#thank you for the ask- these were great

[vault-heck]

For the uncommon asks: 1, 4, 28, 29, 40, C, & J for Noah & Poe?

Oh fun, thanks for asking!!

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

Noah: depends upon how tired he is. Anywhere from 10-20 minutes without feeling too bad.

Poe: .05 seconds.

How easy is it to earn their trust?

Noah: probably easier than it should be; he's pretty good at asking innocuous questions that get him the answers he really wants, though.

Poe: In Delano and the wasteland, difficult difficult lemon difficult. In Riverside, they're a little guarded, but much less so. Once you've won them over you have a friend for life.

Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

Neither of them would prefer this, but Poe is slightly more likely to ignore an unpleasant truth for as long as they can.

Do they usually live up to their own ideals? 

Noah: on a good day. He's got some work to do, though.

Poe: actually, yeah! Life as an artist/gig employee/scavenger isn't easy, and their family makes it even harder, but they make it work.

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Noah: extremely, but less so as his story progresses. Someone get this man an adhd diagnosis. Right out of the vault he could literally only see his flaws and weaknesses-- generally, his focus on what he could do better tends to keep him from acting in areas of strength, when he really should.

Poe: not terribly. They have a tendency to make self-deprecating jokes, but are generally aware of their flaws and only spend time thinking about them if there's something actionable they can do to fix it. They used to be pretty self conscious about their artistic shortcomings, but sheer time and experience has helped them become more confident in this area especially.

Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

Noah took forever to develop. I had a vague concept before I started writing the first draft of Wildfire, and his personality/trauma/etc really took shape as I was writing. It took some time to hammer out exactly what I wanted to change about canon, and why. I feel pretty good about where he's at in the later chapters of that draft, and the rewrite especially!

Poe, I'm still working on a few nuances to their internal conflict and family dynamic. But overall, no, this was easy. Without him, there would be no Sunflower Protocol story; in a way, it's really about them even though it's written from Laramie's POV. When I conceptualized him it was almost like meeting a real person all at once, very vivid and niche, as opposed to having to pry for months to figure Noah out for example.

[storge]

I don't usually fancy a crowd, but I'm in a good mood today. I'll keep you company.

The Double (2024) 1.08

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

i know i've posted abt this before also but i did not have screenshots to demonstrate just HOW gently passive aggressive ingo is to volo when they talk. i have no idea if they intended it this way but he sounds so "sadly my strict standard of conduct will not let me tell you to fuck off for asking weirdly personal questions just so you can share your theories but with the subtext toolkit available to me i am VERY much shooing you out of the way so i can get back to what i was actually trying to do."

[trashyshrew]

Maybe some drawings of Inosuke please?

Also have a lovely day/night! ^-^

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

I find it so interesting that kaveh always knew that he and alhaitham saw the world differently, but they were still best friends. In kaveh's notebook he wrote this about alhaitham, "Our views are contradictory, but it is through contradiction that more speculation and philosophy may be born." Only when alhaitham noticing kaveh was activity harmful lifestyle for himself with his mindset and called him out. I always thought they had their first argument from different philosophy, but it stemmed from kaveh activity harming his lifestyle WITH this mindset that alhaitham got concerned and confronted him

Hiya! Thank you so much for your ask!! <333

Kaveh's old sketchbook has a very special place in my heart <3 it's as you say!! initially he believes that he and alhaitham have views which align, but then comes to the realisation that they actually hold opposing views, however, instead of viewing that a negative, this is actually a benefit to their relationship, as it can lead to new points of discussion!

it's only after their approaches in dealing with other people come to the surface do problems arise in their friendship - as brought about by their collaboration with others during their thesis. kaveh exerts himself to help others whilst alhaitham maintains the view that this is a fruitless endeavour as this a short-term solution to the marked difference between those driven by hard work and those by natural ability. by kaveh denying his own capabilities in spreading himself thin for others, alhaitham deems this as harmful, as kaveh effectively denies his 'true self'.

