#the fact that people like this exist is so scary. like do you seriously can't think about this thing for more than two seconds

[crownspeaksblog]

Every once in a while I'd get a tiktok so dumb and sit there for 15 minutes replying to to 10-20 comments and point out something so obvious and not that hard to grasp and people still act so fucking dumb.

Like what the fuck do you mean you don't understand how terribly queer people get treated in middle eastern countries.

Why are you so upset over the words "pregnant people"

Like how can you be this thick and heartless??!

[msnihilist]

Your idea of playing with your dollies is a father sexually abusing his son. And you romanticize it. And before you argue “Yeah but there’s dark content in media that romanticizes it!” Yes, they exist but it does not mean it’s depicted in a positive light. It’s portrayed as scary and traumatizing to the character in question. And while they’re not an actual person, it hits home to victims. There is nothing okay with going “tee hee rape!”

Yep, it sure is! And I sure do :)

"that does not mean it's depicted in a positive light" I'm sorry, did you think that the cannibalism in Hannibal was just ketchup, too, or something? Dark media constantly romanticizes this sort of stuff. The primary relationship in Hannibal is scary and traumatizing, yes, but also romantic. The good ending is that the two toxic lovers eat people together.

Black Butler has two cousins in a romantic relationship, and their engagement is taken very seriously by them both and is in fact a core component of their characters. It's an incestuous relationship played completely straight and taken seriously by the writer and is definitely not scary or traumatizing.

Invincible has a relationship between an immortal man and a girl who is 20 at the most (literally a part of "Teen Team," I doubt she's older than that), and not only is it shown to be healthy, but her death devastates this man, even having lost so many others in his long, long life.

In Futurama, one of the main characters time traveled and fucked (and impregnated) his grandmother. Not only is this not shown to be scary or traumatizing, it's a reoccuring joke, referenced multiple times, and it is plot-important so you can't even explain the underlying plot of the show without mentioning it.

The Coffin of Andy and LeyLey is a horror game, and the good ending is the brother and sister characters fucking each other. Incest is literally good for them.

So, yes, media depicts these topics in a positive light frequently. Do you know why? Because no one cares.

This is all adult content made for adult consumers, and if you need everything you read or watch to tell you that rape and incest are bad, then you are the problem.

Do you know what does hit home to victims? My writing. My best friend is someone I met through my writing. She told me that as someone who had been abused and groomed, my stories where the underage character and the adult get a happy ending make her cry. Why? Because in fiction, I have the power to make this story have a happy ending.

In my fantasy world, the kind adult isn't secretly a predator. There is no power imbalance. The kid can be emotionally mature enough to handle this relationship. The adult can actually be safe and not just a creep. The relationship can last a long time and be safe and happy for the both — because it's not real.

It gives my friend (and victims like her) great comfort to indulge a bit, and imagine that their story could have ended happily, too. Obviously, it couldn't have in reality — that's why my friend is reading about it instead of running back to her abuser.

Stop trying to police fantasy. You are hurting people — harmless thoughts are not.

[gurggggleburgle]

Every time I think about the return to childhood extra I'm reminded that the reason it's no fun for Luo Binghe is that it forces this budding and progressive communication and understanding going on between the two to a standstill and in some ways reverses it.

And it's simply because Binghe has already been the doting child of Shizun before. He already knows what it's like to be seen as the fluffy kid hanging around his Master. He already knows what it's like to feel powerless and on an uneven ground with his Shizun. Binghe wants to turn back ASAP because he is finally getting to have an adult relationship and be seen as equal. He doesn't like being helpless (he may cry for attention but hes not helpless) but he also doesn't like being back where he was when he was a disciple.

And yeah it would suck. He can't be romantic with his own husband. He can't express himself and be taken seriously. Everyone is quick to pinch his cheeks and try to steal his husband. Your body isn't tall enough to reach the shelf you placed the pots and pans on. The knife is awkward in your child sized palms. Brooms are too tall. You can't scare off any of the people you dislike and you don't have a network of friends you can explain this too because you're a super scary demon lord and your closest possible friends are your coworkers and you happen to be their boss (and right now they might try to kill you) so you can't be vulnerable with them.

And yes. You can be open with your husband but he doesn't see the big deal the same way. He doesn't get it because functionally this is a good enough time for him because you're a cute dumpling and it's temporary. And yeah it is but also it's that you feel your husband is being nostalgic for a version of yourself that exists in the past that you don't necessarily want to repeat. Not to mention Binghe had a frankly shitty childhood. Yes his life improved once he moved in with Shizun for 3 years but that's 3 out 17. Most of that was spent in poverty and being stepped on by everyone else around him. He doesn't have a nostalgia for childhood. He doesn't miss being a kid. What he wants from that time is the lack of animosity and misunderstanding, the simplicity, that came from the abyss which by this point is mostly a mute desire. So it has to hurt being stuck in a situation like this. An emotional limbo of expression where you can't really say what's on your mind and people basically express the same opinions you're certain they already would say to your face as you stand smoll in the room. That has to hurt. That has to make you doubt things in your relationship. To hear every bias you have built in your head that others have confirmed constantly but now directly to your face while they think you're your own son.

It's a baad time.

If Shen Qingqiu had turned into a kid honestly I think Luo Binghe would have had a marginally better time. He'd love to see and dote on a tiny Shizun and pinch their cheeks and tease. But he'd be over it by the end of the week for almost the exact same reasons. Like yeah he can attic wife his husband so easy right now but he doesn't care about Shen Qingqiu being a kid. He has no reason to be invested in that experience. He doesn't get anything out if it. He still doesn't get to do what he wants which is an adult relationship with the person he loves that he can show people and present this to the world. Binghe doesn't get anything out of a child Shizun. It becomes a stall in exploring and learning each other which is the point of the extras. Yes, it probably be a wholesome good time but the same problems would happen but Shen Yuan isn't likely to nearly the same reaction because he's already a trophy husband. It's not like he's cooking or cleaning. He's already used to everyone wistfully staring at Binghe with interest. This doesn't effect how Shen Yuan processes their relationship.

