#I'm going to guess it's the latter because that's the most insane of the two

[kaymarie-bell]

White Rabbit Festival Spoilers

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The twistunes are going so fast omg 😭

But they look very cute and are very entertaining animation-wise, I think these are second only to the Masquerade event for me (thanks to Malleus singing in those)

"Just come home from time to time, that's all I ask for!"

DEUCE IS THE "FASTEST RABBIT"! I'm so proud of my son (also check out his glasses)

"The rumors are getting too big! I did no such thing!!!! 😟"

Deuce has such a rep in his hometown 😭 he's a legendary troublemaker and they call him "Deuce of the Cauldron"

He's the "Deuce of the Cauldron" who beat 100 armed men with his bare hands?

The "Deuce in the Cauldron" that all the cops in the city couldn't beat?

I really enjoyed the aesthetics of this event, it was nice to see the guys in fun colours and cute outfits 💖

[cuubism]

I'd love something about Dream who's very aware that he's way too intense romantically while also being not intense enough sexually because he's ace. His partners usually prefer it the other way around. If that's something you'd be willing to write (if not that's okay too)

hmm yes, we can always do ace dream. though we didn't quite reach 'aware' 😂 human uni au is what popped to my mind

--

When Hob gets back from class, Dream is lying facedown on the couch, one long arm trailing morosely down to the floor, face smashed so deeply into a pillow that Hob can only see the tufts of his hair. He seems to have been there for some time, and doesn't move when Hob comes in.

"Horrors insurmountable today?" Hob asks as he puts down his bag and heads to the adjoining kitchen to grab a snack. He'll probably need to grab one for Dream, too, now that he thinks about it. Doubtful he's eaten.

Dream just makes an mmph sound against his pillow. Then, once Hob's returned to the living room with a plate of apple slices, Dream pops his head up, lines all over his cheek from the pillow, fluffy hair going every which way, and says, "How much do you care about sex?"

Hob nearly trips and flings his apple slices everywhere. "What?"

"In general," Dream persists, heedless of Hob's shock. "Do you subscribe to the belief that individuals past puberty, particularly men, think about sex constantly, or is that an exaggeration? Which do you think is more important in a partnership: compatible personalities, or compatible sex drives? And why?"

"What is this, a sociology assignment?"

"Answer, please," Dream insists.

Hob sighs and gives in to the mad questioning. Joke's on him for having an insane roommate. "I thought about sex all the time when I was thirteen, maybe. Right now I'm just thinking about how I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm fucking starving but we're playing Twenty Questions instead of eating. And as to the second one, I don't know, Dream, I think both are probably important."

"So you think about sex an amount you would consider 'frequent'," Dream presses.

Hob's cheeks heat. Sex is not really a topic he wants to discuss with Dream of all people. Those two thoughts don't meld together into anything good for polite company. "I don't know, I guess!? Doesn't everyone?"

Dream lets out a despairing wail and thumps his head back into his pillow. "I am outnumbered."

Hob still has no idea what the hell he's on about. He finally gives up and just starts eating the apple slices. He offers one to Dream, holding it by the corner of his eye until he finally sees it and takes it, turns his head to the side just enough to start nibbling on it.

"You'll choke if you eat that lying down," Hob warns.

Dream begrudgingly pushes himself up, collapsing against the back of the couch, and goes back to nibbling on his apple slice.

"So," Hob continues, awkwardly, when Dream doesn't say anything else, "sex life not going so well, then?"

Dream glares at him, though it's not very intimidating considering the apple halfway into his mouth. "Too well, by most standards," he finally sniffs, and eats the rest of the slice.

"Oh, yeah?" Dream having sex is another thing Hob doesn't really like to think about. Why'd he bring that up again?

"Indeed. I have suitors falling over each other to bed me," Dream says.

Do all classic literature students talk the way Dream does? Hob doesn't know. It's been two years that they've lived together and he's still yet to definitively figure out if it's an affectation or just the way Dream is. He's leaning towards the latter.

Unfortunately, he can believe Dream's statement. Dream is a snitty little prick most of the time, but he's also unbearably beautiful.

"So what's the problem, then?" he asks.

"I don't want them to bed me," Dream says.

Hob's not following. "Say no, then?"

Dream rolls his eyes. "I don't want them to bed me, I want them to want me." His voice loses some of its determination halfway through the sentence, and he looks away.

Ouch. "Sounds like they do want you?"

Dream snorts. "Only so long as it suits them. Only so long as I fit their parameters. Today I spoke to Cori--"

Ah, yes, Cori, Dream's most recent ex-boyfriend. Dream's had a lot of ex-boyfriends, but Cori really tops the list, and not in a good way.

Now that Hob thinks about it, all of Dream's relationships kind of go the same way. Dream comes home after the first date bouncing off the walls with stars in his eyes insisting this person's the one, and within two months the thing's somehow torpedoed into the Underworld and Hob's scraping Dream up off the bathroom floor.

He's starting to see where the initial line of questioning might have come from.

"--and he, at last, was straightforward with me when no one else has bothered to be all this time. I demanded to know, truthfully, why he ended things, and he told me that I 'care too much, but won't put out'--"

Hob winces.

"--which does not make sense, as we had sex frequently? I do not know what else I am meant to be 'putting' and where. I said as much, and he laughed, and said--" he imitates Cori's voice with a surprisingly passable American accent-- "'It only counts if you at least pretend you want to be there, doll. Next time try initiating occasionally.' He left before I could question him further."

Hob doesn't like the picture this is painting. And Dream is looking at him beseechingly, like Hob might be able to explain the bizarre encounter. "So... now you're trying to figure out if your understanding of sex is wrong or something?"

"I felt that, as a neutral observer to the situation, you would be appropriate to survey," Dream says.

(Neutral is a stretch, Hob thinks.)

"So I ask you, Hob Gadling, as a man demonstrably unbothered by 'hookup culture'--"

"Are you calling me a slut?"

"--what do you think is the correct amount that one should care about sex? Because I--" he breaks off, twisting his fingers in his hair, suddenly anxious-- "I do not know what I am doing wrong."

Hob moves to sit beside him, lays a hand lightly on his arm. He's about to say, you're not doing anything wrong, except... that may not precisely be true. At least in terms of how Dream is actually handling it with his partners.

"How much do you care about sex?" he asks.

"Not as much as I am supposed to, evidently," Dream says. Hob just waits for him to elaborate. "Not very much. I prefer not to think about it." He looks at Hob, weary. "Now you will tell me that this is abnormal."

"I don't know what's 'normal'," Hob says. "But it does sound different from how Cori felt about it."

"I suppose," Dream says, sadly.

Hob doesn't particularly like where the intersection of 'I don't care about sex' and 'we had sex all the time' lands him. "If you don't care that much, why keep doing it?"

"It is what is done, is it not?" says Dream. "Besides. I do not mind so much. But even when I do participate, it is still not good enough. Or so it seems."

It's because they're picking up on the fact that you're not really enjoying it, Hob thinks. No one wants a partner who's not engaging. Least not anyone decent. But not saying anything and then just dipping out suddenly is kind of a dickish move, in his opinion.

"Do you want to participate?" he asks.

This seems to give Dream pause. "Mostly I would prefer to do other things. Like. Dates. Only that does not seem much appreciated either." He twists his hands together. "Perhaps Cori is right. I. Care too much."

"No." Hob takes Dream's hands and untwists them. "Cori's a dickhead. You just need to find someone who's on the same page as you, that's all."

"But it seems that book is rather empty," Dream says. He hasn't taken his hands back from Hob.

"Well, was there anyone that you did like having sex with? Or has it always just been--" he can't help but cringe-- "you just putting up with it because you thought you were supposed to?"

"Calliope," Dream says instantly, and Hob lets out a relieved breath. At least it's not all bad. "Because, no matter that it ended poorly... I felt that she truly liked me. And not. Just sex."

"Okay, see?" he says. "You just have to find someone like that."

It... hurts, to try to push Dream into someone else's path. But Hob's long accepted that Dream doesn't feel that way about him. Dream rarely seems hesitant about trying to date anyone he is interested in. Surely if he felt that way about Hob, he would have made it clear by now.

"Someone," Dream echoes, looking down at their joined hands.

"Just because what you want isn't common doesn't mean it's not out there," Hob says, trying to be encouraging. "And hey, if you know now, you can avoid the whole 'not on the same page' rigamarole, hm?"

