#it'll be like Pandora's Box

[respectthepetty]

I finally created my first ever poll, but I had no idea that I couldn't see the results as they were happening.

Yet I can still see the number of votes, and that is making this so much worse because I expected maybe sixty votes FOR THE WHOLE WEEK!

I'm just a poor little meow meow. I have never done anything wrong to anybody ever except all the horrible awful no-good things I've done wrong to the people who have blocked me. Why are y'all trying to hurt me by making me watch the Wild Card? Let me keep my grudge against that man, puhleeze. Don't make me suffer the consequences of my own actions.

Call me Jack Twist because this is a goddamn bitch of a unsatisfactory situation.

[indiiglow]

YA KNOW FUCKIN WHAT

I wanna watch mlp (fim)

[quantomeno]

@mysterysnail reblogged my post about Layton music saying they were trying to learn the basics about music.

I'm sure there are better resources, but here's what I know (skip to the very end if you just want to hear me analyse some Layton music).

Let's start with some definitions of things that make up music:

Notes: the individual sounds made by an instrument/voice. I often use it interchangeably with pitch, but they are different terms.

Pitch: How high or low the note is. In UK/US etc systems each pitch is given a letter name A to G then which repeats. Other European countries often use 'do re mi fa so la ti' instead. I don't know about other places because our system just copies the UK naming conventions and that's ingrained in my head.

Accidentals (sharps/flats): pitches are separated by semitones (half a tone), which is just a set distance in pitch (the Jaws theme, dah-duh, is two notes separated by one semitone. the second and third notes of Happy Birthday (-py birth-) is a tone, a gap twice the size). An increase or decrease by one semitone makes a note sharp or flat, respectively. You can get multiple notes with the same name (B sharp = C natural), this sounds confusing but it makes sense when you write/play music. Natural means there is no sharp or flat.

Scales: a set of notes ordered by ascending pitch. Each scale has a 'mood' or flavour associated with it. For example, minor scales are often considered sad, while major are happy. The flavour is determined not just by the choice of notes, but by the role of each note in the scale. Often a scale played starting from a different note will become a different scale (if you play C major starting from A, you get the A minor scale). This is because a new note has become the tonic, the base pitch that roots the scale.

Key: the scale used to write a piece of music. This is not always set in stone and deviations are allowed. It is determined by a mixture of factors, most importantly which pitch the piece is centred around. The key can change in a song (key change, or modulation).

Chord: a set of two or more notes played at once. Chords come in many types, but the typical three note chords are major, minor, diminished and augmented. They are named after the the note which defines the chord (e.g. CEG make the chord C Major).

Arpeggio: a chord split up so the notes are played separately.

Interval: the gap between two notes. These go unison (no gap), second (two 'letters', e.g. A to B), third, etc then octave for eight (A to A or C to C etc). After octave you can keep going with ninth etc, but it's rare for jumps that large. Intervals can also be classified as major, minor, perfect, diminished or augmented.

What's a little more generally useful than understanding each of these things is the elements that make up music:

Tempo: how fast/slow all the notes are

Rhythm: the duration of each note. The 'horizontal axis' in sheet music. It's different from tempo since you can play the same rhythm at different tempos. It's like word length in a sentence while tempo is how fast you say the words.

Melody: the movement up or down in pitch. The 'vertical axis' in sheet music. It is tied to the key of the music (the scale/set of notes the piece uses), but with a focus on direction and the 'shape' of the music.

Harmony: the consonance (agreeing sounds) or dissonance (clashing sounds) that occur when you have chords or layered melodies.

Chord progressions: moving from one chord to another, you get certain patterns. This is like the chord version of melody.

Texture: how many sounds are layered on top of each other. How thick/dense or thin/sparse the music is.

Dynamics: how loud or soft (quiet) the music is.

Timbre: the unique sound of the instrument. It's like how a note played on a piano sounds different to when it's played on the flute. This is qualified by adjectives like airy, metallic, brassy, warm, crisp, nasally etc.

Articulation: how the note is made. Is it detached from the other notes (staccato), is it smoothly joined (legato, slurred) is it emphasised (marcato, accented)? Some instruments have different ways of playing separate to these instructions, like a violin can play plucked (pizzicato) or bowed (arco) but it can still be staccato either way.

Ornamentation/improvisation/embellishment: grace notes, trills, glissandi, etc etc. These are little flourishes that add tiny little notes between other notes. I'm including improvisation here because these are all sort of playing around with the basic melody of a piece of music.

There are other things you could consider but this will do.

Below the read more, I'll apply some of these ideas to a song from Layton to illustrate how it all comes together

Let's use Folsense for our example because I happen to have the sheet music for it handy.

So, it opens with a solo piano. We've got melody in the upper register (high notes) and the chords in the lower register.

Note that this isn't the actual score. I think I adapted it from here.

It's fairly slow (63 beats per minute). This fits into how the town feels aged and weary.

The key is ostensibly F Major or D minor, due to the key signature (the sharps/flats before those two fours): there's one flat (B flat), which matches both those keys. This means every B will be B flat. You can see though that we have an accidental, an E flat, in the lower part, which doesn't fit with either of the proposed keys. The music also doesn't really anchor itself to an F or a D.

This can be felt in the music: Folsense sounds rather untethered and ethereal. The whole song, like the town itself, doesn't quite feel real or settled.

The sparseness adds to this, with only one or two instruments ever really playing at any moment. It evokes a sense of loneliness and emptiness: the town in the game feels oddly unpopulated and so does the music.

At about 35 seconds in we get a lot of long, sustained notes on the violin. These are bowed and quite smoothly connected, which almost exaggerates their length.

Note that the rhythms of the piano's chords don't line up with the violin. The violin notes are also of an unusual length. (I forgot to say this, but the two 4s at the start is the time signature and it means "4 crotchets per bar" where a crotchet (quarter note for Americans) is half a minim (half note) which is half a semibreve (whole note). 4 4 is the most common time sign, and means you can count the beat with an even 1, 2, 3, 4). The violin holds a note for three and a quarter beats. This length, combined with the (I'm getting flashbacks to high school exams, sorry) mismatched rhythms in the melody and harmony parts is unsettling, and further emphasises that something in Folsense is not quite right.

At 1:00 we get a return to the opening melody, but instead of accordion we have a trumpet (I think?). This has a brassy, nasally timbre. It feels warm, but there's a certain warbling quality to it which makes it sound plaintive and sad.

