#they still love each other and will go to the most extreme lengths to communicate that to one another

[container-of-apple-juice]

Holy shit I'm looking up reviews for chapter 697-698 of Naruto and some of these are destroying me

“Soo gay T_T” too true bestie

“Fanfic vibes” I’m cryin just say gay

REAL

We all know their hands were touching symbolically through their blood, so I guess that cinches it /hj

BROKE-ARM MOUNTAIN

I’m fucking wheezing

[arabellavernierwrites]

For Spencer Reid x reader request (if u still want)

What about reader has to give a speech or something for the press (for some reason JJ couldn't, maybe it was meant for the unsub or something and reader fits his type or whatever) and she's like really nervous because she hates talking to such a large public. Spencer comforts her but when she stood in front of all those people she just frooze and got a meltdown. Just Spencer comforting reader (maybe autistic reader but doesn't have to) :)

Thank u in advance!

public speaking. s.r.

summary : in an especially difficult case , you are asked to hold a press conference. having to face your fear of public speaking , spencer helps encourage you. (could be read as platonic , as well as autistic reader if you like !)

word count : 2022

warnings : anxiety attack , overstimulation (could also be read as autistic overstimulation , i wanted to include themes of both), mentions of feeling sick (vomit) , extreme fear , descriptions of panic

a/n : hello guys ! oh my gosh thank you so much for sending in a request ! they are so much fun to do , and i am so grateful that you all like my work enough to want me to write something for you. it really means a lot to me. i’ve been really in the mood for writing lately , so i will be getting around to putting more out , so please send requests if you have any ! you guys have been so wonderful to me i really am so grateful for the treatment that i have received from you all , you are so sweet ! have an amazing incredibly wonderful day ! love you guys !

when jj left for maternity leave, you were more than happy to step in for her. a good friend and a good coworker, you wanted to make her proud.

you were great at your job, more organized and efficient than anyone at the bureau on most occasions. case files would fly in and out of your office on the daily, stacks forming and diminishing with each passing hour that you worked.

you were praised by your superiors often, making everyone’s taks easier for them with just how skilled of a liaison you were.

when it came to conferences, or communicating with large groups of press, you struggled. the idea of standing in front of dozens of bright, flashing cameras, men and women barking at you from all angles with questions and accusations, and having to make sure you speak to the public in a matter that satisfies them, all while not revealing more than allowed, petrified you.

your body shook at the possibility of getting tongue-tied in front of everyone, messing up, tripping over your words, or misspeaking and costing yourself a career. the very thought of walking up to a podium to make an announcement for a case detrimental to someone’s livelihood made you freeze up and panic.

when jj had returned, your mind was at peace knowing that you weren’t going to have to hold down vomit in front of a meeting hall of untamed journalists again. or so you thought.

“look, i know that this isn’t ideal. but you fit the type that this guy is after,” jj spoke sincerely, “i talked with hotch, and we both agree that we think that it’s best if you hold the conference. it may draw him out”.

all oxygen had left your body. an icy chill shuttered down the length of your spine, your fingers and toes falling numb. the way the hairs stood on the back of your neck was sickening, making you feel like prey being hunted for sport.

“jj, i-” you started, preparing yourself to turn her down in a professional manner.

“trust me, i know how scary it is,” she stroked your arm, “but if we don’t do this now, this case is just gonna drag on and we are going to continue to lose more people”.

weeks into a gruesome case, everyone was exhausted and worn thin. you all wanted to put a criminal behind bars and return everyone home safely, but you felt miles away from that possibility.

the police station you had been working at was overflowing with officers, everyone flying in and out of rooms, falling all over each other with stacks of paper and coffee cups in hand, anxious to get this case solved.

“okay,” your hands shook, “i’ll do it”.

you and jj spoke for hours. she coached you on what to say, how to act, and what to do if things went awry. you two wrote and rewrote outlines for your very public announcement.

what was supposed to make you feel more prepared for the meeting later, ended up sinking fear and doubt deeper into your skin.

the team was waiting in an empty classroom at the local elementary school. heat radiated through the windows under the mercy of the summer sun, journalists and reporters flooded into the gymnasium in hopes to get a seat to witness the fbi’s latest statement.

you sat on one of the desks in the small, uncomfortably warm classroom. your mind was racing, your heart beating in competition to keep up with it. you tried to breathe deep, to fill your lungs with confidence and release the doubt that plagued your thoughts. but the more you inhaled and exhaled, the more you found yourself coming up short of breath.

the thick air of the classroom laced itself around you, pulling itself tighter until it suffocated you. beads of sweat threatened to form on your forehead as you felt your vision tunneling. you hopped up off the desk, shaking your hands out as you hurried into the empty hallway.

the sound of your heels clacking on the floor reverberated off the walls as you paced. the pattern on the linoleum was dizzying as it moved beneath your feet.

“are you alright?”

your head turned. spencer approached you from the end of the hallway, his tall, lean figure highlighted by the obnoxiously fluorescent lights above you.

“spencer, what do i do?” your voice teetered on cracking as you slid down the wall next to you, your back brushing against the lockers as you pressed your face to your knees.

“may i ask what you’re afraid of?” he spoke genuinely, taking a seat next to you.

“i’m afraid of messing up and saying something stupid, or forgetting what i’m supposed to say and sounding stupid,” you ran your fingers through your hair, gently tugging at the roots, “i’m afraid of saying the wrong thing and getting another young woman killed. i’m afraid of this guy coming after me. i’m afraid someone is gonna ask a question i have no idea how to answer. i’m afraid of freaking out and embarrassing myself in front of all of those people”.

“hey, he’s not gonna go after you,” spencer stopped you from pulling at your scalp, “and you’ll do great. you know more about this case than anyone else, you’ve been reciting information about it to the precinct for weeks. you shouldn’t worry about stumbling over a word, you’re an eloquent speaker. and if this does add another victim to our board, you know it won’t be your fault”.

you lifted your head to look at spencer, your hands still in his. his big, brown eyes bore into yours. a painting of worry, and sickening sweetness, framed his face. care and kindness poured from his soul in a way that almost made you nauseous to think about.

you groaned, throwing your head back against the lockers behind you, “stop making me believe in myself. it’s corny”.

spencer laughed, feigning disbelief, “i just gave you an uplifting speech!”

a door at the end of the hallway creaked open, hotch peaked his head out and called to you, “it’s time for you to go”.

you pressed your forehead to spencer’s shoulder, “you’re sure i’ve got this?”

he smiled, “i’m sure”.

“thank you,” you sighed deeply, “i feel like i’m gonna throw up all over your shoes”.

“come on,” spencer stood up, reaching his hands out to pull you to your feet, “we’ll walk you in there”.

the elementary school gym was filled to the brim, guests overflowing through the doors into the parking lot. loud chatter occupied the space, the air buzzing with heat and anticipation.

you took a deep breath, entering the double doors to stand behind the podium.

shouts erupted from the audience. people struggling to refrain from jumping out of their seats, cameras flashing, shuttering, spewing clacking sounds that mocked their owner. the already loud room grew with noise, voices climbing up walls and swinging from the ceiling, pummeling your sensitive eardrums.

a wave of cold rushed over you, your body tensing as you stood behind the small black microphone. a small yelp of feedback echoed as you placed your hands on the sealed wood of the podium. you tried to control the fear in your eyes, needing to put a mask of professionalism on in front of a crowd of animals.

“good afternoon,” you started, “as of 5:00pm today, we are still looking for the subject that has committed these heinous acts”.

the crowd erupted once again. insults were thrown at you, and you wouldn’t be surprised if chairs were to join that mix soon.

“we have been utilizing every force of manpower we have for several weeks now. our officers are spread thin, but we are working overtime to make sure this we can get this case closed and bring everyone home safely,” your hands were shaking in front of you. a sense of false confidence had gotten you this far, but as the atmosphere of the gymnasium started to sink in, your breath caught up with you.

“we have no further updates at this time,” you cleared your throat, trying to remain unbothered by the incessant yelling and flashing lights, “but we are continuing our search”.

a queasy feeling started to overtake you as the volume of the crowd became unbearable. shouts became deafening, camera clicks echoed the kickback of a gun, and you had to blink to make sure the walls weren’t actually closing in around you.

you knew that your silence had gone on for too long now, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a tightening rope around your neck. your mind went blank in a white, hot explosion of panic.

“we,” you tried to breathe deep, but it came out sounding more like a hiccup, “we will not be taking”.

you cleared your throat again, feeling like the floor had just opened up beneath you, “we will not be taking any questions at this time”.

you rushed yourself off of the stage, bursting through the double doors again, pulling at the ends of your hair as you choked on hot tears.

the fabric of your blouse fluttered at the pace of the rising and falling of your chest. you unbuttoned it slightly, tearing off your blazer as you practically fell into the nearest classroom.

your ears burned, your face burned, everything burned and stung and started to shut down as you stumbled your way through the room, catching yourself on a desk.

you hunched over, panting, trying to pull your mind from the depths of the sea of thoughts it was drowning in, but no amount of deep breathing was going to keep it afloat.

“hey,” spencer hurried in after you, running over to hold you up, “are you okay?”

“i screwed up,” you gasped, his touch the only thing reminding you you’re still alive.

“breathe,” he ordered, turning to face you, “breathe with me”.

you gripped his forearms tightly, locking eyes. he was worried, but his gaze remained calm, grounded here with you. he slowly breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, keeping a steady pace that didn’t feel as much like a wild animal thrashing around as before.

the room around you began to return, no longer as dark and blurry as before. you felt real in your skin again, the sensation of spencer’s pulse beneath your fingertips gluing you in reality. the fear of looming unconsciousness escaped you as oxygen filled your lungs once again.

as you came back to yourself, the guilt and embarrassment set in. you fought the tears welling in your eyes.

“i messed up, spencer,” you choked back a whine, looking to the floor in shame.

“it really wasn’t as bad as you think,” spencer leaned in, pulling you to his chest, gently, “towards the end you froze up a little, but i don’t think anyone would have noticed”.

“i forgot like half of what jj instructed me to say,” you sniffled, “that girl could die because i didn’t inform the public of necessary information”.

spencer ran his fingers through your hair, “you told the public all the information that could be potentially helpful. there’s not all that much we can go on, and that’s not your fault”.

you swore under your breath, feeling yourself breaking in his arms, “i feel awful”.

the tears flowed as fast as they came, hot and ugly and full of embarrassment.

spencer’s hand rubbed soft circles on your back, “i don’t want to tell you how to feel, but it shouldn’t be awful. regardless of how you think you did, i’m proud of you for getting up there and doing it. so, please, don’t beat yourself up over it”.

