#also must apologize for lack of pretty post

[abbyromanoff]

hey babes 😏😏😏

LIKE MOB BOSSES CAROL AND VALKYRIE?! I HAVENT SEEN THE MARVELS HUT IM SEEING IT TOMORROW AND IM SO EXCITED BUT YEH AND MAYBE LIKE SOME JEALOUSY AND LIKE 😏😏😏 PUNISHMENTS AND SHIT

DOUBLE TROUBLE

PAIRINGS: CarolValkryie x reader

WORD COUNT: 679

WARNINGS: smut, double penetration, degrading, punishment, slapping, edging, overstimulation, threesomes, that’s abt it :)

NO ONE IS PERMITTED TO STEAL, COPY, OR REBLOG MY WORK AS THEIR OWN!!

Reminder that this will be my last ever smut post!! Going forward I will not be writing smut so I apologize for those who did not get their asks answered

“No, I- I can’t,” You mumbled weakly, too tired to fight off the women surrounding you. Valkyrie was behind, her tip teasing the entrance of your tightest hole while Carol continued to slide in and out of your cunt. Her strap would rub her clit perfectly to cause just the right amount of friction, and her moans blended in with yours.

“Yes, you can, and you will.” Valkyrie groaned, seemingly tired of the ‘attitude’ you had been throwing towards both of them. Valkyrie wasn’t able to visit you and your girlfriend often, only when it was serious, and Carol had decided it was one of those times. You were nearing your period, and your hormones were spiraling like usual. Although, it was also the Holiday’s, and you had been missing both women, so you were in a worse mood than they could’ve expected.

“Look at that, baby, you’re taking Captain's cock so well,” You sniffled quietly, and they had to stifle a chuckle at your weakened expression.

“Don’t praise this little slut. They’ve been so, so naughty, it’s only fair we give them what they’ve been asking for.” Although it wasn’t at all what you were asking for. You wanted to be with the two women, between the two in a similar position as to how you are now. But you wanted to hear their soft praises on the shell of your ear. You wanted to feel their lips slowly moving down your neck and body. You wanted their hands to lovingly slide across your breasts, unlike the way they were groping you currently. You wanted to cum on their tongues, their fingers, their cocks; whatever it was they could give you. But you wanted them more than anything, and if this is what they were giving you, you wouldn’t dare to complain.

“Fuck, I’m already halfway, baby. You think you can take the rest of me, hm? You think this tight fucking ass can take Daddy’s cock?” You sniffled but lacked a response, causing a slap to arrive across your cheek. You whimpered, but quickly nodded without a thought, your mind barely registering what she asked.

“This must feel so fucking good, huh, darlin’? Having two cocks just destroying your holes, giving you no room to protest. This messy cunt seems to be betraying you when you say you don’t want this, little one.” Carol muttered close to your lips, quickly leaning down to take your bottom lip in her mouth as she bit down slightly, causing you to hiss in further pain. You didn’t know how much longer you could take, but you hoped they’d give in soon.

“C’mon, I know you want to cum for us,” She spoke once again, and you heard Valkyrie let out a deep groan as your skin touched the base of her strap. You shuttered, feeling both women deeper than ever before inside of you, the only hole left to fill was your mouth.

“Shh, just open, pretty girl.” You didn’t entirely understand what they meant, so you opened the barrier of your lips and spread your legs even further, both mumbling dirty praises in response. You felt two fingers thrusting into your mouth soon after, opening your eyes to see an arm from behind wrapping around to visit the said area. Her knuckles pressed against the sides of your cheeks, and you gagged as she forced herself impossibly deeper.

“I think this little slut likes having their holes filled, ‘cause they’re making a fucking mess.” You led your eyes down, quickly shutting them in shame as you admired the wetness leaking from you. You had never been this turned on, what were they doing to you?

“P’ease, Captain; please, D-daddy, let me cum f’ you.” In an instant you felt the two stilling inside of you, and it seemed they had wordlessly matched their arrivals as their moans seemed to bounce off each vibranium wall. This only brought you closer, and the dirty scent of sex filling the room only brought you further arousal.

“Cum for us, you dirty slut,”

[moony-2001]

Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Psychopathy: a Critique on Hades' Character and Personality pt. 1

TW: grooming, abuse (financial, physical, sexual, emotional), violence, manipulation

It is imperative that everyone reading this takes into account the fact that I am not a licensed psychologist. This is purely my own (unprofessional) opinion based on the knowledge I have. When I use the term "diagnose", please take it lightly.

I would also like to note that narcissistic personality disorder and psychopathy are usually misrepresented in the media and there is a lot of stigma surrounding these disorders. I would like to take the time to point out that just because Hades is an abusive groomer that I am “diagnosing” with these disorders does not mean that every person with NPD or psychopathy is an abuser or a groomer.

Hi. I wanted to start by saying that this post will cover many upsetting topics (listed in the Trigger Warning [TW]), so please read at your own discretion.

Straight up, this post is not going to be pretty. It is going to be long and technical and full of me blabbering away about XYZ. Based alone on how long this intro is, it's probably going to be split into multiple parts. If you don't want to read this because of all of the aforementioned things above, that's okay. If you don't like what I have to say, that's okay too (but be respectful). But if you do want to read this, I would be so grateful. I hope at the end of the day, you can at least appreciate my efforts. I will try my best to not get snarky, however I apologize if some snark does come out.

The way the sections are going to be broken down consists of the following:

The disorder + definition

What the criteria is that must be met for the disorder

Other known personality traits those with the disorder have/what are other traits people with this disorder have in common

Examples from Lore Olympus that (in my opinion) would cause the character to fit the disorder

"Honorable" or "Dishonorable" mentions

Final Thoughts

Additionally, I will talk very briefly about Hades being a groomer and an enabler. These are not mental illnesses and thus will not be taking center stage. With that being said, let's begin.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

I must clarify that psychopathy is not actually a category in the DSM 5. Psychopathy falls under Antisocial Personality Disorder or ASPD. So you wouldn’t be diagnosed as a psychopath, you’d be diagnosed as someone who has ASPD with more psychopathic (or sociopathic) tendencies which the DSM 5 does specify. So, even though I can't actually "diagnose" Hades with psychopathy, I can "diagnose" him as someone who has ASPD with more psychopathic tendencies. Again, I'm using the term "diagnose" here very lightly.

The Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is a Cluster B Personality Disorder in the DSM 5. Cluster B Personality Disorders are typically marked by inappropriate, volatile emotionality and behavior that is often unpredictable.

The diagnostic criteria for ASPD is as follows ->

a. A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others... as indicated by 3 or more of the following:

failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest

deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure (i.e., to obtain money, sex, or power)

impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

reckless disregard for safety of self or others

consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations

lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

b. the individual is at least of 18 years of age

c. there is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years

d. the occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

When these traits were expanded upon under the diagnostic criteria, these are the traits that stuck out most to me:

"... may repeatedly perform acts that are grounds for arrest such as destroying property, harassing others, stealing, or pursuing illegal occupations."

"... decisions are made in the spur of the moment, without forethought and without consideration for the consequences to self or others."

"They may be indifferent to, or provide a superficial rationalization for having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from someone (e.g., 'life's unfair'); they may minimize the harmful consequences of their actions or may simply indicate indifference; they generally fail to compensate or make amends for their behavior."

Associated Features

Those diagnosed with ASPD may also exhibit other behaviors that are not in the diagnostic criteria but are commonly associated with the disorder. These "features" include:

"Frequently lack[ing] empathy and tend[s] to be callous, cynical, and contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others"

"Irresponsible and exploitative in their sexual relationships"

Have a history of many sexual partners and may never have sustained a monogamous relationship

"May also experience dysphoria (tension, inability to tolerate boredom, and depressed mood), associated anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, substance use disorders, somatic symptom disorder, gambling disorder, and other disorders of impulse control"

"May also often have personality features that meet the criteria for other personality disorders, particularly borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders"

Additionally, ASPD cannot be diagnosed before age 18 and is more common in males. Males with ASPD often have some kind of substance use disorder.

Abuse or neglect may increase the likelihood that [a] conduct disorder will evolve into antisocial personality disorder.

Common Examples within Lore Olympus

Irritability and Aggressiveness

As listed above, two of the possible behaviors indicative of ASPD are irritability and aggressiveness, something that Hades seems to have endless amounts of. The two beings that are frequently at the receiving end of this behavior are Thantos and Demeter, though really, Hades behaves inappropriately to anyone who isn't in his innermost circle. This, in my opinion, makes me believe that his abuse of others stems more from narcissism rather than ASPD but I am still unsure.

Throughout the comic, Hades treats Thanatos, his adoptive son, cruely. Even though the panels I used as an example are primarily from the trial and post-trial arch, there are plenty of other examples of Hades talking down to, belittling, or humiliating Thanatos, especially in public. Hades later tries to excuse this behavior by saying that due to the abuse he suffered as a child, he "didn't know what to do" with Thanatos. So, in a genius act of parenting, he resorts to *checks notes* either icing out Thanatos or verbally/emotionally abusing him until he could survive on his own. At which point Hades functionally abandons him. And remember when Thanatos asks Daphne if she's going to break his phone? Odd reaction to someone asking if they can see your phone, right? We know that Hades can be violent, often resorting to physical harm or destruction of property. So what's to stop him from smashing Thanatos' phone as a form of abuse? Granted, that last part is speculation, but don't forget Hades ripped out someone's eye and broke both his legs. Breaking a phone isn't above Hades.

Though the reader doesn't see a large majority of Hades' abuse towards Demeter until later, Hades openly admits that he and Demeter never got along, claiming that Demeter "always" found something to argue with him about. I suspect the actual details of their dislike for each other wouldn't make Hades out to be the victim of Demeter's "nagging". My theory, though wildly unsupported, has some stock to it due to Hades not just belittling but being outright cruel to Demeter in the panels below. But of course, Hades is suddenly worried about making a terrible impression on Demeter after thousands of years of bad treatment now that someone they both care for is involved which reeks of narcissism.

Failure to Conform... to Lawful Behaviors

Something that goes hand in hand with Hades' aggressiveness (and is another required "trait" for ASPD) is his failure to conform to lawful behaviors. Obviously, he's not the only character who does this in Lore Olympus, but I'm not talking about the other characters today.

Three situations that go beyond irritability and aggressiveness and turn into a breach of lawful behaviors (among many) are his brutal assault on Alex, his assault on the nymph to get back Persephone's comb, and the threatening of the pawn shop owner after being denied information about Persephone.

I remember when reading the chapters about Alex’s torture, people either cheered Hades on or felt indifferent. I honestly don't remember my reaction when reading these chapters the first time, but looking back now, Hades majorly overreacted. Paparazzi are generally a scourge upon the earth, and I do understand when celebrities get aggressive with them for wildly overstepping boundaries for the sake of a story. However, Hades' punishment (and reasons for the punishment) is extremely cruel and unusual, especially given that this story is supposed to be a MODERN retelling. I know the core cast are gods, so cruel and unusual is kind of their thing, but that archaic attitude of the ancient world clashes with upheld societal norms of today's times. I've seen videos of celebrities flipping off, getting aggressive, or even shoving away paparazzi but never ripping out their eye or breaking their legs.

I don't think Hades nearly killing Alex was the white knight moment people thought it was; clearly he doesn't know Persephone as well as he thought he did if he thought that nearly beating her classmate's roommate to death is something she would give him a treat and a pat on the head for. Not to mention, Hades did it for his own ego, not for Persephone's sake, something Persephone calls him out on. AND HADES ADMITS IT. Sure, Hades claims that Alex put Persephone's scholarship at risk, which is true to an extent, however, he quickly turns the situation into a "how dare you do this to ME" situation, something I pointed out in one of my previous chapter critiques as a major flaw of Hades.

And if you think "cannon" Lore Olympus Hades is a scumbag, wait until you read the pilot episodes of Lore Olympus. I thought Hades' brutal torture of Alex was bad in the officially released episodes, but if you go on the Lore Olympus Wiki where the pilot episodes are posted, you will see it's... so much worse. Imagine it like this: if Hades being shown about to rip out Alex's eye made you grimace, what he does to Alex in the pilot comic will literally horrify you.

Another character Hades assaults and harasses is the unnamed nymph in the underworld who had purchased and was wearing Persephone's comb. Again, she had purchased the comb i.e. it was legally no longer Persephone's, and therefore Hades had no right to take it back. It doesn't matter whether or not Persephone "would've never sold the comb if she didn't have to". Regardless of whether or not she had the comb, Hades as king of one of the three realms has no right to treat his citizens like that. It is unseemly.

It is just as unseemly for Hades to threaten the pawn shop owner because she refused to give Hades information about Persephone. Privacy policies are extremely important. This owner doesn't know if Hades is an abusive partner or if he's trying to hurt Persephone. It's the same reason why in real life, most places of employment are legally not allowed to give out any information about their employees. But sure, Hades can throw a temper tantrum because he doesn't get his way and when the temper tantrum doesn't work, he can try out his little sob story and magically get the information he wants.

Persephone once argued that as a king, Hades has a little more wiggle room to do what he pleases. However, I disagree. I think as a king, he should have less wiggle room because he is the face of a realm. He needs to set an example for his citizens. Instead he is allowed to run wild and do what he pleases, with Hecate either barely reining in Hades or aiding him.

Exploitative in their Sexual Relationships/Non-monogamous Relationships

Quick note: the DSM 5 hasn’t been updated in about 10 years (with minor changes made in 2022) and non-monogamy will likely no longer be included in future ASPD criterion since the rise of polyamory. A better descriptor for non-monogamy would likely be serial cheating, but for now, it is still regarded as non-monogamy in the DSM and I will be referring to it as such here. Keep in mind that not every person who has ASPD is going to be exploitative in their sexual relationships or participate in non-monogamous relationships and it is deeply unfair to make that assumption of someone who does have ASPD. However, there is usually a reason that certain traits or associated features are listed in the DSM-5 (or on other sites about the disorder) so keep that in mind.

