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#it’s been two months of me being active on tumblr
misc-obeyme · 7 hours
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would u consider obey me a dead fandom?
Um. Nope. I sure wouldn't.
If there's anybody out there who thinks Obey Me is a dead fandom, I would say they're probably confused about what a dead fandom actually is.
I think an argument could be made saying that there is no such thing as a dead fandom. But I'm going to assume you mean that fan content is at an all time low.
Friend, I have been in fandoms where the content was like... you get a fic or two every year if you're lucky. This for a media that hadn't put out any new content in decades.
Obey Me? I get an average of five asks per day about Obey Me. I can queue 10 posts per day about Obey Me. I still average over 800 notes a day on this here Obey Me blog. In the past few months, we've had new artists and writers joining the community and posting their Obey Me fan works. The game is still active and updating. There are two apps even.
So no, I personally would not consider the Obey Me fandom to be dead by any means.
It's certainly been more active in the past. I'll never forget the surge of activity that happened when Nightbringer first came out. My Solomon fics seemed to double their notes over night lol.
But we're also in a bit of a lull right now because we aren't getting new chapters. Every time an event happens, there's another burst of activity. And then things die down just a little before they surge again. That's the nature of fandom.
Another common fandom thing is people coming and going. I've been here for almost two years, but there are others who have been here for four. And then there are some people who've only been in the fandom for a couple months. And then there are the people who were here at the beginning, but have since moved on. Maybe they only stayed for a few months before moving on. Maybe they're only casually in the fandom, dipping in now and again. This is also just the nature of fandom. There's no right way to do it. And it doesn't reflect on whether a fandom is alive or dead.
Hell, we even have plenty of discourse and toxic stuff in this here fandom, too. More of that when there's nothing else to do, I think, which is unfortunate, but also kinda... just part of fandom.
And all of this is just how it is on Tumblr. I know there are active Obey Me communities on Twitter/X and Instagram, too. I'm just too old and tired to maintain that many socials. I actually have accounts on both of those apps but I rarely use them.
And lastly, I'm a big proponent of being involved in fandom no matter how active the community is. By this I mean, if I still have an Obey Me hyperfixation in ten years when the apps are closed down and nearly everybody else has moved on, I will still be here posting fic. Because I won't leave a fandom until I am ready to move on from it, dead or not. (Sometimes this can mean you are one of the few people still creating for said fandom, but you might be surprised at how many people will still enjoy what you create.)
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vewwonati · 27 days
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working on something stupid so decided to post something stupider in the meantime
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merevide · 3 months
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hiiiii i have returned from the depths of the underworld (self imposed hiatus) (3 week break that felt like 3 years)
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ardate · 3 months
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Things are just so bleak man.
#vent#just me rambling#SO many fucking things#first off and maybe the least bad of all#that one studio that contacted me for a feature film turned me down ultimately#i WANT so dearly to work on features. it's what i want to do. but nobody will give me a chance#because they all want experience on features to work on features. well how do you guys think this works#i'm so tired of it and discouraged#but ultimately that's the least of the issues because#my usual studio is going under. they been struggling financially for years and the CEO did a special meeting to say it#they're lowering activity (one friday every two weeks is off to try and save money) and have 6 months to get back on their feet#which is nothing. they can't find producers willing to dump money in the studio in 6 months esp with ENOUGH to pull it out of the gutter#if they're not better off in 6 months the CEO said ''then ill get back to you with terrible news'' and didn't detail but we know. we know#it's basically said and done in my mind. my main studio as big as it was is crashing down. and idk what ill do.#i bought a flat in this city due to this studio being there- without it this place has no more work to offer me. empty city#job security doesn't exist anymore#and we all know why. producers are much more squeamish about investing in animation because ai is here#why would you give money to allow hundreds of workers to live and pour passion in projects when you can pay a pathetic percentage of that#with midjourney or whatever the shit and get an easy cheap show. rack in more money for smaller an investment#and tumblr is going down that route too. can't get a fucking break anywhere#i'm heartbroken and grieving the world we lost#in a bunch of years looking at art while 100% knowing a person made it with intent will be a memory#being able to not even think about it is already out of our hands#ai 'art' will be everywhere and it will become a new normal. and i'm just.. man.#the world feels so empty already
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sunnyvaler · 2 years
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wish i had that feelin like i really Belonged here u know
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noxtivagus · 2 years
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I FEEL BETTER AGAIN
#🌙.rambles#the way i often feel better after perdev class really makes me realize that. yk literally /hearing/ it rlly comforts me a lot ;;#n yh i remembered smth again earlier#oh man i'm really grateful for the kindness of strangers#online friends were once strangers you've never known#irl ppl too but there's smth so special abt. in online there's no obligation at all to reach out or interact. but we still choose to#a lot of times it's not really /that/ deep but the thought of it is comforting when you feel alone#somewhere out there. even if you don't communicate directly w words... we understand each other in a way yeah?#there's smth especially comforting to me rn abt the kindness of someone you're not /v/ close with#but you still understand each other. maybe even deeper than w those irl#since honestly i can't rlly bring myself to vent or rant or ramble to my irls anymore ;;;#so there's this certain special gratitude n appreciation i have for ppl who know me online. esp on tumblr bcs i talk here a lot#that said though... there's smth as comforting as well abt#honestly i'm really big on those 5 love languages. so w irls there's physical touch that i love &#words of affirmation expressed through voice. those two stuff r esp special to me thanks to the distance put by the pandemic#even if i'm not rlly speaking voices give me a lot of comfort. which is one reason why music is so special to me. melodies n/or lyrics#somewhere out there. there's someone thinking abt people /like/ you#the specificness of being close w someone tho n understanding in depth after building a connection tho#all of our friends were once strangers. n thinking abt all that is v beautiful but. oh yh. i've been distant again from my reality;;#a few months ago i felt like i was talking too much so i ended up disconnecting ;;; ever since that active thought#i've been initiating stuff less n less. subconsciously.#problem tho is that when i'm sad i actively distance myself even further n that's so destructive but i wna get better again#i really wonder tho. there's sm distance n misunderstandings that can arise out of ignorance n disparity in perspectives#combining who we are n our personas n identities across platforms. irl. different social media. if we're not careful n self-aware then#the way we carry ourselves n how ppl perceive n relate n approach us wld change drastically.#best not to think /too/ much abt that tho bcs that cld be draining. T_T i care a lot at heart so im worried that i've been too distant#it's so hard to reach out but i wish i cld just clarify w all the ppl in my life that i still really really care. i'm just struggling TvT#in time in time. i need to just do what i can in a given moment. and it'll be enough for myself. n i'll keep on improving n i'll get better#thinking abt everyone i've ever known rlly comforts me. i'll improve my health so that hopefully i cld enjoy that company n be myself again#it's hard dealing w the constancy of the pain but i don't have to fall to that ache all the time. slowly is enough. i can be kind to me too
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mcrheadcanons · 23 days
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Had another strange dream about Gerard this time it was on social media, I contacted him on his twitter account asking him several questions as a fan and tagged him in it. One of them was to do with hesitant alien, the other current and I can’t remember what the last one was, I think it was a different era in his career. So I tagged him in it not thinking much of it and that he wasn’t going to answer. After doing so I also hop on the train to London with my brother.
Whilst on the train I get bored so I go on my phone to check and to my Suprise Gee has answered my questions that I asked him each and every one of them. In the dream state I’m overjoyed and screenshot them wanting to post and tell everyone that Gerard way answered and liked my tweets the ones that I asked him about hesitant alien and stuff until suddenly the train arrives in London and I have to get off and put my phone away.
So I get off the train at London. Unexpectedly at the station Gerard is waiting for me outside the platform by the concourse where the shops are. He looks like his 2022 reunion self. He greets me by saying Hi first so I greet him back we begin a small conversation which I don’t remember what it was about but I do remember the part where he told me to not post the tweets that he had responded to on social media because he wanted privacy, so I asked him if I could keep the screenshots privately as a memento in case I deleted my twitter account to look back on to which he said it was more than ok to keep it for private uses.
The dream ended with me keeping the screenshots but deleting the tweets from my page in respect of his wishes. He was also really nice in person and text as well. The outfit that he was all wearing was the camo shirt with the black jeans but without the baseball cap so basically 2022 era and current Gee look pretty much.
