#Common sense rules. Some stuff should be called out. But I will not be getting involved if i'm not a part of it. I think that's only fair.

[sangreprince]

A LITTLE DISCLAIMER REGARDING CALLOUTS

If somebody's making a friend / mutual uncomfortable, I'll do what I need to do to facilitate the separation of those two spaces. Similarly, if I'm being used to get close to somebody I know, I take issue with that. I'm not unreasonable. And mutuals can talk to me and if there's some baggage related to somebody I write with, just let me know and I'll try to figure something out that makes everybody comfortable and kosher.

I do read them. But other than that, if it's not my business it's not my business. I'm not gonna be complacent in allowing for uncomfortable situations to come up based on that impartiality, but I'm also not here to be anyone's dad and break up / get involved in fights that I'm not even a part of.

[elftwink]

going to say something about writing that is not a complaint and i know it sounds exactly like someone complaining but the conclusion i have drawn is that this rules. preface over am currently "working on" (in the most generous, nebulous sense possible) an original fantasy story & i just keep finding more stuff about the world i need to decide because it feels extremely formative to me even though it will barely appear on the page, if at all

but like... just the sheer volume of communication irl that happens symbolically that you never question becomes so apparent when you try to create a world that doesn't have those things or doesn't have the conditions for such a thing to be created. writing a character wearing a wedding ring and then going wait a minute— would these people communicate marital status via ring placement? why do we do that irl? when did we start? surely thats not the only way people ever communicate marriage— what does everyone else do? and really, come to think of it, what does it mean to be 'married' in this fictional world i'm creating? is there a legal component or just a social one? should it have all the same connotations/obligations as the real world (e.g. monogamy, having children, romantic love, impact on finances, etc)?

you can do this with literally Everything In The World. what language is everyone speaking? is it the same one? how many languages are there in the region i'm writing about? is the language we're speaking anyone's second language? when did they learn? is bilingualism common? and where does everyone here live? speaking of living, is that a permanent dwelling situation or are people nomadic? what's the climate like? are all the characters here used to the climate or is someone used to ten degrees cooler and kind of short tempered because of it? the clothes are probably impacted by the weather, what's everyone wearing? what's it made out of? what would be around here that could be used for dye? help me i have a case of worldbuilders disease and its incurable. these motherfuckers are never going to finish this journey because i cant even get them on the page long enough to pack a cart. also would they use carts? when did we start having cart and carriages pulled on roads irl? if there's roads, who's maintaining them— or is it just the path from years of people travelling that way? does the terrain allow for wheeled vehicles or would some other way be better?

anyway. you may call all this a waste of time and "not technically writing" since i "havent written any prose". i think im just slow cooking this novel. oooooh im thinking about it so much. you just wait when im like 56 im going to knock your socks right off with my intricate detailed world where i thought about everything except whatever element of society you understand most deeply. that part i fucked up and clearly didn't know anything about. sorry

[emmabirb8]

Ah, okay, I'm starting to get the picture. It's a “piss on the poor” reading comprehension and lack of critical thinking issue, plus people just taking things too seriously and blowing them WAY out of proportion. (You'd think more people would be able to discern when someone is joking or not being serious about something and have the sense to take things with a grain of salt, but... I guess I give people too much credit, lmao.)

I should've figured as much, but I was just so confused by the MASSIVE difference between how people seem to perceive Jhonen vs the reality of who he actually is that I felt compelled to post about it, lol. 

The Steve Ressel bit, well, I get the impression the guy's just a dick, so that doesn't surprise me. Shame he had a part in starting the rumor though.

Thanks to everyone who responded and shed some light on this for me!

So I've only just recently gotten "back into" Invader Zim after not having watched the show or been involved in fandom stuff related to it since 2011. And as someone who was never knowledgeable about Jhonen Vasquez back then especially, I gotta ask: where did the idea of Jhonen being a "jerk" even come from??

I've been watching his Twitch streams for a few months now, and I am honestly appalled and confused as to how anyone could come to that conclusion. The guy is a total goofball! Hilariously insincere. The very definition of 'sardonic' in human form. Almost everything he says is with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. He doesn't even take himself seriously! I suppose some people who struggle with tone and social cues might misinterpret him, but you can tell he tries to make it obvious that he's behaving that way on purpose for comedic effect. (And, in my opinion, it works!)

Obviously I don't really know Jhonen, and I've never met him, but personally, I get the impression that he's great. In fact, he's intrigued me to the point of hunting for a decent deal on JTHM online. (Years ago, I assumed it wouldn't be my cup of tea, so I never looked into it, but now I have a feeling I'd really enjoy it.)

Overall, he seems like a genuinely nice, funny, weird dude who likes to do and say weird stuff to (mostly) make people laugh. And like, I also get the impression he's a bit introverted (can definitely relate), but even so, he still goes to conventions every once in a while to meet fans and such. I've never been to one, but a convention looks like an absolute nightmare for people who don't overly enjoy social events and talking to strangers. So that's kind of a big sacrifice of time, energy, and social battery (and money for expenses!) given willingly and fairly frequently in various locations for the sake of fans...

... for someone who's been accused of being a "jerk" who "hates his fans."

Like, truly, ????????

I'm over here thinking "please say sike" because I don't get it. At all. At this point, I'm thoroughly convinced the rumor was just made up. That, or we are not talking about the same guy, lmao.

