#those are not the relational dynamics I support and I could no longer support the app or the creators

[khruschevshoe]

OFMD Critique: Bad Faith, Fandom, and Respect

All right. You know what? Screw it. I saw one post I just cannot ignore anymore that encapsulated all of my problems with the fandom right now. Personal rant incoming.

I understand that there's a nuance to the discussion of season 2 of Our Flag Means Death, and that there are people going a little too far with both their critiques and their support of the show. But oh my God, I'm tired of being straw-manned and made fun of for legitimate critiques of the show.

I just used the block button on someone in this fandom for the first time. Some of you might think I'm overreacting for this, but I saw a post that I could not on any level stand. This person, who I will not name names of, because I'd rather just block them and never deal with their level of bad faith again, took their one legitimate criticism of those of us who critique the show, the back and forth on whether or not Izzy's death was homophobic or not, and used it as the first in a literal list of straw man critiques that no one I've read in the OFMD Critical tag has made (and I check it like once a day bc I like reading meta, sorry), proceeding to absolutely make fun of the legitimate critiques that people have of the show, parodying them in the worst possible ways. They took our legitimate critiques about everything from the sexist handling Zheng Yi Sao's character, the absolute ableism of the finale, the questionable optics of the handling of trauma, etc. and stretched them into things that they very much were not (two examples were that we were crying ableism bc of something to do with seagulls and that we thought the problem in the Stede&Zheng dynamic was the "emotional labor" involved).

Now I'm pretty sure this post was a joke. I *think* it was a joke. But how in the world am I supposed to feel comfortable in the main section of a fandom like this when the comments and replies to this post were full of people agreeing sincerely that this is what the critical section of the fandom is like? How am I supposed to feel when I just see people making fun of me for my analysis of the show? I love this show. I adore season 1 and I'm clearly still making fan related content (moodboards) for season 2 along with my critiques.

Sure, I vibe way more with fanfiction than the actual canon at this point, but I still genuinely engage with the show. And to have the critiques that I made in good faith, regarding issues that I sincerely care about such as ableism, sexism, homophobia, and the handling of trauma, made fun of and taken out of context and straw-manned to their extreme, makes me feel so absolutely unwelcome in this fandom.

Other than keeping up with the couple of fan series that I'm currently still reading, I don't know if I can stay in this fandom any longer. I can't say that I'm excited for the new season if this is the kind of response that any good faith critique of the show is going to get. I can't say that I feel safe or comfortable when there are this many people ready to dog pile on me for a critique I made with ACTUAL TEXTUAL EVIDENCE to back it up.

I would like to thank all the people who have been making excellent critiques of the show. Their meta-analysis is what got me into making my own critiques, which I was nervous about making in any other fandom. I don't think I've in any way tagged them all, but just a few I can remember off the top of my head. Go read their critiques/meta- it's really good!

@sky-fire-forever @carrymelikeimcute @blue-b-bro @bougiebutchbinch @treesofgreen @sixstepsaway @alex51324

And from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has engaged with my mood boards or my critiques or anything else that I've made, as well as the amazing writers and artists in this fandom (such as @ruecrown, @aletterinthenameofsanity, @fool-for-luv, and @possumsmushroom). You guys have kept me going with my love for the show and engaging with it for a while now. Despite the stuff that is making me take a step back now, I really did love this while it lasted! I'm still planning on making a few more mood boards, but other than that, I'm going to take a step back from engaging.

Hope this post can spread enough support/joy your way to counteract the ache I'm currently feeling!

Sincerely,

Ashley (aka @khruschevshoe)

#ofmd critical #fandom critical #ofmd #ofmd season 2 #this show was supposed to be a source of joy and kindness and it become something sour #izzy hands #zheng yi sao #stede bonnet critical #ed teach critical #I'm not tagging them bc I don’t want hate #fandom shenanigans #meta #analysis

[iwantescapism13]

Sasha not forgiving Marcy is totally within her character.

For those of you who said she sounded hypocritical in ‘The Beginning of the End’, be honest with yourselves. If you’re in Sasha’s situation, would you really forgive your friend for getting you stranded in another world without your consent?

If your answer is “yes of course, because she’s my best friend”, then you’re missing the point.

Forgiveness is not something someone gives because they are blood-related or they’re someone important to them or it’s something that they deserve. A person forgives because they want to make peace with themselves... to set themselves free... to let go. And most importantly: because they truly want to. It’s not for the sake of others. It’s not an obligation.

I have heard people argue regarding her intense reaction to Lysil’s and Angwin’s predicament in ‘Olm Town Road’ and why, if she could be that passionate about shouting at Parisia to give those two olms (that she just met) a chance, couldn’t she give the same chance for Marcy when they’ve been best friends since forever?

And my thoughts on that is: the circumstance is completely different.

Marcy’s actions most likely hurt so much more than Sasha could ever admit. Actually, she even said it herself.

People were probably too preoccupied with the bitchy, manipulative Sasha to recognize the fact that she had suffered in her own ways too. And unlike Anne, she had no support on her journey. Only enabling her bad traits.

Remember what she’d been through. When she appeared near Toad Tower, Grime imprisoned her for who knows how long. She was able to survive because she was charismatic enough to befriend the guards and it all worked well in her favor. Yes, she was eventually appointed a high position next to Grime... but overall, she suffered most of the time. And she had to, for the sake of trying to find her friends.

She was put in a position where she had to forcefully grow strong and independent. It’s good for her, sure. But did she ever want that? In the first place, no. She’s the head of the cheerleaders, she’s a queen in her school, and she was an influence. And (you all like to say this) she’s a kid. Who would want to be put in a world where you have to act like an adult?

I admire Sasha for being honest about this because forgiveness shouldn’t be something that she should do for the sake of making sure that their friendship dynamic stays intact. She needs to really genuinely forgive Marcy. And with all the things she had been through, the doubt is understandable. You could say... it was Sasha’s “trauma”.

That’s why Anne’s speech was important. Not only did she learn to forgive Hop-Pop (where he inadvertently got her stuck in Amphibia longer than was supposed to by hiding the Calamity Box), but she also learned to acknowledge that she needs to make peace with herself. She can’t keep holding a grudge. It’s not good for her mental health. That’s what she wants Sasha to learn too.

And well, the good thing is, she did. She understood what Anne’s trying to say. However, even if she did agree with Anne, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she has automatically forgiven Marcy... but I know she’ll try her best (as she always do).

That’s... such a great development.

If it wasn’t for the 11-minute restriction, we could’ve had more pauses and more time for Anne and Sasha to talk about this. But even with this kind of restriction, it turned out okay anyway.

#amphibia #amphibia spoilers #sasha waybright #just a thought #that second to last sashanne screenshot tho #it gave off so much romantic vibes #is anne actually flirting with sasha over there #seems super suspicious #sashanne

[pastanest]

if you’re wondering why I’m having to repost this, or why you were perhaps previously following me but no longer are, please refer to this post. I was able to retrieve this thanks to @rosieathena - thanks so much!! ♡

Spencer Reid x gender neutral!reader

Reid x Coroner!Reader

- naturally, you and Spencer met through your careers

- whether it was you joining the team on a case via request or whether you are the one supplying the team with information on a case upon their arrival before you pass the case to them, your careers are what brought you together, and it was your first common interest

- the first conversation you ever had was based on questions about your different but coinciding jobs

- you were very curious about Spencer’s skills as a profiler, and he was interested in your job too, but he had already researched the details of every aspect of that career just out of curiosity, so he knew what the jurisdiction of your job was whenever he met a coroner. he asked questions that he already knew the answer to and acted like he hadnt read those answers online a long time ago, but he was still very interested in all of your more personal views on the job

- though that was your first shared intetest, it was not your only one, and once that first conversation was over, it was you who asked Spencer if he’d like to go out for a coffee or something sometime. he was flustered of course, but he obviously said yes

- on that date, you made a promise to each other to discuss everything and anything that was not work related, in order to get to know each other outside of your careers

- needless to say, you found a lot of other shared interests, as well as a continued easily flowing conversation, and the most comfortable silences you had ever experienced

- considering your jobs, it wasnt surprising that you kept bumping into each other, and you even started exchanging flirty texts when there was the chance of seeing each other

You: Looks like I’ll be crossing into your jurisdiction today, Doctor Reid ;)

Him: I’d say that’s against protocol, but because it’s you, I wouldn’t care less about that ;)

- as your relationship progressed, the chance meetings became more and more wonderful to both of you, always getting excited at the thought of seeing each other again

- literally even when you moved in together you’d still be excited at maybe seeing each other at work wtf y’all cute

- but aside from that, your relationship didnt differ much from what it would be if either of you had any different career

- you made as much time for each other as you could, you went out on dates at every opportunity possible, you spoilt each other with affection and compliments, you cuddled up almost every evening when one of you wasnt in a different state, and you called each other anytime one of you missed the other

- in regards to your work, though, it was very convenient that you had similar morbid areas of your job. it meant that if a day was particularly tough on either of you as a result of a horrible case, you both completely understood in a way that someone in a different career never could, no matter how empathetic they were

- many times you have held one another while you cried over part of your day that had left you scarred, you woke each other anytime you had a nightmare so that you got the support you needed, it was a good dynamic and healthy addition to an already wonderful romance

- to summarise: it’s not easy, but you make it work

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #imagines #imagine #x reader #criminal minds #fanfic #fanfiction #headcannon

[sodopopmachine]

I've seen that you're a person who doesn't ship tdmm and i really want to know why don't you ship it

Oh man, uhh, cringe alert (cringe on my end). So, I was not fond of Todomomo in the past. And I was very... vocal about that. However, as much as I didn't like it, the hate towards the ship, especially towards Momo, made me uncomfortable. People were being racist, sexist and downright just very vain about their opinions. It made me sick and made me re-evaluate my opinion. Regardless of my opinion on the ship and characters, I do not condone or support the blind rage and hate that characters receive.

But to answer the question, even though I don't strongly dislike Todomomo anymore, I still don't really ship it, BUT I have a newfound respect for the ship and those that support it. But the reasons why I don't ship it are... for one, I believe shipping two characters that happen to be a boy and girl based on one interaction and little to no chemistry is very heteronormative. I mainly see Todoroki and Momo as colleagues/friends at best. They have a great dynamic and make a great team together, but I don't view this romantically, just moreso, platonically and professionally.

