram specifically to have the distinguishing marking of a beauty spot in the same place she has one on her actual face, and her penchant for making nearly every damn piece of her tech purple some way (minus mimi, who while being her own bootleg SIR unit still follows the same red color scheme as a functional one) - even the cockpit of the spittle runner she pilots is initially purple before it's ejected as an escape pod, and the magma pump's interior looks like this:

girl likes giving things her own little touches whether that's in terms of her trademark color, her near-blasphemous custom imperial logo, or her doing a tactical slide between bars of a railing instead of just stepping normally onto the floor

[onesidedradiostatic]

So you know how I said something about writing a fic inspired by your existence. I've started a little, but I don't know, I fear that the way I write might be confusing in some parts. So I'd very much like to hear your thoughts, if you want to share them

___

“Indeed, I quite enjoy our commonalities. I’ve always found more fun in spending time with my radio and friends than looking for someone I haven’t met.”

What if you’ve met them now? Vox thought, discreetly, not at all looking into Alastor’s lovely red eyes. Shoot! Vox downed another drink, hopping Al didn’t think him weird. Still, can’t leave a friend hanging, say something.

“I love you.” WHAT!!? NO! NOT THAT! “I- I- I mean, there is someone I love.?” Yeah, sure, he’s totally gonna buy that.

“I- Good for you?” Alastor started unfiltered, surprised, before going back to his normal, lovely radio voice. “And who might that be, my good fellow?” Wait, he bought it? No, don’t be an idiot! He’s totally psyching us out! Well, I’ll play your game and I’ll win!

“You know, just a cool dude with the pretties’ eyes and loveliest smile.”

“A dude?” Alastor questioned. Wait. Why does he sound so confused over that? Did- he had actually bought it?! Wait. We just told him we like guys, right? Is that, bad? What if he hates us now? What if he thinks we’re weird? Awful? Repugnant? There’s no way he doesn’t know we love him now! Practically said it to his face twice! Twice! No! I can’t handle that! Please! I- we have to save this.

“Hey Al, just forget I said anything.” Please. You’re the best thing in my life. So, whatever happens, please, stay. I need you. ___

I feel I need to rework some of the above parts, but unsure off how. Regardless, I hope my characterisation so far is good, I'd imagine that the love Vox has is more an obsession that genuine care and Al is just living his best life having fun and not really picking up anything Vox is putting down. I especially like this little exchange:

___

“Vox.”

“Yeah?” He could see that once genuine smile turn sinister. Oh. Hot.

“This is hell, everyone here is a repugnant wrench, so if anyone ever tells you you’re wrong. Just relay that me, I’m sure we can make some use of their meeker existence. Everyone has a voice, after all, and if they want to use it so much, who are we to say no to helping them? Right dear friend?”

“Yeah.” Vox couldn’t help but join in on the sinister smile. This is exactly what makes Alastor, just so Alastor. He genuinely cares and will make any opponent of his friends another key in his piano of the dammed. A horror feared by all, but a few, and Vox is one of those few. ___

I just- their dynamic is so fun Alastor being all "Yay! Murder!" while Vox just thinks "OMG! He's doing all this for me?! There is no way he doesn't love me!" I think one exchange that exemplifies that is:

___

“Oh! I wouldn’t say I’m the best at giving advice when it concerns matters of the heart. Me being heartless and all that. Hah!”

Alastor’s little chuckle is one which Vox can’t help but adore. He’s probably heartless because he’s already put his heart in a box and is just waiting for the moment he can give it to me. I’m reserved, special, he’s waiting for me. He can only be mine and I only his.

“I’m pretty heartless too.” Vox respond, joining in Alastor’s play. He doesn’t mind being a puppet on a string, as long as he can play the most important part.

“Oh, I’m quite aware dear friend."

___

He's just can't think, there is only Alastor in his head. Plus Alastor not understanding that there is a misunderstanding is just making Vox believe in the delusion more. Bet his screensaver was Alastor themed before they had their falling out Also, sorry for this being quite long Hope you have a lovely day at least!

(reference to this ask)

hi sorry for responding to this late, hard to say much without a full story but I appreciate the thought of it being inspired by me 🫡🫡, but yes I do love vox being down bad for alastor, exploring some of the period-typical homophobia definitely is interesting, alastor could easily have not had that normalised for him and vox... depends on how much he ventured through his bisexuality in life or whether he only accepted it in death. his screensaver being alastor themed skjdfkglhl. very true

[onehopefuldreamer]

Why I can't help but always romance Persephone in Stray Gods

1 - Prickly on the outside, soft on the inside personality trope

This is probably the biggest reason because it's also probably my most favourite personality type of all when it comes to fictional characters. I am so very weak for ladies who kick ass and look scary but are secretly huge sweethearts. And Persephone is this trope to a T. Sure, she's big and scary, no one can deny that. But she can also be so sweet. She helped Calliope when she left Olympus, she saved Chastity from her abusive husband, she takes to mentoring/helping Grace so quickly, she is happy to help Medusa if Grace offers her help and even goes as far as admitting that this help was long overdue (something Apollo never does by the way). These are just some instances we become privy to during the game.