[iamfuckingsorry]

i'm sorry but like. i played the game for the first time like a month ago (and it absolutely wrecked me, it was beautiful), and i just can't stop thinking about this and i need to get it out. but like, kim, what the fuck is the deal with kim?

like, he's just such a weird little man with such a weird little collection of character traits, but also he's just so fucking perfect.

like, kim. he spent 15 years being a cop in a department he fucking hated but he just stuck it out. he is so done with teens he basically refuses to speak to them unless he absolutely has to, but he still spent 15 fucking years in that section, refusing to give up. he's proud to be a revacholian and to protect the city now, but did he feel this way when he joined the RCM? or did he join to prove to everyone that even a monkey fucker like him could be revacholian? or did he join because he got kicked out of the orphanage he grew up at and didn't have anywhere else to go? or was there a different reason altogether?

and look at him now. he's presumably one of the best cops in his precint (i'm sure he mentions something about this early on in the game but i honestly can't remember), and one that seems to mostly play fair and genuinely care, which doesn't seem to be that common at all. and he's proud of this and strives to always be professional and calm and collected even if he doesn't always fully manage. he keeps himself in check first and foremost, and seems to try to keep everyone at an arm's length and not engage in personal discussions, even though he will often indulge harry if directly asked.

and so far it all makes sense, right? he's been treated like shit all throughout his life, dealt a fairly shitty hand, an orphan, an immigrant, a homo, possibly visually impaired (has he always needed glasses? was he able to get them as a broke-ass kid with no one to speak on his behalf? or did he grow up never able to see properly, struggling in school because he could never read the board or react in time when people threw shit at him, made fun of by both teachers and classmates?), mocked and ridiculed, and he's had to fight hard to get to where he is now. and he desperately needs to keep it this way, so he works hard and sticks to the rules and keeps his distance from people, and he puts a stop to everyone and everything that people could make fun of (no, harry, you will /not/ call me kimball, you will call me Lt kitsuragi, no, harry, you will /not/ tell anyone about the ice bear fridge, i will /not/ be known as the ice bear cop). but he's also mostly a genuinely nice and compassionate person and he really cares, as long as people are at least trying to do good.

but also…

he basically wears period cosplay to work. like. for real, he clearly wears his fucking pilot jacket so often that having the RCM insignia sewn onto it was the most logical choice. he is so obviously into planes and cars (but he's too blind to be a pilot :), do you think he used to hate himself as a kid not only because he was poor and abandoned by everyone and "an immigrant" but also because not even his own fucking body would let him be what he wanted to be), he has an extremely expensive vehicle that's his, his only, and not even really needed for the stuff he does at work the majority of the time. he clearly had to have a chat with his boss at some point in time and justify this purchase and why the car should be permanently assigned to him and him only, and even if i'm sure he had a bunch of actual reasons you can't convince me that his boss and all of his colleagues weren't all aware that really, he just wanted a fast fucking car and had an excuse to get it. and clearly the higher ups like him enough to indulge him, because surely no one would be actually fooled? why would a crime investigator get it and not, like, the fucking traffic guys chasing drunk drivers and illegal racers every night?

and like, in some ways he fucking owns it, doesn't seem to give a fuck, he's who he is and if people don't like it that's not his problem. but he's also embarassed about listening to that fucking radio station. but he also drives a sports car and wears driving gloves and a pilot jacket, of course he's listen to that fucking radio station. but then he also does newspaper crosswords. like, he seems to put a into maintaining this facade of professionality, but he also really doesn't fucking care when it comes to a lot of the stuff, it's great. except for the extremely random stuff that he does care about and can get extremely flustered about momentarily.

and it feels really out of character in a way. he works so hard on keeping himself in check at all times, representing the RCM in a good light and making sure both him and others get treated with the respect they deserve. he smokes one cigarette a day to keep proving to himself he can keep his vices in check, for fuck's sake. but then it's like he just picked one (1) part of his personality where he just went like, fuck it. Fuck it, I work hard for this shit and I deserve to do what I want sometimes too, and this one fucking thing is innocent enough and safe enough, and I don't give a fuck, I deserve /one fucking thing/ and I'm gonna get it. I'm getting the goddamn jacket and the Kineema and if people have a problem with that, they can go fuck themselves. I /need/ this one thing and I. Am. Getting. It.

(it's clearly a big part of his personality, but do you think there were other massive interests in the past, or maybe there still are others he isn't as open about with? Things he thinks would undermine his career and reputation? Past hobbies he abandoned because if anyone found out, that would be the end of his career at the RCM, even though for anyone else who wasn't a stupid fucking immigrant who can't even see right it would be a funny little detail?)

anyway.

i'm just like. stay the way you are, my weird little man. you're great.

[lawofangie]

hey, i need your advice. i know that we're supposed to affirm 'to remind' ourselves that we already have our desire and not affirm 'to get' which is thinking that doing the method will make the desire manifest. but, now every time after i affirm i can't stop questioning if i'm reminding myself or doing it to get, and it's been really stressful and idk how to resolve this.

then just try another method? lol, if something is clearly not beneficial to you, then don't do it. if i had to choose between stressing myself out and not stressing myself out, i would choose to not stress myself out.

there's nothing to "resolve". you make it sound like you need to affirm. affirming isn't mandatory in order to manifest, some people just aren't smart enough to understand the law and spread misinformation. the law of assumption wouldn't be called the law of assumption if it was about affirmations. the end goal is always to get yourself to assume you have it.

this is why you're told not to affirm to get, because you're supposed to assume you already have it. you affirm to help remind yourself for that same reason, you have to accept whatever it is as a present tense fact in order to have it.

still, affirmations are nothing but a method to help you have an easier time accepting whatever it is as a present tense fact. but so is visualizating, scripting, SATS, inner conversations, and i guess the void state stuff too (even though i really hate that method, it is still just a method).

when doing anything, a method is supposed to be whatever makes accomplishing that thing easiest for you. if that's not what you're currently doing, then why keep doing it?

i'll give you a non-loa example of this: let's say you were trying to make a traditional dish from any culture of your choice. if you found a certain recipe, you followed the instructions, and it turned out bad, would you try that same thing again until it came out well.. or would you just accept that this one isn't the best and try following a new recipe? i feel like it should be this simple, common sense should tell you to try something else.

