#this is like. not the end of the world but the most annoying example i can think of is when you ship a main chara w a side/supporting chara

[powderpuff-divines]

pick a pile: what dawn knocks on your door?

what goodness awaits you on the other side of the door? this is a general reading so only take what resonates and leave the rest. please excuse any typos or grammatical errors. my ask box is open for any topic suggestions or any questions <3

pile 1 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

the star, two of wands, four of cups, the hanged man rev, knight of swords, 5 of wands

my pile no. 1s are finally getting out of some situation that's been annoying, getting on your nerves or just downright unfair towards you. whatever duty or obligation you had, you've fulfilled it and you couldn't get out of the door faster lmao. this isn't the type of situation you're losing sleep over (at least not anymore). there is a swiftness in which you're making your exit. i'm seeing you regain hope and a feeling of excitement/joy once you've left this situation.

this could be a family/office situation for some of you—you've had to/got roped into lend out a helping hand out of obligation though your heart wasn't in it; it's not out of malicious intent, it's just that you don't vibe with the people or they're just annoying. so getting away from them will be like a breath of fresh air for you people. i think the people who picked this pile would have had a very calm energy while dealing with this.

i'm getting heavy office worker energy with this pile ngl. so maybe right before your vacation was meant to begin, an issue at work popped up and people expected you to solve it. i don't see them being demanding, i just see them pleading with you or trying to guil trip you. you seem to be nice enough to help out but also firm with your boundaries. you're determined to wrap it up so you can go enjoy your (well-deserved) downtime.

it's definitely giving taking a break from work and vacationing in a place like Bali or the Bahamas (or whatever the equivalent of that is for you)

and once you do reach wherever it is you were looking forward to going, it will be very relaxing for you!!! you might just take a break from the socials and stop responding to messages for while to fully appreciate the peace and calm. and honestly, good for you pile 1.

(deadass that’s what i saw in my head while doing this pile)

freedom. that's the good thing awaiting you guys. fresh air, clean skies and an environment free of all the annoying voices that chatter away and nag at you. you can kick your feet up, put your phone on do not disturb and relax.

masterlist

pile 2 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

six of cups, knight of cups, eight of swords, ace of swords, ten of pentacles, ace of cups, queen of pentacles

i'm hearing the song we hug now in my head ("i got a feeling you got everything you wanted, and you're not wasting time stuck here like me. you're just thinking it's a small thing that happened. the world ended when it happened to me.")

my pile 2s, most of you are scared of opening the door to see what's on the other end of it, scared of letting go and of a new beginning. like in the song, you could have been the one left behind in the past but i don't think that's the case for you currently. if so, then this might not be your pile.

you're in a position where you might have to leave someone behind and the thought of putting someone in that position, possibly causing them the same pain that you once went through is terrifying/ anxiety-inducing for you. if i had to give an example, this feels like someone realizing they no longer have feelings for partner who has been their childhood sweetheart and feeling awful about it. maybe it's just that or maybe, on top of all this, you've been accepted into a college somewhere far away and your partner has been so excited and happy for you, bringing up they don't mind making long-distance work for you; all the while you have this sinking pool of guilt in your stomach because you don't know how to tell them you don't see a future with them in it (at least as your partner)

or some variation of that situation where you have to reject someone, let them down or leave them behind. it's through no fault of their own, it's just how the situation worked out. however, for most people, this is a romantic situation. someone you see just as a friend could confess to you and you might feel too bad rejecting them (please remember that it's okay to say no and let someone down in the short run. you're saving everyone grief in the long run. but also you don't really need a reason apart from the fact that you don't want it. no is a complete sentence.)

please don't feel bad and stay in a situation longer than needed just because of guilt. you will survive it, and the other person will as well. you're not only stopping yourself from finding something better for you, but the other person as well. if the cost is not having them in your life anymore, then so be it. consider working on your people-pleasing tendencies if you feel like it's applicable to you.

for a section of you, you could also be coming to terms with your queerness and this ending is a part of that. there's a lot of grief in this realization because you think you're going to lose a lot if you tell people about it. (i'm so sorry if this is the case, pile two. sending you a warm hug through the screen)

you could be wishing for the past and for simpler times, but time only moves forward and there's more to life than just love.

(for a very small part of you, if you have to reject someone, please be cautious. if you feel that it's dangerous to say something or trigger the other person, then please follow your instinct. do not come out of the closet if you think you aren't in a safe and accepting living situation. you know your situation better than a random tarot reader on the internet. stay safe)

pile 2s, you've had more ambition in yourself than you've ever had the courage to admit to it. you want to prove certain people wrong, make certain people proud, become someone you are proud of. live up to someone's belief in you. you could gain more clarity on the type of career you want, or finally break away from the mould and chase what you want.

you're becoming more active in trying to bring about a life you actually desire for yourself.

there's also a message about wanting to repair your relationship with a female/ maternal figure. perhaps a grandmother?

for some of you, people have limited their perception of you to one single trait or attribute and you're finally fighting back against it—trying to be more than what their perception limits you to.

(i'm hearing 'how you get the girl' but also 'girl at home'; so in case some of you are interested in bagging a girl you like, i think you have a pretty good chance. but it might also be messy , so if you're already in a relationship, make sure it ends on a clean note)

on the other end of it all, you'll come face to face with yourself in the mirror and be able to come to terms with it all. you were always more than what anyone else or even you limited yourself to be and you can see that now. you'll be able to admit to wanting the future you've desired all along and begin to work towards it, along with building an unshakeable sense of identity and confidence.

masterlist

pile 3 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

3 of wands, page of cups, 2 of swords, king of pentacles, seven of cups reversed

you will be hearing back about a job offer or an opportunity you applied for or looking forward to. it's something that truly lights you up and something you are passionate about but it's not the only offer on your hands.

if the above mentioned scenario isn't the case, then there's some sort of message that you've been hoping to receive for a while now, which will end up in your inbox just when you're beginning to lose hope.

you'll be stuck on which one to choose, but you already know which one your heart wants. perhaps, the other one you don't like as much guarantees more money, more stability and more prestige but i don't think the opportunity you actually want is that bad either, it just might take a bit more time to reap its rewards. but what you will have to be sure about is whether you'll stay committed to it, whether you can stick to it when things get hard and not run away.

i'm sure you can, but i don't think most of you guys think that. now normally, i'd say go for what your heart yearns for but in this case, i feel guided to tell you to not make a decision unless you're sure of it. because i feel like so far you guys have been pretty fickle-minded. some of you guys might have even been thinking 'what's the point? it's not like i'll actually get it.' and then are completely left bamboozled when you do.

this might sound a bit confusing, but the choice you want to pick is the right choice for you, but it won't work out unless you believe that. no amount of belief or validation from others can substitute that for you. if you've been going to others and asking for their opinions excessively, your guides are asking you to stop that and to sit with yourself. you guys could struggle with taking yourselves seriously or having faith in yourself. you need to remedy that.

you need to trust yourself—trust that you know what you want, trust that you can commit to something once you've chosen it.

make a plan right now on what you would do if you got what you wanted, how it would end up changing your current life, what the worst day with it in your life could look like and what the best day would look like, etc. think about it carefully and then decide about the best path for you.

for some of you this could be a gap year/ abroad trip opportunity rather than a job.

a buzz from your phone, a fresh new unopened email that you've been refreshing and rechecking your inbox for. the possibility of tasting the future you imagined for yourself, of setting sail on fresh new waters and feeling the warmth of a familiar sun in unfamiliar lands; that is the light that waits on the other side of the door for you.

masterlist

this gave me such a pain in the ass trying to edit and format it in tumblr. i kept getting the 4096 character error and i tried EVERYTHING. i hit enter twice after copy pasting to make sure it was in separate blocks and it still wouldn't work. the last paragraph not being in gradient colour really annoyed me. i hope you guys enjoyed reading this pac. it’s not my best work for sure but i still hope it resonates with some of yall at least.

divider by @saradika-graphics <3

[flawed-but-funny]

my brain is in overdrive so I'm gonna toss some headcanons out there, I wanna see if anyone else thinks the same as me lol

°❀⋆.���࿔*:･

Jinu's the leader for a reason; he came up with the group name and most of the branding, initially set up their socials, and is the main music producer. He's hopeless with computers 90% of the time, but he knows one drawing program and two DAWs, so he's capable enough to handle it. I'm sure that realistically, he would've just hypnotized people to get them whatever resources they needed. However. This is MY headcanon post, so actually, he used Distrokid and as many playlist pitching services as he could find in order to get the song out there. Also, he did SO many cold calls to get onto their first variety show that he has a script engraved into his brain now.

Romance is the main choreographer, mainly focusing on individual parts and making sure the chorus hits just right. He's also behind the outfit coordination - Jinu sets the concept, he makes sure everyone dresses accordingly. Despite that though, he works best when given some room to do so. His favorite outfits were the darker ones with patterns on them, and he wished they could've been utilized more. He tried to coach the boys on how to interact with fans, how to be charming and flirtatious without crossing boundaries or starting scandals, but they never listened. And when he met Mira, all his advice flew out of his head, too.

Abby is also a choreographer, though his main focus is on the overall formation - for example, the domino effect in Soda Pop was his idea. He's a big help to Romance in the choreo department, but is an absolute pain when it comes to styling, since he keeps ripping shirts and loosing buttons. Even though the boys don't actually need to exercise to stay in shape, he decided to make workout plans for each of the members, tailored to their intended images. (Most of them don't use them, but he doesn't mind since he did it for fun.) He tries to project a "jock himbo" kind of image as an idol, and it may be somewhat rooted in his real personality, but he's actually EXTREMELY knowledgeable in some areas. He might be a bit silly and let things fly over his head sometimes, but he also used medical terminology to explain the previously mentioned workout plans.

Mystery handles most of the socials, as well as video editing - he does most of the tech-based stuff, basically. He doesn't talk much, but he communicates a lot better over text, so he's pretty good at wording microblog posts and video descriptions. Their Instagram is half official-looking-promo, and half candids. Basically any time they're out in this world, he has his phone at the ready, waiting for any smiles, laughs, or anything he thinks could fuel their fans to love them more. Idols as a whole aren't meant to seem human, and the five of them fit that better than anyone knows, but he also knows that making the fans feel some sort of connection will earn their love faster.

