#defined emo things or something

[possumteeths]

I like fall out boy and patd as much as anyone else but theres a ~vibe~ to ppl who are still like batshit insane abt these groups who go out of their way to be like “im a cool adult i used to be emo” that i cant put my finger on

[kitchensinksurrealism]

what sort of music first comes to mind when someone says pop + how old are you?

[chow0w]

The scorpion den is punk

walk with me... ↓

The big idea

First, let’s walk through punk: what is it? Cambridge Dictionary defines punk as “a style or culture popular among young people... expressing opposition to authority through shocking behavior, clothes, and hair.” Contrary to popular belief, it's more than fashion and music: it’s a longstanding subculture which has existed since the 1970s. While looking for more definitions of punk, I found that a lot of people were saying different things - some say punk originated as an anti-racist subculture, while others say it was anti-authoritarian first. Either way, most people seem to agree that punk is loudly against injustice of any kind.

But how does this tie into the scorpion den?

First, it's important to consider what the scorpion den is by the time we are introduced to it: a crowded sandy city populated mostly by outcasts, deserters and veterans of the sandwing succession war. Most dragons of the scorpion den (outside of the talons of power and kind of outclaws) are not wealthy by any means, with a general stance against war and authorities like the sand kingdom. So, perfect breeding grounds for a punk revolution. The ideals of the scorpion den align very strongly with the ideals of punk, and It would be very easy for punk culture to manifest alongside its subculture cousins like riot grrl and emo.

The logistics of scorpion punk

Sandwings and Skywings of the scorpion den would probably be the first purveyors of punk, with both tribes heavily affected by tyranny, war and authoritarianism around the same time (Sandwing succession + Queen scarlet both come to power in the same..ish... timeframe.) I imagine these dragons talked a lot in the den, realized they had something and common and began accessorizing to identify each other or themselves. The harsh, loud, spiky appearance gives a distinct style, while also making it harder for other dragons (or guards!) to grab hold of these dragons during a fight - which they would likely have a lot of. Wood was burnt to make charcoal, which could be combined with oils or water to make a cheap, effective dye when squid ink imports were unavailable/too expensive. Spikes were fashioned from cactus thorns or cheap smelted metals, sometimes even sewn into the scales for that extra weaponry.

These functional design choices must've caught like fire to a dead tree, becoming more and more popular until they were a commonality across the punks of all tribes. Eventually, Scorpion punk became more creative - dyes and paints were used on sandwing frills, and thin black linens could be pulled over the neck or arms to create a fishnet-like accessory. In some extreme cases, dragons would even bend or clip their frills/spikes to create a more thorny appearance.

What about the Outclaws?

The biggest issue with this idea is undoubtedly the presence of the outclaws: an authority in an anti-authority space. Most of the individual dragons that make up the outclaws would probably lean into scorpion punk: if you look at Six-claws, Thorn and Kindle, all of them could easily be punk. Still, their presence kind of disrupts the whole vibe... until you look a little closer at what the outclaws are actually doing.

As described by the wiki, the outclaws are described as a group of peacekeepers who control (and distribute) water from the oasis equally, as well as providing free meals and persistently giving resources to the scorpion den. These traits are still very comparable to punk, only softer on the anti-authoritarianism. I would suggest the outclaws are more alike a punk gang, upholding their community in spite of the mistrust other dragons have of them.

Speaking of, the general response to punk outclaws would probably be to call them posers. Its been stated in the books that some dragons in the scorpion den think the outclaws are secret recruiters for the war, and the same sentiment could easily carry over to the honesty of their punkness.

in conclusion, the punks of the scorpion den undoubtedly outlast the sandwing succession war: remaining and integrated part of their community and culture for decades to come.

If you made it this far, thank you so much for listening to me prattle! I tried to keep it short and leave room for imagination, so do with this what you will. I'll see you guys this weekend for some perfectly punk sandwing redesigns!

( ´ ω ` )ノﾞ

[colebabey888]

My Style Blueprint | The Snob Closet & Icons Of Influence That Shaped My Aesthetic 🐈‍⬛ 🩷 🐆

My personal brand aesthetic is deeply rooted in the early 2000s to late 2010s—a mix of minimalism and bold statements. I rely on my fashion sense to deliver the product of my aesthetics. For me it’s all about balancing sleek, effortless basics with standout pieces that turn heads.

One thing I’ve learned over the years when putting together an outfit is that just because something looks good doesn’t mean it will look good on you. There are so many factors to consider, like body shape and skin tone. While skin tone isn’t a huge factor for me, I do believe that certain colours don’t flatter specific undertones. That’s why, when choosing an outfit, I always make sure the colours align with my undertones. Wearing colours that don’t match your undertone can throw off the whole look. You want your outfit to compliment you, not just look good on its own. Makeup plays a big role in this too—but anyways let me get started..

Colour Palette: Shades That Define My Style

Colour is everything. The shades I choose set the tone for my look and reflect my mood for the day. My absolute favorite colours are pink, black, and brown—they’re the foundation of my wardrobe, and I always find a way to incorporate at least one (if not all) into my outfit.

Black & Brown: The Core of My Aesthetic

I naturally gravitate towards black and brown, which is one of the reasons why I love leopard print so much. It blends two of my favourite colours while adding that bold, statement look I go for. My overall aesthetic leans toward that 2010s edgy socialite vibe—think dark, sleek, and effortlessly stylish. There’s a touch of emo influence, but not in a full-on gothic way.

Black is such a staple in my wardrobe—it adds the sharpness and structure that I love. It’s bold, confident, and always makes a statement. Brown, on the other hand, brings warmth and balance, making my outfits feel a little more grounded in some aspects.

Pink: My Signature Shade

No matter what outfit I’m wearing, something is going to be pink. Even if no one can see it—my undies—pink will always be there. It’s my way of keeping things playful and feminine, even when my outfit leans more on the edgy side that day.

I reach for pink more when I’m feeling girly and want to appear more soft & approachable. It’s perfect for days when I want to keep things minimal yet striking—whether I’m just chilling or stepping out for the day. But when I say pink, I mean soft pinks—not those super bright, neon shades. I’m not mad at brighter pinks, but they have to make sense in the outfit. I prefer pinks that feel delicate yet noticeable.

Textures & Prints

• Suede – I love suede for its soft yet structured feel. It almost adds a luxe, polished touch to any look, whether it’s a bag, shoes, or a jacket.

• Silk & Mesh – Silk and mesh are fabrics I only wear when it comes to tops. I don’t go for mesh pants or anything that feels too revealing. If it’s silk, I’ll wear it as a top or a skirt, but I keep my outfits modest. I love showing just enough skin to tease, but never too much.

• Glitter & Rhinestones – I love a bit of sparkle, whether it’s a subtle shimmer or bold rhinestone details. It’s all about the right balance to make an outfit pop without looking overdone.

• Leopard & Zebra Print – These prints are not just for bold outfits when it comes to me. Even when I’m going for a classy, minimalistic look, I always add leopard or zebra print somewhere—whether it’s a bag, shoes, or any statement piece. There’s just something about it that elevates an outfit.

• Floral Prints – Floral prints are for my feminine moments. I don’t wear full-on floral dresses or shirts, but I love adding florals as a statement piece—usually on a skirt or dress. I wear florals when I’m in a softer, more romantic mood, like on beach days, hot sunny days, or when I’m channeling like a boho vibe.

Icons Of Influence

Kimora Lee Simmons

Now this diva set the tone for me when it came to pink and rich. She always looked like she was on her way to a private jet, even when running errands. She had that old-money meets new-money aesthetic—the fur coats, knee-high boots, big designer bags, and subtle gold jewelry made her look polished but never try-hard. She mastered the art of looking expensive without looking like she was chasing trends.

Paris Hilton

The pink princess. She was definitely a big inspo for my obsession with pink. The pink Juicy tracksuits, rhinestone bags, pink flip phones, and even a pink Bentley. Always in mini dresses, oversized sunglasses, and heels. Ate!

Nicki Minaj

Loud, animated, over-the-top. Bubblegum wigs, wild prints, bold accessories. Harajuku meets hip-hop. Although her style was not a full dedication to my obsession with pink, those days where she paired the perfect amount of pink with the edgy minimalist outfit, had me hooked!

Kim Kardashian

Her peak socialite fashion—before the full Yeezy takeover, will always have me obsessed, Kim’s style was the blueprint for my obsession with the 2010s luxe minimalism. Always in neutral tones, tight-fitting dresses, knee-high boots, and those oversized Birkins that screamed money. She never over-accessorized, always opting for sleek gold hoops, delicate bracelets or bold sunglasses.

Vanessa Hudgens

She had this downtown, rebellious yet glam energy. It was very “cool girl” in a way that felt unpolished but intentional to me. It was the era of Tumblr grunge, oversized layers, and mixing girly pieces with a rougher edge.

Karrueche Tran

The ultimate cool girl socialite vibe—always in fur-trimmed coats, skinny jeans, pointed-toe boots, and those sleek gold accessories that made her look effortlessly expensive. She never overdid it—just the right amount of edge, the right amount of luxury.

Cassie Ventura

Cassie was so ahead of her time—she had that high-end minimalist-meets-edgy aesthetic before everyone else. The side-shaved hair, the subtle gold jewelry, the knee-high boots, the oversized designer bags—it was all calculated but looked effortless.

Brenda Song

On Suite Life, she was seen as the over-the-top wealth—spoiled rich girl but her off-screen style is what drew me in, she kept it chic with fitted jackets, heels, and bold accessories, she was always going for the edgy look.