For two, Momo and Todoroki don't impact each other's lives as greatly as other duos and ships. Todoroki respects Momo enough to work with her and is aware of her talents and insecurities, but he doesn't do much to comfort or console her. He also doesn't really come to her aid as often as he could have, like when they were in disguises in Season 3 and several people were making sexual advances towards her. Todoroki ignored this and kept walking, while the rest of the group tried defending her. Fans will argue that "Todoroki was just jealous", but that makes no sense to me. As for Momo, she doesn't seem to do much for him as a character, and he did help her with her insecurity (mainly to pass the exam) but that's about it. So, while they make a great team, they don't do much together above working together.

For three, I just ship Todoroki and Momo with different characters, and even though I'm a multi-shipper, I'm allowed to not ship everything. I ship Todoroki with Deku, Iida & Sero. I ship Momo with Iida, Yosetsu & Jirou. They seem to have bigger connections/chemistry with other characters than each other, in my opinion. However, I have matured and respect Todomomo as the pair make a good team, and the community for Todomomo, for the most part, is sweet.

(Also I no longer post anything BNHA-related in this vlog.)

#bnha #bnha opinion #bnha unpopular opinion #tododeku #todoiida #todosero #momojirou #iidamomo #its just my opinion and I respect those that ship todomomo #everyone has their own reasons #no hate

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

For the gem ask game, if you haven't already had it: Rose Quartz

Bonus question - if you did have to cut some, do you think you'll be able to give them new life in another story?

Hello, thanks for the ask! (From this gemstone ask game). Sorry for taking a bit to get to it

Rose Quartz: Were any characters cut from the wip?

[The Secret Portal]

For TSP, I had an elderly couple named Lizzy and Ted in my first draft I wrote when I was ten. They became Liz and Charles in Draft Two. I cut them during Draft Three.

I thought Lizzy/Liz was a badass (eh?) And Ted/Charles was a little goofy. I cut them because I realized their grandchildren Carla and George were more interesting and could easily relate to my younger MCs to introduce them to the world.

Carla and George do have grandparents who appear briefly in flashbacks but I don't consider them the same characters at all. However, I could give the badass/goofy old couple dynamic to them, I just don't see that happening. Maybe in another story I'll resurrect them.

At one point, Noelle had a stepfather and a sister, but I cut them due to finding a new plotline for Noelle. I thought the two of them made it no longer make sense. Since they were barely background characters and literally nothing more than that, they're gone. They will stay gone.

[School of the Legends]

For SOTL, I haven't had much drafting in what it currently is, but in earlier drafts that barely resemble it other than basic concept (take on fairy tales), I have those.

My first draft of SOTL had three bland MCs so no I won't revive them since I barely wrote anything with them, so there's nothing to salvage.

However, the second draft is not like that. While most of the supporting cast was uninteresting, the two MCs were far from that: Anahi Rosario and Marlis Haggard. I 100% will bring these two back. Maybe not in SOTL, but for an enemies to lovers/academic rivals to lovers/AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES story somewhere down the line. I loved their dynamic. I must make sure they do not stay dead.

This was so fun! Thank you!

#writing blog #writers on tumblr #writing community #the secret portal #tsp #teaspoon #school of the legends #sotl #writing ask game #behind the scenes #carla baxter #george baxter #noelle bishop #marlis haggard #anahi rosario #writers of tumblr #writing on tumblr #writeblr #writeblr community #my ocs

[amporella]

Just curious, not hating. Why do you ship K2? Any specific interactions between them or like just the dynamic?

Omg, this is such a good question, and for me, it's really both. I love their interactions in the show, but more than that, I love the dynamic you can derive from that! Consider the following snippets;

From both the above sequence and the below one, there's something to derive immediately; Kenny respects Kyle, more than their often far and few in between individual interactions in the show really display. So, why is that?

I think the main reason has to do with situation and how it relates to personality. They're both self sacrificial, intensely loyal people, with powerful morals and the ability to get up and put their money where their mouth is. I also think their respective roles within the town can lend themselves to a very unique relationship between the two of them, and this is just me going off the deep end with speculation, but I do think Kenny could (subconsciously) love and desire to protect Kyle from a young age, in part due to their situations.

There's something bittersweet, I think, about two people who really do live in vastly different worlds yet have developed the same passion and goodness, yet Kyle's situation grants him a little more naivete towards the world, at least in some ways. The worst thing Kyle's experienced within his family is fear of his mother, who is generally very good, while Kenny has to duck to dodge bottles and work tirelessly to support a family who can't (and often won't) grant him much in return. And that's not even going into Kenny's deaths and immortality, which clearly weighs heavy on his shoulders. When Kenny shouts at Kyle about not understanding his immortality, he's right. Kenny has an impossibly heavy burden that Kyle (despite having his own troubles, and many of them) will never have to bear. And that must foster such a sense of loneliness, especially in the scene below; Kyle is so well loved by Stan, no matter what sense you consider that as, but Kenny is so heartbreakingly alone. It's those kind of contrasts in situation that lead to their contrasts in personality, despite the two of them stemming from the same inherently good temperament.

The unique tragedy of Kenny's situation in general grants him a sense of introspectiveness that the average person may take much longer to develop. Due to all of that, I can see Kenny kind of wanting to cradle that spark of naivete in Kyle. He's oddly protective of him, and Kyle obviously trusts him to live up to that - in Jewbilee, Kyle has absolutely no doubt that Kenny's going to find a way to help them. He is putting his complete and utter trust in Kenny, and as a result, displaying a sense of vulnerability he rarely shares to anyone but Stan. He knows Kenny will save him - his deep trust in Kenny came earlier than any other kid's in the show. He knew that Kenny was trustworthy from the very start.

The point of all of this is that Kenny and Kyle's trust in one another indicates to me a much deeper connection (or even just a possible connection) than the show often shows. The episodes that center around the two of them and their relationship are oddly intimate, in a way? There's not a lot of episodes where Kyle and Kenny get a scene together in which they're alone, or the attention is solely on them, but when there is, the scene is often really personal. Kenny blows up on Kyle in a way he's never done before about his powers, a deeply personal aspect of himself. Kyle places his full and utter trust in Kenny in what could be a life or death situation. Kenny reveals his secret to Kyle, because he trusts that he won't tell a soul. Kenny and Kyle are two sides of the same coin - shockingly similar in values, yet heartbreakingly different in situation.

I think that kind of relationship is really interesting to explore, especially as they get older and develop into more concrete personalities. The potential purely personality based dynamic of flirty/annoyed about it is cute enough, but I think that they have even more potential than that, and I'd go so far as to say they understand each other in a way that genuinely competes with some more strongly established relationships on the show.

Thank you for the ask!

#south park #kyle broflovski #kenny mccormick #sp k2 #thank you for the ask!! this was very fun to answer #not all kenny/kyle episodes are this personal ofc #and there are scenes where both of them stray from their perceived opinions of each other #but in general... i think all of this is a very nice thought at the very least #i wrote this at 1:30 am last night and i got a little emotional about it!!!

[tordenvejr]

Hi Vic! How are you doing? I need an advice from you, if that's okay. Here's the thing - I am still a bachelor's student at 23 year old. The reason of this is mental health struggles. I haven't been able to support myself yet, I barely manage to get Uni work done. I had few tries at working simultaneously but I miserably failed. So now my sole focus is to get this diploma and knowledge down. I am blessed and privileged enough to have my family support me. We are definitely upper middle class. I have a friend, or more of an acquaintance in university, bit older than me, that is working several part-time jobs and her parents are sadly not alive. She is struggling a lot financially/ I have helped her two time with rent money with very little contribution, whatever amount I could, have told her she could spent the night or even several weeks at my place, and now she texted me she needed money for food and I sent her again little amount of money, whatever I could. If I didn't feel guilty enough for being dependent on my parents, I would ask for more money now, so that I could help her better. I have birthday coming up in few weeks, and for the 1st time in 11 years I decided to officially celebrate it. My parents were more than glad to help out, we chose a nice place I have invited about 10 people. I feel a lot for my friend who struggles financially and I feel exteremelyyyy guilty for having family support and privilege to solely focus on University and not work. This guilty feeling really really bothers me - I have told her my situation as well, that I struggle with several mental health issues (and she has those as well she;s told me, I imagine in lot worse condition maybe) that if I had my own income I would gladly help her a lot more. now that she'll see that I celebrated my bday in this fancy place, I think she's gonna, idk, think bad of me? That if I can afford to do this, I should maybe be able to help her with more money than I have in the past. And god knows I can't, for everyday living I need lot more money than I usually ask for (My uni is in different city than my parents, and more expensive) and I will postpone asking my parents for money till I am really out of food. idk if this friend will think anything about me, I don't think she is a bad person. But why do I feel so bad thinking that she will judge me? Is this even something I can feel bad about?

hi 🐇🪽 talk to your friend, express what you've expressed here 🤍 the longer it goes unsaid the more the guilt and fear of misunderstanding flames up. specifically for this situation maybe she could be invited to your birthday? you say friend/acquaintance so of course this is if the relation is set for it and if it is otherwise a possibility, but i know when we've struggled financially it's been a lifesaver when we've been invited out to eat and haven't had to worry about affording food at least that day. you explain why you haven't graduated, why you don't ask for the money you need for yourself, and if you're even allowed to feel the feelings that you're feeling. i would gently look at what that's about. i don't need you to explain those things - because i don't have a magnifying glass scrutinizing you to make you a villian or less than, but maybe someone else has done that? there might be something more hidden in there that feels insecure that could do with a healthy dose of acceptance and compassion. because you are allowed your feelings, you are permitted not to explain yourself, and it is understandable that even though your family has money if there are dynamics in place that prevent you from receiving it - that you don't have that same money that they do

#answered

[aghhtdraws]

ship name or not?

so I wanted to make a short post to get these thougs off my head but it'll get lost on my main so here it goes!

this doesn't really concern anyone who usually visits this blog for art, but it's more a thinkpiece related to the newer/younger tmnt Leo x Usagi ship (rottmnt x usagi chronicles respectively)

I’m seeing a lot of confusion (kinda) abt the tags to use and want to propose an alternative. How about “yuinardo” ? it sounds kind of funny (like the two characters), doesn’t sound like anything else (as far as my google search can reach), uses both their unique names and also capitalizes on how Rise!Leo is often called Nardo by his brothers as a nickname - among others, but that’s one of his most unique nicknames in the series and feels unique to Rise specifically. And Yui bc Yuichi - also just his name but a unique part of it.

