#to be fair most people get this perfectly fine and also there is a LOT of overlap between assholes and villains

[4ngel-inc]

∗  ˖࣪ ໒꒱  ˚₊· BUNGO STRAY DOGS — 𝓓 𝓘 𝓒 𝓚

𝓗 𝓔 𝓐 𝓓 𝓒 𝓐 𝓝 𝓞 𝓝 𝓢 , 𝓥 𝓞 𝓛 𝓤 𝓜 𝓔 # 1 ᡴꪫ

notes — [mdni / 18+], fem reader, literally the whole thing is about dicks (pretty self-explanatory). also if you guys like these i'll consider doing more for other characters !! ᰔ

characters — dazai, chuuya, sigma, fukuzawa, fyodor.

DAZAI is a perfect 6 inches, literally so pretty. the prettiest cock you'll ever see, hands down. sometimes you actually roll your eyes as it bounces out of his underwear—of course it's gorgeous, just like him. he keeps the hair nice and trimmed—if he's been busy with work he may let it grow a little longer, but the pretty brown hair only makes his cock look even more enticing. he loves it when you run your fingers through the hair and tug on it a little too—just a little pain is enough to get him off. he has a couple of cute veins running along his shaft, they're subtle but perfect. giving him head is so fun—he's very responsive, full of whimpers that almost sound like cries. he loves it when you tell him you love him while sucking him off, he's needy like that. he also loves to switch it up halfway through and start teasing you—he'll let you think he's putty in your hands before pulling your treat away from you suddenly, making you whine and whimper and beg for it back—"aww, 's this what you want, princess? don't cry, come get it, let's see you work for this pretty cock."

CHUUYA is almost 7 inches, slender but thick enough to hit all the right places. he has the prettiest cock, but it's what he does with it that really makes you lose your mind. chuuya is so good at fucking, you'd think he's been around the block in his day. truthfully, he's only been with a few people, but he's a repeat customer—he likes to fuck people he cares about, meaning he hasn't had many partners, but he's fucked a lot. when he's in love, he can't help but want to use his body as a tool to get you off. if you want to use him like your fuck toy, he's fine with that—he'll sit back and let you do your work, admiring the way you take everything you want. he has a few smaller veins at the base of his shaft that provide the most delicious stimulation when you're sitting on him, his cock nestled deep inside. overall, chuuya has a very nice dick, but it's his skill with it that has you cumming over and over again—he knows you especially love it when he rotates his hips while fucking you, reaching every spot you crave all at once.

SIGMA is just slightly above average, 6.25 inches, pale and very pretty. he has more veins decorating his shaft than most, and they're gorgeous, the contrast of pink and purple against his fair skin just gives his cock that little something extra that has you drooling. it looks so delicious the first time you watch it slap against his stomach. sigma also has the most sensitive cock in the world—he's sensitive everywhere, truly. it's so easy to get him riled up with a light brush of your fingers over his balls or the gentle flick of your tongue. he's cum in his pants before just from making out, and he's very eager to please, always. his favorite position is you sucking him off while he eats you out, sucking on your clit as you bounce on his face. he's whimpering and whining and he isn't quite as coordinated as you with his fingers and tongue but he's loving every second of it, nonetheless, his words muffled by your pussy as he eats you out from behind, "mmf- use- me, please. want to be used by you, only you."

FUKUZAWA is thick and long, 8.5 inches and so girthy. it's delicious, his pale skin perfectly complementing the one thick, purple vein he has running up the shaft to his head—the same vein that massages your sweet spot when he's sliding into you. his head is wide and firm, and it splits you open so good—you're already creaming around his cock the second he slides it in, and it only gets better the deeper he goes. he doesn't get off much since he's so busy, so his balls are always heavy and ready to spill into you, giving you all the cum you want the second you hint that you want it. he doesn't think about sex constantly the way some others do, but his body lets him know when he needs it—he'll wake up with a hard on and walk around with his cock throbbing all morning before seeking you out, sliding his lithe fingers under your shirt, "hmm, you smell so good, dear." he isn't quite sure what to say, luckily he's easy to read when he's horny. "aww, feelin' a little needy, today, yukichi?" his massive, clothed bulge unintentionally rubbing against the curve of your ass is enough of an answer, and you're more than happy to indulge him.

FYODOR is 7.5 inches, just long enough to hit your cervix if he goes too deep, but he takes it easy on you (most of the time). his cock is so sleek and pretty, his skin is pale and smooth everywhere on his body, so naturally his cock has a little shine to it from the sheer perfection of his skin. his skin tone is a bit more translucent, making his veins show a little more, decorating his cock with pretty colors and textures. the most important thing about fyodor's cock is, he doesn't give it to you often. he's more selective about when he fucks you, only rewarding you when you do something for him—when he gives you a project and you follow through on it perfectly, or when you've been following him around worshipping him all day. he'll indulge you and let you suck on the tip before tucking it back in his pants—he won't give you his whole cock until you remind him why you're on your knees in the first place. "what are you doing for me, my love? remind me." "sucking your cock, fyo, pleasing you." "that's right, dear, now please me, as you said."

#— love notes: [bsd] ୧ ‧₊ #bsd x reader #dazai x reader #chuuya x reader #fyodor x reader #fukuzawa x reader #sigma x reader #bsd smut #bsd x you #bsd x y/n #osamu dazai x reader

[hispg]

Safe haven

Pairings: Leon x Reader

Wc:4.0k

Summary: How Leon deals with his ptsd over the years.

Warnings: hurt/comfort, angst, depressive thoughts, suicidal intent, Leon hating himself.

An: This one follows the cannon order, so it starts with r2 Leon, r4, r6, vendetta, ends with Death Island.

Denial

Since Leon returned from Raccoon City, nothing has been the same. You've seen the man you knew die day after day, his personality changing like water to wine. And he knew it, he knew it better than anyone.

You still remember perfectly when he arrived, covered in blood, with a bandage on his arm, a face with the most terrified expression you could imagine.

The horrors he had witnessed in that place were simply out of this world. What should have been a simple first day at work turned into a living hell. There were things he wouldn't erase from his memory, the way he had to kill all his co-workers, the way he saw everyone around him die. He felt bad, guilty, even though he had no control over it.

It was a lot for one person, a lot for him to process.

A night that would mark him for the rest of his life.

In order not to involve you too much in the subject, he never went into too much detail, just briefly saying something or other. But you could imagine, the way his fear was clear on his face, his lips trembling every time he tried to talk to you about what had happened.

You saw the way he woke up every night, covered in a layer of sweat, whimpering and almost screaming in his room. He never slept properly, always woke up in a state of sheer panic, and it only got worse as time went on. It wasn't something he could control, not even he himself could believe that he had come out of that nightmare alive.

And he often wished he hadn't.

All he forced himself to believe was that it would be something momentary, an event that he would forget or at least get better with the passage of time.

But it didn't.

He beat himself up every day, unable to forget a single second of that night. He could have helped more, he could have done more, maybe he could have saved more people.

Deep down, he knew it was impossible. A simple situation where a hundred were sacrificed to save one.

There were days when he couldn't even leave the house, and he also begged you to stay with him. A panic attack that haunted him almost daily, he needed you to be there. At least he knew you would be safe by his side, and he needed you, as if you were the air he breathed.

All this was due to the fact that he couldn't cope on his own, if you didn't sleep next to him every night, he wouldn't even try to close his eyes. Because he knew he wouldn't be able to doze off for a single moment, not that he'd ever get a good night's sleep.

He often refused, refused to believe that it was real, refused to believe that it had ever happened. But every time he closed his eyes and heard the screams of agony echoing in his head, he remembered the painful reality.

It was almost customary for him to try to recover from everything he had experienced, to lift his face, wipe away the tears and force an expression from someone who was fine.

But you and he knew it was just a lie.

Everything took a turn for the worse when he was interrogated and basically forced to work for the government. It was a 'deal', he would work for the government in exchange for the little girl safety, a little girl called Sherry, who he found and saved in the middle of the chaos that night.

Although he didn't want to, he didn't think it was fair to let a girl as young as her suffer in a laboratory, maybe it was crazy to compromise his life for someone he barely knew. But that was him, the guy who put others before himself. So he accepted the 'agreement'.

He just wanted to be someone normal, to forget about that damn trauma, to forget about the pain of that night and to put all those events behind him.

But he couldn't, and maybe he wasn't ready for that fact.

The Leon of before no longer existed, maybe a small sketch left, but he would never be able to get back on his feet and be like before.

Never.

Anger

Leon's life began to turn upside down even more, after the hell that happened in Raccoon City, he was forced to go to military training, supposedly to serve the government. Even years after what happened, the night was still incredibly vivid in his mind. Every detail was stagnant in his memory, a mark he couldn't remove.

All he felt now was anger, all hidden in that sullen face that had become his usual expression. He hid behind it, hoping you wouldn't notice how cold and indifferent he was becoming. It was the only way to protect himself that he found.

And he hated that things were this way.

What he didn't expect was that he would become an agent working for the President. Everything that had already happened to him was enough, and he still seemed to be getting worse and worse.

Like a bottomless pit, he just fell lower and lower.

At this point he no longer cared about much, he was becoming more and more stressed with work and that damn training.

You lost count of how many times he came home scratched, bruised, with some part of his body purple. One time he even arrived with a broken rib, and he didn't even try to explain to you what had happened.

