#so 95% of what I hear about it is people who haven't read it making the same haha sparkles dumb jokes

[bookwyrminspiration]

kay so i work at a theatre (the weirdest one in the world imo) and tonight! we have a twilight themed burlesque performance that i knew you, the twilight mutual in my phone, had to know about. i can hear staying alive playing from the theatre as i write this. i feel like everything about this is perfect

the plot of twilight is edward desperately singing stayin alive at bella meanwhile she throws herself in the middle of every disastrous situation in a 100 mile radius and asks him to kill her

It always catches me off guard when I remember twilight was/is like. a whole phenomenon. and not just the weird book series I read like seven times over at age 13. I see other people say they've read it or see a reference in pop culture and my brain has to reboot because it simply does not make sense

you're right I had to know about this so ty for sharing; I hope everyone in the performance and audience had fun :)

[gren-arlio]

Ah, Visual Novel Disc System games, my beloved. Welcome to Episode 8 of (Waku) Puyo Extras.

(Serilly reading a fashion magazine is pretty nice honesty. Too bad that Honey Bee and Momomo are gonna appear any second now.)

Hello everyone, it's the guy whose computer exploded on him once as well as the only Ciel fan in America (Seriously, I'm glad some fans know about Quest nowadays). Thankfully, the computer's slowly but surely getting fixed, so who knows, maybe I'll continue Arle's route next month due to every week having something planned this time around. (Apologies, Arle route watchers)

As the silly meme about PuyoLympics comes around and goes around (Thanks Witch,) I haven't neglected to speak about what the poll wanted to speak about: Serilly's Happy Birthday.

Would you call this a character speculated episode? It's more of a game starring a character, but I dunno.

With that, I think we can begin. Hope you enjoy.

------

First, let's talk about its origins:

Serilly's Happy Birthday was released in 1998 from Disc Station Volume #18, a magazine that carried either demos of games or full blown games, on the Windows 95.

(For some extra info, there were 2 sets of magazines. Issues #0-32 and Volume #1-27.)

It's a little unclear what month this was released, but we can make do with what we got.

(Cover page for the Volume.)

However, and idk if this is big news or not, but I think I found an page covering Serilly's Happy Birthday, though not in the best quality out there.

I haven't seen this anywhere on the Puyo Nexus, or anywhere else really, so take this with a grain of salt. If true though, I adore how it looks.

Apparently it was made by the people who made the Tower of the Magician artstyle, which would make a ton of sense, but take this with a grain of salt.

(No Schezo though. Yeah he just makes a cameo, but hey, would've been nice.)

Also, tiny Carbuncle. You love to see it.

-----

So, whats the game about?

The game itself is a Princess-Maker (Or in a better term, Social Simulation, didn't know the name first time around,) type game, a genre where you see the world of our own and the fictional world. Take Animal Crossing or Tomodachi Life for example. Or The Sims.

The story is that Serilly was given the ability to go on land, but she still doesn't have any legs. Minor misconception but an understandable one.

You then...simply put, plan Serilly's birthday as a whole, going through a week by week basis to get to the end of the year.

(A screen showing the days. From the Japanese characters from top left to bottom right, its Arle, Rulue, Suketoudara, Witch, Draco, and Owlbear.)

You may wonder what the numbers mean on the left. I'm glad you asked. They're stats that increase whilst doing activities with Serilly, such as dancing with Incubus, studying with Satan Masked Principal, I believe training with Samurai Mole, cleaning with Kikimora, etc.

From top left to bottom right, it goes Power, Head(? Due to Samurai Mole,) Cuteness, Story(? Or negotiation.), Kindness, and fatigue. These points are given in random increments, and doing too much tires Serilly, so heads up on on that.

(Cleaning with Kikimora. This is the best quality I could find this.)

Speaking of characters, here's some that appear in this game:

Arle

Witch

Suke

Owlbear

Masked Principal (NOT Satan. Wrong guy.)

Rulue

Draco

Incubus

Kikimora (Man. She's everywhere.)

Schezo. As a cameo in I think one of Witch's supports, and he's not the best written here.

-----

Wait, Supports?

Now you may wonder what I mean by supports. Well, to get an ending, along with Stat Points, you need to talk to the person themselves, which is why with my little Fire Emblem brain, call them supports. You have to have spoken to them enough, as well as get the necessary stats to get their ending, which is why it's so hard to get Draco's ending, least from what I see and hear. And Witch flat out won't talk to you if you're too stupid for her apparently.

However, while a little one-note, the supports and talks themselves are very charming in their own right, and they look stupid good to boot.

(A small support you can get with Witch.)

So, with those 6 characters I mentioned for the endings, there's 7 possible endings. One of them is NO ONE going to Serilly's birthday. If I ever got this ending, I'm retiring from everything.

Serilly herself is still fairly shy, but much more outgoing than what we're used to, which is nice considering she's the star of the show. I genuinely like how she's written here. Not Waku Puyo levels of great, but still top 2 IMO.

The characters themselves are roughly the same, with some expections. For example, the Masked Principal is actually incredibly nice to you, which is just...amazing tbh, Rulue is more dedicated to her training than anything, and Schezo...sucks as a character this time around. He's just a dude walking around saying "I want you!" like an actual pervert rather than just being a goofball about it. Oh, the misery. (Everybody wants to be my enemy...)

But what do some of these endings look like? Unfortunately, our old pal "The 10 image limit," has attacked us once again, and so, I can only show 4 of them.

But they're the popular characters so...I guess we win this time.

I genuinely love how this game looks, man. And the endings themselves are super charming in their own way. I believe in the Masked Principal ending, she helps people swim (Panotty, Archan?, Honey Bee, and Kodomo Dragon,) and it's honestly super cute.

-----

So what do I personally think?

I think this game is incredibly interesting, as it's something that Disc Station or Puyo has a whole hasn't really seen. They chose an interesting character with Serilly, and they honestly made this game look visually stunning. The music is nice to listen to, and the characters are fairly nice to you for the most part, which is a nice change of pace considering it's, well... Serilly.

Overall, if you can ever find a way to see gameplay of the sort, check it out.

This is a shorter Puyo Extras, but I think I covered most of the basis of this game. That'll be all for now.

Cya guys.

[cazort]

In my neighborhood, people operate loud landscaping equipment for insane durations of time and it's hard to even talk to people about it. Like this is stuff I literally never experienced before around 2003-ish. I grew up on the edge of suburbs but no one used heavy, loud equipment like they do now, back then. It's a new thing, and it seems to be getting worse.

The worst are the gas-powered leafblowers with 2-stroke motors. They're loud (typically around 95dB but some seem even louder than this), typically there are teams with 2 people with them going at once, and they are dirty, releasing a lot of gasoline fumes. For comparison, 95 dB is similar to the noise of a motorcycle, dangerously close to the human pain threshold (110dB), and enough to cause permanent hearing loss with sustained exposure.

Today landscapers were going for 2 hours 45 minutes on a big lot right across from my house. Earlier this week, one day, another set of neighboring properties, there were 2 hours of such noise. The houses behind me, on a different day, 45 minutes of such noise. Add in the smaller stuff, other landscapers I had to listen to when going on a walk around the neighborhood which I do every day, sometimes a couple times a day, and I easily listened to 10 hours of this crap.

It's always during the main part of my workday too. I work from home. When the noise is going, I cannot record a video or audio because it interferes. Depending on how close it is, sometimes it's loud enough that I can't even hear my own music unless I crank it up uncomfortably loud, and I don't like loud music. I keep my music quiet so I can concentrate. And of course it makes it even more unpleasant to be outdoors, where the noise is even louder. During the warm part of the year, it makes it unpleasant to open the windows, which makes it harder to thermoregulate my home.

It's really frustrating and it has caused me to take a major hit to my productivity. And the thing is, it's every week, it's just some weeks that there is more of it than others. Like we're well into December and people are still blowing leaves. In spring they still blow. Then they blow whenever they mow. I hate it. It's basically year-round, perhaps a couple months break in January and February although I still occasionally hear it then.

I wrote to my city council person about it and after a back-and-forth (he has at least taken the time to read and respond to my messages), his reply was basically like: "I don't think I can help you because you're the only one who has complained about this issue."

And I'm like...Jesus fucking Christ I just don't know what to even say about this? Like just because only one person is affected by an issue doesn't mean it's not worth addressing. I don't understand why even any one of these people think it's acceptable to operate equipment as loud and dirty as this in a residential neighborhood.

And you know what makes the the angriest about all of this?

Each and every one of the neighbors doing this is more affluent than me. Like I don't know their internal finances, but they all have bigger, fancier houses than ours, all have fancier cars. They clearly could pay for people to take a little longer to do this stuff with rakes if they wanted to, and they'd be fine.

