I think the thing I really love about Desert Duo is the warmth between them.

The way they banter and poke and prod at each other but always with an undercurrent of fondness. Scar teases about Grian's secret soulmate, Grian huffs that his heart is for someone special, Scar whispers with Pearl about ideas to mess with their soulmates, Grian mutters about leaving the desert all season. They both stay. They both giggle together and quickly drop any faux hurt.

The way they play each other. Scar coaxes Grian into doing work for him, Grian snatches a life away from Scar, Scar practically robs Grian blind through 'fair trade', Scar stabs Grian in the back in Thirdlife, Grian stabs Scar in the back in Limited Life. It's all in good fun. They sigh and roll their eyes and smile.

The way they gravitate towards each other. Easily partnering in Thirdlife, dancing around an alliance in both Last Life and Limited Life, being paired by the universe in Double Life, trying to reach for each other only to be torn apart by the universe in Secret Life. They meld easily together, like whispered plans and a presence beside each other is the most natural thing in the world.

The way they understand each other. "You and me, we know monopolies" Scar says, and Grian smiles. "Why DON'T you come along with me?" Grian giggles, and Scar can breathe for the first time all session.

Can you guys HEAR me I'm so NORMAL-

if you had life eternal

can you hear me say your name forever?

i finally on my way to finishing my gerry portrait i just have to colour him next and render but i was just too excited to share him now with this colour palette !!!

Hunt!! She's a Mightyena from a personal oc story i have about Pokemon who were abandoned by their trainers making their own civilization :3

Can I just say I like size stealers. Mmmmm.

Deefault Mode Network :3

WOWZA. Loved the new stain chapter. I wondered if you could share your thoughts concerning why Alex is still so obsessed Sebastian this many years out of highschool (considering they hardly interacted since). He even expressed that it's love! Obviously they are both very changed now and hardly know anything about eachother. So why is Alex still so attached? I'd love to hear your perspective, thank u Pia!!

Hi hi anon!

So, yeah, Alex knows he's in love with Sebastian and has known it for a while. He admits that in chapter 9, and hasn't ever really flinched away from it.

As for why... No one really knows exactly why they fall in love with the people they do. Or at least, many people don't. It's often not logical, and you sometimes meet people who are way better logical matches and never feel anything more than fondness or general affection. Love is kind of messy like that, and I don't have a neat, logical answer for you, because emotions really hate those :D

I don't think it's true that Alex knows hardly anything about Sebastian. He knows a lot of things about Sebastian, because he's observed him so closely, for a long time. He knows Sebastian has friends but still perceives himself as a loner. He knows Sebastian thinks he's better than the town. He knows Sebastian likes frogs, likes to keep a clean home, is gay, and cares a great deal about making sure people get paid equitably no matter what the job is which gives him a good idea of Sebastian's political leanings.

He knows Sebastian's cologne, the foods he likes to eat, what he likes to drink, and what he likes to wear. He knows how Sebastian lives and that he likes to game and enjoys media. He knows Sebastian is interested these days in staying fit but tends to do it via fighting in the mines, and he knows Sebastian is a very adept hunter. He knows Sebastian has poor communication skills and he knows Sebastian is very good at picking clothes that flatter his appearance.

He knows Sebastian is extremely smart, and very bright in areas relating to maths, science and IT, and that he could probably do anything he wanted to. He knows Sebastian was married, and he knows Sebastian has come from a relatively broken home that looks neater on the outside than it really was. He knows Sebastian lived in the basement for a while and while that sounded super depressing, it was actually a huge space that was one of the largest areas in the house. He knows Sebastian comes from privilege, and doesn't really know what it's like to experience poverty or true deprivation. He knows Sebastian has a mean streak and an ugly streak and can be malicious, and that he's very good at verbal sparring, and he knows Sebastian cares about animals, and also wants to look after people.

I could go on, but I don't think we can really say 'Alex knows nothing about Sebastian' because if anything he knows more about Sebastian now than he ever has. The discrepancy is that we can't say the same for Sebastian when it comes to Alex. He's only learning piecemeal, and it's happening slowly. If anything, Alex is more attached now than he used to be.

