#I just sort of realized I haven't been very active in a while

[windybit]

Hi

Yo I know I haven’t been super active for the last three or so months and there’s like maybe 40 of you who follow me, but here’s my little update.

I was pretty sick for a couple months last semester with a lung issue, which meant I didn’t have a lot of extra energy between class and marching band. After that finally cleared up, I immediately caught a cold and was down and out for a few days right before Thanksgiving. Then your usual end of the semester BS, final exams and final projects, everything you could possibly have as an engineering major.

I went to Florida with the band immediately after the semester ended because the football team did well enough to go to a bowl game and had a blast! Then I came back to a cute little snowstorm and had to go through the hassle of contacting HR for work since I couldn’t come in for my shifts, and I got cheated out of ALL of my PTO. Put in a ticket to have it refunded because that wasn’t supposed to happen, and guess what. Still didn’t get it back :) Spent the rest of my break working to replenish my PTO, which I earn 4 minutes of for every hour I work, and trying to earn money to pay off that Christmas credit card bill.

I started my last semester of college a few weeks ago! And then immediately caught COVID (round two) and missed the entire second week of class (and the snow day that was right in the middle of it). But now I’m back at it, I’m managing class, work, and the rest of my time somewhat well, so I’ll be frequenting the back alleys of Tumblr once more.

ALSO I’ve decided to maybe try something new? I kind of arrange music sometimes (I’ve been doing it for several years now), and I think I’m decent at it? I worked up the courage to submit a piece for the band’s arrangement competition, and I got some compliments on it even though I didn’t win. So that was a confidence booster for me. But I was thinking maybe I could start posting some of the pieces I’ve done here? I do primarily video game music (I’ve done Pokemon, FNAF, Fire Emblem, and a handful of others), but I’ll basically do whatever slaps me in the face with inspiration. So yeah, I dunno, maybe I’ll start dropping an arrangement in here every once in a while, especially if any of you are interested in listening.

[bookish-bogwitch]

Thank you @roomwithanopenfire, @rimeswithpurple, @blackberrysummerblog, @nausikaaa, @larkral,

@hushed-chorus, @alexalexinii, @monbons, @whatevertheweather, @run-for-chamo-miles,

@artsyunderstudy, @mooncello, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @forabeatofadrum, and @aristocratic-otter for the tags over the past few weeks. I've had a crazy month (90% in crazy a good way) and too frazzled to come up with my own WIP posts, but have enjoyed reading yours and being included.

Here are six ten moody little sentence from Chapter 11 of Basil Pitch's Diary. (In case you missed it, I posted Ch. 10, September, a few weeks ago, then fled the country.) Baz is hanging in in Niall and Dev's room:

The last time I was here with Niall, he’d told me to hold out for more than ear scritches and the occasional carrot. Now we sat on his bed with a chessboard between us. “Baz,” Niall said quietly. “What are you doing?”  “Beating you.” I moved my queen to menace his remaining bishop. “With Snow, I mean.” Niall did that thing where the rook and king hop around, which shouldn’t be allowed, and I realized he’d won. Again. Somewhere, in a parallel universe, there is a me who grew up with someone to play against, demolishing a Niall who never went to math camp.

Below the cut: musing, a posting plan, and more tags.

Musing: I've actually written a ton since the last chapter even though I've been AWOL, but for a while no matter what I wrote, Baz felt out of character. I'd write a scene, like it, and then think "but why is he doing this?" Then I'd rewrite with Baz behaving completely differently, and that also felt OOC.

I worried that I'd somehow doomed myself with inconsistent characterization, but then I figured it out: Baz at this point is deeply inconsistent. He presents himself to the world one way, he tells the reader / himself that he's something else, and deep down he's a secret third thing. And sometimes his masks slip.

To some extent this is every unreliable narrator. But boyo has REALLY tangled himself up at this point. Something's gotta give. Until it does--which it will, soon--I have to be very clear in my mind, even if Baz isn't, about which Baz is driving the Baz at any given moment.

A lot of you can do that sort of thing intuitively. I can't. So I've been building this out (showing you just the headers b/c spoilers):

This might stultify some (most?) of you. For me, though, it's freeing. When my brain isn't trying to keep track of everything, my imagination can unfurl.

"'Everything'?" you ask. "This isn't that plotty a fic." It's not, but it's already 2.5x longer than anything else I've written, which means developing skills I haven't needed before. Anyway, my BPD chart and I are having fun. We're very happy together.

Posting Plan

I pushed myself to get Ch. 10 up before leaving home for three weeks, because Ch. 9 had ended on such a wretched note. While I was happy to have gotten it up, I didn't love the self-imposed time crunch (though betas @cutestkilla, @facewithoutheart, and @thewholelemon were fuckin' heroes). Feeling rushed had me stressing and second-guessing choices that were probably fine.

My plan now is to pause updates until I have at least a very rough first draft of the final chapter, then post it all at regular intervals. I know a longish pause means some folks who'd been reading along will wait until it's complete, if they return at all. To those folks--sorry, and I get it, and thank you for reading in the first place, and I love you.

Tags and shy waves to @brendughh  @beastmonstertitan  @carryonsimoncarryonbaz  @carryonmylovelies  @creepyspice

@comesitintheclover @cows4247 @confused-bi-queer @artsyunderstudy@chen-chen-chen-again-chen

@chronicallyhomoerotic @drowninginships @dragoneggos @excalisbury @emeryhall

@erzbethluna @ebbpettier @fight-surrender @fatalfangirl @gay-at-ikea

@fiend-for-culture @forabeatofadrum @foolofabookwyrm-activated @arthurkko @j-nipper-95

@gekkoinapeartree @goblindad-emoshit @henreyettah @hertragedyconnoisseur @hushed-chorus

@icarus-n-flames @ineffable-grimm-pitch @ic3-que3n @ionlydrinkhotwater @iamamythologicalcreature

 @ileadacharmedlife @ivelovedhimthroughworse @shrekgogurt @im-gettingby @youarenevertooold

@monbons @mooncello @raenestee @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @messofthejess

[markantonys]

While I still don't think the show has done enough to show why the world despises and fears male channelers (since it really should've been embedded into the world building, so far we only know that the Aes Sedai hate and fear them) and it does kinda lessen the impact of the narrative that none of the EF5 had at least an initial gut reaction to Rand being able to channel. I do wonder how they're gonna handle that topic moving forward, cause it kinda has to be addressed now that Rand is actively channeling. I could see it being expanded more deeply as Rand's madness progresses/tie it into his arc.

the show has made it ABUNDANTLY clear that Male Channelers Are Considered Bad News By All. it IS embedded into the worldbuilding. was the king saying that logain's gone mad and trying to kill him not enough for you? was the people of tar valon jeering and throwing fruit at him not enough for you? was rand and mat saying "hey if i'm a male channeler please kill me" not enough for you? was rand's terror the second he realized selene saw him channel not enough for you? was selene's act of how a normal person would react to finding out her boyfriend can channel not enough for you? was his heartbroken yet unsurprised reaction to her rejection not enough for you? was the whole backstory of a male channeler causing the apocalypse not enough for you? do you think that show-onlys are completely incapable of putting all these pieces together along with aes sedai treatment of male channelers and coming to the conclusion that male channelers are probably not very popular with most people and it's going to be very tough for rand that he is one?

literally what else should they have done that would make sense within the very small world and very early story of the first 2 seasons/3 books that they didn't already do? shown emond's fielders sitting around the dinner table talking about how much they hate and fear male channelers when none of them has ever met one and thus it's not relevant to their lives? wasted time doing a whole sidequest for rand in s2 where his abilities are discovered by some Average Citizens and they react badly? shit all over show!mat's characterization and given him a negative reaction to rand in s2 that would not make sense for his current show headspace, just for the sake of furthering rand's randpain? i'm sick of the rand stans who act like rand is the only character who matters and mat's characterization should be sacrificed just so we can go "oh poor rand uwu even his own best friend is mean to him". portraying mat in 2x06 as the sort of person who bullies and kicks his best friend while he's down would've been beneficial because......? what is so wrong with the show making the ef5 feel like mutually loyal friends instead of "rand is the best and most loyal friend in the world but the rest are little shits who abandon him as soon as the going gets tough"? seeing as in the books, mat continues to be an extremely loyal friend to rand throughout the series but most readers are too stupid to see through his unreliable narration and realize he doesn't mean it when he says that rand channeling is like him eating babies, i'm not surprised the show decided to simplify things in order to convey the true heart of mat's character (loyal and caring friend to rand) in a more obvious manner.

and i guarantee you that no show-only is going "oh, it's only aes sedai who have a problem with male channelers, everyone else thinks they're cool". that's not happening. show-onlys are not stupid, and they understand that male channelers are considered bad news by all; or maybe they haven't thought much yet about how male channelers are viewed by the average public, but in future seasons once we see rand getting shit from the average public, they are not going to be surprised or confused or go "but i thought it was only aes sedai who had a problem with them and everyone else thinks they're cool?", they're going to go "oh, well we've seen how much aes sedai hate them, so it makes sense that everyone else does too". stop. think for 2 seconds about "have i actually seen a large number* of show-onlys misunderstanding X and/or do i think it's plausible that a large number of show-onlys would be likely to misunderstand X, or do show-onlys have enough context clues to figure out X for themselves or to be unsurprised when X is expanded on and made more explicit in future seasons and i'm working myself up into a state over a non-issue?"