their problems culminate in this criticism of each other's philosophies, whereas their friendship was strongest when they perceived the positives in the differences of their respective philosophies. kaveh asserts his altruism as correct over egoism, critiquing alhaitham's aversion in helping others, whereas alhaitham highlights the detriment of kaveh's altruism. it is particularly interesting to note here that the comment that makes kaveh revoke their friendship is not solely their differences in dealing with people, as their previous arguments had been about, rather, it is the source of kaveh's altruism. this is noticeably different from their other disagreements, as this is seen to be the first time alhaitham has made such a personal comment, given how kaveh reacts to it, feeling 'seen through'. it is this personal comment which causes kaveh to end their friendship, more so than their differing philosophies

in-game, alhaitham is aware that their true issues don't merely lie with their differing philosophies, and instead focusses on kaveh's detrimental altruism stemming from his guilt of the past. this can be seen in a parade of providence, in which he researches sachin in order to gain clarity and closure around kaveh's father's disappearance into the desert not directly being tied to kaveh

as seen within their conversation, alhaitham initiates the conversation for a personal reason - to tell kaveh of his findings, in an attempt to alleviate some of his guilt; to provide closure - whereas kaveh sees this interaction as a debate of philosophies, as in a potentiality for correctness over the other. alhaitham changes the subject when kaveh discusses, and insults, alhaitham's egoism, which directly leads back to his own personal interest, being that of sachin's involvement with kaveh's father's disappearance

kaveh standing his ground in defence of his altruism prompts alhaitham to claim that their issue does not lie in correctness with the answer as to what, then, is their issue being subtextual - being provided in alhaitham seeking kaveh out for his personal interest over a scholarly debate

overall, i think it's pretty easy to simplify their relationship due to their opposing philosophies, but the fact they were best friends complicates this concept - yes, their approaches to life and dealing with other people are inherently different and acts as a point of contention between them, but in actuality i'd say that it's the concern behind this opposition of each other's way of life and the way this is miscommunicated to the other which appears to be the main issue

kaveh is a highly empathetic person and this empathy is further extorted by his own sense of guilt, therefore his altruism is excessive, detrimental even, and he denies his true capabilities by attempting to merge with the crowd - this is the issue that alhaitham has tried to express to kaveh, whereas kaveh sees this as a personal critique on his ideals and philosophy, and thus kaveh is rejected

alhaitham is a socially averted person who prioritises himself over others, actively denying himself the care and company of others due to this individualism - this is the issue kaveh has with alhaitham's egoism, whereas this comes across as asserting the correctness of collectivism as a philosophy over individualism, which denies alhaitham as an egoist, and thus alhaitham is rejected

i'd say the issue is balance - they must have achieved a harmony in the foundation of their friendship, so much so that they were best friends, they wanted to combine their 'opposing' fields of language and architecture to pursue a thesis project together. this balance was lost due to the idea of their being a correct way to live life, a correct philosophy, and this balance has yet to be retrieved.

ultimately, the two want the best for each other according to their own values, but with this comes acceptance. a level of understanding has to be realised once more before progress can be made, i think

This got super long but you raised a really intriguing point!! this has me thinking a lot about a parade of providence so i think i'll make a separate post on that!! <3333

[seaweedstarshine]

Hi! Long time no yap but I've been really bothered by this thing and I know you're just the person I can go to with this (even if we don't always end up agreeing at times).

I got into a tiff with someone in a comments section of a post that was about Amy (Which character do you think deserved to become a villain? or something similar). They brought up Amy's abuse of her boyfriend. I may have tried to defend Amy (key word is tried. I am officially rubbish at debating) but then I may have said something? Because they said that I (and apparently a lot of other fans) was excusing Amy's abuse because of her trauma. It got me stumped because isn't young Amy's treatment of Rory rooted in her trauma? Did I miss the memo where we separate trauma and abuse? Am I missing something?

That statement bothered me a lot because if there's one thing I never want to do it's defend an abuser. So here I am, humbly asking and hoping to clear the muddy waters.

Your really confused and disturbed moot, Tia 💌

TIA!!!!! Thanks for the ask 💌 , and I send you all the hugs.

Discussion of abuse, trauma, ableism, infidelity, and unhealthy relationship dynamics beneath the cut.

(First off… while I really appreciate your faith in my explaining skills <3 <3 <3 my passion for traumatized characters and mentally ill+neurodivergent rights doesn't make me especially qualified to fully clear muddy waters especially not knowing the full context, but I feel you, and what follows is my informed perspective!)

Speaking generally first, harm done in media is best examined by the impact on the audience, with a different lens than harm done to real people. While relatable experiences in media can be useful and validating and incredibly important, you can’t be “defending an abuser” when the abuse is fictional. It's actually normal for traumatized/ND/mentally ill people to project onto mentally ill villains, when villains are the only significant representation for those stigmatized symptoms in a media landscape that excludes and demonizes us simply for existing. RTD can't stop people who hallucinate from reclaiming the Master's Drums and projecting onto the Master, for example — 90% of the best Doctor Who psychosis fic by psychotic authors is about the Master, whether RTD likes it or not. It's not true crime.

