#the people who were willing to be friends with me were always fellow outsiders or poorer kids whose families had lived there a long time

[fingertipsmp3]

I’m never beating the “grew up in Innsmouth” allegations forreal

[hjparisian]

maroon- harry j potter x reader

loosely based on a lyric from maroon by taylor swift. uses she/her pronouns. reader is not a gryffindor (i know, im sorry fellow gryffindors). bit of a long one whoopsies

"the burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me and how the blood rushed into my cheeks, so scarlet, it was maroon"

It was common knowledge that every time the Gryffindors win a quidditch game, it is follow by a raging party, courtesy of the Weasley twins. Everyone is allowed to come (aside from the Slytherins, but they still manage to sneak their way in).

Despite being friends (and study buddies) with Hermione, (Y/N) never really experience a full on rager in the Gryffindor common room, instead perusing the library for books to help with some essay in potions, until one day.

"Come on (Y/N), just come, just this once," Hermione said. "I can't always be with Ron and Harry. Plus you've never been, after all this time of being my friend."

"I don't know Hermione, I wanted to study for History of Magic. You know how much I struggle in it"

"I know, but you can do it tomorrow! Please, it would be nice to not constantly listen to Ron and Harry talk about the quidditch game for once and to hang out with you outside of the library," Hermione begged.

(Y/N) remained silent for a second. Thinking. It would be nice to hang loose and let the thought of school leave her mind. And Hermione is right, she can always study tomorrow, especially since she already completed her work.

"Alright Hermione, I'll go," she said at last. Hermione let out a grin. "Oh thank you, thank you!" Hermione said. "I gotta go, but I'll see you there (Y/N)."

Towards the evening, (Y/N) stopped in front of the Gryffindor common room. "Password?" the Fat Lady asked.

"Baubles." The portrait swung open and (Y/N) stepped inside, seeing the shift from the silent corridor to the loud and wild atmosphere of the common room. There was people from all different houses having a good time, from people chilling on the couch with firewhiskey on hand to those dance to the beat of the music and letting loose.

(Y/N) quickly finds Hermione on a couch towards the back of the room. "You made it! Thank goodness I thought you were gonna ditch," said Hermione. "Anything for my favorite Gryffindor."

Ron joins in with three red cups, handing two to Hermione and (Y/N). The two stared at the cups, not knowing what it was. Ron answers them, "It's not poison, it's butterbeer mixed with firewhiskey. Fred made them." "Are you sure we should trust anything made by Fred or George?" (Y/N) jokingly says while taking a sip of the drink. "Maybe you're right, but I'll take my chances tonight," Ron said before downing his cup.

(Y/N) spotted some of her house friends waving her over to come dance. She turns to Hermione, asking if she wanted to come dance with her to which she replied "It's alright, I think I'll just stay here with Ron." (Y/N) nods, not willing to force Hermione to join (also letting her have alone time with Ron), and walks towards the crowd of dancing wizards.

One of (Y/N)'s friends takes her hand and starts dancing with her, the two of them laughing at their awkward attempts of dancing. After a while, (Y/N) decides to get another drink to fill her system. She walks up to where Fred was handling the drinks. "Hey Fred, can you give me something good?" Fred chuckled. "First Gryffindor party I've seen you at and you already want to get wasted. But of course, anything for you." He hands you a cup filled firewhiskey. "Thanks Freddie, you're the best."

As (Y/N) turns around with the drink in her hand, she bumps into someone, spilling both her drink and the person's drink on her. She felt her face heating up and looked up ready to yell at the person until she noticed a certain green eyed boy who appear red in the face from embaressment. Who would've thought she would've bumped into Harry?

"I'm- I'm so sorry (Y/N), I didn't mean to bump into you. I should've been looking, I-" (Y/N) cuts him off. "It's fine Harry, I know you didn't mean to. But now my shirt is wet." She was a little upset at the fact she spilled her drink and was wet but she knew Harry wouldn't do that on purpose.

"I can let you borrow one of my sweaters," Harry said. "It's the least I could do after drenching you in butterbeer." (Y/N) thought about it for a second before agreeing, wanting to get out of her soaked shirt. "Alright, since you owe me. Now lead the way."

As Harry led (Y/N) to his dorm, she couldn't help but stare at him. She'd be lying if she said she didn't think he was attractive, cause he certainly was. She always loved how bright and green his eyes looked. And the way he looked when playing quidditch was a wonderful sight. She had a minor crush on him back in second year but since she never acted on it, the feelings went away, though the butterflies in her stomach right now are saying otherwise. Or maybe it was the alcohol. Yeah, let's say it's the alcohol.

Her thoughts are disrupted when they stopped at a door, a plaque on it saying who occupies it, "Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter, Dean Thomas, Ron Weasley." Harry opens the door and walks inside, holding it open for (Y/N). She takes her time looking at the room, it looked much different compared to her dorm. In that time she took to gawk at the room, Harry managed to pull a sweater from his trunk.

It was one of his quidditch sweaters. "Here, I hope you don't mind red and yellow." (Y/N) takes it and looks at it. "Thank you Harry but, um-" She starts. "Do you mind turning around for a minute? So I can change." She swore she could see Harry's face start flushing as he spoke, "Oh, uh, er yeah." He turns around giving (Y/N) some sort of privacy while she changes.

"You know, I didn't think you'd be at this party," Harry says. "I've been kinda hoping to see you." (Y/N) freezes for a second. Harry's been wanting to see her? It must be her mind playing tricks. She responds, "Hermione sort of made me. I wasn't really planning on it." She hears Harry hums in response. She continues, "I don't really regret it though. It was kind of nice to have some fun. Saw some of my housemates here."

There was a brief silence between the two before Harry spoke again. "I've always wanted to talk to you (Y/N). Hermione talks about you a lot, did you know that?" She did? (Y/N) wondered. "She talks about how wonderful you are and how you get her. She was happy to find someone that actually read Hogwarts: A History." (Y/N) chuckles a bit. Classic Hermione.

(Y/N) fixes Harry's sweater on her body and clears her throat before speaking, "Well, um, you can turn around now." She watches Harry turn around and sees his eye go wide slightly.

"How do I look?" She asks him. "Brilliant," He breathes out. "You always look brilliant." (Y/N) could feel her face heat up at his words. How is it that Harry could make her feel like this with just a few words?

(Y/N) decides to bite the bullet. If there was anytime to take a chance it would be now. "Can I ask you something?" He nods. "Can I kiss you?" She was scared for his answer. If he rejects her, she hopes that the firewhiskey in her system would let her forget about that moment in the morning. Harry finally answers. "Yes."

They both lean forward, letting their lips touch each other. (Y/N) felt Harry gently grab her waist, she lets her hands hold his shoulders. It felt like dream. Now, if you told second year (Y/N) that she would be kissing Harry Potter in the future, she'd laugh in your face saying it would never happen. Well, take that younger (Y/N).

They parted each others lips, needing air. They took the time to admire each other, how wonderful they looked. "You know, I've always thought you were attractive Harry," (Y/N) said. "And I've admired how you'd do anything for your friends. You're an amazing and courageous person. I like that about you. And I like you Harry."

Harry grinned. "I like you too (Y/N). I've always have." He leans forward to give (Y/N) another brief kiss.

"Can we just stay here? I'm too tired to go back to the party." (Y/N) asked. Harry nods, agreeing with her, also wanting to enjoy this time with her. They lay on Harry's bed, Harry holding her close to him. He kisses her forehead before falling asleep with her.

[matan4il]

Just wanted to send some love your way 🩵 Im a left-ish diaspora Jew who had, up until really recently, taken the stance that the conflict between Israel and Palestine was too complex for me to fully understand. I appreciate blogs like yours because they have genuinely helped me understand and see through the narratives that both sides are equally at fault, or that Israel is some colonialist war machine bent on gobbling up all available territory at the expense of everyone else’s lives.

It’s kind of frightening for me to have a stance at all, when the people around me were all silent on October 7th but have no issue hanging Palestinian flags outside their homes and filling their social media with slogans that they claim are simply “anti Zionist” but are absolutely anti-Semitic.

I don’t know how to explain to them that YES my heart bleeds for every average human in Gaza who genuinely does want to just exist, but that doesn’t meant that I think the onus for peace lays exclusively on Israel’s shoulders, and I don’t support disbanding Israel as a country. I worry a lot about being too one-sided or simplifying things too much; I still feel very much like I’m sitting in a middle position, due to those concerns. And it’s scary that it still wouldn’t be enough for people — FRIENDS, even — around me.

Sorry for the ramble. Thank you for your informative posts. Speaking as someone who finds a lot of joy in fandom stuff, I really hope the tides turn so that kind of thing can occupy more space in your mind than worrying does 🩵

Awww, Nonnie! I am hugging you SO MUCH!

My heart aches, because you're absolutely right. It doesn't matter how much we'll denounce racism, they will still call us racist. It doesn't matter how often we state that we want life and dignity for both Jews AND Palestinians, they'll still accuse us of supporting genocide. It doesn't matter if we'll criticize the government, they'll still claim we're brainwashed to silence our voices.

So if it's not about our actual beliefs and positions, what's it about?

It's about the fact that we're Jews. And we're told that we can only be "good" Jews if we throw our fellow Jewish people under the bus, even though for every other minority, solidarity is encouraged and celebrated. We're only "good" Jews if we give up our native rights by adhering to a narrative that paints us as colonizers of our own ancestral land, even as native rights are upheld as vital for every other indigenous group. We're only "good" Jews by doubting the multiple testimonies of rape and baby beheadings, even though every victim is supposed to be heard and believed. We're only "good" Jews if we agree to give up the right to self defense, which means we give up the right to live safely, to live peacefully... really, if we give up the right to live, period. All while telling us this is due to the value of all human life. They're literally gaslighting us with "All Lives Matter," and it's the same crowd who could recognize the issue with that slogan, when it was used to silence black people demanding that very same right.

We do not have to go along with this modern "witch test," where they try us by dunking us into water, and the only way to be "innocent" is to die drowning, so if we didn't, then we're witches, and we die still, because they burn us at the stake. I refuse to collaborate with the erasure of Jewish identity, history and rights, which leaves all Jews stripped of protection, vulnerable to abuse, and I will keep speaking, even if they call me every dirty name they can think of for recognizing the Jewish right to live, and to live in our historic homeland, especially as we have always been willing to live here side by side with others. Whatever they say about me, at least I won't be a tokenized Jew, that they can use to bully other Jews into silence.

We absolutely can be pro-Israeli AND pro-Palestinian, rather than turning anti-Israeli to "prove" we're good, pro-Palestinian Jews.

I'm sorry, IDK if I'm actually helping here! Just know that you're not alone in feeling this way. Actually, the fantastic Mayim Bialik also talked about this recently, so I'll give you her eloquent words:

(this is just a part of the vid, you can find the whole thing here)

Thank YOU for the kind words! And may we all get back to just being able to enjoy fandom as the fun, escapist hobby it should be. Sending you lots of hugs and love! xoxox

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[ballcrusher74]

hello. are you. perhaps 👉👈 willing to talk about the inspector/faux. ive only seen cool arts and no context so im rather curious.

OK!!! I actually love rambling about my ocs so small questions like this make me day. I just get nervous LOL But! I will say, there's gonna probably be a bit I'm leaving out because it does involve my friends' characters and it's still an on-going thing atm (we tend to roleplay on lethal company as our guys. btw the oc group is called Cleanup Crew ! it explains the recent reblogs and new tags I've added on posts with this guy) AND this does also involve my own little interpretations of in-game mechanics and other things, but otherwise, I'll get the rest of him down!

Inspector, also originally known by the name of Terrance Conroy (or Terry), was a typical scavenger working under 'The Company' after a couple rough times on his home planet. (This information isn't necessarily set in stone, but the idea of him being a washed-up rock star before quitting his passion to get a job that pays his rent has been bouncing around in my brain.) He used to be a normal guy, trying to find a little hope in his desperate situation, and was a social butterfly. He tend to bounce from crew to crew, sometimes staying in some for only a couple days, and some for months. He was a very careful man, and looked out for his fellow crew members.

