#don’t be afraid to ask for more clarification btw

[a-random-warrior]

“You’re addicted to the way you’ve felt before”

[nakamopapina]

What Provinces and Territories thoughts and reactions are when Mattie introduced his boyfriend Tolys?

Sorry for the late reply, I had to really think about it, I also includied some long term things. Like seals of approval.

I think the majority of them would react with something like “Hello, how are you, Mr Tolys?” and then ask Tolys questions so they’ll know the basics about him. In truth, they’re actually on the fence about the relationship, they’re just too polite to say.

Any positive, or negative thoughts about him will be mainly based from further interaction with him, which can vary from person to person, and often changes.

Their main views towards him are mainly neutral, like ‘he seems nice’. or ‘as long as Matt’s happy, and there’s no signs of mistreatment in the relationship from either side’

Btw, they will step in if they think there are any signs (even the smallest signs) of possible mistreatment on either side. They’re not afraid to call Matt out if it seems like he’s the aggressor. They don’t tolerate that BS. Luckily they haven’t had to.

Though, their ultimate/final opinion/views on him will ultimately be based off of his own treatment and reaction towards not only themselves, but also other Provinces/Territories.

However, here are the ones who’ll react/think differently/make it more obvious for Tolys, in my opinion/headcanon:

PEI’s opinion wouldn’t change the opinions/views from the others much, if at all, mainly because she’ll have a really overprotective/borderline helicopter parent type of reaction. Doing a full on interrogation with Tolys, trying to find out if there’s any possible ulterior motives to the relationship.

For clarification; she doesn’t have anything against Tolys, she’ll do this to anyone who Matt might be interested in dating, and vice versa.

For thoughts, she might not think highly of him, and it doesn’t change. Again, it’s not personal, it’s just how she is.

Manitoba will react by asking “Did I ask you anything about your relationship shit? No, I did not!” Then go back to whatever he was doing.

For thoughts, he doesn’t like Tolys, though he shouldn’t take it personally, Manitoba doesn’t like most people, just a small list of people, and not even Matt is on that list.

However, that doesn’t mean he’ll be an asshole towards Tolys, he’ll treat him civilly, just like anyone else when he first meets them. Tolys will have to go out of his way and intentionally piss him off to get on his bad side.

Nunavut will go “If you hurt my country, I will cut you!” Trying to sound like those overprotective dads that appear every now and then on TV. Unfortunately, she did not pass the intimidation check.

For thoughts, She’ll probably think that he’s cool, straight off the bat.

Alberta will immediately react hostile, and like he doesn’t trust Tolys at all at first. He wants to know straight off the bat if Matt is dating an asshole, a doormat, or someone worthy of his acceptance of civility!

Matt will tell Tolys in advance; prior to the introduction, that this is a test, and based off of his reaction, Bert will either turn the hostility up, or chill out.

For thoughts about him will mainly be from Tolys’ reaction from this fit of hostility towards him.

Based on Tolys’ reaction, Bert’s views of him could result in either being negative or positive, and his treatment towards him will either be cold, or like one of the bros.

Luckily, Tolys reacted well, and he views Tolys as a guy who won’t take bs sitting down, and is welcomed with open arms from him.

Sask will not have much of a reaction immediately, just a nod; a simple act of acknowledging his existence, and that’s it.

(He can pull off a pretty good protective/intimidating Dad like act very well, though. He doesn’t do this when he meets Tolys, which is a win!)

For thoughts, He’ll mainly have a neutral opinion of Tolys, (think, okay, he exists) he’ll have to ‘earn’ any negative or positive opinions/thoughts about him, but that will take weeks, if not months, because he’s mostly an observer. Actions speak louder than words, type of thing.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hey cas. I am pretty much helpless on this.

how can I tell my friend I want to kiss her? Should I even?

I am a girl btw and so is she for clarification

I have known her for almost 2 years and she is one of my closest friends.

She is bi and came out to me about a year ago. she only came out to her mom and very few other close friends me included.

I am pretty sure I am also bi or biromantic and known for a while. I didn’t come out to anyone wet but her. She is the only person I trust with that. I know my mom will be supportive and my dad… would deal with it well enough. My family is nither very religious or homophobic with the kost one being my uncle (not by blood) and my cousins a bit.

I don’t live in the us or Britan or somewhere as progressive. I live in a pretty religious country where homophobia is frowned upon, but acceptable.

she is beautiful, funny and a total sweetheart. a few days ago we met up. I asked her how does a crush feel for her. Not as a romantic advance but as I question my sexuality I wanted to know how it feels for other and am I strange that way. She said how when she had a crush on someone she will want to spend as much time as possible with them, will never get tired with them, and How she will noticed the littlest things about them and see the most beauty in them.

she then mentioned how someone with a crush on me would notice how my eyes are the same hazel brown shade as my hair in the sun or think alot about my ” beautiful” curly hair.

she somehow somewhere mentioned that she likes someone, when I asked she wouldn’t tell me . Later I asked her who wouldn’t she tell me if she had a crush on, “Obviously you wouldn’t tell me of you had a crush on me but who else” i said stupidly. I promise I wasn’t trying to imply she had a crush on me, just listed people off and i guess kinda projecting how I wouldn’t tell her how I have been thinking about her and her lips more then I think I should. She said if someone was close to me she wouldn’t tell me but i said if she does she should tell me to set them up.

we talked about coming out stories and she told me how sick she was of people assuming she liked them when she came out to them. I am scared I am doing the same.

I told her of our friend whi while they were fighting told me she had a crush on her. she said how she couldn’t like her aa more then she is always busy smd want someone more spontaneous and she could have mental relationship more like ours

mind you all conversations were NOT in English but I translated to the best of my abilities.

I am not even sure if I know what a real Crush feels like, I never before really allowed myself to be romanticly interested in girls as well as boys but joinig good queer communities (shoutout to the mauraders) showed me there are atlist some people willing to accept me even before being able to really label myself. I came to this pretty late , probably from some internalized homophobia I am recovering from. I think I am Bi and demi but am not completely sure with any strong labels.

She is warm and kind and very amazing. I don’t see myself dating anyone soon (but maybe her) so I do all my date ideas with her and we have fun. I took her to my favorite picnic spot afew weeks ago and she looked so beautiful under the sun while throwing cookies at me and singing song because noone could hear us.

we always joke about kissing and go so close and she doesn’t know hiw much I want to close that gap btween us, how much I want to kiss her and hold her close.

I am sceared as fuck to ruin our friendship. She is one of my closest friends and I will see her every day for at least the next 3 years no matter what. I am scared she will think I just want to experiment with her and even more afraid that it’s right and I am just kidding myself.

I am also not so ready to come out but don’t want to put her in an awkward situation if we get together and I won’t be ready to tell people. I know that would kill me to that to her. I don’t think I deserve her to like me when I can’t give her all she deserves.

I don’t want to lose her. I know I love her at least platonically and I don’t want to ruin anything.

I am so so so sorry for venting and making you read all of this I just don’t know what to do.

Should I tell her? How should I tell her? What do I do? Am I a horrible person for thinking all of this? Do I do nothing? Help

thanks anyways <3 anonymous

Hi hon!

I don't think you're wrong for thinking she likes you. I think she's definitely flirted a little bit. Of course, that might not mean anything, but...

As far as not being ready to come out, that's valid. And I don't think that should be a reason not to tell her. HOWEVER I think if something was to happen, you should be honest with her about that. You know, be upfront about your intentions going in.

I guess, from what you're telling me, there's a chance she likes you. So my question is- what if she doesn't? Is she ACTUALLY the type of person who would allow things to get awkward and weird, or do you think she would understand and try to move past it? Because from what you said, she's a nice person. I know if someone told me they liked me, I'd be like, "Awww, that's so sweet! I don't feel the same way and I don't want things to change with us, but I'm honored you feel that way!" Would she be like that?

If you think she would be chill about it even if she doesn't like you, I think you should say something. But if you think it could get awkward, maybe wait it out and see if she gives clearer signs? But you definitely DESERVE love. Everyone does.

I'm naming you anonymous anon if you want to write back!

[hueningkoi]

Hey! I’ve noticed your characters and people that you draw always look solid. Like they always look like they have this weight and motion to them, and I really struggle with making my art so fluid. Everyone I draw has a sort of weightlessness (derogatory) and stiffness even with dynamic poses and expressions. How do you accomplish making your characters have weight, motion, and fluidity? Btw I work with solely traditional art, so I don’t have access to all that digital stuff lol

Such a good question! SORRY AHEAD OF TIME IF THIS GETS LONG! lolol..... so! what I've figured out with drawing poses is that there's things you have to rememeber and it comes from a lot of me looking at photography of real people and using those as references. Stock photos, fashion photography, and sports/dance photography helps a lot! I always recommend looking at those! Also remembering that to make a pose look real and like the body has like weight to it, you need to make sure the pose is balanced! (This isn't really for jumping poses and poses not grounded tho eep!)

So a good way to learn is to make sure the center of mass, the torso, is supported. Look at your pose and put a dot on the center of the torso and draw a line directly straight down to the ground the character is on. Is the foot or arm or whatever point of contact your character has with the ground making sense to keeping the center of mass upright without falling? A lot of times two points of contact with the ground will straddle the line of the center of mass like this

Or like this

But one point of contact with the ground will have to compensate for where the center of mass is and usually that means the leg or arm will follow that direct line to the ground like this

Here's an example of me not following this and you can see it looks odd

You can also fix this by having an element that makes this pose make sense like this drawing I did, the foot is in the same spot but more grounded and I have the insinuation that the wrapping that is coming from off the canvas is also keeping my character up right! Now good shading and light sources also helps adding weight and stability to poses if you have questions about that don't be afraid to ask!

Thats balance! So what helps fluid movement is the line of action!

Draw a line of action to draw the body along which gives it way less stiffness. I recommend a nice swoopy! It pushes the pose and gives you an idea where the weight distribution is gonna be! Look at pics of athletes in motion and you can see the line of action their body follows!

I seriously went off on a ramble omg lol but hey lemme know if you need any clarification or anything and heck ya keep on drawing!!!! Thanks for reading if you got this far and have a wonderful day for real and ask me whatever 💕💕💕

[pure-kirarin]

Slow & Steady [P2] [Sabo x f!reader] (+18)

Genre : Romance - Smut - Bestfriends to lovers General warnings : Alcohol consumption - Dark themes - Swearing - S m u t - possessiveness - Mention of ex-relationships - jealousy

A/N : This is really different from my usual writing style but I am experimenting. Please tell me your thoughts and don’t hesitate to ask to be added to the tag list :) AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/31877203?view_full_work=true

In the last chapter --  «-Enough playing now, you're going to sleep. -B-but ! This wasn't what I asked for....You're really a coward after all...You virgin... » He carried you to his room, putting you on the bed and sitting next to you. «-I'd love to prove you wrong. However, it would be better if you were in a state where you'd be able to recall how good I am. If you want me to fuck you this badly then maybe ask me when you're sober.

