#<-- totally under quotation marks

[isa-ah]

man i haven't written in earnest in years & years but the quality of.. most of these fics.... is making me desire to write what I want to read so it exists. hmm

[scattered-winter]

Truth or dare

truth: I still cry about the MCU but only the first 2 captain america movies and the correct parts of the 3rd one (which number shockingly few)

hang out with me!

[gallusrostromegalus]

Who in the Gotei 13 abuses emojis and how

The Groupchat Crimes of the Gotei-13:

Yamamoto: responds everything with an inscrutable "😎 👍". Announcing your engagement? 😎 👍 Telling him there is a scheduling conflict? 😎 👍 The seireitei is being invaded? 😎 👍 Tonkatasu Tuesday at 6:30 tonight? 😎 👍

Sasakibe: Endlessly persnickety about grammar. Despite having the fact that grammar is fluid and changes with context and what many of the new conventions mean explained to him, a total lack of punctuation to create an informal tone will make him literally foam at the mouth like a rabid boar.

Soi Fon: refuses to relegate fun facts about hornets to the #bugs channel, including unspoilered images of what assorted stings will do to human flesh.

Yoruichi: nudes in the SFW channels

Rose: 🌹❤️🌹 brackets his messages with emoji chains like quotation marks 🌹❤️🌹

Kira: vent posting/generally being a miserable little shit in the general channel

Retsu: consistently forgets to spoiler medical gore, keeps sharing medical "Fun" facts that give people nightmares.

Isane: "Hey guys, I need some advice on how to deal with *insane situation literally nobody that ever experienced before*"

Hanataro: unironically posting scorpions and venomous snakes to the cute animals channel

Shinji: ti xif ton lliw/tonnac dna segassem sih lla desrever wohemoS

Momo: crying for real about how cute the animals in the cute animals chat are

Hiyori: destroying things in rage about how cute the animals in the cute animals chat are.

Byakuya: Signs all his messages, as this is is official Gotei-13 correspondence. -from the desk of Captain Kuchiki Byakuya

Renji: no caps no punctuation no worries

Komamura: spent three *months* pretending to be friends with a pair of rural veterinarians and getting people emotionally involved in the saga of them trying to cure a mystery chicken affliction before finally ending his shaggy dog story with an ATROCIOUS pun.

Iba: unappealing thirst traps.

Shunsui: keeps falling for and linking obviously false clickbait articles.

Nanao: digging up literally decades-old drama

Tousen: setting his text color to match the background color to fuck with people.

Shuuhei: normal messages sent from bizarre locations "-sent from the secret downstairs microwave" "-sent from the captain general's iPhone" "-sent from Massachusetts"

Matsumoto: 💕 Putting ❤️ emoji 💋 between ❤️ every 😘 word ❤️ for 💋 the ❤️ aesthetic 💕

Hitsugaya: 2AM post @ing everyone of a single inscrutable emoji such as "🦆". Claims to have no memory of making this

Kenpachi: ALL CAPS LOCK ALL THE TIME NO PUNCTUATION ALSO FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE THE YELLING BUTTON LOUDER

Ikkaku: figured out how to use image-editing software specifically to make bespoke image macros at astonishing speed so he always has a meme on hand, including the infamous Zaraki Caused Another Bisexual Awakening Counter aka "GOT ANOTHER ONE LADS!!" meme.

Yumichika: ✨ 🦚 ✨ Worst 💙 possible 🪩 combination 💙 of 🪩 Rose 💙 and 🪩 Matsumoto 💙 quirks ✨🦚✨

Yachiru: Pink Text

Mayuri: immediately silenced all notifications from the Groupchat, forgot it exists

Nemu: Tracks Groupchat statistics and presentation them quarterly like a thesis defense and/or stockholders meeting.

Urahara: keeps finding obviously false clickbait articles to send to Shunsui

Ukitake: you can directly track how much Percocet he's on by how colorful, emoji 🤣 filled and ✨ WhImSiClE 🐟 🐟 hIs 💻 TeXtInG 💻 sTyLe 🐟 🐟 GeTS ✨

Rukia: signs her texts like Byakuya, but "-sent from Lieutenant Rukia 🐰 Kuchiki "

Harmless, until somehow her medical records appear under "Rukia Usagi Kuchiki" like she has a middle name.

[thesilliestofgals]

Hello everyone, I'm making this huge post because I'm hyperfixated on what's going down in the Ever After High fandom right now, and I need to type all my thoughts out. So, get your tinfoil hats ready folks, because it's speculation and theorizing time.

DISCLAIMER: this is all just speculation and/or incoherent rambling. I'm putting it under the cut because... it's a little long lol (if you see any grammatical and/or spelling errors ...no you don't)

Earlier today, January 5th (or January 4th, depending on your timezone) Mattel released a "new" song for Ever After High, "Can't Get Me Down" (you'll see why I put new in quotation marks in a bit). Reaction to the song itself was... mixed, with some really liking it, some not liking it, and some being more neutral. The reason why this sent the fandom into a frenzy is because, obviously, this is our first real content from the actual source since the series ended in 2018.

Tin foil hat time, I don't think this song is "new" at all. I'm speculating that this song was in the Mattel's equivalent of The Vault for a long time, which could explain a lot about why it sounds janky and almost ai. Also, I saw some people saying it reminded them of Taylor Swift, and we know, canonically, Taylor Swift exists the EAH universe as Tailor Quick, and Raven is a fan of her. Adding on the fact that Raven is used as the cover for this song, I suspect she would've sung this either in a webisode, or more likely a special, but it got cut for whatever reason.

Here we get to my biggest point: why now? Why would Mattel, with no promotion beforehand, just drop this out of the blue? I saw someone suggest it was a mistake, and I saw someone else suggest that this was leaked by some employee, but I don't think either of those are the case- if they were, it likely would've been taken down already.

I shared this theory through an ask, but I'll reiterate it here: My theory is Mattel is using this as a tactic see how people would respond to the idea of EAH making a comeback.

I think EAH making a comeback now kind of makes sense- look at what happened during it's downfall; iirc doll sales were low, but also, Disney had created Descendants. This is a bit more into conspiracy theory territory, but from what I've heard discussed, many think Disney's creation of Descendants was the nail in the coffin for EAH. It's also common knowledge that Disney is extremely territorial about fairytales, and especially when it comes to princesses, so them making Descendants to assure EAH's decline... checks out. With Disney not doing well now, Mattel could be trying to take advantage of that. But that's just my theory, I could be totally wrong and Mattel could be doing this for some other completely random reason.

There was also some other stuff about trademarks, but I'm not good with that kind of stuff, so you can read more about that here.

TL;DR: this situation is very *exaggerated and vague hand waving in air* as you can tell by this post, so while we can continue speculating and/or doing our own digging, I think it'd be best to keep an eye out to see if Mattel releases any more songs, or even any announcements/statements.

If I forgot anything or explained this poorly, I apologize!! Please let me know if I did either and I will try and correct that!!

[anonymouspuzzler]

it's the Fizzlebeans!!!! (and some Chandlos, sometimes.) we love the Fizzlebeans here. and by "we" of course I mean "me". I love the Fizzlebeans.

many of these and other comics I'll be posting later came from prompts from @incorrectbugsnaxquotes, thank you for unwittingly and inadvertently powering me creatively through like half the pandemic

(alt text/image IDs under cut!)

[Image 1 ID: 2-panel comic of Floofty and Snorpy speaking. In the first, Snorpy is seen from the back, with Floofty reaching out to grab his shoulder with one hand and gesturing at themselves with the other, saying, "You can trust me. Let's not forget who pulled you out of the river when we were six." In the second panel the perspective has flipped so Floofty is seen from the back, and Snorpy, grimacing, is lowering their hand away from his shoulder with one hand, saying, "Let's not forget who pushed me in."]

[Image 2 ID: 2-panel comic of Snorpy and Floofty. In the first panel, Floofty is barely visible in the background sitting at a desk around a corner, while Snorpy is in the foreground grabbing his face and looking embarrassed and panicked, saying, "I think I have feelings for Chandlo". In the second panel, Floofty leans back so their face is in view to say "Congratulations! You're the last to know." Snorpy, in the same position as the first panel, glares back at them over his shoulder.]

