#Just engage with people!! That's my biggest tip

[rutadales]

Seeing a lot of twitter refugee posts about Tumblr etiquette, here's all you need to know (in my experience)

People will assume ur a bot if u don't have an icon, get an icon. if u need one but don't know where to one a lot of artists here are totally chill if you use creds

Dreblr is for c!dream positive fans, dreamblr or dtblr is for cc! centric stuff, but there is a lot of overlap in the community

NEVER!!! tag any mcyt post Minecraft, the Minecraft fandom has it hard enough dont clog their tags

Personally I avoid the main tags like dsmp and mcyt bc the larger communities are pretty hostile to dream fans. our little corner is safe Godbless 🙏🙏

If you send anon hate ur a loser so don't do that

The rivals fans here are the coolest and nicest people in the world

People unfollow and block all the time, if someone blocks u it's not personal do not stress over it. Blocking is everyone's best friend

No one cares about ships here this is not twitter

You can be blocked even on anon, so again, don't be weird

There is no algorithm so there's no shadow banning or anything like that. Most posts are spread by reblogs so a lot of fan creators on here really prefer reblogs over likes. Idrc either way and in my experience dreblr has been some of the best about reblogging compared to other fandoms but ya know, just to be aware why you might see reblogs>likes on someone's post

Don't stress about notes or followers, it can be cool to get a lot but not at all something worth worrying over

Here's a screenshot of my dashboard settings, follow my footsteps I've been on Tumblr forever this will give you the best user experience (or mess around to find what works for u ;P also yes I use the pumpkin color scheme it pleases me)

[taesankisser]

bf!leehan thoughts <3

warnings: fem!reader implied, i am DELUSIONAL!!!, comforting (no serious content warnings!)

song rec: take my hand by zerobaseone

writing under the cut!

bf!leehan, who is so observant when it comes to you and your emotional needs. he’s always there for you when you need him, and can always tell when something isn’t right. it can sometimes catch you off guard with the way he’s learned to read you, but it’s become one of the many ways he makes you feel loved. he can see through even the thickest of your masks, and it makes you treasure him even more because he can see you in a way that most people can’t.

bf!leehan, who is the best at listening because he’s invested and nonjudgmental as well as really focused on your needs in the moment. he’ll let you talk forever if that’s what you need and it’s so endearing because he’ll watch you with the most engaged puppy dog eyes, paying attention to everything you said. he’s one of those people where when you talk to him you actually feel genuinely heard and not just listened to, he makes you feel seen and valued. he radiates quality time energy, so this is also be super beneficial in the sense that it satisfies that social part of him as well as his need to spend quality time with his lover. talking things out with him is genuinely just all around beneficial to your relationship because you both feel loved through it.

bf!leehan, who is so easy to love because of how laid back and calm he is. he has that silly/goofy side to him, but at the same time he’s quite calm, which causes him to be such a safe haven for you. when things get hard and stressful, he’s right there waiting for you with open arms. he’s reliable in the way that when it feels like everything in your life is falling apart, he isn’t and he’s by your side through everything. he makes things a lot more bearable through the hardest of seasons.

bf!leehan, who loves doing skin care with you. by the time you’re well into your relationship, you’re practically a beauty guru with the way he’s taught you everything. he makes sure you do it every night, even when you’re tired. you always opt to do with him so it’s not as tedious or boring. you two share products and he loves doing masks with you. you get into the routine of doing a face mask at least once a week as a way to bond, while also taking care of your skin! he’s so cute in the way he’ll look out for new products and share new tips he learns. overall, the cutest self care bf ever!

bf!leehan, who turns into a completely different person when you agree to go look at fish with him. if you initiate an aquarium date, he’ll literally look at you with the biggest heart eyes ever. you go to the aquarium at least once a month (sometimes different ones too to explore and see more fishies) and it almost becomes like a regular date you two have. you love going with him, even if you’re not the biggest fish enthusiast like your boyfriend. you love it because he gets so excited, it’s such a simple thing that makes him light up, which makes your heart happy just like his in those moments. you two really thrive off making the other feel happy, comfortable, and cared for in your relationship.

<3

author’s note: this was requested by a sweet anonie so i hope you all enjoy! i cried on the inside while writing this tbh because i am madly in love with him… we’re not getting into it so BYE! have a great day/night!!

- lots of love, solar!

[monstersandmaw]

The impact of reblogging...

Just in case you’re new, or don’t really understand how this entire site functions (and it’s completely different from other social media apps, at least for now*), or if you wanted an illustration of why it’s so important to reblog the posts you enjoy and the hard work of creators you want to support, here’s a visualisation of the impact and reach of reblogging, using my biggest post (part one of my writing masterlist).

Creators are losing the will to post and share in droves because engagement is becoming next to non-existent, and if you don’t reblog the things you enjoy for free, creators wonder why they even bother, and soon they’ll just... stop.

(Look at that reblog to like ratio too... oof)

My little blog is at the centre of that dense circle, and every point in the image represents a reblog.

Of the people who reblogged the original post, most of them did so directly from me, but you can see scattered groups of reblogs which came from people who reblogged it from those who did so from me. And so on and so on, out into the ecosystem.

If you came across my masterlist in the wild, and didn’t or don’t follow me, you only saw it because someone reblogged it.

Most of the things you see on your dash are only there because someone you follow reblogged it.

It’s how this whole ecosystem works, and you’re smothering and killing it if you don’t reblog the ‘content’ you ‘consume’ (I dislike using those terms, but it is what it is).

To clarify, no one is saying you should feel obliged to reblog everything you come across, or that everything an artist or creator puts out there ‘deserves’ to be reblogged, but for pity’s sake, reblog the things you do actively enjoy.

Leaving a like or a comment on the post is like giving a compliment directly to the creator, and it’s wonderful, but it doesn’t show that post to anyone else or boost its presence on the platform. It can also give the impression you didn’t like it ‘enough’ or it wasn’t ‘good enough’ to bother putting on your blog or reblogging. How you really show your appreciation for something you genuinely enjoyed is by reblogging. (Even better if you screech away in the tags about why you liked it, but that’s an optional extra!) It’s like giving a meaningful and impactful tip, except it’s completely free, and it only costs you the time it takes to click or tap.

I hope that clears things up, and is a useful illustration of the impact you’ve had on creators’ pages by reblogging their work, so a huge thank you to those who represent points on that chart, and those of other creators on here! It’s because of people like you that work of people like me gets seen and enjoyed by more people!!

*(I know Tumblr is trying to change things so that you see other things now, instead of only the people you follow, but you can and should turn that feature off).

[moons-of-dewclan]

I was curious how to get your clan really set off? I recently (LIKE EARLIER TODAY JFJSJFJ) started my own clangen blog but idk if it's worthy of Tumblr😭

How can I improve my art and improve my process? You're one of my BIGGEST inspirations ngl you're literally him (or her or they I'm so sorry I never caught your pronouns) but I was just curious on how to be better? If you wanna look, don't. It's like, rlly bad so.... save your eyes. Have a lovely nighttt <33