I'm absolutely sure there are more times when she was secretly kind, especially to people who needed help but had no one in their corner. Because while her personal philosophy is that no one else can help you keep your head afloat (born out of her own experiences no doubt) she's shown to actively be giving advice to and helping Grace as well as genuinely worrying about her safety and doing what she can to keep her safe. She's also obviously remorseful for not having been able to exact the change Calliope wanted so badly after becoming part of the Chorus and sympathetic about Freddie's fate. She cares and she cares deeply. She simply does her best not to show it because experience has taught her that others don't tolerate her being weak or deign to offer her sympathy no matter how dire the situation she is in. This naturally leads to:

2 - A character who is all alone and without a supportive system but refuses to give up

This is sort of a subsection of the prickly on the outside, soft on the inside trope, I know, but I cannot help but love characters who have had a traumatizing past and been forced to deal with it on their own. I always, ALWAYS want to be in their corner and if they happen to be ladies I never fail to fall in love with them. I find it absolutely amazing that anyone can preserve their integrity and remain kind after being hurt so badly both in fiction and in real life if I'm honest. To me these are the real heroes - people who have been hurt but refuse to let that hurt turn them into monsters. If there is a character like that in any media I partake in, no other characters stand a chance. Not really.

3 - Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's voice

In reality this is actually pretty much tied with numbers 1 and 2 but I had to keep some semblance of order so here we go.

I am very much someone who has always and forever been weak for beautiful voices. And out of the whole VA cast giving life to the LIs it's Mary Elizabeth McGlynn's voice that never fails to make me swoon or give me chills. She's so very good at what she does this woman. Her delivery is flawless both when it comes to her spoken and sung lines. I can physically feel Persephone's pain when she asks Grace "Please, don't do this." as well as her anger and bitterness when she sings "I gutted a god." or says "The only god I killed deserved it." for example. This adds so much to the character for me, you have no idea. I cannot honestly say if I'd have loved Persephone so much if she had been voiced by a different actress. But the combination between tropes I love and her sublime voice created a perfect storm so now no one can even compete with Persephone. Not even Freddie. And I love Freddie. She's just not Persephone. I'm sorry.

4 - Persephone's design

I love Persephone's design so damn much! I can't decide what I love most - her badass haircut, her cool tattoos, her slightly weird but somehow totally working for her outfit, her make-up that suits her perfectly, the colour of her hair and eyes or her androgynous look. Everything comes together flawlessly and creates one total and extremely gorgeous package. I don't know who worked on her design, but bless them, they really knew what they were doing.

The amount of screenshots of Persephone I have is obscene and I keep taking more because I simply cannot get enough of how stunning she is. Even when I was replaying to romance Freddie, Apollo and Pan I still kept taking screenshots of Persephone and being distracted whenever she was in the frame because her look is just so... I am running out of adjectives meaning "beautiful" here... Let's go with alluring.

The way she looks just does things to me I can't even begin to describe. I might be ace but even I can tell when someone is objectively hot and Persephone is scorching. Aesthetic attraction is huge for me and I guess her looks hit all the right buttons because I can't help staring at her and going "Wow!" pretty much all the time. Basically this screenshot of Grace is me every time I look at Persephone:

And speaking of that, one thing I have found I am particularly weak for when it comes to her design is the way she looks when she's drawn in profile. I don't know what exactly it is about her profile but I just melt every time I see it. It really did not help that this was part of her introduction to us in game:

How was I expected to pay attention to anyone else after that?!

I have a whole collection of screenshots of Persephone in profile that I should post alongside this to reinforce my point but again - the way she looks does something to me and I apologize to everyone else but I cannot possibly pay any attention to them when I have this in front of me. I'm only human...

[the-sun-and-the-sea]

Odesta Week Day 4: Throwback Thursday

Annie is almost fourteen years old, and that is a very important age to be. Yes, there’s the ‘you’re growing up’ speech that her parents foisted onto her last year, but that’s not what she means. She’s talking about something even more important than that.

From the ages of twelve to fifteen, students are leaving District Four’s training facility in droves. That’s because this is where things start to get serious. A lot of parents pull their kids out before they reach sixteen, so they never live and train at the Academy full time. But the teachers are also cutting people from the program; anyone who can’t run or fight or survive is gone.

That won’t happen to Annie.

She’ll be sixteen soon enough, and then it will be her turn to live at the Academy. It will be her turn to become a Senior and eventually be selected as the volunteer. Her Games will be the 70th, the first of a new decade. She got really lucky in that way.