(This is speaking generally. Amy Pond is very much not the Master.)

Abuse is a behavior, and there can be many reasons for it, but reasons based in trauma don’t make it not abuse (some forms of generational trauma can propagate abusive parenting styles, when the parent thinks abusive parenting is normal, or lives entirely vicariously through their child). This absolutely should not be taken to mean trauma correlates with abusive behavior; rather that abusive behaviors from traumatized people are more likely to present in specific ways.

Abuse is also a targeted behavior, based in control — not consistently displayed C-PTSD symptoms as seen in Season 5 Amy Pond through many aspects of her life. Mental health symptoms don't become abuse just because they hinder one partner from meeting the other partner's needs. Any life event can do that.

Without knowing the context of the arguments, this is the aspect of their relationship I've seen you talk about before (which I also feel strongly about), and what I assume is what you were debating? So, here I will talk specifically in regard to Season 5.

We all know Amy — she's never attached to Leadworth because she never wanted to leave Scotland, no steady therapist because none of them stick up for her, can't stick with one job yet her first choice is a job that simulates intimacy because her avoidant behavior (a known trauma response) isn't sustainable to her wellbeing. Rory knows her fears of commitment stem from her repeated abandonments, it’s why he’ll always wait for her, and it's why he blames the Doctor “You make it so they don't want to let you down.”, who apart from having caused a lot of her trauma, has actively taken advantage of her being the “Scottish girl in the English village” who's “still got that accent,” because he wants to feel important, so yeah, I think interpreting Amy's issues (and how Amy and Rory transverse them) as Amy abusing Rory indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of their relationship, as well as a misunderstanding of the (raggedy) Doctor’s role in Amy’s formative self-image (which of course she works through in Season 6, but I am sticking to Season 5).

Abuse is always based in control. That just doesn’t fit here. While Amy's detachment from her real life includes things like calling Rory her “kind of boyfriend” (which she is upfront about to his face; differing commitment levels isn't abuse, though it can be a relationship red flag for both parties IRL) — her Season 5 disregard of Rory’s feelings occurs only in response to the fairytale embodiment of her trauma. It's never a response to Rory; it's a response to the Doctor, who stole her childhood and led her by the hand to her death. She cheats on Rory with the Doctor in her bedroom full of Doctor toys, drawings, models, she made from childhood to early adulthood.

(And yes, like many repeatedly-traumatized people, Amy is prone to being sensitive and reactive. Take her “Well, shut up then!” line in The Big Bang; but given Rory responds to this by hugging her, clearly he doesn’t take it as her actually dismissing him. He knows her better than that.)

And by no means do I meant to imply this is fair to young Rory, poor Rory, who's left struggling with the feeling that his role in her life is in competition with the role of her trauma (aka the Doctor). But not every unhealthy relationship dynamic is unhealthy because of abuse. Labelling Amy's treatment of Rory in Season 5 more accurately isn't the same as excusing her harmful choices — but making mistakes is part of being human, Amy's mistakes are certainly understandable, and she works through them out of love for Rory.

If there's one thing to say about Moffat women, it's that Moffat allows his female characters the same grace that the male characters *coughTENcough* have always had, to hurt and struggle and make realistic mistakes and overcome those mistakes and to heal without being demonized.

Amy isn't perfect, but she is a fully realized character, and her story gives us a resonant depiction of childhood trauma.

[certifiedproblemcauser]

on one of my last wonder trades for pokemon x before the 3ds shutdown someone sent me a level 100 garchomp hatched in 2014

that was someones baby. he's in a luxury ball. he's ev trained. he's had pokerus. they loved this thing. i was traded a level 1 gible named JetPiranha. that's his brother now. i'm going to lose my mind.

[robbyykeene]

Seeing you bring up S4 made me think of an ask! I hope you don’t mind but I wanted to get your opinion on something. Does the first episode of S4 feel so different to the rest of the season? Like I think it’s actually one of the best episodes of the show all around. Every scene feels good in its own way, but it seems to change after that, because it’s my least favourite season.

