#unless you think I am the best and in that case you're right lol

[kaus-quietis]

Lav's All-smiles Problem-solving Roooooundtable ch108 edition!

Welcome, welcome! To Lav's BSD ch108 discussion! Delivered to you via my funky dove Eliott, acting as my mystic messenger. These are random thoughts I had after reading this brilliant chapter, which, writing-wise, made the best possible use of Fedya's character, expanding it even more without even betraying his backstory. Maybe a backstory isn't needed after all, just look at how much FUN he is right now. I am in BLISS

Putting aside the fact that he is literally carrying the plot at this point, come sit with me, I make you a delicious Chinese black tea with rose petals and casually share my thoughts. Hello there, dearest Kat, yes, "where is Lav when you need her?", I am here, I offer you a hug, and to all my friends here who share the sentiment, I hug you too.

A. Before you say ANYTHING about "oh but? maybe Fedya is telling the half-truth? or a half-lie? what if his ability really is the evil one?", my brothers and sisters in Christ, listen to yourself. This man functions almost on a meta-level of character consciousness: he changed his facial expression and aura so convincingly, his tone, his speech, his posture, even the shade of his eyes, fooling not only Sigma, but the readers as well. We are used to characters changing the shade of their eyes when they change mental states or have certain (new) decisions in mind, we as a community are so used to this, all it took was one panel from the Conjurer doing this trick for so many of us to actually believe him and start, yet again, to spiral down the "what if he is good but his ability is evil? what if he is two entities? what if?" rollercoaster. This is so amusing to me, and in a meta-sense must be amusing to Fedya too. While speculation can bloom again based on this, I wouldn't be putting too much effort into reading into his lines here. I take it as a trick. It worked splendidly, almost like it attacked the fandom's major concerns and theories about his character and weaponized them against everyone. That's a meta-kind of tomfoolery. Trolling, if you will. I LOVE that Asagiri made him bamboozle every reader like this. His character so far goes into the best direction, it cultivates and expands his traits and skills in the best way. But let's pretend Fedya really is telling a half-truth there, which is there being an opposition between him and his ability. I talked about this in my essay (see pinned post), there really seems to be a divergence at the core of his character, but it manifests subtly, not like what we saw in ch108. Then again, not even on that can we arrive at any conclusive statements, because if we remember that, of course, "crime and punishment are close friends", it could well be that he and his ability are partners, and you bet I imagine they would BOTH indulge in peak tomfoolery like this together, if that meant one of them switching in and the other out for a sec. Remember, dear souls: aside from his "higher mission", abstract as it still is lore-wise, Fedya's keyword is "fun" or "entertainment", repeatedly. And oh he himself is even more fun now~

B. if Fedya would have wanted to mortally wound Sigma, he'd have chosen a more suitable place to stab him; it looks like a abdominal, lower quadrant, lateral stab, a deliberate choice, I would say, that technically avoids critical, most vascular organs (kidney and spleen for example) and main veins/arteries. I am no doctor, but from what I gathered, Sigma won't bleed out fast at all, and if untreated might get a deadly infection in a longer time (not counting the possibility of septic shock if we assume the knife penetrated and heavily opened an intestine). Sigma needs a medic asap (our queen Yosano when?), but will likely be conscious and quite able to move around and whatnot. Like I argued in my essay, Fedya most likely does not want to kill Sigma, or anybody for that matter, because keeping everyone alive to fulfill various roles and see how their will tosses them in all kinds of directions is more fun for him, more entertaining, but also more useful. He is a long-term strategist, like Dazai. "Our beloved monsters" ❤

C. Fedya evidently exerts some serious mental torment on Sigma, by making him stand by his choices, his will, just like he always desired. The flip side is that Fedya takes his time, or should I say gifts Sigma his time, in which he teaches him the full lesson of what Sigma wants. The responsibility that comes with acting on your own, the terror of facing the consequences when choosing on your own: right now, to Sigma, this freedom is terror. But Fedya is never a one-dimensional character. It's most probable he calculated and devised strategies for both possibilities (a. Sigma with rekindled determination touches him; b. Sigma backpedals on what he decided and does not touch him). The irony is that both scenarios are an affirmation of Sigma's will, because, while the first decision can be seen like foolish bravery, the second one can also be seen as wise self-preservation, if the circumstances so demand it. BSD is not a black-and-white series, diving head-first into danger is not its definition of bravery or heroism. BSD was always about measured decisions, ones the characters take upon themselves willingly. It may be time Sigma does that too, in his own way, and Fedya wants to see that. Why? Well, my guess is because it's fascinating to watch humans grow, and Fedya lives for the entertainment that comes with it. It is actually more interesting if we remember his line from ch42 (“People can be so simple… They truly believe they are thinking for themselves. (…) They don’t want to think they’re being led by the nose”): the pattern is, Fedya puts others under harsh circumstances, and then, under pressure, lets go of them, waiting for their free decision, the true test and expression of their hearts, so to say (which could make a superb discussion if we make a parallel between Kunikida and Sigma, since essentially what happened to Kunikida is happening now to Sigma, except Kunikida did indeed break down, but thanks to healthy support from his comrades he slowly regained his sense of self, and stronger than ever at that time, however… Sigma is alone, isn't he? but what if he needs to be in order to finally get a hold of his own self?). Anyway, how much of that expression is free, or how much is guided or manipulated, is a debate in itself, since it implies relating the freedom to the individual vs relating the freedom to the external factors and possibilites.

D. I do need to underline, just like Fedya also underlined it: Sigma already made his decision, right there when he still tried to get the gun before getting kicked in the face. Fedya moved on to the next step: testing how strong Sigma's will is when an actual chance to act appears. Sigma already accepted the physical pain, but how will he face the mental anguish? That is more Fedya's territory, a "specialist" of breaking people by simply knowing them thoroughly and choosing the right words. But now we gained new info: even in close combat, apparently, Fedya is not to be underestimated. That was a rather strong kick, anyway. But more importantly, he completely turned the tables in a situation where he would be in a total disadvantage. * chef's kiss * that was very bungou stray dogs of him.

[earlgreytea68]

tumblr(.)com/badnewswhatsleft/767988512935084033/rock-sound-312-nov-2024-transcript-below did you see this new pete&patrick interview? some excellent quotes in there

You're right, there are some excellent quotes in there!! I'd seen some of those clips in isolation and it looked like Pete and Patrick were being interviewed separately? So it's interesting to see them combined into one interview!

I'm going to reblog the whole thing in its own post but here are some of my thoughts:

The recurrence of "Patrick and I make one rock star together"! I feel like we haven't seen as much of that post-hiatus? It was nice to see it show up again.

Patrick being ashamed because his voice is too pretty, I AM DYING.

I love that Pete says he came back from the hiatus wanting to be a better leader for his band, and Patrick says that he came back from the hiatus appreciating more how much Pete was doing. Idk, I always kind of figured that's what they learned, but I especially liked Patrick saying that. Maybe he's said it before, since that was a plot point in the time travel fic, that Patrick realized how much Pete was doing. So, in that case, I love it every time Patrick says that.

I also love the recurrence of "you won't hang out with me unless we make music together, so let's make music together." That was how Pete reached out to Patrick after the hiatus, and then that was how Patrick reached out to Pete after the pandemic: Yo, I think you should get out of the house more, let's make some music together. The music is so entirely their love language lol

Also now I really, really hope Pete has a fantasy football league and Patrick's not in it but Patrick's really sick of hearing about it lolololol

THE MANIA DISCUSSION IN THIS. It's so good and spot-on: how Patrick is slightly ahead of the curve sometimes, how people are catching up to how good Mania is and eventually it will be adored, HOW FANTASTIC YOUNG AND MENACE IS. Honestly, I think Young and Menace is such genius and every time Patrick says the whole album should have been like Young and Menace, I mourn that album we didn't get, even though I love Mania. But to me Young and Menace is the best song on the album and one of their best ever and I would have loved to see Patrick follow that weird twist and turn. I think Patrick ultimately concluded that wasn't right for Fall Out Boy and I adore SMFS, too, so I'm fine that he pivoted back but I wish he didn't always sound like he learned a lesson not to experiment too much. Because Young and Menace is just so, so good.

My favorite observation is there are several variations of "fuck" in this interview...and every single one of them comes from Patrick. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN lol

[bonesandthebees]

Hi!

I don’t have any friends irl or online who knows anything about this whole mess of a situation, so I hope you’ll allow me to mull this over here or just scream into the void.

I just find the whole broader context of this whole issue fascinating in a deeply disturbing way. I was going to try to understand why dream acts the way he does, but I think I might drive myself mad doing so. Anyway, I think it’s very apparent the happy go lucky time of progressiveism online is over. Obviously, there has always been bad shit online and marginalised communities have been under fire for a long time. What I’m trying to say is there has been this illusion of progressive attitudes, which has eroded away and people are just saying the quiet part out loud these days.

I don’t know if dream is publicly shifting to draw in a right wing audience or if he completely lacks the ability to empathise with/is too stubborn to recognise other people’s feelings and perspectives. Neither options would surprise me tbh. I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil my evening and your whatever your time time of day is. Idk, weird guy.

Anyway, I hope you are doing well! 2025 have been a lot this far, huh? I watched eternal sunshine of a spotless mind this weekend, which made me read Alexander Pope’s Eloisa to Abelard and I finally got the title to World Forgetting. That fic is my all time favourite fic, so I have no idea why I didn’t look into the title before. That’s on me!

(I hope you’ll allow me the moon as a sign off. lol that reminds me that I need to put my tarot cards in the window just in case the full moon decides to show up)

– 🌕

hello welcome to the anon club!!! I shall call you full moon anon :)

it really is getting scary to see the backwards steps we're taking culturally right now. like with all the social media tech billionaires cozying up to trump and the way people are caring less and less about things like calling others slurs and of course the entire tradwife/hating on feminism/i'm just a girl tiktok bs. but I do try to remind myself that backwards steps like those are usually in response to progress. we've seen a huge positive shift in attitudes towards the queer community over the past decade and a half alongside other social issues like racism and feminism, so it's kind of expected that we were going to swing backwards at some point. the reason this is reassuring though is because it's a reminder that it's cyclical, meaning we will push forward again and make even more progress next time. we just have to (unfortunately) wait this out and keep trying to push forward.

ok now as for dream talk I am going to put this under a read more because I do not need to subject my followers to thoughts on what's going through his head unless they wanna see it

yeah, trying to understand dream's whole thought process here is really enough to give you a migraine. it just doesn't make sense because he is objectively making himself just look like a terrible person to work with to outside ccs (will leak your private dms if you ever have a falling out, might go on a huge essay length twitter rant about you if you ghost him, etc.) while also just annoying everyone who isn't part of his core audience. also, I feel like if you're trying to get a more right wing male audience I don't know if openly discussing how you're autistic is going to help you there given... yknow. how those people tend to be in regards to neurodivergent people. like I could be wrong but to me that just doesn't seem like the best strategy if that's where you're trying to shift.

so I'm inclined to think it's the latter: that he's too stubborn to recognize other people's feelings and perspectives. that seems to be where his head is at when he talks about his gripes with tommy and tubbo, especially when he calls tommy disingenuous for... not having the same opinions he did when he was 16? idk man I don't want to understand dream too much

2025 has been so much though. like what the hell.

