#but just a statement of fact that 'you are loved. you have value. you're not alone.'

[clusterlgbt]

Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong whatsoever with not feeling "negative" emotions such as grief, guilt, etc. What matters is how you DEAL with the situation, not how you FEEL about it.

For people with ASPD, SZPD, autism, certain psychotic disorders, NPD -- pretty much any disorder that may cause low empathy or flat affect -- it's just a fact of life we don't always (or ever) feel those emotions. (And of course there's way more disorders and symptoms than the ones I just listed, and of course some people who DO have those disorders CAN feel said emotions!)

If you hurt someone and don't regret it, that by itself does not make you a bad person. In fact, if you hurt someone, and want to amend the situation and not hurt that person again IN SPITE OF not feeling guilt? That's amazing. That's amazing and, in my opinion, very selfless.

If you don't feel grief after a loved one dies it doesn't mean you're an awful person who never valued them. As long as you stand by the people who DO feel grief, and offer them comfort or space or whatever, then it's fine that you don't feel it, because you're still being compassionate to those who do.

Honestly even if you feel annoyed or irritated or what have you at the people who are hurting, even that isn't anything shameful, because again it's about what you do, not about how you feel.

Maybe I'm just making defenses for my own ASPD self, but it really doesn't seem like a problem to me. Feelings are private, after all, actions and reactions are what's public, so it matters how you treat others, not how you feel about said others.

Statements like this might make empaths uncomfortable but I stand by it. No one is a bad person just for the way that they "feel", not to mention that a lack of remorse/guilt/sadness/etc is itself a symptom of many disorders and a common trauma response.

#mod julien #actuallyaspd #empaths hate us when we mask but also when we dont #either way they don't trust us and go out of their way to vilify us #but somehow the evil sociopaths are always the problem

[westernbaby]

𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧

[woman reader] [poc friendly] [platonic/mentions of marriage]

A/n: The amount of chaos in this show gives me enough fuel to live.

You were brought into the family's sights by befriending Rhaenyra. She honestly didn't mind your family's upbringing, that didn't take away how much of an amazing friend you were to her. A sturdy shoulder to cry on, braiding her hair when bored, gifting her handmade trinkets (that, despite their name, held unlimited value to her) and just being an overwhelmingly calming presence for the princess.

The gift giving isn't one sided either! She'll sneak you some silk blouses, ruby earrings and books with intriguing plots. Only the best for her dearest friend. Only the magnificent.

Eventually, you'll have to meet the family considering the fact that you're great friends with the Rhaenyra Targaryen. They arrange a dinner for introductions to be made, and in that night, you've got them by their throats.

Aemma thinks you're beyond the sweetest girl that has ever graced King's Landing. Viserys shares her feelings and this reflects by the way they treat you as if their blood runs through you. Daemon isn't as welcoming as them at first, considering, his personality is hostile to everyone that he isn't used to.

But, surely, his brain starts to spark when he finally sees what Rhaenyra saw in you. He suddenly feels the urge to protect you from each and every small thing in the world, seeking you out during events so he can take his place next to you and basically acting as your guard dog.

The family pays no mind whenever someone regrettably mentions that fact that you're not of Targaryen blood. Well, they do pay mind to that statement. The poor person gets their tongue taken out.

No matter if you're not related to them in any way by blood, you're treated as such.

They never let you get swooned by someone unworthy of your love or even a simple glance of yours their way. Daemon and Rhaenyra are the ones that practically gatekeep your heart. Checking the status of those that try and marry you, take you away from them, and send them off. Even if you were about to be swooned by the person, Daemon and Rhaenyra are there to pull you back to the ground by your knees.

They were simply not worthy of you.

Of course, Aemma and Viserys are more than glad to see you marry someone that makes your heart practically burst with love. But on the condition that you stay living in the castle with your family.

They wouldn't be able to bear seeing you leaving them. Even though they practically took you from your biological family, but, don't mention it unless you want the war drums to start playing.

The Targaryens make sure you are treated the way you deserve. Before them, you lived in a village with dangerous people walking the alleys with no repercussions. Leaving you in the hands of danger each and every night. They'd never let you go through that again.

You share a bedroom with your dearest and closest friend, Rhaenyra. Leaving the both of you with Criston Cole as your sworn protector right outside the room. You're protected with them, no one is allowed to set their dirty paws onto you.

When chaos erupts during the wedding of Ser Laenor and Rhaenyra, people have their eyes set on keeping you and the soon to be queen safe. Ser Harwin punches his way through the crowd before finding the two of you sat together, throwing the both of you over his shoulders.

*Bonus* During the dinner of The Lord of the Tides, when Viserys is giving his speech and says "Not only as your king but as your Father, Husband, grandsire", he turns to look at you affectionately when he says father. [I probably messed up the dialogue I'm so sorry]

Eventually, the Velaryons and High towers join the melting pot.

#house of the dragon #yandere hotd #yandere rhaenyra #rhaenyra headcanons #rhaenyra targaryen x y/n #rhaenyra targaryen x reader #rhaenyra x reader #daemon x reader #daemon targeryen x reader #Hbo max #house of the dragon headcanons #house of the dragon x reader #yandere got #yandere headcanons #yandere x reader #yandere family #yandere Daemon

[comradeboyhalo]

What makes Bad and Foolish's relationship so fun to analyze is the fact that its built on familiarity. They know how to read each other, and that in turn allows them to choose when and how to trust each other.

Bad's trust in Foolish is not entirely rational, and he's aware of this. Bad is deeply distrustful of anything connected to the Federation, and Foolish has openly sided with them multiple times. And yet Bad constantly shares information with Foolish, entrusts him with Dapper, and makes no effort to intervene with Foolish's arrests. He's like this because he understands how Foolish's loyalties truly lie--how he enjoys playing both sides, how he likes to have fun. This even puts Bad above the Federation, who appears to take Foolish at face value. Bad can't predict if Foolish will betray him, but he has a good guess on how deeply Foolish will betray him, and shares information accordingly.

The reason Bad was upset at Foolish's first arrest of Mike and Pac was not because it was wrong (in his own words: "That's all you did? Why is everyone mad at you?"), but because Foolish had kept a secret from him. His read on Foolish was incorrect, since he had hoped Foolish would've kept him in the loop despite it all. Bad had never wanted to kick Foolish out of Ordo Theoritas, and anytime Foolish was threatened by another islander, Bad would play along but as a complete joke. This was one of their rare misunderstandings: Foolish didn't understand that Bad never truly wanted Foolish to suffer real consequences for his actions, and Bad failed to realize that Foolish wasn't as open to sharing personal information as he'd thought. This was why Foolish turned to Jaiden (someone who was clearly on his side) and why Bad turned to violence to get info (and did he ever do anything with that info? no, which is exactly my point. he just wants it).

On Foolish's end, he's very guarded around Bad. But while Bad is more open to showing his cards, Foolish is more outwardly caring. He folds to Bad whenever Bad's at his lowest, allowing him to live temporarily in his home and investigating his color changes stricter than anyone else. Foolish is also much more cognizant of his moral code than Bad is. He has a self-awareness that his morals are much more lax than others, and tries to compensate in return, like asking beforehand to arrest people. Bad, on the other hand, generally lacks a self-awareness. To be fair, he's better at masking than Foolish, but he usually needs to be talked down from his more violent urges, and he is routinely disappointed by those around him that they don't share his amoral compass. Foolish clashes with the other islanders because he finds it was just for fun a valid justification. Bad clashes with the other islanders because his scale goes so far darker.

What makes Foolish understand Bad, then, is the knowledge that he can do anything to Bad, and know that their relationship will bounce back. Bad says he doesn't want to get arrested? Well, tough luck, Foolish thinks it's fun and Bad will have to deal. He can bypass this moral clash he has with other islanders because he knows Bad understands what its like to just have fun with chaos. Foolish is a much more passive player compared to Bad; he loves chaos but it's rare for him to be destructive or violent. Foolish's desire to see Bad burn the world down (and cheer him on) is not because Foolish thinks Bad's reasons are good, or that Bad is the safest to side with. Foolish just wants a front row seat to insanity, and no one else seems to be serving! Foolish knows Bad has it in him to push the line, and he doesn't want anyone to get in the way of peak entertainment.

"Does your family trump all other families?" / "You're my family. And to answer your question, yes it does." / "Then I say go for it."

The one thing holding Foolish back from desiring chaos is his and Leo's safety. But this statement from Bad has assured him that not only is he and Leo safe, but he and Leo are safe above the world. That was the final piece in the puzzle to get Foolish's backing. Now Foolish can understand Bad's motives, and support him without fear of shooting himself in the foot. And he does this all while denying Bad the same assurance. But in Bad's case, he doesn't need or want Foolish's assurance. If Foolish betrays him, well, that'd suck, but Bad is hyper-paranoid and is aware that anyone can betray him. He doesn't care about mutual trust, he just needs someone who can look at his torture room, and get why he built it.

