#wow i think this is the first time i've ever ranted about stuff like that

[nose-rice]

Guys I NEED to rant about my thoughts on Nuru because i love her <3 ramblings ahead

Like I feel like in almost every fic i read, she's just like, a side character that's there to make whitty remarks to Hugo and be the levelheaded one. If she has an insecurity or problem it's usually pretty surface level and solved quickly, or only mentioned once or twice. I think there are SO many aspects of her character that are so cool.

Okay first, I think we sometimes forget that she's a nerd just like the rest of the gang. Yes, on the outside she's definetly the most 'normal' one, but I think we should concider the fact that she's the only girl in the group, and she's literal royalty. She was raised with a completely different set of standards than the other three. I don’t think I've really ever seen anyone cover that. I feel like she would get called "mature for her age" when she's only 15/16, and almost always gets critisism when she talks back with her own ideas (like her concerns about the meteor shows for example). I feel like out on her journey, she would finally get the freedom to just be herself, and be a kid and be able to rant on about her intrests with the rest of the group. It could be a struggle at first, but it would be awesome to see her getting more comfortable with the group the longer they spend together! Nerds encouraging nerdy rants lol

Since she is a kingdom figurehead, you could also argue that she always has a lot on her hands (especially since she's very proactive when it comes to science and solving problems). This could bring up a need to be productive, or always feeling like she needs to make the right decision, even for the littlest things.

I also feel like a lot of the time she's potrayed as the "right" one, who is 100% right when it comes to stuff like arguing with Hugo. Since they're opposites when it comes to class, they often are compared through that lense. I think it's cool just having Nuru tell Hugo off for judging a book by its cover, but I feel like they have a lot more in common than they realize. I think it would be interesting to see Nuru judging a book by its cover too. Maybe not to the degree that Hugo does, but I feel like calling out both their judging would not only call out character flaws, but it also enforces that even though they hate eachother and would never want to be like the other, they have a lot of the same flaws.

Also, being sheltered in a palace her whole life, I think she might think kind of black and white sometimes, and while she knows when people are just being mean as an act, she might struggle when it comes to people like reformed criminals.

Maybe she's able to be meaner to Hugo because she justifies it by telling herself he's criminal, and therefore bad, possibly glossing over the reasons he might be like that (maybe it crosses her mind, but she tells herself it's not a good enough reason, because stealing is still stealing, and he literally steals EVERYTHING. Even little trinkets and stuff he definitely doesn't need!). When they find out about Varian's criminal history, maybe she reexamines her views on morality and how she used to see people, because by her standards, Varian is a 'bad guy' who's caused harm to SO many people, but he's also the kind, caring, helpful friend that she's been traveling with who would never willingly hurt anyone.

Moving on to Amber x Nuru, I honestly never find myself liking the ship because Amber isn't developed enough which is fine. I don't think every character has to be a magnificent work of art. Side characters are side characters, but their romance is usually written like: "wow that girl is cute! I have a crush now!" Which is cool, but then that's about as far as it gets, then timeskip! Or offscreen they're a couple now. I know it's a side couple so it won't have as much devlopment as something like Varigo, but I never really see their dynamic play out in different situations. Like I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like they solely exist to be a couple? Amber sometimes just feels like an extention of Nuru, and their relationship feels surface level a lot of the time.

I feel like too often she's just watered down to the nice, smart, grounded friend, and I don't know I just think there’s so much more to explore with her. She’s not just some side character. She's literally part of the main cast! Even in fanart I feel like she doesn't really get a lot of stuff besides funny art and just like, pictures meant to look pretty. Unlike something you get a lot with characters like Varian or Hugo.

And honestly I get it. Some characters you just don't take an intrest in. I know I find Varian, Hugo, and Nuru more relatable than I find Yong, but I feel like part of that is developing their characters rather than just seeing them on a surface level. Ofc there are exceptions and there are some stories that dive deeper into Nuru's character out there! I just happen to see this A LOT.

Wow i said "surface level" a lot didn't I 😭😭

Anyway thank you for reading my rant i wanna know what you guys think!!

[foundnthestars]

For the things we lost au, has there ever been times where Stan tells stories to Dipper to calm him down after a traumatic experience or just before bed or just in general?

I know currently Dipper’s and Stan’s relationship hasn’t gotten to that point yet but I’m curious!

Also what other tricks besides teaching Dipper how to use a gun and stealing does Stan ingrain in Dipper? Does he teach him all the tricks he knew from his days of the street?

And since Dipper’s still growing does Stan teach Dipper how to conserve their money, how to shave, how to barter with people/ being okay with talking with crowds or how to do certain math problems (because Stan has worked on the portal for a long time you can’t tell me that he didn’t pick up some things even if begrudgingly)

Does Stan teach Dipper all of his best Uncle Jokes/funny stories, and despite saying he (Dipper) hates all of them does Dipper secretly appreciate them ever once in a while?

Does Dipper help Stan with stuff too? Like does Dipper learn to read different Alien languages just so he can help Stan read stuff or does he steal a little bit of extra food because he knows if Stan doesn’t get enough for the both of them, all that food will be put towards him sl Dipper gets more to help Stan?

I know that Dipper had helped Stan with his hearing aids but what other things does he do for Stan?

DO DIPPER AND STANLEY EVENTUALLY GET A PIRATE ADVENTURE?! Please say they get a space pirate adventure!!!

Also do both Stan and Dipper pick on some alien languages because with Stanley picking up Spanish and Dipper’s interest in learning new languages I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch for them to learn

wow, HELLO! :) you literally made my entire morning when i had to peel myself out of bed at 5am to make it to my shift, and i've been thinking about these asks like all day. thank you anon!!! thank you for giving me an opportunity to rant about this wonderful, beautiful, tragic au. i'm so glad you're enjoying it!!

first off, yes, 100%. there's actually quite a bit of that in the next chapter. as dipper's walls begin to come down and his anger toward stan slowly but surely ebbs away, so too will stan's walls. in canon, stan doesn't share really any of his childhood (at least from what we see) with the kids until atots. in ttwl, it's implied that stan tells dipper more or less the same story we got in that episode (just minus ford's perspective/part of the story), but he will be sharing a lot more of his backstory, life advice, and stories with dipper as the fic progresses. this will help dipper understand stan's motives and will help move the healing process along for them. a lot, if not most, of dipper's anger toward stan is just resentment for being left in the dark (dipper famously hates not knowing stuff). and stan wants so badly to regain dipper's trust. he also wants to protect him from the things he feels he's failed him on this summer already (read: bill). 100% we will see stan rambling about this or that or this to a traumatized and or terrified dipper just to keep him out of his own head and to reinforce in the kid's head that he has someone beside him that he can trust.

side note: stan (and ford's) struggle will be in trying to maintain the kids' childhood and trying not too force them to grow up too fast. but they aren't perfect people and the circumstances are obviously awful and not conducive to helping maintain the kids' innocence. they'll fail and fuck up and they'll get some things right, too. but i can definitely see stan trying to lighten the mood/share stories as i can see ford taking mabel on light-hearted, low stakes adventures when things with the portal become too intense and her mental health begins to fall by the wayside.

SECOND, there's so many things stan will teach dipper! but, i'm willing to bet that stan didn't exactly take the best care of himself during those years he spent on the road. so there will be a lot of things he will have to learn himself! like, where stan spent weeks and weeks skipping meals because he had to, he can't stand seeing dipper do the same. he won't allow it. he'll have to push himself even harder to make ends meet than he did during those years. he wants better for dipper.

as for the things he teaches dip, i'll just list some of them out. you'll definitely see these things play out in ttwl but this question is fun and it's a fun sneak-peak:

stealing (pickpocketing and petty theft both)

how to put on a half-way decent con (in journal 3, ford mentions having to talk his way into food and shelter, and stan and dipper will 100% have to do the same. i imagine he'll actually catch on pretty quick but he'll absolutely hate doing it.)

how to read a face (i.e. is this person full of shit. everyone knows a good con man can spot a con right back)

how to drive (later)

how to shave DEFINITELY. dipper will start growing a little stache or goatee and stan will practically shove a razor in his direction the second it starts coming in.

how to be a ladies man (they'd have their roadside attraction arc and dip would learn basically that confidence is in himself and not in stan's fake womanizing "skills")

things dipper should be learning in school. stan clearly wasn't at the top of his class but you're right in saying that he learned a lot of things when he was building the portal. and dipper's a curious kid, they'll both seek out ways to help him keep on his education in some shape or form.

life experience/advice/etc. stan has 58 some years of life under his belt and he'll share whatever wisdom he has. can't promise all of it will be good lol

there's definitely more that's slipping my mind at the moment, but yes to all of these. and yes to the horrible uncle jokes. none of that stops. and once dipper starts being able to bear him a bit more, he'll secretly love hearing them. he'll love them for the normalcy they help him feel and because if stan is able to laugh and make jokes then maybe everything will be okay. maybe it's okay for him to laugh too, even if everything is so shitty.

as for reading alien languages, there's actually some plot explanations regarding translators that will be explored next chapter. as a resident guardians of the galaxy fic writer, i know all about writing about sci-fi translators and the like. i'm keeping the same explanation for how translators work in this fic too. meaning, dipper and stan will be able to read most alien languages really soon. though, because i like the idea of stan and dipper being able to speak some of the languages they learned during their time across the portal when they get home, they'll probably still try learning some alien languages without the need for translators. i imagine they'll get home and just start speaking, i don't know, like Galactic Standard with each other and ford will pop in and chime into the conversation without missing a beat and mabel will just be standing there wide-eyed and entirely lost for words.

AND YEAH. dipper will do lots of things for stan! besides the unintentional things that dipper does that he doesn't know about — like giving stan a reason to get up in the morning and filling him with happiness and purpose — he'll do his best to reciprocate favors! like, 100% if dipper noticed stan was skipping meals so he could eat more he'd steal something on the side for stan or lie and say he isn't hungry. they'd also both do little things for each other like steal or buy little trinkets or items the other person might like. stan'll buy dipper a notebook to chronicle their adventures and dipper will steal these chocolates he knows stan likes or a funny little doodad or whatever. maybe a gun or a knife if he's feeling crazy.

dipper will also sacrifice his own sleep a lot in order to take watch. the kid's an insomniac already, and stan is older and needs more sleep to recover from brawls with giant alien creatures or running from the law, so dip will do a lot of selfless things like that for stan. both of these guys tend not to think of themselves much so they'll probably both try to sacrifice stuff equally as much. of course, stan wont really let dipper most of the time.

and, i'm not opposed to a space pirate adventure. inquiring minds want to know more.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

The most salient point to me in all this is that he used an unnamed ID app to try to figure out what mushrooms he found because he thought "Man those look good." The app misidentified the mushrooms as edible puffballs, but in reality they were destroying angels (Amanita ocreata). One is enough to kill an adult, and this person ate four of them. He's very, very lucky to be alive.

This is far from the first time someone put their entire faith in a single app to tell them what mushroom they were looking at, and then they paid the price with their health. You're going to hear me say this again and again: never, ever, ever use an app as your only tool for identifying anything, especially if you're planning to eat it. An app can be useful in conjunction with other tools like books, websites, online foraging groups, etc. But apps are frequently wrong, and are not the easy answer many people seem to want them to be.

(Rant about foraging below the cut.)

This right here is why I spend a decent amount of time in my foraging classes trying to scare the hell out of my students. I want them to understand the risks, not just as a brief aside, but as anecdotes I've collected from the news over the years like this one. I have had more than one person say afterward "Wow, I had a really romanticized view of foraging, and now I'm going to be more careful." That's a clue to me that I've done my job.

It's why my classes are SO focused on identification skills and tools to make you a more informed and careful forager. I am not going to just spend a bunch of time showing you slides of all sorts of edible species, with a little bit of information on how to identify and collect them tucked in before or after. Yes, we do look at some beginner-friendly species near the end of the class, but if all you want to get out of a foraging class is names and pictures of edible plants or fungi, that's what field guides are for. I spend the bulk of the time doing my absolute best to make sure people are PREPARED to go out and use their observational and critical thinking skills when assessing a new-to-them species, to include making use of many different types of resource, not just a single app.

I have literally had people complain that we spent too much time on "boring" stuff, and not enough on the edible species themselves---aaaaaand I don't care. My goal is to try as hard as I can to make sure incidents like the article above don't happen in the first place, which is going to take more than a couple of hours of looking at pretty pictures of mushrooms. Sure, sometimes all you get is a night of bad indigestion, but if you get one of the really nasty species full of amatoxins, you can die. Or end up with permanent liver and/or kidney damage. Or need an organ transplant.

