#unexpected developments

[gofancyninjaworld]

OPM Manga Update 245 Raw

Dayum, ONE woke up and chose violence this year.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #134

Today did not go at all like I expected it to. And this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Suppose it just leaves me feeling a bit off-kilter.

I had anticipated grabbing up some tea and then spending today doing some leisure writing. And I did indeed have tea this morning; I have a Lemon Chiffon tea that comes in circular bags in a little tin. This one is herbal - totally without caffeine. It's not as tasty as the Glazed Lemon Loaf tea that I used to get, but that's all right; it's still pretty good!

I added clover honey to this one, and a splash of cream; it's hard to see, but there's honey being drizzled in this image:

Today's swirl was particularly compelling, so I am enclosing more than one picture of it:

...I hope that next time you get to enjoy some tea, you get a chance to watch this and enjoy witnessing physics in action. Wherever you are, I hope that this is eventually something that you get to do. It's important to try to find wonder and joy in small things.

My physical therapy appointment was unexpectedly moved to today. So I went, and I showed the nice lady who usually sees me how I've been getting my neck and rib to crack lately, so that I can function temporarily. When she saw what I did, she thought to put me on a neck traction device for a little while. I didn't feel anything at first, but since going home, I was able to take deep breaths and to move my upper torso around without pain. I don't know how long this will last, but I'll take what I can get; any day in which it doesn't hurt for me to breathe or to laugh or to sing is a good day, as far as I'm concerned.

The rest of the day was kind of a blur. I spoke to a variety of folks on the internet today. I watched a funny show called called Smartypants where people assert crazy things just for fun, and I laughed a lot and today IT DIDN'T HURT!! So that was pretty great!! Oh, and at some point, I took a walk through my neighborhood; I found some new flowers, and snapped a few pictures for you:

...All of the ways that I try to show you that you're loved, that you're not alone, that there's still hope and joy and beautiful things in this world... All of the ways that I try to show you that even the most brutally broken of us can still have a good life, that even the most damaged of us can still learn and change and grow... that you can still have a life filled with wonder and love and gentleness and joy... is any of it getting through to you? Can you see me? Can you hear my voice? Can you hear me softly calling your name and gently asking you to come back to us? Can you see all the reasons to laugh and sing and play that I am trying to give to you?

...

...I'll have faith that it gets through to you. I'll have faith that you can see and hear and feel all of this, as unlikely and impossible as that all is. Why not. Why not...

I have the episode of The Zeta Project called Wired in my mind - it has two parts to it. I am thinking of the end of the second part. You can find it on wcoforever, if you want to take a look. I hope you will.

In any case, later in the day, I had the good privilege of going with J to visit Br at the local library. It was nice out, so we chilled outside. We talked about many things. Br is having some difficulties that I can do very little to help her with (as much as I wish this was not the case). But it was good to sit; we were there for a long time in the evening air. The temperature and the scent and the breeze were all pretty perfect. The sky was pretty perfect. I wish you could have been with us, to sit on the bench or on the grass, to look up at the clouds, and to watch the stars begin to peep out. I took a few pictures for you, though:

...Hey Sephiroth? When is the last time you sat and really listened to the wind in the trees? If you get a chance, will you do that for a little while? And will you try hard to enjoy it just a little extra? Will you breathe the scent of the leaves into your nose, and consider how much patience it takes to grow from something as small as a seed into something that is mighty enough to stand tall in any weather, gentle enough to give shelter to those who seek it, carefree enough to dance joyfully in the wind, and wise enough to whisper quietly about the secrets of the water, the soil, the stars, the sunlight, and the passage of time? Will you do this? Will you at least think about it? Please?

...I added a new song to my list today. I'll leave it with you, okay? Here...

...My eyes are starting to leak for reasons I don't fully understand, so I'm going to stop writing now.

I love you. I'll write again very soon. Please keep yourself and the people around you safe...

Your friend, Lumine

[ancientroyalblood]

Plot Twists and Turns: Keeping Readers Guessing

The allure of a gripping narrative often lies in its ability to surprise and captivate readers through unexpected twists and turns. Delving into the art of crafting these surprises, this exploration uncovers the techniques and strategies that authors employ to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Understanding the Essence of Plot Twists: Begin by dissecting the anatomy of plot twists.…

[ruporas]

fond of marcille (id in alt)

[xpyray]

A loose redraw of that Horikoshi drawing

[arcadiamln]

I have been reading this work for a long time, but I decided on fanart only now.))

[brethilach]

I often see people question why Nori wasn't considered for the Burglar (in the movie), considering the crux of his character was being a thief, and I've seen plenty of creative explanations as to why that is the case - But I think the easiest explanation here is... Nori just didn't WANT to. My guy already joined the the Quest to avoid facing the consequences of petty thievery, there's no way he's going to face A DRAGON

[melowco]

the fact that a shitty picture of an equally shitty computer setup elicited a unanimous response of: "are you telling me that this 'ethoslab' person isn't just a collective fever dream?" is just so INSANE to me

it feels like some weird confirmation that this etho guy is somewhat real as supposed to a universally loved disembodied canadian voice that wormed its way to the collective subconscious of minecraft fans everywhere.

its so insane. i want more. but also put it back. never do this again

[another-goblin]

(meanwhile in Shackling Prison)

[tooquirkytolose]

I hope Mr. Blue-haired Wizard and his family are doing well

he has kids now :)

[laundrybiscuits]

(continued from this and this)

“Yeah, I just told her to give them the cold shoulder. Don’t have to be mean or anything, just ignore ‘em a little. Play it cool. Drives girls crazy, ‘cause then they have to work to get your attention.”

