#wanted to save this on my blog for easy access. so much love to everyone in cal poly humboldt and every other college student in struggle

[sarahjacobs]

from the walls of cal poly humboldt's blockaded building (picture taken from ig @ pal_actionus)

[alltimefail]

Agency Assignments: A comprehensive to-do list for saving Dead Boy Detectives!

I'm very easily overwhelmed, so I wanted to break down all the ways to help "Save Dead Boy Detectives" that I have seen floating around. This is meant to be something you can reference when you feel like there is so much you need and want to do to help, but don't know how or where to start.

Note: I will be updating this post as we go when necessary, so feel free to bookmark it in your browser for easy access, add it to your homepage, whatever! I'll always have a link to it in my Pinned Navigation post on my blog as well!

It is of the utmost importance that we fight as an organized, well-informed front. We need to be on the same page if we're going to save our show, so let's get into it! 💜💀🔎

➪ First and foremost, follow @savethedeadboys! They're going to be our best resource during this fight.

➪ Next, follow @deadboyagency for news and updates: they've been around since the show dropped and have been an invaluable source of information the entire time.

Now for some task breakdowns:

"One-Time" Tasks

➪ Like the header says, these things can only be done once. Once you do them, you don't have to give them any space in your mind.

Sign the petition*

Review & Rate Dead Boy Detectives on Google, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes. Be sure on IMDB you don't just rate the show as a whole, but you also rate each individual episode! You can also "Like" the show on Google and click "Watched" which helps the show's engagement scores. (If there are other popular sites I haven't listed here, feel free to share them and rate Dead Boy Detectives highly on them!)

Notify Netflix customer service (through their online chat feature) that you're unhappy with the cancelation of Dead Boy Detectives. This is a short, 5-minute task that I wrote a guide on (with an example message) here!

"Repeat" Tasks:

➪ These tasks can become a part of your daily routine; do what works best for you! You don't have to do every single one of these tasks every day if that is overwhelming!

Share the petition* over and over again, on every one of your socials! Make everyone you love sign it!

Stream Dead Boy Detectives!* Keep it on a loop in the background on low volume as much as possible. Try to get others to stream it as well, especially if they haven't watched it before! Netflix cares about VIEWS: views save shows and I broke down the reasoning here. (Bonus: if you post over on Twitter about your rewatch, use the tag #ReviveDeadBoyDetectives)

Talk about Dead Boy Detectives!* You're probably doing that already, but just be sure that you're tagging your posts. Here on Tumblr use the "Dead Boy Detectives" tag at least (to boost our tag to trending) and anywhere that uses hashtags (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for example) I would recommend #SaveDeadBoyDetectives and #DeadBoyDetectives as those seem to be the most commonly used tags! IMPORTANT: do not use more than 20 tags here on Tumblr! Any more than 20 and your posts might be marked as spam and hidden from the tags!

Create art, edits for TikTok, fics, gif sets, doodles, crafts, analysis posts, and so on for Dead Boy Detectives.* Having fun is important, too! This is an extension of the "Talk about Dead Boy Detectives" point, but it needs to be stated - don't remove the joy from the fight. If a drawing of our boys or a smutty fic with your favorite trickster cat king is what you can bring to the fight on any given day, that is a perfectly valuable contribution! It's not all emails and hashtags.

Daily request a show through Netflix. Bonus if you're signed in! (I do 3-5 times a day)

Send Emails advocating for Dead Boy Detectives (Email list & Email Template). You can do this as much as you want or just one time.

Send Snail-mail (physical letters) to Netflix advocating for Dead Boy Detectives. I also send a copy of my letters to Warner Bros. Studios. Again, you can do this one time or multiple times. There are dates set aside for "mass" mail sending as well, so check out info on that here!

Interact with articles posted about Dead Boy Detectives. Read them, share them, comment on them, thank the writer for writing them, etc. We want lots of press about the cancellation, and supporting journalists and publications will make them want to write about Dead Boy Detectives more.

NOTE: Anything marked with a * means it's extremely important; if you can only do a few things, these tasks are the ones that you should focus on first. Remember to take care of yourself. This is a marathon, not a sprint, so don't burn yourself out!

WE WILL SAVE THIS SHOW.

Say that to yourself as many times as it takes for you to believe it. We're doing this to get justice for the writers, the actors, for ourselves, and assert to these companies that diverse, queer stories are not disposable one-offs; they deserve to be told in full!

Hugs and Handshakes to you all - whatever will suffice. 💜 Always feel free to reach out if you have any questions, whether that be through private message or my ask box. I'm not going anywhere!

- V

[kaypeace21]

[The future of this BLOG]: SHOWS I'm planning on analyzing here & on YouTube

Interview with the vampire

Invincible

House of the dragon

The boys

Umbrella acadamy

Bridgerton probably (still haven't had time to watch part 2 yet)

stranger things: I have mixed feelings about reviewing it given what certain staff has said and done. I oscilate between wanting to review the final season or wanting to boycott it (especially as someone who has been part of the BDS movement for 1/2 her life). But, on one hand, It's not the fault of the underpaid (and talented) writers and staff who don't have these views. And I do believe some of the writing staff may have good intentions and want to give us a positive and powerful message to the audience about healing from childhood tr*uma. However, other members of the writing staff may just want to go down the stereotypical and popular-easy route. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in the last season. If I hear the ending isn't simply another re-hashing of prior seasons and it's more like s1-2 (without the cliches of s3-4). I'd be more inclined to review it by *cough* and watching it elsewhere. Once I was logged back on to tumblr: I did have a whole draft saved about my politics since I was a kid and why I still feel so strongly about such conflicts, today . But, I shouldn't make the topic about me- and I'm not sure anyone wants to hear my life story XD. So, the big point (to my followers) is regardless of whether I chose to watch it or boycot it-

I'm not deleting the old ST content: so do what you want with it (like, reblog, add details to reblogs I didn't notice). Have fun :D !

Analyzing ST certainly helped me improve in terms of media literacy (and it'll be beneficial for the future content I make). So even if it sometimes got messy here, I do appreciate all the positives the ST blog and followers brought to me.The kind words meant a lot. For those who want to unfollow me for my political beliefs , that's totally fine. That's your prerogative. For those who want to unfollow cause again ST was pretty much my whole blog: again I TOTALLY understand and I wish you the best :). I'm not going to judge, take away, or guilt anyone, for their choice of media they like. Enjoy it (I truly mean that).

For those who continue to follow my blog . I appreciate you SO MUCH! I've been gone from this blog for such a long time cause of school (and I appreciate those who stayed and were excited to see me again). The positive words meant a lot over the years. Everyone have a lovely day. Take care of yourselves.

Sincerely, Kay

ps: I'm open to other media suggestions too so you can drop them in my message box (recent films/ shows, mini/limited series, animation, heck i'm open to comedies and foreign media too).But, analyzing them will most likely be after the shows listed above .Right now I'm focusing on my national exam and my mental health. My first video will probably be in late August or early September. My test is August 20th. Hope everyone is doing well .I'm feeling much better mentally. Hope everyone is feeling the same way :)

for my 1st video I’ll just post it to youtube . But for other videos I may make a early access patreon (like a week before the next video comes out free on youtube). Have to google how all that works (or if there's better alternatives) . Totally fine if you can't afford it (you'll get to see it for free on youtube regardless :D) . I'll be honest . I'm primarily thinking of doing it cause I need to pay off those student loans and I'm trying to hopefully move out of state in a few years. Plus, I love analyzing media anyways (so making it a part time job would be a dream come true .

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Hi! Do you have any advice on websites or books etc. for snake information for absolute beginners? I would like to learn more about snakes, I've thought they were super cute and interesting since I was a child, but I don't know anything about them xD. (For instance, when I searched 'what is hot snake' on google I only found a wikipedia entry for some metal band, and one movie).

Sure thing! (A 'hot' is a common term in the herpetological community for a venomous snake with venom that is medically significant to humans! Rear-fanged venomous snakes, like hognoses, who have venom that isn't medically significant to humans, aren't called hots.)

ReptiFiles is a pretty awesome resource, and clearly goes to pains to stay up-to-date and avoid minimalist keeping traps. I keep up with their blog; it's a fun way to learn and stay informed and is written in accessible language.

Chris Mattison's books have been favorites of mine for years; I recommend them to beginners all the time because they're informative and entertaining to read! I can't recommend his latest visual guide to snakes enough if you're interested.

Other Smithsonian-produced books on reptiles are excellent. Check out Everything you Need to Know about Snakes! It's easy to read and informative.

How Snakes Work and The Book of Snakes are both staples in entry-level herpetology courses and are written in accessible language, so they're not just great for herpetologists. I love both of these books so much I keep copies on my nightstand.

The Audobon Society's Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians is a book that every single herpetologist has! I grew up with this book, it's a classic. It's old, but it's still good, and it's written to help you identify snakes in the wild. It's a classic for a reason!

If you want a great book about snakes and to support a fantastic snake conservation organization, check out Save the Snakes! They sell a Snakes for Kids book written by their founder, and even though it's written for kids, I can absolutely endorse it as a fantastic intro to snakes for snake lovers of any age.

Finally, it's never a bad idea to start locally. Finding a local field guide to reptiles of your state or area is a great place for even absolute beginners to start, and there's no better feeling than confidently and accurately identifying a snake in the wild for the first time! Check out a local wildlife center or bookshop - local wildlife centers are excellent places in general for everyone to learn about reptiles (and I'm not just saying that because I work at one!). They might have local reptiles for you to meet and run programs by folks like me about reptiles.

[harmonyhealinghub]

Celebrating a Creative Milestone: 1000 Designs on Canva! Shaina Tranquilino July 31, 2024

I am beyond excited to share a fantastic milestone with all of you today! 🎉 I recently received a notification from Canva, awarding me a cute milestone badge for creating 1000 designs! This achievement feels incredibly rewarding and motivates me to continue my creative journey.

Canva: My Go-To Design Tool

For those of you who might not be familiar with Canva, it is a powerful, user-friendly design platform that caters to everyone—from beginners to professional designers. I use Canva extensively for my Etsy shop, Tumblr, blogging, and social media. Its versatility and ease of use make it an indispensable tool in my creative toolkit.

Why I Love Canva

User-Friendly Interface: Canva’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes designing easy and fun. Even if you’re a novice, you can create professional-looking designs with minimal effort.

Extensive Template Library: Canva offers a vast array of templates for every occasion and purpose, whether it’s for social media posts, marketing materials, or personal projects.

Free and Paid Options: Canva is free to use, with an optional membership (Canva Pro) for those who want to access more advanced features and a broader range of assets. The free version is incredibly robust, but the Pro version offers additional perks that are worth considering.

Collaboration Features: Canva allows you to collaborate with others on your designs, making it perfect for team projects or getting feedback from friends and colleagues.

