#and i do want to say: i believe learning from older generations is cool actually. but sometimes what you learn from them is that they suck-

[henneseyhoe]

COUNTRY LOVIN’| Cookin’ Soul

1 2 3

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Sometimes Sorie hated admitting that she was the only one who cooked, but If she didn’t cook, Buck wouldn’t eat. Unless it was something simple like an apple, or cucumbers and vinegar, the man wasn’t gonna eat. He did attempt to learn how to cook, realizing that he came from a generation that believed men shouldn’t be in the kitchen, and he wanted to change that so his daughter never thought she was only limited to catering and baring children like most older southern women thought of themselves. Of course he’s a man, so he didn’t realize it on his own, his own divorce being what led him to open his mind a little more.

Ultimately, he failed at his attempts. Some people just aren’t meant to cook. Sorie had memories from ages as young as thirteen when he would accidentally burn the chicken and they’d just have to eat rice and beans instead. She never complained though, it was still good—alright eats, plus she knew how hard he worked.

Didn’t stop her from calling her mother just to gossip about what had happened though.

Sorie would be up half of the night telling her all about dinner, the woman getting a hoot out of her ex husband not being able to do something as simple as baking chicken. Wasn’t cause she hated him or anything, she just found it funny knowing he still couldn’t cook for shit after all these years.

At the end of the conversation, Shonda would apologize for her daughter not being able to enjoy a complete meal after a long day of farm work she was basically forced to do. She wished she could bring something else over for the young girl to eat, but she was an entire hour away. It was another reason she wished she brought her only child when she left town.

It took Shonda a long time to accept her daughter wanting to stay on the farm with Buck, but she knew how much her daughter loathed the city. She thought their air was too thick and weird smelling, and the people were rude for no reason. She couldn’t take a breath of fresh air without smelling something that made her nose scrunch. Shonda agreed. She guessed she felt that way cause she’s never really been outside the low country.

Shonda honestly didn’t wanna bring her into an environment she didn’t wanna be in either, nor did she really wanna be there herself, but it was either the city or find someone to build her a house on her grandfathers land, and that would cost an arm and a leg these days. She refused to ask for Bucks help to build one either. Once she had finally gotten a deal on a home, she moved, but she felt she cried for forty days and forty nights before anything got better.

Apart from the circumstances that led her to learning how to cook, Sorie grew to actually love cooking and other activities related. She loved trying new recipes and new flavors, anything that would give people a chance to praise her on her hard work. She thought if she worked all that while, somebody better give her a compliment or two. after all, she didn’t have to cook anything for anyone and could have just worried about herself.

She wouldn’t do that though, she loved her dad too much.

✮✮✮✮

Closing the heated oven, I let out a tired huff, leaning against the kitchen counter. I had been cooking for about an hour now, and I was exhausted. I honestly wanted to just say forget it and let my father take the macaroni out of the oven, but I already knew how that would go.

My hair had been tied up into a puff to help me not get hot too quick, knowing I would have started sweating and felt disgusting by the time it was time to eat if I didn’t do it, and there was nothing I hated more than that feeling. Only downside is that my edges started to curl up, the perfect swoops being ruined. sighing, I walk out of the kitchen, heading into the bathroom to quickly get myself together.

I began refreshing myself, laying a cold towel over my face to finish cooling off my head, then I redid my ponytail.

While in the middle of doing what I felt was needed, I heard three soft knocks on the front door. I couldn’t stop my eyes from rolling to the back of my head, another loud huff exiting my mouth.

‘Did people not have manners anymore? Who comes over to someone’s house, uninvited, all at 8pm? How dare they?!’ I thought, my eyebrows scrunching together as I tried to focus on getting my hair under control.

Three more knocks came after that.

“Daddy! Get the door, please?!” I shout, no response following apart from another set of knocks that had my patients, or lack there of, wearing thinner than a 35 year old white man’s hairline.

“Daddy!” I called again and sighed, attempting to toss my hair back into the puff that had failed, my hair sliding right out of the hair wrapper. I was completely irritated.

I grabbed up a brush and started brushing around the edges, hoping that’d be enough to make it stay put. The brushing was aggressive and so were the harsh bristles scratching away at my scalp. my arms were already burning from the constant flicking of my wrist, desperately trying to get that perfect puff I had earlier. It was complete sensory overload.

Tossing the brush somewhere back into my hair bin, I stretched and stretched that hair wrapper, getting it as tight as I could around my thick hair.

Then, POP.

The wrapped broke. falling into the sink as I watched it all happen. The scene replayed in my head, one in slow motion and the other in real time. Apparently my brain wanted to dramatize the already dramatic and stressful situation. letting go of my hair, I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head and stop the pressure rising in my throat.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.

Knock, Knock, Knock

“DADDY!!” I yell, stomping out of the bathroom to see if the old man had made it to the door yet, and of course, he hadn’t. I jogged out of the halls bathroom and into the foyer, grunting while unlocking all the locks. “Hello?!” Flinging the door open, my eyebrows immediately knitted together as I looked at the pair of men, both faces looking like different versions of each other. Another embarrassing moment to add to the books, remembering how my hair probably looks right now. “Umm, can I help y’all?” I ask, my hand immediately going up to fluff out my hair into a decent afro instead.

“Well, if dinner is ready, then yes!” Tony beamed happily, but my question was aimed more so for Trevante, as if him being with his father was a surprise. “And you?” I averted my eyes to Trevante, a bit of attitude in my voice. “It’s like that, huh?” The man mumbles, relaying the same attitude while ignoring my question and pushing passed me to walk into the house.

My face conceals the emotion I felt, but I really wanted to push them right back outside as they walked right passed me. “Finally y’all got here!” My father exclaims, coming down the stairs while finishing up with tucking his button up into his pants. Tony laughs and daps the man up with a hug to go with it, Trevante just giving him a handshake.

I shook my head at the scene and closed the door. “It would have been nice to know we were having guests” I say, crossing my arms. It was like I had whispered, neither of the older men turning or stopping their conversation to hear what I had to say. It stung.

I turn on my heels and walk into the kitchen to save me from saying anything I had no business saying because it would have for sure rose the dead with all the profanities waiting behind my lips.

While checking on the food, I hear laughter behind me, making me pop my head up from the oven. “You were just too cute as a baby” Trevante speaks, holding a picture of me when I was three. In the picture was me and my grandmother picking flowers from a field behind her house. We went back there almost every Sunday evening to do that, but with old age and her health on the line, we slowed down. We haven’t picked any flowers since I was a teenager.

I gasp and drop my oven mittens, speeding over to him with intentions to snatch my possession away, but he quickly held it over his head, his hand reaching and touching the ceiling. “Where’d you find that?!” I struggle to grab it from him.

“Where you think? Your room”

My eyes widened. If this was a cartoon, steam would have blown out of my ears right then. “You went in my room? How’d you even sneak in there?” I sneered. He obviously found humor in my agitation and confusion.

“Easy. My pops never pays attention, and yo’ daddy is blind” he smiles childishly and I suck my teeth. I stood on my tippy toes, even jumped a few times to get the picture back, but to no avail. “Give it!” I say, backing up from him and holding my hand out. he shakes his head, dangling the picture above my head.

“Trevante, give. It. Back. No-”

“Or what?” He interrupts, stepping to me. The smile on his face was wiped clean off as he stared down at me, my knees getting weak. I leaned on the kitchens island me, our eye contact never breaking from there.

I didn’t know what I would do, but I knew what I wanted to do. He chuckles at my silence. not even a breath from me being heard, but I was definitely breathing, taking in the sweet, yet spiced scent of him.

“Say please, ma”

Talk about a tease. Only thing that could get him to stop was the new feel of a presence behind him, interrupted by the two other men suddenly walking into the kitchen. I took my chance and jumped high enough to snatch the picture from his hand, then push him away from me, turning back to the stove.

“Woah! Y’all bet not be scrappin in THIS house like y’all two strangers” Tony said, raising an eyebrow at us.

“You only said that cause my baby would win” My dad says, Tony kissing his teeth. “Oh shut up. You just better be lucky I don’t got no daughters!” Tony argued, sitting at the dinner table, the two others following behind him. “Lucky?! They would have inherited yo’ skinny ass arms!”

“Skinny?! And what would you say bout Trevante, huh? The boy built like John Henry!” They all bursted into laughter and I chuckled, beginning to turn off all of the stove eyes to prepare plates.

“We all know he got all that muscle from Chrissy strong ass”

“Aye, man! That’s my momma you talkin’ ‘bout” Tre interjected, Tony shaking his head. “He only saying that cause my ‘strong ass’ wife decked him senior year for calling her fat”

“Man, my ears was ringing after that!”