And yes, as I said, you will get information on some species that I think are relatively beginner-friendly because they're distinctive AND they don't have any really serious poisonous lookalikes. But puffballs aren't on that list, and this article is a perfect example of why.

[wukong-s-only-wife5000]

Macaque: First Meeting.

Masterlist | Next--->

You didn't visit Pigsy’s Noodle Shop as often as you’d liked, but whenever you did, you heard countless and seemingly endless tales from Tang about either the Monkey King, which you already knew since you were there for them, or MK. It was a no-brainer that Tang had a thing for you and wanted to impress you with his vast knowledge, but sometimes it was too much. You were pretty sure everyone knew of it, but you never had the heart to shut him up and risk hurting his feelings. You were grateful that MK had Pigsy and Tang looking after him, but sometimes you really hated hearing Tang talk about the same things: how you had been, Monkey King and MK. 

You were proud of the kid, sure, but hearing about it every single time you visited reminded you quickly of why you barely ever visited in the first place. Thankfully, Pigsy was always quick to shut him up for you and reminded you of the reason you do visit; the mouth-watering noodles and homey atmosphere Pigsy and MK brought.  

At the moment, it was MK who was talking, mostly complaining, about someone named Macaque; someone that Monkey King apparently knew from way back. You'd never heard of such a name in the time you’ve known the Monkey King, which was a very long time, so he obviously piqued your interest greatly. 

“So, what's so special about this ‘Macaque’ person?” Your question made MK scoff and he seemed to be in his own little world as he ranted.

“Nothing. He just thinks he's all that because he’s all-powerful and stuff,”

“Uh huh…” you mused.

You listened to MK in silence as he told you of the times that he ran into Macaque… but from what you heard, the male didn't appear to be the bad type of person he seemed to be at the beginning of the Monkie Kid’s story. He sounded less like the villain after the Lady Bone Demon was terminated. Something you, unfortunately, hadn't been able to help with since you were abroad handling some personal business.

“Seems to me that you, despite stating he wasn't that great, actually learned a lot from this Macaque person,” you stated as you ordered another helping of noodles.

“Well… I guess,” MK rubbed the back of his head. “Looking back, I guess there were times he was an okay teacher, but most of the time it was just to get what he wanted!”

“Wow, you think I was an okay teacher?” a foreign voice startled you both from behind you. “I appreciate that, kiddo,” the monkey you guessed was this ‘Macaque’ person chuckled.

To put it frankly, the emo-looking version of Monkey King was rather handsome. His dark theme was truthfully very attractive; you couldn't help but look at your noodles to hide your blush. 

“What are you doing here?!” MK questioned as he got over his brief scare.

“And who’s this little one?” he asked MK, ignoring his question as he looked at you with interest. “Oh~ I see, you must be the famous (Y/n) I heard so much about.”

“Pity that, before today, I've never heard of you,” you glanced at him then slurped your noodles as he chuckled. 

“Ouch,” he said, “then let me officially introduce myself,” he said as he held out his hand to you with his other hand in his pocket. “The name’s Macaque. Well, Six Eared Macaque… is my full name.”

“Hm,” you had to admit, the slightly shy way he said his full name was very adorable. You sighed softly and shook his hand. “(Y/n) (L/n),” you introduced yourself before going back to finish your noodles. Macaque stared at you with a small smile for a good while before he looked at MK as he finally answered his previous question. 

“I wanted to check on my favourite student, is that a crime?” he mused. 

“I'm not your student,” MK stated, which made you look at him with a raised brow. 

“I'll see you guys next time,” you said and paid for the meals you had. 

“Awe, leaving already?” MK pouted as he looked at you disheartened, but you knew he was trying to guilt trip you.

“Yeah, plum, stay a while,”

“Yeah, don't call me that,” you said as you looked at him with an unamused look. Internally… it made you scream and made your heart beat faster. It sounded much better than Wukong calling you Peaches… maybe just a little bit. Maybe it was because of his voice? “I got stuff to do,” you smiled at MK with your usual smile. “I'll visit again soon, I promise.”

“Yeah, last time you said that, you didn't visit for two months,” Pigsy huffed as he called you out.

“Well, I was busy,” you blushed as he called you out like that. “But, I'm not as busy as I was before, so I promise I’ll visit more often than before,”

“It was nice meeting you, plum,” he tilted his head a bit to try to see your face.

“Uh, yeah, you too,” you said but tried your best not to look at him, you couldn't bear to see that look again or risk him seeing your flustered expression.

“I hope to see you soon,” he said.

“Mhm…” you nodded and quickly made your exit. You could feel his eyes on you as you left the noodle shop up until you made a right.

“She's nice,” Macaque looked at MK in amusement. MK looked at him with an unamused expression… but he had to admit that that was the most he’d ever seen you talk to a stranger. He was impressed yet clueless, but Pigsy was suspicious as he looked at Macaque.

“Now, what do ya really want?” He folded his arms.

“Nothing,” he chuckled and shook his head as he passed his hand on his jaw and mouth to find he was smirking. 

“Nothin’, huh?” Pigsy didn't buy it for a second, but he recognized that dazed expression of a man anywhere.

He did lie though… but it wasn't that he genuinely came for nothing. It was that he couldn't exactly remember what his reason for coming to the noodle shop was in the first place. Maybe it was to check on MK? He did say that, right? Or maybe it was to annoy him a bit? Macaque couldn't remember… you had plagued and completely taken over his mind. 

“Things just got a bit more interesting,” Macaque mumbled to himself with a smirk of disbelief at your effect on him. He’d just met you yet this was the effect you had on him? Interesting indeed.

“Huh? What do you mean?” MK looked at him in confusion.

“Nothing,” Macaque chuckled and shook his head. “I'll see you later, kiddo,” he looked at MK before he disappeared through a portal he opened below himself. 

[laugtherhyena]

Out of curiosity, Are you able to talk about all the characters in Danganronpa Another and what you do and don't like about them?

And out of curiosity, what is your opinion on the creator?

Be ready for a lot of rambling anon because you just opened the floodgates here.

Ok so first and foremost, I don't really feel much towards Linuj himself? That's sorta of a me thing where i tend to not care much about the creators of stuff i like so you'll never see me go like "wow i love this person they're fucking awesome" or "Goddamn that guy sucks" (unless said creator has done something genuinely awful, in that case obviously I'd dislike them) at most you see me go "that's wild" or complain about writing decisions and that's about it, none of that makes me inclined towards liking or disliking Linuj as a person. Tho as much as i rant about his games i gotta give credit where credit is due, the dude manages to make two whole games prey much all by himself and I respect that honestly.

Onto the opinions on the charcters, I'll just be doing the Dra folks because it's been years since i last went through Sdra2 and since I don't like that game nearly as much as a the first one i feel like whatever I've got to say about the characters would be really shallow in comparison to the first game's cast and that's like,, not fair? In my head?So yeah, sorry Sdra2 fans, maybe some other time.

Kiyoka Maki

Kiyoka is a character i genuinely love a lot because she feels like the most perfect execution of a first victim character in a Danganronpa type game, so much so that i am genuinely appalled that Linuj just randomly decided to pick her as the first victim like, what?? She fits that role so perfect that it genuinely feels as if she was created with the idea of being the first victim in mind rather than creating the character and only assigning the role later, from her personality, to character traits and even down to her design, everything works so well together that it's insane for me to think that he created the pinnacle of first victim characters pretty much accidentally.

Regardless, the way she was written and inserted into the story never fails to amaze me but i already went into more details about that here so go check that out cuz now i wanna take this time to talk about her as a standalone character instead of just her role in the story.

Because really, Kiyoka is such a funny character! She's just this silly girl that wants to chill out and hang out with her besties but she could also shoot you square in the face from several feet away. That immense discrepancy between her talent and personality is something i always found absolutely hilarious, tho if there's one thing i dislike about her is that i wish Linuj would have explained how she got into spining in the first place? Since it's such an out there talent that Kiyoka herself doesn't even like that I can't help but wonder how that happened. Not in a "the character NEEDED this" way, I'm just genuinely curious and I'd love to know how she got herself into that pickle.

Her interaction with everyone else in the cast are delight too, i love thinking about her and the sunshine trio going around and getting into stupid shenanigans and i think Linuj did a fantastic job writtring her and Ryutaro's relationship, it's a very realistic portrayal of sibling relationship which makes me really sad whenever i think back to ch6.5 and how Ryutaro will never be able to apologize to his sister. Fun fact! The ending segment of that chapter where we see him at Kiyoka's grave was the first time I've ever cried over anything that happened in these games.

Mitsuhiro Higa

Higa is in this weird spot where I don't dislike him but I don't like like him either, it's this limbo area where I'm way too indifferent to actively dislike him so he just exists there and I don't think about him like ever and that's pretty much it.

Seriously, it's hard for me to even think about way to say in terms of likes and dislikes when it comes to him because i just. Don't think about Higa-

One thing that sorta bothers me about him is how Linuj tried to make him a bit "heroic" in that one flashbacks sequence we see in Ch6 that shows how the class was captured. It's just comes out of nowhere and it's so jarring considering not even his FTEs try to paint Higa in a nicer light. It's also really weird to me how Kizuna, the other awful person in a similar vein as Higa, didn't got any of that treatment which is just,, off.

Kizuna Tomori

And speak of the devil! Kizuna Tomori my beloved, they could never make me hate you❤️

I actually got this question about Kizuna specifically a while ago, so go read that post so that I won have to repeat myself here.

Ayame Hatano

Do you guys know Dungeon meshi? Have you ever seen people talk about how they've improved their eating habits or are generally eating and cooking more often because of how much they like Senshi, whose main character traits revolve around proper nutrition and cooking? That's literally me but exercising frequently out of how much i love Ayame.

Honestly? I feel a little embarrassed getting to talk about my liking for her like this because this is a character that's only around for like 1/3 of the game at most? If you count flashbacks scenes and extra materials like the FTEs and the IF chapter. At the end of the day Ayame is by no means an incredibly complex character so I'm not here to ramble about how she's actually really a deep and intricately constructed character and you guys just don't see it because ultimately, she isn't.

The older i get the more i realize that this is the sort of character i tend to gravitate towards in any media i consume. Very rarely do i ever become this attached to characters who are super intricate and complex, let alone main characters, i feel like even simpler characters like Ayame who has pretty normal life in comparison to others from the cast and not a lot of crazy stuff going on in her backstory have things going for that the casual fan may not notice but are absolutely worth looking into.

And it's crazy because i like quite literally everything about Ayame from her character to her design, in fact, it was her design that initially brought my attention to her because Ayame's hair is one of my favorite hairstyles to see in any character design ever (specifically the little spiky parts on the side that stick up a little) so that immediately made me like this character a bit before i even knew anything about the game other than the death order and that it came before Sdra2. And for real, i think Ayame's design is really good, simple yet solid much like the character herself honestly.

While Ayame was always amongst one of my favorites characters from Dra, I was much more into Sdra2 back when i first got into the series so for a good while my liking for her wasn't as imense as it is nowadays, but it was definitely more than i liked any other character in the first game though i could never quite place my finger on why i liked her so damn much. It was only when i got back into the another series years later that i was hit with a wave of emotions as i remembered how much i adored this character and looking into her again with a better understanding of things made me finally piece together what made me love her so dearly. Spoiler alert, it went much beyond my dumb teenage self pointing at the phone screen and going like “she's just like me fr‼️” to the point that nowadays i really don't relate to Ayame as much as i used to back then, i guess a good term to describe her would be a comfort character of mine but that doesn't feel that right to me either? I think this level of attachment to a fictional character goes beyond that like she has a special place in my heart and I think by now I've rewatched Ch2 more than any other person in this fandom-

I think what i love the most about this character is the inherent contrast within her, one so prominent that it goes as far as blending into her sprites and expressions, she appears as a serious and maybe even a little intimidating person upon first impressions with Yuki and while those are indeed parts of her Ayame is also a caring girl with a huge heart she's just a little awkward.

She struggles quite often when it comes to communicating and socializing with her peers but i cannot stress enough just how much Ayame cares for her classmates even though she's not the best at showing that, and don't mean just Akane (though she's by far the person she was the closest to). In the Ch2 post trial we learn that Ayame had actually been affected pretty heavily by the first motive video the cast was given yet she kept it to herself which when taking into account how she wishes for the rest of the class to get along as she's leaving for her execution reads to me as Ayame genuinely caring for the others as well to the point she wanted them to see her as strong so that they could also remain strong amidst the despair, and if that isn't enough to show her care then just look at the fact that this girl went as far as reopening an old wound on her leg, one that brought her so much pain and despair in the past, as a means of apology to all of them in case she managed to win the class trial (+ i personally believe this was also a self inflicted punishment for killing Kizuna since Ayame is well aware that she could have tried to save her instead of leaving her to bleed out with a knife on her neck, but that's more on the interpretation side than in-game implications.)

