#ignore the style change halfway through

[unhappy-sometimes]

this reeks of fanfic it sickens me

[1000threarthmovr]

ugh

[shewhooncegripped]

Thou wisheth for a friend?

Behold! A single use button that can summon anyone from anywhere to your room and have them play with us!

Ehhh~?! Now I have multiple things to summon with!!

[The Monster seems quite excited by this prospect. She scampers over to her bed and reaches into her pillowcase to pull out a ticket. The Doll visualizes who she wishes to appear, while the name slips her mind while her form remains inhuman. Then, the ticket glows gold before dissipating in her hands. Moving on to the button, The Corrosion completed the same process. Imagining and then pressing the button.]

[Magic flies through the air like flurries, appearing to be almost like a children's animation with all of the dramatics displayed. This must be The Bear's imagination playing into the process.]

...Hmph. This is taking too long!

[The Monster only watches for a few more seconds before she turns back to her dolls. The game appears to be getting to its climax. The knights have come up with a grand plan to get rid of the monster. They have spent a lot of time preparing for the possible fight-- preparing for anything that could go wrong. She talks in those silly voices and dramatic gestures unaware that she has two audience members.]

....

[To those present, it's very quickly made aware that something is very wrong. Noticably, Kromer has corroded. The woman luckily does not seem aggressive, but there's no telling what may happen if she is provoked.]

[Actually... You've never seen Kromer like this. It's quite apparent that this is a Hex Nail corrosion. Yet, on the battlefield when Kromer corrodes into Hex Nail she typically doesn't appear to be having this much... Fun. The large plush hammer that she carries in her ego move becomes spiked and violent and she will swing it at whoever is the closest to her. This Kromer though... The hammer is discarded and instead she appears to be playing with dolls. A smile is on the woman's face as she dances around her plushies. Dolls.]

[Dolls of you. Dolls of your coworkers.]

[irisintheafterglow]

bsf!shoto doesn't understand when being punctual went out of style.

when you swing open your front door the instant he was about to knock, you startle backward like you'd seen a ghost.

"oh, wow." your eyes are wide open and your mouth gapes before snapping shut. "you're, uh, here very early," you manage to say, turning back inside and kicking the door the rest of the way open with your foot. he follows behind you as you hurry back to your bathroom, your makeup halfway done and seven possible outfits laid on your bed. he follows you through the hallway, stopping only a moment to glance at a baby photo of you on the wall. he'd seen the photos hundreds of times, but he found it amusing that you made the same face of surprise when you were little.

"i am ten minutes before our agreed upon meeting time, is that distressing?"

"not distressing, just surprising. in my experience," you continue while patting glitter on the inside corner of your eyelid, "guys don't usually show up on time for dates."

"well, it's a good thing i'm not other guys, then," he smirks and you roll your eyes with a poorly hidden grin. "i also didn't need to waste time picking you flowers--"

"since most of the stuff makes me sneeze anyway," you finish for him, your cheeks warm under the dusting of powder blush. you had known shoto for nearly three quarters of your life, yet it still caught you off guard every time he said something that told you he'd been paying attention to you. "very thoughtful of you." your eyes meet his in the mirror, flicking to his broad shoulder leaning against the doorframe. "staring is rude."

"then you're a hypocrite," he immediately counters with no change in tone, the only indication of his smugness the slightest narrowing of his eyes. his expression turns thoughtful, fond almost. he smiles softly and the endearment makes your cheeks warm even more. "i like that color. the one on your eyes."

"mmm, i know it's your favorite," you reply coyly. shoto's eyes drag from your face down the rest of your body, something different flickering across his face. "something wrong?"

"no, you just...you look beautiful," he manages to say.

"i'm wearing pajamas and all might socks that have at least three holes. in each sock," you chuckle, turning to him over your shoulder. "i certainly don't feel beautiful."

"i can fix that."

"what?"

"what?" he blinks at you, dumbfounded, and you giggle at his slip-up. "who said that?"

"you're funny, sho." you try to ignore the way his eyes follow every movement of your hands as they swipe color over your lips and make last adjustments to your lashes. when you're done, he steps out of your way so you can take your numerous outfit choices to the bathroom, settling down next to your bed to help you decide like he'd done before. "this is a little different, you know," you say through the crack in bathroom door as you tug on your first arrangement. "before, you were helping me decide what to wear for school award ceremonies and stuff like that."

"i could still do that, if you want," he replies with complete sincerity. "i do still want to do that."

"it's a little weird to be dating your best friend, since i feel like you already know all the things that would make me a terrible person to date," you continue and he falls silent on the other side of the door, prompting you to peek out of the bathroom. "sho? is everything okay?"

"yes, everything is fine." there's the slightest dip in his perfect eyebrows that tell you otherwise.

"the 'no lying' rule carries over from friendship to dating, you know," you remind him casually and step out completely, turning in a circle for the full effect. "what do you think?"

"i think that's a bit...warm," he states bluntly. you blink at him and half expect him to laugh, but he doesn't. he's dead serious about you being too warm.

"i am a little warm, yes," you admit in your thick sweater and fleece stockings. "but, i'd also like to dress warmer than i need to because it's so much easier to cool off than it is to warm up."

"i can do both of those things for you," shoto declares. "why wouldn't i do both of those things for you?"

"i don't want you to hassle and need to use your quirk on date night." your voice trails off but he's having none of it.

"is this what you mean by 'things that make you a terrible person to date?' planning ahead so you're not a burden?" you shift your weight uncomfortably under his gaze and can't muster any other answer but shrugging.

"i just...i don't want you to need to change to accommodate me, now that we're together," you explain quietly. he stands and takes your hands in his, lacing your fingers together without a second thought. "if it's easier for me to be uncomfortable and you to be comfortable--"

"why is both of us being comfortable not a possibility?" he asks, tilting his head forward slightly. "why can you prioritize me but i cannot prioritize you?" you have no further argument but his point is hammered home. "do you love me as you wish to?"

"wholeheartedly."

"then let me love you as i wish to. wholeheartedly."

[calilks]

A lull

guys trust me they were happy sometimes. guys. they found comfort in each others presence. guys please they shared moments of joy. PLEASE !!! AHHHHHHHHHHG

so proud of that lineart btw. the LINEWEIGHT on TILLY SPECIFICALLY RAHGSGDHDH. ignore the fact i changed brush halfway through though. did NOT notice that. also softlaunching my new pearl design!!!! i’m so happy with herrrrrr!!! was mild lasy on the rendering, defo not my usual style but shhhhhhhhhhh also me yet again with my bloodhound tilly propaganda. someone restrain me. tried to have a very blue toned background and red figures to give it that warmth comfort love vibe

[raekensluver]

Reader accidentally confesses her crush on Chris Dixon to her friend Arthurtv. She immediately regrets it. Arthur spills. Chris feels the same way. Thank you!

masterlist | main masterlist

my writing style is changing sm i cantttt

contains: fluff, mutual pining, arthur being a blabber mouth, platonic!arthur frederick x fem!reader

chris dixon x fem!reader

you didn’t mean to say it.

you were halfway through ranting about something stupid chris had done in the new video—something about the way he always made those sarcastic comments that were too funny, or how he looked annoyingly good in that hoodie he never took off.

“i swear, he’s either trying to kill me or i have the most embarrassing crush known to man,” you said, tossing popcorn at the telly, and arthur—quiet, too quiet—just looked at you.

the silence snapped you out of it.

