#so like. not a lot of distractions aside from social media

[gremlin-bot]

One (1) New Reply

I finally wrote my prompt I sent to @stealingyourbones back in November! well part of it. This is just chapter 1, so this gets a summary @dpxdcshipweek

Edit: forgot to say that I got help with the usernames from the wonderful @tourettesdog and @half-dead-ham! (If I'm wrong it's bc I'm not at home rn to look at my notes)

Ao3 link: Here Master List: Here

Summary: Danny has always had more internet access than a child really should have had. He tended to spend that time on game forums and different websites dedicated to space. Everyone once in a while he'd venture onto one about heroes and villains. That's how he met Tim Drake-Wayne or BatShadow as was his username back then.

Chapter 1: Blorbo Supplier

Danny just wanted to see uncommon pictures of Superman. It really shouldn't have been this hard. He's an alien, there should be a lot of pictures of him. Frustrated with his lack of results he resorts to looking for the pictures through unpopular social media websites that should have new pictures. His first look didn't meet his goal, and before he could even think of trying again he was distracted by a post. It was a picture of a figure swinging between skyscrapers, backlit by neon light all against a smog filled sky. It was stunning and made all the more captivating by the identity of the subject in the photo. A picture of Batman, The Batman, taken in a way that you couldn't deny it was him. That was impressive on its own, but the quality is what made it shine. Danny had to see if the account had more pictures of Batman, or even other heroes. Looking at the blog, hoping it wasn't a deactivated user, he finds the posts of BatShadow. 

The blog is a gold mine of pictures of Batman and Robin with some villains the duo we're fighting. All with stunning quality, with each subject undeniable as who they were but still giving a sense of privacy. Sadly, Danny couldn't find any other heroes pictured, but Danny could live with that. Batman was his third favorite hero, he blames Sam and all her knowledge on the edgy and obscure. She would be ecstatic about these photos, too bad he wasn't going to tell her. He was being petty. Sam should have known better than to say he couldn't keep a secret, so this is his secret now! Pettiness aside, Danny was going to message BatShadow to see if they had pictures of other heroes they hadn't posted.

Messages begins with BatShadow

(04-17-20xx)

ConstellationCruiser:

Hey, sorry to bother ya

I just saw your posts and was wondering if you have any pics of superman

BatShadow:

I don't know. I would have to look. I don't usually go to an area with him in it much, so no promises.

ConstellationCruiser: 

Thanks!! And that's fine really, it's just that your pics are amazing

BatShadow:

Thanks! Sorry, I have nothing for Supes.

ConstellationCruiser:

Damn

It's fine 

I wasn't really expecting much

I'm just surprised at the quality and quantity ya got there

BatShadow: 

It's super hard to get them without being caught but so worth it!

Danny continued talking to BatShadow about pictures and superheroes. Eventually switching to personal interest. Danny learns that BatShadow skateboards and in turn he tells them all about the stars. By the end of their conversation it was well into the night, Jazz wasn't going to be pleased. It was worth it though.

—-----

Danny ended up messaging again the next day, and the day after that. The other user was interesting and he was just so broad. Especially during these long summer days where Sam was off at some gala trip and Tucker was on vacation with his family. His parents being busy in the Lab at all hours and Jazz working a summer job didn't help. Even with Jazz trying to get him out of the house but it never really was worth it. Not with Dash and his gaggle out. Not without his friends there.

It's not like anyone besides Jazz would care about what he was doing online. Their parents were too caught up in drawing out plans and blueprints for a ghost portal or something. He doesn't care, it's more of the same for him. Don't get him wrong, he loved his parents and they loved him. They just pay more attention to their inventions, and this one happens to be one Danny can't help out with.

He's getting distracted. Danny was supposed to be cleaning the lab, not thinking of long gone days. It was taking way longer than he thought it would. His parents really aren't as careful with their samples as they really should be. After cleaning spilled ectoplasm from the vent grates he will finally be done, then he can get on the computer and add BatShadow on Steam. They were going to play Portal 2 together later.

—----

Tim didn't think he would still be talking to ConstellationCruiser. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, (if there was anyone to talk to in the first place), but he was lonely. So, sue him if he got attached to the other kid with too much free time on their hands. They may not have told each other their ages but it wasn't hard to figure out, they talked too similar.

It was nice to really connect with someone his age. ConstellationCruiser was smart like him, just in different areas. He had learned more about the stars and space travel in the last handful of months than he ever had in his 12 years of life. He knows he wasn't any better, going on about hacking and maybe the new murder mystery that came out. It was fun, learning about the other's interests and different things than what's normal for them. 

ConstellationCruiser's parents seem to have some type of lab in the basement of their house, which was cool in concept but concerning in practice. There have been times where they had to stop in the middle of a game they were playing together to check on an explosion they heard. It happened more than Tim was comfortable with but there's nothing he can really do about it. It's not like he was anyone better about certain aspects of his life either. He avoided the topic of food as much as possible, though it seems ConstellationCruiser is doing the same thing with the topic.

Tim just hopes the other won't worry over him not responding the next couple of days. He probably should warn them but this is time sensitive. Batman needs a Robin. The man is running himself into the ground. His new found grief choking him and by extension Gotham. He has to convince Nightwing to come back, no matter what it takes.

#dpxdc #DPxDCShipWeek2023 #DPxDCShipWeek #tim drake #tim drake x danny fenton #danny fenton #danny phantom #One (1) New Reply #online friends to irl lovers #day 5(DpxDcShipWeek) #Writing on the walls

[rlyehtaxidermist]

so I’ve seen some posting about oil fire going around and as one of the people sitting in the eye of that particular hurricane i have a couple thoughts. keep in mind that I obviously can’t speak for every single Poster etc etc, obviously this is just my view on things. in particular don’t quote Twitter at me because the only time I was ever active on there was back when “have a visible professional social media account” was considered important for the job hunt. I know nothing of Touhou Twitter or Touhou Reddit and I am content in my ignorance

Anyway there’s three major points of criticism I’ve seen, and one of them as basically “it’s just a nothingburger that came out of nowhere” and even ignoring the history of that in Touhou in general, I’m going to set it aside because I don’t think it needs a more specific rebuttal than the length of this post. so on to the two more substantial complaints I’ve seen:

“it’s just a sex ship”: look, I won’t deny that there’s been a lot of sexposting. i’ve probably posted more about cock in the last 48 hours than in the last five years combined. almost certainly more than i will in the next five too. but there’s a subtext to it that often gets missed (not just by critics but also by a lot of sexposters).

these are two characters who have had... a bit of a history with being sexualised by the fandom. i shouldn’t need to recite all the “slut sanae” memes, those who know know and honestly they were never funny, but they existed. tsukasa meanwhile was stuck with “sex fox” pretty much from the beginning due to some kuda-gitsune legends specifically involving their rapid reproduction.

obviously this is going to go more into the personal view and i reiterate that i’m not speaking for Everyone’s posts, but I’m asexual. the whole emphasis people put on sex as a cultural thing, not just in terms of Posting about it but also in terms of Not Posting about it is funny to me. people dance around it like they’re waltzing with the demon core but also are baffled when i say i’m just not into it.

the oil fire sexposting isn’t about “lol they’re fucking”. there was already plenty of that. the joke is that it’s not a big deal that they’re fucking - it’s not dramatic or cathartic or even erotic. they’re bad at it, they get distracted, they’re not really thinking things through; fail sex with her cringe wife. it’s sexual in the way that a Tom and Jerry sketch is violent - stepping back from the artifice around it to say “you know, whatever else this is, it’s pretty goofy”. to me at least, that’s more of a repudiation of horny character exaggeration than simply ignoring it is.

(there’s also a false equivalence to me in the general notion of “it’s just hornyposting”, between hornyposting by straight men and that of queer women and/or the gender blender, when the characters involved are both women - especially in light of the reasonably consistent depiction of one or both as transgender in oil fire posting. there’s better people than me and my none gender with leftist beef to effortpost on that side of things.)

“tsukasa is manipulating sanae” I’d add a single phrase here - she’s trying to. The big thing with a lot of how I look at Sanae and this is no exception is that while she can be naive, she’s not stupid. There’s a difference between being trusting and being easily deceived. She’s not a master manipulator, but she lives with Kanako, she knows a bit of how the game is played.

I think this kind of echoes the last bit of the last segment, in that how the characters are portrayed in the context matters a lot. Oil Fire Sanae is, at least within the spheres I see here, heavily coded as if not explicitly autistic. A lot of the content is being written by autistic people, myself included.

Autistic adults are, in my anecdotal experience, pretty conscious of being manipulative or manipulated, because we have to learn deliberately where that line is drawn and how to act around it.

To get into explicitly personal experiences, I often think of myself as being “manipulative” because I have to deliberately strategise a lot of social cues and how I present myself and information I know, and still haven’t really shook that perspective internally despite the intellectual knowledge of several therapists and psychiatrists that no, that’s just an autism thing, most people do all that stuff without thinking about it.

Now obviously simply Being Autistic is not an unassailable fortress against manipulation, nor does it prevent you from being actually manipulative in your own right, but it does tilt the pinball table a bit, again especially in terms of awareness. And that awareness helps control a response - again, even if you’re not always quite sure how to respond.

Sanae’s way of cutting that Gordian knot is what a friend of mine calls the Bishop Myriel Method: how can someone steal what is freely given? She has her lines, but the stuff Tsukasa is leaning on her to get - protection, shelter, and an in-group - are all things Sanae doesn’t see an issue with giving to her. Tsukasa for her part doesn’t really understand this, being more used to dealing with power-broker types where everything has a quid-pro-quo, and from a position of pretty notable inferiority (just look at how any of the stronger youkai talk to her in UDoALG) at that - so she looks at all the leverage that Sanae now has over her (leverage which Sanae doesn’t really understand she has), and doubles down on trying to be manipulative because she doesn’t understand that she doesn’t have to.

in conclusion obviously I’m not thinking about all this wall of text every time I post something, for the same reason that I’m not thinking about how my house’s foundations are designed every time I go up or down the stairs - the general idea is there in the background and actually needing to go check it out usually means that I won’t be doing whatever I was going up the stairs for in the first place. but these are The Thoughts, upon which the lower effort thoughts stand as they heckle each other. there are many like them but these are mine

#touhou #oil fire #just to be clear before the piss on the poor website hits again: i'm not saying 'people who don't like it are ableist/transphobic' or w/e #i'm sure it's not to everyone's tastes and you do you #but just because you don't like something doesn't mean people who do like it only have Dumb Reasons for it

[youremyheaven]

Omg rahu-ketu post😳

I was actually discussing my struggles around having prominent swati in my chart and staying grounded in my own reality on a forum fairly recently.

I have a very rich inner world which I essentially live in most of the time, and sometimes I feel like I miss out of my own life because I’m so detached. Limerence is also a big struggle for me, I find it much easier to centre myself in the energy of someone else than to be responsible for my own reality, which I guess comes from the things you talked about like rahu being a shadow planet and the mythology of rahu and obsession.

I also spend a large amount of time on social media and playing games 😶‍🌫️ I’ve tried to make uses of the positives by channeling my imagination into something tangible like art, but I have a hard time actually putting in the work to develop skills since I’m so distracted all the time. I think I’ve spent too much time in my head and now I’ve forgotten how to be in my body lol (my ADHD isn’t helping either💀)

Swati I think is especially a difficult nak because the libra/venus influence is only enabling rahu’s indulgence, unlike saturn or to a lesser extent mercury.

Aside from my personal whinings- the thing you said about occult/astro kind of intrigued me. All of my close family (incl. grandparents, uncles, etc) have atleast one rahu or ketu nak in their big 3, usually being ardra, mula or swati.

My mother’s side has lots of psychics and we have a dream interpretation system that gets passed down the family, whilst my father’s side has many tarot readers. My dad himself is an occultist who is interested in Thelema, astral projection, etc. There’s some interest in astrology on both sides but not particularly in depth and my parents usually end asking me about the transits. Oh yeah and I guess I had that one psychic dream last November that came true the morning after.

In general, my family has a history of very eccentric characters who occasionally got exiled or imprisoned or some crazy shit 😭 I feel like that’s just average Eastern European family lore though. Do you think such isolation is nodal? I think it is but there might be other planetary influence.

That’s enough yapping for today though. Interested to see your post on the positives❤️

Your observation about Swati is spot on

I do think Nodal influence+ well placed/strong Rahu & Ketu are necessary for learning and immersing yourself in the occult. Someone who cannot channel it well will remain ignorant of it no matter how much they read or study it. In some ways the Nodes can be understood as layers of the subconscious and the unconscious. The nodes represent karma (Ketu does) and our unconscious mind is our accumulated karma, if we remain ignorant of it, we will let it guide all our actions and lead us to self destruction. Therefore to have strong/well placed Nodes means you're aware of the different layers of your mind as a result of which you can understand the different layers of reality. Nodal influence creates a fog/veil that cannot be lifted until we gain true gnosis. This is why Nodal people get lost in addictive substances/pass times/people/ interests because their own reality feels foggy/veiled to them so they can only access it from other things. Obviously this is another form of Maya or illusion and that's why even these natives struggle with it. You hate the thing even as you indulge in it because on some level you realise that you're losing yourself to it.

Immersing yourself in the occult requires a certain discipline and consistency that can be hard for Nodal natives (malefic influenced, badly placed etc) to master unless it's well aspected but those who do master it are able to perceive reality and understand the esoteric realm in a truly sublime way. It's rare and magnetic.

I do think Nodal influence can contribute to being exiled/imprisoned/being isolated. There is a reason why 5/6 Nodal nakshatras all belong to the Shudra caste which is the lowest. These natives live lives that are "unusual" or different from the norm. They are "detached" because their life experiences already set them apart from others. They don't belong to the mainstream because they've been put in circumstances where they've been deprived of what is "normal".

Like I said in my post, what is "unusual" can vary a lot and can mean sooo many different things. Majority of the "child star gone wild" type celebrities have heavy Nodal influence. Why? because it's "unusual" for a child to be working or attaining fame and wealth or for their family to use them for the same. When you're deprived of anything ordinary or real, you depend on substances/unhealthy relationships/habits etc to feel centred. This is why after a point these stars "go rogue or wild". They amass a lot of wealth/fame but ultimately they're unable to benefit from it or enjoy it. This is also unusual as these are things typically understood as blessings. Being in a position where you can't connect to or relate to others is a very Nodal experience. That's why a lot of people with these placements are so introverted and withdrawn. If you're a famous child actor, you can't quite go to school and connect to the experiences of other people your age so you feel "isolated". Being imprisoned/exiled is another such experience. It permanently alters you and you don't know how to connect to others who haven't been through it.

I do think isolation is a big theme in the lives of Nodal people. It can be literal or emotional. But it's also obviously influenced by the rest of the chart. Heavy 12h placements also make a native experience the same themes to some extent.

#rahu #ketu #Nodal influence #jyotish

[stormyoceans]

on happier terms: did you see sea's thank you to jimmy on twitter???? he....is so, so precious. hopefully this show with its popularity is a catalyst for new jimmysea appearances/shows. i love those boys so much and while i do fear a drought incoming soon (the perks of stanning introverted kings), atleast we know that this show's blatant success means gmmtv will have to push for them in more shows (whether that be as side characters or mcs, together or seperate. i love you so much monica. hopefully we find a new hyperfixation soon to distract us and fill the void.