And this is where the nuance of this character comes in because while Ayame is a good person at heart, and a courageous and determined one at that, she's not beyond being cruel and getting her hands dirty in order to protect those she loves, but amidst this desire there's also a heap of selfishness in her acts that Ayame herself admits in the post trial as being the reason why she didn't just admit she was the killer from the start. She killed to spare Akane's life from an unavoidable execution but at the same time she wasn't free from the urge to take that as a chance to leave hope's peak academy herself and that's just,, ough man i love when characters can be brutal yet kind, selfless and selfish at the same time and i think this conflicting aspect of hers is what truly makes this character special.

So much so that i feel like if you just look at chapter 2’s case purely from a “clean” perspective where Ayame wanted to save Akane and there's not much more to that then you're missing out on the most interesting aspect of both the trial and her character and if that's as deep as most viewers tend to interpret her actions then it's no wonder why she's commonly deemed not very memorable and tends to be reduced to her relationship with Akane.

Yes, what she did was noble and it truly showed just how much she cared for Akane when she was willing to give up her own life and dreams for the future if it meant sparing her from a terrible fate, but you can't just gloss over the fact that at the same time Ayame had the selfish desire to use that as an opportunity to escape, and most importantly in my opinion we shouldn't ignore the fact that this sacrifice came in the form or brutally murdering someone she had the opportunity to try saving. It's just as cruel as it is noble yet simultaneously intertwined with Ayame's own selfish desires and wow! This character makes me unwell❤️

So yeah, in conclusion i like Ayame a whole lot and i wish more people would acknowledge the fact that she's kinda of a little freak too.

Kakeru Yamaguchi

So Kakeru is a weird one, in concept i like him quite a bit! I love the gentle giant archetype and i think the idea of him switching into a more assertive and loud personality in trials is really cool, but much like Kakeru as a whole, that is pretty underutilized and results in a character that could have been so much better than what we actually got in game.

I get the feeling that Linuj didn't really know what to do with Kakeru, he had a handfuls of ideas but there was no proper execution for them and he so he was sorta just,, there for the ride. I think what bothers me the most is how dumb he is in the trials, sure, DR trials aren't at all similar to the real life ones he would have been used to going to due to his talent, but that doesn't excuse the fact that Kakeru is surprisingly dumb in both the trials he's in when he should at least be able to argue and bring more to the table than just be another one of the characters that goes "i don't get it" or says something blantantly wrong for Maeda to refute. + If he smarter than that then maybe he could have been one of the characters to oppose Tsurugi more directly, since he is a lawyer and Kinjo has his "all criminals are scum" mentality. It would have fit well in with the characters and storyline but because Kakeru is such a nothing burger that role ended up being passed to Kinji since he's one of the few smart characters in Dra.

Still, none of that makes me dislike him it's just a little disappointing and ultimately makes him one of the people I don't think about very often but he's still a pretty sweet dude who i think it's pretty silly and funny in his interaction with the others from the cast so yeah, he's neat :]

Kanata Inori

You know, Kanata wasn't a character i originally thought much about but the more i looked into her the more i started loving this character, simultaneously, i felt disapointed of how underutilized she was in the story, but I'll get into that later.

Kanata is just such a sweetheart and you can really feel how much she cares for everyone during her interactions with the cast during the storyline, she's also quite useful in the trials she was in seeing as she was able to perform autopsies and give Yuki information that he probably wouldn't have known otherwise which more often than not ends up being pretty decisive in figuring out who the culprit is. I also really enjoy her backstory and how Ando's kindness in working to save her life despite the borderline nonexistent chances of her making out alive inspired her in such a way that Kanata decided to pursue a medical career so she could bravely save people just like he saved her! They're one of the sweetest family relationships in this series in my opinion so much so i get so sad whenever i rewatch ch6.5 and get to the part where Ando talks about Kanata and how she's an amazing kid :(

Much like Kakeru, the one thing i dislike about this character is that she was ultimately underutilized in the story, but whereas Kakeru's came from the fact that his character is an unorganized mess of ideas, Kanata had things going for her, they just weren't shown through most of the time she was on screen for whatever reason. Seriously, why was she reduced to the emotional character who cries all the time? I get that she's very nice and cares a lot for her classmates but c'mon, she worked at a hospital she should be able to deal with the situation at least a little better instead of bawling her eyes out whenever something bad happened.

Kanata hit a yakuza member on the head in the middle of a gang fight so that she could treat him properly once, she can be fierce and assertive when the situation calls for it, so why did she never do that in the main story?? This is absolutely baffling to me because it genuinely does such a disservice to the character and can end up driving people away from learning more about, like if i wasn't writing for an AU where she was a major character during the time she was alive I don't think i would have looked deeper into this character and learned how incredible she is because the main story made me think of her as just "the emotional one who cries all the time".

I also feel like it was a missed opportunity to not have her being the one who died trying to save the other ch3 victim. Like c'mon, her backstory shows us how she can often put other's safety before her own, that would have fit so well.

Kinji Uehara

Just like Kakeru, he's also a character I don't think much about but that comes from personal preference rather than feeling as if he was underutilized in story. Kinji just isn't the kind of character i tend to pay much mind to and that's ok! I do think he's a pretty interesting character, with his deal with the orphanage and also being the traitor in the game, i also enjoy how he always made his opinions clear to everyone like when he left the group because he didn't agree with Tsurugi's way of going about things and how he stood up against him and called him out in his hypocrisy in the Ch3 post trial.

If there's one thing I don't like about Kinji's is how linuj structured his murder plan, his method are SO violent for a character who had a noble motive and wasn't just some kind of crazy serial killer. Kakeru's make sense, since he was trying to stop him as fast as he could but i just don't understand why he still went on to kill Kanata when he had already killed someone (which was all he needed to do according to his deal with Monokuma), we're never told that Kanata saw it was him who attacked her, so why did ge insist on killing her anyway? Just because he had the plan set already? A plan that was also uncharacteristically brutal for a guy like Kinji. Seriously, when i first spoiled myself of all deaths in this game i got to Ch3 and thought "oh so he's the token crazy serial killer character" and while i was happy that he wasn't that, it's jarring that he got so violent out of nowhere + his breakdown in trial also feels pretty out of character in my eyes.

Haruhiko Kobashikawa

See, Haru is a cool guy, him Satsuki and Teruya (for a good part of the game) are essentially DRA's comedic relief characters and I've always had a big soft spot for those in DR games, when my faves inevitably die really early it's there character's inclusion that keep me watching the rest of the game!.. And then they die and struggle to get myself to watch the final chapters because most of the remaining characters are people I don't care nearly as much for- (thank god Ch5 has Mikako and Teruya survived the whole game)

But the thing is, when it comes to Haru himself I don't actually have much to say about him? He reminds me a lot of Kiyoka in the sense that he's a pretty normal guy for his age with a really out there talent that he's crazy good at. I think where Haruhiko really shines is not in his actions during Ch4 (tho that was amazing too, i can totally see why this is so many people's favorite chapter/case in Dra), but in his interactions with the other character because pretty much every single one of them are just so endearing to watch, regardless he's just being a dumbass or getting into trouble, in fact! I quite enjoy how he's a little hot headed (not sure if that's the right term)? The dude stands his ground and is not afraid of getting into fights if something's bothering him a lot, tho his own shortcomings and paranoia can often get the best out of him and he'll be sorta of an asshole and makes him feel so real to me, like he's just some dumb teen bound to make mistakes in a dangerous situation like the killing game and i really like that.

If i had to think of one thing i dislike about him I'd say is how he was characterized in the Ch6 flashback segment, like, by that point him and Satsuki are a couple right? So why was he trying to hit on the random Kisaragi fundation worker? That's not necessary out of character for him, but it's really weird that he's doing that despite havinya girlfriend of her own (smh Haru, i expected better from you).

Satsuki Iranami

Satsuki isn't a character i talk about a lot but i like her a lot! Not only is she a genuinly funny character who i love seeing her interactions with pretty much anyone in the cast, but i find her relationship with her family and the way she goes about it really interesting. I think anyone who've seen Satsuki's FTEs can tell that her family is insanely abusive, creating an environment of making their kids compete and compare themselves to one another on who's the best clown and treating Satsuki like absolutely garbage since she's considered the worst of them. Hell, I'm pretty sure they only sent her to hope's peak so they could get rid of her since she was of age to attend which is just,, damn. This is a fucking awful place to grow up in.

Yet Satsuki herself isn't a sad person nor do we ever see her get really depressed and upset when talking about her family, at most she looks a little sad and, unfortunately, agrees with them that she's the worst of the clows while sticking to not crying or sulking about it, instead she goes on to keep being silly and joking around which has always striked me more as a coping mechanism instead of "Satsuki it's too stupid to realize how terrible her family situation is" because as goofy as she is i do get the feeling that she knows her situation is absolutely awful but doesn't know a great way to cope with it other than what she's already doing.

And this seeing this strange coping mechanism explains so much about the way she acts in the killing game, she keeps joking around even during trials or when faces with murder motives because she just wants to remain happy and tries to see if maybe doing so will lift up the spirits of her classmates as well. Not saying that this is by any means a healthy coping mechanism, like, no, Satsuki girl it's okay to cry and be upset over terrible things, be it her family situation or the killing game, but this is nevertheless the most fascinating aspect of this character to me.

And once you take that into accound, it makes perfect sense why she was choosen to be sorta the "hope beacon" of the cast in Ch4 because really, that's just what Satsuki's Been doing the whole game. Tho i do wish this aspect was given more of a spotlight even in Ch4 itself because on first watch (without going through her FTEs) it felt a little jarring to me how Satsuki "randomly" became really important, but i consider that more of a nippick in comparison to other things I've complained about here.

Yamato Kisaragi

Oh right, this guy! He exists in the same indifference limbo as Higa but only because I don't think about him that often (so much so i forget he exists sometimes) because whenever i do think about him he gets violently pushed onto the active dislike section. Which is really funny to me considering Yamato is the perfect and super cool genius guy of the first another game, and that's a big point on my lack of care for him. The game insists in telling us how awesome Yamato is, how all of his classmates like him and how much of a hero he was for try to save them both in the Ch6 flashback and in the IF chapter, and i think that's exactly what made me feel such insane annoyance/repulse towards this character to the point that I'll see him and just groan and roll my eyes.

He's a character the story actively wants us to like but he's just so bland and generic that this push just annoys me and i feel nothing towards him as a person, the fact that we barely see him be himself in the game doesn't help either since he died almost as soon as he's introduced and all we have are flashbacks, the other character's opinions/memories of the guy and his Ai version. And even when we do see Kisaragi be himself in the IF chapter, his role there is like,, textbook generic anime nice guy protag and i just feel?? Insane???

His bland ass is like a piece of wet cardboard to me that i see people point at and act like it's the coolest thing ever and i just look down at it in my hands and think, i don't get it. I don't see it.

And don't even get me started on how Linuj fucking side lined Mikako's role and character in favor of giving this guy the spotlight by having him come in as if he's the goddamn saving grace of the killing game and solve all the mysteries that were set and build up BY ANOTHER CHARACTER, because nooooooooooo we can't have Mikako do that, it has to be Kisaragi because he's THE. GUY. EVER. ISN'T HE JUST SO FUCKING AMAZING EVERYONE????????

This makes me. Genuinely so mad and since I'd rather not pop a vein while raging as i write this go look at this post if you wanted to see me ramble a little more on this part.

Wow, after this it's tricky for me to even think of a positive to say, uhm.. I guess his relationship with Mikako is nice? I do like how it genuinely seems like they care a lot for one another tho sometimes this care can come off the wrong way and lead to arguments between the two, like how Yamato was avoiding and being rude to Mikako during that flashback sequence i keep mentioning over and over even tho she could tell there was something wrong with him and just wanted to help. They're sweet and tragic when thinking about how they met their ends but I can't feel much on that regard seeing how many,, feelings. I have towards Yamato.

Mikako Kurokawa

You know i feel like we as a fandom don't talk enough about the horror that Mikako goes through during the killing game. She never lost her memories, she remembers these people being friends and having strong bonds with other another and she's just forced to sit there and watch as they forget everything and murder each other without knowing of what she knows, and if Mikako does as much as try to say a few words regarding what she knows her head already starts splitting into two and she'll have headaches so bad they'll make her pass out and puke blood. And that's without counting the fact that she's left completely in the dark about her brother's whereabouts through most of the game and when she does reunite with him is in the worst way possible because Yamato’s mental state is even worse than hers and he dies not long after with her being blamed for his murder. She had the worst time ever in that game and i feel like it really isn't an understatement to say she suffered through the whole thing.

