#since there was a good chunk of actually good takes about how bad media is now and society and braindead internet 'activists' that-

[katyspersonal]

[b0bs0ndugnutt]

You're tags about early hiatus leading to calcified headcanons makes me think about why certain parts of the fandom are so against the idea of yang being butchier and cling to her beacon persona so hard. Odd to me beacon yang's whole thing was she was putting up a front to hide her insecurities, yet early fandom portrayed her as some femme fataleish fashionista that flirted with everyone and talked about her boobs nonstop. But even beacon yang was never like that, and now we have a yang that wears big butch boots and overalls and bomber jackets and likes to manspread and actually it's her gf that likes to get prettied up for their dates while yang watches with heart eyes from afar. Sorry for the essay, I just wonder why early fandom saw a show that telegraphed pretty well that it's about turning tropes on its head and decided "no I want the surface level version of these characters and any change or development that differs from it is bad"

I totally agree and ended up writing an essay in turn!

I think it’s especially annoying when fandom does that with Yang’s V1 “persona” in particular since (1) she got the least amount of development of the girls in V1 (we really don’t “meet” Yang til we get her backstory in Burning the Candle — hell we don’t even get an explanation of her semblance until Painting the Town) and (2) all the girls have grown and changed since we met them, so why are some folks SO stuck on early Yang? But I do think it taking so much longer to really “meet” Yang means there were huge chunks of time between the Yellow Trailer and V1 and then V1 and V2 where people filled her character in how they saw fit and have clung to that.

I think there are sort of two buckets. In the bad faith group are the weebs who saw big boobs and an empty vessel of a character they could project onto. To your point, the show told us from the get-go in her trailer and in her song that she was “more than meets the eye”, but the shonen-brained who are accustomed to fanservice and 2D female side characters saw Yang and assumed she was for Them (and feel betrayed that she isn’t and have made it everyone’s problem). I dont have a lot of patience for those types — they can go watch 99.9% of shonen anime if they want that (though I hope for their sake they expand their media diet…).

I have some more patience for the second bucket who just don’t really understand the lesbian experience and how it can be to re-contextualize your identity once you’ve figured yourself out. Because in some ways you only really “get it” if you’ve gone through it. Yang settling into herself is SO cool to me, because I was similar. In high school, I was pretty femme / assumed I was straight / etc. And even once I understood I liked girls, knowing your identity and integrating your identity are two different things. It’s so normal to me to see Yang “become” Yang as she has (from the way she dresses, her posture, the way she sits, her chivalry, etc) because I lived it. But I think it is lost on some people who just see her “dykeyness” as a retcon and not a development — so to them, I want to try to be patient because I realize what’s obvious to me comes from my lived experiences. (Again, the bad faith folks who wanted surface-level digestible anime waifus don’t get my patience here).

But to those coming at Yang in good faith, Yang coming into herself and getting more butch as time goes on (Yang was always going to be more than her first projection - they spelled it out) is no different than Weiss and Blake settling into their ‘true’ selves (and their color schemes have slowly come to match their aura/soul colors). It’s also a pretty common experience when sexuality is yet another thing piled on top of the identity crisis that is your late teens/early 20s.

I also find it a little silly that people glom onto V1 Yang as this flirty party girl because it’s not even supported by actual canon. Yang plays video games and is like a super-nerd about the table top game they play in V2, but none of those “I miss V1-3 Yang” types are like “why doesn’t she play video games and board games anymore? What a betrayal of her character”? Like why isn’t “gamer bro” Yang part of That fandom’s flanderization of her character? There’s more support in canon for that than her supposed puns…

Anyway, went off on a tangent there, but TLDR: Yang’s butch-ness is completely organic and part of her settling into herself, just as the other characters have settled into their true selves. I dont have time for the folks fueled by entitlement, but I can have time for the folks with empathy who might not have all the inputs to understand it but are willing to listen (and my inbox is open!).

[miss--river]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

thank you so much!❤️ sorry this took me so long to answer 😅

i'll start with jori since she's the first one i created! i know it may not seem like it lately but she's the main baby of the other 2 main babies i have! ive projected so much of myself and interests onto her that i became attached quickly lmao! she's also the one who i insert into every piece of media that im consuming and like enough. like, if im playing dead space i totally imagine her in the place of isaac. or if im playing a backrooms game she's the one running around and trying to escape from the monsters lmfao! her story has taken different shapes and changes since i actually brought her over from red dead online. her twin brother, mika, doesnt exist in red dead online and was solely create for cyberpunk purposes. i love the pic on the left because i just think she looks really badass lmao! and i like the one on the right because im not usually patient enough to set up sets and backgrounds but this time i stuck it out and i loved it! it's simple compared to what others can do but im still proud of it!

next is the love of her life, driss! back when i first started getting into modding my game i actually shipped her with river. i was trying to get a cute shot of her and river looking out at the sunset over the ocean, but sine i was so new to modding i didnt know bigger characters like river had a different locomotion type so i couldnt get any poses to work. as a test i replaced an NPC couple with jori and driss and that was when i fell into a hole lmfao! i thought they looked so much better together so i kept them going! their ship name is Broken and Beautiful because both of them have past traumas that still effect them but they found comfort and understanding in each other. i love how soft both of these pics are! especially the fire behind them in the one on the right!

lottie is my second of the main 3! she also started out as a red dead online OC! i usually try to make her come off as a flowery, cottage core, disney princess aesthetic type. she's the softest and shyest of my OCs but she can be fierce too! she smiles at strangers in the street and will lend a hand if they look like they need it but she does it with caution because... its night city lmao! i chose these pictures in particular because i just thought they were the coolest ones. i do have some pics that showcase her as soft and flowery but i just couldnt resist showing these ones instead! the one on the left was made to be a tarot card called The World. the pic on the right was me trying out a greaser AU on her! i really love how they both came out!

the last of the main 3 is phoenix! i made her fully expecting to just leave her to collect dust, just like certain other OCs, (and i feel so bad for them 😔) but i became attached to her very quickly too. i based a chunk of her personality off of vash the stampede from the 1998 anime trigun. after a short while of that i actually ended up shipping her with him lmfao! currently she doesnt have a backstory because nothing has really inspired me yet but at least i know some things about her current life! i think these pics are perfect for show casing her as she currently is. she lives in clutter but not, like, dirty clutter if that makes sense? she just likes having stuff and buying things that interest her. i mean doesnt everyone? haha! she doesnt really save her money for anything other than rent and bills, everything else is purely impulse. her favorite treat is donuts and when she's willing to share one with you thats how you know she likes you! her favorite thing is to make people smile!

onto stuff that i made for other people! i really loves these pics that i took of mishka and claire for @thelonestrider! mishka looks SO GOOD in purple! and claire is chef's kiss! i had a lot of fun taking pics of her! i got such freeing vibes from her so i had to have her enjoying the sun's rays!

i took these ones for @holofishes and i totally consider wren to be one of jori's besties! i think they'd have so much to talk about and i get such warm vibes when i see them together! jori is usually very sweet and kind but when it comes to her friends she'd kick anyone's ass 😉 the sunflowers and butterflies in the first pic took so long to place! but it was totally worth it! they're both rays of sunshine!

[stirpicus]

Hello Eric! Thank you for all the advice and wisdom you share with your writing experiences. I’ve been lurking on those on a while because (well i know a major chunk is MC story mode), the characters are so well fleshed out and they stuck to me for so many years. No matter what I do I alwayyys go back to writing. Like i cannot just NOT do it. And lately, spending much time, I have been trying to unwrap my misbelief about “comparing myself to others”. I read so many different advice: don’t compare yourself, you can only control what you do, your journey is different, you can’t compare art, trends change etc. yet I just can’t seem to get it. Now I know why.

Personally I have enwrapped my own sense of worth with the stories I write. Like if this craft isn’t recognized the best despite all my efforts, I just don’t have that IT factor. And even though we’re not supposed to compare, is it bad for me to have ambition that I want to become the best? Also yes my journey is different, but how do I know if I’m headed there, what if I’m just gonna be stuck average? So all of these thoughts boiled down to this dark demon always telling me: why bother pouring your heart out when it won’t make a difference to the competition? My biggest desire is to write a story that inspires. But if I don’t have enough people to like it (aka not popular enough) then I did a bad job or what I have to offer wouldn’t suffice.

Tdlr; bigger numbers, bigger validation, significance=good writer.

How would you unravel this misconception?

I have a lot of problems with modern society and it’s affect on budding artists, writers, and other myriad creative ne’er-do-wells. Social media, in particular, is a noxious poison that we have been collectively huffing for the last decade and change, with its deceptively comforting dopamine hits.

You need to remember that people have undertaken creative endeavors since the dawn of time, and that for 99.99999% of that time, there has not been social media. There have not be likes, or reblogs, or retweets, or follower counts… and yet art and creative expression have persisted.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you “Aw I’m sure you’re great! Just keep plugging away and you’ll get there!” Because I don’t think you have a clear idea of what your definition of “there” is. You say you want to be “the best,” but that doesn’t mean anything. The “best” writer of all time might have been born at a time and in a place where we’ve never gotten to read any of her or his or their writing. Wanting to be “the best” is a foolish goal that will only lead to frustration and disappointment.

You need to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself: Do you actually love writing? Or do you love the idea of being praised for your writing because you seek validation and writing is something that people have told you you’re good at doing? “Success” can look like a thousand different things and change a thousand times in your lifetime. When I was 21, my vision of “success” was getting paid to write words. That was it. The first time I got to file my taxes as a “Writer” I felt like I had truly “made it.” All my writing that year was for weird social media startups and cartoons that never went anywhere, but people had nonetheless exchanged Money for my Words so I had achieved my goal of “Getting paid to write words.”

Each success brings with it new goals - from there it was “write something that gets made,” “have an original idea get produced,” “get to write for a medium I’ve never written for before,” “write something that wins an award,” But along the way, I tried to make each of these goals attainable and tried not to despair when some take longer than others. I have some goals that I may never accomplish, and some that I haven’t even set for myself yet.

This is my own journey, and yours will look different. But I hope whatever shape it takes, you will divorce yourself from caring about something as stupid as follower counts or number of likes or trying to be “the best.” Because good lord what a silly amount of pressure to put on yourself.

At the end of the day the one reader that will always read your stuff… is you. So don’t worry about whether people will like what you’re writing - just make sure it’s something that you like to read and enjoy writing. Because if you keep doing that and keep the social media demons outta your brain box, then you can focus on figuring out what you REALLY want out of writing… because I bet it’s something way achievable than “being the best.”

[catsconflictscopicsandchamomile]

ok its been literally 15 minutes since the finale ended and im getting off the TOH tag.