"Yes," Dream says. "I suppose so." Finally he takes back his hands, instead taking another apple slice from the plate Hob's left on the coffee table and chewing on it slowly.

I would love you right, Hob thinks, unwanted, unbidden. It's not a productive thought, and it's a painful one, too.

"Perhaps I will take a break," Dream decides, though doesn't sound entirely happy about it.

"Could be good," Hob says. "Get your head on right."

"Yes," Dream agrees. "This has been. Illuminating. I thank you for your counsel. I suppose I will have to also thank Cori, 'dickhead' though he may be."

And with that he retreats to his room, still seeming a little off-kilter. And Hob can't help but feel like he's gone wrong somewhere, said something wrong, though he doesn't know where, or what.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

I have the smallest crumb of a theory. But what if howdy is mean to Latter because he’s self-conscious of being the only caterpillar (and repressed) and takes it out on his brother as a consequence. Because social expectations at the time gave him an excuse to do so?

no. ok. hoo boy. Allow Me To Be Insane Over The Most Prominent Thought I've Had Since Seeing The Update (about howdy)

i will try to be as eloquent and articulate as possible. ahem:

THAT FRUITY ASS CATERPILLAR IS REPRESSED AS FUCK, ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? DID YOU SEE THAT SHIT?? MY GOD. HOMEBOY HAS ISSUES STACKED ON ISSUES. GET HIM SOME THERAPY.

ok. ok ok ok. Now allow me to be articulate and eloquent

so obviously Howdy is almost certainly queer in the men-loving flavor. if i'm wrong about this my confidence will never recover. But I'm Willing To Take That Chance. so he's definitely queer, right? his.. well his everything points to it, but the final nail in the coffin are his rainbow suspenders from the group Homewarming artwork from Eddie's prolonged breakdown.

but this update i think showed us deeper into that part of him. and i take the shipping goggles off for genuine analysis, so when i say this i believe that there is Serious Evidence and seems Genuinely Plausible - if Howdy doesn't have feelings for Barnaby, i'll eat my cat.

the above is important to say because it Directly ties in to how Howdy treats Latter AND Eddie.

so. Howdy is likely gay or bi, what have you. i'm guessing gay. he obviously has feelings for Barnaby. SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS that i don't think Howdy treats Latter the way he does because of the caterpillar thing, I think Howdy treats Latter the way he does because Latter is genuine and Howdy is not.

what does this have to do with Eddie? well. look at Latter and Eddie in relation to each other. they're both... how do i say... Open. and not - not effeminate, but yes, for lack of of a better word, effeminate. just enough to make one go "huh." and Howdy treats them the same way - dismissive, apathetic, one could even say avoidant.

i wouldn't be shocked if Howdy picked up on their queerness (and if Latter isn't queer, his comfort with himself / his behavior & interests) and is on the defensive about it - likely subconsciously.

and with Latter specifically. Howdy could have also picked up on the way his other family members treat him if they're all also dismissive - as Seeya seems to be as well. i mean, it fits right in line with the time period! homophobia - internalized in Howdy's case (again, most likely). the blatant favoritism, the dismissive nature, it all adds up. even if no one outright knows, that subconscious recognition (or outright suspicion!) will do this

i mean, Latter makes me think of two things. 1) being the only queer kid in a family (especially large). 2) being a middle child. there was a third but i forgor. it felt important! it's gone now! anyway it's also Super telling comparing how Howdy treats Latter (emotional, earnest, open) to how he treats Beeya (oozing stereotypical masculinity)

tl;dr so i don't think it's really "expectations giving Howdy an excuse" as it is "subconscious / internalized homophobia causes Howdy to act the way he does"

as always, take all this with a Hefty grain of salt!

[sardonic-the-writer]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐓𝐨 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐎𝐟?

↳ summary: edward meets someone new

↳ warnings: slight mentions of suicidal thoughts, written from the point of a fucked up eddie, mentions of bombs, obsessive behavior, savior complex, incel behavior, teetering on yandere but i hate that word lmao. he's so pathetic without his mask on baby i love you

↳ song: malmo—mook

masterlist!

Love?

No. Insanity.

Edward can't remember where or how he first saw you, but if he had to guess, it was probably the night you moved two doors down from him.

He woke up that morning like any other day in his life. Full of bitterness and resentment for the city— his city, because it was his —outside a fog filled appartment window.

Once upon a time, it had been battered pane of glass that peojected this image to him as it did now; broken shards scattered on the dead grass outside reflecting 'GOTHAM ORPHANAGE' back to a much younger verson of him. Waking up as a child had always been such a disappointment. He used to hug himself to fitful sleep, a tiny part of him hoping he would pass in the unforgiving night like so many children before.

He didn't think that feeling of bile in the back of his throat would ever go away each time sleep was pulled from him and he woke up back in Gotham. No matter how many people promised change for the better on televisions or radios. Because Edward knew the truth.

Gotham reached out to him. It reached out to him in his dreams with its gleaming skyscrapers as hands and its screaming people as desperate pleas. Begging him to be fixed. To rid it of the scum plauging glamorous penthouses just high enough off the ground that just one push of the hand could send a sinner to his rightful death.

He thought about all of this before he had even finished brushing his teeth.

Careful hands pulled a frayed toothbrush from his mouth as Edward spit into the sink to wash his mouth out. A ratty towel swiped over his lips gently when he finished. Such a refined action for someone with a bomb built for a human neck sitting just outside his bathroom door.

It wasn't uncommon for him to get lost in the swirl of thoughts he called his conscious, but he needed to keep up appearances just long enough to carry out his plan. And that included not being late to work for the third time this month.

Eventually the knob of his appartment was being locked tightly with the end of a faux gold key — the toothbrush from earlier already drying on the edge of his sink.

He struggled with the lock for a moment more, silently cursing whoever had decided to make living on this side of town so hard, before eventually getting it with a pop.

From that point on, the sound of your voice would forever take over his mind.

Edward first noticed your smile lines. The crinkles by the sides of your eyes enticed him like a fresh baked cookie would to a child. How curious, that a person could have so much physical evidence of a happy life whilst living in this place. He wondered if you had been born here, or were new to the location. He found himself envying the thought of the latter.

The next thing he noticed about you, was that you were asking him a question for the second time in a row.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" Edward nervously stuttered, usually steady hands fumbling to push his glasses up clumsily. Once again— or at least he thinks once again — you grin at him, holding a slightly beaten up moving box in your arms. Why he had noticed that later than the deep crinkles on your face, he wasn't sure.

"I asked if all the locks in this place were going to act like that one. Because in that case, there's no way I'm surviving a horror movie chase." You nodded with your head at his troublesome door instead of gesturing. Probably because your hands were full. Most definitely because your hands were full, actually.

Edward blinked slowly.

"Uhm, no. No no I don't think so." He supplied softly. It was a lame response to your quip. He remembered reading somewhere that first impressions forever solidified a figure in your life, whether minor or major. The thought of that made his heart beat faster.

A pregnant pause settled over the hallway. Edward felt his palms sweat. He wiped them on his pants. All it did was spread it around more.

"Well, nice to meet you." It was you that finally broke the silence. With a shuffle of one foot to the other he heard a few things clink from inside your little box. He wondered what was in it. A vase you bought for decoration? Photo phrames? China that your great grandmother left you in her will?

He stood there wondering about fucking plates for so long, that you had begun to turn your body away and make your way back down the hallways.

"Wait!" Edward lurched forward to place a stern grip on your lower arm. The look of momentary fear you gave him in that moment was enough for him to straighten his spine out.

Something about that barely concealed emotion in your eyes excited him. For a brief moment he was in a leather mask, staring at the bloody body of the mayor below him on Halloween night.

And then he was back. Looking into your eyes like they were last thing he would ever see.

"My names Edward." He released his grip on you while finally introducing himself. With his falling hand went your initial fear. "But my friends call me Eddie."

He didn't have any friends. And if he did, they certainly wouldn't call him Eddie. But the white lie was nothing compared to the way his name, both the formal and shortened verson, slipped from your lips.

"I'll remember that next time. It's very nice to meet you, neighbor."

And then you were gone, feet shuffling against stained and waterlogged carpet before disappearing into what used to be a vacant appartment.

In your wake stood Gothams soon to be savior and cleanser. A man that has committed unspeakable acts in the name of justice and planned to do even more. The very same individual that hid skeletons in his closet and so many more at the scenes of his cromes.