Rihanna

I mean do I even have to explainnn !? The mix of tomboy and high-fashion—always looking undone yet perfect. Never followed trends, always set them. #so colebabey888 coded.

COLEBABEY888 Snob Closet

- What The Perfect Outfit Consists Of For Me

The Foundation

When I put together an outfit, I always start with a simple foundation—usually a neutral base that matches my undertones and I let the statement pieces pull it together. If the base isn’t basic, then it’s a statement piece on its own, whether it’s a top with a unique texture or pattern, or pants that steal the show. You get it.

Footwear: The Statement

Shoes are everythinggg to me. They set the tone for the whole outfit. Whether it’s sneakers, high boots, or strappy sandals, they have to stand out. The only exception for basic shoes is if it’s a lazy day or I’m just running errands—but only when the rest of my outfit is doing enough. If my look is already structured and bold, then plain shoes make sense. But otherwise, my shoes have to add to the statement.

Handbags: My Show Stopper

A good handbag is a must—it should always start a conversation. I love oversized tote bags, especially when they have metal clasps, extra pockets, or unique textures. My go-to right now is my Polo Black Leather Tote for everyday use, whether I’m on campus or running a quick errand. But when I really want to make a statement, I bring out my Jimmy Choo Animal Print Glaze—that bag is everything. When I step out with it, I know I’m breaking necks. I don’t always do animal print, but when I do, it has to be bold.

No matter how basic or extravagant my outfit is, statement handbags will always be needed. Occasionally, I’ll go for a smaller sling bag, like my Chanel or my simple black Shein sling, but that’s rare. I refuse to step out of the house without people drooling over my bag.

Jewelry: Minimal but Impactful

Jewelry is one of those things where people think you should only wear one metal at a time, but I don’t follow that rule. I mix gold and silver effortlessly, but only when it makes sense for the outfit. The key is balance—if I’m doing both metals, it’s intentional, not random.

I don’t wear too much jewelry, just enough to sparkle when I step into the sun. I love minimalistic rhinestone bracelets or slim white gold watches—pieces that feel delicate but noticeable. My jewelry always has to make sense with the outfit. I don’t just throw on accessories for the sake of it; they need to add something to the look.

I don’t do chunky necklaces unless they’re a core part of my aesthetic for that day. Rings? Yes, but only when they compliment my nails—which are always clean, polished, and either soft pink, nude, or a subtle French tip.

Outerwear: Bold and Luxe

Since it’s usually hot where I live, I’m not always reaching for a jacket, but when I do, you can bet it’s going to be a statement piece. I’m all about that over-the-top fur coat—think Kimora Lee Simmons with her mob wife vibe or Rihanna with her oversized, luxurious furs. A big, plush fur coat has this way of pulling everything together, making any outfit feel elevated, even if I’m just wearing sweats or a basic outfit. It gives off that “I’m spoiled” vibe, which is exactly what I’m going for. When I’m not in the mood for something so extra, I’ll keep it simple with a black leather jacket. That’s my go-to when I want something sleek but edgy. I’m not really into long, formal coats at the moment—those business-type, casual-formal coats don’t quite fit my vibe right now. For now, it’s all about that black leather or a bold, fluffy fur coat.

Final Thoughts: My Style, My Rules

At the core of my fashion choices, it all comes down to balance for me. I don’t believe in over-accessorizing, and I never want my outfit to feel too chaotic. Every element—whether it’s colour, fabric, or accessories—has to feel effortless yet calculated. I mix simple, structured pieces with statement shoes, textured bags, and standout accessories.

——————

I really hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. It’s been one of my favorites to put together, and I’ve put a lot of time, energy, and research into making sure I present the best textures and details for you. Hopefully it gave you a deeper understanding of my blend of early 2000s to late 2010s edgy girl vibes mixed with that fun, pink-obsessed clean girl energy.

Diving into the depths of my aesthetic, how it came to be, and why I love it is something I could talk about for hours. I could keep going forever when it comes to fashion and style. Writing this also helped me gain a better perspective on my aesthetic and what I truly love, so grateful for that.

xoxo, colebabey888

[kadisiyuswyrd]

my take on the whole illi mcmillin situation. all love.

citations & script below:

[edit: realized this was way better formatted on google docs, so added that as well. the script features sections that were cut for time. may release the "extended version" if people so desire]

The Yassification of "illi McMillin"

This cute little fella is named William McMillin, or illi for short. He worked as a prop designer on the music video for "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" by My Chemical Romance. Last month, to coincide with their announcement to re-release of their second album, the band released a remastered version of the songs music video. The improved resolution allowed people to see many details that were heretofore illegible, like the fact that the name on Gerard’s failed science test was written "illi McMillin." 

The fandom was extremely normal about this and immediately adopted "illi" as the unofficial name of Gerard's character in the music video, and in a very tumblr ass move, decided to head canon illi as a trans woman. This renewed attention to the video sparked an ongoing wave of fanart, fanfiction, and fan discourse. Given MCR's storied history with the queer community and Gerard's established indifference to people using him for various…creative outlets the yassification of illi McMillin was not at all a surprising or even unwelcome development. I mean look at this great fanart!

That being said, there’s aspects of the fandom’s reaction to this that I find invasive and potentially harmful.

For one it feels kinda shitty that the real life illi McMillin has had his name used in this way. I know that’s an inevitable byproduct of being a person on the Internet, but there's something scary about the ways in which various aspects of ourselves can become a part of the public domain and get transformed in ways we cannot and do not sanction.

Secondly, it's hard to separate people's very passionate assertion that Gerard was definitely playing a trans woman in this video from the fandom's unhealthy obsession with Gerard's sexuality and gender identity, especially since his crossdressing during the reunion tour8. 

Gerard has talked openly about his relationship with gender, but has been consistently reluctant to explicitly categorize himself, which has caused confusion, anger, and a lot of assumptions to be made about how everyone's favorite emo babygirl identifies. Frankly, Gerard's gender identity is none of our business, and it's irrelevant to his status as a queer ally and extremely talented artist. We should respect people’s unwillingness to define themselves as much as we respect their decision to redefine themselves. To not do so, to unironically force a label on Gerard, even a queer one, is a conscious rejection of his own sentiments and agency. Maybe that's not always a bad thing, but it sure does give me the ick, sometimes.

The hububb around "illi" seems like yet another way in which people's desire to take ownership over Gerard's identity has manifested. A similar situation occurred with Gerard's Party Poison persona, with many holding the misconception that the character is canonically nonbinary even though this is not indicated in any of the songs, the comics, or Gerard's own statements. You can have whatever headcanon you want, just don't act as though they're official because all that does is lead to wild misinformation about the original work. Yes, the author is dead but don't parade their corpse like a marionette and act as though you can spout your own opinions through them. Corpses are people, too, you know. 

I don’t want to disparage people who have been having fun interpreting "illi" as transfemme because that’s really just a manifestation of their desire to see themselves in the art they love, and that's completely valid. In the current political climate, there's a much greater need for queer (and specifically trans) visibility in all spaces, but let's not turn that desire into a justification for ignoring or overwriting people's identities. 

I have a lot more to say about the ways in which queerness is forced to interact with heteronormative society in ways that are often reductive, but that is a conversation for another day. For now, my friends, have fun, be gay, be queer and be nice to each other.

Citations:

Music:

midnight burger joint - louie zong

bodega on the corner - louie zong

witch (unreleased) - my chemical romance

William "illi" McMillin:

1 - William McMillin (illiart). (May, 2025). "💛" Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DJLJZyPN2vJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

2 - @mychemicalprops. (April, 2025). the discovery of illi McMillin. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/mychemicalprops/780868882564022272/i-feel-like-i-should-let-you-all-know-that-william?source=share 

3 - @frankieroloml. (April, 2025). the discovery of illi McMillin pt.2. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/frankieroloml/781210724511989760/hi-ive-never-used-tumblr-before-but-i-made-an?source=share 

4 - My Chemical Romance. (February, 2010; Updated c. April 2025). My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise) [Official Music Video - 4K Film Restored]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/dhZTNgAs4Fc 

5 - My Chemical Romance. My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (Deluxe Edition Unboxing). YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6NNwbFMEeU&ab_channel=MyChemicalRomance 

Relevant Gerard Tweets & Comments:

6 - Gerard Way. (April, 2016). "Some people are saying that my new identity reminds them of a fanfic. I'm ok with that. I made peace with fanfic long ago." Twitter / X. https://x.com/gerardway/status/725081637092872192 

7 - Gerard Way. (April, 2016). "Enjoy your fic. Write one about me in a human centipede with escape the fate. idgaf." https://x.com/gerardway/status/725081957730635776 

8 - James Factora. (October, 2022). Gerard Way in a Cheerleader Outfit Hoisting a Flamethrower Is an Immaculate Vibe | Them. Them. https://www.them.us/story/gerard-way-cheerleader-flamethrower-my-chemical-romance 

9 - Gerard Way. (2014). "Wow! I'm so glad that helped in figuring out your gender identity…" Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2i1840/comment/ckxxnb7/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button 

10 - Gerard Way. (April, 2015). "when people want to define your sexuality." https://x.com/gerardway/status/592480071216189441?lang=en 

Party Poison Non-Binary Misconception: 

11 - Tree the Silly. (August, 2024). "This person canonically uses they/them pronouns and is gender neutral. Just give up on enforcing your stupid unkind beliefs and let this page be accurate." Fandom.  https://danger-days.fandom.com/wiki/Party_Poison?commentId=4400000000000055229 

12 - LunarGateway. (February, 2022). "Party Poison is canonically gender neutral and uses they/them. Y'all need to update this page or someone else is gonna make a whole new one that isn't garbage lmao That is, if they haven't already, but I'm pretty sure they have." Fandom.