And finally: They've both been on this island for Too Damn Long. Metawise, Foolish and Bad have the most QSMP streamed days out of everyone, as og islanders who daily stream. They've tried to reel it in. They've tried to have cute, covert investigations. They're bored. They're impatient. They're upset. They miss their kids. Someone has to cross the line, and it might as well be them.

#qsmp #badboyhalo #foolish gamers #landduo #analysis

[hazbin-a-helluvamagines]

Can you do Octavia/Loona/Veroskia x male reader who is a living human that met the denizen of hell when both were small kids somehow and figured out a way to keep in touch with said friendship evolving into romance as the two got older? Thoughts on how others might react to learning of this?

"Childhood Friends" ; Loona, Octavia Ars Goetia, Verosika Mayday

You met through one of her old owners. And "owners" is the correct statement here, because Loona was nothing more than a pet to them.

Of course, they didn't introduce her like that. But since her previous owners were a pair of succubi, they were able to go to earth. They brought her on their honeymoon, where Loona was able to meet you. Her owners introduced themselves to your family as her mothers in the hopes of not drawing suspicion of abuse (because it's pretty frowned upon to treat your "child" like an animal, after all).

Loona was really aggressive and hostile at first, not allowing you to get close to her, touch her, or even look at her for too long. But you were little, and were easy to distract from her blatant rejection of your friendship.

She slowly began coming around more, though, over the week that her owners remained on their vacation. She started confiding in you. And since she was just a kid, she had no concept of keeping secrets. So she basically spilled her guts, about being a Hellhound from Hell, considered her "mothers'" pet, the fact that she never had a real family, and everything.

And when you hugged her, she was... heartbreakingly confused?

"S-S/O... What's this? This... thing you're doing."

After that, you lost contact. But she never forgot you. Her first friend.

A few years later, she was adopted by Blitzø, who loved her like a father rather than a pet. She was finally valued as a person, and not someone's possession.

But she had one request.

"There's this... human that I knew. He was my first friend. You can come or not, but I have to go see him. At least once."

And so she does. Loona comes to see you, using her adept sniffer to find you in the madness that is Earth. She of course takes on her human disguise for the first time since her previous owners, and she was amazed you even recognized her.

"Loona?! Is that you? What... What are you doing here?"

"Long story short, a lot has happened and sorry I didn't visit sooner. I'll explain everything, I promise. God, S/O, I missed you so fucking much."

And so she did. She explained everything that happened, and later on, she introduced you to Blitzø. It was odd, she introduced you as though you were her boyfriend...

Blitzø could see the feelings brewing in Loona, but you seemed like a stand-up guy and you made and excellent first impression on him, so he didn't mind that much. Even though he was still a tad overprotective of her.

It didn't even take long for you to start dating. You saw her for Vortex, she... isn't the most subtle.

The only difference is she's more protective and aggressive over you. You're a human after all, you could get hurt!

She loves you so much, and she's so grateful that her boyfriend was her very first friend. :)

Same with Loona, you probably met Octavia during some kind of vacation that her family went on, where she was stuck on her father's side like glue.

She seemed really timid around you at first, this being her first experience in the human world and the first time she's stuck around humans who don't understand her.

But you were just so friendly, and so persistent. She couldn't resist getting close to you, and even looking up to you at some points.

And honestly? It was a welcome distraction from her parents when her mom clearly hated her dad. You wouldn't believe how beyond grateful both Stolas and Stella were for your involvement in Octavia's life to distract her.

And throughout the years, because of her parents' appreciation of you for distracting their daughter during their fights, they'd help her keep in contact with you.

You two essentially grow up together. Sleepovers, playdates, the works. And eventually, that turns into casual hangouts, discovering hobbies together, and eventually, even mutual crushing.

Now, obviously, she's an angsty emo teenager, and doesn't know how to sort out these feelings. So who does she go to? Honestly, probably the worst person for that: you.

"S/O? What does love feel like?"

Cue a very awkward explanation trying to explain to your crush what a crush feels like... thinking she's referring to another guy, no less! So the heartbreak was also present.

Fortunately for you, it was very momentary and fleeting.

"I see... And what if I had... a crush... on you?"

"Via? Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

She's as shy as they come, and very nervously nods, fearing the harsh rejection and the end of your friendship that seemed inevitable. She couldn't have been more shocked than when you said those words she wanted to hear...

"I feel the same, Via."

"Really? Then... would you... maybe... want to... try going steady?"

You snorted out a little laugh, tilting your head.

"'Going steady'? What are you, ninety?"

Of course, you were only teasing, and she momentarily pouted at you before you finally gave in, taking both of her hands in yours.

"I'd love to go out with you. Just convince your mom not to kill me when she finds out you're dating me."

She let out a hoot-like laugh and nodded.

"I promise I will."

You were her absolute everything, and she was so happy she finally got to be with you. :)

Okay, so headcanon that Verosika's childhood wasn't the nicest. Not necessarily awful, but she never really felt wanted by anyone.

That all changed when she met you, though! As little three-year-olds, and her parents living on earth for a few months out of the year, she became immediately attached to you, clinging to your affection like she thought it'd leave if she ever let go of you.

She's clingy to a fault, always wanting to hug you and hold your hand and play those "physical" games (tag, leap frog, etc.). Sometimes, though, she'd sucker you into playing dolls with her. But hey, at least she (usually) let you be Ken. And have a personality.

"Hey! S/O! Let's play! I wanna be Nicky, but you can be Ken! :D"

She was so adorable and sweet, how could you possibly resist?

She maintained close contact with you, and her parents really didn't mind that she sometimes went off on her own to spend time with you.

You were there when her career began taking off and when she began getting famous, even to the extent of tabloids discussing rumors that you were an item. You weren't, though, although you started crushing on her near the beginning of her idol career.

So the tabloids made you uncomfortable in a... strange way. You didn't want her knowing how much you loved her, especially considering she was already with some imp guy...

...and then he broke her heart.

You consoled her, held her, reminded her how perfect and amazing she was, and how she didn't need someone who never saw her value the way it should be.

In this moment, she realized how amazing you were to her. You were always there when she needed you, you were never mocking or cruel with her, you never made her feel unwelcome or unloved... You were an amazing guy.

But you didn't think of it the same way. You didn't want to confess under the precipice of her possibly thinking you were glad to see her get her heart broken just so you could virtue signal about how much you loved her.

It wasn't instant, but that night, she began to develop her own feelings for you.

A few months later, she was head over heels, the same way you were. She was mean and catty with a lot of people, but oh, not with you. She adored you.

You'd already be close with her posse, but they set you two up, convincing Verosika to tell you the way she feels.

"Heya. So, like... I kind of like you, and all, but if you don't feel the same, totally fine. I don't mind."

A lot more chill when she isn't actively plotting against someone, actually. And of course, you accepted her confession that you thought would never happen.

And so, in the end, the tabloids were proven right... eventually. :)

Until then... she's content to keep your relationship a secret for now. ;)

#loona helluva boss #Loona Helluva #helluva loona #helluva boss loona #loona hellhound #loona x reader #loona #octavia goetia #Octavia Ars Goetia #octavia x reader #Octavia Ars Goetia x reader #Octavia Goetia x reader #helluva octavia #hb loona #loona hb #Octavia Helluva #octavia helluva boss #helluva boss octavia #verosika x reader #helluva boss verosika #helluva verosika #verosika helluva boss #verosika mayday #hb verosika #helluva boss x reader #helluva boss #helluvaboss #helluva x reader #helluva boss x you #helluva boss x y/n

[runnning-outof-time]

The House’ll Burn Down | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: yes by @asherlockfandom

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: Tommy picks a fight with the wrong person and in return reeps the consequences that get hurled both to his face and through his suits.

Warnings: language

Word Count: 2475

A/N: I was a bit stuck on this one at first but I think I like how it came out. I hope you do too. Enjoy! :)

I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! - YOUR COMMENTS & REBLOGS HELP ME WRITE!

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in stories similar to this one!

The bell to the store rang, signifying that someone had entered the shop. (Y/N) dropped what she was working on and hurried out to the storefront so that she'd be able to greet whoever it was that had entered.

She was met with a man, who was wearing a rather nicely fitted three piece suit, standing at the counter. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked, her eyebrows raised slightly as she approached the counter.

"Yes, my suits should be ready," the man responded, clearing his throat after he was finished speaking.

"Ok, I will go retrieve them for you," (Y/N) nodded her head, "what name are they under?"

"Shelby," the man responded. (Y/N) nodded again before leaving the counter to go into the back room.

She pulled the correctly labeled suits off of the racks and then returned to the front. After checking the prices and adding them up, she asked him for his payment.

"Oh I don't pay for suits," he told her with a slight shake of his head.

"Excuse me?" she asked him, her eyebrows raised out of shock. Was he being serious?, she thought to herself.

"My suits are on the house, or the house burns down," he told her, his deeply mysterious attempt to be threatening almost making her want to laugh.