Interrupting their trash talking by sitting the plates on the table, I set mine down first, then everybody else’s. I’ll be damed if I slaved away in the kitchen for them to get the first plate. I put Trevante’s down last, smiling proudly at my presentation. Macaroni, string beans, brown rice, and baked chicken. I knew exactly what he liked on his plate, and the proportions he needed to fill him, as I did everyone else’s.

“Thank you” He thanked simply, his hand softly grazing my thigh under my skirt, making me suppress a soft moan. Was I that touch deprived? Probably.

I smiled softly, sitting down next to him, a little hope in the back of my mind that he’d do it again.

“Babygirl, this looks amazing” my father compliments, Tony humming in agreement as he takes a bite of his chicken. “Y’all actin’ like it’s a surprise that she threw down in there” Trevante says, doing a quick prayer over his food before digging in.

“Right, y’all got me thinkin I lost my magic touch for a moment” I joked, starting to eat. “Never” Tony shook his head, licking the juices from his chicken off his thumb.

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“Tell that one story, buck! You know what I’m talking about!” Tony shouted, Buck shaking his head and dismissing him with the wave of his hand, knowing the story would never end if they started it. “No, Tony! Leave me alone!” It had been an hour after dinner and both the older men had spent that whole time roasting each other like usual, drunk on whatever Buck pulled out of his old cabinet.

Sorie looked between the two loud men, her head cupped in her hands as she half listened to them go on about whatever for the passed hour. Trevante, on the other hand was even less interested in whatever they were talking about, tired of hearing about their egotistical trips when they were his age.

“Sorie, you don’t know the story of how yo’ daddy got his name?” Tony questioned, leaning into the table intriguingly as if she had said something interesting. Smelling all the alcohol on his breath, she leaned back, not wanting to get a whiff of anymore.

“No? I’m supposed to?” She questioned, again half interested.

“Lemme tell you!” Tony shouts, excitement lacing in his voice. Sorie held in a loud laugh, rolling her lips inwards to stop it from slipping out and interrupting the story. Trevante sighs and takes a sip of his water, already knowing where this conversation was headed since he had heard the story 100 times before.

“Now everybody know Jeremiah got a big ass forehead like he got antlers attached to the muhfucka, but that ain’t why we call him that, so I digress! but listen,”

Tony started, laughter immediately being heard around the table.

“Not the government name” Sorie, giggled, Buck playfully hitting Tony on his arm as he continues the story without missing a beat. “Growin up, we was hardheaded. We wasn’t soft like some of this new generation, and Buck was the worst out of all of us!”

“I wasn’t that bad, don’t make it seem like that” Buck interrupts with his argument, which Tony disagreed with.

“You were horrible! You busted that boys head wide open for a damn bill you thought he stole, just for you to find out the fifty was in yo’ damn pocket the whole time!”

As Sorie listened to the story, she feels Trevante tap her leg, then pull on her skirt, attempting to get her attention. She looks over at him and he makes a gestured nod with his head for her to follow his lead, so she did. Getting up without another word for the current conversation, the two walk outside, neither of the other other men bothering to ask where they were planning to go since they were too busy debating on whether their actions back then were justified or not.

“Yo’ daddy sure can talk a head off” Trevante speaks, sitting on the porch steps. Sorie closes the screen door behind them to avoid letting in any unwanted bugs, then sat next to him, straightening her skirt over her knees. “Tuh, I know you not talkin’. Yo’ daddy just spent fifteen minutes talking about Cadillacs and the 80s for no reason” Shaking his head, Trevante starts to chuckle, and Sorie could just feel that he was gonna say something condescending about himself or something completely out of pocket. “His favorite typa truck, and his favorite decade before I ruined the fun”

Sorie looks at him with no expression, Trevante just he shrugging, taking a pack of cigs and a lighter out of his pocket. “Don’t say that, Tre. It’s not right, and it’s not true”

“Just cause it’s not right, don’t mean it ain’t true” he says bluntly, tucking the cig between his lips and lighting it up. She makes a face of both sadness and disgust. Disgust for the pack of cigs, and sadness for his attitude towards his relationship with his father. Sorie always tried to stay off the topic of Trevante’s iffy relationship between him and his father, but lately it seems to find it’s way into their conversations, plaguing whatever good vibe they had going. He always maneuvered around telling her too much about it, and she tried not to pry it out of him out of respect for his comfortability and boundaries. It’d been that way since their teenage years.

When they were up, they were up. Most likely because of some huge accomplishment Trevante had came across, but when they were down, they were separated so they wouldn’t kill each other. Right now, they seemed to be alright. Aware of their situation, but uncaring of it considering they were use to the behavior of each other. She felt bad for him, meanwhile he felt bad for her and the dynamic she had with her own father.

“Okay…” She whispers and gives up on the topic, looking down at her sandals. He takes a pull from his cigarette, then blows the smoke up into the air. Sorie’s nose scrunched at the smell of the smoke.“Yuck” She shivered childishly and covered her nose.

She hated the smell of cigarettes. It reminded her of before her grandmother stopped smoking for her health, the same cigarettes being the reason for her lung problems now. Her grandmother always shooed her off while she smoked, but Sorie’s argument was she could still smell it through the door of her room.

Trevante looks over at her with slight displeasure, rolling his eyes. “Oh please, Sorie” he says, Sorie shaking her head as he uncaringly took another puff. The more her nose burned from the smell, the more she got fed up with his disrespectful habit. Disrespectful to both himself, and her nose. “Jesus gave you a shiny new body twenty five years ago, and you’re killing it right now” She argues, grabbing the cigar from out of his mouth and throwing it to the side, staring at him. The man looked back at her with an equal amount of disrespect, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Little girl, you must be outta yo rabbit ass mind” He squints and she looks away, still feeling his dark eyes on her. Shivers crawled up her back like a cluster of spiders as the breeze of warm wind picked up around them, though that wasn’t what caused her shivers. It was really his choice of words to call her a “little girl”. She might’ve hated that more than the nasty look he gave her.

She stares off into the swaying field of sweet grass, unmoved by his irritation. “I’m not a little girl, and I hate when you smoke” she says with no attitude, yet it still had a very large presence in her words.

“And I hate when you tell me not to smoke. now yo’ rude ass owe me another cigarette” he shot back instantly, her head swiftly turning back to him so she could give him a mean mug. She was more than willing to go get a switch off of a tree and whip him like her grandmother did, if he pushed her to it.

“It’s bad for you, Tre! Seriously!” he shakes his head at her, hesitating to close the carton of cigarettes.

Her face softens with a pout, making him kiss his teeth, tucking his pack of smokes back into his pocket.

“Fine, damn” He huffs quietly and she smiles, now satisfied.

‘If only he’d listen like this all the time’ She thought.

The silence of her victory stood for only a few seconds before he started to snicker, switching his sitting position and leaning his back against the porches railing. She raises a brow at him, confused. “What?”

“Nothing, it’s just…You care about me” He smiles, becoming his playful self once again. She blows off at his assumption and laughs, waving him off with her hand.

“Whatever, boy. I just don’t wanna see you croak from lung cancer at 40. Dark, but very, very true, and don’t think I forgot about you having asthma”

He lets out a hearty laugh, clapping his hands together. He wasn’t surprised at all that she remembered that detail about him. Trevante recalled how Sorie use to press him like she was his mother back in middle school for not packing his inhaler for gym class, but since growing up it had calmed down immensely.

“Just say you care about me! No shame in that. I wanna hear you say it, actually”

Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help but agree. Mostly because she knew he’d never let it go until she gave in and confirmed what he always knew. “Okay, damn! I care about you and your lungs, who cares?” She fussed, softly pushing him, which his strong stature barely moved from.

“I do! It’s adorable”

He compliments, but all Sorie did was cringe. She let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. “Adorable?” She repeats and he nods. “Yeah..like, cute.” joking as if she didn’t understand the meaning of “Adorable”, he nudges her arm before noticing her quick mood change. studying her facial expressions for a moment and it’s obvious resentment of the word, he hums. “Oh, You don’t like that word…”

She shakes her head. “No, not really”

“Why not?”

Shrugging, she sighs. “I dunno. Makes me feel like a child, I guess”

He hums once again, nodding. “Mm, right. You a grown woman” he teases and she smiles, nodding. “A grown ass woman” she reiterates, snapping her fingers with playful sass.

“I see that. A fine one too..” He says, causing her to pause, all the sass she just had leaving her like it saw a storm coming. The new look on her face amused him. He loved how timid she became around him when he said certain things to her. One minute she was cool, and they were just two friends talking, the next they both thought about something a little deeper.

She’d had been called fine many times before, but when he said it, she felt different. like there was more to it than a simple compliment from a friend. Those same butterflies that loved fluttering around in her tummy made a grand appearance for what felt like the millionth time today, getting her all warm inside.