Part I - Part II

Part II  -Yeah yeah...Pff..You're no fun Sabo. Things were finally getting interesting ! »

He smiled seeing that you were now calmer. You started to yawn and bury your face in his pillow. He loved to see you getting so comfortable in his room. He really needed a cold shower after your little show.  -Goodnight (Y/N). I'll sleep on the couch. You can get comfortable. -Are you crazyy ? You gonna leave me alone like this��? Let's sleep together~ -Come on (Y/N), you're a big girl. You could sleep alone for one night, would you ? Translation : I don't want to spend the whole night with a semi. And you're dangerously flirty, and I have wanted you for years and now I have to abstain.

-Pleaaaase. You said looking at him with puppy eyes. He rolled his eyes placing a hand in his hair. God.damn.it.

You won again. Like every time. * * *  You opened your eyes hardly next day, feeling something hard against your thigh. You looked at the ceiling

Oh...I am not in my room...Where the fuck am I ?

you turn around only to discover the embodiment of Adonis to your side. A light beam was lighting up Sabo's face. He looked like an angel as his beauty couldn't be that of a human.

Was he always this handsome ?

You didn't know, in fact, you have never had the occasion to wake up in his bed. Wait, in his bed ? This realization came slowly as your head was still foggy from yesterday's consumption.

You looked down, the thing that was pressing against your leg was indeed :

his thing.

You frowned, blushed, pulled away, put a hand on your lips repressing an internal scream, all of this in around three seconds. You then tried to calm down, telling yourself that it was very normal for a man to experience this kind of morning unconviniences, and that Sabo was a man, after all. Even if  you have always seen him as a bestfriend, he was still a man that is capable of physical attraction.

Now that this internal monologue was done with, you felt a bit calmer, but that didn't answer your question. You got out of bed, trying to recall what happened after going in the bar. And it came back. All of it. Without any mercy for your feelings.

You wanted the ground to swallow you whole. Your only wish was to disappear which meant : calling Nami. You headed out of the house, not even having the courage to face your bestfriend.

« Namiiiii -Uh ? What's the matter ? -I fucked up. I fucked up really bad. -Oh yeah ? Tell me about it. -Wait, why do you seem excited ? -O-oh I'm not excited. Come on tell me. What else could you have possibly done ? -I asked Sabo to fuck me. -Wait what ? You could hear Vivi ask Nami about what happened and her answering « She asked Sabo to fuck her ». -Nami ! Don't go on telling everyone about this. I'm on my way. -For starters, Vivi isn't « everyone », she's my girlfriend. And I'm here waiting for you to tell me what happened. -Wait, I'll come at your place. This can't be discussed over the phone. »

You hung up on her. Ten minutes later, you were at her place. Extremely confused. Nami was painting her nails bright red on the bed while Vivi was sitting comfortably on a chair. You let your whole body weight fall on a lounge pug, tourmented.  «-So tell me how you and Sabo ended up fucking. She emphasized the last word in a way that made you almost choke on air.  -We didn't actually. Nami and Vivi both sighed in a synchronized « Ah » of disappointment. -So hmm...I don't remember clearly. I was really drunk-- well that you're aware of and...And Sabo didn't want to leave me alone so we went to his place. Ace was at Thatch's so we were alone. We hugged and he comforted me. Then I started teasing him, and I don't know what I was thinking, but I kissed him, and then I asked him to fuck me. -Wow that escalated quickly. Said Nami as she continued painting her nails.

-Well, I was heartbroken, I needed something, someone, and he was there, and you know Sabo, he's a good guy ! I don't know what's worse, the fact that I asked him to fuck me or the fact that he said no.

-Oh god I'm so so sorry

- Nami please don't make things worse for me.

-No offense, but you're so dense. Sabo has always been into you. Do you want him, or do you not ? I know that going right into a relationship after a breakup is a bad idea. But honestly it's worth giving it a shot. He's a really good guy. Try dating someone nice for once.

-I don't know, he has something unsettling about him. Like « almost too good to be true » you know ? Added Vivi.

-Ohhh~ I see. Honestly, I always thought that he was a bit prude and hella vanilla. I mean, yes, he's my best friend. But he has never talked about girls to me or about sexual stuff. So I just assumed that. I never thought that he'd be packin' like that. You said as you popped a lollipop in your mouth.

-Ah ? Was it really that impressive ? asked Nami, genuinely curious.

-Yeah. On a scale from 0 to doflamingo he's a solid eight point seventy five. (*)

-Oh gosh. I understand why you're so worked up now.

-That's really...precise. Added Vivi, a bit horrified.

(*) [ The dear reader might need this clarification ; Doflamingo was Law's uncle, he sometimes came to pick him up after uni with his luxurious lamborghini. He wore extremely tight pants that left little to the imagination. And he was most known among your clique for having a nine incher. It was a running joke wether to know if Law got his uncle's genes. Needless to say that this joke wasn't to Law's taste. Now back to our adorable Y/N. ]

-So. I really don't know what to do. I am still heartbroken. -And horny. Added the ginger. -Yeah, that too. I'm afraid of ruining our friendship. -Listen dear, said Nami as she was closing the nail polish bottle, if you're not going for it, someone else would. And trust me, that girl Koala is upping her game. She's going to steal him right in front of your eyes, just like this - and she snapped her fingers. -Oh, and then, you can forget about being « best friends ». Said Vivi adding fuel to the fire. -Yeah, once he's gonna start dating, he won't have too much time for you-- and then, that Koala girl, my god, she seems extremely possessive ! -No way, your voice was detached, trying to act is if you weren't worried, Sabo has never dated any girl before.- -Yes but he seems to get along with that girl. And to be honest, she's kinda cute.

-Nami ! Vivi pinched her forearm playfully, pretending to be jealous.

-That hurt ! And don't be jealous, you know that you're my only one~

-Hmm...I prefer that. Vivi laughed. You started caughing reclaiming for their attention.

-Attention please ! We're discussing my dick-appointment here.

-Jesus you're really annoying, (Y/N), just go for it already.

-How much did he pay you to tell me this huh ?

-What ? He didn't pay me ! You're just always getting your heart broken. I'm just trying to be a good friend.

-Say that you are trying to get rid of her~ Jokes Vivi.

-Vivi, don't expose me like this- Nami plays along while laughing.

-I hate you girls ! You say as you throw a pillow on Nami. The ginger starts complaining that you messed her Nail polish, and the whole scene metamorphosed into a pillow fight.

* * *

You spent the whole day with the girls, chit-chatting about boys and girls and playing stupid games. You felt way more comfortable now, less ashamed. However, you were surprised because you didn't get a message from your bestfriend. You wondered wether he was mad at you, it wasn't in his habits.

You decided to message Ace [click for conversation] [ (Y/N) : Heyy amigo is Sabo ok ? Did he tell u smth abt yesterday ? Ace : Ouch, your hurting my feelings, </3 Only talking to me to ask about my brother~ Yea hes okay why tho ? (Y/N) : Ooo kay. He's home ? Ace : He is. Why don't u directly text him ? (Y/N) : Don't tell him I asked. Btw I didn't forget about those 10 bucks you « borrowed » from me. Give it back.] He didn't answer. You sighed and decided to go see Sabo to settle things down. It was the first time that you were embarrassed to see your best friend. You dressed up in a black skirt and t shirt. You didn't usually pay attention to your looks when you went to hang out at Sabo's, but you were really stressed out and what the girls have said about Koala made you scared of losing him. After all, you had some abandonment issues. You had to settle this down once and forever. You arrived at the guy's place, it was an apartment not so far from your own student flat. You knocked on the door and Ace opened : -Ohhh, (Y/N), he whistles, lookin' like a girl today huh ? -What are you implying you dumbass ? Where's Sabo ? -He's in his room with Koala.- -Wait what ? Koala ? What is she doing here ? Ace raised an eyebrow then said amused ; -I don't know, go ask him yourself. -You're useless as usual. -Always so sweet. You on your period or something ? -I didn't forget about my twenty bucks by the way. -I said I'm goin' to pay you back alright ? Now go talk to Sabo. You and Ace were always teasing each other in a brotherly way, but in reality, he really cared for you, it was just your usual way of communication. But it was true that knowing that Koala was in Sabo's room put you in a bad mood. You knocked on the door with a knot in your stomach. Did they start dating ? Was Sabo interested in her ? These ideas were torturing you. But why did you care anyways ? It was none of your business. He could date whoever he wants. You opened the door but there was only Sabo relaxing on his bed, still fully clothed. « - Sabo ?-Oh, (Y/N), what brings you here ? -Why ? Do I need a reason to see my best friend ? He sits on bed looking at you. He doesn't fail to notice your cute outfit, it was different from your usual sweatpants and hoodies, the way it complemented your figure was almost too much for him. Just that sight was driving him insane, but his face didn't betray his emotions, like always, he acted friendly, not an ounce of lust in his dark ebony eyes. You took place next to him. He smelled good, you thought. The same fresh minty smell as last time. Did he always smell this good ? -(Y/N) ?Huh ? Is everything okay ? His voice seemed concerned.He cared for you. And you had those stupid immature and posessive thoughts. Get a grip of yourself, (Y/N), you thought. -Oh yea-- wasn't Koala here ? Ace told me you were with her.

You tried so hard to act like you didn't care, but he knew you like the back of his hand. But still, he played along. -Hmm..Yes. She just left. I was going out as well. He says with a sweet smile, looking at his watch. You couldn't help but make a disappointed face. -But Sabo I wanted to - I'm really sorry (Y/N), let's talk later. He ruffles your hair and you close your eyes as he does so. You felt stressed out. What happened exactly ? You felt intimidated in his presence for the first time. You wanted him to stay and talk this out. It was a bit awkward for you now. You never thought too much. As he was going out of the room you held the fabric of his coat tight in your hand ; -Sabo- -Hum ? Need me to drop you somewhere ? -N-no. You let his sleeve go, realizing what you have just done, I'll stay a bit then go back home. Don't worry about me. -Alright then. See you later ? -Yeah. See ya. ]

You looked at Sabo go away and you followed him shortly after. Meanwhile Ace was sitting on the couch and watching some movies. You went back home and was quite tormented. It wasn't the right time to worry as you had your assignments and studies to deal with. On one hand, you didn't even have the time to think of your ex boyfriend and his cheating but on the other, you felt like you were let down by Sabo. But why ? He didn't do anything. He just found himself a new friend and a potential new girlfriend.

He didn't even talk about her, but why where you so upset by him meeting her ? After all, he had the right to date just like you always did.

A few days have passed and you didn't get the chance to talk to Sabo. Your exams were getting closer and closer and you didn't feel ready.

Usually, Sabo would help you with your assignments but you were too scared to ask. You realized how much you relied on him and how he has been always there for you.

Who were you exactly to him ?

Maybe you took him for granted.