I DID SEE IT AND I'VE BEEN TRYING NOT TO CRY ABOUT IT EVER SINCE BECAUSE THEY JUST HAVE THE SWEETEST FRIENDSHIP LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOBBING AND SOBBING AND SOBBING AND SOBBING AND SOBBING AND SOBBING AND SOBBING AND SOBBING

i swear every time i want to express how much i love jimmysea i inevitably find myself at a loss for words. i've always shied away from parasocial relationships and im very aware that everything we see is filtered by cameras and social medias, but i'll be damned if what transpires from all of that isn't the image of two sweet dedicated hard working boys who love and care about each other a whole lot. it's at times like this that, while i do want them to branch out and work with other people, my brain also ends up screaming PLEASE DO NOT SEPARATE THEM. there's just something so magical that happens every time they're on screen together, and im so proud to have witnessed their growth

im honestly 99.999999% sure we're getting that p'jojo series at the very least, so until then i hope we're gonna get some more events, and since GMMTV apparently decided to air starlympics for a month instead of giving us 23.5 on friday (IM IN THEIR WALLS) i do wonder if we should just all do a vice versa rewatch (one episode per week)

ANYWAY. all this rambling aside, thank you so much, anon!!!!!!! i love you too and i hope we can keep screaming together about jimmysea for a long time!!!!!!! 💜🩵

#IT'S JIMMYSEA EMO HOUR!!!!!!!! #thank you again anon i hope you're having a wonderful day!!!!!! 💜 #jimmy jitaraphol #sea tawinan #jimmysea #m: ask

[genericpuff]

(about the bell post) i dont know anything about lore olympus but is there something inherently bad in using free stock images? like, thats what stock images are for right? i know that its probably lazy or whatever but is that the only problem? /genuine

Part of the issue with using stock photos is licensing. Like fonts, they're in abundance online and easy to snag for "free", but as soon as you enter commercial work, it becomes a legal minefield. Stock photos typically belong to either individuals or corporations that rely on people buying the rights to those photos to use them; if they don't, they could very well be sued for copyright infringement.

In that respect, emojis fall into a similar grey area. Some emojis are public domain/open source meaning they're free to use for everyone. But many are not. It's why different social media platforms and different phone providers use different emoji's - it's not purely for branding (though that is a factor as Facebook emojis have become distinguishable from Android emojis) but also for ownership.

So, in the legal sense, I do not know if the bell emoji that Rachel used in LO is legally hers to use, or if it's even subject to such laws (it could be an open source image meaning it's free-for-all). I'm hoping for her sake she's not breaking any sort of copyright ownership laws, but I'm also not a lawyer and wouldn't know how to get that information even if I wanted to lmao

Aside from the legal, it's also just... sigh I'm gonna get into more opinionated territory here, but even if something is open source, even if you're legally free to use a stock photo or other tool to create your comic, there's also the ethics/integrity of it. Lore Olympus is not a Canvas comic. It is not an indie hobbyist project. It's a commercial product with multiple people working on it behind the scenes, book deals, merch deals, a TV deal, and an upcoming feature at this year's SDCC, with Rachel headlining alongside Cassandra Claire (Mortal Instruments) and Jeff Smith (BONE). Webtoons is trying very hard to market LO as a 'flagship' series and convince the public that it can stand alongside other literature juggernauts.

What I'm trying to say here is, if Rachel did legally use it, it doesn't make it any less cheap. There's a lot of discussion in the art field over the usage of external tools and assets in art creation, especially here in the west. 3D models, AI shaders, gradient maps - there are tons of things that exist now that stand to benefit artists, but can be abused or used poorly, being used as less of a tool to benefit an artist with pre-existing skills and more as a cheap shortcut to circumvent actual skill/effort.

The bell emoji isn't the heart of the issue I pointed out in that post. If it were an isolated thing, if LO were an otherwise impeccable comic with high-effort art and just one little picture of a bell, it wouldn't be that big of an issue.

But LO isn't that comic. The recipe of its art development week after week has become very cheap and low-effort, and the bell is really just the cherry on top.

And just to make it clear, I do stand by artists being able to use tools that make their lives easier. None of this is to say it's wrong to use stock images, or 3D models, or gradient maps, or whatever have you. Those tools exist to help and can be used in fun and experimental ways to bring new perspectives and life to your work. And I'm not going to scrutinize whatever shortcuts are being used in a comic that's being made for free by a hobbyist or someone who's still learning.

But like all tools, there are still ways to use them to the detriment of your own work, either due to a lack of understanding as to how that tool works, or lack of effort to blend it into your work. It can make it glaringly obvious that third-party assets are being used, and can often distract from what you've drawn (the complete opposite of what most people are trying to achieve).

When I think of art shortcuts and tools being used poorly, I think of Let's Play and its stock photo background characters.

I think of Time Gate: [AFTERBIRTH]'s stiff default 3D models that result in lifeless poses and restricted body types, which I am VERY eager to move on from LMAO

I think of LO's 3D backgrounds with only 1-2 colors thrown in and the characters floating in front of them. Or sometimes no characters at all even when people are speaking.

And of course, I think of the emoji bell, which could have easily just been drawn as a door or an actual doorbell, and not some random grey bell copied and pasted from a Google search.

All that's to say, too much reliance on poorly-implemented assets can take a great piece of work down to a mediocre one. Of course, the assets definitely aren't the only issue with LO, but they are definitely a piece of the problem. There might not be anything 'wrong' with using assets, but they can still be used poorly or result in cheap-looking work and that's primarily what I'm calling out here.

#lore olympus critical #lo critical #antiloreolympus #anti lore olympus #ama #ask me anything #anon ask me anything #anon ama

[kess-in-the-perthchimzone]

PerthChimon have a lot potential and have grown a lot in their abilities. But I feel like Dangerous Romance, whether right or wrongly, didn’t live up to the audience expectations. I’m hoping that they will get another series this year and it will be better received. If it’s not, I admit I will be alittle worried about their status within Gmmtv. I don’t like seeing good actors go to waste. My personal preference is for them to do a mafia AU, with two warring families sort of like Romeo/Juliet. But I will be happy with anything. Anyways just my two cents, love your meta!

Hi! Thanks for sharing all this! LOVE the warring families, Romeo & Juliet idea!!

I had to sit with this ask a bit because my brain wanted to write a novel about how wonderful Dangerous Romance is in so many ways and how I think it has been judged more harshly and unfairly than any other piece of media I’ve seen so far in my time in BL. But I have written a lot about it (all tagged here) and spoken about that at great length on the @criticallyobs podcast and I have to think anyone reading this already knows how I feel about DR, so I don’t want to distract from the actual point of this ask, which is PerthChimon’s future.

Regardless of how their next show performs, which I’ll come back to, I feel very confident they have a long future ahead for several reasons:

-Their popularity is clearly on the upward trajectory. Just this year to start they’ve had two fan meetings in Japan, one in Hong Kong, and one in Taipei. They themselves have showed us in videos how amazed they are by the crowds turning up at airports and waiting outside venues.

-GMMTV has invested a lot of time and resources in them since Nov 2022. They have an established brand (in terms of color, logo, etc) a new mascot (SOL CUTE MY BELOVED), are being featured at LOL, and had a role in the GMMTV fan weekend in Japan. While I don’t think it’s hard for GMMTV to split up a pair like Mark & Neo who’ve done one show together, once any two people are an official couple within the organization, I think GMMTV has almost no vested interest in splitting them. They would lose years of promotion and time developing the brand assets. Things like shared merch are a sign that GMMTV has faith they will continue to SELL for a long time.

-And on that note, their merch has been selling! The box set for Dangerous Romance is sold out. The photobook sold out and had to go to reorder. Money talks!!

-PerthChimon want to stay together a long time!! And given that I believe every branded pair breakup we’ve seen so far has been initiated by one or more members of the pair, I think that is important to note. Here’s just one quote:

Taken from this amazing PC translation blog.

Okay and then I want to talk about how DR performed and how their future show will very briefly. My number one takeaway is I don’t think all the negative voices on social media are a good marker for how it performed and that while it wasn’t a smash hit, I think Dangerous Romance did well by several markers:

-Views on YT are consistently over 1 million and many have cracked 2. Chimon’s OST is over 3

-DR did regularly trend in Thailand and several other countries on Twitter

-it consistently performed in the top 10 on the Viu streaming app; including being ranked number one (and P’Tha took notice!)

I also have spoken with several new people who are discovering it now and aren’t biased by the constant negativity towards it that was happening in the fall last year, and absolutely loved it (in fact, who couldn’t understand how there was backlash at all), so I think it’s going to be a show that becomes more popular and well regarded over time.

But all this aside, it’s hard to know how PC’s next show is going to do. A whole lot of people online already seem to have made their minds up about them based on their physical intimacy in a show set in high school. I however, am confident of two things:

1. They have only gotten closer and more physically comfortable with each other. That has been clear in their recent interviews and fan meetings.

2. They are absolutely amazing actors who are committed to their craft. They wouldn’t be this excited about their upcoming show if they didn’t feel confident about it. And they won’t give us anything less than their all!

This is way more than you asked for, I am just incredibly fascinated by the behind the scenes of branded pairs and why they exist and how they make money so I think about these things often!

#perth tanapon #chimon wachirawit #perthchimon #kess babbles about dangerous romance #kess gets knives emoji

[drenched-in-sunlight]

Hi!! I love your art and I follow you here and on twitter it's amazing how much you draw aside from your job! Just want to ask for advice how to not get too drained when drawing? I love drawing but I draw slow so I spend a lot of time and it could feel kinda tiring pretty fast. I try to listen or watch something to make it more fun but I get easily distracted so maybe you have some advice or experience! Thanks a lot for your wonderful art!!

ahhh thank you for your kind words! but i gotta say im the worst person to give advice on this because i'm like... addicted to drawing fr... i don't remember the last time i have art block... my best friend thinks it's insanity that i can even draw on subway, bus, car, airplane...etc

but if it helps, mostly when i draw i'll put on some background noise, whichever is ok, usually it's whatever popular pop songs at the moment, videogame music, or those insane dark souls no talking challenge run on youtube, it helps me focus!

but i also take a break every 15 minutes or so to either scroll through social media or just stare blankly at nothing (which is why my desk at the studio has a lot of stuffed animals, fake flowers and whatnot, i bought the AC6 collector edition yesterday and now my work station looks like this which i think is insanely funny:

(what not pictured in that is another 3 stuffed animals i have on the other side of the desk) i reallyyyy like these chiikawa creatures. they look cute and they simply have no braincells whatsoever. just stare at them helps reset my brain, then i can focus again! :D

#ask #anon #reply

[inchidentally]

I know wives and gf talk isn't for everyone so asks under a cut - and I hate the term 'wag' so I'll start tagging these 'f1partnertalk' for those who want to bl!

right??? and the fact that in his Australia tourism type video with her he refers to her as his 'partner' which to me is both him being socially minded but also respect bc by that time they'd been together 3 and a bit years!

and exactly !! on the one hand he's not using her as a status thing of 'look I have a gf' but he's also made the very smart decision (and I think this was the Webbers influence) of not having her be a secret or a mystery. her acc going private is pretty normal for F1 gfs who aren't using their profile for business but the fact that he casually reminds people about her and that she'll like certain content posted about her or them is enough to stop anyone thinking she's 'fake' or whatever. there were some feeble attempts to claim they were broken up just bc she didn't go to many races but when folks pointed out she was in final year of uni for a very difficult degree it died down.

gotta say though - and this isn't in reply to you it's an aside about comments I see - I find the straight people thing of jumping to theories about marriage for long term relationships SO weird. it's like there's this ticking time bomb for het relationships lol. it's esp weird since they're so young and his career requires him to be so selfish (his and Lando's words) that I'm like how do ppl see that and leap to them marrying buying a house and planning kids when they not only don't live together yet they also spend most of the year apart??? sure they're super mature and stable for their age but who I am now and who I was during hs and college has been so incredibly different! I couldn't imagine making that huge a commitment esp if I had an all consuming career like Oscar does. I just hope those comments (however well meaning) don't reach them bc that feels crazy over-stepping and would be so awkward to read.

these asks I felt like went together really well lol

(this is the post anon refers to) oh anon. idk if you've seen them but have a look through here to enjoy Oscar's 8-year little crush on Lando and I think it's safe to say that Lily will at least have had an inkling about it.

and the thing is that being physical just isn't Oscar's way even with Lily which if Lando was at all hmmmm about then he'll have seen that pretty early on. as anon listed above, Oscar shows his affection for people by including them when he talks about his life (which Lando also gets!) also acts of service and signs of respect (which Lando also gets!)

this is me projecting here but idk the way Oscar talks about the boarding school guys he's still friends with and his friends back in Oz but doesn't post about them or have them to many races just makes me think that Oscar decided very early on to just avoid the distraction of sharing himself on social media apart from memes? he's never wanted to establish any kind of online persona and he got really solid a levels as a backup in engineering if F1 didn't work out so he's never planned to be a public person anyway.

where I'm going w that is that Lando will absolutely by now have learned all of this about Oscar. Oscar will like and respond to content about Lando but most of what Lando gets from him will be the acts of service and signs of respect. which is exactly what Oscar does with Lily, his family, Mark, etc. Oscar's own content will be about generically positive stuff re McLaren and the occasional funny post (like P1,P2,P6?). but the people he considers his most inner circle will stay largely off the map. which lbr is what Lando himself does with a lot of his closest friends! especially since his fame began to grow he's stopped posting a lot of those people and we only hear them bc he mentions seeing them. Lando is Oscar's little long harbored 'crush' and Lily is his long term gf. I feel like if that's obvious to us then it def will be for Lando :)

so we can count ourselves incredibly lucky that Lando being Oscar's teammate means we get as much of a window in on them as we do <3

#inchreplies #f1partnertalk

[paralyze-fic]

Paralyze.

Special Chapter; Heroes Rising

Long chapter, 10k words

"Thank you so much for your help, boy!" I turned around and waved at the family I helped, "Come on, kids, say thank you as well."

"Thank you, Hero-san!" I chuckled and continued to wave as I made my way back.

"Bye! Don't cause trouble for mommy and daddy, alright?" Slowly, I began to jog now facing forward.

"We won't!" Their high-pitched voices reached my ears as I picked up my pace, and I began making my way back to Class 1-A headquarters.

On my way, I encountered a lot of people from the island, and they greeted me with effusive waves and bright smiles so I did the same. Thankfully, it didn't take me too long to get back, but the sunlight was getting pretty annoying and I needed some water.

I walked inside and took off my boots by the door before heading into the kitchen, "I'm back!" I announced as I walked past the office where most of my classmates were picking up phone calls. I received waves my way as a greeting and I opened the fridge, grabbed a water bottle and closed the fridge. I took a few gulps and decided to take the bottle with me to one of the tables, specifically, the one where Katsuki and Eijiro were.

He was looking at me and, even tho there were no words exchanged, his stare told me he wanted me to sit with him, so I did.

I sat next to him, and placed my bottle on the table, "Hey, Katsuki, how-?" I couldn't finish my sentence because his arms wrapped around my middle before his weight brought me down to the ground, "Ow..." It wasn't a hard hit, but I certainly felt the pain in my head at the sudden roughness of his actions.

"Be quiet," he muttered while backing away from me and shifting his body around. I silently stared at him, wondering what he wanted and what he was gonna do.

Well, soon I got my question answered. He laid down with his head on my stomach and picked up his magazine to continue reading it. I chuckled to myself and reached for my phone in my pocket, if I was gonna be trapped under Katsuki using me as a pillow, I might as well distract myself in the meantime.

A few minutes of everyone answering calls went by, asking for help from others or if anyone could go instead, and like that, Uraraka announced a report of a child missing. I looked away from my phone for a moment and made eye contact with her. I didn't mind going out to find a child, but Katsuki spoke before I could.

"We're not going," I looked down at him, and he was still reading his magazine in blissful silence.

"Don't be like that, Bakugou," Eijiro said while looking at the blond who didn't bother to spare a glance toward the red-headed, "Uraraka, I'm coming with you."

I watched him stand up with the same usual grin he always wore, and I wondered how could he smile so much, he's like Izuku in that regard. They were literally as bright as the sun.

