#aka the technical second half of this <3

[alexguard]

HEY! Chapter 5 is HERE! It is really long- much longer than I thought, so I had to break it up and put stuff into chapter 6! Especially to get the pacing I wanted! So enjoy >:]

Summary:

After so long the trio were out of the main part of the mall, now they just needed to find their way out of the parking garage. Let's see how that goes, and if they'll be able to handle being outside.

[yonpote]

ok heres how i split up the dnp eras (loosely based on dan's timeline in his interview w anthony)

2009-2011: the Sillies era :3 dan refered to it as being a dumb teen just posting cuz he was bored, which is like, thats what all of youtube culture was at this time. they met and like fell in love or whatever you know the lore dont you. phil moved from his parents home to his first apartment in manchester, and dan technically moved to uni but really he moved into phil's apartment to take advantage of his washing machine and ps1 and. yknow. other stuff. they officially moved in together in 2011 yippee hooray, the phanchester apartment holds a special place in my heart

2012-2013: THE SHIFT. they started getting Serious about youtube as a career, doing more stuff w the radio, superamazingproject started in 2011 but THE SHIFT is very easy to observe when you compare the first season of sap to the last season. ALSO. they were NOT A DOUBLE ACT AND NOT GAY 🙄. it could also be called the No Homo era lmao idk this is when a lot of shitty things were happening wrt leaked information, harassment of their families, and just generally becoming more in the spotlight especially while still in the closet being a horrible experience. but also, they moved to london and got cool opportunities with radio stuff and were starting to actually make a living on this shit.

2014-2016: Peak Dan And Phil™ Era. at the height of their popularity. they realized oh shit, we ARE a double act and not only does everyone enjoy us best as a double act, WE enjoy working together. tabinof, tatinof, dapgo, still doing the radio every month up until they start touring, 7 second challenge app, gamingmas, what the hell DIDNT they do during this time period (what they didnt do was uhh take care of themselves and not overwork and not blur their work and personal lives so much to the point where they felt like the whole apartment was a film set.)

2017-2018: Gay Softlaunch Era (aka post-baking aka glass closet) the baby steps toward authenticity, moved to the double apartment to separate work and life, ii's whole theme, dan talking abt depression, phil getting the quiff, both of them being gay as hell in every way other than saying it explicitly. important things of note: TRUTH BOMBS dropped, Interactive Introverts happened, still uploading gaming vids and honestly by the end you could feel their fatigue. and then they hiatused dapg.

2019-2022: ok these four years each feel like whole eras in themselves, but also theres an overarching theme. THE GAY ERA.

2019: im gonna futher split this year in half. first half- dad left to buy milk so other dad is taking care of us. rough six months for dannies im sure. important phil thing of note- he changed his film set from his "bedroom" to a fairly basic but cute shelf backdrop. honestly prob didnt wanna keep pretending that was his bedroom considering.... second half- DAN AND PHIL GAY. dan uploads his magnum opus. phil comes out via tweet. they go to japan and its really gay and it's The Trip to japan for them like yes they first went in 2015 and again in 2023, but Japhan 2.0 Was The One. what does this mean? proposal? anniversary? idk exactly but it was gay as hell dude and theyve talked about that trip with such love in their hearts.

2020: Phandemic (sorry that was bad) but also where tf is dan again? even with the big C-word happening, it was business as usual for phil, regular vids but make em gayer, caught a pigeon nbd, and end of the year introduces the Stereo app show Phil and Phriends where he's had chats with pj, louise, his brother, seth everman?????, and finally. dan reappears. they reveal that they bought and FULLY PLANNED a house together and are ready to move!

2021: they don't move house for another like six months! basically their house was (and is??) still being worked on AND they were in lockdown AND turns out at the end of last year, they were kicked from their Life apartment and were now living in the Work apartment so you can imagine what all of this can do to their psyche and lowkey they were getting sick of each other like it wasnt just bordering on phivorce it was nearly Phurder. Phidow. but to fill the time so that DOESNT happen, my favorite fucking thing ever happens: Lockdown Lads (and all the other names). the first taste of what a dnp podcast would sound like, with the added bonus of chaotic listener interaction. oh yeah also dan wrote a mental health guide book whatever (IM KIDDING I REALLY LIKE YWGTTN I WROTE LIKE TWO REVIEWS ON IT NOW) and they finally become Homosexual Homeowners. theres quite a bit more dnp content this year, dan being on phils channel a bit more, the phodcasts, dan's gay and not proud special.... oh yeah and hometown showdown i guess AND TEXT VIDEO 2!!! my favorite and my namesake!!!!!!!

2022: Prophecy Year..... but they didnt get married. dan returns with another longass video to say: hey i hate being a youtuber and also youtube majorly fucked me over. but also fuck that im gonna do a weird talk show and ALSO GO ON TOUR WITH THIS APOCALYPSE THEME! phil actually... slows down this year. more dan uploads than phil somehow??? but also Dan Is Leaving me is posted and i go completely insane and become the deranged individual you see today. WHICH FINALLY LEADS US TOOOOOO

2023-present: The Unhinged Era. dan's tour was a huge Emotional success for him but uh not without its hiccups due to management and all that and i think he and phil finally realize. Fuck It Who Cares. dan flies back to england FROM AUSTRALIA to make sure he can be with his future ex-husband on his birthday. CAKE HEART EMOJI. YELLOW PLAID SHACKET. they go on a gamer date and post a picture of playing footsies in a cab. THE PHUDE HAPPENS. they go to japan again and while this one will never be The One it was still a well earned holiday this time with bryony! and they took a bunch of very cute film camera pictures.... THIS IS ALL JUST THE FIRST HALF OF 2023 BTW. in phil news, he talks about going to therapy and figuring out how to manage his anxiety!!!! he changes his hair again!! he hires an editor, phan is his otp, he teases about the gaming channel a couple of times but so many of us already dropped any hope of that returning- OH WAIT WHAT THE FUCK?!!!? HUH!??!? they returned, and more chaotic than ever before. the gayness upped to the max, the Weirdness on full speed, the Horniness at Very Scary Levels Oh God Stop Talking About Dogging, phil can swear uncensored now???? and this energy has continued into today...

[aroaceleovaldez]

another thing with the first series Great Prophecy I think about a lot - “A half-blood of the eldest gods” could be interpreted so many different ways, and actually “A child of the Big 3″ doesn’t make any sense even in the contexts of the series.

To begin with, “A half-blood of” could mean a direct child, a legacy, or even just a chosen hero. As long as they’re presumably a demigod. We’re presuming half-blood means demigod here but honestly even that could be a vague point. “A half-blood of” does not specify direct descendant.

Then, if we’re saying “the eldest gods,” presuming “Gods” meaning the Olympians specifically, is the children of Kronos, then that means any demigod of any of the children of Kronos should count. Which means that Demeter should have been part of the oath too! But she wasn’t and her children weren’t even considered for the prophecy! And neither was there any consideration for adopted children or chosen heroes of Hera or Hestia! Heck, by that logic, Jason is like, potential prophecy kid squared (son of Jupiter and adopted by Hera/Juno - half-blood of two eldest gods! Plus he was turning 15 the year the Second Titanomachy ended. If Percy ended up not being the one to turn 16 then Jason would have been next. (Or well if we want to get technical Frank would have been next, as a descendant of Poseidon, but then Jason.)

But the thing is, even among the Olympians, the children of Kronos aren’t necessarily the oldest gods. Aphrodite is potentially older, depending on how you frame the timeline and her origin story (which in this case is relatively vague in the PJO universe - we don’t know if PJO Aphrodite is older or younger than Kronos’ children). So if Aphrodite is older than Kronos’ children, her children/descendants/chosen heroes could also potentially be children of the prophecy.

And it doesn’t stop there. Because it’s not specified that “gods” here is specifically restricted to the Olympians. “the eldest gods” could mean gods older than the Olympians, of which there are plenty. I mean, primordial gods? Gods of specific concepts? and that’s just the tip of the iceberg and isn’t even getting into defining “god” and if we’re counting like, the Titans or not (because sometimes they are counted! And sometimes they do have demigod children! Hello Dryas of Calydon, occasional son of Iapetus [aka Bob The Titan]).

And that’s all specifically mythological. If we’re talking historically eldest gods, then that’s a whole different ballpark. To begin with, A CHILD OF HADES THEORETICALLY DOES NOT EVEN QUALIFY TO BE THE CHILD OF THE PROPHECY! That’s right! If we’re going strictly historically eldest gods, then Hades even being part of the oath was completely moot because his children could not be the children of the prophecy! Because as far as we know, Hades does not predate the Greek dark ages! So Percy claiming the prophecy to prevent it from falling to Nico was potentially pointless! Percy on the other hand is then a very strong candidate for the prophecy, because it’s heavily implied his dad is specifically Mycenean Poseidon (”Earthshaker”), who does predate the Greek dark ages. But you know who’s potentially even older? HERMES. Which means Luke could be doubly the child of the prophecy for all we know! Cause the prophecy also does not specify that the child of the prophecy turning 16 is when the prophecy ends, just that they’ll reach 16 against all odds. Heck, if Luke’s first quest was when he was 16, then we can interpret that as when the prophecy begins and that it’s all his prophecy.

[sideblogforweirdshit]

Whump Reference Post for Fingernail Removal Torture

 Hi whump writers of Tumblr! I recently made a little introduction post in which I said I’d be making reference posts. This is one I already had typed up, because for some reason this was the first thing I thought of.