She’s just gotten out of a weapons class, but she needs somewhere quiet to study. Although the Academy doesn’t require as much studying as regular school, they’re still expected to know the most common causes of death and what weapons are most frequent at the Cornucopia. Annie finds her way to an isolated hallway, grinning as the sunlight that beams through the big windows hits her skin.

It’s only after she walks a little further that she realizes she isn’t alone.

He’s sitting on a bench, slumped against the wall, oddly still. The sunlight seems to illuminate him from the inside out. When he looks at her, his eyes are so vividly green that her breath catches.

Finnick Odair. In case that wasn’t clear enough from the description of his eyes.

Annie almost apologizes and walks away. Victors are supposed to be treated with the utmost respect, but Finnick Odair is only a year older than her, so it feels weird to treat him like any sort of authority.

“Mind if I sit?” she asks, faux casual. Hopefully she’s not overstepping. She’s pretty sure Finnick Odair doesn’t even know her name.

“Sure,” is all he says.

Annie joins him on the bench gingerly, pulling out her notebook that’s filled to the brim with her careful handwriting. This notebook has everything from arena strategy to fighting stances to different tactics for the Flickerman interview. Finnick peers over her shoulder, and Annie pretends she doesn’t care.

“I guess you don’t need this stuff anymore,” she says conversationally. There’s a hidden question in there too; what are you doing here? He must pick up on it because he huffs a laugh.

“I spent a lot of time here,” he says. “I used to come here when I needed to think.”

Annie feels heat rise in her cheeks. She’d never admit it because the last thing she wants to do is look stupid in front of Finnick Odair, but she does the same thing. “What are you thinking about now?”

“Are you going to volunteer?” Finnick asks, promptly changing the subject. It’s not a smooth transition at all, but she supposes that since he won the Hunger Games, some brusqueness can be excused.

She folds her notebook proudly in her lap. “Of course.”

He gives a vague hum of acknowledgement, and Annie can’t tell if it’s approving or disappointed.

“Do you have any advice?” she asks after a beat of silence.

“No,” says Finnick softly. “I thought I did. But I don’t.”

She gets the feeling that they’re not talking about the Games anymore. The only problem is that she doesn’t actually know what they are talking about. “Well, that’s okay. You’re only fourteen. You can take your time, right?”

He laughs. “I guess I have all the time in the world now.”

What that must feel like, to have achieved your life goal at fourteen. Annie can’t even imagine. She’ll be eighteen by the time she wins, practically an adult. It all feels so far away. “What are you going to do with it?”

He actually smiles now, and it’s genuine enough that his eyes brighten. “Eat all the saltwater taffy I can find.”

“Lucky,” she says. She’s actually salivating. The Academy doesn’t really do sugar; the closest thing she’s had to real dessert since she turned twelve is protein cookies, which are definitely more protein than cookie. “When I win, I’m going to have so many muffins.”

“What kind of muffins?”

“Chocolate. Obviously.”

Finnick hums. “Solid choice. You don’t have to win to have muffins, though. They have them in the Capitol.”

“It’s not the same,” Annie says immediately. Victory muffins will just be different. She watches the swatches of sun on the ground until they start to swim in her vision and she has to look away. “What’s the Capitol like?”

“It’s cool,” he says with a shrug.

When he doesn’t elaborate, Annie asks, “That’s it?”

“I don’t know. It’s weird. The people dress like they’re in costumes all the time. And they sound weird when they talk.” His eyes meet hers guiltily. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

“I won’t,” she says solemnly.

“It’s not too late to drop out of the Academy,” he says, and Annie’s caught so off guard by the sudden change in topic that she almost drops her notebook.

“What? I’m not dropping out. I’m going to—”

“Win the Games, yeah,” Finnick finishes. He’s not looking at her anymore, but his eyes have taken on a glassy look. “Just try to think about if that’s really what you want.”

What is he even talking about? “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I was reaped,” he reminds her.

“I know,” Annie replies, because she’s watched the reapings of every living victor enough times to memorize them. “But you trained here before that. You must have wanted it a little.”

Finnick shrugs. “I guess. I don’t really remember, honestly. Everything feels different now.”

It would, after an experience like the Hunger Games.

Annie stands up, sliding her notebook back into her bag. “I hope you figure it out,” she offers. “Whatever it is you’re thinking about.”

His eyes gleam in the sun as he looks up at her. “Thanks, Annie.”

[qcomicsy]

My hcs about Diana, Bruce, Clark qpr.

Clark used to go to Diana to take advice on his relationship with Lois, and Diana found it adorable because she used to had a crush on both of them and the logical conclusion was "They will be great for each other".

Bruce tried once get advice once with any one of his failed relationships and she wholeheartedly recommended him therapy.

Catwoman and Talia are by far Diana's favorite Batman's girlfriends. Catwoman because shes fun and witty and she has the hability of take him out of his shell easier than anyone. And Talia because she's a warrior with a soft spot for Bruce and if that's isn't relatable.

Clark doesn't trust any of them. But, he respects Bruce's judgment.