Baby is the lyricist, and is a very competent songwriter overall. He was actually annoyed that Jinu liked Soda Pop so much, since he'd been trying out the "write the worst song you can think of, it'll be a hit" writing exercise and hadn't expected it to work. He tweaked it to add some variety (his and Abby's section towards the end), and is MUCH happier with it after that change. He initially didn't appreciate the Little Teapot melody that Jinu threw in there, but grew to like how it made the section even more distinct. Despite low-effort catchiness working the first time, he decided to go all in for Your Idol so that the song they used to hypnotize everyone would be less of an easy earworm and more of an addictive masterpiece.

[blushkurasakunyan]

So you believe that the lack of Sakura's past doesn't affect his position as the protagonist. He doesn't get outshined by the others who have deep and rich past, right?

For me, nope. It's inevitable that Sakura's backstory will be revealed at some point, we just have to wait. There's a time and place for everything, and Nii-sensei just chooses to give his backstory as little snippets here and there, dropping casual crumbs every few chapters instead of the whole cake in one giant arc (at this time). For others, it might be annoying why we still don't have a backstory, and that's ok too. I would say as a generalization, readers prefer to read about characters who are 1) static characters - those that finished their character arc, is already OP, the strongest, at their peak, and we get to see them beat down their opponents with decent efforts, lots of victories. vs 2) dynamic characters - those that continually grow, who can still mature, get stronger, and continue to have character development.

For example, Volume 12 clearly establishes Umemiya's character, while Vol 8(?) establishes Tsubakino. Both characters are considered [static] in the sense that we have seen their colorful, deep, rich pasts that shaped them into the characters we see now. They are strong, compassionate, and kind. They are respected as the leaders of Furin and Makochi. They suffered in the past, and their experiences have shaped who they are. They are comfortable with their current selves.

That's the thing - these two have already completed their character arcs before the series even began. They've found what was important to them, and they strive to protect it. They are established characters that will continue to fight for what they believe in, and they will unlikely have any additional major focus or attention. They are already the strongest characters in the series. Some readers prefer this type of character.

Versus characters like Sakura, whom we barely know about. It's not only Sakura, we barely know anything about Suo, Nirei, Tsuge, Mizuki, Momose etc. In 22 volumes, we've barely explored so many characters!

But that's the point. Nii-sensei wrote Wind Breaker as a series where it's "fun and enjoyable to read". He wanted it to be a series where people would appreciate and like the characters and understand/empathize with them. He felt it would be hard for a lot of readers to relate to Umemiya, who was designed to be a cool, strong leader character. Meanwhile it's easier for readers to be introduced into the winbre world if an outsider such as Sakura was the protagonist instead. (interview from pocket shounen magazine)

For me, I am very much a person who loves the slow burn character development. Sakura was introduced as a character with a heavy past, and the current summer arcs have started to reveal bit by bit.

In 5/2021, Nii sensei mentioned in the pocket shounen magazine interview he vaguely has the ending in mind, he just needs to figure out how to get there (lol). in the most recent Kodansha interview 12/2024, he's already actually decided on the goal (ending) for the series, but he has soooo much more story to tell. He has so many character stories to develop in great detail. He believes that the fans will get a chance to learn about these characters on the same deep level as the other characters he's written about so far, and hopes fans will look forward to it.

In terms of characters who have a 'deep, rich past', I wouldn't necessarily want to have a competition of "which winbre character has the best backstory/development" - but I'll be happy with "will Nii-sensei be able to elicit an emotional response from the reader when he finally reveals Sakura's backstory, and is it something that the fans will understand and accept and be satisfied with?"

As a reader who's already been happy with the crumbs we get in the current summer arc chapters, I can't wait for the next crumb to drop. I don't think Sakura will be outshined, because he's already brilliantly blindingly bright to me :)

[renkyol]

This might have already been said but:

As much I'm loving all of The Pitt fanfiction, I've noticed a lot of people don't seem to understand how the med school and residency system works and it's annoying me. The basic order goes med student->resident->fellow->attending.

If you are a med student, you do not yet have your licence to practice medicine and have not matched to your specialty. If you are working, then you are completing a rotation, which is usually 4-12 weeks, depending on the specialty. Other healthcare disciplines (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, etc) refer to these as work placements. You do not get paid for these placements; actually, you pay to complete these placements. Whittaker and Javadi are med students.

At the end of your fourth year, in the States, you would write the United States Medical Licensing Examination(USMLE). In Canada, you write the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE). The USMLE is completed in three steps. Steps one and two are typically written when you are a med student; step three is written at the end of your first year of residency. Provided you pass steps one and two, you are now a resident. Residents are doctors. Residency is a three to seven year training period in a specialty, e.g., emergency medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, etc. You are matched into your specialty. Matching is, to my understanding, just the most complicated job hiring system in the world. The most important bit to know from a writers perspective is that there is a really good chance that a resident does not have a say in their specialty. A person preparing for residency will go on interviews and rank their preferred specialties and workplaces (meaning the hospital they complete their residency at), and then the hospitals and the departments decide to accept them or not. If you do not get matched, you can go through a process called SOAP, which places you with positions that did not get filled. The only way to change your specialty is to re-start the residency process from scratch. Santos is a first year resident, meaning she would have only passed the steps one and two of the USMLE that spring. This means she is most likely matched into emergency medicine. Although I learned recently that some surgery residencies have their residents complete a year of emergency medicine before starting in the OR. My personal headcanon is that Santos was soaped into emergency medicine, and that is why she was like that in the beginning. Mel and McKay are second year residents, which means they have been working as doctors for at least a year and already have emergency medicine as their specialty. They most likely would have completed all three steps to the USMLE It is mentioned in the first episode that Mel did her first year at a VA hospital which is apparently a common thing to do in the states. Mohan is a third year resident. I think this makes Robbie's comments to Mohan about switching to psychiatry really mean cause he's basically telling her to consider re-starting her residency when she's more than halfway finished. Collins, Langdon, and Garcia are fourth year or senior residents. Emergency medicine has a four year residency, so this means that they are almost done with their residencies. Surgery can have a five year or longer residency, so Garcia might still be a resident in the next season. Due to Langdon having to take most of the year away from work, he will have to re-start his fourth year.

After your residency is completed, you have the option to complete a fellowship. Not all specialties require a fellowship. These are take anywhere from 1 to 3 years. Emergency medicine does not require the completion of a fellowship, although there are a lot of options available. These are basically highly specialized training on topics in your specialty. For example, John Hopkins offers a fellowship in combat medicine for those specializing in emergency medicine.

After all of that: congratulations, you are now a doctor in attending aka an attending doctor. This means no more exams, just a re-licencing test every 5 years. You can take on residents and med students of your own to supervise, or not. No one is going to make you. You can also easily move now as you do not have to stay with the hospital you matched to for your residency. Getting a job goes back to the much more normal and not as stressful process of a job instead of the hellscape that is the residency matching program. Robbie, Abbot, Shen, Parker, and Walsh are attendings.

(Edit: Parker is a senior resident. I think I saw Parker's energy and assumed she was already an attending)

[kaijutegu]

Alligator Body Language and You, or: How To Know When An Alligator On Social Media is Being Stressed for Views

Alligators are wild animals. Despite the idiotic claims of animal abusers like Jay Brewer, they cannot be domesticated, which means they are always going to react on the same natural instincts they've had for millions of years. Habituated, yes. Tamed, yes. Trained, definitely. Crocodilians can form bonds with people- they're social and quite intelligent. They can solve problems, use tools, and they're actually quite playful. Alligators are also really good at communicating how they're feeling, but to somebody who doesn't spend much time around them, their body language can be a bit mystifying. And it doesn't help when social media influencers are saying shit like this:

That is not what a happy gator looks like.

That's a terrified, furious gator who isn't attacking because the ogre handling her has her in a chokehold. She's doing everything she can to express her displeasure, and he's lying about it because he knows his audience doesn't even know how to think critically about what he's doing. He knows that because his audience doesn't know anything about these animals, he can get away with it. This I think is why I hate him so much- he deliberately miseducates his audience. He knows what he's doing is factually inaccurate, he just doesn't care because attention means more to him than anything else in the world.

Let's change that! Here are two really important lessons for understanding alligator body language on social media.

Lesson 1: Alligators Don't Smile (in fact, most animals don't)

So what's going on in this video? Jay Brewer is aggressively choking his white alligator Coconut while scrubbing algae off of her with a toothbrush. And make no mistake, he is digging into the creature's throat while she is visibly distressed. He claims she's happy- but she's not. He is willfully misrepresenting what this animal is feeling. That's a problem, because people... well, we actually kind of suck at reading other species' body language. The reason for this is that we tend to overlay our own responses on their physical cues, and that's a problem. For example, let's look at an animal with a really similar face to ours, the chimpanzee. Check out Ama's toothy grin!

Wait, no. That's not a happy smile. That's a threat display. When a chimpanzee "smiles," it's either terrified and doing a fear grimace, or it's showing you its teeth because it intends on using them in your face.

How about a dog? Look at my smiling, happy puppy!

Oh wait no, this is a picture of Ryder when he was super overwhelmed by noise and people during a holiday party. He'd hopped up in my sister's lap to get away from stuff that was happening on the floor and was panting quite heavily. See the tension in the corners of his mouth and his eyes? A lot of the time when a dog "smiles," the smile isn't happy. It's stress! Why Animals Do The Thing has a nice writeup about that, but the point is, our body language is not the same as other species. And for reptiles, body language is wildly different.

For instance, look at these two alligators. Pretty cute, right? Look at 'em, they're posing for a Christmas card or something! How do you think they're feeling?

Well, I'll tell you how the normal one is feeling. He's annoyed! Why is he annoyed? Because the albino just rolled up, pushed another gator off the platform, and is trying to push this guy, too. I know this because I actually saw it happen. It was pretty funny, not gonna lie. He's not gaping all the way, but he was hissing- you can actually see him getting annoyed in the sequence I took right before this shot. Look at him in this first shot here- he's just relaxing, and you can see he isn't gaping even a little bit.

