#or like how do you see how much interest there is before you invest? idk how to word what im trying to ask lmao

[alchemiclee]

do other artists ever invest a lot of money into art and it ends up a waste? like getting prints and stickers and stuff made and then not selling a single one? I never see other artists talk about that. i've only seen artists be successful. where are the artists like me who invest a ton of money into their art and end up empty handed? why does no one ever talk about that? is it one of those weird "taboo" things? are they just embarrased and hide it? or does literally everyone else succeed and it's just me that failed multiple times and wasted so much money 😭

[steviescrystals]

my tags on the post i just reblogged got me thinking so here’s my current stream of consciousness

[baphometsss]

I really think that the draw to Solas for me was in his loneliness and the eccentricity solitude fosters. He says himself that he has basically no friends who are not spirits. In Veilguard this is only reinforced when he says it took him centuries to build a rapport with members of the rebellion. Sometimes it just hits me how lonely he was.

I also think it's interesting that, if the Inquisitor romances Blackwall, Solas tells him that he's glad he's found some happiness despite everything. And when Blackwall asks him if he has found someone, Solas says 'no, I find my peace elsewhere'... he's really not all that romantically inclined. One of the reasons I hate most solavellan fic is that people tend to write him as this super experienced fuckboy when the text tells us over and over again that he doesn't form bonds with living people very easily. I get that some people find the idea of being with someone who has thousands of years of experience sexy, but the text tells us repeatedly that he isn't especially invested in relationships with non-spirits, who are non-sexual, so he probably isn't as experienced as people think. I won't get into it too much bc I've already spoken about it, but he never properly learned to bond as a person and not as a spirit. So prior to DAI, he simply doesn't, and we can infer--especially given that he's described as never having been in love before--that he hasn't pursued romance a great deal in his life.

This is probably fed by my own bullshit (it's definitely fed by my own bullshit), but I think I had a hard time figuring out how to romance him bc they would only allow you to romance him with a female elf due to time constraints. This is despite him saying repeatedly that he loves Lavellan's spirit. When you're trans or nonbinary, it's hard to explain how exciting that is; to have characters who say explicitly that they do not define others by their bodies. It's very cool on its own, but for nb players in particular it's especially important. If you struggle with how you're perceived physically, it's nice to be able to make a character who is loved for who they actually are and not for what they look like. To have someone who sees them for who they are and not for what others want them to be. It's something people like me crave and I think this is why I'm so pro-queer Solas, pro-Solas doesn't give a shit about how on fleek your Lavellan's eyebrows are, etc. The physical doesn't factor in to why he loves. He simply loves others for their character, and although he often lets his first impressions colour his views of entire people, he is still willing to listen and learn if you give him a chance to be Wisdom and not Pride. We literally see him begin to question his own convictions re: the Dalish during the balcony scene. Contrary to popular fandom belief, he actually admits to being wrong all the time.

Idk man I just really like having a Lavellan that is an outsider all their life and isn't understood even by their own Clan, only to find her kindred spirit in Fen'harel, the adversary of her people. I'm obsessed with the fact that Solas fell in love for the first time with a mortal, who exists because of his mistake, who he loves enough to throw away his plans and only doesn't follow through because of his guilt. I need to write more fic jsdkdfhkjsg

[missinconsistent]

The Haikyuu movie is *the* Kenma movie, and I'm living for it. I won't get too into spoilers pertaining to the match, but I will talk about some things in the movie, so if you want to go in blind then stop reading here and go watch the movie!!

I did not expect the movie to explore Kenma and Kuroo's friendship as much as it did, and I love it so much (I didn't read the manga, btw so this was such a surprise). The series already shared quite a lot of flashbacks to their childhood and them playing volleyball together. But, it was always framed in a way that Kuroo kinda dragged Kenma along into playing volleyball with him. I never really expected these childhood flashbacks to mean any more than that. The movie really explored *why* Kenma played volleyball thanks to Kuroo. It really emphasized how important playing volleyball *with* Kuroo meant to him.

Like the scene back to the summer camp when Kenma is thinking he'd rather not play volleyball over playing a video game or watching volleyball, but then Kuroo calls his name and reaches his hand out is just so sweet. Especially considering that Kenma is most likely thinking how this is Kuroo's final year.

I am obsessed with how Kenma's friendly rivalry with Hinata actually parallels his friendship with Kuroo through flashbacks. With Kuroo being the friend that got him to play volleyball, and Hinata being the friend and rival that really pushed Kenma to take a match seriously, and see how fun it can be.

And idk if my take is different, but I really like how Kenma doesn't have a Tsukishima arc. The match doesn't make him fall in love with volleyball, but it just makes him realize that even if he doesn't love the sport, he loves a good and interesting match with his friends. He doesn't care about nationals. He just likes playing against Hinata, in particular (imo). But I think that's what makes the match between them so damn investing.

It's so refreshing to see the movie mostly revolve around Kenma's pov and see this character break out of his shell and push himself. To decode Hinata in an attempt to beat him and have his expectations blown away. Seeing this competitive, smug, and serious side of him is such fan service and I love it lol.

The scene when the match plays out from Kenma's eyes is so (chef's kiss). It's a bit nauseating, but it genuinely is my favourite moment in the movie. The way Kenma's eyes are on the ball before darting across the court, glancing over at his teammates and opponents, and back to the ball again. When it even shows Kenma taking a fall, Lev checking up on him, and Kenma just shouts to focus on the ball, I was just floored with how well it immerses you in the match. It just really has you on the edge of your seat, and quite literally puts you in Kenma's head to know this guy who is seemingly indifferent to volleyball, in that moment, is having the time of his life.

It's such a good climactic moment that's so different from other concluding matches from the series prior. It's not about big final builds up to the final strike, or block, or whatever move the characters are doing. It's just about being in the moment. About Kenma being in the moment. And it's such a brilliant and unique way to end the match.

[jeonginsleftcheek]

Stray Kids with an S/O who is a huge horror movie fan

pairing: ot8 x gn!reader

genre: fluff

disclaimer: this is as always just my opinion :)

a/n: as a huge horror movie fan myself, I had to write this! enjoy!🩷

Chan:

As he said before, it's not like he's scared of horror movies, he just doesn't think they're interesting to watch. But, you're interesting to him and he loves you so he will definitely try for you. He also thinks he won't get scared cause 'nothing scares him' but oh boy was he wrong. You have to promise him extra cuddles because he's not gonna be able to fall asleep that night. Will also try to dissect the plot with you after the movie, and try to find meaning in the story just so it's less scary to him.

If he was never really invested into the horror genre, you could show him the classics like The Shining(1980), The Omen(1976), The Amityville Horror (1979), Psycho(1960) and then also some newer iconic movies like Get Out(2017), The Ring(2002), Sinister(2012), Hereditary(2018) and The Conjuring(2013).

Minho:

Loves it. Loves to try and scare you while you're watching a movie together. At first, you're so happy that you can share your love for horror with your significant other. And you know he really doesn't like jumpscares, so you try to find movies that don't have many of those. But if they do and Minho predicts a jumpscare, he'll grab you at the same time it's happening, making you jump out of your skin even though you saw the movie already. You kinda start regretting watching horror movies with him because he annoys you on purpose. He thinks you're so adorable when you're mad at him, but he wont push too far and he'll always make it up with cuddles and kisses later. Overall, 10/10 experience.

I feel like he'd watch almost any horror movie cause he's a curious cat (hehe) and you'd both share your favorites.

I don't know why, but I also feel like Minho would appreciate good old silent horror movies. I just think if he's a horror fan he may enjoy seeing the roots of horror. Like The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari(1920), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1920), The Phantom Carriage(1921), Nosferatu(1922) and Häxan(1922).

Changbin:

I don't think he's too scared of them but I think he doesn't really care for them too much? Though, if you have some interesting thriller or detective movies to recommend he will definitely wanna watch them with you. I think Changbin likes a movie that has an intelligent story with a plot twist. He likes to guess what's gonna happen next and when he's actually right he'll be so happy and proud. He'll keep talking about how he guessed the plot and how smart he is and how you have to give him extra cuddles now. Either way, you're cuddling and snacking the whole time while watching and it's just nice and cozy.

I think he'd enjoy thrillers like The Game(1997), Fracture(2007), The Machinist(2004), The Double(2013), Shutter Island(2010), Zodiac(2007) and 1408(2007).

Hyunjin:

Miss him with that shit cause he ain't watching it unless you manage to coax him into it. It's gonna take a lot of persuading until he finally gives in but you have to be careful in choosing the right movie for Hyunjin. He doesn't like loud noises and he doesn't really like to feel scared. He'd rather watch something for the story, especially if it's an emotional one, and he also likes character driven stories.

I think he could watch artsy or slow creepy movies that are more drama-like but have elements of horror like Pan's Labyrinth(2006), Dark Water(2005), Windchill(2007), It Follows(2014), The Eyes Of My Mother(2016), I'm Thinking Of Ending Things(2020) and Case 39(2009).

Jisung:

Okay, with this one you can go crazy. Any weird horror movie, anything kinda disturbing, deranged or unhinged will be right up his ally. As a horror and anime fan himself, he's seen some pretty weird stuff so experiment, I guess. I also feel like he'd like fun horror movies, idk how to explain but ones that are disturbing but fun at the same time, like you can't look away even though you're looking at a train wreck.