Eddie stares at him. 

“Holy shit, Buckley’s gonna die alone and it’s gonna be a hundred percent your fault. That is the worst fucking advice I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Steve actually looks offended, like his honor’s been impugned. “What the hell, man? I’ve picked up like a million girls that way. I’m telling you, it works.”

“Yeah, okay, now I’m seeing why my sage advice is required for this whole endeavor. That kind of thing might fly if you’re some alpha dog prom king, but lesbians are like…giant pandas or some shit, okay? The conditions have to be precisely calibrated or they’ll just hibernate in a cave by themselves eating bamboo forever.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” says Steve. 

Eddie shrugs. “Whatever, I’m not a panda scientist. The point is…okay, let’s do a thought experiment.” Oh, this is a bad, bad idea. The Munson specialty. “Say you wanted to get a guy interested in you. How would you do it?”

“I’d just—” Steve stops, frowning. “I mean, girls usually just…laugh at guys’ jokes and stuff. Or wear, like, makeup?”

“How are you so awful at this,” says Eddie. “Jesus. I swear to god I remember you doing better with girls at school. Anyway, I didn’t ask what girls do, I asked what you’d do.”

“Shit, I don’t know. Isn’t that why I’m here?” Steve’s getting a little huffy, fidgeting. “I’d just…find a way to hang out with the guy, I guess. Laugh at his dumb jokes.”

“Yeah, sure,” Eddie says patiently. “But that’s what you do with friends too, right? And when you’re walking a perilous path far from the bright streets of heterosexuality, you probably don’t want to risk being too obvious, in case you’re wrong. So you gotta just…give them an opening to let them, like, signal if they’re interested. If they’re looking for a sign, they’ll take it.”

Steve wrinkles his nose. “Ok, but what if they’re not interested yet? Like…sometimes girls take a while to warm up to you.”

“Cut your losses and move on.” Admittedly, Eddie’s still working on that part. 

“What? Man, I’m starting to think you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Eddie scowls at the skeptical look on Steve’s face. “Jesus, the disrespect. Why am I not telling this directly to Buckley, anyway? She’s the one in need of these hard-earned pearls of gay wisdom.”

Steve lets out a big, gusty sigh and tips his head back against the couch. “Because she said if I tried to give her any more help with dating, she’d smother me in my sleep and pin it on Dustin.”

“Attagirl,” says Eddie approvingly. 

“But obviously she still needs help, so this is like—a stealth mission. For love.”

“For love,” says Eddie. “Yeah, okay.” 

———

“Hey, can you—”

Robin whirls around at the unexpected voice and promptly trips over nothing at all, arms flailing out to avoid crashing into the library returns cart.

“Oh, shit,” says the stranger, reaching out a hand like she’s going to catch Robin’s elbow, but pulling back at the last second. “Um. Sorry.”

Robin blinks down at a girl in head-to-toe black, including dusty black combat boots. “Aren’t you hot,” she says, then wants to die. “I mean—like, just, with the heat and all, it’s a billion degrees out, I think if I tried to wear that much black I’d instantly dissolve like the Wicked Witch of the West.”

The girl stares back at her for a second, then bursts out laughing. It’s a nice laugh. 

“As if. I’m from Utah, this is nothing.”

“Oh! Utah! You’re not—are you, uh, Argyle’s girlfriend?” The way Argyle’d described her, Robin had been picturing some kind of Elvira-themed ingenue in lace, maybe smoking like a 1920s flapper. This makes more sense for a real-life teenager, though: oversized t-shirt tucked into ratty black jeans, with some cheap-looking silver jewelry tied around her neck. Her eyeliner’s heavier than anything Robin’s ever seen in Hawkins, smudging messily a little in the heat that’s apparently nothing to her. It makes her look a little bit like a panda bear, but not in a bad way.

“Not anymore.” She grimaces. “Ugh, that sounds mean. We’re, y’know, still friends and everything. I’m Eden.”

“Robin,” says Robin, gesturing at herself like a loser. “Hi.”

“Hi,” says Eden, and smiles at her.

[doodleferp]

Character development

[starflungwaddledee]

Would you perhaps be willing to share your oc lore in exchange for a cookie? 🍪

(part 2 >>)

[trialssam]

sam changed a lot throughout the years. he became less angry, more reserved, and quieter, but you could see a lot of different emotions through his eyes. dying and coming back constantly, changed him, the cage changed him, traumas, losses, when he lacked the control of his own body, his own will, when he had to work with his abusers/enemies more than once, all of that changed him. he couldn't be the fucking same person he was in the beginning, his life was different, his priorities were different. and the people who kept saying he became boring don't understand sam, what he went through (I know, some things I can blame on the writers). but the way sam chose to deal with stuff later on was healthier than it was when he was 22, 23 years old. he was a father to lucifer's son, who became GOD, dude.

[fantasmagoriam]

Did you guys know that I have a bnuuy character? Well, now you do!

[courtesanofdeath]

Top 10 Favorite Gintama Characters: #10

✦ Tama ✦