By the end, he's expressing displeasure, but not enough to actually do anything about it. He's annoyed, but he's comfy and that's where one of the best basking areas is, so he'll put up with it.

Reptiles open their mouths wide for a lot of reasons, but never because they are actively enjoying a sensation. Unless they're eating. No reptile smiles- they can't. They don't even have moveable lips. If a reptile is gaping, it's doing so because:

It is doing a threat display.

It is making certain vocalizations, all of which are threats. Alligators are one of the rare reptiles that do regularly vocalize, but most of their calls aren't made with a wide open mouth.

It is about to bite something delicious or somebody stupid. Check out this video- virtually all of the gaping here is anticipatory because these trained gators know darn well that the bowl is full of delicious snacks. (I have some issues with Florida's Wildest, but the man knows how to train a gator AND he is honest about explaining what they're doing and why, and all of his animals are healthy and well-cared for, and he doesn't put the public or his staff at risk- just himself.)

It's too hot and it has opened its mouth to vent some of that heat and thermoregulate. This is the main reason why alligators will often have their mouths part of the way open, but sometimes they'll open all the way for thermoregulation. This is what a thermoregulatory gape looks like- usually it's not all the way open, kinda more like < rather than V, but you can't say that 100% of the time. Additionally, a thermoregulatory gape... typically happens when it's hot out. If they're inside, maybe they've been under their basking light for too long. Heat's the dominant factor, is what I'm getting at.

There is another reason that a captive crocodilian might be gaping, and that's because it's doing so on command. Some places have their gators trained to gape on cue, like St. Augustine Alligator Farm and other good zoos. They have the animals do this in presentations that are genuinely educational. They ask the animals to open their mouths so that they can show off their teeth and demonstrate how their tongues seal off the back of their mouth. They'll also do it as part of routine healthcare, because looking at their teeth is important.

In this case, the animals aren't gaping because they're stressed, they're gaping because they know they're gonna get a piece of chicken or fish if they do it. And what's more, they're doing it on cue. They have a specific command or signal that tells them to open wide. It's not an instinctive response to a situation. It's trained. If the animal provides the behavior after a cue, the situation is much less likely to be negatively impactful.

It's also important to remember that there's a difference between a partially open mouth and a gape! As discussed above, alligators will often have their mouths a little bit open just to maintain temperature homeostasis. It helps them stay comfy, temperature-wise. These guys are all doing thermoregulatory open-mouthed behavior- that slight open and relaxed body posture is a dead giveaway. (That and it's the hottest spot in the enclosure.)

Lesson 2: A Happy Gator Is A Chill Gator

So if alligators don't smile or have facial expressions other than the :V that typically signifies distress, how else can you tell how they're feeling? One way is stillness. See, alligators subscribe to the philosophy of if it sucks... hit da bricks.

Basically, if they hate it, they'll leave. Unless, y'know, somebody has their meaty claws digging into their throat or is otherwise restraining them. (Restraint isn't always bad, btw. Sometimes the animal is going through a medical thing or needs to be restrained for their safety- which a responsible educator will explain.)

Let's look at a very similar scenario, in which a captive alligator is getting his back scrubbed.

As you can see, it's quite different. First, he's not being restrained at all. Second, look at how relaxed he is! He's just chilling there vibing! He could simply get up and leave if he wanted to, because he's not being held. Towards the end of the video, as he lifts his head, you can see that his respiratory rate is very even as his throat flutters a bit. I'm not sure what this facility is, so I can't comment on care/general ethics, but like. In this specific case, this is an alligator enjoying being scrubbed! And you can tell because he's not doing anything. A happy gator is content to be doing what they're doing.

Why Should I Listen To You?

Now, you should ask yourself, why should you listen to me? Why should you trust me, who does not own an alligator, versus Jay Brewer, who owns several?

Well, first off, there's no profit for me in telling you that what you're seeing on social media is in fact not what you're being told you're seeing. I'm not getting paid to do this. That's the thing with people who make social media content. The big names aren't doing it just for fun. They're doing it for money. Whether that's profit through partnerships or sponsorships, or getting more people to visit their facilities, or ad revenue, you can't ignore the factor of money. And this is NOT a bad thing, because it allows educators to do what they're passionate about! People deserve to be paid for the work that they do!

But the problem starts when you chase the algorithm instead of actually educating. A "smiling" alligator gets the views, and if people don't know enough to know better, it keeps getting the views. People love unconventional animal stories and they want those animals to be happy- but the inability to even know where to start with critically evaluating these posts really hinders the ability to spread real information. Like, this post will probably get a couple hundred notes, but that video of Coconut being scrubbed had almost 400,000 likes when I took that screenshot. Think about how many eyeballs that's reached by now. What I'm saying here is that it's just... really important to think critically about who you're getting your information from. What do dissenters say in the comments? What do other professionals say? You won't find a single herpetologist that has anything good to say about Prehistoric Pets, I can tell you that right now.

Another reason you can trust me is that my sources are not "just trust me bro," or "years of experience pretending my pet shop where animals come to die is a real zoo." Instead, here are my primary sources for my information on alligator behavior:

Dragon Songs: Love and Adventure among Crocodiles, Alligators, and Other Dinosaur Relations- Vladimir Dinets

The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles- J. Sean Doody, Vladimir Dinets, Gordon M. Burghardt

Social Behavior Deficiencies in Captive American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)- Z Walsh, H Olson, M Clendening, A Rycyk

Social Displays of the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)- Kent Vliet

Social Signals and Behaviors of Adult Alligators and Crocodiles- Leslie Garrick, Jeffery Lang

Never smile at a crocodile: Gaping behaviour in the Nile crocodile at Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa- Cormac Price, Mohamed Ezat, Céline Hanzen, Colleen Downs (this one's Nile crocs, not American alligators, but it's really useful for modeling an understanding of gape behaviors and proximity)

Thermoregulatory Behavior of Captive American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)- Cheryl S. Asa, Gary D. London, Ronald R. Goellner, Norman Haskell, Glenn Roberts, Crispen Wilson

Unprovoked Mouth Gaping Behavior in Extant Crocodylia- Noah J. Carl, Heather A. Stewart, Jenny S. Paul

Thank you for reading! Here's a very happy wild alligator from Sanibel for your trouble.

[zemnarihah]

my graphics teacher is like one of those high school teachers whos always like "this is so important youre gonna use this in college!" except hes like. "youre gonna use this when youre working as a graphic designer!" and today he was like "guys youre all gonna need this next semester when you're in the next level graphic design class!' Except this class is a basic level graphic computer applications class that every single visual arts student has to take regardless of specific major so like. personally i know I will most likely never have to open indesign again after this class is over. And also that i do not have to nor will i elect to take any other graphic design classes for the rest of my major. so i dont think thats true.

[mumblesplash]

i know it’s like years old at this point but i love that one collab mumbo and grian did with tommyinnit bc it’s like the single most concentrated example i’ve seen of mumbo’s Chaos Nullification Powers

you get to see a bit of it on hermitcraft, mostly via his interactions with grian, but until seeing that collab it didn’t really hit me just how completely mumbo can no-sell other people’s attempts to control a situation. tommyinnit is possibly the single shoutiest, most chaotic minecraft youtuber out there, and in most videos i’ve seen he pretty much overwhelms everyone else and sets the tone for interactions because of this. but mumbo just. doesn’t let him. no matter how much tommy escalates in intensity, mumbo reacts with *exactly* the same energy he always does. grian largely comes across in the whole video as annoyed and reluctant to engage with the whole thing, but mumbo’s not even affected. he just rolls with anything he finds funny and basically ignores anything he disapproves of, only seeming more and more unflappable the harder anyone tries to get a rise out of him.

AND imo, this is the key to my favorite interpretation of him as a character

see, when the people around him are being more reasonable/calm, i think mumbo often comes across as anxious and a bit easily overwhelmed. the thing is, his nervous wet cat vibes do not scale. he has one setting. his responses to the last life ‘ah-ha!’ jokes and to hermitcraft 8 starting to crumble to pieces under a falling moon are almost identical.

mumbo jumbo is inexorably and eternally Just Some Guy, but that gets stranger and stranger the weirder his surroundings become. the giggly incredulousness that makes him an easy target for goofy puns looks Very different when it’s also his reaction to the impending end of the world.

[un-fwuit-un-fwog]

0v0 Leona brainrot may I request a thing on Leona x reader where reader is mute from family trauma 0v0 (note love your stuff you feed my brain rot everyday also if you) also can you make it that in the story we have Reader think Grim is now our Son/or we see little brother and we talk to only him but then as per Leona x reader we talk to Leona at some point

Arm still hurts, but I put on a brace, so LET'S GO (don't follow my example)

Thank you for the Request! Leona has consumed my thoughts as well.

Synopsis: Reader with selective mutism slowly grows fond of the cold lion.

TW: mentions of reader having a bad family life; reader has selective mutism; reader is initially scared of Leona

Selective mutism can be caused by a variety of factors such as an anxiety disorder, self-esteem issues, speech problems, and etc.. Yours stemmed from. . . poor family relationships, to put it delicately.

Coming to Twisted Wonderland was like both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because you made it out

A curse because, well, YOU WERE TOSSED INTO ANOTHER WORLD WITH NO TIME TO PROCESS. So, of course, your anxiety levels spiked.

It took you a bit to figure out how to explain to Crowley that you struggled with selective mutism, and even when you did, he took it as you trying to say you were entirely mute. You supposed you could live with that. It would definitely help quell the intrusive questions and ignorant statement if not just by a bit.

It took a while, but you managed to get comfortable enough around Grim and the Ramshackle ghosts to talk. You had grown to see them as the family you never had. A family you chose.

You weren't sure whether to classify Grim as a younger brother or a son, but you figured that wasn't all that important of a distinction for you to make. He's your family and that's what counts.

When you did finally talk for the first time around this little group they were certainly shocked, Grim more so than the ghosts. However, they were patient and allowed you the time and space to explain (even if that was because the ghosts held Grim's mouth shut).

In the end, you all decided it was probably best that you keep the reality of your muteness a secret as people knowing could cause problems (and just be annoying for those too ignorant to understand or too curious to understand personal space).