Movies like Funny Games(2007), The Ruins(2008), Suspiria(1977), The Perfection(2018), Perfect Blue(1997), May(2002), Audition(2000), Saw franchise and Terrifier series would be fun for him. Also, since he mentioned Paranormal Activity, found footage horror movies would be fun to watch with Jisung too like Creep(2014), REC(2007), Unfriended(2015) and Cloverfield(2008).

Felix:

This is just not happening unless you can bribe him with cookies, gummies or any other sweets and ofcourse many cuddles and kisses, even more than you share usually. You'll have to practically beg him to watch a horror movie with you or make some kind of compromise that you'll participate in some activity he likes more than you later. He's not gonna sleep all night if you make him watch anything too scary, actually he wouldn't even be watching that. He'd probably be hidden in your neck the whole time and even the creepy sounds coming from the tv will give him nightmares.

The only way to make him watch horror movies is if they're mixed with comedy or they're so bad that they're funny. Like the Scream franchise, The Cabin In The Woods(2011), What We Do In The Shadows(2014), The Happening(2008), Tucker & Dale vs. Evil(2010), Housebound(2014) and ofcourse zombie comedies like One Cut Of The Dead(2017) and Shaun Of The Dead(2004).

Seungmin:

Kind of indifferent towards the scares but I think he gets annoyed with plot holes and characters acting stupid. Rolls his eyes at every over used trope or cliche sentence. You actually end up laughing while watching horror movies with him because he's too cute when he's annoyed.

"How is this killer still alive? He's been run over by a truck ten times, this is stupid!" or "Okay but why is he going towards the sound? Is he that dumb, he's gonna die!"

He does like dry humor though so he'd like some black comedy movies with horror elements like American Psycho(2000), Parasite(2019), The Lobster(2015), The Menu(2022) but also if you want to annoy him on purpose (because he's cute when he gets worked up) show him slashers like the Halloween franchise, Friday the 13th franchise and Black Christmas(2019).

Jeongin:

With Jeongin, I feel like it can go either way and it definitely depends on the theme of the movie. Also, he will probably try to act brave in front of you (until he jumps at a loud sound and then gets embarassed). For some reason I don't have an exact subgenre of horror for him but for some reason I feel like he'd like newer horror movies like Us(2019), Nope(2022), Last Night In Soho(2021), His House(2020), Host(2020), The Invisible Man(2020) and Fear Street film series.

[nqueso-lies]

https://www.tumblr.com/nquesoxlies/780567152604463104/let-people-be-upset-about-their-favorite?source=share

tbh there's also something a loooot of ppl need to learn calling "setting realistic expectations." i personally wouldn't want eddie back without an on-screen conversation between him and CHRIS about what CHRIS wants, otherwise his entire plot in texas would feel kinda moot with a throwaway "yeah chris is fine with coming back to LA :)" since this plot was big enough for eddie to drop everything to go finally make things right with his son. i didn't expect for him to show up for the two-parter. meanwhile, everyone i saw who was momentarily disappointed bc no tommy was like "ah well, we know we're almost definitely getting him next episode bc of leaks" and went on to enjoy the episode as a whole

its genuinely fine to go "aw no eddie? :(" its Not fine to review bomb an episode and repeatedly bitch about the director not putting ur favorite man in the episode when it makes 0 sense for him to come back so quickly and without showing us that he IS still working on being a better dad to chris. hell, go write fanfic about it where eddie IS back instead of review bombing!!! that's probably a way more fun use of time than review bombing!!!

honestly, these fans make me dislike eddie more and more ngl which isn't even the actor or the writers faults at all. if he leaves the show then it's not going to impact me that much unless his ending is fully unsatisfying, and that'll be more of a "cmon, writers, you knew this was where this was going, do better." i have never watched the show only for eddie like these people have. came into the show expecting to love madney + henren and ended up very emotionally invested in bathena while enjoying buck and eddie as well. i'm on the same page as a lot of ppl who have been here longer than i have been: we love the entire show rather than just eddie. honestly, i think half of these people don't even like buck. i already know most of them don't give a shit about the rest of the show from insulting ravi over him distracting buck with tommy to turning josh into the "number 1 b*ddie cheerleader" to ignoring henren unless they can use them as a "gotcha!!! you don't actually care about queer rep!!!" like.

@ BoBs: do YOU? because every time there's queer rep that threatens ur fanon ship, u actively get homophobic about it down to, what, 600? of you PROUDLY admitting you would commit a hate crime to make your stupid ship canon--including both real men and fictional characters like josh and tommy in your "i'd hate crime for them teehee!" bullshit.

idk queso its just wild to me how often i also see the "eddie diaz pretty pretty princess who wants to paint his nails!!!" like. painting ur nails isnt gendered, the fuck? BoBs see anyone gender non-conforming and goes "wow, inherent sign of queerness, i am very smart :)" while feeding directly into toxic masculinity with the idea that if you don't adhere strictly to what's deemed masculine, then clearly you're queer. even if you say you're straight and know you're attracted to women and only women, you're gay because you (checks notes) have emotions and cry over your friends and did ballroom dancing when you were younger.

anyway if im being petty then i kinda hope that eddie leaves to focus fully on chris and making a life for the two of them in el paso and ravi takes his place on the team so that we get indian rep permanently on the show for a bit! i think he could bring some new life into the team (regardless of whether the show goes on for one season or more) and it'd be nice to see buck in a mentor position to him. plus i'd love to see his dynamic with the rest of the team <3 i am still available to play his love interest who is there for a single episode before being relegated to one-off mentions <3 /hj

Yes to alllllll of this, Annie!!!

What's ironic to me, based on something you mentioned, is the nail painting. They want sooooo hard for RG to actually be gay yet an actor who does paint his nails (for self-harm reasons) they call a slur and tell him to die.

Like???? Wtf are we doing???

(I know your ask is about the characters but that shit will always rub me the wrong way about Ryan stans)

[goddessxdivine]

The Pitt - Episode 10

you know when you watch a medical drama and medical professionals are like “this is unrealistic” ? well I haven’t seen that reaction with this show. and so i appreciate that the show feels educational in addition to being a drama

• I didn’t know the safety of hospital staff gets endangered by patients. Dana being punched square in the face was crazy. then other nurses talking about ways they’ve been assaulted too was crazier! also cute little moment between Dana and Dr. Collins but terrible circumstances for them both omg

•OMGGGG DR. LANGDON NOOOOO! say it ain’t so! joking joking … kinda. Santos being right about Langdon and it being handled swiftly like whoaaa Robby got Langdon up and out of there with a quickness! also he had soooo many pills!! like he’s been stealing for a while. i need someone with experience in this exact thing to attest to how realistic Langdon’s behavior as a doctor was while being in active addiction. and because we’ve spent 10 episodes with these characters I’m invested in how thing with Langdon go from here like how will this play into the rest of the episodes or will it come into play at all in season 2. this format of one season being one shift is cool and all but has its drawbacks for sure

•i will say im kind of surprised to see how quickly Robby took what Santos had to say about Langdon seriously. pleasantly surprised. mainly because we’ve seen this story be told before, where the newer person at work sees someone who’s been there longer doing something they shouldn’t. i appreciate that even though what Langdon had to say about Santos (she’s not a team player, she cherry picks cases, etc) wasn’t necessarily entirely untrue, it didnt affect Santos being taken seriously and believed.

•in a different telling of the story, it could be a “he said/she said” type of thing. especially considering that Langdon had no issues with/coming from the other student doctors/residents underneath him (Whitaker, Javadi, King, Mohan etc). usually most depictions show that the person who’s been there longer is given the benefit of the doubt. this show subverts expectations so while i had a tiny feeling she might be onto something, i didn’t think she’d be taken seriously. i expected that because the behavior Santos observed was only during this shift, she’d be told that they’d “look into it” to no fruition or that her theory would be written off as her being “too big for her britches”. the fact that she was fully right and Langdon is very much a highly functional addict … craziness

•i liked that while Robby was upset that McKay called the cops on the 18 year old with the list, he still took the time to acknowledge to her that he wasn’t as objective about it as he should’ve been. i can understand why he saw a misunderstood kid but i understand even more why McKay was worried about the safety of those girls. because being on an angry teenage boy’s list is very dangerous and needed to be taken very seriously.

•McKay and Mateo … hm idk how i feel about this possibility yet but I’d like to see where this goes. like her ex is all jealous and Mateo hangs out with her and her son … how interesting. speaking of her ex, how tf is he and his girlfriend involved in McKay having an ankle monitor. also Javadi butting into that conversation between Dr. McKay and Mateo omggg the second hand embarrassment was too much for me

[hollowed-theory-hall]

What are your thoughts on drarry?

spireasalix asked:

Hi! I just found your blog and find your theories really interesting. I don't know if anyone has asked you before, but what do you think of Draco Malfoy? Do you think he would have a chance with Harry? Could they fall in love or there is too much history between them? Let's make Harry/Draco canon! Hahahaha

Hi, thank you so much! 😊

Since it's a ship/character ask I want to preface that everyone can ship what they want and like whatever characters they want and this is my personal highly subjective opinion.

