#(lol i’m filling in blanks on what this person I THINK was trying to say lol so if that doesn’t quite make sense my bad 🙇‍♀️)

[akkivee]

someone on my feed has been talking about kuukou’s unwillingness?? i suppose is the word, to be in the spotlight, especially in regards to this fpmtr➕ chapter

like kuukou functions as if this isn’t his story, he’s not the protagonist of it; moving behind the scenes to ensure jyushi gets his chance to shine on stage and affirm himself, pushing hitoya out of the way to take an attack because he probably could sense hitoya needed to be on that stage facing jakurai, following ichiro’s lead and helping when he asks and it’s interesting to see it reinforced so often

#this is vee speaking #shout out to the bat stans on my feed crying and professing their love for kuukou lmao btch me too holy shit #the brain is making this akin to ‘the buddha guides us all’ that was brought up the other day #and the person on my feed had brought up kuukou’s a hero on the fringes of the story almost like the gojos or all mights in shounen stories #the person who moves stories forward but the outcome is largely based on the protagonist #(lol i’m filling in blanks on what this person I THINK was trying to say lol so if that doesn’t quite make sense my bad 🙇‍♀️) #the op went on cry that kuukou can be a protagonist too and man i feel that lol #like kuukou is a support character but now i wanna know how much of that is self imposed or instinctual lol #if it’s self imposed why???? because he knows he’s not ready for something???? did someone make him think that way???? #but on that vein kuukou’s silently working towards his end goal so i think we just aren’t privy to his story yet #(hence why bb vs bat should happen lol what better way to put kuukou in the spotlight than making him go up against the poster boy lol) #and speaking of hella awesome banquet the martyrdom imagery that had been put on him also came into play with this chapter #the mv is a chock full of mixed catholic buddhism aesthetics #but you could piece together sacrifices made for the betterment of humanity from both religions and it’s been placed primarily on kuukou #pretty neat stuff and still kinda concerned if it’ll go any further than just this chapter lol #c: kuukou👑

[tiredfox64]

Hello! Can you write a Smoke x reader scenario where Smoke is in love with the reader but he doesn't realize it because he's never been in love before (not even have a crush) but he knows he strongly feels something and asks for advice on his feelings and for that person to be like "dude you're in love." And tries to help Smoke confess his feelings to the reader?

Sorry if this is very long lol 😅

Spit it out!

Prior notes: Hi hi! Not long at all. Let’s see what we could do with this sweet man of ours.

Pairing: Tomas x Gn reader

Warnings ‼️: None you silly goose

There is a feeling that Tomas gets whenever he looks at you. It feels like a whirlwind is starting up in his stomach. His heart rate skyrockets to the heavens above. His mind gets clouded with thoughts about you. What is this feeling?

Tomas doesn’t know. But he yaps about it like crazy. He talks about it like a patient would to a doctor. Filled with curiosity and even some concern as if he hopes it’s nothing too bad.

“I mean, I don’t get it. There’s no reason that my heart should be beating that fast and tingling. I don’t feel like it’s a heart attack. Do you think they have some sort of power or ability to do that to people?” Tomas asked Kuai Liang.

He didn’t even realize that Kuai Liang stopped drinking his tea. He had this blank expression yet his eyes show that he was lost in thought.

By the gods, he doesn’t know does he?

“But why would they try to do that to me? Or even cause me to get distracted during training? It’s so weird. And when I get images of them in my head I feel-“

“Tomas.”

“Huh?”

Kuai Liang took a deep breath before calmly trying to explain to Tomas what he was feeling.

“You’re in love. It is simply that.”

“…oh. But what does that have to do with that feeling in my heart?” He’s like a clueless puppy.

Kuai Liang couldn’t blame his brother for not understanding his feelings. His father nor his mother had the time to teach him how to deal with his feelings. It was all just training to become a Lin Kuei assassin. Looks like he has to be a good brother and help him out.

“That’s how love works. It makes you feel things. That feeling won’t go away unless you confess your feelings.” He calmly told Tomas.

Immediately Tomas was against the idea. He didn’t even know he was in love before. Now he’s being told to confess his feelings for you? That sounds hard, impossible even!

“I will help, Tomas. There is no reason to be afraid of confessing your love. I confessed mine and now Harumi is my wife. The worst they could say is no.”

Tomas contemplated for a bit. This is all too much. But if Kuai Liang is right, maybe it is for the best to just spit it out. You never made him doubt that he couldn’t trust you or that you would ever hurt his feelings. At least if you’re gonna say no, you will do it gently. You better do it gently.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

You were a little nervous when your grandmaster said he wanted to see you in his office. You didn’t do anything wrong, trust me.

You knocked on the door of his office where you heard him call you in. You opened the door and were surprised to see Tomas there as well. He looked a bit paler for some reason. It looked like he was hiding something behind his back. Yet Kuai Liang looked as if nothing was strange.

“Ah good, you’re here. I must apologize however as I need to step out for just a minute. I will get back to you soon. I’m sure Tomas can keep you entertained.” And just like that Kuai Liang was out of the room as if he just set it on fire. It was only you and Tomas now.

“Tomas, are you okay? You looked like you just saw a ghost.” You asked with concern as you went up to him.

He was already a nervous mess, confused on what he was supposed to do. It didn’t help that your hand went up to feel his forehead as if you were checking for a fever.

Just give them the flower. That’s what Kuai Liang said, right? Oh god they’re touching me. Why do I feel so hot? Damn they look fantastic today.

“I-I, Kuai Liang said-uh, I’m s-supposed to…” Not a great start.

In a moment of panic Tomas dug into one of his pockets and threw down a smoke bomb. Just like that he was gone and you were left coughing from the smoke. Well that was strange.

Once your coughing died down you could hear what sounded to be arguing from the other side of the door. You couldn’t make out the words but you figured out it was Kuai Liang and Tomas having a scuffle.

And you would be right. The moment Kuai Liang saw Tomas teleport out of the room with his smoke magic he told him to get right back in the room. Tomas just felt worse now and he was begging his brother for another way to do this. But there is no other way. How else will you find out that he loves you if he doesn’t say it.

“I can’t, Kuai Liang. It’s so hard. They looked too perfect today and I froze up which isn’t really new. I told you they distract me. Their hands felt so nice, is it normal to want to hold their hand? Does love make you want to do those things?” He would have said more until he heard you speak.

“What?!”

Kuai Liang and Tomas didn’t realize you opened the door when he was going on his little tangent. You finally saw the flower in Tomas’ hand which you assumed was for you. That’s just an assumption after what you heard. Kuai Liang quickly turned his brother around to face you so he can properly confess. And also to apologize for almost causing you to have an asthma attack.

“I-I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any issues. I didn’t even realize I was in love with you until Kuai Liang told me. That sounds dumb I know. How was I supposed to know thinking about you a lot and feeling warm inside meant I liked you?” He said that with a bit of embarrassment.

You didn’t find it dumb however. You actually found it cute. You took his hand into yours with a warm smile on your face.

“Love isn’t the easiest thing, ya know. It takes time. We all learn to love eventually. And I do have the time to teach you how to love in many ways.” There was a look in your eyes that was screaming at Tomas that you liked him back. He didn’t catch that though.

“Teach me? But I just want to be able to love you.” Whoosh

You heard Kuai Liang slap his forehead. This poor man.

“Brother, please, I love you but you’re killing me. That’s what they mean. Say yes already.” Kuai Liang sounded exhausted.

“Sorry, still very new to this. So does this mean now that we are…?” Spell it out for him, please.

“It means we are a couple. We will take it slow don’t worry. Just know that I accept your love.” You said warmly.

Tomas felt like his heart just exploded. He hasn’t been this happy in so long. He feels all warm and tingly inside. Everything he thought was weird and strange before now feels right since you are his partner now. This feels great to him!

He was over the moon. He picked you up in his strong arms and hugged you tight. All with a cute smile on his face. He never wants to let you go now. And neither do you. Cause why wouldn’t you love such a strong, brave, skilled, expressive, and sometimes sassy hunk of a man like him.

What a successful and productive day for Tomas. What an extremely long day for Kuai Liang. You have to thank him though for pushing Tomas to confess to you. Cause you sure as hell couldn’t do it. You probably would have messed it up more than he did. Though you knew that you loved him, you also knew that you weren’t the smoothest person in the universe. You still got your happy ending.

After notes: Those cookies in the corner of my room are calling for me and I told myself I can have a bite if I finished this. Hopefully I have succeeded in my duties in pleasing you. If i haven’t you can force me to drink cranberry juice by itself. I love this man to death he is literally my main. Gotta give me a kiss goodnight later. Adiós!

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 1 #mortal kombat1 #mk1 #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat x you #mk x reader #mk x you #smoke mk #mk smoke #tomas vrbada smoke #tomas vrbada #tomas x you #tomas vrbada x you #tomas vrbada x reader #tomas x reader #smoke x reader #mk fanfic #fluff

[tamelee]

Hi… what do you think about people hating on naruto and saying that sasuke deserves better than naruto and that he doesn't love sasuke as deeply as sasuke does. And the way he talks in ch 698 like he doesn't want to come out. And he marries the first girl who chases after him to hide his sexuality like a closet gay behavior and live up to society's expectations (following according to his mother's word). Sasuke looked soo sad in Gaiden because Naruto had rejected his love for him. Some SNS shippers say that's why they hate Naruto.

