#maybe it has been the primary thing i have been thinking about this week... whatever

[riggedbones]

videos games fun yay fun video games happy smiler will NOT take over your game and reduce you to nothing... perfectly niceys skull motif

[iloveboysinred]

I won't say I'm in love [Prince Zuko]

pg. 13, fluff | Zuko x gn! reader

synopsis; Zuko had never been one to express himself in the right ways, anger had always been his primary emotion. But, when he meets you, a rouge fire bender helping the Avatar, it becomes hard for him to accept the growing warmth in his chest every time you look at him.

cw; emotionally constipated Zuko, fluff, pining, Clueless Zuko, Zuko doesn’t know how to deal with feelings, awkward turtleduck, light fluff.

Masterlist

Zuko never had time to really sit and think about relationships. After spending his early teenage years on a wild goose chase hunting the avatar, and now having joined the Gaang, with only a week to teach Aang how to firebend so he could face Ozai, he had a lot going on.

However, when he had started to fit in with the gaang better, you had definitely caught his attention.

You were a firebender yourself, highly skilled and light on your feet. You made a formidable opponent in battle, your elegance and lightweight movements almost resembling an air-bender. Zuko couldn’t help but stare as you practiced basic maneuvers, your muscles flexing with every movement, the thin sheen of sweat on your brow, and the fierce look of concentration on your beautiful face. To say Zuko was whipped was an understatement.

You were the last to accept him into the group, having always been a bit of a loner and standoffish, you didnt trust him. Especially with him being the crown prince of the very nation that has caused you nothing but pain. So Zuko worked extra hard to earn your friendship. Doing good deeds like helping Sokka clean up camp, going on water collecting trips with Kitara, helping Toph with her hair, and of course, befriending Aang and teaching him firebending alongside you.

While Zuko was still miles away from getting close to you, he was running out of ideas on how to gain your approval. So, naturally he went to Sokka for advice.

“Its like no matter what i do, y/n still hates me! I dont get it, you guys all like me, you know i’m good now. So whats their problem?” Sokka looked over Zuko’s exasperated face, putting two and two together. Not that it was hard, everyone caught him staring at you like a creep once or twice already. “I dont think y/n hates you, honestly. Thats just the way they are. It took like, 2 months for them to really open up to us.” Sokka shrugged, smoothing his hair down. “If i’m being honest, you’re trying too hard. Seems like you got a thing for them.” Zuko gaped, staring at Sokka like he had grown another head. “What are you talking about!? I dont like them. I just want them to trust me!” But despite his words, the flush on his face betrayed his denial. Sokka raised his eyebrows. “Right. Okay. Why don’t you just talk to them? I mean, obviously what youre doing isnt working. Maybe you should get them a gift or something.” Zuko nodded to himself. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? He quickly stood up, a new objective in mind.

“Thanks Sokka.”

“Anytime, bro. And a word of advice, if you’re trying to make it less obvious that you like them, try not staring so hard. It creeps everyone out.”

“I TOLD YOU I DONT!”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Get out before you burn my tent down.”

Zuko rolled his eyes, storming off with a deep flush on his cheeks.

The next morning he set out to the village nearby, wearing a cloak to disguise his face. He looked around the market, stopping by a jeweler, who had a whole array of different bracelets, necklaces, and rings. A peculiar necklace stood out to him. It held a beautiful ruby, plated in gold and held on to a thin, gold chain. Before anybody could see, he snatched it up, quickly leaving and heading back to the air temple before anybody could confront him. On the way back he stopped by a patch of fire-Lillies, picking a few to make a messy bouquet. “Y/n will like these.” He muttered to himself, trying to tie them together with an old piece of twine.

When he made his way back to camp, the others stared at him with questioning glances, momo crawling up to sniff at the flowers. “Whats with the flowers? You into gardening or something?” Sokka asked, eyeing the bright fire-lillies in his grasp. “I got these for Y/n” Zuko blushed as he realized how this looked, averting his eyes from Sokka’s teasing gaze. “Aww thats sweet, Zuko. Who knew you were such a softie.” Kitara cooed, fluttering her lashes in a mock swoon. Zuko gritted his teeth, cheeks burning hotter than the sun. “Yeah, maybe you’ll man up and confess. We all know you like them” Toph chided, smirking. “I don’t!” Zuko protested. “You’re lyinggg” Toph hummed, and Zuko cursed her abilities to see with her feet.

“Whats going on?” Zuko froze when he heard your voice, quickly turning towards you, hiding the bouquet behind his back. “Oh nothing, just teasing Zuko about his undying lo-“ Sokka was abruptly cut off by Zuko slapping his hand over his mouth, glaring at him. “What Sokka was trying to say is, we were teasing Zuko’s undying and super obvious crush on you.” Toph stated nonchalantly. The others snickered at Zuko’s panicked expression, his cheeks couldn’t have gotten hotter, wide eyes turned to you. “I dont know what they’re talking about! I don’t have a crush on you! They’re just trying to be funny i swear-“ “uh, Zuko-“ “I just want you to trust me, so i got you these flowers-“ he pulled the bouquet from behind him, presenting it to you. But what he didn’t realize was, he had accidentally set the lilies on fire. He gasped and dropped the bouquet, stomping on the charred flowers to put the fire out. You just gave him a blank look, the others snickering behind you. Zuko had never felt so embarrassed in his life.

“Wow Zuko, that sure was a good way to confess!” Kitara teased, watching as you just threw your hands up, being completely done with… whatever that was, and walking away to your tent. “Yeah Zuko. Maybe try not almost burning the camp down. I think Y/n will like it better if you just told them how you feel!” Aang chirped, just irritating Zuko more with his upbeat attitude. “Whatever, you guys are impossible” he snapped, storming off in a random direction. “And I told you i don’t like them!” Once he was out of earshot, Toph snickered, laying on her back against Appa’s side. “He’s lying again.”

For the rest of the day, Zuko avoided you at all costs. Leaving you to teach Aang by yourself, even sitting a considerable distance away from you during lunch. It was confusing you, but you didn’t say anything. You guessed he was still embarrassed from the spectacle he had made of himself that morning. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself. Zuko was sweet, and if what the others are saying is true, you couldn’t deny that you could start feeling something for him too. You’d observed him ever since he joined the group, and his surprisingly gentle heart had impressed you. You’d watched him teach Aang during your training sessions. Appreciating the way his body moved flawlessly, his dark hair bringing out the gold in his eyes. You had to admit, you weren’t complaining when he would show up to your lessons shirtless. There was no denying he was cute.

So, you decided to approach him, surprising even yourself. You waited for everyone to settle into their tents, then you made your way to his. You stood outside for a second, thinking about how you were going to start this, what you would say. But your thoughts blanked when Zuko crawled out of his tent, now face to face with you. “O-oh hi- Zuko- i, um” you stuttered, lost for words. His eyes widened at the sight of you, sputtering like a nervous wreck. “I just wanted to u-um say, t-that i think the flowers were beautiful and u-um that was very sweet of you” “o-oh” you stood in awkward silence, the ground suddenly very interesting. “Anyways i think i’m gonna go-“ “wait, i-i um, i got you this too.” He quickly handed you the necklace, eyes averting yours and a deep blush on his cheeks. You looked the piece of jewelry over, smiling at him. “It’s beautiful Zuko. Um, thank you?” “You’re uh, you’re welcome..” you don’t know what took over you, but you leaned forward pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. You stared at each other in shock, now it was your turn to blush, face as red as a tomato. “Uh well, its getting late- i’m gonna go back to my tent. G-goodnight” the words came out quicker than you could think, racing off back to your tent. Leaving Zuko standing there, hand on his cheek, feeling how warm the skin was under his palm. His brain short circuited and his heart was beating 400 miles per minute, he swore he was gonna pass out.

Hope you enjoyed :> notes and reblogs are appreciated, comments, asks, and requests are welcomed! 💗

part 2

[mania-sama]

also!! same anon. any kevneil hcs? 👀 what do u think there relationship would be like?

thanks for sending in another ask!!! i love answering!!!!

I have to really think about this because it's been a while since I've read the books. I needed to refresh my brain a bit!

Since they got together, everyone thinks that they'd push each other to unhealthy heights of Exy obsession. But, that's not the case. Slowly, they are able to coax more interests than Exy out of each other.

With Kevin, it's a lot easier. Neil already knows of Kevin's attempts at having other interests, despite having Exy shoved down his throat since he could talk. So, when the time comes, Neil encourages Kevin to spend time with the things that bring him joy. Such as watching the newest documentary about Ancient Egypt on the History Channel instead of a rerun of a UPenn Exy game, or attending his first Ren Faire dressed to the nines so nobody would recognize him.

Neil tries, too, of course. He picks up 'hobbies' at Kevin's subtle proding, but they always end up as competitions to see who can learn them quicker or better. Instead of being hobbies, they just end up as skills in his set. They learn how to knit together, and Neil is a thousand times better since his hand was never broken; his fingers are more nimble and move at a faster sustainable pace. Kevin sulks at this, obviously. So, when they learn chess, Kevin ensures he always has two wins over Neil.

Exy is still Neil's primary focus, his lifeblood. It's Kevin's, too, but Kevin allows himself a little more freedom. Neil doesn't find as much fun in Renaissance Faires or tours of Native American landscapes as Kevin does, but whatever makes Kevin happy makes Neil happy.