and besides, you shouldn't waste your time going back and forth in your mind, otherwise there's no point in choosing to manifest anything. in the end, all that will ever matter is if you decide that you have it, or you don't have it. that's why everyone says "you either have it or you don't"... because you either have it or you don't.

all that will ever matter is your current assumptions. whatever you assume in this present moment is all that matters. the present is all that exists, as the past and future are something you access mentally.

with that in mind, if you say you're struggling to manifest, you don't have it right now. if you say you're making progress, you don't have it right now. if you say you're doing anything other than having it, you don't have it right now. this is how simple the law is. you have to decide you have it in order to have it. no amount of affirmations will change that singular rule.

but back to your question, this doesn't really matter as long as you don't identify with it. however, i think you should always be aware of your own intentions, i think you also know the answer if you have to question yourself like that. you are most likely affirming to get, because that kind of is the end goal, a lot of you just go about it the wrong way without understanding the key concepts of the law.

there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to get something, but understanding that you have to already claim it as yours in order to have it is important. it deviates from everything you've been taught your entire life (ex: needing to work hard in order to achieve your goals, needing to put in effort, good things coming to those who wait, any concept similar to this in general).

this is why so many of you get stuck in that mindset of needing to say 192733919222626992 affirmations in order to get what you want. because a lot of a&p individuals prioritize affirming so much to the point where you forget the key concepts of the law or don't care to learn. you take all the non-loa rules you've been taught and try to apply them to something you don't fully understand, then wonder why it doesn't work.

so, to summarize:

try to find what method works for you. maybe even not using a method at all and just deciding would be more beneficial to you. this is something you need to figure out on your own.

figure out your intentions. but if you need to question yourself, you most likely are affirming to get. you need to understand the law of assumption and how to properly utilize it, or you won't get anywhere.

the only thing that will ever matter is your assumptions, hence the name "law of assumption". whatever you assume to be true will be true. any method you use is just a means to help you comfortably assume something. a method is simply a way of doing something in order to help you achieve something. no method has ever had more significance than the goal you are trying to achieve.

doubts only matter if you identify with them, just like any other thought you have. if you apply meaning to them, they will have a meaning.

don't bother trying to apply logic or rules to manifesting, it doesn't work. you are just wasting your time.

don't do things you aren't comfortable with? this should honestly go without saying.

that's it, if you have anymore questions, don't hesitate to ask. hope this helps.

[camilamortem]

should I actually write it?

"Good game Opaleye"

"How did you called me?"

"Um, Opaleye"

"I got that part, why?"

"Like the Antipodean Opaleye"

"The dragon? Why?"

"I dunno, you remind me of one"

///

"Oi, Opaleye, found anything?"

"Nothing so far, Charlie"

"I swear Kettleburn loses a creature every week"

"At least we have an excuse to be in the forbidden forest"

"True, maybe this time we'll find an actual dragon egg"

"I'm starting to think your dragon obsession is a therapy call"

"Really?, out of everyone, YOU are pointing who needs therapy"

"Yeah, I recognize issues when I see them, it's like a calling that reunions mental health needs"

"I just like dragons a lot, you are trauma in person, Opaleye"

"Just like dragons a lot?, you are giving people nicknames based on them"

"That's not true"

"You just called me Opaleye "

"Yes, I call you Opaleye, the hell does other people have to do with it?"

"Don't you name others like dragons too?"

"No?"

"Oh"

///

"Merlin, Charlie, I know Gryffindor won the quidditch cup, but that's not a reason to get wasted"

"I'm not wasted just a little tipsy, you are wasted"

"I'm the tipsy one, you are the one who needed help to get to his dorm"

"Shhh, little details"

"Lucky I can't hate you"

"You love me, admit it"

"Do I?"

"Yup, you love a lot, just like I love you, Opaleye"

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely"

"Can I ask you something"

"Anything"

"You call me Opaleye because I remind you of the dragon"

"Yeah"

"Why tho?"

"Apart from the obvious like your spirit and stuff, because of your eyes"

"Charlie, get your facts together, I have dark eyes"

"Don't dare to imply my facts about dragons are wrong ever again"

"Alright, then explain yourself, cause last time I checked, that dragon has white eyes"

"No, their pupils are transparent, there for, light reflecting"

"Alright, our eyes are still opposites"

"Yes, but I don't compare them because they look the same"

"Then why?"

"Cause them both remind me of a sky, you know, a clear sky and a night sky"

"A night sky?"

"Yeah, you said it,you have dark eyes, like the night, plus this little shine in them like a little moon that gets complemented by other little shines the light gives"

"How come you say those kind of things so easy?"

"Don't know, you make it easy"

"You need some sleep, you are saying none senses"

"Am I?,  to me it makes a lot of sense, what doesn't makes sense is that you think it doesn't make sense"

"Goodnight Charlie"

"Stay with me"

"Darling, I'm not even supposed to be in this common room, let alone in your dorm"

"You don't even care about rules, come on, what if I swallow my tongue? "

"Fine, just because dying from swallowing your tongue is too stupid for you die like that "

"There we go, night Opaleye"

"Night, dragon boy"

[rivetgoth]

im well aware that im so deep in a rabbit hole of my own lifestyle that this is not the way most people feel but honestly it is actually kinda baffling how hostile the concept of nonmonogamy makes people... dare i say i think that it actually makes more sense to be able to comprehend that romance sex and relationships are a fluid and immaterial thing and the different relationships we have can take on an endless number of forms... that monogamy is a construct that barely even successfully categorizes one type of relationship, let alone the majority of them or the "norm"...

