#and can i just say love all our sponsors; but also why must we have a tarp poster for every sponsor

[shiningstages]

I have mentally recovered from my internship activities for the day (a partial lie), so now I’ll write those asks~

#;big bubble blowing baby! ( ooc ) #( i was supposed to watch a couple classes today and i was gonna use that for a thing #but no; the teacher was out today for some reason; so i spent an hour and something on putting up posters on the school fence #in the heat of summer near noon; very fun!! not at all mentally exhausted!! #edit: doing the dishes actually helped out a lot; like the fog is gone??? but i'm still like. not happy with how the day went fggfhfgxhf #the posters btw are those tarp-material type posters #and can i just say love all our sponsors; but also why must we have a tarp poster for every sponsor #i think we put up twenty posters like i really hope no one walks by while i'm yakuza crouching in my dress trying to just #ziptie this corner tight enough #and now i have a blog due by thursday and no material planned :)) brainstorming tomorrow; writing for fun today!! )

[skyeslittlecorner]

can you post some photos on chapter five? ive been struggling to get to it and im impatient if ykwim 😭😭

Don't worry anon, I got you covered! Let's break this chapter for three parts - one for story and for one for both H-scenes. There are a lot of things to look forward to~

Warning: HEAVY SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT. In fact, I'll try to shorten the whole thing and focus on plot-relevant facts, so for those who want to go through chapter 5 on their own, come back when you're done! (Or just skip to h-scene, they are marked.)

Ch5 - STORY

First, I would like to warn that my opinion about it may be unpopular. As someone who hadn't paid much attention to Hades before, I fell in love with it after this episode. I adore ch5. A lot of people hate these boys to the core for what they did, and I understand and respect their opinion, but I'm with Hades here. I would love to analyze their behavior in more detail, but we don't have time for that today.

Summarizing this chapter is going to be hard because a lot of things happened. Let's go!

We start by going down a slide sponsored by Leviathan and his Lovecraftian friends (TM). But worry not! It seems we have friends even in the realm of death. Say hello to grandpa!

We talk a little, being in a questionable mood. Well, who wouldn't be? But we have the opportunity to know Solomon better, and I'm getting to understand why all devils love him. By the way, it turns out that we are his last descendant.

Sorry Solomon, you're still a peepaw.

He also advises us not to be afraid of Leviathan and not to be submissive to him, and then in a brilliant way he sends us back to the world of the living. Of course, our beautiful king is delighted.

We take Grandpa's advice to heart and finally stand up to Levi. He's surprised, but he doesn't try to kill us again (for now). We witness him hanging one of his subjects, who dared to ask about an accident from 311 years ago.

Fun fact. Devils must have much stronger spines. Do you know how people used to die by hanging? The first methods involved cutting off oxygen, but later they involved into breaking the cervical spine and this was considered a standard hanging execution. Leviathan must be gentle (how bad it sounds in this context), he could kill instantly with a loop like that.

Back to the point. We find out that we also have a noose around our neck, and Leviathan makes use of it. We're hanging, but we finally begin to meet Leviathan's nobles one by one.

Glasyal plots (and ends up hanging for it), Foras argues with him, along the way we learn that Leviathan needs us in his plan, and, you know, maybe killing us isn't the smartest thing he can do. Only Barbatos realizes that maybe it's a good idea to stop hanging us like wet laundry. He's the only one so openly nice to us.

Remember that.

Another fun fact, our MC is of medium height (~160 cm I guess). Leviathan is 187cm, Foras should be similar. I only noticed this because I myself am 180 cm so they are not so strappingly tall for me.

Foras wants to take us away from Levi and explain everything calmly, but the king does not agree. We learn that the guys know where the seed from the Tree of Knowledge is. We're supposed to go with them, and we have about a 50/50 chance of survival. Also, we have the opportunity to see a very rare phenomenon, a joking Leviathan.

Sweetie.

Colossally shortening the rest, the cavalry arrives! You didn't have to. I haven't had time to fuck them yet.

And this cavalry is very much at odds with the nobles of Hades. Most of the time is them arguing. Fortunately, they didn't kill each other…

...because Barbie decided to kill us.

Barbatos is poisoning us to force Bimet and Valefor to join the plan. While we are unconscious, we have flashes of Leviathan's past, which is too sad to analyze considering that we are about to jump to hot scenes now. Besides, most of us already know what this is about. Experience it for yourself. Really. We also learn that not only angels experimented on children, and a little about Mammon's childhood.

In the end, we learn that in Ch6 we must visit the abandoned laboratory in Tartaros, where the seed from the tree of knowledge should be, because as Solomon's descendants, we may be the only ones who will not be killed by it.

Ch5 - VALEFOR H-SCENE

(I really wanted to post CG from Valefor's scene here, but I don't know if Tumblr will block it.)

TIME FOR DESSERT!

Bimet is the first to realize that we lack devil energy. He wants to take care of it, but Valefor brushes him off, sends him to scout, and overall Bimet is our wingman, what a bro lol

Since we are away from Satan and Gehenna, we cannot summon Minhyeok's room. MC thinks she's outgrown it anyway. So we can count on the next scenes to be more and more creative.

It all starts with us telling Valefor that he reminds us of Mammon. And what a beast it brings out of him.

And he loves it.

...aaand then, someone wants to interrupt. Bimet informs us about this and goes to chase them out. Valefor stands with us at the door to see if anyone else is coming. Yes. Naked. With us. In us.

Fortunately, no one catches us and after the entire session we fall asleep in our knight's arms.

I really would like to do more screenshots, but tumblr is blocked… and there's one more part to come.

Ch5 - LEVIATHAN H-SCENE

At least you look beautiful and the platform won't block you.

And here's what I love the most. It was sick. I'd love to experience it again.

I would love to make a whole post ONLY about this and just leave the screenshots.

We are in Leviathan's office, and he interrogates us when we feel like we are lacking devil energy. We want to go to Bimet, but do you think our jealous king will allow it? Oh no no no. And of course, his hands land on our chin and then our neck. He doesn't like our hickeys.

We start asking him valid questions like "why are you jealous of us if you hate us?" So he silences us with a kiss. A deep, suffocating kiss. This is also how Leviathan discovers that we gain their energy through "intercourse with the devil".

And how can I not fall in love with this idiot.

The conversation that follows gives us some light on his approach to sex and to relationships in general. Which is… sad. It fits him perfectly, but it's sad. And I would also like to analyze this someday, this character is beautiful and how he's written is even more beautiful, especially from writer's point of view. He does not want the admiration of his people or the hatred of angels. The only thing he can believe and consider to be sincere is that someone's dislike. This is something that might actually turn him on.

At first he rules, he asks questions and he hangs us. And he does everything he can to piss us off. He hands us a whip and lowers us down.

Just disliking him isn't enough, and he works diligently to make us hate him. He insults Minhyeok, us, wishes us dead, and the more he sees our anger, the more he gets excited and talks more. He knows that we are connected to Satan and we will know how to release our anger. On him.

He finally got what he wanted. We straddle him and, with the help of Satan's strength, begin to strangle him. Neither you nor he are gentle.

Also, his words (unfortunately, I already have a limit on screenshots). "Do not bite your lips. Bite mine instead." I beg, let me violate him even more.

Compliment from Leviathan, nice. In the end, we fall asleep cuddled up to him, and he has no intention of giving us up to anyone. As in the case of Sitri, he only opens up to us when we are so unconscious that we do not see his softer side.

꧁:･ ✡ ･:꧂

AND THATS ALL! What a ride it was, I hope I was a good guide. One day I will go into the Hades boys in more depth, but for now, let this be a shortcut for everyone who is still struggling with ch5.

#whb #what in hell is bad #whb leviathan #whb foras #whb glasyalabolas #whb barbatos #whb bimet #whb valefor #whb spoiler

[coochiequeens]

Its not just about fast fashion

Posted by Coralie Alison 24718sc on February 09, 2024

Earlier this week a supporter sent us a screenshot of a sponsored post on Facebook where giant e-commerce platform SHEIN was pushing thigh-high fishnet stockings for infants. "This is a massive red flag for me" she said. 

We discussed it as a team and our Movement Director, Melinda Tankard Reist said "This major online e-commerce platform thinks it’s ok to sexualise even babies by flogging thigh-high black fishnet stockings. Shein has linked babies with an item of clothing commonly associated with the sex trade. We have documented other examples of Shien’s exploitation and adultification of children including padded bras and see-through costumes. The company must be called out for pedo whistling."

So we decided to share the image on Facebook, Instagram, X(Twitter) and LinkedIn calling on all our supporters to contact SHEIN and demand they remove the item from their site. 

Clearly this campaign struck a chord with many as we had hundreds of comments on our social media platforms. 

"I have grave concerns about the mind of the person who thought these a good idea - I think they need help of some sort."

"What the actual! That’s disgusting"

"Appalling"

"Yuck!! 🤮 This is all kinds of wrong. Actually makes me feel physically sick."

"Words fail at this sickness"

"SHEIN this is not a good look….."

"Shame on you SHEIN"

"SHEIN this is disgusting. I will be spreading this info to everyone I know so that your company is boycotted."

"I wrote a book about pornification of reality and this is the worst thing I've ever seen."

"This is not the first time. SHEIN have a history of sexualising girls. We must call this out!"

This also came at the same time that SHEIN was also under fire publicly for other items that adultified children. 

Not only are the fishnet stockings inappropriate for its ties to the sex trade but they would also be incredibly impractical for a baby. The sponsored ad says “Kids will love these” - yeah two huge bows on your knees when you’re learning to crawl. Slippery feet when you’re trying to stand and take first steps. Let kids be kids!

We then inboxed Peter Pernot-Day on LinkedIn who is head of Corporate Strategy and bought the issue to his attention. The beauty of social media is that we can contact people in senior management. 

When we checked the website link later that day the item could not be found. 

This is the power of using your voice. Together we rallied our community to collectively speak out and say "This is not okay!" Kids need the adults in their lives to protect them, to advocate for them and to take action when something in our society is going to harm them. If you're not already a part of our campaign movement please sign up today to be notified about future campaigns. (It's free and we promise we will never spam you.) 

It is great that the item has now been removed but why do we need to have these campaigns in the first place? Kids deserve better than SHEIN’s sexualisation and adultification.

But our campaign against SHEIN doesn’t end here. Unfortunately the corporate sells a range of highly sexualised and adultified items. We’ll say more on this soon.

See also:

SHEIN fetishises ‘school girls’ for profit

SHEIN flogs see-through g-strings for toddler girls

SHEIN’s ‘highly sexualised’ image found in breach of ad code of ethics

#SHEIN #Fishnet stockings for babies #CorporatePedophilia #NotBuyingIt #Sexualisation #Adultification

[seas-storyarchive]

Angelradio - au

look, to those who want sera and rosie at each others throats for the antler in alastors pants, i offer you another solution:

they are at each others throats because rosie wants what's best for her bestie who doesn't know shit about the sweet words he spews and doesn't trust the seraphim not to take advantage of him. also hellborns are possessive over what they consider theirs. she can read a situation better than alastor, but she will die and ascend to heaven to protect her dumbass friend from his stupidity if she has to, the ultimate ride and die fiendship (yes, fiend ship) if you will.

Alastor held in a sigh - as he knew this whole endeavor was pointless. Him, Vagatha, Charlotte - in heaven, to plead for favor of the Hotel and the progress it would have on the souls of sinners. The opening number to Heaven? Hmm.. not bad.

"And, this is Sera!" The smaller Serraphim intoduced the taller one.

"Greetings." She said, her voice monotone.

Oh, it's charm time - Charlotte was dismissed and- hmm.. Vagatha looked nervous. Oooh, delicious. Well, his charms always worked. Time to lay it on.

He bowed to them, ever the gentleman. "Hello, fairest Serraphims. My name is Alastor." He took their hands and kissed them, fighting his instincts to take a nibble. "We thank you for hearing us out in our endeavors for helping Sinners atone for their lives led of Sin to have a chance for redemption. It is the highest of honors, to bask not only in heaven," he smiled at Sera, "but in your beauty."

Emily was excited. "He's so nice!" She flapped her wings to hover up and look Alastor in the eyes, blocking Sera's face from him. "I hope you get a chance to see Heaven, for more than just a day at least. I mean, I hope you get redeemed but- oh why are you even down there!"

Ah, energy to match Charlotte's. Welp, time to play along it seemed.