And the real kicker? I do my yard with rakes. I literally only use a rake and reel mower. No gas equipment. Not even any electric equipment, I do it ALL by hand. And it takes a reasonable amount of time. I literally do not impose on anyone in these ways. I make no noise like this. Ever. And I maintain our property just fine.

I literally don't understand this stuff.

And I try to talk about it with people and they look at me like I have five heads.

Seriously they need to be grateful to me that I have the self-restraint and commitment to nonviolence that I haven't murdered anyone yet. This noise is insane. And the gaslighting attitude I get when I try to talk to people about it, even more insane. This is literally the type of stuff that drives people to murder. I seriously do not understand, in our gun-happy society, why there aren't more cases of people just losing their cool walking out the door and putting a bunch of bullets into the people operating these blowers. Not saying that would be a good idea, I abhor violence. I'm just saying, I'm really surprised it hasn't happened, especially given the way this noise feels like a form a violence to me, an assault on my ears and on my mind, especially the way it is so loud and invasive, it comes INTO my home even when I'm at home with the windows closed. It is so loud inside my home that I sometimes cannot concentrate on my work.

Like a few weeks ago they were doing water main work and there was a jackhammer operating right in front of my window, breaking up concrete. And then landscapers started up, one lot over too, farther away than the jackhammer...and the landscaping equipment was literally louder than the jackhammer.

It is absolutely 100% batshit. I do not understand how anyone tolerates this.

[rhythmgamer]

roommate is not in room rn i feel semi-safe hallelujah

(kind of a rant follows beneath Keep Reading)

(btw it's not like i feel she's physically dangerous to me but she hurt me a lot emotionally and basically has a very dominating personality in general like AFTER apologising she set down new "boundaries" cutting off any talk of academics, colleagues, department, batchmates, marks, internships etc. cus she said it'd be better if we put our academic lives and personal lives separate (which doesn't make sense HERE cus i live in a residential college where there's no clear boundary between academic and personal life??? and that automatically cuts off talking about 90% of the things here???) AND she also said to not share each other's problems even casually like??? girl what can i talk about then? the shitty food from the canteens?)

(also. she thinks i have a "bad" habit. what's the "bad" habit? asking her how her classes went or how her day went when she returns to the room. or maybe sharing a random tidbit about my own day or anything else while she happens to be doing an assignment or a quiz (mind you, it isn't really possible for me to know she has an assignment or a quiz unless she tells me) so yeah. no chitchat unless she's idle or on the phone. yeah. honestly not all people like talking about their day and i understand that. but why call it a bad habit. you consider me to be "close" to you (in her own words). is it not normal for someone "close" to you to want to talk about daily life? why do you harshly go "don't talk to me I do not want to talk rn" EVERYDAY when i just wanna know how are you? why act as if I've been doing something horrible?) (funny part is initially she used to complain that her ex-roommate would never talk to her and she finds it nice that i talk to her. but now she herself cut off 95% of the things i can talk with her. like girl what do you want???)

(but yeah this is a person who coaims that they believe they can live independently without anyone's support in the world, no friends, no family. even told me "you may be my roommate and i may consider you close but i don't expect you to be there for me when i support, nO oFfEnSe". told this to my face. and in her words she considers me "close". and this same person has a laptop AND an ipad AND a standing fan bought for her by her father and regularly vents to a senior about her ex. suuuure you can live on your own without your father's money and the senior's emotional support. suuuure. should've seen the red flag already tbh)

(anyway I haven't even talked about what was the actual situation due to which i took shelter in a friend's room temporarily. and it's too long and too trivial to talk of here (unless someone wants to hear of that pile of dogshit). and there are other red flags about her too like how she constantly lumps me in with the "girls" despite knowing im nonbinary and misgenders me and once made a comment about the shape of my boobs as a compliment(???) and asked why don't i wear a binder if I'm uncomfortable with my boobs. but yeah. it's like at this point i feel scared and on my guard whenever she's in the room. i cannot relax or feel safe. and i still have an entire third year to go. idk how I'll manage. maybe I won't)

[porgthespacepenguin]

Death and the Butterfly (Qcard meta)

So @celestialwarzone and were discussing how many times Q has canonically saved Picard's life in canon (hint: it's a lot).

But our discussion got me thinking THOUGHTS (what a surprise) about season 1.

Onwards!

Note: some of the gifs may take longer to load, because Tumblr, but they're quite important, so please bear with me.

The evolution of Stardust

Remember Q's beautiful, chilling speech to Dr. Soong in episode 2.5?

Q, you dramatic bastard. 🖤

Anyway. At first I thought that the butterfly line, while incredibly poetic, was a little out of place next to "Death, the Destroyer of Worlds".

Gentle and delicate vs. death and destruction? Sure, it works in principle but it felt a bit... uneven as a juxtaposition.

Oh boy, was I wrong.

Why, you ask?

Remember how Picard dies in episode 1.10, and for a while, we have no idea if he's going to survive? And so we see Raffi, Rios, Elnor and Seven clearly mourning him, and in the background...

A butterfly.

We follow the butterfly for a very long time until finally...

Picard awakens in Data's afterlife, and the rest is history.

Sweet, right? Agnes and Dr. Soong (no, the other one) save Picard by putting his consciousness into a brand new synth body. Easy.

Except.

It's dangerous to go alone

[Some spoilers for ST:Discovery season 4, proceed at your own risk!]

We know from Star Trek Discovery that the success rate of transferring minds into synth bodies was so low they just abandoned the procedure altogether.

(By the way, it's hilarious to me how casually they namedrop Picard: "Yeah so this random admiral, Picard, I think they called him--".

But it makes sense, since they have no idea who he is: they're from pre-TOS times, living 900 years post Star Trek: Picard. He's just a name from the history books to them.)

Anyway. So how dismal, exactly, was the success rate that it just made no sense to even try, even if you were already dying? I'm guessing pretty damn bad.

Worse, a Trill Guardian explains later in the episode that there's a high risk that the soul may not find its way home, and could be lost in the attempt.

Guess that explains why people just gave up on it, eh? Risky doesn't even begin to cover it.

Later, Gray (with the blue hair) actually does spend a fair amount of time lost and unable to find his way to his new body. His odds are pretty bad until Adira (his girlfriend) is able to guide him home.

And yet, Picard made it on the first try, just like that. On his own.

Right.

Follow the Sun

I think at this point, you probably know where I'm going with this.

Q guided Picard's soul to his new synth body.

That's why Q's line about "the gentle flutter of a butterfly" makes perfect sense next to "Death, the Destroyer of world".

Q is both death and life, destroyer and savior.

Death, and the Butterfly.

A duality, the show makes a point of reminding us, the Sun shares with Q:

It's not a coincidence. @celestialwarzone wrote a brilliant meta about how the sun symbolizes Q in episode 2.7. I advise you to give it a read if you haven't already.

Wait, there's more

I actually believe there's a similar case to be made for episode 1.1, when Dahj dies. Look at the strength of that explosion:

Remember, Picard is over 95 and a regular human at this point. How exactly did he survive with no injuries?

I'm not even exagerating. Zhaban confirms it, sounding baffled: Picard is "apparently the same".

Look at him! Not even a scratch.

Because that's not suspicious at all.

And then, while Picard's unconscious, we get a montage of Data, the Enterprise and Dahj...

... with the sound of a clock ticking in the background.

Interesting.

Was it planned?

Now, I hear you wondering: wait, had TPTB planned this all the way back in season 1?

Honestly? Probably not.

Some people (me very much included) had been headcanoning that Q had a hand in helping Picard in season 1. It made a lot of sense, given Picard's frankly suspicious luck.

But there was nothing in canon that indicated Q was involved.

Now, however, with what we know from Star Trek Discovery and Picard season 2, there's very little doubt in my mind that Q's line at the cafe is a subtle nod to the audience: Q did save Picard's life in season 1, at least once -- perhaps more.

I certainly hope they'll openly acknowledge it. Picard needs to wake up and start seeing Q for who he really is: a teacher, a friend, and more.

Certainly not his enemy.

(PS: I actually touch on the subject a bit in my latest fic, if you enjoy that sort of thing.)