like i could take this moment to get into the more radical theoretical work of pointing out that the concept of [heterosexual] monogamous marriage as an institution has historically really been about property ownership, nation building, reproductive control, etc, and to cling to it as the "natural" state of things is point blank regressive, but more than that I just feel that like... monogamy almost feels like it should be seen as the more uncommon out-there thing to me lol; to make the active decision to commit urself romantically and sexually to a single person genuinely feels like much more intense of a lifestyle decision akin to stuff like fulltime BDSM relationships than to live a nonmonogamous life in many ways to me. and mind you "out-there" does NOT have a negative connotation in my vernacular. i am not calling monogamy (the consensual relationship arrangement, not the institution) regressive at all. i think it is genuinely a wonderful act of devotion for those who derive meaning from it. it's just wild how many people on the flip side seem incapable of comprehending nonmonogamy at all and cannot approach it with anything but the worst faith knee jerk reaction and feel some desperate need to justify themselves and their desire for monogamy.

i guess this goes in tandem with my belief that monogamy, and the binary between monogamy and nonmonogamy, is as much a social construct as... anything else, and that all individuals and the relationships they arrange exist on a sort of spectrum; everybody has different limits for what is or is not acceptable behavior. a nonmonogamous couple might have a limit like "kissing anyone is fine but before you have sex with someone else you need to tell me" or "I need to meet them before you have sex with them," but a monogamous couple will have just as many spoken and unspoken rules. "it's okay to express attraction to celebrities / fictional characters," "it's okay to jerk off to things other than me," "it's okay to watch porn as long as you aren't paying any individual adult content creators," couples who come up with their "exceptions" (ex. "we're monogamous but if my GF met Chris Hemsworth I'd let her" kinda shit, waaaaay more common than you'd think), not to mention then things like closed triads which function much more similarly to a traditional monogamous relationship in many ways, friends with benefits and other non-romantic sexual arrangements, non-sexual life partners, swingers and wife swappers—couples that might otherwise call themselves monogamous but who engage in specific nonmonogamous activities—etc... like monogamy only exists as much as the individuals in the relationship choose for it to and call it as such, yknow?

[fountainpenguin]

can i be honest im so intrigued by ur idea of a dev/trev/bev friendgroup even though you mentioned it maybe twice during ur liveposting

i know its mostly cuz they have basically the same name but i think its funny... saddest soppy wet-est kid in the school, some guy with hair in the ugliest shade of green and a girl who loves football and owns a talk show have something in common, somehow

I think we should go all the way and have a Trev, Dev, Bev, and Kev friend squad. And we can add the random kid who's listed on the kindness chart by the name Whatevs. Just call them The Evs.

It's so stupid, but I genuinely am shocked they all have rhyming names and they aren't a background squad. It is ridiculously funny to me that the vibe I get from Hazel's class is that the creators came up with a bunch of Ev names as their filler (with Dev specifically introducing Trev, Bev, and Kev to Hazel when she gets to school) and Dev himself fits this rhyming pattern.

Dev: Dad, I'm one of the youngest kids in my grade... did you just copy the names the other parents gave their children? Dale: Dale: Dale: No.

Even Devin rhymes with Kevin

I feel like Dev and Kev cross paths sometimes since Kev is a child model / the brand face for a popular soft drink. It also makes sense they wouldn't since being a child model and the son of a billionaire are two different things.

But of the people in Dev's class, it is astronomically funny to me that Dev looked at Trev and Bev and said "I want these regulars" and he doesn't seem particularly into hanging out with Kev.

Anyway, whatever this trio and/or quartet has going on cracks me up. I like that Dev and Trev both have a crush on Bev (Trev was distraught when they broke up in the finale due to Anti-Fairies magically setting Bev up with someone else).

Utterly fascinated that A New Wish canon is that Anti-Fairies don't have to follow Da Rules. Logically that makes total sense, but it's still interesting because we didn't see them pushing this angle in the OG series... but this somehow makes Timmy and Vicky unwishing each other's stuff - something godkids aren't supposed to be able to do iirc - that much funnier. Me, ever since I saw the episode: Why can Foop just tell Vicky that Timmy is a godkid? If he's her godparent, he's not allowed to do that; godkids have to cross paths on their own. Me now: Ahhh...... I understand...

I actually went back and watched, and Trev and Bev are definitely better friends with each other than either is with Dev. Trev and Bev are near each other in a lot of the background scenes. We don't really see them interacting, but they do seem to know each other and/or enjoy each other's company, so I thought it was funny when they were apparently dating (holding hands with hearts in eyes) in the finale.

Meanwhile, Dev rarely approaches either of them beyond being pulled into Hazel's Broadway show, where he's a back-up dancer, which isn't necessarily his choice (especially considering how happy he is in the song despite being a jerk in the other scenes... lmao).

- although he did give Bev double pudding when we know he was being super picky about whom he gave it to, which doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I think it's funny.

Oh, I was gonna post a screenshot but I can't because the red lighting on her pudding-slathered body in that scene sets off my hemophobia and that's even BEFORE the zombie stuff, lmao... Just trust me on this- she has a cup in each hand.

And we KNOW the only person she could've gotten the pudding from is Dev, who is confirmed to have hoarded all the pudding cups and was only giving them to people who impressed him. We even see him take one cup away from Jenkins after giving him two, so he was being SUPER picky.

Look at them... They are The Evs...

I just want them to be friends... They all have fun designs and personality... I think they should play on the playground or go to the movies.

sdkljfsd, Dev is the shortest one in this whole picture. Everyone in this class utterly dwarfs him. Which makes sense, because Hazel started school in this show at age 10 and Dev is 9 until the midpoint in Season 1. He's just a little guy...

Like... Does Trev KNOW Dev has a crush on Bev? I can totally imagine Dev watching them date and being like "Hey... wait a minute."

^ The face you make when you just find out your secret crush is dating your secret squish.

- I CANNOT get over the fact that Dev has a canon squish. He just wants to be Trev's friend so badly but he's too shy to talk to him... That's hilarious. I wish we would explore that, because that's not something you usually get to see explored in media. - ... I am lying. Winn is everyone's squish in this episode and that's also canon. Everyone likes Winn, AS THEY SHOULD. Winn is so friendly and kind, even (and especially) when people are nervous around them. - Dev stop having squishes on his entire class challenge (Impossible). - "Multiverse of Jenkins" except every time Hazel walks past Dev, he's head-in-hands-ing over a new person he wants to befriend but screwed up talking to.