I highly doubt you’re talking about SNS shippers/fans though. I have a feeling I know exactly what kind of stans these are because they’ll take every opportunity to hate on Naruto (and other characters as well). And if such people do claim they are then I’m pretty sure that the ‘🍥’ joining the ‘🍅’ is just in the bio for show. As if to say, ‘I ship SNS, therefore my unsolicited and biased criticism against Naruto is extra valid :)’ when it’s really not, (and vice versa) but I‘ll spare you the rant.

Using secondary source material (anything ’Boruto’) in order to invalidate main source material (’Naruto’ Manga) to then try and rationalize secondary source material-outcomes (the sequel) with assumptions to fill the gap in between these two (blank period) when it’s completely void of all previous logic in the first place, makes a well grounded argument in what way exactly?

In other words; why the hell would you look at the sequel and willing let that change your perspective as if it holds any merit to what we’ve already come to learn?

There is nothing wrong with a good hypothesizing session. I know from experience it can be somewhat soothing to rationalize a way towards something unwanted. In this case, it’s the sequel. ‘Gaiden’ is interesting for its own reasons. It’s sort of like, trying to come up with an explanation that makes an outcome seem a little less… bad. Which becomes easier because Naruto and Sasuke’s misery is fully on display. In the case of these haters though, they make it worse and just blame a character for a company’s money-grabbing decision. To let that be the deciding factor for them that fuels these unhinged claims about him being a bootlicker that acts through hatred or whatever strange mumbo-jumbo they also come up with. But anytime someone tries to make an argument about ‘Naruto’ and uses “because in ‘Boruto’…” you can already cast it aside as invalid.

Connecting two unrelated idea’s doesn’t say nor prove anything. You can’t even disprove it either because the argument doesn’t make any sense.

So it’s also ironic to hate on Naruto using Ch. 698 as an excuse to say he ‘doesn’t love Sasuke as deeply as Sasuke does’, when it’s primarily Naruto trying to explain how deeply he loves Sasuke as best as he can lol. I’m not sure if I’m impressed by the creativity or just dumbfounded that someone can read Ch. 698 and then come to such an irrelevant conclusion as if it has anything to do with ‘coming out’. It’s like having a conversation with someone about a very specific type of bird when another person barges in to ask why they’re discussing how to create your own carrousel. And besides, Naruto may exaggerate his denial profusely when someone brings it up (which is by itself very telling), but he never was good at hiding how he felt about Sasuke or how far he’d go (literally the entire story), even threatening war on behalf of Sasuke, dragging Konoha in it, indicating revenge for Sasuke if he’s harmed when really it was just a matter of his own personal feelings. As… obviously Konoha couldn’t care less and in fact would most likely side against Naruto anyway. He’s already boldly shared his intimate thoughts with the entire world during the war though, didn’t he. He literally connected his Chakra with everyone and spilled his brainrot about him freely.

You can create your very own narrative towards the outcome that is ‘Boruto’ and make it as crazy as you want, but it will still be based on assumptions. In fact, go ahead and write that story if you must, they tried and failed with Hinata’s movie for a reason. I'm sure an SNS-fan can do a better job, in fact, they have.

The idea that Naruto would probably struggle to accept how he feels and what it means, could very well be true. It would definitely be conflicting with the role he is expected to play as Hokage and it’s also something I’m exploring in the story I’m writing. But, so would it be possible that Sasuke will struggle, because we haven’t forgotten that love caused him to experience the most horrible pain through betrayal, yes? Naruto does care about how he’s perceived and he is a people-pleaser that was on a journey to realize that there is a difference between the conditions he must meet in order to soothe his sense of feeling unworthy of love and the unconditional love Sasuke proved to hold for him, regardless of anything else. “Because I feel relieved just looking at you as it reminds me of the love I’ve lost”.

Acknowledging is one thing, accepting is a whole other and then taking the action-steps to pursue it freely would imo require another story which would’ve been a fitting follow-up after Ch. 699 if that was even possible in the first place for Kishimoto to do. But it’s not.

Stop for one second and think about the amount of value you put onto the money-grabbing shit-stain on the franchise that is ‘Boruto’ and whether you want that bullshit, no matter the label, to invalidate everything you’ve loved about it in the first place. Rationalizing something when the bridge toward it is missing completely and where the outcome isn’t followed by logic is just people inventing an explanation to justify their own unhappiness with something. Aka; their hatred for Naruto.

#asktamelee #naruto talk #anti naruto ending #cw boruto

[hillbillyoracle]

Journal Hacking

I’m not sure if this will make sense to anyone else but I wanted to document something I’ve been trying lately with regards to planning/bujo/journaling type things. Even if only so I can go back and see what I did lol. 

So I have been bullet journaling in some form on and off since 2014. So it’s been a minute. And while I like it on the whole, it’s just not been working out for me lately. I tried a Hobonichi weeks mega and while I really like some aspects it’s just not enough room for me. My handwriting is not that small. 

I ran across a simplified GTD-like system called Ugmonk Analog and I liked the principles (even if I didn’t like the price tag) so I adapted it to my new journal. 

Ugmonk’s Analog system has three cards - Today, Next, and Someday. I’m just using notecards I have for this. I put the Today card on my cover with washi tape so I can see it without opening my notebook and easily write things down (my pen is in the loop to the side there). 

The Next and the Someday cards - along with some others are in the inside. I made the pocket by taping one of the notecards horizontally and taping the two outside sides. 

The long bit of text on the inside cover is the Heart Sutra. I like to write it on notebooks I’ll be using regularly so I pause and reflect on it more regularly. 

In addition to Next and Someday cards, I have a blank one for scratch paper and one with my ideal timelines for doing home and personal tasks. The personal side is lacking, I’m kind of in a state of transition on that so I’m unclear what I want to do regularly. The house stuff never happens all the way but I like knowing what I’d like to do when I’m adding tasks to my Today card. 

I think my favorite part of this system is the memory keeping part. It’s not super elegant or pretty but on the pack of each today card, I record any notable things about the day on the top (period, mood, fights, symptoms) with a hashtag, the weather, and then I fill the card with what I did that day. It’s been very helpful so far for jogging my memory throughout the week. I like that I can pull them out and see as many as I’d like throughout the week. I plan on digitizing them at the end of the year and keeping the last year as a hard copy. 

I keep the card in this little green box. Might decorate it soon. 

I don’t really feel like sharing my finished cards so hopefully this gives you an idea. I like that I can see what happened in a day and what I got done on one card. 

So yeah, I’m really liking it so far. I still do long form journaling (Morning Pages type things) in the notebook itself. I actually turn it so the short side is on the top and it’s kind of like writing on an A4 sheet of paper. I do that so I don’t start auto rereading old journal entries when I’m flipping through for other stuff. I index and thread anything that isn’t journal entries like I would a normal bullet journal. Right now I have some random notes for subject I’m studying, some pen and paper games I’m playing, and writing notes. 

I’m also going to add either an A6 monthly calendar or print my own calendar set up to add to the back pocket for scheduling things in advance. I know everyone uses Google Calendar but I never check mine much. So people can schedule things with me on my Google Cal but my source of truth will be the hard copy. 

Some resources I took inspiration from in setting all this up: 

- OG Bullet Journal - I’m surprised by how many people I’ve met who don’t know that bullet journaling isn’t just making your own pretty planner but an actual system (no shade to the art journaling folks, I’m just not one of them). When I say I use bullet journaling, this is what I’m using. Check for some of his more recent videos if you like it, he’s updated it. 

- Ugmonk Analog - slightly expanded to-do list system on paper; the product seems nice but they’ve actually been very supportive of people making their own knockoff versions for personal use which is cool to see

- Everbook - I think if I had more to juggle, I’d upgrade to something like this system. This guy has so many neat ideas sprinkled throughout the channel. He also really supports people making their own version. Love a good open source ethos. 

Anyways - hope this helps someone! 

#journal #bullet journal #studyblr #journaling #bujo #ugmonk analog #analog #everbook #index cards #memory keeping #organization #sorry for the lighting #i literally live in my parents basement

[whumpsday]

I love your stories so much!!! You’re so so creative!!! And have inspired me to pick up the book I’m been trying to write for years!!! You have inspired me so much!!!

Feel free to ignore this, but…

How do you world build? For example the rules on how vampires work?

How do write with different voices? All of my characters are sounding the same.

Did the plot or the characters come first when you start to write??? For me, my characters have been living rent free in my head since I was in middle school lol!

Thanks for being inspirational!!!!!

thank you so much!! this is so sweet <3

How do you world build? For example the rules on how vampires work?

i made the basic rules of the world to fit the kind of story i wanted to tell, and filled in the blanks with what made sense based on what had already been established.

for example, i needed a reason why kane, uniquely, would be captured and tortured by hunters when other vampires wouldn't be. and i needed a reason why jim, uniquely, would escape vampire territory when other humans wouldn't. so i made persuasion, a reason other vampires would be too dangerous to keep and would be better at keeping their own humans, and had kane lack it.

remember that worldbuilding should serve the story, not the other way around. don't think of a world and then a story that might be good in it. think of a story and then what kind of world it would work best in. at least, that's my personal philosophy.

