#so I'm going to make an argument about a poem that doesn't make a lot of sense

[ghostlyheart]

About to write the stupidest fucking paper of my life let's go baby

[sarafangirlart]

Regarding Andromeda's ethnicity, I also think that people also tend to ignore that the Greeks had a habit of making foreign characters "more Greek". I'm not just talking about race, but ethnicity and nationality!!

Like, the Trojans are described in such a way that they might as well be Greeks. They dress like Greeks, they worship Greek gods, many have Greek names, there are Greeks in the family tree, they act with the same social customs as the Greeks. They are so similar that it is strange to read Greek characters talking about how the Trojans are uneducated barbarians (as in Iphigenia at Aulis) when they are portrayed with practically no cultural differences. Even if Troy was greatly influenced by Greece, there would be no way for it to be a complete copy like in myths.

Medea being a foreigner is important for the character and she is from Colchis, which is where Georgia is currently located. And yet, she dresses like a Greek, has a Greek name, worships Greek gods and has Greeks in her family tree. In fact, analyzing her family tree:

Paternal grandfather: Helios (Greek god) Paternal grandmother: Perse (Greek nymph) Father: Aetes (son of two Greek deities) Mother: Idyia (a Greek nymph)

In terms of lineage, she is entirely Greek even though Medea's foreignness is essential to the character. And the cultural differences aren't that different either, she wears peplos, worships the goddess Hecate, speaks the same language, etc.

The myth of Europa and Zeus explains the origin of Crete, a very ancient Greek island, and yet…Europa also has Greeks in her lineage, and is also generally portrayed as if she were Greek. Cadmus is mythologically a Phoenician who founded Thebes, and his character seems culturally Greek and not culturally Phoenician.

So arguments like Andromeda being painted as Greek or having Greeks in the family…guys, in Greek mythology foreigners looked like Greeks and had Greek origins (usually Greek deities) even if they were from nations before the existence of Greece!!! OF COURSE they were going to paint Andromeda as a Greek!!!

And they weren't going to make the "beautiful girl of the hero Perseus" not look Greek, just see how there is an amphora in which Ethiopians are portrayed as dark-skinned and yet Andromeda continues to have light skin. And in every written source that people use to show Andromeda as white, the author clearly sees her being white as her being more beautiful than the rest of the Ethiopians.

PHILOSTRATUS: "The maiden is charming in that she is fair of skin though in Ethiopia, and charming is the very beauty of her form; she would surpass a Lydian girl in daintiness, an Attic girl in stateliness, a Spartan in sturdiness"

Ancient Greeks were very focused on Greece itself and had strong xenophobia, why are we forgetting these details? People act as if portraying Andromeda as non-Greek was "Ovid's fault, he screwed up everything" and that people did it because they "haven't seen ancient sources", whereas people DID see ancient sources and recognized that ancient Greeks simply wouldn't do it the heroic girl in the story is something different from Greek even if she wasn't from Greece. It doesn't mean that the Trojans, Colcians, Phoenicians and Ethiopians of the time were really identical to the Greeks, it just means that the Greeks wrote everyone as if they were Greeks (even if it was from another European country, as is the case of Colchida/Georgia). It's not even just about having light skin or not, Greeks simply didn't portray other people's CULTURES in their plays and poems even when they had foreign characters.

YES EXACTLY ALL OF THIS!

That’s not even to mention that a lot of artists/writers/bards don’t leave their cities/villages often and even if they did they’d go to other Greek regions, of course they wouldn’t know what foreigners look like, of course they wouldn’t know their names and cultures. And I especially appreciate your point about Medea.

Of course they viewed whiteness as feminine and beautiful so while the way Ovid went about describing Andromeda as dark and her dark skin being why she’s beautiful was very iffy (he had Sappho say it to a MAN) he was very much ahead of his time in a weird and probably unintended way.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

when do we get to see the plasma moments? I know jaya is obviously endgame and all but your stories also tagged w plasma am i missing something or is it still just on the way /gen

OH IS IT FINALLY TIME FOR MY LEGACY!PLASMA DISSERTATION?!?! LETS GOOO

I wasn't kidding when I said ya gotta squint for some of this, but it's about to be less subtextual sooner or later...so, moment recap time! *crackles knuckles*

(Note: the stuff in Book 1 is merely foundational and not inherently "romantic" in intent)

B1Ch2: Jay is the first one to check in on Kai after their fight with the Skulkin, and despite Kai yelling at him, he's also the one to pry Cole off Kai when they start going at it

B1Ch4: Kai saving Jay from Chad, Jay again checking in on if Kai's doing okay (twice) + making an effort to find common ground with him + getting excited when Kai finally accepts his help and listens to him. (Also not actually a "moment" but Jay dumping Kai's cafeteria lunch into the garbage while telling him not to eat that always makes me giggle)

B1Ch5: Jay texting Zane with worry when Kai skips on class (for the first and certainly not the last time lmao)

B1Ch7: Jay being the most regretful about having to lie to Kai + being the first to try to make him feel included

B1Ch9: Jay is the one the help Kai back up from the ice-crossing incident (despite being pissed at him lmao) and Kai's finally the one to check in on Jay instead

B1Ch10: First Plasma Heart-to-Heart + FIRST PLASMA HUG

They both look back to find Zane still perfectly motionless in his meditation corner, while Cole has moved back outside to brush up on his moves in the rain. Jay smiles sadly, balling up his fists in his scarf. "Those two have been great to me, but it's not hard to tell that I'm still not at their level. It feels like I'm always playing catch up, or being a third wheel, or just getting left behind…and when you joined, I thought things might finally be different." Kai squints. "How?" "Well, for starters, I wouldn't be the only one playing catch-up anymore, and I thought I could help you learn the ropes." Jay rocks on his heels. "And, if nothing else, I thought...I just ...wanted to be your friend. And maybe be close like Cole and Zane are."

^ The above takes on extra meaning in the future once we learn that a) Cole has a crush on Zane, b) Jay is fully aware of this, and c) Jay HAD a crush on Kai in the past. Jay doesn't push this in the romantic sense, however, though it does help contextualize why he values his friendship with Kai so highly

B1Ch10 cont: The entire hoverboard race team up, Kai calling out worriedly when Tawhiri catches Jay off guard, Kai teasing Jay for being poetic and making him blush snksnk

B1Ch11: Jay talking Kai into dancing around the campfire (this one's semi-canon heyo)

B1Ch13: There's a couple teeny moments but nothing significant, especially because Nya's back in the picture

B1Ch14: Again, not really a "moment" but Jay freaking out about Kai after he gets his face injury makes me feel things ;w;

A Little More Than Sixteen Candles: Jay is the first to wake up Kai on his birthday (he certainly likes to be first for these things doesn't he) + Jay being horrendously embarrassed at his "accidentally" borderline romantic and terrible poem

B2Ch1: Nothing necessarily romantic, but they do have lot of interaction this one

This dissolves into a whole different argument, one that only two people who've gone to school together for years can have. Kai briefly and mentally compares them [Cole and Zane] to an old married couple just as Nya and Jay stumble through the door as one, making eyes at each other while carrying in armfuls of techie junk. Kai stares into the distance and realizes that this may be a very long school year, potential ninja destiny be damned.

^The first of many times where Kai is exasperated at the formation of the "couples" around him (your time will come, Kai. Alas, not with Jay)

B2Ch5: Kai being concerned about accidentally hurting Jay in their mock fight

B2Ch7: Jay attempting to stay glued to Kai's side + immediately being jealous/petty at Kai for ditching him for Chad (especially when knowing The History)

B2Ch8: Jay still being upset and petty about being ditched + Kai coming to the horrid realization that he'd bullied Jay in the past (and caused his eyebrow notch)

B2Ch10/11: Jay and Kai fighting + going on to resolve that fight+ 2nd PLASMA HUG

B2Ch14: No necessarily a "moment" but Kai saving Mr. Cuddlywomp for Jay ;w;)/

B2Ch15/16: Finally, some real shit! Jay's parents implying Jay had a "crush on a boy" in the past (and him getting extra flustered when Kai becomes determined to figure out who -> implication is that Jay's crush was Kai) (Also Jay canonically flirtatiously winks at Kai this ep and for WHY JGFDHGFDS (but also also that's just something Jay does to Kai often too hnng—))

"...then that means the last two tombs are in the Western and Southern Provinces!" Jay exclaims. He slides over to Nya with adoration in his eyes. "Aaaaah, you are so smart~" Nya smirks. "Was there ever any doubt?" "Show off," Kai grunts. Nya pointedly ignores him.

Not necessarily a "moment", but could be read as Kai being jealous

B2Ch21: The Plasma chapter/episode, in my heart. Jay getting worked up at "Kai's offscreen girlfriend" (Meghan) + Kai getting real close to deducing Jay's old crush

Kai tilts his head back, laughing. "I probably don't even know who they are anyway!" "…I…think you know them better than anyone," Jay says under a whisper, trembling now. A little louder, he says, "Nor does it make it any less embarrassing…"

Kai you dumbass

B2Ch21cont: Kai calling for Jay/begging him for help after getting venom'ed + Kai whining when separated from Jay + Jay's awesome dramatic rescue that no one else saw rip (and oh my god i forgot about his pun onslaught lmfao) + Kai coming in clutch last second + Kai again refusing to be separated from Jay and Jay just rolls with it + the mere fact that Jay can carry Kai + Kai praising Jay (but Zane and Cole thinking he's just delusional on venom lmao)

^ This is kind of the point where Kai's viewpoint on Jay officially starts to shift. A little bit. Or a lotta bit. But he shoves it down

B2Ch24: Canonically Jay helps out a still-recovering Kai during the subway mission (again with a WINK–maybe it's not actually romantic, maybe it's a thing Jay just does, but why is it always Kai–?!)

B2Ch25: Jay being the first (again?!) to finally welcome Kai to their lunch table, making a spot for him next to Jay and everything + teasingly pokes his cheeks

2Ch32: Hoo boy—Kai going the extra mile for Jay's birthday present and being embarrassed about it + HE MADE JAY'S PINS (including the bisexual one, happy pride month) + Kai being so stunned and happy over Jay's reaction to the gift (to the point of blushingggg babyyy).........but then has to swallow his pride when Jay literally asks for his blessing to date his sister, just when he's starting to catch budding feelings (but there's also another heart-to-heart, and only a half-hug this time ;w;)

"…good luck," Kai says. Jay plows into his side with a grateful hug, then books it out of the warehouse, with much more pep in his step. Kai smiles to himself, endeared by Jay's quirky self…and watches him skip out of the door, now far out of his reach.