“wait—no. ignore that. pretend i didn’t say that.”

he smirked. “you’ve got a crush on chris?”

you scrambled to backpedal. “i was joking—i’m always dramatic, you know that—”

“mmhmm.”

you groan. “arthur. can we please pretend i didn’t say anything?”

arthur hums noncommittally. “sure.”

he’s lying. you know he’s lying.

still, you don’t think much of it until a few days later, when you walk into the flat and chris won’t meet your eyes.

he’s weirdly jumpy. quiet, but not in a bad mood way—more like he’s thinking too hard.

you nudge his arm. “you good?”

“yeah,” he says. then adds, “arthur told me.”

you blink. “told you… what?”

“about you. fancying me.”

you make a strangled noise and immediately turn to leave. “i’m going to kill him. like, fully. with my bare hands.”

“wait-oi-don’t go,” chris says, laughing a little, catching your wrist before you can vanish down the hall.

you stop.

don’t turn around. can’t.

he tugs gently. “look at me.”

you do. reluctantly. heart pounding.

his voice softens. “i don't think it's such a bad thing, you know.”

you froze. “you don’t?”

he shook his head, then offered the softest smile, all tentative and shy.

“honestly, i’ve liked you for a while. i just didn’t want to ruin anything.”

you dropped your hands, staring at him. “seriously?”

he gave a little nod. “so, i was thinking… since it’s out there now, maybe we should do something about it?”

you tried to act cool. collected. failed miserably.

“like… a date?”

“exactly like a date,” he said, grin blooming full and warm. “though you’ll have to forgive the hoodie.”

you laughed, still a little dazed. “fine. but only because i really like the hoodie.”

he bumped your shoulder. “you’re never living this down.”

“neither are you.”

[lazysoulwriter]

Under the Spotlight - Paul Mescal.

requested! by - s 🩶 hope u like it, honey! words: 1k and something.

Summary: A surprise appearance at a concert turns a meaningful song into a heartfelt moment for an indie singer and her elusive, yet special, someone.

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚.˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

The air in the venue was electric, buzzing with the anticipation of your fans. You stood backstage, adjusting the hem of your white dress. The fabric was soft and simple, falling just above your knees, yet it clung to you in a way that felt effortlessly alluring. Your boots—a pair of high, western-style ones—added an edge to your look, contrasting beautifully with the delicate innocence of the dress. Your style always teetered on the line between soft and bold, like your music. Tonight, you felt both exposed and invincible.

As the lights dimmed and the opening notes of your first song echoed through the room, you stepped onto the stage, bathed in a warm spotlight. Your fans erupted into cheers, though their respect for your artistry meant the energy was contained, intimate. This wasn’t a crowd that screamed through your lyrics; they absorbed your words, letting them sink in like poetry.

Little did you know, someone else was absorbing the moment, too. Paul had arrived just minutes before the show began, keeping a low profile as he slipped into a slightly secluded area off to the side. A hoodie was pulled over his head, and he wore sunglasses despite the dim lighting, blending into the shadows. He wasn’t entirely unrecognizable, but in a room where all eyes were fixed on you, he was just another silhouette in the dark. Your relationship was public but undefined—unofficial enough to avoid questions, yet too intimate to be ignored by the media. Tonight, he wasn’t here for headlines. He was here for you.

The setlist unfolded like a story, each song carrying the audience further into your world. Your voice was as rich and haunting as ever, weaving through the notes with an intimacy that felt like a confession. Paul couldn’t take his eyes off you. You had that rare ability to make a room feel both vast and small, as if you were singing to everyone and only him all at once.

Halfway through the show, you paused to address the crowd. “I want to thank you all for being here tonight,” you said, your voice warm and genuine. “You’ve been with me through everything, and it means the world to share these songs with you.”

The audience responded with soft cheers and applause. Paul smiled from his spot, unseen but fully present. He was proud of you—not just for your talent but for the way you carried yourself, the way you connected with your fans. You had always been a force of nature, even in the quiet moments.

Then, something shifted. Toward the end of your set, as you prepared to introduce your final song, a ripple went through the crowd. It started small—just a few murmurs and glances—but quickly grew into a wave of recognition. Fans began to turn their heads, some pointing subtly, others nudging their neighbors. The respectful silence was interrupted by a smattering of excited whispers, followed by a low, collective murmur. You noticed the change but didn’t understand it at first, your brows knitting together in mild confusion.

And then you saw him.

He wasn’t entirely hidden anymore; the crowd had found him, and their subtle reactions gave him away. Your eyes locked onto his figure in the shadows, and your breath hitched ever so slightly. It was a fleeting moment, imperceptible to anyone who wasn’t looking closely, but Paul caught it. You smiled—a soft, almost shy curve of your lips—and for a second, the world outside that room ceased to exist.

“This last song,” you began, your voice steady despite the flutter in your chest, “is one that means a lot to me. It’s about... love. The kind that makes you feel like the whole world could fall apart, but as long as you have that one person, you’ll be okay.”

The opening chords of “Love” by Lana Del Rey filled the air, and the audience settled into a hushed reverence. It was a cover, but one you had made your own, infusing it with a raw vulnerability that felt deeply personal. As you sang, your eyes drifted back to him, almost involuntarily. Each lyric felt like a message, a whispered confession meant for him and him alone.

Paul leaned against the railing, his heart swelling with every note. He hadn’t known you’d sing this tonight, hadn’t expected to be the subject of your focus. But as the song unfolded, it became clear—this wasn’t just a performance. It was an acknowledgment, a quiet declaration of something neither of you had fully put into words.

By the time the final notes faded, the room was thick with emotion. The crowd erupted into applause, but you weren’t finished yet. Setting your guitar aside, you stepped closer to the edge of the stage, your gaze never leaving his.

“Paul,” you called softly, your voice amplified just enough to carry over the crowd. A ripple of excitement ran through the fans, but they remained respectful, sensing the tenderness of the moment. He hesitated, caught off guard by the spotlight suddenly directed his way.

“Come here,” you urged, your smile widening. The room collectively held its breath as he made his way to the stage, the cheers subdued but filled with warmth. When he reached you, you leaned down, extending a hand to help him up. He accepted, climbing onto the stage with a mix of reluctance and amusement.

Standing beside you, he felt exposed in a way he wasn’t used to. But your presence grounded him, your hand slipping into his as if to reassure him that this moment was yours alone, despite the hundreds of eyes watching. You turned to face him fully, your other hand brushing a stray lock of hair from your face.

“This song was for you,” you said simply, your voice soft but steady. The crowd let out a collective “aww,” their affection palpable.

Before he could respond, you leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. It was brief—just a whisper of a moment—but it carried the weight of everything you couldn’t say out loud. When you pulled back, your smile was radiant, your cheeks tinged with the faintest blush.

The fans erupted into applause, their respect evident even in their enthusiasm. Paul chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he muttered something only you could hear. You laughed, squeezing his hand before turning back to the audience.

“Thank you all for being so amazing tonight,” you said, your voice warm and sincere. “I love you.”

The words were meant for your fans, but as you glanced at Paul, it was clear they held a double meaning. Hand in hand, you exited the stage together, leaving the crowd buzzing with joy and admiration.