How do write with different voices? All of my characters are sounding the same.

i'm not so good at explaining this one :P i don't rly have any general tips and i think it's highly dependent on the specific characters involved

Did the plot or the characters come first when you start to write???

i would say a "scene" came first. the first scene i came up with for kane & jim was a desperate, terrified vampire whumpee being rescued by a kind human caretaker. the plot and characters both evolved kind of simultaneously from there. i think it doesn't matter much which comes first.

#ask #motivation

[monstersinthecosmos]

Hi!! I would love to hear your thoughts about Marius' experience of captivity and how this affects his relationship with Armand. You alluded to this in Gallows Bird and I think that's a super interesting thread to pull

[ Let me drop these two fics real quick to get it out of the way for reference sorry if this is obnoxious LOL but Gallows Bird (Marius/Armand) and The Lotus Eater (Armand/Daniel) !! ]

Asdgahsdk oh boy

I have so many deep nuanced feelings about Marius de Romanus so be patient with me while I try to sketch this all out, I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START!

So one thing I want to mention off the bat, which is not necessarily canon VC but is relevant to my fics and how I write, is that I process a lot of ND/ADHD stuff when I write, and this goes way back before I even knew I had ADHD. So even going back to like my earlier VC fics from like 5-6 years ago, I think I was constantly inserting traits of myself into my fics and trying to process them in the way that I thought they were just character flaws at the time. AND LIKE this is also relevant because I wrote Gallows Bird to be directly correlating to my Devil’s Minion fics. For example, in The Lotus Eater, one of my huge emotional cornerstones in that fic/me talking about my own perceived character flaws, was the “he had been careless with this boy” theme. And I repeated that in Gallows Bird on purpose to link them lol. So that example is like, I was really inspired by like how ADHD can ruin things on accident; like you don’t take care of something, miss a deadline, break something by being careless even though you DO CARE. At the time when I wrote The Lotus Eater I had no idea about ADHD so I just thought it was like this bad part of my personality that I was really struggling with. I am more forgiving of that now.

And I connect this also to Marius in Gallows Bird because like, something I really struggled with as a person is like the ND/ADHD impulse to like RELATE TO PEOPLE when they’re trying to talk, like bringing up my own experience as a way to say “Something like this happened to me too so I can empathize with you”, which is always well intentioned! And I’ve seen so much convo from ND folks that struggle with this because NT folks tend to misunderstand it as changing the subject/being narcissistic/whatever.

Anyway!!!!!!!!! Sorry for that preamble but I’m saying that like, I kind of approach writing Marius as a mix of canon & projection, because yknow it’s my fuckin story and I feel like it lol but I think like the fun of fanfic and what makes people’s styles unique and interesting is our mix of perspectives and personalities and like how we choose to fill in the blanks in canon or interpret characters, right?

Canon Marius makes a few comments when he meets Armand about how like, this is someone who is as bruised and damaged as he is, and someone who can heal him, and he feels their souls understand each other. And Canon Marius is like, arrogant enough (by his own admission!) to see the absolute HORRIFIC trauma the Armand went through and go “Oh yeah I had horrific trauma too.”

How do we compare Armand’s trauma to Marius’s trauma? Idk. No one can answer that because we all respond to trauma differently. So I think to some extent there’s some headcanon territory here of how everyone interprets Marius, and do we believe him that his trauma was SO SEVERE that it IS on par with what’s happened to Armand? Or do we believe what he went through isn’t so bad/was 1500 years ago and he’s being obnoxious by comparing the two because he should be healed by now?

I’d also ask like, to what extent is neither true/is it not that fucking deep, like is Marius simply saying “wow this looks really bad, I want to know him for centuries so he has time to grow and heal”; like perhaps Marius at this point sees his captivity & murder as this awful thing that happened to him 1500 years ago and maybe it feels sort of disconnected.

BUT I DON’T KNOW, the thing about Marius is that he’s so fucking stoic! Like I know I’ve brought it up a couple times recently but it’s because I was reading some Marcus Aurelius to put in Gallows Bird lol so using that to like fill in some blanks with Marius, he reads like someone who is constantly trying to rationalize away his own emotions. And like! IDK! Maybe beliefs about psychology are always a phases or temporary until we learn more, but reading him in 2023 I just call bullshit on that! It doesn’t work that way! So who’s to say that his 1500 year old trauma isn’t actually still very close to the surface, and who’s to say he can’t be easily retraumatized whenever it comes up because he’s never meaningfully recovered?

AND LIKE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA THE AFTERMATH IS SO OFTEN ABOUT JUST FINDING CONTROL OVER WHATEVER YOU CAN, NO MATTER HOW USELESS OR UNHEALTHY IT IS. And that's also the sort of central thesis of Gallows Bird; giving Armand a space to process his trauma where he's in control. And for Marius it's just really sad how often he tries to control his own personality, his own feelings, his own mask, the way people perceive him, and it's such a struggle for him that it always eventually collapses.

I want to pause here for a second too and bring up a couple old posts I’ve written so I’m not repeating myself too much LOL but let’s also consider:

Trauma Hole Theory and if vampires are stuck forever within the trauma of their turning

Marius & Armand’s equal-opposite religious trauma

Marius’s struggle with feeling emotion

I think if we start dissecting ANY vampire in VC we’ll see thematic ways that their turning has traumatized them forever, between the violence/trauma around the act itself but also whatever ways they’ve been frozen as their mortal selves. Lestat is a perpetually insecure 20 year old who can’t emotionally regulate and must prove himself to everybody, Louis is someone who didn’t want to live at all and was given eternal life rather than death, Armand is deeply wounded and fucked up but is having like 2 years of relative peace and safety. And Marius is like, older, has lived life, knows what he’s losing and gaining, and has his entire worldview shattered after spending a year resenting religious zealots only to find out that everything they believed was true.

So I bring all these points up because I don’t think there’s a simple answer or a direct correlation here. Marius recognizes that they’ve each suffered a trauma, but he hasn’t really dealt with his own in a meaningful way, therefore he is not equipped to help Armand deal with his either.

I constantly go back to when Marius hits him after they come back from Kiev and I think this really hammers it home for me—Marius is someone who wants to strangle all of his emotions into submission, and he’s really trying to believe that it’s a matter of willpower to simply NOT FEEL THINGS. So much of Marcus Aurelius is about this! AND IN SOME WAYS LIKE, YEAH THIS IS MAYBE AN ANCIENT VERSION OF CBT??? Like we do CBT to patiently teach ourselves to think differently, but it’s obviously not as easy as simply shutting your emotions off or bullying yourself out of feeling any. And he’s trying SO SO hard to be this way, and it doesn’t work, so it’s not going to work on Armand either!

And like it’s not Marius simply being a dickhead, simply being abusive; I do think he’s really trying, but he’s fucking lost! HE HAS LIVED LIES! And god it just really hurts to see him as someone who struggles with this shit and who lies to himself about it, LIKE WHO HASN’T BEEN THERE? How many of us who struggle with mental health haven’t had those moments like, those tiny glimpses seeing behind the veil and being honest with yourself, but being so fucking powerless and not knowing what to do with it.

I know I’ve personally had moments of realization like “I am going to be like this forever” and it’s SO defeating, and imagining that sentiment for someone who will LIVE FOREVER just hurts me so bad!

We see this trope in media sometimes—certainly it’s based in real life!—of parents projecting onto children, trying to correct mistakes by breaking a cycle, but which only serves to treat their child like an extension of themselves and not a whole individual. So I think of that, too—Marius seeing himself in someone who was also abducted, and even though he also plans to turn Armand, he wants it to be beautiful and gentle! (He even changes his mind about it several times before he does it in a panic because Armand is dying! {this is heavily referenced in Gallows Bird because he realizes he's fucked Armand up to much to let him live anyway.} ) He also is sorta trying to fake it till he makes it with all this emotional stuff; like even though he KNOWS he can’t simply shut emotions off, he’s still trying to teach Armand to. And going back to Marius being a lil arrogant, I think sometimes he does project himself onto other people, or treat people better if they remind him of himself. So like, projecting some wounded version of himself onto Armand to try to rescue, vs risking it all for Lestat a few centuries later because someone who reminds him of himself actually WANTS to be rescued.

The IRONY too that like he spends his whole time in captivity as a skeptic, not believing that there is a God in the Grove, and for that entity to turn out to be a vampire!!! Marius presenting HIMSELF as a god-figure to Armand, but trying to be safe and friendly about it! I don’t know man I’m really fucking hsdkjgladsghkjl upset right now lol

And after all that like, not really knowing what exactly happened to Armand to indoctrinate him into the cult, just knowing that he’s thriving with them, that he gave it all up to be their leader, is such a betrayal of everything and so traumatizing!

Gosh.

Anyway.