As you were on your bed looking at the ceiling and trying to collect every drop of motivation in your system to study, you heard your phone ring. It was Sabo's ringtone ! ----- Tag list : @vemuabhi @chloe-abbacchio @mwls-garden @soanywaysistartedsimping If you wanna get tagged just ask for it :)

[hamphobicbasil]

Could u elaborate about the dsmp story being bad? Not a rabid/brain dead fan, just genuinely curious and I enjoy reading people's rants lolol

oh you dont know the floodgates you just opened

a few things:

1. despite not liking the creators of the dsmp anymore, I don't actually hate most of them. [the ones that are particularly unsavory fall outside of this of course] so all that I'm saying i truly mean in a critical sense towards the story, its also just all purely my opinion as someone who enjoys fictional and fantasy stories and who like criticizing works to see what it does well and what it doesn't do well

2. for clarification I'm going to use the c![name] to indicate when I'm talking about the characters. Don't get me wrong, I think its annoying too but its the only way I'm gonna be able to write this thing without getting something across the wrong way yknow?

3. I stopped watching the streams after November 16th, [save for one Techno one but I closed out after a particularly bad story beat lol] and so all information coming afterward is all second hand from either me seeing people on twt talk abt it or people dming me. All i really know is up to dream's imprisonment and some stuff past that.

4. This is mostly aimed towards the "main" story, so stuff abt the badlands, eggpire, and whatnot are briefly mentioned.

anyways uh, i'll try to be brief but also include enough information to get why i feel the way i do on some stuff across

A. Performances Alright obviously these people are all streamers, so obviously they might not be the best actors, and hell no one is even asking that of them. However, when you're telling a story that's based on the audio with the visuals kinda coming to a second, it's gotta be pretty strong. I will say, some of the best actors in my opinion are Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo. I would include Ranboo but I never watched any of his story bits or story streams so I can't say much. Wilbur and Tommy are excellent in selling their character's emotions and feelings, when I watch the stream I don't feel like I'm watching an rp but an actual thought-out story yknow? And one of my favorite Tubbo examples was in the Hog Hunt video whenever Techno attacked him, he sounded genuinely afraid and I believed everything his character was feeling.

However, unfortunately, not everyone is gonna be that good. And I'm gonna say it; Dream and Techno have to be the worst out of the entire cast. I understand Techno's whole character is this monotoned badass, however, when really emotional moments hit I feel like he never lets that fall, and a lot of intense moments just ring hollow. And I'm sorry but Dream's attempts at being intimidating leave me laughing whenever I watch them. It feels like he watched that one scene from The Marriage with Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson and said "Oh this is what good acting looks like! Just yelling." His whole "I don't give a FUCK about Spirit!" speech isn't as great as people keep making it out to be. And whenever he tries to act coy when being a villain it feels like a guy reading the script for the first time, a bit like he's trying too hard. I have more problems with his character but his portrayal certainly doesn't help.

Everyone else is fine, and I don't feel strongly either way about a lot of them.

B. The "Lore" Okay first off, I can't be the only one who thinks it's silly that people are calling the dsmp's story "lore" when it's not, it's the fucking story. Lore indicates backstory to either the world or the characters, which a lot of the streams don't really pertain to. This is a really petty section but god it's a weird pet peeve of mine.

Other than the misusage of "lore" vs "story", the actual lore and world-building of the world are so lackluster that new elements can be introduced whenever and it often feels cluttered or not well thought out at all. And here's the thing, I feel like if the writers sat down just for a few minutes to establish world rules and general history, a lot of this could be solved! but so much is made up on the spot that it starts to feel like they're grabbing at straws to keep people invested, trying to reach that next high and intense story beat without actually earning it.

C. The Egg / Eggpire This is a pretty minor note since I was only invested in the Egg storyline for a little bit, but god it's so underused that it's almost embarrassing. Bad has provided this super interesting antagonistic force that's infecting the SMP, can control people, and who one of our main character is immune to, and it's just never used or even talked about again? Now I understand if he wanted to keep it to a side storyline only, however, to introduce this borderline eldritch creature and force within the world and then never have it dealt with is so weird.

D. The Writing Oh boy this is. kinda a big one. Now I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty obvious I have a bias for the Wilbur writing over the current team [that consisting of Dream, Quackity, and Tommy mostly]. I don't this his writing is perfect by any means, the characters constantly bringing up traitors got obnoxious after a while, and writing Hamilton but in Minecraft really isn't the modern Shakespeare or anything. However, I think his exploration of characters and plot progression was a lot more thought out and well planned, like he actually had two brain cells behind the story yknow? The current team I think fails to be as emotional or even impactful, things happened too fast and my god was everything drowned in angst for so long.

Don't get me wrong, you gotta have your characters face hardships to make them reach their goal believable, but some of the shit they put the characters through just felt like too much. From c!Tubbo's constant comparison to c!Schlatt [who btw, fucking ordered his death and kept him from his friends in a nation he felt trapped in] and on a side note, i kinda really fucking dislike the "c!Schlatt dad!!" au's or the au's where c!Tubbo inherits some of Schlatt's features, it would be like c!Tommy getting a c!Dream mask after his exile, it's feels so weird yet people eat that shit up for some reason.

But god, did c!Tommy get the brunt of it all and in retrospect after his final death, it kinda feels really fucking gross. Now obviously, I'm not trusting any of these people to write decent mental health representation, but c!Tommy's PTSD and how it was explored was just degrading. [Specifically the scene in that one Techno stream where he saw the final control room from the first war, and had a flashback / panic attack where he started calling out for c!Dream. I understand this is an actual thing people with PTSD will experience, but it felt so fucking stereotypical it got on my nerves. I actually had to close out of the stream because it made me feel sick, fiction shouldn't leave you feeling that way.] And don't get me started on how they basically reused the formula from the previous arc. [Problem introduced -> Tensions rise as things start to fall apart -> Big confrontation -> Exile -> Return from Exile -> Blowing up L'Manberg, again.]

And speaking of characters-

E. Character Arcs, or the lack of them In my genuine opinion, some of these characters' arcs are so disappointing. Especially c!Tommy's. I'm not one to believe that he was a "selfish" character or anything, however, his goals were simply set on his discs and maybe c!Tubbo, he didn't have much outside that. However, L'Manberg gave him something to care about, he gave up his discs for it and he fought for it tooth and nail, I think it taught him to open up to others and trust more. It was a great character arc for him to have, seeing him still fight even after his first exile alongside c!Wilbur, to return safely to the nation that he and his found family had built.

But then his second exile happened, and I feel like all of that was undone.

c!Tommy's exile genuinely pisses me off for so many reasons. It's not that characters can't have their low points after reaching a major change or feeling like they've "completed" their arcs or anything, but it's more of the fact that it seems like he's never going to heal that feels like a spit in the face, especially to people who might have had setbacks like that before. Progress isn't linear, sometimes things happen and you get knocked back down, it can take a while to get back up, but I don't think c!Tommy's character is ever going to be allowed to get back up. From c!Dream, who pretty much was a constant abuser in his life, killing him then reviving him, and his still fractured relationship with c!Tubbo, which by the way I have a had time believing they would still be friends after all that happened, it feels like he can never get a win and it's generally kinda a shit way to treat your characters who have been abused. Of course, not all abused characters are going to get happy endings, I'm not trying to dictate that they all should, but c!Tommy deserves one and the fact that it's so obscure feels shitty.

Side note: we still don't have a canon reason to give a shit abt the discs. Like I'm sorry but without some sorta connection to the MacGuffin why should we give a shit about him getting them other than "he wants them lol". Like hell, I would even accept the classic "they were the last gifts from his parents" or something, but we still don't have a reason.

c!Tubbo also lacks a fulfilling arc as well, from someone who started out as a yes man, he has progressed a bit into having his own interests first, but besides that sometimes his character makes me so. depressed. He's easily one of the most pushed around and hated characters within the story, all for being a kid who didn't know what to do and he's in the same vein as c!Tommy; these kids can't get a break. Also, his anti-violence beliefs morphing into the "lets kill c!Techno lol!" bit was so out of place and without proper build-up it was like. what. And now he's building nukes?? god c!Tubbo makes me so sad because he's kicked around constantly and never given a chance to grow.

Another small note, I also don't really enjoy c!Techno at all. Besides the previously stated reasons of lack of emotions when they're really needed, I find his character to be weirdly pretentious. He talks as if he's constantly been betrayed and hurt but I personally, don't see it? Like, I think one of the main examples was the Pogtopia vs. Manberg war, yknow he wanted to end the government but they just reinstated it after they won = c!Techno upset. But this doesn't make sense to me because why did he think otherwise? The entire time c!Tommy had talked about taking back their nation and starting again, so the fact that c!Techno suddenly thought there would be a sudden change is, to put it bluntly, kinda fucking stupid. I don't want to say that he "plays the victim" or anything because that feels a bit harsh, but his character feels so far up his own ass that I can't enjoy him.

I have a major grip with c!Dream as well, but that's getting it's own fucking section.

F. L'Manberg This is a quick note before we get into the, forgive me for this, endgame, of this entire rant, since the next two sections are tied together. But god, L'Manberg makes me upset because it feels like they gave up on it.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that it is supposed to be c!Wilbur's "unfinished symphony", the thing that destroyed a once charismatic and widely loved man, his attempt at power that utterly ruined him. But the fact that it just got blown up in the end after everything and left to rot felt like such a waste of time. From the first war, to Pogtopia, to even c!Tommy's exile, it all felt fucking worthless in the end, and the story is actively closer to how it was when it started now more than ever. I wished it was actually allowed to exist and continue to be a peaceful place in what is a chaotic world, but no it was just snuffed out because why dedicate to this concept of finding others you can band together with and feel safe. fuck that noise apparently?

G. The Villains Now villain-wise, I'm only talking about c!Dream [during the first war], c!Schlatt, and c!Wilbur. And believe it or not, this is actually mostly positive.

Now I'm not gonna lie, c!Dream as a staring antagonist wasn't bad actually, he posed a genuine and threatening opposition to L'Manberg, even if we didn't know his real intentions or motivations as to why he was against it. He's lucky in this sense because he didn't have to be good, he had to be passable. If anything, he felt more like an anti-hero than a tyrant or traditional villain, and my god do I wish he kept this theme going forward.

Now quick disclaimer, I don't like JSchlatt as much as the next guy, he's an adult man who should know better than to joke about some sensitive topics and act the way that he does. But the one thing I'll ever give him is that damn, was he a good actor for his character.

Now here's the thing, c!Schlatt wasn't particularly deep at all. He had no real motivations behind his exile of c!Wilbur and c!Tommy other than getting competition out of the way, had no reason to act the way that he did and yknow? that's fine. The reason why he worked was from his performance alone, he was actually intimidating. When he came onto the stream and was doing his typical bad guy stuff, it was actually intense to see what he would do. Whenever he would almost catch c!Tommy back in Manberg, whenever he would begin to pressure c!Tubbo, it put you on the edge of your seat and it felt like everything would change at the drop of a pen. He's a villain to be a villain, and this works out because he's just charismatic and well put together enough to make it interesting, even without the backstory or motives.

c!Wilbur however, is much more tragic, and the best villain of the story. He essentially was the "mentor turned evil" trope and it felt terrible watching him descend into madness, unable to trust barely anyone except for c!Techno and c!Tommy. Hell, in the end I think he still cared about them both, despite losing everything. Sure, he blew up L'Manberg, but there was still a smidge of the old c!Wilbur in there made everything he did feel melancholic. His death at the hands of his father after achieving his final wish was chilling, and something I still think about.