BUT YEAHHHHH eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!! I hope you enjoyed that it's literally one of my all time favorite movies. and yeah that line from Eloisa to Abelard just hits so hard both in the context of the movie and just in general, so when I was writing a story about amnesia I knew I wanted to tie it into eternal sunshine somehow

[sipsandfables]

Unfiltered Thoughts While Reading: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

⚠️⚠️⚠️ BEWARE! SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️⚠️⚠️

Chapter 1

If I were Violet, I’d be like “Forget these biscuits and EXPLAIN YOURSELF SIR” 😂

If Brennan survived, then why did Tairn’s old rider die? 

“Stop bringing logic into an emotional argument.” Hahaha love Violet

I will say though that if she’s going to be mad at Xaden, she can be mad at Brennan for the same thing

Chapter 2

is this foreshadowing? Will Violet or someone else learn the art of ward building to save them all?

“Weapons are the only things that can win this war” for someone so intelligent, I’ve never heard Brennan say anything more foolish than that 

Andarna is a teen 😂

will she go through an emo phase? Hahaha

At least it sounds like her mom wasn’t in on this murder plot 

“Fucking Dain.”

Lol agreed

Chapter 4

I love how Dain acts like nothing happened. Like, wtf? Why are you surprised Violet hates you?!

Unless he didn’t know about the plan somehow and we all just assumed he did.

Also, maybe another mind reader read his mind and he didn’t actually tattle? But even if that’s the case, he still read Violet’s memories without her permission this whole school year

Chapter 5

“I’m pleasantly fuddled but not entirely sloshed.”

Lol I’m using that the next time I get drunk

Chapter 6

Violet has more self-control than me. She should have let Xaden stay the night lol

Chapter 7

I knew it! So, less dragons are bonding because of the war and the venin. I wonder if they are bonding with the rebels or just staying out of it completely 

Chapter 8

so Aaric is the kings son?! Bold move 

And now Liam’s little sister?! This series is going to kill me 😭😭😭

oh shes angry lol 

“What in the angry-Mairi was that about?”

Lol I love Rhiannon

“I've danced with Malek more than my fair share over this last year and told him to fuck right off every single time. ”

LOL

Fuck this dragon and fuck Varrish. What. The. Hell.

I’d be so pissed if someone ran after that because that stupid dragon is killing people in the way anyways. Hide ya kids, hide ya wife, they’re flaming everyone up in here.

“If Solas comes near you again, he knows I will devour his human whole and let him rot within me while his heart still beats, and then I'll take the eye I so graciously left him." "That's...graphic."

Tairn has the best threats lol he and Violet were made for each other

Chapter 9

I knew Imogen would grow on me!

Omg I bet the person they’re interrogating is Xaden. He never made it out to his post and it’s why he hasn’t come to see Violet. I just don’t know how they can keep the dragons from each other 

“"I can take her," Sloane fires back, white-knuckling her knife, "From what your letter said last year, her joints pop right out. How hard can it be?" "Seriously?" I shoot a reproachful look at Imogen. "I can explain." Imogen puts her hand over her heart, "You see, I didn't like you last year, remember? You're kind of an acquired taste."”

hahahaha I love the banter in this series

OMG!!! Nadine!!! I am NOT okay with how fast characters be dying in this damn series!! 😭😭😭

Chapter 10

I knew this dude was sent by Aetos. So freaking sloppy! And the more this book goes on, the more I think Dain didn’t know about the War Games thing. He’s an annoying prick but I don’t see him being malicious enough to let Violet walk to her death. Plus, I actually don’t recall him shitting on people with a relic. He just seems to hate Xaden lol 

Welp, there goes my theory about Xaden being tortured lol

I find it hilarious that Xaden is so obsessed with Violet’s hair lol

Chapter 11

“Coconspirators with a vested interest in keeping each other alive.”

Lol love Imogen. She’s giving me Ron Swanson vibes here with his “work proximity associates” speech 😂😂😂

Banning people from knowledge in order to keep their corrupt secrets from the public is not sustainable. Sure, it drastically slows the distribution of information but the truth always comes out - it’s just a matter of when!

I wonder if the Scribes are translating everything from the old language in order to hide more lies

 Varrish grinning at Violet saying “dragons don’t take orders from humans” does not bode well. Has he found a way to control dragons? Or at least influence them with blackmail or something else?

Varrish is such a dick. Like, get a life dude. 

Chapter 12

That comment about a blade of grass sticking to Violet was so random. 

Chapter 13

This Varrish guy is the worst. He’s like Miss Umbridge from the Harry Potter series

“You wish you were my type. I’m phenomenal in bed.”

Hahahaha I love Imogen. SHE BETTER NOT DIE

Oh no, I bet it’s that freaking survival class test! They’re getting kidnapped!

Chapter 14

Tairn is so sassy and I love it

Obviously, the water is drugged! Have they never read a fantasy novel?! 

I adore Ridoc 😍

HE BETTER NOT DIE

You would think there would be more crossover activities and exercises between riders and infantry if they have to work together so much and infantry are expected to work alongside dragons

Chapter 15

Rhiannon is responding to Violet keeping secrets way better than Violet is to Xaden lol She’s like “hey, you’re hiding something and that’s fine but don’t lie about lying” with Violet. And Xaden is like “Honestly, I have secrets I can’t tell but here are all of the intimate details of my life.” Come on Violet! Quit trippin' and get back with Xaden lol

I don’t like the rift going on between Rhiannon and Violet this book. They need each other and it’s annoying lol

Alright 2 things that annoy me about this book so far:

1. The lack of Xaden and Violet scenes  2. Violet being mad at Xaden for keeping secrets from her in order to protect others

 Chapter 16

Yesssss, Imogen is spitting facts!!! Hopefully this will convince Violet to let him back in

“I’m still speaking.”

Okay Imogen ���� She could get it 😏

Oh man, I really hope nothing happens to Rhi’s family and she blames Violet for keeping her in the dark

Of course she misses the interrogation technique class!!! Bad move man

Chapter 18

Theory time: Omg is death what’s powering the wards??? Is that why so many more people are dying at an alarming rate? They need more students to die to power up the wards? And maybe daggers work because they are an instrument for causing death?

“I want you.” All day. Every day.

LOLLL

Omg I love how ride or die Rhiannon is about Violet lol 

Who’s soul is Nolon mending?!

Chapter 19

Theory time: Solas’ orange is off and Dain’s dragon's breath stinks because they’re giving the dragons some concoction. Maybe it’s to control them? 

“Humans have the memories of gnats. Dragons hold grudges.”

Pearls of wisdom from Tairn lol

Damn it Tairn lol while I love that he put Varrish and Solas in their place, things just got a whole lot worse for Violet 😬

Chapter 20

“Ugh. Let’s go throw knives at shit.”

😂

Has Mira met Imogen? They’d be two peas in a pod lol

I’m also shook that they kill civilians. Wowwwww

Chapter 21

Man, this is starting to feel like Final Destination since all the Resson survivors are dying one by one

“History and current events are tied because one influences the other.”

Interesting foreshadowing 

I like Devera and I feel like she’s trying to do the right thing while the rest of leadership goes to shit. Like Professor McGonagall does when Dumbledore is no longer headmaster 

“That’s what we’re not going to do.”

You tell em, Devera!

I bet Varrish will be in charge of the torture lessons given his background and he’s going to try to kill Violet 

I was JUST wondering where Dain has been. Haven’t heard his holier than thou whining in a while lol

omg I called it in the last book! Her mom gave Xaden those scars! I also still think I’m right about Dain being guilty of being a prick but not of sending his best friend to get murdered 

Rhiannon is so smart! She reminds me of Bree from Legendborn 😍

I knew I liked Aaroc/Cam for a reason! Hope he doesn’t die….

Chapter 22

It’s strange that Violet is so bad at remembering names when she studied to be a Scribe her whole life lol

Chapter 23

For some reason, book 2 reads a little more like a YA novel than the first book

HAVE THEY LEARNED NOTHING?! Don’t  eat or drink anything!!!

Okay, you didn’t drink but did you eat the jam?!

Ridoc and his snake confession had me cackling

lol I totally thought Ridoc broke first but he was lying haha

I knew fucking Varrish would somehow weasel himself into this training

They’re using Dain? Well hell.

Also, isn’t his signet supposed to be a secret???

Chapter 24

Wait, they’re practicing on civilians?!?! At what point do people wake up and think “hmmm, we’re the bad guys”?

"We should consider quitting the quadrant." Ridoc jokes as we walk over the door and out of the chamber, "We'd be kickass thieves." "With dragons," Sawyer agrees. "Unstoppable," Ridoc says with a grin.

This is giving Six of Crows and I. Am. Here. For. It.

Unlocking doors? hmmmm interesting 

Chapter 25

I know exactly who did this! A scribe! It was the person walking in the hood earlier that Violet noticed. I wonder if it’s her friend or someone else

Those statements have to be true - Markham is acting too squirrelly about them

FUCKING JACK IS BACK?!

Idk how I feel about this book now lol like really? 

Hundreds of cadets die every year and they spent valuable resources and time to mend him?! What happened to “we let the weak die”?! This is utter bull

Also, Nolon mentioned how hard mending a soul is….it doesn’t sound like Jack has a soul 

Chapter 26

I love the nonchalant way Sawyer and Ridoc are ready to murder Jack lol

Chapter 27

Territorial Xaden is the best lollll he’s like who the hell's jacket is that and why isn’t it mine?! 😂

Well, that escalated quickly 👀🔥

Chapter 28

Oh that has to be his ex. The one that Bodhi mentioned

I knew it!

Chapter 29

“Pull yourself together”

Tairn with the tough love 😂😂😂

“I will already know, as I am continuously with you,” he grumbles. “Forced to bear witness to the awkwardness that is twenty one year old humans.”

💀💀💀

I forgot who Professor Kaori is but I love them!!

Chapter 30

FINALLY Violet realizes how hypocritical she was being about Xaden when she tells her friends part of the truth

I bet Andarna is sleeping longer than expected because she’s going to be powerful as hell lol

Holy shit. Too many people die too often in this series. I don’t even remember who Eya is!

Ridoc better not die

Chapter 31

Freaking JACK saved her?!?! What is this rouse?!

I 👏🏾 don’t 👏🏾 trust 👏🏾 him 👏🏾 

Let’s go Aaric! Sidebar, I need a novella about him. He sounds hot

Chapter 32

I thought Aaric ‘s brother died in Threshing! Well I guess Xaden could have killed him then lol

There’s no way Nasya sleeps through his post every time. I bet he’s spying on them

Oh Imogen has it taken care of lol good. Also, that’s a badass signet!

Chapter 34

“The birth of iron rain” !?

That sounds ominous

OMG LADY STOP DRINKING THINGS FROM OTHER PEOPLE

Fucking hell. I honestly can’t even feel anger for Nolon’s betrayal because I’m too annoyed with Violet rn lol

Chapter 36

So Dain is finally choosing the right side!

I’m so glad Varrish is dead! He’s the worst lol. Violet will definitely have to watch her back from Solas

Yay! Devera came through!

The secret is out! Finally!

Chapter 37

🌶️🌶️🌶️

Chapter 38

Andarna is back!!! Yayyy!

