#i totally was not inserting specific real life people while writing this

[museofthepyre]

Did a fun Q&A thing on insta about my ocs, here are the highlights, lore and shit! For context I am writing this into a horror-ish book as we speak. Brewing my dastardly schemes (gay tragedy).

Q: Is Eden also a cannibal?

A: Eden isn't a cannibal in the way Harlow is. I mean he eats people but only because Harlow's cooking is too good to turn down /hj. Eden's thing is... kinda the opposite.

He's slowly being consumed by the rot that's festering within him, a manifestation of hatred and shame. To him love is consumption, and he is inedible. Insert vulture metaphor here w Harlow. For every rotting corpse there is a very greatful vulture who will look past the decay, and see your worth. Eden is ultimately finished off by something that loves him, a consumptive love, unconditional and indiscriminate.

Q: ABOUT THE ROT, HOW DOES IT WORK? HOW IS IT AFFECTING HIM??

A: This rot is really the only story element that isn't totally grounded in reality. It's an illness that's a manifestation of his self hatred/ repression/ internalized shame- not an actual condition.

It appears at first like it just affects his chest- but it’s been slowly burrowing deep into his body. Its spreading like roots/ mycillium through his flesh and will finish him off in one foul swoop once it's finished spreading.

In the meantime, it manifests like a chronic illness- his muscles are all atrophied and he feels constantly drained of life. It's taking small pieces of flesh to sustain itself while it spreads (the chest cavity is the result of that-though the REAL damage is invisible. It's the ticking time bomb roots beneath the seemingly unaffected surface). It functions like a slow acting Chronic Wasting Disease (aka zombie deer disease, humans can't get it in reality, but it was the inspiration)

Q: What happened when Harlow discovered Eden was a guy

A: Eden is trans, and closeted in his life. Harlow is the first person he ever discusses his truth with.

At first, Harlow was just kinda... confused? Transness is not a concept he was familiar with. At ALL. The idea alone was completely unheard of to him. Again this is the Bible Belt in the 8os, the area so rarely encountered visible transness- trans people existed of course, but so many stayed hidden to survive. The roaring tre of bigotry did not have much tuel in that regard... no trans people to propagandize against. It was not on the public's vitriolic radar. In that way, Harlow hadn't developed the knee-jerk reaction of hatred... he was more fascinated than anything, but it did challenge him to understand at first.

Unlike his journey with accepting homosexuality this was not so much a task of unlearning as it was just... learning.

Also Eden's whole rotting thing adds another layer to this Harlow is stupid and takes everything VERY literally- he thought Eden's condition must be divinely brought.

Harlow saw a gift from God, a rare flower planted in inhospitable soil, wilting before it ever got the chance to bloom. Like the angels sent to Sodom and Gamorrah in human disguises, to test the townspeople's virtue. To present them with something foreign yet beautiful, to judge their inherent goodness based on how they treat it. Like in the biblical story, the townspeople were so vile and inhospitable that it endangered the angels and forced them to leave, burning down the town behind them. Harlow saw this as prophecy. He was eager to get to the “burning down the town” part.

Part of my motivation for incorporating that specific biblical story is SPITE btw since so many people use it to justify homophobia. Reverse uno idiots. I'm putting you in my GAY BOOK as a metaphor for hateful queerphobic societies.HA!

Q: Describe the rot in Eden's chest in sensory detail (texture smell “cause" etc) I want rot details!!

A: I used CWD and necrotizing fasciitis as building blocks for this thing... starts in the brain, spreads like roots through the body, eating away at muscle and skin as it does. Once it's fully spread, it'd rapidly worsten and bring death within a matter of hours.

In the meantime it sustains itself off of non-fatal bits of flesh (his chest here, since it's a manifestation of self hatred and all, and dysphoria is a bitch). It is an open wound so it'd feel scabby and it is perpetually weeping... which is how Harlow finds out about it so quickly (seeps through white nightgown after being left unbandaged for a few nights). He would also have to take care to hide the smell of decay

It advances throughout the story and by the end there's barely any soft tissue left on his chest, nothing alive anyways. The final overtake begins, and his organs enter the early stages of consumption (which happens very rapidly in one foul swoop). That's when they decide it's time for boy dinner!

Q: How smart are they

A: GREAT QUESTION! HARLOW IS FUCKING STUPID. LIKE not only does he lack emotional intelligence entirely, but he's also very impulsive and reckless. The ONLY reason he's getting away with his murders is because the society around him has shot itself in the foot with its homophobia. Noooobody is suspicious of him for the string of missing attractive dudes. They're looking for a "vengeful woman" profile, or possibly a "debt collector with many social connections" or something. Not some solitary redneck who barely shows his face in town and is very polite and quiet when he does. He appears, in all respects, like a normal guy in public.

Once they have mutual blackmail (and also start caring about each other)... Eden realizes that if Harlow gets caught, he's fucked too. So partially for the sake of self-preservation, and... partially out of pity for this stupid stupid man... Eden starts to help him cover up.

Harlow is pretty disillusioned as to how society functions as a whole, since he grew up pretty far from it. Eden is the opposite, he was suffocated by it and learned how to be sneaky as a result. Eden is very good at getting people to trust him, he's good at lying, he's good at acting. Thing is, he's overly trusting to his own detriment. He's desperate for genuine connection and easily deceived himself. He's bad at reading people.

Q: What happened to Harlow's mom?

A: Harlow's mother died due to complications during childbirth. He never had a maternal figure in his life, he was raised as an only child by his father, who had become calloused and would never remarry. Harlow dropped out of high school and kept to himself at his house/ in nature after that very isolated from society. Considering all this... he not only lacked a maternal figure, but any female influence... at all. Which manifested as this warped and idolized understanding of women as a whole

He thought of women in a very high and almost mystified regard- like how a child would imagine a mythical creature. One massive blank filled in by a clueless imagination. He respected them greatly, he feared them like gods, and he felt a need to repent to them as such. He never properly processed the guilt he felt over his mothers death-largely thanks to his father's handling of it. This guilt left him feeling indebted, like he owed the world for what he “took", like if he ever so much as inconvenienced another woman it would be an irredeemable sin.

This all sounds like it comes from a good place, but it's really all just deluded naivety this is not a positive trait of Harlow's. It contributed a lot to his toxic masculinity, the pressure he put on himself to "be a man", etc.

He's not a white knight, he's a cowardly dog.

This is why he didn't just kill Eden on the spot after being caught, he needed to make sure...)

MORE TO COME IM SURE I LOVE GETTING QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE FREAKS IF ANYONE HERE HAS ANY

#Rot of the Eucharist #my ocs #ocs #original characters #original writing #horror writing #horror author #queer author #queer fiction #long post

[egg-emperor]

I don't get why some people genuinely have to relate to character one to one or they don't like them, especially in terms of morals. like fair enough if that's your preference though I still don't get the appeal but if you change all the character's morals and other aspects of their personality to suit your preference/make it more like your personal ones, don't get mad when people don't want to do the same and keep it accurate and faithful. And especially don't treat them as bad of a person as they perceive and write that character to be themselves because you think it reflects it somehow.

Because I can't relate to Eggman being a selfish evil monsterous war criminal terrorist dictator and abusive murderous asshole who has no moral limits holding him back from doing anything no matter how fucked up and destructive to get what he wants (though some people try to act like I am for writing him as such lol)- but how different he is to me is actually specifically compels me. Sure I can relate and even be inspired by some small assets of him but he's still a very evil fucked up person and that sets us apart. It makes me want to explore his mind and find out how he ticks and his wildly different perception and views.

That's usually a huge part of why I love characters ranging from jerks and assholes to totally evil irredeemable monsters and Eggman is my favorite ever for being both, while also having a funny side that makes him interesting, badass, funny, and most importantly, entertaining. Relatability doesn't matter as long as it's entertaining. It's made me sad how it seems in recent years people can't seem to enjoy what they can't relate to and demand that from creators and get angry and accuse them of being terrible people if they don't. It's a close minded way of viewing fiction.

Purity culture and the idea that all characters must do the right thing or come from a place of believing they're doing the right thing instead of genuinely being a bad person and being happy with that is killing creativity. Fiction is made to explore anything we want and that includes anything and everything that we can't relate to as well. In fact, by not always relating it's more realistic because it focuses on how different we all are as people and we might not all understand each other but we're still all human- and regardless of everything else will always be able to relate in at least that one way.

Not every character needs to be a role model teaching you a moral lesson. How different a character can be and analyzing their thoughts, feelings, motives, morals, personality, and behavior without projecting in every area, instead embracing them for what they are and challenging yourself to write someone so different to you is a great thing and necessary skill in writing so all your characters aren't exactly the same. There are many ways to be both good and bad people and actually bad evil people as characters are just as important as good ones in storytelling.

I don't need Eggman to do all the things I would. I don't need him to be a good person, I don't need him to have my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. If I did, I'd write a self insert. He's a very different person and it's cool and interesting and makes him a blast to write and watch, to see him doing cool entertaining evil badass stuff I wouldn't do in real life- which I also shouldn't be accused of wanting. But I shouldn't be surprised that groups of people stuck in hiveminds would forget that people are different and that variety and differences are cool and appealing without being able to relate :P

Storytelling is a way to write characters we can't relate to just as much as ones that we can and I value that a lot. I will always enjoy writing, analyzing, and appreciating Eggman for just how different he is to myself and the creativity and the deep thinking to still try to understand him without being able to relate, the little things that I can such as his passion, creativity, and determination is nice but all the things I can't relate to interests me too. I like the challenge it gives me to capture it accurately and faithfully and not let too much projection or bias take over- it's really fucking fun.

Characters being different and challenging your perspective, real life morals, and preferences is a great thing. I'll always love writing Eggman doing things that interest me for being so different and even stuff that would disturb me in real life, just as much as the things I can relate to and see in him and even be inspired by in some areas. A character with the complexity of pulling off all at once is a sign of a very well written one and inspires a lot of creative thought. I'm sad that purity culture is sanitizing and removing everything that makes them interesting to make them all the same. I won't follow.

#dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #my post #important #rant #eggman is evil

[the-one-true-nobody]

Baldur's Gate III Romance: Something Gained, Something Lost

Baldur's Gate III does something with its romance options that I'm a little on-and-off about. I say "on and off" because I see some of the reasoning behind it, so I'm not totally against the creative decision, but I also have issues with it just the same.

The decision I'm referring to is the "every companion is playersexual" decision. I use the term 'playersexual' because while some people might prefer to think of them as being bisexual or pansexual, there is a difference: a character who is written with intent to be either of those things would, within whichever category, have their own preferences and leanings that would impact how and why their interactions with the player or other characters took a certain shape.