And that's where Mikako's spirit really shines because despite all the pain she went through, both physical and mental, she always held onto hope and wanted to help her friends even if her options were incredibly limited. She cared for each and every single one of them to the point she even wanted to try and save Yuki and Akane even though she knew they were the masterminds because she thought that with their memories erased they could embrace hope as well and come out of that as better people, and in her very last moments she still wished to help the remaining characters and kept talking even though she knew it would kill her. That's such an insane level of courage and determination from her part that it never fails to impress me.

She's such an insane character I can't help but feel like we were robbed when she died, especially when it happened before she could unravel all the mysteries Mikako had help build up through the entirety of the game and instead we get her amazing and so cool brother doing that and getting all the spotlight instead of Mikako herself.. How nice.

But i think what bothers me the most about her death is that it was so?? Unnecessary?? Like, what did it do for her character arc? It feels like she died more because Linuj wanted her to die than because it felt fitting for the character’s journey to end where it did, and you can't tell me it wouldn't have been awesome to see her in Sdra2 and how she'd react learning that her shitty mother was one of the reason why that second killing game happened in the first place.

I explained my thoughts on Mikako's death in a nicer manner in this other post so please go check that out because I will never not be upset over her death in this game, especially when her execution ends in a way that she would have survived if she wasn't already dead by the time started.. that just felt like an unnecessary fuck you from Linuj’s part-

Akane Taira

Another character I've rambled about in the past and so don't feel like reiterating it all here (this post is getting REALLY long), so yeah, check it out but tldr, I think Akane is a really cool character and i think writing her so frequently in -2+2 has made me not only get a better understanding of her character but also like her a lot more too!

Yuki Maeda

As y'all know, Dra Yuki>>>>>>>>Sdra2 Yuki always and forever in my heart ❤️

Seriously, for someone who tends to really not give a fuck about the protagonists in DR games it genuinely surprised me how much i grew to enjoy Dra Yuki after i went through the game's full translation and realized “Woah! He isn't the same universal punching back as the Sdra2 one!” Because prior to that i was under the impression that both Yuki acted and were treated the exact same by the game's storyline and as you can probably tell I don't like Sdra2 Yuki all that much.

Dra Yuki differs because not only does the game not try to force the horrors upon him constantly but he feels very human in his actions, he's just some guy not the embodiment of good or a hope hype man so he's bound to get a little sick of this shit sometimes and make mistakes. We see this during Ch4 in his argument with Akane and also in Ch2 where he decides to break the groups trust by reading the secret note anyway which later comes back to bite him when the cast finds out, and this really stood out to me and made him instantly more interesting than other protags in my eyes, although I'm pretty sure this nuance of his character was done as a way to foreshadow his reveal as Utsuro/The mastermind.

Either ways, it ended up creating one of my favorite protags of any DR type game + i do really like the twist of the protagonists being the mastermind at the end of the day, it was something super unique by the time Dra first came out and it's still something i haven't seen be done in any other fangan (tho to be fair I don't look much into those anymore nowadays-)

It's hard for me to pick something i dislike about him since he's overall just a neat guy in my eyes but if i had to pull something I'd say he constantly taking Tsurugi's side feels kinda annoying at times? Sometimes it feels like he just glosses over some of the nasty stuff Kinjo says, like when he questioned why the group for kicking out Kinjo in Ch3 as if he hadn't just told Akane to kill herself right after she saw her best friend be grinded into minced meat. Like okay buddy i get that you see good in Kinjo and you wanna help him, but he really deserves to get a good slap in the face sometimes and the others are rightfully mad at him.

Utsuro

Not much to say here honestly, i feel like i like the idea of Utsuro and what he brings to the table in terms of world building, how his presence and powers affect the others around him and even the story itself. The idea of someone with insane luck powers he can't control that made his life miserable since he could achive literally anything with no effort and everyone he met only wanted to exploit said powers which led to him falling into the despair ideology since by that point it was the one thing that made him feel something it's just so,, wow man, thats some crazy angst and such an unique way to explore the borderline magical luck that exist in the DR franchise.

I love thinking about him in that vein but as a character?.. Erh, i really don't care nor think much about Utsuro at all. Which in a way, i suppose isn't all that different from how the world saw him in universe? How ironic.

Teruya Otori

By far my favorite out of the survious though I'm not sure how to explain why i like Teruya so much? I feel like part of it comes from the soft spot for comedic relief characters i talked about earlier and the rest from the way he was written in the story.

It's crazy because i feel like Teruya's writing in itself really highlights the changes in the way Linuj viewed and went about characters by the time he started working on Sdra2, i feel like if Teruya was a character that originated from that game he would be portrayed as a bad person who you shouldn't sympathize for even though he has his reasonings for acting the way he does sometimes, sorta like how Linuj tends to punish Hibiki even tho she was the bigger victim at the end of the way.

Just like Haruhiko he feels very real to me and his character arc through Dra has gotta be one of my favorites. Teruya is not a bad person, he's a good kid at heart but the severity of the situation they're in and the stuff that gets forced upon him gets to him a lot which leads to Teruya lashing out at his friends and doing some pretty bad things here and there, yet he's never portrayed as an awful person that shouldn't be forgiven or shit and he does change for the better at the end of the day. He went through a lot and came out bigger and stronger on the other side and is a shame this kind of character arc isn't properly used in Sdra2 since Linuj's mentality became so black and white out of nowhere.

I love this little guy, I'm so glad he survived the killing game though unfortunately the same can't be said for the second one but honestly? Teruya's entire role in that story was such a mess, and sometimes even a detriment to his character in my opinion, that nowadays I can't even feel that sad over his death anymore. While there are a handful of things that bother me a lot about it, like the amnesia plot just because Linuj seems to hate actually building up to things in that game and his entire role in ch4 (seriously. What was that. Why.), i think what i dislike the most is the fact that he ended up being permadead while Rei escaped the killing game fine.

I know Linuj actually gave a good explanation to why it happened (unlike Mikako's barely explained sudden brain explosion), but still, it feels like such a mean thing to do to someone who's been through so much and still tried his hardest while being in a dangerous and unpredictable situation. My guy was done dirty in that game.

Rei Mekaru and Tsurugi Kinjo

Grouping these two together because i feel like my opinions on both of them are not only pretty much the same but they also stem from the same place, so yeah-

Don't get me wrong, these two are very interesting characters and I'd argue they're one of the more complex ones in the cast as well, not only because they make it through both games but also because of their own personal backgrounds and how that shaky upbringing affected the kind of person they became as they grew older. With Tsurugi living under his father's black and white ideologies of criminals being deserving of death no matter what and falling deeper and deeper into that the more friends he loses during his life and Rei being abandoned (albeit unintentionally?) by her parents at an young age which led to her working hard to get where she's at now which not only made her quite used to being on her own but also loathe those who "take the easy" way and want all awnsers handed to them on a silver platter, which explains why she's so rude to the rest of the cast since she wants them to figure out stuff on their own too.

There's a lot to look into these characters and it makes sense why so many people like them a lot, I'm however not the biggest fan of this type of character (tho i feel like that lies more in their personality than anything else?) so i never looked much into them before i started writing DRA -2+2 and decided to look into everyone in the cast to get a better grip on their characters. And man, writing these two really did give me a newfound appreciation and love for them! They're such fun characters to write and have interacting with the rest of the cast. Tho i wouldn't by any means say i have a proper understanding of them, i feel like that's a bit out of my league still.

If there's one thing I'm not a big fan if is that i wish we would have seen more of those two in Sdra2 instead of them just having a major role in Ch6, AKA; the messiest chapter in this entire series. Like, would it have hurt that badly to not have the Void theather segments and instead cut to small scenes at the Kisaragi foundation showing what the characters are doing and how they're reacting and planing to go about interfering with Mikado's killing game? I feel like that would have been so much more interesting than watching Emma bother Hajime with bad puns while Nikei and Iroha continue being the same assholes they've always been + it would have made Tsurugi's backwards development less of a shock to see whenever Ch6 actually rolls around.

Anyways, to wrap up this massive post here's what i hope will be the definitive Carol Dra cast tierlist

[carmrants]

wow this is my first ever post :D

this is going to be about the umbrella academy's season four, so if you haven't watched it there's a spoiler warning here! other warning, this is long. as. shit. (tl:dr, i am as confused as an octopus being taken into the sky)

now, don't before i start this rant i need to say that i LOVE the umbrella academy. i started watching it around Christmas of 2020 (there were only 2 seasons at the time), and the third season even came out on my birthday last year! i love this show, all the intricate details and talks about the timeline are phenomanal. i don't know much about the comics (i've only read the first), but i do know that they are MASSIVELY different, and i appreciate them both seperately!!!

but what the FUCK kinda drugs what this season on???

now me personally, i quite enjoyed most of the whole plot things in the series. i loved the first half. i, unfortunately for five, loved the concept of him being stuck on the subways (especially with all his little other versions). i loved the idea of the timelines melding together, and while the ending wasn't what i really expected, it wasn't necessarily a hate thing if that makes sense? (tbf i am a sucker for body horror, so that might just be a me thing)

but there are some things that did not make sense. at all.

firstly are the powers. now don't get me wrong, i love the power adaptations in this season, they're really cool as a standoff. my favorite was probably five's, since the concept of the whole subway was just SO INTERESTING FOR SOME REASON??? but plot wise, it literally made. no. sense. because the marigold is from them, the powers stolen from them. luther, diego, klaus, and (mostly) ben get to keep their powers, but i don't get where the others came from plotwise. there shouldn't really have been mutations in just a jar, especially since none of the new additions correlated to each other. FOR EXAMPLE, ben's power moving from his stomach to his back can make sense, you absorb it different and it just opens a new way (especially since his power is an eldritch horror, i doubt it cares where it erupts from). and like, if lila's ability slowly morphed from just copying to gaining the powers, that'd make sense. BUT WHERE THE HELL DID HER LAZER EYES COME FROM??? AND ALLISON'S EYES??? AND VIKTOR'S FIRE?????

i'm gonna (try to) address character by character (though five & lila are at the end, you know why.) NOW LET US BEGIN!!

LUTHER FIRST: firstly, why the hell is luther a stripper? why and when the heck did that happen? (it's hilarious yet extremely confusing, and i need the backstory now).

secondly, WHY did he get his ape body back?? since the marigold is a completely different substance compared to the rest of their anatomy, it made NO SENSE. and if it did somehow merge, then that means everyone else, or at least some people should've been part ape too. SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT ABOUT?

DIEGO SECOND: i honestly quite liked diego this season, he was rather swag. (he did not deserve what they dis to him.) diego wasn't really able to be seen as a father though, i kinda wish that there was more screentime with him and his kids together as a family, or maybe some flashbacks with lila.

the only thing that really did annoy me (but i can't complain because it's his whole character) is his obsession with government people. you'd think after finding out his father (who he despises) is in the magestic twelve, he might take a second glance at the government.

ALLISON THIRD: okay, SERIOUSLY, why. the. fuck. is no one talking about the fact she literally SA'd luther??? like why is no one talking about this??? like, to me, the only reason she stopped is because SHE got uncomfortable because her rumor power made him force himself onto her (though i haven't watched season three in a bit, so i might be mistaken)

don't get me wrong, i love her relationship with claire, and obviously going through timelines and stuff makes you a not so decent person (i love five, but he's batshit crazy and probably the best example). but that does not, at all, excuse what she did to luther. and everyone just brushed it off???

i think the worst part about this is that it's worse in the first comic. AGAIN, haven't read the second or the third, but i have read the first. and in the first comic, LUTHER NEVER ROMANTICALLY LOVED ALLISON. NEVER. in the comics, he was rumored into loving her since he wasn't giving her enough attention when she was venting about patrick and claire. he only acted how he did in season one AFTER allison rumored him, which i believe is argueably way worse (since she probably would've also made him had sex, had it gone on)

KLAUS FOURTH: i loved klaus this season so much!!! i honestly don't think he got enough screen time, but that could just be that i favorite him a lot. his development of not fearing the dead as much is such a relief, and his fear of getting his power back just seemed so sad but like realistic at the same time too.

one thing i do need to address though was him being possessed by the ghosts to do 'physical buisness'. am i the only one who found that weird as fuck??? like his body was being possessed by ghosts with daddy kinks for an extra buck or two??? and also how he was forced to take his power too?? it just rubbed me such the wrong way, but i don't think anyone else is talking about it though.