There are no images attached, but I’m putting the rest of the post under a readmore since the majority of the content is semi-graphic written description of the how-to’s and wherefore’s and such of fingernail removal torture.

To be clear: I will be going into as much depth as I possibly can without using images. The content of this post will be purely academic. There will be no artistic liberties taken. This post is meant to be as accurate to (and descriptive of) a real-life situation as possible.

I hope some part of this post eventually winds up being a helpful resource for someone!

1) Not as painful as it’s made out to be

-It's painful, but definitely not to the extent it’s shown in movies or whatnot. A lot of the "pain" comes from the shock factor of seeing your body without something it’s always had, as well as the inherent "wrongness" that comes with experiencing a part of your body being removed.

2) There is very very thin film of skin between the fingernail and the finger.

-If one is careful in removing the fingernail by peeling it back slowly, one can preserve this thin piece of skin. -If one pulls the fingernail back quickly and without taking care, this thin film will rip, and the nail will pull away with bits of flesh attached.

3) The flesh under the nail will be vertically striated.

-If one uses the peel-back method, and is careful to not let the thin film of skin between the nail and the flesh rip, the skin/flesh underneath the nail will be as visibly striated as the fingernail itself. If you look closely at your fingernail right now, you’ll see that there are many tiny grooves from the tip of your nail to the base. This is true for all human fingernails. If the nail is peeled back with sufficient care, those striations will be echoed on the skin underneath the nail.

4) The  “peel entirely off” method versus the  "peel back and then stop" method versus the "pull out entirely" method.

-The “peel entirely off” method is how I will refer to the method of grasping firmly the tip of the fingernail in some sort of vice (usually pliers) and then peeling it backwards, moving the pliers from the nail at the tip of the finger towards the hand itself. Using this method, the nail will remain firmly grasped in the pliers the entire time. The movement of the pliers only stops when the base of the nail is ripped entirely out of the finger. This will necessarily result in ripping out a fair bit of skin past the cuticles, as the technical base of the nail (aka “nail matrix”) is generally around half a centimeter hand-wards past the cuticles (and follows the curve of the nail, so is deeper than the cuticles as well). Due to the nature of skin, I would expect a tear reminiscent of an extremely deep hangnail that goes from the base of the cuticles to at least halfway between the first and second knuckle (and at most goes to the second knuckle). In this case, it is not guaranteed that the nail will grow back. There is a chance it’ll come back, but there is also a chance that the nail matrix is permanently damaged and will not be able to grow a new nail. Since every human is different, there’s not an exact science to determining where a person’s nail matrix is before it’s ripped out. A (very) general rule of thumb is to follow the curve of the existing fingernail, and draw a point on that curve before it hits bone. Obviously, this is extremely subjective.

-The “peel back and then stop” method is how I will refer to what is essentially the previous method, but one stops before the nail-ripping goes past the cuticle and snips off the peeled part, leaving a milimeter or so of fingernail existing on the nailbed. In this case, it is assured that the nail matrix is undisturbed, and the fingernail will grow back. This is the method I will assume is taken for the future steps

-The “pull out entirely” method is how I will refer to the situation where one grasps the protruding part of the nail firmly, and applies force away from the hand and in the direction the finger points. In this case, there’s a large chance that the nail will rip. This depends largely on the care taken with the pulling object (pliers, usually) to grab the nail exactly parallel with the sides of the pliers. If any part of the pliers digs into the nail at a singular location, this will create a point at which pressure will build up, and the nail will likely rip at this location. The strength of the individual’s nails also affects the ripping. The individual’s nail strength can vary based on nourishment as well as on a general person-to-person basis. Personally, I do not recommend this method.

-If one wants to make the removal definitely permanent, there’s the possibility of peeling it back all the way down and out, and then chemically burning where one assumes the nail matrix is. (Some serious irl hikers do this to their toenails on purpose, to reduce the chances of getting ingrown toenails from being laced into hiking boots for days on end.) Removing the nail permanently will obviously reduce the opportunity to peel it off again, but will give a permanent Horrific Aspect to the victim.

5) For the first three days, the exposed flesh will be painful.

-The entire tip of the finger will be a constant deep and throbbing pain. Any deviation from this norm will be an increase in pain, never a decrease (save medication or an ice-bath-for-full-minutes immersion to the point of numbness).

-Any contact with the exposed nailbed will increase the pain. Knocking the exposed flesh against anything, even extremely gently, will result in a visible bright red welt under the thin layer of skin (bright red on light skin only! on darker skin, the welt will still be visible, but will show as a dark red-brown). It is a visual similar to an extremely tiny, non-protruding blood blister. Knocking the nailbed against something less gently will result in fully scraping off that delicate outer layer of skin.

-Using the finger for anything will be painful (though not unbearably so), and it may even be painful to bend the finger at all.

-Any moisture on the exposed flesh (including anything from regular water to antibiotic ointment) will hurt a lot. This will intensify the throbbing at least twofold across the entire nailbed, and will also result in an amount of stinging as if one had just realized one had been stung by a bee.

6) For treatment and healing thereof (if quick healing is desired)

For those first three days, any bandaid application is inadvisable -The exposed flesh will be so tender and vulnerable that any bandaid (even the non-stick kind) will stick to the exposed flesh and rip it upon removal. I can only assume this is in part due to the curvature of the finger, which means that any wrapping-around type bandaid will inherently put pressure on the nailbed, resulting in sticking.

-To promote healing, the first three days should be without any sort of covering on the wound.

After the first three days, a scab will form. -At this point, the pain will be much less. it might be uncomfortable to bump the nailbed into objects, but it will not be the same pain as in the first three days.

-The wound will also be much less sensitive to moisture.

-When the scab starts to crack (usually a vertical crack), one should apply antibiotic ointment and a bandaid. At this point in the proess, it is desired for the scab to remain as consistently moist as possibly. This will help the scab fall off when it is ready to do so.

-At this point, the finger can be used normally (within reason) without much (if any) pain.

After two or three days with the bandaid covering, the scab will start to fall off.

-One may expedite this process if one is careful.

-At this point, the skin on the nailbed is sensitive to the touch, but not to the point of pain.

-There will be some dry, loose skin around the edges of the nailbed.

-The previously visible striation will no longer be there.

-Pressure on the exposed nailbed will not be necessarily painful, but it will feel decidedly Odd. Though not painful, It will be an extremely sensitive area.

-The nailbed will be a delicate pinkish color.

Around a week after the initial scab falls off, there will appear to be another scab. It will be a relatively thin layer of dry, dead skin.

-If the nail is allowed to grow normally, it is likely that it will cover this second scab before it has the chance to fall off.

-If the stub of the fingernail is trimmed routinely, it is possible for the scab to fall off, leaving only relatively smooth unblemished skin where the nailbed is. This skin will be roughly the same color and texture as the skin on the tip of the finger. 

7) The rate at which fingernails grow back is extremely slow

-The average growth rate is about 3.5 milimeters per month. There are several factors that can cause this to vary:

-Fingernails on the dominant hand grow back faster than the nails on the non-dominant hand.

-Fingernails grow back faster than toenails.

-Nails grow back faster in warm weather than in cold weather.

-Depending on the nail and the aforementioned conditions, one can expect a total regrowth time of anywhere from three to six months (or more).

8) Life Without Fingernails

-Fingernails affect a large part of our everyday lives. We mostly use them when we’re manipulating objects with our hands, and we use them to scratch. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a lot. It’s hard to explain just how weird it is to not have fingernails to someone who’s never experienced it, but here goes:

-Fingernails are the Hard Backs used to brace our fingers against a hard shell when we manipulate something with our hands. If you pinch your fingers together right now, you’ll see a white band along the top of your fingernail. This is where the pressure from the pinching goes; it’s braced against your nail.

-Picking something up without fingernails feels extremely odd the first few hundred times you do it. It takes a long time to get used to it.

-Writing is even worse. Without the hard shell backing your fingers, the pencil tends to slip out of your grip more often. If you usually have long enough fingernails that you balance your pen/pencil on them, you’re extremely likely to have the pencil completely slip out of your grip multiple times a sentence.

-You don’t realize how much you unconsciously scratch itchy parts of your body until you no longer have the ability to do so. If you’re only missing a few nails, you have to consciously adjust your hand so that you can scratch with the existing ones. If you’re missing all of them, you have to actively find an external object to alleviate the itch.

Some places on the body one can scratch with their teeth, but for most places, one needs to either find an “itch stick,” or rub that part of their body on something scratchy. A lot of clothing is scratchy enough to work for this. One needs to learn how to vary the pressure so that one can alleviate the itch without tearing through the skin or scratching themselves.

Pros:

-Body horror

Fingernail removal is a more mentally significant mutilation than cuts or burns, if only because it draws on the "that was there and now it's not" aspect of body horror.

-Can be inflicted more than once

Since fingernails grow back, they can be removed again and again and again. Though it may take some time for the nails to regrow, it isn't even close to the type of permanent that’s chopping off a finger or a toe.

-Helplessness

Since it takes a few days for the nailbeds to heal enough to be able to use one's fingers, a complete removal of all fingernails will take away one's ability to use their hands. Even after this initial period of extreme sensitivity, the lack of fingernails is something most people aren’t prepared for. The previous section explaining how fingernails affect daily life is significant here.