[claymotif]

hi and also hello. may i please hear everything about seia i would like the seia breakdown please and thank you <3

seia breakdown!!!! seia my beloved <3

the short version is that seia is 95% of keldan's impulse control. long version under the cut

okay in my head i picture seia as being from like a mountain village whose primary economy is mining-based. this is almost completely irrelevant to the actual story but i planned out everyone's backstories like three years ago so you're getting it. seia's naturally smaller than most people from these mining villages tend to be but he was also more sick than the average kid (which did not help) so growing up he was sort of on the frail side. that being said there was absolutely zero like "gender role" expectation that he would ever have to work in the quarries, because his culture doesn't really have Gender the way others do, and thus don't have gender roles either; everyone just contributes what they can to make sure the household runs smoothly, which means seia grew up helping out with stuff like finances, gardening/animal tending if he had the energy for it, sewing/mending clothes/weaving, other stuff around the house that's less physical labor. (btw this cultural view of gender is also why seia's nonbinary; he literally just cannot be bothered with translating his experience for others, and the first person who spoke to him in another language assigned him he/him pronouns and seia was like "whatever".)

anyway. there's some imperial/war-related stuff that happens next. crown soldiers show up, "this land belongs to this nation now", and they ship off basically everyone who's still school-aged to boarding schools in the empire proper. (two notes: first, i haven't named like most of the places that are relevant to backstory. yes i've had this wip for years. move on. second, i am assuming you've heard of cultural genocide. that's what's happening here.)

seia ends up rising through the ranks so to speak and gets a lot of attention for his knack for languages. he ends up in service of the crown that kidnapped him (this is probably around age 16 or so), as a translator/interpreter, and after a couple years ends up sold/traded to the highest bidder (melati's father, the king of. yet another name i haven't thought up yet.) they use nicer words than "sold/bought", because "slavery is illegal", but i'm not going to pretend seia had any choice in what's happening.

he does use his essentially-free access to royal libraries to do a LOT of reading, both before and after the trade. he teaches himself a lot of stuff, including More languages and some "applicable" life skills. (read: forgery. he gets terrifyingly good at forging official documents. he doesn't use this until after he joins up with keldan, because he's afraid of what will happen if he gets caught, but with keldan he's a bit of a loose cannon lmao)

also. MOSTLY irrelevant to the story but seia has like one friend, who was the youngest son of the first king seia worked for. they made it work alarmingly well despite the power imbalance thing, and the prince teaches seia how to swordfight. seia later trades that in for a dagger, saying it's more his style, but in a pinch.... absolutely deadly. they keep in touch after seia gets traded off, they write letters to each other in varying languages and use code names. the prince's real name is kazik tho.

also also. working for melati's father and spending like 90% of his free time in the library, seia's seen her before and she's seen him. they've talked more than once and melati would even loosely call him a friend at this point in their lives. being a princess she doesn't really question the exact terms of his employment. it's not really malicious, it's just that in her mind, the palace is kind of the best gig anyone could hope for, and she has a daughter's trust in her father (for now) and believes he'd never hold anyone against their will. and while technically he's not holding seia prisoner, seia has nothing and no one on the outside, and nowhere to go, and a contract a mile long that he doesn't know the exact terms of but surely there's a clause in there about abandoning your post before your term is served (there is. seia ends up breaking it anyway).

anyway. seia meets keldan on a diplomatic trip to okskiy, where keldan lounges around the throne room despite his king's best efforts to get rid of him before the party starts. (this is like almost immediately post-aderyn-breakup btw). seia doesn't get much time off during the actual meeting/negotiations/dinner, but once everyone's drunk and happy seia gets to slip away from his interpreter role, and he and keldan make small talk for a while and seia commits his face to memory because it feels like he's the first (second?) person to ever actually look at seia. it's complicated.

they end up meeting again on seia's "home turf"; keldan's delivering something on behalf of his king, and seia's the only one who speaks a language keldan understands, so they get plenty of more-or-less one-on-one conversation time. call it bonding or whatever. later, keldan's wandering around the castle (read: snooping) and happens upon the king propositioning seia (this is compete chance here. keldan's the only person i know who's obnoxious enough to have even the opportunity to stumble in on this conversation), which seia does not want but can't exactly say no to without risking. yknow. his life.

the king fucks off w/ keldan's arrival (not that keldan understood what was being said exactly but the postures... expressions... yeah) to avoid suspicion (does not work) and keldan's like. "fuck that guy." seia replies "he's my king." keldan says "what if he wasn't though" and then gets to play white knight for seia for about thirty minutes (the time it takes them to get back onto keldan's ship) before keldan really starts to get to know seia and realizes he is WAY out of his depth here.

they're more or less business partners after that. it's weird because seia definitely is not considered part of keldan's "crew", but keldan's operation is able to expand thanks to the breadth of languages seia can speak, seia travels everywhere with keldan + has his own cabins on the ship that he never uses bc he's always in keldan's, they read each other's minds and gaze longingly when the other isn't looking, but if a crewmate asks whether they've slept together keldan is like "why would we do that". they're a hot mess. seia forges like 90% of keldan's documents, whatever he needs (the other 10% are, technically, legal), and literally asks for nothing in return. keldan's always putting gold coins in with the rest of seia's stuff or trying to slip him payment some other way. seia stashes his collection of inks and fancy pens and parchments under keldan's bed.

the really sticky part is that neither of them really talk about their pasts. granted keldan can't talk about his childhood without getting into stuff that would make him sound crazy ("turns out there is stuff below the continents" crazy), but neither of them know where the other is from, they don't communicate w/each other in either person's native language, seia doesn't even know keldan had a partner before him.

keldan's also a bit insane. so he gets all these random ideas for all kinds of things (business, ship repairs/additions, fanciful vacations, you name it) and then seia's the one who filters it down into something doable. half the time seia is then also the one who implements it, whatever it is. keldan will be like "lets do a vacation on one of those waterfall islands" and seia will be like "what if instead we just spend a couple weeks off in okskiy" and then also schedule that time off into their calendar. this is more or less because seia is wayyyy more organized but also a little bit because even tho keldan has the big ideas, he wouldn't actually be into them. he would hate the wet humid nature of the waterfall islands and seia knows that and talks him out of it, and keldan wants seia happy so he agrees readily when seia suggests okskiy instead. they make it work somehow and everyone's like "how have you not broken up yet" and they're like "broken what up?"

so. that's where they're at at the beginning of the story, and then aderyn and melati walk onto their ship as a unit and everyone collectively is like. "what the fuck" for a whole host of different reasons. the plot of sky sea is like 50% character-driven conflict in the sense that while aderyn and keldan are trying to reconcile their old history, aderyn's guilt, and keldan's anger, seia's also insanely jealous but doesn't understand why and almost flat out refuses to talk to keldan about it. aderyn and melati have the whole "we're only in this together because both our lives are in danger" on top of the whole "you said no one would know who you were" "how was i supposed to know that the one person who could possibly still be alive to recognize me would be on this boat" thing. seia and melati have a little bit of a guilt/anger thing happening too; it's sort of "logically i know it wasn't her fault but emotionally i need someone to blame and she should have known something was wrong". keldan and melati are pretty much the only pair NOT fighting, but they do bond over being generally obnoxious and high-maintenance. when aderyn and seia aren't trying to kill each other over extremely minor arguments that are actually metaphors for much bigger issues, they're complaining about "royals. ugh". keldan's crew wants to quit sooooo bad except that they also find the drama highly amusing. one guy on the crew is like 'man i always wanted to be part of a high-speed chase' and boy does he get his wish.

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

spanish lessons.

Gif credits to the author.

FRANCISCO ‘CATFISH’ MORALES.

TRIPLE FRONTIER | USEFUL LINKS.

❝ words: about 900.

❝ request by @phoenixhalliwell: Hey pal 👋 Thank you for being a willing participant to the Frankie teaching the reader Spanish with a reward system HC. I cant wait to see you do with it 😊💛

❝ a / n: don’t forget to comment and reblog if you liked it, i’d really appreciate it!

Every time you see Frankie talking in Spanish, his face literally brightens as his eyes shine. It isn't common for him to find people who talk in his native language, so you have just heard him speaking to Santi.

Sometimes you've seen some movies and tv shows in that language —for you, unknown, although you know some words and simple sentences.

And you know he misses it, even if he left Chile many years ago.

You have searched to take a course, but they aren't really compatible with your work, so the only option you can see viable is using one of those apps where you can spend the time you want learning and improving, with no pressure.

Duolingo. Everybody talks about it.

Of course, you haven't said anything to your boyfriend, wanting to surprise him. It probably will take you a while, but you'd do anything to see that smile he draws when he speaks in Spanish.

Bit by bit, your vocabulary is more extensive, knowing to identify every single thing around you.

Verb tenses are another story. If when you were in elementary school you thought the English verbs were the most complicated thing in the world, it was because you didn't have Spanish lessons.

As it's normal, you understand it better than you can speak it, get into the habit of watching everything in his language whenever he leaves for a mission during a couple of days. And now, all your music is in Spanish too, which is helping you with pronunciation too.