He just did his bandages silently, with your help. And he didn't even say a single word about it, and you worried like crazy. You didn't even know if he would arrive in one piece the next day.

It wasn't difficult to assimilate all the abuse he was suffering in that place, you had already heard a few times the way some of his training partners spoke to him on the phone. They weren't friendly at all.

All he did was hide what he felt with that sulky face, more and more you saw him becoming closed off. It was rare that he talked about his training, or his day.

Even he had become increasingly discreet about his nightmares, or even his anxiety attacks. He always thought he could handle it on his own, it was his problem. That he had learned to cope, or at least he thought he had.

Because it was the same story as always. Just a man doing what he hated, reliving the past and charting a hateful future.

And that couldn't be avoided.

And well, nothing got better when he was called to a mission in Spain, looking for the President's daughter. He didn't feel excited about the situation at all, he didn't even want to go. However, there wasn't much of an option.

He tried to warn you, in fact he didn't warn you, he just said he was going to Spain, just like that.

It wasn't hard to imagine that this caused a small fight between you, since he could at least tell you what it was about. But he didn't say.

"Don't pressure me, don't even try to look into things that's not your business." Leon hisses at you, turning his back and leaving you behind with tears in your eyes. All you heard after was the door slamming, and he disappeared for a few days.

Surely he knew the shit he had done, and every moment that passed he felt his heart tighten. His anxiety reaching its worst peaks. As he began to understand what was happening in that old village, he felt terror wash over him once again. The fear of not being able to return terrified him, he doesn't even know how he managed to stay upright in the face of all that.

He felt trapped in a nightmare again.

Another hell, he didn't even know that he would go through a situation similar to Raccoon City again, but to his displeasure it happened. Once again he doesn't know how he came out alive, he was terrified of witnessing death several times in a row. The only thing he thought about was going home, he needed a place to call home. And he needed you, in a way he couldn't put into words. So many words he wanted to say, so many things he wanted to do, especially seeing more people around him die. After having done everything he did to survive.

He needed someone.

Everything he had planned to tell you went down the drain as soon as he got home, the first thing he saw was you lying on the sofa, wearing one of his shirts.

It didn't take long for him to take off his boots, and walk towards you, he was shabby, a complete mess. It was no surprise.

He gently gave you a gentle kiss on the cheek, so as not to wake you, and sat down on the floor next to you. He intended to spend the night there, as he certainly wouldn't be able to sleep no matter how hard he tried.

With his fists clenched, his face set, a strange feeling running through his body. Once again he felt like it was a tantrum, but it wasn't.

A single tear wet his cheeks, followed by several others.

And then he realized, the reality of the facts caught up with him.

And the terrifying feeling returned.

Understanding

A few more painful years passed, and it was indeed optimistic to say that things had improved. It was as if everything was exhausting, he couldn't have fun with the things he liked.

As if his life was in a loop where he couldn't stop, he couldn't get out of it. It just kept going again and again, it shouldn't be like this.

But was.

It wasn't hard to notice how grumpy he had become. He was no longer someone of many words, and now he was even more closed off. If it was possible.

The grown beard that only showed how disinterested he was in his own appearance. He was at a point where he barely looked at himself in the mirror, his dark blond strands falling down his face. And he didn't even bother to trim his hair and leave it the way he liked it.

He didn't even look in the mirror, he hated every time he saw his own reflection. He learned to hate every one of his scars, every mark that remained from his missions, he hated with all of his heart. It was an otherworldly aversion, he shouldn't feel this way about himself, but that didn't matter. Not now.

He learned to hate himself.

He hated the way that even after all these years his traumas still haunted him, the way he still had those terrible nightmares. He hated the way he treated you, so cold and distant.

So different from what he once was.

Since it all started in Raccoon City, he always knew that the part of the soul he lost there he would never recover. But he didn't imagine things would be this bad.

It was as if no moment was good, as if everything revolved around his work and the problems that came with it. He became such a focused person that he would sometimes go days without showering, with his hair all messy and his face completely tired. From someone who hadn't had rest in days. And that person was exactly him.

He would often make minimal effort to talk to you, try to start a conversation and tell you how his day was going. But who said he could? The poor man got so used to keeping things to himself that sharing it was complicated.

The words tumbled in his mouth, he couldn't form a sentence that made any sense and didn't sound desperate. But he failed as soon as he said the first word, and just ended up changing the subject.

Therefore, he learned that nothing would be the same as before, even after all these years in which he hoped that things would change, for the better. But to his chagrin this didn't happen, and everything went downhill.

He tried his best to come to terms with all of this, since he was already someone who had seen a lot, and had already done a lot as well. But that didn't stop him from feeling bad, from feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

And it wasn't?

At that point he ignored what he felt, if he was called to a mission he would simply go, even though he was extremely upset about the matter. Because in those moments he realized that he was just an object of the government.

A powerful weapon that was capable of stopping the crap that happened here or there, and that was it. Just it.

Nothing more than a weapon.

What else could he expect? The turn things took only made the government's intentions clear, and he didn't approve at all. He was always against it, but who said he was listened to?

He had already accepted this, a cruel fate from which he had little option of escaping. He had already dealt with it.

He forced himself to believe those words.

All he could do was hate himself more and more, every time he came home tired and saw you, his heart broke.

How did he still have you by his side? How the hell was such a sweet person still willing to stay by his side. It wasn't fair.

He deserved to be alone.

Day after day he found himself looking for things to get rid of the bitterness that his life had become, what he found was drinking.

One of the few things that let him breathe, even if just for a few hours. It started slowly, but he needed to increase it.

It was an obligation, it was either that or get home and feel like the worst person in the world. This addiction started slowly, in a subtle way.

However, it then got out of control, and once again he found himself in his worst state.

"There's no turning back.." A whisper coming from him, drunk and completely out of his mind.

His life was a dead end, and he had no hope that it would get better.

Another day of remorse, another day living in his shoes.

Depression

The only consolation he found now was drinking, at least it helped the pain go away for a moment. Even though at some point he had to increase the doses more and more, he needed it to take effect.

If at any point he had tried to have some closeness with you back, that had ended in the last few months. He couldn't even take care of himself, let alone take care of you.

He was a different man, and not in a good way.

At that point he already accepted that he had lost himself, that he no longer had salvation, his mind was torturing him.

It was suffering just to be alive.

The fact that he always lost people around him, that he had to kill his own team because he wasn't able to save them. How the hell was he supposed to survive with this? How could he say everything was fine?

Everything around him was dying, like he had a curse around him or something. Not even he wanted to understand this. The weight of the years he lived in this torture was catching up to him.

And nothing could be done, once again.

The nightmares, the weight on his conscience, the memory of each of the missions. It was an unhealthy cycle he was trapped in.

Certainly an addiction wouldn't solve the situation, but what would? Pay nicely as always? Hold his head up and follow orders like a puppy?

"Piece of shit." That's what he mutters when he sees himself in the reflection of his cell phone, disappointed with the way everything is happening. How he was dealing with all of this. His appearance was different, hair more swept to the side, a longer beard. Clothes that not even he knew he would wear at some point.

But what would be the other way? How?

Disappointment, anger, depression, all mixed up in his head. He didn't know what he should do with these bottled up feelings that were haunting him day after day.

All the missions, all the people he lost, everything he experienced. How could someone go through so much like that?

How could he have gone through this and still somehow moved on?

This time he didn't even bother trying to hide from you the displeasure he had created for life, he rarely spent time at home, and when he did it was all day grumbling or drinking.

A great guilt invaded him when you cried because nothing you tried to do seemed to help, but this wasn't about you.

It was about him.

His mood only worsened when Chris called him to another mission, actually it wasn't really a call, more like a statement that he was going to another mission.

This was his life for the last few years, mission after mission, without even a moment for himself, not that he was going to do anything other than drink in the meantime.

What could have happened special this time? Another mission where he comes close to death several times, where he simply doesn't know if he'll return home in one piece. And he could swear he didn't care about it or not.

At least he thought so.

But perhaps the fact of working with people close to him this time made him see that things could be worth it again. Although it wasn't the friendliest place to think this, he couldn't deny that it gave him some comfort since he worked with people he knew, especially Chris, who was one of the few people he liked at work. Despite grumbling a lot.

He appreciated the fact that things ended well this time, for the first time in a long time.

There was still a little light in the good things, in the little daily things. Sometimes things didn't always have a bad ending.

The people around him wouldn't always fade away or betray him, that wouldn't always be the course of things.

Maybe now he was ready to start improving a little, maybe yes, maybe no. He would only know if he tried.

Once the madness of the mission was over, all he could think about was you, he could only think about seeing you one more time after everything that had happened. It was a desire so big that it couldn't fit in his chest.

You can bet he was counting the minutes until he got home, he needed to feel your presence again. He needed to know that he had people who were there for him.

He needed your comfort, your reassurance.

Once he got home the first thing he did was look for you, it was more than a desire, it was a need.

Without you even realizing it, you see him leaning against the kitchen counter, with an almost unremarkable smile. You even surprise yourself, since it had been a good few months since you had seen even a trace of a happy expression on his face.

"I'm back.." He says in a whisper, looking at you gently for the first time in a while.

You look at him a little hesitantly, wanting to give him a hug, not knowing if he wanted that or not.

A simple gesture but one that made your day, he opened his arms to you, waiting for you to do what you wanted.

Without a shadow of a doubt he needed this as much as you did.

Maybe there's still a way out. Maybe there is still a way.