 Cons:

-Can’t repeat often.

Once a fingernail is off, it's not coming back for at least three months (likely longer). It doesn't have the relatively quick reset time that burns or cuts do.

-Relatively short amount of time in pain

All of the pain is in the first few days. It is inconvenient afterwards, but there is little to no pain at this time.

-Amount of care needed

One needs to be relatively careful inflicting this. Fingernails are not as resilient as you'd think, and the likelihood of them ripping before you can finish ripping them off is fairly large if you're not being careful.

If you have a short-tempered or impatient whumper, this might not be their particular wheelhouse.

 Conclusion

Overall, I’d say that the effectiveness depends entirely on the desired result. The time it takes for the fingernails to regrow versus the amount of time in which the subject is in pain is not a very productive ratio, so if you’d want your whumper doing a particular torture regularly, I wouldn’t recommend this.

However, if the whumper’s goal is to appeal to the body horror aspect without permanent damage, this is a great option. The fact that it takes nails so long to regrow gives the victim a sense of horrified freakishness. It also has the added benefit of reducing the victim’s maneuverability far after the fact.

The semi-visible nature of this method of torture can be effective if one wishes to horrify characters outside the whumper/whumpee relationship. You don’t immediately look at other people’s hands when you meet them, and as such it might take a while for outside characters to notice the lack of fingernails (especially if they’re past the three day mark). But once they notice, it will be hard to look away.

[shares-a-vest]

WIP Weekend

I was tagged by the wonderfully talented @momotonescreaming and @sunflowerharrington last weekend. Thank you both so much for the tags 💖

Rules

In a reblog (or new post w/ rules attached), post up to five (5) file names of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to post!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can’t share from (for example, an event fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. If you tag me in your post, I will send you an ask request!

Wips

Would-Be Mayor Harrington (Aka, Steve's Mom's POV for those who know. Technically I just need to edit, so I think I'll edit a section and then post a snippet)

Summer Exchange (i won't be able to share snippets, but you are more than welcome to affectionately yell at me to finish it)

Steddie Week 2024

June Writing

Snippet from 'Would-Be Mayor Harrington'

Steve looks up, blinking slowly like his condition has left him on a time delay and attempts to straighten up in his seat using only his free hand. He whines at the movement, his arm shaking under his weight and he dips his head, slumping back in defeat. His hair matted and greasy too, caked with some dust towards the crown of his head, which to Marianne looks to be the only thing that could possibly resemble getting caught up in a fire. She frowns, preparing herself for the lies and half-truths that will surely spill from his son’s wounded mouth the second she sits down. But then Steve audibly gulps and looks up at her with glassy eyes. “Mom?” he sighs, his voice shaking. Steve screws his eyes shut, a tear or two escaping as his bottom lip begins to quiver uncontrollably. “I’m here, sweetheart,” Marianne offers, rushing to lower onto the seat beside him. She takes the ice pack by carefully prying it from Steve’s tight grasp, the condensation dripping down the leg of her pyjama pants. The thing is useless and God knows how long ago Steve was offered it, Marianne thinks as she scoots a little closer to her son and places the offending item on the next chair over. “Where were you?” Steve grumbles, leaning (or more, falling) against her shoulder, “Why didn’t you go to the mall?” Marianne’s heart breaks at his tone and she loops an arm around his middle before kissing him on the top of his head. Regardless of whatever has happened, he still smells of ice cream cones.

Tagging: @devondespresso @sidekick-hero @hbyrde36 @penny00dreadful @eyesofshinigami

(+ anyone seeing this and would like to work on their wips)

[january-summers]

Excuse me it's 2:30am and I have to be up for a visit to the farmer's market in... not long and instead of sleeping I have Agent Washington on the brain again. So, um, don't mind the ramble?

I have a competency kink. I need you all to know this so you understand how it colours my perceptions of Wash. I need for him to be extremely competent, even if he's being a dork, I need for him to be able to flip that mental switch and be ready and capable of fucking shit up.

anyway, on a completely related note I have a conspiracy theory (secret headcanon) that Wash was fudging his own numbers in real time in order to maintain 6th place on the leader board, because it keeps in on the board without putting him in 'disputed territory.' (aka the ranks everyone is gunning for.)

This is based solely on the fact that of the 5 times we see the board, he's in 6th place 3 times, and 5th place twice. one of those times is when York is in 6th with his freshly messed up eye.

This is spawned by nothing but my competency kink, and the fact that 6th place is an odd place to average/maintain. Like. sure. maybe it's a coincidence, maybe he's just always 6th/5th best on the team, but you have to admit it's a little odd that there isn't more variance when everyone else has much more of a jumble. Apart from Carolina, who only loses her 1st place spot when Texas shows up, only York and North are also on the board every time we see it, and both of them drop to 6th place at least once.

I just. I really like the idea that Wash has less interest in pissing matches with the others because he's high ranked enough for what he wants/needs out of PFL, but also the idea that he understands how the ranking system works in a way the others don't and he's aware enough of his team to estimate their scores and adjust his own performance accordingly on the fly during missions, without endangering said missions.

Is it likely? No, it's probably just a coincidence, but it's fun.

and it also lets me have PFL AUs in which Wash gets to accidentally piss off the other top ten members when Director assigns Wash as team leader for an emergency "oh shit it might be the Flood" mission and Wash gets to pick his team and picks none of the top ten.

Either because there are other Freelancers who are similarly capable as North and York but without the added AI which are too valuable to risk, or less likely to screw up the mission by being competitive like South and Carolina are inclined to.

And the others just don't have the skill-sets he wants, or the compatibility with the Freelancers he needs, to ensure mission success.

or like

based on what little maths we have for sure, Washington may not have finished highschool before joining the UNSC, or he might have joined right after graduation.

And just. imagine him realising he's lacking in certain points of knowledge after he accidentally endangers his team because his army training didn't include a specific technical expertise, so he started doing UNSC approved distance ed in his limited down time, half teaching himself a hell of a lot of things.

So when he gets to PFL, he does the same thing, he looks over the science notes, and he might not have a degree, but he makes sure he understands enough to know the limits of his team mates, their capabilities, their potentials, understands what the equipment is capable of.

and then there's a mission and someone's helmet is cracked, maybe a big hole from a weapon in the side, and they're fine, but the helmet is breached, and actually they're not fine because there's a few new holes in Niner's ship and they are venting atmosphere and the breached helmet cannot keep up, so Wash asks Niner to 'do a thing' that will give them stable atmosphere for a few seconds, asks for some of the other's super power units (in my head it's York's healing unit and North shield) and then tells the broken helmet team mate he can fix their helmet but they need to release the seals for a moment, as soon as Niner 'does the thing.'

and they trust Wash, so they take off their helmet and then everyone freaks out because instead of fixing the helmet Wash takes his off and puts it on his team mate and gets back in his seat and apparently takes a nap.

except no, because he's running at least 2 power units while the ships atmosphere vents because either he can handle it, or epsilon didn't self destruct and he can handle it. (basically using the shield, healing unit, and wash's emp unit to create a more bio-electric field around wash that's not really a shield but acts enough like a shield to protect him from the vacuum of space that's trying to be inside the ship.)

and like, I honestly believe his default personality is friendly and kinda dorky and sociable, but I also am constant running "he's a secret (and not so secret) badass" at all times

and I am not normal about him. and I don't know how this happened.

but for every cool and somewhat normal and sensible plot bunny I share involving Wash, there's more, far more unhinged bunnies lurking in the shadows.

I should go to bed, I passed good decision making. good night. I'll decide if i'm sorry about all this after I wake up. good night.

[comicaurora]

Do you know of any other good cartoons, especially if they don't end on a cliffhanger?

Is it my birthday already?

ReBoot (s1-3)

You've already all heard my pitch for this, but TLDR it's set inside a computer, the heroes defend the integrity of their home system by battling viruses, playing games and defeating The User, a godlike being outside their comprehension (aka us). Evolves from episodic pop-culture referential humor into an incredibly immersive and fraught character drama unpacking the nature of heroism, family, growing up and losing who you used to be vs growing up and not losing yourself, and what it means to become a monster to defeat a monster. A series technically canceled that ends on the mother of all cliffhangers, but the season that was canceled was the bonus season they weren't expecting to get anyway, and also it sucks. Watch the first three seasons instead, they form a cohesive overarching narrative and end incredibly satisfyingly.

Batman Beyond

50 years after Batman: The Animated Series, hooligan with a heart of gold Terry McGinnis becomes the new Batman, quippier, capeless and a bit more irresponsible than the old one, guided by an old and reluctantly retired Bruce Wayne. Basically "what if Batman were Spider-Man", but somehow really good. Like most DC cartoons from that era, ends with a loose "and the adventure continues" vibe. Highly episodic, a couple two-parters sprinkled in there for flavor. Also has a few follow-up comic series, some of which are even good! As a corollary, the other DC cartoons in this zone are also good - Justice League, Batman: The Animated Series, etc.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

The best version of The Avengers. A team of colorful superheroes slowly assemble over the course of the first half of the first season, fighting a very large rogue's gallery and occasionally each other. Contains the best version of Thor ever written and an astoundingly good portrayal of Captain America, but the entire core cast are well-written and have solid interpersonal dynamics - half the fun of each episode is just seeing what unique friendships every random subset of The Avengers have with each other. Having recently rewatched some of it I can say I actually think the first season is the best it gets, and the second season struggles in places - a few episodes become full-on idiot plots to facilitate certain plotlines (Hulk vs Red Hulk being the worst offender) but the second season has a nice conclusive finale and a few bright spots of characterization. Captain America's writing is rock-solid all the way through, which it needs to be to make the Secret Invasion plotline work. The first season is incredibly good.