When a character is "playersexual," it means that they are down for whatever the player might be—whatever the player might be. It effectively overrides the companion's agency in their own orientation and preferences, prioritizing the player's potential desire to ship themselves with that character. The more things that the player can potentially be, the more catch-all the companion's "playersexualness" also has to be.

Now, the issue I have with this is that when you override such a substantial part of your cast's personalities with "whatever the player wants, idk," you effectively can't weave that side of their personalities into much else about them, at least not with much specificity. In addition to that, you're sacrificing the potential to, say, tell a story about someone who is specifically gay or bi or whatever, and what that sort of life experience is like, when you turn every character's orientation into this sort of player-wish-fulfillment catch-all.

I did say that I see the logic, and the logic isn't exactly terrible. Setting aside the obvious unwillingness to deny any particular player their romance of choice because the character wouldn't care for it, almost all of the romancible companions in Baldur's Gate III is one of Larian's "origin characters," which is to say, they can just be the protagonist if you want to play as them instead of your own home-grown character. So the devs may have been unwilling to define much about their orientations when they're companions because to do so would place some narrative pressure on the player to conform to that (or at least, they might believe they are being pressured to conform to that) when playing as the Origin Characters. Making them "playersexual" as companions also just makes them "whateversexual" as player characters.

So I get that. I do. Still: whenever a writing concession is made "to appeal to the largest number of people possible," something is lost in the process. Here in Baldur's Gate III, the result is that quite a lot of potentially intentful inclusiveness is sacrificed in exchange for a scenario where your self-insert character very fortuitously falls in with a group of people who met by coincidence and are all conveniently and openly willing to get it on with a character of any shape, size, gender, or sex, despite living in a medieval fantasy world where that kind of thing should be less common, not nearly as open when it does occur, and... you get the idea. It's the fanfiction ideal of living in a world where everyone around you is very cheerfully down for whatever, and getting to leave all the real-world social baggage at the gate when you enter.

And that's fine. But it's also a kind of story that is fundamentally incompatible with a story that tackles such social baggage directly, too. Something gained, something lost.

I'm not sure how I feel about it, and for all that I understand the perspective of wanting that very relaxed comfort fantasy, another part of me actually thinks this is the one area where modern BioWare actually does it better... after all, they did the same thing way back in Dragon Age II, before they started making characters specific in their orientations and working that into their stories. So they already have some hindsight on this.

#baldur's gate #baldur's gate iii #baldur's gate 3 #romance #bg3 #baldurs gate #criticism #opinion #blog

[ladyazulina]

A Writeblr Introduction Attempt

[En Español]

Hello everyone, I’m Lady Azulina 💙 Just Azu around these parts. I have been thinking about doing an introduction since I started diving into the Writeblr community who knows how long ago—certainly not me. But I wasn’t able to decide where to start. I still don’t know, but I believe that even the smallest attempt can be a great step, so here we go—I mean, I. Here I go. I really want to make this space something safe for me. For me to vent. For me to share. For me to be me even when I don’t know how to be me. I tried Instagram. I tried Twitter. Now I’m consciously trying Tumblr. Let’s see how this goes.

2-1: My pronouns are she / her. I’m also cis. And as far as I know, I’m hetero, but I haven’t had the opportunity to test my sexuality, so I can’t be totally sure. Why I’m telling all of it? I don’t even know! Don’t mind me.

2: The sun has gone around twenty-four times since I was born. I’m from winter. Like, an-early-Christmas-gift type. By five days only. I was supposed to be born in February, but I think I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday with the rest of the family. So it was Christmas. Sadly.

2+1: I'm legally a Sagittarius, but heartily I don't know where I fit. Sagittarius sun, Capricorn moon, and Aquarius rising.

2x2: I LOVE personality tests. For the majority of my life, I was INFP-T, but the last result says I am ISFP-T. My Enneagram type is a solid 4, a light 9. My color personal test is serulian (#9bb7d4).

2x2+1: I started writing when I was eleven.

2x2+2: I think I have a record of every writing in all these years (goddess, it will be twelve years soon).

2x2+2+1: I’m a love fanatic, even when I don’t wanna be. I’m a hopeless romantic, people. I write romance even without knowing that I’m writing romance. How the heck? I do not understand either.

2x2x2: In the same way, everything with the correct amount of romance can amuse me. And it doesn’t even have to be romantic.

2x2x2+1: I’m also a creature of fiction. Each word that comes out of my fingers is fiction. Be wary, I’m talking here about my writing, I can turn my life into a work of fiction, but it is not! Sadly.

2x2x2+2: On the topic of fiction, excepting a few self-insert (usually coming out in form of micro-stories), all I write and have ever written is absolutely and totally… fiction. Gezh, believe me, I was also looking for another completely unsuspecting word to get you all there, but I went b l a n k. You all know about it, don’t you?

12-1: I'm a fantasy-setup type of girl. I think I decided that with my very first novel, full of fantasy creatures. Though I haven't been writing there for a while, it's still one of my primary genres. I also like paranormal stuff, not in a very big matter, but its participation is still appreciated.

12: I love mysteries, and I think I’m trying to write one, but I do not try to solve them. My head wouldn’t forgive me if I try to push it so hard. On the same topic, I enjoy detective series.

12+1: I found my hidden love for (writing) action scenes thanks to a specific character. I'm still trying my ways because I don't get to write with her as much as I would like.

12+2: Other than the ones I've already mentioned, I'm pretty bad at identifying genres or tropes, so I won't be doing that. If you recognize any in my writings, please point them out to me! That way I can add them to the tags and so on.

12+2+1: For a while, I was roleplaying in forums, so I think I can say I have fics from Digimon, Pokemon, Sword Art Online, and My Hero Academia. Needless to say, I'm trying to turn all their stories into original ones; I can talk about them whenever.

12+2+2: I always create characters in pairs because I don’t want them to feel lonely like I do, though it doesn’t mean they’re romantic pairs.

12+2+2+1: I’m pretty in love with the blue color, hence my name, its lighter tones especially.

12+2+2+2: My real-real name is also a blue color! I think I’m unbiased from birth.

20-1: I’m a Caribbean Latin lady, my first language is Spanish. I would love the second one to be Sign Language, but I think it really is English.

20: I started studying (in college) Maths, but it didn’t work. I shifted to English, but it’s not working either.

20+1: My alter ego is an editor, proofreader, and writing coach, I can serve as the mediator, and as a way of trying her services as a beta reader.

22: I think it’s already obvious, but my favorite number is 2. The 02, 20, and 22 also work. 12 just because it’s my birthday month, but it also has a 2!

Project Masterlist.

#writerblr #writing community #writers on tumblr #writing #writeblr intro #writerscommunity #writeblr #writers #writerscorner #writblr #writeblr connect #writers of tumblr #i'm okay being tagged in #tag games #i will participate in the ones that sparkle something in me #mimi wip #linney

[ddarker-dreams]

I love HWR reader, but it’s so hard to connect with her since her character is extremely specific. Especially since her personality is the exact opposite of mine (crying in ENFP 🫠). For me, she feels more like an OC than a reader insert.

I’m so sorry if this comes off as Karen behavior, in no way am I trying to police your writing. I just want to know why you chose to give a reader insert such a defined persona, and if you’d ever consider writing for other personalities as well.

i totally understand! i know it’s not for everyone — i consider it a similar thing to when people want the heroine in otome games to either her own distinct character (like ichika hoshino from collar x malice), or more of a stand in that’s easier to project on (like the MC from mystic messenger). neither are objectively better than the other imo since the genre is all about self-indulgence. i think it’s important to go with whatever you prefer. 

for me, i always love to see the heroine in otome games/MC in reader-inserts have their own unique personality. it gives them a distinct flare that i really enjoy, even if their personality doesn’t line up exactly with mine. obviously take my opinion with a grain of salt, but i think for longer stories, there is a real benefit to having distinct characterization for the reader. that way they can develop and this adds a sense of progression to the narrative. as a writer, this is pretty difficult to do unless you’re have a character who has motivations/values/characteristics to work with. writing longer works with a static character as the protagonist... while certainly possible, it just wouldn’t feel fulfilling for me. that’s what i consider my shorter stories to be there for. 

anything that isn’t from a more serialized work of mine (which i consider to be scarlet ribbons, hell within reach, the first contract, and deep sea), i try to give the reader an easy to project onto personality. i’m sure there are exceptions to this but generally speaking, going ham with a reader’s personality in 1-3k words won’t be my priority hrjtkmegr 

i kinda felt like HWR reader would be the most difficult MC of mine to empathize with just due to her moral grayness (if you can even call it that...) so i’m sure that adds to it as well. but it felt like this was necessary for the story i wanted to tell. a member of the phantom troupe would have to be amoral, willing to kill, and generally someone capable of ruthless acts that a regular person would find awful. any reader like that is bound to be difficult to relate to. i tried to counterbalance this by showing more of her “human” side without justifying her actions (adjusting to independent adult life, love for siblings, feeling out of place in social situations), but even those problems aren’t universal. 

ANYWAY i hope this makes sense, my main opinion is that stuff like this is entirely up to personal preference, but since you asked for my thought process i went ahead and shared it! 

tl;dr — shorter stories by me have readers who are easier to project on whereas longer stories i prefer readers with defined personalities. 

while i have no way of knowing if you’re into jjba... i imagine the reader in scarlet ribbons as being an ENFP!

#i can never decide what god darling would be classified as #xNFJ for sure but as for deciding between E/I... i Cannot Say... #answered #Anonymous

[arbitrarygreay]

I saw afloweroutofstone's recent anime posts, and the end results were pretty frustrating. That list of finalists was so.....well, from my POV, basic as all get out. Insert ted danson gif here. Hell, I see even weeb Tumblrs that seem to know nothing about shows that would actually fit their tastes, and instead keep slogging through the very underwhelming mainstream favorites, while their faves retain a total anti-recency bias. So, some classics that have fallen through the cracks that I gladly proselytize to anyone with higher brow anime tastes! (Note that this doesn't mean that I dislike lower brow stuff. This post's frustration is specifically about how basic people's "high brow anime faves" lists are.) And there is zero Ikuhara, Watanabe, or Gainax/Trigger on this list. There is, however, a fair amount of Yuasa, who is arguably the primary TV anime auteur of the 2010s. Yamada and Tachikawa get multiple mentions each, too.