"Listen, sir...I don't know who you are, or why you think that you can threaten me into allowing you to take these suits for free, but I won't let anybody, not even the King, take the things that I've worked very hard on and deduce them to free merchandise," she told him, her eyes wide and angry as she spoke.

"I don't think you understand because it seems like you're new here..." the man started, looking her up and down with a stony expression, one that she didn't waver under, "but I am a very powerful man in this city. So powerful, in fact, that what you may think I am threatening you with, I am actually promising you that I will do."

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows in an incredulous nature, finding it hard to believe that this man was talking to her like he was mightier than God himself. She crossed her arms over her chest and held his stare for a few moments before finally speaking. "I guess the house'll burn down then, because I am not letting you take those suits for free. The previous owner of this shop may have allowed it, but I most certainly will not. I know the value of my work, and I will hold every person's purchase up to that value. If you don't like that, then you can kindly leave and take your business elsewhere...but I guarantee that you won't find someone who's able to do the level of work that I am."

The man had nothing to say in response to her statement, so the two just stood in their place and stared at each other for a few moments. (Y/N) wasn't about to give up her ground. She'd fought hard to become the respectable tailor that she was today, and she wasn't going to let this man walk all over her reputation. If she started giving this one person his things for free, she’d surely have her entire clientele wanting the same treatment.

After a few more silent moments, the man reached into his pockets and pulled out a small roll of banknotes. "I'll get you your change," (Y/N) said, pleased that she'd won the battle with him.

"Keep it," the man brushed her off, even though there was way more than the required amount wrapped up in the roll.

"What's your name?" (Y/N) asked then, a slight hint of curiosity present in her voice, "so that I know who I'll be wary of when orders are placed."

"Thomas Shelby," the man answered as he then grabbed his suits and turned to exit the shop, "and believe me, Miss (Y/L/N)...you will need to be wary of those orders," he told her, his last ditch effort to be threatening, or so (Y/N) perceived it as.

"Oh I will be," she responded back in a sarcastic tone, glaring at the back of his head as he turned again to leave the shop. She let out a huff of annoyance as the bells dinged again...customers can be so hard to deal with sometimes.

A little over a week later, Thomas Shelby returned to (Y/N)'s store. "Can I help you with something, Mr. Shelby?" she asked him, her eyebrows raised slightly as she came out of the back to meet him at the counter.

"Yes. I need you to answer me a question," he responded, the tone of his voice telling her that he wasn't too happy at the moment.

"And what may that be?" she asked him, keeping the same airy tone as before.

"Why are the measurements of this suit incorrect?" he asked his question then, holding up the suit that he had brought with him for her to see.

"I don't know what you mean..." (Y/N) trailed off, a shocked look on her face. Of course, she knew exactly what he meant...she just wanted him to spell it out for her. She was having quite the fun time getting a rise out of him.

"I specifically asked for the trousers to come to my ankle...these stop several inches above it," he laid out his complaint, motioning to the article of clothing for added effect.

"Ahh, I see," (Y/N) nodded her head as she also looked at the garment in question, "well, you were insisting that I do your work for free, and I figured that if you wanted it to be like that; I'd do work that doesn't require a payment in return," she explained the reason behind her intentional alteration to his request. Tommy sent her a look of astonishment, one that made her chuckle.

"You think this is funny?" he asked her, his eyebrows raised.

"I do," she answered him, not cowering away from his intimidating tone.

"You must forget who I am," he continued, not letting her carelessness for the situation waver his bravado.

"Oh no," (Y/N) shook her head, "I know exactly who you are, Mr. Tommy Shelby, leader of the Peaky Blinders. You run the ruthless razor gang here in Small Heath. Yeah...I asked around about you, and I quickly found out how you use fear tactics to get what you want without having to give monetary compensation in return; even though you are more than well-off enough to give back to the city. You told me last time that your suits were on the house, or the house would burn down, and I told you that you could go ahead with your decision...so tell me, Mr. Shelby...why hasn't my shop been set ablaze?" she ended her monologue in an innocent tone, her eyebrows raised in intrigue as she leaned against the counter to get a closer look at him.

Tommy took a few minutes to respond. He didn't expect for this to happen. He didn't expect for this unknown woman to be such a thorn in his side. His mind wasn't coming up with something to do, and it infuriated him. So he held her gaze and tried his best to keep up his menacing look as he spoke in a low tone, "just do better fucking work, eh?" he told her, his eyebrows raising to accentuate his statement.

"Or what?" she countered, still not finished with the fight, "will you go to someone else? Oh, maybe that no-name tailor on the North Side?" she continued in a mocking tone, pausing to hear his answer. She smirked when he didn't give one. "That's what I thought...you won't go anywhere else because you know that my work is the best in town. And it'll be even better for you, if you fucking pay me," she ended her statement with a serious look, showing him that she wasn't going to be submitting to his wishes without a fight.

The two held each other's stares for a few more tense moments before Tommy broke away, deciding that he'd be the one to leave the situation. He was not normally one to back down from a fight, but he was sensing that this would be a marathon rather than a sprint. So he stepped away from the counter and began walking towards the door.

(Y/N) didn't let him leave without one last word though. "Next time you come in here to pick up your suits, make sure you ask for me...I will not let you intimidate my employees into submitting to your demands," she told him as she once again glared at the back of his head while he left the shop.

"Miss (Y/L/N)," Trevor, one of the shop's workers, called for (Y/N) as he entered the back room.

"What is it?" she asked as she looked up from the project she was working on.

"Mr. Shelby is here. He's asking for you," Trevor responded, motioning his thumb to the front of the store then.

"Tell him I'll be out in a minute."

"It's Mr. Shelby though, Miss (Y/L/N)," Trevor disagreed with what her decision was.

"And that means that I should drop everything I'm doing and wait on him?" (Y/N) raised her eyebrows, "I've got to finish what I'm working on and then I'll come out and see what he needs," she then explained her plan to him.

"Ok, Miss (Y/L/N)," Trevor nodded his head before he went back out to the storefront.

(Y/N) focused on her project until Trevor came back in again. “Is he waiting?" she asked him.

"Yes, he's waiting," Trevor answered with a nod, "I'm not waiting out there with him though," he added as he then moved over to start organizing the racks.

(Y/N) only chuckled at his statement before she began putting the final touches on the jacket she'd been tailoring. Her task took her several minutes, and once she felt that she'd done her best work, she placed her tools down and stood from her station. She then took a deep breath and composed herself before going to deal with the customer she'd so affectionately been calling the 'thorn in her side'.

"Mr. Shelby..." she greeted him with as much as a smile as he could muster, "what can I do for you today?"

"You say that you are the best tailor in Small Heath, but yet my jacket that I picked up yesterday is missing its liner," he outlined his complaint, showing her the problem then as he held up the jacket in question.

(Y/N) bit on the inside of her cheek to try and stop the pleasurable grin from forming on her face. "Well, Mr. Shelby, this is what you're going to get if you..."

"Stop," Tommy cut her off before she could finish her statement, "you're going to say that this is because I insisted that my suits were on the house, and I don't need to hear it," he told her, his tone letting her know that he wasn't in the mood for her sarcastic comments.

"You want my best work, you pay me full price," she stated, her eyebrows raised to show that she was also serious.

Tommy held her stare for a few moments before he looked away with a sigh. He then reached into his suit jacket and produced a stack of banknotes that were fastened together with a band. Without a word, he placed them down on the counter between him and (Y/N).

“What’s this for?” (Y/N) questioned with a slight tinge of shock in her words, “I was expecting a matchbook and some gasoline,” she then added, wanting to get yet another dig in at the man who had been causing her many headaches since she’d met him several weeks ago.

“Drop the snide remarks, would you?” Tommy asked her, getting a little annoyed at the fact that she was still ragging on him. “That’s for my suits…for past payments and future business,” he explained the reasoning behind the large sum of money that was sitting on the counter.

“Why?” was what (Y/N) asked next. She had to admit that she felt slightly saddened by the fact that he was waving the white flag on this little war they had going on. She was only just getting started with him.

“Because I have more important things to worry about than if my suit is going to come out looking right. I can’t keep going into business worrying about if I’m going to be dressed like a buffoon or not.”

“Huh…” she trailed off, looking down at the money as she took in his statement. “Well, Mr. Shelby, this is rather nice of you to do,” she then said, looking up at him again as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Good, now I better be getting the same level of attention on my suits that my brothers are getting,” he stated, his eyebrows raised slightly.

“You will most certainly be getting the same attention now,” (Y/N) assured him with a nod.

“Good. Thank you,” Tommy also nodded, feeling more at peace now that one of his unnecessary problems had been cleared up.

“Thank you,” (Y/N) echoed his gratitude as she motioned to the money between them. Tommy nodded as he glanced down at what she was referring to. “Do you need anything else, Mr. Shelby? I’d be happy to assist you,” she then asked him, her voice taking on the polite tone that she used with all of her customers…the one that she would now use with him, too.