BEN FIFTH: honestly, as much as i hate to say it, i kinda like how he ended the show. i was getting kinda bored viktor causing apocolypses writing thing, because although he didn't do it in the third season, he's not the only dangerous power. ben can summon an eldritch horror out of his stomach or back. and five, as figured out more in the third and fourth season, LITERALLY CAN GO THROUGH UNIVERSES.

also, as i said earlier, i am a fan of body horror. the whole corruption thing with the marigold and other element made sense to me for some odd reason? i don't think a lot of other people are happy with it, but i quite liked the whole idea and concept, especially when it was put into action. and also, on a morbid note, the monster was actually like disgustingly pretty. LIKE THE CGI AND STUFF FOR IT??? AND THE DESIGN WAS JUST REALLY UNIQUE TOO!!!

one thing i do wish though is that they made more episodes, that way they could truly go more in depth about ben and jennifer. i know that they were only there for a short time because of the element, but i feel like we kind of missed the progression between them pissing each other off to seeming really possessive? like thr whole 'don't touch her' and 'don't touch him' thing was a bit of a shocker for me, and i really just want development on thatt!! i know umbrella academy isn't exactly afraid to go into taboo topics (ahem luther and his love for borderline sisters ahem), so i felt like they should've elaborated more on it and just shown more progression. it's honestly sad that i saw more with the ship i will not name compared to them.

VIKTOR SIXTH: i'm not exactly sure what to think about viktor this season? he was kinda just there for me, to be honest. though one thing that pissed me off was him working with reginald after cursing allison out in front of the manor about her working with reginald. i mean, they are different motives which i'll give him, but it just seemed kinda odd? but i quite liked his new powers this season, his character was really nice, and im pretty sure elliot page's voice has gotten deeper too!!! which im really proud of him for!!!

but now, we must get to the dreaded part.

lila first, because i decided too: seriously, what the heck bro.

now, i think that five and lila are both in the wrong. though i throw that around loosely because i am NOT accepting that this actually happened. but lila was just, like, weird about it near the end?

she was talking about her kids and everything, but we barely saw her with them in the show at all. it's probably because it's rushed, and had there been a bit more time spent on it, it might make more sense? but it just didn't make sense at all.

secondly, SHE LITERALLY CHEATED ON DIEGO. she went on a break, not a break up. she wanted to come back, but yet she kissed five?? side note, what happened to lila's bracelet thing?? like i know that lila's one from season two broke, but i don't understand why she hated them all of the sudden.

THIRDLY, WHY DID SHE LIE ABOUT THE KEEPERS??? most of the stuff from the beginning she believed to be bogus anyways, so why was she lying about some book club??? that seemed like the most stupid thing to ever lie about.

here is also a thing i don't get about lila this season, because this part also pisses me off too. diego says near the beginning of the season that his twins were concieved because lila said that "she couldn't get pregnant while breastfeeding", which i find to be completely false. lila is not that stupid. she knows at LEAST two languages, was taught a whole bunch about the commission and their protocols, and yet didn't know that you could get pregnant while breastfeeding? diego i believe he didn't know, seeing as though he was talking to a mother, who probably researched this?? the reason i hate this is because of how much she talked about diego complaining about the kids, which is valid because if you do that at least don't do it in front of your kids. but to me, it just seems like she trapped him with more kids??? like it just seemed wrong, not to mention how he acted when we saw them before his and five's first fight, he seemed so sweet.

five second: there is a lot to say, oh my fucking god bro. but i'll start with the small stuff first :D

FIRSTLY, i feel like the plot twist of five's boss working with the keepers shouldn't have gone unnoticed. he should've known, he's the smartest character besides reginald, and worked in both the commission AND the CIA. he would've. noticed. the behaviors.

one thing that just really confused me, and also deals with the ending, was why five thought that the umbrella academy killing themselves would fix everything? the marigold would still exsist in the world, since there were more than 7 children born on that day. lila is proof of that, and so are the sparrows and phoniexs. the marigold as a flower made sense in the end, but i'm not sure why five didn't notice that??

side note, since apperently the writers don't know this. FIVE. IS NOT. A HOMEWRECKER. ESPECIALLY NOT TO HIS BROTHER???

he literally spent 45 years coming back from the first apocolypse, 2 of those years in the commission, and went through three apocolypses to save his siblings. five. loves. his. siblings. NOT TO MENTION DELORES, I HAVE NO DOUBT HE STILL LOVES HER. it just seemed really odd for him to have any romance in the plot.

aidan gallagher and ritu arya did an excellent job with what they were given, the chemistry between the two actors (although odd because of the age gap) would seem realistic. WOULD be, IF the characters WOULD MAKE SENSE TOGETHER. BUT THEY DON'T.

though one thing i think does make sense of this relationship is to see how five's mind works with romance, since he did have one with delores. and i fullheartedly believe that he would pull a stunt like keeping the journal, especially with the abandoment issues he has. the only reason why i hate it was because of the other character. and that's just in the cheating aspect, because the ages also make no sense either??

lila hargreeves is physically probably around her 30s in this part, kinda confusing to do the math though since it's not the most clear with the whole time thing. five hargreeves is physically only around 19. lila met five when he was physically around 15 to 16. and that's only the physical part!!

five, in the part that they kiss, is mentally in his 70s!!!! SEVENTIES!!! he was 15 before he spent fourty five years in the commisson, a couple months through apocolypses (hard to calculate given he sometimes goes back in time), three-four years i believe between season three's end and season four's start, and 7 years in the subway station. HE IS MENTALLY A BOOMER. LILA IS A MILLENIAL. LILA, HELL ALL OF HIS SIBLINGS, COULD MENTALLY BE HIS GRANDCHILDREN. WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT FACT????

ALSO. the fact he fights with diego instead of hurting the monster made no sense either, his whole goal has ALWAYS been the apocolypse. him falling for lila made no sense either, in my opinion it should've been five blowing lila off. (complete sidenote, i get the whole ben/jennifer body amalgimation growing bigger from the umbrella academy's powers was because of the marigold, but why the hell did it grow bigger from five's bullets? there is nothing to cleanse there, and it heavily confused me.)

OVERALL THOUGH, i am so heavily confused. so so confused. the general idea i actually quite like!!! i don't like the idea that they had to die to save the world, since it's addressed in the beginning there's like 43 children with powers. i did really like reginald having a coo coo wife, fit his character as well. THE SUBWAYS WERE REALLY COOL, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY, BUT IT WAS.

anyways, that is all!!! thanks for reading the longest rant i've written before

[thelunarsystemwrites]

Looooong ass vent

TW for: Self hate. Lots of swearing. Use of not nice words. Eating disorders, purging, self harm, suicide, rants, venting, tons of triggers, dissociation, lying, all caps, me whining, me being a bitch, mistreatment, body shaming, hateful stuff, mental illness, all that- like seriously this has more TWs than I can think of. .

I'm a jealous person. I'm sorry, it's true. I'm jealous when other people have art that gets 40, 50, more notes. I get jealous when my friends have better friends than I ever could be. I get jealous of song writers because damnit please I want to make music. I get jealous of others art,voices, bodies. I get so jealous I get mad at nothing over nothing. I get jealous at others art styles, at other success, i get jealous at my own FRIENDS wow I'm awful

I'm selfish. I'm greedy because I can't just- be fucking happy with what i do have. I can't be patient to get better at drawing, better at recording my voice, more freedom. I am never satisfied, I'm a fucking whore for any sort of love and attention and likes and reblogs. You hear me? I'm, a, whore.

And I'm fucking awful because I can't take criticism for shit, I get so fucking unhappy at it and I lie and I say I'm happy to receive it. I lie all the time like this, I'm a dishonest whore, that's worse than a normal whore! I get so bent out of shape!

And I want to make it big in the Tumblr community BUT FUCK IT BECAUSE I NEVER FOCUS ON ONE THING

M so impatient

And when I talk to my friends I-

I forget all that. I calm down, I feel... wanted.

But I'm burdening them. I'm burdening them I'm burdening them I'm I'm fucking selfish and horrible because they give and give and give and I take like a needy selfish greedy whore.

AND I DON'T SHUT UP, I'm sorry I'm sorry I never shut up

...I'm... awful. And... I shouldn't keep posting shit like this, because nobody should have to read my rambling and shit and I'm overreacting and I want to die and

Im useless irl BTW. I've been nothing but a stupid moody bitch the past two weeks, I stay up all night doing nothing and wake up at 5 pm like a useless piece of human shit that should burn in the garbage

I keep forgetting who I am, who is talking too

Im sooooooooo uselessssssssssss

Its fucking because I think my family would be happier if I didn't exist. Because that'd be one less stupid moody bitch that can't do anything and hides in their room all day that they have to deal with

Im lazy I get apathetic I have no motivation to do anything and I don't cry at sad movies like a broken robot and everything about me is wrong

And my father wanted a daughter so fucking badly, but I'm not a girl I'm nothing and he'd be so mad if I ever told him

And BTW I'm literally awful like I've run out of things I'm a jealous whore

M a whore because all tye time I think of stupid sexual stuff and then I feel disgusted I'm disgusting I barely take showers

I'm pathetic btw I never finish anything I start I have so many half assed AUs and drafts and fanfics and art and chores and needs and shit

and I sit in my room all day and play on my phone like a fucking loser. Im also really stupid btw, I don't know half the shit I'm supposed too and I can't spell shit or know history AND I HAVE THE ABILITY TO LEARN BUT IM SUCH A STUPID FUCKING BITCH I NEVER DO ANYTHING

I'm also a hypocrite because I get so snappy and shit with my siblings when they do nothing wrong except be annoying or something but when I feel justified I shouldn't because I'm still a shitty person

I barely reach out to my friends unless they text first, I'm a horrible friend that never listens I'm sorry I'm sorry I never meant to abandon anyone

And I can't take blame or accountability I'm sorry I am shit why do I keep trying to hide behind myself??

Its past 6 am,people are statving and in here venting like a bitch

I never shut up

I Bother people

i sleep in and I'm moody and I demand attention like a whore whose demanding love idfk

I never know anything, I'm rude as hell

Im sorry

and I'm protective over shit nobody cares about, I'm so damn defensive

Im sorry I'm not doing better I'm sorry I'm not improving myself. I'm so mad at myself I have so much anger at myself I direct it at innocent people I'm sorry

I HAVE NO EXCUSES, IM SO FUCKING SELF AWARE OF THIS BUT I KEEP DOING IT KM SO DAMN FHCKONG DUM IM LUTERALLY COUNTING HOW MANY WORDS OF SELF HSTE

Its justified BTW, i deserve hate

I feel like I'm lying abt being a system and artistic and depressed and anxiety like what I'd I just suddenly decided I had them?? I swear I promise I'm not faking I'm not I don't want to lie I want to be good I never meant to hurt anyone BUT I FEEL LIKE IM A FAKING BITCH

I binge food and throw it up, I hide food like a greedy pig just to purge I take others food because I'm so gluttonous and I LIE about it

and I vent and vent and vent and... and I still hate myself

I'm so fucking manipulative because anytime I talk I CSNT STOP IMSGING HOW THE CONVERSATION WILL GO, I CANT STOP TRYONG TO FUCKING GET MY WAY IRL, AHHGHGBTIDDHDH I ALEATS ACT LIKE I KNOW EVERYTHING WHEN I DONT and I purposefully annoy my siblings so they leave thr kitchen so I can binge like a fat pig, I'm a hypocrite too in every aspect. I'm toxic ok im awful

I s/h and then i forget about it so its not even a problem but I whine like it is and I want to do it so badly rn I wanna go deep

AND I RUINED MYSELF WITH UGLY SCATS they're so ugly like me inside and out

And I wanna cry and

and I'm so awful because like I get so... idk, I am. I've done shifty things, I'm a shit person. I act sweet than a condescending little bitch

and sometimes the smallest things set me off

Im jealous of everyone else

Hell I'm fucking jealous of people I've never met, I want so much so badly I'm so greedy and lustful for it and selfish

In... conclusion? The world, would, be, better, without, me

I'm useless, lazy, stupid, jealous, slutty, angry, sad, pitiful, pathetic, fat looking, no good child, moody, stereotypical, ugly, hateful, chatter box, greedy, selfish. Gluttonous, messy, dirty. I'm all the bad stuff

Dont lie, these are facts. I have so much awful in me, the world wpuld be better off without me

[pinkmarmalade1]

Long time no see!

Wow......it feels so strange being back on here after so long! I know I haven't posted on here in some months. It wasn't my intention to go blank. I was pretty busy, and I kinda fell out of the Pjo Fandom for a while. However, as of recently, I've regained interest. Which is what brought me back here after so long.