13 - Killjoy History Archive. (Retrieved May 2025). Common Misconceptions About Danger Days. tumblr. https://killjoyhistoryarchive.tumblr.com/misconceptions 

14 - Gerard Way. (April, 2015). "Been seeing people refer to the character 'Party Poison' as non-binary.I find this interesting- is this drawn from their gender expression?" https://x.com/gerardway/status/590960413006663681 

15 - Gerard Way. (April, 2015). "It seems to be people's interperetation [sic] of the character, not mine specifically. I'm just curious about it." https://x.com/gerardway/status/590960881132900352 

Posts Referenced / Included:

illi Trans Girl Fanart:

@fourbt. (April, 2025). Goings on About Town illi. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/fourbt/781074360951799808?source=share 

@cherry-fucking-venom. (April, 2025). the silly. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/cherry-fucking-venom/781356314447298560/doodled-the-silly?source=share 

@kiataika. (April, 2025). blood stained illi. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/kiataika/781167494343819264/shes-back?source=share 

@umberpinki. (April, 2025). coolest girl. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/umberpinki/780910754678325248/coolest-girl-a-loser-actually?source=share 

@brainfreeze27. (April, 2025). master of the wicket. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/brainfreeze27/781194531730227200/birdgee-fanart-birdgee-fanart-prints?source=share 

@mercining. (April, 2025). illi & frank. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/mercining/780929345939243008?source=share 

@cordspaghetti. (April, 2025). "sending illi & friends to the Big Dance…!!!"  https://www.tumblr.com/cordspaghetti/782285005341835264/sending-illi-friends-to-the-big-dance?source=share  

@the-ria. (May, 2025). miku, illi, & ray. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/the-ria/782451064330911744/i-cant-believe-that-it-took-us-20-years-and-a-4k?source=share 

illi-Related Gay Panic:

@raryrardshipper. (April, 2025). "I just found out that HER name is illi mcmillin SHES A TEENAGE GIRL." tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/rayrardshipper/780740781905510400/i-just-found-out-that-her-name-is-illi-mcmillin?source=share 

@goremipsum. (April, 2025). "i love illi mcmillin. she's a girl. she's a boy…" https://www.tumblr.com/goremipsum/781076625616928768/i-love-illi-mcmillin-shes-a-girl-shes-a-boy?source=share 

@pissworm39. (April, 2025). "the mcr fandom is so funny to me. cuz what do you mean that in the span of 3 days we all just created an oc based off a 20 year old music video upon finding out the name of a singular character" tumblr. https://pissworm39.tumblr.com/post/780793042944819200/the-mcr-fandom-is-so-funny-to-me-cuz-what-do-you 

@lichencoatedboulder. (April, 2025). transfem / transmasc. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/lichencoatedboulder/781020931753689088/i-love-seeing-people-call-illi-mcmillin-both 

@br1ng-out-th3-old-gu1llot1ne. (April, 2025). "illi mcmillin is truly a unique character..." tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/br1ng-out-th3-old-gu1llot1ne/781072607357386752/illi-mcmillin-is-truly-a-unique-character-a 

@zizzle2727. (May, 2025). genderbent. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/zizzle2727/782632885210447872/shoutout-to-illi-mcmillan-for-making-me-feel 

@corpsephrog. (April, 2025). R.I.P illi. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/corpsephrog/781124887322460160/rest-in-peace-illi-mcmillin-you-would-have-loved 

@lolomustdie. (April, 2025). feels illegal. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/demolition-widow/780757036239667200/it-actually-feels-illegal-to-call-illi-by-hehim 

@micmustdie. (April, 2025). the illi situation. Twitter / X. https://x.com/micmustdie/status/1912980682810515720 

@ashbeanss. (April, 2025). interpretation. tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/ashbeanss/780751418452836352/is-this-the-right-time-to-say-that-i-think-illi-as?source=share 

[rosyandraw]

Please write the damen thesis

I fucking love a good Captive Prince meta and as you didn’t give me any direction or specific topic that you wanted to see I’m just going to have a play around with the narrative themes and Damen's arc, so here’s a 3k late night caffeine induced ramble about Damen that might not be 100% coherent:

Damen and the Sword of Damocles or: The Burden of Duty.

In the legend Damocles made the mistake of commenting about the apparent happiness of the tyrant king Dionysus. Dionysus who, in actuality, is terrible and a big fat emo, figured he’d invite Damocles to dinner where Damocles was pampered, spoilt, and treated to a good time. However, Dionysus had hung a big ass sword over Damocles, hanging by a single hair and it could fall at any moment. Once Damocles noticed, he realised he couldn’t enjoy any of the dinner any more or any of the amazing things happening to him and around him.

The sword of Damocles has come to mean imminent danger. In the legend it was a symbol of the price of power. Power is a burden and as long as you have it you must constantly be vigilante, no desire or earthly pleasure will come without the knowledge that at any moment it can disappear, it might even mean very little because of it. Almost as if the ultimate price of power is the sacrifice of the things you might want.

And therein lies the central themes of Captive Prince: power, and duty vs desire.

Damen, much like Damocles in the beginning of his tale with Dionysus, was completely blind to the danger that was hanging over him. Damen didn’t so much notice the sword hanging over him as Jokaste pointed a big neon flashing sign at it in all its horrendous glory.

Damen is, for the first time, confronted by the idea that power is not a stable or steady notion. Or state of being. And he had, until this point, taken it for granted. Blind to the reality of what it meant and the sword hanging over him.

That’s not to say I think Damen is completely naïve. He knows power has costs, but his own specific psychology allows it be far away, it just is what it is for him. Something he just has to do and so locks it away. It’s the battle at Marlas: a job to be done. It’s being separate from others both personally and professionally (separate from his men, separated from Nikandros and not being able to serve at the Kings Meet, no close connections etc), it’s having to be perfect (clearly extensively trained and educated) and working hard and duty above all. But the threat?

The throne lies in the shadow of the gallows and Damen is for the first time recognising how precarious power is, how poisonous, how close the threat can fester.

Damen’s entire journey from then on, he is in a continued state of fight or flight, and that sword hanging over him does not get any lighter or any less perilous. (I could likewise talk about Damen and Laurent’s super interesting fight or flight reactions but that is a topic for another time lmao)

Damen’s journey, and his arc throughout the trilogy, can be stripped back to the notion of power and his attempt to regain his own. It’s loss, it’s meaning, how he defines himself and the world and what he understands of it: all of these relate to Damen’s understanding of, and struggle with, his own power. In its most basic form Damen loses his crown and his journey is about retaking it. The crown, we know, is the ultimate symbol of power. It’s all very blatant. Especially when coupled together with power in its most physical sense as one of Damen’s most frequented attributes from scene to scene. Damen is powerful, strong, and wilful, people listen to him, he has an unshakeable determination and has a pretty astounding effect on those around him even when he is unaware of it. Damen, we are told, is a King. Not just by birthright but in action. He has all the makings and markings of a leader. Because of this Damen always has some sense of power.

We see it over and over in a myriad of different scenes: Damen’s true sense of power is innate to himself and his abilities. Especially with a sword in hand. Damen is all wrapped up quite obviously in the theme.

However, though Damen’s journey to regain his power is the main focus of the narrative, it’s not his arc. Damen’s real journey, his internal struggle, is all about his identity.

Again, at its most basic, it seems heavy handed to say so: Damen spends the mass majority of the books hiding his identity after all, so of course it’s a theme, of course his slow decisive fight for his own power walks hand in hand with clawing back his identity. However, as we know, by the end of the trilogy we are very much aware that Damen’s identity journey was never about the crown. It was never about coming clean or using his real name and title. It was never about the unveiling of himself to all of those around him to be known. It was about discovering himself. Damen the man and not Damianos the prince.

And this dichotomy sets the stage for the real journey of Captive Prince: duty vs desire.

Damianos of Akielos: the rightful king, the son and heir, The Noble Man. He is the consummate Crown Prince, a military commander, an astute -almost legendary- warrior. The Perfect Son. The man who cares what people see of him, who is bound by tradition and expectation. The face of power and duty.

Damen the man: gives no fucks what people see of him, desperate for affection but afraid to ask for it, lost and full of doubt, empty no matter how he indulges himself. Almost self destructive and negligent with his own safety as if he has something to prove, as if he’s always striving for something, mad at his father, confused by his brother, indulgent of his own wants without thought because it’s easier than questioning. His dead mother’s son, his father’s hope. Compassionate and protective and innately aware of other peoples vulnerability. This is his internal face, the man and not the crown. Full of desire and emotionally broken.

Damen has, for a long time, kept himself at arms-length. Nikandros is his only real friendship, his tragic family life is nothing but duty and trauma. His love life is full of sex and no emotional intimacy. He never, not once, considered Jokaste as anything but his mistress. It wasn’t Jokaste that broke his heart, it was Kastor. She is explicitly his mistress; someone he is intimate with only during sex. She’s not his future and she knows this. She will never be Damen’s queen; it never even crosses his mind.