They argue very little at home. Whatever steam they have, they settle it on the Court, either in private sessions or in actual games. They do not hold back. When Neil makes a too-wide pass, Kevin shouts, "Josten! Fix your fucking aim or get off the court!" because he remembers that Neil sucks at putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Likewise, Neil bites back with, "Maybe I wouldn't have done that if you'd get off my ass every once in a while!" because Kevin is always insisting that Neil never does his chores correctly, and perhaps it pisses him off a little.

But, if anything happens to them on the Court, nothing else matters. It could be a good thing; perhaps Kevin made the game-saving goal, or Neil intercepted an important pass. They'll bump shoulders or, if it's appropriate timing, lift each other into the sweetest victory hug. It could be bad. It could be that Kevin's ankle rolls with a sickening crack. Neil drops his racket from whatever corner of the court he's in and rushes to Kevin like his heels are on fire. He pushes everyone away to pull Kevin into his arms, cradling his face as Kevin breaks down, memories of his broken hand crashing in on him. He whispers to Neil, the only person who could truly understand his situation and the only one willing to comfort him, that he's never going to play again. It's all over, he says, over and over again.

Neil tells him it's not true. It's a sprained ankle; it heals in six weeks. Kevin had a right to panic since their lives were reliant on their ability to play Exy, but Neil stayed right by his side the entire time. He shields Kevin from the press, having little patience for their prying questions. He spits out words that he knows Kevin would be horrified by (and so would the US Exy National PR Team). He sits down with Moriyama and explains the injuries and healing time. Moriyama leaves Kevin alone. Neil never lets Kevin get too far into his own head, and at the end of it all, Kevin thanks him in his own way.

Neil is on the receiving end of a lot of things; he finds brand-new running shoes waiting for him on the kitchen counter. There are his favorite protein bars ever from Germany stacked to the brim in the pantry. Kevin tells him, nonchalantly, that they have first-class tickets to watch the best professional Japanese team play in person in a month. It's hard for Kevin to say specific words, but Neil doesn't need them to understand.

But, sometimes, they do come out. At the end of their morning run on a rainy Tuesday, Kevin turns to Neil and says "I love you." Because perhaps that's when he needs to say it - when it's all clogged in his chest and nobody expects him to say it, least of all himself. And Neil will return the affection that night when the sun has set and the fear of nightmares has nestled into his skull. He fears that he has made a mistake letting Kevin so close to his heart, close enough that someone can hurt Neil by taking Kevin away. He turns to Kevin, grabs the nape of his neck, and says "I love you, too."

Because he knows that his fears are inane. That having someone to take care of his heart rather than letting it rot in its bone cage is the best decision he's ever made.

They sleep wrapped in the other's limbs and body. And when one starts shaking from a nightmare, they don't hesitate to pull each other closer. And that's all they need at the end of their long days. Having someone who will worldlessly, unquestioningly support them is enough.

[slexenskee]

Sorry if this question is awkward for you, but I was wondering if you were OK sharing roughly what you had planned out for the ending/characters in Crawlersout and/or Saltkin?

Sure! Sorry this is gonna be a long one haha

*LOL I read this wrong and thought it was asking for Grandloves not Crawlersout 🤦‍♀️* sorry to scare everyone haha

honestly, the original plan was Harry dies, which ended up being too sad even for me which is partially why I have no idea how to finish it. Or maybe she just takes the kid and leaves? Acknowledges it was a totally fucked up/toxic relationship in a lot of ways even if his feelings were sincere and distances herself? And Voldemort is too soft on her to ever hurt her, and too proud to ever grovel for her back, so he just accepts it and becomes a miserable old man who realizes how worthless life is without love and kind of loses all interest in life/the war because of it? But he's also too stubborn to just die, so idk, he takes all the power because that's been his life's work but it's a hollow victory. He doesn't turn good or anything, but I see him becoming like a cryptid dictator that kind of lets society battle shit out in the courts without him and no longer takes any real interest in society. But he does put a moratorium on 'spilling magical blood of any kind' which does include muggleborns, so there's at least.

Anyway 10+ years later and Hermione has been getting shit done bc idk I love the dynamic of her being everything Voldemort 'hates' in society but also everything he appreciates in a person and so he kind of hates her but also gives her carte blanche to do whatever she wants which pisses his followers off bc she's obviously the favorite but there's nothing they can do about it, and society has kind of gotten 'better' under her trailblazing political career. For a given definition of better, but in any case it's enough for Harry - wherever she is - to agree to have Flynn attend Hogwarts.

Meanwhile, Voldemort's primary position in the magical world has become being the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He's still a cryptid who holes up with his hoarded knowledge 99% of the time and leaves most of the running of the school to Mcgonagall and Snape, but he does the opening ceremonies and other things like that, so it's a kick in the teeth to hear the hat call out the name Cepheus Potter.

Voldemort finds increasingly awkward and bizarre ways to be around his estranged son - to the despair of the teachers and confusion of the students, Flynn especially, who has no idea who this weirdo is. Like, he learns Flynn really likes herbology, so he convinces Sprout to take a much-needed vacation just so he can teach Flynn's class for the week. Or pretends to be the caretaker just to loiter around in the halls for the perfect opportunity to run into him and answer any questions he has. Or lingers in the library and literally shoves Madame Pince out of it to act as his guide for book recommendations, and subsequently fucks up all her book-keeping bc while he's hanging around there just waiting for Flynn to come up to him with questions he also has to be the one checking out books and accepting returns and he completely just fucks that up.

The professors can't do anything about it obviously, and the students just think he's a weird staff member they see on the school grounds enough to feel he's harmless, and ignore it. At this point in public for his dictator Voldemort appearances he has his snake-like face and pulls a Darth Sidious and has a creepy cloak and all that - and when he's not doing that he looks like Tom Riddle so they think he's just an eccentric dude.

Anyway so in the ending where Harry is dead it's very bittersweet and Voldemort spends the rest of his life full of sorrow and regret (bc idk how but Harry dies and it's his fault somehow) but does reconcile with his son.

The ending where she's alive is much happier. He still reconciles with Flynn and kind of gets the courage from him to reach out to her again since Flynn is just a ball of sunshine who genuinely seems to like him. And he and Harry are still pretty toxic bc let's be real the whole horcrux involuntary/soulmate thing is never not going to be toxic, but whatever it's genuine. It also feels like a more balanced relationship now that Harry is older and has experienced life without him and all that.

Saltkin:

Book 3:

Harry goes through her shounen-protgaonist arc and becomes the Master of Death. Idk what that is really but she's basically OP as hell and spends most of her time conquering hell or whatever dimension I decide on for the afterlife. Cue the montage of this badass girl kicking the shit out of Dark Soul -esque monsters.

Meanwhile Voldemort is off on his quest to become dictator of England and is scheming/starting his war like he does in canon. He's smarter about it since he's not the insane version that came out of a cauldron but he's still an arrogant jerk who hates his own feelings and has shipped Harry off to the Malfoy's to not have to look at her. She's still the most important person in his life and he worries about her constantly, but he absolutely cannot every acknowledge that in any capacity.

There's a big ball wherein Harry is introduced to pureblood society, and the malfoy's begin to get a flood of marriage proposals. They obviously take these to Voldemort, who has a bit of a crisis over them. Ultimately, he denies all of them outright and refuses to even consider the prospect of handing Harry over to anyone. The Malfoy's take this is a tentatively good sign that Draco might end up with her, if the Dark Lord intends to keep her close.

Harry is heartbroken when the entire year passes and she doesn't receive a single word from Tom. Not even a reply when she writes him for his birthday. At the ball, he ignores her entirely.

She uses her anguish as fuel to become stronger, and tells herself it doesn't matter anyway. Nothing matters to her but death.

She defeats Envy, though not without cost. She's grievously injured, to the point Voldemort can feel it. But because the battle takes place in the Lands in Between, by the time she's alive again nothing seems to be amiss. Still, it shakes Voldemort, who remembers the time he'd thought her dead.

Book 4:

Harry's still on her quest to become the Very Best There Ever Was (cue pokemon theme) traveling across the Twilight Lands and amassing an army of monsters.

The next Sin resides deep in the many fragmented dimensions that make up the Twilight Lands/Lands in Between, and is incredibly strong, so she's kind of distracted all year. She could give less of a fuck about the Triwizard tournament, that Voldemort still enacts not to resurrect himself but to gain followers and international attention in secret. Unlike canon she's not picked, so she basically gets a free pass for the year to do fuck all while everyone else is distracted.

This entire plot was greatly influenced by from-software games so in homage to that she spends a lot of time 'dead' in a realm that looks an awful lot like Yharnam and is full of twisted beasts.

Meanwhile, Barty Crouch Jr is still polyjuiced as Madeye and is meant to keep an eye on the proceedings of the tournament and also Harry, although he's not told why. He's also not sure what the hell he's supposed to be looking for, so he just writes to his lord about her life and health - which is poor all around. He says she exhibits no energy in classes or friends, and walks the halls like a ghost. Voldemort prods about her health - Barty can't exactly sneak into the slytherin girl's dorm and watch her sleep, but he can say she barely eats during meals. Voldemort is deeply frustrated, as he can't just command her to eat and take care of herself like he used to when he was Tom, and due to their strained relationship now, can't do it as Voldemort either.

While she's off slaying yet another Sin in an epic battle of life and death, Voldemort is sealing deals and courting worthy followers.

He's become increasingly (but quietly) concerned over Harry all year.

Things reach a fever pitch when he feels like his heart is torn from his chest in the middle of an important meeting, and despite the magnitude of the alliance he leaves in the middle of it and races to Malfoy Manor. The Malfoy's are confused - Harry is fine, she is upstairs resting after dinner. The house elves concur that she is there.

But when he reaches her room, he finds her decidedly dead.