But when you feel confident enough to say something in his language, you just don't think about it, letting go of the words from your mouth.

“¿Yo puedo tener más café?”

(Can I have more coffee?)

Frankie turns at you blinking confused, believing it has been just his imagination. Sitting at the island kitchen, you have your empty cup raised in your right hand towards him, some steps away from you. Your boyfriend is staring at you in complete silence and you're starting to panic. Have you said something out of place? Has he understood your accent?

Slowly putting down your mug, you grab your phone turning around on your stool, giving him your back. Fastly, you look for the notes app on your phone to check if you have said it correctly. But, when you look up, you find him by your side and his eyes on the screen. You can't help but scream not expecting it, locking your phone before he can really read anything.

“Since when do you spe—? Are you learning español?”

“Uh…” You mumble clearing your throat. “¿Yo puedo tener más café…? ¿Por favor?”

You repeat then scratching your left eyebrow, trying to pretend that your cheeks aren't burning in shame whilst avoiding eye contact with an astounded Frankie. He doesn't reply, coming back to the corner where the coffee maker is, grabbing your mug to pour the drink inside.

“Gracias”.

(Thank you).

“You don't need to say yo at the beginning”.

“Uh?”

“It's enough sayin' puedo tener más café”. He explains offering you back the cup.

“Oh… Oh, okay. I'll write it down”.

Even so, you feel a little bummed because it hasn't had the intended effect. You have been working really hard for the last three months, but you haven't received the smile you were expecting. Puckering your lips in a slightly forced smirk, you take your phone to write his advice, not being capable of looking at Frankie coming closer to you again. He takes off the device from your fingers to leave it on the marble board, leaning forward to press his lips on yours.

This is much better. This is much better than a simple smile.

For some reason, Frankie has taken the habit to kiss you anytime you tell him something in Spanish. A word, an expression, the chorus of a song… He feels proud of you, of the small things you do to make him happy. And it's his way to demonstrate you.

Long conversations are his favorite. He's always looking for an interesting topic, letting you talk for hours and hours while he only hears you enraptured on how good your voice sounds in his language —being a little more honeyed, a little softer. Don't misunderstand him. Frankie loves every single tone of yours, but the Spanish one? That's a higher level.

And he thought that situation couldn't be perfect until he hears you speaking to Santi.

“Para ti, la cerveza más fresca”.

(For you, the coldest beer).

His eyes widen in surprise holding the drink, as you raise both eyebrows nodding with your chin. Until you realize it isn't correct at all.

“Fría. Fría, no fresca. La cerveza más fría”.

“¿Habla español?” He says turning at your boyfriend about to laugh glad of it. “¡Hablas español!”

(She speaks Spanish? You speak Spanish!)

Frankie can't help but kiss you in front of his brother shamelessly, cupping your cheeks on his palms and peppering your lips noisily.

“Espera, ¿qué es eso?” Santi asks frowning funnily.

(Wait, what is that for?)

“Me besa cada vez que digo una frase bien”.

(He kisses me any time I say something correctly).

“No Spanish in my presence”. He fastly demands, taking a sip from his beer while waving his free hand. “I feel like you're gonna have sex if we keep talkin'. And I'm too innocent for that”.

GENERAL TAG LIST: @mayans-sauce @peoniarose @destynelseclipsa @band-psycho @myakai13 @petlaufeyson @-im-fantastic- @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals @rocketqueen @rosieposie0624 @ellyseveronica @Jessprins13 @diaryofkali @ravenmoore14 @starrynite7114 @kenbechillin @miahelen @monkeyluver4546 @sheeshgivemeabreak @jadesamhart @rawrlittlepanda-95 @megapeacelovemusic-blog @katsav17 @skits90s @wildsould1221 @littlekittymeow

TRIPLE FRONTIER: @phoenixhalliwell @goldielocks2004 @pedritomando @spideysimpossiblegirl @im-an-adult-ish

frankie morales: @agirllovespancakes

[flowerslut]

Hi!!! Loved CotN (binged the whole series in 2 days), and had one question that's bugged me since: you mention that Jasper's *only* fears relate to Alice, and that's why Skye can't fully crack him until his fears become reality and he kills her. But what if he had never met Alice? Did he have no fears before her, or he did it's just that they were insignificant in the face of meeting Alice? What would've happened with Skye - would he have been easier or more difficult to crack? (sorry if sent 2x

TWO DAYS god that's so fast for how long it is 😭😭 thanks so much for reading it and I'm glad you loved it!

IMO even canon Jasper has a very... unique experience with all emotion but especially fear. for a vampire he hasn't lived too long; 160 years sounds like a long time, but there are vampires in the Twilight universe who are literal millennia old. when you 'grow up' (for lack of a better term) as part of the southern wars and that's your introduction into vampirism, you're sort of exposed to a lot of the brutal shit that gets glossed over in 95% of the Twilight saga. you aren't going to find yourself scared of too much when you're arguably one of the scariest things around.

even Edward, remarking at one point in Midnight Sun when they're rushing to the ballet studio says “As a man of peace, Jasper struggled. But as a man of war, he was more that I'd ever imagined.” because despite the circumstances—and I'm assuming, despite the potent fucking fear Edward was experiencing—Jasper was making it so that entire stolen car full of vampires was utterly fucking focused on their mission. (and if the focus was somewhat-inspired by a certain someone's excitement willingness to finally get to murder another vampire after so long, that's for Edward and Jasper to know, and for us to only just guess about 👀)

but of course your question is about CotN Jasper, so I'll try to stay on topic here. in order to understand that part I think I have to explain more about Skye and her ability. I go into it pretty decently in Walk in the Dark, but there are still some things I both left vague and haven't fully had the opportunity to go into more depth about. she has the passive part of her ability, where she can walk into a room and low-key clock everyone's fear in the vicinity without even really trying too hard. it's not like unlike Jasper's ability in a way and it has some similarities to Edward's too. she can't turn it off, but she can focus it.

get ready for some Skye lore bestie 😛

in Call of the Night we're introduced to Skye's ability because Alice can't see Jasper when he's "under". I've never fully explained what that means in detail I don't think (but if I have, and if that contradicts anything I'm about to say, forget about that: this is the Real Lore) but when a person is "under" her ability it means that she has full reign of a portion of their subconscious. whichever part that is in charge of fear; I don't know what part that is since I don't know jack shit about the actual mechanics of the brain, sorry about that. (edit: I googled it, and it's the amygdala apparently. fun!)

Skye's ability is a fully mental/psychic one. (which is why at the end of CotN, Bella is able to give Jasper a few vital hours of precious clarity immediately post-battle.) where Edward is able to hear people's thoughts like spoken words, Skye is able to see people's fears; it's not unlike how Alice can see people's futures. they play out for Skye like a fast-paced vision that goes through her mind in an instant where she can look across a room and think "oh wow that guy really is convinced his wife is going to cheat on him with her coworker huh?" or "plane crashes? really? how original". the only catch is that when she's focusing in on these people directly it doesn't go unnoticed. Alice remarks upon the strange but faint tingling sensation that occurs in chapter 10 of Walk in the Dark when Skye tries to quite literally scare her off by reciting to Alice what her selfish fears are.

but remember: this is the relatively harmless part of her ability. (harmless to others, at least.) Skye can also force you to fully live these fears that occupy space in your brain. whatever you're afraid of, whatever would scare you, whatever is something that would cause panic or anxiety, Skye can make your brain experience these the same way that she can 'see' those very fears play out when she's detecting them. it causes the victim to lose full control over themselves and they remain trapped in an endless loop of what are essentially nightmares.