“we both know that’s a promise i can’t keep,” you tearfully chuckled, looking up at spencer, “thank you. for those few seconds that i felt like i stood a chance, that confidence came from you”.

“so my uplifting speech was uplifting?” he asked, smiling bashfully.

you jokingly smacked his chest, “i guess you could say that”.

[meowzfordayz]

a little loving, and look how tall you’ll grow (look how beautiful)

Uzui Tengen x Reader

Word Count: ~800

CW: body insecurity, explicit language, Fem!Reader, mild sexual content

Emergency Request Fulfilled: Can I have a comforting fic or something with Tengen with a reader who's extremely insecure about having small curves? Like no butt, no boobs, none of the always thirsted after aspects so she feels like nobody could actually find her attractive. The wives could be included if you want to write that too!

“Are you ready?” Hina asks, rapping on your door.

“No,” you shout, staring stiffly at your half dressed figure reflected back at you, full length mirror not nearly as kind as your partner’s tone.

“Are you even coming?!” Makio huffs impatiently (you’ve loved each other long enough to know she’s only upset that you chose to get ready alone) as she joins Hina outside your door.

You hesitate, taking a moment to imagine a night with the gigantic house to yourself. A night without the incessant, adoring chatter of your partners; a night without constant fidgeting, wishing you’d chosen something more comfortable; a night to spiral into your meddlesome, traitorous thoughts; A night staying in where I belong. Shaking your head to dispel the crowding darkness, you inhale deeply.

“Hellooooo?” Suma yells, shoving her way between Hina and Makio, “Baby, we’re all waiting for yoouuu!”

You sigh quietly—still too dazed to respond properly—assuming you’re safe within the confines of your bedroom… and then Tengen forces your door open.

“I heard you sigh,” he declares, looking devastatingly handsome as he stalks toward you, “What’re you sighing for?” quickly eyeing the beginnings of your outfit, grinning widely, “You look phenomenal!”

“Tengen, you absolute brute of a man,” you groan exasperatedly, waving frantically at your poor door, while doing your best to avoid the concerned stares of the beautiful women entering your bedroom.

“Don’t even try deflecting,” he drawls with frustrating perception, “If you’re tired, then we can have a lazy evening in,” voice easing as he takes in the extent of the tension in your stance, “You just have to communicate,” his unspoken We love you obvious as his careful hands reach for you.

You’re frozen as he touches you, not because his affection’s unwanted, but because his affection’s Too much, too much, fuck.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Suma coos softly, making herself cozy on your bed, legs crossed as she watches you.

“This is why we get ready together,” Makio grumbles fondly, heading to your closet, “You look incredible in literally anything, yet take the longest to decide what to wear.”

Of course, they know your shallow breathing and hazy focus stem from something more sinister—something capable of decaying the brilliant, divine being that they’re willingly devoted to—but they also know, from previous experience, that blatantly addressing the root of your self loathing is usually too aggressive and inconsiderate of an approach for you.

“My love, what’s troubling you?” Hina murmurs, fingertips pressing lightly into your shoulders while Tengen kneads delicately at your hips.

You blink once. Twice. Gathering the nearly depleted courage in your gut, eyes closing as you whisper.

“It’s the boob thing.”

Perhaps not the most eloquent explanation, but your partners understand immediately.

Gasping, Suma gushes both dramatic and honest, “We absolutely adore your boobs!”

“Your boobs are wonderful,” Makio nods firmly, winking as she stares pointedly at your chest.

“Being curvy has its perks,” Hina speaks gently, “As well as its consequences,” exchanging glances with Makio and Suma, “There’s back pain, uncomfortable bras, cumbersome workouts, feeling insecure in revealing clothing, feeling valued solely for your body-”

“Not to mention stairs hurt,” Makio chimes.

“Plus, going braless is sooo nice, but sometimes seems impossible,” Suma adds.

“And if you’re worried about your sex appeal,” Tengen hums soothingly, “I can assure you that we’re all the more satisfied and grateful with you in our lives.”

“It’s not like Tengen can really fake an erection,” Makio snorts, “And he certainly never goes limp with you.”

“I don’t go limp when it’s just you and me either,” he tacks on, before you can rebut Makio’s observation.

As suffocating as their compliments and reassurance feel—four partners really can be a lot—they’re simultaneously needed, the rough sob in your throat finally audible as you crumble into his embrace. Warm silence fills your bedroom, Hina curled protective and strong against your back, your front cradled by Tengen’s steady heartbeat and secure arms — determined and committed tethers for your doubt and fear. Suma soon latches onto your right side, and Makio your left, familiar heat and mingling of scents calming your distress.

“Tengen,” you hiccup, his shirt damp from your tears.

“Hm?”

“You can’t keep breaking doors like that.”

“I second this admonishment,” Makio smirks.

“For sure,” Hina giggles.

“But then we wouldn’t be here comforting you,” Suma pouts.

He decides to take your scolding in stride, relief unfurrowing his brow as he feels the vibrations of your laughter, eyes rolling as he confidently remarks.

“I can always fix it later.”

—

Spoiler Alert: he can’t.

[carefulfears]

this tweet (https://x.com/littlefaiths/status/1817775320918847691?s=46&t=L7Z7tpqXDaxqrMiLS0ZuBA) made me think about the different way mulder & scully communicate/express themselves. like i say all the time i love when they speak each other's language, and i mean that in a lot of ways. but how do you think about their communication styles? the way the express feelings & thoughts etc. (and the way they understand each other "despite" their differences)

this is the tweet: "people read the pillow talk scene in plus one in such constant bad faith but it’s truly one of my favorite scenes ever...i think sometimes people want vulnerability/exposure from scully but are completely uncomfortable with the ways that her character textually expresses herself"

and i said that because i think people can fall into a lot of traps with scully, viewing her character in a larger context and obsessing over what every piece of dialogue or blocking Says about the Author and about Society and about Women (which to be clear isn't isolated to this character, this is a widespread way of thinking) which can bypass what is being said about her in a literal sense...trish, you and me talked about this recently, how we wouldn't want our every move and breath to be dissected based on what it means to feminism or what the implications of our decisions are. and as a writer, i wouldn't want my work to be broken into pieces like that either.

and so i find that there is a lot of projection and judgment in reading any particular scene, and not a lot of curiosity. which is a longwinded, overly-problematic, unnecessary way of saying that scully is a loser babes! she is an extremely lame person! you don't have to throw around words like "fertile" and all this fiery rhetoric to discard and disregard every single scene.

to what i was saying last night: people want vulnerability and exposure from scully. they are completely uncomfortable with the way that she expresses that. if she wants to sneak into her baby daddy's bed years after leaving him and mope that maybe he doesn't 🥺 like her anymore, that's her. same woman that showed up with wine and cheese and got ditched for monster hunts. same woman who begged to autopsy a mutant sewer worm to maybe spend 5 minutes with him.

same woman who at 13 stole her mother's cigarettes; not because she wanted to smoke, but because she knew her father would care.

(same woman who, after her father died, believed in a psychic and looked up at her partner to say "i thought that you would be pleased.")

to address your question, i don't think they do speak the same language. i think they speak each other's language, most of the time. sometimes they don't. sometimes they get hurt feelings. sometimes they get ditched (with wine and cheese, or fresh tattoo ink). they're learning, though, and they're learning themselves too. by the time she knows to creep into his hotel room and ask, he knows to say "i'll always be around." she knows to walk out and go buy her own dinner, if he can't focus. he knows to sit still and stay in and let her make weird jello.

that's learned. that's maturity. that's twenty-five years. of picking up, and putting down, which more than anything is what i view scully's way of communication as. she spends her career traversing any length, and her life venturing out just a little.

[waters-and-the-wilde]

so the thing I love about that bit in Shadows on the Ship. the fact that Jet clocks their couples' therapy as 'the poetry you write for each other' totally makes sense considering. juno 'broody monologues' steel, and peter 'i am most comfortable expressing myself by being dramatic’ ransom glass ‘my Wound still Throbs when’t Rains you Brute‘ nureyev dipping into some rhythmic if not straight up iambic cadence when he's Doing A Bit

RELATEDLY. i think they're talking about their feelings significantly more than they're having sex. are they doing it effectively? dEBAtabLE but they are trynig. (nothing particularly explicit here this is mostly cut for length but that's the general theme of it)

the fact that Juno gets flustered and Nureyev is like 'lol damn right' whenever the their relationship comes up suggests (to me! because i think it would be funny!) that everyone else thinks they're going at it every chance they get when it's really more like 50 percent cuddling and naps and 40 percent making stupid jokes and heckling each other's poor breakfast decisions and getting distracted by talking about their special interests and whatever else passes for their couple's therapy/poetry sessions and they're only going at it in the remaining 10 percent that they get the time and energy and privacy for it

so post Cyberbots when they've got the ship back up and Juno's like 'uh hey. so the big guy recently said something about how we've been 'inconsiderate neighbors' and he wants us to keep it down', Nureyev is. genuinely baffled??

because first of all Nureyev does actually possess at least one (1) situational awareness, he also values his own privacy and is overall fairly conflict avoidant with their family, and he recognizes that Juno is very flustered by the whole 'having housemates who tease him about his boyfriend' thing. so Nureyev might not feel shy about their relationship but he's perfectly capable of being discreet, with the result being that he at least has thought this through

and then Juno's like 'he said something about poetry. and I'm uh pretty sure he meant the. um. you know. talkingaboutfeelingsstuff'

'ohhhh well that makes more sense. oh and we did have that one conversation before the Blade job that went until three in the morning. you'd had an awful lot of coffee that day.'