[Image 3 ID: 3-panel comic of Snorpy and Floofty. In the first, Snorpy is in the far foreground holding a pencil, likely working at a drafting table, glancing over his shoulder as Floofty walks in the door looking frustrated and gesticulating wildly with one arm in the air, shouting "I am NEVER donating blood AGAIN". The second panel cuts to a close shoulders-up shot of Floofty, gesturing with one hand and scowling, saying, "The second you walk in the door it's just questions". In the third panel, they've lifted both hands to make mocking quotation marks, revealing their left hand is holding a bucket full of blood as they continue, "Like, 'where did you get it?' and 'why is it in a bucket?'"]

[Image 4 ID: 2-panel comic of Floofty and Snorpy. In the first, Floofty is sitting on the edge of their bed with their legs pulled up, covering their face in shame. Snorpy sits next to them and awkwardly pats their back in an attempt to be comforting, saying, "Don't worry. Just because you opened up a little doesn't mean everyone will be less afraid of you." In the second panel, Snorpy, looking in the opposite direction looking anxious, continues, "They're all still terrified." Floofty, looking genuinely relieved, puts their hands in their lap and leans against Snorpy's shoulder, saying, "Thanks, Snorpy."]

[Image 5 ID: 2-panel comic of Floofty, sitting at a desk working on a typewriter, and Snorpy, sitting on the floor behind them. In the first panel, Floofty is facing away from the camera working while Snorpy, looking overwhelmed, clutches his head and says, "My mind is like an internet browser". In the second panel, Floofty has turned in their chair to look at him and say, "Explain". Snorpy, now lying in a heap on the floor, responds, "15 tabs are open, 7 of them are frozen, and I don't know where the music is coming from".]

[Image 6 ID: Snorpy, looking terrified, standing behind Floofty, pointing and saying, "Did you just refer to that knife as a 'Grumpus Opener'?" Floofty, looking totally nonplussed, pulling on a medical glove and holding a comically large knife, looks back at him over their shoulder and replies, "Should I not have?"]

[Image 7 ID: Snorpy, leaning against a wall with one hand and gesticulating with the other, looking nervously down at Floofty and saying, "I'm about to speak to you very vaguely about a problem that I have, and you can't ask me any questions or details about it." Floofty, sitting on the ground with their back to the wall, not even looking up from the book in their lap, replies, "Besides no conversation, this is the ideal conversation for me to participate in."]

[Image 8 ID: Three-panel comic of Floofty and Snorpy, with no dialogue, based off a scene from Lilo and Stitch. In the first, Floofty is screaming and stomping around, arms in the air, tossing papers everywhere, while Snorpy cringes away behind them. In the second, Snorpy throws a lei over Floofty's head, making them stop mid-rampage with a surprised look and arms still in the air. In the third, Floofty has fallen on their back quietly like a cat in a harness, while an exhausted Snorpy glares down at them.]

[Image 9 ID (BUGSNAX SPOILERS IN DESCRIPTION): A three-panel comic of Snorpy based on a scene in Arrested Development. In the first, Snorpy is at the open fridge with a glass in one hand, removing a paper bag with a taped-on note reading "LEFT LEG, DO NOT EAT! - FLOOFTY". In the second, Snorpy, scowling, opens the bag and looks down into it. In the third, Snorpy, looking utterly exhausted and nonplussed, says simply, "I don't know what I expected."]

[Image 10 ID: A drawing of Snorpy, Chandlo and Floofty based on a meme. Chandlo, back to the camera, is embracing and kissing a smiling Snorpy, who is holding a drink with a straw in the hand closest to the camera. Floofty, crouched behind Chandlo and looking directly into the camera, takes a sip from Snorpy's drink.]

[Image 11 ID: A two-panel comic of Floofty, Snorpy and Chandlo, based on a scene from Parks and Rec. In the first panel, Floofty, standing in a kitchen, grimaces and says, "Are you eating turkey chili off of a frisbee?" In the second, it cuts to Snorpy and Chandlo sitting on the ground in a pile of laundry, doing exactly that. Snorpy, sitting on the left cross-legged with his bangs sloppily tied up out of his face, holds one frisbee in his left paw while not even bothering to look up at Floofty. Chandlo, next to him, looks back at Floofty with a big delighted smile, holding another frisbee in one hand and their only fork in the other.]

[Image 12 ID: Puzz's fan-design for, from left to right, Chandlo's dad, Chandlo's mom, Snorpy and Floofty's mom, and Snorpy and Floofty's dad. Chandlo's dad is short and stout with light yellow-green fur, a big round red-brown nose, brown eyes, rounded teeth, and wearing an orange construction helmet and brown toolbelt. Chandlo's mom is light green, taller but strongly built with a slightly cinched waist, curly teal-gradient hair in a sloppy bun with bangs that cover one eye, tired yellow-brown eyes, a pink triangle nose, tusks, pink lipstick and a beauty mark on the right side of her muzzle. She is wearing a pink tube top, a yellow skirt with pink and purple flowers tied at her left hip, and a necklace with a swirly lavender shell. The Fizzlebean mom is purple and very tall with long legs, long dreadlock-style hair that gradients from very pale lavender to dark purple, a light purple pear-shaped nose, dark purple eyes with glasses, and upwards-pointing tusks. She is wearing a lab coat and a neck lanyard with an ID badge. The Fizzlebean dad is short with stocky limbs, yellow and pear-shaped, an orange yam-shaped nose, orange short dreadlock-style hair, orange-brown eyes with round glasses, marshmallow-shaped tusks, and a slight orange goatee. He is wearing a forest green collared polo shirt and yellowish-brown work gloves.]

[li-nox]

On Autumn Days

“You got something—” Evan chuckles and splashes bright pink paint on Tommy's face. Tommy stares at him in mock shock; the next second thick paint is dripping from Evan's hair. The floor, or rather the plastic sheeting, is already a total mess with countless splothes of paint.

“You’re a work of art,” Evan grins as he shamelessly examines Tommy from head to toe. He then grabs Tommy's face with both hands and pulls him into a fierce kiss. Tommy gently shoves Evan back, causing him to slam against the wall, almost knocking over a paint bucket.

Tommy’s lips curl into a smile. “And you’re amazing, baby,” he murmurs between kisses, slipping his hands under the worn shirt. Paint still cling to his fingers, marking the fabric and skin beneath. Evan sighs at the touch and presses his upper body against him, hands buried in Tommy's hair. The rain outside softly taps against the window, and the light filtering through the clouds creates a beautiful, motley atmosphere in the room.

The radio, which Evan discovered at a vintage flea market last week and has been sitting on the windowsill since then, only crackles with static. But for the two of them, it is nothing more than a quiet background noise drowned out by their amorous giggles, just like any other clear thought.

Tommy chuckles, “You even got paint on your nose!” His face beams with a grin, revealing his adorable dimples. “And here...” He teasingly taps Evan's lower lip with his index finger, grinning from ear to ear. Evan blushes deeply and mumbles an indistinct response before pulling Tommy by the hand behind him down the stairs.

Finally, he spins around and wraps his arms around Tommy’s neck. “Y’know, I really really like you,” he says, blushing, and nudges Tommy’s nose. The response is a deep kiss that makes Evan’s breath hitch in his throat. “Glad to hear that,” Tommy says with an excited grin before he pushes him toward the bathroom.

“Go take a shower, I'll chill the beer!”

Smiling, he watches Evan until the bathroom door slams shut. Then he turns and starts to collect the empty take-out containers from the kitchen counter and toss them in the trash. Last night, they were too– caught up to care. Tommy grins as he remembers how eager Evan was to try new things. He can still feel Evan's hands under his shirt, slowly pushing the fabric up until it gathers over his waist, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine.

He's just about to put two cans of beer in the fridge when the doorbell rings. “Huh...?” Surprised, Tommy takes a few steps back, the refrigerator door slamming shut with a muffled sound. He hesitates for a second, not sure what to do. Evan's voice echoes over the noise of the running water as he sings a very off-key, but lively rendition of ‘It's Raining Men.’