Skye is a relatively new vampire. she's only been around for a few years. the ability of hers is something that she only barely knows how to control. we even see in a vision of Alice's where Maria is frustrated by Skye's inability to control Jasper the way she needs her to, and Skye remarks "That’s not how this works, you know that’s not how this works!" because Skye is using her ability the only way she knows how to, by cycling the victim through their nightmares as much as she can to create a sort of helpless comatose state. it puts them in a state that makes manipulation easy because they become so wrapped in this alternate-reality where they're so entrapped by these horrors that telling dream from reality becomes as hard as telling up from down. (I explore this slightly in a very spoiler-heavy CotN AU in which the final battle doesn't go well.)

and as the use of the active ability increases, and as the target becomes more accustomed to what they're experiencing, it makes things more and more... interesting for sure. (with enough exposure, Jasper was able to become the killing machine that he was by the climax of the story) I won't get too into this part of the lore, because it becomes a little spoilery for Friends with the Fire and I want to keep you guys still wondering a liiiiittle bit over the next couple of years 🤠

now, is losing Alice his only fear? not exactly. if we look back up at the point I made above, Jasper has been through some rough experiences. and by rough I mean that canonically by the Saga's standards Jasper was "undeniably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind." in that scene in Twilight he even goes on to tell Bella that no matter where he was, whether it was with Maria or just living as a nomad, fear was a constant companion of his. he felt it from every person he fed on. in both the actual Twilight saga and the CotN one, Jasper has had to face fear in a way that others don't have to. because of this, he's able to be more objective about his own emotion.

does that mean he doesn't care about his fellow Protectors? no, not at all. but he isn't afraid of losing them since he knows how capable they are, as fighters and just as vampires maneuvering through their strange lifestyle. some of them have even faced Jasper in battle on opposite sides fighting in a way; Jasper isn't scared of them getting hurt or dying. it doesn't mean he doesn't want them in harms way or that he doesn't care, but he knows that being anxious over their safety is a little silly. (Esme is a notable exception to this, and we'll look more into that, again, in FwtF.)

but Alice is a curveball. she has existed in a constant state of fight or flight and has "chosen flight" her entire life in an attempt to avoid, what she considers, her inevitable demise. as Jasper gets to know Alice, and as Jasper learns that Alice's visions are real, and uncanny, and scarily accurate, Jasper starts to get uneasy. and when Jasper begins to develop feelings for her, that uneasiness transforms into horror at the idea of hurting her.

the reason that Skye was so set on using the "him killing Alice" thing to crack Jasper is because it's so goddamn prevalent in his mind, that it's quite literally the only thing she can find that she knows will provide Maria with any form of potential permanent results. and even then, Skye is just doing her best. this gift is new, her control is heavily practiced and trained, but it's only been a couple of years and she's doing everything she can to make it through to sunrise each day.

fear, as an emotion, is something that our brains have developed to protect us from danger. throughout the entirety of CotN, fear is Alice's biggest companion since it's her largest hurdle, but fear is also very prevalent in Jasper's life, too, since he's had to face all of his in order to continue living the life he does. I think they're interesting foils in CotN because of this little detail. Alice meets Jasper and has to face her fears for the first time in her life. Jasper meets Alice and quickly develops a real, concrete fear for the first time in decades.

Maria tasking Skye with "cracking" Jasper—the one person on the goddamn planet who knows how to maneuver around feeling a constant aura of horror and fear—for me feels like a university professor giving an advanced biochemistry exam to an average fifteen year old. there's no way in fucking hell she's going to pass that test. but Skye is a determined little devil and she's more clever than she gives herself credit for and she was going to do everything in and out of her power to figure something out. too bad for Maria that since Skye has to also go through Jasper's nightmares along with him as he does, she formed an attachment to him. but this attachment, no matter how fucked and wild, is the only thing that keeps Alice alive in the end.

TLDR;

if Skye had been tasked with trying to "crack" a Jasper who hadn't met Alice and fallen in love? she would have reported back to Maria that first day that it was a pointless endeavor and something that would take far, far longer than they had time for. (their next step likely would've been tracking down Peter/Charlotte as a backup and then killing all of the Protectors one by one. again, a nearly impossible feat is what it would have been. and even if it had been possible, it would've taken them years, assuming that the Volturi or another country wouldn't step in to help before then)

Jasper isn't fearless, but there isn't a fear he has that he hasn't faced head-on because of who he is and where he came from.

anyways, listen to my Skye-inspired playlist nightmare induction because it's chock full of bangers and I listened to it twice while replying to this message lmfao

[elcorhamletlive]

re Will and your posts about him getting a bf, it’s been months but I just came across them and I agree so much. I can’t stand how so many people still want him to be miserable and pining, or essentially a second choice where b*ler is a thing, and violently oppose the idea of him finding someone else who actually cares about him that way. Idk it’s all very teenaged “first love/crush is the only thing that matters.” I get it’s shipping which in itself is harmless, but the insistence that Mike the only way Will can be happy I really disagree with.

Hey anon! Absolutely don't worry about the posts being months old, lol, unfortunately for myself this is a topic my mind keeps coming back to; and I'm always happy to hear from people who feel similarly.

I think what makes it especially frustrating, when it comes to discussing Will's future in the show, is that I do think 95% of the resistance to the idea of him moving on from Mike is due to the belief that mutual, canon B*l*r is a possibility. Like I think most Will fans would hate if his ending was pining sadly for Mike as he continues to be with El for the rest of their lives. I think if most of them were presented with the reality of "hey, it's either he gets with a new character or this" than most of them would choose the new character route. All of the "it's OOC for Will to move on, it makes no sense!" talk is just window dressing - deep down, what they want is for Will to not have to move on at all because his feelings will be reciprocated.

And while think this is very annoying, I also find it somewhat sad, because it reveals how deep in denial some Will fans are in regards to his role in the show. Like on some level, I can empathise with these people because I can read between the lines of what they say: when they say they don't want Will to have a new love interest, they mean they don't want Will's romantic storyline to not be on the same level as everyone else's in the show. They want him to date someone who is a part of the core cast. They want his romance to be central to the story. They want him to experience this epic, angst-filled, slow burn through multiple seasons romantic narrative. And they haven't been able to bring themselves to accept that this is just not going to happen. This is why they cling so hard to the idea of B*l*r: because the thought of "yeah, the best Will is going to get at this point is a new character who we will only get to see interacting with him for one season (if that)" is too depressing.

But it's also... probably true. Like, I have said multiple times that I do not think canon B*l*r would work as a narrative choice, I do think Mike as a romantic interest is just not ideal for Will's character development, and I most definitely think being with him is not the only way for Will to be happy; but I understand the urge for your favorite character (and the only gay boy) to get a romance on par with the other couples in the story. If I was the writer, Stranger Things would be Will's show. However, accepting that it isn't, and the writers clearly have very different narrative priorities than I do, is part of engaging with media in a reasonable manner.

I think there is a lot of resistance from certain fans to the idea that, sometimes, the show you love can just let you down. It reminds me of when Sherlock fans would insist that all those "hahaha don't they look gay?" jokes in their show were excusable because they were all part of a plan to tell the story of an epic gay romance. These fans simply didn't want to accept that the narrative wasn't in their side. In a similar vein, B*l*r shippers don't want to accept that we will most likely never see Will's first kiss. They don't want Will to be a secondary character. They don't want the writers to have forgotten his birthday. So they make up an alternative explanation for why all those things aren't true, actually, even if they 100% seem true when you look at objectively; because the truth makes them sad and they don't want to be sad.

Which I am sympathetic to, but I also think harms the discourse and hinders potentially useful criticism of the show. It also poisons people's expectations. If you are not expecting Will to be a part of an 530k slow burn love story, then I think you have a better chance of enjoying whatever will actually happen to him in S5, and have a positive experience. Right now I'm just hoping we actually get to see some scenes between him and a future love interest, to get to watch an actual dynamic, as opposed to the "nameless dude in flashforward epilogue" possibility that, unfortunately, I do think is very likely.

(Also, I didn't find a way to weave this organically into the reply, but I just want to say that I think you're spot on on the comment about how, even if B*l*r happens, it would be Will being a second choice. Which I think would, honestly, be shitty to every character involved.)

[husbandograveyard]

Wootwoot! We made it you guys! May 4th is my one-year anniversary on Tumblr. With some ups and downs and over 300 requests written, I'm gonna go ahead and say it was a successful year!

Monday until next Sunday I will do another Mini HC event, like we did for valentine! Open for all my fandoms, with mystery prompts to choose from.

Until then, I wanted to do a sleepover event. Unlimited asks and interactions for the weekend cause I feel like I haven't talked to a lot of you in a long while!

You can send me any classic sleepover question

Kiss, marry, kill

Would you rather

Top 3/5/10...

Questions about me

Questions about my anime, writings...

Theories (keep em spoiler free though!)

For this event, I will engage in a little bit of selfship talk if anyone were to be interested. Ask me about my F/o's and tell me about yours! Dynamics, habits... anything!

Questions about OCs

If you need some inspiration, I have included a couple of lists below the cut with questions id be 100% okay with.

Also, if you just want to chat, tell me about your week, a funny thing that happened to you, or a fun fact (i love fun facts especially if it's creepy or an animal fact)... A N Y T H I N G is welcome! There is no limit to your asks, spam me if you want! ♡

Look forward to talking to you guys!

