#maybe like an virtual book club ??

[mittenhater]

trying to build social connections from the ground up is so difficult, how do i even approach this

[erwinsvow]

𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬

summary: how you and rafe got started <3

author's note: if i could stop losing my brain cells over rafe cameron for a minute that would be great but i can't so here it is <3 this is mostly cute but in the shea cinematic universe this establishes the beginning of what can only be a hopelessly codependent relationship <3 more parts to come! also none of this would be written without the surge of inspo i get from reading every single one of @princessbrunette's posts but in particular this one, this one, and this<3 one!

now spinning: one of the girls by the weeknd & jennie

Rafe’s always thought you were cute. 

Cute, he’d think to himself in passing, on a hot summer day when he was getting ready to take beers from the fridge and go find the boys at the country club. He didn’t need to steal anything, the waitress at the club always gave him whatever drink he asked for, but he just felt like taking them from the house today. 

You were dawdling around the house with a bored Sarah, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Sarah was texting on her phone, likely engaging in a virtual fight with Topper. He’d feel bad, but the two of them did it to themselves. You were at the counter with Wheezie, leaning on your elbows while the two of you discussed something. He didn’t really care, until he met your eyes for a second. 

Cute. The way you met his eyes and then looked away, face heating up. You were in a bikini and a coverup, probably waiting for his sister before spending the day on the beach or at the pool. The cover up was white and see through, covering everything to the point where no one could see anything but the faint yellow of your bikini underneath.

Leaning on the counter, when you looked away, he got a glimpse into the top of your dress. He could make out little yellow flowers on the material of your bikini and the outline of your tits squeezed against each other. 

He grabbed a beer and opened it with his back tooth, spitting the cap out on the counter next to Wheezie’s book.

“Ew, Rafe, get your spit molecules away from my book.”

“Who reads in the summer anyways? You should be glad for my spit if it makes you stop.”

“It’s my summer reading, Rafe, not everyone can just skip their assignments and get away with it.”

“Please, what have I skipped?”

You and Wheezie turn to look at each other and start laughing. He cracks a smile too, unexpectedly.

“Actually, it’s a great book. You’re missing out, Rafe,” you say, with a smile gracing your face, and he realizes he’s never actually heard the sound of your voice. You’ve maybe said hi to him twice, and both times Sarah had dragged you away within seconds. You even sound cute. His name on your tongue sounds even cuter.

“Really? Maybe I need to give it a try.” You laugh again, meeting his eyes this time. 

“You can’t have my copy, I already put my annotations in this one-“

“Stop yapping, Wheeze. I’m not gonna take yours.”

“Actually you have a copy in the library upstairs. I borrowed it last summer.”

“Really, kid? Wanna come find it with me?”

Your face heats up so much you turn away. He smiles then, and he smiles again when you follow him up to the library.

“This one is fantastic too, it’s about this young girl in England-” your voice continues to describe the plot of the book in your hand. You shelve it and then your eyes immediately land on another, another classic, another favorite. You ramble off the description but Rafe’s hardly paying attention.

He’s trying to recall when you had become so cute, so pretty. He thinks he’s never noticed you after you walk away with Sarah, or when he walks away from you two lounging on pool chairs, your nose in a book like always.

This is different. When had you become so irresistible?

Your pretty hair falls down your back. It sticks to your neck when the two of you are outside in the sun, in the heat. He has an urge to lick the sweat off just to see how you’d blush and feel how you’d squirm. Your eyes are warm and bright, but you’re still too shy to meet his blue ones, even when it’s just the two of you.

And it has been. Just the two of you, recently, almost all of the time. Sarah’s always off with her stupid friends and Wheeze is at home doing her summer work. 

The two of you travel to every ice cream parlor in the eight in the next few weeks. Conversation comes easily, even though you have nothing in common. He hasn’t picked up a bag from his dealer since he started talking to you, he realizes. Hasn’t felt the need to get high.

You’ve never even smoked weed, much less snorted coke. You’ll drink at a party with Sarah, but not too much, and you always end up being the sober friend holding back the vomiting girl’s hair. At the bonfire that he invites you to, your eyes keep darting around, seeing if anyone needs your help. 

Rafe moves so he’s standing right in front of you, blocking your view.

“Hey, kid,” he says quietly, leaning in. You’re boxed in, with Rafe and only Rafe on your mind. The clean, attractive scent of his cologne. The way it lingers on his clothes, like the button up you’re wearing over your pink dress.

He picks up the red cup in your hand and places it on the log beside you, balancing his beer next to it. His hands are cold from the bottle but you don’t mind much. He takes your wrists first, holding them in place, and then slides down so your hands are touching. 

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” You were looking down at the hands, where the two of you were connected, but his voice makes you look up. He’s looking at you, and you want to hide your face. Your fingers twitch beneath Rafe’s grip. He holds on even tighter. “Don’t look away, princess. We gotta work on that, huh?”

You feel your face heating up at the nickname. You wish you were home so you could scream into your pillow.

“Sorry, sorry,” you scramble, trying to look up but you can’t find the strength or the will.

You’re embarrassed. Of course you are—this is Rafe, and you’re just you. Rafe is the one you’ve had a crush on since you knew what crushes were, and you are still the awkward little thing you were the first time you met him. 

His gaze burning holes through you makes you want to run and hide. Because this is Rafe, and right now you’re one of his girls. The ones Sarah’s complained about the whole time she’s known you—they get too attached, act all clingy, and then are replaced before long. 

You hear Rafe’s quiet laughter. You’re still boxed in, feeling hot and clammy even though he’d given you his button up not thirty minutes ago because you felt cold. 

“What’re you saying sorry for?” You look up quickly, and then look back down. Then Rafe’s hands leave yours, and he holds up your chin until you’re looking right into his eyes. “Hmm?”

You feel like puking. 

“I-I just, well I just-”

“You just what?”

“I don’t think I can be, um, be one of your flingy, uh fling-type girls. So, you know, maybe all of this isn’t a good idea.”

“Fling-type girls?” he questions. He’s holding back a laugh, which makes you irrationally upset. You shove hard against his chest to free yourself from the cage of his arms. 

“Yes, your fling-type girls. You have a new girl on your arm every week, and everyone knows it, and I refuse to be one of them, because it’s just embarrassing and dehumanizing,” he watches you ramble on. He smiles, but you don’t notice. “And frankly, I deserve better than that.”

“Are you done?” You glare back at him.

“Yes, and not because you said that. I was done anyway.”

“Good.” Your face drops for a second, thinking you overstepped and totally overreached regarding his intentions, but then Rafe surprises you—he leans in and kisses you. 

You weren’t expecting a playground peck, but the way he’s kissing you completely surpasses any and all expectations (and fantasies) you’d dreamt up. His grip on your hips is hard, and his tongue is almost down your throat. It’s messy, and wet, and when he pulls away, there’s strings of spit connecting you to each other. 

You should wipe your mouth before anyone sees, but you don’t. Your heart is racing, and you can barely speak, much less move. 

“If I wanted you to be one of my girls, I wouldn’t have spent the last three weeks listening to you blab about books and buying you ice cream. You’re gonna be my only girl, and that’s that, okay?”

You nod dumbly—words and motions still not quite back yet. You feel flushed. People’s eyes are on you both.

“Now, do you wanna head out and go get a cone?” You nod again. “Good girl. And watch your mouth.”

[dipperdesperado]

Notes Toward Finding Community, Or, How to Find Community When You Feel Isolated

Neoliberalism sucks for a ton of reasons. From the enclosure of every common, to the commodification of every creation, it feels like a muzzle on humanity that gets tighter and tighter. One of the most underexplored aspects of neoliberalism is the way in which it creates and reinforces isolation. People don’t really have communities outside of consumption or compulsion. This is problematic for a ton of reasons, namely that it prevents us from fulfilling our basic needs. Humans are social creatures. People need to have connections with folks. People may not all need the same levels or intensity of connections, but connections are important nonetheless. To lack in the ability to socialize meaningfully is to ensure worse health outcomes, mentally, emotionally, and physically. But, I don’t mean to freak you out. I think that there are steps we can take to star building community, bridging gaps with the people around us.

Think About What You Want

When folks feel very isolated, it can be easy to accept anything. If we’re in a vulnerable state, that could leave us open for ending up in precarious situations. One way to fight against this is to start from the position of imagining what community looks like. Is the type of space we want to occupy based around interests (fandom, hobbies)? Religions, spiritualities, social issues? If we are able to list the things that excite us, we have a good idea of what to look for, and can focus our efforts towards finding those spaces.