With a shake of his head, Tommy heads to the door, and as soon as he opens it, Eddie storms past him, carrying a full plate of cake. “Sorry for barging in like this,” he says, tossing his keys onto the kitchen counter. “I would have used my key, but as you can see... I'm a bit loaded...” He laughs, still a little breathless.

Only now does Tommy notice not only scads of cupcakes but Eddie's appearance: messy hair, bright eyes, flushed cheeks, and splashes of batter on his tee. “Ed, what…”, Tommy's gaze flits restlessly back and forth between the counter and Eddie's face.

Eddie shrugs. “Chris is obsessed with ‘Percy Jackson’ at the moment,” he explains, looking a little sheepish. As he continues, the corners of his mouth twitch into a wry smile. “It's on a constant loop these days, and Chris wanted to bake Blue Velvet cupcakes today, for the ‘vibe’…” He wiggles his fingers, drawing quotation marks in the air. “The whole thing got a bit— out of hand…”

Tommy stares at him, blinking in bewilderment. Still, he can't help to smile at the chaotic scene.“They look great,” he says, carefully removing the plastic cap from the plate, “Evan will love them…”

As a cue, the bathroom door bursts open with a creak, revealing Evan in all his post-shower glory, the droplets of water still glistening on his skin as he vigorously towels his hair. His chiseled physique is on full display, with only a white towel nonchalantly cinched around his waist.

Tommy’s eyes widen at the sight, and he quickly glances sideways at Eddie, hoping his reaction has gone unnoticed. To his surprise, he observes that Eddie has deliberately turned his head away, his gaze now fixed on the window. Tommy frowns, but his thoughts are interrupted by Evan's voice: “Babe, what do you say we get some board games out? And later I could knead your back...”

“Evan, hun,” he begins in a raspy voice. Blood rushes to his ears, and he clears his throat. Evan finally turns to face them, and for a split second confusion is written all over his face. Then he spotted Eddie standing outside the windows and Tommy could have sworn he saw him blush in record time.

“Eddie, w-were we s’posed to meet?” Evan stammers, hastily adjusting his scanty clothing. An awkward silence hangs in the air until a jolt goes through Tommy's body. “Eddie brought us cupcakes, look,” he says, lifting the lid with a grand gesture. Evan's face immediately lights up as he lunges for the pretty treats.

“OhmyGod,” he moans, mouth full, greedily licking the icing off his fingers. Tommy's mouth suddenly goes dry, and he has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud. Handsome as he is, Evan sometimes seems unaware of his own sex appeal.

“The way these taste, I may let you in the kitchen more often,” Evan winks and pulls another of the tiny cakes off the plate as if to confirm it. Passing by, he pats Eddie on the shoulder before disappearing upstairs.

“Still. Maybe I should have phoned first,” Eddie mumbles as soon as Evan is out of sight. He stares down at his feet as if he wants to burn a new pattern into the floor tiles with his eyes alone.

“Bull,” Tommy wipes away his comment and gives him a wry smile that Eddie doesn't return. From upstairs comes the muffled sound of a sliding door opening, and suddenly Eddie seems in a terrible hurry to end the conversation.

“Sorry again, bro. I—, um, I'll give you a call,” he says, slurring his words as he speaks. The keys slip from his fingers, clattering to the floor. Eddie desperately bends down to grab them, and when he gets up, Tommy reflexively grabs his wrist.

“Eddie, it’s all right,” he reassures him and, without realizing it, strokes his pulse point soothingly with his thumb. Indeed, Eddie seems to relax, running his free hand down his face.

“Well, OK…”

“Say hi to Chris when you get home, yeah?” Tommy smiles before letting go of Eddie's arm. The boy has been back from Texas for almost six weeks, and Tommy knows from countless late-night talks how much pressure Eddie is under. Even now, Tommy can see Eddie's jaw clenching.

“Can’t do,” he replies, sounding incredibly tired. “He’s staying at Hen and Karen's tonight…”, he adds as Tommy tilts his head to one side in question, and lets out a heavy sigh. “Mara hasn’t even seen Percy Jackson yet and of course, Chris and Danny have to change that. That's why the cupcakes…”

[read full story on AO3]

[alpacahat67]

Idia Shroud is Autistic-Coded; Here's Why

Hello! Happy Autism Awareness Month! In celebration, I will be posting a wholeeee load of autistic traits I have found in Idia. This is coming from a person who, while undiagnosed, is most likely autistic.

If you have any additions, please tell me in whatever way is most convenient (comments, reblogs, asks, dms... whatever.) This list will likely be evergrowing as more events, vignettes, and story content are added to TWST. Some of these may be a stretch but ya know.

This is organized by trait for your (and my) convenience. Begins under cut!

*Warning, I am not a medical professional. I'm just autistic and for a while got fixated on autism itself. Which is why I call myself autistic... I've been researching this shit for many years lol

We'll be starting with DSM-5 requirements in order to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Then, we will move to common experiences (things that most autistic people experience, but aren't a tell-tale sign that you're autistic and aren't a requirement for a professional diagnosis.) Finally will be disorders that Idia shows symptoms of that tend to co-occur with ASD.

Numbered list will explain the traits Idia demonstrates. At the end, the diagnostic criteria specified will be stated in parentheses and quotation marks.

A) Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts...

Generally, Idia is seen to have trouble communicating with his peers if not behind a screen or while interacting with something he enjoys (such as talking about anime or playing a board game.) ("Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation...")

Idia's way of expressing emotion is difficult to pin down. He will go from speaking very quietly (and stuttering usually) in a near-monotone voice with an "emotionless" expression to talking loudly, quickly, and with a HUGE smile on his face. We don't quite get to see how he responds to nonverbal communication or how he portrays it himself (probably because it doesn't come up, or because of live2d restrictions), but we do learn that he hates eye contact I believe in his Birthday Boy vignette when he claims to hate having to laugh and make eye contact with normies (masking right there buddy go to a doctor) ("Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.")

This is where it could kinda get stretchy, partially because I for the life of me am having trouble understanding A.3. BUT. Idia is often very blunt, to the point where he's straight up rude, especially in situations where that kind of attitude is... not very helpful. See the Phantom Bride event when he chastises the boys coming to rescue him for looking disheveled after fighting for their lives, which makes them not want to rescue him despite his life being on the line (I think Ace even goes off on him for this lol.) Furthermore, the only people amongst his peers that he will indulge are Azul, Ortho and (unknowingly, and only online) Lilia. The rest he has zero interest in, whether he despises or is scared of them. They're all normies. Finally, it's shown that throughout his life he has had very little if not zero friends in real life aside from Ortho. To be fair, I don't think there were many kids his age back home lol. ("Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.")

Part one of an autism diagnosis down! Idia shows persistent deficits in each social and communication area specified through A.1-A.3. In order to be diagnosed, you also much show two out of four of restricted, repetitive behaviors specified through B.1-B.4 below.

B) Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history...

Due to live2d restrictions, we never exactly get to see Idia physically stim. (Well, I'd argue we get to see Floyd physically stim with his constant swaying back and forth, but not like they can flap their hands or anything.) This one's a stretch, but his form of verbal stimming could be the little sound effects he makes at times, mostly in book 6 actually. Specifically, his "DA DA DA DAAAAA" after explaining the plot of Star Rogue to the overblot victims in Styx as well as his "BOOM BADA BOOM BOOM BOOM! HAH!" after finishing Ortho in the flashback sequence. Other than that, the only other ideas I'd have for repetitive movements or sounds are headcanons. I don't know if I'd count this one. ("Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech")

This is another one I don't think we ever see in-game. I don't know... the things I could consider part of this criteria would better fit as sensory things~! Again I'm an Idia connoisseur but if you know anything about this please tell me I will update this one. ("Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior")

Idia is shown to have MULTIPLE very strong interests. Whether this might be a special interest or hyperfixation... it's hard to tell, but I can sure guess. The longest-running interest we see him show to have, originating from way back when Ortho was still alive, is Star Rogue. Because he seems to know nearly everything about the game and has also maintained the interest for a long time, I would consider this a special interest (along with engineering and technomancy, which he's said to have excelled in since a young age.) Idia does talk about certain specific animes and other games he enjoys, but not to the degree of Star Rogue (yes that's my basis here), so I don't know if that's a special interest or just a hyperfixation. It's the same situation with idol groups, particularly Premo (or Fates on the Edge). This isn't even it. That man is fandom trash and I love him. ("Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus")

Idia is shown on multiple occasions to have sensory issues. To the point where, similarly to his strong interests, I don't know if I know half of it. During the Phantom Bride event and his Union Birthday vignette, Idia complains about his neck feeling cold due to his hair being brushed behind his hair (PB) or up in a ponytail (UB). He also complains about his Phantom Bride suit AND his Birthday Boy suit being "stuffy", but that one could also be a stretch. In the Harveston event, Idia says that he only eats his apples canned or peeled, which I'd chop up to sensory issues once again. (Although, that one could also be under B.2) Idia constantly has his headphones around his neck to listen to music. A bit of a stretch, but they're also noise canceling, so there's a chance he uses them to avoid overstimulation. Finally, Idia states that he doesn't like fish because it's smelly and slimy. I get that Idia raw fish is texture hell. As far as I know, there's no point in which Idia under-reacts to sensory input (e.g. pain) or becomes very invested in it (like staring at a moving wheel.) ("Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment")

And there we have it. Autism diagnosis. Idia demonstrates persistent deficits in all three sections under A and at least two sections under B. BUT WAIT! We still have C-E!

C) Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).

Really, the only point in which we see Idia demonstrate autistic traits in early life is his interest in Star Rogue. This is probably just because of how the storyline is. We actually don't know very much about Idia OR Ortho when they were young. However I would argue that Idia does mask because of the multiple times where he immediately just gets upset prior to talking to someone (something he probably hides during conversation). And ofc that one time he complains about talking to normies in his Birthday Boy vignette (? it could've be a voice line.)

D) Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.

Idia's symptoms in fact significantly impair his life. I think that alone is obvious enough. We see it every time that man's on screen.

E) These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay...

Symptoms that Idia experiences could very well be explained by other mental disorders such as social anxiety, but these are not intellectual disabilities. Explaining away ASD for Idia falls into a trap many autistic people do in real life with medical professionals who just can't believe that their patient is autistic for one reason or another; these people will sometimes receive a dozen different diagnoses that all could be better explained by autism spectrum disorder. That's not very cool. Therefore, this does not apply.

Specifically, Idia would likely have ASD co-morbid with social anxiety and most likely clinical depression. (I HAVE done some minor research into Idia and bipolar disorder, but that's a situation for another day and far more of a stretch than ASD ever could be.)

DSM-5 requirements cleared! Next stage, common experiences.

This is another thing I will need help for because it's not like there's scholarly articles on "things a lot of autistic people experience but it's definitely not something a doctor will ask you about." So please share. This is the list that will never stop growing.

Abnormal posture (Crewel gets onto Idia for not standing up straight, he often is portrayed sitting in chairs with his knees to his chest, and he's seen doing "dino hands" or "T-Rex arms" in battle mode on occasion.)

Target of bullying (Many autistic people, especially autistic girls, tend to be bullied more often than their allistic peers. While not always to his face, people do tend to talk bad about Idia behind his back, Ortho even has a 'Don't Talk Shit About My Brother' beam for the bullies lol.)

More tone + social stuff... (Things that the DSM-5 thing didn't quite fit. In book 6 he jokes about torturing the overblots and when everyone's like 'dude wtf' he's like 'what it was a joke dumbass.' Could be written off as just an odd sense of humor, or it could be difficulty reading the room lol.)

A love for lists and organization. (When Idia speaks autonomously in your guest room, he mentions having things exactly where you need them and how it's 'convenience'. He also seems to have a knack for practicality. It's not too much of a stretch to say it ties into a need for organization.) (Idia has every NRC student organized into multiple tier lists on the R-SSR rating system like the in-game cards based on certain factors, such as most social.)

Easily startled. (Self-explanatory. HieEh.)

Preference for connection through interests. (Another reason why he is disconnected from those around him, aside from the whole trauma thing, and calls most other people "normies." They don't "get" his interests, so he has no interest in being friends with them.)

Difficulty with processing time. (Remember when he had apparently been working on Ortho's uhhh starsender gear? For like 12 hours straight?"

Relaxes through interacting with interests (In the vignette I referenced in 7, when Ortho tells him to take a break, he decides to play Star Rogue. Ortho meant to sleep.)

Putting off needs until one can not longer ignore them. (Idia often gets so engrossed in what he's doing that he forgets to do basic self-care tasks like eating.)

Infodumping. (Shown a lot in book 6. Namely with his like 2-3 minute long rant about Star Rogue. The rest, such as him rambling on and on about Styx, seems to be used so the audience knows what the HELL is happening. He does go on rants outside of this book tho.)

Gifted kid (Yeah he was called a "boy genius.")

This is not a complete list by any means, I could go on for DAYS.

On the topic of co-occurring disorders, the two most obvious disorders Idia clearly is dealing with are social anxiety and depression. Both of which are often co-morbid with ASD.

While social anxiety and ASD have a lot of overlap, they aren't the same thing, but often autism can contribute to the development of social anxiety through masking and the general difficulties in socializing that come with autism. Allistic people tend to react negatively in response to an autistic person doing something that the allistic person deems unorthodox. This reaction can often cause a lot of internal turmoil for the autistic person due to rejection-sensitive dysphoria. Furthermore, masking requires a high level of awareness of one's environment as well as the judgment of others. Thus, social anxiety can often develop.

While I don't know how exactly autism might affect depression as it does social anxiety, I do know that depression is VERY common in autistic adults. 5 in 10 adults with ASD have depression, and living in a world built for those who are neurotypical is hard for anyone who is neurodivergent, which definitely does not help. And it sure as hell has to make it worse for Idia of all people.

Additions made by others (tysm!): @hey-haven mentions in a reblog Idia's low empathy towards other people. I recommend heading over to their blog to check out what they said because they do make an amazing point and it's probably far better than anything I could explain (lol). But to paraphrase, they cite specifically Idia making fun of his classmates who just fought for their lives to rescue him during the Phantom Bride event and his attitude towards the overblot victims and their reactions to being essentially kidnapped during book 6, in which he seems to not really "get" why they're so upset. Generally, when it surrounds emotions that aren't his own, he's pretty oblivious. They also bring up his little "whee-hee-hee" laugh! It brings up an observation I've seen of autistic people (seemingly) laughing at "random" or generally inappropriate times because we tend to express laughter in a voiced manner (like laughing out loud because you find something genuinely funny) rather than an unvoiced manner (like the little exhale you do at a funny photo on your phone). Idia laughs a lot, I don't know if it's realistic to connect it to autism or if it's better explained by him just being a weird guy (which I love about him don't get me wrong lol.) Although the study about this was with specifically autistic and non-autistic children though... it's food for thought I guess.

And with that, my essay comes to a close. Again, happy Autism Awareness Month! Share some of your favorite autistic, canon or otherwise, characters and boost autistic creators! And remember to not support Autism Speaks :)

Thank you for listening.

-Alpaca (autistic Idia Shroud enthusiast)

P.S. this post is so long that it's making my PC lag LMAOOOO

[soleminisanction]

Hi :D i loved your sticks and stones work! Amazing! Anyways id been going back through the robin 1993 and other era-related comics and realized what was bugging me about some fanon characterization of steph being the 'popular social one'. They get her's and tim's social life completely swapped. Steph isn't a team player and the one willing to work with everyone. Could just be because Steph's a supporting member but I realized she focused mostly on crime fighting and was much more of a loner. She didn't do team ups pretty much till she was Batgirl. Tim, however, had an active civilian social life and constantly teamed with other vigilantes. Idk if thats just my interpretation though. Anyways :)))

God yes! You are so right! That has frustrated me for years, especially in the recent canon when they've been having every teenager with a cape suddenly go "OMG haiiiii Stephanie :) :)" for no fucking reason when it makes ZERO sense! She's a weird loner who does not know any of these people!!

And that's doubly true when it comes to her civilian friends. Steph's civilian life as a whole is weirdly under-developed given how much attention she's gotten over the years, especially since she, y'know, had her own series. Yet they still couldn't be bothered to give her much of anything to work with. It's so frustrating.