It makes the fact that Luo Binghe still thinks that Shen Yuan will say no to marriage even after everything just hit harder. Because even after everything he's still thinking of that probably. There are more extras assuring him but that doubt remains and it's so juicy.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Anonymous asked: When do you trust yourself instead of writing what you're supposed to? I've reworked my current novel over a dozen times to nudge the structure closer to more standard ones, but it's just not working. It completely unravels until I barely recognize it anymore and gets worse with every attempt. I end up changing it back, until I remember that I'm not even remotely qualified to make that kind of decision, and then the cycle starts all over again. I'm starting to wonder if this story just simply can't exist? Or do I trust myself and write it the way I want to even though it's the wrong? I've been writing long enough to feel ashamed for asking this question, but only short stories and a disaster of a nanowrimo novel, so working on a Real Novel is entirely new and very scary territory. I know there's not technically a right or wrong way to write, but you also have to learn the rules before you break them and since this is my first Real Novel, I haven't shown that I know the rules yet, so I obviously shouldn't break them, right? I'm going absolutely nuts.

[Ask edited for length]

Imagine if you loved to embroider and crochet, then one day you decided to take up knitting, and you decided to start with a really complicated sweater pattern. As you can imagine, that's probably not the best project for your first time knitting, even if you are skilled at other types of needlework.

Writing is no different... when you shift from writing short stories to long fiction, if you're trying to tackle a really ambitious plot, you're going to plot yourself into knots. And that does sound like what may be happening. If it was a simple, straightforward plot--the kind that is friendly for a first-sort-of-second novel writer--it probably wouldn't be unraveling so easily.

So, one thing to consider is whether it might be time to set this story aside for a little while. You're not scrapping it... you're just letting it percolate in the background for a little bit while you hone your novel writing skills on something easier to tackle. And remember, every novel you write doesn't have to be with the intention of publication. In fact, it's quite rare that people publish the first or even second novel they ever wrote. Sometimes, just giving yourself the permission to write something uncomplicated and fun (for you to write), without the pressure of it having to be publishable, makes all the difference in the world. When you can focus on the story and sharpening your skills, your brain suddenly has the bandwidth to actually grow.

And... another possibility is you just do write this story the way you want to write it, not worrying about the "should do this" or "should do that." Just let it be what it wants to be, take the practice you get from it, and move onto something else. Even that doesn't bar you from coming back to it later, when your skills have improved, and doing more with it than you're capable of doing now. Sometimes, the answer is just beyond our reach, but when you give yourself time to grow as a writer, the answers can be as plain as day. ♥

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[ukranianacearo]

You asked for Kid requests? Oh hoh hoh, well I've /got/ Kid requests.

Okay, so an idea I have is Kid being with a girl who's kinda like the tichular character from Komi Can't Communicate. They come off as cool and collected, mysterious even. But they're actually just a socially anxious weeb/nerd who doesn't know how to people. She's always the kid in the back of class everyone is too afraid to talk to because she's either thought of as scary or too cool to talk to. And of course, since no one is too cool for Kid, he'd talk to her, finds out she's a loveable dorkfish like him, and the rest is history.

Any pronouns are okay but she/her or they/them is preferred!

-𓆣

The two of us could reach the stars

Komi-san!Fem!Reader

Tw: social anxiety maybe?

Pairing: Death, the kid x fem!Reader

Synopsis: Since Kid's first day at the Academy, he heard a lot of whispers and rumors about a certain classmate that always sits at the back of the class.

Genre: I guess fluff or something like that

Author's note: YAYAYAYAY anon𓆣 I love you sm, you're my savior. Also, I never watched Komi-sama can't communicate so the fact that you explained her character more in depth helps me a lot😭 Thank you sm for the request, I hope you like this and there may be mistakes, bc English isn't my first language and I didn't proofread this

---------------------------------------

- "That girl is so weird, she never talks and always avoids people. What is it with her?" - BlackStar complained loudly as he and the group were going to the class.

- "You shouldn't talk like that about her, BlackStar..." - Tsubaki tried to calm down the blue haired boy. She was obviously curious about the girl too, but the girl herself didn't seem very interested in them.

- "Who are you talking about anyway?" - Kid, who was still on his first week at the Academy, asked.

- "Oh, that's right, you probably don't know, Kid, since you're still new. There's a girl in our class that's always in the back and she almost never talks. She's very smart tho, always making it to the top 3." - Explained patiently Maka.

- "She remind me of a ghost. Kinda mysterious, but also almost non existent at some point." - Added in a murmur Soul.

- "Hah, she must have that from me. My shining greatness is so illuminating that she decided to try and be like me. Not like she will ever reach my greatness." - Commented BlackStar again. Kid didn't take that seriously, for BlackStar is just bubbling non sense. They finally arrived to the classroom everyone was going to their seats.

- "Look, Kid, she's that girl sitting at the back." - Maka said as she looked at the mysterious girl. Kid followed her gaze and saw a girl their age. He must admit, she did have a mystical vibe around her. Maybe he should talk to her, but how?

...

- "Liz, Patty, go without me, I have something else I have to do." - Said Kid as he left the classroom.

- "Oh? Alright, take care." - Liz answered. As Kid walked out of the classroom, he could see the one who he wanted to talk to. He picked up the pace, since he could see that the person was getting further away. The crowd of individuals that has formed in the halls didn't help.