Acceptance

Leon was trying, he was trying his best to be a better man. You could tell that, the way he was cutting back on alcohol, the way he was trying to be more attentive to you.

These little things indicated an effort on his part, he didn't want to hate himself anymore, he didn't want to feel so indifferent anymore. Maybe it was time for a change, he didn't need to be like this anymore.

He had people he could count on, and after all, he had you. That even after his coldness in recent years, you never left him, it was time to reciprocate.

And of course there were things he couldn't let go of so easily, especially his problems with trauma, and he already knew that it was a weight he would carry for the rest of his life.

He would never forget.

But he was also trying to learn not to be like that anymore, things could still have a good side. He could still have hope, even if it was a mere drop. Life had been hard on him from the beginning, but he needed to find some motivation. He couldn't live regretting forever, putting himself down every time.

It was time to rise again, time to pick up the pieces and rebuild. Little by little, and of course he would never be the same as before. But he could be a better person, and he would do everything he could to make that happen. You could notice this drastic change even more, since he came back from the last mission, he was different. So proof is that, as soon as he got home he hugged you, and spent a good ten minutes like that.

Probably feeling overwhelmed with yet another mission, duties that seemed to never end. But he wouldn't think about that now.

He wanted to try to be happy. At least one attempt.

Small efforts, for example trying to open up to you, saying few things, but it was a great start. He knew that if he continued like this he would be able to share his problems with you, it certainly wouldn't weigh so much on him if he could share them with you.

His mind was still a mess, but he was trying to organize himself, put his thoughts in order. It was a long and difficult road, but he wanted to bet that he would make it.

It was the glimmer of hope he had.

Leon now went out with you, took you for rides on his motorbike. He begins to realize that life could go beyond work, that not everything needs to be so bad.

You could see him smiling more, he had even gone back to making those corny jokes that never failed to make you laugh. Most importantly, he seemed content, sometimes even at peace with himself.

The desire he had to disappear, little by little was fading, and he began to gain a little more zest for life. Things wouldn't always go wrong, and he could relax a little, even try to let his guard down whenever possible.

Even once you caught him laughing like a fool on his cell phone, only to see him having fun watching a video of a dog, which in his eyes was incredibly funny.

Seeing this, you decide to give him a pet on his birthday. And you almost cried once you saw the joy in his eyes, that sparkle in his eyes that you missed so much.

"I love you." A shy and low voice, accompanied by the most beautiful smile you've ever seen. How long has it been since you last heard this? The sweet way the phrase slid across his lips. A moment so subtle but so sweet, and one that you hoped would be repeated more and more.

Life was worth it, he would make it worth it again.

#leon kennedy #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x y/n #leon kennedy x you #leon s kennedy #leon x reader #leon x y/n #leon x you #leon resident evil #death island leon #leon scott kennedy x reader #resident evil 4 leon #resident evil 2 leon #infinite darkness leon #leon vendetta #di leon #vendetta leon

[eideticallys]

Loving Joel (And His Dad Jokes)

pairing: joel miller x reader

summary: days like this make you realize how much loving joel makes everything worth it—even his stupid dad jokes.

genre: fluff

word count: 962

author's notes: in my mind, joel is happy and thriving. he's living his best life in jackson. and you're in for a treat because joel is very much happy in this fic & in love (with me). yup, have fun reading! also posted on ao3 (spencereids).

MOST PEOPLE WHO KNOW OF JOEL MILLER WOULD SAY HE’S THIS BROODING, MYSTERIOUS, AND SCARY GUY. And they were right, mostly. Joel was someone you should be scared of. He is a fierce and ruthless protector of those he cares deeply for. He would stop at nothing. He’d do everything for his family.

At the beginning of your relationship—or when you only knew of him—Joel was someone you didn’t expect to fall for. He wasn’t your ideal man so to speak. But for some reason, despite your differences, both of you grew closer and then one day, you just woke up and realized that Joel Miller was the one for you.

And it seemed the feelings were mutual. 

As you got to know him, Joel was quite the polar opposite of his reputation once you had managed to thaw his hard exterior. He had this other side to him, all hidden from those who weren’t special to him. It made you feel giddy knowing someone as hardened by life as Joel is enamored by you—which wasn’t an easy feat. You’ve had your fair share of ups and downs. Love isn’t simple especially when the world fell apart a few years ago. But loving Joel has been nothing but worth it.  Waking up next to him, getting through the day, and falling asleep right next to him has made living better—like life was still worth fighting for because you had Joel.

You love him, and he loves you.

And you especially love his dad jokes, even if they were insufferable from time to time.

“It’s quite warm today,” You said to your lover as you descended the stairs of your home. “Do you wanna have a picnic or something?”

Joel, who was busy tinkering with his new woodwork project, which particularly looked a lot like you, or so you think, looked up at you. “That’d be nice, sweetheart. Do you wanna go now?”

You nodded as you placed a peck on his salt-and-pepper hair. “Maybe this afternoon,” You replied, heading straight for the bathroom. “I’m gonna go shower and then I’ll head over to Ellie and Dina’s, so I can invite them. Why don’t you go ask Tommy and Maria too?”

“Want me to join you?” Joel joked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“No, Joel.” You laughed as you threw him a dish towel, which he dodged easily as he was laughing now too. “If you’re joining me in the shower, we are never going to have that picnic!”

A few hours later, you were able to wrangle some bread and other snacks to take with you on your little picnic. Unfortunately, it was just you and Joel. Ellie and Dina had other plans, while Tommy and Maria had errands to do. But it was perfectly fine. You had a lot of time on your hands. A picnic in the future isn’t a farfetched plan for you to make.

“Jesus, I underestimated the heat today,” You claimed as you fanned your face. Joel was grinning at you as he looked like he thought of a joke you weren’t in on. “Care to share with the class, Mr. Miller?”

He simply shrugged and retorted, “Oh, it’s nothing, baby.”

“Out with it,” You nudged him. He shook his head no, to which you scowled teasingly. “Tell me!”

“Nope,” Joel snickered, pinching your cheek. “I’m not saying anything.”

You pouted and rolled your eyes. If he doesn’t want to tell you, then so be it. You were about to let go of the entire thing and dig into the food you laid out when the heat started becoming even more unbearable as if it were possible.

“Fine, don’t tell me anything,” You muttered. “But we’ve got to move over there. This heat is killing me.”

As you pointed to a bunch of trees where you could sit for shade, it’s like Joel could no longer hold back as he started guffawing, slapping his thigh in entertainment.

Oh, it’s that thing.

The thing in question was a pun he thought of. Real mature.

“Joel Miller!”  You exclaimed as you started laughing along with him. One thing about Joel’s smile is that it’s as infectious as it’s your favorite thing in the world. “You’re worse than Ellie. Do you know that?”

“No, I’m not!” He denied, still laughing. “I haven’t even told you the pun yet.”

“Fine, tell me.”

Trying to stifle his laughter, Joel wheezed before schooling his face to a neutral expression. “I don’t think we should head over there. I don’t trust those trees.” He stared at the trees.

You looked at him, perplexed as to why. As far as you know, Jackson was the safest place you could be in, and those trees looked nothing out of the ordinary.

“Why?” You asked, starting to worry. “What’s wrong?”

You can slowly see the mischievous grin forming on Joel’s face. 

They seem kind of shady.”

You groaned at him as Joel guffawed once again. You were starting to get looks from passersby as to what reduced the formidable Joel Miller while you were shaking your head.

“You’re so stupid,” You started chuckling. “Sometimes, I ask myself how can people take you seriously. Jesus, what was that pun?”

“It was funny!” Joel laughed, poking your side. “You even laughed.”

“I did because it was stupid.”

“That’s the point,” He retorted immediately. You rolled your eyes at him endearingly. “Puns are supposed to be so stupid that they’re funny.”

“You’re lucky I love you.” You responded immediately.

“Yes, ma’am,” Joel saluted. “I love you more.”

You smiled widely and landed a kiss on his stubbled cheek. Days like this make you realize how much loving Joel makes everything worth it—even his stupid dad jokes.

#the last of us #the last of us hbo #tlou hbo #tlou fanfiction #tlou fanfic #tlou fic #tlou fluff #joel miller #joel tlou #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fic #joel miller fluff #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x f!reader #ellie williams #tommy miller #dina tlou #maria tlou #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fanfic #the last of us fic #the last of us fluff #joel the last of us #pedro pascal #pedro pascal cinematic universe #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fanfiction

[roguelov]

Thinking about how Dream never really gets praise for the nice things he does sometimes so a Dream x reader where an affectionate reader acknowledges his moments of softness and kindness towards his subjects and/or random humans and Dream is so overwhelmed he gets all blushy and doesn't know what to do

He gets criticized a lot which is fair enough, but i feel like he deserves some "ily"s and "im proud of you"s and realize he has good in him too 😭💔

Dream needs praise 24/7!!!

Dream sulked on the bottom stairs of his throne. His lips were in a tight line, and a glare settled into his eyes. The Dreaming was functioning perfectly, yet why did he feel so angry? Or unsatisfied?

You strolled towards Dream after searching through most of the castle. A smile graced your lips, however it faltered. Dream’s frown made your heart break.

“What’s wrong, Dream?” You asked softly, standing before him.

“Nothing, I am fine.”

“Fine is not good nor great, fine is just okay.” You tipped his chin up, making him look up at you. “And I want you to feel wonderful. Now, talk to me.”

His gaze dropped. “You needn’t worry about me.”