"Does your quirk work to find people, huh?" Realization dawned upon Eijiro and I reached my free hand to pinch Katsuki's nose, making him groan and look at me.

"Be nicer," he frowned and completely ignored me, going back to reading.

In the end, Jiro, Izuku and Uraraka were the ones heading out to find that child. For a while, there was quite some noise around, but soon enough, the entire class was gone to run an errand on the island, leaving only Katsuki and me alone. The peace and quiet was nice, and I was getting bored of my phone, I had no more manga chapters to read anyway, so all I had been doing for the past ten minutes was mindlessly scrolling my social media, and with no one calling there wasn't much I could do.

Especially when I was still trapped under Katsuki.

I sighed and felt my eyelids getting heavier by the second, "Fucking finally..." I heard Katsuki mumble and soon, his head was lifted off my stomach which made me look away from my phone. He was inches away from my face.

"Katsuki?" He smirked and took my off out of my hand, setting it aside and leaning down closer.

"Time to pay attention to me, idiot~," Before I could say anything back, his lips were on mine, his chest pressed against me and his knee in between my legs. His gloved hands held my face as he bit my bottom lip and slightly pulled it, making me wince at the sublet pain I felt.

"Love, wait-," he groaned and was soon straddling my hips, his hands on either side of my head, trapping me.

"Not waiting, I haven't kissed you all day, you owe me," and like that, he pressed our lips together, rougher than before.

"Damn it... Katsuki..." I muttered in between kisses as my hands gripped his hips, and slowly, I sat up, keeping him on my lap, "You're so greedy."

He pulled back and his smirk grew bigger, his hands holding onto the hair at the back of my head, "This is what you signed for when you asked me to be your boyfriend, dumbass."

I couldn't help but smile at the look on his face, and I leaned forward to press my forehead to his.

"Yeah, you're right."

//////

The hours went by, and eventually, our classmates made our way back to the building to continue working.

During one of those times, I got the chance to go out again, this time with Eijiro to help out despite Katsuki complaining that 'shitty hair can do it by himself, why are you going too?', which led to him being scolded by Iida.

We had a fun time out helping others, talking and joking around, a sweet old woman even gifted us with popsicles after helping her, and even though we denied it politely, she didn't take no for an answer, so we ate ice cream on our way back, which was nice because the sun was pretty intense and the heat was getting worse.

A while after, we made it back, and we got to change out of our hero costumes into comfortable clothes, which was pretty nice, but now, with the sun setting, it was time to cook our dinner, and I could tell everyone were pretty worn out after today, so that would be a hard task.

The first couple of days were light work, as the people on the island were unsure of how could students work as heroes until the pro-heroes arrived, but now, after earning their trust, they let loose and asked for our help more and more often.

"Huh?! I stayed at the office on purpose!" The sound of Katsuki's voice distracted me from my thoughts, and I wondered what I had missed while I disassociated, "What would you do if villains appeared while you were out?"

"There are no villains on this island," I chuckled as I mentally agreed with Eijiro-.

For now.

Damn gut feeling, can you not? I'm trying to have some peace.

Thankfully, before I could get mad at myself for having such pessimists thoughts and hunches, the town folk came by and brought us... Food!

They thanked us for our work while putting the dishes on the tables, it looked so good and my rumbling stomach agreed with my conscious, "It's not enough to thank you all, but we brought this."

"Thank you for the meal!"

The entire class yelled in unison causing Iida to panic. He and Yaomomo walked out with the town folk, and we decided to wait until they came back to start eating, which they did pretty soon.

And certainly, the food was absolutely delicious. Although now it was time to...

"Bakugou, or more like Kacchan," Kaminari stopped in front of our table with Sato, Sero and Tokoyami, "We're taking a bath and heading to bed."

"We leave the cleaning up to you!" Eijiro added and for a moment I remembered the room arrangement, these five -along with Mineta- were temporary roommates. There were only three bedrooms, so we had to share after all, even though it was kinda packed in the boys' rooms.

"Why me?!"

"You haven't done anything today," Sero was quick to respond to his question and I had to bite my tongue to hold back my laugh at his expression.

"Damn it..." And like that, they left with quiet chuckles. I changed from my sitting position to kneeling on the ground and I began to pile up the remaining plates before standing up to take them to the kitchen.

"Come on, I'll help you."

//////

Freshly out of the shower, I stood on the balcony of the room I shared with Izuku and the rest of the guys -which Katsuki didn't like- and I watched over Izuku while he did his training, while also waiting for Katsuki to come back from his patrol. He was working on improving his Shoot Style or so he said.

Sometimes, Izuku impressed me. He always worked hard to train his body and get stronger, but now that I know about One For All, it makes sense why he's always trying to get better at everything he does.

I tried to come up with a conversation topic, but I couldn't think of anything, and I felt like Izuku wouldn't want to be distracted during his training, especially with how focused he looked, so I just remained quiet and began to hum a song. The song Jiro wrote for the Cultural Festival. I remember a video of the show was posted on the internet and it kinda blew up, so it was hard to forget about it.

Not like I wanted to forget it, either.

Occasionally, I noticed Izuku looking up at me, and I smiled at him every time we made eye contact, and he smiled back before going back to training.

After a few minutes, over the stone wall surrounding the building, I saw a glimpse of that spiky blond hair and the explosions added to his eye mask.

He probably felt my stare on him as he got closer to the entrance, because he looked toward me, and he saw me easily because I was in an elevated spot. Katsuki smiled at me, a small smile but it was there and that was enough for me.

Unfortunately, that smile was wiped off his face the moment he saw Izuku training at the entrance. He stopped and frowned, and I silently hoped he wouldn't start an argument with the greenette.

Izuku stopped and looked toward the blond, "Kacchan...? Good work patrolling." Katsuki glanced up at me and walked past Izuku.

"Were you able to control One For All a little more?" I had to briefly look behind me just to make sure the balcony door was closed, which it was and I was able to breathe normally again.

"We can't talk about that here!" Izuku did a 'shh' motion, his index finger in front of his mouth as he panicked and whisper-yelled at Katsuki.

"I'm not in the mood," Izuku muttered something about knowing that already, and mentioned them being friends since they were kids, "Then make that quirk yours... And fight with me. Then, I'll show you that I'll be the one to become the number one hero."

This kind of talk and discussion always confused me. I had no intention of stopping them from becoming number one, but... What was so great about it, anyway? Well, I didn't care about hero ranking so it's not like it bothered me, honestly.

I looked away from them as they continued trying to one-up each other, and I noticed a small silhouette peeking from the stone wall before slowly, showing themselves. It was a little boy.

"Uh..." Izuku turned around while Katsuki only leaned to the side to be able to look at the kid.

"You're the boy from this afternoon..."

"There... A vi..." He mumbled while playing with the straps of his overall, "A villain appeared!"

"A villain?!"

"Explain yourself!"

I watched, worried for the little kid, as Katsuki rushed to him. "Where you did see the villain, Katsuma-kun?!" Izuku exclaimed while trailing after the blond, most likely to prevent him from scaring the boy too much.

"Th-that way..." Katsuki groaned and picked him up with his left arm, creating small explosions to warm up before blasting himself in the direction Katsuma had pointed.

"Kacchan!" Izuku ran after him and I sighed, climbing on the railing and jumping off to follow them, although without using my quirk I wasn't exactly fast, making me fall slightly behind the greenette.

"Why are you coming with us, damn Deku?!" Katsuki yelled at him when he realized we were running after him.

"What do you mean why? If there really is a villain..." Even though that was a good reason, Katsuki was not going to accept that.

"(M/n) alone could you beat you six ways from Sunday, Deku! I don't need to have you with us too!" After that, he blasted himself up to the sky with Katsuma, and even though I couldn't hear, I saw he asked the kid something.

Katsuma pointed off into the distance, and Katsuki headed that way with a more powerful explosion, making the poor boy screech for his older sister.

Izuku and I ran after the blond as fast as we could, and we found ourselves heading to the ruins of the castle, "You think... There's a villain here?" I asked Izuku as we got closer.

"The crime rate here is low but... It's there, (M/n)-kun," we continued running for a while longer, and then we had the villain in sight. It was a giant bug, "Katsuma-kun!" Izuku ran faster and I struggled to keep up with him.

The brightness of Katsuki's attack made me have to raise my arm in front of my eyes, but it gave enough light to allow me to see debris I hadn't noticed.

As I approached Izuku, I saw Katsuki standing ahead, the villain about to attack him.

"Kacchan!"

My legs moved me forward to be able to reach Katsuki and help him, seeing as Izuku had completely stopped in place, but then... I saw him coming out from the villain. "Eh...? An illusion...?" We watched as the blond placed his right hand on the ground and used his quirk.

The ground shook at the force of the explosion and... A girl got her hiding spot revealed, "That girl!" How does Izuku know these kids? Did it have something to do with the missing child from this afternoon?

"That hurt! At least get a little bit scared!" I saw Katsuki making his way up to her and I had a feeling he was about to scare her off her skin.

"Were you the one who created that illusion?" She jumped in surprise and sheepishly looked to the side, a guilty expression on her face.

"What... What do you mean by "illusion"?"

"I realized! It didn't have a shadow!" Izuku and I looked at each other, silently asking each other when and how should we interfere with the situation, "Oi, damn brat, do you like making fun of heroes?" The little girl stared up at Katsuki with a now frightened look on her face, crawling back, scared, "I am totally different to the rest of the heroes. I'll beat All Might and I'll become number one, name's Bakugou Katsuki," I noticed Katsuma walking ahead of us, making his way to Katsuki in complete silence, "You made fun of the wrong person."

"Don't get mad at my sister," Katsuma spoke softly, almost hesitant.

"Huh?!" Oh, maybe now is a good time to intervene... "So you're in this with her."

Yep, time to- Oh, well, someone else is doing that for me.

Izuku was the one holding Katsuki back to prevent him from snapping at little kids as he would to others, "Stop, Kacchan!"

"Let go of me, damn Deku!" While they were busy wrestling each other, I held back a chuckle and made my way to the siblings, helping the girl back on her feet.

"Go home, kids, there's a problem we have to solve here," they held hands and began to run away from the ruins, "Be careful!"

"Get back here!" I turned around only to see Katsuki trying to crawl back to the kids, even while still having Izuku on top of him.

"Wait! Just stop!" The greenette covered his eyes and I couldn't keep holding in my laugh, catching Izuku's attention. He looked at me with pleading eyes, still struggling to hold Katsuki back and calm him down, who just continued to grunt and fight back, "(M/n)-kun, stop laughing and help me!"

I took a few steps closer and knelt in front of them, "Sure," I moved Izuku's hands away from Katsuki's eyes and I held his face in my hands instead.

"Get off of me, you bastard-!" Before he could continue to complain, I leaned down and gave him a small, short kiss. It was more of a peck than a kiss, actually, but that alone was enough for Katsuki to completely freeze in place.

And well, Izuku shrieked as he backed away and turned around while hiding his face. "I didn't see anything!"

"You-!" Katsuki spoke and I reached to hold his arms to help him up on his feet, "Stop kissing me in front of others! It's emb... Embar..." The realization of Katsuki struggling to admit he felt embarrassed was a shock to me, although a good one, because I got to see him getting all nervous and worked up about a peck on the lips, "Just don't do it."

And like that, he walked past me and started making his way back to the house the class was staying at.

"Let's head back, it's late," he muttered as he came to a stop before getting too far away from us. Izuku and I began to walk toward him as well, and I saw him taking out his phone, an All Might wallpaper on display.

"It's only eight thirty, though." Staring up into the night sky, it definitely felt like it was way later than just 8pm, but who am I to know?

"You staying up until 3am is the reason why you haven't mastered One For All yet, shitty nerd." I chuckled while Izuku looked at me as if betrayed by my reaction, and I just shrugged, taking longer strides to be next to Katsuki. He was yawning quietly, blinking repeatedly, sleepy.

He definitely needed to head to bed.

//////

"Why do we have to be in separate rooms? I hate it," I glanced at the door to the room I slept in, trying to fix my costume. I woke up slightly late, but no one got mad at me for it, and I was getting ready to go out and start my duties as a provisional hero.

"They were picked by lots, Katsuki, and the number of guys is uneven, it's not exactly comfortable sleeping with other seven guys here," he tsked and walked in. He had a magazine under his arm and began to unwrap his popsicle in complete silence, "Well, I'm gonna go see if there's anything I can help with."

I zipped my jacket halfway and walked over to Katsuki, and he looked up at me with a heavy stare.

"Try not to blow everything up while I'm gone, okay?" I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, I heard him groan before putting the ice cream in his mouth, grunting and signalling to the door, "See you later, Katsuki."

I made my way down the hall and down the stairs, where Mina said something about some missing luggage, "Oh, I'll go." I muttered while making my way to the front door, "Anyone else wanna come with me? Aoyama?"

"Oui!" He stood up and we heard Mineta's voice as he complained, but thankfully, Mina had a plan to make him work as well.

So in the end, the three of us went out together to find some missing luggage.

//////

And finding that luggage was surprisingly easy. It was located at the very top of the pile where the unclaimed luggage was kept, and even though it was hard to reach it, I managed to take it down and handed it over to the couple that had requested our help.

While they were content about finding their stuff, Aoyama made so many weird turns and I wondered how he hadn't gotten dizzy at all, and of course, Mineta's expression told a whole story as well.

A smile grew on my face as I thought to myself how I'd gotten such great classmates... I've been lucky.

The sound of an explosion snapped me back to reality, and we ran out immediately. Civilians were running past us, frightened while the explosions continued to occur behind them, "Heroes, there's a villain!"

"What-?!" The three of us stopped and stared ahead of us, where red bandages wrapped and controlled things that were human-shaped, "There is a villain here!"

"What is that quirk...?" Just as a precaution and to make sure there weren't any people caught by the bandages, I used my quirk on them. Or tried to.

"Aoyama, your belly laser!" Mineta yelled and the blond used his quirk, cutting the puppets in half and they blew up.

"Oh? I wasn't expecting three heroes at such a faraway place," the villain made his presence known and he was covered with the same red bandages as the puppets. I briefly looked around us and noticed there were still people trying to run away to safety.

That's when I saw the villain's quirk wrapping around cars, vending machines, and anything within his reach, and we saw as they morphed into those human-shaped puppets from before. Well, at least that meant I had to stare at him to stop him.

I stopped his arms and kept my sight locked on him, I didn't know if he had to move around to control the puppets, or if he could just move them freely, but he was a threat to the civilians now, so the best way to end this would be making him pass out, although that takes a lot of focus and time, and I doubted I could do that right now. And after a few seconds, I could see the bandages were still moving around while he was stuck in place, so that answered my question.

That's when he made eye contact with me. His frown let me know he realized I was the one hindering his movements. "How annoying..." And like that, the great majority of his puppets were thrown my way.

I enhanced my arms and punched threw one of the puppets, it blew up almost immediately, and the smoke made me cough.

"Mineta! Aoyama!" I heard both of them respond to my call, and I gritted my teeth as the villain's attacks continued to come my way, purposely blocking himself from my sight, "Get the remaining civilians away from here and call the office for reinforcements!"

"Alright!" They ran to the sides where people had been hiding behind mostly intact walls, and the villain saw them running away from me, a few of his puppets going after them.

I enhanced my legs and jumped high into the air, catching his attention, "Focus on me, asshole!" From my high point of view, I could see half of his upper body, and I focused my quirk on his throat.

"You damn-" his voice cut off with a strain and I focused the energy in my throat, taking a deep breath before releasing a whistle.

The energy beam I had been training at U.A. made its way to the villain, and he covered himself with his puppets, but they exploded after getting pierced through. The beam hit him and he fell back, and that's when I also began to drop. I enhanced my legs to lessen the impact as I landed and I saw Aoyama and Mineta coming back.