Somewhere in between there, Edward would have to install a camera in your bedroom.

[eldritch-spouse]

Good morning!! I’m just thinking about your demons again. I ADORE the new additions. 💕

What kind of traits do demons typically find appealing romantically? Like, I know how to woo these folks for the most part, but what passive traits do they find impressive?

Like, I know they’re diverse and no two people like the same thing. Just wondering about “beauty” standards in the circles (not beauty, we know about beauty, I can’t think of the right word). Like, I assume gluttons would appreciate other big eaters, or good cooks, and concubi can appreciate promiscuity of all sorts, or on the flip side, find purity appealing and/or cute.

(I especially would love to know what pride demons typically find attractive.)

[Thenk you! <:7]

That's a little bit vague, I'm not too sure where to go from here, so I'm kind of going to ramble. Not that it's hard to guess. I'll stray from physical descriptions.

There's a trick to this I'll explain at the end.

Wrath demons tend to romanticize hard-headed bulls who never back down from a challenge, as you might imagine. People who stick by their values and exude determination, not easily swayed. People hardened by time and their environment, who rise from the lowest lows to the highest of platforms with grace and respect.

Others may enjoy someone whose fury is subtle yet extremely well calculated, strategized, flawless. Of course, many of them fetishize murderers, violent miscreants of all kinds, serial killers and the aggressively insane;

Greed demons will naturally flock to anyone who's financially "abundant". People who spend carelessly because they earn carelessly. Though many of them will also keep a sharp eye on stingy people who count everything down to the last penny. Sometimes saving a huge chunk of money by executing a series of cheap and clever exploits is enough to have these demons fanning themselves;

Many other greedy demons have fallen for notorious heist authors, prolific robbers, successful scammers, and all sorts of scummy people;

Gluttons do gravitate towards chefs, big eaters and those who own large chains of food, maybe well-known restaurants or even some brands of snacks that they really like. It varies. Those who are always hungry are obviously picked sooner, followed by those with a variety of eating disorders;

Although not as common, some more well-off gluttons pick partners who are extremely thin or otherwise unable to satiate their hunger due to a less genuine drive to "fix" that, or somehow captivate that person by letting them overindulge;

Envy demons tend to hover around those with great social influence. People that fawn attention, people who can start shit in public and get away with it. Celebrities, moles, those who spread their roots everywhere and have way too many connections. A good ability to adapt socially in short spans of time is also extremely coveted in partners;

Likewise, those at the very bottom of the latter, practically foaming at the mouth with their jealousy, ready to perform the most heinous of acts to attain even a crumb of their desires, are also appealing to these demons. The perfect cup-sized storm ready to burst;

Discussed plenty already, concubi are lovers of shameless sensuality and high-libidos. People who control chunks of the porn industry are highly sought after, those who own sex shops, who design the toys they use and abuse, those who write eroticas or administer large kink communities. Where perverts gather so do they, always ready to pick and pluck their favorite heathens;

Still, the fantasy of purity and corruption is very present in many concubi alike, which is what leads them to infiltrate communities of sexually frustrated people and drive them insane with want. Many go a step further and seek to scandalize people of faith, engaging is rancid displays inside sacred locations because the thrill of getting someone so disciplined to give in makes their heads spin with pleasure;

Sloth demons are into soft-spoken people. Those who live very comforted lives with little to get in the way and all the pleasures they could wish for at the tip of their fingers. Those whose hands are uncalloused because they've never had to work for anything in their lives, who might even take it all for granted;

In stark contrast, many will also seek people who are exhausted in all senses of the word. Who can never seem to get enough rest, who work themselves to the bone, frail and weathered and so chewed up inside, the plight for a break present in those heavy bags under their sunken eyes;

Pride demons covet the image of perfection. Whether or not that immaculate presentation is true or not matters none so long as it appears that way outwardly. They seek someone who can elevate them, someone who usually has others trailing after them, people with titles and so much arrogance it might physically hurt to be near them for long periods of time;

Many are also opportunistic however, willing to pick a partner who is down in the slums, dirty and ridden of all dignity. Someone who can't afford to say no to them, can't leave them, will see them as very center of the universe because what would they be without that demon? Nothing. The truest form of adoration for them, total worship, total dependence.

As you might have already guessed, there's contradictions here. The reason why is simple.

Demons of lower rank will usually choose those who are more true and successful representations/reminders of their sin. Because they have a lot to gain from pairing with them.

Demons of higher rank are already after those who desperately need their services, who covet what the sins can offer. Because people in their service and debt make for good lovers, in their eyes.

Mid rankers are a bit of a toss up.

This is not to say that there aren't exceptions to these tendencies, or that they can't exhibit completely opposite tastes, it's the general rule, the norm so to say.

[rabbiteclair]

Hello again, I'm going insane over Keine x Mokou (the care and tenderness in Keine wanting to keep her from any harm despite the whole immortality!!), and wanted to hear your thoughts on the pairing in general, and also on what Keine's abilities to "eat history" and "know history" entail. Assuming the wiki isn't making stuff up. The former has at least an example in how she hid the village (also I'm dying over the idea of her using it to eat up Mokou's nightmares), but the latter is... really vague.

this is one of the like three pairings I've been thinking about writing a lot over the past few weeks, so you're on a roll

It's pretty high up on my personal rankings, although one I haven't written a lot since I tend to interpret it as a pretty comfy, established, stable kinda relationship. Doesn't lend itself to being the center of a big story as easily as some others. I've thought that it could be interesting to explore how they met in the first place, but the one time I tried, it somehow ended up turning into the scene in Eyes in the Dark with Mokou butchering a rabbit. (Originally Keine was the one standing there going 'so anyway, I was wondering if--oh. Oh ew.')

I think that one thing that tends to hurt the pairing when it comes to fanworks is how little we've gotten of Keine, and how much of her canon stuff is just kinda 'get this: she's a teacher, and she does history.' (And then she isn't even The History Person, that's Akyuu's gig.) Her PMiSS and BAiJR articles were both like that. Apart from that, she had a couple of brief appearances in Bougetsushou, and that's about it. Glancing over her wiki page, unless you count an ad in AFiEU, I think her last appearance that wasn't a non-speaking cameo was... early 2008, in Inaba of the Moon. So hey, pretty soon we'll be at fifteen years since Keine did anything.

I can still remember FS starting and me being like 'oh boy, a human village-centric series, finally Keine and Akyuu will get a chance to shine.' sigh. I was half-right.

(On the upside for Keine: I feel like Plain Asia has a ridiculous amount of really good arranges.)

Which kinda naturally leads to the question of her powers, I guess.

TouhouWiki's explanation seems fairly accurate to me, although it wouldn't hurt to get into the definition of 'history' here a bit more. Her PMiSS article is still a bit uncertain, but it seems like it's referring to history in the sense of a social phenomenon. Which is to say, she can't just remove something from the past, but she can alter, create, or erase people's conceptions about it, and probably tweak how it fits into the larger narrative of Gensokyo.

Which, I think, leads to two real interpretations:

She's affecting people's knowledge and stuff, and only in the sense of the broad, public narrative. So while she could erase the village's history in IN, that just meant that everyone outside still knew there was a village, but they were left just kinda meandering around going 'damn, there was a village somewhere around here, wasn't there?'

Her powers are more focused on people's perceptions, so she can do things like erase the village's history, thus just rendering it outright invisible to most people, because they're perceiving things as if there never was a village in the first place.

Her dialogue in IN really sounds like #2 is true... but then what the hell does it mean for her to need to catch up on recording history every full moon? Nobody needs to do bookkeeping on reality so that... the way that things look lines up with what happened. That's just like... that's how causality works. (At least, hopefully. I think this is what OWoD Mage was about.) And that doesn't really make me think 'history.' It's just illusion powers with a fancier explanation. So I tend to lean toward #1.

That interpretation still has lots of room for debate and stuff, but as usual that's part of the fun.

[kwmnsfw]

My personal opinions on each Trigun ship IK of

VashWood: In regards to the manga and 98 continuities, this is the OTP. I love it platonically, romantically and/or sexually, but there's too much OOC stuff of them out there. Then again, that's normally the case with the most popular ship of any given fandom (I feel the exact same way with NoriTaro/JotaKak in the JJBA fandom, albeit not as a sexual relationship for obvious reasons). I'm not so keen on Stampede VashWood as it's currently unclear if WW is actually an adult like his counterparts are

VashMeryl: Same as manga/98 VashWood, but I don't see nearly as much OOC content due to the fact that there's less content of this ship in general

MilFwood: Adore this ship, despite being aware it only really exists because of the 98 anime's comphet. Would love to see more content of this ship

MerylMilly: workplace relations are in. They're made for each other - literally!