Find the Watering Holes

With the spaces we’re interested in on hand, youcan find where folks gather. Every community has virtual and/or in-person spaces. For example, if you’re a film fan, you can look for indie cinemas, folks putting on screenings, or look into film societies where you live. For activism, I’ve written a whole guide on how to get started. Looking for those spaces will allow you to start getting integrated in the space. Really think about how you can occupy the same physical and digital spaces of people who are into what you’re into.

Go Meet Folks

Now, this may be difficult, depending on your disposition. The quickest way to meet folks is to put yourself out there. It’s always vulnerable to put yourself on the line in this way, but it’s super necessary. When you’re in spaces with similar folks, you have talking points built in! You don’t have to worry if the folks around you will like movies at film club. If you are enjoyable to be around, through being nice, interesting, and/or being an active listener, you’ll be making connections in no time. If you’re not willing to talk to folks, it’ll be hard to make connections. Being open is an asset towards the end of getting connected. At the very least, consistently go to events and spaces in your interest area(s). Maybe you’ll bump into an extroverted person that can show you the ropes.

Be the Change You Want to See

As you get out there, think about how you can start catalyzing community. Maybe you host a dinner for neighbors. Maybe you start a book club. Or even a neighborhood garden, or cleanup event. In this way, you’re flipping the issue on its head. You’re creating the space to meet folks yourself. It’s like being a magnet, drawing others to you.

We need community. It’s a necessary thing, you know? So, hopefully, keeping these things in mind helps in that regard.

[anarchywoofwoof]

I'm in high school right now. I live in a red state, and because of that, I hear a lot of people express pro capitalist or anti trans sentiment. Everytime I hear it it makes me feel so hopeless and small. Do you have any tips on how to not feel so bad when I hear that stuff? I'm so tired of it.

before i answer, fyi: this is why i don't have "minors DNI" all over my tumblr, btw.

not because my blog is an inherently safe place for toddlers and preteens. probably not so. but neither is tumblr as a whole, so...

however, i don't blog anything X-rated or too NSFW specifically so younger people don't feel awkward following me, because this is honestly how you learn and find some sense of goddamn community in the world when you are isolated in a red state and have no one to relate to without being told you're too young to understand.

to answer your question anon... get ready, because you asked.

first things first, you need to know that it's okay to feel upset and tired when you're constantly faced with these types of opinions or people. it's a natural response to an environment that feels hostile.

but, here's something important to remember: no matter how it may appear at times, you're not and will never be alone. even in the reddest states, there are communities and individuals who share your beliefs and will stand with you.

it might take some searching and some serious stepping outside of a comfort zone for you, but look for local or online groups that align with your values. this could be LGBTQIIA+ organizations, leftist reading groups, or environmental activism communities. connecting with like-minded people, even briefly, in passing or virtually can be a powerful antidote to feeling isolated.

also, remember that small actions can make a big difference. maybe YOU can start a club at school or in your community that focuses on social justice, environmental activism, or supports LGBTQIIA+ students. sometimes, simply having a space where you can openly discuss your views and feel supported can be incredibly empowering. you have no idea who you may attract in the process who feels exactly the same as you and just didn't know what to do.

educating yourself and others is another thing that you shouldn't take for granted. knowledge is a form of resistance. read up on the issues you care about. books, documentaries, podcasts – there's a wealth of resources out there, i've shared a lot of them on this blog.

and when you feel up to it, spread this knowledge in ways that feel right to you. it could be as simple as recommending an article or documentary or podcast to someone who appears to be misinformed, or even something like writing an article for your school newspaper, or putting up posters, flyers, etc.

remember to practice self-care and set boundaries. it's okay to step back from conversations or situations that are draining. protecting your mental health isn't just therapist speak, it's revolutionary behavior. nurturing yourself helps you stay strong and continue fighting.

last and most important thing, dear anon - hold on to hope. change often feels slow, especially in the thick of everything going on today, but it does happen. there are tales all throughout history where high school-aged people have been at the forefront of social change. your existence, your resistance, and your voice are already contributing to that change.

take care of yourself. thank you for being here.

[notyoung-neil]

Ooc:

AM I YAPPIN ABT YOUNG NEIL HEADCANNONS INSTEAD OF WORKING OR SLEEPING?! YEAHH LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOOOOOOOO

If you fucking know me or see my ACC (and my other blog accs) yk I love the OG ships like jophen/ startech (joseph x stephen) mobillce (mobile x wallace) and maybe a few other non-cannon ships like kimona (Kim x romona) and...fuck idk the ship name for hollie x roxie or Kim x Lisa but yeah those too. For neil, personally, I'm a nordegrim shipper :)) Sorry, neilphen fans :((

Since I imagine he's still on collage I assume he's taking sonthing/ changed courses into somthing more...movie thing? Idk. Mainly working with cameras, screen writing, anything movie based or whatever

Since for Joe I made him Hispanic, other scott as Chinese, I don't really know what to do for the quirky silly little guy like neil. Gimme some ideas if y'all ever see this

Has attachment issues. Or fear of being left alone or not included

He has eczema that flairs up during the winter. Sometimes, he cries silently because of how itchy he is and doesn't like the cream the doctors told him to use because it's a weird texture he isn't comfortable with

Whenever stephen is back home from work, they usually sit down and watch movies together or during dinner. Young neil yaps about a movie, and stephen replies with a dry and simple "mhm, " "yeah", "that's cool -" and sometimes the occasional questions. Neil doesn't mind since he knows stephen is tired

He sometimes steals money from stephen but not all the time. He pays stephen back quickly by making some dinner (that he fucked up)

Favorite games have to be anything RPG based and zelda. Maybe he also got into the virtual world hype like UB funkies, webkinz, neopets, or club penguin (mainly UB funkies)

If he dose have a job I imagine he'd work at the second cup just to hang out with Stacy more, maybe a comic book store, or at no account video with Kim so he can watch more movies for free

I imagine his interest related friends has to be hollie (bc I see hollie also being a cinaphile), Joseph (because he wants to learn how to operate cameras and stuff and make it look cool by editing) and Jimmy (fellow zelda and starwars fan)

He has acne/ acne scars and back acne (I think that's the term) and he always picks/scratches at it

Speaking of picking. He always picks at his fingers and sometimes peels off a good chunk to the point it is bleeding bad, so he has bandaids on his hands and fingers most of the time. He doesn't mind which sorta bandaid. He likes the colorful ones that have like a character on it, but he worries if he might be too distracting for him when he's in class

I love how ironic it is for him to wear a heart on his sleeve sorta shirt even though he doesn't really show his feelings that often. He has the same ass stare all the time, and I think it's silly. So I just imagine he would say whatever is in his head without second thought, or he would mumble it if he thinks it's weird. So whenever he talks about his feelings, like how he feels about the whole "band abandoning him" situation, he actually means It and doesn't really hide it at all.

Steph (Neil's older sister) got him a pair of headphones bc thier parents were always fighting and a Walkman so he can listen to some music. He still uses those headphones to this day even though their broken in half, the sound quality is terrible and the ear puff thingy is crumbling

Whenever he goes out to the mall or out with anyone, he either has his hands in his pocket or out, bc someone has to grab onto his wrist so he wouldn't stop and stare at things (it's mainly Stephen and Kim who has to grip onto his wrist and drag him along. He dont mind tho :/ meanwhile stacy just holds onto his hand and stares with him)

Whenever stephen has a day off and he sees neil playing video games, he asks neil if he finishes his homework. If neil says no, stephen takes away his Gameboy color, keep it in his room and tell him to do his homework. If yes then stephen would just shrug it off, ruffle his hair up and say "ight, cool"

Neil was probably the first to find out that stephen was gay when stephen brought Joseph over (make of that as you will)

He writes movie reviews online and hopes people will see em but his writing skills are ass and he just describes whatever he can and think "yeah that's good enough"

Stephen treats neil like family since well, steph (Neil's older sister) isn't in contact with him that much. And because of the name similarities, neil just treats stephen like steph

His "stuffy" are those hot rubber water bottles (I forgor the name but you pour hot water into them and they help you with cramps and aches and shit-) with a wool sleeve wrapped around it

Since this rp acc is a bit related to the stephen acc. He likes bone crusher a lot! Since he mainly stays home, he has a new buddy to talk to and hang out with. But he leaves all the chores to stephen like cleaning out the litter box or something

Ever since he found out stephen had a cat he was pissed that stephen named the cat "bone crusher" not Link, Skull Kid,Meowth,Litten or Shinx or somthing cool like that but he continues to call bone crusher, bone crusher.