I guess maybe the longer name could be something like "cityxfarm sword" bc those are the three consistent elements abt this younger ship. I know the latter is kind of uncreative but I can't think of anything better atm haha x'D

I was never around much for the 2003 leosagi ship bc- I was a baby on neopets and not online enough for that? 2003 tmnt was pretty new here and didn't air as often/quickly but also even in the later 00s, I did not really seek out fanfic relating to it bc - again, teen with not enough time lol, also social media and internet weren't really the thing they are now, so i wasn't really aware there could be fanfic of it. shipped and read other things. So maybe I don't know all my leosagi history. I kinda stayed away from the tmnt fandom in general bc it was mostly all angsty which I didn't really gel with anymore. alternatime ship names have always been a thing in all fandoms but I think right now we've been having the most versions of these two characters or this dynamic than ever before.

the 2018 Rise Leo x Usagi Chronicles has been getting more popular. ROTTMNT was a 2018 reiteration of the tmnt for animation that was really under-appreciated and has slowly become more appreciated as the fandom re-grew with the 2022 movie in august.

Usagi Chronicles is a spin-off/soft-reboot led by fans of Usagi Yojimbo, Stan Sakai's original comic about Miyamoto Usagi, but this time he is a great ancestor of a new character, Yuichi Usagi! and this Usagi is a creation of Doug and Candie Langdale (exec producers) + Khang Le (who I think designed/developed Yuichi's look?). So basically this is like a canon-supported fan-AU with an original character cast thematically based on the og comic cast (Usagi and his friends match Miyamoto Usagi and *his* friends) + the "Senso" Usagi comic as a worldbuilding point.

His naming is a bit confusing bc in Japan, Yuichi is usually a first name, but here in the show it feels like it's treated like a surname. But apparently, there was an intentional marketing move to have this be the opposite? So his real surname is Usagi, while his given name is Yuichi? There was a whole post about it, but I can't remember where else I've heard it.

Anyway, this series is my fave right now and I think it's fun in both it's lightheartedness and it's more touching moments and I love all the character and family dynamics and themes that it has. I think it's fun that people ship him and Rise!Leo because they are actually really similar in some personality aspects. I saw this show, realized there was crossover potential with Rise and thought, "oh, it'll be fun to do actiony scenes and stories with this kind of friendship!" Anyway, I'll do a deep-dive on that later.

Everybody likes this young version of Leo and then I guess at some point before 2021, other fans started making ship art/fic with Usagi? Often their own versions of Miyamoto Usagi, fitted for the Rise TMNT world bc the two never managed to have a crossover with this iteration bc of Nickelodeon pausing the show abruptly in 2020. I wasn't very online in 2018 so idk when else the ship happened, maybe when the finale of the show aired and the "unpausing" was finalized and fans realized there wasn't going to be a crossover? but now with the movie, more ppl have discovered that there's also a cartoon series for Usagi! And more people are slowly understanding/remembering maybe that this Usagi character has had previous iterations, ppl make their own versions/AUs for fun based on the newer Usagi show, or they don't watch the Usagi show and just make their own modern/ROTTMNT versions of Miyamoto Usagi in general.

This ship is a bit unique bc they are stated to be exactly the same age and they have very similar vibes as characters (goofs on the team + faux confidence + showoffs). When I first found that other people shipped this too, I just called it "2020s Leosagi" bc again, just the main thing abt them is that they're younger characters for a younger audience in their respective shows. + it's funny that there's almost a Leosagi friendship for every decade. I've also heard the term "cringe naenae babies" from friends but i don't really know what this meme means lol xD

I don't have beef or anything with the Leoichi/Leochi tag+name but it's sorta confusing for me personally bc it sounds both too short vocally and also like Leo's alone or something (Leo+ichi) I'm not fluent in japanese so I might b wrong, but just a thought. Leochi sounds similarly short.

then there's also the Usagi's who are complete OCs (w new names) and where do you fit those ships? and idk, I guess I just wanted to think abt this YuiNardo ship name more in-depth, just to think abt it , a bit for fun, bc I really do think it's a fun name but also make a new umbrella term, so maybe people would find it easier to tag stuff! but I usually don't interact with other fans in larger fandoms and ship fandoms like this so idk, this could easily be more confusing x3

Anyway, I think as fandoms and shipping go, it would be more fun to have multiple tags for different experiences, +these are different ships/versions of the characters so it feels like it would make sense. Just my fandom experience from previous years + for organizing/better finding + I feel like shipping should be fun, cuz in the end, this is just based from the og TMNT and Usagi creators being friends and making smth fun with these characters!

TL;DR - YuiNardo sounds like a funny/fun leosagi ship name for this younger iteration of the Rise!Leo-Yuichi Usagi friendship/relationship, and I wanna use it as the ship name going forward bc ships should b about fun and creativity, right? anyway, u can also use it if u want to! no pressure, just sorta putting it out there. - Aghht out!

Addendum(1.03.23): apparently, the Katanashipping tag was specifically for the 2003 ship - as well as the og Leosagi tag, bc that Leo x Miyamoto Usagi started it all. That makes sense! Sorry that I mis-tagged it originally! I did not know until finding the tags on tumblr and going thru them to the start of the tag - bc I'd been keeping away from the tmnt fandom for a long time after the 12 show + never saw it during the 03 show's run bc I wasn't online as much + social media didn't exist in the way it does now. I think everyone used Leosagi for that bc it made sense. I'll keep the tags for this post specifically in the hopes that more ppl will find it then and it'll give food-for-thought about this. Katanashipping of course doesn't make as much sense for the newer ship bc the shows have not had crossovers + while both characters seem like they are a bit obsessed w swords in different teen boy ways (preferring swords bc they are big and flashy), they are not as centered about the swords or swordsmanship as much as the 03 characters.

I know it seemed more like Leosagi was a catchall for all the Leo x Usagi ships, but now it makes more sense that it's not bc it's made searching for content harder. I like the "younger version" but i like the og too bc that's what I shipped as a teen (when the 03 show characters all just looked like Really Old Teens to me). I suppose that's just how the internet's sorta become - there'd shorter memory abt stuff, but fandoms especially as folks move on from shows they like and some of the history of fandom becomes lost. I've been on social media for so long now, I totally forgot how specific ship names could get. I guess that's why I suggested YuiNardo for the "new" version - it sounds unique. If ppl already shipped Rise Leo with their own versions of a younger Miyamoto Usagi and original Usagis, the "youngest" ship with Yuichi x Rise Leo needed it's own tag and that became Leochi/Leoichi (and w the earlier Rise Leo x Usagi ships, everyone must have used the Leosagi tag then too? Further investigation must be made about this...) now this Yuichi Usagi x Rise Leo version seems unique bc Yuichi is basically a canon fancharacter in a sense, as a descendant he is like a homage. But I like the character and I see that a lot of ppl continue to make their own versions or borrow elements of the Y!Usagi from SRTUC... but this means that almost all versions of Usagi depicted by fans are ALL fanon versions... and that's fine, I like how creative fans can get! But also that means we almost never see thr "full" show version of Yuichi Usagi in fanart (altho fanfic is a different matter, if only slightly). But that makes me a bit sad bc I think this version deserves to exist in our fanon and headcanons too, y'know? I guess my flaw in all this is that I actually lile SRTUC and its own og depiction of Y!Usagi bc he is a fun character for me while not many other ppl seem to like him. Like with so many other rare shows I like where fanon is louder than canon 😂

So, yeah Yui x Nardo. cute ship. if only there was more of it ^^; But a lot of the fanworks are still really interesting in their own rights. I think I'll keep using Yuinardo for the show versions and then Leochi for any other fans' versions. That makes sense, right?

Anyway, non-serious discussion over! Just some silly fan-stuff to mull over during school breaks and other free time.

#yuinardo #sliderbunny #leoichi #leochi #leosagi #Leo x Yuichi #those are all the tags I remember #this is just an art blog and usually I post more art but tbh I just want to keep this post organized so I can actually find it. #aghhtpost #fanramble #only word i can use to describe this post #why do i write things at 4am /skullemoji #ppl mentioned this in my notes #fan stuff #edit: march15-removed some tags and moved more relevant ones to the top

[scaryspears]

Fem Young Severus Snape - Let's discuss

So I'm working on a story on archive of our own where Severus Snape leaves Hogwarts, but it's a fem Snape and it's tagged as Snape/Sirius and James, which I'm still unsure about. I love stories where characters realise their self worth and the toxic people behind and having character growth. Fanfiction or not those stories are the best.

But I'm mostly wondering what people think young female Severus Snape would look and be like, ignoring my fanfic counterpart that I already wrote up. I will be switching between him and her for addressing canon and fanmade Snape.

Now before any Snape supporters or bashers get onto me, I'll just quickly reveal that I haven't read the books and have only watched at least 4 films, but did some research in my mid teens in curiosity. I've always been interested in the characters, their dynamics, and what if scenarios, but never the magic.

There's a lot of fanart where she's given the same hair style as her male counterpart, and honestly I believe her hair would be much longer. Long to the point where it's unusual and makes her look unhinged. Long to the point where it's too easy for someone to pull it. Most of the time using it to cover her face, unsuccessfully hiding herself from the marauders. I can imagine her eyes and face glaring creepily at anyone who disturbs her, with her nose sticking out through it. She would have a really ghostly appearance, and if you count the mudblood incident you would sense the distress, anger and sadness waving off of her. I'm also thinking of this fanart made by @iscawen.

For an obsessive personality I would take inspiration from Palm Siberia. Palm starts off as creepy but goes off to become someone we sympathise with. Not saying that you have to sympathise with Snape, but I think he's someone to pity at a logical standpoint. I'm also speaking as someone who could relate to certain parts of his character.

Her obsession with Lily has more to do with being her first and only true friend. I think Snape wants love, but that love needs to come in different forms other than romance. With the whole unpleasant parents thing, and people staying many feet away from her due to her unruly appearance, it's safe to say that Snape latches onto Lily for a reason. She wants to be appreciated, cared for, recognised for something good rather than the bad omen that the people she's stuck with think she is. And she doesn't want to be punished for being a bad omen. I guess the same could be said for canon young Snape.

I don't ship them together, and I cringe whenever I come across a fanfic that does. Not only is it fun to hate Lily, but the whole marrying your former friend's childhood bully even though he's changed is super suspicious.