*there are always going to be a handful of people incapable of critical thinking who willfully misunderstand what the show is showing us, just like there are readers like that with the books, hence unless a LARGE number of general-population show-onlys are misunderstanding X, as opposed to just 20 idiots on twitter, i do not consider it a failure by the show in portraying X.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Fully Set-Up Johnlock Discord Server up for Adoption

@theshopislocal said:

Hiya :). I had a question for you, [...] Around this time last year, I got back into Sherlock fandom (series four kinda killed my interest for a long time, but I got recced a Sherlock fic that got me back into it). Since I left Sherlock fandom, I’d gotten into others (Spn, Harry Potter, etc), and joined a couple of discord servers that were super fun and very helpful.

So I started looking round for a Johnlock discord server, and found basically nothing. The ones that existed weren’t very well organized, or weren’t maintained well, etc.

So I put together a server myself. Set everything up, even coded a Mrs Hudson bot to help out around the place. A couple people I knew from other servers joined, and we had a nice time for about a week or so, before I realized that I’d expended all of my gumption on the making of the server.

Turns out that, while I’m good at the technical side of things, I’m not really mod material.

So I’ve got a kitted out server, with custom bots and emojis and a broad range of channels, and, not to pat myself on the back, but it’s a pretty nice server—and I have no idea what to do with it.

I was hoping you might know of someone who is still active enough/interested in the fandom to adopt the server from me? Someone who would actually advertise and get people to join? Someone interested in doing the mod stuff that it turns out I’m terrible at? I’d be happy to stay on as tech support, and the Mrs Hudson bot runs on a dedicated server that only costs me $2 a month, so I’m happy to maintain her as well.

You seem like someone in the know in the current fandom, so I thought I’d ask. If you can think of anyone or you want an invite link to the server, let me know. Although, fair warning, the server has very few members and is currently very quiet :/.

[...] The Snape/Harry server I’m in has all these events and fun stuff and I’m just.. not really able to do all that, but I feel like the Johnlock fandom deserves a nice community server like that, if that makes any sense?

Thanks for your time.

======

Hi Lovely!!

First off, sorry again for putting this aside for so long... I haven't been having the best couple weeks, LOL.

Secondly, as we discussed, I would LOVE to have my own discord server, but here's the thing: I am Lazy™, and I just don't have the energy to run one full time and ensure Mods and stuff are sorted out, especially since I do have a full-time job on top of very little free time and running this blog, LOL. I'm not gonna lie, I am a lazy bitch, hahaha.

AND as I mentioned, I'm happy to put the callout for anyone interested in taking over a Discord server :) From what I see so far, you put SO MUCH work into the server, and it's very very nice!! I truly hope that it gets picked up by someone, I'd be sad to see your hard work put aside.

If anyone is interested, please contact @theshopislocal and they can provide you with more details! 💜🖤

Please reblog if you can to put more eyes on this :) As I said, it's a BEAUTIFUL server, and I would love for someone to be able to take over moderation duties from Lovely!

[dearweirdme]

Hi Rain,

I've been watching BV 4 recently and wanted your insights on Tae and taekook in this season. Tae seemed really sad and disconnected to me and tk barely interacted or made efforts to hang out with each other.

While members chose group activities, Tae chose to explore the city alone. BV is a time for them to spend time together as a group and enjoy but i sensed a weird block from Tae's end. He was there physically but not really mentally there if that makes sense. Especially important since they started the season saying they hadn't met or spoken to each other in some time.

Jimin is an empath and hence we saw him really taking efforts including Tae in activities and taking care of him. Other members just let him be.

This season was late 2019, was this a period when Tae wasn't doing well? Did you get the feeling that he was disconnected from the group? Till when did this continue and was this observed in other content as well?

Similarly in context to Tk, do you agree that they do seem distant. And doesn't it give some credence or probability to the timeline or story of them having drifted apart as friends?

As a Tae biased army it does make me a bit sad seeing Tae in this season. Would really appreciate some insights on how you or older Army's perceived this.

Hi anon!

Edit after finishing rewatching all episodes: Aside from me being in a rewatch kinda vibe the last month or so, I could not for the life of me recall feeling the way you (anon) did about this BV series. It was some time ago that I watched this in full, and I started to wonder if my recollection about Tae was perhaps flawed. But after rewatching, I still don't see Tae disconnected and sad. I haven't once seen this sort of vibe "Jimin is an empath and hence we saw him really taking efforts including Tae in activities and taking care of him. Other members just let him be." I paid attention to Tae and Jk ofcourse, and while I agree this is a very low Tkky series, I do not feel that they were avoidant or awkward. I saw them together in the background of things. They looked at each other with smiles and love all throughout, they went to walk, sit, stand next to each other often. As a Tkkr, this is what I feel was still going on in 2019: I don't believe in the narrative that Tae and Jk grew apart. It makes no sense to me in a wider context and I feel there is plenty to point at that not being true. It's ofcourse possible they had rocky times and therefore had moment that they seemed off, but I don't think they were ever distant for as long as the general narrative would have people believe. I believe BH made an effort to make it seem like Tae and Jk weren't something special, but rather just bandmembers.. and not the closest ones for that sake. You'l find special interactions or outings with many pairs, but never Tae and Jk. they are mostly together with other members present. I believe that was a conscious choice, and probably a definite plan that was come up with when Bh realized Tae and Jk were a couple. When you don't believe Tae and Jk are together, tis is not something you consider to be possible. I think for outsiders, nothing weird will be found during this BV series. As Tkkrs however, we are missing the physical closeness we know Tae and Jk had (even during 2019). For example, this was them in august and october (before and after BV was fimed).

So what we know about Tae and Jk, does not fully come out during this BV.. and I think that was an editing choice, but also Tae and JK and the members knowing what the deal is and that they just can't be Taekook for a few days.

About Tae's mental health.. it's hard to say exactly when he was going through the worst period.. or if it perhaps was fluctuating in intensity. I don't think from this footage we can say that he was feeling down. It's not how I see it anyways. But, people with mental health problems very often know how to mask very well, so it is ofcourse a possibility that that's what he was doing. I think it likely that Jk's scandal effected them during this trip. Jk felt the need to appologize, and whether that was something hé felt he needed to do, or something that he was told to do.. it's obvious the issue was something they dealt with while in NZ. I think it would have bothered both Tae and JK.

Anyways.. it's interesting how different people can have such different views on the same footage 😂

Warning… this is long. Your ask prompted me to rewatch, and I did a little note-taking while watching the episodes. At this point I have only rewatched 5 episodes, I wanted to post this today because it’s loooooooong and I kinda said I would. I’m gonna watch the other episodes the next couple of days and edit this post when I have finished. This is going to be my opinion on footage that was taken while I wasn’t in fandom yet. So I’m unable to talk with the point of view of someone who went through this realtime. Feel absolutely free to comment or send asks with additions.

So, they spent 6 days in New Zealand right? What we got to see was only a couple of hours of their time there. Yoongi said that 80 percent of film is edited out.. that is no joke, that is actually true. On top of that, the stuff that is chosen to be in the released footage, is the exciting/interesting stuff... while we might see some clips of members just hanging around (because the message is supposed to be that they're relaxing.. while this is still work for them on a certain level... you can't actually relax when there's a film crew around).. they're not going to show boring stuff (or stuff we're not meant to see). Tae and Jk are pretty lowkey and aside from my believe in their relationship being hidden, I also think their moments are not deemed interesting enough at times. Their vibe is different from Jk and Jm's bolsterous interactions, it's different from Jm and Tae's cute supporting vibe. Jm is an extrovert, very clearly so... and extroversion is often deemed fun to watch. While Tae has been described as an extrovert at times... I also think he has a strong introverted tendency (and he turned out to be an infp while taking the test) so Tae and Jk together are just a lowkey couple. To add to this further, Jm is an empath, but so is Jk. Their differences in extroversion is why the way it's practiced is also different.