“Stop it, Tre” She looks away, her ears getting hot. He keeps going though, scooting closer to her and bursting her personal space bubble. The longer she waited to speak again, the closer he got until his lips were nearly grazing her ear. “You blushin’ for me, Sorie?” He queries, his voice smooth like velvet, vibrating her body. She felt like electricity ran through her with how he enunciated her name.

Letting out a sharp gasp, her thighs closed in on themselves, the girl jumping up out of her spot and brushing her skirt off. Clearing her throat suddenly, she looks down at the man who had such a cocky grin on his face. It heated her knowing that he knew just what to do with and to her, and yet barely did anything.

Thinking of something else to say, she crosses her arms over her chest. “Anyway! It’s getting late. Take your drunken father and get off my property, please and thank you” Sorie states firmly, but Trevante could see right through the act.

He laughs, standing up as she walks back into the house to avoid any more conversation of the night, afraid it’d end in something a little more eventful than him just whispering in her ear.

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[safety-pin-punk]

i have honestly no idea how to ask this, but i'll try to put it into words. i feel like i agree with a lot of things related to being punk but at the same time im not sure if i even really comperhand what being punk means. i have no idea where to start the research.

i've seen people saying that punk is just rebelling, i saw others talking about how its related to many things from past and about standing up to the goverment, other ppl say that the fashion is important...

i feel like this is something i could connect to but i just have no idea how to discover which things are true and which are not.

This makes complete sense. Being ‘punk’ isn’t something that just has one definition. My proof:

And there are a lot of people who gatekeep the subculture, and a lot of people who claim to be a part of it, but don’t actually know the first thing about it.

So I’ll start with this: contrary to what you may think you don’t have to look ‘punk’ to be punk. Some of the most punk fuckers out there wear sweaters every day. So while the look is cool, fun, often cheap, and full of symbolism, it is absolutely not required to be punk.

My second point: you also don’t have to listen to punk/alternative/pop punk/metal/etc to be a punk. Sure, the music has a lot of historical importance to the subculture, and is still full of punk values, it also isnt required.

What makes someone ‘punk’ is limited only to their values and beliefs.

To go back to what you said anon, a lot of people do relate being ‘punk’ to understanding the past, and there is good reason for it. The punk subculture sprang up in the 70’s, so there is 50 years of history and symbolism there. A LOT of todays punk culture is deeply rooted in punk history. BUT, that doesn’t mean you have to be an expert on all things punk history - most people aren’t. Typically, you’ll naturally learn the history of what matters to you.

Another reason history tends to be important to punks is that politics and history are intertwined. Punk is a counter-culture, that means we are essentially ‘against the mainstream culture’. In today’s world, that is a bit murky and is instead typically thought of as ‘fighting for people’s rights and a better world’ which most of us can agree that in some way, shape, or form, mainstream culture and politics do not do.

So then, what does one have to believe and value to be considered a punk? I’ve mentioned this before in various posts on this blog, and my stance has stayed the same. Here are the 4 things I believe are the most important.

Learn how to think critically - it’s important to be able to come to your own conclusions rather than just blindly believing what others say is important

Learn about issues that are important to you - learning about issues is the first step to being able to understand the world and make it a better place

Be kind to the disadvantaged- one of my favorite quotes “In an age of performative cruelty, being kind is punk as fuck.”

Stay true to yourself and don’t let anyone compromise your values or sense of self

It’s important to remember too, that just like there are different types of punk music, there are also different ‘genres’ of punks. You have straight edge punks, you have anarchists, there are folk punks, crust punks are out there, you have rural punks, there are activists, you have skinheads (I recommend staying away from that group - though admittedly I don’t know much about modern skinhead groups). Each group is going to be unique and different, and may have their own ‘criteria’. For example, most skinheads will probably just cross out my third bullet point. This blog is more of a general punk blog because I want to use it to share punk culture with people.

All this being said, I think the best way to learn about punk culture and what it means to be punk, is to immerse yourself into the punk scenes. And if you like alternative music, its often full of ideology, especially the older stuff. But there is also no one correct way to be punk. If you don’t like mainstream culture, if you want to fight for a better world - you’re punk. I don’t care if you listen to country music and wear business casual, you’re still a punk in my book.

If you’d like some other sources to check out, here are my recommendations:

Tumblr Blogs: (a mix of punk aesthetic and political/activism blogs) @polyamorouspunk @punkshitposts @pxnkrocknerd @favouritescene @radicalgraff @politijohn @nofashinpunk

Non tumblr things:

Check to see if your local library has a punk archive (more likely in larger libraries)

Read some old punk zines

Read up on some history

And some more history

Listen to some alternative music

[maleyanderecafe]

Perfect Mine (Webcomic)

Created by: Nari On (나리온)

Genre: Romance/Psychological

I've had this one in my drafts for a while, but I actually do like this one quite a lot. For one there is a submissive-esque yandere and a pretty cool female lead which I'm always down for. It's a bit twisted in the way the two leads are and there's both a male and female yandere in it. The story itself is really twisted, but I think it's pretty interesting and I remember reading it when it was only like 5 chapters long.

Nabi is a perfect student with perfect grades, but she seems to have some weird behaviors. Her first request to someone who wants to date her is to make him jump off of a bridge into the water. A guy named Heo saves her by pretending to be her boyfriend. Heo is just as smart if not smarter than Nabi- taking first place in the tests that she always was first in. Heo is smarter, popular and generally better than Nabi, which annoys her. We find out that her mother is overburdens her with being the first in class because of the loss of her father. Nabi has a secret love of taking pictures of dead things which Heo and another student catches her in the act of doing. The other student stalks Nabi until Heo helps to catch him, which causes Nabi to destroy his phone in rage. Heo asks if Nabi wants to pretend date him, using her taking picture of dead things as leverage. When Nabi asks why, Heo says the two are the same- that they feel lifeless, yet when he's with her, she gives him life. At home, life for Nabi gets worse, as she feels that she is the only one who can make her mother happy. Heo continues to follow Nabi around and even fails the exam so that Nabi will get first place. Nabi gets angered, believing that Heo pities her, when Heo states its out of his love for her and she asks him to jump off of the roof, which he does gladly. Luckily, he survives, and the two of them gain a strange relationship, with Heo wanting to be Nabi's everything and Nabi using her "ownership" of Heo to gain some control in her life. While on the roof, her friend Yeonji catches her, becoming possessive over her as well. Yeonji has been enamored by Nabi ever since she saved her from bullies and has been stalking her for a while. She encounters Heo and tells him to stay away from her, and later finds out that he might be a murderer from Heo's older brother. Heo and Nabi meanwhile go on a little excursion and we learn more about the two's life, with Nabi being afraid of being abandoned when she was younger leading to her lifestyle now and Heo having some sort of trauma that might involve the death of her brother. Yeonji tries to warn Nabi about Heo as well as confesses her love to her, before running home and calling Heo's cousin, who she encountered before. There the two talk about Heo's abnormal behavior after his brother's death, specifically that he started to mimic all of his brother's mannerisms after his death. He mentions that Heo's brother was similar to Nabi in terms of being the best at grades, and that's why Heo is so attached to her. Nabi and Heo continue to get closer to each other, until Nabi eventually develops feelings for him and confesses. Heo rejects it, even stating that he himself didn't like Nabi and Nabi runs home, determined to erase her relationship with Heo. Heo on the other hand gets some memory flashbacks to when he was younger, and his brother told him that if he could just get rid of Heo, that their family would be perfect and that he wouldn't be wanted. Heo meets Nabi when they were younger and Heo grows possessive over her, believing that she's the only thing that could truely be his that his brother doesn't have. This leads to his brother's murder and eventually meeting Nabi again, though she doesn't remember him, and him believing in a new start. The next day, Nabi is pissed at everyone and is so overwhelmed she loses a couple of points off of her exam, causing her to go into a panic. Heo tries to calm her down and while initially it fails, it eventually leads to Nabi and Heo getting together, much to Yeonji's lament. Yeonji accepts her fate, when the cousin comes around and tells her a better way of dealing with this- to break Nabi completely so that neither Heo nor her can ever have her. The last couple of chapters involve Nabi staying over at Heo's house and Yeonji confronting Nabi's mother, who is panicking.