I bet this “blood magic” means sacrifice! they have to kill people to build a new ward

I knew Mira would punch Brennan after seeing him for the first time haha

Chapter 39

The 6 strongest riders: Caden, Felix, suri, bodhi, violet, Brennan - I’m surprised Mira isn’t one

Chapter 40

I do think Violet is a little slow on the uptake when it comes to understanding her power which is surprising since she’s so smart

I’m excited about this sibling trip lol

Chapter 41

“Fuck it. We don’t need a luminary.”

Mira is a whole vibe lol

Cat is the worst and Violet is annoying me by listening to her lol Xaden is obsessed with you girl - ignore this jelly belly lady

Well that explains why Violet was trippin' hahaha wasn’t her fault

Chapter 43

yeah I agree - allowing people to die on the parapet is unnecessary lol

Holy shit ! This entire hike is stressful as fuck!

RIDOC!!!

Chapter 45

“The problem with mankind is we too often find our souls to be a fair price for power.”

Chapter 47

I hope Violet kicks Cat’s ass and makes it embarrassing for her lol

Chapter 48

Well that was hawt lol

Xaden talking shit about Dain will never get old lol

The way Xaden feels about Violet reminds me of Rowan to Aelin because his love isn’t conditional and based on if she’s “good” - “If you’re a monster, I’m a monster” (Queen of Shadows)

Xaden is very swoon-worthy lol

Chapter 49

I feel like it’s always Sawyer pitching the idea to just kill an annoying enemy (Cat, Jack, Varrish) and I’m here for it 😂

HE BETTER NOT DIE

oh no….am I starting to find Dain not so bad? Lollll

Chapter 52

Theory time: I really think these nightmares are real - somehow the Sage is communicating with Violet through her dreams Theory Time: I bet she gets captured or agrees to go to the head Sage by the end of this book to set up the next book

Oh god, I really hope an attack doesn’t occur while they’re on this training mission and then Violet feels responsible for not putting up the wards sooner 😬

Chapter 53

Violet must be thinking of Xaden and how he might go mad since his dragon was previously bonded with someone in his direct line

Fucking Solas. I almost forgot about this enemy!

Chapter 54

Honestly I’m surprised she doesn’t have more enemies since if you kill her, you essentially kill 4 beings in one swoop

Andarna is a badass

Chapter 55

No lie, this fight between Xaden and Violet is a little silly and getting exhausting

Ah, I came to the wrong conclusion about Xaden and his bond with Sgaeyl 

Chapter 56

Omg is Xadens second signet mind reading? That would explain a lot. It would also explain why he’s scared to share since they execute people with that signet

Called it!!! I’m glad her response was not immediately “I don’t love you anymore”

Now I need to reread these books to see when he reads her mind. Oh man, I hate to say it but it kind of sounds like what Dain did to her last year

hmmmm, that was too easy lol

Ugh, we’ve been here before - Violet discovers a big secret about Xaden right before some war conflict and they’re fighting in the midst of chaos. Not sure I’m a fan that it’s a repeat of the last book lol

Chapter 57

well I’m glad Cat has stopped being a twat and decided that focusing on saving the continent is the way to go over petty squabbles over an ex lol She reminds me of Lysandra but in a good way lol 

I think the trouble with the writing of their relationship is that Xaden is so amazing and their relationship is so magnetic that their conflicts feel forced. The obstacles they face within their relationship are hard to develop when Xaden is always saying the right things after they fight lol Not that I’d want it any other way - but I think that’s why I’m struggling with not rolling my eyes when they get into arguments. Violet deserves to be angry about the betrayal but then it just feels like her decision on what she’ll do next about them takes FOREVER and it feels like it’s dragged out across a whole ass book.

Omg did Brennan come?! Is he announcing his “undeadness”?!

Violet immediately wants Xaden to use his secret signet on the others? I don’t disapprove at all but that better mean she will forgive him swiftly lol

It isn’t in Violet to NOT help innocent civilians if she can.

“I love you enough to bear the weight of your disappointment.”

Total mom sacrifice right there!

I need a novella of their mom and dad and how they got together lol

Chapter 58

If I were with the Rebellion, I’d agree to help Navarre on the condition that they make it public knowledge that Venin are real and they’ve been lying to citizens for centuries in order to keep a specific amount of citizens safe - that way, they’re not leaving innocents to die AND if they all survive the battle at Solstice, the rebels will walk away with an additional win (the entire continent knowing the truth)

am I the only one who visualize white walkers from GOT when I read about the venin in this book? Lol

Alright let’s go!!! Way to not turn into the enemies! 

Chapter 59

What is with Andarna’s scale colors?! Their changing colors have been mentioned all book - I wonder what’s the significance? Is she a rainbow dragon?! That would be dope lol

Jack's dragon's eyes are weird? Another reference to dragons seeming off! I bet they’re controlling it! But who would want the wards to fail? Who is Jack in league with if Varish is dead? IS Varish even dead?! Did freaking Nolon bring him back to life like he did with Jack?!

What the heck?! Did Jack become venin?! Why did he slaughter his own dragon?!?

Chapter 60

I knew he became venin! But didn’t realize it was for SO LONG!

Well, everything is going to hell in a hand basket 

“Fucking Jack.”

Ain’t that the truth lol

There’s no way this battle is in this book, there’s not enough pages left!!!!

Chapter 61

Can Andarna turn invisible??!

I’m so stressed lol

Chapter 62

Omg is Andarna a chameleon?!

Chapter 63

Theory time: Andarna is head of the seventh den of dragons! This is why she’s so unique. She’s not actually black like Tairn . I bet she’s one of one making her the head of her den. It would make sense since she’s an orphan 

Add-on to the theory: I think both journals are right but describe it differently. Warrick says six AND the one that combines all which must be what Andarna is since she’s always changing colors. Lyra’s journal says seven because it combines the six and the one

Good thing Andarna can make fire now!

Chapter 64

Not a Liam letter 😭😭😭

This heartfelt moment between Andarna and Violet is everything. 

The way that Andarna looks up to Tairn gives me all the feels

What about Sloane?! Can she somehow reverse her power and GIVE instead of siphon?

Ah yep, apparently she can.

Her mom is going to sacrifice herself! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Chapter 65

I’m honestly surprised Xaden killed the main sage. I figured he’d be a bigger part of the storyline 

Don’t tell me Xaden is also now Venin?! 😭

NOOOOO 😭😭😭

Sgaeyl is pissedddd

Chapter 66

OMG WERE THOSE XADENS DREAMS THE WHOLE TIME?! 

I can’t recall if Violet only had the nightmares when she slept near Xaden 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I am unwell.

[thefrogdalorian]

I don't claim that making gifs is the hardest thing in the world and I know mine are far from the best here on tumblr. To me, they aren't even always exactly how I'd like them but I'm limited by what I use to make them (photoshop is expensive lol).

But I really do put time and effort into getting them just right. I have to get inspiration for which part of the show I want to gif, find the scene and download it if necessary, trim the video and import it so I can edit it. Then the actual editing itself can take a while to get the colours/frames and speed precisely how I want it.

So with all that in mind, it's incredibly disheartening that twice within a week, someone took my gifs without crediting me.

I am always happy to speak to new people. Yapping about Mando with fellow freaks [affectionate] is why I made this blog so you can always, always add a comment to my posts. I'll be thrilled, in fact! Stealing my gifs is really not necessary if adding something to the conversation is all you want to do.

By the same token, I'm always more than happy if you want to use something I've created in your posts as long as you credit me! (Funny how neither of the people who took my gifs actually asked, though...)

There really is no excuse for it. None. Ignorance is not a defence here. Stealing is wrong and I'm not going to hold your hand through it and make you understand why. We're adults. I truly have zero tolerance for this behaviour. If you steal something I post, you lose the privilege to look at my blog and I will block you.

Also just a heads up for anyone in the Din/Mando tag: if you see a new blog with hardly any posts, who has never previously made gifs suddenly posting them, it a 99% certainty that it is stolen. I'm not blaming anyone who interacts with it because you aren't to know (unless you happen to recognise my gifs, in which case please tell me!) but especially with the rise of AI art, I think it's never bad advice to take a second and think about where what you're interacting with originated!

Finally, to anyone who is considering taking my gifs without credit: I will call you out on your loser behaviour. Doesn't matter how many times I have to do it. Stealing content, along with everything AI, are two matters I feel very strongly about online. I will never tire of calling this behaviour out.

STOP STEALING MY GIFS!!!!

[peachjagiya]

https://www.tumblr.com/peachjagiya/751789107975520256/im-kinda-sick-of-waiting-around-to-find-out-if?source=share

Anon i feel the exact same way as you. I dont have a solution but i find it works best for me when i think of taekook as a fictional couple that i enjoy and love and that no one will ever be able to take away from me (i read and write fanfiction for one) and then the members as they are i take them as they are and what is presented to me. This excludes their private lives pretty heavily. In real life, though i want nothing more than for them to be ”real”, what i love about them is their bond. I dont go crazy with all the ”theories” that to me all seem like shippers choosing what they believe based on what aligns with their ship. And thats fine! But i cant delude myself like that. So what works best for me is: we will never know with absolute certainty what goes on behind the scenes. And thats how it should be. These are not our lives, its people who are actually strangers to us private lives. When taennie and paris happened, i obsessed over it, followed it compulsively. And eventually i was like. What the fuck am i doing? None of this, NONE OF THIS, has ANY impact on my life. I have nothing to do with it, and no agency in it because its got nothing to do with me. I cant control anything about it. Yes, I want taekook to be real, but at the end of the day, what does that matter to me? If i just want the relationship i can just daydream about it, them being real or not isnt actually going to make me any more part of it anyway (lol). Now i know that not just quitting them and instead staying with them could still be perpetating my problem but i hope i can continue to respect their private lifes. And i realize sending this to a theorizing shipping blog is kind of ironic, i do think theorizing is sort of inherently invasive (and rps in general so like myself included) but utlimately harmless as long as you stay respectful, they are public figures after all (please okay i mean no disrespect to you peachjagiya) So yeah, when that video with jk and the girl came out i was basically over it. My stance is that has nothing to do with me (and if its real i should not be able to see it and thats stalking and a gross invasion of privacy (same with the leaked taennie pics (although they are edited as hell))) so i do not have an opinion. I still love taekook. Are they real? A part of me is always going to believe that. But no, not that we know, and we can never know. But in any case, theyre real to me❤️ Hope this helps, if not then at least know youre not alone feeling this way (unless you dont wanna align yourself with my crazy lol), and i think some sort of distancing is healthy, not in a ”i dont care about them anymore” (like they mean so much to me, how could i ever do that), just another way of thinking about them. Yes its frustrating not to know but only if that knowledge matters to you. And maybe in the ways that matter (am i speaking in tongues rn) you’ll find it actually doesnt? All the love to anon and this blog 🦋💜

Some words for fed up anon and some ways of thinking about it. 💜

Just adding this second clarifying ask from anon:

No offence taken. I actually think a lot of what we talk about here isn't necessarily romantic. It's often in defence of their closeness in general because a lot of people seem to believe it simply doesn't exist. And in the course of denying their closeness, or minimising their importance to one another, there's a lot of anti-Tae sentiment, a lot of painting JK as something he's not, a lot of bending of ideas to fit weird narratives. That irritates me as a Tae/JK bias so I sometimes feel like I'm just battling that.