With the leaving Hogwarts thing Snape would have to realise that Lily isn't the angel that her mind made her out to be, but I don't know if that's while she's at Hogwarts or after she leaves.

By this time Snape gets a makeover, none of that altering physical features stuff. Just giving her healthier hair and skin, I don't think she needs make up but I think something Goth related would suit her. The story is set in the 70s so it was more of a decade filled with punk fashion (not everywhere of course) which would suit Sirius. (Another note that isn't relevant, when the fandom gives Snape makeover stories they always change his nose to be smaller, you'll be some hating ass people). I bet Snape had a thing for formal attire so I think she'd wear something similar to Wednesday Addams. I can definitely picture her with a black pencil skirt and blouse.

Also the 70s where a different time when it comes to beauty standards compared to the ones of today, I genuinely think a lot of guys would be into her even though a lot of people in the fandom love making Snape out to be some hideous creature. I think she would resemble Shelly Duvall or Angelica Hudson.

Note: @iscawen sorry that I didn't use your permission before putting up the art, if you want I can edit this post and remove the picture. I really love it and wanted to use it as a reference as well as inspiration.

#female severus snape #harry potter #hp fandom #marauders #snape love #snapedom #young snape #snape apologist #Lily Evans Potter bashing #snape content #snape community #hp snape leaves au

[thenightlymartini]

Any headcanons on how the couples are on family gatherings?

Doing a content warning here and at the start for sake of convenience:

CW: mentions of the Korean War, very vague mention of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, censored cuss words, mention of England and France's imperialistic and colonialism pasts, vague mention/insinuation of 20th century tragedies in East Asia and other historical events of East Asia

So, this will heavily depend on if it is in universe or in an AU where one can fiddle with family dynamics a bit. For those who just want the actual content, skip to the dotted line and read after it (content warning will be just above the dotted line), for I'm going to be discussing a little.

Personally, back when I first watched Hetalia (I think back in 2010 or 2011) I mostly based my experiences of what was popular in the fandom on Youtube videos, since I didn't go to Deviantart nor knew about Tumblr by that point. So, I did adopt, very early on, what I thought was popular for family groups, but I've since matured enough to be more nuanced about them. Ones like FACE I still subscribe to in a sense because of the historical content, but East Asia I no longer think of it in terms of early Hetalia fandom due to the intricacies and complexity that are the interpersonal relations throughout history. I view it more like, from an outsider's perspective, it looks like a big brother taking care of multiple siblings, but inside there are a lot of power dynamics and is like multiple games of chess in the form of politics and military flexing up until the 20th century, with lots of double meanings and this particular dynamic shines brighter when China is teaching.

Some of the East Asians may have viewed the dynamic closer to a kinship than others, but they all eventually became aware of the politics and what it meant to be a nation and their views on family is more complicated. For brevity sake I'm focusing on just the Koreas and will give some detail on the others when they are talked about. South Korea (keep in mind this is very early in both the Koreas' history when they were the chibi-equivalents), I think, was a little more naïve in the beginning simply because it was a dynamic he never experienced before and was more prone to taking things at face value prior to fully understanding what it means to be a nation and the politics of immortal relations, such as being taken in by China and living with him for a time was more than just out of the kindness of the Chinese man's heart. North Korea was a little more aware of the power dynamics and politics than his twin, but he lacked the experience and knowledge on how to deal with it at the time and was generally just more self-aware knowing there wasn't much he himself could do. NK did get closer to China on a more mentor level and calls him "brother" more out of respect than actually thinking of him as family. Basically anything dealings with Japan, with East Asia on a whole, barring one or two countries, is heavily politicized and less family gathering after the 20th century, while dealings with China can sometimes get politicized if the wrong topic comes up.

With that cleared up, it's time to delve into question at hand. And this going to be a long one. Also I finally figured out how to change font styles on here so I might have gone overboard with it with experimentation.

CW: mentions of the Korean War, very vague mention of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, censored cuss words, mention of England and France's imperialistic and colonialism pasts, vague mention/insinuation of 20th century tragedies in East Asia and other historical events of East Asia

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kimchiburger:

SK meeting FACE and subsequent family gatherings:

SK tends to be very quiet and shy if it is with people he has not been around a lot or knows well, especially early after his war with NK where he no longer has his twin to be there as emotional support. He vaguely knew England and France due to the UN and them sending troops as well to his country, as well as knowing what they did to most of Asia thanks to imperialism and colonialism, so he was very hesitant around them. He knows they are what America considers family, but that doesn't stop him from being very cautious regardless early on. Canada, on the other hand, he was pretty excited to see again, since he knew the quieter nation before even meeting America and hadn't seen him in a while.

France he got along with fairly well after the first initial awkwardness that was the context of he is now America's boyfriend with the American's family. France was a bit too touchy for his liking and made some rude comments from his cultural perspective, but the Frenchman never went too far and was pretty quick to correct mistakes if the other was offended, though was prone to unsolicited advice that embarrassed both himself and America. Canada hadn't changed much and was able to get SK out of his shell faster than the other two, as well as just provided general tips on how to handle America when he gets to be too much.

England was the rough one in the beginning, both personality wise and just because England kept giving him this "stink-eye" or highly judgmental look over every little thing he did or say. He later learned from France that England was just extremely protective over America, even after independence, and was just making sure that SK wasn't going to end up breaking the American's heart and was a good fit. He still didn't care for England's poor attitude most of the time along with his tsundere tendencies (he hated using Japan's word for it, but it was a pretty apt description and he lacked a better word for it). They did bond a bit more when he introduced his cooking to England, who was actually pretty receptive to it to America's shock. England had been used to India's cuisine so he wasn't too fazed by the spice, and both were shocked that they had some similar foods, such as Korean sundae and English black pudding. Although this was also the time when SK figured out England was not the greatest cook (but baking he was generally okay at, if a little rusty or needed some work considering not all of his scones would come out like hockey pucks).

Once SK got comfortable, these family gatherings became quite entertaining and SK often felt included or was part of the family at that point. France and him were prone to baking and sharing recipes a lot (I was inspired by those videos on Youtube of Korean street food and baking), England and him were more prone to quiet talks and tea (which was a welcome reprieve from some of the more neurotic family tendencies) unless England got into a rant over something, and Canada and him often were more boisterous than anyone thought they would be. Add America to that mix and it was always chaotic between the three of them. France figured out that letting the three of them compete in video games was the best way to make sure the North American nations and the Korean wouldn't end up destroying something or end up with the police knocking at their door. Though England got more and more flabbergasted once he realized just how similar both SK and America were, meaning double the headaches were going to happen.

I'm saving America's interactions with East Asia for after getting through RusNK, because they share the same event.

RusNK:

North Korea and the Kievan Rus Trio:

North Korea knew from Russia that he had two sisters and that Russia was the middle of the three. He vaguely got to know them through political meetings, but outside of politics he didn't know much considering he spent most of his time either at home, with China, or with Russia. So when Russia proposes that he gets to know his sisters personally one day, he just kind of rolled with it figuring that it couldn't hurt and might benefit political relations more if he did. He did not count on how... "interesting" the family gathering would be, for lack of a better word.

He thought Ukraine was quite a strong and dependable young woman, though a little too emotional at times. He could tell she became the substitute mother of the trio with how doting she was. A lot of the cooking for the family was actually done with everyone there and was a family tradition, so he learned quite a bit from her about the family traditions and that she was definitely the better cook out of them, though he wouldn't admit that to Russia. She was generally more welcoming and warm towards him, but he could tell she got nervous at times because she didn't want to end up offending him or Russia on accident, whether through fear of politics or simply because Russia can be quite intimidating when mad. NK learned some of the more embarrassing parts of her, such as when the story came up, from Ukraine herself, about how she tried to advise Russia on how to make friends ("show them your boobs" episode for anyone confused), and thus became slightly weirded out.

That weirded out feeling intensified when he finally got to know Belarus, especially with how attached she was to Russia. NK thinks Belarus didn't quite understand the meaning behind the "marrying" Russia, since he was told she had been doing that since she was fairly little, but he absolutely hated how Belarus would but in when he and Russia would get too close or cuddly. He had half a mind to tell her off about how he is Russia's boyfriend and he can do what he damn well pleases, but he knew better than to say stuff like that for it would more than likely come back around through politics and his boss would get mad at him for angering an ally. It seemed at some point Russia pulled Belarus aside and must have gave her a stern talking to, because part way through the first meeting she eventually let up on her antics. He was much more aware of the atmosphere around the trio, and came to the conclusion that, though this family is weird, they do care about each other and they are definitely not ones he should ever anger.

Future meetings are much more scarce, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union and tightening up of NK's own nation. Currently, though he only admits to himself and not aloud due to politics and current events, but he very much admires how strong, tenacious, and smart Ukraine is, and that is when he learns that she is probably the scariest of the trio when provoked. He somewhat wishes she wasn't so cold to him now, but that is thanks to politics and himself basically becoming the world's pariah and knows it is outside of his control. He finds he misses those winter nights when the trio and him would laugh and have dinner together or celebrate the trio's shared holidays, mostly because he himself would even forget the greater politics that dominate their lives and simply live as themselves and cherish the fond memories.

Kimchiubrger and RusNK:

America, Russia, and East Asia "family" gatherings:

SK had to explain a lot of the "family" dynamics to America because he was really hesitant at bringing America around them. Considering America has had numerous dealings with his neighbors, both good and bad, it wasn't like he was meeting them for the first time, but that meant there was so much more baggage to go through and this was in a context of introducing the boyfriend to the family. America semi-understood SK's explanations, considering how complex and intricate East Asia's relations with each other are and how much history played a part, but he at least knew how nervous SK was with this gathering more out of the political games that were bound to happen. Also, SK was not 100% sure if North Korea would be there, which would throw so many wrenches into the issue that he might as well have been in a hardware store.

Likewise, Russia was taught about the dynamics, and he himself was more understanding at the chess game that was East Asian relations. NK was fine bringing Russia around the other East Asians, especially China, but was very wary of if SK was going to show, since it was common for only one of them to be at these gatherings because they despised each other that much and it never ended well if both of them so happened to be there. Since he and SK never communicated about these meetings, it tended to fall to China to make sure neither were there at the same time, meaning he would invite each Korea every other gathering.