Now.. more specifically about BV4. For context.. Tae did seem to have mental issues during 2019/20... and during this BV Jk went through the tattoo artist 'scandal'. Mental health issues are a tricky thing... because we're not always able to tell from the outside what someone is going through on the inside. So take into consideration that we’re possibly not even able to understand the actual state of Tae’s mental health fully from the little bit of footage we’re given… same goes for any member really.

To start with the "not having seen each other debate that popps up a lot". I think this is blown up way out of proportion (probably thanks to Jkkrs pushing it as a debunk). I'm not really aware of what both of them were doing around this time. They had a month off, which isn't that long if you also go traveling. Anyways, it's possible they needed time apart.. I can imagine things being tough from time to time, so maybe this was intentional. Maybe they just had different plans... Tae traveled a lot with friends and family, and maybe Jk just wasn't into that? Maybe Jk's perception of time was off and it was less long than he thought since he'd seen Tae. Maybe it's a members and Tae situation. Maybe he's very aware of not being able to mention Tae as flippantly as he does other members. Maybe they were off atm (though it doesn't seem like it to me). All sorts of possibilities, but I doubt they weren't in contact at all. Being apart while knowing that in a bit you'll be spending plenty of time together again is pretty doable for most people. You'll never see Jk and Tae act like a couple in content for real, they know they can't do that on camera. BV, ITS, Run, Interviews... it's all work and they will always behave according to that.

In general I think there's nothing weird about their interactions, but rather that it feels something is missing. We know Jk and Tae are touchy and they hang off and on eacch other.. we don't get that here. On top of that.. when we do see them together it's mostly them with other members around, while other members do go of as pairs. It's almost as if Tae and Jk need chapperonnes 😂.

I'll get into the episode after the cut.. otherwise everyone will just be annoyed by how long this is.

Episode one is basically them travelling. It's rather uneventfull. A lot of sleeping and Tae wasn't feeling great for a bit. I'd say every Jk/Tae interaction was pretty normal. I don't feel Tae was off during this ep and we get Jk and Tae interactions a few times with them seeming completely normal to me.

Episode 2 starts with Tae and Jk in front seats of the campervan and then next to each other in the restaurant. Seems normal to me. We see some traveling, some shopping... Jk talking to sheep... Tae happily learning the Chicken Noodle soup dance. Tae and Jk together might not be the main focus, but they can be found close to each other often enough. Jk goes off on his own in the morning, when he gets that chunk of snow. I tend to think he wanted some time alone, since he didn't even wait for a camera to join him... Tae asking him if he's alright I interpret as him checking if Jk is mentally okay. People need space sometimes, that doesn't mean they have issues with the group they're with.. but rather that they need time to just be without having to consider other's feelings and wishes for a bit.

In episode 3 they start with a hike, and Tae does wander off a bit.. but I don’t feel it’s because he wants to be alone.. but rather to see where the path leads them. When Jk approaches the table where Tae, Hobi and Jin are eating he doesn’t hesitate to touch Tae’s back. There’s more driving and shopping. Jk takes Tae’s pic at a reststop. They eat, shop and drive again. Jk takes pics if Tae again and they laugh together like normal. Hobi, Tae, Jm and Jk practice the Chicken Noodle soup dance again. I feel Tae is participating enthusiastically in everything they do. He comes up with ideas, he laughs freely, he interacts with the others naturally. Tae and Jk keep bot being the main focus, yet they do continue to find each other all throughout. We see them standing close, touching, laughing, walking together. I feel there’s no avoidance or weirdness from their side.

Episode 4 kicks of at the accomodation they're staying at. When Yoongi prepares their food Tae gets Jm, Jin, and Jk to participate into a joke-ish skit thingy.. Jk smiles at Tae adoringly. After dinner we do get Tae taking a walk in the dark alone. At that point though, you see several members taking a moment for themselves. I don't feel Tae was particularly sad. Pensive maybe? I think it's too short a clip to tell. The next day has them shopping again, and we get headband Tae and Jk (my weakness 🥰). Tae and Jk do the Chicken noodle soup dance with Hobi at the lake, after which Tae and Jk review the footage closely together. They go hiking as a group and Tae and Jk are closeby nearly all throughout. Tae asks Jk to stop because he wants to take his picture. More hiking. The episode ends with a chaotic preparation of their camping site. Again, I don't feel that Tae is particularly sad or distancing himself. They all take moments of solitude, which is pretty normal to me during a group vacation.

I'm now at episode 5 and I have not yet felt that at one point Jm was the reason for Tae to partake in group dynamics, but rather I feel Tae was enjoying himself. He takes initiative, goes to help when he can, is funny inbetween, has no trouble taking on stuff like driving, interacts with all of them.

During their dinner preparations and meal at the campsite Tae was very much taking a backseat. It didn't seem like him having a hard time to me though, I tend to think he was just tired. Preparing dinner isn't his thing, so the camera wasn't on him much because of that too. Dinnertime is often Yoongi and Jin's time to shine. Tae leaves to go to sleep without announcing it, and yes I think he was done for the day. I don't think it has anything to do with Jk or the members, but they had a tiring day with hiking, Tae drove for hours, and anyone will get sleepy in front of a campfire. It is possible that he felt sad ofcourse, but I don't feel that particularly showed in this footage. Jk was the one to ask where Tae was, he also took a quick peak to watch him sleep. They wake up in the morning and Tae does seem a bit subdued to me... but in all honestly, so does everyone else. When they leave the hottubs we see Tae wearing one glove.. just like Jk. During the drive Tae seems fine and happily participates in the singing. Tae chooses to do the swing while he could've easily passed.. he was even the one to try and persuade Jm. Tae enjoys it so much that he himself asks to do the catapult as well. Whe don't really see Tae and Jk's reactions to each other's jumps. When deciding who goes shopping for groceries.. I could swear I see Tae and Jk share a glance (but that's also possibly just me). Tae and Jk go shopping for groceries with Namjoon and Yoongi, Tae once again wears one glove on his hands. All seems well and we later find out Jk bought Tae a jacket.

In episode 6 Episode when returning to the camp site, Tae immediately tells Jm about the jacket he got from Jk. Tae is helping out at the camp site quite a bit. Tae is the one who asks Jm to come horseriding the next day. He also super cutely asks to hold Namjoon when they sleep. The next day they go on the helicopter flight and Tae is so happy to land at the snow. Jk is making a snowman. Vmin are the cutest. Namjoon and Jk trying to sled are hilarious. After that Jm and Tae spend some time together horseriding/cycling, but at no point do I feel it’s Jm trying to involve Tae.. I rather feel Tae is enthusiastic just because of himself. There’s really little Jk and Tae interaction in this episode. Jk was basically with Hyungline the whole time, while Vmin had a lot of moments. Only in the story untold do we get a bit of Tkk interaction when Tae gives Jk sunscreen.

Episode 7 starts with members arriving at the last place of their stay. Tae isn’t feeling well (carsick). Jm and Tae end up rooming, and Jk ends up with Namjoon. We see Jk sitting with Tae while he’s lying at the couch in the background. We see Jm massaging Tae who’s still not feeling well. Tae does go and watch when Jk prepares the fish. After dinner they play uno and Tae and Jk are next to each other. They interact normally I’d say, though they are mostly busy with the game. Jk has no problem leaning into Tae to help him decide which cards to play. For some reason we suddenly see Jk in the other side of the table. Tae seems to be in good spirits to me. Jk very confidently states that he’s the one sharing a room with Tae, which isn’t the case. Jk returns to sit with Tae after the game. Tae has to wake everyone up and hangs over Jk’s sleeping body for a while. So many headbands 🥰. Tae again is the one to ask Jm to ride the cable ride together. Tae and Jk ride to the top separately, which is a bit odd to me since they were the last two to go up. Later in the car Tae easily mentions Jk’s snoring and goes to describe it. Tae is a bit late to lunch, but in the Story Untold we learn he told them to start eating because he would take a while. We get to the part where Tae wanders through the city alone while the others chose to go on group activities. I think it’s important to point out that this is the only time that has happened during this trip and that I feel he was pretty involved with the others the whole time. You can’t really say Tae went out on his own, because he’s with a camera man. He looks in good spirits to me, so possibly he just really wanted to enjoy the city while the others went for more action. Doing things alone when you’re on a group outing can be very important because having to be social constantly can be draining. In the Story Untold we learn that Tae has muscle ache (from horse riding), so possibly that’s why he wanted to go to the city instead of doing something active.