HELLOOOOO I'M NOT 100% SURE WHAT YOU MEAN BY SET OFF I'M SORRY :{ if you mean to get people reading it, i think it's vastly just luck also appealing to an audience by accident i posted my art online for 10 years (i started posting in 2010 as a wee ka- told you i'm an adult haahahueu) before anyone showed consistent interest and i valued those two or so commenters who occasionally had something to say about my stuff, so much LAKSNLKD. that entire decade i got between 2 and 30 favourites for every piece i posted- usually between 2 and 10- until around 2021 when a making a comic aANNND joining a wolf ARPG group exposed me to many kindred art-enjoyers that wanted to keep up with my goofy stories then for some reason, i posted Dewclan's first page on tumblr and it got way more engagement than any other piece of art i've ever posted SO LAKSDNLKDAS WE CANNOT PREDICT THESE THINGS.. at least i can't if you're looking for engagement, pLS AIM FOR ENGAGEMENT THAT FEELS MEANINGFUL over anything else IN MY OPINION, and it's just my opinion- part of being 'better' is, first and foremost, being able to enjoy your art alone. and then being excited with what you choose to share! even if you don't care about your quality of art, care about the story. if you don't care about the story, care about the process and just having fun. but you have to have fun in doing it, and do it for your own eyes primarily. like if you were alone in a room and creating only for yourself! because, until you happen to find others who like what you're liking, you are then when someone is interested and you get to share that excitement, even that ooone comment on something you care about is OOGHHH SUCH A NICE FEELIN. enter communities, comment on other artists' work, try to make friends! but make sure to remember, if you create with the hopes others will like it, without liking it yourself, you're going to be really broken down if someone doesn't like it FOR you :{ loving your own art is tough work but it's integral to your longterm relationship with drawing ON IMPROVING.. for me, nothing is more integral to improving than finding a way to practice that suits you (looking at live figures doesn't help me at all. i don't know why. it's insane), and having fun doing it. i can't grasp anatomy unless i break it down with shapes. SHAPES ARE EVERYTHING. study the shapes of what you want to draw. break em down by tracing simple shapes over your subject. see if the leg is the same length as the head from muzzle to neck and lock that info in. STUFF LIKE THAT on the technical side of things, it can be super helpful to dedicate half an hour or so to drawing a day- eventually it becomes a habit and you just default to 'oh i think i wanna draw' when you've got nothing else to do. more drawing, more improvement!

HONESTLY THO another important thing is not putting yourself down. i know it's a hard habit to break (i struggle with it outside of art myself!), but it doesn't do you any favours. the more you rag on yourself, the more it'll manifest as something that actually damages your art, AND your relationship with it. let it be fun- don't sabotage yourself! you can be critical of your work and still kind! little tip here, improving can take a while, but experimenting with styles can make an INSTANT shift in how you perceive your stuff. ALSOOO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT BRUSHES FOR SKETCHING AND LINING. I PROOMISE. PLS DO IT. IT'S LIKE A MAGIC TRICK. i cannNNNOT sketch with a hard brush. everything looks horrible. marker brush tho?? so smooth. full of character. lovely. binary brush sketches? suddenly i'm Anime. pencil brush?? i digidevolve back into baby ka who loved to crosshatch and do semi realism. airbrush??? i explode into atoms actually

i find for a lot of people, they don't need to improve or be 'better' at art, they need to learn to enjoy what they're capable of doing now, and improvement is a byproduct. from what i've seen through the years, unless you work to curb it the negative view of your art will stick with you no matter what 'skill level' you get to bc the calls' comin from inside the house, yknow what i mean 3: it can be a long process to learn to accept your art, and sometimes you just plain grow out of it over time! but in the meantime it can't hurt to make efforts to fight your d e m o n s

I'M SORRY I WROTE SO MUCH IK YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS ALL IT ISN'T JUST TO YOU, ODESSY-CLAN BLOG RUNNER, IT'S AIMED AT ANYONE WITH ARTSY SELF DOUBTS. i hope i phrased everything kindly bc i meant it all kindly 3: i hate to see an artist doubt their work, but THERE IS NO SHAME IN IT. i want to encourage loving it regardless of any flaws tho, even though it takes time!

[daruee]

Lend Me Some Sugar, I am Your Neighbor

The lack of excitement all over my face was so visible.

Being forced to spend a month out of my summer with my grandparents in the south wasn't my idea of a good time nor was it on my summer bucket list, didn't matter now though I was here and just counting the days like some prisoner.

There wasn't much to do but lounge really, so that's what I did for a sizeable chunk of my day. Sitting on the porch painting my nails, reading, or listening to music as I try to occupy my hands with drawing was what I did for most of the day.

Halfway through my near prison experience I was sitting on the porch one day with my feet up trying to kill time by reading when I heard someone's heavy footsteps moving up the stairs when I lowered my book and my eyes locked with sexiest man I'd seen in so long. His appearance was enough to remind me of how visually starved and unstimulated I'd been. Would it be too much to want to be bent over by him already...

maybe

Didn't matter much, he walked right inside to talk to my grandparents wondering if they'd like to come by to his farm and pick some fruit or get it by order. I walked in just trying to get a better listen and to sneak more glances at him, my grandmother was about to hand him a list of what they'd like and pay him before I had a fabulous idea.

"I could pick some myself and bring them here guys no need to put in an order and deal with those pesky fees."

It was that easy.

Now I was on my way to his farm the next day with a basket ready to see how much trouble I could get myself into. I decorated myslef in dewy makeup, a black gingham dress, and some leather mary janes and pretty white socks that carried that innocent ruffle around their trim.

Truely how could I not want to impress that satyr, I just knew he'd enjoy a little nymph like me. I saw in his eyes during that interaction from the other day that though he didn't say anything directly he could turn me everyway but loose if he wanted to.

I got there and I was the only one, he seemed to have just come back from delivering to others since he was unloading crates from his truck which made sense. Most of the people living out here were older. I waved, he smiled tipped his hat and walked over.

"Never seen a kid volunteer to come pick fruit it's usually a chore, what's your name again?"

I chuckled and engaged in the small talk with him, he decided to help me out and navigating the fields since he could tell I wasn't from here and never actually went through a farm. Also walking through it alone would be just plain lonely!

I asked him a bunch of questions but he didn't seem to mind, nor did he mind getting close to explain them to me. I had to fight off the urge to shiver as his words trickled into my ear, I stepped back so that our bodies could touch, I wasn't trying to miss an oppurtonity here and I wanted him to know I liked him. He was a great help and let me pick out the ripest and biggest fruits I had plenty of berries but asked him to show me over to the apple trees. Usually it seemed like they'd be picked already and put in crates for the choosing but he'd just delivered a bunch so they were empty.

"guess you'll just have to mosey on up that ladder and grab a few 'yerself don't worry I can hold it for ya"

I nodded and agreed, it wasn't a big deal just picking a few apples. When I had palmed about four I was looking for one more so I could climb down and call it a day, little did I know he was only so okay with me taking my time because he was looking up my dress all the while, he did do his part and helped me down once I was finished. By this time I was parched and happy to go along with his plan to just drink some iced tea on his porch. We talked a little more, his hand made friends with my thigh, his rough hands felt so good on my skin.

"Are ya still thirsty? I mean I have something else you could drink, really tasty and good for ya it's in the barn though. 'Ya wouldn't mind headin there with me to taste some, I value the opinions of little ladies like you."

He was saying all the right things and I told him I loved trying new things so what was there to say no to. His barn was really clean and there wasn't much to it, he made me stand in the middle and started kissing my neck, it gradually turned it to bites that I had to yelp to get him to stop only for him to do it again but harder. While that was happening he was lifting up my dress and eventually thew it to the side as he stated,

"it's hot today anyway ya don'y need all those clothes on, it's just me"

I had no urge to stop him, I liked everything he was doing, how he kept making me feel small made me never want to let go yet now I was quickly dragged down from the clouds as he forced me on my knees. I was shocked and couldn't help but pout. He got out a glass bottle of milk and brought it over to me, hands on my chin as he held it above my head to make sure I was watching.

"I was thinkin you should get a taste of this and...maybe I can fill it with something else for you."

He smirked and unscrewed the top and ran it under my nose allowing the fresh and neutral scent to hit me, he held it up to my lips and let me drink a few sips from it, when he asked if it taste good I shook my head eagerly and licked my lips. He was messing with me and drawing things out to far, before I knew it he was dropping it over my face and watching it trickle down my tits down to my legs. when I let out a gasp for air my eyes shot open to the sensation of his hard cock thrusting into it. He poured some into my mouth so that i could taste the milk all mixed in with his precum before pouring the rest on my body again.