It's chaos all around, as the Malfoy's insist they have no idea what's going on. Voldemort rages at them then collapses at Harry's side. In his turmoil, he begs and makes promises within his head. He cannot lose her, he'll do anything to keep her by his side, he loves her so - finally, Harry wakes.

Its an impossible miracle that confounds everyone. Voldemort is the first to take in it stride; after all, Harry had cheated death before.

His relief quickly burns into anger. At her for recklessly endangering her health, himself for not being strong enough to bear her presence, the Malfoy's for being such terrible guardians.

Harry is confused to see him by her side, but whatever joy she felt dissolves into resentment as he yells at her. Voldemort is insisting she'll stay with him once more, but now she prefers her freedom. In his fury, he says quite a few things he can't take back.

By the end of it, Harry decides she hates him more than she loves him, and that she'll grow stronger to one day destroy him.

idk I have other plans for this fic, like I want Harry crafting an OP weapon called the Sword of Blasphemy that she makes my basically sacrificing her heart/love for Voldemort as a catalyst for more power, Voldemort of course finding out that she's the Master of Death , Harry eventually having to choose between Living and Death, the role reversal of Voldemort finally being the one who realizes the importance of love while Harry throws it away for more power, etc etc.

[catchyhuh]

Z. ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE?

NO none of them would hide a zombie bite. yes, they are all not super great people and certainly nobody the average motherfucker would want to be stuck with during the end of the world but they aren’t THAT selfish!

these are kind of more of a bummer than i expected/intended umm i don't think they need any. tws or anything but just. general warning. WARNING: kind of a bummer

lupin:

does not entirely take the reality of the situation seriously at first. i know sometimes i lean too much into silly unbothered-by-it-all lupin, but really, in this situation, he’s going to be so disbelieving in the initial stages that he’d waltz up to one, go “wow! the makeup department is even better this time around!” and nearly get his pinky finger bitten off. THEN he locks down

still a bit more reckless than he should be, but that’s just because honestly he has the skills to back him up. he’s like sitting on top of a building with his legs dangling over the edge, a pack of zombies under him just BARELY missing his dinky little shoes, and when jigen comes over and goes DUDE he’s like WHAT? WHAT’RE THEY GONNA DO

if it’s taking any mental toll on him, beyond the, y’know, WILD AMOUNT OF DEATH AND DECAY SURROUNDING THEM, it’s very muted. his pleasant attitude isn’t really a fabrication, but beyond that, lupin never really lets himself linger on “who could’ve been saved” for his own sanity. there’s always a few examples that hit, not including the times he’s thought his friends have died (but he’s also strangely passive and accepting about their death while grieving in those situations too BUT THAT’S FOR ANOTHER TIME) but more than the weird, isolated feeling an apocalypse brings, if anything is going to keep him up for an hour or two longer than usual once a week, it’s going to be the amount of people disappearing

jigen:

very much the most blunt about it as he is with most things. what this really means though is, while all of them would stare at you flatly if you tried to call them anything BUT zombies, jigen is the only one who will actually lean his head back, his hands covering his face, and groan, “oh my fucking god”

jigen is already a bit of a… kind of “made his peace with it” nihilist, compared to the others. jigen was never into this great cool thief thing because it would get his name in really, this isn’t going to change things up for him too much, as he only really likes less than ten people on planet earth total, most of which he never sees anyway, he’s not really tied down to one spot, he doesn’t seem too bothered with chilling out by himself for a bit, he keeps watch when the others are sleeping anyways, REALLY, THIS ALL LINES UP WITH HIS RESUME PRETTY WELL

REALLY ALL THINGS CONSIDERED A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE GOES ABOUT AS WELL AS IT POSSIBLY CAN FOR A GUY LIKE HIM. even beyond taking the above into account, he’s. the gun guy. he knows how to use almost every kind of gun. the primary, most effective way to take out zombies. like jeez man he’d just be coasting through this

the only thing that could really make this have an effect on him is if one of the others got infected. he’d act irrationally, for once, maybe try to hide them away and figure out where some kinda cure was coming, but if it really was too late, he’d be just as capable of the mercy gunshot to the headTHESE ARE SUCH CHEERFUL HCS

fujiko:

my man this woman is just numb past a point. you think a zombie apocalypse is changing her tuesday plans? well, maybe it will a little, granted that the restaurant she was planning to go to caught fire and exploded but um. MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY, it’s whatever! like on any given day, her only concern outside of herself is lupin n the gang, because deep down she enjoys the company of these weirdos, and more than that, what’s more miserable than attempting to survive a zombie apocalypse? surviving it by YOURSELF

not to reduce the Girl One to the Girl Traits (god knows tms does that enough!) but joking aside her first response is definitely a muted “eugh. gross.” like let’s be honest everyone is thinking it when they see a guy who’s jaw is hanging off the tendon but only fujiko can say what everybody’s thinking, smelling that rotten skin and just seeing the state of the environment and corpses walkin about. and that thing is “Yuck.”

the whole “self-serving cool one woman band” thing doesn’t totally work in a societal collapse unfortunately, but it does add a necessary layer of realism to the situation. fujiko isn’t hiding a bite. NOT THAT SHE’D MANAGE TO GET BIT LMAO but in the event of she would just look at it, like on her arm, pause, and hold it out for the others to see. no point pretending nothing’s wrong and if the shoe was on the other foot she’d rip a guy limb from limb if they didn’t disclose that information lol

goemon:

somebody is going to have to get used to long range combat really fucking quickly because otherwise things are going to get bad INCREDIBLY FAST. he’s likely never going to pick up a gun even in a situation like this, but maybe he’ll take up throwing axes or some shit. maybe some robin hood shit? anything to stay loyal to the grind

this might be the thing it takes to make goemon really, truly break out of his shell. ISN’T THAT INSANE TO SAY and make no mistake, it’s not a complete 180 on the goemon we know and love, nothing that’d make the others turn around and look him over like ‘what. thing has possessed you’, but suddenly you start to become more talkative and less ambiguous when you realize this could genuinely be the last time you see your best friend. 

yknow what though. those “my grandma said xyz helps with the flu” remedies would probably be pretty damn helpful in this situation. but make no mistake goemon’s first course of action is “raid a walgreens” and THEN we can move onto “mint helps with nausea.” seriously though it really does and i have to imagine 90% of people would be pretty damn nauseous being surrounded by the grossness of a situation like this! get a nice mug get some mint tea and then get to sippin!

hey. not to bring up the sword twice but can zantetsuken-fueled amputation stop the spread of a zombie bite infection. let’s find out! it’d be such a precise, clean job too, very reliable. actually can you fucking imagine being the other person in that situation, getting your arm cut off in a zombie apocalypse, and then the guy calls it “a worthless object.” i’d hop off the table and start shouting

zenigata:

i know i said all of them are assholes and yes this includes him but being completely transparent he’s GOING to die protecting somebody if nobody stops him. you ever see that bit in alcatraz connection where he tells lupin to shoot him through the heart point blank just because it will ALSO take down the bad guy who was holding him captive? you see the way he panics and throws himself in front of just anything when he sees somebody even SLIGHTLY weaker in danger? oh he’s going to die BUT NOT IF OUR OTHER GUYS HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT! BECAUSE LET’S BE HONEST HE IS VALUABLE

he can make all those trinkets and shit, he’s a medical miracle, his voice carries from across HUGE distances, he has an incredible talent for showing up in places he should not at all be able to get into somehow-- there’s lots of plausible deniability to “why did you guys show up” without any of the four flatout admitting that they kind of like him sometimes :) 

again we are locking the FUCK down. you ever marathon part 2 and then get randomly hit with sudden excruciatingly serious zeni. okay imagine that that switch kind of busted and now rather than that being the exception, goofy zeni is the new rare sighting. i know, i know, truly i’m forcing you to imagine dark times. but really man i’m serious if the gang or yata doesn’t get a grip on him first he’s GOING to DIE

anyway speaking of our guy i was going to include yata too and then realized he doesn’t deserve the misery i accidentally placed on these guys. I JUST LIKE ZOMBIE MOVIES I DIDN’T MEAN FOR THIS TO GO SO SOMBER I PROMI

[missellaneousworks]

Pinky Promise [Part 1]

A SDJ OC Drabble

Ella recounts her thoughts on her new roommate.

[Part 1] - HERE! - [Part 2] - Coming soon

A/N: It's been too long since I completed one of my many drafts. This is a drabble this time to practice first person and get into Ella's head about the early days of her new best friend. What could go wrooooong?

Something is Wrong With Sunny Day Jack is a +18 ONLY series. MINORS DNI.

~

November 7, 20XX

Let the record show that it's been almost two weeks since my last entry and I am alive and well!

There haven't been any weird noises in the apartment at odd hours, no demonic possessions to speak of, no flying silverware or furniture, flickering lights, or messages written in blood. All of my electronics work okay --the only thing that doesn't work is the '84 Incident' tape I found at the thrift store.

So to recap from my last entry:

I decided to let Sunny Day Jack stay with me. I know, I know, not exactly the smartest sounding idea. BUT. I genuinely believe he is an actual ghost-clown-man...thing-person? God I hope I'm not crazy He seemed just as confused as I was when he landed in my living room. I might've been a bit startled when I first met him, but I think he needs help. Or at least a place to stay while figuring out how he got inside that tape. He hasn't done anything scary. Not that he could, he's like a big teddy bear!

A six-foot tall, blue mullet, primary-colored teddy bear from the 80's.

Yeah, wow, that's silly written down.