StryfeWood: I didn't initially see what others saw in this ship, but it's grown on me quite a bit

VashMilly: I somehow can't see these two in a romantic relationship? Is it because they're too alike imo?

Polygun/MAshWood/any other combination of the above ships: I think I'd prefer to be in a monogamous relationship if I were to be in one IRL, but in fiction polycules make everything better IMO

MillionSummers: the manga really sours the idea of the ship when you learn that Knives met Legato when the latter was a preteen. If anything, the ship works best one-sided on Legato's end - Knives gives big aroace vibes to me, and probably sees Legato more as a son or protege if anything (even then, I headcanon Legato as being incapable of most sexual activities nowadays due to genital mutilation, not to mention he almost certainly lost any proper sensation from the neck down after the Fifth Moon incident in the manga anyway...)

KnivesMeryl: I don't ship it (again, aroace Knives), but I don't dislike it either. It's fine

KnivesMilly: *poke* HYAH! (iykyk, if not - it's in the Roman Album artbook for the 98 anime, but I can't find a currently available translation for that particular segment ever since TriCord went down) In all seriousness, this is the same to me as KnivesMeryl

LRWood: I don't mind people that do ship it, but it's not my thing since I see these 3 as brothers moreso than lovers (same with anyone from the orphanage)

LR/Milly: I really like the idea of this pairing platonically. I also headcanon that LR 'fathered' a child Milly would have post-TriMax, but serve moreso as uncles to her rather than dads.

LR/Vash: I can only really see this as a rebound on Vash's end - it wouldn't unfortunately last very long

LR/Knives: I don't mind other people shipping this, but I don't really get it.

CrimsonFang: not normally big on enemies-to-lovers, but I can see why people ship it. The sexual tension in their fight is palpable.

Vash/Legato: the foodplay would be insane, but I doubt Vash would willingly consent to that. And considering his history, I think Legato would respect that. So basically, fun idea but it wouldn't happen.

Legato/Midvalley: It's a neat ship, don't see it around a lot though. Guess most people either don't care for the hornfreak (understandable) or prefer their relationship as simple coworkers instead

Midvalley/Wolfwood: Same story as CrimsonFang, except I don't care as much for Midvalley as I do LR or Elendira (or especially Wolfwood) so...

BDN/Vash: destroy that twunk's holes.

Gasback/Vash, Gasback/Wolfwood and Gasback/Vash/Wolfwood: again, destroy those twunks' holes. Whoever said Gasback and Vash probably fucked in a pub's bathroom stall and never spoke to each other afterwards (events of BLR nonwithstanding) is so right.

Vash/Amelia: NO. Did we watch the same movie?

Wolfwood/Amelia: Works best as a close friendship, Amelia gives huge lesbian vibes to me anyway.

Any ship involving Roberto: I don't get it, sorry.

Self-ships: fuck yeah go get that bread! People that think self-ships are cringe need to find some whimsy in their lives

that ship: stay the fuck away from me if you like this. In fact, stay away from me if you're a Stampede Kni stan at all. I do not trust you.

[usedpidemo]

Radical Red v3.1 Random Encounters (Route 1 only).

Yeah, this randomizer was cracked. Four legendary Pokémon and they're all insanely powerful. For reference, this was on scaled, so the species were randomized to match equal strength (I don't know why the game won't acknowledge it though), but it's insane that I got both Kubfu and Cosmog, albeit Kubfu was a day time exclusive only. It's insane you can get Urshifu-Rapid Strike as early as before Mt. Moon because of a lone Water Stone, and he was doing most of the carrying while the Cosmogs took nearly halfway to fully evolve. Lunala is absolutely cracked, to no one's surprise, being able to survive any one hit even facing down +2 enemies from full and inducing burns or paralysis back—depending on what the situation requires. Most of the lategame was heavily dependent on wearing down physical attackers with Wisp + Roost until they were in range to a boosted Hex or inducing paralysis as one of the very few speed control users. MVP easily. Solgaleo has the bulk to abuse Weakness Policy and slam enemies down with +2 Sunsteel Strike. I just wish it had access to something like Rock Polish or Autotomize because it had so much potential to sweep, but was held back by it's lackluster speed. Scarfed Urshifu-Rapid did a lot of the late game cleaning, picking off sashed leads with Surging Strikes. Not a lot of Rocky Helmet/Rough Skin abusers around really benefitted him and Urshifu-Dark. Cradily and Zebstrika were only there for the Lorelei rain matchup, but otherwise, the legendary quartet did most of the heavy lifting. At points I wanted to use the other mons and box the Legendaries because it was getting too easy, but I ultimately crutched on them for most of the run, heh. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. I still don't know if the randomizer is consistent; I've heard the encounter pool changes every day, but once I caught all the available mons with DexNav, I never really bothered to look back.

29 losses—2 to the Ariana & Archer tag battle, 2 to Silph Giovanni, 1 to May, 1 to Blaine, 3 to Cerulean Cave Giovanni, 1 to Lorelei, 5 to Bruno, 7 to Agatha, 2 to Lance, and 5 to Blue. I absolutely despise Agatha's Marshadow, being basically a perfect counter to my whole team with Ghost/Fighting dual STAB and being generally faster than my whole team. Spectrier, despite having the most one dimensional movepool ever and Scarf, two shotted Urshifu-Single even resisted. I found the Urshifu-Rapid lead to be more favorable for my team against Bruno than the Infernape lead. As for Blue, the faster matchups were just really annoying, and the AI clearly is smarter than at times—even my Scarf Urshifu-Rapid couldn't outrun Pheromosa. Crazy. Whenever I used Surging Strikes, it would U-turn out, but if I went for U-turn, it would go for Close Combat. Primal Groudon was arguably the biggest problem, being incapable of being statused by paralysis or burn and paralyzing the whole team outside of Zebstrika, who gets oneshot by any of its moves anyway. The goal was not for rocks to get up on my side on the field, which really hampered Lunala's Shadow Shield ability, even with Roost. It came down to Lunala being able to survive a Dark Hole from Yveltal on a damage roll, even at full, then chipping with Moonblast + Thunder from Zebstrika, otherwise it would get destroyed by Sucker Punch if Rocks are up. Mega Metagross is a strange one; it would go for Bullet Punch at times to fail Urshifu-Single's Sucker Punch even when the latter was healthy and Urshifu-Rapid wouldn't be able to take it out.

Anyway, this is kind of a way for me to practice a little but of writing between fics XD I get to tear my brain out because of bad RNG have fun playing Pokémon while getting my word count up by a bit. I'm not sure what kind of themed runs I wanna do. Monotype is overdone, Mono-region seems the most promising but the pool is extremely vast, but whichever way the wind blows for me, I guess.

[bluebird990]

This is part 2 of anon's ask about how Donald would be different if he wasn't as violent or bitter? But still had the same past!!

Donald Na character analysis!!

This is really tricky because there are just so many possibilities. I don't exactly understand what you mean by bitter so I'm just gonna go with what if he wasn't as violent (hope you don't mind) Because I really don't think that anyone, in his situation would not be a bitter person.

I think He'd either have just given up on making his life better or he'd be the most distant person ever.

I guess the latter is more probable. I think he'd be like how Gray was at the beginning of the manhwa. Cold, distant, untrusting and lonely but mostly minding his own business and only resorting to violence when provoked. His past has taught him two major things. 1) Never trust anyone because they will betray you. 2) Everyone will try to pull you down and you are the only person who can pull yourself up.

This way of thinking is obviously very harmful and flawed. I think Donald would just be an emotionless robot, climbing his way up the corporate ladder at an insane speed with his extreme intelligence. The thing that will halt his ascend? His health. The canon Donald is only getting medical support because Kingsley suggested him to. And surely he'd get worn out eventually.

Whatever the situation, someone with Donald's past would forever stay trapped in a loop unless someone pulls them out. It's not something someone can do on thier own but they do need to be willing to ask for help from others and also try to change as a person for the better.