The characters in these story are all pretty messed up, but the themes of possession and control are something that are present. Each one of the main characters has some sort of loss of control in their life and want to gain some sort of possession to gain back a degree of control. There's also the theme of becoming something to please someone else rather than being themselves. For Nabi, her mother controls pretty much every aspect of her life, having her study non stop and giving her really bad abandonment issues, so having Heo under her control (or at least the illusion of it) gives her life. For Heo, he was overshadowed by his brother for most of his childhood, to the point where his brother even said that he wasn't needed in his life, so having Nabi using him at least gives the control that he had something that his brother didn't. For Yeonji, she considers herself normal towards her crush and wants her to admire her, and is even willing to give her life just for Nabi. The cousin seems to have some sort of close relationship to Heo's brother, which is why he's also going after her.

I actually quite like Nabi despite how high strung she is about grades. We see just how much of a toll it takes on her and just how afraid she is at her mother abandoning her if she fails. Her entire life revolves around getting the best grades so much so that it's hard for her to even lie about ditching her classes once to hang out with Heo, and we can see why she feels so empty and out of control. The theme that's always playing is the idea of "What is mine", which in Nabi's case initially is nothing. She gives up her time, appearance and even her personality just to make her mother happy, and the only time she feels as if something is hers is when Heo gives up himself for her. In this, it feels that Nabi is able to control Heo, even if just a bit and that he is her's. It seems though that after a while it isn't enough for her to control someone, since she outright rejects Yeonji's idea of having her be used for Nabi's sake. She's really going down a strong spiral, so I wonder what will happen now that she and Heo are on the run.

Yeonji is also a yandere for Nabi ever since she was saved by her when she was younger. She's always by her side (despite Nabi's pleas) and gets really jealous when Heo inserts himself in the picture. She even confesses to Nabi at some point, which is a bold move. Yeonji is likely going to be one of the "antagonist" in the next season along with the cousin, since now that Nabi has chosen Heo, the two are likely going to break her so that neither of them can have it. Maybe Yeonji will have a change of heart at some point, but who knows. It could go either way for me.

It's a bit hard to tell what kind of yandere Heo is at times, but I do think that he's the type to change himself for the sake of his love. As of current, it seems like he's trying to emulate his brother, being perfect in grades while still having a manipulative nature, at least according to his cousin. Still, we do see that in his past, he saw Nabi as the one thing that he could take from his brother, even being so happy that Nabi didn't remember either of them, allowing him to start over. It was kind of interesting that he wanted to be Nabi's "pet" as it were, jumping off of a building or allowing her to be in first place when it came to grades. It's likely that he has some sort of trauma that made him push away Nabi initially, since even before then he saw his brother taunting him, stating that he shouldn't get close to her since he could never really love him for who he is. Considering he's the replacement type yandere where he seems to be emulating his brother in every way possible, it does make sense that he would be insecure about if Nabi truly loves him or his projection of his brother. Yanderes that attempt to remake themselves to become the thing that their lovers want is always a fun concept, but in this case, it's a big mystery as to why he goes so far to become just like his brother, even down to his mannerisms. Considering how broken they both are, I'm curious to see what will happen when Nabi is able to remember or realize who Heo used to be as compared to his brother. I also wonder what kind of trauma must have happened during his brother's death to cause this kind of change and what the cousin has to do with it.

Anyways, this story has been sitting in my drafts for way too long and it's really interesting to read. Lots of psychological twists and turns, so if you're interested, please give this one a look!

[the-ace-with-spades]

Omg I am so freaking excited for the next chapter of slow down (you’re doing fine). Like frothing at the mouth, jumping up and down and squealing loud enough to scare my roommates type of excitement. I love, love, love that fanfic and it makes so unbelievably happy to just read the sample, especially from Bradley’s perspective. It’s so much fun to learn a little more about Hangman, Rooster, Ice and Maverick every chapter. I am dying for the reveal at some point that Maverick is in fact The Godfather and that the COMPACFLT is Maverick’s husband. Hangman and the other Daggers won’t know what hit them, they are so clueless.

Also I just recently discovered you other fic ( sometime I feel like) a monkey pilot and I am once again in love with your characterization of Bradley and how supportive Ice and Maverick are. It’s such a beautiful story with so much emotion and I don’t know how I managed to miss seeing it for so long. I feel so bad for Jake as well because it must feel like he’s some how switched realities with all the changes that are hitting him right now, but I also kind of want to punch him for being such a dick.

Finally, I just have one quick question. I noticed that you head-cannon that Maverick is older than Ice and was wondering why that was? I am not against it or anything I am just curious to see how other people determine ages for characters when they are not officially stated in the original movie or book. For movies and tv shows, I just usually base it on the actor’s age unless this is like wildly off for some reason.

Oh my god I'm so sorry it's taking so long, adhd and life hits you at the worst moment I'm afraid...

this is going to be a technical spoiler but I'll just say that there's part two of the series that will be called I took the good times (I'll take the bad times) that will show the sixteen weeks after slow down and Bradley and Jake navigating how to actually be together -- this is where the funny family meeting stuff and first breakdowns would happen.

there will be a small 5+1 fic about Mav and Ice that's, well, that's the summary: five times Ice waited for Mav and one time Mav was ready for him. will be called we have all the time in the world (all the love). Because, a bit of a spoiler even if it was alluded in slow down, Ice and Mav haven't actually gotten together until Bradley was, like, eleven in this 'verse

also i'll say I'm glad you're enjoying monkey pilot! that fic is my ugly child and honestly, I have not expected such warm reception for it... I think I'm incapable of not writing Mav as a parental figure and since I'm also incapable of killing off Ice, he's going to be babytrapped in most of my fics 🤷‍♂️

as for Mav and Ice's age, I either headcanon them as of the same age (born same year) with Mav having his birthday in September and Ice in November/December, or that Mav is actually a year older. I think this is a cultural thing since in Poland some people believe the month you're born would define your personality. It's especially more common in the region I'm from and present mostly in the more superstitious older generation - I was mostly raised by my grandma and still kinda believe that people born in Sep are more temperamental, impulsive, wild but also fiercely loyal and people born Nov/Dec are more cool-headed, calculating and goal-orientated. It doesn't make much sense I'm afraid, it's just me finding the months suitable to their personalities?? As for the 'Mav is older', I assumed that could be a possibility as it's implied that he went to the OCS after college (either in the top gun novel or the movie??) since he wasn't able to get into USNA and I thought that could set him back a year -- and since he seems to have the same amount of experience as the rest of the NAs and RIOs, I thought he might actually be older.

Thank you for your kind, kind words, you don't even know how nice it feels to read your asks or comments. Hope you're doing well 💙

[littlebear1537]

Mira Annabeth Armstrong - FMAB Oc

OBVIOUSLY Olivier had to have a hot, rich, lesbian aunt!! AND GUESS WHO GAVE HER ONE??? YEP- ME- KGFJDJLKG

OK HEAVY HEADCANON TIME!

My sister and I actually had a hc for awhile that Olivier had an aunt and that's where she gets her personality from! AND HERE I FINALLY DREW HER!!

A little bit about her and how she connects to FMA and my Oc Sam's story!

She is a HUGE Lesbian (Literally- She is like 6'10)

She is the Older sister to Phillip Armstrong (Olivier's father)

She wasn't apart of the military because of the discrimination against women in the military, HOWEVER she was hired as an agent for different missions that were not instructed by the "public military". This is how she learned how to use a sword and to fight.

She is a skilled fighter and has mastered the sword

I believe that the person who "Passed down Olivier's sword through the generations" was given by her aunt!

Also - Olivier's middle name was given to her by her aunt. Both of them are the oldest siblings!

Mira took Olivier under her wing throughout her childhood because she didn't think her mother was a good fit for someone so strong willed

Olivier's mother blames Mira for how Olivier turned out (aka - Mira is very much a lone wolf in the family and rarely gets along with anyone - Yet she is one of the most loved and respected among the elders)

Mira was very proud of Olivier for joining the military! Yet Mira doesn't fully agree with the military, she is glad that her niece is able to kick ass like she always wanted to!

Mira 100% knows that Olivier is in love with Sam and purposefully brought Sam along on any trips with them!!

Some physical features:

She has an automail leg. She lost it during an undercover mission in Aerugo. No one knows how she lost it except herself. Some say she was out hunting and got mauled by a bear. Others believed she fell really badly. And even some say she just wanted a cool leg... Only she knows what actually happens and she will never tell a single soul.

She has a cane that she uses! Some believe she uses it for her automail however it's actually her other knee that's bad and she laughs at people who think her automail isn't working properly!

She has scars across her body however she likes to cover them. No one knows about her past so showing scars that are clearly Not From Hunting is a lot to explain... Though if she could brag about her battles, she would do it in a heartbeat! She does however have two scars above her eyebrow that were a lot bigger when she first got them!!

(She has a necklace with two rings which symbolizes her marriage with her partner 0,0,,,, Yet no one knows they are together - They are just "good friends")

I WILL BE ADDED ON A LOT MORE TO THE LORE AS TIME GOES ON BUT THIS IS THE MAIN THINGS!!!