I DON’T’ KNOW WHERE TO START I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO END, THINKING ABOUT THIS FUCKS ME UP I HOPE THIS ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION LOL

#deep ass thoughts about vampires #marius de romanus #armand #marius/armand #vampire chronicles #trauma hole theory #stuff i wrote #gallows bird

[campbyler]

i’m glad you said we could interpret what we like because i must be honest that i have been, but! only bc that’s how a situation like theirs is to me personally, and how i see byler- physical reactions feel natural with the love and eagerness attached 🥹 and i’ll be real i did laugh at when u posted the outline and had a note about “relax puritans” bc its so true. they were just kissing! people need not freak out about it getting heated bc of course they’ll do more kisses than pecks! about time byler fics let them be attracted. and it’s okay if I personally felt like there was more along the way after scene cuts, it didnt need to be implied, it is on me.

and the outline made me happy to see other adults in the fandom be mature, not bending for others like in the past. really. so happy that you guys write how you like and stand your ground, the attraction and intimacy is so palpable and the fic is perfect, it is just a bonus that their connection is so real that my brain finds it easy to see them approach a bit more in that alone time! I think the throwaway about a sock and packet when they first got to the isolation cabin clued me in haha.

love the fic. love how you write the boys. i definitely respect you keeping people comfortable (but hope in turn said people arent trying to police others). keep doing what you do! ^^

hi! this ask has been marinating in our inbox for a quick second because we immediately got flooded with ch08 asks but just know that when we saw this come in we nodded at the screen then at each other and then at the screen again. we know this topic has become kind of infamous in the byler fandom over the past year, and all three of us have tried to avoid engaging with it as much as possible, both here and on our personal blogs, and the last thing we wanted is for the main source of talk around our fic to be centered around discourse that is simply so so so draining and, honestly, super recycled and overdone at this point. from the beginning, our stance on the “kissing discourse” (???) specifically has been that it’s stupid LOL (coming from three adults who have each been inhabiting fandom spaces for a very long time) so given the premise of the fic, we definitely haven’t been afraid to lean into that aspect of their physical attraction and the response we’ve gotten from it has actually been wonderful! as for the rest… we’ve gotten asks from people who are grateful they haven’t explicitly gone further in the fic because that’s out of their comfort zone/more relatable to them as people on the ace spectrum, etc (which is fine, we know a lot of people can be uncomfortable with more mature content!) — and we’ve also gotten some lovely asks like this, saying that people have been interpreting it in their own way or “filling in the blanks” which is also totally fine! our official stance on the fic is that they haven’t done more than a looooot of making out, but referencing a couple of asks we got earlier, some readers (like you!) find it realistic to imagine more happening in that time, and for others, them doing exactly what we’ve written and nothing more is plenty realistic enough!

all that to say, we are super glad you’ve been enjoying the fic and also glad you found the line about the sock and the wrapper funny lol bc it was super intentional thanks so much for the support! one thing about us is that we are all highly motivated by spite so rest assured that we aren’t allowing ourselves to be Policed. this is just the vision we have for the fic and we’re happy that people are resonating with it in different ways :^)

#they also literally do feel so comfortable w each other. if you care. #(you should be caring) #this was a very nice ask thank you so much #asks #nodding at the screen

[pttwice]

hello once again joon, hope ur week month and day is going great. Here to request a SMC (I love them lol) being CG for a request Unnie Line, and not fully understanding how to take care of them and having to call middle line for help but in the end they take them to a indoor play land (idk what you call them in English lol) and they end up having a fun time

hi hi chimp! :) SMC is absolutely adorable so i don't blame you for another request of them! (i’m sorry it took me so long to get to your request but i hope you enjoy it!)

we’re the unnies

|| little!najeongmo, cg!dachaetzu, middle!sajimi ||

When Tzuyu woke up, she was expecting to see Jeongyeon in the kitchen making breakfast. Saturdays they had off were always reserved for group breakfast. She was excited and hungry, but when she went to the kitchen and didn’t see Jeongyeon or the other two oldest, she walked back into her room she shared with Dahyun and Chaeyoung.

“Chaengie. Wake up.” Tzuyu whispered as she shook the second youngest.

Chaeyoung rolled over, yawning as she rubbed her eyes. “Tzu? What’s wrong?”

“Jeongyeon isn’t making breakfast and it’s Saturday. We always do group breakfast on Saturday!” Tzuyu’s eyebrows were furrowed, clear discontent written on her features.

Chaeyoung sat up a little more in her bed and threw one of her stuffy’s at Dahyun’s back. The oldest of the three groaned and rolled over.

“Why did you throw that at me?” Dahyun threw the stuffy back on Chaeyoung’s bed and saw the disappointed looks on the other two’s faces. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Tzu says that she didn’t see Jeongyeon in the kitchen. And it’s Saturday.”

Dahyun’s eyes widened in realization. There had only been a few Saturdays they missed doing group breakfast and that’s when Jeongyeon was sick. “Maybe she was just super tired and slept in? Did you check her room?”

Tzuyu shook her head and tugged on Chaeyoung’s hand. They went together and slowly opened the door to Jeongyeon’s room. When they saw the girl awake, they were even more confused.

“Aren’t you makin’ breakfast, unnie?” Chaeyoung asked, still waking up.

Jeongyeon just answered her question with a blank stare. She tilted her head, not understanding what the younger girl had just asked her.

“Are you okay, unnie?” Tzuyu took a few steps across the room and stood by Jeongyeon’s bed. When the second oldest clung to her shirt and tucked her head under her chin, Tzuyu was shocked.

“Chaeng I don’t think Jeongyeon unnie’s feeling well.” Tzuyu placed her hand on Jeongyeon’s forehead. It wasn’t hot so she wasn’t sick, but she still didn’t know what was going on.

“I’ll go see if Nayeon unnie can help us.” Chaeyoung quickly left Tzuyu to deal with Jeongyeon. She expected to find Nayeon still asleep but when she found her in the same state as Jeongyeon, she got worried.

“Hyun!” Chaeyoung yelled out from Nayeon’s room and Dahyun came running in. The second youngest filled her in on everything as Dahyun tried to ignore Nayeon trying to put her fingers in her mouth.

“Maybe Momo unnie?” Dahyun asked and left to find Momo. Unfortunately, Momo was acting the exact same.

By the time the three youngest made their way to the living room, each with an extra person attached to them, they realized what was happening.

Their unnies had regressed. It happened so infrequently that they forgot what it looked like and how they acted when they regressed.

Tzuyu was still sad that she wasn’t getting group breakfast, but she was happy that her unnies were okay.

//

Since the School Meal Club were usually the ones being taken care of, they didn’t really know how to take care of the littles.

Chaeyoung tried to feed Jeongyeon strawberry yogurt but Jeongyeon pushed it away, spilling it on the floor.

Dahyun tried to calm Nayeon down when Momo pulled her hair, but then the two started to argue with each other. Dahyun had no clue what either of them were saying so it was difficult to pick a side.

Tzuyu was doing her best to mediate between everything happening, but it was so overwhelming.

“Maybe they just want to watch TV?” Tzuyu suggested once the three littles had calmed down a bit.

Chaeyoung shook her head and moved Jeongyeon to her lap, having to monitor the little to make sure she was sticking her fingers in her mouth. “Jeongie doesn’t let us watch TV in the morning so I don’t think we should let them.”

“Did we try to give them food? I’m sure they’re hungry.” Dahyun asked as she kept Momo and Nayeon from pulling each other’s hair.

Chaeyoung nodded and pointed to the half cleaned up yogurt on the floor.

The three talked for a few minutes, trying to find some way to help take care of the littles, but every idea they came up with was either not good at all or only something they personally enjoyed when they regressed.

“Well what are we supposed to do? We can’t just sit with them in the living room all day.” Dahyun let out a big sigh, looking down at Momo who was now distracted by a stray crayon on the floor.

//

The three youngest ended up sitting on the floor with the three littles for a few more minutes. They were able to distract them with paper and crayons that were left on the coffee table, but not for long.

Soon the littles were all crying and the youngest had no idea what to do. They tried giving them hugs and offering them things, but the littles weren’t having it.

After a few minutes of loud sobbing from all the littles, Jihyo poked her head out of her room. She was expecting to see the School Meal Club crying, but when she saw the three oldest, she was shocked.

It was rare that Jihyo ever saw the three oldest regress but she and the other middles thankfully had more experience taking care of them. She woke up the other two middles before she walked out into the living room, picking Jeongyeon up.

After the middles took the littles and sat with them for a little while, the youngest were able to calm down. They watched as Sana, Jihyo, and Mina sat with the littles, trying to figure out what to do with them.

“Maybe we can take them to an indoor playground? It’s rainy but they’d be okay inside.” Sana was sitting with Nayeon, distracting the little with the strings on her hoodie.

Jihyo and Mina nodded in agreement. They helped the youngest get the littles dressed, which wasn’t the easiest.

Nayeon was the most difficult since Tzuyu had to go through the girl’s entire closet to find a pair of pants she was willing to wear.

Jeongyeon was just excited to go so she pulled out a random shirt and non-matching pair of pants out that Chaeyoung helped her get dressed in.

Dahyun was just trying to get Momo’s clothes on without the little trying to put something in her mouth every five seconds.

Once they finished getting the littles and themselves dressed, they all loaded up in the car. Jihyo drove them to the indoor playground that was also a restaurant. This was a bonus since none of them had eaten yet.

Out of all three of the youngest, Tzuyu seemed to be doing the best with the littles. She had a natural motherly instinct that saved them from a few spills and sauce ruining a shirt.

//

The indoor playground turned out to be the perfect place for them to go. The middles spent time just chatting in the restaurant portion of the building while the youngest played with the littles.

“Does this mean that we’re the unnies?” Tzuyu turned to ask Chaeyoung and Dahyun who were playing a spinning tic-tac-toe game with Nayeon.

Cheyoung and Dahyun looked at each other and slowly nodded.

“I guess since Sana, Jihyo, and Mina aren’t exactly big right now.” Dahyun smiled proudly and helped Nayeon turn one of the blocks. The little didn’t really understand the game, but spinning the blocks was fun.