One of the biggest critiques in the anti-LO community concerned Minthe, Hades, and the nature of their relationship. It was made abundantly clear from the very beginning that their relationship was incredibly unhealthy and involved themes like exploitation, abuse, and power dynamics. Obviously, Rachel wanted to portray Minthe as the toxic, jealous ex which worked in a way, given the fan base's treatment of her. However, the moment it was revealed that Minthe was nothing more than Hades' PA with whom he slept (which is a gross behavior still seen in the real world today), I felt it went downhill from there. As more and more details about their relationship came to light, it became clear that the abuse happening in their relationship went both ways, starting right from the moment Minthe became Hades' sugar baby. Please remember that financial abuse is just as damaging as verbal, physical, or psychological abuse. To clear up any confusion, here is a rough timeline of Hades and Minthe's relationship:

Hades and Minthe meet for the first time at the car event where she is working

Minthe storms into Underworld Corp. because she didn't get paid for the gig and was angry at Hades for (unintentionally) screwing her over

Hades fires his current PA and Minthe becomes his new PA

Minthe becomes his sugar baby either immediately or not too long after that

Hades blurs the line first and their relationship is no longer "no strings attached"

Years of on-and-off relationships, abuse, and fighting

Hades was planning on proposing to Minthe (which she discovers beforehand) despite knowing that his family hates her and she never wanted to be queen of the underworld

Hades meets Persephone and begins an affair with her, despite never officially breaking up with Minthe

Hades eventually breaks up with Minthe after she hits him

Hades immediately moves on to Persephone, a 19-year-old whom he's only known for a few weeks

Once again, in the pilot comic, the way Hades treats Minthe is worse. After she seemingly doesn’t come to the party with him (or claims that their relationship “isn’t working”), he immediately cancels her phone plan and doesn’t pay her rent as, what, petty revenge? Again, this is a form of abuse; Pilot!Minthe is now homeless and stranded because Hades took away essentials from her, leaving her scrambling. Hades shouldn’t have to lie down and take Minthe’s treatment of him, but he inherently has power over her as her king, employer, and a god. Their relationship was never one of equals.

Side note: The reason I also included the panels of Minthe talking about what Persephone “gets to look forward to” with Hades is that often, people with ASPD will have a “glib, superficial charm” as stated in the DSM-5. We often see Hades turning on the charm with Persephone, but again, I have a feeling that what Minthe is saying in an attempt to hurt Hades isn’t far off from the truth. And she gets turned into a plant because of it.

*inhale* Emotional 👏🏻 affairs 👏🏻 are 👏🏻 affairs 👏🏻

Not to mention that Hades also got physical with Persephone (and Hera) even while he and Minthe were still together. Like Persephone said, MINTHE DID NOT DESERVE TO BE CHEATED ON and yet they both go ahead and have an affair anyway??? I don’t understand why Hades felt the need to have an affair with Persephone when he had the resources and support necessary to leave Minthe (like seriously. I’m sure there would’ve been a massive party thrown by his family and close friends because they all look down on her). If it was Minthe who decided to leave Hades, she would've had a much harder time with that process.

I will admit I am biased on this topic. I despise cheaters. If you’re going to cheat on your partner, you should just leave and spare them the emotional pain. Instead, Hades drags out their relationship while being involved with Persephone, then gets to play “responsible” so he can sweep Minthe under the rug.

Let's not forget that Hades' relationship with Persephone is exploitative, too. Persephone is a sheltered, naive 19-year-old who hasn't once left the mortal realm until the beginning of this story. She doesn't even know what a butt dial is. Persephone is practically the poster child for the born sexy yesterday trope. And, like every titular story where this god-forsaken trope exists, there also exists a creepy man who is much older than the female protagonist and is totally okay with taking advantage of her so that he may end up with the ideal woman. Like Hera said when chewing out Hades: she's young. Easy to impress. Won't argue with you. And even after Hades finds all this information out, he goes, "Aw damn, that's a shame. Guess I'll pursue her anyways". Luckily for him, Persephone hasn't been around the block, which makes her the perfect target for his grooming and manipulation tactics. Disgusting.

Additionally, there are other moments after Hades and Persephone get together where he exploits her. Some of these moments include when he proposes to her. In this instance (and other situations), Hades exploited Persephone in a moment of distress where he framed himself as someone who could take away her pain. While I won't stick up for the way Demeter treated Persephone, Demeter was correct in the sense that Hades only asked Persephone (and Persephone said yes) to spite her. Of course Persephone was going to say yes, but Hades knew that. That's why he asked in the first place. That was his work around to Demeter's promise of preventing Hades from having something of hers that he truly desired.

Reckless

Hades' recklessness wasn't something I initially picked up on when first reading this comic. However, when doing a more thorough read, it is evident that this behavior is behind many of his actions.

The sleep dive chapter bothered me so much because not only was he not listening to his wife at all, but he acted like they were somehow the victims in this situation which was… certainly a choice. And she had to talk him off a way by having sex with him which just felt so icky to me. Not to mention, he initially wanted to confront Kronos without a plan because HIS pride was at risk. Both of these situations can also be classed as “reckless disregard for safety as self”.

Hades was also reckless in rushing into his relationship and marriage with Persephone. She says she wants to take it slow, he pushes boundaries. She says she wants to live in her own apartment so naturally they move in together 3 episodes later. She wants to take time for them to date and know each other? Nope, he rushes right into that god-forsaken proposal. I don't think I have much else to say on this topic without sounding like a broken record, but this is a behavior that should raise a warning in readers' minds about Hades' ability to make good choices, not only as a person but as a king.

Dishonorable Mentions

There are some “dishonorable mentions” that I think could’ve taken the main stage but I’m not going to go in-depth about them for a few reasons (such as Tumblr's 30-picture limit). They include:

Excuses/Lack of Remorse about the treatment of characters (217, 253)

This mainly concerns Thanatos and Demeter, the two people Hades most often antagonizes. In my opinion, neither party got a proper apology from Hades, just half-assed excuses. Hades blamed his childhood circumstances for the way he treated Thanatos (which funny, Kronos does the same thing with Hera) and his way of making up for that is offering him a sandwitch which just.

Wow. Truly inspiring parenting skills right there.

Not to mention that in the finale Rachel writes that Thanatos and Hades barely talk with each other?? So much for making amends or whatever.

As for Demeter, Hades makes an excuse about how by Demeter "taking away his volcanos", she would remove his only tie to the mortal realm which... I guess we're supposed to feel bad about? As if Hades frequently visits the mortal realm anyways. I suppose it's the principle of the matter, but I still think it's a half-assed apology, especially considering it's been hundreds of years since Demeter was screwed over as queen of the Mortal Realm. And I know Hades also brough back Demophoon, Demeter's "son", but let's be real, it was just to get brownie points with Demeter.

Inappropriate treatment of Persephone in the workplace (40, 41, 44, 59, 88, 107, 178)

Now, I'm unsure if the way I'm interpreting "consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior..." is, in fact, correct, but I'm going to err on the side of caution and mention Hades' treatment of Persephone in the workplace. This is something I mentioned in Minthe's section, but it is irresponsible and inappropriate of Hades as Persephone's boss to treat her the way he does. The private lunches, the tours, hours spent together not working, the list goes on. Not to mention Hades keeps swinging back and forth between trying to treat Persephone as an employee under him and trying to get her under him.

Alcoholism

Hades' alcoholism goes without saying. It has pretty much been known from the very beginning that Hades has an issue with drinking excessively, to the point where Zeus even snarks to Persephone that where Hades is, there's likely booze. Which... is he wrong? Is he? I don't have a whole lot to say on this subject, I just figured I'd bring it up since substance use disorders are frequently associated with ASPD.

Final thoughts

It’s incredible how Hades got older but never seemed to grow up. Granted, something might have been stunted due to the abuse he suffered as a child, but this is also the man who called his therapist a quack so I can only feel so much sympathy for someone who bemoans their situation but refuses to get help *cough*the afterward chapter*cough*. It's very clear that Hades as also been enabled and coddled to the point of being able to unlearn his behaviors and anyone who tries to stand up to him or does something to displease him suffers his wrath.

Overall, while I was not in Rachel's head while writing Hades' character (and I frankly didn't want to be), this is one of my best guesses about what is wrong with Hades. It’s pretty obvious that Rachel never intended to write Hades as someone who presented with anything other than PTSD, but it’s still kind of shocking how many boxes Hades checks off for other psychological disorders. Again, I'm not a professional psychologist, I don't have any kind of degree, I just know a lot about the subject and I love throwing myself into research. All of the information I have gathered has come from credible sources such as the DSM 5 and other similar sites that cite the DSM 5 in their sources. I will see you soon in part 2 when I discuss Hades and Narcisistic Personality Disorder.

[wizardpink]

Hi! I read your post-finale DM meta and I think it's very interesting. The point about Armand turning Daniel because Daniel eviscerated him and made him feel seen for who he truly is (in all his flawed, monstrous glory) felt very true to his character. So I get why Armand would fall for Daniel (eventually) and turn him. But I was wondering (and this is presuming that nothing like the chase or a relationship between them happened in the past), how do you see this Daniel, this vampire who seems to have his shit together and be pretty content with his vampiric life (afawk from the finale, tho this obviously may not be the full truth), falling for Armand eventually? How do you think that will develop?

@destielonfire First of all let me apologize for having no idea when you sent this, I never saw a notification so I hope it hasn't been too long!

I think Daniel's hot girl summer moment we saw a glimpse of in the finale is a ruse by the writers. It added an air of levity to the season finale and gave viewers (and eric!) the gift of swaggering badass vampire Daniel.

But season 3 will have the time to get into it more deeply and well, I don't think anyone ever has a great time after being turned, even if you are rich and famous.

I'm not sure Daniel has ever had his shit together a moment in his life. He says he did when he convinced Alice to marry him, but it must not have lasted long. He was never able to balance his work life with his family. I doubt he'll have an easier time balancing his work life with being a vampire.

I'm also leaning towards the reads on him that this is going to pull him right back down into his addiction issues, now that he's immortal. There are no (well fewer) consequences for substance abuse as a vampire, plus he has a whole new drug, blood, and all that comes with acquiring it. In Dubai we saw that Daniel was squeamish about eating wriggling fish. How is he coping with killing and eating people? I think we only saw one half of the story in the finale. We saw the alcoholic at the bar, buying shots for all his friends while everyone laughs and cheers. We didn't see the next morning's hangover.

In the books, Armand effectively drives Daniel insane to the point the point he falls in love with him, which is hella fucked up (and we love that), so I can see the show taking one of two paths here.

The first is they just adapt that method straight from the books. Lonely and desperate Armand chasing Daniel around the world trying to figure out how to navigate their future as master and fledgling (and understand what drove him to break his vow to never make another vampire for THIS GUY), eventually coming to the conclusion its because he loves him, and Daniel later doing the same. Because they're both trainwrecks impossibly drawn to forms of self harm.

The second is a little less inexplicable and a lot less toxic. Instead of Armand driving Daniel crazy with his psychosexual torture, Daniel does it to himself with his hedonistic desires and lack of self-control. He feeds and kills and feeds and kills, pushes away his family, friends, and collegues, ruins his professional reputation. And he can't understand why he can't stop, why nothing ever makes him feel complete, etc etc. And because he is his maker, because of their invisible cord, Armand takes responsibility for picking him up off the floor and attempting to help him deal with this. Because Armand's the one that gave immortality to a man who can't stop blowing up his life and the lives of everyone around him.

I also think that on a more specific note, Daniel in season 3 will continue to be the plot device that presents the backstory to the audience. I think he'll probably go on tour with Lestat to try to get that second book, and Lestat will share his story, which we know features not only Armand, but Armand's maker Marius, and other places and characters that inform the audience (and Daniel) on Armand's history, motivations, traumas, etc. Daniel has been learning about Armand as a side character and villain in all these other vampires' stories where obviously they're the main characters, the heroes, the victims. But slowly piece by piece he is putting together the Armand puzzle, and now that they're inextricabIy linked he has even more motivation to put the pieces in place. I think those glimpses into Armand's history are going to intrigue him, maybe even endear him to Armand. When they're reunited he wont be able to resist going straight to the source. Which is good because Daniel finding him fascinating is going to melt Armand.

Also I am a romantic. Sometimes there doesn't need to be a reason why two people fall for each other. Season 2 already showed us that these two have an energy. There are strong feelings there already, they can't keep their eyes off each other, can't stop sniping at each other like hissing cats sniffing each other out. Combine that with vampire loneliness and mutual freakitude and you've got a recipe for something.

[general-cyno]

Hey hey have you ever thought about how zoro breaks his body again and again for Luffy gaining scar after scar loosing eyes and shit trying to keep up with Luffy and his devil fruit and sanji with his genetically modified body. Do you think zoro wonders what will be the thing that tips him over the edge into death??? Do you think Luffy does???

well hello to you too, anon! sorry that it took me a while to answer but I love this and ended up typing a lot. so, I also apologize in advance for the long-ish read.

but yeah! actually I was sort of thinking about it thanks to some twts I saw discussing thriller bark again. I gotta say, perhaps I have a bit of a less angsty view? because the thing is... zoro's a pretty straightforward and single-minded character, which doesn't mean he's flat or lacking in depth, but his overall thought process isn't extremely complex.

though zoro treasures his life (just like his swords, both which he needs to achieve his goals), he's not naive. he knows death is a real possibility, more so in the pursuit of his dream. zoro says as much to sanji back in baratie:

zoro doesn't seek death, the opposite actually, and he refuses to die in situations he finds dishonorable or out of his control, but he's come to terms with the idea of his own death. aside from that (or additionally), zoro's most prominent traits are rooted in his deep sense of commitment, devotion and loyalty to what he wants and believes in - namely his dream and his promise to kuina. this aspect of his character doesn't change imo, rather it broadens to encompass luffy and the crew as well.

all this to say that albeit I've called it a sacrifice myself, I don't think what zoro chooses to do for luffy or the crew would count (for him) as such. it's just what he believes he must do - to achieve his personal goals as much as to ensure luffy gets to fulfill his own and to protect the crew as a whole, because they've all become intertwined with zoro's dream to begin with. especially where it concerns luffy. what good is ambition if I can't even save the life of my own captain? indeed, for someone whose end goal is to become the strongest, what's the point of doing so if his strength doesn't allow him to protect those who are important to him? the person who is most important to him?

so when zoro chooses to keep pushing himself to train harder/become stronger, to do the exchange with kuma, beg mihawk to train him or agrees to do crazy stuff like take the drug that will help him recuperate enough to fight but will worsen his injuries/pain tenfold the moment the effect wears off in wano - they're not sources of regret or decisions he sees as tragic sacrifices. he's quite like luffy too, who's made similar choices along the story.

the angst of moments like "nothing happened" for me lies more on the implications of what could've happened (zoro dying for real), what eventually did (almost getting killed in sabaody, the crew's separation) and what luffy's reaction would've been if he'd found out. I do agree luffy would ultimately respect his decision, what I don't usually agree with is that he'd be immediately okay with it. the last thing luffy wants is to lose someone he loves, less so if they get hurt trying to protect him. points at his backstory, marineford and post marineford. this is exactly why sanji insists on not letting him know.

on the other hand, imo, zoro's not trying to keep up with luffy per se... how I see it, it's more like meeting him halfway. when you're faced with how powerful luffy's become nowadays, it's easy to forget he's not infallible. luffy has weaknesses and shortcomings too. post TS zoro is even more aware of both of their limitations (he's the one who's literally experienced luffy's pain as if it were his own) though he's also become more confident in their strength and the crew's as well. zoro will do his best to stand by luffy's side and protect him/their crew, but luffy has to measure up! zoro has no qualms about reminding and demanding him to get his shit together. zoro might not reach luffy's levels of raw strength (and I'd argue he doesn't need to), still, there's other ways in which he makes up for what luffy lacks or can't do in certain circumstances. so if you ask me, it's not about keeping up - it's meeting each other in the middle and striding forward together.

as for sanji, a similar thing applies. for all their petty rivalry and their roles as crew combatants, it's important to remember sanji's more of a nurturer (he is the cook, after all) and his dream of the all blue has little to do with strength, unlike zoro's. his genetic modifications don't really become an issue (for the crew) until wano and if anything, rather than this setting him above zoro in terms of power/abilities or turning into something zoro has to catch up with, sanji relies on zoro to keep him in line if he ever endangers the crew because of it.

all in all, I don't think zoro's the type to wonder what's gonna make him kick the bucket, though he knows dying is a realistic possibility. plus, he's not the only relatively Normal Guy who's ever become crazy strong among DF users and other enhanced characters. rayleigh is a very good point of reference as to what zoro is capable of becoming or achieving, and it's no coincidence they share a bunch of a similarities too.

