#successful social interaction yay

[skunkes]

Ive been enjoying my medical appointments everyone always thinks im so pleasant yippee

[deathzgf]

( almost ) all of my sketches & wips from ~ 5 november 12023 - now

vaguely oldest - newest but i am lowk just fuck it we balling it

ogay let ' s go

shitty hamlet hamilton thing to start us off yay based off of that one line in the musical

thomas jefferson

i cannae remember if this was meant to be sj or cami but Pony

GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD

me versus drawing sj with a Fuck Ton of piercings ( the demons )

kill

This Fucking THING

holy fucking shit my first napolexander art

yeah

i drew this whilst rewatching 2023 napoleon in cinema Based upon a 2002 napoleon scene

james fitzjames

shkroeder please i have a wife and kids

ekkochoso

i hate his stupid fucking hair so i drew a cat with him

i love my wife i forgive her for almost killing me

thomas jefferson getting high with the french except rousseau keels over and dies whilst robespierre just Oh Dear

idk why i drew the social contract that thick brah

based upon a twitter interaction i had with the owners of these ocs

what the fuck is going on in the upper right corner

different jules times ( 1789 , 1793 ( ? ) , 1794 )

calijules i drew on the plane to japan

i also watched succession on the plane . catboys & catgirls You ' re welcome

turn washington ' s spies hewlett sorry i am the # 1 annalett yuri truther

jules ref sketch i forgot to fucking crop

sleepy calijules

violent calijules

freak

+

[catsandgoodbooks]

burn the scorecards, balance out the scales

c!rivals | 2.3k | hurt/comfort

Hi @drmslastmorning, I'm your secret santa, and here's your @dreblrsecretsanta gift! One of your prompts was c!rivals fluff, so I took that and ran with it (and also made it angsty, because of course) I hope you like it!

Dream was quiet. Technoblade had expected that much, of course; he had been stuck in prison for, what, ten months at this point? And with next to no social interaction too. It made sense he might be a bit more withdrawn. But when Techno had visited (scratch that, was locked inside), it only took a bit of prodding to get him talking and emoting and everything, and, while they were first breaking out, Dream didn’t seem able to stop talking! Shocking, Technoblade knew, but he guessed freedom, hope, and the first breath of fresh air in almost a year could do that to someone.

But, once they were out and away from the prison, it changed. Dream was silent after that, constantly alternating between glancing anxiously behind them and staring apprehensively at Technoblade’s back. Techno could literally feel the eyes on him, boring a hole into his spine.

But that wasn’t the surprising part, or, at least, it wasn’t the worrying part. No, no, that was Dream’s stillness, his unsteadiness, the way he jumped any time Technoblade said his name and the way he flinched whenever Techno made a sudden motion or got closer to him. That was concerning, and what was even more so was his injuries. The second that Dream got his hands on armor, of course, he immediately tried to hide those wounds, and, admittedly, he didn’t do a half-bad job at it, but Techno had already seen them. And even if he hadn’t, he had been stuck in the prison with Dream for months, and that had already shown him what he needed to know. He’d seen some of what the man was going through and was able to infer the rest. None of it was good.

But that was even more of a reason that Techno had to take care of those injuries. They weren’t just going to heal by themselves, not when they were so many and so deep. But, before he could even start on that, he had to get Dream to agree to it first. Yay, Techno just loves confrontation oh so very much.

Technoblade forced himself to look over at Dream, who was sitting rigidly in front of the fire. The man hadn’t moved since they had reached the cabin. Techno was half surprised that Dream had even come home with him in the first place, just going off how uncomfortable he looked. Well, it was a good thing he had, because otherwise Techno probably wouldn’t be able to find him for a long, long time – Techno could admit that much. And, if that happened, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to help Dream.

“Dream?” Techno tried. The man in question stiffened at the sound of his name, but he glanced over at the piglin for a moment, and that was enough for Techno to count it as a success. “You okay? Not hurtin’ or anythin’?”

“I’m fine, Techno.” Dream huffed and turned back towards the fire. He stared at the flames like they were the most important thing in the world, as if they held the secrets to life itself. Maybe they did, with all the weird magic in the world, but that didn’t mean Dream was going to get out of this conversation.

“You’re literally bleeding right now, Dream. I can see the blood,” Technoblade observed.

“It’s–that’s old. And it doesn’t hurt, not really,” Deam reassured him quickly. “It–I just kinda, uh, reopened some new injuries with all the–yeah. It’s not anything to worry about.”

“Really? Like, sorry for doubting you, but I literally am right now.”

“Look, it’s fine, Techno,” Dream repeated, irritation creeping into his voice. “It’s–it’s not your problem, okay?”

“We were roomies for three months, Dream, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to go straight back to that ‘cause you don’t have a house. Your problems are my problems, especially if your problems are gonna end up staining my rug.”

Dream sighed. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Fine.” Dream pushed himself up, wincing as he pushed himself off the ground, and turned to face Techno, the flames crackling behind him. “Yeah, I’m hurt. What are you gonna do about it?” he asked scornfully.

“Just heal them up.” Techno patted the spot on the couch next to him. Dream reluctantly obeyed the motion, going to sit next to him with tension keeping his head up high and back straight. He looked skittish, like he was about to run at any moment. “Can I see?”

“Fine.” Techno could see the face on Dream’s face and could tell how wary his agreement was. Prime, this was going to be difficult.

“Okay then. If there’s something you don’t me doin’, just tell me and I’ll stop, okay?” Dream nodded again, and Techno busied himself with pulling bandages and a few healing potions out of his bag. He had plenty, but, knowing what Dream had gone through and being able to guess it probably wasn’t the best option right now, he wanted to stay away from them if possible.

“So, um…” Dream cautiously offered Techno his arm, which he took with equal care. It was covered in blood, which was to be expected, really, even if it did make Techno question how Dream was still sitting up and not passed out from blood loss already, especially because he knew that this wasn’t anything close to Dream’s only injury, but, once Techno wiped that away (and got Chat to stop yelling at him, yes he knew it was blood and Dream was injured, no he wasn’t going to fight Dream) and took a good look at the arm, he realized there was a bigger issue.

“Dream, that’s a fracture.” Techno could see a shard of bone, pearly white, poking out of the skin of Dream’s arm.

“That’s–that’s bad, right?”

“Yeah, that’s bad. You’re gonna need a sling or somethin’,” Techno responded. He cast his eyes around the room, trying to find some fabric he could use. A blanket was carefully folded on top of one of the chairs. That could work, he guessed. “Just stay here for a moment. Uh–keep your arm close to your chest, I guess.”

“You don’t do this often, do you?” Dream snarked as Technoblade got up and grabbed the blanket. It was just made of cotton, so not too heavy. Not too large either, so he just folded it in half instead of cutting it.

“Phil’s usually the one doing this, you know,” Techno answered as he hurried back to the couch. “He’s way better at this than I am, trust me. We should still wrap your arm first, though.”

“Okay.” Dream only flinched a little when Techno took his arm and began to wrap the injury in the bandages he grabbed earlier. He didn’t want to risk anything shifting or the wound getting infected or something. That would be bad, Chat, and Dream was already having hard enough of a time as it was. No, Chat, please shut up and stop spamming Technosoft, he was just trying to be nice here, there wasn’t anything wrong with that.

For his part, Dream sat still as a statue for all of it, which made life a lot easier for Techno, so that was great. Technoblade guessed he was used to this, which…wasn’t as great, but still. It made things a little easier, and there wasn’t much he could do about it. 

Soon enough, Techno had finished with the gauze, and that meant he had to figure out the sling part of this. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered as he grabbed the blanket from besides him, carefully folding it into a triangle. Dream just watched him, wide eyes following each movement.

“Prime, this is gonna be complicated,” Techno vocalized, more to himself than to Dream. Now that Technoblade was actually facing Dream, the other man refused to meet his eyes. 

“Dream?” Dream’s face snapped up at the sound of his name. “Is it okay if I stand up and sit behind you? There’s space, and it’ll be easier that way. And I’ll probably have to touch your neck or somethin’ to get this done.”

“That’s fine,” Dream agreed quietly, under his breath. “Just…thanks for letting me know, I guess.”

“Of course. It’s literally the bare minimum, and I think it doesn’t take much to reach that much. Some people,” Techno rolled his eyes, “seem to disagree with me ‘bout that, but who cares about them, really?”

Dream laughed quietly at that. It wasn’t the distinctive tea kettle wheezing Techno remembered, but it was still something. “Yeah.” As his laughter died off, his voice replaced it, soft and urgent. “Are–weren’t you gonna do it already?” Techno knew Dream well enough to know what he was really saying – I want to get this over with. “Like, I don’t think this was part of the plan.”

“Nah, it wasn’t.” Techno shrugged. “We kinda went off script there a bit, but it’s fine, we can just do it now. Just keep your arm close to your chest and find a good place for it, ‘cause it’s probably gonna be stuck there for a while.”

Dream nodded and hugged his arm to his chest, eyes warily watching Technoblade’s every movement. Techno stood up, blanket in hand, and set himself down behind Dream, trying to keep his hands visible the whole time. Once that was done, Techno cautiously reached over Dream’s shoulder to wrap one end of the blanket under his arm – admittedly, with a lot of help from the teletubby; it was hard to do something like that when you could barely see what you were doing – and brought the end to Dream's neck. Pining that in place with one hand, Techno reached for the other end of the cloth, careful not to jostle Dream, and drew it up to join its twin. He tied the two ends together and let go.

“That feel okay?” Techno asked.

Dream carefully shifted his body to face Techno. “Yeah. Just–not bad, but, uh, weird. Like it’s floating, kinda.”

“That means it’s working right, I think. But, hey, what do I know? I already told you that I’m not usually the one doing this.” Techno sighed, shaking his head. “We’ll probably look this over when Phil gets back, but that’s for later, anyways. I think that’s enough for now. We’ll see how you’re doing in the morning and try to take it one thing at a time.”

Dream nodded. “Sure.” He still sounded reserved, cautious.

“See, that wasn’t too hard, right?” Techno asked, mostly rhetorically.

“I guess.” Dream half-shrugged. “It’s just–I don’t like feeling like a burden.”

“You’re not a burden, Dream.”

“But I am! I literally am! What–what could I give you? What use could I have? What could I do for you? Like–I know why you broke me out, it was because of the favor, but why are you doing this? I don’t have anything to offer you anymore!” Dream shouted before flinching back at the sound of his voice.

Dream’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Not–not anymore. And you don’t have to do this. I’m not forcing you to do this, and this wasn’t part of the deal, and we’re not friends or something, so why are you doing this? Why are you helping me? If–if they know that you’re helping me, hid–hiding me, they’ll–”

“What will they do? Try to execute me again? I mean, we all know how that went last time,” Techno joked. He lowered his voice. “Dream. Dream, look at me. The server would have probably come after me even if I just left you out in the cold, Dream. They wouldn’t care. I broke you out, and that’s enough involvement for Quackity and his ilk to try and get me. It doesn’t matter if I help you or not, not to them. This isn’t going to put me in any more danger than I’m already in.”

“But I’m the reason you’re in danger in the first place! If you hadn’t broken me out–” Dream’s voice broke. “If–if you hadn’t come back–”

“That was never not an option. I made a promise, and I don’t break promises. That’s just not something I do, Dream.”

“Yeah, and you already fulfilled your promise!” Dream’s voice rose, angry and desperate, before falling again. He glanced away from Techno. “You don’t have to pretend that we’re friends, you know,” he mumbled, eyes downturned. “Q–Quackity’s not here.”