Ps, I'll tag these #1yearSleepover if you want to block something against spam

Questions for OCs - Specify which one! Taken from here

1. How many different places have they lived?

2. What is their dream vacation?

3. What is their favorite color?

4. What is their favorite book?

5. Have they ever cheated on anyone before?

6. Have they ever been cheated on?

7. How many partners have they had?

8. What is their favorite food?

9. Are they a liar? Are they good at lying?

10. Introvert or Extrovert?

11. Have they ever been arrested and why?

12. Who would they sacrifice their life for?

13. What are their spending habits?

14. Do they like hot or cold temperatures better?

15. Are they religious?

16. If they could describe themself in one sentence, what would they say?

17. Do they have any overused catchphrases?

18. What makes them laugh?

19. Have they ever lost anyone close to them? How did it affect them?

20. Do they have a fast reaction time, or slow?

21. How do they react to praise?

22. How do they react to criticism?

23. Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?

24. What are their biggest pet peeves?

25. Do they have any type of handicaps? How do they manage them?

Other ask game - taken from here

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

6: do you keep plants?

7: do you name your plants?

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

12: what’s your favorite planet?

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

20: what’s your favorite eye color?

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

22: are you a morning person?

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?

28: sunrise or sunset?

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

33: what’s your fave pastry?

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

39: what color do you wear the most?

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

59: what’s your favorite myth?

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

68: what’s winter like where you live?

69: what are your favorite board games?

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?

73: what are some of your worst habits?

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

75: tell us about your pets!

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

82: are/were you good in school?

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

89: are you close to your parents?

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

[the-delightfullmess]

1. Do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

2. How do you take your coffee/tea?

3. Are you self-conscious of your smile?

4. What artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

5. What's your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations

6. Is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

7. What are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

8. What's your favorite bubblegum flavor?

9. Sunrise or sunset?

10. Tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

11. What is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

12. What's your fave pastry?

13. Think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you?

14. Which band's sound would fit your mood right now?

15. What color do you wear the most?

16. What's the last book you remember really, really loving?

14. Who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

15. When was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

16. Do you trust your instincts a lot?

17. Do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

18. What's an odd thing you collect?

19. What are your favorite memes of the year so far?

20.Who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

21. Do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

22. Is there anyone you haven't seen in a long time who you'd love to hang out with?

23. What would your ideal flower crown look like?

24. What's your favorite kind of tea?

25. What are some of your worst habits?

26. What's one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

27. Describe one of your friend's eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

28. Are/were you good in school?

29. What's some of your favorite album art?

30. Do you like concept albums? which ones?

31. Are you close to your parents?

32. Talk about your one of you favorite cities.

33. What's the hairstyle you wear the most?

34. When's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

35. list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

36. What was the name of the first person you ever had a crush on? Why did you like them?

37. What is one thing you regret having done or not done in your life?

38. Which parent do you identify with the most?

39. What do you think you cook or bake the best?

40. If you could change your first name what would it be?

41. What’s the saddest song you’ve ever heard?

42. How about the sweetest song?

43. If you could buy one material thing, and money was not an issue, what would it be?

44. What’s the best way to comfort you when you’re having a really terrible day?

45. Has anything/anyone every saved your life before?

46. Would you ever adopt a child?

47. What is one thing you’re embarrassed to admit you want to try?

48. What is the most important material possession you have and why?

49. What is the most important memory you have and why?

50. When was the last time you cried?

51. Is there something you wish you had said sorry for but never did?

52. Top 3 favorite songs at the moment?

53. What are you wearing right now?

54. Favorite season?

55. Left handed or right handed?

56. Favorite thing you like about yourself?

57. Favorite TV show at the moment?

58. What are some of your pet peeves?

59. Favorite and least favorite subjects in school?

60. Plans for the future?

61. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

62. What celebrity do you look up to?

63. Who/what makes you smile regardless?

64. Favorite song lyrics?

65. Favorite movie?

66. What is the worst thing someone could do to you?

67. What pets do you have/want to have?

68. Describe your day today?

69. Night owl or morning bird?

70. Favorite musical artist?

71. How old are you?

72. Where are you from?

73. What are a few things on your bucket list?

74. Do you have/want any tattoos?

75. Do you have/want any piercings?

76. What do you hate most about yourself?

77. What does your last text message say?

78. What would you name your future daughter/son?

79. What are you listening to right now?

80. What is the last book you read?

81. Favorite food?

82. Cats or dogs?

83. Introverted or extroverted?

84. What is your zodiac sign?

85. Lucky number?

86. Gender?

87. What’s the last thing you watched on Netflix?

88. If you could, what celebrity would you want to meet?

89. Last concert you went to?

90. What do you think of me/my tumblr account?

91. Favorite holiday?

92. Favorite animal?

93. TV you love that’s underrated?

94. What’s your relationship status?

95. What do you want to be/do when you grow up?

96. What would you do if you won the lottery?

97. Most nostalgic game?

98. Have you ever been in love? Or thought you were in love? What was it like?

99. What’s the name of your childhood best friend? Do you guys still talk?

100. Your opinion on marriage?

101. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you travel?

102. What’s something you enjoy doing but don’t tell many people because you feel like they’d judge you?

103. Favorite outdoor activity?

104. A song that makes you want to dance

105. A song to drive to

106. A song that you remember from your childhood

107. One of your favourite 80s songs

108. A song that breaks your heart

109. A song that you would love played at your wedding

120. What kind of music do you listen to?

121. Have you ever been cheated on?

122. If you could describe your perfect room, what would it be?

123. What was the last photo you took of?

124. Something most people don’t know about you.

125. Do you believe in soul mates?

126. Your go to place to eat & your favorite thing to get there.

127. Guilty pressures?

128. Where did you grow up, what was it like?

129. Do you hold grudges or forgive easy?

130. Have you ever kept a journal, do you now?

131. Top 5 favorite movies.

132. What is the best and worst part of your personality?

133. Would you rather go without your phone or music?

134. Do you believe in god?

135. What’s something that offends you?

136. When do you feel the most confident?

137. Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

138. What is the first thing you notice about a person?

139. what makes you laugh?

140. What was your upcoming like?

141. What’s your love language?

142. Are you usually early or late?

143. Turn ons?

144. Turn offs?

145. Are you more dominant or submissive?

146. Quiet or loud?

147. Reserved or vulgar?

148. Secret kinks?

149. Deepest secret?

150. Spicy, Salty, or Sweet?

151. Free number, ask something not listed

152. Legalizing weed

153. Heaven & Hell

154. Gun control

155. Climate change

156. Favourite author

157. Favourite poet

158. What movie do you watch to relax?

159. What movie calms you ?

160. Any favorite documentary?

169.A movie that made you feel empty

170. A movie that made you cry

171. A movie that surprised you

172. A song that made you feel empty

173. When was the last time you feel like you cried a life time

174. Favorite philosopher

175. Philosophy in life

176. A confession

177. things that upset me

178. What i find attractive in other ppl

179. Favourite band(s)

180.Someone i miss

181. things that annoy me easily

182. Something i am talented at

183. Numbers of kids i want

184. Names i love

185. My idea of perfect date

186. A culture you like

187. Favourite illustator

188. Favourite photographer

189. Favorite Blogger

190. Favourite blog

191.A piece of clothe you wear a lot ? and why ?

193. Insecurities

194. Mental health

195. Tell me a hardship you have been through

196. What Impression Do You Think You Give When You First Meet Someone

197. What Impression Do You Try To Give When You First Meet Someone

198. future / life goals

199. something that is constantly on your mind or worrying you

200. Ask anything

[divagonzo]

Unpopular Opinion: many things been said against Romione shippers/Fic demonizing Lavender to make Hermione look better But I haven't seen as much complaining about the demonizing of Dean Thomas in Hinny fics set in HBP and afterwards. I lost count how many times I have recently (and by popular Hinny authors!) read fics where Dean was demanding,pushing and trying to pressure poor Ginny into having sex/was bad at it and then being a petty and bitter towards Harry. it reeks of racism. 1/2

2/2 I mean I feel it's partly JKR fault because she went out of her way to make both Michael Corner & Dean Thomas ''horrible boyfriends' (which in Dean case is BS the only thing in canon showing friction is Dean 'pushing' Ginny through the portrait and that can be just as much about Ginny trying to be a 'strong independent woman who needs no man') but if Lavender can get sympathy in fic so should Dean, who we've seen more in the books and who came across as good decent guy.

PS, also getting tired of the biphobia i've seen in some corner of the Seamus & Pavender fandom about how Seamus-Dean-Lavender-Parvati were really gay/lesbian all along and their m/f relationship was fake. Because of apparently bisexuals didn't exist until now... [eyeroll]

I need my demarcation line.

‘ello Nonnie. Fancy a cuppa?

I guess I’ve not been reading much lately over on the other side of my Canon ship (aka Harry & Ginny) to have come across any Dean discourse much anything that could be construed as demonization. (Then again, I have been busy so...)