“I’m ok for now, Miss (Y/L/N),” he declined her help before he then stepped away from the counter to go to the door.

(Y/N) looked down at the money as he exited the shop, and she had to pinch herself to see if that had actually happened. The banknotes were still present after she did, so she picked them up and brought them right back to the safe in the back room. There was no way that she was going to let all that hard earned money sit out in the front register. She went back to her work once it was stowed, a smile on her face as she started the next project. Her persistence had paid off…not even the ‘king of Small Heath’ was able to keep standing up to her. She considered that to be a major victory in her book.

CHECK OUT PART 2 -> HERE!

Tagged: @mgcllovdrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @easilyobessedbutflighty @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @rangerelik @lovemissyhoneybee

MASTERLIST

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic

[kiefbowl]

job interview advice pls!

Research the company before hand via their website. Try to mirror the language they use publicly. If they have a section about company culture, talk up company culture. If they have their mission statement on their website, try to appear to align with their values. You don't want this to feel too rehearsed or fake, so don't practice too much and don't try to memorize things off their website. Just read it up and get a sense of their vibe and the words they like to use, and keep it in the back of your mind. If it flows with the conversation, you could casually mention you saw something on the website you had a question about, thus proving you did your research (which is good!)

Have questions at the ready, and don't have zero questions. In fact have a lot of questions. Have questions about the job and company (and benefits!!!!!), but also have questions about career growth and the next step process. I always ask "how many other candidates are you considering?" because this will give you a sense of where you stand. For example, they might tell you "we have several more we're interviewing this week" or they might say "we've interviewed about five and will be discussing our decision tomorrow." Or they might be so vague you can assume they're not going to consider you past this point. Other great questions are "What are the next steps" and "How soon will you be making the decision" so that you aren't walking out unsure of when, how, or if you'll hear from them again. Be your own best advocate. Another thing to ask is questions about the company from the interviewer's perspective - "How long have you worked here? What's your career path looked like?" People love talking about themselves and this also demonstrates you're looking to fit into the whole infrastructure, not just trying to land a job.

Try to treat it like a conversation. It can be intimidating if you're just starting out, but if you try to come off as a pleasing yes man so excited to answer the questions they come up with, that's not going to be very memorable. Also if while answering a question, you volley back a question at them, you have now done a little exchange of power where you are now in control of the conversation a bit, because they will answer and then you get to say the next thing. Once they're talking about something, instead of being in the position where you have to come up with interesting things to talk about on the fly and hope they're relevant, they might remind you of something worthwhile to talk about. Is it more comfortable being asked "What sort of difficult choices have you had to make" or having a conversation with a person who might say "I remember when I was first starting out such and such thing happened" which might genuinely remind you of a relatable experience you had totally forgotten about. See the interviewer as a resource of knowledge, not just gatekeeper to what you want.

You have to seem like a fun and nice person, and you should be honest. "I'm a little nervous, I'm really excited about this opportunity" is not cringy, it's relatable and an ice breaker, and you've turned your negative "I'm nervous" into a positive "I'm eager." Things like "I'm looking for something that has flexible hours" might cost you an offer at a job you'd be miserable at, which can be frustrating at first but good in the long run. You obviously want to be selectively honest and present things in a professional way, but people don't want to work with wet blankets and ego maniacs. Cracking a joke, laughing, talking up hobbies, these are good things. Finding some common ground with the interviewer is fun too, because sometimes you knock them off track and you guys are just shooting the shit, and then they recommend you because they just remember liking you.

Treat the interview like a reasonable and good process, even if you hate it. Yeah, you're on the back foot. Yeah, it can feel inane sometimes. If you go into an interview with a sour attitude about how it should work differently, it doesn't matter how good of an actor you are, it'll come across. You won't be prepared to treat it like it's worth the time for both of you. The interviewer is there to find someone capable, worth the effort, with some potential, so treat it like talking to you is worth it when they probably have 100 other things they need to get back to. You're there to show you can do the job, you're fun to work with, and you want to fit into the company culture and infrastructure, so treat it like you're marketing yourself. You have to sell yourself not as the best person for the job, but the best person for the company, and you're happy to talk about it for the sake of the interviewer giving you a portion of their day!

[mydaroga]

So what did you think of Tune In as a whole? Did you feel that Lewisohn was somewhat biased in the way he chose to frame/ present certain events?

That's the recurring topic of debate, isn't it? And, I think, an important one. I'm glad, for example, that AKOM is doing their series outlining their issues with the book, because I definitely have become concerned about how, in certain quarters, this book is lauded as the ultimate testament of Beatles history.

And not without reason. It took me a few tries to get hooked, but I really did enjoy reading it. I loved all the context and detail, and the historical research Lewisohn has done is tremendous and so, so valuable. Early Beatles history was covered by pop critics and journalists, and it's high time we started holding this story to historical standards.

(I'm sorry, this is gonna get long, but you knew that if you're asking me.)

But I do have qualms about this book. (Don't get me wrong--I think sometimes, especially on Tumblr, those arguments can be overdone. He's by far not the worst.) I am not a historian, or an expert, but I know that no one is without bias. And ML's constant refrain that he's free of such things and totally objective is belied not just by his being a human, but by other statements he's made in public. The danger here is less the fact he's biased, and more the fact he's convinced himself he isn't. He seems to have decided that his opinion is actually verifiable fact, and if only we were as keen observers as he, we'd know it, too. And that is worrisome.

I don't think it's necessarily conscious, which is even more dangerous. And I don't think any one instance of this in the book is that egregious--you could talk me out of caring about any number of them. It's the aggregate that creates a picture that comes off as less than objective. Off the top of my head, this arises in a few different ways. 1) He picks and chooses what to include, even from the sources we know he is already using. 2) He mashes quotes up from different sources, making context blurry and inherently creating new contexts via juxtaposition. 3) He misapplies quotes from one subject onto others, which may be useful when you don't have a quote for a specific thing but is spurious at best when you're using a reference about someone's character in one instance to a totally other instance. 4) He seems to have taken certain statements at face value and applied them to an overall picture of a person, such as when he uses Paul's statement about "looking like a poet" or whatever and applies it to numerous statements about Paul just sort of faking being arty, or when he applies John's reference to confronting the Maharishi to John taking control in every single situation ever. He's using quotes to support whatever he wants, and he's doing it without cluing in the reader that we're now in the realm of analysis.

Essentially, I think his research and notating and all that are stellar and super important. I think his prose is, if not highest quality, quite readable. But I have no doubt at all that he also is making assumptions, judgments, and leaps that aren't there and passing them off as factual, not speculative or interpretive. And I think that's dangerous given that he's currently lauded as the foremost authority on Beatliana.

But what do you think? I'd love to know.

#happy to clarify anything #i love talking about this stuff #obviously #thanks for asking! #kris talks a lot #kris reads Tune In

[beardedmrbean]

Hi, do you know any Jewish gen x and millennials? Because I just, wondering how their dealing with the left handling of the Palestine-Israel conflict. Because I would go “Is this the hatred my elders was warning me about?”

How can one cope, after dealing with the generational trauma of a event that created the term genocide only for people that supposedly said “never again” to go and speak the same way the Nazis spoke about your people.

I forget how to pronounce this one, it'll sum up the response you'd get from most of the community though I think.

______________

Gen-X and older millennials in my observation have been bracing for this for a while now, I don't have any Jewish friends I regularly chat with at the moment most are way too busy but I try to keep an eye on as many people as I can and let them know I'm available if they need something, anything I can do at all.

One of the ones I see the most was already a cynical bastard who loves a fight so he's looking to have a good time shitting on people for being ignorant. ___________

Posted this yesterday, probably going to be a fairly common sentiment that folks are getting, but it's been building for a while even if others that don't pay attention haven't seen it.

Remember the dyke march?

But hey at least the exclude the people that will brutally kill you for being gay right?

Same happened at the women's march too, they had to get rid of most of the leadership because they had too much in common with nazis.

oh and

One marcher defended the flags in a post on the Chicago Dyke March Facebook page. “The flags that ‘triggered’ people were NOT a flag of the modern state of Israel, they are PRIDE flags adorned with the star of David. The star of David is, first and foremost, a Jewish symbol, long before the modern state of Israel was even a thought. It’s been a symbol of the Jewish people for centuries, and those marching put it on their flags to represent their intersectionality as LGTBQ+ JEWS. They were not using the dyke march to show support of Israel. They were not making a political statement regarding it. They were simply displaying who they are and that their religious faith is part of their identity. Removing those flags, and the people who marched with it, shows a deep level of ignorance, and yes, it also shows antisemitism masquerading as liberal values,” the post said.

Then as if that wasn't bad enough (you can only be a good gay if you're willing to hide the fact that you're Jewish I guess)

We've also got the current betrayal, or mask off moment at least.

_______________________

This all isn't just to try and change anyone's minds about Israel or palestine mind you, since all of this is pretty well known it's not likely to do that anyhow, so no real point in trying anymore.