Episode 8 starts with where we left off in episode 7. Tae is walking around town, having a burger and icecream. Jk is at the new fishing spot with Yoongi and Jin. Tae is home first and is super funny (to me at least) by hiding from Namjoon, Hobi and Jm when they return. At this point Tae is very clear about not going with the other's because his butt hurt 😂. Tae helps Hobi and Jm with dinner preparations and joins in normally and happily imo. They do funny skits. Jk walks in when Jm and Tae do a scene... considers what he's seeing for a few seconds.. and decides it's nothing new 😂. Jk tries to but in wiht the cooking, which neither Tae and Jm want him to do and they send him away. Tae: "I got rid of the intruder" 😂. Later on Jk helps Tae get the rice.. again nothing weird about it. They have a very happy dinner after which they start to dance and sing. Tae and Jk are next to each other, though not physically close like we know them to be. To me they seem a normal, happy part of the group. Tae looks at Jk dancing with a huge smile on his face. We get an entertaining game of UNO during which Tae is proud to not finish last. Jk goes off to bed as soon as he's done. Tae stays to watch the others finish.

During their solo interviews both Tae and Jk express having had a great trip. Tae hopes fans won't have a problem with him having gained a bt of weight (which... hello, he looks amazing) and eating a lot. Jk actually apologizes for the tattoo artist 'scandal', but he emphasizes having been happy on the trip.

[hapan-in-exile]

WIP Wednesday - Tales from the Dark Garden

New Mandalorian x Reader one shot from me

Hey there 👋 I’ve been traveling a lot lately and I won't be back home for a while yet…but, I kinda can’t believe how much I have missed writing and spending time with my characters. Made me realize how deeply I appreciate this creative outlet!! Thank you Tumblr

While I'm at the airport, I thought I'd post something in the works since I haven't been active in a few weeks. For folks who are reading my serialized Mando fic, don't worry—I did not abandon it!

The last installment I wrote for Hapan in Exile was all smut. It was also my most popular post! Give the people what they want? And apparently, now I can’t get enough of writing erotica. Sooooo…

I’m working on a one-shot set in the same universe as my ongoing series. A sort of non-canon spinoff that's just smut.

No plot. No character development. Just sex. I'm making fanfics of my own fanfic, basically. Very meta!

Below is a snippet of the first installment. Hope you enjoy!

I should be back to posting regularly in Aug. If I can get some time to finish this up in coffee shops while traveling, I will! That honestly sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon 😌 ✨

Tales from the Dark Garden 18+

“Thank you,” the Mandalorian says disinterestedly, sliding the pile of neatly stacked credits into his waiting palm. “Please extend my gratitude to Boss Set’ki for his generous and timely payment.”

You watch him tuck the metallic ingots into one of the leather pouches sewn to his belt—right between the buckle and a string of explosive charges. There’s a dull thunk when the butt of his rifle knocks against the table’s edge as he turns to leave.

It's quite the arsenal. The bounty hunter certainly cast an imposing figure. 

It’s a miracle those shoulders made it through the hatch.  

You’d heard rumors from the other girls at Dark Garden about the fearsome Mandalorian who visited Mistress Anassa. This just happened to be one of those delightful twists gifted by the universe, where the real thing exceeds expectations. He was terrifying. And sexy as hell.

That first moment when you’d opened the door to see him standing there in full plate Beskar was a shock to the senses that would have reduced a younger Thuli into a stream of inane babbling. 

Good thing you had a lot of practice controlling your expression—the demands of professional decorum, after all. It would ruin your Mistress’s reputation if you started drooling over the customers.

The armor suited him. It accentuated the breadth of his shoulders, the strength in his forearms, and his powerfully muscular thighs. The belt slung low around his tapered waist, and the quilted canvas hinted at the taut abdominals concealed beneath.

All the adrenaline that surged through your body at the sight of his weaponry had  immediately transformed into excitement, raw and primal. 

This man made you feel…

Sweet gods, divine and merciful.

“Of course,” you smile, leaning forward to place your elbows over the polished tabletop so that your breasts rise enticingly. Lacing your fingers together, you gently rest your chin atop your knuckles. “I will happily deliver your compliments to my master.”

The Beskar gleamed in the candlelight despite an ashy layer of soot. From the state of him, he might have come straight from the lower levels where he’d tracked his quarry. Your eyes linger over the blood splattered across his helmet, sending a shiver of panic down your spine. What sort of violence had this man committed mere hours ago?

Arousal surges within you, fear and wanting intertwined. 

The gore and grime are a stark contrast to the lush surroundings. Draped in silk tapestries, with thick woolen rugs and brocade pillows, your shuttle interior was designed to be a sanctuary from the vulgar world outside. 

But you suspect the Mandalorian wrapped brutality around him as tightly as the cloak hanging from his neck. It would take a woman of considerable charm to remove either.  

Which is why Anassa chose you.      

“It is my honor to serve, Master Set’ki,” you reply, rising artfully from your chair and gesturing toward the lounge where you’ve laid out a modest tea service. “And my duty to please.”

The Mandalorian pauses midstep on his way to the door.

“Excuse me?” he asks, curiosity peaked.

Shrugging out of your robe, the silken fabric pools at your feet. You kneel onto the plush carpet before pulling back, sitting on your heels, and reaching for the enameled pot. “My master thought you would enjoy the companionship. A chance to indulge in softer luxuries before you return to the Outer Rim.” 

The Mandalorian’s helmet gives away nothing, but you can feel his eyes tracing over you.

Looking up at him through dark lashes, you explain, “The use of this ship—and myself—are yours for the night.” 

Despite the layers of cloth and metal, when he folds his arms across his chest, you see the muscles in his back ripple. He looked powerfully, almost aggressively masculine. Like someone who took what he wanted. 

And right now, he’s imagining taking you. 

The fear is still there, but by now, it had sharpened to anticipation so intense that it ached. 

“That won’t be necessary,” he says firmly. Yet, his words did not match his actions. Instead of continuing on his path toward the door, he turns to face you, uncrossing his arms to hold them at his sides.  

Is he simply nervous? Sometimes, warriors hardened on the battlefield liked to yield dominance in the bedroom. Maybe you should try throwing him against a wall and climbing him like a tree. 

No. If submission was his preference, Anassa would have chosen someone else—Katlin with her barbed whips or Bat’ya with her cruel tongue. 

You need to coax him without pushing. The subtle art of persuasion. 

Let’s start with coy seduction. 

Turning to look at him from over your shoulder, you toss your hair just so, sending shimmering waves down your back. You twist gracefully at the waist until your bodice gapes, revealing the generous contours of your body.  

“Think of it as a reward,” your voice is supple as the velvet cushions surrounding you on the floor. “Someone to take care of you. My only desire is your comfort and pleasure.”

With that, you pour the tea and walk over to him, proferring a cup.

“That is indeed generous,” the Mandalorian cocks his head. “But I usually find more comfort in solitude.”

Yet, again, he makes no attempt to leave, accepting the cup from your hand graciously. Worn leather caresses your skin as your fingers brush against each other, reaching around the warm porcelain. The jaw of his helmet lifts, and you catch a glimpse of bronze skin and coarse black hair while he raises the cup to his lips.

Surprisingly full lips.

What did he mean by offering resistance? Was this a challenge? Some test of your professional acumen?  

A skilled courtesan is, above all else, a student of human nature and hidden desires. She must know what her clients want before they speak the words. Before they know it themselves. This Mandalorian wanted to be…tempted. 

Timidity would yield nothing. 

You arch an eyebrow, “I have never known a man who preferred solitude to my company.” Then, you stare directly into the jet-black surface of his helmet’s visor. Meeting his gaze, you place a delicate hand over his chest plate and fill your voice with honey, “Let tonight be a rare exception to the usual.” 

The Beskar feels cool against your palm and the pads of your fingertips. You hadn’t realized how flushed you’d become with your heart beating this fast. The insistent yearning between your thighs matches each pulse coursing through your veins.

“I am here to satisfy your needs. Whatever the Mandalorian desires is his for the taking.” 

While the bounty hunter remains stubbornly silent, you can hear his breathing grow shallow through the modulator.

Having made your supplication, you draw back. “If it is tranquility the Mandalorian desires, perhaps I could play the valachord or sing for him?” 

“Sing?” he huffs, sounding amused. It’s funny, hearing the smirk on his lips.

Well, at least he’s not completely immune to your charm. 