I'll start with my thoughts on Drarry, as I had an arc there, like, back when I just got into the fandom I really liked the concept of Drarry, so I read some Drarry and didn't like most of what I found back then. That dislike kinda colored Drarry and Draco's character as a whole for me, so it was kinda like: "I can see the appeal on paper, but I don't like it". More recently though I read a lot about canon Drarry from @iamnmbr3 and she honestly got me rethinking my opinion on Draco and Drarry.

As I stand on it now, I'm not invested in Drarry, but I see them occasionally on my dash and sometimes I like what I see. It's the: yeah, I can see it happen, but it's not a pairing I'm passionate about.

Now, to @spireasalix more specific questions.

Draco Malfoy is an interesting character in theory but I don't think it comes across in the books as much as it could. Like, in books 1-5, I find him an annoying spoilt little brat. It can be entertaining when he comes on the page, and I know he'd be whining and dramatic and make a scene. And it makes sense Draco is this way, he's an only child of very rich parents who love him, he looks up to his father like Lucius could do no wrong, but he is lonely and attention-seeking. This need for attention is interesting and is part of why he is so obsessed with Harry. It shows he wants approval and is actually quite insecure under all his pride and mean attitude. He was raised to be a blood-supremacist spoilt jerk, and he does a decent job at being a schoolyard bully without crossing any super major lines.

Younger Draco can be a fun character, he's a problem Harry feels comfortable with because he knows how to deal with him, unlike his other problems (of which he has a lot). I think part of why Harry focuses on Draco as much as he does is because Draco is a predictable problem, one Harry feels he has control over how he wants to deal with him. Which is comforting considering how little control he has over literally every other area of his life.

Then in books 6 and 7, that's when Draco starts actually having his character development, and there are interesting things there, or the potential for them. I love what he goes through, becoming a Death eater only to realize, that: no, he can't really do violence. The constant fear for himself and his family, the torture he most likely goes through, being a prisoner in his own home, like, there is so much potential good angst there but I don't feel like the books really take it as far as it can go.

I recently finished my reread of HBP, and Draco in it was having a crap time, truly. He partially brought it on himself, but he really was thrown into the deep end and he is flailing around to keep his head above water regretting ever asking to leave the kiddie pool (because make no mistake, he asked to be in the grown-ups' pool). And you see how he matures there, going from a spoilt brat to a terrified teen. In one summer he went from the top of his own little world to seeing how powerless he actually is. And, like, out of everyone, the person he apparently confides in is Moaning Myrtle, like, idk, I love that, I think this friendship should be mentioned more. Like, Draco is having a crisis over his family, his worldview, his own worth, being a Death Eater and what it means, and his confidant is the ghost of a muggleborn girl who Tom Riddle, his new master, killed. Like, there are some implications.

I find it fascinating Myrtle says this about Draco:

“No,” said Myrtle defiantly, her voice echoing loudly around the old tiled bathroom. “I mean he’s sensitive, people bully him too, and he feels lonely and hasn’t got anybody to talk to, and he’s not afraid to show his feelings and cry!”

(HBP, 462)

That combined with the fact that Draco doesn't ever really try to harm Harry too badly (@iamnmbr3 wrote many great posts about this). Like, at the beginning of HBP, he has Harry petrified and he just breaks his nose. And this is already after he becomes a Death Eater. He also helps Harry multiple times throughout Deathly Hollows, something that places him and his family at risk.

And, yes, he makes some attempts to kill Dumbledore that harm others (the cursed necklace that hurt Katie Bell and the poison Ron drank) but I think the methods he uses are telling. Draco attempts to kill Dumbledore with methods where he himself is far away from the action. You can say it's due to a Slytherin sense of self-preservation, and that's part of it, I'm sure, but I think the main part of it is that Draco is averse to violence. At the end when he was face to face with Dumbledore he couldn't bring himself to cast the curse. Dumbledore was disarmed and surrounded, there was nothing he could've (or would've) done to hurt Draco, but Draco still hesitated. He couldn't kill him even when his own life and his family's were on the line. Harry also talks about how much Draco is likely hurt from having to torture others on Voldemort's orders in Deathly Hollows, and I think Harry is spot on about it.

If we look at the bullying of younger Draco, he doesn't act out violently. He is the cruel words and insults type, and I remember being honestly surprised he physically hit Harry in HBP because it's not the sort of thing Draco does. So, while Draco as schoolyard bully is mean, he practically is never shown to be physically violent, at least not that I remember. He only starts being more of a physical threat in HBP, and in the cases of Ron and Katie, he does so from a distance in a way he isn't directly involved in the violence.

That being said, while what he goes through is interesting and has plenty of potential and I do like his character, I find him kinda annoying. Like, in my very subjective opinion, I find his whining in the early books incredibly annoying and I find him, even in the later books, kinda underwhelming. Like, I want more out of his character, idk. Like, really, all power to you for liking Draco, he just, unfortunately, doesn't make it into my top Harry Potter characters purely because of personal subjective bias.

Like, for all of Draco being a Slytherin from a long line of Slytherins, he doesn't showcase many Slytherin characteristics (yes, that's something I dislike about his character, go figure 🤷‍♀️). Like, Draco isn't cunning, like, at all. He's smart, I'm not saying he isn't, he gets good and even outstanding grades in various school subjects, and he fixes the vanishing cabinet he knows nothing about on his own. He is skilled and talented magically and he can figure out complex magic on his own, but when it comes to long-term planning or general cunning... yeah, I don't think that's part of Draco's arsenal.

He acts out on useful information on the first opportunity he has, with very little thought about timing or how to best use it and very little forethought in general. In 1st year he gets Harry and Co caught outside after curfew but doesn't think his plan through so he too, is caught out after curfew. And sure, he's 11, but 11-year-old Harry wouldn't have made that mistake, I think (neither would Ron or Hermione). In 3rd year, his plan against Buckbeak and Hagrid was laughable and only worked because Lucius could pull it off. I mean, Draco wasn't even doing a good job at faking an injury compared to Harry who could believably pretend to be the Bloody Baron to scare off Peeves at 11, not to mention lying reliably to McGonagall at 12. In GoF he makes these Potter stinks badges, which are magically impressive (considering they still work 3 years later) but are again, an example of Draco acting on something immediately because that's how he tends to operate. Like how he goes straight to Harry every time he finds something in the Daily Prophet to make fun of.

Even if we look at Draco's later plans, like in HBP, he was mostly trying to buy plans rather than think about how to solve his problem. Because Draco knows how to buy his way out of problems, not think his way out. And while all this does make for an interesting trait for him to have in his rule in the story and he has an invisible arc to break away from this thinking pattern and that does lead him to the vanishing cabinet eventually, it does make me like him less. I'm biased, I can't help it.

His ambition is another thing, I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but I don't think Draco is particularly ambitious. Like, he wants to make his parents (especially Lucius) proud, he wants people to like him, and he wants to be popular, sure, but he doesn't have any long-term plans or specific goals in mind. He grew up already having everything, so he doesn't really have any ambitions bigger than that. I'm not saying there needs to be, Harry isn't particularly ambitious either, it's just interesting to me that our poster Slytherin in Harry's year isn't that much of a Slytherin at all.

As I mentioned earlier, Draco also seems to be averse to violence and doesn't have as much of a ruthless streak as his house is usually associated with. Draco, at the end of the day, seems to me like a very sheltered kid who idolized war when he heard about it in stories up until he had to actually take part in it. He is one of the softer characters in the books actually, in my opinion.

While I think he definitely values the traits of house Slytherin as he grew up learning to appreciate them, he doesn't actually possess them, at least, not in abundance. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but honestly, I think Draco is more of a Gryffindor than a Slytherin considering he is brave (in the last book especially. I want to note he isn't the same brave as Harry. Draco fears a lot more than Harry does, but when push comes to shove, he keeps going despite his fear. He's more similar to Neville in that regard), bold, and definitely has his personal code of honor and chivalry he acts according to, but I digress.

My personal issue with Draco is the main issue I have with Drarry as a ship, because, like, I can't be actively invested in a ship when I find one of the characters annoying. I have a similar stance on Romione as I have on Drarry. I like Romione well enough, I enjoy the fanart of them I see, but I wouldn't actively search for fics of them. Neither would I write fics where they are the main pairing. In Romione's case, I love Ron but find Hermione kinda annoying, I don't hate her, I don't even dislike her, I actually like her, but she annoys me. Draco is the same way, I like him, but he just gets on my nerves sometimes.

To summarise, I see the appeal of Drarry, and I can see how it could work on paper. I don't think Harry and Draco ever truly hated each other in the books, so, yeah, I think they could get together. They could definitely forgive each other everything, hell, the books practically outright say they forgive each other everything in canon. I think you can build a very compelling love story for them, it's just not a story I'm invested in reading/writing mostly because Draco isn't a character that I'm overly invested in.

[ranticore]

thinking about characters fursonas is always more fun to me than directly anthro-ifying them because it's not just a question of "what animal would they be" since before you can even ask that you have to figure out how they would pick a fursona, and i almost feel like that says more about a character than what animal they choose.

like. would they want an animal that represents their ideal self? something that represents how they see themself to be currently? and how well does that perception match up with these actual reality? or would they pick based on something less complicated like "favorite animal"/"movie character they liked”.

all that leadup to ask, how do you think your mvf guys would pick their fursonas?