[minnielvrr]

Styling~

Lee: Felix, Reader Ler: Reader, Felix Word Count: 1k

A/N: my first fic with bff reader😋i hope you like it~🤗💖

Tags: @itzsana-kiddingmenow, @lajanaa, @bbybumblelee, @hearted-anon, @lunalattae,

@jungwon-is-the-one, @reginald-stay09

“Hold still, Lix, or I’m never going to finish,” you mutter, brush in hand, trying for the umpteenth time to tie little braids at the back of Lixie’s head.

Lix was talking your ear off. His voice was soft as it always was when he spoke to you. He leaned into your touch as your hands gently massaged his scalp.

Felix told you about all the places he’d been able to visit, telling you about everything that reminded him of you. He really wished he could take you along.

It was sweet, the way his mind seemed to find you even when he was halfway across the globe from you.

You’d missed him too.

As you wove the strands together you let your fingers ‘accidentally’ graze the blonde’s neck. It makes Felix squirm, a smile tugging at his lips as he looked at you through the mirror.

“Ihit’s nohohot fair! Y-yohuhu’re doing thihis on puhurpose!” He giggles and the cute sounds he makes, has you smiling fondly.

Your fingers dance along the back of his neck and brushing against the sensitive skin just below his hairline.

A soft shiver rippled through him, and you smirk as Lix trembles in his seat, barely holding back a chuckle.

“Tickles, huh?” You tease, your fingertips grazing his neck again, slower this time—deliberate.

You carefully watch the way Felix’s shoulders scrunch up and how his lips wobble before a beautiful smile breaks free.

“It’s nohot my fahault!! Youhuhu’re tihihickling mehehe!” He protests, laughter bubbling up uncontrollably.

Even as he whined, you noticed that Lix kept his hands in his lap, despite you not having requested it. It made you giggle.

Felix had always seemed to enjoy being tickled, you knew this, and you were so grateful he hadn’t changed.

“Squirmy. Does this tickle a lot baby?” You lean close to him, your hands merciless as they wiggled over Lix’s sensitive neck.

“Yehehehehes ihit tihihickles soho muHUHUch!!”

“Aww, so cute Lixie. You’re just as sensitive as I remember. I bet your members tickle you a lot to hm?” You loved how easy it was to fluster him.

Sweet giggles spill from his lips as you keep at it, gently curling and uncurling your hands at the sides of his neck.

“Youhuhu sahahaid you’d dohoho my hahair!! Nohohot tihickle mehe—AH ahahaha plehehease~”

Lixie’s hair was soft to the touch and as it brushed against your hands, an idea popped into your head.

Curiously, you catch a stand of his hair between your fingertips and sweep the ends over your best friend’s ear.

Felix squeaked, his hands shooting up to grab onto yours. He looked pleadingly up at you and you could see the rosy blush on his cheeks.

The color really brought out his freckles, making them pop up across his face like stars in the night sky. The sight was breathtaking.

“Haha, does everything tickle you Lix? C’mon admit you’re the most sensitive one in the group and I’ll let you go~”

Felix shook his head stubbornly, his legs kicking out slightly as you moved to his ribs,  digging into the crevices.

It makes Felix arch away, his hands clutching desperately onto the armrests of the chair.

“ahahaHAHA PLEHEHEASE!! NOHOT THEHERE!! YOUHUHU’RE SOHO MEHEHEAN!”

Shrieks mixed with helpless laughter, Lix doing his best to stay put while also trying to lean away from the torturous sensations.

It had been so long since the two of you had been able to spend some time together due to his busy schedule and Lix had promised to make it up to you.

You had been waiting for him to offer and a devious grin spread across your face the moment he had asked what you wanted to do.

His hair and makeup. Felix’s hair had grown so long and you had always wanted to style it. But as laughter filled the air, you decided that it could wait.

Right now, all you wanted to hear were more of these cute sounds. You couldn’t ignore how much you’d missed moments like these—the quiet times, just the two of you, away from the busy world.

Just when you thought you had the upper hand, Felix’s grin widened. Without warning, his fingers darted toward your waist, catching you off guard.

“Y/nnie~,” he cooed, scribbling his fingers over your sides and you can feel his breath fan your ear as he leans in, teasing, “Your turn now.”

You knew you were screwed. Lixie could be a so mean when he was in the mood.

There’s a gleam in his eyes as he watches you writhe in his hold. “What’s the matter y/nnie? Can’t take it, hm?”

His blunt nails skitter over your waist, lightning-fast and mischievous, making you jerk back instinctively.

A bout of frantic cackles escapes your lips as you shove his hands desperately. That ultimately proves to be futile.

His touch was light but quick, fingers dancing over your skin like tiny jolts of electricity, making it impossible to escape.

“Aw, that’s too bad. I wanna see your smile~ Won’t you laugh for me y/nnie?” Lix teased, his fingers playfully digging into your ribs now.

“Ahahaha Lihihix nohoho. Behehe nihihihice! Behe niHIHIHICE!!” You beg between peals of hysterical laughter.

His touch was relentless but playful, and his eyes sparkled with mischief, clearly enjoying every second of your torment.

Lix was much stronger than you and he used his strength to his advantage, easily pinning your arms and clawing at your tummy.

“C’mon y/nnie I know you can take this much~ Besides you really did a number on me earlier. Did you think you’d get away scot-free, hm?”

“Ihihi dihid nohohot! Plehehease ahahahaha youhu knohow Ihi’m more sehehehensitive!!” The words set your face ablaze, and felt insanely flustering to admit out loud but it got Felix to finally stop.

He let you go, messing up your hair as you slumped breathlessly in the chair he’d been seated in earlier. He tossed you a bottle of water from across the room.

“Now that we got that done, wanna get back on track?” His smirk told you this was far from over. The day was still young and you had plenty of time to get back at Lix.

“Better watch your back Lixie~ It’s not over yet.” You warn with a smirk, Felix’s bright red ears giving away how much this affected him.

[ridthewaste]

Jax's Young Adulthood and Tribulations (Headcanon)

alright you animals have CLEARLY made up your minds about what you want the most lmao (according to THIS poll)

So here it is; Jax’s young adulthood, and the way he carried himself after moving away from the farm and into the Big City™️

(as always, asks are open regarding anything, especially suggestions! sorry for the WAY longer wait than expected)

As Jax had grown older, so eroded the doubt in his mind as to whether or not he belonged anywhere else but the cities. He loved his family, of course - but there was more to life than a farmstead, and his brothers felt the same, albeit with different aspirations (or lack thereof). His parents did not take it personally, rather the opposite; they encouraged their children to make a life that they themselves desired rather than stick it out helping them on the farm...although, within reason, considering their tendency to be rabble-rousers in the neighbourhood.

Jax was, funnily enough, the first one to leave, viewing the farmer's life as "unfit" for someone like him. Managing to acquire his high school diploma with grades half-decent enough to get him into a university. He opted for a major in Business - having a charismatic sense of self and an initial desire to utilize it as a future career somehow, being interested in advertising in particular. His older brother left right after him, but instead decided to skip over post-secondary education, opting directly into trade work. His younger brother, two years later, would follow Jax into university, instead pursuing a degree in Communications.

Moving to the city lead to a few changes in Jax's style of living; most prominently, he grew a desire to look and feel accustomed to the city lifestyle, particularly in the way he dressed. To say he dressed "nicely" was, of course, subjective, but his affinity towards cheap blazers, sunglasses, and shiny wristwear was quite the change from his otherwise teenage casual demeanor from his youth. In a roundabout, sleazy-type way, he certainly succeeded in looking the part of someone who had lived in a city their whole lives.