But like I've said many have had a chance to brace for this, to some extent, given the lead up to it and the whole thing with the last little warlett a couple years back.

This all ends the Jewish community is not likely to put up with folks wanting them to go back to being Schrödinger's POC, to be used as a cudgel when someone puts a horn in a video game, I think the phrase "The Jews are Tired" will be replaced with 'The Jews Are Done With Your Shit' or something like that.

Gonna take a bit for some of the younger ones to shake off the feelings of betrayal from communities that claimed to be accepting of them, and then added conditions that nobody else had. ______________________

I know I have a bunch of Jewish followers here, I would love to get a personal perspective from you if you have something you'd like to add.

Regardless of all the hatemail and threats I've gotten over the years I will continue to keep my inbox available for anonymous asks if you want to go that way too.

Sorry this took so long, deleted and redid it several times, still not totally happy with it but oh well at this point. lol

#anonymous

[shdwtouch]

While I absolutely agree with the sentiment and think oc positivity is sorely needed, comparing writing canon muses to fast fashion sounds a bit icky to me. I know you don't mean it in a bad way, but it does kinda sound like you're implying that people writing canon characters are putting less love, effort and creativity into their portrayals. Just because there are multiple people writing the same character doesn't cheapen their value, so I'd personally look for some other metaphor.

firstly, just want to say: I have so much anxiety about this message. like I know you're coming from a good place but its confrontation and alarm bells in my head so let me see if I can articulate. ; ; also, I'm posting this from mobile so I apologize for any weird formatting etc owo;

I'm going to stand by my statement (tho I deleted the tags [edit: I did take a screenshot for context sake]) honestly because I definitely was not implying that canon portrayals have less value, in fact I specifically stated that both canon and original characters have value, just like fast fashion and couture have their own values.

let me explain my thought process.

you walk into, say, Walmart and pick up a pair of Levi's. why ? because you've probably worn them before and like them, or heard of them from others and want to try them out. or because you're simply browsing and like the style and color and they're in the right size so why not ? canon muses have that ease of access, whether it be knowing the fandom or simply having a range of content and reviews to go off of as a "consumer".

original characters don't have that luxury; I don't know about other people, but for me sometimes engaging with original characters - and this is coming from someone who writes predominantly fandomless original characters and agonizes over how accessible their lore is - is, well, bottlenecked by my own energy and willingness to engage with the information and content the creator had provided. it's much easier for me, energy wise, to play a video game and then gravitate to muses from it because I'm already familiar with them, so I already have a foot in the door so to speak.

I fucking love reading original lore tho ! I also FUCKING LOVE canon divergence and headcanons ! but it isn't always easy to engage with or incorporate, and I think that's something that impacts a lot of people in how they view ocs compared to canons. original characters just often take more effort to engage with and understand, and that's not a bad thing ! but in a busy life it's understandable that folks want to go to what is comfortable and what they know, so they pick up a pair of Levi's instead of going to get a tailored pair of pants.

next, I should clarify that the characters are clothes, and we, as writers, are the ones who wear those clothes. which is to say, our own personal style and actions play into the overall appearance and feel of our portrayals. two people can take the same shirt and make completely different outfits with it ! maybe one of them decides to crop it, or bleach it, or cut it up and sew it into something new. and all of these things are valid ! and they all have value. you may be wearing the same shirt as someone else, but you still style it the way you want to. you still look different, still unique, still beautiful. there is nothing bad about liking fast fashion or canon characters. fast fashion is convenient, so are canon characters. some canon characters are poorly written and need to be dressed up or fixed to be worn, while others are quality and wonderfully made ! just like clothes ! and honestly, the same applies to original characters too !

the pants I'm wearing right now ? my favorite pair of pants. I've had them for like... four years. and they're still going strong. fast fashion isn't necessarily cheap, just like couture isn't necessarily haute. but again, it's about how you wear it. and everyone in the BG3 rpc wears their clothes, whether they be canon or original, in their own unique, beautiful way ! we all have our own style, and that style provides value to what we're trying to portray. neither canon nor original characters are better than the other, they BOTH have pros and cons. just like fast fashion and couture. they both have value, and their mode or means doesn't detract or add to the value of the final product.

I apologize if it seemed I was implying canon writers aren't as valuable as original writers, or somehow cheaper due to volume, in my tags. I definitely see where you are coming from and that's a valid perspective. However, that was not my intention and I hope I've managed to clarify my stance and explain myself a bit better. thank you for your message, I hope you're well ! sending lots of good vibes ♡

also, in case anyone was curious, my pants:

they are incredibly soft and flowy, very nice. I sleep in them and wear them out. I know they're winter themed but I think they're subtle enough to be worn outside the season, plus they have polar bears on them and I love polar bears !

also, if it's of any value, I have written my fair share of canon characters. I wrote extensively for assassins creed and marvel, in fact that's where I got my start in the rpc ! if I had to carry the metaphor, my "fast fashion" would be my (canon divergent) cli.nt bar.ton. I may have gotten him from marvel but I have since sliced him up and incorporated the pieces of my portrayal into my original projects ♡

#《 ° inbox 》 we just got a letter ! i wonder who its from ? #《 ° puffin.exe 》 im a puffin ! i dont do much #° mobile post ! #and now ? now we hide. *scurries away* pls be gentle with me ; A ; i swear i have no bad intentions and never wanted to start discourse #ive just been watching crafting videos and the metaphor jumped out at me idk but yeah i love both oc and canons #i know how much love and effort goes into both writing canon and original characters ♡ they are both valuable #and if you ever feel devalued in the rpc because of what kind of character youre writing im sorry and you deserve better

[finniestoncrane]

Pst, is it okay if I sneak one more in though?? I love how you write your green brean, so I can't help myself. Delivery [surprise me 💃], Black Coffee [doesn’t matter/surprise me 🕺], Question Mark Shaped Nuggies [riddler; prefer Arkham, but I leave it to you who ya feelin' to write 💆‍♂️💚], Chicken Wings [confession/confessing feelings], Deep Fried Pickles [sloppy kisses], Soup [argument]

arkham!riddler x gn!reader, word count: 350 content (warnings): angry kisses, arguments, yelling the kitchen is now closed! 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie1500 (to follow or to block) a/n: listen, i would have written you five if you'd submitted them u-u💚

no emotional moment in eddie's life is easy, which is a pain because he's actually a very emotional person

he just doesn't really know how to deal with them

the only ones he's comfortable with are pride and anger and fear

and anger and fear tend to be what he replaces most emotions with, since most other feelings tend to make him angry and scared

so don't expect any expression of his feelings towards you to come easy

in fact, more likely, they will come as the result of, or be a part of, a larger argument

something that helps cover his vulnerability and offers him the space to revert to anger if need be

the option is always there, like an escape route

and any point that he feels the need to tell you how he feels, to make a grand confession of any kind

whether that is how much he appreciates you, your work, your assistance, your emotional support

or that he values your friendship

or even that he, heaven forbid, loves you

it will always no doubt begin with him nitpicking over something pointless, baiting you into a fight

one where you'll shout at each other, yelling borderline insults and criticising the other for whatever reason you can dredge up

inevitably, by eddie's design, leading to you asking him why he even keeps you around if you're such a source of irritation

to which he can respond with a loud and aggressive statement of his emotions, of his love and adoration

"because i love you, you complete imbecile"

and if you're lucky, this outpouring of misplaced anger designed to disguise his softer nature will end in something you can both enjoy

a kiss, not aggressive but entirely messy

passionate, not soft and romantic

sloppy, not practiced or defined

one that leaves the taste of each other for an hour afterwards lingering on your tongue

never spoken about until the next time eddie feels the need to instigate some sort of pointless bickering in order to express himself

#finnie writes #finnie1500

[the-phantom-author]

and after awhile your publicist and co try to gently bring up the fact that maybe being with hasan has hurt your image. and that goes down as smoothly as the titanic.

when you bring up how awful women are treated, when you bring up how it’s genuinely never enough what women in the industry do, they deny it and tell you being seen with him is a mistake.

so guess who’s now jobless?

you’re getting a better pr person, someone like taylor swifts. someone who lets you be who you are and love who you love.

it’s another big break in the news that you’ve split from your publicist. the one person on your team who has always had you has been your manager and they stand by you. they might not always agree with your choices but they are sure as hell gonna go down fighting for you. one of the few people at this point in time that you’re allowing in.

Your publicist mentions that they think Hasan has been bad for your image, but what their really hinting to is they they don't like how much you trust Hasan and value his opinion. Because you call a meeting when you decide that you don't want to tour or have any appearances for an unknown amount of time, and while you're explaining this you mention Hasan. You mention how Hasan thinks that taking a break from being so pubic might do you some good, and you mention how you agree with that statement. You bring up how being away from social media alone has done wonders for you. And your publicist doesn't like it one bit.

