#but your view is also very optimistic and I do hope in the end we manage to figure out a way to facilitate a healthy lifestyle for them

[stuckinapril]

i definitely agree with your post, but as a preschool teacher i wouldn’t say kids don’t have interests anymore!! kids are absolutely still passionate about things and want to talk and learn about their interests, but the sad thing is that a lot of these kids only get to truly explore this at school, because at home they just get stuck in front of a screen instead of doing anything actually engaging. and this definitely has effects on their attention span and mood at school, but they’re still generally very capable and excited to learn + socialize with the other kids. what i’m saying i guess is that this generation of kiddos is definitely losing a whole lot at home by not being given these opportunities to engage with the world outside of instant entertainment, but also with separation from screens and some encouragement they’re the same as any other kid has ever been. idk this is a bit ramble-y, but it’s definitely very sad to see when kids don’t get to do any actual learning at home, especially because this usually goes hand in hand with a lack of attention given to them by their parents, and definitely does have a lot of negative effects as you said.

Very good point! I definitely don’t think the next wave of kids is hopeless & nothing can be done. But I do think, just from what I’ve observed of how my little cousins and other children have been raised, that the encouragement you’re speaking of generally does not extend beyond school hours (which is a point you’ve made). Hell, it didn’t for me when I was a kid. And it will be even harder to rewire these kids when they’re pre-teens/teens, bc at that point they’ll be stuck in their ways & it will take hell to reprogram their focus & interests (which is actually something that happened to me).

As a young adult I’m finally taking the time to cleanse myself of the effects of growing up w the internet, but tbh it’s no thanks to the adults in my life. It’s mostly a realization I came to bc I was burned out from the ruthless cycle of dopamine being online gave me, as well as the problems it has caused in my life. Not everyone reaches this revelation. And if they do manage to juggle a life while being obsessed w their screens, then they live it out in mediocrity bc the withdrawal of being phoneless for a period of time are just too great.

The point is not that these kids are incapable of achieving a healthy lifestyle, but that it will be so much harder for them to reach it, just as it is for gen z. And the older end of gen z didn’t even get as engrossed in the digital world until middle school. We didn’t get the luxury of being born with a lifestyle that supports focus—we have to fight to cultivate it now. And it is so so hard to, on top of the pressure of everything else. So I just cannot imagine the hoops kids these days will have to jump through just to gain that focus that older generations were endowed with just by virtue of being born at a time where phones weren’t so accessible.

[gghostwriter]

Still Alive for My Lover

Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Summary: The four times Spencer brushes with death and the fifth time he's reborn to find his way back to you

Warning: angst with happy ending || [Part 2A of Death of a Love Affair; Part 2B is the sad ending]

A/n: I did a poll the other day on if I should post both different part 2s for Death of a Love Affair and posting both won so here is one of the endings--the happy one! I actually scrapped my first happy ending idea for this (I dreamt about this plot just the other night) so like a maniac, I wrote and edited it in one sitting. Also he has been through a lot so I had to choose scenes that I think would affect his psyche. Hope you enjoy!

Part one || Main masterlist || Part 2B

The first time Death came close was during an Anthrax attack

In Spencer’s quest in solving the time sensitive and nation threatening case, he made a series of misjudgments that had led him to being exposed to the chemically engineered Anthrax.

During his months of adjusting back into being single and alone, he poured all that he could to his job. No longer were the cases viewed with a clear objective mind, they all became personal. Case distance from Virginia, where you were, meant nothing. He viewed each killer a threat to your existence. In the most convoluted way, this was him protecting and keeping you safe when he no longer could beside you. 

“Hey, Reid.” Garcia softly said.

“Reid, wow, no, uh—no witty Garcia greeting for me?” Spencer joked to try and lighten the mood.

She shakily exhaled her breath. “I can’t be my sparkly self when you are where you are.” 

“Garcia, do you think you can do something for me?” His voice trailing off at the end.

“Anything.”

“I, uh-I know I can’t call my mom without uh—“ he cleared his throat. “Without alerting everyone at her hospital and I can’t call Y/N since—since it’s protocol and we broke up.”

She paused, nodding her head. “What do you need?”

“I-I need you to record messages for them, in case anything happens to me.”

“Oh, nothing’s going to happen to you,” she tried to be optimistic. “You’re gonna—brilliantly find out who did this and we’re gonna treat this strain.”

He sighed with a slight smile on his face. “I hope you’re right, but if you’re not, I just—I really want to make sure that they hear my voice.” 

“Ok, just give me a second.” The taps from her keyboard echoing in the background.

“Are you ready?” Spencer asked.

“Ready.”

“Hi, Mom. This is Spence. I just, um-I just really want you to know that I love you and—i need you to know that I spend every day of my life proud to be your son.” His tone fluctuating from holding back tears. “Y/N, I know we broke up months ago but—I need you to know that I love you and that I’m sorry—” A shiver passed through his body, a sign of his fever escalating. “Sorry for pushing you down in my list of priorities—should have done better. I don’t resent you for leaving me and if—if this is my last message, I want you to know you’re one of the last things on my mind, Angel.” 

The thought of you finding out through the news that an FBI agent had died or worse, not finding out at all, sent him into a tailspin. You were a worrier and Spencer didn’t want you to question your judgement of breaking it off with him and drown in the not knowing, what ifs of it all. He wondered where you were at that very moment as he crept closer and closer to Death’s door. Were you wallowing still? Maybe out for brunch with your friends or a date—his breathing stuttered at the thought. He tried and failed to imagine you smiling at a faceless man in front of you, preening under your attention. Who wouldn’t? He shook his head as an effect to bring him back to the present.

The pause made Garcia panic. “Reid?”

“I-I gotta go.” 

Click.

***

The second time was when Maeve died

Spencer thought he was finally going to get it right with Maeve but it was false hope, his speculation far from the truth because Maeve—his second chance in love was dead, killed right before his very eyes. He loved her, truly did even without knowing what she looked like—not in the encompassing way he loved you, no, but Maeve still carved a space in his heart that was one filled by you. She was comfort and a healing balm for the pain of losing you.

He associated navigating life with you as something like entering a luscious forest. With you leading the way though the beautiful greenery and kind animals—a fairytale kind of love. But when you let go of his hand, the forest turned dark and the animals turned into monsters that haunt his every move. Maeve was a cabin in those woods, lighted and warm with a fireplace—a respite for his lost and terrified being. He knew what was out there but housed in her presence, he felt safe and believed himself ready to defend his newfound solace. He was wrong, the security was temporary. His shelter torn down and taken away, leaving him back out in the woods with no light or guiding star to see him through. 

Curling into himself on the floor beside his bed with ‘The Narrative of John Smith’, the copy that Maeve gifted, tucked to his chest, uncaring of the the pathogens that it can carry, a folded piece of paper under the dresser caught his eye. He stretched his hand, feeling the settled dust on its surface scatter, and pulled it into the light. Gingerly, he opened the yellowing sheet and found himself staring at your handwriting—a note that he had never seen before.

He once asked about your penchant for leaving hand written notes for him to find. You shrugged then and nonchalantly called it a treasure hunt for him to partake in. During the times passed, he’d encounter lingering, forgotten notes from you all over his apartment. In his cupboard, pushed in the dark recesses, in his rarely worn patterned coat, and slotted in between the books on his bookshelf. He thought he had found them all but here was one left unread as if it knew when to make its presence known. As if it knew that he needed a sliver of light to guide him home.

Spence,

I’m not sure if we met at the right time, but because we’re both here, let’s do our best and if there does come a time were we must part, know that I love you. I’ll love you enough until we meet again. 

His tears broke free from his battered walls and streamed down his face. He loved Maeve. He was thankful for the peace each phone call had given him and although his memory of each talk may fade into the back of his mind, the relief and emotion she had given him will linger in his chest. He slowly got up from his position and approached his beloved shelf. With one last look at his book, he slotted it within the nook and walked away.

His love for Maeve will always be there but he loved you too and he thinks he always will. And when sadness and grief comes to pull him back under in moments of weakness, he unfolds his talisman—the note—kept near his heart as a reminder. A reminder that he has loved, was loved, and is still loved. 

***

The third time was when he was shot in the neck

Fading in and out. 

In—liquid seeping into his shirt and tie.

You were the only thing he could think of. Not the case, not the team, only you.

Out—sirens blaring in a distant background.

In—Morgan’s voice calling his name.

For the first time in a long time, Spencer was terrified. He was so terrified that death had come to collect his borrowed life without having a chance to right his wrongs. Without any contact and without any way to say how much he has loved you still after all these years and months. He could probably recite how long it had been, if only he wasn’t loopy from the pain. 

Out—muffled voices all around him. 

In—a gentle sway in the ambulance as it rushed to the hospital.

He wanted to tell you how much he’d learned from recalling all his memories with you. How much you had taught him about love—a teaching he could never find in books. How love was selfless and tenacious—just like when you didn’t give up on him early on—when it needed to be. How love is fueled with respect—like how you respected his choices and demands of his career, and how love—true love, knew when it’s time to go. 

Out—streak of bright lights passing him by. 