The melody is incredibly simple, and its often just ascending notes, with very small intervals. This, combined with the warmth of the strings, brass and accordion, along with the crip, clean sound of the piano, should evoke a sense of calm and maybe even joy. But there is a constant dissonance throughout the piece. It's notable in the second fragment I showed that while the second bar (bar 10, a bar is the space between two black lines and made of 4 beats in 4 4 time) had E flat major as the chord on the bottom (E flat, G, B flat), the melody plays an A, which uncomfortable sits one semitone below the B flat.

All music can be boiled down to tension and resolution. Unpleasant-sounding chords are only unpleasant in that the ear cries for them to be resolved. If you play the chords CEG (C major) then GBDF (G dominant 7th) on a piano, you'll feel a tension. If you play another CEG, it'll be resolved. Resolution feels complete, like the music has properly ended.

Here we have a tension that is never resolved, due to the lack of a defined key and the recurring dissonance, which creates this interplay between joy and sadness. Just like Folsense, brightly lit up but strangely quiet, the piece never feels right. It is trapped in a constant state of inertia, just like the town is stuck in the past and slowly decaying.

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Drawing SOS Chronicles things again

The first time Oliver meets Almitak in "person", things get a little tense. After all, you can't transfer your soul into the body of a willing victim child without some drama.

(Silas and Silvie in the background are not having fun watching their friend get possessed)

[fushitoru]

helloooo i literally ADOREEE your writing and have read ALL of your jjk works istg!!! i was wondering if you had any recs for any series? ive been in a slump lately and i rlly wanna read some new fics but cant find any :((

oh i gotchu. all of these are NSFW (unless otherwise indicated), well written, and untragic ending (uhhh unless i remember wrong, some of these i read a long time ago) because i'm picky and a pussy.

completed

gojo satoru

convergence theory (ao3)

canon au, marriage of convenience au. tension is well written, and gojo is a little shit lke he would be in canon. beautiful and yummy characterization of him as the complex character he is.

shame on me by @starmapz

canon au. i love how gojo is written, and i love trish's writing style, lol. reader has a curse inside her, like sukuna is inside yuji, and gojo comes to take her to jjt. it's very well written the yearning >

games and matches by @lostfracturess

modern au, dad's best friend au. AHHH HE'S SOSOSO FINE IN THIS like i need him so bad. i just love reader's inner conflict and also the drama. i need dilf gojo <3

pandora's box by @c0pkiller

priest au. it's just so interesting to see them battle their impulses and what their religion has told them to do. the pining is chef's kiss, and satoru is realllyyy sweet in this one. i didn't know what to expect when i was reading it but wow it was very, very well written.

moonlight (ao3)

canon au, mating bond au. sort of omega verse but not really. the sexual tension is INSANE and it's genuinely so well written. the angst is delicious and the comfort that follows is even more delicious.

family formation by @dellalyra

found family au in canon universe. i love this one, super fluffy and well written. it's super domestic, and very comforting. i love gojo (as a father and daddy :p)

ukiyo (ao3)

secret marriage au in canon. super flufy as well baha gojo is adorbs :3

baby steps by @lemonlover1110

pregnancy au, and if i remember correctly canon au. the tea in this is crazyyy actually, and i felt the angst as gojo and reader grappled with the pregnancy. i loved the ending, it felt so rewarding <3

nanami kento

inflitration by @pseudowho

canon au, fake marriage au. i loved the pining in this. It had a lot of my favorite tropes, including forced proximity, the classic making out to avoid getting caught, and fake marriage (to overthrow a cult). also haitch writes this man beautifully so ik it was going to a banger

strangers in love by @ayyy-pee

exes to lover au, and the angst hurts really good. they make up very well by the end and i love this series a lottt. lexi writes conflicts out so beautifully, and im so in love. the end had me on my toes but i was so glad nanami pulled thru <3

your best friend's brother by @delirious-donna

modern au, best friend's brother au. the humor is done amazingly well, and their writing style is amazing. The sexual tension is actually INSANE there were times I was screaming at them to fuck because of the chemistry they had :3

toji fushiguro

unscripted (ao3) by @ryowriten / @kasukuna

modern au, toji's a erotic va in this. ITS SO FUNNy and megumi is super super silly. reader is so me coded (she's a loser basically) and toji is super hot. the sexual tension is amazing and it feels like reading a rom com.

sukuna ryomen

hesitance by @yenayaps

modern au, gym employees au SO FLUFFFYYY READER IS ME. i love sukuna like this, where he's so down bad. the ending is sooo sweeet it'll make you cry

defiance by @yenayaps

heian era au. GRAAHHHHHH THIS ONE WAS SO SWEET IT'S SO CUTE LIKE THE ENDING MADE ME CRY BC IT WAS SO SWEET. everyone needs to read this one, i love heian era aus like this

ongoing (BUT i have very strong faith that they are going to be finished because the authors are active with frequent updates. otherwise i'll kms live on camera)

what you know by @starmapz

sukuna x reader college AU. SUPER self indulgent, sukuna is such a cutie. i would even say found family au because sukuna takes care of his brothers and AHHH IT'S ADORABLEEE <3 it's also really steamy bc sukuna is SO HOT so :333

kickoff by @celestie0

gojo x reader, college AU. oh my god i love this series gojo is so lore accurate if he was a college student in 2024. he's just ughhhh so well written you will have such a crush on him. also reader is a baddie too what can i say

in holy matrimony by @celestie0

gojo x reader, modern au, fake marriage au. the banter in this is BEAUTIFUL it's so fucking funny. it's sort of like a rom com, and the angst is just written so beautifully. reader is just a girl :(

motherhood and matrimony by @alygator77

gojo x reader, fake marriage au ceo au. AHH THIS FIC IS MY GUILTY PLEASURE. please im always on my toes with this one, reader's a single mom and her son's interaction w gojo are sooo cute. gojo best dad :(

controller by @yenayaps

sukuna x reader, ceo au. i haven't gotten the chance to fully read this one but WOW seeing the tags + knowing how sienna writes this is gonna be FIRE

angels in the snow (ao3)

nanami x reader, strangers to lovers. don't be afraid to pick this one up just because it's ongoing, you'll feel very satisfied because it feels like a collection (and has 52 chapters already) than an incomplete series. nanami and reader meet at an airport and have to drive home together bc their flight gets canceled. the progression of their relationship is so sweet, and he's suchhh a green flag. very comfy <3

[thevoidstaredback]

Part 1

Danny woke up with the sun. Vlad would still be in bed for a few hours yet, so he had more than enough time to deck out the entire house and garden, with help from the ghosts, of course.

