what are your favourite genres for books/manga?

PAC: 11/11 Self-Care Messages 🍊🌚🦂

Hey y'all. I'm here to take a brief break from NaNoWriMo (I've been making big progress, I swear!). I've heard from some astrologers that this new moon is going to be rather strong, similar to the energy of the full moon.

After some scouring through the web to find horoscopes that weren't all doom and gloom, I figured now would be a good time to draw some cards for a few wellness messages. This was done to check current mood and energy and suggest healing or wellness methods mainly for stress relief.

I emphasize that if you have a real medical issue, best to take it to a doctor, even if you're thinking it's possibly a psychic thing.

Please choose your pile based on palette color below:

Pile 1 - Tropics Pile 2 - Pinkadelic Pile 3 - Mysterious Night Pile 4 - Solar Energy

Take care~☼

Pile 1: Tropics

The World, Peace, Surrender, Salt Bath, Receive, King of Cups, Knight of Swords, Seven of Coins

So you've done it, or it's been done. You've checked the items off your list. You've asked others if there was more to do only to be met with shaking heads saying "no, but thanks." So what to do now? It's easy to get used to this position of needing to be the big helper all the time. A king of cups taking on the world wants to solve every problem and won't rest until everyone is satisfied. But what would all of that take? Is it worth draining your cup, especially when others are learning to rely on it so much?

Your cards are suggesting a much needed rest time. If it's not a salt bath, then try just resting in bed, a brief sunbath, or a massage therapy session. It's not just resting your body, but your mind. You got two color cards which fell out. Surrender the mind for peace within the body. They're linked in this case. Knight of Swords says whatever happens to one will quickly affect the other. Recovery may take some time so please give yourself space to breathe.

This could be a specific message for some out there. I felt a brief pang in my chest that went away as soon as your reading was finished. I don't usually interpret this Salt Bath card in such a literal way, but… please watch your salt intake, more or less, make sure you're getting iodized salt. Some of you may be worried about doctor's visits? Just make sure you're drinking enough water in between salty meals. Keep your stress levels down, above all.

Take care of your heart health and try not to run yourself ragged with too many assignments and crisis alerts going off (what the heck there's a random phone alarm going off in my house now JUST as I'm typing this! And then it stopped as soon as I got up! Crazy). The message is to not respond to every single call and alarm that goes off okay! You definitely need time to rest, and boundaries for said rest. I mean deeply rest and clear your mind, let yourself suspend from the schedule with some suds. You can't get away to paradise forever, but you can create for yourself a moment in time.

Pile 2: Pinkadelic

Five of Coins, Trust, Bodega Cat, Acceptance, VI The Lovers, XVII Star, Ace of Cups

Tick tock, you've been waiting a while for this to come around in your life. I feel this is strongly a love related reading but let's see. If it's not a romantic partner you're attracting, it's a fresh start at life or spiritual awakening, the feeling of falling in love again with life. You've likely been waiting for a while, stuck in a limbo state, learning how to remain comfortable or at least steady in the unknown. Yet you're eager for that "more" or "other" kind of experience. The type of manifestation that makes life feel magical and new.

You need a quick pep talk. I might get a little cheesy with the message, but here goes: For anyone who has yet to meet you, you are that magic spark in their life. You're radiating the energy of wish making and affection and that has an effect on others around you. You're already on the way to attracting the one who will properly recognize that for you. I'm picking up on a lot of artists in this pile. Your magic seeps through to your art, your aura or energy rubs off onto what you make, and somebody special will see the talent in your work. You have way more talent in the arts than you think.

With that said, the Bodega Cat is a lucky cat here to remind you of your independence. You ultimately don't need anyone to come along and remind you of how amazing your work is. Once you see it for yourself, they will come. Once you see it as done, they will show. Perhaps more than it may seem right now. Just like the cat can be itself and people will show up to pet it and take pictures, whatever you bring forth will carry that same unique charm naturally.

You may be in the mood to go on a shopping spree. Treat yourself to something small and nice, like candy or a new t-shirt, it doesn't have to be extravagant. I recommend affirmations specifically on self-love for you, pile 2. Take a mirror marker and write nice things on your mirror. Pet a lucky cat when one stops by, as well! Sweeten your water with some fresh fruit for a sensual touch. Trust and believe. All of this beautiful magical energy is bursting outwards from you! Accept the wish that's there out in front of you.

Pile 3: Mysterious Night

Three of Swords, Growth, Dandelion, Perspective, XII Hanged Man, King of Swords, X Wheel of Fortune

I can tell that whatever has happened in the last few months, you've taken on a hurdle of challenges to get to where you are now. You've had to learn some harsh lessons, some of which may have felt like they were coming out of nowhere. The word 'Disappointment' was clear and capitalized. It seemed like you took many chances or opportunities on, only to be spun around and left in the dark to figure things out on your own. This last cycle was a particular struggle to build resilience while maintaining the motivation to keep moving toward your goals.

But look, you got both the Growth and Dandelion card in your reading! This is truly signifying how much you've really fought back and continued to nurture yourself in spite of the circumstances thrown in your face over and over. There's a spirit of not giving up even when you let yourself have the chance to process the feeling otherwise. Determination isn't about pretending to be happy in spite of comebacks. Disappointments happen; it's a chance to cry it out before smiling again, it's an umbrella and rain coat to let the day rain from time to time instead of expecting the skies to always stay clear.

You've weathered so much and gained an abundance of wisdom this past season, it's like at this point you're gearing up to be ready for whatever comes next. I don't know if you are necessarily expecting good things to come your way, however. Those might be the very things to sweep you off your feet. Or you may still be too on guard to notice the good luck. It's like the dandelion has gotten acclimated to the cracks, but is it ready for the wheel to turn and for the water to flow in between?

I feel like this whole reading is about being ready for a level up. If you need 999 XP to do so, then right now you're at 900. You're getting to the finish line. But instead of getting too worked up about the end result, however, you've mastered the art of hanging back and waiting for when the time is right. Your new perspective allows you to lay back and take a breather between these strong growth spurts. Remember to stay grounded to your toughened roots, pile 3. Try out grounding exercises and meditations. Spend time out in nature when considering the next moves you're going to make in life. No need to rush this kind of growth.

Pile 4: Solar Energy

Two of Swords, Fear, What You Seek is Seeking You, Change, XV The Devil, Ten of Swords, Seven of Pentacles, Six of Pentacles

I always forget how terrifying the devil card is in this deck lol! In fact I'm seeing and sensing a LOT of fear and anxiety in this pile which is why I went and added an extra tarot card. Six is pentacles on top of the deck is good as it shows help is on the way soon. Remember to stay centered and calm at this time, your chance to heal is coming for you, but you may need to yield some of the resistance behind allowing the change necessary to make way for that healing to occur.