I haven't shifted in Gods-knows how long, I don't even think it's something I'm really interested in getting back into. That being said, I do have my Pjo notebook still. A notebook that I used to write things that happened when I shifted and general scenarios I wrote for my main oc/dr self. I was thinking I could just pull things out of there to post? Some of it is probably rather cringe, but hey, it was over the years.

Do people even still shift to Pjo anymore? (Or like anywhere?) I haven't seen any shifters since I stopped, and even before then It was an uncommon occurrence to stumble upon one.

Honestly, I don't think I'm gonna be shifting anymore, but that doesn't mean I want to abandon this page for no reason (especially since I am interested in Pjo once again). I'm not really sure what to even post about, though. Obviously, stuff from my notebook, but there's a lot of different things in there. So, if you have anything you specifically wanna see, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. I still have my script, so I could give more tips on that if there ARE still any Pjo Shifters out there. Or just shifting experiences or general scenarios for inspiration. Just as some things I could POSSIBLY post if it's wanted.

Obviously, I don't write fics. This is because I'm writing my own novels right now (gotta start young, y'know?).

(Also, because, between you and me, I'm not good at writing other people's characters. I just can't FEEL characters that aren't my own. I also have a fear of accidentally mis-characterizing a character. I believe that characters are art and should be recreated in the way they were built, if you know what I mean.)

(GOOD) Rant incoming....

(It’s really long, so if you want, you can stop here)

Anywayss, this is a little off-topic, but you don't understand HOW GRATEFUL I am for the Percy Jackson series and franchise in general. Percy Jackson has always been my favorite novel series! It combines so many of the things I love in stories. I literally FELL IN LOVE when I first read The Lightning Thief when I was like 12 years old. And the Fandom is so cool! I'm a silent-stan when it comes to most things because of how toxic most Fandoms are, but I'm actually into the Pjo Fandom (itself). I've never felt embarrassed to admit that I love Percy Jackson because of the Fandom (which is refreshing). I just love how we can all come together and bond over Greek Mythology and these amazing characters Rick spent his time creating!

(Gets a lil personal here)

I would be lying if I said that Percy Jackson/Rick wasn't the main reason why I started writing with intentions to publish one day. Writing has always been my passion for as long as I can remember, but I never thought that anything I wrote would ever be good enough. I've always LOVED fantasy because it's always fun imagining worlds where things that don't exist do exist. However, it is HARD creating a fantasy world that is compelling.

I used to think that in order to have a successful fantasy series, you had to come up with the most ABSTRACT plot known to man kind! I used to think that if your story could be compared to another made before it, it just meant it wasn't good enough. I've thrown away so many of my past unfinished stories because of that belief (some of which I wish I could bring back). That's one of the reasons why I started admiring Rick in the first place, because at the time, I thought that the concept of Percy Jackson was SO UNIQUE, SO DIFFERENT, that it was no wonder why the series was so popular.

It wasn't until a few years later (or a few years ago-) that I realized just how wrong I was. Story concepts don't have to be abstract and unheard of. In fact, sometimes, the concepts being known is a part of what draws people in. No fantasy story is completely unique. Every idea has been used before. Even Pjo isn't a completely abstract idea. There's MILLIONS of stories out there about Greek Mythology, and I'm pretty sure you could even find stories about the children of Gods made even before Percy Jackson. But the thing that makes Pjo so different and compelling isn't the concept itself: it's how the concept is given to us.

Rick took a used concept and made something unique with it. That's what truly makes a good fantasy series. It's the same thing with other popular series like Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones. This fact alone is what always draws me back to Pjo. Aside from it just being an overall 10/10 series, it expelled all the doubts I ever had about not being able to write a good enough series myself. Without Percy Jackson, I don't think I ever would have realized how much writing truly means to me and how much I wish to write a series that can bring people as much joy as writing it brings me.

So now, I am writing a series that truly speaks to me, that I do hope I can one day share with the world! I don't care if it shares some general similarities to other stories because It won't BE like any other story. Plus, I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't take some inspiration from Percy Jackson (in terms of there also being Gods in my series, but ones I made up).

If you guys are interested, perhaps I could also make a post about my series, just a preview, or some information about it, for your opinions and constructive criticism! Just let me know!

This was such a LONG post. I'm SO sorry!! I wasn't originally planning on going on a whole rant like that- I just got carried away. To be fair, I've never really had a community to share stuff like this with, since, like I said before, I'm a silent-stan and I'm picky with who I share my interests with in general. I just feel comfortable sharing stuff here, which is strange to me to say the least....

(HOLY YAP!!!)

All that just for it to mean that I'm grateful I found Percy Jackson and I look up to Rick!!

I literally got all sappy and gave ya'll a whole background story- Now we're practically Besties!!

(How did ya'll like your bedtime story??/Joking)

Okay, I promise I'm done now. I should be posting more Pjo content soon and perhaps some personal works. If you actually read all this, I greatly appreciate it!!

(I also feel really bad....sorry...)

[longing-gayly]

Idek if this is a weird thing to do or not, but I was listening to this song earlier and wow I had a lot of feelings about it hahaha

Idk I never claimed to be a sane person when it came to love sooooo jsjfjenxjwnifnbt

I want to better myself and work on myself because I want it to be her so bad, I would move heaven and earth to give her anything that she wanted, I make choices that are so hard for me because I know that not making those kinds of choices for myself in the past has led to the end of relationships and I desperately don't want that with her, it feels like everything I've felt in the past was nothing? Like not in a bad way. Nothing isn't the right term. Because it all led me to where I am now with her. But those feelings, compared to what I feel for her, feel like nothing. And honestly that terrifies me. Because I've thought that before. And it ended horribly a lot. And I have a hard time knowing if I am feeling love or limerence. But I kinda don't care? I don't know. Like I know that I'm going to make the choices that are best for both of us, and me if need be. And I know that if everything goes to ruin, I will be devastated and honestly probably need a psych visit lmao, I know I'll be okay. I will make it through, like I always do. But also, I feel good about how it will turn out. She sets boundaries, and respects mine. We agree on practically everything. We will sit and rant about stuff, which is just us agreeing and making the same points many times. She shows me new things, things she likes and knows I will. But she also respects me if I don't want to watch something, if it's something that freaks me out or something that isn't an interest of mine. And of course I'm the same for her. But yes I will listen to her talk about action movies all day long despite me not liking most of them. And yes she did get me into a lot of things I'm so obsessed with now. And yes I do love listening to her pause whatever we're watching a million times to tell me all the little interesting facts she knows about it. And God do I love that she will let me do the same. Lord knows she's listened to me talk about so many things I'm into that she would never watch in a million years, and that I'm not trying to get her to watch haha. She does watch things I'm into as well. I love it when she makes fun of things I like lmao. And I love being very willing to admit that I also complain about stuff with the shows she makes fun of. Morally we align entirely I think. She takes my health seriously, is so empathetic, and god she's probably the most kind person I've ever met. She's giving and generous because she cares about the people she loves having what they need and want. She's so fucking funny. Like seriously. She thinks I laugh at everything, but I don't??? Like only certain people make me laugh 24/7, and then some other people make me laugh often. But there's something about her sense of humor that just perfectly aligns with mine. I have had an intense desire to meet someone before. I've had plenty of online relationships, and my ex-fiance was someone I originally met online. But the longing i feel too have her touch me?? My GOD it's not even funny. Like. To the point where I'm doing mental spatial math to figure out how her hands would feel on me. How her hands look in pictures and trying to piece out how much space they would take up on me if she touched me. Using a toy that's her exact size and imagining it wasn't a toy. I feel insane with it. I think about it so much. Think about how it would feel to just wrap around each other. Hold her hand. Lay my head on her shoulder. Lay on her chest, or her on mine. A really good hug. Me laying my head in her lap while she plays with my hair and I fall asleep. I feel insane, but also I think this is really the first time that I can believe my life is going to get better.

[redheadbigshoes]

Sorry for the rant or vent. I’m lesbian.

I moved to a different job and my friend isn't speaking to me like we used to. I've known her for two years and we hung out last week and everything seemed fine and she would usually answer my texts and calls. And I even tried to text or call her to say if I did something wrong and she didn’t answer... now idk my other friend (which is my guy friend) and he said she answers his calls and everything but idk what I did and I wonder what changed and I know I'm not there anymore but it’s just my assumption and she texted me back yesterday and saying she was doing great and misses but maybe I just overthink again because my guy friend texted me after I got silent and a bit upset about this and I told him I needed space and didn’t want to talk to him after he messaged me after I didn’t answer his message and asked me I wasn’t talking to him then and he respected my wishes.

We were supposed to hangout this weekend but idk how I feel when I hangout with him and not going. At times I feel like he only talks to me when it’s sexual stuff and we watch lesbian porn and talk about women and we going to a Halloween crawl and he would make scenerios of what would he do with me or say things or ask like if I ever want to try dick and I would decline and say I like pussy (it makes me feel invalidated and question our friendship a bit and I think I might be too nice because he’s nice I guess? I know it’s stupid to explain..) and makes it feel like talking to him it makes others feel I’m less lesbian or bi. It’s a struggle having guy friends and I would never do anything with him or anything. And feel like ending it at times.

I feel like every person I meet won’t understand my feelings and I know not everybody has all the answers to things. I feel like the hurt follows me everywhere and going on bumble bff helps but it seems like it never lasts or work out well. It’s been a miserable year for me and I feel like I won’t find my tribe and it seems like bad people win or something lol and seeing others forming relationships and friendships and even queer people. I feel like online I feel more of myself as a femme lesbian if color (like tumblr). And I have my own place and still have a job and my family I cut off from because they were toxic and abusive.

I know I should grow up but idk if I should just keep to myself and I’m just an introvert..

Sorry for the vent :( But I love your blog 💖 any advice?

Wow. First I just wanna say that “friend” of yours (the guy) is a huge red flag, especially as a lesbian. Men shouldn’t even be watching lesbian porn since it has nothing to do with them. From what you said it seems like he definitely fetishizes lesbians/sapphics. And also from the things he told you I would worry for my safety if I were you.

My first advice would be to immediately end this friendship you two have, he’s not a nice person.

It’s very common things not lasting when it comes to people you meet in those apps. Have you tried Yubo? From what I know it’s supposed to be an app to meet friends, unlike Bumble or Tinder.

I’d also try finding lgbt spaces where you live (or close to where you live), it’s usually better to meet new people in person instead of online (ofc only if it’s safe and you’re comfortable with it). Try looking for any lgbt events like pride parades too.

I am sorry it seems to be hard for you with your friends. You don’t deserve a “friend” like that guy.

[therealtsk]

Destiny's Lore, and Why It Didn't Need The Witness

So, I know most of you follow me for Worm or DC stuff, so here's an admission of my tragic past: I used to be a big Destiny fan! I know, I know, i'm losing followers by the letter, but in my defense, I dropped out years ago, around Shadowkeep. I briefly checked the game out again during the Witch Queen but never actually finished the campaign since I didn't have any friends to play it with at the time and so I couldn't force myself back into it's goddawful grind. To be clear, I've never played Destiny for the gameplay. I'm one of those weirdos who actually really, really liked the setting's lore and world building. It was one of the most unique things I'd ever seen, this really engaging mix of high fantasy and sci-fi all at once. And you know what? Some of Destiny's lore books are honestly incredible! The writing is emotional, the prose evocative, so many alien perspectives expertly captured. The Books of Sorrow, Thorn, Truth to Power, Book of Unveiling, The Ahamkara gear...goddamn, they're so good. But I got caught up on Destiny lore a little bit ago, and...wow. Bungie did it. They killed the last thing I still loved about Destiny. And they killed it with the Witness.

Let's talk about the Witness for a bit. The Witness has taken the slot of the new Big Bad for the Destiny universe, previously held by The Darkness. Their backstory is that they used to be individuals of a race that was the first to be blessed by The Traveler, Destiny's slated Big Good. This race proceeded to have a golden age that lasted for eons, with them eventually running out of things to do, and thus asked the Traveler to tell them what their purpose is. Obviously, the Traveler didn't answer, and their entire civilization had a collective existential crisis so hard that they decided that if the universe didn't come pre-built with a purpose, they'd just kill everyone and reboot the universe so that it did. To accomplish this, they tracked down the Traveler's never-before mentioned Dark counterpart and all fused into a single being, seen here. And on the topic of the Witness's appearance, I'm sorry, but the visual design here is just...bad. It's just bad. It's almost painfully generic. They have a geometrically rippling long black coat with no defining features, a pale human-ish face, and their brain appears to be leaking other faces in a smokecloud constantly, which i think looked far cooler on paper then it did in a render. Compare this to Savathûn or even Oryx's visual designs and they don't hold a candle. Speaking of comparisons to the Hive Gods, this is where my rant truly begins, so buckle up.