He has a bike and takes it to his college campus. He has the gear for it, too. Helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves. Stephen said if he doesn't wear em he'll get into an accident, and that scared neil

Idk why, but i imagine him being the type to collect... something! Maybe anything to fill up his already messy room!

He's a maximalist (I think that's how you spell it), as you can see from his room

OUGHHH, I CAN'T CHOOSE BETWEEN MAKING NEIL A DEMI BOY OR MAKING NEIL TRANS FTM AJXJWJXKWKXKWKKXKS

I imagine he has those window markers to doodle on his window or to doodle out ideas for another screen play

I imagine him and Stacy are pretty much on the platonic and cute relationship wise. Holding hands, cuddling all that sorta stuff and stacy likes to listen to Neil's rambles about movies and how good/bad they are

Neil likes it whenever he receives gifts :DDD and tries to pay back by acts of service or something idk. Even if it's his birthday or Christmas he makes sure he owes everybody a equal amount. For example (*COUGH COUGH* DS SITUATION) he's gotta pay back stephen by taking care of bone crusher for a day maybe, doing Stephen's chores and stuff

Not a neil headcannon but I imagine stacy trying to watch the movies neil recommend her so she can catch up and talk to neil abt it and I think it's really cute and sweet :DDD

Yk damn well he's got a BIG ASS forehead underneath all that hair. Justin Bieber lookin ah. No wonder why young neil is Canadian/j

Also not a neil headcannon. But I imagine everyone calling stephen, STEVEN (IDK HOW STEPHENS NAME IS PRONOUNCED. IS IT STEVEN OR STEPH-EM WJKDWKDJWN) that includes neil but Joseph calls stephen by his last name (stills) (joseph just calls everyone by thier last names to seem fancy and shit expect for Neil's. He just calls neil, kid or just neil because he doesn't know to how to read Neil's last name nor say it so...he just calls neil, neil)

Bases around one headcannon I saw. I forgor what acc and where it came from (I'll go ahead and credit them if I find it it) but since neil had like parents who always fought or is strict as hell he perfected the ways of walking around the house quiet af and accidentally scars ppl bc of this

[weirdcat1213]

fuck

here we go

vol 10 thoughts

chap 1:

-IMIMIMIM NOT READY FOR THISSSS

-nooo dont make me read it, im too broken already

-NOOOO SHUT UPPPPPP

-delusion oh dear geesus

-DONT ASK THAT WHY WOULD ASK THAT :C

-stfu wolfwood please, ik you love him and admire him but stfu pls

-huh

-oh right....this is how...yeap

-please leave wolfwood just fucking leave

-although yeah thats interesting, im not sure if he thought vash or someone would come for him but yeah, if he actually thought that was the end he would have taken the vials...hmmm

-or maybe not. maybe he was ready to defend the orphanage and be done with it

-ouch

chap 2:

-HE TOOK NO DISCIPLE THAT WAS KIDNAPPING BASICALLY FUCK YOU

-livio ill say this with love....rn i do not fucking care about your self worth/attachment issues. he can go to hell, he and his stupid fucking gun

-OH NO THE CHILDREN

-LMAO HER PLAN WAS GOOD AND THE CHILDREN WERE LIKE "YEAH NO"

-go to FUCKING HELL CHAPEL SHUT UUUUP

-SHUT UP YOU KNOW HES SENSITIVE ABOUT THAAAAAT

-FUCKER

-well this is fucked this is so fucked (may i remind the people this is my 2nd reading)

-ah yey, the tears are here

-"we could have done this as a team" then WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOU FUCKING DUMBASS. NOW YOURE IN THIS FUCKING PAINFUL AND STUPID POSITION. YOU KNOW WHATS SHES FUCKING RIGHT, YOU NEVER LISTENED TO HER NOR VASH AND WENT TO DO SHIT ON YOUR OWN, AND NOW YOURE HERE. YOU AND YOUR FUCKING NEED OF DOING EVERYTHING ALONE CUZ THATS WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING FOR YEARS. YOU CARRIED YOUR LONELINESS FOR YEARS, BUT YOU ARE ABOUT TO REALIZE YOU WERE NEVER ALONE, BUT ITS TOO LATE NOW ISNT IT??? YOU PRECIOUS STUPID DUMBASSS

-this is literally where the fun ends (kinda)

-OH THANK GOD YOURE FUCKING HERE FINALLY

-oh this is when i start to cry like a baby oh geesus

chap 3:

-WHY DO YOU THINK HE CAME YOU DUMBASSSSSSSSSSSSS (ily)

-wolfwood i fucking swear-

-razlo can you not, youre scaring the children, the readers and me

-also the ultimate pacifist vs the ultimate "what if i make a hole in your head for funsies"

-silly me thought the 1st time"oh vash is here so literally nothing can happen"....ja

-yeap, theres also that

-if the book club survives this i would love to buy everyone virtual drinks actually. the people who dont drink can have a nice lemonade

-SPIN THAT FUCKER WOLFWOOD :D

-NOT THEM NOT TRUSTING HIS ANGEL ARM PLSSSS

-"im a friend of nicholas" i may throw up out of sadness

-oh thats cruel for you? really?

-good fucking riddance old man

-razlo stop i dont want to sympathize with you rn

-VASH QUICK DO SOMETHING-

-THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING COUPLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

-"they switched to fighting as a team" im gonna eat glass

-i love how this chapter ends. thanks for the goofy moment before you pluck my heart out in front of my eyes, nightow

-also if you dont see how thats the face of someone trying to confess something really important but failing idk what to tell you

chap 4:

-"death omen" SHUT UP NIGHTOW

-YOU FUCKING DUMBASS

-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :c

-[side note but if orange animates this is gonna hurt like HELL cuz they have highlighted a lot wolfwood's thing with survival so...yeah]

-STOP MAKING YOUR HUSBAND SAAAAAAAAD

-oh...oh no

-HE SAID THE THING HE SAID THE THING NOW SHUT IT

-THE FUCKING. FUCKING. TOUCH

-OW

-those fucking eyes damn hes pissed

-OW RIGHT, HIS NOSE...AH

-oh..oh honey no pls dont leave pls dont leave him alone ik you understand whats gonna happen but please dont please come back-

-oh that blank panel, oh geesus

-YA BRATTTTT

-FUCK OFF RAZLO AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

chap 5:

-i dont get much about this fight ngl

-razlo's eye is so cool but also FUCK OFFFFFFF

-FASTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER

-OHOHOHOH YEAH LETS GO LETS HIT IT

-DAMN

-PUNCH IN THE FACE BITCH

chap 6:

-not the...not the fucking parallel with vash and razlo....nightow why

-HAHGSYU NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THE BLOOD

-wait what-

-VASH TO THE RESCUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

-nononononononNONONONONO NO

-right right, i fell for it again

-THATS IT WE WIN- AH NO SHIT FUCK

-i told you he was a cunt razlo

-oh shit thats, thats beautiful

-i dont mean this as a negative thing against nightow/the story...BUT DID LIVIO'S FUCKING IDEA HAD TO BE THIS FUCKING LATE????? YOU ARE FUCKING WITH ME

-yey...hes back

chap 7

-for the love of geesus pls dont make me read this

-this is more from a personal standpoint but it makes me so fucking sad he felt guilty at the idea of going back to the orphanage cuz no matter what that was always his home, a place he could have come back to. not everyone has one of those. but alas, now its too late

-.....no. he doesnt care that you are a killer or that you have one of the coins, that you were gonna betray him anytime. he doesnt care wolfwood so fucking stop trying to be the villain here.

-ik fucking know why wolfwood doesnt wanna go....but fucking damn it

-this chapter is so quiet. the 1st time i was listening to mr bluesky but the chapter's lack of music just fits.