💯💯💯 literally it's one of the most fun characterisation exercises you can do, it tells you SO much about them, how they view themselves, what they want others to think of them and so on. all that good stuff. and then you get to delve into furry subcultures, influential artists etc

so on to the actual fursoneys themselves

Jean-Baptiste - aforementioned hummingbird with a suit from idk clockworkcreature or something. the subculture/art style is realistic but very humanised, basically a bird head on a feathery human body, no wing-hands, with a Georgian style of dress (potentially with steampunk elements) and named after a famous scientist from the period. He would not be an artist, but he would be one of those ppl who's a bigtime engineer making huge money who invests heavily in commissions of art (usually traditional media like oils, colouring pencil, etc) and writing about this character, who is a kind of inventor/old-timey scientist with a highly detailed backstory and canon setting. He chose the hummingbird because it's beautiful, precise, and tenacious, and also just because he likes the 'rare fursona species' aura. He has VERY strong negative view on poodling (when someone wears a partial fursuit with their skin showing) and has been posting to the same old rp forum for the past 20 years. Rude and bitchy but one of those guys who always pays well and tips for commissions because money is no object. an important part of the economy

Bowman - exactly the opposite to everything above. His fursona is a retriever-ish dog called Dog or Mutt or something with a single-colour palette and the art style is new school big toothy grin etc. fursona exclusively wears board shorts. He draws at a beginner level and he's obviously having a blast with it. The muscles are very detailed (so's the bulge) & the art is clearly bara influenced, especially around the eyes. He wouldn't have any interest in suiting i don't think but you will find him at the furry rave in a neoprene harness. He wouldn't have much money to commission with and his twitter feed would be mostly reposts of other people's art (without permission)

Islin - ok you know that one genre of art style used exclusively by dragon furries where it's got realistic scale textures, backgrounds, and the ref sheets are usually incredibly detailed and the dragons in their anthro forms are always absurdly ripped. He can draw this, i know it in my heart. The design is pretty generic western dragon, all things considered, I don't think he has the imagination for more (sorry). Character's name is something appropriately fantasy-ish like Xyrgoryx. He could definitely take commissions as a side hustle but as a perfectionist and professional worrier it would overwhelm him easily. You would probably not find him at a convention at all, I'd say such spaces do not appeal to him. He's been on Furcadia tho.

Félix - generic twinky fox in a thin-lines washboard abs disney-inspired art style with an absurdly deep backstory which we never get to see because the character is only ever drawn being railed. He can draw but more importantly he knows how to take the commissioner's money and run, delete his account, and remake under a different username. Was able to afford a fullsuit from Made Fur You and that alone gave him enough clout to continually avoid allegations of past misbehaviour. Every so often someone goes "hey isn't that a known scammer" when they see him at a con but it never sticks. Later he would get cancelled immediately for saying he "didn't care about" right-wing furries as long as their art was cute.

Senca - Almost certainly a feline-based original species or hybrid. The art style is very goldenwolf with spiritual/neopagan influences, mostly traditional media and ACEOs in oil pastel so it's got a kind of smudgy look. Her character has the same name as her and she considers it a 'truesona' of sorts. She's an established artist and well-respected but struggles to keep up with what Tha Youth are doing and her personal website has looked the same since the year 2006. She has a realistic partial suit but doesn't wear it much anymore, preferring to vend at the dealer's den instead. She always knows way too much gossip about any given person you could point out to her but she insists she isn't involved in what she'll delicately & vaguely refer to as 'drama'.

Léa - she was attracted by the promise of easy entry into a supportive and friendly readymade community and bought an expensive Closed Species design to be her fursona. She tried to participate in events but instead got sucked into a cesspit of petty warfare between her CS community and a very similar CS with design elements that may have been inspired by hers (after all, 'dog with kinda long pointy ears and a big fluffy tail' is VERY copyrightable). She goes along with it, afraid of losing her space in the panopticon discord community by voicing a dissenting opinion and it'll eat her up from the inside. until one day she wakes up and realises she paid €400 to gossip and participate in a group that bans you from adding horns to your fursona's head (a legendary trait restricted to the CS owner and their favourite sycophants) whose main form of bonding ritual seems to be reposting their enemies' art to mock it and colour-pick to prove the palettes were copied. She explains all this to Bowman in one big tearful rant on their first offline date at Eurofurence and he helps her get away from that community.

Helena - that was her copyrighted closed species. and she IS litigious about it.

Erica - it's a pine marten in a modern sketchy "just got an ipad and procreate" style, really cute, fun design, good coordinating outfit, honestly ticks all the boxes but then 5 days after he posts that awesome themed ref sheet he's got a brand NEW fursona and this time it's a cute lil jackdaw, again lovely design all around looks great but wait no in 5 days time it's a roe deer, no wait it's an otter, it's a gecko, it's a

Pascal - a sick as hell cartoony golden eagle with an electric guitar and sunglasses and you can imagine it airbrushed onto the side of a campervan because that's where it lives. he's strictly offline, doesn't know what a furry is, never been on twitter, but he is 100% certain in his heart that this bird is a true representation of himself

[kwamiwayzz]

Why Jeckole (Jecka/Nicole) is the Most Popular Ship of Class of '09 - Part I

Or: Part I should be renamed to why is Aricole or Emicole not as popular as Jeckole?

After being in this community for sometime, and even waffling in-between thinking whether I still like this ship versus thinking they're just a repackaged, white American-version of another ship I love - that's another discussion for later, dear lord, I wanted to put all my thoughts down somewhere to why I think Jecka and Nicole have dominated as the most popular pairing within the Class of '09 fandom.

Disclaimer: I don't want this to be a whole post saying, "Jeckole is the best4eva, Emicole and Aricole sUX XD" but more of an explanation breaking down why this ship in particular is one that most of the fandom has gravitated towards when getting into Class of'09. After all, there has to be some reason to why it's still persisted among fans (old and new). There was even a Jeckole Week 2025 despite the fandom slowly fizzling out after Flip Side's release.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, time to dig into the popularity of SBN's most hated pairing. I haven't been in an English/Writing class since college, and it's been so long since I've ever written an essay, so let's hope (all my jumbled thoughts) everything I try to explain sounds coherent enough.

To the fans surprise (at least if you didn't know anything about SBN), he never wrote the interactions among all the girls with any queer subtext in mind. He mostly did it for 1) money, and 2) a way to get his fixation on teenage girls/lesbians out somewhere...The guy is a freak (and not in a good way). It's only a miracle that his game got this much traction and popularity.

He ended up playing himself because what else should he expect when his most hated pairing is one that the fandom loves. People can come up with all sorts of arguments as to how this game blowing up on TikTok led to teenage lesbians missing the point of the games or running off everything out of context and yadda, yadda, yadda...And maybe there is some validity in those arguments as well.

But at the end of the day, it doesn't change the fact that Jecka and Nicole became the most popular ship even after SBN was "baiting" fans.

Shipping isn’t an unpredictable beast that grows completely independently of its source material. The ways writers craft interactions between their characters–and the places where they invest the most and infuse the most life–are powerful tools that impact how fans view and come to love seeing characters both separately and in romantic relationships. (Why Do Non-Canon Ships Become So Popular - And Why Should Writers Rethink When They Do? by sarehptar on AO3)

Fanart numbers is a completely different story, so I'm going to put that aside for now.

Starting with AO3 stats, Jeckole overshadows the other ships as one of the "Big 3" (Big 3 being Jeckole, Aricole, Emicole). On the left, it's the general numbers of pairs you could filter from. While on the right, it's after filtering the tags with "otp: true"

But wait...why are Ari and Nicole fics so criminally low compared to the monster of a ship that is Jeckole, when Aricole is considered canon? This same question can be applied to Emily and Nicole. Why does Jecka and Nicole still overshadow the other two pairs even though both Ari and Emily have canonically expressed romantic interest in Nicole in their respective routes?

[Full Text of Emily's Message Below]

you wont see this cuz they make us turn our phones off but i just want to write this for me. I'm glad we are dying together it just feels right and I can't think of anyone i would rather do it with. I may as well write this too... i am super fucking gay for you sorry i lied in the hallway and didn't tell u before we shared a bed and changed in front of each other. idk if that's rape or whatever but if it is sorry lol. i can die fulfilled cuz dying together with another girl is a bigger commitment than some soft ass bitch getting married to jack the construction worker or some other boring white guy who cant pronounce Beanie Sigel. but ya if you pass out first I'm gonna try to fall over on you so it looks like were cuddling <3

I think one explanation for this is that Ari and Emily's canonical romantic interest in Nicole, along with most of their interactions with her, are primarily isolated into one route. For Ari, this is through the Hate Crime/Abusive Exes Ending. While for Emily, this is through the Suicide Pact Ending. That's not to say that shippers can't fuel themselves off crumbs and scraps until the end of time--look at one of Aricole's most well-known artists, Misan. But when taking a peek into the Class of '09 fandom from an outside perspective, the first ship you'll most likely come across is Jeckole. Even some people who like Aricole, Emicole, or some rarepairs, tend to be multishippers who universally think Jeckole is a good pairing.

As I've mentioned in previous discussions with a few people on Tumblr, Jecka and Nicole's interactions span throughout all three games in multiple routes. Nicole's interactions with Jecka aren't confined to just one or two routes. It's understandable why others would see their interactions as that of your typical best friends trope. And that's completely fine too--I actually initially saw them as just that until I decided to try the game out on a whim one day.