'yeah and you got really excited about Venusian opera traditions'

'it's not my fault the president of Venus is apparently a walking pastiche. oh well i'm glad jet said something. we'll get him some of that loose-leaf tea for his stash as an apology. and keep a closer eye on quiet hours shall we'

'UGH fine i GUESS'

- the thing is when they're not an item, juno's not exactly getting flustered about his sex life considering he's touchy about fuckety everything else. mick and sasha have no qualms about heckling him about his taste in guys and he doesn't get pissy about it. alessandra punches him for trying to pull a humphrey bogart and he's like 'not my usual thing but hey', he and valles vicky wake up in the same bed and make icky faces at each other and move on, ramses is like 'did i say your apartment' and juno's like 'ughh it's too early for your bullshit'

- he gets flustered about Nureyev bc he has actual feelings about nureyev

- in embrace of ice he does say they spent a lot of that year being busy and tired and traumatized and in their heads a lot after rebuilding from that extremely fraught reunion, but those comments in Shadows did indicate that they were putting the work in and i think it left plenty of room for 'hashing out their communication styles and figuring out How They Work in the present' while still acknowledging that they hadn't really worked their way up to talking about their pasts

- and it just seems like every time someone alludes to their sex life, the incident in question is both more innocuous and considerably more private, and if anything Juno getting Weird and Pitchy over an innuendo would make a really convenient smokescreen to hide something he actually Feels Weird About

'you two are going to be very busy tonight' [what NO we do Not Need This Right Now oh my god Buddy he's upset with me leave him alone] *gets defensive, coffee everywhere* meanwhile Nureyev's like *be cool act smug yes Captain very droll*

'we already delayed for your private celebration' [jeez we only talked! and there was crying involved! and then we were tired and fell asleep!] *gets defensive* meanwhile Nureyev's like *be cool act smug we were definitely doing what you think we were doing and not crying at all*

'this is true i have heard it many times' [like hell you have? we haven't even been at it that much? and i'm pretty sure he only makes a move when he knows you're in the garage and going to be there for a while?] 'okay NOT what I MEANT' okay honey Jet doesn't even do innuendo (although he absolutely would mess with juno by setting him up for thinking it is one while still intending the straightforward meaning)

- but otherwise the complaints/comments they get about their pda are about being mushy and kissy but in a 'urgh they're mushy and kissy' not 'send them to horny jail' way

- further headcanons not necessarily bothering with citations in the text:

- the carte blanche has a rule about private activities in private spaces. juno and nureyev have never actually broken that rule. buddy and vespa definitely have.

- i'm pretty here for some flavor of demi/grey-ace nureyev. his attraction to Juno hinging inherently on feelings of trust. catching feelings right off the fucking bat because those prerequisites for attraction were revealed and fulfilled really fast. being really really into Juno but liking sex as an expression of that intimacy and a way of showing how he cares for him, no more or less than being mushy and kissy or giving him little enrichment puzzles to get out of bed and spend time with their family

- he's not above illicit smooch cruises for thrills and giggles but given a preference doesn’t really go in for actually getting off in places that aren’t beds in rooms with locking doors

- also they made out in the garage one (1) time and then jet showed up and stealth-checked them, startled juno into headbutting nureyev in the chin and giving him a split lip. which nureyev thought was funny and took completely in stride but juno felt bad about it and reminded him every time nureyev tried to egg him into smooching in places they shouldn’t.

- and eventually he pulled the ‘what if we get carried away and I say your real name in a part of the ship where somebody could overhear it’ card and nureyev went ‘alright point taken’ (and he does think it's sweet that juno's trying to look after him like that)

- i don't think juno inherently has hang-ups about being caught in flagrante but somebody and i cannot for the life of me remember whomst now recently made a post to the effect of 'if rita found out he was kissing boys she would scream and he already has a headache' and you know what. yeah i think that about sums it up

- but never mind finding out Nureyev's name because Juno yelled it in bed, it's a goddamn miracle that Jet didn't overhear it on any of the numerous occasions that Juno yelled it in frustration because Nureyev was winding him up during their couples' therapy

- anyway tune in next time for 'also i think Buddy and Vespa are having significantly more sex than everybody else is aware of and you know what good for them'

[breezybeej]

Okay so I did crack the Spike Buffyvampire nut:

All it took was actually seeing the spike and Giles episode (the fyarl demon or whatever).

so -> Spike is the voice of the Scoobies.

He takes what they feel and feeds it back to them in words. Usually harsh truths OR most often just breaking the barrier of social etiquette. The first time I noticed him specifically doing it was everyone awkwardly avoiding the subject of Riley because they knew it would hurt to hear. All the Scoobies say something to Buffy but avoid that subject. THEN Spike steps in and says "Yeah your boyfriend sucks and is mad suspicious. I told you so." He says it and now the hard part is out of the way. They can all communicate freely again.

Watching him get to this point was so cool.

He spends time with Willow discussing each other's romance woes. They both feel unwanted. Willow gets to see first hand that the only reason she is alive is because of the brain chip. She sees firsthand why Oz would leave her and understands now.

Xander: Spike starts to wear his clothing, they both have an addiction to TV, they feel like they are worthless (Xander says Spike isn't worth it but right now Spike is embodying Xander)

Giles: Spike can't harm people but wants to. Giles is the opposite. Spike tries to get vicarious thrills out of him but Giles stays true to himself while also allowing a little fun (scaring Walsh). Spike learns a new way to get thrills without resorting to violence (the obvious joy on his face during the chase scene).

And Buffy: let's play a round of jeopardy. Remember to answer is the form of a question

This blonde character was dumped by the same vampire twice, goes to Willow when their spirits are low about their ex, goes to Xander to talk about their sad existence of not fitting in, discusses the unfairness of relationships with Joyce. They also have homoerotic tension with their taller brunette rival

Ain't that fun. The wedding stuff first, though. They both have visions of extremely devoted partners they will marry but there are things that still don't work. They still get testy about their exes, they clash over big decisions . At the end Buffy said "I loved him but... It wasn't even good. We didn't even like each other" they both have histories of toxic relationships THIS SEASON and they both come away from their false wedding with a lesson learned.

So Spike has a strong connection with each of these characters now, he understands them in a way that is surprisingly deep. He can read their insecurities and then he insults them about it which lays it bare for the rest of the team to see.

I'm going to revisit the Spike Buffy parallels in a later rant. It's going to come with an examination of the relationships each character has romantically up to this point. Also, a lot of this has been oversimplified. There are a lot of tidbits I left off just to keep this a reasonable length and also because I haven't finished season 4 yet. It's just so fun fitting all these little puzzle pieces together.

[heyclickadee]

Some kinda silly Techphee head-canons/thoughts under the cut (I wrote this ages ago but never posted it):

1. I’m honestly still not sure that Tech wasn’t trying to flirt back in “Entombed.” Not even necessarily in a serious way, because I don’t think that switch completely flips until “Pabu,” but in a, “Hhmm. She’s interesting,” sort of way, but his flirting language just ended up going completely over Phee’s head.

2. Likewise, I still like that things between them are moving really slowly and that we’ve barely gotten to (kinda clumsy and very mild) mutual flirting. It’s a negotiated relationship and not a whirlwind romance, and I appreciate that.

3. This is partly head-canon, but I also kind of appreciate that both of them are trying to figure this out. Phee has this interesting combination of having a somewhat flirty baseline personality while also being somewhat standoffish in the most extroverted way (I kind of head-canon that she’s one of those super outgoing people who still manages to keep people at arms length and has a vveeerrrry short list of close friends because emotional intimacy is terrifying), and that could potentially make it hard to communicate when she really likes someone.

And then with Tech—I kind of think it’s new territory for him. In a way. I don’t personally head-canon Tech as ace or aro, though I appreciate that other people do, and I honestly don’t have a head-canon either way on whether or not Tech’s ever hooked up with anyone. Maybe he hasn’t, maybe he has, could go either way, for me it just kinda depends on whether he ever had the opportunity or the time. What I think, though, is that any experience he might have with sex or kissing or whatever was limited to one night stands with people he knew he was never going to see again. Phee, though—Tech has had the time to get to know her a bit, and he could potentially have a life with her. And those are two things—time and the chance of a life or an actual romantic relationship with someone—that would’ve never been on the table before because those were things the GAR didn’t allow. That’s what I mean by it being new territory, and that could make someone cautious, however into another person they are.

Tl;dr: They’re both struggling to figure out what’s going on between them and I love them being gently disastrous because of it.

3.5: Kind of an aside, even though I don’t head-canon Tech as ace or aro (I identify very strongly with Tech, and I’m ace, but I also like leaning into the ways I think he’s very much not like me at all), I do actually kind of head-canon Hunter that way. And I mean that I headcanon him as being completely uninterested and even a little confused that other people are. Though I appreciate that other people don’t headcanon Hunter that way. (This is one of those cases where it’s really fun seeing other people’s interpretations).

4. When Tech comes back and if Tech and Phee do end up together, I’m really hoping that they’ll be a bit like Kanan and Hera in Rebels, in that they end up being best friends who are also very in love and extremely married in a science adventure battle couple kind of way. (I also really adore the sibling energy between Phee and Hunter, so I. Like. Need them to be space in-laws). Friendship and romance don’t cancel each other out and can not only co-exist, but strengthen one another as well. I feel like media does us a disservice when it says that romance ruins a friendship or that friendship is a stepping stone or, worse, an obstacle to romance. I want them to steal stuff from the British Space Museum and then also smooch from time to time.

5. I’ll admit that I’m kind of compelled by the fact that Tech and Phee won’t really get to grow old together. Even if they get to live peaceful lives, Tech’s going to be old long before Phee, and he’s going to die before either of them are really ready for it. And there’d be something interesting about one of them—I imagine Tech but it could be either one—saying, “This is going to be over too quickly, and that’s not fair,” and the other going, “No, it’s not—but let’s live life anyway.”

6. I’m on the fence on whether or not Phee and Tech would want kids if they do end up an item, but if they did (I mean, okay, if the writers make them want kids, but if we’re buying into the narrative here), I actually think they’d be good parents. Tech’s kind of already got a kid that he’s pretty good with (there was a learning curve and Hunter’s the main dad, but Tech’s right there co-raising Omega, and she’s his kid/little sister as much as she’s Hunter’s), Phee’s actually pretty good with Omega, too, and Lyana clearly adores Phee. It’s not the same as being primary caretakers, but it’s a step towards not being awful at it.

And it’s not as though they’d be on their own if they did decide to raise kids. (I’m including adoption of the very informal ‘a kid who needs a family and protection found us so we’re parents now’ Star Wars variety as a possibility here, btw). While I don’t think the the batch is going to settle down on Pabu all together all the time after season three (I have thoughts), any kid Tech and Phee would have would probably end up being raised by the wwhoooooolle family. Hunter, Crosshair, Wrecker, Echo, Omega, and probably Shep and Lyana are all gonna be Involved, not to mention the bazillion distant uncles (like Rex) that kid would have. That kid’s getting doted on.