AND FINALLY LUFFY. I rambled about this in the tags of a post a while back but luffy is a bit of a more complicated case imo. the manga doesn't exactly provide insight on luffy's inner thoughts/feelings (he voices most of them anyway) and though he's not naive in this aspect either, especially not post TS, the story rarely lets him witness situations in which zoro's vulnerable or in real danger of dying. this leads to him sometimes coming across as insensitive or being unfair (by having almost unrealistic expectations wrt zoro) but part of it is that he sees zoro bouncing back from the seemingly impossible more often than he sees him down.

however, the way he loses his goddamn mind when mihawk hurts zoro at baratie, when kizaru almost kills him and as kuma sends him away in sabaody, is a very good indicator of how he handles the idea of losing zoro which is - not well. at all. OPLA also gave us a more blatant example of this with the near dissociation, panic, losing his appetite and actively refusing to eat etc when zoro's wounded and unconscious after his duel with mihawk.

whether he thinks about zoro dying or not is probably more headcanon/fanfic territory, since it hasn't come up in the manga itself. even so, I do believe luffy's the type who... deliberately does Not ponder about sad or potentially upsetting things. one very brief moment that stood out to me while reading was this:

luffy not wanting to remember when garp left him on his own as a kid and straight up getting mushroom-high after being separated from his friends? man.

despite his cheerfulness and confidence, luffy is at his innermost terrified of losing the people he loves and hates the idea of being alone, ever since he was a kid. he begged ace not to die, has fought time and time again to rescue his friends and bring back those who've left. zoro's not just his first crew mate but he's also been the most long lasting and steady throughout the story. as some people have pointed out - zoro is the only one of the east blue gang who's never left the crew, even if the rest all had very understandable reasons for doing it each time. so on a more speculative note, after all the losses luffy's suffered, I'd say wondering when or how zoro will die is something he'd very much avoid. the thought's likely pretty devastating. instead, it's easier to put his entire trust and faith into believing zoro will pull through anything, like luffy says in dressrosa, and zoro would accept no less than that imo - because that's the kind of trust/faith he places in luffy as well.

lastly, about the scars and such... this is where zoro and luffy's similarities are highlighted. when it comes to all the choices they make wrt their dreams or protecting their friends, those luffy understands well. he's pretty much the same as zoro in this regard. that's why he refuses to let buggy interrupt zoro's fight with cabaji and stops johnny and yosaku from interfering in his duel against mihawk, even if seeing zoro get hurt upsets him greatly. zoro and luffy match in many ways, their dreams and determination to fulfill them is one of them, no matter what they have to do or how many scars they collect along their journey as a result.

[stephaniebrownslover]

HI HI HI I'M FROM FBI AND I MUST TAKE YOU TO JAIL FOR BEING AN AMAZING WRITER-

...

It was really a bad entrance but WHO CARES???

I came to place 'cause I want to learn Creepypasta's close friends/friends in your main AU, really I don't know why I feel so curious for this..

UM I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ASS POST, SO I'M SORRY IF I WILL MAKE YOU TIRED OR SOMETHING-

Have a good day/night sweet person <333333

HIIIIIIII LOVELY PERSON AND DON'T TAKE ME TO JAIL PLS, I CAN'T GO BACK THERE!!!!!!

NOOOOOOO IT WAS CUTE DON'T WORRY WHATEVER ANYONE THINK BECAUSE I LIKED IT REALLY

Omg I'm about to cry. Amazing writer???? You guys really want to give me a heart attack. I got so excited whenever someone asks me something and you can't even guess what I feel when someone says they like my writing.

I think you asked this because of that relationship chart but I also want to assume you read some of my posts because I always end them with saying "long ass post" lol

And my AU is mostly a BFF universe and lol don't worry you're not making me tired or something and I'm more than happy to write for your request!!

AND HAVE AN AMAZING DAY/NIGHT SWEETEST PERSON<333333

Ps: If you guys need elaboration on any of this friendships, let me know so that I can make a short post about it!

Also I want to apologize for the delay but I had no energy or motivation because of my upcoming finals. I wanted to write for the other 13 normal friends but I didn't want to postpone this request more. So I apologize for lack of writing!

It may seem short but actually this is almost my longest work for this AU

Frindships in my main AU

Year: 2014

Close friends

Toby and (Eyeless) Jack: In general, it can be said that they have a close relationship. If Toby is still conscious when he is injured, he refuses to go to another medic that is not Jack, and although it is actually a bit dangerous situation, Jack likes it. Jack generally listens to Toby's conversation about the newest topic of his interest and asks him what he is curious about. Toby often visits Jack's cabin because he really likes his company and knows that Jack is very lonely and doesn't want that. Jack shouldn't be alone unless he it is necessary. And Toby is volunteered for this. Despite the occasional arguments, they have a really friendly and close friendship relation.

Jeff and (Eyeless) Jack: They have a one-sided close friendship, mostly in the form of Jeff seeing Jack as a close friend to himself. Of course, they're friends, and they hang out and talk together sometimes, but if it's up to Jack, Jeff is just an annoying friend to him. Jeff, on the other hand, considers Jack as one of his closest friends. Despite the fact that he made fun of him countless times. However, Jeff never makes fun of Jack's past because he knows his limits and truly respects the eyeless demon.

Ben and Jeff: Close friends that causes a terrible headache. Together they are determined to make everyone else crazy, and everyone hates their relationship. They constantly play games, make fun of each other and others, talk about silly topics and do a ton of other stupid things. Actually, even though Jeff is 20 years old and Ben is 12 years old, Ben generally has a mixation of adult and child mentality, and they can get along because Jeff's own mind is normally like that. Even though it sometimes doesn't seem like it from the outside, they really value each other as friends. Still, it's better if they're not friends.

Sally and Ben: Sally was a pretty angry ghost at first, and that's why, unlike Ben, she was acting younger than her own age, 13. When Ben came to the mansion, she refused to talk to him because she did not want the attention to shift from herself. However, Ben did not give up on his goal to talk to her, and eventually Sally overcame her hatred for him. They're pretty good friends now, and even though Ben is the younger one, he's being incredibly protective of Sally in general. When Ben sees something nice, he takes it and gives it to Sally, and Sally makes gifts for him with her own hands. It's a relationship that Slenderman approves of because he thinks it's good for Sally.

Ann and Dina: Actually, they don't really have a friendship at all. Dina hates Ann, and Ann believes that they are the closest friends. And she thinks that the reason Dina attacks her every chance she sees is because of a big mistake Ann made, and since Dina has a forgiving mindset anyway, Ann doesn't mind dealing with her. The reason Ann believes this was because Dina, who thought Ann was still alive when she came back to life, tried to help, but when Dina found out that she was a zombie, she hated Ann because of her hatred towards supernatural things. Ann thinks that she is someone from her previous life that she does not remember, except for medical information.

Jane and Liu: Jane actually never hated Liu. She even felt sorry for him. Moreover, since she thought that the right to revenge belonged most to Liu, but she still wanted it for herself, they made a deal. The first person who found Jeff was going to kill him. Their relationship, which began when Liu visited Jane in the hospital and told her what had happened, was strengthened by their desire for revenge and eventually turned into a real friendship. Liu is a writer known by an anonymous name, and Jane is a secret agent working for the government. Since they both want to stay hidden from the public eye, they can easily understand each other, this is their common denominator. In fact, Liu is one of Jane's few friends.

Tim and Brian: They don't have exactly a friendship anymore like they used to. It's more that they have a relationship like two lonely souls who understand each other in endless suffering and do their best to alleviate this pain, with understanding each other. Even though too many events have come between them to allow them to be friends again, they have managed to overcome it. It's just that their new life doesn't allow them to have fun the way they used to. However, this does not mean they are completely unhappy, they feel peace from each other's partnership, and Tim, in particular, is ready to sacrifice everything for his last remaining friend Brian. They understand each other better than anyone since they are on of the few of the proxies who still have their memory.

Nina and Clockwork: They have a pretty good relationship that started with Clockwork helping Nina out of pity, and then developed with Nina not letting Clockwork go because of her dream of having a girlfriend for the first time. Their relationship is quite intimate and sincere. They really care about each other, and although Clockwork has trained Nina in self-defense, she still instinctively tries to protect Nina in every dangerous situation. They are both each other's first girlfriends as people who have only been bullied by other girls before, and therefore there is a special bond between them. Even though Nina sometimes bores Clockwork with her excessive energy, the bond between them is too strong to be deconstructed by such things.

Nina and Toby: Nina actually met Toby through Clockwork and immediately felt close to him. On the other hand, although Toby was quite cold to her at first despite Clockwork's words to be nice, Nina managed to melt the ice of Toby's heart over time. They definitely have a very chaotic relationship, and when the two of them get together, it becomes a complete nightmare for other people. Especially during the manic periods when Toby's energy is high. Nevertheless, Nina, who knows that this period is dangerous, and tries to distract them both with activities that will not harm Toby. Toby then brings her random beautiful items he found from the forest as a thank you. Nina has a growing collection of fancy stones.

Kate and Toby: Since Toby is the first person who doesn't act like a monster to Kate, Toby is the person Kate feels closest to as a friend. In fact, they have a twin siblings style relationship more than a friend relationship, they hate each other, but actually care about each other quite a lot. Toby is constantly makes fun of Kate, and Kate, who knows that he doesn't feel pain, responds in a way that is not physically extreme. They constantly do arm wrestling tournament challenges and something like this. Kate definitely doesn't let anyone hurt Toby but herself, and Toby is trying to help Kate communicate more people by introducing her to his friends.

Toby and Clockwork: In addition to being two lovers who care about each other more than anything, they are also each other's first friends, and they met even before everything. Both lovers and best friends. From time to time, they may be jealous of each other from others, and then they can make a top 10 celebrity list that they would like to date together. Toby always puts Clockwork at the top of this list, and Clockwork also says that she's not a celebrity, but actually she finds it very stupid and cute. They spend time together in a friendly way, except for romantic affairs, because they are not only lovers, but also friends to death.

Toby and Cody: Although Cody is only 17 years old, he is mentally able to adapt to Toby, who is 19 years old wonderfully. Cody's intense love of science combined with Toby's endless curiosity are not very pleasant things, but Cody incredibly enjoys teaching him. Cody is happy that he has finally found someone who listens to what others consider impossible nonsense and really tries to understand, even if Toby does stupid things. And Toby is happy that he can show off to everyone what a smart friend he has. Also, when Cody first arrived, Slenderman gave Toby the task of observing Cody. They have more of a two stupid brother-style relationship.

Cody and Ann: Although it's a relationship that seems surprising, there's a solid foundation of respect between the two of them. Ann found Cody annoying at first, but later decided to keep him with her because his being so curious evoked strange feelings in her. She thinks that these feelings belong to her previous life, and she thinks that a child with whom she feels close can help her remember her past. At the same time, Cody is Ann's assistant, and Ann taught him important medical knowledge. Cody and Ann understand each other and know how to respect the other person's boundaries. Besides, it's nice to have a silent partner once in a while.

Zero and Dina: Although they are two people who met through Helen and Puppeteer and their personalities are quite opposite to each other, they usually get along well. In fact, they can almost be called better friends than Helen and Jonathan. One of Dina's few friends is surprisingly Zero, even if their personalities don't match up much. Zero is constantly chasing after Dina and dragging her from there to there. Dina, on the other hand, enjoys it because Zero is the person who cares about her the most after her lover Helen. Even though they do the activities that Dina likes from time to time, they usually do Zero's suggestions since Dina fits into almost every plan. Zero is an extremely rip-roaring person, and Dina is usually a calm person, but they get along well.

Zero and Clockwork: It could literally be the most dangerous and crazy relationship in the world. When the two of them get together, something definitely goes wrong for someone. Even Toby and Nina are afraid of the relationship of those two. They tried kissing once before when they were drunk. Even if it doesn't look like it, they both really care about each other. Although their personalities are compatible, no one knows how two such difficult people met and Clockwork and Zero are determined to keep it a private secret between them. They are also among the few people who know each other's real names, and despite this, they use the names they want to be called because of their respect for each other. Truly a terribly chaotic friendship.

Helen and Jonathan: Although others sometimes wonder how they put up with each other, they mostly get along, and that's reason enough for them to be close friends. Helen hasn't been able to get along with anyone except Dina since high school, and Puppeteer is a good exception for him. Even though Jonathan takes incredible pleasure in annoying him. They've even introduced other friends who are the most important to each other, and every now and then the four of them hang out together. Although the two of them have big arguments from time to time, usually the cause of this argument, Jonathan, somehow manages to make amends to Helen. He is lucky that Helen doesn't hold a grudge against his friends.

Rouge and Kate: Although they have a strange relationship, more like Rouge acting like a mother to Kate, Kate prefers to characterize their relationship dynamics as friends. Rouge, on the other hand, puts Kate in the place of her own daughter and acts overprotective and maternal towards her at every chance. Even though such familial love bothers Kate because that makes her feel confused, she knows that Rouge has no bad intentions, so Kate cares and respects her. Also, it makes her feel better to know that Rouge acts like a mother not only to her, but also to Toby. She knows Rouge's real name, but prefers to call her Rouge instead of Heather unless they are alone.