^I know it's pretty blink and miss it, but I'm still distressed this one went undetected T-T)9

B2Ch33: Kai literally checks out Jay when he's all dressed up for his date and it breaks his brain for a sec + tries to stay neutral about the whole date thing like a good brother/friend

Kai, upon being properly acknowledged, looks up from his accounting homework spread across the table. He makes the mistake of landing Jay smack in the middle of his sights. He's so used to Jay looking all scruffy and disheveled that him being all, like, sharp and crisp…is new. "…uh, wait, what…was the question…?" Kai asks, rubbing his eyes. Jay huffs as Cole cackles behind him. "He managed to finally ask Nya out! And we're hoping all goes well, right?" "…oh, yeah. Right." Kai waves it off, returning back to his homework. "I already talked to Jay about it." He continues writing, pointing at Jay without even looking up. "Don't keep her out too late, okay? It’s still a school night." Jay snorts, rolling his eyes. "Since when do you care about school nights?!" "Since this is Nya we're talking about! She's already started absorbing your habit of staying up late working on inventions and schematics. The last thing we need is a little twilight rendezvous added to the list." Jay flushes red and buries his face under his scarf as Cole breaks down into quaking laughter. Zane asks about this supposed rendezvous and where they're meeting up. Kai pouts and throws himself back into his work.

^ Anyway-

B2Ch33cont: Kai pestering Jay about his date with Nya until Zane steps in + Kai watching them pass notes in social studies class + Kai prepared to beat down Chad for what he did to Jay on his birthday

B2Ch34: Kai getting mad about having to "work" while Jay runs off on a date with Nya + gets over it when Jay begs him otherwise jhgfdgfd + Kai yelling in shock at seeing Jay's TP + Being so worried about him that Kai makes Cole throw him so he can catch Jay as he falls + Kai holding him as he comes to (and then getting jealous at his ability to fly/teleport and Jay teasing him for it) + Kai later ruffling his hair

“Nya!!! There you are!” Jay chirps, floating up to kiss her cheek.  "…what was that for?" Nya asks, amused. “I missed you this morning, that's all!” Jay chimes. "…so, good morning!" Nya giggles. “Good morning.” “…Uggggggh,” moans Kai, grimacing at them both. “Is it always going to be like this from now on?!” “Gripe all you’d like, Kai!” Jay drapes an arm around Nya. “After all, I received some sage brotherly wisdom just the other day about not listening to what other people think!” Kai huffs, glaring at the wall. “…I see I am about to regret my decisions.”

^Kai quite literally regretting his life's choices (not just about the PDA heyo)

B2Ch35cont: Kai being worried about Jay setting off an Outburst + Kai's reaction to Sunni + the fight with Chad (even though it was moreso about Nya, Kai twists it back into relating to Jay) + Kai being the last thing on Jay's mind before he goes into his Outburst + Kai being absolutely emotionally compromised in the principal's office + Kai putting his arm around Jay after Jay's last speech to Chad

B2Ch37: Not necessarily a "moment", but Kai encouraging Jay to join the talent show under his own merit + bringing up the team-up race back at the Floating Ruins

B2Ch39: Not necessarily "moments", but Kai and Jay have a lot of similar reactions to many of the events in this chapter

B2Ch42: Jay once again being the first to call out the fact that something's wrong with Kai + Kai blushing when Jay calls him out for the "smoke break"

B2Ch43: Not necessarily a "moment", but Jay's the one to hold Kai after his, uh...little swimming adventure

B2Ch44: Canonically Jay telling Kai that the Fang Blade isn't worth Kai losing his life for (not necessarily romantic either, but I just like the fact that it's Jay who says it to him–) + Jay AGAIN being the first to spot Kai upon his return from the volcano

The others all stand off to the side, gawking as Nya tears a path right for the Fang Blades all by herself. "Wow," Cole says, gaping at the carnage. He discreetly nudges Jay. "Th-That's your girlfriend, bro." "Yeah, I know…!" Jay swoons, swaying back and forth. "How lucky am I…?!" "Aaaanyway," Kai coughs, tugging them along. "C'mon, let's get the Fang Blades and leave!"

^Kai is NOT impressed lmao

B2Ch47: Jay having to quickly and efficiently calm down Kai after Wu's departure + another Plasma hug at long last

B2Ch48: Not necessarily a "moment", but Kai canonically calls Jay a genius and I appreciate him making that fact known and understood <3 (even if it's originally implied as more of a joke)

B3Ch2: Once again, being Kai is suffering

Sleepily, Jay scoots himself back to make room. Nya cuddles herself against his chest as he wraps them up like a burrito. They’re both already half asleep when Kai creeps in from over the couch’s side, clearing his throat in their direction. “Heeeeey, don’t get too cozy now.” Nya’s eyes shoot back open with an unimpressed glare. "Kai, please, we're not even doing anything! We're just snuggling!" "Hmph. And snuggling leads to cuddling and cuddling leads to canoodling!" "Nooooo, we're just being efficient with the limited sleep space," Jay responds without even flinching. In fact, he pulls Nya closer. Kai’s eye twitches at the audacity . "It's the right thing to do in these dire circumstances.” "…tch, fine .” Kai rolls his eyes. "But I’m still keeping an eye on you two." "Whatever, Kai," Nya mutters, falling back asleep as Jay lets out a snore. Kai’s gaze lingers a moment longer, before releasing a sigh and sliding a pillow carefully under Jay’s head. 

^Note that he puts the pillow under Jay's head

(It is indeed a combination at Kai being exasperated at their PDA + the continued forced denial of his feelings—this gets explored later in parallel with someone else having emotional issues *cough* Jesse *cough*)

Kai’s the first to hop out of the train, scooping the now spent Jay into his arms. “...you idiot, ” Kai huffs, even though he’s pretty sure Jay can’t hear him.  “...he should’ve never taken that night shift, especially while exhausted…!”

And I suuuure wonder what Kai's plans are for the upcoming dance when anyone he'd want to go with is already taken—or just doesn't want to go with him rip

I also wonder what Kai will do should he discover just who that ex-crush of Jay's was..........

Like I said, a lot of squinting for this given that it's not a main story focus at all nor all that impactful on the plot until S3, and definitely not on track to be "canon", mmmbut. I love them severely. Platonic, romantic, or otherwise, they have such a good dynamic foundation!!! I wanna dissect them *-*)9

[yukitonz]

Hehe I love DDLC 💕

Anyway, I made some redesigns for the DDLC chracters. I get the point of why they look more basic - but like- give them some character, some life. Some- snazziness. Anyway art and little headcannon things included. Also yes, my HC's don't follow cannon- But... I like to give some extra story dazzle too ✨️ (Loved DDLC tho, 2nd favorite game)

Sayori Headcannons-

-Ends up with the Protagonist in the end (I'm going to give him a good chracter too. Not the basic ass Protagonist no one likes.)

-does NOT go yandere like Monika. Just genuinely wants a healthy, happy relationship. Monika did allow her to remember what happened, and Sayori does NOT want that to repeat!

-Is straight, very supportive of LGBT. Cis Female (She/her)

-Joined the club mainly to make friends. Sayori didn't hangout a lot, and Monika had invited her, so she joined. She ended up getting into some books. Sayori then invites him Later.

-Tried to hang out with a lot of people, wanting to be popular. Some days she felt lonely, and often wanted to be around people to avoid her thoughts.

-Helps Natsuki with cooking (Aka Natsuki comes to her place and they cook)

-Was first friends with Monika (other than the protagonist)

-Listens mostly to Hyperpop and typical 2000's pop music. Will occasionally pop out with the heaviest metal known to man.

-Is a severe people pleaser, and has bad anxiety/depression. Hides it well.

Yuri Headcannons-

-Ends up dating Natsuki. This is after Monika is erased, and Natsuki makes up their bond, and they end up together. Yuri is a lot more open/less socially awkward around her.

-Simply Queer. Dates for love, not gender. Cis Female (She/Her)

-Joined the club due to a very strong passion for reading and writing. Natsuki and her used to switch each meet with reading their books, and Yuri very much enjoyed parfait girls (and OFC Portrait of Markov)

-Wants to be a writer when she grows up. Mainly into phychological horror and poem writing.

-Natsuki and Yuri (before the literature club) used to write small poems for each other. They also used to be best friends, but had a falling out due to an argument, and then the events of DDLC. (Monika manipulating them)

-Wears a matching heart pin with Natsuki. Kept it even after their falling out, since Yuri often holds onto old memories.

-Has bad depression and social anxiety, but usually tries to hide it. Tries to hide in the past where times were better.

-listens to emo, goth and metal music.

-Dresses in Gothic fashion.

Natsuki Headcannons-

-Ends up with Yuri. Natsuki had always liked Yuri since their first meet, but during events of cannon DDLC, Natsuki tried to hide her feelings and tried to get with the Protagonist to ignore her feelings for Yuri.

-Sapphic/queer. Doesn't really put a label, but likes women. Trans female (She/Her). Is also Ace.

-Joined Literature club because she had a passion for writing, and because Yuri was going.

-Used to be an extremely popular student, but cut herself off when she was introduced to the toxic side of big groups. She wanted only a trust worthy friend who made her ignore her home life.

-Lives with abusive father, but often found ways to avoid going home. (Went to Sayori's a lot, hung-out with other club members, and sometimes stayed overnight at Yuri's)

-Even after Monika got erased, she still had some memory of the cannon events. This led to her making it up with Yuri and cherishing when she had a bit more. Aka she toned down her tsundereness.

-Has an extreme fear of venting to people/telling people anything about her. She often reads her Manga to escape reality and put herself in a happier world. Also part of the reason she dresses so cutsey, to put herself in a world of happiness.

-Has an extreme interest in dark themes too. She loves phychological horror, and wants to take a route in psychology.

-Was never that close to Monika. It was mainly Sayori and Yuri. Natsuki didn't trust Monika, and with her bad experience with popular kids it was awkward talking to her.

-Is a perfectionist

-A year before High-school she stole a lot. Because of her home life and the lack of money, she resorted to stealing a lot.

Monika headcannons-

-Doesn't end up with anyone, as she was deleted. She does learn to "accept" though.

-Queer, same with Yuri, love is love. Cis Female (She/Her). She is ace.

-Never wanted to be popular. She was a transfer student and had unique looks and extreme intelligence so she became popular quick. (Her intelligence in science is how she figured out she was in a game)

-Grew up extremely lonely. She was a loner, and was often hidden in school. It's what she enjoyed, except a few friends. That's why she made the literature club, knowing not a lot would join.

-Has a passion for writing. Wrote a romance novel, and planned to write more. Her second choice was a professional piano teacher, having a passion for music and how it helps her escape and create melodies to ease her mood.