"This is bad, (L/n)!" I tried to keep an eye out on the villain as he began to stand up, his puppets moving again and bandages reaching for things that were further than before. Those things have a wide range... "There's no phone signal!"

"Shit..." I got ready to use my quirk, even while he covered his body with his attacks and got ready to run at him, "Cover me guys!"

I ran at him, dodging or blowing up his puppets as I got closer to him. He pulled out a knife and I dodged him barely in time, stopping his arm and legs to prevent him from getting his stance back. Raising my leg, I was able to kick him, hitting his ribs and making him grunt as he stumbled back.

Long-ranged quirks are usually weaker at close combat, so my only option was fighting him head-on and making him surrender or capture him. But seeing how his puppets didn't stop even while fighting me, made me realize this was probably gonna be a wear-off fight.

"Damn villain..."

While our fight dragged on, I saw Mineta and Aoyama having trouble fighting, and my sight was getting blurry and spotty around the edges, so I had to lay off from using it too much or that would be bad, so I was more focused on enhancing my punches and kicks, but the villain wasn't giving up.

Not only was he getting more desperate to land a hit on me, but Aoyama and Mineta were getting worn off quicker than I expected, and the villain's attacks were turning more aggressive.

But I refused to lose against him.

Gritting my teeth and clenching my fist, I ran at him, risking getting cut by his knife, but I had to defeat him, right here, and right now. The people on the island were in danger, and thinking about it, this attack was carefully planned, so the possibility of this villain being here alone was low. He definitely has partners here too.

"I won't lose..." The villain's eyes looked at me filled with anger and hatred, and I told myself I shouldn't flake at that, no matter what his life has been like... He's still a villain. "He would hate it if I lost."

Right, Katsuki?

The moment my fist collided with his face, I felt a sharp pain on my side, and I had to hold the urge to back away from the pain, so I put all the energy I could into my arm, and punched the villain away from me. His body hit a wall and he grunted in pain, he struggled to move while my whole arm twitched and throbbed painfully.

I took a deep breath and glanced back to check on Aoyama and Mineta, they had clearly overused their quirks, but now the villain-

"That was pathetic..." I heard him talk and I looked back at him. He was standing on his feet, the bandages still swirling around in every direction, "Although it was a good try. Sorry, hero..."

Before I could think of what to do now, I heard explosions behind me. But... They were different. Those were-

"This place is filled with useless idiots!" I instinctively turned around, and I saw Katsuki there, standing in the smoke, "Like these damn extras!"

"Bakugou!" Despite the way Katsuki called them, they were definitely happy the spiky-haired blond showed up.

"(M/n)!" I heard Eijiro's voice behind me, and I turned around to see him blocking the knife heading my way, stopping the villain in place.

"Thanks, Eiji!" The villain backed away and he seemed to be assessing the situation. Now we had backup, so the only logical option he had was to run away. Poor him though, Katsuki would never allow him to leave in one piece.

I felt my hair stand on end, and I recognised the sensation as Kaminari's quirk, and yeah, there he was.

"Guys!" Yaomomo, Jiro and Mina were running our way, and they stopped with Aoyama and Mineta, "(L/n)-san!"

"Go with them, (M/n)! We'll take it from here!" Eijirio smiled at me as he hardened his arms, and I couldn't help but smile, relieved at the sight of my classmates.

I took a step forward to make my way over to the girls, but my legs gave out under me, and I was barely able to catch myself before hitting the ground, "(M/n)...!" I heard Katsuki's voice, and soon enough, he was next to me, helping me up.

"Katsuki..." He held my face in his hands and checked me all over, his eyes soon landing on my side, where I had completely forgotten I had an open knife wound.

"Come on, I'll help you," his hand put pressure on my side and he helped me take a few steps, but we could see Eijiro and Kaminari were having trouble fighting the villain, he tsked and stopped in place, "Oi! Ponytail!" Yaomomo turned around at the call of Katsuki's nickname for her, and she rushed over to us.

Her skin glowed as she used her quirk, making bandages and handing them back to Jiro, who trailed behind her a couple of steps.

Yaomomo stopped next to me and helped me walk over to Mineta and Aoyama, and I did my best to avoid putting too much of my weight on her. I looked over my shoulder at the boys, "Eiji-!" His arm was being wrapped by the bandages, but Katsuki blew it and it ripped.

However, those bandages wrapped around him instead.

"Katsuki!" His whole body got covered by the villain's quirk, and Yaomomo hurried to help me sit down against a wall, although I tried to maintain my gaze on the boys.

Maybe... If I couldn't see the villain and control him, I could... Control Katsuki's movements, although that would probably cause him a lot of pain.

The Katsuki-puppet was forced to attack Eijiro and Kaminari, who called out the blond's name. I didn't want to see that villain using Katsuki as he pleased, and I knew my lover didn't want to either, he hated villains and criminals more than anyone I knew, and he was definitely fighting inside those things, so I used my quirk on him, hoping to stop his movements or control just enough for those two to be able to dodge or attack other puppets.

That villain should be pretty worn out and in pain, we fought pretty hard after all, but it seemed like I was the only one who was closer to their limit and that was pretty annoying.

I focused my sight on Katsuki, and I stopped his arm, trying to keep it as still as I could, but my sight flashing white and my head throbbing made me look away.

When I glanced down, I realized Yaomomo was trying to stop the bleeding from my wound, something I hadn't noticed because my side was pretty much numb from the pain, and I caught a glimpse of my bracelet. Right, the painkillers, why didn't I think of that before?

I took a pill out and put it in my mouth, swallowing it dry. It would take a while for the effect to kick in, but it would make the headache more bearable, for now, I had to help my friends.

"Kaminari, on your left!" He turned that way and dodged the smaller puppet, and Eijiro punched through it, blowing it up, "Behind!" I watched as they got into a rhythm with my calls, while occasionally keeping an eye out on Katsuki. He was fighting the quirk, the villain seemed to be struggling to control him however he wanted, and that made Katsuki's movements pretty predictable.

However, the advantage didn't last long because both Eijiro and Kaminari got wrapped by the bandages, but now the villain was within my field of vision. "Chose. You can become one of my puppets, or you can be destroyed by your friend."

And that's when I saw Katsuki moving.

"Don't. Fuck. With. Me!" He lifted his right arm and light started seeping through the bandages, growing as if filled with air before it blew up.

I guarded Yaomomo from the debris flying by and as the smoke cleared, Katsuki stood there, his breath slightly uneven, and I noticed the grenade prop of his costume was gone, "Don't underestimate me, damn mummy."

More puppets were controlled to attack Katsuki, and he dodged them using his explosions to balance himself and get closer to the villain, as he did, the same knife was pulled out, and they began fighting close range. And it was obvious who had the most experience with hand-in-hand combat and who had fastest reflexes.

"(L/n)-san, can you stand?" While observing the fight, Yaomomo helped me get up and I felt way better than I did previously, so I smiled at her to let her know I was okay walking on my own.

In no time, Katsuki grabbed onto the villain's face and rammed him into a wall. I was too far away to hear him when he spoke, but I definitely heard the "Die!" He uttered while pulling the pin of his grenade, releasing the missile into the villain's face, and the quirk was released.

The girls ran after them and asked for the villain, to which Katsuki answered he was slightly injured, and yeah, I couldn't hold back a small chuckle. At that, Katsuki glanced back at me, a very small and subtle smile pulling the corner of his lips. And then the glint in his eyes changed as if he wanted to tell me something.

I couldn't ask him what it was, because he soon blasted himself up to the sky, heading off somewhere. "I'm gonna finish off the remaining villains!"

For a few seconds, I debated whether I should go follow Katsuki, but the pain of the knife cut on my side was enough reason to take it easy for a little bit, besides, we still had to keep that villain in custody and keep the people safe, so I ended up walking up front for a while.

Of course, I wondered and worried if Katsuki was gonna be okay on his own...

"Isn't that...?" Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something green growing, reaching over the trees, so I turned to look at it. "Midoriya?"

Before any of us could say something, an explosion came off from that same direction, and instinctively I turned around, walking backwards and staring at my classmates' legs, "Sorry, everyone!" They groaned at the pain as they stopped and I spun back around, enhancing my legs and running as fast as I could toward that balloon-looking Izuku.

Whoever he fought against was definitely strong, like... Even if Izuku doesn't have amazing control over One For All, he is strong and he can make tactics on the spot, so this was a dangerous situation, and a dangerous villain for sure.

Even though I felt my body twitching, I continued running, following the sounds of Katsuki's explosions.

///////

The combination of various explosion sounds going off made me wary of what was happening, and I tried to approach as quietly as I could, that way I could maybe sneak up on the villains... But when I arrived...

Katsuki... Izuku...

Before I could react, I saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye, and I hid behind a tree, peeking out slightly. A woman with long red hair rushed to a man with white hair, black tubes filled with a purple liquid on his shoulders, making holes in the blazer he was wearing.

The man seemed to be in pain, and he looked up, and pointed forward, where I saw Katsuma and his older sister, whom I learned was called Mahoro.

The woman stood up as if abiding by an order I wasn't able to hear. Her hair hardened as she faced the kids and I instinctively activated my quirk on her, keeping her immobilized for as long as I could, despite the spots slowly clouding my vision.

"Get away... From them..." I muttered, stepping away from my hiding spot and she turned her head slowly to look at me over the shoulder.

"What an annoying quirk," the man kneeling next to her, turned to look at me and I noticed the subtle glow in his eyes but I couldn't look at him. This woman was far more dangerous than that man, at least for now, it was clear he couldn't move and she was the threat.

"A quirk that stops muscle activity..." He mumbled between ragged breaths, "He said he wanted it..."

I couldn't think about what he said, too busy trying to figure out a way to get Katsuki and Izuku safe while taking the kids with me. And I soon realized that would be near impossible to do it by myself.

The instant I wondered where the rest of the class was and if they were nearby, a flock of crows surrounded the villains, trapping them and hiding their vision.

I stopped my quirk and ran toward both unconscious males, reaching down to pick Katsuki up in my arms, and Uraraka ran past me, touching the blond's leg with her quirk before doing the same to Izuku.

"Tsuyu-chan!" She called out, and right after, Tsuyu showed up to pick up Izuku and we began to run after Koda and Shoji, who was carrying the kids.

///////

Everyone on the island was a refugee in a fabric, where there were generators that gave us power for the night and the next couple of days.

I was told by the others to rest and heal, but my wounds were minor and already healed by the medics here, so I was good working with giving out onigiri with Aoyama for a while.

When everyone had their share of food, we took everything empty out and cleaned up. Time went by quickly, or it felt like it as my mind was busy thinking about Katsuki. It was late and class 1-A were pretty much the only ones awake at this point. So I went to see him.

On my way there, I took a bottle of water and a straw, since Shotou had told me Katsuma was using his quirk on them, and the poor kid might be tired as well.

Slowly, I opened the door to the room they were being treated in, and I saw they were the only ones inside, along with Katsuma and Mahoro. Both Katsuki and Izuku were still unconscious, which given the fact that they were covered in bandages wasn't as surprising, but it still worried me.

Mahoro looked over at me and tried to smile at me, and I did the same, closing the door behind me and walking further in, making my way to sit in front of Katsuma, careful to not bump either Katsuki or Izuku as I crossed my legs.

I put the bottle down and I reach my hand out to gently touch Katsuki's face, doing the same with Izuku, stroking his curly hair. I looked up at Katsuma and felt proud at how he was so determined to save the heroes who protected them, but also concerned that might hurt himself if he used his quirk too much.

I stayed with them in complete silence, waiting patiently for anything to happen while taking care of Katsuma. I gave him some water and took out some tissues to wipe his sweat every once in a while, and by this point, it was clear he was tired but he wasn't giving up yet.

"Katsuma, at least sleep a little," he shook his head with a denying hum.

"No. I gotta keep going. I have to," a deeper frown appeared on Katsuma's face and he seemed more focused and determined than before. And lo and behold, Katsuki and Izuku began to release a green glow, "Deku-nii-chan?"

"Bakugou?"

Their expressions changed into a frown, and after a couple of seconds, Izuku began to open his eyes, "Kat..suma... (M/..n)..."

"Katsuma-kun," he looked at me without releasing his quirk, "Can you and Mahoro-chan go tell the others they're waking up? They'll be relieved to hear it," he seemed hesitant, probably because he didn't want to leave their side, so I smiled at him and patted his hair, "I'll take care of them for you, alright? So don't worry."

They nodded and got up, walking out of the room. I stayed there, watching over them as they slowly regained consciousness.

Izuku was the first one to open his eyes and attempt to sit up, groaning as he shifted in place, "How are you feeling?" His green eyes looked over at me and then down at himself before rubbing his face with his hands.

"Like I've been run over by a truck," I stifled a laugh and he smiled at me, "But... Isn't as bad as I expected it to feel."

"Yeah, gotta thank Katsuma-kun for that," Izuku looked down at his hands, closing and opening them in fists, probably testing how his ligaments felt.

"I definitely will, (M/n)-kun," after that, he began to fix the top half of his costume, zipping it and standing up, reaching for the red belt kept on top of a chair in the corner of the room, "Take care of Kacchan." He muttered and walked out of the room.

"I don't need... Being taken care of, damn nerd..." Katsuki mumbled and I looked at him, he was also awake, slowly sitting up, "That fucking villain... I'm gonna beat his ass."

A smile grew on my face after hearing a typical Katsuki phrase, he was feeling better, that's for sure.

I inched closer to him, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, holding him gently so as to not cause him more pain. I was glad he woke up after worrying about him for hours, so I felt like I could breathe normally again. Katsuki's body tensed under my hold, and I was about to back away before he got mad at me, but I felt his arms around me as he relaxed in my embrace.

I took a deep breath, feeling the subtle scent of ash and smoke on his hair before backing away, smiling at him and leaning in to place a kiss on his forehead.

"Come on, let me help you."

///////

The whole class was standing around the tables in the room we were given, the police chief was here with us as well and brought us a map of the island. "Midoriya, what's the strategy?"

"We've confirmed the presence of three more villains, what were their quirks?" Izuku looked up at everyone, and Iida raised his hand.

"The one we fought at the beach had a mutation-type quirk, he looked like a hybrid of many animals combination," A few nodded, probably those who were at the beach together and Iida added right after, "He was strong and could even spit fire, we couldn't even scratch him."

"A body potentiated by a powerful mutant quirk," Izuku mumbled to himself, "What about the woman?"

"She can harden her hair," I spoke when I remember being a few meters away from her, "But I don't know if she can do anything else with it."

That's when the police chief spoke up, telling us about how the people at the port saw her using her hair to destroy the ships and prevent them from escaping the island, and he added the description of her hair being like needles, in a way.

"Well... She can't do much without her hair, right? Let's keep that in mind," Everyone nodded at my comment, and Shotou turned to look at Izuku, who was fiddling with a red sharpie.

"What about the villain you and Bakugou fought? How many quirks did he have?" Katsuki frowned and crossed his arms.

"I counted four," he moved his hand and lifted his index finger, "The lasers, the shield, that blue dragon and the lighting," he counted every quirk he listed, and groaned right after, his frown deepening, "Besides the quirk to steal other quirks, he might have more that we don't know about."

"He also seemed to be in pain after using them, so I'm guessing his body can't handle too much, that's why he wants to get Katsuma-kun's quirk to reactivate his cells..." Izuku added rather quietly.

And I remembered something, "I... I think he may have a search quirk, that's how he found Katsuma-kun so quickly," the class remained silent, processing the information, "And he said something about... He, wanting my quirk, so..."

Katsuki got closer to me and leaned against me, probably his way of wanting to protect me from that white-haired villain, "We can't let that damn villain get close to (M/n) either, Deku."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and I felt a few stares on me but I didn't pay them any mind.

"How do we defeat them, Midoriya?" Eijiro asked him and he took a deep breath, staring down at the map in the middle of the table.