He planned to meet the others in the back gardens with some food to make sure nothing would go wrong.

Pandora, Dora, and Dani were the first three there, waiting for him already. And, as he set out the food none of them needed but would eat anyway, Johnny and Kitty showed up. Ember, Box Lunch, Youngblood, Poindexter, and Skulker came together. Walker, Desiree, Fright Knight, The Vultures, Blob Ghosts, and Spectra showed up separately, though in near quick succession. Frostbite, Undergroth, and Ghost Writer had wanted to come along, too, but would only be able to be there for the party itself.

All week, the guests had been arriving and staying in Madison, Wisconsin. They hadn't been able to house anyone because Vlad was going to be the very last to know, so they'd used his money to rent out a hotel for the week of the gala, including another day afterwards.

"Plasmius still doesn't know, right?" Ember asked as soon as everyone had gathered.

Dani started cackling. "Nope!"

"He's suspicious, though," Vulture One said.

"We think he probably noticed the money for the hotel." Vulture Three added.

"He hasn't done anything more than passing glares, though," Danny pointed out.

"He's not said anything?"

"Nope."

"Perfect!" Spectra smiled, "How're you going to break it to him tonight?"

"Well," he started, "I was thinking I play it off as if he was the one to plan it."

"Oh?" Pandora raised her eyebrow, "That won't be easy."

"Sure it will!" Poindexter shouted, "Plasmius is so old, that his memory's going!"

Youngblood was nodding enthusiastically. "We can even have his suit set out for him and everything!"

"What have you done with the acceptance letters?" Dora wondered.

"They're hidden in my closet," Dani said.

Skulker hummed. "And I've taken care of any emails or messages sent to his phone and computer. All went straight to the kid."

Danny snickered. "This is gonna be so much fun!

"Hell yeah!" Johnny cheered.

Fright Knight cleared his throat. "Any last minute arrangements that need taken care of?"

The group paused for a minute, all of them thinking. Finally, Danny said, "Well, other than finally decorating the place, we'll need to get food- We forgot caterers!"

"I can handle that," Desiree said, "Just this once, though," She snapped her fingers and a paper contract appeared in Walker's hand. "Since you're head of security, you should probably hold onto the contracts."

Walker nodded, tucking the papers into his coat. "We'll have some of the Blob Ghosts with us at the gates. Fright will watch the front and I'll take the back. Skulker will be in the security room, and the Vultures will take the rest of the Blobs and watch the skies."

"Why're we even goin' so far f'r dese peoples' 'afety?" Box Lunch, who had only been able to speak for just over a year and was doing fantastically, asked. "They're just rich. Do dey have and re-rede- good tings 'bout 'em?"

Dora chuckled, quieting the others with a glare. "Everyone has redeeming qualities, sweetheart."

"Kitty?" Dani dragged out the word as she asked.

"Almost everyone," Dora corrected swiftly, "Besides, it'll look bad if anyone gets hurt while we're hosting them."

"Speaking of," Pandora spoke up, "Is everyone here going to be attending tonight?"

Youngblood tilted his head to the side. "What'd'ya mean?"

Spectra flipped her hair, which was straight down her back today, over her shoulder. "Only so many of us have human disguises. It's not like we blend in well with the living."

"Well, can't everyone just stay invisible the whole night?" Vulture Two suggested.

"And miss out on all the fun?" Dani almost yelled, "No way!"

Danny hummed. "Our security team has to be here, and may even need to make an appearance. At least Walker and Frighty will have to be disguised."

"Manageable," Fright Knight nodded.

"Got it," Walker agreed.

"Great. Anyone wanting to be guests will have to be disguised as well," Dora pointed out.

"Writer, Frostbite, Undergrowth, and I all have that covered," Pandora said, "Dora, Spectra, Ember, Johnny, and Kitty will all be able to pass as living."

"What about us?" Poindexter glared. He didn't want to be left out of all the fun, and was pretty sure Box Lunch and Youngblood didn't, either.

Dani leaned on his shoulder. "You three will just get to come hang out with me and Wulf in the Keep."

Youngblood's eyes had stars in them as he whipped around and stared at her. "We get to play in the keep?!"

"That'll go well," Spectra laughed.

"I'll stay with them," Dora said.

"You sure?" Danny asked.

"Of course," she nodded, "While being here would be fun, I don't think Wulf is quite ready to handle four trickster spirits."

"And you being there will somehow be better? Neither of you are protectors."

No, but I am a caretaker spirit. And, as long as they don't go anywhere near the catacombs," she shot a serious look at the four children, "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Alright," Danny accepted, "but Jazz, Tuck, and Sam will probably be ready to help if you need it, okay?"

"Much appreciated."

"What do we still need to do?" Kitty asked.

"Skulker, Walker, Fright Knight, the Vultures, and the Blobs are all on security, so you should all probably start setting that up," Pandora said. They agreed and disappeared. "Ember will handle music, right?"

She waved her hand will a nod, "You got it. Boring, old people classics coming right up."

"Johnny, are you okay with taking over valet?"

"I get to drive other people's cars, right?"

"As long as you don't crash them," Danny added.

"Sure," he smirked, "But I can still prank them, right?"

Danny sighed, but nodded.

"Yes!"

"Kitty-"

"I'll watch over the kitchen," she said.

Pandora nodded once. "Spectra? Desiree?"

"I'll go in as an actual guest," Spectra's smile spelled mischief.

Desiree matched her with a grin of her own, "I'll go with as your date."

Again, Pandora nodded at the two. "I'll come as a guest as well with Ghost Writer, Undergrowth, and Frostbite."

"Settled?" Danny asked. After agreements, he turned to Dani and the kids. "You four want to help me finally deck this place out?" Their matching grins said everything.

With a final dismissal, the group vanished to finish their final preparations.

Part 3

[hotheadedhero]

Ok.. so this is for rise. Imagine, like future reader having comed back with CJ, but they only appears after the fight. And reader is just f/caked up, compared to the current reader. Idk if I’m making sense.

This could be platonic, or romantic but it’s just basically. How would the present turtles react to their future best friend/SO from future looking so scard and mentally and physically exhausted and so “out of character”, their personality has completely changed, they are just, grieving, and grumpy.