I am SO DISAPPOINTED in a certain side of this fandom.

it took less than FIFTEEN MINUTES to see enough "lollllll lumity went canon and huntlow didn't, get WRECKED YOU STINKY STRAIGHTS LOL BURY UR GAYS UNO REVERSE LMAOOOOO HOW DOES IT FEEL NASTY ICKY BAD STRAIGHT SHIPPERS" posts to make me actually consider whether I'd rather the show have had a sad ending.

not bc of huntlow, i ship it but never put any hope or weight on it going canon. I'm not "anti-lumity" or whateverthefuck, I don't really think about ships that much in 99.9% of fandoms.

...yall are just extremely fucking

IMMATURE.

I'm queer. I understand how much pain we've dealt with even SOLELY in terms of media rep. I even understand the glee at the concept of "straightbaiting" actually being a thing that happened here.

I also understand the EXTREMELY JUSTIFIED concern and anger around some parts of the fandom seeming to abandon the BIPOC WLW main character/main ship in favor of the Sad Greasy White Boy Of The Week And His White Straight Girlfriend.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why so many "fans" are taking this EXTREMELY POSITIVE, LITERALLY GROUNDBREAKING and immediately turning it against their fellow fans. All this amazing rep, characterization, EVERYTHING and you still find a way to be cruel to your fellow fans.

this isn't a contest.

Lumity is canon.

Huntlow is not.

Huntlow was not a focus of the finale.

I can guarantee you that after that finale, NOBODY was thinking about Huntlow until yall started being fucking mean about it.

YOU brought up the thing you claimed to want the fandom to stop focusing on, for the SINGULAR PURPOSE of enacting some sort of "revenge" on shippers that you projected a whoooole lot of Racism, Homophobia, and Evil onto, despite:

Bi Hunter, Transmasc Hunter, Transfemme Willow, and T4T Huntlow all being EXTREMELY popular hcs/themes in and out of shipping context

A fair chunk of the fandom seeing Willow as BIPOC/East Asian -coded

ALL of the masc presenting queers w parental and/or religious trauma who have spoken out about how seen they feel bc of Hunter

I'm not saying Hunter was a perfect character. He definitely wasn't the main character, or even close.

I'm saying that yall have demonized this part of the fandom SO MUCH that after THAT FINALE.

*THAT. FINALE.*

your FIRST INSTINCT was to ATTACK THEM

over the SHIP (I REPEAT MYSELF) THAT YOU SAID YOU WANTED PPL TO STOP TALKING ABOUT.

I was having a really fun, good, genuine amazing time freaking my shit over Titan!Luz, and Lumity, and Raeda, and King and The Collector and TITAN LUZ!!!!!

yknow. all the stuff the finale was actually about.

and now I'm thinking mainly of huntlow (or at least the discourse around it), angry, and extremely sad that my experience of this finale has been ruined

and that this fandom is the latest to fall into the trap of "blame other fans for actual systemic oppression, regardless of whether or not they are actually upholding it."

I don't know how to get it through your heads that a heavily T4T-headcanoned, likely biracial-coded ship that is CANONICALLY a healing narrative for trauma survivors

is not fucking reylo.

this Evil In Fandom you're angry at 1000% exists but it sure as fuck isn't here.

unless there's a Secret Second Huntlow Fandom That Is Evil And Racist And Hates Lumity that idk abt, this is just a group of sad queer kids sitting next to your own group of sad queer kids

and despite me seeing ZERO ACTUAL HUNTLOW COMMENTS ABOUT THE FINALE * AT ALL *

you, whatever side of the fandom is doing this (I honestly don't know who is making these posts) aren't proving, winning, fixing or righting anything

you're going over to another side of the fandom whose ship didnt go canon

and with ZERO PROVOKATION

you're making them feel like shit for it.

why???

WHY??????

yall "won". you won as much as you can possibly win here. everybody loves the finale. nobody is giving anything but overwhelming love, happy tears, joy and awe to "your" win.

but you still felt the need to make sure someone, somewhere, knew that they "lost".

sry im just so angry at this rn. i was having so much fun. what the fuck is this kind of behavior supposed to prove?

also btw to be clear this is NOT DIRECTED AT ALL OR MOST LUMITY SHIPPERS, LUZ STANS, ETC. ITS NOT EVEN DIRECTED AT "HUNTLOW-ANTIS" EXCEPT THE *SPECIFIC PEOPLE* WHO CHOSE TO USE THE FINALE TO BASH ON OTHERS.

AS FOR THOSE SPECIFIC PEOPLE:

YOU SUCK!!!!!! Thanks for ruining this fantastic experience for me by being a piece of shit on main over some "shipper" crap im not even in.

[warchiefeny]

I was gonna write up a thread on twitter about how my semi-break from social media was going, but I realized I had a lot more on my mind and I... haven’t done a proper blog post in years so why not. Content warning I guess for mental health/abuse talk.

Since I haven’t mentioned it here, for the last month or two I’ve been on a break from checking my timeline on social media. I can’t afford to not post artwork because I still make a good chunk of money from commissions, but it didn’t need to be a full cut off anyway. Honestly it felt great, and despite breaking it a little and reblogging here and there atm, I think I’m gonna continue for the most part. Maybe it was bad timing with twitter exploding, but I really needed to retreat into myself and engage with content on my own terms. You don’t always realize how much of your day is sucked up by social media, really. The only thing that kinda sucked was missing out on dank memes or cool content from friends, mutuals, and other cool people. The reason why I wanted to write a blog here and not on twitter is because I realized how so much of the things I realized about myself weren’t just about social media, but just my life in general. And also character limits. Definitely character limits. This isn’t my first time recognizing or noticing it, but dealing with commissions all the time and making a portfolio appealing for other jobs, I realized how much I lost myself in the process. And while seeing floods of really cool and good art is great, sometimes I would forget what really made me myself. Or what I even wanted out of anything. You draw so much for other people that you have to step back and ask if you’re making the right decisions or if you’re just doing what you think is profitable, and if it’s only a job then why does it matter what you do? What do you care to do when it’s just you? And to that end, who was I being right now in my own life? I felt like I lost myself in a lot of ways, like I wasn’t free to be who I was anymore. And this isn’t related to art, but when you have a particular belief system or way of doing things it tends to colour the rest of your actions in life. One catalyst to all this was when last summer I learned how to tell people to fuck off again and stopped caring so much about how likeable I had come off to people. In my 20s I had over corrected the dickish behaviour from my teens at the expense of my own personal boundaries and I had just finally snapped over it. It wasn’t that I wanted everyone to love me but I cared more about how other people felt than how I felt. It was this fucked up idea that I had to take everything on the chin or else I was irrational or selfish. I realized a lot of this came from the abuse I got from how I was raised, and it wasn’t until this year actually that I realized that I even had been abused because all the adults around me growing up were apart of the same cult. The amount of relief I felt over taking back my boundaries and not caring if people got mad was cathartic. But that’s not it entirely either, and frankly I’m tired of talking or thinking about that part of my life anymore. For the last couple of years I just felt like I stopped feeling safe to be myself. I’d never been one to think that accolades give you more than a fleeting sense of accomplishment, but there was some small part of me that felt like I needed certain things so I wouldn’t feel so embarrassed. Which is also kind of crazy, because when I had no money, no job, no license, no big-ish follower count, less physical strength, less stable mental health, etc... there were people who loved to be around me and wanted to hear what I had to say. People who wanted to seek me out and thought of me highly enough to admire me, and I didn’t have to hide or change anything about how I was presenting myself. And I wasn’t perfect about that stuff back then either. I still cared about how I came off, and I had hang ups, but I was certainly a little more free than I had been in the last couple of years toward the people closest to me. But there’s this funny thing that happens, at least for me, when you aren’t concerned about how you look or what you have or don’t have. When you’re just talking to someone and they catch you off guard that you’re one of their favourite people to talk to. Or when you’re just vibing and being yourself and they say how good of a person you are when you least expect them to say anything regarding it at all. It’s not something you put effort into or predict, it’s just something that sort of happens. When you put a wall up in order to protect yourself or say you aren’t worthy of something for whatever arbitrary reason, you end up making it impossible for people to actually give you love or affection. It turns into unintentionally pushing people away, even if you don’t want that. You think you’re being more responsible or a better person, but you’re not. In trying to respond perfectly, you become imperfect instead and just make a mess of things. And when you are lucky to get attention, it often just feels so hollow because everything feels fake or superficial when you give yourself standards that are unnecessary or impossible to clear for yourself. And the more you think you aren’t worthy of something, the less likely you are to do things that are good for you and create meaningful rewards. Ordinarily I would keep this post behind a private twitter account, but while I have no interest in oversharing my personal life to strangers, I guess take this is my attempt to be a little more like myself than I have been. Over the last two weeks I’ve had a lot to think and digest, and I’m just trying to let myself be me.

[writingamongther0ses]

Mary Arden “MA” Ayres

So for my new Intro to Creative Writing class, we have to do writing exercises and turn one in. One of these was making a character profileand that’s what I turned in.

Basics

Age: 14

Location: Sunshine, Oregon

Nationality: Romani-American

Occupation: Part-time worker for her mother’s clothing store

Physical Appearance

Height: 5’1”

Eye color: Brown

Hair color: Dark

Build: Skinny and lanky kid, gradually putting some more weight on

Distinguishingbody attributes: Gains a scar across her nose

Characteristic accessories: Carries a bag of cat treats around, likes to wear colorful sweaters

How do they walk: She more marches than walks, fast walker with arms pumping

How do they talk: Raised very prim and proper for a good chunk of her life so she speaks slowly with a very false sense of cheer. Eventually wears away to be a fast talker.

Any characteristic postures: Likes to cross her arms when sitting

Psychology

Pet peeve?: Stupidity and the smell of incense

Distinguishing mannerism(s)?

Idea of a bad idea?: No such thing!

Introvert or extrovert: Ambivert

What do they do when no one is watching?: Climb onto the roof of her house to stargaze

What do they like to do to make a good impression?

Idea of a good day?: No running around, just chilling and playing with her cat

Do they have a favorite quote?: No

What do they find boring?: Just sitting and waiting for something

What do they find peaceful?: Their cat

What would they do if they won the lottery?: Try and give half of it to her mom

What do they do to get past an unpleasant experience?

Any favorite songs/movies?: The Great Mouse Detective

What do they want the most and why?: To help Sunshine by getting rid of the ghosts that plague it

What do they fear the most and why?: Heavy black dresses since it reminds her of her grandmother

What have they always dreamt of doing but don’t seem to be able to do?: To not come out of a tree without falling out

Are they particularly sensitive to any thing about themselves?: Not really. She’s learning more about herself since her parents’ divorce.