Transformers: Prime

Robots in disguise etc etc, a crack team of autobots live in hiding on Earth fighting decepticons and occasionally ferrying their three human friends to school. Good team dynamics, a fantastic portrayal of Optimus Prime as a rock-solid paragon hero, a team dad and a millennia-old warrior of incredible skill who is very, very tired. Great versions of Megatron and Starscream, lots of other fun secondary characters. Three seasons, portrays a very slow war very well - ground is gained and lost from episode to episode, big battles feature every single asset the heroes have managed to scrape together in previous arcs, etc. Also portrays how fucking terrifying it would be to be a squishy human child underfoot during a giant robot fight. Dwayne The Rock Johnson is in the first five minutes of the show until he gets killed for being too expensive. The 3D animation takes a little getting used to, and I say that as someone who genuinely likes how ReBoot looks.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

preaching to the choir with this one here on tumblr.hell, but this show slaps. A reboot of the 80s cartoon, but the kind of reboot that's basically the story someone would make up when playing with the original's officially licensed action figures. Loyal horde soldier Adora learns to her shock that she's actually on the bad guy side (and also can transform into a magical warrior with a fancy sword) and immediately defects to team good guy, which is seen as the ultimate betrayal by her best friend/repressed childhood crush Catra, who doubles down on the bad-guy thing super hard for four seasons. Characters written with a surprising amount of emotional depth who often react to things more realistically than one might expect - frustration, lingering anger, calling people out for mistreating them, etc. Shouldn't be a high bar, and yet so many shows just use characters as emotionless props incapable of advocating for themselves ever.

Castlevania

Dracula's wife is killed by the church and he sets out to exterminate all of humanity in retribution. He's opposed by three heroes of varying levels of heroism - his half-vampire son Alucard, the speaker magician Sypha, and Trevor Belmont, last son of the family of monster-hunters who dedicated their entire existence to fighting Dracula. Animation is absolutely gorgeous but very not kid-friendly. Ends on a completely satisfying and happy note, which is shocking considering the tone of the show leading up to it.

Hilda

A very, very cozy and adorable urban fantasy slice-of-life story about Hilda, a little girl from the wilderness who moves to the big city with her mother after their house is accidentally crushed by a giant. Features a lot of scandinavian folklore. Got two seasons and a movie that wraps everything up pretty solidly. Absolutely incredible aesthetic with occasional moments of abject horror, just how I like it.

Dishonorable mentions, aka shows I watched but can't 100% recommend because of Grievances I Will Enumerate:

Centaurworld

A warhorse from a war-torn world falls through a portal and gets isekai'd into a brightly-colored magical bubblegum dimension where everyone is a boggle-eyed magical centaur. First season has incredible musical numbers, like broadway level stuff, and it's got some appealing nightmare fuel, but the problem I keep running into is the silly elements are so over-the-top that they undercut the serious parts in a big way. Also, the appeal of a cohesive found family narrative is pretty seriously undercut when the entire found family is composed of joke characters that don't experience plausible emotional investment in their circumstances and don't act like people. The thing is, this isn't a mistake, this is very deliberate on the part of the show and it's doing what it's doing incredibly intentionally - I just don't think I like it.

Dota: Dragon's Blood

A dragon-slaying warrior gets whammied with a dragon curse that sometimes turns him into a monster, and also about a million other things happen. Not finished yet, so I can't guarantee it won't end on a cliffhanger. Based on a game series I'm unfamiliar with, and unfortunately, unlike Arcane (which I would whole-heartedly recommend, it just currently left off on a cliffhanger) it doesn't really seem to know how to stand on its own without the game lore. It jumps around a lot between a huge number of characters, and a lot of the time it's not clear why we're watching what we're watching. I do like the parts of it I've seen! I just haven't been able to stick with it because it feels so scattered.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

An anime based in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077, which is in turn basically just Shadowrun with none of the interesting fantasy elements. A gritty and unpleasant universe where everyone is a jerk, everyone is very narratively disposable and only bad things happen. Seems to have nothing an audience is supposed to get invested in - it gives us a colorful squad of found-family types but covers the entire friend-making in a dialogue-free montage and then kills all of them in like two episodes, it gives us a romance but undercuts it with a timeskip covering the actual getting-together part, it seems to have a theme about how believing you're special is bad but it also demonstrates at several points that the hero actually is kinda special, it has an extremely solid anticapitalist theme but because it's a cyberpunk dystopia nightmare there's nothing any of the main characters can actually do about any of it, etc. I watched it all in one go and the whole thing slid out of my head right after. Also this is a niche complaint but the use of futuristic cyberpunk slang nonstop in the dialogue might really grate on you. The animation is very nice, though.

Tales of Arcadia (Trollhunters, 3 Below, Wizards)

Urban fantasy series made in large part by Guillermo Del Toro, featuring a whole bunch of characters doing assorted fun things - some chosen by magical artifacts, some alien royalty on the run from a civil war, one the apparently-immortal apprentice of Merlin, etc. I whole-heartedly recommend all three of these shows! I do not recommend the grand finale movie, which feels like it was written by someone who read the script notes for the previous shows and nothing else. Ends with a timeline reset that completely undoes the entire timeline of the series. Because it ends with a retcon, the movie feels comfortable killing characters pointlessly and letting our heroes act totally out of character whenever convenient. A bafflingly terrible ending for a series I otherwise really, really liked.

[tcwmatchmakingau]

the two of us (against the world)

Pairing: Wolffe x f!Reader, Reader insert

Rating: Mature (implications of sexual activity, so minors DNI)

Word Count: 2k

A. N. : aka Boost and Sinker set up the commander, and get clowned on by you and him lmao. as my url suggests, i am a wolffe girlie through and through. i love my grumpy man but my take is that the grumpiness would be a shield for his nerves in this situation. this is my second fic ever! pls let me know what you think <3 i love this au and all the other creators who are submitting their work! props to the team running this blog too!!!

Content Warnings: very mild sexual harassment of clones (for practical joke purposes)

Boost and Sinker were two of the most honourable troopers in the GAR. Except when it came to the personal life of their dear Commander Wolffe.

“BOOST! SINKER! What the hells did you two di’kuts do?”

Snickers echoed in the 104th barracks as Wolffe came storming through the door. As he rounded the corner, Boost and Sinker rose to attention, stifling their laughter.

“Sorry, sir, not sure what this is in reference to.” Boost replied calmly, staring straight ahead.

“What this is in reference to, trooper, is this message outlining the details of my DATE tomorrow evening.” Wolffe shoved his datapad into Boost’s armoured chest.

“Congratulations, sir.” Sinker said, daring to make eye contact with Wolffe.

“We’re very happy for you, commander. The rest of the pack will be glad to hear it too.” Boost added. Wolffe was practically purple in the face.

“Well, thanks for that, troopers. In your excitement, I assume you’ve forgotten that my officer credentials can view the holonet access logs, you absolute shabuirs.” The troopers eyes’ widened as Sinker swatted Boost.

“I told you we should’ve used someone else’s!”

Boost only smirked, “In that case, sir, we may as well come clean. Sinker and I… We submitted an application to a matchmaking service on your behalf, sir.” Wolffe pinched the bridge of his nose with gloved fingers.

“I’m going to put you both on latrine duty for the rest of your kriffing service.”

Boost returned the datapad and tried to reason with his brother, “You can’t back out and disappoint this poor girl, commander! She’s expecting you.” Sinker nodded in agreement.

“I have better things to do with my time than go on dates.” Wolffe enunciated the last word with disgust. Sinker rolled his eyes.

“Come on, sir, we know you have your fun, but the war is ending. It’s time to find someone to enjoy life with.”

Boost’s face lit with excitement. “Yeah! Sinker’s right. We get to do that now! That’s what this whole matchmaking thing is for!”

Wolffe paused, attempting to suspend his anger for a second. The boys had somewhat of a point, as half-baked their attempt at secrecy may have been. Wolffe had earned a reputation for himself as a perennial playboy, always entertaining one-night flings, but never forming more than a physical connection. Begrudgingly, he acknowledged that his brothers had applied for a match on his behalf out of kindness, and not just for entertainment.

“Fine. Whatever I have to do to get you two off my back about this.”

Wolffe’s stomach threatened to betray him, as he sat waiting for his date on the patio of the most renowned Alderaanian restaurant in the upper levels of Coruscant. The day had trickled by, as he meandered through his administrative work in anticipation of the evening’s events. He had only ever experienced one other situation that could be classified as a date via technicality, because his companion had wanted a late-night bite on the way home from making out in a booth in 79s. Lost in the memory of that night, trying to keep it from meshing with so many others, he almost missed when you exited the speeder cab on the platform in front of the restaurant. Almost, but not quite.

You were breath-taking, to put it lightly. Wolffe silently cursed Boost, Sinker, himself, and whatever gods happened to be listening for allowing him to be put in this situation. He braced himself as you walked through the entrance and a waiter escorted you towards him. Wiping his hands down the front of his thighs, he smoothed out his dress greys and stood to greet you.