"Ah, worry not about myself, young Emilia." He waited for her to land. "No, no, I am but a humble hotelier for our cause. My job is to help others, moreso than help myself, so they may cross those gates to be with loved ones upon these high clouds of light."

"Y- yeah! He's helping us with the hotel!" Charlie had been too shocked to speak. "But, well, we were hoping to get heaven on board. To smooth the process along." Vaggie nodded beside her.

"We.. will see." Sera said finally, as she had finally blinked away her initial starstruckness at Alastor's charms.

--

"Why hide the fact that you're an angel just like us?" Oh, so Vagatha was an angel and-

"There has to be some way to get Heaven on board!"

Vaggie and Charlie looked at Alastor like he'd suddenly gained a second head.

"Serraphims, Angels, Saints, Arch Angels! Please! There has to be something, ANYTHING!" What was he even saying? He wanted to watch people FAIL. He'd made that clear- but.. they'd come this far, fought so hard. Had a bit of hope truly come back to him? No.

But.. but Angel HAD come so far, that those on high hadn't seen. Had no frame of reference for-

"Fine." All heads as one turned to Sera, Alastor heard some pops - curse his ears.

"Wait- what!?" Adam and Lute were outraged.

"I- thank you! Thank you, Sera! We-"

"There is, one condition." Sera explained, cutting Charlie off. "You, Alastor," the Serraphim looked to the deer man, "must fully commit to this program."

Alastor tilted his head. To get Heaven's support.. he had to fully commit to the program. The Program that he was SPONSORING. That he had no interest in doing. That.. he promised the help with. He'd.. made a deal. That was why they were there to begin with. God, this was his punishment, wasn't it.

Fuck.. oh for-

Alright, fine.

He took a deep breath. "Of course. I accept these terms."

Just.. slow progress. Let himself take part, but slowly. It was for the sake of the hotel. For the sake of.. the future.

"But!" He pointed from Sera to Adam and his extermination friend. "The extermination in one month must be cancelled!"

"You can go into your stupid little program," Adam got in Alastor's face, the First Man was angry while the Radio Demon feigned calmness thanks to his smile, "but fuck OFF with you telling me what I-"

"Very well."

"WHAT!?" All eyes looked to Sera again, some necks snapped.

"Hmm." Alastor hummed, genuinely grateful, with a smile. "Much appreciated, High Serraphim. Truly."

"I look forward to seeing you succeed, Alastor." Sera said with a soft smile.

--

"Al! I'm so happy you decided to join the program!" Charlie said with a smile as they stepped out of the Heaven embassy.

"I.. said what I did to help the Hotel." Alastor said with a sigh. He'd fucking done it now. Ho boy.

"You alright?" Charlie asked, looking at his face.

"I just don't think they'll follow through on ending the extermination." Alastor said, being partially true.

"Why would you say that?"

"Charlotte, oh dear Charlotte.. you know nothing of the world of Men." Alastor sighed. Pitiful, really.

--

"So, Al.. what did you want to talk to me about?" Alastor was with Rosie, having hung around Cannibal Town after Charlie led the Cannibals to the Hotel as a precaution.

"It's.." he sighed as Rosie poured them some tea. "You know how you are my best friend, in all of Hell, yes?"

Oh, this shit again? No, he wasn't about to butter her up and NOT discuss anything with her. "What did you do now?"

Alastor made a groan, distorted by his staff, as he flopped back dramatically. "I agreed to partake in this.. reforming of a sinner dribble."

Oh? Oh! "So, you're leavin' me? Aftah all these years of friendship and-"

"No! No! I.." Alastor groaned. "I said it to help get Sera to promise not to-"

"Oh! Sera is her name?" Rosie was now curious. "Is my little Ally-waly finally becoming a man? I'll give you tips on what to say, how to act! Oh! I'll even make you a new suit! Tell Auntie everything!"

"Never call yourself that in reference to me ever again. And I don't need your patronization."

Rosie laughed. "I just, ya know, you found someone."

"She is merely a business associate."

"You wanted an army because you don't trust her. That's more than an associate, doll face." Rosie said, sipping her tea quickly before looking to him again. "So, what does she look like?"

Alastor groaned. "Super tall, cedar-brown skin, white freckles and a white streak going down her nose, and hip-length curled hair colored in a silver-like ombre, white irises, blue-gray sclera, deep-purple pupils- are, are you taking notes?"

Rosie ignored him for a moment to finish jotting down the description. "I need to know who to look for up there if you get your heart broken. Continue."

"I- this is ridiculous! How would you even know if-"

"I'm a woman, we have our ways. And this will be your first relationship, gotta be ready to put the fear of whatever her god looks like into her if she hurts my wittle Ally-waly." Rosie pinched his cheek with a laugh, only to get her hand smacked away and laugh harder.

There was silence, both sipping their tea.

"You'd really hunt her down if she harmed me?" Alastor was curious, and genuinely touched.

"I'd hunt that bitch for fun." Rosie said. "Just give me the word."

"If the hotel gets attacked, consider it sent." Alastor said, grabbing a biscuit.

#alastor x sera #angelradio #crackship #platonic radiorose #radiorose #those two are besties #rosie will hunt whatever romantic partner al has for sport and he will let her #the bestest fiendship in all of hell

[dat-silvers-girl]

Rakepick was more trustworthy than Peregrine, and here's why-

Sponsored by my ramblings with @weasley-adoptee yesterday.

Allow me to begin this rant by saying that for once in my life, I'm not talking about my headcanon characters. I'm talking about in-game Peregrine and in-game Rakepick.

Now, I think that Peregrine is the inverse of Rakepick. Because they're opposites in terms of behavior towards MC.

--------

Let's look at Rakepick first:

From the minute she arrived at Hogwarts as outside help in Year 4, Rakepick is powerful, egotistical, and well... downright rude for the most part. One thing that keeps getting pointed out is that she never deliberately tried to get MC to trust her. In fact, she was dropping hints that it was in MC's best interest to not trust her. And she was also fixated on the fact that we should question the people closest to us. One can say that she said that to sow discord between MC and their friends, but given recent events, I think she knew about MC's father. But that's another story.

Before I continue, let me say this: I think most adults, in my opinion, have a superiority complex. What I mean by this is that I have noticed that adults and the elderly use their age as an excuse to demand the trust and respect from the younger, without doing anything to earn it. They think they must be respected simply because they are older. Around me, this problem exists in parents (my parents grew out of it after enough fights), teachers, basically any adult with a job. And the less said about the elderly, the better.

Hey I know we should respect old people but if they're being complete asses to you then they don't deserve it.

Starting Year 5, Rakepick came in a position of power. She became a Professor, a position that demands a student's unquestioned respect. And maybe it was just me, but Rakepick never asked for our trust or respect. I think back to Year 5 and I don't think there was a time when Rakepick demanded anything from MC at all. All the same, she was a rather respected Professor in Year 5. As far as teaching goes, students loved her! There was plenty of flavour text and even some of MC's friends who genuinely liked Rakepick. And because she just didn't care whether MC trusted her or not, she never tried to bond with MC, and never tried to buy their trust. Before Year 5 ended, she was respected, and that respect was earned.

Now let's talk about Peregrine:

First of all, YES, I am aware that the position of father is very different than that of your teacher. But like I said earlier, this superiority complex problem is in parents as well.

We don't have a lot of information on Peregrine yet, other than he is MC's father by blood, and the leader of R. But through his few moments on screen, and the info from datamines, I instantly noticed that the way he acts is the exact opposite of how Rakepick acted. He flaunts his position as MC's father, and instantly asks for MC's forgiveness and trust. He says, "I'll explain everything once you join R." And this is proof enough that he's just telling MC to trust him and join R, no questions asked, simply because he is our father. He was gone for many years, and simply uses his position of power to demand MC's trust. DO YOU SEE MY POINT?

As opposed to how Rakepick acted towards MC, Peregrine is being kind, sweet talks MC and compliments them. According to the Datamine, in future chapters, he's making too much of an effort to bond with MC. Default MC seems to have missed their father to some extent, so he spends time with them in an effort to buy their trust.

But absolutely NO ONE trusts Peregrine. Even Rakepick had some people who trusted her a bit. But NO ONE trusts Peregrine. And why is that? Peregrine hasn't been rude to MC. He seems to be genuinely concerned about MC and even seems eager to share truths and information with them, unlike Rakepick. Heck, Peregrine actively wants to put his child in a powerful position as the leader of R. So why is it that Rakepick had at least a few people on her side, while Peregrine has gotten absolutely no one on his side?

Other than the fact that we know he's the R leader, it's also because we have come to a point where sweet behavior is far more supsiscious than rude or snarky behavior. There are some characters who seem nice and present themselves as friendly, but are actually the worst kind of people.

@weasley-adoptee and I have often discussed that we always knew where we stand with Rakepick. We could see some red flags from her since the very beginning, and she never cared to hide them. She didn't lie about who she was. The only thing she lied about was her involvement with R and Jacob. But whether or not she was with R, she neither confirmed it, nor denied it. We always knew she was using us to some extent and she laughed and agreed with us everytime we pointed it out. Like- "Yes I'm definitely using you. You will be used by a lot of people, and you will also use people. You are not a saint, MC."

And let me point out that MC trusted Rakepick just enough where they would share clues with her, seek her advice, and go the directions she pointed them in. I can't say any of us would do that with Peregrine.

The point I'm trying to get at:

Peregrine has put up the mask of the concerned, apologetic, sweet father. He's lying about who he truly is to MC. He is lying to us to an even greater extent than Rakepick. To put it simply, he's lying to us even more than Rakepick ever did.

I'm not saying Rakepick didn't lie. But she never put on a mask. She knew MC thought she was suspicous, but never cared to calrify. We always knew what she was. She only ever had one face, and we knew it since the beginning of Year 4 down to our last meet in Azkaban. Rakepick was trustworthy in the sense that she was untrustworthy and she never even tried to change our mind! We could always trust that we couldn't trust Rakepick and everyone made their peace with that.

I don't know how most people feel about this, but I've noticed that as people meet Peregrine in their games, even those who completely hate Rakepick, feel a little sad for her because she's not only in a beaten down state in Azkaban, but she's also being used as Peregrine's scapegoat so he doesn't have to face the consequences of his actions.

In the wise words of Blair, Peregrine is a comforting lie, while Rakepick is a harsh truth.

My scuffed conclusion because I have a lot of thoughts and I'm having trouble putting them together:

Both of these characters are adults who are "entitled" to recieve respect based on their position.

Rakepick had red flags, yes, enough to start a shop! She was owed respect and trust as our Professor, but never demanded it. We could question her all we wanted and she straight up didn't care. But at least before the Buried Vault, there was always a shred of respect for her in the community. And so in the chapter before the Buried Vault, when she said she could die, MC and we as players legitimately thought whether we were right to be so distrustful her. The answer should have been- "No, we were wrong." but unfortunately Jam City is stupid.

Peregrine, Jesus frickin Christ, has enough red flags to open a whole business. He's asking for the trust he's owed as our father. But the behaviour he exhibits by constantly asking for it makes him even more suspicious. So the more he tries to bond with MC, the less we'll trust him. Because his sweet father facade is bound to break soon if we keep rejecting him. Whereas with Rakepick, we could reject her help and she was just- "Go ahead be my guest. And if you get in trouble, I'll save you I guess."

This is also my PSA about how you are not entitled to the respect of the younger generation just because you are older. You want respect? Earn it.

Thank you for coming to my ramblings. I'm done rambling.

#akemi rants #some ramblings #please give me thoughts #it took me 2 hours to pen this #i tried my best to make sense #hphm peregrine #hphm rakepick #patricia rakepick #hogwarts mystery #hphm #harry potter hogwarts mystery #analysis #or at least my attempt at one

[hoonsangel]

RED:CARD-JAYKI SMAU

pairing: f4!jay x rich!reader x rich!riki

synopsis: Returning to school after a “well deserved” trip, you find a red card waiting for you in your locker setting your entire school against you. All from the one person you thought would always be on your side. Now stuck between two of your closest friends one who suddenly wants nothing to do with you and one who wants to be next to you through it all.

Prologue.

proflies | masterlist | next

Another week, another red card except for this time the F4 of Decelis Academy wasn’t using it on someone specific but the entire school. I’m not sure if the boys were bored with their usual bullying tactics or if someone finally didn’t piss them off for once but one thing was sure they were gonna cause chaos in the only way they knew how—the infamous red card.