Both Bruce and Diana used to have a crush on Lois Lane can you blame them? and while Bruce did acted upon on because he and Clark weren't as much friends as they are today at the time and he's a bitch, Diana had a bit more of respect.

Wonder woman always opens the dor for Superman and pushes chairs for him to sit, Superman does the same for Batman and Batman does it for Wonder Woman, it's just a matter of who's close to the door/chair.

Every single person of the JLA finds it odd, but it's been so long with this bullshit that they don't even bat an eye anymore.

Before Clark was married, his co-workers would see him get pulled up by fancy cars and limosine, get off clock early because "Oh it's Diana's birthday" or "we're making a surprise for Bruce" or "I promised Bruce to watch his son for him" and imediately get "everybody knows... everybody knows."

He was the talk of the office for years. The only person who defended him was Lois and Jimmy (while Jimmy also would get 🤨🏳️‍🌈 around them)

Clark 🤝 Bruce reacted to their sons coming out with 'Well, it's pretty common to be attracted to your best friends, no?"

Wonder Woman is very amused by that.

Clark has clear a beef with Harley for the spot of "Bruce's first best friend"™.

None of them noticed yet that this spot has been occupied by Harvey Dent for 40 years and counting.

The first time Clark entered Diana's house at the embassy of Themyscira (as Clark Kent) , he got absolutely flabbergasted. The little journalist nerd inside him made them spend the entire day discussing the origin of every artefact and history behind it. He doesn't know but that was the exatcly moment Diana decided she wanted him in every aspect of her life (not as just coworker or battle ally) as long as possible.

Diana is also fascinated by modern technology made by mortals and occasionally asks a couple of questions about Bruce's inventions for battle. She's genuinely impressed by his ability in making non-letal tools and always gives him her inputs and compliments when she feels like it.

Clark has and habit of lean on them or hold their hands when he's concentrating on a mission (specially if it is one more focused in diplomacy rather than physical battles). If it's in front of the league he's more discreet about it (Holding hands behind the table, quick pats on shoulders, etc).

Now, if it's just the three of them he go as long as mindlessly play with their hands as he go over plans, and paperwork's. None of them feels the need to acknowledge or know when this turned into an habit.

Clark always greet them with a hug no exceptions. Funny enough if it is in a serious situation WW and Batman resort to a firm handshake or a nod.

If they're feeling flirting they go

"Batman."

"Wonder Woman."

Out of the trio Diana and Bruce are the one's who flirts more with each other

Clark love language it's words of affirmation so he's the one who demonstrates more affection towards them, Diana is a close second (regarding platonic touch)

They do not talk about the JLA confraternization from 2007

Not talking about the confraternization from 2007 does not mean they don't repeated what happened in the contraternization of 2007.

Bruce offered himself to help Clark and Diana moving tractors and it took them lifting two tractor with their bare hands to him to rethinking every decision he ever had on his life.

[pinkrose787]

Regarding Creek's character in Trolls: A Twist in Time, I don't really want to portray him as malicious. Which I know is a wild thing to say after Chapter 2 lmao, but hear me out.

Creek is a self-serving jerk. There's no denying that. The whole fic is built on the premise of him altering the timeline, because he doesn't like the way his life has gone.

I want to go back to the source material real quick. The most obvious thing is that he literally sold everyone he knew and loved out to be eaten, just so that he himself would not die.

Is that a super messed up thing to do? Yes.

The thing is he did it out of survival, not malice. He didn't sell everyone out, because he wanted them all to die. He sold everyone out, so that he wouldn't have to die.

Something else notable both in the betrayal scene and his introduction, is that he generally frames what he does as helping. He framed his condescension towards Branch as him giving Branch advice. He framed the betrayal as him selling everyone out as being a good thing, because they wouldn't have lived very long.

In fact, in that scene, he tries portraying himself as some sort of martyr. "I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life."

I think that Creek genuinely believes what he says. He truly sees himself as a good person, despite all the evidence to contrary.

This continues in the AU. Creek thinks a world where Branch could end up being king, while he is an outcast is a dark timeline. In his mind, everyone benefits from his advice and presence. Whereas, everyone would only suffer with Branch as a king.

So, when he "fixes" the timeline, he believes that he is helping everyone by preventing such a world.

Something else that cannot be forgotten about is that he is intensely egotistical, and his life pre-Trolls 1 did not help with that. For years, he's been seen as one of the top troll gurus in all of Pop Village. Pretty much every troll saw him as someone to be admired. This fed his ego.

Which is part of the reason why he's so offended at everything that happened. His life was by no means horrible. He was still accepted back into the village. There were still many trolls willing to be friends with him. Most trolls

But his status had been lost. He was now an ordinary troll. No one looked up to him. When he spoke about peace and zen, most trolls either ignored him or rolled their eyes.

This was an intense wound to his pride. One that he could not stand.