“Pleasure takes many forms,” you say, flashing him a demure smile. “As such, we courtesans are skilled in many arts. I’ve been told my voice is exceedingly lovely. And I know all the Twelve Ballads of Kiergaard.”

You shift onto the edge of a thick cushion to pour yourself some tea. When you raise the cup to your lips, the look of elegant femininity slips—just for a moment, so he can see the earnest hunger filling your gaze. You fix him with your most smoldering stare, “Though I can certainly think of other ways to please you with my mouth.”

The tea tastes bitter on your tongue, but you hardly notice, waiting for his reaction.

The Mandalorian says nothing as he pulls the rifle over his head, settling it against the door frame. He walks over in a slow saunter that makes his hips dip and sway. Slowly, he extends his hand to take your face in his leather fingers, lifting up your chin. 

“You want me to fuck your mouth?”

Your breath catches in your throat. A wave of arousal courses through your body, emanating from your clenching belly until it ripples over every surface of your skin, pinching your nipples.

“If the Mandalorian—” but he cuts off whatever beguiling line you intended. 

“I thought this was about what I wanted?” he demands.

Suddenly, you’re too flustered to speak, confused by the sudden shift in dynamic. All his polite reticence had been an act. He was done testing you. He wanted to assert dominance. 

In answer, you lower your gaze.

“That’s right,” he says cooly, brushing his thumb over your cheek. “You’re remembering what you’re for.” The Mandalorian takes the cup from your hands and tosses it aside. “There’s no more need to talk. Don’t open your mouth unless I tell you.” 

Then he reaches down to his belt and unbuckles it. 

And to think you worried he’d be too self-conscious for roleplay. This is going to be so good.

---------------------------------------

to be continued...

[animasola86]

A few changes are coming...

Hello, dear followers of this very blog.

The title of this post says it all: I am in the middle of re-structuring a few things around here because my focus has shifted a little.

About a year ago I started this blog as a home for my Hogwarts Legacy hyperfixation, I took a deep dive into fanfiction, into oneshots, into smut essentially. I wrote so many things centered around Sebastian Sallow it's almost embarrassing in hindsight. But I am not embarrassed, I am actually quite proud of having been able to write so much, of having a muse to guide my creative (and dirty) thoughts.

It's been a real blessing.

But as you may have noticed, my focus, my fixation, has shifted, fizzled out a little.

It started when I began writing for Professor Sharp, dipping my toes into the older man/younger woman dynamic, and to be quite honest with you, I am still knee-deep (or even deeper) in that trope. It's always been a passion (a secret kink?) of mine to have an age (and size) difference between characters, so eventually I moved away from that particular character as well and focused on characters of my own.

I'm still currently writing my original story Innocence Lost over at @animasolaoriginal (about a cowboy and a girl, a slow burn love story), but the smut writer in me has yearned for something more, so I posted a few Smut Drabbles, very short little smut scenes I couldn't put into my story yet (or ever).

And from that very sentiment of having little outlets for my horribly dirty mind, grew another idea for an original story, something I'm still working on (I'm eight chapters in already), and this time I will finish it first before I post anything, I'm forcing myself to do that, yes I will (famous last words, huh? Don't quote me on that...)!

What I'm trying to say is, this blog, that has been focused around HL and Sebastian Sallow, will turn into the smut blog it has always been, but no longer featuring our beloved freckled pixel boy. I kept my smut drabbles neutral, dropped no names, no descriptions, just, well, faceless porn really, so anyone could imagine any character in the male and female characters portrayed if they wanted to.

I find freedom in doing so, being able to write anything and not put it in the confines that is writing for British characters set in the 1890s without having to put them in various AUs all the time.

And so I'll continue writing what I like, and I hope you will follow along.

I know most of you probably also follow me for my HL screenshots that have mysteriously stopped appearing as well. I still have my vast library of posted screenshots, don't worry, they will stay (everything will stay, this is just about future content), but if I ever dive back into the game (which, tbh, I haven't played in a long while, haven't even updated yet or checked out the new photomode), I will post new screenshots on a sideblog I will have yet to make.

Just to keep this blog cleaner. And smuttier.

Imagine finding my screenshots of pretty Scottish landscapes or cute Magical beasts (or broody pixel boys) and then scrolling down to find a filthy little smut drabble right under it. It just doesn't mix well anymore. (It never did, but I only realize that now, oops, sorry to everyone who probably stayed away from my blog for that very reason).

So, to wrap this up: I will remain a smut writer, if you are in need of a little erotica to spice up your day (or night), you will always find something of the sort right here.

I'm also not leaving the HL fandom, I'm still an active follower (read: lurker), and I feel like my time has come to let other people contribute to it. And if you follow the #sebastian sallow smut tag, you'll find a lot of authors that still mainly focus on him, so if you don't want to imagine him in my anonymous smut scenarios, you'll find plenty of other sources around here, don't worry!

I, for one, want to expand my horizon a little, look into other fandoms. I've read so many fanfics/oneshots centered around characters like Joel Miller (who I loved ever since playing The Last of Us for the first time), Arthur Morgan (who inspired my cowboy phase tbh) and even characters I never knew I needed in my life, like Simon "Ghost" Riley (who I didn't even know before because I never played Call of Duty), but this is tumblr, you are exposed to a lot of things if you allow them in - and it's been an absolute blast to find new things to obsess about.

So I hope that you, dear followers, can forgive me for branching out, for turning this once HL-centered blog into not just a multi-fandom blog, but a place for smut enjoyers of all types.

Because I found my calling, and it's writing porn. It is what it is.

TL;DR:

Future screenshots will find a new home in a yet to be announced sideblog.

The content will become more neutral, so that anyone can imagine anyone in the roles of the protagonists.

(I may still write for specific characters in the future, to be determined which one, maybe I'll return to write for Sebastian Sallow or Aesop Sharp one day, who knows, I still have some unfinished WIPs after all...)

There will always be smut. Because smut is life.

And with that, I thank you very much for reading this far. And I thank you for sticking around, for enjoying my content, in the past and in the future, hopefully. Thank you for your patience with me and for joining me on new adventures!

Cheers!

[monbons]

an ask game for writers to procrastinate working on your WIP(s)

thanks for tagging me @bookish-bogwitch, @thewholelemon, @cutestkilla, and @noblecorgi!

1. 🦈Tell us the name of your/ one of your WIP(s): Currently, living, breathing, and eating my one and only WIP: The Eternal Life of Baz Pitch. Also, I am probably retiring after this fic because I do not think I can top it!

2. 🍄Describe your WIP/one of your WIP(s) in the format of “___ + ___ =___” Addie LaRue + SnowBaz = so much pain and angst

3. 🌍What tags or warnings will one of your WIP(s) need if you intend to share it? Period-typical homophobia, Implied/referenced DV, Blood and Injury, Death... I mean truly the works. This is SnowBaz in the darkest possible timeline.

4. 🧭An alternative title to one of your WIP(s)? At one point, I joked with @thewholelemon about naming it "Baz Pitch's 300 Year Long Grope-Fest" but for obvious reasons that title would really do a disservice to this fic (although it is sort of true).

5. ⚠️Which WIP you're most likely to finish or update next? Now that I've created a posting schedule for The Eternal Life of Baz Pitch, I want to stick to it. While I'm "done" drafting, I am still making a few big revisions to the last six chapters. I've also been re-reading the first chapters for continuity issues that may have cropped up now that I know how this ends. Either way, I can see the finish line.

6. 💾What is your document of your WIP/ a WIP called? (not the stories actual title but what you’ve saved it as) It started out as "Addie LaRue Working Draft." Once the one doc got unwieldy and long, it spun out into multiple docs titled all sorts of things - mostly chapter numbers, but I do have one not as fun as it sounds doc called "Sex Playground." (ha!)

7. 🖍Post Any sentence(s) from your WIP. “Are you so naive as to think I cannot watch you whenever it pleases me, even if you cannot see me?”

8. ♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP. I actually have SEVERAL scenes I scrapped...like pages and pages! Largely this is because I have a whole document titled "Voice," which served as a sandbox of sorts where I could play with every possible combination of POV, tone, and style before committing to the final version you see in the story now. There's even a scene in there told first-person Niall! (Bonkers.)

I also have a whole ACTUAL scene I'd love to include as an answer to this question because it was well-written, but I cut it because it made the plot unnecessarily complicated, was frankly too close to the original plot of Addie, and would have made my ending impossible. It is also--sadly--too big a spoiler to include here, so let me give you a few sentences from "Sex Playground" that will not be making the cut:

“Stay.” Baz pushes his hand into the center of Simon’s chest, pressing him back into the mattress. “I want to look at you.” Simon gives Baz a filthy smile. He can look all he wants. 

