#or heck I don’t even share with them the stuff I’m happy about because my interests are annoying and childish or whatever

[nagichi-boop]

Throwback to being kicked out suddenly from an autism Discord server because I was apparently too mentally ill in the vent channels. And then I joined a BPD server and was kicked out without warning because I didn’t read the room properly and no one told me what I did was wrong.

[alittlebitofloveliness]

5, 14, 15, 17

More outsiders asks? Heck yeah!

5. What are your favourite ships?

a) Curly Shepard x Ponyboy Curtis- idk why other than the fact that fanon Curly seems to balance out Ponyboy perfectly, and that I read a Curly fit on ffn when I was like fifteen that fundamentally changed my brain chemistry

b) Steve Randle x Sodapop Curtis- I don’t like any other within gang ship but Soda and Steve make sense to me and ngl my closeted ass clocked them as gay when I was reading the book because of the ‘pillow fight’ scene. I genuinely answered a comprehension question in class like ‘Ponyboy’s naïveté is shown through the fact he believes soda never drinks and that Soda and Steve were having a pillow fight when they slept together’ and my teacher had to be like oh sweetie no….

c) Marcia x Two-bit Matthews- Not a HUGE fan but they had such chemistry and I wish that could’ve been explored. I’m actually working on a fit about them rn, just because I wanna explore Marcia’s psyche. She was fun :)

14. Five headcanons I basically see as canon

a) Steve is secretly SUPER protective of Ponyboy, partially because he knows Sodapop would never be ok if something ever happened to Pony and he couldn’t stand it if Soda’s spark ever went out, but also because he wants Ponyboy to have the happy childhood he never had.

b) Darry absolutely dotes on Ponyboy, even though he’s strict, he’s lenient about letting Pony go places and works overtime to make sure he can afford to get Ponyboy everything he needs (and some stuff he simply wants), especially after Windrixville.

c) Johnny Cade is scary looking. Full stop. The gang just doesn’t see him that way so it doesn’t show in Ponyboy’s narration

d) Dallas Winston had a good mom and a happy childhood and her death was the catalyst that made him into the hoodlum he was.

e) Sodapop Curtis absolutely drinks, Ponyboy just doesn’t believe he does and Soda is not anxious to correct him because he doesn’t want Ponyboy to see him differently

15. Five headcanons that are entirely self-indulgent

a) Angela Shepard and Curly Shepard have to share a room because Tim refuses to share with anyone. Neither of them actually hates it half as much as they pretend they do.

b) Part of why Curly and Ponyboy became close was because Ponyboy was struggling with getting over his concussion, and the side effects were really stressful for him (dizzy spells, blurry vision, absentmindedness) and Curly kinda helped him with it because Curly spent 90% of his childhood concussed so he knew what Pony was going through

c) Tim Shepard and Sylvia are best friends and would kill for each other but not die for each other. However, they would avenge each other’s deaths.

d) Steve Randle wishes more than anything in the world that Darry Curtis was actually his irl older brother 

e) Two-bit’s little sister HATES Ponyboy Curtis because her older brother spends more time playing older brother to him than he spends actually being an older brother to her.

17. Are there any criticisms or salt you have with the book?

My criticisms with the book lie with the author. SE Hinton has proven to be homophobic and racist, and its written into the book, which is my biggest issue. I love the story of The Outsiders but do not want to support Hinton or her harmful, bigoted ideology under any circumstances. (For anyone out there who wants a copy of the book but doesn’t want to support Hinton, you can find a free pdf online, all you gotta do is google it)

On a slightly lighter note, I would have loved to have seen more of the female characters in the book. Marcia in particular had so much potential, and I wish we’d seen one actual scene with Sandy or Sylvia.

Thanks for the ask!!!!!

[ryuichirou]

RE: Ortho (+Shroudcest) post replies

Phew, alright, I think I didn’t skip anyone. If I did, I’m sorry, I’ll reply to you next time then!

Thank you so much for your wonderful messages of support and for your takes. I really appreciate it! I say it all the time but it saying it again feels appropriate: we had no idea we would ever see so many people who share our point of view despite not shipping Ortho with Idia or any other character. The fact that we can have this conversation really makes me happy.

You are welcome to share more of your thoughts if you want, but unfortunately I might not be able to reply to everyone. I will do my best though.

All of the asks in this blog are related to this post.

Anonymous asked:

Different anon, I think Ortho is in this nebulous situation like superboy in young justice who is physically 16 years old but chronologically 16 weeks old. I genuinely hate the uwu babying of characters. The dwarfs are all second years(so theoretically 17 at the youngest) but no one makes anything with them. Heck the characters I see get lewded the most are the octo trio who are the same age.

Heck, even Grim gets the baby mascot treatment by fans when he's also lumpedwiththefirst years. Like yes, he's a whiny brat but he's also grown up all alone as far as he can remember. I can't help but compare him to Puppycat who acts similarly and is a grown ass man.

Yeah, this probably plays a role too! Ironically, we were just having this conversation about Stitch the other day lol Being new to the world you exist in (and to existing in general) and being a baby aren’t necessarily the same thing.

And even in that case Ortho doesn’t fully fit into the trope because he was created quite a while ago and is already pretty well adjusted. But since he is still learning and doesn’t always understand people + doesn’t always get things like sarcasm, people consider it to be a proof that he is a toddler lol Who am I kidding, their reasoning doesn’t even go that far. They say “he died when he was a baby therefore he is a baby forever” and call it a day.

I feel bad for people who love Grim, I haven’t even thought about it… The Puppycat comparison is so spot-on lol

Grim is inexperienced and doesn’t know much about the world, but yes, he is one of the freshmen + just as he at times acts like a whiny brat, there are also times when he tells Ace that he should be more considerate of Deuce’s feelings, like wtf was that? That was Grim. Because Grim also isn’t a baby, he is a furry gremlin…

Anonymous asked:

As one of the most avid Ortho stans, it really is a pet peeve that people act like he's a little kid

You're so right that it's people that want to write him like Idia's little convenient plot device

I do want to note that it's also sometimes just the infantilization of an autistic coded character

God forbid he be somewhat optimistic, this must mean he's just an innocent baby /s

One small thing that gets me: Ortho can and has made his own gears!! Idia doesn't need to and maybe this is inspired by a post I saw that used the fact that Idia has made his stuff to take away Ortho's agency in what is supposed to be him having a tattoo analog. Not having a character be the architect of their own body mod equivalent is wild and I just.

He's a silly little guy, but he's not a fucking baby!

Indeed, Anon. I feel like people either completely ignore Ortho or see him as Idia’s appendix. I absolutely love them together, and of course I am biased towards scenarios that focus on their deep codependence, but I also really love how they get to have their own adventures, their own relationship, their own experiences separate from each other. Because they are wow, different characters, and Ortho has his own agency. He had it even before ch6, but after that he fully and officially became his own person. Being with Idia is his choice, not his only option. And just like you mentioned, he makes his own gears pretty much all the time now… even though I don’t agree that Idia making his gears has anything to do with Ortho’s agency.

I don’t even think Ortho is that optimistic. He is a little sunshine, but not even close to people like Kalim for example. Ortho even has his own cynical moments and douchy moments that people also tend to ignore. But even if he was 100% optimistic and naïve, it still would not be a valid reason to infantilise him. And you are absolutely right, people do that a lot. With Kalim too, actually, now that I think about it.

Anonymous asked:

Aaaaah, Ryuichi, after reading your post (rant) about Ortho, made me very happy! I'm glad there's someone else who shares the same opinion. The number of fans who infantilizes Ortho is beyond me. I absolutely hate the argument Ortho's mentally "8 years old" it's like they completely forget his storyline.

I'm guessing that the people who genuinely believe the theory that he's "8 years old" are younger fans with no media literacy so no hate towards them but it's frustrating when fans pretend it's Canon when it's not.

Not only that but it’s so sad to see how he's also so mischaracterized by the fandom. He's always seen just as Idia's little brother but never himself despite the fact that Ortho's life doesn't revolve around Idia. He has his own interest and hobbies different from Idia AND he is NOT innocent! Fans tend to forget this is a game about a school full of villains and that includes Ortho too! If I remember correctly Ortho has multiple times tried to blow up the school with his laser! He's violent! He's not a kid.

Unfortunately, I've seen this kind of stuff happening across all fandoms this isn't exclusive to Twisted wonderland. Heck a few months ago I've seen fans in the black butler genuinely believe that Ciel's in fact 9 years old instead of 13 year old!? And then they call us weird? The SebaCiel shippers? Like why do YOU want him to be younger?? I'm getting too old for this.

Thank you so much, Anon! I am happy you also agree.