In—professionals dressed in scrubs and white coats touching him. 

Your face was the only image settling behind his closed eyelids. He tried to remember the crinkle around your eyes when you smile, the scrunch of your nose when you laugh, or the he arch of your brows when you teased him but all were hazy, as if he was staring into a deep depth of water that rippled nonstop. All he could conjure up was your face with tears sliding down to your chin from the hurt he caused. He was deathly afraid that his last memory of you were in pain. 

Out—laying cold on the operating table.

All he could muster to repeat to himself as he faded under local anesthesia was your name. Like it was a mantra, a prayer, and his own personal saving grace. 

In—surrounded by beeping noises and fluffed pillows.

Mind still hazy when he came to, he sent a thank you to the stars. Grateful that Death was unsuccessful and to have been given an opportunity to correct his mistakes. Wishing that somehow, somewhere your paths and his would cross again and he could tell the story of all his adventures and yours, and how he has changed, hoping once again to be worthy of you.

***

The final time was during his stint in prison

He’s changed. In the dark forest you’ve left him behind, the once scared and hunted by monsters had become the hunter. The anger and agitation that simmered near the surface of his every waking moment was something he did not know how to accept. He was worried about the new him and how you’d perceive it. There were no signs of who he was before and during you. If he’d cross paths with you on the street, would you recognize him? He hoped so. Would you still accept him? He needed you to.

Along his long route back to you, he grew thorns and horns. He became decorated with wounds and scars. His talisman—your note—had aged, just like him, and had ripped along the folds. His once brilliant mind—now in a haze from trauma, memorized the words. It was your writing that grounded him while he was stuck in the cell of a mad woman’s making. The slants and loops studied and the grooves and indentations caressed with his calloused, bloody hands. 

He loved you still, very much so, but with his change, it had also mutated. What once was compared to a fairytale kind of love had now been smudged with darkness and desperation.

He felt lethal in his journey back to your embrace. Gone was the boy who felt remorse in shooting an unsub between the brows and replaced with the man who felt no qualms in killing should safety be threatened. He knew he had to talk to someone about the path his thinking had taken but instead, he entered his home with a single-minded purpose, walking straight to your side of the drawer and clutched another memento that will buoy him through the ravaging waters of emotion—your engagement ring. Looping it through a chain that he now wears on his neck and near his heart, a symbolism of his will to see things through, come hell or high water, he’ll crawl home to you.

***

And his second life started when he left the BAU

Spencer wanted to see you. Once inside the building elevator going down, he fought the urge to dial your number—regardless if it was still even yours. He needed to know. To know if you’ve moved on after all those many years apart or lived just like he did—tried but unsuccessful, always comparing and always coming up short. The eyes not as kind as yours, the smile not as radiant, and the heart not as beautiful. Was it awful of him to wish for the former? Yes, yes it was. He knew you deserved happiness and support after all the times he had let you down, knew you deserved a life after him, knew you deserved a happy ending but here he was, hopelessly wishing that your happy ending was still with him. 

He didn’t keep up with your life as much as he wanted to. The wounds of his failure and the battle scars he received along the way were still fresh. He didn’t have the right to know—a self imposed punishment. Although Garcia offered to look into you whenever he would reach rock bottom, and he’s been there a lot, he refused. By returning your ring, the engagement ring hidden underneath his shirt, you’ve taken back his privilege and he respected your decision.

You deserve better than to have him contact you without his life in order. If you’d still have him, you’d get the best of him. And so for the past six months, he focused on himself. He gained his footing in teaching young agents, he worked on his anger and made progress with his therapist, and he got to know who he was again beyond being an FBI agent. And it was as if the stars took notice of the changes and decided to reward him.

It was late into the night when he decided to make a quick grocery trip for some perishables missing in his pantry. This was out of his normal routine and he was forever grateful to the impulsiveness that took over him that night ever since. It was what led him to cross paths with the only person he had once considered home—you.

As he was entering the store, you had come out in all your beauty, struggling with one bag in each hand. Whenever he would recall this story, you’d scoff and tell him that you didn’t feel beautiful then—hair in a sloppy bun, t-shirt all crumpled, and face bare from any makeup. He’d object as no matter what the circumstance, you were always the most beautiful to him. 

He cleared his throat then. “Y/N.”

“Spencer,” you breathed out, surprise painting across your face.

“Do you need help with that?” He asked, voice cracking at the end. He thought he outgrew his shyness, time in prison does that for a person, but here you were reverting him back to how he felt when he first met you. “I’d like to walk you back to your car, if that’s alright,” he added on as he was afraid of your refusal. The parking lot was dimly lit and almost deserted. Years of solving cases has made him hyper vigilante and even if he was technically no longer a fed, his experience stayed the same. He still wanted to make sure you were safe, after all the time away.

You hesitated before nodding once in agreement. 

He smiled, letting go of his breath he didn’t know he was holding, and reached out to take your grocery purchases. “Let me get these for you, lead the way.”

The silence was uncomfortable. Years of being away from each other has made him a stranger to you and you to him.

You crossed yours arms, a sign of defense, before clearing your throat. “How’s the team?”

He pressed his lips into a straight line, not wanting to spill every little change that has happened while you were gone. “Good, good.”

Silence.

“No case tonight?”

“Uh—I only consult now,” he explained. “I went into teaching.”

Your arms dropped, a sign of openness, and you peered at him. “That’s—different. I mean, are you happy about that?”

He laughed and almost felt like preening at the care that you still had for him. “Yeah, it’s nice to have a normal schedule for once.”

“Somehow normal and you being mixed together doesn’t compute in my head,” you teased, swinging your hands in a clear sign of nervousness. He felt good—glad that he still could read your tics. How the slight downturn of your eyebrow meant you’d table the information to ruminate on it later. How the little bounce on your walk, that wasn’t there earlier, meant you were accepting of this situation. And how you slightly shifted closer to him meant you find his presence a protector. 

As he was documenting each non-verbal cues into his memory, the back of your hand brushed with his, sending a jolt of electric charge. It was as if both your bodies needed a physical reminder that the other half is back and nearby. It was as if a defibrillator had charged his black and blue heart to life once again. 

You giggled. “Sorry about that.”

It was a cold night but each laughter wrapped around him like a comforting blanket, warming his weary bones that had been lost in the dark cold woods for so long. “It’s alright,” he stated as he watched you unlock the trunk of your car. 

Loading in your grocery in silence, he shuffled ever so slightly out of the way as you closed the trunk and rocked on your heels.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets. It was the only way he could prevent his hands from reaching out and caressing your pink cheeks. He didn’t have the permission to touch you yet—not matter how much he wanted to. So wanted to.

“You look—you look great, by the way,” you stammered out.

“Thanks, you too—look great, I mean,” he stated. He wanted to sing out more praises on how you’d gotten more beautiful, more radiant, and more lovely but he settled on something simple lest he scares you away with the intensity of his feelings. “Do you think could have your number? You know, just in case you’d need help with groceries again.” A feeble excuse.

You smiled. The type of smile that was once reserved for him and he wished for it to still be his. Please don’t say no, please, he realized that if you do, that will be it. That there will no longer be any saving the tragedy between him and you.

As he was starting to slide down the familiar slope of sadness, you nodded. “I never changed it.” You unlocked the driver seat before facing him once again. “Spence—”

He basked in hearing you say his name.

“—I’m different now. So you’ll have to get to know me again.”

“I’m different now, too,” and while you uttered yours as if it was an apology or a forewarning, he uttered his as a promise. A veiled promise that he was now the man that you wanted him to be after all those years.

He reached his hand out. “Hi, I’m Spencer Reid,” he hoped you’d play along.

You laughed, clearly intrigued at changes that had happened to him. Here he was, a germaphobe, reaching for a handshake to a stranger regardless of pathogens. You weren’t really a stranger, not really, but he wanted to write a new beginning. The last time was too tragic and ended with goodbyes. This time, this time, it’ll be perfect, he vowed to himself. A perfect fairytale with a happy ending that he could share with his kids with you one day. 

“Hi, Spencer,” you reached out your hand into his, engulfing yours in his tight grip. “I’m Y/N.”

He watched as you got into the car, fastening your seatbelt and roll down the window. “I’ll call you.”

“Please do, I’ll be waiting,” you whispered out before backing away from the parking lot.

And he did.

And after a few dates, he slid back the ring that once hung around his neck, sitting near his heart, back to where it belonged—back to your fourth finger where the Romans once believed a vein ran directly to the heart. Vena Amoris, the vein of love. Where it will stay forevermore, never allowing time and the outside to separate what once was meant to be. Never allowing ‘him and you’ as separate, there was just ‘them’.

[crystallilytarot]

Choose a crocodile. How to work on your insecurities?