Circumstances

Place of birth: New York City, NY

Hometown: New York City

Educational history: Private school

Involved in clubs and organizations in school?: Used to be in girl’s choir at the private school

Any painful childhood memories?: Girls’ choir and her grandparents’ disappointment when she quits.

Dream job as a child?: Taking over the family business

Hobbies growing up (if different from current hobbies): Practicing piano

Greatest regret?: Nothing really

Happiest memory: Seeing her mom actually smile once the divorce papers were turned in.

Saddest memory?: Nothing really

Skeletons in the closet?: Keeping Sunshine’s paranormal activity from her mom.

State of the family today? Are both parents alive? What is their relationship to their sibling(s)?: Both parents alive but divorced.

Any nostalgic experiences with extended family?: Learning how to make s’mores with her maternal grandparents

How are they perceived by others?: Reckless idiot.

Social media platforms?: Currently does not have any, but MA is working on a YouTube channel

Who do they depend on for advice?: Her best friend, Riley

When was the last time they had to break a promise?: None

Where do they see themselves in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?: College and doing more ghosthunting in Sunshine.

[yisanged]

so i started orv on a whim and im really really liking it so far!! i decided to start with the webtoon adaptation, is it good in your opinion or do you think i should read the web novel instead? i mostly started with the webtoon bc i was on webtoon n it was. There. but as the resident orv expert i thought i would ask your thoughts :)

omg ORV. HIIIII blows up but then puts self together again and twirls hair RESIDENT ORV EXPERT.... ME??? i'm honored........ i don't know if i deserve the role though because uh. tb completely h i haven't read the webtoon. like i read the prologue and that's it i haven't gotten any further than that..... this is my greatest shame i'm not fit to be considered an orvtual. that being said idk if i'm the best person to ask for thoughts about novel vs manhwa? i'll do my best to lay out what i do know for you though since you went to the effort of asking me!! if any of my orvtuals that are actually knowledgeable about both want to chime in feel free. sorry if this gets lengthy even if i'm not a super loyal fan i definitely get the normals over orv

so first thing to consider about orv as a whole in any form is that it's longggggg. the novel is composed of a prologue + 99 episodes + an epilogue, but those episodes and the epilogue were further split into smaller chunks during serialization so it's 551 chapters total. korean webtoons are usually split up in a similar way, larger story arcs split into small pieces for scheduled publishing, which is convenient for comparing them. based on a cursory look at the webnovel page, the latest chapter was number 135 and it's the very first part of episode 25. in the novel, chapter 135 is actually part 5 of episode 26, so you can see a slight discrepancy, but it's really not that bad. that timing is something, although it brings up a more pressing point to consider, which is that the novel is finished and the manhwa is like. not even a quarter of the way there. a webcomic chapter weekly is probably more digestible than a 551 chapter 1.3 million word webnovel, but you'll probably catch up before it reaches the end and then you'll either just have to wait it out for the end which would probably take a really long time or just start the novel while in the middle of the manhwa or something.

how accurate the manhwa adaptation is to the novel is what i can't really say since i haven't actually read the manhwa. i've heard that there's some notable changes, and although i don't know all of them or have seen how they've played out first hand they mostly sound pretty reasonable based on what i've heard of them. some of it is just like translation stuff, some of it is to avoid weird political things? this happens a lot whenever japan and korea comes up in each others media......... uh yeah it can get kind of messy there so sometimes skirting around it is probably just the safer option. anyways, to reiterate, i really can't speak much about this since i haven't read the manhwa, but i haven't heard anything about it being like drastically different and people generally seem to say really good things about the adaptation.

for my own personal thoughts. well orv is a frame tale. a story within a story. the webnovel within orv that kdj read is like the centerpiece of the whole story. if i was gonna be some sort of a purist about it, i'd tell you the original novel is the best way to experience orv. in all honesty though, it doesn't matter that much. like i vehemently believe if you're going to get really into orv you should read the novel at some point, but like again. 551 chapters. i get that a manhwa is way more palatable than that. even for other webnovels w adaptations like this, a lot of the time i'll read some of the adaptation to see if it interests me before getting into the novel. it's only because i'm sort of biased towards orv cause it's. well. orv. that i'd really push to read the novel, not even first if the thought of all those chapters and words are daunting to you. i'd much rather people get invested in the story through the manhwa than be turned off it as a whole just cause it's so long. if you're planning on just casually enjoying the story, than yeah, the webtoon is perfect for that. though if you could be convinced to go deeper. hey. take my hand. we can viewpoint this omniscient reader..... together.

okay. anyways. recap my main points in case i wasn't clear. 1) based on what i've heard just through word of mouth, the adaptation's been staying pretty true to the original and is doing a good job of telling the story 2) the novel is finished and the manhwa is, speaking bluntly, not even close 3) PERSONALLY. personally. if you're willing to put in the work to read orv and can appreciate it's 1.3 million word swag then i'd recommend you go ahead and start with the novel. BUT if the thought of all those chapters makes you nervous or makes the story sound any less appealing to you at all then definitely go with the webtoon while it's still fresh and relatively short. the most important part of orv is the way the story waves itself, and you should be able to see that pretty well either way.

so yeah that's what i have to say. i hope i could be somewhat helpful despite the fact that i'm a shameful fake fan and haven't actually read the manhwa ^^; and I HOPE THAT YOU LIKE IT no matter which one you decide to go with :]

[justsupermarket]

Raindrop drop top funny memes

RAINDROP DROP TOP FUNNY MEMES HOW TO

2022 The raindrop sculptures are among their most popular. Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 22 June 2022 If the virus came in the form of a raindrop, parts of our country would still be getting drenched.ĭr. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 17 July 2022 Here are some names to consider for your own raindrop, also listed in order of popularity. 2022 There is a feeling, an experience, of being you-a feeling that a frying pan, a raindrop, or a lump of sugar does not have.Ĭamille Bromley, The Atlantic, 18 July 2022 Saturday may have had its bright and shining hours, but many of us did not need to look for to see the atmosphere preparing to convert itself to a raindrop production footing. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2022 Light enters an ice crystal or raindrop and slows down, but each color slows down, and is resultantly refracted, or bent, at slightly different speeds and angles. 2022 With so many in need, aid that does arrive can disappear like a raindrop in the sand.Ĭara Anna,, 20 Aug. People are pressed over the milk and honey meme when lots of art/music/poetry/ect has been made into jokes before.Recent Examples on the Web Once storms end near and after sunset, a raindrop remains possible till about midnight. I swear to god this Rupi Kaur/Milk and Honey meme is the funniest meme all year… modern poetry in its purest form While others think it’s the best thing that’s happened to the internet in quite some time. Understandably, the meme is a bit divisive. “People aren’t used to poetry that’s so easy and simple,” Kaur herself has said. Kaur’s poetry, which was described in the New York Times as having “artless vulnerability,” is just an easy target. There’s a little bit of that going on with the Milk and Honey Vine quote meme.īut there’s also mockery of poetry in general, and its perceived pretensions. The internet gives especially harsh treatment to popular things young women love, often dismissing them as vapid just because girls like them. And then there’s its main audience: young women on Instagram and Tumblr. Few poetry books ever become social media sensations, let alone receive the kind of exposure and mainstream marketing push Kaur’s book did. What makes Milk and Honey such a target of mockery? Partially, it’s how successful it’s been. Sorry but this shit sucks so bad lol /axjlIv1hkn Twitter’s Bobby was so incensed at Kaur’s poems that he went off on a long, mocking rant, culminating in one brilliant Photoshop:

RAINDROP DROP TOP FUNNY MEMES HOW TO

This was my favorite poem from milk and honey, so deep and meaningful /SMcIoFH0E3Īnd Jared, who never learned how to read: Who said Milk and Honey wasn't real poetry? /O44uBODajt Notable entries include the “Miss Keisha” Vine Other Kaur detractors picked it up and ran with it, making Vine quotes look like actual pages from the book. The trend seems to have started with this tweet by RicardoJKay, which throws shade at Rupi Kaur by implying that adding line breaks to any chunk of text makes it just as poetic as Milk and Honey. Even if it’s “Step the fuck up, Kyle” Vine or the classic “ Post up.” There’s a growing trend of taking absurd quotes from the defunct video site Vine (R.I.P.) and using Photoshop to pass them off as pages from Milk and Honey. Some are obvious jokes, and others … well, if you haven’t read the book, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were real poems. And, as with anything popular, Milk and Honey is facing an inevitable backlash. It’s basically the only contemporary poetry book you can buy on sale at Target. Milk and Honey, a collection of poems by 20-something Canadian social media personality Rupi Kaur, has received a huge amount of exposure since its release in 2016.

[pizzacentral]

2023 ANNUAL FAVORITES

Hello! Welcome back to my annual year-end list of favorite things. I think it was actually a really strong year for new movies, music, and games, so I'm going to get to the point fairly quickly here. It was a year where I was lucky to have a good amount of time to take in new media, and I am thankful for that. Here's what I enjoyed most!

As always, any media that was widely released in the calendar year 2023 (that I personally consumed within the calendar year 2023) was eligible. This was ranked on January 1st, 2024, and remains unchanged since then (no matter what I end up thinking about it in the future.)

Favorite Films

I watched 105 movies that were widely released in 2023 this year, up from 96 in 2022. 67 of those were in a movie theater, up from 40 last year. Actually, streaming movies slipped through the cracks more this year, as I prioritized watching films in one sitting instead of in chunks during my commute to work.

It was pretty difficult to make a top twenty-five list this year, least of all to cull it down to ten, so it is with apologies to everything else that I present my favorites. By the way, if you'd like to hear me talk about these movies, give Cinema Bums a listen.

10. Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé

9. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

8. Eileen

7. How To Blow Up a Pipeline

6. Oppenheimer

5. BlackBerry

4. American Fiction

3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

2. The Killer

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Favorite Records

I feel like I listened to less records this year than I'd have liked to, but when I look at this list, I know pretty much all the words to every song on every album (and had to cut probably five others that I felt the same way about). So that's not bad!

10. KAYTRAMINÉ - Aminé and Kaytranada

9. In the End It Always Does - The Japanese House

8. the record - boygenius

7. So Much (For) Stardust - Fall Out Boy

6. The People's Champ - Quinn XCII

5. GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo

4. And the Charm - Avalon Emerson

3. Desire, I Want To Turn into You - Caroline Polachek

2. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan

1. Something To Give Each Other - Troye Sivan

Favorite Songs

As always, any song on one of my Favorite Records was not eligible to be included on my Favorite Songs list. I've probably listened to singles and playlists more than records recently, and the shortlist for this category was over a hundred songs long. That list may have contained some more adventurous cuts, but these were the ones that meant the most to me.