I don’t hate younger fans, and I know that some people might be genuinely confused; but I also believe that there are a lot of people that simply do not care about Ortho’s actual story and any arguments one could make about this case. The actual issue isn’t Ortho being a certain age, it’s a pretext, an excuse, an invitation to harass. If Ortho didn’t exist, they would still do it with other characters, and even if all the characters were adults, they would still find a reason to do so, like, for example, their appearance. There is no winning in this game, this is why factual arguments won’t work even if Ortho Shroud himself looks in the camera and says “hi, I don’t care if people ship me with my niisan, I am also in fact not 8 years old”.

I am also very glad you mentioned Ortho being his own person! I mentioned it in a previous reply, so I won’t talk about it, but yes, you are absolutely right. Ortho is a menace, and all of his disappointed “come ooon, niisan, don’t do that” moments come from his desire for Idia to have more friends, not because he genuinely cares for other people. He clearly doesn’t – hence his multiple attempts to blow up the school lol

I love it when characters just keep getting younger with every single wave of this shitstorm. Didn’t you know he is 13? How dare you post something like that about a 9 years old! He is a toddler who is only 3 months old! That’s one powerful fountain of youth right there. Antis in Kuroshitsuji fandom do that a lot, just as antis in TWST fandom.

Anonymous asked:

I really feel bad for people who have Ortho as their oshi. It's not like fans of other characters don't get shit on too, apparently pretty much everyone is an immoral heathen these days, but I feel like Ortho gets often excluded in fan content, especially when it features any mature theme.

Also, if you a problem with people liking Ortho in the same way as they do with the rest of the guys, you should take your issues to the creators, since that was definitely their intention when they put him in the pretty boy gacha. Or maybe just play another game.

Anyway Ryu and Katsu, keep doing your thing, cause you guys are awesome!

What I love about it is that Ortho himself would be so pissed if he learned that all the other guys get to do fun mature stuff and he doesn’t lol That’s so not fair, he’s charging his lasers as we speak!

Also yes, it was absolutely the creators’ intention. He is supposed to look like that, just like Lilia is supposed to look like that – both caused confusion in the game story with how young they look, and yet both are a big part of the cast (+ As we know, even Idia was supposed to be younger looking…). Ortho has one of the biggest amounts of cards, he is clearly a popular character, not just a lovely addition or a mascot. 

Thank you so much for your support, Anon <3 It means a lot. This shit might be upsetting, but it will never stop us from creating.

Anonymous asked:

While I am not an Ortho/Idia shipper, I do like your art pieces because your art style is straight-up gorgeous. So when I do see your Shroudcest art Im like: not my cup of tea but I respect the time and effort made into this. (And here is my rant siding with you bc they are fictional characters)

The babyfication of Ortho is something I do not understand. As much as Idia made RoBro in trauma, rn I doubt he wants RoBro to remain stagnant in mind and hardware. With Ortho's ability to learn, he is practically a teenager like the rest. He displays more emotional maturity than most ppl despite his killer laser beam. Kindness, hope, and optimism are traits not limited to children. Shortness is also not limited to children. If we treat other characters by traits often shared by children, then Neige's fellow dwarf classmates are also children. What they don't count bc they are not human? Ortho is not human either. Similarly, Kalim and Silver display positive internal traits of kindness, hope, and optimism. Shortness? Well, we got Grandpa Lilia and the Napoleon complex twins Riddle and Epel. They are all teenagers (minus Lilia) and no one is babying them.

...And are we ignoring all the shit he has seen on the internet. The amount of porn (from adult sites and even the soft-core types you can even find by watching some twitch/yt streamers) that can be seen. Videos of violence, crimes, and ppl doing their best to win the Darwainism Award. Ortho could access and go through like 5 terebytes by the time I reach page two of Google.

As for the Shroudcest, they are fictional characters! You can go straight to phub and have incest type (the sheer amount of the step family porn troupe) porn being acted out by actual breathing people. Do you want to metaphorically die on this hill of ppl shipping fictional 2D characters? Are we just going to ignore you targeting this harmless ship? At least go for a larger target like Game of Thrones or House of Dragons. So much incest in those media that it has it's own fan wiki page, but you don't see ppl go for George R. R. Martin's throat for writing about characters willing or unknowingly committing incest.

It is like people reading/watching media of horror movie killers. It's something you can enjoy or have a preference for because you, as a sane person, will not become a serial killer. AND, as a productive member of society, you condemn actual, real-life serial killers. You read horror stories or watch scary movies for entertainment value not for a guide to be one. Similar logic to furries. Furries consider anthropomorphic creatures as hot, but those same furries are against beastilaity.

TL;DR: While I am not personally a fan of incest or shota type of media, I do not mind they exist (or go after creators who use FICTIONALLY characters to enhance their form of FICTIONAL media), bc they are FICTIONAL CHARACTERS from a FICTIONAL MEDIA. Stop with the performative activism. Use that effort and go after people who do it for real in real life. If you prevent/stop an actual crime from happening, I will applaud and thank you! AND I DOUBT I WILL BE THE ONLY ONE.

Thank you so much, Anon! I am happy that you like my stuff despite not shipping some of our ships. I am very grateful for the respect, and also for your message! I really like your points and I’ll go through them briefly.

The entire part about all those traits not being exclusive to children + about other characters having those traits but still not being babied – YES, thank you so much for that. Like I already mentioned, the game clearly plays with those tropes, and even though the characters are young-looking, they are still of high school age (other than Lilia). Ortho is weird, Ortho is different from some of the other boys, but all of them are weird in their own way, Ortho is just a robot. If we can make “not a human” excuse for the dwarves, why can’t we look at Ortho that way? And yes, Ortho absolutely knows stuff a kid wouldn’t be able to digest lol All of his difficulties come from him being an AI – he doesn’t always get sarcasm, he doesn’t fully understand why people do certain things and doesn’t understand some limitations of human’s body and mind; none of it is tied to him being childish or too innocent.

Incest in media is very popular indeed, and it’s SUPER popular in porn! You are right. If any kind of media ends up “normalising” this kind of relationship, it definitely won’t be shippers of incest. But also that won’t happen because wow, it doesn’t work that way. People love to say that fiction affects reality, and while in a way it does, it’s never a “everyone is going to start shooting people because the videogames brainwashed them” type of deal, and this is exactly what they’re doing with their arguments. It’s fear-mongering, moralism and ignoring the fact that people do in fact know how to separate fiction from reality. And the key to making sure no one is going to jump out the window because their favourite character did so isn’t in censorship, but in people learning this difference and always keeping in it mind. Ironically, that would mean that people who harass others over cartoons can’t make this separation very well because of their lack of critical consumption of media; but then again, they can’t even see (and don’t care, which makes it worse and my point stronger) how their own reckless actions seriously affect real people in real life, and I think this is a more important issue to resolve lol

Unfortunately, people who prefer performative activism very rarely end up becoming real activists, but I do hope that they will at least find some other hobby, something that doesn’t cause so much harm to both innocent people and the cause they claim to be fighting for.

I got a bit carried away there, but yeah, I totally agree with your point, and once again grateful for your understanding. There will always be media that makes you uncomfortable – and that’s the beauty of it. Creativity is a boundless ocean and no amount of bricks can contain it.

Anonymous asked:

I was just scrolling through and saw your explanation of ortho and shroudcest the other day. As tiring as I’m sure it is, it always gives me hope to see people who remember what shipping is really about. I mean problematic content has existed all through human mythos and history, and society still survives! According to the studies the “art morality” argument is roughly the same as “but da violent games!!” Argument, or metal music, or clothes, or any other form of media deemed ‘new’ or ‘too different’.

Anyway, I don’t ship cest stuff myself but your art is lovely and it’s become one of the things I can view without feeling uncomfy despite how my head usually responds to such content (woohoo free therapy??? /j)

I ship ortho with an OC who’s also 16. Said oc’s mother said she would never treat her child differently for who they choose to love, and while she definitely wasn’t expecting a robot, she’s not going back on her word.

Thank you so much, Anon!! YES, this is exactly what shipping is all about! It feels like “umm but they’re not even canon” type of people are suddenly the majority in fandom spaces ahhh lol

As long as art exists, there will always be people who are against it, especially if it’s something niche, and despite how popular fandoms are, all of the fandom activity is a niche, ESPECIALLY shipping, ESPECIALLY this kind of shipping. So unfortunately it’s unavoidable, but it’s so useless and annoying!

I am very happy that you like our stuff. Thank you for enjoying it. Your OC’s mother is amazing and very supportive lol I am sure she and Ortho will get along swimmingly.

[writingjourney]

I’m in need of some advice and kind words. As a fellow writer I’m really struggling to believe people will and want to read my stuff. There’s no real engagement anymore and I’m worried that if I post my long-form fic that no one will give it a chance. It’s really bringing me down because I love it so much but it feels like no matter what I try to do my stuff just doesn’t get seen or liked? I’ve even thought about changing my entire way of how I do things since I don’t think the way I write is working for the masses. How do you keep up the motivation as a popular writer and do you have an advice?