Kyousougiga: How to even describe this show's genre: Buddhist magical realism but it's Looney Tunes? The show I want the most to proselytize to people about. Matsumoto Rie's career has shown that she thinks in terms of music video rhythms, and this show really put that to use with a few of my favorite sequences of all time. In between those, though, is still just as effective writing about the complex feelings we have towards family, paired with vibrant animation of action that live action does not yet have the balls (or budget) to attempt. Kaiba: The best cyberpunk audiovisual media I have ever watched, period. It makes most other cyberpunk look bad for how effortlessly it delivers its commentary, while having the chutzpah to have the visual aesthetic it has, and yet the animation of that aesthetic only drives in the cyberpunk themes that much harder, making live action straight takes look tepid and shallow. In fact, watching this pretty much ruined Deca-dence for me! A Place Further Than The Universe: Coming of age of high school girls by participating in a research stint on Antarctica. This show has an impeccable sense of rhythm, which means that the interactions between the characters pop, and only get more fun as the various relationships get deeper. This show understands that anyone who wants to go to Antarctica is going to be a bit of a weirdo, and delights in that fact. In addition, the trip isn't just an excuse for the coming-of-age narrative, the show digs into the real logistical details of such a thing. Ping Pong: Imagine Friday Night Lights, but it's about the titular sport, and how the fact that it's not a team sport changes all of the relationship dynamics, and animation means that they're not constrained in their visual depiction of the game. Yeah. By the same guy who did Kaiba. THE RANGE. Gatchaman Crowds: This show is nominally about a sentai-type group of superheroes, but it's actually concerned with exploring themes around internet culture, social media, incentives and motivations around civic duty, trolling, callout culture, politics in the internet age, and arguably some parallels to gun control. The show doesn't always stick the landing on the answers it chooses, but it's still digging into the issues with a depth usually reserved for harder science fiction novels. The Eccentric Family: It's Magical Realism In Kyoto again, but the action is way less broad and the stakes lower than Kyousougiga, which means a different tone and type of story told. The second season repeats a few beats of the first, but just hanging out with the characters is such a good time you don't mind. Where Kyousougiga is concerned with family members having very ambivalent feelings about each other, The Eccentric Family is more about the inter-family interactions of a wider community (at least for the relatively chill tanuki, while the tengu are total drama llamas in deliberate contrast). Odd Taxi: A web of characters make their way through life, some of which include crime and murder, leading to increasing interactions with a mere taxi driver. Stageplay-style dialogue collides with anthropomorphic animal character designs to make the social commentary pop without having your eyes glaze over at the Prestige of the story it's telling. Imagine a walrus in a hawaiian shirt and tiny baseball cap saying "Why not enjoy a bit of sherry and a fudge brownie while strolling along the West Coast?" in total deadpan to an alpaca as the height of cute romance. Keep Your Hands Off of Eizouken!: In a near future solarpunk-ish world, a group of high school girls get into 2D animation, and deal with the logistics of making 2D animated productions. The strong character personalities and interactions make the ride through all of it a fun time. It conveys the sheer joy of artistic creation by showing instead of telling. Planet With: It's not so much a deconstruction of sentai tropes (but filtered through mecha) so much as unearthing a lot of novel nuance by speedrunning the standard storyline (this show gets through more plot in a few episodes than entire double cour seasons of other shows) and digging hard into the fallout, as well as putting the audience in a non-standard POV. Also has some of the absolutely most cursed kaiju designs you've ever experienced (WORLD PEAS). It references an Arthur C. Clarke novel, which tells you a lot about its writing ambitions. The story is all about advocating for empathy and nuance as the highest ideals, when much of the world believes that those are a tradeoff against achieving justice. Hunter x Hunter: There is just nothing like it. This really is simply the GOAT of long-running battle shounen, and there are zero traditional hero narratives here. The battle tactics are cool, the world-building endless yet all so considered, and the character development increasingly Going There without flinching. The arcs rarely resolve the way you think they will, because they know that all of the ridiculous power levels still just belong to people, and people ultimately make decisions for personal reasons. Do NOT try to binge this. Take it at your own pace, and take breaks when you need to (I myself am currently stalled during early Chimera Ant). Most arcs have a slow start, but the construction of every element is intricate and barrels into unstoppable momentum as the arcs go on. Dennou Coil: A story of kids in a world of near-universal AR glasses. Western media really is pretty shit about making shows that are actually ABOUT technology. The stronger examples usually mine character/relationship dramas that could be equally explored set in a different industry. Anime, meanwhile, has the temerity to tell stories that could not be told without the technologies they're exploring. In addition, Western media is doubly bad about displaying how the younger generation is usually on the bleeding edge of how said technologies will change society, since their media about kids are usually mired in the nostalgia of the creators. Dennou Coil, though, actually gets that childhood tends to be subversive more than not. It is fascinating, though, to see how this show assumes a near-total freedom given to kids in Japan to roam around, while it seems US kids (and even teenagers) are increasingly captive to their houses. Equally impressive is that there is no tradeoff between Fun Train and high brow philosophical opining on technology. The latter is effortlessly demonstrated by the former, which is all in character because the kids themselves aren't thinking about it, they're just living it. Hibike Euphonium, Liz and the Blue Bird especially: A story about high school wind ensemble. But underneath that, it's a story about the tension between social politics and artistic integrity. Choose between being the best artist you can be or having harmonious relationships with the people around you. Finding a balance may cause you to never achieve the goals you want or need to, because art is a world where the lukewarm is to be spat out of the mouth. And enjoy some of the most gorgeous anime in the entire industry, perfectly utilized to get across these teenagers' feelings and pretenses. Plus some authentically good wind ensemble music, of course. Liz and the Blue Bird is a movie that can be watched stand-alone, and is a bona-fide masterpiece. Kakegurui: On the surface, this seems like just anime gone indulgent, someone pairing their love of games with their spank bank. However, there's a lot to dig into once you get past the kneejerk reaction. This is a show that is psychosexual, and in particular the links between our basest instincts and class warfare. The story of the poor turning to gambling despite the apparent irrationality of it is a very long one, and this show's power fantasy is making the rich and powerful finally understand that feeling. I actually recommend the live action Jdrama (and movie) of Kakegurui over the anime for that reason, as its writers seem to better understand and so emphasize those political themes, while the second season of the anime is bound by the source material going to more conventional tournament places (and the class warfare themes ironically coming out the most in the anime-original material). At the same time, though, the way the story so wholeheartedly goes over the top makes it fun to watch even without considering the deeper implications. Also the anime has more overt gay ladies. Mob Psycho 100: The incredible animation is the headliner here, probably encompassing the widest variety of tricks of all of the shows on this list, but none of that would mean a thing without the story, whose primary theme is that the stakes of the action mean nothing compared to maturing as just people. But that animation, though. It's a show where motion is everything. Screencaps could never capture the genius of drawing happening on the screen. Memories: More often titled "Otomo Katsuhiro's Memories". Three short movies across four auteurs (seven if you include the music composers, and boy is the soundtrack for all three excellent). Satoshi Kon's Magnetic Rose is gorgeous, but it's really just a Doctor Who episode at this point, most of its best tricks well-pilfered by live action. Stink Bomb has some of the satire of bureaucracy that gave Shin Godzilla its punch, but also features joyous action animation, as the comedy ratchets up right along with the stakes. Finally, Cannon Fodder has the shortest runtime with the highest impact, illustrating a world and narrative with fractally dense detail and intent. Do NOT miss out on this movie. It'll stay with you long after the credits roll. Wave, Listen to Me! (Honorable mention): Is this show actually good? My sheer level of fond affection for it seems to indicated that I'm too biased. I listened to Prairie Home Companion with some regularity throughout my childhood, and this show perfectly captures the way Garrison Keillor would tell meandering and absurd Tales from Lake Woebegone, where you're kind of rooting for the characters, but unsure what on earth might happen in the next five seconds, and if current moment is more or less fantasy within the context of the story itself, and if that seeming detour or non-sequitur a while back is about to get shaggy dog'd right back in. If you want to see what it's like when a stand-up routine is played as traditional story narrative, then you might enjoy this show! The "shows that just spark inordinate amounts of joy for being FUN TRAIN! DO NOT STOP THE FUN TRAIN! but also have good character/relationship work" tier: Kaguya-sama, Symphogear, Demon Girl Next Door, Thunderbolt Fantasy, Saga of Tanya the Evil And finally, the "sports anime executed so well that they make other genres look bad" tier: Haikyuu, Girls Und Panzer Shows I haven’t watched yet/finished watching, but trust the critical consensus on: From the New World, Sonny Boy, Flowers of Evil, Flip Flappers, Revue Starlight, Vinland Saga, Planetes, Katanagatari, Land of the Lustrous, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Concrete Revolutio, Girls’ Last Tour, Shirobako, Death Parade, Given, Kino's Journey, Heike Monogatari, Ranking of Kings, Made In Abyss, Dorohedoro, Konosuba, Gegege no Kitaro, O Maidens In Your Savage Season, Devilman Crybaby, and Golden Kamuy.

#anime #anime recommendation #anime rec list #anime rec #category: anime #way too many anime to tag lol

[gorbo-longstocking]

i love your rambling please dont apologize. and like i get it about the immersion - ive known people who get real hung up on 'readers' doing or saying things they personally wouldnt do even though its kinda hard to tell a story that fits diverse people without making like idk a vosual noval or something. Personally i just think of reader inserts as a different way of telling a story and sharing love of characters and i dont mind the vehicle character being an oc because like you can turn that on and off in your head as needed but then thats probably just me. i kinda think if it as youre a reader too yanno? like the dm is a player too. My headcannons and yours dont have to match even if you are the author because of how youre telling the story. i dont mind you sharing your thoughts on mc because like im super curious about everything to do with your story but i also get it if you think its a safer bet not to because it might ruin the experience for someone else. totally up to you! i DO like that mc is old enough to have some level of greying hair because you dont see too many stories with readers that are older. usually its like theyre just starting out but this mc actually has some level of experience with life and relationships and shiz. and if i havent said it recently thank you so much for writing.

YES I TOTALLY SEE WHAT YOURE SAYING. its especially hard creating a compelling blank slate character. like, not to be an anime fan on main, but in a lot of anime you have that generic male protagonist for the watcher to project on. and personally, im not too fond of that because while i understand his purpose of being a vessel for the audience MAN is he boring. and its really hard doing that with a pov character who has an inner monologue and thoughts and opinions to share. especially when my favorite part of writing is characterization.

im not even going to lie i have no self control and its not an if i drop in depth mc profiles or something its a when. but when i do, i could probably put it under cut or something or tag it a specific way if ppl dont want to see! that way its there for ppl who do want it, and avoidable for ppl who do >:3

oh yeah the mc in asmgg is older and explicitly so mostly to try and closer match the age of the royals! plus i just think it opens the door for frisk calling them old every opportunity they get.

