#i was a hater since daycare

[pkmnomegaverse]

Cheren as Isshu’s #1 hater! (Not actually, he is amicable with N and values his friendship with Hilbert too much to make a big deal out of things. It’s mostly a carryover from hurt feelings over being rejected by Hilbert for N/blaming N for Hilbert running off for 2 years. He gets over it but those initial feelings of dislike spring up every so often).

Factoring into this, Arian and Braith are only 2 years apart, so Ari is a little over a year old (with Clover being 4) when Hilbert tells his friends they’re having another baby. The trio (Cheren/Bianca/Hilbert) are all only children. So I think that somewhat plays into why Cheren is surprised his friend wants more children. Cheren is pretty set on just the 1 (can see Bianca being fine with more, but doesn’t push for it since both her and Cheren are pretty busy with their careers). He’s def saying something to at least Hilbert if they announce a 4th kid on the way tho.

Hypothetical 4th child would probably be a baby boy with kinda lightish wavy brown hair. I always ponder designing what a kid between Ghetsis and Hilbert might look like due to events that would happen in the Bad End Plasma Wins AU (that’s not what Braith’s design is. He’s suppose to take strongly after Ghetsis in looks. And probably N a bit too. So not much if any Hilbert in his design. I suppose one could think of Braith as Ghetsis/N from a strictly design standpoint, but like 80% Ghetsis).

This already holds true, but I was also ponderinging on how Clover having a lot of younger siblings while Jordan and Oralie are only children is a nice contrast. The group is in a situation where they have to deal with younger children and she’s much better at it than the others due to all her experience helping with her siblings. Also good at helping with baby Pokemon but that was already a given. Really just good at handling anyone young.

As for would Hilbert and N even want that many kids? I look at it where when they started their relationship, they were hesitant on kids, but not against it. Clover was technically an accident (although they weren’t exactly trying that hard to prevent anything from happening) and it’s N who has more reservations due to things with Ghetsis. Worries if he can be a good father since has no real frame of reference for what a good father even is (can’t ask Hilbert since his dad isn’t in the picture either. Because he’s probably dead. The more I think on it it fits best, but will ramble about why in another post). But N does take to becoming a father well. The couple are living in a setting where they’re surrounding by lots of Pokemon and baby Pokemon being born is a common thing (the sanctuary is almost like a glorified daycare in my head, if I translated things to game mechanics). So with all the baby Poks being born, perhaps that would inspire the occasional baby fever.

Also this is Syd using her experience from real life, but most rancher families I’ve known tended to have more kids. Or at least it was common enough it stood out as notable. Sooooo, from that viewpoint, 4-5 Isshu kids fits fine. The Pokemon Sanctuary is also a bit like a ranch in the sense the days are spent caring for Pokemon. So sure, further reason for it. More hands to help around the sanctuary.

Also from a meta standpoint, something something Ghetsis has a lot of kids he was never around for so perhaps it would be a nice parallel if N had a similar amount but was an attentive father to all of them. Although 4 does feel like it’s pushing the upper limit of what they would have. I think the only way they’re having 6 is if final baby was an accident and then whoops, looks like it’s actually twins. 6 it is now.

[1d1195]

First of all bestie you could NEVER make me hate you especially over a silly hairstyle! And if people end be up hating on you for that… that’s not it lol also this is gonna part 1 of my ramble 😭

ANWAYS I’m in constant conflict with how I feel about that mullet HAHA at first I was like “a mullet?! WHY?” But then I saw the vision and kinda liked it😔 and rn I’m not sure tbh! BUT I’m not sure if it’s bc he’s HARRY and I’m just kind “blinded” by finding him attractive in general lol bc he’s definitely hot no matter what in my eyes so idk lol plus I fear I’m so use to seeing so many people have mullets (I guess it’s trendy now?!) that maybe I’m just not as big of a hater as I use to be lol btw I LOVED the visuals you gave! That tattoo roulette pic has me STUNNED the first time I saw it! And I kinda love you’re not an automatic lhh lover🤭 though I am a fan of when he had a middle part, like for when he did SNL so idk about my opinion lol

I simply am lowkey sick of my phone lately so idk wtf is going on lol though I love polls! It’s interesting what people are thinking! I genuinely don’t remember exactly what was the last poll I got to vote on but I remember clicking on a Sun kissed option and I was in the minority of votes 😭

SAM YOURE GONNA KILL ME WITH THAT BREEDING KINK!!! I will simply cease to exist whenever we get to meet that Harry😵‍💫 I truly love how you write your Harry’s like i simply can’t!!! And bestie I love when a man is begging and just groveling on the FLOOR for forgiveness!! Very excited 😌

Omg you’re of course one of those people!! Honestly I would have been more surprised if babies WEREN’T drawn to you lol I’m sure it’s just a vibe you give off like babies can see your pure and sweet heart! In another universe you most likely would have had your Honey moment or like a daycare moment! And omg that’s absolutely such an adorable moment and such a good concept 😭

Financial anxiety is so REAL! Especially since you mentioned how growing up it impacted you a lot! And growing up poor too, i totally get it!! It’s a very conflicting feeling lol

Omg bestie you don’t even KNOW how obsessed I was with fucking true crime and like paranormal stuff growing HAHAHA the true crime stuff now terrifies me now bc HELLO?!? But honestly some of these murder mystery books I got to reread again are kinda still a slay lol but the pottery stuff I got really into it in middle school and lowkey stopped reading it when the pandemic hit lol anyways finished sorting out some books so I will be donating them later this week!

Agree about the AC!! Growing up in school there was NO AC and we had to constantly suffer with the heat waves! Girl you’re like a young millennial which makes sense you would be drawn to that aesthetic and there’s nothing wrong with it! If it makes you happy then there’s no harm!

I always get so sad/worried when my dogs are slightly off bc I love them 😭 When I tell you the first thing encounter I had with my finaid office I fucking CRIED! Had to wait on a fuck ass zoom for almost two hours only for a MAN to tell me it was my fault(it fucking was a mistake on their end) and to just get loans and a payment plan was my HELL!!! My mom had to calm me down it was so embarrassing lol Anyways I loved that you gave that feedback and honestly very you and I love that!

I actually decided to shorten the black dress to like my mid thigh!! Sounds short but I’m not tall so it will look somewhat okay lol and the second one is actually a dark blue dress that shimmers when it hits a certain light! It looks black but it’s actually blue and I’m excited to wear it! That one will be slightly above the knee! And maxi dresses are cute! And I bet they look cute on you!!

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Hope it was restful and fun! ALSO I hope your week is starting well!! LOVE YOU!!!-💜

I'm putting a cut here because I wanted to warn anyone else that reads our pen pal letters that I'm going to talk about audio porn a little lol what an ENTRANCE to this message idk if you'll even be able to tell where my train of thought came from to introduce it like this 😂

Number one--obsessed with two part asks hehehe I love this for us. SAW THE VISION. I'm glad you saw it I haven't 💀 I think I def have this blindness as well but it's so trendy rn and I'm just NOT hear for it. If my bf got a mullet I would shave his head tbh. I just think his hair looked stringy and needed a wash and I haven't forgiven him for that 😭 I wash my hair every day because Harry and I actually have very similar hair and if I don't wash it every day it gets so greasy and gross (and before anyone comes for me I KNOW it's because I wash it every day 🙃 but I can't do it. I just feel better when I shower so what am I going to do? I do so little for my own self care ANYWAY)

I LOVE polling everyone. I think it's so helpful 😭 and I agree, knowing what everyone thinks really helps inform my decision and focus to write.

HEHEHEHE you may have already met that Harry Not to out myself here but I recently downloaded Quinn which is audio porn and it's *mwah* chef's kiss. It's giving me all kinds of ideas for Harry and I like to find the audios where the guy is all worshippy of the girl. Honestly, I don't even listen to it for the porn part I'm just here for the plot 😂 there's a couple brother's best friend's ones that have me salivating to write something. I'm AMPED.

I think in another life I probably will open a day care. I should have just taught elementary school the way the gods probably intended me to but alas. Knock on wood my group is... don't want to jinx it but I will say I'm not exhausted right now (at least not from teaching).

I'm not tall either so I get it. I love a shimmery dress! That sounds so nice! I've been getting tons of compliments on all my clothes recently so I like to believe I might be figuring out my own sense of style. Even the kids notice and think I look cute which is not the point but I think it's nice they notice because a lot of these kids are so trendy and adorable. One of my students from a couple years ago should have won best dressed. She could have worn a trash bag to soo. She was so adorable and I would ask for her opinion about what I should wear to chaperone prom/homecoming 😂

I hope you NEVER have to talk to financial aid ever again 💕

I had a slightly busy but good weekend. I was very productive and I'm trying to keep pace because I fear October is going to be busy as hell 🙃

I hope your week is going well too 💕 LOVE YOU!

[nixthehomunculus]

technically i was raised gender neutral cause of the neglect

[memecucker]

When i say that a lot of anti-Freud talking points end up not focusing on actual issues with Freud and that while i would consider myself anti-Freud i still think that “Freud > most Freud hater” i think a good example is how a lot of the baseless speculative attacks focus on Freud abandoning his early “seduction hypothesis” (“seduction” in this case being an archaic meaning more analogous to “sexual assault”) where the young Freud posited that the near universal cause of mental illness without any obvious trauma was not simply caused by csa but specifically *unconscious memories* of sexual abuse as an infant before the formation of conscious memories and he abandoned this because he saw how common mental illness was and that fully applying the seduction hypothesis would mean that infant sexual abuse was something practiced by almost the majority of the population which did not conform to empirical observations but cut to the 1980s and that period of mass hysteria about satanic daycares engaging in ritualistic abuse and people said this meant Freud was trying to “cover up” csa rings and its like kinda ironic that a moment of Freud actually applying the scientific method to falsify a hypothesis of his has ended up becoming one of the things people use against him (albeit in highly distorted form since the “seduction hypothesis” as originally articulated still wouldn’t hold water so people have to twist it)

[goldnn-harry]

Oooo could we get a continuation of when Harry found out Daisy wasn’t the biggest fan of baths?

Really enjoyed your last piece!! 🥰❤️

of course! i'm glad you enjoyed my last one, i hope you enjoy this one too <3 if not i can totally redo it so let me know!

tags: dad!harry

“how was school bunny?” harry smiled at daisy through the rearview mirror.

daisy hadn't gone to school at all, it was daycare since she had just turned three, but she liked to call it school so harry did too.

“it was good! ms. carter is really nice,” she smiled.

“she is? i'm glad then. what does she do with you guys?”

“well, today we painted! i'm excited to show you,” daisy wasn't lying, she was very excited to show him. she'd show him now, but she remembered how harry had told her that while they were driving the seatbelt stayed on and she stayed in the back.

“well i'm excited to see.” he smiled, “did you eat all your lunch?”

daisy hesitated for a bit and then shook her head no, “all of it except the apples, they felt weird,”

harry knew she meant the texture of them, for some reason she only liked apples with a certain texture.

“well that's okay. apples can be icky sometimes,”

daisy nodded in agreement. “can you put the cd on papa?”

harry chuckled and nodded, placing the cd in its place and turning the volume up a bit. ‘let it go’ from frozen played first, and while daisy sang the song harry hummed the tune of it.

the rest of the car ride was silent. once they were home harry took daisy out of her car seat and let her walk inside their house, him following behind.

“now can i show you my painting?” she asked as harry closed the front door.

he smiled, “of course. let me see the masterpiece my princess made.”

daisy grinned and took the paper out of her folder. “it's me and you!” she held it up to harry. on it, she had drawn stick figures that resembled her and harry on a pretty flower field.