Sorry if this doesn’t make sense 😭

AN: I think I just puked from excitement, holy cheese. I've wanted to write something related to the movie but wasn't sure what, so thank you Anon 🙏 I hope I got the right idea. I've also only seen the movie once so apologies for any inaccuracies :')

Past Days, Future Pain

Rise Turtles x Reader

Warnings: contains spoilers for the ROTTMNT Movie, angst

Premise: 

You knew that Michelangelo opening a portal into the past would be a gamble. You knew there was a chance that there would be complications. You just didn't expect to get separated from Casey Jr upon entry. In actuality, you hadn't anticipated to be joining him in his journey at all. The fight with the Kraang was meant to continue with you in it but Leonardo just had to push you into the portal. There's no telling what negative developments could arise with you being here and bumping into your old friends and, more importantly, your younger self. A worn laugh breaches your lips in a huff. Donatello would have a field day with this last-minute decision made by his brother. 

From atop a building, you gaze over the pristine city, untouched by the nearing destruction you have grown so used to. It would be nice to say that everything is just as you remember it but this peace is a luxury you have long forgotten. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath in. The air is so clean - a statement you never thought you would use to describe New York of all places. Voices dance all around, engaging in their idle chatter, obliviously free. 

You frown. No time. There's no time to get nostalgic. Doomsday is just around the corner and there's no telling if that ball's already running in motion. Casey may have been born in ruin but you'll be damned if he witnesses apocalypse's birth.

Hours later, you would find out that, yes, doomsday is ripening into a poisonous fruit. Kraang minions are littered around the city, gravitating around the tall building where, just above it, Pandora’s box is open. It's too late, isn't it? The one chance you had. Gone. Your bleak reality is returning to fruition. As monstrous beings come at you left and right, your world darkens in tandem with all around you. Hope is lost for a second time. All the same, you continue to fight. Every breath, every swing, could be your last but still, you fight in the hope of at least finding Casey. You need to find him. 

By the time you do, all is vanquished. You could cry from joy if part of you didn’t believe it was all a dream. There, you see all your old friends. Some you would have seen just hours ago, others you haven’t seen in many years. You pull the goggles from your face and rest them on your head for a better look. 

“Sorry, I’m late. Did I miss the grand finale?”

They all turn when they hear the new voice and each goes wide-eyed. The turtles look between you and… you! Present you. Future you. Young. Old. The space-time continuum isn’t going to like this one. It’s one thing to meet the son of Cassandra but a future (Y/n)? Wild. Looks like they’ll be getting to know you. Again.

There's no way to return home. Your home is gone. Now that the timeline has changed, the only thing to do is to get comfortable. It'll be difficult. The only comfort you know is terrorised screams and running for your life. Adjusting to the world from which you came is going to be no easy feat and the turtles adjusting to this version of you is… well…

Raphael

The Wounded Warrior

To a fault, it’s always been Raph’s mission to protect you, ever since you first met. It saddens him to know that his future self couldn’t do that for you. From head to toe, you’re practically littered with scars. He doesn’t want to seem rude by staring but he can’t help it. He’s ridden with guilt for events that haven’t even happened. Events that won’t happen now thanks to them but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve still happened to you. He notices how you avoid mirrors, how you avoid reflective surfaces altogether.

His fingers absentmindedly glide beneath his right eye. To an extent, he can understand what you’re going through. His experience doesn’t dare compare to what nightmares you’ve endured but it’s the ownership of a wound from said experiences. The memory associated with it and being reminded of those horrors every time you so much as look at yourself. It’s tiring. You look so tired; worn, broken, and beat.

Raphael frowns at himself. It would be hypocritical of him to preach tribute to your valour when he struggles to acknowledge his own. He could try all he wants to make you feel better but you’d likely call him out on the irony. That doesn’t stop Casey Jr and his brothers from psyching you both up when they recount stories from your ventures. It lumps the two of you into a corner but a corner you share nonetheless. As the others share their tales, he looks down at you, noting the way you fidget and avoid the praise. When he pulls you in for a side hug, you look up at him and he flashes a coy smile, making you do the same. There’s not much he can do for your physical scars but he can be there to share in the mild awkwardness of being glorified at least. 

Leonardo

The Tortured Trooper

He tries many times to get a laugh out of you, just as he would with the (Y/n) he’s grown to cherish but no dice. Nothing he does works and it’s such a harrowing disparity. He himself has had a life-changing revelation because of all that’s happened but he couldn’t imagine what 20 years of that could do to a person. Well, he doesn’t need to imagine it. The result is right in front of him and translated through your future self. When he isn’t trying to put on some show for your amusement, he watches you. He notices how you stare off into dead space. Your eyes pale and glass over and he doesn’t need to think hard about where you disappear off to. 

One night, he’s unable to sleep, pondering ways to get you out of your funk. His thinking would get cut short, however, when he hears a shrill cry come from your quarters. Sword in hand, he bolts for your room, expecting to find a threat but it’s just you. You’re hunched over, shaking and struggling for air, drenched in sweat. He carefully drops his sword and crawls out in front of you, trying to get you to calm down. You latch onto him with a deathly grip as if your life depended on it. 

"I saw you die b-before coming here,” you sob out in broken breaths.

These are rare moments for Leo but it’s the kind of time where he doesn’t know what to say. No quip, no bad joke, no charming motivation. Nothing. All he can think to do is hold you and let you cry into his shoulder. It’s not much but if he can at least be there for these dark hours, that’s enough.

Donatello

The Hateful Hero

He's so used to fighting your present self's hug attempts that your chosen isolation throws him off course. Any attempt to even breathe in your direction is met with a raised weapon and a second-nature standoffishness. The laser-focused glare in your eyes for the short second you’re ready for battle is enough to give Donnie chills. He knows you’ve been through a lot but himself and everyone else included are your friends, aren’t they? They’re the one group of people guaranteed that you’re safe around.

Hypothesis: you’re so used to fighting for your life, that your body doesn’t know how to readjust to a more peaceful setting. As peaceful as you can get in this place, anyway. Your fight or flight response must be fried, constantly geared in combat mode. He tries to make the lair as hospitable as possible, filling it with things he knows his version of you likes. This only enrages you further and he has to believe that his initial theory may have been slightly off. When he tries to get an answer as to why, you just sit back in your corner and scowl off.