As he got to an empty hall, he finally could see the enigmatic girl. He hurried his footing and soon enough, he caught up to her.

- "Hey." - He called out to her and as if pulled out of a trance, the girl slowly turned around to see Kid behind her. Her upper body was slightly leaned away from Kid. She didn't answer Kid, even if she wanted, he soon started talking again. - "You're that girl who got everyone and their grandmas intrigued, right? I'm Death, the Kid, son of Lord Death. You actually are quite interesting and symmetrical, so what do you say to talking sometimes?" - The girl expression didn't change much, at least to Kid's impression. She shook her head slightly in affirmation, her school bag still in her hands by the handles. - "Alright, then it's settled. Now, I have matters to attend so farewell for the time being. I'll see you around." - with that, Kid went back the same way he came as the girl just stood there looking at him as he was leaving.

...

- "Today she will finally hear it from THE BlackStar!" - as usual, BlackStar was causing quite the scene when Kid saw him and Tsubaki pass by in the hallway. There weren't that many people around, so the sound of BlackStar's voice was echoing throughout the tall walls of the halls. Suddenly, Kid saw the girl who BlackStar was complaining about coming right at BlackStar and Tsubaki from the other hall. The girl clearly heard BlackStar's shouting, it would be surprising if she didn't thought Kid, so to apparently avoid the blue-haired boy, she quickly skipped to the next hall while BlackStar turned away and started walking back first, for some reason. This scene of the girl caused the wheels in Kid's mind to turn. Was she avoiding the loud boy because she knew it was about her or just because he was loud? He had to think it over.

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This short af and I'm sorry it's not as good as it could have been😔 I didn't know what I should do later on, but I hope you all like it (Black Star being the best wingman ever❓❗) If someone asks for part 2 I might do it and incline more in the romantic theme, I guess, I really don't know sorry

anyway, bye bye xoxo

[donnerpartyofone]

Hello, Sqwincher Zero and I are here to tell you to take this heat wave seriously. I had never heard of Sqwincher Zero before I took this picture with the intention of making fun of its name, but I sure wished I had some later that night. I will not invite you to scrutinize the series of bad decisions that I made yesterday leading up to a serious and avoidable medical emergency, but suffice it to say that none of these decisions were extreme or unusual for a fun grownup weekend. If anything I dialed it back a little, consciously, and I believed I was drinking plenty of water. It wasn't enough. I was feeling fine until I suddenly wasn't. My awareness of being Severely Dehydrated came on very quickly and then the next few hours were a scary nightmare. I am OK this morning and reviewing certain life choices and also our state of emergency preparedness.

I'm an extremely fortunate person. I have access to clean water, good food, and an amazing person who I tricked into marrying me, so someone is there to help me when I can't help myself. I am also in reasonably good health--which perhaps helped lull me into a false sense of security, especially at an age when my health is inevitably, normally changing, but I just haven't been paying that much attention to it.

Last night when things suddenly became very dark, I was struck with the intense and undeniable awareness that I needed emergency intervention. Like I should have called 911. I knew it for a fact. I have never experienced such a thing before. I could not get past the mental block of admitting that I was having an unprecedented physical crisis. Telling my husband to call 911 just seemed too radical. But I thought about it for hours. I even had a whole fantasy like, OK if my husband called 911 what would they ask him? What would they tell him to do? Instead of acting on this I just gave him little instructions one at a time. Let's draw a cold bath, let's move the fan, let's get a bucket, let's get a couple bottles of water, refill them now please. I was thinking very clearly, I was thinking about my temperature, I was monitoring my water intake versus how often I got sick. The one respect in which I was being irrational (besides my series of careless decisions during the day) was that I could not admit that I needed a doctor.

It's really easy to say things like "Don't be a tough guy, take care of yourself," as if the problem is strictly attitudinal. But switching gears into (for lack of a better term) self-care can be extremely psychologically complex. Being macho or too proud is one thing. Being habitually, neurotically afraid to frighten or inconvenience other people, or ashamed of drawing attention to yourself, is another thing. Being self-destructive and passively suicidal is yet another thing, with deep and insidious roots that can affect more things about your behavior than you even know. And finally, acknowledging that you are experiencing the paradigm shift of a Real Emergency, which might require scary and expensive and unpredictable new activities to get you out of it, is a whole other thing entirely. This is going to sound like an exaggerated reference point but whenever a serial killer is caught and people start saying that the spouse "must have known", they're not factoring in how hard it is to accept that your whole reality is changing and everything is very serious now. Even if the evidence was glaring, it would be a lot to process. There's even a thing in the book Interview With the Vampire as I recall, where somebody says it has been no big deal for vampires to hide their existence through the ages because humans will do extreme mental gymnastics to convince themselves that everything is normal. This all is more or less what was happening with me while I was refusing to call 911. I mean I knew that I should, I just couldn't make the leap.

I should say that my poor husband had no idea how bad it was. To him it just seemed like I'd had a little too much fun, and he was being patient and attentive. None of this is on him, I didn't explain things until I was out of the woods. One thing I feel bad about, that I rarely think about even though it's majorly true, is that not taking care of yourself can frequently, inevitably become someone else's problem. It cannot always stay private and contained forever; if you are incapacitated somehow, you will become someone else's chore.

I want to repeat that I didn't do anything that a normal adult wouldn't do on a Friday night. None of my actions were that extreme in and of themselves; I didn't even have alcohol in my system anymore by the time this struck. But I was not factoring in the weather, or my age, or anything like that that would have been important. We don't have an air conditioner at the moment because we have been luxuriating in our new well-ventilated apartment and enjoying the fact that we can survive with just box fans. I radically underestimated the potential consequences of just toughing it out and going about my business. I need to think more carefully about such things, and mentally reorient myself on preparing for emergencies instead of just reacting "if anything comes up". And I should also supplement our first aid supplies with something that isn't just for cuts and colds. I'm lucky I had cold, clean water, but at some point I really needed electrolytes and vitamins, and there was just nothing to be done for it late at night. I have a lot more thinking to do on this general topic, but it's time for me to get up and drink more water. And maybe go buy some Sqwincher Zero.

