#@ing me on a separate post would be preferable

[lune-redd]

screw it, bored, lemme see y'all's takes on beam

[itshype]

Triple Threat (DC x DP)

So, this is based slightly on this prompt I wrote! Here is the link to my DC x DP masterpost, and one of my last notfics I posted here was Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, Godhood where Danny and Vlad try to manipulate and mansplain their way out of trouble with the JLA. So, Danny and Billy are brothers. Maybe they're twins separated at birth, but I prefer that they bonded at some other point, maybe they adopted each other after meeting on the street. Danny's parents said they didn't care he was a halfa, but their behaviour changed so much because they were utterly incapable of hiding their fear of him. He ran away. Billy was at this time, already living on the streets.

They 'come out' to each other on the same day revealing their powers out of brotherly love and unconditional trust - not as an accident. And you know what? Trans Rights! They can come out that way too. At this point, Billy is working with the justice league and Danny is spending a lot of his time in the Zone. He is the king, but mostly his job is to be a key judicial figure as the 'only dude who can pretty much beat anyone up' and has a lot of friends there. Hey, the sovereign ruler of the ghost zone was locked up for thousands of years and nothing really seemed to happen so I can't imagine he'd have a lot to do day-to-day. Actually, instead of sleeping on the streets they both spend most nights in the Zone in Danny's Haunt (though I'd imagine Billy also sleeps frequently at the watchtower because the pair of them are quasi-immortal homeless children who also somehow have fulltime jobs that pay nothing. And the watchtower has a kitchen). When I think of Danny's personality displayed as a physical location, I think it looks like a little suburban street lined with weird ghostly trees growing sentient flowers. There's a nasty burger though it's empty of employees and food; they still use it as a dining room. His actual house (ghosts don't need one but I still think Danny would have one) is moderate in size and charming. But it has defences built in, to the same absurd level as home alone or that live action scooby doo film https://youtu.be/2x7W225iC88?t=62 where there's a trapdoor under the doormat. There's a park across the road (which is always empty of cars but has a pedestrian crossing anyways) with purple grass and some plants that are only vaguely carnivorous. Every now and then, Billy helps out Danny with some magic tomfoolery in the Zone (you cannot tell me Aragon's amulets or Desiree aren't magic over and above normal ghost shenanigans). In one of Billy's first ever team missions he calls Danny as backup. He barely knows these people and he knows he won't be able to do his best hero-ing when he can't fully trust them to watch his back. Phantom doesn't end up having to do much because the JLA members are nice and trustworthy, but he is physically and visibly there. At the conclusion of the mission, following a nice orderly debriefing, Wulf comes to pick up Danny to get Walker back in line. This is a point where there are only a few JLA members, but Batman carefully adds "Brother/Twin??: King of Ghosts - The Phantom" to Shazam's file and begins investigating ecto-activity. A few years pass. Enough that Billy’s and Danny’s lives get a lot busier. Billy is doing some non-traditional school shit (I refuse to google the laws around out-of-school younger-age education in a foreign country for a city that doesn’t exist) and Danny is now working in a space agency. He obviously can’t be an astronaut because of the required physical -which he would not be able to pass - and he is busy with king stuff often enough that going into space for half a year isn’t really do-able. I think his Jack Fenton genes might kick in and he bulks out just a tad. It took him a year to be able to look at his ghost self in the mirror because he looked like Dan’s scarier big brother.

The justice league stop some evil invasion but in the process disable a giant spaceship that is now floating, untethered through their solar system. The aliens had been prepared for superman so there is artificial kryptonite meaning he cannot just punt it into the sun. They contact some space scientists to help them figure out how much of a problem this floating object will be; if it will affect future space travel attempts, if it could crash into the moon or Earth itself, if benevolent alien visitors in the future could think Earth was full of deranged murderers if they came to visit and encountered it.

Every agency they contact recommends one guy.

So, Shazam has need of his cool older twin Danny to come and help out with this problem! He is visibly thrilled and eventually admits that Daniel Nightingale (he wasn’t going to add to the prestige of his parents name or risk dragging his career down with their shenanigans) is his brother.

Only a couple of the original members remember all those years ago that Marvel has a brother they’ve met and that’s who they’re expecting when Danny arrives with his team. Of course, the magic ghost is a good option for a dicey mission. But no, it’s Danny. He does a great job and there’s a lot of content here. But after Danny and Billy leave, Batman holds a meeting to update JLA members that have only been around a few years. Apparently, Captain “the champion of magic” Marvel, and Phantom – the king of ghosts are triplets with Danny “Just A Guy” Fenton.

[luxmoogle]

hiya!! i just saw the dtiys thing for the lovely halloween aqua sketch you posted! i just wanted to ask how you would prefer us to credit/post our paintovers? Would you prefer a reblog with our paint over or would a separate post @'ing you specifically work just fine?

btw i absolutely adore your art and I'm so happy and excited that youre doing this, so thank you <3

@'tting or however you prefer is just fine, I don't necessarily need one towards me anyway since you're all probably tagging them as dtiy's etc. Thank you for the compliment, and have fun~! :)

[trekwiz]

I used Tumblr's feedback function about the recent changes. But, fuck, it was hard to get it short enough. It had to be under "5,000" characters--but the system's broken so it required me to get it to around 4,700. I don't think the short version makes as much sense, but I'll provide it under a cut. And I'll follow with a long version.

You want to drive engagement: that means being more fun than nuisance.

We hate snoozing Live. Disrespecting users' preferences and giving busy work means you'll never convert us to Live users: you've only built resentment.

Some users turn off push notifications for being annoying. What does Tumblr have that requires urgency? A friend who needs a ride to the ER is not asking on the fun meme site. When you push notifications, it's your decision to get my attention, instead of my choice. There's no way to spin this as a positive.

The persistent banner in "Activity" warning that notifications are off, is a rude reminder that you feel entitled to my attention. Your intention to SPAM users like me is worse, but we're the kind of users who are also motivated to click “Report Spam” to hurt your domain score in retaliation.

Users hate algorithms. Most users turn off “in your orbit” etc. They made your site harder to use--it's confusing and awkward to see posts of unexpected origin. I had a look at the separate feeds, but I haven't used them again. The chronological feed is more appealing.

Users don't want your vision of condensed reblogs. You'll destroy popular memes that only work in the current format, such as the speech bubble gag. You will lose users if this humor is tough or impossible. 2 better ways of rolling this out: 1. Offer it in the editor, like polls. Users will choose when threaded is better. 2. Offer a toggle on posts. This allows threads to be viewed when it makes sense.

Users like duplicate reblogs. This is social bonding, unique to Tumblr. duplicates show which mutuals share your tastes. The joke about seeing the same post shared by 5 mutuals is endearing, not derogatory.

Be more thoughtful with your ads. You have a lot of LGBT users. Why show ads from a hate organization like Chik-Fil-A ads? It's very offputting.

Don't "fix" the things you do well; improve where you're doing poorly.

Search needs work.

Users who remove their blog from search are confused when they can't use the search bar inside their blog. They turn on favorite tags which can't be used in that case. It would help to have an option to enable search only from within the blog.

Search is inconsistent. I can type a whole post from days ago, with no results. It's not clear why some posts aren't searchable.

I want duplicates in my feed, not search.

Sometimes I lose a post after an accidental refresh. An option to search blogs I follow would help.

Add search to the follower/ing lists. And if you follow someone called 1Funny1 now, it would help to know that they were NotJoking8 when you followed last year.

Fixing search might seem low impact. But it's probably the one thing that will stop users from calling the site broken. That will encourage new users to join.

We want a "mutuals" badge. You're mimicking the worst parts of social media, but we love friend lists. An indication of who's a mutual is helpful. It should increase engagement as well!

Your hate speech policy needs improvement. The bar to remove LGBT-phobic content is too high. The "mundane political speech" has deadly consequences. Allowing LGBT-phobic content if it's "not extreme" normalizes attacks on our human rights--you're influencing public policy by treating these ideas as if they're civil, despite the harm. And we deserve a place to escape the hate.

Next, there are better ways to spotlight content. You could build a tab for curation. 3 kinds: 1. Official Tumblr Curators 2. Sponsored Curators ($), and 3. User Curators. Users should be able to select which type they see at any time. This should include categories for browsing, and search. They should highlight bloggers, especially creators. This allows users to find new content organically, instead of being forced--this is a marketable feature.

For revenue: Editor+. A robust text editor that matches Google Docs, etc, with unique Tumblr enhancements, like a way to favorite gifs and emojis for faster use, and a meme generator--something that fits the most common meme formats but allows quick insertion of text and graphics. Those exist elsewhere, but integration is convenient. That means value to the user.

You should also leverage the Marketplace better. Gifting would be great for digital products. Send DoorDash gift cards, or gift an online watch party or music through Tumblr. The Marketplace is a lot more appealing if it can include useful services.

Closing thought: after a bonus at work, I was about to go ad-free. But the announced changes will be more nuisance than fun: I can't imagine staying here if you make the site unusable. These are obvious errors that will decrease your userbase, and it's surprising that you didn't immediately realize this.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Daniel J. Rhoads

Published: Aug 15, 2023

The striking down of affirmative action in college admissions marks the end of one era, but it might be the beginning of a new round of litigation on race discrimination in schools.

In Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (“SFFA”), the Supreme Court found that the admissions programs of both Harvard College and the University of North Carolina failed multiple tests of constitutionality. They “lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful endpoints.”

The principles that the Court fortified in its opinion extend beyond college admissions and implicate educational institutions at all levels, at least public institutions and those that receive federal financial assistance. The pronouncement in SFFA is as sweeping as it is explicit: “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

Given the breadth of the principle and the clarity with which the Court expressed it, the amount of activity currently taking place in schools that is almost certainly illegal is staggering. Justice Thomas’ concurring opinion noted a study that showed, “43% of colleges offered segregated housing to students of different races, 46% offered segregated orientation programs, and 72% spon.sored segregated graduation ceremonies.”  It is difficult to see how any of these practices would pass muster under the rules stated in SFFA.

Similar acts of segregation and discrimination are occurring at the elementary and secondary levels, as well. The form and manner of such programs vary, and the euphemistic neologisms used to describe them proliferate. But SFFA has rendered presumptively invalid any lessons, activities, assemblies, meeting groups, working groups, or other school-sanctioned events where attendees are separated by race or where some races are invited while others are excluded. 

Educational institutions might attempt to design programs to meet the strict scrutiny standard applied in SFFA. Some might view the Court’s admonition that racial classifications must have a “most exact connection” with “an exceedingly persuasive justification that is measurable and concrete enough to permit judicial review” as a kind of challenge.  If there is any space in that needle, however, passing a thread through it might prove to be prohibitively tough.  

What is certain is that the justifications offered by the colleges in SFFA fell far from the mark. To put it mildly, the Court was unimpressed with diversity goals such as “adapt[ing] to an increasingly pluralistic society”; “better educating . . . through diversity”; and “enhancing appreciation, respect, and empathy, cross-racial understanding, and breaking down stereotypes.” Not that such goals are not laudable; the problem is that they are too abstract and subjective for courts of law. To persist on their equity projects, schools would have to imagine a whole new set of justifications that can be objectively measured and can withstand strict scrutiny. Complicating matters, groups are now contemplating disparate impact challenges to legacy admissions. It might be a better use of resources just to stop discriminating.

Another decision that the Court issued the day after SFFA calls into question related practices in higher education. In 303 Creative, LLC v. Elenis, the Court held that the government cannot, through the application of anti-discrimination statutes, compel or coerce a website designer to create sites for same-sex weddings where such weddings contravene the designer’s religious beliefs. The general principle of 303 Creative is that “the government may not compel a person to speak its own preferred messages.”  The Constitution does not tolerate forcing speakers to choose among “remaining silent, producing speech that violates their beliefs, or speaking their minds and incurring sanctions for doing so.”

303 Creative casts doubt on the legality of the practice by colleges and universities of requiring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) statements from applicants for academic positions. Not everyone who seeks employment with or admission to an institution of higher learning will agree with the orthodox opinion on campus. Those who are confronted with writing DEI statements as part of their applications will face the choice of remaining silent, producing speech that violates their beliefs, or speaking their minds and being denied a position. Legal challenges to this practice should be expected.

Adverse employment actions against faculty who oppose DEI dogma make even easier cases. Black professor Tabia Lee was fired by a community college in California for transgressions including: questioning antiracist ‘orthodoxy,’ seeking accuracy in the college’s land acknowledgments, trying to bring a ‘Jewish inclusion’ event to campus, declining to join a ‘socialist network,’ refusing to use the terms ‘Latinx’ and ‘Filipinx,’ and inquiring why the word ‘Black’ was capitalized but not ‘white.’ The college has asserted its reasons for her firing, and the case is being litigated. If Doctor Lee’s perspective on her case is at all accurate, then her treatment was profoundly unconstitutional.

Ironically, the colorblind aspiration that the Court has endorsed is practically unspeakable in some academic circles. We at FAIR have seen public school lessons where statements like, “There’s only one human race,” and concepts including “Meritocracy Myth” are taught to be “covert white supremacy.” The same lessons use the term “Whiteness” as a pejorative. Instruction of that type seems to offend the principles laid out in SFFA.

At some point, legal questions dissolve into policy disputes that are not appropriate for litigation. “May a high school require history teachers to assign ‘anti-racist’ readings?” is importantly distinct from the question of whether it should do so. However, the fundamental issue that SFFA and 303 Creative address, whether students can be separated into racial affinity groups in order to study such readings, seems more clearly unconstitutional.

The decisions in SFFA and 303 Creative bring clarity where any questions about racial classifications or compelled speech might have lingered. The ball is now in the court of the educational institutions—both public schools, which are bound by the Constitution, and any other schools receiving federal funding, which are subject to the same standards under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.  

A year after the Supreme Court held, in Brown v. Board, that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional, the case returned to the Court on the issue of remedies. At that time, the Court directed public schools to desegregate “with all deliberate speed.”  Even after that directive, desegregation litigation carried on for decades. Today, it remains to be seen whether schools will incorporate the holdings in SFFA and 303 Creative more speedily or more deliberately. Time will tell, and school attorneys are watching.

==

Not just in diversity statements, but also diversity training. When people are compelled, in front of a roomful of people by some neoracist DIE fundamentalist con artist, to lie about being racist or oppressed or white supremacist or marginalized, they will hopefully be able to fight back.

It shouldn't take too many lawsuits for schools and companies and organizations to worry about what will happen to their bottom line if they subject their students, staff, employees and volunteers to illegal reeducation struggle sessions.

[sebastophanes]

Several people have already pointed out that this post paints with a ridiculously broad brush, and so it does (“require you to observe a daily practice” in particular is such a milquetoast demand that its inclusion on a list like this is comical), and that it rather arrogantly makes determinations as to what the Divine does/doesn’t do, and so it does, but I’d actually like to get granular and hyper-specific in relating its perceived flaws to my own religious practice.

Obviously as a hierodoulos (godslave) much of this rings false — not that godslavery is particularly common in these parts, though. Naturally the Emperors are at perfect liberty to dictate which deities I’m allowed to venerate, who I consort with, what my path in life might be, or what activities might be forbidden to me. “Threaten[ing] to leave if you can’t/don’t fulfill their requests” and “withhold[ing] their affection if you do something they don’t like” are also comfortably within their bailiwick: outright threatening would be somewhat gauche but the understanding that I have A Work to perform for them, and that their patronage is predicated upon suitably performing it, has been a part of the deal since long before my consecration as a hierodoulos. Likewise the “fatherly love, care, affection, and sweetest activities” which I thank them for in my morning prayer is very real and deeply cherished, but certainly not something to which I have a right — they have made clear that seriously disobeying them would render me bereft of their protection, either here or in the afterlife, and they have been known to be quite severe at necessary times.

One is indeed always free to set boundaries and I have done so as well, outlining the terms of my bondage to them in the high old Roman fashion of a contract. That contract is however unstinting:

To be consecrated as a sebastodoulos, as devotee and hierodoulos, is to embrace a life of heart-rending freedom through the surrender of freedom; rooted in passionate adoration it is the complete gift; it is the entire oblation of the self in an offering of love, freely given. The life of the hierodoulos is the expression of trust: I trust that the Divine Emperors will guide Their man ever toward Their glory; that They will keep me in health, peace, and strength to undertake my service for Them; that They will care for me as a father to a child while I am walking on Their path.

The oath of the sebastodoulos is the willing bondage of obedience: to seek the counsel of the Lords while upon my way and to always and in all wise submit to Their injunctions and Their holy will, as a slave submits to his master or a client to his patron, in perfect love and trust.

This commitment is laid down within a framework strictly dedicated to their own interests: that I am guided “ever to Their glory”, that they will keep me whole and well for the sake of better serving them, and that even their paternal love is contingent upon my “walking on Their path.” The heart-rending freedom of godslavery (or at least my godslavery) is in the fact that I am no longer bound to my own will and purposes at all, that fundamentally I enjoy no liberty separated from these gods and their ends — which I serve not out of fear or the hope of favour but rather out of “love, freely given.”

This is not just theoretical; several months earlier I backed out of a dream job offer — hospice chaplain in rural Michigan — because the Emperors for whatever reason insisted I take my best friend, specifically, as the necessary roommate to help pay the bills. He didn’t end up wanting to go, so instead of my preferred choice of trying to work out an arrangement with someone else I submitted to their will and withdrew my acceptance of the offer. It was difficult, and ostensibly dings several of the cited red flags, but ultimately something which I was glad to do at their bidding.

Now ofc some of the points in the reblogged post are excellent commonsense advice: don’t stop taking your medication, don’t rush into binding agreements, don’t force yourself into penury, etc; but the overall message seems to be “be a strong, independent pagan who don’t need no rules” and I’m here to say that there’s another way: he who is your man wishes to be made holy as you are holy.

There are certain things deities will never do and would be wildly inappropriate for them to try.

As a rule of thumb, deities will never do the following:

Dictate who you can/can't be friends with

Dictate which deities you're allowed/not allowed to venerate

Dictate who you can/can't be romantically involved with

Dictate your course in life

Threaten to leave if you can't/don't fulfill their requests

Ask you to stop taking your medications

Require you to observe a daily practice

Require you to spend tons of money on their behalf

Rush you into an oath, marriage, or some other binding contract

Prohibit you from doing certain activities

Withhold their affections if you do something they don't like

Shame you

Court minors (not in this day and age. Deities answer to the sensibilities of our time and society.)