You might be wondering “What the hell is a red card?” and “What the hell is an F4?”. Allow me to explain, the F4 are the most self-centered cuntbags you’ll- ok got a bit carried away there sorry… if we're being serious they’re the four richest heirs in the entire world their businesses expand all over check the nearest thing to you it’s sure to be made by one of their businesses if not all of them.

Heeseung, an international playboy, you won’t catch him without a new girl hooked on his arm every other night. He doesn’t do relationships and honestly, no one knows why, but they don’t get the chance to ask because all their words become jumbled in front of him before you can even think to. His family runs deep. No one knows exactly what or where they came from, but some say he’s linked to royalty from the Joseon dynasty.

Jake, the golden retriever of the group ever so loyal. Yes, that might be thanks to his tolerable personality or his possible connections to the mafia, but it’s all hearsay. His family gets their wealth from their many clubs and construction businesses, not sure how the two are connected and honestly never thought to ask... I don't think I want to.

Jay is one of the F4 boys I’m closer to, mostly thanks to the connection our families hold, which made me grow up with him and the boys in a way. Jay’s family holds a different type of wealth from the student body. Running the largest hotel chain across the globe would certainly have that benefit. Looking for places to further expand, when his family saw my family’s prospective and upcoming airline growing with more exposure and expensive clientele, they took interest and became associated with each other fairly quickly since my dad was keen on not conjoining the two companies.

As said, they are the F4 so we can’t forget Mr. Ice cold himself. He hates the nickname, not my fault. It’s what he made every username since he was 5. Sunghoon and Jay’s groups also go hand in hand using a range of hotels to house their sports teams ranging from the NBA to sponsoring the Olympics. It’s almost natural for him to be involved in a sport, but his love for figure skating is unparalleled to any of the many he took up as a child. He dragged us to the ice rink once to “teach” us, yet it was mostly him showing off. I did enjoy my time though and took up skating with him in my free time or when he begged me.

These four are called the F4 or Flower 4 for their wealth and good looks, showing only their best side to the press, therefore earning the title. But as you know, the wealthy must assert dominance and that’s when the red card was made. Getting the red card is practically a free pass to do what and whatever to the person that earned it. The bullying can be severe, although the boys never upfront support it, they don’t do much to stop it. I don’t personally like the method and trust I’ve tried to convince them to stop, to no avail.

Moving on, the F4 are seniors and will finally be leaving the school, which I thought would mean this whole red card nonsense would stop as well, but there was one freshman that just had to stand out, Nishimura Riki. A giant 6ft+ kid coming in with just as much entitlement and playful nature as the F4, which they took a quick liking to. He went from loudly playing his switch in the large and spacious cafeteria to being quickly adopted and picked up by them after choosing to ignore them for animal crossing. You’d imagine my shock seeing him walk to the sitting area as if he’d been there the whole time.

“What am I doing here?” He spoke. I was wondering the same. One second I was peacefully conversing with my group of friends: Jungwon, Sunoo, and Yoon. Usually, Wonyoung would be there but she’s recently been busy modeling and designing. The point is, I was there having a typical day before Jake suddenly appeared by my side with that wide grin you can’t help but love. Then suddenly I feel two hands grab my arms and I’m being dragged from my seat. I don’t even have to wonder who. It’s Hee from the slight squeeze on my arm that he always does to let me know he’s there. That was four months ago. I met this new kid that I have to “teach the ropes” for some reason.

I’ll have to thank them someday for introducing me to one of my closest friends. We quickly clicked, and I forcibly made him meet my friend group, luckily getting along with them. With the exception of Yoon—not because she disliked him, she disliked that he was the sole heir to her least favorite tradition of the school.

F4 wanted Riki to carry on the red card, not sure with what other friends. I’ve seen him talk to others like twice. One being Soul and the other Leeseo Wonyoung’s younger sister nonetheless he had to acquire 3 others to make the future F4 which of course brought a lot of… let’s say ambitious people so he doesn’t let anyone else in choosing to hangout with Jay or me. They’re always stuck together when F4 gets into the universe knows what. Our trio used to hang out frequently but stopped suddenly as Jay was always “too busy” so it’s been Riki and I recently. The red card was also MIA up until now. The first red card in almost a month and it was aimed toward the entire school.

Taglist🔖(open): @sunovrse

#enhypen social media au #enhypen smau #enhypen socmed au #jay x reader #jayki x reader #niki x reader #jay x black reader #niki x black reader #enhypen ambw #kpop ambw #red:card #im like committed now yall and im scared

[project1939]

(General MacArthur gives keynote speech at Republican National Convention top left, Taft supporters top right, Eisenhower supporters middle right, Robert Taft bottom left, Eisenhower bottom right.)

Day 44- TV and Radio: 

TV: 

Pathe Newsreel, “U.S. Republican Convention Begins.” 

Pathe Newsreel, “Ike V. Taft.” 

Pathe Newsreel, “Republicans Nominate Eisenhower.” 

Footage of “Senator Everett Dickson Defending Taft."

Footage of Eisenhower’s acceptance speech, July 11th, 1952. 

Tales of Tomorrow, “Duplicates,” season 1 episode 40, July 4th, 1952. 

The Guiding Light,” July 10th, 1952. 

Radio: 

Coverage of the Republican National Convention- news about the first day and General MacArther’s keynote speech, July 7th, 1952. 

Voice of Firestone, “Dorothy Warenskjold,” July 7th, 1952. 

What can I say about all the convention coverage except that it was fascinating? (Not including General MacArthur’s looong keynote speech! ) The most riveting part was footage of a Senator named Everett Dickson, who was a Taft supporter, imploring the delegates to listen to the committees and vote for Taft. A physical fight broke out on the floor, and someone had to be carried off! People were booing Thomas Dewey, who supported Eisenhower, and booing Senator Dickson himself... it was raucous and amazing. I was under the impression that Ike was always a shoo-in for the nomination, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. 

The other really fascinating part was Eisenhower's acceptance speech. He spoke the quote I listed in my previous post about aiming to “give our country a program of progressive policies in our finest Republican Traditions.” He also declared that Richard Nixon, the running mate the committee chose for him, had “a special ability to ferret out any kind of subversive influence wherever it may be found, and the strength and persistence to get rid of it.” Ummm... yeah, that was kind of his problem, Ike.

I also must mention that General MacArthur said this in his speech: "The framers of the constitution were the most liberal thinkers of all the ages." !!!! What has happened to this party in the last 70 years? Now the Republicans are trying to convince us that the American Revolution was a "conservative revolution," and Enlightenment thinking had nothing to do with it. Seriously.

In non-political programs... Voice of Firestone was basically just an M.C. announcing songs sung by soprano Dorothy Warenskjold and the NBC orchestra. It was enjoyable to listen to, as something different. The Guiding Light was less than 15 minutes with liberal amounts of commercials for soap and Crisco. The “action” in it was pretty boring. One woman announced she was leaving NY to go to California, and a husband and wife argued about the baby while the husband played chess with his father! Tales of Tomorrow was especially brilliant, and it only made me fall in love with the show even more. A man is given a special mission by the government to go to a planet where everything has an exact duplicate to this one, down to the molecule... 

...And now a word from today’s best sponsor: Crisco! It’s digestible! Why use boring old natural fats when “sweet and fresh tasting” trans fats are just waiting for you in a can? Foods fried in light and tender Crisco are really digestible! Why, even doctors say they’re easier to digest! Finally, there’s a fat that lets the pure natural flavor of your foods shine through, using only the most processed unnatural chemically altered fat you can buy! And, hey, let’s just say once more that it’s digestible, because we seem to think that’s really important for you to hear! 

#project1952 #1952 #project1952 day 44

[drugstorecowgirl1]

My day yesterday/today morning

Yesterday I went alone into the city with the original intention of seeing a small exhibit in a gallery and then going to an art store (Blick) to get a specific colored pencil I needed. Once there I discovered numerous art galleries in the same area, and ended up buying a few colors (they didn't have the one I came for). The traffic to go home was really bad so I decided to stay longer and go to the beach. While walking the shore I felt underwhelmed/bored and bitter about being alone. Since I've upped my anti-depressants there's kind of a cap on how low I can get (which is necessary because I can get dangerously, suicidally low). So I wasn't in searing pain, more of just a restless, bored feeling. I wasn't particularly lonely, I just dully longed for someone to be there with me. The landscape of like 50 ft of barren empty beach all around me, only interrupted by single figures with like 50 ft of empty sand all around them, seemed to personify my sentiment.

Then on my search of a restaurant for dinner, a guy hit on me. He seemed to be quite a bit older and gave me a sickly (but exhilarating) feeling. Still I turned him down and walked away. As I walked away from him down the street I started falling into those familiar cyclical thoughts of you're not in a position to say no to anyone, what if you just missed a great opportunity, you're gonna b alone forevs etc. I immediately wanted to get in my car and drive home because I was so shaken. And then I thought this is what you always fricken do, so why not do something different. Then I took myself out to eat at a Mexican place. I sat alone at the bar which was a heavily trafficked area for waiters and chefs. I felt a bit weary of what they must have thought of me, but the food was good.

I drove home through the canyon, a different more scenic route than I usually take. While navigating it's winding road, I had a sensation that god existed and that it was all I needed. That I could find my salvation in it. (I though maybe that had to do with my eyes moving back and forth which EMDR has shown does something to brain processing).

When I got home I had a stomach ache, so I lied in bed reading, which felt restful. I noticed as I was reading that my fingers were scratching at each other. I realized that I was still feeling restless. I woke up in the middle of the night unable to sleep and eventually decided to just go work on my art. While drawing I thought of the faces I'd seen in the city; the bored, restless employee who helped me at the art store who was just about to finish his shift, the eyes of the man selling me fruit, the cobalt eyeliner of the hostess at the restaurant. When I went back to sleep I dreamt of old housemates, rescuing dogs, and climbing a beautiful and steep mountain.

This morning I drank my coffee and had a peaceful chat with my dad, which is rare. I was in a tired, passive kind of mood so I sat down at the kitchen table and let him lecture me about stuff (and ask me a few questions). He didn't bring up anything too sensitive so it was fine. I took my dog to the wide, hilly, grassy park, feeling restless about not having anyone there to flirt with. As much as I love that place because it's wide and open and makes my dog happy, it does trigger longings. I'm still gonna go tho tbh.

Feeling like shit, I sat down with my sponsor (over zoom) to have our little weekly checkin and work the steps. I politely let her know about a qualm I had with her, and it went well although she said that she doesn't know if she can change her ways. Then we did our stuff and I felt so much relief afterwards that I actually had an appetite. As much as she pisses me off sometimes, she also sometimes just gets it like she is me. I felt heard and understood and just, good. The restlessness, at least for a moment, dissipated.

Now I'm gonna nap and hopefully get some work done, which I feel anxious about not being able to finish.

[hey-kae]

always the ranting italian anon (sorry i really enjoy talking 💀)

personally i feel like that pirelli didn't mean to help red bull specifically, they just changed the compounds so the teams in general would stop complaining. in the end it ended up helping red bull especially bc of the skyrocket they put out as a car. also i feel like races this year are more boring in a sense compared to previous years bc the harder they are the longer they last, so teams have to make less "extreme" calls and sometimes overcuts and undercuts don't even work anymore. medium tyres aren't supposed to last for almost an entire race, but then you had verstappen's stint on medium in miami and i was just like "fuck off" (in an annoyed way, not at him). i (again, personally) believe that if pirelli stood their ground in 2021 maybe we'd also have more exciting races bc overcuts/undercuts would still be as effective and, currently, they're not. also i'm not saying the entire "fault" lies on pirelli, bc we all know it's also the fia's fault for changing regulations during the season (ie: the dt39 last year to change the floors, which killed ferrari [also their own fault for relying on a gray zone]).

and for ferrari... i love them but i also hate them but i love them 😭 like here you get feed ferrari shit everywhere. after every race you get a part of the tv news dedicated to how f1 went and how good/bad ferrari did. also living in the same region as them means that i get to see ferrari's flags hanging from balconies and such. like i love this team, i grew up cheering for them and my family loving schumacher, but if they don't start changing mentality and stop money and sponsors influence them so much nothing will change for the better. charles is currently our only hope and they better not throw him away like that, bc i'm sure that if he ends up in a top team he's going to win and it'll hurt twice as much

No please i enjoy talkingg too you can definitely keep talking to me on here i love it🫶🏻

I definitely see where you’re coming from. I also agree that raising the floors messed up ferrari’s performance and not by little (thank you toto🙂)

Personally i just don’t get changing regulations because a few teams are complaining like that’s literally not fair to the ones that weren’t.