The fact that the Witness has all but replaced the Darkness- newly released lore suggesting every time we thought a character was interacting with the Darkness itself, it was really them talking to this character- that the Darkness is now stated to be completely apathetic and unintelligent, nothing more then a power source to draw upon- not only runs directly counter to some of my favorite lore in the franchise but cheapens every other Darkness-affiliated plot line and character. Not only does the Witness not speak at all like The Darkness has in the past, making the claim of them being one and the same dubious to me, but it also results in all of the Witness' Disciples (their right-hand men) being shoehorned into storylines in ways that feel almost painfully lazy. Case in point: The Lore of the Hive. As mentioned above, The Books of Sorrow is some of my favorite sci-fantasy with fantastic horror elements and incredibly evocative bits of prose. It's a gripping narrative how in the face of utter annihilation, a group of siblings make a desperate bargain with unknowable creatures once kept buried beneath the earth...and how their once noble efforts to save their people from death turns into a bloody conquest across the stars. It's an excellent tale, showing us how the truest test of character is who you are when times are hard- will you let those hard times twist you into a foul shape, or will you endure in spite of them? It establishes the cosmology of Destiny, with the Hive and Worm Gods being established as some of the most powerful and important beings in the story, powerful disciples of The Deep. With the new retcons, Rhulk (a Disciple of the Wintess) shows up, basically tells the Worms to shut up and listen cause he's the real Disciple of the Darkness, not them, and they're going to fall in line now. Because now, instead of the syzygy being a real threat that did devastate the planet the Krill lived on, Bungie's saying that the entire thing was a lie created by the Witness and the Worm Gods. Which takes the aspect of "sometimes bad things just happen but it's up to us to choose how we will let those things change us" that's key to the narrative and completely removes it- which is so backwards from how this all works! Evil lives in all of us, waiting for when we're weak to tempt us into doing what's wrong in the name of survival or pleasure or whatever virtue it disguises itself as- it doesn't stroll up out of nowhere and create a twelve-step-point-plan to ensure that we become evil too! Putting aside that, as I admit it's a subjective criticism based on my own perspective on the nature of morality, I think it greatly cheapens multiple other stories. Now that the Darkness is completely amoral as a force and it's just the Witness who is corruptive, I guess Dredgen Yor, Jana-14 and all of the other guardians we've seen fall were all getting brain blasted by this one dude, instead of their falls being a result of being seduced by power they should have known better then to touch blindly. Now, I can already hear people saying "But what about Stasis!" And yeah, I have Thoughts on Stasis too. I don't entirely dislike it, but I do dislike how it's been executed. Sword Logic works- or worked- by basically asserting yourself above physical reality. "I am the strongest thing alive, and I prove it thus." You defeat a powerful enemy and take their strength for your own. That's something you can work as being doable without inherently corrupting you. After all, it's not considered evil to fight for your own survival or for the protection of others. It just so happens that constantly introducing your brain to the idea that killing other things will make you objectively better then them is bad for you even if those powers weren't sourced from a primordial consciousness that has and will try to influence you for it's own ends.

To use a metaphor, Sword Logic is akin to something like nuclear power- sure, it's got one hell of a kick, but if you let your guard down around it, not only will it fuck you up but it'll contaminate everything around you with the fallout. But now to say that "nope, the darkness is totally fine and not even alive and aware it's just the same thing as the light but different colors and this whole time it's just been this one guy who's been ruining it for everyone else" is so...god, it's so much less interesting. And I think ultimately, that's my problem with the Witness. As a whole, they are just so much less interesting then what we had before! I loved the Books of Sorrow and Unveiling so much because it was such a fascinating display of completely alien thought and genuine nuance. The Darkness doesn't do what it does because of any tired trope of "evil nihilist" or just might makes right, it's a living embodiment of a cosmic philosophy in a war with another, both of them arguing for how all of creation should work. Whether or not the only things in life that matter are the things that live, and that to live is to suffer so ergo only that which cannot break should live, so you must break everything until only the absolute strongest shapes remain- or if it is possible for creativity and diversity and soft things to exist and create a life that is worth living in spite of the inevitable pain we all go through. That is so much more interesting then a bunch of dudes who are ultimately just mad about the fact that there's no easy to find and read manual for our purpose in life! It's such a basic, not to mention human motivation in comparison to what The Darkness had when it was a character in it's own right. And so...yeah.

[cloud-somersault]

Dude I'm just gonna say this, "the constellations within us" literally changed my life. My sincerest apologies for the rant but I can't stress enough how much constellations changed me and my writing, and sorry if this barely makes sense, english isn't my first language(sorry!) and after rereading "axis" i'm too excited to think properly.

Before I read constellations (or any of your works) I was too scared to post any of my fics because I was super insecure about my writing, but It wasn't until I read constellations when I finally found the courage to post my stuff rather than have it rot in my docs, and I can't thank you enough for helping me find the courage to show off my writing, no matter how insecure I was about it at the time. Constellations gave me a push in the right directions, if it wasn't for your writing, I still would've been too scared to write, and I wouldn't have improved at all.

before I knew of your works I didn't really have direction with my writing (if that makes any sense?), I didn't know what I wanted people to feel in my writing, I just kinda wrote in a really bland way and I honestly hated my style because it just wasn't hitting correctly, but when I did get around to reading your stuff it just kinda snapped in my brain, your writing set off a switch in my head and I realized at that moment 'oh my great sage, this is literally peak', I wanted my writing to deliver the same amount of emotion that yours does, like I wanted to FEEL my writing like I do yours.

in that one chapter of "the constellations across our bodies" where Mk attempts to confront Macaque (I, for the LIFE of me can't remember which chapter it was) I was at the end of my seat, (literally, I almost fell off) I can't express in words the dreadful feeling in my gut I felt, and I can keep going on and on about how your fics heavily influenced some of my hcs and the portrayal of Shadowpeach in my works.

I've found myself studying your works on more than one occasion, and after realizing what made your writing so gosh darn good and applying to my writing, I've realized how much my writing has improved; I don't think I've ever felt happier with my writing, and I can't thank you enough, really, thank you so much for being such a good writer.

ALL of your fics make me kick my feet in the air and giggle like a little girl.

I consider you to be one of my favorite writers like ever, but at the same time, I'm just wondering what in the world possessed you to write such a genuinely POWERFUL fic? Constellations is one of the BIGGEST inspirations for any of my works, and I fully blame this fic for the nearly 80k words worth of unpublished Shadowpeach fics I've written at like 11 pm hidden deep in my Google docs. If it wasn't obvious enough, I am in LOVE with your writing style, every time I am blessed by your writing appearing on my Ao3 I will inevitably end up writing at LEAST 20k more words on what ever fic i'm working on.

And again, thank you so, so for being such an amazing writer and for being one of the most influential people in my writing journey, I am forever grateful for the pure, unbridled talent that I, and several others, have had the chance to witness, keep up the good work, and I pray the Ao3 author's curse doesn't reach you anytime soon!

stay safe, and hope you have an amazing day/night!!

✨

WOW what a sweet ask!! 🥺💖😭💖🥺💖 I am literally in shock, thanks so much for typing this out and sending it!!!

I am beyond happy that something that I wrote inspired you enough to share your work with others. Sometimes, all it takes is one last little push for us to take the plunge and start our writing journey into the world. I'm so happy you gained that confidence from reading my fic. I don't think there's a higher honor for a fic author, so thank you for telling me!!

I absolutely know what you mean when you say you weren't sure what you wanted to convey in your writing. I've been doing this a long time, so I know most of the writer hurdles and bumps. And I remember posting my first story and how I was unsure of what story I wanted to tell and what I wanted people to feel. It's difficult to decide on a tone for a piece of fiction, but more than that, it's deciding what story you want to tell and share.

If nothing else, remember that when you write, you're putting yourself on that page, a piece of yourself. When you post it for others to read, you're sharing a part of yourself. That's why it can be difficult to take critique. This...self-expression through literature is a state of vulnerability. But good things come from that, too, and it can be a lot of fun thinking about what part of yourself you want to share with others.

When I wrote Constellations, I wanted to share many things. I wanted to tell many stories. But, I think, more than anything, I wanted to emphasize the importance of the connections people have with others. It's something I have to remind myself often. I didn't value and treasure the connections I had before...now that I've grown and matured, I'm reevaluating the connections that I want to protect and nurture versus the ones that are harmful to me.

I wanted constellations to be a reminder of that. that...there are some connections that are worth fighting for and protecting, and worth putting that extra effort into.

But, I think more than that, I just wanted to write shadowpeach in my style. Never underestimate the power and motivation or spite and wanting so badly to see a couple portrayed in a way that you're not seeing 😭

This ask is so sweet, and there's so much I could say, but I want you! to know this. When I was starting out, I was unsure but I was also having fun! Writing should be fun first of all, and I'm still having fun. Never forget; this is a hobby, and it should be fun for you. It should give you energy or uplift you.

As you continue to write and read and develop your own style, let yourself be influenced by other pieces of media. The more you write, the more you'll develop a style that's uniquely yours. And once you've done that? Well, there's nothing you can't do.

Thank you for reading my works and finding joy in them! That's super important to me. This ask made me remember...I wouldn't have started writing if it weren't for fanfic writers posting their fic and sharing it. They inspired me to write. They gave me courage. To know that I've done that for you? Is like. Phenomenal. I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've come full circle. I guess my character arc is finished.

Thank you so much again! And good luck on your writing journey, and don't lose heart! At the end of the day, always remember: only you can write the stories in your head. No one else can do it with the same glamor, pizzazz, passion, intent, and love that you can.

I'll see you on ao3, friend! 💕

[harmonyckrs]

Act 4, Scene 5 of Twisted Veronaville: An Unraveling World

THE LAST PAGE

Bottom: So, who was that?

Puck: Ripp, and one of the most...interesting people that I had ever met. He reminded me of Tybalt, but if Tybalt was...insufferable and unlikeable.

Bottom: So, regular Tybalt?

Puck: I mean, he didn't try to fistfight me, at least. And I don't think he's inherently bad. Just...I don't know. Very overwhelming.

Bottom: Wow.

Puck: ...Do you think it's possible that aliens are replacing people who get abducted by them?

Bottom: Beats me, I'm ten. I don't think about that kind of stuff.

Puck: Fair...I'll just...avoid thinking about it...

Ripp: Well, that was Puck. Also the next time we talk to someone, at least give them your name before going on a racist rant about aliens.

Tank: I was just concerned, because of his ears.

Ripp: You made him uncomfortable and by now everyone probably heard about what happened. But luckily, there's a lot of other people in Veronaville you can try to befriend that'll hopefully look over what you did.

Tank: Who else is there?

Ripp: Besides Tybalt and Mercutio, there's Juliette and Hermia. Both of them are pretty cool. Not to mention-

???: RIPP! THERE YOU ARE!

Ripp: ...Romeo.

Romeo: Mercutio's missing, and it's YOUR FAULT!

Ripp: Woah, what the fuck? He's missing?

Romeo: Yep! If you hadn't set him up with Tybalt, none of this would've happened!

Tank: Hey, back off! He was only trying to end the feud!

Romeo: You know what would really end the feud? If all of the Capps just died!

Tank: What's wrong with you? Isn't one of them your ex?

Romeo: Yeah, and? We're not dating anymore, thanks to him! Now get out of my way!

Tank: No!

*RING RING*

Ripp: (Finally, a chance to get out of this mess!) I'll go get that!

Hamza: Hello, Rippert. Is Aktu there?

Ripp: That's not my name. And why should I tell you if he is?

Hamza: It's not? Your dad actually just named you Ripp?...wow, he's a lot stranger than I thought. Anyway, just give Aktu the phone.

Ripp: No.

Hamza: Oh, I get it. Your dad told me you would act out a lot. You're mad at me because I'm an antagonist, right? Stopping you, Sita and Aktu from messing up the plot of the story and all?

Ripp: That and the kidnapping.

Hamza: Oh, right. Well, I'm sure you must hate me. It must irritate you to hear my voice over this phone. Which is why you should just give it to Aktu.

Ripp: ...Answer my...three riddles...first.

Hamza: Hm. Well, alright. Not to brag, but I'm pretty good at solving riddles. Give it to me.

Ripp: (Oh shoot, I didn't think this far.) Can I have some time to think of some first?

Hamza: You asked me to answer your riddles when you don't even have any? What sort of joke is this? At least go with a basic one like "what has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening" or something like that!

Ripp: Wait, what's the answer to that one? I've never heard it before.

Hamza: Seriously? That's the most basic riddle! The answer is a man! You would've gotten eaten by the Sphinx with this little knowledge!