Until yknow, Ghostbur came back way too soon to let people feel his loss as a character within that world. And then he got revived, pretty much-undoing everything that moment meant for his character lol.

And then there's the worst one:

H. Dream. I'm going to be completely honest, c!Dream is one of the main reasons why I dislike the current dsmp stuff so much. Outside of his actions as a person, the way Dream decided to write his character as this overpowered madman of the dsmp really just. destroyed any intrigue that he could've had. Perhaps this is from my growing dislike towards him, manifesting into a bias towards his character, but god I cannot fathom why people try to insist he's interesting when he has as much depth as a fucking puddle.

And here's the thing, I'm not even entirely against c!Dream being a villain, hell I think he would've been great as an anti-hero if anything. Make him sympathetic but not through c!George to get your precious "DNF" points or anything, but show him actually caring about the people within the dsmp, including c!Tommy and c!Tubbo. This would make his rival status with them just a bit more complicated, sure they're enemies, however, he doesn't want to hurt or kill them, and there's still a level of friendship there that keeps them bonded when things get super bad. This could've been super interesting to see, the first villain of the story receiving a sorta redemption arc then descending into madness as he started to fixate on being a god. This is all how I feel personally, but god do I feel like it would've been better than his current character, and hell would've worked with how he was during the Pogtopia arc, before the war that is. I'm not trying to tell Dream how to write his own character, but there are so many other ways he could've done the madman seeking to become god rather then. whatever the hell we got.

Because instead, we got this power-mad asshole who does things... because he can? And that's one of my major issues: he tries to surround his character in mystery to make him "intriguing" but it's kinda like c!Techno, it comes off as pretentious. Not only that, but you cannot keep waving around this mystery of a backstory without ever actually revealing it. I know the story isn't over, but c!Dream is effectively at his lowest point, now would be the time to reveal his backstory. But no just keep it in the dark and keep everyone guessing, that's totally fun and not at all tiring and annoying. (sarcasm, if anyone needs it)

And back to his performance, he doesn't sell this aloof, cynical and strategic warrior that has perfected the blade or some shit, he comes off as some angry guy yelling on reddit. which i don't need to tell you, isn't intimidating. It feels like he's trying to have c!Schlatt's intimidation combined with c!Wilbur's depth, but instead he's like a little brother who's trying to hard to mimic his older brother and is kinda embarrassing himself.

but other then that i dont feel too strongly abt the dsmp lol

but seriously, these are the main complaints I have abt the story tbh, I could probably talk about more but I wont because man. this is probably gonna get me in trouble if any of the hyper-dsmp fans actually read it.

[floridabaiter]

Lonely People (Not Us, Though)

George shoved him, “You’re crazy, we’ll get all wet.” 

“So what?” Dream was practically tugging George by the arm at this point “C’mon. Please? For me?”

And who would George be to deny that?

-

Dnf, george/dream , getting together , first kiss , probably ooc as fuck , tooth rotting fluff. Y’know, the good stuff. Dancing in the rain <3. We’re just egtting back into writing if its bad be nice to us :[

everyone say ty to anon btw 

George hated rainy days.

They made his body fatigue, mind hazy with the lazy pitter-patter hum against the rooftop as he lost himself. The touch-starved need to have someone with him keeping him distracted. Focus was always cast aside for clambering up into his bed, piles of blankets on top of him while he scrolled through his phone. 

Losing his productive drive for one day, in his mind, was the worst thing that could ever happen in the moment. His first rainy day in Florida since he arrived was spent huddled under several layers of fabric. It was far too hot and sticky for the humidity, poking his legs out to gain freedom as his torso was baked in the hot compartment he’d created himself.

The morning was spent so lazy, he found himself slipping into a state of haze- approaching footsteps and a rapping knock on the door dragging him out of it.

“George?” He heard through the door, “Geooorge, c’mon! I know you’re awake.. I’m bored.”

A groan.

“If you don’t open up I’m coming in there.” The warning was nothing if not lighthearted, concern hovering just below a teasing twinge meeting his ears as the door was pushed open.

What Dream was then met with was a heap. A heap of blankets, George sunk under them and nearly dozing off if it weren’t for the twitter feed in front of him.

“George, are you sick?” 

He shook his head.

“Tired?”

A nod.

Without warning, he was being picked up from his place of slumber and slung into his friend’s arms bridal-style; struggling to get out of his grip.

“Dream-!” George thrashed a bit, “Let me down!!” It was met with low chuckles, eventually his own laughter pouring out into the air- muffling the rain’s harsh sounds.

When the laughter died down, George was still being carried. 

“Could you put me down now?” He asked, receiving a shake of Dream’s head.

He grinned, “I know your tricks, you’re small. And slippery. You’ll somehow get back upstairs.”

The corners of George’s mouth tipped a bit downward, “Let me go.”

“Why?” Dream teased “Are you afraid?” 

George shook his head. 

“No-” He sighs, “Let me down, please.”

Dream sets him down to the floor without a second thought, helping George steady himself.

“Can I ask..? Or is it not something you want to talk about?” It was tender, no teasing intended. Welcoming, warm.

George scoffed, arms folding tight over his chest.

“It’s stupid.”

His friend made a face.

“It’s not stupid to me if it’s bothering you.” Dream swiped away something like a tear from George’s cheek, “You can tell me anything, you know that. I’m not going to judge you George.”

He paused.

“I just.” He bites the inside of his cheek, thinking. “I don’t like the rain, okay? It makes me feel… I don’t know. Alone?”

Dream looked back down at him, holding a hand up to the other’s arm.

 “You don’t have to feel alone, I’m right here.” He cleared his throat, “In the-yeah. In the rain, I mean. You don’t have to feel alone in the rain.”

“Thanks for the clarification.” Dripped with lighthearted sarcasm, a hand snaked around George’s waist. 

“Come in the rain with me. Right now.”

George shoved him, “You’re crazy, we’ll get all wet.” 

“So what?” Dream was practically tugging George by the arm at this point “C’mon. Please? For me?”

And who would George be to deny that?

----

And so, essentially through his own inability to say no to Dream, he found himself standing on the front-steps of their home. He let himself get dragged out further, slipping off socks in favor of bare feet on the concrete and water against his skin.

He stood there for a moment, watching Dream have the time of his life while he bit back a smile.

“Y’know Georgie,” the voice made him jump unexpectedly, he’d gotten lost in his own little world for a moment. “You could join me..” An arm was outstretched to him.

And again, who was he to deny Dream?

George stepped out, water dripping off his skin and rolling down in the aftermath. His hand was slotted in Dream’s- who was for the third time today dragging him somewhere as he caught up to where he was being taken.

The middle of the road was humid and drenched, water panged off the darkened concrete and barely spring back up to create little splashes that sprinkled for a moment before ceasing completely. It soothed him, almost. Made him dislike it a little less, made him like being in it a little more.

He thought of something that made him huff out a giggle.

“Hey- Dream. Dream.” He stifled his full-blown laugh. “Y’know this is a break in a heat-wave right?”

It was Dream’s turn to scoff.

“Pandering!” It was said sarcastically, larger tan arm bumping against George’s. “Dnf! Dnf! Green and blue!”

George found himself barrelling with much-needed laughter, head landing straight into the crook of Dream’s neck as he did; arm draping over his shoulder. He felt hands snake around his waist.

The shorter man moved his head to glance up at Dream, eyebrows ruffled and lips quirked.

“Who are you pandering to now?”

Dream’s face went a bit pink at that, his turn to nip at his lip. His heart pounded in his ribcage, thumping in his ears- him not being the only one to notice that.

“Oh, y’know. Uh. Patches?” 

George rolled his eyes. Slotting his head back to the crook, eyes poking out to peer above Dream’s shoulder- he began to sway them back and forth. 

They stayed like that for a while, swaying. Dream hummed under his breath, water hit their heads and shoulders and backs but it was okay; holding each other made it okay for anything to happen.

“I think I’m in love with you.” 

The world stopped, but not their slow dancing in the road.

There was a beat of silence.

“Really?” George hid his smile, but it was evident that Dream could feel that and the heat of his cheeks against his shoulder, “was it before or after the heatwaves joke?”

Dream felt his breath hitch.

“Is that a no then?”

George looked up, making eye contact.

“Shut up, get out of your own head for a minute.” He leaned in close, breath ghosting against Dream’s lips; “This okay?”

“More than okay.”

And so, in the slow-moving stormy afternoon, for the very first time;

George kissed him.

[roll-da-credits]

Lycoris Radiata -Izuku Midoriya x Reader-

Inspired by the piano piece, "Lycoris Radiata," Written by Spikes, played by MusicalBasics.

Highly recommend listening to it whilst reading.

[1] [2] [3]

Word Count: 1.6k

When a childhood love shows up after being lost to time, it's unnerving to be presented by something so familiar yet different. Deku, lost to his own love and presented with the stresses of life and unrequited love, it isn't easy to see the world with an unbiased gaze.

!WARNING!

(This is for the entire series and not just this part)

BIG TW for death, suicide, abuse,

Minor TW for death imagery, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, toxic shit all around

A/n: The summary sucks ass I really don't know how to summarize this ahahaha, btw this is going to be a 3 parter and I hope all of you follow me for the ride cause its a bumpy AND angsty one. Like heavily angsty. The first part doesn't have that many triggering topics, but the second and third do, so read with caution.

Imagery used

Red camelia flowers

Deku felt his entire body freeze at the sight. Like seeing a piece of his past that was lost to time. He yelled your name and without looking back to see you already knew who it was.

His very voice brings warmth in your entire being, a soft chuckle left your lips. You could hear his footsteps getting closer and closer, he was running to greet you. To greet the girl who left so long ago. The girl who disappeared from his life the moment he went in UA.

He never knew what happened or why it did happen. Though all of his questions bubbled into non-existence when you stood and closed your arms around his torso. He wanted to lift you up to the air, hug you even tighter. After all, it wasn’t everyday he would find his childhood friend sitting in a park bench all alone.

“You know him?”

A lone voice interrupted Deku’s complete bliss. He felt you quickly release your hold on him, though the beautiful smile he admired never leaving your face.

He watched in curiosity as the lone voice wrapped his hand around your waist. A bitter feeling etched its way in his throat. He pushed it down as far as it would go, afraid by his own jealousy he would push you away from his life once more.

“We were friends back in Grade School and Middle School, we stopped talking in Highschool though.” “Izuku, this is my boyfriend.”

Deku smiled and held his hand out for your boyfriend to shake. Which he does so with a big smile, “I didn’t know you were friends with the number one hero, that’s incredible.”

His intimidating tone at the beginning turned to almost fascination. Deku simply chuckled to himself and scratched the back of his neck in nervousness.

Your boyfriend leaned down to give you a small peck on your lips and Deku couldn’t help but shift in his place. Feeling rather displaced at watching a shameless display of affection. He slightly looked away to watch the rose bushes not very far from where he was, missing the grip that tightened around your waist. The flowers were beautiful, bright red and imposing. He thought to himself how hard it must’ve been to take care of such a delicate flower.