10. "Psychedelic Switch" - Carly Rae Jepsen

9. "Ant Pile" - Dominic Fike

8. "Coping On Unemployment" - Del Water Gap

7. "ALÉRGICA" - Paty B

6. "Even When I'm Not With You" - Pierce the Veil

5. "All Dogs Go To Hell" - Chase Rice

4. "A&W" - Lana Del Rey

3. "Outskirts" - Sam Hunt

2. "Dance the Night" - Dua Lipa

1. "Co-Star" - Amaarae

Favorite TV Shows

Probably not as great of a year for the handful of TV shows I watch as 2022 was, but I think the top three here are really good!

5. Loki (Season 2)

4. Ahsoka (Season 1)

3. Poker Face (Season 1)

2. The Last of Us (Season 1)

1. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Season 3)

Favorite Video Games

These are all for the Nintendo Switch. In 2024, I hope to finally play Persona 5 Royal on Switch, then finally get a Steam Deck and play Marvel's Spider-Man, and then get a Switch 2 when it comes out. Maybe those plans are kind of in conflict with my plans to spend more time writing.

5. Vampire Survivors

4. Suika Game

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

2. Metroid Prime Remastered

1. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Favorite Theater

I thought this would be fun to add as its own category this year, since I live in New York City and have somewhat okay luck at winning the lottery for shows!

5. Shucked (Broadway)

4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway)

3. Camelot (Broadway)

2. The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (Off-Broadway)

1. Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (Off-Broadway)

Assorted Favorites

Stop Making Sense (Remastered Theatrical Run and Remastered Album)

Joe Pera: Slow and Steady (Comedy Special)

Blank Check's 8th Anniversary Live Show

"Ana Fabrega: One Hour" (Live Show)

To a T Reveal Trailer

Movie Trailers: Somebody I Used To Know, Past Lives, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Maestro

That's all for this one. Happy New Year!

[poolboyservice]

since it's nearing the end of the year, I'm gonna be rating the "social media" websites I've been/I am on, in the form of 0-5 Twilight Films (0, absolute dogshit, 5, best thing ever)

Wattpad: 5/5, awesome experience, people are nice. Despite the bad rep given in the 2010s, a good chunk of the users has since matured and become amazing writers. even if some stories are badly written, they are a fun read regardless. everyone is really nice to each other and overall it's a nice place imo

Spacehey: 4/5 good experience, point knocked off for having an issue with nazis, ableist people, and discourse, but overall a great experience! just friend the right people and you will have a good time.

Quotev: 1/5 horrible experience, the community has made me consider and actually attempt suicide numerous times because it's so awful. I could go for hours and hours on how awful and immature the community in Quotev is. so much LGBTQ discourse, so much hatred, and too many people dehumanizing one another, it is awful. I only leave a 1 out of 5 instead of 0 because the admins actually take reports seriously, and the website itself and its functions are actually really nice.

Tumblr: 4/5 good experience, idk what to put here cuz like idk.. I'M POSTING THIS ON TUMBLR??? but people are overall nice, community is great, and if you get some mutuals and friends you'll have a nice time. point knocked off because the admins(?? owners???? staff???) aren't good and actively ignore porn bots while deleting accounts of trans people

Discord: 3/5 ehhh, it's a texting app. the app/website itself is okay, but Discord has gotten really annoying with wanting people to buy nitro. point docked off because WOW some of the people on there should frankly be on a list, though I am partly biased due to personal reasons I don't feel comfortable talking about. another point docked off because Discord won't fucking get rid of MEE6.

Tik Tok: 0/5 I have an account but I never used it, though I've seen enough to know how bad Tik Tok is.

And yeah, that's pretty much it. idk what else to say uhhh, ask me anything ig

[petnews2day]

Out-of-touch Dems are limping into Tuesday like a wounded dog wagged by its' woke tail: JOSH HAMMER

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/pet-news/dog-news/out-of-touch-dems-are-limping-into-tuesday-like-a-wounded-dog-wagged-by-its-woke-tail-josh-hammer/

Out-of-touch Dems are limping into Tuesday like a wounded dog wagged by its' woke tail: JOSH HAMMER

Josh Hammer is host of ‘The Josh Hammer Show,’ and a research fellow at the Edmund Burke Foundation

The fundamental problem for the Democrats is that they have quite simply gotten very bad at politics.

If that sounds like a sweeping statement, that’s because it is.

But how else to explain the fact that as voters consistently tell pollsters they care most about crime, inflation, the economy, and immigration, the Democrats obstinately refuse to abandon their dog-eared playbook of pro-abortion maximalism, ‘Orange Man Bad’-style January 6 fearmongering, and trite warnings about the purported threats to ‘our democracy’ if the opposition party wins a free and fair election.

The Democratic Party is, at this point, best described as a wounded dog wagged by an intersectional, woke-besotted tail.

It seems that the voters have finally had enough. In fact, Americans just can’t take it anymore.

The red wave did not materialize out of nowhere – it’s been building for months. And if the terminally out-of-touch Democrats hadn’t been no deaf, dumb and blind to the pleas of their own constituents, maybe they could have headed off the disaster.

Case in point: last November, Republican Glenn Youngkin stunned the nation by capturing the Virginia governorship, proving that the Old Dominion—which had gone for President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election by over 10 points, and hadn’t gone statewide for the GOP in any election since 2009—is still very much up for grabs.

The dominating issue in that race – the right of parents to control what their children learn in public schools.

Youngkin pledged to rid the state’s education system of critical race theory, the perverse idea that skin color – nearly above all else – determines an individual’s fate in America.

For his part, Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe declared: ‘I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.’

The Democratic Party is, at this point, best described as a wounded dog wagged by an intersectional, woke-besotted tail. (Above: Left to Right) Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator John Fetterman, former President Barack Obama, Democratic candidate for Governor Josh Shapiro, and President Joe Biden on November 5, 2022 in Philadelphia

And that was all she wrote.

White women, who broke for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, voted overwhelmingly for Youngkin.

The media and political establishment were shocked. But the cable news carnival barkers said they knew why it happened.

Virginians are ‘racist’ they declared, despite the fact that Youngkin’s lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears, is a black woman and his attorney general, Jason Miyares, is a Latino man.

‘I can assure you,’ declared MSNBC’s (now-former) host Tiffany Cross. ‘This is about the fact that a good chunk of voters out there are OK with White supremacy. Let’s call a thing a thing. Actually, scratch that. They are more than OK.’

Ever since, politicos have been debating whether the results that evening were aberrant, or whether they would prove prescient for the breadth and depth of Republican pickups—that is, the scale of the red wave—during the 2022 midterm elections.

As we finally enter the campaign’s final days, the answer is increasingly clear: very prescient. The red wave is very real, and Democrats should prepare accordingly for heavy losses Tuesday evening.

True, a quick glance at some of the polling numbers might give a somewhat different impression.

In the increasingly Trump-y and quintessential Rust Belt state of Ohio, Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance has struggled to put away Democratic candidate Rep. Tim Ryan. Incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), who has served two previous terms, is nursing a similarly small polling lead in the Badger State. Meanwhile, the Senate races in the ‘big four’ states this cycle of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada all appear to be nail-biters.

But the situation is more complicated than that. To start, some of the other polling numbers right now are indeed remarkable.

In the reliably Democrat state of New York, gubernatorial challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) is within clear striking distance of incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY); indeed, Trafalgar Group, one of the nation’s most accurate pollsters the past three election cycles, had Zeldin narrowly ahead in one recent poll.

In Oregon, a once-purple state that has become a liberal bastion over the past 15-20 years, Republican gubernatorial nominee Christine Drazan is poised for a huge upset victory.

In the Granite State, Republican challenger Don Bolduc—once dismissed as a ‘far-right’ gadfly—now runs even with vulnerable incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and has all the momentum on his side.

Some of the polling cross-tabs are also incredibly bullish for the GOP; as The Wall Street Journal reported this week, the all-important white suburban woman voting bloc has swung toward Republicans by an astonishing 27 points just since August, reminiscent of the pro-Youngkin surge in Virginia.

As the Journal explained, this ‘suggests that the topic of abortion rights has faded in importance after Democrats saw energy on that issue this summer in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.’

Put another way, the ‘post-Dobbs backlash,’ which we saw most clearly in Kansas in early August, when pro-choice voters mobilized to defeat a pro-life amendment to the state constitution, is no more.

White women, who broke for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, voted overwhelmingly for Youngkin (above) in November 2021.

The fundamental problem for the Democrats is that they have quite simply gotten very bad at politics.

There is also increasing evidence other voting groups once thought to be loyal Democratic voters are shifting.

This may finally be the electoral cycle where Hispanic voters, even if they do not become a majority-Republican national voting bloc, will move decisively toward the GOP.

Hispanics are also sick of being called ‘Latinx’ by clueless liberals, who decided that they need a name change.

Mexican-born Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) shocked the world in June with her special election victory in Texas’s 34th congressional district, an 85% Hispanic district.

Flores’ victory corroborates the tremendous Republican gains in Texas’s heavily Hispanic Rio Grande Valley region, which President Donald Trump closely contested in 2020 in such overwhelmingly Hispanic counties as Starr County (which he narrowly lost) and Zapata County (which he won).

In Nevada, Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt and gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombardo are closely competing for the Silver State’s crucial Hispanic voting bloc.

In my own state of Florida, where all signs point to election night romps for Republican incumbents Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio, the only two questions are whether the two men will outright win the statewide Hispanic vote and whether they will win the state’s most populous county, 70% Hispanic Miami-Dade County.

A Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida has not won Miami-Dade County since Jeb Bush—who speaks fluent Spanish and whose wife is Mexican—in 2002.

Finally, follow the campaign money, instead of just the horse-race numbers.

Democrats are now scrambling to shore up Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney, who is in serious jeopardy of losing his Hudson Valley, New York-area seat.

At the U.S. House level, the DCCC is sacrificing what should be toss-up races in no less an iconic blue state than California to secure reelection for embattled incumbents competing in congressional districts Biden won by double digits in 2020.

Mexican-born Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) shocked the world in June with her special election victory in Texas’s 34th congressional district, an 85% Hispanic district.

All signs point to election night romps for Republican incumbents Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio, the only two questions are whether the two men will outright win the statewide Hispanic vote and whether they will win the state’s most populous county, 70% Hispanic Miami-Dade County. (Above) DeSantis on November 6, 2022 in Sun City Center, Florida

And at the U.S. Senate level, the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has deployed money to no less a liberal enclave than Washington State, where incumbent Sen. Patty Murray is facing an inspired challenger in the form of Republican Tiffany Smiley.