If you see a deity act in any of these ways, you might be dealing with an impostor spirit or a mental sock-puppet, rather than the actual deity.

Impostors are petty spirits who disguise themselves as deities to mooch off undeserved worship.

Mental sock puppets are personal thoughts and insecurities projected onto an imaginary being.

And in instances where a deity is doing something you don't think is appropriate, you're always free to set boundaries. Gods don't get to act with impunity simply because they're gods.

[narrators-journal]

bsdreaderinsertreblogger here (it’s a side blog I’d like to keep separate otherwise I would have replied)

By “f word” I meant “fuck” I just prefer not to say it lol. I was commenting in my tags about it because it felt weird, I didn’t think you’d really be paying attention since the post was old. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Nah, it's chill dude, I get it. I just wanted to be sure I didn't use a slur and not realize or something. And I love reading all of the reblogs, as it makes me happy to see the comments, sorry if I came off aggressive or you felt called out by me @'ing you. Hope ya continue to enjoy my works!

[astroismypassion]

☀️🌞 Sun and houses: where and how we shine the most 🌞☀️

Credit blog: Tumblr blog @astroismypassion

@iamqueen233 asked me the other day in my mailbox if I could write about sun and houses and where, how we shine the most. I thought it was an interesting question so I dedicate a whole post to it! 😘

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 Sun in the 1st house ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

You shine the most in doing exercises, workouts, physical activities. When you are just being your unique self, when you embrace your own individuality, personality, traits and encourage others to do the same. When you don’t beat around the bush. When your are tolerant and patient, yet compromising and in tune with other people in the team as well. When you help other people in the group. When you choose to do whatever you feel like doing with your clothing style.

💋💋 Sun in the 2nd house 💋💋

You shine best when you develop some skills, when you know your values, preferences, likes, dislikes. When you have good spending habits. When you share your possession, talents, skills, life experiences with others and teach them your skills.

🗣🗣 Sun in the 3rd house 🗣🗣

You shine the most in elementary and high school, when you read a book, listen to a podcast, learn a new (verbal) skill, language, connect with neighbours. Your posts on social media must be fire! Or you like to shout out for your friends on your social media. This is another placement that really likes group project or work on something with a team of friends.

🐳🐳 Sun in the 4th house 🐳🐳

I dare to say that your close friends, family, relatives would actually describe you as bossy, stubborn and attention loving! Because these people around you are the ones that are most aware of these traits of yours. Again, similar to Sun in the 10th house avoid boss-ing around your friends and family since it might create resentment in them.

💛💛 Sun in the 5th house 💛💛

You shine best in your own free time, working on whatever interest you and that you’re passionate about. Basically when you escape from responsibilities. You shine in sports, hobbies, dealings with children and love affairs. When you channel your creative energies into whatever project or side hustle.

📚📚 Sun in the 6th house 📚📚

The key with this placement is really daily self improvement. You should pick 6 activities that you practise daily and repeat them. The downside here is that you might also get bored with them after 21 days. Then you should pick new 6 activities. But always come back to the old ones and “rotate” them. So that you create a wheel of daily habits that stabilze you, make you feel at ease, that you don’t procrastinate and don’t become too anxious.

💜💜 Sun in the 7th house 💜💜

The lesson for this placement is to become less vain and selfish, but to learn to be compromising with people, yet still emphatise with people individually so understanding them and their needs on one on one personal level. You shine best when you express concern for others, but still have fulfilling relationships based on mutual reciprocation. Honestly you just really like people giving you genuine compliments, but you try to give them back those as well and suddenly you’re not exchanging only compliments, but you’re in a full on romantic partnership.

♥️♥️ Sun in the 8th house ♥️♥️

You shine best when respect your partner’s values, change career often (or when it’s not dull and monotone), when you let go and you’re emotionally responsible. When you take emotional accountability. When you have sexual self control, but also during sex. When you people watch. When you recognise other people’s gift and you express that in a transparent way. Basically when you see talent in others and express that to them. When you are vulnerable.

⛵️⛵️ Sun in the 9th house ⛵️⛵️

When you have cultural exchange with people from the community, when you try to understand abstract ideas and concepts. When you are devoted to a person or a project on a daily basis. When you do something more risky, yet spontaneous. When you dress up for whenever you are travelling somewhere, visit something foreign (restaurant, place, city) or visit something for the first time. When you inspire other with telling your personal life stories and happening and this is how you also connect with other people (great storyteller!). When you understand the collective thought.

⚓️⚓️ Sun in the 10th house ⚓️⚓️

You shine best when you have a quality relationship with your parents, elderly people, your mentors, those that inspire you to so better. When you have a good relationship with your superior and when you are willing to sacrifice yourself for your OWN self mastery. It’s very important for you to have a good relationship with your mother. You naturally attract recognition from authorities or in the public community. You could be good in politics or voicing your opinion in a public standing. You are attention when you are respectful of others. Authority figures naturally gravitate towards you, because they see themselves in you.

💚💚 Sun in the 11th house 💚💚

Believe it or not, this placement is actually very similar to Sun in the 1st house. They shine the most when the embrace themselves, team up with people and still assert themselves individually. You shine best when you have a side hustle going or an online business. When you take care of younger siblings or cousins, relatives. When you give each person in the family a role. When you protect back people that protected you in the past, especially during childhood.

💖💖 Sun in the 12th house 💖💖

When you create, DIY in your alone time. When you take time off for yourself and recharge your individual needs before helping, mingling with other people. When you treat to separate yourself from the rest of society through film, dance, arts, use of your creativity and imagination. When you try writing poetry, keeping a journal (daily, meditation, gratefulness, planner). When you address your own limitations, frustrations and daily duties responsibilities.

Credit blog: Tumblr blog @astroismypassion

[neonponders]

From the Book of Who Asked, I bring you

~Things I’m tired of in this fandom ~

1. Complaining about Anti’s.

Someone needs to be the heretical aunt at the family reunion and it’s me. Stop complaining about anti’s. Either ban them or fuck ‘em. Make up your mind and shut up about it. Yes, I’ve complained too, but if a blog is putting out more posts about anti’s than a ship, you’re not a ship blog. You’re a hate blog. Which makes you as bad as them. Let that sink in.

2. Complaining about Dacre’s Feet.

Millennials found out about fetishes fifteen years ago and proceeded to let NO ONE REST ever since. I’ve ranted about this before, but human beings are literally supposed to be barefoot. Shoes fuck up the muscles in your feet. The feet are stronger and healthiest when barefoot, with calluses. Actors who’ve done extensive physical training know this. You see it all the time in Dacre, Hugh Jackman, Chris Hemsworth, etc. etc. Ironically, they’re all Australian -> a place that is huge on outdoor activities.

All of you need to touch grass and soft dirt with your feet and calm the hell down. These men are right. You’re wrong. Go run around a baseball diamond barefoot and realize you’ve been wrong your whole life. Get dirty for god sake. You’ll be fine, I promise. The experience of running over a random pebble might build character too.

Preferring bare feet over shoes is normal and literally better for your health. Let the man live, good grief. If he had a fetish, he would be posting other people’s feet, not his own. And even so, foot fetishes are the most harmless fetish out there. Look up fisting gloves and maybe you’ll lighten up.

3. Numbers. Don’t. Matter.

Okay, yeah, being the #1 ship for years is pretty rad. It was the easiest defense against haters who went after a fictional character with more gusto than political elections.

And you know what? Numbers didn’t matter then, either.

Here’s a shout out to the rare-pair shippers and small fandom creators because you guys have your heads screwed on right. The point to all of this, is ~fun~. Not competition.

5 years from now, there’s going to be a ST renaissance and all of the teenage assholes are going to have the life experience to see this show entirely differently. Remember how everyone in the HP fandom went from mourning and uwu-ing over Snape, to utterly despising him and how he abused Harry? Yeah. That’s going to happen. How exciting.

4. Steddie vs Harringrove vs God

Look, even I’m tired to Edward Theodore Munson IV. His fandom is Too Much™. I’m a quiet fan, because I still enjoy watching him immensely. I hugely enjoy the Eddissy ship (I firmly believe that anyone against Eddissy is a misogynist against Chrissy, but that’s a separate rant). I enjoy Steddie, Harringroveson, & Mungrove because it’s another way of seeing Steve and Billy being soft and loved on. And it’s cool to see JQuinn go from a small role-nobody to being able to retire if he wanted to. That’s an actor’s dream.

But the difference between Billy/fandom and Eddie/fandom, is that they’re opposites of each other. Fandom makes Billy better. Fandom is making Eddie worse. And the hyper surge of fame, as much as it’s giving to JQuinn, is also super cruel and uncomfortable.

Let the train crash itself. Seek the artists, editors, writers, etc. who are chill, inclusive, and make delightful content. They’re worth finding. Fuck the rest.

5. TikTok

Get the hell off tiktok. Or watch Dylan B Hollis -> someone who actually matters.

[silentauroriamthereal]

PSA: HP fics

Hello everyone!