You blushed as you neared the table, taking in the sight of your date. Wolffe’s mind raced with anxiety: were you intimidated by his cybernetic eye? Had you recognized him? Did you know about his reputation? Perhaps one of his brothers would be better suited for you. Someone less damaged, physically and emotionally.

He tried to shake that thought as you reached the table. He greeted you with your name, as you took your seat across from him.

“Yes. Commander Wolffe, is that right?” You followed with a small, tight-lipped smile.

“Just Wolffe is fine.” He said quickly, if a little gruff.

As you settled at the table, you tried to make polite conversation.

“So… You’re a commander? What’s that been like?”

He froze. He wasn’t used to companions — civilians — inquiring about his work. Frankly, it was a mood killer. Especially when it came to the missions Wolffe had (barely) survived.

“Uh, yes. It’s… demanding.” He decided he would spare you the literal gory details.

You broke eye contact, choosing to focus on the menu in front of you. “Oh, of course.” A beat of silence passed. “You and your brothers are probably excited that the war is winding down?”

Again, this was not what he expected to discuss tonight. He was off his game, trying to keep his typical urges to flirt in check. You weren’t a conquest in the dark booths of 79s, you were a proper date in this proper restaurant. Wolffe figured that tonight warranted a certain level of decorum from him.

“Yes. I- We look forward to it.” Did he? What’s a soldier to do without a war to fight? He furrowed his brow in thought.

“Ah. Glad to hear it.” Another small smile graced your lips. He thought about how lovely they would feel, how soft they would be. You continued to study the menu intently. “Have you eaten Alderaanian food before? This menu is huge, I’m not really sure what I want.”

Kriff. He could count on one hand the number of times he had eaten non-GAR issued meals, let alone in a proper establishment with a menu.

“No, I haven’t.” Wolffe kept his eyes down, trying to make sense of what the menu entailed.

As if the gods above were showing mercy, the waiter approached your table, ready to take your orders. You decided on their chef’s feature, and an Alderaanian wine. Your expression conveyed to the waiter they could be generous with their pour. Wolffe ordered the same dish and a glass of water. He didn’t trust his nerves enough to not be operating at 100% sobriety. Once the waiter departed, he excused himself to the fresher. After a quick self-pep-talk, Wolffe was back to the table.

When he returned, he contemplated how long he had been gone for. The waiter was currently trading glasses with you, handing off what looked like your third glass of wine. He paid it no mind and sat down, neatly tucking his napkin over his lap, as he learned was proper table manners from some video on the holonet. Another waiter approached with your dinners. From what Wolffe could distinguish, it looked like some carved roast meat with a side of vegetables in assorted colours.

The two of you began to each take polite bites of your dishes. After a minute of eating together in silence, you downed a long sip of wine. You cleared your throat, keeping your face expressionless.

“When you were in the fresher, did you have the chance to remove the stick from your ass?”

Wolffe choked on the piece of food in his mouth. Collecting the napkin from his lap to clear his throat, he struggled to regain composure. “What?!”

“You heard me, Wolffe.” You narrowed your eyes, a devilish glint behind them. “Or are you always this much of a grouch?” Snorting, and obviously pleased with your outburst, you returned to your wine glass.

He rubbed the back of his neck, a small flush growing across his face. “I-I’m sorry. I’m usually… Well, I guess I usually am. I’m sorry if I’ve been rude this evening though. I just, I don’t do this. Or rather, I haven’t done this.” He motioned his hand between the two of you.

“Hm. Good to know it’s not just me then.” You took another bite of food. “Um, maybe a silly question, but why sign up for matchmaking if you’re not keen to date?”

“Truthfully, some of my di’kut brothers set me up. Submitted my profile to the matchmaking service. Said I needed to find someone.” He scoffed, picking at his meal.

“Ahhh, I see. So, you’re here on a pity date with me.” His eyes widened as you gave an over-exaggerated pout.

“No! I- I’m not! You- you’re beautiful. Gods, I’m sorry. I’m just -”

“Nervous?” He nodded. You giggled, “Yeah, I can tell, commander.” His title on your lips was heaven. “I’m nervous too. Guess that’s why I needed so much liquid courage.” You gestured to your now empty glass. “So, Wolffe, tell me about these di’kut brothers of yours.” The Mando’a word sounded foreign coming from you, but he relished any chance to hear the sound of your voice.

He smirked. “Boost and Sinker. I’m going to have to find a way to get back at them.”

“Hmm… Interesting.” A mischievous look flashed across your face. “I think I want in on this.”

“Hey, Boost, did you get Wolffe’s comm too?” Sinker called out as he walked into the empty barracks.

“Hello, handsome.” You were posed, still in your dinner clothes, on what Wolffe had indicated was Sinker’s bunk.

“Uhhhh, who are you?” He looked around, finding no one to help him make sense of your presence. “Civvi- Uh, civilians aren’t permitted inside GAR barracks, ma’am.”

“Oh, I think I got turned around. I’m looking for an officer… Wolffe?” You gave Sinker your best ditzy, sympathetic, puppy-eyed pout.

“You- you’re the commander’s date?” Panic raised in his voice.

You proceeded, voice dripping in disappointment and desire, “I don’t know where he went… But it’s been so long since I’ve been satisfied. Are you up to the task, trooper?” Tilting your head, you eyed him up and down.

“Uh-um… I- I, Yes I am, I just, I don’t think we should… Weren’t, weren’t you supposed to be with Commander Wolffe this evening, ma’am?” Sinker sputtered as he tried to avoid looking at you, looking at him, seducing him from his bunk.

“Sinker, who are you talking to in here, vod? Everyone’s down in the mess. What-” Boost stopped in his tracks as he took in the scene before him. “Who’s this pretty lady?” Boost raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Wolffe’s patience had run out just then, as he decided to step out from his private quarters.

“Troopers! What is this civilian doing inside GAR facilities?”

All the blood drained from their faces.

“Both of you. OUT! NOW! THAT’S AN ORDER!” Wolffe barked.

“Yes, sir!” They chorused, scrambling to exit the room, door swooshing shut behind them.

“Oh, my gods, did you see the looks on their faces?” You practically fell off the bunk in laughter.

Wolffe approached, a sly smile evidence of his content with the little act you had both put on. “I did. Very good work. I bet you could make a name for yourself as an undercover operative.”

Hopping off the bed, you stood to meet his intense gaze. “Hm… Maybe. I don’t want to operate with anyone else, though. Especially under covers.”

He smirked, rolling his eyes, “Come here, you.”

Wolffe’s arms circled your waist, pulling you into a crushingly firm embrace. Head tilted up towards him, you couldn’t help but smile. “We make a pretty good team, huh?”

He chuckled, bringing a hand to stroke the back of your hair. “Sure do, mesh’la.”

He lowered his face to yours, capturing your lips with his, as he had wanted all night.

[itsclydebitches]

I know you’re focusing on Ted lasso right now (which after seeing your gifs and meta I’ve started watching it and I love it, but I was wondering what you thought of what little tai and summer content we got?

If it’s not too much trouble

TED LASSO CONVERT HELL YEAH! :D

We only got a couple of seconds of content, though one thing that stands out to me is Tai's anxiety about Summer leaving.

Honestly, I feel like this is a case of writer/audience knowledge informing the scene in ways it technically shouldn't. Meaning, we know Summer is going to (presumably) die on this mission, ergo her final goodbye is treated as an Emotional Moment even though, from an in-world perspective, this shouldn't really be something to worry about. Yes, there's the generic understanding that they have a dangerous job but

1. Tai is mostly inclined to view this as a "run of the mill patrol" that they'll laugh about later. AKA nothing serious (something Summer encourages because it helps sell her lie).

2. This is, obviously, pre-Summer's death so Tai shouldn't have any reason to be more worried than any loved one would be when a huntress/Inner Circle member goes to work. Not unless there's something else in his backstory we don't know about yet.

3. 90% of our RWBY content treats this job - even the war portions of the job - as something that's dangerous only in the theoretical sense. That's likely due to most of that content stemming from our protagonists with their plot armor, but the overall effect is that being a huntsmen really isn't treated as this inherently anxiety-inducing career, so Tai's sudden worry over Summer leaving on what he believes to be the fighting equivalent of a milk run stands out. If our title team + JNPR had spent less time treating their own missions as fun-times-cannon-fodder-look-how-amazing-we-are outings, I might buy this moment more.

So we have this foreknowledge influencing the scene (Summer's gonna die! Make it emotional!!) but outside of that meta reading, this seems significant to me because Tai is right to be worried. This isn't just him grappling with the fact that any mission is inherently dangerous, we know that it's more dangerous than usual because Summer is going off on some Special Secret Mission... and she's not telling Tai about it.

Worse, she was planning to leave without saying anything at all. Tai clearly startles her: "It's not like you to rush off on a mission in the middle of the night."

This isn't a case of Summer planning Mission A and then selling Mission B - "I'm off to complete the task Ozpin definitely set for me. See you later, honey!" - it's a case of her trying to sneak out, failing, and then spinning a yarn to cover her tracks. Summer read the girls to sleep and then fully planned to disappear without a word, knowing - despite everything else she might claim - that there was a damn good chance she might not be coming back. Why else would she leave a token for Ruby, just in case?