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irrealisms · 2 months
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i've seen a lot of people talk about mcyt as a constantly burning library of alexandria recently, and to some extent that's true. people are constantly deleting their blogs, going scorched earth with animatics, fanfics, etc., that they made. but i've also seen people (three in the last few days!) make this claim about VODs, when talking about large fandoms like DSMP and QSMP, and.... guys. that was true in 2020. that's not true anymore. archivists have been working tirelessly for years now to make sure that isn't true.
the dsmp VOD masterlist is here. in november 2020, it's missing 16 VODs, if i am counting correctly--which is still a fairly small minority, but it's a lot, and it sucks!--but in november of 2021, it's missing one, and that's because the cc of that VOD does copyright takedowns, not because the archivists didn't save it. no one in the archivist project is deleting VODs off youtube with no backups the way people are deleting fanfics. three months ago, one of my dsmp archivist friends finished coding a tool that let them reconstruct VODs out of twitch clips, and reconstructed six tubbo dsmp VODs from 2020. not only are we basically not losing VODs anymore, we are actively gaining VODs that have been lost for years, that were thought to be lost forever. the library isn't burning anymore; it's being rebuilt.
the qsmp VOD masterlist is here. it is usually a month or two behind the present day, to give creators time to archive their own VODs, but... look at it. in january of 2024, every single qsmp vod was archived. the same is true of december of 2023, and november, and the vast majority of months for the past year.
i'm not going to say that there isn't a problem. just a few days ago, i realized that a lifesteal VOD from last year was missing--that its youtube upload was messed up somehow, and no one noticed and it wasn't mirrored on the internet archive and the person who uploaded it deleted the original file. and now it's gone forever. this made me super sad! like i said: i'm not going to say that there isn't a problem.
but... look at the lifesteal VOD masterlist here. lifesteal's a smaller fandom than qsmp or dsmp. open the 2022 tab and you'll see months and months of lost VODs, of no one's VODs being saved, because there weren't any archivists saving them. then open the 2023 tab and see: they lost four VODs, over the course of a year. even in smaller fandoms, archivists are working. they're making progress. they're saving VODs. in 2024, lifesteal archivists screenrecorded five streams on tumblr live to make sure they would not become lost media. mcyt may be a constantly burning library of alexandria, but the people with fire extinguishers are dedicated. they're making incredible progress. i know people with petabytes of VODs saved, who have spent money on extra storage for this. i know people who are constantly running up against their storage limits as they download/upload to the internet archive/delete for space/rinse and repeat. a decent fraction of the time, my internet at home is slow because it's downloading VODs.
and these aren't the only mcyt fandoms with archiving projects! the outsiders smp VOD masterlist is here. origins smp VOD masterlist is here. smp earth VOD masterlist is here. rats smp VOD masterlist is here. there are so many others that i just don't happen to know about. the older and smaller a fandom is, the more likely it is to not have an attached archiving project, or for the archive to be missing a lot of VODs. but... guys, we've saved a lot. there are people out there, working tirelessly to save even more. yes, mourn what we have lost--the archivists i know are also the ones mourning the most for the VODs that are, in fact, forever lost media. but don't dismiss how much people have saved. we are making progress. we are losing less and less every month. the vast majority of the dsmp and qsmp still exist, i am not going to say they're the same experience as watching live because they're really not, but.. they're out there. people have put in a lot of work to save them.
if you have publicly available VOD masterlists or other mcyt archiving projects that aren't on this post, please add them in a reblog. i want this post to serve as a reference for how much archivists have saved in this community; unfortunately, i'm not super connected to every community. but i know that--for every person deleting things, there are people working, tirelessly & with little external reward, in so many different mcyt fandoms, to save things. and we should appreciate that more often.
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ccastellans · 2 months
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love letters.
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luke castellan x gn!reader
SUMMARY: luke castellan decides to give you a love letter during a difficult day.
AUTHORS NOTE: no usage of y/n (just “reader” insert), this is very unedited, i haven’t written in a few months so don’t judge me 😭😭
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it was an incredibly hot day in camp half blood, and of course they chose strawberry picking as the activity of the day.
the scorching heat was already keeping you on edge, but it just so happens that nothing seemed to be working in your favor today.
you had accidentally dropped your bucket and spilled all of the strawberries you had managed to pick so far. and to top it all off, some of the other campers were being particularly pushy and rude, making it impossible to simply relax and enjoy the activity.
as the strawberry picking went on, your frustration and short temper only grew, and you began to feel like you were losing control. your fingers began to fumble as you were desperately trying to pick this one tough strawberry that just wouldn’t come off the green vine.
suddenly, you feel a soft tap on your back. you jump from the sudden contact, and quickly turn around defensively. although, your stance and gaze soften when you see that it’s just luke castellan.
the curly, brown haired boy silently greets you with his welcoming grin, and hands you a little folded up paper before running off to continue his counsellor duties. you already feel a little lighter just from the small interaction you had with the hermes cabin counsellor.
you focus on the folded up paper that he has handed to you. as curiosity takes over, you begin to unravel the paper.
when you finish unfolding the paper, you’re greeted with a lined sheet of paper, covered in words. you can feel a pair of eyes burning a hole into the back of your head as you stare at the lined paper. you acknowledge the little doodles littered around the page. little red hearts, smiley faces, and even some messy ones that you’re unable to decipher. the letter reads;
“ to reader,
hey there! :) it seems like you’ve been having a pretty rough day, and i just wanted to let you know that you're doing great! <3 dont let the other campers get to you, and don't focus on the strawberries you've lost. i love you so so much!! you always bring a smile to my face and make my heart feel so full of joy, so i hope this letter can make you feel that way too.
with all my heart,
luke castellan. :) “
your heart flutters as you process all of the kind words luke wrote to you. you cant help it when your eyes search for luke amongst the field of strawberries. it’s almost as if the two of you were thinking the same thing, because as your eyes find his; his eyes are already trained on you. and of course he’s wearing that adorable smile of his.
you cant help but grin at the boy, and silently mouth the words “thank you” , hoping he can read your lips. luke just nods back at you, as the grin on his face grew impossibly larger.
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copyright © ccastellans 2024
all rights reserved. no part of my writing may be reproduced as this account on tumblr is the only place i post my writing.
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amalthiaph · 13 days
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I took an interest in The Bad Batch around the tailend of S2. It's not news to Tumblr that I almost slept on this show. And I cannot thank Caleb Dume enough for being the reason why I pressed the play button for this one. While I haven't been around for most of its active run, and I wish I had been, the last year has been among the best months of my life.
This show challenged my morals, and taught me lessons that I will forever take with me.
Tech taught me to embrace and take pride in who I am. I now think that I am not something that needs to be cured. I needed to be understood and accepted. He taught me that we deserved to be loved and be allowed to live the way we want to (as long as we are not causing harm to ourselves or to others).
Hunter taught me that at the end of the day, we're all still humans. We make mistakes. We fail. But we can learn from them, and we can strive to be better. And I should also take care of my hair bec I cannot accept that a man in a galactic war have better hair than me (Okay, did you honestly think I'm gonna be serious this entire essay?)
Crosshair taught me that at the end of the day, we really are still humans. Sometimes, we make choices that not everyone will understand or agree to. Sometimes, we don't even understand our own choices. But we can learn from them, and we can strive to be better. And that I should also go to therapy bec istg my hand shakes like hell I always need to rely on a pen stabilizer when doing my artworks.
Wrecker taught me that in this world where we can be anything, always choose to be kind. He is a great man who would always be there for everyone, and I hope that one day, I can be that person too. He is afraid of heights, but he climbs and go on high places anyway. Like him, I should also start conquering my fears. Dear Wrecker, I did try conquering my fear of heights last March 9 but I can't. I will try again.
Echo taught me to always fight for the greater good. Almost two years ago, me and a group of people campaigned for a great tomorrow. With pink flags and pink balloons, we worked on our little thing I like to call our rebellion. Sadly, we lost. At times, I am thinking of just giving up bec that's democracy and I cannot go against the people's decision, but characters like Echo and the rest of Rogue One taught me that nothing should ever stop me for fighting for the people's rights and that my love for my fellow citizens should always come first before hatred.
And lastly, Omega taught me to be curious, or more likely to not be ashamed for being curious. Learn about the world. Learn about lots of things. We never know when we need it. While I could say be good at strategy and win 30 grand on card games, nahhh, I'm not that smart.
I also learned to reevalutate myself as an artist. This show taught me integrity. I had ranted about this lately but these characters challenged me in terms of art. I knew that the creators aren't best at proper representation. While I could draw them as they are in the show, I choose to stand for what is right, and represent them as properly as my skills could. In the more technical side, I became good at drawing armors. And this little Actors AU Draw Series taught me to be responsible; I tried my very best to create and post them on time. This increased my productivity.
But enough about me.