-Was not very loved as a child. Parents never paid attention to her, and she never dated. Not even a friend. When the Protagonist showed a new kind of kindness, she became obsessed with the love and kindness that wasn't because of her popularity in any way.

-Genuinely regretted what she did to Sayori, but continued as she already made too many moves. Monika missed the person who talked to her first in the club, and one of the only other person who showed her kindness that wasn't because of popularity.

-Almost did what she does in the game for Sayori (considering the act of kindness) but they had a small separation before it could get that far, and Sayori hung out with more and more popular people- drawing Monika away slightly.

-To Monika, MC and Sayori were her first two ever honest friends

-Was a perfectionist and love obsessed/Yandere due to PTSD

Hope you all enjoyed 😎 I'm going to go back to dying in my grave 🤯

[an-unraveling-unknown]

It's been a bit, and I think I've forgotten some. Can you give me a brief rundown of your little guys?

Hiya Bones, I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF RUNDOWN ON MY LITTLE GUYS!!! (thank you thank you thank you!!) (its not as brief as it should be I'm so sorry)

I still have yet to name this project: My first original project! I have no ideas for the plot LMAO /crying a little

Locke: Ancient android cursed to carry the physical fear of an entire very dead race of beings that they have identified as 'human,' the same thing they classify the people they see today. Travels a lot, he generally likes to keep moving - has taken up the mantel of unofficial psychopomp. Likes people (from a distance,) dressing up, engaging in human activism in whatever way they can, and Deimos. Dislikes having a lack of bodily autonomy. Was called 'Rue' once (Agender, but he has a fondness for He/They)

Deimos: Your local embodiment of human fear, and human fear specifically. Laughs in the face of gender on a daily basis, mostly due to the fact that he's a shapeshifter (generally shifting into the specifically held fear of whatever society he happens to be around) Drama queen, constantly makes either slightly too old or slightly too new pop culture references that Locke could never hope to understand, but he found a good audience with The Children. Deeply just wants social connection, a bit of a hard feat when you're immortal, and unfortunately something he couldn't find in Locke due to their own circumstances. For a while, at least. (Genderfluid, but currently favors he/him)

The Children: Collective term for all the people and non-people Deimos has unofficially adopted - still workin on them, but I CAN tell you that Charlotte (third youngest) has ties to 'Charlotte's Web' and the 1829 poem 'The Spider and the Fly' and also happens to be an anthropomorphic spider, while Marley is (probably) from Boston (youngest). Not all technically children by human standards, but pretty much everyone is a kid when you're Deimos's age

(other little guys below. forgive me for the massive text blocks)

Undertale AU: Some context, this revolves around two of my ocs in an au that is basically be adding non-canon context with plot; Sunny and Z!* Sunny ran away from home after extenuating circumstances and an argument with her parents, kind of as a 'last hurrah' of sorts, and Z tagged along because of his own reasons. Both of them found themselves in the underground and are now constantly wondering if they went and died about it because Undertale is actually a thing that exists in their universe

Sunny: He is a trainwreck, and is also probably the closest I'll ever get to a self-insert (but it's moreso me when I was 12-ish inserted into a 17 y/o's body). Compassionate at heart, she likes the sciences and being outdoors and philosophical things; math is latin to her (dead,) and she knows a fair amount of sign language. Utterly thrilled to be in the underground for the most part, something he and Z have conflict about - doesn't like talking about his childhood. Yellow coded as in warning (She/Him, Aroace)

Z: Also a huge freakin clusterfuck and Sunny's best friend, but Z is more contained than not. The funny one of the two, Super tech efficient, the fella loves cryptography and all things coding, made a rick-roll virus once on the family computer and now that very same computer exists half-alive in the garage - he'd like to be a game dev someday. Used to get hurt and sick a lot when he was younger. Z refuses to be alone with his thoughts, so he practically throws himself at anything declared constructive at a contstant rate, very much unlike his friend. Knows Sunny has a lot going on with the imminent move to Europe and all, but they shouldn't, cannot stay here damnit (He/Him, Straight)

*not their actual names, but they can't really say their actual names due to extenuating plot reasons and 'Sunny' n 'Z' is what Flowey called them upon first encounter.

BG3: The Baldur's Gate 3 duders!! neither Aeonian nor Monad really fit into forgotten realms lore, considering I picked them up from a separate Stardew Valley AU project and threw them at my current hyperfixation without a lick of research cos I figured it would be no problem. I was sadly mistaken, but we're making it work (even amidst the greek myth n gaelic folklore parallels which are now just outside-of-story meta)

Aeonian: My Tav!! Best put (in your words exactly) as a sad little tissue paper man. Unofficial bard and humanoid-shaped creature (Physical Embodiment of Death at Sea, to be precise) who is not normally humanoid-shaped, but is doing it anyway because their sister is missing and they have a guard dog complex to uphold. Looks like a very tall and very blue twig that could snap in the wind, but what they lack in intimidation they receive in cleverness and wit with a little bit of added bardic charmisa. They did not at all wish to claw themselves out of the sea with gritted teeth and sheer drive alone, and while they aren't necessarily cold, they also aren't here to make friends. This is currently being conflicted by the fact that they give a shit. Character development follows the rock cycle (They/Them, Demirose)

Monad: Aeonian's older sister and Embodiment of Life at Sea - the braver of the two, having ventured up to the surface first and kept going despite being kidnapped by pirates more times than ve can count on both hands - ve is here to have a good time and a good time only. Lively and charismatic, he loves the pleasures of life, people, life in general, and Aeonian. Took up the druid class, as she told her sibling, and was in the midst of learning how to wild shape before she went up on a surface outing one day and didn't come back. Ve's more secretive than Aeon knows (Ve/Her/Himself and very much a lesbian)

[storyofthenauseouseye]

Passionate Prose From A Perverted Philosopher: Bataille’s Poetry

Most people are not familiar with the works or life of Georges Bataille. I don't blame them. I'm sure my professor is looking at this with fearful eyes, praying I'm not actually about to start a post on the Georges Bataille, the notorious anti-philosopher and writer whose works have made him rather infamous. Well, don't worry. I'm not about to make a whole post on surrealist literary fetish pornography. No, we're going to take a more muted approach and look at Bataille's key concepts and ideas through his poetry.

There are no graphic depictions of masturbating with a chicken egg here, folks. Just some twentieth-century poetry so dark it helped inspire the lyricism of the black metal genre movement (a movement that included the burning of churches and ended with the murder of some people).

Ambrogio Antonio Alciati, The Kiss, 1917.

Key Concepts

Hopping from surrealism, to eroticism, to religion, and eventually starting an occult group, Bataille's writing is anitsystematic, and it's diffiicult to categorize into a few labels. Thankfully, there are prevalent themes that shine through the messy, dark chaos that he left behind. These themes are predominantly themes of myth, pain, and social transgression (Mambrol).

The easiest way to explore those themes is to sort through the poetry of Bataille. Bataille was a surrealist, and actually was an associate of Andre Breton until Breton and he got into an argument and Bataille distanced himself from the group and the movement.

Myth

Myth is the first predominant theme in the library of Bataille.

Despite being on-and-off Christian and occultist, Bataille's swings of loving and hating God, spirituality, and the cosmic experience of existence was something he found a lot of room for. Not only did this appear in his specultaive fiction and autobiographical philosophical works, but this also appeared with the confines of his poetry.

O dead God O dead God Me I hounded you with hatred unfathomable I would die of hatred as a cloud is undone

(Bataille and Kendall, 11)

Per this untitled example, Bataille has no problems saying the kinds of things that got him in trouble in his time. His disdain for traditional myth and religious iconography is only rivaled by his own strange hypocrisy. Going in and out of different religions and spiritual seasons, Bataille would often write in favor of these myths.

"At the height of the heavens / the angels, I hear their voices, glorify me / I am, under the sun, an errant ant" (Bataille and Kendall, 13).

Here, Bataille was in a season of deep religious fervor. He felt so small to the passionate outpouring of the heavens, a glrious feeling that he would write many poems about. This love and hate relationship with mythology and relgious structures would pave the way for many of his stranger, more ethereal works.

Pain

To say Georges Bataille was emo would be to undersell his emotionally black works. The suffering and emotional torment he speaks of isn't that of a Pierce the Veil song, rather his kind of authentic pain belongs to something more in line with DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal). It doesn't come as a surprise, he practically invented the lyricism for the black metal genre as a whole.

Verses about suffering, stars, violence, galactic existentialism, nihilism, strange fetishistic imagery, Satan, and either an extreme reverance for religion, or the dismal rejection of it, this specific niche of harsh music couldn't exist without Bataille's own flavor of self hatred (Bereshith and Fas).

Take, for example, such extreme verses as

I scream at the sky that it's not me who is screaming in this lacerating thunderstorm it's not me who is dying it's the starry skies the starry sky screams the starry sky cries I fall asleep and the world is forgotten (Bataille and Kendall, 34)

As you can see, the edgelord himself, Bataille, outdoes a good amount of the goth and emo campiness. He settles for something a good bit more horrific, including depictions of murder and violent sexual content. But why? Why write poems about vehement antireligious and religious ideologies, self destructive tendiencies, gross sex, and violence? Because Bataille was a transgressive author.

Left: Deathspell Omega, Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice, 2004. Right: Deathspell Omega, Deathspell Omega Logo, 1998

Social Transgression

Bataille was a transgressive philosopher and artist. Despite being an antisystematic writer whose interests were scattered, it is impossible to fight the fact that he was a figure of transgression.

Transgressive art is art that defies rules, laws, expectations, or norms. It is often shocking and causes quit ethe controversy. Other examples of transgressive artists would be Marilyn Manson, Jorg Buttgereit, Marquis de Sade, Rozz Williams, and John Waters.

I won't touch upon the topic of "is shock art true art" but I will say that Bataille and others like hm went on to make quit ethe names for themselves. Although these ideas and tpics may not be that taboo to the social norms of today, it disturbed many people to read something such as

Bird's laughter filthy with blood crash of ice from teeth filth screaming vomiting head hung in horror (Bataiile and Kendall, 129).

I mean, when a dude from a band called Deathspell Omega does an interview and lists you as a reference of inspiration, you've probably said some dark stuff that caught on with a very specific crowd of people.

And if you think tat's bad, look into his novel, The Story of the Eye. I dare you.

Works Cited

Bataille, Georges, and Stuart Kendall. The Poetry of Georges Bataille. Translated by Stuart Kendall, State University of New York Press, 2018.

Bereshith, and Fas. “Interview with Deathspell Omega from AJNA Offensive.” Deathspell Omega, https://ezxhaton.kccricket.net/interview.html. Accessed 8 December 2023.