-maybe YOU are alright but im not. ill never be alright with this

-when i get my own place im not buying a couch and thats a promise

-"smile needle noggin" [crying pause]

-IF I DONT TURN THE PAGE I DONT HAVE TO SEE IT IF I DONT TURN THE PAGE I DONT HAVE TO SEE IT IF I DONT TURN THE PAGE I DONT HAVE TO SEE IT IF I DONT TURN THE PAGE I DONT HAVE TO SEE IT IF I DONT TURN THE PAGE I DONT HAVE TO SEE IT

-god literally has never made vash any favors ever and the ONE TIME he needed someone bigger than everything else...nothing happened

-"and we can celebrate" WHY DID NIGHTOW PAINTED HIS FUCKING DEATH LIKE A CELEBRATION??? YES, HE GETS HIS FREEDOM BACK, HE GETS TO GO HOME, TO SEE HIS FAMILY, TO SHARE A DRINK WITH HIS SOULMATE BUT I CANT STAND IT I CANT

-ofc you did, wolfwood has never been good at lying

-and there it is, til death do them part as they say idk

-...............................................................................................................

chap 8

-im gonna eat my hand, glass, my computer, my house, the world-

-so...do we think that grave was just laying around or...

-DONT YOU FUCKING ASK THAT (IKIKIKIK BUT STILL, LIKE LOOK AT VASH'S EYES HE GETS IT)

-CALL ME STUPID BUT I GENUIENLY FORGOT ABOUT THE HAIR

-literally "stay away from him asshole"

-imagine knowing for a fact you broke something really important inside your brother and laughing about it

-baby oh my baby your hair, your little and stupid blond hair

-orange you have hinted at this so many times and let me tell you one thing, if you do it it has to hurt in the best way possible because this scene deserves nothing but the best

-i respect and wonder how nightow is so good at comic relief. its still a sad scene, everything fucking hurts, the reader will never be the same again...but he can put bits and pieces of comedy that make you chuckle or at least smile to then continue to hit you with a bat

-NOT THE JESUS ALLEGORY CARRYING A FUCKING CROSS, go to hell nightow

-and thats his cross?....to survive?????? im dead

-oh so he doesnt take it? ngl after this my first reading turned into a blur, god knows what i was thinking

im..........yeah. i fucking hated that, as i thought i would

[butmakeitgayblog]

hey! i was reading some of your awtr answers, and i saw the one where they see each other again for the first time, you mentioned that when they were kids, clarke and her friends would grab the cupcakes and leave uninvited lexa behind. is there anything you can maybe add about lexa’s feelings? the thought of young lexa just always seeing her crush with her friends ignoring her and maybe gus noticing from the back just makes my heart hurt. ty!

Those were always kind of hard days.

Summer was always Lexa's least favorite time of year as a kid because it was a time that meant living the bleak reality of 3 months virtually by herself. At school she had her studies, and whatever clubs she threw herself into, and even a few acquaintances in some classes that were friendly enough that she could actually have a conversation or two.

But summer meant loneliness.

It meant wasting the hours of each and every day consuming a teetering mountain of books that weighed more than her little body could carry just to pass the time. It meant mornings helping her mom around the house with chores she was suddenly getting too tired to do anymore, and afternoons playing by herself among the stacks at the shop. It meant standing on a stool just so she could properly see over the counter and counting out customer's correct change in the palm of her tiny hand. It meant watching all the kids ride past the shop's picture windows and never seeming to remember she existed at all.

And that was fine enough on its own because she was used to it because that was just how it was. But then on the days when the neighborhood kids managed to scrape up enough money for afternoon treats and blow in in a cloud of field dust - smelling of sunshine and dirt and the kind of wildflowers that grew out by the old pond - those were days were the hardest. Because she'd just be standing there. In her little starched overalls with her perfectly plaited braids, and she'd be invisible to them. And she didn't really know how to fix what she figured she must've broken at such a young age.

She just wanted to know what it felt like to be them. To be covered in dirt and grass stains. To know what it felt like smile more often than not in a day. To have friends calling for her to hurry up so they could get back to playing again.

It wasn't jealousy, not really. That much she knew even in the twisted sinking feeling that took up residence in her tummy every time. It was more sadness. A panging kind of confusion as she'd hand over the cupcakes and cake pops to lifelong classmates who could barely seem to remember her name. And it was the quiet moments after each gaggle of kids would blow back out of the shop and the chime of the bell on the door would die back down that Lexa watched them all ride off on their bikes and think... why not her? What about her, specifically, made her not one of them?

She just could never quite figure out what she'd done wrong.

It wasn't hard for Gus to pick up on those days. And while he knew he couldn't fix it, he did the best he knew how. Doing things like having Lexa come to the back and help him decorate cakes for the next day, closing the shop early and taking her out for a ride.

More often than not though Lexa would just politely excuse herself and make her way back home. Sometimes retreating to the solitude of her bedroom. Sometimes curling into her mother's side and offering to read to her instead. At least, while she could.

[the-empress-7]

I was out to dinner last night with my Restaurant Club when H's book and the Netflix show was brought up. Knowing I am a Royal watcher I was asked what I thought. Most of the group where saying they watched the Netflix show and liked it. All Americans and none of the Royal watchers. Lord help me. I ordered a second cocktail and then did NOT hold back. They knew NONE of what I told them and planned to google when they got home. Maybe opened some eyes?

Good for you! Let me buy you a virtual drink 🍹

[summerfrwrks]

I'm so fucking devastated and there's absolutely nothing I can do to get back what I lost.

I use canva pro on my senior high school email cause it's for free.

They told us that after graduating shs, we have two years extra with it.

The expiration was last year... it didn't come. I went "oh my gosh!! maybe there's no gmail expiration!! i'll have my canva pro foreverrrrr~"

I got too complacent. I backed-up NONE of my projects.

They did an auto delete on ALL of us today. There was no one week warning. Nothing.

I don't know about the others but I lost. So. Fucking. Much.

I'm can't draw, I'm really more of a writer. But i LOVE to edit. I love making visual stuff. Putting things together, placing pictures and elements and playing with colors and font styles.

I lost a total of two AND a half years worth of stuff. A mix of stuff for uni, things i made for my parents, and most of all my personal projects.

Tons of presentations for classes (this goes back on grade 11 too,,,,, oh the memories)

Literally so much assignments?! Posters, presentations, AND EVEN MY FUCKING RÉSUMÉ

Moodboards on dozens of OCs (Layla and Dominic for Invincible, Devina for Elden Ring, Medina "DeeDee" for Trese, like 5 of my DnD PCs, Octavia and Marie for Nevermore, Lorena "Lorrie" for TOH complete WITH A WHOLE NEW SCHOOL I CALL MOONVEIL ACADEMY IT HAD A CURRICULUM AND CLUBS AND PRINCIPAL OC TECHNICALLY TOO)

Moodboard on the characters for my book (I got references for appearances AND outfits)

Presentations and notes on my ship AUs (mostly jaystephroy in the fashion industry, DnD style medieval fantasy, and this one 2004 movie with gerard butler)

Presentations and notes on my winx club reboot (so, so, soooo much fashion notes and references for the winx AND trix)

Presentations for silly fandom stuff that I was really excited to show to my friends and post here (potential of jaysteph as a ship, dilf ranking in invincible for that one anon, a very descriptive "what's in the bags" of cott seven, other rarepair ppts to get my friends to ship em GAH)

DnD templates for this campaign with my jhs friends (I had stuff printed out for my bard's SPELLBOOK and we could use so much of those edits for notes and extra character lore)

Personal stuff I made for myself (like that magazine style in landscape form about my life updates, a little modeling stuff I did to compile clothes inspo for winx club, this REALLY colorful and cute collages for my wallpapers)

Personal stuff I made for my friends (a couple of memes, birthday stuff, this really cute and sweet virtual scrapbook for "meet the members" with my college friend group)

TONS of invincible characters icon edits (they've been in there FOR MONTHS, the requests oh i am so sorry moots and anons)

A couple stuff i made for my mom and dad (they got to use them all so they're not wasted)

I'm just,,,,,, so sad I didn't get to back them up. I only posted some of them and sent even fewer wips to a few friends.

Honestly I think the biggest tragedy here for me is that I won't ever be able to recreate them. A lot of the texts and descriptions I made were written there DIRECTLY. I had lore. I had dialogue. I had details and stats.

Two and a half years of editing personal projects and assignments. Just. Gone.

There's absolutely nothing I can do to get any of them back. Now all I can do is grieve and hope that I can recreate them.

[literaticat]

This is a question about school visits / bookstore appearances. I know that when authors and illustrators are sent on tour, the Publisher is paying for that (it's publicity) and it's unpaid. But when arrangements for these kinds of visits are are made outside of that: How do authors and illustrators get paid? Do they invoice the school/school district? Do they get paid prior to or after the event? What's the deal with Author Village? Not much info online about how this actually works, and was curious about the inner workings of author visits. Thanks!