Yes!!! I actually really liked the first episode, even at the time. Its almost worse, because it gave me false hopes for the rest of the season 😭

[assortedvillainvault]

could I request headcanons for a shy girl dating maleficent please? 🥺

Ohohohoho yes anon, yeeesss:

Maleficent x Shy!Reader:

Well, this is just ~delightful~

Maleficent is known for inciting fear whereever she goes, but she much prefers the stunned silence variety vs the blubbering messes, unless she's in a particularly foul mood.

It's...rare that she encounters someone silent, but not entirely out of fear, if that blush is anything to go by...

How cute. A new little thing to play with.

She makes a note of where you will be in order to turn up unexpectedly on multiple occasions. She will never approach you first, but you'll always feel her eyes on you until she 'coincidentally' comes close enough to warrant an interaction.

If you cannot meet her eyes after you curtsey, she will extend one elegant hand under your chin and tilt your head back to make you do so. She loves the contrast of her green skin against yours, and the fact you blush even harder only adds to her enjoyment of it.

On the occasions that you catch sight of her and she hasn't seen you yet, and you attempt to slip away before she notices, somehow Diablo will always find you in the crowd and circle your head smugly, calling for his mistress no matter how frustratedly you hiss at him to stop or go away.

"Now now my pet, no need for such a ruckus~". You can't tell if she's speaking to you or the bird and it doesn't matter becuase she's right behind you again gods damnit.

If she finds you alone outside instead of at a formal gathering, things are a little different.

Maleficent's confidence is unshakable, but where she keeps a slightly tighter reign on herself in front of a crowd, here she can loom, beautiful and terrible as the wilds that surround you both, perfectly in her element.

It only emphasises the feeling of being a bug under a magnifying glass for you, and oh how she loves to watch you squirm.

Once you are a couple however, that love of your shyness becomes something akin to a proctective streak as sharp as broken glass in an ice bucket.

VERY much 'she asked for no pickles' energy but taken to 11.

Now you're shy not because she's looking at you, but becuase everyone else is looking at you with her, and you don't want to ruin her image but the you can feel yourself getting hot and crowd is starting to look hostile and-

"Relax, my Darling~" The Fae raises your chin again, gently, to meet her eyes. They pulse like a famine-struck sunset, all light and no warmth, at the crowd around you both. "You shall not fear. Not with me."

[todayisafridaynight]

Share Mine notes please I beg (and on the arakawa fam if you have the timefkfd)

forgive me if these are messy as all fuck i'm not good at making notes BUT here's everything i generally keep in mind when drawing mine and hijikata + the reference sheets i look at when drawing them :)

arakawa family notes + references below:

(more notes about aoki + sawashiro's faces ft. ikumi here)

[ssreeder]

A while ago you said you wanted to your update pattern, so here it is lmao.

03/26/22

04/09/22

04/29/22

05/22/22

06/11/22

07/16/22

07/31/22

08/20/22

09/10/22

09/29/22

11/09/22

11/26/22

12/10/22

12/30/22

01/06/23

01/27/23

02/10/23

03/05/23

04/02/23

05/05/23

05/20/23

06/10/23

07/08/23

09/15/23

11/08/23

It starts when I started reading so it’s crazy to look back on how long I’ve been following this fanfiction! I’ve never been this dedicated before lol. Keep up the awesome work!

*casually mentions curiosity about update schedule*

*gets ask with update schedule*

[thebumblecee]

NICE ASS(K) WEEK IS UPON US!!! 🎉

Cee, my love!! I 💛 you, you’re always so sweet. I have a very important ASS(K) for you!

Tarlos has decided to go to Edinburgh for their honeymoon. What must they do? Where must they go? What’s it gonna be like?? Any places they have to see?

Oooh Lemon my dear I LOVE this Ass(k) because it allows me to think of my favourite things (Tarlos & my home).

Okay, so they’ve gone a bit crazy and decided to give up the Texas heat for the cold of bonnie Scotland and once they get over how COLD it actually is they settle in nicely. (After buying new shoes because you can’t really drive here and it’s on 7 (yes 7) hills)

Firstly they decide to take a nice stroll along Princes Street Gardens. The spring blossom is in the air and they’re clearing the jet lag.

Now, city is great if you like history and well, walking so they can take a stroll around the old town and soak up the atmosphere

If inner city living isn’t for them then they can check one of the many many villages that actually makes up Edinburgh (it’s a series of smaller villages merged together) its peaceful and Carlos (almost) doesn’t feel too homesick in the quiet.