Seriously, here is, I'm pretty sure, a full list of the friends Steph was shown having pre-Flashpoint who aren't members of the Bat-clan:

These two Black girls from Robin #61 who only exist so Stephanie can yell at them about how stupid their friend is for keeping her baby and how stupid they are for thinking it's cute of her to do that, and then later she talks about how dumb and immature they are compared to her, and they're never seen again.

Her baby-daddy Dean, who's only shown once outside of Robin during the Cataclysm event, and then only shows up again 2 years after her pregnancy has been resolved so Stephanie can beat him up for no reason. (Seriously, this is the only page he's on before she kicks him in the nuts and knocks him around, he doesn't say or do anything else to her, she just wails on him for no reason)

Two randos from the Robin/Spoiler Special who exist to make a plot happen by inviting her to a warehouse party that she drags Tim to and are never seen again. Their existence also makes no sense in Steph's personal timeline because she's been "dead" for a year and will be in college in like two months so why the hell would she enroll in high school again??

Effa, the little African girl also from the Robin/Spoiler Special, who only exists to make Stephanie look good by sucking up to her.

Jordanna Spence and Francisco Garcia from her Batgirl run, supposedly. In practice they're actually just two people that Stephanie doesn't like and whom she calls "friends" in quotation marks and has no idea why she keeps hanging around them, and yet she keeps bothering them because the plot said she's gotta.

Supergirl, as forced and one-sided as that relationship was.

Wendy Harris, even though "Proxy" only really lasted for a grand total of 5 issues.

A nameless rando she's shown playing ping-pong with, once.

...and that's it! That's all the friends Stephanie has ever had who weren't members of the same extended anti-crime family, and two of them are people she only met because of those connections.

Compare that to Tim, who has dozens of civilian friends and at least twice as many caped ones, and yeah, it's absolutely ridiculous that people pretend Stephanie is the """social""" one.

But y'know, she's the perky-happy blonde girl, so people just assume she must be popular. Because she's written almost entirely in stereotypes and cliches since 2008.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for obsessing over someone for centuries?

I know it sounds bad but hear me out, this man (800+M) is the most perfect, special, noble individual to every grace the face of this sorry earth, and I've (800+M) looked up to him for years, ever since he was the first person to save me as a child. He's quite literally my reason to live (he told me so himself, even if he later said that was an arrogant thing to say)

Anyway, I lost track of this guy after dying a second time as a ghost (to clarify, my dying is perfectly fine because it was for him, and the first time I died was ALSO for him- don't blame him for it, he didn't know it was me) because I was kind of a mess of particles at the time, and I spent a bunch of decades under this big mountain (volcano) sculpting thousands of statues of him (10,000 to be exact) because I didn't want to forget what he looked like. Also, my beloved is like, kind of the best god ever, even if heaven is full of biased capitalists who kicked him out, so this can also technically count as a totally normal and not at all insane form of devotion and/or worship. It's just dedication, you see? Loving him is a full-time job and I am DEDICATED. This mountain had this whole Hunger Games with ghosts where you get stronger the more you kill, so I naturally decided to become the strongest ghost possible to protect this man. Naturally.

Cut to around 800 years later, I've carefully met up with this wonderful man in an acceptable disguise and things are going great! He knows I'm a ghost but that's about it, he doesn't know he's met me before and I'm not going to ruin his mood by reminding him of one little rat he happened to meet in the past. Just because we've been through some dangerous experiences with one another by now doesn't mean anything. I'm just happy to be here, doing what I do best (which is serving him).

Now, we go under this mountain, and, well... The thing is, I also did draw some paintings of experiences I've had with him, and one of just HAPPENED to be sexual because he was once hit with aphrodisiacs by accident in front of me when I was a soldier. Two of his idiot "friends" (I use quotation marks because these ungrateful pair of baboons left him) saw that painting and were all like, "Ohhh noooo you should get away from that guy, he's creeeeepy and a stalker". Like, I'm aware I'm disgusting, but nobody wants to hear that from the mouths of two dumbasses (both 800+ M) like that, come on.

For reasons I can't understand (he implied something about trust?) he chose to RECIPROCATE my feelings? I had a whole entire script planned for the dialogue for when he would obviously choose to reject a loathsome creature like me, and this man?? Said all that needed to be said through a hug????

I nearly died a third time right there. I actually DID die a third time again but it was still sacrificing myself for him this time. Although, maybe I shouldn't do that again, because it made him cry and I hate to see that.

I just can't see what I did as "stalking" if I didn't know where he was. I was just looking for him. Am I deplorable? Yes. Pathetic? Also yes. See? I know exactly what and which accurate words to use to attach to myself, but a stalker? Come on. Are people just jealous I have this perfect man? And so what if I do? AITA for it? Smh.

[senka-mesecine]

How do you think yandere barnes would deal with getting the reader to his home? Like would he trick them or just basically order them to come? Also, what do you think his reaction would be if they tried to refuse?

-

Two words; Stockholm Syndrome.

Not that he himself refers to it as such, mind you.

Someone like him prefers to see it as being persistent towards what you want.

But, in the case of the reader being totally unwilling in the beginning I do think Barnes would use a combination of force, simply ordering them to come and being occasionally tactically good enough to where it scrambles their brain having them doubt that he's that bad in the first place and for someone who served multiple tours in the army and commanded people under him I do imagine Barnes knows precisely how to induce feelings of sympathy and support in what's effectively a hostage until said hostage doesn't even realize they're a hostage. Or rather, they start legitimizing their own situation in their own mind.

After all, Chris Taylor himself admired him in the beginning.

He downright had followers fully aware of how bad he is still being loyal to him.

Barnes knows how to garner devotion.

To keep it short in sweet he'd have ways to induce you wanting to come with him even though that's not what you initially desired through being so over intense, dedicated, saving your life, having moments of genuine courage, putting himself between you and danger to the point it stuns you and simply overshadows all his other worse qualities, intimidating you one moment and then being uncharacteristically...something you'd never expect him to be the next, always keeping you on your toes real quietly; pepper in there a mix of stressful situations, him being the indomitable hero (with the occasional usage of quotation marks) in all of them, you coming off as weak and defenseless in comparison and there you have it --- a potent cocktail that influences your brain chemicals to the degree where going home with him...well...is it that bad, your subconsciousness might ask you? Who else would ever come to your rescue like this? Who else would ever give as many damns? Sure, he's rough around the edges and not always the most pleasant or easy of individuals, you tell yourself, but...there will always be a 'but' at the end of your sentences in regard of Barnes because you'll start justifying him in your head whether you like to or not and he knows it. He counts on it. He has no reaction towards your unwillingness other than seeing it as an obstacle he needs to silently overcome through actions alone and standing his ground. He noticed your unwillingness, yes. He assessed it and he'll step over that motherfucker. By the time he's done with you and you're effectively 'broken in' mentally you find yourself trudging along with him by choice and doesn't matter what distance you have to cross. Could be a flight from the 'Nam itself back to the States or a more simple trek from point A. to point B. For some reason not even you can explain away why you're going along with him and you're not sure what happened at the start of this journey (read: kidnapping) versus now, when it's coming to it's end that made you change your mind so drastically, but the answer is simple; psychological warfare happened.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: John McWhorter

Published: Dec 21, 2023

Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, should resign.

I don’t love thinking so and hoped we would not reach this tipping point in the controversy over whether she should be retained in her position. But a tipping point it is.

Harvard has a clear policy on plagiarism that threatens undergraduates with punishment up to the university’s equivalent of expulsion for just a single instance of it. That policy may not apply to the university’s president, but the recent, growing revelations about past instances of plagiarism by Dr. Gay make it untenable for her to remain in office.

As a matter of scholarly ethics, academic honor and, perhaps most of all, leadership that sets an example for students, Dr. Gay would be denigrating the values of “veritas” that she and Harvard aspire to uphold. Staying on would not only be a terrible sign of hollowed-out leadership, but also risks conveying the impression of a double standard at a progressive institution for a Black woman, which serves no one well, least of all Dr. Gay.

It has always been inconvenient that Harvard’s first Black president has only published 11 academic articles in her career and not one book (other than one with three co-editors). Some of her predecessors, like Lawrence Bacow, Drew Gilpin Faust and Lawrence Summers, have had vastly more voluminous academic records. The discrepancy gives the appearance that Dr. Gay was not chosen because of her academic or scholarly qualifications, which Harvard is thought to prize, but rather because of her race.