In the fic, this ends up manifesting as him seeking out social status. When he altered the timeline, he did not intend to make himself king. What he meant to do was get back to where he used to be, but being king is promotion. One that he relishes.

Now, I do need to go onto what occurred in the new timeline. In Chapter 2, I explained that Poppy started the relationship and he went along with it. This was a version of Creek that had no memory of the previous timeline. He only gained those memories when the new timeline met the point of the previous timeline. (That isn't confusing, right?)

So, this new timeline Creek, never betrayed anyone nor does he have any memories of doing so (until later). As such, he never lost his status or his relationships. But he has a very strong desire to keep them.

Which is why when Poppy asks him out, he doesn't say no to her. Rather than looking at it as going on a date with Poppy, he sees it as going on a date with the Queen. Not only that, but he he feared that rejecting her would harm his status, especially since she's not only the queen but a hero as well. (Which I think he's wrong btw.)

Now, going back to old timeline Creek, he does feel some guilt about his marriage to Poppy. He did not mean to alter the timeline in such a way that they got married. In fact, he had zero clue she ever had a crush on her until the new timeline.

He has always thought of her as a great friend. The two of them had known each other since they were both kids. Even though the whole betrayal occurred, he never stopped thinking of her as a friend, though no longer a close one.

The thing is he has never loved her in a romantic capacity. Not even a slight crush. So, to him his relationship with Poppy is merely a way for him to gain social status.

Still, he views him being married to Poppy as being better for her than Branch dating her. (Which is insane. Would you rather be married to someone who only cares about the social status that comes from being your spouse or date someone who genuinely loves and cares about you so much that they'd accompany you to a land of giants on what they believe is a suicide quest?)

Going onto his relationship with Branch. As stated in a previous ask, Creek did have a crush on Branch way back when they were teens. Though he later abandoned said crush when it seemed like being around Branch would make him a social outcast. (Again, wrong. I'm sensing a pattern where Creek is never right about anything.)

Despite his efforts, his feelings never truly went away for Branch. His crush wasn't overwhelming like it was as a teen. It was more so passive, and would only show up if he talked to Branch.

Now, I think part of the reason that he had a crush on Branch was an "I could fix him" mindset. He saw the sad state Branch was him, and thought that he could be the one make Branch happy. And when he did everyone would see him as a hero, especially Branch.

Which is why he despises the fact that in the original timeline Branch was happy, because it wasn't Creek who made him happy. In fact, because of the fact that they pretty much switched places in society, he built up resentment.

This resentment dissipates shortly after seeing Branch in the new timeline. He's reminded of his crush, but more importantly he's reminded of just how much he used to pity Branch for being the way he was.

This also ties into why he was the way he was at the end of the second chapter. He knows that Poppy was the one who made Branch happy, and he doesn't want that to happen in this timeline. He wants to be the one who helps Branch and become the one who Branch loves.

So, he does pretty much everything he can to dissuade her from being around Branch. He pulls out pretty much every manipulative trick he knows. Does he feel great for this? No. But he feels like it must be done.

I won't say much more for fear of revealing spoilers, but there's a lot more to come.

[youremyheaven]

need some big sister advice because ive just gotten heartbroken 🫠🫠

i wouldn’t say i got played, because that’s not really the case, but i definitely did get hurt lol 🤣 the guy is two years older than me. sweet, charming, genuinely a gentleman. we were never really talking but there was always a weird tension between us, and sometimes he would do things that were not exactly friend things.

he’s older, and we’re at that age where the two years gap is fine but also has that “older guy” energy. he recently got a girlfriend. she’s so gorgeous, i won’t lie. genuinely has the nicest smile ever, and she’s everything i’m not? or i guess her background is a lot more similar to his than mine. they both come from really wealthy families— they’re both well traveled, well cultured, everything.

my grandparents are wealthy, maybe comparable to his family and hers. my parents are average to higher middle. never mind the context.

there were genuinely so many weird coincidences between us, from line-ups in our past, to other things like same birthmarks or conditions. maybe all this doesn’t matter though, does it? i think all this just contributed to me thinking there was something more between us.

idk i’m just hurt because there were so many things he did that were so sweet, and so nice, and he never really cared about other girls that way. it was all genuine too, and definitely more than friends things. right now im wondering if maybe he just saw me as someone to take care of? someone younger, more naive, and maybe he never actually liked me that way— but then there are other things that he did that were so not friends 😭😭 and even his friends and mine would sometimes ask if we had something going on

sometimes i wonder if the entire friend group was just in on this big joke or maybe im just looking at him with puppy eyes, even though im not that kind. ive been so adamantly against relationships, and this was the first time i actually wanted someone. ive always been so focused on school, internships, taking care of everyone, and then for once i wanted something for myself, and this happened.