I assume Damen, like most princes, thought he’d marry for duty. A political marriage that would ultimately not be his choice, so why bother getting close?

This is where the masculine culture of Akielos would come into play and we could spend hours here playing around with the heteronormative aspects of both Akielos and Vere (normalised queer sexual relationships aside there are deep underlying mentalities here surrounding the themes of submission and masculinity and what is Acceptable. I liken it to Rome in this respect: totally cool to stick your dick wherever if you are a citizen, not so cool to take a dick unless you are in a category Roman's viewed as inferior, but that's an entire essay unto it self). This is yet one more place wherein Damen struggles and where his wants don't necessarily align with the expectation of him. Bottom line: Damen doesn't really personally give a shit, but Damianos does. And we see this by the Akielon (Nikandros and Makedon) reaction to Damen's cuffs, scars and circumstance and how Damen reacts to these things both as his own person, and as a man who knows how Akielos will perceive it.

Segregation, compartmentalisation, and separation. These three are the main components of Damen’s trauma manifesting in his personality. I could talk about his psychology, his trauma, how and why this happened. But that is a different discussion for a different day. Right now, all we need to be aware of is that Damen does this in every single aspect of his being and within the narrative.

He does it with sex (separating the physical and the emotional), his trauma (stowing it away and dismissing it instead of feeling it, as if acknowledging and feeling were one and the same), with politics (slavery, Akielos vs Vere), with his father (the king vs the man), with his brother (the resentment he is aware of vs the desperate want of his brother), what he thinks he needs vs what he wants.

Damen never sees himself as a slave. Never not once, does he doubt himself in this regard. He doesn’t feel it. He doesn’t allow himself to feel it. Not truly, there is never a breakdown, never a moment in the first two books where this terrible tragic traumatic thing gets the better of him.

This is because Damen has always split himself in half this way. We see it again and again, explicitly, and implicitly, Damen is a man of two faces.

Damianos the Crown and Damen the man. This is how he keeps himself so separate from the shackles he finds himself in. Because it’s not him, not really, and only someone used to compartmentalising aspects of themselves could do what Damen does in Vere as easily as he does.

It is no surprise that the real meeting of those two faces is what causes Damen to (finally) spiral. Not well, of course, Damen’s too controlled to spiral fully, but Damen only loses his shit a handful of times in all 3 books (and considering his chronic fight or flight is popping the fuck off it's actually super impressive but I digress).

I’m talking the out-of-control kind of loses his shit, and almost all of them are for Laurent. These are: the kidnappers in Vask when they lay suggestive hands on Laurent and Damen reacts to Laurent’s innate sense of vulnerability in this regard, it’s not jealousy, it’s because Damen is, at heart, a protector.

The Kings Meet, where Damen’s rage for Laurent sees him absolutely lose it at one of his Kingdoms most sacred places. Again, it’s not jealousy, it’s not even something he digests because fundamentally Damen already knew. He just hadn’t confronted it, allowed himself to think of it, so when it’s spelled out for him he doesn’t question, he just reacts. With rage. For Laurent.

There are only 2 other times Damen really loses it on page where it comes out as pure Viking Berserker rage: Charcy and with Makedon. Both of these times he has been pushed to the end of his emotional tether and he snaps.

Which is odd for Damen, who has so much control. It’s no surprise these things occur after the clash of his two faces when Nikandros and an Akielon army kneels for him at Ravenel. Charcy, where the man in love is determined and worried and willing to hope for Laurent. Where the Rightful King is very fucking aware that he should be heading south and this battle is not tactically something he needs to do or even that he should do and that his men are certainly not on board with.

Makedon, we know, is a target for Damen’s rage because he is there. But he’s not really attacking Makedon, it’s everything, the accumulation of hit after hit that breaks because, again, Damen is at the absolute end of his emotional tether. With Laurent, with Kastor, with Jokaste, with his position, with the future opening up before him where he knows he can’t win the way he wants. Because at that point, his real wants are impossible. And the prospect opening up before him is cold and empty and a crown he should never have had to fight for, against a man he loves even now despite everything. Abusers, we know, are good at getting that response from their victims.

If Damen had had those two aspects of himself confronted before he fell in love with Laurent then nothing would have changed. He could have walked away safe and sound and kept his world view and his deeply unhealthy coping mechanisms entirely intact.

But that’s not what happens. Damianos the Crown and Damen the man can no longer hide from each other by the time reality comes calling at Ravenel.

Because he does fall for Laurent and he recognises that it is directly in conflict with his mission, with his duty and his crown. Damen’s narrative journey to regain his own power is tied explicitly and irrevocably to his identity struggle and his love story. His love for Laurent is the trigger that bursts the dam in his head and he sees himself, finally, as a man split in half. Is forced to confront the dissonance within himself as Laurent’s lover and as his own man.

In the end of the legend Damocles decided he would never want to trade places with the King, realising that power was, in fact, a burden, and he would rather enjoy his life.

But Damen is the King. Unlike Damocles he already has power. His struggle then, is not only about recognising the burden that comes with power, but reconciling his world view to include the sword he had been fortunate enough to never really notice.

It becomes a struggle between the opposing wants within Damen: duty and power vs love and desire and how to reconcile them.

In other words: A kingdom, or this?

Damen, like Damocles, learns his lesson. Hard and fast but it takes a while for him to frame that in his reality. More importantly, to frame Laurent in that reality.

Because Laurent is not blind to that sword. He has been painfully aware of that sword for a long time. His though, his less of a burden and more of a threat, he lets the sword hang or he dies. There is no alternative for Laurent.

Laurent’s struggle, similar and yet so contrasting to Damen, is that he has ignored the feast entirely. He indulged once, saw the sword and concentrated on nothing else from then on. Laurent’s reconciliation between duty and desire is not the same as Damen’s, in fact it is much more blatant. He doesn’t let himself feel desire but for life (power) to mean anything he has to let it in eventually or else it’s empty. Nothing but the constant anxious vigilance of waiting for danger and despair.

It's no life.

A kingdom or this then, duty vs love, becomes a motif for Damen reconciling the parts of himself that are newly discovered to him with the man his father, Nikandros, Akielos, wants or needs him to be. To Damen, duty and his fight for the crown is Damianos the prince. It’s his birth right, it’s who he is, who he was raised to be and Akielos is his home. His everything. Except Damen, the man, knows that it’s empty, that being perfect meant nothing in the end and as a man, he wants love. Would throw everything else away for it.

Reconciling those two opposing but equally as devastatingly consuming wants becomes the focal point of King’s Rising.

The merging, of course, narratively, comes at Ravenel. When Damen watches Nikandros and his men go to their knees for Damianos. The internal merging however, the reconciliation, comes at Karthas. With Laurent, when he uses, for the first time, both of Damen’s names in bed. That is the moment we see Damen stitch himself together, realign himself, a camera coming into focus. Damianos the King, the representation of duty, meeting Damen the man and the representation of desire. Quite literally, coming together.

We know this is the moment for Laurent too, for vastly different reasons, but Laurent makes his choices here too. He already knows what he’s going to do here, and so does Damen. The choice has been made, the stage is set, the final ball is in motion.

The readers are, of course, rooting for both. For Damen to win his crown and keep Laurent. We know there will be a choice now and when it does finally come to that choice Damen and Laurent are on the same page and make the same choices. Winning their crowns was a happy accident. Because they both choose this.

Laurent gave himself up for Damen without hesitation. He chose love. Damen throws himself on the mercy of the court knowing he was likely going to die just so that Laurent would not be alone. Those are not the choices of Kings. It’s not duty. Those are the choices made with love and with little regard for anything but that love.

Laurent, we know, knows that Damen can beat the Regent. The Regent has not won against him yet. It’s somewhat tactical but it’s hypothetical, a conciliation or justification of the sacrifice he’s making. Getting the Regent out of Akielos, giving himself up, makes Damen safer, because Laurent knows that Damen retaking the throne in Akielos is a matter of time, they won’t stand against him for long, he knows this. The Regent muddies the waters. But Damen is, canonically, the only person who has baffled and beat the Regent from day one. Laurent is that confident in Damen. But, as I said, those are his justifications. Not his reasons.

Damen doesn’t even try to justify it; he goes so that Laurent is not alone. That’s his choice. Winning their crowns was an afterthought.

Damen doesn’t do it blindingly, he is painfully aware of the sword hanging over him, the consequences of those choices, but it is the moment where Damen decides that the feast in front of him is still worth it. If the sword falls it falls. It doesn’t matter what he does, if it’s going to fall it will fall regardless but if he doesn’t take what’s in front of him then the rest will mean absolutely fucking nothing. It is, for them both, a very conscious decision.

It does, of course, end with the bells. A two-fold symbol we all have been conditioned to accept as an ending: a Disney inspired Pavlovian response. It’s the hero’s arc complete, it’s the journey’s end, the signal of both a victory, and in every fairy-tale ever: a wedding.

Or: a kingdom and this, the real merging.

So there we go, hope you like it dear. You're lucky it was this and not word vomit about the sword throw scene because it very nearly was my dude.

[sylvieserene]

just wondering, whats your opinion on the darktruth ship? (Dark enchantress x Truthless recluse) I like it but just wanna know other peoples opinion :3

(Some people call is evil Purelily but uh, you do you.)

Oh I absolutely love it. Big fan of it even.

I'm an absolute sucker for angsty stuff especially evil power couples; DarkTruth is perfect for me lol

It's in the name, Dark Truth.