“You thought I was just doing that for Quackity?” Techno asked, taken aback. It was slightly true, yes, he knew, Chat, but they were still friends. He just didn’t know Dream saw it that way. Actually, that explained a lot of things, now that he thought about it. “Dream, I literally beta-read your Wattpad fanfiction.” (“I don’t write fanfiction, stop it,” Dream muttered) “Quackity didn’t know about that, did he?” 

Technoblade sighed when he saw the look on Dream’s face. “Look. We were stuck together for three months in an enclosed space, and we didn’t kill each other. I think that makes us friends, y’know?” He guided Dream’s face up so he could see Techno’s eyes. The other man didn’t try to fight him, instead lying limb in his grip. “It wasn’t just pretending, Dream. Not for me.”

“I wanted to believe it,” Dream admitted quietly, sounding like he was choking over every word. “That it wasn’t just an act.”

“Well, it’s a good thing it wasn’t, then,” Techno responded. “You’re never gettin’ rid of me, bestie.”

Dream finally smiled at that. “Oh no, how will I ever survive,” he answered, rolling his eyes.

“Well, we’ll just have to figure that out, right?” Technoblade joked. “My views have gone up way too much just from being around you for me to let you leave right now.”

“I can still ruin your monetization, though,” Dream realized, eyes lighting up at the discovery. “You can’t make any money that way, can you?”

“You wouldn’t–”

“Yes, I fucking would–”

“I try to do one nice thing and this is what happens–”

[indigoraysoflight]

Hiiiii!!! Recently finished TWD and gotta say Carol and Daryl have given me brain rot and have taken up so much space in my head (like all I want is for those two idiots to just declare their undying romantic love for each other and kiss - so that I can get on with my life) Anyway - I am here to say that I love the work you and your friend (Laura, I believe - sorry for not tagging - new to all this) have been doing with the podcast - it has helped me discover new layers of these wonderful characters and see things from a different perspective and to appreciate them more. I have this ritual (especially for s10) where I wait for your podcast updates to rewatch the episodes every week (and oh boy - s10 is already so painful to watch - then combined with all your analysis - I think I just like torturing myself). I love both the characters individually as well. The reason I got to tracking down Caryl enthusiasts on Tumblr and Twitter is because I think you guys just have a deeper understanding of the characters individually as well. The sort of metas I see here breaking down the symbolism and stuff - its phenomenal. Unfortunately I don't think the GA has that depth of awareness about these characters - especially Carol (again just based on my experience of viewing all these reaction videos of YouTubers and reddit posts and all.) Carylers are incredibly perceptive and I am loving it.

Also I recently found out that you are the author of my favorite Caryl fic "Saudade" - The way you have written it to read like an episode on the show - with descriptions of these small minsicule moments between Daryl and Carol (the stolen glances and the yearning...the staring into each other's souls) and also the incorporation and focus on the rest of the characters that feels real - I don't know - just the whole ambiance of the fic feels canon - I just always go back to re-read it whenever I start missing these two too much - and I think I have convinced myself that this is canon now. Hopeful that you will continue the fic.

Also - since I have already overcome my social anxiety to interact this much - I would just like to ask you...

Besides Daryl and Carol coming together and reuniting - what else would you like to see when it comes to Carol's arc particularly? (I think I am really excited for her to interact with new characters and form strong bonds with them - bcoz unfortunately the main show sort of failed to give us a lot of that when it came to Carol - Like I always felt like Daryl got the opportunity to build substantial relationships with a loot of other characters and Carol didn't.)

My Dear Anon!

First of all, oh my goodness, thank you for this beautiful message. I appreciate you very much for taking the time to write this.

Congratulations on acquiring the Caryl brain rot. Yay. It's a lot. Thank you for all your kind words. It makes me happy to hear that you listen to the podcast while watching the episodes. I hope it brings out more value for you on the rewatch. ❤️

Twitter can be an experience 😬 But I appreciate all the meta on Tumblr because people have more room to express their thoughts without any character limit constraints. So I hope you're able to find what you're looking for.

I love Carol and Daryl deeply. I fell in love with Daryl first, but I must admit, I fell for Carol harder — almost like Daryl did. I tumbled down like a wobbly cat and pretended it was the plan all along.

Thoughts on the general audience

The general audience doesn't have the emotional investment the core audience does. They lean on impactful stories with a healthy amount of subtext, which is where a showrunner with a clear vision, love for the characters, and creative freedom can work wonders. The rich subtext appeals to the ride-or-die audience, and the clear story hooks appeal to the GA. And an intricate storyline with a strong emotional core is important for the show's success.

TWD is well recognized even today, but the more missteps they make, the more it affects how word of mouth spreads. You want people to say, "It's a must-watch," not "It's a dying franchise." When GA says the latter, it's time for a reassessment that doesn't lean on recycling stories for fan favourite characters like Carol and Daryl.

The spinoff has a bright future in the right hands because Carol and Daryl have strong roots in the flagship show. A showrunner who can recognize the goldmine on their hands will know precisely how to position and leverage it. We need an emotionally indulgent narrative and explicit storytelling (sprinkled with some badass moments) to move this show into a bright future. They have an in-built audience and can pull more viewers if the cards are played right. I just hope they make the right call.

And by "the right call" I mean I hope they give us a cathartic canon moment for Daryl and Carol. I want it to be explicit, indulgent, and undeniable.

Saudade

You're reading Saudade? 🙈 Aww thank you. I haven't abandoned it, I promise. The podcast takes up a lot of my time so it's difficult to make time for it. But I will continue it and finish it. ❤️ Thanks so much for reading. I tried to make it as canon compliant as possible while maintaining the integrity of the characters involved so you feel like you're watching the show in your mind's eye. So I'm glad you were able to "see" what I was trying to do.

Carol's arc

Many story nodes were left unresolved for Carol. Some are about Daryl, but many link back to losing Sophia. I love the idea of a deep exploration of Carol's psyche. Melissa's creative input helps, but I hope her vision for Carol is allowed to flourish because it will feel disjointed if things change in post-production.

As I've mentioned many times on the podcast, I love the idea of Carol having more female friendships — more friendships in general — so we can see the difference in the way she interacts with her friends and the way she interacts with Daryl.

🥹 Thank you for your courage and vulnerability. I appreciate you very much. Don't be a stranger! My askbox is always open.

I hope this space is kind to you. ❤️

[prince-liest]

This may be an odd question, but I believe you mentioned you got into writing because of rp(or at least into fanfiction?) And I was wondering how you transitioned into writing solo? Most of my writing is/was with a partner, but I've been trying to write on my own, and I've found it incredibly difficult. I'm told that what I write is still good regardless, but I've a hard time both finding enthusiasm for it without a partner to bounce off of or finishing whatever I'm working on.

This might just be a me thing and more to do with being self-critical, but if you have any advice, I'd really appreciate it. I just want to figure out how to enjoy writing again without jumping through weird hoops for motivation.

(You may have already been comfortable writing even before rp and if that's the case, feel free to disregard this question.)

I'd tried to write a bit of fanfic before my RP days with limited success motivating myself, so it really was very much RP that got me the skills and ability to be able to write full-form fics!

But more than mechanical skill, mostly I think the issue you face is very similar to what I struggled with for a while when swapping to writing fanfic, which is that a lot of the reason RP is so easy and rewarding is because it's such a profoundly social activity. You write a few paragraphs and then you get social feedback immediately from your RP partner in the form of chatting about it and/or the RP response you get! With fanfiction, you have to write a whole damn piece or chapter, post it, and then hope that you get comments if you want engagement - and then those comments are inevitably going to be a little bit less personal if, like me, you RP OCs that you put a lot of yourself into rather than pre-existing characters!

The problem with doing things for the sake of extrinsic motivation is that it kills your intrinsic motivation to do those things. This isn't a moral flaw, it's a documented psychological effect! Nowadays I write primarily because I want to see the things I put into the world, but that's fucking easy for me to say when I also have a large reader base and really enthusiastic commentors, isn't it? And it took me a hot minute to figure out how to transition to motivating myself that way rather than because I wanted interaction.

My suggestion is, honestly, to find folks that hype you up! I kinda crested that barrier by getting possessed by writing demons and pounding out like 60k words of insane Hawks-centric character study in one month during the 2020 quarantine, and I was lucky enough that people really liked it and immediately flooded my notifications with the kind of really lovely, long-form comments that my writing style encourages, which isn't really a typical experience. Those folks that hype you up, it is LOVELY if they are your friends, but sometimes what you really need to do is find the small social circle of freaks that are really into whatever niche thing it is that you are writing, and infiltrate their Discord. Ship-specific groups are really good for this! (Especially for rarepairs.)

But a lot of it is really going to be finding the balance of finding supportive people who will feed into your excitement, and also finding that part of yourself that finds the process of writing to be fun. Social activity is still 100% just a necessary part of the human experience, and I myself post snippets of my writing online and on Discord all the time for the little dopamine hit of "Yay! We're enjoying this together!" but it's become something I do because I want to share the joy I already get from writing, not because I'm writing to share it!

Which also means that you should write things that you enjoy writing. ;) Write things you are actually excited about - not just things you want to read, but things you think would be fun to write, and if there are boring parts that you're getting stuck on? Fucking skip them! I am not kidding! You think anybody thought it was a loss that I literally never even mentioned how radiostatic got together for the first time in 666? If they did, nobody's mentioned it, because it wasn't necessary to the story I actually wanted to tell. Literally so goddamn many of my fics start with cold opens because I don't like to bother with exposition until things have already gotten rolling. Fanfiction especially is GREAT for this because people are already familiar with the world you're writing in!

You are writing to entertain yourself! If it's not entertaining, don't fucking write it! Or figure out what about it is boring you, and then write it differently. This will have the splendid side effect of teaching you how to write transitions and also making a fic that is more fun to read. >:)

Anyway, this has gotten quite long, so: I'm sorry that I wasn't able to offer a great deal of advice, because I relate deeply to what you're experiencing but I basically got to speedrun the transition phase. I hope that it was at least a little bit helpful!

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tags @phoenixradiant and @poethill!

OC Interaction Tag

Phoenix's OC: Lycoris

A priestess who grew up in an idyllic village in Daurian Alador, Lycoris is, as far as anyone can tell, a stable, sane young woman. Surrounded by all manner of unstable insanities during her adolescence, she took an oath never to go to sleep without helping someone in need. Unwaveringly optimistic, but also serious and insightful, she's mastered saying the right thing to the right person. For most kinds of people. The problems she hasn't been able to fix, the questions she hasn't been able to answer, knaw away at her inside. She deals with it, though, and often even she forgets that she's more than just the jokes, the ministering hands, and the encouraging words. She's just fine being those things, she's happy being those things. Right?

Poet's OC: Shira

Shira is a teenager, which means she makes poor decisions and acts like she knows everything. Unfortunately for everyone else, she does know everything. Shira suffers from self inflicted isolation despite having friends. She’s a teenager, and that also means that she doesn’t feel understood or known by anyone around her. To cope with her feelings, whatever they may be, she ties them up with logic and reasoning. It’s easier than being anxious or hurt or angry. Everything requires proof, something so undeniable that no one could possibly say she was wrong or accuse her of lying. It happened before, and she will never let it happen again. She doesn’t trust emotion or feeling, she doesn’t trust gut impulses. Shira trusts science, she trusts truth. Too bad it’s breaking her soul.