im so academic, and i like taking care of people and doing things like knitting/crocheting/embroidery/cooking and all that stay at home things. you get the gist, im basically a homebody and introvert and i just like my own space and peace 😕😕 this girl parties, is always at the beach (me too but we are so different even in this manner because she’s the kind that takes pictures, dresses so well and i admire her so so much for it, while i go and pick up seashells and stare out at the beach 🤣🤣) and she’s just sooo extroverted, the life of the party with everyone, and so charming. and he’s quieter i guess, conventionally attractive, from a good household, a gentleman, stuff like that.

i never thougjt i would be the kind to compare myself to others but this is the first time ive ever felt this way and i just 😞😞

he’s really the nicest, and his girlfriend seems so sweet too, it was just sudden.

any advice? if youve ever been in this situation <33 i know its not really astro/fashion related but i don’t think i can even talk about this to my friends or anyone :c

babygirl 🥺

i understand what you're going through<3 this has to be one of the most difficult experiences in the romance arena tbh,, a guy who is extremely nice to you, gets your expectations up and then ends up dating someone who is the complete opposite of you 😭😭its a terrible feeling and its only natural that youd compare yourself to her,,

the best thing for you to do rn is to distance yourself from them. dont look at their socials, dont meet them often and get as far as u can from them.

its okay to wallow in it and it will take you some time to move on.

its impossible to understand where he was coming from or what his intentions with you were. you dont have to feel like you're silly for having believed that there was something between the two of you. he gave you "special" treatment and thats reason enough. whether or not he had romantic intentions is a different matter.

but the important fact rn is that he indeed has a girlfriend, which means its in ur best interest to avoid him and not contact him during this period so that you dont feel worse than you already do.

did he have feelings for you? was he just a reallyyyyy nice guy with no romantic intentions? was he just toying with you? these are questions that we can't really find answers to rn and no answer will ever really be satisfying enough.

immerse yourself in your hobbies, studies/work and keep yourself engaged. focus on yourself.

obviously an experience like this can take a toll on your self-esteem but these are experiences that will help us grow thick skin. our self worth should never depend on how others treat us. sounds easier said than done but you must always always always remember that how someone treats you is a reflection of their character more than it is of yours.

this can go both ways. if someone is extremely nice/kind/generous with you, it helps to maintain humility when you think its the goodness of their heart that makes them act like that, not you being "special" enough to receive it.

but if someone is mean/nasty/rude etc, thats also because of their character and the poison they carry in their heart. and has nothing to do with you as a person.

its important to build a firm core so that you're not swayed by generosity or broken by malice. you have to be self-content enough to see all things, both good and bad, as temporary. this does not mean you dont appreciate the good stuff or feel bad about poor treatment, you're human and you'll always have feelings but life is long, and you'll meet all kinds of people in life who will say and do all kinds of things, you shouldnt tie your self esteem to it, thats all.

think of these experiences as your immunization process, you're becoming more resilient and strong.

with men, unless and until, they explicitly say they want to take you out or date you or want you to be their gf, its 🚩🚩 and sometimes they even say all this AND play you 😭😭

i hope you have more peaceful days ahead of you and can forget this guy and focus on yourself<3

there are better men waiting for you who will give you the world and never make you second guess anything!! dont be too disheartened, pretend this is ep 4 of a romantic drama, things always get better by ep 16 😉💛💛

[thefandomboysblog]

some thoughts after a day since the news;

(it's long, but important, imo)

y'know what's the worst thing of this whole mess? i don't know if anyone's said yet, but I'll say it. i am sure that with varying degrees both in the team at large and steven, shane and ryan, all of them were very excited and hoped for the best and that all of them hoped that the audience they've grown, that i assume they love deeply, for what we've done for their careers at large for all the content they make and they are passionate about, supported them in this like we've done, for so long. they said it on the video but i assume they also think that personally, and it isn't a white lie because none of them strike me personally like i've stated before as fake online creators.

...they've done this; they have put this out into the world and turns out we don't support that, at all. i mean we do, or at least I hope most of us do since the reasons are very understandable and yet most won't be able to do it monetarily which is precisely what they hoped for apart of the chance to create better and bigger content and i can't imagine how that must feel. scratch that. i do.

I have got Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), as an autistic person, and for example right now I don't have money because I'm unemployed, and I have to work so everytime i search for jobs it feels like a chore, like I'm giving up some freedom, and I'm losing control of my own life, because any job at all is not what I want to do, and I don't want my actual passion and I want to do as career, which is writing, to become a hobby. Trust me that feeling, it's awful. I am sure it doesn't feel like what it does to me but I can't imagine it feels good. However in this economy, i must.

they want to do something and it's so big, and like everything in this godforsaken capitalistic world it costs money. they want to be able to do it but for now in YouTube it seems imposible, even if it isn't, because that is why we're saying it's a bad choice; in their perspective, or because they haven't been adviced better, it's what they see.

so they come up with this, and their only support, their fanbase, they say that it's not good. Not only that and I don't want to name names here (people who hate Steven or in general just want an excuse to be mean), they say they hate them for it, that it is a dumb move from them. so they are absolutely bashing them, everywhere.