Donald is just overall such a sad character. Like there is no way that I can think of by which he'd be able to save himself. Maybe by being kind to people? But would a person who's been stomped on by the world for so long even be able to think of people as just people and not monsters?? He needs someone to save him or else the world will end up having a super baddie who does awful things and then eventually some "hero" will come and take him down. Either kill him or put him behind bars forever.

A character like him can never have happy things in life if no one saves them from their hellhole and gives them a second chance at life. He reminds me so much of Tomura/Tenko from MHA minus the manipulation from AFO.

But obviously they need to be willing to have them saved as well. A chance at redemption is only possible when people realize thier mistakes and wish to atone for them.

[oc-beehive]

Do you associate your magical girls with any songs/musicians or specific musical movements from the eras they were based off of? Other than Etsuko being grunge ofc (but if you have songs do share)

I hope you don't mind that I'm answering this as a textpost and not a drawing!! It seems more directed to me as a creator + i want to include links and you can't do that on an image. lol

I'll go in chronological order in terms of inspiration! This got REALLY long because I am insane so please excuse the paragraphs.

Disclaimer that I am American and thus my perception of music trends is pretty warped through the lens of what was popular in the US around these times.

Aimi - It's hard to mention the 50s music sphere without mentioning Elvis Presley. That's just a given. The 50s was the major rise of rock and roll, and there's a bit of that inspiration in Aimi's character. But her biggest association for me is no question Doris Day. Specifically songs like "I didn't slip -- I wasn't pushed -- I fell" and her version of "A Bushel and a Peck" (you know, the song from Guys and Dolls!). "Candy Lips" too. Very much the tail end of big band music that pervaded the 40s. I won't include more links because it would just be her entire discography. All those saccharine flowery metaphors about love??? Totally up her alley. I like to imagine that her magical girl transformations are similarly accompanied by those jaunty string plucks.

Hikari - The 60s! The British Invasion! Hoo boy. Initial honorary mention here goes to Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman". Outside of that, though, she's definitely a Peter, Paul, and Mary typea girl. "If I Had a Hammer", "Weave Me the Sunshine", so on. A bit more folksy than one might expect, and completely ignoring the elephant in the room, but I think it fits her well! Throw in a couple early Beatles hits if you really must - "Love Me Do" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" come to mind. Anything simple but upbeat, with a focus on guitar in the instrumentals. "Lemres," you say, "that's every single fucking pop song from the early 60s". Yes. Yes it is.

Akane - Time to get your groove on. The 70s kind of exploded in variety for popular music, and Akane leans heavily towards the disco side, but it's not exclusive. Immediate picks are anything by Earth, Wind and Fire - "Shining Star" and, of course, "September". I am legally obligated to bring up the Jackson 5. "Blame It on the Boogie" is a good pick. Don't tell me you can't imagine a planning montage to these bass lines. Lots of pop and rock acts emerged around this time, but most of them don't seem her style. She'd love David Bowie though. We all love David Bowie. Specifically Diamond Dogs. Shoutout to "Rebel Rebel".

Izumi - Listen man, I had to save writing this blurb for last. The 80s spans so much music. Izumi is a clusterfuck. I guess that makes this appropriate? AC/DC is definitely up there in terms of artist inspiration, with some Journey and REO Speedwagon on there too. I think they deserve a little bit of power ballad, as a treat. Also glam metal/rock, like Poison. You know what? I'm just gonna throw a bunch of songs out there and make you figure it out. "Back in Black", "Walk this Way", "Nothin' But a Good Time", "Once Bitten Twice Shy", and so on. They're having fun and that's what matters.

Etsuko - As mentioned, Etsuko is chiefly inspired by grunge bands! The good old Seattle Sound. Nirvana are obviously the poster child band for that - Pearl Jam and Soundgarden coming in a very close second and third. The latter two of those bands hate(d) being called grunge, by the way. Song examples are "Lithium", "Even Flow", and "Outshined". It's like if you took punk rock and played it through speakers submerged in molasses. Good shit. Mudhoney is also a GREAT example, especially songs like "Good Enough". This is the perfect genre for Etsuko because most of it is composed of complaining vaguely about Society™ and relationships, which is all she does in life.

This has been a glimpse into my sick and twisted mind. If you'll excuse me I have about 40 tabs of YouTube to go and close now.

[justmybookthots]

The Contortionist

My biggest feat this month is not DNFing this.

Quality is never guaranteed with anything, but even then, I didn't see this coming. To be fair, it hasn’t been trending on Booktok at all—I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on there, tbh—I knew of it mainly because of Reddit. All I can say is that that subreddit has taken a huge hit on their credibility (I’m half-joking).

This reads in some part like an edgy thirteen-year-old wrote this. There is so much telling, not showing. It feels… I don’t know how to explain it, but like I’m reading a high school composition / essay. I am constantly told things, like how “insane” Simon is, like how close the main character is to Trent, but I’m never really shown that, especially the latter. 

Let’s talk about Trent, her gay best friend and the driving force of most of the story. He’s supposed to be dearest pal and the person she wants to protect, and I’m like… Why? He acts nothing like a friend. He’s just a selfish, conceited person who only cares about his own interests. She tells him she was molested, and this—this monstrosity—is what he says:

 I… I don’t even know what to say about this. Firstly, what kind of friend advocates for fucking sexual assault? Secondly, this is a horrific caricature of how a gay person is portrayed. It's an insult to gay people. All this character thinks about is fucking hot men. The heroine, Cora, his best friend, is very clearly distraught because of the circus but he has never once noticed—never once cared beyond going there to get dick from someone at the circus:

And then later, when he’s in danger, she thinks: 

Ah, right. The good old flashbacks. Because other than flashbacks to remind us how supposedly close these two people are (which are just shoe-horned in and not convincing at all), Trent has never done anything worth risking her life to save him. 

Anyways, enough about Trent. Let’s talk about Simon, whose characterisation makes me puke.

I’ll start with the obvious—he’s insane. Don’t worry, you won’t forget this, because he reminds you of this every chapter. He’s insane. His smile “reeks” of insanity, whatever that means! He lost his sanity a long time ago! He is bonkers!  (These are phrases all written in the book)

This is the cheapest way to describe a crazy person to me. My petty pet peeve is that I hate an overload of adjectives—show me he’s unhinged through his actions. And him constantly thinking to himself that he is insane made me cringe; can he… not? I have nothing against crazy people in fiction (if anything, they’re hella interesting if done right) but reminding me over and over again as if ‘crazy’ or 'evil' is his main personality trait is... a choice. And if he’s not reminding you of this, his circus co-workers are: 

I... laughed, and I think I wasn't supposed to laugh. This story is supposed to be about a creepy, spooky circus, but other than Simon, everyone else just acts like normal people, save for the barker, who was creepy at first then had a personality transplant and became a normal, decent guy the next day. And them calling him “a dangerous, murderous piece of shit” had me in pieces.

I have to add that I read the “Unseelie Prince” by the same author and DNFed it, and it confirms to me that she writes the same type of male lead that is not for me. Why is he constantly cackling? Once or twice is… fine, I guess, but every time he cackles I envision a crazy witch-hag. And he gives big granny vibes too because he keeps calling the main character “cupcake”.  No, I'm not kidding:

(Of course, we gotta be reminded that he is a psychopath. Can’t forget the reminder!) Also, he'll sometimes go on long rants when he’s angry, and the abrupt switch and the way the dialogue is written is... not done well. It's hard to put a finger on it and say exactly why, other than it didn't work for me.

There’s a lot more issues with this book that I don’t care to go into, because I’m not continuing this nonsense. Cora constantly going back to the circus when she’s traumatised by it yet and yet again makes no sense, and the horrible characterisation of everyone is another step down. Even “Hide” by Kiersten White did a better job setting an eerie atmosphere for a circus than this book did. I think a part of me did compare this book to “Hide”, and it falls awfully short. 

Buried underneath this bilge is a plot that could actually work with the right execution. The puppet thing is honestly kind of interesting, but with their puppeteer being some man that talks like an edgy grandma, it is just not working for me. Goodbye, and good riddance. I've decided to write this author off once and for all.

- 29 July 2023

[dcviated]

colorful interview :: open

@quickdeaths sent: [ blonde ] + [ olive ] + [ indigo ]

[ blonde ]  what is your favorite type of music? favorite artist? favorite song?

Oh I can get into all kinds of music, and go through rotations of what I enjoy listening to the most. But overall I think the music that gets to me the most consistently is any genre of metal that dips into or takes from symphonic tones. Heavy beats and guitars while also mixing in classical instruments. Power metal and some folk metal do a lot of this and it really makes the mood thrive.