6.5. Another aside, but I’m really curious how Phee and Shep met, and how Phee became part of that little family.

7. Tech’s and Phee’s relationship isn’t the one I’m the most interested in exploring going into season three—the sibling/parent/whatever relationships within clone force 99 are the ones I’m most invested in, and the Techphee stuff has been so low key that I don’t expect it to take precedence over anything else, or think it should —but I am still very invested in it and want to see where it goes.

[surveillance-0011]

Galeem and Dharkon head canons: Redux

Remake of an old post. Dharkon and HCs for their dynamics with each other and the smashers below the cut for length

Galeem

any, tends to default to he/they but is totally partial to whatever

maverique , pan + aroaspec. only very rarely experiences attraction.

Wishes to change the world into one that suits his likeness out of a sense of entitlement and superiority. He thinks the world as it is now is dull and overcomplicated and wishes for one revolving around himself, drenched in light

A very selfish and prideful individual, out of touch for sure.

Presents itself as elegant, sophisticated sort of deity. Cares a lot about presentation and any attack on his ego will be met with an eternal grudge.

They get very humiliated when they are proven wrong and when their facade of coolness breaks. Because it does. A bit more often than Galeem would like too.

They try to act unaffected but they get very emotional. Galeem is always at the extremes when they're upset or even happy.

Genuinely scared of the dark to an extent. He's very glad he glows.

Doesn't really need to eat or drink but can do so and sometimes feels the drive to. Likes cute lil pastries and fruit. Not huge on chocolate though and won't each much of anything else.

Doesn't like most of the smashers but has grown to respect most over time. Likes Kirby the most now that the burning rage has faded and kirby sneaks him bites of cake when he can is nice enough

Also has some bias over the more light-aligned smashers esp Palutena and Pit

Giving the Hands the cold shoulder still. Mocks them behind their backs. Sort of teases MH about being able to control the guy but MH is like "shush you lost you can give it up it's not my first rodeo". though MH is totally still bothered.

Likes classical and very cinematic sort of music.

Loves sunny days, dislikes stormy weathers. That being said, he enjoys snow.

Dharkon

any, defaults to she/he/it in no particular order but as w/ galeem it doesn't matter all that much

genderfluid sapphic/trixic. Greyro? sad little girlboy-boygirlthing

Can change its voice to sound more fem, masc or even in between. Sometimes it does so because of a change in mentality as well (vulnerable,strong,angry, friendly) Its voice is often deep, raspy and rumbling.

This also means he can mimic voices with a lil bit of time and effort. Totally uses this to taunt people.

Wants to plunge the world into darkness out of hatred and apathy for virtually all life. Wishes to be alone with only like individuals in a world of gloomy anarchy.

Certainly very selfish but he's got like. Reverse superiority-inferiority complex. Self loathing but also so hateful of everything else that he decided his way was still the better option. like does that make sense. doomer blackpilled nihilist reddit core.

Not unlike ridley he's smart but sees no need to communicate this. Clever but from a rougher school of thought and can't be assed to talk to people he doesn't respect.

Same as Galeem, doesn't need to eat food in the traditional sense but will do so out of boredom or cravings. Likes rich chocolate and hearty meaty foods. Great spice tolerance also. Eats much more than Galeem 2 fill the void.

Sensitive to light, especially in its weakened spirit form. This keeps him inside, when he is allowed to go out he stays in the shade or waits until twilight and night. Fond of rainstorms and cloudier weather.

Has also warmed up to Kirby somewhat. Still holding a grudge but she's starting to see the humor in being beat by a lil pink puffball, too tired to be angry about it anymore. Not to mention how Kirby is extending an olive branch

More fond of the villains. Has probably talked to Ridley, Seph and Ganon if they approach him.

Also thinks Sonic is kind of cool. Dharkon is Guy Who Only Listens To Sonic Soundtrack ig. That's the sorta person she is.

Likes rock and metal.

Drilled into the Hands for not being able to protect the smashers. Master Hand might've cried a lil about it. ok he totally did. But Dharkon has warmed up a little to Crazy Hand but hasn't been able to reconcile

Slowly starting to be less misanthropic but could still benefit from therapy and some prozac.

Together

Kept under pretty high security with lots of limitations, but allowed some freedom to keep them from being totally miserable.

Allowed to roam around every now and then.

Though it may seem rather odd to not really punish them strongly, the beatdown they've faced and permanent servitude as spirits alongside Typical Smash antics are punishment enough in the Hands' eyes (erm, lack thereof?). And, considering they did what they did out of greed and dissatisfaction, keeping them relatively happy now that their egos are in check seems like the right thing to do.

Clowned on 24/7. The fighters that feel comfortable enough to approach them tend to be teasing or will outright use them for pranks and whatnot.

Kirby is sternly kind to them, willing to turn the other cheek as long as they don't turn back to their old ways. Would totally wipe the floor with them if need be.

For others, the water is not under the bridge. Many want nothing to do with them. Some like Villager, the Ice Climbers and Duck Hunt Duo are terrified of them. Others are hostile. Oddly enough, the pikmin of all folks fall under this latter group and are extremely aggressive towards Galeem and Dharkon. In turn, these forces of light and dark have learned to fear them. Olimar is almost apologetic about it but above all else he just doesn't want his pikmin getting wiped off the face of the earth. Alph gets a little bit of a kick out of it.

Mario isn't having any bullshit. He's very cautious about the whole ordeal and will even admonish the more mischievous individuals that go out of their way to try and rile the two up. Palutena, Rosalina, Peach, Link and Samus are also very, very cautious and keep a close eye out.

Some of the villains are curious about their power, namely Ganon and Sephy. They'd like to harness their powers probably. Ridley is also curious, moreso about Dharkon but it's more like he's sizing them up for revenge.

Wario is still figuring out a way to make a quick buck off of 'em. He almost got Galeem into a mlm scheme that one time. Bowser is more cautious and cares less about trying to win them over and more about trying to avoid them bc he's mad abt his kids being hurt.

Mewtwo is also cautiously curious.

They're enemies but. Sometimes they seem a little. hm. maybe you should just kiss abt it. or something. frolic in the fields. hit each other with squeaky hammers. don't actually stab each other. thanks.

if they could stop arguing they'd be a cool evil couple. They'd be great partners in crime because they do bounce off of each other well on the occasion that they're on the same wavelength. Even when they clash, there is beauty in the way they work off of each other.

The two were kind of friends once upon a time. Whatever happened to them? No one knows, and they won't speak.

They kinda sorta apologized about WOL to each other but it's like. The spongebob scene where they're like "id hate you even if i didn't hate you" that's them 24/7 still. And they're always getting into petty disagreements.

They haven't formally apologized about it to the smashers though.

Dharkon enjoys challenging Galeem and is usually the instigator of their conflicts, but Galeem also angers Dharkon a lot through his smug behavior. Neither apologizes or forgives easily. Galeem can be bribed or buttered up, but Dharkon needs time for sure. And a valid apology.

It's very can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em, tried both. They really cannot imagine life without each other.

[tracle0]

~ Intro page ~

Howdy! I’m Trade, a 22-year-old writer and aspiring conservationist from the UK. I can often be found hunched over my sketchbook, walking in the wilderness, or travelling to whichever county I can find volunteering opportunities in. 

This blog is primarily for any odd interest I have, although I angle it as a writerblr the most. You can find my art and occasional writing under the #trade-marked tag on this here blog. Following this are the current, past, and future WIPs I have. Please enjoy!

-

Prophet story (title pending) (in progress) - when a prophets brother is possessed by a god-killing sickness, a race begins to preserve or destroy the last relics of dead divinity, and refuse or give forgiveness for errors of the past. Featuring the complexities of brotherhood, the thin line between “prophet” and “schizophrenic”, a divine and glorious anger and a desperate attempt to reach someone who may already be lost to you. Tagged under #prophet wip

The Spiders Song (complete!) - With a devastating plague wrecking a kingdom and a city, a group of semi-experienced people try and retrieve a cure in time to save their homes - and try not to kill each other on the way. Featuring enemies-to-friends, a patron-based magic system with gods who have no problem getting involved in their servants lives, the exact lengths you would go through to save someone you love, and a funny little ghost.  Tagged under #tss 

The Crows Death (sequel to TSS) (on hold) - after retrieving the cure and escaping a cruel gods clutches, peace should be assured to our weary adventurers - until the crowned prince of Glalis is kidnapped and held as a sacrifice, leaving the rest of the team to try and track him down and save him before it’s too late. Featuring the gruelling process of confronting and recovering from trauma, a blood-feud so old that no one can remember why or how it started, intense contemplation of mortality, and a budding and doomed sapphic romance. Tagged under #tcd 

Short story collection (in progress) - a group of interlinked short stories, based in the TSS world, following the only servant to the Spider to ever escape their god, and the process they underwent as a child to adjust to the real world. Featuring adoptive parental figures, an extreme skew on how the world works, a secret our servant has to learn to keep to themselves, and a constant lure back to a manipulative and cloying god, who waits only a short walk away from this new haven. Tagged under #atlas 

Necromancer WIP (title pending) (developing) - the next generation after TCD. When the next necromancer is finally born in one of the highest and richest levels of Glalis, the kingdom seems to be fully recovering and back to normal - until a second is discovered in the lowest, poorest part. This spare servant is taken from her community to the palace, and starts to notice the discrepancies between where she was raised and what these privileged elites seem to have. Featuring strong class conflicts and ties, young children trying to make sense of a complex issue, an exploration of privilege and magic in deprived societies, and characters carried onwards from the previous stories because it’s my book and I do what I want. Untagged.

Ghost WIP (title pending) (developing) - a young girl is marked as the new bearer of the ghost crown, which is already bad news, made worse by the fact she’s still alive. Featuring a begrudgingly made father figure, a reverse heist, a race against bounty hunters to stay alive, and a corrupting and powerful heirloom, calling for one girls head. Tagged under #ghost wip 

Colour WIP (title pending) (developing) - when a rare purple mage is found living in isolation with her paranoid parents, she is taken under the wing of a blind red mage, and able to learn about her magic whilst staying connected to her roots. Featuring a magic system that merges Waterbending with the colour wheel, intense political and class divides, and an mentor/apprentice plot of some sort. Untagged. 