"This is my plan." He pointed toward the castle ruins, "We'll make our base here, that way, the villains will only have one way to reach us," he gripped the red sharpie he had been fiddling with and uncapped it, marking a straight arrow on the only path available to walk through, "Once they reach this spot here, we separate them," he drew an x and two more arrows going left and right, "From here on, we use the terrain to our advantage and defeat them one by one with the strongest teams."

All eyes fell on Izuku, his frown still prominent on his baby face.

"But first, we need to plan our tactics, starting with splitting them up," Katsuki leaned over the table with his hands, "Sparkly and Ponytail will do that."

Izuku looked at Katsuki and they made eye contact, before nodding, "Aoyama-kun, I need you to use your Navel Laser at its maximum capacity to split them, assuming the villain will use the wind wall to shield himself, the other two will have to run away since they don't have defensive quirks." The blond looked slightly surprised, but remained quiet, "After that, short bursts of laser using the props on your costume will work to spread them further apart, taking them to our traps."

Katsuki tapped two spots on the map, "There is a concave cave in here, one of the biggest on this part of the island, and here there are the waterfalls, we are trapping them here."

I moved slightly closer to watch over Katsuki's shoulder. Both teams have to be stronger than both villains, so the teams should be...

"Tsuyu-chan and Shouto have the advantage in the water, and they make a strong duo, but they will need speed to dodge and attack, along with an unbreakable shield, so Iida and Eijiro should go with them," I heard Eijiro's little 'oh~' at my analysis, "With Tokoyami in the cave, he will be able to use Dark Shadow, and... Mina could give him support. That way, both teams have someone that could cause damage to the woman's hair, so..." I looked up at everyone, and saw their determined expressions, "I think this is a good balance."

"Now, let's focus on the main villain."

//////

As expected, the plan was going according to plan, and now, the white-haired villain was continuing his way toward the kids. "He's gonna be too focused on getting Katsuma-kun's quirk to care about helping his partners or trusting they could win against high schoolers, so he won't stop."

Shoji and I stood next to each other as we watched the villain walking closer to us, Uraraka and Sero getting his attention with rocks and debris that were scattered everywhere around the castle, while Mineta got the trap ready.

We watched, tensed and filled with anticipation that the trap would work and for a moment it seemed like it did.

But he freed himself and the trio had to retreat. However, there was still hope. If the trap failed then Katsuki...

He and Izuku will stop him. And now is when I get to finally help them. With the villain within the 30 meters of reach my quirk has, I can buy them time and give them a bigger advantage over the villain. And as the whole point was for us to stop him, I had to focus on his legs, preventing him from getting closer to the kids.

This tactic worked for a bit, Katsuki and Izuku faced him head-on while I gave them support from afar, accumulating the energy on my legs, but with all the smoke and dust flying around, my sight got blocked quite a few times, but I used my quirk as much as I could, ignoring the headache I felt getting worse with every second that passed.

And that's when the dragon Katsuki mentioned appeared, grabbing Uraraka when she tried to sneak up behind him. Both of them focused their attacks on the blue dragon, and it split into two, and hit them, throwing them back against a wall.

My jaw clenched as I closed my fists, staring at the villain and trying to use my quirk, but the dust going around blocked my sight once again, and all I saw was the dragon moving forward rapidly toward Katsuki and Izuku. Instinctively, I covered Katsuma and Mahoro's eyes, but rights they were about to impact them, they began to disappear.

The dust slowly began to clear and I saw the villain kneeling on the ground, gripping his body. He reached his limit.

But something was off.

Two more black and smaller tubes came out of his back, and the purple liquid got drained, his mask falling off his face, as he stood up.

When he did, Katsuki and Izuku ran at him, and the clouds turned dark grey and they swirled, thunder and lighting covering the sky, and the force of the lightning strike broke the ground, causing the wind to pick up and we had to kneel behind the wall and columns to protect ourselves from the electricity.

There was an eerily silence that lasted less than a second, and we stood up as the air cleared away.

We observed how there wasn't a sign of Katsuki or Izuku anywhere, and the kids called out for them.

"Deku-nii-chan!"

"Bakugou!"

"Guys..." Jiro spoke and we looked at her, she was looking through the small telescope Yaomomo had made, "He's coming..."

I took a deep breath and reached my hand out toward Jiro, silently, she gave me the telescope and I lifted it to my face, looking through it, "Run away, Shoji."

"Take the kids to the escape route," Ojiro added after me. The air was tense, but this was it, we were the last ones who could stop this villain and protect Katsuma and Mahoro.

"We leave it to you." Jiro muttered with a strain on her voice, and Shoji accepted our request, running away with the kids in his arms, "Let's stop him."

"Yeah."

I took a deep breath and activated my quirk, lowering the telescope, my goal was to make him pass out, but it needed time and precision, something we didn't have now, I just had to focus on stopping him any way I could.

So Total Control would have to work for now.

I focused my quirk to keep his legs in place and prevent his arms from moving, but he instantly made eye contact with me, and the lightning started again, "(L/n)!" Jiro's call of my name worked to help me realize lighting strikes were falling close to me, but it seemed like he couldn't control them well if he didn't use his arms, so I refused to lose my focus-

"He wanted you alive... But I will fry you now, kid!" The thunder got louder and I had to back away or I would've been struck by lightning at that moment. It wasn't as strong as it had been previously, but it was enough to make my hair stand on end because of the electricity.

I took a step forward again to get him back in my field of vision, but his lasers were already shooting my way. I wasn't able to dodge them all, as I was more focused on stopping him again before he could continue attacking, but I couldn't dodge the wind wall.

I flew back, landing harshly on the floor, unable to stop my body from rolling, and I hit my head quite harshly, my sight turning blurry and feeling dizzy. I pushed myself to stand up and watched how Jiro and Ojiro were now fighting the villain, with a low groan and holding my head, I enhanced my legs, crouching and taking a deep breath, getting ready to jump to reach Shoji and the kids.

Reaching up top, my body gave out and I fell to my knees, but I got a blurry glimpse of Shoji as he ran toward the escape route we planned.

I began to crawl my way closer to him when I noticed a flash of bright pink-purple-ish light, and I recognized that colour as the laser quirk, "Shoji, careful-!" I turned toward the villain and activated my quirk, trying to prevent him from attacking Shoji, but my sight began to get covered with spots, and this time they were grey spots, making it hard for me to look at him.

I gritted my teeth, angry at myself for being unable to protect the kids.

"I won't... Lose..." I closed my eyes tightly and ignored the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, "I have to... Protect-"

The ground began to shake under my palms, followed by a voice. "Run away, you two!" Jiro was here, amplifying the sound of her heart toward the villain. I opened my eyes and caught glimpses of Ojiro and Shoji going toward the villain to attack him, but he used the wind wall to repel the attacks and blew us away.

I lay on the ground, my sight fading in and out as I slowly lost consciousness.

"Don't..touch the..kids..."

///////

A sharp pain all over my body made me jerk as my eyes opened, and I looked around me.

So... I passed out... For how long? A few seconds-?

"Bakugou!"

"Deku-nii-chan!"

"Don't lose!"

My body turned as I pushed myself up with my arms, and I lifted my head. Mahoro and Katsuma were in front of me, taking care of Shoji, and the villain was slowly but surely getting closer to them. I swallowed hard and crawled my way to the kids while activating my quirk, ignoring the headache and the limited vision I had left.

"Kat..suma-kun..." I reached an arm out to him, and he did the same, I struggled to reach his touch, his hand glowing as he used his quirk, "Let me borrow... Your power for a moment..." I kept my sight focused on the villain as I focused my quirk on his arms.

"You're really... Annoying," he began to activate his laser quirk and, feeling the subtle relief of my headache disappearing, gritting my teeth as my whole body tensed.

"Just..." I groaned as I struggled to stand up, "Back off...!"

My arm raised on its own, making a pushing motion toward the villain, and I felt it. My hand cramped and I doubled over in pain, but I saw how the villain flew back, as if... He was pushed. I didn't have time to analyze what just happened because my sight was fading quicker.

And as I fell to the ground, I was able to see Katsuki and Izuku standing behind the villain.

And Katsuki... Was sparkling the same way Izuku does when he uses his quirk.

"So... That's what it came to..."

There was a bright light illuminating everything coming from the sky, and that was the last thing I saw.

///////

"Boy... Boy, wake up..." I felt my body being gently picked up and my eyes opened, but I couldn't see anything, "It's alright, you're safe now. I need a wheelchair here!"

It was an unknown voice and after a few seconds, I felt myself being picked up from the hard ground and sat on a chair. My head was pounding and I felt sick, unable to ignore the throbbing and painful twitching I felt all over my body.

So the battle was over... And help arrived...

That's great...

///////

The next time I regained consciousness, I was lying on a bed... Actually, it felt more like a couch, 'cause when I graced it with my fingertips I confirmed it wasn't a bed. And when I opened my eyes, there was the same grey colour covering my whole vision and I had no idea how much longer it would be this way. The max is usually eleven hours... I wonder how long it's been.

"Oh, (M/n)-kun, you're awake," Izuku's voice came from my right, and I turned toward him, "Your eyes..."

"Yeah, I know, don't worry," there was a short silence which I used to try and identify if we were alone, "Is there anyone else here with us, Izuku?"

"No, just Kacchan and he's still unconscious," I hummed and nodded, pressing my elbows on the couch to be able to push myself up.

"Do you still have it? One for all?" I asked him quietly, knowing how sensitive he was when it came to talking about his quirk in public. His response made me feel relieved.

"Yeah... I do."

After that, I could hear people coming into the room, probably nurses, but I also heard All Might and Recovery Girl's voice, they talked to Izuku for a bit.

"I've already healed your injuries, boy," Recovery Girl spoke next to me and I looked down at her, even though I couldn't see her I could guess where she was, "Your sight should come back in an hour or less."

"Thank you."

The room was peaceful for a short while until...

"It hurts!" Katsuki woke up, "What happened to me?!" His screams were followed by the sound of Recovery Girl activating her quirk and I could only imagine what the sight was like, making me chuckle to myself.

At last, we were able to smile again.

//////

"Why do I have to be here?" I turned to look at Katsuki and reached to hold his hand, which made him frown and look away, but he didn't refuse my touch.

"Mahoro-chan wanted you to be here, didn't she? And you accepted, it's too late to complain," he tsked and leaned against me as we continued to wait.

We were at the Nabu Port Terminal Building, waiting for Katsuma and Mahoro's dad, as per the request of the kids.

It's been a few days since the villains attacked the island and class 1-A had been helping the townfolk rebuild the destroyed buildings of the city with few injured civilians, the Hero Work Progamm had been suspended, but we decided to stay around for a while longer until we had to leave.

And that day arrived.

I was with Katsuki up top, enjoying the view of the city as the ship began its departure from the port, "I will miss this place."

My boyfriend looked at me and snorted, "You're weird." I laughed at that and nodded.

"You might be right, love."

We stayed silent for a moment and I felt his hand on my forearm, making me turn to look at him. Katsuki stared into my eyes and began to lean closer to me, and I did the same until our lips met each other.

There was some deep meaning behind this kiss, I could feel it, and it came from both of us. The fear of losing each other, and the relief of being back together made this kiss full of emotions that caused shivers to run down my spine and my skin get covered in goosebumps.

We pulled back, and Katsuki pressed his forehead on my shoulder, "I love you, (M/n)."

I reached my hand up to stroke his hair, resting my cheek on it, unable to hold back the smile from growing on my face, "I love you too, Katsuki."

We didn't stay in this position for too long, the sound of footsteps behind us made us glance that way, and we saw Izuku walking out way. "We're already saying goodbye to this island, aren't we?"

"I'm glad," Katsuki uttered while glancing away, "Is it okay for you to leave without saying bye to those little brats?"

"There were a lot of things I wanted to say to them, but..." He smiled and closed his eyes, titling his head down, "It's alright, I'm sure they'll understand."

"Oi...! Oi...!" The faint sound of high-pitched voices reached our ears and we looked down. Mahoro and Katsuma were there, running toward the ship.

"Deku-nii-chan!"

"Bakugou!"

"Everyone! Thank you for protecting us!"

A smile grew on my face at them thanking us, and I felt glad we were able to win the battle. "Deku-nii-chan! I'll become stronger! At least, I wanna protect my father and sister! That's why... I'll get stronger! And I'll become a hero like Deku-nii-chan, Bakugou-san and (M/n)-san!"

Oh, me too?

"I won't forget those words, damn brat," I glanced at Katsuki, seeing the smirk on his face, and I smiled as well, feeling happy.

"Katsuma-kun!" I turned toward Izuku as he yelled, "You... You can become a hero! I'll be waiting for you at U.A.!" He waved at them with his arm high above his head, and I waved at them as well.

"Don't prank the new heroes too much, Mahoro-chan!" She laughed at my words and nodded, stopping next to Katsuma as she waved us goodbye.

#paralyze fic #bakugou katsuki fanfic #bakugou x male #bakugou x male reader #male reader #reader insert #x reader

[moonlit-positivity]

Let's talk about anger languages

Much like love languages, anger has a language too.

Self isolating? Self harming? Passive aggression? Vague posting specific rants on social media hoping others wont see it or bring it up? Yelling? Aggression? Insults and name calling? Taking it out on others? Projection?

How well do you know your anger language?

Anger is something a LOT of people fear. Especially when you're raised in an abusive environment. You learn to avoid anger altogether, because it's loud, explosive, abusive, etc.

But this couldn't be further from the truth. Let's talk about it in depth.

Anger becomes toxic when there is no direct expression or acknowledgement that it's present.

Withdrawing, ignoring, or waiting for your partner/etc to pick up on your feelings, is not a healthy way to express yourself. You have to be mindful that other people do not live inside your mind. They will never know what you feel without you saying it out loud. And you will get more pissed off when they inevitably don't pick up on your signals.

Yelling, aggression, passive aggression, insults, and displacement, are not healthy ways to express your feelings. You have to be mindful of the space you share with others, and the effects you have on them too. If you cannot express yourself in a way that takes consideration of those around you, then you are not a safe person to be around.

All of these behaviors are also very harmful, simply because they hurt everyone involved. Isolating? Self harming? Hurts you and your partner/etc. You're withholding a chance for you to be loved & taken care of in this moment. They would want to know what you're feeling. Passive aggression? Aggression? Insults? Yelling? This can make your partner/etc feel like they are being punished and can be emotionally abusive to constantly deal with.

So what do we do about it?

First off, do you feel safe directly expressing yourself when these moments come up?

If not, it would be a great idea to ask yourself why.

Partner/etc feels unstable? Maybe they blow up at the drop of a dime over every little thing? Maybe the trust isn't there anymore?

Or is it deeper than that? Is it a childhood thing? Not able to trust you'll be in good, safe hands when these moments occur?

It would be a great start to go that deep with yourself and notice what it is about expressing your negative emotions directly and explicitly to others in your space, that makes you hesitate, ignore, or lash out. That would give you greater insights to what your obstacles look like.

Secondly, do you know what pisses you off? Do you know when you're at your limits and ready to cuss someone out?

It can be helpful to know these things about yourself. It can help you communicate to others what you need and expect of them when these things arise for you.

At the core is just knowing yourself enough to know when you're frustrated. And being able to trust the company you're with to take you seriously enough to want to know too.

So here's some remedies that may help✨

Ways to tackle conflict resolution:

Set aside a specific time to come together and talk about it

Opt out of distractions unless absolutely necessary

Keep the environment feeling warm & safe

Give undivided attention

Be present in the moment

Notice body language

Connect with eye contact & safe touch (if consented to)

Repeat back what is being said to give yourself a chance to understand

Listen. Set aside your judgements and just listen to what is being said

Ask questions for clarity if you don't understand what is being said. Don't just speed through the process to get it over with & miss out on something you need clarified

Be open to compromise

Thank your partner/etc for speaking up & sharing their feelings

Be clear on the intended outcome and steps moving forward

Above all else, remember that you love this person. Remember that there is love here. Be mindful of the respect and consideration you show to each other. Do not ever let yourselves forget that.