There is an argument that a university president may not need to have been an awesomely productive scholar, and that Dr. Gay perhaps brought other and more useful qualifications to the job. (She held the high-ranking post of dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard before the presidency, and so may have administrative gifts, but that job is not a steppingstone to the modern Harvard presidency.) But Harvard, traditionally, has exemplified the best of the best, and its presidents have been often regarded as among the top in their given fields — prize winners, leading scholars, the total package.

As such, the academic writings and publications of a Harvard president and other top university presidents matter, including the integrity of that work. It might seem counterintuitive that university presidents typically begin their careers writing dozens of academic papers and multiple academic books. One might see their current duties — as administrators, fund-raisers, troubleshooters, meeting-havers — as only diagonally connected to the publish-or-perish realm of being a college professor.

This is especially because the world of academic papers and books is a weird and often gestural thing. Beyond the work of the occasional star, this academic material is often read only by a few reviewers (if even them) and university library shelves groan under the weight of countless academic books engaged by essentially no one. As to one of my own academic books — my favorite one, in fact — I am aware of a single person who has actually read it. And that’s about normal in this business.

But the allegations of plagiarism leveled at Dr. Gay come on top of her thin dossier and present a different kind of challenge.

There are indeed degrees of plagiarism. The allegations against Dr. Gay do not entail promoting actual substantial ideas as her own, but rather lifting phrases for sections of dutiful literature review and explicating basic premises without using quotation marks, or changing the wording only slightly, and, at times, not even citing the relevant authors shortly before or after these sections. This qualifies less as stealing argumentation than as messy. Much has been made of the fact that even her acknowledgments section in her dissertation has phraseology transparently cribbed from those of others. Sloppy, again — but still, this is not about her actual ideas.

But there are two problems here. One is Harvard’s plagiarism policy for students, its veritas image and other standards of integrity and conduct. Second is the sheer amount of the plagiarism in her case, even if in itself it is something less than stealing ideas. If the issue were a couple of hastily quoted phrases in one article, it would be one thing. But investigations have shown that this problem runs through about half of Dr. Gay’s articles, as well as her dissertation. We must ask how a university president can expect to hold her head high, carry authority and inspire respect as a leader on a campus where students suffer grave consequences for doing even a fraction of what Dr. Gay has done.

That Dr. Gay is Black gives this an especially bad look. If she stays in her job, the optics will be that a middling publication record and chronically lackadaisical attention to crediting sources is somehow OK for a university president if she is Black. This implication will be based on a fact sad but impossible to ignore: that it is difficult to identify a white university president with a similar background. Are we to let pass a tacit idea that for Black scholars and administrators, the symbolism of our Blackness, our “diverseness,” is what matters most about us? I am unclear where the Black pride (or antiracism) is in this.

After the congressional hearing this month where Dr. Gay made comments about genocide and antisemitism that she later apologized for, and now in the aftermath of the plagiarism allegations, some of her supporters and others have argued that the university should not dismiss Dr. Gay, because doing so would be to give in to a “mob.” However, one person’s mob is another person’s gradually emerging consensus among reasonable people.

I, for one, wield no pitchfork on this. I did not call for Dr. Gay’s dismissal in the wake of her performance at the antisemitism hearings in Washington, and on social media I advised at first to ease up our judgment about the initial plagiarism accusations. But in the wake of reports of additional acts of plagiarism and Harvard’s saying that she will make further corrections to past writing, the weight of the charges has taken me from “wait and see” to “that’s it.”

If it is mobbish to call on Black figures of influence to be held to the standards that others are held to, then we have arrived at a rather mysterious version of antiracism, and just in time for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in less than a month. I would even wish Harvard well in searching for another Black woman to serve as president if that is an imperative. But at this point that Black woman cannot, with any grace, be Claudine Gay.

And if Harvard declines to dismiss her out of fear of being accused of racism — a reasonable although hardly watertight surmise — Dr. Gay should do the right thing on her own. For Harvard, her own dignity and our national commitment to assessing Black people (and all people) according to the content of their character, she should step down.

[docholligay]

Marrowbone

Thank you so much to @iscahwynn for buying this from me for my mother's birthday trip! I am happy to say this is SOLD OUT FOR THE YEAR. (And I have no idea if it'll come back next year--I don't think I have a major trip to help with) In October, I'll be doing Hero, and in November, I'll be doing Parasite. Keep your eyes peeled if a book is of interest to you, and then after I get my schedule done, there may be some other ancillaries!

This is a Spanish horror film in English. That isn’t me saying that everything inspired by a different film is stealing it, this is me saying a Spanish writer and a Spanish director made a film in English, and it is very Spanish in feel and in the sort of “scare” we’re offering up. Me putting that in quotation marks makes it seem like I don’t appreciate Spanish horror but Spanish horror is in fact my very favorite if we have to pin down extremely large and broad swaths of movie by country. However, I understand why a movie like this would not necessarily be appreciated by a lot of fans of horr or casual horror watchers. It’s pensive, it’s slow, it doesn’t have a lot in the way of actual ‘scares’ because that’s just not, by and large, what Spanish horror films DO. If someone is looking for a film that involves a lot of the American style of extreme tension and release (Which I also enjoy. This is absolutely not me dogging on American horror.) then this film really isn’t for you. 

BUT, if you love the idea of pursuit in an emotional sense, of the walls closing in and reality coming for you as you attempt to hide from it, this might be right up your alley. Is it as good as The Orphanage? No, I’m not sure I think it is. It’s really missing some of those ‘pop’ moments, like “toca la pared’ in its driving force, and I think a couple of the characters feel a little half-formed, but it is a deeply enjoyable film if you are a fan of this style of horror film

Horror is always a difficult medium because what horror is and means to people is so different. It’s like comedy, only I would argue that people seem to realize more easily that comedy is extremely personal. Horror is the same. Not just ‘what scares you’ though that as well, but ‘what are looking for in a horror? What does that mean to you?’ 

So, Me: In horror I generally want a supernatural base for a story, and I prefer it to say something, though i am totally fine with “Isn’t this fucked up?” as long as the tension is well balanced and i don’t feel insulted. I tend to prefer ghost stories where there is some sort of explanation for the haunting, as is more common in European and American stories, and truly adore possession stories. When it comes to what i like horror movies to be about, many things, but I’m very fond of memory, and history, and guilt, and what the idea of a person is. 

All this to say that in many ways, this is tailored to me. 

Jack is this axis upon which the family spins, even long before his mother dies, the stable and straightforward one. Each of the siblings has their own role, but it matters that Jack is the one to survive because in truth he’s the only one that could survive. And with his mother dead, he has to keep this massive secret. I would argue with a great many parts of this whole “We have to hide that our mother is dead to the extent that we cannot fucking leave the house in rural Maine” and as someone who has lived in rural America most of my life, I am not sure that it holds up in narrative court, but ultimately it’s not so distracting that it pulls me out of the story. It’s part and parcel of how the story has to work, though it DID make me figure out they were dead. Jack is under immense strain, though, even before they die. It’s plucking at the fabric of his mental state long before his father comes and kills everyone. 

(For all being confused by the fact that he can’t do anything until he’s 21, the age of majority in the US was not 18 (I would argue it still is not, but that’s a different post entirely) in the US until 1971, in the wake of the Vietnam War and specifically the draft. Not that he would have been in much better shape in the UK--the age of majority became 18 there only in 1969.)

But when they ARE killed, they come back to save his life (according to Jack’s version of them*) and they are all aspects of Jack. It’s important to remember that Jack is actually doing everything for himself. So, Jane is the nurturing aspect of Jack’s self, the one who cooks and cares and soothes, Billy is his anger, his ability to destroy and to kill--at the end, it’s the voice of Billy that goes, “let me do this”--and of course Sam is his innocence, Jack’s need to be protected and cared for, the part of him that is afraid and young. On a rewatch, it’s actually pretty easy to see how their personalities change to fit these incredibly broad strokes after they die, because our memories of people are not those people. They are the coastal outlines of how we remember them. Jack is saved by the aspects of the people he loved. 