That's not to say we don't suggest romance. We definitely do. 😌 But you're right. You gotta protect yourself from potential upset or the weariness of never finding out by accepting that you're never operating at 100% certainty.

I don't think there's prizes for loyalty at the end. If they are a couple, there's no bragging rights if you never had a moment of doubt. JK and Tae aren't personally going to come to your house to congratulate you for never wavering. They are real people, not points to be had.

Sometimes we theorise and make jokes but hopefully it's a respectful vibe? I also hope people would let me know if the vibe got disrespectful.

Just because I'm worried how some people get:

Do I think they're a couple? Yes.

Will I continue to view them through that lens? Yes.

Am I putting my life savings and personal happiness on it? Absolutely definitely no.

Thanks anon 💜

Edit to add:

Taekook will stay cute! 🥰😘 😍

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S03E14 - The Secret Life of Levi

That episode is so and so for me. Kinda verging on ridiculous for a number of reasons.

Black letters in quotes: Actual show quotes.

Green letters in quotes: What I come up with my twisted up brain.

Rex knows baseball, and apparently well enough to offer opinions on how the game will go. Charlie, a human, does not do so well in that department.

"Jesse. I thought you were a pepperoni extra cheese." "I get that a lot." what

Jesse: "Levi is an e-sports athlete." Charlie is judging you, Jesse. And so am I. Calling gaming a sport is pushing it, calling a gamer and athlete is crazy.

Charlie: "So you probably need me for my police expertise..." Jesse: "No, not you. Rex." Charlie: "Oh." Rex: "Yes, please, get me out of here. This stupid game will last forever."

"You alright? We'll find him." Cute.

Oh, I completely forgot. Canada weather strikes again lol

"Our whole team's on it". All 4-5 of us, depending on who you'll ask.

"Did you drink some of my coffee?" lol

Rainy: "Levi's my husband." Charlie: "I'm going to have to tell Jesse and Levi's fiancée what now?"

"My best friend is the number one suspect in my other best friend's possible murder." That really sucks. Someone hug Jesse. Charlie!

More Bitcoin! Which incidentally is at an all time high now, and yes, unfortunately, it's for the reason you think.

The title is actually referenced in the episode, which is very rare in this show.

In case anyone wants to do some light report reading.

"He's not a pet. He's my partner." He said, too happily. What got into him?

This is why I'll never put my DNA in one of them "find where you're from" websites. Aside from the fact that I'd never pay for this, at some point the police (even in my part of the world) might wisen up enough to try to do something like this. Don't want to have to derail all my future criminal endeavors lol

Jesse: "Millford. Mastodons!" Charlie: "Uh, you're gonna have to give us a little more than that, buddy." This episode is so unserious.

"Gamers. What a truly strange society." Wait until you find out about tv show reactors and VTubers, Joe.

Leave our nerd alone!

I hated that move after that but at least they didn't, as the gamers say, make Jesse OP.

"I owe you one, buddy." You all owe Rex more than one, at the very least. I'm counting.

Will you guys stop throwing around that flash drive that is worth about 300K? It's making me nervous.

The part where they try to recognize Levi's avatar is cringe.

Charlie: "You stay here, okay?" Jesse: "Yeah." Charlie: "Where are you gonna stay?" Jesse: "Uh, right here." lol and then of course he doesn't. He has learned from the best.

Well, that's a very not-really-surprised reaction. Rex is actually more worried.

"Nerd cop" should be Jesse's new nickname.

When the writers wrote this episode, did anyone think that the best this show can come up with in terms of game graphics is a poor imitation of Street Fighter? I mean, they do say it's retro but still.

"I spy with my little eye, a Rex that's going to save our asses."

A flying doggo and a flying Charlie? Now, that's a combo move I can get behind.

"What have I told you about waiting for backup?" "Uh, not to?" "Try again, Charlie."

Funny thing about Bitcoin. If someone knows your wallet address, then they know of every single transaction you ever made with it, unless you go to the trouble to use certain measures to cover it up. So, you know how the government can, via warrant, request your bank to send them your financials and transactions? If you use a Bitcoin wallet, they don't need that! And no one else does either, the ledger of all Bitcoin transactions is public for all to see. Bitcoin is anonymous so long as you don't show your wallet address to other people. And sure, you can have as many Bitcoin addresses and wallets you want, but the minute you use one to make a transaction, someone somewhere might actually start keeping tabs on it. Anyway, this is not an anti-crypro blog. It just rubs me the wrong way when in tv shows cryptocurrencies are being written as this "veil" where everyone can move money unnoticed. Sometimes it can be. Not often, though. Hudson and Rex has a surprisingly good grasp on how cryptocurrencies operate, which is why I've often said that someone over there is a fan.

Precinct proposal. Yes, of course we had to have one of those.

"That's nice." Shut up and take notes, Hudson.

[isa-ghost]

Hey so I had a question

I saw in your bio that you were Pagan, and I was hoping to get some tips from you. I've been wanting to start worshipping a god or goddess for a few years now and despite doing research I still don't really know where or how to start.

If you want, you could respond to this with the ask or by dm'ing me :)

So the funny thing is, I think I have a pretty unique experience with finding who I work with.

Generally speaking, you're correct in thinking whatever or whoever you work with isn't necessarily going to seek you out unless they have a reason to. I am one of the cases that is the latter.

My best advice for you is find a deity or entity you click with, someone that really grabs your attention. Deities from whatever Pantheon catches your attention, demons, angels. Hell, I've seen people who work with dragons. Just do your research like you have been, obviously.

Let's stick with god or goddess like you said. So figure out who you think you'd click with, someone who represents something you care about or values you hold. Be it a pantheon that interests you, one from your heritage (ie: you have Irish in you so you look at the Celts), whatever the case may be.

For example with me, as I think I explain in that post I linked (not rereading to fact check lol), my friends gave me a list of who the fuck could be sending me crows and hawks excessively. Turns out those are Apollo's messengers. When I looked into Apollo, a lot of the things he represents or values are things that align with my interests and values.

See if there's someone like that to you, someone that just feels like they make sense to connect with.

It's also helpful to scour around wherever (r/pagan and r/paganism are good places to start) and ask other people who work with that entity what their experience is (and other beginner stuff for that matter). What's the entity like? What do they like for their altar spaces? How do they prefer to communicate? Etc. All great questions. Talking to other Pagans is a fantastic go-to, honestly.

Here are some other resources my friend has linked our group that they've found helpful:

r/witch

r/witchcraft

If you have Tiktok and find the right part of Witchtok you can learn some decent stuff too, but it's Tiktok so be,, aware of that

There are also subreddits for specific practices like Celtic Paganism, Hellenism, and Norse Paganism. Honestly just wandering Reddit sounds like a good idea.

If you decide to go the Hellenistic route, here are some good cheat sheets for altars, symbols, offerings, prayers, etc for the Greeks!

Basically: Find someone you're interested in and/or someone that has some meaningful relation to you. Look into them. Consult some seasoned Pagans who work with them for guidance on how to reach out to them and get started. Go from there. Your practice is uniquely your own and entirely what you make of it, don't be afraid to explore.

I communicate with my circle via pendulum and tarot deck. The key with doing readings and such is always to a) trust your intuition (like if you get the feeling they have something they want to tell you) and b) ask the right questions, as many as you need. It's something you'll learn as you go, but it's, in my experience, the best way to communicate clearly. There are plenty of other ways to do so though, so if you end up finding one that works better for you, do that one! Just, as usual, see what you can find, or post somewhere people with experience can help.

[castlebyersafterdark]

im just chuckling imagining an adjacent corner of LPSG that's part of the forum but is actually starkly anti-sex and continuously shames the main forums for talking about finn's dick lmao

i mean tumblr isnt exclusively a sex forum but its an open format place where you can make a blog about whatever you want. and i love this cosy corner. found my freaks lol. but actually not freaks at all? i for one grew up discussing the filthiest things with my friends at sleepovers when we were at school, about the boys in class, the teachers (some of whom were 20 years older than us! gosh!). and celebrities? HELL YEAH. Literally who hasn't discussed the sexiest attributes of celebrities they fancy? Imagine CELEBRITIES being off the table for discussion? Oh, those distant figures who you're never going to meet and are never going to hear what you're talking about or thinking about? THOSE celebrities? You know, those grown ass humans who can handle the concept of other people possibly having thoughts about them?

I just want to re-centre in case anyone needs it (and especially you vinny, as you are the best host and always get in the best snacks for our sleepovers, and have the cosiest blankets and most ambient mood lighting). I just want to re-iterate how bonkers it is that some people are out here trying to claim that CHATTING ABOUT HOT ASS PEOPLE AND THEIR ASSETS WITH YOUR FRIENDS is a weird thing to do. There are genuinely some people trying to say that. I can only IMAGINE how dry their sleepovers are, punctuated with small cries of 'this is not our business! we must shush at once!' and 'heavens! i have spoken out of turn! i'll lock myself in the isolation box as punishment for daring to have a sexual thought! i never think about sex unless it is to create a child and even then i'm actually thinking about greige walls and neutral carpets!'

Yes, there are weirdos everywhere and in every fandom. But the benchmark for what exactly constitutes 'weird' behaviour would in this case be for the person of desire to decide and set a boundary for - if indeed they were aware or affected at all. Which in this case... they aren't. Unless Finn and Noah themselves are lurking on CastleByersAfterDark et al, in which case... hi guys, and sorry, you walked into the lion's den and i ain't got much advice for ya.

I can only conclude that the people being affected by our thirsting for these beautiful boys are the other fans themselves. For their own personal reasons, they are uncomfortable. That's not our business! If they are uncomfortable by something I am not even doing directly to them, that is not my business. How they feel is their business.

so byeeeeee felicia. cos i'm done feeling bad about thinking finn and noah are hot af and discussing it with my buddy vinny. peace!

This made me smile so much 😊😁 I'm really glad that you feel chill, want to keep hanging out. The vibes lately point to a continued struggle in broader spaces. Judgement. Censorship. Lack of personal curating. Not everyone can be for everybody, and that's ok. But... find your spots. Leave those alone who are just chilling in their own corner.

You're so right. It's an open forum. The risk of the internet is that you're going to find things that you don't like and you're going to find people enjoying those things. That's life. It's ok. There are going to be freaks and there's going to be people who don't want anything to do with the freaks. And you know what? Who cares. I'm proud to be off beat so the offbeat have a kind place to hang now.

I don't think there's anything wrong with harmless, contained gossip and raunchier subject matter. Gossiping with friends! You can talk about whatever you want with people! A blog on a blogging site is so much different than going onto someone's personal social media and asking questions and making statements. Never what's happening here and never should be? And I feel like people conflate the two. The entire internet is not at the same level. Agree completely with you!!

Ignore anyone who's a fun killer, we don't have time for that anymore. Just go where your like minded friends are 😉 It all goes back to my mission of reclamation of sexuality and fun and open, uncensored conversation in the current face of repression and purity and shame about indulging, well... anything. It's all connected. No thanks. It's fine.

Thank you for this. Sometimes I do worry a little... do I go too far? But, hey. This is reality. This is how the brain works. Stuff we talk about here honestly I think are all very normal, common trains of thought. We're just here talking about it together with friends - which is something that people do in reality. We're just friends at a digital location. The perpetual sleepover online.