(I think it's more like just some advice, idk, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway)

Pile 1

If someone ever said to you that you are not good enough, it's just their opinion, it's not like the whole world said it. And especially if they are a bad person or someone who isn't even so close to you, just ignore them. Like only 1 teacher said it. But even if it was a family member, if someone really love you, they won't be mean to you. Yeah, we can learn from critics, if it's supposed to be helpful, not if it's just simply comes from jealousy. The past is the past, you should see forward, not what was before, you can do better, you can be succesful, you can be loved. Even if you weren't before. Believe in yourself more! You should stand up for yourself, but also, sometimes fighting is not worth it. You should find the balance, especially within yourself. Just focus on your goals. You have everything you need to be succesful, so you really should work on your confidense. And some things really needs time, be patient, consistent and don't give up! There's something here about either moving to another place, or traveling, and maybe you should be more often in the nature. But I think it's also a sign, that yes, you will move and travel!

Pile 2

Oh dear. I don't really read about health, but if you have anxiety or any mental health issues, please seek professional help if you can. And if you have a friend, you can trust, it would be good too. I think a lot of things here comes from mental health problems. I would say if you have any hobbies, that's a good thing, or if you are a fan of something/somebody. But make sure it's healthy, not an obsession. It can be just that you spend too much time online, and it's bad because we can see unrealistic things, and that will become unrealistic expectations. If you feel sometimes like you need to romanticize your life, escape to a fantasy world, enjoy childish things etc. It's all good, don't be ashamed to do whatever you enjoy. I think the most important here is to work on staying optimistic, keeping your faith. If something is bad, it's not the end of the world, you can try again. And you really need to love yourself more, accept yourself, your body, your personality. You are so loveable, please love yourself too, care about yourself too, not just others.

Pile 3

I think sometimes you make a decision and later you regret it. So you should think about things before. Don't be so reckless. Don't get into heated arguments. I won't say never, but sometimes we should let go of things, especially if the other person simply just won't see our point of view. Or sometimes they just don't understand you, because I think you are very smart. Also you should think about what you really want. Because we can be interested in a lot of things, but sometimes we don't have the energy to do everything or sometimes we can be bored. And it's okay to change and even stop doing stuff, if it's not enjoyable for you anymore. You can't be good at everything. But if you really want something, you can make a plan, a goal, search information, make a vision board maybe. You can do some things like this, to stay motivated. Sometimes we should take things a little lighter, nobody is perfect, it's okay to laugh even at yourself. I mean not in a mean way, but to lighten the situation sometimes. And just to have a little fun, you should laugh more often. If you work hard, that work will pay off, but you can enjoy the life too, not just when you achieve something. It's okay to be emotional too. You should take care of yourself better, do some selfcare, love yourself, and just go with the flow a little.

[lalovi]

Could you please write a post sharing what traits you think would make the dragons in CROB fall in love with us? Thank you!

Inspired by these two asks:

https://www.tumblr.com/shmolish/750988905085632512/httpswwwtumblrcomshmolish750251834196852736

https://www.tumblr.com/shmolish/750251834196852736/so-not-sure-on-the-limit-for-characters-but-feel

CROB dragons x Reader (separate)

Warning: May be OOC, mild spoilers for the dragon story ig

``You're pulling at my heartstrings!``

Featuring: Longan, Lychee, Lotus, Ananas, Pitaya

Longan Dragon

`°♡ Longan is pretty pessimistic, I'd think. And even if you disagree with that, it's safe to say they aren't very open to new ideals.

`°♡ Therefore, I propose a sort of sun/moon relationship

`°♡ In which reader is very optimistic and open minded. Not only that, but determined as well

`°♡ Afterall, there is 0 chance of changing Longan's ideals just like that

`°♡ It will take a lot of time and effort

`°♡ Hence why it will definitely be a slow burn relationship

`°♡ Your open mindedness will cause Longan to think a lot more, and the more they think about you, the more they grow fond of you

`°♡ Now whether this fondness is just some odd curiosity or actually love is up for debate-

`°♡ Of course they don't admit this (especially if you're an ordinary cookie and not a dragon)

`°♡ But when push comes to shove, you are one of the few that can change Longan's view of the world

`°♡ Now...

`°♡ We can go the total opposite direction and probably make it work as well

`°♡ That is to say, hyper focusing on restoring the world to the way of old (or whatever Longan be yapping about) and finding yourself falling in love with them

`°♡ It's different from the normal you fell first but they fell harder, since now you're falling both first and harder

`°♡ I can almost see this being some sort of yandere relationship

`°♡ Where you're kinda obsessing over them and they find your loyalty(?) endearing and so they decide take pity on you

`°♡ I won't go into too much detail bc I'd just end up yapping forever and the whole idea is kinda messed up

`°♡ A very unhappy and unhealthy relationship where they use your devotion for their own gain

`°♡ But if you bent it and twisted it in some weird ways ig it could count

`°♡ But if you want more of that just request something and I'll get to it

Lychee Dragon

`°♡ Now where do I even begin...

`°♡ Lychee is an odd one for sure

`°♡ Always insisting that you're in love with them and will bow before them and what-not.

`°♡ Of course, they do with everyone though so it doesn't really mean anything

`°♡ Lychee wants a lot of power and stuff, and most of the time, they can get just that

`°♡ To put it in its most basic terms, I think your ability to resist their charm will catch their eye

`°♡ But of course they won't just hypnotize you

`°♡ That would be much too boring

`°♡ They want you to fall for them naturally!

`°♡ It's like a greed for what they can't have

`°♡ But now, since they can't have you, it only makes them want you even more

`°♡ They start giving you more and more of their attention in hopes of making you finnaly fall for them, and it just ends up snowballing from there

`°♡ Traits outside of... your defiance I suppose, would be your ability to be entertaining

`°♡ Although, I can also see a relationship where you act very poised or calm and Lychee enjoys annoying you

`°♡ Lychee seems to get bored quite a lot, and if you're too boring they probably won't end up working so hard for your acknowledgement in the first place

`°♡ Though, I think they'd appreciate someone else who can match their level of chaoticness a bit more

`°♡ I imaging you two flirt often to try and make the other fall more in love

`°♡ I mean, it works but none of you actually say anything

`°♡ The final nail in the coffin would probably be you suddenly confessing your love in a more serious way

`°♡ It's different from the cheap flirts and sarcastic 'I love yous`, because this confession is actually real

`°♡ Real because you didn't fall for their charms, but just because of them as a whole

`°♡ It's catches them off guard since people are rarely ever this open with them

`°♡ Especially people that they are somewhat close to

`°♡ The fact that you are so vulnerable with them makes them fall even more in love

`°♡ They blushed throughout your entire confession but when asked about it later they insisted it was just thier natural pink hues

Lotus Dragon

`°♡ Creating ideas with them seemed a lot easier in my head-

`°♡ Um, a very simple one is music and dance

`°♡ Afterall, they have a dialouge line about it being their only enjoyable pastime

`°♡ So I'd like to assume that if you create music or dance they automatically like you more

`°♡ Though, you have to be at least somewhat creative for this

`°♡ Lotus also talks about wish granting a lot and how they want an 'interesting wish'

`°♡ I don't exactly know what they mean by it, but if you have an interesting wish you'll probably catch their attention

`°♡ I just get the feeling that they are very curious

`°♡ Though I doubt you'd know much more than them, if you did know things that they didn't, they would enjoy listening to you talk about it

`°♡ Just don't be so rowdy

`°♡ They wouldn't mind it, seeing as their relations with Purple Yam and Mala Sauce are friendly, I just think they'd be more happy with someone calm

`°♡ On another random note; I don't have much to back this up, but they seem like the type of person to enjoy poetry

`°♡ So bonus points there as well

`°♡ They probably drop subtle hints that they like you here and there

`°♡ Asks you to meet them somewhere reclusive yet quaint so they can finnaly confess

Pitaya Dragon

`°♡ Certainly a handful, this one

`°♡ It's would take a lot to make Pitaya actually realize that they like you

`°♡ But once they do realize, they admit it loud and proud.

`°♡ Well, to anyone but you-

`°♡ It's kind of sad, actually

`°♡ Anyway, I can see two different ideas on the type of person they fall for

`°♡ A person who also loves to fight and is kind of just a copy of them (except you actually kick ass)

`°♡ OR a person who is more nurturing and takes care of Pitaya after all of his fights

`°♡ For the first idea, they very obviously want to spar with you a lot

`°♡ Actively seek you out just for the opertunity to fight

`°♡ And of course you happily agree

`°♡ The second idea I can imagine much easier

`°♡ Where you're always scolding them for being so reckless while patching them up

`°♡ And they can't help but cherish each of your little touches

`°♡ Might even get hurt on purpose just for the excuse of being in your presence

`°♡ Though when you tell them how much it worries you they become more careful

`°♡ I think a person like that is really important to Pitaya

`°♡ Especially since we have seen them trying to tough out their wounds instead of properly taking care of themselves (cough cough after the battle with Longan cough cough)

`°♡ A person to help ground their more... outlandish personality

`°♡ You're like their anchor

`°♡ When they finnaly stop being so stubborn and confess they make the whole thing a very big deal

`°♡ Just wants to impress you

`°♡ And of course it works

Ananas Dragon

`°♡ How do I put this...

`°♡ I feel like Ananas would like someone to protect

`°♡ Someone that they deem more important than their treasures

`°♡ So probably someone innocent I guess

`°♡ Since they care for their island so much, I think if you were a more caring and nurturing person, they'd grow a liking for you

`°♡ Would 100% spoil you

`°♡ You want something?