[sashkapi]

Kindall headcanons?

Oh, you want me to become an unskipable cutscene? /j

Kskfkksf ok, I put some of them before they would start dating

1. Already said that but Kick does likes getting Kendall's attention, so he sometimes messes with her on purpose and then denies it as "well, I mess with her because I don't like her"

2. Kendall, who usually comes first to the school, opens windows in some classes. She tells teachers it's because she wants some fresh air, but also there's a certain someone who doesn't respect doors as an entrance point and she kinda doesn't like seeing him hurt.

3. Their bickering sometimes goes into such a ridiculous territories. Why on earth someone like them would get into a heated argument about koalas?

They want to talk to each other and are used to doing so that way, that's why.

4. Speaking of which, their bickering is also their way of flirting. If you don't pay attention you won't notice, but it is somewhat obvious.

5. While Kendall does get scary when she's angry, she also hates when in that state she is not taken seriously. Kick started pretending that he likes when she's mad to piss her off even more.

And then he actually started liking it.

6. Kendall once mentioned that a lot of science related problems could be used as stunt prep and Kick now has no problems with math/physics/geometry. She teases him about the fact that she is so good at academics that she basically tutored him without tutoring him at all.

7. Gunther and Mouth are the only two people that know that Kick and Kendall are crushing on each other. Gunther doesn't interviene because he respects Kick as his friend and is wary of Kendall. Mouth on the other hand? That prick enjoys the drama and Kendall kinda has a lot of incriminating info on his shady deals so he has to keep his mouth shut.

8. There are some detentions Kick got that were unexpectedly cut short. Guess who's doing is this.

9. Some of Rock Callahan's films are based on books. Whenever there's a trailer for a movie based on a book she red, Kendall would tease Kick about spoiling it (she does that to Gunther sometimes too)

10. Whenever Kick has a grandiose stunt to do that attracts a crowd, he (unconsciously) would look for Kendall in that crowd. Boy is in a denial, but he still wants to impress her the best way he knows how.

11. After some time Kick started calling Kendall "Kends" occasionally, which gets on her nerves. If she refuses to call him by his nickname - he will give her one.

12. Kick and Gunther have a "Stunt book" - a journal they use to write ideas that they can't execute right here and now or use it for calculating speed, angles, sizes for ramps ect. Both of them doodle in that journal too. Of course among Kick's doodles there's drawings of a certain bratty rule-loving girl. He erases them most of the time but Gunther already knows so Kick mostly does it to keep lying to himself about his growing fondness of said brat.

13. Since they do fight verbally a lot, they also do seriously hurt each other feelings sometimes. Whenever Kick is hurt he becomes cold and bitterly direct towards Kendall and doesn't engage in their fights if Kendall tries to initiate them. When Kendall is hurt she straight up ignores his existence and if she has to talk to him out of necessity - she becomes so overly polite that it's creepy.

14. Adding onto previous, the ways they "apologize": Kendall would genuinely ask Kick if he's ok/hurt physically even if it isn't obvious that he was doing anything dangerous and "somewhat" compliment him like "You have to think about your safety too, even if your stunts are breathtaking I guess", while Kick would ask her to help him a bit with academics even if he doesn't need it, like asking her how to memorize history dates and names quicker or what was the themes of the novel that they had to read for literature and genuinely thanking her when she (while being creepily polite) helps him. It's not the best way, but at this point they are just not ready to communicate properly.

15. Based on my "Kendall writes adventure/romance novels in secret" hc: she unconsciously tends to make male leads in her stories danger-loving and stoic-y. She herself actually haven't noticed.

16. Kick thinks Kendall is beautiful. The thing is: he doesn't realize that it's just him. He really thinks that she IS beautiful when in reality others think that she is just "okay" by beauty standards. This can lead to an exchanges like

Kick: Of course that bratty teacher's pet has pretty privilege >:(

Gunther: She does?

Kick: What do you mean? Look at her! She does!

Gunther:... no she doesn't?

Ok. I have to stop myself or I'll be here the whole day, but yeah

I have an ask in my inbox that will be sorta like part 2 for this ehehehehehe

[kyanitedragon]

Tokyo Ghoul is the kind of series where they go so in depth with every single character's backstory. By the end of the series, you know everything about everyone, even if you have to do a bit of work piecing it together.

So comparing your First Read VS Subsequent Rereads is so fun to me.

Your first read, Kaneki is the first and only character you understand. You're in his POV, and so you have no choice but to take his opinions as fact, take his emotions seriously, to pity him and root for him.

But as you read, you come to learn about everyone else. Their own backstories, personalities, the true sides they hide, why they act the way they do.

And so on rereads, the story is completely different.

Rize is no longer a one-dimensional first villain, only there to get the story started. She's a trauma victim who's coping with it by being chaotic, selfish, and reckless with her freedom. And she's specifically preying on people who remind her of that trauma.

Touka's no longer a mean and scary aggressive ghoul. You see her confusion as she tries to understand and deal with a person she didn't think existed. You see her try so hard to help him, the only way she knows how, that other ghouls would happily accept and see as gentleness, and she can't understand that she's terrifying Kaneki. And he lashes out at her, says awful things to her, and she understandably gets angry and retaliates.

You see why Yoshimura is so kind to Kaneki, why he lets him off so easy. Because he likes humans, he once loved one, and he has a half-human child himself, but one that he wasn't able to raise. And now here's a young half-ghoul that needs help, and even more so, has the potential to convince other humans to trust and like ghouls.