Getting back on track--

Once I determined he didn't appear to be an evil ghost-clown-man, I decided to help him uncover why he was in the tape to begin with. He assured me it wasn't necessary, but my gut tells me it's important. Maybe Jack has family somewhere who wants to know where he is? Or other people who'd like to know what happened to him?

But, unfortunately, any family Jack mentions circles back to a place called Coudy Town, which sounds like a fantasy land of some sort. I've tried researching the names and town locations he gave me, hoping to find SOMETHING but I got nada. Zip. Zero! Whatever child-educational-program-fantasy-world Jack hailed from, is either a fabrication or it's from so long ago that no digital copy exists. Which makes no sense-- Dr. What came out long before the internet and digital media, but I could plug an episode name into the search bar and find 5 different videos and dozens of links, as well as detailed synopses of the show. Maybe it's because Dr. What is so popular and was part of a large TV network, so it was better preserved (despite the fact it nearly flopped when it first aired).

When looking up the name of the town didn't work, I tried looking up some of the names of Jack's friends he mentioned. Cloudy Belle Sue, Rory Rainberry, and Knackadan Drizzle. I think he mentioned having a sister...? Something-Jane? Chitty-chitty-Jane? I can't remember. I have tried asking Jack about his home, but all of his answers are... vague. Not that I think he's lying or withholding information from me, but it hasn't been helpful. He can't give me an exact location of where he came from, and he says some of his memories are on the fuzzy side.

Back at square one, absolutely stumped.

This is a real head-scratcher... I wonder if I'm looking in the wrong place? Or maybe I'm asking the wrong questions? Shaun might have better ideas on where to look. I should give him a call sometime. It's been a while since he's checked in with me, but I know he's busy with wrapping up production. Just a couple more months and I get to have my big ol' cat man back! I missed watching movies with him. He's asked if I'd like to get our streaming channel up and running when he moves back, but if I'm honest I don't know if I have the heart to tell him that I don't I have it in me

I don't know if I'll have the time, with Jack in the picture now.

Jack as a person is... not what I'm used to. He's okay, very nice in fact! I still feel bad that I threw that coffee mug at him when he first appeared in my living room, though I'm happy to say despite bad first impressions we get along pretty well.

Most of the time.

He means well, been nothing but kind and caring since I first met him. I don't know how to explain what's bugging me, he has a knack for popping up in my peripheral when I least expect it, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. The other day I was reviewing my budget and realized I'd probably have to make some insta-noodle meals, which isn't great health-wise. I didn't even say anything and Jack was like, "You know, I worry you don't get enough veggies in your diet. Maybe you could buy some baby broccolis, chop them up, and place them in the noodle packs you like to get! Oh, and I bet it would taste great if you put an egg in it! What do you think? Soft boiled or sunny side up?"

And the day after that I lost my freakin' house key right before I went into work, and Jack said I should check my back pocket. Guess what? It was in my back pocket! How'd he know that?

Some way, somehow, Jack is just always... there.

I don't know how to feel about that.

Maybe it's because I've lived alone for a long time. Also, it might be the fact that sometimes I feel as though I'm being treated as a kid. I don't think he's doing it intentionally, it's not like he talks down to me. He's just really gentle, yet energetic at the same time. He sort of has that -- hot teacher vibes??? -- summer camp counselor I had a crush on thing going on -- nurturing and benevolent nature about him.

Suffice to say, it's been a learning curve to get used to living with someone again. I just hope he doesn't get into anything he's not supposed to. He tried to help me fold my laundry today -- which was super nice of him, of course, but, well, he backed off when he realized I was folding up my intimates.

He probably wants to be helpful since he can't exactly contribute in more conventional ways, like buying groceries or paying his portion of rent. Or maybe he's bored? He knows how to work the TV, but he's pretty clueless trying to activate the streaming apps.

It makes me wonder, what did Jack do in all of that time in the tape? Was it like sleeping? Did he just wake up here? He couldn't possibly have been awake that whole time. Right?

...I almost want to ask him, but something in the back of my mind is stopping me.

Well, until next time diary. I've got to get dinner ready.

P.S. - Try to remember to call Shaun and ask about any archives of lost media.

[dennydraws]

Sometimes checking local bookstores have some rare finds...

And I was most definitely not expecting to find the FF14 Manga there but I take it XD;; I highly doubt it was intentional but having the price sticker over Asahi's face absolutely killed me lol

But this will be a talk about manga books and not specifically about FF14's manga book which was hilarious by the way XD;;

(Press F for Urianger... well, for Thancred really but ya know...)

It may come as a surprise but I'm not exactly a big manga reader. I think it was primary because manga wasn't as available or popular here when I was growing up and when I started spreading I started feeling too old for it. Now looking back, I was mid 20 I wasn't too old lol But also I was not in a financial position to spend on what I considered luxurious hobby materials. I never looked at manga books as anything but forbidden pricey thing that I could do without... even though looking back I could've learned a lot or enriched my art journey but... when you try to graduate university, freelance and cover for struggling and sick family these things are not something you think to spend on... ANYHOWSIES, I did not intend to share sad artist backstory, more like I wanted to explain my relationship with actual manga books has been an odd one XD;

It wasn't until recently that I started to actually go to bookstores during my lunch break and browse manga books and regular books too. However now they are so many that I get overwhelmed. Now that I have my preferences, I don't feel comfortable just grabbing a book on a whim. I still very much hate the idea of blindly spending on things that may not be of use to me. But even so I began to reach out, grab something, try it, see what I can learn from it. I feel like a teenager dipping toes into something they've always looked from behind the shop window but now they can actually afford it! XD;; I tried to start with books whose anime I deeply enjoyed and maybe look over what's around them - surely there will be something similar!

And then to my surprise I started noticing... Artbooks! Usually the ones I am interested in are on the obscure side? Or at least I've never found any of those I was interested in... ever XD

It has always been a lot more art books available here for WoW or LoL or whatever western-ish game franchise which... while I respect them, I just don't really enjoy their art style. And I did grow up surrounded by boys and a bully big brother whom I've always tried to impress or be "cool enough" to hang out with him (I was never cool enough to hang out with him u_u) and as result I had to deny myself a lot of things I was enjoying but I thought they are embarrassing - a lot of typically girly genres things because he'd mock them and if he mocks them then they were bad and I'd never be "cool enough" if I showed interest in them! Oh noes! Now that post turned into more personal down pour XD;

As years went on and after some reflection and years of existing in a healthy friend circle I started to enjoy the things I always wanted to enjoy growing up. I see them in new light now and I appreciate them with the eyes of a grown up while still kind of connect to this lost childhood spark. It's been really nice.

Plus I'm enjoying reading ...well, normal books, a lot more. Some years ago you wouldn't find me able to sit and read but now I do and quite enjoy it!

I don't know where I was going with this post XD I wanted to share I found the FF14 manga in a local store during my lunch break and it escalated to, I've been slowly buying and reading more manga and artbooks as of this year! It's never too late to reconnect with things you wanted to enjoy but couldn't in the past :D;;

Anyhow! Thank you for reading this silly lil ramble post, dear web traveller! I hope you will have great rest of the day and smooth week ahead!

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Writing Share Tag!

Thanks for the tag, @theeccentricraven!!

Rules: Share some of your writing.

I want to share an excerpt from a brand new project I've been working on. It has no official title right now, but it's a teen romcom sort of thing, so let's just call it "Untitled Teen Romcom" lol.

Chapter 1 of Untitled Teen Romcom:

She and I actually go way back - she’s been in my life since primary school. I have known her since I was 5. Like it or not, she has always been there. So maybe her presence just takes me back to when I was a dumb 5-year-old chump.

She was the very first girl to ever break my heart. 

What do I mean by that? Well, long story… It all started about 10 years ago. Flashback!

[ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO -  ZEKE’S RECEPTION CLASS,  TUESDAY,  2ND JUNE, 2009]

It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Proposal day. I had been planning it for weeks, conferring with my best mates on all the finer details. 

Sebastian was in charge of rounding up the rest of the reception class to be my "guests'' (whatever that means… I think I just wanted to have witnesses for some reason. Five-year-old Zeke just did everything loudly. I went out of my way to draw attention to myself back then. Thankfully, I have grown up since. Mostly). Jacob's job was to distract Miss Jackson so she wouldn't interrupt (he’s the king of distraction. Always has been, and likely always will be. Nobody beats him at wasting everyone’s time. Even the people he claims to like. Like me. He’s great, though - don’t get me wrong. A world-class procrastinator, but also one of the funniest people I know). Even bossy little Eshe Brown had a role - making sure Hope looked extra pretty that day (actually, her real job was to distract her until I was ready to come out to reveal my big surprise. The thing with Eshe, though, is that she’ll look for any excuse to give someone a makeover).

This was it - the moment I'd been practising in the mirror every night for weeks. I had my speech scripted in my head.  I had it all meticulously planned out - get down on one knee, profess my deep admiration for Hope Kamani's unparalleled beauty, and pop the question for her to be my betrothed. Yep, you heard me correctly… I was going to ask Hope to marry me. 

Well...in the way that a 5-year-old asks someone to "marry" them anyway. But in my mind, this was deadly serious business. I think it was just a matter of wanting to finally do something about it after spending so long keeping it to myself. After months and months of admiring the beautiful Hope Kamani from afar, I was finally going to profess my undying love for her and ask her for the privilege of being hers. Tell her that I loved everything about her, that she made me the happiest kid in our class, that I thought about her every single day, and that I wanted to make her happy too (I can’t believe I still remember that part of the script…). Simple enough, right?