Phrases for when you're angry and in need of space to cool off:

I'm feeling overwhelmed. I need to step away for a while.

This is overwhelming me and I need a break.

I feel ___ when you ___. Can we talk about this?

I'm getting frustrated. I need to step away.

This is frustrating me. We need to change the subject.

I am not having a good time right now. I need some space.

I'm having sensory issues at the moment. Can you turn that down/off/use headphones please?

I'm not comfortable sharing space with you right now. Can we cool off for a while?

I need some space.

I need time to process this. Let's talk about it later.

I'm not ready to talk about that right now.

I understand how you feel, but I do not agree.

I am going to cool off.

I'm reaching my limits. I need some space.

This situation is frustrating.

I'm getting irritable. I need to step away.

Practice them. Notice how most of them involve you removing yourself from the situation in order to self care. This is crucial. It is important to learn how to recognize when you're getting frustrated to the point of reacting.

Ask for some space. Then remove yourself from the situation and self care.

What would self care look like?

privacy to unmask and let loose (regulation)

deep breathing (regulation)

punch a pillow or squeeze a teddy bear really hard (regulation)

sit on the floor & lift your legs against the wall (regulation & somatics)

venting to someone else (self expression & regulation)

writing in a journal or ripping pages out (self expression)

taking a walk/run (regulation)

stretching (somatics)

music (self expression & regulation)

dancing or high cardio (somatics)

wiggle ur body (somatics)

throw a tantrum (somatics)

do something comforting (processing)

cry (regulation)

literally anything you can think of. It will help.

These are just some handy examples to keep in your back pocket.

Communicating during and after conflict arises:

It would also help to have a discussion about upkeeping personal space and ways to find privacy when you need space to cool off. Talk about what you'd like to do and how you'd like to handle communication when these moments come up. You can specify, "i need an hour to myself." Or "i will call/text you when I'm ready to talk."

It's also a good idea to discuss how you'd like each other to respond to your frustrations. Sometimes love languages are welcomed in these moments, but sometimes they are not. Sometimes random acts of kindness, physical touch, etc can help soothe the moment. But sometimes these types of things make it worse. If you'd prefer to be left alone, it's a good idea to mention that.

One more very important note about anger & negative emotions:

Remember that you are allowed to be angry, frustrated, and any other negative feeling. Anger is not inherently abusive. It's all about how you handle it.

Remember that just because you're feeling mad & frustrated it doesn't excuse your immediate reactions if they're causing harm to yourself or to others. You're gonna rip someone's heart out by being so careless.

Remember that your partner/etc is allowed to be angry, too. You are not responsible for caretaking or rescuing them from their emotions. You're not their parent. You're not their savior. Let them cope how they cope & focus on how you're coping instead.

Remember that you are allowed time and space away from your partner/etc. You absolutely do not need to occupy the same space all the time. Healthy relationships prioritize personal space just as much as time shared together, too.

Remember that healthy anger shouldn't have you feeling like you're walking on eggshells too afraid to make someone mad at you. If you're in a position with someone who is volatile all the time, or with someone who copes in unhealthy ways and it's affecting you, then please consider what you can do to re-establish a sense of safety in these moments. And consider what's best for your health in the long run.

Remember that your loved ones are in fact listening and paying attention to you. Even when we feel like they aren't. Isolating & directing these feelings inward can have an effect on our loved ones, too. Even if we don't mean to, it still ends up happening anyway bc we aren't invisible like we would hope to be. Yes, you do exist. Yes, your loved ones see you. Talk to them about it.

Remember that you're gonna piss someone off at some point, and they're gonna piss you off too. Rather than ignoring this, try to find ways to meet it head on. It will help.

Tl;dr- talk about how you handle anger with your loved ones and talk about how you can help each other out when the frustrations arise. Talk about it with yourself too. Anger is no different than any other emotion we feel. Talking about it helps us move it in safer ways.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Take care of yourselves out there

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

#recovery #ptsd #trauma #mental health #boundaries #healing #communication #interpersonal #interpersonal relationships #emotional regulation #anger #bpd rage #bpd #actually borderline #dbt #self care #self love #self hate #advice #life advice #relationship advice #toxic relationships #love languages #anger language #conflict #conflict resolution

[kleenex-tissues]

Yours Truly (16)

AO3 here

Ch. 16: Let the Storm Carry Me Away

If Marinette had learned anything about Damian, it’s that he was very punctual. He was always on time to class, finished his homework in the hour he allotted each night, and his texts were delivered quickly, so long as he wasn’t in bed or class. It wasn’t like him to disappear off the face of the Earth.

After a vague discussion on the possibility of Damian arriving in Paris for the final stage of her contest, he had stopped responding to her messages, let alone reading them. She assumed it was a broken phone and tried emailing him for good measure, but all she received in return was radio silence. It didn’t help that not only had Duke forgone any social media activity at the same time, but Tim called her to let her know he had urgent business back in Gotham and the final adjustments would have to be done by an on-site attendant.

Alya reassured her that no, she hadn’t done anything wrong. Boys were just stupid like that sometimes, and it was very likely there was a good reason for all three of them to drop off the map simultaneously. So she went about her week as if it mattered very little to her.

What a lie that was.

Thankfully, she had many things in place to distract her. Paris had entered a cold front, so there was now lots of baking to be done. When the weather turned cold, many commuters would stop in for a warm baked good and a steaming cup of coffee on their morning stroll. Anything to keep them from freezing before reaching their jobs.

Marinette was working overtime to help her parents prepare each night for the morning rush. She readied ingredients, left dough to cool in the fridge, and tried her hardest to leave the kitchen as clean as she had found it – a difficult task for as clumsy as she happened to be.

On top of that, there was a major exam coming up in her history class, and she had finally received news about the upcoming finale of the Paris Young Designers Contest.

She was to begin sewing immediately. For the opening round, candidates had sent in a line of designs with a few mock pieces for reference. Her’s was centered around flowers and their meanings. Something about her continued partnership with Tikki had drawn her to like flowers more than she cared to admit.

For the second part, she was to create the line. Each piece would be examined by a professional who would come to each contestant individually and give critiques.

From there, she would use the notes given to her by the professional to improve the line before presenting it at the final fashion show on New Year’s Eve.

Everyone who was anyone in the industry would be there in the hopes of scouting new interns to add to their team. In years past, some contestants had even been lucky enough to be propositioned by investors to start their own company. The fame earned from the show could easily help them grasp a foothold into the world of fashion.

Right now, she had three weeks before the professional showed up on her doorstep to tear her designs apart, and only half of her line was finished. If she had any hope of getting a half decent review, she needed to keep her focus off of Damian and in the game. Quite frankly, the fabric draped over every surface of her room was starting to feel like it was mocking her.

After four straight days of sewing, stitching, baking, and studying, Marinette was going to rip her hair out. It was a helpful distraction to ignore her worries over her pen pal, but she hadn’t left her apartment aside from school and if she didn’t see the outside world soon, she may very well let herself be bald. Anything had to be better than this.

She dressed herself into the first cohesive outfit she could find – mom jeans and a pink sweater – and threw her stained pajamas into a pile in the corner. She had been wearing them for two days now, and the butter from the bakery was starting to crust onto them. It was certainly not her best moment.

Grabbing a purse and her long neglected phone, she raced down the stairs to put on a pair of old, graffitied sneakers. They were far from fashionable, but they were comfortable and Adrien had helped her paint them. She couldn’t bear to get rid of them when they held such treasured memories.

Marinette burst through the front door and raced down to the street below at record speed, not knowing where it was she had planned to go. She just needed to get away from here.

The afternoon sky was dark, clouds heavy with a whisper of rain. She wouldn’t be able to stay out long, but a few minutes of fresh air was worth the trouble. Her feet began walking, her mind clueless to their goal, but eventually she reached the park.

It was empty, of course, as it always was before it rained. The wind blew whatever leaves remained on tree branches to scatter past her and into the streets. There was something serene about it all. It was quiet, and Marinette could not remember the last time she had known Paris to be so. But she closed her eyes and let the ambience move through her.

The wind blew once more, curling loose hair over her face. She moved with it, laying down on the grass swaying peacefully around her, her back to the cold, hard ground. She was at peace for the first time in months.

There were attempts in that time to reach that lovely feeling, but they garnered little success. It was difficult to compare a forced calmness to true peace. Even the rain drops beginning to sprinkle onto her face could not ruin the moment.

Let the storm carry me away, she mused to herself. Perhaps it would be easier than all of this.

She didn’t think about boys or Batman’s momentary presence in Paris. Nor did she think of half-sewn designs and embroidery. Overflowing orders and baked goods remained in the kitchens at home. Akuma anxiety kept its distance. And her failure of a love life didn’t even dare to haunt her this time.

Marinette was soaked to the bone in cold rain, but her muscles relaxed and her mind kept steady in its pursuit of tranquility. She wasn’t sure how long she laid there, basking in the beauty of mother nature’s storm, before a dull ringing demanded her attention.

It took her a few moments before she realized what the source of the sound was. Her phone. Her phone was ringing, and who in the world was calling her?

Her eyes were blurry from letting the rain gather in them, so she didn’t bother to check the caller ID and answered with a groggy, “Hello?”

“Hello, Marinette,” returned a deep, gruff voice in English.

She switched over immediately to the uncomfortable language. “May I ask who’s speaking?”

“Yes..” An uncomfortable cough. “This is…Dami.”

Dami? Did she know a Dami? Surely, she would remember a name as interesting as –

Oh, Kwamis, it was Damian.

“Oh my! I should have checked my caller ID,” Marinette panicked. “I’m so sorry to have made you feel so awkward!”

He chuckled a bit on the other end, and her heart skipped a beat. She had never heard his voice before this, so how did one man have this much effect on her just by speaking? Maybe she had a fever. Why else would her face feel so warm?

“Uh, what’s up?” Stupid! Who even responds like that?

“I had not spoken to you in a few days, so I believe I owe you an explanation.” He paused slightly. “And an apology.”

Her hand went up to fiddle with a strand of hair. As soon as she made contact with the wet curl, she jerked her hand away in surprise. Kwamis, had she been out in the rain that long?

She laughed out awkwardly, “I’m a little lost. What are you apologizing for again?”

Damian took a deep breath, and she blushed a little more at the sound of it through the phone. She really needed to work on getting flustered so easily.

“First and foremost, I would like to apologize on behalf of my brothers. They unfortunately have little knowledge in the ways of boundaries, and they let the excitement of our friendship cloud their judgment. There is no excuse for how Tim betrayed your trust. He took advantage of your kindness and came to you with deceit rather than good intentions, and that was a line that did not deserve to be crossed.

“I also would like to apologize on my own behalf. While I did not outright lie to you regarding my identity, I withheld important information. You trusted me with various personal information of your own, and I failed to even give you my real last name. The packages you mailed to Damian Al Ghul at a P.O. box in Gotham were for Damian Wayne, delivered to and opened in the family manor.

“I did not want you to know I was famous, even if it happened to be by proxy of my father. I wanted to believe you could know me without knowing who the media believed me to be, and still find me worthy. I thought I could not trust you, despite you never giving me the indication that my worries had any foundation. I have treated you like a fool, and for that I am deeply sorry.”

Marinette was caught off guard. She wasn’t sure what to say in response, but he thankfully continued.

“I regret having left you this week with worry on your mind due to my absence. I suffered a nervous breakdown.” His voice trembled over the words, and she felt sick. “Father has kept me confined to my bed out of worry, and I felt too guilty to message you. I had done wrong by you. My brothers had done wrong by you. I could not bear to face the consequences.

“I understand if you do not wish to continue our communication further.”

Finally, Marinette found her words, almost shouting, “Why would I want that?"

She could hear his surprise in a small gulp through the phone, but she continued on.

“I realize now that, yes, Tim did cross boundaries, but I don’t hold it against him. The way he spoke about you while he was here; it’s clear that he thought he was just trying to look out for you. I was a stranger, who had the attention of his younger brother. I’m sure he just wanted to protect you, in his own misguided way.”

“But–”

“Dami, it’s alright. Tim meant no harm, nor did Duke.” She smiled to herself before whispering, “And I’m not mad at you in the slightest. Sure, I was a bit lonely, and you could have given me a heads up. But I won’t hold your caution against you. It isn’t easy to be vulnerable with another person, especially one you’ve never even met.”

Damian coughed. “You’re too forgiving.”

And she laughed in return, “I get that a lot, I’m afraid.”

They were lulled into a comfortable silence, and Marinette finally drug herself from the grass to head towards home. If she wanted to avoid a sick leave in the middle of the contest, she’d have to change and shower sooner rather than later. But she kept the phone pressed close to her ear, listening to the gentle sounds of Damian’s breathing.

“Perhaps it is time I work on overcoming my need to hide away,” he said quietly and suddenly.

“Oh? And how are you going to do that?” She knew the question was dangerous before she even let it fall from her mouth, but she swore she could hear him smile through her phone.

“I would like to attend the Paris Young Designers Contest finale, so long as you’ll have me.”

#Marinette Dupain-Cheng #batman #maribat #maridami #daminette #Damian Wayne #batfamily #Bat Family #BatFam #miraculous ladybug #mlb x dc #mlb x dcu #wolfish-writes

[absolutebl]

Hi absolutebl! First, i want to say thank you so much for your hard work!! Your posts are very helpful to me when deciding what to watch next. Every post of yours is deeply appreciated.

I want to ask how you manage your time so efficiently. You are able watch all the BLs on top of your job, travelling for work, your other interests, and rewatching. Please share your secrets.

Ha! Aw thanks.

Erm I'm a pretty bad insomniac and workaholic? Also I don't really watch or consume much other media beyond BL & Kpop these days (unless it's for work).

I also work really well as I'm traveling, so at airports and on planes are actually some of my more productive hours.

What else?

Oh! I tend to socialize with/for work, and see friends as I travel. (I often pick conferences based on whether I have friends in the area, not to mention who else is attending.) So consults/presentations etc all day, then drinks and meals out in the evenings. Ironically, I see the friends I live near the least - aside from housemates and parties thrown by other people.

I have NO savior complex although I am incredibly loyal, so said friends know I AM indeed the one to call to bail you out of prison or pick you up on the side of the road (suggest the best lawyer, organize your finances, clean out your wardrobe), but I may not be in town, and you will probubly get a lecture on your responsibilities as an adult to go with. If you wanna bitch about your love life for 3 hours I'm the friend who will tell you to your face that you are the problem and then jet in 20 minutes, so don't call me for empathy and mimosas. Being the least dramatic of the collective always saves me time and energy.

I have no dependents at all (well... aging parents and a dozen house plants) and no primary lover/mate. By choice and partly because I don't really have the time to put in the emotional labor. Plenty of FWB and lovers tho. I like to be the guest star. So yeah, light relationships without the heavy lifting is my preference, and saves lots of time.

I enjoy being alone and super independent - ironic since I'm so invested in BL's with HEA romances...

I minimize decision making in my life in general. So not much stuff, capsule wardrobe, travel gear always prepped and pre-packed and tailored to the different time frames/climates. One thing in, one thing (or more) out policy.

It's spartan (I wouldn't go so far as to say minimalist) or even lonely and I know it's a lifestyle that probably wouldn't suit most people, but I LIKE to hyper focus on tasks and I tend to design my life to take advantage of that personality trait (and capitalize on it) and minimize distraction.

I guess you could say I've leaned into the quirks of my (somewhat abrasive and obsessive) personality rather than try to fight or normalize it.

