#<- normal response to a normal interaction i think

[namelessdumbass]

Info-post

Okay, guys, i made this post because i'm honestly tired of the lack of information about Ukraine. The war isn't over and genocide of Ukrainians became normalized. Plus there are a lot of people who truly believe there's no more war because they rarely see any news! So here are a few sources you can share. Donations are optional LIVE MAPS: -Air Raid Alert Map (interactive map where you can see where air raid sirens are on, which cities are under attack, explosions etc) -DeepState map (also an interactive map with areas that were liberated or are currently occupied by russians; is updated every day) NEWS SOURCES: -GRUNT MEDIA (tweet in Ukrainian, but if you use twitter, you can always click a translation button) -United 24 Media (tweet in English!). Their official website is -> HERE -Bring Kids UA. They help locate and bring home children who were kidnapped by russians. Their official website -> HERE; their twitter -> HERE; useful links (including a petition) are HERE -Save Ukraine. Its a registered charitable organization established in 2014 that coordinates dozens of organizations, volunteers, individuals and legal entities to help those affected by war, with a special emphasis on children. Their websire -> HERE; their twitter -> HERE -TV Toronto -Kyiv Independent + their twitter -Ostap Yarysh. Covers US-Ukraine relations, tweets in ENG. His twitter -> HERE -Ukraine World. Multilingual media about Ukraine. Their website -> HERE. Their twitter -> HERE -Zarina Zabrisky. US journalist who reports from Ukraine. Tweets a lot about Kherson city, a city in the south of Ukraine that get shelled and attacked by russian drones DAILY. Recently released a film called "Human Safari" that shows you reality of the town. You can watch her film -> HERE. Her twitter is -> HERE Charities/volunteers who help AFU: -COME BACK ALIVE (a non-governmental organisation that helps strengthen Ukraine’s security and defence sector. Has been operational since 2014, when the war has started!) This organization is VERY TRANSPARENT! Their website is -> HERE. Their twitter -> HERE -Serhiy Prytula charity foundation. He also helps Armed Forces of Ukraine with trucks, drones etc. -Sternenko Foundation. Serhii Sternenko is a famous Ukrainian volunteer. He helps UA soldiers with FPV drones. Drones have been crucial weapons/helping tools in this war. They are useful not only for observing, repelling the attacks of the enemies, but also bringing food/water/medicine to wounded soldiers. His twitter -> HERE -Leleka Foundation. Medicine, tactical medicine! Lots of lives on the battlefiled are saved with the help of proper tourniquetes and equipment. This org provides it. Their twitter -> HERE -Wild Hornets. Drones-drones-drones. They make drones that are crucial for this war. Their twitter -> HERE -Project Konstantin. They deliver aid, vehicles, communications tools, and tactical equipment. Their twitter -> HERE -NAFO 69th Sniffling Brigade. They bring trucks for Ukrainian defenders. Those who read the news at least a little bit, are aware how important 4x4 trucks are. Especially for evacuation. Their twitter -> HERE -World Central Kitchen. International organization who provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. They work with locals and really there for those who are affected. A soon as territories in Ukraine were liberated, they were there to help. Unlike OSCE, the UN, Red Cross etc, WCK truly help people. They keep working in Ukraine despite the shelling. By the way, they work all over the world and helped people in Gaza too! Their twitter -> HERE THANK YOU to everyone who shares this! Please amplify Ukrainian voices, talk about Ukraine, support those who were affected by war... unfortunately it's closer than you think.

[inksandpensblog]

Lopee IS The Game

Ever since the devs announced we'd be getting a way to destroy Painter, I've wondered how they'd have Sebastian respond to it.

The most I could imagine was something similar to Sans' response when you kill Papyrus in Undertale: once Papyrus has been dusted— regardless of what neutral run you're on —Sans seems to disappear from the game entirely, until his mandatory encounter in the judgement hall. The only hint that he's still around to keep an eye on you is a bit of flavor text that you only get if your battle with Shyren progresses into a concert.