Hello anon!! I feel like this is something many of us currently deal with. And first of all I seriously hope that you do share your story!! ♡

To be completely honest with you the lack of engagement in the fandom has for sure impacted my own motivation which is why I haven't been putting as much time into longer fics (nor the Friday Nights series or IKNBS, I do write but I refuse to force myself). I don't feel any urgency because uploading fics hasn't made me as happy as it used to. It feels like only other active writers are reading fic atm and it creates a lot of pressure on creatives to stay super active.

I'm aware that I'm insanely privileged to have the engagement that I do have, that the type of stories I want to write are also the type of stories that generally seem to appeal. However, engagement tells you NOTHING about the quality of your work, only how many people are active in a fandom or like a specific pairing/character/trope. Your own unique voice matters more than numbers.

I also notice that a lot of people who used to read my works have disappeared which I completely understand. The fixation can ebb away during times of inactivity or when a certain hype dies down. People just don't get that dopamine hit anymore and move on. It's also entirely possible they get tired of a certain style of writing and prefer other writers at times, what do I know. I definitely don't blame anyone for that. First and foremost people should read for their own enjoyment and engage with fandom in a way that makes them happy. It makes no sense to pressure people into engaging. A huge issue right now is people overthinking these things which makes support transactional instead of genuine.

I don't care much about notes but I REALLY miss the feeling of sharing a fic with people who are excited for it, that sense of an active community. BUT the activity will come back – the movie will come out, new music and videos, heck even a whole new Papa!!! That's the natural flow of things. We can't be excited and super active all the time, we need phases of calmness as well (which is an act of rebellion in the capitalist hellscape of overproduction and churned out content. I am honestly glad Ghost is taking it easy).

Now, I recommend you write your story exactly how you want to!!! do NOT change it for the sake of popularity because it will lose its very soul and you will struggle to be happy with it by the end. You know how you want to tell your story and nothing else matters. It will find its readers or you can wait and share it at a later point. I recommend that you approach other writers and readers and intensify that contact, make friends and talk to them about your stories, hype each other up, share snippets. It's even more meaningful to know people you like enjoy what you do. I am currently working on super niche fics for non-Ghost characters and I'm honestly having a great time chasing that dopamine by just writing what I'm really into and sharing it with friends. Fandom is community, fandom is fun and we can work to make it better for everyone.

A few general tips when it comes to making stories accessible: Format them to be readable (paragraphs!!), add a "read more" break, add proper content information and a nice summary to draw people in, add some visual appeal like a banners or stock image edits (like i do for IKNBS) and then tag the fics with relevant tags (and only those). Also make sure to tag the OG post, tags on reblogs do nothing for reach. Engage with the community when you feel like it and it's likely that the community will engage back. Being supportive is worth it, being kind is always worth it even if it amounts to nothing.

[marbles-for-breakfast]

I don’t identify as endo, btw. I just get lumped in with them bc I don’t have any memories of child abuse and I don’t like origin labels. I may very well be “traumagenic”. That’s not a useful distinction to me. I don’t care why I’m like this and I don’t think other people should care either. Even if I discover that I have significant childhood trauma, I won’t feel the need to say that was definitely the sole cause of me being plural. It’ll be intertwined with it, yes. Of course it will. But why should I be forced to assume it was the reason?

But because of all these things, your anti-endo posts feel targeted at me too. I don’t identify as endo, but I know that’s how you would identify me. Just because I’m not confidently traumagenic with no evidence of trauma. And just because I don’t hate endos for being confidently who they are.

When someone tells you they exist, believe them. Believe them until or unless you have actual evidence that they are lying. And “they’re lying bc that’s impossible” is not a valid reason, because guess what? You can’t just assume that something is impossible because it doesn’t fit into the story of OSDDID that people usually tell. You don’t know what’s possible and what’s not. No one does. Especially when it comes to brain stuff. The only way to know what’s possible is to LISTEN to people. If you think endos are all lying weirdos who want to be special and think that your trauma is a fun game, you’re not listening.

And I understand why you’re not listening. The narrative that trauma made you like this is important to you. And you know what? That’s okay. No one’s trying to take that away from you. We just want the freedom to have our OWN narratives about why WE are the way we are. Some of us (like me) want the freedom to be unsure. Or to simply not care. I don’t feel like I need a reason. And I don’t feel like I could ever really know for sure. But I understand that the reason is important to a lot of you. And I do respect that.

You can have your own spaces if you want. Stop talking shit about us (especially in shared spaces like the plural tag), and we’ll leave you the heck alone. I certainly think we should be allowed to have some separation between different communities based on origin. I mean, my experience is very different from willogenic systems. And I’ll admit that I sometimes have negative instincts towards them. It’s natural to feel some level of resentment towards people who got to have a choice where you didn’t. It can be confusing when they make the choice to be something that you worked hard to come to terms with, seemingly while skipping all the hardest parts! It’s not fair. But that’s also not their fault. It’s not their fault you were abused. It’s not their fault you never got a choice. It’s not their fault that being a system is so hard, and coming to terms with everything is such an overwhelming process. It’s not their fault it’s easier for them.

I don’t want to be friends with a bunch of willogenics. Maybe I’m not ready for that, maybe I never will be. I still think they have a right to make a choice that I was never given. I’m happy for them, that they got to do that. I’m happy that it was easier than what we’re going through.

I know that it’s possible to become a system through paths other than severe trauma because I have not seen any evidence that that is not the case. And the hundreds of people claiming to have arrived at this point through a wide variety of methods is all the proof I need that this is possible. Because I have no reason to doubt their own interpretation of their own experiences. How arrogant or stubborn would I have to be to do that?

Just let systems be ourselves, please. I want community. I want understanding. I want empathy. So let’s stop worrying about so much about why we’re like this, and focus on what we are, and who we want to be.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Hi! I've been a fan of KHR for almost 11 years now and blogs like yours are honestly one of the main things that keep my love for it alive so i just wanted to say thank you so much for posting all your stuff~ You can ignore this part if you want but is it ok to request for aesthetics headcanons and/or ideal female partner headcanons for Giotto from KHR? Anyways, I hope you have so many happy and fun days ahead of you!

Oh my gosh. Thank you so much, you beautiful anon! I really appreciated the heck out of this message and have reread it often. I’m so glad that you like my posts and that it helps keep you in love with KHR and I get what you mean. The stuff the fandom puts out really helps keep me in love with the fandom, along with at least yearly rereads. And I definitely cannot ignore any part of this message 😊 I’m more than happy to do these for you! I’m sorry if the answers are a bit shorter than my norm or not quite up to snuff, but I tried my hardest and hope that you’ll enjoy!

AESTHETICS

Sunsets on a summer night, the sky streaked with pinks and orange. Soft laughter among friends. Pocket watches ticking away seconds and minutes. Reinvention. Justice – cloth covering blind eyes, scales at even. Second chances. Acceptance that takes away all loneliness. Big suppers with friends, glasses of wine raised in a toast, conversations that last into the wee hours of the morning. A hand outstretched to those in need. Love everlasting. Trust and wonder in the world. Fate. Eternity. Generational inheritance.

IDEAL PARTNER HEADCANONS

I mention every time that I do ideal partner headcanons that I don’t really dwell on physical traits. With Giotto, I do this even less and it’s because I really am convinced that Giotto is someone who wouldn’t take looks into account when it comes to who he gets into relationships with, at least not as much as most other people would. He does have to be physically attracted to someone to get into a relationship with them, but Giotto is someone who can easily find the beauty in others, even those who most others would not consider pretty. The people Giotto becomes romantically interested in, the people he dates or the person he eventually ends up marrying don’t have to be traditionally pretty. In fact, they’re often not. Giotto is someone who finds so much beauty in the smaller things – the sound of someone’s voice, how their smile lights up their face, how pretty their eyes are and how expressive they are, how their movements are so graceful, how dainty their hands are, things like that. In Giotto’s mind, he’s never met someone who was truly ugly all the way through.

For Giotto, the things that matter the most in people are all the things on the inside. For him to get serious, to take an initial attraction to someone to wooing them and then getting into a relationship with them, Giotto places a huge value on the type of person someone is.

The most important thing for Giotto is that his lover and eventual life partner is someone who is truly kind. And it can’t be performative kindness, kindness only done to make themselves look better or to get something in return. He wants someone who truly cares about the people around them, who wants to make others lives better and happier.

However, he appreciates someone who has good boundaries and doesn’t allow others to just run over them. He sometimes struggles with that himself and having someone that close to him who can remind him that you have to be kind to yourself first, that it doesn’t diminish your kindness to say no, will be something he appreciates more than he can state.