`°♡ Give it a day and it's yours

`°♡ I just get the feeling that Ananas is very touch starved

`°♡ Most of the dragons probably are, but Ananas especially

`°♡ So they practically fold at the most miniscule of touches

`°♡ They hate how you make them crumble

`°♡ But oh

`°♡ They can't help but love it.

`°♡ Confesses to you in the most extravagant of ways

`°♡ And their proposal is even better

[sparring-spirals]

I got to say I really liked the episode (despite only having watched exu calamity of the exu series) and I think maybe Matt needed a breather after so many fast paced, lore filled episodes.

however, I am kinda bummed that the fcg processing has been put on hold for (at least) two weeks now and that means that, despite them being great actors that truly merge with their characters at the table, their reactions will be much less raw and there’s a chance some of them will forget tidbits of information, emotions they felt when it happened because they (as role players) will have had time to process it out of the game and it might create a dissonance in the game. tbf I kind of felt the difference even between the end of ep 91 and the beginning of 92 but it made sense because technically they were still running and couldn’t afford to process. idk. I have hope that we’ll still see that raw emotion, but I fear it won’t be as impactful as it could’ve been, especially if they’ll have to put the “reporting for duty” hat on immediately when they get to the camp

I think being a little bummed about the sort of unexpected hiatus on the Bell's Hells/Post F.C.G processing is super understandable! As someone who also really did enjoy the Crownskeepers return (hello im still yelling about Opal internally), I'm kind of in the same camp of being kind of thrown/disappointed about not getting to really dig into/sit with the Bell's Hells post-F.C.G loss. Like, LOVED the Crownkeepers, fascinating second half, kind of meh on the specific timing.

I'm holding my reservations about whether they're going to have to keep running/moving once we return to their portion of the story, since hey, until it happens (or doesn't!), we don't know, so I don't feel like getting too in my head about it until then.

That said! I do think that in general the cast puts characterization and staying true to the emotions of the character/story as a very high priority within the campaign. I think you're right that it won't be the exact same as if they had done a big emotional blowup/goodbye/processing scene in the same ep where they lost F.C.G, or immediately after. I don't think that means it has to be less impactful, just that- yeah, they'll have had more time to actually think/process it.

But they're also all professional voice actors who have, IMO, thus far shown how much they think about the inner lives of their characters and enjoy really digging deep into the emotional/interpersonal aspects of roleplay.

My assumption (my hope?) is that with additional time to think about + process a devastating/deeply emotional loss for their character(s), they'd choose to lean into that more, and not less. It wont be the same as the immediate raw reactions, thats true! But i dont think that means it has to be less impactful, even if they (as people) have had more time to process, and will be choosing how their characters, fresh off the loss, react. I dont think thats a guarantee it will be less impactful/emotional (maybe the additional thinking would actually enhance the reactions being true/insightful to the characters vs gut reactions from cast), but it will be different.

But if the cast chooses to lean into the heartbreak/emotions, and the circumstances of the BH in the upcoming ep enable it, I'm sure they can still kick my ass (emotionally), timeskip or not.

In general, I'm cautiously optimistic about what could happen next! Even if I don't love the timing thus far. I think there's still plenty of ways for me to get what I'm hoping for wrt F.C.G/BH. :] There are plenty of ways for me to get let down too, probably, but until it happens, or doesn't, I'm opting to not get too doomery about it. We'll see.

I uh. Hope that helps? A bit? Being bummed about specific things you were hoping for being off the table is totally reasonable. just hoping to lend an alternate way of viewing it, if desired.

(i wrote the sentence: "don't be lamenting your chickens before they hatch" and then went "what the fuck" out loud. i spent 4 hours at work today just doing systems diagramming and my brain is fried. clearly. keeping this here for my own entertainment.)

[thunderpetal]

So, I love hearing about why favorites are favorites! Why are Wind and Time your die-for favs?

THANK you for the ask <3

For Wind, I think I first played Wind Waker exactly when I joined the LU fandom properly, and oh my god, I LOVE Wind Waker. It genuinely had such a big impact on me on the first playthrough (and does to this day), and I was still going through all the emotions when I was reading LU and starting to engage with the fandom.

Wind has such a good story in Wind Waker, and I could write an essay about it tbh but I'll save it for another time. I also absolutely adore how he is written in the comic; I think it's perfect. He has the immaturity you'd expect from a 13 year old boy, such as not always being the most tactful, jumping straight into situations without Fully considering them, and having some quite strong almost black-and-white opinions on complicated topics (see the Kings of Hyrule comic). But you can also leverage all of those criticisms at the other boys who are supposedly older and wiser than Wind LOL. What makes him great is how his younger age and strong personality also give him a completely different point of view. Despite having gone through a certain amount of shit on his journeys, he's still optimistic and hopeful for the future and he's fiercely passionate in protecting those he loves... What can I say. He's just a good lad. I honesty feel this messy collection of words doesn't even do him justice.

As for Time, it's sort of opposite reasons? The story of his games and his outlook on life is a bit darker than Wind's. Time has been through so much, and was a broken man for a while... and yet he is the one who has the happily married, domestic life a lot of the boys deep down want. He made it! And it's just so wonderful to see a character like that, one hardened by his experiences but still able to get a happy ending.

And yet. The potential to angst him is still tremendous. We have the Hero's Shade, which many speculate could mean he dies when the kid(s) he has with Malon are still very young. There's the Fierce Deity Mask. The Ocarina of Time. His negative opinions about the Master Sword and the bitterness he's still holding onto. Not to mention all the stuff he went through in the past and has recovered from but you could still explore... Even though Time has this happy life now, he's still such a great complex character to break into. God writing this just reminded me of the massive Time Analysis Glau (Glaucus_Atlanticus) wrote. I don't know where to find it anymore though :(

One last thing as well is that Time and Wind's interactions are also great. I think Time sees a lot of himself in Wind; Wind was forced to defeat Ganondorf young, just like him. But UNLIKE him, Wind hasn't lost everything. He didn't lose his childhood, he has a family, he doesn't have to say goodbye to his home forever. And Wind is obviously doing a lot better in many ways than Time probably was aged 12/13, which is pretty self-explanatory as to why (TERMINA). And seeing that makes Time very happy, it's clear from the way Time interacts with Wind in the comic. But there is still angst potential with Time being the hero who 'abandoned' Wind's world... it's good shit!

To cut a long story shit they're both great and I need to write more fics of them both.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I am very curios, do you have any ideas for Disney songs as themes for the Cullens/Volturi?

I mean, I hadn't thought of it before this ask, no, but we'll see what we can come up with.

I'll just do the Cullens so this post doesn't become unwieldly.

Alice

I almost went with My Strongest Suit from Aida. However, that's about the singer's insecurity and hiding this with fashion (believing she has nothing else to offer) and that's not really Alice.

I don't have anything for Alice as she's a very strange character at the end of the day and not one I can see a parallel to in Disney which means there's no song that suits her that well.

Bella

Belle from Beauty and the Beast or Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. The first is that Bella is in this small provincial town that she feels better than and falls in love with an isolated creature she's not supposed to. Bella undoubtedly feels a lot of kinship with Belle. The second is how Bella views vampirism, the grass is always greener relationship where she earnestly wants to become something she doesn't fully understand with a teenage optimism.

Carlisle

I'm going to cheat a bit here and pull out The Rainbow Connection from The Muppets Movie as DIsney currently owns the Muppets. There's a lot of Carlisle in Kermit, I personally think, and he's in his own way one of those stubborn head in the clouds optimists that the song describes.

Otherwise, slightly less cheating but perhaps still cheating, I'll pull Someday from The Hunchback of Notre Dame post-credits song. It's the Somewhere of the Disney repertoire in the hope that, someday, people will be better than they are now.

Edward

You can't spell Edward without Hellfire from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Nothing is closer out of the Disney repertoire to Edward's self-loathing, temptation, and guilt.

Emmett

You can't spell Emmett without bear puns, and there's no song more laid back and bear filled in the Disney repertoire than The Bare Necessities. Brings to mind, for me at least, Emmett's laidback personality and approach to life.

Esme

Esme's not really exacting enough to be Mary Poppins (practically perfect in every way) but I'll pull out A Spoonful of Sugar anyway as it seems like the kind of advice Esme adheres to. Namely, that all you need to approach tasks you dislike are to make some element of fun to them.

Jasper

The closest I can think of is Rest and Recreation from the stage adaptation of Hunchback of Notre Dame. It's not right in that Jasper's reaction to fleeing the battlefield is not to become a partier (as Phoebus is portrayed here) but it does at least address the pointless bloodshed of war that Phoebus is desperately fleeing from by any means he can.

Renesmee

Out There from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Obviously, this is very headcanon land of where I think the Renesmee story's going but I feel like hers will be a story of longing for the outside world that's slightly more desperate/marred than A Part of Your World (in that Renesmee can never truly belong among humans due to vampirsm).