[fontasticcrablettes]

I learned some interesting history facts and it obviously gave me Vesperia thoughts, so here is one of the most Me fics ideas.

(Even more gratuitously Me than general Flynn whump, which is a much broader appeal).

SO ANYWAY, back in 1654, the ship Charity of London was en route from England to Maryland. During the journey, they suffered terrible storms and bad luck, and the passengers started to suspect that one among them was a witch. The finger was pointed at an older woman, Mary Lee. They conducted a trial onboard the ship, searched her body for Devil's Marks, and concluded she was definitely the witch. She was hanged onboard the ship and body dumped overboard.

What does this have to do with Vesperia? Absolutely nothing, but my brain immediately concluded that executing a supposed witch on a ship where everyone was already going stir crazy is absolutely how you get a ghost ship, and therefore, we can link this to the Atherum.

The game never really tells us why the Atherum never made it to port. Longchi's log simply says they have been adrift for 45 days and the men are giving in to thirst and starvation. He apparently died where he sat, which is, y'know... weird.

Only explanation? Ghost Witch Curse.

The Atherum endured harsh winds and dangerous currents on their way back to Yormgen. Tensions were high, blame started being passed around. It unfortunately landed on one specific sailor (or possibly a passenger) who was ultimate killed after a kangaroo court on the deck of the ship. They were killed, but their spirit lingered on and cursed the ship.

They wanted calmer seas? Fuck them, they'll get their calm seas. For week after week, the winds failed to blow and the Atherum was adrift, unable to make progress to Yormgen. Eventually, the sailors began to succumb to thirst as their supplies ran low, but the curse remained, and everyone who died remained trapped on board as a tormented spirit.

There is nothing in canon to dispute this, so I will choose to believe that Ghost Witches are involved in this part of the story because it's very cool.

...As an aside, it has become a bit of a pet peeve of mine how often ghost witches appear in horror media, but like... played straight? It's always the case that the haunting is due to an evil witch who remains evil and dangerous even in death. And that's so overdone in comparison to the very obvious and very workable idea of being haunted by the ghost of a "witch" who wants vengeance for her wrongful death. I mean a majority of people executed for witchcraft were completely innocent but had terrible things done to them and that's a perfect ghost origin story, but media always wants it to be a Real (and Evil) Witch.

But also when I say a majority were innocent I don't mean that some percentage of them were real witches. I mean like, some of them were actual murderers who killed people with normal methods but got accused of using witchcraft. like Peter Stummp who was tried for being a werewolf and then executed but he wasn't a werewolf he was just an ordinary serial killer.

anyway, this has been your 3am early modern European witchcraft history lesson with Nightfoot.

[i-already-know-im-going-2-hell]

(hoping you don't mind the ask!!! Feel free to ignore otherwise💙) Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then you have to send this to ten of your favourite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool~) 🌈 🌈 ← I'm actually deciding it's negotiable, send it to whoever you want!!

I never mind an ask coming from my Tumblr crush!!!!!!!

1 - I don't have a lot of hard fast opinions. This might seem like I'm wishy-washy or don't actually believe in anything truly, but I've come to realize that what this really just means is I'm very open to many different sides. I do have things I believe strongly in but, but in most cases I like to see the world through everyone's shoes, and doing so means a lot of opinions I might have aren't strong and set, because everyone is so different.

2 - Jack of all trades master of none, better than a master of one. I think the fact that I get so interested in everything and want to learn everything and go in so many directions is a good thing at the end of the day. Frustrating? Yeah, but I think I have decades more to become a master of all of my trades.

3 - I am openly queer in my day to day life, not only because I was forced to live my entire life in a multitude of lies for many years, but because I want to be the safe person people can always come to. And it's worked! I've met a lot of people that they've been able to have that one person they're out to because I do this.

4 - I was raised to be the kind of person I despise. I was homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, even probably a little racist growing up, but when I got older I made the conscious decision that I didn't want to be that, that those weren't the things I believed in, and I changed and in doing so lost contact with practically all of my family and friends. I think it's incredibly cool that I was able to make that kind of choice, that I was able to turn around from being honestly a terrible person, even when that meant losing all support systems and loved ones.

5 - I think (I hope) I'm a generally uplifting person. I like supporting the people around me and making sure they feel loved and supported, and I will even modify my communication styles depending on the person just so that they can best understand what I'm trying to say, which is that I believe in them and care about them (you're absolutely included in this by the way, you're very cool and definitely on my list of people I care about making sure hear that often)

God that was harder than I thought it was going to be. Thank you for the ask (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡, I would send you the same immediately back but you've already answered it lol, but you are among my list of favorites (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

[pangolinheart]

FFXIVWrite 2023 DAY 14 - CLEAR

🙃

Rating: General Genre: General Characters: Z'rhiki Irhi (Warrior of Light) Word Count: 775 Content Warnings: Implied/Referenced Major Character Death

It was a rare sunny day in Coerthas – crisp and clear. The snow sparkled in the sunlight. Under a brilliant blue sky, the wintery region, which usually appeared desolate and foreboding, looked almost charming. The shrieking of the wind had been replaced by the sound of birdsong floating from the sparse, icicle-laden trees and the satisfying crunch of snow beneath Z’rhiki’s boots as she walked the familiar path to Providence Point.

The area’s lack of seasons in the wake of the calamity created the strange impression that nothing ever changed in the icy expanse, and the stone cairns she wound her way through looked just as she had left them. The edge of the escarpment did, too -it’s lone gravestone still standing vigil over the city of Ishgard. It was in front of this headstone that Z’rhiki eventually came to rest.

“You know, even when the weather clears up, it’s frigid up here!” She chatted amiably as she settled into the snow. “I wish I looked good in cloaks. They’re fashionable and functional! And don’t go telling me I look good in anything. You know I don’t believe you.”

The only response was the whistling of an air current through the chasm below.

She smiled a fond but melancholy smile at the headstone. “Hello old friend.” Even now the words made her throat tighten. “It’s been a while. I have a good excuse this time, though. Actually, I should probably be working now, but I just had to get away from –“ She cut herself off. That was a terrible thing to say. There was no one around to hear it, of course, but it still felt wrong to say it. Instead, she eyed the grave slyly. “But you’ll let me play hooky here, right? Just like old times.”

Old times, and older by the year. He had ever been her favorite hideout when everything became a bit too much; the Scions, the primals, the many crises constantly plaguing the star. He had always been happy to see her, and more than willing to offer her a safe haven in exchange for stories of her most recent adventures.

“I’ve been doing fine, by the way. In case you were wondering. Well, maybe not fine-fine, but… managing. Nothing a few drinks won’t help me forget. They’ll have to be stronger than this, though.” She reached for the metal cannister she had brought with her. Even through the metal walls the hot cocoa within had cooled slightly, but it still flooded her stomach with warmth when she took a sip.

She noticed as she drank that there were fresh flowers on the grave. Francel must still be making his regular pilgrimages. “It never gets any easier, does it?” She remembered him asking, the first time she had encountered him there.

No, it really didn’t. The pain  never left her, she had just learned how to put it away for a while so that she could function. But when she pulled it back out of its box, it was the same as ever. Just like the gravestone. She doubted it would ever leave her. She didn’t even want It to anymore. The sadness was a memory of love, and letting go of it was too close to forgetting. It wasn’t healthy, or so people told her, but she wanted to keep that pain, because within it, if she listened closely, she could hear the echo of him.

She didn’t say any of this out loud, of course. It had been difficult to talk about when he was alive, and somehow it wasn’t any easier now. So, she usually talked about her most recent exploits instead. He had always liked listening to her tales of adventure. That, at least, was something she could still share with him, even if realistically she knew it was more for her own sake than his. If she tried, she could almost picture him perched atop the headstone with his elbows on his knees, listening with a characteristic half-smile, laughing at her jokes or something foolish she had done. She would never hear that sound again, but if she closed her eyes and listened, she felt she almost could.

She suddenly felt the warm beginnings of tears in her eyes, so she brought the thermos to her lips again and took another drink, using those few seconds to blink them away. When she set the cocoa back down at her side, she was smiling again.

“You’ll never believe where I’ve been. I mean it – it sounds like I made it up when I say it out loud. How much do you know about parallel worlds…?”