When you first met Leona, it was when you stepped on his tail in the botanical garden. You bowed profusely as a way of saying sorry, but he either didn't get it or didn't care.

"D*mn Herbivore." He growled. "You think you can just step on my tail and get away with it? Not even gonna properly apologize for waking me with your foot digging into my tail?"

Clearly, he had not been paying attention at orientation. You were never too great with confrontation, quite frankly, it scared you, so you ran. You could hear his angry shouts from behind you as you booked it out of there, but you paid no mind to his words (not that you could even hear them with the blood pumping so violently in your ears from the adrenaline).

The next time you met him, like truly met and talked to him, was after the spelldrive game when you got nailed in the head with the disk.

When the unusual group of Ace, Deuce, Jack, Ruggie, Leona, and Grim came into the infirmary you were understandably wary. Afterall, Leona hadn't exactly made a stellar first impression.

However, your opinion shifted a bit when a little ball of energy and pure joy came bursting into the room to meet Leona. You had felt some sympathy for him after seeing his dream, you didn't have the best family life either, but you also weren't a massive jerk. A hint of worry grew in your stomach when you saw the small lion jump on Leona's bed and bounce on his stomach, but you froze when you saw the man's reaction.

He may have seemed harsh to most with the way he treated and talked to the child, but you could tell he was anything but. The way his eyes softened ever so slightly and his muscles relaxed. And, if you didn't know any better, you would've sworn you saw the corners of his lips twitch upwards just a bit.

The way someone treats their family can tell you a lot. The way Leona treated Cheka told you a lot.

You turned your attention away from Leona to sign something to Deuce (he learned a bit of sign language from his mom).

Leona would have cursed had Cheka not been right there. Great. Now he felt like an *ss.

Perhaps that guilt is what led him to so easily letting you stay in Savanaclaw during book 3.

He led you up to his room and told you how to fold out the couch (it was a futon). However, other than that, he didn't say much.

The only word you heard him speak the first night was a brief "sorry". He didn't elaborate on it, but you were fairly sure you knew what he was apologizing for.

At some point, you had made a habit of lightly tugging on your friends' sleeve when you needed their attention. Out of habit, you accidentally did this to Leona once. You didn't even notice until you saw the other Savanaclaw students' horrified faces. You whipped around to apologize to Leona, but he looked entirely unbothered.

"What'd ya need?"

On the last night when you needed to get Leona's help, you didn't exactly have the option of yelling, and banging pots and pans didn't exactly cross your mind. At that moment, you were just so tired and so stressed that all you did was silently tear up.

When he noticed your crying he momentarily froze. His eyes widened to the size of saucers and he just stared at you.

You really had a knack for making Leona feel scummy.

Before he knew it, he was getting up and trudging across the room.

You flinched.

Leona mentally bashed his head into a wall repeatedly.

"I'll help. . .just. . .cut it out with the water works." He handed you a tissue box and that was that.

You grew steadily closer over time, but he didn't hear your voice until around the end of book 6.

You had gotten back from STYX and your dorm was still in shambles, so you were left to stay at Savanaclaw. Other dorms were going to offer, but before they could even open their mouths, Leona sighed dramatically loud and announced that he guessed you'd have to stay at Savanaclaw sing you had absolutely no other options.

You trudged into his room together and watched as Grim immediately conked out on a plush chair next to the couch.

Leona was about to collapse on the bed (he was too tired to shower or even change clothes) when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso and a wet spot forming on his chest as your tears soaked through his shirt.

He was not cut out for these kinds of situations.

Despite this thought, he soon sighed and wrapped his arms around your back as well. The two of you stood there like that for what felt like an eternity before the silence was finally broken.

And not by him.

"I-I'm so glad you're safe." Your voice was hoarse from lack of use, and your words were hard to decipher as they came out as more of choked sobs.

A million questions ran through Leona's mind at that moment, but none of them left his lips. Instead, he simply replied: "Yeah. . .'m glad you are too."

His questions could wait until tomorrow.

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[tanaor]

Want simple tips to heavily improve your skills with character voice??

(📝Note: character voice is the way you convey your character's personality though their pov or dialogue when you write. No two characters speak the same📝)

I speak from experience when I say character voice is hard to get right. Characters, like people, have lots of layers that affect the way they see the world around them and how they interact with other characters. That's why character voice is so important in stories, and why if you write it in a compelling and effective way it will hook people into your story. I hope you learn something new in this post!!

When writing character voice, there's a list of things that you should take into account:

Where are they from? Their past and what they've lived plays a huge part in character voice. Maybe your character grew by the ocean, and so they compare things from the present to the beach, the rocks or the sea itself. You will rarely read about a sailor that is an expert in pants and compares scents to flowers. They might, instead, talk about how a house smells like the wet wood of a ship.

Think about how their personality shapes their language. If they are insecure, they might end most of their sentences with "isn't it?" or "right?" and ask a lot of questions, whereas if you have a confident character, you might find them saying things like "we should do this" or "that will be fun" instead.

What their "lense" is. This is more of an ethic aspect of the character. What have they learn it's okay, and what do they find uncomfortable? Would they find it gross if their friend left laundry on the floor?

Give them special traits (both for dialogue and narration). Maybe character A quotes a lot when they narrate and uses long paragraphs, or maybe B speaks about their past a lot and uses popular sayings. Personally, one character of mine has the tendency to repeat himself when he speaks, as in "yeah, yeah, I'll do it" or "no, no, no. Never" because he is really enthusiastic, and it fits really well with his character.

Pay attention to how they would talk about themselves. Maybe your character doesn't like people to know they're sad because it makes them feel vulnerable, so they will just say they feel annoyed or don't want to talk in that moment. This also means that they will not tell the reader something they are not comfortable saying in the first place.

How is their education? Education is also very important in this context. Did they went to university and have a rich vocabulary and structured sentences, or where they rised in a little farm far from town? You can also play with both a bit: maybe your character did go to university, but maybe they also came from a low income family, and characteristic of both things merge when they talk. Example: long, structured, sentences but a simple and sight forward vocabulary.

That's all for now and happy writing!!

Other tips for writers: previous | next

[shan-yee]

𝙿𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖

𖦹𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𖦹𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 = Mention of sex, mostly fluff.

𖦹𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 = 725

𖦹𝘈/𝘕 = English is not my first language, please let me know if you see any mistakes ! Enjoy ✨

——— 𝐒 𝗨 𝗠 𝗠 𝗔 𝗥 𝗬 • • •

𝐈 :: 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻

𝐈𝐈 :: 𝗡𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻

𝐈𝐈𝐈 :: 𝗥𝗲𝘅 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗲

« ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ »

╰─► 𝐈 ･ ｡ﾟ☆ 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻

⇰ Mark has no problem initiating physical contact in the street or in front of other people. His mother raised him to understand that there's no shame in loving someone and wanting to show it to the world.

⇰ Remarks from teenagers his age or outraged older people doesn’t affect him, and he tends to try to annoy them even more to make them understand that he doesn't care about their opinions.

⇰ Forehead kisses are his love language, for him, they're even more intimate than a kiss on the mouth, especially when he gets up in the morning, or on the contrary, before going to bed, or just before he has to rush off to save the planet.

⇰ Before he had his powers, his hands were quite soft and almost always clean, even under his nails. But after he started training and rescues of all kinds, they became slightly rough, sometimes calloused. He still tries to take care of them as much as possible, and he’ll gladly accept a little massage with essential oils.

⇰ Mark particularly likes having hands run through his hair, a distant memory of the evenings he spent with his head on his mother’s thighs, her nails gently scratching his scalp.

⇰ He likes to spend evenings in bed, a movie—which he isn't really watching—in the background while he delicately runs his fingers over his girlfriend's body, everywhere ; her back, her neck, her arms, her thighs, he wants to touch and feel everything.

╰─► 𝐈𝐈 ･ ｡ﾟ☆ 𝗡𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗼𝗻

⇰ His comfort with touching his partner in public depends on when they gets together. If he has never had a relationship with a human, and therefore struggles with Earth social codes, he will be quite distant at first.

⇰ Viltrumites are definitely not used to hugging each other early in the morning or kissing before parting. He will therefore not understand the concept of holding hands while walking down the street or kissing languidly while watching the sunset.

⇰ It'll take time for him to get used to it, and especially a good lesson on « how to act when you're in love ».

⇰ If he's already had some experience—Debbie, for example—he'll understand the principle but won't want to overdo it in public. He'll happily accept light, loving kisses and holding hands or arms. Declarations of love in front of spectators aren't really his thing, compared to his son.

⇰ Nolan has a firm body, as is his expression most of the time, but he can still be very gentle, and his love language consists of little things here and there.

⇰ He's often saving lives on the other side of the world, so he'll leave little clues like notes or objects for a romantic dinner date, accessories with a meaning only he and his partner understand, or simply things she likes.

╰─► 𝐈𝐈𝐈 ･ ｡ﾟ☆ 𝗥𝗲𝘅 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗱𝗲

⇰ Rex is the type to pretend he's a big boy and isn't afraid of anything or anyone, but I think that if he really falls in love, like he did with Rae, he'll be quite « shy », or rather embarrassed, to show the side of himself that craves attention.

⇰ Kisses and cuddles are special and precious moments for him, a way to be close to his partner without sex.

⇰ Rex has no shame in kissing or holding his girlfriend close in public, but it's true that he prefers to do it privately because he can enjoy it more, and, with him, it often ends up under the covers.

⇰ His hands are calloused and damaged, he doesn't take particular care of them, but if one day his partner made a remark, hand hygiene would suddenly become a priority.

⇰ He would buy creams and cuticle treatments, he would learn how to care for his nails and avoid grime—in short, everything. For him, it's important that the reader enjoys the feel of his hands on her, and He never realized how much his hands had been damaged by time and effort.

⇰ Rex likes to spend his mornings and days, if he can, with his girlfriend, under the warm sheets. No need for sex, just the two of them cuddling and touching without a hint of sexuality, which is rare for him. And like Nolan, he's often saving lives, so to make up for it, he'll plan romantic dinners and leave notes and little drawings lying around.