Even Nishiki, you see little glimpses of his hidden kindness in how he offers Kaneki advice on good coffee. You see his insecurities over his own strength and territory. Even what is likely projection and self-hate when he rants to Kaneki about tricking, betraying, and killing human "friends".

And most of all, you see that Kaneki's opinions are deeply predjudiced and shallow, based on fear and trauma and his own insecurity. You see that his emotions, while understandable given his circumstances, are equally understandably frustrating to all the ghouls, who hear entitlement and privlege and whining in his words.

Tokyo Ghoul goes from a simple story with a common trope, to a deeply complicated story with so much going on.

[ai-the-broccoli]

Trick or treat! 📄👻 (I'm a haunting WIP!)

OUCH scary...

very well, I shall trick you with an no-context snippet from one of my aging, haunting WIPs + (surprisingly Halloween-related?) meta/analysis stuff in return!

I don't usually write in script format, and I barely ever really write crossover fics aside from this one, so this isn't my proudest work to be sure, but I think this might be the only one of my existing/in-progress fics that has something to do with TPoDG (which I followed you for), so here it is, haha.

It's sort of an odd excerpt, but some context:

This is a 2020s modern AU (with age changes as well; e.g. Dorian met Henry a few years ago in this AU).

Dorian Gray, currently 21, is trying to flirt with a British-Japanese art prodigy (with the intention of taking her out on a date, specifically to make an ex jealous) named Alina Gray, and being more than a bit weird about it.

Alina Gray (a character from Magia Record) is a famous artist in her city, whose art focuses on the theme of beauty and who is fascinated by life and death. She is an aesthete, also, in fact her story has a lot to do about her being an aestheticist artist.

Despite Dorian's attempts, Alina is beyond uninterested, and his charm offensive is completely useless on her, because she happens to a lesbian and also just happens to despise his sort of personality. However, Dorian is too used to being wanted and loved by everyone and being able to charm all kinds of men and women alike, he doesn't take a hint at this, and continues trying to sway her.

It really doesn't work and Alina is annoyed to death. The only reason she (who has major anger/self-control issues, as well as a lack of respect for laws and general societal ethical and moral values; she used to try to kill people a lot, but lately she has decided to pursue something else) has yet to murder him is that her (female) model and friend threatens to never sit to her again unless Alina can be a good girl and not murder anyone today, and that just can't happen, because Alina considers this model to have the ideal "perfect body" that she can't afford to lose.

...on which note, yeah. I actually wrote them interacting because Alina Gray is a character who was certainly written with inspiration from/reference to TPoDG, thematically and character-wise. Like seriously it's incredibly intriguing and I can write a whole essay about it, in fact I have indeed started one since like a year ago (another thing in WIP jail....... help).

anyway the tl;dr is that her character is all about aestheticism, death and decay, beauty, art, objectification, and societal fixation on the idea of youth and youthful genius/beauty, etc. and this is done in a way that's incredibly creative imo when you consider how it effectively juxtaposes TPoDG themes and Buddhist concepts about deat--

.... actually I got here and then realized I was getting way off-track, so I made a separate post for it.

well that's it I think! I sorta get carried away trying to explain lol even though this has little to do with the random snippet.

(the context are somehow leagues more serious than the snippet itself?? maybe I can consider this... trick-and-treat, like Karin says)

[yarugawitch]

hii! prompt wise i feel like nnoitra is concerned a lot with what he's "supposed" to be and he's overly cautious of how others view him (as weak or strong) so how do you think a carefree bold s/o would have an effect on him? someone who doesnt care about traditional roles, lets others be however they want to be, doesnt let others label and box them or the people around them? i feel like it would be a good influence even if he outright sneers them at first

Nnoitra/Reader: Headcanons for a bolder S/O

a great ask!! there are a lot of thoughts on the way i see nnoitra to add a little bit of context so i hope this doesn't read like a fucking character essay 🙈

>Masterpost | >Request Info

A love interest like this can be very poisonous for his own self-image at first. I think you have to be either very distant or cautious at least while he's trying to asses you or else he's likely to view you as a danger to his own peace which should be avoided or eliminated. But the thing is that that's the kind of person who'd work the best with him. Personally, I think to Nnoitra labeling and dividing people, over-simplifying some things and maintaining an image is something of a coping mechanism to keep his mind off things like the horrors of arrancar existence and his own insecurities. I mean... being purposefully ignorant is very fitting for someone missing an eye not because he somehow lost it in battle but because he was made this way. So people who also label him as either an idol like Tesla or a tyrant like everybody else and see him as nothing beyond these titles mean nothing to him. They might as well be grains of sand beneath his heel. And even though he's usually too self-absorbed and consumed with his own thoughts, wishes and fears to see others as they are Nnoitra actually hates people who are shallow with him. Ironically enough you have to fight or at least challenge him even when it comes to emotions and feelings in order for Gilga to acknowledge you

All that said I believe that once he's done spitting venom at you he'd find himself very entertained with any other conversations you share. This would help him slowly but surely open up even if it's hard sometimes. Painful even. Someone who doesn't see speaking about just anything as a weakness or unnecessary nonsense and constantly shows it will surely make him more talkative. I love thinking back to that one scene where he asked Ichigo about his name and promised to try to remember it, only to say "I already forgot your name sorry" like one chapter later. And because of it, I'm convinced Nnoitra is actually very fucking funny sometimes. So seeing someone almost rolling on the ground laughing without being scared of looking stupid would make him fall in love even more