PV's corruption happened because he learnt the dark nature of truth. That there really is no real truth, just that the world accepted what it found convenient as it's truth and doesn't hear the rest. That if a lie is louder and spoken more, it becomes the truth and if the truth is spoken of less, it becomes a lie.

WL became DE/split off as DE because she also realised the dark truth of their existence.

Both these individuals learnt something cruel, something so dark yet so true that it changed their very soul.

This is why I like DarkTruth because along with it comes questions on existentialism and meaning of life itself.

I don't see it as an unhealthy Goth girl x Emo Boy ship.

To me personally, it's a lot deeper and meaningful.

They both lost something in the process of learning the truth.

WL lost her humanity and PV lost his kindness. They both lost their love for the world and perhaps even the will to live.

TR expresses it openly while DE is still awaiting the day for her dream of the perfect world to come true so that she can end her existence in peace.

Perhaps in the entire world, only these two can understand the pain and perhaps only they can provide eachother a shoulder to lean their head on because who else would understand this painful agony of living? Or existing with such a burden?

In a world filled with the shadows of lies and deceit, who else would light the lamp of truth no matter how crooked it is? No matter how much it burns their hand, their lives, their very soul in the process?

What really is true? What really is false?

What really defines life?

This is what the dynamic circles around at its core.

Two broken individuals failed by life finding solace in eachother, clinging onto life even if they have long lost the will to live just because the world isn't good yet and there's things they need to do still to "fix" it.

They can't die yet even if they loathe their life and hate themselves.

It's tragic but that's why I really like it.

Purelily in all it's forms is beloved to me because depending on the angle, you can see it through so many lenses.

I think I have said this before but I ship Purelily in all it's forms. From DarkVanilla to TruthlessLily, all are peak 🙏

I actually had plans for writing an eventual DarkTruth fic on the themes I mentioned (cuz at the end....toxic yuri ftw yay) but it's on hold due to love is like a poison fic lol I won't start anything new until I complete that because if I do, I know I won't ever finish the previous fic cuz my hyperfixations will change and I won't allow that. 🙏

[idrinkfrombuckets]

We NEED to start treating patches on battle jackets and punk jackets like badges to be earned.

 Before we begin, I would like to point out the difference between “punk jackets”, “battle jackets", and “alternative fashion”:

If the clothing has political calls to action, it can be considered “battle clothes”. 

If the clothing has both political messaging and punk bands incorporated into the design, then they are punk clothes.

If the clothing doesn’t have any punk band patches or political calls to action, but has influence from alternative styles, then that is “alternative fashion”.

I’ll give you an example of some pants i’ve made:

I made these pants by hand, using old clothes and materials that I either found or “acquired cheap”. These pants were made by punk methods and have punk influence in its design. These pants could likely be incorporated into a punk outfit. However, these pants are not punk because they do not have any political calls to action and they do not have any punk bands on them (and trust me– i love MCR, i named myself after their bassist–but MCR is not a punk band, they are an emo band. I would call these pants “DIY fashion”, “alternative fashion”, or “emo fashion”. I would not call them “punk fashion".

People may disagree on the way I have defined these categories, but the point of the post is the same no matter what you call it. If your clothing contains political calls to action, then this post applies to you. From this point on, i will use “battle clothing” to refer to both battle clothes and punk clothes.

Now if you have a piece of battle clothing, I want you to look at the patches and ask yourself, “what did i do to deserve these patches?” Say you have a patch of the trans flag and you are trans. Good job! You earned the patch. But now say you have a patch that says “support trans kids”. What have you done to support trans kids? In this case, I believe simply being trans is not enough to earn this patch. Did you get a binder or breast forms for a trans kid who couldn't get them by themself? Did you call a lawmaker to tell them to vote no on a trans bathroom ban (or trans sports ban, or book ban, or drag show ban, etc)? Did you join a protest? Did you donate to a trans kid’s surgery fund, or to an organization campaigning for the rights of trans kids? If you can’t come up with one active thing that you have done to support trans kids, i’d argue that you haven’t earned that patch.

Now say you have a patch that says “decriminalize homelessness”.  Have you attended a town meeting to voice your stance? Have you volunteered at a soup kitchen? Are you voting to remove laws meant to imprison homeless people?  Do you give money to homeless people who are panhandling? 

If you have a patch that says “unionize on company time”, Have you done that? Did you boycott in compliance with a union strike, did you donate to organizations that fight for unions, did you donate to support striking workers?

If you have a patch that says “from the river to the sea”. What have you done to earn it? And no, reblogging a gofundme post that you didn't donate to doesn't count. Making a post that says “hey we should really do something about this” doesn’t count. Did you donate? Are you protesting? Are you badgering lawmakers? Are you boycotting?  I’m not saying that it’s impossible to do activist work online, but if you go that route, make sure you are being active about it. There is a difference between making a post saying “here is a list of people to send petitions to and here is how you do it” and “ hey guys i think the genocide is bad”. The first post is informing people and providing them a pathway to direct action. The second post, though absolutely correct, is not doing anything other than letting people know you’re “on the right side”

I could go on forever, but the point is clear: if you haven’t done anything to support the cause that your patch is displaying, you haven’t earned the patch. And some of you may be thinking, “hey i’ve got to work full time, i'm extremely busy and poor and it's impossible to dedicate myself to every cause i believe in”. Trust me, i get it. It’s completely reasonable to concentrate most of your energy on a few important causes. But if you have time to make a patch, you have time to make one phone call. You have time to sign one petition. If you have spent one dollar making your vest, you have one dollar to donate to a cause you believe in. And maybe you only have enough money for one or the other, but it is infinitely better to spend that money in the name of progress than to show people that you are “totally punk/anarchist”.

 i’m not saying you should feel bad about spending ANY time or money making a jacket when you could be using it on progress. If that were the case, battle clothes wouldn’t exist, and they are very important to the punk and anarchist movements. But if you are spending time and resources to show people you support something, make sure you have the receipts to back it up.

And I’m sure someone will be like “but what if i’m too anxious to call a lawmaker AND i cant focus long enough to sign a petition AND i’m too busy too volunteer AND too poor to donate AND two scared to pirate or put up posters AND i'm unable to boycott AND-” idk man, but if you can’t do a single thing to back up anything on your patches, at some point you are cosplaying. And to the single person out there who is genuinely unable to do anything through no fault of their own, this post doesn’t apply to you.

And yes, if you are punk/anarchist you are allowed to make non-political, alternative clothes. But for those who just like making alt fashion and don't do anything in the name of political progress, don’t put political patches on your clothes and don’t call yourself punk or an activist. 

Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[velvetvexations]

If the parallels to ace discourse weren't enough already, now I once again have to deal with people i thought were chill and reasonable suddenly dropping their takes on how they think asexua- sorry, I mean trans men, are not really oppressed and actually have privilege over everyone else and are basically not queer at all Time is a circle and i want out out oUT OUT OUT

Thankfully you never have to worry about me having a bad take because everything I say is written in advance by the Transmasc Council's Chief of Enacting Transmisogyny.

I don’t know if this is transmisogynistic or not but I’m just so tired of the claim that “the moment a trans man transitions and is seen as a man, he gets all the privilege” Okay TRFs, what about YOUR privilege before YOUR transition? When people perceived you as a man, did you not have privilege?

The logic would go that transmascs get it because they want to be seen as men but for trans women it's an unwanted state and also people can sense that they're women telepathically and treat them accordingly anyway.

Hey wanna hear something fun. Out of the 77 or so people elected to public office in the united states, 6 or so were trans men. With the majority being trans women. It's so fun hearing about how structurally privileged trans men are compared to trans women when there's only been 6. Fucking SIX. of us elected to public office. with at LEAST 50 trans women elected. In the united states. I'm so fucking tired. I mightve miscounted, there mightve been one or two that I missed, but honestly that does not bring me much comfort!

Fascinating.

sharing this here bc i like how accepting velvet nation is of gender journeys: i am a trans man but i feel like i very much was and will continue to be my father’s daughter? not in the sense that he doesn’t respect who i am but in the sense that that is the framework of how we understand each other. my gender is 100% man and daughter is simply the word i use to define our relationship :)

That's really cool! Glad you have that with him.

Got my first profile-screenshot-share (afaik) because someone was pissed at a comment I made! I’ve hit the big leagues! Now im just waiting for my first drowning :P - @genderglass (is a sideblog, so I can’t send asks from it :/)

Congratulations!

hiya velvet! ok 2 things: 1 i am happy to know there is another trans person who is tall and 300lbs+. i am only 5'9 but it made me happy to know this is a thing we share. i can feel v alone as a bigger trans person a lot, so i am grateful. 2 ok so i havent seen unsleeping city yet but i just watched the new time quangle and my god murph grew cody walsh in a lab for me. hes literally me at 12. jersey native with an "emo haunting anime cons in 2004" look and personality? that was literally, genuinely me. gotta watch that season ASAP!

I should warn you Cody gets dunked on pretty hard. It doesn't feel to me like Murph likes him very much lol but I haven't watched the Quangles because I'm a lot less interested in live stuff on average aside from Jake and Amir's live IIWY episodes which are always real funny.