Hm, who to go with... Perhaps my friend the random number generator can offer assistance

My OC: Twenari Undetasib

As the only daughter of Janaz's most successful and brutal smuggler, Twenari’s life was already destined to go a certain way. Her prodigy sorcery and incredible intelligence didn't help either. From a very young age, she was used more as a tool than a person, acting as living security for her mother’s shipments and witnessing many things a child should not. When she was twelve, she finally broke under the stress and ran away. Twenari’s goal in life is to become Illaros's greatest mage. Magic is her inspiration and purpose. She seeks to learn all she can about it, even if that means risking her own safety. Despite her intensity and lofty intellect, Twenari is also a young girl. She struggles in situations she's not familiar with (namely social ones) and represses her emotions way too much. She doesn't really know how to act her age. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, and tree identification. Her manners are impeccable, but sometimes overpowered by her insatiable curiosity.

How Twenari and Lycoris would interact:

Yay, repressing emotions champions! Lycoris would probably immediately clock Twenari as someone with issues that need processing, despite her insistence that she's already dealt with it all (tossed it into the mind vault). Lycoris might be a little put off by Twenari’s seeming coldness, however, I doubt that'd stop her from trying to help. Twenari gets wary around anyone who pries too far into her past (a product of being chased by bounty hunters for most of your life), so she would likely try to avoid Lycoris, thinking she had some ulterior motive. If Twenari ever figured out that this wasn't the case, she'd feel terrible for making such an assumption. Lycoris would probably remind her of her friend Djek, if projected in a somewhat different direction. Lycoris is probably clever enough to know that helping Twenari is going to take a very gradual approach, while Twenari might, after a long while, realize that this woman also probably needs someone to tell her to care for herself more. I think they could be really good for each other, once they warm up a bit. Twenari would also be very curious about Lycoris's religion. She's a somewhat devout follower of the Illarian herself, but that doesn't mean she can't learn about other faiths.

How Shira and Twenari would interact:

Have you ever met someone so similar to you that it rubs you the wrong way? That's what I think would happen with these two. They're both very logical and have know-it-all streaks. I would say that Twenari is perhaps more well-adjusted, since she has a close support network in her found family. She also gives emotion some more leeway. I feel like she would see Shira as a mirror of if she'd never found her friends. Shira would probably find Twenari to be off-putting, as most teenagers do when they meet a kid their age who acts like an adult. She might see Twenari as weak. Twenari is so close to being able to process things utterly logically, except she always stumbles and acts on her heart at the last moment. My final judgment is that these two both need therapy. I think they'd have the strangest academic rivalry known to man, and would end up as either dear friends or bitter enemies. Whatever ends up going on there though, it needs to be studied.

Hope you like these interactions! I'll tag @somethingclevermahogony @the-golden-comet @mk-writes-stuff @pluppsauthor @inky-duchess and anyone else who wants in :)

[keydekyie]

You absolutely don’t have to answer this question, and if you do, don’t feel like you need to give literally any details.

So, I’m a writer, and I have a book series I want to publish. The problem is, it’s super niche. G/t niche, iykyk. I was wondering generally how much success you’ve found marketing to the Tumblr G/t audience? I’m sure it’s been accumulative too, but do you believe it’s something worth pursuing?

Thanks so much! (Love your work btw)

Thanks for your ask and the kind words!

I'm going to be totally honest, I have not ever made a profit on my books. I've spent more on my website, author copies, and little experimental marketing forays (ads, blaze campaigns, etc) than I've ever made back. It's why I kept working my day job until recently, and I quit that because (among other reasons) I needed to travel to work on this house we're renovating.

That being said, publishing on kindle is completely free and pretty simple! So I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in trying it. (As long as you have a stout enough heart to withstand the indignity of someone posting your cover art on a website making fun of bad self-published cover art (yes I'm speaking from experience)). If you need any help with that, feel free to let me know. I think it's a lot of fun and very worth it!

As far as marketing goes, my advice would be not to spend money on it. I might just be downright bad at marketing my specific books (Slow-burn adventure/mystery/romance set in medieval fantasy Russia?? With giant bear monster people???) but I've never had good luck with real "marketing". I've had the most luck just occasionally posting doodles or bits from the story and hoping someone big interacts with it. When they do, I sometimes sell a couple books. Yay!

I do feel really weird asking said big "popular" gt people to reblog/interact with my posts (I'm shy, what can I say), but I think if you did that you'd get a huge audience. Just sending them an ask like "Hey, do you think you could reblog my post about my book that's coming out soon? It's about [blank] Thanks!" would probably go over well. If you're active in the community in any capacity, you will find an audience, I promise.

I guess in conclusion: of all the socials, I've had the best luck on gt tumblr. The community has had its ups and downs, but generally it's very supportive and chill. There are several really nice people who've been here forever and I trust them the most. I'm more wary of talented newbies who jump in and gain huge audiences very quickly. I don't know who you are, Anon, or how long you've been here in gtville, but it's a nice place to be and a nice place to publish books! <3

Just don't quit your day job yet lmao

[fixingmysociallife]

Starting Aikido to overcome my social fears

G'Day Depressos,

I am excited to announce that I have taken my first real-life action for my fixingmysociallife-project! Personally, I despise most athletic activites which led me to being a couch potato during the last few years. But since it's now time for me to finally push myself, I spontaneosly signed up for a beginners Aikido class aimed at college students. This is a huuuge deal for me, because I usually wouldn't do anything without ten hours of research, but this time I just...did it! And after only one time attending I can already feel a positive impact on my life. In this post, I will outline why this class is an important part of my socialization journey. 1. Overcoming my over-controlling self As I've stated above, I am in my head a lot and terrified of making wrong decisions. Therefore, joining on a whim was so much more like to person I'd like to become rather than my current self, it really makes me happy. 2. Socializing with new people Of course, I am not taking the class alone. Seeing and interacting with new people is one of my fears and I want to grow comfortable with it. When I arrived at the dojo, I felt really insecure and stupid at first, but it got better fast. It's hard to overthink your social performance when you're busy slamming another person to the ground and vice versa. Additionally, I now have another topic to talk about with others. A lot of my peers have been interested in hearing about Aikido so far! 3. Gaining self-confidence

Aikido is a Japanese form of martial arts that is focused on self-defense. It's non-competitive and everybody is able to learn the basics, regardless of gender, bodytype and fitness level. Due to that, I was able to get satisfying results quite quickly. Also, walking to the bus stop alone afterwards felt safer already, because I now had at least an idea of what I could do in the case of an attack. Of couse I realistically can't do shit yet, but I was riding the high of my successful class lol.

My takeaway

If you have problems with social activites and self-motivation too, taking a self-defense/martial arts class is really something to consider. Some are even sponsored for students or women in particular. I'm really looking forward to next time and now, three days later, my muscles are finally not completely sore anymore. Yay for that! If you'd like to see more of my steps towards becoming a functioning human being, just browse my other posts and stay tuned for what's to come. Bye!

[jule-johanna]

Day One: Off to a good start.

Day One is hard in the way that you need to get yourself started on the path to betterment, but I feel like I was already half way there by preparing Day One yesterday night. I created this blog, wrote that checklist I was talking about, etc. I assume motivation will go down around Day Four or so.

But let's not get pessimistic too soon. Today went well. Could I have done more, sure. But I don't want to set the bar to high, I will only disappoint myself and grow frustrated.

I got out of bed before noon. That's the first point on my checklist, so getting up to make coffee around 10:30 was a good start in my book. I've been meaning to trim my fingernails for days now and finally did it today. While I drank my coffee I got to work on updating my CV. I'll need that to get a job and it didn't take all that much time. I had to change the adress, added a new photo and put the internship I did last year in there too.

I was just checking the opening hours of a store I wanted to visit when my brother texted me and asked for a little help. He's applying to move into a dorm (he's starting college this year) and wanted some advice on what to put in his bio. We chatted for a while and I think I was really able to help him. It also made me all sentimental because my baby brother - who's been like 6 inches taller than me for a while now - is moving out of our mum's place and going off to college and all that. I love that kid so much, it was a good reminder of all the positive things I have in my life.

I also texted with a few friends of mine around the same time, they all have siblings or cousins who are close to them, so they get it. Once I finished my coffee I did remember to brush my teeth (yay) and got ready to go out.

I left the house around 1 pm to check out some second hand stores in the area. It's my stepmum and sister's birthday soon and I had no idea what to get my stepmum. I also went to another store to get a photo printed out which I will make into a birthday card for my second brother who's birthday is also coming up. (Early September is busy for me on that front.)

I also remembered to pick up wrapping paper (it has cats on it!) and I actually found a little something for everyone. Got the presents taken care of, mostly. Then I got myself a cinnamon roll from a new shop that's opened up near the historic city center (it was so good, I hope the shop pulls through and doesn't disappear in another month or so). I felt like I deserved a little treat.

On my way back to the flat I also picked up some toilet paper even though it's one of my roommates' turn to do the shared shopping this week. I am not waiting until we actually run out. After I got back I felt drained though which isn't completely unexpected. I haven't had this much action in weeks and the weather was hot today. So I haven't done much with the late afternoon.

Right now I'm cooking some potatoes for dinner and after that I'll take a quick shower, brush my teeth again and go to bed. Hopefully I'll be asleep by midnight.

To summarise: I got out of bed and relatively "early", too. I took care of personal hygiene. I left the house today, got some actual fresh air and sunlight. I talked (over text) with my brother and a few friends, I made small talk with a couple of shop employees and also was on the phone with my dad for a little while - human, social interaction. I did a household task (shop for toilet paper). I ran errants for upcoming birthdays. And I did a work thing by updating my CV. I feel like that should count as a successful first day.

[skytrustit3]

Revolutionize your Marketing Efforts with QR Code Marketing

Revolutionize your Marketing Efforts with QR Code Marketing

QR codes are not just limited to scanning, it is also an innovative and unique way to boost brand awareness by engaging customers by providing them with additional information about your brand’s products or services. QR code marketing is an efficient and cost-effective way to bridge the gap between offline and online marketing efforts while providing users with a convenient and engaging experience.

QR (Quick Response) codes were first developed in 1994 by a Japanese company called Denso Wave. They were used to provide a more efficient way of tracking vehicle parts during the manufacturing process. Although initially used for the automotive industry, they became widespread in the early 2000s. Today, QR codes are used for various purposes, including marketing, payment systems, and authentication.

QR code marketing – Yay or nay?

QR codes are not just limited to scanning, it is also an innovative and unique way to boost brand awareness by engaging customers by providing them with additional information about your brand’s products or services. Since QR codes are mobile-friendly, brands can easily reach their customers by using QR codes in their marketing efforts. QR codes help increase the brand’s visibility on different platforms by sharing links to the website or social media platforms. You can also track your marketing metrics through QR codes. As the QR code full form says, Quick Response, it gives a convenient and faster way for brands to interact with their customers, thus boosting brand awareness.

SkyTrust IT also believes that QR code marketing is an efficient and cost-effective way to bridge the gap between offline and online marketing efforts while providing users with a convenient and engaging experience. Below are some of the ways in which QR codes can help in effective digital marketing.

Directing users to a specific landing page – By scanning a QR code, users can be directed to a specific landing page to learn more about a product, service, or promotion, cutting out the extra in-between pages.

Making it easy for users to take action – QR codes allow users to sign up for a newsletter, enter a contest, or make a purchase.