“it's beautiful!” harry took it from her and then picked her up. he kissed her cheek and walked to the kitchen, placing the painting on the fridge with a magnet that was already on it. “now i can always see it when i wake up,”

she giggled.

“ready for lunch? or bath first?”

daisy whined.

harry frowned. “what's wrong baby?”

“i just don't wanna take a bath,” she mumbled quietly.

“well in that case we can eat first, yeah?”

she shook her head, “no because i still have to take a bath after,”

“why don't you wanna take a bath bunny? thought you liked them,”

daisy shook her head, “don't like them.”

“okay well.. i'm sorry baby but you still have to get one. do you want it now or later? i promise to try and make it as enjoyable for you as i can.”

“now i guess.. you promise to make it quick too?”

harry nodded, “i promise.”

after earning a nod from her, harry walked to the bathroom and prepared her bath. he added just a bit of bubbles and scent to it and placed her in when the temperature was right.

“how does that feel?”

she shrugged. harry could tell she wasn't a fan due to her attitude, so he tried to be as quick as possible.

he washed her hair quickly, getting that done with at the beginning. then he bathed her fully and dried her up.

“all done. see? i promised i'd be quick,” he smiled slightly as he dried her hair.

“’m cold daddy,” she said.

harry nodded and wrapped her up in her towel and walked to her room. he let her pick out her pijamas and then helped her put them on.

“feel better?”

she nodded, “i think i like it better with not so many bubbles,”

harry nodded. “i won't add bubbles next time then. we'll work i'll way up until you like it.” it surprised him she didn't enjoy the bubbles, due to the fact that she loved them as a baby and, besides, who didn't like bubbles?

“ready to eat now?”

she nodded and smiled.

“alright, lets go then my little bath hater.” he grinned and kisses all over her face, earning the giggles he loved to hear from her.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Okay so I have this idea of the boys in the modern world! Like what kind of profession/ college course would Azul, Malleus, Leona, Lilia, and Idia would take? Some modern au headcanons with them please!

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Idia Shroud...

...would be an e-girl Twitch streamer that sells his bath water a famous video game let’s player or streamer, maybe even a professional gamer.

But the type that doesn’t show his face, or uses some kind of prop to censor his face whenever he happens to be on camera.

His online personality and his real life personality are so different...! Idia turns down invitations to conventions and fan meets because he worries about how his followers and fellow content creators. will perceive those very different sides to him.

He still makes bank off of his merch though.

I can see him taking college courses for tech-related things so he always has an excuse to hole up in his room and avoid normies. Computer science, video game design, etc.

He does well in school, but if he ever needs to give a speech/presentation or do a group assignment, well...Idia’s gonna bomb it. Thanks a lot, crippling social anxiety.

Disturbs his room mates and his neighbors constantly because of his video game raging late into the night.

The type to show up to lectures in his pajamas if he shows up at all.

Looks like he has gotten zero sleep all the time even if he slept for a full day and then some.

Wears headphones everywhere in public and blasts music at maximum volume so everyone around him can hear it and knows that he doesn’t want to be disturbed.

Llilia Vanrouge...

...is a child daycare worker or a teacher. On weekends, he moonlights as the lead guitarist and vocalist for a death metal band (though he never brings this up in parent-teacher conferences)

He studied history in college, but he discovered his love for childcare when he was tutoring high school students in history as part of a volunteering program...so Lilia changed career paths!

Don’t get him wrong, he still loves history and he’ll tell the little tots under his care all about the most interesting tidbits of it.

But everyone loves him, from his coworkers to the parents to the children under his care. Lilia is just loads of fun--but he knows when he needs to dial back and be serious, too.

Back in school, he was always getting into trouble for small pranks. Spooking the other students, drawing on school property with chalk, etc.--nothing that would get him expelled.

Kind of an easy-going student. If he did well, that’s great. If he did’t do well, that’s also fine! He goes with the flow and doesn’t sweat the details.

Lilia worked really hard for his degree though, especially since he changed it abruptly into something so different.

He volunteered a lot during his studies, wishing to give back to the community and to be with the children even before he had his degree.

Leona Kingscholar...

...is an unemployed rich kid living off of daddy’s money. He’s the second son to some big business or even actual real life royalty.

Have you see how lazy this man is? Of course he doesn’t have a job.

Leona only attends college because his parents threatened to completely cut him off if he didn’t. (”Your older brother Farena went to college, found himself a nice girl, and got himself a stable job that pays well; why don’t you too?”)

Probably got in on an athletic scholarship. What a chad.

He studies liberal arts, English literature, or women’s studies (because he thinks those subjects are easiest to pass with minimum effort and because he respects women).

Very sleepy boi. Falls asleep during the first few seconds of every single lecture (if he’s even there on time), and it is impossible to wake him up.

Shows up late to class. Like...five minutes before the end of class late.

He falls asleep in the most random public places all over campus.

The master at pulling all-nighters.

Most likely sleeps around (both literally and metaphorically).

Popular with the ladies, even if he doesn’t go out of his way to pursue many. Leona won’t force himself onto them, but he won’t say no if they proposition him and he’s feeling bored enough. Might as well have some fun while he’s forced to be here, right?

Has zero idea where he is going in life. Don’t we all?

Malleus Draconia...

...studies architecture, or art history.

He’s so fascinated by the design of buildings and how styles have changed so much over time.

Tends to daydream. This, paired with his resting bitch face and inimidating aura, makes everyone fear him.

Malleus likes to walk around town and the college campus just to enjoy the buildings. Because of this, his peers think of him as “the local scary-looking weirdo”.

Comments like that hurt him, but Malleus tends to bottle up his emotions and be sad about it in the comfort of his personal quarters.

Malleus tries showing up to publicized college events and every club meeting he can think of, but people tend to keep their distance from him.

Probably phones up his family every other night just to check on them and hear their voices. He’s very lonely...

Has a hard time finding a job because many people are intimidated by how he looks. Ends up overwhelming many interviewers.

Probably works part-time at a discreet WcDonald’s location. Nothing glamorous or high-paying, but Malleus doesn’t expect anything like that while he’s still a student. Plus, he is still thankful for the job experience.

Lands a job at a big building firm after college; quickly rises through the ranks and becomes the CEO. All of his haters must be jealous now, huh?

Still, Malleus feels no ill will towards them. He hopes he can be friends with them at the college reunions.

Azul Ashengrotto...

...works as a drug dealer barista and manager of a coffee shop or cafe. If you want to get darker, he runs a casino (where everything is rigged in his favor) and/or is a mafia lord (just look at Octavinelle’s aesthetic) by night.

He dual-majors in business and law because his brain is just that large.

Straight A student, in the honors program, and a teacher’s pet. Most likely a full ride scholarship as well.

Also the president of student government or the head of a club--Azul has stacked his resume with achievements and titles. Employers will be tripping over themselves to hire him.

Azul applies what he’s studying in college into his business (albeit in less-than-savory ways) to maximize his profits and to scare of unruly customers.

He has a lot of friends in college, but he’s not particularly close to any of them.

Binge eats when he’s stressed.

Do not bring up school prior to college life to him; Azul will get war flashbacks to the time when he was bullied. He refuses to talk about his past, and if you keep persisting, he will get back at you.

Despises group projects; he ends up doing all of the hard work. He’s super passive aggressive about it.

Snitches on anyone that crosses him, even slightly. Azul is very petty. Oh, you forgot to return that pencil that he so generously lent you for the exam? Well, prepare to have your embarrassing photos from that one crazy party leaked to the college newspaper.

[ambad]

Horimiya Anime Episode 1/Manga Chapter 1-3 Review/Comparison

All of this assumes you have watched episode 1 already. If you haven’t, please go watch it.

TL;DR: there are problems in both the manga and the anime

The manga opens up with Hori as the clear main character, which we don’t really get in the anime. This isn’t to say that this is a bad thing, just that the anime puts a broader scene on display, while the manga is more introspective into Hori’s thoughts.

We see that, of course, Hori doesn’t hang out with her friends after school and the manga demonstrates that this is a little tough on her, which is good setup for drama (I am told this series is 100% goofs btw).

In the manga, Hori’s monologue tells the readers she fills in the household mother duties because both her parents work and are extremely busy.

However, the anime chooses to show this through a phone call from Hori’s mother, which gives off the impression that Hori’s family is one featuring a single mother with the father not in the picture at all. 

This is further compounded by the picture we see Souta drawing on the day Ishikawa confesses to Hori (we see 4 figures, which, since he’s a child, are likely who he sees as his family, which include himself, Miyamura, Hori, and his mom, but more on this later).

Hori tells us her being pseudo-mama has been her daily life…

At least until Souta meets a dog.

What’s interesting here is the abruptness with which this is brought in. The manga immediately cut to this incident without even a panel that followed up the “this was my daily life.” Meanwhile, the anime brought it in right after the opening, which is fitting because of how the opening can break up the events when there needs to be a sudden relocation. 

However, whereas the manga has this goofy situation as Hori and Miyamura’s first meeting outside of school, the anime cutely put Miyamura in the Souta-go-home scene.

To me, the anime put the weight of Miyamura staying over onto Hori, whereas the manga put it on Souta. 

While we still have the same shirt-tug in the anime, we need that dialogue to really put Miyamura in the predicament that sets off the relationship between Hori and Miyamura.

It's Souta doing this that legitimizes these later lines from Hori:

Without Souta having that role, the story becomes HORI FELL FOR MIYAMURA DAY 1, which makes me a little uncomfortable when female protagonists end up this way. Even with the anime’s “main character” being the “Horimiya scene,” Souta adds a lot of backing to the Horimiya relationship.

To the anime’s credit, Souta does like Miyamura (he sits in Miyamura’s lap) so it’s a valid reason for Miyamura to come over, but at the very least there could've been an anime-only scene after Miyamura leaves where Souta is like "onee-chan, can we have that cool onii-chan come over to play again"

And the thing is, with Souta so interested in Miyamura like this, we automatically have to door open for Hori to have instances where she gets to say "come over for souta" but it's really “come over for me”

I really love how the manga characterizes the interactions between Hori and Miyamura, by showing us “yeah they’re very silly and it’s cute because it gives the relationship so much more character besides "oh we both want to hide our private selves, and wow we love each other now.”

Personally, I’d love the anime to give more of interactions like this:

Here’s where the manga does huge lifting in establishing the Horimiya relationship: 

“We both share this time that we’ll show to no one else.” These introspective boxes are so important, and the anime could use more lines like this to really hammer home the point that "they like each other because they share this time that they don't want to share with anyone else," which is so powerful.

In Chapter 2 (not shown in the anime) we have this beautiful set up for a scene where Miyamura comes in with a gift for Hori, because when that happens, it’ll be so special.

We also see how Souta is necessary to the relationship development between Hori and Miyamura: Miyamura happens across Souta’s daycare, saves Souta from a bully by picking him up from daycare, and even buys Souta juice and a book.

And in keeping with the silliness of the relationship, this cute one-off-line from Hori (”where’s MY juice?”) leads to the two of them drinking the same drink, which is a huge step in a relationship, especially one we’re seeing in an anime.

We also get the opportunity to set up future emotional moments, which are so powerful in the relationship Hori has with Miyamura, where Hori’s basically Souta’s mom, and Miyamura is like a fun dad.

But what’s more amazing is that this same chapter foreshadowed the first gift Miyamura gives to Hori at the end of the chapter, which is an absolutely essential scene the anime needs to have (eventually).

Now we’re In Chapter 3, and thanks to the “latte instead of juice” interaction from Chapter 2, Hori and Miyamura are able to take such a big step in their relationship that they’re sharing drinks at school. This, of course, is exactly why Ishikawa and Yuki notice and remark how close Hori and Miyamura are. It’s the perfect transition into the scene with Ishikawa asking Miyamura about Miyamura’s relationship with Hori.