Honestly, looking back on "Wellsington Hotellsington" makes me kind of sad because... it's obvious Dev is trying to make friends in the only way he really knows. He's being a brat and a braggart, but at least he was engaging in conversation. This is one of the only episodes (if not THE only) where he makes a real effort.

Tell us how it's really going, Mr. Many Times Bitten, Many Times Shy. Ahaha... he needs to improve himself.

I really like how we see Hazel have to work to make new friends at school and she puts effort in, so we see why people befriend her, and meanwhile Dev is just... consistently not interacting with people and then sitting around upset he has no friends. He is 9.

Anyway, I just think The Evs' dynamic would be funny to explore. It's got everything you need! Dev being the worst! Bev leading them into action, but mostly to soccer-football games! Trev being super supportive and friendly and kind! Those two dating while Dev third wheels and stares into the camera! Idk what Kev does!

I think Dev should just stand in the middle of all his squishes and say "oh no." This would be a 'fic that resolves absolutely nothing because he just vibrates slightly as sweatdrops roll down his face and he's scared to open his mouth, but I would find it funny.

They are just so silly (to me)...

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for getting mad at my roommates?

A while ago I had to move out of my college apartment due to disagreements with the roommates. I was told I was ignoring boundaries and ignoring their stuff, cited as disagreeable in remediation meetings, and also told my disability was “not able to be accommodated” despite the fact theirs all were.

When I moved in, our roommate agreement as per signed by the university said the kitchen and the dishes within the kitchen were all communal property, and could be used by anyone with permission. It was also stated in the same agreement that responsibility for the management of personal items was one’s own responsibility, IE it was your job to inform someone else if something within the kitchen came with special instructions, or if it should not handle something that the person may be allergic to, like nuts or milk. This was a big deal at our university because someone had died a few years ago from a peanut allergy after their roommate ate peanut butter from some utensils which were not washed properly, and sued the university as a result.

I went on to take these rules as they were written, because I come from a similar culture where the kitchen is a communal space and what is in it is considered as belonging to everyone. I ended up using many of my roommates’ pots and utensils because I was poor and could not afford the same things they had, always with permission and always cleaning up after.

After a while, I ended up being informed by one of my roommates (I had 3) that I was “destroying” one of her pans because I had put it in the dishwasher and it was an “heirloom” from her grandmother. I had asked her multiple times if it was okay, and she always said yes, and the complaint was about that she had mistakenly told me yes and never intended for me to use that. She said I was destroying her property and not taking care of it, even though the pan said dishwasher safe on the bottom in extremely faded letters and i saw no signs of damage whatsoever.

Fast forward a few months, and the rest of my roommates are taking her side. One of them was someone I actually shared a bathroom with, who ended up screaming at me in a hissy fit over me having left two (2) actual literal hairs in the drain. Like not two clumps of hair, but two hairs. I cleaned up the drain every time, but she continued to yell at me for being so “dirty” and “uncivilized”, and the other roommates began joining in on this too.

Everything eventually escalated into arguments because I did not want to take what they were saying lying down. I told them very plainly what the roommate agreement was that we all signed to, and they all told me it was null and void and that they would be changing the terms of it extremely shortly. I told them that this was unfair and that the kitchen should be a common space that is shared, and not gatekept, and that they have a duty to uphold that as we all lived in the same space and managed the same things.

They called me selfish, and said I had no sense of respect for others or responsibility for my actions. Eventually they took this to the RA who told me since I signed the lease last, I would eventually have to leave if everything was not settled. We tried many mediations and many things to settle our differences, but I just kept getting called selfish for explaining where I came from and the cultural differences between me and them and they just kept calling me selfish and destructive.

Am I really the asshole here? It was the first time I’ve ever felt unsafe sharing a space with other people.

What are these acronyms?

[ominous-faechild]

i don't know how to word this, so i'm just gonna say

sammy. breaking the rules. <- that stuff. please elaborate if there is any coherence in this request

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY SENT AN ASK!!! (people actually do that for non-ask posts???)

Okay, to be completely honest, I think we had a misunderstanding! (I was exhausted when typing that up and was just about to sleep--) I meant that you could/should ask about Sammy, but I wouldn't answer about his magic... but I've done some thinking.

I'll tell you a bit about his magic. 👀

Fair warning: long post!!!

The Way Magic Works™

So, magic. I'll definitely give a much more in-depth explanation one day--I know @honeybewrites REALLY wants one 😂--but I need to give a bit of an explanation here for you to be able to understand why Sammy is Special™.

In my writing, there's technically four different kinds of magic. I describe them as such:

Existential (all-encompassing and literal)

Axiomatic (abstract and "type-casted")

Faerie (abstract and encompassing)

Runic (wizards hurrr durrr)

Each "kind" of magic is named, appropriately, by its source--Existential magic comes from the Existential gods, Axiomatic magic comes from axiom, Faerie magic (or "pure" magic) comes from the Faewildes and is typically associated with faeries, and runic magic originated from the runes non-magical people used in an attempt to match the power of the others.

(I mean, technically runic magic itself is a combination of axiomatic and faerie magic, but--)

Essence Is Equivalent

The one thing all kinds of magic have in common is their shared resource--essence. No matter what kind of magic you use, you're always using up essence in order to do it. The same magical tasks always cost the same amount of essence, meaning the only way to "advance" in magic-casting is to grow your mana pool.

Except for runic magic, but we'll get into that later--

(I hop between using "essence" and "mana" for this explanation, but in-universe it's always called "essence". As a fan of DnD and fantasy games, sometimes using the word "mana" makes more sense to me, haha. Idk if that understanding applies to everyone, but. Essence is essentially just "magical energy".)