#asks #GOT AN ASK ABOUT SCOOTERS APPEARANCE MID TYPING THIS SO YEAH THW READ MORE THING IS GONNA BE REAL IN FIVE SECONFS #im answering undertale asks w my dad in my peripheral which is VERY funny rn the vibes r a lot heh

[we-love-angst]

No prompt. Just felt inspired for the first time in forever. Anyway:

“Come on, A, I know you better than this. It isn’t you,” B said, holding out their hands in an attempt to comfort A.

“Do you? Do you really know me at all? Are you sure about that?” A exclaimed, carelessly waving the gun around.

“Yes, I’m sure. You could never hurt anybody, I know that,” B assured.

“Listen to me! Look me in the eyes, B! I am a monster! Don’t you get it?” A’s eyes were wild and crazed, and they could hear the thunder booming in the night.

“You’re not a monster! I don’t understand why you think that!” B countered, once again.

“Because I am broken! I m nothing but a worn-down psychopath just waiting to do someone’s bidding! I manipulate and betray and lie! I lie to you every day. Every day that I put on the smile, every day when I act nice like I care. Every day when the sun is shining and I don’t argue when you tell me I am such a great human being. I doubt I’m even human!” A shouted, still holding the weapon.

“No! I don’t care if you’re not the pretty perfect one everybody thinks you are! I don’t. I still think you are a good person! Because you are! You say you are a monster, but that’s not what I see. I see a good person who tries to please everybody in an attempt to hide that you need support or help! I see someone who needs someone to believe in them, to help them see that everything will be ok. You are not a monster.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong. I am a monster. I am weak. I am what everybody else thinks I am. I am what all of the little kids are told hide under their bed. I am a broken, ugly thing that can’t be fixed and deserves to be locked up.”

“No.”

“I! AM! A! MONSTER! Why can’t you see that?”

“Because I love you! Because I love you, ok? I will never see you as some ugly thing that scares children in the dead of the night. I will never see you as some broken thing that can’t be fixed. I will never ever see you as an evil monster, ok? I love you,” B said.

A lowered the gun and dropped it on the floor as they started crying. B wrapped their arms around A as they both collapsed on the ground. And that’s how they stayed. A sobbing into B’s shoulder as B stayed with them.

#i totally was not inserting specific real life people while writing this #nope #not at all #anyway #ansgt #angsty #angsty writing #angsty prompts #angsty scenes #we love angst #a and b #hurt/comfort #whump #whumpee #scenerio #imagine your otp #otp #otp prompt #otp imagines #otp writing #sorry about this

[ptwritesmore]

The Anatomy of a AO3 Comment + Cheat Sheet

Want to tell an author that you like their work, but stuck on what to say? Maybe this can help!

Before we jump in, any comment from a “I loved this” to a keysmash will make an author’s day. There is no obligation to leave a comment at all, but know that whatever nice thing you say will carry weight with an fic author. You do not have to follow any format. 

I’m putting this together because people have said they get stuck on what to say when they want to leave a positive comment on a fic. So feel free to consult this when you’re not sure what to say. 

Anatomy

The anatomy of a meaty comment can be broken down into a few building blocks:

Telling the author you liked the fic 

Complimenting an aspect of the story 

Pulling a line from the story and talking about it 

Talking about how the story made you feel 

Ending line 

So an example could be:

I wish I could leave another kudos on this! I especially liked your characterization of Ginny - she’s spunky and hilarious, and her comments about Hermione’s love life cracked me up. This line in particular made me actually snort out loud: “insert line you liked here.” This one shot was so fluffy, it’s going to make me smile for this of the day. Thanks for writing and sharing with us! 

Cheat Sheet 

Going a step further, here are some examples of things that fit within each building block:

Tell them you liked it 

This kicks off the comment - it could end here and that would be fine!

I wish I could leave another kudos 

This was lovely! 

OMG this was so good!!!

I wish I could read this story again for the first time

This was so well done

Hi, I love this! 

From the example above: “I wish I could leave another kudos on this!”

Compliment an aspect of the story 

Adding this shows what you liked the best. This essentially boils down to: “I really like how you did [x thing].” [X thing] could be any of the following:

Characterization of a character: [x character] was so on point, reading your [x character] was basically like reading the canon character you captured them so well, each character was so well-defined, you built out [x character] and gave them so much more depth, [x character] was hilarious/sweet/terrifying

Character development: I enjoyed [x character’s] journey, I love how [x character] grew in [y] way, I never imagined how [x character] would react in [y] situation before 

Pacing of the story: this was so quick and engaging, I loved the pacing here, this slower pace helped underline the emotional turmoil [x character] was going through 

Description of a place/scene: you described [x location] so well that it was basically like being there, your descriptions are like poetry, I appreciate the way you set up a scene, I could see [x location] perfectly in my mind’s eye

Nonverbal cues that set the scene: the little things you add to help highlight the emotions like [x character] biting their lip when they are nervous really build the story, I enjoyed the nervous ticks you gave [x character], the details of their first kiss showcased the emotion they both poured into it 

Dialogue between characters: the dialogue was captivating/emotional/real/raw, I love the banter between these two characters, I thought [x character] had the best lines, the interactions were perfect  

Small details that pulled the story together: I appreciate how you wove [x] into the story, the little clues in the background were a great hint for the reveal

Writing quality: this was so well written, the writing was gorgeous/haunting/poetic, this was executed perfectly 

From the example above: “I especially liked your characterization of Ginny - she’s spunky and hilarious, and her comments about Hermione’s love life cracked me up.”

Pull a line from the story and talk about it 

By pulling something specific you can dissect further and showcase your own reaction to the material. You just copy a favorite/funny/meaningful line and explain why you liked it or how it made you feel. You can do this with multiple lines if you’d like, don’t be afraid to mix in simple reactions “omg” with more in-depth examples. Here are some examples:

This line made me laugh/smile/cry/cringe/squeal/scream/snort/want to vomit

I nearly jumped out of my seat/cried/jumped for joy when I read this line

Her line here was especially powerful given the extra backstory you gave her

I could totally see [x character] a saying that

You nailed his voice

The comedic timing of this line was perfect

From the example above: “This line in particular made me actually snort out loud: ‘insert line you liked here.’” 

Talk about how the story made you feel 

This fic melted my heart 

I’m still crying, that was so haunting 

I feel like I need to go take a cold shower now 

The angst here killed me 

This fluffy fic made my day better 

From the example above: “This one shot was so fluffy, it’s going to make me smile for this of the day.”

Ending line 

If you’re not sure how to wrap up, try:

Thanks for writing this!

I wish there was more, this was delightful

What a refreshing take, thanks for sharing with us!

Such a great read, I loved it!

Now I want to read more 

I love this fic!!!

This was beautiful <3

Going to go read more of your work now, bye! (only use this if you plan to)

Bookmarking to read again! (only use this if you plan to) 

From the example above: “Thanks for writing and sharing with us!” 

Wrap Up 

You don’t have to use all of these at once, of course. Just take whatever building blocks work for you and build a comment from there. 

And if you want to level up, feel free to talk about how this touched you personally. One of the nicest comments I ever got was how a fic of mine helped them while they were struggling during COVID and that made themselves tea and sat down to enjoy each update. They didn’t need to tell me that, but it made me cry that something I wrote provided that kind of moment for someone. 

Hope this helps!

#ao3 #AO3 fanfic #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfic comments #ao3 comments #ao3 comment cheat sheet #commenting reference #comment #Writing fanfic #fanfic review #fan fiction comments #harry potter fanfiction #hp fanfic #commenting cheat sheet #ao3 comment #how to leave a comment #how to guide

[mimzy-writing-online]

Hello. I had a question regarding your post about blind characters. I have a character in my WIP that must cover their eyes.. but it’s blind. He may need to tell people he is blind to explain why he covers his eyes though. I was wondering how I might write this character without offending. Thank you :)

I think I want to start by explaining the “covering blind eyes” trope and why it has become a harmful trope. I think understanding why it’s hurtful helps everyone learn how to handle it better.

I would guess that the “blind people wear sunglasses” trope comes from Hollywood for the specific reason of 1. wanting to signal to the audience that the character is obviously blind and 2. avoid breaking the suspension of disbelief by preventing the audience from catching the sighted actor look at visual stimuli (because disabled characters are almost always played by able actors).

But this changed the way the public expects to experience blindness. If watching a sighted actor wear sunglasses and say he’s blind is all the exposure to the blind community a person has had, that’s the only model of blindness they’ll recognize. If they meet a blind person in real life who doesn’t wear sunglasses, it’s going to break this built perception and cause an uncomfortable cognitive dissonance. 

And then there is the common “cloudy-white blank gaze” that pops up in media. It stems from the fact that cataracts is the most common cause of blindness and the appearance of severe cataracts is a cloudy film in the eyes obscuring the iris and pupil. It can also alter what color a person’s eyes appears to be, making them appear paler and grey in the beginning and then as the cataract advances it becomes more yellow/brown and alters a person’s vision to appear more yellow tinted.

There are lots of other eye conditions that makes the eyes look visibly different. Albinism for instance affects the color and structure of the iris. Eyes might be congenitally misshapen. The muscles might be weak or not work and one or both eyes point significantly outward. Someone who was born blind and experienced no visual stimuli might also have weak muscles around their eyes because they never had a reason to focus their eyes on anything.

And unfortunately humans have the habit of feeling uncomfortable when they meet someone who looks very obviously different from the norm, whether that’s a personal style choice (hair color and style, tattoos, clothing choices) or something they can’t help (a visible disability, skin color, scars). 

To the paragraph above, @gothhabiba replied with:  “it's very weird & ahistorical to claim that racism or ableism are some kind of natural "human" trait.. like frankly it's apologia”

You’re right, I wasn’t thinking beyond that generalization or assumption.

Perhaps a better way to put it is: I was raised in a society where I was taught from childhood to think that there was only one kind of human being to be. White, cis, straight, abled, conservative. That’s a very western thing and that’s a thing I’m going to constantly be unlearning.

Racism and ableism and homophobia aren’t innate, that’s a western thing that was forced onto the rest of the world by colonialism. And because western media created this idea that the world is white, abled, cis, straight, and Christian-value leaning, it taught people to think that was the norm so that seeing someone different from that archetype would cause a cognitive dissonance, which causes discomfort.

And instead of working past that cognitive dissonance to learn more and realize there’s so much more to life than media taught you, society encourages you to ignore that cognitive dissonance by sticking your head in the sand-- or TV screen.

So combine these two tropes or common beliefs together and you get something a little dangerous: the idea that blind people cover their eyes because they look obviously different and they’re ashamed (or should be ashamed) of that.