That wasn't enough as he dragged me up by the arm and pushed me onto some hay and spreading my legs open about to let himself in my pussy he grabed one of my pigtails and spoke into my ear,

"I'm gonna fuck you right here doll, use you all up for sure, but I didn't lie I'm gonna see how many times I can cum into that bottle there and let you drink it all up for me"

I was panting, wet with milk, and uncomfortable with all this hay sticking to me so I did what I do best.

I can take it daddy.

[nanamikentoseyebags]

pairing: kento nanami x f!reader

content: just two grumps being grumpy together, alcohol consumption, pathetically self ship coded!!

wc: ~ 1.3k

a/n: my poor lil attempt to write something again, don't judge too hard, i just needed to feel some comfort

Whoever is in charge of the event has terrible taste in music, Kento Nanami mentally remarks, taking a small sip of the way more disgusting whiskey and placing the glass on the bar with an audible "clink". He wearily surveys the room, running his eyes over the expensive gilt-framed paintings, the elaborately inlaid furniture, and the huge elephant in the room in form of a grand black piano, that most definitely hasn't felt a human touch in at least a couple decades.

Myriads of stars are scattered across the ceiling in intricate patterns, like fluttering moths surrounding a lonely chandelier, decorated with what looks like tiny diamond droplets. It radiates a soft glow that seems to make even the faces of these people look pleasant somehow. He hates this place, or rather he has to hate it, because now it has become a nest of the most poisonous snakes - a reception for the richest, most prominent, most influential people in the city: the owners of the biggest financial companies that seem to own the whole world in their heads. Kento frowns, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly and cursing his boss for obliging him to attend it.

A quiet “Ughhhh, that’s disgusting,” snaps Nanami out of his thoughts, drawing him to turn in your direction, watching curiously as you spit out one of the appetizers and wrap it in a napkin. "This is a real culinary crime! Who the hell would think of ruining food so cruelly? Ugh, I should sue them for the moral damage this appetizer just did to me". Reaching for your glass, you took a couple sips and held it out to your boyfriend, cringing, "and serving people champagne like that is a crime too. I thought everything was top notch at these receptions," you paused, "you know I'm going to say this, but I'll say it anyways, here: I could have done it better...God, I need something to wash this disgusting taste down with."

"Of course you would, darling," Kento chuckles, "And I don't think there's anything edible here at all," he sets your glass on a tray of a passing waiter, "I'm afraid you're the only sweet thing here."

A death stare, that's what he sees, turning to you again. "Very funny," you roll your eyes playfully, nudging him lightly in the side, "I always wonder…how do they do that?" you motion your hand to the groups of people talking amongst themselves.

"Do what?" his tilts his head to the side, leaning closer to you, his arm goes around your waist, slowly stroking the curve of your hip.

"Pretending to like everything, from terrible food to engaging into conversations with people they can't stand. Sometimes I think their faces are about to crack from those strained smiles."

“Long years of practice, I think. I doubt they'd be much good at it if they didn't know how to cast fake smiles at every partner and then ruin their firms with the same grin."

"Atrocious," you give a dismissive glance to another pair of presumably millionaires fluffing up their feathers and parading like male birds in front of a couple of women.

"Sorry for bringing you here, I-" he doesn't have time to finish the sentence, feeling your arms tightly circle his torso.

"I don't mind at all, I might even enjoy standing here with you all grumpy and dissatisfied with everything and everyone. It's more fun together," you wink at him, stroking his back.

“Oh yeah, I wouldn’t want anyone else to be grumpy with,” he pauses, looking at your perplexed expression, “okay…” with a sigh he continues, “in my defense I might just say that it sounded less cheesy in my head”. You giggle, watching the tips of his ears turning red. “On the other note,” Kento’s hand flies up to gently caress the apple of your cheek with his thumb, “I know I’ve said it like a thousand times today but you look absolutely divine.”

And he means it, as much as he hates to be here, he thinks you are made for this. You are made to be surrounded by this splendor he believes he fails to give you. As if you'd stepped out of one of those ornate paintings, in that ethereal silk dress of yours and hairdo, you really do look like a deity to him, walking around your chambers.

And before he even gets a chance to tell you this, a loud “Nanamiiiiii,” thunders across the whole space, the approaching steps of his boss reverberate tenfold in Kento’s head, as he reluctantly lets go off you and turns to face the horror in the flesh.

"Our most reticent Nanami has finally shown the world his gorgeous chosen one," the nearly bald, stocky man approaches you two with a broad smile, plastered on his face, exposing his porcelain teeth. His wrinkled face is adorned with a pathetically thin mustache, with gold-rimmed sunglasses perched on his nose. He smells of expensive alcohol and cheap cologne, you have time to notice a pair of huge rings on his fingers when he, without a second's hesitation, takes your hand and brings it to his lips. "Pleased to meet you, Ms. Y/n, Nanami doesn't spread himself too widely about his life, but your name almost never leaves his lips."

"Y/n, this is my boss, Mr...."

"I'm just Steve to you," he blurts out in a half-drunk grin, still not letting go of your hand. Kento’s eyes roll to the back of his head, as he rubs his temple tiredly, struggling to keep his cool.

"Nice to meet you...Steve," looking absolutely unimpressed, you gently pull your hand out of his iron grip, taking your now speechless with anger boyfriend, under his arm, and smiling with feigned gentleness, "Kento has told me a lot about you, thank you for inviting us to this wonderful dinner."

“Nah, that’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” he chuckles, “you should try to convince your man to go out more often, especially with such a beauty by his side, it should be a real pleasure. He has a great future, my dear, a great future,” he wagged his finger right in front of your face, “okay, lovebirds, I have to go… I have to go, I have to cheer up a couple of losers, whose careers I will destroy tomorrow.” And he bursts in an almost inhuman laugh that seems to make everyone in the room but him uncomfortable. “But I'll see you soon," and once again taking your hand in his leaves another loud, wet kiss on your palm before retreating to another direction.

“Ugh, what an asshole”, you wipe your hand on the soft fabric of your dress, "'so, did I get to act all happy? It was quite hard since I was affected by the sight of his awful mustache.”

Hearing no reply, you raised your head to meet the two agates that had been staring back at you for a long time, gleaming adoringly. Kento's face is playing with the brightest smile you've seen this evening.

“What?” you frown, not sure where the sudden burst of amusement is coming from.

“Nothing”, he smiles wider, “just glad I'm here with you. Speaking of which, why don't we sneak out of here right now?” he holds out his hand to you.

“I thought you'd never ask”, you let out a sigh of relief, intertwining your fingers, as you quietly head for the exit. Away from the lying people and cruel games, quietly grumbling about various little things along the way. He carries a pair of your uncomfortable heels in one hand as you walk beside him in your evening dress and favorite sneakers, clinging to him tighter and thinking that the world isn't so bad when you have someone to be grumpy with.

[1-800marvelqueen]

11:15

Frank Castle x reader (Peter Castilglione x reader)

Part Two

WC : 3K

SW : No usage of "Y/N," physical appearance and details are left completely ambiguous and are up to interpretation. Reader is gender neutral! but is implied to be AFAB. Mentions of drinking, violence, physically assault (groping), reader is attacked, knives, blood - canon typical violence.

If there are any more warnings to be added let me know!

This is a re-post, all of my old accounts were deleted.

You hated your job so fucking much.

So far today you had been yelled at, groped, catcalled, had drinks spilled on you, and you were pretty sure someone just threw up all over their table. Working in a 24-hour diner as a waitress is as shitty as it sounds. But you were tipped well, mostly by people on road-trips, or those coming back from a late night's work who needed a coffee to stay awake long enough for the ride home. You had your favourites, sure, but none of them compared to Pete

He came in almost every night, always ordered the same thing, and always tipped you very, very, well. He was also an extremely quiet guy who valued his privacy very much, the only thing you knew about him was that he worked construction. 