#it's amazing how much time you have when you aren't constantly cleaning up after someone #one way or another #asked and answered

[emmabaginskyartwhimsy]

Dear creative humans,

Do you keep having fun and interesting ideas only to shove them aside? Are you stuck in the all-too-familiar trap of “maybe one day…”

NO MORE! I’m tired of doing that and this is how I’m going to do it.

The Project

An idea for a Silly Goose Themed Tarot deck popped into my head last week, and I was like, oh absolutely. Then I started sketching, and I knew it was over for me. I needed this thing to exist.

The only issue is I’ve never attempted a project this big. A tarot deck has 78 cards in it. That’s s e v e n t y - e i g h t individual drawings AND a booklet that describes each card. This would be a serious undertaking.

The first step in starting a project is figuring out: why?

The “why” is the most important step. People seem to forget that these creative projects are a lot of hard work. If you don’t have a satisfying enough “why”, your brain will throw every excuse at you as to why you should logically give up. A silly little defense mechanism our organic vessels came up with to protect us from anything painful. Even when it’s good for us.

The problem is that growth is painful. So if you ever want to grow, you’re gonna have to get used to being uncomfortable.

Your “why” should be (mostly) internally motivated. Remember, the only thing you can control is yourself. If the reason for your creative pursuit is external validation (e.i, Internet likes & money), you are giving away your power to forces you have no control over. So inevitably, when you only get a handful of likes, you are much more likely to give up and think “what’s the point?”

The point is creating something that never existed before! There are things in your soul that will never be made unless you take the leap.

Reasons why I am undertaking this project:

#1: This is a fun concept that needs to exist

I love tarot and think it is a helpful tool. Making my own deck will help me connect with the cards, especially because I have to research the card meanings.

I really want to hold the finished deck

Improve my digital painting skills

Starting and finishing a project like this will allow me to build skills that I need for future BIGGER projects.

I will have a cool product to sell at Art Fairs!

My mind, body, and soul are all on board 👍

“I am not afraid of a little hard work” (if you know, you know)*

Not only am I going to be making a tarot deck, I am also committing to documenting the process on social media. This adds another layer of difficulty.

Reason why I am posting on social media:

#1: Recording the process and writing everything down will help me process my thoughts. Which will hopefully make condensing my thoughts into the booklet easier.

Sharing my interest with others! I might get people interested in tarot & teach people a little bit about tarot cards.

Internet footprint: If my legacy in life is being the “Silly Goose Lady,” that's a win.

Documenting growth. A good way to visualize progress.

Grow an audience that vibes with me

People might like it and want to purchase it when it’s finished

Inspire others to make their own creative projects

Okay so, now what? Wanting to do something and actually doing something are two entirely different beasts. The only thing standing between me and my goal is me.

How to control chaos incarnate?

The chaos goblin inside me hates the idea of structure. Nobody can tell me what to do, especially me.

“What if all this planning stifles my creative energy?” Cries the goblin.

This is where self-awareness comes in handy. The goblin loves exploration, which is both a good and a bad thing. If you let the goblin take the lead, you’ll never know quite where you’ll end up. My goblin is easily distracted and, more often than not, has led me to a bunch of dead ends.

Creating structure is not something you should fear as an artist. Instead of ridgid unforgiving chains, think of the planning process like bumpers in a bowling lane. A good plan will contain the goblin to the task at hand while still having fun in the process.

Making a good plan in 5 Steps

Making a good plan is all about thinking ahead and making most of the decisions now so you don’t get decision fatigue later. Otherwise, things get messy and overwhelming pretty quickly.

1. Set a time frame

If you want to reach the finish line, you need to set a pace. Be realistic. Life comes with many responsibilities. How much time is this project going to take you?

I’m measuring this project by cards per week. I did the math on how long it would take me to finish 78 cards.

1 card/week = 78 weeks → October 2025 [1.5 years]

2 cards/week = 39 weeks → January 2025 [9 Months]

3 cards/week = 26 weeks → October 2024 [6 Months]

4 cards/week = 20 weeks → September 2024 [5 Months]

In the grand scheme of life, whether you achieve something in 5 months or 1.5 years doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you got it done. Aim for a pace that is sustainable for you. Burn out is a very real struggle. Life is all about balance.

As I continue the project, I will be able to readjust my expectations accordingly. I imagine that the rate of production will fluctuate but I’m aiming to complete 3 cards per week.

2. Set project constraints/parameters

Put down that pitchfork, Chaos Goblin, and let me explain.

Limiting yourself is actually good for creativity.

I need each illustration to feel like they are a part of the same world. I’m achieving that goal by limiting things like color palette, subject, and art style.

By choosing to keep the same parameters for each of the 78 illustrations, I am freeing myself from the overwhelming task of making a bunch of decisions over and over again. That’s when a project really gets messy and overwhelming.

When in doubt, simplify.

For my project, each tarot card has a well established meaning that acts like a prompt. The Fool card, for example, is about new beginnings and taking the first step. The creative goblin gets to “silly goose-ify” this prompt without having to deal with the infinite well of choices.

3. Make a process that makes sense for you

How are you actually doing the thing? This is where the consistency really comes to play. A bad system will feel redundant and full of friction. If you hate doing a part of your project, you’re more likely to never pick it up again.

This is why I decided to draw each card digitally. This solves a lot of efficiency issues and will save me a lot of time. Imagine having to drag a tripod and camera around with me anytime I wanted to draw. The logistics of that sounds like my absolute nightmare. I only have one camera battery that lasts for about 30 - 45 mins for filming videos. Then, when I’m done, I have to scan every drawing into the computer anyway. No thank you.

Instead, I have an editing-software that screen records me while I’m drawing on my laptop/tablet. Now that’s easy 👍

4. Make a schedule

If you want this goal to come into reality, you need to put time into it. How much time is up to you, everyone's life situation is different. Remember, small consistent blocks of time are all you need to make significant progress.

I am currently a stay at home parent to a very young child. This comes with its own set of advantages and drawbacks. I spend most days looking after my son but I’ve carved out a strategy that works well for my situation.

I broke down the different tasks of my projects and assigned them to each day of the work week. This way I know exactly what I should be working on each day.

My work day bounces from nap to nap but most of my free time is at night after the baby goes to sleep around 6:30pm.

5. Set Boundaries & Priorities

Now here’s where I fight back a little on “hustle culture.” Life is meant to be lived, not toiled away. Make sure you take time for yourself. Time spent taking care of your mind, body, and soul is not wasted. The well of creativity needs replenishing, so breaks are actually a very efficient use of your time.

And FOR PETE’S SAKE, GO TO BED. The work will wait for you. Your brain needs to sleep in order to process all the information it took in today. “Sleep on it” is indeed a real thing. You might wake up with a new idea on how to fix whatever ailed you yesterday.

For me, my family takes priority. My husband works during the week, so I try to keep the weekends open for fun family outings or cozy days inside.

Our children will only be young once. I am making it a point to enjoy the time we spend together instead of stressing about a “lack of free time.” For me, my children will always be my greatest work. On the hard days, I remind myself that there will be a time where I don’t have small hands clinging to me as I try to put the dishes away. They will be off on their own adventures and I will miss those small hands very dearly.

Some closing thoughts

Remember that your plan should be flexible. Just because you mess up doesn’t mean you need to give up entirely. Take a second to go back over the plan and change the things that aren’t working. Failure is only a temporary learning state. It is not something you need to carry with you.

So go forth and create some things we’re never seen before.

The only thing left to do is take the leap.

Good luck, I’m rooting for you.

Emma

*Guess that kid’s TV show. Of course it’s Bluey lol.

#art #artist advice #tarot cards #tarot community #goblincore #silly goose #goblin #digitalart #the fool #starting a blog #strategy #planning #cute

[dandelionwhisp]

Honesty

A Cater Fic (for the dear @jackplushie as well as being inspired by this post from them!! and also huge motivations from various cater fics by @adultish-momma and @forgwater AND MANY OTHERS!!!)

CW?: yelling! swearing! that’s abt it!

MEGA ANGST AND THEN MEGA FLUFF ALERT also OH MY GOEJRNNWHE THIS BOY GAVE ME SUCH A HARD TIME BUT IT WAS PROBABLY BC OF HOW DEEP I WAS TRYING TO DELVE INTO HIS CHARACTER HFHHDHS (though i can def think of more difficult twst characters to write that i will inevitably be writing about sooner or later- COUGH lilia COUGHING VIOLENTLY POMEFIORE) BUT ANYWAY THANKS TO THE FICS OF MANY INDIVIDUALS AND A CERTAIN CATER SIMP, I HAVE GOTTEN A GOOD ENOUGH GRASP (hopefully) TO FINALLY WRITE OUT THIS FIC!!

p.s. this might be slightly out of character but in reality, a person who constantly lies would naturally be ooc when they’ve finally chosen to be honest, right?

without further ado, please, ENJOY!!!!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><>

“Off.”

“Hm..?” The distracted ginger mumbled, eyes trained on the device in front of him and the soft click of his typing not stilling.

You sighed in frustration. Cater had promised to help out with studying in payment for eating the sweets he bought specifically for his Magicam photos. Even now in front of untouched books, sat an equally untouched piece of chocolate cake he had taken at least thirty different pictures of in the last hour.

“Off. The phone. Now.” Arms crossed, you stared pointedly at him, though his phone and bowed head hid the beautiful green eyes you oh so loved. Not sure if you’d ever tell him that though. You frowned at your thoughts.

He probably wouldn’t even take me seriously.

With the misfortune of falling in love with a man who took nothing seriously, came a lot of self-doubt and regret. Not of loving him, but of yourself and the inability to get any closer to him than you were now.

You tried a lot of things. Bringing in spicy and savory foods to him at lunch behind the excuse of testing out new recipes of which he just happened to cross your mind. He always gave a flirty thanks with the flash of a photo before waving goodbye. For a while, you had invited him along with the other Heartslabyul members to hang out until finally mustering up the courage to ask him out alone, as a friend, of course.

Honestly it was nice, at first. Casual talk and reminiscence of the crazy happenings at home and NRC, you thought you’d finally crossed that untouchable border. But now the distance feels wider than ever before, because it has dawned on you that despite being able to see him every day, everything you know about him (aside from disliking sweets) had already been posted or known by the followers on his account.

It felt like you knew him as well as you’d know the life of any other social media star influencer on Magicam.

But he was good wasn’t he? At hiding behind a screen. Even now, you could barely see his face and he was right. in. front. of. you.

“Cater!” You slammed your hand on the table of neglected textbooks.

“What- What is it?” He finally looked up at you with his pretty green irises, but your built up irritation kept you from flattering him.

He stared at you, absolutely clueless to the inner turmoil you were going through and you felt at important to him as the slice of chocolate cake and astrology books splayed out on the table.

“What in the Great Seven is so damn important that you can’t take your eyes off the phone for even ten minutes to help me study?!”

“Oh... sorry! Haha I guess I got too caught up checking out the current trends again~” He laughed airily which fueled your anger. “Awww why? Was my precious Prefect feeling lonely that I haven’t given you any attention? Don’t worry, Cay-Cay promises to-“

You cut him off. “Yes. In fact I was feeling thoroughly ignored and left out from whatever extremely interesting conversation you were having with that glowing block you call a phone.”

He blinked in surprise and observed your ticked off expression in realization.

Oh. He messed up. Badly.

“Ah....” Scratching the back of his neck, Cater gripped his phone tightly. “I didn’t mean..”

“Just- forget about it. I don’t care.” You were tired. Of everything. If you really didn’t mean anything to him compared to the device in his hand then what was the point in trying at all?

Over and over he’s proven himself to stick to what people say about him. Even as you wanted to and desperately had been trying to reach out to him and were willing to hear everything he could say, even if he didn’t want to tell you, you would’ve just been happy with him telling you he needed time. But he still hasn’t given an inch. Only ignoring all your attempts to reach out. Ignoring your concerns and soft touches of worry. Ignoring you.

Maybe it was time to accept it. It would never be you he’d be staring at. It would never be you he would prioritize. It would never be your hand holding his. It would always be that stupid phone.

“I’m sorry for getting angry. I understand how important maintaining your image is to you so I’ll just go.” You refused to look at him as you stood up and began collecting your books. “I ruined the mood for studying anyway so I’ll.. just ask Trey or Riddle to help me. You can keep.. doing whatever you were doing.”

“Wait-”

As you packed up your things, ignoring his hesitant actions and fumbling words- it suddenly became hard to breathe. Your face felt hot in embarrassment and shame for your outburst and all the times you tried to be better and all the efforts you feel were wasted on being vulnerable around him to try and get to know him more and be someone for Cater to rely on.

I guess you were just too far ahead of yourself. As tears pricked at the corner of your eyes, you reprimanded yourself and swore internally at the foolishness of your weak heart and strong feelings.

Cater, on the other hand, was losing his composure trying to find the right words to say. He obviously made you angry and while haters on the internet were easy to ignore, the wrath of a friend- though perhaps he wishes for you to be more- would be much more difficult to deal with. It would be awkward trying to face you the next day so he had to do something now.

Panicking at your leaving figure, he caught a glimpse of your hurt and teary expression- And froze completely.

Shit.

This is why he put up such a shallow front. Because if he let people in deeper into his life they would start to care. If they cared then they would ask more personal questions about him and his wellbeing. And it was significantly more easier to brush aside harsh criticisms and intimate questions over a screen than in person.

Because when he inevitably pushed people away, when he constantly played on his phone, they wouldn’t feel bad because ‘that’s just how he is.’ Never letting anyone get close enough to see past the light hearted words and silly smile.

He thought he was being so careful! He thought he was doing such a good job! So why, why did you look like that? Why did you seem so broken over something that he was known for? And why did his heart feel so pained at the sight of you?

He reached out to touch your arm, only for you to yank it away hastily.

“Please, don’t.” your voice barely a whisper.

That hurt him. For you to be the one to push him away.

You were always touching him, making him feel warm with your words and maybe he was getting used to it. Your kind attitude and your patience with the way he shrugged you off, but now he realizes that maybe, he’s been taking you and your kindness for granted.

A gentle hand on his arm sent jolts up his spine.

“Hey Cater, you okay..? You seemed a bit sullen back there-”

“Huh? Well if it isn’t the super popular Prefect!

“But Cay-...”

“Try not to touch me like that or else I might mistake it for more~ Unless~ that’s what you wanted me to think? LOL I’m just JK! Thanks for being worried though, you’re making me blush~”

“...Yeah..”

There’s something he had been refusing to admit to himself. Just how much he’s come to treasure you and just how incredibly precious your happiness has become to him. While he may have been doing a good job in pretending otherwise- to you, to others, and to himself- sometimes, when he didn’t realize it and when no one else was looking, he’d glance at the way you ate his sweet treats and he would smile a little wider at your selfies and honest laughter.

The growing hurt in his chest and confused annoyance with himself and with your tearstained cheeks, he blurted something probably more harsh than he intended.

“I don’t understand- Why are you so upset? You- you know I’m like this so is this.. am I really someone to cry over-?”

And where you for so long had wished to press your lips, where you wished you could be allowed to caress, laid a burning red mark as you slapped him across the face.

Cater was left speechless.

“You know, Cater? I’ve realized, you- you really aren’t someone I should have trusted with my heart.” You hated the way your voice cracked in wet, painful anger.

His cheek stung. “What..?” That almost sounded like- No. No that isn’t possible.. that would mean you- could it be..?

He was so stunned he barely registered your next, spiteful words.

“Figure it out yourself. Since you’re so good at reading people.”

Snapping out of his daze, he scrambled towards you, slamming the half opened door before you could reach it. “You can’t just leave me like this! Can’t you give me a chance to do better here!?”

You flinched at the sudden closeness in more ways you were willing to admit. “I’ve been giving you so many chances! I know you’re not stupid Cater! You should know what I’ve been trying to do! That I’ve been trying so hard to get close to you, to understand you!”