Damn this got long quickly. Under a cutline just out of necessity.

If I am hearing you correctly, the fic writers are choosing to paint Dean in a negative light to emphasize why Ginny would want to break it off with him before getting with Harry. I must have my head in a hole because the only one I’ve read involving Dean in the last few months was the lovely one from @floreatcastellumposts and that was how Dean and Harry interacted in DH at Shell Cottage. (I admit I do have some appreciation for the subtle angst and how troubled Harry is and how few people he trusts in his life. Been there, done that, binned the t-shirt.)

I’ll also agree completely how HBP altered the characters considerably to make the plot work, including Dean, who up ‘til they was either a wallflower or a background character turn into a problematic male character (and also one of the few Men of Color in the entire series which I find more troubling but I digress.) because of the forcing the plot to have Ginny make him redundant before getting with Harry.

Fic writers can take those small nuggets of information and expand the ideas for such (even if I find it personally squicky AF to have a 16-year-old and Under 16 having those physical relations. *shudder* (Heck, I have problems writing any Linny Under 18 fic that involves anything more than hand holding - but then that’s my Ace showing there.) but to take it to such an extreme and petty expansion of idea is, well, not my cup of tea at all. (There’s plenty I will nope right out of and walk away without commenting if there is a tag I see that will make me shudder or get squicked.) But him being petty and sullen and bitter that he did (in those fics) have s* with Ginny and was bad at it?

I wish the trope of “immediate sex god” would die a thousand papercut deaths because most guys at 16-19 can barely control themselves, much less think of the other person to make the experience a memorable one. (And let’s expand that to 15-95 but I digress.) There’s a reason it’s called wham/bam/thank you ma’am. That’s about how long it takes at that age for a guy. (oops! Showing my age there.)

I personally have zero issues with Dean and Seamus as a ship even if I will never write it (I won’t write MLM having dated 2 in the closet and one stayed in because of safety reasons) but those who do can do.

I do find that The Author did make a bit of a mess of the characterizations in book six (and I won’t even get into how there is a discord of continuity of ethnic heritage involving Lavender Brown) including how Dean was made to look like he was being possessive when for all we know, he was being kind and Ginny was in a foul mood.

But let’s hit on that PostScript which to me is the enormous hippogriff in the room.

Admittedly, Biphobia and Bise/xual erasure is prevalent and it’s upsetting, even to me, the cranky Crusty Ace Dragon. Telling someone that they aren’t what they claim (either saying their straight, really are gay but in denial, or gonna cheat and would you just pick one and stick with it? absolute rubbish.

(I’m intentionally not touching on Pansexual but I can later if need be.)

I’ve heard of plenty who get told they are likely to cheat because they are bisexual. I’ve heard plenty who get told would you make up your mind? and the ever-present, “You can’t be bi because you’re in a het relationship” like that has any bearing on who you are as a person. Hubs and I are visually in a het relationship but we’re not since we’re both Ace Spectrum (aka not-straight - him being Grey and me being Demi) but no one dares tell him such. No one dares mention that to me, either. (Especially after my repeated diatribes on gatekeeping I experienced in the 90s while wandering the alphabet wastelands.)

Frankly, it’s disgusting. And let’s talk about those who want even more bloody gatekeeping, referring to gay men and lesbian women as “Are you a Gold Star XXX?” which is the most epic bullshit I’ve read this year (and that’s taking some serious liberties but I digress.) What kind of bullshit is this, a damn purity test? Not everyone realized coming out of the womb they were gay. Some came to it later. Some stayed in the closet for safety reasons. Some stayed in because it was a no big deal otherwise.

But to tie it all in.... to invalidate the experiences of Lavender and Seamus (and Dean, too) as calling it fake is rude at best, insulting at worst. Now it could be said as performative (which plenty who aren’t straight do go through ‘til they know for certain - or at least did back in the dark ages) but then there are so many under the LGBTQIA umbrella who have had performative relationships to either fit in, hide, or trying to get another to cure them before accepting they were, in fact, not straight. But then that’s the thing about dating in your teens and early 20s - learning who you are but also what interests you and what traits you would want in a long-term partner (if that is a goal) and also what traits are a hell naw breaker for you.

But to expect some kind of irrational purity from the outset and slandering those who had to find their own way down winding roads to where they are happy and content with who they are (with gender and expression and orientation and preferences) and to have all of those experiences invalidated because you’re not pure enough for someone hateful and vicious and unworthy of someone who has probably gone through hell and back just to find their identity of who they are.

The hypocrisy of it stinks worse than I do after a full day of hiking in 25* temps.

So in short, Seamus and Lavender were never fake. Performative, maybe, but not fake. Dean and Ginny dating? Never fake. Erasing any possibility that Seamus, Dean and/or Lavender are Bisexual? That stinks highly.

Quit fetishizing MLM and WLW single-sex relationship. 

[dilkishehnaai]

heyyyy! all the odd numbers you haven't answered yet please?? (sorry!!) hope you're doing well yaar! 💝 💖💝💖💝💖💝💖

omg so many!!! but i love you so its ok

11. what does the most recent text that you sent say? “omg i think i found my wedding photographer” this was to my best friend cause i found an amazing photographer on insta 

13. do you like it when people play with your hair? yes i love it so much it hurts 😭

15. what good thing happened this summer?my oldest cousin got married and i got to look bomb in all the functions with all my amazing clothes and took amazing pictures

17. do you think there is life on other planets? umm...yes? i’ve never thought about it haha

19. do you like bubble baths?i used to love them when i was little but i have started liking them less 

 21. what are you bad habits?overthinking and potentially overcaring too

23. do you have trust issues?not big ones but the ones i have are all with men...

35. would you rather live without tv or music?i cant pick one :(((

37. what do you say during awkward silences?i used to say nothing but a little kid recently said “oh my goooood its an awkward silence” and you could hear the disappointment in his voice so i think i will steal that haha

39. what are your favorite stores to shop in?honestly i just like going to malls cause all the stores are there

41. do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? yes, but i probably hurt myself most giving others second chances

43. do you smile at strangers? always

49. have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?nope...all the risky things remain in my thoughts 

51. ever wished you were someone else?no, but i have wished i were similar to someone else. mainly r.e. body honestly

53. favourite makeup brand?i recently discovered colourpop and i really love them!!

55. favourite blog?too many to name just one :(((

57. favourite food?pani puri!

59. first thing you ate this morning?bournvita haha

61. been suspended/expelled? for what?never

63. ever been in love?never, but i’m still hopeful

65. are you hungry right now?i had lunch at 4pm haha so nope

67. facebook or twitter?facebook

69. are you watching tv right now?no

71. craving something? what?always craving chocolate

73. do you sleep with stuffed animals?i have more stuffed animals and pillows than i do space on my bed or in my room

75. favourite animal?i dont really have on...peacocks i guess?

77. chocolate or vanilla?chocolate

79. what colour shirt are you wearing?light purple (i’m in my pajamas hehe)

81. favourite tv show?currently riverdale, b99, htgawm, and jane the virgin

85. favourite character from mean girls?ummm the mom

87. first person you talked to today?my dad

89. name a person you hate?a person who i cannot name because i want to forget them forever

91. is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?yeah, the same person that i want to forget and i hate. i have always wanted to punch him in the face since one fateful day when he was a complete asshole to me

93. how many sweatpants do you have?none!! i have zero sweatpants. can you imagine??

95. last movie you watched?love ni bhavai, SUCH A GOOD MOVIE

97. favourite actor?Malhar Thakar, my new crush hehe

99. have any pets?nope

101. do you type fast?yes!! when my roommate first heard me typing she was shocked

103. can you spell well?for the most part, yes

105. ever been to a bonfire party?only once

107. have you ever been on a horse?all the time when i was little

109. is something irritating you right now?yes. tbh lots of things :(

111. do you have trust issues?wasnt this question up there earlier? in summary, yes i do

113. what was your childhood nickname?my grandfather always called me bakudi and famukdi

115. do you play the wii?i used to, so much!!

117. do you like chicken noodle soup?nope, i’m vegetarian

119. favourite book?from the latest ones i’ve read, i really liked when dimple met rishi

121. are you mean?i like to think i’m not!

123. can you keep white shoes clean?for a considerable amount of time, yes. but also if we’re in india, no. 