In the defense of the person saying the t4t sex jokes are sexual harassment. I HAVE seen people responding to transfems posts on here talking about (supposed) intercommunity problems with jokes about how actually transfems and transmascs are having sex or whatever, which I think is kinda gross and inappropriate. However, most of the examples I can think of were transfems doing it, so.... take that as you will

TRFs complaining about "trans women and trans men are fucking" being sexual harassment and then justifying throwing their forcefem fetish at random men is funny, in a cosmic sort of way.

i just saw -*- say that trans men face no oppression unique from trans women (wrt reproductive rights) bc trans women lack access to reproductive banking. Buddy. Reproductive banking is incredibly expensive and very rarely covered by insurance. Everyone except wealthy ppl lack access to reproductive banking. And I'm sorry if this is rude to say but lack of access to the opportunity to become a parent (which is sad! and wrong! and at different levels applicable to every queer person in the world!) is simply not equivalent to forced pregnancy, which is a violence and a trauma forced onto someone and not a *lack* of opportunity. I don't even disagree necessarily that trans women are more vulnerable than trans men and do believe I have privilege over trans women as a trans masc but hoooooly shit. That's an insidious fucking false equivalence and I still don't get *why* trans mascs can't just have space to talk about the problems unique to us.

The Transfem Council will happily let you talk about your issues as long as you submit your statement in triplicate to their editorial department 15 days in advance.

Everyone posting about how I have to prove myself and earn their trust is just proving themselves to be someone not worth talking to. I don’t think people should have to bend over backwards or do something to prove that they won’t be terrible to you, actually. Thats fear and trauma speaking, not social courtesy. It’s not normal and should not be normal to automatically distrust everyone to a point of prematurely ostracizing them. And if anyone wants to argue a large enough proportion of the trans community in ANY demographic acts poorly enough to warrant that sort of suspicion they don’t have a leg to stand on.

It's not even fear and trauma. Most of them are just using Literal Fear of Man as an excuse to do this shit, although if they want to argue no, they really are all just shaking with abject horror whenever a man draws near, I guess they must believe in Andro Phobia, right?

[weirdoswriting]

hi! what would it be like to babysit Luke, with a teen Mc? like playing uno with him or getting him cotton candy... he reminds me too much of me as a toddler (⁠╯⁠_⁠╰⁠) i wanna brush his hair and put ribbons in it JDJDKDKF have a good day ❤️

TEEN!MC babysitting Luke

I personally think Teen!MC would give him so much freedom when they’re babysitting

Contains: Gn!MC, Female!MC, Male!MC, Emo!MC, no proof read, this is my first written post here on tumblr so mb if it’s bad

Bedtime? What’s that? /j, but I think they’d accidentally stay up playing uno or something if they didn’t plan on going out

Now, if Simeon gave them money to spend on “essentials”, you would need to define it bc Teen!MC is definitely going to buy Luke sweets and toys with the money to make him happy

Teen!MC probably would treat him like a younger brother, teasing him and play around, they’re both kids in a way, so ofc they’ll be childish in some aspects

I love thinking of Teen!MC making him play dress up just for the lols or tell him scary stories to make him do things, yk, like siblings do

Imagine the sugar rush…

Female!Teen!MC would teach him how to style hair and let him style her hair

He’d enjoy having his hair gently being cared for and decorated, tho might not admit it

Male!Teen!MC and him would be playing video games all day probably

Teen!MC and him would be baking and it will be most messy kitchen you would’ve seen

While writing these I thought about Emo!Teen!MC, Scene!Teen!MC and the likes, and how’d that be like

Since Luke is around 10 in mortal ages, he probably doesn’t have much of a good filter if he sees someone dressed like they’re the embodiment of Hot Topic (no offense to emos/scenes btw)

He’d be either very confused on why Emo/Scene!Teen!MC would wear all that or think you’re siding with the demons wearing skull shirts and all

Emo!Teen!MC would try not to laugh because they think it’s funny how a child, and an angel to add to the fact, reacted to what they were wearing

I hope you like it Anon! Sorry if it wasn’t what you wanted

Back to Masterlist

[donnerpartyofone]

Tumblr is a funny thing because I think we each have some kind of generality about the character of this platform that we assume is universal, which it really isn't. The other day someone I follow said something about this being the social media site where everyone has tech jobs, and I thought Oh huh, I thought this was the chronic unemployment website! Then I saw a post where someone was saying that she didn't believe that anybody REALLY ruminates on embarrassing experiences forever, she thinks that's a completely made-up unrealistic emo pose and in real life everyone just gets over all their shit in a matter or days or weeks, and several of that person's followers piled on in agreement, and I was like...I mean not only is neurotic ruminating a real and common mental problem, but I definitely thought "everyone on Tumblr" ruminates on their humiliating experiences forever! I thought this was the clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder website.

But anyway this thing happens where you join Tumblr and you follow whoever looks good to you, and then after seeing that cohort's reblogs and interactions with strangers for a while, you can start to forget that almost everything you see is in some way triggered by your own editorial choices, even if indirectly. It can start to feel like what's on your dash is "everything", it is representative of the entire usership of Tumblr. And then one day you find yourself criticizing this conceptual monolith you created, and you start using that hostile, performative Tumblr "y'all" to address the crimes of a mass of people who you imagine to be simultaneously a) attentively following your blog, and b) in opposition to everything you stand for. You think to yourself People on Tumblr are fucking crazy, why are they all like this?, forgetting entirely that the whole thing is chiefly defined by your choices and you are in no way experiencing objective reality.

This diatribe has been brought to you by a blazed post I just saw featuring a wedding photo of a guy in USMC dress blues, where the guy is saying that he wants to make Taylor Swift say hi to his wife for their 10th anniversary but he doesn't know how to get in touch with her, so he has come to Tumblr where he thinks there are people who know how to get the most famous person on the Planet of Earth to do personal favors for randos. This was so divorced from the reality I'm familiar with on every single level, I just sat there staring at the post for minutes trying to pick a reaction to it. And then after that I saw another blazed post of a girl taking a selfie in a fancy hotel, and I found that her entire blog was just stock photos of hot rich people gently making out in luxury settings. And I remembered, ah yes. This, too, is Tumblr.

[hannahssimblr]

Do you have any tips on furnishing sims’ houses for illustrative purposes? Xx

oh good question!

I suppose the main one is to let go of the idea the lot/room has to be remotely functional. I put furniture wherever it looks good, and don't bother about routing because the rooms aren't usable about 80% of the time.

The room also doesn't have to make sense. You can see in the lot I shared in the prev ask that the hallway closet extends into the boundaries of the next door apartment. Obviously this wouldn't work irl, but It's for the look of the apartment, so I don't care.

Using TOOL to place & stack clutter, shifting everything into more natural positions using alt is another must.

What I generally swear by when it comes to actual appearance and decor, is making sure every part of the room is full. I limit empty walls and corners, trying to fill every slot I can with something that feels relevant to the space. It usually looks a bit rushed or unfinished when there's a blank wall behind the sim, so I like to put something there. Pictures, cork boards, shelves etc.

Think about who lives there/what use the room is for, and decorate accordingly. Are they the kind of person to leave toothbrushes out on the sink, or do they store them in cupboards etc? It's always about the story.

Examples below the cut!

Like, again, here's Jens apartment. Dingy, mouldy, basement flat because she can't afford anything better. What I want to show about Jen is that she's a student, and her only place to study is on the kitchen table. She likes music, she's a bit spooky and likes astrology, she was a teenage emo, but is growing out of that phase. She likes things looking good, throwing some cheap/flea market decor about, but she's not a neat freak. There's only so clean she can make the apartment after years of someone else's neglect. Her landlord doesn't respect the place, so neither does she.

And here's Astrid's apartment. Again, tiny, a studio apartment in the centre of Berlin. It's old, with original features and things that don't work quite right, but she's curated a vibe. I like to think she's painted (or more likely, gotten someone else to paint) the walls a moody colour, filled the shelves with books, some of which she's read, because she likes to read, but also some she's bought just to look smart. Astrid is all about appearances and how she comes across to others. She's artistic with a keen eye for artwork. She also, like, is a sexual person whose character is defined by her desire for intimacy. Low lighting and candles everywhere felt perfect for her.

Here's Astrid's family home in Denmark. I wanted it to be unexpected, bright, warm and inviting. I also wanted it to seem Danish, so I did some research (always fun for me) and looked at articles and prominent design features in Danish homes - light wood, pops of colour, and because this scene took place at Christmas, paper stars! I wanted an open space to contrast with her personality, to make it seem like she was out of place.

Finally, Jude's family home. Wealthy, very very busy people live here, and they have a cleaner and a gardener working for them. No doubt they also had an interior designer. I wanted the house to have a perfect but soulless feel. Very clean, everything unsightly out of sight. Spectacular, expensive, like a showhouse rather than a family house with two children living in it. Christopher, Jude's father, is also a big nerd and loves books and research. I felt the shelves would be crammed with books. A piano, too, for appearances. Purely coincidental that one of the children was interested in playing it.

Here's some other locations I created & liked, presented without explanation, but hopefully their story comes across. The basic idea being: Where are we, when is it, who is there, what is the vibe.

[brown-little-robin]

ROBIN ROBIN ROBIN

watched all of S1 and most of S2 of Mob Psycho 100 and I am losing my MINDDDDDDDD legitimately I see why u love it so much now. It’s so. It’s so compelling. In the best way. I love it so much. It’s making all the wheels in my brain go brrrrrrrrrrr.

Do u have any MP100 fic recs or fandom posts/blogs you rly enjoy? Or personal head anons or analyses about MP100 u wanna talk abt? I’m really enjoying the show and I hope to finish it next time I get access to Netflix/Crunchyroll but that’s weeks away lol.