“How do I know this won’t all go away, too?” you ask bitterly.

Donnie stares down at you and slowly joins your side with no response. He dislikes questions he can’t answer with his usual certainty but he doubts any reassurance could put you at ease right now. It’s clear to him now. You’re scared to get close in case you lose it all again. He can’t guarantee that another doomsday won’t arise but he can say that they’ll be ready, at least. Until you’re soothed of your worries, he’ll let that be known every day if he has to.

Michelangelo

The Sullen Soldier

Mikey has always valued togetherness with his family and friends. He’s always cherished the joy that comes with unity, the memories that you make together. That’s why it’s so heartbreaking to see you shy away from the entire group. The only person who can get more than a few words out of you is Casey Jr but that’s understandable given all of what you’ve been through together. What happened to his fun-loving (Y/n) to turn you into this husk of a person? In hindsight, he and his brothers only caught a glimpse of the disastrous future from whence you came and that’ll be enough to last him a lifetime.

That makes this all the more terrible in his eyes. The world has been saved, the threat vanquished, and everyone is happy except for you - the one person who, outside of his family, means the most to him. He knows that deep down inside that gloomy shell you want to be a part of the household. You just need a gentle push in the right direction. 

What’s the one thing that fixes everything? Pizza! That’ll do the trick for sure! It may not necessarily fix everything but it’ll get a smile out of you. That’s all he wants. You take that first bite and he sits at the ready. Even a little smirk would be good enough. Your lips move and then they start wobbling. Before he knows it, they’re scrunched up and silent tears run down your cheeks. He assumes he’s done more damage than good but, then, you smile up at him sadly with watery eyes and quietly thank him. Mikey can feel tears of his own blur his vision as he joins you. He’ll know the world is right when you can spend time together without crying over each other.

Bonus:

The Knowledgable Knight

You don’t even recognise the person you’re looking at despite it being you. This young dear, so bright-eyed and so unknowing to the terrors you carry with you. A version of you long bypassed from the two decades of war. They have so many questions they wish to ask - you can tell - but they hold back in fear of seeming insensitive. You almost find it funny given who they are.

When there is a moment alone, you only have one thing to say, “Life is precious, so lead yours reasonably and to the fullest, okay?” 

They smile sadly and nod in understanding. They don’t need to know all of what you’ve gone through to know that life shouldn’t be taken advantage of. It’s a lesson to learn from yourself and, funny enough, yourself.

“And one other thing,” you continue, playfulness hinted with the light smirk on your face. “For the love of God, just tell him how you feel already. You never know if you might end up losing your chance.”

Your younger self goes wide-eyed and there’s practically steam coming off their face but they give you their promise with a raised thumb. You do the same and wish them all the best. Even if you’ve had a life of lost opportunities and lost love, that doesn’t mean the same needs to be true for you again. You watch them run off and glance around the room. Whilst you hold the pain of a future no longer to be, you can take solace in the fact that it won’t be repeated. The apocalypse can’t lay its wretched hands on anyone else. You sit down and let your weary bones rest, well and truly for the first time in years. A long breath washes out of you and, finally, you feel a sense of ease. 

Maybe there is such a thing as second chances.

____________________

Hey! Hey, you! Yeah, you. Got a little message for ya!

There's no telling where life is going to go, what challenges it'll throw your way. We may be left with scars, or feeling hopeless. Sometimes our pain comes back to haunt us, or we lash out. Just know that it gets easier. We are all heroes of our own battles. We've lived to tell the tale and we are strong. Don't ever forget that. Keep your head held high and keep your loved ones close, whether that be family, friends, pets, or four awesome turtles <3

[mot-hesbian]

So nervous about the Wicked movie, not because I think it'll be bad or anything. I just wish they hadn't decided to add book elements, because that's stressing me out. They've clearly decided to disregard some of the easy changes they could have made to be book accurate.

I love Jonathan Bailey, but I wish they had chosen a moc for the role. Fiyero being from a tribal background in the books is such a simple detail and actually adds a little depth to his and Elphaba's relationship (being discriminated against, I believe, is something they bond over).

I'm scared that they might shy away from important political implications and situations from the book, it looks like we might be getting anarchist Elphaba in the movie, but actually getting into the policies in Oz is important to that making sense.

The straight washing is a thing I live in fear of, the og musical already erased a lot of gelpie's love story and left us with very strong subtext. I'm hoping the movie gives us less queer baiting, but idk.

Also, terrified to see how they handle religion in all of this.

There's a lot of other things in worried about in this movie, I'm still looking forward to it but I feel like it having book qualities is like opening Pandora's box.

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

Thinking About Expanding...

One thing I learn from CF convention is the fact that people create their circle of friends mainly from Twitter, because they said in Twt it's very easy to get mutuals and friends, easy to connect, and basically every person use it to an extent - it's pretty much equal in Instagram in usage.

I've been thinking about expanding my connection beyond Tumblr and Instagram, because... why limit myself ? ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

But there's this big gate of thinking that in Twt experience it could either be a good place or a hell hole and no in between. In Tumblr I feel safe because it's the home for fandom creations, and I rarely gets judged for what I create in here. But in Twt (and including TikTok in this case), those apps are very judgemental, and it's more open to expressing opinions, both positively and negatively.

Of course, the appropriate reaction to it is either "Don't care about the bad opinions too much!" or "Don't be afraid to post your stuff there!" or "Just block em!"

And yes of course, I've had my fair share of hate messages and death threats (which means nothing to me), and I think I've already heard every insult that has possibly ever created. But again, It makes me feel uneasy (๑﹏๑//). I mean, it already happens, and again, I've had my fair share of those things, but in Twt I think it'll be like opening an even bigger Pandora's Box as it is a very big audience.

Maybe I'm thinking too much of it, maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't. Maybe I'll gain more exposure and more friends, maybe I'll get more negative comments.

Maybe I should just take a leap of faith and get straight on with it.

Anyway, I'm just expressing my thoughts ever since the CF convention! I just feel like it's such a big, BIG gate for me to cross.