In March, I discovered to my dismay that skyehawke.com had closed without warning and that I had lost all of my Harry Potter fics. I was upset, obviously. I had left the HP fandom many years ago, and had zero interest in promoting or discussing anything I had written, but I had always promised that I would leave my stories online and available, ideally all in one place. That place was skyehawke.com. When I re-joined fandom life in general after a lengthy hiatus, ao3 had sprung up and that's where I started posting my Sherlock fics. People have asked me repeatedly about the possibility of moving my HP fics over there and I always said, quite firmly, absolutely not.

(Putting in a cut to spare your dashboards!)

Why not? Because it's a lot of f-ing fic, for starters. My HP catalogue caps out in the 1.8 million word range, at something like 104 or 105 fics, some of which are quite short, but some of which are also QUITE long. The longest of the multi-chaptered stories is 36 chapters, for instance. Plus, as I said, I didn't want to be drawing attention to them, getting comments on them, having to re-read them just to understand what the comment was even referring to (I wrote the majority of these around 2004-7), etc.

However, in my gratitude to the people who stepped up and within days restored my entire HP collection to me, I promised both on my old livejournal account and here that I would, once my then-current project was complete, begin the long, laborious process of transferring my HP catalogue to ao3 after all. I'm not going to lie: it's a TREMENDOUS amount of work. Originally I had thought that I would take the opportunity to re-read the stories and edit out typos, manually re-format them, manually redo the html coding, etc, etc. However, I just can't. It's time-consuming enough just to upload all of the raw text, along with the fandom, pairing, rating, summary, etc, so that's my warning: they are what they are. The earliest of these was written 17 years ago. If you're a writer, imagine your writing from that long ago. I cringe at some of the pairings. But a promise is a promise, and I'm not someone who breaks my word.

So, long disclaimer aside, I'm here to announce that I've created a whole separate ao3 page. I was originally going to wait until I'd uploaded the full catalogue, but people have already noticed these stories popping up, so I thought I'd go ahead and share now. I'm adamant about not having these stories take up space in the very limit amount of time I have for fandom in general, and which I prefer to dedicate to Sherlock, hence the separate page.

Here it is: SilentAuror_HPworks. I started working on this the very day after I posted Nocturne (aka my latest project), as promised, and so far I've only uploaded 16 stories (although if you count individual chapters, that adds up to 125 individual uploads already). Every story comes with a posted note that I will not be answering comments. I did leave the comment field open, though, because I know that sometimes people really just want to comment. I'll read the comment and appreciate the kudos and bookmarks. I just don' t have the time to respond to comments on 105 stories in a fandom I don't want to discuss anymore. I hope that feels fair? Either way, this is what I'll be working on as my muses ponder my next Sherlock project. :)

[quicksandblock]

speaking of c!techno and losses, cus I thought about it a bit in the shower, you know what I would've liked for techno to lean into? the loss of his allyship and friendship with c!tommy.

even though the relationship between them was completely dysfunctional and doomed to fail due to conflicting goals, they still CLEARLY cared for each other while working together. and c!techno was clearly very hurt and felt betrayed when c!tommy switched sides. that could've been a major loss for him, or prompt him to question his ideals and whether it was worth the people he hurt and lost.

that's really why c!technos response to c!tommys death later was disappointing. sure, you could argue that 1. c!techno isn't the type to grieve publicly and maybe he grieved privately "off-camera" 2. cc!techno obviously prefers a lighthearted tone and isn't gonna lean into angst.

but his lack of response obviously gives the audience the impression that he doesn't care. and im not sure if that was the intent, but if it is, that's disappointing.

there could've been subtle ways to show grief and regret (he's good at the subtle stuff anyway). he couldve subtly implied that he was covering up grief with humor. techno is not a bad actor or writer, he excels at subtle storytelling. but that whole thing really made me just. dislike and distrust his character, lol

-cube-cumb3r (thank u for reblogging my crit post earlier btw)

it was a good post lol, like I said you put it all very well

and yes!! all of this!!! like it would have been weird if he’d grieved too obviously, but we wanted something, and we didn’t get it, and now Techno’s character is starting to feel kind of flat. he’s losing a lot of depth he had at the start. like it’s still an interesting character, but more and more we’re having to read that in from possibly-unintentional clues rather than being able to analyze obviously deliberate character choices.

unfortunately I think the root of the problem is that Techno isn’t having as much fun on the dsmp anymore. he came in to play a cartoon villain and promote his channel, and suddenly everyone’s storylines are fucking dark and everyone has 15 different kinds of ptsd and his funny anarchist pig doesn’t really have a place there anymore. not to say his character hasn’t always had its serious moments - but like the dream smp itself, they used to be the spice that added significance to a mostly lighthearted story, not the norm. nowadays it feels like you have to be able to cry on command to even participate.

there’s also the fact that he doesn’t really like collaborative storytelling. he’s said this on stream before - I can’t remember exactly when, but it was when half the fandom decided that Ranboo was his son (?? why????) and he had to come in and clear that up. he doesn’t like other people being able to decide things about his character, and he doesn’t really like “yes and”-ing as far as I can tell. he prefers to have tighter control over his own story. which is valid - but creates some problems in a story built entirely out of collaborative roleplay.

unfortunately both of these lead him to clash with Tommy’s storytelling style pretty severely - Tommy loves the dark stuff, and he’s also more than willing to play off of people and let improv and chance have a strong influence on his character’s path. and Tommy does a lot of highly emotional improv acting, which Technoblade just Doesn’t (unless the emotion is anger).

Ranboo and Tubbo have been talking about the older “semi-lore” style of the smp recently, and I think that a return to that style would allow Techno to come back to participate more in the story. but overall I think the conflict here is going to remain until the current arcs, especially the Tommy and Dream thing, have been wrapped up. which is unfortunate because Techno is kind of an integral part of some of those arcs.

coming back to specifically his response to Tommy’s death... I kind of feel like cc!Techno is trying to retroactively make that relationship less important to his character in an attempt to separate himself from the grimdark stuff. but I honestly can’t tell. it could just be a manifestation of his tsundere-ness. I hope it is, because while I get not being interested in a darker story, it would be kind of disappointing if he just noped out of any story that didn’t fall in his comfort zone. I just wish he would fucking stream so we could have anything at all to go off of lmao

[rantingcrocodile]

hi, me again!! i'm sure you've noticed i interact from febcat. honestly idk where i'm going with this but i hope you don't mind me spamming you. i'd really like to know you better in terms of how you think and i want to learn from you so i can be more confident and have more ideas on my own blog. i also think it's so cute how you and triple-f interact with each other and send pics of crocodiles (btw cats are superior >:0)!!

at the time of my last ask i had no idea you were against the febfem label. i reblogged a couple of your posts talking about that in the tags where i said this:

so i hope that doesn't cause any rifts in me interacting where you're kinda ":/" about me. i mean, it kinda IS the BRAND of my blog atp yk??

anyways yeah i kinda just wanted an excuse to talk to you directly. i have strong opinions but i'm quite shy when it comes to confrontation or even asking someone for their time for positive reasons lmao <3

Of course I don't mind!

I think that the most important thing isn't to agree with me (although, I genuinely think that I'm right, so ideally you would agree with me, but if you have a point of view or information that I hadn't considered to improve my own thoughts and beliefs, I'd much prefer than than any yes-woman-ing, any day of the week!), but to be able to critically engage in everything, go away and then think about it and come up with your own conclusions.

(@triple-f is wonderful, too! Although you're 100% wrong about crocodiles. Sorry to have to tell you that, lol!)

The thing about the "febfem" label for me is that I have issues with the label and I separately have issues with individuals and individual actions when that label is used. (I.e. I dislike that it's a microlabel for bisexuality in general vs I dislike it when an individual "febfem" decides to be misogynistic and biphobic against other bisexual women.)

That said, I do not have any kind of automatic issue against any random woman that uses that term. I disagree with the use of the term, but that's simply my view about it. There is so much space to agree to disagree and still be supportive of each other. Like if a "non binary" and "she/they" bisexual woman was basically saying the same thing that you're saying, but with that "non binary" lens, then she'll know my stance, I'll know hers, but that doesn't stop us from connecting about our bisexuality, and we can simply agree to disagree.

So genuinely, please don't worry. I tend to be outspoken and firm in what I believe in, so I don't back down when I believe that I'm right, but with an agree-to-disagree that doesn't stop connection or support or friendship, you know?

Always feel free to drop me a DM or come and talk to me! Better yet, join the adult-only bisexual discord to connect with others too and talk about things safely!

[theramseyloft]

3/12/21 Loft Notes

My idiot son thought he would challenge the shop vac today over it getting to go into quarantine when he can't.

He tried to bite what he considered its face.

Patron: "And what did he consider its face?"

The nozzle I was sucking up dried Bird-Bird hallway poos with.

Patron: "w....while it was on or"

I was using it at the time, yes.

It went predictably.

It's too narrow to suck his head all the way in, but he did snatch away from it and run.

Nothing injured, no worries.

Ooh!

IQ just received Rogue's sample!

So, I should know their sex Tuesday or Thursday. (2-4 work days...)

Patron: "what are you hoping for cock or hen?"

Just to know.

I have people on the wait list for therapy cocks and hens, if they pass.

If they wash, but are friendly, I have people on the list for companion birds of either sex.

And if they prefer other birds, I have some one on the breeders list for Spread.