Access Anywhere: Whether you’re on your computer or mobile device, Canva’s cloud-based platform ensures that your designs are always accessible.

How I Use Canva

Etsy Shop: I design product listings, promotional materials, and shop banners using Canva. The professional templates and customization options help me create eye-catching visuals that attract clients.

Tumblr: Canva helps me create engaging posts and blog headers that stand out in the Tumblr feed. The ability to customize each element means my Tumblr page always reflects my unique style.

Blogging: From blog post graphics to Pinterest pins, Canva provides all the tools I need to make my blog visually appealing. High-quality images and infographics make my content more engaging and shareable.

Social Media: Canva’s social media templates save me so much time. Whether I’m designing Instagram stories, Facebook posts, or Twitter headers, Canva has me covered with perfectly sized templates and a wealth of creative options.

Encouraging Creativity

If you haven’t tried Canva yet, I highly encourage you to give it a shot. It’s a fantastic tool for anyone looking to enhance their creative projects without the steep learning curve of more complex design software. And remember, it’s free to start, so there’s no risk in trying it out!

Reaching 1000 designs feels like a significant milestone, and I’m grateful for the journey so far. Each design has been a step towards honing my skills and expressing my creativity. Here’s to many more designs and milestones ahead!

Thank you for being part of my creative journey. Whether you’re an Etsy seller, a blogger, or just someone who loves to create, I hope Canva becomes as valuable a resource for you as it has been for me.

Happy designing! 🌟

Feel free to share your own Canva creations and milestones in the comments below. Let’s inspire each other to keep creating!

[beantothemax]

Hey hey hey fic time

This was so fun to write I love using different formats I hope this is easy to read!!!

Hey @meme-boys-blog look!!!!

—————-

(Light snoring)

(Indistinguishable muttering)

[Dagda Appears]

(Rage.) “You-“

[Fingers snap, Pages flutter]

“Apologies, but we are not going to take any chances.”

(Struggling, muffled anger)

(Muttered) “Shame it had to come to this. Hold still, will you?”

[Pages rustle, nib pen scratches]

“There we are.”

[Pages flutter closed]

[Body collapses, movement]

(Seething) “Oh you are not getting away with that, Galla.”*

(Laughs quietly)

[Knuckles crack.]

(Grunt of exertion, halted abruptly)

“Wha-“

(More grunts, intensifying in anger.)

(Seething) “The fuck did you do to me?!”

“After your little stunt this evening, we thought it prudent to have some form of insurance.”

(Growls)

(Loathing) “Leave us, Dagda. Go back to your ward and stay until we finish what we came here for.”

[Dagda returns]

“Ah, such blessed silence. Good that Navarre stepped out.”

(Snaps fingers, Humming)

“Do not mind us, child. We shall return it in a moment.”

[Anger, Query; purpose?]

[Amusement, Command; Cease.]

[Rage, Anger, Hate.]

(Giggles)

(Muttered) “No wonder Orsinov had so much fun.”

[Sarcasm; Pity.]

————————

[Bitter, Query; Purpose?]

[Denied.]

[Suspicion]

> Hello user Dagda.

displayProperties ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/Music.app_

> You need administrator permission to access this file.

> Music.App; You’re going to have to be better than *that*. -Admin

[Annoyance]

message Admin fuck you_

> Error; attachment not recognized.

[Frustration]

message Admin “Fuckk *You*”_

> Message sent!

displayProperties ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/appdata/Music/Songs/

> DateCreated; DD/MM/20YY 22;34

> CreatedBy; Admin

> Note; Contains songs for Music App in mp3 format. You’re not going to get any info out of this either, High King. -Admin

[Anger]

Message Admin “What the hell are you doing”_

> Error; command not recognized.

[Rage, Frustration]

message Admin “what in th eHELL are you do ing”_

> Message sent!

—————————-

;OS/GodslayerCOMP/DemonSummoningProgram/_

execute shadowlock.exe_

> Enter password;

***********************_

> Enter passphrase;

忘れない いつまでも 決して until my life is exhausted._

[Bitter, Query; Purpose?]

> Welcome, Admin Kurokami.

> If you’re seeing this, this means I’m not able to come to your assistance. Sorry about that. -Burroughs

[Denied.]

IgnoreUser Dagda_

> This will prevent viewing of messages from user while you are logged in. You will still get notified when they send a message.

> Are you sure? y/n

y_

> Incoming message; Mido

> Good to see you again! Will you be transferring data like before?

message Mido “Gracious offer, but we have to decline.”_

> Message sent!

moveFile Music.app from ;K/ to ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/_

> Moving file Music.app...

> Incoming message; Mido

> Suit yourself. You should tell Nanashi to fill out his compendium more. Compared to Flynn it’s almost barren!

message Mido “Give the boy time. Not everyone can be so meticulous as him or us.”_

> Message sent!

> Incoming message; System

> File Music.app successfully moved from ;K/ to ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/

open ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/Music.app_

> Opening...

> File Music.app wants to make changes to your system. Allow? y/n

y_

> Music.app; Performing initial setup…

[Suspicion]

> Incoming message; Mido

> Ah, I remember my surprise upon seeing you as a new user. How long ago was that now?

> Incoming message from Music.app

> initial setup complete!

close ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/Music.app_

> Closing…

[Annoyance]

message Mido “Not long enough. The masquerade ended as soon as Lucifer set his eyes on us. ‘Sacrificing’ ourself against his little ‘test’ was the least we could do to save that Flynn.”_

> Message sent!

[Frustration]

> Message from ignored user Dagda blocked.

movefolder ;K/Selected_Songs/ to ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/appdata/Music/songs/_

> Found 8 files

> Moving files...

- City_of_Tears.mp3

- Daisy_Bell.mp3

- Hummingbird.mp3

- Its_Going_Down_Now.mp3

- Mass_Destruction_New.mp3

- No_More_What_Ifs.mp3

- Road_Less_Taken.mp3

- Were_Finally_Landing.mp3

> Incoming Message; Mido

> Of course. If you ever want to relive those moments, let me know.

message Mido “Will do.”_

> Message sent!

> Incoming message; System

> Files successfully moved from ;K/Selected_Songs to ;OS/GodslayerCOMP/appdata/Music/songs/

[Anger]

[Rage, Frustration]

> Message from ignored user Dagda blocked.

shadowlock.exe endsession_

> End session? y/n

y_

> Logging out...

> See you soon. -Burroughs

—————————————

“…Hey! You didn’t tell me you had a pair of earbuds…”

“Huh, Guess I did.”

(Smug)“…You jealous?”

“You gonna share?”

“Heheh, Finders keepers~”

(Huffs) “Fine, I’m gonna find my own and they’re gonna be so much cooler than yours!”

(Laughs)

———————-

Translation corner; *Bitch.

Used this site for the translation.

Coding stuff may be inaccurate, but that’s mostly because I’m used to another system. I have no doubt that the original Demon Summoning Program runs on some suped-up version of Linux or something, but I don’t wanna know how an entire operating system works for my silly little fic, so Windows OS it is.

Don’t ask who Orsinov is. You don’t wanna know.

local god of death has maybe the Worst Time trying to hack in weird transdimensional shadow’s ipod, more at 11

[hughiecampbelle]

I'm so excited you decided to open ships!!! I'm Theta, 21, and I'm a bicurious woman (but I'd rather be shipped with a man, pretty please). I love writing, reading, and vibing out to indie music and staying up wayyyy too late. I'm a psychology major who wants to focus on community outreach and bringing resources to people who can't afford/don't have access to mental healthcare. I'm soft spoken and shy, and awkward/anxious, but once you get to know me I'm witty and the awkwardness kind of gives way to silliness.

Thank you so much I love your blog 🥰

Hi my love! I ship you with: Connor Roy!!!

He loves your height. Being such a tall guy himself, he towers over everyone, but you especially and he loves it. He loves coming to your rescue when things are on the top shelf and how long his clothes are on you, especially his pajamas. You're not the biggest fan of being reminded how short you are, and he means in the best way possible of course. He thinks you're the perfect size. He also loves how caring you are. He's not used to someone being so considerate and thoughtful towards everyone all the time. It's just not part of his world, his family, to be so considerate of others. He swears you have a heart of gold. The fact that you want to help so many people with something as important as mental health makes him want to melt. He's so proud of all you want to accomplish.

You love how gentle he is. Connors made it a point in his life not to be angry like his father. He never loses his temper, you've never seen him get mad. He keeps his cool. He reacts only in a thoughtful way, looking at the big picture instead of being reactive like the rest of his family. You assure him it's okay to be upset, that it makes him human, but he won't hear it. It's something you'll work on together. He's a gentle giant, hugging you lightly until you show you want a bear hug, kissing you on the cheek, the forehead, holding your hand all the time. He can't be like his father, it would crush him, so he does everything in his power not to be.

Your relationship is easy. It's you and him against the world, that's it. You've seen complicated relationships play out, there's always wondering if the other person feels the same way, all this complaining and trust issues. Not you and Connor. He just gets you and you get him. When you're not with one another, you're texting or calling. It doesn't feel like work, it's not draining. You can't wait to hear about his day when he gets home and he can't wait to hear about yours. Everything comes easy. He never thought he could be loved so wholeheartedly until you came along.

Your first date is at a bookstore. Connor isn't really looking for anything, mostly he follows you around, listening to you, holding the books you want to get. No simple act makes him happier. He's really interested in your work in psychology, asking a lot of questions. He likes the sound of your voice too, how thoughtful you are when you're talking about something you love, something you're passionate about. Connor is smitten before you've even checked out, insisting he pay for every book. He wishes the date would never end, that he could spend forever with you, making you happy, so that's exactly what he sets out to do.

Relationship Headcanon: Connor cannot stay up to save his life, but he tries to keep up with you. You'll put on a movie at midnight and before the credits start playing he's already got his eyes closed. In the morning he swears he's seen the whole thing, that he was wide awake the entire time. You don't mind, he's quite cute when he's asleep. It's just something that means the hours you do share are that much more important, that much more special.

Thank you my love!!! Hope you like it! 💜💜💜

[oliviaischillin1204]

He Ollie! It's Cef. You might remember me. I just wanted to say hi and that I hope you are doing well. I still love that you are posting t-fics left and right! I miss you all very much! The reason I left the community was because I finally found some meds that work really well for me, except I almost completely lost my love of tickling. I can't really explain it because I have the same reaction as any other regular person now but I do miss everyone here. I just hope you all are doing well still.

-Cef

cef!!! of freaking COURSE i remember you, you're one of the OG sasi tfic blogs i ever followed!!! (right behind august and dani, right before spikey, pineapple, and felix dfhfdjsk) i actually just recently was thinking about your blog and your writing!