However, the anime has Hori and Miyamura chatting, though very casual, it’s still not as loud a statement as drinking from the same drink. It's one thing to talk to someone, BUT SHARING THE SAME DRINK?? That's a sure sign two people are pretty close. And the interaction they have around the juice is perfect fodder for someone to be like "wow you're pretty close"

We get this scene after Ishikawas’s confession, and I actually appreciate the anime’s choice of lines here, where Hori instead says “Wait, THAT (is the issue)?!” because it legitimizes the option of a same-sex relationship, but still acknowledges, “Yeah Japan is still touchy on the subject of same-sex relations.” Also, this means Miyamura is bi, haters can get out.

Also, the post credits anime-only scene was cute too. Again, Horimiya anime said there’s nothing wrong with same-sex relations!! 

The manga on the other hand… it’s two guys who are being very judgmental about Ishikawa being in tears.

[consummate-deviant]

Why I Think Entrapdak is Pretty Neat

Hello!  How’s the family?  Cat treating you okay?  Isn’t autumn just...like… the best?  Anyway, so, my Hordak thing turned out to be kinda popular.  I’m flattered, really!  If there are people out there willing to reward me writing stuff with positive attention, then I’ll just have to write more stuff.  I mentioned back then that I had a similar write-up about Entrapdak, as a ship… and there seemed to be a little bit of interest in hearing my thoughts on the subject. So, here ya go!  I’m Lancer, by the by.  Not a lot to me.  I’m a guy who likes things, and who enjoys articulating why I like things.  I don’t really do it for any particular reason. I’m not trying to pwn haters or convert nonbelievers…  As you may recall, though you might have missed it (I tend to be very lowkey and subtle about it), I’m not your dad and have no interest in the position… unless it pays.  I just feel like the internet doesn’t have enough positivity, and the best way to remedy that is to produce some of my own.  

As fate would have it, I like Entrapdak.  A lot.  I don’t ship often... a relationship has to really sync with me on a profound level to make me invested enough in it to want to write about it, but this one did it.  Now, I’m not really promising originality here.  As someone who explores the tag frequently, I know that plenty have expressed feelings I’m going to share with you here, many of whom did so better than I ever could, but sometimes you want to share your perspective, even if others whose opinions mirror yours have done so in the past, y’know? It’s a human thing! The relationship is a little… polarizing with people, though, I’ve noticed.  A lot of people hate it, and have various reasons for doing so.  Again, I ain’t here to convert you if you feel that way, but I did feel like the best way to kick things off would be to look at some of the major reasons other people tend to react to the ship like it were horseradish on a hotdog, and why those reasons don’t really bother me.  A part that I, in my infinite wit and adorned in my clever pants, have dubbed:

Part 1: Entrapdak- Why I don’t hate it

***EXAMPLE THE FIRST: “HORDAK, THE AGED”***

By now it’s fairly well known that Entrapta is somewhere in the range of her late 20s to her early 30s.  Now a few people refuse to accept this, citing her behavior as childish and accusing the creators of lying.    I’m not really going to engage with that perspective.  Hordak and Entrapta have appeared together in creator works and concept art dating back to 2017.  Their interactions were intended to be a part of the show from the early stages of its creation.  If you have so little faith in Noelle that you believe she planned for her story to have a romantic-coded relationship between an adult and a minor… I don’t know what I can even tell you.

Rather, the perspective that interests me comes from people who accept Entrapta being in the stated age range, but who still find themselves repulsed by the relationship on grounds of age.  ‘She’s an adult, sure, but how old is Hordak?  He could be in his fifties or sixties, or even be hundreds of years old.’  This point of view is at least interesting to think about, so I reckon I can share why this deal-breaker for some doesn’t really bother me.  

To begin,  assigning human ages, and the stigmas thereof, to an alien bat clone just feels strange to me.  The Horde doesn’t seem like the type of place to want to waste resources on alien bat clone daycare... was Hordak born as an infant, or was he artificially developed to his current age?  If it’s the later, do we consider him 0 years old at the moment of his birth, or already an adult?  We don’t have a timescale provided to accurately determine his age, so investing too heavily in trying to learn it seems somewhat tedious and a lotofwhat pointless.

If we do, though, my next question is: what is the element of an age gap that makes it inappropriate?  Now, that’s a personal question, of course. Morality isn’t something that really lends itself to objective declarations, but there are a few answers you can offer.  ‘Morality’ isn’t really the operative word here anyway... since it has more to do with taste, though this particular taste does come from what you believe…  Y’know, it just occurred to me, but…  People who believe that their taste in ships makes them morally superior, and that ships they dislike are supported by moral degenerates, seem like people who just aren’t a lot of fun to be around or think about… but that’s a digression, I’ll refocus my thought-lazer.

For me, with age gaps, it comes down to two things:

1.) Both parties being on the same side of the child/adult divide- I should hope this one sounds reasonable, right?  The ships that really powdered sugar my poptart are the ones that feel like equal partnerships, and relationships that try to cross this line tend to not be especially equal.  

2.) What stage in their lives they’re at-  It’s difficult for even a wizard of self expression like myself to state plainly, so let me give an example: If I saw a 25 year old dating a 50 year old, the 25-year age difference isn’t so much what makes it off-putting, but rather what those 25 years represent in this circumstance.  At age 25, people are still struggling to find themselves.  They’re adjusting to independence, gaining an identity, maybe finally finding an entryway into a career path that suits them.  By 50, a person is already established.  They likely have a career, they have a firm grasp on who they are as a person and what they want to be, and they almost certainly have a greater degree of financial stability.  Thus, if they enter a relationship, which is supposed to be equal, it doesn’t feel that way.  One side has a stronger position than the other, and over time that could become power they use to sway and control the other.

I don’t see Hordak as being in a more advanced stage of his life than Entrapta.  They seem to be at about the same place when it comes to self actualization.  In fact, Hordak is a bit more arrested in his development than Entrapta is, simply because he’s never really thought to question what would make him happy or why.  Hordak rules the Horde, which Entrapta is a part of… which could lead to an imbalance, if Entrapta, like, could be bothered to give even the slightest toss of a salad about status or promotion, but she doesn’t.  Neither of them holds higher ground over the other in a way that’s significant to the two of them.  In terms of life stage, they’re perfectly equal. The fact that Hordak might be physically older than her by some unspecified amount is, by itself, completely arbitrary and meaningless.  

*** EXAMPLE THE SECOND: ‘ENTRAPTA, THE MANIPULATED’***

A second, rarer discussion point for those who are unfond of the ship is that it’s unhealthy, on the grounds that Hordak is manipulating Entrapta.  Taking advantage of her naivete to coerce her into aiding the forces of darkness despite not caring for her at all.  Now, as I mentioned above, I ain’t writing this to change anyone’s mind.  If you’re reading this, and this is a viewpoint you hold as valid, do what makes you happy, homie.  That said, the issue I ran into when I tried to think of why this perspective didn’t bother me was a vexing one. See, I like to fancy myself an empathetic dude.  I try really hard to consider other people’s perspectives when I have a disagreement, and avoid judging anyone too harshly if I don’t know their full circumstance… but even with all that alleged empathy at my disposal… this hot take about Entrapdak is… kinda completely incomprehensible to me? Like, I have no idea how anyone could have seen the interactions between the two and draw this conclusion?

Part of it has to do with how Entrapta is written.  She’s both ADHD-coded and Autistic-coded, and there’s a tendency to perceive the behaviors of both those groups of people as childish.  People who see that ‘childishness’ extrapolate it further to a general innocence/stupidity, and assume the character in question lacks the faculties to engage with other people evenly.

Look, I don’t have ADHD, but I am super, duper autistic.  Having lived with myself for a lifetime, let me just say, I kind of get why this happens.  We get extremely focused on our hobbies, we’re bad at reading social nuance, we have very simplistic body language, we tend to express our emotions in a very blunt and straightforward manner… I get that, for most neurotypical people, the only other group they ever encounter who shares these traits are children, and thus they tend to subconsciously connect the two.  I understand why it happens, even if I do find it awkward and condescending.

…but y’all are underestimating Entrapta.  She’s not helping the horde because she’s helpless and being manipulated. She’s helping them because she has no moral compass to speak of, and will eagerly assist with any scientific endeavor she finds interesting, without care for its ultimate application.  In season 1, she knew well in advance the damage her actions would have on the world, and followed through with them anyway.  In season 2, she happily assisted in the creation of a portal, knowing full-well that its opening would invite a colonialist military force into the vicinity of her home, and only withdrew her support for the project… hesitantly… when it became clearly evident that activating it would eradicate all life on the planet.   At no point is she ever acting while the applications of her actions are being hidden from her by Hordak.  She’s not an innocent child.  

The thing is, though, I agree that Entrapta would be incredibly easy to manipulate… if someone knew what buttons to push. She is very self conscious of how difficult it is for her to form lasting emotional bonds with other people.  She tends to blame herself when she feels she’s been abandoned by others, and feels that her inability make friends is a sign that she’s a defective failure. If someone wanted to manipulate her into doing something she didn’t want to do, they would probably find success if they offered her friendship and then fed into that self loathing, emotionally abusing her by implying that she was indeed a failure, and would be abandoned again if she didn’t obey.  That is totally something someone could do to her, and I would absolutely not enjoy any ship between her and such a person.  Good thing Hordak… y’know… did literally the opposite of that.

***EXAMPLE THE THIRD- “ENTRAPDAK, THE PLATONIC”***

A nice short one to balance out the longer examples above.  Quite a few people just deny that there are romantic implications behind their interactions, and see them as a friendship instead.  I do disagree with this assessment, but honestly, even if it were true, this would still be my favorite relationship in the show.  

Something that has always boggled me about people on the internet is their tendency to treat friendship like some ‘equal but opposite’ force to romance… a status independent of a romantic relationship rather than literally the foundation upon which all successful romantic relationships are built.  Genuine friendship is a beautiful, underrated thing, and acting as though the bond of friendship is inherently less worthy of appreciation than romance is silly.

So… yeah…  platonic Entrapdak… I disagree, but even if you’re right and I’m wrong in the end… I’ll be pretty okay with that, too.  Movin’ on.

***EXAMPLE THE FOURTH: ‘HORDAK, THE IRREDEEMABLE’***

For the last dealbreaker I want to consider today, I figured I’d bring one up that’s a lot like the platonic argument, in my eyes: that an evil guy like Hordak can’t change his ways, even with the power of love.  Thus, the relationship is bust, because what’s the point of of a villain x heroine ship, if not to redeem the villain?

...

So, recently I wrote this whole big thing about Hordak, where I argued in favor of his redemption, and why I felt like that was where the story is going… I stand by the opinions expressed there, but I’d like to ask any who read that to push it out of their mind for now.  Hordak’s redemptive potential is largely irrelevant to my feelings about this ship.  When it comes to entrapdak, when confronted by the possibility that Hordak may remain a villain, my reaction is the most intense and passionate of shrugs.

...I just don’t care.

There’s a tendency to assume that redemption is the aim of a villain ship, and I suppose I can see why that is.  There’s a bit of a stereotype for female fantasies where they fix a broken man with the power of their love, and when people ship villains, that’s probably the first assumption an outsider will make as to why.  I cannot speak for others, but that’s just not a factor in the appeal of their relationship for me.

When you allow yourself to be vulnerable in front of another person, you open yourself up to the risk of being completely devastated by them.  When you show vulnerability to another person, and they accept that side of you, and express vulnerability of their own, you establish a genuine connection with that person, and those connections are kiiiinda one of the most important elements of the human experience.