So, no matter what sex or temperament Rogue turns out to be, there is a home lined up.

Bluh... I am just... Worn to the bone exhausted.

Ok.

Got all the inside stuff done, and need to stop for lunch.

It feels like I'm just running so far below empty...

Patron: "God I feel you, but you can do it! Get help if you need to, you don’t have to do it all yourself (hopefully)"

Bless you for the sentiment, but I do.

Got food in me again. Hopefully, that helps.

No pip marks yet on the bator egg.

Need to ask you guys a favor from now on.

If y'all see me online on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, doing anything but taking loft notes here...

Ask me if I am done in the loft.

My executive function is so garbage that it functions like a tower of blocks that I have to manually stack at the beginning of every day.  

Especially if I'm low on spoons, doing anything other than what manually needs to be done for the birds in the morning forces another block in at the base of the stack, and the whole thing topples.  

It can take me hours to restack it, and I cannot move until it's restacked.

Thank you.  

I have restacked that damn thing four times today, I am just getting started with work in the actual loft, only the inside birds have been fed.

I'm kind of a mess, nothing is fixing it, and I keep being magnetically drawn to my phone for any hope of a dopamine boost.

My brain is fried, and I just need to keep moving until I can stop.

Rogue is up and mobile, so I need to start harness work for them SOON!!!

Patron: "what is rogue looking like? i tried to look up a pic earlier and only see a hatch day pic"

Yeah, I have over w eek of media backlogged because I just... Have had no time.

Black with white flights.

Between prep for travel Monday, some family crap that broke out that night and only allowed me two hours of sleep, travel on Tuesday, server drama that night, literally collapsing from exhaustion, having to get up and clean the loft Wednesday, and car shopping on Thursday...

The only time I have had to myself was spent sleeping.  

I have not even had time to post any of the photos I have taken.

I am dead on my freaking feet.

And yeah, Rogue is Leonard's.

He's the only spread cock, and he appears homozygous.

Ginger is Ash Red. Unless he carries blue or brown, all babies out of him will be ash red.

Chiffon is also spread, but they're heterozygous, not yet sexually mature, and likely a hen.

Angel is getting the hang of hands being the interaction bits, and has discovered that there are no unpleasant consequences for biting those.

He seems to feel better now that he knows what part of me he can lodge complaints with and engage for play fights.

He is absolutely fascinated by the bucket of seeds with character that I have cleaned off the floor.

Birds are getting a little treat today!

It's nice out.

I'mma fill them a bath.

They have been trying to bathe in their water dish for weeks now.

Betty and Liang's egg was fertile, but died two days or so into development.

Which means she can be safely separated as soon as some one wants her.

God bless that salt and mineral brick absorbing moisture from the air.

The sand has been SO easy to clean!

Note to self, check Satin's fan and Sprinks' underfluffies and see if they need their breeding trims renewed...

Oh!  I should probably check Farthing's underfluffies too.

Some one tread or attempted to, but I couldn't see who.

Weeeell fuck me runnin'...

Couture has a crest.

Sprinks doesn't cary a crest.

Satin is half Danzig, so he does, but if his were dominant, or partially dominant, he would express it.

The Komorner crest is partially a hood, much the way an Old Dutch Capuchin's is.

That's a combination of the Shell Crest (recessive) and a hood modifier (which appears partially dominant, if Papillion and Cookie are anything to go on.

Cotoure maaaay be another Vito child...

Which would also explain their very small size.

A child out of Satin and Sprinks should be HUGE!

Like, just-under-Lucy big.

The Lahore pattern, I believe, is a combination of bald head and capped.

So, throw in another bald head, and the cap separates out.

So, Vito has been a GREAT investment for loft diversity!

Hopefully, his kids inherit his fertility and not so much his bastard. XD

He's been a great nest partner to Leela (who may also need her underfluffies trimmed)

I'd really like to see what he is like on peeps before he retires for his slutty, slutty crimes.

Betty tops the retirement list right now for having a sexually mature daughter and granddaughter, and a second granddaughter out of another son.

WAY too much temptation for a boy who loves girls shaped like Hagrid.

Luxie tops the hen list for being Luxie.

Liang is retired already.  Now that MJ is mom-ing like she should, she's lower on the list.

Presently, Vito is after Betty on the retirement list for slutty bastard crimes. XD

Good lord, the little black pied peeps are taking flying hops!

There are vids up on insta of the bath, and of Leonard feeding his peeps.

Patron: "Oh my god if that's another Vito kid"

"did you ever catch Sprinks interested in him"

Nope!

Angel is a very funny man. He was wooing my feet, and when I told him that, he charged in and bit my toe. XD

And then pooed the one patch of sand I had cleaned. XD

Danica may be getting ready to lay tonight.

Danica may be getting ready to lay tonight.

In the box she and Ginger had wanted before Satin and Sprinks had to come in.

Farthing and Leela just got their underfluffies trimmed.

Angel, caught in the act, eating garbage.

He just got more dumped on him, shook it off, and went right back to rummaging for treats.

Has made not move one to leave.

Now he is on my shoulder, complaining about me repeatedly interrupting him by dumping in more.

Thistle just tread Mj, despite Pippin's cock blocking efforts.

Holding Nettle is apparently a crime.

Angel bit my ear for it and got tossed off my shoulder.

Now he's back, complaining about it.

She loafed in my lap after fighting me the whole way through putting Nettle down.

Angel does NOT think I am engaging him enough.

Since biting isn't working, he is now pooping where I have just cleaned.

I don't like the way Ginger is breathing.

He's been fine up to this point...

And it could just be from being really active this evening...

But he isn't the only bird who was and none of the rest are panting like that.

Man, it would SUCK for Nica to lay and then me to have to bring him in...

But the way his chest is pumping, and he keeps flexing his beak hinge really worries me.

Hopefully, some one else lays near enough to Nica that I can swap her eggs over.

Or he's just gotten a feather or something stuck in his choanal slit.

Ok.  I think is is something stuck.

He hasn't done the uncomfortable yawn or swallow.

Just flexed his beak a lot and itched at the corners of his mouth.

It looks like he's dislodged it and is breathing normally.

Y'all have NO idea how paranoid I am about Trich!

Mm.. that looked like an uncomfortable yawn and more heavy breathing.

Gonna grab him once I finish up the sand.

God damnit... Lot of mucus...

Maybe something stuck?  Can't tell...

I'm tired, and don't want to accidentally hurt him..

I also don't want to risk putting Danica in a dangerous position when she's about to lay.

Her bastard ex could kill her by forcing her into another stress lay.

I may have a solution.

Need to run to get it set up, though.

Ok, on our way to Walmart to grab a kennel.

The only place open didn't have the size kennel I wanted, but they had a pet taxi big enough.

The egg due to hatch today was rotten.

[desiree-harding-fic]

The Phantom of the Opera but Taakitz

In which Kravitz fails pretty spectacularly at Phantoming but he’s trying very hard. Taako fails at “damsel-in-distress”-ing but to be fair he’s not really trying.

My parents were watching Phantom and my brain went taakitz because you know... spooky one and pretty one. But then I had to make it fit, and idk y’all. It’s pure silliness. Lmk if you want a kissin’ part bc if you do I have like 1/3 of that written. Thanks to @fandomsnstuff​ for encouraging me in every way to post XD

@herbgerblin >:333

*~*~*~*~*

Taako woke up not knowing where he was.

Which was, to begin with, just a massive red flag.

His head hurt. He felt heavy. And where the fuck was he? All he could see was grimy stone brick, and on them, softly flickering candlelight - and the sound of - was that water? He was having a hard time breathing - Lup’s fucking corset, he swore this was the last time she convinced him to take place in some fucking hairbrained scheme -

He shoved himself up to sitting and was immediately assaulted by a voice - 

“LUP TAACO, I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE TO -”

“What the fuck?!” Taako shouted, leaping to his feet, and then the fucking skirts got tangled and then the floor underneath him tipped -

And taako was wet. He was in water, in all these fucking skirts and he was wet and Lup was going to pay for this. 

He pushed himself up again, sputtering, and thank god it wasn’t very deep, he didn’t know what he’d do if was forced to swim in this ridiculous outfit - 

The voice came again.

“MISS TAACO, YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED TO THIS SANCTUARY OF MUSIC TO-”

“I’M NOT LUP!!” Taako shouted desperately, just to get it to shut up, the voice that was splitting his fucking head in two, and trying to arrange the soaking wet gown into some semblance of order, and he didn’t know where he was, and he woke up here, which was just - there was something immensely wrong with that because Taako didn’t remember going to sleep.

“TO- I’m sorry?”

“I’m not Lup!!” Taako shouted again, throwing his hands up in frustration, and giving up on the stupid dress, and looking toward the direction of the candlelight, and the whoever was standing there screaming at him, and - huh.

A man, half his face obscured by a mask meant to look like a skeleton, in a suit that looked more at home at the opera (where Taako was a moment ago - or it seemed a moment) than - was this a fucking sewer? - and a full on-cloak atop that, and a fucking ridiculous hat-

As Taako’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see more of the man’s face, which was, even with the one eye obscured, contorted into an expression of confusion.