There's something I realized two nights ago; we, the fandom, are Bad Batchers ourselves. We can consider ourselves a family, but not one of us is the same and we're all interesting, and capable in our own unique ways. We can have our own opinion and stand about something and still coexist. Like our favorite charactera, we embrace and celebrate our differences.
This show may end. No more Bad Batch Eves, no more cryptic tweets that cause us to hyperventilate, no more Bad Batch Wednesdays but it will live on, through us.
I know there will be a day where we decrease in number, one by one, little by little, but still, the show will live on through our actions, our opinions, our choices we make after May 1, 2024 because I know that all of us were changed in some ways by these characters and this show.
To the crew, your cryptic tweets caused me sleepless nights, but thank you so, so much. It is through your hardwork that we had this wonderful show. Thank you for making every second of the past year so worthwhile and enjoyable for me and for everyone.
However this show will end, whether happy or sad, I am glad it happened. However short my time was with them, I am happy I had been here. However short my time with everyone in the fandom was or if some of you leave one day, still, thank you so much for being part of my life; I am so happy I met all of you.
To Clone Force 99, thank you. I've never loved anything like this before. May the Force be with you.
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chloeangelic · 4 months
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addressing the drama (with receipts)
I wanted to have my ducks in a row before speaking out instead of just responding; I’m not doing this to change anyone’s opinions - it’s really not possible change someone’s perception of me even if it’s based on falsehoods - but I need to do this so I know I’ve said and shown what needs to be shown, and people can do with it what they please. 
To the readers and writers who have blocked me, unfollowed me, and mutuals who have stopped talking to me over this - I’m really, really sad you didn’t come to me first and give me the opportunity to explain what was going on. I understand if you wanted to distance yourself from drama but I also need you to understand that this was not discourse-drama I willingly got myself into. This was a month of frequent harassment and slander that eventually turned into bullying by a group of people using false info, hiding behind side blogs and anons, and I hoped it would blow over but it never seemed to stop. With anons turned off for most of the last two months, people have gone to my friends’ inboxes instead to harass them about me (and insult them in the process), and I can’t do this anymore.
I feel so alienated and disliked in this community that I can’t go on the dash without feeling like I shouldn’t interact with anyone out of fear that they’ll get uncomfortable seeing me in their notifs. People keep saying they want the community to get better and then they jump on the bandwagon of vague posting and RBing without taking a second to verify the claims, clearly not realizing how much hurt it causes to perpetuate it. If you’re reading this, I  hope your name isn't the next one they pull out of the hat when they want someone new to push off the platform. 
Explanations, timelines and receipts below. 
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For anyone waiting for an explanation regarding the posts and anons about me that have circulated for weeks, or waiting for receipts proving or disproving that I’m a mean girl who spends my time talking shit, here you go. I am so beyond hurt, I don’t even know what to say. I’m floored, I’m so disappointed in this community and I’m so sad. In the last two weeks, I stayed up until 4am one night receiving screenshots of posts and anons about me, I cried, I tried to understand why this has happened to me, and I have sat here day after day with no answers. 
If you think I’m being melodramatic, try losing a quarter of your mutuals and having a bunch of people block you when you’ve had either no interaction with them or they’ve all been positive, and see how that feels, on top of constant rumors about you being a terrible person when you know you’ve barely had any negative interactions with anyone on the platform. I can’t be on tumblr any longer without exonerating myself and putting it out there that all of this has been one gigantic mess based on lies about me, seemingly compounded by grievances people have against Gracie (some one whose personal conversations have nothing to do with me). Either I do this, or I log out forever and only post on ao3, cause I feel like the fucking grim reaper here. Posts about me being an awful person are still circulating, despite the original post being deleted and the follow up stating that the OP has talked to me and they have apologized.
I’m not naming names in this. I will be using person A/B/C/D to make it less confusing. I’ve removed identifying information from the screenshots because even though I’m hurt by these people, I know that they will get dogpiled and harassed if I identify them, and I want it all to stop. Several have apologized to me and I have accepted. 
Sometime in December, rumors started circulating that there was a “big/elite writers discord” where they talked shit about small writers (I’m not in any discords specifically for writers and I have never heard of such a server). At about the same time, person A - someone who was very active in my own, now-deleted discord server, started frequently vagueposting about me, calling me a mean girl and, intentionally or not, made it seem like I was part of this “elite group of writers”. This is someone who I have never had a negative interaction with and who seemingly out of nowhere decided that I call myself elite and I’m a terrible person. 
Person B had some grievances with myself, Iris, and Gracie it seemed, so they went to person C and accused us of talking shit in our voice chats. I assume person A and B have talked about me at some point and validated each other’s claims, but I can't know that for sure. Person B messaged me from a burner account and apologized, then seemingly deleted the account after I responded.
Gracie frequently posted about us three chatting, and although I understand this might have felt alienating to some, many writers are open about having group chats with each other. All we did was write, edit, and Gracie sometimes made memes. We talked about non-fic stuff often, and when Gracie had an issue with other writers and she was upset, we talked about it. That’s what friends do. She knows that I believe those situations were handled poorly. One of those situations came to light recently - I had a very pleasant conversation with the writer involved, and we are still in touch.
I have spoken to person C, who posted the most “popular” smear post about me and some of my friends. They retracted their statements and profusely apologized to us, admitting it was based on stuff they heard from person B, showing me screenshots of the conversation. However, their original posts are still circulating through reblogs despite being deleted from their account. 
Person D also posted about me and my friends, however their post was sort of ridiculous, accusing me of spending more time replying to anons than writing. I found this funny, but the way they slut shamed my friend was absolutely not humorous, and dragging a random writer in to criticize them was a strange attempt at adding fuel to the fire. 
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And for the receipts, 
I blocked person A after seeing a handful of vague posts clearly about me, and after they interacted with every single rude anon posted about me that I saw. I think that’s reasonable, no? I’m not gonna post screenshots of their posts cause I honestly just don’t want to look at them again, they make me feel kind of sick if I'm honest, but if anyone doesn’t believe me, they are welcome to DM me and I will send. 
Person B messaged me, admitted to partaking in this mess, and apologized. This is part of a LONG message:
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Person C apologized over message and called me on discord. We had a conversation clearing things up, they deleted their posts and wrote a public apology. 
If you need any proof that person B’s claims were, in fact, baseless, look at this exchange between person B and person C after person C had cleared things up with me.
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Person D honestly just creeps me out, cause what the fuck is this? Fine if you don’t like me based on my writing or my persona on here but… Why the witch hunt? 
ETA: Person C asked person D to take down their post and they never responded. This was sent prior to that, I know the full context, I just thought this specific part was worth sharing to show how vile some people allow themselves to be behind burner accounts.
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What kind of behavior is this? This was from a sideblog, and I don't know what their main account is. It creeps me the fuck out knowing this person is lurking somewhere in the community.
I have hated every moment of this. None of this has been fun for me. This has completely fucked up my motivation to write and my enjoyment of it, it has made me anxious, it has messed with my self esteem, and it has made me want to log out of Tumblr and not come back. 
Please, I beg, if you have an issue with me, just come to me and I promise I will have a conversation with you. You can’t tell people’s tone over anon and I don’t think that’s a good way to have a conversation, especially one about something that should be solved in private, so they remain off, but my DM’s are open. 
I'm so sick of seeing vagueposts and trying to decipher if they're about me. Having to do that a bunch of times messes with your head.
I'm not sure what to do moving forward, but I needed to say my piece. I don't want to talk about this again, I want to put this behind me. I seriously hope this doesn't wreck my last remaining want to share my writing on here.
Thanks again to everywhere who has supported me in my DMs and comments, you mean the world to me 🤍🤍🤍 And if you found yourself duped by all this but change your opinion on me now or eventually, I won't hold a grudge, and I'm happy to speak again and pick up where we left off.
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AITA for saying my family shows favoritism towards my baby cousin?
(This is copied from my Reddit drafts because my partner told me tumblr would be better for this and I trust them)
Okay this is a long one so I’m just gonna throw out fake names for everyone and everyone is white middle class Americans
I, Op, 20M, I’m a trans man not accepted by my family. This is relevant
Renee, 20F, my twin sister
Bea, 16F, my younger sister
Lee, 35F, my aunt on my father’s side
Lucas, 2M, my cousin, son of Lee
Suzie, 5F, my cousin, daughter of Lee
My father, 44M, the patriarch of our whole family
My mother, 45F
Grandpa, 76M, paternal grandpa, previous patriarch
Grandma, 74F, paternal grandma
So I’m sending this in on Christmas Day of 2023. For some context, I still live at home, but it’s more of a roommate situation now that I’m an adult. Renee lives on her out-of-state college campus but visits for holidays, and Bea is still a high schooler. Lee, her children, and her husband who isn’t relevant to this (I love my uncle, we just literally never talk) live across the country. My father is losing the battle with cancer and can’t travel, so we had two separate christmases this year, one with my immediate family and one with Lee. Grandma and Grandpa went to Lee’s, which was awesome for me because that meant I got to avoid them this year!