That Hordak was a villain who did terrible things was always kinda aside from the point of what really makes Entrapta and Hordak such a bewitching pairing for me.  It was always the serendipity of two people who privately believe they’re alone in the world realizing they resonate with one another in a meaningful way.  Resonance is the appeal of Entrapdak, not redemption.

I tend to hope for Hordak’s redemption, I won’t lie, and I do think it’s likely, but I don’t think it’ll be love that redeems him, nor would I want it to be… not entirely.  I like seeing flawed, morally dark/gray characters overcome the obstacles that deny them self actualization, and watching them grow as a result.

That’s got nothing to do with him and Entrapta, though.  Whether the story ends with the pair of them riding into the sunset to collect data and invent shit, or with the pair of them leading the Horde in the name of galactic conquest and terror… I’m down with it either way, dude.   In the context of the ship, I care that Hordak is an evil overlord… about as much as Entrapta does.

However, pseudo-responding to naysayers is a bit negative for my tastes.  I prefer to focus on the positive in life, like the smell of soil and rain on a crisp autumn morning. ��I… I’m in a very fall mood, okay?  Sue me.  Y’know what else I like, though?  Entrapdak.  Lemme wax poetic for a bit longer, and I’ll tell ya why this ship is, like, the peanut butter on my blueberry pancakes.

Part 2: Entrapdak- Why I love it

So, uh… If brevity is the soul of wit, I may be something of an idiot.  I’ve made my peace with that, of course, I’m just sayin’: I’m many things, but I’m not pithy.  If someone were to put a gun to my head, though, and demand that I describe the shipping aesthetic I love the most in life in a single sentence… I would probably respond with this:

My favorite ships are ones in which awkward, lonely people bond over a shared fondness of nerdy hobbies.

Now, that sounds super narrow, and it totally is… I don’t get new OTPs very often… but hearing that, I imagine you can see why Entrapta and Hordak immediately appealed to me.  It goes a bit deeper, though.  

The bonds between people are a major part of the story of She-ra.  We see how characters are changed, positively or negatively, by the connection they share with other characters.  Just like in real life, these connections are a mixed bag; some of them are positive, and some are negative.  Some characters, like Hordak and Catra, resonate strongly with one another, but the resonance is a negative force in their lives, which draws them deeper into darkness, and for many of the characters in the show, their character journeys are about breaking free of such toxic relationships and forming healthy bonds.

The bond between Entrapta and Hordak is unique among all bonds in the show though, in that it is the only one that isn’t mixed.  It is an unambiguous positive influence on both of them. Let’s break it down a little bit.

***ENTRAPTA***

Entrapta, at first, seems like the kind of person who isn’t super connected to other people.  At the princess prom, she mentions that she finds observing the relationships of others far more fascinating than forging relationships of her own, and she spends much of the early seasons working alone with her robots, buried in whichever task happens to have her interest in that particular moment.  

Later seasons gradually tear this facade away, though, and reveal a fairly tragic truth hidden behind it.  I mentioned above that she internalizes her failures to form lasting bonds with other people, and is genuinely distraught about it.  When she’s exiled to Beast Island, her frustration at her inability to make friends was the driving force that chained her there, even more so than her love of technology and invention.  It becomes clear that, to some degree, she buries herself in her work to escape her feelings of inadequacy.

This is a relatable and sad thing to realize about a character, but it also has the unpleasant effect of making events that were played for laughs earlier in the show somewhat tragic in hindsight.  Seeing the way she interacted with the Princess Alliance, you could see how she would have come to a very soul-crushing misunderstanding:  That, among other people, she was someone whose presence was… tolerated- at times even appreciated- but never seemed to be enjoyed by anyone. She was the friend everyone sought out when they needed her help, then forgot about.  

This wasn’t the case, of course, and clarifying her value to the group was what ultimately helped her escape the vines in season four, but from her perspective that was how it appeared, and likely how all her previous interactions with other people had gone before that. Some people complained about how easily Entrapta was able to believe that the princesses had left her behind, but it’s the same reason Hordak was so easily able to believe that Entrapta had betrayed him: In the eyes of someone who hates themselves, it’s only a matter of time before others abandon them.  

That said, it also goes to show why Hordak became so special to her.  For the first time in her life, she had a friend who joined her in her workspace, instead of leaving her to a task after giving it to her.  Someone able to converse equally with her about subjects she was interested in.  The elements of herself that made it so difficult to draw closer to others were the very same elements that caused her to get so close to him.  Her intelligence and hyper-focus upon science made her the intellectual peer of a space-faring alien, her lack of awareness of social subtext helped her to see beyond the barriers he put up to keep other people away, and her past experience with failure and rejection helped her to empathize with his pain.

It’s perfectly pleasant to find someone who accepts you and enjoys your company despite not understanding the idiosyncratic elements of your personality, but that pales in comparison to how it feels to find someone who accepts you precisely because they understand those elements.

***Hordak***

Hordak didn’t really have ‘peers’, per se, for most of his life.  We don’t know the level of autonomy the average clone has in the Horde… but I feel comfortable assuming that the level isn’t very high.  Thus, his circumstance differs quite a bit from Entrapta, in that, rather than trying to form bonds with others, and feeling like he failed, for much of his life he never had the chance to try to form them in the first place.

He is, at first, deeply dismissive of the people of Etheria, whom he regards as primitives who are beneath his acknowledgment.  Much of this, as with much of everything that dictates how he treats others, is born of projection… dude has some pretty major self-loathing issues… but regardless of cause, it results in a kind of self-imposed isolation.

Unlike Entrapta, who knew, on some level, that her lack of ability to bond with others troubled her, Hordak kept most of his emotions bottled up... Locked so deeply inside him that not even he really bothered to try to understand them.  That was where her disposition and his meshed perfectly for him.  Because Entrapta was defined by her curiosity, and her lackluster awareness of his attempts to keep her at bay, she was able to metaphorically crack him open, forcing him to vocalize and confront his own motivations.

Sometimes you need someone to just… like... grab you with their hair, push you up against a vat, and demand you tell them everything, man.

I’ve already discussed Hordak fairly extensively in my first blog blurb thingy, and while I repeat myself by accident quite frequently, I’m loathe to repeat myself on purpose.  I just wanted to take the opportunity to marvel at how well their personalities fit together.  Perhaps I’m just high on this feeling: I’ve never actually shipped something a creator so clearly intended to be there, before!

*** In Conclusion***

We’re all born imperfect, and we’ll all die imperfect.  Our imperfections are similar, but never uniform.  Each of us bears jagged cuts and missing sections of many shapes and sizes.  Humans are social creatures, and it’s in our nature to constantly seek one another out.  We keep trying to find people who are strong where we are weak; someone whose missing sections happen to lie in a pattern compatible with our own.

We’ll resonate with many in our lifetime.  Sometimes, the melody will be harmonious, and guide all involved higher and higher into the light of self actualization. Other times the sound will be discordant, and pull us down into self destruction.  Sadly, from our perspective in the middle, it will always be difficult to tell which is which.

I love the relationship between Entrapta and Hordak because it’s a dynamic that elevates both of them.  Not in a moral sense, but in a personal one.  In a series defined by toxic and uneven relationships that wear others down and tear them apart, these two have a dynamic that shelters and reinforces them.  Giving them an opportunity to be glad they were born the way they were, instead of cursing their misfortune.

It’s the kind of relationship that makes me muse about how imperfection really is beautiful.  It’s because we’re imperfect that we never stop trying to harmonize with other people, and if there’s one theme I can’t help but feel that the show itself is building toward, it’s this: Two in harmony surpass one in perfection.  

*** So hey!  Thanks for reading all of that!  Sorry if it was a bit of a mess.  Saying nothing with a great deal of words is a talent of mine, but I really do love these guys, and if you love ‘em too, don’t let anyone grind you down over it!

Let me know if you enjoyed my work, though!  If so, I’ll be happy to share my thoughts on other things, since I’ll be stuck with this series on my brain until I see how my new obsession plays out.  In the meantime take care of yourselves! If you do heavy lifting, make sure to do so with your knees, not your back.  Tell someone who makes your day a little brighter how much you appreciate them.  Then, take some time to savor the greatest of all winter beverages: hot apple cider.

[draconida]

Shance Fic Recs (Part three)

More Shance! With Kuro and Sven too. 

82- Mysteries Become Reality by FullmetalDude1 [M/M/M/M, Sven and Kuro]

The world is full of mythical creatures that are slowly but surely being integrated and accepted into society, but a couple of hate crimes and BS still happens.

Lance is a human in this world, doing his best to help Mythics out even if he's got a bad history.

Then he meets 4 super hot Mythics in collage and he is gone, but he'll never admit that.

At least, not until he's been held for ransom by a gang of haters.

83- i don't have too much but i know enough by quiddative

Lance shot a panicked look at Keith but the asshole just laid there uselessly. “Don’t look at me like that,” he snorted. “They’re your kids, after all.”

What?

“What?” Lance and Allura yelled.

Allura turned to Kolivan with narrowed eyes. “Explain,” she demanded.

Kolivan looked very much like he wanted a drink. “The two of them appear to be the Red and Black Paladins’ children from the future.”

(Or: Lance and Shiro's children appear from the future and emotions ensue.)

85- Remember Me by boredomsMuse

Back before Kerberos, Lance and Shiro had been close. Boyfriends, type close. Boyfriends who'd meet each other's parents, all of them, type close.

Except, none of the Paladins know that. Not even Shiro.

86- Starlight Starshine by stirlingphoenix

'He’s beautiful', was the only thought Shiro’s mind could process as he watched Lance in person for the very first time. Those two little words repeated themselves on a loop over and over, making sure he’d never forget this moment. He’d always thought Lance to be exceedingly attractive, but seeing him in real life, as opposed to the TV screen or a movie poster nearly blew his mind.

Shiro had every intention of getting out of there before he ended up doing something embarrassing. Nevermind the fact that Lance wouldn’t know who he was, he still wasn’t too keen on potentially making a fool of himself. But just before he could make a beeline for the exit, the sound of his proper last name echoed throughout the air, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks.

“Excuse me, Mr. Shirogane?” The nervousness that plagued his caller’s voice hit Shiro’s ears wrong, yet it was still oddly familiar to him, as if he’d heard that same tone over a hundred times before.

As it turned out, he had, just never like this. Turning around, he came face-to-face with the lead of the production, the one and only Lance McClain himself, standing before him with a curious, perhaps even anxious expression covering his face.

87- Hi by Nevermoree

"in a world where you have your soulmates’ first words tattooed in your skin, he, obviously, has… well, that."

88- Te prefiero a ti by Nevermoree [Explicit and only spanish]

Lance has been in love with Shiro since he can remember, so when he have the opportunity to spend the night with Shiro, he have decided not to waste it. It's supposed to be a one-night deal, but things do not always work out the way you plan.

89- How to get a hot, shape-shifting dragon-man to fall in love with you by charlotteXOyates [Explicit]

Discovering a new species is a dream every reptile expert can relate to, so Lance's excitement upon meeting Shiro, a man with scales and a dragon tail, is understandably through the roof. What's less understandable, however, is Lance's sudden desire to help the dragon-man with his rut…

90- Daycare, Toddlers, and a bit of Love by starryrosez

Lance falls in love with the father of a boy he looks after in daycare.

91- Claws by AshesTheTerrible [Explicit and omegaverse] Lance had clawed his way through the Galra military ranks. This was the most important day of his entire existence. He was being assigned to a commander. One of the most ruthless commanders in the Empire. He had to make a good impression.

It would be just his luck that he'd be stricken with the beginnings of a ruthless heat. He knew the suppressants made him sick, but he took them anyway. Anything was better than a fucking stupid heat. He couldn't very well look strong with his heat boring down on his shoulders.