For the past 20 minutes, Momo had been standing in front of a wheel that showed a different animal each time. Tzuyu was sitting with her, proud of herself that she and the other School Meal Club members were able to take care of them.

They still weren’t 100% sure about what the littles needed, but they were slowly learning. They had also quickly learned to separate Nayeon and Momo when it came to tag. Nayeon was somehow more competitive when she was little and if she lost a game of tag, she started arguing with Momo. That would quickly lead to a baby fight and a time out for both of them.

Overall, considering the three youngest woke up expecting a Jeongyeon breakfast, the day was going well. The littles were getting all their energy out and having fun on the playground while the middles did their thing.

Tzuyu helped Momo down the slide a few times, enjoying her happy giggles as she asked to go down it again and again. Maybe she could get used to being an unnie every once in a while.

#twice agere #twice fanfic #twice fic #little!nayeon #little!jeongyeon #little!momo #middle!sana #middle!jihyo #middle!mina #caregiver!dahyun #caregiver!chaeyoung #caregiver!tzuyu #sfw #sfw interaction only #sfw agere

[desswright29]

Hi, you asked for a Tish fantasy so here’s mine. I am not a writer and this is the first time I’ve written anything so my apologies for using your ask box because I’m not brave enough to post it on my own page. This is really informal. Just my thoughts really, but I’ll try to make it decent:

First person POV:

Tish and I have been dating for 3 years now. I’m having a milestone bday so Tish, my family and friends are throwing me a big ass party. They tried their best to surprise me, but I’m a Taurus so um yeah there’s that lol. It’s an all black affair but Tish and I pull up wearing all white cuz we feeling GAWDLY lol. I’m in custom Laquan Smith. Tish in custom Prada of course. We walk in and my jaw drops. This party is something I could’ve never imagined. Now mind you, after demanding I clear my schedule, Tish has been pampering me (and fucking me mercilessly) all week. All leading up to this party. Everybody that I love is in attendance. The decor is posh and expensive, but still keeping a party-like ambience. The DJ is playing all the hits and all my favorite party songs from when I was younger. Tish been catching this ass all night lol. Alcohol is flowing and we really going up. I’m giggling at Tish while they’re presenting me with my cake and singing happy bday bc she’s slightly tipsy and doesn’t realize how loud she’s singing into the DJ’s mic. As soon as I blow out my candles Tish passes the mic to my bestie who then turns my attention to a big ass projector screen that’s been let down. She gives a little sentimental speech then tells me that I must pay very close attention to the video and to not take my eyes off of the screen or I’ll miss a very important message. I’m tipsy too so I’m confused af, but I follow her instructions. The video is so sweet! It’s a collection of my baby pictures, school pictures,vacations, me w/ family and friends, pics of Tish and I, etc. All of a sudden the screen goes blank and a message appears that says “Your life has been a beautiful storybook and now it’s time to turn around and start the next chapter.” I’m so busy focusing on the video that I hadn’t noticed that Tish stepped away from my side. Still following instructions I turn around and all I see is my stunningly beautiful girlfriend getting on one knee with a small Cartier ring box in her hands. I can’t believe how quickly I just sobered up. I’m shell shocked so my mind is trying to catch up with what my eyes are seeing before me. Someone passes the mic back to Tish and she begins to speak in a bit of a shaky voice. “Baby, for a long time I didn’t think genuine love would ever be possible for me. I didn’t think there was anyone out there who could truly understand me…understand the way my mind works…my quirkiness…my ambition…my lust for life…and the way I love. Just when I had settled on being the fun, SEXY and single friend” *everyone giggles* “God sent me you. God took a lil extra time on you innit!” *crowd giggles again* “It’s truly been a privilege to love you and I wanna be everything to you, that you are to me and so much more…and I wanna do it for the rest of our lives. “Y/N, will you marry me?” Remnants of my mascara mixed with my tears are flowing like a river down my face. My mind is still registering so it takes me a few seconds to respond with the emotion filled “yes” that I’m able to muster up. Tish slides the ring on my finger so fast then jumps up and scoops me up with strength I didn’t know she possessed while everyone is cheering and clapping. We kiss each other in way that could invoke world peace. Finally coming to my full senses, I softly whisper in her ear “I can’t wait to run this shit with you.”

*Edit Note: Let me take my motherfucking hat off to you writers!! How do y’all do this shit on a regular basis??? Now that shit I just wrote was so basic and it stressed me OUT. You guys are so talented and so creative and I have a whole new respect. Thank you for sharing your talents on here. Love you guys!

This is awesome! You should def give us more! As a matter of fact anyone who wants to write but is nervous about it, feel free to use my ask to give it a shot!

#dess asks #letitia wright #letitiawright

[the-mxster]

Tensimm + Donna Incorrect quotes (pt3) with star-guest, Jack

Pt1 Pt2

Doctor: When I said you should try being friendlier this isn't what I meant.

Master, stirring a cup of tea aggressively: Oh, so now I'm TOO friendly? There's no pleasing you.

Jack, who broke into their house an hour ago: Two sugars please.

Master: Coming right up.

Donna: How did you even get in here?

Jack: The Doctor’s window! Or, as I like to call it, "Jack’s door"!

Doctor: I’m closing the window.

Doctor: This food is too hot... I cant eat it.

Master: You’re very hot, and I still eat you.

Everyone at the table: *silence*

Jack : YOU GUYS ARE DISGUSTING!

Donna: One dinner... I just want ONE DINNER!

Master: I love you.

Doctor : I love you too. I've waited so long to hear you say that.

*The Master and the Doctor kiss passionately*

Donna, to Jack: You owe me 20 dollars.

Master: Jack, you'll be working with Doctor and Donna.

Jack: Alright! My fantasy threesome!

Everyone else: *blank stares*

Jack: ...Of people on a team.

Donna : What is love?

Doctor: An emotional minefield.

Master: A neurochemical reaction.

Jack: Baby don't hurt me.

Donna: Time sensitive question how flirt girl.

Doctor : Throw rocks at she.

Jack: Hot Dogs.

Master: Kill her.

Donna: Thanks guys.

Jack: What do you want then?

Donna : Er… something work related.

Jack: What department is this?

Donna : Sorry?

Jack: Well, if it’s work related you’d obviously know what department this is. What department is this?

Donna : *looks at Doctor and Master* Some sort of homosexual department?

Doctor, teaching the Master to drive: Okay, you're driving and Donna and Jack walk into the road. Quick, what do you hit?

Master: Oh, definitely Jack. I could never hurt Donna .

Doctor, massaging their temples: The brakes. You hit the brakes.

Master: We need a way to lure in new customers?

Donna : Maybe we could have some fun, interactive events!

Jack: Doctor bath water.

Doctor: ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Donna: I'm bored.

Master: Wanna commit first degree murder?

Donna: Sure!

Doctor, hearing them: No- Stop, don't do that! Put that knife down! Put Jack down!!

Donna: Do you love the Doctor?

Master: Yeah, I do.

Donna: Jack! I told you I knew it! You owe me 100 bucks!

Jack : We all love the Doctor. You should've asked if they were IN love with them.

Master: I thought that was implied.

Donna : ...

Jack: ...

Master, looking straight at Jack : Congrats Donna, you just won 100 bucks.

Doctor: I am convinced Jack and Donna share a brain cell.

Master: And it's not in use very often, it seems.

Donna: Jack is taking credit for Master's work, getting them to deal with everything, and making fun of them! You know what they sounds like?

Doctor: You?

Donna: No, I meant... You know Master. In spite of being clever and sarcastic they’re also... fragile and weird and they have trouble fitting in. And Jack is taking advantage of their weakness! You know what that’s called?

Doctor: A Donna?

Donna: ...Yeah, but I’m the only one who should be allowed to do that, okay?!

Doctor: What do we think of the Master?

*pause*

Donna : *sighs* Nice pal.

Jack: I think they're gay.

Donna : What’s wrong? You look 10 seconds away from ripping someone’s throat out.

Doctor: Fucking Jack and Master were trying to invoke one of the minor gods again last night. I didn't get an ounce of sleep, thanks to their bloody chanting.

Donna, filling out legal paperwork: Were you guys born AMAB or AFAB?

Jack: Bold of you to assume I was born at all.

Doctor: I personally was created in a lab.

Master: I just straight up spawned lol.

Donna: Everyone synchronise your watches.

Jack: I don't know how to do that.

Master: I don't wear a watch.

Doctor: Time is a construct.

Master: You have friends and I envy that.

Doctor: You're welcome to share my friends.

Master: *looks at Jack and Donna*

Master: I don't want those.

Donna: Made you all playlists!

Donna: Master, yours has only heavy metal, and is dark like your soul.

Donna: Doctor, yours has sad songs and blues to pair with your crippling depression.

Donna: And Jack has the ABBA Gold album.

Donna: What are you getting the Doctor for the holidays?

Master: I don't know. It's kind of hard buying a gift for your partner when they already got everything they could've ever wanted when they married you. So I'm not sure yet.

Jack: I'm getting the Doctor a divorce lawyer.

Donna: It’s Christmas! Are you all in a Christmas mood?!

Doctor: Merry crisis.

Jack: Jingle bells, jingle bells, single all the way.

Master: Hoe hoe hoe.

Donna: Guys, please.

Master: Doctor, my old friend!