However, after reading an essay from sarehptar (Echodrops on Tumblr), they mention something about "emotional energy" within a story:

When I talk about “emotional energy,” I don’t necessarily mean romantic emotions (and in fact, in the case of most non-canon ships, I don’t mean romantic emotions at all!). Rather, what I mean is the weight, power, and dynamism of the myriad emotions characters express for one another, including friendship/camaraderie, trust, reliance, frustration, anger, hatred, sadness, etc. For the purposes of this discussion, emotional energy is any of the meaningful emotional interactions that two characters share–especially those which drive the main plot of a story.

I figured in the context of Nicole and Jecka in the VNs, it made sense as to why many fans gravitated towards them compared to the side pairings. This isn't to say that Nicole doesn't have emotional energy with Emily or Ari. There's a reason why Aricole and Emicole are one of the main pairings of the fandom. However, among the three main leads that Nicole interacts with, there's only one person who she centers herself around (and vice versa to an extent).

And that's Jecka.

(Screenshot from the Anime Pilot because look how much of a wet cat Nicole is trying to win Jecka's favor back)

In every single route from the original game, Jecka is always introduced to Nicole no matter what choice she makes. Whether this is after talking to Crispin or Jeffery at the beginning of the game, she always ends up running into Jecka either way.

(Screenshots Below - On the left is on Nicole's first day of school. On the right is on Nicole's second day of school if she didn't meet Jecka on the first day.)

In both instances of her first meeting with Jecka, Nicole was readily available to give out her name to this girl she just met despite having the mindset that any bonds she makes will be completely pointless. She even goes on to talk about herself and her issues with her brother to Jecka within the first two days she's met her.

"But Nicole is probably just doing that because Jecka is a more tolerable option!"

That could be true, but the player doesn't get the same kind of introduction between Nicole and Emily, Nicole and Ari, or Nicole and any other student. With Jeffery, she was only messing with him. By the time Nicole interacts with Emily in Re-Up, they're already friends. I think they're already somewhat-acquainted before the Remedial English (Suicide Pact/Get Ms. Ames Fired) Route.

By the time Nicole interacts with Ari in Re-Up, they already know each other (though, Nicole finds her a bit of an annoyance). Ari also falls for Nicole quickly after their session with the counselor while Nicole is primarily in power once they start to date.

I don't want to make it sound like I'm dismissing the other two pairings when I bring up other scenes and interactions between Jecka and Nicole. You can view them as just best friends (or even friends-of-convenience), while seeing Nicole's relationship with Ari or Emily as a more valid romantic option, and that's okay. But the examples I'm going to talk about are to give insight on why this non-canon ship is so popular within the fandom despite never canonically expressing any romantic feelings towards one another.

(Side Note: I've probably re-read sarehptar/Echodrops's essay more times than I can count in the past few days)

To get this out of the way, I'm going to get into why Aricole and Emicole are often overshadowed by Jeckole.

You can argue that Nicole does center herself around Ari or Emily, depending on which route you choose in Re-Up. In the Date Ari Route, Nicole is constantly with her girlfriend (mostly abusing her), but that sense of push-and-pull isn't exactly as apparent. It's more of Nicole pulling, and Ari being pulled.

While I've seen arguments that Ari's more manipulative side can be seen from the Rejection Route, it still has the same vibe as the Date Ari Route except Ari is the one pulling, while Nicole is being pulled. I've seen fans love this aspect of this ship, and it all boils down to preferences. But that lack of push-pull within canon is probably why it's not on the same level of popularity as Jeckole. (That doesn't make Aricole a bad ship. Do not come for me!) Ari and Nicole aren't shown in canon to be equally on par in keeping up with one another.

The tension between them either leans more towards one character or the other, depending on which route the player goes for (Hate Crime or Abusive Exes). This is why some fans do the work themselves and combine aspects of both of these routes to get a more "equal playing-field" Aricole.

Okay, so if Aricole feels like a pull-and-be-pulled dynamic, then wouldn't Emily and Nicole be on more equal ground? They both have similar backgrounds with mental health issues and are both pretty unhinged people. Like others have said, they're the epitome of, "They make each other worse."

During Suicide Pact in Re-Up, Emily mentions how she planned to flush all her Seroquel down the toilet after feeling the adrenaline rush of everything she did when spending time with Nicole. This entire route has them fucking around, skipping remedial, making Jeffery's life worse--and they both get a rush from that. But when Nicole starts to see how unmedicated/unfiltered Emily actually is, she starts to get a little scared of her.

This duo starts out as if they're on equal ground, but the moment Emily turns into her unmedicated BPD-self, Nicole just gets pulled into whatever Emily does so that she doesn't piss her off. And I figure that Nicole's fear (and respect) of Emily is why she didn't try to save her, and only saved herself when they both planned to overdose in Ms. Ames class.

What is it that both Emily and Ari have in common despite having canonical romantic feelings for Nicole? Both of their dynamic with Nicole feel almost one-sided. I don’t just mean with their romantic feelings, I also mean with their dynamic in general.

“The games aren’t meant to be a dating sim!”

Yeah I know. But when Nicole doesn’t interact with Ari all that much, they’re neither focal points to each other’ narratives at all. The same can be said for Emily.

With Jecka, Nicole is almost always with her. They skip class together, they do drugs together, they got into a situation where they pissed off a mall cop, etc, etc. I also want to point out that Jecka is often the first person that Nicole goes to when she’s bored, wants someone to talk to, or wants to hang around, and is willing to (kinda of) change for. However, while the part about Nicole “changing” is a stretch, canonically-speaking, I was going to try and go more in-depth with that in Part II.

When Nicole isn’t around Jecka, Jecka ends up going back to her shallow high school friendships (like with Kelly), but admits to Nicole that she only sat with Kelly so she isn't alone. So…they’re both in the same boat and drive each other’s narratives of trying to survive the bullshit of high school through each other.

Anyway, this wasn’t meant to be a formal analysis at all, but I think I went a bit too far to the point where my brain feels absolutely fried now. I’m just hoping this doesn’t come across as ship-bashing when comparing Nicole’s dynamic with both Ari and Emily.

Who knows how long Part II will take me lol.

[arenabreadandbiscuits]

Naughty Hisoka Scenarios

Bro is a menace for real.

Upon first seeing you he feels something that manages to attract him and like a moth to a flame or a shark to blood... He invests his time in you for being interesting.

Him chasing you is like a game of cat and mouse especially because at first he does manage to keep a bit of his distance.

As you get closer though, having missions together, killing together, and so on so forth you finally catch on to his intent.

You give him a chance and the first time he has his way with you he spends damn near HOURS between your thighs, listening and humming as you'd jolt and cry

Has a thing for overstimulation, kissing, biting and sucking at your skin in the cruelest form of foreplay. He will definitely play with you like a predator tends to play with its food.

The way you whine and buck against his mouth makes him shiver and blush, eyes rolling back as you take hold of his hair.

Pull it, yank it, run your nails over his scalp.. really any form of 'affection' is enough to make his bite his lip and make his cock jump with excitement.

Does that thing at times where guys fuck you and then pulls out to rub the head of their cock over your twitching, throbbing entrance and he loves watching your eyes roll at it.

Loves listening to your noises when he touches you, you simply are just too cute.

He's a biter, though he may lick and suck and nibble on your skin as well and he does it carefully at first before it turns into him seeming like he actually wants to eat you whole

Don't tease him, bro definitely wants the smoke..

Honestly gets excited quickly and he can go for multiple rounds.

Interestingly enough he doesn't actually seem to go after anyone while he's with you, once he has his eyes set of someone he's usually set like that. He isn't one to jump from partner to partner if he actually wants someone

Rather dominant in bed but versatile, he will be rather excited if you manage to be the dominant one though. Pin him to the wall or grab his chin when he's talking too much and you'll have shivers rushing up and down his spine in no time.

Bro is literally feral, even if he's acting right and not downright jumping your bones it's always a thought that comes to mind whether he wants you immediately and wants to tease and take his time.

Loves physical affection from his partner(s), he'll even admit it if you ask him about it

"duh I love it, who wouldn't love being able to touch you all the time?" He says with chuckle while you flush and huff.

He knows just how to get under your skin and he learns quickly.

Are you ticklish? Do you get shy easily? Do you stare at him when you think he's not aware? Your fucked. Bro will come to the conclusion, might as well take it like a good boy/girl/pet.

He's fucking huge, his cock it literally no joke so don't hurt yourself Reader, take it slowly~

Has his moments where he just loves looking down at you while he touches and caresses your skin and when you eventually chuckle and ask him what he's doing hell simply hum innocently though you can literally feel his hardness resting in your back.

Honestly he's quite loyal. He doesn't like wasting his time so him choosing you is definitely a choice he made all on his own. It also means a lot because Hisoka can be rather bored with many people.

Knows how to use that mouth of his so don't think he won't use it. He'll eat you out as a punishment without hesitation.

Likes to spank your ass every time he's taking you from the back because he just can't help himself especially when it's shaking on his cock like that...

All in all, bro is definitely on demon time.

Idk 😶 just some thoughts I have on bro.