[bisexualhobi]

The more I read about min heejin, the more I start to wonder how it wasn’t so well known before. She’s been in the industry for 20 years but most people still knew her as visionary and genius. I do think her ideas and concepts are really cool and interesting sometimes maybe a little shocking but the issue is her fascination for kids/young idols or barely legal idols. If newjeans concept/songs were given to red velvet or any group that has grown members everyone will love it! Instead we got kids sucking the same lollipop and singing about looking for attention. It just doesn’t seem right. Also she takes inspiration from movies and art that are questionable and often are about power imbalance and huge age gap… I think instead of discussing bts exemption korean government should focus on creating a law that bans child labour so kids can be kids and won’t debut before they’re in high school. And I’m tired of people saying that a lot of idols debuted early (I know it’s true) but many of them’ve spoken up how they think they started too early and that it really affected them and their mental health. Idols can start their careers after they graduate, I actually think it would help them be better celebrities/performers in general because they would have more time to practice their skills! There, also, should be official age for trainees as well, and I think companies should have studios and practice rooms in other cities in Korea (I don’t believe that big3 and hybe don’t have enough money for that) so trainees could practice while their living with their parents or living closer to their parents. There is no need for 10/13 years old to move to Seoul alone because they’re a trainee. Then the other trainees that may be a little older than them (but still teenagers) will take care of them because they’re still kids! But if after they graduate, they would be set to debut, they can move to Seoul to meet other members and have media training and prepare for promotions. I actually read that article that the other anon’s sent you and can’t stop thinking about the fragment when min heejin talks about skipping school when they’re preparing to debut: “I’ve been in charge of ADOR’s whole girl group system since September 2021. And the first step was the training. The very first thing I did was to check their health and lifestyle, plus check the condition of the accomodations and the practice studio. And trainees usually have a hard time keeping up with school when they’re set to debut because there’s so much they have to do to prepare for it. But in reality, even if you didn’t like school when you had to be there, you might feel left out and like you’re missing something once you’re no longer able to attend. Because people tend to linger on the things they’re not able to experience… So I felt like I wanted to create, to the best of my ability, a substitute environment. I think the trainee life we provide is akin to a mini version of school life, so I feel they’re studying things at the label in place of what they would learn at school. The things we study are similar to subjects like music, art, history and language arts. To look at it another way, you could say the subjects they’re most interested in are more immersive now. They’re even able to develop relationships and social skills with their fellow trainees and their trainers. That’s why I always emphasize to all employees in our organization that they’re also role models.” Kids shouldn’t have to choose between school and being idols and there’s no way you can compare school to a label. It’s especially important for trainees because if they won’t be successful and/or disband they don’t have a backup plan since all they can do is sing and dance and have no education… that’s why there are idols who debuts two or three times because they’re trying to achieve something. Anyway, sorry for my rant but I just want to say that I’m happy this issue is being talked about and I hope one day it will change and only adults will work as idols, hopefully it will happen sooner than later!

i'm the first one to accept up until this month i had no idea abt all the weird shit min heejin has done. i legit only liked her bc she directed f(x) pink tape and i am hopelessly in love with that entire album concept.

learning about all of this rn as it unfolds is kinda crazy and it leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths for sure :/

[phantomlesbian]

the effin horde dynamics

(I am terrified of losing my drafts like last time, so I wrote everything in google docs and pasted it here, so I’m sorry if the formatting is off)

Okay, so the Horde right? The Fright Zone? In place of finishing the next chapter, I decided that I wanted to go on a brain rot and figure out just what I think would’ve happened to the Horde under Adora’s supervision in this AU. And I think it’s pretty cool so I’m going to share it. 

So we all know what the horde was like pre-Adora gaining control, it’s just what you’d imagine Horde life would be like throughout the show. No education of the outside world, very little exposure to the outside world, cruel punishments, those freaking ration bars, no birthdays (omg), and so on and so forth.

 Alright.

What in the heck happened after Adora became Lord?

Lots of good things actually!

I always perceived Adora as having innate good tendencies, so she naturally knew that some of the things in the Horde weren’t that great. Of course, she got special treatment from Shadow Weaver so her perception of things being bad in the Horde is especially diluted, but I believe it’s still there somewhat.

So basically after she kills Hordak, it was stated that the soldiers there elected her to be the new Lord in place of Shadow Weaver This doesn’t mean there was an actual election, they basically just walked into the room and started cheering, which then led to them to kneel in front of Adora and proclaim her the new Lord, which Shadow Weaver disputed.

Okay

Adora and Scorpia: so Scorpia became a Force Captain pre-canon, and since the fic follows the canon timeline, with Princess Prom being the beginning of the fic, Adora would have already been a Force Captain. Because Scorpia was always older than Adora, they met in orientation, and instead of disliking each other, they kinda hit it off. It wasn’t like best friends at first sight, since Lonnie was alive at this point, and I always saw Lonnie as her best friend if Catra weren’t there.

It’s kind of a confusing timeline that I’ve been trying to explain so I’ll try to break it down a little further.

Oh also, I would say that Adora became a Force Captain at around sixteen since there weren’t any “distractions” to steer her away from becoming Force Captain. Okay so at sixteen she becomes force captain, at seventeen is when Lonnie finds the sword and subsequently disappears, at eighteen is when Adora first becomes She-Ra and subsequently kills Hordak, and at nineteen is when the story begins. 

OKAY SO WHAT DID ADORA DO

Well, we know that a fight occurred between Shadow Weaver and Adora, so I'd say that this is when she began to strip away Weaver's power. But she just made her second in command without the title. Like she handles meetings, paperwork, and the basic busy work and housekeeping that Adora and Scorpia push out.

Adora and Scorpia have lunch together every day to discuss the progress they've made, and what they should do next. The first thing Adora did was order a bunch of books, and she also did research on Scorpia's family, the Alliance, and stuff like that. This would explain why she wasn't immediately hostile towards the Princesses or even the concept of Princesses in the first few cha[ters.

So she obviously learns about the Scorpioni Kingdom, and she's like oh wait we're on stolen land I need to do something about this. So she helps rebuild the palace or whatever was left in it and decided that she didn't want the younger generation of Horde brats to live in the same conditions that she did, so she asks Scorpia for permission to house the children there and rearrange the way that they learn. There was still some space left so she renovated that and basically opened it up for either more housing or office space/ "I'll deal with that later".

OH HEY

The next part of this post will contain spoilers for previous chapters, possible future plans for the next chapters, as well as a topic that you might want to research if you don't know what I'm talking about because it might take a while to explain.

OKAY

So growing up, I was in love with the divergent series. Lynn was my gay awakening, this is where I became obsessed with psychology and personality differentiations, and...yeah. To spare people from having to google everything, divergent is a book set in futuristic Chicago where society is divided into five different factions, and you take a test to determine which faction you belong to. There are abnegation, erudite, dauntless, candor, and amity. The one we're going to be focusing on is dauntless.

So the dauntless are the people that value bravery over anything else, and they kind of act as the protectors/police (???) of the city. So in my tiny pea-sized brain, I was like hey, Princess of Power, Guardian of Etheria, magical Protector...dauntless??? Okay yeah, that works.

I have no clue if this makes any sense.

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I reposted that one post about the city that had plants growing inside of it and it turned into an urban jungle? And remember when Adora grew plants all over the Horde at the end of the show? That's kind of what I'm thinking of.

One of the main things that were mentioned in the Horde's new dynamics was the introduction of real food, real clothes, better jobs, actual wages, music, and the hydroponics and aquaponics system. While I was planning out the timeline for the show I wrote a little subsection about the Horde dynamics, and what I wrote is that the Horde is more like dauntless now but more corporate.

What does that even mean?

So we know that the Horde has money. Adora's also done with stealing land and killing people. She's like eh not my vibe I'd rather do it ethically (because she knows what ethics is (that was sarcasm)). So she purchases land and imports goods, and basically just strikes deals and wagers with other provinces.

How does this relate to the dauntless? WELL

So the dauntless were mainly stereotyped as being adrenaline junkies, with dyed hair and tattoos and rock music. It didn't matter what you looked like there, as long as you were a good fighter and a good listener, you had worth. Now there were mainly problems with the faction system that eventually led to its downfall, but the core concept is actually pretty cool.

Adora really did think the war ended when she killed Hordak. She didn't know about the treaties or the way the Alliance would've reacted, she just knew she was;t murdering innocent people or stealing land. So she thought she could create a place where instead of hurting the people of Etheria, she could protect them and protect her soldiers.

Now, if this actually works or not, you'll have to read the fic to find out, but this is her immediate goal. She wants to establish a solidified union in order to end the war and bring safety and peace to her people.

I know comparing the Horde to the Dauntless is an outlandish example, especially if you've never heard of them, but it was the first place my mind went that actually clicked for what I wanted the Horde to be under Adora's care so I'm so sorry if it's confusing.

I'm probably going to be doing a character study on Adora and Catra later on, but definitely before the fic ends.