Doctor: I think you tried to kill me at some point.

Master: That was obviously just my way of getting to know you.

Jack: sapnu puaS.

Master: What??

Doctor: What language is that.

Jack: Turn your phone 180 degrees.

*Jack was removed from the groupchat*

Doctor: Jack, keep an eye on the Master today. They're going to say something to the wrong person and get punched.

Jack: Sure, I'd love to see the Master getting punched.

Donna: Try again.

Jack, sighing: I will try to stop the Master from getting punched.

Doctor: Did it hurt when you fell-

Master: From heaven? Wow, I didn’t think you were such a flirt-

Doctor: No, I meant when you fell down the stairs.

Master: ...

Doctor: You just laid there for 15 minutes.

Donna: *eating a cinnamon roll*

Jack: Cannibalism.

Donna: *confused chewing noises*

Doctor: I have feelings for you.

Master: Why? What's wrong with you? Are you sure you're okay?

Jack: What's worse than a heartbreak?

Donna: Waking up in the morning and your phone wasn't charging.

Doctor: Waking up in the morning.

Master: Waking up.

Master: I still don’t have a New Year’s resolution.

Jack: You could lose a few.

Doctor: You could be less lazy.

Donna: Don’t be such a bitch.

Master: Okay DAMN, SHIT.

Jack: Why is Master crying on the floor?

Donna: They're drunk.

Jack: And?

Donna: They saw a picture of Doctor's spouse.

Jack: But they're Doctor's spouse.

Donna: I know.

Jack: Hah! 69! you know what that means?

Master: What?

Doctor: That you're a child.

Donna: HOW YOU GUESS MY IQ?!?

Donna: Truth or dare?

Doctor: Dare.

Donna: I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room.

Doctor: Hey Jack?

Jack, blushing: Yeah?

Doctor: Can you move? I'm trying to get to the Master.

Donna: Could you guys at least try to see this from my perspective?

Master: *crouches down*

Jack: *kneels down*

Doctor: *sits on the floor*

Donna:

Donna: I hate all of you.

#tensimm #simm master #tenth doctor #donna noble #jack harkness #incorrect doctor who quotes #incorrect quotes

[bleachbleachbleach]

Chapter 059

One last post about loving this chapter and then I swear I’m moving on! My goal is to make it to chapter 80 by the time TYBW premieres, LOL. But I think it’s glorious that the last time we see Renji he’s a howler monkey trying to murder Ichigo in the streets of Karakura and then we cut to Soul Society and the first thing we get is Renji traipsing through the halls of 6th in a floral yukata and bearing thigh. @recurring-polynya mentioned in the tags on this post that we get a completely different vantage point on what Rukia and Renji’s relationship is in a different context (even if that context is ‘in jail awaiting execution; haven’t talked in 40 years’). The ribbing about Renji’s new position as VC coupled with off-duty leisurewear is just subliiiiiime.

On that note, we also learn in this scene that shinigami get days off (because I mean, you never know! we have no idea what this ‘Soul Society’ place is at this point!). And idk I love that Renji has been in the 6th for all of a few months but he’s already letting it all hang out, lol. It just makes me more curious about what Byakuya and Renji’s relationship even is, because I can’t imagine Byakuya enjoys the idea of his VC wandering the halls of the 6th in a state of dishabille, even on his day off. Maybe no one outranks Renji but Byakuya, so no one can snitch on him. XD But then, Byakuya was pretty cool with Reni Renjiing it up in Karakura, so who knows what goes through that man’s mind. I’m pretty sure their trying to kill each other improved their relationship substantially, but part of me is willing to believe that it was more chill than one might have expected beforehand, too. Maybe chill isn’t the right word, but also like. They were already wearing funny hats together and committing murder in the streets. Besties. 

Anyway, Renji seems pretty sure that Byakuya wouldn’t really let Rukia be executed and surely he’d pull strings for her and that would be that. But Rukia’s of a different mind. And it occurs to me that this might be the first time Renji actually has any clues as to what Rukia and Byakuya’s relationship has even been this entire time? Like, he knows Byakuya cherrypicked her, and then whisked her off to social strata unknown. But what was that actually like? I imagine Renji really only had his imagination to fill in the blanks.

The phrase I highlighted in purple on the JP pages above is あの人 (ano hito), which just means “that person.” As you can see, it’s repeated many times across these pages. That level of repetition might just be The Way Things Are in Japanese grammatically/aesthetically, I dunno; but given that there’s only like 50 words on a page to begin with, it still feels kind of insistent to me. This repetitive construction isn’t reflected in the Viz, which mostly translates it as “he.” (I suspect because saying “That person” in these sentences in English sounds bananas.)

After mentioning Byakuya by name at the start of the conversation, Renji continues, that person is your brother, you know. He’s not gonna watch you be killed. 

And Rukia counters, No, you’re right (he won’t). That person will kill me. I know well what kind of man that person is. That person has not looked at me even once.

Again, I think it sounds less weird in Japanese to refer to someone as “that person” than it does in English. (Sometimes wives also refer to their husbands as such, so it doesn’t necessarily have to sound as estranging as the phrase tends to in English). But I also feel like there’s something to the number of times its used as a stand in, and the way Rukia takes Renji’s phrase and challenges the assumptions he makes about what Byakuya will do for her.

This is probably the first time Renji’s really gotten any sense of what Rukia’s life with Byakuya has really been. He assuredly has not gotten anything about it from Byakuya. I wonder if it also makes Renji think about his own relationship with his new captain?

#kuchiki rukia #abarai renji #bleach language #bleach manga #bleach reread 2021 #bleach カラー

[dolliecworpse]

Aaaa I just discovered this blog and it's really interesting! I don't know too much about xenogenders/neopronouns since they kind of get me very overwhelmed due to my need to Absolutely understand everything and categorize/label stuff when I'm in a community (ex: fandoms, archetypes, tropes) so this might be a dumb question but.. what exactly are titles and what are they used for? And how should someone go about when making a gender-system? I'm asking because I plan on making one for a story and don't really know how to go about it.. anyways, so sorry for this dumb ask! I hope you're well and have a amazing day or night!!! Keep up the great work!!

there are no dumb questions here!! i’ll put the two explanations under the cut since it’z kinda long. sorri abt that! the gender systems i mention have alreadi been created, and i’ve linked them where i mention them if you wanna check them out!!

okk so titles are basicalli a name that describes someone or a certain aspect of them. does that make sense? it’s kinda like a name or pronouns in that they can give someone euphoria and they’re a way of describing a person. like a realli simple one that’z used outside the mogai communiti bc it’s an actual like position would be the prince!! more creative titles that aren’t used in day-to-day life might be “the creator of the heavens” or “(pronoun) who creates life.” these are more creative and descriptive than just a “job” title (i put in quotes bc i’m not sure if being a prince is considered a job LOL. but a more job-like one would be the baker). but yeah, they’re p much used as one would use a name or a pronoun, which is to address people.

as for gender systems, there are a few things that are considered sort of…gender system etiquette, shall we say?

1) think of the concept you want to convey. do you want a gender system where one’s gender is decorated with smth (genderdecorated)? or maybe one where one’s gender is related to certain fonts (genderfont)? then take that idea and turn it into a single word. most gender systems don’t have commonli seen gender endings like -ic or -gender, but just the word. am i making ani sense? i hope so 😅

2) take that word and put gender in front of it!! like with genderdecorated and genderfont. people will replace the word gender with the concept (or with genderfont it’z the font name) name of their choosing. like for example, if they want to coin a gender under the genderdecorated gender system where one’s gender is decorated in cuteness, it would be known as cutedecorated.

3) before we go ani further, check to see if the gender system alreadi exists!!!! look up gender_ in the tumblr search bar, and if nothing comes up, you’re probabli good to go!!

4) the next step is creating the flag template. try to make a unique flag template outside of just straight stripes, if possible. if you’re not sure how to do that, check out this quick tutorial here. if you have ani questions regarding this step, feel free to send in another ask!! below is the greyscale color palette i use for my templates. ik it looks boring, but people will use the template as a base and recolor it! this is commonli done w the bucket tool, but there’s probabli other methods. aniways, here’s the palette. simpli put an image layer into your canvas with this as an image and sample out the colors so that you can use them in your flag!!

ignore the colors above and below the greyscale line, i could onli crop it sm </3 keep in mind that you don’t need to use all of these colors in your template!!! they’re just there if you need them.

5) craft the definition, adding in blanks for people to fill in with the concept they want. for more info on what i mean, check out the coining posts to the gender systems i’ve mentioned above (dw, they’re linked!!) or check out any of my gender system coining posts, which can all be found linked in the pinned post of @bloodygendersystems !! sorri that i’m not great at explaining this part. it’z probabli just best to look at examples.

6) this part is optional, but it’z helpful for people who may want to coin under your gender system. upload your flag template(s) to deviantart!! when saving flag templates straight from tumblr, they get a bit blurri, making them harder to recolor. if this has ever happened to anibodi reading this, dw!! i got you. upload the flag you’ve saved from tumblr to this upscaler website, click the highest upscale option available to you, fill out the captcha, click download, and voilà! it should be readi for you to recolor!! ik the website name is kinda weird, but it’z upscale power is unmatched. i’ve also seen other people use it without issue so it should be good!!! i think it’z also an app, but i’ve onli ever used the website.