As individuals, as human beings, because some of us forget they are people and not characters, that must genuinely be heart breaking, perhaps even, i don't know, it feels like we've betrayed their hopes and their trust.

Which is exactly what they've done to us. And this is where our problem appears... They've lost touch with their fanbase and we, because, sadly, we lack context and that's their fault as well, aren't able to fully understand their perspective and their needs and what they actually can give us in exchange so it is, for both parties, worth it.

My point is, just be humane about this. Just try to understand all of them as people, although it feels like they've bretayed our trust, whatever happens, wether they backtrack or keep going; people can and will make mistakes and well sometimes those people have to learn the hard way. Lift them back up, if and when they fall. These are, still, the same people, some of us, have followed for many years, however long you've been a part of their journey, I am sure you have a special place for them, in your hearts.

[leatherbookmark]

ALSO a bit on that topic and partially inspired by lise’s essay from yesterday -- jl.

the quote:

The smile had been so kind, so genuine that Jin Ling couldn’t believe Jin Guangyao had faked it. All of a sudden, fresh tears fell from his eyes.

Jin Ling had always thought that crying was a sign of weakness, and had treated it with contempt. Yet, other than this flood of tears, there was no way to release all the pain and anger in his heart.

He didn’t know why, but he felt like he couldn’t hate or blame anyone. Wei Wuxian, Jin Guangyao, Wen Ning — Each of them was responsible in some way for the deaths of his parents, and each of them had given him a reason to loathe them. But it also seemed like each of them had left him unable to do so. But if he didn’t hate them, who could he hate? Had he deserved to lose his parents? Was he not only unable to seek revenge, but also unable to simply hate anyone?

He somehow didn’t want to let go. He felt wronged. He felt like he’d rather die together with them and end everything.

Watching him cry soundlessly as he stared at the coffin, Sect Leader Yao asked,

“Jin-gongzi, why are you crying? For Jin Guangyao?”

When Jin Ling said nothing, Sect Leader Yao spoke as a senior scolding a junior.

“What are you crying for? Hold back your tears. Someone like your uncle doesn’t deserve anyone’s tears. Jin-gongzi, I mean no offense, but you can’t be so weak! This sentimentality is more suitable to the fairer sex. You should know what’s right and what’s wrong, and straighten up your…”

(...)

Jin Ling had thousands of thoughts and feelings whirling inside him already. Hearing Sect Leader Yao’s remarks, a fire surged in his heart.

He shouted, “So what if I want to cry?! Who are you? What are you? You won’t leave me alone even when I’m crying?!”

(chapter 110, EXR)

what does this scene mean, and why is it here?

i, personally, love it. jl says (well, thinks) it himself -- he has all the reasons to hate wwx, wn and jgy and blame them for the deaths of his parents. note that this is after he finds out about jgy’s involvement! he could easily go “i used to hate wn and wwx as the villains who killed my parents and love jgy as the uncle who gave me fairy, but now i see i had it all wrong and i should love them and hate him instead”. he doesn’t do that though. he still groups them all together, still grapples with anger, pain and hatred, and still finds that he can’t hate any of them.

and he struggles with it! he really does, to the point of bursting into tears. this is not just jc’s fault, before anyone tries anything -- the entire world jianghu seems to be into the idea that every bad thing that happens has a Bad Person who caused it and needs to be punished and reviled. first it was wrh, then wwx, now jgy. and later probably someone else. but here, jl learns a (very painful) lesson -- sometimes things aren’t so easy as “X is 100% bad”, or even “X is 75% bad, but even that is enough to condemn them”, OR even “X is 67% bad, but being 1/3rd Good they should have known better and GROW BETTER”.

sometimes people are people.

so what does this scene tell us about jgy? well, sect leader yao hurries with an explanation: jl shouldn’t cry, jgy isn’t worth it, and in fact, crying is for pussies; real men know what’s right and what’s wrong, and-- wait, no? is that not what we’re supposed to think? why is jin ling shouting at this kind senior who kindly offers advice?

well, perhaps because sect leader yao isn’t the best source there is.

but really -- that’s the question: is jl wrong, and sly right? is jl wrong to see Nuance in people, to realize that life is not as easy as finding a villain to blame, avenging your family and basking in the glow of satisfaction? or is he a manipulated victim who can’t see how horrible their abuser was, even when faced with proof of it all?

this is perhaps the last scene “featuring” jgy, not counting the one with people talking in the inn in the last chapter. in the previous chapter, wwx lays it all out in front of lwj, lxc and nhs: the explanation of what jgy wanted to do in the temple, the possible reason why he organized the burial mounds party. that’s it, that’s the end, we don’t really need anything more. if anything, it could be jc to lead the narration pov, looking at jl with fairy and thinking about this man who gave his nephew a puppy and turned out to have been a monster all this time. this, again, doesn’t happen.