“You’re right. I do know.” His mind flashes to the way you brought him all types of food aside from sweets, and how you held out your hand as an invitation to hang out together. He remembers hoping for the hidden meanings behind your flustered face and ever growing smile when you noticed him. He also remembers all the ways he convinced himself otherwise. Suddenly, he truly felt like a stupid, desperate fool. “But I just- I can’t do anything right when it comes to you!”

“Oh so now you’re blaming me?”

“No! You’re completely misunderstanding what I’m trying to- ugh!” He yelled out in frustration.

Why the hell was he the one who was frustrated? You’ve been dealing with this since forever and suddenly you were being the difficult one? “Then what? What the hell are you trying to do aside from pushing me away! All you’ve been doing is lying to me! Not just me- it’s everyone! I don’t even know if you’ve ever been honest to any of us!”

Your whole body was shaking and all your shame had long been replaced with pain and rage. “I thought-” You choked on your tears. “I thought at this point.. I deserved some of your honesty.. Even if only a little bit. Anything- anything except those sugarcoated words of flattery that made my face flush and stomach flutter.. But I get it now- I’m just another person to eat the sweets you’re so sick of. Just- another follower to boost your image.”

“You’re wrong that’s not!-” He tore at his hair in agony as his heart kept breaking. “Like I said, I can’t do anything right when it comes to you because- because, I- because-!” Because what? Because his heart always beats a little louder when you were around? Because of the way your pretty voice made his head swim? Because your smile made him forget all his problems and he was always subconsciously afraid of ruining it like he did now? Because your touch makes him completely helpless and vulnerable in the most wonderfully terrifying ways? And how he wishes he could touch you back without the pretense of a selfie? Because.. Because he-

“What? Because what?” Maybe you were being unfair to him. Maybe you didn’t have the right to act this way. Maybe you were being selfish. But maybe he was too. “See I told you, you only care about that damn phone-”

“Because I love you dammit! If you’d just let me fucking talk then I’d-“ He stopped and clasped his hand over his mouth in horror. He loved you? Where the hell did that come from? That doesn’t even make any-

Oh shit- He cursed again. His eyes widened as more tears streamed down your face, your body wracking with sobs.

“Wait I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell like that wait- I-”

“Did- did you mean it-?”

“..What?”

“That you...” You took a shaky breath. “..love me?”

“I-”

Now’s your chance Cater! Tell them you didn’t mean it- That it was just an accident- just do what you’ve always done. Lie. They’ve given you a chance to put your mask back on so...

He gazed at you once more. At your trembling figure, at your wet, red, eyes. And for the first time, there was a person he could not read. You, despite your vulnerable state, gave nothing away about what you wanted him to say.

He realizes this isn’t a situation he could weasel out of. Not anymore. So, he decides to do something he can’t remember when he last allowed himself to truly be.

He chose to be honest.

“I...” If you listened closely, then maybe you would’ve been able to hear the sound of a mask shattering and a wildly beating heart. “Yeah.. I guess, I do.”

Your hand made contact with his other cheek. This time he stumbled backwards and looked up at you incredulously with a hand on his face. “What the hell-”

“You’re so fucking stupid Cater Diamond.” You fell on your knees in front of him, hitting your fists against his chest in a mess of hiccups and tears. “But I guess I am too- hic, because I can’t- hic, help but love you anyway.”

After a moment of hesitation, he gently. Gently, dared to hold you against his chest, letting a familiar laugh escape his lips. But this time, there was nothing he needed to hide. “You just said I wasn’t stupid earlier, cmon now I’m getting mixed signals here! Haha~”

“You’re the last person I want to hear complaining about mixed signals.” You sniffled in response, landing one last hard smack against him.

“Ow- That was hit number thirty you know? And my face still hurts from what you did eariler- You really pack a punch dont’cha Prefect?”

Rolling your eyes at his sudden lighthearted banter after a particularly grueling and emotionally exhausting confrontation, you buried your face into his chest, letting your residual tears stain his pristine dorm uniform.

“You deserve it you know.”

“Mmm I guess I did~”

“Stop acting like you enjoyed it!”

His body shook with laughter. “Oh~ Of course I enjoyed it! It’s you who’s touching me after all! I never thought I’d get to feel such an intimate connection with y-”

Once again, you cut him off.

This time however, physically.

Cater Diamond hates sweets. He came to realize that at a young age. They make him sick to his stomach and remind him of his force feeding sisters and rotten cavities.

Cater Diamond loves you. He came to realize that a few minutes ago. Maybe longer than that. Definitely longer. You make his stomach flutter and remind him of a warm savory meal and spicy kicks of pleasure on his tongue.

He might become drunk on your taste and the feeling of your lips against his. It’s hot. It’s rich. It’s salty. It’s sweet. But somehow, it doesn’t make him feel sick. Perhaps he loves you more than he hates sweets.

That is the realization Cater Diamond has come to in the present, as his hands pull you in for better access, not unlike, yet completely different from all those times he dragged you into taking a picture with him.

“Enjoy that instead, stupid.” Breathlessly, you leaned back, tilting your head in surprise at the way his eyes glowed in the way you once dreamed it could.

His face scrunched into an expression that would definitely not be considered picturesque, showing you exactly how he felt about the loss of contact, like you had always wanted.

“I wish I had my phone to take a picture of that face you just made.”

“Nooo don’t expose me~” He pouted while tugging on your shirt, silently asking for another kiss.

“Hmmm? What is it Cater? What do you need? Be honest now~” A surge of confidence erupted in you while taking in his disheveled figure. His messy orange locks fell along his face with no tie to secure it, and a smudged red diamond melted into the pink marks left behind by your brutal attacks. While he did deserve it, it didn’t help you from feeling a bit guilty.

Whining, Cater pressed his forehead against yours, allowing a perfect close up of those gorgeous green eyes of his.

“I wanna kiss..~”

“I didn’t know honest Cater was so loud and whiny~!”

“You asked for this!” He whined louder.

“Mmm I did didn’t I...” Your eyes became lidded with months of longing as you finally let yourself cup his flushed cheeks. “For the record.. I like it when you yell.. and when you whine.. and when you speak in weird text language.. and when you cry and laugh and act stupid and when you read the room perfectly. I like everything about you. But I love my Cater most, when he is honest with me.”

He shuddered against you as he fell deeper in love with your words and your actions and you, and made a promise to himself, and to you, that he would love. Love wildly, openly, and honestly, from the bottom of his heart. Because you made the promise to love him for all the he was, is, and will be. As long as he was willing to show it all to you.

He chose to let his eyes that you gazed at so lovingly, paired with a soft and broken “thank you.” tell you the promise he kept locked within his heart.

Where you both met, once more in a place so deliciously soft, sweet, savory and sincere, you knew it marked the beginning of a lot more tears and a lot more change and a whole lot more love.

And honestly? You had always known,

He would be worth every second of it.

#ITS FINALLY DONE #i pray that ive done him justice!! #thank you for all the encouragement and support from everyone!! #mwah mwah i hope it was an enjoyable read ily all SM #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #disney twst #twisted wonderland imagines #twst writing #cater diamond #cater x yuu #cater x reader #twst cater #cater x mc

[cookinguptales]

I found you through AO3 bc your nandermo fics devastated me and really helped kick off my newest special interest and I enjoy your metas a lot. I was sad when I saw your post about being disheartened by lack of interaction. I really struggle to communicate, especially online and especially when going through things, but I wanted to say that I really like what you write and your insight and thank you for creating. I wish I could interact more often and more specifically than leaving kudos. I had a moment of social energy and I wanted to use it to send this since I’ve been thinking about your post for awhile. Sorry for rambling awkwardly, just thanks.

I really appreciate that you put the effort into sending me this message, especially because it sounds like it's not something that's necessarily easy for you to do. That was really kind. Thank you.

I was mostly talking about wider fandom trends and my experiences in other fandoms; like I mentioned in the post, wwdits fandom has actually been one of the best experiences I've had in fandom in years. (Uh. Certain anons aside. lmao.) I get more interaction here than I have in a long time, and it's one reason why I keep writing fic and meta.

I will say that it's still... frustrating, I guess, the way that social media is kind of where fic goes to die these days, even in wwdits fandom. I do still think it's largely because you have to click off the "social" site to read the fic, and AO3 in and of itself was not meant for extensive social interaction. So you do still lose out on the kinds of social interaction that other kinds of fanwork (including meta, for that matter) seem to enjoy.

I would say that the way my meta is received vs. the way my fic is received is drastically different, and I really didn't start making as many friends on tumblr until I started posting it. The fic was definitely not enough, no matter how many people enjoyed it. Again, they might list me as an author that they enjoyed, but not an actual fellow fan that they liked to interact with. I guess that's the part that's a bummer. There is a more collaborative feel to certain kinds of fanwork, and fanfic used to have that feel.

Now, though, it can be very isolating and I do see a tendency to separate author from fanwork. That can feel weirdly like erasure, like people don't want you to exist, only the work you can give them. I've even seen people complain that author's notes exist because they don't want anything to "distract" from the fic. Like an artist existing distracts from the art...? That's frustrating.

I do think it's related to greater trends re: nonconsensual commodification of art, pressure to commodify hobbies, monetization of fandom, art as "content/product" and art enjoyers as "consumer/customer", etc. It does remind me in some ways of the way that people do feel... entitled, I guess? To various artists' output as separated from the artist. (See: misuse of art for AI.)

It does feel extra frustrating to see this forced upon fanfic, though, considering that it's one of the few types of fanwork that still exists in a real legal gray area re: monetization. It's like we get saddled with all of the downsides of commercialization with none of the benefits. I feel like we should be able to opt out of all this commercialization bullshit if we're not even getting paid to deal with the shitty dehumanizing parts. lmao

Ah, I'm getting distracted again.

I guess it's nice to just actually see people talk about something you've created and interact with it. Not just leave a comment to you personally, but show it to their friends, put stuff in the tags, ask questions, start discussions about it, etc. You know, the kind of stuff that happens with other kinds of art on social media. (Meta very much included!) Things that make it feel more like you exist in a community rather than just... idk, putting down something you've made and watching it get consumed absent your presence.

I guess... to extend the metaphor, I may be the cook but I still want a place at the table. The difference between making dinner for your family vs. making dinner for a customer at a restaurant, y'know? I wanna sit down and talk, not just perform. There's a lack of community these days that I really miss.

I guess all this is mostly just nostalgia for an older form of fandom. Fic did used to feel a bit more like an interactive art form back in the LJ days. (And before, I guess.) A conversation, if you will. Sometimes that could be irritating (remember back when reviewers could be put in the fics and such on ff.net? lmao) but sometimes it was really nice.

I SOUND REALLY OLD NOW... There are some things about modern fandom and AO3 in general that I really like, especially the ability to search and filter in ways that really weren't possible ~back in the day~. But... yeah, I do feel like we've lost something, too, by making fanfic almost too easy to "consume" outside of the rest of the social fandom space.

I guess I'll go take my cane and sit down now lmao.

#I mean I do actually have a variety of canes but that's due to disability not age haha #replies #praise

[soracities]

i read very irregularly, ive been reading siddhartha for a while (i know its such a short book but im almost done lol) and i’m really disappointed that i cant really seem to make myself pick up my book and actually read it. there are so many books i want to read, and i dont want to keep procrastinating, and to keep scrolling mindlessly on instagram or something. do you have any tips for how to make reading into a habit??

i’ve liked so much of your book recommendation posts for the sake of reading them ;(

very sorry for the delay in getting to this. i think the first thing to grapple with here and probably the hardest part about making reading a habit especially if you’re trying to come off from social media is the reality that spending less time scrolling on instagram will be very, very hard at first and you need to be prepared for that; you’re going to feel yourself drawn to it constantly because that is the habit your brain has built for itself and the hardest part may be resisting that urge in the first place. identifying when you do most of your scrolling, and rerouting that time instead towards 20 or 15 minutes or reading and, crucially, sticking with it might be the best thing especially if you can put up additional obstacles to divert the urge towards something else; i tend to scroll a lot in the evening but i downloaded the forest app after @engulfes mentioned it and it makes a huge difference for me personally. you don’t have to quit outright (what worked best for me was setting aside days when i wouldn’t use social media but i’m the kind of person who responds best to cold turkey approaches and i know that’s not for everyone)--you can work and read in gradually increasing increments if it makes you more likely to stick to the routine so even just leaving your phone in another room or far away from you and dedicating half an hour or so to reading before bed can help as long as, once again, you stick to it. (it might even help, if you are reading before bed to make an entire ritual before bed that doesn’t feature your phone at all--make a cup of tea, change your clothes, shower or whatever your routine normally looks like, take out your book before you sleep, etc -- however you can fit your reading in as naturally as possible within a larger routine, or even just constantly bring a book with you when you’re on or waiting for transport, or even just in the kitchen waiting for something to cook)

once you set aside time for your reading there are different ways to structure it depending on what suits you best: @pearblossomtree described a really good method whereby you set a number for yourself, such as 20 or 30 for example, and give yourself the option of reading 20 or 30 pages or reading for 20 or 30 minutes (or whatever number is most doable for you) which is incredibly helpful. you can also try the 5-Minute Method where you sit and read for 5 minutes straight without distractions. once your 5 minutes are up, you set yourself another 5 minutes, and when those are up you go for another 5 until you’ve done four or five cycles. you can even split those cycles up throughout the day: two or three cycles in the morning, for example, and then the same mount in the afternoon, or another round in the evening--most of the time, i think, you often find that you go over the time without realising, especially if you stick with it long enough to allow your attention span to grow and focus for longer.

while i know there are always so many amazing-sounding books to read and discover i do think it is also very important for you to really limit your choices; if you spend too much time worrying about or looking at everything you feel you have to read then you will very easily overwhelm yourself to the point of not reading at all. our brains are physically incapable of handling anything beyond 10 options at most so focus instead on a small handful of books that genuinely speak to you and that you know you will enjoy or look forward to. if there are six books you’re really drawn to, break them into three groups of two: once you finish one group, move on to the next one, and so on, and when you’re done choose your next six. don’t worry about reading lists or yearly reading goals or achieving a certain number of finished books--just focus on your group and your group only and keep going with it.

also worth noting i think, is that some books, even when they're short, require a kind of sustained attention or concentration either because of the language or the content, that is at odds with their length so they will, inevitably, take longer than you expect to finish; this is simply to say that, if you find yourself spending a lot of time with a short book, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing (and i think some of hesse's novels would probably come into that category which is why, if you’re just starting to read more or trying to read more while coming off of social media, i would recommend to not always go straight into (most) of the classics if you’re not already familiar with them or don’t already know you enjoy them, simply because adjusting to the language after having your attention fragmented by places like instagram makes sticking with the reading immensely difficult and you’re more likely to abandon it). to me, the most important thing in coming back to reading or delving into reading more is to put your pleasure and enjoyment first. you are far more likely to stick with a book that you’ve chosen yourself and that speaks to you than you are with something that’s been shortlisted for a dozen awards or that everyone is talking about and that you feel you need to have an opinion on in order to be seen as a Real Reader.

at the end of the day i think it's also important that, however you go about reading more, you do so in a way that is best suited to and accommodating of your own circumstances and pace. i'm a very irregular reader also, and have always tended to veer towards that more so than any set reading pattern; sometimes it may be a case of finding your time eaten up by empty scrolling or something similar, and other times it could be that there are other things that demand your energy and attention and that you have to attend to, which won't leave a lot of time for reading as you want. there are a lot of time constraints for me, as well as a number of other things that influence a lot of what i read and if i read and while i wish that wasn't the case, i have to accept the time i do have available and choose my books accordingly because i will burn myself out otherwise and not enjoy it anywhere near as much as i could. i hope some of this helps a little, and i wish you so much happy reading, whatever shape it takes for you x

#ask box is currently closed but if anyone has additional tips please add them in x #ask #anonymous #book talks