Giotto lives his life in such a way that he really will need to have his partner share his beliefs, morals, and values. They are such a big part of what makes Giotto who he is, a big part of how he lives his life. He needs for his partner to share a similar sense of justice, along with a nonjudgmental attitude of others. After all, the people Giotto has around him are of such varied natures and even of different ethnicities. He needs a partner who doesn’t judge others based off of things like that, but actively looks for the good in those around them.

Because of how the Vongola got started and its technically illegal aspects, he also needs a partner who has that rebellious streak to them. Someone who isn’t afraid to break some laws if the laws are oppressive.

In terms of interpersonal stuff, Giotto really appreciates a partner who is trusting. He needs someone who isn’t jealous or clingy, who will understand that he has responsibilities and other bonds and will happily embrace those bonds and give him space and room to be around others without getting upset about it. He wants his partner to trust that he would never betray them in any sense.

He also really appreciates a supportive partner and someone who will help him keep his spirits up even when he’s feeling the pressure of his position and of the weight that everyone’s expectations puts on him sometime. He wants a partner whose very presence is like a soothing balm to his soul.

[janeykath318]

A Time Of Need (Shieldshock)

Meeting one’s soulmate was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of a person’s life, and yet, Darcy had spent her life dreading hers because of the words on her right hand.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

What kind of cruel joke was the universe going to play on her? Was she going to meet her soulmate at a funeral?

“You have a sick sense of humor, Universe!” She’d muttered multiple times, while looking at her words with disgust. She’d complained to Jane plenty of times. Her friend was sympathetic, but did her best to put a less depressing spin on it.

“I know it’s not fun circumstances, but I think it’s more common than we think. It just doesn’t get talked about. Hopefully, your soulmate will support you through your future grief. If they don’t, rest assured I will portal their ass to outer space.”

Darcy had chuckled and then sighed.

“Well I appreciate your attempts to cheer me up about it, i just wanted a cheesy meet cute. Was that too much to ask?” she grumbled. “Heck, I’d take a terrible pick up line at this point.”

Fortunately, for Darcy’s wish, funerals were few and far between for her during the busy years interning with Jane, then briefly wrangling Avengers before the world turned upside down.

She was a little surprised that she didn’t meet her soulmate after the snap, but it seemed it wasn’t yet time, because despite the myriad of memorials, no awkward soulmate meeting occurred.

Two years after Thanos, the unthinkable happened.

Why did it have to be Jane? Why? After all the unthinkably crazy stuff she’d lived through, she was taken out by cancer and Darcy was left reeling.

She sat by Thor at the memorial service, doing her best to be supportive even as she felt numbed by the grief herself. She stared at Jane’s picture while Eric eulogized her in long-winded form.

“I am not dying for six college credits!” Memories flashed through her mind from New Mexico, Norway, and London. From Jack-booted thugs and killer robots to Dark elves and visitors from Asgard, they’d had a good run. It would have made a killer memoir if most of it wasn’t classified.

After the service ended, she quietly chatted with Jane’s family for a little bit and shared some funny anecdotes of science mishaps that brought teary smiles to their faces.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thor talking to a tall blonde dude who looked eerily familiar.

Curious, she approached her friend, who turned to her with one of his excited puppy expressions. Her heart melted. She hadn’t seen that look in months. Clearly, Thor’s friend had brought him some comfort.

“Darcy!” He exclaimed. “My shieldbrother Steven came to pay his respects. Have you met him?”

Darcy mutely shook her head, stunned at seeing Steve Rogers in person. He was wearing a dark suit and looked very different from the Captain America she’d seen on the news. It was a good difference, though. He looked like he’d just walked out of a GQ ad.

Thor took it upon himself to introduce her and soon she was shaking the very large hand of the former Captain America.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Dr. Lewis.”

Darcy gaped. There it was. Her Words. The Dreaded moment. She considered fleeing, but the sincerely empathetic way Steve was looking at her held her still. After a few moments of silent panicking, she found her voice and blurted out “I thought you were on the moon or something.”

Steve looked shocked for a second, then he slowly grinned, which sent Darcy back to speechlessness.

“Darcy? Are you okay? I have never known you to go so long without speech,” Thor questioned worriedly.

In answer, she mutely held up her hand, showing them her words. Thor’s eyes widened and he excused himself after patting them both on the back and congratulating them in hearty Thor fashion. Steve nodded and looked at her with another one of those caring looks. She swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances, but I am very happy to meet you,” he said softly. “My words are right here, in case you’re wondering.” He gestured to his left side.

She knew he was ripped under that nice black suit and let a little smirk appear.

“On top of your six pack, I hope?”

“Not quite,” Steve chuckled. “As to your first statement, I am retired and mostly off the grid right now, but I don’t know how the secret base on the moon rumors got started. I suspect Sam and Bucky.”

“A reasonable assumption,” Darcy agreed. “Your friends are goofy like that. Gosh, I can’t believe this. I bet Jane is laughing so hard at me in Valhalla. She tried to set me up with you once upon a time.”

“Oh?” Steve queried, one eyebrow quirking up in interested amusement.

“Yep,” Darcy admitted. “I’d just been dumped and wasn’t ready to try again. But fate prevailed, I see.”

“Yeah, it did. Natasha would have loved this. She talked about you a lot and said you were totally my type.”

“What? A feisty brunette who punches douchebags and has no filter? You’re in for a treat, then, Steve-o.”

She winked at him saucily.

“I think I am.” he agreed.

As she left the funeral home on Steve’s arm, she smiled affectionately at Jane’s picture.

You were right, Janey. Thank You.

Meanwhile In The Afterlife:

“Finally!” Jane crowed triumphantly, pumping her fist and doing the happy dance she’d used to do when celebrating a scientific breakthrough.

“Yes. If only the stubborn mule had listened to me. I could have helped plan their wedding,” sighed Natasha ruefully. “Maybe I’ll finally get a little namesake. I have never forgotten Nathaniel’s betrayal.”

“Hopefully, we’ll both get namesakes,” Jane agreed. “Those kids will have fantastic genes.”

She mimed fanning herself and made Natasha laugh again.

[noddytheornithopod]

Time to word vomit my despair time thoughts because hoo, David...

Okay watched the new Despair Time, and even if actually was right and saw it coming... seeing David come apart and reveal he was a lying liar was still pretty scary.

Firstly, those sprites. Especially when there's shadow over his eyes and they glow. Second, the voice actor does such a great job and changing his demeanour. And lastly... his personality.

He has traits of other antagonists, but he also feels like something new. Like, he has the arrogance and elitism of Byakuya, but honestly Byakuya is an angel compared to David's cynical worldview.

Like, Byakuya just thought he was better than everyone else because he really went through shit to become what he was. David, we don't know his backstory, but he doesn't just look down on everyone... he seems to hate them.

The stuff about people refusing to change sounds key... it sounds like something has made him decide to see only the worst in people he doesn't like, like he even said "if they did change, it means deep down they were already good".

So like... we have someone who is arrogant and looks down on everyone, but fueled by a really bleak nihilistic, cynicism fuelled outlook.

Also honestly? I'm with Teruko. I felt he was off from the start. How he acted with Xander always felt off, given he always said something like he didn't like being around fans, but then suddenly he acted like Xander was his bestie, lol.

Also... he totally has Teruko's secret. The way he said "why don't you share yours?" felt very pointed.

Also... what the heck happened between him and Hu? She even went as far as saying he "toyed with her heart". David's "not so different" speech was ruthless. She was REALLY defensive, too.

This is making me think even more that Hu is the true killer. As Teruko said, David's deceiving everyone, even as he lifts his facade. If he exists to manipulate everyone, then would he really be so stupid to just kill? Maybe his arrogance would get in the way... but yeah

So Hu has not only felt off to me, but not only are they continuing to build to her secret (something where she's not as strong as she looks, suicide attempts make a lot of sense TBH), there's now clear emotional stakes now.

At first, I was just suspicious of her, wondering what she was up to... but now I'm worried for her. What did David do to you? Did he make you do anything that would make you, say... murder?

Also, if Hu IS the murderer, I feel like there's going to be significance to Arei's death resembling a suicide, assuming that IS her secret. Guess we'll see what happens.

Anyway... Whit, dude, come on. I think your lives are more important than David's career. :v I have to wonder why he felt the need to protect that specifically so much though. Did David also talk to him?

Also... Ace, I'm sorry for ever finding you annoying. Okay, maybe you still are annoying sometimes, but exposing David? Cool move. You still gotta get over your Nico hate boner (well, besides the attempted murder part), but you did cool.

Arei... gosh, now I feel even more bad for her. David comforting her really was all a lie, huh? Toying with her heart too, huh? You probably toyed with the hearts of the fandom too, think of all the people who believed in you who are now heartbroken, David! 

Oh yeah... David doesn't even seem happy. The family depression secret might be a lie in the context of the motive, but even as he looks down on everyone, he doesn't seem like someone who's happy with his life.