It seems as though your pile conjures images of wanting to see daylight at the end of the tunnel. You feel that change is coming very soon and you're not sure if you're able to handle the next cycle after the one that you've been through. Quite the wringer you've been in for some time… I think a lot of y'all have done some shadow work recently, and it has not been the easiest. It's not always about meditating and journaling. Sometimes it's about seeing how simple, basic fears that are universal to humankind can get distorted and become something much more twisted. When you work past the scary parts, you can see the fear for what it really is. 10 of Swords is Sun in Gemini, learning that sometimes overthinking isn't going to solve the problem, especially when the worst is already past you.

A lot of good things seem to be underway for you even if they're not present at the moment. You've done a fair share of rummaging in the attic and going through all the old, little things. You're going through an extensive clearing out phase. Give yourself the opportunity to put the swords of caution down and accept a gentle wave of positive changes to restructure your life piece by piece.

I'm also getting that this pile may be particularly affected by seasonal affective disorder. Make sure to go out and get some sunlight outside, through windows, or UV lamps. I don't know for sure how Vitamin D supplements would help and you'll want to be careful with St John's Wort if you're on medication, but John's Wort is a good supplement I use for my tea to combat the winter blues. If you sense that your mental state may be getting triggered by lack of sunlight, please look into it.

This reading has not been evaluated by the FDA to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or infection. Please ask your physician before going online.

2023, @VitaminseeTarot ™

i want to thank you for talking about the doomery takes about Gon and Killua's separation with the level of patience & respect you do. i think people sometimes believe they parted on worse terms than they really did and it leads to people asking questions like "why would Killua say that to him?" or "why didn't Gon give a 'proper' apology?" with a preconception that the situation is irreparable. theyre intelligent kids who love each other a lot, so these things can feel really mean or insensitive to us because we see it as such a high stakes situation when in actuality, the characters kind of know what's happening already and can intuit each others feelings or intentions to a reasonable degree.

like, ex: Killua calls Gon stuff like an embarrassing moron frequently and Gon sees its because he's emotionally constipated and not because Killua actually thinks he's stupid. conversely, Killua knows that what Gon said to him in the palace came from an irrational place of lashing out at the only safe person in the room, and the reason why he can make fun of Gon later for it is because its clear he regrets it. they understand each other quite a bit and though the separation makes them really sad, i'm sure they both get, on some level, why it has to be like this for a bit

Thank you very much for the sweet message!

I honestly get exhausted by how many doom and gloom takes exist about HxH in general, and especially around Gon and Killua's relationship. I hope that by talking about my own perceptions of the series after spending all these years thinking about it and pulling it apart, more people can come to the side of having hope about it and being excited about what's ahead for them.

What they went through was immensely painful, and it certainly hurt those of us who love their relationship, too, but there are far more reasons to believe they have a path of healing and reconciliation ahead of them than all the angsty alternatives. They may have more to go through first before they reach that point, but in my opinion it would contradict the themes of the series for them not to have a second chance to rebuild their relationship even better.

That's a good bit of insight about them and how their interactions are much more than just what they're literally saying! I totally agree that they're quite perceptive about each other and aware of at least some of each others' feelings below the surface. There are actually several scenes where they explain things about the other with a surprising amount of insight--for instance, when Killua is talking to Wing about Gon's tendencies after the Gido match, or Gon knowing Killua will reluctantly fold to him if he insists on something when talking to Meleoron. Their relationship is complex and they both have areas where they need to improve with regards to communicating and understanding each other (especially how they see themselves and the way that warps how they see each others' feelings), but they deeply love each other and I'm sure they're going to want to make the changes needed to fix things between them and not have something like Chimera Ant Arc happen again.

The separation has a lot of layers, but it portrays them both as sad to split up even though it's what's needed for now, still hurting about what they went through but grateful for each other nonetheless, comfortable enough with each other still for Killua to tease Gon and Gon to openly mope about it, and they make it clear this isn't forever. Even with the various subtextual things going on (like Gon's use of "nakama" after Killua had a crisis about that very word and Killua saying Gon is now number 2, for instance) don't erase the overall tone of the separation. It's bittersweet and hard for them both, but not on bad terms!

HxH is a story about human connection and second chances and how love transforms people. The two characters at the center of the story epitomize these themes, so having a cynical view of their bond and future feels like having a cynical view of what the series as a whole is saying. There's nothing wrong with exploring or thinking about angsty themes, of course, and I truly love how much darkness, sadness, and trauma HxH explores throughout, but I don't believe the ultimate trajectory of the series is one of hopelessness or cynicism.

I hope those who are concerned about their future can zoom out and look at the series as a whole and see how many reasons there are to be hopeful for them.

So I thought it'd be silly and detract from this post to talk about fandom underneath it But I've been looking for a way to talk about this and I think this is as good a start as any.

I keep seeing a lot of people confused as to why Kazui, assuming he is a gay/aro/other closet LGBT man would want to 'decieve' Hinako by lying to her about being in romantic love with her and marrying her

It makes sense, if you're young and from the right area, you might not know a lot of history, its certainly not taught in schools. For example, to many people 'gay panic' is a cute trope, wherein a person struggles with their newly discovered identity and not a legal defence people used to excuse the beating and murder of gay people

Kazui is 39 years old. He would've turned 40 in August 2020, meaning he was born in 1980

When the comic above about Bert and Ernie getting a civil union (not even marraige yet) was made in 2003, he would've been 23.

By the time gay marraige was legalised in the US, it was 2015, Kazui would've been 35 (and despite Kazui being Japanese, because other countries like to copy America, the US legalising gay marraige was absolutely celebrated by LGBT people worldwide)

(here's a section of Our Dreams At Dusk a manga that began publication months before the legalisation of gay marraige in the US showing just two states legalising gay marraige as being news worthy to LGBT people in Japan) The first Asian country to legalise gay marraige was Taiwan in 2019 Japan is expected to be the second... but they're taking their time

Gender identity and sexual orientation are also not nationally protected civil rights, meaning protection from discrimination depends on the prefecture you live in.