Mambrol, Nasrullah. “Key Concepts of Georges Bataille – Literary Theory and Criticism.” Literary Theory and Criticism, 2 May 2017, https://literariness.org/2017/05/02/key-concepts-of-georges-bataille/. Accessed 8 December 2023.

Further Reading

[bluelolblue]

More about Romano

I would like to share some more about Romano :)

Even though Romano was the first born son of Giovanni and Cornelia (parents names), his father realized that... Romano is just not good enough to be a future heir/leader. (Santino affect).

Romano was a quiet little boy, liked to write poems and draw, and wasn't interested into Giovanni's talks about his job. And just... "he has useless talents" - Giovanni.

Second born son! (Imma call him Lorenzo for now bc he's the only member of this family that I couldn't figure out the name). Oh, he looks more like Giovanni and doesn't look "weak." Now, Romano isn't weak, he just looks a bit more slim and when you compare Lorenzo and Romano, you would probably think Lorenzo is the older brother. But nope, Romano is.

Yes, Romano took more of Cornelia's look, the fur coat. She is more of the common belgian malinois fur coat, the fawn/cream color, while Giovanni is more like gray/cream/with some black patterns.

I will give pics for the reference, I'm really bad at explaining their fur colors.

The fawn/cream that I explained. So, this is kinda how I imagine Romano, Cornelia and Emilio. With probably slight differences.

Gray/cream/with some black patterns that I explained. How I imagine, Giovanni, Valeria and Lorenzo. With some slight differences.

Anyways, yes... Lorenzo was going to be the future heir!

And then they also got Valeria, she is the third born and the last, youngest son Emilio.

Valeria looks more like Giovanni, while Emilio like Cornelia.

Valeria is very pretty, is close with her mother because they're the only girls in this family... you gotta stick together when these guys start talking. She is calm, is best friends with Luna (black cat, I will talk about her some other time), but also has her own problems that I will talk about in another post! But she's really chill and is actually a really good friend... she needs more friends actually :<

Emilio is... Emilio. He's the youngest and Romano is the only one out of other siblings that can handle his energy and he helps him out with school/homeworks actually. Emilio is funny, has the energy, would like more of attention from Giovanni but... Giovanni is only focused on Lorenzo.

Unfortunately, Emilio doesn't have a happy ending. He dies in Romano's hands, he was shot right in front of him.

Anyways, my point of all of them is that none of Giovanni's kids are perfect. He wanted a heir, but all of his kids have their problems, even Lorenzo who seems the most confident one.

Lorenzo got into so many arguments with Romano because of his ego. But in the end, Romano is the oldest one and one day he puts Lorenzo in his place. I was thinking of making Lorenzo go blind on one eye which makes him not perfect and he was literally manipulated his whole life that he was the perfect one. So he would be extremely stressed out when he notices that he can't really see on one of his eyes. And that's where Romano yells at him and probably slaps him to calm down. Because Romano snapped. He was never aggressive or anything, but he snapped a few times. Okay, my point was, Lorenzo thinks he's not perfect and good enough.

Valeria is not seen as perfect because she's unhappy with her life and the only girl out of the siblings.

Emilio is... a disappointment like Romano.

So... all of them... are unhappy with themselves 😭

Even Cornelia sometimes... that's a whole other story!

(WIP IDEA) I was thinking that in the end, Romano becomes the leader after Lorenzo got assassinated. So that makes Romano automatically the new leader even if he never wanted that.

Yes, Romano is really good friends with Sephtis and Marc and he is extremely loyal to Sephtis because he helped him out a lot. And here comes the Vito "I don't forget." Italian style. So, Romano has his bodyguards, has his people and whenever Sephtis would need anything, any help, he will help him. Even if it meant killing someone.

Okay, while I'm talking about Romano, he was with Amando (a jaguar) who works for the enemy clan. Amando just used Romano for pleasure and to get more information. Very toxic. I was thinking to make Romano shot him dead in the "big fight" idea I have that includes Sephtis and his family being attacked by that clan. I will talk more about that clan in another post because it involves Marc's past. Plus... Amando killed Emilio.

And then Romano went with Luna from friends to lovers. Luna helped Romano heal! Unfortunately they can't get married because of the society and the rules about interspecies. Society won't really accept a dog and a cat dating, let alone get married. There are only individuals who don't mind it! (That rules gets a bit better in modern times!)

So yeah... Romano! I love him so much and I can imagine him in every Santino's suit!

[a-random-weeb]

name: Lian

nicknames i like: normally i would cringe when someone calls me “doll” but with chuuya….IT MAKES ME BLUSH BRO oh and the classic my dear, love, etc.

character: chuuya nakahara

personality: mostly reserved, ambitious, caring (apparently almost parental like 💀), reliable

physical: 5’3 (but i like to wear heeled boots to compensate for the lack of height lmao), black shoulder length hair, lots of moles (from neck down), one dimple on my right cheek

hobbies: martial arts, reading, writing corny ass shakespear wannabe poems, listening to music (me and chuuya are going to bond through rock & RNB <3)

hc or oneshot: either honestly whatever you feel like doing. though if you choose a oneshot, i’d like to revolve around reassurance :,) because i tend to pretend that i have it all together and i really want someone to tell me that everything will be alright

thank you so much hehe

I'm gonna start getting y'all to put your pronouns. I made this gn because I have no clue what pronouns you want. It probably doesn't matter anyway since in use 'you'

Also, twinsies, we're both the same height as Chuuya 😭 I too wear combat boots over my lack of height, it's a sad life for us short people 😔

Also I joke that I'm emo while wearing them, I suggest you do the same it's pretty funny

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•He doesn't like how you pretend to have it all together

•I swear he will pay me you to the wall like "Tell me what's wrong. Now."

•He's definitely really aggressive about it

•But he does care, that much is obvious

•You two are like that one badass couple

•Listening to rock and RNB, riding on chuuyas motorcycle, you doing martial arts, chuuya being in the port mafia, that's one badass couple

•He loves your cringe, wanna-be Shakespeare poems

•Hes probably laughed at a few of them though 😭

•Since you're like a parental figure in a way, he trusts you with his life

•Even though you're the same height, he teases you about being short EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE BOTH THE SAME GODDAMN HEIGHT

•hes the definition of bullying you to make himself feel better 😭

•Get him back by wearing combat boots and looking down on him

•It starts a (not serious, just Chuuya having anger issues, so more silly) argument

˚♡˚‧˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖𖦹⭒°｡⋆˖‧.˚♡˚‧˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖𖦹⭒°｡⋆˖‧.˚♡˚‧˖.𖥔 ݁ ˖𖦹

[livingdreams97]

Emily Dickinson- "The past comes back" (part 4)

Emily Dickinson x fem! reader/oc

Summary: An old friend of Lavinia's returns to Amherst after years out of town and not seeing each other. But what happens when Lavinia's friend turns out to be not only her friend, but two more girls and one of them turns out not to remember her.

Words: 4.642

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NOTE: If you see any spelling mistake im sorry, english is not my first lenguage and i try to do it the best possible.

Emily's POV

It's been two weeks since I last met Y/n at Sue and my brother's party. She hasn't been to my house one day and it's always Lavinia who goes to her house to spend time with her.

So she don't have to stop by our house and see me. I tried to go to her house to talk to her, but I don't know where her house is and I don't want to ask Vini or Sue ; because they would ask.

They will want to know why I am asking about her house and what I want to talk to her about. But I don't want to tell you that Y/n disappeared from the party because I admitted not remembering her and because of the argument we had.

Lavinia warned me from the beginning not to tell her, to act as if I knew her and to avoid at all costs admitting my lack of memories with or of her. Even when Sue found out about my memory loss, she suggested that I follow my sister's plan and not tell her the truth.

So if either of them finds out I argued with her and ended up telling her the truth, they'll kill me. I'm not entirely sure if Sue would kill me, but the one I'm sure would kill me is Lavinia.

My sister expressed to me the importance of not telling her, since Y/n held me in such a esteem and told me that when we were children she adored me. That's why I couldn't tell her, because it would hurt her a lot to know that I didn't remember her and that's exactly what ended up happening.

I feel incredibly guilty about it, I am not able to write feeling the anguish in my chest and the continuous emptiness due to a longing that I do not fully understand.

Besides that since my publication in the newspaper and the delivery of all my poems to Samuel, I have not been able to write a single thing. My mind is blank, the words no longer flow and I feel like a dry water well.

So I'm completely attacked, lost even and I don't know what to do to get out of this misfortune. My mother had even taken us to a spa to relax and try to make me feel better. But it hardly had any effect on me. The only good thing about that trip was seeing my friend George again.

Adding to all my problems, I think in a ghostly way I saw as Sue ; my Sue , had sex with Samuel. I don't understand how she could do something like that to me, after everything we've been through together and almost forcing me to have feelings for him.

Betrayed would be saying little for how I feel. My whole world collapses and I can't stop thinking about Sue and Samuel having sex, and the image of the little girl bleeding.

I'm sure that image is a memory, a memory of Y/n and how she got the scar on her eyebrow. But I can't check with anyone first because I don't know where Y/n and I doubt she'll want to talk to me, second because Lavinia asked me more about how the memory came to me, and lastly, I'm not going to ask Sue anything .

Lavinia: Are you okay? - she asks me taking me out of my thoughts and calling my attention.

Emily: Yeah, just that I was thinking and stuff.- i shrugged it off by looking at her. -Where are you going ? - I ask confused to see her ready to leave the house.

Lavinia: Where are we going, you mean?- she answers somewhat confused.

Emily: I don't understand what you mean by we.- I comment and she looks at me like I'm stupid.

Lavinia: It's the baptism of Jane's son.- She reminds me and I pat myself on the forehead.

Emily: I had forgotten.- I whisper, exhaling hard. -But it doesn't matter at all because I'm not going, I don't feel good to go and pretend interest in something as simple as a baptism.- I assure her, getting up from my desk and approaching her.

Lavinia: Okay, we're leaving now and we'll be back later.- She tells me, shrugging her shoulders and I nod in understanding.

Emily: Well, we'll see each other later.- I say goodbye and my sister walks out the door, closing it once outside.

I sigh when I'm alone in my room again and I scan the place with my eyes as if it were the first time. But as I look around the closet, something catches my eye and I focus my gaze on my closet.

I stare at it from top to bottom, trying to find what has caught my attention and finding myself with a slightly raised floorboard. I approach cautiously, kneeling on the floor and touching the protruding part of the board with the fingers of my right hand.

I lift it up a bit and when nothing comes out from under it to attack me I fully lift it up all the way. I set the small board aside and reach into the hole unceremoniously. As soon as I reach in, my fingers brush against something soft yet rough and I immediately know what it is.