But i also feel like ferrari fucked up their chances of bouncing back with upgrades that really didn’t do enough and the strategy fiascos (not mentioning reliability here as well)

It was really weird a few races ago when haas (i don’t remember which driver) and esteban only pitted cause they have to not cause they needed it. Like the tires lasted a whole race?!?

And honestly i feel for you being fed ferrari news, especially during seasons like this one. Here, motorsport isn’t too big so we get like a few seconds recap of who won the f1 race and if anything special happened (longest time they spoke was Australia this year😭) and sometimes I still tell the tv to fuck off.

(They also say vershtappen instead of verstappen and now im confused if that’s how it’s pronounced 😂)

Listening to how the race went afterwards feels like rubbing salt in the wound sometimes so imagine how sick of it you must get when it’s bad news but i also imagine it’s awesome to live there when they’re doing well maybe after wins. Ferrari seems so special to italy and i feel like even now, I don’t fully understand they extent that italians are willing to go for this team so I imagine it’s really a whole different vibe when they’re winning.

Also, the money and sponsors thing. I’d love to hear your opinion on the sabotage conspiracies as i feel they’re getting so much attention right now and idk what to believe (im really not hating on carlos or saying anything is his fault before anyone comes at me😭)

It will also definitely hurt to see Charles only being able to win with other teams which is why i always go back to being delusional as soon as a slight positive happens like in canada

#asks

[bethestaryouareradio]

The Gift of You!

Celebrating Giving

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“It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.”~  F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Have you ever stopped to contemplate the importance of your smile? When we walk down the street and smile at a stranger, we give the gift of recognition. A smile says “I see you” and every person desires to be seen. As humans, we want to be appreciated and acknowledged. Smiling costs us nothing yet it offers innumerable value to the recipient. We never know what is transpiring in the life of another person. Your smile could be life saving.

This holiday season as we write checks to donate to causes dear to our heart, I encourage you to also give the gift of a smile to everyone you encounter. You will feel empowered and you will shine a light on the soul of another.

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Do you have five minutes….

by Shubham Acharya

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Folks, can you think of an entity that is both easy to come-by and very hard to find at the same time? It's time, my friends. So why talk about time when talking about giving back to society? The answer lies in the inherent value of time. Time is the most precious resource that an individual can contribute to any worthy cause or person.

               This philosophy of donating time to people in need forms the bedrock of human culture. Both in moments of joy and sorrow, we look to share our feelings with others.

               Moreover, the scale does not matter. What matters is the gesture itself. Taking the time to listen to someone's problems and offer a shoulder to cry on relieves some of their pain and replaces it with peace. If you manage to do this with just one person a day, you have made the world a little more emphatic. So, giving back to society does not have to involve grand gestures and major financial commitments; it can simply be achieved by devoting a little time and effort to being emotionally available.

Shubham Acharya is a Be the Star You Are!® volunteer in Mumbai, India who believes strongly in women’s empowerment and children’s literacy. Shubbam writes: “My mother was a teacher in a government sponsored school in one of the poorest localities in my area, so I grew up very aware of the importance of education and literacy in changing people’s lives. Having said this, I fell in love with the Be the Star You are!® motto ‘To be a leader, you must be a READER’.”

The Gift of Friendship

By Karen Kitchel

Not all gifts come wrapped in shiny paper with a bow on top. When we think about a time we’ve felt real joy or comfort, it was often because someone had given us the gift of friendship. It’s not the number of years we’ve known them. It’s the feeling we get when they cross our minds.

During the last year, many of us have turned to those special folks for both support and laughter. It would be easy to take these kind souls for granted, but they deserve so much more.

Let us all take a moment now to speak the names of those whom we consider to be our friend and give thanks for the gift of their presence in our life.

Karen Kitchel who penned two chapters in the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World, is the Kindness Coordinator volunteer with BTSYA. She serves meals to the homeless and is a volunteer teacher, writer, job coach, and mentor. www.scatteringkindness.com

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[moments-condoms]

Where’d They Go? Who cares? You’ll never know. That’s Ghosting. Let’s get totally transparent about ghosting culture. It’s become normal, and left us a little broken or perplexed, but who’s to blame? Why do we care?

How you do anything, is how you do everything so when the culture of Ghosting really took hold, I delved into who’s to blame? The chapter in this explores tech giants and how we are programmed into “blocking”, “deleting”, “unfriending”, “scrolling on” behaviour.

We’ve all had an experience where someone you’re chatting to, just vanishes into thin air, without explanation. ‘Where’d They Go? Bringing light to Ghosting Culture, is my 9th book, proudly sponsored by Moments, and I partnered with the female empowerment brand because when your ghoster submarines you because they’ve resurfaced, you might need to remember that safe times are good times.

Moments is a movement. It’s been encouraging us for years to take charge and be safe.

This in turn, translates into how we interact in real life. It can also have an effect on how we share our sacred space. Being protected and prepared is a must. How we interact or date and which red flags we ignore will set the tone for our self respect in intimacy. How can you relax and really take charge unless you know you don’t have any problems to think about when the moment is done?

When Casper returns to haunt, just remember that the choices you make today, affect your life tomorrow. Besides safety, get into a sweaty palmed conversation too. We are all only one sweaty palmed conversation away from all finding love. My 9th health title explores a light and insightful look on a serious mental health subject.

Being ghosted can leave you feeling lost, low self worth and low self esteem, which is exactly why I felt compelled to write “Where’d They Go?” Are we well equipped to be able to communicate well? Is the other person combative and therefore Ghosting is best because they won’t be open to resolution and surrendering to your choice to end things?

Try to be light in your dealings with communication. You might want to text your ‘ghoster’ a message letting them know you’re cool with whatever they want to share. Or for ego’s sake you could say, “I thought Casper was supposed to be friendly?” Or “this is Boo-Sheet”!

How we leave someone says a lot about who we are. Sometimes Ghosting is good. You may be being disrespected or unsafe. However whatever your decision, if your lover comes back to haunt, it’s your opportunity to get transparent!

Orbiting is another term used when your ghoster hovers over you, watching your every move on social media. You thought they blocked you but now you find them watching your stories. There’s many reasons they’ll orbit. Perhaps they want to get a reaction from you, perhaps they really do care or maybe they accidentally pressed the circle and it let to the next and they accidentally watched your story. The key is to care less. You’re too busy living your inspired destiny to notice!

Andi Lew appears on several US and Australian TV shows and hosts her own live streaming Wellness Show with Kalkine Media.

You can also ready the other blog by Andi Lew — Who carries Protection?

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#moments #momentscondoms #australia #condoms #condomsaustralia #australian #ghosting

[septembercfawkes]

Sanderson’s Character Scales

Hey everyone, today I'm here to share a perspective on characters that comes from #1 New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson. I love learning from Sanderson because he's prolific, experienced, and successful (Wheel of Time, Mistborn, The Way of Kings . . .). I also love learning from him because he shares concepts and techniques that I have found nowhere else. Lately, one of his concepts has been revisiting my mind--his character scales.

So in this post, I'm going to explain what they are and how they work, while sharing my own ideas and interpretations along the way. Let's dig in!

Brandon Sanderson's Character Scales

When it comes to characters, Sanderson envisions that each one has three "scales" or "dials." Basically, these are three different components that make a character interesting to the audience. They are . . .

1. Likeability--how much the audience likes, empathizes with, or relates to the character

2. Competence--how skilled the character is (this often appeals to the audience through wish-fulfillment)

3. Proactivity--how motivated and proactive the character is (when the character has a significant goal and is taking action to reach it, the audience becomes invested in their journey)

These aren't either/or attributes, but spectrums.

For example, we could say that each category can be measured from 1 - 10, one meaning the character scores very low in that category and ten meaning he or she scores very high in that category.

In BBC's Sherlock, Sherlock scores high in competence and proactivity--he loves solving cases and he's very good at it. In those categories, he may be an eight or nine. But when it comes to likeability, he scores lower--he's a sociopath who can be a real jerk to people. In that category, he may be a three or four.

In contrast, Katniss from The Hunger Games is quite likeable (she volunteers herself) and competent (have you seen her shoot arrows?), but in regards to the real antagonist, she's rather passive. She doesn't really believe Panem can change. And for most of the series, she's actually not very interested in defeating the government. However, by the end of the series, this is her primary goal. She grows in proactivity.

It's possible to have a protagonist score low in two of the three. Harry Potter is likeable, but he's not very competent or proactive when it comes to dealing with his problems. Through his journey at Hogwarts, he becomes more competent and more proactive.

Before we continue, there are a few points I need to make.

- The likeability scale is based on how the audience feels about the character, not necessarily how other characters feel about the character. You may have a character that no one seems to like (such as Harry), but the audience still likes, so he may score high there. Likeability typically relates to how the character treats others (petting the dog), is treated (usually unfairly), or how similar he is to the audience (relatability).

- Competence can be measured a few different ways. It might be something like learning magic or shooting a bow, but it may also be something more subtle, like being a skilled negotiator or a born leader or having a silver tongue. A character may be competent in more than one thing, of course, but often this category relates to skills used in the plot. For example, if Katniss is really great at card games, that's not really related to competing in the Hunger Games, so she might as well not be great at card games--it doesn't matter, because it's not pertinent.

- "Proactivity" is always a term I hesitate using in the writing world because it actually means slightly different things depending on how you apply it. Structurally speaking, a protagonist must be proactive to have a great story. The protagonist has to do things to make plot happen. The protagonist has to do things to make story structure work. But characteristically speaking, a protagonist can be innately passive--meaning he or she has no real desire to move forward in the story, but is forced to because of the stakes. For example, Shrek really has no desire to save a princess, but if he doesn't rescue a princess, then he'll lose his swamp (stakes). He doesn't care about Fiona, he just wants to not lose something. This is what Sanderson's proactivity category is about--character not structure. To learn more about characteristically passive protagonists, check out "Getting Passive Protagonists to Act."

The character scales are not restricted to protagonists. They can be applied to any character to get a better understanding of him or her. For example, John Watson scores high on being likeable--he's probably the most relatable character in Sherlock. But he's lower in proactivity (sometimes he wants to have a normal life) and competence than Sherlock (which is why he works well as Sherlock's Influence Character).

In The Hunger Games, Peeta is decently high in likeability and proactivity (early on he says he doesn't want to be a piece in the Games, he wants to show the Capitol they can't control him), but he's not particularly competent within the context of the plot (the Games). (However, one may argue that his likeability helps him in that he's more likely to get sponsors.)

Let's round out our examples, shall we? In Harry Potter, Hermione starts off as rather competent and proactive--she's doing everything she can to learn magic. But as a bossy know-it-all, she's not very likeable. By the end, she becomes more likeable.

Most characters will start with one or two categories high and one or two categories low.

For example, in the Farm Boy trope, the character is usually low in (pertinent) competence, higher in likeability, and maybe in the middle (a five) for proactivity (generally speaking).

Villains will often be low in likeability, high in competence, and high in proactivity (generally speaking).

Positive steadfast protagonists are often high in likeability (unless the author is making it too easy to be good, in which case, they get annoying) and usually lower in proactivity (the reluctant hero, if you will). Often they are fairly competent (generally speaking).

With that said, it's not impossible to have a character start with all high (like perhaps classic Superman) or all low, but the more focal that character, the more difficult that character will probably be to write, in a satisfying way. It can be done--for example, Leia in the original Star Wars scores rather high in all three categories--but it can be challenging. (I've heard plenty of people and writers complain about how difficult it is to write an excellent Superman movie.)

It's also possible to write characters who are about average in everything--but still, usually not as interesting.

If you start looking around at characters, you'll almost always find them to be high in one or two and low in one or two.

So, what is the point of all this? Well, a few actually.

One, with these scales, you can get an idea of how interested the audience will be in the character. If your protagonist is a jerk, and you are worried about it, you can bump up the other two to help compensate, a la Sherlock. You can also make sure to emphasize the other two more than the low likeability. You can check to make sure you aren't trying to write a "Super" man--unless, of course, that's the point. And you can make sure you aren't trying to write someone who isn't that interesting--someone who scores low in all three.

Two, using these scales to measure your characters can give you a sense of how your cast functions. Sherlock and John pair well together because they are opposites in likeability. They are also sometimes opposites in proactivity. Same goes for Katniss and Peeta, and Harry and Hermione.