Enhancing offline marketing efforts – QR codes can be placed on offline marketing materials such as business cards, flyers, and posters to provide a seamless transition to the online world.

Measure campaign success – QR codes can be used to track campaign success by monitoring scan rates and analyzing user behavior once they reach the landing page.

QR code marketing ideas

There are many creative ways of QR code marketing in digital marketing. Some of the innovative ways to enhance brand awareness, customer engagement, and customer loyalty using QR codes are-

Product information – Add QR codes to product packaging or labels that lead customers to more information about the product, including ingredients, instructions, and reviews.

Event promotion – Use QR codes on event posters, flyers, or invitations to provide more information about the event, such as the location, schedule, and ticketing details.

Coupons and discounts – Create QR codes that lead customers to exclusive coupons or discounts, which they can redeem in-store or online.

Social media engagement – Add QR codes to social media posts, which lead customers to follow your brand on social media, like your page, or share your content.

Video marketing – Add QR codes to video content, which leads customers to more information about the product or service or to a landing page where they can take further action.

Location-based marketing – Use QR codes to promote location-based offers, such as free samples or discounts, which customers can redeem by scanning the code at a specific location.

Feedback and surveys – Add QR codes to feedback forms or surveys, which lead customers to complete the form online and provide valuable insights to improve the customer experience.

How to increase social media following using QR codes?

Social media platforms are vital in increasing your followers in your marketing efforts. The best way to stimulate long-term customer interactions, brand loyalty and market your products or services to the right target audience is to make QR code. Scanning the social media QR code helps customers reach all social platforms and simultaneously follow all your business updates. Also, every social platform has a separate QR code marketing strategy. Below is a list of social media QR code platforms that can help increase followers.

Facebook QR code – A Facebook QR code connects your audience directly to your Facebook profile, offers your business summary, and features a brand image. A ‘like’ image directly integrated into the code page allows active Facebook engagement and a higher possibility of becoming long-term customers.

Telegram web QR code – Telegram QR code gives your customers an easier and faster way to connect with your business. It helps in great sales and support experience, increasing the likelihood of conversions and customers returning to your business services or products.

Twitter QR code – Twitter is one of the best platforms to become trending. A Twitter QR code allows users to follow the buzz of newly launched products or services by linking them to a tweet or increasing your bluebird count by connecting them to your business profile.

Instagram QR code – Instagram is one of the best platforms to engage with your customers by sharing reels, posts, locations, tags, etc. Instagram QR code directs users to specific profiles or other in-app destinations without having them search for them.

Making transactions through Google pay QR code

Google Pay is a mobile payment app allowing users to make transactions using smartphones. It is a part of digital marketing because it provides a convenient and secure payment option for businesses and customers. For businesses, Google Pay can be integrated into their website or mobile app, making it easy for customers to purchase online. This provides a seamless checkout experience, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty. The Google Pay QR code is a valuable tool for businesses looking to optimize their digital marketing strategies and provide a streamlined payment experience for their customers.

At times, people are not aware of how to get QR code in Google Pay. Below is the process to ease your way to get QR code.

Open the Google Pay app on your smartphone.

Tap on your profile picture at the top right corner of the screen.

Tap on the ‘QR Code’ option.

You can now choose to display your QR code or scan someone else’s QR code.

To share your QR code, tap on the ‘Share’ button and choose the method of sharing, such as messaging or email.

You can customize your QR code with an image or logo by tapping the ‘Customize’ button.

[skytrustit011]

Revolutionize your Marketing Efforts with QR Code Marketing

Revolutionize your Marketing Efforts with QR Code Marketing

QR codes are not just limited to scanning, it is also an innovative and unique way to boost brand awareness by engaging customers by providing them with additional information about your brand’s products or services. QR code marketing is an efficient and cost-effective way to bridge the gap between offline and online marketing efforts while providing users with a convenient and engaging experience.

QR (Quick Response) codes were first developed in 1994 by a Japanese company called Denso Wave. They were used to provide a more efficient way of tracking vehicle parts during the manufacturing process. Although initially used for the automotive industry, they became widespread in the early 2000s. Today, QR codes are used for various purposes, including marketing, payment systems, and authentication.

QR code marketing – Yay or nay?

QR codes are not just limited to scanning, it is also an innovative and unique way to boost brand awareness by engaging customers by providing them with additional information about your brand’s products or services. Since QR codes are mobile-friendly, brands can easily reach their customers by using QR codes in their marketing efforts. QR codes help increase the brand’s visibility on different platforms by sharing links to the website or social media platforms. You can also track your marketing metrics through QR codes. As the QR code full form says, Quick Response, it gives a convenient and faster way for brands to interact with their customers, thus boosting brand awareness.

SkyTrust IT also believes that QR code marketing is an efficient and cost-effective way to bridge the gap between offline and online marketing efforts while providing users with a convenient and engaging experience. Below are some of the ways in which QR codes can help in effective digital marketing.

Directing users to a specific landing page – By scanning a QR code, users can be directed to a specific landing page to learn more about a product, service, or promotion, cutting out the extra in-between pages.

Making it easy for users to take action – QR codes allow users to sign up for a newsletter, enter a contest, or make a purchase.

Enhancing offline marketing efforts – QR codes can be placed on offline marketing materials such as business cards, flyers, and posters to provide a seamless transition to the online world.

Measure campaign success – QR codes can be used to track campaign success by monitoring scan rates and analyzing user behavior once they reach the landing page.

QR code marketing ideas

There are many creative ways of QR code marketing in digital marketing. Some of the innovative ways to enhance brand awareness, customer engagement, and customer loyalty using QR codes are-

Product information – Add QR codes to product packaging or labels that lead customers to more information about the product, including ingredients, instructions, and reviews.

Event promotion – Use QR codes on event posters, flyers, or invitations to provide more information about the event, such as the location, schedule, and ticketing details.

Coupons and discounts – Create QR codes that lead customers to exclusive coupons or discounts, which they can redeem in-store or online.

Social media engagement – Add QR codes to social media posts, which lead customers to follow your brand on social media, like your page, or share your content.

Video marketing – Add QR codes to video content, which leads customers to more information about the product or service or to a landing page where they can take further action.

Location-based marketing – Use QR codes to promote location-based offers, such as free samples or discounts, which customers can redeem by scanning the code at a specific location.

Feedback and surveys – Add QR codes to feedback forms or surveys, which lead customers to complete the form online and provide valuable insights to improve the customer experience.

How to increase social media following using QR codes?

Social media platforms are vital in increasing your followers in your marketing efforts. The best way to stimulate long-term customer interactions, brand loyalty and market your products or services to the right target audience is to make QR code. Scanning the social media QR code helps customers reach all social platforms and simultaneously follow all your business updates. Also, every social platform has a separate QR code marketing strategy. Below is a list of social media QR code platforms that can help increase followers.

Facebook QR code – A Facebook QR code connects your audience directly to your Facebook profile, offers your business summary, and features a brand image. A ‘like’ image directly integrated into the code page allows active Facebook engagement and a higher possibility of becoming long-term customers.

Telegram web QR code – Telegram QR code gives your customers an easier and faster way to connect with your business. It helps in great sales and support experience, increasing the likelihood of conversions and customers returning to your business services or products.

Twitter QR code – Twitter is one of the best platforms to become trending. A Twitter QR code allows users to follow the buzz of newly launched products or services by linking them to a tweet or increasing your bluebird count by connecting them to your business profile.

Instagram QR code – Instagram is one of the best platforms to engage with your customers by sharing reels, posts, locations, tags, etc. Instagram QR code directs users to specific profiles or other in-app destinations without having them search for them.

Making transactions through Google pay QR code

Google Pay is a mobile payment app allowing users to make transactions using smartphones. It is a part of digital marketing because it provides a convenient and secure payment option for businesses and customers. For businesses, Google Pay can be integrated into their website or mobile app, making it easy for customers to purchase online. This provides a seamless checkout experience, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty. The Google Pay QR code is a valuable tool for businesses looking to optimize their digital marketing strategies and provide a streamlined payment experience for their customers.

At times, people are not aware of how to get QR code in Google Pay. Below is the process to ease your way to get QR code.

Open the Google Pay app on your smartphone.

Tap on your profile picture at the top right corner of the screen.

Tap on the ‘QR Code’ option.

You can now choose to display your QR code or scan someone else’s QR code.

To share your QR code, tap on the ‘Share’ button and choose the method of sharing, such as messaging or email.

You can customize your QR code with an image or logo by tapping the ‘Customize’ button.

[shintorikhazumi]

“Diana.”

A/N: To be honest, I had wanted this to be a Diana-centric fic, from Diana’s perspective. I struggled to find a concept, and had a little help from a friend who sent me a random generator. (Thanks, Kate :>) And when I thought I’d just choose from a randomly generated idea, I came across this video on youtube which was actually a compilation of a tiktok series of the story of two neighbors. Of course, I changed bits of it, and obv the end so if you think you know what the source vid is, dw. I won’t hurt y’all like that ;-; And I’ll just link it at the bottom so no plot spoilers for those who don’t know what it is. Eyyyy.

This fic has a few song recs for y’all to listen to if you haven’t heard them already, lol. ;)

I had been looking for something... “emotional” for Diana’s bday fic. And I think... this works. At least for me, it does.  It’s not from Diana’s perspective, but... I think this works. So without further ado, Happy birthday Diana and...

oh, thank you to @tracedinairlwa​ for some help with the music :> that y’all will see later in the fic :’>. Without further ado,

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

 It all started with a sunset and a few familiar notes from a piano.

No, it isn’t Akko’s piano. Her piano has been sitting in a corner of her room, collecting dust- untouched for months. And that is just the thing. Unless her piano has somehow become cursed and has decided to ghostly play on its own, then there had to be some other source.

The source of that gentle sound, Akko eventually pinpoints, is her apartment wall- or more accurately, what lies beyond that separator.

As she sits on her couch, admiring the expressive tones, her mind has decided that it wants to capture this special moment, and keep it stored lest she never experiences it again.

Making a quick dash for her bedroom, she opens her bedside drawer and fishes for her old camera from her university days in film club, back when she was an actual student of the Arts and all that creative jazz. She has tried to maintain it, but being under lockdown allows her few chances of seeing the outside world, and the few corners of her home don’t exactly spark ‘inspiration’ for any project.

Dusting the device off gently, she takes it back to the living room, placing it on her coffee table facing herself. She clicks the record button, thinking of making an introduction; but she quickly abandons that idea as she realizes it may take away from the sounds she wants to ring more apparent on tape.

Maybe she can just edit a few captions later on her laptop. Yes. That sounds good.

So she sits.

And the notes kept playing.

 //

[Video Diary(?) Diary? Is this a Diary? Day... Day 1. I hope it’s only Day 1. I hope there’s a day 2. And a three... and a five.

So anyway, Akko here. And uh... I got a new neighbor, I think. He/she plays the piano. I do too (kinda. Haven’t done that in a while, hehe).

I don’t know why I recorded this... this must seem like I’m being a creep, but... They just... played Chariot’s Melancholy from my favorite show and... it felt sadder than usual. The sound felt sorrowful. I don’t know...

I’m... moved.]

//-//-//-//-//

She does not know what compels her today, to slip that message under her neighbors door; but before she can even think about her actions, they’d already been done.