7) post your gender system!! if you plan on coining ani genders under your gender system, add the names of them into the post so people know not to coin those ones!! you could say smth like “planning to coin x, y, and z, so please don’t coin those unless i get overwhelmed and say you can.” some people might reblog with genders they’re going to coin as well, so make a mental note not to coin those ones.

i think that’z everithing? lmk if i’m forgetting ani important steps 😅

#— ˗ˋ ୨ talking with chu ୧ ˊ˗ — #tutorial

[herbalsingularitea]

hiii i just wanted to say i really, really admire your writing so much. it's so beautiful and the way you capture characters is incredible. feel free to ignore this if you aren't comfortable sharing, but i was just curious if you'd be willing to offer any tips or maybe even personal insight on how you write Bernard? i'm wanting to work on a fic of my own, but i feel i always kind of find myself doubting or struggling with capturing characters properly, despite doing character analysis and such. anything you're willing to share, i would love to read! that being said, i adore your current Bernard fic series, and i can't wait for later chapters! <3

This was such a nice message to get hhhh thank you 🥺 I’m constantly taken aback by how my writing has been received,, it’s incredibly humbling and I so so so appreciate all the nice feedback I get

For Bernard, I try to keep a few key things in mind about his personality/motivation whenever I write him. At the same time, I try to think about what his strengths are vs his flaws.

1) He’s a good leader, but not a tyrant. He’s encouraging to the elves, but not overbearing. He scolds Curtis for being too caught up in the Handbook and also Toy Santa for being so strict about the naughty/nice list, so we know he’s fine with fudging the rules sometimes. This probably extends to a lot of things in his life—how he treats the elves, Scott, and any love interests as well.

2) He’s old af and so probably has been through a lot of things, but not everything! Which can make some interesting scenes where he seems very wise and sure one moment then nervous and doubtful the next (ex: he might know how to handle a disagreement with a friend, but he might NOT know how to handle a disagreement with a lover depending on what background you wanna give him) lots of fun ways to play with this imo

3) He’s a hard worker and appreciates other hard workers. This seems to be a given for most elves but I like to push it to its breaking point with Bernard so that it’s his obvious flaw. He works too hard and he doesn’t wanna talk about it or change his ways at all lol. Which makes sense since he’s in charge, of course he’d want to keep everything on track.

4) He’s an elf! And in my world, elves gonna elf! I take a lot of inspiration from fae lore about how the fair folk behave. Bernard gets portrayed in fic a lot as just a big stick in the mud who’s hot so the love interest falls for him anyways despite him not being very fun. But he IS fun! He’s an elf! Elves love sweets and laughing and playing and snowball fights and dancing and singing and playing pranks and all kinds of mischievous things. So Bernard does too! I give him a few favorites in those things (ex: he likes cider in particular and Freddie Mercury and dancing) and that always helps bring an extra spark to a character.

Honestly I feel like I put a lot of myself into his character. Or maybe I just write characters in scenarios I’ve similarly been in before so it’s easier to know how they might feel/act? Idk but writing what you know seems like a good place to start in general I guess!

At the end of the day, we don’t have a ton of source material for him because he’s a side character. Maybe that means it’s difficult to capture him accurately but I prefer to think of it as an opportunity to fill in the blanks. Every character portrayal is gonna be different from one author to another and that’s okay. That’s great, actually! Take what you can from a character study and put your own spin on it. You know some things about him. Use those to make guesses about the rest of his character based on your own experiences and personality.

Don’t doubt yourself too much. Just have fun with it! Nobody can write Bernard how you’ll write him.

#my asks #I hope this helps ?? idk #tldr don’t sweat it #Bernard the elf #tsc #the santa clause

[vacantgodling]

i ask about art style because i'm currently trying to develop one myself. i can do realism well but that's not what i want to do, and it's harder to do that from imagination anyway (at least for me). i always need an exact reference, which really narrows down what i can draw. but i really can't figure out how to stylize things kajsfkjs.

AHHH i see what you mean lmao. it’s not really a problem i’ve fully dealt with (i’ve never been good with realism so i never tried 💀) but a couple of tips that i’ve found help me with drawing what i want to draw:

the first one is gonna sound sacrilegious in some circles but like hear me out tbh: reference / *trace / examine styles that you like or that are close to what you’re looking to go for in your art. directly reference them when you’re drawing and mimic them so you can get a feel and understanding for how the style itself operates. i say trace with an asterisk bc i know people are like OMG DONT TRACE but to me personally tracing is bad when you trace over someone’s art directly and claim it as your own. p shitty. tracing to understand style is a completely different thing bc you’re using it as a learning tool. i do it all the time tbh and i find learning from actual art vs real photos is super helpful in understanding how to stretch your limits artistically. it helps you think more in a “this is stylistic how are they capturing that” versus capturing the image as close to real as possible.

secondly, using reference isn’t bad, but use them like stepping stones—don’t be afraid to patch different references together so you can “see” something. it takes a good while to get to a point where you can just dream up whatever and have it happen lol. but i tend to use references more like “fill in the blanks” when i can’t figure things out. it’s gonna be uncomfortable but think of it like writing a scene or describing something — a place, a character, etc. you can’t “reference” that writing to life, you have to prod and poke and fiddle with it to get it sounding how you like in your head. drawing is very similar just with images. sometimes what helps me personally is i will list out what traits i want a drawing to have or i’ll discuss them with myself beforehand of what this character looks like (bc i mainly do character art lol) and what things i need or want to include. then i go reference hunting if there’s certain things i can’t picture just so i can make it a clearer visualization. then i start drawing. a kinda example is this picture here, where you see on the side i have a list of characteristics and then the finished oc (verin) in the middle lol.

or, in this i literally found a stylized wig to help me figure out how to draw the hair (the bun specifically) bc i was BUGGIN about it i could not figure it out and it was making me Angry

but that’s what i mean by using a piece of a reference. i didn’t use a ref for the rest of the drawing i kind of just said hey i want her to look like this this and this let’s go. that’s why first step of finding styles you like and trying to emulate them is important bc obvs i can’t just say “oh yeah just write it down you’ll visualize it” like the more you practice drawing near a style you like the more it’ll help you build and branch on your own.

finally, tbh it takes a long time and a lot of practice to get to a point where you can say “yep this is my artstyle” and feel happy with it. like i draw a lot and i’m still not really sure what constitutes my own style but like. i can recognize my art. it’s just not where i want it to be yet. your art style will constantly be growing and changing just based on the media and art you consume no different than writing. you’ll notice yourself incorporating the most random shit you didn’t think had an impact on you but did. for instance, i used to have such a shit time drawing noses until i saw (1) artist draw that little line that i do under noses and i just assimilated that into how i draw now lmao.

idk if any of these are PARTICULARLY helpful bc i’m like. not good with skill and terminology terms my brain when i draw is literally “brrrrr” so much subconscious thinking when i draw tbh lol. i can definitely try giving you more pointers if it’d help?? or i can upload some of my drawing videos that my ipad records bc idk for me something that does help is when i watch other people draw i can see How they did something or built it up for the most part 💀

#about renjamin #ren art #i hope this helped in some way bffjfjjrdkdk #i’m like Not Great to ask about this stuff bc i get it but how explain

[estellamiraiauthor]

The Stars May Rise and Fall: The Annotated Re-read (Chapter 29)

Welcome back to Chapter 29, where the nicest thing I can say about Rei’s shitty attempts to (not really) take care of himself is “at least he doesn’t live in a sewer and sleep in a literal coffin”!

…seriously, I created this disaster boy and even I’m frustrated with him here. Arrrgh!

As always, spoilers (including spoilers for chapters beyond this one) under the cut!

We open this chapter with what will be the final screw in the coffin of Bara’s revenge, mwa ha ha! when Teru’s band shows up to an event to promote their album to find a line reaching around the block and a poster (designed by Rei) much larger than the one for the omnibus CD Bara’s band was selected for. This will be the last passing mention of that CD OR Bara’s band in the book, by the way. They’re just not a threat anymore. 😁

The event itself features a bunch of stupid questions that used to honestly drive me crazy back in the day. Who cares what the band’s favorite clothing brands are? I want to know about the underlying angst beneath their lyrics, dammit! LOL But there is one person who has apparently gotten wind that SOMETHING is up regarding the bands future… good for her for asking the hard-hitting questions?

And then we move on to December 23, the former Emperor’s birthday. *sigh* I miss the former Emperor, not only because he was a peace-loving, grandfatherly figure, but because his birthday was on December 23, which was a much more conveniently placed national holiday than the current Emperor’s birthday.

As mentioned in the book, when neither December 24 or 25 fell on a weekend, a lot of people would celebrate a Japanese-style (I.e. couple-centric) Christmas on the 23rd. In 2000, the 23rd was a Saturday and the 24th a Sunday… so fairly easy for people to celebrate. That also makes the 23rd a great date for an in-store event to celebrate the launch of Teru’s album!

This was completely coincidental, by the way… I’d already decided that Teru was going to take Rei out of town for Christmas Eve, so I Googled the relevant calendar and… boom. Hello, plot point!

So, it’s vaguely mentioned in passing that Rei is also getting ready to go out as Teru is preparing for the event. This isn’t SUPER unusual; Rei does go out, maybe not quite as often since he’s been working on the album having a lot of bad pain days recently, but the album is finished, and if anything Teru would be happy that he’s feeling good enough to have plans of his own. 