I wondered if the devs would do something similar with Sebastian, and make it so that killing Painter took away our ability to interact with Sebastian at all. If Painter's room generated before Seb's shop, then maybe said shop would be empty of its merchant and we would be unable to buy any gear. Maybe when Seb yoinked files from our grasp, he would do so silently, rather than with a quip. Maybe if we died, he would refuse to appear on the death screen or give us any information on what had killed us. Things would only go back to normal once the progression of time reset itself and the player started a new run with a still-running Painter.

I don't know much about game design, much less that of Roblox games, but I was trying to think of what the devs would be capable of doing within the limits of programming hosted by the platform. In that vein, I was also trying to think of what the writers would be able to effectively justify while still allowing the gameplay to progress as normal.

Which is why Sebastian's actual response, not to mention Lopee's interference in the aftermath, blew me away from more than just the characterization or lore perspectives.

The objective of the main expedition is to retrieve the crystal.

After ripping our heart out with his bare hands, Sebastian declares his intent to remember us (which we already know he can do, given that he recognizes us when we visit the shop on every run) and to kill us on sight every time we return for a new run.

If Sebastian were to follow through on this, it would effectively mean that destroying Painter has hard-locked the player out of ever completing the main expedition.

Sebastian's response breaks the boundaries of the game. It interferes with game progression in such a way as to make achieving the win-condition impossible.

It's entirely fitting that Mr. Lopee interferes so directly and harshly. His existence is all about making sure nobody goes out of bounds. It's just that up until now, those efforts have been concentrated mostly on players.

This whole time, I'd been thinking of how Sebastian might respond within the boundaries of the game. I never considered that his response might actually be game-breaking, much less that the game itself would penalize him for it and then reset to correct course.

This game, man.

[dw-flagler-deactivated20250701]

What's your most bad faith, hate filled, slanderous Weld take?

Essay on why i hate weld

if i'm being honest the thing i hate the most about weld is that his power, a really cool power, one of the most interesting and potentially creative ones in all of worm, is just so utterly wasted on being weld's power.

straight up, in some Bad universe where taylor died during leviathan and wildbow had to pick a new protagonist, on powers alone, weld has a genuine shot at being decent pick for the new protagonist. on strength of his power alone! (it wouldn't be as good as the one we got but the concept is not entirely devoid of potential)

if you recall, when I was asked to pick my favorite power in every category back in april, I said that weld was my favorite Changer. I still stand by that. Weld has a really cool power, with tons of interesting facets, potential expressions, interactions, and potential themes and symbolism!

You can see this back in my ward liveblog posts. I am firmly of the opinion that a bad thing is merely bad, while a bad thing that has the potential to be amazing, incredible ideas let down by terrible implementation, is infinitely worse than something that's just bad. The most torturous thing to read for me is something with these incredible potential themes that are literally never explored. Weld, just as a character, is this.

So Weld is really fucking cool on paper. He's a case 53, but managed to luck into being a case 53 with mass market appeal.

It's such an interesting idea for what worm wants to do with case 53s as both a unique twist on the x-men formula, and how case 53s are supposed to represent a visible otherness. Like if you want to go for a queer reading, "normal" capes have passing privilege and case 53s don't.

So weld is such a neat idea for that! He's a pick-me, a One-Of-The-Good-Ones, because unlike other case 53s, he's just Some Guy, but he happens to be made of metal. Case 53s I Do and Do Not Respect, that sort of thing. Because of that, because he, out of all the case 53s, is the one best able to Pass for normal, people can tolerate him!

And that's cool! The metal shapeshifter is constantly contorting himself for mass market appeal! Like i'm gonna make up a scenario. So weld's talking with the image department at boston PHQ, and they're like hmm your mouth is a little big, can you make it smaller? and he fucking can! He can just. change what he looks like! It's useless for disguising, since there's One Fucking Guy Made of Metal but like. he can make himself into a generically attractive white guy!

I fucking love the idea of a character going like "i'm wearing so many masks i'm not sure there's a real me underneath it all" that's so fucking cool! And during the echidna fight, there could be a moment where he finally has to make his own path, for once!