A day of culture and eating ahead of them with hundreds of bookstores, bakeries, pubs, restaurants and shops. A lot of which are independent! TK has to buy a new hold-all for all the stuff he picks up.

If they decide to take a boat ride out then, they’re right on the sea for miles and they can say hey to some local friends (no TK can’t keep one)

If they’re unsure about their sea legs (I can’t see Carlos on a boat) then there’s lots of hikes in the city to take too

Ending the day by locking down their love by the sea

And they take a late night walk through one of the parks that offer night time light shows

And once they’ve had their fill of fresh air it’s to one of the many (many) nightclubs and bars that are here. Most of which are underground! Which makes both of them grimace at the potential fire risks but they relax into it.

—-

There concludes their day(?) tour and they obviously have booked to go up the highlands and they’ve gone ALL the museums and art galleries here (which are all free) and TK spent most of it face buried in a highland cow.

It rained - a lot and because if the cold Carlos went full mother hen on TK (not reliving that!)

I reckon they spend a whole day just in bed though …. To recover from all the walking ofc 😉

[whollyjoly]

Hi Em!! Thank you so much for putting together such an amazing ask game 🩵 I hope you’re doing well. Would you mind answering 1, 4, 17 and 25? Take care 🩵

hello hello my dear!! its been my absolute pleasure seeing everyone spread the good vibes, so im glad people are enjoying this 🥰

im sorry its so late, but here are my answers!

1 - what is your fav part about being in the fandom?

i wrote a super sappy and long answer here, but basically all of YOU is what makes this fandom the most fun to be a part of!

4 - whats a moodboard that you just want to live inside of?

ohhhhhhhh so many?? the moodboard creators in this fandom are fucking TOP TIER and i love all of them so much!! but here's a few that come to mind:

this christmas babe and gene moodboard by @footprintsinthesxnd is so comfy and so cozy and they deserve nice christmases okay!!

speaking of christmas moodboards, @onlyyouexisthere has this incredibly aesthetic board for some of our fav boys around christmas time, and i just want to live inside every single one okay??

this speirs moodboard by the one and only @xxluckystrike is so beautiful? like i love the combo of hard and soft edges (the bandage + the smoke + the chess), since i feel like that dichotomy isnt something thats always shown with speirs, but feels so true with his character. anyways i want to walk through a museum with blood on my knuckles and smoke in my lungs after looking at this okay

and of course, this chuck grant moodboard by the incredible the amazing YOU @sweetxvanixlla was one of the first things i saw and loved in the fandom for grant?? the beach vibes, the light blues, the carefree energy, it all is so perfect. and i was like "holy SHIT this is good also now i too love grant" so i can thank you for that 🥰

bonus from @the-cinnamontography-is-amazing that i cant stop laughing at it

17 - your fav fanwork about an underrated character?

oh i was HOPING to get this because there's this one fic i love SO MUCH and i just!! want to scream about it from the rooftops!!

Come In From The Cold by rebelsquad (T, 24k) is a Smokey-centric Coffee Shop AU, and it just warms my heart in all the best ways. First of all, Smokey is an incredible narrator, and I love how the author captures his voice in this so hard!! I also just love that it centers around some of the more underrated characters (Smokey, Alley, Shifty, Tab, Skinny, and Popeye), but also has great interactions with the regulars as well! The found family vibes are just *chefs kiss*, and it is also the perfect mood for winter ✨ I cannot recommend it enough!!

25 - what colors do your mutuals most remind you of?

i dont even know why this turned out like this? but i went full vibes ✨

@sweetxvanixlla - midnight blue feels so right for you, my dear. starry nights and deep blue velvet cushions, something steady and calm but sparkles in just the right light. a cup of herbal tea on a tuesday night, and the thrum of a quiet city hums beneath your tongue. theres something so quiet and still about the night, that moment when people are talking and you dont have to participate, you just sit and let their words flow over you, enjoy their presence and energy and that feeling is midnight blue.

@xxluckystrike - girl, you are golden. warmth and positivity and laughter that itself is a kind of music, just as much as the songs you love and share and make art for. its the type of gold you feel on a late summer day, echoing up from the passenger seat of a convertible as you drive with your friend across a rolling field of wheat, of corn, of wildflowers. there's soda in the cupholders, and the carbonation matches the bubbles springing from the bottom of your lungs. sunny, summery, golden.