I've never been involved on the author side of school visits (though as a bookseller, I have sold books at them!), so I asked my client Kate Messner, who does a lot of them. She says:

"When authors do school visits that aren't part of a publisher-sponsored book tour, they typically charge an honorarium plus travel expenses and invoice either the school or the PTA (which often fundraises for author visits, among other things.) Most schools pay on the day of the event, though some make arrangements to mail a check afterwards.

Author Village is a booking agency that represents a number of authors & illustrators who do school visits. They book appearances for authors when schools and conferences approach them to ask about an author and take a percentage of the honorarium, just like literary agents do."

I could leave it at that, but idk, I can't help embroidering. You didn't ask about this, so Kate didn't answer it, but, it'd be smart to have a list of the different kinds of talks/presentations you are able and willing to give on your website -- these will range from short virtual presentations (that maybe you do for free or for a very low honorarium, for book clubs or classrooms who buy the book), vs in-person, different programs for different age groups, etc. Here are the different offerings Kate has on her site, for example. Author Brad Herzog has a lot of info on his site, too. Look up some of your favorite authors who you know do a lot of school visits, and see what kind of programs they do!

Also, it's best practices to have a contract / memorandum of understanding with the school. That will specify what YOU are supposed to be doing -- how many talks, how big a group, how long, etc. What happens if you (or they) have to cancel. And what THEY are supposed to be doing: Paying x amount, when they are paying, if they are covering travel expenses, providing lunch, making sure that any tech you need such as a projector and screen, or microphones, are set up, asking them to prepare the kids in advance, or making sure that they have made arrangements with a bookstore or have some way to provide books. (they may send an order form home with kids ahead of time and have a bookstore drop them off day of, or order in advance and have somebody there to sell them, etc-- but whatever they do, they should have it in the agreement so you are all on the same page.)

This is important because you'll find that different schools have different levels of experience with these kind of visits, and a poorly coordinated visit can be a real shit-show, so it's best to really make it CRYSTAL CLEAR what you are each doing, and what they need to do to prepare. That's not to say you can't be flexible, obviously different schools have different needs, but whatever you have agreed upon in advance should be memorialized in a contract signed by both you and them. Here's an example of Brad's contract. Here's an example of a generic one.

Re Booking Agencies: You don't NEED to have a booking agency, and most authors probably don't until/unless they are doing a LOT of school visits. I have clients who use the following (but I personally have no direct experience with any of these, I'm not vouching for them or anything, there may be other ones, no idea, but these are just ones that I have heard of!):

Author Village 

Booking Biz   

Booked Authors 

How Now Booking 

Also it would probably be smart to either make friends with a bunch of other authors who do school visits, or at the very least join a Facebook group or SCBWI group or something, so you have people to ask questions of who actually have experience doing this professionally, rather than me, a random agent who has never booked a school visit a day in her life!

(ETA: I'm adding this in the FAQ because it might be useful!)

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Gus Porter Appreciation Post

I have been wanting to do gull analysis of the important characters in The Owl house since like 2/3rds of the way through season 2. Now that the first season 3 special is right around the corner It feels like a good time to make posts and get views again.

Gus is a character I find particularly interesting. In season 1 and for part of season 2 Gus is there, but he is secondary comic relief, very token, and almost never seems to move or affect the plot. He slowly grows as a character with and develops arc’s though, and whats interesting to me is that unlike with characters like Luz/Eda/Willow I cannot really say when his character hit the turning point. I mean I know when his character had shifts, or started to focus more visibly on certain aspects of his character, a lot of the big moments his character goes through and core aspects that come to spotlight in episodes like “Through The Looking Glass” and “Labyrinth Runners” on re-watch actually start more subtle in the back ground of season 1 episodes.

Warning very long post underneath

Things with Gus that could have been done better

Okay first lets address some of the weakness’s of Gus’s character. I want to get those out of the way so that I can spend more time speaking his praises. Up top I call him 3 things “Secondary comic relief” “token” and “unimportant plot wise”. I stand by all three being true (at least for a lot of the series) and all three can be problems with his character. For the “secondary comic relief” one... King is out main source of comic relief. King is voiced by Alex Hirsch, who many fan’s recognize as the creator and voice actor for many Gravity Falls characters. He is a very funny man. King himself is also a funny character, because he sees himself as big and ferocious, has a large personality, and all of this is wrapped up into a like 2.5 ft tall fluffy little dog body. Gus’s first ever job in the show was to come assist Luz on adventures and mishaps where she would be away from Eda and King. Unlike King though Gus does not have a large personality, and with his a main trait being “Self-proclaimed “Human Expert”, when actually everything he says is wrong” he just never seemed as funny. Also King despite being mostly comic relief had lore and backstory from the beginning, taught Luz about demons and life with Eda, and was able to come up with clever ways to help defeat foe’s. Gus... shares his food, and can do basic distracting.

I called him “token”. that is a word that I know gets thrown around a lot, and there is some argument as to when it is appropriate and what it means. So let me give the definition I learned for “token”: One or a few characters that are different from the main cast in a noticeable way, and are added in mainly to give the illusion of this show/book/game being inclusive.” You know how in 90′s and early 2000′s shows about super hero’s/crime fighting a team will have that one (or maybe two if its a big team) female character because otherwise the show writers can be accused being sexist “don’t you think girls can be hero’s too”? Plus without her they will have more trouble doing cliche romance tropes. Or how about in Christmas specials you always have at least one who is briefly stated or shown to be Jewish, because of course the show runners know that Christianity isn’t the only religion, and Christmas is not the only holiday. Gus would qualify as a token character for two reasons. One is that he is one of the only few boys at Hexside who is learning magic, and is also important enough to have a name. The score for that I believe is Girls 11, Boys 5. Of those 5 Jerbo and Barkus were intended to be one off characters and while we saw them again they got no focus and virtually no development (Barkus is in a hexsis holdum club, Jerbo flew for that jerk professors flyer derby team that one time). Edric only shows up spuraticaly and rarely is shown at school. Mattholomule also rarely shows up, and when he does it is to be a parallel foil to Gus (more on him and that later). So Gus is our only frequently occurring boy to actively bee seen trying to become a witch.

Secondly he can count as a token Black character. The Owl house has prioritized  including 3D characters of different sexuality, and learning types. Its disability representation has also gained positive notice and appreciation by its audiance as well. But is does have some problems and struggles in race. I will start by saying that I am white, and as such I do not notice as many things as a POC would when it comes to racial inclusion, and my word should always come second to a POC’s when talking about this. But even I can notice that Amity’s character seemed completely thought out and written with fluid direction when Dana and the crew were still throwing Mabel, Webby, Star, Anne, every other off-beat, family carton, female protagonist of the last 10 years, and multiple popular teen cliche’s all against the wall to see what stuck as character for Luz. Even I can note the racism on giving Luz a new White Mom when she already had a Latina Mom. Then treating White Mom as her main/better/more fun mom, because Latino Mom tells tries to change Luz (get her to tone down her more destructive behavior while at school) but White Mom lets Luz do whatever she wants, up to and including praising her for crime. And even I can notice how Gus got way way less screen time and focus than characters who had lighter skin than him. Now here I want the opinion of POC fans: in season 2 Dana and the crew added 3 more POC characters (Raine, Darwin, and Darius), brought back 2 existing characters (Katya and Mattholomule) and, admittedly more towards the end of the season 2, gave Gus and Skara more focus. Did this feel to you like Dana and the Crew noticing and correcting an issue, or did it feel more like the damage control?

Gus’s plot relevance in episodes is kinda self explanatory. In 1B he does not even participate in shenanigans and mishaps that Luz,Willow, and Amity do. He is the group cheerleader. Which would be fine if they let him do all the cool tricks, acrobatics, and full on routines cheerleaders do. Combining his illusion powers with all of that would have been really awesome. But instead of doing any of that they just gave him two small flags that he waved back in fourth from the stands. That was his whole cheer routine, and most of his 1B character... Okay now I am finally done with writing out the flaws/problems with his character, remember I do love this character, and can move on with praises.

Gus’s magic abilities

Gus’s learning trope is that he the “stressed out gifted kid”. He is a protege magician when it comes to Illusion magic, and have even skipped 2 grades. Okay We do not know that much about how different grades work at Hexisde (it’s an all grade school) since Luz our main character see’s the school for the first time at 14. Given that Luz enrolls during a Summer semester I am guessing that Hexisde is a year round school (how do grade levels work at those? I do not know) that does like 4 three week breaks during each season. But I am going to guess that Elementary level kids learn about the different coven tracks and opportunity’s in them, middle school kids pick their track and learn the basics/early lessons, then High school kids perfect their magic and take more advanced lessons. We have never heard Lilith or Raine or any of the Blights mention Colleges, so maybe its not a thing on the isles and kids only leave when coven recruiters come and take them away...