Death is a Silvertongue (complete!) - a mute Silvertongue tries to balance the guilt of manipulation with the responsibility of using their ability correctly - and then blows up a factory, adding a ghostly crowd to their conscious. Featuring intense platonic love, dabblings with faith, recovery, and me having a lot of fun with the extreme limitations of British Sign Language in America. Tagged under #dias 

[abookwasallittooktomakemeacrook]

okay, so, I too am an aromantic (probably bi/pan/abrosexual) queer person. if you look at my blog you will find that i love love love queer (sapphic/achillean) takes on media, i love metas and symbolism and all extreme depth people go to make their characters queer (sapphic/achillean), and i just love historic queer (sapphic/achillean) characters and people.

i also very much hate historians who go to great lengths to not make people gay. it is extremely ridiculous and harmful and i condemn it very much. in fact, i actively try to research and try to bring into light queer (sapphic/achillean) people from my own culture to my friends and family.

also, what i called amatonormativity was not the historic relationships being romantic to the point of obviousness and the historians still denying it, but the quickness of today's society to see any two people close to each other make them in a relationship, whether that's straight or gay. “ooooh they held hands, ooooooh they looked at each other in a meaningful way, oh my god they see each other as family, these two characters have got to have it bad for each other because no friends ever do that.” that is the basic gist of most meta nowadays about literally any media with a hint of queerness, mostly about sapphic/achillean couples. i feel like casual sapphic/achillean inclusive aspec erasure is more commonplace than the aspec-inclusive sapphic/achillean erasure you claim i have engaged in.

i am very sorry about the wordings of the tags, and i understand how it can come across that i do not equate queerness with sapphic/achillean characters or romances. it is actually quite opposite, and even implying that would be stupid. the thing is that my brain is the most active and comes up with the most creative shit 10 minutes before i fall asleep, and many times my posts are made at such time. however, at that time, my body is not very cooperative, and it does not very well carry forth the instructions my brain gives. that is why you can see that i have spelled ‘amatonormativity’ as ‘amatonormatively’, a mistake i would not usually make as i am very particular about these kind of spelling issues. what i meant to say was that, for ME, in MY MIND, “i am going to make all the relationships queerPLATONIC”. i am extremely sorry about how that might have come across, i will go and correct that asap, and i sincerely apologise for that.

i am also sorry for your relative erasing your lesbianism. as a queer person, it too hurts when a person erases a part of you to accidentally support the other. in my case, it has been quite the opposite: the people in my local queer community do not understand how i cannot want to be in a relationship, and embrace my other queer identitities to make up for that.

however, i am not at all sorry for making this post, nor do i think any aspec person should be for liking it. i am not asking for any queer (sapphic/achillean) person to relate to this post, because it was not made for them; just like how romance-positive or sex-positive posts would generally not be liked by aroaces because they were not made for them. i am not going on a blog that is about positivity for queer (sapphic/achillean) people and sending it into their asks or spamming their reblogs with this. i am not going up to a homophobic person and telling them to shout this out loud to be as horrible as possible. i am not declaring that every historian was right all along and every person that was most likely queer (sapphic/achillean) was not and all the possible gay couples in history were actually best friends and nothing more.

i am just here on my little blog, liking things, reblogging art, posting my silly thoughts and ideas. i am carving my own niche, and if a passerby comes and likes it because it feels good to them then in my opinion it is worth it. I have about one aro/ace positivity post behind forty or so posts full of queer (sapphic/achillean) people being in love. if i create a post that's about aro/ace positivity, that does not erase the literal hundreds of thousands of posts on this site that celebrate queer (sapphic/achillean) positivity. me creating a space for myself and other aro/ace people like me does not reduce the space available for other queer (sapphic/achillean) people. they can and they do create their own spaces.

i have no problem with you calling the historic characters/people queer (sapphic/achillean). in fact, if you tell me about it, i will most likely wholeheartedly agree with you, because i fucking love historic gays. but then i am also allowed to celebrate the aro/ace part of me, i am also allowed to make those historic people/characters aromantic and/or asexual. while yes, there were no words for homosexuality back then, there also were no words for aromanticism/asexuality. and if you can call them gay today, then i can also call them aro/ace. and no, do not keep it broad at queer, nobody is going to care then. call your historic queer (sapphic/achillean)s gays, faggots, dykes. if you do not make them your own your way they are going to remain cishet. but while doing so, do not forget that i can do so too, that i too have a right to interpret them in my way. if you can say “fuck yeah GAYS” then i can also say “fuck yeah QUEERPLATONICS”.

tl,dr: 1) my experiences as a queer aromantic person are a little different but vastly similar to yours. 2) amatonormativity does not refer to obviously queer historic people/characters but to the conclusion today's society draws everytime they see two characters be close to each other. 3) i am very sorry about the tags, they were wrongly typed out and i will correct them. 4) i am not sorry for creating this post because aro/aces creating a space for themselves does not reduce the space for queer (sapphic/achillean)s nor causes their erasure. 5) do call your historic queer (sapphic/achillean)s gays to make them your own, but please remember that i can also make them aro/ace for me and those who like that; you do you, let me do me.

“"They were best friends, actually" is not the revolutionary pro-aspec statement you think it is” — i agree. IT WAS A FUCKING SINGLE LINE JOKE I THOUGHT OF AND POSTED TWO MINUTES BEFORE I FELL ASLEEP (but which i am not sorry for, because it is a joke).

"and historians said they were bestest of friends" they were. they were both aro/ace and in a qpr

[wizardingworldlibrary]

Protective!Harry Masterlist

A Little Magic of our own (ao3) - Dino1329 hermione/harry G, 487

Summary: Hermione is having her first baby, luckily her loving husband Harry is there to help.

Boys Like That (ao3) - flightinflame scorpius/albus T, 14k

Summary: Albus suspects he would have been the family disappointment, even if he wasn't a squib. But without magic, he knows he will never be good enough for his father.

Visiting Hogwarts introduces him to the world that should have been his birth right, and means he meets someone quite unlike the family he knows. Scorpius is bullied and lonely, and Albus offers him the chance of a friend.

Draco Malfoy and the Unlikely Guardian (ao3) - Happymooncactus draco/harry E, 64k

Summary: Hogwarts, Eighth Year. After the war, Draco Malfoy returns to Hogwarts, reluctantly completing his final year at the school he once thought he’d left behind. But his return is even more unwelcome than he thought. A few students, still bitter about the past, target him, believing he’s been let off too easily for his role in the war. Bullied and isolated, Draco bears the weight of his choices, torn between guilt and the desire for redemption.

When Harry Potter witnesses Draco being harassed, something shifts in him. Unable to turn a blind eye, Harry begins following Draco, watching over him from the shadows, ensuring no harm comes his way. As the two navigate their complicated pasts, an unlikely bond begins to form - one neither of them expected, but both secretly crave.

Good to Me (And I’d Be So Good to You) (ao3) - AWickedMemory draco/harry G, 9k

Summary: Everyone returns to Hogwarts after the war, but nothing is quite the same. Harry's groupies are creepier than ever, Ron and Hermione are snogging all over the place, and the once-proud Draco is shuffling around like a kicked puppy. But that's okay: Harry's got a plan.

Piece by Piece (ao3) - TheBashfulPoet draco/harry E, 6k

Summary: Draco Malfoy has a secret and it is driving Harry crazy. So what else is supposed to do but don his trusty cloak and follow the pointy git through the streets of London?

He is Harry Potter after all.

Or a Sex Worker!Draco Malfoy and Protective!Harry Potter AU

Sweet Heart, Bitter Blood (ao3) - syringe draco/harry M, 5k

Summary: Draco's trying to help his betrothed, Harry, assassinate his Gryffindor goody-two-shoes doppelganger from another universe before he can defeat Voldemort. Things get complicated when the other universe's version of Draco gets thrown into the mix.

Terms of Endearment (ao3) - charlie_weasleys_gf draco/harry T, 15k

Summary: Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are assigned to protective duty for Draco and Narcissa Malfoy after the Manor is attacked. Except a mistake in the Auror office *cough* McLaggen *cough* results in Harry and Draco being forced to share a room...and a bed.

The Black Lily Community Center (ao3) - Ebibily draco/harry, hermione/ron, luna/ginny E, 70k

Summary: One day, almost ten years after the war is over, Harry is picking up Teddy from his wizarding primary school, and he discovers Scorpius is getting bullied. Harry can't just sit idly by.

Or, Harry runs a community center, Teddy and Scorpius become friends, and Draco has accepted the fact that his past will always haunt him.

The Savior (ao3) - TheFanWhoRan harry/ginny, hermione/ron, hermione/draco, luna/ron T, 27k

Summary: It was an unwritten rule that the golden trio would always come to each other's aid. No matter what happened, they would go to extreme lengths to help each other. It's time the wizarding world realized just how true that was.

This will be a series with 3 chapters, one for each of the Golden Trio member saving the other two.

Thicker Than Water (ao3) - RoamingRonin M, 7k

Summary: Harry Potter was used to not having a plan. After all, everyone had a plan until the curses started flying. Where most struggled, he thrived and reveled in the fight. Call it one of the few advantages of his troubled upbringing. After more than a decade fighting against Dark Lords and creatures alike and making the magical world a safer place, he chose to hang up his dragonhide robes. He certainly didn't anticipate waking up in a world that wasn't his. Nor was he prepared to find out he wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived and was no longer alone. It only took one look into those dazzling green eyes for him to realize that maybe he needs a good plan this time around. He survived and killed Voldemort when he was the last remaining Potter. Now? Well, Tom Riddle was a dead man. He just didn't know it yet.

Worth Everything (ao3) - sunflow_rs draco/harry G, 708

Summary: “Harry,” Draco spoke. His eyes flickering around them, catching people’s stares and not-so-hushed whispers. “Is this a good idea?”

Green eyes sparkling with confusion, Harry frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The last time the Wizarding World saw me in public, I was a death eater. Now I am spending time with the Boy who Lived at a Quidditch match?”