A simple, “can you please play ‘Ease My Mind’ by Ben Platt, maybe?” haphazardly scrawled on a piece of notebook paper is delivered with the anxious feelings of an interaction-craving Akko, starved of a social life since all this pandemic misfortune began.

She is sure she no longer knows how to string a proper introduction together after nearly a year of being by her lonesome.

This is about to change however. Starting today.

Maybe.

She counts down the hours ‘til sunset.

//

[Day 2! Yey! So uh... I kind of... went on the attack- no! I didn’t attack anyone! I just... You know how I have a new neighbor that plays the piano? I sent that neighbor a note.

And you might think that’s all fine and cute, but... I’ve never even met my neighbor... but...

I love his/her music. So much.

And I told them. On the note, of course. Duh, Akko.

I asked them to play ease my mind and... they did.

As you can hear in the video... I guess it was a yes. :>

 ...They eased my mind...

-Akko]

 //-//-//-//-//

She wants to try something today.

She has been thinking about it the past few days after continually being blessed with such beautiful music. Music that had attracted her like moth to a flame. The piano’s daily sunset singing compels her to come reunite with her own.

She had wiped it clean earlier in the morning and now sits awkwardly on the bench, punching down a random note here and there.

What a nostalgic tone.

The C major scale then the G. She plays it. A few arpeggios to warm up. F sharp major doesn’t sound too good, with her fingers tangling up as she traverses the scale. What was the fingering supposed to be like again? Right. Start with the fourth and second finger on the left and right hand respectively.

That sounds much better.

She hums a few tunes, choosing from a playlist arranged in her mind. She settles on something gentle and sweet. A Yiruma song. Just to get the feeling back in her hands.

A river flows as notes along the plain that is her silent room, adorning the quiet flourishes and curves, bringing color to her atmosphere.

She misses this. This tingle in her heart as music fills up her entire soul, not allowing her to think of anything else but this exact moment.

Yes.

This... This is nice.

And Akko plays until the sunset comes.

She can’t wait for it to come.

//

[Day 6. I... I haven’t played the piano in a while, and I’m a little rusty. But brave ol’ Akko here thought it’d be great to ask for a duet from the virtuoso across the drywall, haha. I left a note...

And I though we had something going. I was excited... I said that they could play once I stopped my part, but... did they forget? Or I guess they didn’t hear me.  

It’s okay... I can try again tomorrow.

I hope. Tomorrow...

-This has been Akko.]

//-//-//-//-//

She excitedly videos this weekend ‘meet-up’.

Akko still doesn’t know who lives across the wall, but she sure knows his or her favorite songs by now, hearing it daily at the same sunset hours.

She admires the music, as usual, but this time it’s different. This time, they had sent her a note. An apology for missing out last time.

They request a duet with her, to make up for it. Of course, Akko accepts. And now she starts it off, praying and hoping her sound is heard through the barrier that keeps their music apart.

She ends her part of the duet, waiting in the most agonizing few seconds of silence. She briefly worries that her neighbor had forgotten their proposition; or maybe they couldn’t hear her once more.

It’s fine, she thinks... It’s okay. She scratches her cheek, wondering if she should hold on until next time again-

There it is. That beautiful sound, so personal to the one living across the wall. A sound of emotion that could only belong to whoever it was living there.

Akko had never heard anyone else play the way her neighbor did.

She laughs, she feels herself tear up a little. It hurts so sweet in her chest. It’s a fizzy, bubbling excitement. It’s a stretched-out joy across her cheeks.

A success!

A beautiful one, indeed.

//

[Day 8: Akko here. My wish came true. I... got to play with my neighbor! Yay!

... Maybe I should go meet them now...]

//-//-//-//-//

They do it again.

Akko excitedly bounces in her warmed piano seat, listening to her neighbor go first this time around. She listens intently. Once the wall music stops, she starts. This was their agreement, their deal.

The river’s flow stills a moment, and that’s Akko’s cue to pick up the current’s pace once more.

She plays with shy gusto, caressing the keys in a way that shows how she’s fallen in love again. With the piano? With music? Yes. With- ...

Love, huh. It’s such perfect timing too.

Today is Valentine’s day.

Akko doesn’t know whether or not her neighbor has anyone special in her life like that, but if they share the same situation, all alone in their apartments, locked in by the pandemic, she just wants them to know she receives the message their music is trying to get across to one another.

Her heart feels it. It translates it.

It cherishes it.

//

[Day 13.

Dear Neighbor,

I just... wanted to share the words we’ve exchanged, not through any verbal means, but through the sounds that reverberate against the very foundations of our connected homes. Thank you for this message.

I know that music is... our way of simply saying

“I don’t know who you are ... But I’m here. You’re not Alone.” This is for you too.

-Sincerely, Akko.]

//-//-//-//-//

It is a challenge.

For Akko or for her neighbor, she doesn’t know. What she does know is that tomorrow is going to be the big day! She’s finally going to see the face behind the songs that have embraced her tenderly throughout the lonely struggle she hadn’t realized had weighed down on her so heavily.

The interactions they’ve had, the conversations, they brighten up her everyday, and Akko is somewhat afraid she’s gotten attached; addicted- if you will- to this unique bond she’s formed with another she has never actually met.

Her mind strays from her current piece, body autopiloting a song called, “Mind Conductor” that both of them just so happen to like, apparently. Another fact that makes Akko feel all giddy as they seem to share a taste in other media outside of music.

She feels herself vibrate with nerves and excitement.

It’s tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day.

//

[We’re Finally Meeting.

Tomorrow.]

//-//-//-//-//

Akko tells a story.

She’s met her neighbor, not knowing what to expect. Despite having a lack of said expectations, she could confidently say it was better than anything she could have anticipated.

She rolls up the sleeves of her flannel shirt, readying herself to write the melodious response to the already playing tune in the background of her video.

Though she tries to listen intently, waiting for her turn, she is distracted. She knows she is.

After meeting someone as wonderful as her neighbor.

Blonde hair and blue eyes invade her recall, flashes of a soft smile and calm voice playing over and over in her head.

Her neighbor is the most gorgeous woman she’s ever met. Breath-taking. Akko says this with utmost objectivity as her lungs struggle to function after first meeting the lady.

Hailing from Scotland, the twenty-five-year-old had introduced herself to Akko. They exchanged a few pleasantries, some questions and information.

Akko had asked how she’d never known she had such a talented neighbor, to which the response was an admission from the woman that she had just moved in and was only staying in the adjacent apartment temporarily while awaiting for a relative to come for her after selling their old house back in their hometown.

Her mother... rests. Having had a certain heart disease for a while, her immune system had proven very susceptible to the pandemic reaper that had claimed her life for its tallied count. She never knew her father, it seemed.

Akko’s heart breaks as she remembers these things.

“All I have left is the piano.”

That’s what she’d said to her earlier.

Akko’s fingers glide across the keys, playing her role in this drama for two.

“I play at sunset because my mother came home at that time from work... she was always stressed.

...I wanted to be of help to her. I was happy she loved it. As I grew up, it became a habit.”

Akko fumbles with a few keys, making a slight mistake. She hopes her neighbor can forgive her for being so distracted at the moment, and right after they’d finally met too.

“Thank you, Miss-”

“Akko is fine.”

“Thank you, Akko. You’re playing has, in truth, kept me motivated and less lonely.”

Akko remembers having promised before their parting to their respective units that she would keep playing with her until she moves out.

Akko blushes upon remembering the stunning smile she was offered afterwards.

Her neighbor had been camera shy and so Akko didn’t get the opportunity for a picture. She hopes for the best in the future. She’ll try again if ever the lovely lady was ready.

They have time, anyway.

They do.

//

[Day 20, folks! Akko here, writing another video caption entry, Diary, thing... haha. The song playing right now in the video is gorgeous right? It’s... her favorite song. It’s called, ‘In case you don’t live forever’. She said it keeps her loser to her mother. It keeps her in her heart.

She plays so beautifully...

She’s just as beautiful. She’s amazing.

She’s... a special soul.

I feel goosebumps.

I’m glad. For her. Her music doesn’t sound as sorrowful as when I first heard it. It’s still every bit as emotional, though. I could cry. Really, I could...

...I’m so happy she’s healing.

It’s a process, but... I’ll be here. I’ll be here for her.

I’ll be here for you,

“Diana.”]

//-//-//-//-//

There are times when Akko thinks she’d like to get to know her neighbor more, a little more chatting, a few more minutes talking. 

However, it always seems as though there’s this unspoken rule. This... ‘don’t-get-too-close’, ‘don’t-ask-more-than-you-should’. It’s like a boundary that keeps Akko from learning more, discovering more.

Neither of them purposely meet-up outside their closed doors either, this lockdown and what-not all up in their face.

They see each other around the building sometimes, wave a hand, shake a plastic bag of groceries, but building protocols don’t really allow loitering in the halls, and Akko feels she’d be crossing a line in inviting the girl over, and she doesn’t see herself getting invited instead either.

Despite this longing, she isn’t all too dissatisfied with the current standing of their relationship. Peculiar as it may be, she rather likes this.

A relationship built on a communication based on raw emotion delivered through their music.

If Akko ponders it deeply, it’s quite an intimate relationship, what they have. Thoughts and feelings in their purest form- unspoken, but not hidden.

She might not know too much about Diana. She may not know much of her past, or even her present, or general objective facts about the woman.

But what Akko does feel she knows is Diana’s heart. 

And Akko knows its utterly beautiful.

//-//-//-//-//

Moonlight Sonata has never felt so sad to her; its sounds reflecting something they both felt, Akko believed.

Akko feels her heart clench and ache in her chest, her face a little hot and her palms sweating.

Only a week left before the clock strikes twelve and the magic is broken.

Diana is finally moving out.

It is... their final duet.

How unfortunate.

Akko sighs, thinking about the pain she’ll feel later as she edits this portion of the video. Compared to the happy tones and build ups of all the others, this... is something she doesn’t know if she can do.

Maybe she can ask Amanda for a favor this time around?

She’s actually shown some of her closest friends her video logs, and they all had sent kind messages to Akko’s new friend, who in turn, felt worlds and worlds happier.

Akko feels happy as well.

Diana’s joy is contagious. It shows through her expressive music that gives away the feelings her face doesn’t show.

Speaking of Diana’s face... she still hasn’t agreed on showing her face on camera. Akko supposes it’s still too early. Maybe before she leaves? Oh Akko hopes so. She wants to have something to look at physically to remember Diana by. Not that she’d ever forget.

Still, a little memory help never hurt anyone.

Diana’s turn comes in smoothly through the wall, Akko unable to keep her smile from forming.

She’s going to miss this. The playing; the sometimes awkward, but unconventionally amazing duets; the letters shoved underneath door; and the very rare hallway meet-up where Akko can only smile at Diana as they exchange a literal word or two.

Akko reminisces.

The past... two months now, have been amazing. Incredible. Life-changing. Akko wonders what the future has in store for them both after they part.

Maybe they could meet again. Someday. Somehow. Somewhere.

Akko knows she’ll keep playing still. At the same time, on a weekend, as the sunsets. For Diana. She’s promised she’ll keep making the video logs. She’ll send them over to her so that they can still keep this music alive in some way.

//-//-//-//-//

[Day 62.

Hi, Diana. It’s me, Akko.

I... wrote you a song...? Or well, I started to... I’m not quite done yet, hihi. Got a little too ambitious and all... thought I could add some other instruments besides our- the piano... aha..haha...