She caught my eye right from the start, with her bright, friendly smile and her shining dark hair styled in braided pigtails (that was her signature look back then. Right now, it’s single box braids with blue hair extensions). To me, she was the most beautiful girl in our whole class. Maybe even the entire universe! That is honestly how I felt about her at the time (5-year-old me was so dumb, good grief). She had to be my bride. I had to win her over somehow… no matter what. Even if it meant humiliating myself in front of all of our friends with a heartfelt, soppy speech. I was willing to put myself out there. I was willing to do that for her. She meant that much to me.

“Now’s the time,” Seb whispered to me once everyone was settled for lunch. Everything was perfectly in place.

Go time. It’s now or never…

I fixed up my posture and puffed out my chest, trying to seem bigger and braver than I actually felt. Channelling every ounce of bravado and charisma my little body could muster (I believe I was trying my best to exude the confidence and manliness of one of those grizzled bachelor fellows proposing to his one true love... At least that's what I'd seen on the telly at the time. My mother was into that sort of thing back then), I took a deep, fortifying breath and strode over to where Hope was sitting with a bunch of other girls. I then awkwardly cleared my throat to gain their attention.

“Oh, hi Ezekiel,” Eshe greeted me a little too loudly. She was clearly nervous on my behalf. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey,” I replied with the same level of clumsiness. Trying to pull myself together for the big part, I pushed past the shyness that was slowly beginning to creep in, before continuing. “I have something important that I need to say.”

They were listening. She was listening. 

"Hope Kamani," I proclaimed in my loudest, deepest and most mature and serious-sounding voice possible (which still came out an octave higher than intended). "You are the prettiest girl in our whole class. Actually, the prettiest girl in the entire world! At least, as far as I know.” 

At that, a quiet smattering of "oooooh" sounds rippled around the room (because at this point, I had gotten the attention of the entire class). I noticed Hope's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth forming a little 'o' shape as she looked around at her equally rapt audience of classmates. 

I went on with my passionate speech, unable to fight the big old grin spreading across my face at this next bit.

"And I don’t just mean that you look pretty. You do, but you are also funny, smart, so very nice, and just… really, really cool. I love you, Hope. I can't help but love you!" I grabbed her little hand in both of mine. 

Here goes nothing…

“So… will you mar--”

I couldn’t even finish the sentence. You know why? Because I was rudely cut off. The bloody sound of Hope’s high pitched, piercing laughter cut me off like a harsh knife. The raucous peal of Hope's laughter drowned out all the words I was meant to say next, sending my soaring confidence into a spiralling freefall. "HAHAHA! Oh my days, Ezekiel! You're TOO funny!" She doubled over, not even trying to suppress the obnoxiously loud uproar, hands clutching her stomach as tear-inducing cackles of mirth poured out of her mouth. 

That wasn’t meant to happen… 

At this point, most of my fellow classmates joined in on the laughter. I felt my face begin to hot up in humiliation. Crestfallen, I opened and closed my mouth uselessly, trying to get another word in. I briefly glanced at Eshe, and she looked even more uncomfortable than she was at the start… Disappointed, too. And slightly apologetic. I looked across the room to where Sebastian and I were sitting, I saw that he was still there, but he didn’t look too happy at how things turned out. Even he knew this plan had backfired spectacularly. I desperately tried to regain control of this spiralling situation I’d suddenly found myself in.

"B-but I'm being serious!" I sputtered helplessly, my voice cracking with hurt and embarrassment as I fought back pitiful tears. That horrible sound only intensified from there.

Her mocking laughter reached fever pitch, each explosive bray beginning to feel like a physical blow. My vision began blurring as the salty tears escaped, the shame pouring over my face and burning my cheeks. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I pivoted on one foot and bolted out of the cafeteria, hoping my sudden retreat would spare me from further ridicule. But there was no escaping that awful noise. The sound of cruel mirth pouring out of that dreaded room. The mortification was too much for my fragile 5-year-old ego to bear. I hid by the coat pegs right outside our classroom. When I knew that I was finally alone, the dam broke. Broken sobs started coming out, wracking my tiny frame as the echoes of merciless cackles coming from the cafeteria chased after me, haunting my every step. 

At that moment, I felt so small and stupid, like everyone was laughing at how pathetic I was for thinking a girl like Hope could ever want someone like me. I now refer to that feeling as “Kamani-ness.”

I cried for quite a while… right until I had no tears left. My face felt flooded with scorching embarrassment so intense I thought I might faint. What did I do wrong? Nothing went how I scripted it. Nothing went according to plan at all!  This...this wasn't at all how I'd imagined it playing out. Where was the breathless joy? The teary acceptance of my gallant proposal? The swell of music and admiring applause?! Or at the very least, some basic dignity and respect. Like, she didn’t have to say yes to me. But there was no need to be that mean about it!

END OF EXCERPT.

Hope you guys enjoyed! I know it's a bit long lol. But I wanted to give the full flashback! I'm quite proud of it.

It leads to a full-on rivalry between the two kids... it's a lot of fun. They're sort of frenemies (like, they don't like each other, but they don't hate each other either. Plus, they're always hanging out. By choice).

Tagging these folks to go next if they wish: @mysticstarlightduck, @mjparkerwriting, @clairelsonao3, @gummybugg, @leisoree,

@isabellebissonrouthier, @fire-but-ashes-too, @winterandwords, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @sam-glade,

@toribookworm22, @sleepyowlwrites, @dragonedged-if, @yourlocalcryptidinthewoods, @soph1333,

@janec23, @jay-avian, @fayeiswriting, @rbbess110, @pb-dot,

and @the-stray-storyteller.

[ohtobearandomftblog]

Any specific headcanons for the twin dragons of sabertooth?

i have two separate vibes/aus that change the headcanons for them but you dont get the family au that im still workin on bc im nowhere near sabertooth just yet so take this in whatever format happens as i write

birthdays literally 6 months apart to the DAY but ONLY on the years that have that extra day. leap year? they dont remember what its called

because of that and the "twin" in their duo name they just decided that fuck it that one day every like four years is their birthday. regardless that its a day after stings and six months (minus a day) before rogues

they genuinely dont remember whos older. its gotta be someone. they have no damn clue. one of them either looks older than they are or looks younger than they are and the people who bother commenting on it flip flop between em every time

yknow that dumbass "one room for opposite twins with one half all bright and bubbly and the other all dark and emo" trend? yeah thats their apartment

sting is the only one rogue cant really see much of with his shadows no matter how close or far he is. its cause o how fuckin bright he is.

rogue is the only one sting can hear without the hearing lacrima. sure its not crystal clear like his sight but he can sure understand what hes sayin eventually. he genuinely has no clue why

weisslogia and skiadrum lived really close to one another compared to all the other dragons and their slayers. whenever one loses sight of their slayer they just go to the other dragon and boom the kids are playin together in the forest

sting cant handle sleeping in pure darkness unless he sleeps next to rogue. rogue also cant handle sleeping in the light unless its right next to sting. theres a night light in their room on sting's side and rogue just pulls a hand towel over his face to block it out.

in a universe closer to canon, after jiemma nearly killed lector and sting killed jiemma, rogue tried to convince sting that maybe they should just join fairy tail at the soonest opportunity. minerva was just like jiemma and the only person who really showed they cared was yukino, who had been exiled earlier that fuckin week. sting was close to doing that after he got lector back, but then he became master instead of minerva, and suddenly they were too busy to think about joining fairy tail

after sting became master rufus and orga tried to be all buddy-buddy but rogue shot them down real fucking fast. it took many months before rufus and orga could earn the actual trust and respect of the dragon slayers and not just the "yeah i know them they joined same time as me. fuckin pompous pricks is what they are" that they always thought of them as

sting actually found frosch's egg and rogue found lector's. they were raised together but once the exceeds were able to start going on quests and were allowed out of the little hammock they slept in they had to swap primary parents. frosch was only comfortable in the dark and needed that pink frog onesie otherwise and lector was only comfortable in the light or hed get so anxious and have insomnia

sting and rogue have opposite personalities

everyone who never met them and had that as their only warning figured that oh the white dragon slayer was all bubbly and optimistic and the shadow dragon slayer was all emo and pessimistic

no

no no no no no its the EXACT opposite

sting is the one that talks about the macabre and is all "we're gonna die" 100% seriously about every little thing in a light voice and assumes the worst of everyone all the time

rogue is the one thats into shit like harajuku fashion and hello kitty and always says "of fun" to stings death talks in a serious voice and assumes the best of everyone all the time

lector. people assume hes either 100% sting or 100% rogue personality wise. no. he likes the macabre and dresses all jock n shit like sting but assumes the best of everyone like rogue

frosch is the opposite of lector. dresses all bright and bubbly but will say the most depressing shit youve ever heard

all four of them are siblings. they will beat the shit out of anyone who thinks sting and rogue are boyfriends

sting is like a toned down juvia but to natsu

rogue is like a toned down juvia but to gajeel

sting will say the most hypersexual shit to natsu half as a joke half seriously and natsu either doesnt realize it or is like "oh thats SO something i should say to lucy to make her pissed off". sting has accepted his position as the forever pining side character and he finds it hilarious

rogue will do everything he can to not speak to gajeel unless theyre both in a fight. not even to ask for a fuckin pen or somethin. the few times gajeel spoke to him (even to ask for a fuckin pen) short circuited him and he either stumbled his way to an answer or sting answered for him. hes also accepted his position as the forever pining side character but hes sad about it

after sting became master they kicked out so many assholes in sabertooth the guild was less than half of what it was in the gmg when they were done

honestly all of the new members still think rogue's the master. even when rogue specifically refers to sting as "master" so they can get in the habit of doing the same they still think people saying "master" means rogue and not sting.

sting makes fun of him for having ducklings

rogue makes fun of him for making him have ducklings since sting was the one that assigned him the position of "showing newbies around"

sting just laughs

[briar--rising]

Many many things have been shifting internally in significant ways lately, and it's very interesting. The shifts all feel good, healthy, but strange as well. I'm nervous to say anything as big as "we have a new cohost" and/or "Allora and I are fusing" but um. Allora and I have been spending a lot of time not just cofronting but blended, she's been really really present in really interesting ways the last few weeks. It's honestly quite lovely, we've been working hard towards being able to integrate further with her for a year. But it's really strange because I've never experienced another part being so blended and so...prominent within that blend for such long periods. Hours and hours out of every day it's the two of us, not just cofronting but like, swirled together. And I think the things that's weird about it is in the past when that's happened with other alters it's been us blended, sure, but I've still been like...the primary presence in some ways? Like if I'm blue and another part is yellow the blended color is a strong bluish green, not a true green? Does that make sense? But with Allora she has a stronger presence/more influence when blended than me, and that's new and bizarre.