Ultimately, however, his desire to change his style was done not just to embrace his newfound urban comforts, but to additionally distance himself from his upbringing. As he grew more conscious of it whilst he grew older, he almost became embarassed by the fact that he had been raised on a farm, and this multiplied tenfold once he left home. He may be confident that he has no Hoosier accent (which, in truth, he does not) - but it is difficult, to say the least, to forget that he has a farmers tan underneath his hip, urban fabrics.

How the world views him ends up being the least of his problems during his tenure as a student - the pressure of his degree, coupled with the stresses of living on his own for the first time end up not boding well for the young man, and, halfway through his second year at the university, he opts to silently drop out, deciding not to inform his family of his academic woes, much less his parents. He couldn't possibly tell them, after all; the embarassment of being down on his luck for his first time living alone, as well as the possiiblity of returning to the farm life was not something he would have them worry about.

Though deterred a bit, Jax was determined not to have the world put an end to his vague-ended aspirations. After all, he was still receiving money from back home, with his parents doing what they could for their children if it meant helping them live how they would like. Jax opted, rather than face the music, to simply lie about his predicament; informing his parents that things were going fine, and that the checks they wrote from the farm were covering his groceries well enough, and that he was looking at a promising position in some kind of city-based company.

Much to his older brother's chagrin (and his younger brother's ignorance), this strategy worked well for Jax. Working some odd jobs, and engaging in lucrative side hustles - primarily gambling and sports betting - he was able to pay his bills as he sought a way to get a more stable employment without an actual degree, all while receiving some willing - and unwilling - help from his brothers. Though some guilt over his dishonesty to his parents lingered, what else really mattered at the end of the day other than the fact that he was making his own money?

This state of affairs would continue for the next few years, until a seemingly lucrative opportunity would present itself - an internship position for a particular software company specializing in virtual entertainment mediums. Viewing it as the perfect result of his would-be business degree, he was able to, once again, lie about his qualifications with a bit of help from his brothers. Luckily enough, they were in need of new help, and as such did not look too closely at his background.

Now, he had his first real job; an unassuming position at an interesting new company! Something to show off to his folks, to prove that he belonged in the hustle and bustle of the city - to show to the world.

All he had to do now, was maintain the course...

[agaypanic]

request where Benny Weir and the female reader go camping but get stuck in a thunderstorm and thus get separated/lost in the woods causing her to fall down a steep hill and sprain her ankle as she sits on the ground injuried calling his name as he noticed she's not with him so he runs back to rescue her calling her name as well and it isn't long before he finally finds and picks her carrying her bridal style back home and to safety

Camping Gone Wrong (Benny Weir X Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: Camping with your boyfriend takes a turn for the worse when a thunderstorm approaches. It becomes even worse when you’re separated and get hurt.

A/N: kinda tweaked the request whoops, aged up bc i cant see a high schooler being in this situation lol

***

Everything happened so fast that it felt like you had gotten whiplash. You were surrounded by giant trees with barely any light to guide you, trying to ignore the intense chills you were getting from being drenched by the heavy rainfall. The wind whipping around you made it hard to hear anything. You could barely hear yourself shouting your boyfriend’s name over and over.

It all started when Benny had somehow convinced you to go camping. Your boyfriend meant well, wanting the two of you to have a fun night alone during the summer. But it quickly went to shit, all because he forgot to check the weather.

“Of all the nights to go camping…” You had muttered as you and Benny tried to fall asleep. Key word: tried. There was no way to drown out the heavy rain hitting your tent with loud thuds and splats. “I can’t do this anymore, I’m sleeping in the car.”

Benny bolted upright in shock as he watched you wiggle out of your sleeping bag and grab your coat and shoes. “Y/n, you can’t do that, it’s crazy out there.”

“Well, I’m okay with getting drenched if it means I’ll be in the car instead of the tent. Besides, it’s not that far.” As you adjusted your clothes, you were suddenly hit on the top of the head by something cold and wet. “What the… Benny, there’s a hole in the tent! We have to get out of here.”

Benny shrugged it off, trying to further discourage you from leaving. “Babe, it’s just a little hole. It can’t really do much- Ah!” As if fate was waiting for Benny to speak the magic words, the top of the tent spontaneously split open, quickly allowing him to become drenched from the heavy rainfall. “...damage.” Benny finished his sentence with zero amusement.

Safe to say, Benny changed his mind, and you were now halfway to the car. The trail wasn’t too long, but the storm made the trek difficult and slippery. It didn’t help that you could barely see through the forming fog. 

You had a death grip on Benny’s hand the entire time, not in the mood to lose him in the chaos. You were determined to not let go. But the rain was making your hand so slippery. Without thinking, you released Benny’s hand to wipe your palm on your pants, failing to realize that that wasn’t much help because your clothes were also damp.

Reaching out for Benny again, you ended up blindly swiping your hand through the air. “Benny?” It was like he disappeared without a trace. You couldn’t even find the beam of light from his flashlight. “Shit!”

You needed to keep going. Maybe your boyfriend was just ahead of you and would be drying off in the car waiting for you. Besides, standing around in the middle of the storm wasn’t going to help you.

Speedwalking turned into clumsy steps as the ground turned to mush and mud. For some unknown reason, you felt like you were losing function in your legs. Every step felt light and distant, even though your footfalls were heavy.

That was probably how you strayed from the trail and fell down the hillside. You winced and yelped with every roll and bump, dreading all the little nicks you were going to end up with.

But after what felt like the longest fall in the world, you reached the bottom of the hill and became highly aware of a shooting pain in your ankle. It was safe to say you at least sprained it, which just made your situation even worse. How were you going to find Benny when you couldn’t make it back up to the trail?

“Benny!” You shouted, drowned out by the rain. You struggled to stand, wobbling forward to see if you could climb up the hill. “Benny!” 

Trying to go back up the hill quickly failed. With your ankle injured and the grass slick with water and mud, you couldn’t get farther than a few feet before slipping back down.

With a sigh of defeat, you eased yourself to sit down on the grass. “Dammit.” You muttered. Maybe it would have been better to stay in the tent. Or perhaps not going camping at all.

Under the rainfall, you heard a faint voice. It was gradually getting louder, repeating a phrase that you couldn’t hear clearly. As the voice got closer, you looked around and became relieved at the sight of a light getting close to the edge of the hill. 

“Y/n!”

It was Benny. You gasped, your excitement pushing you to climb up to meet him, the adrenaline masking your pain. “Benny!”

“Y/n?” 

As you got closer to the light, you tried to get a look at Benny. But he seemed faded out, like he was made from the fog. Yet the light kept getting brighter and bigger until it completely flooded your vision.

“Y/n?”

“Ah!” You bolted upright, immediately disorientated. You were no longer stuck in the rain but sitting on your bed. No pain in your ankle, no soaked clothes, no dirt and mud on you.

But there was Benny.

“Woah!” He hesitantly put his hands on your shoulder, not wanting to freak you out even more. “Bad dream?”

“Something like that…” You trailed off, the mentioned dream already starting to slip your mind. “Hey, you’re not into camping, right?”

***

Benny Weir Taglist: @batmandallyboy @june-julie

[stardust-swan]

I'm convinced that the idea that "love is blind" is a pysop meant to brainwash women into settling for less. I always see beautiful women who clearly take care of themselves, dress well, get their lashes done, work out etc with boyfriends who look like they just rolled out of bed and put yesterday's clothes on. And I very rarely see this happening the other way around.