Thanks for hanging around the Castle, friend. I'm always here, bopping around and laying out more sleeping bags and popcorn for anyone who wants to settle in and have some fun, escape from the greater world where totally human ideas are met with judgement. All friends are welcome, tapping on the sign!! 😁😁😁

[sk8termikey]

Chapter 7 of 21 Questions

better interface on wattpad

"Your boyfriend texted!" Alex called for her best friend who was in the kitchen, as the phone lit up from a message from Matt🍂.

"My hands are full of batter girl, just tell me what he says and maybe reply for me if it looks important", Lily replied as she was cooking. "And drop the boy in front of friend, unless you put a fucking space between the words.

As she used her fingerprint to unlock Lily's phone, Alex looked at the notification – she didn't want to actually open the message in case it could wait, fearing that she might leave the boy on read. She had been joking for the past month about Lily and her new friend's relationship since she discovered that he went out of his way to send a picture to Lily. This had been enough proof for Alex to start teasing her best friend about a possible romance – pretty pictures of the sky were in fact Lily's love language. Both girls did know it was just for fun, the same way they would qualify famous people as theirs when it was their ultimate celebrity crush.

Furrowing her brows at the phone in front of her, Alex didn't know whether to qualify the text as important or not.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Alex went to the kitchen where Lily was and read her the text, which led to the brunette letting out a laugh.

"Oh my god this kid I swear to god". Lily couldn’t stop laughing as she thought about an answer. "This sounds semi important lol but just tell him that of course I am always down to hide a body, I know a few tricks."

Alex laughed as well – more to her friend's reply than the actual subject – and wrote back a message, trying to imitate Lily's writing style. The two girls influenced each other a lot regarding their texting habits and the way they spoke, thus making it easy for Alex to fake it. Before sending it, she thought it could be funny to actually hold a conversation with the mystery guy as she had only heard about him and still needed to check if he was a good person for Lily.

Matt🍂

If I asked you to hide a body for me, would you?

Heya, your girl's bestie here

Obviously she would

Dw ab it

Oh

Hi

Thanks for the reassurance haha

You're the famous Alex?

I am, yes💃🏻

Glad to know I'm known even in whatever state you're in

I'm here to check if you're legit bro

Check all you want

I like to think I'm a good person

Well

You did ask help to bury a body

This doesn't help your case

Well

According to you, your "bestie" would help my case

Nice one

Ig talking for a couple of months led to you guys knowing each other

Yeah, it's fun getting to know Lily

She's really kind and we get along well :)

Friendship test then

You ready for it?

Go ahead

Simple questions to see if you deserve the honour of taking her time

Her favourite colour?

I know this one

It's purple

But she told me she actually doesn't have lots of purple things in her life, mostly blue

Wow bonus points

Yes!

I'm sure I can manage the rest

We'll see, pokemon boy

Her favourite food?

One of the first things we talked about 

I remember bc I don't like sushi

So it's this and pizza i think 

I-

I'm gonna ignore you not liking sushi and give you the point

Hmm next question 

Do you know where we work?

Like our job

Yeah, a café right?

With books

She loves talking about it

She just loves talking about you in general because you're related to her passions 

And also being the closest person to her

Damn this girl is absolutely getting the best birthday ever

She deserves the world

Ig you pass the test matty boy

Ok what

Unsent

The fuck is this nickname coming from

Unsent

We're just chilling, no need to panic

Unsent

Cool cool cool

Wait i kinda need a retake tho

What

Why

Idk her birthday??

I don't think we ever talked about it

Oh

That just means you'll never steal my best friend title

But yeah it's next week actually

Well in less than a week technically like in 4 days

Thanks, I'll wish it to her then

You better

I'm gonna delete the last texts so that she gets your text as a surprise

Counting on you bro

Of course, I won't let you or her down

As she deleted the last dozens of messages between her and Matt, Alex then put down the phone and looked up to see Lily smiling at her.

"You were having fun?" Lily asked her best friend. "I couldn't hear you for ten minutes and you looked like you were having fun."

"Oh". Alex was almost embarrassed to be caught enjoying a conversation with her friend's new friend. She shrugged it off and slided the phone back to its owner. "Just checking if the kid deserves your friendship."

"And? What's the verdict, judge Alex?" Lily playfully teased.

"Well, I guess he's not that bad. I trust you and you would have dropped him if he wasn't someone you liked talking to."

Lily's smile grew bigger at Alex's replies and took her arm to lead her to the couch as they would watch TV while waiting for Lily's desserts to cook.

~~~

A few days later and on the eve of Lily's birthday, Alex had everything planned: she was prepared to give her best friend a wonderful twentieth birthday, starting the day before with their out-of-work-coming-back-to-home ritual. As always for the last months, Wednesday meant a new video from the Sturniolo Triplets and Alex had prepared a comfortable scenery for Lily. The couch had been specially opened as a bed, with several blankets carefully folded on it. Snacks were ready and dinner was on its way as Alex had ordered some of Lily's favourites, which were pizza and sushi – damn Matt did get it right, Alex thought back to her conversation with him a few days prior. She hoped he could be part of Lily's happiness tomorrow, and maybe for a while after. Lily had always wished for simple birthdays. The sheer fact of knowing the people she loved took the time to think of her on this day was enough to her. Lily only needed her favourite people around her; just a day spent with her loved ones was the only gift she wished for and this is what Alex tried to stay faithful to, although a couple of surprises felt deserved for the special occasion.

As usual, Lily was coming home almost an hour after the video came out and Alex wasted no time to welcome her friend at the door. She took Lily's bag to put it down and closed the door behind them.

"Now now, just do whatever I say and don't ask questions", Alex ordered Lily who could only comply. 

The blonde led her best friend to the bathroom and to Lily's surprise, a bath had been drawn along with a few candles. Pink bubbles could be seen floating on top of the bath and Lily couldn't help but smile. It had been a long day at work – one of those rude customers who were unable to accept that their order was not ready within two seconds after having asked for it – so the girl had been exhausted and her mood started to lift up due to this pleasant surprise.

"I don't want to see you for at least the next half hour", Alex warned her friend. "Enjoy this and stay in it until your skin gets fucking wrinkles, okay?"

Lily nodded with a quiet laugh and got ready to enter the bath as Alex left the room, not without putting on a bit of music to help Lily relax.

Exactly thirty-one minutes later did Lily go back downstairs to see Alex setting up the freshly arrived food on the table in the living room. Lily definitely appreciated the bath and the calm music, but she had felt lonely and only wanted to come back to her friend so that they could do their weekly tradition in honour of a new vlog or challenge from their favourite triplets.

Lily saw the TV already set up to play this day's video which was entitled Chris forced us all to do COLD PLUNGES – it sounded even more chaotic than the previous videos and Lily knew it was possible for them to achieve that.

The two girls sat on the couch and put the food between them as the video started. What was a given from the title is that the triplets were going to bathe in ice cold water and so they had to go to the supermarket to buy ice. As they didn’t find enough – well in Chris’s opinion, the youngest triplet decided to ask if they had more in the back when they were paying. Luckily for them, the cashier managed to bring them more ice, which Chris thanked him for as he put them all in his arms.

“Damn, I feel cold just watching him with all this ice,” Lily said as she shivered. She had always been prone to being cold and getting sick easily so she knew the whole video was going to make her feel uncomfortable even though she wasn’t the one doing the activity with them.

Alex laughed at her friend’s comment and they started laughing even more when Chris wished for more ice, thus getting his brothers to go to another store and ending with a cart full of ice per Chris’s request.

“Okay, this is definitely too much ice like I gotta agree with Nick on this one”, Alex said as she was matching Nick’s apprehensive expression.

“Yeah for real”, Lily approved. “Chris is gonna regret saying that it’s never too much.”

After the bathtub was filled with ice and ice cold water, the triplets were finally ready to do their “cold plunges” as Chris tried to motivate himself by having to pretend to be a can of pepsi. Funnily enough, there had actually been a can of pepsi right before this. Therefore, Chris was the first to go in and he did regret it as he was barely able to put his feet in the bathtub. Followed Nick who imitated Chris with a spider-like position above the bathtub but did not end up fully in – unlike Matt who absolutely did not care and managed to get most of his body in the water.

“I. Am. amazed right now”, Lily commented as she was curled like a ball with a blanket around her. “I don’t know how he accepted the idea and succeeded in doing that. I would surely want to kill my brothers for this crazy situation.”

Alex hummed in agreement with her best friend and they both gasped when a couple of minutes later, Nick also fully went into the bathtub. The two girls then started laughing along with Matt and Chris as Nick ran into the shower while being shocked from what he had just done. After the middle and youngest decided to give it one last try, Lily couldn’t help but comment:

“Wait, I just noticed, is Chris the only one without tattoos?”

“Yeah, Nick and Matt both have an almost full sleeve but Chris doesn’t have any for now”, Alex explained. “I don’t know if he’ll ever get one but he would look great with a couple honestly.”

“I totally agree. And I absolutely love Nick’s and Matt’s tattoos, I might have to look at them more clearly to get a few inspirations for if I ever decide to get tattooed.” Lily was in awe of the triplets at the moment: since she started to follow them, Lily had to admit that they were all good-looking and tattoos really added something to their charm. “Also if I can say, Matt is slaying with the beard.”

“Right?” Alex exclaimed. “That was such a good move from him and I hope he’s gonna keep it for a while.”

As the girls kept talking after watching the video, Lily was feeling so much better. The simple things like spending time with her favourite person and eating her favourite foods were all Lily could ask for to enjoy life.

The night being still young, the two girls decided to watch some of their favourite Disney movies, such as Cars or Inside Out. They had a passion for animated movies that quickly brought them together when their friendship had started and everytime a new movie would come out, they would go see it together at the cinema. Lily and Alex had had this routine for a few years and none of them would ever trade the way they lived.

It was finally the actual date of Lily's birthday. As she had already spent a really nice evening the day before with Alex, she wasn't expecting much when she woke up. Obviously, everyone at the café had been giving a day off as the four coworkers were planning to maybe hang out to celebrate Lily's twentieth birthday. 

As it had happened last year as well – since the two girls started living together, both Lily's and Alex's parents called her to wish her a good day and catch up on what was new. The two families had been close since the two became best friends and would often have get-together, even as Lily and Alex moved out from their family houses.

After an hour spent talking to her parents and "second" parents, Lily received a message from the group chat with her friends.

gc: Caffeine addicts💃🏻💃🏻

Alexxx🫶🏻

Okayy guys

Everyone meet at noon at our house

We're going out :))

Luke🌈

Will I drive the whole way or be able to leave my car at yours?

Bc if i do, i need gas💀

Alexxx🫶🏻

Well-

That'd be great bc I'm not making my bestie drive on her bday

I'll pay for it even

Or you drive our car idk

Luke🌈

Kk, I'll go now

And no need dw<3

I'll regret not having gas and forgetting in a few days i know myself

Jade🌱

I'll be there, see you soon!!

Why am I only learning ab it now??

Where are we even going like

What's the dress code??

Jade🌱

Wear smth normal

It's gonna be chill, don't overthink

Okay😭

@Alexxx🫶🏻 where are you btw?

Alexxx🫶🏻

Just went to give back a plate to the neighbour 

Yk she cooked us the muffins last week

Oooh ye i remember

Ig I'll get ready then

What Lily didn't know is that Alex was absolutely not at their neighbour's. The plate had been given back a few days ago already but Alex took the opportunity of Lily forgetting to use that excuse. In reality, the blonde was at the bakery to get the birthday cake she had ordered: Lily's favourite, which was a triple chocolate cake with some fresh fruits on the top.