She was I think the host before me, though, decades ago, so maybe that makes sense that she has a much more...host-like vibe and role than any of the others have had? And being blended with her in the lead is lovely because she contains a lot of our capacity for joy and whimsy, and when she's around it's much easier to be happy and amazed and love life.

I like the pie metaphor for fusion. If we're all a blueberry pie, I think I'm the flour and she's the blueberries. All of us are important, we all make up parts of the whole, I'm not trying to say anyone doesn't matter. But I think many parts play slightly smaller roles within the whole, so they might be the lemon juice or the salt or whatever. And some have strong medium roles, like the butter and sugar. But I think she's the blueberries, the biggest part of the flavor. And that's fine with me. I think if we do fully fuse (and I think we're headed that way) in the end the person we'll end up being will be a mix of everyone, of course, but in some ways prominently her, and honestly? Not only are the rest of us okay with that, we want it.

Because she's happy, and kind, and feels so true to all of us and who we are at heart and who we want to be. It's amazing to have her around like this, to have her taking the lead. It feels so right. Very strange, but so right.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Do we seriously think that other member fanbases have not posted about donations from China? The difference is that others have not had similar chart success as Jimin, especially in the US. I am not counting Seven here because how much ever the fandom wants to deny it, that song got everything a western artist song does, if not more. There is not much difference in their US streams for the same week considering Seven had double the versions and remixes. 16% of LC overall streams are coming from the US even after 5 months whereas it’s only 9% for Seven. We can see that Seven globally is being carried by asian countries where the number of Spotify users and the streams it is pulling is disproportionate. Even with all this BB is never going to call out Seven success because it has all the playlisting and radio which is what BB wants every artist to do. And who in this fandom is even ready to have this nuanced conversation. Because as soon as you point out all this you are immediately labelled an anti.

And so they were always going to make Jimin the scapegoat irrespective of anything. If not the fanbase funding then it would have been something else. But what I don’t understand is that you know all this and yet you threw shade at Jimin solos. There is this constant push by this fandom to portray Jimin solos as the worst. I’m not saying they are saints but all other member solos do the same shit and yet I see one being called out more than the other. And again if you point this out then you are labelled an anti. Because this fandom always throws Jimin under the bus to call out his solos. Anyways I know I am talking to the wall here because the standard response I see is that his solos are always victimising him or that you guys are in an echo chamber and we call out all solos. I am in enough OT7 spaces to know that is not true but no one would agree to this because then the question arises that maybe it has more to do with bias against Jimin than his solos.

***

You know, the best way to answer this is probably to pick this whole thing apart, line by line, to show for example where you’ve made fairly accurate observations but drawn the wrong conclusion, as solos and their diet versions and/or exiles typically do. Or to show where you’ve made observations that aren’t consistent with the facts as I know them but which also have carry-on effects to other observations you’ve made, and so on. That’s probably the best approach since I’m well aware these are the arguments and talking points in certain fandom spaces.

But we’ve been having this same conversation since March. It’s been six months of nonstop bullshit theories from PJMs, other solos, their enablers within ARMY, ARMY themselves, etc, and I’ve been writing about this the whole time as well, consistently repeating more or less the same things, noting the same misconceptions, reinforcing the same caution, etc, and now much of what I wrote turned out to be correct, but it seems to have entirely gone over your head in all that righteous indignation. I mean, just today, after reading an article like that, reading the ~5 posts I’ve pumped out on it only today, you still don’t get it. Your primary takeaway from this is that Jimin solos were singled out and shaded by me (and the fandom) and that this proves Jimin is possibly disproportionately hated by the fandom and we must all be hypocrites who don’t really care for him either way… You still can’t see beyond that singular point of view.

I’m tired lmao, and I really don’t see the point in continuing an exercise that’s already doomed to be futile if that ask is any indication. Since you already see this as you talking to a wall. I’m very comfortable with you thinking I’m a hypocrite or whatever else, and you having whatever conclusion you have about all this without me trying to persuade you. And anyway, like I said there’s no use crying over spilled milk. What’s done is done. Everyone who can glean whatever lessons they need to learn from this, will do that, and others won’t, which is probably why I’m nearly certain that when we have to do this all over again next year (or possibly later this year), we’ll have much of the same exact problems many of which will be caused by people who still don’t get it. I only hope at that point, that number will be fewer. That would make so much of our lives easier. If BigHit is actually efficient too and on the ball, then it would be even more so.

A couple more things:

1 - If you’re indeed staying in OT7 spaces Anon, then you’d know the focus has already shifted from all this BS, to preparing for PJM2 already, as well as the next releases (which of course currently take priority). PJM2 is what Jimin is focused on, and that’s what many of his fans/ARMY have shifted towards already - a shift that started in a few OT7 spaces since the third week of April after the screwed up Billboard changes, while most everyone else was coming up with every conspiracy theory in the book to explain how BigHit was secretly pulling the strings within Billboard to cause Billboard to shaft their own artist…

2 - A quick note I want to make on Western awards: By virtue of being a BTS member, Jimin’s chances were already slim. After that Billboard article they’re even slimmer, but he’s still got a chance. It might be an ice cube’s chance in hell, but it’s a chance nonetheless. And the hope I have is that he does get recognized.

Anyway, good luck Anon. You seem to be a bit familiar with my blog but I can’t say you’ve actually read my posts. Even if we clearly disagree I hope you’re working towards supporting his current and next releases, because that’s what I’m doing too. Anything else will make all of this entirely worthless.

[strangeharpy]

Re: your prompt request post— cassaudy+snacking? whether it be "does audy do something that is emotionally equivalent to a human who eats having a comfort food snack" or maybe "cass misses apostolosian snacks" (imagine this bit crossed out, but I can't do that formatting in a tumblr ask: or someone correctly saying that cass and audy are both snacks in their own right). Or whatever else strikes your fancy about it!

In response to this post:

AuDy finds it difficult not to notice the look on Cass's face when they pass the Apostolosian grocery tucked away in an alley not far from the spaceport where the Kingdom Come is docked. The store is new, or at least AuDy doesn't recall it being there the last time they'd been down this street. Cass doesn't comment on it as they pass, though, so AuDy just files its existence away and moves on with their day.

They don't think about it again until a few weeks later, when they walk into the ship's galley to find Cass unloading several bags bearing the grocery's branding. Mako and Aria are standing off to the side, each of them holding snacks bearing Apostolosian script on the packaging.

"Don't you think you went a little overboard?" Mako, of all people, asks around a mouthful of highly processed cake-stuff.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cass responds, balling up an empty bag and stuffing it into another bag.

"This has to be like half your paycheck," Aria says. She shakes a few kernels of something akin to popcorn into the palm of her hand and pops them into her mouth.

Cass bristles a little. "I don't tell you what to do with your royalties."

Aria holds up her hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not complaining! It's your money, do what you want with it."

"This thing is pretty good," Mako says. "What's it called again?"

"Those are Antio Psari Sea-plum Pies," Cass responds without looking up. "I used to eat them a lot when I was younger and I could bribe Sokrates to sneak them into the palace for me."

"Oh, you mean Mx. Fancy-Pants Scion ate the cakes of the common people?" Mako teases.

Cass finishes unloading another bag and sighs. "I know I'm part of the royal family, but that doesn't mean I'm completely out of touch."

"You are sometimes out of touch," AuDy says.

Cass groans. "Don't encourage him. You know what? Everyone out. No more Sea-plum Pies and Kelp Popt's until you can be nicer to me."

Mako laughs and tosses the wrapper for his Sea-plum Pie at Cass. It flutters uselessly to the floor half-way between them. "Alright grumpy gills. I can tell when I'm not wanted." He hops off the counter he'd been perched on and starts ushering Aria and AuDy out of the galley. "C'mon."

AuDy lets themself be shuffled out, but they take a few quick shots of the packages spread out next to Cass before they leave.

*

The primary drain on AuDy's paycheck is paying off the Kingdom Come, but that doesn't take up everything. AuDy's bank account (held in Orth's name) contains a tidy little sum they hold onto for a rainy day.

It's not a rainy day, but AuDy has noticed a distinct lack of Apostolosian junkfood in the galley in recent weeks. The last time they saw someone eating an Apostolosian snack was days ago, when Cass crammed what was likely a stale jelly snack of some sort in their mouth before a mission.