Well, both Koreas didn't expect the absolute worse case scenario: both show up with America and Russia to a gathering (with China's permission), AND China's boss got whiff of the gathering and told China he had to invite Japan as well for "political relations". So Japan being there was the badly made icing on this already disastrous cake from both Koreas' perspectives. They just hoped their respective boyfriend's understood to not embarrass them or cause a fight.

Thankfully, China was in a more "f!ck politics, get along of I'll make you" kind of mood and laid down the law very clearly and quickly. Hong Kong and, surprisingly, Taiwan were there, as well as Macau, so Russia and America got treated to the full extent of the chaos that can be when all of East Asia is in one room. Apparently the favorite pass time was ragging on China, much to China's chagrin. Particular favorite subjects to rile China up and poke fun of were his age and old man tendencies. Russia and America couldn't help but stay silent and look on in shock, wonder, and trepidation at how much sass and shade was being thrown around in teasing manners. They also were eyeing the wok and bamboo stick in the corner knowing just how dangerous China could be with them if he got out of hand.

Eventually, Japan got sassy and told China he was more than happy to take him to a nursing home after China made a comment about his age and forgot where he put a few of the drinks he bought for the occasion. This lead to America, before SK could stop him, saying how Japan shouldn't throw stones when he himself has a glass house since he's heard Japan complain multiple times about how he had a bad back and was getting to old for some of the antics he got wrapped up in. This gained him points with most of East Asia as many laughed at how true it was (even SK and NK had to try and stifle their laughs) while Japan was too shocked to speak until he made a vague threat towards America that he would get his revenge later without exactly divulging how he would do so. This lead to Russia making a comment about what might happen if both China and Japan were put into the same nursing home, which quickly spiraled into hypothetical discussions with lots of teasing. Both Koreas were really silent during most of the exchange, often either too occupied keeping an eye on their respective boyfriends or were too dumbfounded at how well America and Russia easily fitted themselves in.

At some point the topic of Mahjong comes up and America gets really interested in it. A snide comment from Russia about how real Mahjong is different from the one played on Microsoft computers sent both Koreas on edge, especially when America fires back that he knows they are different. Thankfully, America continued with asking to be taught how to actually play it and learn, to which the previous hostility evaporated when China had both he and Russia (since he knows Russia doesn't know sh!t about Mahjong himself) learn with him and Japan, with Macau serving as a guide for America and Russia for the first few games. China waved the Koreas away and told them to go help Taiwan and Hong Kong get the food ready in the other room, much to the hesitance of both Koreas. China definitely took the opportunity to not so subtly tell both America and Russia that he still cares for the twins, despite politics and history, and that if they themselves hurt the two in anyway shape or form he would be more than happy to murder them in their homes, politics and international relations be d!mned. First few seconds Russia and America didn't take the threat too seriously until they see that Japan didn't even bat an eye at the threat and remarked how much more tame China was being about it, then they realized he was serious and they were definitely more scared.

NK and SK were constantly peeking around the corner from the kitchen to check in on their boyfriends, often accidentally silently communicating with each other when one of them went to check. Taiwan found it absolutely adorable that they were that concerned, while Hong Kong rolled his eyes at how love clearly changed the twins far too much, even making a comment about how those two aren't themselves if they aren't actively adding to the chaos. NK, being more resistant to the teasing, usually made off-handed comments on how he was just making sure blood wasn't being spilt rather than out of actual concern, but everyone could see right through it.

It gave a moment for both Koreas to reflect on their respective twin's relationship with their boyfriends. SK noticed how, though not being the most PDA couple, NK and Russia had much more subtler ways of checking in on the other and showing affection, such as Russia occasionally holding NK's hand and rubbing small circles over the knuckles or NK leaning into the other and providing much more eye contact than he's seen the other do in a lifetime. Even the small smiles and stilted laughs coming from them during the night made SK start to soften on them. He may not approve of his brother's choice in partner (as he knows NK doesn't approve of America), but he could tell they truly cared about the other and was a little happy that Russia could get NK to smile and laugh more, since he can't be there to do it now. Likewise, NK, though absolutely despising America, slowly started accepting that he could tell SK was happy with him, from the way they easily shared laughs and smiles to how he could easily see the adoration in their eyes when they looked at each other. As much as he doubted and refused to trust America, he knew from their interactions that America was very much wearing his heart on his sleeve for his brother and was borderline willing to be the other's servant with constantly getting him anything he need during the night. He started accepting, despite his personal issues with America, that the American was kind of what he knew SK needed now that he himself couldn't be there to support the younger twin. If he were to ever make serious progress in mending his and SK's relationship on a personal level, he knew he had to start with easing up on the two of them, so he became less snippy and sarcastic with them later. It's a start, at least.

Commieburger:

This headcannon has to have the major asterisk of this is a "what if" scenario in normal universe since they are having to be super secretive about their relationship and may not reveal they are in one outside of the ones who need to know (SK and Canada) until super later in the relationship or when political improvements occur. With that said, this is a "what if" scenario of when East Asia and the rest of FACE learn of their relationship on the grounds that they are slowly letting it be known they are together:

East Asia Gathering:

The whole idea was partially pushed by South Korea, who by that point already knew of their relationship for a while now, with the excuse that it was only going to be a matter of time before they found out and it would probably be better if they were told rather than found out through something more scandalous. North and America were quite hesitant, especially with telling China and Japan considering their power and involvement in East Asia, but decided that they should know at some point so long as they are sworn to secrecy and partially agreed with SK's logic. Ideally, they would have liked to only tell China, and maybe Japan for security purposes, but it was not going to be easy for Hong Kong and Taiwan to not know since they all were in the same circles. SK was even willing to share black mail material in order to make sure the others wouldn't tell a soul about their relationship.

South Korea pushed China to have a family gathering and only having Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong join them, not really telling him about the fact that America and North Korea would be joining them. He had to make a deal with China that as long as he got them to go then he himself would take care of hosting and cooking, which was definitely going to be a chore and a half but knew China wouldn't turn that down.

When the day came, North and America purposefully came later once all the others had gathered. When South welcomed them in, China immediately tried reprimanding the two for trying to involve SK in whatever shenanigans or arguments they started this time while he was trying to host family and clearly had a lot to do right now, assuming that was why those two were there at the same time. NK basically very briskly told him they were here to tell them all something and to gather everyone to make it easier, clearly wanting to just get this over with, while America was uncharacteristically quiet and clearly felt and looked awkward.

When they told them (mostly NK just spat it out in the bluntest way possible), Hong Kong and Taiwan seriously thought it was a joke SK, NK, and America were in on. Japan initially thought so too, but knowing America's cues, ticks, and seeing how generally awkward the bigger nation was, he quickly realized it wasn't one and was silent in surprise. China seemed puzzled slightly until he admitted that it actually made sense considering he noticed their usual arguments lacked the normal amount of bite in them this past year (which shocked NK and America that China actually noticed somewhat, though clearly didn't realize how long this had been going on). Hong Kong and Taiwan didn't start believing it until they saw SK didn't react at all to the announcement, not even a hint of a smile that would normally give away that it was a prank. That's when Taiwan asks SK directly if he had already known, which SK admitted to knowing for several years now.

That's when everyone is just dumbfounded that NK and America had been going out for so long without anyone knowing. China made a comment about how the two were clever, but not clever enough to pull a fast one on himself since he has seen so much in his 4000 years, which led to America saying "technically, you thought we had something going on for only the past year, so we actually did pull one over your eyes". NK promptly elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

Cue essentially a game of 20 questions because NK and America are just bombarded for the next half hour trying to explain things. SK quietly handed his twin a bottle of soju, knowing this was going to be a long night. Eventually America pipes up after a subtle comment from Japan about them both playing with fire keeping this under wraps, saying how they both have known that for a while and the one thing they ask of them all is to just stay quiet about it since the main reason they told them was that it would be better to hear from them rather than through someone else.

Rest of the night was semi-awkward and NK hated having the spotlight like that for that long, so America and him took their leave. They didn't leave before China pulled them aside to let them know America is welcome at the next family gathering.

Future gatherings were much more tolerable. During the times when America could sneak by and join them, the couple were much more relaxed once they were used to now being in a situation where they didn't need to hide their relationship. America was much more prone to holding the other by the waist or just having an arm over NK's shoulders, along with being his boisterous self. It still baffled East Asia to see these two as a pair considering how opposite they acted, but it was more interesting to see NK soften up in ways they didn't think the nation could. Though Taiwan was privy to some of the cuter moments between the couple since she and NK used to have a fairly solid friendship a while back and honestly was the most relaxed person out of the family that wouldn't make a big scene when they did anything remotely couple-y.

FACE:

After letting North's side know about their relationship, America had to do some convincing to get NK to agree to let England and France know, using the same excuse that it would probably be better they know from them rather than through a scandal or rumors. Canada already knew, but America wanted Canada over anyways because he was going to need as much back up as possible, for he feared England's reaction the most.

Canada had very little interaction with North Korea, outside of politics and war, and really only knew that his brother was dating him, so he was suspicious of the other in general. Since it had been several years, and these two were still together, he softened a little, but not by much. He definitely knew England was not going to take it well and knew he needed to be there to act as peacekeeper and to restrain the Englishman if need be. As much as he figured the reaction would be justified, he didn't want America to take the brunt of it alone and NK was too unpredictable for his taste to trust he would be fine or to not escalate arguments.

While they were waiting for England and France to arrive, Canada started learning a lot more about how America and NK acted together. America was not shy about PDA, at least in front of Canada, and it was kind of intriguing to see the difference in how NK reacted. He noticed the tone and general vibe NK gave off was completely different around America, like it was softer or more affectionate rather than being defensive and having a generally dangerous aura. Sure, NK elbowed him in the ribs when America got too excited with his hugs, but it was far better than Canada thought would happen. He got an idea of the softer side of NK when America's anxiety finally caught up with him and the Korean was almost like a mother hen with how much care he was showing. It made Canada accept that these two definitely had a mutual love towards each other, and his suspicions died down.

Now, when America and Canada sat England and France down for the talk, NK was a lot more hesitant but wasn't going to leave America on his own (especially since America stuck right by him when they told his side of the family), so he was semi-hiding around the corner so that he was close enough to at least listen in and be right there if needed. Canada agreed that NK's immediate presence would have set alarm bells off for England and France, and it would be best to break it to them when they were calm and not already on edge.