(confession time: i've mentioned before i had a private tfic account before starting this one, and on that tfic account i still have like, TONS of old posts/fics/art that i've reblogged from 3-7 years ago. some of it i can't access if it's behind a readmore and the op has deactivated, but if it's not behind a readmore, i can still read it so..... yeah i have a collection of extremely 2017-2019 sasi t-word posts that would maybe shock the OPs if they knew about it lol)

((and cef, i actually have an old masterpost of urs saved there, i think most of the links are unreachable now since you've deactivated, but it also has 2 links to freaking,,, google doc self insert teases from logan and roman that i just reread recently LMAOOOOOOOO. so yes, of course of COURSE i remember you and the impact u had on my writing and life :3))

and yeah, i still try to stay active around here, even when my tfic writing isn't coming as easy as it used it. it's crazy that u say that abt ur meds bc lowkey that kinda happened to me too... i started antidepressants for the first time last may (almost a year?? holy shit) and although i had been having writer's block for about 3 months prior to starting those meds, i can honestly say that yeah, the meds did change my brain chemicals a lot, to the point where tickling fell wayyyyyy to the backburner of my mind lol. coupled w how busy i've been for the past... solid year lmfao and this blog just hasn't been able to be a priority like it used to be

HOWEVER, not to get any hopes up or anything, but within the last month i have had a p extreme resurgence of thinking about t-word stuff often, rereading old favorites, going through the tags, etc. and i am graduating college (!!!) in less than a month so..... mayhaps. MAYHAPS. there may be more writing coming from me somewhat soon. WHO KNOWS SJDHFGHDJ

but i digress!!! cef, it was really good to hear from you and know you're doing well. when i saw your blog was deactivated, i was surprised but i understand why u did it, and i'm glad to know u remember all those years on here as fondly as i do :3

[edge-oftheworld]

ever find a good blog or fan creator you think is really good and then scroll back and find they were a bitch and a troll to sierra and kaykay and probably crystal back in like 2018 and pushing a narrative that was obviously false and made no effort to redeem themselves or take down any of it? like i don't hold grudges, not usually, but some extremes are unacceptable and do cause harm to the people in question and like. the people you're in the fandom for too

and so in my classic style i am mad when i see that but some weird glitch in my brain turns that energy into compassion so here's my attempt at a reasonable understanding take. on my quest to be actually neurodivergent affirming, and my take of musicians being healthcare workers: pretty universally, we take music in when we're feeling unseen, lonely, struggling, we find songs we relate to, we get invested in the people who make them who we relate to through their songs and other content they share, the nature of the parasocial relationship means the love we give is never reciprocated personally only collectively. and there's a bit more creative license to fill in the gaps of things they don't share in the pictures of them in our heads than when with real people: real people will call you out on your bullshit or disappoint you by not being that fantasy and so someone will leave. anyway

in an ideal world we all find our tribe who understand us and we all grow in our understanding of ourselves and other people and we facilitate them finding that social capital too, we share it around. but in the meantime and in real life more generally music and parasocial relationships help get us through the times we don't have that. they can also inspire us to find it for ourselves and other people (why do you think i'm here seriously guys) and i can't overstate how much this saves lives. lives and relationships and careers and life goals and it sounds triumphant when i say it like that, and it is.

but the truth is it's messy, sometimes it is quite literally surviving til the next show. living for the next bit of content. and sometimes brains don't get it right and it's easy for youuuuuuuuuuu to say if it's not something you struggle with JUST BE RESPECTFUL and i want to. i really want to because if someone is so convinced their take is true and they NEED to express that, but it's hurting people, really defaming, invalidating, bringing down their confidence, causing lasting hurt. it does need to stop.

but it's not necessarily helpful to the struggling fan to just say 'stop that', you need some way to meet that need. and most of the time we don't have that. we don't have comprehensive mental health services, they're still pretty basic, monocultural, as good as they are, access is still shit, supply and demand do not equalise. and then all you have is music. and so i don't know where everyone is coming from. but i can guess and i can have compassion. like i get it. i feel responsible for making the world a little better and helping help get where it needs. because it's gonna help protect the people who are being hurt by this because it's really happening. for celebs it's a massive problem. for their partners who may or may not be famous in their own right (it doesn't matter either way brings its own struggles) too.

they're giving us music to get us through shit and how do we repay them? sure with a good decent (if insecure) amount of money if they're popular enough. but also with this behaviour that no matter what the complex suffering and neurobiology going on behind it is, they (celebs) have no obligation to be understanding about it. they should not have to go through any of it to begin with. it's like. being traumatised for offering some help? i know there are good stories that outweigh this but i do truly think we especially have to be kind to their partners who might get less of that direct benefit and more of the hate. we need to believe what our artists say and if they're lying to us for some reason or another, that's their business.

and while i'm on the topic of that and neurodivergent affirming takes I did just want to say: open your mind to different ways of expressing different kind of affection, platonic, romantic, sexual, and know all of these can come incompletely and have blurry boundaries and there are a million reasons if there was potential for a relationship (whether or not in any case there is/was is none of our business) someone might not choose to pursue it, which are also none of our business. and each of these kinds of love might look different with everyone's brain too: if there are labels for why they're not our business unless we're told, and yes, sometimes it will look like one thing to us but not to everyone because everyone is different and experiences these things differently. like of course you can ship them! but you can do so while maintaining an open mind to what they're actually experiencing and learning from and discovering how they explain it in their own words not trying to gaslight them on the internet or worse to actually sabotage any relationships that don't suit your agenda. just stick to your fanfics and put them on registered users only (and also don't tell a celeb to read fanfics about them or another member of their item. there is so much sensitive stuff at play here).

all this stuff isn't 'oh you're not a proper fan if you don't do this perfectly'. it's about reducing harm to us as fans and to our beloved artists and their loved ones and just keeping trying to grow and be better people in this vein every day. admitting we're struggling and we fucked up sometimes and actually making an effort to do better and to fix things. I think all of this is one of the most authentic things we can do as a fandom: never give up on that. be motivated to do what these artists are doing you know? it's dynamic, it's fun, we've all been through some shit together and we're all coming out of it and we're going to be kind.

[supermanshield]

hi! I really like your blog, thank you for sharing! also I don't really read/like comics all the much but I love the characters (esp Clark) and have been intrigued lately, so I was wondering if you could please rec me The Essential and also your favorite superman and superbat ones?

Hi, thank you kind anon! It's great that you want to get into comics! I think it's a medium for everyone and even if you don't like the superman and superbat comics I'll recommend you, there's so much more out there that doesn't necessarily have to be superheroes even. There are just so many genres!

Anyway, for your superbat needs I have the Superbat reading guide. If you just want the essentials I would say stick to the ones with a star. And consider starting somewhere in a more modern era (such as the post-crisis, new 52, or current comics), because the older ones can be a bit harder to read at times.

As for Superman, I have a lot of recommendations (you've really opened a can of worms here, anon).

Easy to start with:

Adventures of Superman (2013) - This was a digital first series during new 52 but not set in any specific continuity, making it very accessible to new readers. It's what got me into Superman at the time.

Superman Red & Blue (2021) - Anthology series from last year. Just as accessible as Adventures of Superman.

Superman: Up in the Sky (2019) - Also highly recommended for getting into the character. A lot of different short adventures all part of one immense mission to save one little girl.

The best:

All-Star Superman (2011) - It's often said that you should not read this as your first Superman comic, but it was my first. Loved it then, and I love it even more with every re-read. Every page is a masterpiece, every panel an iconic Superman panel. Yes, I will continue to praise this book until the day I die. Don't spoil yourself by watching the movie first, read the book and then give the movie a try.

Origin stories:

Superman: For all seasons (1998) - A little shorter than All-Star, and a good introduction in my opinion. Clark growing up in Smallville and moving to Metropolis. Tim Sale's art is beautiful as well. If you like this, I also highly recommend Superman: Kryptonite by Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale, in which Clark discovers he can actually get hurt.

Superman: Birthright (2003) - I love this version of the origin story! Some absolutely iconic Superman moments in here, and Martha is an alien/extraterrestial geek, she even has her own website. (Don't worry, the Kents are still farmers in Smallville, Martha just has an interesting hobby).

Superman: Secret Origin (2009) - Maybe the most well-known origin story for Clark. I don't like it as much as the other ones but it's definitely essential reading.

Other essentials and highly recommended:

Action Comics #775 - This is rightfully a very often quoted Superman comic. It's Superman vs. The Elite, and the question of why doesn't Superman just kill his enemies? as well as what happens if superheroes do.

Action Comics by Grant Morrison (Action Comics vol. 2 #0-18) - This is new 52, I personally haven't read it yet, but I often see it recommended for getting into superman. Also considered an updated version of his origin / golden-age superman. I have to get around to reading it soon!

current Action Comics - The warworld story that started in issue 1030 has been really great so far. I think the writer really understands what Superman stands for and I look forward to the new issue every month.

Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - A classic. Officially pre-crisis, but it was the last issue before the big reset of DC comics in 1986. Tells the story of Clark's final adventure and what happens after.

Pre-crisis (my personal fave):

Superman: The secret years (Clark in College)

Superman #296-299 (Should Clark be Superman permanently or Clark Kent permanently?)

Superman #366-368 (Superman revenge squad)

Superman #400 (Miracle Monday comes from this anniversary issue)

Superman #408 (Impending nuclear war, answers the question of why doesn't Clark just disarm all nuclear warheads around the world)

Superman #416 (Make sure you read the main story and the back-up! And then go back again ;) )

Action Comics #500 (Anniversary issue, describing Superman's life)

There is sooo much more! I haven't even mentioned the 90s yet, which of course entails the death of Superman, the long hair, getting married to Lois and so much more. And the 2000s, of which I've only read a handful but a lot of it is really good. And golden-age Superman, which I've only recently really gotten into but I can't recommend it enough.

I can also recommend following the superman-bot on twitter that recommends a random comic every hour. It's worked wonders for me just reading random issues of which I like the cover and not worrying about continuity/reading order too much.

This is getting long but I hope it helps. I'm always happy to help with finding comics for Superman or Batman or other characters.

Anyway if I were to make an actual Superman reading guide it would just say 'start at action comics #1 and read everything inbetween that and the current issue of action comics'. So I've tried to contain myself here, really.

[silverduckie]

So I’m aware there’s not really an easy way to make this post (I’ve had this blog for over ten years now, whelp) but I’ve made the decision to completely switch blogs. Once the queue runs out on this blog, it’ll go radio silent - please feel free to unfollow. I’ll probably refollow my faves on my new blog, so if a relatively new blog with a pinned post similar to my usual one follows you - odds are it’s me. Please don’t slide the link @ anyone if I do follow you, pretty much like “if I want people to know I exist, I’ll follow them myself” with this one. 💕

I’ve also deleted all of my gif packs and changed the blog password to remove access to the pages from everyone. Please do not contact me for access back, you’re not going to get it. I’m going to be quite honest, I’ve been debating doing this for awhile due to the kinds of messages I’ve been receiving in my dms but quite frankly the community treatment of Dev and Natalie is my last straw. I had “you can’t use my gifs if you’re a dick to my friends” in my rules for a reason folks, if you have my packs saved I’d appreciate it if you delete them from your hard-drive. If it's a fc with limited resources and you’d be screwed if you delete them (or I guess if you just don’t want to delete them, I can’t force you to do that), you may continue to use them as long as you follow my gif rules but I’d just rather you find alternative resources if possible - thank you.