[chorusfm]

Liner Notes (January 20th, 2024)

This week’s newsletter looks at Green Day’s new album and sprinkles in some other thoughts on the music and entertainment I spent time with last week. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here. If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here. A Few Things * I (for obvious reasons) enjoyed this article from Joan Westenberg arguing that forums have some real benefits over places like Slack/Discord. I continue to like our community and how it looks/works over any other online platform I’ve played around with. * I saw some sad news this week. Former AbsolutePunk writer Tony Pascarella passed away. Tony wrote some of my favorite reviews back in the day, and I’ll remember him for never being afraid to tackle a takedown of a popular artist. Rest in peace. * I asked Alexa about the weather this morning. It gave me the weather and asked if I wanted headlines for the upcoming NFL games. Has anyone written the definitive piece on what went wrong with this product? Every “did you know…?” prompt makes me want to throw this thing through a window. In Case You Missed It * Paramore Cancel Festival Appearances * Sum 41 Announce Final World Tour * Green Day to Play ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Dookie’ on Tour * Graduation Speech – “No Confidence” (Song Premiere) * All the Billion Things * The Spill Canvas Announce New Tour * Finch Post-Up Teaser * Chorus. fm’s Top 30 Albums of 2023 * Yellowcard Announce New Collaboration Album * Albums in Stores – Jan 19th, 2024 Music Thoughts * This week’s big release is Green Day’s Saviors. I think it’s a wonderful return to form after quite a few years of the band wandering in the wilderness with mediocre songs (and the straight up unlistenable last album). It’s an album that embraces the best parts of the band and has some of Billie’s most inspired songwriting since American Idiot. Highlights for me are “Goodnight Adeline,” “Dilemma,” and “Living in the ’20s.” There’s an awesome energy to “Living in the ’20s” that I didn’t think the band had in them anymore. There’s still a few duds (the last three songs drag a little, and the chorus to “Coma City” bugs me), and the album feels its length at 15 songs, but as a whole, I’m extremely happy to have a new Green Day album that I thoroughly enjoy. I’m still holding out hope that the band could do a whole album of songs like “Goodnight Adeline,” “Corvette Summer,” and “Suzie Chapstick” that would feel like a spiritual successor to Warning — a great start to the music year. * The new Strung Out song has me buzzing. Quickly climbing my most anticipated chart. * I like the new Taylor Acorn single; I hope to see a full length this year. * The rest of my week was spent rediscovering MxPx’s Secret Weapon, doing an Alkaline Trio discography run, and sprinkling in some old school Bad Religion at the gym. The Stats: Over the past week, I listened to 25 different artists, 46 different albums, and 459 different tracks (581 scrobbles). Here is my Top 9 from last week, and you can follow me on Apple Music and/or Last.fm. Entertainment Thoughts * I loved Ms. Marvel (the TV show). I liked Captain Marvel. Adore both actresses. And I still thought The Marvels was a total mess. It felt like four scripts badly edited together. It was cut extremely weird, made little sense, and the story’s core was boring. It’s been a long time since I walked away from a Marvel movie excited. * Self Reliance was completely fine. * I’ve been keeping up with my goal to read more in 2024. Of the things I’ve read over the first few weeks, I liked Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane the best. I also finally read Travis Barker’s book. I’d give that a solid 2.5 stars. 2.5 is also the number of pages Travis can apparently go without mentioning how many women he’s slept with. There are some good Blink-182 tidbits throughout, and I would have loved more of a dive into the recording of those albums,… https://chorus.fm/features/articles/liner-notes-january-20th-2024/

[icanseethefuture333]

https://www.tumblr.com/icanseethefuture333/729959260547579904/healing-my-inner-child-and-learning-to-accept-im?source=share

I hate that you’re so relatable, but there’s one thing in which we differ: I’m literally unable to heal. I’m still stuck on all that I lost when I was a kid and a teenager, somehow having to do the most for everyone else and still have no voice of my own in the midst of traumatic experiences unfolding. You know that feeling? I’m still angry with everyone, but I think it might be hurting my progress cos I can’t let go. Idk anymore. I’m glad that you’re able to heal though, maybe one day I will too.

*sighs and sits down, takes a deep breath*

To be honest, we aren't different at all. For years I put off healing my inner child because it was so uncomfortable for me. I didn't dismiss my younger self or avoided her, but it was like I kept her at a arm's length. Kind of like having a child but not taking care of them fully, just only stopping by to play a game with them, then leave when they need you the most. I am just now learning to properly listen to my inner child and comfort her, because facing my trauma and accepting that is not me anymore is extremely painful. It's like I know how to take care of everyone but me and that's fucked up!

For people with trauma, we don't have to let go of what happened to us. We don't have to forget and move on. We just have to learn to get to a place where we accept it and find comfort within ourselves despite the things that happened to us. It's about loving who you are and finding a way to not let it control you, but finding ways to cope with it.

You are capable of healing anon. Anyone is capable of healing. You just have to be brave enough to want to heal and allow yourself to be like the Death tarot card. You have to be able to want change and allow yourself to transform for the better, even if it's painful. I feel like most people hear my experiences or my advice and think I just did it overnight or I have it easy, when I never did. My life has been so hard and I am still trying to get by every single day. I just have gotten to a place where I am wiser and think about what steps could lead me towards my happiness. So as long as I am focused on my goals and also making time for self care, I will be okay, but I don't surpass my emotions when I'm sad or angry.

Growing up in a household where there was arguing and chaos, made me feel really small in comparison. I felt like I didn't have a voice. At times I still don't feel like I have the freedom I deserve but I am being patient regarding that because I have faith that the universe has a plan for me. Which is why I even major in Communication in the first place because that's exactly what my family's weakest point is. Not being able to listen to each other, not speaking in a calm manner, etc. Generational trauma can be a very toxic cycle.

Just remember anon that when you say things like "I can't do this" or "I'm not able / or good enough to do xyz" you're just affirming that even more. You have to deprogram yourself from what others told you can and can't do, decide for yourself what you will do from this day on. You have the power to do whatever you set your mind to.

[silly-ness]

FULL Narcome world building ( I think finished. Also extremely long )

basically the four people with wildly different backgrounds, fighting styles, jobs, birth homes and beliefs are forced together by the government of Skyline to pretty much either make peace or ya know 💀 the leader of the Sub Terra.(the cities is mostly inspired by arcane btw, love that show) The person who is in charge of Sub Terra is pretty much a total wild card when it comes to everything and has committed several crimes causing a large bounty on her head. The four all have to travel together through many different cities to collect info on her and learn to either like or hate each other. Only time will tell what these guys do to each other 👹

Kingdoms 

Skyline

This is basically where you supposedly become rich. It’s swarming with people hoping to make a living, or just really rich people watching everyone else. There are good parts of the city, some bad. But mostly good. It’s a city where most people either want to live or already live in. People mainly live by themselves so they often rely on themselves but do care about people like their neighbors. People from here often vary in rudeness. Some people are very sweet and will say sorry even if it’s theother persons fault while others will not hesitate to knock you out if you get them mad. They do have self control though. Mainly large shops and bars with big apartments. Called the city of growth due to how many people are there growing the community and culture. The King is old yet not that smart. He’s spoiled and people actually want him to step down. He probably will if I make this a story. (Hostile city when it comes to war)

Sub Terra

Not the most ideal place to live. Very dangerous as many scary and deadly people are searching for power. The people who live there aren’t getting payed enough to be able to leave most of the time, and the people fighting for power know that (that’s why they want power) and the kids that live there often have to fight to survive, sometimes at really young ages too. People either look out for themselves or just their family. People from here are often rude and will hurt you if you get on their way, unless they were of course raised right. But everyone here has to go great lengths to survive so it’s best not to get on their bad sides. Mainly large towers and broken down buildings and warehouses. The city is often called the city of death because of you don’t know what you’re doing then you could get seriously hurt or killed. The Queen is cold and dangerous. She’s very strong and can easily hurt you.(Hostile city when it comes to war)

Outlands

for more peaceful lands to live in, the outlands are the place to go. They aren’t too far from either cities but aren’t close enough where the people living there are in danger. Pretty much no crime, and is a safe place to go for refuge or just to visit. Not many people live in the outland towns but it’s still nice. Everyone helps each other and keeps each other safe. Some people will even trust someone new to the village alone with their kids. The people here are some of the sweetest people you might ever meet. They do t even know what being rude or mean is at this point because everyone is so nice. If your mean and visit one of the villages in the outlands  you will probably completely flip and before nice. Also the Outlands aren’t one big city like the others but in fact bunch of different villages outside the other cities boundaries. Mainly farms, waterfalls, hills and cottages. It’s called the city of family because you will be treated as family no matter who you come across or how you as a person look. There’s also broken down castles here said to have vampires. (Peaceful nation when it comes to war)

Stranta:

Stranta is a port city. It is successful like skyline but not as popular. It is the city with the best education. It also does really well in fishing and is often distributing said fish to other cities as well, since it has easy access to the water. The city also has some of the best engineers so they are a bit more advanced (They have planes and blimps) which also helps with delivery. Their delivery system gives them a large amount of money, which helps them out. People often call it the city of building hands because new projects are always being made.

FrostZone

-It’s the strongest empire and has the largest population. Its obviously cold based off of the name. It’s not cold to the point where only people born there are used too, but its easier if that’s the case. Many people often reside there to seek protection because of the power, as well as rumors about the queen being a sweet person when she’s really a independent and more on the ruthless. The Kingdom is mainly mountains and frozen lakes. The people there are cold hearted and strong people. They are often loyal to only certain people that they respect.

•Mack Island. 

Mack island is a large island off the coast of northern Skyline. It’s a place where some crazy criminals are sent to atone for their crimes. It’a beach like for the most part, but the people there have the supplies to live. They have enough to build small huts and fishing supplies but can’t make any boats back home. (1. because they made sure they didn’t have the supplies 2. The ocean was aggressive over in that area) Since it was an island with criminals it was quite dangerous but the people there were trying to get better to go home. This place isn’t necessarily a kingdom or a nation, it’s just an inhabited island. Parents use this place as a scare tactic so they stay in line. (For example, “Don’t do that or you’ll get sent to Mack Island!”)

Peace land forest

Like Mack Island, Peace-land forest isn’t necessarily a kingdom. It’s just the forest where most magical originated beings come from (Vampires, Moshers, etc) People say it’s where all magic comes from because magic is strongest there and will get enhanced in strength of you enter the place. The queen of sub terra wants to take over the place because of this. The forest seems to have a mind of its own and only lets kind hearted people

into the forest. It has a boundary to keep this in check. People often keep to themselves but there are small villages in the area scattered throughout. 

jobs

•Tavern keepers.  Tavern keepers are actually quite respected because of their ability to take care of things and manage large amounts of people. They often manage their time well and are quite friendly people. They aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty when it comes to making sure that everyone is safe and respected during their stay at the tavern.