There was literally no one in the diner except for some shady looking drunk that had already made several inappropriate comments towards you in the 30 minutes he’d been here. You sit in one of the tall chairs at the bar, your foot tapping anxiously as you wait for 11:15 to roll around, knowing that Pete’ll walk in the second it hits. You ignore the drunken man staring you down, focusing on the clock, hoping that if you don’t engage he’ll leave you alone. 

Your efforts pay off when you hear the obnoxious ringing of the door behind you, the chime of the bell signalling the arrival of your favourite customer. You put the biggest smile you can on your face, spinning around in the chair to throw your arms up in the air, “Petey!” Hopping down off the stool as he gives you a lazy smile and a return of your greeting. “Your order is already on the griddle and here is your drink,” reaching back behind you to grab the freshly made to-go cup off the counter, “a coffee with the smallest splash of cream, no sugar, just for you.”

He gives you that rugged smile as he plops down at his usual seat in the darkest, furthest corner of the diner. “Thank you sweetheart.” Blood rushes to your cheeks and you feel your heartbeat pick up at a monumental rate. Squeaking out a quick ‘you’re welcome’ you turn and briskly walk away to go find something to keep you occupied until Pete’s food is done. You feel his eyes on you, as you bus tables, count the register, make cutlery sets, and so on and so forth. When you hear the quiet ding of the order-up-bell you run up to the serve window, utter a small “Thanks Benny” to the line-cook slash owner of the diner. 

You carry the plate to Pete’s table to find him still looking at you with that same rugged smile on his lips. His foot pushing out the chair next to him at his table for you. At first your friendship with Pete was a little rocky, you’d try to engage in conversation but would just be brushed off. But if you were one thing it was a persistent little motherfucker and you eventually cracked that tough exterior of Pete’s and slowly became his favourite person - not that he would ever admit that to you. Your friendship got to the point where if he came in and you weren’t working, he’d leave, and now everytime you dropped his plate off he’d invite you to join him and tell him all about your day. 

~

If Frank was being honest with himself this was the favourite part of any of his long and tiring weeks. Even though every ounce of his body ached terribly at the end of each day, he’d drag himself to the diner, for shitty coffee, greasy food, and you. And if Frank was being extremely honest with himself, he was in love with your voice, your face, your personality, he was in love with the way you got so excited to see him each and every time he walked through the door, overall he was completely and irrevocably in love with you. 

But at the same time he was deeply afraid of you. Of what he felt for you, afraid of the fact that the last time he was in love, the last time he started a life with someone, it ended in death and tears. He was so afraid that if he revealed to you who he truly was, if he showed you that simple Pete the Construction worker was really the Big-Bad Punisher, you would run or get taken because of who he was. Or worse, hurt or killed. 

So he kept his affections deep under wraps, buried. With hopes that one day he could sweep you off your feet and pretend to be the good guy in his own made up fairytale. 

~

Gently setting Pete’s plate down on the table surface before you promptly all but throw yourself down into the seat he pushed out for you. Letting out a deep sigh as you bang your head against the table a couple times for dramatics before finally resting your head on your arms, facing towards him. He gives you a raised eyebrow, a smirk pulling on the corner of his mouth. 

“That bad, huh?” “Like you would not believe,” “Tell me about it baby.”

Pushing down the feeling of butterflies in your stomach you proceed to go into a long-whirlwind explanation of how your day went, all the assholes you dealt with, the spills, screaming children, and everything else. Pete sits quietly, giving his input and reactions with different sounding noises from the back of his throat as he munches on his eggs. “And that guy over there,” lowering your voice, leaning in closer to Pete, making a small gesture to the drunk bum still in the diner, “He’s been here for almost an hour and a half, Pete. He’s been watching me the whole time, making comments and gestures and it’s really starting to freak me out.” 

Pete’s eyes darken immediately, so quick it almost scared you, he brought a hand down to the side of your chair. You try not to pay attention to how close his hand is to your thigh or how the muscles in his forearm move as he slides you closer to him, you could cry at the thought put into the gesture. No matter how rough around the edges Pete was, he cared for and about you, and while he’d never verbally admit it, you knew he showed it through other things. 

Like making sure you felt safe. 

He keeps an eye on the guy for the rest of the time he’s there. It’s almost midnight when Pete scoots his plate away and goes to dig his wallet out of his pocket. You quickly get up and take his plate to the back, coming to find his money for the food on the counter next to the register in exact change, along with your hefty tip, having ordered the same thing so many times he had its amount memorised. He waits by the door of the diner, eyes glancing worriedly between you and the man in the corner. “You gonna be okay with… that, or do you want me to stay until you get off?” Your lips automatically pull into a small smile - one that makes Frank’s heart do flips - as you place your hand on his shoulder. 

“No Petey I don’t get off till’ 4 AM. I can't ask you to stay that long when I know you’re tired, and besides, Benny’s still here so I’ve got him if I need anything” squeezing his shoulder gently before you pull away and turn to go back “Go home and get some sleep Pete, I’ll see you tomorrow night.” You’re stopped in your walk away when he grabs your wrist and ever-so gently pulls you back to him. “You know if you need anything to come find me right? I’m just a yell in the night away, okay?” 

Your brows furrow at what his statement could possibly mean, but you inevitably brush it off. Giving him reassurance and a wave as he leaves the diner. Bumbling around the diner for the next couple hours, having a few more customers come in, mostly weary travellers in need of a cup of coffee. The strange man had left around an hour after Frank did, watching you as he left with that strange look in your eye. At a little after 3 Benny tells you to go ahead and take off, which you gladly do, in need of a good shower and some sleep. 

Once you hang your apron up and grab your bag you’re out the door. Cold automatically hitting you as you slide on a pair of gloves and a scarf, breath puffing into a cloud in front of you. Your shoes quietly tap against the pavement. Humming a little tune to yourself as you walk the dark and desolate streets. It feels strange out tonight, something making the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up. You look all around you, slightly picking up your walking pace, hurrying to get home.

Your efforts are futile though, when someone comes up behind you, cupping your mouth before you could scream, and pulls you into the nearest alleyway. 

~

Frank always felt awful doing this. He felt like he was some sort of stalker. 

But he had to make sure you were safe, that no harm would come to you on your way home. So he’d wait, everynight after leaving the diner, waiting for your shift to end so he could make sure you were safe on your 10-minute walk home. He’d follow along, normally on the opposite side of the street, sometimes along the rooftops, but always far enough away to not arouse your suspicions. 

He watches the drunk man walk out and stumble his way down the street until he turns to where Frank can no longer see him. He watches you walk out a few hours later, immediately recoiling at the cold. He can’t help the smile that overtakes his face at your actions, always finding anything you do absolutely adorable. He watches you bundle up to try and fight off the chill. He comes away from the corner of the building as you begin to walk, following behind on the other side of the street. He stops when you stop, confused as to why you quit walking. Ducking behind the building he’s next to the second he sees you turn your head around. That confusion immediately turns into concern when he peeks back around and you’re no longer there. 

Without a second thought he immediately begins to run to where he last saw you, feeling his heartbeat begin to go faster and faster, the fear taking over every ounce of his body. He won’t let anything bad happen to you, he has to keep you safe no matter what. The Irrational and scared part of his brain thinks that you’ve disappeared into thin air when he gets to where you were previously standing and there’s no sign of you anywhere, but the more rational and lethal part of his brain knows you’ve been taken. His saving grace arrives in the form of a scream, a yell of his name. 

Just a yell in the night away.

Running in the direction of your scream all he sees is red. He promised himself that he would never do this again. That Frank Castle and the Punisher would stay dead, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and right now it was all about saving you. 

~

The man’s hand feels so grimy against your skin, the urge to bite him is overwhelmed by the fear of whatever diseases he may carry. He shushes you like you’re some sort of crying child, “There, there, why don’t you stop fucking squirming now, huh’?” pulling you further into the alleyway, and it’s only on your next struggle away do you feel something prick you in the side.

He has a knife. 