Really, this whole scenario does not endear me to Summer. In some respects Tai is lucky he caught her and got a lie as a pseudo Band-Aid. Can you IMAGINE waking up in the morning to your wife being gone with NO explanation as to where she went or what might have become of her? Did she leave me? Go on a mission? Get kidnapped?? That would have fucked with him even more than simply loosing her did. Summer was willing to walk out without a word to Tai, she left a token for only one of her girls, she lied about who Tai should hold responsible when she eventually disappeared, and half of this team (because remember, they are a team just like RWBY and JNPR are supposed to be) is plotting something dangerous with the other two being completely in the dark about it. What a mess. Can you imagine if Yang tried to sneak out in the dead of night when Blake hopefully wouldn't notice, plotting something secret with Weiss, tosses out that she's leaving on Jaune's say-so, is killed, and Blake is left with no explanation because Weiss refuses to say anything and Jaune, obviously, has no answers to offer her? This moment does not help sell the team's bond or the love between Summer/Tai and I REALLY wish the show had actually engaged with this instead of brushing it aside with, 'Omg. Mom said she loves me just the way I am ^_^' RWBY is absolutely stuffed with characters who lie, manipulate, don't trust each other, throw each other under the bus when it's most convenient, engage in morally gray choices while railing at others who do the exact same... and the narrative isn't willing to acknowledge that unless your name is Ozpin or Ironwood. The fact that Ozpin is at the center of everything important in this scene - Summer's lie, their cute recitation of what he would say - just further highlights how he remains the most narratively significant character we've got, but the show doesn't want to acknowledge that because it's supposed to be a story about Ruby. So we just get weird scenes like this where - nearly a decade in - more questions are introduced instead of answering old ones, characters are depicted as having crumbling relationships that are never explored, loved ones aren't allowed to engage with those revelations, and incredibly loaded lines are tossed out without them ever going anywhere because the character they put at the center of all the action isn't actually supposed to be there.

[daonedaonlyskh]

What would I be like in the PJO universe? (technically part 3)

a/n - hiya sorry it’s been  a few days since part 2 came out. This is gonna be the longest part. First thing is that this is technically lore for SKH when I do pjo roleplay, and second thing is that this can be a stand-alone part if you don’t wanna read part 1 & 2.

a/n part 2 - if you do wanna read part 1 and 2,

here is #1 and here is #2

__________________________________________

-I imagine that once I arrived for the summer, I would get claimed pretty soon after

-I’ve also thought out how it would happen :)

-Me and some friends I had made would probably go out to the lake to have a picnic or something

-and then we started playing truth or dare

-I have been dared to walk out into the lake fully clothed until the water is waist height 

-bet

-I imagine I had waist height in the water and I feel like…an intense tingling feeling spread over me

-audible gasps from the friends at the shore

-and I just know, I don’t need to turn back to ask them what’s going on

-I look up

-*fitting musics starts playing* TRIDENT

-woah would you look at that Poseidon is my father

-and now that I’m claimed me lower half has dried off even though I’m still in the water :D

-someone who was at the picnic has RAN to go find Mr. Poseidon child #1 

-aka Perseus Jackson

-once Percy gets there I’m out of the water but the trident is still glowing above my head

-MASS PANIC

-Percy takes me up to the Big House to go see Chiron

-and not long after that everyone knows what happened at the lake

-and voila, daughter of Poseidon

-anyways that was long thank you for listening to that TedTalk

-time for another TedTalk

-I think I would very often visit the lake

-very typical

-I think unlike Percy, I would actually be pretty decent at archery (like real life, I’m actually ok at archery)

-but archery would not be my main

-I think my weapon would be a sword

-but like kinda a short sword

-cause I would have a thing

-you know when you turn a dagger around so that the blade isn’t out in front of you but the blade is facing you?

-lemme try another description, where you’re holding the base of the dagger but the blade is not out in front of you, the blade is facing you?

-yeah this is fine 

-I feel like I would really wanna do that, but with a sword

-cause why not 

-ok I would absolutely love getting a a small group together and ding-dong ditching the cabins

-like that’d be so fun

-as long as you don’t get caught

-I would literally spend days working with the Aphrodite cabin trying to convince Chiron to let someone braid his tail

-would leave when people start fighting over who got to do it

-I think Percy would be the bestest older brother

-and I thing that Tyson would LOVE having a sister

-I think if I introduce him to My Little Pony he might spontaneously combust

-anyways

-I think the Poseidon cabin would end up having a lot of sleepovers with my friends

-it’s always the Poseidon cabin because it’s most empty 

-and honestly, I don’t think Percy would mind

-in fact I think he would join in in the sleepover shenanigans

-honestly I think he would let me do his makeup 

-as long as he could do mine

-and you know what? That’s a deal

-ok, another thing

-this is the last one I promise

-The Hephaestus cabin would give me a demigod safe phone prototype

-yeah I know that’s not a part of the canon cry about it

-cause I need to communicate with my parents

-nonnegotiable 

-I would be so sad to go home after summer’s over though

-but I do wanna see my parents and my mortal friends

-but I couldn’t wait to go back next summer

__________________________________________

a/n part 3 - hiya I hope you enjoyed. This was honestly super fun to write. I will make a mega post sometime soon with all the parts in one post that way it’s easier to see all the parts without having to go on a wild goose chase. Ok have a nice day <3

[fagcrisis]

poppy war thoughts, aka this book was so bad it made me want to get a goodreads account just so i can shit on it in an official capacity

so what initially sold me on this book, is that despite my friend ellis absolutely hating rf kuang's babel, ive only ever seen raving reviews for it anywhere else, and a brief description of its magic system reminded me of gergő és az álomfogók. i love that mainstream fantasy is finally starting to rely on drawing from cultures other than the sort of western mainstream and i was actually super excited to get into it. well it sucked (this contains spoilers obviously)

its 11 am this is not gonna be very structured but let me start off by listing some things i did enjoy. first of all its low hanging fruit and im better than this so im only gonna shit on tpw for being so directly about the sino chinese war that the only actual interesting bits of exposition in the book was what was just a description of actual events a Little bit. listen lotr is about ww2. its fine its all fine. anyway, i had fun with the bits of worldbuilding that were yk, actually worldbuilding. the magic system was really interesting and just super not explored enough, the book handled drug addiction about as sensitively as the dare program, but nevertheless it was a cool concept. shamans who have to get high as hell do do anything and then putting those guys in a combat setting is crazy. really fun concept. speaking of shamans i loved jiang. his archetype is impossible to fuck up and he was loveable and fun till the very end. uhh what else. the fight descriptions were good its something kuangs is decent at, as someone whos watched just truly an inordinate amount of wuxia as a child i rly can appreciate a stupid convoluted fight scene. oh i found it hysterical that the west was just one country that was really fun.

NOW ONTO THE SHIT I HATED

rin is incredibly unlikeable i know its not the point of every book ok but tpw isnt good enough to have a protagonist who is just impossible to relate to this isnt 1984 okay this is contemporary ya. i GET that she sucks and thats the point but im supposed to emphatize with her and throughout the book she just seemed stupid and easy to manipulate and not very interesting. shes an incredibly shallow character which is i guess what happens when you base your ya teenage girl protagonist on CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY MAO ZEDONG. HELLO. anyway. all her personal relationships are very much carried by the strenght of the characters close to her, and because most characters in this book are not very interesting that makes for a shitty fucking protagonist.

most of the conflict in this book is extremely artificially generated until maybe the second half of part 3. everyone in rins life is unnessecarily mean to her because shes just so smart and good at things. the part where they accused her of cheating on the exams and she owned them like crazy came to define much of the book. some kind of mean cunt whose purpose in life is to cause misery is an asshole to rin bc shes so smart and strong and talented, and she owns them with a witty remark. she punches nezha on the first day of school for fucks sake.

speaking of the school, the majority of the book is spent at sinegard academy and it is an extremely predictable and dull affair. i long for the wizard of earthsea. kuang is not a very good writer on a technical level and everything that she tries to imply she ends up spelling out (usually by having a character say it out loud) only a couple pages later. you can get through 2/3rds of this book by just reading every other page and correctly guessing what has happened and what will happen. in possibly the funniest paragraph of part 2, rin thinks about how everybody thinks altan is the coolest guy and yet he has no friends and at this point shes been experiencing quite severe racism from all of her peers and then instead of leaving you to figure out the quite obvious conclusion kuang literally has her say "oh his skin is dark and mine is too. i wonder if he knows what racism is like" just, truly hysterical.

her feud with nezha is unbearable, i knew immediately that he would become a romantic interest because a ya protagonist cannot hate a boy for perfectly good reasons. it always has to be bc shes horny. anyways thankfully when she starts studying with jiang, jiang is there and the terrible dullness of it all is lifted somewhat

as i mentioned before, the actual historical elements in the book elevate it greatly and the third part is almost enjoyable in some sections. however, unfortunately, this is also the part of the book where rin and altans darkling situation begins. i have a sinking feeling altan may not have died, which sucks because i hated this bit. they have virtually no relationship to eachother except altan yelling at rin occasionally. now again there were bits and pieces of their relationship that i didnt quite hate, but honestly i still dont entirely buy the rin is a seerly thing emotionally because she is so detached from it. the revelation only seemed to shock her a little bit and then she was busy with being at war and her boss hating her, when she actually gains the power of the phoenix at the very end its her own hatred and egoism fueling her rather than any connection to her people. overall this again comes back to her being quite weak as a character, and the worldbuilding suffers as a result of that

in any case, ill mull over continuing the series. the ending was actually quite strong i love a genocide as a result of being a stupid fucking 19 year old (dont quote me on this please), so maybe the next one is better maybe ms kuang learned to write inbetween these 2.