•Farmers. Farmers are often friendly and are willing to help you out if you need it. They are also quite respectable but not as much as medical aid or bounty hunters. They are the cause of most food throughout the nation for quite good pay as well. 

-Assassins. Very swift and quick people. You know what they are.

•Teacher. Teachers aren’t that high up in the paying pyramid because not many people think highly of teachers (not even government officials.) They are often sweet and hardworking people who try their hardest to make sure their students feel safe and equal. There are of course the mean teachers that nobody likes but they aren’t important.

•Bounty hunters. Bounty hunters are respected by some but not by all. Some people think of them as lazy people who mainly stay at the bar all day. Most of the time that’s not true and they actually spend time doing very dangerous jobs

-Detectives. They’re rare but very smart people. And ya know, are detectives. Odviously

•Medical aid. Medical aid is the highest respected job in the nation. They often go out of their way to make sure that everyone else is in the best condition. They sometimes go out on the battle fields to heal the soldiers during ongoing battles. This job is very dangerous and high stress a large amount of the time.

•Army soldiers . It’s pretty self explanatory. There is a hierarchy thing then it comes to soldiers though.(Commander —> knight —> soldier —->Guards —->Guards in training) Different types get different pay, and often work for different people

•Engineers/Tech jobs. Very well paying jobs. Many people want to become someone working int the tech world because it’s a job world that’s picking up the pace. Many people are becoming rich from their inventions

•Arena fighters. Arena fighters are people who are pretty much broke and have more muscle than brain. Yeah there are smart arena fighters but those are few and far between. It’s actually easy to get money as they get their money from bets.

•Arena referees just fed the arena matches and get money from how many people are watching.

•the shady businesses (if you know what I mean, but in a world with kingdom kinda way.) They basically get the best fighters to keep their power n stuff or something

•Messengers. Messengers are important because they are trained to get messages across the country in the shortest amount of time. These could be messages of war, death, etc etc.

•Pirates. I know being a pirate isn’t really a job but it works. They just complete tasks on the ocean for money from the shady people in the back of the alleys, ya know like Cousin Sean! But in reality they either do that or steal from each other.

•Smugglers. Smugglers are people who steal things and then trade them with other smugglers. Smugglers actually have meet up spots where they go

for trading.  the trading is usually with gold or the objects found while stealing. Pirates and smugglers often work together

•Maids/Servants. Mainly self explanatory but they get payed a lot. It’s also hard to get hired as a servant in this universe because most royal families have a high expectation for cleaning 

-Defender. They’re basically bounty hunters but for royals and the King. Bounty hunters and defenders are often seen as enemies, even to some of them. Defenders get hired to get rid of or capture people who are seen as threats to the royal family and make sure they don’t do anything or stay away from them. They are physically adapted to the location and the terrain 

Magic system

•Only around 3/4 the population has magical powers, and most of the time it’s hereditary type of stuff 

•So if your dad was born with Fire magic, you’re likely gonna have it too. But if your parents have two different magic types the odds are 50/50

•Powers are things that usually happen in nature or are caused by nature (Ie: lava, plants, wind, electricity)

•Magic ability is actually a bit controversial because the people without magic feel like they’re powerless against literally everything 

•sometimes instead of your powers being 50/50 if your parents have two different types of magic it mixes and makes a completely new magic type (Fire + water might make ink magic) (I also call it Mixed magic or just MM)

•It’s very rare to have mixed magic though so it probably won’t happen

•Having magical powers with non magical parents is extremely rare but is seen as good luck

•People usually use it to help out with their lives and only use them to fight if it’s part of their jobs

•It’s determined by a large birthmark somewhere on their body. (Most of the time it’s on their back or somewhere on their wrist)

•Certain magic is more common than others. The list goes as followed 

Fire - - - > Water - - - > Forest - - - Rock - - - Lava - - - lightning - - - > shadows- - - > Light - - - > any type of mixed magic

•People can easily use their magic together to use in battle

•Certain magic like rock and water are better at defense then stuff like lava and thunder

Magic probability 

-certain magic is more likely in certain kingdoms 

-Fire, Water and rock are the most likely types of magic in Skyland

-Ice, water and rock magic is most likely in Frost Zone

—Sub Terra is a mix of all types of magic

Water, electric and light magic is most common in Stranta

Races

•Humans. Humans are quite common. I don’t feel the need to elaborate here

•Slow-bloods. They can be any race but they age slowly and look 9 when they’re like 300

•Moshers. their mushroom people and they can talk and stuff too. they’re adorable. They all know how to speak common but when around other Moshers they speak their language. They also are really good healers and can grow vines (I mean they’re made of vines after all)G

•Orcs! WE LOVE ORCS!! I don’t need to elaborate here. They’re strong, they’re cool, and yeah.

•Elves. Elves are quite common too but they’re smarter than humans and often have bow and arrows. They’re more elegant too. AND POINTY NOSES + HORNS

•Crools. They’re like human/Mosher mixes. They look like humans but with vine hair and can grow vines off of their limbs

•Can’t forget vampires! They are a bit more advanced though and can go in the sun for short periods of time before burning. They also don’t have to drink blood all the time but they still need it to survive

•Katze wechselt (cat shifters).  They’re shapeshifters that often take the form of a cat and cause mischief. They can be nice and help other people out  ur they don’t usually get involved in other people’s business. also if they take the place of a human they often look like a child, even if that’s not what they intended (even if they’re hundreds of years old)

•Bearlings. They’re humans with features of bears and are much stronger and quicker than the average person. Their 2x the size of a normal being

•There are mixes of different races technically. They aren’t necessarily common but they aren’t rare, ya know? They’re called half breeds. 

Animal/creatures

•Ghastly. They’re ghosts but they haven’t fully passed yet. They’re basically half transparent. They can move through walls yet stay grounded and touch things, stuff like that.

•Etenas. They’re big ol snails that are often either left at peace or used as pets to carry large amounts of cargo across areas in places like the outlands

•Light spirits. They look like fairys but for the most part their just lights with legs, arms and a head. They are a symbol of good luck and often help travelers when they’re lost

•Dark spirits. They’re the total opposite of light spirits and often symbolize danger or even death. If a traveler sees them then said traveler is on the wrong path and is in critical danger

-Gunks. They’re basically these big ol dudes that are quite peaceful but look dangerous. They’re big creatures with some sort of funky stuff on their back and they have big arms

•Inklings. Inklings are just ink blobs that take different forms. They can switch interchangeably (and even go completely liquid) but often chose to stay completely solid. They’re non verbal but use telepathic communication if they need to but use writing before it gets there

•Whaleions. they’re whales but they are flying in the sky in the sky. They have to go back into the oceans after a while though because they still need water but can last a while before they need to do that. People often use them as travel for large groups

•direlings. They’re twin deers that always stay with each other and are the symbol of purity. They’re only two (one set of twins) and they’re pretty much gods because theres stories of them being around since the start of time

-Eggmen. They’re little egg looking dudes. (They’re egg shaped with twig legs and arms.) They often travel in groups and are often fine unless provoked. They also spontaneous combust or just blow up when angry. 

-bookbirds. They’re books that with wings that fly on their own with a mind of their own too. They like to play tricks on people and are often trained to do so.

-Staticers. They’re demons of people who did really terrible things and were sent to the forest as punishment. So ya know how I said that the forest can detect good people? Bad people turn into statics if they try and cross the border and end up haunting the area for the rest of their existence

Language

•Common. The language pretty much everyone speaks

•Pirates code. It’s a language that only pirates understand and it’s very hard to keep track of or pick up on unless you have years of experience 

•Ghostly. It’s a language used to speak with ghosts. Ghosts are visible in this universe but they can’t talk to humans or elves languages so they both made up their own. Ghosts in general just use some gibberish with other ghosts.

•Bounty oath. Pretty much the same as pirates code but with Bounty hunters except it’s really hard to understand. Like, more people can understand ghostly than bounty oath. Yet some Tavern keepers know it too because a lot of hunters go there to stay when traveling distant lands.

•Misho. The language of the moshers. For people visiting a Mosher village for the first time it would probably just sound like gibberish.

•Shiftling. it’s the language of cat shifters.  It’s so none of them get caught with the crazy stunts the shifters are gonna pull off n stuff

-Static. It’s just static but only staticers 

can understand

War

•The war is between the Skylines and Sub Terra

•Basically the king of the Skyline was tired of all the queens 💩

•He tried to get her to sign a treaty where She couldn’t attack any other kingdom or do anything illegal

•She of course does not sign the treaty and instead tries to invade Skyline and she fails but recovers quickly

•The king of skyline officially declares war in Sub terra and the war begins.

•The queen continues to try and attack many different villages and towns. She managed to do some damage on the eastern side of the outlands

•The other two nations refuse to get involved unless something had involved them

•Not many people are wanting to become soldiers because they are either weak or their rulers suck and they don’t want to try and support them

Other conflicts

•People think that the king of Skyline should step down because he’s immature and a idiot

•since the war started, the king shut down the borders and harbors to stop “Sub Terra propaganda” or something like that

•Those shutdowns are causing riots and protests as people aren’t getting access to healthy and not expired food. the decision was just dumb too so people were also mad about that

•Everyone is afraid of what stranta would do in the war. They’re the most technically advanced and even though they don’t have the best military (and are also neutral) they’re still intimidating

•people i’m stranta are upset because they want to help the Outlands. Many people from stranta had have to travel to the outland and they were very welcoming so they want them to be treated with the same respect

•The outlands are the least advanced but larges kingdom so they are mostly defenseless when it comes to attack. a they do have strength in numbers but If Skyline or Sub Terra were to try and invade they would barely survive

•Most people without magic are populated in Skyline. Non-Magic wielders are less likely to get good paying jobs just because of them not having magic and they want justice

Vehicles

•There’s planes but they can’t go very far unless they would crash 

•Ships. Ships are the one that most people choose to travel on if they’re by water because they’re safe (for the most part)

•Float Logs. They’re large log looking things that you can use to fly around.

-Carriages. Rich family have them, ya know 

-Bikes, ya know the things we enjoyed.

Neighborhood type of stuff

-Alloparenting (kinda like in bobs burgers) is quite common all over the nation

-Parties are quite common, especially among the young and rich

-Everyone (specifically in smaller areas) is friendly and will try to keep each other out of trouble

-Pretty much an entire town will know who one person is even if that person doesn’t talk

-they’re just like that.

-More popular cities can get violent so everyone tries to protect everyone else but mainly the old and kids

[catgirltaint]

YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND o7

Good lord this got long. Well, it's your problem now.