When you first told me your story, I started picturing it out. A life dyed with all the colors of the spectrum. From the vivids to the grays, it was such a lovely imagery in my minds eye. A painting I could not get out of my head.

And so this song is... yeah. That.

A story.

A story about this wonderful twenty-five-year-old woman who so happened to move next door to this uninspired artist. She’d lost her mother to a stupid virus, and she’d never known her father. Her house got sold, and she had only one distant relative she knew of left.

She spends her days along in a box of white walls and empty silence. That is, until the sun decides to rest for the day, and it sends its golden rays of energy to the girl and to her piano that she thought to be her sole companion in this tragedy.

She plays her favorite songs, filling the emptiness with her own emotions; making the intangible manifest itself and cause a dumb girl next door to one day slip a scratch of paper underneath her door, asking for a song.

A note with a request... and with a message that she’d heard her feelings- her loneliness; and that she’d never let her be alone anymore.

And that’s how they became friends, huh, Diana?

Two pianos, Two people, and a wall that keeps them apart.

They didn’t know who was playing on the other side. But did it matter?

In this dreary, blackened time of the world,

‘You can be the light of somebody else’ darkness, so keep shining.’.

Dear Diana,

In case my playing isn’t as emotionally expressive as yours, I hope you at least know this now. Through this video.

That you were, and are... my light.

-Akko.

P.S. I hope I finish the song and give it to you before you leave.]

//-//-//-//-//

 She feels herself hyperventilating, her vision bleary. She can barely stand. She feels like vomiting, and dying, and screaming all at once.

Her anxieties run rampant all over the room.

If this keeps up, she may as well hurt herself beyond help.

She trudges over to the one thing that could ground her at the moment.

The piano.

Her hands are shaky as they do multiple attempts to turn on the keyboard, hitting the wrong buttons and turning the volume knob up too loud that when Akko accidentally leans against the keyboard, hand pressing down on many keys, the sound almost blows up her eardrums.

She curses, smashing a hand against those same keys, the cluster of notes echoing through her apartment walls.

“aaaaAAAAGGHHHHHHHH!!!!”

She allows the scream to tear out of her throat; emotions, wild horses finally released into the open.

“AGH! AGGHHHH!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH”

She falls face first onto the keys, now ignoring the loudness of their noise, momentarily thinking it would be better to allow her ears to bleed out so she’d never hear a thing again.

She wants something, anything, to drown out the pain she feels right now.

...

She sobs against the keys, head lifting as she apologizes to her piano, wiping off the tears that are quickly replaced by fresh ones.

Akko gives up and plays a note. Then two.

Then she’s playing ‘you’ll be in my heart’ and she’s crying more.

She lets herself cry as she plays.

Today, she was supposed to see Diana off. She had left a final note the day before yesterday, asking if she could do so. Help Diana carry her things, maybe swap numbers, and just... maybe keep this connection going for years to come.

Last night, she’d said good night at Diana’s door.

The girl gave her the sweetest smile, an almost unnoticeable blush on her features.

Oh, but Akko noticed anyway.

Of course, she would. With how shamelessly she stared at Diana at that moment.

Diana laughed, stepping closer and patted Akko on the cheek- kissed her there- before turning about to shut the door, along with the lights Akko saw go off from underneath it.

She was excited for the morning.

But when morning came... Diana was gone.

Akko had been thrown into confusion and a frantic state that she’d bolted all around, searching for signs or a left behind message.

Nothing.

She had then run down to ask the land lady, and that’s where she’d found out.

The heart disease Diana’s mother had was hereditary.

Diana had had an attack, and with an emergency alerting device, she’d been able to contact her only family, and had been taken to the hospital.

That was good.

That gave Akko relief and joy.

...so why is she despairing now?

...She didn’t know.

No, not the reason for her despair. She knows that.

The reason she was in this state is because she didn’t know.

She didn’t know what had happened.

She didn’t know Diana had suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night.

She didn’t know where she was, or where whoever took her.

She didn’t know that Diana had that heart disease too.

She didn’t know because she never got to ask.

She never got to learn more, know more.

... Did she not know Diana then?

Her mind taunts her, her heart hurts her.

She doesn’t know a lot about Diana. Not as much as she thinks.

That’s what they tell her.

For all the emotions they’d exchanged through music, that was the extent of it. Had Akko been too presumptuous in thinking she’d known Diana so deeply because of what they’d shared?

When in reality she may as well be a random stranger playing her show tunes and disturbing her neighbors.

Akko almost believes it.

But no... no. She can’t do that. She can’t assume those things. Not about their connection. Not about Diana.

Because Diana had told her once upon a song that she- that Akko had been her light. Her comfort. Akko believes in Diana. So she believes these feelings as well.

Yet these feelings of her own were so conflicting, so daunting. They battle in her mind, questioning and justifying every little thing. All things relating to Diana. Diana and... Diana.

Akko coughs out a few more sobs, throat incredibly dry.

She stops playing for a moment, dragging herself to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Then she goes back to the piano.

She... doesn’t feel like playing again.

What should she play anyway?

What song does she want to play? What song... Song... Song... Diana... What was Diana’s favorite song?

Diana? Song? A song for Diana? A song about-

Akko falls off her piano bench as she scrambles for her coffee table, sighing in relief as the papers for her composition are still there.

With shaky hands, she takes the sheets and a pencil and brings them over to the piano.

And she writes a few notes, then a few bars.

Diana.

Diana.

Who is Diana.

What does Akko not know about her. Her other struggles? Her sickness? Her trials and her fears? Her past?

That melody... sounded too sad for a parting gift. Akko doesn’t want Diana to feel more sorrow when she moves out...

Then....

What does Akko know? About Diana?

“Diana is...”

Expressive, emotional.

Diana is intelligent, an intellectual.

Diana is sincere and sweet.

Diana is talented and tasteful in music.

Diana is... her neighbor, her... new friend,

....Akko’s... what?

What was she to Akko?

“You are my light.”

-Akko ends up writing as a title.

But that’s a little too embarrassing to give to someone who was just your neighbor and a new friend... right?

And maybe it didn’t exactly represent the whole thing Akko had written.

So she erases it, biting her pencil as she tries to come up with a new name, a new caption for this creation.

What could it be. That describes Diana in her entirety; her life, her struggles, her joys.

Who is she? Who is Akko’s neighbor?

Akko scratches her head in frustration, wracking her brains even more.

With a sigh, she replies to herself aloud, the simplest, somewhat plain, and stupidly obvious answer.

“Well, she’s Diana.”

And it clicks.

That she is.

She is Diana.

And Akko throws on a jacket, a mask, and some shoes and thinks no more.

//-//-//-//-//

[Dear Diana,

I know very little about you

But you’ve changed my life.

Really you have.

You gave me back my passion, and a little bit more of that even. Maybe aroused a new passion within me.

I’d say, “You’ll be in my heart”, but that sounds too much of a farewell, to be honest.

And I’d rather not say goodbye just yet.

Not like this.

Music... Is a powerful thing. Despite the rampaging emotions I’d felt as I found out what had happened to you today, I- I kept playing. It grounded me. It helped me.

Diana, you once told me I was your light.

And you know I’ve told you already. That you’ve been MINE.

Diana. This video might look incredibly shaky and chaotic.

But please forgive me for that, and know that it is because I’m running with all my might to find out where you are. I got a hint for the hospital you might have been taken too.

It kinda seems like I’m a stalker now, huh?

I’m sorry. I just... I-

I can’t say goodbye to you....

Not just yet...

I still... have a song for you.

So... wait for me?”]

//-//-//-//-//

Eyes blink, bright white melting into color. They scan the room, looking for hints to identify her location.

Her body aches, her chest hurts. Her throat is parched. Her head is throbbing.

What is that annoying beeping sound-

Ah. Of course.

The hospital.

Again.

She hates it. She hates the smell of antiseptic and sterile sheets. She hates the taste of badly prepared hospital meals, and too-dry food.

The water has this strange quality to it when you’re in the hospital.

She knows this well.

She hates that she does.

She sighs, sinking into her pillows. At least those are comfortable.

Ugh.

What bad timing, really. For an attack.

She was supposed to move out today. She was supposed to meet with her aunt- who actually has probably met up with her by now, seeing as Diana is in a hospital and her usual alert device seems to be charging within reach beside her. Also she sees Daryl’s purse on the seat.

Maybe the woman had gone out temporarily for something important.

That was fine.

It just meant Diana was left alone again. If only for a short while.

...Alone, huh.

These past two months, she hadn’t been that.

All because of one girl, one Atsuko Kagari that she’d met by chance through a piano and through a wall. The sound quite literally carrying over through a wall.

Diana can’t believe she used to be so skeptical of thin-walled living spaces, wondering how people kept their privacy.

Now, however, she feels blessed that that was the case.

Else she’d never have met... her light.

That’s right.

When everything, her vision, her hopes, her heart had steadily been dying out, through her dim came a glow. That glow was the connection she’d found through her neighbor across a wall.

It had surprised her the first time she realized someone was playing alongside her one sunset session, months ago. She would have thought it creepy had the person’s music been any less captivating.

There were just so many colors in the music, there was just so much warmth. It sounded a little rough, a few hinges rusty at first; but it came along after a few pseudo duets, and then Diana had found these duets to be a staple in her life.

Then she met Akko for the first time, and more warmth and color came into her life.

Diana found herself enjoying the musical conversations they had, intrigued by thoughts that they were actually able to communicate in that way and understand one another to that extent, no words attached.

And she enjoyed these nonverbal bonding moments.

But when they actually wrote to one another, or when they’d have their short greetings when they’d meet up in the hall, Diana found herself wanting to draw even closer, to get to know Akko even more.

And when Akko asked if she could do the same, Diana had found it so easy to open up.

She’d loved to know even more about the girl.

But how would she do it now?

They didn’t have the chance to exchange numbers, and Diana was probably moving as soon as she left the hospital. Her things were already being shipped to her new home, after all. There wasn’t much reason to return to her apartment, really.

“Idiot. Stupid, Diana. Not asking her sooner. What are you supposed to do no-”

Two knocks on her door.

It doesn’t open right away. It doesn’t seem to open at all.

Diana deduces it’s not a doctor or nurse then. And it might not be Daryl either because the woman would have already called the attending nurse to open the door already.

So then, who could it be?

Diana tries not to let her mind wander and get her hopes up, because there is no way- just no way- it’s who she hopes it will be.

The door opens, and her breath is unexpectedly bated- and she releases it, seeing it’s just the janitor.

Trying not to let disappointment leak into her tone, she greets him a good mor-

“I’m glad... I was right.... hah... hah... You’re here... Diana.”

And Diana really shouldn’t just assume things such as being wrong, and that maybe her neighbor was a creep two months back.

Because now her neighbor, all frazzled, sweaty, and out of breath, is right there in front of her, a bunch of papers crumpled in one hand as the other is held over her heart, trying to calm herself.

“You... hah... didn’t let m-me... Sa-ha-y goodbye... so... you’re not allowed... to leave me waiting in silence and never respond...” Akko huffs. “There’s no more wall preventing you from using words now.”

Her breathing finally slows, and she manages to look up.

“I still have a song for you, after all.”

Diana doesn’t realize, nor does she feel the tears flowing down her face.

Akko doesn’t either.

“L-Let me know what you think... It’s my first song and all...” She becomes this shy blushing school girl as she approaches Diana’s bedside, awkwardly handing over the worn pieces of paper, all wrinkled up from whatever adventure Akko had been on prior to arriving here. “... then maybe we could play a duet again or something...”