To everyone who have been nice to me, I’m sorry that this is the way things have to be but as someone who works over 60 hours a week I’d rather spend my free time hanging out with my friends and doing what I love. If we’re friends / you have me on Discord, please feel free to continue reaching out, I love you guys so much and I wish y’all the best if this is the end of the line for us.  If any of y’all in the rpc I follow have personal blogs they want me to follow, please feel free to shoot me links.

Yeah, I don’t know how to end this post, sorry. Sending love to everyone but the people who were dicks to my friends. 💕

Edit (May 3rd 2023): The website I was using to host my gif packs has been taken down, and due to this, none of them are available anymore even if you have the page links. I looked into alternative hosting, and I decided I'm not going to reupload them. If you have the original gifs downloaded, you may upload them to a private gif page for your own use only. But please don't reach out to me for download links or page links.

[idreamofplaid]

I Know You

Summary: Sometimes Sam needs to be reminded he needs more than books.

Characters: Sam x Reader

Word Count: 2145

A/N: I couldn’t find this one on my blog when I made my Masterlist so I’m reposting it now. There’s so much dirty talk and a slightly dom reader with a happy to switch Sam.

Sam’s discipline is a part of who he is. He keeps everything locked down. He eats clean. Sugar, preservatives, and “bad” fats never cross his ever so tempting lips. He monitors his thoughts and feelings, careful not to let too much out. It’s easy to miss this because Sam is so good at getting other people to talk with his deep, gentle voice and soft eyes. Sam understands; the very way he carries himself points to that. Pain is something the man you love is all too familiar with and has been since he came back from hell all those years ago.

Sam’s holding something inside tonight. He’s noticeably quieter than usual. His reflective mind was one of the things that drew you to him in the first place, but sometimes it’s necessary to pull Sam out of his thoughts, unlock his emotions, shatter his control.

The salad you made for him has barely been touched. All Sam’s attention is on a thick lore book lying open on the table next to his plate. His long, slender yet thick fingers are slowly turning pages. Something is driving Sam tonight, something he thinks he needs to find in that book, but it can wait.

You stand and walk around the table. Sam’s solid forearms are visible below the rolled cuffs of his flannel. You rest your hand on one of them just above his wrist and skim your fingers up his arm to his shoulder. Sam looks up. His eyes are a cloudy gray kissed by blue. His hair is hanging over his collar, tempting you to touch, and that’s the next place your hand goes.

Sam closes his eyes when your fingers start to knead the back of his neck. Your hand is beneath his hair now, and it’s soft on your knuckles. A half exhale, half moan escapes from him; it’s an invitation to kiss him while you continue to massage his neck. 

Sam’s mouth opens under yours, and you know you were right about what he needs. You settle yourself in his lap and deepen the kiss. His tongue is warm and sure as it swirls around yours. You can feel Sam’s hand at the back of your waist drawing you to him. You grind your hips into his lap and another moan, deeper this time, flows from his mouth into yours.

“Sam, I think we’d be more comfortable in the bedroom.” His eyes are darker when he opens them, pupils blown with need. He only glances at the open book and the remains of his salad on the table for a second before he nods to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam’s hand is at your waist as he guides you into his bedroom. There’s no slamming doors, no ripping off clothes. His actions are still controlled. It’s Sam Winchester’s way to survive. 

Very soon he’s going to remember he gets to have his own life and doesn’t have to focus on saving the world every waking moment; it’s time to let go. You put your hand on Sam’s stomach and push him back against the wall. Even through his layers, you can feel the muscles there. You swipe your tongue around your top lip and bite the bottom one. It’s an easy slide underneath his shirt to feel the skin on his abdomen. “Are you this hard everywhere, Sam, or do I still have some work to do?”

He squeezes his eyes shut briefly before opening them to look at you. His chest is heaving slowly. You know what your words do to him. The smile that crosses your face is playful and easy. “Why don’t I find out?”

You sink to your knees in front of him and make a point of taking your time with his belt and zipper continuing to push just the right buttons while you do. “I want you hard for me, Sam. So hard your thick cock is twitching, aching to pound into me. And I’m going to take all of you. I’m going to make you fit, and I’m going to be so tight around you. I love it when you’re as deep as you can get. That sweet pressure feels so good. I want that, Sam.”

When you pulled his jeans and boxers down his thighs, Sam was fully hard. He was hard and leaking precum in a steady flow. “Can I have a taste before you sink this huge cock inside me?” Sam grunted his reply, put his hands in your hair, and pulled you to him.

That first taste of Sam was always the best, salty nectar on your tongue. You made circles around his tip and listened to him gasp. His fingers tightened in your hair until it started to pull. “Fuck, Y/N.”

You started to bob your head on his shaft. “Maybe I’ll just do this for awhile. Edge you until you have tears in your eyes, and you’re begging me for it.”

Sam’s cock throbbed in your mouth. “You’d like that wouldn’t you, Sam? Desperate for me to let you come.”

He was clenching his jaw now and grabbing your hair. “Y/N.”

You pulled your mouth from him with a deliciously wet and dirty sound then rose to your full height, so your face was close to his when you looked in his eyes and whispered. “What do you want, my love?” You skimmed your knuckles down Sam’s jaw and over the hint of a beard that was beginning to grow there. The only thing you could hear was Sam breathing shallow and fast.

In the next second, he circled your wrist with his massive hand and pulled you against him. “You know what I want.” Sam kissed you hard and deep. He stripped your shirt over your head and threw it to the floor, cupped one of your breasts and started to flick your nipple with his thumb through the fabric of your bra.

You arched back to give him better access. “That’s it, baby, make me hot for it. Make me wet for you.” With a groan, Sam started to suck your neck beneath your ear. It was going to leave a mark, and that’s exactly what you wanted. 

“Mmm, Sam. You’re making me clench around nothing.” You dug your fingers into his back as your body tightened again around the emptiness.

Sam moved his mouth from your neck and placed it by your ear while his hand eased inside your panties, and his fingers found your clit. “Tell me what you want. Tell me exactly what you want me to do to you.”

His fingers teased you, and you whimpered. He circled your clit and moved them through your folds, but he didn’t push them inside you. There was no relief for the growing ache you had to be filled. “Fuck me. With your fingers, your tongue, your cock. Do it, Sam.”

He pulled his fingers away from your core and lifted them to your mouth. Sam brushed your wetness across your lips. Then he put his fingers in his own mouth and sucked them clean. He closed his eyes while he did it, and when he opened them again; you saw a distinct hunger there. “I want more of you.”

Sam lifted you from the floor, and you wrapped your legs around his waist. He carried you to the bed, kissing you passionately while he did. You felt the mattress, solid beneath your back, when he put you down. It was grounding when the sight of Sam before you threatened to make you forget how to breathe. He took off his shirt and let it drop to the bed beside him. 

You had only a second or two to appreciate his lean and muscled body before he peeled off your yoga pants and underwear, spread your legs wide, and began to take what he’d started to the next level. Sam’s hands were on your thighs, keeping them open, while his tongue lapped at your clit. He moved his mouth down to your opening and let his tongue slide in. At first, it was like a kiss. He moved his tongue slowly, in circles, tasting you. Your hands grabbed at his hair. “More, Sam. Please, more.” He started quick shallow thrusts with his tongue, and your clit started to ache. “Touch me. I need you to touch me.”

You arched your back when his fingers found your clit, and his tongue plunged deeper. The faster he moved his fingers, his tongue found the rhythm to match. Just when you were right on the edge of your orgasm snapping and washing through your body, he switched. Sam put his long, thick fingers inside you, curled them to find your g spot, and he started to rub it. His lips latched onto your clit, and he sucked until you came so hard you screamed loud enough for everyone in the bunker to hear.

Sam moved up your body to prop himself over you on his forearms. You grabbed at his shoulders and held on, needing to feel him. “That’s my girl.” He placed soft kisses on your cheek by your ear while you caught your breath. “I’m not done with you. I’m going to make you shake again. Harder next time.”

Sam’s lips were on yours, and he was kissing you right back into wanting him again even though your body still hadn’t recovered from the first orgasm. He kissed down the center of your body until his head was between your breasts and stopped long enough to remove your bra so he could give your nipples some attention.

The same way his mouth had worked over your clit and inside you, he did the same with your nipples. At first the kisses were slow, his tongue circling around and over each bud. Your moans came faster this time and when they were steadily falling from your mouth, Sam sank his middle and ring fingers deep inside you and started to pump them. True to his word, Sam gave you a second orgasm even more powerful than the first.

Sam was on his side next to you now, he rubbed his nose against your neck and let your hair cover his face. His erection was pressing into you. You pushed his shoulder, rolling him onto his back. “It’s my turn now. I think I promised to make you cry.” You stroked Sam’s length until the precum was running down his shaft. 

Sam was fairly quiet in bed, until he was really turned on. The grunts he was making told you he was losing his control. “I want you inside me, Sam. I want you to fill me, stretch me, make me take every single bit of you. Give it to me so hard and deep I don’t know if I can take anymore. Don’t show me any mercy, Sam. None.”

His cock lay hard and leaking against his stomach. You guided him to your entrance and lowered yourself onto him slowly, one inch at a time. Sam’s hands were grabbing at the sheets, making fists, and pulling them from the bed. “You’re mine, aren’t you, Sam? I’m the one who gets to make you feel good.” He was all the way inside you now. 

You started to ride him, moving your hips in a slow undulating motion. “Y/N.” He grabbed your hips and started to lift you. Up and down, he moved your body faster on his cock. You bounced on his length and took your breasts in your hands, giving him quite the show. Sam’s neck and cheeks flushed pink just before he came hot inside you.

You collapsed on top of him, and Sam wrapped his arms around your back. After a few minutes of holding you, he started to glide his fingertips up and down your back. “You didn’t make me cry. Change your mind?”

You raised up and kissed his nose. “I decided to go easy on you.” You pulled at his bottom lip with your finger. “There’s always next time.” You kissed him, lingering and soft.”

Sam ran his fingers through your hair. “You always know what I need, Y/N.”

“I hope so.” You lowered your head. “It isn’t always books, Sam. You deserve more than that.”