Rouge and Toby: Similarly, Rouge also puts Toby in the place of her own unborn child, and of course Toby likes that she is ready to kick everyone's ass, including Tim, to protect him. It's nice to know that he has his own bodyguard, he just wishes Rouge wouldn't angrily take him to Ann when he's injured since he's old enough to make his own irresponsible decisions. He likens Rouge's attitude to the style of the woman named Connie in the memoir fragments in a way that he doesn't remember exactly why, and in a strange way, a feeling of both love and emptiness occurs in him. However, Toby has a lot of respect and love for Rouge.

Zero and Kagekao: They have a relationship that no one knows why they are friends, but everyone understands why they are friends. They both like a sense of fun that pushes the boundaries to the fullest, and sometimes they go hunting victims together. Since Zero and Kagekao's fashion sense is similar, they also get along better than others in this regard. Both of them are extremely annoying to each other and death threats are flying around, but they definitely wouldn't try to kill the other. After all, they are two cool friends with similar personalities to each other, and no one can be better than them. 

Jeff and Nina: Actually, Nina was madly in love with Jeff, but she eventually cooled off from him because of Jeff's bad attitude to her, and they never spoke until Jeff made amends by apologizing on the anniversary of Liu's death. Although Jeff doesn't remember that night, he gets along better with Nina because he's trying to be a less terrible person, and Nina appreciates his effort. Now they have a relationship more like brother and sister, and Jeff is protective of Nina against others, which Nina really likes. The common desire of both of them is that Nina's new girlfriend Kate tries to kill Jeff less. Although they don't usually hang out when Kate is with them, they meet up from time to time and spend time doing random things.

Total: 20

Friends

Jeff and Clockwork

Liu and (Eyeless) Jack

Kate and Clockwork

Lulu and Dina

Lulu and Jeff

Nina and Jane

Nina and Liu

Dina and Jonathan

Mary and Liu

(Laughing) Jack and Jill

(Laughing) Jack and Kagekao

Rouge and Brian

Zero and Jonathan

Total: 13

Sum of all: 33

[sheshe-cartoonlover]

Heyy! Here I'll uploading my sketches of different cartoons!!

Orrrr...

Different ideas or thoughts of different cartoons :D

Well, things like that...

Almost all about cartoons :))

Also... Can you see my pfp? 'Cause I uploaded It many times, but I can't see It TvT

Sooo... I forgot to upload my description and I prefer to write what I'd write there directly here!

About me:

You can call me... Basically any way you like, SheShe Is okk too :))

Orrr... You call me Rain or something like that... I usually use that! It's my art name...? Kind of...

Okk, let's move on!! I'm 15yo... Too much... Too much... I think I've missed two or three birthdays, because sometimes I wake up thinking I'm 12yo... Yeahh, that's It! Just ignore all the "..."! It's just not really how I talk irl, but I can't really talk how I talk irl, maybe I'll leave a vocal thingy here someday, since I desperately want to talk!! My English Is bad, remember that! I'm a B2, I think?? I don't really know my level, I just know I can read B2/C1 books, well, I usually mess up with few/little and many/much... When writing or speaking. Talking about my pronounce, It Is well, really meh... You'll hear that laterrr!

I wrote this poem just for saying that I'm 15yo! Oh, my!

ANYWAY, yeah, I know I repeat things often, I'm totally self-conscious about that and I apologise! But... I TRY, but I can't not do It!!! It's sooo hard! It's like talking slowly! Who on earth Is able do that?

Oh, let's come back to myself ✨

I'm Italian and I'm REALLY can't take It anymore with all the hotness hereee! It's like 40°C degrees, I hate the Sun! Sorry, Sun, I love your complexion... But not your role, still don't explode, pleeeeeease!

After that little talk to myself with the Sun, you probably stopped reading, I'm not even asking myself why! If you are still reading, I think you must know that you're not even halfway, because I may have been lacking of social interactions these days and when that happens... I talk to myself, so why don't be even crazier! Talk to random people who may encounter my post In this sea of posts (worst metaphor ever, I know) and ask themselves why? Why would she do that?

OHHH, RIGHT!! I'm a girl! Pronouns She/Her, I don't really like to be referred as He/Him, so please remember that, I won't be mad If you don't, but... Don't be offended If I'm having a bad day and I tell you something, like "I'm actually I girl!!", I apologize here, sorryyy 😓😓...

Let's move onto Sexuality, should we? (Yeah, we definitely should, I know, I'll tell you how many words are there In this poem at the end, which Is... Uhm... Pretty far!)...

ANYWAY (I'll using a lot of anyways to reconnect myself to the MAIN conversation here, yeah, I know It's just a conversation with MYself!)... Counting of anyways at the end!!

ANYWAY, I'm In the ARO/ACE Spectrum, I know for sure I'm Apothisexual but... What about romantic orientation? Something In the ARO Spectrum for sure, just not Apothiromantic, since, I'm not romance-repulsed... I mean, I don't like romance on myself, like kisses are a big no and, I'm not perfectly fine with physical touch either... But, I really love others romance!! Literally like every fangirl!! But I don't know If Apothiromantic to that!? So I'll be sticking to Aromantic or [Fictoromantic], even though I prefer Apothiromantic, referring to how I feel about romance with ME...

I'm a cartoon addicted, I don't watch anything If not cartoons!! (No, but I mean for real)... I'm starting to become real-people-repulsed, well not for real, I love my friends, but, I just wish we were, like, animated better? It's difficult to explain, maybe I'm just weird... I literally can't watch shows with real people If not at the theatre, because I feel like repulsed... I get bored In some minutes...

ALSO, things for which I'll probably get bullied at school If I tell anyone, I'm afraid of blood, like a lot... Not mine... But others'... Yes.. Even If It's just the slightest sight of blood... If It's drawn I still have problems, but less, like I can convince myself that It Isn't blood, so my head doesn't start going crazy and almost fainting or... I just look away :D!

TPD doesn't have much blood, luckily and... Only on dark scenes, most of the times, so I say to myself: "It Isn't blood... It's Isn't blood..."

That's like:

Me: "It Isn't blood... It's Isn't blood..."

Viren: "The Son's Blood..." or "The Blood of The Soon...", I'm not sure!

Anyway!!

Me: "IT'S NOT BLOOD! IT'S NOT BLOOD!"

So, well, sometimes I actually believe It... And It's working! When Viren did that disgusting hearth thingy I don't wanna remember, at first, I didn't even think It was blood... Well, then yes, so I started looking away or looking at the background ehe...

This Is starting to feel like a personal diary-

ANYWAY, where were we? I don't even remember...

Oh. Right!!! My lucky number Is 17!!!

I won't tell you ALL my personality typings, just know I'm a ENFP E2w3, ok?

Wanna know something? Ask In the comments below!!

And no, It's NOT the end... Just lemme find a topic, because I really want to talk... You can see how crazy I am by the fact that I literally have a chat with myself on TextingStory free version, 'cuz I have no money ✨✨

Wanna see some of the chat???

I guess not, but I wanna show y'all!!

Nevermind, It's more embarrassing than this whole thing...

I'm working on MLP tarots with myself, anyway!!! I have just 2 cards ready for now, well "ready"... I have just 2 doodles of the concepts... I have 0 - The Fool - Discord and I - The Magician - Trixie, but I have to color them digitally and It's gonna be a pain since... Well, let's say I'm not the best with digital art... But still, I should be able to trace and color, right?? Yeah, I don't think so neither, but we'll see after I have all the 78 cards ready!!!

My idea Is to give each card a different character, according to their story or just something near to their story, since finding 78 DIFFERENT characters was hard... Actually 85, but shhh, just because two cards need 2 characters and one needs 3... Not really the best things ever... Finding the Kings was the worst ehe... At least now I can say my favourite seed Is CUPS!! And that If you get 5 Is bad... Also Death!! Death Is worse... I already decided all the characters yesterday, did I already tell you that?

Anyway...

I know It's bad, I just tried... Ahahahaha

They are the same size anyway, don't let yourself be fooled by the pictures and for the King/Queens and Empress/Emperor you'll see... I'm not a PEDO!!! I don't actually ship them! They are just characters that fitted In, Kings and Queens are not related! Nor are the Empress and the Emperor!!

Fun fact: I have 8 full notebooks I made In 3-4 years... Maybe 2? It feels so weird... I didn't change In these notebooks, just In the last ones, I understood myself better... Since I write as Rain, not as She... Yeah, She Is a real life nickname people give me, so well, SheShe too... I really became more mentally ill In these years... But also a lot more like In this post... In my notebooks, I put all my weirdness and I feel happy about It, I don't know If It's good or not...

I'm also dark, sometimes, thought, honestly... Like I really want my parents to divorce, like I want It, I'd be happy and out there there are people who maybe have PTSD due to their parents divorce... I feel cruel for this...

ANYWAY!!! LET'S TALK OF LIGHTER THINGS!! Even thought, my playlist playing "Different Beast" creeps me out, If the next It's "Monster", I'd be sad for my own cruelness... I'm trying soo hard to be KIND, KIND AND KIND... People say: "Don't be kind or you'll be used!", but what If I like being used??? What If I'm fine with It and I take joy In being used, because I know that my being used does something good to others, while my not being kind, hurts them? Like sometimes I don't understand people, I usually thought that this thing of using was realistic and helpful, but some months ago I realised I wrong I was! Anyway, yeah, people use me or think about using me, even not voluntarily... One time, one of my classmates told me: "You do everything people tell you, you're so usable"... I told him "I know" and I laughed, "It doesn't bother me" - I said.

Anyway my YouTube FYP, because yes

Sorry, It's In Italian 😓😓

Anyway, "No Longer You" Is playing, It's even more even depressing than "Monster"...

Anyway, even If It's the song which scares me the most In all EPIC, "Monster" Is my favourite song In The Musical!!!

Anyway, my current favourite cartoon Is MLP: FIM, well, actually from a lot of years, but... Still love It!!!

I'll finish this ✨ Poem ✨ later

I'M BACK! I'M BACK!!

OK, so I thought you may be asking why In my notebook I have a date of day that still has to come (5/4), I wish It was because I'm from the future, but It's because I'm a dummy... In my notebooks, I always put dates that has to come, It's because they're Rain's notebooks, not She's notebooks and In Rain's world the time works different... It's never the same date as today, It's always the future, but really random... Like sometimes In a day I put 2 or more different dates orr, one day I put the date of 2 days after and some days even a week or a month... This started with a date of months later, but I was busy, this date arrived and well, the dates came nearer ehe...

I'm loving writing this essay, like It's really awesome, It's like a therapy!!! Quite like VAT7K, which helped and Is helping with my loneliness and fear of abandonment... See, I don't know If you want to read my psychological talk... There aren't a lot of who would want to... At least, when I talk about that with my Mom I feel worse than before... But, maybe with you? I talked about It with other friends... Really... Almost everyone, even If I tried to make It seem A LOT less a pain than It really was, because... Because that's what my Mom makes me think... Like, I don't wanna become a drama queen and give the impression that ONLY I suffer, I don't know, my Mom always says that "No one wants to be your (mine) friend, because you're (I'm) always like this"...

Like, I love to talk about psychology and things I like, but when I talk with my Mom or my Grandma, my Dad... I feel so non listened and dumb for even having started that dumb conversation that... I started to not talk about my Interests with my friends or, even when I do It, I feel like even If they reply... They seem Interested... Their smile Is fake and they are just annoyed, bored and uninterested just because of me, so I stop... And change topic...

ANYWAY, I'm making this whole thing seem like It's my Mom fault, but no, she's good!! She doesn't just realise she's not really the mother she wishes to be and I'm not the daughter she wants ehe... But she's a lot of fun!!! I definitely prefer her to those bratty Moms all about pretty dresses and ugly long nails... Augh... (SORRY IF I ACCIDENTALLY INSULTED YOU!! If I don't like long nails or dressing pretty It's just me, not you, you are not a bad personality to me just because of that, you're even better than me, because you actually care about you look, while I don't... Well, I do... But In my ways... Anyway, I love y'all anyway!! Remember, It doesn't matter how you dress, y'all are still beautiful!!! I just don't want a Mom who tells me to dress pretty, while I don't to ♥️)!

Hey!! Wanna know I dress and how I WOULD dress If I could?

I'll show some things from Pinterest!!! You're completely free to not like It, of course, I have not seen anyone with my style so far... Well, maybe my BFF, but I'm... Well, even more colourful and self expressive than her!!

Ohhh, I can't wait to show youuu! I need to find someone with my style!!!

First, this kind of oversized hoodies, all with bunnies images like this one! But, figure them In a different colour, like... Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red and with a big pocket right below the bunny!!!

This would be a good example of a T-shirt I'd wear, same colours (Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red, some white), always with Bunnies!!!

Always long shirts.

I'd wear this kind of shirts/hoodies with cartoon characters too, but It's too embarrassing ehe...

For the pants, sweatpants or leggins!

Same colours are before, you know Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red... Ehe... They are my colours... Yellow too, thought!

-

Now It's summer here, soo, I just wear this kind of shorts, but with the colours you know, but I'll repeat: Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red...

And I also wear singlets like these, same colours (Dark or Light Pink/Lavender/Red)!

For the HOT SUN I also always have this...

NO WAYYY, 10 IMAGES LIMIT?? THIS IS INSANE!?

Sorry, guys, I'll delete the MLP picture... 🥲

Yeah, I wear this and I probably look dumb and really funny, but It's really useful (yes, I got the idea from that MLP episode)...

And a fan!!! I always bring my fan!!! Oh, and I always bring my rucksack!!! I have to make you see It!!! I'll delete the leggings image... You know how leggings are made, after all, right?

I have to give you an idea of how my rucksack looks like, sorryyy!!

It's similar to this, but It has longer ears and It's more colourful, It had mixed light blue, lavender and light pink... Mine also has a tail and paws... The base colour In the back, which here Is light pink, In mine Is lavender... Also mine has A LOT of keychain... AHHH!! I HAVE 2 MLP KEYCHAINSS!!! 1 Scootaloo and 1 Twilight, they arrived two weeks ago, then an heart carved In wood, two bracelets from the Camping I go on Holiday since I was born: one from last year (ocean blue), and one I'm using this year (Pinkie's mane pink)... Also 2 Scooby-Doos, which are those things with Intertwined threads, I don't know?? I translated this word, Imma be honest here! Also there I have a Marmot small-sized plushie with a tiny bow, a lavender butterfly 🦋 and my school's keychain!! It should be everything... You don't wanna know what's inside, but sure there are plenty sticks... I'll probably use them to make magic wands once I get home, since I need some!! Did I mention I'm Into witchcraft!!!