Even the fact that his character's so utterly bland could be something! He's so dedicated to being such a Good One that he's basically responsible for public perception of all case 53s. He could make people like Case 53s. He's carrying the world on his shoulders. In order to do that, he makes his personality into one designed by committee--not just in public but in private too! The metal shapeshifter sanded down the rough edges of his personality so he wouldn't cut anyone on the edge!

But this is all just wasted! Because Weld is JUST SOME GUY! All i've read of worm and ward, and i never once got the impression weld was ever actually invested in something! Weld feels like the parahumans equivalent to harry potter. He's, like, a passive milquetoast observer. Weld never chooses to do something, Weld never wants to do something. Things just happen to weld, and nobody, least of all weld, is interested in what he thinks about them. And he never questions this either, because again that could be interesting, that could be a neat character, and weld is just boring.

Honestly, the thing that bothers me the most is this moment in early ward, when he sees victoria again after years, never learning she was even alive, sveta's hugging vic and sobbing because she just found out her best friend was alive and weld's response is just. Yeah. This Is Great. And seriously this might actually be the most emotion we see from the bastard in the whole fucking day. "wow, doctor yamada. this made my day."

Basically, my biggest problem with weld is that I could do better (most anyone could do better). Give weld's powers to some other character, almost any other character, and it would be more interesting.

[ofeliaxoxo]

You’re right about Carlos’ need to assert boundaries over his space coming out in his interactions with fans. He’s said in interviews more than once that he dislikes/gets overwhelmed in crowds, so you’ll often hear him in videos telling fans that he’ll sign their items and take pics as long as they maintain order; if not, he’ll leave. In Mexico last year, he told a girl not to touch him after she grabbed onto him unexpectedly in the hotel lobby - of course, then all these Carlos haters twisted the situation and said he was rude, ungrateful and “traumatized” those girls.🙄 But, really, good for him for protecting space as best he can.

No absolutely. That’s a difference between Charles and Carlos I always like to keep in mind when doing any Fame Thinking about either of them. I do think it’s very interesting that you’ve got The Iron Woman over there doing a sort of I Love You It’s Ok If You Lick Me routine with his fans even when he’s visibly uncomfortable vs Mr Dog Motif being the one to go. No man go fuck yourself let’s be normal and if you can’t I’m going.

I do think both approaches make sense for who they are. I think

1. Charles is ultimately more famous and more widely adored and thus his Image is probably weightier and more vital for him to constantly constantly maintain in the minutiae of his fan interactions.

2. His image is smoother and more conventionally Perfect Boy than Carlos’s is. I’ve said it before but Carlos is too specific of an actual guy to reach that whereas Charles is slightly more universal even in his particular experiences. So if Carlos says to someone oh shut up don’t yell or touch me, in a moment of irritation, it does go down easier. Yes there’d be backlash but like mostly not really whereas imagine Charles said it. He NEVER does meaning he now basically can’t. Everyone would be like The Real Truth Behind Charles Leclerc. Carlos is a man that happens to be famous and Charles is a Celebrity

3. If you snap your fingers and take literally all of this away by a genies magic wish Carlos is still at his core Carlos Sainz rich man from rich Madrid family son of Carlos Sainz Sr but Charles Leclerc becomes a random guy. I don’t mean that in a bad way no one get it twisted. This is the inverse of Charles being more marketable it’s because Carlos is unavoidably who he is while Charles not so much. Which makes him more palatable but also means without this who is he. So I do feel that maybe for Charles he is more invested in Always Getting It Right fame wise.

4. I think Carlos ultimately feels his situation to be ridiculous. Sure he’ll do the sponcon and make his money and I think he’s aware of the responsibility he holds as not only an emotional but literally a financial investment for his fans (I listened to a podcast where he spoke about trying to make interactions nice when he knows people have spent good money to be at a Grand Prix, acknowledging that for him it’s not a lot of money but for them it is) but I don’t think he actually finds the fame to like be respectable or admirable. I believe he thinks it’s silly and embarrassing. Not that I think he somehow thinks fans are embarrassing I can’t see in his mind, what I mean is I think he just doesn’t like to view himself as a famous guy but instead as a race car driver and when he’s at events or treated like a Celebrity it makes him cringe. He wishes we could all just be ADULTS and STOP TAKING PICTURES and just BE CHILL about each other. I think

I do think the difference in the way they deal with fame is one of the most interesting things to compare. Because i feel that it’s revealing without their knowledge of it being so. While many other things are drip fed or broadcasted to us on purpose this isn’t.