And then, one day, his first death on the job happens.

But instead of being greeted by a bright white light at the end of a tunnel, or complete pitch darkness, he appears on the ship again- completely physically fine.

This.. confuses him at first, yet he continues on.

And then he dies again. And again, and again. Over and over, the more deaths he's endured, the more he comes to a morbid realization that he can't truly die, nor can those around him. He tries to keep this truth hidden away from the others, as they seem to not have mentioned it at all before. He remembers everything. Every time he was ripped to shreds by an eyeless dog, every time he blew up into pieces from a landmine, every time he was shot multiple times, every time he was left behind or ejected as part of the disciplinary process- He felt it all and remembered it all. This goes on for the course of years (around 8-10 roughly) and over that course of time, he begins to grow very careless. What's the point of saving someone if they'll just come back? What's the use of tears when you're only a couple dollars off quota with a shovel in hand?

What's the point of it all? And with that carelessness comes selfishness into the picture. With how long he's been stuck in the cycle, he has become a very manipulative person, putting up a playful and nice persona on the outside- almost sickeningly sweet- in order to help other's do his bidding. He believes that if he were to cause so much chaos, disorder, and disruption within a crew, to where it's like animals mauling each other apart, he'd be able to break free from it himself. He doesn't care anymore about leaving others behind. He's desperate at this point to find a way out. Faux, who is an alter ego / disguise for Inspector, ties more into the on-going events right now, but I can give a basic rundown on his personality. He's a klutzy and quiet man, typically only talking to others when it's just him and them, and nobody else around, playing himself off as a selective mute. Since this is just Inspector in a jazzy little jester outfit, he still possesses all the traits of that man, just hidden away as to not blow his cover. He's still tugging on the strings in some way, people just don't realize. Sure, he's off putting and just a tad bit strange, but how can a goofy man like that be terrifying?

WOOOW ok that's a lot more typing than expected, but here's also a couple fun facts about the guy !

He stands at 6 feet and 1 inch, and is a very lanky guy compared to others, but this wasn't always the case. He used to just stand at 5 feet and 6 inches, and had more normal human proportions. With how many times he has died and how long it's been of the cycle, it has fucked up his appearance a LOT. Other things include : his 'skin' being grey, his voice constantly sounding like it's coming from a walkie talkie, no visible neck, his face becoming the helmet itself (it still bleeds, but there's nothing in there), and inhumanly flexible.

The only thing left of him that represents his last strand of humanity, is a singular, dim eye behind the tape on his visor.

He is very much not a rational man anymore. He is quick to jump to things, and won't hesitant with his actions.

When waiting to return from death, he is able to manifest in someone's head as a disembodied voice, and will typically mock them, or try and manipulate them further. In this state, he can see everything through the eyes of the person he's haunting. ^ Fun fact about this! This was originally based off a stupid bit where my friend was streaming LC to me with other buddies on the game and I kept telling them to step on landmines and then kill someone for a promotion, and then Inspector was born!

and UH I think that's about it I have for the guy atm! If the rest of the cleanup crew gets dropped than I'll update this accordingly perhaps. As of right now, enjoy my oc slop 👍

[bre1995]

Hi everybody! ☺️

I am still new to the Fellow Travelers fandom and also talking about it with people, but here are just a few reasons I think I hold this show so dear to my heart. Taking out the love story for a minor I think I love this show be where you actually learn a lot about our history because if it. There are some things that I learned in school that are talked about in this show, but not all of it. So I really did like that aspect of it. And I know a lot of the cast did too.

Now to the love story. I really do love Hawk and Tim. I know their relationship wasn’t the best, but it also wasn’t easy. Especially for the era they live in. I know a lot of people like to try and say that Hawk didn’t love Tim and granted I know he never said the words his actions spoke a lot louder than words. There were plenty of times he showed Tim just how much he loved him. Some would also say their relationship was toxic, but again you have to think of the era they lived in. Especially if you worked in government. Also, I know that Hawk broke Skippy’s heart on a few different occasions, but especially when he told him he was planning on marrying Lucy. Now keep in mind that was never his plan, but obviously everything that was going on in the world and at work spooked him. Hawk also had a lot of trauma. Both from the army and from his dad. I think Hawk’s mom always knew about him (they say mothers usually do) and I only say that because when Hawk tells his mom that he’s met someone she says “that’s good” and doesn’t follow it with “who is she?” . I know that Hawk did some pretty not so nice things to Tim, but Tim was always going to forgive Hawk and come to his rescue 🩷. As he says in his speech in the last episode “you were my great consuming love…. I have no regrets.”

The final scene with Hawk and Kimberly always breaks me because Hawk finally admits to someone he loves that Tim was never just a friend. He was the man he was in love with all of those years. It was beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Talking with people about this show too I’ve said that I honestly couldn’t imagine living in this era and that’s for both men and women. If men weren’t married then it looked suspicious and people questioned them all the time. Women also felt like they had to marry because society made them feel like this was the norm.

I honestly think outside of Hawkins being scared and guarded. If he would have decided to admit it to himself and Lucy those two would have divorced years ago. Or they may not have because again the era they were in, but also kids were involved.

Though Lucy frustrated me at times I in no means hate her (I just wanted to clarify that so people don’t come after me).

I’m still getting used to Tumblr and I have more to say, but trying to type it out in a post like this makes me forget things :p, but if you want to discuss more with me I am more than willing 🩷. I do just ask that you be kind. I know that we all aren’t going to have the same thoughts or opinions on this show or even on my comments and that is ok! ☺️

[miserys-inkwell]

THE SHADOW WEAVER

An original Magnus Archives statement

Masterlist

Tw: None

[Tape recorder click]

JON: Statement of Carwyn Cooper, regarding a highly unusual encounter with a classmate. Original statement given October 22nd, 2014, audio recording by Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement begins.

JON [STATEMENT] :

This whole situation started around a month ago, when my classmate, Meryl Jackson began acting weird. Which is honestly quite the feat since she's always had a reputation around school for being a bit of a freak. Now before you write this off as a cruel prank from a secondary schooler to make fun of the quiet kid, please hear me out on this. I know Meryl, and while I wouldn't exactly call us friends, we are on good terms, what with me being one of the very few people she's willing to tolerate. I've been classmates with her since nursery school, so believe me when I say I know her idiosyncrasies. She's always been quiet, if a bit unnerving, preferring to read a book than play sports, never raising her hand but always having an answer ready when she gets called on by the teacher, standard loner kid things. Then the weirder things she does, like the way she moves almost as if she's gliding across the floor, she doesn't have any of the usual up and down movement that you get from walking. Even the people she's around outside of school are weird, there's this one fellow who occasionally picks her up from school in a pastel blue sports car. I found out a while ago that he's actually her cousin, and that he's been her legal guardian since her parents passed away a few years ago. It's just so odd to think that someone that cheerful is related to Meryl. Then there's the other person who picks her up more rarely, a woman with short brown hair and glasses who's almost always wearing a Jimmy Buffet shirt, who pulls up in a bright red convertible.  Not sure how she and Meryl know each other, but I'm pretty sure she might be Meryl's cousin's boss.

All of the weirdness started happening when the light above her desk stopped working, not unusual on its own. But when they tried to replace it, they found that there was nothing wrong with the bulb, it wasn't burnt out it had just. Stopped working. And when they tried to put in the new bulb, it wouldn't work, so they checked the wiring. Nothing was wrong with that either. The teacher asked her if she wanted to move to a different spot but Meryl just shook her head and stayed where she was, perfectly content to sit in her dark corner of the classroom. After this was when the changes really became noticeable. She became even more closed off, which to be honest I didn't think was possible before this whole thing. She started wearing long sleeves and gloves constantly regardless of how swelteringly hot the day was, but the heat never seemed to bother her. And she got quiet. But when I say “quiet” I don't mean the “she isn't very talkative” kind of quiet she'd been before. I mean it in the “if she wasn't standing in front of you moving and breathing you would think she was dead” kind of quiet. She just appears behind you like she teleported or something. The weirdness got to the point that people started whispering about her being a vampire. Now all of these things could be written off as her being in a bad mood or having poor circulation, but you can't ignore all the weirdness with the lights.

There's one specific incident that comes to mind. It happened a little over three weeks ago when classes were over for the day, in the school's garden, absolutely lovely place with tall neatly trimmed hedges and charming gravel pathways leading you through it. Anyways, it was an overcast day so I was alone in the garden, sitting on one of the stone benches texting someone, when she suddenly appeared! It wasn't like I was paying particularly close attention to my surroundings, but one second I was by myself, the next her shadow was bearing down on me. Thinking back on it, the shadows being so deep was weird, because the sky had been steadily becoming darker as the clouds thickened, so there wasn't a lightsource behind her strong enough to cast such a pronounced shadow. There was an awkward pause where I waited for her to say something or ask me a question. Nothing. So I tried striking a bit of small talk along the lines of “oh you scared me!” And “what are you doing in the garden?” To which I got absolutely no response. She just stood there, her eyes standing out starkly against the oppressively dark shadows that were cast over her face as if she had on some sort of mask. The unnerving silence was really starting to freak me out, so I tried asking, closer to demanding if I'll be honest, that she tell me what the hell her problem was. But she just continued to stand there and stare at me with those eerie eyes of hers. Her eyes have always been this dull grey colour, not a blueish grey or anything, just grey like a pair of old tarnished coins.

She stared at me for a few moments, but it seemed like hours with the horrible way it felt like her gaze was gouging into me, pinning me in place like an insect on a corkboard, forced to just sit there being observed unable to do a damn thing about it. But then, without saying anything or even blinking for that matter, she simply turned and started walking away and it was as if she was taking the shadows with her. I managed to snap myself out of whatever odd stupor I had been in, stood up and I went and grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. The thing is, when I touched her wrist, a few of my fingers landed in the small gap between the end of her sleeve and glove. Her skin was absolutely freezing; it felt like I had plunged my hand into a frozen lake. Then there was the horrible creeping feeling, as if the icy cold water was slithering its way up my arm, through my veins, and into the rest of my body. I yanked my hand away and stumbled a few steps back, somehow managing to keep my balance and not fall on my arse.

Even after that, the horrible cold remained, although it had stopped spreading at least. Throughout this, Meryl barely reacted aside from tensing up when I grabbed her, she didn't say a thing, she just… tilted her head and continued studying me with those placid grey eyes. We stared at each other for a good long time as I stood there clutching my shaking hand to my chest in an effort to chase away the biting cold, neither of us saying anything just… staring. Her head suddenly whipped to the side as if she heard something, before promptly turning on her heel, and continuing in the direction she had been going as if the whole interaction had never happened to begin with. But I noticed, even as she practically glided away down the path and disappeared behind a hedge, the only sounds I could hear were the wind rustling the vegetation around me, along with my own haggard breathing and pounding heart. She made no sound as she moved, no rustling of fabric or crunch of gravel underfoot; just complete and utter silence in her wake.

I stood there by myself for a long time. At least until the first faint patters of raindrops landed on my skin, which snapped me out of the shock I'd been in after such a bizarre experience. I quickly left the garden and headed back inside, still not quite processing what the hell had just happened. I still don't understand it if I'll be honest. And I know I wasn't just dreaming this up, because the fingers on the hand that had touched her wrist had started turning white. They were so cold and stiff I used my good hand to pull out my phone and do a quick search for what the hell I should do because I had frostbite on my goddamn fingers. I spent a long while, just sat in the bathroom running my hand under warm water and trying to come up with some sort of explanation for what had happened. It sounds really stupid and I honestly can't believe I'm saying it but my mind kept going back to that stupid rumor about her being a vampire, it doesn't entirely fit but I can't think of anything else. The aversion to bright lights, pale skin, the absolutely freezing body temperature. But even in the insane case that it's true, it doesn't explain the lights' weird aversion to her.