Here's an example or two-

The latter of which is my favorite song from my favorite group, Kamelot! Or rather was when Roy Khan was at the helm. Their newer stuff hasn't really tickled me as much sad to say. BT is an honorable mention. His progressive trance stuff is always insane.

[ olive ]  what gives you the most inspiration for your muse(s)?

Before I used to say music, but nowadays it's just... consuming any kind of other media? Watching stuff on tv or reading books or going through manga. I don't get direct inspiration for muses as much as I do for situations. It's like oh this would be a neat idea to explore. I bet X and Y muse would fit into it! And depending on that vibe I tend to ride the fire to get through my existing drafts. P:

Kinda weird and hard to explain, but it's how I work. And it's why these recent breaks have been nice to get a handle on things. And know what sort of threads I want to explore next.

I guess music still plays a factor. Good music keeps the mood focused and having that kind of background will keep my ADHD addled brain from going "lets watch a youtube vid or scroll socmed for the 50th time today".

[ indigo ]  when did you first start writing / roleplaying?

That would be... 2005 or 2006. And it was all on forums! Wow, crazy to think I'm closing in on 20 years of experience, technically. I started to try and get closer with my then girlfriend. Since it was something she was into. We didn't work out (which I view as a good thing) and because of that new hobby I ended up meeting and getting close to a lot of other much cooler people. Like my wife. B)

With tumblr, I didn't get into the RPC until late 2015, I believe. And that was a wild experience all its own. Quite the route to get here.

[thatonestraycat]

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Summary : This is a doozy I finally have proper free time but I'm also tired so this definitely is not the best but yea big time angst reader is G/N only warning is cursing and I guess the kids?

The first time you met Lester you were soaking wet on his porch. He welcomed you with open arms, even though you thought you looked absolutely insane. Of course you offered anything you had which was pretty much nothing but he assured you that it was fine and he couldn't live with himself if a pretty thing like yourself was left in the rain because of him.

That’s what drew you to him, his charm. Even when you’d looked terrible, he looked at you as if you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. When you tried to leave when the rain ceased he stopped you immediately, pushing you back onto the couch insisting that you stay until you dried.

Years later you had started a small family with him but it didn’t feel the same. The love that he held for you felt non-existent. It started off small but everything always starts off that way. As soon as he thought you were asleep, he stroked your hair and held you until it was time for him to leave. Soon, he began leaving earlier and earlier each morning. It felt like he was trying to get away from you but you told yourself that you were overreacting. You lasted a long time with the lie you told yourself until he began avoiding you during breakfast. All his responses were short and simple unless he talked to your children but he was always cold when his attention returned to you.

Explaining to him why you spent so much time in the city was surprisingly easy to explain away. You weren’t sure if he didn’t care anymore or if you were just a good liar but you were hoping it was the latter. Then that fateful day came along when you presented the papers to him. He froze for a moment before escorting your children to their rooms before sitting before you in silence. There used to be a time when silences were farm and welcome between the two of you yet now it felt suffocating and hot.

He sat there for god knows how long and you wanted him to just say something, anything but when he broke the silence he’d broken you.

“Do you have a pen?” That's all he said to you. 7 years of love down the drain with just 13 letters. You couldn’t take it anymore. You exploded. You don’t even remember half of what you said and just remember seeing that he had no care in the world for your emotional state. When you finally calmed down he asked again and you just cried. You don’t know for how long but you just remember crying until nothing else would come out.

“Do you really want this Lester? You’re just going to give up on us just like that,” you asked, voice hoarse from the screaming and sobs that ran through your body just moments ago.

“Well I mean shit if yous’ wanna leave then fucking go,” he spat, words piercing your heart. You truly realized that his love for you had run out so you collected yourself to the best of your abilities and handed him a pen from a nearby drawer.

Considering you were the one who presented the papers you thought you’d at least be a bit happy that he was signing them but all you felt was sorrow. You knew your children were listening in behind their thin bedroom door so you walked down the hall and into their room. You just fell to your knees and they both ran to you, tears running down both of their faces.

The moment was then ruined by the man who you thought would have loved you until the end telling you needed to sign the paper and get out of his house. His house. It felt like he was twisting a dagger into your heart ever so slowly just to cause you more pain and it was working. He hadn’t even given you time to collect a single item of yours before rushing you out of the home telling you to just walk to Ambrose and he’d drop your things off there.

You always knew life would have moments that seemed to repeat themselves but this time was different. The rain was always comforting to you after you met Lester but now the feelings were completely reversed. And just like when you first met, you were on his porch while it poured rain but this time your clothes were dry.

[official-weasley]

The Extraordinary Dragon (Part 1/6)

After about a century of me being gone and not writing a new story, I am back with a mini-series! 💙

I didn't have a good idea for a new OC so I decided to write a cute and fluffy story about Charlie training a dragon with a sad and mysterious past.

I would like to thank @am-i-space @madelineorionswan & @the-al-chemist for giving me ideas for the names of the dragons mentioned in the story. You are the best 💙 Since some of the dragons are mentioned in the later chapters I will make sure to include which dragons you named in the Masterlist for the story 💙

If you'd like to be tagged in every part the dragon with your name is mentioned please tell me and I will gladly do so 🤗

Warnings: Charlie being excited and obsessed with dragons.

Word count: 2,869

A dragon's roar awakened me. It might sound terrifying to some, but it is a pure melody for my ears. I have been working in the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary for almost 10 years now. Come to think of it tomorrow's the anniversary.

My co-workers constantly tease me, telling me that I'm a workaholic. I always disagree with them. I just love dragons and working with them. Am I a bit obsessed with the creatures? Maybe. But who wouldn't be so excited about having their dream job?

There is something so soothing working with a beast that can swallow you whole, yet if you have the right energy and you treat them right they can be more obedient than a Crup.

When I first got the job I worked with a team of researchers. Since I have never seen a dragon in real life before starting working, my boss Matthew wanted me to learn about their behavior and study them to be better prepared to do other things.

They all thought I will be bored out of my mind – because I applied for the care of dragons position and not researching – but I loved every second of it. All I had to do was wake up every morning and go to the assigned habitat and observe the dragon there and take notes. It's like reading a book about the creatures – something I did almost every day of my 7 years at Hogwarts – but you get to be around them every single day.

My mother thinks I am insane for wanting to be around such dangerous creatures and I had to promise her before I left for Romania that I will write home every day otherwise she is coming to get me at once. I guess she needs to know daily that I wasn't eaten by a dragon. The thing is that being hurt by a dragon is less likely than falling off a broom, so I don't know what she is so worried about.

The only one of my family members that knows about all my injuries and all my scars is my big brother Bill. He understands that I don't mind getting hurt and he doesn't get a heart attack every time I end up in the infirmary. It's nice to talk to someone about these things outside my workspace. Even though being a Curse Breaker isn't the safest job in the world, Bill's number of scars can't even compare to mine.

We do have protective gear and gloves but sometimes the dragon's fire and teeth are just too strong. We are lucky that we have wonderful healers that take care of us and we have remedies that heal burns within minutes so it's mostly just an annoyance.

The year after my training I worked only with Common Welsh Greens. The year after that I tamed two Antipodean Opaleyes and it was the best feeling to see them get excited and welcome me with a friendly roar every morning. Even though they were both adults it felt like dealing with two kids and it was so much fun. The latter are such sweethearts and I even taught one how to roll over. They are like dogs but bigger, way bigger.

After that, I tried to convince my boss to let me work with a more dangerous breed. It's not that I didn't like what I did but I like a challenge. I needed 2 months to convince him to let me work with 2 Chinese Fireballs and by the smirk on his face I knew I was in for a treat. They were brought to our reserve so they could breed but no matter how much others tried nobody succeeded at mating them.

When Matthew finally gave in – not seeing any harm in letting me try before they send them back – I remember I danced around my hut for a solid half an hour being so excited to work with them the next day.

I was surprised that nobody thought of the strategy I choose. It was true that they brought the dragons to us together but they didn't know each other and since nobody thought of trying to acquaint them first, I gave it a go.

After 3 days they were best mates and I gave them 4 more days to fully feel comfortable with each other before taking them to the mating habitat. I am more than proud to say that since then they have been parents 2 times. I did some great things since I started working in the Sanctuary but you never forget your first big achievement.