And if you’re someone who’s just gone blind or who was born blind and you have little to no contact with the blind community, then this societal belief that you should be ashamed of how your eyes look becomes detrimental to your self-esteem and further builds internalized ableism.

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve read or watched a blind character cover their eyes with sunglasses because they were ashamed of how their eyes looked. And I distinctly remember a few times where a sighted friend of the character was trying to convince them to stop wearing sunglasses because there’s nothing wrong with looking different--which is true, but it plays into this fantasy of being the perfect abled ally who saves the blind character from being miserable. 

In an ideal world, the character has no reason to believe looking different is a bad thing or diminishes their worth or makes people dislike them. And if they develop this belief, it’s more likely that someone more involved in the disabled community, most likely someone disabled themselves, will set them straight. Or that the character will learn to accept themselves on their own, looks included.

But there are some perfectly valid reasons for any blind person to wear sunglasses. They might have an interest in fashion and sunglasses complete the look they’re going for. They could want to protect their eyes from UV rays while they’re outside. They may experience light sensitivity and sunglasses reduces any discomfort or pain. Those are incredibly common reasons to wear sunglasses whether you’re sighted or blind.

But there are some more complicated situations.

In your words, your character must cover his eyes. You never specified why, so my primary guess is that he has some kind of power that is unpleasant or has devastating affects and the only way to prevent it is to keep his eyes covered. My primary guess stems from this post where an anon and I discussed a retelling of Medusa, a hypothetical blinding of oneself to avoid ever killing anyone ever again, and what I think I would do if I was in that scenario.

So how do you write a blind character who must cover their eyes and avoid some of the complications?

1. Your character must always have the ability to say “fuck off, it’s my business, I don’t have to tell you why I’m blind or why I cover my eyes.”

Most blind people really, really don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of why they’re blind and how they feel about it and what it’s like being blind with a stranger they’ll never see again or a new acquaintance they don’t know well yet. You have exceptions to that rule where sure, educating the public about blindness is a thing you want to do and you’re committed to helping your community, but I still have days where I don’t want to talk about being blind or disclose my medical crap.

And if someone doesn’t respect their right to their privacy or pushes too much, the blind character is allowed to be angry, is allowed to tell them off and complain without anyone else in the situation vilifying them or saying they’re “overreacting” and “should have just disclosed private information because big deal or whatever.” If they are angry, that’s their right, and it’s not unreasonable, it doesn’t make them a bad person.

2. Your character should not be ashamed of being blind or of covering their eyes. It is a part of their life, they’re used to it by now, even if they weren’t in the beginning.

The shame and internalized ableism is something that should be written about, but that’s for an own-voices story with a blind author. I don’t think an abled person will ever be able to understand how much society expects you to hate yourself and your disability because “being disabled is a tragic thing that ruins your life” and how that does affect your mental health, self esteem, your relationships with others, your medical care, and what kind of accommodations you can get.

3. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few sarcastic lines in response to uncomfortable conversations.

Stranger: so what’s with the...

Blind Character: what’s with what?

S: the... you know

BC: you’re gonna have to be a bit more specific

S: Your eyes?

BC: They’re... eyes

S: but you’re...

BC: Blind?

S: uh...

BC: yeah, I’m blind. *walks away*

Or this conversation:

S: *to some other character* so why are his eyes covered?

(author’s note: which, honestly, that’s fucking rude. At least have the guts to ask me yourself)

BC: If I look anyone in the eye they instantly perish.

*awkward silence*

BC: instantly.

Friend: It’s truly tragic

BC: *melancholic* that’s how I lost my sister. *chokes up* She was so young

Or this conversation:

S: Why are you wearing that?

BC: It’s called fashion Karen!

Or this conversation:

S: are you like... blind?

BC: yes?? why wouldn’t I be?? Wait, are you sighted? Are you one of those sighted people? You poor thing! What caused you to gain your sight? Do you have a car? A bike? Were you born sighted? What’s it like to see color? Do you miss not having to see 

God, I want a chance to try that last one. I haven’t interacted with a stranger in almost a year. One day...

4. Honestly, it’d also be cool if someone’s reaction to your character covering their eyes was like, “cool sunglasses,” or “cool *insert random character, even one you made up* cosplay,” (which is ten times funnier if this character is a notable figure in modern society like an actor who people might cosplay). 

5. You know, if he’s covering his eyes with some kind of blindfold, he should totally have custom blindfolds for his moods. Like, I have a mask that says “suck it up buttercup” and another that says “not today” because sometimes that’s the mood. And sometimes the mood is one of my floral masks, and sometimes the mood is my cat mask.

So, just some thoughts. I hope that helps.

Edit: a commenter said: “op, unless i'm mistaken this kind of reads like anon meant the character ISN'T blind but lies about being blind to explain covering their eyes? it seems like they made a typo on the word "isn't"”

So my original response to the question was based on the assumption that the character is blind. However,

If the character is not blind, then do not under any circumstances have them lie and say they’re blind to escape a mild inconvenience. 

It’s better to have the character actually explain the situation or straight up leave the conversation or invent a more ridiculous lie than to perpetuate the very real stereotype and misconception that there are people who fake being blind and therefore it’s okay to discriminate or harass them if you even suspect they’re faking.

Do not under any circumstances perpetuate that stereotype. Do not harass someone because you don’t think they’re blind enough.

#blind character #writeblr #writing community #disabled character #writing tropes #trope talk #blindness tropes #Anonymous

[mercurytrinemoon]

Me debunking astrology generalizations and misconceptions or smth idk...

Squares and oppositions aren't pure evil. 

I can't believe I have to say this because I thought ya'll have learnt the characteristics of every aspect but here we are. Nothing in astrology is black and white. And I saw some ridiculous statements (not necessary here on tumblr) that said things like "if your Venus squares someone's ascendant then you don't find that person attractive AT ALL". Or "Mars square Mercury people can't speak politely and have an annoying voice". Like????? First of all, that's ridiculous. Second of all, square in not "everything bad" just like trine is not "everything amazing". Squares bring tension, which leads to motivation, they’re stimulating; sometimes excitement or charisma; sometimes they can make you overdo things. I'm not saying they're oh-so-marvelous because the challenges are still there, but they're not as bad as people paint them to be. Squares happen between two signs that are in the same modality so they have a bunch of things in common. Besides, some of them (Sagi-Pisces and Gemini-Virgo) are ruled by the same planet so there's a special type of chemistry between those (especially when applied to synastry). Oppositions work in two ways, planets either meet in the middle - opposite signs usually complete each other and fuel each other up. And worse case scenario? Natally this means being pulled in two different directions; synastry-wise, you can completely miss each other like two passing cars - so there may be some misunderstandings but I don't think that's the end of the world... And, as per usual, may be mitigated by other positive aspects.

This is me debunking other people's attempts at debunking Sun sign compatibility. 

Sun IS very important but when people ask about compatibility and go with Suns... and then someone tries to be a smartass and debunk the "compatible-incompatible" and does the same thing without even realizing it. Like, "oh I actually see a lot of Aries and Pisces having amazing relationships because *insert someting that is a total stretch and refers to their Sun sign traits*"... But you seem to forget that they're neighbouring signs... which means they probably have personal planets in those neighbouring signs... which means they're compatible not because of some made-up stuff that you're trying to come up with but because their other planets are compatible with each other. But you're still feeding into the Sun sign compatibility talk. (So like, what I'm trying to also say, yes, the entire synastry chart comes into play; Also, side note, everyone can get along on some level if they’re mature enough).

Planet in a sign is NOT the same as planet in the house. 

There may be some overlaps in some of the sign-houses associations (like in the overall energy; like for example, it sort of makes sense that 3rd, 7th and 11th are referred to as “air houses” because they’re the most social) but in NO WAY there are similarities between planet house position and the "ruling" sign. That association started a few decades ago and some would say that NOT linking houses with signs is a purely traditional approach. But there’s plenty of professional modern astrologers with 20/30/40-year experience who still differentiate between sign/house position... because they know (and have learnt along the way) that there’s a huge difference.

I'll give you 3 quick examples: Gemini planets and 3rd house planets both may put emphasis on communication, mental stimulation and gathering data. But Geminis are often scattered in their approach, they may be easily distracted, may be indecisive, may be jack of all trades and talkative jokesters. They actually hate routines and dullness. "Spice it up" is probably a Gemini's philosophy. Now 3rd house planets may indicate you actually LIKE doing things on the regular - like running errands every other day in the mornings or going to that one specific coffee shop to pick up a snack. You may actually work in logistics or as a postman (especially if your chart ruler or MC ruler is in the 3rd). Planets in the 3rd talk about your siblings, neighbours or school experiences - like having Venus in the 3rd may point to positive experiences within those areas - something Gemini Venus has nothing in common.

Venus in the 9th can study at an art/beauty or fashion school (or even teach there if the MC is involved); can be very attached to spiritual and religious matters; can also find love in a foreign land. But imagine it being in Taurus - rather shy, needing those stable values to feel secure, being an exceptionally great student at that art school thanks to its domicile. Venus in Sagittarius on the other hand, likes adventure, things being shaken up from time to time, lightheartedness and exploration. But what if we flip the scenario and that Sag Venus is in the 2nd house. This can denote earing money through travelling and looking for ways to expand but in a financial matters.

Continuing with the Venus examples, having Venus in Aries is completely different than Venus in the 1st. What do people usually say about Venus in the 1st? That it makes the native charming, lovely, well-put together, with great manners, maybe beautiful, graceful, maybe a bit shallow. When in Aries? None of these characteristics fit, on top of that, it's in its detriment. Our poor gal Venus is uncomfortable and confused in Aries. She's like, "conquer? Swords? Selfishness? Obnoxiousness? Sparring? You're telling me to fight people? What am I doing here???" 

And I'll leave you here with that cause those examples weren’t that quick lol and in fact, I could give you a 100 of those. Besides, this actually inspired a 3-page rant that I've already posted not so long ago that you can read HERE.

There's no such thing as "more accurate" astrology. 

Both western and vedic are valid. Both can show you the same things. JUST KEEP THEM SEPARATE AND DON'T MIX THEM WITH EACH OTHER. And don't say things like "sidereal shows your soul" - omg I saw this statement soooo many times, who the hell even came up with this?! Actually, if anything, it's the modern western approach that "psychologized" (yea I just made up a word, you mad?) astrology while Jyotish still sticks to the very real "here and now", sometimes fatalistic predictions of how exactly your life is going to roll out... But hey, reach for hellenistic methods and they can tell you the same things, just with different tools. So no, they do not show different things, it's just their language is different.