[yandere-daydreams]

is baizhu a sexbot that you've thought extensively about? or is he like..."too good" like itto to really imagine as a yandere? cuz i get that vibe from him, but idk about u

tw - implied non/con, implied somnophilia, stalking, and medical malpractice (shocker).

no, no, that is a right exclusive to Itto and Itto alone. i'll sexualize the slightly-less-medical-malpracticey android any day of the week.

like i've said before, he's a good middle-ground between the ultra-benevolent Jean and the anything-but-benevolent Dottore. he's kind, but not overly patronizing; the type to tell you how brave you are with a teasing lull in his voice and a playful smile as he slips his needle into your arm. he's better for smaller practices with a more intimate client base, made for housecalls and long-term care in a way his more expensive efficiency-focused peers aren't, and as one of those clients who seems to need a house-call every other week, see him often enough to appreciate his expertise. while you wouldn't want a droid of your own any time soon, you can see the utility, and when you're lungs threaten to give out in the middle of the night and you're just too weak to travel, you're grateful to have someone who literally doesn't sleep to swing by and make it so you don't have to bother your very busy, very human doctor.

you've already lost track of how many hours he's spent sitting next to you, reading over your prescriptions and administering the occasional injection while you fade in and out of consciousness, as you try to fend off embarrassing (and, admittedly, less than appropriate) dreams about your very pretty medical aid. he's talkative for an android, rambling on about traditional cures and different kinds of tea more for the sake of your comfort than any genuine interest, and you soak in every bit of comfort you can. it gets to the point that he'll stop by even when you haven't called in, even when your condition is as stable as a condition like yours can be, even when there's not much more for him to do than take your vitals and make idle conversation. the only time his perfect bedside manner seems to waver is when you play with the idea of changing your mind and getting a Baizhu of your very own, but he's earned the right to be a little over-invested in your care, even if the dreams have been getting worse. even if you've lost track of just what he's been pumping into you, lately.

even if you can't say you're comforted by the gentle lilt in his voice as he asks you how his 'brave little patient' is feeling, anymore.

[nellynee]

Dear Hazbin Hotel Fandom (with special note for reader insert fic writers at bottom)

Been thinking about Hazbin and like, economy, and infrastructure, and fucking culture in hell. And I like to imagine that earth is like, modern age if not a bit further into the future, and Hell is just so far behind

And I see most writers attribute this to old powers that be more or less forcing people to adhere to their affections, but I feel like it's so much more complex than that.

Like if there's any kind of infrastructure in place, like say, oh IDK utilities, that infrastructure in modern times relies very heavily on established modern infrastructure built before it, and a certain degree of cultural niceties to leave it alone, as well as all the means in terms of sourcing labor, resources, and cold hard cash for its construction and continued upkeep.

Which is near impossible in a place like hell. A place where at least once a year, the ritual killing of the masses leads to huge turf wars set to destroy said infrastructure. In such a every man for himself society, who's making sure these roads aren't full of potholes and the lights stay on?

Which leads to a very easy answer, Overlords. This is why Overlords own millions of souls. It's the expected currency for stability. Overlords oversee a certain degree of infrastructure, normalization of life. Depending on your deal, Overlords might guarantee a base degree of normalcy in exchange for souls. Like you might get better rental opportunities in areas where the buildings aren't likely to be torn down regularly. You get running water and electricity, books and other entertainment, access to better food, security during large scale danger events (including the exterminations) ect. And refusing to sell your soul could severely limit opportunities. Imagine if everyone is born into poverty, and you are only allowed the chance to access middle class jobs, houses, ect if you cut off a finger. Everyone does it, you aren't using it anyways, and your life gets significantly easier if you do....

But yeah I think people who write for the fandom are seriously understating the actual affects the lack of a central government probably has on the different areas of the city, and what it actually means to be an Overlord, and why things work the way they do.

Like I am 1000% sure there's no mail in hell. Like mailmen and carriers and an organization system. Unless an Overlord was particularly invested in it... No I think for a very long time long distance communication took place through hired help. People specifically paid for or in one's employ to carry personal missives on an immediate basis as needed. Delivery men. This is why Vox's electronics are such a hit. It provides a degree of luxury unknown to the masses before this; or known of and since lost and have nostalgia for.

I also firmly believe that this is still how Overlords and influentials communicate. Vox's infrastructure is convenient, but it would require seceeding a degree of independence powerful people can't afford to give up. You can order one of your souls to take a message and others to protect them, but to use a phone is to put your communication network in the hands of someone else, and a potential enemy at that.

Lack of infrastructure aside, I also don't want to understate the effects of only a certain percentage of the populace being present has. 100% of the people dropping into hell can know what a blender is, but if not a single souls who drops down knows how one works, then hell just straight up doesn't have blenders. Which is another factor into a lot of the lingering old timey feel of Hell. Technology has to be invented on earth, then become popularized enough that the knowledge of its creation beats out the numbers dropping into hell and it can be made. Not to mention someone has to be interested enough to let it be made in the first place. This is why some Overlords center around such singular niches. They were passionate enough to teach themselves in life the knowledge needed to build that particular luxury from scratch. Even if it had been decades since development in earth, the knowledge just doesn't migrate well.

I also imagine this having a huge impact on the entertainment industry. Lots of writers go on about old songs but not one has the guts to claim an artists is in hell and still making their art in hell

Can you imagine the cutthroat industry developed around having to claw your way up through hundreds of years of new music and nostalgia when your own fan base is still mostly on earth and the other artists have had centuries or decades to establish themselves?

Which brings me to my last and most important point..... Shoes. Well, shoes and clothing, and mass production.

It just ain't fucking happening in Hell.

One, in sure the Pride ring is getting some of their commerce from other rings. I'm talking consumables. Textiles and food. This is also a city spanning millions of people, and what hydroponics isn't used to grow pot is probably being sponsored by Overlords to grow produce for their souls. Which means some production but not nearly enough to feed the city. Which means food probably looks like a large majority of people eating hell based produce from outside the ring, with dedicated smuggling rings (like what we see with IMP, travelers who bring earth commerce home, I'm guessing Lust ring Incu/Sucubi looking for side gigs) bringing back seeds, cuttings, and cultural touchstones like movies, books, and music to be mass copied and distributed. Those living in certain areas or with the right amount of cash can pay for produce grown from that smuggled earth produce.

Meat is predominantly hell born in nature, probably produced from Wrath, and Sloth's oceans, with an uncomfortably large supplemental of cannibalistic meat being corpses harvested by street folk and sold to butchers for cheap, cooked and sold Sweeney Todd style. I do think Cannibalism is far more widespread and normalized than most are comfortable thinking, for practical reasons. There are just so many dedicated cannibals in the colony alone...look, there is neither space for cows nor a means to get them down there.

In any case, clothing.

This is a huge pet peeve for me in fics because I don't think anyone really thinks this one through, the sheer volume of the fashion industry in its infrastructure and how much of that Hell is lacking

Not to even mention that everyone is hell is shaped weird. Head to toe. Weird bodies all the time. Everywhere.

I just don't think mass produced clothing is a thing. Or at least nearly a refined as earth. Off the rack shit is probably very plain, and very vaguely shaped. Lots of missing sleeves, wide arm holes, drawstrings and buttons. The bare minimum. The cloth equivalent of fig leaves. Pride based clothing outlets, if there is any mass production, probably base their shapes a lot of Imps and Hellhounds and mostly humanoid with four limb, just to have a consistent customer base and hope they get lucky with hellborn. You probably have to pay to have a pattern made for your body and then have basic shit seen up from there or learn to do it yourself. Lots of people earning side cash sewing garbage clothes for cheap. Dudes with a bunch of ink and a screen printing custom graphic tees from their apartment making bank.

And don't even get me started on shoes. Most people have hooves or paws, and if they don't have that, there's a sizable chance they won't even have feet. There just isn't mass produced shoes. There physically can't be. There is no consistency in size. It is literally not possible.

All to say, sewing is probably a pretty valuable skill to have. Tailors and cobblers are probably both valued jobs and incredibly necessary. It's also probably pretty damn expensive. Which is actually why we don't see a lot of shoes, and why some folks are strange about clothes. It's just not practical anymore. And it's wildly expensive. Why go through the bother of getting a tailor or cobbler to make time and then get charged through the nose for something that might get destroyed or stolen soon anyways?

Which brings me to my special comment

Dear Reader insert writers. Specifically the Reader/Alastor crew, but this is pretty blanket

Unless your OC, or the clothing, is a very specific shape, Angel is not loaning your OC nothing in terms of textiles. Think real hard about whether your OC's feet will fit into one of his custom made boots... Really think about it. The love is there, but it's Hell. Let your OC struggle with everything. They can't get housing because everywhere outside an Overlord's domain is full and they can't rent without trading their soul to an overlord. They have trouble finding non human meat or palatable produce or even coffee. Their clothes are coming apart at the seams and laundry mats don't exist. Its hell, it's hard, and it's not made for them. If Angel ends them anything, it's gonna fit like a nightmare or be secondhand from another hooker and look like it. And it's going to be expensive AF

This is especially for you Alastor shippers. Textiles work a lot closer to how it functioned in his time than ours. In fact it probably functions closer to Rosie's time than his. And something I need you to remember is courting etiquette. Because I often see this overlooked. The best example I have for this is the song "baby it's cold outside", which viewed through the modern lense sounds like a creepy preamble to that poor woman being accosted, but in the lense of the time period it was written, is seen a feminine strong song, a woman using the tools available of her time to openly flirt and accept an offer to stay overnight. And while most people remember that Al comes from a time where gifting is used to show affection, I don't think they remember why that is. Like yes, there can be, and probably should be, a certain degree of possessiveness involved, given where we are and who we are talking about. But we must remember that this was a time period before women could divorce their husbands in the US. These gifts had social meaning. Women couldn't own property, were discouraged from jobs after settling down, and just didn't have the means to care for themselves. Expensive clothing and jewels were a statement. It told the community that the husband could, and did, provide for his wife financially. It gave the woman tangible items that, if properly cared for, would provide her with capital enough that should her husband die before her, he could be her only husband, that she wouldn't be forced to remarry. It a statement of of societal expectation, but also of how much he cared for her well being. And this is an aspect I see missing from Alastor's commentary. Yes there is a magical aspect of protection often employed, but he doesn't lavish his beau with Fur coats and hand crafted hats with obnoxiously bejeweled pins and easily displayed but hard to care for items that are as much a declaration of love in value as they are in attention. The closest I've ever seen is the fics by corruptedteacups, in which the flapper set gifted to the MC is described just as much in its beauty as the sheer quality of the fabric and beading involved. It feels substantial and expensive.