[samwpmarleau]

genuinely wanting someone who hated the james tartt sr. story to explain (not putting u on the spot, others feel free to weigh in!) — in what way is showing a character has chosen to go to rehab & smiling once = redeeming that character ?

i literally feel like people complaining about sr’s “redemption arc” are watching a different show than i am…. having qualms is valid but i don’t think redemption is what anyone was going for here.

Requisite disclaimer that this is just my opinion. Others may have their own.

Putting this under a cut because it's long.

I don't think he was redeemed — in my eyes, he's way beyond redemption — but I think the show clearly wants us to view him as such. Which is an issue because there's absolutely no foundation for it. The last we saw of James, he was humiliating his son in front of the entire team and, had it not been for Beard (whom James later tried to murder, let's not forget), would have assaulted him. Since then, while we hadn't seen James, we'd heard a story of him: Jamie tells us that when he was 14, James facilitated his rape via a prostitute in a foreign country, which traumatized Jamie so badly that he doesn't even remember the encounter.

To say nothing of the other things we've learned and seen:

Throwing a boot at Jamie's head

Laying into him for having the audacity to score merely the winning assist rather than the winning goal

Constantly calling Jamie soft if he didn't dominate, thereby forcing Jamie to put up walls to protect himself

Impregnating Georgie when she was 16 (let's really hope it was a short relationship because oh wait, the age of consent in England is 16 so if they were in a relationship any earlier, James would be a statutory rapist twice over)

Abandoning her and Jamie shortly after Jamie was born

Many many more things we're not privy to

James is a piece of shit, to put it mildly. That's what they told and showed us throughout the first 33 episodes of the show. The incident at Wembley, and James in general, hadn't so much as been mentioned since it happened, not even in the episode in which they played Man City, let alone hints that James suddenly had a come-to-jesus moment.

Then we get to 3x11, and Jamie is having an identity crisis and two near-panic attacks — one of which causes him to faint — because he's spent half his life doing what he did out of anger at his father and to prove himself, and he now has to face what happens when those motivators are no longer there.

He goes to his mother for comfort and advice, which she gives to him, and it's great advice! She tells him that he's an amazing person, that his worth isn't derived from his father, and that James isn't going to change so Jamie shouldn't be torturing himself with hope. All of that coincides with everything we'd seen up until then, and is headed for a sad but important message: sometimes people don't change. Sometimes people won't love you or give you their approval. Sometimes you do need to cut ties with someone, even if that someone is your parent. It's okay to not forgive them or come to a nice rosy conclusion with them, and that you can move on without doing so.

And what does the show do? It has Ted — Ted who is projecting like hell, Ted who thinks every parental situation is the same, Ted who has absolutely no business butting in on something like this, Ted who has already given Jamie shitty advice before — telling him to "just forgive him." Which not only sets Jamie up for falling right back into James's abusive cycle but completely obliterates what Jamie's mother said. Instead of her experience and relevance leading to good advice, the show tells us she was wrong and heartless, that Ted is the one to listen to. Additionally, it tells us that Jamie can't be his best self unless he forgives and reconnects with James.

(Ted also frames this as Jamie letting go of his anger. Which is a rather strange thing to be a lightbulb moment for Jamie, considering that wasn't his problem. He himself said earlier in the episode that he feels so lost because he doesn't have that anger — he has indifference. Jamie didn't need a releasing of anger or forgiveness for his dad, he just needed clarity and guidance.)

Then, it shows us James in rehab. To which I say: since fucking when??? What had we seen or heard from James that would ever indicate he'd go to rehab? Worse, it shows us James nearly crying with pride and love for Jamie (oh, can't forget Denbo and Bug either and their "His dad would've been proud" nonsense). Since fucking when??? James has NEVER shown pride or love for Jamie. Jamie has only ever been a source of clout for him. FFS, he gleefully cheered against him at Wembley!

To say nothing of the fact that James's alcoholism was a symptom, not the disease. Alcoholism doesn't make you the sort of person to do all of the horrific things James did. It may have made things worse, but it didn't cause him to do them and getting clean doesn't magically make him into a good person as the show implies.

All of which I still would've hated but could have probably accepted, were it not for the text. Fine, have Jamie forgive him (ugh). Fine, have James in rehab (maybe I'll pretend it was court-mandated).

But then they have Jamie — Jamie who doesn't even know James is in rehab, the last memory he has is of 2x08 — actually reconnect. They even show that he's deleted the quotes he used to have around James's name in his phone. Jamie says it's "been awhile," that he hopes he's okay, and smiles after sending it. The implication being that he and James will reconcile and perpetuate the bullshit that family is family no matter how abusive they are and you can't not keep ties. What the fuck. Jamie should not have to do that, and the SHOW certainly should not present that message.

It's harmful, repulsive, puts Jamie in harm's way, and I really fucking hate it.