~~~

When she came home, Alex was right on time as Lily was descending the stairs. Alex went up to her best friend to wish her happy birthday for the tenth time – she had already said it the day before as a pre-birthday celebration, then at midnight, then she had sent a couple of texts to Lily during the night. The two girls hugged for a few minutes then let go as it was almost time for their friends to arrive. The four of them were all used to being punctual so it wasn't a surprise when at five to twelve, the doorbell rang. Lucas had picked Jade up as they were living near each other. Lily being ready and Alex having prepared what she needed earlier in the morning, they all decided to go. As agreed, Lucas drove his three friends to the secret place – secret only to Lily obviously – and for the whole ride, he had let the birthday girl choose the music, which was a once in a blue moon occasion for Lucas was very picky with what type of music was played in his car. Well, today was a special day and Lily took advantage of it.

After a ride full of pop music, the four friends arrived at the Weeki Wachee Spring State Park. It was not just a simple park, but it was filled with attractions and animals, appealing to both children and adults. Alex had purchased tickets knowing how much Lily loved nature and just walking around while admiring the beauty of the world they had the chance to live in. Speaking of the devil, Lilt was ecstatic when she realised where they were. She had been wanting to go there for a while but never had the chance so she was really excited to finally visit it. The weather was perfect for a day out and Alex knew it was because her friend brought happiness and warmth everywhere she went, just like the sun would.

After checking in, the group let Jade guide them as she had been to the place a couple of times and knew exactly where to bring Lily to make her have the best day ever. Lucas had brought some food and so once in a while they would just sit on a bench to eat as they appreciated what Mother Nature gave them. For the whole afternoon, they simply walked around and as Lily was smiling at every turn, her three friends could only be happy as well that she was having an amazing day.

As they were leaving the park due to it closing and coming back to Lucas's car, Jade suddenly gasped.

"Oh my god fuck–"

"What's wrong?" Lily immediately asked, afraid that her friend was in trouble.

"Oh sorry, I was just looking for my cardigan in my bag. I was so sure I packed it," Jade explained.

"Wait, do you mean the one you had on yesterday?" Lucas tried to confirm. "The brown one?"

"How did you know?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw it on the couch in the break room", Lucas replied.

Jade faced her friend as if he had revealed the world's biggest secret to her. The sad expression on her face was enough for Lily to react.

"Well, tomorrow is your day off so that would mean you won't get it back till Saturday. We can get it before coming home if you want, it's on the way." Lily suggested as she didn't want one of her friends to experience an issue.

Jade quickly thanked Lily for offering and so they all decided to make a quick stop by their workplace. Little did Lily know, she was so predictable that this whole conversation had been rehearsed and planned by her friends. Indeed, they knew the brunette would never let Jade go home without her beloved cardigan – which was actually at the café, but Jade didn't give a fuck about it as she could literally come get it the next day even if she didn't have a shift. It was usual for one of them to just come to the café and act as a customer who was absolutely not working there.

When they arrived at the café, Lily was the first to leave the car and take her keys to open the door. She was fully expecting it to take five minutes maximum as she just needed to go into the break room, take the cardigan and come back outside so that her friends didn't have anything to do – which was still according to their plan. As a matter of fact, when Lily entered the main room where most of the chairs and tables were, she actually stopped in her tracks and wondered why some of the chairs were down. Had she forgotten to put them all on the tables when she closed yesterday? To be sure of what she thought she was seeing, Lily turned the light on and was faced with a surprise. Nothing could have prepared her for the huge sign that was reading HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY and the heart balloons over the counter.

Turning back to the door through which she entered, Lily was met with her friends all smiling and singing to her. How had she not seen it coming? Lily had just expected the afternoon at the park to be the only thing they had planned, along with a small diner back at her house. She was still harbouring a shocked expression when Alex quickly slipped behind her to go open the fridge and took out the cake she had bought this morning. As she lit up twenty candles on the cake, Alex, Jade and Lucas started again to sing to Lily. When the cake was put down on the only table without any chair on it, they all sat down and told Lily to make a wish, which she did while blowing out her candles. Following some laughter during the explanations of how Alex had lied this morning as well as how Lucas and Jade had come in early to decorate the café, the four friends enjoyed the cake and discussed some memories of previous birthdays they had experienced together. Although Jade and Lucas had only been working with Lily and Alex for less than two years, it was enough for the four of them to develop a close bond.

After they finished eating, Jade, Lucas and Alex went to the break room to retrieve the gifts they had for Lily – plus the brown cardigan that Jade remembered. They all gave their presents to Lily, who started crying when opening them – emotions are really overwhelming sometimes. Lucas had bought her new headphones as her old ones stopped working a few weeks ago. They were decorated with heart and flower stickers which Lily found adorable. Jade, as a fan of crafts, had made her a set composed of a mug, a plate and a bowl that were all painted with Lily's favourite colour. Finally, Alex had bought her a Care Bear – the "Tenderheart" one, which was perfect to symbolise the girls' relationship. Lily thanked them all for their friendship and told them how glad she was to have them in her life as she hugged them first individually then decided she wanted a group hug.

Lily would never trade her friends for anything else and as she came home with Alex after bidding goodbye to Jade and Lucas who had dropped them off, she realised that another friend of hers was starting to be also important to her. Indeed, as she hadn't checked her phone since they left the park, Lily saw that she had actually received a birthday message a few hours ago from her new friend Matt, which brought a smile onto her face.

Matt🍂

Hi, I hope you had/have a good day

Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, enjoy your twenties :)

Thank you so much omgg<3

How do you even know?

I don't remember ever mentioning it

Or i just have a bad memory-

It was actually your friend alex who told me

When she replied to me a few days ago?

Ooooh

Makes sense

So, did you enjoy your day?

Yess it was so fun!!

My friends organised me a great day, i love them sm

Good to know

While we're at it, I need to know your birthday now

It's only fair🤷🏻‍♀️

Here we go

Unsent

Hmm ok ok a random date far enough from now

Unsent

Oh yes of course 

It's november 6

Not very soon

I'll remember it :))

It's a bit late for me rn so I won't stay up long but thanks again

It was nice to know you thought of me

No problem

You're kinda in my thoughts lately tbh

Oh

I've been binge watching gravity falls so yeah haha

Oh haha

A man of taste

You know me!

Well i won't keep you awake so have a good night

Thaanks, you too

Talk to you soon

Thank you for reading. Votes and comments are always appreciated if you like this story :) The story is co-written w @/little_grapejuice on wattpad

[knotalot]

Hi ! I saw your Aether doll, and I was just wondering what's your process for the hair and the clothes? A friend's birthday is coming up (very) soon, and they really like Aether, so I'd love to know how to make this kind of stuff. I think you're really talented! :)

Hi! Thank you for your kind words :)

My process is largely on a ‘trial and error’ basis, but I’ve done my best to make a guide for you (using Aether as an example, since you mentioned him specifically). Unfortunately right now all of my stuff is in storage due to unstable living conditions, so I hope you’ll forgive me for only being able to offer pre-existing photos and hand-drawn diagrams. When I get access to my stuff again, I might do a step-by-step process for hair (for Lumine, since she’s my current WIP) but that could be quite a while yet.

Stuck under a read more because this is gonna get long lol

I’ll start with clothes because I always leave hair til last.

The first thing I do is hoard as many references as I possibly can, from as many different angles as possible. These are the one I used for Aether (made myself because I couldn’t find any online that met my needs), though I did also sometimes log into my game and rotate him in the character menu haha

From here, the next step is to start dissecting the layers. Work from the base up, and break it down specifically into what you would make as a single piece, rather than say the shirt base AND the sleeves AND the decal. If that makes sense.

I don’t normally draw diagrams or anything like I will be for this, but if that helps you visualise it by all means do!

(I also tend to go really ham on the details because I’m a perfectionist, but please don’t torture yourself unless you really want to. Making things a little more simplistic is perfectly fine and valid.)

I won’t do the whole thing or I’ll reach image limit but here’s an example of how you might break it down:

The more you simplify it, the easier time you’re going to have.

The next step for me, after I raid my cupboard and the local craft store for the right colours, is to work out which pieces of the clothing I’m going to incorporate into the doll’s base body and which will be separate.

For Aether, for example, the ‘hand’ part of his gloves are the actual doll’s hands, but the bit that flares up his arm isn’t. The boots are part of his actual legs up until the part where it flares up over the top of his pants, which I made as a separate piece. The seat of his pants are the bottom half of his base body, but the pant legs themselves are add-ons. Does that make sense?

Next, make your base body! If you’d like to use my pattern, you can find it in my pinned post :)

Once you’ve got the base doll, I start adding layers of clothing. I always use a smaller hook size for the clothes than I do for the base body. In my case I like 2.5mm (and a teeny tiny 1.25mm for fine details and thin layers – but we’ll get to that later). I normally start with the pants.

My normal method of doing pants is this:

Essentially, I crochet directly into the base body in a circle around the base of the leg (so I am not chaining, but actually single crocheting through random stitches on the base in a loose circle shape), and then work in rounds until I reach the length I want.

Because Aether’s pants are puffy at the bottom and have two colours (*shakes fist at hoyo designers*), though, the process ends up being a little different.

I made his pants in two pieces: the outer side and the inner side. So instead of rounds, it ends up being rows. To get that nice puff, just do some standard increases in the right spot and make sure to decrease on the lower rows to taper it back in.

Once you have both pieces, you can just sew the two halves together.

The flare of the boot over the top of the pants is exactly the same process. Attach and single crochet directly onto the leg from the top of the boot, working up towards the waist.

For trickier shapes like the gloves, it’s sort of just familiarising yourself with what kinds of effects different stitches do and allowing yourself to get it wrong about a dozen times before it actually works lol

If you break down the gloves properly, you end up with a shape similar to this:

(this is not great i am so sorry – I am realising once again my reference was awful for the gloves)

But you can kind of see how it’s largely bulb shapes for the brown part, which is easy to do with increases and decreases. The white part I made separately and attached afterwards. Yes it was a huge, tedious pain in the ass.

For finer details, like his jewellery and, like, the shoulder armour, etc etc, I use the smallest hook I can tolerate. Please do not attempt this unless you lowkey hate yourself because it is torture.

So when you look at yarn, you can see that it has a bunch of smaller strands wound together, right?

You gotta split em.

Like this.

(image borrowed from http://illuminatecrochet.blogspot.com/2015/03/what-is-ply.html)

And then. You are going to use that tiny ass hook. And crochet those individual strands. It sucks. It breaks constantly. It makes you want to commit a crime. But damn if it doesn’t look good.

On a similar note, don’t be afraid to use the 2.5mm/whatever hook you use for clothes with less than the full ply of the skein you’re using. For Aether’s cape, I did the outer facing white part with only 2 of the strands in my 8ply yarn, and the inside orangey part with the 1.25mm and one strand. It’s still a little fatter than I’d like but it’s better than doing the whole thing in single strand torture mode lol

I’ll wrap up clothing here but if you want some help with anything specific just let me know!

On to hair!