I want to DO something with the idea that the family escapes England, runs from it, to come to America, and the exact same trouble that they had in England follows them here. The same murder and abuse and pain comes for them anyway, a sea between them. And the mother is from Maine, or her family is. I’m not sure what to do with all of that, but it feels like that’s so much work to simply be a coincidence. But I’m not just not sure what to do with it. I could do a whole idea about the very formation of America, about this idea that is very much a part of the building of the American idea where your history is anew the second you step over the border, where you are far enough away from the ‘old world’ that you can escape its horrors. But you can’t. It comes for you, it comes down the chimney, it kills the things you love, and is this part and parcel of the inescapable horror of Where You Come From? I don’t know that I LOVE that as an answer, it feels imperfect to me, but I feel like that’s such a very specific choice, especially with taking the money from there, that there has to be something in it. 

And I mean, that doesn’t have to be specifically about the US and the UK, you could say the same thing about Spain and Mexico, to bring it back to the writer/director, where there are so many good things about the US/Mexico, but also horrors that have been inherited from the UK/Spain, and it is impossible to live in a house that was built for people across the shore and to keep out the horrors. 

On that note, let’s talk about Tom, who is a little mustache-twirling for my tastes in a movie that is essentially about escape and memory and how we choose to live with tragedy.  I’m not sure if this has anything to do with The UK, sure, but specifically England--and this family is specifically English--and the US have a really difficult history, we are family of a kind, but we can also resist each other and be pretty cruel to one another. This feels like a kind of anger, a kind of resentment that no matter how well you do, no matter how absolutely ruined Jack/the UK is, he’s preferred for what? Suffering in silence instead of wanting more? ALSO ALSO, and I don’t know that the writers even knew this, but it could be something about how the well-being of the UK has, for at least the last 70-odd years, been tied in a large way to the well-being of the US. The two worst recessions in the Uk before the pandemic were tied to US CRISES. The recession in the early 00s, the worst in the UK since WW2, was tied to OUR subprime mortgage crisis. In the 90s? Tied to our savings and loan crisis. We are inevitably fucking tied to each other, and also we hate each other. I was going to write something else, but I’m getting off-track, and I don’t know if I think this is totally supported by the narrative, but I want to do something with Tom that is more than ‘mean antagonist’ and so I’m standing here before you with a list of recessions in the Uk going “Is this anything?”

I actually think Anya Taylor-Joy is a bit wasted here, as her character requires very little, and is mainly an accessory and an idea to everything that is happening. Maybe I’m underselling it--it’s completely possible that without Taylor-Joy, the character would become so weak and one-dimensional as to be annoying, and she never really does that, she feels unexceptional and real, and that is enough. 

This is by design, of course. WE are Allie. We immediately fall in love with the family and are kept emotionally distant from the reality of their situation. We understand things only as they come to us through Jack. We have to rely on his version of events. Remember the ‘reveal’ is through his little book. We choose to believe him, because like Allie, we love him. 

So Iscah asked me what I think of the ending and specifically what I think of the idea, as put it “that it seems to be cast as positive” that he is still seeing his family. Do I think it’s being cast as positive? I don’t know if I do. I do think it is designed to put him in sharp contrast with his mother, who has everyone step over the line and forget everything that came before, and even when Jack himself does this, it’s to forget something instant and specific. I think part of what’s it’s saying is that what his mother attempts is impossible. That our pasts and our presents are impossibly tied up in one another, and to set it aside is going to end in tragedy. And, in fairness, maybe that makes it correct that Jack’s still living ‘with’ his siblings. 

 It’s certainly not being cast as fully negative, I’ll give you that all day long, but I don’t know if I fully agree that it’s being cast as positive. It’s sort of cast as neutral. If it were cast as positive I’d argue that he would be living a richer, fuller life. When we come upon him, we don’t even really interact with him, Allie comes upon him sleeping on the porch, and wakes him up. There’s no indication that he’s helped by the haunting of his siblings. There’s no indication he ever leaves the house.  Now, could he someday end up having a good life, with something he enjoys doing, and marrying Allie, fixing up the house, al the things he’d like to do? Sure, perhaps. But also could he end up essentially always sitting on that porch staring into the field. 

I do think that is the point, actually. That he could go either way, now. That he has decided, and Allie has decided, that living with the denial of what’s happened is better than living with the reality of what has, and whatever happens after there is still up to them. He was going into town and making cakes and selling things and all that when he was hallucinating his family as alive, so there’s really no reason why he can’t learn to repair plaster and lath while Billy holds the ladder or whatever. I realize I’m being a little flippant about it, but I think when you’re dealing with being, we’ll just call it odd for the sake of casting a wide net, you can learn to live with it, and learn to be a reasonably happy person with it, most of the time. You may not do everything the way other people do, but you can learn to make it work. 

In all, I really enjoyed this movie, but I don’t know that I would say it’s a slam dunk. The characterization really leaves something to be desired, and while I am absolutely making things out of it, I have no idea how much of that is based in intention and how much of it is simply me seeing what I’d like to see. The dialogue is sometimes very stilted, and while I think the idea is fantastic, I think the execution needs a little massaging. All that said, I love this kind of movie and so I would happily recommend it to anyone else who ALSO likes this kind of movie. 

*This brings me to a very very interesting point, which is: Do they come back, or are they only figments of Jack’s imagination? You might say, ��Well, Doc, the doctor says that he’s nuts, and even you said that every single one of them is an aspect of Jack.” Listen just because I said something doesn’t mean I’m not going to argue with it literally five minutes later, and also, this could be something that almost BECOMES a possession narrative. Is there a chance that he 

On that note, I don’t actually think the narrative believes this or backs this, because we have Allie physically and literally see his father, but an interesting idea that his father is also an aspect of himself and he killed his siblings under the pressure of caring for them. Note that I don’t think the story bears that out and I don’t think that’s the intention of the film, but it’s an interesting thought experiment. But it’s at the bottom because I don’t think it’s ‘real’.

[forabeatofadrum]

Thank you @nausikaaa, @blackberrysummerblog, @aroace-genderfluid-sheep and @artsyunderstudy for the tag!

It’s another Sunday and it’s almost Pride Month for the people who are chronically online. (For context: there is Pride Month in the Netherlands, but also some major Pride events are in July and August, so yeah ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, June is the moment where companies do pinkwash.) Speaking of Pride I did see a great theatre performance about trans identity today called Met zonder ballen or With(out) Balls in English. I highly recommend it.

I also finished the main story of Tears of the Kingdom today and I am feeling a lot. It was amazing. I am definitely not done with this game, since it is so huge and there is so much more than the main story. I think I’m not even halfway with the “full” game. It took me 95 hours to beat the main game. As a reference: I beat the main game of Breath of the Wild after 50 hours and I reached 100% completion at 210 hours, so...

For the ones who are interested, I have a bit more to say about the potential Zelda fic, but I’ll put it under the cut for the ones who aren’t done with Tears of the Kingdom yet. It isn’t even a spoiler for the main story but AGAIN the game is huge.

More “fic adjacent” news! Remember my myosotis plant? WELL THIS IS HER NOW:

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @blurglesmurfklaine @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @takitalks @justgleekout @cerriddwenluna @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer @ionlydrinkhotwater @1908jmd @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen ​ @cutestkilla ​ @martsonmars ​ @facewithoutheart ​ @shrekgogurt @boyinjeans @rockitmans @bitbybitwrites

So I discussed Aryll’s age in the previous post, and how Purah could probably cheat age, and after I posted that I found confirmation in Tears of the Kingdom that Purah did indeed try another experiment. After being a wee child for a while, she tried another age modification and she aged herself up to 20. I guess this sort of “confirms” the idea that Link and Zelda are also 20 (or 120), so that there were indeed 3 years between the games.

This means that Purah did find a way to accurately and perfectly modify someone’s age. Now, the reason I say “confirms” and not confirms without quotation marks is because we don’t know from Purah’s diary when Purah aged herself up to 20. There is no explanation when the player first sees her, so Link isn’t shook by it, so I guess it must’ve happened before The Upheaval.

This is my Unofficial Totally Serious Timeline (look, if the creators can make a fucked up timeline, so can I):

Link and Zelda are born in 17 BC. (Before Calamity)

In my fic, Aryll is born in 10 BC.