The red wave, of course, will not lift every single candidate in a close race.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) is set to trounce inveterate election-denier challenger Stacey Abrams, but that does not necessarily mean Kemp’s coattails will drag controversial Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker across the finish line in his bid to dethrone incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). (I do predict a Walker victory.)

In Arizona, Republican Kari Lake appears poised for a gubernatorial victory (and future national political superstardom), but it is yet unclear whether she can help Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters beat incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). (I do predict a Masters victory.)

And finally, even as late-breaking Keystone State voters may tip the scales to Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz following John Fetterman’s indescribably disastrous recent debate performance, it is unlikely Republican candidate Doug Mastriano can beat Democrat Josh Shapiro in the gubernatorial race.

In the final count, I predict Republicans nab a 54-46 Senate majority.

All close races will break their way; such is the nature of a wave year.

Republicans will also increase their partisan share of the nation’s governor mansions, and will likely net out with 31 governors (with upward of 34 seats possible).

Democrats will be forced to ponder what went wrong. Perhaps next time around, they might consider focusing just a little bit on what voters actually want to hear.

[purplesurveys]

1559

What would you call your body type? Slim.

Are you a morning person? Ugh, not at all. I’m impossible to wake up and am generally just super low-energy in the morning; it takes me a while to come around, even with coffee. Early calltimes are also one of my biggest, if not my biggest, pet peeves.

Have you ever been to Target? Never, we don’t even have that here...

Do you like iced tea? No. We used to have iced tea all the time at home so at some point I got sick of it. I’d turn it down even if it were served for free at like a friend’s house.

When is the next time you'll be at work? Monday morning. I’m not sure when we’ll have our next office day though.

Do you have a savings account? Yep.

Has anyone ever hacked your accounts before? Not the creepy/sketchy sort of hacking, no. I’ve had friends use my phone and tweet whatever on my accounts, but I know that doesn’t even count haha.

What color bedsheets are currently on your bed? Pink and white.

Have you ever been to Disney World? I have not.

If so, how many times have you been? Haven’t been.

Does grammar and capitalization mean anything to you? If it’s supposed to matter, like in work documents and stuff, then yeah. On social media I couldn’t care any less. It depends on the context.

Are you good at wrapping gifts for others? I don’t even know how to wrap gifts, lol. I’ve tried!!! so many times but paper activities and me are just not compatible and never will be. I either pay my sister to wrap my presents, or I just get paper bags altogether.

Do you have a dirty clothes hamper in your room? Not in my room. The hamper is in the main bathroom.

What would you say is your favorite television show? Breaking Bad. That show has a grip on me like you wouldn’t believe.

Do you enjoy big holiday dinners? Sure! I don’t always get to have dinners with my entire family, so when we do it’s always a lot of fun. There’s a certain warmth and comfort in being complete.

Is your vision good? Hasn’t been since I was like, 9. It gets worse every year too; I actually need to get my lens readjusted soon because they barely do anything for my nearsightedness anymore.

Is there any piece of jewelry you're constantly wearing? Nope.

What is one thing you desire as of now? It’d be nice to have sushi.

What kind of phone do you have? iPhone 13 Pro.

If you could move anywhere, where would you choose? Maybe somewhere like Canada or New Zealand.

Do you have any obsessions? I’ve got 7 of them.

Do you blog a lot, if at all? I mean this is it, if you want to count surveys as blogging. I don’t take them nearly as much as I used to, though.

Is your present hair color, natural? A big chunk of it isn’t.

What makes you the most angry when it comes to people? Being all talk and no walk.

Describe your current outfit? It’s just a really comfy white duster meant as sleepwear, nothing special.

What was the last thing you ordered online? The Astronaut! :) Wouldn’t miss it for the world; I got both versions.

Have you ever felt as though you were drifting apart from a best friend? Sure, but I’ve been very fortunate as all my close friends are really low maintenance. I could feel as though we were growing apart, then all of a sudden they’d send me a meme or invite me out that would assure me nothing’s wrong.

What color are your eyes? Dark brown.

Have you ever worn color contacts? Nah and you’d never catch me wearing contacts. I can’t even use eye drops without people having to hold me down lmao. What's the best thing about a hug? When they’re genuine, they feel like home regardless of who it’s from.

Biggest fear? Fire.

If you have a significant other, how long have you been together? Don’t have one.

Do you know any genuinely friendly people? Yes. I know a couple of people who are just naturally good at social settings while also being genuinely nice people 110% of the time – I wish I could have their energy but eh, some people exhaust me more than others and I’m not always able to hide that exhaustion hahaha.

Do you buy your friends gifts? From time to time. My love language is food, so sometimes I’ll surprise them with a random food delivery for no reason.

What was the last thing you plugged in? My phone.

How old are you? 24.

What color headphones do you own? I’ve got white earbuds.

Have you ever shopped on Urban Outfitters? I don’t think so, no. I don’t think we even have that here?

Where do you buy the majority of your clothing? Just small businesses either at the mall or online. I don’t have a usual.

Would you rather wear necklaces or earrings? Earrings. I wear clip-ons though because I can’t wear actual earrings, not after the incident where I permanently ruined the piercing on my left ear.

Do you consider yourself fortunate? Yeah. My life is inconvenient in many ways BUT considering where I live, I’m definitely way more fortunate than others.

Do you enjoy watching fights? I mean only when we’re talking wrestling or UFC, yeah. Any other context than that, I don’t see the point in physical fights or why people would enjoy watching those.

Have you ever been in a physical fight? Nope.

Do you tend to talk badly about people? If they deserve to be talked badly about, yup; I’m not gonna pretend like I’m a saint hahaha.

Where are your parents as of now? My dad is somewhere in the...US? I think? Maybe in Europe? I have no clue anymore. My mom is in the next room.

Does your computer cooperate most of the time? Yes. This laptop is my forever baby.

Does your family have any cheesy traditions? We may have some, but since I’m used to them I wouldn’t know if they’d be considered cheesy by others.

When did you last go to a book store? Around two months ago.

What's the closest book store where you live? National Bookstore...but that place barely counts as a bookstore these days. Let’s go with Fully Booked.

How much money do you have on you right now? None. I rarely carry cash these days.

Favorite personal feature? My smile.

Are you wearing make up at the moment? Nopes.

Favorite television channel? I don’t watch regular TV anymore, haven’t in years. You’ll find my ass on YouTube most days.

Describe any piercings or tattoos you might have? I have piercings on each of my earlobes, but I accidentally stretched out my left ear piercing a few years ago so I can’t put earrings on it anymore – otherwise it would hang quite awkwardly. 

I don’t have tattoos, but my urge to get a ‘7’ tattooed got a lot stronger after the Jin announcement...I would put it at the back of my ear if ever.

Have you ever been fired from a job? Nopes.

Are you currently losing a best friend? Naw, we’re good.

Describe the worst day of your life: September 15th, 2020. I was at near-insanity dealing with a fresh breakup and it also happened to be Angela’s birthday, so I felt 100x worse having to break the news to her. Every year since then we laugh it off as we celebrate her birthday.

Do you play any video games? No, I’m terrible at them. I enjoy watching video game walkthroughs – I’ve just never been skilled at them myself.

Would you say you hate anyone? No. Takes up too much unnecessary energy.

Do you think freckles are cute? I think they’re beautiful.

Last time you went to the mall? Last Friday to pick up a mad bunch of alcohol, chips, and other party stuff like paper cups for the Busan concert.

Name something that's your favorite color: My blanket.

Have you been to Red Lobster before? Nope.

Do you follow a certain religion? No and never again.

Who is your role model, if you had to choose? President Kim Namjoon. 

Would you rather have nice hair or lips? Hair.

What are you most self conscious about? ...My hair. It’s the frizziest, thickest nest in the world.

Do you have any family members who live out of town? I have family who live across the country and across the world. Filipino families are spread out like that lol.

Do you consider yourself short? Yeah. I’m the smallest in the family, and it’s pretty much the same trend with everyone else I know haha.

What room are you in? My bedroom.

Hoodies or jackets? Hoodies.

Are you outside a lot? I wouldn’t say a lot; I’m outdoors at least once a week.

Have you ever been dumped via text message? If I remember correctly, she texted first before we got into that call, so yep. To be fair it happened at the very peak of the pandemic, so we didn’t have much of a choice in the first place. 

Favorite crayon color? That Macaroni and Cheese crayon under the Crayola lineup. It’s been my favorite ever since encountering it in preschool just cos it’s so silly haha.

What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? Don’t have one.

Do you think autocorrect is a blessing or curse? It gets incredibly annoying especially when I type in Filipino. 

Do you believe in any particular curses? Nopes.

Ever play a Ouija board? Nah but I’ve always wanted to fuck around with one.

What movie scares you the most? 2001: A Space Odyssey.

What was your bedtime as a child? We didn’t have a strict bedtime. I remember being able to stay up til around 10 or 11 some evenings.

Reason why your favorite holiday is your favorite: I’m counting my birthday here - it’s my favorite because I didn’t get to celebrate it much when I was younger, and my family didn’t really hold celebrations for me either; in fact, I don’t even remember any of my birthdays til, like, my 18th. Since then I’ve made it a point to go big every year and give back to my loved ones.

Do you work with any close friends? I used to work with Kata, but she’s left now...but no, I don’t work with any of my friends.

Do you consider yourself spoiled? Yeah, especially by my dad. My mom’s a lot better at managing or restraining us, but my dad usually easily gives in.

Do you listen to any country music? Nope.

Have you ever taken a keyboarding class? I have not.

Favorite high school teacher: My music teacher.

Do you ever get drunk? Sure. In fact I hardly remember what happened during the Busan concert last week lol. My memory started feeling funny around the time the boys were doing the whole Dope-Fire-Idol set lolololol, sorry boys.

Have you ever had highlights before? No, never had them. They don’t really appeal to me either.

Favorite number: 7.

Do you still sleep with any stuffed animals? Just my Tata plushie.

What is your biggest regret in life? Being a huge introvert in college.

Do you enjoy social situations? Yesssss.

Would you say you think you have a mental disorder of some kind? Yeah.

Are you normally an independent person? Definitely. Especially at work – I find that I accomplish things much faster when working on my own. I try not to make it a habit since teamwork is super crucial in my field, but at the end of the day there really are some things I prefer to start and finish by myself.

Do you like to be organized? Of course, it’s always better to be.

Have you ever failed a class before? I’ve never failed an entire class to the point of having to repeat it, but I did get failing marks on exams in the past – mainly chemistry, calculus, and philosophy which I all hate to oblivion lol.