The thought makes you immediately stop wiggling, and the man behind you chuckles at your realisation. “Yeah that’s right, you make one wrong move or don’t obey me and this knife is going somewhere you don’t want it to go.” Breathing heavily against the side of your head you can smell his breath wafting into your face and it makes you want to vomit at the pungent smell of decay and alcohol. It’s only when the man asks for all the tips you made for the night do you realise it’s the dirty man from the diner. 

The one who was obviously into you in a more sexual manner. 

With this in mind you make one more attempt at a great escape. Slamming the heel of your foot down as hard as you could onto his the man lets out a short scream, loosening his grip just enough for you to wiggle your way out and try to run to the mouth of the alley. Your efforts are futile when a grimy hand wraps it way around your waist to pull you back. 

So as a last effort you do the only thing you can think of, even if it won’t work, you can’t say you didn’t try. You pull in as much air as you can and scream for Pete.

Your scream is cut off when the hand reslaps over your mouth and the man begins to hurl curses at you. “You really think that freak from the dinner is going to come and help? Huh?” You zone out of his words at the feeling of something wet dripping down your side. When you look down you realise that you can see his hand and most of the knife, but not the end of it. And it’s only when you focus on it do you feel the searing pain emanating from that general area. 

The man must have noticed where your line of sight had gone when he began to chuckle. “Yeah bitch that’s right. This is what happens when you don’t listen.” You feel more blood begin to ooze out when he begins to slowly push the knife in further, but he never gets the chance because something rips him away from you. 

You can hear the sounds of a struggle, the sound of someone screaming and the distinct sound of someone's skull cracking open on the brick of the alleyway. It’s only when the familiar sound of a gruff voice yells out do you realise who came to save you. 

Pete.

Slumping against the wall from relief and blood loss you bring a hand to your side only to find the knife still wedged in your skin. Making a move to pull it out you’re stopped by a rough hand wrapping around yours. “Don’t.” words a hushed whisper. “I don’t want you to possibly hurt yourself anymore.” You find yourself nodding, looking at the man crouched in front of you, his chest heaving, eyebrows furrowed in worry. He’s got blood spray on him, covering most of his hands but there's a few drops across the side of his head and neck.

You look from Pete over to the man who attacked you, only to find him unmoving. Not even a rise of his chest. You find that you don’t really care when Pete brings one bloodied hand up to your chin to pull your face back to look at him. 

“Can you stand sweetheart? I need to get you somewhere so I can fix this.” With his help you try and get up, only making it a few inches off the ground when you stop, yelping in pain. He shushes your whines and whimpers of pain as he lowers you back down, a hand moving to smooth your hair back in a soothing gesture, blunt nails gently raking across your scalp. “It’s okay sweetheart I got you, don’t worry I’m gonna take care of this.” 

He moves from in front of you to the side of your body that hasn’t been stabbed, the hand in your hair moves to cradle your middle back. He brings your arm up to wrap around his neck, and then moves down to gently slot his arm under your knees. “How did you find me, Pete?” words partially slurred as your world starts to turn blurry, he ignores your question and instead settles for quietly telling you to try and hold still while he lifts you up. He carries you quickly and quietly out of the alley and into the street, going the opposite way of your apartment. You can tell he’s not walking at his usual gait, his steps are calculated, more precise in an effort to not jostle you too much. He looks straight ahead, jaw clenched so tightly you think it might break at any moment. Through your blurry mind you remember he never answered your question, so you ask again. “Pete?” bringing the hand around his neck up to gently thumb at his hairline. “How did you find me?” 

His steps falter slightly, eyes quickly glancing over to you before he snaps out of it and continues walking. You can see his jaw unclench, lips parting as if to answer you before they close again. “Pete,” you try in your most pleading tone, “Please.” You can see his inner resolve cracking away as he looks down at you. Eyes losing that darkened look, his face moving into a more relaxed look, lips going from a thin, stretched, line to an almost unnoticeable smile. 

“I’m only a yell in the night away baby.”

~

Originally posted April 23rd, 2022.

[lovelykhaleesiii]

I am a huge aegon ii fan and chubby aeg truther ... I love writing and want to start posting fics here but I'm worried cos of the fandom dynamics. I want to make friends but do you have any tips for navigating this space, since you're one of the biggest aegon fic blogs I have seen?

that’s totally understandable! If I’m being honest, by seeing most people’s reactions to the trailer I think now with s2 being an Aegon fan won’t be as taboo as it was in the beginning. people seemed to have really enjoyed the snippets we got, and TGC’s performance! Regardless, that’s not to say people still won’t come at you with hate… unfortunately some people in this fandom prove to remain far from etiquette and decency. I would just recommend being prepared for that! stand your ground! It’s not like any of the characters on this show / universe are 100% good, so there’s no grounds for them to attack you for liking the dude.

just be open to engaging with others! I know it can be daunting for some people, but at the end of the day most of us are here for the same reasons! and we’re all behind a screen anyways! If messaging someone straight up is too bold & you’re really not comfortable doing it, if you’re reading a fic from another author, don’t hesitate to reblog with a comment! It makes our day, and definitely works to initiate a friendship 🫶🏻 but if you start to build the foundation and make yourself known, gradually friends will be made 😌

thank you for the compliment lovely! I definitely don’t think I’m a big fanpage but I do love my man!!! ❤️ also plz feel free to message me! I’m more than happy to talk nonnie!

I’ll tag a few other wonderful Aegon fanatics. these lovelies are so kind & wouldn’t shy away from upcoming authors!

@arcielee @valeskafics @bucknastysbabe @fan-goddess @ripdragonbeans @sylasthegrim

[sweetchotimochi]

how to study for social studies subjects

I’d like to think that one of my strongest focuses is social studies. I love learning about history, economics, government, e.t.c. and I do well on tests! I thought that most people had it easy when it came to these subjects, but throughout working with peers and friends, I realized that wasn’t true, so here are some tips to get through those subjects: 

Memorizing will be your friend: This is one of my biggest tips that I still use for my social studies subjects. Memorize, memorize, memorize! Of course, you should first understand a concept or term before memorizing it, but it helps so much to know words. I use quizlet and knowt.io to help me memorize, but you can use a variety of ways to remember. This is especially helpful for tests, as you can help fill in the blank when reading through questions and other readings.

Trick your brain: One of the reasons I was so good at social studies subjects was because I was interested in politics and government. I’m really interested in the controversial aspect of politics, which helped me understand forms and branches of government, how the economy works, e.t.c. I’ve recently heard this tip on the internet, where people trick their brain into thinking that the subject they are learning is like lore for a tv show or novel, and it worked. Your brain will probably be more likely to learn if you make it enjoyable.

Use a variety of resources: A lot of social studies subjects will have more interesting and engaging resources to use, rather than like physics with a boring textbook and some reference videos. Topics like politics will have a wide variety of books, articles, news reports, movies, and even TV shows covering them. After understanding the concepts and things you may need to know, watching a political TV show can be a form of studying! You can learn to apply, discuss, and critique different forms and resources to apply to the thing you are studying. 

Find ways to connect to the modern world: Social studies subjects are one of the easiest to connect to the media and the news; you will often find articles and reporters speaking about the economy, what's going on in the supreme court, and who is voting or pushing for what agenda. If you ever need to find examples to help you learn and study, just watch the news! It’s a great resource, and can help you apply what you are learning to the real world. Oftentimes, test-makers will give a question set in a scenario, where a country is going into a recession and you may have to explain ways to solve or help it e.t.c. so the news is a great resource to see it real time.

[toburnup]

Is there a way you personally think people should support your fics?

Whenever I write I’ve always been a ‘I’m grateful someone read it even if they didn’t enjoy it’ type of person but recently I’ve seen a lot (like seriously a lot) of people saying, if you don’t comment on fics (on ao3) you aren’t supporting them or the creator. I know I don’t feel that way about what I write because I’m not really a good writer and I’m just happy if one person likes it because that means someone took time out of their day to read but now I think maybe I’m an asshole for not like commenting on everyone’s fics?