It's completely reasonable, then, for them to find themself at the small Apostolosian market in the alley near the spaceport. They enter the shop to the tinkling of bells, and an older Apostolosian hesitantly greets them from behind the counter after favoring AuDy with a baffled look. In the lingua franca, and with a moderate accent, they say, "Welcome! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Sea-plum pies," AuDy states.

"Oh, they're over here," the employee says, stepping away from the counter and guiding AuDy down a narrow aisle to a shelf filled to bursting with Apostolosian sweets. AuDy does not hesitate to grab as many boxes as can fit in their arms. "I will take these."

The grocer chuckles nervously. "Alright. I'll ring you up."

The total is significantly smaller than what AuDy has in their bank account, so they don't feel any particular guilt for splurging on such a thing. With three bags of sea-plum pies in hand, they make their way back to their ship.

They make sure no one is in the galley before they go there to unload their haul, and they hide the bags so as to make it appear that they hadn't been shopping. The only evidence they leave of their errand is a single box of pies left out on the central counter, where it would be impossible to miss.

*

"Where'd these come from?" Cass asks from the entrance to the common area, holding a box of sea-plum pies.

"Dunno," says Mako without turning to look.

"Ooh! I love those!" Aria chirps as she sees what Cass is holding.

Cass's eyes land on AuDy, an expectant look on their face.

"I have no idea," AuDy lies. They're not sure what subroutine moves them to obfuscate the truth, but Cass seems to let it go.

"Well, whoever got them… thanks."

AuDy does not say, 'You're welcome.'

[queerwolfsstuff]

TW: mentions of bullying, suicidal ideation, and a toxic fangroup in the SPN fandom

This is all I’ll say about the recent revelations, and forewarning, a lot of swearing ahead:

I have a genuine question. Why is the Supernatural fandom as toxic as it is? Don't get me wrong, there are pockets of joy and wonder, forces for good, and a mobilization for worthy causes I have yet to see in any fandom except maybe that of the Our Flag Means Death fandom (albeit on a slightly smaller scale, and there’s quite a bit of crossover).

Like quite a few of you, I curated my own little chunk of paradise in this fandom in making three amazing, true friends (@anyreiart, @eyesofatragedy67, and @punk-is-notdead), and while I don't actively engage very much with the rest of the fandom, because it overwhelms me, the few times I have, have been generally good experiences. Has it all been sunshine and gay angel rainbows? No.

All of us have experienced negative things in some capacity. A rude comment on art or fanfiction, specifically in mine and Any’s case: a relatively well known fandom persona told people not to read the last chapter of one of our fics, and that was because that person didn't like a section of the last chapter. I’m sure that person justified to themselves that telling other people not to read someone’s work was some sort of, misguided warning, and all because that one person didn't like one part of our fanfiction. But I digress, we have seen the capacity for toxicity, but a lot of the time that has been part of the “ship war” discourse. Again, in our case, it was a brief negative interlude with a mod at the now closed SPN newsletter.

All water under a murky bridge, but the revelations of late are absolutely abhorrent. Fandom to me, as someone who has been involved in several fandoms for the past 22 years, has always been a safe space, especially as a neurodivergent queer person. I started at 17, in the fandom for the wizard boy series I won't say because of the TERF who shall not be named, but it was… not like this.

Now it's very possible that I didn't see as much (hell, I had no idea about any of this SHACgate garbage until this week because I don't really interact with folx much), but unlike now, during the wizard boy series time, I was very active, accepted into elite LiveJournal communities and while I was never a “BNF”, I got to share spaces with some incredibly talented people. And I do not ever remember the sort of discourse I have seen in the Supernatural fandom. Not even whispers of it. Ship wars have been and sadly probably always will be a thing, but this infighting, vicious, manipulative, cult-like shit? Nah, man, at least not as far as I saw.

A majority of us recently found out in the SPN fandom, and specifically among the Destiel shippers, multiple adults in some elite discord server, got involved in multiple bullying campaigns over the years and toxic, (and let's be honest) evil fucking behavior all over the simplest, or even pettiest fucking things. And what kills me, is a good majority of the orchestrators and primary toxicity peddlers, say they are neurodivergent, and/or queer, and/or disabled. That means, statistically, they themselves have probably been bullied at some point in their lives.

Yet they still chose to harass, block and ignore, “mean girls” burn-book fellow fandom folx, supposedly even their friends, all because "so and so told me to" or because they felt justified in doing so for whatever seemingly honorable reason. Many people who have come forward about their previous or prior involvement state their participation or silence in these campaigns was for fear of retribution or cancellation. Which to a degree is perfectly understandable, but in chasing the divine, these participants compromised their own values, and just because they used their fame for good a lot, doesn't really balance out how they used their fame for evil, too. Personally, I don't think it works like that.

But I'm not here to soapbox about the morality and ethics of their choices. Either they know they did bad things and are working toward undoing the damage and darkness, or they're going to continue to blame others and refuse accountability by releasing disingenuous apologies that essentially equate to, "He only gets mean when he drinks." Either way, that's between them, their friends and family, and their flying spaghetti monster.

No, what I’m genuinely confused about is why the toxicity in the SPN fandom seems so particularly… PG&E in Erin Brockovich about things. I mean, come on. Seriously? A bunch of grown ass adults bullying people, sending death threats, doxxing, harassing, pulling some high school bullshit, block and ignore tactics to dehumanize and traumatize people, some even to the point of suicidal ideation? I'm sorry, that’s fucking gross and this whole goddamn thing is fucking ridiculous. Especially if these perpetrators were bullied themselves at some point in their lives.

And don't get me wrong, with a history of loving problematic ships, I absolutely live for redemption arcs for villains, but the reality is, there needs to be a glimmer of goodness inside for that to work, and how any adult can think that sort of behavior is okay, or justified … I don't know. Some of the perpetrators may be past a redemption arc. Too far gone. In Ted Lasso (spoiler obvs) everybody got a redemption arc except for Rupert, and that was because he was irredeemable.

This behavior should be irredeemable, but that’s my personal opinion, and everyone is allowed their own. But I will admit, even my own opinion can waver. There needs to be a sense of sincerity in the first step, which is accepting responsibility and apologizing, hence why I don’t think every single person who participated is irredeemable.

I applaud the victims, those who were hurt, in finding the ability to forgive their bullies, and I also applaud those who have drawn strict boundaries. At the end of the day, the perpetrators are the ones who will have to live with the fact they chose to commit these acts and ruin fandom entirely for someone.

I don't care if it was all orchestrated by some mastermind lone wolf evil caricature of a Destiel shipper, or a select few wannabe Legion of Doom motherfuckers, your decisions are your own. Your choices were made, and when a friend told you that so and so was mean/bad/wrong, you attacked without a second thought, and why? Up until this past week, you were reaping the benefits of your elite status and living your best lives, enjoying your fandom experience. Maybe you felt safe and content with your ingroup, maybe you didn’t, but you were probably enjoying yourself. Now, how would you feel if someone did to you what you have documentedly done to others? Chased you off of social media, doxxed you, harassed you, made you feel unsafe when you unlock your phone? I won’t deny, to some extent, some of you probably have had tastes of those attacks from outsiders, but never from within, because you had the protection of your BNF cohorts. And luckily, for you, the majority of us don’t believe in bullying, so you’re never going to have to truly find out what that feels like, but I hope you think about it.

You know what happened when someone was mean to one of my friends? I stood up for said friend, while remaining calm and collected, then proceeded to block and be done with it. I didn’t reply or engage when their response turned vicious. The entire exchange was out in the open, on a public thread, and name-calling and gaslighting only ever came from one side, and it wasn't mine. I get the urge to be protective, I do, but did it just not ever occur that you can be protective of people you care about without resorting to bullying tactics? And if you have to commit these acts for fear you'll lose your fame, your place in a server, your "friend", then you've proven you don't care about people outside of what they can do for you.

A demon some of these perpetrators will need to exorcise if they truly want to learn and grow from this.

Anyway, I don't understand how or why that sickness of bullying to such a horrific extent thrived for so long in this fandom. And continues to thrive in other pockets of the fandom. Why? Why the fuck are so many adults in this fandom such childish bullies? And it's not even like we can blame it on the younger, newer fans, because they’re the ones that end up being the victim half the time from the looks of things. A bunch of quarter-life approaching middle-age folx caused this and proved that a little bit of fame in the wrong hands turns people into monsters.

For the perpetrators, I hope no one does to you what you have done to countless people in this fandom. And even more, I hope no one does to you what you did to your victims who left the fandom entirely. May you never understand that pain.

For all of their victims, I hope you find peace and I'm glad you came forward to put a stop to this madness. It was scary, and how many friends and followers the perpetrators have, this could have gone the other direction, and ended very badly. Thankfully it didn't, and hell, you got someone who never really participates or engages in fandom discourse to write a TLDR freakin’ Tumblr post about it. I am sorry for everything you experienced.

As for the rest of us? We’ve got a helluva lot of work ahead if we want to turn the Supernatural fandom into a true, safe fandom space. But I think this could be a good place to start.

[mamawasatesttube]

Need your full opinion on the recent smot issue

overall, i was... pretty disappointed in it, honestly. spoilers below!

i have always found kenny porter's writing to be kinda heavyhanded, and smot has been no exception, but i was pretty willing to go with the flow because heavyhanded or not at least it seemed to be a fun story. with the hints and buildup in #3 i was worried we were essentially setting up for a reprise of knockout arc from sb94, with kon aiding and abetting someone shitty while being manipulated into thinking they were misunderstood and wanted to do better, and i had misgivings about that idea, but...