@malarkgirlypop - pink. the snap of a piece of bubble gum, the sugar rush from a strawberry lollipop, the pop of a bright shade of lipstick, quirked up into a smirk. your presence is loud and beautiful like the sound of a boombox atop a vespa, zipping through a busy beachside pier and delighting everyone who hears. pink is the feeling of just being yourself, unashamedly and wildly, and reveling in the wake of your energy.

@panzershrike-pretz - green, but that vibrant green of the sun hitting a park just right, and there's almost a glow, or a halo, across the field. it's the kind of green reserved for grass stains, made after the first spring day that's warm enough to go and spend time outside. it's the color of collapsing in a cackling heap after goofing around with your friends, and they're laughing because you're laughing because they're laughing. what are you laughing about? it doesnt matter, maybe its nothing, maybe its the cow chewing away on the green grass in the distance. no matter, because it is joy.

@footprintsinthesxnd - idk why but lavender is the immediate thing that comes to mind? something calm and soothing and steady, a breath of fresh air, walking through a field with the sun on your neck and the smell of the purple flowers filling the air. a gentle breeze ripples across your fingertips. it's quiet, but not silent, and the lavender doesnt break in the wind - it bends, and the flower seems to brighten in response. your energy is the deep breath that is taken after that moment - content and at ease.

@blood-mocha-latte - so this might not make sense outside my head but...that color a candle flame gives when reflected off a marble statue. something in the liminal space between warmth and cool, between hard and soft, between cold creams and whites and bright oranges and yellows. the ethereal quality of walking through a gallery alone, silent save for the feeling welling up from each piece of art you pass. the tiles echo this soft color, the flickering candle makes the shadows across the paintings dance, and one can't help but want to explore further, to linger with the treasures you've created.

@ronsparky - sky blue, but not the crayola sky blue. the sky blue of an early morning on the top of a mountain, mist obscuring pieces of the horizon and you could convince yourself you are the only human on the planet. a sky blue that rivals on being crisp and soft, that suggests unlimited possibility if you just reached your hand out a little farther. one can't help but feel that every small, new thing from this view is a joy - and its a feeling so wondrous and contagious that you cant help but spread it to those you interact with. the sky shifts, ever so slightly, but the color follows you down the mountain.

@georgieluz - red, but not quite. a bird flitters into view from where you sit on a bench in a forested park. its winter, and the trees feel bare and lonely. surprisingly, the bird isnt a pigeon - it's a vermillion flycatcher. the bird stands out triumphantly against the monochrome sky as if a beacon, or a challenge to some higher power that says i am here. its bold, its singular, and one cant help but admire the sheer presence of this small vermillion creature. but when it opens its beak and sings, the trees dont look so lonely any more.

@next-autopsy - you know that color when a fire burns down, and the embers are glowing with a deep mahogany? the edges of smoke dont obscure the color or heat from the coals, it only seems to make them more ephemeral. its a mesmerizing color, its the feeling where you want so desperately to stretch out your fingers and know what that heartbeat of fire feels like, and although the burn doesnt completely dissuade you, you still pull your hand back. the dancing mahogany glows a little brighter, then dimmer, as if in time with your breathing.

@onlyyouexisthere - the words "pale green" dont quite do justice to the vibes your presence gives off. the softest pale green? cashmere, the color of mint leaves reflecting morning dew? maybe that's the closest, the feeling of looking out over a snow-brushed hill, hands warmed by a mug of silver needle tea, wrapped in a cozy cashmere sweater. something comforting but crisp, familiar but fresh, nostalgic but new. something pale green.

@land-sh - one time, i was on an airplane flying across the arctic. it was the middle of the night, and i looked out the window and slowly, over the course of two hours, watched the sun rise. the sky started as a pitch black, stars breaking up the endless void, and slowly, one color at a time it lightened into a blindingly bright day. but there was a moment, about 37 minutes in, and im pretty sure everyone on the plane was asleep. outside, all i could see was this deep, vast purple. it felt like there could be anything and everything beyond that color, and i was the only in the universe who would ever see it. idk why, but thats the color and vibe that comes to mind when i think of you.

@coco-bean-1218 - see, i thought about chocolate brown for you before i even realized that its just your username. but maybe its more than chocolate, maybe something closer to chestnut. you're that feeling when you walk through an orchard, it's november, and although the sun is shining its the kind of sun that seems to make everything more crisp than warm. as you walk through, there's a small crunch under your shoe - a chestnut. there's a deeply satisfying smell in the air, something woody and comforting, and you just want to get lost in the rows upon rows of chestnut brown dotting the branches and littering ground.