Due to Matthew being absolutely in awe of me succeeding after a week he allowed me to work with a bunch of Swedish Short-Snouts even though usually only a dragonologist with 5+ years of experience can work with them alone.

I was amused when I saw the faces of some of my older co-workers when they found out – thinking they were going to get the job. I love working with them even though they are the ones responsible for most of my scars. Just after the first day, one burned my entire forearm and everyone thought I was going to back off because of it but it only made me want to work with them more.

Now, after almost 10 years I have worked with every single breed of dragon except my favorite – the Hebridean Black. They are one of the most dangerous and stubborn kind and only a dragonologist with a lot of experience gets to work with them.

I got the glimpse of one when I was working with the research team but no matter how sneaky I tried to be, Matthew wouldn't let me get anywhere close to them. I even got a chance to work with a team that took care of a sick Norwegian Ridgeback even though they are considered to be the most dangerous.

A year ago I got a chance to be part of an exchange program at the Swedish Dragon Reserve and I worked with a Peruvian Vipertooth and a Ukrainian Ironbelly. My boss wasn't happy about the latter one as he reckoned I was too inexperienced to be around and try to tame the largest breed of dragons but as you can probably tell from what I told you so far, I was over the roof about it!

The Ironbelly might be the largest but they are among the least vicious ones – none of my co-workers would agree with me as most of them are terrified of them but I think they are adorable thinking since they are the biggest they are also the scariest. It's the same as with dogs – sometimes the smaller ones are more dangerous.

I got out of bed with a grin on my face. Even though I don't like to admit it I like reminiscing on my biggest achievements.

I made myself some breakfast – eggs and bacon as usual – while blasting music on my wireless. Nothing like singing while cooking and reading the letters my family sent me.

Mum and dad were going to visit George and Ron for the weekend. Bill and Fleur decided to repaint their living room. Ginny invited me to one of her games next week and Percy got another promotion.

I walked to the wall where I had a calendar hanging to mark the date of Ginny's game. It was the perfect event to meet with most of my family members and I love supporting her. I am proud of all my siblings' achievements but Ginny being the only girl among 6 boys made us all have a soft spot for her - even Percy, even though he would probably deny it if someone asked him about it.

Since I was working with three different dragons at the moment – Peruvian Vipertooth named Hel and two Romanian Longhorns Lasair and Rocker – I double-checked my schedule to see which one I am supposed to visit today. As I thought, it was Lasair. I know my schedule by heart but always check it twice– I don't want any dragon to be jealous thinking one is getting more attention from me.

My routine with the dragons was simple. First, they get their breakfast which is usually a piece of their favorite meat, except if it's our Common Welsh Green Crystal – she is the only dragon I have ever met that is a vegetarian and she mostly doesn't want to eat anything else than apples. It took us the longest time to figure out why she doesn't want to eat – vomiting out all the meat we gave her – until we moved her to an habitant with a pumpkin patch and them mysteriously disappearing overnight.

After the feeding, I like to play with them. That usually includes large balls or levitating rocks after which they can jump and run. Then it's my favorite part of the day – the flying lessons. We transport them to the part of the reserve that is built like a large stadium in the middle of the forest surrounded by mountains and it has 10 obstacles that the dragons have to learn to overcome so they are cleared for free-flying sessions.

After flying it's time for a brief pause to get the dragon back to its habitat and calm it down before giving it dinner and tucking it in.

Flying is the most fun thing we can do at our job. When Matthew told me that I am finally allowed to fly with them, I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom because I felt like crying my eyes out. I wanted to fly on a dragon ever since I was a kid and even though I heard rumors about training them in that way, I always thought it was too good to be true.

The first time I flew on a dragon was with a dragonologist named Jim. He showed me how to properly prepare the dragon to be in the mood to have a person on its back and how to lift off and then safely land. Vulcan the Opaleye was just the loveliest when I trained with him to trust me to the point that he would allow me to fly. Even though my dream is to one day fly on a Hebridean Black, I wouldn't change my first flight for anything in the world.

Vulcan was more than obedient and so careful to make me feel comfortable and constantly made sure I was still on his back. He flew in a straight line and at an even pace making me feel so safe that I let go of his shiny scales and lifted my hands in the air. I wanted to shout from all the adrenaline and excitement that ran through me but I didn't want to startle the dragon.

It's safe to say that I didn't sleep at all that night. The second I laid in my bed I felt as if I was still in the air with Vulcan and I couldn't help but wish to do that every day.

"Good morning, Lasair. What do you want to eat this morning? Boar, deer, moose perhaps?"Lasair lifted her head sleepily at me. I teased her with the options, knowing full well that moose was her favorite. If she could speak she would ask me if I can't remember her favorite meal.

"Don't worry, you'll get what you want." I winked at her and put on my gloves before taking out my wand and levitating the big chunk of meat to her.

Lasair was one of the rare dragons that ate her food slowly, so I loved to sit down next to her and watched her chew. If Matthew saw me, he would probably murder me for sitting so close to a dragon but he doesn't know that Lasair and I have an agreement of her keeping me alive and I give her some extra meat for dinner in return.

"So, Lassy, I have some bad news." I cleared my throat as the dragon stopped chewing and tilted her head toward me. "We have to sharpen your claws today."

Lasair groaned and went back to her breakfast.

"I know, I know. Not your favorite thing to do. Trust me if it was up to me, we would rather do something more fun like play with your favorite tire or play fetch with your ball. But the boss said it was time."

Lasair didn't react to my words but laid on the ground once she finished her meal and wrapped her tail around me.

"You know that cuddling and being cute won't work on me." I chuckled. "Not this time, at least."

The dragon's nostrils started to smoke and I knew she was trying to negotiate.

"Between you and me," I whispered, "I'll throw in another piece of meat if you'll be a good girl like last time. How about some boar for dessert, huh?"

Lasair let out a gentle roar, giving me a sign that she agrees with my terms.

"That's my girl. I knew we'll find a common ground." I grinned at her and got up so we could start our day.

"Okay, Lassy. I will need you to step on this mat and do the burying motion. As if you were burying the bones of a deer." I explained when Lasair looked at the mat in confusion.

I mimicked the gesture and she copied it and walked to the mat with grace as if she was a princess.

"There you go! I am so proud of you, Lasair. You really want that extra piece of meat, huh?" I laughed to myself.

"So that is how you get all dragons to behave as if they're Crups?" I turned toward the voice and saw Matthew's amused face, observing my work with the Romanian Longhorn.

"You were never meant to find out," I said in a dramatic voice.

"Oh, it's fine." Matthew swung his hand. "You'll need all the skills."

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my brows at him as I stepped to Lasair to show her to step a bit forward so she could sharpen the claws on her back paws as well.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" Matthew asked, observing my every move.

"No." I lied. I knew that tomorrow will be 10 years since I work in the reserve but I didn't want to boast about it.

"Come on, Charles. I know that you out of everyone here you’re the one who counts how long you are working here for." He smirked at me.

I couldn't believe it. He remembered that it's my 10th anniversary? I couldn't help but grin.

"What about it?" I tried acting casually.

"Well, the team was thinking about what to get you as a present..."

"Matt, you don't have to get me anything. You know I am just happy being surrounded by dragons." I smiled appreciatively.

"Well, how about you get surrounded by a new dragon?" He winked at me.

"What are you on about?" I narrowed my eyes at him. I was getting impatient, the excitement in me growing.

"We are getting a one-year-old Hebridean Black in a week from the MacFusty’s." Matthew started to explain. "And since you are so good at taming and being best mates with the three you’re taming now, I was thinking of assigning it to you."

"Did...did you just say a Hebridean Black?" I said in a voice that was barely a whisper. I couldn't believe what just came out of his mouth. He was going to let me work with my favorite breed?

"You heard correctly, Charles." Matthew's smirk was growing larger.

"But...but I don't have enough experience, you said so yourself. You...you should give the job to someone worthy, to someone who will know how to handle the breed." I knew that I should've just shut up and thank him for the opportunity. Working with a Hebridean Black has been my goal ever since I can remember, but I have to keep my head clear and think of what's best for the dragon.

"Thinking like this is exactly why I am giving the job to you even though I told you the last time you begged me that you need at least 7 more years before you can work with them." Something in his eyes shifted. He had the exact expression on his face as he did when he assigned me to breed those two Fireballs.

"You are up to something. What's wrong with the dragon?" I pursed my lips at him.