And this is without getting into darker subjects like higher self harm/suicide rates or violent crimes against LGBT people

I don't want to be doom and gloom, many people are becoming more aware and accepting of LGBT people. But Kazui had every reason to wish to remain closeted

For all people talk about a 'divorce stigma' I believe it is silly to have expected a gay man in the 2000's, when many people even in the states thought gay marraige was unattainable in their lifetime, to have considered that when he got married to someone in an attempt to conform to society Especially because most difficulty to remarry after divorce comes from views surrounding custody laws and adoption. A lot of people don't want to get in a relationship with someone who already has children since they don't view them as their own on account of being blood related. This is probably why Fuuta's mother left Fuuta and his sister with their father. It's very notable that Milgram lampshades how by Kazui's age he was 'expected' to have children but didn't. We don't know Hinako's opinion on having children, but its possible Kazui intentionally didn't have any with her for this reason (despite feeling melancholy he could've had a child Muu's age by now)

Shidou had children (the eldest of which he likely sired while still being in medical school), Mahiru was still in university and thinking about planning a family, Amane notes that her mother gave birth to her when she was Mahiru's age. (TLs from Rochisama)

These aren't malicious feelings imo. This is Kazui noticing a coworker he likes is romantically interested in him and taking a chance on her in the hopes that playing a role as a straight man will make him into one. (unfortunately the suit doesn't fit) There is a Japanese saying of 出る杭は打たれる 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered in' suggesting it is better to not stand out (interestingly, the below lyric is the same in Japanese and English but in French its more like 'I can't take it anymore, I'm different')

It's also worth noting that gay people getting into heterosexual relationships even outside of Japan, used to be Extremely Common. Like my mother has a co-worker who did it

In addition, Yokohama is one of the more expensive places to live in Japan. Mixed with his expensive looking wedding and the traditonal dress of the family at his wedding. It's very likely he comes from a wealthy (conservative) background which would contribute to pressures

I'm rambling a little, i'm quite tired. But I don't want people to think this means they Have to vote Kazui innocent. I don't know your theories. Maybe you think he's straight or sexuality is entirely irrelavent to his crime or you think he's gay but you just want to vote him guilty for some other reason. Any reason is allowed (although non-milgram fans trying to use him as a luck shrine has to be pretty weird)

I just think that when you judge Kazui as a gay man who 'lied' to a straight woman, you need to look at the context it happened in and the many real people who still exist in marraiges like that. Beware whomst you call deceptive or manipulative in a world were heterosexuals feel entitled to your immediate coming out.

Sorry I didn’t mean to bring you down with negativity. I guess I just wish there was an easy way to unbrainwash people from the qanon/maga cults, but alas unbrainwashing isn’t as easy as that one episode of the Simpsons made it seem where all they had to do was give Homer a beer lol. Another great thing about more charges for trump (besides the obvious) is that it’s going to make us lawyer bills go way up…I would absolutely love it if he had to sell every building/business with his name on it just to pay his lawyers.

It's okay, you're all good. I hope I didn't come off as too snippy, it's just that the chorus of "this doesn't matter at all" doom-and-glooming happens EVERY time, and I just don't know what to say to it. For one, I don't think you can say that a twice-impeached one-term loser who only won his first term thanks to the electoral college, who lost his re-election and then 60+ lawsuits challenging that, and is now facing in the neighborhood of 100 serious felony charges in soon-to-be-four state and federal jurisdictions, hasn't suffered any institutional repudiation at all. Especially when the trials haven't actually started, and when as noted, they've clearly done a lot of work at picking juries and getting indictments, which should logically lead to convictions. At this point, there's nothing saying that won't happen as the next step in the process, so... yeah.

As I have said, democracy is slow, messy, imperfect, and cumbersome. It is also the best system for self-governance we have yet invented, and it's worth working hard to preserve and improve. So while justice has taken far longer than anyone wanted, it is nonetheless proceeding at a decently good clip; we are up to Kaiju, uh, Indictment Events every six weeks/two months, and it will almost surely not be that long until the Georgia indictment lands; it could be as soon as the second half of this week. Then the process will continue, and yeah. We are in fact making progress, even if it's hard to wait, and I get tired of people automatically discounting it and changing the goalposts and constantly revising what they expect and when they think it should be done, so that's why I was possibly a bit short with you. I 100% agree I would love Trump to just fucking pick through the Mar-a-Lago couch cushions to pay his legal bills, but alas, he will just grift his cult members some more. To which I say, good luck with that, guys. At this point if you're still stupid enough to give him money, you deserve to go broke on a "billionaire's" behalf.

b, o and k for dazai?? your characterization of him is sooo good

sfw alphabet prompts.

a/n: i already did O!

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

As a close friend, Dazai’s a lot more blunt. A lot more doom and gloom too. It’s because he’s more willing to be relaxed and honest around you if you’re just close friends. He’s also a lot warmer with you, paying closer attention and being slightly more affectionate. It would take awhile to get this close though. Dazai’s friendships, like most, are started through convenience and close proximity. So you’re probably a coworker or somebody who’s a regular at his favorite bar. Maybe you’re a regular at Cafe Uzumaki. He’d probably approach you first and start conversation that turns into a regular thing, which spurs on a friendship. After some time and consistency, you’ll eventually get close. Eventually…

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Dazai’s kissing is slow and kind of nasty (in the sexy way). He likes to use his tongue a lot. It’s very comforting and sensual, especially because he takes his time. He loves to kiss your ankles and stomach. Kissing the ankles feels devotional and romantic to him but it’s not that common of an occurrence. It’s mostly done when you’re in bed or about to have sex. He likes to kiss your stomach because he finds it cute how you squirm and squeal because it’s ticklish. He also likes how soft the flesh is. He usually kisses your stomach when he’s feeling domestic. Dazai likes being kissed on his cheeks and neck. He has a pretty sensitive neck so giving him soft kisses near his throat will definitely make him shiver. As for his cheeks, he likes how sweet and simple it is. There’s no deeper meaning, there’s no sexual intention. It’s just a simple kiss on the cheek because you love him and want to show affection. The simplicity of it all makes him feel nice. Oh to be kissed by and to kiss Dazai.

Hey! You said you were Indian and I saw in another post you said you don’t talk to ppl much about ur astrology interest bc it’s too woo woo and seen as something of older generations (pls correct me if I’m wrong!). I just wanted to ask what the general attitude of Vedic astrology is India ? I imagine it would be hard to generalise just considering how many sects of Hinduism there are and how huge India is. Also this may be silly (and I hope I don’t sound ignorant) but do you learn about it at school? Not necessarily in a religious way but like from an academic, historical way? I live in Europe for example and I go to a historically catholic university, and so I have a course on ancient Roman religion which ofc doesn’t have much to do with our modern context or anything, but inadvertently we do learn about astrological signs and their archetypes. Just wondering if there would be an equivalent in Indian schools?

This post is so long winded I’m sorry. Last question: have you ever heard of the proto-indo-European theory, in terms of the origins of certain ancient religions in regions of Europe and Asia? It’s a super interesting linguistic theory, I would like to explain but this anon is already super long haha, I would recommend reading about it tho, and if you would like I could totally explain!