[eu-nicola]

enemies

summary: the love-hate relationship between Rafe and you

warnings: small mention of violence

word counter: 4151

author's note: english is not my first language

The first time you met Rafe Cameron, you were barely six years old. You clearly remember how his stepmother, Rose, welcomed you into her home with a perfect smile, while your mother insisted that you play with him and Sarah so that you wouldn’t be alone. 

The Cameron house was as intimidating as its miniature owner. Rafe was nine years old and had an attitude that made him seem much older. He looked down at you from the top of the stairs as if you were an intruder, someone who didn’t deserve to be in his space. 

“She’s the Davies’ daughter?” he asked in that mocking tone that would become his trademark. 

“Yes, and I want you to be nice to her.” Rose ruffled his hair before turning to you, but Rafe’s gaze was already fixed on your shoes, which were muddy from playing outside before coming in. 

“I hope she doesn’t touch anything, Rose.” His voice was dry, as if he was already tired of you before he really met you. 

From that day on, your relationship with him was marked by constant clashes. Every visit to the Cameron house felt like a cold war disguised as childish games. He always found ways to make you feel out of place, like the time he took your doll from your hands while you were playing with Sarah and threw it across the garden.

“If you don’t know how to play well, don’t play.” That phrase of his stuck in your mind.

In adolescence, the gap between you grew wider. While Rafe became the most popular boy among the Kooks, you began to spend more time with the Pogues. Your visits to the Cameron house became less frequent, and when they coincided, things always ended badly.

“Look at you, you’re a Pogue now.” His tone was always hurtful, accompanied by that arrogant smile that got on your nerves.

“And you’re still the same idiot as always.” Your response was almost automatic, as if after so many years the discussions between you were a rehearsed routine.

But the real problem wasn't just his words. It was the way he always found a moment to annoy you. During a beach party hosted by Kooks, for example, Rafe made sure your drink ended up spilled all over your new dress.

But it wasn't all enmity, when the search for gold began, your world became more complicated. You spent your days with the Pogues, planning, looking for clues, and trying to avoid Rafe, who seemed willing to do anything to get the treasure. The tension between you, which was already high, skyrocketed. It wasn't just childish enmity now; it was real danger.

Rafe had no limits. His eyes were always filled with that spark of arrogance, but behind it was something darker, something that made him unpredictable. Despite that, you never imagined you'd find yourself in the position you found yourself in one afternoon in the dense woods surrounding the Outer Banks.

You were following a trail of marks on the trees along with JJ and Kiara when you heard a noise. You broke away from the group, promising them you’d be back quickly. What you found was Rafe, kneeling beside a steep slope, holding his leg in a wince of pain. The ground beneath him was wet, almost muddy, and it looked like he might slide down any second. 

You stopped dead in your tracks. Part of you wanted to turn on your heel and pretend you hadn’t seen him. After all, Rafe wouldn’t have done the same for you, would he? But another part, that part you always tried to stifle, knew you couldn’t just leave him there. 

“What are you doing here?” Rafe snapped at you as you cautiously approached. His voice was heavy with distrust, but there was also a hint of relief he tried to hide. 

“I should be asking you the same thing. What happened?” You couldn’t keep the tone of your voice from being harsh. After all, he had done a lot of things that warranted your hatred. 

“I slipped. My leg… I can’t move it.” His face was pale, and his hands shook slightly as he tried to brush away the mud that covered his pants.

There was a long silence. You could have left him there. You could have turned and gone back to the Pogues. But something inside you wouldn’t let you.

“This doesn’t mean I owe you anything,” you said as you crouched down beside him.

Rafe looked at you in disbelief. “Are you helping me?”

“Shut up and don’t make it harder, Cameron.”

You offered him your arm and helped him up, leaning his weight on you as you slowly moved forward. It was an awkward process; his size made each step harder. But there was something odd about the silence you shared, a momentary truce amidst all the hostility.

When you finally dropped him off somewhere safe, away from danger, Rafe looked at you with a mix of wounded pride and something you couldn’t quite place.

“I’m not going to thank you,” he said at last, breaking the silence.

“I didn’t expect you to,” you replied, wiping the sweat from your brow. You turned to leave, but his voice stopped you.

“Wait.” His tone was softer than you’d heard before, almost vulnerable. You turned slowly to look at him.

“What?” you asked, tired.

“Did you see anything?” His question was direct, his gaze piercing.

You understood immediately. Rafe wasn’t just hurt; he was there for something related to gold. Maybe he’d found a lead, something he didn’t want the Pogues to know about. You could have told him the truth, that you’d noticed a map in his pocket when you helped him, but you chose to lie.

“No, I didn’t see anything.” Your voice was firm, although inside you felt a small knot of guilt.

Rafe seemed to relax a little, although he still looked at you with distrust.

Later, when the Pogues found a clue that fit too well with the area where you had seen Rafe, he understood what you had done. Someone, perhaps Sarah, told him that you were near the area when you separated from the group. It didn’t take much for him to put the pieces together.

The next time you saw him, his expression was completely different. There was no vulnerability or truce anymore, only fury.

“I knew I couldn’t trust you,” he snapped at you, coming dangerously close.

“What are you talking about?” You tried to remain calm, although you knew exactly what he meant.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out? You lied to me. You took what was mine!” His voice was filled with rage, and though you knew it was unfair, there was something in his eyes that made you feel a pang of remorse.

“I don’t owe you anything, Rafe.” Your response was cold, though inside you felt more affected than you wanted to admit.

Rafe was silent for a moment, his jaw clenched, his gaze fixed on you. Finally, he took a step back, but not before making his feelings clear.

“Don’t ever cross my path again, Pogue.”

That was the beginning of a new phase in your feud, more bitter and personal than ever.

Your relationship with Rafe Cameron had reached a point where hatred seemed to be the only thing that united you. After your “betrayal” during the search for gold, any vestige of truce between you vanished. Although you would never admit it, there was something inexplicable that brought you back to square one: an enmity filled with tension, resentment, and something deeper that neither of you understood.

One of the worst fights you had occurred during a rainy night in the Outer Banks. The Pogues had been following Rafe, convinced that they had found another important lead to the gold. The chase led them to an old abandoned port, where you finally confronted them face to face.

“Always after me, aren’t you?” Rafe looked at you from the shadow of a warehouse, his soaked hair sticking to his forehead. The sound of the rain beat hard against the metal roof, but nothing could drown out the intensity of his voice.

“You have no right to that gold, Cameron.” Your words came out loaded with defiance as you clenched your fists. You knew you were probably playing with fire by facing him, but something in you couldn’t stop.

“And you are?” he replied, taking a step towards you. His eyes, dark under the rain, were filled with rage. “What makes you think you’re better than me, Pogue?.”

“For starters, I don’t try to kill people for him.” Your words made him laugh, a dry, bitter laugh that made you feel a chill.

“You think so?” Rafe leaned a little towards you, his voice lowering to an almost whispering tone. “You know perfectly well that you would do anything to protect your own, too. We’re not that different, even if it pains you to admit it.”

The argument soon turned physical. He tried to take the map from you, and you fought back with all your might. It was as if you were both so consumed by rage that nothing else mattered. You fell to the ground, feeling the cold wetness of the cement against your back, as Rafe tried to hold you down.

“Let me go, you moron!” you screamed, kicking him in the stomach.

“Give me the damn map!” he roared, clinging to your wrist.

For a moment, you thought it would all end there, that one of you wouldn’t walk away from this fight. But something changed. Rafe looked you straight in the eyes, and for a moment, his grip softened. He looked confused, as if he couldn’t understand why he couldn’t keep hurting you.

Finally, he let go of you and stood up, breathing heavily.

“I can’t do this.” His voice was barely a whisper, and it took you a few seconds to process what he had said.

“What…?” you were speechless, still lying on the ground.

Rafe ran a hand through his hair, taking a few steps away from you.

“Go away. Take the damn map and go away.”

But not everything always ended in a truce. There was another time when it was you who had to decide between helping him or letting him face the consequences of his own actions. It was during a smuggling operation that Rafe had organized to finance his obsession with gold. You found him cornered in an alley, with a group of men who clearly did not have friendly intentions.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he snapped at you when you appeared at the end of the alley. He was bleeding from a cut on his eyebrow, but he still maintained that defiant attitude.

“I saw your truck nearby.” You approached cautiously, analyzing the situation.

The men paid you no attention at first, but soon realized you could be a problem. One of them advanced towards you with a menacing smile.

“Another friend of yours, Cameron?” he said mockingly.

“Get out of here, Pogue. I don’t need your help.” Rafe’s voice was firm, but there was something in his gaze that made you stay.

Despite everything that had happened between you two, you couldn’t just leave him there. You picked up a rock from the ground and threw it hard at one of the men. It was enough to distract them and give Rafe a chance to fight back.

You helped him escape, though as soon as you turned the corner, Rafe turned to you, furious.

“Why do you keep butting into my business?” he shouted, grabbing you by the shoulders.

“Because I’m not like you, Rafe. I can't let someone die, even if they're an idiot like you.” Your answer made him let out an exasperated sigh, but he didn't say anything else.

In the end, it was always the same. They hurt each other, they hated each other, they betrayed each other... but they also always found a way to forgive each other. You didn't know why you did it. Maybe it was because you saw something in Rafe that others didn't see, or maybe it was because deep down you knew you weren't as different from him as you wanted to believe.

The only thing you knew for sure was that, no matter how hard you tried to hate him, something always made you go back to him. And the worst of all was that Rafe seemed to feel the same way.

Rafe Cameron drove you crazy in every possible way and that made you uncomfortable and annoyed, despite always finding gold on your path, you also found it on your path when you were calm, reminding yourself that you couldn't get rid of it even if you wanted to.

There were nights when the air was so thick that it was hard to breathe. The humidity was sticking your clothes to your skin, but it wasn't just the weather that made you feel this way; it was him.

Rafe Cameron always managed to find you, even when you didn't want to be found. His mere presence seemed to charge the atmosphere with an almost palpable tension, something that only existed between the two of you. Like that time on the dock, under the dim light of a broken streetlight. You were alone, waiting for JJ and Pope, when you heard their footsteps, firm, sure, approaching.