Long story short--let's say we have four different people, each with their magic coming from one of each of the different sources. Except, they all have Water magic.

Existential user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x amount of essence

Axiomatic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x essence

Faerie/Pure user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x essence

Runic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes .5x essence

Wait, what? Okay, let's try that again--

A different Runic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes 1.7x essence

A third Runic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x essence

What??? What's the deal with that???

Well, this isn't the time to explain Runic magic in-depth, but long story short? Let's just say it's because they're not doing magic "normally". The other kinds of magic users will always use the same amount of essence, so we'll just stop including the variety for now. Just know it'll be the same amount by default. Except... you won't often run into "default" with runic users. Regardless!

Existential user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 1000x essence

Axiomatic user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 1000x essence

Faerie/Pure user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 1000x essence

The first Runic user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 500x essence

As you can see, it's all equivalent. Both across "types" of magic and in effort-to-gain ratio. So none of them have any sort of advantage!... except literally all of them do.

Similarly, since they're all drawing from essence as their source, there's no "backup" magic system one can use if they run out. If they're out of essence, they're out--nothing they can do.

Actually, wait. I lied. (aka Essence Banks)

There's a way to store essence for later use--essence banks! Basically, they're just magical items infused with essence. They can be literally everything. Except, they aren't everything.

Confused?

Essence Banks were a runic invention and have to be engraved with appropriate runes to be able to contain essence. Some have actually been commodified and turned into "temporary conduits" (aka, items that allow a non-magic user to wield magic like a mage) through people infusing them with their essence.

This is a case where "pure" magic technically separates from a faerie's magic. Pure magic can be used for literally anything, but faeries... well, it's complicated. Regardless, pure magic originates from the Faewildes, but is different from a faerie's magic.

Pure essence can be used for anything, but an individual's essence can only be used for their respective magic type. (Like, elemental / conceptual, not Existential / Axiomatic and such. That explanation's for another day, though.) Pure magic can only be gotten from the Faewildes through the use of runic magic.

People have turned essence banks into commodities by giving them to others who don't have their magic and allowing them to use it. However, as you can probably imagine, essence banks and conduits of both kinds (permanent and temporary) are expennnnnsive!!! Most who have them use them for themselves, to store their own essence to use later.

Just know--there is no way to just "create" essence! It all comes from SOMEWHERE! The most common places are from one's self or from the Faewildes.

Essence Banks Do Not Cross "Types" Of Magic

If someone with fire magic got their hands on an essence bank with essence from someone with water magic in it, they wouldn't be able to utilize it for fire magic--only water magic.

Except... not really.

The fire user could use the essence, it would just cost a lot more of the water essence to instead use fire magic.

Why does this sound familiar...?

Hm. Anyway!

I bet you've been wondering--how does any of this relate to Sammy?

Sammy Breaks The Rules of Magic™

So, now that you have an understanding of how magic works in my stories, you can better appreciate Sammy.

Remember what I just said?

Y'know, about how magic all always costs the same amount of essence, how "types" of essence don't translate well to others, and how essence can't just be created?

Well, Sammy heard that, laughed, and said "I'm built different."

"Amplification" doesn't exist in the world of my stories. There's simply no concept of it because of how inherent the idea of "essence is always equivalent" is to magic.

Except... Sammy is an amplifier.

So what does that mean in the universe of my stories?

He's able to make others' magic use less essence. He's able to enhance their abilities, let them do things they couldn't otherwise do. And it doesn't matter what kind of magic either of them have.

Oh! And since he's the amplifier?

His other magic is also always amplified.

Yeah, long story short? He's OP af. Both as an individual, and as a support character.

CONCLUSION!

I actually can't say any more about amplifying because, omfg, it's actually such a spoiler! As I said to you (almost) yesterday, I plan out the series I write to build up to things I'm going to eventually write! Amplifiers are suuuuper important for a number of reasons and, as I said, they basically don't exist! There's only two others wandering about at the time of Rising From the Ashes (the story Sammy's in)! And one of them is a complete hermit who 99.99% of people have no idea exists!

The other... well. He's actually an avatar. An agent of one of the gods. Who knows if/when he'll ever show up? 👀

If you're curious, the (albeit vague) Overarching Goals™ of the series are as follows:

The Arcane Rifts: explores the Faewildes and some of how they've impacted the world. Specifically explores in-universe political relations of Jhandar and Glavnran; the Existential War; the Existence of Magic; and how the Existential gods mess with the world. Oh... and is Gene's origin story. 😉😘

Sun and Shadow: strongly explores the Faewildes' impact on "the Real World" through their patchworking Lynsmouth into the city it is today. Hints towards plots in RFtA and tCC. Explores faeries themselves through the Major Faerie Characters and the highlights the role of magic in society. Is intended to be an introduction into my weird worldbuilding tbh, haha. Hints at Existential War and is also where a HUGE worldwide-plot event occurs. Thanks, Quinn! 😈

Rising From the Ashes: explores in-universe political relations, more directly builds on the worldbuilding through the character of Kieran Caron and his school, does some more planting in info about the Existential War, and showcases people in-universe trying to experiment with magic and expand on its capabilities.

The Calamity Crew (name to change): lots of worldbuilding through the literal crew of a merchant ship sailing across the world; builds up in-universe local Axiomatic gods; showcases the literal birth of a lesser god and explores the powers and abilities of gods; showcases people in-universe trying to experiment with magic and expand on its capabilities.

I plan to somehow make stories on the Existential gods' avatars, but don't know how I'll go about that, haha. Also intend to probably make some stories REALLY early in the in-universe timeline completely taking place within the Faewildes. Might merge those ideas together, idk.

If you can't tell, the Existential gods are super important to the overarching story I plan on writing, haha. Part of how I'm planning to build them out is through the very fact that they appear everywhere.