Men shill the idea that it's shallow for women to want someone who looks halfway decent but never hold themselves to this standard. They're so cruel to women they find unfuckable and treat women who they are attracted to but don't fit the societal beauty standard as dirty secrets (how many times have fat women talked about how men are happy to have sex with them but won't claim them in public because they think being seen with a fat woman is embarrassing?) The dadbod thing has been big for a couple of years while there has been no equivalent for mombods that gained traction (you know, the ones whose bodies actually went through physical changes due to pregnancy instead of just gaining weight from stealing their kid's snacks and watching the football instead of playing it).

It's so bad that even women shill this idea to other women. You have to ignore the fact that he never trims his beard and his daily outfit is a lint encrusted hoodie and sweatpants with a hole because if you don't you're shallow and not considering who he is on the inside too. We're told that being haggard shouldn't count as long as they have a good personality, and while I agree personality is important, a huge amount of men don't have good personalities. A lot of men are boring at best and a lot of them are just straight up assholes. Most of them aren't raking it in cash either to make up for their lack of looks and character. It's sad to see so many women doing the most for men who aren't particularly pleasant to be around, don't have money, and aren't physically appealing.

Men also shill this to eachother. I remember when I was a teenager there were huge hate trains almost entirely compromised of grown men against any pretty boy singer who got popular (Justin Bieber had it especially bad). They never did anything wrong (Justin Bieber's hate train was at its worst years before he started acting like a douche), men just hated them because they looked nice and girls liked them. They also act like any guy in real life who's comfortable with being attractive instead of purposefully making themselves unattractive to fit in with the other ugly men is gay and act bitterly when the men who actually make an effort get more female attention than a man who last showered three days ago. They act like women are catty bitches who hate prettier women when their egos are so fragile around men who look decent. There was even a recent study that suggested good looking men are at a disadvantage when applying for certain jobs, because their male colleagues feel threatened by them.

It wasn't always like this either. Not all that long ago it was expected that a man dress up nicely, wear cologne, style his hair etc when he was trying to court a woman.

When my mother was my age, she could just walk into a cinema and at any given time there would be films with leading men who looked like Leo, Depp, Brad Pitt, James Spader, River Phoenix, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Brendan Fraser, etc. And now those World's Sexiest Men lists are filled with average or below average men and we're told that we're meant to cream our panties over guys who look indistinguishable or even worse than your average guy on the street. Right after this era my mum was young in was when the media started pushing this idea that we have to settle for unattractive men or else we're immature and shallow. There were a ton of movies with men like Adam Sandler pulling gorgeous 20 year old women just because they were funny. That stupid genre of movie where an awkward nerd pines over the cheerleader who is pining over a jock who's always portrayed as a bully that the cheerleader is framed as misguided or a bitch for wanting a handsome boyfriend instead of picking the nerd (even though the dork main character we're meant to root for also only likes the cheerleader for her looks and is just as much of an asshole as the jock) in became really popular around the same time.

Unsure of whether this is because of men complaining about beauty standards or other feminist concepts they only half understand (while female beauty standards never budge and have always and remain a much higher bar to reach than male beauty standards), or if men are just forcing this idea that looking like shit is cancelled out by telling a few dad jokes so that women will feel pressured into dating them no matter how busted they look just to not be alone.

[highfantasy-soul]

Ok, here's my breakdown of Jessie Gender's video on NATLA. I decided not to post this as a comment on the video because I just don't feel like it would be productive, but I needed to refute the points she was making as she's a quite respected (at least, I really respect her opinions on things) video essayist and I felt like this video was...wild.

So, I guess it's best to just watch along with her video and read my commentary side-by-side because I don't give much context for my points, this is just a stream-of-consciousness style response.

To be perfectly clear - this is not intended to be a 'hate post' about her, this is just me feeling very strongly that the interpretations of things she had in her video needed to be talked about and another perspective given.

I shift from saying 'you' to 'Jessie' like halfway through (when I decided not to post this as a comment) but I don't feel like going through and changing all those, so yeah, just ignore it.

1) you insulted a martial arts kata as 'a mildly choreographed dance' - it shows a complete lack of understanding of other cultures and a desire to take a quick dig at something you didn't like in a way that insults a cultural practice. I really didn't expect to hear that sort of comment from you so it was pretty jarring when you said it. Ironically, you say that Sokka was wrong to assume the Kyoshi warrior's kata was a 'dance' because that's 'a girl's place' when...you literally made the same insult with not a hint of recognition just a few minutes earlier about a movie you didn't like…

2) I felt that the live-action really deepened a lot of the themes from the OG - take Iroh's storyline for example, fleshing out Suki's character so she's...you know, her own character and not just there to teach Sokka a lesson, and delving into how hard of decisions you have to make during a century long war. Idk, I'm just really curious as to how you felt quite literally the polar opposite of me

3) Sokka's sexism: the animated show handled it one way, but Sokka's treating women as 'less than' wasn't a core part of his character - in all honesty, it doesn't actually make any sense as he was raised by Hakoda (who we never see being sexist), Gran Gran (who left the NWT due to its sexism), and was surrounded mostly by older women. The sexism storyline in the cartoon was to teach a very blatant lesson to kids "don't be sexist, boys!" while the live-action made Sokka's struggles much more realistic and in line with the world building: he struggled with non-traditional masculinity and if he was 'allowed' to be that way while they were at war. For me, it's a much more important message for young men today than the very dated 'women can fight, too!' message that was needed in the early 2000s. It's very odd to me how you claim that Sokka always taking charge isn't ever challenged when...in literally the scene you're showing when you say that, Katara challenges him.

4) I'm sorry, but I cannot possibly see how Suki is her own person more in the animated version than in the live-action. She was literally created solely to teach Sokka a lesson and have no character traits other than 'I'm a strong woman warrior' where 'woman' means 'I like romance' rather than...I'm a whole person with my own wants and desires and fears that have nothing to do with a love interest as is shown in the live-action. You keep comparing the animated and live action as though they were trying to tell the same story about Sokka's journey with his role in the world, but they weren't. Of course Suki's attitude toward him is going to be different, of course he's not going to need to tell her 'you're right, I'm a dumb, terrible man, pretty please could you teach me', because it's a different dynamic they're going for in the live-action.

5) When Sokka pinned her in their lesson in the live-action idk how you got that she was 'demuring herself' to Sokka? Just as in the cartoon, he managed to get the upper hand - which she promptly took back, teaching a lesson along the way. She didn't make herself less so Sokka could feel secure in his masculinity - it's a bit odd you feel that showing respect to someone and helping them learn is 'demuring yourself'. I much prefer them respecting each other than the animated version of them seeing each other as less than and then...her giving him a kiss to prove 'see, I'm a romance-loving girl, too'.

5) To me, Suki beating Sokka in the live-action when the first sparred wasn't her being mean, it was her not understanding how much less experience Sokka had fighting - she genuinely thought he would be able to hold his own against her because he had told her he was the best warrior in his tribe. Her face clearly shows 'I have no idea what I did wrong - I thought that type of sparring is what everyone did for fun, why was he uncomfortable with it?' Not really sure why you made the connection that us seeing Sokka's abs was meant to indicate that his insecurities are unfounded when...literally the whole season shows us that Sokka's struggles aren't "end goal = big strong warrior" but rather "you don't have to be a big strong warrior to help, you are allowed to delve into other aspects of who you are and those are just as important". Just because he has muscles, also doesn't mean he's a competent fighter - those two things aren't the same.