“Why don’t we all head out to lunch?”

Your boyfriend suggested.

To which you quickly agreed and your eyes locked with Deku’s green ones. A gaze almost as if you were begging him to come along. He, of course, would never deny an offer like that, not when you seemed so desperate to get him to go along. A feeling of gratitude bubbled in his chest, he felt as if you were looking at him like that as a sign to reconcile. Maybe even apologize for your sudden disappearance.

He followed the both of you to a nearby restaurant, getting stopped here and there for photos or signatures by passers-by. Every time he’d glance over to you and your boyfriend with an apologetic gaze, only to be met with the warm smile of your boyfriend and slight chuckles here and there.

He was extremely thankful you were able to find yourself such a considerate and patient lover. It quelled the jealousy in his heart a tiny bit. He would never jeopardize your happiness just because of his selfishness to have you as his.

Finally arriving at the restaurant, he watched your boyfriend closely the entire meal. It wasn’t he was scared of him being terrible or a bad company, he was simply making sure your boyfriend was the right person for you.

His suspicion would soon disappear though, the moment both of you went in, he greeted the waiters. Even apologized when one of them bumped into him. He was kind to give up the table he reserved for a family with hungry children. And he patiently waited for another table to open up for him.

When the waiter messed up his order, he simply smiled at your request of getting a waiter to correct his order and ate it without complaints.

Deku watched in front of him as he always kept his hand slung around your shoulder. He watched as your boyfriend complimented you, flick away a piece of food that fell on your clothing. Deku observed him with a keen eye and yet could do nothing but smile.

He truly did seem like a good person.

Despite his keenness and thorough nature, he missed the way you’d often shift in your seat when your boyfriend’s body nudges yours. Or how you’d flinch when a waiter dropped a plate rather far from the table.

The entire meal Deku along with you and your boyfriend made small talk here and there. Deku grew to like your boyfriend more and more.

At the same time, he felt his romantic feelings for you lightly watering down. He knew it was still there, but once again he’d rather it completely dissipates than ruin your relationship with a good person.

After all, he was a hero, he would always care for you and give you the best of the best. Even if it meant letting you love another.

~

“Izuku!!!” At the call of his name, Deku ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry him through the forest and to you.

Both of you still children laughing and exploring the forest with Bakugou and his gang of miscreants.

He finally found you crouching, watching intently at something he could not yet see from his distance.

Deku stopped for a moment trying to catch his breath, he thinks you haven’t heard him yet since you weren’t turning your back to him. Still intent on watching whatever you were looking at on the ground.

Just as he started to walk to you, Bakugou jumped out of his hiding spot and landed right in front of you. Causing you to scream from the scare.

Bakugou laughed out loud, prideful that his little prank worked. “I got you!!!”

Yet, no laughter followed from your side. You didn’t laugh like you usually did, both Bakugou and Deku who was now already behind you grew slightly anxious. What if you had gotten hurt from Bakugou’s landing?

What they didn’t expect was for you to cry ever so loudly.

Fat tears rolled down your cheeks as you stood and pushed Bakugou to the ground, still wailing.

“You dummy!!! You stepped on it! It's dead now!!!” You wailed and cried, before turning your heel and running back to your home.

Bakugou looked at Deku for clarification, as he was still dazed from the harsh shove. Deku looked to whatever you were staring at before Bakugou’s scare and saw a crushed red camellia flower. Bakugou finally realizing what he had done still didn’t want to admit he was in the wrong.

So just like the child he was, crossed his arm on his chest and huffed.

“It wasn’t my fault the flower was in my way!!”

He too soon left Deku to his own devices, looking for his previously left behind gang.

Deku feeling incredibly bad took the crushed flower in his hands and brought it home with him.

The next day he got his mom to bring him to your place since for some reason you didn’t come over today to play with him like you usually do every day.

“Oh Inko, please come in. They’ve been crying since they came home yesterday, something about something red dying. It was probably another flower.”

Your mother welcomed both Deku and his mother in, explaining why you had been absent from your usual playdates. Deku got the green light from your mother to meet you upstairs, and so just like a little kid excited to show his friend a new toy. He ran up the stairs holding a tiny box in his hands.

He barely bothered to knock on your door and barged in, causing you to lightly flinch at surprise.

“Izuku?” He swiftly apologized when he saw he interrupted you whilst you were reading.

Waddling his way over to sit next to you, he smiled and asked what you were reading about. You explained it was an English book called The Very Busy Spider, in which the main character was a red spider with a green head. A character you enjoyed so very much.

Deku listened to you retelling the children’s book to him, all whilst gripping the box extremely tight. Ecstatic to see your reaction when you opened his little gift.

“What did you bring Izuku?” Your little fingers pointed at the box tied neatly by Deku’s mother in a red ribbon.

Deku grinned and gave the box to you, “I’m sorry about Kaachan yesterday.” He sincerely or as sincere as a child could, apologized for his best friend’s actions.

You nodded at him and opened the tiny box. Inside was a dried version of the red camellia flower you had thought died after being crushed by Bakugou.

You held it close to your heart and almost cried tears of joy before enveloping Deku in a bone-crushing hug. “You’re my hero!!!” Your words made a flicker of flame igniting in his chest. He didn’t realize your words impacted him so much until he went back home and couldn’t get it out of his mind. He was extremely proud of himself to bring a smile back on your face.

After all, if he was going to be a hero, he would need to ability to make people smile all the time. Even if it meant racking his brain to find new solutions to odd problems.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

So, I'll bite, because I think some of these conversations should be had publicly and not behind the cloak of anon.

Why does it bother you personally if someone ships Kataang and is anti Zuko, if they are not tagging those posts in the Kataang tag?

I have a mutual who hates Zuko and ships Kataang. She keeps her opinions to herself in her own blog, tagging her posts anti zuko just in case. Why is hatred of a fictional character somehow an offense in fandom now? No one is going to die because she thinks Zuko shouldn't have been in the show.

Here's the deal: I only am tangentially involved in ATLA fandom. From what I see, most Kataang fans don't care what other people ship. They want to make their own content and be free of the stupid takes on Aang, Katara and their relationship that permeate their fandom. But even if they did hate or resent multishippers, if they are not calling you out or reblogging your properly tagged ship posts to shit on them, what business is it of yours?

The idea that a Kataang fan who can create content and add to the fandom, but happens to hate Zuko or any other character or ship being a "bad fan" is ludicrous. I don't know why so many people seem to be afraid to say this to you without hiding.

P.S.: It's pretty obvious that one troll anon is writing all of these anons, probably to get you riled up against Kataang fans who are looking at this shit like "wtf?" You and others are being used to spread dissent in a harmless part of fandom, but a person who hates Zuko on their own blog is the problem?

hi! firstly, i greatly appreciate you being willing to step forward and ask for clarification; i wish more people would do so instead of jumping to ridiculous conclusions lmaooo

secondly, you have asked some great questions! im gonna try to take them one at a time bc it works best for my brain lolol

1) it does not bother me if the posts are properly tagged! in fact, i don't believe i ever implied it did, so im a little confused on why you bring that up 😂 what does bother me is when unsolicited anti zuko anons barge into my inbox and insist that it's impossible to like zuko and ship kataang and similarly negative rhetoric. bc like. yeah, that's really rude and kills motivation 😂

2) hatred of a fictional character is not a fandom offense! i have simply expressed in the past my personal opinion on my personal blog that i don't understand anti rhetoric bc i can't fathom investing so much time and energy into hatred of a fictional person lmao. but again, the issue is not from properly tagged content, it's from the anons who show up and try to interrogate me about how i can possibly ship kataang and also appreciate zuko,, like hello?? people can have different opinions?? you don't see me going into anyone's inboxes like that, tf 😂 fandom etiquette 101

3) you're right that most kataang shippers don't care what other people ship! my expressing discomfort with a very small portion of the atla fandom does not negate the fact that i love kataang. maybe this is crazy lmao, but i have the range to be uncomfortable with rude anons and anti content (the latter of which is a personal squick and again! if it's appropriately tagged, evidently not what im referring to) while simultaneously acknowledging that a majority of the kataang fandom is a wonderful place. like, i wouldn't make so much kataang content if i hated the fandom hello 😂

4) that's the thing - i have gotten numerous anons who rudely insist that they don't think it's possible for me to ship kataang and also like other aang and katara ships. so you're damn right, i do have a problem with the harassment that i (and some of friends who actually only ship kataang!) have received. i am sure you can understand why it's both hurtful and frustrating for someone to tell me i can't possibly appreciate kataang just because i have other ships for those characters, too. so yes, idc what people do on their personal blogs, but you're damn right i feel hurt when people show up on my blog and criticize what is literally a fun hobby for me. it's unwanted, unnecessary, and im tired of it

5) you're right, that is ludicrous, and i have never once stated that. in fact, i always emphasize the importance of curating one's own online experience! i only have a problem when those people (and others) accuse me of taking positions i have never taken, insist i can't enjoy kataang bc i like zuko and/or other katara and aang ships, and continually harass myself and my friends for it. which like,, im sure you can sympathize 😂

6) im inclined to agree it's only a few different people writing those anons. they need to get a hobby lmaooo

7) a person who hates zuko is not the problem, the problem is a person who hates zuko harassing myself and others. it is quite simple. (which is clearly not your friend, btw!! i appreciate them tagging appropriately 💕)

i hope this provides the clarification you seek, my friend! i appreciate your honesty and your willingness to seek understanding and further information when you recognized you weren't getting the full picture 💛 have a great day!!

[xcherry-popx]

if its not too weird to ask, could you write some posts abt rad + asd (either one or both/abt comorbidity)? cuz i wanna find more info abt them & i saw stuff saying asd/rad cmrbidity was impossible too & think i may have both. i have zero access to mental health help atm and will for a pretty long time so im just doing what i can as i wait, document my symptoms and stuff and try to cope, for now. (btw im saying this 2 clarify tht im not trying to be invasive or out of curiosty. sry its so long)

It's no problem! Honestly, I'm excited to hear about someone like me, with how uncommon it is. No need to worry about it being long, because my answer ended up long as well ^-^;;

I wrote this quicker than I expected, so please forgive any mistakes, and feel free to ask for clarification. 

I’m mostly going to use the term ‘RAD’ (reactive attachment disorder), but a lot of this information applies to DAD (disinhibited attachment disorder) as well. I was diagnosed when they were still grouped together as RAD.

If any information does not apply to both, I’ll specify the differences between them.

First off: there is no reason autism and RAD can’t be comorbid. Now, most psychologist insist that they cannot exist together, but this is outdated. Unfortunatly, because RAD is so uncommon, very little discussion occurs, and thus any progress in understanding the disorder takes a bit of time.

Fortunately, some discussion has begun. This study is one from 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27895198/

As of now, it’s the only scholarly discussion, but hopefully that will change in time.

Essentially, autism is something you’re born with, while Reactive Attachment Disorder is the result of severe neglect or mistreatment.