As the character list above states, I’m (one of) the oldest of the five grandkids with my cousins being born a lot later than me and my sisters. My family is a traditional WASP family and staunchly conservative with Aunt Lee actively being a cop right now while my parents and Grandpa served in the military. Growing up undeniably queer was hilarious, I know. But the family dynamic wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, my family did a good job of trying to hide the fact that Renee was the favorite child lol, but that was more on the basis of her having the same traditional values that they do until Aunt Lee had Suzie, then she obviously became the favorite. Fine by me, she’s an adorable girl and I love spoiling her. Also, ACAB does apply for Aunt Lee for being complacent in this system, it’s not just the most relevant part of the story besides explaining how she fits into the family dynamic
But then Lee had Lucas a few years later and the focus in the family shifted to him. At first, it was baby fever making everyone dote over him (and I’m guilty of this too) but after a while, I realized that the fever hasn’t died down. If we had family reunions, everyone would flock to Lucas and I would be the one watching Suzie. For a toddler, she’s a great conversationalist, but it was still sad to see all her aunts and uncles and cousins showering her baby brother with attention and not her. And then the comments started. That my father would only refer to Lucas as “my nephew” even when talking directly to Lee (unhinged to witness in person). That Grandpa was so happy to finally have a grandson (felt great). The lady-killer comments and guessing what profession he’s gonna go into based on how chubby of a baby he is (the money’s on Linebacker, little dude is built like a truck). Stuff like that
None of these comments were ever made about Suzie when she was born, and I really don’t want to admit that it’s because Lucas is a boy, but thats the only answer I can think of when trying to understand the favoritism. Lucas is showered in gifts and love and while I know newborns need that, Suzie received nowhere near this much attention. Lee’s husband doesn’t go to family functions because he works full time, but I heard Suzie mumble at Thanksgiving last month that she wanted to go home to daddy. It broke my fucking heart, so I called him and she got to FaceTime with my uncle until my phone died
At this point, I’m not even upset that the family ignores my obvious trans-ness as I’m over a year on T (paid for by myself too) in favor of my boy cousin. I’m upset that Suzie is getting left out of the fawning while she’s still super young and she could grow up resenting Lucas because of it.
Anyways, so this morning we opened gifts as an immediate family and I got to FaceTime my significant other as they unboxed their gift from me and we were having a good time until my dad FaceTimes Grandpa. Grandpa answers and Dad immediately asks how his nephew is. Lucas is pushed in front of the phone and all I can hear is asking about how Lucas is, is Lucas talking yet, is Lucas reading yet. I manage to squeeze my head in and ask about Suzie and Lee’s voice off camera says that “oh she’s fine, just snobbish.” Snobbish? A five year old?
And here’s where I’m probably the Asshole. Honestly, I’m looking between ESH and JAH here, but would perfectly understandable if tumblr decides YTA. My response to Lee’s comment was: “well maybe she wouldn’t be if everyone didn’t pick Lucas as the family favorite.”
My dad smacked me upside the head, Renee and Bea got really pissed off, and the FaceTime went quiet until it was cut off and Grandpa called back to talk to Dad privately. Bea called me an asshole and while my Mom got onto her for her language, Mom agreed that I was.
My dad came back from the phone and did the silent point towards his bedroom, y’all with shitty parents know the one. Because I’m twenty fucking years old and pay RENT here, I shook my head, grabbed my keys, and went to go hang out with my significant partner and work friends. We had a great time and I’m currently in the car with my significant other while typing this. I’m gonna spend the night at their place and go back in the morning to see how bad the damage is. My significant other says I was justified in what I said, but two of my work friends (one who’s a Cishet guy who grew up in a similar household and another who’s a new dad with his own son) say that what I said was uncalled for and rude. They explained that I had no right to weaponize Lucas and Suzie like that and I understand that. I’m just tired of Suzie being neglected and, selfishly I know, I’m tired of how my identity is ignored as well
So, tumblr, AITA?
TL;DR, My two year old cousin is the “only” grandson in the family. The family ignores my male identity and my baby cousin’s five year old sister to fawn over the two year old. Am I The Asshole for pointing this out point blank in front of the whole family on Christmas morning?
What are these acronyms?
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emersonfreepress · 20 days
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help i'm alive
So! Long time, no see. 2023 was a whole goddamn lot lol
I don't have a demo update to share yet, but that's because I had to scrap nearly everything I managed to write during a very, very, very bad stint of writer's block last year. I hadn't even realized it had been a block like that until I went over my work so far last month and realized it was bad -- like, trust me; a slog to read that didn't even sound like me. It's been extremely frustrating but I've finally broken free of that and it's been easy and actually fun to write again for the first time in actual years. I just hate giving updates that have no actual news in them. And I really had nothing to share other than: I deleted thousands of words and feel so much better now 😅
Anyway, little about my demo plans have changed: I'm still putting out the Chapter 3 demos in Choicescript/on Dashingdon and then will be going dark to move things over to Twine. Where I am in the process right now is... feeling like 35% done with the overhauled version of this chapter and 50% done for the next demo update.
As far as asks, I'm... not really sure what to do?? I believe I've read them all (I love you guys), but so much time has passed since getting most of them that I'm not sure if it's, like... still pertinent??? To go back and answer them?? I suppose some of them like character asks could be, but all the nice messages of support -- that feels weird since I've practically ghosted this blog since August! Idk. Y'all tell me what to do with 'em and I'll do it. Maybe I should make a poll.
Uh... that's really all there is to say regarding the game! I've added some personal stuff after the cut, but if you're done here: Thanks for reading and sticking around. It means the world, for real.
So what has occupied my time all this time? Doctor, therapy, money, and friends. And improv! But especially the first two. There was a lot of non-writing related stuff fucking up my ability to focus and write, so hopefully with my mind and body both feeling a lot better, I can get back to being present and active with the game. I didn't realize how physically unwell I was until last year and it's been like... life-long issues I've been treating. It turns out it's not normal to feel exhausted enough to sleep at any given time, at all times, for your whole life! wow!!
I also uninstalled Tumblr from my phone back in February, so you could say I'm sort of generally focused on offline life. (And what an interesting coincidence that my writer's block dissipated shortly after that...) I also just moved!! The last two weekends have been so expensive and stressful -_- But I can't even compare the old place to the new. We're basically paying the same price for idek how much more space. The cats are so happy; which means the house humans get to be happy.
My schedule is finally freed up from constant medical shit (there was a 3-month stretch this winter with multiple doctor appointments literally every fucking week 🙃🙃🙃). My mental health is doing a lot better -- literally incomparably better compared to where I was this time last year. There's live comedy now (which I dabble in, to be clear lol), but I've finally found myself able to like... balance it all. The physical and creative energy that goes into it all, anyway. The lovely thing about improv is that you kinda just show up and do your thing -- it doesn't cut into my writing time so much as it costs energy. Unless I end up in this comedy debate show thing next month, which I am very excited to give up writing time for
So like... Life is life-ing and I'm just vibing. Or something? I'll be around.
Thank you all again so much for your interest, support, patience, and readership <3
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thefallennightmare · 4 months
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Just Pretend-nineteen
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*gif created by me. feel free to use, simply give credit*
Parings: Noah Sebastian x Musician! Reader
Warnings/Tropes: language, angst, fluff, smut, star-crossed lovers, right person/wrong time, cheating, talks of mental abuse.
Summary: “I can wait for years, heaven knows I’m not getting over you.” A story about two star-crossed lovers, that always find their way back because their souls are entwined. The universe desperately attempts to bring them together, no matter what the cost.
Authors Note: I realized today that Sarah and I have been working on this story for almost TWO MONTHS. Holy shit. Talk about a slow burn! I don't think it's ever taken me this long to write an active story. Also, there are a few sentences in Greek and Italian in this chapter. You can find the translations at the end of the chapter.