6) It feels like you took certain scenes and made wildly left-field interpretations of them and then claimed that that's what the show was intending you to take from it. It's like saying that the scene that cuts from Sokka saying he bets Momo tastes like chicken and cutting to the scene that shows people cooking meat actually means the showrunners are saying Sokka is going to cook and eat Momo this season and that will then give him the powers of the Avatar. It's very clearly not what the showrunners were saying, but if you interpret it in the least forgiving way and then make a wild leap off that, then yeah, you might get upset with that made-up interpretation. Same with the reasons they didn't put Sokka in the Kyoshi outfit - there is 0 evidence of them nixing that part due to transphobia. I didn't see it as any malicious intent, just a streamline of the plot so Sokka doesn't have to go change before running away on Appa.

7) I feel that the live-action DOES challenge the Fire Bender's colonialist rhetoric in the Kyoshi Island episode, but the animated...doesn't? At all? It's solely about girl power - and as we see with Azula and all the women fire nation soldiers, the fire nation doesn't seem too caught up in sexism. You know what they are caught up in? Which you mention? Bender supremacy. And that's what the live-action directly addresses with Sokka being so surprised that Suki is able to hold her own so well even though she isn't a bender. He's seen just how powerful benders are (they destroyed his home, killed his mom, and beat his ass last episode) and it's in line with the worldbuilding that he feels like he's already several steps behind in being a good enough warrior because he doesn't have bending (a storyline that isn't brought up until an episode in season 3 of the animated show). To me, the live-action Kyoshi storyline refutes the Fire Nation's imperialistic themes much better than the animated show does.

8) The live-action's lesson wasn't that might makes right - Suki never did any strength training exercises with Sokka, she taught him how to control his body and use his opponent's strength against them. Fight smarter, not harder. Know what you're fighting for, not just that you want to fight. Even if you don't have the resources of your opponent, it doesn't mean you're doomed from the start. That last one is particularly poignant when we look at how much stronger the Fire Nation is than the other nations they're subjugating: it's the classic 'oppressed rising up against their oppressors and not winning because they just punched harder, but because they used what they had to fight for a righteous cause and didn't just give up because the other side was more powerful'. That's quite directly what the live-action was saying - the exact lesson you thought it should be saying. You have to do some serious extrapolating from the animated episode to get to those themes while the live-action drew that concept up to the forefront immediately.

9) Aang's journey to accept his Avatar responsibility and the previous Avatar's enforcing this is directly from the animated series. Like, directly. It's not the live-action show saying 'colonialism good'. Showing the Avatar power wasn't the showrunners saying 'see, this OP is good and cool', it was to show the magnitude of it - something the animated show does too. The live-action does talk about how terrifying and damaging that power is - literally the previous episode has Aang almost toss Katara and Sokka off the mountain and they mention it. Just earlier in that episode, Sokka talks about Aang almost killing them and Aangs major hang up about embracing it is that he might hurt someone. Kyoshi argues that not learning to control it will hurt more people and - y'all, individuals are allowed to have their own views of the power that everyone doesn't have to agree with. What happened to 'make strong characters with flaws in their world view?' did you all of a sudden decide that's NOT actually good writing? So having the Avatar who used her powers liberally, and as the video states, used them maybe too much, telling Aang that he needs to use his own powers a lot is…consistent characterization? Which is then challenged by Roku later as he tells Aang that all the Avatars are different and have different views on the power of the Avatar. Why is Kyoshi's opinions suddenly taken as wholly accurate in representing what the show overall is trying to say? She's giving her opinion to Aang - an opinion that has some truth to it, but also some flaws that Aang will need to navigate on his own journey. Kyoshi and Roku's stories are not compressed all into Kyoshi - only the aspect of Roku taking control of Aang and using his body to fuck shit up in the Avatar state is compressed - not the ideological aspects of it

10) Sokka supporting Katara's fight against Pakku is a culmination of his arc to let go of obsessively protecting her and actually letting her decide her course of action herself - because his arc was different in the show than in the animated series. Trying to say that the reason he told her to kick Pakku's ass didn't fit because he was never sexist wasn't the reason - it WAS a culmination of his arc, you just refused to see it by clinging to the old one.

11) The whole argument as to 'why show genocide' I already made a post about, but to condemn the depiction based on the way you interpret the showrunner's quote is disingenuous. Again, it's taking something and making up a narrative around it so you can feel justified in hating it. It's important to show a culture before they are killed because they deserve to be seen as people, not just martyrs. They had lives. They lived and were happy and had a rich culture. They were not just 'fated to die and be told of in history books'. Genocide is disgusting and hard to watch - it's calculated and brutal. Showing that drives home just how awful the actions of the fire nation are in practice rather than just theory. Yes, the airbenders fighting was 'cool' to see - in the way that all action is 'cool' to see. But no, the genocide wasn't played as 'look at neat fighting!' in the live-action. It was shown as brutal and terrible, horrifying and surprising, and the airbenders didn't deserve what happened to them. It also gives you a direct view of what the fire nation is capable of when they come to the south pole and the northern water tribe: you've SEEN the devastation first hand and you DON'T want to see it again. The threat isn't theoretical, it's very real.

11.5) To take a CHILD'S quote about the sequence being 'so cool' is absolutely WILD to me. GORDON IS A CHILD! No, he's not going to have the most sophisticated and politically nuanced sound bite to say about the action sequence in an interview. HE'S A CHILD! Holy mother of god. To use that to bolster your point that 'that's the way it was intended to be viewed and how everyone is going to view it!' is just…..holy shit. You're taking media interpretation from A CHILD??????? Do you think, if we interviewed a child about the OG show, they'd talk about the fucking colonialism??? How Azula was abused too and didn't deserve her fate?? Or do you think they'd say "The fight between the Fire Lord and Aang at the end was so cool!" Honestly thought Jessie Gender wouldn't try to bolster her interpretation with a quote from A CHILD, but I guess here we are…

12) It's wild that she makes the point that conservatives are incapable of reading deeper than just the surface-level visuals of a story while…she's doing literally the same thing just in the opposite way. The live-action depicted the genocide, therefore they MUST just want to 'cool' visual of firebenders fighting airbenders! There can't be any other things at play here! No story being told whatsoever because all it is is spectacle! That's all I see! Ironically, she's falling into the same trap of not looking deeper at why one might depict the horrors of genocide and the battle against people with no army.

13) Aang actually treats the genocide as more immediate in the live-action than he does the animated show. Most animated episodes, you can forget that it even happened, while in the animated show, it pops up a lot in some unexpected ways like when he's uncomfortable waterbending because Gyatzo had always been his teacher, when he yells at Bumi for making light of the genocide, his desire to get to the north to keep it from happening again, when Zhao proclaims that he can wipe out an entire race of benders and Aang says he knows exactly what that's like, when he constantly stays to help people because 'I couldn’t help my own people, but I can help them'.  Not only through Aang, but also through every child in the series - like with the animated show, the live-action shows how kids are shaped by the generational trauma of the war plus the immediate effects of it: Teo ready to fight, Jet making compromises to fight back, Sokka shouldering too much responsibility so young, Katara's trauma around her mother's death and her waterbending, Bumi losing his faith, Zuko and Azula being shaped by their father to be the perfect weapons to continue the war.