Ripp: What does the Sphinx have anything to do with this?

Hamza: You uncultured swine, that's the origin of that riddle! The Sphinx asks Oedipus that riddle and it made him the tyrant of Thebes because he answered it correctly!

Ripp: I don't know what any of those words mean.

Crystal: Wow, he's really going at it.

Aktu: Yeah. How long do you think it's going to take before he realizes I'm not even home?

Crystal: Hard to tell. And he's talking about riddles of all things. Imagine if Ripp asked him about something that he was actually interested in, like tech or witchcraft.

Aktu: Indeed. Oh, and sorry Sita threw you under the bus earlier. We were getting a bit desperate, and Zoya was being pretty annoying.

Crystal: Oh, no worries. Hamza didn't even mind. Said something about how "he'll always love me no matter what I do." He's taking this fake dating thing really seriously.

Aktu: (Didn't they have fake twins together?) Yep. No hard feelings though, right? Maybe we could all get sundaes together once this is all over.

Crystal: Yeah, that'd be nice. Just like old times...it's a shame Vidcund and Lazlo couldn't join us this time, though.

Aktu: I wonder where those two are. It's been a while since I've talked to either of them.

In an unusual series of events, Zoya had somehow managed to track down Vidcund and Lazlo's location and bring them to Veronaville. And the three had discovered something else earlier in the day, too - the coffin holding Tybalt's supposedly dead body.

Zoya: To think that Aktu and Sita made clones of your parents to guard Tybalt...

Lazlo: Yeah, that was wack...probably not the weirdest thing we've seen, though. I'm more surprised Crystal was helping them.

Zoya: (Crystal's not the only cloner, is she?) Well, we should prob-Hey! You! Where do you think you're going?

Tybalt: I'm going to find-

Zoya: Nope! No! Absolutely not. You'll be staying with us.

Vidcund: Zoya, maybe we should just let him go.

Zoya: And let Aktu and Sita get the upper hand again? I have to complete what we started. And besides, they defiled your parents' graves! Aren't you upset about that?

Vidcund: They always liked Pascal more.

Zoya: (Well, that's messed up.) Let's just capture him before he gets too far, and bring him with us.

THE NEXT PAGE

[gxilgramore]

Long time no see!

I've been watching some classic who lately to see what's the fuss is about and... Yeah it's cool! I mean, all that i said in my rant on Blood of the Daleks still rings true, the pacing and narrative style is an acquired taste that is hard to get for a person like me, but don't get mistaken, i still liked what i watched, so much so I'll give a ranking from the episodes I've watched, im watching the episodes randomly, mainly the ones that interested me the most, so let's go.

From "worst" to best:

Season 18 - Full Circle

Honestly didn't grab me, i found it to be kinda boring, even though there is interesting thematic stuff here to be analysed. I liked Adric, but he was like this episode, confusing and kinda boring for a big part, the pacing is really slow, but i think this time for more narrative reasons than classic whoish shananigans, the weakest one by far.

50/100

Season 4 - Tomb of Cyberman

The second Doctor is the incarnation im most intrigued about, from the actor to the mystique of the lost episodes, and tomb being one his most iconic outings i though id see what makes him so beloved................ i was wrong, but not a 100%. I don't see much reasons to love the 2nd based on his scenes in this, not even the companions, they kinda don't do or show much, the episode focus more on the other parts of the narrative that being totally honest are boring, the Cyberman scene was really cool but also they don't have much of a presence on this episode, underwhelming more than i wanted to be, a bad first impression of the era, i'll try The Mind Robber or the Invasion later to see if its just me or the episode was boring.

69/100

Season 10 - The Five Doctors

Now it starts the episodes that i liked it, and this one is... nice! The Davidson doctor the is the one im the least interested in watching and this episode kinda helped it because i didnt see anything in him that wowed me, but the other doctors all of them offered me something interesting to care about them, i dont have much to say in this episode besides it was fun and all.

71/100

Season 25 - Remembrance of the Daleks

I might be admitting a crime with this one but it didn't grab me a lot, it was the first classic who story i've ever watched a couple months before this marathon and probably that's the reason i find to be so underwhelming to me, i don't remember much scenes besides the "unlimited chocolate pudding one", i will rewatch later once i watch Fenric and Happiness Patrol, but at the time, i didnt leave a mark on me.

72/100

Season 13 - Pyramids of Mars

I watched this episode at the height of the Sutekh rumours in the new series and liked more than i thought i would, yeah, the pacing is the biggest issue like ever but i loved Sarah and the 4th dynamic, they fell like old siblings with their constant quips and jokes, i also loved Sutekh (more than in those recent episodes btw) he was sitting throughout the 4 episodes but it was menacing and iconic, his voice is the biggest contributor, the soft but raspy tone, the way he emphasises certain words in a sentence giving them more weight, it sticks in my mind like bubblegum, i love also how they showed that Sutekh is a big deal in case he is freed better than those new episodes, Devils Chord literally rips off a scene from this episode where 4th shows Sarah the possible future where the world ends, it's great, a good episode all around.

75/100

Season 12 - Genesis of the Daleks

Ok, this one is kind of amazing, yeah it is a 6 parter, it gets boring after a while but what i love here is the themes on how the wrong point of view in survival and evolution could lead to genocide, if we took the nazi angle yeah it was kinda revisionist implying that the actual scientists would be against such a thing ignoring how fascism works as a thing that reaches the masses and also it can be seen as a kind of shallow portrayal that weakens the message but i see that this episode can have more reads than one, its cool to see the doctors dilemma and all. And also i love the anxiety and desperation of most of these episodes, with our heroes really near to get what they need but being stopped by some force, its great.

77/100

Season 7 - Spearhead from Space

Yeah, i was watching a lot of 4th Doctor but i also watched this one and it was great, i dont have much to say besides that i loved it, i like 3rd and his dynamic with Liz, at least their first interaction was great.

80/100

Season 17 - City of Death

The first one i watched in this recent marathon and its great, im shocked at how funny this one was, mainly in the last two parts, the downside is that i kinda dont get the hype still, even though i liked it, this episode in fact condenses all my opinions on classic who, i like what i see but i dont see what yall see, if that makes sense at all, still, was really fun. 84/100

Season 14 - The Deadly Assassin

By far my favorite from the classic series, at least at the moment, it's intense and interesting, starts with a gut punch of a mystery and it builds really well, and still treats timelords with certain respect even when showing them as burocrats, granted, everything i said in the previous section still true but this one grabbed me a lot. Even with the weird pacing in part 3.

90/100

And at the moment thats it, i dont know how long the Doccy Who hyper fixation will stay but ill enjoy it by watching more classic who episodes, the underline is that, i like what i see but all the problems i talked in my Blood of the Daleks review/rant still are true, i dont know if ill ever "get it" but i will keep watching to see whats going to resonate with me.

I have one more review coming up soon, probably tomorrow morning so stay tuned to that

[davepetea]

((just ranting abt writing fanfics you can ignore me lmao. I'm just in a weird place atm but I'm feeling kinda passionate abt writing rn so I'm gonna vent

originally I wrote a lil of this in the tags but then decided to just chuck it under a readmore so people aren't subjected to it against their will. then it got really long.

I'm not actually expecting anyone to read this im just sorta venting to myself. it helps me get my thoughts sorted if I write them down. I can also look back through my #.vat file tag in a few years from now and hopefully be like "wow I'm doing so much better than THAT now", so if that's the case, hi future Vatta! I hope you're having a good day. and if you're not future me, then I still hope you're having a good day, I love you, and this is your chance to turn back bc my rants are boring and LONG

(not turning back yet? ok. your funeral)

so, I haven't been online much bc I've just been in a weird limbo lately and I'm really busy when I'm at home either sorting stuff out or, with my PDA, doing anything I can to avoid my responsibilities lmao

I've been rereading my Tokyo ghoul light novels (I only have Void and Days ? I think they're called), rewatching Zankyou no Terror, and Bungou Stray Dogs (plus the live action Beast film which was? hilarious but I don't think it was supposed to be), and just suffering lmao

(you're still here? wow. you need a hobby. jk. ily)

I've been locked out of the systems at work for a bit, but I still need to be there and wait for the IT ticket to be sorted, so I've gotta be at my desk, cant have my phone or anything, so instead of sitting there doing nothing, I've either been reading, doing codeword puzzles, or I've been writing up 'drafts' for potential fanfics.

in this year of our sufferer 2024. I've been writing up some self indulgent homestuck college AU lmao. I've written over 60 sides of a5, (not inc the inbetween sections where I wrote some stuff on the chromebook at home) some notes, some accidental first draft, bc I wanted something to take up the time. but my handwriting is terrible, I don't write fast enough for my brain, I have a lil dyslexia so the letters and words get jumbled sometimes, and I have this weird thing where I don't do spaces right. but I've been trying to upload it to Google docs with Bixby's photo text extraction. it's pretty good considering how bad my writing is, then I just need to go through and touch it up, the main issues are things like names, there's some letters I do weird like my v turns into an r, or every p it thinks is a capital, but overall. amazing how technology do that.

(see my long ass rambling isn't just confined to venting. I also pretend to write actual things. you can still leave you know. I'm not holding you hostage until you read all this. you have free will)

can't remember how I ended up back in fanfic hell but I read back through like all my old published fics (aside from the cringe ones I orphaned) and the writing isn't terrible. I don't think I actually finished any of them though, which really shows my true nature lmao,,, but I've picked up a few things on my writing style now. and I've got a few things I see other people do that I wanna avoid bc I personally don't like it, and it's mostly about balance, like using names too often/not enough, being too descriptive like All The Time and making the writing really nice, but not much happens in the story so you take like an hour to read each scene, vs not enough description so everything is happening but you don't really get a visual or a breather to appreciate what's happened so far. I've been working on finding my right balance, which is imo easier if you're writing fanfic bc first up you hardly ever have to describe the characters. if someone's reading it they already know who they are. and for scenes you can take some inspo from the source material. does the original work put alot of effort into setting a cool scene? if not, then you don't have to either! if it's 90% scenery then you've gotta do it too I don't make the rules

I'm losing steam now I'm so sleepy and I've gotta go to work in a bit ugh.

(bet you're sleepy reading this too huh. told you it'd be boring)

I've been thinking about trying out writing some BSD fics but on an anonym not linked to my main Ao3, bc the themes are doozys and I kinda just wanna have the freedom of anonymity. also I'm a baby and if someone publicly criticises my stuff without it being a requested critique then it makes me bleh (I've had a few comments in the past of just general negatives, not even constructive feedback, not that I asked for any anyway...), but the abilities are tricky to write for, so it's effort lol

anyway I'm gonna stop now ive gotta get ready for work

(if you actually read this then thanks for going on this emotion deep dive with me. tune in next week when we'll get back to my usual mental breakdown)

[benevolentgodloki]

SALT UP MY DASH.

♢ Has anyone ever tried to steal your blog? Your headcanons? Icons? All that jazz

☢ What fads/trends are you so over?

❣ How salty are you feeling right now? (plus permission to rant about anything you need to :D)

Salty Munday Meme

// PREPARE TO BE DISAPPOINTED 😂

♢ Yanno, I don't think anyone has that I remember??? Back when I first started there were a heckton of other Lokis. I think there was once where someone had a more or less identical icon to me, which was annoying when I was scrolling the dash, but I don't own the images I use barring cropping whatever else I've found and never claim them to be mine so I've got little grounding to moan. Anyway, it's not the icons that count for me, it's how I use them :U It's possible I got irked in the past when someone pinched ideas of mine but it either wasn't big enough of a deal or didn't impact me enough to remember it. I'm just too weird to emulate I guess XD

☢ I'm so unfashionable that I'm over practically anything long before it starts. I like my role-play simple and lacking format. Oh, I never liked Carrd. SORRY. I mean, it's fine for people who use it, but I can't be arsed myself, and really my biggest bugbear is Google Docs because I have no idea how to hide my icon so people can just see me in there when I take a peek and apparently the buggers now scrape stuff for AI so it's probably worth people avoiding using it at all by now. I've been over tiktok a long time, too. I'm old and I have sensory issues. Fast things that make sound that I have limited opportunities to remember to view stress me out. Wow, I didn't expect to wring salt out of this one but there it went.

❣ Saltier than when I started??? I'm more tired than salty and a bit mope because it's almost that time of the month which brings me sadness, angerness, and general paranoia and bad brain. I should probably avoid looking at tumblr when I first get up in the morning, too, as even though the tags I go in are generally drama-free, they are filled with takes that are Not My Thing so I roll out of bed in a grump lmao.

Thanks for allowing me a salting!