Yes I did indeed say those things. India is a large country and a country of a billion people. Astrology is a big part of Hindu culture. Some people are more religious than others and more superstitious than others. Astrology is not synonymous with religion tho. Its a part of it but not all religious people are going to also be deeply invested in astrology? Many people are but its not necessary. However, astrology is very important in certain areas of life, when fixing a marriage for example; since arranged marriages are common in India, astrologers are consulted (and being an astrologer is a real job here too) to draw up the synastry chart (we call it kundli milan which kind of means chart matching?? very literal lol, its to see how much your charts match with each other) and its a very elaborate process and on many occasions marriages don't take place because the kundlis dont vibe well or because it spells doom and gloom (indian astrologers can be vvv black and white, they will literally say "if you marry xyz, you will die a painful death etc although in many traditions its forbidden to predict death??), astrology is also used to fix a muhurat which means the most auspicious time to perform that activity? suppose you're constructing a house or moving into a home or getting married or sometimes even with elective C section, people choose the date based on the astrology of it (after consulting an astrologer)

regardless of caste or sects, astrology is kind of deeply permeated into Hindu culture and even many non Hindus are invested in it. contrary to what popular depictions of India may have you believe, religious syncretism is very much alive and has long been a part of Indian culture. so many Hindus go to dargahs, celebrate muslim festivals and many muslims celebrate hindu festivals and go to temples and there are many other religions in india as well and everybody kind of has a mish-mash of many different belief systems. but i would say upper caste Hindus can often be more "puritan" in their practices and beliefs and less willing to embrace others. all that said, for a lot of people, especially the younger generations (more than 50% of indians are below the age of 25) astrology is tied to superstition simply because for many many years, astrology has been used in many damaging ways.

indian astrologers can make very black and white predictions and since Indians in general love to be fatalistic and believe things are predetermined at birth, astrology negatively feeds this attitude and often punishes people who've done nothing wrong (here's an article that goes into some of it) an astrologer can say that your cousin will negatively impact your business and some people will go out on a limb and murder that cousin 💀💀im not in the slightest bit exaggerating when i say that people often take astrological predictions to the extremes in india. esp in the context of arranged marriage, it often happens that the person who is a perfect astrological match for you is some 34yr old man with a pedo stache (and you're 20 and the astrologer predicts that if you dont get married by 23 your family's luck will be ruined) so astrology is majorly practiced in ways that are demoralising and fcked up. this is why people think youre kind of insane or stupid or straight up fcked in the head if they know you believe in or practice astrology. its hard to try to explain to them that im more into decoding patterns based on the mythology of the stars and understanding the more philosophical and symbolic meaning of nakshatras *sigh*

no we dont study astrology in schools and its not looked at as a "legitimate" study either. spirituality is largely looked at as a scam in india because we have sooo many fake gurus and fake astrologers peddling their bs. astrology and spirituality are also heavily gatekept. many believe in it but they dont study it even if they practice it lol

i looked it up and all i could understand is that there is a common ancestor language to indian languages and european languages?? 😭idk more than that but it would be nice if you could explain it. idk if you mentioned it randomly or if there is a connection between the theory and vedic astrology?? either way, id like to hear your thoughts<333

sorry that this is soooo long lol

(submission)

Found these. 

F*cked by Natalie Knight (twin brothers x sister)

Warren and Ryker. My delinquent twin brothers from hell.

Our father caught them setting the high school athletic center ablaze and sent them away to rot in jail for six years.

But being locked away did nothing to curb their appetite for sin and debauchery.

Now they’re back with a new agenda—fuck, torment, teach—with one thing on their minds: making up for lost time with their spoiled little sister.

Me.

Obsessions: Part 1 by Lily Black (father x daughter)

I wasn’t supposed to crave him, but I do.The more I try to resist, the more my desire grows.One night changes everything because now he wants me too.What we’re doing is sick, twisted, and wrong,but like addicts, we chase the high,but how long until we fall?

Obsessions: Part 2 by Lily Black (father x daughter)

I swore to protect her from the day she was born,and I intend to keep that promise.What we have is wrong in the eyes of many,but I haven’t felt anything this right in my life.But secrets have a way of getting out.Ours could destroy us both.But if the choice is her or walking away,I’ll choose her every fucking time.And God help anyone who stands in my way.

Crooked Cove by Rory Ireland (brother x sister)

Our parents sent me away because they’re terrified that I’ll corrupt their only daughter.They should be.I’ve returned for summertime on the cove.My restraint is hanging by a thread.All it takes is one taste and I’m hooked.I’m the monster under her bed and her saving grace all rolled into one.And I’ll stop at nothing to claim what’s mine.

And Hell Followed by Beckett Riley (brother x sister)

My parents thought emigrating from Germany to the American frontier was going to be a good thing. But it seems that a darkness is doomed to follow us wherever we go and life can be so harsh and unforgiving in this world, especially for a woman.

Luckily, I have my brother, Thomas, to watch out for me. He can only do so much, though, and after that vile attack, I find myself shrouded in darkness more than ever. It was then I realized that festering gloom came from within.

Although society won’t take kindly to it, we have forsaken God to live an unholy life, and just as things finally began to calm down, the past reared its ugly head and came back to destroy everything we’ve built.

But as Thomas once told me, I would ride my steed through the fires of hell to salvage the only thing worth living for, and if the devil himself gets in my way, he will beg God for mercy.

Stolen Kisses and Secret Promises by Rue Seven (brother x sister)

My sweet Kielyr, we were far too young to understand why our parents decided to go separate ways and keep us apart for so many years. Luckily, we found our way back to each other. Never in a million years would I have ever imagined to hold and kiss you like this, to feel this ever-growing love for you. I’m lucky that I get to call you my love, my girl, my everything, my forever.

From the day we finally met, I promised to protect you. To never let anything happen to you, and to be there for you every second of every day, no matter the circumstances. I also promised to love you no matter what. No matter who’d find out about us, and I like to think that I’ve been able to keep our love protected for longer than we had ever expected. I’ve kept all those promises—and will continue to—but there was one day in our lives I hope to never relive ever again.

That day shattered me. It broke my heart to see you in so much pain, and even when you say to leave it all in the past, I still think back and wonder what I could’ve done to avoid it all. To save you from that cruelty. Sweet girl, you are so incredibly strong, and even after everything you’ve been through, your light still shines bright.

I spend every day admiring your kindness, gentleness, and selflessness.You’re truly one of a kind, and I’m forever thankful for your love. I will love you until infinity runs out. Yours always, Rellian.

Love Unexpected by Q.B. Tyler (stepfather x step daughter)

I’d only wanted one kiss.

One kiss, under the dark of night, in a city where no one knew us.

One kiss fueled by my hormones and alcohol and the blinding grief over losing my mother.

One kiss from the man I told myself was untouchable.

But, it didn’t stop at one kiss.

And now we are running full speed down a road with no intention of stopping.

His touch disarms me.His kiss revives me.But, our love, could destroy me.