But puking at the feet of your new commander doesn't exactly make you look like a model Galra either… hindsight Lance supposes. 92- Lance's Guide on How to Embarrass Yourself in Front of Your Insurance Adjuster by Eilera

“This is for my mama, Hunk. She was so worried about this whole thing. They just finished renovating. I’m not gonna let her down. If my name isn’t Lance fucking Hernandez Martine-holy fuck he’s gorgeous.”

“Oh no. No. Lance do-“

Lance didn’t even hear him because there was a fucking gorgeous god walking up the path to the front door.

(In which Lance is helping his mama with an insurance claim and he was not prepared for the smoking hot insurance adjuster.)

93- designated drivers anonymous by kalakauuas

"It’s halfway through his sixth attempt at a puppy-filter pic that the bathroom door whooshes open wider than Lance’s mouth trying to prompt the puppy tongue onto the screen. Right when Lance screeches in surprised terror, he takes the picture.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it was occupied,” says the person who threw the door open, his hands rushing to cover his eyes quicker than Lance would run from his mom’s chancla.

The good thing is, aside from vaguely humiliating selfie poses, there’s nothing to see here."

Lance and Shiro meet through a shared hobby, if you consider hiding in bathrooms during house parties a hobby.

94- Tris for Guys by quiddative

“Um, my name is Lance McClain-Reyes and I have a personal training session,” Lance said, though it came out as more of a question than a statement.

The girl hummed and typed something on the computer. “Ah, right on time,” she said. “Looks like you’ve been paired up with Shiro. If you’ll just take a seat, he should be out in a few minutes.”

Shiro?, Lance thought as all the gears in his brain suddenly screeched to a halt. I must have heard wrong. There’s no way—

“That’s okay, Pidge, I’m already here,” said a deep and familiar voice just behind Lance.

(Or: What do you do when the guy you've been crushing on turns out to be your personal trainer for the day?)

95- easier to lose by quiddative [Explicit]

Shiro is at the peak of his NHL career. Unfortunately, being famous has its downsides, particularly when it comes to dating. And that’s on top of the fact that he’s still in the closet. However, a chance meeting with college student Lance, who seems to be the only person in the entire city who doesn’t know who he is, gives him hope that maybe he won’t die alone after all. Just as long as he can keep his identity a secret.

96- A Halloween Tail by Cathwren

Lance just wanted to have a fun Halloween night, but when homophobic idiots give him trouble he makes a new friend in the dashing young knight that swoops in to save the day. Secrets are shared and Lance can easily say he got a night to remember...and maybe even a boyfriend.

97- 13 stories for Halloween by liddie [Explicit]

A collection of 13 Shance stories for the month of October featuring (but not limited to): vampires, kitsune, werewolves, demons, cursed scarecrows, ghosts, merpeople, oni and whatever else comes to mind!

98- Head Start by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit]

Werewolves. If there was one scent Lance knew above all else, it was Werewolves. Being born from a werewolf father and a human mother Lance knew werewolves. So when he got to the Galaxy Garrison and smelled werewolf in his class his first thought was to make peace with the other wolf.

Sure, Lance was only a half blood, and the closest to transformation he'd ever gotten was sharpened canines and claws during a full moon, but he was still wolf. As such, wolves should stick together. He left his family pack behind to come to the Garrison, maybe he'd be able to form a new pack here.

99- Forgotten Gods and Scales Like Jewels by keir [Explicit and Dubious Consent]

Lance has spent his entire career searching for the elusive and forgotten god of war and lust, a god made of part man, part snake. The pieces are there, and once Lance puts them together, he and his team discover the long forgotten temple dedicated to the naga god, but more lies in store for Lance than he could have ever dreamed of discovering.

100- Of God's and Fae's by MommaVanillaBear

A fae of the ocean, casted aside and alone made the dangerous trek to the festival of lights, and though the way back should have been easy, his steps become lost and the ocean he searches for is replaced by thick foliage and towering trees. Caught by a creature that claims to be an Earth fae, the one of the ocean must spend a month living in the forest or else the God who watches the forest will become aware of him. And there was no way the ocean fae could fight or hope to escape the wrath of a god.

101- Pornstar Lance by Ryuani [Explicit]

Lance used to work as a pornstar but space kinda stopped that.

102- Take a Chance by nuuuge [Fem!Shance]

Lance really just wants the hot Basketball prodigy to notice her.

103- Yearning Touch by CirqueBordello (CircusTalia) [Explicit and Sven]

Sven volunteers to be part of an experiment. But when that experiment makes a change in his body, Lance is there to support him but also realizes he likes the new Sven.

104- The Shirogane Triplets by MermaidLance [Explicit, Trans Lance and the title]

Three Boys

One Lance

He's in for an adventure.

105- Next Time, Pack Them Separately by Quiddity

“So, uh, you in Detroit on business?” Lance asks. The guy glances at him and for a second Lance thinks that he’s terribly misread his mood and he’s about to be snubbed in the worst way. Then he notices the dark circles under his eyes. The man’s totally exhausted. “No,” the man says, shuffling together his papers and securing them together with a wicked looking alligator clip. “I’m headed to New York.” Lance perks up. “Oh! Me too! I’m headed there to meet up with- uh…” Lance is cut off when his neighbor unbuckles himself, stands, and pushes into the line of passengers with a muttered apology. Lance sits there, dumbfounded as the man opens the overhead compartment and pulls down his- Nope. That’s Lance’s bag he’s strapping over his shoulder. That’s his palm tree name tag, that’s his laptop, that’s his senior film project he’s been working on for the past six months and his external hard drive with only back up of three hundred hours of work just shambling down the aisle and off the plane. Oh no.

106- The Knotty Omega by keir [Explicit, omegaverse and little All/Lance]

Lance never saw himself doing porn, but the opportunity fell in his lap with a wicked smile and the smooth talk of Lotor, a producer. The omega finds himself at the center of attention for many horny alphas as he does the most taboo and engages in heat sex for the camera.

107- Double Trouble by liddie [Explicit, Kuro and Shiro]

When Lance agreed to help out at his grandma's flower shop during summer break, he didn't know that it meant managing the shop singlehandedly for months while she went adventuring off to Europe.

Sure, he needs to practice his magic with living things...and yes, plants are a good way to do that without bodies stacking up if something went wrong. But Lance can't even keep a dandelion alive to save his life, so how the hell is he going to keep the entire stock of his grandma's enchanted flower shop alive and healthy for four months?

The answer is simple. He's going to summon himself some help using the dusty old spell book he found in the attic.

It's too bad Lance's handwriting looks like chicken scratch on a good day…

108- To Drown In You by Val_Creative [Explicit and Trans Lance]

Humans are a fearful race, unable to conjure anything other than simpler, volatile emotions, or so Shiro’s mer-clan has taught him. Lance’s compassion and his openhearted empathy deepens Shiro’s need for more. And he’s only know Lance for the turn of a moon.

109- How Deep is the Love We Think We Know by mizufallsfromkumo [omegaverse]

It had been a considerable while since Shiro nested.

So long in fact he didn’t even realize he was doing it.

Until he yanked one of the Castle’s lounge couch cushions out from behind Pidge. No regard for the fact that she was using it. He just knew he needed that one because it was the softest of all the other cushions. Pidge’s surprised squeak as she toppled to the side didn’t even register with him for a moment.

Or at least not till Keith called him out.

110- Repayment by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit and omegaverse]

“I need you to do me a favor Coran.”

“Anything for you, son.”

Lance stepped forward, digging his wallet out of his pocket and slamming it down on the desk in front of him. “There is a man here, an alpha named Shiro. He lost his arm in a car accident.”

“Yes, Takashi Shirogane. It’s a shame what happened to him.” Coran looked away sadly.

“I want you to take this credit card and give him everything he needs. The best, top of the line products.” Coran looked down at the credit card pressed between Lance’s hand and his desk then back up at Lance. “Please?”

111- Dream a Little Dream by thinkpink [Explicit]

Shiro is an adult- he knows how feelings work. He definitely knows his own feelings. Right?

112- Telltale Blush by thinkpink [Explicit and Dubious Consent]

“So why don’t we just skip the part where you throw lines at me and I pretend not to be interested, and you can suck my dick instead.”

113- Dress to Impress by thinkpink

How did Shiro even get sweatpants in space? And why are they so god damn thin!

114- A Dragon by liddie [Explicit]

On the day of his wedding, Prince Lance is carried away by a fearsome creature of old. The remote island is a prison and the dragon his keeper, although Lance is not completely alone. A mysterious man named Shiro is also a prisoner of the dragon, but as Lance learns just who he is, he comes to realize there is more to Shiro than he first thought.

115- In Flagrante Delicto by gwendy1

in flagrante delicto (adverb)

Definition of in flagrante delicto: 1 : in the very act of committing a misdeed : red-handed 2 : in the midst of sexual activity

116- Black's Deal by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit and little Klance]

I’ll give you what you need to get what you want, but you only get two quintent. Do you agree?

“Yes.”

Or the story of Shiro taking over Keith's body in the time of his disappearance between seasons 2 and 3.

117- The Beast Of Pirate's Bay by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit and Major character death, but don't scary you. Happy ending]

A loud shriek filled the air, causing him to fall back onto the damp metal of the ship floor. “I’m sorry.” He whimpered, covering his ears as the sound continued to ring out.

As instant as the sound came it quickly disappeared, leaving Lance to tentatively uncover his ears. “Please,” he begged, tears escaping his eyes as he looked over the side of the boat again. “I won’t even enter your territory if you just bring me a juniberry flower!”.

118- The Lion, The Witch, and the Cursed Ghost by SuccubustyKisses [Explicit]

When lance goes to Kogane forest in search of the cat he saw plastered all over the news he ends up with a lot more than he bargained for. But he's not complaining.

The ghost floated up, arms crossed as he looked over the trees. “I’ll make you a deal.” Lance’s eyes brightened, he knew his excitement was obvious. But, he didn’t care. “If you can find me in this forest before the sun sets, I’ll take you to see Shiro. If not, you will leave this forest without a fight.” He turned and lowered down to Lance’s level again, holding out his transparent hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Shiro must be the cat.

Lance reached out, taking the hand, surprised when he actually felt contact. “Deal.” Before he could even shake the hand properly it was gone, along with its owner, only the flutter of leaves in the air showing he had even been there. Snatching up one of the leaves, Lance grinned. This ghost vastly underestimated him.

119- That's not a phone by CrypticGabriel [Explicit and Trans Lance]

Lance had a part-time job at the movie theater. During his job, he liked ogling at a frequent flyer named Shiro. But he never expected to catch him doing the unthinkable while watching a movie. And no. It didn't involve a phone.

120- Let's Play A Game by liddie [Explicit]

About to leave for a little vacation time at his grandfather's seaside cottage, Shiro gets a text from Allura asking if he can drop her friend Lance off at the beach on his way. He agrees, but is entirely unprepared for everything that Lance is.

121- How Do I "Casual"? by The_Busy_Beee

Sometimes Lance loves living in the same building as his best friends.

Sometimes he hates it with a passion.

Usually only when Keith's involved, however.

Or:

Lance brings home a guy and isn't sure how to handle the "morning after" situation. Keith is exhausted and thinks Lance has murdered somebody.

122- Spilling Secrets by The_Busy_Beee

Everyone knows the past never stays in the past.

Or:

Shiro finally meets the Blue Lane crew, Lotor is a shit, and Lance really just wants today to go well.

123- Good Girl by strawberrylovely [Explicit and Fem!Lance]

Shiro hears Lance masturbating in the team bathroom. He’s not sure whether to help or run away, so Lance makes the decision for him.

124- Beautiful Breed by Blue_Queen662 [Fem!Lance]

Kept in captivity for years, Lance had not had any contact with others like herself in a long while.