As always, anything that’s not explicitly on the page is not canon, and each reader is free to fill in the blanks on their own, but I think he’s going out here to buy or to pick up the pendant he’s eventually going to give to Teru on New Year’s Eve. He doesn’t intend it to be a goodbye present at this point—maybe just a Christmas present or a “good luck with the record deal, I support you” present… but of course that all changes, and what happens here is definitely what pushes Rei over the edge.

A couple of reviewers complained about the way Rei didn’t take very good care of himself, but honestly I don’t really know what they expected from a Phantom retelling. At least he doesn’t live in a sewer and sleep in a literal coffin? IDK. But I did try to show that not taking care of yourself has consequences. I don’t think it’s anything super dramatic that happens to him here: he’s just pushing himself too hard, not using the right mobility aids in the right way, and he falls badly on the ankle that’s not in great shape to begin with. Someone gets concerned and calls an ambulance, and I imagine Rei protests but he literally can’t get up so… he ends up in the hospital and they call Chizuru to come and get him.

I don’t think it’s particularly significant that Chizuru is still listed as his emergency contact instead of Teru… probably just not something you think to update without a specific reason. As to why Chizuru isn’t available… well, it’s the Emperor’s birthday/Christmas Eve weekend, she says she’s not in Tokyo, and Teru hears a man’s voice with her on the other end of the line… I think she finally IS moving on (which honestly makes it pretty shitty what Rei sort of indirectly does to her too… she’s totally going to feel guilty and go back to taking care of him full time, but I also think her partner is understanding and she eventually gets a happy ending, too.)

So she calls Teru, and Teru thinks he can take care of it before his event, but he has trouble finding the hospital and then it takes longer than he expects and he ends up being late.

I’ve written before about my loathing and fear of hospitals, particularly Japanese hospitals… things have gotten much better as younger generations of doctors and nurses have come in, and as younger generations of patients have started to demand more in the way of things like informed consent, second opinions, and mental health considerations, but ESPECIALLY at the time, being hospitalized felt like being in prison… and for Rei, of course, hospitals are also going to be associated with a lot of trauma.

So, the asshole doctor here is probably the single worst human being in the book. There are definitely a few things that could be considered microaggressions or unconscious bias… no one considering the possibility that Teru might be queer, Kiyomi and Seika being awkward around Rei, Teru thinking it weird that Seika chooses to live in Koreatown. But none of those are **consciously** discriminatory… this doctor most definitely is. He doesn’t speak directly to Rei—i.e. the actual patient—the entire time, assumes Teru is a “caregiver” and even when he says he’s not keeps talking to him like he is, etc. etc. Needless to say, he was based on many, many shitty doctors I’ve seen here, and was actually pretty cathartic to write.

Don’t actually put too much weight on this guy’s medical advice, by the way. I did as much research as I could, but it was all internet-based. Unlike with the music stuff, I didn’t have any firsthand sources to ask about medical details. Also, he’s a jerk.

So, once Teru sees that Rei is not badly injured, some of his concern sort of turns to annoyance. The person he loves is hurt, and Teru himself is late for the album launch event, and all of this was PERFECTLY PREVENTABLE… or maybe not. But if Rei had been using a crutch and wearing an ankle brace and had STILL gotten hurt, I think Teru would’ve been a little more sympathetic.

Now, I do understand what Rei was thinking. He was having a good day, and there haven’t been many of those lately. He’s worried that he IS going to need more help and more support as time goes by (which, he is… I mean, that’s partly just aging and partly what happens when some parts of your body have to overcompensate for others, but it’s understandable that he struggles to accept that). And so when a day comes when he feels like he’s gotten a little bit “better” again, he wants to go back to the way things were “before”… but of course he wasn’t really taking the right measures to keep himself safe in the first place, so that kind of backfires.

And this is when I think Rei decides that he has to leave Teru… because what he’s feared has now actually happened. His disability has DIRECTLY hurt Teru’s career. Of course, that’s not really true. It wasn’t (only) his disability, but his failure to take care of himself that led to the fall. Rei doesn’t really see that, though… that yes, he did cause Teru to be late for his event, but it was his STUBBORNNESS that caused it more than anything else.

So after the event, Teru comes home and decides to spoil the surprise of his little romantic getaway a day early, because he doesn’t know whether Rei will want to go, or be able to go. He offers to take the wheelchair that’s been in Rei’s bedroom forever but Teru has never seen used… and that would probably be a really smart choice at this point (aside from Teru’s passing concern that he wasn’t expecting this and hasn’t booked accessible train tickets or hotel room, but accommodations could probably be made) but of course Rei refuses… sigh. Even though I wrote this, it’s kind of frustrating to see him blatantly refuse to learn, even when the universe pretty much slapped him in the face with a lesson a few hours earlier.

He does want to go, though… maybe he’s not 100% sure yet, but definitely starting to think that this will be their first and last trip together. 😭

#the stars may rise and fall #annotated #phantom retelling #writing process #OCs can be frustrating #Disaster boys

[everysongineverykey]

glass onion is just one of those movies that would be so good if it was good. you know what i mean. like, i have to give it credit: the acting’s amazing, the soundtrack’s awesome, the comedy is brilliant throughout, the whole movie’s beautifully shot, and benoit blanc has so much more personality, but cmon. look me in the eye and tell me the story is as good as knives out’s. 

like. there’s a secret pair of identical twins. cmon lol. at that point rian johnson was just having fun. honestly, i wouldn’t have minded as much if it wasn’t written to be a twist- i would’ve preferred if we’d known about helen from the very beginning. i don’t think introducing her in a hurried flashback that takes up like ten minutes of the final act was a great decision- the entire movie up to that point had been building up andi’s character, so to scrap her in the last, like, 45 minutes and try to build up a completely different character in way less time just makes them both end up feeling kind of flat as characters. glass onion’s character writing struggles almost everywhere- the only character that really felt real to me was benoit (again, i have to give them credit. benoit was done WONDERFULLY in this movie). it’s funny, because glass onion’s main cast has around the same number of people as knives out, and yet the characters in the latter all felt so much more natural and down-to-earth and lived-in.

glass onion’s problem is that it tried to go WAY bigger than knives out, really grand and over-the-top and spectacular, and while i adored watching benoit yell at a techbro billionaire ceo and helen burning his stupid mansion to the ground, the social commentary in knives out was just better done. it was less in-your-face. if glass onion could only have been more subtle in its message, i think i would’ve liked it a lot better. contrast the final shot of knives out, with marta looking down at the rich assholes who used to own the balcony she’s standing on, just sipping her coffee, with the final moments of glass onion: a billionaire’s stupid extravagant dangerous vanity project burns to the ground while the working class woman who did the deed stares off into the distance, contemplative. i agree completely with the general spirit, but... eh, it’s just too much.

i think much of glass onion’s trouble with character writing stems from this very fact- it tried to do something insane, extravagant, unimaginable to the average person, and so it collected several typical “rich person” archetypes to build its main cast around. you’ve got the elon musk parody billionaire, the politician who talks tough but is really terrified of losing her following, the vapid, vainglorious fashion icon, the mra dickhead youtuber, etc. these are archetypes we know exist- we see them on tv, we laugh at them on the news and critique them from afar, but the average person does not know anyone like this personally. compare this with the cast of knives out, made up entirely of fairly ordinary conservative, patriotic americans who aren’t willing to give their money to anyone they deem beneath them. these are normal people. everyone has at least one aunt like jamie lee curtis’ character, at least one leftist cousin like katherine langford’s character. they can look at linda and meg and jacob and walt and say, “that’s like my republican grandmother, my trashy alt-right cousin, my trumpy uncle,” etc. 

not only does this give knives out a sense of down-to-earth-ness and (for lack of a better term) intimacy that glass onion lacks with its rich shitheads, it does a lot of the writers’ jobs for them- since many already know people like this, it makes it easier for the viewers to fill in the blanks. this isn’t me calling the writers lazy by any means, by the way- i love knives out, in case you couldn’t tell. i’m saying that these characters automatically feel more real because they are real. they’re ordinary people. the characters in glass onion feel like cardboard cutouts. most of the main cast just seems like they’re there to throw the audience off from realizing that miles did it. they do what they’re supposed to do- rattle off their respective motives for murdering miles and later andi- and in between, they get drunk and bicker with each other, and they say nothing of much substance. they don’t really feel real.

like i said at the beginning, i keep coming back to the helen reveal. was there any real reason for that to be a surprise reveal in the last 45 minutes instead of just telling us that from the start? all it really accomplishes is taking up like ten minutes of the final act in a long expository flashback (in which we also get like three other MINI flashbacks) and adding in an entire new character that doesn’t get nearly enough time to become fully realized or fleshed out. the only thing i really liked about it was the way the sudden context gave new meaning to blanc’s “there’s only one person who can tell us who killed cassandra brand,” because realizing after that flashback that it really was all about her all along really threw me for a loop, but that’s really all it gives us. it’s just misdirection for the sake of misdirection.

i dunno. i loved glass onion, let me make that clear. i thought everything else about it more than made up for the subpar story, and i’ve seen it twice now and i WILL watch it again when it hits streaming, and i desperately hope they make more blanc movies, but... yeah. the only thing that could make that movie better is if it was good.

#glass onion #knives out #benoit blanc #long post #sorry for rambling lol i just had some thoughts