There's also What's This? from Nightmare Before Christmas (the film was produced by Disney along with Tim Burton) In that I imagine the human world is so new and exciting to Renesmee and unfamiliar to her with no idea what anything is.

Rosalie

I really wracked my brains, but I couldn't come up with anything. The thing about Rosalie is, for obvious reasons, nothing really like her story happens in the Disney films. So, we don't get a character song that really emphasizes who she is, what she went through, and how she recovers.

As much as I stretch the other ones, I really have nothing for her.

[walkingstackofbooks]

DS9 4x23 The Quickening thoughts (I’m re-watching, so beware spoilers for future episodes!) [8 Sept ‘23]

How does this episode start with something as silly as Quark's stupid advertising stunt?! XD

"And believe me, I will have fun." Yeah, Kira is scary. I love it.

I actually adore that shot of Julian and Jadzia transporting down, and the panoramic view.

"I slept in a bed for the first time on my life." That is devastating

"I'm sorry I don't understand. I- I thought you said you could help her." Juliaaaan <3 <3 <3

I love that both Julian and Jadzia have discarded the Prime Directive straight away, with their "we've got sophisticated equipment, we can help!" mindset!

"I thought you l this was a hospital. That you were a healer?" "I am. I take away pain." I have so much respect for Trevean, honestly.

"Well, there's nothing for us to do here. We should go." That's so unlike Julian. Gosh. He's so frustrated by this all!

"Come back for us within a week. With any luck we should have a cure by then." So optimistic! I can see why people would say he's arrogant, and he's definitely naive... but if they have cured a plague in three days it's also not baseless?? And the other two aren;t exactly saying "hah, that's impossible/unlikely, Julian".

Ekoria is so cute. "How would you like to see a picture of your baby?" Her smile!!! :3

Julian's excitement and inability to not use medical words XD

"Ekoria, where did you get all this food?" Jadzia being the gentle emotionally intelligent one next to Julian's unthinking "starving" <3

"I was saving it for my death, but something tells me I'm not going to need it anymore." Her faith from the outset makes this all so more devastating.

Julian doesn't have a problem with people not liking him -- but when people say they don't need a doctor? He needs them to need him -- and he needs to be allowed to help.

"What if I told you there was a chance you didn't have to die. I'm a doctor." It is SO much of his identity. (Feeling some DBIP feels for when he thinks he's gonna be stripped of that part of him.)

"Fixing a broken bone and curing the blight are two different things." "I know that." 💔💔💔

"Others have come here with promises of a cure, and stirred up hope, took food and clothing in exchange for their elixirs." I'm so curious about this, were they actually trying to help and failed and gave up, or were they scammers - in which case, I guess it's an easy planet to scam but for what, really? You do definitely understand Trevean's point of view though.

"I'm not making any promises." At least you know that much, Julian.

"Maybe my people don't deserve your help." "Oh they've just been suffering for so long they've lost hope that things can be better." Now that's the Julian I know and adore -- I love how these two together build up each other's hope and faith in other people 😭😭😭

"I suppose you're gonna wanna bleed me?" "Oh, um, a little." Welp XD I assumed the answer was going to be no 😂

"I cancelled my death for you. I was really looking forward to it." Oh no. I know what's coming. He gets a worse death. Oh, this is all so sad

"Think of it. She may well be holding the cure in her hands. Do you think we should tell her what she's giving them?" "She's nervous enough about using the hypo. It's better we wait till we're positive." He's too eager, just can't wait - I get that Julian, but good work on listening to Dax even if you're disappointed, because she's right.

It's the Kukulaka conversation!

"Trust me." "I do." Ohhh 💔💔

"I was watching you. You're very good with patients." HE'S SO SWEET

"But death comes to everyone in the end." "Except Kukalaka." How did that come to your mind as the next thing to say?! This is the most ADHD, such a random thing XD I'd forgotten how he'd brough Kukalaka up 😂

"Help me, Bashir!" fuuuuuuck

"Come on, breathe. Breathe. Breathe." "Julian..." "Breathe." This scene is everything. All the feels. This is my favourite sort of emotion.

"These people believed in me and look where that got them." 😭😭

"You know what worries me Julian, is that without me you won't have anyone to translate for you." Oh that was so soft :3 just a quiet lil joke. I adore Dax ❤❤

Him just carrying all that equipment by himself! :o

"Oh not a task. A privilege. Can you show me how to make it?" "I was hoping you'd ask that." Not me crying. 😭😭😭💔💔💔

"Good work." "Thank you, sir." He just shuts down with Sisko's praise. My HEART. Oh, Julian.

"But their children won't." "That's what I keep telling myself, sir." He says that so quickly, you can tell he doesn't believe it. That whole scene is just... I think it tells us so much about Julian. Yes, he's too brash and loud and naive sometimes, but everything comes from a place of caring so, so much about everyone... I love him, you know?

[strqyr]

BIG agree. ruby made herself vulnerable to her team and it backfired in the worst way, confirming every fear she'd had about opening up in the first place. the only way they can move from that point productively is for ruby to choose to seek them out again

altho i think wbyj also needs to have a Big Talk and sort some things out among themselves before reuniting

anyway, bets on yang being the most Mad at ruby? i feel like the comment abt her and blake would hit her pretty hard bc it's clearly something yang has wanted for a long time, plus i think in some ways yang still views herself as Ruby's Protector/Big Sister/etc and confronting the way Ruby's feeling would require her to confront the way she's contributed to it which. Is hard.

not yang hate btw i love her i just think it will be more interesting if wbyj is not 100% on the "oh God we fucked up how could we be so mean" train

yeah like. i wouldn't be surprised if this volume ends with all of them together getting back to remnant, but i also wouldn't be surprised if even after that ruby keeps her distance a bit more? as in, ruby is going to seek them out not necessarily bc she's 100% ready but bc it's necessary, cos like. i don't think this should be a thing that gets 'fixed' fully in three episodes. it's going to leave a Mark and that's fine, since things can't go back to way they were before; that's what got them to this point in the first place.

anyway, i am very excited to see everyone's reactions after the initial shock fades away, especially yang's. i think people are way too focused on the whole "she's a good / bad sister!!" when the point is that.. they're just.. sisters. i mean i'm the second youngest out of four, i have two older sisters and i love them very much but they have also pissed me off more times than i can count. that's just what having siblings is like; sometimes you're a good sibling and sometimes you're a bad sibling and sometimes that's intentional and sometimes it's not. that's just life. you can't be a little miss perfect all the time and always know what it is your sibling needs to hear or how to help them. sometimes you try and you fuck it up spectacularly, and if that happens, well. you think about it, figure out what went wrong, and try again if your sibling is ready to accept your help again. if they don't want it, then you respect that, too.

...where was i. oh, right, what comes to my mind is 'risk' and yang's attempted pep talk for ruby after she snaps and runs away for the first time; yang tries to cheer up ruby about her amity plan—'i was being childish' / 'you were being optimistic. look, blind optimism isn't great (lmao if this ain't what ruby has been kind of doing), but no optimism means we already lost. we need hope. we need to take risks. / 'but mine didn't work.' <- ruby pulls away from yang, who then has this look on her face before she sighs and gets up to get some distance before the talk takes a turn back to summer:

it's taking yang everything not to be frustrated at ruby's behavior and snapping back, and it still leaks through. like i don't think yang really knows how to handle ruby when she's being like this, bc ruby has always been optimistic and smiles all around; this kind of anger and frustration, the complete lack of any optimism, is new from ruby.

yang is definitely going to be concerned—they're in a strange world with unknown dangers, and on top of that neo is hunting down ruby specifically!!—but i can also see her being a little upset / annoyed / frustrated at ruby for... well, many reasons, but one of them being 'clearly she's not okay so why didn't she say anything?'

either way. interesting times ahead.

[thatgirl4815]

A lot of people talk about the RayMew kiss in front of Top but I haven't seen anyone talk about the way things went down prior to the kiss, namely how passive Ray was and how unlike him that was (based on his previous reactions to Top). At one point during their conversation, Top even held Mew's hand and Ray stayed quiet.

Contrast this with the way he reacted in ep 7 when Top brought Mew some books. And when he tried to touch Mew then, Ray flew off the handle, but now that they're supposedly "together" he doesn't even say anything. I don't know what I'm trying to say with this other than I find it curious.

Also, I didn't really question RayMew's relationship status the first time I watched the episode, I just assumed they were boyfriends because that's what Sand assumed but reading some of your conversations with the anons, I've thought about it and it does actually make sense for them to not even be an official couple. The theory that they didn't even define their relationship (and all Mew said was that maybe they should "give it a try" instead, which doesn't necessarily mean "we're boyfriends now") seems very plausible to me, with the way Ray's been acting as well (saying the equivalent of "we'll have to see if it works" to Sand outside the bar, not going into "protective boyfriend" mode when Top touched Mew, chasing after Sand, etc.).

Ooh that’s a great observation! I hadn’t thought about the holding hands bit. I do think it’s easy to get caught up in the kiss and ignore all of the telling details before it so thx for pointing that out.