You’re like the best writer of fics imo so I’m wondering how you feel about all of it? And I’m sorry that I haven’t left any comments on your work if that’s truly the correct way to support!

well. this has been a topic of conversation for a long time, and everyone will have a different take on this, but here's mine.

the downside to reading without commenting is that hits on their own.... don't really mean anything. hits just mean someone opened it, it doesn't even mean that they read it. i've opened lots of fics, started reading, found out it wasn't for me and closed it. it still registers my hit. kudos means they technically scrolled to the end of the page and clicked a button. they're nice, but i consider kudos w/o a comment to be the equivalent of "i didn't hate it" (i'm sure many would disagree, but this is my take!)

so, yes, i'm a firm believer in leaving comments. i will always comment on a fic when i read it, because if i had 5-10 minutes to read a fic, i have 30 seconds to write a quick comment. if i had an hour to read a fic, i have 5 minutes to write a longer comment. but i have the same mentality for eating out - i only go out to eat when i have the $ to leave a tip.

obviously, there are some fics where i end up leaving much longer comments, but i build that into my reading time (so if i'm about to read a friends fic where i know i'm gonna Ramble, i hold off until i have adequate time). does that mean i sometimes don't get to fics right away? yes. but for my own sake, i'd rather read it and write a comment while it's fresh.

i don't think you're an asshole lol, but i think you're kind of devaluing comments. and devaluing your effort as a writer! you're putting hours of free work into something they enjoyed, i don't think it's too much for you to ask for people who engage w/ your work to leave a comment.

the biggest pushback i see from people who don't comment is that it takes a long time, or that they don't know what to say. and to that, i say: i have people who simply leave a 💕 in a comment and that's enough. it still tells me way more than a lone kudos. and the people who put the time into leaving longer comments are just my heroes. the backbone of fandom, imo (my repeat essay commenters are like.... truly amazing, amazing people).

confession, i used to be a kudos-no-comment reader. i still remember the first comment i left as an adult (this was a few years ago) - it was on a WIP that hadn't been updated in ? a couple months, and i was like. i NEED to tell this person how much i loved this. and i felt stupid as hell writing the comment, but i powered through out of sheer stubbornness. and the author replied, and they said something like "i've been struggling writing the next chapter, and this helped!" and then they fucking updated the fic like 2 days later 😭😭 it changed me, i swear. so, with that...

comments are especially important for ongoing fics, because people will only leave a kudos once. that ratio of hits:kudos:comments can mess with the author (like 1000 hits, 100 kudos, and 10 comments is significant!). that's why i'm (now) a big believer in reading WIPs and supporting them along the way, it's disheartening to see the hits go up and nothing else.

i'm very grateful for the amount of comments i get! i think i'm really lucky in this way. occasionally i'll get a comment from someone who tells me they've never commented on any fic before, and like!! yay! the first one is toughest, but it only gets easier after that.

another important aspect of comments is it builds relationship between the reader and writer. i love seeing familiar usernames and icons, and i notice when people haven't commented in a while and it always makes me happy when they pop up again. i also really like replying to comments. it takes... multiple hours but it's my favourite part of the process second to writing the fic itself. i also occasionally will poke around on someone's profile and if they've written a fic, i'll give it a read. it's a good way to make new friends.

anyway. i'm not saying all this to tell you to comment on my fics, but more to gently encourage you to reframe how you think about comments in general. it's like... why we clap at the end of concerts. just because we're in the room doesn't mean we enjoyed the show, so we do things like cheer! clap! scream! we make our opinion heard.

comments are like clapping 💙 it's free to do, and shows our appreciation. why wouldn't we do that?

[electronicwitchcollection]

🖤🌸holy shit it had been a long time- I TOOK A BREAK FROM TUMBLR BUT IM BACK NOW WITH MORE BRAINROT. I wanted to ask u. What do you think of Gin being a lightweight? And Shunsui and Jushiro drinking with him, shocked ? 😂

Hello my friend! I’m glad you’re back!

As always you bring such fun topics to talk about 🖤

So I absolutely believe Gin cannot handle his alcohol, for a few reasons!

The first being, he never got the typical childhood. He went to the academy as a young boy, and excelled through it quickly. He never had any of those teenage parties where they experimented with alcohol and their limits. He didn’t go through school with peers his own age, therefore didn’t have any “friends” his age to go through those experiences with when he reached that age. He never grew a tolerance for it, and never learned his limits.

The people he spent the most time with while transitioning to a child to an adult would’ve been Aizen and Tousen. Both of which aren’t big drinkers themselves. Aizen would maybe indulge in an expensive glass of wine with dinner every so often, but that is all. Tousen I can’t see Finding any enjoyment in drinking, and chooses to abstain.

I would also like to factor in Gin’s physique. He’s so skinny, I’m convinced he hasn’t seen a good hot meal for quite some time. And we all Know the downfall of drinking on an empty stomach 🙃

The biggest and most important factor, is Gin had chosen from an early age that he would be the one to bring Aizen down, working as a secret double agent to ensure Aizen fails in his quest to ascend the heavens. Gin is smart and calculated, he knows full well that “loose lips sinks ships” and would take precautions to ensure Aizen never finds out about his plan to take him down.

He can’t afford to have his inhibitions lowered, must always keep up the facade to ensure he reaches his goals.

However

He was woefully unprepared for how persistent Kyoraku is 😂

We all know just how desperate that man is to have a drinking buddy who can keep up with him. Sure, he has Jushiro who will happily keep him company as he slowly drinks himself to the edge of sanity.. but it can get tiring being the only one drinking while your friend smiles on patiently. Not to mention the times Jushiro is too unwell or simply to busy to join him.

I think he has had a good few drinking partners over the years… Yourichi, Shinji, Isshin. Unfortunately they’ve all left him to drink alone once more. Kenpachi is good in a pinch, the man can hold his liquor ! but trying to get any decent conversation out of him… you’d have better luck trying to get water not to be wet. 😂

I believe Kyoraku would corner Gin one day, and before he knew what was happening he was sat opposite the two older captains wondering how the hell this happened. Without thinking of any believable reason why he had to go, Gin would try and wait Kyoraku out. The man had a reputation. Surly he’d be slumped over falling asleep soon, where he could easily leave him to the practiced hands of Jushiro, who had more patience than any one man should.

He failed to recognise two things. The first being, Kyoraku can drink an obscure amount of alcohol before he got into that state. The second being Gins near non existent tolerance would be no match for the high percentage alcohol Kyoraku favoured.

The first drink went down fine, a little fuzzy around the edges, but manageable. He could still walk home perfectly capable of hiding his true intentions. He could engage in conversation while keeping all of his secrets deeply guarded.

The second was a little more worrisome. His real laugh came out unexpectedly at one of Kyorakus filthy jokes. Muscles relaxed and the room suddenly feeling a little bit warm. But he was fine, right? A little tipsy, but still in somewhat control of his actions. The room tilted if he moved to fast and he couldn’t quite get the smile off his face

It’s the third that tips him over. His normally pale complexion is flushed red, one eye is tightly closed while the other tries to focus hard enough to stop the world from spinning around him. His words are slurred and heavy, sounding fine to his own ears yet almost indistinguishable to everyone else. When the hiccups start, so did the giggling.

Kyoraku and Ukitake would share a disbelieving look at the absolute state this man had gotten in after only three drinks… even Ukitake could handle more than that..

Kyoraku would pout at the disappointing loss of yet another drinking buddy prospect. Though he did quite enjoy watching Gin sway and stumble his way into nearly every wall, tree and person they passed on the way to his home as Ukitake frantically tried to steer him in the right way.