However, this is not to say you can't have characters together who are close to the same--like Harry and Ron. But when that happens, often, the two are more likely to function as a unit. Harry and Ron are both learning to be more competent and proactive together (and thanks to the help of Hermione).

You can also find interesting combinations, like pitting a very competent and proactive antagonist against a passive, incompetent protagonist. Or what about a likeable antagonist and unlikeable protagonist?

It's just another way to gauge and measure. In one of my WIPs, each of my trio members is low in a different category, and I feel like that brings a sense of balance to my cast.

Three, the scales can give you an idea of how a character may grow or regress through the story. By the end of Sherlock, Sherlock becomes more likeable. By the end of Harry Potter, Harry becomes more competent and proactive. By the end of Hunger Games, Katniss becomes more proactive.

It's also possible to slide down. Anakin becomes less likeable (and yet, more competent) as he becomes Darth Vader.

And you can slide a character one way through the middle and back by the end. In Sam Raimi's Spider-man 2. Peter Parker slides down in competence through the middle, as he loses his powers, but regains them by the end.

In a sense, you may say that moving a character through these categories is a sort of character arc. After all, technically, a character arc just means that a character grows or changes (or . . . maybe doesn't). But I wouldn't say this is the same as The Character Arc--which is thematic. The Character Arc is about worldviews and value systems. It's about Harry learning love is the most powerful force. It's not about Harry learning to do magic or sticking up for himself. Those may be "character arcs" but they aren't The Character Arc (if you get me)--that's how I look at it.

However, these scale "character arcs" may play into The Character Arc. Sherlock's Character Arc is about valuing emotion and social relationships, which feeds into the theme of the whole series. So surely, growing in likeability--starting as a jerk and ending as a caring friend--connects into that.

In short, while moving along these scales may be thematic, it's not necessarily directly thematic. It may be part of The Character Arc, but it isn't exactly the same thing.

I believe these scales can be particularly useful for steadfast characters, as it gives them more motion, without compromising their steadfastness. This helps keep them from feeling stagnant.

For example, in a show I recently watched, the positive steadfast protagonist holds the correct worldview in the beginning, is tested to his breaking point in the middle, and proves his belief true at the end.

However, in the process, he must move from being passive to proactive. He doesn't really want to deal with the antagonist--he is only dragged into the story by high stakes. In the second half of the middle, he struggles with trying to be proactive. At the end, he completes a "character arc" by initiating the final confrontation with the antagonist.

In this sense, a character may have multiple character arcs. And heck, if you have more than one theme in the story, he or she may have multiple thematic arcs--which we'll talk about on a future day.

For now, I hope you find Sanderson's scales useful to you.

You can hear Sanderson talk about the scales himself, in his Youtube lecture on characters.

#writing tips #writing tips and tricks #writeblr #writing charcaters #writing reference #fanfiction #writer #editor

[arcanewhoosh]

Run

So I've decided to make Partners in Crime a multichapter story. Here you go, also on AO3

3ksomething words

TW: implications of alcohol abuse, past bullying

English not first language

Guess whose song was used for this

A good while after Jayce and Mel's party, you once again find yourself alone and feeling out of place at.... Jayce and Mel's party?

"Okay, so why do we have to be here for this?" You ask, opening the door to Jayce's SUV. The latter hops into the front seat, with Viktor riding shotgun.

He had invited you and Viktor to a "casual lunch" with Mel's family. Normally, you wouldn't ask questions, but you knew something was up the second he mentioned the word casual. Cause let's face it, the Medarda's don't know how to do casual.

"Because, it's gonna be all those fancy people there and I don't wanna feel out of place."

"You do realize you're talking about your wife's relatives, yes?"

"Technically, his relatives, Viktor."

Viktor shakes his head. "Makes it even worse."

"Okay, can you two cool it and put on your seatbelts? I can still barely make conversation with most of them, at least if I talk about Hextech I'll have you two to talk about it with me." You huff and flop back on the seat, looking out the window at the streets of Piltover.

The City of Progress, it was called. You had to admit, it really was. The insane amount of investments that were poured into research was the city's main attraction. This was where hopeful scientists, inventors, and innovators from all over the country would go to to make their nerdy dreams come true. Sure, the question of ethics was the base argument for all the scrutiny the city would get, but no one could argue with the results that came forth from the city's projects. And it's not like the national government was going to intervene if Piltover made them more shiny things to show off. For example, Hextech, the little tiny balls you three nerds were developing.

As shiny and neat Piltover was, however, you'd have to kill to get into one of the sponsored programs they had. Anyone who wasn't scouted by a company, or sponsored by the council, would have to just deal with the fact that they weren't going to survive in the city. Not in the science industry, at least. You should know, you were a Zaunite with a record that got here purely out of luck because Jayce had met you. If he hadn't, you would've been kicked out and shunned for sure.

"Isn't Cait going to be there? Why not talk with her?" You ask, looking back at Jayce.

"Because Cait is fancy enough to know what the fancy people are talking about."

"Suffering through it with her beats going there with your friends from work." "Okay, first, friends that are also my coworkers. Second, she's probably bringing Vi so There's already someone that's gonna need her help navigating fancy talk."

"Vi? Isn't that the one who isn't fond of the two of you?" Viktor leans over to look at you. You groan.

"That's one way of putting it."

Jayce taps his fingers on the steering wheel. "Well, she isn't the biggest fan of me either, so we have that, at least. She loves you though, Viktor."

"Must be the Zaun charm."

"I'm from Zaun, too Viktor."

"You didn't get the Zaun charm apparently."

"Haha." You say, lightly kicking Viktor's seat.

"Hey! Watch the seats." Jayce glares at you from the rearview mirror. You make a face at him.

"Sorry not sorry."

"Look." Jayce sighs, "It's just a quick party with a bunch of rich people. You two can stay three hours and then leave if you want, but Mel was really looking forward to spending time with you two."

"You can't keep using the wife card, Jayce." Viktordeadpans.

"Hey, I'm being honest, Mel loves you two. Especially you; you think she uses her influence to seal people's records for kicks?"

You let out a breath. "No.…Yeah, okay she loves us. "

"Did we really have to go there still in our work uniforms, though?"

"Thank you, Viktor! Yeah, Jayce, why are we going to a fancy party in uniforms?"

"Because we wear ties on our uniforms and that's semi-formal enough."

Viktor looks around at the both of you. "Don't you think it's a bit, say, cheesy? Corny? Showing up there with the three of us matching?"

"I can fix that." You say as you take off your tie and unbutton two buttons on your shirt. "Done."

"Technically it's two of us wearing uniforms, because someone would rather wear zip up sweater vests instead of the actual vests on the uniform."

"Don't forget the sneakers-"

"Thank you, Viktor." Jayce says. You can see him rolling his eyes from the rearview mirror.

"What can I say, I'm a rebel." You grin.

"Plus, I have a coat in the back, you can just take off your vest and put it on then, boom! New outfit."

"If you say so." Viktor says, raising a dubious eyebrow at Jayce before turning to look out the window, trying to make out where you currently were. "Where is this place, anyway? I've never heard of it."

"Oh, it's a small place leading up to the lake. Just big enough for a Medarda family reunion."

You snort. "Maybe Jayce has gotten tired of us and is actually gonna take us out to the forest to murder us."

"You could've just fired us Jayce."

"Trust me. I'm tempted."

"Jayce you fucking liar."

"I don't recall lying."

"I'm going to have to disagree with you Jayce. You definitely lied."

"I did not."

You lean over to the front seats of the car. "There was a huge gate Jayce."

"There was." Viktor nods.

"And look! It's a long ass road with Acacia trees trimmed so the branches are hanging over the road." The trees were one thing, but the string lights hung along the branches was the icing on the cake. You're convinced the Medarda's are on a different level of existence from the rest of the unworthy population.

"So?"

"That's some rich people shit."

Viktor nods again. "Eat the rich."

"Yeah, eat the rich." You say as you pat Viktor's shoulder. "…Except Mel, she's fine."

"What about Jayce? He's rich."

"Hmmmm. No. but only cause I think he tastes dank."

"Agreed."

"I'm literally right here."

"We know Jayce." You and Viktor say in unison.

Eventually Jayce makes a turn and the paved road gives way to a dirt one. The acacia trees adorning the road give way to a huge clearing, a handful of notably sizeable houses-mansions- sat at various parts of the clearing, a few trees here and there surrounded some of the houses and the road. You were all sill a bit away, but you could make an educated guess that the house with the Greek pillars was the Medarda house. Also there were a bunch of parked cars on one side of it's lot.

As soon as the car stops you hop out and stretch your arms. The trip wasn't that long, but it had taken longer than you had anticipated. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that you never asked Jayce where this lunch was going to be, so you assumed you'd all go to a local restaurant in the city. You certainly weren't expecting the lake, and definitely not the mansion in the gated community.

"You actually live here?" You ask, gaping at the size of the place. The place was adorned with pillars wherever they could shove them. At the front of the house was a rotunda with an assortment of flowers and a small fountain in the middle. You had to take a few steps up some stairs before you could reach the front door, where you just knew there was probably a butler or an usher waiting.

"I could never, this is Mel's uncle's house." Jayce responds, walking up next to you and also gawking at the mansion. Viktor follows suit, patting down the coat Jayce had lent him.

"Well, you're sorely underdressed." He says, pointing at your half-zipped sweater vest and sneakers.

"You know what , Viktor?" You start. "I just might be."

You were, you really, really were.

Most of the people there were wearing old-money, taking my yacht out on the lake, type outfits. But, on the flip side, if you played your cards right, you could pass off as an old-money zillenial that wanted to dress trendy. Except you weren't old money, or trendy, but you were a zillenial.

Jayce told you and Viktor to grab food or drinks while went off to rescue Mel from her relatives, and that they'd be back in a jiffy. You were fine with it, cause you still had Viktor, but unfortunately, he was swept up by a bunch of people. Could you blame them though? Look at that man. So, with you once again feeling a bit left out at a party, you take a glass of water and try to stick to places where there weren't much people. The balcony overlooking the lake seemed like a good idea, it was a bit windy, so people were generally avoiding it. God forbid the breeze ruin their carefully groomed hair.

Your plan was working pretty well. Minimum contact with people, and if there were people that approached you they were either topping up your drink, offering hors d'oeuvres, or making idle small talk about the party and who you were with before going back inside. The best part? There was a very good chance Vi wouldn't walk out here for fear of being separated from her girlfriend and getting lost in the fancy people. You sit back on the bench you find and let the breeze ruin your hair. The good thing about having messy hair is that people wouldn't be able to tell if it was messy or if it was intentional.

You look at your watch. An astounding forty-five minutes had passed. Two hours and fifteen minutes until you could leave. That was fine, enough time for Jayce or Viktor to find you so you could all have a nice chat with Mel. Maybe you'd suffer through talking to her relatives-seriously the way Jayce describes it, it was like torture- then you get to go home to your bed and sleep until Monday came around.

"Uhm, excuse me." You look up to see one of the wait staff awkwardly standing next to you.

"…..Can I help you?" The woman looks around, before looking back at you, seemingly confused. She stares at you for another second before handing you a piece of paper.

"Someone asked me to give this to you. That's all I'm supposed to say, sorry." She says shrugging, before turning around and heading back inside.

You stare at here until she disappears back into the party, just a teeny bit suspicious that Jayce was playing a prank on you. But then you realize that he didn't have the guts to pull something at a Medarda family event. So with a huff, you look at the piece of paper in your hand.

There wasn't anything special about it, looked like a piece of paper torn from a ruled notebook, all crumpled up. Your nose wrinkles a bit at the crudeness, but you shrug and unfurl it, reading what was written on it.

One hour, by the glass doors facing the lake. I'll wait for you. P.S. DO NOT be late

You blink. Then, blink again.

You don't know what sounds more ridiculous. The fact that someone had a note handed to you, or the fact that the handwriting on the note unmistakably belongs to a certain blue haired chaotic genius, and that she had the note handed to you.

Instead of giving the thought any more of your time, you stand up and walk back inside; partly looking for Jayce or Viktor, mostly trying to find Jinx. How hard could she be to find? She sticks out like a sore thumb wherever she goes, and she would never agree to dress anything remotely like the people here. You start wandering around aimlessly, becoming increasingly flabbergasted by the fact that you couldn't find Jinx in a sea of posh, old money, dressed people.