“I do need to worry because you’re my partner and I care for you.” You plopped down beside him. “If I can help, then talk to me.”

He squirmed. What was bothering him? What left this ache in his chest?

“I … I do not feel …”

What was the word?

“Feel what? Happy?” You tried to fill in the blanks.

He shook his head. “… cherished, I suppose.”

You frowned slightly. “How so?”

“I am unsure.” He sighed, staring ahead. “The Dreaming and its residents are my duty and purpose, it is my responsibility to care for them and yet …”

“You want some recognition.” You finished for him.

He perked a little, looking towards you. “Yes, I suppose that is it.”

“Dream,” you cupped his cheek. “You are amazing, okay? You are also so kind.”

“I don’t believe -“

“You are,” you cut him off, somewhat harshly. How does he not see it? “You play with children all the time in the Dreaming, you listen to the people and make changes to accommodate them, you care deeply and it shows.”

The tips of his ears grew hot under your praise.

“Come here.” You gently guided him down. His head rested in your lap. Your fingers immediately ran through his hair. Your loving touch weaved its spell over him. “You’re doing wonderful, Dream. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

He sighed, closing his eyes. “Thank you, my dear.”

“Anything for you, my sweet king.” You bent down, kissing his cheek.

#he’s a baby #big cosmic baby #the sandman #morpheus #dream of the endless #morpheus x reader #dream of the endless x reader #anon #ask

[nateofgreat]

people love to make mace windu ESPECIALLY a Big Bad Jedi Master Bully who picked on poor anakin skywalker and act as if he and everyone else intentionally iced anakin out when that mf was the one isolating himself from them and listening to palpatine blow smoke up his angsty ass as if he were better than everyone else. like what did he REALLY do to anakin?? they watch him be one of the most vocal to deny anakin entrance to the order in the phantom menace over perfectly valid concerns and then revenge of the sith, where he has every reason to be wary of anakin’s behavior in that fucking movie!! they point to that and go “he’s always hated him!” but he’s genuinely fine and supportive of anakin in attack of the clones? and tells obi-wan to have faith?

like they will not get off his back over “take a seat, young skywalker”. if anakin is gonna act like an entitled bastard and throw tantrums, then yeah? or that him trying to kill palpatine is “hypocritical”? even though anakin “dont do it windu it’s not the jedi way” skywalker killed count dooku instead of taking him prisoner when he couldn’t even attack/defend himself anymore due to his hands being chopped off and was simply a pawn of palpatine. who is more dangerous? certainly not dooku.

but mace wanting to stop the literal biggest threat there is to the republic/galaxy? to democracy? the SITH LORD who orchestrated everything in the first place? hidden as the chancellor? who just killed the other jedi masters with him? who attempted to kill him? is apparently a bad thing to do? even though palpatine had control over the Senate/courts? and was already nearing dictatorship at that point? bc i genuinely think it’s clear that mace won that duel AND would’ve succeeded in killing him had anakin’s evil selfish ass not interfered and aided in mace’s demise.

You've covered it all quite nicely. Mace is a serious person (not mean serious, just normal serious) but a very fair one. His concerns were rarely ever baseless.

Also in general, if you're complaining about someone "mistrusting" a person when their story ends with said person cutting off their hand and watching as their blasted with lightning by a Sith Lord who they proceed to pledge their loyalty to... That's usually a sign that the character was right to mistrust them.

Another thing people miss is the part in Episode III where Mace straight-up tells Anakin that he's earned his trust after Anakin tells him who Palpatine is. If he'd stayed in the Jedi Temple like Mace instructed (or helped Mace if he did to go the Senate) the Galaxy would've been saved.

And, while I don't think Anakin would've been named a Jedi Master after the fact like people think, I do believe both Mace and the rest of the Council would've attributed a lot of Anakin's prior bad behavior to Palpatine's manipulations and been happy to help him deal with his issues if he'd let them. So it's not like Mace's distrust was unconditional; if Anakin did the right thing, Mace would trust him.

#Star Wars #Mace Windu #Mace Windu appreciation #Anakin Skywalker #Pro Mace Windu #Pro Jedi

[jess-the-vampire]

Ok I wanna elaborate more on why some parts of the fandom might be bummed about hunter's hair in a more fair way.

"I don't understand why ppl are upset about hunter’s hair, he's distancing himself from caleb-"

No one is upset because of the reasons behind the hair change, like I have yet to see one person complain that its because of him wanting a new identity.

Nah nah, I think the main reason is purely because of the strand providing hunter with a really fun unique trait to his design, that provides a lot of character, that he looks naked without it.

Regardless of the context in which he got it, that stupid little strand was basically a character in itself for how much it got dirtied, burned, and pulled.

Its just one of those really fun features he has that provided a lot of fun gags and character moments and people loved stylizling it in their art to look like hearts, fun curls, ect ect. Like when people did simple draws of him his strand was literally used as the telltale sign it was hunter and not another character most of the time.

And his new hair isn't nearly as memorable or unique looking by comparison.

Like people have already done hunter in other hairstyles and people don't normally seem to mind, but that strand has stayed in pretty much ALL of them.

The context is fine, no one cares if he did it for identity reasons. And sure, we'll probably eventually get used to it.

But its perfectly understandable people would be a little bummed they traded his memorable, full of character and fun moments lock, for something more generic and robbed them of those fun moments and gags unique to hunter. I think that's why people are actually bothered.

Personally I don't care if he cut his hair, I am not complaining his hair changed, I would just like the lock represented somewhere, even if it were tiny now. Not having one his most memorable and notable features is a lil sad. That's just me tho.

And besides, people can perfectly understand the reasons behind a character changing their appearance, but not care for the appearance themselves. Like if people find it ugly they can find it ugly, no amount of "he's distancing himself from caleb " is gonna make it less ugly to people who don't think it looks good on him.

Its fine, we'll probably get used to it, but its ok if people are sad his most characterized feature was completely removed from his design, regardless of the context.

Also some of the responses to it are also probably for funny reasons and aren't serious.

If you like it, good for you, but I think there's a bit more of a reason people responded how they did.

Rip to all gags, jokes, and fun fanart with the hair strand. 💀💀💀

#golden guard #toh the golden guard #the owl house golden guard #toh golden guard #the golden guard #the owl house #toh #the owl house hunter #the owl house hunter

[suzukiblu]

tumblr.com/suzukiblu/740466228925202432/you-know-ten-minutes-ago-i-was-sure-that-daddykink?source=share

Okay, but I was glad to see your response to this^^^ because I've actually been going back and forth for Days about whether to send you an ask about how much I surprisingly ADORE your writing, so it's nice to know you get it a lot. (I didn't want to risk coming across as condescending because like. You obviously very much like the tropes you tend to write for, that's why you write them, and I didn't want you to think I was essentially going "you're not like Other authors who write this thing you like")

Like. I generally Very Much dislike kid!fic and I don't usually care about omegaverse. And then you're over here like "I have a dozen different flavors of Omegaverse, Accidental Baby Acquisition, and Is Anyone Gonna Parent That Child?" and I'll read a snippet of Kon Isn't the Father or Wet Nurse Omegaverse and start foaming at the mouth and trying to pretend I care about them a Normal Human Amount.

Hahaha, yeah, no, I'm VERY used to hearing that at this point. I am of the mind that people like what they like, and if they don't like what I like, it's fine, it's just how they roll! And like, even the tropes I tend to like, I tend to like in pretty specific ways? So I don't even always like what I like, and I don't expect other authors to be perfectly up my alley, you know?

Also like . . . I regularly subvert a fair amount of the tropes I'm into, or at least I regularly TRY to, and when I don't, I still examine them pretty closely and like . . . idk, I feel like I explain them pretty thoroughly in my writing, most of the time? So I think that's why a lot of people who don't really like said tropes can get into my stuff more easily than other writers', because it's like, an entry-level approach in that way, but also not necessarily the most fandom-common approach, beause I decided to examine a different part of the trope than the genre I'm working in usually goes for.

Example: when I write DC omegaverse, I generally make Kon an omega, buuuuut the Omega Kon tag on AO3 has, like . . . less than thirty fics in it, while the ALPHA Kon tag has over a hundred--

( GOD I wish people wrote more of Kon, but that is not the point of this reply, haha )

--so like, generally speaking, I'm usually drawn to more gender-fucky and less fandom-typical interpretations when I'm doing omegaverse, which means my concepts are usually a little different from the default assumptions and therefore, like, people are a little likelier to find my stuff, I feel like? Because the tag is less flooded, if nothing else, and also because if you want Omega Kon you probably REALLY WANT IT, given the overall drought of it, hahaha.

( For the record? I didn't even like omegaverse the first time I wrote omegaverse. It was literally just supposed to be a one-off, haha. I didn't like a LOT of things it turned out I really like, the first time I wrote them! )

And also in my experience a lot of people who dislike omegaverse dislike it because they don't like how it approaches sex or gender or feel like it erases the existences and experiences of trans and queer people or just think it's super rape-y, but I get REALLY into the gender stuff and consent and DON'T, you know, forget about the existences of trans and queer people. So like . . . I'm regularly doing an entry-level approach, but also regularly doing a nontraditional approach, so I think I just tend to attract people who don't really "get" the AU/kink/genre/etc that I'm writing and also people who don't like the traditional approach to the AU/kink/genre/etc that I'm writing.