125. do you believe in true love?you know what? true love better be real cause all my hopes are pinned on that at the moment

127. what makes you happy?if i had to pick one thing, my family

129. what your zodiac sign?scorpio! but i’ve been told i’m nothing like one

131. your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?as a very famous man once said, “pyaar dosti hai” so i’m 100% ok with this situation haha

133. favourite lyrics right now?ok so these are from the aforementioned movie love ni bhavai:

tu adhuri varta no chhedo remithdi aa saza chhe[...]vhalam aavo ne aavo ne, mann bhinjaavo nekevi aa dil ni sagai, ke mandi chhe love ni bhavaiho ta thaiyya thaiyya ta thaiyya thai thaiyya thaiyya ta thaiyya thai

135. dumbest lie you ever told?i dont remember honestly...

137. how tall are you?5′3″ but i wish i was taller :(((

139. brunette or blonde?are we asking what i am or what i prefer in dudes? in any case, black 

141. night or day?a little bit of both

143. are you a vegetarian?yes i am!

147. mars or snickers?snickers for sure

149. do you believe in ghosts?nah, not really

thank you neha!! this took a while but it was fun haha

--put a number in my ask

[thespian-and-proud]

Can't sleep, haven't done one of these in a while..

1:Is there a boy/girl in your life? Yes there is 
2:Think of the last person who hurt you; do you forgive them? Yes, they didn't mean it 
3:What do you think of when you hear the word “meow?” Super Troopers 
4:What’s something you really want right now? To win the lotto 
5:Are you afraid of falling in love? No, just afraid of falling for the wrong person 
6:Do you like the beach? Love the beach, and have a love/hate relationship with the ocean 
7:Have you ever slept on a couch with someone else? Yeah, my couch at my parents is a corner couch so we weren't squished 
8:What’s the background on your cell? My cat 
9:If someone came to your house weekly to do one chore for you, what chore would you have them do? umm i guess clean my room 
10:Do you like your phone? I love it! 
11:Honestly, are things going the way you planned? Some thing are, some things aren't 
12:Who was the last person whose phone number you added to your contacts? Trevor which i'm surprised about. He was my first friend when I moved down here 
13:Would you rather have a poodle or a Rottweiler? Rottweiler definitely 
14:Which hurts the most, physical or emotional pain? Emotional 
15:Would you rather visit a zoo or an art museum? Zoo. I like animals :) 
16:Are you tired? Exhausted... all the time.. both physically and emotionally 
17:How long have you known your 1st phone contact? 1st as in alphabetically? umm i only knew him for a semester at school years ago. We haven't talked since i dropped out 
18:Are they a relative? No just a friend from a previous school 
19:Would you ever consider getting back together with any of your exes? Nope. It didn't work then, it won't work now 
20:When did you last talk to the last person you shared a kiss with? recently, actually 
21:If you knew you had the right person, would you marry them today? Well yeah, that's the goal isn't it? 
22:Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Of course I would, anytime, any place 
23:How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now? Just my FitBit if that even counts as a bracelet 
24:Is there a certain quote you live by? "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind" -Dr. Seuss 
25:What’s on your mind? Too many things... 
26:Do you have any tattoos? No but i'm in the process of planning my first! 
27:What is your favorite color? Purple 
28:Next time you will kiss someone on the lips? Not for a while.. 
29:Who are you texting? No one at the moment, that's why i'm doing this :p 
30:Think to the last person you kissed, have you ever kissed them on a couch? Yes I have 
31:Have you ever had the feeling something bad was going to happen and you were right? lol too often 
32:Who is one person that you miss talking to, and why? Oh man.. ummm i'm gonna say everyone in new york cause I suck at keeping in contact with people i don't physically see on a regular basis 
33:Do you think anyone has feelings for you? I sure hope so 
34:Has anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes? All the time, especially at work 
35:Say the last person you kissed was kissing someone right in front of you? I'd walk away 
36:Were you single on Valentines Day? Nope! 
37:Are you friends with the last person you kissed? Lol yes i am 
38:What do your friends call you? Rachel 
39:Has anyone upset you in the last week? No one has directly upset me no 
40:Have you ever cried over a text? yes 
41:Where’s your last bruise located? On my thigh from flipping chairs at work 
42:If you could take a roadtrip somewhere, where would you go and why? New York to visit the family and friends I haven't seen in a while 
43:Last time you wanted to be away from somewhere really bad? Every once in a while I imagine what things might be like if I just went off the grid 
44:Who was the last person you were on the phone with? Tim, cause the guy installing our TV service had a question 
45:Do you have a favourite pair of shoes? Yes but I rarely get to wear them cause i never go out 
46:Do you wear hats if your having a bad hair day? Doesn't everyone? 
47:Would you ever go bald if it was the style? I don't think so.. maybe short but not bald... 
48:Do you make supper for your family? On the rare occasion that i'm actually home at dinner time and i have the money for ingredients yeah i do 
49:Does your bedroom have a door? yeah, it would be awkward if it didn't 
50:Top 3 web-pages? that i visit on the daily? facebook, twitter, and the nmsu website 
51:Do you know anyone who hates shopping? Me :p 
52:Does anything on your body hurt? I'm sore from the gym 
53:Are goodbyes hard for you? Depends on who i'm saying goodbye to, but yeah I actually try and avoid goodbyes cause they're awkward for me 
54:What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself? A coke at work when i was cleaning off tables and spilled the drink 
55:How is your hair? I've been having really good hair days lately 
56:What do you usually do first in the morning? Check my phone and go through social media to wake up my brain before getting out of bed 
57:Do you think two people can last forever? I do, if they're the right people for each other 
58:Who has been your all-time favorite celebrity crush? Mila Kunis 
59:Green or purple grapes? Green 
60:When’s the next time you will give someone a BIG hug? Honestly? I have no idea... 
61:Do you wish you were somewhere else right now? I mean i'm pretty comfy.. 
62:When will be the next time you text someone? Probably sometime tomorrow 
63:What is your favorite meal? Medium rare steak and garlic mashed potatoes 
64:What were you doing at 8 this morning. Sleeping 
65:This time last year, can you remember who you liked? Same as this year 
66:Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile? More than one actually 
67:Did you kiss or hug anyone today? hugged 
68:What was your last thought before you went to bed last night? I was watching The Simpsons so probably something related to that 
69:Have you ever tried your hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end? All the time 
70: List your favorite Youtubers Joe Santagato and Cristine Rotenberg are my top 2 right now 
71:If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you visit and why? Puerto Rico to learn about my culture 
72:What is your ringtone? My call ringtone is one of the default iPhone ones, my text tone is the Kim Possible one 
73:How old are you? 23 
74:Where is your Mum right now? New York 
75:Why aren’t you with the person you were first in love with or almost in love? We broke up because we lived on opposite sides of the US and then we both moved on, we're still friends though and talk every once in a while 
76:Have you held hands with somebody in the past three days? Nope 
77:Are you friends with the people you were friends with two years ago? some yeah 
78:Do you remember who you had a crush on in year 7? I wasn't alive in the year 7... when i was 7 years old? no idea... 7th grade? Orlando Bloom 
79:If you could choose anywhere in the world to live, where would you live and why? Just somewhere peaceful away from neighbors 
80:Have you ever fallen asleep in someones arms? Yes, but I don't do it very often, usually I like to cuddle until i'm ready to sleep then we separate cause I move around in my sleep 
81:How many people have you liked in the past three months? i like my friends! so a lot of people ☺️ 
82:Has anyone seen you in your underwear in the last 3 days? Nope 
83:Will you talk to the person you like tonight? Nope.. 
84:You’re drunk and yelling at hot guys/girls out of your car window, you’re with? I don't think i'd ever get drunk enough to do that.. 
85:If your BF/GF was into drugs would you care? It would depend on a lot of things... 
86:What was the most eventful thing that happened last time you went to see a movie? There was a child running around that I wanted to punch... 
87:Who was your last received call from? My boss 
88:If someone gave you $1,000 to burn a butterfly over a candle, would you? I'm a broke college student, what do you think? 
89:What is something you wish you had more of? Money :p and patience 
90:Have you ever trusted someone too much? Yup... 
91:Do you sleep with your window open? No it's too hot here for that 
92:Do you get along with girls? Not many.. 
93:Are you keeping a secret from someone who needs to know the truth? Nope 
94:Does sex mean love? Nope 
95:You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, is that a problem? Haha not at all 
96:What is your favorite book, and why? I don't read many books unfortunately but I guess my favorite would be Ella Enchanted cause it gives me all the feels and I can literally start it over as soon as I finish it and I still get the same reactions (p.s. the book and the movie are totally different stories and the book is so much more amazing) 
97:Did you sleep alone this week? Yup 
98:Everybody has somebody that makes them happy, do you? I'm lucky enough to have a few 
99:Do you believe in love at first sight? No but I believe in instant attraction 
100:What do you do for a career, and what would you love to be doing if you could do anything for a career? I'm stuck in food service but I would love to be working in theater or welding