Nnoitra is a troubled and miserable man... which doesn't take away the fact that he's also a terrible person but nonetheless he can't help but feel both intimidated and enamored with someone who sees his personality attractive without taking his strength, rank and number of battles he's won into account. No strong/weak talk. Just him. Being the man he is he'd probably think it's some sick joke or weird obsession with just plain bad people at first because of course it has to be this, can't have faith in you people, but once he gets his shit rocked because the s/o doesn't take no shit from anybody he'd start to feel something. To him being seen through his tough armor and still being taken seriously even after you realize what he's actually like is oh so very scary but also so thrilling and intimate he could die

Despite Tesla's dedication to Nnoitra and Nnoitra alone, I think this guy can be easily enamored by someone like this, too. Seeing Tesla all giddy and puppy-eyed with anyone beside him is a huge sign something is going on for Nnoitra. It means he's not just imagining things. And well, Gilga can run away and ignore everything all he wants but getting jealous is the biggest reality check he can get because this man's ego is a tad too big to let it slide

He won't take any of this without fighting back of course. At first, he'd try to do something about the person who makes him feel too much when he's not ready for it. And later on, he'd try to best you. Even though he'd start to open up I'm sure Nnoitra's not the one to let himself be on the receiving end all the time even if it's as small as taking him seriously 😭 At least because it's embarrassing. So as to not be outdone he'd try to be more genuine, more present. Of course, given his personality, height and the amount of arms he can possess, being physically affectionate is much easier for him. You can't do anything with him being bigger in general so it makes him feel more confident and imposing while he's trying to win the "who swoons first" game lol

[sundragon]

We've been in a weird place regarding...us? our life? as a system. It's probably something a lot of systems go through, at least it seems that way to me. As you get older, you think about what the rest of your life will look like more seriously. For us that means being 40, 50, 60, maybe older, and still plural.

Origin discourse takes such a backseat. It's practically thrown out the window. I think it got shoved in the trunk at some point. Of more interest is where are we going with this? We're not hung up on the lives/sources we miss, we're here in the present and mostly okay with it. Now what? Who are we going to be?

And the scary question - can we be content with just us for the rest of this life? Is that what would be best for us, or should we make ourselves uncomfortable and find another physical bodied companion?

But I recognize that shit for what it is, plain amatonormativity. It's gotten to us before. This insidious idea that we have to meet some physical person, and anything else is lesser. It's nonsense. The cognitive dissonance is very real. In our various forms and parts, I've been with Nate for 14 years - that is significant, more than any theoretical significant other.

This came to a fore recently because I just, reminded myself that we do not like people in our space. Doesn't matter if they're friends, and if we invite them. I don't feel like a whole person when I can't be alone in my den each day. Sure, finding a person I can be myself around sounds like a solution, but that's the thing - there is no person who can understand me the way they do, so to try is to fail.

This is the complicated area of the aroace spectrum that we inhabit. It's not a storybook situation. Some parts of it are kinda sad, and by design it means we'll always be longing for each other just a little bit, but that's preferable to forcing ourself to settle. We don't deserve that, and neither would the other party.

Part of that is the fact that for us, a partner is nothing less than another half. If I'm with you, you're half of my whole life. I can be complete without you, but if I'm in a partnership it takes as much priority as my own life does. Dating and hookups are meaningless to me and I'll never bother; entwine our souls or get lost lmao. They can come apart later if they must, but yknow. Point is I don't do casual or halves, your identity matters to me like my own.

That's a tall order, and so far, my brain had to split itself into pieces to make it work. If you want to get mystical about it, you can theorize that I am this way *because* my mate existed beside me once upon a time, and now we're forced into the same get-along sweater. I dunno man, we just work here.

We didn't try to get involved with anyone recently, but everything else just brought these thoughts forward in a way I couldn't keep ignoring, eh.

[m3r1m4r5u333]

I've been thinking of how queer-coded Eddie (from 9-1-1) is, and the way his cardiologist (a heart doctor, how symbolic!) suggested Eddie might be repressed and...

Skip this post if the concept of repressed sexuality is uninteresting to you, this is mostly me talking about myself, to spread some knowledge about repression.

Anyway. Since anyone who has read any of my posts already knows I'm unhinged beyond comprehension, there is no reputation to lose here...

I just realized that I keep saying that I think Eddie is repressed and bi, and it just hit me that maybe people don't know what I mean by that? Maybe people don't know all faces of what repressed bisexuality can look like? It's not talked about a lot, I think.

So fic writers of the world, or whoever likes to learn, let me share my personal flavor of insanity - what my repressed bisexuality has looked like at different times!

Ah yes, first stage was Buck. Outrageous, oblivious flirting with anyone pretty... Without any clue that I was in fact flirting with everyone, including other women (I'm a woman). I just thought I was joking, teasing... Until it got just a bit too intense, and I finally went "Wtf. I'm flirting now. Like seriously, to get their attention! This isn't straight. What am I doing?"

And I was definitely nowhere near ready to get out of the closet or act on these instincts, so hey, we enter stage...

2. Repressed - and aware of it. Yes, may sound bizarre. To make things even more bizarre, when I say I started to repress my behavior... I don't mean just around women!!

By that time I had a lovely, open-minded friend group, I'd always been into queer rights etc. So I definitely felt like this wasn't really anything I should hide, or be ashamed of...

But I still grew up religious, and even though I left religion behind quite early in my teens? My family didn't.

So I wanted to come out. And was scared to come out.

And somehow... The longer I stayed silent, the more the mask of conformity started to suffocate. It disturbed me, to have people think I was 100% straight.

I started to feel like I was betraying my people, other bisexuals and queers in general, by conforming, and slipping notice under the cover of heteronormativity.

I thought, why should I talk about the men I like... if I can't also talk about the women I like. It just means I'm shoving myself deeper inside the closet!

So my logical solution to this problem...