Shiro had been gone from the sea for years. From being separated from his pod for a long time, he had forgotten how it feels to be loved by a mate.

Shiro has been chosen to be Lance’s mate. For his strangth, speed and intellect; it was decided amongst guests at a dinner party that the Champion will mate with Zarkon’s prize pet.

125- my boyfriend's back (and you're gonna be in trouble) by heavenlyrare

The Galra and the Alteans haven't been at each other's throats, thanks to Prince Lance's and Commander Shiro's relationship.

Unfortunately, the rest of the universe doesn't seem to know that.

126- Missing Pieces by AshesTheTerrible [Explicit]

Shiro comes back from two tours overseas a changed man. He has one less arm and a lot more nightmares. His best friend Keith convinces him Yoga is the perfect form of meditation to help with his PTSD and he's skeptical at best....that is until he sees the instructor and is instantly in love.

127- Full Moons and the Mornings After by Impetus

Lance really needs to stop letting stray wolves into his apartment.

128- My Best Friend's Brother? How Cliche by orphan_account

Lance has been pining after Shiro since he was 14, and the last time he saw him before Shiro left to go to veterinary school had been embarrassing as hell. But, things were different now. 3 years had passed, Shiro was back, and Lance was a new and improved version of himself. This time, Lance wasn't afraid to do what he wanted to.

OR that one where Lance hasn't seen Shiro in years but when he goes to drop some food off at Keith's house he walks in on Shiro working out.

129- How To Use a Long Rest by avoidingavoidance [Explicit]

In which the team's game of Monsters and Mana isn't actually a game, and Lance takes good care of Shiro. Several times.

130- Just Take That Breath in Your Lungs by mizufallsfromkumo [Omegaverse]

When Shiro was younger, and freshly presented as an Alpha, he use to think about how things would be when he claimed his mate for himself.

Ideally it would be their wedding night, but it wasn’t a necessity. Shiro was fine with whenever moment arose and felt right. And when his intended mate would find it, Shiro would turn on soft music. They’d maybe dance a little, or speak soft words of love. Then the night would progress in a slow, gentle, and loving path towards claiming.

Because yeah, Shiro was a hopeless romantic at times.

Sue him.

But that was the furthest thing that was happening, Shiro thought as he and Lance flopped into the nest both of them had constructed over two weeks ago.

131- Can You Find the Path that Leads Back to My Heart by mizufallsfromkumo

Lance was just left to sulk in the cockpit. And wonder just where his relationship stood with his mate, who had his soul transferred and fused into a clone's body. A clone Lance had just continued on courting like nothing ever happened, because he didn’t know his mate had even died in the first place.

Lance never thought going to space would be filled with so much drama.

Much less, drama that made his life sound like really bad telenovela plot line.

132- Some Good Shooting by AshesTheTerrible [Explicit and Trans Lance]

Lance and Shiro had been nothing but a hurricane of spats and frustration since the switching of lions. And then quite suddenly...they weren't anymore. Hunk couldn't figure out what had changed between the blue and black paladins but the rest of the team just seemed happy the two were working together. Maybe a little too well in fact.

Unbeknownst to the others, really all it took to change the two paladin's attitudes toward each other was one hard kiss in the hangar doors.

Parts 1 / 2 / 3 

[indecentpause]

You Got Questions? I have answers!

@mercurialscoundrel kindly tagged me in this one! Since I always have so much original content on Sundays and Mondays, I thought it would be good to do a few of these today! I know you’ve all mostly been at the mercy of my queue recently. ;-; Sorry about that. I’ll try to be better.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Don’t worry about publication. Don’t even worry about your audience. What do you want to read? Can you find it? No? Then write it. You’ll find your people. For now, just have fun.

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

All of my books can stand on their own, BUT, you’ll get a bigger picture of the characters and how their lives intertwine if you read Push Me, Pull Me; The Succession of Us; and Two Heartbeats on One Page together and in that order.

What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?

I can’t think of any. I kind of ‘grew out’ of Shakespeare for a while when I was a pretentious college butthead but then dove back in a couple years later when I realized I can like whatever I want to and fuck the haters. I love his comedies and tragedies but have never read or seen any of his historical plays.

Other than that, stuff I hate I usually hate for a reason and I usually hate it forever. Even if that reason is just ‘it’s boring.’

What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?

When I was a kid, as most people did, I learned about the power of words when some asshole douchecanoe kid stopped me on my way to the daycare bus (I was in grade school, maybe 4th grade?) and she grabbed my arm and said, “I don’t have much time, but your brother is dead.”

I was bullied ruthlessly as a kid, and this was just another bullshit prank, but I was horrified and terrified, and I didn’t know where to go, or who to ask about it, or anything. And this was long before cell phones were a thing; people used  pagers and payphones back then.

Also, once I was wearing a baseball cap backwards, with loose jeans and an oversized t-shirt, and some boy knocked my hat off and called me a dyke. And I thought, “Fuck yeah! I’m a dyke!” (I turned out to be nonbinary, but that wasn’t a thing people talked about back then. Nonetheless, it was very empowering.)

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

I LOVE  Miles Walker, You’re Dead by Linda Jaivin. Almost all my favorites (aside from the Redwall series) have average to really low ratings on sites like Goodreads, so I guess I just love trash?

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

N...nothing? They’re just characters like everyone else. What exactly is the opposite of a nonbinary person, anyway? ;) I kid (mostly), but seriously, just write a character. If you can’t figure it out, research. 

What was your hardest scene to write?

Ooooh my gosh the ENTIRETY of Hell Hath No Fury from my Sheraton Academy Shorts. I’m linking to it with the intent of MAKING YOU PROMISE to read the trigger warnings before you move on.

When you develop characters do you already know who they are before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go?

It depends. Sometimes I write out a whole character sheet, sometimes I just have notes scribbled in random order, sometimes it’s just something like:

Name, age, gender, sexual orientation, likes apples, scared of ghosts??? wants to be abducted by aliens maybe

It really just varies with how I’m doing mentally when I come up with them.

Where is your favorite place to write?

At home, on my desktop computer, in the bedroom, with a cup of coffee and as much quiet as I can manage.

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

The middle of the story. Always.

OKAY WHO’S GETTIN TAGGED I don’t think I saw anyone else on my dash answer these questions, so we’ll go with @raevenlywrites @katiehahnbooks @teacup-universes @forlornraven @infinitelyblankpage @adorhauer @violet-clouds-and-skies 

[thekrazykeke]

FANDOM(S): Deadpool, MCU

RELATIONSHIP(S): Blind Al & reader. Deadpool x reader.

REQUEST: Oh it’s cool just some deadpool/reader. Like where the reader is blind Al’s granddaughter(or daughter up to you lol) and she meets wade for the first time and immediately falls for him cause he’s akward and cute and he falls for her cause she’s sarcastic and funny??? If u cant its fine just wanted to ask cause i havent requested anything in a while lol😂

REQUESTER: @keya168 @keya168 (because I’ma fuckin’ clown, m8)

SERIES (ASS BACKWARDS): Part I, Part II, Part III

SUMMARY: Superficial beauty never mattered much in the long run, especially if someone was a piece of shit on a slice of white bread.

This is the last part of this series. I’m not for sure when the sequel will be up, but I’m gonna aim for ‘soon’.

~

Whistling cheerily, holding a few boxes of pizza, under the cover of the night, Wade skipped along the broken and uneven stone steps of Cloverfield Lane.

“Are you fucking serious right now, author?”

Don’t be a pain in the ass and just go with it!

“Okay, okay. I guess since I gotta...”

Feeling all over his body, he used his free hand to slap his forehead, muttering ‘Duh!’ underneath his breath. Leaning down, Wade kicked over a rock and grabbed the key which had gotten embedded in the dirt. Twisting the key in the lock, the chain hit the ground and he pulled on the handle of the warehouse door.

“Help me! Someone help me! HELP!”

Taking his sweet time, Deadpool closed the warehouse door, not bothering with the lengthy process of making sure it was locked from the inside. Gathering up the pizzas in his hold again, he walked down the rickety stairs at a leisurely, sedate pace. 

“How ya doing, Don Lothario, having fun, just hangin’ around down here?”

Admittedly, he probably, maybe, had overdone it. 

The captive had his hands handcuffed and feet bound with rope, a makeshift noose around his neck, which was wrapped around the nail which had been quickly pierced to the wooden frame behind his head; in front of the captive were two keys, which he’d been led to believe were his ticket to freedom.

“I’m never going to tell you where she is.  Never, hehehehe. Never!!! You hear me, you crazy piece of shit?!”

Flipping the lid off of one box, revealing mushroom and pineapple pizza, nonchalantly, Wade pulled at the edges of his mask a little so that his mouth is revealed, and he took a generous bite. Pretending not to notice when his prisoner couldn’t stop staring at the pizza in his hand, “You will,” It’s said with absolute surety and then he took another bite, making an obnoxious sound of enjoyment. “Want some?” Holding out the slice that he’d bitten off of. 

“I know what you’re doing and it ain’t gonna work.” 

He shrugged. “Okay then. More for me.” Flipping open the boxes of the other pizzas, the merc whipped out his favorite switchblade, stabbing at a slice of cheese pizza before bringing it closer...and closer...to his mouth. 

“Fucking feed me!”

“You just said you weren’t hungry, Joey. No take backs, sorry.” Then because he was a shit, he ate that slice of cheesy pizza too. Once finished, he looked up and nearly busted a gut laughing, almost falling out of his fold up chair, at the affronted look on the guy’s face. “You’re really terrible at this game, Sammy. Absolutely no poker face. It makes me wonder why your bosses didn’t just kill you before it got to this point?”

“When my brother hears about this...”

“Ah! Now we’re getting to the nitty gritty of the matter!”

“When my brother finds out about how you’ve been treating me, he’s going to take it out on your lady friend, asshole.” For a single second, Deadpool paused. “Yeah. Maybe beat her up, bruise that pretty ski--AAAAHHHHHH!” The knife embedded itself in his leg. He screamed, flopping about gracelessly. 

“Rule number one of Deadpool’s DayCare.” Pushing the blade in a little more, relishing how the screams hit another level. “‘Show some goddamn respect to your caretaker.’” Roughly removing the blade, he once again ignore the sobbing. Instead, he wiped the blood on the guy’s crusty, grimy shirt. “Do you know what the shitty part of being happy is? Hm?”

“Please...No...”  The serrated edge of the blade caressed his cheek, the cool metal producing chill bumps.

“There’s always that one jealous bastard ready and willing to snatch someone’s bit of happiness away.” There’s a pause and the energy in the room became charged with hostility. “You took my happiness, my light, the only good thing I have left in this world. So I’m going to take your life away.”

“No. No. No. Wait, wait. No. NO. NOOOOOO!”

There’s a wet squelching sound and then...silence. 

Breathing heavily, Wade kept eye contact with the useless waste of space, as he gagged and choked to death on his own blood. As the light left his eyes, the merc’s shoulders hunched up with agitation before he just snapped.

He overturned a table, the chair, threw the pizzas around the room.

Ripping his mask off, he pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, a choked off sob clogging his throat. 

Nearly overcome with despair as he was, that didn’t mean he was deaf. The warehouse door opened noisily. Putting back on his mask, Deadpool checked to see if he was carrying his guns (the incident with Dopinder never need be repeated) and he was. 

If someone had found him, then they were going to d--

“Shit, Wilson, turn on a damn light in here, would ya?”

“WOLVIE!!” Flying up the stairs, he launched himself at the feral, unsurprised to get an adamantium fist to the jaw. “’ou ‘ame (Translation: You came)!” Wade’s jaw was dislocated and it stung like a bitch but that was irrelevant. “’Emmmy! ‘Ou ‘oo!!! (Translation: Remy! You too!!)”