9. 🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet? I really want to write a canon divergence where Simon successfully but somewhat accidentally reveals Baz is a vampire fifth year, so Baz and the whole Pitch family have to flee from the Mage. I already have the "everybody finds out" scene written and the scene where the Mage realizes the Pitch family is gone, so I guess I have started it. But, I also have no idea where it's going or what it's about, so I haven't really accomplished anything. If anyone has ideas or wants to be a partner-in-crime on this, give me a little shout!

10. 🤡How many WIPS are you actively working on? Literally just this one. Again, I am retiring after this fic! (Or at least taking a very well-deserved break.)

11. 🛠Is there a scene or anything in the WIP you are struggling with right now? Absolutely 100% it is writing the smut. Having never written any on-page sex means I'm figuring it out as I go. Lots of frustrated growls from me (not nearly as frustrated from Simon).

12. ❤️Not a question, just a second Kudos to send. I know many of you have already posted, but tagging anyway since you've commented/liked past WIPsdays and such, in case you're interested in the behind the scenes!

@valeffelees, @roomwithanopenfire, @noblecorgi, @cutestkilla, @iamamythologicalcreature, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @hushed-chorus, @rimeswithpurple, @aristocratic-otter, @larkral, @artsyunderstudy, @brilla-brilla-estrellita

[misc-obeyme]

I like to think that lilith's Angel DNA was still active or strong enough to last generations after generations. So if her Angel DNA got more thinner and thinner after generations, it would make sense for Mc to gain power AFTER forming some sort of pacts with the brothers.

This makes me wonder if Mc is the "special one" in her lineage to awaken this sort of power within themselves. If Mc had siblings, wouldn't that mean that Mc's siblings could also gain/awaken their power, too? Since they all share lilith's bloodline. Which could make some things very interesting.

I completely agree with you that Michael (or god) have their eyes on Mc considering how powerful they are (regardless of whether they're human or Nephilim). Maybe that's why Raphael was sent to the Devildom to keep one eye on Mc. Both realms are currently not at war, but i'm sure neither of them want that powerful being, aka Mc to become the others side weapon if something were to escalate. Maybe this is why Solomon once asked Mc to side with humanity instead. (I can't remember what lessons it was in NB).

Either that or they would try to get "ride of" Mc if they become too powerful and dangerous. and once more, according to biblical lore states that ridding the Earth of these Nephilim was one of God's purposes for flooding the Earth in Noah's time. So they have done it before.

Also, off topic but; You used to watch Supernatural?! Omfg, this brings back memories 😭

-Angsty Anon.

Oh dearest angsty anon. I did indeed watch Supernatural. I started watching while season 5 was airing. For many years, I was obsessed. Though it got to the point that I just watched out of habit because by the time I had invested in twelve or so seasons, I was like I'm gonna see this thing to the end.

Which is funny because I still haven't watched the end. One day, I will watch the last half of season 15. Who knows when it will be, but one day I'll do it. I also rewatched the first 8 seasons, but it's been a while.

Anyway, I think you can go with any of the options regarding the angel DNA. The game's canon on this topic is sparse so I really think you can just come up with whatever you want.

I hadn't previously considered the implications of MC's siblings. I suppose that's why I considered most of MC's power to come from their pacts and so on. My own MC has an older sister and I can't believe I never realized that she would also have some of Lilith's DNA. My MC's mom might, too!! Oh man I kinda feel like that has to be the case because it'd be really funny.

Sorry got a little off topic there. Raphael's cover story is that he's there to be the new exchange student, but I think his ulterior motives are to watch both Simeon and MC. And you know likely to report back to Michael about the goings on in the Devildom in a more general sense, too.

Does the Celestial Realm know about MC's heritage? I can't remember. Lucifer was keeping Lilith's resurrection a secret from his brothers, but I'm assuming nobody else knows? Does Simeon?? These details are eluding me.

I'm just wondering if that would matter to the CR, you know? Just another reason to keep track of MC is their angel DNA, right?

I wonder if they'd even be able to "get rid of" MC, even if they tried. It's hard to say since we don't know how powerful Michael or God/Father is. On the one hand, I would think MC's power would be off the charts at this point, but on the other hand well... that's God we're talking about, right? LOL.

Anyway, here's hoping no floods happen just to take out MC. We get enough of that from Lotan being summoned.

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

{THIS IS A RANT} - Back at it again with the

ALL MY HOBIES HATE PETER B.

(Not a typo)

Another rant where I talk about hating Peter B on every level in which my soul manifests

[Stop talking about if your parenting is good so help me fucking god this has nothing to do with you and lives are at stake]

The reason I find Miguel easier to defend than Peter B is because Miguel actually has actions to speculation about in the story.

Peter spent that whole movie talking about his baby, standing completely stationary while witnessing child abuse twice (he didn't nothing when Gwen was sent home) and then go home and talk about how he's sad cause he's not a good mentor and might not be 'good at this'

Like sir who the hell cares what youre good at A teenage girl just became homeless and Miles is being hunted by hundreds of adults

Can you give us more than 'I'm bad at this mentor stuff 😭😭😭'

Put MayDay in the crib and go get Gwen.

Or at the very least tell MJ. Tell MJ that the kid that inspired you to have MayDay is in mortal danger. Tell MJ that the reason you think you're a bad mentor is because MILES JUST GOT HIS ASS BEAT

Why is his thought after ALL THAT about himself abd only HIMSELF? And how he might be a bad mentor

Like yes, you are now that we've realized that glaring fact can you like.... Do something

ALSO YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MILES IN OVER A YEAR WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THAT

'you don't know if he was going to go get gw-'

Exactly. Cause all he did was talk about himself.

'what if the society was supporting them financially-'

if you see your boss assault a child you should quit even if you make a million a month

'he ended up joining the team anyway'

Gwen, the teenager, the homeless teenager, shouldn't be the one coming to Peter's rescue right now it should be the other way around.

The only reason he joined at the end was because Hobie and Gwen made it super convenient for them.

Had Hobie not left Gwen the watch - and Gwen hadn't showed up -

We are given NO PROOF whatsoever that Peter would've joined them.

No verbal indication or anything.

We have no idea how long Peter would've stayed on Miguel's side had Gwen not approached him.

LITERALLY all Peter did this movie was show Miles baby pictures, tell him he has to let his dad die, accidentally get him caught because he's too stupid to turn off his TRACKING watch , watch Miles get his ass beat, then watch Gwen get her ass beat, then go home and talk about himself.

At least Miguel is having an emotional arc meanwhile Peter shows the emotional range of a bad day at the office despite the fact people he knows and cares about have been hurt in front of him by someone he knows and cares about.

And people still defend him.

HE DID NOTHING. THERE'S NOTHING TO DEFEND BUT HIS INACTION

I feel like so many people excuse his inaction and failure to 'he means well' - obviously not cause when you mean well you do well and he ain't do shit.

"What was he supposed to do?"

At the very least express concern of some sort about the two missing children in his life??

Put MayDay down and try to see if you can find Gwen?

At the very least mention the fact that his boss went apeshit - or Hell, talk about ANYTHING besides himself.

I don't know how people can see that and be like yeah he's cool. This is a competent man who cares about these kids

Like.... If you care and do nothing and make them do literally everything and help them none to the point you're actively leading danger to them because you can't think ahead all while clapping from the sidelines then who the fuck cares what you care about

You don't care enough to do something. So why would I care you're a bad mentor???????

At least Miguel is doing something and we can look deeper into his emotional arc and story and motive

Peter B gives literally nothing. Nothing. Contributes nothing to no one through the whole movie. Doesn't even do a cool Spidey move or anything. Jokes dry as hell -

FUCK I'm so salty why did the write him like a plank of wood why am I supposed to be okay with his WHY WHY WHY

WANT ME TO CLAP AND SHIT MEANWHILE I'M LOOKING AT HIM LIKE

What can he do that Noir, Pavitr, and Hobie can't? Like.... They can do everything he can???? With extra abilities,??? PENI HAS A MECH?? WHAT IS HE ADDING WHAT IS HE BRINGING WHAT IS HE SERVING

NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING

____________________________________________

Anyway if you made it this far he's a master list of all my posts where I talk about why a Peter is a horribly borderline irredeemable character.

Peter watching as Gwen is put in the machine, and says nothing besides a joke to defend her, before going home to talk about himself

Hobie doesn't like Peter so neither do I

Why I believe Peter purposely ratted Miles out - If Peter didn't know he was being tracked, why would she speak out loud and give herself away. She didn't. I believe Peter asked her to track them and she responded out loud not knowing Miles was right there.