Even when they’re semi-together now (or at least, Ray has more hope that they are), it seems like Ray is slipping farther away. Maybe he’s worried about scaring Mew off? You’re right, I totally would’ve expected Ray to blow up at Top there, but he lets Mew handle the situation.

Part of me thinks it’s because Ray wants to see what Mew will do without his interference. Like, “Will he actually reject Top?” It’s also coming off of the scene where Mew refused to kiss him, so I understand Ray being uncertain about where things stand. Maybe Ray thinks that if Mew is really committed to him, then he’ll prove it by rejecting Top this time. Coming off of their previous scene, I could see him viewing it like a test.

The first time I watched, I also didn’t really question the status of RayMew’s relationship, but after looking back on some of the dialogue and their interactions, it just really struck me how undefined it is. Especially from Mew. We know Ray is eager to give it a try, but Mew seems generally apathetic about it, despite how optimistic he acted at the end of Ep7. I think the majority of Ep8 sees Ray coming to terms with why things won’t work out between him and Mew. Unsurprisingly, a lot of it has to do with Mew’s disinterest in him beyond being a rebound. But just in general, I think they’re incompatible romantically.

[snoopysfriendwoodstock]

what's ur full ttpd song ranking and why?

omg… this will be long lol

1. who’s afraid of little old me? - taylor has tried “female rage” a couple times now and it always falls flat bc she has to be the victor/mastermind of all of it. mad woman & vigilante shit just kinda suck! FINALLY in this song she sort of admits defeat? i find it really interesting to hear her reflecting on her career & her own view of herself and the public perception of her without her feeling the need to throw a “but i’m okay! and actually i’m winning!” in at the end. also the vocals and theatrics are soooo good i just love it <3

2. the smallest man who ever lived - that ENDING. this takes me back to some very classic taylor songs, especially the dear john bridge or last kiss bridge and as a speak now girl i can’t get enough.

3. the prophecy - both people who love this song and people who hate it reduce it down to “she’s sad she doesn’t have a boyfriend” but imo this song perfectly captures the ACHE of being someone who just always has a little ribbon of loneliness running through them. it’s that dark middle of the night place you can’t let yourself go to. and it’s PERFECT.

4. so high school - i don’t have a lot to say here but this is the song she’s talking abt when she says she’s putting narcotics in them. i love it so much. do that impression you did of your dad again ❤️

5. but daddy i love him - i love her delusional ass! also the “i’m having his baby” line is soooo funny sorry!

6. guilty as sin? - there’s a reason this one’s a fan favorite! it’s just soooo good. there’s nothing wrong with a sexy song.

7. so long, london - “i’m just mad as hell cause i loved this place” is such a taylor line. so simply devastating. i think she got away from just very simply stating her emotions/feelings in her newer albums but this song has soooo many lines that go back to that form of writing that she’s so good at. “stopped trying to make him laugh” is another one that really hits.

8. loml - this hits my favorite genre of taylor swift song that is just so sad it’s almost like oh my god you have to stop… what a valiant roar! what a bland goodbye!

9. the black dog - ik i’m kind of a broken record at this point but “i just don’t understand how you don’t miss me” is SOOOO taylor. very early taylor! and i love the idea of taylor swift having someone’s location on her phone. she is sooo pathetic she’s just like me!

10. the bolter - songs used to be STORIES!

11. the alchemy - i can’t explain it. it just scratches my brain really well. i love how it soundssss

12. fresh out the slammer - i LOVE the chorus on this one. and i love when it slows down at the end and gets kinda weird.

13. clara bow - i LOVE this song. i love how haunting it is i love “you look like taylor swift” i love how pessimistic it is as an album closer. it feels like folklore again w/ hoax as the last song. she said we are NOT in change/long live/begin again/clean/new years day/daylight hours anymore we have LOST hope. in fact it’s super interesting compared to change/long live that are all optimistic about the industry/making a name for herself bc now she’s realized there were other taylor swifts before and there will be other taylor swifts later.

14. how did it end? - another just absolute fucking banger of a sad song. the commentary on fame/the public/her fanbase hits.

15. i hate it here - unfortunately this song is sooooo me it’s not even funny.

16. i can do it with a broken heart - who is this “nobody” that doesn’t know she’s miserable? i love this song it’s so funny. “i cry a lot but i am so productive” is a lyric that was necessary for society

17. my boy only breaks his favorite toys - this song grew on me SO much. it’s so pathetic i love it.

18. florida!!! - this song rocks so hard. i think taylor & florence’s voices compliment each other so much

19. the albatross - i love her voice on this one. she’s here to destroy you!!!

20. the tortured poets department - i love this one i’m sorry. i love the sound i love that it feels like she’s trying something new i love how cringe and desperate it is. also lucy dacus mention!

21. peter - i wish i understood this song the way a lot of people do but it’s simply not my favorite! i do love the way she keeps repeating “you said you were gonna grow up then you were gonna come find me” in the chorus. don’t listen to this & never grow up back to back. it’s not funny.

22. down bad - hated this one at first but it has REALLY grown on me. i love the alien abduction metaphor! “i might just die it would make no difference” is like come on girl get up

23. i look in people’s windows - love this one, don’t listen to it much. but never skip when it’s on. her voice is gorgeous and i loveee the writing on it

24. the manuscript - again, i don’t choose to put this one on much but holy shiiiitttt… now she eats kids cereal? and can only sleep if it’s in her mother’s bed?

25. cassandra - i love the idea of this and it has some great lyrics but i feel like she didn’t quite get it off the ground? i love the bridge. it’s like ALMOST there. cassandra is my favorite mythological figure so maybe i just had really high expectations.

26. imgonnagetyouback - this will for sure rise in the rankings soon bc i’m finally getting it. it’s so fun, just not as good as a lot of the anthology tracks.

27. fortnight - i don’t love this one, but the chorus is really catchy. & post malone’s verse is the best part, that gets stuck in my head all the time.

28. thanK you aIMee - god this song is so funny. “everybody knows my mother is a saintly woman but she used to say she wished that you were dead!” i’m just kinda sick of these kind of songs from her if that makes sense?

29. chloe or sam or sophia or marcus - i’m waiting for this one to click!!! i’m sure it will & there’s parts i REALLY like but i skip it every single time

30. robin - i’m sorry it’s a skip from me. it’s beautiful but i’m never ever wanting to hear it. it’s sweet! but not for me

31. i can fix him (no really i can) - idk the rhythm and tempo of this song doesn’t work for me. it sucks bc her voice is so sexy on this one & i love the pathetic aspect but i always skip. it’s not as bad as my least favorite on other albums tho <3

[clippy]

i hope this isnt rude or insensitive to ask, but is the car you just lost the one you had feelings for, or was that a previous car? sorry for your loss either way :(

oh no it's fine to ask lol... but that was my previous car (Miles, who was a 2005 Honda Civic)

the car im in the process of losing (Lawrence, the 2019 Honda Civic) well... i viewed us as being ambivalent toward one another, but no strong feelings in any direction, unlike my relationship with Miles where i do genuinely feel like there was some form of connection there... also i think my feelings toward Clockboy absolutely complicated things w Lawrence but blah blah blah

i was very torn up when losing Miles and kinda just feel... eh about losing Lawrence, where most of the negative emotions are related to financial worry rather than the equivalent to losing a loved one

it does suck though because Lawrence was still so new. we just hit 50,000 miles about a month ago. he got good gas mileage, handled well on the highway, all that jazz... also like, i picked him out because 10th gen civics are sexy, and since 10th gen civics are the 2016-2020 models, it'll probably be a long time before i can own another one which does bum me out a little bit

but yeah im kinda tempering my expectations on what car #3 will be. i want something reliable, but dunno what i want yet. definitely know i wont be buying a New vehicle again right away (financially cannot do that right now) and i want a significantly lower car payment. like it'll be bonus points if the car i end up getting is one i find appealing, but then again, i admittedly did not find Miles attractive at first lmfao.

so we shall see what ends up happening! i am trying my best to remain optimistic and will just be so relieved once i have the keys to a car under my name again

[lanternburning19]

I've always considered the main themes of 1989 to be freedom, the recklessness of youth, confidence, letting go of your past traumas, and coming into your own.

These themes are highlighted strategically in three different points on the tracklist.

Track 1 is Welcome To New York. This is the opening number, the one that sets the scene for the rest of the album. The first synth notes mimick the sound of glittering lights and the first line is optimistic "Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow." This is very similar to the opening of Red with "I'm walking fast through the traffic lights/ busy streets and busy lives/ and all we know is touch and go". However, State of Grace opens as a warning: this story is tragically doomed from the start. On the other hand, Welcome To New York is bright with the possibilities of youth. And the lines "When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors/ took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer" let you know exactly what is about to happen.