I wrap my hand around the papers and, careful not to tear them, pull them out of the hole. I sit back on my heels, laying the cards on my lap and seeing that they are addressed to me. Completely confused, I sit on the floor with my back against the closet and decide to open the first letter.

I take the paper out of the envelope, finding myself with a somewhat irregular and difficult to read handwriting. I inspect the handwriting carefully, realizing that it must be a child's and remembering when I used to write the same way.

But when I see the date on which the letter is dated, I open my eyes completely surprised and decide to read it. The letter is from 13 years ago, it is dated October 25, 1842.

Letter

Dear Emily,

Hello again Emily, I write to you like every week to tell you what I have done and the things I have seen. In addition to telling you how much I miss you and how much I want to go home.

I miss Sue so much , Vini and even Austin. Of course I miss you a lot too, because you are you and you are the most amazing person in the world. But today has been incredible.

Dad had the day off from college and we went to something called the beach. Can you believe it; the beach. Although maybe you don't know what it is and you don't understand what I mean.

I don't know how to explain it very well, but for you I will try and if you don't understand it you can tell me in your next letter so I can ask my father to explain it for me. The beach is a place with a lot of sand, it is similar to the soil but it is pale in color and weighs much less. Sand is thiner and makes a lot less mess than dirt, although it gets everywhere and is very difficult to remove from clothes.

So avoid the sand. Oh, and it has a sea, the beach has a sea and people bathe in it. But not bathing like we do at home with soap, they just get in the water and wave their arms and legs for something called swimming. I'm not sure but father says that the sea water is salty and that it is good for the body. And Dad said he's going to teach Amber , Brandom and me how to swim when he's free.

Can you believe it ? I'm going to learn to swim and go into the sea. Mama says that the sea is part of the ocean and that they are very, very, very big. It also says that there are many animals in the sea and that some are as big as your favorite tree.

But still Cambri or whatever this place is called is not the same as Amherts . You're not here and neither are Sue and Vini . I get bored without you, my brothers don't want to play ladder like we do and they say our games are boring.

Can you believe it? Our games are not boring and they are dumb.

I miss swinging from the rope in my garden, we don't have a rope here and father said to try to get one. But it won't be the same because you won't be there to push me.

Did you finally do it ? Did you move your table in front of the window like I had it ? Isn't it much more fun to do homework looking out the window ?

I look forward to receiving your responses and I look forward to hearing from you about your adventures of the week.

With lots of love,

Y/n Harvard

End of the letter

Emily: Oh my god.- I mutter, surprised, covering my mouth at the end of the first letter.

This is real, she really was my friend and by the way she wrote to me at only 10 years old makes it clear to me that she really cared about me. I don't understand why the cards where hidden, but right now I'm glad they were saved and that I was able to find them.

Who knows, maybe my mother or even myself would have thrown the cards away as if they weren't important and I wouldn't have physical proof that Y/n and I were really friends.

I watch as a drop falls to the paper, surprising me and making me frown in confusion . I bring a hand to my face and my fingers meet my wet cheeks. I'm surprised, since I don't know when I started to cry and I don't understand how I didn't realize it before.

I wipe away my tears, looking up and meeting my desk directly. I smiled helplessly, reminding  myself at 12 years old moving the table towards the window and now I understand why I did it.

I return my gaze to the letters and begin to read them one by one. Looking at the date before, so I can read them in chronological order and avoid getting confused about what they say. As I read the sixth letter with an amused smile, someone knocks on my door and I immediately stop reading.

Emily: Who is it? - I ask and the door opens revealing Maggie 's head.

Maggie : You'd be interested to know that the newspaper man just got out of his carriage.- She tells me and I open my eyes completely surprised.

Emily: Really?- I ask hopefully, getting up from the floor and leaving the letters on my desk.

Maggie : Yes.- She answers me in the affirmative.

Emily: Good, because I'm going to demand my poems back from him and he won't leave without giving them back to me.- I assure her and quickly go down to the first floor with her behind me .

Maggie : I think it's very good, miss.- She supports me with a smile.

As soon as I'm done going downstairs, I hear someone knocking on the door and I walk towards it to open it. As soon as I open it I find a smiling Samuel, who doesn't wait for me to invite him and goes straight into the house.

Samuel: The house seems calm.- He comments and I look at Maggie for a few seconds.

Maggie : If the family has gone out to a baptism.- She tells him and I close the door. -It's a quiet Sunday and my day off.- she tells him and I walk two steps away from the door.

Samuel: I don't even rest on Sundays, the news doesn't rest and therefore neither do I. - He answers with a superior smile, taking off his hat and cleaning it with his hand.

Someone knocks on the door again, but this time Maggie walks towards it and opens it while I decide to ask her the reason for her presence in my house.

Emily: What are you doing here ? - I ask about his sudden presence in my house.

Samuel: I'm leaving and I've come to say goodbye to the family.- He replies by leaving his hat on the chair at the entrance. -Anyway, I'm starving.- he says and I look at him confused. -Do you have something I can eat ? - asks the redhead next to me.

Maggie : There will be plums in the kitchen.- She answers him directly, closing the door of the house and he looks at her strangely.

Samuel: You don't have roast beef ? - he asks and I see the disgusted gesture that my maid makes.

Maggie : I'll go see.- she replies without much encouragement. -I think you already know where Miss Lavinia's room is, right?- I hear someone say and I turn to meet the person I wanted to see.

Y/n: Yes, don't worry Maggie .- she assure her with a small smile. -I'll leave the shawl in her room and I'm leaving.- she comments and looks up, meeting mine .

Emily: Y/n.- I whisper without taking my eyes off her.

Y/n: Excuse the intrusion.- she says and walks by my side starting to go up the stairs.

Emily: Prevent her from leaving at all costs.- I whisper to my maid and she nods.

Maggie : If you'll excuse me, I'll go see what I can bring this man to eat.- She apologizes and walks towards the kitchen with the laundry basket in her arms.

Once I am alone with Samuel, I ask him to speak in the living room so that I can retrieve my poems. I plan to avoid looking at it, so that I can't be convinced and keep my poems. He is evil and with his way of looking and talking he deceives everyone.

Y/n's POV

I leave the shawl that Lavinia forgot in my house yesterday on her bed, seeing at least four cats in the room and one of them looks at me badly. I decide to leave the room as soon as possible, to prevent that cat from getting upset and ending up attacking me.

I walk downstairs, careful not to fall and find Maggie pressed against the wall next to the living room. I finish down the stairs and approach her quietly.

Y/n: What are you doing?- I ask in a whisper, leaning forward.

Maggie : Oh for the Lord.- she murmurs with her hand on her chest. -Don't do that.- she claims and I look at her amused.

Y/n: Wait, are you listening to the conversation between Emily and the stuffy guy?- I ask with an evil smile.

Maggie : What? No, of course not.- She denies and when Emily screams she snaps at me, sticking to the wall again.

Y/n: What are they talking about?- I ask interested and placing myself under her in the same position.

Maggie : The stiff is a newspaper publisher, he's the one who published Emily's poem a week ago and she ended up giving him all her poems.- she tells me and I open my eyes in surprise.- But now Miss Emily wants the poems back , but it seems that the gentleman does not want to return them.- He explains to me and I narrow my eyes annoyed.

Emily: Mr. Bowles, do you still have my poems?- I listen as he asks the stiff guy.

Bowles : Of course, I carry them in my bag so I can read them on the train.- he replies and I look at Maggie with open eyes.

I look down, spotting a brown leather satchel on the floor, and look over to the maid for confirmation. When she nods, confirming that the bag on the floor belongs to that guy, I open it quickly, trying to be as quiet as possible, and search inside for Emily's poems.

I find a handful of papers of different sizes and show them to Maggie confirming that they are poems. She smiles back at me and I close the bag back up and we both back away from the wall as the discussion becomes clearer.

Hearing hurried footsteps, Maggie and I run to hide behind the stairs. We see Emily grab the bag off the floor, but Bowles grabs the bag too and starts a tug of war for her.

We watch the little fight in surprise, seeing how the man grabs his hat and runs out of the house with Emily behind him . We leave our hiding place walking calmly towards the entrance, seeing from the door an Emily in the middle of the road and how Mr. Bowles ' cart moves away.

Y/n: Do we tell her now or do we let her bask in her sorrow a little more ? - I ask the maid.

Maggie : Let's leave her a little longer, I'm sure this will inspire her and get something positive out of it.- She answers me and I nod without taking my eyes off the one who was my friend.

We stare at her for a while longer, seeing how she hugs herself and stares at the road where the carriage has disappeared. When I think enough is enough, I whistle to get her attention and when I get it, I gesture for her to come back into the house.

Maggie and I walk back into the house, but she just gives me an encouraging look and disappears into the kitchen. I walk to the living room and decide to wait sitting on the sofa. I hide the poems behind my back and look at the decorations in the room.

Emily: I hate my life.- she growls falling into the seat on my left.

Y/n: I don't think your life is that bad.- I assure her with an amused smile.

Emily: Says the university student whose parents accept and allow her to attend conferences.- She says sarcastically and I look at her raising an eyebrow.

Y/n: And what does that have to do with anything?- I ask confused by her comment.

Emily: Once, only once have I been able to go to a conference and it was because Sue and I dressed up as men.- She tells me and I can't help but laugh at the image that comes to mind.

Y/n: With hat, cane and everything?- I ask somewhat amused and she looks at me with narrowed eyes. -I'll take it as a yes.- I comment, unable to help but laugh.

Emily: I don't want to sound rude or anything like that.- She says, straightening her posture in the chair. -But why are you talking to me? The last time; you said that it was better that we keep our distances.- she asks me and I sigh remembering that night.

I don't think I've ever cried as much in my life as I did that night two weeks ago. Knowing that the person you appreciate the most and with whom you were in love at some point does not remember you is hard. Especially when you have practically grown up with her and you imagined anything for her silence except the lack of memory.

Knowing that Emily didn't even remember me has been hard, especially when the vast majority of my happiest memories were with or around her. And it could be said that her lack of memories has hurt me more than any possible rejection.

Emily: I mean, it's not that I'm not happy that you're talking to me and we're not arguing, but I don't understand.- She speaks quickly and I look at her sad.

Y/n: Somehow I still believe that the best thing is that we have as little relationship as possible.- I say a little sad. -It would be absurd to make you go through a bad time, trying to force you to remember something that for some reason your mind has erased and only for the two weeks that I have left here.- I explain and I see how she shakes her head.

Emily: But it doesn't have to be just two weeks.- She assures me with a gleam of hope in her beautiful brown eyes.

Y/n: I'm leaving in two weeks.- I remind her obviously. -Besides, somehow knowing the truth has liberated me in some way and I no longer feel the guilt I used to have before the thousands of possibilities for your lack of response.- I tell her with a small smile and she makes a face.