@samwinchesterslostshoe - okay so bear with me on this one - slate gray. the slate gray of a city on a rainy day, clouds and sky and sidewalk almost blending together into one entity. you duck into a coffee shop you never would have noticed if not for the weather. at first, you think the walls are just reflecting the color from the outside, and you feel a lonely pang. but then, you notice it - art, stickers, little notes of love written in sharpie and tucked in the space between tables. they stand out among the walls, and the absence of color makes their presence even brighter. and the coffee? so good. it's the best you've ever had, and you realize the coffee shop is just like the walls - you find beauty you never would have noticed without the slate gray of the sky.

....so i have no idea if any of this makes sense outside of my head, but here we are. if i missed you i am so sorry!!!

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

okay okay i am sorry this is so long-winded. i am in fact, a long-winded bitch.

but thank you so much for asking this, and for just being such a wonderful part of our community! i hope your day goes super well!! 💕💕

[itspileofgoodthings]

Well, I actually have the most mundane of questions, but it’s been so long since I’ve been in an English class that I feel like I’ve completely forgotten (and I’m curious how you do it): how do you go about reading a book as a class? Do you assign them the chapters to read at home and most of them actually do it? Or do you give them class time to read? Do you have the kids who try to spoil the rest of the book for the class? Basically, how does one teach a book in the year 2024?  😀

And do you have your students annotate inside their books? (I know the English teachers in my school require the students to do that, and I get why, but I inwardly shudder every time I see a student marking up a page.) 

Haha I love this question because I too am always asking myself how DOES one each a book in 2024?

It’s sort of a combination. I absolutely assign reading every night (almost) unless it’s Shakespeare or any play in which case we read it all in class. But for a novel there’s a couple chapters a night. I read aloud to them a lot too. Sometjmes I make them read aloud to the whole class, rotating kids who read. Sometimes I assign a chapter to be read in class silently with questions or quotes due at the end of the reading. Sometimes I put them in groups and make them read aloud to each other. There’s no one way that works for sure and of course ultimately I have no control over how much they read and I’m not naive enough to think that most of the reading assigned for homework doesn’t get skipped most of the time buuuuuut.

My bottom line is that I believe it’s my job to get excited about the actual text itself (easier for me in some cases than others but overall pretty easy because it does fill me with excitement) and then commit to taking them on the journey of the story with me. And my goal—that I’m sure I often don’t reach—is to make that experience so much more fun if you have actually read. And the way that I teach is pretty text heavy which is why I always make sure I’ve read the chapters for the day and am not just relying on my memory because the way I do it is just sort of absorbing it all up like a vacuum-cleaner, schwooooop, and then either pulling stuff out of the reading to look at directly or directing them to do the same thing. So the big thing that I have going for me, if any, is buy-in. Is getting kids excited about actually reading the actual text. I also speak often and passionately about the evils of sparknotes etc. not because they help kids get better grades or whatever but because they present you with the husk and shell of a story, stripped of all that makes it interesting, and that by reading that alone they’re reading something so dry and dull and are not achieving what I always want them to achieve —which is, have an Experience with the Literature.

Again, it never works perfectly by any stretch and there are so many ways I want to explore in my quest to get better at it but overall I think, at my very best, I can create this wave of energy and excitement in the story itself which is the most organic and ultimately most helpful way to get them to want to read.

Also no haha. I don’t let them annotate! Though occasionally kids DO of course. But sometimes they bring in their own copies in order to do that. The spoilers absolutely happen and are annoying but I sort of get by it by moving on very quickly and/or talking about how it’s often not the ending but how you get there that makes it interesting. Because that’s just true!

[dykesbites]

hrt is magical but i wish it could change your height i want to be at LEAST 5'8

[poisonedfate]

top 3 one-off merlin characters?

see now. i'm still in the middle of my rewatch, but i could bet a lot of coin that i'll forget someone important, but....can't get em all, so here goes:

fisher king. love the fisher king. the fisher king is The character. if the fisher king has a million fans etc etc, i love him. put "nr1 fisher king fan" on a t-shirt and give it to me. anyways.

george. i always forget he's technically a one-off, because he lives in my heart and he's always there even if we don't see him. long live george.

elena. i don't think i need to explain myself here. love her, think about her often, hope she's doing well. although very comic-relief, her arc was always very interesting to me, she's near and dear to my heart.

ask me things