“Looks like you started the party without us, mon ami.” Playing with his cards, Remy’s red on black gaze is, as always, hidden by his signature bowler hat. The hellish stare is pointedly glancing at the slumped corpse. 

“I wasn’t for sure if the Professor would let you two out past bedtime. Ow, shit, fuck a duck.” Gingerly, he pressed his fingertips to the tender area. “You still hit like a train, Wolvie.”

“Did this other douche at least have an inkling of where your girl is?” Logan was not going to give into any baiting. 

“Well...” Like a kid with caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Wade poked his fingers together, an air of guiltiness about him.

Remy sighed and Wolverine pinched the bridge of his nose. “Luckily for you, we know where she’s supposed to be moved. Let’s get the fuck out of here. It stinks.”

“Why didn’t you just lead with that? Let’s go!” 

~

Drip-drip-drip.

The room is cold and dark. You’re strapped down to a metal slab and wearing only a hospital gown. Pumped to the gills full of drugs, you go in, then out of consciousness.

“You know, you’re only experiencing pain like a human is because that’s what you’ve tricked your brain into thinking.” The man, this sadist, who’s been assigned to break you, methodically uses his instruments to produce the most pain with the least amount of effort. “That you’re one of us. But you’re not. You’re not. If you were human...you would have died hours ago.”

You had learned less than five minutes in, underneath his ‘tender’ mercies that there isn’t any reasoning with this maniac, he’s a mutant hater and an advocate for wanting the genocide of anyone not purely or totally American (i.e. white). 

‘I’m going to die here.’ 

Perhaps it’s selfish but you didn’t want Wade to find your body. The two of you had been together almost five months, gotten closer and slowly, he brought his friends to meet you. You are certain that you loved him but couldn’t bring yourself to say it aloud, even though you tried to show it with your actions. 

“Oh.” He sounded genuinely surprised. “You’re crying.”

A short scream, turned into a wheeze, escaped your clenched teeth when he poked at something delicate. 

“Don’t do something so human. It’s unnatural.” 

His voice sounded far away, reverberating in your ears then became overlapped by another’s. Blinking slowly, you try to focus but it’s difficult. 

Be human. Be human. Don’t let them find out. Be human.

“Oh ho! Now we’re getting somewhere.”

The door is thrown open and a man? Enters. “The Avengers are here. We gotta move, now, Doc.”

“I’m not finished with my patient, Mr. Rumlow.”

“You can find other mutants to torture and study. You’ve been paid alot of money by HYDRA which means--”

An explosion rocks the building.

“I’m not leaving without it! Let GO o--”

There are two gunshots fired and the sadist hits the floor. The man, Rumlow, approaches your side, a gun raised to your temple.

“Good night, Princess.”

Take my life. When you wake...

Just as he squeezed the trigger, the bullet impossible to dodge at this angle... You closed your eyes, accepting that this was the end. The door bursts open again, revealing Captain America, who immediately flung his shield at the HYDRA operative’s gun. 

The bullet only grazes you.

Eyes opening again, heart still beating in your chest rapidly. Too rapidly. Glancing to the left, you see that your torturer has enough strength to inject you with something. 

Your heart begins to beat rapidly. Faster and faster. Trying to get air is an exercise in futility. Vision going grey around the edges, you try to croak out ‘Help’ but you can’t and fall backwards onto the metal slab again. 

Everything goes dark.

[fakingitperfectly-blog]

The Hater Inside My Head Is Real

*this is going to be long because you need to know the situation I’m in before I can tell you my problems. I appreciate everyone that reads the whole post and if you respond or message me I would be shook.

I struggle with mood disorders like depression, anxiety, self confidence, and other things. I have had multiple major depressive episodes, actually I had one a few months ago, so I’m still working on improving my mental health. I have doubts about my ability to complete school, maintain a real adult career, eventually have my dream job, and be a successful adult. Despite my depression and setbacks I’m still trying even though I’m moving very slowly. (A family of sloths just passed me). I know I should have graduated by now and that I should be further along with starting my adult life, so I don’t like being reminded that I am not where I should be.

I am going to college online and living at home. I’m taking care of my dad instead of having him go to adult daycare or have a live in nurse. It’s a lot cheaper for me to take care of him when my mom and sister are at work. Plus, it takes the pressure off me to get/ have/ maintain a job while in school and struggling with depression. (I have worked before and it was great and I loved it but I haven’t since my depression hit)

THIS IS WHERE MY PROBLEM STARTS

My dad loves to just talk about all of my insecurities. He has FTD so he isn’t in the right state of mind but it’s still my dad and someone is still saying it. It hurts even though it’s not really my dad saying it but it is my dad. Idk if that makes sense. So he was like “what are you doing? You can’t sit at home for your whole life.” So I told him I’m in school Ect. He responds “I don’t think you will ever be able to do that. You know it’s very hard and selective to get a masters. You will be 40 before you can do that.” So I start to look sad and he says “don’t be upset I’m just telling the truth but you can still do it.” I get up to get water and he says “so what are you going to make me for lunch today?”

It hurts me to hear that and I can’t even hold him accountable. He can’t really understand that what he said was wrong so it just makes everything so much more complicated. Ugh idk how to deal with all of this and process everything.

[isroselalondebisexual]

What do you think Jade Lalonde, Rose Harley, and Dave Egbert would be like? I've already seen some analysis on John Strider so i don't wanna force you into rehasing anything ^^;

Jade Lalonde, my girl Jade raised by a Permissive parent, probably wouldn’t look toooooooo terribly different from canon Jade. Her interests are well financed, and she’s a good self-motivator, which is probably good because showing off her achievements to a drunken parent isn’t going to get the same response as a coherent parent. Of course, Mom is super proud of her brilliant daughter, and of COURSE she loves her super duper dearly and thinks Jade is the most intelligent girl alive, but it can get a little frustrating for Jade to explain her interests, and then ten minutes later realize her mom hasn’t retained a word. This Jade’s gonna be more acclimated to frustration and broken expectations, which is gonna manifest itself in two ways. She’s not gonna respond much at all when she’s disappointed, sometimes by really major things that she SHOULD get pissed off about, or she’s going to blow the fuck up over seemingly minor shit that most people would be able to brush off. But it’s more about the principle of the thing than the actual expectation that got broken, y’know? Probably gonna be sneakier than canon Jade, able to manipulate the situation to get her mom to actually DO stuff she needs her to, whether that be through passive aggression or batting her eyelids or setting up a situation so her mom “conveniently” will be reminded of certain things, and that’s gonna carry over into her other relationships as well, entirely unintentionally at first, that’s just sorta how she’s used to operating. Her role, then, as the Witch of Light, combined with that naturally honed ability to manipulate the situation with intelligence and a calculated amount of luck, is going to be one that comes naturally to her, and she’s going to be a HELLRAISER. She’s going to be UNPARALLELED. There will be no imp nor ogre nor time travelling demon who spits destruction from his maw that will be able to stand against her. She’s here, she’s brilliant, and she and her friends will be catching no unlucky breaks because she is the one whose will Luck bends to.

Rose Harley, raised by a dog and some chess people, alone on an island. Probably gets pretty entrenched in her know it all bossy phase pretty quick, but is less sure of herself. Doesn’t get a lot of positive feedback aside from her dog and some chess people who she’s pretty sure she’s smarter than, but that makes human interaction even harder for her, and she’s never really been good at interpersonal stuff to begin with. Lots of false confidence, I think, but suffers from impostor syndrome pretty badly. She WANTS to belong in the group, she really really wants to be involved and included and someone who BELONGS there, but can’t shake the nagging feeling that everyone else is a regular human being and she’s. Weird. And not in a good way. Gonna be more anxious than her canon counterpart, I think. Her favorite books she’s read 1000 times over and she’s got SUPER in-depth thoughts and analysis for the stuff she takes interest in, a very very brilliant girl who is never sure when “sharing” becomes “oversharing” and when “odd in a fun way” becomes “Rose that’s creepy.” Her role as the Seer of Space goes along well with being awake on Prospit prior to the Game even starting, as she has dealt with visions of the future all her life. Unfortunately, since space is all-encompassing, she’s not seeing what is fortuitous, or what WILL happen, or even what SHOULD happen, she’s seeing what happens in pretty much any timeline anywhere and it’s her task to sit down, think about what she’s Seen, and parse together whether they should or shouldn’t take that path. Her honed analytical skills will be pushed to their limits and brought to task over and over again, but through her smarts and what she has Foreseen, she is able to direct their group and conduct them in such a way that the new universe is spawned and they are able to win. The fact that she is SO CRUCIAL to their success helps her feel more like part of the group, but presents a NEW problem of wondering if maybe now they’re just pretending to be interested in her for her abilities. Her big hurdle is allowing herself to see that she is loved and wanted, and she truly does belong with them.

Dave Egbert is a kinda nerdy dude, he takes his camera with him everywhere and is always taking selfies or posting stuff to his instagram and did you hear? I heard someone say he has a collection of like, roadkill or something. Dave absolutely has a collection of dead shit. Also cicada shells that show up on the trees and bushes, because hey man cicada shells are cool. He’s super into his dumb nerd shit like video games and even reads that dumb gamebro magazine that he damn well KNOWS is dumb but he likes it and he’s not embarrassed about his interests! He knows the stuff he likes isn’t cool and doesn’t try to pass it off as cool, he just enjoys himself and fuck the haters. He ADORES his dad, was definitely one of those kids that began crying the MOMENT his dad dropped him off at daycare or smth, very attached but also complains about him sometimes, because kids complain about their parents, especially since Dad Egbert is the type of dude to walk up in front of his kid’s friends and use the embarrassing toddler nicknames like “sport” or “squirt” or smth and Dave’s friends are like “lmao your dad actually calls you ‘sport’ I thought that only happened in movies” and Dad also has like, a wallet full of Dave’s pictures and Dave is just like “daaaaaad” but also heck yes he was an ADORABLE baby so he sorta thrives off the attention. Has the biggest, dumbest crush on John imaginable. Dad found out Dave was queer not because Dave came out, but because Dave is just SO OBVIOUS about his stupid giant big dumb crush on John and Dad just sorta… quietly accepted this about his son and tries to be a good parent however he can. He’s not the most well-educated about queer stuff but he always tries his best to be respectful and that goes doubly now that he knows his kid isn’t straight. Dave having a supportive parent is a very good concept and one I am wholly behind in literally every way. His role as Knight of Breath is the defender of freedom, which probably means he must first liberate his consorts from his denizen, and then has to go a step further to protect his friends, probably from their own neuroses. Jade thinks she has to leap through all these mental hoops, but she doesn’t, Rose thinks she has to PROVE her worth, that she’s valuable, but Dave would love his sister even if she couldn’t do anything for them, John has been trapped in this toxically masculine, angry place for years and Dave can help him out of there, help him find peace and acceptance even within himself, Dave can pry back the dark gunk that’s been coating John’s soul and let him breathe freely, possibly for the first time in his life.