“It’s been hard for me to get used to that, you know?” You lifted your head, and Sam brushed the hair from your face. “It still seems too good to be true. I know we don’t have a picket fence, but this is more than I ever thought I’d have.” Sam stopped talking and took your hand in his, then he brought it to his mouth and kissed it.” You understand me. Thank you.”

You kissed his cheek in response. “There’s still so much more I want to give you, Sam.” This man deserved everything. 

Everything: @gambitwinchester @princessmisery666 @peridottea91 @logical-princey @emilyshurley @beenlovingromansincedayoneish @fangirlxwritesx67 @waywardbaby @atc74 @shaniquacynthia @mariekoukie6661 @tumbler-tidbits @67-chevy-baby @fandom-princess-forevermore @terrarium-jpeg @emoryhemsworth @crashdevlin @jules-1999 @cosicas-cuquis @sammyimpala-67 @queenoftheunderdark @dean-winchesters-bacon @timelordy-fangirl2 @sweetness47 @hobby27 @awesomesusiebstuff @kickingitwithkirk @sandlee44 @supernaturalgrandma @volleyballer519 @kdfrqqg @lizette50 @daisymoder72 @sorenmarie87 @lovealways-j @mrswhozeewhatsis @spnbaby-67 @wayward-and-worn @thinkinghardhardlythinking @petitgateau911 

Sam/Jared: @girl-next-door-writes @stunudo @feelmyroarrrr @idabbleincrazy @evansrogerskitten @focusonspn @autumninavonlea @durinsbride​ @deansyahtzee​ @waywardnerd67​ @fullmooner​ @sams-sass​ @beskaradberoya​

[alatismeni-theitsa]

I have no idea when you posted asking about the experiences of Greek diaspora / Greek heritage but I just saw it so I thought I’d send in my stuff.

I am so disconnected from it because my grandma didn’t want to pass the language into her children so she could have adult conversations they wouldn’t understand. And she didn’t pass on the culture because her husband was Jehovah’s Witness. And so I just feel an intense feeling of grief over a culture that I’m apart of but know very little about. I have some recipes my Yiayia made, a cookbook by women from the Greek Orthodox Church in NYC, and two lullaby’s. (We lived in the US with my great grandma so we had more interaction with Greek culture than our cousins who’s lived with my grandma in Ireland)

And there’s not much out that I’ve found where I’ve been able to learn about my culture and not felt like I’m intruding. Especially because I don’t “look Greek” like some of the other greek kids at my school. I look Irish. I don’t have a Greek name and I don’t speak any of the language. The only way I’ve found to connect is through food but I’m limited to the cookbook because if you look online it’s hard to find recipes that aren’t just trendy mediterranen inspired health food. My mum is starting to reluctantly tell me a little about my family from Greece. And my grandmas cousin and her family is very very greek. So if I fly down to see her she’ll teach me stuff (though she’s the matriarch of the family so she’s pretty intimidating). Anyway. That’s my experience with my my greek heritage.

I just sent the long-ass ask about Greek heritage but I forgot the bit where I was Greek enough to get bullied over Greek food. Yay. Dolmades are good though I don’t care if they “look little poop”

___________________[END OF ASK] __________________________

Hey and sorry for the delay 💙 I asked some time ago but that doesn't mean newer answers aren't welcome anytime!

Dear, I am grieving with you for the loss 😔 I can't say the reasons the language wasn't passed on seem very logical to me. There are things that didn't get passed on to me because my grandparents thought I would automatically know, or they didn't bother teaching, so I can relate to that feeling 😔

You are definitely NOT intruding! I can understand why it feels this way after what you told me, but it seems to me you have every right to know! Greek culture welcomes anyone from Cameroon to Japan, so, realistically, nothing should stop you from having access to it. Plus, it's your own family!

Oh damn, the "I don't look Greek" plague 😩 As everyone knows there's no specific qualifier of appearance for being part of Hellenismos. On this particular occasion, I'll go one step further and say that, unless you have raid hair, you probably look like a lot of Greeks.

There are Greeks whose appearance is rare for this ethnicity, but "looking Irish" is a thing that 1/4 (at least?) of Greek people relate to. One thing Greeks of diaspora often hear is that "they don't look Greek enough", aka they look "too white". Your surrounding Greeks might not look like you but if you go through my tag #Greek people, which has hundreds of videos, portraits, and photos of Greeks from all eras, you might realize you look like many Greeks.

There are Greeks whose appearance is rare for this ethnicity, but "looking Irish" is a thing that 1/4 (at least?) of Greek people relate to. One thing Greeks of diaspora often hear is that "they don't look Greek enough", aka they look "too white". Your surrounding Greeks might not look like you but if you go through my tag #Greek people, which has hundreds of videos, portraits, and photos of Greeks from all eras, you might realize you look like many Greeks.

Again, appearance doesn't matter in the slightest when it comes to culture, but I sensed your appearance issue was the flavor of "too white looking" and it's the most infuriating thing to me because many, many Greeks look "too white looking" for the standards foreigners have made for them!

Anyways, on to the food! I am so happy you are trying some of the recipes :D (And that you are doing everything to connect to your heritage if it brings you joy!) How dare they speak badly about dolmades??? 😭 Many countries close to Greece also have that dish and we must find them so we can have a dolmades alliaaaaanceee!

I'd also like to add, don't feel pressured to get too much into the culture if you don't want to. Many Greeks in Greece keep different types of distance from their tradition and that should also be your right. Again, do and learn whatever pleases you! Just keep in mind that you are valid in your current state without going the extra mile to learn every Greek thing possible.

People across the globe can have various degrees of Greek heritage and if that "amount" of heritage is "less" then it's okay and natural because it's what happens when people immigrate. The more generations pass, the more this old part is left behind. For example, many Greeks in Greece can also come from other backgrounds (Austrian, Egyptian, Slavic (various countries), etc) and they, too have many parts of their older heritages lost. They practice Greek customs almost exclusively now.

There's a cultural plane that shifts all the time in countries around the world and families assimilate to a new culture as they adapt to a new place. At this moment you are also part of a US regional culture and there is no shame in *also* identifying as part of it. That won't erase any Greek part of you.

The above doesn't aim to discourage you in any way on searching more about Greek culture! It's only a general disclaimer. People from inside a culture (usually in diaspora) tend to judge those who participate less, as if any person with X heritage is in a place to keep the same amount of touch with it 🙄

Sure, tradition is very important but nobody should be forced to practice it if they don't want to - or if they just can't. Tradition is people, and some traditions change or die naturally because many individuals from the inside wanted it to.

It's hard being caught in between - not "American enough" and not "Greek enough". The paradox is that you must first feel secure in this position. Granted, it's easier said than done but mentally it will save you the mindset of needing to be "more American" or "more Greek". As you understand, you don't need to feel apologetic to Americans for who you are, and you don't need to feel apologetic to Greeks in America or anywhere else for the exact same reason.

Some Greeks of diaspora feel distressed about their accents in Greek (or they don't want to admit they have an accent) or for not being perceived as Greeks automatically by other Greeks when they visit the country. But that's unavoidable because these differences exist and people raised in Greece can spot them. Therefore, people in the US whom you are afraid might feel superior to you for knowing more things about Greece, may come to Greece and feel like foreigners.

So they shouldn't make this a race beacuse it's not one they would normally "win" by their own standards. Chances are, after you learn anything you can, you will also have distance from what is considered the "default" Greek culture. It's part of the organic process of time + distance from the country, and Greeks with half a brain won't look down on you for that.

What I mean to say is that there is no certain bar an ordinary person can ever pass to be given any prize of the "ultimate Έλληνας". Not even Greeks in Greece know where that bar is when it comes to their own touch with tradition. There is no golden standard, no finishing line!

I encourage you to continue your journey on learning Greek things and while you are at it, know that objectively you have nothing to prove to anyone, even though you might feel otherwise. I say, fly to your grandma's cousin and let her teach you stuff!

You know that the intimidating demeanor Greek aunties and grandmas have doesn't necessarily reflect their love for you. You might also know that older Greeks are more reserved in showing appreciation. And in the hypothetical scenario where they don't really like you that much, they are still bound to you because you are family, so feel free to use their expertise 👀 If they don't give their knowledge to their family, whom are they going to give it to?? The neighbor??

If they throw any shade at you for now knowing enough take a deeeeeep breath, remember this isn't a race, and continue learning from them. (And you will feel the Greek experience of not deemed worthy enough by your relatives 😂 It's a win win!) If you haven't, check the poem Ithaca by K.P. Kavafy! I think it applies to this situation in a way!

You can always come here and browse thousands of posts about Greece! (In the Desktop version the most important show up on the left of the main page). I have #modern Greece #Greek custom #Greek tradition #Greek dance #Greek cuisine #Greek literature and whatever else your heart desires!

If you want to slowly learn Greek, Greekpod 101 and Easy Greek channels on YouTube have great content! I also have my tag #learn Greek on this blog with sources and explanations. (#Greek language and #Greek word can also be useful!) They are all accessible to English speakers!

You now have a distant Greek auntie who is at your disposal for any type of question (even the "stupid" questions)! Literally, ask me anything and I will try to answer it or find more info for you! You can DM me if you don't want to leave an ask. You are not intruding and it's my pleasure to help!

[imagineteamfreewill]

Here’s to Witches

Title: Here’s to Witches

Pairing: Reader x Sam

Word Count: 1,331

Warnings: None

Summary: Sam and the reader are each gifted something after saving a group of housewives on a hunt, and Sam’s gift is exponentially more... enthusiastic than the reader’s.

A/N: This is completely unedited, so please excuse any mistakes. If you see any glaring ones, please feel free to (politely) send me an ask or a message so I can go in and fix it. The gifs that inspired this fic can be found at the end because I thought they were too cute to not include. Also, feedback makes the world go round and makes my blog a lot more enjoyable for everyone! Please reblog this fic with your thoughts or send me an ask or a message to tell me what you think. Enjoy!

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“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this happy,” you said as you leaned against the dresser. The knobs dug into the small of your back and your shoulders but you ignored them as Sam looked up at you with a wide smile.

“I just can’t believe this is real,” he replied.

Bones jumped up on his hind legs, pushing himself slightly off the floor as he tried to regain Sam’s full attention. He succeeded and you couldn’t help but laugh at the way Sam raised the pitch of his voice to talk to his new—or rather, old—furry friend.

“You know, when the witch said she’d brought back someone dear to your heart, I figured we’d come back to the motel to find Bobby or something.”

Sam glanced up at you again, his smile undimmed. “I didn’t think it would be Bones either, but honestly…”

Smiling, you moved away from the dresser to see if your phone had regained some battery. It had died on the way back from the abandoned winery where the coven had been holding its meetings. Thankfully, you hadn’t needed it to call for help. The coven was more domestic than anything you’d ever encountered on a hunt; the witches mostly used their magic to bring dead houseplants back to life, get the smell out of laundry they’d forgotten in the washer, and thaw meat that they’d taken out of the freezer an hour or two too late. You’d been in the midst of trying to figure out how to ask them to stick with what they knew when the real troublemakers had shown up, figurative guns blazing, in an attempt to harm the housewives who were in almost too deep. 