Why even if he didn't rat Miles out, that's arguably worse - How do you forget the obvious tracker watch is obvious tracking you?

UHH SO YEAH FUCK PETER B ALL MY HOBIES HATE PETER B

[esta-elavaris]

Was thinking of As it Was in shower (honestly where my best ideas come from besides late at night) and now I have questions. So as we know, in CTW Theo has modern items that are like a major lifesaver/plot point for her. My question is, will James have the same? What will he have!? My vote is something actually useful bc unlike Theo he's terribly posh. I would like him to have something useful but I also suspect he'll just like have, a pen and his phone and like maybe a pocket knife if he's lucky. normal person items.

Also I realize the answer to these are spoilers!!! So feel free to just say the only thing James needs in his pocket is that beautiful face and sharp wit. ♡

He has the undying love of the writer, and therefore plot armor of the sort to stun and amaze (and frustrate).

Nah, I kid, BUT I have been thinking about his no doubt posh upbringing and where that might lead, taking inspo honestly a lot from how the royals raise their kids. But we also know from sources beyond the movies that his dad was very very harsh on him, and I think the lack of an 18th century setting would allow him to push back against that a little bit more than he might've in canon - I don't think he'd be like, a rebel without a cause, running off to join a motorcycle gang, but it HAS had me thinking of how that would shape his life choices.

And I also think because of his personality and his strong sense of morality, he would thrive in a military setting no matter the time period. I think he'd struggle quite a bit with any sort of "lad" culture among young soldiers, but I also think his father would have contacts higher up that might get him a different path that typical recruits might not have to walk. I've found statistics like this very interesting:

BUT like I said, I think James himself would be frustrated by a station that's essentially all rank and little duty, and that fact would show in his career choices once he aged out of just letting his father/family expectations dictate those choices. And, of course, what all of this might lead to him having on his person is interesting ✨

It's literally 5am here rn and I haven't gone to bed yet because I'm working on the next chapter, so your timing is impeccable! I was also thinking about it as I showered today (or uh, yesterday, technically), so we're truly occupying the same wavelength.

I'll put where I'm approaching his modern!career from beneath the cut because like? It's not spoiler-y, it'll come through soon via infodump in his POV, so I don't see the harm in adding it here for those who choose to read it.

Basically, in my head his father arranged a cushy higher ranking job in the Navy for him, with the expectation that he'd make a name for himself, do well, and ultimately end up pursuing other ventures later on. However, James distinguishes himself so well in his role that he ends up pursuing a role instead in the SAS (there's precedent - Ant Middleton, who Theo's dad is based on, was in the Marines before he became an SAS operative), from what I gather "all" you need to be is an exceptional soldier within your specific brand of soldier-ing to apply to train as an SAS soldier. Few get through, but you can try. I think his dad would take a very dim view of it because SAS operatives essentially go to the most dangerous places, and do the wildest shit - there's a reason they need to be the best of the best, physically and mentally, to do what they do. I think James would be fully capable of it, though.

So I think James lives with his sister, who watches his place when he's stationed elsewhere, and endures his father's disapproval over the fact that he took what was supposed to be a cushy and largely decorative station and instead veered into the stuff that's actually dangerous, with very little glory or valour because so much of that work is highly secretive and cloak-and-dagger.

He's transported to POTC world while on active duty, hence his outfit when he arrives - I had folk being confused by the all-black outfit, he's not going through a goth phase, it's combat gear 💀💀💀 (although that had me SCREAMING)

[strqyr]

i haven't got my thoughts on this completely sorted out so my opinion on this might change like. five minutes later, but atm i really don't think ruby needs to reforge / change crescent rose in any way shape or form.

for one, ruby didn't give crescent rose away like she did with her emblem; it fell before ruby did, and she tried to scramble after it to catch it, letting out a desperate "no!" doing so. she may not be currently actively looking for it, but twice now ruby has reached out for her weapon when faced with the jabberwalker, only to face the reality that it's not there for her.

and while crescent rose is missing, ruby is struggling with her identity, unsure whether she is a huntress or not because her idea of what being a huntress is about is so messed up to the point of being impossible to reach.

"'just weapons'? they're an extension of ourselves! they're a part of us!"

despite being inspired by qrow and harbinger, when you look at crescent rose all you really see is ruby. unlike harbinger—which is a sword first, scythe second—crescent rose is primarily scythe. it's primary color is red, same as ruby. you just don't look at crescent rose and be reminded of summer (who is the main, hidden burden ruby is carrying that no one else can see; they're all focused on penny's death, the fall of atlas, etc.) or anyone else.

like. crescent rose missing is a huge problem, because it's a part of ruby that is so very much about ruby and ruby alone and she doesn't have it while she's struggling. part of her is missing and putting her burdens down to pick another weapon, any that she would like, is not necessarily a good thing; it's ruby letting go of part of herself.

there's also something about what weiss, blake, and yang were offered during their trials, and how they've grown over the years, that echo what ruby is going through right now. the only difference is that wby had to go through their struggles on remnant, where they didn't have an "easy" way out in terms of ascension, while ruby is now going through it in the ever after where she is offered an "easy" way out; she ascends, her memories gone and she can start a new.

but that's resetting character development, so obviously that's not going to happen. but the temptation is there for ruby, which means that 1. she really needs to let others in and tell exactly what she's going through so that they can help her, and 2. she needs to come to the same realization as wby that all the difficulties and pain and what not she's been through have made her to who she is, and that she has grown and learned from it all.

which is why i think crescent rose is the end goal for ruby during her journey in the ever after; finding it, picking it up, is a sign of ruby finding a healthier way to be herself, without trying to be anyone else.

if crescent rose is broken then sure, ruby is going to have to fix it (and in a way, that would be fitting with ruby starting her journey to recovery) but i don't see any drastic changes coming to crescent rose.

[okayto]

Biannual Research Instruction Reflections

My research post is going around again (RIP my activity page), which always brings a bunch of fresh comments on a variety of related topics, and I always wish I could add some little addendums that people should keep in mind:

The original point of the post is that you shouldn't automatically assume a mid-high research familiarity with anyone, even people who have previously completed university degrees (outside of specifically-demonstrated proficiency as an admissions requirement or something). The post was particularly sparked because the master's program that student was in, at the time, did not include a library orientation that even showed students what databases were or the program-specific guide, and I hated that the program thus relied on students to realize they should use the library and just intuit how to find everything.This has since changed.

It was also sparked because, as seen in the dialog, the student did not demonstrate even basic computer-search semi-critical thinking skills like "maybe I should try rephrasing my search."

Yes, it is fairly common AFAIK in the US for first-year college/university students (or students in beginning-level college courses) to get some sort of library or research instruction. To my knowledge it's also pretty common in certain disciplines to have a dedicated research methods-type course at a higher undergrad level before graduation.

It's a reasonable assumption that students in a master's program have had information literacy instruction (or a full research class) before since everyone had at least one prior college degree, but I strongly believe all programs need, at a minimum, a basic library introduction (even a virtual tutorial, which is what this program now does) so they know/are reminded of what resources exist.

Pretty sure it's not uncommon to get some sort of instruction in high school, and even basic skills earlier than that. IDK what's widespread at pre-college levels, guys, I was homeschooled. But educational standards vary from state to state, and education is, if you haven't noticed a notoriously politically-influenced profession (in that often people spouting opinions and making rules are not educators).

That said, I have personally seen many instances where students did get a very good introduction, tutorial, or in-depth lessons on how to research, and they didn't pay attention or take it seriously. This is not a problem that lies solely with people designing educational courses or standards. The problem of equating "I can google for basic questions on a phone" with "therefore it's easy to look for academic and/or specialized publications and research in subscription databases or other less-public locations" is something students also do all the time.

Research is also a skill, meaning that if you don't use or practice it, you'll likely lose some of that knowledge. This isn't a judging statement; it just means if it's been a while since you had to use those skills, even if you knew stuff before, you might need some help to refresh that knowledge.

This was true when I wrote the post and it's true now: reaching out for help is a good option.

My research and library tips tags would probably also appeal if you like that post.

[system-of-a-feather]

Man, I'll be a buck hundred, while we didn't really have any sort of an episode or flashback or anything and overall, I think it was actually such a net positive to allow ourselves time and space to express Dhalia some and really sit with her feelings on things (which was an AMAZING W for us cause Dhalia (she/they) has literally never been out / dominant and NOT either fronted because we were in crisis or resulted in a crisis in the 8+ years we've been in therapy)

And so we don't regret a thing, but I think something that we always forget no matter how many times it happens is just the post hang over like body-based emotional rawness that comes with having one of those very emotionally trauma bare parts be a predominant "driver" in our body.