Another example: like, I love kidfic, but when I write kidfic I am writing the kids as characters in their own right, which is admittedly not always a thing that I see people want to do, or comfortable with doing? But I grew up the oldest of four kids, have worked as a nanny, am DEEPLY fascinated by child psychology, and have like . . . four niblings between the ages of three and twenty with a fifth one on the way, hah. So I have at least SOME feel for what kids are like at specific ages, developmentally-speaking, which is an issue I see pop up in a lot of kidfic too. Just like, people describing a seven year-old as being closer to toddler-sized, or having an eight year-old that talks like a high-schooler or just things like that--stuff that can inadvertantly throw somebody who Knows Kids out of a story, basically. Also I have a lot of feelings about Being A Parent as a concept, so like . . . pretty sure that gets in there too, hah.

Basically if I'm writing more than a couple thousand words about a thing, I have a lot of feelings about it?? Like a LOT of feelings.

. . . okay this reply got involved, lol. Whooooops.

Anyway! tl;dr: idk, those are just the feelings I get for why I get that comment from people pretty often?

#swordfisherking #rintalk #omegaverse #rape mention #long post

[toomanyrobins2]

Our Manhattan

Summary: An orphan all her life, Y/N is simply too old to remain at The Bowery Home any longer. That is where an anonymous patron has swooped in to send her off to college and all he requires…a monthly letter of her academic progress.

Based off the book and musical “Daddy Long Legs”

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x Reader

last part // series masterlist // next part

Notes: I'm finally getting around to updating this fic! If you would like to catch up and get more consistent updates to this story and others I would go to by AO3!

24th March, maybe the 25th

Dear Batman,

I don't believe I can be going to Heaven—I am getting such a lot of good things here; it wouldn't be fair to get them hereafter too. Listen to what has happened.

Y/N Abbott has won the short-story contest (a twenty-five dollar prize) that the Monthly holds every year. And she's a Sophomore! The contestants are mostly Seniors. When I saw my name posted, I couldn't quite believe it was true. Maybe I am going to be an author after all. I wish Mrs. Lippett hadn't given me such a silly name—it sounds like an author-ess, doesn't it?

Also I have been chosen for the spring dramatics—As You Like It out of doors. I am going to be Celia, own cousin to Rosalind.

And lastly: Harriet and Barbara and I are going to New York next Friday to do some spring shopping and stay all night and go to the theatre the next day with 'Master Brucie.' He invited us. Harriet is going to stay at home with her family, but Barbara and I are going to stop at the Martha Washington Hotel. Did you ever hear of anything so exciting? I've never been in a hotel in my life, nor in a theatre; except once when the Catholic Church had a festival and invited the orphans, but that wasn't a real play and it doesn't count.

And what do you think we're going to see? Hamlet. Think of that! We studied it for four weeks in Shakespeare class and I know it by heart.

I am so excited over all these prospects that I can scarcely sleep.

Goodbye, Bats.

This is a very entertaining world.

Yours ever,

Judy

PS. I've just looked at the calendar. It's the 28th.

Another postscript.

I saw a street car conductor today with one brown eye and one blue. Wouldn't he make a nice villain for a detective story?

 

7th April

Dear Batman,

Mercy! Isn't New York big? Worcester is nothing to it. Do you mean to tell me that you actually lived in all that confusion? I don't believe that I shall recover for months from the bewildering effect of two days of it. I can't begin to tell you all the amazing things I've seen; I suppose you know, though, since you live there yourself.

But aren't the streets entertaining? And the people? And the shops? I never saw such lovely things as there are in the windows. It makes you want to devote your life to wearing clothes.

Barbara and Harriet and I went shopping together Saturday morning. Harriet went into the very most gorgeous place I ever saw, white and gold walls and blue carpets and blue silk curtains and gilt chairs. A perfectly beautiful lady with yellow hair and a long black silk trailing gown came to meet us with a welcoming smile. I thought we were paying a social call, and started to shake hands, but it seems we were only buying hats—at least Harriet was. She sat down in “front of a mirror and tried on a dozen, each lovelier than the last, and bought the two loveliest of all.

I can't imagine any joy in life greater than sitting down in front of a mirror and buying any hat you choose without having first to consider the price! There's no doubt about it, Bats; New York would rapidly undermine this fine stoical character which the Bowery Home so patiently built up.

And after we'd finished our shopping, we met Master Bruce at Sherry's. I suppose you've been in Sherry's? Picture that, then picture the dining room of the Bowery Home with its oilcloth-covered tables, and white crockery that you can't break, and wooden-handled knives and forks; and fancy the way I felt!

I ate my fish with the wrong fork, but the waiter very kindly gave me another so that nobody noticed.

And after luncheon we went to the theatre—it was dazzling, marvellous, unbelievable—I dream about it every night.

Isn't Shakespeare wonderful?

Hamlet is so much better on the stage than when we analyze it in class; I “appreciated it before, but now, dear me!

I think, if you don't mind, that I'd rather be an actress than a writer. Wouldn't you like me to leave college and go into a dramatic school? And then I'll send you a box for all my performances, and smile at you across the footlights. Only wear a red rose in your buttonhole, please, so I'll surely smile at the right man. It would be an awfully embarrassing mistake if I picked out the wrong one.

We came back Saturday night and had our dinner in the train, at little tables with pink lamps. I never heard of meals being served in trains before, and I inadvertently said so.

'Where on earth were you brought up?' said Harriet to me.

'In a village,' said I meekly, to Harriet.

'But didn't you ever travel?' said she to me.

'Not till I came to college, and then it was only a hundred and sixty miles and we didn't eat,' said I to her.

She's getting quite interested in me, because I say such funny things. I try hard not to, but they do pop out when I'm surprised—and I'm surprised most “of the time. It's a dizzying experience, to pass eighteen years in the Bowery Home, and then suddenly to be plunged into the WORLD.

But I'm getting acclimated. I don't make such awful mistakes as I did; and I don't feel uncomfortable anymore with the other girls. I used to squirm whenever people looked at me. I felt as though they saw right through my sham new clothes to the checked ginghams underneath. But I'm not letting the ginghams bother me anymore. Sufficient unto yesterday is the evil thereof.

I forgot to tell you about our flowers. Master Bruce gave us each a big bunch of violets and lilies-of-the-valley. Wasn't that sweet of him? I never used to care much for men—judging by Trustees—but I'm changing my mind.

Yours always,

Y/N 

 

10th April

Dear Mr. Rich-Man,

Here's your cheque for fifty dollars. Thank you very much, but I do not feel that I can keep it. My allowance is sufficient to afford all of the hats that I need. I am sorry that I wrote all that silly stuff about the millinery shop; it's just that I had never seen anything like it before.

However, I wasn't begging! And I would rather not accept any more charity than I have to.

Sincerely yours,

Y/N Abbott

Bruce stared down at the check. He had barely thought about it when they had been out in the city and once Y/n had sent the letter, he’d dispatched the check without a second thought. 

Clark Kent, who had been present during the discussion about Y/N's shopping woes, entered the study with a knowing expression. "Having trouble with the whole 'helping' thing?" Clark quipped, a  smile playing on his lips.

Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just wanted to make things a bit easier for her. She didn't have to return the check."

Clark leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. "Bruce, you know Y/N at this point. She's independent and proud. Accepting help might not come naturally to her, especially from someone like you."

Bruce frowned, the frustration evident in his eyes. "But I want to help. She shouldn't have to feel lesser than her peers."

Clark nodded, understanding Bruce's genuine concern. "Maybe it's not about the help itself, but how it's offered. Try sending her a letter with a short note explaining why you sent the check. Make it personal. Sometimes, a few carefully chosen words can make a big difference."

Bruce considered Clark's suggestion, recognizing the wisdom in his friend's advice. "You think that might work?"

"Y/N's a writer, Bruce. Words matter to her. A thoughtful note can make the gesture feel less like charity and more like a friend looking out for another," Clark explained.

Taking a deep breath, Bruce reached for a pen and paper. 

Miss Abbott, I go against my rules by penning this letter but I find myself unable to let this matter go. This check is not charity but a gift from a friend who wishes to see you excel in all matters. I wish you to be able to experience all that your peers are able to. I have never sponsored a woman before and I confess that I lack the knowledge to ensure that you are equal to your peers.  I kindly request that you keep this cheque as an apology for my own failings as your patron.  Mr. Smith

As Bruce sealed the letter, he handed it to Alfred, who was passing by. "Alfred, make sure this gets to Miss Abbott. And let's hope this time, she accepts it."

#toomanyrobins #batman #batman imagine #batman x reader #bruce wayne #bruce wayne imagine #bruce wayne x reader #battison #battison imagine #dcu #dcu imagine

[adobe-outdesign]

if you haven’t yet, could you review the dragonite line?

I'll be upfront, I've always really liked this line, with Dragonair being one of my top ten favorite Pokemon. I think part of it is just the simplicity; there's just the right amount of real-world elements and fantasy elements, without too much detail to over-clutter things.

Dratini, for example, is just a small sea serpent, and there's not even a clear theme at this stage. However, details like the fins on its head and the white nose make it stand out enough so it's not overly generic. It also does a good job of looking enough like its evo while still being distinct due to most of the main elements being different (head fins, bump instead of horn, white nose, rounded underbelly, lighter color, etc.).

Speaking of its evo, Dragonair is just straight-up beautiful. The long slender body is really elegant, and the minimalist details give it just the right amount of flavor without being overbearing. It's one of the only Pokemon in my top 10 favs that earns that spot solely through visuals alone.