Was just stop talking. Of anyone! I became this sexless creature, no flirting, no admiring comments, no dating, nothing. Even if someone made a comment about a random person on tv... I existed in a cage, not wanting to comment on anyone's attractiveness. Simply because it felt like betrayal to talk about some part of my identity if I could not talk about all of it.

So to summarize: while it's true that some bisexuals hide under the blanket of fake straightness, and some will actually also pretend to be fully gay or lesbian...

Some of us just attempt to disappear off the map completely, and show no interest to anyone at all.

That doesn't btw necessarily have anything to do with our fantasy life - that may still be rampant. Or equally repressed in some way or another!

And we may also act differently around different people. But not necessarily. It can feel awkward or scary or "unimportant" to come out even to fellow queer friends.

The point is... There are many kinds of masks. Repression is a freaking chameleon. Everyone does it differently, even the same person can do it differently with different people, at different stages of life.

And btw, unbecoming this self-made onion of a person can be annoyingly slow and difficult. Personally I'm still not done untangling the mess I am. But maybe getting there!

[papilio-anima]

🔥 your thoughts on how the fandom treats hu tao

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion. ( @myjustice thank you!)

First I'll make the disclaimer right off the bat saying that I know not everyone is going to have the same opinion on a character. If there is one thing I noticed since dabbling into the Genshin Fandom is that Hu Tao overly simplified. Seen nothing more than just a chaotic gremlin who pranks people and gives coffin discounts.

And you know. Sure that's part of her. I find it kind of endearing about her. But she is sooo much more than that. The fandom seems to think her only personality trait is being quirky. And I feel while fun, that just tarnishes her character development.

Like to be honest, I recently completed the story quest for Baizhu in game...and while her cameo was sorta small it spoke volumes of the type of character Hu Tao really was. Here she is trying to balance the idea of life and death, while she's been faced with the ethical dilemma of immortality. She truly takes her role as a funeral director and the traditions surrounding it very seriously.

She is also extremely perspective. Sure she can spook people with a scary story, but at the same time she shows genuine concern to make sure 'normal' people don't get mixed up with unnatural forces that they won't be able to comprehend or handle. Her methods are strange. During her own story quest she created a 'fake boogeyman' scenario to cover up the fact that an actual cursed exist years ago.

What I'm trying to say is that there is so much beyond the coffin coupon or even more so I gotta admit the fandom does sexualize her a bit. I know there is some trope with that that I can't think of at the moment. And look...Hu Tao is very pretty. There is no denying that. And its perfectly fine to have that attraction. But I do wish that her other qualities got just as much attention.

My reason for choosing to roleplay Hu Tao as my first Genshin muse? I'm a huge fan of the horror genre. And I've always enjoyed playing characters that dabbled in such. She puts on such a unique perspective for the funeral business. She gives the idea that it's okay to both mourn but also celebrate the life of an individual who has crossed over. I truly want to explore more of those aspects with her. Why did she get her vision? From who? How did she trek all the way to Wuwang Hill when she was only thirteen so that she may slip past the purgatory-ish border.

What is the inner workings of the her funeral parlor like. There is just so much!

[sallysavestheday]

15 questions for mutuals...

Tagged by @welcomingdisaster (thank you). Fact-checking, 5'8" buddies for the win! I've done this before, I think, but can't find it to link, so let's do it again. Any inconsistencies between old and new versions are fair game for questions ;).

1. Are you named after anyone? First name no, middle name yes.

2. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday. It clears the ducts, physically and emotionally. As good as a walk on a thundery day.

3. Do you have kids? Two living. Lights of my life, harpoons in my heels. Parenting's a treat and an adventure.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes, but I try to make it about things and situations, not at particular people. It's a balance that has taken some time to acquire.

5. What sports do you play/have played? Dance (very seriously for many years), swimming (for fun only), horseback riding and hiking. And lately, juggling! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

6. What's the first thing you notice about people? How they carry themselves: ease and set and posture. Balance and openness (or not). All the little physical tells about the mind and heart inside.

7. What's your eye color? BROWN!! The best color. ;)

8. Scary movies or happy endings? Eh, happy endings, I guess. I appreciate an occasional startle, but I don't like gore.

9. Any special talents? When the collapse comes, I will keep your children laughing and learning while you forage for food and filter the water and get the fire going. After the meal, I'll sing everyone to sleep.

10. Where were you born? In a place that no longer exists.

11. What are your hobbies? Reading, writing, singing, gardening (badly), cooking when the mood strikes me, enjoying the marvelously serious and silly minds of my children while I can.

12. Do you have pets? Hard no. Grew up in a house full of them. Other people's pets are fun, but I deeply appreciate the lack of fur and fuss and extra responsibility in my own space now.

13. How tall are you? I was 5 foot 8 at my peak. I have weathered to 5 foot 6 and 3/4.

14. Favorite subject in school? Languages and social sciences.

15. Dream job? I'm in it! Although I still wish I had more time for family and fun.

Not tagging anyone in particular, but feel free to hop on in!

[thekatebridgerton]

Here me out. I think s4 could be philoise. Sophie is not introduced yet & even if the ball happened in s3 dont forget there I'd suppose to be a gap between their 1 meeting to when the story takes off. Plus 1 of the reason we're polin now is because they don't want to aggravate the fan, well the same applies for philoise. Add the actress playing Marina is sick she might not be up to return to a project so close to what she's going through her story could be wrapped in 1 scene or with her not even present in s3, paving the way for s4 philoise.

Okay so before I answer this I'd first like to encourage all of you to support Ruby Barker, who plays Marina. Like I always do. She's an amazing actress who has been trough a lot and deserves all the love.