All the photos are from Pinterest!!!

I got an Ideaaa!! I'll make my own diary on Wattpad, best therapy ever!!! Maybe I'll make some friends too...!! I can't wait!! Even If as a format... I love Tumblr more... But... YOU CAN PUT JUST 10 IMAGES IN A POST??? WHATT??

Anyway, I can't count the words or the anyways like I promised, 'cause I can't copy the Intere text... TvT

I'm so sorry...

This Is probably the end, but see you In my new Journal on Wattpad, I'll probably write about my life here too and I'll register those promised vocals... :))!!

Anyway, I changed my mind... Tumblr Is A LOT better than Wattpad, so I'm gonna use this both as a Journal and to post drawings... Well, still a Journal and this was my Intro :))

[jgnico]

hi!! i'm stumbling into your ask box again, hope you don't mind

i wonder,, what are your thoughts on Geto's upbringing? i've seen quite a few takes on what his childhood could've been like, but as long as the story itself is not particularly generous with answers in this regard, the topic stays controversial -- at least for me. i personally tend to think that there were some issues in the household, and the environment he grew up in was not exactly a safe space for a child. because we have to assume that, being that strong at the age of sixteen, chances are he was familiar with his technique for long enough already, probably having started consuming curses pretty early on. so what does that say about his parents? thinking of the prospect of forced eating makes me feel unwell. and what about the fact he was a sorcerer born to a non-sorcerers family? how frightening and unclear and lonely must that have been? were his parents aware of their child's exact whereabouts after he enrolled into Jujutsu High? how much did they know? also, taking in consideration all the problems inherent in Japan's educational system, is there a chance that Geto's gift was a sort of convenience to them? because sorcerers are usually pretty well-off due to high demand and low supply and their son's abilities could solve financial problems related to getting him educated? could they have some inner motifs while also being genuinely concerned about Geto's well-being? might it be a reason why they encouraged their son, a literal child, to absorb those foul, god-awful beings? could they fully understand what they're asking him to do, lacking the ability to even see those creatures? but then again, i find it hard to imagine somebody coming out of an abusive household and still having a strict moral codex and a concrete sense of justice like Geto's. and when he says that the sorcerers have a responsibility to protect the weak, doesn't he think about his parents first? what if he's clinging so determinedly to his ideas because he needs them to somehow rationalize his childhood experience? and what if those ideas stem from his parents guilt tripping him in the past? and what's up with his distinctly traditional clothes? might he come from a religious background?

so what's your opinion on *vaguely gestures at everything above* all of that? apologies for such a lengthy ask, i obsess over thinking about geto and just needed to share it with somebody more competent and knowing than me,, and i would genuinely love to hear your thoughts!! thank you! 🧡

I don't mind at all! Welcome back to the askbox.

I was looking around for some posts where I speculated about Geto's upbringing that had some lovely additions to it by @lulubaii where they share their thoughts as well, but I couldn't find them, sorry.

That being said, I go one of two ways on Geto's upbringing where I either think his childhood and relationship with his parents was fine, normal even. Or where he didn't have a stellar upbringing at all.

I lean more toward the latter, for reasons that I'll get into in a second, but I do appreciate how sad him having a normal boring childhood would be when you add the context of him feeling like he had to kill them to cement his own ideas. Where killing them wasn't born out of any specific negativity toward them, but rather what they were -- non-sorcerers. If there was love there, then that makes Geto's actions all the more heartbreaking and awful, and adds to the idea that there was no going back for him once he committed to the path he wanted to take. If he ever had his doubts about his actions (and I like to think he did, no matter how much he didn't want to): How do you forgive yourself for that? How do you reconcile that with anything other than overwhelming grief and regret? You can't. So you don't. So you press forward and insist, even to yourself -especially to yourself- that you're doing what's necessary.

All of that being said, I actually think that Geto had a troubled upbringing, or at least one that was neglectful if not outright abusive. There are two reasons for this; the first being the question of how he even knew that he could eat curses, and the second being the fact that his immediate next step after rescuing Mimiko and Nanako (two sorcerers -children- that were abused by non-sorcerers that didn't understand what they were and used the excuse of fear to hate/harm them for it) was to kill his own parents.

Edit: I found two of the posts I was looking for. [xx]

There's so much immediacy to him going after his parents that I never really articulated before. Assuming that the report of his actions reached the higher-ups --and his subsequent execution order was issued-- the day after, and he met with Shoko in Shinjuku in the late afternoon/early evening, that leaves him that single night/morning to find a place for the girls, travel to his home, kill his parents, and then travel to Shinjuku.

And sure, you could argue that he was operating on the 'high' of what happened in the village, but I find it hard to believe that the adrenaline carried him through the entire journey to kill them unless he had something to be angry at them specifically for. My question would be: Was he upset over something they did or something they didn't do? Is it a case of them using his technique for their own gain until he was scouted and that income could be supplemented through his missions instead? Or did they fail to protect him from the same kind of people that set him off in the village?

The answer that I've landed on after lots (and lots) of thinking is that Geto's parents were probably just extremely poor, and him figuring out his technique was the result of hunger. He most likely found out soon after eating one that Curses weren't a viable food source, but until he tried one, they would have been one that only he had access to. It would've doubled as a secret only he knew and a way to lessen the burden of providing for him, which is exactly the kind of thinking that I could see a young child falling into. Then, as he and his collection of curses grew over the years, it's possible that he (through the urging or actions of his parents) started using his technique to get money for their household from the people around them, which would have alienated him from the people in his town and might have inspired a less extreme but equally hurtful version of the fear and hate that he saw mirrored with the girls.

I could also see how this would be something that solidified Geto's stance on protecting non-sorcerers while putting them in a lesser position than himself (i.e. him seeing them as 'the weak;' a concept that you can tie to both parents that he was providing for -protecing from poverty- and townsfolk that he was exorcising curses for -protection from curses), on top of adding some interesting context to his reaction and response when Gojo asks if he should kill the members of the SPVA. Specifically, him saying "Forget it. It's pointless" makes me wonder if he's been in a similar situation where he had to talk himself out of using his abilities against non-sorcerers after their actions caused him pain and he was falling back into that mindset when talking to Gojo. That they can't act against them, regardless of if they want to, so there's no reason to dwell on it.

Additionally, Geto exorcising Curses for money would have more than likely drawn the attention of a Window, seeing as it's their job to scout for curses. (Therefore, providing Sorcerers a way to make money.)

If Geto was getting rid of Curses around his village frequently enough or for long enough --like the nine years between his Technique manifesting and his being admitted to the school-- it would have probably created an anomaly where there weren't any Curses (or any strong enough Curses to require a Sorcerer) where there should be, prompting an investigation into why that was happening.

My (loose) supporting evidence for this idea would be the issues with food that Geto develops after the Star Plasma Vessel incident (a habit that he could have broken and then fallen back into once he was under enough stress, which isn't at all unheard of, especially with people that grew up food insecure) and the role he falls into once he starts his cult, i.e. using his technique to "cure" people to collect curses and money. He seems perfectly comfortable doing so if you don't count his general dislike of dealing with non-sorcerers, so it isn't unrealistic to me that he'd be operating under prior experience. Same as the struggles with eating, it'd be like falling back into a bad habit of sorts.

Side Note: I heard a quote the other day that went something along the lines of "One year of consistency can change the trajectory of a person's life, regardless of what stage of life they're in" and while this was speaking toward stable, consistent support and positive relationships changing someone's life for the better, it stands that the opposite is true as well. One year without adequate support and negative or absent relationships can very much turn someone for the worse, whether that represents itself internally or externally. And I think it's safe to say that Geto was very much lacking in consistent support and friendship (him and Gojo going on so many missions alone, away from each other, Shoko, and their kohai) in the year between Riko's death and Geto's defection.

All of this isn't to say that Geto's parents are to be blamed for their own deaths or that his actions weren't inexcusable, but it does add important context, I think.

Trauma, especially the kind that he and Gojo went through, fundamentally changes a person, and not just emotionally.

A topic that I've always found interesting and highly recommmend further reading on if you want is how trauma physically affects our brains and the rest of our body. Specifically, when our brain is still developing throughout our childhoods and teenage years, significant trauma (Toji) and repeated triggering of fight or flight (the influx of missions) can cause the brain put itself into survival mode even when danger isn't actually present. (This is partly where we get things like extreme anxiety, ptsd, c-ptsd, and other stress disorders.) The problem with this is that when your brain goes into suvival mode it pushes blood away from itself and your vital organs and out to your extremities (arms, legs, etc) so that you can get away from whatever the danger is. This, in turn, can cause issues with memory formation, emotion regulation, our ability to reflect and respond to issues we have with moral flexibility, and our ability to feel empathy (etc, the list goes on) on top of having long term effects on our bodies itself like lack of appetite, persistent anger and irritation, disassociation and confusion, faster heart-rate, issues with over- or under-sleeping, susceptibility to chronic illness, etc.

But let's get back on topic and answer your other questions:

I imagine Geto was very lonely before he went to Tokyo; no one in his family were sorcerers and I doubt that anyone else in his village was either, since he was scouted to be a sorcerer (probably by a Window) instead of referred by one. I highly doubt he had anyone that he could relate to about the whole issue of seeing curses and the inherent disgust involved with using his technique. I also think the isolation concerning the latter probably didn't go away even after he moved to the high school, seeing as he points out he's the only one that truly knows what a curse tastes like. It's something that sets him apart from both sorceres and non-sorcerers, something that others him.

I don't think that his parents had much of an idea of what his time at Jujutsu Tech was like. I highly doubt the school gives an accurate report to their students' families on what their kids are doing, and if Geto's parents truly viewed him/his technique in a negative light, I'd think that they were most likely just happy that he wasn't around while also getting a free education from a religious private school,* plus an allowance from the school for his missions and rank as a sorcerer. (If I remember correctly, Special Grades get a decent amount of money based on their rank alone, even before adding the payouts involved with exorcising higher-level Curses.)

I actually don't find it all that hard to see Geto coming away from an abusive or negligent household with a high moral code and a strong sense of justice. Plenty of people do all the time, and the idea that they don't is more of a myth than a fact. Yes, some people grow up and continue to perpetuate cycles of abuse, but correlation doesn't at all equal causation. In fact, the opposite is more common; where someone escapes their initial unhealthy environment only to end up in another one because they have no other frame of reference that allows them to recognize the ways in which it was unhealthy in the first place.

As for why he chose monk robes to wear after defecting, I'll reference Gege here, and say that Geto picked the Gojo-kesa simply because it had Gojo in the name and it helped him hold on to what he had given up. (Now that I think about it, it also probably served as a reminder of why he was doing what he was doing in the first place. Kinda like the "Do it for her" meme, but with clothes that have your best friend's name.)

*In chapter 3 it's stated that the Jujutsu Technical College operates under the facade of a religious private school.

[gaykey]

Hello!!

i'm not wildly invested in this whole key situation(s) but i've just seen so many posts about it and i was curious about your response as you've been very vocal within this discussion haha (pls read this ask in a nice chatty tone, not an argumentative one!). and sorry for the massive text below, you don't have to answer this ask if you don't wanna <3

But, i feel like a lot of the things ppl have gotten angry at key for lately are to a degree unavoidable for him. Like the m*donalds thing: i thought he'd signed an exclusive contract with them way before people starting caring that the chain was in support of isrl. He can't exactly back out of it? i also heard the general opinions of ppl in korea are pretty apathetic towards the current conflict (tho that is it's own conversation) and are unlikely to consider how supporting a brand would impact the situation. it's a lot to expect the average person to display overt political reactions when the conversations they're hearing don't influence their respective communities. Take us, for ex: we wouldn't be as opinionated about this if the spaces we occupy online weren't as vocal as they are. i know the ppl i meet irl don't really talk about it much, who's to say the ppl he knows talk about it? Just a general observation, not an "excuse" for their apathy rly. I just don't see a possibility of him cancelling his contract with them, to sum things up.

As for the Hyuna thing: he's still a person and a celebrity. It's not really like he can just suddenly go public at exclaim to the world how little he wants to associate with her. A response from him would only make the matter worse really, no? He would offend a lot of personal and public people whom he needs to associate with regularly. It would impact his group (shine as a whole) and all the people he works with (like I live alone/amazing saturday casts/etc) and the multitude of brands he is the face of. It's a huge cost to take a stance on a conversation he didn't start (cause hyuna brought it up, not him right? -- sry i don't know much i could be wrong!!). i feel his silence on the matter makes more sense then acknowledging the issue - as sad as that is. and if they have been close firends for years, is it not alot to ask him to drop all contact forever? <perhaps a controversial question, but i would not so readily throw away my own friends. I would hope they come to their senses and/or i'd find a way to make them lol

as for the colorist comments... yeah, that's a long conversation. i'm glad he apologized and has decidedly not said anything like that since..? bare minimum, but don't have much to say on this aspect. he said something truly nasty, but acknowledged it and the harm it did at least.

Just in general, i feel a lot of what he's getting slack for are out of his control and not necessarily indicative of who he is as a person. There is so much ambiguity to how he must behave given his career, it feels like his lack of response(s) are fairly justifiable. Shinee has been trying so hard lately to become as relevant as possible so they can compete with newer generations of kpop. I don't see him realistically putting that at risk. But, perhaps i'm wrong! who knows!

i've thought long and hard about this ask, which is why i left it a little while, because tbh, i do think you have some points. i'll be so real with you though, i've had some wine tonight, so this might not be the best time to reply to this, buuut here i am

so.

kibum is the kind of person, though incredibly professional, has always spoken out when he thinks something is wrong, or if there has been injustice. he's not the type to hold his tongue. he, on many occasions, has spoken out against the company HE IS STILL CONTRACTED WITH.

i get not being able to brush off hyuna on national tv-

i get maaaaybe be tied to a contract you can't get out of (though it was established that he very much could have if he wanted to)-

i even forgave him for his ignorant & shitty colourist comments-

but what about his behavior since?

key, who is well-known for not giving a fuck about the 'idol image', who has spoken out against his company, the industry...has had nothing to say.

he could have NOT signed up for more contracts with shitty israel supporting companies, he could have given a statement in regards to hyuna, he could have been outspoken about donating to charities and fundraisers aiding palestinians, and the cause?

and yes, i know the other members have not either, as well as many other idols, but, i don't think it's crazy of me to think that DUE to the shit he's done over the last few months, he should be held MORE accountable in a way?

i don't think it's a wild concept to expect these people to have basic good morals?????

non eof this was out of his control. these idols are more than gold enough at controling their image when they want tl.