He might be arrogant, but he doesn't feel like someone who is relishing in his status, despite the whole "yeah everyone exists to be taken advantage of" mindset he seems to have.

Like I said, there's something about his cynical worldview that feels very nihilistic, even bitter. I even remember his secret quote about wishing someone would just die... that doesn't sound like a happy person.

Anyway, who else... Veronika is as delightfully chaotic as usual. Teruko is badass, though gosh even David was cornering her at the end with the cliffhanger. On that note, Charles is the MVP, even risking his friendship with Whit to pursue the truth. What has he realised though?

Also, Nico, I know you probably attempted murder, but I still love you, my Autistic cat dog furry whatever enby. Being the first to agree with Teruko to see that David was still bullshitting, epic. Also for a moment, I was expecting him to defend Ace. Maybe that will come later.

Anyway... gosh, I'm not okay. And we're only mid-trial.

[spitdrunken]

Ssssssigh. I don’t think I will ever be able to talk about shit like this off anon even tough I have accepting friends I’m just shyyyyy, but I need to babble of how the idea of shipcest reader insert blankshipping is consuming me. Y/N as the third sibling to the twins, wether they actually are a younger /older sibling or a “fun fact: the subway masters are actually triplets and have a non identical sibling” kind of deal, I am currently just smitten with the idea of Y/N that is actually related to them. The twins themself share a special bond that borders on twin thelepathy and it can make one feel like they are being left out, but they love the heck out if their non identical sibling as well. Bonus points for Y/N and Emmet actually hooking up first, Ingo knowing, but pointedly ignoring it / feeling guilty because in his confused mind he feels directly responsible for this, like his disgusting thoughts somehow seeped over to them. Which in turn both of his younger siblings to team up and try to get their Nii-San to join them, he deserves all their love as well. Come on Ingo don’t derail this three car train, we were both perfectly depraved even without you “corrupting us”, but if our darling big brother is just as perverted as we are there is no need to hide it from us no? Maybe we should give him some gentle but firm encouragement, make out a bit n in front of him, show him what he’s missing, call out for him when we kiss so he just knows how much his siblings want him to join?

notes: incest

i'm glad that despite your shyness, this blog could be a place for you to share your thoughts :D!! ingo and emmet incest stuff will forever hold a special place in my heart, so im always happy to write about it HAHA

I've always really liked the idea of Reader being a younger sibling of them! And the whole twin telepathy thing, you've hit the nail right on the head for me as well… I always kind of like the internal conflict of sibling!Reader seeing how close they are, how they can seemingly understand each other without words, and how they wish that they could have something like that for themselves… But knowing that it's not something achievable. Because while Ingo and Emmet understand you better than most people, it's still not the same.

Perhaps this desire for closeness got twisted somewhere along the way, and that's how everything ended up like this. You felt desire for, and later, a feeling of satisfaction in sharing something with Emmet that he didn't with Ingo, as far as you knew, at least.

Still, it probably happened in some kind of drunken state of mind, because to make the first move on your brother takes a special kind of courage. I think that Emmet would very enthusiastically reciprocate, honestly. With this kind of dynamic, I really enjoy the idea that they've all just been secretly pining for each other for years.

Ingo is the one who has always felt the guiltiest about it, and the most disgusting. He's also the one that thought about you the most often. Even though he's seen you the first time, and left without you noticing, he watched for far, far too long instead of stopping you.

When you and Emmet try to convince him to join, Ingo freezes up entirely. The words that usually flow so readily from his lips have dried up entirely. The part of him that hopes that this is a dream, and that it's not, clash with equal powers. He knows he's kind of standing at a point of no return.

His silence, combined with the expression that's unreadable, even for you, someone who knows him so long, is somewhat terrifying. You shoot Emmet a nervous glance, but he seems unconcerned. He was the one who told you it was definitely okay to do this, after all.

And yet… With your lips still slick with Emmet's spit, you ask: "You… Don't think I'm disgusting for this, do you? You don't hate me?"

"Of course not," Ingo breathes out. "I could never." And he takes a shaky first step forward, and he never looks back.

[unladielike]

( some ooc introspection underneath the cut that you aren’t required to read. i just had a lot of thoughts about myself lately, and while it’s a personal recounting with a happy ending, it does contain mentions of mental health issues, autistic suffering, suicidal thoughts, and escapism, so i would suggest not reading it if you’re sensitive to that sorta stuff: )

Looking back, I think the reason I never really enjoyed sharing details about my personal life was because as an autistic woman, I felt inept. Honestly, compared to my highschool years where I had peaked and excelled, I remember I just... struggled as soon as I entered college, to the point where I eventually had to drop out, if only because the coursework was way too difficult for me and I couldn’t keep up with it.

To me, it really was as though everyone else seemed to have no issues, moving on with their lives and graduating, while I was stuck in one place... failing to be productive. Why, at one point, I even fell into a state of depression, that even thinking about my future or being asked about what I planned to do with the rest of my life gave me intense anxiety. Seriously, every time my older sister asked about my plans, it would subsequently trigger me... that was how avoidant I was when it came to myself.

To that end, I did not like to talk about how I was essentially an unemployed shut-in who only went out to walk my dog, and how everyday, I struggled to hold onto a reason to stay alive upon thinking of myself as a disgrace; in fact, unlike certain people, trauma-dumping is not something I particularly enjoy, so for the longest period of time, roleplay was my form of escapism.

It’s why when I found myself in a friend group, I only ever talked about roleplay-centric stuff around them. Whereas they were eventually burned out from tumblr roleplay, I kept hyperfixating over ships/muses and infodumping on that one specific niche fandom rather than branching out into newer ones. Meanwhile, they would occasionally bring up real life stuff and air out their personal grievances with the people in their lives, which is something I could never bring myself to do, because I didn’t want to be known like that... therefore, I never wanted to talk about anything else besides my special interests.

Either way, due to how alone I was, I ended up becoming very traumatized when they stopped replying to me, both IC and OOC. Of course, I know now it was unhealthy to latch onto roleplay partners the way I did, but in my defence, I was mentally... very fragile, to the point where the RPC was my only refuge from real life back then. Honestly, now that I think about it, this avoidance of reality was probably why The Caligula Effect is a series that still strongly resonates with me to this day and has a very special place inside my heart.

Regardless, it took me being dropped by this friend group for me to finally decide I no longer want to spend all my free time, devoting myself to tumblr roleplay... that somewhere along the way, I ended up getting a job, after years of remaining stagnant. Of course, there are times where I still bemoan having to work, but all in all, I think I’m better off for it, especially since nowadays, I don’t even think about wanting to kill myself. Heck, I’m actually thriving at my job, which is something I never expected.

...At the same time, though, the lack of communication and ableism I experienced from the RPC made me less willing to open up and make new friends, because I’ve already been hurt way too many times and as a result, lack the desire to talk to many people.

[thedammitch]

Coming Up on Two Years.

It’s been nearly two years since I started streaming. What began as a way to force myself to do art again by using an audience as peer pressure has turned into something far more wonderful than I could have ever imagined.

Instead of just getting art done, I found new friends, and found my joy for art again; my love to create and share. You’ve helped me socialize when I was trapped at home, and gave me a social circle and network I’ve lacked for years as I was dealing with depression. You’ve helped me overcome so much of my depression, as working live with all of you gives me so much joy. The enthusiasm you show every night in my streams has made me want to push harder and do more, to learn new skills, and really push myself in new ways.

And, in all of it, I’ve had people tell me that I inspire them, that I’ve made a positive impact on their art, and their life. I’m so awestruck by that, that I don’t even know what to say! I’m flattered, and I’m honored, and I’m also humbled by seeing you grow, and seeing your love of creation! I am so, so happy to be here for you just as much as you’re here for me.

Art is a difficult field. It doesn’t pay well, and there are a lot of people who want to make art, and express themselves. I can’t express enough how much I love seeing the art community be largely one where we don’t look at each other as competition, but as a teammates, as compatriots in a venture we all enjoy. There’s so much we can learn from each other, and I’ve learned so much from all of you.

Streaming has introduced me to wonderful artists with whom I’ve become good friends, and it’s starting to open doors for me which I thought were closed long ago. Most of all, I feel that desire to create - to draw, write, joke, whatever - which was missing for so long in my life. You also helped me through a very tough time, the loss of a close friend and fellow artist. I don’t know if you realize how much you all have meant to me, but please know I never take anyone for granted, and I’m flattered each and every time one of you says hi in chat.

I used to wonder how streamers could recognize people in their community with thousands of followers, but having done this for almost two years now, and interacting with so many amazing and interesting people, I can see just how easy it is.