When America told England and France, they both seriously thought it was joke, even laughing (England laughing the hardest) and saying how he really needed to come up with something more believable than that. When NK spoke about it being true and stepped out (America not so subtly shifted to the side so that he was partially in front of NK cause he felt an immediate need to protect), France was more dumbfounded but more accepting if a bit skeptical (love is love, c'est la vie) while England went from confusion, to shock, to rage. If it weren't for Canada holding England down, he probably would have lunged at NK and America.

England went OFF on them, with his main focus being directed towards NK and how this was clearly just a plot involving his government and that America is an absolute idiot for believing otherwise. It was at this point that NK, in the calmest and level-headed tone despite being on the very edge of losing his temper that sent shivers down all the nations' spines, told England right off that not only is the idea of a plot so ludicrous that even his own leader would laugh at it, but that it was entirely wrong. He goes right on to say that he is risking his own well-being and safety and is completely willing to toe that line because his love for Alfred is stronger than his own suspicions and fear of his own government. NK tells England, with maybe a foot distance between them and America holding NK back from going any closer, that he can hate him as much as he wants, he can even still choose to not accept that they are in a relationship, but he will make sure England walks away knowing two things: this relationship has nothing to do with politics and that his attitude and throwing a fit because of his hatred will not change the fact that they are dating and will continue to date. This was a curtesy so that they knew from the horse's mouth rather than from someone else; acceptance was never expected. Continuing on, NK states how he can even hate England himself as much as he wants, but that he will be tolerant of him regardless since he will not force America to cut him out of his life, and that all that he expects from England is to be treated the same. As if that wasn't enough, NK had to add that, yeah, America can be an idiot, but he's his idiot, so don't call him that or he will be more than happy to punch England in the face.

So, the first meeting with FACE did not go well, especially with England. In private, that confrontation took so much out of NK that he was visibly shaking from nerves and emotionally drained afterwards. Canada and France absolutely had more respect for NK himself after that (France couldn't help but gush at how romantic it was and how it was like a classic scene out of a romance movie/drama). After some time to stew, England grew a grudging respect as well, though it never stopped future interactions between NK and himself at later gatherings from being super tense.

Though there was one time when NK and England had a temporary truce at a gathering where America was being excessively idiotic. It went like this:

America does/says something that makes the 5th or so stupidest thing he has done or said today.

NK, about to lose it: I'm about ready to chuck this encyclopedia at your head if you don't smarten up!

England, whose also had enough: Don't aim for his head, you'll only make him worse by losing what little brain cells he has left. Aim for the shins, he'll learn quicker that way.

France: You two are absolutely terrifying when you're both on the same page.

#hetalia #kimchiburger #rusnk #commieburger #anon ask #aph america #hws america #aph russia #hws russia #aph north korea #aph south korea #hws north korea #hws south korea #mentions of: #aph hong kong #hws hong kong #aph taiwan #hws taiwan #aph macau #hws macau #aph japan #hws japan #aph china #hws china #aph england #hws england #aph france #hws france #aph canada #hws canada

[soracities]

First of all, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so thoughtful while giving an answer to some stranger's rambling. I'm one of those anons who is in love with their friend. I confessed my feelings already, as I mentioned in my previous ask and at that time we both agreed we should keep some distance. Also I got a new job, so I didn't have much time to think about her at all. I even thought I was developing a crush on someone I had just met. Our distance wasn't long enough because a few months later she was extremely sad due to breaking up with her boyfriend and her parents going through a divorce. I felt being absent from her life when she needed me the most would be too cruel, so I guess I sacrificed myself (and my feelings) a little in order to be a good friend. Our friendship developed so quickly in a couple months, we started seeing each other all the time, we see each other quite often even now. I'm sure she's still in love with her ex and that i'm just another friend for her. Sometimes I really want to tell her I can't keep doing this to both me and her but then I feel I'm just being selfish and ruining our friendship. Sooner or later, we probably will stop talking with each other. I was hoping for her to come back to her ex, so my heart would truly break and I could let go of her. But I should just accept she'd never see me the way I see her.

You wouldn't be selfish, but rather the opposite. I think any relationship we have with someone will always involve an acknowledgement and assessment of each person's needs, and, depending on the particular situation, prioritizing those needs accordingly. Sometimes you put aside your feelings to attend to someone else's, sometimes it's the other way around. What you did for your friend, showing up when she was going through something so difficult and offering her support you felt she needed, is something incredibly kind and admirable and I'm sure that your presence meant so much to her through all of that.

Taking the same approach now, and prioritizing your needs, in this particular situation as it affects you now, will not detract from what you did for her, nor will it mean "ruining" your friendship or making you a bad person. I think sometimes it may help not to look at it in terms of "ruining" what you had, but simply acknowledging that your friendship has reached a point where it perhaps cannot sustain or fulfill you both in the healthiest manner, or in the way that you both need it to. That's not a reflection on you: it's simply the nature of any connection that occurs between people who shift and change and whose emotional dynamics in regards to one another fluctuates because that is what it means to be a person relating to and living alongside other people: we have to allow for each other's growth, including growth that changes where we hold each other in our lives.

You supported your friend to the best of your ability because you cared deeply for her; when you can no longer sustain that, it's time for you to try and turn that care towards yourself because you deserve to continue to move on, too. I'm not saying it won't be difficult for both of you but, especially if you both agreed to set some distance between yourselves when you first told her, your friend should understand that you also have your own needs in this. I hope you can have that conversation with her soon, anon, and I hope you both get the space and time to heal from your individual situations 💕

#ask #anonymous #notes from elsewhere

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Hello there! I have been a fan of the Wingfeather saga series for 3 years, (and the animated series since they where aired on YouTube) and I found your fanfics on Ao3 about a year and a half ago. I just wanted to tell you that I think you are an amazing writer, and a really great Wingfeather fan :)

One thing I was wondering, what exactly was it that made Artham your favorite character? For me, it probably would've been his dynamic. Or maybe the way he was written. I'm honestly not sure lol

Hi and first of all THANK YOU SO MUCH. I’m so happy to hear you like my stories and think I’m a good Wingfeather fan. Just, just trust me when I say that means a lot to me, I always feel like I'm not doing enough, so thank you <3

Okay so I’ve been ruminating on this question for a while, because it deserves a good answer and I love my boy a lot. (also I just really appreciated the nice comments and wanted to keep staring at the ask for a while) I am going to attempt to answer it tonight though!

So, first, Artham is just very much the kind of character I like. Tragic backstory? mentally ill? loyal to an absolute fault? loves children? kind? incredible fighter? He’s all of these things and many more and these are traits I love a lot in characters.

Second, Andrew writes him really, really well. He feels so human and so real, like he’s an actual person I could be friends with (and hug). His struggles remind me of my own- he gets better and then slides backwards, he tries so hard to help the people he cares about but doesn’t always know how to do that. He wants so badly to be with his family and to be loved but doesn’t feel worthy of any of that. I love, love, LOVE that he doesn’t lose his mental illness after his transformation. I was so scared that it was just gonna disappear in book three AND THEN IT DIDN’T and I was so happy, because that’s something that happens a lot with characters in media these days- their trauma/mental illness just magically disappears and that’s not how real life works! But Artham doesn’t have that happen even though magic is involved and I love that.

Related to that second point is that I find him both relatable and encouraging. I relate to his struggles with anxiety, depression, trying to cope with past mistakes, blaming myself for things I can’t control or fix… and I find it comforting that the books show that as Sara puts it, “even the noblest soul can be broken”. We are all broken, we have all made mistakes and fallen, even those of us with noble hearts and the best of intentions, and we can come out of that. We can go on living and still find love and kindness and support from people. It’s both solidarity and a reminder that there’s some good in the world, and it’s worth fighting for.

Idk, I just draw a lot of hope from Artham and what happened to him- which sounds silly because he’s a fictional character, but human beings often process real life experiences through stories so- I keep repeating this phrase to myself, it’s kind of become my mantra, “don’t give up before you get your wings”. Because, in book 2, Artham is ready to give up, he DOES give up, and it is at that very moment that he sees Tink and all of a sudden he has a reason to live again and he FIGHTS for it, and it turns out that he was meant to be there all along to save Tink AND to be transformed and have his mind restored. And I try to remember that because I’m going through a lot of crap and I feel like giving up a lot, but remembering that maybe I’m right where I need to be, maybe if I just keep holding on a little longer I’ll get my wings- that something good will come from this- and that helps.

So, uh, yeah. I could probably go on but I think that covers most of it.

TLDR: Artham is a character I love a lot because I relate to him and I love the kind of character he is (loyal, kind, brave, and somehow so, so soft despite everything). I’m drawing a lot of hope from this fictional character and his story. He is the best boy <3

#the wingfeather saga #the wingfeather saga tv show #peet the sockman #artham p wingfeather #thanks for the ask! #this got long and deep #if you read this whole thing then thank you for listening to me ramble :) #probably more of an answer than you were looking for but once I get started talking about artham I don't stop easily #he's one of my absolute top favorite characters ever #he's just below lucy pevensie and sam gamgee #with like zuko and rei from yukikaze #he is very very high on my list #loving artham wingfeather is a thing that can be so personal #(also just to clarify I don't mean 'love' in a romantic way I am hardly ever romantically attracted to anyone #but I do really passionately love characters) #ANYWAY #thank you again! #I love to talk about my favorite characters ask about them any time

[hypnotisedfireflies]

Hi. Question about Ellie disrupting the Tess/Joel dynamic. The part where Tess is saying she’ll handle it (regarding Lachie) and Joel keeps asking ‘are you sure’ and there’s a line in there about Tess realizing the dynamic changed. That, plus Joel trying to walk away after Tommy tells him that Tess is in Jackson. I was feeling conflicted on Joel replacing Tess with Ellie. Did Tess feel that way? Did she think she didn’t have the same importance in his life anymore? Did she desire being a parent too or was she settling because it’s obviously what Joel wanted? I think Ellie took up more space in the story than I expected - instead of Joel feeling all the relief and things when Tess reappeared it was more about Ellie and making her a priority. I’d love to get your take on how you intended it.

Hi Anon! Thanks for your ask. :)

Phew, lots to unpack here (fun!) so I’m going to break it down into some bullet points so I can keep my thoughts straight and make sure I address everything in the order asked! 😊

Tess isn’t the only priority in Joel’s life anymore, which is really a good thing, considering their pretty unhealthy codependency over 20 years! The dynamic changing is not bad;  it’s Tess recognising that there’s also a strong bond between Joel and Ellie – and she’s 100 percent supportive of that. 