The study found that several children diagnosed with RAD met the criteria for autism. The difference in children with autism and RAD vs children with only RAD can be distinguished by focusing on traits specific to autism.

That’s actually how I first suspected I had both: I looked through several diagnosis lists and checked whether I had symptoms exclusive to each list.

One of the current diagnostic criteria for RAD  and DAD is that the child cannot also be diagnosed with autism. This is because RAD, and later, DAD, were often used to explain ‘autistic-like behavior’ in children who either did not show signs of autism early on, or who experienced severe mistreatment.

The main reason this is outdated is because it relies on the belief that autistic individuals do not form attachments to caregivers, which many autistic people will tell you is false. That all relates back to the idea that because autistic people show affection differently, they do not feel it the way allistic people do, which is, again, false.

It’s often difficult to get an RAD diagnosis, much less one along with an autism diagnosis. However, it’s not impossible, although for me it involved two different diagnosises that my grandma and I realized made most sense together.

Under the cut, I’m going to talk more generally about RAD and DAD as well as about my experiences.

 You said you don't have much access to mental health help, but I felt I should include this next segment anyways. 

Attachment therapy, one of the most well-known treatments, is harmful. I would suggest avoiding it. It goes against attachment theory, the basis of RAD. I don’t say this to scare you, but it is coercive and has resulted in death in some cases. You can look into it yourself, but it is rather sickening for me, so please take care if you do so.

While most advice involves making sure the child has an emotionally available ‘attachment figure’, usually a caretaker, that assumes you would want someone to connect to that way.

As someone with inhibited type RAD, I always struggled when people asked if I wanted to be closer to my grandma. To me, we were like strangers, maybe coworkers. I didn't want to open up to her, and so I still don’t.

I believe that, while it’s nice to have a friendly relationship with caretakers, it’s not necessary. For me, it’s always been more important to have friends I can open up to.

Don’t feel pressured to form an emotionally intimate relationship if you don’t want to or feel ready for it. I still don’t think I’m close to my grandma, but we feel like acquaintances now, and that’s enough for me. You don’t have to force a relationship, but don’t be afraid if you want to start one.

Of course, you may have different experiences, or be in a different place with your caretakers, but since I've struggled with that aspect I wanted to talk about it.

Most treatment for RAD is under the assumption that the child is young, which I assume you are not. In general, I suggest finding people you can trust, if you don’t have them already. I don’t want to make too many assumptions here, so if you want more specific advice feel free to ask me.

While RAD is the result of mistreatment such as abuse or neglect, it’s rare even among those who have experienced such things. There’s some debate on why it occurs, and I believe many theories suggest disposition can make one susceptible? But I’m not entirely certain on that front. Also, I’d like to clarify one thing. While most criteria says the mistreatment must begun before age five, it’s not necessary. What happened to me was when I was 11, and it changed me enough that I gained a official diagnosis of RAD a few years later. What matters is how it affected you, not when it occurred.

Now, I’ve mentioned there’s a difference between RAD and DAD, but I haven’t specified what it is. I'll explain that, but to do so I need to talk about how they form.

The basis of RAD and DAD is what’s called attachment theory. This states that young children need strong bond with at least one caregiver to develop. The bonds with their caregivers dictate how their attachment style forms. However, RAD and DAD have their own types of attachment, referred to as inhibited attachment and disinhibited attachment.

They used to both be classified as RAD, separated under the categories ‘inhibited type’ and ‘disinhibited type’.

Many people with inhibited or disinhibited type will show signs of both, but can usually be classified as one or the other. I am inhibited type, but when I was younger I showed signs of disinhibited type in places such as school.

Inhibited attachment is what’s known as Reactive Attachment Disorder. It’s more common in mistreated children. This type is when a child avoids or ignores caregivers, often not showing affection unless convinced to.

Disinhibted attachment is what’s now known as Disinhibited Attachment Disorder. This is more common in children in institutions or group homes. This type shows affection to any and all adults. They are quick to trust strangers. When my grandma worked in foster care, she had some children who, after less than a day of meeting her, would cling to her leg and beg her to take them home.

In this case, inhibited types struggle to form attachments, while disinhibited types will form attachments quickly and easily, with no preference towards their caregivers.

I think that’s all for official information, so I'll talk a bit about my experiences with RAD.

Honestly, it’s isolating. It’s often seen as something that happens to children, and no one talked about adults with it. There’s numerous psychologists who’ll misdiagnose it in foster teens for not showing affection to adoptive parents ‘the way theyʻre supposed to’. Many people treat people with RAD or DAD as ‘psychopaths’, and there’s numerous times I’ve seen it listed as ‘terrifying’, even among the social workers that meet kids with it.

It's discouraging. But I want to tell you that you aren’t alone. I’d be happy to talk to you about your experiences, and share my own. I have hope that people will begin to recognize this disorder despite how uncommon it is, and see it for what it is.

In any case, I hope you are able to find the diagnosis you need, even if it doesn’t turn out to be this one. I wish you the best of luck!

[laulink]

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE WHO ONLY WATCH THE HAMEFURA ANIME AND HAVEN’T READ THE MANGA OR LIGHT NOVEL

(it’s gonna get a bit long so putting this under a cut but it’s about Katarina and her reactions to the harem members expressing their love for her. Can’t get more specific than that without spoiling, sorry)

Rereading Maria’s confession at the graduation ceremony, I had a thought : had the rest of the harem not intervened and made confessions of their own, would have Katarina understood Maria’s romantic intent ?

Let me explain.

As we all know, Katarina has known all of the harem, except for Maria, for years. They grew up together. Keith is her brother. Whatever way she views them, it’s ingrained in her now and it’s gonna be extremely hard for her to change this view, because for years, nothing (in her mind) hinted at the image she built of them being wrong or incomplete. So she believes she knows them. She believes she knows what they think and how they feel. We know that’s wrong, but that’s what Katarina believes.

And Katarina believes that none of them are in love with her. It is her pre-conceived idea, even before she meets any of them, that NONE of those people will ever fall in love with her.

She believes that the guys are in love with Maria, that Mary is in love with Alan and that Sophia just really adores her big brother. Nothing more, nothing less. She doesn’t fit in any of that. Her friendship with them is an anomally. She doesn’t even expect them to defend her during the Judgement Event. She believes that those relationships listed above are the only ones either of them would consider really valuable. Because, in her mind, the game takes precedence over anything else. In her mind, even if she is on friendly terms with Giordo and Keith and doesn’t attack Maria, the game could still force the world into incredible gymnastics to get her to the point where Giordo or Keith would kill her.

She is convinced that, no matter what, they can’t love her. Because the relationships of the game are the ones that truly matter here and everyone involved with Katarina in said game wanted her demise. That includes all the boys, especially Giordo and Keith, but because of that belief that the game’s relationships and fates are more or less set in stone for those six characters that she knows so much about and could therefore never misunderstand or misjudge, every one of them has already been put in a box they’ll have a hard time getting out of.

Maria though ? Maria is a lot more complicated of a character to get a grasp on for Katarina. As the otome’s main character, her relationships with the others depended entirely on her choices and her backstory has never been as expanded upon as the capture targets’, so Katarina has a really hard time understanding what she wants and how she feels. Katarina didn’t even know that Maria and her mom had been ostracised because the towns’ folk thought Maria was a noble’s bastard child. She didn’t know how much Maria had suffered because of that. She still doesn’t seem to understand btw, but that’s not really important here. The point is, Katarina doesn’t know a lot about the in-game Maria and the now real life Maria’s relationships, except that everyone is susceptible to fall in love with her and that in-game Katarina hates her. But, for that last relationship with Katarina, things have gone competely off-trail compared to the game, so Katarina has no idea what to expect out of it.

To sum it up, Maria is different from the other harem members because her relationships, including her relationship with Katarina, are building up right in front of Katarina’s eyes and they’ve only known each other for a year. On top of that, contrary to what happens in the game, Maria and Katarina become friends. That’s one totally new and unexpected relationship for both of them. So, because of all of those factors, Katarina has no pre-conceived idea of what Maria feels about her. Maria should have been afraid of or angry with Katarina, but now they’re friends, so to judge how Maria actually views her now, she only has Maria’s words and acts to go off of.

And what does Maria do at the graduation ceremony ? She tells Katarina the ONE sentence that’s supposed to be reserved to the capture target in the final event of the game. The timing is right, the words are right, this looks exactly like the final confession scene ; except that Katarina is the one Maria says those words to. And she’s stunned : for this girl who believes that the game takes precedence over everything else, this event is a conflict in and of itself : Maria should confess to a capture target, but Katarina is not an initial capture target. But those words are that of the confession, so it must be one, right ? They are supposed to convey Maria’s romantic feelings, right ? But she’s telling them to Katarina. And Katarina has no idea how to understand any of that. Did she become a capture target or did the words’ meaning change, conveying only friendship ?

Katarina could have, maybe, leaned toward the first explanation, especially if Maria had been given time to explain her words, or if Katarina had asked for clarification. But then Mary came over and said the same words to Katarina. Then all the others as well. And the choice was made for Katarina.

Her friends, who could not, ever, love her in a romantic way, were saying these words to her. Therefore, these words could not have a romantic meaning. So it was just a friendship confession, meaning that they had reached the friendship ending... and that Maria wasn’t in love with her.

TL;DR : Katamaria could have been canon by the end of their first year, but then the rest of the harem had to squeeze in between and make Katarina completely misunderstand what Maria meant.

I might write a fix-it fic where they DON’T and my girl Maria manages to get her feelings across to Katarina. Let that girl feel loved, damn it !

[midwestharpy]

ONE SHOT PROMPTS OPEN!

Hey guys! So I've come to the realization that I'm slacking on writing so much because I'll get stuck at a point and just get lost on where to go. Writing more of another story usually fixes this, but my main stories sometimes end up at that stuck point at the same time.

My remidy: One shots.

I currently have no big ideas for one shots so I'm opening up prompts! Drop an ask with a prompt you'd like to see me write! They don't have to be fanfic realted, I'm willing to write short story prompts in general to get me in the writing groove.

RESTRICTIONS/RULES:

No smut please, I'm not comfortable writing direct sences like that

No ships with weird/large age gaps (ask for clarification with some ships if you'd like to double check)

Hurt/comfort and angst are OKAY TO ASK FOR! I will write that, thats my jam right there! But I would ask that any requests for graphic violence/self-harm/suicide not be mentioned

I may not awnser your prompt if I don't vibe with the idea/idk what to do with it. If I plan on never using it, I'll let you know but if it's not awnsered right away I might just be sitting on it, don't fret!

No fanfiction regarding actors/real people

FANDOMS/SHOWS:

(For any fanfiction related prompts these are shows/fandoms I'm comfortable writing for. Things might add/subtract so keep and eye out if you're looking for something specific!)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Umbrella Acadamy

Voltron

Harry Potter (can and will diss on JKR if requested, fuck her)

Riordanverse

Sanders Sides

Marvel Cinimatic Universe

The Owl House

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Tales of Arcadia Universe

Avatar the Last Airbender (I haven't seen Kora yet btw)

Demon Slayer

If you'd like something thats not on the list lmk and I'll see if I can work with it! There are some things I've seen that aren't on the list bc I probably forgot so don't be afraid to ask!