[sparkyblizz]

Sherlock Gnomes: The Movie About Gnome Johnlock (No, Really)

I really genuinely like this movie and its predecessor, Gnomeo and Juliet, and I call them cinematic masterpieces. While they may be silly movies, they're also charming, have a great soundtrack, and the sequel has a surprisingly impactful story, I feel. In regards to the title of this post, the plot of the film revolves around the dynamic of the two main partnerships—Juliet and Gnomeo, and Sherlock and Watson. Their relationships are even paralleled, as Juliet has become neglectful of her partner in the face of her newfound responsibilities, just as Sherlock has become neglectful of his partner in the face of his work. A very important part of this movie is both of these people (or rather, gnomes) must learn that they've made their partners feel underappreciated, and they must fix things and make amends. I'm not kidding.

This movie begins with the human characters, Mr Capulet and Miss Montague moving into their new house in London. the previous leaders of each garden, Lord Redbrick and Lady Bluebury name Gnomeo and Juliet the new leaders of this new garden. Juliet now takes on the responsibility of getting the garden ready. the conflict with our main couple is set up pretty early, when Gnomeo tries to obtain a Cupid's Arrow Orchid (the flower they both tried to get in the first movie, both put their hands on, and had their love at first sight moment over) and Juliet is mad at him. This is when this exchange occurs:

GNOMEO: Unbelievable! What do you care more about, the garden or me?

JULIET: Oh, you're being ridiculous!

GNOMEO: That is not an answer.

JULIET: The garden can't wait and you can!

Immediately after this, they discover that all the other gnomes have been kidnapped, and this is when they meet our other leads, Sherlock Gnomes and Dr Watson. Sherlock believes Moriarty, an ornamental mascot for a pie company, is responsible, even though Watson and Sherlock saw him get destroyed. Sherlock believe's he's lived, and the clues are his calling cards.

Throughout this movie, we see Sherlock belittle and disregard Watson, as well as being curt and dismissive to everyone. You also see that Sherlock's general lack of care or tact means that Watson has to clean up after him, apologising for him and being the more friendly of the two. This is especially exemplified when we are introduced to the Empress Dowager Pom-Pom, who Sherlock offended, and Watson sent a bouquet of orchids as an apology gift, but as he wasn't the one that offended her, they are not forgiven.

During their investigation, our two pairs split up, Gnomeo siding with Watson, who wants to go investigate the museum, while Sherlock wants to go meditate at the modern art gallery so he can crack the latest clue, and Juliet agrees with him. Gnomeo runs off, upset with Juliet, and when Sherlock shows no care, Watson lets out a wistful sigh, saying, "Sherlock Gnomes," and assures Juliet that he will go after Gnomeo, which leads to this exchange between the two at the museum:

WATSON: Look, I know you're angry.

GNOMEO: How would you feel? It's like she doesn't even care about me!

WATSON: A partner who takes you for granted. Can't think of what that's like.

GNOMEO: I don't know how you put up with that gnome.

WATSON: If we had six months, I'd list all his faults. But despite them, he is a brilliant detective. We all have our good and bad sides. Sherlock, Miss Juliet... me.

GNOMEO: D'you know what, mate? You're right. I shouldn't have left her. I need to go back. I need to make this right.

This is obviously a very good example of the parallels between the two relationship conflicts and shows us how Watson feels underappreciated, just like Gnomeo. In the next scene, Gnomeo is kidnapped by one of the gargoyles that kidnapped the others, and Watson falls from a great height, and you hear a smashing noise. Juliet lets out a cry, and this is the first scene you see Sherlock show emotion. His eyes widen, he looks horrified and saddened. He whispers "Watson" in disbelief. Crucially, Juliet is behind him, and cannot see his face. She is crying, and for the first time, he shows a gentleness, softly urging her to keep going with him. I think this is especially important because this is the first time we've seen him show care towards anyone, and we see he truly cares about his partner.

In the next scene, Sherlock is trying to keep up his composure, not acknowledging the events that have just happened, instead focusing on the case, which leads to this interaction:

JULIET: Gnomeo got taken. He is gone! And Watson just got smashed. Why aren't you sad or angry?

Once again, she is stood behind Sherlock, unable to see his face, as we can see he's struggling to keep face, his expressions wavering.

SHERLOCK: Sadness and anger will not help me save one single gnome. Emotion is the enemy of logic.

JULIET: That is not an answer.

SHERLOCK: The case can't wait. You can.

This is a parallel to the earlier argument between Juliet and Gnomeo, where she has her words parroted back to her, and realises how in the wrong she was. She leaves, and we once again see Sherlock look saddened. He's clearly a man that hides his emotions and doesn't want to be seen as vulnerable.

I did want to note that part of the ballad I Need You to Turn To by Elton John plays over a scene of Sherlock and Juliet in the gallery, each ruminating on their sadness, in which the lyrics heard are:

And I wonder sometimes and I know I'm unkind, but I need you to turn to when I act so blind

And I need you to turn to when I lose control

You're my guardian angel that keeps out the cold

Which I think is fitting lyric choice for two people who lost their partners in different ways, struggling to cope with it, knowing that they've not treated them the way they should.

Another thing that makes this movie great to me is Irene, Sherlock's ex-fiancee, who is voiced by MARY J. BLIGE. She is mad at Sherlock for ending their engagement in a letter. She is a doll, and she sings Stronger Than I Ever Was, a Mary J. Blige song, to Sherlock and Juliet, and this song is a banger. I was obsessed with it, and when I was binge reading a fanfiction series over 2-3 days, I listened to this song on repeat. (Said fanfiction series is called Phantoms and Mirages, a series on AO3 that is about Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies and is a Simon Blackquill/Bobby Fulbright fic series. This will mean nothing to you if you're not an AA fan, but this movie and this pairing are inextricably linked for me, as it was looking this movie up on tumblr that led me to this fanfiction. But I digress.) Irene throws Sherlock and Juliet out, and Juliet storms back into the doll museum that Irene is the boss of. Irene proceeds to sling passive-aggressive insults at the gnome, thinking that she's Sherlock's new girlfriend, which leads to this exchange:

JULIET: Sherlock didn't "choose" me.

IRENE: And he never will. With Sherlock, work always comes first. There's always another case to crack, another mystery to solve, another backyard of gnomes to rescue.

This shows that there's precedent to Sherlock's neglect of the people he's close to. I also want to add this interaction, after Juliet talks about how wonderful and caring Gnomeo is:

IRENE: A man doesn't make you strong.

JULIET: You're right, a man doesn't make you strong. But the right partner can make you stronger. But I've let mine down, and now I need to make it right.

This convinces Irene, who hands over the clue that Sherlock and Juliet came for, and she requests that Juliet come back to tell her about saving the day, cementing their newfound friendship. Love these ladies, queens, I tell you! I also want to note that there is a poem on the final clue (the clues are cards with an M on them, for reference): "You already know it's all about you. What is the pattern in the final clue?"

Another great thing to note is that the final clue leads them to Traitor's Gate, which Sherlock says is where he and Watson solved their first case. This is amazingly poetic, as once they enter Traitor's Gate, they discover Watson, who survived.

SHERLOCK: Show youurself, Moriarty!

WATSON: No, Sherlock. Not Moriarty.

JULIET: Watson?

SHERLOCK: But... that's impossible.

WATSON: Not impossible. Merely improbable. [Here he holds up the calling card with an M on it, and turns it upside down.] It wasn't an M. It was a W, for Watson. But I knew you'd miss that, because it had to do with me.

Watson revealed that he did not intend to hurt the gnomes, and apologises to Juliet, saying it was only to challenge his partner. He enlisted the help of his friends from Traitor's Gate, the gargoyles, for his plan.

WATSON: Miss Juliet, I am sorry I had to involve your garden. But this was the only way to get through to Sherlock.

SHERLOCK: You did all this? But why?

WATSON: Because we used to be a team. Sherlock and Watson, friends, partners in crime-solving. But over time, you stopped respecting me. The only ornament you respected was Moriarty. There was only one way I could prove myself to you: I had to pretend to be Moriarty. I orchestrated this game. I challenged you to a battle of wits.

SHERLOCK: And you won. You beat me.

WATSON: That's all I wanted to hear. And now you and I are finished. Maybe you'll treat your next partner a little better.

The gargoyles turn on Watson, imprisoning him, Sherlock, and Juliet on a boat, and it is revealed that Moriarty really is alive and sent the gargoyles to deceive Watson. He took the gnomes and plans to have them smashed by way of the counterweights of a bridge crushing them as the bridge moves to make way for the boat Sherlock, Watson, and Juliet are trapped on.

MORIARTY: In that moment I saw how I could finally bring you down, Sherlock. I saw how you treated Watson. Poor old miserabubble Watson. He looked so sad. So I thought, I'll use that. I sent the gargoyles to you, Watson, and they let you think you were in charge. As if! You know what your problem is, Watson? You're too nice, too trusting.

I think it's ingenious that Moriarty saw the failings of his nemesis and the mistreatment of his partner and orchestrated this plan to take advantage of it. Poetic. This leads to this next exchange:

SHERLOCK: So, Watson, on a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think this is going?

WATSON: I never meant for any gnome to get hurt. You know that.

JULIET: Hey, knock it off, both of you. Watson screwed up, but you did, too.

SHERLOCK: What did I do?

JULIET: The same thing I did. We took our best friends for granted, we stopped listening. They were the last thing we were thinking about and they should've been the first. [She leaves.]

SHERLOCK: I suppose somewhere within that haystack of emotional twaddle there may lie a thin needle of truth.

WATSON: One last case.

SHERLOCK: One last case.

Juliet's speech to me is one of my favourite things about this movie, and how even though Sherlock is still putting on his facade and not being vulnerable or showing his emotions, he manages to somewhat acknowledge her point.

Juliet and Gnomeo are reunited, and as they go to deal with the gargoyles, we get this next interaction that's important to me.

SHERLOCK: I'll draw his fire, you rescue the gnomes.

WATSON: You trust me to save the gnomes?

SHERLOCK: Well, of course. You're Watson.

Previously, Sherlock has saddled Watson with the dirtier work, even using him as a punching bag to practice his fighting moves on (albeit Watson was wearing padding). Now, this shows growth, in him acknowledging Watson's worth, and showing him respect again.

Moriarty next threatens to throw his hat at the drone Watson, Juliet, and Gnomeo are on, and Sherlock, next to him, knocks into him to stop him, but the hat still knocks into the drone, causing it to fall out of the air. Moriarty then steps on Sherlock's leg, injuring him, and goes to finish the job. Moriarty knocks Watson off the bridge, and as he holds on with one hand, Moriarty steps on his fingers, trying to get him to let go. Sherlock tries to come to his aid, albeit being unable to walk, begging Moriarty not to hurt Watson. He throws himself at Moriarty, knocking them both off the bridge as Watson cries out his name, and uses his cane, which has a grappling hook function, to catch his partner as Moriarty falls into the river below.

WATSON: You'd give your life for me?

SHERLOCK: Of course.

WATSON: Because you're the sworn protector of London's garden gnomes.

SHERLOCK: No. Because we are the sworn protectors of London's garden gnomes. Watson and Sherlock, partners and friends. And I promise to treat my partner a lot better. That is, of course, if you'll have me back. [He holds out his hand.]

WATSON: Watson and Sherlock. I rather like the sound of that. [He takes Sherlock's hand.]

I love the noble self-sacrifice or attempted self-sacrifice as a trope, it often makes me emotional, and I love this reconciliation. Sherlock pledges to treat Watson better, if Watson will give him a second chance, and he will. After this, Watson and Sherlock and Gnomeo and Juliet are paralleled, Gnomeo and Juliet standing hand in hand, and Sherlock with one hand on Watson's shoulder and the other on Watson's cane, for support for his injured leg.

The last scene of the movie is in the garden in spring, as Lady Bluebury and Lord Redbrick proclaim Gnomeo and Juliet the new leaders of the garden. Irene shows up, slaying, makes a minor passive-aggressive comment to Sherlock while greeting Watson happily, and Sherlock acknowledges that he deserves that. Sherlock and Watson say that Juliet and Gnomeo have a 0% chance of breaking up, and as they turn to leave, Sherlock puts an arm around Watson for support once more, and Watson puts his arm around Sherlock once more, and they walk off together as the movie fades to black.

This was mostly a plot summary, or rather, a character arc summary, but I just think the movie speaks for itself, and that it's genuinely amazing that the relationship between these two incarnations of famous characters is compared with the relationship of the romantic leads, and that they both have the same lesson to learn. To me, even though it is canonically platonic and can obviously be read as platonic and still be just as powerful, I feel like you can also analyse this through a romantic lens, which is one of the things I love about this movie. But ultimately, the story of this movie and of Juliet and Sherlock having to learn the error of their ways and to respect and appreciate their partners is just wonderful to me.

[herotome]

Hello Wudge!!! I know working on such a beautiful and ambitious project must be incredibly tiring. I also know how encouraging it can be to know that people enjoy what you put out there, so I'm here to express my appreciation for Herotome and all the work you have put into it already!

I've been into visual novels for a couple of years now, and while I enjoy my occassional short and sweet dose of cheesy romance, most visual novels could never really satisfy my desire for a good narrative and a lot of time to get to know the love interests (As someone who really needs to know a person in order to get romantically involved with them, I've always found some love stories kind of rushed. That's just my preference tho). I know it's hard to develop a fully-fledged game, especially when you're an independent developer and mostly work for free, so I'm definitely not trying to undermine anyone's work!!!

However, this is why I was so stunned by how much Herotome's DEMO captivated me. Not even just the extended demo!!! The first time I came across this game was before the extended demo got released, and even then, I was so enamoured with the universe, the artstyle, the characters, the writing. EVERYTHING. I'm a bit ashamed to say I can be quite picky with my taste in visual novels, but Herotome literally ticked every single box for me. Visually appealing designs (both with the characters and with the UI!), a great mix of humour and sobriety, clear and skilled writing and awesome world building. All of this in A DEMO??? GOD DAMN, DUDE!

A literal demo unironically managed to put this visual novel among my absolute favourites simply because of how much work and care was put into it. I really hope it gains more attention even before it gets fully released, because you truly deserve the same level of support that games like Our Life (my #1 fav VN, can't wait for OL2) have. I know it'll probably be a while before Herotome gets released, but I'll try my best to wait patiently because I can't wait to see more of everyone! (especially Dart and Jade, I love them.)