You and Sam had eradicated the bad witches with relative ease and the handful of women had been so grateful to you that they’d put their collective energies together to give you each a gift. They’d given you something you’d thought long gone—a box of photos from your childhood—and they’d promised Sam something “dear to his heart”. 

After unlocking your phone, you quietly placed an order for a few pizzas, knowing that Sam was probably starving after the busy day you’d had. You were about to press the submit button when something bumped against your leg.

“I think he likes you,” Sam said, and you looked down to find Bones sitting at your feet. He was giving you a heart-warming doggy smile and his tail was going a mile a minute. It was almost comical how hard he was trying to sit despite the fact that his butt was wiggling right along with his tail.

You chuckled and crouched down to run your hand over Bones’ back. “Hey buddy! Are you hungry too? Is that why you came over here?” you cooed. Your voice jumped up an octave, just like Sam’s had, but Bones responded quickly and was up in your face as he tried to get as much of your attention and touch as possible.

Sam laughed too, standing up and stretching his arms above his head while he watched. He was clearly enjoying having Bones around and in the back of your mind, you sent up a silent prayer that this wasn’t a temporary thing. If Bones was ripped away from him, it would be a heartbreaking loss. Sam had already suffered so much and you wanted to ensure as much as you could that when he wasn’t on a hunt, he was happy and comfortable.

“You want some pepperoni, Bones? Huh?”

The dog yipped in response and you grinned, then stood. You quickly placed the order on your phone while Bones tried to get more attention from Sam. 

“Pizza should be here in about an hour,” you said, and Sam nodded. “So what do we do now? Think Dean’ll be okay with Bones being at the bunker? And in the Impala, for that matter?”

Sam shrugged. Bones was standing on the bed now so that Sam could pet him without having to sit down or bend over.

“Okay, well maybe we should pick up supplies before we get back,” you suggested. “That way, Dean can’t say it would be easy to get rid of him. And we should probably make an appointment with the vet in town, too…”

You pulled out your phone again, but as you were starting to research the veterinarian offices in Lebanon, you felt Sam’s eyes on you. Slowly, you glanced up from your phone and met his gaze.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Sam answered, shaking his head with a smile. “I’m just happy.”

“Okay… Weirdo.” You went back to the website. After another minute or two, you still felt Sam’s eyes on you and you sighed, dropping your hand down to your side so you could fully look at him. “What? Why are you staring at me, Sam?” The question came out with a laugh and Sam’s smile widened.

“I don’t know. I’m just… happy. I’m happy that you’re okay with this,” he said.

“Why wouldn’t I be? You love him and I think having a dog would be great.”

"Well I knew you liked dogs, but the last time we talked about getting one, you said that you didn’t think it would be a great idea. What changed?”

Shrugging, you tucked your phone in your pocket and went over to them, making sure to start petting Bones immediately so you wouldn’t get licked in the face again. You pointedly avoided making eye contact with Sam, instead focusing on the retriever who was practically vibrating with happiness at all the attention he was getting from the two of you.

“Honestly? I don’t know,” you answered. “I guess it’s because I don’t want you to have to give him up, you know? I like to see you happy, and Bones makes you happy. He makes me happy, too,” you added, knowing that Sam would call you out on it if you didn’t.

Sam hummed in response, and the two of you continued to pet Bones in silence, only occasionally laughing or talking to the dog when it felt right. 

An hour later, you were setting up the pizza while Sam took Bones outside for a break. The dog had come with his own collar—thank you, witches!—but he’d had to find a rope in the trunk of the Impala to use as a leash.

“It smells good!” Sam said as he opened the door and stepped inside. You glanced over at him with a smile, then laughed when you saw Bones pulling at the makeshift leash to get nearer to the table. When Sam dropped it, he made a beeline for the pizzas and you had to quickly shove him back down onto all four legs so that your dinner didn’t come with a side of dog hair.

“Whoa, buddy! Easy, calm down! You’ll get your dinner soon enough!”

Sam was grinning from ear to ear and you grinned back, feeling the contagious joy bubble up inside of you.

“Pepperoni?” he asked, and you nodded, grabbing the little container full of slices they’d included and holding it out for him. Bones tracked the movement intently and you laughed again as Sam grabbed it and pulled off the lid.

Instantly, Bones was sitting down, his tail wagging as he stared up at Sam.

“Well, at least he knows to sit,” you laughed. Sam laughed too, and soon the three of you were chowing down on your respective dinners.

We’re like a little family, you thought as you settled down beside Sam against the headboard. You’d both torn the top of the pizza boxes off so that the box was easier to hold in your lap, and he’d turned on a mindless movie while you’d made sure Bones had water. 

“Here’s to happy endings,” Sam said, holding out his beer.

You clinked yours against it with a smile, then a quiet chuckle. “And here’s to witches, which is something I’d never thought I’d say!”

(Gifs are by @frodo-sam​ can be found here. I couldn’t find them in the tumblr gif search or I would have included them that way, sorry!)

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[papergirllife]

Down The Rabbit Hole

Xiao De Jun (M)

🎃Happy Halloween,everyone.🎃

*gif credits to owner

*masterlist is pinned at blog.

warnings : unprotected sex, high sex, choking.

Alice in distress,

may the Cheshire cat be blessed.

Community service your mom said, it’ll be great for publicity, which is all she cares about. Your mom is the part of the community of your neighborhood, and let’s just say she loves fulfilling her duties so much that it’s become an obsession of hers to be seen on the local papers for the activities she attend, something like a minor celebrity. Sadly, the moms here all love her, your mom wanted to work a reputation up, since your father left her for someone younger, your mother needed something else to fill the emptiness and lack of accomplishment she’s felt because of him. Hence why you’re trekking in the forest of your town, trying to pick up as much rubbish as you could that were thrown by irresponsible hikers.

“This is all you fault Y/N, if it weren’t for you, we won’t be stuck in this shitty hike in such a cold weather.”

Becca was part of the so called ‘friend group’ of this neighborhood of yours that your mom forced you to make friends with just because she was friends with her mom. You don’t bother answering her nor the deathly glares from her clique to you, you didn’t have any real friends in this town, other than one or two boys you played games with.

It was until the middle of the hike when your mom called for a break, the community members all started to sit down and have a picnic.

“Remember to clean up after yourselves,” your mom said.

You chewed on a sandwich you packed begrudgingly, wishing you had hot food instead, cursing at yourself for not packing food into a thermos. When you finished, you decided to venture further away on your own, unable to stand the not so silent whispers behind your back. You decided to sit underneath a sturdy looking oak tree that looked older than any other tree here. Once you leant back, your back started falling, for some reason, the stem of the tree opened up and swallowed you in, the hole you fell in closing as you fell deeper into the hole. You didn’t scream, you were too scared, you knew you would be dead once you hit ground, so you closed your eyes and waited.

Instead of hitting ground, you fell into something that felt softer than cotton, with a blue glow like the clouds on the sky. Were you dead? You looked around, you were still in the forest, but the forest looked different here. Were these the unexplored parts of the hill?

“How graceful, Alice has nothing on you, sweetheart.”

You screamed, trying to get out of the ‘cloud’, but all you could do was trash in it because of how it’s too soft and big.

“Easy, don’t panic. I’m right here.”

Suddenly, a man around your age appeared next to you, his smile bright and somewhat familiar looking. That’s when the memory came back to you.

“You’re just like the Cheshire cat in Wonderland. Where am I? And who are you?”

“You’re in the other side of the forest, or the whole world, depends on how you see your position geographically. I’m Xiao De Jun, but you can call me Xiao Jun, and I’m a fairy. Oh and another detail? I eat humans.”

“Wait what? What do you mean the other side? What do you mean fairies eat humans?”

“Well, let’s just say fairies aren’t all Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, those stories are told just to induce naive humans like you to fall in our traps. But you’re a pretty one, and you didn’t scream like a darned banshee just now, I might just keep you.”

“Keep me? Get us out of this thing, who said I was an object?!”

“I’ll get us out once we reach my palace, now hold on tight sweetheart, and please don’t scream like a mad woman, or I’ll eat you up in a gulp like the others.”

Xiao Jun booped your nose with his index finger before he leant back with an cynical smile on his face. The cloud floated up high, letting you see the scenery below you clearly. There were cities just like the human world, but instead of metal and blocks, these were held up by wood and magic, because there was no way a building as tall as the Eiffel Tower require no bolts and nuts, and you doubt its transparent like bubble had any glass panes.

"It’s beautiful.”

“It’s nothing compared to the beautiful lady beside me.”

You could feel your cheeks heating up at his flirty remarks. You quickly thought up of something to divert the topic, not being used to receiving compliments out of the blue.

“You said you have a palace? Are you a prince?”

“I’m a king, my father just passed away.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Xiao Jun.”

“For a human you’re quite sentimental, cleaning the forest, not threatening to kill me even though you have a knife in your pocket, and not screaming at me like a mad woman. You’re quite different from what I expected.”

“What do you...

“That’s our stop, less chatter and get a move on, or no mint chocolate ice cream for you.”

Calling Xiao Jun weird would be an understatement, his personality was like a cross of between Marry Poppins and Willy Wonka, and his palace was nothing far from that either, fortress painted with pastel tones, and that fountain was definitely chocolate, the windows looked like panes of thin candy, while the draw bridge was shaped like a milk cracker. The swimming pool at the back looked like it was filled with different flavours of fanta.

“Are you the witch from Hansel and Gretel?”

“Do I look like an old hag?”

Instead of entering from the main entrance, the cloud took you to the back of the castle where there was a balcony which overlooked the pool and the garden. Once you landed, the cloud disappeared beneath you, but Xiao Jun’s quick reflexes caught you before you fell on your butt.

“Welcome to my chambers. I forgot to ask for your name sweetheart.”

“Y/N,” you said as breathlessly, still in shock from your near fall.

Xiao Jun’s room was huge, the walls were mint green while the furniture were all made of dark oak with gold accents, just like his favourite ice cream flavour. You looked up to see a beautiful chandelier that defied the laws of gravity. The candles as well as the whole structure of the chandelier was shaped like an overturned tiered cake, each tier turning at its own pace with different colours flickering on the candles. The bed was just like the cloud you travelled on, just bigger and in a shade of pastel pink that made it look like cotton candy.

“You must really like your sweets.”

“The only human food that actually tastes good. Make yourself comfortable, it’s not like you’re leaving.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m keeping you.”

“You can’t do that! I don’t belong to you!”

“It’s written in the stars that you’ll be my queen, and I don’t have to force you. You’re going to stay.”

“Why would you know that?”