Tangential sidenote: Carlos as someone who really cares about his own space and boundaries, doesn’t want to be suddenly grabbed. Charles who lets HIM decide when they’re going to be close and touch each other…

[sterekshipperforever]

Stiles looks down and sees the black wolf nudging his shirt with its nose, snorting softly. It seems like it's checking up on him, making sure he's alright.

Stiles reaches down, scratching the wolf behind the ear tenderly. "I'm fine, buddy," he says softly. "Just got tackled that's all."

The wolf lets out a low huff, still looking concerned as it rubs its snout against Stiles' hand. It seems like it's not entirely convinced that he's okay.

"I'm serious, I'm okay," Stiles continues, giving the wolf a reassuring smile. "Just a little banged up, that's all. Nothing I can't handle."

The wolf lets out another huff, but seems to relax slightly at Stiles' words. It moves closer, pressing its body against his leg, as if seeking reassurance.

Jackson, who has been watching the interaction between the wolf and Stiles, can't help but roll his eyes again. "Man, that wolf is obsessed with you," he mutters.

"Shut up," Stiles retorts, still scratching the wolf's head. "He's just protective. Besides, he has every right to be worried after you nearly tackled me into next week."

"Hey, you were distracted," Jackson counters, his voice defensive. "If you weren't so damn distracted, maybe you could have avoided getting tackled in the first place."

“Well normally there is me and Derek together helping with training but as it’s just me as Derek is a wolf I have to do everything “

Jackson rolls his eyes again. "Oh, poor baby," he says sarcastically. "You have to do everything on your own because your precious wolf buddy can't help you out. Sounds rough."

The growl from the wolf is louder this time, the animal clearly not appreciating Jackson's snark. It steps forward, placing itself firmly in front of Stiles as if to shield him from Jackson.

Jackson scowls, eyeing the wolf warily. "Calm down, mutt," he mutters. "I was just messing around."

The wolf snorts in response, its eyes narrowing at Jackson. It doesn't seem at all intimidated by the boy, and its stance remains protective of Stiles.

Stiles, meanwhile, suppresses a chuckle. "I think you really pissed him off this time," he says, amused.

Jackson scowls, his annoyance growing. "Great, just what I need. A pissed off wolf glaring at me." He shoots a look at Stiles. "Can't you make him calm down or something?"

“Derek heel”

The wolf's attention immediately snaps to Stiles at the words, its ears perking up and its body relaxing.

Jackson looks surprised, raising an eyebrow at Stiles.

"Did you just… tell him to heel?" he asks incredulously.

[librarycards]

do you find fulfillment in online friendships? is there a way to?

cause i have no access to people irl besides my family, but feel like every interaction ive had online is one sided; that im asking for attention with nothing to give. idk.

i'm going to answer in 2 parts - 1 about online friendships writ large, and 2 about your specific question

1: for me, this is sort of like when those kid cereal commercials were like "part of a balanced breakfast." like yes, go ahead and have froot loops! but they are not going to fill you up or provide, like, sustainable energy, you also need something else to be nourished.

same, imo, goes for online friendships. i grew up with very few to no friends, so online friendships were my lifeline. they provided me a lot, especially when i was still emerging into queer/trans/disabled/Mad community. still, i was lonely, in a way i couldn't quite name. being in physical space with people you care about is just different, it provides a kind of intimacy we can't reach through a screen. lots of people learned this in early COVID, even people (like me) who are very introverted and spend a lot of time alone by choice.

so, it makes sense that you feel unfulfilled without friends to connect with irl, and i don't think it makes sense to expect to feel fully fulfilled from relationships through a screen. life generally doesn't work that way for social beings like ourselves. that said, i think online friendships can and do help people survive until they are able to find safe and inclusive physical spaces where they can be themselves, and there are ways to use online spaces as prefigurative ones, sites of social practice and play:

use a variety of communication methods - voice, video chat, text

"parallel play" via video chat, so that you can do your own thing in the presence of others. movie nights work well for this too

casual interaction with friends of friends - this is what people normally do at irl gatherings, and is definitely how i've made many new friends and mutuals online too.

having a discord, etc. with channels where you can peek into each others' lives - my most used discord server (queer/trans writers living all over the world) has subchannels for cooking, travel, arts and crafts, etc.

these aren't the same as irl socialization, and i don't think it makes sense to pretend they are. but they are ways to maximize your experience with online friends until you have the opportunity to branch out!