You remember the people you interact with. You become involved in their own journey, and cheer them on, and you WANT them to succeed. Every time one of you tells me you’re working on something, I don’t just say I hope it goes well because it’s a polite thing to say, but because I genuinely want it to go well for your sake! And I’m so excited when you share with me the results of whatever it is you did! Your creative journey is exciting to me, and I want you to know it, so you can be excited about it, too. And when things don’t go well, it’s just a way for us to learn how to approach things differently. Heck, you’ve seen me restart pieces, or redo stuff, or even just bin a project because it wasn’t going how I wanted. But I took what I learned from that failure and I applied it to a re-do, or to a new piece.

A failure is only as permanent as you let it be. Learn from it and try again, and a failure can quickly be forgotten, and a success put in its place. You’ve helped me push past so many perceived failures, and brought joy to me by encouraging me, by pushing me, and by telling some of the worst puns and dad jokes I’ve ever heard.

Please, never stop! And I promise not to stop, either. No matter what the new year holds for me, or what job I can finally land, I’m going to be here. You make my days better, and I only hope I can do the same for you.

I have a lot planned for the coming year. I’ve been working on a lot of stuff behind the scenes. There will be some format changes, but I think they’ll be for the best, and I really hope you’ll be as excited as I am about it! 

Yeah, there’ll be more sponsorships. I can’t help it, I do honestly need the money, but I’m still going to be picky about it, and playful with it. Who knows, maybe I’ll even figure out how to actually make a living at this, lol!

Just hope you’ll have fun with me while we’re all along for the ride.

Thank you so much, every one of you.

-Mitch

P.S. - If you’ve come across this and are confused, why not drop a follow at https://www.twitch.tv/thedammitch !

[bi-ologistofthehills]

Hey, hey, so..

My irl best friend is Mormon. Or LDS as they prefer.

Sent this to her, because we’ve been friends for a long time and have lots of deep conversations about our very opposite viewpoints and beliefs. She’s religious, I’m very much not at all. It’s chill.

This isn’t true about all Mormons. Definitely not in the realm of anything she’s been taught/learned.

From all the experience I’ve ever had with them, they’re super nice, amazing, normal people! Her parents and siblings are amazing!

They’re not a cult. They aren’t taught that the world is full of scary monster people. They don’t drink alcohol or coffee, which I’ve never fully understood why but hey, to each their own. They’re definitely not hurting anybody by not drinking that stuff.

I used to go to their after school activity things with her all the time (before I got busy lol). It was always a blast and they have never once tried to shove their religion down my throat!!

Now, if you’ve had experiences within a Mormon church that back up what OP(s) said, I’m not here to say that those aren’t valid. But, don’t assume all Mormon’s are like that.

Bestie has so kindly offered to answer questions people have, funneled through me because she doesn’t have tumblr. If you have any. If not, cool.

And now, quote from ✨bestie✨.

“When it comes down to it, us Mormons are just trying to share something we care about and love because it brings us so much joy.

And we want others to feel the joy we experience everyday. It's not about growing the number of members, or handing out a certain amount of Book of Mormons, or trying to convert every single person we interact with.

Being a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is about sharing love and happiness and comfort to those around us, regardless if they believe in our faith, the Book of Mormon, or even God.

I just want to share the things in life that make me happy. And my faith and my church have always and will always bring me the most joy in life.”

She shares this stuff with me all the time. It never feels like she’s trying to convert me nor do I feel the need to convert.

She’s happy. She feels fulfilled. Therefore, I am happy that she’s happy and will gladly listen as she shares things with me.

Heck, we had a conversation about our differing viewpoints on evolution the other day and basically ended it with, “cool, I see why you believe that”

She’s awesome. End post.

[ryuichirou]

I was the anon asking about chap 6!! Omg I loved reading ur response so much. I feel the same about pretty much everything you said, especially your thoughts on Ortho, on how he had much more love for idia than originally programmed. So now taking the opportunity to ask about ur thoughts on the pomefiore trio!! I love rook and vil's relationship so much too so I can't wait to read what you'll say about it!!!

I’m so happy you’ve read and liked the reply, Anon!  I’m glad that we agree on the Idia and Ortho topic.

Thank you for being patient, reading it and even asking about the Pomefiore trio, you made my dreams come true lol So I’ll do my best to convey my main thoughts…

Pomefiore is another group of characters that I didn’t expect to love as much as do now. Boy was I wrong; ch5 ended up being one of my favourites for the topics it handled and the relationships between the characters. We didn’t hate the ending (we’ve heard that people generally don’t like it), in fact, I personally think that if Rook voted for Vil’s team it would’ve been more of a betrayal than what actually ended up happening, but that’s a hot take and a story for another day.

Starting with Epel, I am so proud of this boy lol His relationship with Pomefiore (well, with Vil in particular) started on such a bad note, but he managed to develop such a good connection with them. I love how their conflict in ch5 was handled: it was obvious that both of them were both right and wrong. Yes, Vil was harsh with him and was basically acting like an overly strict step-mother that wants a child to succeed in a way that she envisions; but Epel isn’t really an angel either and he is quite close-minded when it comes to him protecting his fragile feeling of masculinity. And, as weird as it sounds, for a good reason: even though you might roll your eyes when you listen to Epel’s reasoning, his mindset is perfectly understandable when you think about his upbringing and the fact that he constantly had to fight people for underestimating and misjudging him because of how he looks. Isn’t it ironic that Vil is dealing with the exact same problem, but in a different way? Anyhow- I really love how twst handled this conflict and that Epel ended up becoming more comfortable in his own skin without fully copying Vil, so to speak, and that he ended up having a lot of respect for Vil. To the point that he chased Rook when he ran away alone to save him lol

In general, we don’t really like the “awww they’re family” or “he is their son” jokes as they tend to become tiresome really quickly, but with these three I just couldn’t stop joking about it for the entirety of ch6, I don’t know what is this magic lol But the way Rook and Epel just couldn’t sit without helping Vil, the way Rook and Vil were celebrating Epel discovering his unique magic (while giving him advice and supporting him and teaching him about how not to overdo it and stuff), the way Epel was so eager to learn how the heck Rook and Vil met god it was agonizingly long wait before we finally heard their story fully.

… And what a story that was sigh I love them so much. It was very nice.

I think it showcases what they love the most about each other, because this is exactly what made them drawn towards each other in the first place: Rook is brutally honest, but also surprisingly insightful, so his remarks are actually quite useful and constructive; Vil is a perfectionist who is always open to listening to other and paying attention to what’s being said in order to better himself and his craft. And, what the most important thing is in my opinion, they share this burning passion towards theatre, acting and art in general. And this is, like, Vil’s entire life, so of course someone like Rook would be quite special. I am very biased, because this does hit close to home, but still I feel like Rook and Vil found themselves a perfect partner in that regard.

I love all the other aspects of their story too: the fact that they did just sit and talk way past their curfew and during cold winter days to the point that they got ill… If you enjoy a conversation so much you completely ignore the fact that your ass is freezing, this is serious lol

The fact that Rook decided that pursuing the concept of beauty and seeing Vil every day is more important to him than hanging out with beast boys is up there too. There is too much stuff to list everything, I had a minor crisis every time they dropped a new piece of information, which is why it took me two days to watch this part. This is a little bit embarrassing to admit lol

(I also want to mention that I really appreciate Vil clowning Rook every single time he had to speak as him while telling their story, this was hilarious)

Oh and of course we can joke around for ages about my man Rook running away from his responsibilities because bringing skincare to his queen is more important, but the fact that he just couldn’t sit still and do nothing is amazing and even inspiring to a certain ai-robot boy who feels like he also wants to save his loved ones, you know what I mean, you’ve read my post from yesterday lol

And Vil… I love Vil so much it’s pathetic at this point, I love how at the very beginning of ch6 he took full responsibility for what happened in ch5; out of every character that has overblotted so far his reaction to it is the most mature, and the way he handled all the ch6 is also quite mature. I love his kind-of-antagonism/kind-of-not towards Idia: he was his counterpart for the entire book and even though he never agreed with his and Ortho’s plans, he kind of very quickly understood where they were coming from. It’s like he’s been empathetic towards them this entire time, ever since he saw Ortho being super happy after he got compared to Idia.

Pomefiore, and especially Rook and Vil together, are kind of unhinged and surprisingly wise at the same time. Like… they are wholesome but not in a way that would become boring: their craziness and love towards what they do helps to balance things out for us.

Thank you again for letting me rant about how much I love Pomefiore (and book 6 for that matter) and for reading <3

Have a great day!

[bedsyandco]

౨ৎ ‧ 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒

𐙚 ─── pairing: violet kingston x luke hughes

𐙚 ─── summary: in which luke hughes falls in love with his best friend

𐙚 ─── word count: 1.6K

𐙚 ─── a/n: it felt fitting to start the new account with my oldest au but also a piece you haven’t seen before x this one has been in the drafts a while… I adore high school luke and vi so much🥺 as always I hope you like it and please tell me what you think. I feel like a lot of out luke and vi pieces, especially the younger ones, really showcase luke's adoration for vi, and this really gives us more of an insight into how smitten violet is for him <3

“don’t start,” violet states when she arrives at their chosen table at the cafeteria, her and dylan the first two to arrive as usual.