“Because I’ve been watching you and your fate in our stars, you lead an unhappy life in the mortal world, living like a balloon which lost its string, wandering aimlessly, slowly deflating just like your personality. When was the last time you truly enjoyed yourself without your mother giving you disapproving looks? What happened to your dream of being a writer? What happened when you said you wanted to go out for your birthday? What happened when you told her about your anxiety? Oh right, she called you a freak.”

Xiao Jun wasn’t shouting the words in your face, in fact it was gentle like an angel’s singing, yet what he said drizzled into your heart like sweet poison. You let out a chocked sob, you felt naked under his scrutinisation. Xiao Jun observed your life under a microscope, knowing you better than yourself.

“How do you know all of this?”

“I’ll show you.”

Xiao Jun wiped your tears with his expensive button up, the tears making the blue silk turn inky black. He then took your hand in his, guiding you out of his room into a room down the same hallway. Compared to the other odd looking fancy doors, this was bare of any jewels or gold. Xiao Jun turned the knob and led you in the dimly lit room, the room only had a large mirror with red candles on its sides.

“Show me, Lee Hyenji.”

That was your mother’s name.

The mirror flickered a few times before showing you the image of your mother.

“Where is that dumb girl? Always day dreaming and never getting things done. Wandering on her own, I’m just waiting for the day she leaves me like that useless father of hers.”

“Show me Becca Park.”

“I’m soo glad she’s lost, we don’t need to deal with her just to make our mothers happy anymore. She didn’t like hanging out with us anyways.”

Xiao Jun’s eyes flickered to yours to see your reaction, instead of holding sadness like he thought it would’ve been, your eyes were empty, the images on the mirror reflecting in your eyes like shadows in a murky lake.

“Why aren’t you angry?”

“Because they’re right.”

“No, they’re not. Mirror, show me Saved Memories.”

The mirror played images of you working on your short stories, snippets of you singing along your favourite song, as well as videos of you learning a dance.

“You shine like the brightest star in the galaxy sweetheart. Don’t let ducks call a swan ugly. They’re not even in your league, darling.”

“Am I?”

“You don’t need my confirmation, you can see it as well, maybe a flicker here and there, but those little flickers will grow into a  flame if you leave that life of yours. Don’t think too much about it, come, have a shower, I’ll show you to your room.”

Xiao Jun took you down the hall into your room, which was in front of his.

“I made it just like the bedroom in your world, so there shouldn’t be a problem with figuring out the shower. That laptop is yours, as well as those books, they’re the ones you already have and ones that you always wanted to read. The internet’s password is your birthday, yes we have internet access here. I painted the walls with the shade of blue you love, the bed is lilac, since you love that colour as well. There’s clothes from your own wardrobe as well as our clothes, it might be a bit fancy, but you might like it.”

Xiao Jun turned into such a sucker for you, the ‘I eat humans’ was such a front, you couldn’t help but smile at his dorkiness.

True to what Xiao Jun said, the shower was just like a regular shower, and the clothes in the wardrobe were nicely prepared to fit your size, making you wonder how he knew even these little details.

You went out and knocked on his door, Xiao Jun was out by the third knock, his hair now in yellow curls.

“What’s with the hair?”

“This is my natural hair colour, didn’t want to scare you too much just now. Though we really do eat humans, just the hearts, the hearts taste exquisite, according to the old fairies, and only if they threaten to develop that piece of forest. We used to eat humans all the time, until my father put a ban on it, didn’t want to look suspicious.”

There was a look of horror on your face.

“Trust me, only the old fairies eat humans, we prefer animals most times.”

You let out the breath of air you were holding in.

“This is my own private dining room, and tonight we would be having steak and ox tail soup, no humans.”

You manage to let out a laugh at his odd humour, starting to feel more at ease in his presence.

The two of you ate and drank wine, talking about his life as a royalty in his fairy kingdom.

“My mom told me I would have wings, I was so scared I checked my back every night before I slept, until I realised no one had wings and that it was just something made up in the tales.”

After dinner, the two of you danced ungracefully, the wine making your head light and footsteps a mess, giggling at each other’s mistake. After the two of you got tired, Xiao Jun carried you into his room.

He placed you on top of a couch, taking a seat beside you to admire the beautiful stars in the clear night sky.

“Would you like to try fairy dust?’

“It makes you fly? Like Peter Pan?”

“That is only one usage of fairy dust, we eat it as well. Wait let me show you.”

Xiao Jun took your hand and led you to his walk in wardrobe, it was just as big as the room he gave you, but what caught your attention was a mini pool, but instead of liquid, it was filled with swirling sparkling dust.

“Oh my god.”

Since you were drunk, you did the dumbest yet most logical thing ever, jumping into the pool. The dust made you bounce on an invisible force.

“Why am I not flying?”

“You have to give directions in your head, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that, I wouldn’t want to call medic when you hit your head.”

“Right...Jump in, join me!”

Xiao Jun shook his head in disbelief, but jumped in with a smile on his face regardless. Xiao Jun walked to your direction, stopping right in front of you.

“Breath it in.”

You did as he said, the fairy dust making you feel happy and free, as well as a warm feeling in your stomach that you can’t put your finger on once you look at Xiao Jun,, your eyes scanning his beautiful physique. Xiao Jun breathed in the dust after you, his eyes diluting into a darker shade of brown, his senses picking up little things about you that he didn’t before, like the plump of your lips, the curve of your hips under that tight skirt.

“Y/N, I want you.”

Xiao Jun kissed you with fervour, his tongue dipping into your welcoming mouth. Instead of pushing him away like he thought, you kissed him with just as much passion, your hands starting to linger under his shirt. Xiao Jun started to unbutton your top, throwing it out of the pool.

“No bra?”

“This isn’t the mortal world, there aren’t any sex predators here.”

“What about me?”

“This is for you, my king.”

Xiao Jun didn’t know whether this was you talking, or the fairy dust in your system. Xiao Jun marked up the length of your neck, purple flowers blooming in his wake as you started taking off his shirt and pants.

“Why the rush, love?”

“I need you, please.”

The amount of slick flowing onto your legs was too much to be normal, you didn’t know what side effects the dust has, but you just needed relief, and only Xiao Jun could give that to you. Xiao Jun took off your skirt and panties, smiling at that pretty piece of ruined silk in his hands.

“Wonderful.”

Xiao Jun let his hands travel southwards as his lips engulf your breast in his mouth, nibbling and sucking away like a new born, as well as leaving a mark near your nipple, the slight possessiveness sending shivers down your back. Your hands curl in Xiao Jun’s soft locks as he pushes a finger into you, when he could feel how wet you were, he decided to push two more in, curling his fingers at your sweet spot, making you cry out his name breathlessly. 

“Xiao Jun, more please. I need you inside me.”

You grinded onto his bare cock, his pre cum smearing over your slit, egging him to slide inside you.

Xiao Jun, pushed inside you in one go, your wet walls welcoming him. The action made both of you moaning in sync, lust filled relief washing over the both of you, making both of you crave for more. He started moving once you adjusted to his length, you could feel every vein and curve of his length as he bottoms out inside of you. Xiao Jun pushed himself closer to you, feeling you nipples against his own as he thrusted inside of you, the friction making your head spin from pleasure. Xiao Jun couldn’t believe it, after so many years of waiting, he finally had you in his arms, withering under his pleasurable touch. Xiao Jun slides a hand from your hips down to your clit, rubbing quick circles over it. Whimpers of his name fall from your lips like a beautiful piece of music, you were nearing your high as you felt the build up of an orgasm as your toes start to curl, your legs wrapped tighter around Xiao Jun’s waist as your head falls onto his shoulder, the overwhelming pleasure binding your body with his as he continues his thrusts, pace quickening once he felt you nearing the edge. Xiao Jun lifts you higher to thrust into you at a better angle, his tip hitting your sweet spot with every thrust, making you scream his name as your nails dug down his back, the pain mixing with the pleasure fuels Xiao Jun’s desire to absolutely ruin you under his touch.

“Cum for me, Y/N. I know you’re close.”

When you didn’t answer his request, Xiao Jun snapped his hips against yours at an even quicker pace, the speed of his thrusts inhuman, making your head swirl in pleasure as little bits of saliva drip from your lips down your throat as you throw you head back, the sight of the marks Xiao Jun left behind from earlier pushing his need for release. Once Xiao Jun wrapped a hand around your beautiful neck, you lost it. You couldn’t even scream as the pleasure was overwhelming all your senses, blinding white light behind your closed lids, your mind chanting his name like a mantra. Xiao Jun let out a beautiful moan once he felt your walls closing around his length in a vice grip, sending him over the edge as he paints your walls a milky white, his pearly white teeth biting down your shoulder to muffle his noises.

Once your orgasm subsides, you collapsed into Xiao Jun’s arms, energy drained completely by the handsome fairy. Xiao Jun carried you into his bed with the assistance of fairy dust, glad that he didn’t need to wobble into bed supporting your weight as well as his. He adjusted the pillows and blanket to accommodate your comfort, slipping in beside you once he was done, taking you into his warm embrace. Only one thought in his head.

‘You’re going to be with me for eternity, and nothing is going to take you away from me, my love, just like what the stars told me.’

[fabdante]

The Vergil and Kat Post

So um. This like idk essay, analysis, rant thing took took like five attempts to write because I would not stop rambling and it’s still like just barely five pages long. And that’s after I cut it down from like 11 pages.

The short version is: Kat and Vergil are really interesting and complex as we view their relationship usually from an outside perspective which leaves much up to interpretation. If you’ve been on my blog for a while you probably know the interpretation I have of them because I eat up tragedy like candy, but that’s not the only one. 

The (very) long version is beneath the cut. And unfortunately this time there are no pictures. There’s some analysis but also just a lot of rambling. If Kat and Vergil, in any form, are not your cup of tea, this is probably not a post for you which is chill!

I’m going to start with the end. Vergil’s Downfall.

Recap, when Vergil encounters Hollow Vergil in his personal trip to his personal hell and all, Hollow Vergil eventually asks ‘but what would you do if you had another chance’. Vergil doesn’t answer. But since he’s the player character, we get access to his thoughts. And we get a montage of Kat. At first one might think this is about how the plan went wrong. Vergil’s regretting the plan. Then it becomes increasingly more apparent the thread that ties all the scenes together isn’t the plan, isn’t the plans failings. It’s Kat. Not Dante and Kat. Not the plan. Just Kat. The scene ends with a scene from mission 2, a moment from the end of the only cutscene Vergil and the real Kat share alone. There’s this little moment that seems to exist to show how pretty Kat is.

This is his last thought. Not the plan. Not how Kat relates to the plan. Not how he mistreated Kat in service to the plan. It’s just Kat.