Emily: What if we keep in touch this time?- she asks me with hope, looking like an excited puppy and making herself be seen as the cutest thing in the world.

Y/n: We tried it once and it didn't work.- I remember her somewhat sad. -I haven't called you for that anyway.- I explain to leave this conversation behind.

Emily: And may I know why you whistled at me then?- curiously questions and i can see some amusement in her eyes.

Y/n: For this.- I respond by moving my hand behind my back and showing her the handful of his poems.

Emily: No.- she denies completely surprised.

Y/n: Yes.- I confirm looking at the poems in my hand and then at her.

Emily: But how ? What... ?- she asks still in shock.

Y/n: Going down the stairs I found Maggie gossiping and she made me curious.- I begin to explain. -She told me a little about your poems and while you were arguing I stole them from his wallet.- I reply, shrugging my shoulders without giving it much importance.

Emily: You are the best!- She screams excitedly and suddenly jumps on me throwing us to the ground.

Y/n: Ouch .- I growl when my back hits the ground hard.

Emily: You are the best, you are the best, you are the best.- repeats hugging me by the neck; although rather it is suffocating me.

Y/n: Yes, but I need to breathe.- I tell her and she loosens the grip of her arms around my neck.

I simply laying still, holding her poems in one hand and not really knowing where to place the other. After a few moments Emily separates a little from me and her face is inches from mine.

Emily: I remember this.- she whispers in a calm voice, moving one of her arms to delicately touch the scar on my eyebrow. -During the discussion I noticed your scar and when I was alone it was as if an image flooded my mind.- she tells me and I observe how her eyes move all over my face.

Y/n: Em.- I call her but she tells me to shut up.

Emily: Please, let me try to remember you and have you in my life again.- She begs me with some pain in her eyes.

Y/n: I don't know if I can go through it again Em.- I admit with pain and I watch how her eyes travel all over my face again.

Emily: Please.- She asks me in just a whisper, bringing her face closer to mine if possible and making our breaths mix.

I am only capable of swallowing nervously, not fully understanding what is happening and somewhat stunned by her proximity. From one moment to another I feel her lips on mine and I open my eyes completely surprised.

I'm in shock, the girl I had a crush on for a while is all over me and she's kissing me. Well maybe I'll never stop being in love with her, but that's not the case right now. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson is kissing me, I never thought this day would come and less because of the type of society we live in.

So I decide to take a risk and enjoy the moment. I start to move my lips against hers, kissing her back, and move my free hand to rest on the back of her waist.

Emily: The summer of '42.- she whispers suddenly separating from my lips and I open my eyes dazed by the kiss.

Y/n:What? - I ask trying to understand what she means.

Emily: The summer of '42, I fell off the couch playing with Austin and Lavinia and hit my head.- she tells me with her eyes wide open. -I was unconscious for a day and a half, and then it took me a while to identify people for a week.- she remembers, impressed, and now it's me who opens her eyes in surprise.

Y/n: And why did Vini never tell me anything about that?- I ask confused not understanding anything.

Emily: You're talking about Vini , she loves to call and be the center of attention.- She reminds me of a bit of fun.

Y/n: Of course.- I roll my eyes laughing and watch her while she laughs too. –And why mention the fall now? - I ask calling her attention.

Emily: Because I didn't remember it until now.- She answers me with a small grimace. -They have been like flashes, in which my brothers, my parents, Sue and you appeared.- she whispers with a small smile.

Y/n: Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?- I ask trying to suppress the smile of happiness that wants to escape me.

Emily: What? That I remember you and that this is not the first kiss we give each other?- she asks me raising an eyebrow and looking at me with some suggestion in her eyes.

Y/n: I don't know what you're talking about.- I deny, pretending not to know what kiss she's talking about and feeling my heart beat happily because she reminds me.

Emily: This will make you remember.- she whispers and leans back, bringing our lips together again.

We keep kissing for a while, until we decide it's too risky and that anyone can see us on the floor of her living room. So we end up going to my house, where she decides to spend the night and we create new memories together.

We spent the next two weeks glued to each other and listening to Vini 's complaints about ignoring or leaving her out. The worst thing was saying goodbye, because I didn't know if I'd be back soon or if I'd be back at all.

But as soon as we got back to our house in Cambridge, Father told me and Mother that from Friday to Sunday we would be residing at Amherts . Apparently that was the reason for the trip and so we had to take care of fixing some things in the house.

So that it can be habited again by us. The best part of my father's surprise was when we returned to Amherts that same Friday and I knocked on the Dickinsons ' door to surprise both Emily and Vini .

I even managed to convince my father so that one week a month I would stay alone in the house, with a maid to "take care of me" but alone in the end. Those days were the best of the month, since my friends spent the day with me and Emily stayed the night.

Nights in which we made up for all the lost time and connected as only we did. Emily has been the person I loved, love and will love the most in the whole world and with total security she corresponds to me.

(In this story after Sue slept with Samuel, Emily didn't sleep with her and after the memory kiss Emily and Y/n became a secret couple.)

THE END

[lohstandfound]

🥝🍔🍊

this got kinda long so

🥝Who are your literary influences, and have they shaped your own writing? I've said it before how M.L. Rio influenced the way I write dialogue. And playwrights and poets in general have had a slight influence on my fiction writing.

It feels easier to list influenced for my poetry. The main one for poetry is probably essa may ranapiri. Their first poetry collection, ransack, was focused on exploring gender through a non binary lens. Their second poetry collection, Echidna, is a mash up of Greek and Māori mythology and Christianity.

Also, in regards to poetry (mostly). My museum studies lecturers placed so much emphasis on being poetic and creative and bring wordsmiths when it came to writing assignments I had to convince myself to not write a 2000 word poem for a material culture study. However, the assignments focused on making museum labels gave me an idea for a poetry collection of writing museum labels for people I know. (Also, everything about my museum studies degree has 100% influenced deities au and I don't think I tried to hide that)

🍔What's a headcanon that hasn't made it into a published fic yet? I think most things find their way into a fic??

I think the only thing I haven't put into a fic is a potential concept for a few character's cultural heritage that is very much me projecting and very self-indulgent. The one I've put the most thought into is Jake and it is. Very much. Me projecting similar circumstances. I made a post about it a total of one time ages ago.

It stemmed from a random thought I had that if bmc was set in new Zealand, Jeremy and Michael would 100% go to Armageddon (which I guess is basically like comic con or any other convention). To which it lead me on a train of thought of what else would it look like if it was set in NZ and one of those concepts involved imagining them as Māori. The only one that really stuck with putting the characters back in, y'know, new jersey was Jake being white passing Māori with a huge disconnect from his whakapapa, knowing next to nothing about it. I have a lot of thoughts on it. But. y'know. Self indulgent projecting headcanons that will never make it into a fic. so ive never properly talked about it

in summary, i dont think there's a headcanon that i haven't managed to put into a fic yet.

🍊What's a story that changed significantly from its initial idea to the final draft? The basis of the poets fic is the same: Michael, Jake, Brooke, and Rich make up a poet quartet, working together to workshop poems and spitball ideas and perform at open mic nights. There's still a few unresolved issues between Jeremy and Michael, and Brooke and Chloe. And the poems are still the same.

The original version was so much more rushed and was resolved by Jake and Christine tricking everyone into a group therapy session.

I figured I could do it better, make it less rushed and actually take the time for mostly Jeremy Michael Brooke and Chloe to work out their feelings. Jeremy and Michael have already started, but I have plans for Brooke and Chloe (and Jake).

(In my mind, Rich and Jake have already worked through everything. Brooke and Jake are super close in this fic and I imagine Jake has written so many poems about Rich as a way of processing (what's this? Jake Dillinger has a healthy coping mechanism?) so by the time Rich approaches the trio to ask for help with his own poems, Jake doesn't hold as much anger and is much more willing to talk things through with Rich).

But now that I've taken it so far from the original plot, I'm not sure where it's going. I have a plan for an argument between Brooke and Chloe, and I want a Jake-centred chapter (but I need to write a Jake poem first)

[squidkidnerd]

Operation Atlantis Notes - "Coffeemaking and Crime" (chapter 7)

Alright, this will probably be even shorter this time because I'm tired and just glad I finally finished this chapter lol. This actually only took around a month to draft (which as you know, for me is pretty fast lol), but one of my betas was busy so it took them a while to actually get to the chapter and then when they did I was lazy so... yeah. Also happy holidays!

This chapter is a bit shorter than average, but I think that's okay. Like chapter 6, it's also a transitional chapter, but more... plot-based? Chapter 6 focuses a lot on Three and Eight's internal experiences and thoughts, while this one focuses a lot more on external conflicts. Also, it introduces Pearl and Marina! More on them later.

Opening poem: This one was pretty difficult to come up with, but ultimately I like what I came up with. As you could've guessed, it's Eight's thoughts on the octarian immigrants she meets throughout this chapter, and what they must've gone through. What was it like, upending their entire lives to live in an entirely different place? Eight doesn't really know, so that's what she's wondering about.

Atlantis at night: This scene was fun to write. While most of the time, Atlantis is a fun, lively city, we all know there's more to it than that. Much more. I enjoyed eluding to that here, with the city showing some more of its true, creepy colors. I also added some sanitized octarians, because Three, and well to an extent, us, don't really know what they are. What are they? Something... not good, certainly.

Sleepy Three: Yay, some Eight and Three interaction! I feel kinda... bad, because I feel like they haven't been interacting as much as they should be after chapter 5, but I think it's okay. They're busy people, after all. Anyways this was cute and fun, they're both so gay but they do not realize it.

The Octarian Society: Oh look, it's these guys. Yeah, they've been mentioned as early as chapter 3, but we really haven't got anything substantial on them... until now, of course. As for why Azalea is here, well, I thought it would make sense since she's an octoling and also, like a therapist... look, it was more interesting than having just a random guy there. As for the argument that ensues here, I wanted to give more insight into why everyone's so upset about Three. These people are all refugees, they left everything they knew to find a place they thought would be better... but unfortunately, they still carry fear with them. What better target of that fear than an inkling, their greatest foe? Eight doesn't understand this, though, and I just wanted to emphasize how separate that makes her from them. Yeah, she's an octoling, but is she really if she hasn't had the same experiences as them? It's a detail I haven't seen that many people touch on, and I was happy I got to touch on it here.