Thanks for the help guys!

[secret-engima]

byakko4

I think there were a couple? Umm. A WU one about Sona and Varl reacting to Vala’s joining of the Bast and Aloy show? (For clarification, how diff she is when they come back after being gone a while? cause I don’t think I specified that in the ask) . There Is No Us - what names do Katsuki and Izuku take, once they decide fuck society, they’re gonna do what’s *right*, and do they end up with an underground following of people they’ve saved who support them?

byakko4

And I think there was one kore, but I can’t recall it right now.

byakko4

*more

Me: Ohhh yeah I never got those. Lemme see (also spoiler warning btw)-

-By the time Vala comes back with Bast and Aloy, she is ... different. Really different. What strikes Varl most is his sister’s confidence. True she’s always had self-confidence, but there’s something deeper in this, something that makes her still able to smile and joke and snark with the two other Seekers even as they do the impossible, as Aloy approaches All-Mother and All-Mother opens her womb for her. As Aloy pauses right before entering, looks back at her two fellow Seekers and says “Well, are you coming?” And Vala does not even hesitate to answer Aloy’s summons even though it leads into the Womb of the Mountain itself.

-His sister is different now. His sister has seen things, been places, and while she still murmurs the prayers and songs, while she still respects the Nora laws, Varl now feels it’s because Vala chooses to, not because it is necessary for all Nora. Vala watches the world with an unshakable certainty of her place in it, and that place is at Aloy’s and Bast’s sides. She’s still reckless, but now it’s more calculated, like she KNOWS just how to pull off this crazy thing without getting hurt because she knows exactly where her own limits lie and when and how to break them.

-It takes his breath away, but it also makes him afraid. Afraid for what his sister has seen, afraid for what awaits her even now. Afraid that he- he can’t protect her anymore, because now HE is the inexperienced one, confused and overwhelmed in foreign lands even as his sister smiles and runs to greet outsiders like they are old kin. How can he protect her, or even HELP her, when she has already grown up without him?

...

-Sona looks upon her daughter when she returns from Seeking and ... well. She knew her child would be changed by going out into the world beyond the Scared Land, but THIS-.

-Her daughter walks like a warrior. Her shoulders easy and relaxed, ready to fight at a moment’s notice, her eyes skim over everything at once before choosing where to focus, her hands are calloused from hard climbing and fighting and Sona just KNOWS there are scars hidden under her clothes now. Vala watches the flanks of Aloy and Bast like it’s second nature, trusts them to watch her back over anyone else. Her daughter laughs and smiles and teases, makes noises of long-suffering as she reins in the more crazed impulses of her two fellow Seekers, but there is a glitter in her eyes, a hard light that tells Sona that Vala has seen many Trials. That Vala has witnessed things no human has seen in generations (perhaps things no human SHOULD see), that Vala has killed men and watched the life bleed from their eyes and chosen not to regret it.

-Vala walks like a war-chief. Like a huntress. But more frightening, she walks like she is just One of Three. The restraint and sensibility to balance out the cunning and madness of Bast and the ferocity and genius of Aloy. A puzzle piece rather than a full set, joined to her fellow Seekers in heart and mind and soul above even her own tribe, all three playing off each other so smoothly that their words seem almost a formality in their communication and not a necessity (and sometimes it is just a formality, sometimes they slip effortlessly into a mad, nonsensical babble that chills Sona’s spine, chills her heart when Vala jumps in using the same chattering tongues with ease).

-On the one hand, Sona is ... so very, impossibly proud of her daughter. Her daughter who is a Seeker, who helped cure a corruption on All-Mother’s sight, who looked upon Aloy’s outstretched hand after All-Mother had granted her fire-haired human daughter entrance into her very womb, and took it without hesitation. Her daughter who barks out orders with confidence and the expectation that they will be followed, who stands shoulder to shoulder with the Anointed and feels no fear in yanking on red hair when the Anointed (Aloy, the one All-Mother acknowledged, the one All-Mother birthed, for all Aloy was permitted to bring her companions with her into even the heart of All-Mother herself, Aloy is the one who stands as the lone Anointed, even as the other two are Blessed) starts to do something too reckless. Her daughter who has had a hand in saving the world itself from the Daemon.

-On the other, a part of her mourns. Because her baby girl she held in her arms, her child who played in the village and sang the learning songs is ... not gone, but changed forever. Shaped and sharpened by her journey, her experiences, her blessings. Her baby girl is a Seeker and a warrior of nigh-unparalleled skill, who speaks the tongue of madness without fear or calling into insanity and who walks among foreign peoples as easy as her own. Sona knew, the day she first laid eyes on Vala’s Seeker medallion and paint, that her daughter would never be the same, but to see it, to see just how much Vala has changed-. It hurts. Just a little.

...

-I’m ASSUMING you mean the AU Interlude I did for There Is No Us where they decide to become villains rather than heroes, in which case Katsuki and Izuku keep their childhood nicknames as their villain monikers, both because they don’t care if they fit the stereotype or not and also because people find it oddly terrified that such up and coming, powerful villains are named Kacchan and Deku.

-Side note: in There Is No Us main, they STILL choose those as their names, because it’s a ... reminder to both of them. What are they fighting FOR? Where do they come from? No matter how powerful they get or how high they climb, those names are a reminder of WHY they are doing this, and what happened to put them on this path.

-Lemme know if you remember the last ask! You can resubmit it or leave a message on this post, whichever you want.

[ben-barnes-is-my-husband]

The Wildling & Her Kneeler: Chapter Two

So @vela-ships-jonsa got me looking up female Vikings and I came up with an image from deviantart under the artist Raphtor. NOT the half naked one btw...

Here were go! thank you @oreoswirl1117 for your help! 

Jon appraised the Wildling, Sansa,  thoughtfully.

He knew Wildlings were savages. Everyone knew that. But were they also touched, too?

Sansa certainly didn’t look touched. She looked completely sane. And as fierce as anything.

She was even more beautiful up close. A man could get lost in those ice blue eyes of hers. And he wanted to. Desperately.  She faced him with courage. She spoke like a leader, and apparently she was. Her hair, long and red and free made his hands twitch at his sides with the desire to touch it. She stood, tall, proud, her lips tinged pink. He wanted to taste those lips.

Her cloak hid much, but he could see she wore brown trousers and boots, which surprised him, and oddly enough made him even more intrigued by her.

“You’ve seen them, you say,” Jon said slowly.

“Aye. I’ve fought them.”

“And survived.”

“Just barely. Some of my people did not.”

“This is madness,” one of his men muttered.

Jon looked over his shoulder and shot them a glare. “Leave us.”

“Your Majesty!” one of them exclaimed in protest.

“Leave us. Don’t go back to the castle, but give us some space to speak.”

Once they were out of earshot, Jon turned back to Sansa. “How do expect me to believe that White Walkers are actually real?”

Her eyes narrowed. She could make a lesser man tremble with her glare. “You require proof?”

“Perhaps.”

“Proof might get you killed.”

“I can send my best men--”

She laughed, and it was full of derision. “You’ll send your best men to do what you will not? Are you not their leader? Shouldn’t you be willing to fight, too?”

“I’ve done nothing but fight for years,” he said irritably. “The Great War - have you heard of it?”

“A bunch of kneelers fighting for who will take the Iron Throne all based on their birth and nothing else? I’m familiar with it. Word does get to us, King Jon.”

“The Iron Throne is melted down to nothing. We have our own kingdoms now.”

“Wonderful. None of that pertains to me.”

“The point is, I fought in that war. I watched my brothers die in it. I fought in King’s Landing against two tyrant Queens. I know all about battle.”

“Then you should heed my warning that another is coming. And I promise you, one much more gruesome and deadly.”

“Let’s say for the sake of argument I believe you. How exactly do you want my protection?”

“There is an abandoned castle just east of here.”

“The Bolton’s. They were driven out as traitors to the King in the North.”

“By you then?”

He shook his head sadly. “My brother Robb.”

“We want the right to stay there. In exchange, we will lend you our help when the White Walkers make their way here.”

Jon laughed at her audacity. “You want Bolton lands. Are you mad? My people will never go for that.”

“They will if you tell them to.”

He laughed again. “Not quite.”

“You’re a king are you not? You are the one that rules the North. You tell them we will stay there, that we are offering our services in battle in exchange of finding safety there, and once the battle is done, if any of us survive, we will leave. Simple as that.”

He clenched his jaw. If there was one thing he could not abide, it was being told what to do. He was the king here, not her. He was the one that made the decisions and said how things would go, not her.

“I still require proof,” he said.

“You’re a fool, King Jon,” she spat. “Die then. See if I care.”

She turned to leave, her direwolf growling at him, and Ghost growling back.

“Wait,” he found himself saying. Whether it was because he didn’t want her to leave, or because some part of him actually believed her story (why else would she be so earnest about it?), he wasn’t ready to fully dismiss her. Not without setting up the opportunity to see her again.

She turned, brows arched, clearly waiting for what he had to say.

“I’ll send a raven to Night’s Watch,” he said. “If they can confirm what you say, I’ll consider it.”

She pursed her lips together and nodded curtly. “Fine then.”

“Where shall I meet you? Here? On the morrow?”

“Aye. I will be here. Same time.” She pointed up at an oak tree. “When the sun is just past that tree.”

He probably wasn’t supposed to find her endearing, but he did. He couldn’t help the smile that came.  

She made her way up the hill and Jon watched her go. “You know,”  he called out, “it’s customary to at least curtsy before taking leave of a king, since you’re so adamant about not kneeling.”

“You’ll get no curtsy from me, King Jon!” she called back and he laughed.

xxxxxxxx

“You’re jesting,” Lord Glover groused. “You can’t possibly be serious. The White Walkers are real?”

Jon held up the missive he’d received from the Night’s Watch that morning. “Read it here for yourself. This is from the Lord Commander who has not only seen them, but has fought them. They’re real, and they are making their way to the wall.”

“It’s a trick!” Lord Manderly shouted.

“How is it a trick?” Jon asked pointedly. “I asked for clarification, and I received an answer. What is it you wish me to do now? Not believe the Night’s Watch now? Go past the wall and see for myself? I promise you,  Manderly, if I do that, you’re coming with me so you can see for yourself, too.”

There was grumbling among the Lords in the Great Hall.

“I have asked the Lord Commander to send one of his men who has seen them and fought them to come and talk to us. Perhaps that will allay some of your questions, Manderly?”

More grumbling.

“But to have the Wildlings on Bolton lands?” Lord Royce asked, the old man looked as though he’d eaten something sour.

“They’d be contained at least,” Davos, at Jon’s left said. “We don’t want them roaming about raiding our lands, so give them their own.”

“This is absurd to even consider!” Lord Umber exclaimed.

“I have a duty to the North as King,” Jon said, his voice rising. “My duty is to protect the people I serve.”