It had been a month or two since you last saw her. Not because you were avoiding her, it was just that the both of you had jobs that required most of your attention. You texted each other every now and again, but your conflicting schedules prevented you from making any plans. You were fine with it, though. Though the two of you had that talk and then left Jayce and Mel's party to buy burgers and french fries at an ungodly hour at night, you were cautious, and she was too. There was comfort, but not the same comfort that was there eight years ago.

You found out that she was able to land a full ride scholarship at the university in the city where she went to juvie for. Apparently, they had a few classes they could take and a professor saw how stupidly smart she was, and was able to get her an application there. It was a really good school, too. You made fun of her for being an ivy league prude, to which she responded by throwing a french fry at you. You caught the french fry with your mouth.

She was now a fully licensed chemical engineer working for a huge engineering firm and she was working on her Master's. She lived at an obscenely fancy apartment building; you remember gawking at the place when you dropped her off. "Company provided shit." She had said. You asked Jayce for a fancy apartment a few days after that; he gave you a brochure for a high rise condo in the 90s.

You're brought out of your musings when you see a flash of blue, at least you think you did, you're not sure, in was in another room. Maybe it wasn't her? Fuck it, you start speed walking to the next room to try see if Jinx was there, half excited and half terrified. You don't know why you were half terrified, but you push the thought at the back of your mind and keep walking.

Straight into the person that you least wanted to interact with.

You let out a surprised "oof!" as your shoulder collides with hers; she doesn't seem to budge at all, which was to be expected, she was practically built like a brick wall.

"Oh! sorr- Oh." The split second of surprise and sincerity in what would have been an apology quickly fade into disappointment. On one hand, ouch, on the other, you kind of expected it.

"Hey, Vi."

"Hi." She says flatly, crossing her arms. "So I'm guessing Jayce brought you here?"

"Yeah..." You say, feeling a little awkward. Your eyes shift a bit behind her, and you see Cait, Jayce, and Mel talking to each other.

"So-" You start, but Vi has already started walking again, her back already turned to you. You sigh, and walk towards the trio, realizing that the flash of blue you saw was probably Cait.

"There you are!" You hear Mel say. You give them a small smile and nod your head as you approach. Jayce's eyes meets yours, then spots Vi walking away, then flit back to you. You give him a shrug, and he gives what you believe is a look of understanding, or pity, you're not sure.

"How's my favorite Hextech scientist?" Mel says. Jayce looks slightly offended.

"Hey-"

"Oh hush, you know what I meant." You let out a chuckle, feeling just a tad bit better. Cait looks at you and gives you a curt nod.

"Caitlyn, right?" You reach out a hand, and she takes it. "I'm guessing you're Jayce and Viktor's only employee?"

"I prefer being called their favorite, I'm also always the employee of the month." Jayce rolls his eyes, but then blinks and looks around, confused.

"Where's Viktor?"

"I don't know, he got swept up by a group of people earlier."

"Well, Godspeed to him, then." Caitlyn says, taking a sip of a bubbly drink. You guess it's champagne.

"Tell me about it, I spent an hour and a half out on the balcony."

"Not much of a drinker?" She asks looking pointedly at your glass of water. Mel and Jayce immediately look at you, with Cait suddenly sensing that she may have asked something inappropriate.

"Uhm, no. I'm sober, actually." Cait's eyes go wide, and before she can utter an apology, you put a hand up to stop her. "It's okay, you didn't know." Jayce walks over to you and Cait and clasps both of you on the shoulders.

"Right, have you two gotten a tour of this place yet?"

You groan. "No, please I feel like we'll get lost."

"We'll be fine."

"I'm inclined to agree with you friend there, Jayce. Unless it's Mel giving the tour." Cait adds, Mel hums in agreement. Jayce deflates a bit, so you give him a supportive pat on the back before checking your watch.

"Uh oh." The other three give you a curious look. You however, are still looking at your watch, making sure you did the math right. The note said an hour, you were on the balcony another fifteen minutes before getting up to look for Jinx. Did that really take over an hour?

"I uh, I gotta go for a bit." You begin to walk away before turning back to the three. "Where're the glass doors facing the lake?"

"There's two of them, love." You groan at Mel's words. Of course there were two different doors.

"Okay, where are the two doors?"

You waited fifteen minutes at the other door before running to the other. You texted her of course, you texted her the second you got to the first door, but she didn't text back. You also called her, no dice. Do not be late your ass. You were well over half an hour late, you just hope Jinx, if this was actually Jinx, doesn't get upset over this. She had the worst insecurity about people faking being friends with her and inviting her out only to stand her up as a prank. Kids were brutal.

A few minutes pass by and you start to think that Jinx probably got tired of waiting. Guilt slowly creeping up as you looked around to try and spot her. You sigh, and take your phone out. It was worth calling her again, and if she didn't pick up, well, then you'd have to ambush her at her place to apologize.

Just as you were about to hit dial, you get grabbed by the collar and dragged out the door.

"Run!"

"Huh?"

"Just run!"

You almost stumble, but you catch your footing just in time to see Jinx go from pulling at you collar to dragging you by your sleeve. The both of you start running down a few steps, and Jinx skips over the last three steps, still holding onto you. You jump over the steps and thankfully land safely; if by safely you meant immediately getting dragged forward. Getting tired or being dragged forward, you match Jinx's pace and run next to her. From this point of view, you spot her holding a bottle and two glasses. She shoves the bottle at your chest, still running to god knows where.

"Why are we running?!" You ask, shouting a bit. You hadn't run like this in a while, and you were starting to lose your breath.

"It's a race!" She says, not bothering to look at you. She starts to pick up speed, and you try to keep up.

A wave of nostalgia hits you. You used to do this with everyone back when you were kids. One of you would suddenly have this look on their face, and the second you all noticed, everyone would start running. It didn't matter where you all were, you just did it. Somehow, all you managed to run in the same direction despite the fact that there was no prior communication as to where the finish line was. You didn't like to brag, but you were easily the fastest. Sure, you weren't smarter than Jinx or stronger than Vi, but you were fast. Hell, way faster than Vi even.

It was nice, picturing everyone around you running, but now things were serious, and Jinx was gonna get her ass kicked.

Despite the fact that your lungs were screaming at you to stop, you kick at the ground faster, easily catching up to Jinx. She turns to face you, a wide grin on her face. You mirror her grin, before giving her a wink and running ahead of her.

"Cheater!" She shouts, but there's no malice in her tone.

"Pretend Sevika is running after you!" You shout behind you. You keep running, but you slow down just a tad bit, because the ground starts to slope down the closer you get to the lake. You spot a large rock just before you get to the shore, and you double down and bolt towards it.

You reach it in record time, and you're barely able to set the bottle down carefully before you fall on your ass. Your legs were burning like crazy. Before you're able to catch your breath, however, you get tackled from behind, making you lurch forward and faceplant into the grass.

You hear laughing from behind you as you push yourself up, spitting out grass in the process. Jinx was on her back, sprawled out on the grass, the two glasses she was carrying miraculously still intact even after she tackled you. You give her an incredulous look, getting ready to say something snarky as retaliation. But the words proceed to get stuck in your throat, cause holy shit she looked beautiful. Either that, or you hit your head on the ground too hard and you were starting to feel the effects of a concussion. You decide that you'd rather it was the former, and a dumb idea gets into your head.

You scoot over to her, you heartbeat ringing in your ears. It might have been the adrenaline, or the maybe-concussion, but you decide you were gonna be ballsy. You place your hands on either side of her head and lean over her. The shit eating grin she was previously sporting is gone, replaced instead by an intrigued look, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, her eyebrows raised at you, waiting to see what you were gonna do next.

If you weren't trying to get the upper hand here, you swear you would've died right there. You wouldn't even be mad, this could be the last thing you see and you'd be perfectly happy with it. But you weren't dying, so instead you lean towards her, close enough that she can feel your breath on her cheek, enough that you notice her breath hitch. You linger there for a bit, just enough for her to get impatient.

"Hey-" She starts. You take that moment to lean back up and grab the two glasses she's holding onto.

Shock, then confusion, then just generally being upset. These are the words you'd use to describe Jinx's face. You start laughing as she seemingly goes through the five stages of grief, before setting the glasses down to the side.

"Okay, I'm sorry." You say as soon as your laughing subsides, and you try to lean away from her.

The key word here is try, because the second you do this, you get grabbed by the collar and feel lips crashing against yours.

Was this part of your plan? Nope. Were you complaining? Absolutely not.

Every single thought in your mind melts away, and you start feeling light headed. Must be the concussion, or not, you don't care, you were too caught up in Jinx to think about anything else.

You missed this, holy hell, you missed this, your head swimming, feeling her so close to you. And apparently, she missed you to. She buries her hands in your hair and wraps her legs around you, and you have to anchor yourself with your arms to stop yourself from falling on her. You smile into the kiss, committing this moment to memory. But, unfortunately, the both of you were still winded as hell from all the running, and you have to eventually break apart to breathe. It doesn't mean that you have to get up, though, so you rest your forehead on hers, and she holds your face in her hands.

"Holy shit." She says, breathless. You let out a chuckle.

"Right?"

"Why the hell didn't we do this in your car?"

"It was more complicated back then?"

"Sounds like something a coward would say."

"That's rich coming from someone who looked like a fish out of water a few minutes ago." She lightly punches your shoulder at that, rolling her eyes. You laugh and lean back down to kiss her, fully intending to make up for not doing this the last time you saw each other.

You only remember the bottle of sparkling cider well after it gets warm under the sun.

#arcane #arcane x reader #jinx x reader #arcane jinx #arcane jayce #arcane viktor #arcane netflix

[low-budget-korra]

Why gay Mako is one of TLOK best Headcanon

First of all, he never really liked Asami. He thought she was gorgeous as he should but if you re-watch Book1 you will realize that he never really cared about her, he never had feelings for her. And why? Because he was in love of Korra, every time he seemed to care about Asami like when he said "I'm with Asami" or when he got mad when Korra was suspicious over Hiroshi, it was all about Korra and never Asami. It was all Korra being teasing, jealous, immature over his relationship but never really about Asami.

Mako only went to comfort his girlfriend after Asami realized her father was trash, after Korra tells him to. He also was way more worried about Korra disappearance that he ever was with Asami emotional well-being after all the shit from book 1

But then why he dated Asami? Two reasons

1.Hiroshi was sponsoring the team so i imagine he felt that he should retribute that in a way. Asami was beautiful , rich, and femme(this info is important) so date her wouldn't be that hard. And why he must felt like he should repay her and Hiroshi like that? Boy grew up in the streets, nothing comes for free there.

2. This scene.

In this scene we can see that even though he really has some interest in Korra he doesn't feel like invest in that, even knowing she also shares his interests, because in his words "she is more like a pal" So the fact that Korra ain't femme and don't perform femininity in the way society expects, in the way Asami does, is a real obstacle for him to finally admit his feelings for Korra.

And wtf is that?

Now, this is the interesting part. What If Mako was gay or bi, and didn't accept himself - i also imagine that the streets was ruthless and he had to be all macho and shit- and that's why he feared about what people would thought if he dated some more masculine girl. Let's not forget that he also performs some type of hypermasculinity, something his brother doesn't feel the need to and Bolin is straight, like, really straight. Bolin is the type of cool, sensitive and harmless straight dude that mostly only exist in media. And is funny because, cuz of that people assume he is the gay brother. Careful with those stereotypes fellas. Moving on

Because in our world, when people are in closet and don't except themselves, some of them shares this type of mindset - that comes from the fear of being spotted as gay and all the consequences that comes with it. Let's not also forget that words like "who is the man/woman in the relationship?" And "You like woman/man, so why are you dating a person who behave and dresses like the opposite sex should?" Sadly still exists.

So with that we can say that Mako could have some internalized homophobia and didn't accept himself. And that could go with him being gay or bi. But here is why I think he is gay and not bi: The fail of the relationship with Korra

In theory, after he accepted this part of himself, who feels attracted by the somewhat masculine. The relationship with Korra should just grow stronger and healthier (just like Korrasami when they acknowledge and accept their feelings for each other) but it didn't. And why is that? Because in book2 he didn't care. He was with Korra but he didn't really care about the stuff that was going on with her, he was more focused on other things, on himself and his career

Okay but until that can just be life pulling them a part. But remember when i said that he care way more about Korra disappearance in Book 1 than he ever cared about Asami in that season? When he acted exactly like that again? When people kidnapped Prince Wu. Hella sus

But what about the scene in book 2 where he said we wish him and Korra didn't have broken up? Well, because the end of that relationship would be the second relationship with woman that had fail and a turning point, a no return for him and the relationship he had with both of them and that's scary. And even though it was all messy, i have no doubt that he loved and care for both Korra and Asami, just not in the straight way, you know what i mean.