The Calamity takes place in 1AC .(After Calamity... I Googled “is the year 1 the year that jesus died” for this post, only to learn there is no year 0 and that AD 1 immediately comes after 1 BC) (look, I’m not a Christian)

A lot of initial rebuilding is done between 1 AC and I guess 10 AC. The Era of Burning Fields starts here.

Purah becomes a wee child somewhere in the end of the 90s AC.

Monsters have been there during the entire Era of Burning Fields, but around 99 AC, they become stronger and there are more monsters than before. It becomes harder to travel through Hyrule.

Link awakens at 100 AC. Breath of the Wild happens. Link and Zelda defeat Ganon and the Era of Burning Fields ends. In my fic, Link and Aryll also reunite in this year.

Somewhere between 100 AC and 103 AC, Zelda becomes interested in the Zonai civilisation and she starts the Zonai Research team.

Purah changes her age back somewhere in 103 AC, but it might be done earlier.

So maybe in my fic, after this happens, Zelda immediately goes to Link and Aryll. I think that if Aryll were to change her age, it would happen before The Upheaval as well, so that Link won’t be shook by it when he gets back.

Gloom starts to appear in 103 AC.

The Upheaval happens and Link and Zelda go missing in 103 AC.

It’s implied that quite some time passed between The Upheaval and Link’s reappearance in Lookout Landing, since the Zonai Research team had time to set up more things around the new islands, chasms, dispensers and shrines. Also, during the disappearance, Zora Domain got sludged, Rito Village is being snowed in, the desert around Gerudo Town becomes dangerous, Yunobo becomes possessed, Lurelin Village gets attacked, Tarrey Town expands, and the Lucky Clover Gazette and the Stable Association are established. Basically, a lot happened, but I still think it all happened within maybe a few weeks max, so we’re still in 103 AC.

Link, Zelda and the Sages defeat Ganon in 103 AC.

[chaifootsteps]

The obsession "angel dusts male wife" on x has with drawing horrible scenerios of characters getting raped, saying it's just angst, but then is totally fine making jokes about it with their followers in the comments. "HAHAH HAHAHAAHSHSHD I WAS AUSTRALIANING ALL NIGHT TO WRITE HIS DIALOGUE JAJAJAAJ HIS ACCENT TICKLES MY BRAIN SO GOOD HYHAYAHAHAHAY" under your "super serious art" about abuse makes you look ingenuine as fuck, weird ass.

Everything between those six quotation marks makes me feel like I'm having a stroke. Thank you.

[twiishaa]

my thoughts on the music video of ‘rolling girl’ by wowaka

this song is so good and the music video is really interesting so i wanted to share my thoughts on it 💗 also rest in peace wowaka you were a genius who changed the name of vocaloid forever 🕊️🕊️

TW: su1c1d@l thoughts mentioned, the idea that miku dies at the end of the mv/song

⬆️ if you’re not comfortable with the things mentioned above, please scroll! i don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable 🩷🩷

link to the mv: https://youtu.be/NIqm73xsias?si=z0Mk0qel-mjoh46W

who is the boy in the MV?

^in the music video, there is a boy shown multiple times throughout the video. this boy could be her ‘saviour’, someone who gets her to stop ‘rolling’, (a metaphor for miku’s depression and feelings of loss of self), and the song could be from the perspective of this boy, how he sees this girl (miku), looking so sad in school and realises the spiral she’s going down and saving her from it all. she’s so violent/cold towards him because she doesn’t see where’s shes going herself and so decides to villain-ise him. it makes sense, until you come into contact with the final line of the chorus.

‘i will stop your breath, now.’

the first time it is said, it’s not a problem, because it’s probably just her overreacting to someone trying to help her (also, it’s in quotation marks - which makes it miku saying it since we have established the song is from this boy’s perspective.) however, when you get to the second and then the final time it is said, it is said from this boy’s perspective. which doesn’t make sense. yes, it could be just him mocking her, but that isn’t likely, and why would he say it twice? why would it be the last line, especially when it’s emphasised since all the music stops?

so this made me think- what if the boy IS the villain? since we know wowaka loved to use metaphors to make things more cryptic in his songs, it totally makes sense. what if the boy is supposed to represent her inner conflict, or even her going insane/ her suicidal thoughts? maybe miku’s been trying to fight her inner conflict, which is why she is so violent towards him, and tells him she’ll stop his breathing, because she knows if she softens even just a little bit, she’ll be dead. therefore, the end makes sense- he got the better of her (she committed). even though it’s not said that she kills herself, it is implied, since the colouring completely changes, which could imply she has gone into the afterlife/ some world after the dead. also are we forgetting the main point- the most emphasised line in the song is the boy saying ‘i’ll stop your breathing now’??

as seen in the end, he says ‘i’ll stop your breathing, now’ and they are hugging. they boy looks a bit more content with himself, and miku looks tired, and even defeated. she sheds a tear- it looks like it’s a sigh of relief, even. which links back to the point of hatsune miku’s loss of self and being a people pleaser - everyone said ‘don’t do suicide!’ so she just followed their orders. she’s finally done something she wanted. (okay i digress)

there is a lot more hinting that the boy is the villain in hatsune miku’s head throughout the video. for example, the boy and miku are wearing opposites - miku is wearing black, the boy is wearing white. in the main setting (white screen with the two mp3s on either side), there is a part when the boy and miku are standing on either side of the mp3 player (mp3 = border between life and death?). also, the boy is only ever seen when miku is seen, and they are usually close together. there is a lot more by i don’t want to go into it now because i think this is enough

end.

note: i thought of this last night, i hope it makes sense 😭😭 i just wanted to say that i got inspo from a youtube comment under the music video, talking about if the boy represents her depression- i thought about it and then i wrote a little about it here 👹👹

[yooniesim]

Hi yoonie! I'm a big fan of yours and I agree with you about that hair but I just wanted to let you know as a Black person with albinism, calling someone "albino" is kind of dehumanizing to hear. It makes me feel like some sort of animal or freakshow. I would just ask that you don't use it that way in the future. <3

(Sorry I rambled a bit in this answer about unrelated shit lol you can probably stop like halfway through it, I got on a tangent 😂)

Yooo hey nonny, I totally understand and agree with you. I was referencing whenever people put black hairs on white sims, they all a sudden say the sim is "albino" in that phrasing as an excuse to have a white sim with that hair type. (And like, as far as I know, the sim doesn't even look like they have albinism, they just look white?) Heard this phrase so many times it's shameful. Probably should've used quotation marks or clarified that a lil more. Sorry for that, friend! I didn't even know the term "albino" alone was offensive in that way, I'll have to look into this more. Can I also ask, if you're willing to answer, what the proper phrasing would be? I'm gonna look it up myself either way but I am curious. Would it just be, as you referred to yourself, a person with albinism? I know it varies across communities- personally being ND, I know a lot of autistic people prefer not using "person with autism" as a phrasing for example, and person-first vs identity-first phrasing is a common debate. So I'm guessing it is similar among that community as well. Apologies again for hurting your feelings, I definitely know that sort of dehumanizing feeling and when I see that excuse for certain sims I imagine it must feel that way too. Like a tokenism so to speak.

It seems like, honestly, a lot of cc creators have one light skin black sim, one black sim with "albinism", and/or one black sim with vitiligo with the pattern making them mostly lighter skin in the face, for their cc previews. It's very odd to me. Like any excuse they can find not to have a sim with darker skin. It's a difficult topic bc on one hand it's great to have more representation for different types of sims but it just seems... weird... when there's never any darker skintones to go along with it? Ya know what I mean? And especially nowadays, I'm noticing that black sims and black hairstyles seem like... well... some kind of selling point? I remember in like 2018 and before, so many big (non-black) cc creators would not make black hairstyles at ALL, but now all of a sudden, a bunch of those creators that are now paywallers make them and put them under early access. It's like they know how limited they are and that people will pay for them. It's like we're once again a commodity. And it's weird bc back then it was all "we can't make black hairs, cos they're too hard!" but now that there's money involved it's apparently easy to slap a couple meshes together. Idk. ......I got way off topic I'm sorry 😂