Collaborating With: @thescarlettvvitch(better give her all the love as well)
Tags: @thescarlettvvitch @ozwriterchick @waake-meee-up @notingridslurkaccount @niicoleleigh @sammyjoeee @xxrainstorm @dominuslunae @notmaddihealy @malice-ov-mercy @crimson-calligraphyx @iknownothingpeople @writethrough @thebadchic @blackveilomens Claudia on Tumblr @tobe-written @blacksoul-27 @loeytuan98 @loverofagoodbeard @comfortcharactercraze @lma1986 @plutonikchaos1 @spicywhenspeaking @lyschko666 @somewhere-diamond @hi-fancy-seeing-you-here @koskeepsake @bngurngheart @shilohrosechicken @emzandthevoid @casangel1986 @qualityvoidcollectorsblog @myownthoughts12 @jilliemiw86 @bellaboo967 @halloweenaesthetic
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NOAH
My knee bounced in a tangent along with the clock on the wall behind Dr. Poulos as she tilted her head towards me, waiting for my answer. 
“I’m sorry, what was the question?” I blinked slowly. 
She gave me a small smile, tapping her pen on her notebook; something I’ve realized she did when she was ready to ask me a hard-hitting question. 
“How have the panic attacks been?” Dr. Poulos wondered. 
“Uh,” I rubbed my jaw. “It’s been better, I suppose. I still feel them starting every once in a while but my friends have been great at helping me through them.” 
“That’s great,” she smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. I know it was a problem for you from our first session.” 
“Yeah, I’ve come to realize there were a few aspects of my life that hindered me more than helped me.” 
Dr. Poulos’ brows raised. “Like what?” 
“Up until recently, I would drink; a lot. And smoke weed every so often. People say it’s the lesser of the drugs but it affected me in such a way that I didn’t like the man I saw in the mirror. Same with the alcohol. So, I’ve decided to become sober.” 
That spread a wider smile on her face. “I’m proud of you, Noah. It’s not an easy thing to overcome but to see how determined you are makes me very happy.” 
I ran my hands over my thighs while standing up straighter on the couch; her positive praise made my heart beat a bit faster. 
“I just want to be the healthiest I can be. Your body is a temple, ya know? It’s only been a few weeks but I can already tell a difference in the way I sing.” 
“That’s exceptional, Noah. I’m happy to hear that. It’ll help the course of your life. But I must ask, do you feel it’ll leave a part of you open and willing to accept the love you think you deserve?” 
I pursed my lips. “What do you mean?” 
“Well, as you mentioned previously, it sounds like Y/N has had some complicated relations with a man who was in a state of addiction. Do you feel that maybe, a part of your being sober can help you leave that part finally open? Allow you to see that you can be loved.” 
When I remained silent, letting her words rest in my mind, Dr. Poulos shut her notebook and set it on the table between us; next to one of those sand zen garden things. 
“What you're doing with Bailey and hiding your true feelings for Y/N doesn't seem to be helping, right?” 
I shook my head with a long sigh. “I never meant for things to go this far.” 
Dr. Poulos leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees, stippling her fingers. 
“Has Y/N ever given you a reason to doubt the things you say to her?” 
“No. Never,” I answered without missing a beat. 
“Then what’s stopping you from telling her how you feel?” She brushed a strand of brown-graying hair from her eyes. 
With Dr. Poulos’ words replaying in my mind, I sat down on the steps of her office while clicking on Bailey’s contact name on my phone. As it rang, I tapped my fingers on my knee to drum a random beat. 
“Hey, it’s Bailey. Leave me a message!’
Cursing to myself, I wished that she had answered because I didn’t want to do this with her voicemail but I had no other option. This needed to be done. 
“Bailey, it’s me- Noah,” I sighed while pinching my eyes shut. “Listen, I didn’t want to do this over text or on your voicemail. But I thought it best you hear me say this. I wanted to discuss it with you the other day but shit came up.” 
My eyes watched as a few people walked past on the sidewalk in front of me. 
“Look, I never wanted to hurt you, you’re a nice girl but this-us-isn’t working for me. I’m-I’m sorry if this hurts you. Truly. I’m not good at words all the time but I will say that I wish you the best and I hope you have a nice life.” 
After hanging up, I could physically feel the weight lift off my shoulders and heart. Breathing was easier and lighter, so with this newfound feeling, I quickly dialed Y/N’s number. 
“Mochi!” 
I could hear the smile in her voice.
“Hi, angel. Are you busy?” I asked while rising from the steps to walk a few steps to my car that was parked in the street. 
“I’m walking into an appointment right now. Can I call you later?”
Ignoring the way my heart dropped, I started my car and sat there for a moment. 
“Of course. I’ll be in the studio but I’ll always answer for you.” My hand ran over the steering wheel. 
“So sweet,” Y/N chuckled and my stomach fluttered. “There’s a reason why I gave you that nickname.” 
We quickly said our goodbyes and my mind was filled with the heavy conversation I needed to have with Y/N. I didn’t even realize the familiar figure bounding up the steps of the same office I left mere minutes ago, her yellow sundress flowing in the wind.
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READER
My eyes were trained on the small sand zen garden on Dr. Poulos’ table as she tapped her pen against the notebook in her lap. The clock ticked annoyingly loudly behind her, almost mocking me as I continued to leave her question unanswered. 
“Y/N,” Dr. Poulos’s voice was firm, breaking me from my trance. “You mentioned your mother contacted you the other day?” 
I played with the hem of my yellow sundress. “Uh, yeah. She doesn't do it often but when she does, she really lets her feelings known.” 
“And what are those feelings?” 
“The same bullshit. My mom doesn’t agree with the lifestyle I’ve chosen. She thinks it's a waste of time,” I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s who she is. Being Greek, I was raised to have large but realistic dreams. My father on the other hand wanted and still wants me to follow my heart, he wants me to go after what I want, what I need. There’s a line between both of them.”
“You know,” Dr. Poulos tucked a strand of her brown-graying hair behind her ear. “There’s a study that says insecure attachment styles can develop as a result of poor parenting. Research indicates that attachment in childhood affects the development of familial, social, and romantic relationships later in life. Do you feel this has deeply affected or influenced your relationships? 
I pursed my lips. “What do you mean?” 
“I mean, you’ve had a pattern of falling for men who aren't good for you yet believing they are real love when you know subconsciously you deserve better.” 
“Maybe,” the word trailed off my lips, uncertainty weighing heavy on my heart. 
Dr. Poulos hummed, crossing one leg over the other. “It sounds that way, doesn’t it? Are you running from Noah because you’re afraid you’ll disappoint him? Afraid he’ll do what your mother often does? You’ve seen the way your parent's marriage was like growing up, that has to be a hindering factor, doesn't it? 
My jaw ticked. “My mother was unfair to my father. I’d never do that or treat anyone that way.” 
“I know you won’t, Y/N. You know it yourself, deep down in your heart,” she patted a hand over her own heart. “Because from what you told me about Noah, I don’t believe that he would act the way your mother has. You won’t disappoint him. And he doesn’t want to do that to you either.” 
I shook my head widely. “He’s with someone else so it doesn't even matter.” 
A small smile lifted at the corner of her lips. “Quite the contrary, Y/N. You said it earlier you wanted to tell him the truth. He isn’t your mother and again, from what you’ve told me it sounds like you both may want the same things. You’re just not trusting yourself. You’re relying on your trauma and issues with your mother to get in the way.” 
“Wow, nice observation,” I snorted. “How am I supposed to fix that?” 
Dr. Poulos ignored my snarky attitude. “If your mother has been unreliable, then you may need to lean on other people who are for support. Socializing with friends and learning to be vulnerable with others can help increase emotional connection.” 
“Malcolm and Chase are reliable,” I stated. 
“It sounds like it, from what you’ve told me,” she nodded. “There’s also Noah. His support can take some time to develop but having stable relationships with others can be part of healing. And most of all, self-care.” 
I left therapy with a hopeful heart and bright smile. Dr. Poulos always knew what I needed to hear as much as I tried to fight it. Peaking down at my phone, my pulse quickened when I noticed a missed text from Noah.
Mochi 🍡: New episode of Attack on Titan dropped. I can pick up lunch. Your place or mine?
Giggling, I typed out my response, not letting anything ruin this euphoric high I felt.
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NOAH
I stood outside Y/N’s front door, shaking out the nerves, and knocked on it. I had a bag of take-out food in my hand, something she requested from her favorite burrito place. 
“Hi,” she smiled while letting me in. “Did you remember the Dr. Pepper?” 
I chuckled while holding up the cup. “Light ice.” 
As we set out the food on the table in their dining room, I motioned towards the various easels and splattered pain on the carpet. “Studio?” 
“Yeah,” Y/N gave a sheepish smile. The lighting in here is better than my bedroom; although not by much.” 