John Strider, we’ve touched on so I’ll just go over briefly here, but I like to keep these asks done in sets and now that I’ve set a pattern I’m not breaking it. John would end up one of those nasty, nasty, angry bullies. Bro is toxic, abusive, hypermasculine, and unpredictable, which means John winds up angry, lashing out, and hypermasculine as well. He goes way too far, way too often, and doesn’t apologize, total jock stereotype from oldtimey movies and shit, strong and athletic and attractive and just plain mean. Acts like he’s hot shit because whenever he’s at home he’s painfully reminded that he is small, and weak, and can’t actually do anything. Dave is his bro and he likes him plenty but he makes a lot of mean spirited gay jokes to start, probably as a cover for his own identity crisis that he has buried so deep deep down inside him you’re gonna need a shovel to unbury that shit, and is oblivious to Dave’s crush on him. Has a soft spot for Jade, who is kinda the only person who can get John to talk about his feelings frankly and honestly, and probably has a crush on Rose because he thinks that that’s what he’s supposed to do. She’s a girl, she’s his friend, that’s how heterosexuality works, right? His role as Heir of Time, I’m afraid, would be a deeply unpleasant one. What would likely happen is he directs the alpha timeline by having his offshoot timeline selves merge with his alpha self, like what Rose did from Davesprite’s timeline back in canon. But instead of just, like, ONE offshoot timeline self merging with the whole, it’s every single dead John. Every single time his friends die, he dies, every time something goes wrong, he gets to Experience that. He gets to have those memories seared into his brain, one with himself, one with every timeline that has ever existed, and it only further cements his belief that life is cruel, and uncaring, and doesn’t give a single solitary shit about him, or his loved ones, because he does love them. He’s broken inside, all warped and twisted wrong, but he does love them. It is only, and I do mean ONLY, once he and Dave manage to have their heart-to-heart, once John allows Dave in, that John is able to slowly pry out of the dark and hurting place that has stifled his soul for so long. Not to be stupidly, ridiculously cliche, but it is love that frees him, and the love between the two of them that helps him heal. John Strider and Dave Egbert would be a nigh-inevitable otp like that’s just the way this AU would work out my dudes.

*sticks m leggy out* I love getting long winded and these are fun, please share your thoughts with me my dudes. 

[notyouraveragearchitect-blog]

HOW TO REALLY ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’

An Economic Plan Rebuttal to the Trump Syndrome.

If you’re not a supremacist, or a hater of anything that strays from the strictest version of Patriarchal society, or you don’t have an economic annual value over $1 million, and you supported Donald Trump for President, I want to say, I feel your pain.  Although I am technically thrown into the societal basket of privileged white males, I live every day in fear of being one bad medical mishap away from economic ruin. I am a self-identified progressive that consciously moved my family to the bleeding edge Bay Area of CA, but my roots are firmly in the rural cornfield lands I like to call the ‘eastern-most edge of the Midwest’; the snowbelt area of southern Buffalo, NY.  The mindset is conservative and the economic boon of the auto and steel industry have long since seen the area slowly bled of its vitality and hope.  Even so, it has taken me a while to wrap my head around the feeling of economic despair facing white middle America.  The Trump Syndrome rocked my word and many in my world.  The shock of electing possibly the least caring person I could think of living within the United States left scars that may never fully heal.  But because so many people in my life have closed one eye to the horrors of his character, I knew there had to be something real there; something much deeper.  It was only through placing myself firmly in their shoes; shoes I too could have worn if I remained in Buffalo, was I able to finally get it.  

At one point not long ago, a man [as was typically the case back then] could find a job working in the Bethlehem Steel Mill or the Ford Stamping Plant with or without a college degree, earn a pay check, buy a house, buy a car, raise a family, and have a pension with security for the future.  The money spent by these upwardly mobile middle class workers powered the entire economic region.  Those jobs are mostly gone now. This is not a new phenomenon as the slow bleed has been happening for many decades and is well documented.  What’s new is that the level of despair and the feeling of not being heard or helped has finally come to a head.  The cost of housing, daycare, college education for children, health insurance, etc is pushing even modest dual-income families to the brink of what’s physically possible.  Stepping backward from middle income into the poverty level is demoralizing and creating a universal feeling of failure amongst working white families, in particular white men.  Democrats have fought the hardest for the middle class, but have focused their empathies on minorities and the poor at the perceived expense of middle America whites; which made it easier for conservatives to place the blame on them for that demographics’ economic woes.

The economic revival of the Bill Clinton era was undercut by one major slice of the NAFTA lawn sickle. At the same time, the powerful auto workers’ unions dug in their heels on innovative changes to preserve the generous negotiated pension plans.  The rallying cry became ‘If it ain’t broke, why fix it?’  And thus the barn door was swung open for Japanese and other auto makers to take the reigns as leaders in auto innovation and performance.  Whether or not globalization was upon us because of declining belief in American goods or because of the NAFTA agreement was almost irrelevant.  It became the scapegoat for all the ills of the manufacturing industry, and Democrats were squarely to blame.  The actual truth behind the blame played second fiddle to the perceived lack of compassion by the Democrats to the cries of the middle America whites.  The real issue is the direct link between a family’s pocketbook and the feeling of self-worth as a human being by the bread winner. Although it was always clear to me the Democrats cared more about the middle class, they never were able to articulate and fight for a real economic strategy for bringing back those types of jobs. Until Obama.

The feeling of hope and change in the Obama era faltered for many reasons. Ushering in of this era scared the crap out of conservatives.  The vision was strong, well-articulated, and with the economic meltdown at the hands of the Bush administration, there was fear that a second New Deal would crush the Reagan conservative agenda for decades to come.  To remain politically viable, they had no choice but to clear cut and intentionally dismantle all signs of hope through obstruction of each and every Obama initiative.  Coupled with the relentless Fox News negativity campaign, which is the primary news source of middle America, the slash and burn approach by conservatives worked. Obama, the great compromiser, overestimated the goodness of conservatives and squandered a second New Deal vision for a watered down ‘shovel ready project’ version.  The New Deal built schools all across the country, dams, bridges, tunnels, and had long term lasting impacts on communities through social good.  What was left across the country were physical built reminders of the ‘greatness’ of American achievement. A reminder of the jobs that were created and the pride that came from those built structures.  For the sake of expediency and compromise, the Great Recession recovery left no such lasting mark on the landscape.  Fixing roads and bridges puts people to work and saved our country from economic ruin, but there were no prideful physical remnants.  Obama saved our country, there is no doubt, but did not fight hard enough, did not push back on conservative obstruction soon enough, and did not stick with the real long term projects that would have set us up for the next 30 years of economic growth. Even the achievement of Obamacare fell short of a truly revolutionary vision.  Instead of providing health care for all through a single-payer plan similar to the well liked Medicare plan, Obama early in the negotiations scrapped that plan as a way of getting conservatives on board.  In the end, none of them came on board and the resulting watered down version left profit-driven insurance companies still in charge our nation’s health care system.  We are still the only major first world country left with millions of citizens without health insurance.  Now, it’s easy prey for conservative dismantling and is one of the largest contributors to the Trump Syndrome through incessant Fox News negativity.

The Trump Syndrome is a direct byproduct of the economic hopelessness felt by white middle America, and the relief that a candidate was finally feeling their pain and offering a vociferous vision defending them. Unfortunately, the current regime is motivated by two basic creeds, money and power. The economic principals being implemented will give the economy a short term shot in the arm, but will ultimately fail the entire middle class, will further enrich and empower the top 1 percent, and send our country into another recession.  The primary reasons are simple. Tax cuts for the wealthy results in greater wealth disparity, more money being hoarded in tax shelters, and less money in the hands of the middle class.  Giving more money to ‘job creators’ does not create more demand for products or goods. Putting more money in the hands of the middle class and the poor is the only way to create more demand. Most importantly, the current regime has no vision for HOW to create new sustained jobs for the future. Like Obama, infrastructure projects like fixing roads and bridges create jobs, but once the 'fixing’ is done, those jobs go away.  So, the result is a short term bump, and a long term bust.  It’s the equivalent of a 5-Hour energy drink for our country for short term political gain with no thought for what happens after 5 hours. It also takes years to undo the ill advised policies that were put in place. What’s needed is a new long term New Deal-like vision, and so far progressives are the only ones embracing the visions I’ve summarized below.  All that’s needed is the right orator to sell the deal to the American people.

Although high tech, real estate, and other sectors have powered much of the current urban economic boom, these jobs require highly skilled, educated individuals. So the economic benefits of the recovery has been focused outside the rural areas. What’s really needed are good paying jobs that tradesmen type workers can get for the next 30+ years to power an entire generation of people into the middle class.   These jobs do not necessarily require 4 year college degrees to perform successfully. We need industries that transform our country and produce downstream ripple benefits for other investments and other industries.  

There needs to be a three pronged approach to the future growth of our country:  1. a new country-wide high speed rail infrastructure [which should be coupled with the electric grid upgrade]  2. an all-in approach on renewable energies  and 3. return to belief in sound science and investment in technology.

The auto and oil industry lobbyists have dominated congress for decades. Every politician that mentions high speed rail gets slammed by naysayers who claim it needs to be economically ‘viable’.  What they mean is that the dollars generated by passengers needs to cover all costs including construction, operation and ongoing maintenance. This assertion is ludicrous. There are millions of miles of highways and roads across our country, yet only a handful of select toll roads are actually economically self-sufficient. The remainder are 100% taxpayer subsidized. When the highways were built, there was an enormous infrastructure investment by the government, which spurred decades of secondary economic growth and private sector profits. But it took a vision and courage by Eisenhower to sell it, and faith and hard work by the American people to make it happen. Once the roads were built, real estate speculators and developers bought up land which created new wealth, towns were constructed around the highways which created millions of jobs, and entire new industries [like trucking and delivery services] became feasible.  Our country did the same with airports.  It’s time for high speed rail. Studies have shown each dollar in infrastructure spending results in $10 of private sector wealth. High speed rail lines can run between urban centers, reduce airport congestion by reducing flights between cities 2-5 highway hours apart, create millions of new high paying construction jobs across the country, spur in new real estate market growth at rail stations, reduce highway congestion and pollution, rail cars can be built here in the US, and result in generations of construction in new walkable communities within ½ mile of stations. The country also needs an upgrade to the power grid. The new train lines are electric and ideal locations to couple with a new electric grid upgrade. Because of auto and oil industry lobbyists and conservative obstruction, our country has missed this opportunity and our middle American workers desperately need this vision to get them back to work. 

Regardless whether our leaders are science deniers, the rest of the world is not.  This wave of green technology and renewable energies technologies is well under way in every country of the world.  Except the US. Even if our leaders don’t believe man effects the temperature of our planet, it’s imperative for the economic future of our country that we get on board and start to become a leader in innovation and technologies around these ideals.  We’ve spent the last 30 years fighting wars because we lacked control of our energy sources and we’re about to shoot ourselves in the foot again because we’ll be buying our energy products from China and other countries just so we can compete.  If their energy sources are built, renewable, and cheap, our manufacturers will be at a significant disadvantage. They will crush us economically in the world marketplace. Our leaders need to lead to a new future, not fight to go backwards to coal and oil and fracking.  The first countries to discover cheap new innovative ways to harness energy will be the ones that benefit the most financially from those inventions. The US has never backed away from a challenge, and yet the Trump Syndrome has put us potentially four or more years backwards into the past. 

Because most major economic booms start with government investment [i.e. the internet, biomedical engineering, robotics, satellites, air travel, high speed rail, aerospace industry etc] we need to double down on science and technology investment. Like infrastructure projects, [even if only 1 in 10 dollars lead to new innovations] the economic return on those successful innovations is enormous to not only our economy, but to our societal and potential health benefits. This is the obvious reason why investment is the key to our future. We can’t let conservatives that bash government investments that don’t work out [like Solyndra] thwart the progress of investment in our future.  This is imperative to ensure the United States remains at the forefront of ALL new world discoveries.  Giving this edge away to another country, like the current regime is doing, is the first step in the demise of the US as a world leader. 

To make this vision happen, all citizens must reject every aspect of the Trump Syndrome that puts the US at risk for losing its status as an economic leader.  We must rally around a progressive candidate that fights for where the US can be in the future with new and innovative ideas and not someone that clings onto old technologies to maximize their own personal profits. And we must focus on a financial vision that benefits urban AND rural America so we can finally rally our entire country behind a common cause again that doesn’t involve a war.

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