For hair, I use felt square sheets that are like $1 each. Except for Aether because he has to have a Very Special Hair Colour that my craft store doesn’t stock so his cost me $7 :/

It’s a similar kind of deal for hair as it is for clothes. Break down the shapes and start from the bottom up.

(This is not a good look for him rip)

Layers are your friend! As are sewing pins! For real, do not glue anything down until you’ve got the whole thing pinned down because once you glue you’re in for a bad time if you need to fix something.

I’ve made two Aethers (one as a custom gift commission, one for myself) and they’re both a little different from each other, but this should help give you an idea of how I translated it to felt. I like to simplify if I can, purely because larger pieces tend to look a bit neater and less chaotic than a bunch of smaller ones.

For his braid, I found the easiest way to do it was to just cut three really long straight pieces, braid em, and then trim the end to the length I needed.

My absolute biggest #1 tip for hair:

If it looks bad but you haven’t finished, do not stop and restart.

It will always looks stupid as hell in the early stages. Don’t make a judgement call on whether or not it looks right until you’ve at least got the whole front part/fringe area fully pinned in place. Trust me.

I think that’s probably about all I have the energy for right at this second, but again if you have any questions or want help on anything specific, my inbox/DMs are always open – and that goes for anyone reading this! I’m always happy to help :)

[mooestriovermind]

I followed you before because your art was awesome. I follow still because it's still awesome.

Honestly love your use of shadows and sheen.

I'm glad you like my art! :>

I will now take this opportunity to describe why I think my art is good!

I learned most of the techniques from watching tutorial videos.

There's no tutorial that can, like, tell you how to accurately portray form with shading (which is partially why my art is so stylized), you just kind of have to feel out the shape of an object if you're not using references (which is part of why references are SO important)

but there are tutorials that can tell you the basics of shading (digitally, in this case)! this is the process I usually follow, with some variations depending on context- it uses a lot of terminology that I am assuming you know the meaning of, but if you don't, google is your friend

this is NOT a step by step tutorial to shading, I am just explaining the process that I follow in a manner similar to a tutorial

(long post warning)

Things to keep in mind before reading:

I do NOT use airbrush for shading unless explicitly stated. Airbrush makes ONLY soft shadows, where you usually want a mixture of soft AND hard shadows to create an interesting composition. I personally usually cel shade, which is ONLY hard shading.

This assumes you have basic things down like the position of your light source and how to shade, like, where exactly to put your shadows and what shapes to make them. If you're unsure, try to figure out the shape(s) you're trying to create (everything is made of shapes, break an object down into the most basic forms possible and go from there) or just, like, use a reference lol.

This isn't me telling you to always use this method- I vary the method a lot myself while using it, based on context, so please experiment with different layers and techniques to find what works best for you and your style!

If you're not confident in your line art, shading the piece is not going to make it look too much "better" than what you're seeing. Shading uses value to create volume and describe form, but if the form being described isn't quite right, it probably won't come out the way you want it to (I have learned this the hard way).

Seriously, use references. Multiple.

Use the magic wand tool to select the area around your lineart, then invert selected area and grow your selected area by 1 or 2 px. On a separate layer from your lineart, use the fill / paint bucket tool to fill the selected area with exactly 50% value grey.

This creates a base which you place underneath your line art, which is very useful, because you can then clip layers between it and your lineart directly to the base layer, making it impossible to color outside the lines

(but why don't you just use the fill tool to make a color layer?)

This can be a useful shortcut if you're in a rush, but the fill tool can often miss pixels or have unintended side effects if you forget to turn off anti-aliasing or something else. I also don't 100% understand how to properly use the fill tool sometimes, so avoid using it unless the context calls for it

use a multiply layer + greyscale value to convey shades that are darker than your base color

Even if you put a white that is, like, 90% value, a multiply layer will darken any layer underneath it very sharply. You can use this to put various greys and create volume with darker values. While it can be tempting to make an overlay layer or a soft light layer and put all of your shadows and highlights on it (I used to do that) you can get a greater range of value if you use separate layers for your lighter values and your darker values.

create an overlay layer to enhance darker shadows and begin forming lighter values

Overlay, being the cross between multiply and screen, is a perfect way to start exploring lighter colors in your piece without pushing the lever all the way to bright bright highlights while also making some parts of your shadows even darker

put a screen layer on top of the overlay layer to convey shades that are lighter than your base color and create white highlights

Screen can and will lighten your color to a very aggressive degree. I recommend using darker shades of grey in the 10-40% value range to convey "normal" lighting, and going over 50 up to 100 depending on how close you want the visible color to be to white.

create a soft light layer, set your color palette to 10% and 90% value "grey" and break out the airbrush, set the brush size so the cursor circle covers roughly 1/8th - 1/6th of the drawing

Using the airbrush on top of your other layers and also in a soft light layer is like a cheat code for rounding out your shading where your shading may be a little weaker in some places. As long as you don't overdo it, you can create a very convincing composition by combining the airbrush and soft light layer with your harder shading that has more value range.

use a normal layer to add marks of solid color on top of your drawing, like white lines reflecting on glasses or straight up 0% value black in some of the darkest parts of your drawing. this can also be useful for adding additional details and contour / cross contour lines that may be missing from your line art

This step is not always necessary. It is nice to add a little bit of final rendering, but it can be superfluous, especially if you were particularly thorough in your previous steps.

I also use it sometimes to add things like glasses that just appear as the frame without any rendering regarding the lenses.

---

Feel free to repeat any of these layers to get even darker or even lighter values, or add more definition or multiple light sources. Like I have said, the decision to do so is purely contextual, and may vary from piece to piece.

If you have any specific art questions, or any holes I may have left in my process, my ask inbox is always open :>

If you are a digital artist and you see any flaws / room for improvement please feel free to leave criticism on this post or anywhere else like my asks or DMs! I'm always looking to get better.

Thank you for reading my long ass post, or at least scrolling through it all the way.

Either way, have a gold star!

⭐

[purplesurveys]

1851

Who will you be spending Christmas with this year? I've always spent it at home with my immediate family, and I'm like 101% sure that'll remain to be the case this year. Especially now that my dad's contracts allow him to be home for Christmas – something that we didn't get to have for over 20 years.

What time do you usually go to sleep at night? Anywhere between 1-3 AM because revenge bedtime procrastination is still very real for me.

Did you go to high school with your current best friend? I did. I went through the entirety of grade school, high school, and college with her. Same schools for 15 straight years.

Have you ever wanted to be vegetarian or vegan? I had considered becoming vegan, but it's just really not a sustainable and accessible practice where I'm from unless you're rich and live in a more expensive place that can cater to such a lifestyle.

Do you park your car in a garage, carport or just in a driveway? We have a carport.

Have you ever been a passenger in a semi-trailer truck? Uhhh as far as I can remember, nope.

Have you felt sick today? Kinda. The elevators at my client's headquarters move SO fast they fucking suck lmao.

Whose was the last funeral you attended? I have never attended a funeral proper, but the last wake I paid a visit to was for a preschool friend's dad. He and my grandpa were very close and used to be chatting buddies while waiting for my friend and I to be dismissed.

Have you read The Hunger Games trilogy? No. The only Hunger Games anything I've consumed was the first movie.

How many times a week do you wash your hair? Everyday.

Do you need to wash your hair right now? Nope, I'll be doing that tomorrow morning.

Do you avoid using public restrooms? As much as I can, but if I really need to go then I just go to one.

What is your boss’ (or school prinicpal’s) name? Valerie.

Have you seen any extended relatives in the last month? My cousin came over at the start of the month just to hang and play video games with my sister.

Do you like eggnog? I've never had it but it sounds so delicious!!! I'd love to try it at least once.

Is there anything important you need to do today? Not anymore, it's 10:40 PM and I've called it a day.

Who is the person you dislike the most? I don't hold that feeling for one particular person.

Girls, how old were you when you first got your period? I was only a couple of weeks into being 10.

Do you take part in paying the bills for your household? My parents insist that I don't, so I don't; but I still give them a portion of my pay every two weeks.

Have you ever properly listened to classical music? Did you like it? Idk what you mean by 'properly' lol but yeah I do sometimes! It's great when I'm in the mood for it.

Do your parents know how to text? Yes, I mean they were part of the generation of when cellphones boomed so they definitely know how to.

Do you text your parents often? Sure, we have a family group chat so communication is alllllways happening over there.

What letter does your middle name begin with? My maiden surname starts with an A.

Do your initials spell an actual word? Nope.

What will you do when this survey is over? I'd like to take another one.

Do you know anyone with celiac disease? I don't think so.

How many siblings do you have? Are they all full siblings? Two, and yes.

What’s the weather like today? Hot enough that an airport parking lot caught fire and toasted like 19 cars lol. Suffice it to say Filipinos have NOT been doing well.

Have you ever eaten a cinnamon donut? I'm pretty sure I have, but they're not all that common here now that I think about it.

What is the longest relationship you’ve ever been in? It was an on-off that lasted around 6 years total, iirc.

How many times a day do you brush your teeth? Twice.

How do you usually celebrate New Years? With extended family, at home. We have NYE mass in the evening, then have media noche while waiting til midnight. We never go out for vacations because 1) the dogs, 2) fireworks are crazy so we wanna make sure we're at home just so nothing gets set on fire.

Is the place that you’re in right now quiet or loud? What can you hear? It's quiet, and I can only hear the whirring of my aircon.

Do you currently have any alarms set? Nope. I usually do that just before falling asleep.

How many cars can fit in your driveway? I want to say around four.

Do you like whiskey? Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate it.

When was the last time you ate, and what did you have? Around 6 PM. I had the sisig that my mom prepared for me.

[ngmn2002]

.

.

.

part 2

hahaha, right on spot!

God job, Akane! You did so well! Don't be used or taken as a fool by them! You did so well! You're awesome!

Yet, you weren't careful enough, and red koku spied on you well and got to know No.1's boundary location. This doesn't make you less awesome! Now that you get to know you can be followed, keep that in mind for next times. ^^

Indeed, but for you, who couldn't use him. So that makes it... so fortunate for him. lol

Adding to the count of "stupid moves of the 2", first one was to keep on using red koku for nothing after getting what they want, next, it is such a stupid bad move the 2 took, to make Teru notice them, am I right? They don't want to drive eyes into them, especially Teru's.

Yet, he did the same thing he was scolding Mitsuba for doing, he is a true fool and a total idiot. (lol, if Kou told Teru about him, that would be so fuuny. Early game over)

Aren't you the one who went near Teru when you asked for Kou's & Akane's help? In the later case, you know Akane is Teru's assistant and No.1? Unlike Kou, Akane is about to tell Teru about you,

you're a 'student', it's so easy for Teru to find you with his position & a little help from Akane (if only Kou would tell him about that guy coming to him one day, he knows the full name, even... will make thing a little easier). Then? Hiding won't serve you. It's game over. Your well-played "game" is falling apart with this move you took, you, who doesn't want a thing to do with Teru and want to be as far as you could from him with your 'lady'. lol, look what you put yourself into. I wonder if Teru will be after them, now. Especially after the "game" they pulled later on this chapter. That's going to be so much fun. You'll get discovered soon at this rate... and... Maybe we're getting near this thing?

....... boring. Moving on.