She mumbles it so quietly Diana almost didn’t catch it.

She smiles.

She doesn’t think about the reality that was supposed to occur today had she not been taken to the hospital.

Virtual duets aren’t really her thing. She much prefers hearing sound in person, in real-time. She prefers the ability to adapt and adjust to play alongside someone; to feel expression and emotion first hand; to experience a duet in full.

So it’s a simple reply that she has ready, along with a smile on her face as she takes Akko’s hand in hers.

“I’d love that.”

 //-//-//-//-//

 Diana has told her many times that it’s thanks to her that she was able to recover as quickly as she did, and be out of the hospital in only a week.

Akko sheepishly denies that every time.

They’re both just glad things seem to settle to be alright now.

Diana leans her head against Akko’s shoulder as they share a pair of earphones, listening to the composition play on the latter’s laptop.

“I love it.”

“I know. You’ve told me that the past 4 months, everyday.”

“And I will continue to.”

Akko tries her best to hide the smile that had grown on her face, but it’s impossible. It comes out in laughs and a few soft tears, and she rubs her head against Diana’s.

“You have all the time to, it seems.”

“Yes, and I won’t waste it.” Diana quips, turning her head up to look at Akko with the tenderest of smiles. “Care to play?”

Akko simply smiles, before wrapping Diana up in a hug so deep, and warm, and tender. Without a word, she stands them both up, walking them over to two keyboards now positioned side-by-side.

They take seat. With eyes meeting, and a small nod, they begin.

They don’t need words to figure out the rhythm they’ll fall into, or what they should do, or who plays what part for today.

Akko’s colors seep out, her warmth embedded in her music. Diana’s expressive emotions tell Akko all she needs to know, and they play in harmony.

Together, they tell a story.

A story that began with a sunset and a few familiar notes from a piano.

A story about its music and what lay beyond a wall.

A story once called, “Diana”.

Now,

“Diana and Akko”.

  A/N: ....  Hrmmm... I didn’t like how i ended it, tbh,,, hahaha. I just... lost my thought process now. I’m tired and lost.

Anyway.

Based off this story

The follow-up to this won’t be now, or anytime too soon. Or tbh, I could just end it like this. But there’s this ache in my heart that wants to know what happens next as well. Or more things such as how Diana ended up staying. But well,

...who knows.

Bye for now.

~Shintori Khazumi

[yourcoffindoor]

Bulletproof Heart Pt.4

AN: YAY its finally here! Thank you so much to everyone for reading and for your patience! This is the final part of this series. enjoy <3

"Y/N?" a gentle tap on the wall outside your bunk. It was Liz. "We have an interview with Spin in like 5 minutes."

You groaned and pulled your wrinkled sheet over your face, turning away from the sound of her voice, soft and hesitant as though she were afraid the slightest noise would shatter you further.

"You guys go without me," was your muffled reply, "I've hogged the spotlight enough anyway."

" Are you sure? They'll probably be pissed the lead singer isn't there."

"Then let them be pissed."

Liz lingered in silence for a moment before deciding it was best to leave you be. It had been a couple of weeks since you'd found out about Alex's little foray into filmmaking, and a gush of old trauma had emerged new again. All the work you had put in to rebuild yourself and to forge a new life had all but crumbled away in a matter of minutes, and you isolated yourself in response.

You stopped leaving the bus because of the stares. Once rumors had gotten out that there was video footage of you doing the deed, people seemed to glance over at you before whispering insidious somethings among their companions. You didn't need to hear their conversations to know just how humiliating their words were. Things took a turn for the worse when reporters began to have the audacity to ask you about the video, probing into if you were in a relationship with Alex. It was then that you realized he had sabotaged your moment, your success, and made it all about him.

You began to miss a few shows, something you had never done before. But you just couldn't bring yourself to give a damn. Your bandmates kept their distance, realizing you needed your space; but their concern was permanently painted on their faces.

"Hey Y/N," Gavin spoke hesitantly one afternoon, "You know...Gerard's been asking about you."

The sound of his name made your heart beat quicker. You hadn't made an effort to see him since the video came out. "Oh?"

"Yeah he really wants to see you. He's worried about you...we all are."

"I'm fine." you said curtly. "I mean, tell him not to. I'm fine. I just need to be alone."

"You sure? I think some social interaction might do you some good--"

"Gavin, I want to be alone. Please."

He merely nodded before heading out the bus door, finally giving you what you asked for.

Out of respect for the fans, you managed to pick yourself for performances again, but it felt like you were merely going through the motions, your passion nearly extinguished. You became angry at yourself for feeling this way, like you were giving up on yourself and your goals. Between sadness and guilt, there was no bright side you could look to as an escape.

Then, you ran into Alex.

This was what you had really been dreading. You knew how smug he must be, knowing he must've gotten under your skin, his favorite place to be. You'd snuck out of the bus for some much needed fresh air, but you didn't need to go far before you heard your name being called.

"Y/N! wait up!" a chill shot down your spine. You didn't turn around. Instead, you began walking faster.

"Hey, hey, hold on a second--" He grasped your arm, but you pulled it back so quickly it seemed to surprise him.

"Leave me the fuck alone."

"C'mon don't be mad."

You couldn't help but laugh at the nerve of his comment. "How could I not be? I didn't even know you had filmed me. I didn't get to agree to any of this! And then you decide to make it public? And you," you said, angry tears building up to a waterfall, pushing a fist into his chest, "you are a nightmare that won't go away! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Alex was calm-- So calm that it only angered you further. "You're thinking about this the wrong way. The publicity could be great--I mean people are already eating it up. They love us together. Honestly? I did us both a favor." He smirked, making your skin crawl. "But there's something else, Y/N. Something you should remember." He leaned forward, speaking into your ear in a low, serpentine voice, "This is what happens when you think you can go off and make something of yourself without me."

You were speechless, your stomach dropping as if it had been kicked. "You're disgusting. I'm leaving."

"Going to see your friend Gerard? Hey, ask him what he thinks of our movie for me. I'm making another one with some My Chem fans anyway." He spoke to you with your back turned, already walking away, but you could hear him smiling.

You halted in your steps, torn between slapping Alex across the face, crying, or simply walking away. After a deep breath and far more self control than you knew you possesed, you chose the latter, swiftly walking back towards your bus to isolate once more.

****

The sun was revolting.

That was the first thought when Gavin flung open the curtain that marked the border of your bunk, your own personal ecosystem that no one had dared enter for the past few weeks. He kneeled on your mattress and reached over you to open the blinds on your wall, and you winced as the sun struck your face like a laser.

"Merry Christmas, Y/N!"

"Gavin, its August."

"Well it might as well be Christmas when you hear what I have to tell you."

You groaned and rubbed your eyes. "What is it? I'm prepared to be underwhelmed."

"I didn't even need to open that window! There's that bright and sunny optimism we've come to know and love."

You hit him with a pillow. "Out with it."

"Alex got--"

"ALEX GOT KICKED OFF WARPED TOUR!" Liz shouted, bursting into your bunk from out of nowhere.

"What the hell Liz! I wanted to tell her!"

"Too slow!"she teased.

Your head was reeling. "Wait, wait, wait....what? How?"

"Don't know all the details but it definitley had to do with his...activities. Turns out he was asking underage fans to flash him and his band to get backstage and shit. Someone snitched I guess, thank god. The whole band's been kicked off and banned from Warped tour.

For the first time in forever, you laughed.

You practically cackled. You laughed so much that it felt like you couldn't stop.

"I think we broke her." Liz muttered to Gavin.

"That's fucking amazing." you said, wiping tears from your eyes.

"It is, and its good to hear you laugh again." Gavin said. "Come out with us later, to celebrate."

"I will sometime, but I'm still not quite ready. People are gonna try to ask me questions, I just know it. I'm still not up for it."

Liz and Gavin nodded. "We'll be here when you are."

***

Later that afternoon a few quick knocks sounded from the bus door. You debated getting up to answer it, but human interaction was the last thing you wanted right now. There were a few more small knocks; and you able to ignore the unwanted visitor until, after a moment of silence, something slid under the door. Once you heard their footsteps disappear into the distance, you peeled yourself from your nest on the couch to investigate.

It was a white envelope with your name scrawled across the front. You hesitated for moment, wondering if another piece of your past was about to jump out and bite you. But after steeling yourself you pressed on, your fingers swiftly retrieving the mysterious contents.

You immediately smiled. It was a card with a drawing of you on the front, in a style that was unmistakably Gerard's. You were on stage wailing into the mic, confidently waving your middle finger. You couldn't help but laugh.

Fuck em all. The world needs you out there. If you're feeling up to it, come to our set tonight.

Hope to see you there.

-G

You closed the card and reveled in the much needed buzz of happiness it gave you. Gerard. You thought he would've have been angry with you since you had all but ghosted him these past few weeks, but that clearly wasn't the case. Your legs wanted to run after him, but you as you were covered in dorito dust and sadness, you decided to stay put. You'd make yourself somewhat presentable and then see their performance tonight.

***

You stood just off stage,  just hidden enough in your oversized hoodie to feel comfortable. Right before they began their set, Gerard turned and saw you, eyes widening with a glad surprise as though he hadn't thought you'd actually come. His expression quickly melted into a welcoming smile, and you couldn't help but break out into soft grin of your own.

The band greeted the crowd, already energized and cheering them on. You'd expected them to launch into a song, but instead Gerard began speaking.

"This is a special set tonight guys, because someone very important to me is here. Someone so strong, so kickass that sometimes I wonder if she's even a real fucking human being." He glanced over at you, eyes electric and impassioned, immediately i heat rise to your shrouded cheeks. "Well some asshole tried to hurt her. Tried to make her feel small. But I want her to remember she's too fucking amazing to ever let someone make her feel that way."

You could feel the sting in your eyes as tears began to build.

"And that goes for all of you out there, cause these same assholes have been messing with fans too. So if you ever see shitty ass rock dudes in shitty ass rock bands asking you to show them your tits for backstage passes, I want you to spit right in their fucking faces and yell 'FUCK YOU!”

The crowd went crazy, and you couldn't help but let out a small cheer as well, despite the tears streaming down your face.

"Y/N," Gerard breathed, "This is for you." and with that, the band launched into one of the most passionate sets you'd ever seen. You stayed for it all, loving every moment. As soon as it was finished, Gerard thanked the crowd and made a beeline off stage, directly where you had been stationed all evening.

His eyes were dancing with happiness at the sight of you, pumping with the adrenaline of performing, sweat still dripping from his dark hair. "Hi," he said,pausing for amoment as though he was holding back from so much more, "you came!"

"After the invitation I received? How could I not?"

"So you liked it?"He beamed, his cheeks, pink from exertion, reddened further. "I wanted to do like a mini comic but I ran out of time." As he grinned, fresh crimson gleamed from a small split in his lower lip. What you thought had been makeup turned out to be a genuine injury.

"You're bleeding." you observed softly.

His brows furrowed in confusion, a finger darting to his lip. He dabbed it, smearing blood onto his chin.

"Damn, again? Don't worry, it's nothing."

You didn't hesitate to grab a tissue from your pocket, step forward and gently press it against his cut. He looked down at you with affection, causing you to look away as your heartbeat picked up its pace. Instead you analyzed his face and noticed it was patterned with small bruises.

"Doesn't look like 'nothing' to me. What happened?"