Thank you for reading though! Have a nice day *(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭*ଘ

[honeyhotteoks]

okay i absolutely NEED toxic possessive yunho. you have infected me with the brain rot and i have not been able to stop thinking about dr. jekyll/mr. hyde boyfriend yunho who everyone in your life thinks is perfect. like he carries your bag for you when you're out, sends random just because flowers to your job, plays uber/designated driver when you and the girls have girls night out, always pays for things, etc etc. like he is prince fucking charming in everyone's eyes. including your own when you first started dating. but now that you've opened pandora box? he keeps getting more and more unhinged. it started with stealing your under wear but somehow escalated to dropping by wherever you are and asking you to take off the pair you're currently wearing. waiting for you to walk to your car late at night and blindsiding you for a quickie in the backseat because he couldn't wait until you got home to do it. fingering you under the table at crowded bar/restaurant and then licking your essence off his fingers while making direct eye contact with the random guy who tried to hit on you earlier. getting annoyed at you for missing a couple of his texts earlier in the day and taking it out on you in bed by edging you for hours and not letting you cum until you're covered in your own tears and begging for forgiveness. refusing to go on a business trip because it'll mean he'll be apart from you until you cave and cancel your own plans to accompany him only for you to realize it wasn't a business trip at all and he just wanted an excuse to monopolize your time for an entire extended weekend where you two rarely left the hotel room.

HI HELLO SWEET MOTHERFUCKING JESUS?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

i actually like... have nothing additional to add because you've scrambled my brain, but i want you to know that between this ask and the other one i basically just outlined a whole one-shot and as soon as i can write it i'm going to because good lord i need pervy feral pussy obsessed yunho in glorious 4k (so to speak).

i'm literally OBSESSED with the idea of yunho showing up at your car for a quickie like picture -

it's late after work, and he hates when you walk from the front of your office to the lot where your car is. it's dark, something could happen to you.... so he shows up to walk you whenever he can, which let's be real is most nights. he makes sure of it.

but lately you've been talking about a new co-worker a little too much for his liking. you're telling stories about him and smiling about him a little TOO much, and you were slow to respond to his texts today. and slow to leave the building like you always do.....

so he thinks he just has to teach you a lesson. he corners you out at your car, pressing you up against the side and rucking up your skirt, shoving your legs open and telling you to be quiet. and you're like..... definitely not trying to get fucked in front of your office like.... people could see?? you could definitely get fired. this could ruin your reputation.....

but yunho's not going to let that happen, not really. he keeps you hidden against the side, he shields your body with his, but his hands creep around front to work your clit. your panties get shoved to the side to make room for him. his hand closes over your mouth while you cum just to keep you quiet. and as you fall apart he's murmuring in your ear - that's it baby, remember who makes you come like this. remember who you belong to. it's my cock in your pussy every night, isn't that right sweetheart?

anyways. get ready for pervy yunho b/c i'm writing it LOL

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Order as Antagonist in TDP

So how about that trailer, eh? I was so excited I didn't notice this text up top on TDP's tweet for like. An hour.

We haven't heard anything about this Cosmic Order before. Is it a specific group? Is it a vibe? Is it a Startouch thing? Hard to say, yet. But there are some vibes from the Starscraper shots we've gotten in the trailer and teaser that may point us in the right direction:

This place has eight pillars, each with a recess that holds a relic staff seemingly identical to the one Viren's been toting around. It's not unique, and Aaravos didn't craft it. He stole it.

This is the Prometheus part of Aaravos' character. This is the fire that he stole for humans, from the gods. The relic staff. A relic staff, one of many.

Why did he, a godlike elf himself, feel the need to commit this act, for which he was cast down, exiled, and stripped of much of his power? Why?

Hard to say yet, but knowing all that he is capable of, I think it comes down to one thing: stealing it was the only way to get it. Nothing else he could think of would work. And he's pretty imaginative. But the system, the Cosmic Order, had him, too. He's a magic elf, bound by the same forces as everyone else up there. Breaking the rules was his only remaining option.

Aaravos chose Chaos over Order and put his money where his mouth is. He did get exiled and cast out, but humans have magic now. Somehow, that's not a thing the Order can take back from them, once it's out - rather like Pandora's Box.

But I want to look at this Order, and how pervasive it must be. How else would a powerful elf like Aaravos be reduced to petty thievery to accomplish his ends? Surely he tried other ways, other options, other persuasions. Why didn't they get him anywhere? Why did he have to take such a - for lack of a better term - human approach to the problem?

Let's back up a second and look at a seemingly random list of likes for one specific elf: Runaan. (no of course it isn't random, this is why this theory post exists. but shh, it'll make sense I promise)

Runaan likes four things in this list. Two of them are his immediate family. One is his favorite food. And the last item on the list?

Order.

I used to think this was just a bit of a wink to him being autistic-coded and liking his patterns. And I still do think that's accurate. But my third eye got pried open by the Cosmic Order text, and I think it's more than that now.

Runaan is a tiny cog in the grand engine that is the Cosmic Order. He goes where he is told, he kills who he is told to kill, he obeys without question, no matter how heinous his acts would be - he would have killed Ezran without blinking, because that's what the Dragon Queen told him to do.

Runaan is the most Moonshadow Moonshadow, according to the Deluxe Elf Interview. He's the epitome of what it means to be a Moonshadow elf. His devotion, sacrifice, and adherence to the rules are what makes him a good Moonshadow elf.

How convenient for the Order.

Runaan is still an individual, inside his own rules. He chose to become an assassin, and he did it to spare others from having to take lives and live with the weight of those acts. But that does imply that if he hadn't chosen this path, someone else would have, and people would still be dying.

And I think he's right. Maybe his love of order actually lets him perceive the great gears grinding over his head, up in the stars, turning the wheels of fate for everyone they control. Maybe he knows full well that he's part of a grand system - but there's nothing he can do about it except stay alive or die, because he is trapped inside it. He cannot change his fate because he is locked into it, just like everyone around him.

The Book 1 novelization tells us Runaan always expected to die on a mission, and that he meets that fate with a calm resignation on the balcony. He surrenders to his fate, because he cannot fight it.

What could lock Runaan into a fate that ends with him dying on a mission?

His own choices? Think bigger.

His society, then. Obligation, honor, guilt. Hmm, bigger than that.

It's been there the whole time - something that all the elves and dragons possess, but humans don't. Something which caused the imbalance in the first place.

Magic.

Magic is the Cosmic Order.

yes it has eight points and yes I'm back on my bullshit

Quick aside: The Cosmic Order is turning out to be the big magic version of King Harrow's Narrative of Strength, which he contrasted with the Narrative of Love - and we'll get back to that at the end of the post.