I decided not to tell anyone what had happened, they would've just called me crazy or thought I was making a cruel joke about Meryl. So I just kept quiet about the whole thing and acted like it hadn't happened in the first place. And fortunately for me it looks like Meryl is doing the same, she's still acting really weird (as in her new standard of weird), but she doesn't seem too concerned about me telling anyone. Probably because as well as I know her, she also knows me. She knows I'm not one for rumors and drama, especially when I'm the one in the spotlight of said rumors and drama, which is exactly what would happen if I showed up to school raving about her being a vampire of all things.

All of that aside, you're probably wondering why I felt like I needed to write a statement if she technically didn't do anything and doesn't seem to be planning to do anything. Well, about a week and a half after the incident, I noticed something was off about my hand, aside from the fact my fingers still go numb sometimes. No, what really scared me and the thing that made me come here was my shadow. Part of my shadow is missing. The hand I used to grab her wrist is missing from my shadow. There's no hand there anymore, the wrist just. Fades off into nothing. I brought some pictures of it if you need it for your record or whatever, as proof, keep them or toss them in a shredder, I couldn't care less. The last thing I have left to say is, I think it was lucky that it was me. That's not to say I'm glad that I experienced this. But because I get the feeling that if she had wanted to, she could have made me disappear then and there. And if I had been anyone else, I get the sinking feeling that she probably would have.

JON: Statement ends.

[heavy sigh] It seems we've received yet another statement about… an alleged vampire, one with a description vastly diverging from Mr Herbert's accounts of… alleged vampires. In spite of Mr Cooper's insistence to the contrary, I am more so inclined to believe that this is, in fact, “a cruel prank made by a secondary schooler”. While we've successfully been able to contact Mr Cooper, he has declined to make any further comment. Then there's the matter of the pictures included in the statement’s file, three polaroid photographs taken from different angles, each one depicting Mr Cooper's right hand and forearm casting a shadow, which as he stated, fades away at the wrist. I must admit he's rather skilled at doctoring photos, I'm half inclined to believe they're genuine.

End recording.

[Tape recorder click]

___________________________________________

Thank you for reading! This is the first time I'm posting something I've written so I hope you enjoyed. Also I am American so please forgive anything that isn't Britain Accurate.

[author-a-holmes]

Writerly Questionaire (Tag Game)

@winglesswriter Thank you for the tag! (HERE) I'll leave a blank version of the questions beneath the cut at the end, and tagging forward, with no pressure, to;

@ashen-crest, @world-of-fire-and-flight-admin, @tisiphonewolfe

@talesfromaurea, @withlovelunette, @worldsfromhoney, and anyone else that wants to play, consider this an open tag <3

About Me

When did you first start writing ?

Blimey. I must have been... About seven years old. I'd briefly wanted to be a ballet dancer when I was about five. When I was six, I realised I'd never be able to dance professionally because I'd been born with congential talipes (aka Club feet), so I decided that I wanted to illustrate books. They were always my escape when I was in hospital, or after having an operation and was bed bound.

Eventually, I gave stick figures a bad name. Or maybe I just got old enough to realise that people wrote books, instead of them spawning into existence on the library shelves, but I tried writing my own stories instead, and kind of fell in love. Since then, I've never wanted to do anything else.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Maybe a little. I write what I enjoy reading, so in that sense no, not at all. But I'll also read wider than I'm willing to write. Mainly because I can check out a book I'm not sure of, or that's outside my usual tastes in a day or two.

If I try writing something outside of my favourite things, it's going to take months or my time, or I'm just not going to be invested enough in the themes or the genre, to make the end result good. I respect the craft too much to half-ass a story.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

I've never been compared to another writer, however there are writers I'd love to write more like. Tolkien, is an obvious answer, but I love the subtlety with which he writes his characters.

Another writer I'd love to write more like is @faelanvance. It seems a little trite to say it because she's my best friend, but genuinely, her descriptions and exposition and worldbuilding are so vividly vivacious, and I'm incredibly jealous of her ability to pain a scene with words.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

Oh god. In theory, I have a writing desk in my room, but I rarely write in there.

Most of the time, right now, I write on a laptop on the sofa in the living room. Before Covid, I would go out once a week to a local pub, or the local Mcdonalds, grab a table near a power outlet, and write all day, from arounf 10am to 6pm.But the pandemic interrupted that routine, and the price of everything has gone up so much I can't afford to spend all day buying coffee's or a plate of chips to nibble anymore.

Essentially, though, I'll write wherever I'm comfortable.

What's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Music. I have to have music playing while I'm writing. It blocked out all the other distracting sounds, but it also has to be the right music. I prefer music with lyrics, I know many authors don't, but even the lyrics themselves don't really matter because I tune them out. It's something about the rhythm or the pace of the song, that has to be right for the scene.

Or maybe it's the notes. If I writing a sad scene, it has to sound like a sad song, even if the lyrics make it an happy romance genre song. It's a weird thing to try and describe.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

You know, I don't know.

My gut instinct is to say no, mainly because I write fantasy and so I create pretty much everything I write from thin air... but at the same time, life experiances, including where and how you grew up, influence who you are, and who I am influences what and how I create.

So I suppose yes, but I wouldn't say it consciously influences my writing.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

I don't plan my themes in advance, so when I stumble across them they're always a little. Not surprising, per se, but interesting to me to see what my mind's settles on exploring.

"Finding your place in the world", is a common theme I find myself coming back to. Sometimes that includes found family elements, sometimes it's about accepting who you are and being happy with that. I come at it from different angles, but I think it's an important message to reinforce.

The other recuurring theme seems to be running. I've created two characters now, unintentionally, who deal with their problems by running. This one wasn't intentional, and did surprise me when it was pointed out to me, especially as running is something I'm incapable of doing. But maybe that's why it's a concept I keep coming back to.

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

My current favourite character is Stella Korazon from my novel Stolen. She's a thief in the world of Moryann, and a lot of fun to write and explore the world through the eyes of.

She's both naive, and world weary, and I enjoy exploring the duality of her character.

I wrote a post about her last week, if you want to know any more about her, and see some artwork I had comissioned of her and Reilly.

Which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

Quite a few of them probably, but the most likely is Andric Roche, for his calmness, and his patience. I'm a bit of an anxious mess, so I think Andric and I would get on well.

To pull me out of my shell though, and push my out of my comfort zone, probably Reilly Mosswolf. He's an extrovert, and outgoing, and I need that in my life.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

That's a tougher one. I rarely write a character I truly dislike. Even my "villians" have their own reasons and motivations. I think Indre Larieth, one of the side characters in Stolen is probably my best bet.

Mainly because I think our personalities would clash. She's naturally abrasive, and I don't handle that well. In addition, many of her motivations are fuelled by jealousy, and I struggle to understand or relate to that in real life. So I don't think we'd have any good starting point for a friendly relationship.

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

So, I don't like creating characters who are just there with no purpose. So the first thing I tend to do is look at the story I want to tell, and decide which roles I need filling.

Once I know a character's purpose, I can build out from there. I usually start with their parents, because how they were raised, and where they grew up, will influence the people they end up becoming... but I also know where I need them to end up, so I can craft their beginning to match what I need.

For example. Booker Reed, in the Fey Touched Trilogy, I knew I needed him to be quite good at the word play of the court fey. So even though he's adopted at seven, and raised by Lizzy's mum, Maddy, in the Outskirts, away from the fey court, his parents were diplomats to the fey court, and so for the first seven years of his life, he was immersed in that enviroment. It shaped him.

And he didn't lose those skills, because once he saw the way Lizzy was treated, as an outcast, he began using them to out-talk the fey who wanted to target Lizzy.

So he still has those skills, when I need them, for the plot points in the books. Just a small example, but that's usually how I build out most of my characters.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Not that I've noticed, although I sure there are some similarities. I like rooting for the underdog. I also enjoy morally grey characters, although I haven't truly delved into a TRUE morally grey character just yet.

I find the concept of doing the truly atrocious, for either the right reasons, and a reason that is justifiable to you, to be a wholly fascinating character study.

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc

I tend to picture them as whole people that I've imagined. I do, however, quite often grab a celebrity face claim. They're never 100% accurate, but they're a good visual reference point, and I sort of think of it as "If someone was going to play this character in a tv adaptation, who would I want to cast?"

So the celebrity face claim may not always be 100% accurate, but they're usually close enough for me to be content.

My Writing

What's your reason for writing?

I honestly can't imagine what my life would be like without it. It's a balm. It's an escape. It's fun. It's a hobby. It's a business venture. It's a way to explore a world of my own creation. I don't know. I don't know why I write, I only know I can't not write. It's my everything.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

While I don't know why I write, I do know why I share my writing, and it's to take someone on a journey.

I remember being stuck in hospital beds, unable to move, but a book could take me a billion miles away, or to a world that didn't exist, to meet creatures of myth and legend.

I want to give that escape, and that joy of discovery, to other people. So the best comment? Is when I can tell I've done that. It's not a specific set or words, or a particular phrase, but when I can read a comment or review, and tell that the person just enjoyed it, that they were able to escape to something fun, or my writing took them to a place that made them happy, that's everything.

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who "gets" the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

I want to be known as a writer, whose stories can take you on a journey, and return you home safe, and happier, than you were when you opened the cover. That's all I want. To share my worlds, and charaacters, and have people love them.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Characters. Character dynamics, Character development, Character ARC's. I put a lot of time into figuring out what a character might or might not do in a situation. To thinking about what they would notice, and what they wouldn't pay attention to.

Even if I, as the author, think there is a better choice, it comes down to whether it's logical or believeable, for the character to react in that way.

There's many things Lizzy does in Changeling that made me facepalm, but they make sense to her, and that's the most important part, imo.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

I don't get a lot of feedback, if I'm going to be honest. Most of the time, people will give me generalised feedback, that the work is good overall. Which is incredibly flattering, but doesn't help me answer a question like this. :D

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

I'm incredibly proud of my writing. I feel like it's constantly improving, and that I'm always learning more about not just the craft, but also my ability to implement the things I've learnt since the last time I picked up a pen, or sat at the keyboard.

It's a journey that never ends, and I wish I could live a hundred lifetimes just to keep writing more, crafting more, creating more.

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Yes. First, and foremost, I write for myself. I think, you have to because if you don't love writing, and you're not enjoying the writing you're creating, then there's no joy being infused into the work. I feel like it would become dry, and lifeless, and let's be honest, if you hate what you're doing, why are you doing it?

It's only when I've finished writing, and I begin to think about the publishing of the work, that I begin to look at it from the perspective of "Would others enjoy this?" because that's the editing stage for me. And if I'm at the end of the world, with no one left, then that stage is never going to come.

The first draft is telling the story to yourself. So of course, I'd still be writing if I was the last person alive. I'd probably be writing more.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it's a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I think I inadvertently answered this one in the last question. I write for me first and foremost. It's only when it comes to the second draft that I might begin tweaking things, but overall it's still written to cater to something I would enjoy reading.

There's going to be other people in the world who like what I like. That's a statistical inevitability. But if I try writing something I don't like, to cater to other people, then that boredom, or dislike, of the words I'm putting on paper is going to come through in the writing, and then no one is going to enjoy the finished product.

About Me

When did you first start writing ?

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

What's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc

My Writing

What's your reason for writing?

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who "gets" the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it's a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

[missn11]

Ship Meme time! Ryo/Akira :D :D :D

Ahhh the perfect ship to discuss after LaCroix/Nines!