[chaifootsteps]

As someone who hates abusers irl but loves Stella and what she as a (abusive) character could be and how she feels like a hedon that grew to find no greater pleasure than verbally attacking her husband for her guests/friends amusement (and what I HC to be more) who isn't too smart because she never had to be I've never been happier to not actually engage in the fandom. My biggest issues with her at the start was how people defended her initial appearance (no matter how "justified" she was it always kind of reminded me of my history having an abusive mother and a father who was her main victim) as "cheaters deserve it" so I've always hated fandom talk around her. I stopped trying to keep up around when I was getting pissy about people calling her a flawless girlboss and am only starting to try and tip my toes back in and just. I'm not looking forward to it the more I get a grasp from your blog. I'm not sure if I'm going to wait on wading through it or not. Like she is a woman scorned who, given how cheating is a way real life victims can find freedom, had it coming and I kind of really dig that. I'm hating the fandom more and more though.

Yeah, I think the weakest argument against Stella has always been "Well, Stolas cheated on her." Because he was miserable, they're both completely miserable, he was right to cheat on her.

They're both victims of the Goetia family, they both treat their imp servants like punching bags, and they're both abusing someone else to escape their pain -- Stella by lashing out at Stolas and Stolas by sexually abusing Blitzo. They're two broken, drowning people and a better writer would realize that.

[aihoshiino]

What are some aspects you dislike (or decisions which you feel are weak) in Oshi No Ko? And what hopes do you have for the future of the series?

Disclaimer before I get into this that obviously I am deep in the paint for Oshi no Ko or I would not be here LOL but chewing on stories I like and engaging in critique is how I have the most fun! I've also talked about this stuff before to varying degrees in other metas enough that it would be redundant to mention every time it's the case, so please bear with me if you see me repeating myself.

These also aren't, like, in any kind of order necessarily unless I specifically mention so, it's just whatever order they came to me as I was typing.

That said, this first one is the manga's biggest problem imo and it's simply that it's super unbalanced, at least past the prologue arc. The story initially presents itself as being about Aqua and Ruby as co-protagonists who are both equally important to the story's ideas and themes. This results in that nice pingponging rhythm you get up to about chapter 30 where the story switches focus between them at pretty natural feeling intervals, even if they aren't necessarily really rippling out and impacting each other. Things are still weighted more towards Aqua given that he's the POV character for the most part and we spend the most time in his head but tbh given the comparative dramatic intensity of his goal Vs Ruby's, I think that's fine. Once we move into Tokyo Blade, though, the balance irrevocably tips in Aqua's favour and Ruby basically becomes a guest star in her own story. Even as black hoshigan Ruby. That whole arc in hindsight really just ended up feeling like filler to pass time until The Real Protagonist could come back. It results in this feeling of not really knowing Ruby well or making her seem like an underbaked character because we have such little direct insight into her thoughts and feelings in comparison to Aqua or even Kana and Akane.

Spinning off from that point, the way Ruby is treated in the series more specifically is a huge issue. Up until the start of the Tokyo Blade arc, Ruby was actually one of my favourite characters and I think she was a really great contrasting point to Aqua in the story's themes. While Aqua drags people along through manipulation, Ruby's genuine kindness, enthusiasm and love makes her a bit of a guiding star for everyone else in her orbit. She isn't necessarily the deepest or most complex character at that point but like... I don't think she needed to be? Sort of similar to Memcho, I think Ruby in that first stretch of the story has a really fantastic "flat" arc in that while she herself goes through minimal development, the strength of her character inspires positive changes in the people around her. That's great!

It also just unfortunately completely falls off during Tokyo Blade. She vanishes during this arc more or less completely and even though B-Komachi are the focus of the following arc and we get time with black hoshigan Ruby... that's it! Black hoshigan Ruby gets literally one entire arc to herself to shine and do anything meaningful to the story (the Mainstay arc) and even though she's supposedly even more in the revenge sauce than Aqua at this point... she doesn't do anything! Her scheming literally does not impact the revenge plot at all! It's fucking AKANE who finally uncovers the father's identity and passes this info to Aqua and literally nothing Ruby does contributes at all to the scheme before Aqua gets back into the driver's seat.

And I'm gonna be honest: I really hate how Ruby has been handled since the mutual past life reveal! I hate that an arc that was setting up to be about Ruby untangling her long held maternal trauma got thrown aside in favour of incest bait and I absolutely despise the way the story since then retconned and diminished the importance of Ruby's connection to her mother in favour of framing Gorou/Aqua as her sole important person. This is made ten times worse by the fact that the only insight we've gotten into any of her feelings about this change is her going "omg Sensei squee" in a way that is clearly comedically exaggerated. In general, the story feels like it has a really major lack of respect for Ruby's feelings unless they can be voyeuristically oogled at and mined for sympathy points. This shit sucks!! Justice for Ruby!!!!

Ruby isn't the only character who, imo, suffers this issue of revolving around Aqua to the detriment of her own arc. I've talked in a lengthy post before about my issues with the way Akane has been written post LoveNow and while I am not going to reiterate everything in that massive post (this one has already taken so long oh god forgive me anon) it does give me an opportunity to segue into one of the other major issues with the story, which is its weird reluctance to commit to the effects of big status quo changes.

In Akane's case, this is visible both in way her suicide attempt is just completely swept under the rug and never addressed again without any focus whatsoever on Akane's healing process and the total absence of the persistent online negativity we were promised even in places it should be extremely relevant. The one time Akane ever talks about this is like 50+ chapters later where she vaguely goes "oh, you know how it went with Love Now" in a tone of someone recalling an embarrassing flub and not a harassment campaign so persistent and vitriolic that she almost took her own life.

In general, the story has a bad habit of dropping any hanging plot threads when it moves into a new arc as opposed to tying them off or letting them naturally evolve as time goes by. This results in a story where major upheavals to the status quo and character relationships are *shown* to happen but ultimately do not result in that many meaningful or observable changes within the story, especially ones that might be inconvenient for where the plot is supposed to go. This valuing of convenience over writing that is verisimilitudinous (i'm so fucking sorry) to the previously established characterization and world combined with this tendency of abandoning lingering plot threads rather than resolving them is, imo, why the movie arc feels so weird and all over the place. BUT this post is long enough and wtfever is going on with the movie arc is worthy of its own ramble at some point so I'll cut myself off here.

As for my hopes, I really want us to loop back around to having Ruby address her lingering trauma over Sarina's illness and abandonment. That felt like an arc that was sooooooo long in the making for Ruby and having it just swept off the table is really frustrating. Other than that, I don't have any really big hopes for the future other than just hoping everyone's arcs tie off nicely.

In particular, I hope Aqua's arc has some good resolution... my son has gone through it and I do really just want him to have some happiness at the end of the day. Please let my boy smile, Akasaka!!!

[theladyragnell]

i have my first ever dnd session next week and i’m. nervous-excited! any tips?

Oh, wonderful! I was about to demur and say I'm not an expert and take everything with a grain of salt, and then remembered I've been playing a game most weeks for most of the past decade and played two 1-20 campaigns and am now DMing another. So I guess maybe I do have some right to give advice?

Engage! Truly, this is the biggest piece of advice I can give you. You and your table are telling a story together, and it's a better story the more engaged people are. Be the kind of character who picks up plot threads the DM leaves dangling and chats with NPCs, be the kind of character who asks their party members about themselves, even if your charisma score isn't high. It doesn't take improv skills unless you're playing at a table that's recording a podcast or something, just a willingness to be curious, and it makes a huge difference.

Communicate. With your DM especially, but with your fellow players too. Let them know you're feeling nervous and might be a little shy but that you want to engage! If someone tries to engage you in roleplay, go for it and don't worry if you feel a little silly doing it. If you aren't having fun with an aspect of your character ("whoops, I should have taken a different rogue subclass") or the game ("heyyy, I didn't realize that killing wolves and elk would bother me so much, is there a plan to fight more magical monsters I'll feel less guilty about in the future?"), chat with your DM before it gets to be a bigger problem. And hopefully your table has chatted about triggers and systems to make sure you're all safe around that, a lot of tables do these days, but don't be shy about your needs.