Gus again skipped two grades and “Labyrinth Runners” implies he does it pretty young, he looks like 9 or 10 in his flashback of his first week in advanced classes. If Willow’s powers came late, could Gus have developed Illusion powers early? We also see that he wasn’t then and still is not now in complete control of his powers. My guess is that when Perry and Bump saw what Gus was capable of they moved him up those grades because they believed the best thing for Gus was to get help from an experienced illusion professor who could help him learn more control and mastery of his powers. We can see how great the Illusion professor is in “Labyrinth Runners”, and how much she cares about Gus.

In season 1 Gus mostly sticks to what seems like advanced basics. He could sentences in the air, and make copies of himself, and he was amazing at it. He was not doing one letter at a time, or even one word at a time, he could magic whole sentences into the air at once with great theatrics. His can make multiple copies at once. His copies still remain fully functional when he is away from them, and they can all talk. For clones made by a child, they are very advanced copies. In “Looking Glass Ruins“ Gus makes an illusion large enough to cover a small grave yard, and then In “Labyrinth Runners” his school. In that episode he also pockets a powerful magnifier glass that lets him peer into foes heads and call fourth bad memories. This gives Gus a way to cause actual damage to Belos in “King’s Tide”.... But Gus may have been hit some recoil on that.

This brings me to another part of Gus’s character that I love: He gets progressively stronger through out the show, but he never reaches the ceiling of his potential. He can give his copies more advanced mobility and speaking skills, But when he does they are less likely to do what he wants. See the that only pretended to take notes for him when he skipped, and the one that he made when he wanted to interview himself who promptly told him “I would rather die than reveal my secrets”. He is not able to make large illusions in season 1, and in season 2 they tire him and he still loses control if they go over a certain size. He learns to use the magnifier glass quickly, but he can only us it on an already subdued opponent and using it may pose danger to him in the process. Gus has all the potential to become a mater illusionist, and the dreams and ambition to become even more. But all of this will be one day in the future. For now he is a kid who needs to keep studying and practicing so he can get better, smarter, and wiser.  This brings me to my next point about Gus

Relatable Fears

First off let’s look at the pressure Gus puts on himself. He loves to brag about getting to skip two grades. He can be a show off with his magic, and when mentioning that his dad wants him to become a master illusionist he laughs says “That’s easy”, and declares that he will become this powerful and new figure in relational politics and end a long standing feud between the boiling Isle residents and the Giraffe’s.

When tries to help Willow deal with a pixie infestation with an illusion and it doesn’t help at all, and she gets hurt anyway, He goes through a huge existential crisis and starts wondering openly questioning if the illusion track is even worth studying. Some bullies trick him into helping them clear a way to the graveyard for them, before revealing they do not want to be his friends and do not care about his feeling’s or opinions. Gus blames himself for all of this. Who was he kidding thinking Bria actually cared? Well it’s not his fault. HE thought Bria cared because she did a really good job of putting on a show of acting like she cared. Its pretty high key hinted that he does this all the time at Glandis and that’s how she keeps her three “friends” and probably others under her thumb. Heck its low key hinted that she got Mattholomule in so much trouble that his parents took him out of Glandis at least in part to get him away from her and the members of their group. Gus isn’t stupid, Bria is just a skilled manipulator.

After Bria Gus and the cast, unfortunately meet, Adrian Graye Venworth. Gus see’s through his first illusion and saves Edric and the other kids from being tricked into getting sigiled. But Later Gray and a member of the Emperor’s Coven trick Gus into almost going with them by casting an illusion to make the Coven Scout look like Willow. Hunter See’s through the Illusion and grabs Gus yelling that it is a trick. Gus is devastated that he could not tell the difference between his best friend and an illusion and concludes that he must be stupid and have something seriously wrong with him. A few things that I will point out here (and I am so glad Hunter points out to Gus in the episode). Gus is not at fault at all. The coven guard pretending to be Willow fooling him? They showed up when Gus was in danger, scared, and desperate to find help so of course he feels a wave of relief at Willow. Hunter saw through it because he has rained himself to never drop his guard (he has had to) But Gus has no reason to distrust Willow. Even if he was fooled it was never a fair fight. Gus is a gifted kid, but he is still only a 12 year old kid, and is still learning. The Emperor’s coven is made up of all the most ambitious students and highest scores AFTER they graduated school, past tons of vigorous recruitment tests, and devoted their lives to nothing but improving their magic and serving the Emperor. Adrian is a Coven head, a.k.a the top ranking Illusionist on The Titian. Him and all he guards are older and have both more training and experience than Gus. They were able to fool Bump and the Hexside teachers too, and none of them are fools. Gus’s only problem is the pressure he puts on himself.

To go a bit deeper into Gus’s fears, we see him began to work through his fears in season 2 but I think his arc with fear and overcoming it actually starts in season 1′s ‘Enchanting Grom Fight”. Remember at the end of it when Willow and Gus are helping with the clean up and that peace of Grom morphs into their fears. We see that Willow is afraid of ladybugs (???) and that Gus is afraid of clowns. Now Clowns are a pretty common, it would be enough to assume Gus is scared of their big red grins, yellow teeth, or giant stomping feet. But in “Through the Looking Glass Ruins” through that Illusions are not able to help solve his friend’s issues like Gus hopped he loses faith in them and himself. Then h starts calling Illusions “party tricks” and himself a “clown”. Which descends to “Stupid”, “Fool”, and “Kidding himself” in “Labyrinth Runners”. You add all this together and it equals Gus not being scared of clowns because of creepy make-up, oversized cloths, or how in-your-face some clowns are. We only see the clown image Grom used on Gus from the back but I am gonna gus its front looked kinda similar to Gus himself. “Clown” is the bad name Gus calls himself when he gets angry/scared/or frustrated at his own mistakes. Gus is scared that maybe he is destined to be a clown. Maybe his dad, teachers, friends, and himself are all fooling themselves when they call him someone special, and maybe everything he is good at is just stupid, unimportant, party tricks.

THAT IS NOT TRUE. Gus’s is a great friend and his support has done a lot for Willow, Luz, King, Mattholomule, and Hunter. He has been a real light and the dark for them all. While his illusions have limits, he starts finding knew things he can do with them throughout the season as he improves (and we thankfully say god bye to the Gus the uninspiring cheerleader and the two tiny flags that all he does is flick back and forth). Gus’s own magic feets even hit Heroic status on at least three occasions “Through the Looking Glass Ruins”, “Labyrinth Runners”, and “Kings Tide” where if not for him things would have gone much worse and potentially innocent lives could have been ruined or lost. Gus can, is, and will be great witch. He just needs to take some time, and come into it in his own way.

Gus’s development into a more empathetic friend and his growth and maturity through out the show.

Just a small heads up most of this will be about Gus’s relationships with other males. I know, I know Willow and Luz are his best friends. I am not trying to undervalue his relationships with them, they are great friends and very important to him. The reason I am not talking much about them is that his friendships with them start from their first meeting and remain really consent throughout the show. There is never really any change. They are all friends, Willow and Luz know he is younger by a couple years but they do not treat him any different for it. Gus loves this and is super protective of both of them, trying to jump on or “Gus chomp” any big kid who calls one of the Trio “losers’ or tries to give them a hard time.

Let’s start with the first time we see Gus in his element. Gus’s time as the President of the Human Appreciation Society (a school based club he started). This was Gus at his absolute worst, most jerkish, and it got him nothing. Gus says in the episode that he created the club because being the youngest kid in his grade he was always overlooked and wanted to create a place where that would not happen to anyone. When he says that it is the only time that he is either kidding himself or just being stupid. Because Gus is a tyrannical leader that and overlooks every other person there. No really he is. Gus calls himself “The President” but also made himself a crown, like he’s the king. He has a huge list of rules that he made himself and that no one else is allowed even comment on. He is the only person allowed to touch the objects, He is the only one allowed to make decisions (he legit see’s the group wanting to vote as anarchy), and judging by his reaction to Matty dumping out his backpack Gus may even be the only one who is usually allowed to bring in artifacts. Gus made himself a place where he would get to be in charge of kids older than him and they would have to listen to what he says. Well later in the show we see that Bigger Kids used to take advantage of Gus’s trust and trick him into doing their work for him. These are his worst memories.So seeing that I can see why Gus would want a place like the H.A.S., but that is an explanation for his behavior and not a excuses. He is acting like his old bullies and it is getting him nowhere. The bigger kids in his club must stay because they are interested in learning more about human culture, because they do not seem to care for or like Gus. When Mattholomule challenges him for leadership two kids support him and one just proclaims himself “an undecided voter”; none of them back Gus. When Bump kicks Gus out of the club none of the kids care or ever speak to him again.