He may have registered, distantly, that he also looked rather handsome, but fuck that honestly, because Lup’s corset was cutting into his side and he was wet and - and his brain wasn’t working. He was in the opera house, and then Lup - Lup had begged him to switch clothes because please< Taako, I can’t get Grimaldis to quit following me, please, just to throw him off - and then he was going out the stage door, but he didn’t get there… he didn’t get there because-

“Did you fucking kidnap me?!” he shouted.

“I - I didn’t - you’re not Lup Taaco?”

“No!! Fucking - look at me!” he gestured to the ruined dress, the way it hung, now clearly fitting ill - “Do I look like Lup to you?!”

“Yes! Well, no, I mean, but you - but you- you’re wearing her clothes!” The man sputtered.

“And?!” Taako shouted, “you don’t fucking know me, kemosabe! I can wear whatever the hell I like!” The man, whoever he was, was standing on some kind of shore, and Taako, sick of standing in waist-deep water, started hauling up his skirts and wading toward it. “And that’s another thing! Who are you to fucking - get off kidnapping my sister?!”

“I - No!” Tuxedo Man said, stumbling back further from the shore as Taako advanced, “it’s not like that, I - I can see where you’d think, but I - I didn’t want to -”

“Didn’t want to what?!” Taako continued, finally stepping out of the water, the heavy gown dripping on the stone, so much heavier soaked like this. Taako couldn’t take it anymore. If he had to fight this motherfucker over his sister’s honor or whatever, he wasn’t going to do it in a goddamn evening gown. He started tearing at the clasps at back of it, the ties, anything to get the fucking thing off of him.

“You mistake me for my fucking sister,” he fumed, “which firstly, you’re stalking my sister, apparently, so you’re gonna fucking die - and then you -what? Fucking chloroform me and drag me to some kind of sewer sex-dungeon god knows where, what am I supposed to think?!” The outer-most layer of the gown finally came off, and Taako flung it into the water behind him because honestly fuck this.

“No!” the masked man said, shaking his head furiously, “I didn’t - I didn’t mean anything untoward!”

“I think kidnapping is pretty untoward-”

“I wasn’t going to do anything to - I don’t - it’s not a sex dungeon!” he cried, “I don’t even like her!”

“OH?!” Taako said, and god, he wished he could get the corset off, because he was really running out of breath with all the shouting - “what’s your name, thug, because I’m about to-”

“Kravitz, but - Wait! No! I - I - please don’t, I didn’t mean any harm, I was - I was just trying to give her a violin lesson!”

“Give my sister a violin lesson?” Taako growled, “She’s the goddamn concert master of the Paris Opera I think she knows how to play the violin pretty fucking well-”

“It’s just the solo in the third scene of act five!” Kravitz pleaded, actually pleaded, and Taako supposed that was a point in his favor somehow, but still, “She - she keeps - the phrasing is all wrong, and it’s the climax of the piece, and I couldn’t stand it-”

“So you were going to kidnap her?” Taako said, completely dumb with disbelief because who did this motherfucker think he was - “Who are you to give notes on her fucking performance, huh?”

“I’m the composer!” Kravitz said, throwing up his hands.

That stopped Taako in his tracks, because what? Of all the off the wall lies to get him off the hook, that’s what spooky Kravitz went with? The composer of the opera taking Paris by storm. The opera that just had its run extended another two months. And sure, sure he might as well fight the skull-mask man in the fucking - sewers, he guessed, while wearing his sister’s evening wear, the composer of her fucking opera, who wanted to kidnap her for a violin lesson in the sewer because sure! Taako’s life was already so goddamn weird, he figured this might as well happen too, why the hell not?

Maybe he didn’t wake up at all. Maybe this was all one horrible, drawn-out nightmare. Maybe he’d been hit over the head and this was his brain’s last fanciful imagining before he went out.

He buried his face in his hands, tried to breathe deeply. And then couldn’t. Because of the corset.

Ok, he thought, if this is a dream, it has to end now, because I figured it out. I’m dreaming. Time to wake up.

He counted to five and then peeked out from between his fingers. Spooky skele-man Kravitz was still looking at him. In the moment, without all the screaming, Taako managed to just get a better look at him. He was leaning back against something that looked like a manual for an organ. Weird, but then again, no weirder than the whole. Sewer-dwelling skeleton thing.

There were a few things Taako could do. He could fight the skeleton composer man, who, the more Taako looked, didn’t cut nearly as imposing of a figure as he did a moment ago. Or he could play things out.

The thing was, Taako wasn’t particularly a fighter. And Kravitz the skele-man had kidnapped him once that evening. And getting flustered when Taako shouted at him didn’t mean that he wasn’t capable of taking Taako if he made good on his threats.

And Taako was tired.

Taako sighed, removed his hands from his face. Pinched the bridge of his nose. He was so tired. His head felt like someone had reached down into it and was pulling it slowly apart from each side.

“Uhm,” Kravitz said, “are you alright?”

“No,” Taako groused, and then sighed. He removed his hand. “I would love to kick your ass, darling, because no one stalks my sister and lives, but first,” he gestured to the whole… rest of his get-up. “Would you mind lending a guy a hand in getting this off? It’s fucking cold and ‘chaboy’s gettin’ real tired of not being able to take a complete breath.”

“I’m sorry?” Kravitz squeaked. His voice sounded about two octaves higher than before. His eyes, just for a moment, flickered over Taako’s body, panicked, and - well. That was interesting, wasn’t it.

“The clothes, Kravitz,” Taako said, purposely evoking his name. “Please? I’m wet as all hell and fucking freezing, and if I’m gonna throw you in this water and drown you or something I’d like to at least have a decent range of mobility so if you wouldn’t mind-”

“Um,” Kravitz said, “Please don’t drown me?”

“Gimme that cloak to wear and we’ll see,” Taako said back. Fuck, his head hurt. He was too tired for this.

“I can - I can actually do you one better, if you need me to. I have um…. men’s clothing around the corner if you’d prefer-”

“Fucking fantastic, skeletor, just get a move on.”

“Oh. Alright then, um. Follow me?”

And Taako did. Kravitz pushed himself off the organ and moved to his left, and sure enough, there was something like a corner, and a sort of tunnel, lower-ceilinged, and in it was - well, practically an entire apartment’s worth of furniture, all arranged just-so, with candles perched all about on tables and sconces on the walls. The place was drafty but all the same, it looked quite like Kravitz had made it into a perverted imitation of a home.

Beside the frankly absurd number of candles, and the lakeside organ, there was a series of screens, separating out the space where walls did not. Rugs, slightly tattered and faded. Old brocade armchairs that didn’t match. A desk, ink and pen sitting atop it with scattered papers, and, in the last “chamber” of the long, successive home, a bed and chests in something that looked quite almost like a bedroom.

Kravitz turned around and regarded Taako with a fair measure of confusion as though unsure exaclty what to do next, but after a moment, he fumbled with his gloved hands around his neckline, until he was able to untie the cloak from around his shoulders. He thrust it toward Taako, quite sheepish-looking now behind his half-mask. 

“Here,” he said. “You can um… use it to cover up, while I - find you some clothes.”

“Corset first, bones,” Taako said, only just in a small part to watch him squirm. Sex-dungeon indeed. Taako was feeling out the boundaries of the conversation and Kravitz was bashful, of all things. Probably not kidnapping Lup for - well. Probably not that then. Maybe the violin lesson wasn’t an excuse after all.

Taako was beginning to think Kravitz was… well. For lack of a better term, somewhat pathetic. Maybe just insane.

Still, he’d do. All Taako needed was an extra pair of hands. He turned around, back to Kravitz and facing one of the screens. “Help me outta this. I’m not used to the lacing and I need some more eyes. Might have to take the gloves off though. Dexterity, and all that.” That he did say to be mean.

“Oh. Um, yes of course,” Kravitz said, and Taako felt as much as heard him walk up to his back, closer than he’d yet been. Taako felt his hands pulling at the lacing of the corset, felt something come undone, and the constriction lesson by degrees. He pulled in a deep breath. It was heavenly.

For a moment, something frigid brushed against Taako’s back, and he jumped. “Christ!” Kravitz withdrew; Taako could feel that sixth sense of proximity dissipate.

��Sorry,” Kravitz said. “Poor circulation.” His voice was so much softer than before. Something in Taako’s chest twisted at the sound of it. “You should… you should be able to remove the rest of it, now. I can- I’ll get you some clothes. Oh, um.” There was a moment of hesitation from behind him, then he felt the weight of something thick and soft drape over his shoulders, felt Kravitz withdraw again. The cloak. He’d draped it over Taako’s shoulders. It was surprisingly soft. Heavy, too. Warm. Probably did him some good down here.

“There, you can - I’ll get you something to change into.”

Taako felt strangely hot. He busied himself pulling the rest of Lup’s clothes off of him, shivering as they hit the floor with wet slaps. Good god, it really was cold in Kravitz’s - dungeon… or whatever. Even with the many candle flames all around. Removing the corset was a blessing, though. Taako drew in several deep luxurious breaths, pausing in his undressing to stretch. He could hear Kravitz rummaging around in the trunks and chests behind him.

And the rummaging stopped.