The midpoint of the album and the lead single is Shake It Off. As a lead single, this song was a fresh start for Swift. The Red album painted her as a lovesick, heartbroken, and sensitive young girl who had taken a tumble into the cusp of adulthood in all the wrong ways. Shake It Off was a new sound and a new theme. Taylor said about the song ""rather than writing a song that was victimized in nature I wanted to write a song that was joyful and give people way to cope with whatever knots of ridiculousness life is doling out to them but also makes them want to dance." The song did exactly what a lead single should do. It hit big. It resonated with millions. Even though the song is very fun and youthful, it appeared to the general public as a more mature take on the same subject than previous songs like Mean and 22. As a lead single, Shake It Off let listeners know that this new album would be about freedom and fun and doing things on your own terms. This theme is further emphasized in the music video for the song. A past common criticism of Swift was that she can't dance. The music video is Taylor basically saying "Yeah, I'm bad at dancing, so what? I'm going to keep dancing because I enjoy doing it." Taylor said herself shortly after the song was released "If they don't like you for being yourself, be yourself even more." As a midpoint on the album, the song is a tonal shift in storytelling, letting you know that a metamorphosis is occuring.

The final point where these themes are highlighted is the end of the album, both on the standard version with Clean and the full version with New Romantics. Clean is moreso about letting go of past traumas and finding freedom in change. The lyrics "I punched a hole in the roof/ let the flood carry away all my pictures of you" invokes imagery of embracing pain head on and then releasing it. The song is cathartic, leaving the listener with hope for the future. Taylor herself made it a point to talk about the meaning of this song every night on the 1989 World Tour. "You are not the opinion of someone who does not know you or care about you," she told her audience. This links back to the message of Shake It Off.

The other (in my opinion, "real") ending to this album is New Romantics. The theme of this song has been compared to 22 and Shake It Off, but totally is a little darker. The song embraces the chaos of youth. Lines line "We cry tears of mascara in the bathroom" and "We need love/ but all we want is danger" in the verses acknowledge the hurt a young adult can experience. But the chorus spins it into an optimistic point of view: "Every day is like a battle/ but every night with us is like a dream". New Romantics perfectly balances the pain and confusion and drama felt on one half of 1989 and the freedom that comes with self-discovery felt in the other half. New Romantics says that your early 20s are simultaneously the best and worst time of your life. Life is going to be messy, but you don't have to let other people make it worse for you. Surround yourself with people you love and embrace every fleeting moment. The song, and album, ends on the line "the best people in life are free", summing up the theme of the entire theme in one acapella moment as all the shimmering production fades away.

Coincidentally, these three/four songs all maintain similar marking points during the 1989 World Tour. The tour and live performances are another avenue to explore the themes of an album, and the 1989 World Tour continued to do so perfectly. The opening numbers of the show are Welcome To New York, followed by New Romantics. These numbers let the audience know that the rest of the tour is going to be about fun and optimism and stories of youth. The midway point of the setlist is Clean. This song is performed during the most intimate part of the show. Flying a story high on an extended stage to get eye level with the back of the venue, Taylor just finished an acoustic song and launches into a speech to inform Clean. The laser lights and band and back up dancers are stripped away, and it's just Taylor and us. 1989 is sometimes criticized for being overly produced and synthetic, but the live performances of Clean show otherwise. It's significant that this song was chosen to get this treatment; Taylor wanted this song and message to stand out for a reason. The show ends with the bombastic spectacle that is Shake It Off. Taylor is back on the propeller stage, but instead of crying with her audience, she is dancing and celebrating. Her dorky and dramatic moves are on full display as 50,000 people sing-rap the bridge off key and have the time of their lives. This is what 1989 is all about.

[crookshanks23]

A Tale of Songs and Themes

Buckle in folks, this is gonna be a long one. But I've been wanting to analyze the lyrics of both opening themes for awhile. So here we go.

The lyrics of both themes have been posted below under my thoughts. I chose to use the acoustic version of Alright because there are more verses to look at.

The first thing that stands out to me, is how hopeful both themes are, but in very different ways. "Alright" has an adult hopefulness. An understanding of the world. "On My Way", on the other hand, definitely has a teen vibe. It's a bit cynical, but still hopeful.

"Alright" feels like the ultimate optimist. Everything, no matter how bad it gets, will be alright. Admittedly, "Alright" also feels somewhat delusional. There's both this embrace of bad things happening "even if you die", but a repeat of "it'll be alright" over and over again. Not everything is alright all the time. But maybe the point is that this is the adult taking the long view. Eventually, even after my life ends, it'll be alright. I guess I appreciate the delusion. Even though I "used to read between the lines" and see the problems, "They never made me frown" because we can push forward in spite of the problems. I think it's great to have that optimism, even if it doesn't always feel true.

Another line is "all you do is try", again showing how the emphasis of the theme is pushing forward and how the hardships will eventually work themselves out. You fall down and you pick yourself up the best you can. Seeing the bad things can't and won't ruin your optimism.

"On My Way" has a different hopeful vibe. Like, yeah, things are screwed up, but I'm going to change it. I'm going to make it better. The refrain of "not today" feels like it has 2 meanings. One that things aren't going to get better today. But also a cry of "not today", like this isn't going to happen on my watch. I'm going to make this better. The previous generation fucked us, so now we're going to fix it.

The refrain of "no one knows us better than ourselves" is the line that really make me feel like this is about teens. Of course teens would feel like no one understands them. The "used to tell myself it'll be alright/Pretty lies let me sleep at night" lines call out the deluded nature of the first theme directly. It's not alright. We're living in a Doodlerized world. Our lives have been whisked away. We don't get to live the way we want. The kiddads don't get to raise children in the world they thenselves were born into.

"Beg steal and borrow/break what we can't change" is another line that I love. It's like the teens saying, "We're going to do this our way," and break away from what came before. The previous generation screwed it up and their solution sucks, so let's fix this.

"I don't need your sorrow/come back tomorrow/I"ll be on my way" is the hope of this theme. Despite a more cynical view of the world, there is still hope. We *will* fix it. Maybe not today, but eventually. Then, the second verse about loving the dark and holding their fears is interesting. They're not afraid of the things in the dark. They don't look away from them.

On the patreon, Max and Freddie talk about the evolution of the second theme. If I remember correctly, one change they talked about that I find interesting is that they went from "We'll be on our way" to "I'll be on my way". It highlights the isolation and loneliness of teens, who often feel misunderstood. Over the course of this season, we've seen these individuals make individual choices. I'm excited to see them progress as a team and start to make decision as a team. But they aren't there yet.

At the end of the day, we have 2 themes about hope and moving forward. From 2 different perspectives on life. Neither of them wrong, necessarily. Just different. I'm excited to see how this theme of hope plays out in this season. It certainly seems like the kiddads don't have that hope. I look forward to the catharsis of them finding that hope again, through their kids. Because it will be alright. Just not today.

Alright (Acoustic)

There was a time when you could read between the lines

You know they never brought you down

never brought you down.

There wasn’t a box and you weren’t thinking anyway,

So you never brought you down, you never brought you down.

And I know, I know, I know It’s gonna be alright!

Yeah, it’s gonna be alright,

It’ll be alright ‘cause that’s just life,

Even if you die It’ll be alright.

It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright

It’ll be alright ‘cause that’s just life

All you do is try and It’ll be alright.

There was a time when you could read between the lines,

You know they never got you down, never got you down.

And all of the times that you fell flat upon your face

You know it never made you frown, picked it up off the ground

And I know, I know, I know it’s gonna be alright!

Yeah, it’s gonna be alright,

It’ll be alright ‘cause that’s just life,

Even if you die It’ll be alright.

It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright It’ll be alright ‘cause that’s just life

All you do is try and It’ll be alright

Yeah, it’s gonna be alright, It’ll be alright ‘cause that’s just life,

Even if you die It’ll be alright.

It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright It’ll be alright ‘cause that’s just life

All you do is try and It’ll be alright.

There was a time when you could read between the lines

You know they never brought you down,

they never brought you down

On My Way

All our days

Whisked away

Or is there something 

More to say

You know that no one knows us better than ourselves

Used to tell myself it'll be alright

Pretty lies let me sleep at night

I know that no one knows me better than myself

And I know I'll get this right

Just a matter of time til we

make it out alive

Alive

We gotta pick ourselves up and say

not today, no, not today,

We live for tomorrow,

beg steal and borrow

break what we can't change

We gotta pick ourselves up and say

not today, no, not today,

I don't need your sorrow

come back tomorrow

I'll be on my way

Of all the places

In our hearts

why do we so love the dark

Every minute every hour every day

Are all these fears

Mine to hold?

I can feel them in my bones

You know I wish we didn’t feel so all alone

We gotta pick ourselves up and say

not today, no, not today,

We live for tomorrow,

beg steal and borrow

break what we can't change

We gotta pick ourselves up and say

not today, no, not today,

I don't need your sorrow

come back tomorrow

I'll be on my way

I'll be on my way

We gotta pick ourselves up and say

not today, no, not today,

We live for tomorrow,

beg steal and borrow

break what we can't change

We gotta pick ourselves up and say

not today, no, not today,

I don't need your sorrow

come back tomorrow

I'll be on my way

[cityandking]

black 4, green 2, purple 2, silver 4 for daichi, minah & anticlea!

I love u!! // medieval heraldry oc asks

Has your OC always feared the loss of the same thing - perhaps a loved one, a valuable artifact or a carefully nurtured reputation? Or do they look back with amusement on what once felt important to them?