So my theory and headcanon is: Mako is Gay. He had a difficult time trying to accept this part of himself and did what was expected of him as a man. He slowly started to accept this part of himself to the point where his relationship with Korra wasn't good or usefully anymore, it was going nowhere because it was one sided. So they broke up and of course he was awkward when he was with Asami and Korra because of all that happened in book 1 and 2, and after all the year - the 3 years where, as far as we know, he did nothing but take care of Wu - i think he was fully aware and accept his sexuality and i think Wu may had help cuz c'mon, Wu is all over the place, he is loud about his feminine side and makes no apologies about it. That may have made Mako realized it was okay for him to be gay, and all that.

Ps: But he could be bi tho, i just think it fits more him being gay. Anyway, is just a headcanon

#the legend of korra #korrasami #legend of korra #mako #tlok #avatar #lok #asami sato #bolin #the Krew #lets talk about #prince Wu #avatar korra

[five-rivers]

So first, I just want to say that I love Mortified, especially the arcs involving Ereshkigal and Innana. The whole thing is absolutely incredible, and I'm always thrilled to see an update. Second, I was rather hoping to offer you a prompt I've had swirling about my head. What if there is some sort of research facility exploring "that which is unknown and previously thought to be impossible" (i.e. magic but they don't call it that because people don't really know about magic and ghosts in this AU) and Danny's class is invited to go on a field trip there. At first, everything is normal, but just after the class leaves the researchers realize that their instruments show that some sort of Eldritch Horror is nearby and they start freaking out, but it's just Danny. I don't know where else this would go though.

Mr. Lancer chewed on the end of his pen.  It was a disgusting habit, he knew, but he could never quite get himself to kick it, especially when he had a problem to confront.  

Said problem was, presently, that enough of his students had expressed an interest in careers in ectology and paranormal science that he really had to give them a relevant field trip.  Unfortunately, there were very few reputable options for such a field trip.  The Fentons were unsafe, Axion Labs refused to give tours, the GIW were essentially a government sponsored hate group.  Most other ‘ghost hunting agencies’ were outright scams.  

But there had to be something nearby.  Or at least in the state.  Maybe not something that explicitly or solely dealt with ghosts, but something.  

Maybe...

Oh!

He shifted to sit straighter in his chair.  That would work.  He started typing an email.

.

“We got a what?” repeated Johannsson.  

“A field trip request,” repeated Deer.  

“Like... from a school?” asked Johannsson, cautiously.  

“A high school,” confirmed Deer, sounding rather stunned.  

“Do they... know what we do here?” 

“Evidently,” said Deer.  

“Like, they know we research magic and telepathy and stuff.”

“Yes.”

“And astral projection, higher-dimensional beings, alternate universes, that kind of thing?  Fringe science?”

“He says the junior class is interested in the ‘paranormal sciences.’”

“Wow,” said Johannsson, finally bringing his coffee up to his mouth and sipping at it cautiously.  “Where,” he started, “where are they from?”

“Um,” said Deer, peering at her computer screen.  “Casper High.  One sec.”  She started typing.  “It’s in Amity Park?  Do you think it’s a joke?”

“Ah,” said Johannsson.  “No, that tracks, actually, if it’s Amity Park.  We’ve got some weird readings on file from there, if you look it up.”

“It’s close,” said Deer.  “If we get readings, why don’t we have a presence there?”

“Another agency called dibs first,” said Johannsson.  “We have enough trouble.  No need to step on toes.”

Deer looked up at Johannsson incredulously.  “We fight eldritch abominations from the edge of reality,” she said.  “Is the boss really worried about stepping on toes?”

“Hey, that’s how we get funding,” said Johannsson, shrugging.  “We don’t want to end up like MKUltra.”

“MKUltra was a scam, Steve.  And also mostly illegal.”

“Yeah?”

Deer shrugged.  “Anyway, should I send this on, or...?”

“Yeah, go ahead.  The boss will probably get a kick out of it, if nothing else.”

.

“I would not have told the boss about this if I knew I’d be the one babysitting a bunch of teenagers,” said Deer through a clenched smile.  She jerked on the hem of her blouse, not used to the more formal clothes she was wearing on this momentous occasion.   

“Yeah,” said Johannsson, “but it isn’t like we get a lot of people coming into this profession for this profession.  And they’re kids.  So be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” grumbled Deer.  

“Well, look like it,” said Johannsson, elbowing her.  He caught sight of the yellow school bus.  “Here they come now.”

They waited until most of the students had gotten off the bus to approach.  

“Hi,” said Johannsson, “you must be Mr. Lancer.”

“That’s me,” said the rather frazzled-looking teacher.  “Come on kids, let’s get settled down.  Listen to our guides.  Let them introduce themselves.”

“Yeah, hey,” said Johannsson, waving.  “Welcome to the Edge Institute, where we study that which is unknown and often thought to be impossible.”

“Hi,” said Deer, frowning at one group of students in particular.  Johannsson followed her eyes.  

The trio in question didn’t seem particularly out of the ordinary.  Except...  Well, there was a reason Deer worked here.  

“I’m Steve Johannsson,” he said, getting back on track.  “This is Sylvia Deer.  We mostly work in report processing and assessment, but that brings us into contact with all our other departments, so we’re more than suited to show you around.”

Sylvia put her thumbs up.  “Yep,” she said.  

“Most of what we work with isn’t terribly dangerous, however, there are exceptions to that rule, and we have some classified projects, so don’t wander off.  Stay within view of us at all times.”

“What if we need to use the bathroom?” asked a student.

“Well, that’s different,” admitted Johannsson.  “We’ve got a couple scheduled stops, so make sure you go at those times.  Other than that, don’t go through any doors we don’t open for you and don’t touch anything without asking first.  Got it?”

There was a soft murmur of assent.  

“Come on, kids,” said Mr. Lancer, clapping, “he asked a question.”

The murmur became slightly more unanimous.  

“Right,” said Deer.  She jerked her head towards the building.  “Let’s go.”

“Anyway,” said Johannsson, “this is reception, which is the only part of the building freely open to the general public.  If you do need to go to the bathroom, they’re right there.  We’re going to hang out here for a few minutes, get everyone taken care of.”

Most of the students made their way to the restrooms immediately, however, that one trio stayed put.  

“Hey,” said the smallest of the group, “do you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” asked Johannsson.

“Um,” said the boy, slightly rocking forward on the balls of his feet, “there’s, like, an alarm or a siren going off?  It’s really faint, but is everything okay?”

“We’d get a text,” said Deer.  “Not to mention an announcement on the PA system.”

“And the radios,” said Johannsson, tapping his.  

“Right,” said Deer, nodding.  “Maybe you have tinnitus or something?”

“Isn’t that recurrent, though?” asked Johannsson.  “He’d know if he had it.”

“I do not have tinnitus,” said the boy, firmly.  “I really think there’s an alarm going off.  Or maybe someone has a mosquito ringtone.  Gosh, I hate those...”

Johannsson glanced at Deer and noted that she, once again, was staring at the children rather intensely.  Mostly at the boy, but that made sense since he was the one speaking.  

“Danny has good hearing,” said the girl, who was decked out in an array of gothic and mystic symbols.  One which, on closer inspection, would probably be fairly effective at passive protection.  

Johannsson wondered if that was the result of research, intuition, or sheer luck.  

Perhaps that was why Deer was looking at them like that?

“Maybe I’m just imagining it,” said Danny, shaking his head.  “Let’s go to the bathrooms.  There’s probably a line by now.”

Once the kids were gone, and Johannsson and Deer were more or less alone in the entry hall, Johannsson turned to Deer.  “Think we should call Detection?”

“Yeah,” said Deer, pulling out her phone.  “There’s something not right, here.”

“Maybe he’s a sensitive?” suggested Johannsson.  “He could be picking up a project.”

“Or maybe he’s like you and he’ll break every piece of tech invented in the last twenty-five years as soon as he touches it.  Or he was cursed by a goddess, like Vicky in Containment.  Or maybe he just has tinnitus and is in denial.  I still don’t like this.”  She finished dialing Detection and brought the phone to her ear.  “Hey, I-”  She pulled the phone away, glared at it and cautiously brought it back.  “What’s going on?  An incursion?  Then why aren’t we on lockdown?”

Johannsson’s blood ran cold.  “An incursion?  How big?”

Deer held up a hand.  “That doesn’t-  You know we can’t detect everything!  It doesn’t matter if nothing else gets triggered, the protocol is lockdown until we can determine- If you had done your job, the kids would still be on the damn bus!”

At this point, Deer’s shouts had drawn the attention and worry of Mr. Lancer and several of the students who had emerged from the bathrooms.  

“Is everything alright?” asked the man.  

Johannsson glanced at Deer.  “No,” he decided, just before the security shutters slammed down and the emergency lighting came on.  “I’m really sorry,” he said, “but it seems like some of our colleagues were overly excited about your tour and didn’t, er, follow proper procedure following a, uh, event.  So-”

The PA system stuttered into life.  “Attention.  A level seven entity has been detected.  All nonessential personnel, please proceed to the nearest shelter.  Repeat-”

“Seven?” echoed Johannsson, starting to sweat.  “Seven?”

“It’s probably a false alarm,” said Deer, putting away her phone and smiling in the way only people who feel very ill do.  “None of the other incursion detectors went off.  No radiation associated with dimensional breaks or anything.  We should still get everyone to a shelter.  Maybe you can round up everyone from the bathrooms?”

“Right,” said Mr. Lancer, who was enviably calm.  

“Is an entity like a ghost or something?” asked one of the kids, who clearly weren’t grasping the gravity of the situation.  “How strong is a seven?”

Level seven entities couldn’t be described in terms of strength alone.  They were eldritch, uncaring gods that tore at the fabric of reality with their very presence, creatures that had no business being on the material plane.  They shed bright magic and dark science in their wake, leaving those unfortunate enough to see them grappling with madness that was not.  

He really wanted to know what was happening in Amity Park (ghosts?) that made these people so blasé about the alarms, flashing lights, and security shutters.  

Wait a second.  

He unclipped his radio from his belt.  “This is Johannsson, calling detection.  Can you describe the signal to me?  Over.”

The radio crackled.  “Slowly rising over the last thirty minutes, peaking and plateauing in the last ten.  Why?  Do you have something?  Over.”

The bus had arrived ten minutes ago.  Johannsson closed his eyes.  “Maybe.  Will inform.  Over and out.”

He looked over at the bathroom where Danny and his two friends were emerging.  Danny had his hands pressed over his ears.  Whenever the overhead lights flashed off, the boys eyes reflected green.  Just for a second.  

Yeah.  Johannsson had something.  The question was, what was he going to do about it?