Love’s Forbidden Flower by Diane Rinella (brother x sister)

The heart cares not what society forbids.

Lily nurtures a secret love for a flawless man—the one who is her soul mate. Donovan is gorgeous, charismatic, and delights in all of Lily’s talents and quirks. Their innate knowledge of each other is almost telepathic. Together they interlock like fine threads creating luxurious silk.

But society dictates this picture-perfect adoration is the ghastliest of all possibilities.

As Lily embarks on a quest for the romance the heavens intended, her suitor turns reluctant. Desperate to uncover why Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hiding decayed from a tender-hearted gentleman into a ferociously self-serving, cocky bastard, Lily is prepared for battle when it comes to the salvation of her soul mate. However, Donovan traps Lily in a mental game of chess, leaving her to question his sanity. When Lily’s revelations about Donovan’s destructive alter ego lead to an inconceivable truth, can she help Donovan survive fate’s cruel joke?

Time’s Forbidden Flower by Diane Rinella part 2 (brother x sister)

An eternity of passion cannot be quelled by society.

Once upon a time Donovan assured Lily all of her dreams would come true. But how could he keep the promise of a fairy tale when her truest goals could not involve him, though her deepest desires did? Now, Lily has it all—love, passion, a family, and the career of her dreams—with Christopher. But something is lacking. She and Donovan have spent the last ten years living apart, and the soul mates are eager to reunite. Can Donovan keep his promise to give Lily all she desires, even with Christopher in the way?

For Lily and Donovan, the past is a mirror to the future that cannot be shattered.

Donovan is convinced Lily has been his love for all eternity. Determined to unravel the past, they embark on a journey to discover where it all began. For centuries Donovan has stolen Lily’s heart while forced to suffer for his love. How much can a soul endure before the breaking point is reached and a monster emerges? Can the demons of the past be combated to pave the way for happiness in the next life? Or has the abuse suffered in this life already turned Donovan hell bound? Time and again, one woman has destroyed their happiness. It’s time to silence her once and for all.

Off Limits by Astra Rose (step father x step daughter)

Have you ever wanted something you just couldn’t have?

When her mother abandons her, Danica Holland doesn’t want to reach out to her ex-stepfather for help–even though he’s always been the one and only parent she could rely on. But when Social Services intervenes on her behalf, he rushes in with open arms…and broad shoulders, strong hands, and that cleft in his chin that drives women wild.

For Danica, life with Jean-Luc Rochat was always safe and secure. But after a year apart and a lot of growing up, things don’t feel so straightforward anymore. For example: Jean-Luc was always loving and protective, but was he also always…this hot?

While Jean-Luc struggles to resist his inappropriate fixation on his stepdaughter and be the parent she needs, Danica realizes that she can’t settle for anything less than the one man she truly loves–even if he is the one man she can never have.

PIKE: St. Charles Hockey Volume 1 by A. Briar (twincest)

PIKEDevil Incarnate. My fraternal twin brother is back in town and he is hellbent on making my life literal hell.

RHYSDaddy’s Princess. My fraternal twin sister. She’s never lived a day in hell, but I’m here to change that and I’ll be holding her hand as we walk through the fiery gates.

Hi, I have huge gratitude and admiration for your posts and updates on OFMD, I always find them so comforting and informative! Especially as I'm only on Reddit and got a Tumblr account 4 days ago to keep track of OFMD (Twitter/X is just too overwhelming for me lol). What was your take on Rhys Darby's Cameo video in regards to making you feel more hopeful/less hopeful/neither but it was still lovely? With the deafening silence from David Jenkins and worrying that the morale is dropping, it's irresistible not to start feeling a bit of doom, you know? Any response appreciated, but regardless, thank you so much for the work you're doing ❤️

Hello my dear! Welcome to tumblr, we're so glad to have you! I really should get on reddit sometime (I get notifications when certain posts get busy but I just always forget to check them). I totally get that Twitter is overwhelming, it's a tornado of information--and thank you! I'm so glad you're getting something out of the updates!

My take on the Rhys Darby cameo, ay? Well I'll be honest, I thrive on even a little bit of feedback so I was 100% pumped after that yesterday. It sounds silly but I went and cried in the shower for 20 mins because I was feeling torn between the sadness for Rhys and what he lost and was feeling and then also the beautifully kind and positive advice he was giving us.

After that-- I basically felt like someone called Gondor for aid and I was a raging pile of need for action. I actually feel more hopeful now, but I think Rhys has that affect on people. Like that man could tell me the sky was blue and I'd grin like a toddler with a lollipop and nod and feel like I could take on the day.

I do totally get that doom and gloom feeling that comes with the silence. We need that feedback from the people we're fighting for to keep morale up. That being said though--- I've noticed a trend over the past few weeks since cancellation, and that is that when we start feeling down, someone in the cast/crew starts poking their nose out. Usually its Chaos Dad (David Jenkins) but all of a sudden when things are slowing down again this week, Rhys puts himself up on Cameo, two days before the UK launch of s2? I just don't believe in coincidences in most cases, especially when we're all watching things so closely. It may make me sound like a conspiracy theorist but I do truly believe that a huge chunk of the cast and crew is watching our actions and reactions to things very carefully (Hell, Alex Sherman is over on twitter liking a bunch of fan art and porn, so at least we have our little perverted guardian angel!). They just seem to keep popping up at the exact right moments to help rally the troops for them not to be.

The difficulty with negotiations in any industry is the whole Non Disclosure Agreement that comes along with people potentially taking on new clients/funding new projects. Legitimately, there could be a contract in the works right now with a network and we already have our s3, but we just can't know about it because that would damage / threaten negotiations. It could be the other way too, but with how supportive Chaos Dad and Rhys and the rest of the crew have been just popping in and out like little bubbles of positivity, I really feel like we have still have some hope here. It's just really hard to be patient when we're all pushing so hard-- which is why breaks are so important. Anywhoooo, I've had my coffee so I'm obviously rambling at this point-- thank you so much dear for writing into me! I hope that answers your question... I am feeling overwhelmingly positive after Rhys' videos and feeling very mama bear on wanting to protect that man by doubling down on efforts, lol. So glad you're will us on tumblr friend! Always feel free to reach out :D <3<3<3 Ty!