14) Interpreting Zuko's comment of 'sometimes the weak can become strong' right after his father mutilated him for showing compassion is not meant to be taken as a thesis that 'Zuko just needs to get better at fighting, this is what the story is saying, I am very smart'. It's showing HIS CURRENT view of the world - the idea that his father has taught him that he needs to be strong and Zuko has bought that and wants desperately to earn his father's love. Zuko's story through the series is showing that 'strength' isn't what his father defines it as (or what Jessie defines it as in her video) but rather it's strength of character - compassion is not weakness, it's strength, and no, that doesn't mean if you have compassion you punch harder.

15) The live-action show makes the Fire Nation MUCH more nuanced than the animated show - we see how Ozai and Azula aren't just maniacal villains, but we see the pain and torment their upbringings deal out to them, and in turn, deal to others. It shows the cycle much more clearly and showing fire nation citizens who disagree fleshes out the culture even more.

16) Jet was much more nuanced in the live-action as he's RIGHT about the mechanist being a spy and the king being lax in his duties. He's created a community of people to try to heal from the harm the fire nation has caused them and he gives actual good advice to Katara, helping her emotionally heal and remember the good aspects of her mother.

17) The argument that 'the live action is trying to ignore the past' is a massively simplified narrative. The live-action is showing Aang stuck in the past, unable to take large steps into the future. Pain, trauma and loss can anchor us in the past - it's HEALTHY to keep moving forward rather than only thinking about the pain in the past (ie Jet's advice to Katara). Aang was continually trying to avoid the genocide happening again while simultaneously trying to get past Avatars to do the big hard work for him. His lesson is not to 'forget the past just live in the now' but rather, don't let fear of what has happened in the past stop you from making a difference in the future. Yes, war is loss and suffering, but if you get paralyzed by not being able to prevent that, the fire nation will just keep marching across the world. It's about not letting the past immobilize you to the point where you stop fighting back against oppression - or getting together with a community to help you fight for fear they'll die just like those in the past did.

17.5) Letting go of the past is a buddhist philosophy that is a lot more complicated than Jessie is making it out to be here. Just as in the animated series, characters can come to realizations about lessons they need to learn while still taking seasons to fully learn the lesson - just because Aang said he's ready to let go of the past doesn't mean he's now ignoring it and all will be smooth sailing. It means he's ready to start taking steps to do that and approach life in a healthier way. It's wild that Jessie took the direct quote "I need to let go of the past to focus on my future" and then states that the show is saying "the character's aren't seeing future possibilities and hope, they're focused on the now" when, quite literally, the quote she just referenced….is talking about building a better future.

18) Then, she references later seasons (Aang in the fire nation school) a lot to indicate that the live-action is ignoring those concepts from the OG when….we're talking about season 1 here - not season 3. Why is the world not allowed to organically grow? Why would you make the argument that 'season 1 didn’t explicitly deal with these concepts that aren't brought up until season 3, so therefore they are ignoring them'?

19) Jessie uses a lot of clips from a Daily Wire (conservative talkshow) guy as if that has anything at all to do with the live-action ATLA. She's trying to draw a line between that ideology and the ideology of the show and I feel like she had to bastardize the NATLA show in order to do that so horribly, her interpretation of the story and themes is completely unrecognizable to what is actually shown on screen.

I usually agree with her takes on media, but this video was not it. Every interpretation she had, I interpreted the scenes/lessons in the exact opposite way and, I believe, I interpreted it closer to what the showrunners intended.

Oh no, i just had a thought: this is The Last Jedi all over again! I saw so many negative interpretations of that movie that I just sat and scratched my head over like "How in the WORLD did you get to that conclusion??" when I thought my own interpretation was just...the obvious way to view the movie. I had no idea my views on it would be so controversial. Here we are again. Time is a flat circle. Life is a meaningless cycle of disappointment and confusion, neverending.

[shavinglaura]

Went Bald & Got a Free Haircut—Totally Unexpected! 😂 (Reddit find)

I used to have super long hair, but I wanted to try something different, so I decided to shave it all off. As a 22-year-old woman (F22), this was a huge change for me, but I was excited for a fresh start. In Pakistan, it’s really uncommon for women to shave their heads, and to make it even more unusual, I walked into a men’s barbershop to get it done.

The moment I stepped in, all the barbers and customers turned to look at me like I was lost. I ignored the stares, sat down, and told the barber, “Bhai, poora ganja karna hai.” (Brother, shave it all off.)

He froze for a second and looked at me like I was joking. “Poora? Zero machine?” (All of it? With the zero blade?)

I nodded. “Haan, ekdum clean shave chahiye.” (Yes, I want it completely smooth.)

His whole vibe changed. He got super quiet, almost hesitant, but he nodded and got to work. As he started shaving, I could feel him stealing glances at me in the mirror, like he wanted to ask me something but didn’t dare. Meanwhile, I was just vibing, running my hands over my head as more and more hair fell to the floor. It felt so freeing.

Halfway through, he finally spoke. “Aap ko waqai sab kuch utra dena hai? Yeh toh aurton ka style nahi hota.” (You really want it all shaved off? This isn’t a usual style for women.)

I just smiled. “Haan, bas ek naya look try karna hai.” (Yeah, just trying a new look.)

When he finished, he put down the clippers, took a deep breath, and looked at me with the saddest, most sympathetic expression. Then he patted my shoulder gently and said, “Himmat mat haarna. Allah sab theek karega.” (Don’t lose hope. May Allah make everything okay.)

I was confused for a second, and then it hit me—he thought I had cancer. 💀

Before I could even react, he shook his head, refused to take any money, and told me, “Iski koi zaroorat nahi, behen. Yeh hamari taraf se hai.” (There’s no need for payment, sister. This is from us.)

I just nodded, said a soft “Shukriya bhai.” (Thank you, brother.) and walked out with my free shave.

I felt kinda guilty afterward, but at the same time… a free haircut is a free haircut. 🤷‍♀️

[madqueenalanna]

i ruminated on this all night and i think the reason "talented mr ripley" left such a strong positive impact on me (besides that it's good and has repressed gay yearning) is that ripley himself– a guy so desperate for love, attention, and community that he is willing to change everything about himself at a moment's notice even when it starts taking him down an irreversibly dangerous path– is one of the most relatable characters i've ever seen

cause like, "character so fixated on a goal they're willing to abandon any sense of self or morals" isn't uncommon, it's right up there with "ambition makes you evil" and "absolute power corrupts absolutely" for common archetypes of villains. and "character so desperate to be liked they'll do anything" is usually a pathetic, detestable worm of a person. obviously "gay guy gets rebuffed, goes evil" and "repressed gay guy can no longer manage his repression and it makes him evil" are old homophobic villain tropes as well

but tom isn't a villain. he doesn't even do anything unforgivable, or even really Wrong, until halfway through the movie. he lied a few times, but to avoid admitting he's a broke loser. when he changes his hair, his clothes, his music, his decorating style, his hobbies, he's not doing so for the purpose of manipulation, he's doing so to fit in. he wants dickie to like him– he wants to be with him, but he also wants to be him. he's not even really envious, just admiring! he doesn't want to take dickie's place, just join him there! both in a gay way, and a socially outcast way. it needs to be both, that's why it works, it's the layers