“I didn’t even say anything,” he defends lifting his hands and violet sends him a knowing look as she takes the seat across from him

“not yet. but by that little glint in your eye I can tell you’re about to and you can save your breath. I’m not asking him, I'm not even sure I'm going," violet says and dylan lets out a frustrated sigh. he's been trying to convince her to ask luke to the sadie hawkins dance for at least two weeks straight but to no avail.

"I'm just saying, if you don't ask him soon, you might miss your shot. another one asked him today, that makes it what? three total..." dylan says and violet freezes mid-bite, lowering her apple and staring wide eyed at her friend

"who?" violet asks, her heart squeezing a bit at the thought of Luke going to the dance with someone else

"veronica williams," dylan asnwers and violet's face immediately turns sour. the nerve of that little -

"why are we talking about her-who-shall-not-be-named?" luke asks as he gets to the table, taking his regular seat next to violet, his arm automatically looping around her waist. he smirks as she slaps his hand when he reaches for a cracker in her lunch box, squeezing her hip in retaliation

"just telling vi who asked you to the dance today," dylan answers innocently and luke shrugs when he feels violet's eyes on him

"don't know why she bothered asking me, she knew I was gonna say no," luke says and dylan hums in agreement. it was a well known fact that violet and veronica didn't exactly get long, to put it lightly.

what started out as an innocent kindergarten friendship blossomed into a toxic competitive rivalry at the end of middle school and ever since then veronica has made it her mission to try and upend violet on every little thing. violet was almost sure half the extra curriculars she did was just because violet showed an interest in them.

violet didn't care when veronica ran for student government, or applied to be the head editor of the school paper, or challenged her for captain of the dance team. violet thrived off a little competition and she loved winning fair and square, as she often did in these little battles between her and the other girl.

violet couldn't quell the growing ball of jealousy, annoyance and insecurity at the thought of veronica going after luke. violet wasn't oblivious to the other girl's model-like appearance, and most of the time she was actually quite nice, when her attention wasn't directed towards violet.

dance captain, president of student government and editor of the school paper? those were all things violet would be more than happy to give her. but luke? her luke? was not something she was okay with sharing. violet knew luke wasn't even veronica's type. she was only doing it to get a reaction...

"easy tiger. are you missing the part where I said heck no? s'no need to get yourself worked up over it vi, you know that's what she wants. and then you have to deal with all that at cheer practice," luke reasons

"I'm quitting cheer," violet announces and luke pulls away to look at her, but she clenches the sleeve of his hoodie on the arm around her waist, keeping him close.

"what? why? if this is about veron-" luke protests but shuts up when violet stuffs a cracker in his mouth

"it's not. I've been wanting to quit a while. I only did it because I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. and I did, but I don't love it, not like I love dance, and I would rather spend more time doing something I love. besides now I have the time in my schedule to coach your little cousin's winter concert-"

"violet, you don't have to quit cheer to choreograph my little cousin's first grade concert. I promise you no one is gonna remember it in a few years," luke says, pushing his lunch bag closer to her as violet steals a chicken nugget from his container

"she's gonna remember it. why are you so against me quitting cheer anyway? I thought you hated it?" violet asks

"I don't hate it, I just hate the way the football players think that you being a cheerleader means that they have the right to flirt with you 24/7. like what is this? high school musical?" luke grumbles and violet smiles

“gabriella wasn’t a cheerleader…” violet replies amused

“and troy wasn’t a football player…” luke responds

“so what exactly is the high school musical reference?” dylan asks

“you know… stick to the status quo or whatever,” luke mumbles, throwing dylan with a crumpled piece of paper

“you know what I’m gonna miss about cheer?” luke asks, his hand ending up on violet’s thigh and she places hers on top of his

“what?” she asks and he smirks slightly

“seeing you in the uniform,” luke teases and violet playfully pushes his chest

“I can keep the uniform,” violet teases back and luke’s eyebrows raise

“oh? you gonna come wear it at my games? be my personal little cheerleader?” luke asks, his head dropping closer to hers and violet is hyper aware of his nose being centimetres from hers

“you wish,” violet breathes and luke grins

“a man can dream,” luke teases, leaning back with a hand on his chest

“a man can dream to disappear and no longer be witness to this,” dylan mumbles and luke kicks him against the shin

“you uh- going to the dance?” luke asks, scratching the back of his neck, his nervous tick showing and violet smiles slightly

“I’m thinking about it,” she replies

“you should wear red if you are. it’s your colour,” luke says, knowing he already has a number of red ties in his closet

“everything is my colour,” violet teases and luke grins, kissing her on the cheek

“true,” he says, tugging on the strings of the hoodie she was wearing, not even noticing its the very one he was searching for that morning.

. . .

“can you calm down? what’s the worse that could happen? he says no?” violet’s little brother asks and her horrified gaze snaps towards him

“oh my god! what if he says no… what if he thinks this is totally lame and he’d rather gauge his own eyes out than go to this dance with me,” violet says and daxton just stares at her for a few seconds before glancing at her poster and back up

“I think it’s sweet and if he doesn’t, then he doesn’t deserve to go to the dance with you,” daxton says folding his arms over his chest and violet smiles at her little brother

“look he’s coming,” her brother says excitedly, and she spots luke on the ice instantly, feeling her heart speed up in her chest as he skates over to them, a puck in his hand

“here you go bud,” he calls, throwing the puck over the glass for daxton before directing his attention to her

“that for me kingston? you gonna let me see it?” luke teases and violet blushes, shakily opening the poster and pressing it against the glass so he could read it.

hey 43, do me a hughes favour and assist me in scoring a date to sadie? 🩷

violet feels like her cheeks are on fire by the time luke finishes reading and sends her a big grin.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he teases, pressing his hand flat on the glass and violet mirrors his action

at the end of their winning game, luke couldn’t wait to get off the ice, shower as quick as possible and go see his girl. doing a little jog towards her and picking her up in a bear hug when he’s in touching distance

“lemme see it. lemme see it,” he says excitedly and violet giggles as he puts her down, reaching for the poster

“can I keep it?” luke asks, clenching the poster tight and violet nods

“thanks for coming, where’s dax?” luke asks, grabbing violet’s hand as they make their way out of the building

“probably passed out in the car by now,” violet jokes and luke squeezes her hand

“are you coming over for dinner tonight? you have to… I have to show mom your poster. she’s gonna love it,” luke pleads

“yeah I can come to dinner,” violet agrees, pulling out her phone to text her grandma. never being able to say no when he pulls those big puppy eyes on her

“so what colour dress you wearing?” luke asks as he puts his gear in the trunk

“red,” she answers sheepishly and luke smiles, hooking a finger in her belt loops and pulling her into him

“what are you doing?” violet giggles as luke teasingly lifts the edge of her hoodie

“checking to see if you wore the cheer uniform,” he says and laughs as she swats him on the arm

“are you insane? its way too cold. and I think I embarrassed myself enough for one night,” violet replies and luke pecks her on the nose

“I think you looked cute. standing there with your little sign. I’m gonna woo you with my dance moves,” luke teases moving his legs an attempt of some sort of shuffle move and violet laughs

“are you laughing at me?” he asks, tickling her waist and pulling her into another hug

“those legs were made for skating lu, definitely not dancing. lucky for you, you have a super good teacher,” violet says and luke hums agreeing, pressing a kiss to her head

[lonelywhalien22]

I'm so excited for D-DAY! Yoongi is my bias-wrecker in BTS LOL and I'm forever in love with his mindset/lyricism. He has a way of writing things straightforward, but still being comforting (versus Namjoon's very poetic and wise writing style). That's my favorite part too!!! I also liked the reference to IU's 'Eight':

I loved this softer side of 'People Pt 2' and how it reflects Yoongi's growth as an artist and a person! Aaaggghh he's just one of those people that you wish a little extra success for, ya know? Idk - he makes me soft! LOL. All the references to past AUGST D and BTS songs (and maybe even IU's 'Love Poem'???) was tastefully done 🤌🤌🤌 I also really loved seeing him harmonize with IU 😍😍😍 they sounded really good together?! To be frank though . . . I don't quite understand the connection between the original 'People' and 'People Pt 2' yet, but I could also just be thinking too much into it (if you know, help a slow-brained friend out? 😅😂).