[neptune-ian]

"What is it about? And what have you liked about it?" Okay so Fourth Wing is basically this. In this world they're at war with another country so everyone who comes of age(age 20 I believe) is forced to pick a job. Medic, scribe, military, etc. Our mc wants to be one of the scribes which is basically like a librarian, like her dad and just keeping records and maps and what not. Except her mom is a general and a badass dragon rider like her older sister and basically forces her to join the riders quadrant which is where you go to ride dragons.

Except every single thing you gotta do could mean certain death. Like people die all the time lmao. It's very hard training, there's not enough dragons for everyone so your teammates could try to kill you, plus people don't like her bc of her mom being the general and all. She never wanted to go bc she has an unknown disease that makes her pretty much weak and fragile and pathetic.

Basically the book is about her training and fighting to survive in this training to be able to earn a dragon(who also kill lots of trainees) and getting a dragon also comes with getting super cool powers if you live! Woo! She also gets the hots for the dark brooding wingleader who's her "enemy."

A lot of people complain that it's too ya which I can see bc the writing is more ya than na. I think the na rating just comes from their age(everyone's at least 20). Some people also complain that the mc says she's "fragile" and "small and weak" too much which I also get. I believe the author mentioned she wanted to write a character with a disability and if I'm not mistaken Violet is meant to have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? But again, either people don't know that or think her weaknesses are mentioned too much. It doesn't bother me.

Personally I love the story bc I love the plot, the characters, the actual slow build up of the love story(I love me some tension) and you can see them progress from enemies to friends to lovers. Like wow! Even with Violet you see her growing as a person and getting more confident, standing up to people, putting in the work to survive. It's one of those books I couldn't stop giggling about or wanting to learn more of.

It's a big book, about 500 pages, but I like the pacing and the story. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but for ME, I really loved it. Got me out of my reading slump. Just wish it wasn't $30. Also haven't read the 2nd yet bc the library has 572 people in front of me waiting for a copy, and I'm trying to spend less money until I read the other books I already own :')

On the list… ✍🏽

Ooh well I can understand some people’s reaction over her repeatitive mention of how weak she is… it has to be annoying because of it at some point but the fact that she becomes more confident, stronger and proud makes me want to read it as well!

I love strong women, I really do lol I easily crush on them 😂 so I’ll try it!

Thank you anon! 💙

[thegreatcanadiankbitty]

maybe if you watched more cocomelon you'd have more empathy for people who go on anon. you're learning and growing but also you're being really toxic rn and i can't let that slide tbh

Hey there.

It appears you are mistaken about my anon policy.

There's a reason I leave it on. Several reasons, actually. Because I do care and accommodate those who want to use it for whatever reason.

However, if all you're gonna do is use the anonymous feature to send hate my way, I believe I deserve the right to call whoever is doing so a coward. Anon hate is not a new thing to me, or to this site. It's a big reason a lot of blogs have turned anon asks off, or just turned asks off altogether.

I, however, believe in practicing what I preach. The ability to take what you dish out. If I can throw insults at people, they can do the same to me, and it's the same the other way around.

So, anon, you must understand that, when I kindly leave my door open so that people may enter, and they choose to use this chance to barge in and yell insults at me because I disagreed with someone that isnt them on a very minor issue with an overall correct argument, why am I in the wrong for hurling insults back?

Is it because you don't like insults about anons in general? Because I make it clear that it's just hate anons that get this kind of treatment, because you should at least have the gall to show your face when you try to shoot me.

Is it how deep I rip into people? Because I find it only fair if they shoot first to hit back, and harder. Most certainly when they hide themselves under anonymity.

Or is it because these anons are your friends? That you somehow know them, despite them being anonymous?

Maybe it's the same reason I replied to that post in the first place, to defend someone who may have came off as brash and harsh, but hopefully meant well.

However, I quickly run out of patience when all good faith arguments have been thrown out the window for a goo barrage of "fuck yous" from people "banned for being based", or people who throw my point in my face and expect me to be mad about it.

Because you're right. Maybe, somehow, if Cocomelon is children's programming meant to instill long-lasting lessons of morality and various other things a child needs to learn, while also not being too condescending towards the viewers (as older audiences who may have forgotten what lessons these shows have to teach may not sit happily throigh them, and also it's not cool to condescend to children unnecessarily), than yeah, I have no choice but to agree.

However, I think my empathy levels for anon users are just right. Fully empathetic, unless you use that tool to try and hurt someone, in which you have lost all sympathy from me, because of my own internal policies that dictate who I deem as good and who I deem as bad.

But even ignoring my moral compass, if you seriously advocate for people to use anon to try and hurt others, and think my ripping into people who do this is wrong? I don't really want you around anyway.

The only reason I haven't ripped into you, dear anon, is that I try to take the best approach I can with things like this. Maybe, you mean this genuinely. Maybe you're a mutal who I care deeply about seeing on my dash. Maybe you're just someone who enjoys my reblogs. I value all above myself, that's for sure. So I want you to know, anon.

I don't try to hurt people who I deem as innocent. I try my best to take a positive approach when I can. In fact, usually, I don't do more than scroll and quuck-reblog posts.

So I hope you trust me when I say things like; I don't harbor any malice towards the OP of that one post everyone has issue with for some reason. I even agree with his main point, I just feel like if you're gonna dig into a very popular show, expecting backlash is reasonable. I made a comment that I figured was repeated already (which it was), and would be ignored, and the fact that it wasn't sucks. But I also made something that can result in backlash. And I received alright. But that's alright, because that's how getting in a fight works. I'm just left wondering why a bystander, who hopefully has good intentions, is objecting to the guys that are fighting online trying to find every aspect to make fun of their opponent.

I gotta cut this rant off somewhere, so here's where I leave it: If you're really serious about my inherent toxicity towards those who use anon to hide their face to try and hurt me, please message me so we can work this out if we're mutals and/or if you're brave enough, or keep sending anons, because i do respect privacy in delicate matters. I'll call ya tbh anon if ya choose that route. However, if this is just another person throwing words I've used in my face to try and make me mad, you have failed. I'm just disappointed in myself that I put so much good faith in you. But hopefully you meant well.

Til next time, tbh anon. Be seeing you,

Snow of the Cat Cafe System, AKA The Great Canadian Kbitty

[tell-dont-show]

Blaire, Part 2

Daine and Blaire hit it off at once. He was young, like her, and strong and handsome. Most of the court were old and world-weary, he seemed almost childish by comparison. He was an exceptional swordsman, and had joined Occkadai (the god) for glory. They joked easily together, and he let her boss him around. Blaire was quickly infatuated.

More than anything about Dain (I don’t have to settle on a spelling if I dont want to!), what attracts her is the feeling of being wanted and looked up to. That image of herself she put together to cope, of the wise and motherly girl, is flattered by having someone to take care of. Being in charge of him makes her feel better about herself.

The god (I don’t know how i feel about Occkadai as a name, but i don’t want to keep calling him ‘the god’ :(.) is acting against this other, older one, and there’s also a younger goddess named Myranyah (I do like that name!) who’s also against him, but he doesn’t know that yet. They don’t leave for a good while, and Blair and Dain’s relationship grows steadily. (I don’t know where else to add this, so: they’re both 19 right now (Daine’s older). Ratter’s is unknown to him, but about 18-20. Locket is 17, Shakti is 11. We’ll get to them later.) Blaire doesn’t tell her mother, she doesn’t know how. She tells the sister she’s closest to, but is ruthlessly mocked, and almost convinced to stay back for how ridiculous the idea that she could make it out there is. Also, she says Dain’s only playing with her, and she’s an idiot if she thinks that’s ever working out. She leaves quietly, bumps into Dain, but dodges his questions. She’s fine!

She doesn’t say goodbye to her family when she goes.

It’s not the adventure she expected.

Really, she was only included because she was young, strongly built, and clever enough. The immortals in Occkadai's court don't get tired as much, but they are outnumbered by ancient - and very mortal - retainers, because it's been ages since O did anything. So she's stuck working as a cook in a caravan moving incredibly slowly with only Daine and eventually Ratter for company.

(I'll get into her relationship with Ratter later)

Anyway, she and Daine do not work out. Thanks to the mess of loneliness and neglect that was her childhood, she responds to any overture of companionship by digging her nails in and sticking there. She constantly worries - justifiably - that Daine doesn't actually love her, and like. She doesn't love him either, even though she's completely obsessed with him? She believes she should, as per her imagined self, she desperately wants that affection and security, she is attracted to him, seeing as he is an absolute sweetheart and a badass, but it's not as deep as she wants to believe. Daine is a well-balanced and self-sufficient guy, and he tends to resist her constant attempts to mother and patronize him.

O, as it turns out, is not a particularly good guy! Woulda thought! Even though she's not herself responsible for them, seeing the terrible things he does and makes Ratter and Daine - who are like, magically bound to him - do, makes her already pretty bad mental state worse.