Ah... speaking again... and thinking about the whole situation of finding No.1's boundary... was it really needed to use red koku or even Akane to locate it? I mean... we have No.2's place? It leads you to wherever you want to go? surely sakura knows how to use it? No.2 is not on charge of it anymore and most of the time she is around No.5. So, why not use it instead? Isn't it much safer? Talking about safety, best thing to come to mind is the "nowhere-everywhere" place, it's under their command, right? Just like the servant used the doors in there to get to Kou's place and got No.6, went to put him in his boundary, and she used them to send Sumire to No.6 boundary, went back to the club room, went to meet Nene in there again, met up with her servant in there and used the doors to get back to the club once more. Using that place doesn't need any information of where that place is... all she/he needs is to use the right door? And, why it's really needed for them to know the place? They don't have anything to do in there. They don't really need to go there in the first place. It's Nene and Hanako who will do the job. Let them search for it, find it, destroy the yorishro, game over. Why do you need to get involved? All you had to do was to make some chaos that will do with No.1 and leave all the rest to Nene and Hnako? ........

That unnecessary step you took, will lead to you two getting discovered, what a joke.

..... Unless, 'she' has a thing she wants to get from No.1's place. Still not worth to search for the place since she knows the -glorious knowhere space-, but what they talked about was only to destroy the yorishiro?

If this thing is your only goal, then what you did with koku and Akane doesn't mean a thing. It's just a waste of energy and time. lol

Dog, huh? (I don't think this wording was used in the official version, but I will talk about the wording in here) seems you want a brother so bad. Thing is... Amane is a cat and... neither he nor Nene are your toys, they are not there to do what "you want", got it?

Now, if this thing isn't funny.

You're going after the 2 with her, you stupid things.

Hmm... No.4 again... are we going to meet her soon? (are we gonna know the price Tsukasa took from her???)

Another thing, take action... yeah... ruin eveything for people for your own fun. Sure thing.

Hmm... it seems red koku is not there anymore? Did it go back to Tsukasa or is it just an error and it was forgotten to be drawn in later shots?

In the bigger view of the 2 it's in there... in the smaller it's not?

Best little thing ever, it's called out when needed, thrown away when not. Even red koku has no dignity. How fuuny. If it went back to report things to Tsukasa... then that would be ok... to an extent.

If it was an error, I don't know... I was going to assume it changed form and hid in the dog's pocket... but he has his hands there while walking... so, no. Does she have it? Anyway, I will jsut wait to see where red koku ends up to be and on which side it really is.

Haha, will add this little thing for fun, the similarities are just to much to be ignored.

Smiles softly at her victim at first, acts friendly, uses said victim as she wants then leaves it to die or whatever, while looking as smug as ever. What a nice 'lady'.

Is this thing connected to what she did? Is that girl already doomed? I thought before it would be Aoi who will get something bad happening to her... but maybe it's this girl...?

In Nene's case (tea party + No.6/No.7 little 'talk') she is using some 'Extremely high level manipulation techniques'. Such talent she has in there. Poor Nene, being used by her like this. Don't be a toy in her hands, Nene. React like Akane did.

Another funny thing to add...

Remember who is coming after you real soon, smirk while you still can... because as you say...

It's going to be so much fun, indeed.

Run away while you still can. lol

*****

It's really funny, with everythig new we get of her, her dog, red koku... I dislike them a little more. Still want to give red Koku a chance... the other 2... let's see where they will end up, then I'll decicde how I will see them.

T-s-u-k-a-s-a... again, what are you up to? Are you involved at all with what these 2 are doing? Or are they doing their own thing while you don't care to care for what they are doing?

Do you have other important things to be taking care of? Do you at least know the basics of what they are doing? like the information they got about No.1's boundary? Are you updated with how fine the plan is going or... are you left completely in the dark (as they may think), while doing your own thing about the whole situation... you're pulling the strings from afar I believe, aren't you?

Hmmmmm.........

******

Ok, sooo.... since the chapter was fun right until we went past Teru & Akane scenes, I can now go and assume this first page is the whole chapter and I'm satisfied with that. <3

Looking forward to ch 104.

[kerra-and-company]

OC Music prompt! All 6 for your newest kiddo (unless you've already done one for them in which case all 6 for Brook!) (@uselessidiotsquad)

Hmm. What if Both? :3 (And thus this post became Long asl;dkjfasdf) But thanks a bunch for the ask! Ever and Brook songs be upon ye!

Ever

1. backstory

The Newly Awakened (from the official LWS2 soundtrack)

This song isn't used in entirely its original context since Ever's not a Secondborn by a long shot--they awaken during LWS3--but the vibes of this track are very much early!Ever regardless, so they get this one.

2. personality

I'm just young enough to still believe, still believe But young enough not to know what to believe in Young enough not to know what to believe

If I can live through this If I can live through this If I can live through this I can do anything

(Champion by Fall Out Boy)

Ever is not that old but also not that young. It gets Fall Out Boy, which is appropriate because of both the lyrics and the vibes of this song--and, on a more personal level, it's close to the same (mental, at least, I was older than 6 lol) age I was when I found that group, so...yeah. There you go!

3. angst

I seem fine But I can't take the highs and the lows All I am is a weapon I shoot 'em down 'til I end up alone

I always say I hate the way you look at me now And I swear, I didn't mean to be a let down What I broke can't be fixed with all my sorry excuses, no

(weapon by Against The Current)

...presented without comment.

4. comfort

We are friends for life Hold that deep inside Let this be a drive To survive

And just stand, high and tall Make sure you give your all And if you ever fall Know that I'm right here

We'll always be together, don't you worry I'll always be by your side, don't you worry

(Always Be Together by Little Mix)

Ever desperately wants to believe this.

5. love life

Not applicable (yet!! that'll likely change :3)

6. fight scene

Countdown's on you best get moving I'm about to change the game Go ahead, try to outrun me It's all the same Ready or not

(Ready or Not by WAR*HALL)

Aaaand bonus Brook songs under the cut! :D

Brook

1. backstory

If you let me I could I'd show you how to build your fences Set restrictions, separate from the world The constant battle that you hate to fight Just blame the limelight Don't look up, just let them think There's no place else you'd rather be

(Fences by Paramore)

Growing up in the Ash fahrar with magic that even you don't understand is a Time, to say the least.

2. personality

So tired from the miles I'm traveling Getting lost somewhere that I haven't been When all the bad shit starts happening I ain't never throwing that towel in

There's a lion in the wardrobe And a wolf out the door I might never get to heaven But I've been there before

(Lion by Hearts & Colors)

I mentioned this on another post at some point, but Brook is very resilient in the specific kinda sense of "you cannot kill me in a way that matters". They will build some semblance of a life back from ashes and will slowly work towards being at least vaguely happy again, even if they can't ever fully get there.

3. angst

Nowhere to run Nowhere to hide You left me spinning around in my mind I got no signal You never replied And I can't get no sleep

I keep telling my, telling myself your ghost story You got me lying awake in my bed, you still haunt me And I can't break free

(Ghost Story by Cheat Codes and All Time Low)

This song isn't meant to be about exactly what I envision it to be about in Brook's case, but it's funny how a song about ghosting someone can also sound a little bit like a song about someone you think is dead. This is one I could dissect in depth for them, weirdly enough aklsjdf

4. comfort

You've seen some trouble Some dark and stormy nights Dry your eyes my son, you're not alone I know the brave, hard You carry your little light up the path in every way you go

Paint the skies Chase the highs Draw the colors of the night Follow the rhythm of your hungry heart Feel the sun catch the vibe for a limited time Be the hunger in your hungry heart Our hungry hearts

(Hungry Hearts by River)

A little bit of Brook's worship of Kormir coming in here, but also them finding a home with the Olmakhan for the years they're there.

5. love life

Nobody gets me like you do I'm not the same, not after you So many things that we've been through I'm not the same, not after All that's been said and done I don't even feel like I'm back at one Nobody gets me like you do I'm not the same, not after you

(After You by Gryffin)

For Brook and Casca - truly a combination of the lyrics, the music, and the vibes of the music video.

Bonus one:

And nothing left unspoken When you whisper, I heard you say

Go on then, love And show me your heart 'Cause you are enough As you are and I'm awestruck So go on then, love

(Go on Then, Love by Said The Sky)

6. fight scene

The Call (the League of Legends one)

Almost more for the vibes than the lyrics (so listen to it if you want a more accurate impression), but the lyrics don't not fit, either!

[kuunibal]

Maybe u could try to replace your reason for living from 'her' to something simple & noble. When I lost this guy, living w/o the thought of having him in my future was v tough, so I diverted my focus on other ppl/helping ppl/making my family proud. Idk but I think to live for 'yourself'/ keeping the drive as your own self for living seems smth like.. Well, smth at least I wouldn't be able to do. Idky but it just seems too selfish/unreliable since we ourselves are supposed to be like the handlers/caretakers of our own selves in this world that keeps on attacking us w one expectation or the other. If u think this applies to you too, then u could try this instead. Keep your own self completely out of the equation unless u wanna have a revenge bod or smth.. Idky but whenever I see ppl (mostly the ones of our gen) whose sole focus is themselves, they seem unnecessarily unhappy and struggling. Are going above n beyond to prove themselves to the world, when they could just keep their jobs/appearances/etc. As smth completely external (not a part of them) n instead focus on how much they can simply give to this world. Like I, since Ive been a pretty much of an idiot with most of my decisions, can listen to ppl without judgement n can sympathise with them well.. They just feel comfortable around me so I also try to be an easy person around em instead of putting myself on a standard. I think whenever u feel worthless, u should try n be simply grateful for whatever u r, how much investment have been made to u (if u wanna be logical) n ultimately try n give the world back in whatever ways u could.. Like for eg, if you're a caretaker, be even more better. Take the focus off from u n your own problems, and think of how much blessed u r in a position to help those in need n find worth thru that help. There are some not so fortunate domestic workers, construction workers, sooo many people, whose shoes if I wear, I'd instantly feel this huge struggle for life n would wanna instantly wanna give up. Yet they accept their lives n always show up to their work which is surrounded by ppl w huge TVs, comforting rooms n whatnot. Now these are the ppl who know v well that comparisons w others/expectations with their own selves is smth which will bring unnecessary self-loathing only. So they just try to make the best of the lives they've been given. But most importantly, they still provide w whatever they got. It's just all about perspective n how you choose to view menial stuff.. You just have to realise the world is bigger than you, certainly much bigger than your darling!!.. Now I tbh do know how to live with being told that from my person😅(we have a history so that day, my long-awaited interaction w him was a bit problematic from my side) which made him ultimately say that. It hurt me, but didn't break me. Or reduced my worth (though atm I was questioning it a lot😅lol). I don't think there's anything more comforting u could say in addition to what u already said - v. helpful!! to make that better🤗I think it just has to pass🤔 u don't have to answer that "how to live with it" part😊 it doesn't affect much now tbh. (also⬆️ is just my way, works for me, doesn't have to 'right', may/may not be helpful to u)

I am glad you are doing better than before, you are a very strong person. :)

That is good advice, it is difficult to live for yourself and helping others is a noble cause. And you are right about perspective playing a large role in You have a lot of empathy and understanding for other people.

In my case, I have a tendency to be a people pleaser and help others to the point of neglecting my own wants, needs, and boundaries. I guess when I say that I want to live for myself, I mean that I want to advocate for myself more instead of living and basing my entire self-worth on how much I can give (to my darling, parents, etc.). I don't want to completely depend on other people to feel happy, if that makes sense.