Alex finds Sebastian handsome, he feels an electric thrill when he's around him, when he looks at him, he thinks 'that's one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen.' He finds Sebastian interesting as a person, even though he doesn't necessarily trust Sebastian to always really care for him in turn, he knows that Sebastian at least cares a little. He wants to make Sebastian happy and proud of him, and he wants to impress him, and he wants to make him smile, and has thought more than once that he would do just about anything to keep making him smile.

Like, he just loves him. It's something that's grown stronger - not weaker - with time. The more he gets to know Sebastian, the more he wants to spend time with him.

I'm sure Alex has asked himself 'why did I fall in love with him of all people' many, many times, and he doesn't know either. I'm sure he's looked for solutions, and tried to not feel that way, but brains and bodies do what they do.

Love rarely makes sense. That's why not all relationships work just because you love someone, because many of us fall in love with people we're completely incompatible with on a fairly regular basis. Love isn't enough to make a relationship (or friendship) work. You need a lot more than that.

A wonderful thing I discovered today: r/AdventuresofGalder

Not so much to read for fun, unless you want to cry, but just wonderful that it exists. Humanity really is out here, caring for each other in so many ways.

Basically, when a D&D/TTRPG player friend dies, you can tell their tales there, and other people can use their character(s) in their games, as NPCs. People talk about and remember their friends together. And so, they go on adventuring (go on living), in a way that they loved.

Oh also made of a ref for myself today, for fun!

being an vietnamese american kid is weird.

i've personally never gone through the 'i want to be white' phase. that's never happened for me. i've always loved vietnam and vietnamese culture. sometimes i just don't feel vietnamese enough. i love my culture, but what's the point of loving it if i can't even speak the language? i love my country, but what's the point of loving it if i don't look like the people there? there's always going to be a huge disconnect between me and vietnam. i love it, but do i understand it? i don't know. what's the point of trying to find out everything i can about my home country when i'll never be able to experience firsthand what it's like to be a true vietnamese citizen?

How are you today? ♡

-V

I don't know. What do you want? Why are you here?

life fucking sucks sometimes

i swear people need to start looking at peoples bios and limits, tbh if someone doesn't write smth you wanna see write it yourself lol, don't blatantly ignore peoples limits‼️

literally, it pisses me off so much. and then people ask me what i have against it-like that's literally not the point?? i don't wanna write it, i won't write it. i don't owe them anything and i don't have to explain myself if i don't want to.

i put way too much time into writing to write about something that i don't want to. and i think that people forget that.

sometimes I think about how life and circumstances can just be so difficult and hard in such different and contrasting individual ways that being swept away from a person you love by the sheer force of your different journeys feels inevitable at certain points and it makes me want to SHRIEK into the abyss and weep into the throw pillow of my grief but then I remember that love is a choice and it’s about the choosing and one reach back across what feels like a chasm can have the most beautiful ripple effects if the other person wants to reach back too

had to go back and read the snippet bc i was briefly terrified jamie got a face tattoo lmao

HDBSHVDJSDHSJJS no he likes his own face far too much for that

It’s on his other arm and Roy’s first question is going to be if he tried again to actually get “arm” this time

And he’s gonna go for short sleeves for a while to get it noticed but it’s also not that big and easily covered by his long sleeves. Plus it’s really only embarrassing when he starts talking about it and what he asked for (because who knows what it actually says… certainly not him)

🎤 Is there a song you know all the lyrics to?

🌸 Best compliment you ever received?

🎤 the entire early Backstreet Boys catalogue? 😆 and now you all know everything you need to know about 12 year old me.

Beyond that I’m more a melody person than a lyric person. I usually know the chorus and that’s it.

🌸 the one that popped to mind was when I was comforting a student who had just transitioned from her foster home back to her mom. She was struggling. Home was still not a very stable place. I let her stay in with me at lunch just to chat and hang out. Another teacher saw what was happening and slipped a note into my hand about what an amazing teacher I was.

throwback to this afternoon where for the first time i accidentally twitched in-front of my mom (usually i try to suppress my twitches in front of family bc they're involuntary and i don't want anyone mocking or asking about it) and my mom told me to "stop twitching like you have something" in the most irritated tone like i was doing it on purpose.