If you say you don't identify with your chart then you're just reading it wrong.

This partially connects to the last one in some ways... Switching to a different astrology or different charts is not a solution. Learn how to read your natal. If you say it doesn’t describe you, I can guarantee you that you haven’t studied it properly. (Now this hasn't turned into a rant yet but I may actually do a whole-ass post on this because if I start elaborating on it now I'll end up with another 3-page essay).

Learn how and when to generalize. Also learn how to take generalizations. 

I understand that you have to pick up on every single thing separately in order to put everything together. It's like learning a new language: first you need to learn individual words and then you need to know the proper grammar to create a full sentence. This is 100% understandable and necessary, but it's important to take the entire thing into consideration. And this goes for all branches of astrology, but I guess it's especially annoying with synastry. This, again, comes down to the very black and white approach. You know, like when you see those long paragraphs where people elaborate on all the intricacies of Venus-Pluto aspects or whatever as if that one thing was determining the entire relationship between two people. (Side note, no shade but some of ya'll should start writing fiction or poetry cause the amount of fluffy speech and waffle that I see floating around here on tumblr is insane sometimes). Why are you wording everything as a make it or break it type of situation? And on the receiving end - learn how to take *properly phrased* generalizations constructively. Example: it IS a rule that Aries is a competitive one, maybe you're not one of them (for many reasons) but don't make a fuss about someone saying this. It IS a basic rule that energies of the same sign in two people are going to get along (well that depends on the planets involved but I digress), if that, for some other reasons, doesn't apply to you, don't go yelling that it's bullcrap because you hate people of the same sign. You know? Like, learn the difference.

DON'T SCARE PEOPLE WITH ASTROLOGY.

I had a mini-rant on this one a while ago, but I think this deserves a constant reminder (and refers to the last point), I don't want to see any more posts that would say things like "xxx house placements will bring you suffering" or "stay away from people with planets in your xxx house" or, even worse, making a (completely untrue btw) prediction based on one single thing like "someone with so-and-so aspect is going to harm you". And you're so casual about it??? You know there are sensitive people in the world. Learn some ethics. Learn some counseling skills. Don't be ignorant. Don't throw these random stuff at people just like that. And learn some actual astrology cause most of these aren't even closely describing that particual aspect. LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

Ok now I'm pissed again.

Studying astrology and believing in free will doesn’t go well together.

It's not just psychological and spiritual. It's useful to know that western astrology made it like that because there were still people threatening astrologers for using it as a divination tool. So they moved away from the predictive/deterministic aspect of it. Now, I'm not here to change anyone's beliefs cause that's a very personal thing that everyone should develop on their own. But once you start diving deeper into astrology you'd notice that there's a heavy emphasis on fatedness and things being predetermined. That includes both the good and the bad stuff and you should learn to accept that. And with the bad things specifically, let's not excuse it with some "oh that was an opportunity for growth". Like yea, maybe, occasionally??? But just acknowledge that sometimes things happen not because there was a deeper meaning in them... but because you have a Pluto-Mars conjunction in the 6th that makes an applying square to your chart ruler and you were going through a profection year where Mars was your time lord and it transited that chart ruler while making a conjunction with Neptune so you were attacked by a baby crocodile while swimming and it bit off your toe and you got a nasty infection and that’s it (I just made that up btw, I don't actually know anyone who was attacted by a crocodile). So like, sometimes shit just happens and there's nothing psychological about it. Also, I bet your free will didn't want to be attacked by that croc.

#thank you for coming to my ted talk #that was supposed to be short #i can never keep it short #you know how many ideas i had for that house-sign differences?! #i could write an entire book #also i may do a part two #some day #astrology #mercurytrinemoon

[tobiosmilktea]

nom de plume — bokuto koutarou

1.6k words | genre/s: barista!au, fluff | warning/s: — | pairing: bokuto x gn!reader

↪︎ in which bokuto gives you a fake name every time he comes to the cafe you work at. you’ve been dying to know the handsome stranger’s real name, but here you are scribbling “captain america” onto his stupid caramel macchiato

a/n: here’s something short and sweet to quench my need to write a fic after writing boring essays all week for school. not the most original content either but i needed something simple :p

there were four types of regulars you would see walk through those doors of the cafe you worked at. either to spend as little as five minutes to the entire day inside the shop just to breathe in the serenity of light jazz music humming in the background. you’ve been working at this establishment long enough to relish how different every single person’s life was as they stood in front of you and ordered their special pick-me-up for the day.

you could easily tell what a person was like based on what they order—like that middle-aged office worker with a receding hairline that always entered the cafe in the midst of an angry phone call with a client, disrupting in the calm mornings with bickering. he usually orders an iced americano, bitter and dark enough to match the dark circles under his eyes and wrinkles adorning his forehead. not entirely your favorite, but he tipped well.

then there was the occasional university student, overworked trying to finish three different essays while cramming for an exam. they usually come in small study groups that end up messing around half of the time or they trickle in as individuals, eyes all red and glued to their laptop screens as they try to chug the remaining contents of their cappuccinos with three shots of espresso.

then there were the soccer moms with their obnoxiously specific drinks, ranging from the different flavors of frappuccinos with extra, extra caramel drizzle.

and then there were guys like him—the one with alabaster hair and darkened roots who just walked inside the cafe—your favorite. the door swinging opening and causing the bell right above the threshold to ding. the tall, hot, and beefy regular with a smile so intoxicating that he catches you off guard each time he walks in exactly at two-thirty in the afternoon.

you didn’t know his name, but you recognized his face, all chiseled and annoyingly handsome. this time he was accompanied by his friend again, akaashi with dark frames resting on the bridge of his nose.

unlike his companion, you actually knew his name as he would actually give it to you, unlike the latter who preferred giving out a new nickname each time he comes around to visit. hell, you knew a lot more about akaashi despite seeing him far less often.

to say you were a bit peeved of this fact was beyond question.

the only thing you truly knew about the man you were inexplicably interested in was that he always ordered an iced caramel macchiato with almond milk. he was very particular about the non-dairy part of that order.

“what can i get you two?” you ask the two towering figures before you. though, it wasn’t much of a question when you already knew what they would order.

“a flat white for me,” says akaashi.

the usual, you think. he says he likes the foam art designs you make.

“and an iced caramel macchiato for me,” says the other, giving you that infamous toothy grin.

god, he was so cute. if only i knew your name, stranger.

you input their orders into your screen quickly, the total popping up on the smaller screen in front of akaashi and his friend as he takes out his card. he inserts the chip in for a few seconds, waiting for the beep to emit from the machine before taking it out in a swift flick.

once the payment goes through, your fingers pull the black sharpie clipped onto your apron off as you grab a cup.

akaashi didn’t bother mentioning his name as you were already scribbling it down in cursive—swift, yet satisfyingly neat. on the other hand, you waited for the white-haired boy to mention what new moniker that piqued his interest today. your eyes met his with patient intent.

“captain america,” he mutters with the corners of his lips tugging up into an amused smile. as if he was proud of himself for saying such, you couldn’t help melt into his contagious grin. like a ray of sunshine that would immediately melt away your troubles, you swore your heart skipped a beat.

the brunet flicks his eyes back and forth from you and his friend, temporary intrigue setting in as he holds back a smirk. “sorry about him,” akaashi pats his friend’s shoulder, “we’ve been rewatching the entirety of the mcu and just finished captain america before coming here.”

“oh, no worries, i’m used to it.” you wave it off, “it isn’t the first time he used marvel superheroes as nicknames. just two days ago he used vision after i reminded him that he had already used thor twice in the past week.”

“i’m surprised you remembered them in the first place,” akaashi’s friend confesses.

“how could i forget? i always look forward to whatever name you give me next.”

you thought you saw a hint of red blush dusting his cheeks when you flick a look over to him, but you weren’t too sure.

perhaps it was just your imagination.

noticing that you were only holding them up by making useless conversation, you clear your throat, muttering almost incoherently, “i’ll have your drinks ready in a few minutes.”

you dipped back towards the coffee machine before they could even thank you. their cups were gripped tightly in your hands as you placed them down next to the machine. the ground up coffee beans cascaded down the dispenser and into the portafilter. carefully, you compressed it tightly into the container before brewing the espresso into a small shot glass.

“is that the guy you were talking about?” your coworker, mitsuko, pops up from behind you and asks. you jolt a bit, almost spilling the piping hot, steamed milk in your hands when you give her a look, “you weren’t wrong when you said he was a complete hunk!”

playfully rolling your eyes, you continue making their coffees, careful not to spill anything that could possibly garner more attention towards you as you could see his towering figure over the barrier.

mitsuko’s eyes cast down towards one of the cups, grabbing at one of them to read the name. “captain america, huh?” she reads before glancing at him, “he fits the name well, at least. you think he’s an athlete?”

you shrug, “not sure, but i heard he’s a big marvel fan. he used quicksilver, vision, and thor in the past week.”

“aren’t you ever curious about his real name?” mitsuko asks as you smile contently at the foam art before snapping the cover atop akaashi’s flat white.

“of course i am,” you say, setting the ready-made drink to the side to start the other. “i suppose the guy likes his privacy. who knows, maybe he’s famous or something.”

you say that partly as a joke, but something inside of you thinks that perhaps that this was that one in a million chance. how would something of such a high caliber as him not be inherently well-known, even if it was just a little bit?

mitsuko snorts at your vehemence, slapping the meat of her thigh as if that was the funniest thing she has heard all day. “as if any famous person would ever come into a random cafe in a small city, (y/n).”

you didn’t answer for a few beats as you completed the white-haired boy’s drink, capping it properly. you weren’t ignoring your coworker’s statement, yet rather simmering in the thought of how ridiculous it actually sounded.

maybe this guy just wanted to have some cheap amusement. nothing more nothing less. it was just a name after all.

you let out a sigh, “as much as i would love to know his real name, it’s none of my business. speaking of which, has he ever given anyone else random nicknames when he comes by?”

mitsuko shrugs, “he only ever comes by when you work.”

“seriously?” you’re quite surprised.

“yup, this is the first time i’ve ever seen the infamous regular who only gives out fake names.” she mused, “maybe he does it to get your attention.”

you roll your eyes, scoffing at the thought. how ridiculous. you never wanted to wipe that smirk off of your coworker’s face as you wave her off, approaching the open end of the counter as you readied yourself to hand them their drinks.

they had been patiently waiting at the other end of the counter for a few minutes now, grateful they didn’t complain at your discrete chatter with mitsuko as some patrons would. instead, they smiled at your approaching figure with their coffees in your hands.