Upcoming Birthday and Life Update

So first up, my birthday is coming up, and I've set up a Throne wish list for those who want to do presents. But also, I just appreciate the thought, so don't feel you're obligated. Just stopping by to say Happy Birthday on the day it comes is enough for me to get warm fuzzies. But for those who want to do presents, know I am exceptionally grateful and here is the link https://throne.com/calextheneko Now writing status. Headaches aren't as intense lately but they're still omnipresent and I've gotten a lot of really bad pain spikes. In addition I can't seem to take my ADD medicine without hurting my throat and risking higher pain spikes... So not doing well. I've been working on the current story for Switch City for over two months now and progress is slow. That one is a Patreon exclusive so will only be available on Patreon for $1 and up supporters when it does come out. After that will try to get some of the stories that are done edited so they can be uploaded to all galleries. Patreon is frozen again due to not making enough progress to justify having it open, especially since each month adds a bunch of things to my queue. I need to make sure I can get my queue reliably smaller each month before I open it back up. If anyone wants to provide general support for my writing while Patreon is paused you can use Ko-Fi. As well as could also use that for giving my birthday spending money too. Again, never required, and I will survive without it, but the option is there and I'm always very thankful. Here's the KoFi link https://ko-fi.com/calextheneko Anyway, you have all been more patient than I could ever have had the right to request. And I thank you. Health issues suck. Kids, don't get old. It's not great. Seeing neurologist this week and likely going on shots again. While no specific treatment has worked so far, a lot have caused improvements but not gotten rid of the daily migraines. So, we're hoping if we combine some things that address different causes it might finally do the job. There's some kind of pinched nerve in the back of my head, plus genetic disposition for frequent migraines (and had them all my life just didn't use to be every single day) and stress/anxiety cause of my dumb autistic traumatized brain and some other things I don't fully understand but yeah it seems like all of it just wound up being too much and exploded my two or three times a month migraines to every single zod danged day without exception. I really hope this new change in medications coming up later this week fixes it and lets me finally get back to doing what I love. Because a kitten who doesn't get to stretch his creative muscles is a very sad kitten. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and check up on me. It's not all doom and gloom. My cats like to keep my company on days I'm stuck in bed hiding, and they're very sweet helping to keep my mood lifted... And steal my food... And defile my water glass. Cause... You know. Cats. XD

here are my two guidelines for feeling overwhelmed by how much there is to work on with your dog and/or major life changes where you need to overhaul your dog's routine anyway.

these are for dogs over 6 months, baby puppies are another kettle of fish and have their own concerns.

needs, wants, and wishes. - your dog NEEDS some things. maybe daily. maybe weekly. but they're essential. without these activities, the dog's quality of life rapidly degrades and behavior problems appear/get worse. - your dog WANTS other things. these things make noticeable improvements in the dog's quality of life or continue to reduce the appearance of behavior problems. a NEED takes the dog from -10 to 0, a WANT brings them to +5. - your dog WISHES for different things. these things are grand! they're things we both love doing! but if the dog doesn't get them, that's okay. there's no degrading in the dog's quality of life. OR they're super high effort for minimal return. take the NEEDS and make sure there's time for all of them. prioritize getting those done. then add in as many WANTS as are sustainable. any extra energy can go to WISHES.

make a big ol' list of Things To Train in big categories. "nosework" is a big category, "fix the alert behavior" is too specific. big lumps. then pick three. this is because, especially with behavior cases where there's a MASSIVE list of concerns, too many options gives us decision fatigue, while too few leaves us feeling trapped and reluctant to engage at all. 3 choices is enough to have some variety if you're in a particular mood, while not being overwhelming. these 3 are: 1. the thing which has the biggest negative impact in the dog's long term quality of life. this may or may not be a thing that's a regular problem, but it IS ongoing and it IS of concern. eg: a dog who needs to get sedated for vet visits a) is not necessarily going to get the best vet care anyway and b) now the human is disincentivized to go to the vet promptly because it's a Whole Thing and expensive, so any little niggling problems are unlikely to be seen. 2. the thing which causes the most problems day-to-day. is it a welfare issue? maybe! maybe not. mostly it's just irritating you the owner and your problems are valid problems to work on. 3. something fun. it can't all be doom and gloom all the time. tricks? sports? go wild. this is because if all we do with our dogs is stressful important shit, we are going to start subconsciously avoiding training because ouch, it's hard. include something silly.

there you go. that's it. Hazard needs some physical exercise (he can get by on 20 min/day for about a week, but consistently needs more like 30 min/day + something genuinely exhausting once a week), needs some mental work, needs to work for his food, and (this one is mechanical, he vomits otherwise) needs to be fed 3 times a day. he wants even more physical exercise, wants a chew a couple times a week, wants social interaction with other dogs, wants to go to group classes, and wants to push his limits (ie learn new things). he wishes for off leash time, novel locations, and a second daily walk.

so when I'm putting together his routine, it has to have a daily walk, 3 different ways to get fed (puzzle feeder, kong, slow feeder), and at least one round of training. when I'm physically fit, I add one or two weekly classes and a weekly outing where he can socialize, go off leash, and/or explore new places. most days now we're doing 2-3 rounds of training.

our 3 training topics: 1. separation anxiety is having the biggest negative impact in his (and my) life. once we get that back to a 2 hr separation under any circumstances, this will change to car-related separations. 2. nails. does it cause problems daily? not really, but it bugs me. it's not a welfare concern really because he can file them down enough to not see major problems, but I am worried about the long term as he gets older. 3. nosework! fun for everyone.

what I love about this framework is it's flexible, allows for the human to be busy/stressed/disabled/etc, and centers both of you. not just the dog, not just you, but the pair. I ask my clients to train something, once a day, 5 minutes at most. once that habit is well established, then you can get cocky and try 2 sessions a day ;)

talim

I really need to draw Talim, the fact I haven't done so already is devastating, especially since she holds a special place in my heart.

The first game I was introduced to in the Soul Calibur series was the Xbox version of Soul Calibur 2, though I just got out of my toddler years when it was released and I remember playing it while also handing the controller to my Mom when it got to a frustrating level.

But I revisited it years later in my teens when my parents got hold of a PS2 and a copy of Soul Calibur 2 and I remember Talim was the character I played the most because of the easy button mashing combos I pulled off.

And when I picked up Soul Calibur 6 and played Libra of Soul, it was Talim's fighting style I used first before I eventually became a Taki main. Not gonna lie though, Talim's fighting style changed so much that it's taking a lot to get used to.

Also, I love Talim to bits but the way Soul Calibur 6 tells her story frustrates me a little (apologies if I go on a bit of a rant here, and this is just my opinion) because her Soul Chronicle in Soul Calibur 6 feels so...lacking, like there's a lot that's been strangely left out.

Like yes, she's one of the most innocent and kind characters in the game series and it helps to balance out the cast, yes she's mature for her age, but she's not emotionless! She's also stern, she's canonically clumsy, and we've seen that, while she shows empathy towards others and gives them a chance, even she has her limits and will not take their disrespect silently. It would have been so cool to see her overcome her struggles with herself as one of the ways to convince her grandmother that she's ready to leave home. She even has a pet bird named Alun, who we never got to see in this game.