Cause really, we haven't had anything triggering and Dhalia was honestly very calm and "happy" relative to her usual and we love that. But fast forward a few hours later and our fused whole is just sitting here wondering why our body feels generally malaise and have a general sense of emotional sensitivity more than we usually do and I think it really is just that Dhalia actually being anywhere more than passively communicative is a high level of trauma processing for our whole specifically on the things that they've been through and how that's affected them.

As Dhalia, the experience was 95% positive and a healing growth moment. As the Rest of Feathers, it was such an AMAZING moment of healing. But as a fused whole, while it is still a huge positive growth thing, this odd middle ground of emotional rawness and exhaustion that we usually only get after a hard trauma processing therapy session is the *predominant* feeling and we find that honestly pretty astonishing.

It's like sore muscles after going to the gym. And after realizing that our body is in "I did a lot of hard recovery work and it was positive but now I am a little fragile", I think its a good time to focus on some self care and reward our brain-body for such a good job done.

Honestly though, I really fucking love to see parts from that end actually actively wanting to express themselves and communicating with us.

((And for those that are confused on how that works as a fully fused multiple - credit to @hiiragi7 for the term, I'm using it - that really just means listening to my many parts as a whole and realizing a specific part wants to let themselves be heard and very much having all the other parts step aside for said part to get the full freedom to fully express their truth / nature; think of it like all the other parts sitting down and letting one part go on the stage; everyone is still there and attending to the situation, but one specific part has the spotlight and the attention while the rest are intentionally, by choice, choosing to be silent and let that individual have the center spotlight))

[porlatamconlouis]

heyooo! jules here. i realized i haven't posted anything about the montevideo or buenos aires shows... i've been sort of on a weird mental space, in which i'm the happiest and somehow also mad? at the world? at myself? but anyway. this is about joy!

the show in mvdeo was amazing! my favorite so far before buenos aires happened. besides liam interrupting everyone's attention during giant rooks' set, the energy was so gooood. that performance of chemical, holy shit. oh, and i got to see three people at the back of the pit, when back to you started, one of them started singing without realizing and their friends were like "eh..?" and then the first person got sooo excited when they realized which song it was and started jumping while singing and hitting their friends' arms for them to realize what it was, hajshajsh. and then they all got it when the pre-chorus came around. it was so funny, and reminded me of the first time he sang it, watching the livestream with maia and how it also took us a few lines to realize but we were singing it, hajshajshs. anyway. great show!

we stayed at a place called 'casa vegana' (vegan house), it was sort of an hostal in an cute old building, and very big on activism. there were posters plastered on every wall. and vegan food in montevideo was good as well!

so definitely better memories were made in montevideo. :) even the ferry back to buenos aires was good! and okay... louis in vélez! what the hell. we were there? lol.

his energy, confidence and beauty were off the charts. not even the cold brought him down!!!

(fucking tumblr deleted a good chunk of what I wrote dammit)

i was saaaaaying... he could have used the catwalk more than three times. hajshaj. the energy in that stadium was so amazing... we were at the back of the front pit and everyone jumping up and down, and chanting on quiet times, and just... ugh. argentinian crowds are incredible! i've found my matches!

also... i'm sorry i couldn't ask tom about the color lights during beauty. i only had time for one question before he ran away from me and that was "what happened to lucia?". but it was a funny interaction, because he looked scared and amused that i approached him by name at the end of the show to thank him for his work, hajshs. and then when i asked about lucia, i was about to add that i was referring to the lightbulb but HE KNEW what i was talking about. so they know. 😌 anyway, he just said "couldn't happen today" or something like that, and i was like "why?" and he just shrugged and kept walking away and said i don't know while being amused and like withholding information. so there's that.

anyway, then yesterday we went to see giant rooks at a small venue, and pffft. i make a separate post on my blog, because... i'm still reeling from it, i think. they might be too, because they haven't posted about it, hhahshss.

anyway. stocked up on vegan alfajores (i had a flashback to the last time i was here like 12 years ago, and also bought so many alfajores to bring home, so to have so many vegan options so i could do the same? ooof! (they won't make it homehome but they'll last for a bit).

tomorrow we'll be on our way to chileee and soon meet up with andrea and alex! i'm sooo exciteeeedddd!

[xylianasblog]

Never felt so alone.

Pairings: Naeem x Fem!Reader, Agedup/Loak x Fem reader

Warnings: Fluff.

< Previous

It had only been two days since the incident and it felt as if you were learning how to walk before running all over again, only this time you weren’t alone. This time you have Him.

Today you were sitting in the Sully’s marui, all having lunch and for once you were laughing and having a good time. You didn’t actively ignore Lo’ak but made sure you didn’t engage with him. As you all were eating Jake spoke up. “What’s this I hear about you being seen around the village with a warrior y/n?” This made Neytiri straighten up, giving you a look you know too well. You let out a few nervous chuckles as you squirmed around.

“I-it um..” you weren’t sure what to say, you always thought of Jake and Neytiri as your second parents. Ever since you could remember you were always with the Sully’s, if you weren’t at home you were with them or their kids, and your parents never minded because you were always safe. For Jake to ask randomly made you nervous, how do you tell the people watching out for you that you caught the eye of a warrior?

You give them a small smile as you finally relax after trying to gather your thoughts. "His name is Naeem and like Aonung he is one of the youngest warriors.. or well hunters for the Metkayina... He is very level-headed and kind. very very strong too, please don't make me leave him alone." You rushed out the last thing you wanted was to be away and leave Naeem alone, you haven't felt this happy since before leaving home. Jake and Neytiri shared a brief look before Jake spoke up, resting his hand on your head. "Dont worry kid, was just curious." you released the breath you didn't know you were holding as you relaxed into Jake. "Thank you."

After lunch you found yourself sitting with Naeem in your marui while he watched you make jewelry from beautiful shells you had collected. Glancing up at him you let your hands rest in your lap. "You are quiet, is something wrong?" Now Naeem talked very little around others but with you, it was like he was a completely different person. "I am fine tanhi, just admiring you as you work. You look very beautiful." such a simple response yet it had your heart beating like crazy inside your chest.

It was quiet for a little longer such a relaxing quiet and comfort that only he provided for you. A pair of soft lips pressed against your forehead, his big hand holding onto the back of your head gently. The scent of fruits and saltwater clouded your senses, and your eyes closed on their own as you relaxed into the small bit of affection. His kiss lingered before he pulled away slowly to look over your face, he loved how pretty your skin was, and the way your freckles were scattered along your skin. "I have to go yawne but I will be back at dinner." With another soft kiss to your forehead, he was off leaving you in a slightly dazed state.

You sat with the Sullys for dinner with the clan, Tuk sat snuggly in your lap as you were speaking with Kiri about the things she's been doing. You were so into the conversation you didn't realize that everyone got quiet until you heard the sound of a throat being cleared, turning your attention away from Kiri you looked up to see Naeem.

His hair which was usually kept down was tied up in a neat bun on the top of his head, and his ocean-blue eyes showed with nervousness as he knelt down before you. Both of Naeem's hands opened before you, in one was a leaf wrapping that contained food, and in the other was a piece of jewelry, a bracelet. The bracelet was beautiful a mix of pearls and beads held together by a strong string of sorts.

You sat quietly as you looked between him and the items laying in his hands, he publicly announcing to the clan that he wished to take you as his mate. Smiling shyly you reached out accepting the food first before lifting your arm up and holding your hand out so he could put the bracelet around your wrist. As he fastens the bracelet you noticed a new armband that clings to his bicep, the pearls and beads matching your bracelet.

Naeem felt nothing but relief flood his very being, he was unsure of if you returned his affections because of your quiet and reserved nature. Now that he knows you feel the same he plans on doing everything he can now and even after you both have mated to give you everything you desire.

You felt as if all the broken pieces of your heart were slowly being put together by this man and you couldn't be happier. That all the pain of watching your first love leave was worth it when it came to this Na'vi male. You understood that in this moment you never had to experience being alone, never would you feel so alone again. It was as if, with just one look into his eyes, you knew. That this was his promise.

From him to you.

s/n: I was thinking about making this the last chapter of the series. I figured it would be a good spot to end it. Let me know.

Tags: @avatar4life @iwanttogohomeandtakeanap @ghostreadersthings @lauratstrange @manumanulau

(If you’d like to be added to the taglist for future stories please let me know!)