So, it's not like Amdahl's law was the solitary panacea which I apply to all my problems to resplendent success. Really, it's more like it got me oriented in the right direction to problem-solve at large.

Just in case there's a third party on this EXTREMELY PRIVATE AND SECURED COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL, some background on Amdahl's law: it is contained within a single equation which I have only ever seen applied to evaluating the time it takes to run a computer program. The formulation revolves around the property of such problems that computer programs tend to be easily segmented into discrete operations which do not impact one another. "The equation" shows the relationship between the speed of a program before and after one of those segments is impacted. Of critical note about this whole thing, and the usual takeaway from your class on the subject, is that the overall time spent on a program can't be reduced past the time spent on the segment if only the speed of that segment is improved. (This should be intuitive, don't overthink it).

Okay, so, pretend you're me (mentally healthy) (doesn't treat life like a series of computer programs) (she's lying). Amdahl's law is immediately appealing for the barefaced application to problem-solving: make things faster by focusing on the largest sources of delay. So, that's it, right? Law applied. Except, like I said, it wasn't really about Amdahl for me, it just provided an arrow in the right direction away from binaristic thinking about problems. Problem-solving doesn't only consist of "this solution will help" and "this solution won't help", I think Amdahl helped to refine that idea into "This solution helps precisely this much". I have an anecdote that I think is related.

When I was in college, (This is in past tense as of recently. She's doing normal about that.) I fenced. I love fencing. If it should ever please the court of public opinion, I will opine at inexorable length about the many and varied things I learned about the game. It's essentially my favorite fucking thing in the world. I had a coach in college who would harp on a particular point about the execution of the lunge, and the two of us disagreed on this point. The lunge, to him, is an action optimally executed consisting of four strong elements: An explosive push from the back leg, a powerful kick from the front leg, an extension of the front wrist, and a push backward of the back arm. All (with the exception of the front wrist) contribute to breaking inertia and accelerating your body forward. But as a sabrist, I took issue with the back arm bullshit. Comparing the size of the muscles and how much work is actually being applied, the foot you have on the ground contributes an overwhelming majority of the force forward. Adding to that the kick from the front leg (which is still far less than the foot on the ground), even doing each part optimally, the back arm likely contributes less than 5% of the overall motion of the action. (This being extremely generous.) An understanding of Amdahl didn't necessarily help optimize this problem, but it did draw my attention to the weakest link. That weakest link being that the back arm bullshit doesn't feel like it helps, and it's a pain in the ass to do.

Like I said, I always openly disagreed with my coach on this point. At the end of the day, you don't do anything else with your back arm for any other action, and I found I got my best results essentially "unloading" my back arm from my brain, and only focusing on the motion of my legs and front arm.

I don't have a lot more specific anecdotes about it, but I think that has a lot to do with how much I've internalized this kind of thinking. The most frequent result, for me, (girl with OCD) (APPARENTLY), is that I feel allowed to relax instead of pursuing a certain solution. The analysis comes first. Is this going to meaningfully impact my problem, or is it only going to be a 5% benefit, at the risk of valuable energy?

Amdahls law revolutionized rhe way I think about tasks

[shiningstarr15]

In honor of it being National Siblings Day, allow me to present my top 10 favorite sibling pairings in media 💕💕

This includes biologically, legally, and surrogate 💖

Here we go!!

10.) Vi and Jinx (Arcane)

Biological sisters

The tragic pairing from the Netflix series, the two are at the bottom bc they have some issues that still need to be worked out.

Nevertheless, I love this pairing bc it is so apparent how much they care for each other. Vi went to great lengths to try and find her sister. Jinx wants her sister to accept her for who she is. Even though Vi already says that she does, the communication is lacking. Also, jinx is kinda.. cuckoo at the moment. I’m rooting for them anyway though 💖

9.) Alberto and Giulia (Luca)

Surrogate siblings

This is basically canon as of Ciao Alberto since Massimo takes Alberto in and the two officially declare a surrogate father/son relationship.

Despite this, the movie itself has these two acting very sibling esque. The vibes that they give off scream annoying sibling energy. With Giulia being the sister that constantly teases her brother about his crush (she knew, you can’t tell me she didn’t) as well as being helpful and caring towards each other. Although they didn’t get off to the best start, it’s clear by the end that they care for each other. If we get anymore Luca products, I hope to see their relationship explored even further 💖

8.) Cory and Shawn (Boy Meets World)

Surrogate brothers

This is hinted at multiple times throughout the series. Shawn says at least twice that I can remember of Cory being like the brother he never had and calling him family. As well as Shawn canonically being the uncle to Cory and Topanga’s kids in Girl Meets World.

I love these two so much. They have such a wonderful friendship that I remember fangirling over while watching the series. The adventures they go on, watching them grow up and becoming a permanent part of each other’s lives, protecting each other. This was easily one of the best relationships in the show in my opinion 💖

7.) Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo

(My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Surrogate sisters

Confirmed as of “Sleepless in Ponyville,” Rainbow Dash agrees to take Scootaloo under her wing after the young pony confronts her about wanting her to become like her big sister. Afterwards the two establishing this exact relationship by competing in the sisterhooves social together, scootaloo canonically calling Rainbow her sister figure, and even Rainbow herself calling herself Scootaloo’s big sister.

The dynamic between these two is both chaotic and fluffy. Rainbow Dash is the pony that Scootaloo looks up to the most and always looks to her for advice and comfort. As the seasons progress we see an overprotective side to RD come out as well, hammering in the idea that she views the young filly as her little sister 💕

6.) Anne and Sprig (Amphibia)

Surrogate siblings

Confirmed multiple times throughout the series, especially in which Anne calls the plantars family, sprig literally asking if he can call Anne’s parents mom and dad, and him also desperately trying to be a part of her family (and succeeding)

Even before this established familial relationship, it is very clear that the dynamic between the two is that of brother and sister. They go so far as to show that the two can’t even live together in the same room bc they drive each other insane. Anne is extremely protective of sprig as well literally going SUPER SAIYAN when he’s tossed out a window. Sprig also goes out of his way to make Anne feel special, giving her gifts and making sure she knows that she’s his best friend. The two also share a lot of heartfelt moments together, showcasing the absolute love they have for each other 💖

5.) Luz and King (The Owl House)

Surrogate siblings

Confirmed multiple times throughout the series In which king is LEGALLY adopted by Eda, who canonically views Luz as a daughter figure.

This relationship is very similar to Anne and sprig in the fact that they are established as having sibling like vibes even before the surrogate family feelings are established. Luz and king share adventures together, luz is overprotective of king, king is protective of his friendship with Luz to the point of territorial jealousy, and they even share inside jokes with one another. But above all, they care about each other very much. 💕

4.) Kenny and Karen (South Park)

Biological siblings

EASILY the best familial relationship in South Park, Kenny is canonically super protective of his little sister, both as himself and as his superhero persona, Mysterion.

Although karen is unaware that mysterion is Kenny, he protects her even as himself, especially in episodes such as “The City Part of Town” where Kenny takes a job to try and earn money, only to spend the little that he gets on a doll for Karen, just so she can feel love and security. And even in the beginning of the episode “the poor kid” where it’s shown her clinging onto Kenny as they are being taken away from their white trash parents. Although mysterion is seen to actually kick ass of those that mess with her, the love he feels for his sister is aspiring. Even with Karen not being aware her guardian Angel is her favorite older brother (though it may be confirmed through the post covid special that she does eventually find out) 💗

3.) Yang and Ruby (RWBY)

Biological/Legal Sisters

I put them down as either bc there is debate in the fandom of whether they are blood related due to Ruby looking not that much like their dad. Either way, that is still the man that raised them and even Yang herself views ruby’s biological mom as her own. So it is safe to say that if not related, for sure adopted 💖

Yang and Ruby have an amazing sisterly relationship throughout the series. Yang is always cheering for her little sister and is super protective of her, going after pretty much anyone that tries to hurt her. Even with the events after the fall of beacon and yangs ptsd, she eventually goes after her sister and joins her on their quest to retrieve the relics. The two have been through a lot together from losing their mom to the fall of beacon to personal issues. But they have managed to make it through it all and continue to be one of the best sister duos in animation 💖

2.) Anna and Elsa (Frozen)

Biological sisters

There was debate for a while whether or not these two were biologically related or not. But the second movie confirms that they are. Even if they weren’t, that doesn’t change the fact that they grew up and view each other as sisters

Anna and Elsa have been through absolute hell and back. From being isolated most of her life to losing her parents to running away, Elsa has always tried to do what she felt was going to keep Anna safe. In the end though, it’s the love they have for each other that breaks her from her prison of resentment and isolation. Even the second movie establishes that their relationship will remain strong even at a further distance from each other. And losing each other is something that they just simply cannot endure. I love these two with every fiber of my being 💕💕

And the #1 favorite sibling pairing of mine, coming as a surprise to absolutely no one… 😂

1.) Natasha and Yelena (Black Widow 2021)

Legal/surrogate sisters

Again, adding both legal and surrogate bc we never get confirmation as to whether the red room mission adoption is legalized. It is implied that the marriage itself between the parents are, but since the girls had to go undercover with their identities, we never confirm whether the adoption is technically legal or not.

This does not change the fact that these two view each other as sisters though. Natasha only knows yelena for 3 years before they are both sent to the red room. And in that short time, she grows a FIERCE protectiveness towards her. This applies even after 21 years where it’s seen throughout the movie how immensely protective she is. Although she denies the familial connection at first, this is only because of the immense guilt that she feels for having left Yelena to suffer in the red room alone. She canonically states that she should’ve come back for her before finally revealing that she felt the sisterly connection as well, and still does. It is a shame we only got to see them in one movie, but that was enough to show us how deep the love between these two truly goes. While it is going to be incredibly difficult to have to watch Yelena go through the grieving process (as we have already seen in Hawkeye) it will be nice to see even more of how much this sister relationship means to her. And who knows, maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised in the future of the mcu. Nevertheless, the teasing, the protectiveness, the affection, and the adoration is enough to put these two in the number 1 spot for favorite sibling pairing 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

So there ya have it! This is of course my personal opinion and this by far is not the whole list. The media is FULL of amazing sibling/sibling like relationships and I’d be here forever if I talked about all of them. 💖💖

Also wishing a happy siblings day to my own surrogate siblings. You know who you are 💗💗💗💗💗