Try to go with the tone presented! Hopefully your DM has told you what kind of game you're in, but a lot of table frictions can come when one player is playing Smeef Smeekle, jolly halfling weed dealer whose goal is to get into as much trouble as possible, and everyone else is playing A Team Of Heroes. Or, for that matter, when one person is playing Bluhdborne Pahth'ojenn, world's angstiest rogue, and everyone else is a fantasy k(obold)-pop band that fell into a dungeon (though comedy games do love a straight man, so that's mostly not fun for Bluhdborne).

Give kudos! When the DM or another player does something cool or creative, improvs a line that gives you chills, anything like that, let them know it! Either in the moment quickly, or after the session in some way. It can be a bit of an emotionally intense hobby, and it's nice to check in with your fellow players and tell them how awesome they are.

And last, some Common D&D Good Manners Things: in combat, have some idea of what your action is going to be before your turn comes around (some players make flowcharts, which I have never tried but might be your jam). Know your abilities as much as is realistic, and have descriptions of abilities and spells close to hand so your DM can ask you instead of looking them up. Take notes if you're playing longer than a one-shot, even if it's only a few words, both to keep yourself engaged and to give yourself the assist later when you need to remember whether this shopkeeper likes you or hates you.

Okay, that got very wordy! But really, just jump into the story, communicate with your table, and come at it with curiosity and collaboration, and it's hard to go wrong if your table is on the same page as you.

Enjoy!

[femmefatalevibe]

hi

i am an 18 year old thats just about to graduate

what are some in general tips you have for a person is not/put together?

Hi love! Congrats on entering this new, exciting chapter of life (and legal adulthood). Here are some of my general tips for living a more put-together life: 

Create Bookend Routines: While most people obsess over morning and night routines, I’ve found the most important rituals to be the ones I do right before and after my biggest tasks of the day. So, for you, this probably will be work or school. Consider how you start your day or prime yourself for these activities (if in the afternoon). Set up a couple of habits that can you in the right headspace – a nice cup of coffee and a hearty, healthy meal, listening to some upbeat music, journaling for 5-30 minutes, and creating a to-do list. Then, create a wind-down routine to signal the end of the productive portion of your day (or at least classes or work instead of small homework assignments or a side hobby). I like to take a long walk while listening great playlist to signal the end of my workday. Also, try adding a relaxing shower, another satisfying meal, and doing some shadow work or reading a book afterward to ease into your evening. 

Decide On Your Current Focus Areas In Life: Pick one or two life arenas that you want to truly focus on at the moment and strategize daily to cultivate habits to work towards your goals in the areas. Make sure to maintain the other areas of your life for balance, but forgive yourself if you don’t put 100% of your desired effort into these areas for a season or two of your life. Priorities are essential for achievement, avoiding burnout, and mental stability. 

Give Yourself 1-3 Top Priorities Daily: Complete this one large task or a few smaller to-do list items and errands to feel accomplished daily. This method allows you to do what you need to get done and feel productive without driving yourself crazy about doing everything at once. List out everything you anticipate needing to do the following week on a Sunday. Itemize it by area of life, work or school task, or errand/appointment, and assign it to a day of the week.

Discover Your Simple Pleasures: Whether it’s a favorite coffee, snack, or a ritual like getting your nails done or watching a certain TV show, it’s important to find what activities give you true joy and pleasure. Reward yourself daily with at least one small indulgence – even if it’s just a hot 10-minute shower. These activities will give you the mental stamina to keep going and enjoy your life (which is essential – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!). 

Allow Yourself Time and Space To Discover Your Interests & Passions: Allocate 10-30 minutes a day to learn more about yourself – whether it’s scrolling on social media for inspiration, reading about a topic of interest, or engaging in an energizing activity. Learn what you love. This skill can only help you and allow you to feel fulfilled as life responsibilities continue to pile on over the years. 

Hope this helps xx 

[utilitycaster]

Hello!!! I am new-ish to Dungeons & Dragons and would like to play a cleric. Seeing some of the responses to the gods in campaign 3, I'd really like to avoid some of those same attitudes from the anti-fc anti-god crowd, and just in general try to keep my own feelings on Christianity out of it. Do you have any tips?

So the underlying concepts of this are very difficult to answer, and I’ll talk about why. I also think that, to be totally honest, if you’re playing a character yourself, you will necessarily feel empathy towards them and prioritize their perspective, and in doing so, will not fall into those patterns I described re: FCG. The whole thing with FCG is immensely complicated in that it’s tied up in both very black-and-white anti-religious behavior, but also, on another level, profound resentment towards a character who many people believed earlier on was to be little more than a robot butler in Imogen and Laudna’s dream cottage, but instead ended up having a full character arc of their own.

The question of “how do I engage with cleric if I have complicated and at times negative feelings about religion” is a good one, but also, a very broad one, and I don't know if I'm the best person to answer because while I do have complicated and at times negative feelings about religion, I think this is very personal and situational depending on your specific issues and my experience may not apply. I’ve put some thoughts on how you can, well, interrogate that thought process below the cut. On a practical level, some starting points; feel free to ask me if you have more specific questions since this is necessarily very general.

The first thing to do is talk with your DM. If they have a world in mind, with gods and means of worship, that may inform you. It might be that your DM wants to show a world in which the gods or religious institutions are ill-intentioned or harmful (see: gods in The Silt Verses, The Trust in Midst, the Orzhov Syndicate in the Ravnica setting) and playing a cleric who either is perpetuating that harm, or who is themselves conflicted, would be totally reasonable for the story! The three works I mention above all have churches that are heavily tied into government and economy and are incredibly exploitative (as religious institutions can be in real life!) but also explore why someone with good intentions might be drawn to those institutions nonetheless. It’s your table. My thoughts on Critical Role don’t necessarily apply.

If you do want to play a character engaging with religion in good faith (pun unintended), then my advice is really just normal character creation advice. Why does your character find religion meaningful? Are they part of a larger institutionalized tradition, or are they practicing independently? If the source of their powers is a god, how did they find this god, or did their god find them? How do they feel about their god? If the source of the powers is conceptual, how did they come to worship this concept? Again, go back to your DM: how do they see the gods in this world? What is their role?

The even more general stuff below the cut:

The biggest ways to avoid falling into the hateful pitfalls I’ve talked about is to recognize that not all religion is the one in which you were raised (which you’ve done, which is, frankly, more than a lot of people do!), and that your personal experience is valid but not universal, and that for many people, including many Christians, religious expression is often heavily tied into their cultural heritage, sometimes in complicated ways. This is easy to talk about in relation to Judaism and Islam and indigenous spiritual practices, but I think it is also important to realize that, for example, the majority of African Americans descended from enslaved people are Christian and this is incredibly important to them culturally, even though the reason they’re Christian is due to it being forced upon their ancestors. This is also true about Catholicism among many people from countries formerly colonized by Catholic powers: since we’re talking about Sam’s character, it’s worth noting that, it was important for his wife, who is Vietnamese, that he convert to Catholicism, even though Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam via colonialism. (If you are yourself a nonwhite former Christian then apologies for explaining it; the attitudes towards religion I’ve found particularly difficult this campaign have primarily come from white Americans who were raised in a strict right-wing Christian background.)

Basically: religion is like politics: it’s a neutral system that exists, like or not. There’s ways to abuse power and use it in terrible ways; there's also ways to use it to help people. On its own, it is a concept without context. Or more bluntly, as a Jewish person, whether it’s the Spanish Inquisition forcing Catholicism, or the Soviet Union forcing non-religion, the result to Jewish people under this control was similar: assimilate or die.

Within Critical Role, we’ve seen religion as the oppressor (Hearthdell) and the oppressed (Schuester family). Destroying a temple can draw comparisons to tearing down the chapel of a residential school; but it can also draw comparisons to the Selma church bombings. Framing and context is absolutely everything.