Your body tensed before you turned around. There he was, standing, with that arrogant posture that you detested so much. His messy hair and clenched jaw gave you every reason to hate him more than you already did. But as you looked at him, feeling his gaze sweep over every detail of you, there was something different, something that made you stop.

There was anger in his gaze, yes, but there was also something deeper, something dark that you recognized because you felt it too. Your hands clenched into fists, not because you wanted to hit him—though that was of course a tempting option—but because you wanted to stop the impulse that made you think about getting any closer than necessary.

It was a constant tug-of-war. One moment you wanted to push him into the water, make sure he disappeared from your life forever. But then, a part of you wanted to do the complete opposite, you wanted to get closer, erase the distance between you, and find out if that tension could transform into something more.

Rafe leaned against one of the dock posts, looking at you with a mix of defiance and curiosity. Everything about him seemed designed to provoke you. His gaze fixed, his shoulders relaxed but ready to move at the slightest hint of threat. It was so unbearably irritating, and yet, there was something you couldn’t ignore.

The wind blew hard, and you felt a chill run down your spine, but it wasn’t the cold that made you shiver. It was that unmistakable feeling of being on the edge of something dangerous, something you couldn’t control.

You wanted to kill him. For all the times he had made you feel less than, for every hurtful word, for every betrayal and fight. But at the same time, you wanted to get close enough to know if that spark you felt between you could catch fire.

But you didn't. You couldn't.

Instead, you took a deep breath, ignoring how your heart was pounding. You turned your back on him, your steps firm on the wood of the dock as you walked away. You knew that if you stayed one more second, the line between hate and desire could blur forever. And you weren't ready to face what that meant.

You felt him stand still, watching you as you left. You didn't need to look back to know that that feeling would continue to haunt you, just as much as he did.

And you were right, a few days later that line blurred.

There was a storm that night, one of those that seemed to split the sky in two with each flash of lightning. The rain was pounding on the roof of the old abandoned cabin where you had taken shelter, trying to escape the chaos that the Pogues and Rafe had caused in the last gold hunt. Your hands were shaking with rage, not so much from the cold, but from the frustration of knowing that Rafe had, once again, gotten you into this situation.

You were alone, at least that's what you thought, until you heard the door slam open. You turned quickly, looking for something to defend yourself with, but seeing that unmistakable figure enter soaked to the bone, your heart stopped.

Rafe.

"What the hell are you doing here?" you thought, although you didn't bother to say it out loud.

He slammed the door behind him hard, shaking off the water like a rabid dog. His dark hair, and his chest rose and fell with each heavy breath, as if he had run a marathon. His gaze met yours almost immediately, filled with that mix of fury and something more that always seemed to burn between you.

You didn’t say anything, but you didn’t look away either. There was something about him that night, something different. It wasn’t just the usual anger you two shared, or even the constant tension that seemed to surround you like a force field. It was something rawer, more real.

The silence between you was almost deafening, broken only by the roar of the storm outside. You felt the air in the cabin grow thicker, charged with electricity, as if lightning was about to strike right there.

“What? Are you just going to stand there staring at me like an idiot?” You had crossed your arms, trying to hide the trembling that ran through your body.

He didn’t answer, but he took a step towards you, slow, deliberate. You could feel the intensity of his gaze fixed on you, as if he could see past the facade you always tried to maintain. Your heart began to beat faster, and you hated that he had that effect on you.

“Rafe, don’t start,” you warned yourself mentally, even though you weren’t sure what it was you wanted to avoid.

But he kept coming closer. You could see every detail of his face now: the raindrops sliding down his jaw, the way his lips were pressed together as if he were holding something back. His presence filled the small space between you, and suddenly, the hatred you’d always felt for him didn’t seem enough to explain what was happening.

You didn’t know who made the first move. Maybe it was you, maybe it was him, but in an instant, the distance disappeared. His hand slid behind your neck, pulling you closer to him with a force that made you gasp. His mouth crashed into yours with an intensity that left you breathless, as if all that pent-up rage had finally found an outlet.

Your hands clutched at his wet shirt, trying to push him away and pull him in at the same time. The kiss wasn’t gentle, it wasn’t tender. It was an explosion of everything you had bottled up for years: the hatred, the frustration, the attraction that neither of you wanted to admit.

You felt his body press against yours, trapping you between him and the wall of the cabin. His breath was hot against your skin, mixing with the cold of the storm that continued to rage outside. His every move seemed to call out something you didn’t know you’d been holding back, and for a moment, you let yourself go.

But it was only a moment.

Suddenly, you pulled away, your hands on his chest as you tried to catch your breath.

“This… can’t happen.” Your voice was barely a whisper, shaky but firm.

He didn’t say anything, but the way he looked at you said it all. There was something in his eyes you hadn’t seen before, something vulnerable that completely disarmed you.

The storm outside continued to rage, but inside the cabin, all was calm. Rafe didn’t try to come closer again, and you didn’t dare look him in the eye as you turned away, your heart pounding so hard you felt like it might explode.

After that night in the cabin, something changed, though you both tried to act like it hadn’t. That first time was an accident, you kept telling yourself, something driven by rage and storm. But what happened next made it clear that there was something more, something that went far beyond hatred or tension.

It wasn’t long before you met again. It was in one of the alleys behind The Wreck, where you had hidden yourself after a fight with Sarah and the others. Rafe appeared as if the universe was conspiring against you. He didn’t say anything at first, just looked at you with that mix of arrogance and determination that seemed to be part of his essence.

“You’re not here to worry about me, Cameron. What do you want?” you had snapped harshly, crossing your arms as if that physical barrier could protect you.

He didn’t answer right away, but the glint in his eyes made it clear that he knew exactly what he wanted. What followed was just as impulsive as the first time: his lips finding yours with a burning urgency, your hands clinging to his shirt as if the world could fall apart at that moment and you wouldn’t care.

Logic disappeared when you were with him. All you had left were pure emotions: desire, rage, need. In those moments, you didn't think about the past or what was coming next. You didn't think about the fights, the betrayals, or the reasons why you were supposed to hate him. There was only his hands on your skin, the sound of his breathing, and the way he managed to make you forget everything else.

But the next day, there was always something that reminded you why you hated him. Like that time you saw him bullying Pope at the dock, his overbearing attitude making it clear that the Rafe of last night and the Rafe of today were two sides of the same coin.

"You're an asshole," you had yelled at him later, when you faced him away from the others.

He shrugged, as if he didn't care, but his gaze searched yours, almost defiant.

"Don't expect me to change for you," he seemed to say without words.

You walked away furiously, promising yourself that this would be the last time. You couldn’t keep falling for that game, not when he was still the same cruel boy you’d known all your life.

But then, something always drew you back. Like when he found you after you were almost caught in one of John B’s crazy antics. He helped you escape, even covering for you when the Kooks passed by. It was an unexpected gesture, one that left you bewildered as you shared a moment of calm on an old boat hidden in the swamp.

“Thanks, I guess,” you’d told him, though your words were filled with skepticism.

He smirked, the kind of smile that always got on your nerves.

“Don’t think about it too much.”

But you thought about it. Every gesture of his, every glance, every clandestine kiss was etched into your memory, fueling a cycle you couldn’t break.

Of course, you had your part in that dynamic, too. There were times when your own actions infuriated him, like the time you stole information from him about the gold hunt and shared it with the Pogues. His reaction was explosive: he found you on the dock, his gaze filled with betrayal and fury.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” he said, his voice deeper than usual.

For a moment you thought he would leave you there, that this would be the end. But no. Even though you had betrayed him, even though you had defied him in every way possible, he always came back. Just like you came back to him.

[aakaneeee]

Mizi and Sua's relationship isn't as "perfect" as it's been portrayed until now.

According to "The True Face", where Mizi notes that her and Sua had a fight recently, and the backstage of My Clematis appears the same during the teaser.

Despite that... Mizi isn't a monster.

She isn't a cruel manipulator who hates everyone, nor is she someone who acts oblivious on purpose to gain sympathy.

She isn't a murderer out for blood.

Mizi is a survivor who's brain taught her that her survival, her facade, are the reason for her friends' deaths.

"The True Face" portrays first a twisted image of Sua, the one she loved, the one she last saw laying lifeless in a pool of her own blood, calling her cunning and taunting her for ,,throwing her, and then all her other friends away". Explaining that she must feel like a waste. Must be nice, right? To be the sole survivor, since after the death of Luka's entire world, he can barely count as alive. To remain the last one standing, stepping on the musty, dark pile of the corpses whose deaths she thinks she caused.

Well, the phrase "Must be nice, right?" has haunted her her whole life. She's pretty, oblivious, comes from a nice alien family, she most definetly hasn't seen the horrors! No one expects her to have seen how bad the reality they live in truly is. Poor girl, doesn't understand what is going on even when slapped because of her repulsion for eventually having to mate with a male, doesn't understand why her friend can't stop liking her. Her outburst when her God told her the same phrase must have been just a one time thing! But no. It wasn't. Mizi has always been surrounded by death and gore, her tantrums were adorable and her cries were just "the hardships of children." Maybe she should have a TV, no? She saw her "provider" crushed at such a young age and she was adopted right after: that was the last human interaction she had until Alien Stage.

That's probably why she seems so fascinated about Sua's anatomy being the same as her's. She's so alienated that humanity seems foreign to her, as if she isn't part of the species.

At first, when I saw the image of Mizi looking so intently at the contestant being shot, I thought she was searching death for herself. But after reading the next pages... yes, she was looking for a place where she could crush someone. But again: she could. It's a hypothetical way of wording it. It doesn't mean she wanted to kill someone. (Maybe except Luka in Round 5, more on that later.) It means she was glad that in case it was needed, she could, so her grief about Sua, Till, Ivan and Hyuna's deaths are real, unlike what some people have been saying after the two comics came out.

Mizi, just like we've learned about Luka, doesn't really know the concept of being human. She, just like him, only knows suffering, but her facade doesn't inflict the same: quite the opposite. By acting the way she is, she attracts people. She makes them happy. She makes them love her, as much as she doesn't like this. They love her until her obliviousness gets too much and they get annoyed with her, or until she slips and again, they get annoyed with her. There really is no way of winning here, is there?