Alrighty, back to magic: The worst offenders seem to be the primal magics, which have locked the elves and dragons into very tight little boxes as far as what they can and cannot do, think, and imagine. An elf with a single arcanum can only think in terms of that primal source. It's as bad as an irl human who only knows one language, and so their brain literally cannot conceive of concepts that exist in other languages. (Learn more languages, guys, it's genuinely good for your brain, I am not kidding)

This helps explain why Aaravos was able to think a little bit outside his box and consider giving magic to humans when the Order said they didn't deserve any. He is an archmage, and he speaks many magical languages. He knows all six primal magics, as well as the ancient blood magic and dark magic. That's eight different ways of looking at a problem.

(is this why elves only have 8 fingers, because they literally cannot grasp anything outside of magic?)

From his multifaceted viewpoint, Aaravos can see the inherent unfairness in humans being forced to abide by the Order without getting any magic for their trouble. It's basically taxation without representation.

The Americans among us can attest to how well that went over in our own history.

Aaravos: Prometheus, Lucifer... Che Guevara... Guy Fawkes?

Aaravos really does love revolution.

Further thought: this post about Ethari's design has reminded me again about his lower-than-average magical ability and how that has manifested in his unique design and in his character. And I'm looking directly at how Ethari's lesser magic power may be the reason he's so mentally flexible. If he can challenge Runaan directly about how Rayla is not ready for that mission when everyone else is going along with it, isn't that lack of narrow-mindedness the thing that sets him apart?

What else might that freedom of thought do for him? Is this the reason he is actually able to invent at all? Because he is capable of envisioning that which does not yet exist? How rare that must be among Moonshadow elves!

tldr: Ethari is actually bad at being a Moonshadow elf, and that could very well be what saves him.

Contrast Ethari with Karim, who is a powerful Sunfire mage, and very much locked into his traditional views of elf vs human. He's willing to go to war in order to impose his views on all of the Sunfire elves if he can, because he genuinely believes he can see the Order of things better than anyone else can.

He believes in the superiority of the elven ways, while Janai has let her heart change her mind. Janai fell in love with a human, and it broke the Order's hold on her. She makes history now - it does not make her.

Side note: Is this... is this the formula, then? Is this how enduring ships work in TDP? An elf with a normal arcanum, paired with either a human or an elf with a "flawed" connection to the Order inside them? One who can anchor, and one who can imagine?

Let me make a quick list:

Claudia+Terry

Ethari+Runaan

Callum+Rayla

Amaya+Janai

Well. How bout that.

Ironically, this is a different path to what was going to be my final point in the first place: Order may be the default for elves and dragons and the way they are supposed to follow the rules of the universe, but love still exists, and they can always choose to embrace it. They can all be saved by love, in the end. It's their choice. In fact, choosing Love over Order is an act of defiance in itself.

Terry chose Claudia over fear. Janai chose Amaya over war. Rayla chose Callum over vengeance. And Runaan, my poster boy for stubbornness and suffering, chose Ethari over Order itself.

Saved by love.

[pizza-hivemind]

NEW ASK BLOG LETS GOOOO mod; @nickee-zy

----- A hivemind of minions which serve C00lkidd. Are mostly non verbal and will always do what C00lkidd says. every once in a while there's one different, which is usually looked up to. RULES!!! Nothing weird. No nsfw im a minor vro Anything discriminative + paraphiles DNI!!!! in this blog the minions can be adults, older than C00lkidd. you can flirt with them or whatever, but NO NSFW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! magic anons are allowed!! killing is allowed but you can't exterminate them all! I'll ask before interacting with C00lkidd blogs FOR C00LKIDDS INTERACTING -- Use a number generator 1-100 if you want a more intelligent minion!!!1 if its 72-82 they will be smart B) If one of them speak, it'll be like > "This!" C00lkidds are allowed to ping me if they wanna summon the horde ^_^ You can name them They move in flocks, sorta, but they all can alert eachother telepathically NAMED MINIONS FREE FOR INTERACTION!! Sorrys - The first!! *SENTIENT* Jam - The second!! *SENTIENT* ITEMS GIVEN!! Exploding Egg - No shit Gun - 2nd amendment right. Pandora's Pizza Box - Makes something bad happen when opened. Moth - A really fluffy moth. Infinite Crate of Bloxy Cola - A crate of Bloxy Cola that never ends. Pizza Peel - The pizza paddle thing Subspace Tripmines - No shit CURRENT STATUS EFFECTS!! n/a

[imorphemi]

Hermitgals but its a PRISM Corps au! Because I haven't stopped thinking about it

if you don't know, PRISM Corps is a magical girl universe created by ActuallyRea/Ginjaninjaowo. I drew Pearl as a prism magical girl a while ago for a daily pearl doodle, and later Gem as well, but now here's all of them!

These are still just sketches and rough ideas of what they'd look like because I'm bad at designing clothes, but I'm pretty happy with most of them :D

Notes about the gals and their weapons under the cut :3

I know that the girls change their hair color when they transform, but for the sake of keeping them more recognizable I did keep their hair colors the same as how I would usually draw them, plus sometimes some colorful streaks. Also their hair colors just happen to go pretty well with their color schemes anyways

Pearl - Weapon: Broom, has the ability to make anything it sweeps over disappear. Objects can be resummoned at a later time and will reappear once the prism is deactivated. She's usually part of the cleanup and damage control crew. Her Prism's name is Robbie!

Gem - Weapon: Still deciding on this one! Originally I put her weapon as twin swords but I'm reconsidering it. I also slightly changed her outfit design. Suggestions are very welcome for what her weapon should be, and feel free to be as creative as possible :D Her Prism's name is Mackenzie!

Stress - Weapon: Pandora's Box. A box that contains...something. We're not sure what it is, but it's some kind of spirit that is able to possess and take control of other people. There might even be multiple spirits. She can also trap other people in the box. Her Prism's name is Mochi!

Cleo - Weapon: Puppet Crossbeams, has the ability to control inanimate objects. Is also pretty decent at wacking people. I'm the least sure about Cleo's current design, I had a lot of trouble with it and would appreciate some suggestions and feedback because I am not a Cleo watcher haha. Her Prism's name is Stheno!

False - Weapon: Feather Blades. She can pluck the feathers off of her skirt to use as blades of any length. The amount of feathers she has is pretty decent and more than enough to get her through a standard fight, but it is limited. She'll have to wait for her prism to recharge again after using all of them. This is probably my favorite concept because it is dramatic as heck. I haven't decided on her Prism's name yet, but it'll probably be some kind of bird.