Makes sense and compels me extremely! Why their relationship is quite a huge part of Devilman's plot, like how it went wouldn't have happened if not for Ryo falling in love with Akira! (honestly the end of humanity would've come sooner, so Ryo/Satan falling in love with Akira likely delayed the apocalypse by a while! XD)

Unlike LaCroix and Nines, (Talking about the manga version of them here.) Akira and Ryo were friends before everything went wrong and trusted each other so deeply, even to the point of being willing to go down to hell to together. They understand each other like no other, and would do anything for each other and that's what damns and saves them(in Violence Jack and Devilman Lady tho XD)

Akira willingly went through the Sabbath and became Devilman for Ryo (as well to save humanity but as we see later in the story humanity to Akira really includes the people he personally knows and loves) and Ryo/Satan has Amon merge with Akira to save him from the human apocalypse since Akira was the only human he could ever love. They both make the same mistakes in some ways, when Ryo/Satan fell in love with Akira he couldn't look outside of his hatred of humanity to consider that maybe if Akira was lovable to him then maybe not all of humanity is so bad. When Akira lost Miki and her family to the mob he couldn't look outside his hatred to see that maybe there were other humans that were like Miki who needed to be saved.

I honestly think Ryo fell in love with Akira because Akira was not only a kindred spirit but also showed him that he could live in peace, even if Satan didn't realise it at the time and that's why he is regretful at what he had done to Akira by merging with Amon. In a way he had started the progress that will make Akira mirror him in so many ways.

Despite their differences they understand each other even if they don't want to admit it and in a way they enable each other cause of it. Akira in my mind did come to hate humanity once he saw the evils they committed towards the devilmen and their own fellow humans in order to save themselves and that's why he was considering Ryo/Satan's offer to join him, because a part of him did a agree with Ryo on some level, but hated to ever admit it especially after Miki died. Like even tho Ryo was messy as fuck in trying to give his offer for Akira to join his side, the fact he thought it would work says a lot to me about how much he knew how Akira actually felt about humanity.

And despite all of the anger and hatred Akira had felt for Ryo towards the end of the manga in the sequels he still strives to either save Ryo(Violence Jack) or understand him, because he still loves him.(Devilman Lady manga)

And Ryo/Satan wants to understand/love humanity better through Akira's POV either by loving Miki like Akira had(Violence Jack) or taking on his role as Jun(Devilman Lady manga)

And imo in both Violence Jack and Devilman Lady they both save each other even if the journey is really rough and messy! XD

like I've said before their love damns and saves them in so many ways, they make each other both better and worse and the world(s) is never the same cause of it. Through love or hate they are drawn together and have a hard time being apart.

The fandom plays around this ship a lot and the best ways I've seen it be done is when its both a character and a relationship study where they understand how they can go towards war or peace together...

So yeah after all that waxing poetically again, they are very much OTP but I really like to ship them as a OT3 with Miki cause honestly I feel she is what is able to keep them together or break them apart...

So yeah, thank you so much for the ask on Ryokira, they always give me a lot to think about and I'll always have feels about them 😭😭😭

[sylvyspritii]

Why I'm Leaving Twitter and Joined a Better Website

This is a Tumblr version of the essay i wrote on why i am leaving Twitter, you can read the original version on Google Docs here: https://tinyurl.com/sylvybyemusky That's right, it's over, i've made my decision, you can read (the short version of) my full reasoning right here The original text will start now (keep in mind it won't be formatted correctly because Tumblr handles pasted text strangely):

Tl;dr: I will still keep my existing accounts and i will check my DM’s so that clients can still contact me easily and also to save my @ from being stolen I’m done with Twitter

Refresher: i am a professional freelance video game music composer, hobbyist artist, and hobbyist Vtuber Everyone has a limit to how much they are willing to tolerate before it becomes too much, before it starts breaking our principles Under the leadership of Elon Musk, we have seen Twitter be transformed from a flawed platform of the masses, to something that resembles a circus of incompetence, hatred, and untrustworthiness

I made my first Twitter account back in 2015, back then, it was important for every freelancer to have a Twitter account, because “everyone was there”, and it was an easy way for clients to contact us Eventually, i grew to around 2000 followers, and then i decided to delete my account in around 2020 because i was unhappy with the direction the website was going in I came back, because i noticed that people kept asking me to “come back to Twitter” Already back then, i started to dislike the platform a lot, i have multiple reasons for that

Reasons why i already disliked Twitter before Elon Musk

All your likes are public now, it didn’t used to be that way, so you can say your privacy goodbye, so if you liked some controversial tweets, even before this update went live, everyone can see it now, even if it was 5 years ago, all your like history is saved, nothing is private, and there is no option to make it private

Your following list is public, and this means that everyone can see who you follow, this is also terrible for privacy, and you can be judged depending on who you follow, this is very bad, especially if you have stalkers

Not only are the last 2 points a danger for freedom of speech, but they are also a danger to freedom of assembly, and freedom to learn, because it discourages people to connect with people that are “not acceptable”, this can reinforce prejudices and discourages people from learning about things outside of their comfort zone, in fear of being “found out”, for example, people discovering LGBT+ identities and wanting to follow people to learn more information about it, can now be stalked and discovered by their peers and parents, and even punished for it, but this also counts for politics, art, and many other things

It discourages straying away from “the norm”, because everyone can now judge who you follow, and what you like, so if you are interested in broadening your horizons, you always have to be aware that you can only follow and like “acceptable things”, this is especially bad for business as well, because it makes it so that your work and life balance is more difficult to separate if you accidentally liked some tweets 5 years ago when you were not a professional yet I have heard multiple stories from my friends and fellow freelancers that people have stalked their likes and who they follow, and have used it against them to judge them, this is not the type of behaviour i want a website to encourage, options should be given to users to make them decide for themselves 3. “Recent tweets from x”, a notification in your notification tab that is purely designed to keep you engaged on the platform, it is not a real notification, and you cannot disable it, because it is designed to be annoying, to keep you on the platform for as long as possible, to maximise potential ad revenue

4. The many “unwritten rules” of Twitter, for example, if you post a link or a hashtag in your tweet, then the tweet will get deboosted in the algorithm, this means that, for example, if you put a link to your music, your commission sheet, or your Twitch channel when you’re streaming in a tweet, the tweet will appear less in people’s feeds, even if they follow you (I have heard this often from people that followed me, “i missed your tweet about the stream even though i followed you”, it is very common)

5. Twitter is not a space for reasonable debate, the short tweets lack context, and therefore, are often spread into threads of multiple replies, but only 3 of these replies will appear on people’s feed, this means that a lot of the times, a lot of the context of a longer text is missing, because Twitter hides many of the tweets that are part of the text Not only that, but the fact that every tweet in the thread is separate, means that people can take some tweets out of context and quote retweet it to cherrypick a specific sentence to argue with to make themselves look better, this encourages constant negative engagement focused on “dunking” on people for likes, retweets, and more followers (clout), rather than reasonable debate and discussion This has affected politics as well, and it becomes very obvious to see how this benefits populist parties, who are focused on fearmongering and short, memorable quips, a platform that promotes dark patterns for optimising negative and shocking engagement (for ad revenue of course) benefits them, and does not benefit political arguments that require more nuance, this makes screaming and dunking matches on Twitter a chaotic circus

6. Twitter boosts negativity and shock to optimise engagement for ad revenue, it does so by constantly sharing “recommended tweets” in the timeline for you to engage with, and often, these tweets are negative, an argument, or a controversial opinion, it is often bait, whether the original poster knows it or not, their tweet is boosted in the algorithm in order to increase the amount of engagement it gets, this is to ensure that users stay on the website, or think about the tweet, because negativity often sticks more in people’s mind that positivity, this is a psychological trick to keep users thinking more about Twitter, and thus using Twitter more, and the goal of this strategy is simple; ad revenue, it’s all designed to show metrics to investors and ad companies, to show them how much people use Twitter, so they can justify receiving more and more money by exploiting the misery of others

There are many more reasons. And this is just the beginning, this was all before Elon Musk came to power I do not have faith in Elon Musk

I consider Elon Musk to be an irresponsible businessman, unfit for leadership He is unpredictable, sporadic, pushes his national, moral, and political values in his website, does not respect his employees (he fired 6000 employees, which were kicked off with no warning, leaving them vulnerable without a job), does not respect freedom of speech (it’s just a marketing term for him, he has been banning journalists left and right from the platform for criticising his decisions, and not just journalists, but normal users as well, even criticising Twitter Blue (Twitter’s new subscription service) is not allowed anymore), he is short-sighted, petty, transphobic (he refuses to support his own trans daughter, and even blames “neo-marxists at educational institutions” (a conservative national populist conspiracy) for making her transition), he is manipulative, a conspiracy theorist, NFT supporter, crypto supporter, untrustworthy, and a liar

I could go on, there are many more reasons why Elon Musk has lost my respect

If you’d like to read more about Elon Musk’s mistakes, i recommend reading these articles; https://www.freepress.net/blog/elon-musk-worlds-worst-businessman And this one is especially important for my fellow LGBT+ followers: https://www.them.us/story/elon-musk-pride-month-tweet-likes-anti-trans

I’d like to make it clear that my arguments here are in no way, shape, or form, meant to be political They are criticism of Twitter and Elon Musk, as a platform, and no matter where you belong on the political spectrum, the direction of Twitter has undeniably become more negative for almost everyone Making music is my job, i require clients and reach to do my job properly as a freelancer, and Twitter has become more and more of a platform that discourages that, both for users and businesses Just to make it extra clear just in case: i do not talk about politics or drama, i am merely sharing info

Elon Musk has automatically disabled DM’s for everyone, except if they are Twitter Blue subscribers Twitter Blue is a subscription service that directly supports Elon Musk I consider the people that subscribe to Twitter Blue to be a part of the problem, they willingly support the undeniable negative actions of Elon Musk, and i firmly believe that if you are currently a subscriber to Twitter Blue, you should consider ending your subscription, because Elon Musk does not deserve your money Elon Musk introduced a limit to the amount of tweets you are allowed to see per day, encouraging dark patterns of you coming back every day since that’s when your limit gets reset, this is to keep you addicted Elon Musk has changed the company name to X, resulting in multiple legal disputes, and a lot of confusion Elon Musk has supported racist and LGBT+phobic people and politicians And there is so much more I’m leaving

I am just done I am done tolerating all this madness just for my career I don’t want to be on a website that does not respect me, my mental health, or my career The only reason i am still on Twitter is because it is “required”, because “everyone is there” Twitter is popular, this means that for freelancers like me, it is expected of me to be there, and i cannot deny that a large part of my clients have approached me through my Twitter DM’s, rather than email (potential clients, if you’re reading this, consider emailing me! I check my email every day!)

Twitter has become a hostile and unsustainable environment, both for personal and for business reasons, and i am leaving By “leaving”, i do want to clarify that i will not delete my accounts, i will keep my accounts, but they will not be active anymore, they will serve as a way for clients to contact me through DM’s, but i will not be active anymore on all of my accounts (@sylvysprit @sylvyspritart @sylvyspritii)

Instead, you can find me on Cohost and Tumblr, 2 social media websites that i prefer over Twitter My Cohost can be found at https://cohost.org/sylvysprit My Tumblr can be found at https://www.tumblr.com/sylvysprit (I also have personal accounts there, you can find them pretty easily, but they are not meant for my casual music fans or clients)

I have many reasons why i like Cohost, i’d like to share a short post about why i have decided to subscribe to Cohost Plus, a subscription service to support Cohost’s development financially https://cohost.org/sylvyspritii/post/1763282-yeah-i-did-it

There are many more reasons why i like Cohost Cohost is a website that respects the privacy and mental health of its users, their principles are strong, and their leadership is transparent and easily contactable Twitter’s downfall is inevitable, and it is up to you to decide which platform deserves your attention and/or support, and personally, i do not believe that Threads or Bluesky will be better than Twitter, because they do not fix the inherent issues of Twitter regarding its algorithms, business model, or negativity spiral for engagement, and i do not have much faith in the Fediverse either, because it is too difficult to understand for the average user Tumblr is alright, it’s popular, and has a strong legacy and track-record, it’s still going strong in 2023, but they tend to make too many unexpected and unwanted changes (NOTE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE TUMBLR VERSION OF THIS POST: I'm talking about the 2018 stuff, if they can get that fixed, Tumblr will be the obvious winner in the War of Twitter Succession) Cohost is the platform i have decided is the most aligned with my desires for what a social media platform should be, so i have decided to support them

You can join Cohost right here: https://cohost.org I recommend reading the manifesto of the Cohost developers as well, so you can understand exactly what i mean when i am talking about the clear principles of Cohost as a platform: https://antisoftware.club/manifesto.html Cohost’s transparency regarding their finances is also something i respect: https://cohost.org/staff/tagged/financials

It’s up to you to decide which website you want to support, i am not forcing you to do anything, but i do hope that i have informed you properly about my decision to leave Twitter, and hopefully, you will consider joining other social media websites as well, it’s good to future-proof, in case things come crashing down

If you have come this far, then i’d like to thank you for taking your time to read this I wish you a very nice day, and the best of luck in your life

[raxistaicho]

The difference between invasions

This is a follow-up to yesterday’s post.