Vent sneaking and Caesar cipher: Guys look, it's (some) action! Yeah, obviously Three's going to avoid fighting as much as possible because she doesn't want to be found out and captured lol. We also got some classic vent action, which I feel is slightly less implausible because of inkfishs' swim forms? Yeah. Also, the Caesar cipher. I included it as a little twist of "the password is on the sticky note" trope, and also because my sister kept sending me emails in Caesar cipher and my friend (who is actually one of the betas) made a whole-ass decoding spreadsheet. But... as Three soon figures out, unlocking the computer doesn't really mean anything. Yeah, Kamabo is very secretive and thus, they have passwords for everything. Oh well. If only there was someone who could help Three and Cuttlefish with that...

Pearl and Marina: THEY'RE FINALLY HERE!!!!!! Yeah, I had a blast writing this scene. They're both so much fun to write, in particular Pearl. She has a very distinct and expressive character voice to me, and I feel like I did a good job capturing her energy. Man, it's crime that I've never really written these too... quick guys give me Pearlina fic ideas (joke... half-joke). Also, based on this AU's circumstances, it makes much more sense for them to connect with Three and Cuttlefish than Eight and Cuttlefish, which makes me sad because I like when Eight bonds with them, but alas. They meet her eventually.

Annnd that's it! This is my Christmas/end-of-year gift to you all, you're welcome. Hope you all have a happy holidays and wonderful new years! Man, I can't believe it's almost 2024... I still feel like I'm in middle school sometimes lol. My college apps are finally done and I got into my top choice, so yay! I can already feel the senioritis setting in though, lol. Hey, that just means I might write more to keep up my motivation lol. I've already started drafting chapter 8, if I'm lucky it'll be out by February, probably.

Also, I mentioned doing a one-year anniversary thing earlier, but I don't think I'll do that... I'm thinking of a little celebration once we reach the end of part 1, which is only 3 chapters away (!!!). I read a social media fic recently and it was fun, I was thinking of doing something similar? Don't know how it would work though. Let me know if you guys have any ideas!

[karl-von-moor-official]

The megapost looks very interesting.

1, 2, 22 and 60 for Schoethe please 👀

Thank you so much for the ask! I knew I could count on you to let me rant about them <3

ALRIGHT. SO:

1: Who would end a heated argument by defending their actions with ‘because I love you!’ ?

Oh DEFINITELY Schiller. He's the one to get way too into an argument, to the point where he will literally confess his love in the heat of the moment and only realise it when the words have already left his mouth. 

Goethe, though hot-tempered, seems like he'd be too diplomatic to say something like that in an argument. Goethe is the kind of person who'd justify his actions with some kind of elaborate, logical explanation. 

But Schiller - the guy who contemplated going to fucking France to have a word in the fucking revolution! - would totally say something rash and emotional such as "because I love you" to justify some kind of irrational thing that he did. 

Of course, it takes more for Schiller to lose his temper in the first place than it takes for Goethe to lose his temper, but still, Schiller is the answer to this one. 

2: what would they do if the other woke up in a manic state after a nightmare?

Goethe: He'd be super worried and immediately try to soothe Schiller. He probably knows what it's like :( he'd hug him and rub his back and ask him if he needs anything. He'd try to make Schiller talk about the nightmare, but would also accept it if Schiller didn't want to tell him about it. 

Schiller: Worried, but in a different way. Doctor degree goes brrrr! He knows the manic state from when he himself is in a fever, so he's at once worried that Goethe might be sick. He checks his temperature and asks him how he feels. Once he's reassured himself that it was really just a bad dream and not some kind of fever, he'd calm down and hug Goethe and whisper soothing words to him until they both fall back asleep. 

22: What reminds each of their partner? 

SO MUCH.  Ok this one will be lengthy and kinda sad and I'm not entirely sorry about it. 

Schiller: Before they knew each other, Schiller was always reminded of Goethe whenever he thought about Weimar or Italy. It disappointed him that they didn't know each other. Reading anything by or about Goethe would leave him with a bitter feeling; jealousy? Longing?  Then, once they'd gotten to know each other, he'd of course be reminded of Goethe whenever he looked at his bookshelves or at the stone table in his garden. Also, flowers! Goethe, the little biology nerd, has ranted to him about flowers! And whenever he sees the mangold growing in his garden, he smiles and remembers how Goethe gave him those mangold seeds to sow, and how Goethe would go on and on about his metamorphosis theory. Also for some reason I'm thinking elder bloom. Schiller also thinks of Goethe when he researches mythology. Or when he sees someone in the street wearing mustard yellow and royal blue. 

Goethe: Before they meet, Goethe doesn't really waste a lot of thought on Schiller, since he's not really keen on interacting with the guy.  Once they know each other though, Goethe is reminded of Schiller all the time! Like when he sees a wiggly line and thinks about how Schiller explained to him that a wiggly line is more beautiful than a zigzag line. (This really happened.) Or when he reads something about some historical event that Schiller likes to talk about. Or when he goes down the street and sees the postman and has to suppress the urge to run up to him and ask the guy whether he's got any new letters from Schiller yet. Or when he's stuck on a line in one of his poems/plays and he can't help but think that Schiller would know what to do with this, what to write next. 

And after Schiller's death, it's similar. Too many things remind him of Schiller. He'd walk in his garden past a quince tree and think about how there used to be quince trees in Schiller's garden. The short walk from his house to the theatre takes him past Schiller's house every time; and it hurts every time. Whenever he looks at the pages upon pages of Faust manuscript writings, he can't help but feel guilty and angry and sorry for the fact that Schiller will never get to read the finished play. He'd see a red haired man in the street and freeze for a second. 

60: Who pulls the other closer when they’re sleeping?

This one's tricky. I like to think Goethe was more of a cuddly person. Schiller would be the kinda person to be an uneasy sleeper, someone who tosses about a lot and is troubled by his stuffy nose and a fucked up sleep schedule. So, Goethe would be the one to wake up and sleepily put his arms around a restless Schiller, mumble something like "go back to sleep" and pull him closer and nuzzle his face into Schiller's hair. :) 

[foulbearobservation]

What do you think is the origin of the Cat's Cradle name? Or what would you think would be a good origin of the name?

I think about why the hell it's called cats cradle all the time like. It shouldn't be. Why is it solely English if it's in the Spanish countryside and property of the Catholic church (who are Italian) like. It doesn't make sense to me!! (The show as a whole is much more english than it probably should be, given that lots of it takes place in Madrid. seems unrealistic that the ppl who approach ava on the streets try talking to her in english first but that's a very minor gripe, given some of my bigger problems with the show's structuring).

I think it being called cat's cradle is solely for The Cool Factor. It's a cool name! You could make some argument that it's called a cradle because it's the birthplace of Arela's warrior line, and you'd probably have a fairly convincing argument. You could argue that it's a Witcher school situation, like it's called Cat's Cradle because the sister warriors are trained to fight like cats, or whatever. (You would be wrong. They use guns for fucks sake!) I'm 99.9% sure it's not named after the Vonnegut novel.

This answer is entirely off the cuff for me, so I'd be an idiot not to say: I'm American. There may be a nursery rhyme or folk story from the region (spain/italy/vatican city/europe at large) that mentions a cat in a cradle that I straight up just don't know, and that would make more sense. As it is, the only reference I can think of is the Vonnegut novel and the little cat and the fiddle poem from mother goose.

But overall I'm pretty sure it was just chosen for The Cool Factor in the og comic, and that's just persevered.

Edit to add: upon further reflection I think it may have more to do with the Vonnegut novel than I originally thought because Cat's Cradle is his novel all about a made up religion that was created to placate the masses and make them ignore how shitty their lives are while delighting in the inevitability of bad things happening. It's heavily sci fi. So. If Cat's Cradle IS a reference to our boy Vonnegut, it's a scathing indictment of catholicism in general, but also. Seems a little too on the nose to me. idk! could go either way!

[ishowmymombldramas]

Be my Favorite (Thailand, 2023)

Okay, while the whole world is going crazy with Only friends I'll quickly write about another great lakorn.

Plot: Kawi is a typical lone outsider. He's bad with grades and even worse with finances. But there is only one friend - Pearmai, who helped him from the very first student days. And now, it seems, there is a chance to show your feelings, but the cherished gift is broken, everything goes awry, and now, twelve years later, Pearmai marries Kawi's most hated classmate, Pisaeng. Thoth is the exact opposite of Kawi and is good at everything. I wish I could go back 12 years and change everything. But that doesn't happen. Or does it happen? The social part: the character Max is just an icon of this part. Max's monologue about how few people care about who went where, discussing LGBT+ rights and the law on marriage equality, hidden parental homophobia as a type of homophobia (still bullshit, to be honest, just in a beautiful wrapper), displaying the way to accept yourself (yes, this cannot fully reflect the whole experience experienced by other people, but it can become at least a caricature), love for parents and the importance of loved ones, as well as friendship that forgives and helps (god, Pear is an icon). Philosophical part: "If I change the past so that everything is fine with me, but others suffer at the same time, then how can this be called a charity?" Arguments about benefactors and morality killed me so much in one of the episodes that I even doubted that I was watching bl. A lot of questions are raised about the correctness of actions, reasoning about the meaning of life, as well as wonderful words of friends who ask you not to worry so much about the future, because you can miss the present. Also, the discussions about selfishness and self-sacrifice in episode 12 were very deep.

If you have a million IQ, then this is not news to you. But just in case: SPOILERS!

Love Line: Pisaeng/Kawi (actually there are two fucking love triangles that rely on Pear, but neither of them will make sense towards the end) It's not even a trop from enemies to lovers, because Pisaeng didn't care at all, and Kawi's hatred turned out to be groundless right after the first conversation about feelings for Pear. These feelings go through many obstacles before finally being expressed. I sincerely like the courage of Pisaeng when he realized himself and confessed his love. BUT MY FAVORITE how ironic IS THE SCENE WHEN THEY STARTED DATED! Every time Kawi wanted to be in the future the same groom at the altar who holds the hand of Pear and puts on her wedding ring, he returned to the past, corrected his mistakes and quickly returned back. But when he ended up staying with Pisaeng, HE LIVED ALL 12 YEARS AGAIN! That is, he was looking for with him not an illusory beautiful future, but enjoyed the present and created this future. But the consequences of each trip, of course, made me laugh. But those kisses from Kawi were really Judas kisses, I cried the moment Pisaeng sang on the beach (it's an Unable song). Features: bed scene under the poem that Peer reads at the exhibition of her mother, who left her in childhood. I'll leave it without comment, I guess. Beautiful locations, play of light, actors, songs and even color grading - everything conveyed the atmosphere of the lakorn, so you could easily get into it. Also, the character of Pisaeng is very well and interestingly written. I think that no one except Gawin would fit this role, his sad face so perfectly conveyed all his emotions that he can only be praised for this. Yes, I'm a Gawin fan, what's next?