“I’m just going to uh… leave these on the bed?” Kravitz’s voice came, “I’ll. I’ll leave you to it,” and he slipped out between a couple of screens, and Taako was alone in his… in his bedroom. In the bedroom of a mysterious masked man who somehow knocked Taako out, dragged him to god only knew where, shouted at him for being Lup and then seemed, inexplicably, very apologetic the moment Taako called him on it.

He supposed stranger things had happened to him in his life. 

Then he thought again, and no, they hadn’t.

It was almost disconcertingly silent on the other side of the screen. Taako wrapped the cloak around himself properly, stepping out of the last of Lup’s clothes, and left them in a heap on the floor as he turned around and moved to the bed. He dressed quickly (Kravitz’s clothes weren’t a perfect fit but they worked well enough), draped the cloak around his shoulders to keep out the persistent chill in the air, and stepped out from the screen. Kravitz was standing in the middle of what looked like his sitting room, as though he was waiting for Taako.

Taako crossed his arms. 

Kravitz began to speak. 

“Mister Taaco,” he said, “you have come to know too much of my domain. I cannot allow-”

“So,” Taako interrupted him, “Are we gonna throw down or what? I promised you an ass-kicking on account of defending my sister’s honor and all.”

Kravitz paused, and Taako could practically feel the frustration coming off of him. “I shall not be taking orders -”

“What happened to your voice?” Taako asked, cutting him off again, because god, what was he doing? “Is that a Cockney accent? What are you going for here?”

“This is how I speak-”

“My dude, we literally had a conversation without you going all Charles Dickens on me like not five minutes ago-”

“Could you let me finish?!” Kravitz finally snapped, accentless once more. “For once?! Please?!”, and Taako just waited, and watched as Kravitz realized what he’d done, as his whole schtick disintegrated before his eyes. “Oh goddamnit all,” he said, throwing up his hands in defeat.

Taako couldn’t help but smile. 

“Really nailing it on the whole spooky sinister vibe, my fella,” he said. “Really knocking it out of the park on that one.”

One hand came up to cover Kravitz’s face, laying over his half mask and eyes. Almost like pinching the bridge of his nose.

“It doesn’t usually go like this,” he sighed.

“How do the kidnappings usually go?” Taako teased. And god, what was he doing? He needed to get out of here. It was just that -

“I’m really more adept at hauntings,” his host said forlornly. “The abduction angle is new.”

It was just that everything Kravitz said was stranger, more unexpected, more absurd, more interesting than the last. And… strangely funny. It caught strange corners of Taako’s brain and captured his attention, raising flags and illuminating pathways that he wanted to go down-

But that didn’t mean he wanted to stay. In the dank candlelit sewer, with Kravitz, who, while it was clear he wasn’t a very skilled kidnapper and - whatever his thing was supposed to be here - had still been good enough to get Taako in the first place. And, atop that, was a person who’d just admitted to kidnapping Taako. And who seemed not to be terribly… thrown by the thought of it. Taako didn’t know anyone - well, until now - who seemed to view unwilling abduction as a done thing. No one Taako knew really considered that socially acceptable.

It reminded him that Kravitz, while… intriguing, was by no means safe.

It reminded him that he still needed to get the hell out of there. 

“Well,” he started, “the whole production could use some work, kemosabe. Points for the aesthetic,” he gestures vaguely to Kravitz’s getup, and the whole… opulent sewer situation, “but really, Taako’s rating this one a ‘room for improvement’ situation. Nice try, though, points for effort,” he cast his eyes around as he rambled, trying to see if there were any visible exits, but the only way he could see was back the way he came in - through Kravitz’s “house” - past Kravitz. 

Nothing for it but to try, he thought. 

“Thanks a bunch,” he said, inching forward, “glad to be of assistance workshopping - well, no, not glad, really - but I uh… I’m going to need to be on my way.” He stepped forward, purposeful. Kravitz countered, stepping in front of him, blocking his path. Shit.

“I am terribly sorry,” he said, and the thing was he actually sounded it, “but I really can’t let you do that.”

[youcantfiremebecauseiquit]

idk if u care but crispin gray recently had an interview about his entire career and it kind of changed my perspective of queenadreena…idk if for better or for worse lol. it was weird to see him so dismissive of a lot of his catalogue w katie except for ‘love your money’ just because that was the only remotely chart successful song. i get you want to be able to sustain yourself but jeez him and katie really had a weird back and forth relationship

Sorry i'm replying late, i've seen the interview pop up on Youtube but honestly i was too invested in university shit recently & generally not in the good mood for that but i'm planning to watch. How did it change your view on Queen Adreena, did he say something mean specifically on QA or Katie? I mean i gotta watch it but honestly? Not surprised in the slightest. A few years ago he was asked to describe fave songs he recorded throughout the years and he listed more of Daisy Chainsaw ones than anything else, with Love Your Money as number 1. The differences in their points of view are real something, Katie Jane absolutely HATED Love Your Money, same as Daisy Chainsaw. Kinda apparent he wanted bigger fame but DC dropped fast and QA failed to live up to their predictions.

i had a time when i liked to dig up old Queen Adreena interviews that are lost in the old internet & generally not available for years (which i planned to post on is-she-suffering but my investment in that site is... varied in its intensity). Also that was back in the days when i wrote Queen Adreena book during manic phase and tried to sell it but lost motivation Well since i don't do anything with that knowledge anyway i'll put what i know here as i love fan discussions

So they sure had/have odd back and forth love-hate relationship & that's the reason why their career went how it went. There's been a huge tension between them at some point. I'm sure you know she had a major mental breakdown (probably schizophrenic episode) after Daisy Chainsaw, or even beginning before her leaving, and then she went into isolation and lived with an old woman in Lake District for awhile. She left Daisy Chainsaw cause Crispin didn't want her to come up with her own songs (all of DC was by Crispin except for Lovely ugly brutal world by KJ).

They almost split up as Queen Adreena after Drink Me. The material for The Butcher and The Butterfly was written at different times, originally it was meant to be called Atom Bomb at Bikini but it was constantly delaying and they eventually recorded everything they've got live. So that's obvious right? But i was surprised to find out they were writing songs separately. Some of them (i forgot which though) were written by Katie Jane and Pete Howard's sons band (they're even credited) + some with Melanie Garside, Richard Adams + some other musician. Katie Jane didn't like it. They intended it to be their last album at the time. She also hated live at ICA show but they released it cause they were broke

But that's a digression. I just wanna say that at this point they were done with each other but kept pushing it. Katie had her own art projects and stuff, Crispin started Dogbones with Nomi and i just remember how vaguely pissed at Katie he waas in the interviews. Like he stressed that Dogbones is his number one priority and if Katie wants to do something with Queenadreena, she must wait til Dogbones have a break first or something, and it sounded oddly bitter.

RaCH and Djinn era are just so weird, they had opportunities but let them go in a way. I don't think many people know but they were huge demand in Japan. They entered album charts and were interviewed by 11 magazines and 6 (!)TV stations there (wtf happened to that material i want to know???). But they only played 5 times or less.

Katie said she considers the band dead but they decided they can try to play for a couple more months. But aside from that she 100% lost the interest in the band around Djinn. There's an interview where she says "the overall image is Crispin but the shape will change again at rehearsals". And you can hear it, it’s more blues rock than anything. IMO it's their worst production wise. Instruments are fine but Katie's voice is so badly produced that sometimes i find some songs fucking irritating, cause they didn’t cut out her breaths and the vocals are TOO LOUD, to the point of distorting. As if she stands too close to the mic. The album is fine but it feels unfinished.

And here we come back to Crispin... here's what he said after the QA split:

Why the Dogbones started? “I needed to work more than the previous band I was in was working, the previous band who shall remain nameless, haha… um… Queenadreena. I wanted to work more than the singer of Queenadreena wanted to work… so that’s why it started. Fine by me… but I really like to be in a band, I’m not a solo project kind of guy. The last album (‘Djin’) did come out in the UK, but it was so low key because Katie kind of disappeared so there was little point in promoting it. Personally it’s my favourite by far so it was a shame but there you go… So here are Dogbones, it’s not been an easy ride but we are trying very hard.

Ok so the bitterness is kinda apparent isn't it. I think there were two reasons why they argued so much, first musical differences. Katie at some point lost interest in loud rock music for some years and went the folk way in Ruby Throat. I have a theory that Taxidermy and Drink Me are more influenced by Katie Jane and Butcher and Djinn are more Crispin. During first albums i think Katie more actively took part in music composition and choosing arrangements. She wrote lyrics, melodies but also composed a lot of songs on some little electronic keyboard thing and 4 track (Heavenly Surrender, Pray for me, My Silent Undoing, all Lalleshwari +more). Plus she wanted more peaceful/dreamy sound on Taxidermy than full on rock, Crispin complained about it in some 00's interview, that he'd like it to be more rock. Then there are 2 versions of Drink Me, the original has rough and alt versions of songs (it was sold by Katie and it's leaked on FB and probably YT). Crispin Gray apparently really hated the final Drink Me. Now next album is The Butcher & The Butterfly and it's more standard blues rock, no more crazy dreamy things of previous albums etc., Djinn is even more blues rock but darker. Djinn was his favourite at some point while KJ hated Butcher, not sure about Djinn. So i think they had different views on where they should go, Katie made her weird simplistic creepy tunes (like Lalleshwari) and folk melodies adding that strange things to noise rock. Crispin probably wanted blues & rock.