I personally think that the frame of the two hands, holding eachother like they are praying, between them, a squished heart, bleeding and nailed down, represents Mizi trying to protect Sua's heart. Atleast, the organ is definetly her's, because of the lyrics in "heart" : From iron to red drench. It seems like Mizi, just like she said, can crush Sua if she wants.. and she's doing it without realizing. Between the two women, there's a sense of codependency, but they also find the other oblivious and fragile, trying to protect them, but ending up hurting them even more. The photo is like she's praying to a Christian relic, but crumbling it down to nothing in the process.

According to Sweet Dream, it's safe to assume that Luka wasn't an example shown on screen just for Till. And, with Mizi's like for Alien Stage from a young age, I doubt she didn't already know who he was. And that also counts for his fragility.

I believe that it wasn't the way Luka acted that reminded Mizi of Sua, but their shared fragility. Their elegance and empty gaze. And, because of how similar they appear, enough to give her hallucinations, I think that she associates them. Hence, beating Luka up in Round 5 might have been truly murderous: she didn't want to kill Sua, but she did mention that she could.. if that's what she wished for. So, she might've thought she could just kill him too, because she really wanted to, right?

It's really interesting how Mizi and Luka being the last survivors has been hinted from a simple design choice: both of them having blue tips, Mizi's hair and Luka's fingers. It was quite clear (but I, for example, didn't notice this) that they would be important. Also, Luka getting so little content should've been an indicator too. Currently, he's the only one without a comic from his perspective and he has the least amount of songs, so there must be more about him.

To end this off, I have 4 possible outcomes now:

-Everyone dies

-Mizi is the last one standing

-Luka is the last one standing (let's be honest, currently, that's the worst possible outcome for him, he'd just be put in the system all over again and abused even harsher)

-They both live, but are put back into the system (well that would hurt!.. but it's unlikely)

Personally, I want for Luka to live. I want him to learn and have Hyuna's death propped onto his shoulders. I want him to experience guilt, unimaginable guilt, but learn to forgive himself. Killing him off now, after just learning that he was, infact, loved back, and that he should learn to love himself too, would be so useless.

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

@silverhypnos @opalwatch this is some heavy Chrollo yapping so yeah cool

———

in my humblest opinion, i just think that as a community (of phantom troupe and chrollo fans), we tend to be pretty annoying when it comes to talking about chrollo's intelligence. what i mean is that before the succession war arc, everyone worshipped chrollo's intelligence as if he was superhumanly clever and could make no mistakes when it came to predictions. however, after hisoka killed shalnark and kortopi and the troupe members were seen on the black whale, people were really harsh on chrollo and his intelligence.

however, there have been many times where chrollo has made some pretty ridiculous mistakes or missed something extremely important due to him being too invested in something else. chrollo even admits this himself, which is why i find it annoying that most fans just think that it's simply because chrollo got too depressed or something; because again, he's shown so many gaps in his intelligence. chrollo is human; he makes mistakes. he isn't all perfect and he will make stupid mistakes, like we all do. here are some examples of times that he hasn't made the most intelligent of decisions:

- during the kurta clan massacre, chrollo didn't think of the very real possibility that perhaps the full kurta clan wasn't present when he had massacred them. this is especially embarrassing because technically speaking, kurapika (in the canon hxh volume 0) was the one who revealed the existence of the kurta to the public eye (haha funny pun) due to him activating his scarlet eyes near the mountain that he lived. so chrollo not thinking that someone literally activating the scarlet eyes OUTSIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN might be OUTSIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN is definitely a mistake on his part. that mistake indirectly led to pakunoda and uvogin's deaths.

- chrollo getting revenge for sarasa's murder and making sure that “this [torturing] never happens to anyone in meteor city again” (chapter 397) indirectly might've led to even more crime and danger in meteor city. chrollo's plan was for the world's most dangerous leaders to show off their torturing video tapes at meteor city, find which one was sarasa's, and kill whoever had did it. according to chapter 405, the troupe was successful. after that, we don't know what the rest of their plan was. however, considering how the troupe members haven't gone to meteor city in a while before the chimera ant arc, the child k!dnappings have likely ended. but chrollo did indirectly lead more criminals (such as gyro) into meteor city. and what do criminals do? they commit crimes.

- chrollo doesn't learn from his mistakes permanently. in the past, sarasa went off alone, and that's how she ultimately died. however, in the yorknew city arc, before uvogin dies, he's perfectly fine with hisoka going off alone. after uvogin dies (who notably dies due to pursuing kurapika alone), for the next 2-3 DAYS, the troupe operates in small groups. however, after chrollo defeats hisoka, he lets shalnark and kortopi, two NENLESS people, walk around on their own. they're killed too. on the black whale, chrollo is perfectly fine with working alone (before shizuku and bonolenov approach him), machi is alone, and franklin is also alone. considering how chrollo and bonolenov are both currently (as of chapter 410) also alone, that means that shizuku is most likely alone too. and what happens to troupe members who are alone? they always die.

- this one's a pretty common one, but chrollo should have cut off hisoka's head for good measure; especially since chrollo literally knows of post mortem nen and literally has a nen ability in his book that literally uses post mortem nen.

so to any hxh fan who calls chrollo “stupid in the succession war arc” because he's depressed, chrollo has ALWAYS shown signs of being somewhat lacking in common sense. my personal theory is that this is due to his upbringing in meteor city, where common sense never applied. i still love chrollo (he's literally my favorite character in any source of media), but i just think that people constantly overrating chrollo's intelligence makes them have false opinions on his current status in the succession war arc.

[sillysiluriforme]

SILU’S STILLBORN WEBCOMIC PART 1

Unorthodox apocalypse is a now abandoned comic project I worked on with some friends in 2023-2024 about a cultist team of cheerleaders lead by antichrist Barbie set in a mid-biblical apocalypse world in a town named “Craterview” on the ledge of crater lake. The stagnation of the apocalypse had consequences namely the presence of “beasts” and plunging the world in the shadow of god- so no “good” things/people and no creativity. The cultures of the 20th century seems to repeat over and over, ergo the 80s aesthetic despite it being 2285.

The town’s high schoolers are all divided into classic teen movie cliques and have decided to kill each other about it. Generally the cheer squad and the jocks are considered important enough to the town that they can’t get murdered in pure impunity but everyone else is on the table. The only nerds with any sort of manpower are the marching band who have organized themselves in a casi-military structure.

The cast’s main objective was to use the protagonist as a vessel to bring a demon into the material plane to fuel their magic bullshit. The tone was pretty crass a little edgy and very over the top. I still think of it fondly even if it didn’t go anywhere.

The members are paul, max, cain, evelyn, Pam, Jessica and judy. Their daily activities consists of turf wars, bullying, witchcraft, black mailing people, intimidation and lesbian situationships. Everyone listed sucks here.

The two main characters are Judy and Jessica.

Judy is a standoffish self serving asshole. She’s a “do anything to survive” type but also feels morally superior to everyone around her. She thinks hobbies and responsibilities are frivolous. She gets kicked off the marching band and is coerced into joining the cheerleaders. She spent her early childhood living in the woods with her hippie parents until her dad died, after this they moved back into town, so her family are sort of the town’s pariahs.

Within UA there’s an avatar cycle type thing but for the antichrist. What a sentence. Since the apocalypse never ended it kept being reborn. Jessica, unbeknownst to her, is one of those incarnations.

She’s mean and attention seeking manipulative and egocentric to a fault. She doesn’t have the complete range of human emotions. She had an evil scientist thing going on too. She’s my baby girl ❤️

Pam is Jessica’s childhood best friend and the biggest example of her negative influence.

She’s a self-in-forced Patrick Bateman type. She’s conniving and secretive. She likes to think of herself as a heartless mastermind but she’s just as stuck here as everyone else. She’d never admit it but the craving for Jessica’s approval is what lead her here.

She had a werewolf boyfriend too that was kinda fun.

Evelyn aka eve is a freshman and has a massive crush on Jessica. She’s the one who believes in the “message””” of their cult the most.

Cain’s an ex punk and dumb as a rock. loves to have fun only really joined cause she thought Jessie was hot. Had a thing with max ?

Max ! There’s way less content with her. She was supposed to be the straight man of the group. Shes what Judy aspires to be. She’s very gruff.

And lastly Paul. Paul fucking sucks. Ex-football team member. On paper he’s supposed to be “learning to respect women” but it’s really just his ex-captain trying to get him killed because he thinks he’s that annoying, something he’s completely oblivious to because he’s desperately pining for him. He’s the only one with a car so they HAVE to make him chauffeur them to wherever.

[essycogany]

Justice For Amy Rose

My first long character analysis that isn't about Sonic and is very controversial. Let’s see how this ramble pile goes!

If you want to see a better structured analysis I’ll recommend this video. I’m basically saying the same stuff but with added-on clarifications.

No one has to agree with me but keep in mind I didn't grow up with this franchise, so my opinions are all over the place. A good thing is you don't have to worry about any biases from me. Now, onto my loveable pink hegie!

Amy is misunderstood to be written as this one note girl who’s only character trait is to love Sonic. People usually say she’s now strong, confident, a leader, capable, and is her own character and I agree. But she’s always had those good traits. Was Amy always well written? No! Do I think it could be a sign of her being inconsistent? Absolutely! Here’s just a few examples of her best moments in the past.

Sonic X’s best moments were whenever Amy genuinely wanted to help people or stand up for them. The episode where Amy gives Sonic a bracelet to make him feel protected is incredibly thoughtful. There were also times she led the group even though she wasn't supposed to. It's a flaw, not many people talk about, but it’s a part of her. It’s also a trait that is most shown in Sonic Boom and Prime. (From what little we saw of it) Also Team Rose exists, so she's always been a leader.

-In the Japanese version of the show Amy has a whole life goal that has nothing to do with Sonic. She wanted to own a restaurant someday.

Sonic Adventure has good moments too. Her reason for wanting to be with Sonic isn’t because “She wants to see his handsome face” but because she’s bored out of her mind. Then Amy helps a little Flikey despite the fact she would’ve been safer by not doing that. Amy’s interactions with Gamma impacted the robot to the point of him sacrificing himself to free a Bird he needed to stay alive. This shows how much dedication Amy has to doing the right thing even when she doesn't have to. To top it off she got what she wanted in the end. A not-so-boring day.