Now for those of you who don't know the context, Ruby Barker was quite open about her hospitalization in May 2022 due to mental health problems. She has subsequently been posting pictures of what we assume is a happy and healthy path to recovery. BUT we haven't heard anything about her taking on new projects. Which likely means she's not ready to go back to work yet. (And honestly, acting, is a job, glamourous as it is, if any of us had a job that caused us to have mental health struggles, the least recommended thing would be to go back to that job, until healing was well and truly accomplished)

Because of the situation with Marina's actress I do think s4 is going to be Benophie. I love Phillip as much as any other Philoise fan, but 1) Benophie fans were left pretty high and dry after they polin season was announced 2) Eloise has a lot of growing up to do, before she's ready to start her journey towards true love. At least with Benedict, we know he is open to finding love.

I disagree with what you said about not wanting to aggravate Philoise fans. Because, and I say this with all the kindness in the word, Philoise fans are less rabid than Polin fans. They're even less rabid than Benophie fans. (by a landslide but they are). You will find that when push comes to shove, Philoise fans will be happier to wait for s5 than Benophie fans ever would (and I say this with all the love in the word, Benophie fans, you are as scary as the Polins)

In fact, with the recent recasting of Francesca, there is a possibility that s4 will mash up An Offer From A Gentleman and about half of what happens in When He was Wicked.

I'd also like to add something very very obvious about TSPWL. that for Philoise to happen benophie NEEDS TO EXIST FIRST. at least one quarter of TSPWL involves Eloise and Phillip going in and out of My Cottage. The philoise proposal happens in Sophie's study and the scene where Phillip saves Benophie's son from a fever is pretty pivotal for Phillip and Eloise character development. Netflix can't just cut that part out and I will seriously riot if they decide to substitute those scenes of Philoise bonding with Benophie, with Kanthony or Polin.

the point of showing in s1 and s2 how much closer Eloise is with Benedict than she is with the rest of her siblings. Is to draw a parallel of how they both fall inlove with people who love them and accept them for who they are. Both in Sophie, who has always seen Benedict as his own person, and never confuses him with Bridgerton #1 or Bridgerton #3. And with Phillip who sees everything that people consider flaws in Eloise and celebrates her for it.

isn't it also interesting that Eloise and Benedict have the only 2 Bridgerton spouses who have suffered childhood physical abuse as well. Because here are two people who need to be loved so desperately it hurts because they have received so little love in their pasts, and that just tugs at that weak spot inside of Benedict and Eloise. Because they can give all the love and they just want to feel needed but still maintain their independence and holding on to their right to do what they want in life. Sophie and Phillip not only need them, but also support their individuality and encourage their self expression to the extreme.

So when the Philoise season does come Benophie kinda needs to have already happened.

and that's the tea

[themelodicenigma]

People sure like to use the phrase "forcing a view" a lot, but often, I've seen this misused.

Someone isn't forcing anything on you by stating what they believe to be true, with their own evidence, thorough research and reasoning, on their own post, on their own blog. How self-centered to think this. To make it all about you. This is like believing truth, or anything logically pushing towards it, is JUST some scary thing that is "forcing" you to think differently, binding you and "taking" away your ability to think, to compromise, to REFUTE it, or to accept it on your own terms. That....is something for you and another person to figure out. That's a deeper rooted issue that isn't my responsibility to get into.

Anyone can say something is true, whether it is or not, without having to coddle you and remind you of the fact that, yes, you can indeed think differently about it because you're an autonomous human being. That the existence of different thought doesn’t simply cease to exist. It's not my responsibility to remind you of your capability of thought when you're insecure about what someone is saying or for what information exists that you don't agree with—ESPECIALLY when in no way is it being said that someone can't believe something different. Of course you can. This is always going to be true, whether the merit or value of what the belief is. Someone can be an asshole about it, or say something is true nonsensically, but if you can't even tell them WHY and HOW, you're not any better.

There are truths. They exist. There is reasoning and logic, good or bad, rational or irrational. There are things that may not be explicitly truths, but can be supported by evidence and closer reading—this can even open a pathway for understanding of different conclusions if applicable. There are also things that are false, that are not supported, that are intentionally misleading. There are just, straight up personal feelings and thoughts that you don't CARE if it's true or not.

Figuring out what is what—that is what discussion and debate yearns to do. Having this goal or having an argument and evidence for anything—this isn't inherently also a campaign for forcing people to believe something.

Now, if someone was say, invading one or multiple people's blogs, fanart, appreciation posts, etc.—can't even get by with talking about something without another coming in and just essentially pining for attention like a child: "Oh yeah? Well it isn't canon, so."—that's closer to what "forcing" would look like.

And even then, that wouldn't be effective or productive for anyone. "Believe what I'm saying on Tumblr or ELSE!"

Or else what? You're going to go into someone's brain an alter their thoughts and memories?

Yeah, "forcing", and not at all closely resembling anything I've ever said.

If you believe someone is incorrect about something, but your way of "discussing" this is anything akin to "Yeah? Well well....you're stupid! You wrote too much for me to read! And you're wrong!", and that's ALL you have to say? That this is something you wrote out seriously thinking "yeah, this’ll show them"? That you somehow believe in your own importance so much that this passes as an intelligent response?

No.

Not how it works.

If you want to tell someone they're wrong, then you address what they're wrong about with what is then otherwise the supposed correct thing—even if you want to talk about how rude or irrational they were being. You need to still address what was actually said. "You're wrong, trust me bro" isn't going to cut it, nor will just attacking them with nonsensical, insulting comments. You don't show you know what you're talking about or that you CAN even refute what they say if you do this.

"Oh I COULD tell you why you're wrong as I hold ALL the answers, but I won't share because you're stupid!"—You just look desperate, confused, and just like the person described above who would be attempting to force their nonsense onto other people.

And you're just looking to be blocked and stew in your own idiotic bubble.