The part in her Soul Chronicle that kills me is that even when the vampire creature she ends up fighting is mentioned by the villagers to have the ability to disguise itself as a human and Talim mentions she can see through disguises, but then it just cuts to her battling the vampire. I wish we got to see what goes on between that cutscene and that fight, I wanted to see HOW she confronts and unveils the vampire in disguise.

It's also the fact that I related to her more in the Old Timeline than I did here.

But regardless of that, I'm not about to make this post all doom and gloom, I promise!

What I did like is that we got to see the Village of the Wind Deity's way of life, Talim's training, why the villagers are suspicious of foreigners, why they are so worried for Talim, how we got to meet her family (we, as the Conduit, got to meet her cousin Plata), and later down the line in Libra of Soul, we got to witness her attempt to purify the Conduit (I haven't played that side quest in a while, so my memory is kind of fuzzy) and learned first hand just how powerful her conjured up winds are if we get caught in it.

Can I mention that Talim also has some of the best outfit designs across all games she's appeared in? My personal favourites are her 1P outfit in Soul Calibur 2, her 3P outfit with the hat and ears also in Soul Calibur 2 and her 1P outfit in Soul Calibur 3, probably for the former being so iconic that it's the first one I think of whenever I talk about Talim and the latter two because blue is just my favourite colour. Her 2P outfit in Soul Calibur 4 was cute too, cos cats.

She's tough, but I'm also of the opinion that if anything bad were to happen to her, I'm gonna start fightin' people.

I get that it upsets people to think about Matty possibly falling out with someone he was (seemingly) close with, but if I got online and saw people pitying me like that I’d commit a crime. Like you said, it dehumanizes him. He’s so patient and respectful with us, all he expects is the same patience and respect back. He already gives so much of himself to us, through his art and just daily interactions, no one should think they’re entitled to anymore than he’s willing to share. He’s literally talked multiple times about how he struggles with fame and how much the press fucked with him as a child, he was famous before but one month hanging around TS and suddenly he’s everywhere, it’s just sad to think that his own fans are participating in it.

It’s literally just gossip, but if it’s true, it doesn’t concern us. Friendships end all the time, people grow apart, shit happens. If all this TS stuff never happened no one would be questioning why he didn’t make it to the wedding.

It’s also disappointing because he JUST came back to socials. All this shit (starting with the TikTok) starts up and suddenly he’s gone again. Yeah, I’m sure it has to do with the breaks they’ve had and him spending time in LA, but part of me wonders if he just doesn’t feel like interacting with fans online when he doesn’t have to. I know he comes and goes all the time, but either way, he sees all of this bullshit and fans know it. Theories about his personal life should be kept in DMs (or preferably in their heads).

I know people send you dumb shit but you’re one of the few people I’ve seen actually shut it down, or give a logical, reasonable explanation. I’m also loving Reddit right now since the mods delete any speculation about his personal life.

Anyways, this ended up being way too long, and it’s also me being a hypocrite for speculating, but these past few months have been exhausting, I thought it would let up after May. I know he’s a celebrity but he’s not like most celebrities. He interacts with us like we’re on the same level, he willingly spends time in online fan spaces, he goes out his way to make us happy. Sorry for ranting in your inbox, but this all just bums me out.

Yes I strongly agree with this, especially his social media presence because I’ve seen the shit that people tag him in. And it’s insane. He’s got thick skin and a healthy detachment from peoples views of him but he’s still a human being. It can’t always be easy.

I don’t think we appreciate his love for his job and his fans enough. Some days in May were REALLLYYY hard for him. Twice he had to go onstage and perform less than an hour after some nasty articles were being published about him. I love my job and my students more than I love myself. I would do it for free if the university didn’t pay me. But I don’t know if I would be able to keep it together if I were in Matty’s shoes. And sometimes he was the one talking us down. “I’m still here and I love you guys.” “Some people they have people. I have you guys.” C’mon! How does it not feel awful participating in behavior that hurts him or is in any way shape or form harmful towards an artist like that? He’s so good to us and goes above and beyond all the fucking time. And he’s spoken so much about how important it is to him that he connects with people and builds this sense of community cuz it’s a way to combat the doom and gloom of our current state. He’s always open and generous and kind. He’s given stage props to fans. He’s had a fan onstage to play guitar for robbers. He’s played songs that were not on the setlist just cuz people have requested them and he’s humble enough to feel that the show is about the audience not about him, so he will go out of his way to give the audience the best time that he can possibly give. and his own fuckin fans are doing this to him??? Unacceptable. and I’m so tired of it. This fandom is way better than this. We never used to do this kind of thing. We should cut this shit out before it becomes permanent.

Hi! Love you for taking the time to answer all these hockey questions. Do you think good ol hex will get fired over this season? Do you think we can get it together enough over summer to stand a chance next season? (doom and gloom is unintentional! I just find the business part of this fascinating and I'm curious how 'bad' business strategies affect a team)

<3 goooood question. my thoughts under the cut!

i think if the penguins miss the playoffs, he's absolutely out and they don't let him run the draft—especially if any of these guys he could have gotten (niederriter, chychrun, domi, bjugstad, and no i'm not googling if i'm misspelling any of these names and if i see you calling me a bitch about it i'm blocking you immediately) end up being impactful in the postseason. there's no way you waste one of the last years of sidney crosby's career by not even making the playoffs, in large part because you whiffed the trade deadline that badly.

he may be out anyway. if i were john henry, here are the reasons i would present to him in his exit interview:

you failed to provide us with a written plan for the direction of the team when asked, and did not execute successfully on the plan you claimed was in your head

your management of a franchise icon over the summer was a black mark on our organization's reputation, which impacts our ability to sign premium free agents in the future

your pro scouting abilities have proven to be suspect based on your free agent signings in summer 2022

instead of taking necessary moves to correct those errors in a timely fashion, you waited until the 11th hour to do anything, and you were only partly successful

because you waited so long to attempt to correct your mistakes, along with your unwillingness to fully commit to providing your superstars with a support staff to help them win, you missed out on trade targets that would have not only helped this season (which may as well be a wash), but also for the remaining years of the crosby-malkin era because they're young and cost-controlled

in addition to this, your unnecessary hesitation to make any moves has hampered your ability to field a full roster. the penguins are unable to carry 23 players on the active roster, and it's entirely because of signings and trades you've made

during the summer 2022 free agent fumbles, you failed to address a very obvious and glaring weakness on the team: goaltending, which has been (rightly!) held up as the excuse for failing to progress beyond the first round for the past two years

you are not working with your hall of fame coach to get him what he needs to execute his vision, a vision that the most important people to the organization (sid and geno) are fully bought into

i mean there are more. but that's just what i came up with off the top of my head just now. if i sat and thought about it for longer i'm sure we could have a solid 20 reasons, haha.

as far as getting it together over the summer...yes, things can be fixed, but it will be costly. unloading bad contracts is 100% doable, but it will require draft picks attached, so you're essentially paying twice if it's a player you traded for, and you end up wasting those precious draft picks you tried to hoard anyway.

it will take a young, smart, aggressive GM who's totally bought into analytics and is willing to align his own vision for a team with that of the coach, and isn't scared of spending the draft capital required to fix the team's problems.

there is absolutely no reason to be stingy with picks and very young prospects right now. the only goal should and MUST be winning with sid and geno. it is ridiculous to try and restock the farm now. the penguins are going to be very, very bad for a while once the big three retire, nothing done right now is going to change that or accelerate the rebuild, so you may as well put your honest best effort into going for it, REALLY going for it, every year until they're done. otherwise what's the point of keeping them at all?

of course, all of this depends on if fenway sports group gives enough of a shit about the success of this team beyond its profits to actually do something. jury is still out on that.