#danny phantom #not quite your prompt but... #close? #ask #answer #prompt #prompt fill

[theartofdreaming1]

Slightly paraphrased, but Peeta talking about that moment he developed his crush on Katniss is just too sweet 😊

As usual, my thoughts regarding this week’s prompts and random thoughts on chapters 22-24 are below the cut (sprinkled in some psychology thoughts again).

heart

Honestly, I think the people in Panem would perceive the whole everlark storyline the same way we perceive and react to our ships on tv (desperately wanting to reach through the screen, shoving the characters forcefully together, screaming “And now, kiss!”); especially the Capitolites who barely recognize the tributes (or people in the districts, in general) as people. The people in the districts would definitely view the whole thing more under a “reality tv” kind of lens, questioning how much of the relationship is real or not (we know that Finnick certainly thought that the entire thing was just a spiel, until Peeta hit that forcefield). The time spent in the cave must have been pretty convincing, though.

mind

I think that Katniss is still torn here - On the one hand, she kind of wants to believe that Peeta is actually into her (remember the happiness she felt when Peeta told her how his crush on her began, and it all added up and seemed so real), but on the other hand she’s terrified of that possibility because A) lingering trauma from her mom’s depression in response the Mr. Everdeen’s death, B) Katniss never even considered falling in love, so that’s a sudden unexpected thing to deal with, and C) maybe it’s just for the sake of the Games; and wouldn’t that hurt, getting your hopes up only to learn it was only for show? (How about we ask Peeta about that?)

soul

Yeah, that quote about Peeta only eating stale bread also struck me as quite sad. It just further adds to his understanding how there should be more to life than just survival, though. (One day, I’ll make that post about Peeta, Katniss, and Maslow’s pyramid of needs, I swear! I’ve already gathered some research material)

Chapter 22

My mother’s hand strokes my cheek and I don’t push it away as I would in wakefulness, never wanting her to know how much I crave that gentle touch. How much I miss her even though I still don’t trust her. - Ugh, I can’t... Katniss misses her mom, misses being cared for😢 I’m so glad we’re going to see her patch up her relationship with her mom in CF... On a different note, Katniss craving that gentle touch just perfectly illustrates why she’s so drawn to Peeta, who is generally such a gentle soul (I mean, he’s literally the person stroking her cheek here 😊)

He [Peeta] doesn’t seem angry about my tricking him, drugging him, and running off to the feast. Maybe I’m just too beat-up and I’ll hear about it later when I’m stronger. But for the moment, he’s all gentleness. - As I was saying... 😉

“I’ll go hunting soon,” I say. “Not too soon, all right?” he says. “You just let me take care of you for a while.” - I love them so much😊🥰 And then Peeta makes sure she’s well-fed and hydrated, he rubs her cold feet and tucks her into the sleeping back... and she let’s him! 💗

“He [Thresh] let you go because he didn’t want to owe you anything?” asks Peeta in disbelief. “Yes. I don’t expect you to understand it. You’ve always had enough. But if you’d lived in the Seam, I wouldn’t have to explain,” I say. “And don’t try. Obviously I’m too dim to get it,” he says. - Oof. This exchange here is interesting in many ways: 1) it highlights their different experiences, tied to their different socioeconomic backgrounds, basically, and 2)  that Katniss is very much aware of this difference, but we also see hints of her own ignorance here - because Peeta didn’t have to starve in his childhood, she thinks that he can’t possibly understand this level of hardship; but there are other ways in which one can suffer/lack fundamental needs, which brings us to 3) Peeta’s response about being “obviously too dim to get it”; I think this is a clue to his mom being also verbally abusive towards him: she called him “stupid creature” when he burnt those loaves of bread for Katniss and when he’s losing it in the attic of the Justice Building in D11 in CF he is mad that Katniss and Haymitch keep things from him “like [he’s] too inconsequential or stupid or weak to handle them”, which - to me - sounds like he’s tired of being treated that way (i.e. the way his mother treats him)

“I want to go home, Peeta,” I say plaintively, like a a small child. - God, this is a teenager in a murder-arena who feels like wanting to go home is a childish notion instead of a totally legitimate wish for anyone in that situation, regardless of age 😢

It’s not that Peeta’s soft exactly, and he’s proved he’s not a coward. But there are things you don’t question too much, I guess, when your home always smells like baking bread, whereas Gale questions everything. What would Peeta think of the irreverent banter that passes between us as we break the law each day? Would it shock him? The things we say about Panem? Gale’s tirades against the Capitol? - Geez, Katniss, give Peeta some credit here! A) It’s not like Peeta can walk around District 12 talking publicly about the injustices happening there - she and Peeta hadn’t even talked with each other before the reaping, whereas Gale is her best friend who rants to her while they are outside the confines of D12 and B) Peeta is literally the one who introduced the whole “not a piece in their Games”-idea to her; why would he be clutching his pearls over Katniss and Gale’s irreverent banter?! Just because Peeta didn’t live on the brink of starvation (she again brings up how his house smells like bread and - at this point - still thinks that the family running the bakery actually gets to eat what they produce just like that), doesn’t mean he doesn’t see how shitty life in D12 is - he can still want better conditions for those who are worse off than him!

“I did do the right thing,” I say. “No! Just don’t, Katniss!” His grip tightens, hurting my hand, and there’s real anger in his voice. “Don’t die for me. You won’t be doing me any favors. All right?” - Well, we’ll see this song and dance again in CF...

And while I was talking, the idea of actually losing Peeta hit me again and I realized how much I don’t want him to die. [...] And it’s not about what will happen back home. And it’s not just that I don’t want to be alone. It’s him. I do not want to lose the boy with the bread.” - I wish CF Katniss would remember this moment when she is questioning her motives about saving Peeta’s life in the arena - You. Care. For. This. Boy! You. Value. Him. For. Who. He. Is!!!

This is the first kiss that we’re both fully aware of. [...] This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another. - Whoo! Is it hot in here or is it just me? 😉

I’m struck by his immediacy now. As we settle in, he pulls my head down to use his arm as a pillow; the other rests protectively over me even when he goes to sleep. No one has held me like this in such a long time. Since my father died and I stopped trusting my mother, no one else’s arms have made me feel this safe. - He makes her feel safe in a murder-arena!!! 😭 This is the kind of stuff that makes everlark just a top tier romance, tbh

Peeta telling Katniss about his crush starting on their first day of school 🥰😭 - and her reaction to it... For a moment, I’m almost foolishly happy - yes, because you have a crush on him, too! - and then confusion sweeps over me. Because we’re supposed to be making up this stuff [...] So, if those details are true... could it all be true? - YESSSSSSSS!!!

“You have a... remarkable memory, “ I say haltingly. - as a severely socially awkward person... I felt that lame response in my bones 😅

“You don’t have much competition anywhere.” And this time, it’s me who leans in. - God, this would be such an amazing moment if it didn’t get tainted by that immediate sponsor gift, which just serves to muddle Katniss’s feelings with her sense of survival, further complicating her relationship with Peeta... *sigh* 

Chapter 23

“What was that you were saying just before the food arrived? Something about me... no competition... best thing that ever happened to you...” “I don’t remember that last part,” I say, hoping it’s too dim in here for the cameras to pick up my blush. “Oh, that’s right. That’s what I was thinking,” he says. - Peeta is the master of being a cheeky little shit and adorable flirt at the same time

“So, since we were five, you never even noticed any other girls?” I ask him. “No, I noticed just about every girl, but none of them made a lasting impression but you,” he says. - I appreciate that while Peeta has had a crush on Katniss forever, he clearly didn’t spend the entire time pining after her, oblivious to the rest of the world - he has a life outside of Katniss Everdeen, but ultimately, it all lead back to her

A disturbing thought hits me. “But then, our only neighbor will be Haymitch!” “Ah, that’ll be nice,” says Peeta, tightening his arms around me. “You and me and Haymitch. Very cozy. Picnics, birthdays, long winter nights around the fire retelling old Hunger Games tales.” “I told you, he hates me!” I say, but I can’t help laughing at the image of Haymitch becoming my new pal. - Laugh all you want, this is going to end up being your future anyway 😄

He [Haymitch]’s at something of a disadvantage because most mentors have a partner, another victor to help them whereas Haymitch has to bready to go into action at any moment. Kind of like me when I was alone in the arena. I wonder how he’s holding up, with the drinking, the attention, and the stress of tring to keep us alive. - Katniss is already worrying about her “new pal”, I see ;)

Maybe he [Haymitch] wasn’t always a drunk. Maybe, in the beginning, he tried to help the tributes. But then it got unbearable. It must be hell to mentor two kids and then watch them die. - Honestly, that sounds absolutely awful...

Poor, Katniss, when she learns of Thresh’s death :( - But no one will understand my sorrow at Thresh’s murder. - It’s horrible how compassion and basic human decency gets construed as ‘weakness’ in the world of Hunger Games (esp. the Capitol)

Then I escape into sleep, comforted by a full belly and the steady warmth of Peeta beside me. - Honestly, I think a word analysis of THG-series could be interesting; how often does Katniss mention “warmth”, “steady/steadiness” “safe/safety/security” in connection with “Peeta”?

“We make a goat cheese and apple tart at the bakery,” he says. “Bet that’s expensive,” I say. “Too expensive for my family to eat. Unless it’s gone very stale. Of course, practically everything we eat is stale,” says Peeta [...] Huh. I always assumed the shopkeepers live a soft life. And it’s true, Peeta has always had enough to eat. But there’s something kind of depressing about living your life on stale bread - Katniss is starting to realize that the lives of the merchants isn’t a cushy as she thought; also, in a way, we see a “prettier” version of how Panem treats the districts overall -> feeding the districts just enough that they can do their work (plus/minus a couple of people who’ll die of starvation, but at a small, for Capitolites insignificant margin), but not so much that they are in good shape to rebel; here, the merchants of D12 have just enough that they can live a “decent” life (they know it could be worse -> the Seam), but they don’t have enough to live a free, comfortable, self-determined life either. This also just further drives a wedge between the inhabitants of D12 (the merchants won’t want to rebel because they don’t want to get ‘demoted’ in their lifestyle, starving like the people from the Seam, and the Seam folk feel resentful towards the merchant people, while also not having the resources to rebel, due to their awful socioeconomic conditions)

What would be my life like on a daily basis? Most of it has been consumed with the acquisition of food. Take that away and I’m not really sure who I am, what my identity is. - It’s so sad who Katniss has been so consumed with ensuring that her most base needs are fulfilled that she barely has had the time to really figure out who she is and what she wants from life (If we’re talking Maslow’s pyramid of needs, Katniss would primarily be stuck on the lowest tier 😢)

At least, we’ll be friends, I think. Nothing will change the fact that we’ve saved each other’s lives in here. And beyond that, he will always be the boy with the bread. Good friends. - Honestly, Katniss counting on being good friends with Peeta after the Games is the highest honor she can bestow on him at that moment (she’s so into him, lol); of course, knowing that their relationship is going to be a bit rocky once they’ve come back makes this thought a little sad... but we also know they’ll make up (and out ;) in the future

Peeta licking his plate and blowing a kiss out to Effie is such an adorable goofball-moment 😊

I cover his mouth with my hand, but I’m laughing. “Stop! Cato could be right outside our cave.” He grabs my hand away. “What do I care? I’ve got you to protect me now,” says Peeta, pulling me to him. - This moment would be so cute (also, Peeta’s so confident in Katniss’s skills to protect him, which is adorable - toxic masculinity who?) but... Ugh, he’s just so giddy here, it kind of breaks my heart for when he learns later that (at least some) of Katniss’s reactions were just for show

“If we want food, we better head back up to my old hunting grounds,” I say. “Your call, Just tell me what you need me to do,” Peeta says. - Love how Peeta’s always ready to follow Katniss’s lead :)

Ideally, I’d dump Peeta now with some simple root-gathering chore and go hunt [...] “Katniss,” he says. “We need to split up. I know I’m chasing away the game.” [...] “Show me some plants to gather and that way we’ll both be useful.” - Teamwork! If it weren’t for Katniss worrying for Peeta’s safety, they’d be on the same page here

“What if you climbed up in a tree and acted as a lookout while I haunted?” I say, trying to make it sound like very important work. “What if you show me what’s edible around here and go get us some meat?” he says, mimicking my tone. - I really like how Peeta’s challenges Katniss here; he doesn’t just go along with everything she says, while still being quite reasonable

I feel like I’m eleven, again, tethered not to the safety of the fence but to Peeta, allowing myself twenty, maybe thirty yards of hunting space. [...] I allow myself to drift farther away, and soon have two rabbits and a fat squirrel to show for it. - I don’t know, but Katniss feeling tethered to Peeta makes me think of Mary Ainsworth’s attachment theory, according to which children with a secure attachment to their primary caregiver use  their “attachment figure as a safe base to explore the environment”... Of course, Ainsworth’s Strange Situation was conducted with young children, but attachment styles are supposed to influence the relationships we form with people in our later lives as well (including romantic relationships)... I dunno, just a random association that popped into my brain 😅

Chapter 24

Peeta’s a whiz with fires, coaxing a blaze out of the damp wood. - Heh, Peeta sure knows how to handle fire, huh, Katniss (or should I say: Girl on Fire?) 😏

I order him into the sleeping bag and set aside the rest of his food for him when he wakes. He drops off immediately. I pull the sleeping bag up to his chin and kiss his forehead, not for the audience, but for me. Because I’m so greateful that he’s still here, not dead by the stream as I’d thought.  - Aww, this is so sweet (and domestic)!

It’s funny. I feel almost as if it’s the first day of the Games again. That I’m in the same position. [...] But no, there’s the boy waiting beside me. I feel his arms wrap around me. - They are a team! Katniss doesn’t have to face the horrors of the Games alone anymore! It keeps boiling down to this.

#thgagain #thg #hunger games #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #thg meta #my sketches and drawings #everlark