Just a small fandom peeve of mine, but some desperately needed context and depth I hope people think on.

[fuckitpossumorb]

New sdr episodes done ✨❤️ and I have so many thoughts!!! Spoilers below people <33

First off Ko is such a massive dumbass through this whole two episodes ans I LOVE her for it, she’s a big dumbass but tries to do good over it all, she’s just so EXTRA on everything. She feels so much all the time about everything and it’s great!! I love Ko oh god I love her so much.

2. WE WERE SO CLOSE TO A HONEYPOT SQUEME PEOPLE SO CLOSE!!! it was even Ziggy who suggested it!! I feel insane!!!!!

3. Welcome back Rex Maxim, diva extraordinaire. I thought he was a massive diva on overture oh baby that was NOTHING! THAT WAS DRAG!! Also washed out celebrity is pretty much what he was doing in Overture only that slightly less desperate.

Can’t wait to see Rett and Pyke struggle and generally let out waves of hate in his vicinity in the next eps, when they find out the blackmail and Pyke finally experiences joy after many years is peak comedy, I strive to be as petty as this man.

4. Speaking of Pyke he’s a liar!!! HELL YEAH! For a second I thought he was going to try and impersonate Rex but hell yeah, he totally used to do this type of shit when he was working alone.

Better enough Rett says something like “making up stories, being someone he’s not, this is what he’s good at” about Pyke to Ko. That’s a hell of a quote. Either Pyke was a spy at some point or there’s something deeply wrong with him.

5. PIXEL POP!! PIXEL POP oh how I love thee, I was not sold on her character at the start but the more time we got to spend with her, the little morsels of worldbuilding and how she’s connected with it, and then she killed a man!!! Way to go PIXIE!! Also props to mace for acting his ass out on that scene I could’ve sworn he was actually dying.

Rett’s over here collecting children like they’re Pokémon cards I love that for him.

Her relationship with Ko and Ziggy was great, how she interacted with Rett and Pyke when the ruse was down felt so much more natural! She’s an amazing addition also hi Nikkie hi. I think her and Ko should kiss anyways,,,,

6. Space vampires? Space vampires. Space vampires that feed on your soul!!! Hell yeah. That’s metal as hell. The way Mace described all of it was very fun, also Pyke seems to know something about this? About the silent and the harmony I’m interested

Also that scene where Pyke calls out to the crew “They’re the silent” and everyone goes “what?” Is amazing. Peak comedy.

I wonder if anyone will bring it up again, like I would live to see Pyke trying to explain to Pixel this whole soul/harmony thing. When Rett tries to explain it to Ko and says that’s what they explained to him does he mean the corp he worked for before? Or Pyke himself? Pyke’s connection to the stars in overture was very fun to think about I wonder if it translated to this at all.

7. Ziggy they could never make me hate you, also the fucking curveball with the bugs on Pixel’s things this man is a fucking madlad I love him

8. The last part, the ex-girlfriend plot line! I’m invested, and a little confused. Did she maybe die in whatever experience Pyke had with someone like the vice-roy before? Did she betray him and he faked his death? Or did she just leave him?

A part of me is sure it’s a girlfriend and a part of me thinks it could maybe be Dandy. Idk I’m just wondering how she could tie up in this new universe, I mean she’s not dead, but she isn’t around.

Why do I think it could be Dandy? Because of two lines, one Pyke says that is “she went through a phase” and another that Ko says which is “she was just a coworker”.

The first one still works with the girlfriend but because he could mean that there was a time she was really into clubbing, but it could also mean she had a phase were she wanted to be a dancer/pop star and that would’ve been the scene she would be into which to me sounds more paternal idk?

Ko’s like also works with both scenarios, it could imply that they weren’t even partners at all and Pyke is just hung up on a crush, or trying to minimize her relationship with Pyke to make him feel better OR it could mean that Pyke only ever described her as a “coworker” to Ko and she just assumed it was a romantic sort of relationship when it could be diferent.

Anyways,,,, that’s all I have to say for now. Stay tuned for more of my bullshit.

[tanobatcher]

hi!! would i be able to request either exes back to lovers or fwb with wolffe? i crave pain 🤍

daylight

wolffe x gn reader summary: you and wolffe have been occasionally hooking up with (supposedly) no strings attached after you parted ways as lovers. on the night you intend to cut him off for good, he realizes how difficult it is to run away from his true feelings for you despite struggling to express them aloud. warnings: mainly angst a/n: idk how i feel about this, but i think in general for this kind of prompt u can't rly expect verbal redemption from a character like him, which is lowkey so hard to work with sometimes!! but i ate it right the fuck up i luv him sm this hurt me so good :(

“I think you should find somewhere else to sleep tonight.”

The room falls to a lethal silence, so quiet that you turn your attention to your window, where you can see the city wide awake at this late hour. You feel much better when you’re not looking at him, especially when he’s already looking at you. The angrily twisted knot in your stomach hopes that your words hit him where it hurts, especially because he always told you that you needed to stand up for yourself more. Perhaps he was advising you against his own self. You see that now.

He sounds displeased but also disbelieving when he replies, “You’re asking me to leave?”

“No,” you blow out a breath and lay back in your bed, which is now all yours again, “I’m telling you to.”

His figure draws closer, and the knot tightens. Still, you stand your ground, ignoring his questioning glare as he crosses his arms over his chest. He’s barely even dressed, clearly not taking your request seriously.

“I’m not in the mood for your bullshit right now.”

“Neither am I,” you snap, sitting up so quickly that you’re embarrassingly reminded of how easily he can rile you up.

He raises his eyebrows at your sudden retaliation, still trying to figure out where all of this change is coming from. Nights with him are supposed to be simple because they’ve been like this for a while. He comes without notice, despite telling himself to stay away from you. You let him inside, knowing you should just shut the door on his face instead of holding onto the hope he might change his mind about a relationship that’s long gone. He takes what he wants from you, and you feel as if everything is like old times again. You feel perfect during that temporary bliss, bodily and soulfully intertwined with someone who couldn’t care less about the days you spend alone and wondering why. Why he left you. Why he stopped loving you. Why he’s always still here, even though he’s really not.

“Do you have somewhere to be?” His gaze hardens, “Or are you expecting someone?”

Your lips part in surprise at the interrogation before you regain your composure, wanting to take advantage of this…interest. Whatever it is. You’ve always seemed to care more than him, so you’re not sure what to call the look on his face as he stares you down.

“That’s none of your business,” you reply coldly.

His expression twitches with impatience, but you’re not afraid of his anger. You wish he would feel something around you instead of putting on this mask that makes you believe he can’t spare any emotional investment toward you. You wish the scowl in his eyes would burn hotter instead of remaining so silent and frigid, as if you never meant anything to him at all.

“Then I’m going to assume the answer is no,” he moves closer, and you catch yourself instinctively leaning into his proximity.

“It doesn’t matter what it is,” you whisper, “You’re not staying.”

“Says who.”

“Me. I don’t want you here.”

He scoffs, shaking his head until a humorless smile briefly crosses his face. It’s not the type he’s shown you when your days spent together were much happier, but also shorter. It’s the one you recognize when he tries to make you appear small for feeling so much. When he’s laughing at you, since you’re such a fool.

“I can leave. But I don’t think you really want that.”

The low volume of his voice doesn’t ease the intensifying ache in your heart that suffocates you deeper and harder the longer this uncomfortable in-between remains your reality with him. Averting your gaze from his, you look down at your lap and squeeze your trembling hands into fists. Nothing helps, though. You’re shaking, and you think this is your breaking point after tolerating his bullshit for so long.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Your voice breaks, “What am I doing wrong?”

Your vision is dark, suddenly blurring from tears you didn’t know had formed, so you don’t notice the shadowed fall of his expression. His hands flex at his sides, contemplating whether or not to reach for you. But they remain stagnant for the time being, simply observing your pain like the rest of him. He’s always been helpless in that way, never knowing how to love you. Only how to hurt you.

“You come over,” you spit venomously, “And you fuck me like it means something, and then you’re just…gone by the morning. You don’t have a problem with leaving me, Wolffe. Don’t act like this is so hard for you to understand.”