They try paint Hasan as controlling, and manipulative, and how his brash personality and strong outspoken opinions only reflect bad on you. And how they're just so worried and how they don't want this relationship you have with Hasan turning out to be like the other relationships you've had. Ironic, considering But Daddy I Love Him was just released, but okay.

You know you where dropping them as soon as they start their speech, and you knew your manager was being kept for the simple fact he told your ex publicist to leave the room and not come back.

#hasanabi x reader #hasan x reader #hasanabi #popstar!gf #bohogothic

[corvidcrybaby]

A bit random but Alucard strikes me as the type to be like, “if I cannot have your love, I will settle for you hate” as long as his ‘person’ feels something towards him, he is satisfied. I think being and showing indifference towards him will make him either amused or pissed off. And yes this mostly stems from my belief that Alucard could be technically canonized as a Yandere.

Hmmmmm. I think I'm of two minds about this one, personally. On the one hand, I do agree with the statement given in quotes here as being representative of a sentiment Alucard might carry. Alucard likes to see people at their most intense and unfiltered, and as such I think he'd just get a real kick out of someone's visceral hatred for him simply because he'd respect the willingness to own up to how strong one's feelings are towards him.

This supports some of the ideas, in truth - I think he definitely would prefer to know what someone's true colors are, and subsequently, would not be fond of indifference. It's actually something that I play around with in my OC, Zemira's fics with him. Much of the groundwork for their initial acquaintanceship was Zemira confidently snarking at him in language just abrasive enough to be identifiable as "giving him shit," but just cagey enough to seem chummy, affable and unphased. Beneath this were very legitimate, complicated feelings that the trooper was grappling with, and it was her attempt to project an image of being untouchable and unshaken by the Count; someone who most sensible people quaked in their boots at and didn't hide for a second. But Zemira tried to act relaxed and tough at the same time, in her own way.

And ohoho, Alucard zeroed in on that like a heat-seeking missile. IMO it's actually the worst possible thing you can do around him if your objective is avoiding him. It's like a knee-jerk reaction. You put a puzzle in front of him, he compulsively has to solve it.

Having said this, I think it segues into why I think that if he is a yandere, he's a very esoteric and passive sort of yandere. I think if you show him indifference, he's most likely to simply think of you as another stupid or oblivious human. You're not reacting strongly to him? You're either dumb, or hiding the fact that you're dumb. All he has to do is spook you a little bit, and get you to scramble off in fear. Then he'd have a chuckle, and move on, washing his hands of you.

While I think Alucard is definitely fascinated by human emotions and does place great value on them as pertains to one's willpower and strength of character, I don't think he'd take other peoples' feelings so personally. That strikes me as a little too sensitive for him. Alucard sometimes has a hair-trigger temper, yes - such as when he blows up at Seras - but it is almost in relation to something that is directly associated with a primary objective of his. I've always felt that him yelling at Seras was not him being personally insulted that Seras objected to killing humans, and moreso that he was deeply alarmed by the idea of his Fledgling - his responsibility, as ordained by Integra - not taking a life-or-death situation seriously enough, and potentially endangering herself by being squeamish about who she turned her guns on.

And when he figured out that she was just confused and frightened and looking to him for comfort and guidance, he immediately pivoted. The emotionally unkind thing here is that he doesn't apologize or try to acknowledge his own failure to communicate the situation to Seras clearly. He just switches gears on a dime, and opts to showcase understanding by dropping the subject and changing up his attitude rather than explaining where Seras is misunderstanding.

TL;DR - while I think some of his thought patterns are very yandere-esque, I think Alucard is only going to get to that obsessive, reactive state if he is already in a high-stress, high-stakes situation where his emotions are running very, very hot. Beyond that, I think he's a bit too absent and a bit too unbothered by and uninterested in most people in the long run.

#hellsing #hellsing fandom #hellsing fanfiction #hellsing ultimate #alucard #ask box #thank you for the ask!!!! i love answering these lol #they get my writing skills back in order

[soracities]

hello! I wanted to reach out and ask, how do I keep my sincerity and softness in the face of being cringed at or people finding it off-putting/brush it off as some strange behavior or put on zealously? I don't want to hide behind the veneer of modernity, hyper-individualistic scorn and apathetic realism of "adulting". Most days I hide the whimsy I find joy in and maintain a mask of edgy attitude of cynicism that people swear is actually "maturity" and "realistic" and not a sarcastically performed indifference wielded to shield from immature feelings and expectations. Am I just being childish and naive for living lightheartedly, or do I need to find and embrace the aspects of postured maturity and polished poise?

I think you need to find and embrace the mode of living that will, truly, make this existence worth its while for you—whatever it is that leaves you feeling your most sincere, your most present, and your most at ease.

I'm not saying it's easy, trying to be true to what feels right for you and sometimes feeling others think less of you for it, but sometimes how people choose to respond to your way of being in the world has, ultimately, very little to do with you: I think at the heart of the most virulent cynicism is a great deal of fear and perhaps an even greater amount of hurt that hasn't been resolved. Different people will have their own vision and understanding of the world, and that's fine: you can try and understand it, try to see what life looks like from this person's standpoint, and even allow it to inform your own (you can even counter other people's statements sometimes; not in an argumentative way but simply by stating a fact: that you're enjoying things while you can, or whatever way is most relevant)—but you can do so without needing to make their vision yours: it isn't an either/or scenario, and you can only and account for your own life and the shape YOU want to give it. Maturity, in my view, has little to do with any inherited pessimism from seeing the world "as it really is"; rather, it's seeing the world as is, with all its joy and its horror, and acknowledging that duality, trying to see and understand the multiplicities that exist within it (postured cynicism included) and finding an intentional way to move through it and with it.

Sometimes, the way I like to look at questions like this is by telling myself that, if I have to choose one stance then I have to choose it all the time, for everything, everyone, everywhere. Which means that if I choose cynicism, then that is all I am allowed to respond with, to any single thing or instance, even the most loving. It may not work for everyone, but I think it's a nice grounding exercise for me because it allows me to imagine what my worldview could be, and if that's something I truly want. At the end of the day nobody can determine what the world should look like for you, and based on how you worded your ask I think you know in your heart where your values truly lie. More than anything I think it maybe helpful to you to try and find people whose own views are similar to yours—either through shared hobbies, or other passion projects. As I said, the only that is really within our scope in a world that is as unpredictable (and sometimes inhospitable) as ours, is to find the ways that make it bearable for you, because you are the one who has to walk that path, no one else. I hope some of this helps, anon x

#ask #anonymous #notes from elsewhere

[roxannepolice]

Ooh, I've been thinking about Mozart lately! I'd love to hear your thoughts/feelings on him if you have anything you'd like to talk about 💜

I mean, talking about music is supposedly like dancing about architecture, and I'm no Nijinsky... and I should clarify that my thesis was specifically about Milos Forman's biopics, i.e. Amadeus and Goya's ghosts... so I guess the good part is that a "fictionalized" Mozart is arguably more appropriate to blorboify 😅

And the truth is I absolutely love Mozart's music, largely thanks to Forman's film. I think it managed to convey the pure genius spot on, not just in showing baby Wolfgang playing flawlessly with his eyes covered or exclamations of how there are no corrections on his sheets (which... I've been to Mizart museum in Vienna. It's freaking true. That guys really wasjust transcribing what was already in his head), but perhaps most in one of my favourite scenes in cinema history, that is Mozart vamping up Salieri's march:

Just... the moment a... Decent. Good. Better by a mile than what most people will write in their lifetime! piece of music turns into something so purely brilliant that hits something going beyond conscious mind, or culture or history, and just... touches the moment beauty crosses the line of aesthetic and becomes a value in its own right???? AND ALL THAT FROM LISTENING ONCE TO A VERY POOR PERFORMANCE (honestly, tons of ink were spilled for F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce, and justly so, but shoutout to Jeffrey Jones for the performance that in one of my better choices of words I described as "majestically unaware of his own mediocrity")???!!!! This explains what pure genius is in a way that no cognitivistics ever could!

(This was one of my major statements in the thesis, btw. One of the biggest questions regarding biopics if you can bend historical facts for a story. And I get how that's a problem, but can you convey the pure genius basing on something that isn't already genius? Because the two "improvised" pieces in Amadeus are both in fact music already written by Mozart, with the "march" being the aria Non piu andrai and the "Bach-like" melody in the party/fart scene is Vivat Bacchus. If you already have a contrast between, again. Decent. Good. and GENIUS, should you really avoid an analysis of what's the difference? Incidentally, neither Shaffer nor Forman say Salieri did in fact murder Mozart)

I think if anyone's looking for someone who did have a Nijinsky skill in writing about Mozart, I really recommend Norbert Elias's Mozart: sociology of a genius. He formulates a sort of sociological look on how genius comes to be. Not so much in a "oh, it's actually all about habitus and people maintaining concepts of beauty to serve their own purposes" or "how to raise a genius" (incidentally, if you're looking for "how NOT to raise a kid" look no further than Leopold Mozart), but really digging into "not denying some unique gift, what social circumstances allow this gift to bloom?"