2: in response to your comment about things feeling one-sided, i wonder if being more intentional about asking questions, giving whoever you're talking to more space to express themself/lead the conversation, and getting comfortable with amicable silence, might help you. these are strategies i started consciously practicing in college, as i'm A Talker, and have an autistically-difficult time shutting up and letting others go when i Have a Response™. step up/step back is a great model for classroom discourse (choosing / encouraging quiet students to step up, while chattier students step back, and both talking and listening are active components of strong pedagogy) and i think for interpersonal conversations, too.

scripting can help you get started - have an idea of the questions you'll ask in advance, and take note of what your friend prioritizes - what do they like, are they going on a trip or doing something fun soon? are they worried about something? keeping track of things means that you can bring them up in future conversations. being remembered, acknowledged, and connected with over the course of multiple hangouts is basically the cornerstone of friendship, and a surefire way to make sure the other person knows you listened and gave a shit.

part of interpersonal communication is also trust. you say you feel like you "just want attention and have nothing to give," but is that how the people you're talking to perceive you? many people, myself included, always tend to feel like we're asking too much when we seek any support at all, because we've been taught all our lives to support others and put our own needs aside. It's worth 1) thinking objectively (as much as you can) about what you've actually asked for. would you think another person was being too much by asking that? and 2) if the person you're talking to is someone you trust to be honest about their limits in terms of providing care. personally, i would have a conversation about it directly with the person - positive confrontation is the way! if you don't feel you can have a convo with them at all, well. maybe you need different friends (and one advantage of being online is that your computer is full of them!!)

hope this helps, stay strong. i know how miserable this feels, but i promise there is a future of irl community for you if you keep working toward & curating it.

[wuntrum]

social anxiety at the post office has escalated to the point of having dreams where i go to drop off packages at the post office and they tell me i can't drop off that many at a time and i've been doing it wrong this whole time. 😭

[gunstellations]

its shadow's turn now

(the thrilling conclusion to this post, he never really hated it)

[basu-shokikita]

on principle i fail to see the point in DNIs cause so often it's the same people that have a DNI interacting with the people their DNI is alluding to lol. but when it comes to singular posts having a DNI i'm like. are you a control freak? why do you care about what the stranger pressing like or reblog on a post you made is into. like how does that influence your online experience whatsoever. also why do you think said stranger is gonna respect the warning you just wrote. why do you think people online are on the same wavelength as you are when it comes to social etiquette. but most of it all, why does it matter

[meowsticmarvels]

the concept of delta engineering the decision game so he and phi can be born is kinda funny he's like ok so i have to worsen my parents' existing ptsd so me and my Stupid ass sister I Guess will be born witj magic powers and shes also gonna have worsened ptsd as a result. this is a Necessary evil Life is Simply Unfair :/

[fbfh]

do you still write for jj?

ooooh not only do I write for JJ but I kiss you on both cheeks for giving me an excuse to talk about one of my favorite obscure JJ thoughts. JJ x ballerina!reader (gn so technically ballet dancer reader, but you do dance pointe and in a more feminine style in pas de deux so do with that what you will)