Ever been judged because of your weight? I guess. I’ve been told to eat more. Never bothered me though because I know I eat a fuck ton haha; my body’s just built the way it’s buit.

What is your favorite breakfast cereal? I don’t like cereals. 

Ever had a wish come true? Sure.

Do you regret meeting any of your exes? Somewhat.

Do you own any coloring books? Yes, I have a couple.

What's the meanest thing someone's called you? I don’t feel like backtracking on those.

Have you ever bullied someone? No.

Do you ever watch Lifetime? I have no idea what that is.

Ever tried to intentionally sabotage someone's grade? Wtf no.

Do you own any brown clothing? I think I may have a couple pieces, yes.

What color are your walls painted? They’re just white.

Last thing you drank: Coffee.

Have you ever seen a tornado in person? Nope.

Do you have an in-ground pool at your house? We do not.

What is the first digit of your phone number? Nope. What's the prettiest town you've been to? Has to be a tie between Vigan and Sagada.

Do you tend to sleep a lot? Not really. I average around 5-6 hours a night.

Silver or gold jewelry? Silver.

Do you sometimes celebrate holidays early? I mean, that’s Filipino Christmas for you haha. We get into the holiday mood once the clock strikes towards September 1st, and we celebrate until the middle of January.

Have you ever been in love? Yes.

What's the best gift you've ever received? The cruise trip my dad got me for my 18th birthday/high school graduation.

When was the last time you showered? A few hours ago.

Would you consider yourself attractive? Sure.

Has anyone made you mad today? Nope.

Favorite smell: Things being baked is one of them.

Are you afraid of insects? Yes.

Do you have any children? Nope. This survey is so long, fuck.

If so, what are their names? No kids.

Would ever consider having children in the future? I’d love to have kids; I don’t know if I’ll ever have that chance.

Have you ever lived on a farm? Never have.

Ever played any sports? Yeah, I play table tennis.

Do both of your parents have jobs? Yeah, they do.

Where is the best place you've been on vacation to? That little spot in Zambales where we stayed a few months ago. I could live there if only the mobile signal wasn’t so terrible. Also Jeju in South Korea.

Are you, for the most part, an honest person? Yeah, I hate lying.

Did you make prank phone calls as a child? Nopes.

Do you like to make donations? Yes. There’s an animal rescue NGO I follow that I donate to at least once a month.

Favorite movie at the time being: Two for the Road; I don’t think this will ever change.

What is your current ringtone? Continued from last Friday. For the most part, just the ones that already come with my phone. I do have my main alarms set to Yoongi’s Over the Horizon.

Meet anyone from your past lately? You know what, I actually have! I met up with Jo, Laurice, and Jum yesterday for dinner and a couple of drinks – they were the last people I saw before the pandemic broke out, and we’ve only gotten to get together now, 2 years and 7 months later. Funnily enough we happened to be seated right across the table where my high school batchmates Clarisa and Tria were also having dinner. Last night was a funny little night that carried a whole lot of throwbacks.

Have you ever called a teen suicide line? I haven’t. I don’t think we have any that work, anyway.

Have you ever caught something on fire? No. I’m terrified of fire so I hardly do anything with it in the first place.

Ever been obsessed with a show? This was me with Friends for a very long time. What type of perfume or cologne do you use? Don’t really use perfume all that much anymore.

What's the last book you read? I’m not sure. I don’t read much.

Dream career: Still doing what I’m doing - communications and PR - but for a company I admire and genuinely follow. Like Hybe, if I get to magically become fluent in Korean.

Have you ever climbed a mountain before? Yeah, the not-too-tall ones at least haha.

At what age do you plan to get married? I had dreams of getting married by 27, but those plans have fizzled out now. I’ve long accepted the fact that I never want to try being in a relationship again.

Ever been in a car accident? Extremely minor ones.

[theveryworstthing]

So over on patreon Trevor asked for my take on the Addams Family and I grew up LOVING the Addams family movies so here we are. Instead of doing a straight up style interpretation, I decided to do a full on design challenge, using the characters as bases to make a black southern gothic Addams au. I actually drew the kids first, using the character bases of Wednesday and Pugsley to create some delightful kiddos I'm calling Sunday and Blanche. I of course then redesigned Gomez and Morticia into Carlisle and Mortesha.

The Addams have a very specific high aristocratic goth aesthetic (they've got a butler and nobody really works among other things) so in this re-imagining I wanted to go with vibes that run a little more middle class/upper middle class.  I thought it would be interesting to think about what would be considered weird and off-putting in an entirely different culture, and how being a big ol' goth is way less controversial than it used to be.

I tried to keep this short (HAHAHAHAHAHA) so I didn't spin off into an essay about villain coded families, black people in the horror genre, and normalcy as it pertains to social survival, but just...bits of that are in these designs and lore. Keep that in mind.

Also I made the kids twins because they've flip flopped in age so much in different media and also twins run in my family (i'm the daughter of one). And let's face it, I'm pulling a lot of their southern gothic traits from living as a southern goth so *shrug*.

10 thousand pounds of lore incoming loooooooooool.

The Parents

From the moment he saw her he knew that there was a 50/50 chance of him either never making it out of that swamp alive or marrying the figure that was creeping out from under the distant willow tree in a black cocktail dress. The third time she found him trussed up in one of her traps, he complimented her rope work and asked if she'd like to go out sometime after his head wound stopped bleeding.

Or while it was still bleeding.

If she was into that.

Some kids and a mysteriously burnt down Piggly Wiggly later, their love is still as strong and inescapable as a bear trap in a sink hole.

Carlisle Guillermo (now Addams through marriage but I wanted to give him two first names for a name since Gomez has two last names) makes a vaguely described living practicing ‘law’ around town. A loophole king, people come to him from miles around with contracts signed in blood, fights over chunks of hair buried in their rivals’ yard, dehydrated primate hands, memories that seemed like dreams until the evidence of their happenings became too real, and other regular Legal Items asking for counsel which he is all too happy to give. For a price. Sometimes that price is a homemade pie and sometimes it’s a million dollars, depends on who you are. Whatever you’re asked to pay it’s worth that price, and if you try to scam him out of work or he just plain doesn’t like you? Well. He knows how to twist a contract better than anything at the crossroads.

And he always gets his due.

He doesn’t just serve the local (living)humans though, there are many things that need proper legal representation in this day and age. You wouldn’t believe how many city councils try to build on sacred burial grounds even after he lets them know that his ghostly clients are totally gonna haunt the FUCK out of the ensuing shitty condos and curse their families for all eternity. At least 50% of his energy goes towards dealing with real estate bullshit.

Carl is an excitable and good natured(?) man who loves his family, cigars, dancing, and his many knife-based hobbies. People find him very charming once they get past the feeling that they’re talking to a sultry gator badly disguising itself as a human. I didn’t put a ton of deep thought into designing him, mostly I wanted to make a middle aged dude who looked like he would have been voted ‘most likely to smooch the literal devil’ in high school. Tbh he probably has, but no demonic ex’s can compare to his lovely wife~

Mortesha Addams(her name was already perfect so I just tweaked it)is a woman of many talents. A self proclaimed homemaker, she prides herself on a greenhouse full of Concerning Foliage, a beautiful wasp apiary, and a coop full of what are probably chickens that she keeps for what are probably eggs. She’s also an avid creator of the outsider art that can be seen around the estate. She has taken on the family business of selling her homemade goods in a little stall by the road just outside the swamp with her mom, and makes pretty good money doing so. A surprising amount of poison gets bought in quaint southern towns.

Speaking of poison, people who come out to the edge of the swamp to buy it are usually carrying a lot of secrets around, and Mortesha knows most of them. It’s not like she pries the truth out of people, it just so happens that many nervous hellos eventually turn into the tragic backstory power hour if she’s alone with a client for long enough. She supposes that’s just how people are. Despite the fact that the Addams are very active in the community (whether the community likes it or not) she especially, as a direct descendant of the first Addams matriarch, is seen as…Well not an outsider because the community feels A Certain Way about outsiders and despite it all the Addams are their people, but maybe something like an exception. They feel like whatever weirdness they’re hiding can’t be weirder than any given Addams, so they get a little loose with their words.

This is amusing to her, since Addams’ don’t naturally keep the kind dramatic secrets that their surface level prim and proper neighbors do. It’s much more fun to openly talk about those things.

Do they have a sadly decrepit yet terrifying grandma up in the attic? Yeah, like three. They got a tv, all the creepy porcelain dolls they could want, and they’re close to family. Where do you keep your gram-grams?

Any bodies buried on the property? Yeah some, but most are thrown to the gators.

Any creeping through the balmy summer night with ill intentions? Yeah dude, everyone loves a nice family stroll.

What about dangerous forbidden love? If an adult Addams isn’t incorporeal then they’re either queer or in a torrid romance with some person/thing mysteriously drawn to that awful swamp. Sometimes both at the same time. Most times actually.

Mortesha would know.

The current head of the Addams family is just as outgoing as her husband but a lot quieter and harder to read. She never really seems to get mad about much and always has a genteel smile for everyone whether they deserve it or not. A seven foot tall human shaped “Oh, bless your heart”. A perfectly composed Lady even when she’s, oh I dunno, burning down a Piggly Wiggly. You know. A regular southern mom. Chat her up at the hair salon for 50% off a jar of wasp honey with your next purchase of a mysterious but foreboding packet of herbs.

Designing her was pretty easy because I just drew a lankier Grace Jones and called it a day. I had some problems with her outfit simply because if we were going HARD southern gothic then she’d probably be wearing a white/cream dress with a fuller skirt but I thought keeping the silhouette and the black was more important. She’s supposed to be an anti southern gothic southern gothic character anyway. A woman who looks like she has a million secrets who is actually the most open person you could meet. For better or worse. The red hair came from a coloring error that I really ended up liking (my mom had red hair her whole childhood that only darkened up in high school so I can buy that an Addams can be naturally fire engine red) and the veil was to get more of that classic Morticia silhouette in there.

The Children

Sunday and Blanche are the twin children of Carlisle and Mortesha Addams. Some say the Addams clan got their cursed homestead when a wealthy local businessman made a deal with the devil and lost, leaving his grand mansion to his least favorite maid and cutting his losses once he realized that the swamp would do everything it could to drag the house into the water and take what was owed with its horrible curse. Others say that the family has just always squatted there and no one really cares because man, fuck that particular swamp. Have you been in there? Absolute horror show.

Anyway.