In Sonic Adventure 2 she jokes around about marrying Sonic and acts like she won’t tell him about Shadow but does it anyway. Then she breaks him out too. Can’t forget about her moment with Shadow. With her positivity and most emotionally mature moment. Amy basically saved the world by doing that. I know some say “Anyone else could’ve done that,” but everyone else was occupied and Amy had the most patience (mind you she’s been left behind constantly in this game lol) to have a talk with Shadow. No one else had the time (and debatably wouldn’t have took the time) to talk with him.

That one moment in Sonic Heroes wasn’t Amy’s best moment, but I don’t think it’s horrible for two reasons. One, Sonic doesn’t take her seriously (same as SA2) and tells her this.

Yeah, Sonic figured Amy was trying to annoy him. Two, she made sure to continue the search to find Chocola and Froggy and stayed with her team until they were found. Even when Amy wasn’t written the best, she stayed true to herself in some fashion.

Anyway, back to Amy’s other moments.

In Sonic 06 Amy quickly bonds with Silver until he turns against Sonic. The moment she says “If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic” was never meant to mean she loves one more than the other. It’s meant to be a sign of how much Amy trusted her friend. And don’t worry Sonic Adventure shows her standing up for Gamma in front of the main person she’d usually trust. Sonic is not immune to her protective nature. She’ll go against him if it means making the right choice. Amy’s devoted to Sonic, but she’s not a blind follower. Heck, she’s even encouraging towards Elise and wishes her luck on finding Sonic. Despite not knowing Elise was looking for him. Amy is the definition of encouragement and I wish people could learn to appreciate her moments of being a kind and honorable person for those she cares about.

Did I forget to mention she saved the world AGAIN by not letting Silver kill Sonic which caused him to question Mephiles?

-I really love how Amy is so friendly to most characters. She is just as energetic when she talks to Birdie, Shadow, Elise, Silver, and anyone she meets as she is when Sonic’s around. The girl’s a total extrovert. It could also explain her alleged abandonment issues. It definitely explains why she’s so pushy. Even the prospect of being alone makes her worried and there are so many examples of this it’s crazy!

Almost every moment in Unleashed is Amy’s best moment. In my opinion, she’s written the best in that game. Amy apologizes when she thinks Sonic in his Werehog form was someone else. She doesn't even call him “ugly” or anything like that. Amy just leaves him be. Her compassion knows no bounds. She encourages Professor Pickles when he’s worried about the destruction of the earth and compliments Sonic at the same time. Amy even gives Sonic encouragement when he’s insecure about being a “monster.” Proving her love for him is (and never was) disingenuous or about a perception of him. Amy loves Sonic for Sonic. She even states this in her first appearance in IDW. This trait clearly wasn't made up on the spot.

By the way, has anyone noticed how much of a symbol of hope Amy is? Sonic IS truly an inspiration to her. Even Sonic Forces got that part of her character right.

Okay, so that was most of her good moments. Now what? Oh, yeah. Amy is not a stalker. She doesn’t constantly follow Sonic around when he’s not looking or something. That or calling her a “fan girl” implies she’s some random girl who likes Sonic.

Amy is and has always been friends with him. It’s also why she’s always so excited to see him. She even says “Long time no see” in Adventure. It’s a common saying for a reason. It shows how little these characters see each other and proves they mostly live independent lives.

Both Amy and Tails have followed Sonic in the old games too. Tails also finds Sonic all the time. You don’t hear anyone calling Tails a stalker. In Sonic X they and their friends all stay in the same house. This proves she’s not a stalker there either. Even if not always shown very well in the past, Sonic and Amy are best friends. I DO think the writers could’ve made their friendship clearer by having Sonic not act as uncomfortable around her, but that’s my opinion.

-Do you notice how in Boom, IDW, and other versions of Amy people commonly like are from material where Team Sonic includes her and treats her like she’s a part of the team? Instead of stories like in Sonic Riders where Amy has to find Team Sonic or Sonic Heroes where she makes her own group. Or any monument in the past where she’s either left behind or has to say “I’m coming too” and joins her friends anyway despite being left. I don’t think her friends meant any harm (and it probably wasn’t the writer's intention) but how the characters, especially Sonic treated Amy seems to affect how the audience at the time thought of her.

Another reason I don't think the writers wanted people to hate Amy is that usually, Sonic is blunt. He’s not the “I’ll just spare your feelings” type. Sonic is an upfront and honest character. He’d call Amy out assertively if he needed to.

While I won’t say Amy was written perfectly, I’ll chalk it up to her being written like a child. You know, how some little kids are always honest about how they feel? Like the moment in Sonic Battle when she’s talking about raising Emerald with Sonic. Kids play pretend all the time. I’m not excusing her moments of threatening Cream or any other questionable moments like in Sonic Rush. Sonic Freeriders is the biggest example and by far her worst appearance.

I will defend Sonic Riders. Sonic launched Amy into the sky with Eggman. Sonic isn't perfect either. Her anger wasn’t agreeable but justifiable.

-Also all Sonic characters have bad characterizations. A huge example is Shadow, but we don't define him by those moments. Amy should be no different.

Amy is meant to be exaggerated and cartoony. You know, like when Sonic and Knuckles fight or clash with each other. Same for Shadow too. They always fight, but it’s how their dynamics work. It’s never made to be taken seriously.

All of this was to say, Amy is a great yet flawed character. But I want people to know she’s always been a kindhearted, girly, silly, selfless, adventurous, loyal, and fun character people praise her for in Boom, IDW, and Frontiers. I wouldn’t say she’s “gotten better” because that implies she was never good to begin with. I see it more as the writing became easier for people to understand. The constant hate from the past has truly tarnished her reputation even today. To the point where her best moments are ignored.

Even though her love for Sonic is the cartoony and genuine part of her personality, it’s not the only part. No, Amy doesn't have to be romantic but other female Sonic characters exist for that reason. Amy is also a wonderful representation of a strong and confident character who is traditionally feminine at the same time. A good example is her being a literal comfort character because she comforts and protects everyone she comes across. She'll kick your butt for messing with her friends then help you with your emotional issues afterward. She'd make a great therapist.

My favorite examples of Amy's characterization are Unleashed, TMOSTH, and the IDW Sonic Riders Arc. Those are the main examples of how she used to be commonly written. It’s just the little things you’ve gotta pay attention to. Thanks for reading my less-than-organized rambling. Again, you don't have to agree with me, but I enjoy chatting with you lovelies. Hope I at least gave a coherent answer as to why people always loved Amy Rose!

Stay Creative! 💜

[ben-talks-art]

Why is Desscaras so likable? 🤔

So something has been on my mind for a while now...

There's this series called "Ichi the Witch" that has been growing in popularity lately and among the cast of characters there's Desscaras, a powerful mage who's considered like a superstar among the witches for how good she is at her job, and Desscaras herself is aware of that and always takes as many chances as she can to be smug about it...

But for some reason it never feels annoying when she does it, and I'm very intrigued as to why that is.

Desscaras is basically a fusion of Bulma and Piccolo from Dragon Ball.

Much like Bulma, she's a young and bratty genius who gets stuck with this wild young boy and now has to work with him while going on crazy adventures while doing her best to keep him in check.

But she's also like Piccolo in the sense that she can also be very wise, observant, and calm when the situation calls for it and capable of taking advantage of what she knows and what she can do to come up with different solutions for different problems.

I kept wondering why her smug attitude never annoyed me like it usually tends to when it comes to other "full-of-themselves" types of characters.

Characters like Vegetta or Bakugou who because they're so strong, let it get to their heads and often end up behaving like total jerks in the earlier parts of their story arcs.

I feel like the reason it never bothered me with Desscaras is because, unlike these two, you never get a sense she's trying to prove something.

With Bakugou and Vegetta, you could always tell they were trying to make people understand they were hot stuff, to make it clear that they were the best, to convince others as much as they try to convince themselves to believe in their own hype.

It always had a hint of insecurity as if they needed people to believe in them because deep down, they didn't believe in themselves.

But you don't really get that from Desscaras.

It always felt like she couldn't care less what people think of her. She doesn't need me, you, or anyone to buy into her hype, because she already buys it, and that's all she needs.

The reason her smugness isn't annoying is because you get the sense she's doing it not because she has something to prove but because that's just how she sees herself.

She's likable because you can feel how much she loves herself and who she is...

And in a modern world where everyone is constantly trying to compare themselves to someone else in order to measure how happy or how successful they are, seeing someone who's just already happy with who she is is a very refreshing experience.

I saw some people often comparing her to Gojo, and I can totally see why.

They both are super strong characters who are so comfortably happy with who they are that they allow themselves to act a bit immature and goofy every now and then because they have enough trust in their own character and in their own strength to back it up.

Some sort of... "I'm strong and wise enough to allow myself to be silly" kind of thing if you will.

And that's the key word, "comfortable."

We have several examples of characters who are confident in their own strength, but who you can still feel a sense of pressure from.

Like, they're so strong so they need to set an example, they need to be a role model, they need to make people feel safe, they need to live up to the image that's expected from them.

But Desscaras doesn't care about any of that. She doesn't try to be a role model or anything, she's just living her life the way she's most comfortable with.

The fact that she's one of the strongest doesn't get in the way of how she presents herself to others, her personality does.

The best way I can describe Desscaras is an ideal combination of power + confidence + and comfortableness.

She kinda feels like the perfect embodiment of strength. Characters in stories who are often labeled as "the strongest" or "the most powerful" are often depicted like people who let the power get to their heads and thus end up becoming huge jerks because of it, or they are so confident in their strength that they start to treat things with indifference because they know they can survive anything, or they feel so responsible for the power they carry that they became overly cold and serious about it.

There are several depictions of strength but we don't often get one that manages to balance it out this level of confidence, maturity, and comfort with one self.

You usually tend to feel like one element or two is missing to create something really unique, and Desscaras feels like that something unique where every element is just at the right place.

She feels like a very refreshing take on "The strongest" trope, a comfortable depiction of strength, and I'm excited to see where we go with her. 😊