“Bringing the Wildlings into the North isn’t protecting anyone!” Lady Mormont said irritably.

“On the contrary, my lady,” Jon said gently to the twelve-year-old, “If the Wildlings are willing to help with the great threat coming for us here, we could use the numbers and the help in battle. The Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch informed me they have a leader, they call him The Night King. And he can raise the dead.”

There was shouting, all of them having opinions and wanting everyone to know what they were. Jon wasn’t in the mood. He found he wasn’t often in the mood to hear what the stubborn Lords of the North had to stay. They could be stubborn and pig-headed, and after hearing from the Edd from the Night’s Watch, he had every reason to be worried. The Night’s Watch protected them, but even if they were afraid of what was coming, then there was real reason to worry should the White Walkers breach the Wall.

Besides, Wildlings had no use for them - it wasn’t as if they wanted a place at his table. They wanted safety. Sansa of the Wildlings wanted to keep her people safe, and help the fight. It was in their best interests to gain as many warriors as they could.

“Enough!” Jon shouted.

Silence fell and Jon stared them all down. “The Bolton lands are barren. There’s nothing there. Their castle is probably barely livable so the Wildlings are not asking for much. And they plan to leave once all is said and done. All I suggest for now is we wait to hear what this man from the Night’s Watch reports to us, and then we make our final decision. What say all of you to that?”

“I agree,” Lady Mormont said. “You are our King and have yet to steer us wrong.”

“I am in agreement with Lady Mormont,” Lord Royce said.

“Anyone else?” Jon asked.

Lord Glover and Lord Manderly grunted their agreement, but Lord Umber and Lord Karstark remained silent as they scowled at Jon.

Jon nodded and stood. “That’s enough for today.”

Jon headed out immediately, whistling for Ghost to join him. He was eager to see Sansa again. The night before he’d taken himself in hand more than once to thought of her. He’d found himself wondering how Wildlings made love. He imagined with utter abandon, and he trembled at the thought, excitement rushing through him.

He licked his lips in anticipation, ignoring the guards that followed him out. “Come on, Ghost. We can’t keep a lady waiting.”

[nursinggeek]

Gaming and Mental Health

Sometimes people use video games as a tool to help with their mental health.  Now, sometimes gaming can exacerbate mental health issues (hello depression and self-isolation) but that is not what this is about.  Sometimes spending a bit of time playing a particular game can help lower anxiety levels or increase a sense of efficacy, making it easier to then deal with meatspace challenges.  This is why I think it’s especially important in multiplayer games to respect other people’s gameplay styles and that they may not have fun doing the same things you have fun doing.  I mean, it’s also just common courtesy, but I’m focusing on the mental health aspects.

One thing to bear in mind is that video games (and other types of games, really) exist because engaging with them causes our brains and bodies to respond in certain ways.  Sometimes that means lots of fun neurotransmitters being released and causing physiological responses.  Sometimes that means lots of not-so-fun neurotransmitters being released and causing physiological responses.  And the same activity can either cause the same neurotransmitters to be released but with different experiences in different players or even cause different neurotransmitters to be released.  That’s about as science-y as I’m going to get, though, because I think it’s a little easier to look at the subjective experience.

I play on a particularly awesome Minecraft server.  Everybody is really friendly and supportive with very rare exceptions, and we have awesome mods to help when exceptions arise.  Sometimes, though, people mean to be friendly and encouraging but end up accomplishing the opposite of what they’re trying to do.  I’ll give an anxiety example and a depression example.  Since Minecraft is the only multiplayer video game I do, the examples are going to be very specific to that game, though I’m hoping the general principles will be clear.

There’s a player who has stated they’re concerned that the 1.14 “village and pillage” update will cause them to go into hyperalert mode when they’re trying to do an otherwise relaxing project.  Now, if someone has anxiety, and they like to build as a way to soothe that, then being in hyperalert mode is seriously counter-productive.  This has nothing to do, btw, with actually being afraid of dealing with pillagers.  It’s the sense that they could show up when you’re not in “dealing with bad guys” mode and are in a space that should be hostile-mob-proof, and would have been prior to the introduction of pillagers, specifically pillager patrols.

Ways you could help a fellow player with this: offer to help them figure out the pillager patrol spawn rules (which are a tad more complicated than regular hostile mobs) and how to spawn-proof their space so they don’t have to feel that they are on alert all the time.  Things that may seem like a good idea but are not helpful:  telling the player that pillagers aren’t so bad anyway (not the point, it’s about being hyperalert, not how much damage they can cause you), telling the player that you can hear them well before you can see them (doesn’t matter what sense is involved, knowing a hostile mob can show up suddenly can keep one in hyperalert mode), or telling the player not to worry because you’ll come help if they say in chat that they’re being attacked (great that you’ll help, but that doesn’t keep hyperalertness from happening all the rest of the time).  Having your friends keep offering all these reasonable-on-the-surface-sounding things is actually frustrating and invalidating.  Things that should be obvious are unhelpful: asking the player why they play in survival if they don’t want to deal with hostile mobs or some similarly patronizing “my way or the highway” response.

So that’s the anxiety example.  The depression example will be yours truly.  

In general, I prefer to focus on the mining and grinding side of Minecraft.  I’m not generally an adventurer, and I’m not a terribly skilled builder.  But I love farming and fishing and, yes, mining.  I have allowed myself, on occasion, to get sucked into the group enthusiasm that tends to exist around things like taking on a Woodland Mansion as a group.  I have since learned that that is not fun for me.  It’s fun to watch others do it, especially others who are friends.  But it is not fun for me.  It brings up all sorts of nonsense I thought I’d left behind in grade school about being the weak link on the team and can trigger a startlingly bad depressive episode.  Consciously, I don’t actually care that I’m terrible at combat.  If I cared, I’d practice (solo!) and get better.*  It’s just not my play style, and after that one mistaken “caught up in the group’s enthusiasm” experience, now I know to decline.  My typical response to these events is, “Have fun storming the castle!” followed by either proceeding to do something else in another part of the server or just logging off.

Incidentally, this doesn’t stop me from jumping in to help someone else who gets into trouble with bad guys.  Your base is being raided because the pillagers think it’s a village and you ask for help?  I’m there.  The Four Horesemen of the Apocalypse just spawned and you’re trapped and ask for help in chat?  I’m there.  

I’m probably not the only person whose brain works this way and needs to beg off things like group wither-boss fights or ender-dragon fights or the like.  So, if you encounter a player who similarly chooses not to participate in these group events, by all means, ask if there is something you can do to make them feel more comfortable to participate in something you think is going to be fun that you don’t want them to miss out on.  But if they say that, no, they really don’t want to, please accept that.

Things that may seem helpful but aren’t: saying you’ll protect them (that actually makes things an order of magnitude worse if the problem is they feel like they’d be the weak link on the team), saying it’s not really as bad as all that (no kidding, it’s just a game, it’s not the actual thing-being-fought that is the problem), or saying that it’s not about how well you fight, it’s about the group experience (the experience of feeling like the weak link of the group is the problem and overshadows any positives of doing the activity with the group).  As above, it should be obvious that asking them why they even play the game if they don’t find the same parts of it fun as you do is not even a little helpful, and is, in fact, downright rude.

I feel like I need to take a second to note that there may be servers where particular activities are expected/required.  I’m not saying that is a problem!  You might have a rule that nobody gets to have things like elytra and shulkers and other goodies from the End if they don’t participate in defeating the ender dragon, for example.  That’s totally fine, imo, so long as those expectations are clearly communicated.

The tl/dr take-away, I think, is that it’s important to listen to people when they say this or that doesn’t work for them.  It’s more than okay to ask for clarification, or to ask if there’s a way you can help them with the thing, but if they decline, please respect that.  Pushing can be the opposite of helpful, despite the fact you may have every intention of being helpful.

*This is something I’m considering doing as a way to try and defuse this trigger, actually.  I’m lucky enough that the mods will re-set the woodland mansion and we can re-spawn the ender dragon on this server, but I’d have to do it at a time I knew I’d be the only one on.  Having others help would be counter-productive  Otherwise, it’d have to be in a single-player world.  I actually think that getting my skills up to the point where I could be an asset rather than a liability in a group activity like that would be a good thing in terms of dealing with that old issue that apparently still kicks around in my brain. The problem is, since fighting bad guys is a thing I’ll do if I have to but not particularly fun, I’m not all that motivated to spend my recreational time doing it.  But if you have a similar issue and think that’d help, well, I figured I’d toss that out there.

[omori-gallery-au-official]

“I’m here.”

hey hey !! i’m mod paint. more info under the cut!

general info

pls refer 2 me as only mod paint !!

i do go by mod venus on the @/heros-moving-castle-official blog though

my pronouns r he/they/she btw (not in order of preference - pls just just mix them up when u talk abt me at different times and i’ll be happy)

i’m bisexual. that’s not super important but at the same time it’s impossible to know me and not realize at some point so

i do have a tumblr blog but it’s a secret ! if u want to guess i won’t stop u tho

i edit the writing for the story! i do also like to draw but it’s probably unlikely that i’ll post something with my own art in the near future

i am also autistic ! i do like tone indicators but please try not to put too many, it confuses me. also, please use /nu (not upset) instead of /nm (not mad) - my brain sort of processes /nm as someone actually being mad at me so it helps a bit to use /nu instead. i wont kill you if u use /nm on accident though

if i seem rlly fucking weird when i reply to asks then my bad ! i like interactions & i dont bite but i have bad anxiety and it kinda fucks up my social interactions whenever i do anything. and then that gets amplified by my autism so

ib is cool i gues (game not schooling program) . im stealing garrys gender immediately btw

uhh . boundaries i guess

no nsfw. both mod rose & i r minors & we don’t wanna see or hear abt that lol

i’m not going to put triggers or anything on here bc that’s dangerous but i do have some things that i should probably mention

please don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if i say smth and it makes absolutely zero sense! even i don’t know what i’m saying sometimes . i just type words and hope they make sense

already mentioned this but pls use tone indicators & pls use /nu (not upset) instead of /nm (not mad) bc my brain processes /nm weird

please don’t use typing quirks in asks, especially if ur on anon. replacing words with numbers that they sound like or shorter letters (as in saying “2″ instead of “to” or “too” or using “ur” instead of “your”) is fine and i don’t mind that (i do that too LMAO) but please don’t use ones where u replace every s with the letter z or every o with the number 0 or something. it’s just really hard to read and i can’t read, process, nor answer ur ask sry 

so like. i do have irls . bc i have psychotic delusions. and that is important to note i guess bc doubles

i am mari (omori), xiao (gi), fischl (gi), and childe (gi) irl*

i’m fine with doubles, kins, etc interacting in terms of liking & reblogging as well as sending asks but pls don’t initiate conversation w me !! regarding doubles, asks are fine as long as they’re questions abt the au or something and not just to start a convo w me (i probably won’t check the blog unless i need to use ur pronouns in an answer or smth)

*genshin isn’t related to this au but i know mod rose interacts w a lot of ppl who play genshin so i figured this would b important to note

♡ if u actually read to all the way down here then i applaud u & i hope u have a good day !!