A good friend of mine and fellow Edelgard fan, Volossya, had quite a bit to say about people trying to compare Edelgard’s war to the one in Ukraine. I’m posting this with her permission:

(This is is from last May, as she references the then-recent fall of Mariupol.)

The thing is, what Putin is doing is not anything like what Edelgard is doing, other than being aggressive militarily. He's not even calling it a war!

Edelgard is attempting to overthrow a military theocracy and a system of oligarchs who hold all the power and can subject their serfs to any level of suffering with no accountability. Any idiot born into the correct position holds the power and the people's taxes are spent according to their whims - and thus often wasted on frivolities while people starve on the streets. That she needs to use a war to achieve change is tragic, but realistic given the forces at the disposal of the status quo. What is her other option? There is no democracy here. The people did not choose this - it is simply how it has always been.

Putin is launching a war that no one wanted in an effort to maintain his country's projection of power. He cares nothing for his own people and even less for the people of Ukraine, as is evidenced by the systematic leveling of cities and the brutalization of the civilian populace. The end result for any conquered regions is brutality against the civilians while Russia's oligarchs strip the region of all of its industry and resources, plundering it for their own gain. This is essentially the reestablishment of the very sort of governance that Edelgard is trying to remove!

Let alone the appalling equivocation of war with the systematic destruction of civilian populace that we are seeing in Ukraine. There are three times that civilian populaces are slaughtered in FE3H: Remire by TWSITD, Duscur by the Kingdom, and Fhirdiad by the Immaculate One. Edelgard never does anything that is a fraction of what Putin is getting up to. The people who do? Your precious Church and Kingdom.

As a last point? These people act as if - of course Ukraine would fight back this fiercely. As if that is inevitable. As much as it shames me to say, this isn't guaranteed. When Putin first moved troops into Donetsk and Luhansk, many Ukrainians welcomed them with open arms - because they thought that Russia would invest in the region, that it would improve their futures to be a part of Russia. This didn't happen - the regions were taken over by essentially local warlords who mistreated the civilian populace, random violence became common, and the Russians looted all of the wealth of the region they could and took it back to Russia. Ukrainians fled those regions to either Ukraine or into Russia proper, because their hopes and futures in occupied Donbas had died. Ukrainians outside those regions saw this fate, and saw the investments that the Ukrainian government put into their cities, and their determination to stay part of Ukraine solidified.

I could easily see a different path, where Putin had invested in Donetsk and Luhansk, and so Ukraine put up much less of a stiff resistance to being conquered. However, Putin's Russia, his complete lack of care for the people, his climate of robber barons, his social structure that is so similar to Faerghus and Liecester, backed by the corrupt Russian Orthodox Church that acts to validate him as the Church of Seiros does, made this impossible, and so he defaults to brute, overwhelming force.

All of this is to say, a lot of people choose what offers them hope and a better future. Edelgard could offer that, and actually cares about the people. I suspect far fewer serfs and peasants would be willing to fight and die for Faerghus than this person assumes.

And yes, I am Ukrainian, I can speak about this.

(As a final note, she wanted me to mention that “Volossya” means “hair” in Ukrainian.)

[jjdogasaur]

Prismatic War Chapter 1 - What's the Outside Like?

Alright because some people liked the prologue I am now going to post chapter 1.

Prologue here for anyone who wants to see it

It had been roughly 6 years since the Prism Gate and all brought into it had turned seemingly hostile, and the once peaceful Continent had almost completely changed from what it was known as. The castle that used to house exclusively young or caretaker monsters had turned into a large shelter known as the Safe Sound Shelter. A large wall had surrounded a relatively well-sized area around the castle, where the now abandoned Market and various monster huts lay. The Teleporter had been shut down and barricaded with electric gates, as to prevent anything from leaving or entering. Outside of the very little area that hadn’t been already walled in, there were small huts, which were unfortunately empty. 

Here, a Kayna was wandering. Her name was Ashlyn, daydreaming about whatever would enter her mind about the world outside of. What the Outer Islands were like, the possibility of new monsters she never met before, but most of all, learning about what The Continent is like outside of the little area she is confined to. Today, she knew she was about to see the monster world for herself! But first, she had to get some equipment. She skipped over to the monster managing the gate and battlers, Sir Conberg the Shellbeat. 

“Sir Conberg, am I old enough to go out now? It looks so peaceful out, and I’ve been dreaming of exploring The Continent for so long!” Ashlyn excitedly requested. Conberg however, appeared to care less, not even glancing at Ashlyn, while being practically glued to his paperwork. “Uh… Yes, yes, you can go if you have equipment. Talk to Dr. Grove or what his name is, he’ll give you some. Now can you leave me to my work?”

 Ashlyn ran her way to Dr. Grooph’s lab, where he was building a new contraption. This was about to be the best day of her life! Mr. Grooph was always nice to her, allowing her to ramble on and on about her fantasies of the Continent’s outside.

“Oh, Mr. Grooph! Are you done with that new contraption? Sir Conberg said that I needed equipment before I could go outside!” The Deedge known as Dr. Grooph, who had constructed a device for ease of transportation and obtaining objects from high places, had been alerted to Ashlyn’s presence. Unlike Conberg however, who shoved her off, Grooph seemed rather pleased to see her. As he approached Ashlyn with an intellectual glimmer in his eye. He knew that Ashlyn would be more than willing to test his new machine.

“Ah, Ashlyn, darling, has Conberg finally made up his mind on whether you’re mature enough to enter the outside world?”

“Yes, Mr. Grooph! But first, he told me I needed some equipment, in case a Prismatic jumps out and attacks me!” Dr. Grooph smiled and revealed his new machine, the Teleprism.

“Isn’t it splendid? This new invention is capable of automatically teleporting incapacitated Prismatics to my laboratory’s holding area. Here, I can now administer my treatment, freeing their minds of the Gate’s influence, and allow them to somewhat revert to their original form if so desired.” Ashlyn was absolutely amazed just hearing the capabilities! She just had to see it for herself, and even tell her fellow monster friends!

“Wow!! We should tell General Entman about this, it could help us succeed!” Grooph had grimaced at that statement, before sighing and handing the Teleprism to Ashlyn.

“Your hopes are too high when it comes to that old stump, Ashlyn. You must keep my Prismatic Treatment projects a secret from him. You may not accept it now, but you will soon learn that he is not what the posters say he is.”

[luesmainblog]

yknow what i've got thoughts on this, actually I have been in a number of fandoms where there WAS no source material. not really. Goncharov is the most obvious example, of course, but there's also Lost Media fandoms - people who become obsessed over what little information we have on something. Go For A Punch/Saki Sanobashi comes to mind(don't look up if you're not a fan of guro). the anime may well not even exist, yet you'll find plenty of fanart for it, people who honest to god care about it. then there was Fanpro, a social experiment to see if you could form an entire fandom with JUST character designs, no names(outside of designated numbers) or information or anything else. The answer was yes. fanpro grew to be pretty popular among tumblr, and you can STILL find people participating in it to this day. Then we got even weirded with Fandomstuck. Now there was some actual expected context; Homestuck, and Hetalia. see, the entire thing was based around Homestuck in artstyle and general vibe, but the idea of a single person who Represented a people - in this case, a fandom - was born from hetalia, where there are people who represent an entire country. But the concepts were easy enough to grip; i can almost guarantee that there were active members of the Fandomstuck fandom who hadn't ever TOUCHED homestuck, and were going off of pure vibes. One of my current fixations is very similar. Sakura Clicker, as an idle game, has no real story; just a bunch of character designs and some basic mechanics. and yet, i want to expand it so so bad. i want to Know them! But alright, how about the real meat of this. Can you be an active fan of something you haven't actually see, that HAS something to be seen? well, let's see. One of my first ever experiences with fandoms-in-law was Doctor Who. due to the inability to watch the original series and no good place to pirate live action shows, I never did get into it. But it was all over my dash, and it was CONSTANTLY being crossed over with MLP - my fandom of choice at the time. Nearly everything I learned about Doctor Who, I learned from pony crossovers. and I loved it. but i never called myself a fan, because i haven't actually seen it.

My girlfriend is a more direct case. For a NUMBER of reasons, she really can't sit through South Park - it's too full of things that disturb and upset her. And yet, when I liveblog parts that are safe for her, she enjoys it. She appreciates the characters with me; she remembers things about it and happily engages me when she comes across memes for it. I don't know if she'd call herself a fan or not; i doubt it. but then.... then there's my boyfriend.

My boyfriend(we're poly) is a fellow lover of dark media, so when i got into Fear and Hunger, I of course talked to him about it. and he got pretty into it! ... but he can't really play or watch it himself, because of some pretty severe phobias around mold and parasites - both of which appear constantly in the game. But through my filtering - through sharing what i CAN share with him, and offering the wiki to delve through, and being willing to play the game into areas he's curious about - through that, he's become a member of the fandom. for a game he can't play, and can't watch playthroughs of.

it IS a baffling thing on the face of it. why would you get into the fandom for something you've not actually witnessed yourself? but... there are situations where it makes sense. where friends who HAVE seen it can act as a filter and information source. and you SHOULD always acknowledge that you haven't actually played the game, or watched the show, or read the book. but if the fanfic's accurate, how much does that really matter?

turning this into a poll because i am just so beyond baffled right now.

[allaboutrisha]

Blog Entry: Reflective Essay

Experience Being A Senior High School Student

A Thrilling Road and Unexpected Experiences

Senior high school is an overwhelming and tough journey for me. Entering senior high school made me show off my alter ego because I had always considered myself as an introvert, but my entire personality changed when I started 11th grade. It was difficult for me to make the change from online to face-to-face classes because I needed to make adjustments, and I have become uncomfortable interacting with other people as a result of the pandemic. I was feeling anxious and nervous at first because it was the beginning of my new journey. Due to my lack of confidence, I was hesitant to interact with my classmates, but my classmates and teachers were all approachable, which was beneficial because it boosted my confidence to socialize, and little did they know they had taught me how to interact. I am proud of myself for changing from introvert to extrovert. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and started exploring my senior high school journey. I thoroughly enjoyed my 11th grade experiences because I made friends and a circle of people who have always been there for me until now, which is the most memorable moment because I am aware that I have improved myself and made friends despite the fact that it was difficult for me to interact with them at first. I am looking forward to and excited about the new experiences and challenges in 12th grade.

The first few months as a senior high school student were challenging and exhausting. I suffered from depression, anxiety, and sleeping disorders in 11th grade, and there was a reason for all of this. It happened to me as a result of culture shock; for the reason that this is a new school and new environment, I have quite a lot of adjustments to make. I constantly imagined that senior high school was all about having fun and making new friends, but what I imagined was very different from what I encountered. In my first year, I was sexually harassed. It was a traumatic experience that had a significant impact on my life. Despite a few negative memories, I have a lot of happy memories—happy memories that I will constantly return to, willing to do anything just to go back to those memories again. My positive, good, and happy moments include making new friends, interacting with teachers, and bonding with my fellow students after class. With the help of those memories, I was able to grow as an individual and show my alter ego. Lastly, there was an unforgettable experience that completely ruined me, I was removed from the honor list in the 4th quarter as a result of my actions. I felt unfairly treated because I was the only student on the honor list and my classmates were not. All of my hard work and sleepless nights have been for naught because of a single mistake. The consequences are unjust to me, but I cannot change the decision that was made. What happened to me was that I learned that you should always consider the possible outcome before doing anything. I admitted the mistake I made, and I am still gradually recovering from what has happened.