The new orbs on its body are perfectly placed, and their addition makes the theme of this line clear—it's an imugi, a Korean lesser dragon that only becomes a true dragon when a jewel falls from the sky every 1000 years. In addition to the theming, these orbs are also distinctive and serve to convey the vibe of a semi-mythical animal.

In addition to this, the body has some white countershading that starts and ends at the orbs, which breaks up the main body just enough. This white is then accented by the white of its horn and the two wings on its head; another unexpected element, and another very pretty one at that. As far as I'm concerned, nothing about this design could be improved.

I know some people really dislike Dragonite, but I'm going to defend it to a degree. Yes, it is much more generic than Dragonair, having lost some of its more distinctive features, and I do think that's a shame (losing the orbs makes sense because that's how imugi work, but why replace the fluffy wings with utterly generic dragon ones?). And yes, the change between it and its pre-evos is a little jarring.

HOWEVER, people tend to act like its completely detached from the rest of the line, which is just plain wrong. It still has:

The same rounded head shape

A horn

Two things on either side of the horn

A lighter-color underbelly

A smooth, curved body shape

Even thematically, the change from a serpent to a dragon ties into the imugi thing, with Dragonair obtaining the orbs and then becoming a true dragon. It's definatley not the best evolution out there in terms of memorability (it's a fairly generic dragon at this stage) or coherency, but it still makes sense as an evo.

If I were to make any tweaks to Dragonite, it would simply be to change the colors. I don't know why it suddenly becomes orange, and the change is jarring when a clear pattern was established with both of the pre-evos being blue. The line looks 200% better just by keeping the colors consistent, and you could always make the orange its shiny:

I also would've kept the wings on the back but kept the feathered look of Dragonair's; its much more interesting and would've further helped with consistency. Everything else, however, I think is fine. Not as good as its pre-evos, but certainly not awful by any means.

Side note: there's a lot of talk about this line getting something in the future. In all honestly, I don't think it needs it; it's still an iconic and well-loved line with decent stats. That said, Dragonite is one of the only psuedo-legendaries that doesn't have a new form, so I guess it would be fair enough to give it something. A regional could work, maybe something that brings Dragonite in-line with Dratini and Dragonair a bit more. I could also see a split evo being a thing.

Anyway, overall: Dratini and Dragonair are the perfect blend of mystical and normal attributes, and are quite beautiful all around. Dragonite is also good, but more generic and suffering a bit from some strange color choices. As a whole, however, this line is pretty fantastic.

#dratini #dragonair #dragonite #pokemon #pokemon reviews #outdesign attempts to edit

[kaonarvna]

About a week ago I had the desperate urge to go to an aquarium, after well over a decade of zero interest whatsoever. So today my partner and I took a little day trip to one not too far away!

Got there AT OPENING, and the car park was packed, school holidays and all. We appeared to be the only pair of childless grown men there, but that's perfectly fine! They had little foot stools at the entrance for parents to bring with them, to help their little ones see better. Very sweet. Love to see it.

Naturally I took a sketchbook with me! I don't draw from life enough, let alone creatures that are actively in motion. I expected to have a lot more difficulty with the fish, but, strangely enough, they seem to want to watch you just as much as you want to watch them.

The Pacu (tambaqui!) were in a massive tank probably four or five meters in diameter, with a handful of massive, meter-long catfish and some rays in there with them. They swam around the perimeter in a long train, so we had continuous moving reference.

The rays seemed just as interested in me as I was in them. Little guys would go right up to the edge of th glass to check you out. While I imagine they're accustomed to seeing loads of children, I'd imagine sustained attention from someone sat there for a few minutes isn't too common.

There were LOADS of turtles, all rescues from the exotic pet trade. The rays, pacus, and catfish were also rescues. People not realising just how big they'll become and all. Took all my self restraint not to reach out and touch the turtles. ALL my restraint. So so tempting.

I didn't expect monkeys, but there were absolutely butt loads of marmosets in a big enclosure full of enrichment. Plants, ropes, bridges, trees, rocks, the whole nine yards. I think we were the first ones to get to them today, as we were alone with them, and got a fair bit of prolonged eye contact by the glass. Little guy I ended up sketching paused feasting to stare at me, and I stared back, of course.

Two big ol reef sharks were doing laps in a tank with a tunnel going through, along with the moray, the mullet, and oodles more. Huge, huge tanks.

Most importantly there were SEALS! And a wee seal hospital. They had three little ones there, all named for fruit. They were all resting, big squishy potatoes. "Raspberry" sat up and stared at us with those big black eyes for a hot minute, and flopped over to the glass to check us out. Big amorphous mammal blobs. I love em, I do.

All in all, 10/10 good day trip. Good aquarium. Seems to be (for the most part) doing rescue, restoration, and education work. I always worry a little, with zoos/aquariums/anything with animals on display whether it's,,, slimy. But this place felt good, couldn't taste any chlorine or nastiness in the air, always a good sign! Good day out.

#art #artistsoninstagram #doodles #sketch #Fish #aquarium #aquatic #sharks #sketchbook #stingray #sea life #seals #harbor seal #traditionalart #traditional art #traditional drawing #traditional sketch #live sketching #live drawing #Turtles #reptile #knv art

[on-partiality]

On the topic of judging historical figures by modern morals

This is heavily opinionated, and it's a topic I've seen debated a lot, so I figured as an American Revolutionary War account I'd give my take on it. I'd love to hear other people's takes, as long as we keep the discussion civil and respectful. Thank you!

There are so many things that were considered fine years ago but wouldn't be tolerated at all in modern society, and that's not a bad thing. In fact, it's good; it shows just how much we as a species have improved over time. I think it's beautiful that we've managed to come this far. However, because we as a society have advanced so much, the past starts to seem barbaric, and it'll only seem worse as we improve more and we'll have a longer list of what we see as wrong.

I don't believe it's fair to hold people who've been dead for years and years to a modern standard because how could they possibly know that what they were doing would be seen as horrible in the future if it was fine in their day? What if after we die, driving cars is seen as absolutely unnacceptable (bad example, but I couldn't think of anything that's acceptable now but could be horrible in the future)? We would have had no way of knowing that it would be seen as such an intolerable act and what if because driving cars would be seen as bad, any and all achievements we'd made would be dismissed and we'd be villainised for something we never could've had anyway of knowing would be wrong in future? It'd be unjust. The fact that I had to come up with an example proves that we have no way of knowing what'll be considered horrible in future, we can only guess.

But when a historical figure did something that was wrong even for their time, That's a completely different situation because then the 'they couldn't possibly know that it'd be seen as bad in the future' justification doesn't work anymore. I believe that it's perfectly fair to despise those kinds of historical figures because they would've known that what they were doing was wrong. such as men like Thomas Jefferson, who publicly spoke out against slavery but profited off of it, owned lots of slaves, and started having non-consensual relations with a girl who was considered too young even by 18th-century standards.

Also, when I say it's fair to hate such historical figures, I think I need to add: do not to hate on people for their favourite historical figure; some people like studying controversial men. I hate Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, but I wouldn't belittle anyone who likes them and I can understand that they did a lot for America. It's incredibly important that, regardless on how much you love or hate a historical figure you have to remember the most important part about studying history: nuance! Everyone's morally grey and the best historians, anthropologists, etc. understand that looking at everything with a shallow black and white bad and good isn't going to get you anywere!

In conclusion, I believe that we shouldn't judge people by standards they never knew would exist and instead judge them by the standards of their day. Every person in the history of the world is morally grey and if you can't understand or don't want to acknowledge that nuance (the most important part of studying this kind of thing!) then history isn't for you.

#history #amrev #just going to tag all history fandoms #frev #civil war #american history #french history #controversial opinion? #opinion #controversial #american revolutionary war #world history #historical #19th century #18th century #16th century #17th century #1600s #1910s #american revolution #revwar #hamilton #thomas jefferson #us history #anthropology

[bemusedlybespectacled]

Hi I also don't take anons at face-value, but I'd you search "Palestine" on vaspider's blog you see posts talking about Israel's "right to exist" and how supporting Israel is embedded in Jewish culture. They're not a bloodthirsty zionist, but they still overtly support the occupation of Palestine

Okay, thank you, this is stuff I can actually investigate! (And I did, I spent a good several hours reading their blog and then getting sidetracked by Wikipedia)

So, I searched "israel," "palestine," "colonial" and "right to exist" (that last one didn't bring up anything relevant) on their blog. What I have seen:

a bunch of posts saying essentially the same thing that I did (that "Zionist" isn't a hugely useful term without explanation or context and is often used as a dogwhistle)*

at least one post explicitly against Netanyahu

several posts about how discussing Zionism/criticism of Israel can end up antisemitic and how to avoid being antisemitic while still criticizing Israel

a shitload of posts about not conflating Judaism with Zionism/Israel (e.g. conflating celebrating Hanukah with being in support of Israel)

at least one post about how defending Israel is not the same thing as defending antisemitism and how focusing on Israel doesn't help people in the US

a post about an Israeli teenager getting disciplined for being pro-Palestine (presented as a bad thing for the school to do)

several posts in support of Israel in the sense of agreeing that Jews are indigenous to the area (therefore the creation of Israel was not a settler-colonial endeavor, but rather diasporic people returning) and that Israel is necessary to avoid white supremacy in the diaspora

at least one post about how the Jewish experience in the diaspora differs significantly from that in Israel and how that can mean Israeli people don't get why diasporic Jews are offended by certain things that they aren't

and a shitload of posts about being Jewish generally

*A lot of these posts discuss what Zionism can mean, which can include the right of Israel to exist. At least one of them included the idea that it is possible to be a Zionist and still support Palestine, because of the different things Zionism means to different people.