Yknow--because they are!

They're the puppeteers manipulating the entire world in their little game. Their Existential War.

To anyone who read through this all--congrats and omfg, thank you so much???

I know this is a lot and not all of it is exactly easy to understand, haha. I wanted to create a magic system that felt magical, but also was planted in "real" stuff like conservation of matter, haha. I want there to be, like, a limit to it, but also for things to have those good 'ole fashioned "fairy tale"/"gods rule over us all" vibes. Hopefully I've done a good job!

Tysm again and feel free to reblog and share!

Tagging list: @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star @aalinaaaaaa

@paeliae-occasionally ; to anyone else, ask and ye shall be added!

Divider from @cafekitsune

[3416]

Inside the strange and secretive business of team-mandated NHL fines

By Joshua Kloke | Mar 27, 2023 | The Athletic

Ryan Hartman walked into the Minnesota Wild practice facility with a sense of resolve. The nine-year NHL forward had been a healthy scratch the previous evening against the Philadelphia Flyers.

But righting a wrong was only one of the items on his to-do list.

“Today,” Hartman said, nodding while looking around the Wild dressing room, “is tax day.”

As he does once a month, Hartman will work his way around the Wild dressing room and collect money from his teammates.

The previous night, Hartman pored over a spreadsheet with updated tallies of who owes what. He sent out a flurry of text messages to teammates: “This is what you owe. I’m coming for you tomorrow.”

Call Hartman what you want: the taxman, the team treasurer, the fine master. Hartman has a volunteer position in charge of handling a consistently growing pot of money accrued from Wild players. Most teams require a player like Hartman because large amounts of money changing hands among teammates is a tradition in the NHL. That money is gathered in large part to encourage team building. Part of the money collected is because players voluntarily have put “money on board,” a practice of promising an amount of money before a game a player will owe should the team win, be it for playing in their hometown or, say, if they’re playing in a milestone game.

And then there’s another practice: getting fined for a variety of unconventional infractions.

“There’s so many things you get fined for,” Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano said.

Not every team fines players. And many that do see it as a dwindling yet good-natured practice. It’s one some veterans believe has merit.

Welcome to the strange, almost-secretive world of team-mandated NHL fines.

–––

Almost a generation ago, Marc-André Fleury was a reserved young goalie trying to man his way through the rules of his new life in the NHL: the unflappable importance of being on time for meetings and flights, the heightened dress codes compared to junior hockey — and, um, being well-mannered.

“There was a guy on Pittsburgh who would always pick his nose in the locker room,” Fleury said. The embarrassment of being caught wasn’t punishment enough. “So every time, guys would shout at him, ‘Hey, 10 bucks.’”

Early in Fleury’s rookie year, he got hit with his own first hefty fine.

“I couldn’t tie my tie,” Fleury said, recalling how then-veteran teammate Marc Bergevin would chirp him relentlessly. “So, I got fined because my tie looked terrible.”

A large percentage of team-directed fines remains contingent on wardrobe choices.

Leafs forward Zach Aston-Reese remembered a former teammate getting fined for wearing Cole Haan shoes. Even with the slowly shifting dress codes among NHL teams, teammates aren’t afraid to dole out fines if a player’s look starts to slip. That goes for accessories, too.

“At training camp, you get a (swag) bag with a bunch of stuff in it,” Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said. A former teammate was using it as his travel bag. “We said if he showed up for the next flight with that bag, it’s a $500 fine.”

Most players surveyed for this story agree $500 is the de facto fine amount.

Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk said one of his teammates might get fined this season because “all of his clothes and all of his luggage are either team-issued or NHLPA-issued.”

“You’re in the NHL,” Rielly said. “You’re not supposed to be wearing the same shirt six days in a row. I always think that’s pretty funny.”

It’s always veterans who enforce these kinds of fines.

“This year, we had a younger guy who had a little incident with his wardrobe choice at a dinner,” Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo said. “Sweatpants on the road. That’s worth a fine. He’s learning.”

Fines don’t stop at wardrobe-related infractions.

“I’m a big believer in the common sense fine,” Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “A cheap one.”

Example: Should an NHL player get caught wearing white socks with dress shoes or leave their towel on the floor after coming out of the shower, these are fineable offenses according to Gudbranson, even if it’s just $50.

“Sometimes it can be funny,” Gudbranson said. “But it can also be a sign of respect.”

Not every team takes this approach, however.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson was adamant that the Devils don’t have a strict dress code and, therefore, have barely had to fine any players this season.

“If you want to wear white shoes with dress socks, we don’t give a s— about any of that stuff here,” Severson said. “We believe just in being yourself. If you go back a few years, (former Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello) had rules with the dress code and shaving, but it’s kind of the opposite now — and that’s no disrespect to Lou. We want our personalities to be shown.”

Speaking of grooming habits, van Riemsdyk said if one of his Flyers teammates gets caught with a flashy new haircut, that’s a fine. He admits it’s a struggle for players like him who keep it tight up top. He said, almost quietly out of fear of getting found out by nearby teammates, that he got a haircut a few days prior.

“It almost works the other way: You get a haircut every two or three weeks, it doesn’t look like you’ve gotten a cut. Then you can steer clear of (a fine),” van Riemsdyk said.

Edmonton Oilers forward Derek Ryan knew he was going to get hit with a fine ahead of a game against the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 7. While taking standard laps in warmup, Ryan bumped into a teammate and fell to the ice.

“My helmet went flying everywhere, stick on the ice,” Ryan said.

Wow, that’s embarrassing, Ryan thought to himself.

Equally embarrassing would be the shame of having to pay for the mistake afterward. Every team The Athletic surveyed agreed that when players fall on the ice during warmups, they’re on the hook for $500.