[aita-blorbos]

Are we the assholes for not saying we’re siblings?

I say “we” because I am writing on behalf of my brother [M22] and me [F15]. Also, technically, we’re half-siblings, but eh, we’re siblings.

So, going to the beginning, when my brother (who we’ll call A) and I met, we didn’t know we were siblings. He was just a guy who wanted a job with my dad (M33).

Then as we got to know each other, we realized that he had a gift that as far as I know, only people in my family had. Plus, he has a bracelet that looks just like one my mom had that was supposedly one of only two in the world (my mom had both at one point, but she lost one before I was born.

Lining up backstories a bit: turns out A’s parents were traveling musicians until he and his dad got caught in a fire that killed his dad, and his mom couldn’t be found. Lines up with my mom having left her father for a few years because she married someone my grandpa didn’t approve of before she came back, remarried, and had me.

A didn’t know his mom’s name, but he knew his dad’s last name (because it was also A’s last name, duh). So we went to marriage certificate office. Sure enough, my mom was once married to someone with A’s last name.

So by now I bet you’re wondering why we don’t just ask our mom. Well, my mom disappeared about 10 years ago when I was 5… and now is where we get into the “us not telling people we’re siblings” part of it.

We think we actually met our mom. Or at least we met someone that matches the age and physical appearance we assume our mom would have based on 10+ yr old pictures. [let’s call her L, she’s F41]

And she has a bracelet that matches A’s and my mom’s. And she’s had amnesia for the past 10 years.

Also, as far as asking my dad, my current dad adopted me. My birth dad (aka mom’s second husband) disappeared 7 years ago. Since then, my adopted dad is just my dad… and that’s why I don’t want to ask him.

In theory, A and I could tell my dad and we’d get DNA tests to confirm and maybe even talk to L and all be a big happy family! But also, we’ve just had a crazy few months and things have finally settled down, and we kinda don’t want to stir things up again so soon.

Plus, my dad has been the most steady thing in my life for the past 7 years. We may not be family by blood, but we are the definition of “family is who you choose,” and I don’t want him to think that I’ll ditch him just because I’ve found bio family.

Not to mention, how do you go to someone who doesn’t remember the first 3/4ths of her life and go “Hey, we think we’re your kids!”? L has started a new life and has practically adopted a new kid (I’m not sure about legal technicalities), who admittedly I’d be glad to have as a brother as well, but we don’t want L to feel like she has to abandon him for us.

We feel kinda bad whenever someone comments on how alike A and I look, or pokes fun at how we act like brother and sister, but it just seems like it’d be better to not really say anything, at least not yet. Still, we feel bad keeping it a secret, especially from my dad and L.

So AWTA for not admitting we’re related?

((OOC Note: Yes, this is headcanon, OP and A don’t canonically know, but I think they’re smart enough to figure it out.))

[yukipri]

Question for any folks who have experience with Batuu Bounding/Disneyland!

I'm going to Galaxy's Edge for the first time very soon, and I'm both extremely excited but also terrified I'll do something wrong. I've been wanting to go since it was first announced, and I'm not sure when I'll get another opportunity so I want to make this count!

I love dressing up so of course i want to try Batuu Bounding (dressing up in-universe), but my personal sense of what counts as costumey or not is extremely skewed. Adults are technically not allowed to wear costumes inside Disneyland, but people are also encouraged to "dress like a local" when visiting Batuu, aka Galaxy's Edge, aka Star Wars land. This creates a very gray zone on what counts as a costume and what is Batuu bounding.

I've tried to do a ton of research on my own, reading the official rules, blogs, and even reddit, but would appreciate any feedback, especially if you have personal experience! Note, I'll be going to Disneyland, aka Disney West, aka Anaheim, California.

So my question: Do you think they'll let me in with these outfits?

Technically I'm following their guidelines:

-Not attempting to look like any official character

-No robes/cape (just a scarf that can be adjusted)

-No weapons except lightsaber (yes, it's the Visions one from Lop & Ochō. I'm Japanese, I thought it fitting I get the Japanese lightsaber lol)

-No hard armor—except the back of glove plates, which are really small and I think I've seen people with those? After receiving advice on Twitter, I'm just gonna leave the gloves off entirely, better not to risk it plus they're gonna be uncomfy anyway

-Nothing dragging on ground

-No costume pieces; both of the above outfits are a combination of traditional Japanese-style, J-punk/rock, alternative, and natural cotton/linen fashion, all of which I wear regularly as part of my daily wardrobe (see what I mean by "my sense of what counts as too costumey is extremely skewed" LMAO)

-I know they have a "no masks" rule, but mine is a COVID mask, and they allow those right? If the outer mask protector is too costume-y, I can defs take it off, but I ain't going without any mask.

-My "I am not a cast member" item is the jetpack backpack, but idk I don't think I look like a cast member

I was gonna make the black dress one main but I think I liked the second one with vest and kama more (let's see if I can tolerate wearing pants all day lmao). Everything is layered, can easily mix 'n match tops/bottoms, I have a few other color variation tops I can mix in too. I also think Cali is gonna be way warmer than I'm expecting so I may shed layers. For now I'm thinking of making my main day the second one, except instead of a green shirt under the green vest, I'll wear a black one.

Also, note that while my True Mandos leather patch is skewed on the green outfit in the above photos, it'll be properly attached on the day of. I just wanted it lightly attached for a quick try-on photo, but it can securely attach via pins on the back! (also yes, that is a mini Fennec-inspired light-up Greeblie <3 )

Also a few more closeups:

The empty strap thing is a harness to carry a Droid Depot droid, which I have a reservation to build on the first droid. The casings holder thing on the strap that makes it look like a bandolier are kyber crystal holders. I also have an empty leather holder for a detonator soda can and yet another kyber crystal holder on my belt. After getting advice on Twitter, I'm going to put all of these in my bag when I enter the park to reduce how cluttered I look at the entrance, since they're technically all things to carry stuff I will be buying inside the park but do not yet have.

I have a giant mythosaur brooch on my scarf, but it's not solid metal, but a resin-metal mix. I think it should count as a "pin" and not armor.

The thing on my left arm is a decked out Magicband+. I still have no idea how to use it but I hope it will be intuitive ^ ^;

(yeah, so many Etsy sellers have received my money over the past half year that has passed since I started planning for this trip lmao)

I also received feedback on Twitter that my lightsaber sheath looks too much like a katana which may trigger security, so I'm going to be making a little end cap for it to make it look blunter. It's a nice Pixel blade attached to an expensive Proffie lightsaber, so I do want to protect it, and hope a blunted endcap will make it clearer that it's a lightsaber.

I'll probably only bother with the droid carrier + lightsaber + kyber crystal bandolier on one of the three days I'm there, so I can travel lighter on my other days!

I'm really hoping I'll get to talk to Boba/Fennec/Din on at least one of the 3 days I'm there, which is one of the reasons why I've got so much Mando stuff on (in addition to just, trying to make a "bounty hunter" look, and also eyyy Mandos). Idk if it's too subtle or if they'll ignore me bc I'm trying too hard sobs

So yeah, with my aforementioned modifications, do you think they'll let me in?

Any feedback, opinions, or even general advice for a first time visitor to Batuu would be immensely appreciated <3

Thanks so much!!! ;A;

[psychologeek]

Psy's masterpost

Like my writing? Came here for a prompt and wants more? (update: 06.05.24/

I HAVE AO3! PsycholoGeek feel free to look. (I love comments. Just saying 😜)

Writing Tags:

"my additions" (adding to others)

"my writing" (og/long adds)

"my poems" (poems)

Not all my writing is there, of course.

Fic Recs (personal favourites)

Who am I (to disappear) - DC, Cass-centric, 22k words. Who am I (to disappear) - David Cain tried to create a weapon. Weapon forge themself into something new. (Many names, they\them Cass). Ft. Kid!Jason, Mayan mythology, and the many forms of communication. It also has an extended version. I highly recommend reading the fic first, and THEN going for.the EV, as it contains spoilers and lose the emotional damage and delight you may get.

Witwat and the Jin - Batman, 2,245 words. Damian had a brother, once. (H/C. Happy ending.)

Grave Promises - Batman, 2,111 words. Healing and recovery and disability isn't a tragedy.

Sing Me To Sleep - DP*DC 19k words. Tws in tags. Tim and healing (it gets worse before it gets better. But it gets better.)

A list of my fics (complete and WIPs) undercut:

Completed one-shot:

Who am I (to disappear) - David Cain tried to create a weapon. Weapon forge themself into something new. (Many names, they\them Cass). Ft. Kid!Jason Todd, Mayan mythology, and sign language. (Stand alone, technically prequel to "Sweet Dreams", but no need to read.)

Grave Promises (Batman, 2,111 words) - very important to me. Life, recovery, and disability is not a tragedy. Barbara kill the Joker, but it isn't the focus.(Barbara Gordon focused.)

Do You Understand?  ( Encanto, 330 words).c

Witwat and the Jin (Batman, 2,245 words) - Dami-being-Dami and slowly understandings.

Just short of a fairy tale (I told myself that I wouldn't be scared) (Batman, 770 words) - urban fantasy. Jason Todd centric.