OMG OMG OMG NCT Dream concert 😭😭😭 if I had more money I would definitely go again HAHAHA. I think I'm still going through post-concert depression LOL because I woke up kind of down and tired today for no reason 😓

My favorite performance was 'Trigger the Fever' and (surprisingly) 'Saturday Drip'!!! Mark did a little bit of 'Golden Hour' as well so that was fun!!! (Thoughts on this solo song too???) NGL, I had a little bit of Renjun tunnel vision, so I only remember him and bits of Haechan/Mark during 'Trigger the Fever' 😭😂 They looked like they were having so much fun and just feeling themselves, it made me so happy! I'm always a little biased towards rap line performances in Kpop LOL because I just like the hyped vibes. I actually don't listen to 'Saturday Drip' all that much, but the NCT Dream rap line did a really good job with performing it!!!

I'm so sorry with how long this is LOL, but it feels like catching up with an old friend after a minute and I do just really like talking music with you hahaha. Are you going to any other concerts this year other than Ed Sheeran? Happy Tuesday 🤗

@twogyuu don't be sorry about the length of your post because mine is disgustingly long as well. like i'm actually deeply sorry for my word vomit:

Wow that’s a fantastic line from the song you shared as well! Love the sandcastle analogy. And omg the way I missed all the IU song refs…like Love Poem is my fave song from her 💀 (is it obvious i don’t speak korean??? lol 🤣). I love songs where you pick up on something new in the lyrics the more you listen to it! And at the ending when he shared he wrote it during covid like ahhhh I really felt that - It’s been so interesting to me as a music listener to hear works by artists that were made during covid/about covid…I just think it’s fascinating and like this little time capsule/archive of a very specific moment in time where we can see all the different emotions that came from that period and how they were expressed in so many different ways.

Also that is literally such a perfect way to differentiate between Namjoon and Yoongi’s lyrical styles - like you took the feelings right out of my brain and worded them perfectly. Yoongi has always been my favorite of the rap line for that reason. And then jhope is one of those rappers who’s like the vibey rapper if that makes sense??? It’s like his stuff always has this groovy flow to it that’s so distinctly him - I like to think it’s because he’s a dancer too but idk lol.

And girl lol we both need help bc idk what Pt. 2 is referring to either 😭 i’m not one of the kpop lore people, even for the groups I really follow, so I’m always in the comments section learning new things too lol. Heck I barely understand why Set Me Free is a Pt. 2😅 ik bts likes referencing their old music a lot in song titles so I’m just blindly used to that now and don’t question it lol (fellow armys help us with the receipts pls bc I’m useless for this sort of thing lol)

Wow just checked out Trigger the Fever - never heard it since it looks like it was on the very first mini album before I really followed them but omg I love it - it's right up my alley and I love the optimistic vibes and the harmonies they hit are just really pretty to me. Saved on Spotify hehe. idk when they performed it but it sounds like it would be perfect towards the end of the concert when they wanna make the fans all emotional and crap as they start to say goodbye 🥺

Saturday drip is such a great concert choice, I bet the crowd went wild. The super hype songs are always my fav during a concert bc everyone goes crazy and shouts out the iconic parts and it's such a good time!!!

Golden hour wasn’t my vibe BUT i did really like the concept and the mv for some reason. Like it was one of those songs where the mv actually made me vibe with the song more than i would have if i just heard it with no visual. That’s actually one of the things i really love abt kpop in particular - the way they build whole concepts and visual narratives around songs and seeing how it all comes together in the mv…it has definitely opened my ears a lot more if that makes sense and there are so many kpop songs that upon a second listen or bc of something in the mv/choreo/etc. i have come to absolutely love. NCT especially always challenges tf outta me. For ref I am a Sticker enthusiast and I still get crap for that lol but what can I say??? NCT is experimental so i’m always surprised by the songs from them that I wind up liking, and golden hour was memorable if nothing else lol

dont feel bad about reaching out to gush about music!!! normally i don't have any other way to let out my feelings besides watching reaction vids or reading social media comments on my own during comebacks so it's great to have someone to chat with stuff about directly! I really wish I could have seen NCT Dream but the date for my closest city just wasn't the best and I already saw NCT 127 a few months ago with their The Link tour. I was like - I saw Mark recently I don't need to see him again for awhile (LIES) 😭 but Haechan was sick at the time so I didn't get to see him then and I really like him and Renjun ahhh!!! Next time!

You asked about other concerts and BRUH. I can't feel too bad abt missing Dream bc I'm still seeing/have seen so much! Everyone's got that one thing they splurge on and for me it's concerts. Back in 2020, my very first concert was gonna be Map of the Soul with BTS and then…well we all know how that story went 😭😭😭I’m still incredibly sad that I never got to see them all together live before the military service so after that and 2 years of lockdown I was like I have to see as many of my fave acts as I can because you never know when this might be an artist’s last tour for whatever reason. Once i could afford it I started going to as many concerts as I could and haven't looked back. There’s just something about experiencing music live with the artists and other fans around you that just gives me a rush idk i love it!!! Besides Ed (saw ur post and you should totally see him if you can make it work money-wise btw hehe. his tickets are some of the most affordable i've EVER purchased in terms of comparable seats at other concerts <3) I'm also seeing TXT in may WHOOP! And then i managed to get beyonce tickets even though my wallet hated me for awhile after that one ngl. I’m seeing her this one time and that IS IT lol. I heard SM said baekhyun and wayv are gonna have tours so if that’s true i’m gonna try getting tickets for those. I would love to see Ten perform live, he’s one of my faves in all of NCT, and then Baekhyun - I just REALLY need to hear his vocals live lol. Like he could just come out on stage, sing Bambi and then leave, and I’d feel like I’d gotten my money’s worth from that alone 🤣 Hoping to see The Boyz again on tour as well now that Eric is back and doing better but they haven’t announced anything rn. Saw them once but the seats were sooooo bad omg…gotta see them again with a better view because their performances and stage presence are phenomenalllll. I found out about them during Kingdom!

Unfortunately no yoongi for me bc the locations were more limited and I knew it would be a bloodbath lol. Also I still haven't recovered from taylor swift (i truly was one of those peeps in the queue for 8+ hours and still did not get tickets 😭😭😭). next time she tours (please please please let there be a next time istg) i've gotta go.

Not that you asked but since I'm on a roll and can’t shut up - I've seen some other groups in the last year and and hands down, without a doubt, the best for me was Ateez. They are my ult group besides BTS and cannot stress enough omg their stage presence is freaking insaneeeeee. Saw them two nights in a row and have literally no regrets. Best two nights of my life. Came back to my place with voice gone after that second night, ate a post concert meal and passed out in my bed. Was on a high for like a week after and I still miss them lol. Will always try and see them when they’re in my area.

Also recently saw SZA and that was a literal dream. she was amazing and i still have random concert flashbacks every few days.

[herebecritters]

Heck yeah! I love any excuse to share this stuff!!! I’m just happy to ramble about it, it gets me so jazzed!

I’ll go over some books first! Here’s just 5 I think some folks might find interesting to start off with.

#1 Endless Forms Most Beautiful

This one is basically all about our current understanding of how evolution works and how we know what we know about it. I just got this one recently so I haven’t quite finished it yet, but it’s a really good read. But if you’re looking for books on dinosaurs or specific animals that’s not really what this book is about. It’s moreso animals as a whole and what causes them to evolve and the biological process of that.

Also the title is a excerpt from my favorite Charles Darwin quote

“It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us ... Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

2. Full of Life: Exploring Life’s Biodiversity

This is a cute little book and is a really good beginners guide to phylogeny. It’s incredibly simplified (trust me phylogenetics are confusing as hell cus nature doesn’t work in nice clean boxes) but the simplification of it is why I recommend it. It’s easily digestible and allows people who want to start learning to get their feet in the water. Also the arts cute.

3. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

I’ve mentioned this book before, it’s the perfect blend of science and geeking out about some really cool animals that once roamed the earth. You don’t have to be an expert to read these, but you’ll feel like one after. The book covers when the first known dinosaurs start showing up in the Triassic all the way up until modern birds. It also has one of the most detailed and harrowing descriptions of how the Chicxulub impact most likely played out and the evidence behind it.

4. The Rise and Reign of Mammals

The follow up to the Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, only this time following the entirety of the mammal lineage starting at the split of synapsids from sauropsids back in the Paleozoic to the current day. Like his previous book this one is a wonderful read.

5. The Paleoartists Handbook

Main reason I wanted to include this one is because I know a lot of people up here are artists and, well, this might be relevant to you! This book goes into the science behind reconstructing an organism who’s been dead for millions of years through your art. It covers a wide range of art styles and values stylized paleoart as much as it values a more realistic approach. A must have if you wanna dabble in paleoart or even to study for creature design purposes as it teaches you a lot about understanding how animals are structured. The chapter on composition is also fantastic.

Read scientific papers, read books written by people within the field you are studying, watch academic lectures, take info from multiple credible sources, and always fact check YouTube videos. The internet is so full of misinformation I beg that anyone interested in the science of natural history, paleobiology, and zoology, do not just rely on social media sites for your information. Do research, learn from those who are more educated than you are in a subject.