Blanche is the more outgoing sibling and quite the engineer/mad scientist in the making. He started going grey at 2 weeks old but considering he was also rocking some extra fingers, toes, and a tiny tail (he takes after his dad), his parents just put it on the 'not life threatening' pile and decided not to worry about it. He's the kind of smart that teachers find utterly infuriating, less a dog eagerly learning and obeying commands and more a hyena who keeps teaching itself how to pick locks. He has a few friends in his school's robotics club (which they honestly allowed him to make so the school could contain his... creations) but mostly hangs out with his sister exploring the swamp. They find all sorts of neat things in there! wedding rings, suspiciously lumpy garbage bags, cloaked cultists who can't read private property signs, it's an adventure every day!

Blanche is all about experimentation with his creations, his look, and his tether to this mortal coil. Is lipstick a cool thing to try? Let's find out. Can he get out of a strait jacket fast enough after being pushed into the depths of the swamp by his sister? let's find out. He's not dead yet and confused local doctors can attest to the fact that he's rarely attained more than a bad bruise so he's pretty set on continuing to kiss rattlesnakes on their cute little heads and have his sister practice her knife throwing at him until that fact changes.

Blanche is very much a country goth. Cowboy boots (customized by his mom), knife, and lighter are daily accessories. He likes to wear the crusty swamp jewelry they find (the rust adds a splash of color!) and despite appearances he does try to keep himself neat. He's just got  natural Grunge Colors and a tendency to wear clothes he likes until they fall apart. Pugsley always seemed the most modernly styled to me (which might just be because little boys clothes have been the same for a long time) so I wanted Blanche to be the most purposely fashionable Addams. Everyone else is goth by nature, but he's the only one truly familiar with goth as an alternative fashion.

I got really into designing Blanche because honestly, I find Pugsley to be the most boring member of the family. And he was hard to design! I had to mess with his vibe a lot to get him looking how I wanted. I know he's supposed to evoke an " 'evil' little boy next door who's parents never reign him in", but that's just goth Dennis The Menace.  I's 2020. We can at least go queer goth Calvin.

Sunday was much easier to design. Wednesday was my favorite as a child (of course) and I really wanted to keep the spirit of her look while adding things like billowy sleeves (it gets HOT down here), big poofy twists instead of braids, and a nice tie. She's a professional after all, been running the local pet cemetery since she was 6 and the previous groundskeeper met with an unfortunate accident after telling her that tarantulas don't have souls. Her specialty is creating beautiful naturalistic animal funerals similar to those that Maquenda (https://linktr.ee/artofmaquenda) makes, and she takes pride in creating miniature dioramas of her subjects after each burial which she uses as a kind of 3D catalog for future clients.

She really wants to try out her skills on humans one day. Well. Publicly try out her skills. Lotta random bodies float into the swamp. None of them have turned down her requests for diorama models so far. Most seem downright flattered. Plus, she usually figures out which graveyard/crime scene they floated over from and gets her parents to give them a lift back. She'll even help enact terrifying revenge from beyond the grave on whoever put them there if she's not, y'know, busy.

Besides arts, crafts, and pet based funerary arrangements, Sunday is an avid lover of archery (any ranged weapon really), books where little fantasy adventure animals die dramatic deaths, and history. She is That Kid who eagerly raises her hand when asked who Christopher Columbus was and ends up being sent out of class after 15 minutes for making 'a scene'. Her favorite party trick is just picking an item in the room and talking about how it relates to either some obscure historical figure with a buck wild life or a horrible disaster. At least one charity pancake breakfast ended with children in tears after her vivid description of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919.

Social-wise, while Wednesday is the girl that people ask to smile because they think she'd, "look so pretty", Sunday is rarely asked anything at all. People just kind of assume from her quiet nature (in between horrible history facts) that she's angry all the time and that she hates everyone. This is untrue. She hates some people but she's ambivalent to most everyone else and even downright friendly if you bother to talk to her like a person instead of a terrifying cryptid. Like, she IS a terrifying cryptid but she's also a little girl.  

That’s about it for now. One day I might do the other family members but for now I’m happy with the four I’ve redesigned. Making an au! Lurch in a family that doesn’t do butlers could be interesting. Over on patreon I put forth that he could just be Motesha’s mute little brother (similar bone structure) but Amy Crook had the nice idea of quote: “ a mysterious "cousin" that "helps around the house" whose origins are both long in the past and faintly unsettling. He's good for lifting heavy things, like that tank of propane you're about to throw into the burning Piggly Wiggly... “ which i now consider canon. Who's kid is he? How old is he? Not important. Anyone willing to commit arson with you is family.

Annnnyway.  This challenge was a lot of fun! I love indulging in AU’s.

[dannythedog]

Lover, Leaver - Sam Kiszka x Reader

Synopsis: You and Sam take a new step in you friendship for what you think is the better, but Sam seems to think it's a mistake.

Warnings: mentions of sex, alcohol consumption, not necessarily abandonment but Sam does leave you hanging, cussing

Masterlist

REQUESTS ARE CLOSED

Join the tag list or let me know if you'd like to be removed!!

Surprise! I wrote something!! This isn't edited and it's probably not very good, but it's just a little idea I had swimming around and I actually had motivation to write

~

You'd had your fair share of morning afters. You know how awkward and rushed they could be, but before you even opened your eyes and despite the massive hangover, you knew this one was different. It would be slow and comfortable all because it was him. Someone who'd been through so much with you.

The light that shined through your curtains stabbed at your head, but that didn't deter your mood. When you rolled over you expected to see him there, but your spirit slipped a bit. The bed next to you was cold and empty. You hoisted yourself from the mattress and covered your naked body with whatever was on the floor, then padded your way to the kitchen. To say your fantasies of Sam walking around in his boxers making you breakfast were crushed would be an understatement.

You checked the whole house for him. His things were gone, car not in the driveway, no note. Any trace of a good, hopeful mood vanished as you sat on your couch alone. You had pined over Sam since the moment you met. Your friendship had spanned over a couple years, meeting them at some bar and getting into a wicked karaoke match with Josh. The rest of the guys accepted you immediately, loving the energy you brought, but you and Sam had always been closest. The first time you laid eyes on him, rosy cheeks, long brown hair flowing, gorgeous downturned eyes that drew you in, you knew you were in it bad.

Last night your friendship had finally started to take a turn in the direction you wanted. A few drinks in, Sam had you on the dance floor, hands caressing you in ways they hadn't before. A couple more drinks had you guys stealing kisses in dark corners away from the prying eyes of his brothers. A final two shots had given you the courage to hop in an Uber and head back to your place where you spent the night tangled in each other. Sure, you were drunk but you knew what you wanted and you thought he did too.

Your phone had no notifications, so you left it sitting on the counter. There was no use in texting Sam when it might upset him further. You spent the day cleaning up your apartment, the kitchen needed a deep clean and you knew you should wash your sheets after last nights escapade. That took up a good chunk of your time with minimal checks of your phone.

When you hadn't heard from Sam by 8 pm, you decided to break out your bottle of wine and some records to keep your feelings at bay. You should've known better though. Every song reminded you of him and the wine made you weepy. Your night ended with you falling asleep covered in tears and sorrow with the wine bottle clutched in your hand.

---

It had been a week since Sam seemingly walked out of your life with no explanation. You hadn't heard a word form him nor seen any activity on social media. The guys texted you every so often to tell you about their days or what shenanigans they got up to, but no mentions of Sam.

You could feel your heart breaking more and more as the silence went on. Were you that bad in bed? Was he that repulsed by you? Sam was supposed to be someone who was always there for you, you at least deserved an explanation.

Josh had texted you earlier in the day to remind you they were all going to your favorite bar tonight. You had debated on not going, but you were determined to get an explanation from Sam. The outfit you chose flattered you in every way you could think of. If you looked good, you'd feel good, right?

The ride to the bar was short and anxiety pressed on you in every which way. Tonight you'd either get a decent explanation and things will hopefully go back to normal or you'd be losing your best friend forever. You really wanted to believe that everything would be okay, but you weren't that naive.

The bar was packed as it was every Saturday night. The guys liked coming here because they could hide in plain sight. The smokey atmosphere didn't help ease your breathing and the dim lights only made your eyes more frantic.

Josh's familiar laugh sounded from a booth a few feet away, easing you up a bit. Your eyes scanned the group and your heart pounded when you saw the familiar lanky frame sitting at the edge of the booth, a small smile on his face and a beer in hand.

"Hey," you call out when you reach the table. Everyone greeted you with happy cheers while Sam's face turned stony. You slid in across from Sam and next to Jake.

Sam mumbled something about getting another drink and got up hastily. Your eyes followed him across the room and watched his slim figure perch itself on a stool at the bar. Jake nudges you and launches into some story that lightly distracted you from Sam.

He didn't come back the whole night. Sam stayed at the bar and it only made your anger swell. The guys tried to keep you roped into their conversations and for the most part it worked. That is until Jake leaned in to whisper in your ear. "Go talk to him. I don't know what's going on between you two, but I don't think it's worth ruining a friendship over."

You bit your lip to suppress a bitter laugh that threatened to escape. "He's the one who left me with no explanation." Jake rolled his eyes and pushed at your arm to encourage you to move. "Then speak your part. Let him know what you're feeling. At least you'll feel better because you tried. The rest will be on him."

You took a moment to mull it over. He was right. You could be the bigger person and tell Sam your bit and whatever happens would be on him.

Jake pats your shoulder as you move from the booth to the bar, catching Sam's eye briefly. He quickly rises from his seat and makes his way towards the exit, cigarettes in hand.

"Sam!" You call, frustration coating your voice. You weave through the sweaty bodies that clogged your path to Sam, getting a few nasty words as you go. "Sammy!" You yell again as you catch up to him outside the door. He was leaned up against the brick wall, long hair covering a bit of his face as he lit a cig. It feels like you were punched in the gut as you look at him. You heave out a breath to try and recover as you straighten yourself out.

"Can we talk? Please?" Silence. He didn't even look at you. Anger started leeching through your body again at his lack of response. "God damn it!" You screech, causing him to jump a bit. "What the hell did I do? I don't deserve this! You can despise me all you want, but I at least deserve an explanation. Then I'll walk out of your life like you want."

His eyes finally lift to you but he never opens his mouth. He just takes a long drag. That bitter laugh you were holding back earlier finally escapes and you shake your head. "Fuck you, Sam." You spin on your heel and grasp the door handle, ready to accept that you'll never have your best friend back.

"I was scared," he says quietly. Your hand froze in its place, your body not moving no matter how much your brain willed it. "I was terrified of the feelings going on in my chest when I woke up. So I ran."

You slowly turned to him, body shaking from adrenaline. "You could've just told me it was a mistake, Sam. I would've got it." That was a lie. You knew you would've been crushed if he told you that.