Most of the posts explicitly about Israel (both positive and negative) were from 2017ish and earlier. I think it's fair for me to say that I don't feel comfortable trying to divine what their position is now based on evidence from over seven years ago.

I have not seen any posts suggesting that supporting Israel is embedded in Jewish culture. If anything, I have seen posts suggesting the opposite.

I agree that it's shitty to ask Jews about their thoughts on Israel because they are Jewish, harass them because of the belief that being Jewish automatically means they support Israel, or assume that any practice of Judaism is a signal of support of Israel, for the same reason it's shitty to ask Muslims about their feelings about ISIS or assuming they are terrorists because they are practicing Islam.

I also agree that criticism of Israel can be co-opted as antisemitic rhetoric, in the same way that valid criticisms of capitalism or corporate control of media can end up being co-opted as antisemitic rhetoric.

The much trickier questions are whether Israel is or isn't a settler-colonial state (and whether the creation of Israel was a regaining of previously-colonized/conquered lands by indigenous people), whether it has "the right to exist," and the necessity of it both at the time of the Holocaust and currently as a haven against antisemitism.

I'm going to be very clear here: I think it is completely okay to debate those things. I think it's perfectly fine to say something like, "I think that the creation of Israel was necessary at the time, but that doesn't justify the Nakba" or "the creation of Israel was an act of colonial violence, but any solution needs to address the very real concern that Jews have about being genocided" or even "I think Israel is/isn't a settler-colonial state for XYZ reasons" (not that these are things that I have seen vaspider say; they are hypothetical examples).

For me to be comfortable with someone's differing political opinions, I at least need to have a basic shared floor of values with them (this is why I continue to follow anarchists even though I am a filthy statist). For me, that floor is thinking that what Israel is doing right now isn't a genocide, or is in any way justified or understandable, or that antisemitism is in any way justified in response. How it should be stopped is a different question than if it should be or not, and I can only engage with the former.

Things like whether Israel's existence is justifiable – which then get into discussions of how it was formed and why – are relevant to both the "how" and the "if." If it is in furtherance of the "how" discussion (e.g. "we agree that the situation should stop, but how will we do that given XYZ"), I'm okay with that. If it's in furtherance of "and this is why I think the current genocide is okay," then I'm not. And to be clear, this goes in both directions: "I think Israel is a settler-colonial state because the driving force behind it was the Holocaust, which didn't actually happen" is also crossing a line for me. It's the purpose of the argument being made, not whether the argument is being made at all, that I care about.

From my review – which I think was pretty deep, but Tumblr never shows you everything when you search for stuff and it is 100% possible that I missed something or just failed to catch some kind of subtle insinuation – I get the sense that the purpose of the discussion is about the "how," not the "if." I recognize that not everyone draws that line the same way that I do, or has a very different floor than I do: I'm talking about me personally, not what I think other people should have.

I am genuinely thankful to this anon - I realize that might come off as snarky, but I'm being completely serious. Had I found stuff that crossed my internal line, I would have made a different call, and I wouldn't have gone looking in the first place if I didn't have something to look for. I can't make a call either way if I have nothing to go on at all.

#askbox #personal #Anonymous

[mothmans-wedding-photographer]

Finished Thunder! Here are my thoughts (spoilers obviously):

SQUIRRELSTAR SQUIRRELSTAR WE WON

Oh my I have so many mixed feelings on this book. I mean first of all I'm so excited for Squirrelstar but I digress. Also I'm pretty good with Ivypool deputy, I was rooting for Twigbranch but she was my second option :)

Frostpaw and Whistlepaw's friendship was so cute, Whistlepaw cares so much for her :) and I loved the bonding between Frostpaw and Nightheart, they're such good friends. It's nice to see Nightheart with someone with problems a lot worse than his, gives him some perspective.

The fact that Frostpaw was spayed is... interesting. I hope the story team doesn't make her be a medicine cat because "hey i can't have kits what's even the point of being a warrior :(" in real life TNR is great but from the perspective of humanized cats it feels so awful :(. Im not entirely against the plotline, I just hope it's handled well.

I hate Riverstar in this book he's so annoying and OOC. I did like the fact that they essentially sent Frostpaw to therapy to work through some of her trauma though lmao. Waffle is so cute, and I love Rook and Bee. I felt Wasp was a bit of an odd choice to come back to the Clans but whatever.

CURLFEATHER COMFIRMED EVIL YES our first main series female villain and she's complex?? She's awful and she used her kid, but she still loves her enough to sacrifice her life?? That's so cool. Splashtail is fine ig

Nightheart really did not need a POV this book lmao he just spent it worrying about Sunbeam. I do like that he's learning he's not the main character though lol, and again his friendship with Frostpaw is so sweet.

Sunbeam was sooo good this book I loved how they showed her learning to want to be in ThunderClan for ThunderClan, not just Nightheart. And she girlbossed when she stood up to her mom and Cherryfall, she's no longer a pushover! Character development.

I will say that argument at the start of the book between Bramble and Squirrel was stupid like ah yes the perfectly mentally capable woman somehow walked STRAIGHT INTO ANOTHER CLANS TERRITORY without realizing but somehow Bramble with his deteriorating mental state is right. Not misogynistic at all

OTTER CAMEO WHOOHOO

The ending with Berryheart was so anticlimactic and awful like she gets exiled for?? Expressing that she doesn't agree with her leader?? What the actual fuck??? I know she's xenophobic but she's not being exiled for that, she's being exiled for exercising her rights. Thanks I hate it! I wanted her to get kicked for like. Getting someone killed, or starting a fight, not this bullshit. Also Puddleshine miss me with that shit about how "one grudge can exploit this new code" like yeah ok but he's fucking invading and controlling another Clan, even if he has good intentions that's still a fair thing to be mad about?? (To be fair though Berryheart was being more xenophobic than on the side of RiverClan's freedom so I guess I can see where Puddleshine's coming from. I guess)

Speaking of why are all the protagonists so forgiving of Tigerheartstar like "he invaded, beat up, threatened to kill, and forcefully took control of this Clan and gets mad when people question him but he just has good intentions UwU" like no.

Splashstar real? That's going to be interesting. And I'm excited to see more of Podlight as a character

Overall an ok book, probably my least favourite of the arc so far but I still enjoyed most of it

#warrior cats #wc #asc #asc thunder spoilers #asc thunder #a starless clan thunder #a starless clan #frostpaw #whistlepaw #nightheart #sunbeam wc #berryheart #tigerheartstar #squirrelstar #squirrelflight #ivypool

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Allow me to kickstart the SIX AU, because clearly we both want this. Modern day setting, but there's still magic and the miracle, Pedro still sacrificed himself during an attack, the Madrigals still help their town and all that. But, Bruno doesn't leave, because his vision shows the six grandkids confronting Abuela and performing onstage, he's very proud of them. He is intentionally vague, only telling Alma everything will be fine, but Alma is still paranoid and so still pushes Mirabel aside. Mirabel is a very observant and smart child, she noticed right away that people started treating her differently following her failed ceremony, and between her attempts to please Alma and her embellishment projects, she observed her sisters and cousins, watching them do their chores and noticing how they were also being treated. But, since that was all she knew, as Alma had raised both her children and grandchildren very sheltered from the world, she assumed it was normal. That was until Mirabel's thirteenth birthday, when she was allowed access to the internet. Now, due to being kept busy by their chores, none of the other grandkids use the internet or are online that much, but Mirabel has all the time in the world and is eager to soak up all the information the internet has to offer, so she dives in head first, researching any and all topics she can think of. Soon enough, the topic of family finds its way into her search bar, and that's where she first learns about toxic and abusive family relationships, and the more she researches it, the more red flags she sees in her own family, and it doesn't take her long to realize Alma is the root of the problem. One by one, she talks with her sisters and cousins, with the exception of Antonio since he's so young, and with her heaps of evidence both from observing them and researching mental health eventually gets them to open up about their problems and helps them realize how awful the way Alma treats them is. When Antonio's ceremony rolls around, the other grandkids realize Antonio is already feeling the pressure of Alma's expectations, and that it'll only get worse regardless of whether he gets a gift or not. They confronted Alma and the other adults the day after Antonio's ceremony, as they didn't think it was fair to deny Antonio his chance of getting a gift, telling them about the awful way Alma treated them and how unhappy they all were, Mirabel even pointing out the way the triplets were mistreated. Alma tried to rebuff their statements, but with Mirabel using her research to provide an extensive list of the negative effects of Alma's parenting style and pointing out examples of those effects in the family, there was no room to argue, and the whole family rallied against Alma and kicked her out of Casita. The town was shocked when they realized Alma was kicked out, and Alma began to talk with people, trying to sway them to her side, Dolores heard it all of course, and knew they needed to set the record straight and expose Alma for everything she did to them, between her, Isabela, Luisa, and Camilo, they decided to form a band and turn the story of their abuse and neglect into a performance, which eventually evolved into a competition as the four of them argued who should be leader of the band. Antonio was eager to join the band but Mirabel needed a LOT of convincing, and only agreed on the condition that she could design all their costumes, the adults fully supported the kids, their parents agreed to be the musicians and Bruno was in charge of the lights and set design. Finally, the day of the performance came, and it was a night no one would forget.