I took in the various paintings of abstract lines and colors, some of random landscapes, and one of Salem. 
“These are really good, angel.” 
“I’m glad I decided to do this. Painting has been a great way to escape from reality, even for a little bit,” she took a bite of her burrito. “Oh, extra guac? How’d you know?” 
I shrugged. “I just do.”
We ate in silence for the next few long moments and as much as I tried to quiet the loud voices in my mind that screamed at me to tell Y/N the truth right now, it was extremely difficult. 
My eyes took in the glimmer of her bracelet as she reached for the chips and I couldn't stop the smile that spread wide to my lips. Y/N was still wearing the jewelry I bought her and it made me feel proud. 
“Where’s Chase and Malcolm?” I asked, noticing the quiet.
Y/N took a large drink of her soda, reveling in the taste. “Hiking. They left earlier this morning and typically don’t come back till later. So I have the place to myself.”
Just as I was about to speak, a persistent knock sounded on the front door, and she turned towards it with a confused stare. 
“Expecting anyone?” 
She shook her head. “Nope. Probably someone selling Girl Scout cookies.” 
“If they have Thin Mints, I’ll take four boxes,” I called after Y/N. 
Her laugh echoed throughout the room but soon seized when she opened the door. I noticed the way her body went rigid and I slowly rose in time to see a tall but petite brunette all but push her way inside. 
“Hi, koukla. I would have texted or called but it seems like you have an issue with checking your phone,” the lady peered around the space, a sour look on her lips. 
“Mo-mom? What are you doing here?” 
Shit. 
I knew there was a history with Y/N’s mom but never knew how deep it ran. 
“I was in town and thought to surprise you. Since you never talk to me anymore,” her mom tsked. 
Finally, her eyes landed on me, standing in the threshold of the living room and dining room; gaze hardening. 
“Who’s this?” She asked Y/N. 
Internally I snorted at how she asked Y/N rather than asking me. 
“I’m Noah,” I introduced myself while brushing away the strands from my face. 
Her mom hummed before nodding towards the back end of the house. “Give me and my daughter some privacy.” 
“Mom!” Y/N seethed. 
Noticing how the tension shifted, I gave Y/N a soft smile. “It’s alright. I’ll go say hi to Salem.” 
With my back to them, I walked down the hall and heard her mom mutter something in Greek. 
“Giatí échei makriá malliá?” 
“Eísai apísteftos,” Y/N responded in a stern voice. 
Sitting in the Y/N’s bedroom with Salem perched on my lap, I left the door wide open so I could listen in on the conversation. It may have been wrong to eavesdrop but something deep inside of me told me to be on edge, just in case.
“You should have called, Mom,” Y/N said. 
“You never return my calls.” 
“Gee, I wonder why. You exactly haven’t been that peachy the last few times we’ve talked.” I could hear the slight edge in Y/N’s voice. 
“I thought I’d told you I don’t appreciate the way you speak to me.” 
“It’s a two-way street, Mom. You get what you give.” 
Salem purred loudly in my lap and I continued to scratch him in the spot I knew he loved; between his ears. 
“I’ve always hated when your father used that line,” her mother sighed. 
Someone was pacing, their footsteps echoing loudly down the hall, and I peered down at Salem. 
“Your mom seems pretty upset right now,” I frowned at the feline. 
His bright green eyes stared back at me, simply demanding one thing silently; more pets to which I obliged. 
“Have you been to the doctor lately?” 
“Since when do you care, Mom? You never ask how I’m doing.” 
Salem jumped off of me when I slowly rose to my feet, deciding that I needed to be closer to Y/N, just in case. 
“I know how bad Endometriosis affects you, Y/N. I’m simply wondering.” 
I could almost hear Y/N roll her eyes as I neared the end of the hallway, out of sight but could still see just enough. Y/N stood with her hands on her hips while her mom sat comfortably on the couch. 
“I’m fine.” Y/N kept her answers short. 
Her mother pursed her lips. “And how’s the career?” 
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes at the way she said career. 
Y/N snorted. “Please, like you give a shit.” 
“Watch your language!” 
“You’ve never supported me with my music. Hell, with any of my dreams. So don’t start acting like you give a shit now. 
Her mom rose to her feet, narrowing her gaze. “That’s not true. I only want what’s best for you, Y/N. You don’t want to end up like your father and be stuck.” 
“He wasn’t stuck,” Y/N scoffed while clenching her fists. 
Her mother clicked her tongue while brushing away Y/N’s hair from her face. “Yes, sweetie, he was. And I’m telling you, no man will want to deal with someone that’s always on the road. What man is going to wait around or understand this lifestyle? What future are you gonna have?”
My jaw clenched at hearing those words because I knew it wasn’t true. There was a man who wanted Y/N; me. I would wait for years if I had to. Whenever she was ready, I’d be here. 
But hearing how her mom talked to her made me realize that there was a reason why Y/N never spoke of her and why she was so apprehensive of any future relationship. 
“We’re not talking about this,” Y/N stepped away from her mom to stand on the other end of the couch, giving more space between them. 
“Once again, you’re avoiding a tough subject. I didn’t raise you this way,” her mother chastised. 
Y/N’s jaw dropped. “Raised me? Are you fucking kidding me? You barely were home, too busy focusing on your career leaving Dad home to raise me!” 
I smirked at hearing Y/N mock her mother in how she said career moments before. 
“Your father was always your favorite. But it was me you stayed with after the divorce!” Her mother's voice was raised. 
Fearing this would end in such a bad way, I pulled my phone to send a text to Chase. 
Me: Y/N’s mom is here and I’m afraid shit is about to hit the fan. What should I do?
His response came almost immediately. 
Chase: Fuck. Whatever you do, Noah. Don’t leave. Stay until we get there. Every time her mom either contacts her or shows up, Y/N goes into a dark place. Malcolm and I are leaving right now and should be back in an hour.
I swallowed thickly as my stomach dropped. If the guys were worried about Y/N’s mom being here, it could only mean one thing. 
Disaster. 
“I stayed with you because you made me feel guilty!” Y/N choked on a sob. “For years I wondered why I didn’t feel a connection with you so I thought staying with you would bring us closer. But instead, you dropped the you’re adopted bomb on me; on my birthday!”
Her mother had the audacity to shrug. 
“You probably would have found out eventually. I simply sped up the process.” 
Y/N shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.” 
“Because I tell the truth? You think people are going to stay with you with the lifestyle you’ve chosen?” 
“Oh, gods, we’re back on this again?” Y/N ran a hand through her hair. “I have a lot of people that support me.” 
 “Who? Your friend?” Her mom pointed a firm finger towards the hallway where I was still hiding around the corner. “Do you think he is going to wait around?” 
For years if I have to. 
“No. No one will, Y/N. You’re like your father with these pipe dreams.” 
“Pipe dreams? I didn’t realize wanting a family was a pipe dream,” Y/N spat. 
Her mother gave her a somber smile, clicking her teeth. “Kouklamou, I thought we talked about this. You can’t have a family, not the traditional way anyway. You need to realize that no man is going to want to go through all that trouble to have a child. It’s not worth it.” 
Y/N and I both flinched at the same time, those words almost verbatim with what Trey used to say to her. There I stood, my fists clenched by my sides, I rolled my shoulders back, glaring towards the petite brunette with dark eyes. 
I was feeling triggered while I observed this entire thing; it felt intrusive at first but now feels like I’m behind fifty feet of glass.
It made sense now, why this loving bond between Y/N and I was inaccessible. In this mode, I had to take great care not to damage these bonds of love, this relationship, this friendship, and this woman in front of me, who very early on became everything to my heart and soul. For in time, the glass disappeared and my love returned stronger.
I understood.
From my corner, I could see how the kitchen table had seen every emotion, from the sweet silent happiness of family times, when the only sound is contented enjoyment, to the rage that bursts out in the hard times; I understood. 
I refused to stand there and let it sour, not to her. Never to her.
Sobs played like a sad tune and I noticed Y/N was crying, hastily whipping away the tears. 
“I can’t believe I continue to let you in my life, knowing how you’ll treat me. Girls are supposed to look up to their mothers as idols, to learn from them how to be mothers. But you’ve shown me how not to treat my kids in the future.” 
“We’ve talked about this, Y/N. The chances of you becoming a mother are not in the cards for you. Neither is this musical career. You need to face reality.”
Fuck this. 
As I stepped into view of them, Y/N pointed to the front door. “I don’t need you to come in here and tell me how to run my life, I’m done with this.” 
“Y/n-.” 
“You heard her,” I spoke while standing next to Y/N, immediately wrapping my arm around her shoulder to pull her into my chest. 