Storywise, False and Cleo joined the Corps around the same time, Stress some time after, and Pearl and Gem joined together later on. Out of this lineup, False is easily the most powerful, prism-wise and skill-wise, out of all the gals here. Maybe False gets to coach Pearl and Gem or something hehe

Oh! And this isn't all of them. A prism has gone rogue and there seems to be an independent magical girl in the city as well...

[holy-mother-of-whumpers]

Favorite character from Greek mythology + favorite myth from Greek mythology?

That is a really hard question😂 like what's your favorite music THERE ARE SO MANY!!!

I like to obsess over forgotten minor characters like a true nerd (like Epipole, the Greek Mulan, Thersander, Diomedes fellow Epigone) but except for that, I'm basic.

It's Odysseus ok 😂 he has a lot of whump and a happy ending! All I could ask for.

Also Perseus, the non Ovid version in which Medusa was always a monster.

My favorite myth is Pandora, the interpretation in which Hope is one of the evils, or the worst of them, because it forces you to endure all others for no rational reason. Sometimes you gotta cut your losses, not hope it'll get better.

Plus it's so rad that she got created like this super woman, with all the gods gifting her something, and her job was to open a box?? She didn't even need higher cognitive abilities for that, legend.

I can tell you my least favorite may be Herakles, or Theseus, who looked up to him. I cannot avoid interpreting the 'divine madness' as an excuse for a mean temper and being too cuddled by the gods to suffer proper consequences for his actions. He killed his family and in exchange he became The Hero™️. Rip Megara and kids I suppose, fridged for character development.

I'd love to let a Herakles stan change my mind though.

My least favorite myth(s) are the modern retellings twisting the original's meaning and agency to make a cheap fake feminism point or an over-edgy tragedy in which everybody sucks.

I know people think Miller but I mean more Jennifer Saint, super dry narration, no positive character, the pointlessly saddest endings in the canon wtf

That was a lovely question! Thank you! 🥰🥰

I'd like to hear your opinions too if you feel like coming out!

[tikiface]

Since someone went and opened my fucking pandoras box of Potemkin Headcanons: MORE

Potemkin spends a lot of downtime in Zepps public parks either painting or enjoying nature, and he is a bit like a Disney princess in that he stays so still that the wildlife tends to perch or hide on him like he's a weirdly shaped tree. He's very slow, patient, and mindful, and rarely scares animals away with his movements.

He's very popular with the elderly Zeppian citizens that visit him in the parks because he is a consistent presence and enjoy how well-mannered he is. He frequently gets gifts like handmade items and baked goods from them, and they check in on what he’s painting.

Gabriel sometimes has to remind Potemkin to take more time off. He's just way too eager to keep working or even shoulder the workload of other people simply because knows he can do the work of 10 men by himself pretty easily. Has a tendency to overbook himself without thinking. Why send 20 men when he can do it himself? Gabriel has to remind him that just because he can do certain things with ease because of his gift, it doesn’t mean its his job to always be the one to do it.

Gabriel has planned and fashioned Zepps headquarters and newer public infrastructure to accommodate for Potemkins size, Like larger doors, higher ceilings, and sturdier seats in places he frequents. This also lead to more extensive accessibility infrastructure for the elderly, deaf, blind, etc as well.

Potemkins house is comically huge on the inside. everything he owns is huge to the point of being unusable to normal people, though he still insists on having tiny furniture for guests. He enjoys actually being able to cook for himself though.

He has a set of Zepp-forged unbreakable tungsten artists tools given to him by Gabriel after he became president. They are some of his most prized possessions, mostly because they are some of the first things Gabriel went out of his way to make accessible for him.

Some darker HCs

Potemkin has personally witnessed a bomb collar go off on a fellow slave trying to defect at least once. This one is vaguely hinted at by Bedmans Theatre of Pain in Xrd where he reacts by saying "Wait, Don't go! It'll explode!"

Potemkin has only been free for around 8 of the 41-ish years he's been alive. (Time between GG and Strive being 7-8 years. Apparently the only thing close to a canonical age for Pot was some beta concept page putting him at 34 in the first game.) So it's no wonder he still adjusting and has severe self worth issues.

I like to think Gabriel is between 10-20 years older than Pot. Old enough to have been in a commanding position while Pot was still a kid.

Pots limiters are actually embedded in him and at this point, are required for him to survive. Releasing them for any amount of time allows him to use his full strength but is incredibly bad for his health in the long-term.

He has to eat so fucking much just to stay calorie-neutral. He burns energy like a diesel truck and can very easily begin to starve if he's not in an environment of abundance.

He has an over-apology habit from when he had less control over his strength and accidentally broke a lot of stuff. Even worse, he has trauma from accidentally harming undeserving living beings. He treats others with extreme mindfulness and a feather-light gentleness, but to this day it still takes a huge mental toll and it exhausts him having to constantly by hyper-aware of himself for too long. This along with his introverted nature leads him to need a lot of alone time.

He feels oddly comforted by the fact that Gabriel is strong enough to easily fold him. The one person in his day-to day life he doesn’t have to worry about hurting. Someone he admires and actually challenges him.

[markscherz]

Heard something interesting about studying herpetology at my school. It seems like people are kind of suggesting that due to the current and future state of the...planet...that it'll be less viable to study reptiles+amphibians in the future. that getting a job studying them is getting harder because there's just so many less subjects to study year by year....I let that talk scare me into switching to chemistry but honestly I'd like your thoughts on this topic too

this is such crap. There is *more* to study than ever before, not less! Every day we learn more things we still don't know, and now we have the methods to open Pandora's box of mysteries. There has never been a better time to study herpetology. Amazing discoveries are being made all the time.

But just because you're a chem major now does not mean you cannot use that degree to study herps. We collaborate all the time with chemists, physicists, statisticians, etc., because that kind of knowledge is critical to some questions. For instance, figuring out what venoms or poisons are made of, or how frogs protect themselves from the sun, or how they smell. All chemistry questions, applied to herps, and all potentially incredibly insightful or important.

But don't let people scare you off something you are passionate about, just because they don't think you can get a job in it. I bet they have no idea how the job market actually is in this field (it's not great, but it's the principle of the thing!), or how gratifying it is to work on something that you are actually passionate about (very).