"Oh, the dragon is just fine. Lovely, actually. I bet you two will have a lot of fun." The sarcastic tone in his voice told me that he was hiding something from me but I didn't dare to ask him about it.

He deemed me ready to work with a Hebridean Black. To work with my favorite breed. I am not about to jeopardize that if he thinks I am the one for the job. In a week my biggest dream will come true and there was nothing in the world that could ruin that.

[phaltu]

zan, i wanted to ask you something - and i hope you don't mind the lengthy ask, but i'm gonna split this into two (or three). i wanted to ask you this because you are one of my favorite writers in danmei, and i wanted to get your two cents on this. so. if there's one thing that i've noticed in danmei fandom, it's that there seems to be two groups of ppl - i'll call them A & B. A are those who don't necessarily create, who are more there to rlly digest and meta the texts. if they do create 1/

- then they're most likely to be canon compliant, e.g. following mxtx's rules of no switching, no separating. B is what i would call the transformative one, who aren't rlly canon compliant and who break those "rules", so they switch up dynamics or separate the main cp. personally i'm not inclined to switch or separate, but even so, if it's not done because bottoming is seen as "weak", which is another thing altogether, then i think it's all good? and my ask is - 2/

- i've seen ppl in group A diss ppl in group B, calling them stupid for shipping character a of main cp with side character b (regardless of whether or not they want that ship to be canon, which is not usually the case), and even outright saying that ao3 sucks (which is okay, warranted, giving that ao3 lacks in the blocking/reporting feature), but generally i'm just a little.. surprised because i come from fandoms where practices in group B were the norm, ppl would go ham with canon 3/

- and altho both groups are not mutually exclusive, you can have someone who is very canon compliant in their own fics but reads more transformative works, i just. i guess i'm confused (and paranoid) because i don't know what should be, or is the right "approach" re: fandom. on the one hand, i like canon compliant, and do write canon compliant, but on the other, i would also like the wiggle room to create freely. i don't want to be cancelled by group A for having OOC characterization 4/

or get called out for "writing OCs with the characters' faces just pasted onto them". and i know, i get the irony, why am i, a fully grown-adult (ha!) so concerned abt what other ppl on the internet think abt me and my whims? a few years back i was worried i wasn't wild enough with my fics, because i was very canon-compliant, and a few years later i'm worried i'm not canon enough. just - may i ask what is your approach to fandom, in general and in danmei? i know i said only 2-3 asks but ;_; end/

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

Honestly I think it's all about who you follow! I follow a wide variety of folks and funnily enough, people I mutual'd from one danmei are rigid with canon and people I mutualed from others are WAY more open to being like group B. Both have their pros and cons-- the former, I have to end up seeing ships and concepts and pairings I loathe untagged, and with the latter, I can't run blockchain on their insane friends that rant like they and the author because then I'll accidentally block people I actually like talking with.

anyways my approach in fandom has really...always been to just do my own thing. compared to how I was when I participated in Voltron, I don't really get involved in discussions about characterizations and meta and critical analysis or what not. First, because I like to put that energy towards writing personally, and while others get joy out of it, I don't particularly personally, and second, I pretty much have only 2, 3 friends I talk about the danmei I consume with when it comes to actual headcanons because we're on the same page when it comes to how we interpret texts, so it's fun.

I love making things for fandom and I like consuming things and I love fandom community that way. I love the what-ifs and the horny ideas and what not. But critical analysis and head canons and meta in general is just not my shtick. anything i have to say about the character, i say it through fic which brings me to my last part in this rambling answer which is that as long as the fic feels right to me, it's going to go up.

I've written some OOC stuff myself but as long as you have the confidence in what you're writing, people are going to be really forgiving. Sometimes when I doubt myself, I think about all the people tweeting wildly incorrect meta with their whole chest talking about how you need reading comprehension if you don't see it their way, and channel the same inner confidence, as misguided as theirs may be.

if someone was to rip me for my characterizations I'd feel hurt for sure but I don't pre-emptively think about it when I'm posting something. If I do, it's kind of a "well if it sucks it sucks I guess" which is part in due to me just getting slapped so much irl that fandom is low on the list of things to spend time having a crisis about

also if you're following anyone that says ao3 sucks just unfollow them. mute them. get rid of them. if they're mutuals mute them. so many mutuals have to cycle through the mute bin for my own sanity and in some cases, our friendship

ANYWAYSSSSSSSSSSSSS long rant over just post that fic!! do it!!!

[bluecrusadearcade]

@fanficparker this is for u 💗

My favourite moments from your series 'Faking, falling' that made me feel things, Part 1

" Fake it, till you make— it was just a small phase with an unknown source, no available citations, no shreds of evidence available of how effective it was, yet so overrated. Maybe that was the prime reason why you accepted it as a mantra. A mantra that would solve a specific problem in your life, a problem that goes by the name of Harrison Osterfield."

I second that, Harrison Osterfield is a problem. Also why does that opening paragraph sound like like something Anthony Mackie would say in context to Tom Holland 😂😂😂😂

"You were falling for him and he was faking it from the very beginning."

What a pompous arsehole. Alexa delete my feelings.

“Sorry, darling but I don’t do feelings. And anyways you are not my type of girl.”

Mr. ' I dOnt dO feEliNgs bEcaUse iM sO cOol ' . God I hate people who say those words so fucking much. You don't like me? FINE, YOUR LOSS.

"You gasped and opened your eyes, seeing him back up, completely dry while his friends were standing on top of the staircase with a now empty bucket laughing like a maniac and right then Harrison Osterfield started laughing too. He laughed hysterically while you watched him with your hairs dripping from alcohol, clothes spoiled, fists clenched and vision already blurred with tears."

Surgery for my legs because I can't STAND THESE HOES

"Truly a magic boy who knew nothing but cheap tricks."

"Is that all you've got? A cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner?" "Sweetheart, that could be the name of my autobiography." IS THIS A REFERENCE TO IRON MAN 3? PLEASE TELL ME IT IS

“I guess it’s time for getting another eye checkup, specky.”

Bold words coming from another specky👀☕☕

Seriously Y/n, out of everyone you chose to have a crush on him?

me, after I get over every single crush I ever had. This is the most relatable line in this whole series. And I'm not even kidding. Men are trash. "buT noT aLl meN" and you know what? You're right, Peter Parker could NEVER.

“You okay?” Harrison moved closer to you, studying your finger.

why the snik snak tik tak Frick crack do you care you abominable shit goblin?

"Ting"

why did this made me laugh I'm soRRY-

" "Sorry babe, I was thirsty," she simply said, "

SURE YOU WERE😏

"He nodded ignoring the beautiful girl whose presence was mentally strangling him."

I love how all writers come up with variations for " I dislike x person". The other day I read somewhere that, " His voice made my brain go through a cheese grater." Like that's GENIUS 🎉

" But he didn't want to look disrespectful or create any scene. "

WHALE WHALE WHALE MR. OSTERFIELD, TOO LATE FOR T H A T

"Sometimes he asked himself why he was even considering them friends. They weren't anything like Tom or Tuwaine or the twins. But the latter were now no more his friends."

so no one told you life was gonna be this way 👏👏👏👏👏

"Shelly..."

she sells sea shells on the shore - try saying that 5 times faster lmaoooo

" "It's two and a half hours past six. The photographers were really pissed. It's dangerous for my reputation. How am I supposed to face them again? Should I shut this project?" George slid into the chair, hands on his face."

BIIIIIIG REPUTATION, BIIIIIIG REPUTATION, OOOOH YOU AND ME WE GOT A BIG REPUTATION AAAA- ok ok Imma stop

""I mean I would really help Harrison with his punctured car if I was there. I got out of the home after 8 myself and found him speeding. I have no idea. And basically, Cath drives via highway and is still on time, I don't know how Harrison got stuck in the traffic. Is it so Harrison?""

WE LOVE DOING TIT FOR TAT YES, GO YOU PETTY QUEEN

""It affected my self-esteem." He said quietly which made you look at him. "Like you cared for mine at Rick's party. I didn't ask you to lie, to pretend as if... as if you like me. And how did you treat me?""

I can't tell you how much I laughed sinisterly at this (my sister thought I was going insane) , love when someone gets a taste of their own medicine 😂😂😂😂

"There's isn't just any article available on the internet to teach you how to hate someone."

Yup bros, turns out adulting is just googling the stuff you don't know how to do.