I'm really sorry for the whole essay over here, but I just wanted to make my support clear!!! Unfortunately I don't have the possibility of financially supporting (yet) but I'm over here awaiting every update of this game with so much excitement you have no idea (⁠ᗒ⩊ᗕ ྀི) Good luck and stay healthy!

ksbfjsdb how did you know.. 😭😭😭 Thank you, sweet anon! No apology necessary, I love essays!!

Worldbuilding is a area where I've felt particularly lacking -- like, I make a point avoid thinking about it most of the time, so in the rare instances I actually do put in effort it feels like it's coming up short? Maybe not so much in the demos, but nowadays I'll be standing around thinking about how things work in the society of Rhineway and trying to plan out ideas of what's gonna come up in the routes and my brain will inevitably feels like television static by the end.

SO to be praised for worldbuilding gives me a bizarre yet flattered feeling (sort of like "I'm not sure I deserve this but I guess I've done something right"), thank you, and I'm continually touched that people enjoy the humor! I really try to put in a lot of throwaway jokes where it's like -- if you don't laugh, it's totally fine cuz it goes by pretty quick -- but it is nice to know I've made people laugh. Or at least have an sensible inward chuckle :')

It sounds like you're demisexual btw which - lol me too. 🤝 Eyyyy!

I'm not sure how to end this post so I'll just put in some preview of what I've been working on -

Lots of eyebrow dances.

[saturniandevil]

October 2023 Important Dates

AKA my notes on The Astrology Podcast's October forecast, hosted by Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, and Nicholas Polimenakos. Notice how the charts look different? Today Chris is using AstroGold for Mac OS instead of his usual SolarFire for PC (same developers). Working title for the month is "the wobbly scales."

September recap: the Venus & Mercury stations have corresponded with new celebrity birth data, including an update for Dua Lipa's birth time and a time for Elon Musk. The WGA strike, which began under Mercury retrograde in Gemini, has come to a tentative resolution just as the Mercury rx in Virgo ended.

Jupiter's transit into Taurus has put him in contact with Uranus, and we've seen an explosive change in laws and rules with other organized labor strikes, such as UAW, airline workers, and fast food/service employees. We've got 7 more months of Jupiter in Taurus copresent Uranus, enabling changes in contrast to Saturn's negating influence from Aquarius & Capricorn over the past few years. Think "delayed revolts." Nicholas predicts labor will be an important factor in this year's election, based off configurations of previous labor actions.

The Full Moon in Pisces conjunct Saturn corresponded to flooding at California's Burning Man festival (symbolically negating the fire for which it is named), and disastrous floods in Europe and Libya.

Auspicious Elections for October: October 1 at 11:25 AM with Sagittarius rising (has passed by time of posting; apologies) October 2 at 12:20 AM with Cancer rising

Around 12:30AM local time you'll have Cancer rising and the Moon exalted in Taurus in the 11th house (whole signs), just after a conjunction with Jupiter and applying to a square with Venus in the 2nd house of finance. This is a good chart for friends, groups, alliances with the Ascendant ruler Moon in the 11th house with Jupiter, and the ruler of the 11th house in the 2nd tying friend groups and finances together. Saturn in the 9th house makes this chart not recommended for foreign travel, education, and publishing.

October will be pretty intense, with the two eclipses and heavy Pluto involvement. Keywords include power plays, transformation, and concealed movements.

October 4th - Mercury enters Libra Mercury, Venus, and Mars all change signs before the middle of the month, giving us a theme of major beginnings and major endings. When Venus moves into Virgo in a few days, she'll be in mutual reception with Mercury. Previously the two planets were on separate journeys, both retrograde but not communicating, so we'll have cerebral and social functions in harmony again. (A/N: Venus is fall in Virgo, but this Mercury contact significantly mitigates that lack of dignity.)

October 8th - Venus enters Virgo, Mars square Retrograde Pluto We've been moving back and forth over the summer, and will now settle into how things are going to be. Early October contains the the tail end of the Venus retrograde, as she finally passes the degree where she stationed & exits her post-rx shadow, as well as the sign overall, where she's spent an inordinate amount of time (she entered Leo on June 5th). We may see events from as far back as 5 months finally reaching a resolution.

Venus also opposes Saturn right after her ingress (Oct. 8th-10th), and in fact both benefics oppose one of the malefics this month (Mars will oppose Jupiter around the time of our 2nd eclipse). Saturn in Pisces has been weighty, highlighting big, sad things we may not be able to change but must bear nonetheless. Virgo Venus, in an awkward but manageable position for practical help, confronts Pisces Saturn's burdens to our souls. Austin compares Venus's recent transits to exothermic reactions in chemistry, which give off heat, but in Virgo she'll be much more endothermic, drawing heat in.

At the same time, Mars reaches 27° of Libra, putting him in a square to Pluto at 27 Capricorn. Mars is conjunct the South Node, and his ruler Venus is opposite Saturn. The solar eclipse a week later will also occur in the third decan of Libra. This may combine to feel like we're trying to juggle too many balls. Even if you're good at spinning plates, you can only keep track of so many. Inner conflicts, intensifying relationships, and a need for caution are all in order. It would do well to put down in one of the plates, as Mars is in no position to power through all of this (detriment in Libra, South Node encouraging release).

If there's an opportunity to use Mars-Pluto constructively, it comes after an honest assessment of the facts. Chris brings the image of not knowing your own strength or needing to exercise restraint, like a gorilla holding a kitten. We need to know the power dynamic--what we can and cannot do--but the square aspect makes it hard to see directly what's going on (A/N: symbolically it's cross-purposes or seeing events in your periphery). We need to know what the scale of conflict is. Austin uses the example of holding a rope around a rampaging elephant: maybe it's best to let go.

With Pluto relating to money and the US (Sibly) chart having Sagittarius rising, our hosts also predict some kind of "market correction" (trouble) in the US economy, and/or a government shutdown over budget. Mars conjunct South Node in Libra has corresponded to economic trouble of varying intensities (every 19 years with some skips), namely the crash in 1987--which was also on this Libra-Aries eclipse axis.

October 10th - Pluto stations Direct The US Pluto return is still happening since the planet regressed into Capricorn, posing questions of whether a certain impeached ex-president will see some success in the 2024 election. We're also raring for Pluto's (second) ingress into Aquarius in January. Our hosts think the AI story is related to the new Pluto sign, and Google is starting to release hints about a major system to compete with or outclass ChatGPT (text, image, and more).

October 12th - Mars enters Scorpio This is one of his home signs, and he'll immediately trine Saturn over at the beginning of Pisces. Mars working with Saturn gives us drive and determination, the union of impulse and staying power. More generally, Mars in Scorpio connotes precision strikes and the patient, persistent hunter. We can identify the point of weakness and direct all our force at that exact spot.

There's also a brooding quality to Mars in Scorpio. Things brew under the surface. The intensity cultivated here can easily turn inward rather than outward. Any planet in its own sign has high standards, so be careful not to take them out on yourself. Famous Mars in Scorpio natives include Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, and Taylor Swift--think raw emotions (literally in the vocal style of the former two).

October 14th - Annular Solar Eclipse at 21 Libra

As soon as Moon conjoins the Sun & South Node, her next aspect is a square to Pluto, bringing Plutonic significations into the eclipse. You've only got two hands; are you holding onto something that's past its life cycle?

In general eclipses signify the end of a major chapter, and with it the start of a new thing. When we let things go they don't just disappear--in fact, they may assume a more natural, harmonious state. Instead of holding onto something that takes a lot of energy, let things fall as they may. Whatever we're concerned about, it won't go away, as in 6 months another eclipse will respond to this call. Don't let the sunk-cost fallacy get you: you've put in a lot of time and effort, but it's time to step back and let things assume their natural shape.

October 20th - Sun conjunct Mercury At 27 Libra, they're also squaring Pluto. Generally Mercury-Pluto contacts correspond to major disclosures. Expect investigative journalists to reveal new evidence around this time, and in light of transits earlier this year Austin says specifically this will be the third part to an ongoing story. Think "deep state," as in, actors behind the scenes or in the foundation of events rather than what we see on the surface.

October 22nd - Mercury enters Scorpio At this time, Venus also trines Jupiter from 12° of Virgo to 12° of Taurus. Jupiter being in Venus's sign strengthens this helpful aspect even more, and the Moon even goes into Capricorn soon after to give us a grand trine in the earth signs. We'll get a brief reprieve from some of the more intense configurations this month. Enjoy the simple pleasures: a nice stew, a hot bath, some tea from the garden.

October 23rd - Sun enters Scorpio

October 28th - Umbral Lunar Eclipse in Taurus

This is our last eclipse in Taurus for the next couple decades. The Scorpio-Taurus axis eclipses (beginning in 2021) have corresponded to major celebrity scandals, as well as the skyrocketing prices of food worldwide. Bitcoin, FTX, and other finance crashes have occurred to the Taurus eclipses, a sign which indicates money and food. The increase in labor activities during Jupiter in Taurus will likely also see developments from this eclipse. Between the eclipses, Uranus, and Saturn, fixed sign people (suns and angles especially) have been getting a beating the last few years, and Nicholas says "congrats, you've made it!" (Though Saturn will retrograde into Aquarius soon, and then Pluto will transit that sign for the next 20 years or so).

Mars conjoins Mercury and opposes Jupiter during this eclipse, bringing even more tension. Mercury-Mars indicates arguments and destroyed or corrupted roads and communications, or on the positive side, incisive remarks we needed to hear. Mercury in Scorpio also loves investigating a good mystery and cracking the code. We can get major investigative journalism, or obsession and seeing connections that aren't there.

This is a Full Moon and a North Node eclipse, making it easy to lose your head in all the excitement. Austin advises trying to keep your head cool. Don't go with the flow, because the flow is crazy! This eclipse is the end of a year-and-a-half long saga in Taurus and Scorpio, bringing the last installment of that arc in our lives. Chris has an episode called "eclipses as transits in astrology" where he goes through people's charts and talks about the two-year sagas that are enacted with the nodes in a particular pair of signs.

October 29th - Mercury conjunct Mars (exact) (not pictured)

October 31st - Venus trines Uranus (not pictured) From 21 Virgo to 21 Taurus. Think "I'm here for a good time, not a long time!" for Halloween. We ended September with Venus squaring Uranus, and now they're finally trining. After all this month's tension, we deserve to let loose a little. Nicholas says there are hidden pleasures inside oft-orderly Venus in Virgo, whereas Austin compares it to ordering a different item off the menu at your favorite restaurant. Mars in Scorpio is great for Halloween, scary movie viewings, and seeing beauty in the dark side of things.

[the-hype-on-tv]

My Beef With Barbara Gordon

I'll start off by saying this isn't any hate post to the character, merely an analysis because although she's never really stood out to me, i believe she's an interesting character and I'd like to share my point of view and if possible hear others' takes on her too

the basics, babs is the daughter of commissioner gordon and the first batgirl, later taking on the mantle of oracle (usually because of the killing joke thing, which I'll address later on)

usually the reason i don't get along with most representations of babs is because she's mostly written to be "the girl bat" instead of "the bat girl". I've only seen some clips from btas but i can mostly tell that's the case. it's a smurfette syndrome classic. i apologize if I'm getting the wrong idea out of it, though, as i said, I didn't watch the series.

when she's not written as such, she can be a good character. i love her version of the harley quinn show, i think it fits what I'd usually expect out of batgirl//oracle, a computer nerd who wants to help people and might be a little impulsive, but means well. though there's not much media of her where she's like that.

and although she's not exactly like that in the lego batman movie, i think that version is also pretty good (not when she's introduced, i think she gets better when she shows bruce that she's batgirl and yk, badass and such). not a computer nerd and also a bit older, but i think she's pretty neat.

I'll admit the fact she gets with bruce in the timmverse (specifically in the timmverse) pisses me off... age gap things are not my thing and it feels like grooming, i believe that's why it's not a very popular ship for either but the fact it's official in at least one dc media makes me sweat (cough cough and they say superbat is a stretch cough cough /j)

like i just mentioned with the lego batman movie, i have no problem with it when they're about the same age or, idk, at least he doesn't meet her as a teen or whatever. I'm not crazy for finding this weird, right?

and there's the fact she dated dick on the timmverse as well, which makes me even MORE uncomfortable. if it was me dating my father's previous lover, for example, I'd probably take that as a weird thing. dick is already traumatized enough, thank you very much.

and also she's bruce's friend's daughter? that's not so weird, i myself have friends who are way older or way younger, but it be creepy af to see one of them dating someone my age, specially if it was someone close to me, I'd be very concerned and it'd take a while for me to get used to it.

but yeah, if it's an au or multiverse shenanigans, it can be alright.

and then comes the killing joke thing... honestly, I don't know what to do out of it. I'm a new dc fan, I've been for nearly six months now, and I can't really decide how to feel about it.

on one hand, oracle is badass and shows that it doesn't take superpowers or immense dexterity or inhuman strength to be a hero. i respect her a lot, and when she's written well like in wfa, i appreciate her character as is.

but the killing joke itself... it doesn't make much out of barbara, and focuses more on her father and personally i think that sucks. i know it must hurt for a dad to see his daughter paralyzed, but joker using it as a means to make him snap doesn't seem, idk, very jokery. even with the picture things, i think babs in that situation is used more as a plot device than as a character and it makes me uncomfortable idk.

and then they made her able to walk again...? honestly that's where i lost it. there are too many versions of batgirl//oracle in my head already and that just made me more confused??

so the reason I don't like her as much is because she lacks consistency, every time I'm reading about her i gotta guess which version is it and every single piece feels more like au fanfiction of itself. like, okay, i do enjoy those, but if I'm seeking something official it's hard to understand where it's at.

but i still love her with every cell in my body when she's written like the true sarcastic girlboss that she is <3

[champagnepodiums]

F1 Drivers IG Gains: Baku GP Race Weekend Gains

HELLO HELLO HELLO. I apologize for the lack of updates through the weekend, it was a very weird and busy weekend BUT I have the end-of-weekend totals here and ready for you all!

I'm doing things a little differently because last week somebody stole my data and posted it on Twitter without context and without my permission (which like I didn't think I have to say this but DONT DO THIS PLEASE) and honestly? it was pretty upsetting so I'm going to be trying to make it harder for people to screenshot and post without context so I will be subjecting you all to short bursts of analysis + my thoughts dispersed (some serious, some not serious) in between the numbers SO here we go.