Act one of Vergil’s Downfall is all about Vergil and Kat. The whole things a reenactment, just somewhat twisted, of how they met. Kat in Limbo, in danger from a demon, and Vergil doing what he can to help. He doesn’t hesitate either. He hears Kat call for him, call for help, and he runs. Except in Downfall the threat is with them, something he can fight and slay head on. So he does. But everything is wrong now. ‘Kat’ berates him. She tells him what Vergil must think she’s thinking. That she feels used, that she thinks Dante’s better, and all that. And Vergil tries to explain, he tries to justify himself, even if this ‘Kat’ is not his Kat. He wants her to understand, though. Because she’s Kat after all.

He needs to hurt her to proceed, of course. But he can’t. He can’t until she turns into a physical monster. Not until this fake Kat becomes something entirely unKat can he actually hurt her and proceed.

The Hollows represent aspects of Vergil that he needs to kill to gain power, as well as his insecurities and the people he cares about and more. Kat represents his humanity. So I suppose, in a way, it’s not surprising that she’s the hardest for him to kill and the one who receives the least of his cruelty that we see later in the game. But, the point still remains. He faces Hollow Kat first. And he begs her to understand him, longs for things to go back in what way they can.

(Also, an aside, it’s interesting to think about how Kat is not only humanity, but Vergil’s humanity. The implication being that Kat in a sense grounds him. A foil to how inhuman Vergil is.)

Downfall takes the scraps that the game gives and gives them a revamped, strengthened context for Kat and Vergil and their true feelings and intentions. The first game doesn’t give us much and why should it? They are built in a show don’t tell philosophy because, well, Dante can’t tell us about Vergil and Kat. He can only see. So we only see. But Downfall, we are explicitly told that yes, Vergil cared for Kat. She is important. And she is his one regret.

So, Downfall proposes that Vergil genuinely cared for Kat. And the base game proposes that Kat genuinely cared for Vergil. And it’s hard for me not to talk ramble when I talk about them because there’s…a lot of little moments between them that I love, little things that I find interesting to pick apart and wonder about (and have over the past 8 years). I’m going to try not to do that, though. Try being the operative word (I have failed all five write ups preceding this one).

Kat is often described as naïve because of her relationship with Vergil. But I think this is an inaccurate description. We never see her blindly trust anyone in the game. She doesn’t trust Dante because she just believes in him. We know this because she’s immensely skeptical of him and if he’s going to be helpful up until after the succubus boss fight. And we know she’s skeptical of him because she questions Vergil about it and she remains skeptical, keeping Dante an arm’s length away. She is not naïve. She trusts Vergil because he’s earned that trust.

It’s hard not to see how he managed to do that. He helped her kill her foster father and escape a bad situation, but it’s what happened after that solidifies this deep connection between the two. Kat tells Dante how Vergil helped her afterwards while she coped with the trauma and it’s something she mentions more then once. Kat’s trust and loyalty to Vergil is because he’s earned it. Because he has seen her at her worst and did not run. He stayed. He helped her through it. And still he stays now. It’s easy to imagine this going both ways, that seeing Kat ‘raw’ as he says makes Vergil vulnerable right back.

Plus, Vergil compares Kat when he first met her to Dante (‘He’s raw. Just like you were when I found you.’).  I think one would be hard pressed to refer to reboot Dante, the one with self proclaimed trust issues, as naïve.

So, we have a relationship of deep trust between the two over what is implied to be a long time. The sort of trust and intimacy you get when someone sees all of you and knows all of you. At least, I think that’s Kat’s end. When it comes to Vergil…well, opinions are complicated.

There are the three options of how Vergil feels about Kat if we simplify it down. One, he was using her and this was all to use her and get the plan finished. Two, he was using her but grew to care for her over time. Three, he was never using her and this was all real. I’m three all the way but one and two aren’t really contradicted anymore than three is. Which is an issue when talking about Kat and Vergil and trying to be all inclusive but also concise. There’s no one answer. There are just different opinions on what the answer is.

For me, it’s hard to reconcile the idea that he did not care for her with what we see in Vergil’s Downfall. Or when we have moments like his genuine joy that she’s alive in the server room. It’s hard for me to reconcile the idea of Vergil using her this whole time when it feels like a lot of work to keep her at his side when she can’t even control her powers. It’s hard for me to reconcile the deep connection I see between them.

For other people, the opposite is hard. Seeing what happened in the server room, seeing Vergil write off Kat entirely, seeing him call her useful and referring to humans as subjects, cannot be reconciled with the idea that he genuinely cared for and about her. Or how one could get a very loyal side kick the way he goes about this, saving her and giving her a home and purpose and everything. It’s an easy way into getting a loyal assistant.

All that I can tell you is how I see it. And what I see is two people with a deep intimacy with each other. The relationship may be messy and complicated and not perfect, but that’s what I see. That’s not what everyone sees, and that’s ok. That’s just what I see and that’s what this post is about.

I think its notable to about how important this relationship is because Vergil actually gets like, jealous about it. I get side tracked for too long when I go on about this so, in keeping things short, we see Vergil in the background get frustrated with things Dante says to Kat (namely the ‘I like it rough’) and we see him get kind of jealous in the game. But we really see it in Downfall. And sure, there are things he’s jealous about that pertain to Dante that aren’t Kat related. But there are things that do relate to that. We mostly see this, again, with Hollow Kat. She pisses him off when she mentions Dante being a real man. There’s of course stoking at Vergil’s insecurities since he’s lost to his twin and he already seems to feel envious about how easy things are for Dante and everything. But there’s also the fact it’s Kat saying it. It’s Kat who’s telling him she prefers Dante. That stings Vergil, this idea Kat cares about Dante more than him.

Part of this I think is from the fear that Kat will run off to Dante because of their similar backgrounds. They both have similar childhoods, something Vergil didn’t experience. Which, going back to what I said, a person who must pride himself on how well he knows Kat (and how well she knows him) must find that kind of threatening. 

There’s this scene added in the Definitive Edition. Before that we were left to assume Kat wandered the tower and that’s how she mapped it for the twins, but the Definitive Edition makes it clear canon. This makes the scene where Mundus records himself with Kat as a threat to the twins the only time we see Kat out of body in the game. During this experience, she assumedly betrays Vergil’s name to Mundus. Before the Definitive Edition scene, I always just kind of wrote off that moment. Kat’s under extreme duress, she’s just saying whatever at this point. I thought this for years after, to.

But then one day, after replaying the game for the umpteenth time, a thought came into my head. She’s out of body, in Limbo, surrounded by demons. She says his name because Kat is looking for him. She say’s his name because despite what happened in the server room, she still trusts Vergil. She doesn’t say Dante’s name, she doesn’t call for anyone else. She calls for Vergil. Because who else would she call for if not Vergil, the person she’s closest to and the person who saved her before?

It’s this sort of thing that makes the betrayal hurt as badly as it does for well, everyone. Us, Kat, Vergil, Dante. But focusing on Kat and Vergil, it’s the trust. It’s this deep bond between the two of them that’s suddenly shattered. What do you do when this person you think you know so well doesn’t do what you expect? When they do the exact opposite, actually? When they suddenly don’t understand you at all? It’s such a foundational relationship for the two of them to, it’s earth shattering to go from knowing a person so truly and deeply to looking at a stranger. This is all kinda true for Vergil who must have expected Kat to understand even if he may have thought she’d get upset. But this is all extremely true for Kat

It’s kind of a double sided betrayal. While I’m not really going to say Kat betrayed Vergil, because she didn’t she stayed true to her word and what she thought they were fighting for and everything, Vergil feels betrayed to, just like Kat and Dante. And oh does Kat feel betrayed. One of my favorite like, animation, character moments is like the pure disbelief, anguish and betrayal on Kat’s face at the betrayal it’s so well done. Like even the little look she does out over the city then back to Vergil like it’s just its good but not important back to topic. Kat thought they were fighting to free humanity. And Vergil seems to truly think this is for the best, if humanity is under his rule.

While one can argue Vergil’s goal was power, I feel like Vergil’s goal was the same he had from the start. Vergil wanted to free humans. He’s not even wrong, really. If Dante and Vergil do not put someone on the throne to replace Mundus, a new demon will take his place. Without someone controlling the demons, the demons will wreck havoc uncontrolled. However his wording could use some work. That said do I think Vergil is susceptible to power corrupting him. Absolute power corrupts absolutely sort of deal. I feel like him and Dante are similar in this regard, neither I think is quite equipped to rule with the amount of power that Vergil proposes they get. I also think Vergil didn’t think he’d get to this part, I don’t think he really thought about what happens after Mundus. Not the specifics. He ended up with this conclusion later in the game, and as a result never floated it by anyone. And to be fair, no one asked.

Kat always seems so full of hope at the end, right after she get’s Dante to stop killing Vergil and everything. She’s got these big Kat eyes, like she expects now things will go back. Vergil will say this was a joke and he’ll come back and things will be normal and she will have her best friend and the world will be safe. But that’s not what happens. Vergil leaves, of course (not after him and Kat have a long extended stare where they must be wondering mutually if the other will change their mind, if she will follow or he will stay). The whole ending in general from start to finish we get a lot with Kat and Vergil subtext. How she manages to get him to listen for a moment, even if Dante ends up getting him too angry to listen by the end. How Kat goes out on a limb to save Vergil, even if she didn’t have to.

She must be wondering, to, how real it all was. Dante’s answer I think is that it wasn’t. From what he saw, from his limited scope, it wasn’t. He cannot reconcile it, and why should he? He was thrown into their lives and resistance group with no context and he ends with little more. But Kat’s left wondering, and Vergil’s left regretting, and I’m left lamenting about the very large lack of post game Vergil/Kat content. 

I don’t know. I could keep going. At just over four Microsoft Word pages, this is the shortest attempt I’ve made at this. And I will surely write up some more analysis on them, I didn’t even get to talk about fun stuff like Kat’s theme (or the comics but I left those out on purpose I have…complicated opinions on the comic), or like more about the whole divine/human angle here. I could keep going on and on and on like analyze every little microsecond and sound like this:

Which, to clarify, I will 100 percent do if prompted lmao. But I guess the short of it is, in my biased opinion, I think Kat and Vergil are in love. I think it was real. I think Vergil found her and he helped her because she needed help. I think they know each other better than anyone else. I think some things may have gotten muddled in the mists of being in a rebellion and saving the world and that rebellion was their priority. I think going into the DmC: Devil May Cry post game must be complicated for them, unable to let go of the other but unable to come back. It’s the sort of complicated relationship and tragedy I find fun to write and to read. That’s how I see it, anyway.

Also I mean idk if we are to believe Vergil’s bigger dick comment as truth, who else saw both Dante and Vergil’s dicks? Who except Kat? Who else had this info? Who else would Vergil believe? Just saying. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.  

(edit: also I spelled hollow wrong like multiple times in this essay forgive me it should be fixed now lmao)