...but honestly like. this isn't actually better. i feel like porter is really, REALLY hammering in this idea that kon hasn't actually matured, that he's still the same kid from sb94 just trying to relive his glory days, which is just. like. did adventure comics/superboy (2011) mean nothing to you kenny? (i know they did. i know.) it's also just a disappointing angle to take on his MANY issues with being in a new universe that literally forgot him. of all the things he could be struggling with, i don't think naivety is a particularly interesting OR in character one to focus so hard on.

it's also just REALLY been getting me that we're supposed to believe that everyone on earth didn't notice he vanished for 2 weeks, and yet ALSO that they do genuinely care for him. smot is set before house of metallo arc in action comics, which means we know at the end of it kon still comes back to be generic background superman #3 or whatever; i find that pretty jarring especially with the idea that none of the superfam even noticed he left the planet for two whole weeks. of course, given porter's heavyhanded writing style i know that'll simply be glossed over and ignored, because... subtlety? implication? what are those? it's the same with the entire idea of EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM ON EARTH being solved--that makes no sense and will be summarily never mentioned again, of course. and ditto re: tim, bart, and cassie going on a mission in paris without so much as a text to kon about it. it's all pretty contrived as setup, and the execution continues to feel contrived and unsatisfying to me. smot4 in particular felt like they were Really rubbing in the complete nuking of the pre-flashpoint kon&clark relationship :(

i'm ALSO really just not happy with the ridiculously centrist take of "what if the guys fighting back against the genocidal imperialists were JUST AS BAD AS THEM? OR WORSE?" but i mean. the bar is on the fucking floor and dc just loves to bring industrial excavators.

on the plus side, at least there are some cute kon panels in it :) i'll take those where i can even if i'm going :/ at everything else going on. i'm pretty sure the ending will involve the superfam coming to the rescue in issue 6 and kon going WOW... i DO have a place on earth after all... despite none of the actual issues he had at the beginning of the run being remotely resolved. also i won't be surprised if they don't actually condemn the imperialists particularly much. travv and the cosmoteers have been set up as the primary antagonists so... eh.

overall i'd say smot 4 was where the plot stopped really being fun to me. i'd had my hangups and nitpicks with 1-3, but 4 just dropped the ball a LOT. maybe 5 and 6 will be better, but i'm not too optimistic that it won't just entirely fall flat (again, though, i just know i don't actually like the entire setup for kon in rebirth, so i'm biased). still gonna buy em though ofc. gotta get my good good kon covers even if the story isnt very consistent or satisfying!

ETA I FORGOT TO MENTION. CAN THEY STOP CLONING HIM?????? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD how many plots from sb94 are they gonna try to squeeze into the end of this run at the same time (and inevitably do worse than they were originally written). how many

[fanfictasia]

Whumpuary Prompt 6

Exhaustion

Spoiler: This is an excerpt from The Nighttime Fear

Hunter heads outside, settling on the Marauder’s ramp to just… think. Brood, really. He was afraid this would happen. Of course, Crosshair’s primary mission is to come after them. That’s strategic. He knows everything about them.

He must know how much they’re hurting, too. Does he feel the same, or is he entirely lost in his anger?

He’s still sitting there when the others finally show up again. Ahsoka’s first, seating herself beside him on the stairs. “Tech told us what happened,” she says, “I’m sorry to hear that. I know what it means to want to just walk away from the fight.”

“Anakin said you always have,” he says, though he can’t even imagine it. The Clone Wars is why he and his brothers were made. Hunter can’t imagine a life outside of fighting. That’s… really all he’s ever wanted, though now? Things have changed, and he has to put their safety ahead of everything else.

She dips her head in a nod. “I was trained to be a Jedi, not to fight. I never wanted the war.”

Hearing people say that inevitably makes him uncomfortable. That’s stupid. She’s not saying she wishes he was never born. Those aren’t mutually exclusive. “If not for the war, my brothers and I wouldn’t exist.”

Ahsoka sighs. “Yeah. But what I’m saying is… that I want to leave the fight. I want to walk away from all of this.”

He’s exhausted. He thinks he could sleep for a week or ten. Either the aftereffects of the surgery haven’t worn off yet, or he’s just… “You could do that?” Hunter inquires, “Just walk out from all of this?”

“Jedi can still make choices,” Ahsoka replies, “If I don’t want to stay, I can… settle down. Theoretically.”

That isn’t what he’s asking. He knows the Council would let people leave the Order, even if hardly anyone ever had – it still doesn’t feel fair, because he and his brothers were always their – their property still. They couldn’t walk out even if they wanted to. (Anakin had said the same about himself.) “And leave your master?” Hunter asks, because that’s what bothers him the most.

He’d do anything to keep his family together. How could anyone else not say the same? He’d kill for them. Died for them. He already has.

“He’s taken care of me. Stood by me. He… I want his approval, but I still have to make my own choices.”

He doesn’t understand how someone could talk like that. Think like that. She’s talking about leaving her family because she’s uncomfortable with… what they are. He and his brothers have always stuck together. It – it sounds too much like… Crosshair. He doesn’t want to think about this. “I hope you find whatever it is you need,” Hunter says instead of the million arguments he could say to that. If his brothers wanted to fight, he’d do it just for them. Even if he was afraid, even if… but that’s not what Ahsoka has ever been. She’s… younger.

She’s their kid. They do everything for her. They’re not her responsibility.

“You too,” Ahsoka sighs, rubbing her arms. “I never thought about it too much, but maybe… if you want to settle down somewhere, we could do it together.”

Huh. So that’s what this is about?

“Maybe,” he says, not offering to commit to anything. He’s not opposed to that, but it would feel wrong to be with her, to know that Anakin and Rex were fighting for her, and she was… That they were keeping her safe while having no idea if her brothers were.

Ahsoka is far more well-known than they are – okay. That’s not true. She was far more respected in the Jedi Order than they were. Everyone knew about them, because so many people disproved of the Council’s decision to train them. They didn’t want them.

It isn’t that Hunter doesn’t… enjoy her company? But he can’t say he’s comfortable with it, though he doesn’t know why.

“I don’t know,” Ahsoka sighs. “I just feel like… right now, I need a break.”

Hunter nods to her, a little idly, but doesn’t verbally respond.

[ingravinoveritas]

Why can not David just be a good actor and a good human being in your "discourse"? He cannot just play gay/ambiguous because he's a trained actor, he has to BE gay irl, there's no other explanation. He cannot wear the NB pin and be an outspoken ally because he's a good human and has always felt the unfairness of the situation, no, it means he's GAAAAY and maybe NB irl. Don't you see how you refuse his agency in your desire to objectify and imagine his sexuality as you'd like it to be?

(The Anon above is responding to this post, but I thought I would group these together since we now also have the picture of David wearing his new Pride pin.)

Hello, Anon. I realize I'm a few weeks late in responding (to this and many other Anons still waiting in my inbox), but we are still in the last few days of Pride month, as we've recently seen, so I thought I'd take a moment and address this.

First of all, I have not once anywhere on my blog ever said that David is gay, so I am not sure why you are putting words in my mouth, but doing so does nothing to help your already flimsy case. I think it's also worth noting that I am not the only one who has made the observations I have, as I've had countless people of all sexual orientations/gender identities say these things to me over DM, things many of them are afraid to say publicly because of people like you.

Secondly, it is very obvious to me that you did not at all listen to David's appearance on that podcast where he talked about Pride Month, because if you had, you would know that your attitude is the exact same type of phobic mindset he was talking about fighting against on the playground in primary school. It's the very fact that you are "defending" him from something that doesn't inherently need defending from that is the entire point that you seem to be missing. Further, when I have talked about David's sexuality, I am basing my thoughts on things David has actually said and put out into the universe, which you by contrast seem determined to ignore in favor of projecting who you think David is onto him, which seems far more like removing his agency than what you've accused me of doing. I also do not believe I am "objectifying" David's sexuality in any way, because for me, I do not care if David is straight, bi, gay, whatever--I just want him to be happy and feel that he can be free to be who he really is.

The other point of yours with which I strongly take issue is that you are trying to shove David into a narrow box when that is the very thing he was speaking against in that podcast. According to your words, he can either be a good human/actor or he is bi/enby, which gives the impression that these things are somehow mutually exclusive. My question to you is, why can't he be both? Why can't David be a good human/actor AND queer himself? What if what makes him such a good ally is that he is bi or enby and has experienced such difficulties with his identity and now wants to protect his child and others from going through something similar? And if that is the case, I'm not sure why you think that would be so awful as to resort to leaving mocking messages in my inbox.

To the points made by @hunterofartemisblog: I am so, sorry for what you went through. No child should experience something like that, let alone from a parent. I fully concur with you, however--we could speculate about David's (and Michael's) sexuality until the cows come home, but the one thing we can say for certain is that David and Michael (and Georgia) are incredible supporters of the LGBTQ+ community. Michael has been outspoken about his support for years, but I feel like David has become much more vocal in just the last year, and it is beautiful to see. Indeed, how lucky so many of us would be to have such support in our lives--from a parent, a friend, or anyone who loves and cares about us.

When I looked closely at this picture yesterday, I felt as though I could see tiredness and worry in David's eyes--which, again, could be for any number of reasons. My hope is that if he is bi or enby, that David has someone in his life to give him that support, who is letting him know that it is okay to be exactly who he is and that he is safe with them.

Clearly, there is still a lot of judgment awaiting David and/or all LGBTQ+ people who decide to be open about themselves, which may be one of the reasons why it's so hard to do exactly that. As Pride month draws to a close, I hope we can all think about how we can unlearn our own preconceived ideas about gender and sexuality--whether well-intentioned-but-misguided or outright harmful--and make this world safer for queer folks everywhere.