Tess knew that she and Joel couldn’t heal one another.  They sacrificed that for keeping one another alive.  She wants all the good things for him that she can’t provide and doesn’t feel jealous of Ellie for being able to bring him to this point of healing.  If Ellie and Tess’s places were exchanged and he was asking Ellie if she was sure of what she was saying in relation to Tess’s safety, he would ask those questions again and again in the same way as he puts them to Tess. 

Tommy tells Joel two impossible things.  One, that the most fundamental thing Joel knows about the world over two decades (you get bit, you die) is no longer strictly true.  And two, that not only is the woman he loved alive because of this development, but he unknowingly left her for dead.  By the time Joel is walking to see Tess he has had this information for about all of 30 minutes.  The poor man is in shock!  And he doesn’t really believe Tommy – how can he, those are impossible things.  They are just not possible.  Joel isn’t a man of faith in this story and he has lived all this time as a realist and a cynic.  There was no way he could simply swallow a story like that whole.

The only way Joel can prove any of the things Tommy told him is to see Tess, but he’s not ready for that.  Again, it’s only been 30 minutes.  Maybe Tommy’s crazy, maybe it’s a fever dream that he’s having.  He doesn’t want to hope but despite himself, he is.  But he still won’t believe it’s true until he sees her, and because he believes that is just not possible, he’s hesitant to take those steps and crush that tiny hope.  For a few little moments she could possibly be alive before he makes sure she isn’t.  He doesn’t want to take that from himself. 

And further, he is still in shock and scared and doesn’t know what the fuck is going on.  He can park all that emotion and confusion by just doing the one thing he feels good at:  looking after Ellie.

Tess doesn’t feel replaced because they fill different roles in Joel’s life.  He’s a man whose calling is to be a father.  He’s good at it and it’s part of who he is.  Tess is not a daughter figure and she doesn’t aspire to be.  She knows we can all fill different roles in one another’s lives without taking anything away from anybody.  There is room for everyone. 

She feels no less important to Joel.  If anything – it’s a relief.  He’s doing better.  He’s healing, he’s stronger and lighter and healthier.  She doesn’t have to worry about him in some of the ways that she did before.

Tess isn’t settling.  She connected to Ellie faster than Joel did when they first met.  She was the one who insisted they take her, she didn’t want to send Ellie back to Boston where she could be killed, she offered to feed her, she imparted crucial survival information, she chatted with her while they travelled.  Ellie and Tess have a connection too, it just hadn’t time to form the same bond that it did with Joel due to the way things went down in the Capitol Building.  So Tess here feels no resentment toward Ellie – she loves her! And she loves how good she is for Joel, because Ellie is giving Joel something that she, Tess, cannot (see above). 

That shifting dynamic does not exclude Tess – it includes her.  Ellie and Joel are both wanting Tess to be part of this.  Ellie thinks Tess is hot shit – I mean, she meets this badass woman who is basically holding the chain of this scary man, she makes the decisions and she knows shit and can handle herself and … she seems to think that she, Ellie, is cool too. 

As for being a parent … well, Tess doesn’t have an issue with being  parent per se.  She wouldn’t want Ellie calling her Mum or anything – too weird – but Ellie becoming part of her life is good for her, too.  Ellie’s hope and cheer and youthful bloody optimism is kind of contagious and in direct contrast to the nihilism of the past two decades.

Joel definitely felt all the relief and good things when Tess came back (if I was remiss in conveying that … yipe!) but I couldn’t spend chapters internal monologuing that without starting to feel like I was repeating myself.  So I gave most of that to chapter 3 and then let the man move on with his life, lol.  But … Joel felt more than relief, really.  (See Joel’s unhealthy thoughts about absolution and prizes.  Yikes).

So this got long … I hope I’ve answered your questions properly!  Thank you for such a detailed ask.

TL;DR:  Joel hasn’t replaced Tess, multiple people can have equal bearing and priority in his life, Tess isn’t jealous of the happiness of a man she loves or a teenage girl and this is a healthy whole way of being. :D

#tlou #driftersverse #joel x tess #the last of us #tlou fanfic #asks

[enbyleighlines]

Random rant time! This picture has always bugged me and I'm going to tell you why

This meeting between Sothe and Micaiah supposedly took place around 10 years before Radiant Dawn, yet Micaiah doesn't look like she's aged at all?

And yes, yes, I know that she's Branded, and she ages differently, BUT

She shouldn't really age THAT much slower than a regular human. I mean, look at this chart that was included in the Tellius Recollections book (lovingly translated here):

Now, this shows the number of years each laguz/branded has to live in order to age the equivalent of 1 beorc year. So for a lion laguz, they age about 1 year for every 3 years that pass.

Notice that heron branded are not included on this list, but considering that heron laguz have a lifespan in between a lion and a dragon laguz (though significantly closer to the former's), then a heron branded should have a lifespan in between a lion and a dragon branded. Which means Micaiah should age about 1 year for every 1.5 to 2 years that pass.

So how is it that, in the span of 10 years, she has barely aged at all? At the very least, she should appear to be about 10 to 11 years old in this photo.

Additionally, the story itself seems to imply that Micaiah is in her mid-twenties, considering she was alive during the Serenes massacre, which took place about 20 years before Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn. (They explicitly say 20 years in both games, which makes zero sense, since 3 years take place in between the start of PoR and RD, but whatever. Consistency who?)

But that makes no sense either. It's implied that the branded only start aging slowly around puberty. In PoR, Soren mentions that he only started noticing that he was aging differently about 3 years ago... hence why he looks 16 even though he's probably around 18-20 years old. Plus, when Ike and Soren first met in Gallia, Ike mentions that Soren looked to be "around his age". But if Soren was really aging only 1 year every 3.33 years since their first meeting as children, then he would look a lot younger at the start of PoR. And yet he only looks a little younger than Ike.

And like, I am aware that the timeline is not exact. Almedha mentions that she hasn't seen Ashnard in 20 years, yet Izuka says that Almedha lost her infant son 15 years ago. Obviously one of those numbers are wrong. Almedha couldn't have cut off all ties with Ashnard 5 years before Soren was born.

These inconsistencies just frustrate me.

But my point stands. There's no way that Micaiah could have barely aged in 10 years, unless the lifespan of a heron branded is even longer than that of a dragon branded, which makes no sense. Micaiah should have been drawn to look closer to Sothe's age.

(Also, and this is only tangentially related, IS needs to stop pushing the whole Micaiah and Sothe are brother and sister thing, since they get married at the end of Radiant Dawn by default. Like, it would be one thing if it was something you could opt into it by building their support to A level, but they already start at A level from the very beginning. Which means, in order to prevent them from getting married, you have to 1. know about their paired ending ahead of time and 2. purposely delete their support. I will accept that Micaiah thought of Sothe as her little brother when they were both street urchins, but it's quite clear from her avid jealousy over Ike that her feelings for Sothe are a whole lot less platonic in Radiant Dawn. FE heroes literally gave Micaiah and Sothe an alt where they are dressed as a bride and groom, and yet Micaiah STILL introduces Sothe as her brother. What the fuck, Fire Emblem?)

(Like, IS, I know you have an incest kink. But can you maybe not??)

I like Micaiah and Sothe's dynamic and how it so closely parallels the bond and history between Ike and Soren. But I don't appreciate lazy writing and timelines that contradict themselves.

#tellius #micaiah #sothe

[shibalen]

♡︎ 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒖𝒑 𝒇𝒐𝒓 @jeongyeonsbluehair

i match you with . . .

✄ ————————————————————————

𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑨𝑲𝑰 𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑶 !!

yess, finally someone to match his energy and vibes! he's so happy!

although he is mostly liked by the people of Inazuma, most would rather not get themselves involved with Itto, but you are the opposite: you find everything he is to be so facinating amd charming. you always want to understand him more. that's one of the reasons why he's absolutely head-over-heels for you.

in addition to that you'd both be able to keep up with each other, i also think your very idealistic natures match. although it might be playing with fire to put such driven individuals together, in my mind i can see the dynamic working perfectly with you two ♡︎

Itto loves that flame inside you. it's something he can highly relate to, so even if the whole world is against you, he'll be there to back you up and support your dreams.

no such thing as setting your goals too high in this man's dictionary! (unless it's something that obviously wears you down overtime in which case he's gonna be blatantly honest with you and tell you you're not in a good spot)

you build off each other and inspire to become better versions of yourselves thanks to the other (•̀ᴗ•́)و

he may come off as brash and hot-headed (he really is) but he's more emotionally intelligent than many give him credit for. once he learns you're sensitive he understands to eventually tone it down a notch so he wouldn't accidentally hurt you with his words.

yes, he's got a humongous ego but the people he loves come before anything else, and you're one of the most treasured people to him.

let's gooo, physical affection! being clingy is one of the last things you need to worry about when with Itto. he'll relish in all your attention, and, of course, will spoil you with his!

he especially loves it when you're holding onto him for a longer period of time, like sitting on his lap, hugging him, holding his hand or cuddling (๑¯∀¯๑)

♡︎ 𝑴𝑬𝑬𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮

as an illustrator for the Yae Publishing House you were quite busy on the Irodori festival. one of your jobs was to design a cover for a new book that was inspired by the event.

but for you it was still a very fun task: you could freely enjoy the festival while finding inspiration! trying out the foods and talking to the visitors from Mondstadt and Liyue was all part of the job, right?

however, as you were leisurely sketching some stalls and people, you noticed a particular individual seemed to be posing on one of the benches in front of you.

it's not as though you had never heard of the infamous Arataki gang before. you'd also seen their leader many a time challenging kids on the streets for their candy, so it was safe to say you'd been curious about him even before you first met.

he would glance at you every now and then before resuming his proud position. it clicked in your mind that he was convinced you were drawing him.

although you didn't owe him anything, much less your precious time, you couldn't help but smile to yourself, flip a page in your notebook and make him a little something. something about this was just too amusing to pass up.

apparently Itto hadn't expected you to just walk up to him though and show him the portrait because for a second he blinked, wide-eyed. the next moment he played it off with a hearty laughter.

"ahahahaha! naturally i wouldn't expect anything less from a great Yae Publishing House illustrator."

"ah—" you slipped the paper behind your back just as he was about to take it. "you know about me?"

"uh duh, your style made it obvious. pen name Raid, and those Miss Hina column illustrations are wicked!"

you were certain nobody had ever called you art 'wicked' before but you took it as a compliment and grinned, bringing the drawing in front of you again.