GWG Ramblings

Why George & Angie's Marriage would've Failed: A Soapbox Dissertation

Disclaimer:

*This is my personal opinion and not an attack on anyone. It's okay if you disagree. Just please keep discussions civil.

**JK Rowling stated in an interview that Fred and Angie were romantically involved. Here is the video that confirms it: (starts at 31:20)

~•~

I want to start with George first because it will make it easier to understand Angie's mindset.

For the North Star series, I researched extensively into twin loss. Losing a twin is considered to be the most painful loss a person can experience. In fact, the pain of twin loss is rated higher than that of losing a child.

Unsurprisingly, this level of intense grief can lead to some very common but heartbreaking psychoses.

1 - The surviving twin tries to be themselves, AND their twin by assuming some of the personality traits of their lost twin. In some cases, it can get to the point that the survivor has trouble remembering which twin they are. One of the most heartbreaking things I read during my research was a woman talking about losing her twin sister, saying, "Some days I can't remember which one of us died."

I read that months and months ago, and it still haunts me.

2 - Survivors guilt is off the charts for surviving twins. Often, the remaining twin feels like they don't deserve to live their own life, so instead, they’ll live their twin's life for them. All the things that Fred should've been able to do and will never be able to do, George will do for him.

You see where I'm going with this?

3 - To compound things even more, the survivor is desperate to reconnect to their lost twin through any means possible. They will cling to anyone and anything that had some connection (no matter how big or small) with their lost loved one.

(This is also why I think George and Angie's marriage would've failed even if she hadn't dated Fred. Think of her connection to the older twin. She and Fred were friends. They were both sorted into Gryffindor, AND they were Quidditch teammates. That's still one hell of a connection.)

A marriage built on one or both persons desperately trying to reconnect with their lost loved one by any means possible is not only unsustainable and unhealthy, but downright toxic, especially when the person realizes the other one can't give them what they seek.

~•~

OK, take a deep breath.

~•~

Now on to Angie. So, we have a woman grieving for her lost love and here comes his grieving identical twin, who has not only, assumed aspects of Fred's personality, but is also determined to live the life that Fred would've had if he'd lived. (Or at least the life George thinks his twin would've had.)

For Angie, it's like getting Fred back. And if the personalities don't always perfectly mesh, that could be written off as the effects of war. War changes people. Everybody knows that, right?

~•~

Ok, one last thing. (I know, I know. I promise I'll shut up after this. 😁)

This next point doesn’t just pertain to twin loss but any bonding over shared trauma. Be it war or a shared loss or abusive childhoods, you have two people whose relationship is built on (shared) pain.

That in itself is unstable as hell. Add to that the fact that couples do not heal in lockstep and you have a recipe for disaster. Because one person is going to heal faster than the other. So, their already unstable foundation cracks and crumbles even more as one person tries to climb out of the darkness while the other keeps pulling them back down with them. When these relationships end, it's rarely gentle. It's catastrophic. Anyone close to the blast (i.e. children) will get hit by shrapnel.

We all know George never gets over losing Fred, but Angie, I'm certain does. And she is not the type of person to let anyone keep her down for long.

In all honesty, I really don't think Rowling had any clue of what she was doing when she paired them up.

~•~

Alright, I think that's enough of my gloom and doom for today. If you stuck with me to the end, I thank you for your persistence. I know I rambled on forever a bit long.

I'll be stepping down from my soapbox now.🙂

@princess-paramour @milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley

Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague Episode 5: Summer Bread Festival

At the same time that I really did enjoy this episode, it also felt the most abrasive, so I'll air my grievances first.

This episode felt... visually lazy, so to speak. The whole lens flare and effect thing to make a character cuter is Fuyutsuki's thing. Putting Komori (and even Otonashi) under the same effect and not something that better reflects their personalities feel somewhat low effort when considering it doesn't take very long to come up with a variation or something slightly different (that said, it's still cute).

Following that up, I just sort of felt like the overall appeal of this episode was flat. The storyboards were rather plain and played it overly safe for the most part, which is disappointing when you consider the fact that there's nothing unique to draw your attention anywhere outside of the characters. It's one of my biggest pet peeves in regards to adaptations. It's incredibly easy to get lazy with backgrounds because manga doesn't necessarily have to put a huge focus on it. But it's different because of where the viewer's attention is in an anime compared to a manga. They're two different mediums, you can't use the same tricks and skip a few steps. That's not to say that the whole episode is a wash, there's certainly still good scenes here and there.

Going hand in hand with that, the direction did also feel relatively lazy. Lots of panning shots that were focused on static objects. I understand having limitations and stuff in regards to animation, and especially how Shojosei series struggle to get any sort of decent resources placed towards their adaptations more often than not, but it's pretty easy to steer clear of lazy shots and concepts, that once more, remain closer to the concept of manga than anime.

Anyways, enough doom and gloom. What I really liked with this episode was how the supporting characters had themselves and their personalities fleshed out. I had hoped to see it after their involvement in the previous episode, and was very relieved to see them get that time so quick after it. Komori and Saejima, and Katori and Otonashi getting their starts in this episode was nice, and gives us half the season to now explore the trio of romances that we have in front of us.

The biggest positive to this is we get to experience different types of romance, so that we don't get bored of Himuro and Fuyutsuki while still being able to let them progress at a decent pace. If a breather is required, it's easy to take a closer look at one of the other pairs, and once that wears thin a little bit we can focus back in on the original pair. It's a smart decision and certainly makes full use of the spirit/yokai concept.

The last little bit that I loved from today was Himuro's jealousy. It was so much fun getting to see another side of him in that regard, and to see how his feelings and personality have changed as he continues to spend more and more time with Fuyutsuki. Well, that and Himuro's little flashback to him and Fuyutsuki in high school, I'd love to see a spinoff/AU of the pair in high school really.