Dolores is Aragon, as she was also overlooked in favor of someone who was considered better, Camilo is Boleyn, their personalities line up perfectly, Antonio is Seymour, due to his age, he didn't suffer from Alma's pressure and abuse the way the others had and so has the most positive view of Alma, Isabela is Cleves, now that she's free of her restraints of perfectionism, she's showing off her power and freedom all while rubbing it in Alma's face, Luisa is Howard, she was used and overworked by many people in Encanto, and Mirabel is Parr, she has joined the band reluctantly and doesn't want any part of the competition, as she's the only one that sees that by continuing to fight over 'who had it worse' they are allowing Alma to still have control over their lives. Mirabel also came up with their version of the rhyme, obviously inspired by Henry's six wives, she sneaks in references to them whenever she can, as she sees herself and the grandkids in them, the rhyme is this:

Observer, Performer, Adored,

Perfection, Protection, Ignored.

I already have the AU planned out?

It’s just the fact I haven’t posted about it because it never came close to winning the polls, so I didn’t think people would be interested.

Being in a modern universe kind of defeats a lot of Encanto’s plot/story (Alma’s behaviour would have been recognised and she would probably have received some kind of therapy, therefore preventing any mistreatment of the family) but also ruins the idea of SIX. The queens are meant to be reincarnated, coming back to reclaim their stories for their own. It doesn’t land the same if the grandkids are still alive and saying this to Alma/her supporters in the present - they still have the chance to reclaim their stories and give themselves happy endings in actuality. The queens obviously can’t do that.

They’d need to live a life to have it get screwed over. Alma isn’t to blame for Camilo’s identity issues, so he has no leg to stand on in this competition; and Antonio is five, not mistreated at all, and not old enough to see SIX/get the joke of what they are doing. They would have to all live and die, in a similar fashion to Reincarnation - where the canon ending doesn’t happen and they all become miserable.

My two ideas for going down a SIX AU are:

Essentially a recreation of Tudor history but with the Madrigals. There are six queens - divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. They are reincarnated, form a pop group and compete to be the lead of the band based on who had the worst time because of their husband.

This wouldn’t include the boys, instead the mothers. *Most likely: Pepa - Aragon, Isabela - Boleyn, Julieta - Seymour, Luisa - Cleves, Dolores - Howard, Mirabel - Parr

Or, similar to Reincarnation, the canon ending doesn’t happen and everyone ends up dying. Not too sure what the order is. They are reincarnated, form a pop group and compete to be the lead of the band based on who was treated the worse by Alma/who had the worst time.

This has several options of who makes up the six

Option one - the same six ladies as seen above. They are the ones are the most under appreciated or villainised in the fandom, and would deserve a chance to clear up that misconception.

Option two - keep it to the four ladies of Reincarnation, as I’m already using the idea of SIX there anyways, and have this as more of a spin-off AU to that. *Most likely: Dolores - Aragon/Seymour, Isabela - Boleyn, Luisa - Cleves/Parr, Mirabel - Howard/Parr

Option three - use the six/five grandkids. (I might just abandon Antonio altogether because he is five). *Most likely (though it may change): Dolores - Aragon/Seymour, Isabela - Boleyn, Camilo - ?, Luisa - Cleves, Mirabel - Howard/Parr

*These may be subject to change.

#encanto #ask me anything

[natsmagi]

Hiii original anon here

So um. I was kinda in a bad mood when I sent you that ask because you're like the main femstars artist I see and was complaining privately to people about how much I hate how a lot of femstars artists draw the characters because every time I've seen femstars art the character is guaranteed to have big boobs ONLY IF they're skinny. I just think it's frustrating to see and why I hate femstars in the first place. I also just think from experience I've never actually met people with that big a cup size who are that skinny so it all just feels unrealistic and just sexualised. You don't "owe me" anything, that's true, I just suppose I'm mad that most femstars artists all draw similar body types.

hiii thank you for responding!! and i mean. thats fair enough. i can understand your frustrations. but at the same time i feel its misguided. your experience is your experience of course, but just because you havent seen XYZ doesnt mean it doesnt exist, and its rude to then label it "unrealistic" and "sexualized," not to mention then go out of your way to shame people for portraying it. i have family members with this body type. its a perfectly normal body that people can have and they obviously should not be shamed for it or sexualized just because of how they look. pushing for more body diversity doesnt mean we should eradicate other body types, it just means we should acknowledge their existences in unison

it is also unfair to get mad at us artists for drawing characters skinny when the canonical cast is skinny. there are many facets to this topic, its not something black and white, but getting angry at the body type rather than the misogyny that makes being TMA with curves a living hell? the misogyny that reduces us to our bodies and appearance? the misogyny that doesnt view us as people, but rather objects? thats just wrong. people with this body type do not deserve to be shamed for who they are or how they look. and people who portray this body type do not deserve the shame either

i do think your heart is in the right place, as we're all aware of how gross people can be over bodies like that, but again; that is not the fault of the person WITH the body. nor are artists at fault for simply drawing it. the issue is misogyny, and if youre not careful you'll only end up perpetuating the harm that got us here in the first place. so please think critically and do research before repeating the same talking points you hear from the people around you

AND THATS FINE TOO! honestly people shittalk me all the time, at least you had the nerve to say it to my face so ill give you credit there

#ask #and again........ if you really want to see a change in femstars portrayals you are more than welcome to draw it yourself #there are many people out there who view tsumugi similarly to you #im sure they would love to see your stuff! #art isnt exactly the easiest thing in the world but if we want something done right we unfortunately have to do it ourselves #im gonna keep doing what i love and sincerely i hope you do too #i dont want you to be angry and bitter over things like this #because i do think you have good intentions #but this really isnt the way to go about it. who does body-shaming help? #theres far better ways go to about this

[sullina]

hey

are you someone who would like to write but can't seem to get started? Despite being at no loss of ideas?

Here's a tip. Especially for your first work and especially the first draft.

forget originality

that sounds mean now, but listen: every concept imaginable has been done by someone before. There will always be unoriginal concepts in every single work.

But that doesn't make these concepts bad

Because what actually matters is how you use them.

So if you're trying to write something, one of the best first steps you can take is probably just getting laid out what you want to write. Like, what concepts do you want in your work? What things did you like from other works? What characters from other works do you like, and why?

For your very first draft, when you're just starting out, it's perfectly fine to borrow building blocks from others.

Because here's a little secret: unless you're copying one single media word for word, those building blocks will rarely look the same after you've written down your idea and trying to fit everything together.

it's 100% fair to take concepts from other works and use them in your own writing. Because over the course of actually writing your own story, you will also make those borrowed concepts your own.

Sure, it's been done before...

but no one's done it like you yet.

And here's a second tip: if an idea you had or concept you like doesn't work for the thing you're writing anymore, it's okay to let go.

You don't have to throw it out completely, but maybe put it on the shelf for now. Once you're further along with your writing, you might just see the perfect opportunity to reintroduce it in a new way.

I wouldn't call myself an experienced writer just yet, but if there's one thing I've learned already, it's that crafting a story is NOT a straight line. There's bumps and sometimes you go in circles, and then there might be a point where you have an absolute genius idea or you realize that something you already wrote is an amazing setup for this next thing.

So it's not linear. At all. But you have to keep going.

Not everything you write is gonna make it into the final work, but it's still important that you write it. Because you can't make a thing without going through the process of making it. Fails and dropped ideas are as much part of this process as every success and genius idea.

And one final tip for you. Choose a medium to write in that you actively like doing, and doing a lot. By this i mean: writing on your computer is convenient for sure, but it's not the only way to write.

I've found that I fucking love writing by hand with a fountain pen, and it's something that I can do for hours at a time. And don't get me wrong, I do like typing on a computer and I'm not half bad at it, but going back to fix typos? Super annoying. it's fine if I'm making a short tumblr post like this (though i probably have a different definition of "short" than most people), but the outline of my current work in progress is almost 80 pages now. if that were digital, it would probably be more like... 40 pages or something, depending on the font and size, but my point is that digital typing, while convenient, is also annoying to me, personally.

And, ironically, also too quick. I like to think as I write and with digital typing, i have to focus too much on actually typing, but when I'm handwriting, i don't have that problem. I can go relatively quick and it's not like I don't make typos while handwriting, but crossing out one letter and putting the correct one over it is much faster than having to backspace and re-write an entire word (I could use the arrow keys but like. who has the damn time. too fiddly.)

My point here is not that digital writing is terrible and sucks, my point is that if you're gonna write, then you're gonna be doing the action of writing a whole damn lot, so make sure you can do it as comfortably as possible. For me, that's handwriting, for you, it might not be.

...if there's anyone who WILL spring for handwriting though, let me give you one final piece of advice: it might be wise to not go for pretty notebooks, for fear of "ruining" them. I knew this from myself already, so i instead went for regular notebooks, the kind that i used to use for school. The paper is good quality and the fountain pen that I have feels so nice when writing on it. You might think "but that's just small stuff!" and yeah it is, but small stuff can quickly become very very big stuff if it's building up over months or years.

#writing advice #i hope it's good advice #but either way that's my take on it #i see lots of advice on how to best write a story but not so much for how to do the actual action of writing #as in physically (or digitally) putting words down #because i think that's just as important #or maybe that's just me idk #but something to consider i guess