YAYYYYYYYY RIGHT????? IT'S SO GOOD OUGH ok SO I'll keep my rambling about mp100 and headcanons and analyses to our dms, but I'll build you a big list of links to my absolute favorite mp100 analysis and fics and so on, and hopefully it's not too overwhelming!!

my tumblr analysis posts:

In-depth breakdown of the "I'm the worst" moment

The color red in the anime

if you want more analysis, my tag #mob meta will lead you to all the analysis posts about mp100 that I've made or (more often) reblogged! #Mob Art 🖤🤍🖤 is my mp100 art tag. beware major spoilers for the entire story in both of these tags, though!

amvs:

I don't know if you like amvs but the mp100 fandom has a million of them, testaments to how beautiful the animation is and how deeply the story emotionally resonates with people. my favorites are:

Children's Work, THE defining Mob and Ritsu brotherhood amv, I have watched it so many times and it always makes me emo

(S1 only) Try to Change, an amv about Mob and ???%, waugh

Jealousy Jealousy, a very short very catchy Ritsu edit that punches SO HARD for being only 29 seconds long

(SPOILERS FOR S2) Karma (are you angry about how Mob is treated? guess what! so is he!)

(SPOILERS FOR S3) Love Like You, an amv about how Mob impacts those around him and the theme of isolation vs connection in mp100

(SPOILERS FOR S3) all of the amvs by @exilepurify but especially the heartbreaking world-changing You're In Ruins. Blue, you specifically will probably enjoy the Ritsu-centric I Sit By You On The Curb, but warning for s3 spoilers!

this one's an animation, not an amv, and it's so silly and fun and I love it: Hello Hello Hello!

and finally, extremely silly Reigen edit :]

My absolute favorite fics:

(warning for zombie-typical gore) my friend @quirkle2's zombie au, a MP100 AU where zombie-hood is a reversible disease that gives you (among other things) intense brain fog rather than something that truly removes your humanity. makes me CRAZYYYYY

A Breach of Trust, a massive longfic AU where Mob gets kidnapped by Mogami at age 10 to be his living psychic power source. It's gritty, it's sweet, it changed my entire brain chemistry, it changed my relationship with food for the better. read this incredible fanart comic of A Breach of Trust too—it's what got me into ABoT, which finally got me to watch mp100 all the way through!

Temporary Accommodations, a 14-chapter alternate ending to the story written before the manga finished! Reigen is forced to play host to Mob's soul, and he's not meant to have psychic powers, so he starts breaking down. Really REALLY good Reigen characterization.

Won't Repeat, a post-canon oneshot where Ritsu accidentally hurts Mob with his powers and has to deal with the fallout. very sweet yet so so real

(SPOILERS FOR S2) The Real World, a short fic about the catharsis of Mob returning to the real world from Mogami's nightmare land

(SPOILERS FOR S2) Petal-Patterned Reunions, a short post-canon fic about an adult Mob running into Minori again!

(SPOILERS FOR S3) schrodinger, a fascinating little 2nd-person POV of Shou Suzuki dealing with issues about his father.

(SPOILERS FOR S3) Childlike Wonder, In The Palm of Our Hands, a 1-chapter post-canon fic about Shigeo and Ritsu collaborating to really, truly test the limits of his powers. so so precious to me

oh yeah (edit) also, I wrote a mp100 fic!! Mrs. Kageyama Reaches ???%, a fic that retells all of canon and a little beyond from Shigeo's mom's perspective, with a twist headcanon that she's more Like Shigeo than it may seem :)

[archersgoon]

some bits & pieces of band au stuff. under the cut because it's stupid long and not put together in any order other than the one i thunk it in. not proofread so. sorry

it is a high school au but only barely. like we fade in right at the end. p&q go to recruit florenza & she's like we have trials in 2 weeks can you be fucking serious rn

he doesn't really come up much but re lucian: i think saro was like a fast food franchisee or something. now he's gone & lucian aged 22 is trying to run a restaurant staffed almost exclusively by his extended family & family friends. & also phaedra in a slightly misjudged attempt at developing some independence (via the sol-saro vector). okay actually maybe it's like an independent family restaurant. either way there's a stupid uniform & those 2 are the only ones who wear it properly.

anyway quintana shows up to recruit her while she's on smoko. the job is badddd bc lucian is dying badly. she does her 'quit your job. join my emo band' routine & phaedra's so twisted up inside on account of the everything that she says yes

i think she plays drums in the school band. she's good but chafes at the limitations of the context. quintana obviously is self-taught

florenza learnt bass aged like 13-14 in a short-lived pop-punk (or something) phase before being quickly peer-pressured into giving the whole thing up. everyone quickly forgot the whole thing. except phaedra of course

florenza & phaedra outvote quintana regarding getting another guitarist because she's alright, but her main focus is pretty clearly the vocals. they find ginny through a friend of a friend of florenza's

my general ginny thesis is that she is as talented as she says she is but is so genuinely unpleasant to be around that it literally does not matter.

anyway for the moment she's fine & they get things going well enough

i think at least the first part of the story is like 90% phaedra pov. a touch of florenza here and there but nothing from quintana

cora's their manager somehow. don't worry about the logistics. jorja drives them & their gear around in her tarago

the lastborns come to every single gig. no matter what

i know what i said earlier today but upon further thought i don't think any of the girls catch the bus regularly. quintana as previously stated, florenza because her parents drive her everywhere, phaedra because she is soso scared. ginny does to get to uni & stuff but she is incredibly resentful of this

once exams are over they get like really into practicing. quintana keeps vanishing at random times & refusing to elaborate & ginny is always late but still. things are fine

anyway she ends up fucking them over before some like big breakthrough gig or comp or whatever. standard plot points for this type of story. so they're out a guitarist with 40 minutes before they're on. quintana sits down. deep sigh i did not want to do this. picks up the phone yeah hi. yeah. yeah. no look i need you to-- yeah i need you to play guitar. do you know any of our son-- oh you know all of them? you've improved them? yeah i'll bet. whatever be here in half an hour or know no peace in this life or the next

& then tippideaux shows up. yippee !!

obviously they rock the house etc. etc.

cut to 3 or 4 months later. this is part 2 & we do start to get the occasional quintana pov. there's probably some sort of florenza/grijio c plot as well but i haven't put much thought into that

after the hit & run death of her father (cameras caught bestiano's car fleeing the scene & quintana's dear cousin, the incredibly reliable tariq, testified that she was with him the whole night) quintana gets an apartment with phaedra, who is trying to keep the independent momentum going.

phaedra's studying. idk. pharmacy or some shit. quintana is taking a gap year of unspecified length

quintana is being fucking weird again. very hands off with phaedra all of a sudden

blah blah blah pregnancy reveal phaedra assumes this is the reason quintana is firmly defining their relationship as a friendship. this is the point in the text in which froi starts to show up occasionally. phaedra also misunderstands his role here (see my previous post regarding the state of f&q & quintana's mindset in this verse). hears him telling quintana she needs to talk to phaedra and thinks oh my god they are going to kick me out!! i interrupt their nuclear family!

you & i know that wasn't what that conversation was about

i'm not super sure but i think it would have to come to a head before tariq is born. phaedra tries to like. gracefully remove herself from the picture like maybe we should just interact in a more professional context for the moment (they are also trying to write their debut album in the middle of all this. you can imagine how it's going. florenza takes a lot of paracetamol) & quintana's like wait fuck no no no

cue conversation in which phaedra is like way emotional & quintana is incredibly monotone. yay happy ending open communication and such

naturally of course album progress is much smoother at this point. it still takes a while because of the loser infant they have to worry about & like uni & work & other commitments

this is about where i stop. does the album do well? i'd like to think so. but i haven't thought that far ahead yet

tippideaux:

elyse's tags on this matter were genuinely incredible. i think tippideaux's like supernanny but for terrible flatmates. helping her move in grijio says tippideaux these people are the devil you have to get out! & she says nah it'll be fine :). he comes back a month later & she's like pavloved them into treating others with respect & doing their share of housework. unfuckwithable

she's a med student taking a summer course for a gen ed & ends up third-wheeling in a group with banyon & celie. they're doing some will-they-won't-they sexually charged shit every tutorial it's so annoying.

anyway i think they befriend each somehow despite this. like celie's funny & t and banyon have some common interests

as previously stated tippideaux is the only one with a car so when they decide on a night out (she's dd or something idk logistics on that sort of thing i don't leave the house) she's the one driving around. for reasons unspecified celie is closer & thus gets picked up first. when they pull up outside banyon & oshie's place celie's like oh allow me & goes in to get banyon. 45 minutes later tippideaux's still waiting in the car. her good friend quintana calls her, in a most dire jam, and what can she do but offer to assist? she just so happens to have the necessary equipment in the car with her and all!

ten minutes later when celie and banyon get back to the car (conspicuously rumpled) tippideaux is like look i gotta reschedule i have to help out my friend in the band, remember i told you about her? & celie says but we've had this planned for weeks! you can't just change things around last minute. which would normally be a fair cop, but she just made tippideaux wait in the car for an hour. sorry!

oh well at least it should be interesting. she and tippideaux run in different circles so there shouldn't be anyone she knows present, might as well go, support her friend. cue froi & celie it's always sunny meme

froi:

we barely fucking see him. to be clear. he gets mentioned once or twice in part 1 & even in part 2 he doesn't show up that often. most of this stuff would never come up in a formal write-up because it is not relevant to the main story. but i'm addicted to thinking about him so it goes here

quintana keeps getting weird oversized event shirts from somewhere. froi opens his drawer one day. where the fuck are all his shirts for messy work. he normally leaves them in the car but they are nottt there

trev & per want him to do an apprenticeship he has a gift with the wires. the priestking wants him to consider studying music (even barring his stance on singing he shreds on the trumpet). finnikin thinks he should take a gap year & come backpacking in europe with him & isaboe. august & abian want him to go to university no matter what he studies. he wants to do a horticulture cert at tafe

august says well maybe you could study ag? i hear une is pretty good. & froi says there's no way in fucking hell i'm moving to armidale. be serious.

everyone gets over it eventually (except maybe finn) because at the end of the day he has a clear goal involving something he enjoys

finn-froi conflict derives from the fact that finnikin when overseas mostly communicates via sc & photos in general whereas isaboe & froi send like weekly emails with deep thoughts or whatever. the argument is mostly froi going 1. we can send emails! i'd actually like that you prick i feel like we don't talk enough anymore! fuck you! 2. you think i'm too close with your girlfriend? your girlfriend who you're travelling with? your girlfriend who is definitely sitting next to you right now? fuck off

when he's happy he listens to moanin by charles mingus. when he's sad he listens to fuck the pain away by peaches

[gothamnewsnetwork-official]

Opinion Hour - Dick Grayson’s fursona; improved?