I just think Mozart's music is the epitome of joyfulness that's profound. It grasps the essential unseriousness of life while keeping its importance to each individual. Makes the everyday into an ideal, without stripping or objectifying anything. It gives a sense of connection that remains thoroughly introspective. It's mathematically perfect while quintessentially human. It is, indeed, how God hears the world.

#am i making any sense here? hope that's somewhat appropriate as an answer... #that last line is taken from Shaffer's play and it's spot on #wolfgang amadeus mozart #mozart #antonio salieri #milos forman #amadeus

[poke-me-with-a-stick]

Chapter 8 of 'Artificial Wingman'!

For the full story, click Here!

I had a bit of a difficult time writing from Jazz's pov, but I tried my best and hope it's as good as the rest have been so far!

Enjoy!

---

After what felt like days, but was most likely only a few hours, Jazz saw the clock tower in the distance. A sigh left her as she disengaged the autopilot and took over steering, pressing her foot on the gas pedal just a bit too hard. The Speeder lurched forward, everything inside flying forwards with it, startling her enough to let up on the pedal. Now going at a more appropriate speed, she maneuvered the craft through the green and purple landscape until she reached the tower's small island.

The doors, wide and tall wooden sheets that fit perfectly into the blocked stone arches, sat open wide. A gesture of welcome, she knew, but the effect was mostly ruined by the fact that the top of the tower was made up of four large stone arches. An easily accessible way into the tower considering the lack of glass panes and general lack of gravity in the 'zone. But a gesture Jazz appreciated. It meant that he knew she was coming, and though his seemingly endless knowledge of everything in and out of the zone made an odd sensation course through her, Jazz also knew that the Ghost of Time wouldn't have opened the doors unless he was willing to help her.

Carefully, she flew the Speeder through the opened doors and landed it on the smooth stone floor. The redhead took a moment to collect herself, while simultaneously praying to whatever entity listening that the Ancient wouldn't be in a 'riddle mood', as Danny called it. Pushing open the door, she straightened her spine and unfolded from the Speeder, blueberry scones in hand.

Out of the Speeder's sound dampening walls, the sound of ticking grew prominent. The sound reminded her of an echo-y grandfather clock, a sound she remembered from her visits to Grandmama Fenton's as a kid. She followed the sound up the stairs and to the top floor, where she knew the ghost would be.

Just as she predicted, the Ghost of Time floated in the center of the room, a small smile visible on his cloaked face as he watched his screens. She only had a moment to catch the look before he turned his head towards her. "Right on time." He chuckled as he waved his hand, all of his screens going dark. Gesturing with his hands he invited Jazz deeper into his layer. "Would you like to join me for some tea?" He asked.

He shifted from man to a child as he led her over to a small nook, a tea set already placed on the table. Jazz handed the scones over to the ghost as she tucked herself into one of the wooden chairs, smiling pleasantly as he opened the box and hummed in appreciation. She watched as he settled on the other side of the table and poured her a cup of tea. Taking the moment to organize her thoughts, the woman busied herself in doctoring the tea with sugar and cream, ignoring the worrying green tint as she took a small test sip before nodding to herself and taking a longer drink.

Across from her, Clockwork did the same, meticulously spooning in sugar and cream into his cup before stirring and Sipping.

Jazz let the silence continue for a moment before setting her cup down on the matching saucer it had come from. "As lovely as this is," She began, "I'm afraid that I'm not here on a social call."

Clockwork nodded. "Yes. You're looking for young Daniel, aren't you?" He phrased it like a polite question, but Jazz knew that that wasn't the case here. Nothing this being said could be taken at face value, Danny had warned her of that the first time she met him.

She nodded, taking another sip of her tea. "Yes. He took a trip to another dimension, hoping to try something he found. He was supposed to come back yesterday, but hasn't. If he were anyone else, I wouldn't worry, but. Well, he's Danny." They both shared a small smile at that statement. "But, I'm sure you already know that." She raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to say otherwise.

The ghost let out a small laugh as he shifted back into an old man. "I am well aware of Daniel's situation, yes." He admitted to her. "But I can assure you that your brother is in no danger."

"While I believe you, I would still rather talk to my brother myself." Jazz bit back a sigh and prayed the ghost would help her without a fuss. Most of the ghosts Danny had introduced her to hadn't been as kind, let alone patient, when it came to favors.

The ghost took another sip of his tea before floating out of his chair. When Jazz started to stand, he gestured for her to remain seated. "Excuse me for just a moment." His incorpreal body tilted towards her as if to mock a bow before he dipped through the floor.

When he floated back up, now carrying a sheet of paper, the woman had a scone lifted to her mouth. It was quickly set down on her plate, forgotten the moment it left her hand. Instead, she found her full attention on the ghost.

"Before anything else," his form shifted back to that of a young adult, the paper being carefully hidden behind his back. Not as effective when you're not solid, but Jazz gave him an A for effort.

She had already prepared herself to accept some sort of deal from this meeting, so his words didn't surprise her all that much. Instead, she tilted her head and waited for him to continue.

"When the time is right, give this to the young Robin that follows your brother." He brought the paper out from behind him and handed it to her. The toxic green paper was old, almost scroll-like in its age, and had what looked to be some sort of summoning circle etched carefully into it.

Gently tracing the inked lines, she looked back at him. "What is this?" She asked curiously.

He was silent for a moment. "You already know what it is." He told her. "But, if you really want a hint, I suppose you could say that it is a failsafe. Should you find your brother in an unreachable spot." His cryptic words made her frown slightly, but she filed it away for now.

"Is there anything else I should know?" She asked instead. The ghost hummed as he floated back towards his screens, the grandfather clock in his chest ticking slightly louder as he shifted back into an infant.

"Your brother will have a difficult decision to make soon. And he will try to make it himself, without having all the information."

His serious tone was out of place, contradicted by his current form, but Jazz ignored the part of her that shifted uncomfortably. "When he comes to you for advice, and he will come to you, tell him to follow his heart. His heart leads to the best outcome."

Jazz puzzled over that bit of information. The way the ancient phrased it almost made it sound like Danny was in love or something. Then again, knowing Danny, he probably was in love. A troubling fact when he had left home with a love potion of all things, but surely Clockwork would tell her if it was important?

Standing, Jazz moved towards the old ghost. "I'll do what you ask." She told him honestly. He nodded, his seriousness dissipating slightly.

"Very well then. You'll find a clear path to the Dimension you seek just outside the clock tower. If you wish to catch it, I suggest you hurry. I'm afraid that this is as much as I can help you, though."

"This is more than enough." Jazz told him as she speedwalked to the stairs. "Thank you, Clockwork."

She was down the stairs before he could respond, missing how he turned back towards the screens observing as Daniel grabbed at someone's hand, fingers covered in salt and oil. She missed the secret smile that grew on his face as he watched the scene play out.

Jazz found the portal he meant as she drove out of the clock tower, a large and strangely colored swirl that broke up the usual green and purple of the Realms. A deep, midnight blue color that was covered in wisps of black and gray, almost smoke-like in the way they swirled.

She didn't even hesitate to drive straight into it. The sensation of exiting the zone rippled through her, making her veins buzz and her ears ring slightly. Scrunching her nose at the feeling, she shook her head slightly and looked around her new surroundings.

The first thing she saw was concrete. Gritty gray floors, and metal walls. Light filtered in through dirt stained windows near the roof, illuminating abandoned pallets and ripped tarps. She knew a warehouse when she saw one.

Grabbing her bag, she hopped out of the Speeder before turning back and snagging the keyring. A few button presses, and the vehicle vanished from sight with a singular beep! Even after watching Danny and Tucker work on that feature, she still felt the tingle of amazement watching the hunk of metal fade from view without so much as an outline.

Turning away from the marvel, she wandered around the dust-covered space until she found an exit, leading her into the salt and smog tainted air of a city's docks. Her eyes burned at the pollution, but she adjusted to it quickly. Wiping her eyes and fighting the newly appearing itch in her throat, she walked towards the high-rise city in the distance.

It didn't take her long to reach the city, and barely an hour into her arrival she found herself wandering the filth-ridden alleyways it had to offer. Her bag thumped rhythmically against her back and the Boomerang digging uncomfortably into her spine as she traversed the underbelly of the city in her quest.

It was only hours later, when she was beginning to question if Clockwork had sent her to the right place, that she felt it. It was faint, as if a distant echo, but it was undoubtedly something Ghost related. She paused, closing her eyes and stretching her senses out in search of the source. North of her, about seven blocks. The feeling of creeping frost that was cold, yet it was accompanied by the sensation of a warm hug. Her brother's presence, she knew immediately. She lived with him, after all. It was a feeling that accompanied every morning at breakfast, a greeting after coming home from school.