"well, i guess for a loyal fan i must make this one free."

Itto admired the sketch for a moment longer before looking over at you with a toothy smile of his own. "hey, hey, how about joining the gang and I for a singalong tonight, whatcha say? The great Arataki 'One and Oni' Itto never leaves his debts unpaid!"

with that sparkle in his eyes, how could you say no?

♡︎ 𝑩𝑳𝑼𝑹𝑩𝑺

you like tall? Itto's the tallest :> he picks you up and carries you around all the time. if doesn't even matter how tall you are yourself because he still sees you as shorter than him and he will tease you about it. there is no escape.

whenever you're planning to grill lavender melons with the gang you sit on Itto's shoulders and grab the fruit that are on the highest branches too. very convenient and cute ♡︎

don't worry, he's stronk and won't let you fall. he would rather be your cushion than let you get hurt.

so yes, Itto is 1000% protective. he needs to have you close in case danger is lurking behind the corner, but let's be honest, anyone who has the guts to mess with you must also have a death wish.

on a less scary note, one of his habits is always having an arm around you either over your shoulders on your waist ^^ whether you guys are walking around town or just chilling by a campfire, it's comfortable and assuring.

when you start hyping each other up it's the most exciting sight, just a never-ending cycle of jokes and laughter !! it's extremely contagious too.

it might sound cheesy but your laugh is the most beautiful sound to him, so he jokes around you every chance he gets.

expect tons of cheesy pickup lines. the best part is he seriously thinks they work xD but you don't have the heart to tell him you're laughing not because he's being smooth but more cause it's hilarious and cute.

though he knows you appreciate the litte things, he still makes effort to spoil you. saves money to go to expensive restaurants with you and get you all kinds of gifts :')

though sometimes there might be a mysterious shortage of money in the gang's savings

you must do his makeup too! Itto loves standing out so the flashier the better. he thinks your eye for fashion and skill in makeup are awesome. even if you're just doing your own makeup and he catches you, be prepared to be stared at by a pair of curious eyes.

whenever the gang hosts some self-promotional event Itto does everything to get you to give them advice on the best outfits. often it turns out they can't even afford the costumes but you're so kind and always manage to work out something else with their budget :')

Shinobu always scolds him when he ends up in jail for being a dumbass and making you sad. still, you never fail to greet him with a smile over and over which brings Itto to the verge of tears and scoop you up into a warm bear hug. brace yourself for lots of kisses ♡︎

the whole gang knows he doesn't deserve you.

Granny Oni thinks you're absolutely precious together though.

i know for a fact he has his strongest onikabuto named after you. he claims it brings good luck and hasn't lost a match since👀

being with Itto is a lot like dating your best friend. half the time there aren't many traditional gestures of romance but i assure you Arataki 'numbero uno' Itto wouldn't be half as great if it weren't for you by his side.

𑁍 𝑱𝑬𝑾𝑬𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑹𝒀 𝑩𝑶𝑿

— favourite memory with you

it's a surprisingly quiet moment from a summer night after a rowdy campfire party, but Itto's heart still swells at the thought of it. you were lying under the stars just outside of Hanamizaka with your head on his chest. you weren't talking about anything particular, just what funny things Akira had done or how delicious Shinobu's snacks had been. but then you caught him off-guard with your next words: "you know, i'm really glad i met you, Itto. you've turned my whole world upside-down and i love you for it." that made dozens of tiny onikabuto scatter in his stomach. and the way you looked up at him was just a cherry on the cake: so sincere and loving, the manner in which nonody else has ever gazed at him. to this day he wonders how he did not combust right then and there. maybe his powers of sheer awesomeness kept him together? but he wrapped and arm around you and laughed. "then don't go anywhere 'cause the real show is just about to begin !!"

— favourite place to kiss you

this man will go straight for your lips, no exceptions, no cap. he's a lil on the needy side so you can tell him if you start feeling uncomfortable but otherwise he'll pour all his passion into every kiss he gives you. he ain't gonna half-ass it when it comes to showing you how much he loves you, and that naturally includes the smooches.

— favourite nicknames to call you by

king of nicknames, has tons of silly ones for you that are borderline teasing but affectionate; a lot of them involve inside jokes too! shortie and weirdo he uses with context. babe is his absolute favourite though ♡︎

♫︎ 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑰𝑪 𝑩𝑶𝑿

— Woman by Doja Cat

— Nobody Like U by 4* TOWN

— So Alright, Cool, Whatever by The Happy Fits

— Devil Town by Cavetown

— The Feels by TWICE

♡︎ runner up: Kaeya Alberich

note: hello again! aw you're so kind :0 i'm so glad you liked your appearance matchup, thank you :D i hope you enjoyed this matchup as well, it was a lot of fun to write ♡︎

#matchups #len's matches #genshin impact matchups #jeongyeonsbluehair

[wild-at-mind]

https://xtramagazine.com/uncategorized/privilege-conflict-236673 OK I honestly hate this advice column answer, and feel it is leading to some toxic places. I wrote a goddamn essay of a comment which I will put under the cut, just because I think it’s important. Without going into too much detail, this is quite close to home for me. Tumblr keeps giving me ads for xtra magazine but this is the first time I clicked in and I’m going to hide the ads now, I’m not a fan and it’s not for me. My response, which I ended up needing 4 comments for:

1. I find this advice quite troubling, and there are many things that go unaddressed. For example, OP's reason for drifting during the pandemic was a very clear one: they had their first child. If the friend in question is childless, then this becomes the age old question (which disappointingly is not addressed AT ALL by Kai)- how does the friend who newly has children stay connected with their childless friends? If OP is a women, which the friend's comments suggests, she is likely to be doing much more than 50% of the childcare. I have not experienced this conflict in my own life yet but I have seen it discussed many times and both sides have reasonable grievances: the childless friends feel the friend with the new baby never has time for non baby related things any more, a lot of things such as evening events may be totally out for a while, and if meeting up the baby may have to come too a lot of the time which can be disruptive and a big change for the friendship. The friend with the child feels the childless friend doesn't understand the problems of always having to find childcare in order to do things, etc, and feels the childless friend thinks they are turning down too many invitations and it means they no longer want to be friends. Neither's feelings are wrong, but the fact that the child needs care will not change, and it will be a good long time before the child is old enough for childcare needs to not be a factor. This will always affect how much time the new parent has for their friends. Now, I know we don't actually know from this whether the friend has children, it is not mentioned. But from the information we do have, the fact the the OP needs to spend a lot of time doing childcare and this is unchangeable fact should be acknowledged. 2. The main thrust of this advice is that the OP is somehow looking at their conflict  in an overly white way. I understand why Kai wrote it this way, because it's kind of a right wing talking point, that people of colour will manipulate using their race and you can just ignore it. This is of course gross and no one would want to imply this. I do not think the OP wants to imply this and I think OP is already pretty aware of these dynamics. However, reading this you might think that friendships between white people and people of colour (or between a more marginilised and a more privileged person) could never, ever work. Despite the protestations to the contrary, I think this advice encourages an unhealthy amount of eggshell walking.                             The truth is the friend of the OP is hurting, and feels she has not been supported by the OP in her bereavements that happened during the height of the pandemic. Her feelings have gone unexpressed for a long time and have built. In one way the OP can never truly make up for this because she can't go back in time and be there for her friend during those times. Listening to the friend's grievances is difficult for her because they become very emotionally charged. Whether or not OP subconsciously is experiencing this as more difficult because the friend is a woman of colour, the outcome is the same, and OP will not improve anything by being a space for her friend to vent into. I fundamentally do not want the OP to get the impression from the advice given that it would be at all useful for them to attempt this, or that it would be a good thing for social justice or their duty as a white person. 3. I feel that Kai could have suggested something like: maybe the OP asks her friend to write her a letter, expressing all her feelings, and that she will read it and reply, also in a text medium. Sometimes text is easier when emotions run high. I don't know, maybe this is a very privileged suggestion of me or something, but it is clear that the OP crying and the friend shouting is not working for either of them. (Also re: crying- as a former constant crier who is now on the right meds and doesn't any more, I do NOT argue with the idea that my tears could leverage oppression against people of colour, and it doesn't matter what the reason for it is for that to happen, but......involuntary tears are for the most part treated as unprofessional in workplace scenarios, and embarrassing for all in the room. It can really suck, and OP I feel for you on that count. 2nd assurance that I'm well aware there are scenarios where tears from a white person could manipulate racial hatred, including if the tears are involuntary! Good thing I do not do it any more, this is a constant relief to me. Anyway..) The implication that white, middle class people are uncomfortable with yelling and plain speaking in interpersonal conflict is very strange to me. They may be uncomfortable with this in certain scenarios, but trust me my white middle class parents were perfectly fine with yelling at their kids. I don't know the OP's class background, but it sounds like her white parents liked to yell too. I understand the need to emphasise that yelling is not the worst thing that can happen, and that the friend may experience the OP's request for no yelling or swearing as a function of their white privilege. However I STILL don't think this was a boundary that was wrong for OP to try to set. 4. OP, please do not feel that the only 'right' thing in this scenario is for you to continue being friends, your friend is angry about you being out of touch when you needed her, and you will never truly be able to make it right but you must keep trying. This dynamic would be incredibly toxic for both you and your friend. I do think a sincerely expressed apology that expresses the facts without excuses would be a good thing if you haven't already sent one: 'friend, I am sorry I wasn't there for you when you really needed me. I regret this very much and I know you're still hurting. I really care about you and really want you to continue to be in my life.' Stick to the facts and don't self flagellate- despite what columns like this one suggest, people do not really want this. Do it via a text medium as it can be easier if things are becoming very emotional. It's not a solution, your friendship may still not survive in the end, but you will have said the truth of how you feel about your friend. From there, resist any attempt by your friend to bring you into a cylce of you listening to venting and becoming upset. This will not lead ANYWHERE good. You suffering does not help marginilised people.                              Relationships across privilege dynamics always need to have awareness, tact and self reflection from the more privileged person, but I honestly feel that when the 2 people become nothing more than those two roles, one oppressor and one oppress-ee, the friendship cannot survive. The theories your friend is using as a framework are real, but they are about overall dynamics and systems, and things will always be affected by more factors with two individual humans and how they relate to each other.                              Good luck, and my love to both you and your friend.                                

#xtra magazine #advice column #friendship #privilege dynamics #guilt studies #shoutout to tributary for that term