She and Daine have a huge fight, she slaps him, he breaks up with her, she goes absolute bananas. As per the general age of the other people, it is decided that the cook has become a hysterical woman, and should be ignored. Somehow, Daine - at Ratter's begging, because she won't listen to him - finds it in him to forgive her bad girlfriend-ness, and they talk it out.

As they continue to work with O, she picks up every skill she can from the people they meet, most of whom are charmed by the witty young lady, the handsome man, and the gentle giant of a boy. She finds some hope in her ability to learn just so much random shit, which her boys assure her is cool. She also notices that the attacks of bad fortune, illness, and general bad... vibes, are coordinated, and the source is another god, Myranah.

Specifically, her retainer, Shakti. (who is NOT a girl, she's a monster!)

[tallmantall]

#JamesDonaldson On #MentalHealth - How To Help #Kids Who Are Too Hard On Themselves

Bolstering self-critical #children who tend to talk themselves down Writer: Katherine Martinelli Clinical Expert: Rachel Busman, PsyD, ABPPEN ESPAÑOL What You'll Learn - Why might #kids say bad things about themselves? - What can #parents do to help kids who are hard on themselves? - Quick Read - Full Article - What is #self-talk? - Globalized thinking - Perfectionism - Too cool for #school - Attention-seeking - Lack of resilience - #Bullying - When to worry - What #parents can do to help Back to Top Quick Read All #kids say bad stuff about themselves sometimes. But when their inner voice keeps saying bad things, it can have a negative effect on them. #Children who expect a lot of themselves may be prone to negative #self-talk. For older #kids, saying things like, “I’m so stupid” or, “I’m so fat” can be a way of protecting themselves from social pressure. They may say bad things about themselves before someone else does it. And #kids who are being #bullied may start to believe the bad things other #kids say about them and start saying them too. While some #kids may do this as a way of getting attention, others do it because they’re not good at bouncing back when something bad happens. They also might not want to try new or hard things. #Parents should take negative #self-talk seriously when it starts to happen a lot and causes problems with #school or friends. Also watch out if your #child stops eating or sleeping well or complains about feeling sick a lot and doesn’t want to go to school. This could mean your #child is depressed. #Parents can help. Really listen to your #child and show that you care how they feel. Try not to be overly cheery when they share a concern. When you catch yourself being negative, correct yourself. For example, if you burn something and blurt out, “I’m a terrible cook,” correct that. Say, “Actually I’m a pretty good cook. Everyone makes mistakes.” Check in with your child’s #teachers, too. If your #child keeps saying bad things about themselves, seems to be depressed or has other changes in their #behavior, it makes sense to talk to #mentalhealthprofessional. We hear #kids say negative things about themselves all the time: “I’m so stupid!” “Nobody likes me.” And, of course, “I’m fat.” Or “I’m ugly.” Sometimes these things are throwaway lines, or fishing for reassurance. They may be harmless. But what experts call negative #self-talk can also reflect an unhealthy tendency in #kids to think the worst of themselves, and that can lead to—or be a sign of—something more serious. What is #self-talk? #Self-talk is essentially our inner monologue, explains Rachel Busman, PsyD, a clinical #psychologist. It can be a way of narrating what is happening around you, practicing language, and guiding yourself through a task. While #self-talk is often constructive, it can also go the other way. We all engage in self-critical #behavior from time to time, and it isn’t an immediate cause for concern. But it’s useful to think about why your #child might be talking themselves down, and when it might reflect a problem. Globalized thinking #Kids often make statements about themselves that reflect “all or none thinking,” explains Lisa Brown, PsyD, a private practitioner and #psychologist at the Rodeph Sholom Day #School in New York. For example, when a #child doesn’t do well in one soccer game and exclaims, “I stink at soccer!” When this kind of globalized thinking persists, she says, it “can affect how #children think and feel about themselves in general.” Perfectionism “#Children who set impossibly high standards for themselves,” says Dr. Brown, “are prone to engage in negative #self-talk.” These perfectionists can be so hard on themselves that they run themselves down trying to reach their goals. Too cool for #school Sometimes the self-deprecating “I’m so going to fail that test!” or “I’m so fat!” can be a form of social protection. For older #kids in particular, “the social sphere becomes really important,” says Dr. Busman. In certain social circles it may not be cool to be smart, and obsessing over appearances may be a way to fit in with the popular #kids. Or maybe the #child is trying to beat others to the punch by making negative statements first. Attention-seeking “Sometimes,” says Dr. Brown, “#children may engage in negative self-talk, verbalized out loud, in an attempt to manipulate others or in an effort to get attention.” For example a #child may try to guilt #parents by talking about what a horrible #child they are and how they deserve to be punished. Lack of resilience In some cases, self-critical thought can be an indication of lack of resilience or “grit,” as some #psychologists refer to it. “If #children regularly respond to disappointments with negative #self-talk that is out of proportion to the particular disappointments,” says Dr. Brown, “this can lead to avoiding certain experiences as well as a lack of motivation to persevere in the face of difficulties.” #Bullying If a #child is being picked on, it can be easy for them to internalize the insults aimed at them. Shawna Palomo, mom to a 17-year-old daughter, says her daughter’s negative #self-talk emerged when she was 13. “They made fun of her,” recalls Palomo. “After a while, she would believe all the bad stuff her classmates were saying about her. She would always say how ugly she was.” Her daughter complained that her lips and nose were too big, her hair too curly. “It’s hard watching your #child battle these demons,” laments Palomo. When to worry In #isolation, negative #self-talk is natural and not cause for concern. But it can also be evidence of low #self-esteem, a #learningdisability, #anxiety, or #depression. Dr. Busman offers these signs to look out for: - The negative #self-talk is persistent and pervasive. - It is not based in reality. For example, your son gets invited to play dates but still frets that no one likes him, or he always aces spelling tests but remains anxious that he will fail. - It is impacting a child’s relationships or schoolwork. - Your child’s eating and/or sleeping patterns have changed. - They’re making persistent, vague “I don’t feel well” statements in the absence of physical symptoms. Palomo noticed many of these signs in her daughter as the negative #self-talk led to #depression. “She would not care about her appearance, then it went to the extreme where her appearance was all she cared about.” She didn’t do her homework, lost weight, and wanted to stay in bed all day. #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleOrder your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com What #parents can do to help Here are some ways to free #children from negative thinking and steer them away from destructive #self-talk: Listen and validate. It can be tempting to ignore it when a #kid first expresses negative feelings, but Dr. Busman says she “would recommend never just brushing off those kinds of comments, even if they’re kind of silly or not based in any reality.” Instead, offer a safe place for your #child to come with concerns and try to find out what is going on. Offer a realistic approach. Both Dr. Busman and Dr. Brown advise against battling critical #self-talk with overly optimistic “positive thinking,” and recommend a more realistic approach. So if a #child says they’re sure no one will talk to them on their first day at a new #school, you don’t want to say, “The first day of #school is going to be great and you’re going to make a million friends.” Instead, you might offer: “The first day of #school might be a bit scary, but as you settle in you will likely make friends and grow to love it.” Put it in context. Dr. Brown notes that #adults can help by talking with kids in a way that “contextualizes their experience” and offers a “broader perspective.” Help them identify specifically what upset them, she explains, or made them make such a self-critical statement, and acknowledge that one bad experience doesn’t equate being the worst at something. Model realistic and positive #self-talk. Try to stop saying self-critical things about yourself, too. Don’t fixate on mistakes you’ve made, or worry out loud about your weight. We want to model positive #self-esteem for our #children. Dr. Busman also suggests offering stories from your own life to relate to your #child. “Whether it’s an embellished example or entirely factual,” she says, “you’re modeling non-anxious coping and more realistic #self-talk.” Correct the record. Dr. Brown also notes catching yourself in the midst of making a negative statement can create a valuable teachable moment. Say you burn something and yell in frustration, “I’m a terrible cook!” Continue the conversation in front of your #child with something like “actually, I’m a pretty good cook most of the time, I just messed up this dish but I’m not going to let that stop me from cooking in the future.” Touch base with school. If your #child is in school, check in with their #teachers about what you’re hearing. Getting their perspective can help you see a more complete picture. Dr. Busman notes that this kind of information can also be useful later should you end up having a professional evaluation. Seek professional help. If the #behavior is persistent and negatively impacting your child’s life, or if it’s linked to other troubling shifts in mood and #behavior it might be time to obtain a diagnostic evaluation to help determine what is causing the problem. Dr. Busman calls this a “#mentalhealth check-up,” and it can help pinpoint what is going on and how it can be treated. Read the full article

[kalmeria]

idk what this is i made it on an impulse