Jazz took a moment to sigh in relief, before focusing back in on her brother's presence. It was moving, she realized after a moment, heading further into the city at a steady pace. Frowning, she tried to focus in closer, pick up a path or something he could be walking.

Her concentration was interrupted by a warning from her other sense blaring his her mind. Eyes snapping open, she ducked and spun, throwing one of her legs low to sweep the legs of her attacker. Her foot struck true, sending the would-be mugger stumbling backwards with a pained huff as his breath left his lungs.

Readjusting, she dropped into a loose fighting stance, waiting for the man to right himself and come at her again before diving, sliding past him and kicking a pressure point behind his knee. Her attacker dropped, clutching his leg and groaning in pain.

He apparently had no sense of when a fight was lost, as he stumbled back tonhis feet rather quickly, his leg threatening to buckle as he charged at her. Sidestepping his clumsy attempt at a punch, she delivered one of her own to the side of his jaw, the bone under her fist making a slight cracking noise that she could only hear with her slightly enhanced sense of hearing.

The man dropped for a final time, out cold as a deep purple began to form in the shape of her knuckles. Jazz couldn't stop the satisfied huff that escaped her as she stepped dantily over the man. Her satisfaction quickly turned to annoyance, as she realized that the fight had allowed her brother to become out of reach of her enhanced sense. With a dissaointed sigh, she turned back the way she came, disappearing easily into the long shadows as she made her way back to the Speeder for the night. 'I'll try again in the morning.' She told herself. Her chest ached at being so close yet so far from her brother.

—

Jason stood on the rooftop overlooking an alleyway, his jaw hanging open as he watched the tall, redheaded Goddess of a woman dissappear into the shadows. Shaking his head clear, he dropped down into the alley and made his way over to the criminal.

A kidnapper, one he had been tracking for a while after busting a human trafficking ring about a week back, layer out by a beautiful woman. The irony didn't escape the anti-hero, a dry smirk overlaying his face. He let out a low whistle of appreciation as he caught sight of the deep purple and blue bruise on the man's jaw, shaped almost like a heart. There was no way the man had escaped this fight without a fracture at the very least.

Quickly tying the man up and setting a signal for the police to follow, he turned back to the direction she had walled off in. There was zero sign she had even been there, besides the goon she downed. Hurrying up to the rooftops didn't wield any answers either, no trace of the woman anywhere. He wanted to search for her, get her name, 'Maybe her number too…' but he was called away by Oracle hacking into his comm and redirecting hum to an armed robbery in progress.

He hoped to find her again, but for now he had a job to do. Besides, if she was going around taking down petty criminals like a pron he had no doubt they would cross paths again. Especially if she kept wandering around Crime Alley at night.

—

Danny felt something at the edge of his consciousness, a slight tugging that was familiar to him. Before he could try and focus on it however, a warm hand latched onto his, causing his chest and face to warm, while sending his brain into another small meltdown. He wasn't sure exactly when he started to have this reaction to Robin's touch, but no amount of telling himself that it was just logical to hold hands while walking around a dangerous city at night calmed his racing heart.

'Stop it.' He told himself. 'In three days he will probably lose all romantic feelings for you.' His heart clenched painfully at the thought, but Danny refused to let what if's cloud his judgment right now. If it was all temporary, then he would just enjoy it while it lasted.

—

Back in the ghost zone, Clockwork smiled at his screens. Everything was happening just as it should be.

---

(I know there might be some typos and/or Grammer mistakes, but it's okay because I tried my best.)

For the amazing people who follow the story so far, as well as the lovely person who made the prompt for it: @halfblackwolfdemon @manapeer @xxwintrynightzxx @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 @blu-lilac @academicpurposes @secretdestinywerewolf @passivedecept @naluforever3 @postit-nope @spiteismymiddlename @2t-productions @plague-daisy @feet-achy @bubblecookies16 @thesapphiredragon13 @justwannabecat @magicalcollecter @adeniumdream @amuseofminds @lupagrim @readerkayden @dr-syko-pharm-4 @ladythugs @angelheartgamer @markthespot68 @kyrianclawraith @michikoy-yuki @servasvictoria02 @your-emo-nightmare @vala-dreams @scarlett-green-rose @t1dwarrior-of-earth @charlie-the-frogie @akikoyuii @mysticalcomputerdetective @roseuniverse999 @im-totally-not-an-alien @thefearfullone @weird-droplet-309 @jaytriesstuff @raventao @jacquelynwinchester @dragongoblet @tlise21 @longlivethefallen @the-archer-goddess @temple-of-jalebi @adepresseddwightsblogofjunk @plainly-colorful @the-legal-shipper @49saltpeppershakers @igotafewbadideas @tumbling-darkling @sparklygardenbouquet @sarcastic-yami @blueneko9314 @starscreamlover @liedboutmurder @do3y @roze-realm @some-mildly-happy-human @yinari-uchiha @azuera @chaoticmistake @altairsarts @kawaiikenna @heartsong18 @thetoyboxs @tricksovertreats @mnemovoid @lim4b3ans @horribly-lost-and-gay @keimiwolf @dryeraseslime @joey394

#danny phantom #dc x dp #danny phantom x dc #batman #batman x danny phantom #danny phantom x batfam #danny phantom x damian wayne #dead serious #love potion #miscommunication #anger management #Jazz is here! #Artificial Wingman #read on ao3

[spiritcc]

NEW RUSSIAN HOLMES IS 10 YEARS OLD

NOVEMBER 18TH 2023 IT IS TODAY, EXACTLY 10 YEARS AGO BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Celebratory cheers to @sve-tka, @nitefise-art, proofreaders including @cosmoglaut, @charliebrown1234, @shaddicted, @221bees, @kheldars and formerly @lxgique, it was That long ago! @clara-kaino thank you for keeping the tag alive.

There has been so many things said over those years that it feels redundant to repeat them again, so I will attempt to say something new for the occasion

I think I realised why nrh has next to no discussions, while you're watching it, it never feels complete enough to start talking about, and after it's over, people either don't realise the full picture doesn't come within one watch, or the whole situation feels like it's beyond words. An actual sentiment I've seen, weirdly enough

The show's rewatachability value is insanely high, as someone who's been in this for a decade and seemingly Knows everything. Putting the plot together feels like step one to get out of the way, after that it's just piles upon piles of noticing details of characterisation, mannerisms, phrases, references. It never becomes old, every watch is so full of something new, it always feels fresh and eye-opening for the n-th time to watch. But the show itself never emphasises it so you don't ever feel the need to, the ultimate trickery.

Definitely swept under the rug is how important nrh was for the cast itself but because the show flopped, they kinda have to talk about it like it was nothing. Petrenko talks about that period as a massive catalyst for a lot of things in his personal life, Kavun the director never fails to mention that was 8 years of his life as well, but who cares at this point.

One time a person I won't tag here called nrh "kremlin propaganda" and reading that I physically felt losing about 7 years of my lifespan. It is especially funny since Kavun is Ukrainian and maybe I'm about to say something controversial and not exactly indisputable but themes of colonisation and such? That's not something that is on the mind of the colonist himself. Maybe a lot of what nrh is comes from the fact that its director slash writer is Ukrainian.

This show is a fantastic johnlock repellent. I love watching in real time how johnglockers join us for a watch and immediately start cranking out very dubious statements watching Holmes and Watson barely interact, and they vanish by episode two. Works without fail. It's almost a test of quality of sorts that works both ways, an average Holmes adaptation has by itself very little to provide in terms of themes, so average fans expect johnlock and literally nothing else. If an adaptation actually talks about something the way nrh does, it passes its own quality test, and if an average fan doesn't click off bc johnlock is all that they expect of an adaptation, that's a good fan right here Kappa

I always talk about nrh's non-existent fandom and I did talk about getting used to it to the point of gatekeeping almost. Don't think I ever expressed that the gatekeeping mostly comes from the point above maybe, because the bigger the community, the bigger the chances of seeing a braindead take on main so I'd rather have a population of 2.5 people that are cool rather than a fully-fledged modern 2023 fandom.

This is my personal opinion: never hid it that the series has a nice number of shortcomings and outright bad elements. Would I have preferred to change them? No. Wouldn't bear this show being all-around perfect and thus attract an easier audience, the way it is just attracts the correct crowd. Plus being perfectly good would lose all its personality that I think firmly incorporates its shortcomings, akin to just being a normal person with good and bad sides.

Holmes maybe takes his special spot in the general Holmes pantheon, Watson is often proclaimed as the best or one of the best Watsons ever, depends on personal preferences. Lestrade's feedback is being 100% the best Lestrade. There are different Watsons, there are different likings, but there isn't a better Lestrade.

I've uploaded the srts to opensubtitles ages ago, but how much that matters considering I don't even see the show on yt anymore plus when it was there, the timing would've been off, I don't know. But for some reason discovering subs was neigh impossible for almost a decade but at least not anymore.

Time to uncover the memes, see yall on this wonderful celebratory day o7

#new russian holmes