They thought you were a kook for the first few summers since you clearly went to school off the island. It turns out you're not, you're just a scholarship kid to whatever fancy school you go to (something that Pope LOVES to pick your brain about since he's dying for a scholarship to his dream college)

at some point or another, there's a hurricane. you end up sticking it out with the other pogues. that's when they notice how... weirdly flexible you are. especially JJ. mostly JJ. it started off small, with you stretching a little while you guys are hanging out in the aftermath since the day after a hurricane is always a free day. JJ looked away from you for like two seconds and you just fuckin... dropped into a perfect split. he's surprised by this obviously, but he's more surprised when you seamlessly shift to a split on the other side, then a center split, bending and moving with impossibly flexibility. then a moment later, you're asking him "hey can you grab my leg?" as you stand up and stretch into a scorpion/needle pose. soon you're dragging him out of the room to "help you with something else." he FULLY thinks yall are about to hook up, but instead you put on this beautiful, artsy, erratic piano music, kick off your sandals or sneakers or whatever, and begin moving like a fucking vision.

you're rambling to him while you dance like it's nothing, but his jaw is on the fucking floor.

"This is the solo I learned last semester," you chuckle while spinning like a little figurine atop a music box, or something in a snow globe, or... wherever else he's seen ballerinas in passing before.

"If I'm rusty by the time I get back, Miss Raine will kill me." you chuckle playfully.

after a few moments, you finish, posed delicately on the ground. you look up at him, your cheeks flushed, your eyes glistening with mirth.

"holy fucking shit," he exclaims, making you blush. "goddamn, princess, that-"

he trails off with a disbelieving chuckle.

"That was fuckin' incredible," he says with a breathy laugh, then nudges you playfully, looking at you more closely like he must have missed something all those times he looked at you and never saw this magical ballet fairy hiding inside you. "you've been holdin' out on me." he teases.

"okay, okay, here's where I need your help." you begin, trying not to get too distracted. you reach out and grab his wrist, holding out his left arm palm up. "I'm gonna run at you like this-"

you demonstrate, taking a step forward. his attention is locked onto you even harder from the moment you grab his arm.

"And kinda... kick my leg around," you do just that, so you're twisted around and facing away from him. he lets out a little noise of surprise. you know it must seem convoluted and ridiculous, but you really need help practicing this lift.

"I need you to wrap your arm around me like this," you say, bending forward with one leg extended behind you, the other supporting you, so your stomach rests on his bicep and his hand holds the small of your back. "And then place your other hand right on my ribcage here."

"oh, my hand will be wherever you want it, cupcake." he says, making you roll your eyes at the (only half joking) innuendo.

"okay." you say, taking a step back. "you ready?"

the first few times you walk through it together are clumsy and slow, a mess of limbs and giggles, but eventually you get it. you call your friends in to show them the bluebird lift you've been working on, even having successfully taught JJ how to lower you and do a few basic steps with you to conclude. you both get through it unscathed, and your friends reactions are very similar to JJ (with only slightly less innuendo and teasing from John B and Pope), and as JJ giggles and demands you come at him so he can lift you again, you start to see a lot of potential in him.

maybe, just maybe, you can shape that potential a little more over the summer. your ballet academy always has scholarships for boys available since they're always in demand in the performing arts. you think there might just be a chance for JJ to do a lot more lifts with you.

[fromtheseventhhell]

Remember George's outline notes that had "joy of giving" and "mercy at the gate" for Arya? Mercy is crossed out and we obviously have that as her sample chapter, so what if Arya's next alias is "Joy"? Over-thinking the significance of that phrase and how it could apply to the rest of her Braavos arc🤔

[skibasyndrome]

.

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

this dog is stressing me out lowkey

[gaydexvocaloid]

me when my anxiety makes me write way too much stuff for literally a small simple question bro oh my godddddjjjj

[wackywatchdotcom]

one of the first few things i remember noting about the show when i watched it all for the first time (i dont quite count when i initially watched the pilot a yr ago cus i dont think i was giving it enough attention) was the idea that a person adapting fast to the circus is Weird. like it doesnt mean that the person likes it so much as it implies the person either 1. is just adaptable, thats a factor, or 2. they already are used to awful situations and adapting to this one IS still likely a challenge, but their ability to slot into the setting can sorta imply a person was already used to despair or fear, potentially to an extreme. and i remember noting how pomni adapted fast. like she definitely hasnt fully gotten used to it and i think that will take a Long While. but i think her ability to treat it as Life, her ability to give up on leaving so fast speaks to the idea that i feel like she gives off that she was absolutely miserable or had a history of being absolutely miserable before the circus....