“here’s your flat white,” you hand the cup over to akaashi.

he flicks you a charming look of appreciation before making his way towards the cafe’s entrance. you couldn’t exactly pinpoint if he was in a hurry or not as he left you and his friend alone.

you didn’t entirely mind, though, as you shook it off.

you handed the man his drink, “and to the dude whose name that i shall never know.”

he mutters a brief thank you as he takes it from your hand, fingers brushing against each other and causing your heart to rush.

“aren’t you curious?” he asks suddenly.

your brows furrow, “about what?” you replied as you feign innocence.

“my name,” he clarifies.

“well, unless your name is actually captain america, why wouldn't i be curious?” a smirk was slowly appearing on your lips, “besides, with the dozens of people i see almost everyday, i have to say that you’ve caught my attention, stranger.”

he grins, hand fishing through his pocket, “well, since you’re dying to know,” he hands you a tiny slip of paper, making sure the tips of his fingers linger feather-like touches on the palm of your hand. “come and find out for yourself.”

he sends you a wink before walking out of the cafe, leaving you absolutely dumbfounded. your shaky fingers unfold the creases of the paper, eyes scanning the contents of his messy handwriting.

000-000-0000

the name’s bokuto — call me! :)

general taglist: @yongboxerrr @crybabbicus @rosepetalhaven @tvwhoresblog @tanakaslastbraincell @kellesvt @kitsunetea @milktyama

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu fluff #bokuto koutarou #bokuto x reader #bokuto fluff #bokuto scenarios #bokuto imagines #haikyuu bokuto

[thekatebridgerton]

penelope as LW: *sounds like a wise old lady who Knows absolutely Everything and hints at Scandalous Stuff*

penelope in reality: pregnant??? without getting married??? how is that possible???????? ????????????? tHrOuGh LOVE?????????????? *insert confused woman meme*

I mean it checks out do you know how many 15 yo in AO3 who have never had a boyfriend write better smut than seasoned sex experts?

Penelope was just following the age old tradition of embellish fanfiction with imagination and sounding legit. There are teens in AO3 who know more about sex than I do. Heck I learned about sex from AO3 and we're all total virgins in real life

Penelope being Lady Whistledown at 16 without knowing anything about scandalous stuff and sounding like she was an experienced woman is actually one of the most realistic things there is in the whole franchise.... (When you're someone who started writing fanfiction at age 12 and never looked back, this checks out)

In the books and in the show. Penelope is faking it. Totally! But she's a writer! Faking it in print is part of what we do.

I could write better smut at 16 than I can now because at 16 I had a bigger imagination. And things like 'human physiology' and 'physical impossibilities' didn't bother me.

I can imagine how proud Penelope was of people who read Lady Whistledown and thought she knew about bedroom stuff and what rakes did in Covent garden after dark. Girl had mad writing skills. No wonder her publisher loved her. Experienced woman yeah right, girl just spent too much time listening to people talk while they were ignoring her and put two and two together.

If you notice LW never actually goes into specifics when she talks about things Penelope doesn't know the specifics of. She just hints at it with some witty remark or some metaphor that will get people going, she doesn't have to know about scandals to pretend she does, as long as her readers have their mind dirty enough, a clever turns of phrase will do the trick.

Penelope doesn't have to outright say Anthony was cannodling with Sienna in Lady Whistledown. She doesn't know the dynamics of what happens between a lord and his mistress. But her readers do, so she just must hint that a certain Viscount and a beautiful opera singer frequently sought out by many men were seen together at so and so ball. The waging tongues will do the rest

But truthfully Penelope is the perfect example of a fanfiction author who can write smut like a pro, yet in real life is the most innocent looking virgin ever.

Reason #5365 why I'm #teamPenelope

Ps: Hey adult followers here's a question for those who read fanfiction. What type of stuff did you read and write at age 16? Personally I was already reading the Bridgerton books and Christina Dodd's governess bride series when I was 14, so at 16 there might have been worse things...

Right Pen?

#fanfiction authors #who is with me #Penelope Featherington #lady Whistledown

[infinitegalahad]

GENERATION KILL: COMFORTING THERE PARTNER

"This is just me formally submitting a request for that gk boys offering their own forms of comfort fic/ headcanon/ thoughts wtevr. Lol just as a reminder. 😀"@theboardwalkbody

Gif Credit: @ymagor

A/N: You're wish is my command, homes❣️ Here's a little change of pace! @theboardwalkbody inspired this post (and asked it!), so thanks for the Inspo friend! 🤩 I'm doing this for BoB and TP because I'm going through a slight writer's block and instead of thinking about long descriptions, I just wanna so head canons that get a little out of hand. I hope this isn't too ooc😔 Reader has *inserted mental illness* btw, it's up for interpretation! ALSO GN! READER! Enjoy!

Taglist: @theboardwalkbody @contrabandhothead

Masterlist

NATE FICK-

Nate's a calculated person. He can see the patterns in people, things, etc. Like how his father's eyebrows wrinkle when he's excited, or when his mother likes to prep a meal from vegetables to the main course. So when you're happy, sad, whatever-he knows it, and you don't even have to tell him.

He'll come home and see you. He knows that you've heard him calling you're name, but you don't move. He looks all over the house and finds you inside of your tub, just sitting there with no response. The water is running, and your clothes and hair are soaked.

So in an attempt to not disrupt your peace, Nate climbs in and sits next to you. You look over and he's stares at you. Just as your about to speak, he beats you to it.

"I'll get you a towel and some clothes."

And then, he just leaves. You hear the door quietly shut, and you blink for a few seconds. What the hell just happened? It snapped you out of your depressive trance. Now instead of feeling sad-you just were confused.

So you hear the door lightly open again and then close. After a few more minutes of soaking, you get out and see a towel and a set of clothes that are most certainly not yours. It's Nate's Dartmouth Lacrosse sweater and a pair of underwear-he knows you too well.

So you exit the bathroom and you see Nate, putting two cups down of you're favorite tea

And he's got that face. You know the face were he's like ☹️

"Hey, c'mere."

The two of you climb into bed with eachtoher. He throws one of those ugg blankets over you. You rest his head in his chest and he pats your head. There's a silence, until Nate says, "Do you wanna walk about it."

Normally, you'd say no and he'd read you a book you're reading or hold you as you cry, but this time, it's different.

"Yeah, I do. You won't judge, right?"

Nate tilts you chin up, and he's got a tired smile on his face.

"Why would I?"

BRAD COLBERT-

Brad may appear horrible with emotions and reading the room...in which he isn’t

Okay, scratch that. He tries to understand them, it’s just hard for him to give advice and use words to comfort you. He feels like he’s walking on glass, But sometimes, you just need him psychically more then anything.

When you storm out of a room when Chaffin makes a comment on your weight, Brad takes a few minutes to think what he should do.

Normally, he���d just leave you be, but he’s gotta do something. Getting up, he follows you down the hallway. You’re not far, and he’s calling you’re name.

You stop in the hallway, wiping the tears coming down toye face. Brad turns you around with his hands on your shoulder. He’s got a blank face on as he looks at you, seeing your red face and the tears.

While you sob and stutter, he fixes the collar of your shirt, tucks your hair behind your ear, which is normal. He likes to neaten you up to make you feel better.

But he starts to use his thumb, wiping the tears coming down your face. You shocked as he cups your face, making you look into those icy cold eyes. He looks like the Iceman, cold and emotionless, but what he says very Brad.

“You’re beautiful.”

Then he pulls you into a tight grasp. He’s a whole foot taller then you, and you like the way he snakes his hands around his waist and slightly lifts off you your feet. His sheer presence is intimating, but for you; comforting. 

RAY PERSON-

THIS MAN. although a hick with a big mouth, he does know when to shut up and can read you’re emotions like the back of his hand.

He can just see the sadness swelling in your eyes and the way you pick at the foot at your plate and avoid all of needs for cuddles in bed. Heck, it’s making Ray sad.

So he does what he does best-not shutting up, well-about things he likes about you.

“Man! Look at my hot girlfriend/wife! There reading books by the liberal media, total smartie here! Oh! And they have a degree from-“

Ray will also beg for to your attention and follows you around like a puppy. Like you’ll be sitting on the couch and he’ll come rest his head on your lap. You ignore him, but he starts to twist and quote random movies so you finally give in.

Is Ray annoying? Yes. But did he make you smile? Also yes.

Also Ray is a cook, and knows all of your favorite meals. Of course, he sets the table, lights a few Mantown candles (yes there real google them), and comes to serve your meal with two plates.

“The most beautiful man/woman I have ever seen, the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the Avril to my Bizzy D-you’re hot pockets.”

It makes you laugh, which makes Ray happy. He feeds off of that attention. You sit in Ray’s lap, eating hot pockets, and watching The Best Damn Tour. You lean on Ray’s shoulder, and he leans right back.

POKE ESPERA-

Alexa play Whatta Man’ by Salt-N-Peppa BECAUSE! WHAT! A! MAN!

Poke is one tough mofo. He embodies the meme of “Good morning to my beautiful wife/husband and child everybody else get fucked”.

But like every baddie; baddie’s gotta have soft spots for there bitches. He has two; you and his daughter. And oh god he’s love the two of more then anything in the world.

Poke knows you and his daughter well enough. His daughter first notices that your not as enthusiastic and bubbly, and then she tells Poke. But Poke already knows because he’s observant and very in touch with his emotions.

So when he’s a work; he thinks and does a lot of self reflection. He wonders why you’re upset. Did he cause it? What can he do to make it better? He asks all the guys for advice, and even his own daughter.

An idea strikes! Poke’s got a lot of anger, so his therapist told him to express his emotions by journalling. But Poke learns that it helps him get everything out of system, so he’s a secret writer. Heck, he even likes poetry; and would kill anyone if they’d find out.

While off at work, small letters start to appear across you’re house. Some are long, some are short, but there sweet and make you’re day.

“I held the stars in my arms wen I held you”

“I can’t wait to kiss you.”

“Your eyes stole all of my words away”

And the covers of the notes are done by Poke’s daughter, covered in glitter and Lisa Frank stickers.

You confront Poke about this “mysterious pen pal” and Poke is like “I mean, your lips do sound tempting”

You know it’s Poke, and he knows it, but there’s something about the mystery that is very romantic.

WALT HASSER-

Here comes our favourie country pumpkin

Now let me say. This man LOVES you more then anything the world

Doesn’t wanna show you off (but he does)

So when you’re the slightest bit sad, Walt is even sadder then you are

Walt is someone that lives to receive attention, and also he’s someone that likes to give it. Especially to the love of his life!