"I don't want it to be a mistake, but I was just so scared of you thinking that. We crossed a major boundary and I knew I was ready, but I didn't know if you were."

"Sam, I-"

"Look, I wanted what happened," he interrupted. "When I woke up, I looked over at you and just stared at you for so long. Everything felt so right to me, but then I remembered that we're just friends. You're you for god's sake! My feelings were fucking choking me so I thought if I just ran it would get better but it didn't. I was miserable. I thought about you every waking moment. I thought about your laugh, the way your skin feels against mine, how it felt to finally kiss you. About how you always take care of me when I get too drunk and how you make everyone feel included. I want everything that comes with you but I couldn't handle that rejection. I thought space would help but it looks like I'm losing you anyways."

You stared at him speechless, heart pounding. Sam liked you? He tossed his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with his shoe. "So there you go. There's my explanation. If you want to leave, go for it," he says bitterly and starts making his way to the parking lot.

"Sam, wait!" You cry out and rush towards him.

"What? What could you possi-" This time it's your turn to cut him off. You grasp his shoulders and press your lips against his, hoping all your feelings would be conveyed through the action. His hands slid to your waist, pulling you close.

"I wanted everything too," you say breathlessly and press your forehead against his. "God, I've had it bad for you since I met you."

A small chuckle escapes his lips and he squeezes your hips. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that. I thought I was protecting myself. I didn't think I'd hurt you that badly."

You shook your head and wrapped your arms around his neck. "It's okay. Everything's okay now. Let's put it behind us and focus on what's happening now."

He presses another kiss to your lips and laced his fingers with yours. "C'mon," he said and tugs you to the parking lot. "Let's go home."

~

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[graaythekwami]

The Little Things - ML One-Shot

(Spoilers for the season 4 episode Hack-San)

-------

"Out for a solo patrol, Chat Noir?"

Chat Noir jumped slightly, not quite use to hearing an unfamiliar voice up here on the rooftops, and turned. The figure was standing on a chimney a ways from him, the reds of her costume matching the setting sun.

"Scarabella?" Chat Noir said, looking at the temporary Ladybug heroine he had met the other day. His surprise quickly gave way to worry, eyes widening slightly. "Did something happen to Ladybug? Is there an akuma out right now? Is–"

Scarabella held up her hands, but didn't come closer. "No no no, everything is okay– I just wanted to talk to you, that's all, and Ladybug said you often did some patrols in the evening..."

He gave a tight smile, shoulders relaxing slightly. "Not really a patrol, not like what me and M'Lady do when we patrol. It's just... to get some fresh air, I suppose."

He was slightly startled when he turned and found Scarabella walking towards him, as he hadn't heard her steps. She had some papers in her hands, and an uncertain smile on her face. She paused a little ways away from him.

"Is it okay if we talk for a bit?" Scarabella asked. "I don't have a lot of time, and then I can leave you to your... 'patrol'."

"What's up?" Chat Noir asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. His feelings on Scarabella were... mixed. She was an ally and she had spirit, but he would be lying if he said there was no bitterness when he thought about her. About what she knew and why she was there.

"I... I wanted to just show you this," Scarabella said, holding up the papers in her hand, before carefully setting it down on the roof near him, before retreating back slightly. "I had to edit out a few 'tips' for identity reasons, and Ladybug doesn't know I'm showing this to you, but considering my sudden appearance I figured maybe it would help if you saw it."

Chat glanced at the papers, then back at the spare heroine. "I don't want to go behind Ladybug's back."

Scarabella blinked, then let out a small laugh. "Oh, no, no, it's not like it's something I can't show you. It's just the list of tips she gave me of how to be Ladybug while she was gone."

"Okay?"

Scarabella smiled. "Read them, would you? Please?"

Chat Noir looked at the papers, before carefully picking them up and unfolding them. Sure enough he found a list of 'tips', each one carefully numbered off. His eyes scanned down the list, noting a few numbers were missing, which must have been the editing she had been referring to.

Chat Noir's eyes jumped back up to the top, and began reading. He could tell right away that it was indeed written by his Lady, and he could almost hear her voice as he read.

Tip 1 - Keep the earrings in at all times, they are easy to misplace. DO NOT TAKE THEM OFF.

Tip 2 - Always have sweets for Tikki on hand.

Tip 3 - Not just for recharging if an akuma appears, make sure you have something she can snack on if she's hungry.

Tip 4 - No. Seriously. Holders know no fury like a kwami starved.

Chat Noir snickered, knowing fully well what she meant. His interactions with Tikki had been limited, and she had been a very sweet kwami. Ladybug told pretty much the same story... except for the times she didn't have cookies or macarons on hand for her kwami. It turned out the little Ladybug kwami was just as passionate about her sweets as Plagg was with his cheese.

Tip 11 - Tell Chat Noir what's going on right away if an akuma shows up. Since I wasn't able to talk my way into staying in Paris like I thought I didn't get time to tell him I was leaving.

Tip 12 - If you see Chat Noir patrolling at night don't worry, it doesn't mean there's an akuma or somewhere you need to take my place. My Kitty is a free spirit and Paris is our city.

Tip 13 - Leave out croissants for him if he happens to come by where you are on patrol.

Tip 14 - The chocolate covered ones are his favorite. Chat loves anything with passion fruit too.

Tip 15 - Chat Noir likes any kind of sweets, actually, but try to get him his favorites if you can.

There was a small smile on his face as he read, eyes carefully looking over each word, warmth in his heart. The tips soon drifted back towards things regarding the Miraculous, a good dozen involving Lucky Charms and explaining how the yoyo worked.

Tip 25 - Lucky Charms might be bigger than you think! Be prepared to leapt out of the way in case a piano comes crashing down instead of a pencil.

Tip 26 - Don't ask Tikki to explain Lucky Charms. She'll be vague and she'll do it on purpose.

Tip 27 - Don't try to force a Lucky Charm to work. It's just kind of instinctual? I don't know how to describe it.

Tip 28 - Ask Chat Noir for help if the Lucky Charm is too confusing. He's been Misterbug before and has helped me defeat villains with countless Lucky Charms.

Tip 29 - Just ask Chat Noir if you have any questions, he's a professional.

Tip 30 - Don't ask him so many questions though that you stress him out! Akuma fights are hard enough and with him being the most experienced he'll have enough to worry about without a bunch of questions.

Tip 31 - Just follow Kitty's lead, he knows what to do.

Tip 32 - Chat Noir has good instincts and enhanced senses, listen to him.

Tip 33 - When Chat Noir makes a joke try to laugh, even if you think it's not funny. It makes him happy. :)

"My jokes are always funny, My Lady!" Chat Noir exclaimed in protest, though there was a smile on his face.

Tip 34 - Make sure Chat Noir is happy.

Tip 35 - Don't make fun of his purring, he's self conscious about it even though it's adorable. (He embraces everything cat except for the purring, I don't know why.)

Tip 36 - Purring doesn't always mean he's happy! Cats can purr when they're hurt! If he takes a hit and you hear him purr then you got to defeat the akuma as quickly as possible! Sooner you can cast the Miraculous Ladybugs the sooner Chat Noir isn't hurting!

Tip 37 - Don't let Chat Noir take any hits for you.

Tip 38 - Seriously. He does that way too much and I don't like watching it. Stupid self-sacrificing cat. Make sure he stays safe.

Tip 39 - Or else.

"These aren't even tips at this point!" He said, holding back a laugh.

"She does that a lot," Scarabella said with a fond smile. "With 675 'tips' a good chunk of them are ramblings."

"Six hundred and what-?" Chat said, quickly flicking through the papers and towards the end. Sure enough the very last one stared back up at him, the same number as Scarabella had promised.

Tip 675 - When you say "Miraculous Ladybug" don't forget to throw the Lucky Charm.

He flicked back a few more pages, eyes scanning the various notes that had been left. Many were just like he had expected when Scarabella had first told him what the list was: advice on what to do with different types of akumas, how the timer worked, tips for finding the akumatized object, and what to say to a victim after they were freed from Shadow Moth's control.

But then there were others, small little mentions of him and things he hadn't even realized his Lady knew or noticed, things he didn't know people cared about.

Tip 142 - If Chat Noir is dismissive with how his day has gone crack a few jokes. He tries to cover up when he's had a bad day and this is the best way to lift his spirits.

Tip 143 - Chat Noir loves hugs. Quick hugs, tight hugs, long hugs, he adores them.

Tip 144 - Chat likes to be scratched under the chin and behind his faux ears. It makes him purr, but don't mention the purring (see tip 36).

Tip 145 - Chat Noir is a cuddler.

Tip 146 - Ignore all the last few tips. Respect Chat Noir's personal space.

Tip 147 - But don't be distant either, support him! Fist bumps, pats on the back, you know, be friendly.

Tip 148 - You better be nice to my Kitty. I'll be watching all akuma coverage.

Tip 149 - No booping Chat Noir on the nose. That's our thing.

Tip 150 - No bonking him with the yoyo, carrying him in your arms, or using the nicknames 'chaton' or 'kitty', again those are our things, not yours.

Tip 151 - You can use the nicknames 'Chat' or 'CN'.

Tip 152 - He may kiss your hand. Chat Noir is a gentleman, don't let the costume fool you.

"M'lady..." Chat Noir said softly.

Tip 355 - Let Chat Noir handle the media, he's a pro at that.

Tip 356 - Don't leave him alone to deal with all the reporters though, that's a lot of pressure.

Tip 357 - Chat's ears and tail can tell you a lot about how he's feeling. I've read a lot of cat behavior articles and it's helped me a lot.

"Hey!" Chat Noir protested, even though his Lady wasn't here to see it.

Tip 598 - If anyone makes any comment about Chat Noir being dangerous or being a sidekick, you don't hold back.

Tip 599 - If it's a reporter that makes this comment give me their name and who they work for so I can make sure they never get an interview from the heroes again.

Tip 600 - Send Chat Noir a cat meme on the yoyo to cheer him up if anyone does say anything about him.

"I need to go," Scarabella said softly. "Feel free to keep those, I... I just wanted you to know that she was thinking about you. You mean a lot to her, Kittycat."

Chat Noir looked up at Scarabella, vision blurring slightly, but a smile was on his face. "I don't think 'Kittycat' was on the list of approved nicknames, Scar."

Scarabella scowled. "Well I can tell you that one isn't on my list of approved nicknames either."

Chat Noir grinned. "I'm sure it will grow on you."

"Purrhaps," Scarabella said, before giving a salute and a smile. She then tossed her yoyo, swinging away. Chat Noir watched her for a moment, before looking back down at the list he had been given.

He smiled, holding the papers close to his chest as he laid down on the roof, letting out a happy sigh.