In conclusion, I have learned that now that I am in the 12th grade, it is important to me to focus on my studies seriously. I will grab all the opportunities to attend and participate in various activities and extracurriculars that will help me grow as an individual and student. As I approach my freshman year of college, I must also maintain my academic activity, which will be the most challenging for me, but even as I focus on my studies seriously, I know that I must keep in mind that I have a life to live. I will allow myself to experience new things, as long as I do not forget my responsibilities and my limitations. Aside from that, I am well aware that there is certainly nothing wrong with exploring my whole life; however, I must remember that I must not immediately put my faith in others once more, regardless of whether they are generous to me, due to certain individuals who have taken advantage of my trust and used me for their own gain. Therefore, before settling on a decision, I should carefully consider all possible outcomes, since a few decisions are simply unworthy of my consideration. Furthermore, I realized that not all of our life experiences will turn out positive; there will be negative ones that will teach me how to grow as a student and as a person. Every single one of my experiences serves as knowledge for me—knowledge that will show me how to persevere and thrive in the face of hard times. I will always appreciate all of the wonderful moments I have had and make more so that I will never forget about them. I am looking forward to a variety of experiences, new friends, unforgettable experiences, and opportunities since I am in the 12th grade.

[orcaofmyheart99]

Chaos at the Theatre (Our Lord and Savior Rick Astley)

Suddenly as the patrons all exited the theatre, a giant silver spaceship descended. The emotions people were feeling or of utter fear and delight. The ramp of the spaceship opened to reveal none other than super star Rick Astley. How did this come about? What had humanity done to deserve this? Rick walked down the ramp, surveying his subjects. His wildest dreams were finally coming true. He was finally going to conquer humanity. As Rick began to walk around people were both running and bowing to their overlord. Alex and his friends quickly decided that they needed to join forces and oppose Rick Astley. “Everyone who does not accept Rick Astley as their new Lord and Savior get back into the theatre!” Alex shouted out. Most of the people walked back into the theatre. Those who remained outside joined forces with Rick Astley and his reign. They would chart a new course in history.

Alex got up on the stage and addressed the remaining crowd. “Alright, Rick Astley has finally descended to Earth. From the ancient teachings we can only assume he is here to cause chaos. Fellow resisters, we must rise up. Join me, now as we fight for our freedom, nay our very lives” The newsies came out

“Hey yous guys, I’m Jack Kelly. I faced Sniper and I can help fight back against Rick. Me and the other newsies can spread the word about our new Lord and Savior. We will win” “I’m Kathrine Plummer. I can write an article to alert humanity to this new terrifying yet fantastical and magical threat” Jack called out “You coming with me Davey” “Of course. I will always be by your side even if it includes rising up against Rick Astley” “Race, Albert, Specs, Crutchie, Spot, Les come on, we have news to spread” The newsie ran off “Be safe” Elizabeth Schuyer called after them

Gilfoyle and Dinesh raised their hands “We are good at coding” Dinesh explained “We can make sure that Rick Astley doesn’t try to take down the internet” Gilfoyle added Alex nodded

Rafael Barba and Sonny Carisi volunteered next “We are lawyers. If Rick breaks any laws, we will be there to enforce them” Rafa said “I was a former NYPD detective so I have connections with law enforcement” Sonny stated “Great. I am sure the power of Rick Astley will soon be spreading to America as well. I have no idea what the future will hold, but it is up to us to shape it” Alex agreed.

Crowley and Aziraphale and also joined some of the crowd back in the theatre. They looked at each other Aziraphale whispered to Crowley “Did Hell plan this?” Crowley shook his head “No one, Heaven nor Hell, wields this kind of power so great as to conquer all of mankind” Aziraphale said “maybe we could try a little miracle, just to stall the all powerful Rick Astley?” Crowley nodded in agreement. They both closed their eyes, willing their powers to take effect and slow the Rick Roll. Tightly holding each others hands they murmed “save humanity, save us all” However, it was too late. Rick Astley was too powerful to be stopped now. His power was even moving to the music scene now. What had only hours before been Maneskin’s new song, Honey, are you coming? Was now changed to Rick, are you coming?” A plan on how to destroy Rick was put into action. People ran out of the theatre, spreading the word, gathering supplies and weapons. Alex, flanked by his friends, bravely walked up to Rick Astley who was still standing outside of his spaceship. He was explaining to his subjects what his rule would mean and how he was their Lord and Savoir while very loudly playing Never Gonnna Give You Up”

“Hey Astley” Alex yelled out Rick turned and looked at Alex. “I don’t fully understand your powers, but you need to leave. Stop this chaos and nonsense.” “I will never stop. I am never gonna give up. I have come to rule all of humanity and make it for the better. My reign of terror will look favorabley upon those who follow me. Those who do not accept me as their Lord and Savior will face severe consequences.” Rick stated darkly, with an evil smile on his face. Even Crowley felt a tinge of fear upon hearing this message. “How about this? Whoever does a better rap wins. If I win, then you must leave and never return. If you win, you will rule all of humanity.” Rick Astley shrugged. “Sounds fair enough. I’ll start” After Rick finished his verses, Alex went. The crowd cheered for Alex as he finished with “Ghastley Astley”

Rick Astley looked dismayed. Ale had clearly won. His plan for world domination was vanquished before his very eyes. All those years up in space on planet NGGYU had unfortunately not paid off. He planned it out all so carefully, yet he had not realized just how much his reign might be resisted. Humanity had wronged him once more. He was going to have to give up. Rick waved a final goodbye as he walked back into this silver spaceship. “This is goodbye for now humanity. Just be warned. This is only a fraction of what I am capable of. I will return” With that the spaceship flew off. People were both thankful and saddened at Rick’s leaving.

Crowley took Aziraphale in his arms. “I’m glad everything is ok” Aziraphale said as they parted “Me too” Crowley smiled Rafael and Sonny headed to the airport. This was a trip they would always remember both fondly and fearfully. Alex was hugged by his friends. He was eager to brag to Jefferson about how he defeated Rick Astley. Jack and the other newsies gathered at a local deli to go over the events. Kathrine published an article the next day detailing the rise and fall of Rick Astley. Davey held Jack’s hand as they read the article together. Race smoked his cigar laughing at how much Davey and Jack were clearly in love.

Everything ended well, given the recent circumstances. There are some believers out there who accept Rick Astley as their Lord and Savior. Do you?

[skztea]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Imagines: How would SKZ members show their relationship to public with you being a singer -> req by lovely anon!

✦ bang chan

-> Imagine: chan mentioning you in his usual vlive as the fans are asking the relationship between both of you

• “Channie! How is your relationship with y/n now?” Chan read out the question sent by a stay through the vlive live chat section. “Ahhh, thanks for asking! I’ve been doing great with y/n, she has been really busy these days for her comeback, have you guys seen the newly released poster?” His smile went from ears to ears when he talked about, busy scrolling for pictures on the social media to find the poster that your instagram has published minutes earlier. Often times there will be stays asking about both of your relationship and they are very supportive about it. Initially you were very worried that you will get bashed for dating the leader but surprisingly, many fans from both sides were very either excited or already shipped both of you long time back since a collaboration you had with him.

• The first time you met him was 2 years back and he was still in the midst of climbing to become the top 4th generation boy group with his fellow members. You debuted around the same period as him, so it is inevitable to not see each other during promotion period and both started talking more. He has always been that super respectful and well-mannered man who treats people with much courteousy, but oblivious to how he always pays extra attention since he had a crush on you. “Y/n, can-can-can i have your phone number?” You remembered how he stood outside your holding room sheepishly, handing out his phone before your promotion ends on that day. “Of course!” You chuckled at his innocent behaviour and gave him your number, kickstarting the beginning of your ties with him.

• Whenever you encounter any issues during the process of producing your songs — yes, you write, compose, produce your own songs from scratch, you would always either text or call him to seek for advice and he is very willing to assist you. You thought he helped out of friendship but later when you dated him then you knew that he had been eyeing you since the first month of knowing you and he wanted to provide as much assistance as he can. You felt touched whenever he comes to rescue you at your worst state, sheltering you from the darkness you faced in your singer life and hugging you tight when you are in corners. You were supposed to debut with a group but it ended up getting disbanded, so you had to tank the road your own. Despite having a good team behind you, but you clearly knew that there isn’t really someone you can trust in the industry until Chan appeared.

• His existence made you understand that there are still people who genuinely want to be friends within the entertainment industry and that love still exists. There were many scandals that pushed you further from seeking a partner within the same field but thanks to Chan, he exposed you to the humane side of world and engulfed you in his own warmth. That collaboration both of you did is a major booster for both of you to get close and for the public to acknowledge how both of you will look great if you guys are a pair. Fortunately, fans were cheering in Chan’s vlive when he confessed he was in a relationship with you and he hoped to get blessings all around the world.

• “Y/n is a really really wonderful woman, songwriter, composer, producer, girlfriend, anything you would label her. Her perseverance towards her dream and career has never been swayed, which made me admire her alot. Even though we debutted around the same time, but i have so much to learn from her and im thankful that we are together. Im really happy to see stays and other fans supporting our relationship and we will last long!” He giggled and rub his nose shyly as he looked into the camera, emphasising his stand once again to the whole world while looking at you standing by the door, smiling blissfully at how loved he felt from his best friends, which are stays, and the love of his life centimetres away from him. “Am i right babe?” He cooed from his seat as the chat section exploded, swooning at how cute Chan called you and his lovely gazes that contains only you.

✦ minho

-> Imagine: minho mentioning you in his recent magazine interview about how he met and started a relationship with you

• “Hi Lee Know-ssi, thank you for taking your time out to join me in this interview, before we start, would it be okay if you share with us some insight of your relationship with singer y/n-ssi?” The interview sitting opposite the idol asked, hoping that she will not get dissed by him because she felt intimidated by his image. “Oh yea sure… how i met y/n was there was one night i was strolling along the park and my cat went missing. She was the one who found it and brought it back to me, then we recognised each other and started talking since that day,” he chuckled softly when he recalled the first encounter with you, shying at how he is spilling the tea infront of the net. “I see, that was a really cute encounter! How did you guys progress since then?”

• ‘Lee Know’ this name has always sounded scary to you. You only met him a few times on music shows and conversed a little, but the first impression you had of him was — cold. Neither does he has a smile or laugh on his face often, so he always send shivers down peoples’ spine when he stood metres away from you. You were friends with a few of his other members, but the hardest one to get close to is him. He definitely does not wish to portray in that way but, it’s just him. Having a cold image doesn’t mean he has a cold heart as well. The whole ‘i found your cat’ incident caused your impression of him to take a 180 degrees u-turn when you saw that warm smile on his face, making your heard pound as you gaze on him more. Likewise for him, he has never been this interest in a solo female singer until he heard your angelic voice broadcasted for your comeback, sending strong signals to him that probably you are the one he wants.

• “I started the initiation haha… doesn’t really seem like my style but i just really wanted to know about her more… like i don’t know how to say, i just want to be around her and see her often,” Minho’s lips curled up when he remembered how he texted you often in the day and night, trying to stay close to your circle. “What was her response then?” Your curiosity of this guy increased tremendously after that night and you started to search through his profile, videos, short clips of his dances and you had to admit that he is very handsome and talented. Maybe people just misunderstood that he is a cold guy? Both of you started to text regularly at night and sometimes calling till both fell asleep. It has become a routine for both of you no matter how busy you guys are. Although he doesn’t express much love verbally, but you knew from his gazes on you and the things he did for you explains all — he always cheers for you whenever you had a comeback, buying your favourite food and treats your whole team, spending nights in the recording room with you to crack brains together, giving you advices from time to time and watching your growth etc. He never fails to stay by your side when you are down, even if he is miles apart.