DAICHI — well his worldview (worlds-view?) has expanded quite a great deal recently, but at the end of the day he's always feared loss of the same thing, which is his person (people, now). there's a reason he went shield paladin and all that. he stands by his conviction. MINAH — minah looks back at what she used to fear losing with immense cynicism and some measure of self-disgust. she's lost a lot over the years and has very much revised her hierarchy of what's important CLEA — she's always feared loss of the same thing (a loved one), but it wasn't a real fear until suddenly it was. she was a grandmother already when it went from a distant, theoretical fear to a real thing. but it was also the kind of fear she could act on, so she did, to the best of her ability.

How hopeful is your OC about the future? Do they see things as becoming better in general - either for them personally or the world at large? Or do they feel as if decline and disaster are inevitable and all that can be done is to delay the final end for as long as possible?

DAICHI — okay well first of all until very recently daichi's thoughts about the future were *static noises* in a sort of self-sacrificial, passively suicidal way (which. self-fulfilling prophecy I guess), so on the personal level I wouldn't say there was a lot of hope. in terms of a theoretical future that may or may not involve him, he felt. pretty bleak actually? like he was well aware of the Void and its creeping tendrils and the Owl Traveller and the staining of the worlds and all that so. not a great look! but he also doesn't believe it's an inevitable decline, and is (was) quite willing to give his life for the possibility of a better ending (also a self-fulfilling prophecy maybe?) and he'll stand by that decision a hundred times over. he's a creature of faith, no matter how much of a struggle that might be. sorry to his loved ones. MINAH — gonna level with you, I don't think minah has thought about the future. she's a live-in-the-moment kind of gal. that said, she's not an optimist to begin with, and with the way things are trending right now (especially given the Orlais-Tevinter tensions and the Blight and the Tevinter cults and all that) she's not super hopeful. things are fucked. CLEA — clea absolutely 100% unequivocally believes that things will turn out right and we can make it so. even in the darkest and bleakest of times she believes in the power of turning on a little light and planting something to watch it grow

Is your OC comfortable in the higher echelons of society, such as aristocratic functions or assemblies of the rich and powerful? Or do they prefer to avoid these events if possible?

DAICHI — he's definitely uncomfortable among shows of wealth and power and Would Prefer Not To. however, paradoxically, the higher echelons are some of the most regulated by rules of politeness and propriety and that is something dai can navigate without trouble. give him a hundred social rules to memorize and he's golden. MINAH — she really doesn't get on well with nobility, and given the option, she'd avoid aristocratic functions and assemblies always and forever. that said, she could fake it til she makes it pretty damn well—she's got the charisma for it and she's a slippery little bastard. she'd hate every second of it tho. CLEA — she's not super comfortable, but she's also old and set in her ways and wouldn't really have an issue. she's passed through plenty of high society functions in her time adventuring. at best she finds it invigorating and at worst she finds it irritating, but regardless, she can hold her own just fine. (she really doesn't like the fey courts tho)

Do others find your OC easy to believe? Or is there something about them that makes others distrustful or cynical about their motives or trustworthiness?

DAICHI — his flat 0 charisma mod says it's a little dicey, but honestly he's a forthright guy, and I think he exudes an air of stalwart honesty and trust. it's not just that he can't lie; it's that he wouldn't. he's got Good Vibes MINAH — and on the other hand...... despite the high charisma (and deception) mod, I think she's got just enough edge to her to put people off. she can mask it when she's doing a job or if she's with a casual acquaintance, but long term exposure to her is like. yeah. it's clear that she's squirrelly and a little untrustworthy and a little sharp around the edges in ways that aren't obvious on first meeting CLEA — the only dishonest bones in her body are the sly and insightful grandmotherly kinds. she clearly means well, but she'll also use her old lady charms to be a little conniving when the occasion calls for it

[blooming-violets]

I don't want you to think I'm critical of dancing on her own OK maybe I am but I'm not here to .....make your day worse just give my own two cents I'm glad that peter gets therapy and I'm glad you mention peter is extremely young during all of this it makes me a little bit more empathetic to see his side of the matter and while it's wonderful that our lady character is capable to forgive him despite all this shit he put her through I still don't think she should be romantically involved with him like ever it not that he doesn't deserve her and bla bla (though that is also a very valid point) it not healthy for either of them she has seen him as an escape from her abusive childhood and clung on to the one thing she sees as normal it's quite similar for him to keep her with him because of his abandonment issues maybe there is quite strong love there but is it strong enough to take away the fact that they both view each other as coping mechanisms ? Im also much more optimistic and I like to think if anyone was in th place of the oc would've cut out peter along time ago which is what I wanted for them to go on healing parts separately from one another and find themselves and each other along the way again that's what is my hc for this actually that she views Gabe as the last starw forces him to move out And gets the fuck away from this man whose cut her of from so fucking much just cause he can't stand to have someone else in her life that's so so shitty but then I'm not her I don't even know how I would react if I was put in this situation humans are so weird in this way we are all wired differently while we like to think we want to do something some way we might do the opposite I guess I'm one of those people who like the "but this is the right way to go about things" ending rather than gray ending that don't satisfy me but that's my problem maybe that's what makes this fic so good for me it forces me to confront how I feel about morally Gray characters and complex situations rather than conforming to this good Black and white ending we have something Strange though it is also happy ending just not the one I agree with so yeah....the point of all this is youre a great writer thanks for writing this and I hope peter gets all the therapy he can lives with knowing that he's a very very lucky man cause I would've kicked him out a long time ago. I'm going to go ahead of believing that they never ended up together romantically

Hahaha this made me chuckle because I thought I was bad at rambling, run-on sentences with zero punctuation but I think you have me beat! I need to go reread this line by line because it's so much and I love it. And I'm glad you have your own opinions on it! That's what makes writing fun to me is seeing everyone's different takes and sides and who identifies best with what part. I love discussing my work and other people's work that I love in detail. Sometimes I think too many people just throw out a "this was good!" and then bounce. I want to talk about stuff and hear people's deeper thoughts. Esp for a fic like this, I knew it would potentially be divisive.

When I write, the characters sort of are their own people and I'm just their puppet for them to put their stories on the page. I don't know how else to describe it but I have such a clear picture of who they are, what they do, and why they're doing it that they become their own little entity chillin up in my brain. So when I write, I can say "How would x react to y?" And then they sort of take over from there.

For this particular story, I had two very broken, traumatized people. You hit it perfect by saying they were each other's coping mechanism. She has literally never had another friend in her entire life besides Peter. That is not healthy! None of this relationship is healthy. It starts off with Peter protecting her from bullies, the first and only person in her life to ever stand up for her, so she basically imprints on him as her savior. She views him through rose colored glasses. Even when he's horrible to her, when she looks at him, she only sees that scrappy little boy from the first grade beating her bullies with a stick. She can't separate that image of Peter from the man he's grown up to be.

Peter, on the other hand, is so psychologically broken that he's just as bad (actually, he's worse). He's torn between wanting to always save her but not being able to know how/being too scared of failing/her actually not needing him. He doesn't know how to navigate being a super hero and the deaths that come with that and how to keep up healthy relations. You are absolutely right when you say it's not healthy! It's very much not. His depression also lead him down the path of becoming hardened, bitter, and mean. He emotions are frozen up still.

What's funny is that I don't actually view the ending as happy. It feels almost bittersweet to me. She had been waiting her whole life for Peter to love her how she wants. This is the first time he's expressed that out loud to her. She's been waiting for that kiss for so long that I don't think anything else mattered to her in that moment. She's blinded by her childhood dreams. Peter is blinded by his fear of losing her.

Technically this isn't the "end" also. I mean, it's the end of me writing the story but they would still live on in the fictional universe. I do think that she would lose her virginity to him eventually and I do think he would be really sweet about it. But as for them working out long term, I really don't know. The thing about therapy is that it slowly unveils stuff about yourself that you didn't realize over time. (I also don't think a therapist would encourage this relationship, both hers and his, I think they would tell them to hold off on it). I doubt they will listen, though, because I know these characters. They are going to try before they are ready. They are going to try to force things and I don't exactly see the best outcome for them.

For the ending, it's not exactly happy or a finality of what they will be. It's meant to be hopeful and nudged into the direction of healing but that's where it ends.

The rest is to up to you, my love! Envision their messy attempts at a relationship to fail. Envision her striking up a conversation with Gabe a year into the future and him inviting out to movie. Technically anything that happens after they go back home is up to the reader! It's out of my hands!

Final points because I've rambled far too long, the story wasn't meant to be about what is right but what would happen if you put two messy, traumatized humans together and forced them into different situations. They wouldn't make the right choices because they've never been taught anything different. All she's ever known is Peter so, therefore, all she's ever going to chose is Peter...until she works on that in therapy and, hopefully, finds her own self again and learns how to live without her crutch. For now, they recognize their love for the other, whatever form that takes and, for now, that will have to do because they don't know any other way of living. Bittersweet! Not happy.

Thank you for this ask though. It made me happy that someone could even care enough to feel anger on behalf of a character I wrote and want justice for them. All I want is for people to love the creatures in my head as much as I do.