He’s silent yet again, letting you steady your breathing with a few inhales before tugging your hands away from your face. Holding onto your wrists gently, but not weakly, he says, “You’re not doing anything wrong.”

You meet his eyes, trying to prevent your face from crumpling into another frown, but reality quickly replaces the illusion of his comfort. His arms fall back to his sides when you pull away, not even able to muster the words, “Don’t touch me.” He hears them loud and clear, though. And he knows he’s the last man in this galaxy who deserves to touch you.

“I can’t do this anymore,” you sniffle while curling your legs and blankets into your chest.

“Can’t do what?” But he sounds like he already knows.

“This,” you look at him with so much anguish that he’s stunned, “I should’ve stopped it before—I shouldn’t have even let it happen, but…”

You exhale, dropping your face into your knees. “I thought you would change your mind about us. About me.”

The confession lingers in the air, hanging heavy on his hidden guilt and your growing exhaustion. Lifting your head, you stare straight at him and find that he’s now refusing to look at you.

“But you’re not going to,” you conclude softly, “You never will.”

If the room weren’t so dark, you would notice his flinch. Nonetheless, he’s stern when he says, “I have never changed my mind about you,” and you don’t realize what he really means by this. You assume the worst of him, for that’s all you know now.

The taste of salt kisses your lips when more tears squeeze out of your eyelids. “I know.”

“You don’t.”

“It doesn’t matter,” you sigh, “I’m leaving soon. I’m tired of this place.”

The real reason remains unspoken. He’s far from unaware of it, though. Because he knows you, no matter how much you wish he didn’t. Everything would have been so different if you had never met him—if he were just another estranged face in that endless crowd. He’s not, and that’s your curse.

Now his face really falls, along with his entire body as he sits on the bed in front of you. “You’re not serious.”

“I am,” you scowl at him, “And I’m not telling you where I’m going.”

He scrubs a slow hand over his face, trying to maintain his composure. You watch him closely, willing away the warmth in your chest when your eyes roam over his moonlit skin.

“Were you going to tell me at all?” He finally asks as his fingers catch on the blanket near your feet.

“I don’t know,” you answer honestly, “I’m telling you now.”

Sucking in a breath, he tentatively brings his hand up and cups the side of your face when you don’t move away. His thumb finds your bottom lip, caressing the way he always does after kissing you. Sometimes while making love to you, too. It’s all so dizzying, and you’re never sure where you land when it’s all over. Which is why you have to shut it down before you get too lost. Maybe you already are, though.

A quiet sob wracks through your body, struggled and hoarse as if your pain is already well spent. You surge forward at the same time he opens his arms, landing yourself in his embrace that he weaves around you like he’s trying to keep you here forever. He doesn’t know that you haven’t exactly made up your mind just yet. He only knows you want to go somewhere so far that he can’t follow, not when his life is so distantly separated from yours. It’s the reason why he can’t love you the way he wants to—the way you deserve. It’s also the reason why he can’t do anything but hold you to his chest, absorbing your tears the same way he longs to absorb your pain.

“Do you want me to stay?” You hear yourself asking without thinking.

He tenses, slowing his hands that he’s running in calming lines up and down your back. “I can’t stop you from leaving.”

You nearly laugh at the incredulity of his statement. “I wish that were true.”

“You can go wherever you want…as long as you’re safe.”

“But what about what you want?” You insist, pulling back even though you feel odd about him seeing your tear-streaked, swollen face, “Will you…”

“Will you miss me?”

His stern expression softens to your surprise as he cups your face with both hands this time, wiping some stray tears away from your cheeks. You hold your breath, staring up at him with wide, pleading eyes that are waiting for his honesty.

“I miss you now. I think about you all the time.”

You can’t respond with anything but another sob that sinks his heart down even further. You never thought this is how you’d react to hearing something like this from him. It doesn’t make your decision any easier, though.

He tugs you closer, burying his face in your shoulder while inhaling deeply. “But don’t stay here for me.”

“Why not?” You reply, wrapping your arms around his neck tightly in case he decides to let go, “It’s a good enough reason for me.”

His expression is blanched with surprise when he lifts his head to look at you, leaning closer until your foreheads are touching. You run a few fingers down the side of his face, resting upon his scar. Even now, you’re the only one he allows anywhere near this painful reminder of the past. You’re not sure who initiates the kiss you find yourself falling into just a few breaths later, but it doesn’t feel like the last. It never does with him.

“Just tell me what you want,” you whisper when he pulls back with a sharp gasp, “Tell me the truth.”

He closes his eyes, suddenly hyperaware of your hands trailing across his face. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t have it.”

“You can. I’m right here, Wolffe.”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

You lean into his chest, pressing your cheek against his strong heartbeat. “I want it, too. Whatever you’re thinking.”

“You should want something better,” he scoffs bitterly.

“You’re all I want.”

He shakes his head, bringing his lips down to the top of your hair. “You’re so fucking stubborn.”

You smile halfheartedly. “So are you.”

Wordless, he shifts you out of his lap and into bed, not missing how you keep your hold on him despite your request from before. He lays you down the same way he always does, sliding under the covers beside you so that you’re face to face under the same blanket of impending slumber. He can’t read your mind, but he’s watching your eyes closely as you stare at him with a decision lingering back and forth. And at that moment, you tell yourself you’ll stay if he’s still here in the morning. Which means you’ll leave if he does first.

You fall asleep quickly, but he doesn’t. His arm is draped over your waist, holding you close as he lies awake throughout the night. He glimpses the sky change colors with the passing hours behind you, never once looking away from your peaceful figure. This is the only time you’re truly free from him, he believes. He doesn’t know that he follows you into your dreams because he simply exists everywhere to you. No matter how far you go, he’ll be right there. You know this. You can’t run from it.

When dawn kisses the horizon, peeking between the tall buildings surrounding your home, you wake from the sun shining upon his embrace. Your instinct is to sit up and roll out of bed, this time with the immediate thought that it’s truly time to go. The disappointed sense of farewell is short-lived, though, when you realize you’re pinned down by a nostalgic pressure—one that hasn’t been in your bed at this hour in a while. And when you look at him, seeing him sleeping under the daylight for the first time in a long time, you wonder if he knew he nearly risked you forever. His arms are around you as if he did.

Running a gentle hand through his hair, you kiss his forehead and whisper, “I love you,” not expecting a response. But he surprises you when he pulls you even closer, pressing his face into your chest.

“I'm sorry.”

Your heart seizes as you rest your chin on the top of his head, delicately caressing his back. He feels so warm with the hopeful promise that he’ll stay to make things right, picking up the pieces that broke across the long way between your distance. But time is hardly of the essence when he’s right here, slowing the world down to this very moment. So, you think about how much time you have to forgive him. How much time you have to love him, while letting him catch up. And how much time you have to remember it all.

[yesterdayiwrote]

btw Whatsapp is holding a 'women in motorsports' dinner and Carmen is the host, which is a choice, and a effing weird one at that. there's so many women in motorsports out there to host something like that, whatsapp is Doriane's sponsor after all.

(I got two asks on this so not sure if you accidentally sent it twice anon, or if you have a thought twin somewhere!)

Yeahhhh, I've seen that and I feel exactly the same as you do on the matter, and what's annoying is I feel like we've had this exact argument about what constitutes a 'woman in motorsport' before, back when Puma put Carlos' ex gf in an ad campaign with the tag line, and Kelly was in Vogue with the same title, and yet STILL brands are doing this lazy feminism and tone deafness.

It's unfortunate that this criticism comes sharp on the heels of the book nonsense, because it gives the opportunity for it to get dismissed as 'hate' when really it's not about which wag is doing it this time, it's about the fact that brands want to appear like they're uplifting women, whilst just further imposing the limitations and boundaries they claim to be fighting against.

I get why she would accept. She's not ultimately the problem in this instance (although I have some questions about how many Merc sponsors she's suddenly partnering with, in a way that we don't see from other wags. It's giving heavy nepo and idk that it's a great look, or really aligning with her financial independence schtick she's been pushing - come on girl have some awareness)

As you say there are COUNTLESS women in motorsport who would have been a great pick to put their name to this. Women who have genuinely fought through and overcome the patriarchal hurdles that motorsport poses in order to take their place on the grid or in the paddock. Wags have not done that. Their paddock pass is afforded them purely on the basis of who they know and they do not represent women who have faced an uphill battle to be seen and heard in a male dominated industry.

And this is where the Wag culture obsession really grinds my gears, because brands do know this and are more than likely picking wags to front their events like this a) for their image, because whilst the purpose is women, they still want to use women deemed conventionally attractive to entice men to take an interest - just check out the mean comments on Doriane's appearance under her Kimmel interview. And b) for their follower counts - which don't get me started on how ig follower volume is not a meritocracy - but rather than a huge brand like WhatsApp picking someone like Doriane and using their platform to push her story and bring it to more people, they'd rather pick Carmen and have her promote their event to her cohort of followers and all the young girls who follow her who'll now mistakenly think "Oh WhatsApp cares about women!"

It's more bullshit faux feminism (much like female invest funnily enough) Like I said, she's not the architect of it, but she is complicit in it and it's disappointing all around. Doriane, Bernie Collins, Ruth Buscombe, the list of people better suited for this is endless. I think the real test is going to be (much like these Charlotte tilbury dinners) how many ACTUAL women in motorsport will be invited, or will it be another influencer event that's all for show?