Charles Leclerc: +59,957 followers

A return to the top of the gain chart for Charles, this is the first time this season that he has gained the most new followers in a race weekend. The two poles and the podium seem to be what had propelled Charles forward.

Although I need to stop and mention that the collective gains among all drivers are dropping with each race weekend and the month-ish break between Australia and Baku only seemed to make the drop off more. The downward slide goes like this: 753,993 (Bahrain) -> 440,457 (Saudi) -> 379,758 (Australia) -> 246,481 (Baku). It will be highly interesting to see if there is any sort of rebound for Miami because last season it was one of the highest-gaining races in a collective gain sense.

Lewis Hamilton: +57,312 followers

Despite not really being a big factor this weekend, Lewis still sits 2nd on the gain list. This is also Lewis' lowest gains on a race weekend for the season so far. It'll be interesting to see what Lewis gets up to this week -- I know +44 is doing a pop up shop in Miami but maybe we'll see Lewis doing other cool things in the US this week? And ofc, I'll be watching to see if his gains rebound or not (I think though it's more of people losing enthusiam for F1 as a whole, not a Lewis issue thought).

Sergio Perez: +36,899 followers

Third place on the gain chart for the race winner, he gained about 20k less than when he won in Saudi but again, I do think there is a lack of enthusiasm about this season that is hurting gains.

Not to be completely dramatic but is F1's Moment over? I'm starting to wonder.

Fernando Alonso: +16,770 followers

I had more than a few people tell me that Fernando must be gaining TONS of new followers over the Taylonso rumors and honestly, that really wasn't the case. Now, if they had been spotted together or something, I think it would have but I think most people were aware that the Duex Moi rumor came from F1twt/F1blr so it was more of a joke among F1 fans than anything. This weekend was by far his lowest in terms of gains.

Carlos Sainz: +16,361 followers

From the limited attention I gave F1 this weekend, it seemed like Carlos had a tough-ish weekend. It wasn't a disaster, but he wasn't contending for much, and I don't recall him being mentioned by the race broadcast much. This was Carlos' lowest-gaining race weekend of the season so far.

George Russell: +9,574 followers

Oh, George. Honestly, after the way people were screeching about the way Max was talking to/about George after the Sprint, I thought maybe we'd see a spike in George's gains. Still, nope, this weekend was also his lowest-gaining race weekend of the season so far (I feel like I will type this a lot).

Okay, I'm running out of things to say so here are 7-11 in quick succession:

7. Pierre Gasly: +7,535 followers

8. Lando Norris: +6,130 followers

9. Max Verstappen: +4,857 followers

(If you try to use my data out of context to make anti-Max (or really anti-anybody points, I will throw a fit. There are plenty of anti-Max points to make that use my data correctly + beyond. I'm serious)

10. Lance Stroll: +4,274 followers

11. Yuki Tsunoda: +3,792 followers

Logan Sargeant: +3,567 followers

I have tons of thoughts and feelings about Logan Sargeant and I will keep most of them to myself because I honestly see how a lot of F1 fans talk about him so I know my opinions on him are extremely unpopular and I do not have the patience to be dogpiled right now BUT I would be shocked if we don't see Logan about 2094832098953859386 times this weekend, promoting his little tushy off because he's American AND a Floridian. Will it actually affect his gains? I don't know, I guess we'll see.

Here are 13-20 without comment (because I've run out of steam):

13. Zhou Guanyu: +3,424 followers

14. Oscar Piastri: +3,307 followers

15. Esteban Ocon: +3,025 followers

16. Alex Albon: +2,731 followers

17. Nico Hulkenberg: +2,602 followers

18. Kevin Magnussen: +1,763 followers

19. Nyck Devries: +1,673 followers

20. Valtteri Bottas: +928 followers

[artenon]

oh gosh your new reblog reminded me I never went back to the WIP-titles meme because Life™️ but I would love to hear about your MCU ones, homecoming starker and kittydevil?

i understand about Life, i hope you have some chill weeks ahead of you 🙏

thank you for asking about my wips!! these are both old wips that have been on the backburner because i've been seized by uhhh bandom brainrot, BUT i really want to go back and finish them sometime. i've actually written a good chunk of both of them, i just need to kick myself in the butt to finish them!

full answer beneath the cut because i included some excerpts!

homecoming starker - a post-homecoming missing scene fic where tony finds peter when he's sitting on top of the Cyclone roller coaster after the Vulture fight. peter is super beat up and doesn't want to go home right away so tony buys him mcdonald's and takes him to a condo he owns in the area. peter thinks he's in for another lecture (since the last time they talked was after the ferry incident); meanwhile, tony is freaking out because he took away peter's spidey suit and peter almost DIED (peter is also freaking out because he almost died, and he has never gotten hurt this bad before as spider-man). the fic is meant to instigate the transition from tony being the Distant Figure that he is in homecoming to a more active mentor/presence in peter's life (like he is in all the fanfics), so of course they end up talking stuff out. because i love fix-its and making characters talk things out, lol

also though i call it starker, the fic is really preslash/could definitely be tagged & not / but of course in my heart they WILL fall in love one day hahaha

wtf i looked at my draft to get an excerpt and THIS FIC IS ALMOST DONE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME (it's only like 3k but i am chronically bad at finishing fics no matter the length)

Tears well up. He fights them back, not wanting to cry in front of Mr. Stark. But he still can’t get his voice to sound quite normal as he whispers, “I’m sorry.” “You’re sorry,” Mr. Stark echoes. And then, incredulously, “You’re sorry? What the hell do you have to be sorry for?” Peter swallows. “I caused trouble for you.” “Kid.” Mr. Stark pinches the bridge of his nose. “That is the last thing I’m worried about right now.” “Then… what are you worried about?” Mr. Stark stares at him, eyes wide. “I’m worried about you,” he snaps, and suddenly the anger that’s been radiating from him the whole night takes on a whole different shade. “Oh,” Peter says, for lack of anything better. “God, kid.” Mr. Stark shakes his head. “I’m the one who has to apologize here.” Peter waits, but Mr. Stark doesn’t say anything else. Mr. Stark must see something expectant in his look, because he says, “What?” “Well…” Peter hesitates. “You haven’t said ‘sorry’ yet. Not that I think you need to! But if you want to apologize, um. ‘Sorry’ is a pretty good place to start.”

kittydevil - a silly little fic where matt murdock gets transformed into a kitty cat and peter finds him and takes him back to his apartment. this is in a vague future AU where peter is in college at Columbia so spidey swings by hell's kitchen every once in a while after becoming friends with daredevil. matt's only a kitty for a couple days, but that is still enough time for peter to become worried sick about him when foggy calls and says he's missing. and then of course matt turns back into himself... naked... in peter's bed. WE KNOW HOW THIS TROPE GOES!

Slowly, Matt untenses. He even takes a few steps closer to Peter and clambers into his lap, to which Peter makes a pleased noise. “Yeah,” he says. “We’re okay.” He rubs Matt’s head, then runs his hands along his sides. “No way you’re a stray, are you? Sweet thing like you. You seem clean, and well-fed, but these scars… Rough kittenhood, maybe?” Matt pretends his heart doesn’t do a funny little twinge when Peter calls him sweet thing. As Peter keeps petting him, Matt feels himself truly calm down for the first time since he was turned into a cat. Something rumbles in his chest—a purr. “Aww,” Peter says, like his heart is melting. Matt feels like he’s melting too, until he’s a boneless puddle in Peter’s lap. Cozy. “Good boy,” Peter says softly. Matt closes his eyes. His purr doesn’t falter.

[quillyfied]

OFMD s2 finale prediction, updated: oh heck y’all. I think Izzy might be about to die.

Evidence: for a start, we know this show loves parallel structure. The season started with an Izzy death scene, with Stede gutting him as repayment for “selling us out to the English.” There’s a lot that’s gone unsaid and unacknowledged this season—and as Archie says, I’ve been content so far to live in a “they get away with it, life just goes on” state—but. But. But. Izzy might not be fully able yet to apologize for hurting Ed the way he did due to a lack of understanding (though I think he’s getting there, if he isn’t already), but he damn well knows what he did re:the English. And him dying for real as repayment for that would be a neat little foreshadowed parallel moment, if nothing else.

Second, consider this screenshot from the finale teaser:

That’s Ed’s hand, covered in blood. Ring and spider give it away if the blurry side of his head didn’t. And blurry as hell in the background, you can make out Archie, Auntie, someone in a hat, the Swede, Zheng, and Lucius. Zheng is a captain, she’s wearing a hat that indicates rank. I’d be willing to bet money right now the person covered up by Ed’s hand is Stede, since he’s also a captain and also would definitely wear a hat. And thematically, there’s really only one other character that Ed might get his hands (lol) bloody for, and that is probably trying to hold a dying Izzy together as they have REAL closure. Parallel structure coming into play again, Ed and Izzy having one last conversation as Izzy lays dying, only this time Ed isn’t implicitly begging for death (and can we talk about Izzy sneering “good for you” after Ed describes how Izzy killed him in a dream, versus how that conversation would go at this point in the season now that the infected leg has healed and some of the rot between them has been cleared up and they have a chance to actually express care for each other without so much venom?).

Third: Izzy is the new unicorn. The good luck charm. The Revenge unicorn has been beheaded, de-legged, pretty much mauled and mutilated until it’s unrecognizable. There’s further meat in that metaphor but sticking with its ties to Izzy, the mythical creatures this season haven’t fared well. The Kraken, smashed with a cannonball. The phoenix (I think it’s a phoenix??) of Zheng’s ship, likely blown to smithereens. The unicorn of the Revenge was bad off from the start, but now that its properties have transferred to Izzy…well. Three for three, the crew and Stede in particular is starting to live in the real world now rather than the fun muppet pirate world Stede originally created on the Revenge, the unicorn must go. (There’s also ample evidence to challenge this theory, mainly Ed’s gravy basket experience with mermaid Stede and also Buttons literally turning into a bird. Magic is alive and well in OFMD, so might the unicorn be spared? Time will tell.)

Fourth: Con has been giving a masterful performance this season, undebatable regardless of whether you liked or agreed with Izzy’s arc or not. Could it be, friends, that he’s been giving his all as a farewell to the character and the show and the fans?

I’m not saying this because I want it; people have been predicting it all season and until this morning, when my eyes popped open and I could not get back to sleep for love or money until I made this post, I have been rolling my eyes and thinking “whatever, he’s gonna be fine.” Unless. He’s emphatically not fine. And all these tiny hints have been actually building to something.

[khaire-traveler]

I have a question regarding your curse-masterpost. I haven't gone through all of them yet, it's a very interesting and useful one. So, I am looking for a spell that would make the person realise what they have done and have them feel remorse in some way. Or at least so they try to do better than hurt me and my close ones. The Person is a close family member who, becasue of their lack of emotion(seriously, I doubt they have ever felt an emotion in their life) and self awareness and thoughtfulness are continually hurting those closer to me. They don't help with the housework and leave everything upon others, are completely oblivious to other's pain. I am away from home and hence I don't have many resources like pepper and all that. I do have access to threads(I crochet), paper and pen of various inks, salt and things like dishwasher liquid. I don't have access to mirrors so I can't do a karma spell or smth. Is there a way I can make them pay for what they are doing? I can't risk having them.injured or sick since it would unfortunately affect others who live with them(as I said, it's a family member). But they are causing a lot of stress and pain to my close ones and I am unable to take direct action as i am still dependent on them financially and otherwise.

I am sorry for such a long post I don't know if I am being coherent about my situation, but your long and detailed post on curses and spells made me want to approach you.

Hello, and thank you for the ask! I apologize for taking so long to answer it.

Even just with paper and pen, you can create some pretty potent curses with the right intention. One that I'd recommend (and I've made a post about; I believe it's on that masterpost) is an Ancient Greek curse. I'll attach the link to my post here (link will be added after answering because I have too many drafts and don't want this ask to get lost 💀). It's very simple and pretty much only requires paper and a toothpick (or any "sharp" object you can stab through paper and are ok parting with).

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Here's another curse you could do that might suit your situation a lot better (there's no post for it, so I'm just gonna type it out; it was shared with me by someone else):

- Needed supplies: Crocheting ability and tools, paper, red writing utensil (preferably red pen), baneful herbs that you feel called to add (there's no right way to do it),

- Summary: You will crochet an animal that represents the person in question. The animal must remain hollow as you create it. During the process of creation, you will place a paper inside of the animal describing what they've done wrong and what you'd like to happen to them as retribution. You will also add the baneful herbs inside of the animal. Once finished, hold onto the animal, and shake it around whenever you feel the need to aggravate the curse. If you ever feel that the person has paid their dues, you may destroy the animal and empty out its contents.

1. Choose an animal that best represents the person in question. Personally, I typically go with a peacock, snake, or leech.

2. Begin the process of crocheting. It doesn't have to be super elaborate; you just need to be able to have enough space inside of the animal to fit a strip of paper and some herbs.

3. Stop crocheting when you have enough room to place something inside of the hollow animal.

4. On a strip of paper, use a red writing utensil. On one side, write a summary of what the person has been doing wrong. On the other side, write what you'd like to happen to them as retribution. I'd also recommend either writing or saying aloud, "When I feel my anger rise, I shake the [insert animal name here], and it is [insert person's name here] who suffers, whom I despise."

5. Fill the remaining space with baneful herbs that you feel called to add. Things like pepper certainly work, although you don't have access to it at the moment. It can be anything that you intuitively feel called to use, even if it's not an herb. I've used broken glass before (obviously, be careful if you plan to use something like that) and still got potent results.

5. Finish crocheting the animal. As you finish, ensure that your focus - your intention - remains on "sealing the person's fate". Closing the animal with a final stitch indicates that you're "sealing it off", in a sense, so put as much negative energy into it as you can muster while you're still in the process of creating it.

6. That's it, it's finished! Whenever you want to aggravate the curse, shake it around a bit. If you'd like to add an extra boost of energy to this, I recommend burning a red candle as you crochet and either pouring the melted wax inside of the animal or on top of it. Hope this helps you and is still relevant!

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I'm not super well-versed in curses, honestly, so the curse above is one I've gotten from an in-person acquaintance. I don't personally even know how to crochet, but this person has told me this method has worked well for them.

As always, I recommend cleansing your space after the curse is completed, mostly just to get rid of any lingering energy in your space. I would also recommend cleansing your crocheting needles and any other objects you used to contribute to the curse (but obviously do not cleanse the crocheted animal itself).

I hope you find (or have already found) a curse that suits your needs. There's quite a lot of information on my masterpost, so I hope you can also find something there, if the above methods don't work for you. Take care, and have a good day/night. 🧡