Losing the club was painful for Gus in the short term because it was a club he cared about (and it led to 1b Gus and his boring obsession with two tiny flags. They really could not have also given him a horn, some lights, or put the flags on a baton), but after the way he had acted I cannot say he did not deserve to lose it, and he did grow from this. His relationship with King is the first one to show his growth. In “Really Small problems” Luz gets the day off from school and decides to take King to the carnival. While there she runs into Willow and Gus and asks King if they can join them. Gus is really condescending to King here, but King agrees to let them join for Luz. Willow and Gus do not listen to what King wants to do, gradually take more of Luz’s attention, and eventually fully exclude King. This drives King so crazy that he buys a potion to make Gus and Willow temporarily disappear. Which of course he bought from a con artist, its actually a scam that gets everybody in trouble, and King has to apologize and explain his loneliness to the other kids. He tried to make peace with Gus and Willow by offering them both pieces of broken friendship necklaces which they both take. Gus thanks King saying that he has always wanted “A jagged piece of cheap metal”. Willow gets on to Gus, I guess believing he is still being condescending, but I do think Gus was checking himself. Two episodes later when everyone is getting excited about Grom Gus gets to be the announcer and he goes to King to ask if he would like to be his assistant. When King gets stage fright Gus finds him and helps him through it in a much more tactful and friendly way. Gus is 3-4 years older than King, so to King Gus is a big kid. When King confessed the way Willow and Gus made him feel, I think this was the first time Gus was able to see his former bullies in his own actions. He did not like it and he makes steps in later episodes to be more friendly to King and treat him like one of the group.

Now Let’s go to Mattholomule. Gus was a jerk to the other members of his club, but when Mattholomule does his whole “scared and lonely new kid who just wants friends act (which I know was not completely an act)” Gus believes it and really does seem genuine in wanting to be Mattholomule’s friend afterwards. When Mattholomule turn on them and sends Luz to the detention pit, Gus goes to save her, and Mattholomule gets literally dragged along in the crossfire. Gus could have left Mattholomule to rot down there. There is a few options as to maybe why. Maybe Gus feels responsible since he kinda started this whole mess. Maybe since Mattholomule has the most experience with dentition pits Gus and Luz thought they could need him in the escape. What ever reason Gus shows genuine kindness in recusing Mattholomule as well as Luz. That is not an act that Gus gets repaid back to him right away. As soon as they get out and Bump see’s what they did to the pit, he tries to blame Luz. Gus takes all the blame, part of which should got to Matty, but Matty only speaks up when he see’s that he still has the opportunity to steal Gus’s club. Just to be clear on Mattholomule as H.A.S.P: He is a jerk, he will be just as tyrannical as Gus was, and like Gus the club made him no friends, no more popular, and any power he thinks the title gives him is in his head. Gus has to leave and become better.

But in “Through the Looking Glass Ruins” we get more back story on Mattholomule. We meet his old crew (whom his brother does not seem to like him hanging out with anymore) and see that they are all better than him at magic and hear how his lack of polished skill led to other kids making Glandis very difficult for him. Mattholomule essentially dealt with the same issues as Gus but on the opposite end. Mattholomule tries his best to keep Gus away from the other kids, and Gus thinks this is just him being mean. Only to find out to late that these other kids are just using them both. Because Gus was once kind to Matholomule, something that try as he might Matty has apparently not been able to stop thinking about or being grateful for, Matty goes back to help him. After watching Gus defend the graveyard from his old crew Matty finally makes the right choice for the right reason (reasons other than power or dept) and offers to help fix it up. Then, at hearing the illusion history may have to be hidden away, Matty suggests that he and Gus can build it a stronger defense system. Gus has a new friend now (who may one day also become more than a friend, they do share interests and passions) and has renewed faith in both that illusion magic matters, and that people aren’t all bad, and are capable of changing for the better.

These lessons all come to play during Gus’s relationship with Hunter. Gus does not really like Hunter when they first meet. Hunter or “Caleb Jasper BloodWilliams” is a strange, rude mouthed, big kid, who Gus has not seen before, but getting Willow’s flyer derby team approved suddenly depends on him... It turns out “Caleb” is really Hunter, a.k.a the Golden Guard, and he is here to trick them into the roughest coven of them all. Yes Hunter regrets it and goes back to save them (actually he may have done it more for their palisman than them, but he still helped them). He did the right thing, only after lying to them, scamming them, and putting all of them in danger. Gus is not obligated to forgive Hunter or try and be his friend the next time meet. When they meet again Gus half expects Hunter to try and pull the same crap, until he learns that Hunter is on the run. Then he offers him help and a listening ear. Gus did this because he knows that Hunter is not 100% bad, feels empathy for how alone/confused/scared Hunter is, and he knows people can change for the better. Gus has come along way from the bratty, vindictive, kid he sometimes acted like in season 1a. To him these basic acts of kindness do not seem like much, but to Hunter, who is going through so much, they mean the world. It’s because of Gus’s influence that Hunter finds the courage to come out of hiding and publicly supports the rebel side. This indirectly helps lead to all 6 kids (I included King) being together on the day of Unity and able to help each other against Belos.

Gus Porter All and All

Gus is a really great, well thought out character. He is in the background more than some others, and I wish the show had brought him to the forefront more (I do believe that if the show had run longer we would have gotten more of him and Matty protecting the graveyard, Matty introducing him to his favorite book series, and Gus meeting Steve. Grrr). But even when Gus is stuck in the background he still has some really interesting arc’s going on and you miss out if you just dismiss him. I also appropriate Gus getting to do important things and be a hero from the background, he reminds me of Codename: Kids next Door’s numbah 5 in that respect. She mostly stayed out of the spotlight by choice, but was indisputably the backbone of her team. Gus’s journey through school and the insecurities that he deals with remind me a lot of myself when I was younger as well as friends I had back then. I am willing to bet a lot of kids in school can relate to Gus and I like how so much of his feelings and situation are shown to us instead of told. Its nice that kids can see him, and have him to help learn to not doubt or be so hard on them selves, You are special, the right people will see you as such. IF the voices in your head call you names, then tell them to shut up because they do not know.

[thedrarrylibrarian]

Hiii I hope you're well! I just watched pride and prejudice (2005) for the first time and now I'm looking for all the drarry PaP AUs I can find. Do you happen to know any? Thank you in advance

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that librarians love Pride and Prejudice! This is a fun request and I most ardently loved putting this list together for you. I hope your dance card isn’t too full because your holds have arrived!

Pride and Prejudice Vibes

A Truth Universally Acknowledged by @aedwritesfic (2,479 words, rated T)

Bored out of his mind during quarantine, Harry joins the virtual book club hosted by the hot new librarian in Godric's Hollow.

I Hardly Know by cathcer1984 (6,934 words, rated T)

Harry Potter does not like Draco Malfoy. At least that's what he tells himself.

The Pleasure of Understanding You by drarryisgreen (11,990 words, rated E)

An adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

A Truth Universally Acknowledged by @sorrybutblog (17,363 words, rated M)

A year out from the war, Harry agrees to accompany Hermione on a historical walking tour of Pride and Prejudice. Not in the itinerary: running into Draco Malfoy, setting off a summer of stately homes, lavish parties, resentful shagging, and maybe, falling in love.

amid this warm and steady sweetness by @forestgreenlesbian (21,182 words, rated E)

Harry is not living in a period drama, no matter what his friends or his new house or Malfoy’s sudden affinity for horse-riding might suggest, and if one more person uses the word courting, he’s going to start hexing people.

Romp and Circumstance by @wolfpants (35,505 words, rated E)

Since the war, Harry Potter has gone from Saviour to Scoundrel—not that he’s complaining.

With a schedule full of gorgeous men, alcohol, and late nights, why would he want to change? Enter Draco Malfoy: beautiful, sharp, and completely untouchable. When Draco comes to Harry with a proposition to help him attract an engagement, Harry’s up for it—after all, how hard can it be not falling for his former nemesis?

Very hard, apparently.