It had been just the two of you speaking intimately just off stage, but crew and media began pouring through and milling about the area. You realized just how close you were standing to Gerard, and pulled your hand back when you noticed people watching. A pew passerbys patted Gerard on the back, offering their compliments of the band's performance. He quickly thanked them, barely turning his attention from you, afraid you might run off. He grabbed your hand, leading you to a quiet area.

"I may have gotten into a fight."

"What!? You don't even leave your bus, how did you get into a fight?"

"I had to. Someone very important to me was being hurt."

You stared at him for a moment, putting the pieces together in your head. Gerard knowing about the video, Alex's sudden departure from the tour...

"Gerard, you didn't."

"I did, and I'd do it again, Y/N. Besides, you can't say he didn't have an ass-kicking coming to him."

You let out a soft laugh, but your vision began to blur as tears welled. A swirl of emotions welled inside of you, tumultuous and much more than you had anticipated feeling tonight. You were touched that Gerard was so concerned about you. Embarrassed that he had to get involved at all. Glad that he did, after all.

At the sight of your tears, he stepped closer. It was him now who tenderly wiped your face, brushing away stray tears with his thumb.

"Jesus, Y/N, I can stand a few punches to the face but I can't stand seeing you cry."

That was all you needed to hear to get oceans pouring from your eyes instead of streams. You embraced Gerard, burying your head into his shoulder. Gerard folded his arms around you in response.

"Y/N I want to tell you...I mean I hope you know...just how important you are to me and how I feel about you. You deserve to be happy."

"You're so nice to me that I almost don't know how to process it." you admitted beneath an awkard, tear-ridden laugh. "Thank you. You need to know you're important to me too. I..I just--" You planted an aggressive kiss on his cheek, unable to express your myriad of emotions in words.

"There, I think that expresses everything."

"Everything?"Gerard asked, brushing a strand oh hair behind your shoulder, "There's a few points I'd like to add."

His hand cupped the side of your face and your lips met, softly at first, a salty mixture of tears and coppery blood. The kiss quickly deepened, caught in your own world, unable to get enough of the taste of each other. That is until Gerard winced and pulled back, blood dripping from his lower lip. His cut had only deepened from your exertions.

"We'll have to postpone this until that's better." you said, handing him another tissue.

"Damn. Kinda regretting that fight now." He laughed.

"Don't regret it. Besides, its not an entirely bad look on you." you teased.

A bashful expression crossed his face as he brushed his hair back from his face.

"I hate to say it but I have a press thing to do in a few minutes with the guys. Meet me in my bus later?" He said, offering another peck on your cheek.

"I'd be crazy not to." you replied, ambushing him with one final hug before he walked off.

You realized something immediately. Despite everything, the heartache, the surprises--you regretted nothing. And as you lifted your fingers to your lips, still buzzing from impact, you knew this had been a tour that changed your life, after all.

Tomorrow, you'd be back onstage, ready to begin again.

Taglist: @pacifymebby​

[tropicalbreeze]

went to a little dorm fruit party and left with grace👍

[meichenxi]

Benefits of watching target language media without subtitles!

Or: why watching media without subtitles is not limited to advanced learners, and why you should incorporate it into your routine!

SO this is prompted by a personal anecdote: Yesterday I watched an episode of my favourite show (the untamed, go and watch it, heathens, it's gay and pretty and has beautiful sword fights and necromancers and revenge and insane character development and), and rather than keeping the subtitles on, I rather dubiously turned them off.

So no subs in Chinese or English.

And lo and behold - I could understand most things! Not everything, especially not specialised vocab or formal speech, but enough (with good knowledge of the plot already) to comfortably follow most conversations. Yeah, this was a surprise.

Watching media in your target language without subtitles is something that a lot of people think is restricted to advanced learners - learners at the stage where they can understand almost everything wihh subtitles in the target language (henceforth TL) itself, and is just used to train listening practice.

If you wait until you're at that stage to incorporate this into your language learning routine, though, you're missing out. And here's why.

Firstly, personal-situation specific: I usually learn best via reading, but my Chinese reading ability is much worse than my listening ability (immersion yay), and so turning on the Chinese subs just makes me annoyed and frustrated because I can't follow them quickly enough. I realise that for many people this may be the opposite way around, but for heritage speakers of languages that use an unfamiliar alphabet, or those (like me) who are not heritage speakers but because of various factors have had intense spoken immersion and little formal education (and thus some - SOME - of the same difficulties), subtitles can be a hindrance rather than a help. There are many posts targeting improving listening skills, but not so many looking at it the other way around, so it's important to remember such learners exist.

I found to my surprise that I picked up significantly more vocab with the subs off than with them on. Firstly, if you know the general plot and know enough to pick up the outline of the conversation, you contextualise any word automatically at the same time as using the context to provide clues for what the word could be - the example sentence defines the word, and the word comes automatically with an example sentence, which cements it in your memory far better than if you heard it in isolation. This fits nicely into the functionalist approach to language learning (which systems like Glossika try to utilise to varying degrees of success), where vocabulary and different variations and pronunciations of different words serve as individual instantiations of a particular token - in this case, it could be the vocabulary word itself, but that's not all the information you're getting. You're also getting instantiations of the actual SOUNDS of the language, as well as the grammar.

You're picking up information on the permittable pronunciation of certain phonemes and phonological patterns, to inform your brain how much variation is acceptable within native speech. So for example the finals <n> and <ng> in pinyin are notoriously difficult in Mandarin, with some native speakers doing away with it altogether. What the input tells you is how much like an /n/ the <ng> is allowed to sound whilst still being perceived as an <ng> by speakers - and thus what the range of permissable differences is, that you, as a non native speaker, can play with.

As I've already written about, one of my first hills to die on is the tone/intonation interplay. And listening to audio without subs is fantastic for teaching you how intonation works not only on an emotional level, but also how it helps people understand sentence structure - it teaches you which parts of an utterance to pay attention to. Even if you don't understand the word itself, you will gradually learn what is the focus point of the sentence and what is peripheral information. Why is this particularly effective without subtitles? Especially in languages that have differing sentence structure (like Chinese in longer sentences), you need to rely on the intonation to guide you towards finding the focal point of the sentence. With subtitles, you get lazy and you don't utilise your ear in the same way. And again, again, you're drumming these patterns into your head. Frequency = success!

Thirdly, by training your ear to listen for intonation, you are necessarily listening for grammar patterns that give you a clue about who is playing what role in the sentence. Our brains are fundamentally lazy (effecient)- they only pay attention to what is necessary to complete the task. Have you seen that video where you are asked to count how many times a basketball is passed? And then at the end they ask you if you noticed the bear? There is a lot of linguistic debate about what role exactly attention plays in the process of language learning, but for our purposes it suffices to say that both actively noticing a pattern and hearing it confirmed again and again when you are not specifically looking for it help us hugely when it comes to not only memorising, but also internalising, that grammatical pattern.

Going back to the attention thing, let's talk about another problem no subs solves: if you are reading subtitles in your native language (and even more so in your TL), you are much less likely to bring the full force of your listening abilities into play. Why? Well, because the answer is right there in front of you. Listening without subs forces you to use context, social cues like smiles or frowns, as well as supra segmental factors like tone of voice or volume, to determine what exactly is being said - in other words, the same social interaction and outside stimulus that many functional linguists believe is absolutely critical to the development of the language faculty in children. Of course, you're not actually interacted with the media, but being actively forced to pay attention to these things makes it a much more holistic process. Suddenly, your brain is fired up: it needs to pay attention to everything in order to understand. In other words, the vocabulary and grammar and intonation you're hearing has suddenly become relevant.

And what happens when it's relevant? We learn it - sometimes without even knowing that's what's happening.

For all of these reasons, then, whatever your level, I'd suggest listening and watching media in your target language without subtitles. The expectations you have at each level, from beginner to advanced, should not, however, be the same. Unless you find incredibly good targeted media, or the language is sufficiently similar to one you know, you're unlikely to understand even what's going on when you first start out.

That's ok. Your brain is processing things - it's learning how to recognise nouns, verbs, questions, declarative sentences, the way the language expresses surprise or fear or love. It's learning that some phonetic distinctions that you don't have in your native language are important in your TL. It's heading patterns of vocabulary and grammar and phonology again and again and again. Don't expect to understand everything - but try copying it, out loud, if you can. It will help you get an ear for word boundaries, which is crucial for parsing the boundless speech-stream that's suddenly presented to you.

If you're at an intermediate level, enjoy spotting common verbs and watching the action, even if you don't know 100% what's going on. Even more than the beginner level, you're getting used to the speed of the language and its rhythms, as well as challenging yourself to understand more.

If you're at an advanced level, this is perfect for you. You'll understand more than you suspect. And if you don't, who cares, it's meant to be difficult. I never would have thought that I could understand and comfortably enjoy most of an episode of my show. And there were certainly conversations where I was totally lost!! But that's ok. You don't need 95% comprehension to survive - 50%, while incredibly frustrating, is good enough - as long as it's the right 50%! All you need is one key word - especially if you're watching media you're familiar with, which I recommend - and then click! You've got it.

加油！

[shesasurvivor]

Knock knock! And also holy shit! Two cakes!! I am excited to read mermaid fics. And as a fellow writer, I always appreciate a bit of honesty if it’s at all possible when our ideas overlap. Sometimes it’s just not possible because we can’t all see everything everyone else is working on all the time buuuut… better to be aware than blindsided when someone posts something similar to an idea we’ve been cooking up. I know I would’ve preferred knowing when something similar happened to me. You and me, we’ve been here a long time and maybe Anon is new-ish and don’t know, maybe they’re not, but there was a huge fight in this fandom several years back that turned really ugly really fast, a fight that all got started when two writers posted stories with a similar premise within days of each other. So even if your FYI to the other writer was partially to cover your rear when you post your story, there’s nothing wrong with that. But you know all this, I’m just parroting to lend my support. Much love and appreciation to you for reaching out and hopefully preventing that kind of fighting from happening again.

YAY DUCKS!

I really didn’t meant to kick up anything by this. I think that @mrspeetamellark should write her story. I think everyone in the fandom should write a mermaid au, because mermaids are the best (along with ducks). But you’re right about what can happen if we don’t just let each other know we’re working on a similar idea. I thought my tag saying that we’d still write different stories, even with similar ideas, would cover the fact that I was aware we would still be contributing different stories, but apparently I was wrong.

I think one of the pitfalls of social media is that it’s incredibly easy to read someone’s post or message in a way that’s different from how the OP meant it. It’s not something wrong, it’s just human nature. That said, I do think that over this last year in particular, there’s been a LOT of blatant nastiness posted on the internet at large that’s impossible to misconstrue. I don’t mean in this particular fandom, in the grander scheme of the internet. I think that fact colors all our interactions to some extent, and I try to be cognizant of that on here, but clearly I’m not always successful.

Sometimes I’m accused of being too blunt. It bothers me, because I feel like people are saying they want me to lie more, and I don’t like that. I’ve learned through hard lesson after hard lesson in my life that being upfront about things is always better in the long run. But when I enter discussions, I just want everyone to know that I never come at it from a nasty place. That’s just not who I am. It’s important to me that we balance having open discussions about topics with a healthy respect for each other as human beings. We can disagree about something (my post about disliking Jennifer Lawrence from yesterday comes to mind), but it matters more to me that people are treated with dignity and respect than that they have an opinion that differs from mine.

Anyways, I’m kind of done with this. I hope we can put this issue to rest now. But thank you for your support!!