• “She was… very cute. At the beginning she was abit stunned when i started to talk to her alot, but i can see she was very genuine with her replies. Even though she is a very successful soloist, she is never arrogant about her accomplishments but humbly accept peoples’ advices and constantly improving herself,” minho regained his composure as he replied calmly. It is totally understandable that he isn’t someone who is very expressive, so you wouldn’t force him to say cringy things or do cringy stuff to you because you don’t prefer that too. However, whenever he initiates physical contact with you, you know that he loves you alot and he is never afraid of people denying his relationship. “I choose who i want to be with, no one can stop me,” he would always whisper into your ears before you could bring up your insecurities. He only shows his vulnerable side when he is with you which you appreciates because both of you are artists, so both are able to empathise and give each other shoulders to lean on.

• “How long have the both of you been dating?” the interviewer throw her last question before moving to the next segment. “We have been together since i debutted actually, but we only revealed last year,” he awkwardly scratched the nape of his neck, still emitting his masculine energy through the well-matched clothes he was assigned to wear for the magazine. “She was more worried if the public was able to accept it, but i told her that as long as we stay close and true to one another, it doesn’t matter about what others think.” He further added on that got the interviewer and cameraman mouth agaped. It is rare to see idols who are not afraid of how the media will perceive the relationships as there will be much negative impact of the exposure as well. Stays were very rational and supportive of both relationship so that’s a bonus. “Will you plan to marry her?” The interviewer was hoping to trip the latter so that she is able to write more articles about the response, but she got a cultural shock when hearing his reply, “we are engaged.” He’s not scared at all. Why should he be scared to choose, reveal, marry someone he loves with his whole heart?

✦ changbin

-> Imagine: changbin and seungmin were talking about you in 2 kids room

• “Hey changbin hyung!” Seungmin patted the vacant seat beside him, beckoning him to go over to his side. “Ahhh it’s been long since we sat together and chatted like this,” he grabbed one of the bread placed on the table, munching deliciously while waiting for the younger one to continue. “Right… ever since we moved to the new dorm we didn’t interact as often as before, of course we still do but the frequency decreased slightly…” Seungmin laughed as he reminiscenced the older days where 8 of them are still living together, but now each of them has their own rooms. “Hyung, i realised you changed.” The older one raised one of his eyebrows, questioning “what do you mean?” “Like, ever since you got together with y/n, you became more meticulous and patient,” seungmin took a sip of his drink, supporting his head with one of his hands and lean against the couch.

• He is right. Changbin reflected abit and recalled how he used to be quick-tempered and loud, but he started toning down alot after he met you. At the start when he told the rest that he has a crush on you, all of them were taken aback and denied how his temparament wouldn’t suit a soloist like you. You are like the extreme opposite if him — gentle, soft, sings melodic songs, just like an angel. Changbin is like a devil who raps in usain bolt speed, loud, noisy etc. He used to be someone who was carefree and mind his own business, but after liking you, he felt the need to improvise his personality. “It’s okay bin, just be the way you are,” you always reassured him when both of you hang out in your studio, but he always ended up weeping in your arms saying how people despise the relationship both of you had.

• “Yea, because of her, i can be who i am today,” he chuckled lightly as he dart his eyes back to seungmin, earning a nod from him. “I remembered how everyone said that both of you don’t match but it surprisingly turned out well, im very happy to see that and your growth hyung,” the younger one flashed a warm smile at the shy older brother now who turned his face away, trying to hide his grin. “I mean, now to think back i can understand why all of you said we don’t match, but because of her i changed for the better. She taught me how to stand in other perspectives to see things and how i can be more flexible in my thinking, which is why i insisted in this relationship.”

• “I really see that hyung, i have never seen you being so determined to change for someone you love, not even us, i guess that’s the power of love,” Seungmin giggled at the lovesick boy now who is shooting finger hearts to the camera, transmitting his love to you. Changbin is very proud to have you as his girlfriend and his featured artist in his works. There were many cross collaborations between the both of you — where you sang and he raps which earned millions of viewers in a day and many of them commented how unique to have this pair making pieces of music. Netizens never thought of this duo will actually create many sparks and they are satisfied with the outcome.

• “People always say unlike poles attract, i guess that applies to me and y/n. We are 2 persons who are vastly different in personalities but we are able to support each other closely, that’s all it matters,” changbin letted out a heartfelt laughter, fiddling with the promise ring he gave you and himself on his middle finger. “I am sure that stays will respect and understand every decision i make. It is hard for one to find their partners, not to mention soulmate. Meeting y/n was like fate and im happy being with her. I hope that our stays will support her alot as well and appreciate her beauty. Her comeback is next week! Please listen well~” He ended off the chat with seungmin by promoting your comeback, pink bubbles filled around the mascular guy as the younger one judged him playfully.

✦ hyunjin

-> Imagine: Hyunjin was having his dance vlive and fans started asking about his dating rumour, and he finally confessed that he has been dating you all this while

• “Play with fire? Motley crew? Which one?” The guy who is the centre of attention everywhere he goes is panting infront of the camera, fingers brushing against his lips as he bite onto the lower one, getting the chat section exploding and lagging. Stays were supposed to answer which song he should dance to next but it was filled with questions about his rumour. “Hyunjinnie, can you explain to us, what is going on between you and aespa Karina?” He had no choice but to answer them as it was already all around the screen. He sighed and paused the background music, coming back to sit infront of the cameras while having you sitting behind them. The viewers never knew that you have been around all this time and to be honest, you were slightly nervous about his upcoming explanation and if you are prepared to expose the secret relationship both of you have been hiding for 3 years.

• “First of all, i want to reemphasise that there is absolutely, totally, nothing going on between me and Karina. The wallpaper was a drawing of mine, and i remember sending or posting them before on the net. Secondly, i already have someone i like,” he sighed at how he is unable to hide the fact anymore because there were people speculating if he is dating and some pictures were taken, and he felt that it’s better to come honest than to keep it away further. You were already more or less prepared for it, but unsure how the public will react to the news. “Mwo? Hyunjin oppa has a crush already?” Comments like that started to stream in and bombed the whole vlive, waiting for him to confess more. “I don’t want to keep this any further but yes, i’ve been liking y/n for awhile- not awhile, very long,” he brushed his damp hair to the back, nervously tapping his leg as he read the comments. “Wait wait wait! Y/n?! You mean the angelic voice y/n? Holy shit she’s so pretty and talented!” “Omg Hyunjin oppa likes y/n?! I’ve been shipping them since day 1 when they were in high school!”

• Why high school? You used to be in the same facaulty and class as Hyunjin — practical dance. You used to be a trainee in JYP as well and both of you were tablemates, so there isn’t a time both of you were not together and the feelings rised exponentially and started dating since he debutted. Both of you kept it away from the light very well as both felt that there isn’t a need to announce to the whole world unless needed. Staying lowkey behind the stages gives more private space for both of you and both didn’t want any war happening between both fandoms which affects their reputation as well. Surprisingly, stays in the comments were all praising how awesome you were and they have been shipping both of you since long time ago, and they are excited to see both of you in the same frame.

• “Stays, it seems like you guys are very very excited about my relationship haha,” the latter laughed while scrolling at the comments, while you were trying to stifle your laughter from his reactions as you didn’t want to expose your existence then. “Y/n, do you want to say hi?” Your mind went blank. Eyes widening, you whispered shout at him for being crazy and cueing you in the middle of a live and it wasn’t even supposed to happen. He reassured you multiple times and said it’s safe because he got his manager’s approval, then you slowly make your way to sit beside him. “Hello everyone, im y/n,” you bowed slightly which you don’t even know why because it feels like a parent-teacher meeting and the chat section really exploded. “Omg they look so good together please ACKNOWLEDGE!” “Jesus these 2 visuals is SUPER AWESOME!” And many more fascinating comments coming in. Your initial palpitating heart gradually subsided as you saw many positive comments, relaxing your muscles as the guy beside held you close.

• Hyunjin snaked his hands around your waist while pampering you with kisses, smirking at how the hearts are popping everywhere in the screen as he nibbed your earlobe, “how about you sing and i dance?” He swiftly get up on his legs back went back to warm up, leaving you alone awkwardly hosting the live. “So our dear dance king here wanted me to sing and he will dance, stays how about you guys recommend me a song?” You are impressed at your last minute hosting skills and started interacting with his fans, heart warm at how stays are so welcoming and interactive with her. The live went on for about 2 hours before both of you bid goodbye, receiving all the wishes from them to last long and more exposures of you 2 on stage or public.

✦ jisung

-> Imagine: You were doing your vlive and Jisung decided to pop in from behind to join you as special guest, as well as breaking the news of your relationship with him.

• “Hi my lovelies! Thank you for joining me in my weekly live, today i will be covering songs, so would you guys like to send me a playlist? I’ll select and sing,” you lightly adjusted your bangs as you sat infront of your ipad, scrolling through the comments and you saw many requests on ‘winter falls by skz’. “Are you guys stays? There are so many requests on skz songs!” Your boyfriend sitting beside you quietly had his ears up, chuckling softly at how your fans are also his fans. “Skz has great songs! Especially they are written by 3racha~” you read the comments and giggled, commenting at how cute your fans are as you agreed to sing them.

• Jisung who is casually sitting by your side playing his game paused in his actions when he heard your vocals. He isn’t someone who will leave the game halfway, but your vocals are too attractive that he putted down everything in his hand to admire those gifted voice of yours. One hand on his head, he tilted sideways to appreciate your singing and smiled victorically at how you covered the song perfectly. He started clapping loudly which gave you a shock, later him gently rolling his chair to your side and waved at the screen. “Annyeong! Y/n’s vocals were heavenly isn’t it? She covered it so well!” There was no single tinge of awkwardness or shyness as he spoke to the screen and remained calm when the chat section went crazy, surprised at how he was beside you all the time.

• “Yah! What are you doing?!” Your hands shoved him away on the undertable but he grapsed it, patting on the back of your palms and whispered “it’s okay”. “I know that you guys are shock why am i here, but that’s not the main point here now. I hope that you guys will really appreciate y/n’s vocals and constantly support her. She has been really hardworking and tough whenever she face obstacles because she wants to become a singer. I feel that everyone should understand it doesn’t take days for her, or me to become who we are, but because having you guys keep us motivated. That’s all i wanna say and i hope you guys love her alot!” Jaw dropped, your gaze was fixated on him all the time as he actively promote you on your vlive. Firstly, you were shock because he decided to just expose himself, and you so casually without planning. Secondly, he has never been this serious before and you felt like you knew him all over again.

• “If you guys have any burning questions can ask in my next vlive, but for now please put your 101% attention on my princess here thank you,” he gently ruffled your hair infront of the camera, gaining thousands of swoons behind the screens of many fans as they absorbed the whole view of both of you interacting. It was shocking to know both of you have been dating but his boyfriend-ish behaviour shoots thousands and millions of peoples’ hearts. You decided to swallow down your questions for him and finished the live, later pinning him down on the bed as you interrogate him.

• “Why did you do all that without discussing with me? We didn’t even plan to reveal our relationship at all and you just- urgh, what if people started bashing us? Our careers are gone!” You frustratedly combed your hair as he pulled you by the waist to reduce the distance, uttering under his breath like a child, “y/n, i don’t care about what others think, i care about us… there will be people who support or not, but i wish those people who support me, you or us will love us the way we are… i was admiring your voice just now and i felt like ‘i really need to tell the world how beautiful and gifted you are’ because you are my muse.” He snuggled more along your stomach, planting kisses on them through your layer of shirt. Your worries are long gone as you accepted his point of view, hugging him tighter to your body and soothing his back.

✦ felix

-> Imagine: It was Valentines Day and Felix invited you to do a tiktok video together. You thought it was for personal use only but he ended up publishing in the skz account, earning everyone’s attention on this couple.