Other than that, i’m convinced they are bitter exes, lol. There’s been rumours about them dating during Daisy Chainsaw for years, plus Katie had a history of dating band members. Crispin wrote X-ing off the days about her. I don’t know if they dated again in Queen Adreena. Then there’s this interview, timeline is unclear, either The butcher & the butterfly or later:

„Katie writes all the songs herself and often looks for melodies and structure with the drummer. With Crispin - her husband or ex-husband, which is not entirely clear to me - for almost three years she has no longer been in a room. "Sometimes we send him a letter with a new song and that's all we can do. All we have are our lungs and our musical talent and we have to do with it. It is repugnant difficult life, I know most of the time how I should deal with it." But Queenadreena will still remain even exist? "I think so, we are now pretty busy and I see where the ship aground.”

I always wondered what exactly happened after Djinn, i’ve seen Katie Jane say „i think they gave up on me” while others said she disappeared. Other times CG said there’s no bad blood between them but at the same time there’s been some weird tension.  As of recent i thought they reconnected somehow through the internet and had a good relation but who really knows.s

I get why Crispin gets irritated when people compare everything he does to „stealing from KJ” but honestly, he gave them good reasons, at least in the 90’s. I can believe Starsha Lee singer isn’t copying Katie cause she’s from Brazil or something and she didn’t know Queen Adreena before. But everything else… Crispin’s problem is that he doesn’t know what he wants. He spent 90’s chasing something, tried singing himself, had girl singer replacements and even one KJ copy. Dogbones was ironically his most original non-Katie band, even with all their grunge influences. In a way he wants to be a frontman and at the same time doesn’t. Idk if he’s very controlling, but Daisy Chainsaw shows he valued his songs/lyrics first & in Queen Adreena he had to step back a lot, cause Katie’s condition was she would be in charge of the lyrics. I don’t think he realizes how strongly Daisy Chainsaw issues affected Katie, i mean from her own words you can read that aside from media attention/hate, her being unable to write lyrics had a role in her breakdown. I think she now let go but for years she hated remembering Daisy Chainsaw and she felt kind of worthless cause she was only somebody else’s mouthpiece. I’m not trying to say he’s cruel or anything, but i firmly believe rock lyrics writers should sing their own songs or else there are problems.

They both were writers-composers with different vision and i have impression they struggled a lot while shaping their songs, cause they both stuck to their ideas. Hence 2 versions of Princess Carwash maybe. Katie once said that he „gets terribly upset with her” cause she writes her songs on a simple wind organ and uses a few chord buttons only. Clash of writer ways/personalities/egos and at some point they had to let go.

Maybe he prefers music/bands where he was 100% in control including lyrics (note he wrote/sang some lyrics in Dogbones too). Daisy Chainsaw achieved bigger success US and UK wise as they were offered to play Top of The Pops, and they’re more well liked/remembered by „general alt public”. Queen Adreena however is way more valued as a cult band, with cult following and admiration in UK & France. Most people think Pretty Like Drugs and other QA songs are his best work and he probably finds it irritating cause truth is, he never managed to be more successful than Daisy Chainsaw/Queenadreena. Love Your Money is ironically the least Crispin Gray/DC/QA sounding song in my opinion. I kinda find it irritating that he downplays Queen Adreena cause it was probably his best work in this band but whatever

So yeah sorry for the word spill, that’s what i can think of it right now but as i said, i haven’t watched the interview yet, it’s just this kind of treatment is in a way consistent for him

[utilitycaster]

Hello I am here to encourage you, please talk about fanfic culture and practices and relationship to canon all day long.

Thank you for encouraging my procrastination and love of hearing my own voice on the internet (also people who asked about expertise...I got you, that one is very near and dear to both my bard-player and DM heart and so I am using “hey, you can write this” as motivation to get some work done earlier today. Anyway, on fanfic and meta and them being different things: something that is almost entirely a matter of opinion but also I am right.

So just as background: I am a grown-ass adult, and despite having internet access from childhood (and, iirc, cable internet by the time I was in high school yes I do remember dial-up vividly) I just never really spent much time in fandom spaces until now, and similarly I didn’t read that much fanfiction so this does come with that perspective.

Anyway, the emphasis I see on fanfiction’s validity in some circles, the whole “um actually The Inferno/Paradise Lost are fanfic” attitudes just...never made sense to me? Like, are you enjoying writing it and reading it? Then why the fuck do you care if it’s valid literature in the eyes of, idk, society or whatever. It’s sort of like that super old tumblr post that’s like Potterheads grab your wands; why do you care if other people don’t like the things you like? Why do you want them in your spaces? So the question of whether fanfiction is Valid and Good Art is just null at that point. And thank fuck because people still argue that genre fiction isn’t literature sometimes, and instead of wasting your energy on that argument you could just read more fantasy and sci-fi novels.

(If I were to answer it anyway, which I am, as a person who is not a writer by trade in any capacity...fanfiction is a fantastic place to hone certain skills. You can skip past the worldbuilding and characterization - all the groundwork-laying and exposition - and focus on plot and dialogue and your general voice. It’s sort of the opposite of DM-ing, in that way, which is primarily worldbuilding and exposition. Original fiction is harder because you have to make people care about your characters and world, whereas in fanfic they already do, and denying that fact is silly; good professional writers who credit fanfiction still have to have good original ideas too. But fanfiction does require its own skills, and denying that is equally silly.)

One argument I recently saw was that fanfiction was literary criticism, instead, and that doesn’t sit quite right. Meta is literary criticism: it is an analysis of the work, supported by textual evidence of the work, but ultimately one interpretation.  It is possible to use fanfiction to explore the ideas of literary criticism-you can write out, essentially, the simulation of your theory-but it’s not limited to that. Fanfiction in my opinion should be generally supported by the text up to some divergence point (again, do what you want if you’re enjoying it but I do not understand the point of OOC fanfiction; you’re just taking the names of characters and plastering them on OCs, which, just write original fiction at that point) but it’s explicitly a place where you can explore things that did not and often will not happen. I’m usually not hugely into the fix-it fic in that I’m more interested in understanding why the creators took an unpopular turn, I have no taste for pretending that everything is fine when it’s not, and also, like, the finale of Battlestar Galactica still made me cry very hard even if it didn’t make much sense...but this is perhaps the best example of fanfiction reaching the potential I think it was intended to. It’s a place where you can play out a scenario that could have happened had things been a little different, whether it’s what you want to see but ultimately didn’t, or just an interesting idea you had.

Fanfiction also has other wish-fulfillment properties, namely, the emotional one. There’s a reason there are words for things like “fluff” or “hurt/comfort” or “angst”; sometimes you want these things in your fiction, and you want a character to which you relate to experience them. Again, it’s my personal taste that this be consistent with the narrative up to some divergence point, but I definitely enjoy things from these categories. This is also a strong argument against fanfiction as literary criticism, at least exclusively as such. Sometimes you write fanfiction to answer the question “What if this well-supported by canon, but as of yet unconfirmed fandom theory is correct?” Sometimes you write fanfiction to answer the question “What if we kissed in the fictional setting I like. What if that kiss happened after one of us knocked on the door of the other in the middle of the night, hand over a profusely bleeding wound in the lower abdomen, and collapsed shortly after the other opened the door, and this was neither in conflict with nor explicitly in support of the current canon.” And you know what, for all that I said validity doesn’t matter...that’s valid.

And I don’t want to say meta isn’t capable of being tied to some degree to wish fulfillment, because it is. There is (usually) textual support for multiple potential outcomes in a story because otherwise it would be very, very boring and linear and for toddlers (not a knock on toddlers, who are just doing their best with the cognitive development they’ve got); an opinion, in meta, is often stating the meta-writer’s preference of how the story may go. However, I think there is a point where the meta stops being “of the many potential textually-supported paths out there this is one I think the story will follow and also I like this” and turns into “this is what I want and I will cherry-pick the evidence I need even if it requires ignoring more recent developments or an understanding of such fourth wall concepts as author’s intent, narrative structure, etc.”

This comes up both for scenarios that go differently from how people want them (eg: death of a character, relationship not happening) and for the emotional wish fulfillment side of things (eg: injection of angst where it does not, textually, exist). And when that happens my attitude is almost always “why are you trying to make this meta when it’s fanfiction, especially since it could be pretty good fanfiction!” A really terrible fan theory or piece of meta can often make a really good fanfic story, because a theory is based in the reality of where the (fictional) story might go, whereas fanfiction allows for that divergence point.

Anyway I think trying to make fanfiction more valid and equating it to literary criticism, or worse, treating it as truer indicator of the story’s intent, in turn makes meta worse because it takes away that need for consistent textual support. Particularly in the case where fanfic is held as being a better indicator of the creator’s intent, which also throws actual canon into the mix, everything all blurs into a bland, dumb soup of “what I want is going to happen because it’s what I want and if it doesn’t the creator is wrong, and moreover, a bad person.” I think keeping these concepts separate while acknowledging the connections they have is good and makes for better everything - better theories and better fanfic. The meta that tends to make me roll my eyes isn’t the stuff arguing for an outcome I don’t want; it’s the stuff arguing for an outcome that doesn’t make narrative sense, the stuff that makes me go “man, you could have written a really good fanfic about this.”