Sing Me To Sleep - DP*DC (19k words). After fired from Robin, Tim had enough. He's done with life. Clockwork said "not today, bitch" and got some good old ectoshot. Ft. Jazz Fenton as an older sister TM and the 3Ds as their usual chaotic selves. (I wrote the second half, chapters 2-6. A bit heavy, but I hope I did well with the subject.)

Hold Them Close -DP*DC (12k words). I wrote the first chapter+Fanart. Danny escaped Vlad and his experiments with bb!Ellie, and flew straight up-up-and above. In the watchtower, our heroes sees a monster and (what they think is) a child in distress. Misunderstandings and whump, with the last quarter of the fic as comfort and fluff :)

Main serieses:

Sweet Dreams - (DC, 3 works, 1 complete. ~17k words). Reverse Robins + Badman verse (inspired by @byrambles fic). Batboy's younger brothers were taken by the Batman who defeated his father. Trying to protect them, he promise his loyalty to the newcomer. But even though he assure him he is perfectly trained, and can properly punish the kids to surrender, the man isn't impressed. In which there's Misunderstandings and sadness (first fic). The series deals with trauma and the ongoing issues it causes, and shows how it changes you. TW: Include suicidality+mention of kid's suicidality, flashbacks, mentioned past child sexual abuse, dissociations, Whump and angst with eventual comfort. I don't go in details about their past, but it's important to notice that the first 2 fics contains HEAVY (but non graphic) themes.

Liminal Skills for the Living Dead - also known as "therapy verse". DP x DC xover. AKA Anger Management! Fake dating for fun and profit. Enter family, friends, and Wikipedia explanations of some necessary skills as titles. Jazz is her autistic with anxiety self. Jason is a crime lord with anger management issues.

Or: in which THERE'S THERAPY!! (6 works - 4 are complete. ~30k words)

Lost and Found (if this wings could fly) - also known as "FF AU". DP x DC xover. Jazz and Jason as childhood mutuals. (4 complete works, ~10k in total. more to come)

(also some other things. Feel free to look, ask and comment!)

[ofliterarynature]

2023 Reading Wrap Up: Favorites from the First Half

Not to sound like a broken record, but I can't believe we're already halfway through the year! (and even further, given how late I'm posting this lol). I've read an ungodly amount of books already, and while I try my best to shout out my favorites as I go or in my monthly wrap-ups, I don't always succeed. So Here I Am, to do a little more shouting about the 10 most memorable books or series I've read so far in 2023!

The God of Endings by Jaqueline Holland

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Sword Stone Table ed by Jenn Northington & Swapna Krishna

Sea Hearts (The Brides of Rollrock Island) by Margo Lanagan

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld & Alex Puvilland

Will Darling/Lilywhite Boys by K.J. Charles

Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L Sayers

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

More discussion below the cut!

The God of Endings by Jaqueline Holland had me entirely engrossed. It's slow and moving and dark, with it's own take on vampirism, with any number of the associated content warnings. All the content warnings actually (but harm to animals, harm to children, and domestic abuse are some of the big ones. Does the Nazi murder make up for it?). Best described as The Historian meets everything I wanted from The Invisible Life of Addie Larue but didn't get.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez I have, in fact, already yelled about a bit. It was so good! Think A:TLA meets The Raven Tower and The Hundred Thousand Kindgoms, and queer! The thing that really blew my mind was the second-person narration, which is always a swing, and I think this nailed it! I loved how it worked with the story and frame narrative, and let me tell you, on audiobook parts of the story felt positively haunted. I won't say it's the perfect novel (I'm a little eh about the last third), but that in no way dampens my enthusiasm. cw for ritual cannibalism.

Sword Stone Table ed by Jenn Northington & Swapna Krishna is an anthology of Arthurian re-imaginings with about a 1-in-3 success rate (for me anyways. is that good for an anthology?) that snuck onto this list purely on the strength of Mayday by Maria Dahvana Headley. I just yelled about my love for unusual narrative structures, so when I tell you that this is a retelling of the Arthurian family drama set in late 19th century America, told only through found objects, newspaper clippings, and manuscript exerpts? I had *such* a great time trying to puzzle things out with my half-remembered memories of the lore (heavily corrupted by the show Merlin, lol). Additional shout-out to Spear by Nicola Griffith, which didn't make it into the collection due to length but was also amazing!

Sea Hearts (aka The Brides of Rollrock Island) by Margo Lanagan was an absolute surprise, for several reasons. For one, I own both a physical and digital copy under different titles and didn't realize it until I was cleaning up my goodreads account! And second, the Brides cover is an absolute travesty and is entirely the wrong vibe - this may be YA (technically?) but it doesn't read like it! Sea Hearts is the story of a small island community with a history of summoning wives from the sea, a tradition only whispered about until an outcast young woman revives the practices to sow discord and revenge among the community members we follow. Incredibly moving and sorrowful, this is for fans of literary, historical, and speculative fiction.

Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld & Alex Puvilland. This graphic novel is about a city hit by an unknown disaster that has killed or mutated everything and everyone who wasn't able to evacuate in time. Our main character sneaks back in to take pictures to support herself and her little sister, and while I have some reservations about the larger plot, the art of the Zone is GORGEOUS. Sketchy, eerie, hauntingly beautiful, I loved it, enough that I have no regrets. I could see this making a great comic series or animated show instead.

Major, heartfelt shout-out to K.J. Charles, who absolutely saved my sanity for a few months there. My brain was in a weird spot for a few months and I burned through a good chunk of her backlist, so it's absolutely necessary to name drop a few of my favorites. The Will Darling series, a 1920's spy adventure/gay romance, did not immediately win me over, but exposure makes the heart grow fonder? I don't think they say that, actually, but I love a competent dumbass, and when I finally picked up on the crossover with Charles' England duo, I absolutely cackled. I can't wait to reread these! Any Old Diamonds of the Lilywhite Boys series did catch me immediately, even if I managed to read it out of order with one of it's prequel series. Jewel thieves, a heist, revenge, family drama, what's not to love? I loved every single book and novella in this series.

Lord Peter Wimsey (series) by Dorothy L Sayers. This has been a work in progress since 2022 and has consistently made my favorites lists, but truly, she saved the best for last! Murder Must Advertise was stellar, but everyone who said the Harriet Vane novels were the best is absolutely correct. I don't know why I love them, other than that they're wonderfully complex mysteries, but I do. I definitely need to find another long mystery series for my mental health or else I'm going to start these from the beginning again (I still need to read the short stories after all).

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. I'll be honest, I didn't write a review for this at the time, and my memory for non-fiction is terrible. But I loved this book, I love John Green, and this was fantastic on audio. Thank you John for putting hope and goodness and beauty into the world.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff was a beautiful little book for the book lover. It's a collection of letters between the American author and a used-book seller (and family and associates) in London in the 50s and 60s. Its funny, it's friendly, it's lovely, but there's also an underlying tension that builds throughout from the repeated invitations to the author to come visit, and the book copy saying that THEY NEVER MEET. It about killed me, and did make me cry. For further reading you can also check out the author's related memoirs, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street and Q's Legacy.

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. Frankly, I'm impressed by my nonfiction choices so far this year. This one is what it says and it HURT. SO. MUCH. I am absolutely a generalist and it's made life frustrating, so reading this was both extremely comforting but also enraging, because society doesn't need another reason to suck. Alas.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

6 OCs for the price of one!

Special thanks to @ginevrastilinski-ocs for helping me out with these! Technically she helped me with every element of Christopher & Evander (plots, names, overall vibes) but in doing so also accidentally helped me figure out a bit of what I wanted to do with Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl too 😅

Face 1:

1. Descendants — Prince Christopher James II, aka Topher Charming. Chad's older brother and the first born royal of his generation. Second in line for the throne of Auradon and will be until Ben has kids, Ben's chief advisor, big brother to an entire generation of royals. To try to help with Ben's first proclamation, he takes over helping the VKs adjust to Auradon, accidentally falls in love with the first boy to ever look at him and just see him

2. Gilmore Girls — Unnamed. Goes to boarding school in Europe and then to Yale, part of the LDB and very close friends with Logan, Colin, Finn, and Chilton boy. Overachiever and kind of an asshole, isn't used to people liking him for himself and not for his money so doesn't really know how to have friends but he's trying

3. Gossip Girl — Unnamed. Serena's older brother, goes to St Jude's and then Harvard, golden boy, eventual Blair ship

Face 2:

1. Descendants — Evander Kö­ni­gin. Evie's older half brother, son of the Evil Queen and Prince John. The first born child on the isle, his mother raised him to be a king far more than to be evil. Stayed close to his younger sister but left Castle Across The Way in order to be mentored by Yen Sid, refuses to take side in any turf wars, and creates a safe space for any VK who needs somewhere to go, regardless of their affiliations. Invited to Auradon with his sister and her friends, accidentally falls for a prince who seems far too good to be true.

2. Gilmore Girls — Unnamed. Goes to Chilton with Rory and then to Yale, part of the LDB and very close friends with Logan, Colin, Finn, and unnamed blondie, always up to some sort of shenanigan but also an overachieving sweetheart

3. Gossip Girl Reboot — Unnamed. Goes to St Jude's and is part of the seven samurai. Parents are both high profile politicians, wants to go to either GW or Georgetown and then go into politics, not a fan of suddenly having his life on blast from the new Gossip Girl. Regularly hooks up with Max, eventual probable OT4 with Max, Aki, and Audrey