• “Pleaseeee, just do it with me babe,” your boyfriend almost went down on his knees as he begged you to do a tiktok video with him in your holding room. You really hated doing tiktoks but for the sake of him, you decided to close one eye and entertain the poor boy shaming himself infront of your crew. “Arraseo, i’ll entertain this time round only, can you don’t post it though?” You softened your gaze as you saw his sparkling eyes, lips curling when he heard you agreed to it. “Personal use, personal use,” he assured you without a second thought before pulling your hand to one corner, teaching you what to do.

• After a few attempts, both of you managed to get the final video done and you admitted that tiktok isn’t as annoying as you thought, so you became more receptive to do it. He asked you many times before but since today is valentines day, you just gave in and tries something he likes to do and you did enjoy it. However, after you finished your recording of performance, your manager came over to you and said “you are viral on tiktok now, with felix.” You thought thunder just strike right infront of you as you were stunned, flustering at how the outcome will be. “Yah! Why did you post it?” You ran over to skz room, seeing felix sitting in one corner chatting with other members. He stood up and guide you in, calming you from your anxiousness.

• “I just wanted people to see how matchy we are. It’s valentines and i want to share my happiness with stays and everyone! Hey alot of stays actually fan over you alot! They would love to see more collabs between us or even more than that, you don’t have to worry about anything,” his hands laced over yours, rubbing soothing circles as you mouthed a ‘really’. You were worried if people were opposing against both of you, but as you looked through the comments section, they were mostly positive and you felt bad for being rude to him earlier. “Hey sorry, i was just worried, and afraid, like i felt like i am not on par with you? Like you see, you are a member of a boy group and im a soloist, it doesn’t really match like you get what i mean-“

• “I understand, i understand babe… but hey, please don’t look down or distance yourself from us. We are all artists no matter we are in a group or solo. You have wonderful voice, perfect visuals, beautiful personality that the public should love! I’m always here for you like i always do and i want you to have more faith in yourself and our relationship, okay?” He cooed you softly as he pulled you into his embrace, hushing you from tearing up. He understood your concern of the barrier between the identities but he is certain that the fans will understand and wish both of you the best and stay strong together. The other members took the cue to leave the room quietly, giving some personal space for both of you to talk.

• Getting together with felix isn’t easy. He may seem like a tough and cool guy on the outside, but he is really sensitive on the inside. When he first confessed to you, he was so nervous to the extend that he wasn’t able to control his tears. He was so afraid of confessing but he still wanted to give it a try. He was so afraid of hearing ‘sorry i don’t like you’ but he was more worried you would be affected by it and the friendship will strain. It was tough to provide more securities for one another, which also makes both of you treasure each other more. It was true that there isn’t a need to reveal them, but if both of you are happy then there isn’t a reason why both shouldn’t be sharing such happy news? The gap between your roles should be gone when you dated him, because you are not dating skz felix but felix lee yong bok, and he is dating you not because you are the soloist y/n but the true you.

✦ seungmin

-> Imagine: you were invited on a show called ‘Seungmin at your service’ to join him for collaborations on a few songs. As both of you were chatting, you guys started to recall how both of you fell for each other.

• “Let’s welcome, our album record broker soloist who can sings, raps, dances do anything — y/n!” The emcee cued you into the shoot, flashing the warmest smile you have at the idol infront of you, who is also your boyfriend. The whole world already knew that you and Seungmin are together and it was a bomb when the news released. Many people were doubting both of you would last long but both still did, and it’s already the third year into the relationship. “Wow it is such a wonderful sight to see the couple sitting beside each other and singing their souls out, shall we hear more from them?” Before the recording, both of you already discussed on the setlist of songs to sing and practiced harmonization together.

• Ever since Seungmin started this programme on his own, he had always wanted to invite you over as his guest to do duets with him, and it finally came true. The whole setting was beautiful, perfectly fit the romantic atmosphere lingering in the air as both of you fixate gazes on one another, voices stacking with one another perfectly as if they found their missing piece. It was a great platform, great time, great chance to prove to the world that the vocalist couple was able to produce more sparks than expected, showing the haters wrong.

• “Wahh, i finally get to do official duets with you today,” he grabbed a bottle of water for you, both sitting by and chat about the preparation process and some other light hearted topics before calling it a day. “Right, we always did it when we were together but they are uncomparable to today’s episode. The whole ambience was just right on the spot and i really enjoyed myself, thanks for inviting,” you looked into his glittery eyes, fingers slightly grazing with one another as he speaks. “I’m sure the fans wondered how did we meet right?” He saw the director gave him a handsign of 5 minutes before ending, so he suddenly thought of chatting about the both of you. “It was a funny occurance actually… i was practicing in my holding room but my manager forgot to close the door, leaving slight gap behind and just nice he was walking past and heard my vocals,” you laughed as you recalled your shocked face when you turned to see the latter clapping, fully mesmerised by your voice.

• “That’s right, i was really just casually walking past to visit the washroom but your voice captured me. I tracked the origin of the voice and realised it was yours, unable to control my admiration so i started clapping the moment she ended hahaha…” both of you were laughing at that stupid encounter but if not for that, you guys wouldn’t be together until now. “3 years were neither long or short… we have learnt alot from each other and helped each other to improve, hence explains why the harmonization fits well… we definitely fought before, but seungmin is always super patient and talk things out with me,” you hovered your hands over him, lightly squeezing to give him some strength. “He was really not confident of his vocal skills but i encouraged him that he did well, and he had the motivation to strengthen them which i am very happy to see where he stands today and having his own programme now.”

• Both of you continued the conversation a little more, light chuckles filled the air before ending the episode. “Thank you everyone for the hard work,” both of you bowed to the crews and left the shoot hand in hand, making ways to the holding room to change up. “Im sure our fans will love it alot,” your lover hugged you tightly along the corridor, sniffing your mild fragrant scent that makes him fall deeper for you. “Of course! Who are we?” You uttered softly, patting the vocalist back before grabbing your bag. “I’ll see you at your dorm later?” He nodded happily, waving goodbye to you as you return to your house first.

✦ jeongin

-> Imagine: Jeongin posted a pic of both of you holding hands and announcing to the world that he is officially together with you and tagging your username.

• “Are you sure?” You questioned the latter sitting beside you, refining the pictures that both of you have taken earlier on in the day before posting. “Yes, i am, super confirm babe,” he firmly hooked onto your hands, soothing those furrowed brows of yours, understanding the insecurities that lingered on your mind. “Hey, the fans will support us okay? You are such an amazing singer! Don’t ever feel that you are anywhere lacking behind okay?” His tone softened much as he hold onto your trembling hands, rubbing them smoothly.

• “Really? I feel like, people will think that a singer like me can never match a member who is part of the 4th gen top boy group… im just a soloist who happened to be lucky to break the record of fastest album sales but, i feel like im not up to standard yet, not to mention revealing to the public im with you…” those anxious tears started welling in your eyes. You really wanted to let the world know that you and jeongin are together but the fear pulled you away from doing so. “Done,” the deeper voice ringed beside your ears as you darted your eyes at him, seeing him smiling at the fresh post that got abundant number of likes coming in.

• There were so many words that you wanted to stop him but they are all thrown into the bin. The only thing you pray now is not to get bashed the moment you click your social media app. “Hey! Everyone is wishing us well though,” jeongin passed his phone over to you, proving that the netizens are really happy to see the both of you together to erase all your overthinkings. You broke into tears of joy as you saw the wishing comments, putting down the stone that suppressed your heart. “Open your account,” he pointed to the phone placed beside you, beckoning you to hand over to him.

• You just stayed quietly by his side, observing how he airdropped you those pictures and swiftly posted on the net. Maybe i should believe in him, you thought. Instantly you saw many likes and comments swimming into your comments section, all wishing both of you well, as well as some encouraging comments like “my girl is always so awesome! Can’t wait for duet soon~” etc. “I told you, fans will like it! You must trust me and yourself,” his hand went over your shoulders, putting your head gently on his shoulder as he continue to look through the comments.

• Ever since that day of announcing, both of you don’t have to be concern of getting caught by anyone anymore. The 2 of you decided to be in the same frame more often, singing together and supporting each other in promotion periods or concerts. Of course, there are people who object the relationship of both of you, but the most important thing is both of you are happy with the decision to stay with each other. Coming back alone can be really lonely but whenever he is around, he would always serve as a reminder that the reason why you work so hard isn’t just to prove yourself, your family and friends or to the world, but to show that you are on par with him to walk further in life with your vocals that captured his heart.

-> thanks to my forth lovely anon who requested this! I tried to match according to what you want, let me know if it’s okay :)

m.list I | a.bout

© skztea — all rights reserved. No plagarising, editing, claiming as own without permission.

[boochanz]

hello, my loves! today marks 2 months since i began creating gifs (and the occasional gfx) on tumblr and i also reached an incredible milestone last night; 500 followers! i cannot help but feel extremely honored and appreciative of every single one of my followers and mutuals. it shocks me that i've grown and improved so quickly as a content creator, and especially that there are so many people who are willing to come on board with me to support me and observe my growth. i cannot express my gratitude enough. ♡

unfortunately, i am tremendously busy and cannot find the time outside of weekends to do anything fun to celebrate :( but at the very least, i wanted to take the time to come and thank some very special people who have contributed so much to my account's growth and to my improvement as a cc

first, some of my darling mutuals — ;

@dokyeomblr miss elv, ily! my very first mutual and one of the kindest, most pleasant people i have ever met. you never fail to make me smile with your tags and comments <3 i have admired you for so long and am so honored to be your friend and moot

@97chwe tris, who is such an inspiration to me and so very talented, who i have been in awe of for the longest; whose tracking tag i will spam endlessly and whose support i will always appreciate so genuinely

@caratonce isai, one of my first mutuals and my caratblr server buddy (we joined almost simultaneously and your familiarity was so helpful to my anxious self), i love u sm. your personality is phenomenal and your work follows. im so happy to know you and call you a friend

@soonhoonsol chey, who so consistently reblogs my content and always has the sweetest things to say. i looked up to you prior to joining as a cc and i feel so lucky to be your moot!

@jminwook bbie, one of my newer mutuals and another victim of my tracking tag spamming, who is so very supportive and so sweet

@junranghae noa, my milestone buddy (congrats again!!0 and fellow huihui! i appreciate you so much, you are so dope and always so supportive of my content! it doesn't go unnoticed at all, thank you.

@junkwan jenna, my evil twin (or am i the evil one?) — i miss seeing u around the server! you are so fun to be around and i love being ur mutual and ur friend!

@aceofvernons xan, who is normal by no stretch of the imagination yet kind and supportive of their friends on a level that is incomparable. i truly appreciate you

@wonublr & @knnovations lee and mars, creators with truly mind-blowing skill and talent... who i would still be screenshotting without the help of. i owe you guys so much credit and appreciation &lt;3

other mutuals who i thoroughly appreciate — ;

@jeonwonwoo | @woozification | @shuatonin | @injunnies | @usershua | @xuseokgyu | @shuatm | @seunievrse | @isdokyeom | @blondesoobin | @sunflower-hae | @yeonjuins | @seungkwan-s + many more

and of course, all of my caratblr server friends!

i would also like to say a quick thank you to the following people:

@melanielogs for being a phenomenal friend, for being one of my first followers, and for always believing in me and encouraging me when i didn't believe in myself and wanted to give up.

@taetheists for always listening to my ratio woes and helping me out even if i didn't request it. and yknow.. for letting me use ur photoshop. you're a good friend ♡

and,

@woozi because though i've already told you this, the fact that you so consistently engage with my content and boost it means so much to me. i don't think it's an understatement to say i owe a lot of my success here to you. and what i appreciate more than anything is that you haven't just been supportive of my works since i got good — you were right at the front of the line reblogging my grainy 'i got a free trial of photoshop, lemme mess around' gifsets. it really, truly means a lot to me and I hope you know I will always be grateful.

and with that, I'm done because this is starting to get a little Oscar's acceptance speech-y of me. thank you all so much, i hope that this is just the beginning and that i will be around to be annoying on your dash for a long time to come. ♡