Recompense & Reparo by sablier_sarcelle (48,981 words, rated E)

And Mr. Draco Malfoy, pureblood wizard whose reputation has certainly been slandered by The War (and perhaps even by his own actions in said war) has a plan. A list of five steps to restore the Malfoy family to its proper place in society.

That is until Harry Potter comes along and mucks it all.

A Regency AU, in which there are ungloved touches, letters, meddling mothers, and hope that love can somehow find a way.

❤️ As always, if you find a fic you enjoy, please remember to leave the author a kudos or a comment! ❤️

Lots of Love and Happy Reading!

[cinnamon-sticks-and-coffee-cups]

salut mes anges! today i thought i’d share some tips for learning french (or any language really)! please enjoy lovelies <3

⁎⁺˳✧༚ form a book club!

this is a great way to improve in all areas of language learning (reading, writing, speaking, listening) and make it fun and social! if you have a few friends also learning the same language as you, why not try to read a book in your target language every month? you can get together to discuss your favourite parts, what you did and didn’t like, and even write a review at the end! this works well both irl and virtually (discord would be a great platform for this <3)

⁎⁺˳✧༚ listen to music!

finding some good songs in your target lang can be really helpful! singing along in the car improves your pronunciation, you can note down new vocab as you encounter it, you could give translating the lyrics a go and learn new idioms/metaphors or you could just sit back and enjoy being immersed in the language you’re learning ! i found this one super fun and relatively low effort so maybe give it a chance :D

⁎⁺˳✧༚ speak!

this sounds basic af but i promise there’s actual insight here. speaking whenever possible means you apply all new grammar and vocab you’ve learnt to real life situations! you can chat to your friends, to your pets, record voice memos with shopping lists/notes/observations/diary entries, converse online, read passages of books aloud in your target lang, talk to siri in ur target lang, sing whilst you do mundane chores etc. speak every opportunity you get, because it really does improve your fluency!!

⁎⁺˳✧༚ change your phone settings!

when I first did this, it was definitely scary but ultimately really useful. it forces you to interact with the language daily, and even if you don’t understand everything at first, context and previous knowledge helps you to piece things together. also, your phone has a lot of high-frequency words that are insanely useful in everyday life!

⁎⁺˳✧༚ keep a diary!

this helps you improve fluency and express yourself better, highlights gaps in your vocab, means you learn all your most used words in your target language, helps you to learn how to apply grammar rules and form sentences that sound natural and gives you a record of all the progress you’ve made! you can look back at how far you’ve come which is honestly one of the most rewarding experiences :D

⁎⁺˳✧༚ don’t give up!!

when you’re a beginner, everything feels new and exciting and you feel super smart because you’re learning so many new words! however, as you improve, you’ll realise just how much you don’t know (“i can carry a conversation, sure, but what if i wanted to talk about something specific, like philosophy or biology? there’s just so much i still have to learn!”) don’t let this discourage you! it’s a sign you’re improving :) just try to interact with the language often and keep up the good work <3

i hope this was useful! sorry for the long post lmao T-T je t’aime!!

[harmonicabisexuals]

You rated Moby Dick 4/5 and I'm wondering why? I read it in 2022 and didn't love it although a lot of people do so I'm just looking for different perspectives. Maybe I got too caught up in the chapter on whaling 😅

lol I hear you! I thought the prose was absolutely gorgeous, some of the best I've ever read. I also love media that focuses on the eternal human conflict of fate vs. free will (see also my obsession w East of Eden and The X Files) and I really liked the philosophical message of how happiness is not found in abstract ideals but rather in the comforting mundane of every day life and being with the people you love. I also love how Ishmael comes to this epiphany during the chapter where he talks about being elbow-deep in whale sperm lol.

I do agree that the book drags in the middle with all the chapters on the taxonomy and physiology of whales and whaling though. There are only so many essays on whale tails and blowholes I can read in a row before my eyes start to glaze over. But if you push through it's totally worth it imo because the ending is mic-drop amazing.

I also think it helped to read Sparknotes analyses after every 5 chapters or so to help catch some of the more subtle themes and metaphors, especially bc I didn't have anyone to discuss it with at the time- so it was almost like a one-sided virtual book club. Overall I've found with 19th-century novels you have to adjust your perspective on what makes for "good" writing- obviously the language and style is different than modern authors but you also have to be okay with books taking a lot longer to get through. Moby Dick took me three months to finish (with some lengthy breaks) but I can't imagine getting the same experience out of it if I had read it in a week or so.

[solarisrenbeth]

hello beloved, can i have 8, 10 and 25 for the books asks please? 💕

silvvvv thank you beloved!! 🥰

8. Did you meet any of your reading goals? If so which ones?

i don’t know that i set any reading goals this year, actually! i did join a lil virtual book club which was something i was interested in so i guess that counts 😌

10. What was your favorite new release of the year?

OOOOH this is real close. hm. yeah i have to cheat and mention two, sorry LMAO

gotta be a tie between kelly link’s white cat, black dog and eliza clark’s penance

both were highly anticipated releases for me because i’m a big fan of both writers, so the fact that they both EXCEEDED those expectations says a lot 🤩 white cat, black dog is some of the most fun i’ve had with a short story collection and if you enjoy reimagined fairy tales (but weirder), i highly HIGHLY recommend this one 🤌 and penance……..i don’t even know what to say about penance 💆‍♀️ it’s like nothing i’ve ever read before and i couldn’t put it down. if anyone has read this please let me know so we can discuss

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

hmmmmm! probably to keep better track of my reading throughout the year and actually do some review writing instead of just going !!!!!!!!!!! about everything i like 😅 maybe start a bookblr but that might be ambitious 💀

[of-thieves-and-witches]

Hot Chocolate

" Gwen come on don't be that way"

She stopped in tracks and briskly turned around.

He gulped when he saw the scowl on her face, she was mad.

Mad mad. Maybe he should've waited for her to cool down before he tried talking to her.

" what way Kevin? How else do you think I should've responded to this situation?"

It was supposed to be a nice little lunch, just her ,Kevin and her mothers good old friend Lydia. And her pretentious nephew Dylan apparently, whom her mother had oh so casually forgotten to mention.

Lydia and Natalie went way back, back to many years ago where they had met at the town's Country club.

Lydia wasn't just a friend, she was considered family.

So when Natalie suggested introducing Kevin to her Gwen was delighted. Maybe this was her way of accepting them. Maybe she had finally starting seeing her relationship with the osmosian as more than just a phase. But oh boy was she wrong, so very wrong.

" look babe , I just think....I...i know you care about me but I really don't think you should throw away your family for me. " Kevin voiced calmly. As much as loved Gwen , he didn't want to major create rifts in her family ties for him.

Gwen huffed as she stomped cross armed towards her boyfriend.

The lunch had started out nice though , till Dylan arrived. And then came the subtle comparisons , the passive aggressive insults.

All while Kevin sat quietly, shifting uncomfortably in his seat whilst the ostentatious snob kept sneering at him.

Any other time the car obsessed boy would've beaten someone like him to the pulp , but not right now. Not to Gwen's family.

His girlfriend on the other hand had no such reserve. Her nerves twitched with every second , the rage growing.

" oh dear , every young girl goes through a rebellious phase , it's completely understandable. But as we grow we need to separate the street urchin hounds from quality men you know "

The red-haired was already nearing her breaking point, and Kevin had made up his mind about having a work emergency soon before he exploded.

But before that could occur, out came Dylan's " monster freak " comment, disguised as a cliché phlegmy cough.

And that tipped the scales of the already dwindling state of peace in the air.

By the time Kevin could fully comprehend what had happened, the chair beside him was flipped to the side, Gwen was out the door and Lydia was dabbing away the burning hot chocolate from Dylan's face.

" I don't care who they are , no one and I mean no one has the right to treat you that way. Got it Levin?" she turned on her heel and began walking away, thinking about the earful she was likely going to have to endure when she got home.

Kevin stood in place, a warm feeling in his gut. The lack of affection he had received had turned him into a man who needed him and him alone to fight for him.

He still stood by that belief, but he had to admit , it felt so good, so warm and fuzzy, to know someone was there to stand up for him.

" Gwen" he called out once again.

" what now?!"

He smirked slightly as he pointed his thumb behind him." the car's parked this way"

A/N: Quick little oneshot. I haven't had anything up for a while now so i figured ill put up a little something. Sorry for any grammatical error. Also a virtual cookie for whoever can guess what famous decade old wattpad book this scene was inspired by :)