I put 9 "picks on the 8th anniversary of the declaration of love" out of 5 "the most heterosexual kisses to forget"

[youshi56]

Afternoon:

I thought I would share this analogy “What’s in your cup?” As life presents opportunities to experience what is in our cup as opportunity to invite Jesus into areas of pain, sorrow, areas in need of healing, also as opportunity to be aware of those things that lay dormant until time for healing. And opportunities in praying for others as we experience what is in their cup.

Understanding healing, wholeness, transformation as a process in which as healing takes place in the lives of all Gods’ people we are more effectively able to offer the same love, forgiveness and mercy given us each day. I also enclosed a simple song Thank you God for today as well as Litany for Parents and as Father’s Day is coming up I share it as well.

Yesterday you can’t alter, but your reaction to yesterday you can. The past you cannot change, but your response to your past you can. Max Lucado

I LOVE THIS ANALOGY:

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.

Why did you spill the coffee?

“Because someone bumped into me!!!"

Wrong answer.

You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.

Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.

Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.

Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it, until you get rattled.

So we have to ask ourselves... “what's in my cup?"

When life gets tough, what spills over?

Joy, gratitude, peace and humility?

Anger, bitterness, victim mentality and quitting-tendencies?

Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.

Today let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, resilience, positivity; and kindness, gentleness and love for others. 🤗

Mary Oliver, in her poem "Praying," writes:

It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together ...

In these difficult days, my prayer is more weeds in a vacant lot than the blue iris. I go on long walks every day to calm the disparate thoughts running around my mind. I'm not surprised I'm more anxious, but I'm often surprised at my inability to say anything at all in these hard times.

But as Oliver writes, "prayer isn't a contest, it's a doorway." And, a little over a month ago in a desperate search for a doorway that would lead to solace from the daily meltdowns, arguments, and hard days with my son, I put a call out to my Facebook friends.

I decided that if I couldn't find the words to pray, maybe others could and I could put them together into something we could all use. I wanted to compile a "Litany for Parents," so I asked my friends to share their prayers with me. Then I enlisted a priest friend of mine, Fr. Anthony Cecil, to help me and my wife, Gillian, compile them into a prayer.

With Father's Day on Sunday, I thought this prayer could be a source of solace in these troubled days.

We paid attention then patched a few words together, as Oliver said to do. And in these days, I wonder if that's something we all must do for ourselves and for our world.

Prayer isn't all we should do, of course. As one who lives deeply in the Benedictine tradition of prayer and work — there is work to be done as well. The work of creating a more just world. The work of creating a more interconnected and equitable society.

But as Father's Day nears, I'm also reminded of the work that must be done in our homes. The work of teaching our children about their shared humanity. The work of loving them the way they should love others. The work of serving them the way they should serve others.

In these hard times, I pray your prayer, even if it’s simply patched together, will be a place to find much-needed comfort and encouragement. I also pray that what you hear will move you to work for justice and for peace in our homes and in our world.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

That I may always be thankful for the gift of my parenthood, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may enjoy the little moments of each day, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may always be respectful, patient and kind, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may not speak or act in anger when I am distressed and tired, but listen to my child, and understand their emotions, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may be encouraging and uplifting while knowing when to set proper boundaries, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may readily forgive, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may be attentive to my child, and not to the distractions that surround me, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may have strength and courage to treat each day as a fresh start, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I replace my fears with hope, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may play more and worry less, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to see you in others, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may see you in my child, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to serve you through serving others, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to serve you through my service to them, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to love you through loving others, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to love you through my love of them, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That you will watch over and protect my child, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will give me wisdom when I need it, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will help me be just as you are just, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will help me be merciful as you are merciful, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will help me to love, for you yourself are Love, Jesus, I trust in you.

Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus and Our Mother, pray for us.

St. Joseph, earthly Father of Jesus and patron of fathers, pray for us.

Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary, patrons of grandparents, pray for us.

Sts. Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, pray for us.

St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, patroness of mothers, pray for us.

St. Margaret of Cortona, patroness of single parents, pray for us.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, widowed and cared for her children alone, pray for us.

St. Gianna Molla, who gave her life so that her child could live, pray for us.

Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.

Let us Pray:

O God, who have been pleased to allow me to share in your creative power through parenthood, graciously grant that our home may be a temple of your love, and that, by imitating the example of virtue and charity shown to us in the Holy Family, we, like them, may glorify you in all that we do. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Mary Oliver, in her poem "Praying," writes:

It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together ...

In these difficult days, my prayer is more weeds in a vacant lot than the blue iris. I go on long walks every day to calm the disparate thoughts running around my mind. I'm not surprised I'm more anxious, but I'm often surprised at my inability to say anything at all in these hard times.

But as Oliver writes, "prayer isn't a contest, it's a doorway." And, a little over a month ago in a desperate search for a doorway that would lead to solace from the daily meltdowns, arguments, and hard days with my son, I put a call out to my Facebook friends.

I decided that if I couldn't find the words to pray, maybe others could and I could put them together into something we could all use. I wanted to compile a "Litany for Parents," so I asked my friends to share their prayers with me. Then I enlisted a priest friend of mine, Fr. Anthony Cecil, to help me and my wife, Gillian, compile them into a prayer.

With Father's Day on Sunday, I thought this prayer could be a source of solace in these troubled days.

We paid attention then patched a few words together, as Oliver said to do. And in these days, I wonder if that's something we all must do for ourselves and for our world.

Prayer isn't all we should do, of course. As one who lives deeply in the Benedictine tradition of prayer and work — there is work to be done as well. The work of creating a more just world. The work of creating a more interconnected and equitable society.

But as Father's Day nears, I'm also reminded of the work that must be done in our homes. The work of teaching our children about their shared humanity. The work of loving them the way they should love others. The work of serving them the way they should serve others.

In these hard times, I pray your prayer, even if it’s simply patched together, will be a place to find much-needed comfort and encouragement. I also pray that what you hear will move you to work for justice and for peace in our homes and in our world.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

That I may always be thankful for the gift of my parenthood, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may enjoy the little moments of each day, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may always be respectful, patient and kind, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may not speak or act in anger when I am distressed and tired, but listen to my child, and understand their emotions, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may be encouraging and uplifting while knowing when to set proper boundaries, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may readily forgive, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may be attentive to my child, and not to the distractions that surround me, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may have strength and courage to treat each day as a fresh start, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I replace my fears with hope, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may play more and worry less, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to see you in others, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may see you in my child, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to serve you through serving others, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to serve you through my service to them, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to love you through loving others, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That I may teach my child to love you through my love of them, Jesus, grant me this grace.

That you will watch over and protect my child, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will give me wisdom when I need it, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will help me be just as you are just, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will help me be merciful as you are merciful, Jesus, I trust in you.

That you will help me to love, for you yourself are Love, Jesus, I trust in you.

Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus and Our Mother, pray for us.

St. Joseph, earthly Father of Jesus and patron of fathers, pray for us.

Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary, patrons of grandparents, pray for us.

Sts. Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of St. John the Baptist, pray for us.

St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, pray for us.

St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, patroness of mothers, pray for us.

St. Margaret of Cortona, patroness of single parents, pray for us.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, widowed and cared for her children alone, pray for us.

St. Gianna Molla, who gave her life so that her child could live, pray for us.

Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, pray for us.

Let us Pray:

O God, who have been pleased to allow me to share in your creative power through parenthood, graciously grant that our home may be a temple of your love, and that, by imitating the example of virtue and charity shown to us in the Holy Family, we, like them, may glorify you in all that we do. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

[peachywritesstuff]

Dating Dwayne would Include.....

This was requested by @justsomeomehere sorry it took so long! I just took a step back from tumblr for a little bit

Boyfriend of the year award goes go the one and only.

He can be just as crazy as the other boys can. But like a calm crazy if you know what I'm saying.

Is very in tune with your feelings and partically knows if something is wrong with you.

Takes you out on nice little dates like local diners,arcades,walks on the beach, or even having the cave all to himself for a while.

Dwayne is definitely likes to read so on some days you two don't feel like going out he would read to you (and 99% of the time you fall asleep due to how soothing his voice sounds)

Getting close to Laddie and him seeing you as an older sibling/parent.

Warms Dwaynes heart to see you playing with Laddie,makes him fall in love with you even more.

Likes to hold eye contact with you.

Touch is his way of showing love.

He would hold your hand,backhug you,rest his head in your neck.

Loves to stay at the cave or at home and just watch movies on the TV they stole bought.

Leaves little poems for you to find.

If you are having a bad day he would just bring you in his arms and let you sob it out if you need to.

Listens to anything and everything you say. So if you mention something that you like, you bet your ass it's gonna to appear right infront of you.

You guys rarely get into arguments,sure you will have some disagreements but yall won't have a full on screaming match

If he makes you mad he would want to make up with you asap. But will give you space if you need it and will just sulk in the corner until you are ready to talk.

If by chance you make him made he will give you the silent treatment. And it will hurt seeing him give you the silent treatment. But you are rarely the source when he is mad so we all good.

Did I mention the sex? ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC the dick is definitely a 10 out of 10

Very sensual,and romantic sexy time with him BUT don't underestimate him he can and will go rough with you 😉

Definitely drinks from you but doesn't take a lot.

When it came to telling you what he was he was SCARED

Like he was terrified that you would be scared of him and leave him.

It took a lot of courage for him to show/tell you. And he cried when you stayed with him anyway.

He doesn't kill around you unless the situation calls for it (like hunters,other vampires,humans in general etc.)

Yall definitely have a place that only you two know about. Like a little paradise for you two.

Takes you on midnight rides on his bike.

Builds you a nest in the cave so you can spend the night and sleeps with you in it.

When you get sick he will worry,like a lot but since he has dealt with Laddie being sick he can help you feel better too:)

MOMMA DWAYNE ACTIVATED.

He hasn't been human in a loooonnngg time so of course he is going to worry and be scared for a little bit. But he will try his best. He will go to the store and get what you need,and will make some home remedies that he remembers his mother used to give him when he got sick.

Laddie will help to since you have been with Dwayne long enough to help Laddie when he got sick

Laddie is such a sweet boy.

David will be suspicious of you in the beginning cuz he doesn't want you to break Dwayne's unbeating heart (it's been broken before but we don't talk about that-)

Which he tells him to back off a little bit (ciz David is fucking intimidating ok?)

You will get close to the boys and they will view you as a sister as time goes buy.

Then came the topic of you becoming a vampire

He would respect your wishes if you wanted to stay human but he would just be heartbroken knowing that kne day he would have to see you die.

It took you some time to think wheather or not you wanted to become a vampire.

But with Dwayne, living forever didn't seem so bad :)

So when the time came you dranked from the bottle and had your first kill. Dwayne helped you eith your new reborn life.

There was times it was rough

But having Dwayne by your side made it 100 times better and completely worth it :)