cause like, i get that! i understand what it's like to have a "sense of self" so weak that when people tell me to "just be yourself" i couldn't even tell you what that means. i wear different types of clothes around different friend groups, bc what you wear absolutely affects how people think of you and how much they respect you. if you asked a few different people in my life what my music taste is, you would almost certainly get wildly different answers, bc i tailor how much i discuss and disclose based on my audience, partially out of years of being mocked for what i like and partially bc it makes the most sense to keep common interests first and foremost in my relationships w other people

tom's sense of self (his beliefs about who he is, what he believes) is not stronger than his needs (basic needs like affection, compassion, understanding). he is genuinely willing to betray himself for dickie (to have him, to be him) bc he doesn't feel a strong enough connection to that "himself" he's betraying. access to dickie's material wealth is attractive to him, but it's the charisma that really gets him; the way dickie draws people to him, makes them feel special, the way he is loved and worshipped, that is extremely powerful for someone who seems to have no friends or close family, who feels ignored and downtrodden and made fun of. dickie's combined wealth and charisma also means he can do whatever he want and not only will there be no material consequences, he doesn't even really seem to alienate anyone!

that's where it all comes together, i think. he wants to be in dickie's place not just so he can have all this money and nice clothes and loving friends, but so he can feel like he's someone who deserves those things. tom ripley, in his mind, must not deserve any of those things, bc he does not have them; dickie does have them, so tom must have to be dickie to have them and deserve them. it's especially sad bc peter does seem to really "get" tom, but when your sense of self is that weak, being "seen" and "understood" is both so desirable you'll chase it at any cost, and so terrifying you'll run from it. it's this eternal tug of war, and tom loses it, and kills peter. i like that his story ends there, by rejecting the only real chance he had in the entire movie of having the kind of relationship he wanted, bc it's too alien to be trusted and too intimate to be comfortable. i really feel for tom :(

[evolutionsvoid]

When getting into MHGU, I was interested to see how the old skill system for armor and decorations worked out because I felt it had an interesting concept. I got into MH through World, and thus only knew the modern system where 1 skill point immediately grants an effect. The idea of needing 10+ points to get the effect and also the existence of negative points felt like it could lead to a more thought out approach to armor and decoration usage.

Halfway through high rank right now and I am feeling that the only effect this old system has had on me is that I have zero desire to craft individual armor pieces. Due to needing 10 or more points to even activate the skill means you need multiple pieces and decorations to make it work. Of course, there is a little overlap between different armor sets that you could figure something out, but I am struggling to get deco slots that even matter and the blacksmith menu is straight up atrocious. Trying to compare armor sets or even individual pieces is a nightmare, and the layout of information is either chopped to pieces or just outright missing. This winds up making the only option to get skills is to craft an entire set and just stick with it. I went through early low rank with full Tetsucabra armor, switched to full Ceanataur and now in high rank I am converting to a HR Ceanataur armor purely to get more defense. Outside of that, I have pretty much ignored all other monster armor, only looking at a single piece after the first slay to see if the two skills they offer are any good, and often they aren't. So the end result is me killing a monster once, seeing if they have a Greatsword to craft and if not just chuck it and move on.

Obviously, this is an older game, and thus it isn't fully fair to compare it to the modern ones. Indeed it simply cannot have the same things as the newer games, but the thought mainly comes to mind because ever since World came out, what I have seen from the MH community is the talk that the modern games have made things "too easy" or stripped the systems and details. Infinite restocks at the tents, no Hunter Arts or Styles, armor builds that let you have like 20 active skills at a time. And in some places, I do agree. The lack of midquest restock adds extra challenge and makes mission prep crucial. The ability to change Styles to radically change your gameplay is impressive and fun. But outside of that and the obvious roster size and weapon design differences, I feel more and more that World and the modern games have introduced valuable quality of life changes. The sheer lack of information in MHGU (and probably other older games) is obnoxious, the menus are terrible and certain aspects of fights are infuriating (you know, like instant attacks with zero windups? Boy what fun). Like I said before, not fully fair to compare the two, but just seeing how much arguing goes on about the modern games and how they have streamlined things, the more I play of MHGU, the more I wonder WHY people even complain about some changes. Extra difficulty and challenge for sure, but there is a fine line between "challenge" and "oh so everyone just uses an armor search engine to even figure out how to craft a build. Lovely."

Gripes aside, still having a ton of fun with MHGU. I am sure if I played this not solo like how you are supposed to, some issues would be lessened. But ah well...

[oppitfs]

The Concept Art of Tsumiki Fushiguro

Okay, okay, I should have done Megs first because he's our protagonist alongside Yuji, but let's just ignore that and move on.

Trabalhar na arte conceitual é algo que raramente faço, pois rapidamente fico entediado com os designs dos personagens ou acabo mudando muitas coisas à medida que prossigo. Mas vi isso como um desafio divertido e não há nada melhor do que começar pelo meu personagem favorito.

I'll divide this into two points: Art style and symbolism. I'll do the same when I finally draw the designs for Megs, Yuji, Nobara and Satoru.

Art style

_ I'm still working on my style and the things I like in my drawings, so maybe that will change in the future.

_ Queria misturar um pouco de jjk e Kny, optando por um rosto mais realista e expressivo como no JJK, mas ainda mantendo o estilo de olhar que vejo, por exemplo, no Tanjiro. (Sério, deixar as pupilas brancas é muito interessante esteticamente. Achei que ficaria estranho, mas me enganei agradavelmente)

_ Quando estou no processo de design, sempre opto por desenhar a versão chibi dos personagens para determinar como serão as cores e a paleta de cores. No caso da Miki, tentei fazer algo parecido com o que vemos no anime, uma mistura de rosa claro e amarelo. Pretendo manter a mesma paleta para sua versão adulta, embora o look com certeza vá mudar.

Symbolisms

_ Starting with her child version, Tsumiki's kimono is printed with my attempt to replicate the dragonflies on Gojo's kimono, in Toji's flashback. The same with Megumi. A simple way to connect them with our most powerful hashira LOL.

_ As libélulas na cultura japonesa estão associadas à felicidade, coragem e prosperidade e força (é por isso que Gojo tem um quimono estampado com elas, sendo o feiticeiro mais forte.)

_ In her adult version, Miki mainly wears a nurse's uniform, but she also has a traditional kimono printed with lilies, my favorite symbolism for her.

_ Lilies symbolize purity, innocence, peace and tenderness, qualities that are associated with Tsumiki in the manga. It is also a reference to red spider lilies, the famous Higanbana which are known in Japan as flowers of death

_ Unlike her childhood version, Tsumiki keeps her hair tied up in a hairstyle similar to the classic Shimada-mage, as was the custom of young women at the time in which the story takes place (Taisho Era, as in KNY).

Well, I think that's.

Writing about my creative process is strange, since most of my thoughts are, well, inside my head. Putting this in a post is something… different.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who is following this Au, especially to Anon who asked me about Tsumiki in the story! I was so excited to hear that someone was interested in this! I felt like a schoolgirl talking about her crush, LOL

I still have a long way to go in the design of the other characters, as well as the development of the story itself (I really want to do a long work, with several chapters, but I'm afraid of losing the hype halfway through and abandoning it T-T). However, I'm having so much fun! This Au has been living in my head for weeks and isn't paying rent, LMAO.

Thanks again if you made it this far!

To check out the rest of the project, check out my masterlist!