My heart broke at how quickly she grasped onto my shirt, not wanting me to let her go. 
“Excuse me? This is a private matter between my daughter and me. This doesn't concern you,” her mom’s eyes sliced into me. 
“It does. Because it’s Y/N.” 
Her mom’s gaze bounced between the two of us, almost waiting for Y/N to object to my words, but instead, she stood firm, sniffing away her tears. 
“You need to leave.” 
With one final glare, Y/N’s mom snatched her purse off the couch while muttering something Greek under her breath before she slammed the door behind her; all the negative energy leaving in waves. 
“Y/N,” I tried to make her look at me but she kept her head cast down. 
“I can’t, Noah,” she cried. 
I lifted her chin with a firm finger and sucked in a breath as broken, bloodshot eyes stared back at me. 
“Don’t ever hide from me, angel. You know that.” 
Y/N kept her gaze firm on my face. “She does this every time. I don’t know why I continue to let her. I’m just a girl who wants her mother's love, is that so wrong?” 
“Angel,” I murmured while pulling her into my embrace, brushing a kiss across her forehead. 
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NOAH
My fingers drummed against the marble counter in front of me while Davis set out various ingredients. We were currently streaming the two of us cooking BLTs, something for the fans to enjoy and watch. I was reading some of the comments, smiling at a few then cringing at some others. 
Davis handed me a block of cheese. “Cut this up for me, would ya?” 
With it in one hand, I playfully spit on my hand before giving it a nice smack. 
“Hm, imagining that someone's ass?” He smirked under his breath. 
I gave him a light shove. “Fuck off.” 
We spent the next long while goofing off and having fun for the stream. It was nice to let my mind focus on something else besides Y/N and her mom. I spent the rest of the night at her place, holding her in my arms as she cried herself to sleep. The familiar scent of her lingered on me as I tucked her softly in her bed. Before I walked out of her house, I ran into Chase and Malcolm, whose parting words stuck with me all day.
“She needs you more than she’ll admit. It may not seem like it but she does.” 
Y/N texted me this morning to thank me for being there for her and say that if she went M.I.A for a while today, it’s only because Hollow Souls were in the studio recording. I didn't ask how she was feeling after the surprise visit from her mom. Y/N would tell me, if she wanted to, when she was ready.
“Alright, let’s read some comments,” Davis suggested as we finished up the cook-off; me winning.
He held Max in his hands, every so often giving him kisses. As I read a few comments out loud and responded, the dog practically begged me for attention when a familiar username appeared on the screen. 
Y/NHollowSouls: Noah Sebastian, I swear to Hades himself. You kiss Max right now or I’ll come over there and kick your ass.
I laughed while shaking my head. “Alright, Max. Come here! Let me give you some love.” 
I scratched the dog's ear while leaving a soft kiss on his nose then looked back to the computer screen to see Y/N leave another comment. 
Y/NHollowSouls: Good, that’s better. Now I need to taste this famous BLT that won. 
“Then get your ass over here. Bring some coconut water because Noah drank the last one,” Davis said once he read the comment. 
My heart began to beat widely in my chest at the thought of seeing Y/N again. 
Y/NHollowSouls: fuck yes. Noah, have that sandwich ready for me.
We ended the stream shortly after that but my eyes lingered on the black screen for a long moment. Davis immediately picked up on my quiet mood and knocked on the countertop.
“Noah?” 
My name was white noise, still staring at zoning out in front of me. 
“Earth to Noah! Come in Herc! Come in Herc!” 
“What?” My eyes snapped over to Davis, finally breaking out of my trance. 
“What I thought.” He smirks before getting serious. “Are you alright?” 
I gave a weak smile towards Davis. “Yeah. I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” 
He motioned towards the laptop. “I know you’re not actually fine right now but-.” 
I ran a hand over my face, doing my best to keep my breathing calm and even. “I’ll be fine, I promise. It just fucking hurts.” 
Davis shifted on his feet, hesitation clear on his face. “Why? No disrespect to Y/N at all, you know I love her-we all do. But why did you choose to stay in touch? After all the hurt you’ve gone through.”
My vision was direct with his. “Because I’d rather have her from afar to make sure she’s alright than to not have her in my life at all. Besides, she’s going through a lot of shit, something no one should go through alone. I won’t let her.” 
A grin spread across his face and he nodded. “I knew it. I just wanted to hear you admit it. But you need to end this shit with Bailey.” 
“I already did.” 
“Fuck,” Davis’ eyes widened. “Finally. How did she take it?” 
I nervously rubbed the back of my neck. “That’s the thing, she didn’t answer. I left her a voicemail.” 
“A voicemail? Damn, do you think she got the message?” Davis wondered while be began cleaning up the mess. 
I, instead, began making another sandwich for Y/N, knowing she’d be here soon. “I fucking hope so. If not, then she’s probably testing me to see if I’d change my mind.” 
“But you won't, right?” 
I snorted. “Fat chance.”
Davis turned towards me, drying his hands on a towel. “So you broke up with Bailey. What’s the next step with Y/N?” 
“I need to talk to her first. There’s a lot we need to talk about,” I said while pulling out a cold can of Dr. Pepper from the fridge. 
“Hey, that’s the last one,” he exclaimed. 
I merely shrugged while setting a place at the kitchen table for Y/N. “It’s for Y/N.” 
Davis, as much as he tried to be upset, chuckled. “In all seriousness, Noah, you know we’re here to support you. We have your back.” 
I smiled at one of my best friends. “I know.” 
Just then a knock sounded on the front door and before Davis could answer it, I quickly closed the short distance and opened it with a smile; only for it to drop seeing Y/N standing on the other side with a frown. 
“What’s wrong?” I questioned while allowing her to step inside and led her to Davis’ kitchen. 
“Chase’s birthday is on Friday and the venue I booked for it just canceled on me. Something about a pipe bursting and the room is flooded,” she exasperated while falling into the chair at the table. 
“What are you going to do?” I questioned while sitting across from her. 
Davis joined us at the table, taking the coconut water from Y/N with a small smile. 
“Thankfully since they have to cancel, I get my deposit back but Malcolm is freaking out,” she waved her phone around. “We have two days to figure out somewhere new for this surprise party.” 
“You can have it at my place,” I suggested. 
Y/N took a long drink of her soda. “Are you sure? Don’t you think you should talk with the rest of the guys first?” 
I snatched a chip off her plate and shrugged. “They won’t mind.” 
“Sei un tesoro, mochi,” she patted my cheek. 
Davis choked on his drink and my eyes snapped over to him. “I don’t want to hear it!” 
He held up his hands. “I didn’t hear anything.”
Y/N smirked before taking the first bite of her sandwich and groaned. “Oh shit, this is good. No wonder you won, Noah.” 
With a prideful smirk, I motioned to the rest of her plate. “Finish up. I’ll call the guys and have them meet here and we can plan Chase’s party.” 
At one point, Davis left to take Max for a walk, leaving Y/N and I alone. We sat silently and enjoyed the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seemed only the old could sit next to one another, not say anything, and still feel content. The young, brash, and impatient, must always break the silence. It’s a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking. This is the great paradox.
“Oh, I never noticed the great view Davis has,” Y/N mused while pushing away her empty plate. 
Realizing it was almost time for the sun to set, I quickly cleaned up for her and motioned towards the back door. 
“Let’s go sit outside for a bit, yeah?” I suggested. 
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READER
Noah and I sat comfortably on the patio bench, a blanket draped over both of our legs as we stared out at the vast greens of Davis’ backyard. The sky was painted in bright oranges with hints of pink and purple. Silently, I thought to myself that I should have brought my art supplies, noting this would be a beautiful experience to paint. 
The silence between Noah and I was comforting, something you don’t find all that often. People always needed to talk rather than just listen to the world around them. The way the birds chirped, the faint noises of evening traffic, or the sound of the wind as it blew a chilly breeze. 
“Angel?” 
I hummed while looking over towards Noah. 
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Is there-I don’t know-anything you really want besides music right now?”
“I want a studio, with giant canvas’, paint; just an art studio galore! I’ve gotten into the hobby and love it,” I answered with a bright smile. “I was even thinking of using some of my art for the album artwork. Just playing with ideas.”
Noah’s smile matched mine as he let his hair loose from the hair tie, letting it fall to his shoulders in waves. “I love that you found something else you’re so passionate about, angel.”
“I love painting. I really do,” I leaned farther back against the couch and rested my head against it. 
“So paint. You should do whatever your heart desires, Y/N.” 
“Thank you, mochi” I nudged him. 