Walt gives you things you actually need, and nothing that is materialistic. Growing up, his parents had a healthy relationship, and the apple clearly doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Waits on you hand and foot. A back massage? Done. A fuzzy blanket? Right on it! A specific burger from a joint that is thirty minutes away at three in the morning? Walt’s driving like a manic just for you. You have the man’s undivided attention.

“Walt?”

He stops whatever he’s doing and runs over, getting on his knees, “Yeah, what’s up baby?”

“Can you sing the song? Y’know, our song?”

Walt nods his head, now an eager puppy, and gets his gutair to play the song he wrote especially for you. And this is making me realize how painfully single I am oh my

RUDY REYES-

Rudy has an iv of respect woman/men juice. He always understands the assignment-and desires extra credit.

So whenever you’re down in the dumps, Rudy will drop everything and drag you into the car to go walk on his favorite trail. It’s ten miles long, but Rudy is a fitness freak.

First, you hate doing it. But the more you talk these long walks, the more you begin to enjoy it.

Sometimes there silence. Rudy won’t speak force you to talk. Talking is stressful, and Rudy will wait until you’re ready. The two of you holds hands, and Rudy has such a calming presence. It’s really hard to get angry at him.

You finally speak and tell Rudy you’re problems, and he listens and doesn’t interrupt. He’s got a hand on you’re lower back, or on your thigh. He’s basically you’re emotional support teddy bear and will always be a lending ear, or a total cuddle monster.

Rudy has the best advice as well. It’s always some yoga shit, but damn, those breathing  exercises do actually help.

EVAN “Q-TIP” STAFFORD-

Oh Q-Tip. My feral goblin son😭

I love him, but sometimes-things can fly over his head.

But when you start to ignore him and hide away from him, he begins to notice. And he HATES IT.

Like Christianson will ask him if he’s okay and he’ll literally quote a 2pac song and be like,

“I would drop all my girls for you, Walk barefoot 'round the world for you, Fly around like the birds for you, Thats why I wrote these words for you..”

Lilley is like “Brah we gotta help a homie out”

So the three stooges create Lovegate. The mission? to make Q-Tip’s partner happier.

Q-Tip is very artistically inclined. So with Christenson’s editing skills and Lilley’s camera, Q-Tip writes you a song and does a whole music video.

The man rents out a movie theatre venue just to show you. Of course, you’re blown away. It’s horrible and you can taste the autotone, BUT IT’S THE EFFORT THAT COUNTS. and q-tip has that smile on. you know what i’m talking about!

Doc Bryan walks in on the two of you making out and is pissed since all he wanted to do was see the re-screening of Bridemaids but NO, Q-Tip just had to rent out a theatre to show his partner a music video about them and then make out.

He see’s Lilley, who’s recording and asks to interview what Doc’s opinion on the music video, and this is what he’s says.

“I think my ears bled, but thank fuck those two aren’t acting like emo’s.”

DOC BRYAN-

The gif has a purpose. Trust me. SPEAKING OF THE MAN OF THE HOUR

Bryan, like Poke, is a very observant guy. He’s an angry motherfucker, and even a little insensitive, but ever since dating you; he’s tried to change.

He hates the world. People are shitty, and it makes him feel shitty that you’re sad because when you feel shitty, he’s in a shitter mood then he’s usually in

Knowing that his words might sound a little harsh, Byran knows how to distract you. Without words. After all, he didn’t work out for nothing.

Long hugs are you’re thing. The two of you will run into eachother, find a private place, and he’ll just wrap his arms around you. His big arms are protective, and he’s warm, and you just sink into him.

Sometimes, you’ll fall asleep. Byran sometimes will fall asleep with you, other times he’ll gently lay you down and put a blanket with a gentle forehead kiss.

When you cry in his arms, he’ll wipe the tears away. He can feel them against his arm, and he doesn’t know what to do. Crying girls/guys are not his speciality.

But when you squeeze his arm back, to let you know what your there and that you love him, Byran will freeze. He has no idea what to next with words. He’ll put his hand over yours, and turns out; it works well.

After this is all over, he’ll check up on you and ask you simply if you’re okay. You respond with a smile. Byran isn’t one for smiles, but for you, he shows a subtle smile back. Just to let you know.

#carrie writes #carrie’s headcanons #generation kill #nate fick #brad colbert #ray person #poke espera #walt hassar #rudy reyes #evan stafford #doc bryan #generation kill x reader #generation kill headcanons #generation kill imagine #hbo war

[protectgeorgeweasley]

A set of reflections on a rainy writing day

Writing dialects from the UK is wild because:

-I'm not a prescriptivist, so we write our accents lexically here. [Nor am I a linguistics expert. It was a special interest a while back.]

-Every once in a while, something totally innocuous will have a completely unanticipated meaning, which is usually met with the utmost kindness and amusement by any readers from the UK. [Thank you.]

-Since I use a completely different set of slang in my daily life, sometimes I have to de-Americanize my writing. This has varying levels of success.

-Sometimes I have to part with really, really funny puns because the words aren't used in quite the same context, and it wouldn't be in character for George to say. This is especially heartbreaking because George is funny and I am middling at best in real life with humor, and the amount of befuddlement I've endured trying to write a clever person is excessive. I am not clever. I'm not. I'm an anxious ball of fettucine noodles that got left in a pot overnight and congealed.

-- [subpoint to the above, not related to dialect writing] I have so much social anxiety, that this blog has 80+ drafts that have never been posted of things I've thought to share with you all, then gone "oh, no. That might be too annoying/too personal/too awkward."

-the number of times I've googled "British word for [insert term here]" is astonishing. My instincts for when I need to google this phrase are spotty as well. Americanisms, therefore, do sneak their way in. [Tangentially--I know some people have British friends who read for specifically this type of thing. However, my writing schedule a mess, and I cannot subject someone else to its nonsense without feeling high levels of anxiety.]

-I'm still not positive about how "kip" is used grammatically/syntactically. I can't sort out the pattern in the syntax, so I've been fumbling with like two examples as a template this entire time. [I am an imposter.] [Truly. Is it "take a kip?" "Kipping?" "He's having a kip?" I do not understand.]

-So many words for raincoat. I love it. Never change.

-I do not live there, so I have less personal understandings of different regions and their quirks. I also don't know how new some words are in comparison to others, how far slang terms travel, and who would be more or less likely to use them. So, I've got to look all that up when I employ new slang or expressions.

-I tend to over explain in daily conversation. You might imagine, then, the pretzel that Cockney rhyming slang turns my brain into.

-"a bit" is used so often. It screams at me from the page. I stare at it, sometimes, wondering if it's repeated too much. Then I listen to someone from the UK talk and change my mind. [This is not meant critically or unkindly; every dialect has words it uses more than others.]

-Little references to things like soap operas, theme parks, or highways are the result of extensive research sprints, and there is one reader who consistently notices these things and every time they do, I nearly cry for joy.

-Wellies is my favorite word of theirs/yours. I love saying it. I love reading it. I love thinking about it. Wellies are a symbol of some of the most pure, joyful parts of existence to me. To have a set of shoes for walking through the rain/mud is to be cared for and to have your needs anticipated and to be prepared, and all of those things make me feel safe.

-I can't decide whether we're using British spellings or American. [Sorry if the back and forth between "color" and "colour" is driving you up the wall. It feels like I'm being fake if I use "colour," but I have physical difficulty using "colour" in written notes and things because that's not how the character would spell it. I know that it's most important to just be consistent. Yet here we are. Adrift in a sea of "o" and "ou," without a compass.]

-I've seen many jokes about British people not liking hugs. I've done my best to understand and acknowledge this while politely showing it the door within the context of Lumos, because 2020 and every year that's followed it has needed more hugs.

#lumosfic #writing things #This is so much information

[kats-comfort-corner]

Intro | About | Etc.

Edit: I finally made a carrd!

Kat

Hey there!

My name's Kat. My pronouns are kat/kats, they/them, it/its. You can read up more about me specifically over on my main blog, @queerkat. It's a space for my personal self-exploration as I figure out who I am and recognizing myself as therian/otherkin, along with everything that entails.

Read more on my about page or under the cut.

F/Os

My primary fictional other for over 10 years has been Shikamaru Nara from Naruto/Boruto. I would consider the relationship to be queerplatonic, romantic-ish in nature. I'm acearo, and my connection with him actually helped me realize a lot of aspects about my identity and made them easier to accept and embrace.

My second most prominent fictional other is Shouta Aizawa from My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia). I would, again, consider this relationship queerplatonic, romantic-ish. I ran a blog a short while ago over at @askahero with my OC, Karma, at the front. There's plenty of ship content over there that I'll probably reshare over here, lol.

I have some other queerplatonic/romantic-ish F/Os, but I don't know that I'm ready to go into detail about those connections yet.

I consider Castiel (Supernatural), Choji (Naruto/Boruto), Temari (Naruto/Boruto), Taishiro Toyomitsu (MHA), Yagi Toshinori (MHA), Hizashi Yamada (MHA), and Inuyasha (Inuyasha) to be platonic F/Os that I care about immensely, likely due to the fact I grew up with them. I guess they're kind of like childhood friends.

Boundaries

Update 11/11/21: I just realized while working on this blog that I don’t really feel comfortable doing self ship/reader insert content with characters portrayed in real life (like Castiel and the 10th Doctor), so that was cool to learn and now I can share that with y'all!

Personally, I've never been a fan of trying to "claim" any character. It's always made me uncomfortable. Earlier indicator that I might be non-monogamous and uncomfortable with dating culture when I got older - and here we are! TLDR: I'm fine with people who share the same connections as I do with these characters interacting. c:

That said, I'm totally down to talk about how rad these characters are and how rad the ones you like specifically are, so on and so forth. I'm not personally comfortable with sexualizing them in conversations or writing about them in explicit situations myself to share with others. I could do that for other characters that I don't have strong connections to, but not my F/Os.

I’m also cool with some light-hearted (SFW) roleplaying, receiving asks from F/Os (to me), fan art of my OCs (though not of me, specifically, unless otherwise mentioned), and might do some requests for messages from y’all’s F/Os (to you!), including mutual F/Os. I actually feel like I’d be more prepared for properly conveying characters I know super well, hehe. If you’re interested in any of that, feel free to drop something in my ask box and I’ll see what I can do! I’m always down to try anything (within reason and comfort levels) once, so if it turns out it’s not my cup of tea, I’ll be sure to update this info. :>

I think that's everything for now, but I'll update this if anything else comes to mind! Enjoy your stay! <3

#about #boundaries #f/o list #f/os #f/o #QPP #queerplatonic #romantic #platonic #asks #requests #maybe #hc #kat answers #self ship asks #self ship requests #carrd #card