The opinions voiced in this article may not reflect the opinions of the journal

Hello readers, once again I have returned with another overview and review on the eldest Wayne son, Richard ‘Dick’ Grayson’s ( @notnotnightwing ) (see related articles), fursona design and characterization (see related posts).

As per my previous articles on the subject of the Wayne’s and their fursonas (see related posts), I will be giving my two cents on the matter as well as the professional opinion of my trusted colleague and expert in fursona design (see related articles), though they will remain anonymous.

On top of this I have instructed this journal, which I would like to thank for providing me a platform, to interview Mr. Grayson on his thought process behind this new redesign.

Given Mr. Graysons apparent frustration at the previous reviews of his anthropomorphic character (see related articles), this reporter sincerely hopes he has given ample thought to his new design.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at this (hopefully improved) fursona -

To begin, there are several changes from his earlier designs to note;

The inclusion of what appears to be top-surgery scars (see related articles) on the characters chest and a more defined under-coat (see related articles), aka the section of fur on the anthro’s stomach.

There also seems to be more piercings and general expression in these designs, something we commend Mr. Grayson for as his prior art lacked further emotion for the character.

This reporter also finds it prudent to note the change in style from his previous design, and how it helps further the characterization of the anthro, something akin to late 1990’s/early 2000’s emo and scene fashion (see related articles).

I was able to, once again, reach out to the fursona design and psychology (see related articles) expert to ask for their opinion on this new design. Here is what they had to say -

“Good development, [I] like the scars. Very 00’s skaterboy energy but in the best way possible. Can def see more personality in it now.

Main downside is just the 3 facial piercing things, they kinda make it look stuffy, ya know? 7.5/10”

This reporter is still inclined to agree, though I’d lean the ranking closer to an 8/10 for the inclusion of multiple angles and facial expressions.

(interview cont. by Gotham Reports)

As requested by the anonymous journalist, we sent our intern to interview Mr. Grayson on this fursona in order to get a better picture of who this anthro is. This is what he had to say -

“ Q: What is the characters age, name, and pronouns? ”

“ A: Cosmo, 28, he/him they/them. ”

“ Q: And what time period is he from? 90’s, 00’s, 10’s? ”

“ A: 2010’s I guess. ”

“ Q: Are the scars on his chest top-surgery scars or simply there for decoration? ”

“ A: Top Surgery ”

“ Q: Lastly, in what ways does Cosmo reflect you [Mr. Grayson]; their creator? ”

“ A: The trans stuff, duh, how they act..what they say and do. Well, did.

I try not to do any of that stuff anymore at least...And I do have some of the piercings that they have, and some that I haven't shown.

But yeah, some of the stuff that they do I did in the past. And how their mindset works. ”

We can only assume this is referencing the smoking habit and seeming self-deprecating view of himself that Cosmo holds.

When asked what he would like to say to the anonymous journalist who has been responsible for these past reviews, he responded as follows -

“ FUCK YOU COSMO IS PEAK ”

All in all we hope both Mr. Grayson and the public are satisfied with this, hopefully final, part in the story of the Wayne’s and their various fursona’s.

Let us know your thoughts on the topic (here)

Gotham Reports is certified in unbiased, reliable, and fair reporting

See further images and comparisons of Cosmo and previous iterations (here)

[ria-777]

There is not enough letters in the alphabet for me to tell you how much I love you

D - Danger

Keith was angry. And sad, but he didn't want to admit this.

It wasn't his fault.

Why did they all have to act like it was?

If only it was possible, he'd take that part of himself that he wasn't even aware existed until recently, and delete it in an instant.

Like he was sure Allura would absolutely love.

Losing Shiro, getting kicked out of the garrison, finding Shiro after he suddenly fell down from the stars and then the blue lion, being roped into fighting a war that was thousands of years old...

And now, discovering he was half-galra, making the people he was beginning to see as his family act so... weird toward him.

Even Pidge. Was he really that stupid to think they had something special going on? Was he really that delusional? Was he-

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Who could it be? Should he answer? What if whoever stood on the other side of his door was only there to insult him? Or to ask if him hiding in his room was a Galra thing? What should he do?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Keith, I know you're in there." Her voice softened. "Can we talk?"

Pidge. What did she want now? Did she finally process the truth and was there to scream at him? After all, the galras were what caused her family to be torn apart. He wasn't sure if he wished to take the risk and let her in. Viewing the hatred in her eyes would make his heart ache way too much.

More than anyone could.

"Please. I know you're hurting and that it's partially my fault. I'm here to help you as much as I can... If you want me to."

She sounded genuine, but what if the others started distancing themself from her too after seeing them hang out? As if she could read his brain from the opposite side of the door, she responded to his question. Maybe it was thanks to their paladin's link. "I don't care about what anyone has to say concerning me. I just want to be a good friend to you."

Friends. Right. Keith remembered Shiro telling him you could always confide in those who are precious to you when there are things plaguing your mind. "I'm not sure what I want to say." He could hear the smile in her voice. "That's fine, I brought my computer so we can view movies. No need to talk to me about anything if that isn't your wish."

When Keith finally opened the door, there stood Pidge, a gentle grin on her face that was so... her. "Ever watched ParaNorman?"

He smiled back. "No, I haven't."

*******

Not a word was exchanged between the teammates since they settled down on Keith's bed, not as close as they usually would. Should he say something? The boy knew he didn't have to, but wouldn't it be considered rude if he just ignored her generous offer to help ease things off his mind in the middle of the night.

What if, for once, she was planning on sleeping, but her concern over his well-being overtook the urge to rest?

The thought made his face flush.

Opening up to someone, even if it was only a little bit couldn't be that bad? Right?

"Pidge." She hummed but paused the movie to look his way when he didn't add any other words. "Don't you believe I'm a danger for your safety and the others? You know, since I'm half-galra and all."

She stared at him for some ticks. Did she agree? Did she find him stupid to specify why he could be a danger? Finally, she reacted and out of all he imagined her to do, Keith hadn't expected Pidge to outright laugh in his face and then proceed to lean her head on his shoulder after she scooted closer.

"Keith, it's not like you knew all along and chose to keep it a secret from the rest of us. Plus, who your parents are doesn't define what type of person you'll grow up to be. And, if the blade belonged to your mother, then doesn't this mean that she was fighting on the right side of the war? Even if she wasn't, you're still, in my eyes, our emo Keith. Whatever race you descend from has no importance for me."

Quiznack, he actually felt like he was about to cry and for some reason, the thought of Pidge seeing him in such a vulnerable state didn't bother him at all. How the next words came out of his mouth while being accompanied by tears would forever be a complete mystery to the boy. "But the Galra took away your family..." "Exactly, them, not you," responded Pidge with absolutely no hesitation.

She realized he wasn't persuaded yet. "If I followed your current logic, does that mean that you were involved in them kidnapping Shiro too? »

Tears were beginning to escape from his eyes as he shook his head. "I promise I will keep convincing you I have nothing against your heritage for as long as you need me to. Whenever you feel doubts, my door will always be open for you."

She reached for her laptop and closed it before setting it on the floor. Then, Pidge arranged the pillow and cover on his bed before lying down, patting the spot next to her.

At any other time, Keith would have hesitated. Was he really comfortable sleeping with someone so close to his personal space? Is Pidge actually okay with this? Is this appropriate for him to do? Does she feel forced to do this?

His mind was completely empty as he rested his head on the pillow, melting into her embrace as her arms didn't waste a second wrapping around him, bringing him impossibly close to her small body.

Keith knew his heart was racing at an unhealthy pace, being this close to Pidge, his face practically buried in her chest was definitely not proper between two friends, but he didn't care that much.

She didn't say anything as his own arms brought her closer by holding her waist tight.On the contrary, the girl sighed calmly, she probably longed for this too. Shiro vanishing must be hard for her too. He was the only hope she had that her father and brother were alive and now...

"Pidge, thank you. If you ever need to talk, I'll be there for you just like you are for me."

She moved to be able to gaze in his eyes before placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Thank you."

********

(Posted on Wattpad and ao3)

Note: Guess who’s still alive!! Hope you liked it and sorry if there’s any mistakes <3