Noah rested his head against the couch, inches away from mine as another thought came to mind. 
“You know,” I started with a long sigh. “When I was a kid, I would have given anything to be exactly like everybody else” 
“You wanted to be petty and dishonest?“ He joked.
“Not everyone is like that,” I defended with a shake of my head. 
“Yes they are,” Noah retorted back. “But not you. You’re not like that.” 
This had me sitting up straighter, Noah following me. “How do you know what I’m like?”
“I see you,” He shifted closer to me, hand brushing across my knee over the blanket. “I’ve seen you for a long time. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met”.
My heart beat widely in my chest, the noise deafening in my ears and I cleared my throat. 
“I think you are too. If I’m being honest, I think I’ve always sorta known that,” I admitted. 
“You know,” Noah’s hand rested on my knee. “With me bouncing between homes and couches growing up, I always thought I’d be alone. I’d never expected to have such an amazing group of friends.” 
“Sometimes maybe it’s better to be alone,” I shrugged while looking past his shoulder to an older couple watching in the neighborhood. 
“Why do you say that?”
I still kept my gaze off Noah, voice dropping low. “Nobody can hurt you.”
“Y/N,” Noah sighed and lifted my chin so I could meet his intense gaze. “I would never, ever hurt you.”
Those eyes. I’ve dreamed of those eyes almost every night since our first meeting so long ago. I won’t say I’m in love, not out loud, but I am. I came to terms with that a while ago. 
“I know, mochi,” I finally whispered. 
Noah’s thumb traced over my jawline. “I understand why it’s hard for you, Y/N. But know that when I’m with you, I don’t feel alone.”
That magnetic pull that always seemed to connect us with that invisible string made me lean closer to him needing his warmth to envelop me. 
“I’ve never had this instant connection with anyone. I know you understand it too,” he continued. 
With my continued silence, Noah sat up straighter but kept his grip on my chin. “Are you freaked out? Because not hearing you say anything kind of-.” 
“Noah- no,” I rested my hands on his chest. “I feel it too.” 
His hand grasped the back of my neck now, tilting my head up towards him, as we began to lead in closer, and when his warm breath fanned over my lips, I let my eyes flutter shut. 
“Hey guys-oh shit.” 
Quickly pushing away from Noah, I peered over my shoulder to see Malcolm leaning against the back door. 
“We’re all inside ready to talk about the party. Whenever you two decide to grace us,” Malcolm winked before slipping back inside. 
Clearing my throat, I let the realization sink in what Noah and I were about to do. He’s with Bailey and I was ready to kiss him. I’m not this kind of person but yet here I was again being caught between him and my conscious. Bailey, as intrusive as she was, didn’t deserve this. 
Noah tried to bring me back to him but I quickly stood up, giving us more space. 
“We can’t do this. Not again,” my hair shook widely around my shoulders. “It’s not fair to Bailey.” 
“I ended it.” 
I blinked. “Wha-Oh? You did?” 
As ecstatic as I was hearing this, I did my best to hide it. I didn’t want Noah to know inside I was jumping for fucking joy; like a kid on Christmas that received the toy they’d been wanting. 
Noah stood from the couch now, standing in front of me. “I think Bailey saw me as Noah on the big screen, not me the person and after everything at that dinner I just knew it was time.” 
“I’m-I’m sorry,” I stammered, not knowing what else to say. 
His brows furrowed. “Why? It wasn’t serious. There wasn’t that connection; like the one we have.” 
As my lips parted, it was Jesse now who interrupted us, taking a bite of the apple in his hand. “Are you guys coming or what?” 
Noah cursed while running a hand through his hair and I shakily pointed over his shoulder. 
“We should head inside. Talk about this party.” 
Not wanting to spend another second out here, afraid to finally give in to the thoughts that were screaming at me, I gently brushed past him to return inside.
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GREEK TRANSLATIONS:
Koukla-doll
Kouklamou- my doll
“Giatí échei makriá malliá?”- Why does he have long hair?
"Eísai apísteftos"-you're unbelievable
ITALIAN TRANSLATIONS:
Sei un tesoro-you're a sweetheart.
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crtter · 6 months
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I personally wouldn’t worry very much about Tumblr shutting down because I’ve been playing Neopets since 2005 and in a lot of ways it’s story mirrors Tumblr’s pretty much to a T: it was sold by its creators to Viacom for 160 million, then Viacom sold it to JumpStart, JumpStart was acquired by NetDragon and then, finally, it was sold to an independent company via management buyout of NetDragon of for a whooping 4 million. It’s a relic of a different time full of spaghetti code that has been chronically unprofitable ever since its original owners sold it. This brings me to two points:
1. Neopets was ran by a skeleton crew from its acquisition by JumpStart in 2014 to literally five months ago when it was acquired by the independent company. This time period was, for the lack of a better description, pretty annoying. Some features shut down, the updates slowed down to a crawl, very few new features were announced and when something broke it took ages for it to get fixed. There was a time the Neoboards filters stopped working and people said shit and fuck on it for a full day. It had a grand total of TWO programmers working on it last time I’ve heard about it. And with that being said! It was still overall usable and had a small but pretty active player base that had been playing since they were kids, like me. My point is, until someone shuts a website’s servers down for good, it’ll will still be there and there will still be people using it.
2. As I said earlier, Neopets was recently bought again (and is getting a lot of quality of life improvements!) and there is a reason websites like Neopets and Tumblr never actually get shut down and always have some sucker trying to buy it and make it stop being a money sucking machine: brand recognition. Every kid who was alive in the 00s played Neopets. There’s literally a new fashion trend called “Tumblr girl”. Nostalgia sells and sells well nowadays and as long as people look at something and go “Oh, I used to have so much fun in this website!” there’ll be someone with a few millions in their pocket who’ll think they’ll be able make a quick buck out of that. Which they won’t, but they won’t learn.
So, to sum it up. Updates on Tumblr will slow down, and some stuff will break and take a good while to get fixed. Maybe we’ll see some unusually racy ads or have some minor security scares. This might last for years, until someone buys it and fruitlessly tries to revitalize it again! But Tumblr itself isn’t going anywhere and will still work decently well until then, unless someone trips over the server’s power cord.
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aerynwrites · 5 months
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If you would be open to it, I’d love to ask for your HCs on: (* * spoiler-ish ahead * *) what if reader/tav went with Halsin at the end of Act III to establish a sanctuary for the refugees/take care of the children? Little snippets of life sort of things for how you think it would be between the two of them without the pressures of saving the whole world. I love your perspectives and writing !! Definitely would be awesome to read your take on that sorta thing
I as going to have this up sooner but tumblr apparently hates me and deleted the post on two different occasions when I was working on it lmao. so sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy!
Halsin and Reader after The game
Okay so
I feel like a lot of their first few months would be focusing on rebuilding efforts.
bc personally - I know Halsin in game says that he is going back to Thaniel's realm. But I love the idea of him actually returning to Moonrise/the old shadow lands and rebuilding the area there to truly give the refugees a place to call home.
so lots of rebuilding, coordinating relief efforts, etc.
I also feel like you would convince Halsin rebuild the little house that you all found Oliver in for a house of your own away from the hustle and bustle of things.
and after just a few short months it seems like its done.
sure there will always be things to do and fix and rebuild, but everyone had a roof over their head and full bellies and safety!
something none of you have had in a while.
Halsin relishes in it. you thought he was a bright light in the darkness before, he's even more so now.
like a actual weight has been lifted from his shoulders.
for the first time in centuries he's able to truly take in what's in front of him, and he spends pretty much every moment of that new feeling with you.
one thing you love doing is looking at the stars, an activity Halsin also enjoys.
he loves pointing out the different constellations to you, or if he's in bear for you'll do the same for him as you lean into his furry side.
speaking of his bear form...
The refugee children fucking love that shit.
the children love Halsin in general, especially those who lost their parents and look to him as a father figure of sorts.
They practically hang off of him whenever you two venture into the more populated areas.
they always beg him to wild shape, something he hardly ever denies since he often prefers that form anyways.
And he's admitted to you on a few occasions that he loves to see them happy and laughing after all they've been through.
life would continue this way for a while, your only true responsibilities being protecting those around you.
Life is finally peaceful, quiet and you wouldn't change much.
after a few years I could see Halsin possibly bringing up the idea of children, but he would never push.
if you want children of your own biologically he would be More than happy to indulge that desire lol.
but if that's not something you envision for yourself he would be happy that way too: kids, no kids, adopting one of the children in need...Halsin is happy if you are happy.
and no matter what life throws at you, you both know you have each other from now on.
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