“I remember I knocked (then-teammate Brendan Shanahan) over in warmups,” Islanders forward Zach Parise recalled of the one season he spent alongside the Hall of Famer. “I wasn’t about to impose a fine for that.”

The rule has taken on different iterations league-wide. Fleury said the Wild charge double if a player loses his helmet. The Nashville Predators go the other way, according to defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

“If you fall on one knee, that’s only half the fine. But if it’s a full wipeout, that’s a full fine. You’ve got to be careful out there,” McDonagh said.

Then there’s the fine players are almost terrified of: being late for a team function, a meeting or a departing bus or flight.

“A team sin,” Severson said.

Driving through downtown Columbus en route to a team gala recently, Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly realized he was well behind schedule.

“The fine just stamps that you were late,” Kuraly said. “It’s embarrassing. It’s like you’re the guy who’s not following the things that help the team.”

Leafs forward Noel Acciari remembers during his time with the Florida Panthers that if a player was late for a meeting, they’d be on the hook for the next team dinner.

But that would easily be more expensive than a standard $500 fine, no?

“Especially when you know someone else is paying for dinner,” Acciari joked.

The list of fineable offenses doesn’t stop there: If a player, before puck drop, is taking part in a game of Sewer Ball — which players try to keep a soccer ball from hitting the ground in a circle to limber up — and you kick the ball to the ceiling, that’s a fine. Getting the ball stuck in the ceiling raises the fine even more.

If a cellphone starts ringing in a team meeting? One player said that’s a fineable offense on his Western Conference team.

Fleury recalled getting a $250 fine for breaking a stick.

“I was real mad after a game, and I swung my stick,” he said. “It was a wood stick, too, so it was only $60. So, they made a profit.”

Still, plenty of players surveyed by The Athletic insist they’ve avoided being fined throughout their entire NHL careers.

“You have to really screw up to get fined,” Rielly said.

–––

OK, so you owe money for a fine, and it’s time to pay the piper. Sabres fine collector Zemgus Girgensons offers many payment options.

“I’ve got everything. Venmo, Square, check,” he said.

Every fine keeper throughout the NHL has their own manner of collecting fines, but most of them, like Predators fine keeper Colton Sissons, prefer payment electronically.

“We had to change with the times,” Sissons said, noting how he acquired a Square chip reader to accept payments. Sissons set up a separate bank account just for the team’s fine and money-on-the-board funds, and he owns a credit card for that account if he needs to make team-related purchases.

“It’s a business,” he said, only partly in jest. “I catch guys when we’re stuck on the plane together. They know I don’t take any s—.”

Hartman also uses a credit card swiper to collect fines.

“No excuses. If someone says, ‘I don’t have a check today,’ I’m like, ‘Well, hand me your wallet,’” he said.

There are other methods. Some teams such as the Blues and the Oilers take fines directly out of players’ paychecks.

“You didn’t even have to worry. Which is better, because you know it’s being taken care of,” Acciari said of his time with the Blues.

Some teams, like the Leafs, prefer to keep it old school and deal in cash only.

“It’s a hassle to go to the bank,” Leafs defenseman Justin Holl said.

To mitigate the hassle for Rielly, the Leafs collector, he had a safe built into his dressing-room stall at Scotiabank Arena. He’ll remind players of their dues on game days so he can quickly throw the money into his safe, though he openly admits “it’s hard to track guys down.”

It’s hard not to read Rielly’s efforts as him tiring of the process.

“I liked doing it (when he started),” Rielly said of being the fine keeper. “I don’t like doing it as much anymore.”

–––

So why do it? What benefit is there for the fine keeper?

“Someone’s got to do it,” Girgensons said, shrugging his shoulders.

Multiple NHL players said for a player to be appointed the fine keeper, they only have to tick a few boxes: If you’re a well-liked and trusted veteran, this glamorous job may be yours for the taking.

“It’s actually a lot more work than anyone thinks,” Sissons said.

What about some slight interest in numbers? Perhaps balancing books for an NHL team’s fine fund is a precursor to a career after hockey in finance?

“I did like math class,” Sissons said. “But that’s not why I took the job. I guess people think I’m trustworthy.”

Modest as some of the fine keepers might be, there are perks to the job if you put the effort in. If you’re able to manage large sums of money and transfer them back and forth between a bank account and a credit card, you could be in for some sneaky benefits.

“I pay for things out of my own account, and I get all the points,” Sissons said.

Hartman agrees. After collecting payments from players, he uses a credit card to use that money to shell out for team events.

“The credit card is maxed out right now. We’ve had a few trips recently … with some big dinners,” Hartman said.

He’s not bothered though. The recently-engaged Hartman is thinking long-term: Stay on top of guys, and then use that money to pay for team functions, and those points will add up.

“Maybe I’ll get a honeymoon out of it,” he said, a smile creeping out from behind his thick beard.

Hartman’s plan isn’t devious by any means. Even for him, there is a team-building element to being the collector of the fines, and some NHL players informed of his process appeared slightly jealous. Every month, Hartman will buy three $500 Best Buy gift certificates and hand them out to his three Wild teammates who paid the most money that month into the team’s fund. It’s partly an incentive both for paying on time and for contributing to the team fund, but partly born out of Hartman’s own guilt.

“It’s a discount,” he said, modestly. “I feel bad. But we do spend it.”

And spend they do. Come the end of the season, there is always an effort to put the money back in the hands of the team.

For the Leafs, perhaps that means the team taking in an NFL game on the road. There are Super Bowl parties and Masters parties, too. And on Feb. 27, multiple Leafs took in a Bruce Springsteen concert in Seattle for some team-building and to help accelerate the bonding process for newcomers. The Leafs welcomed recently acquired teammates Sam Lafferty and Jake McCabe then.

“To get into an environment like that and get to know the guys is perfect,” McCabe said of the concert.

The year-end team party often sucks the most money out of the fine fund. The amount of money teams will spend on food, drinks, event space and the event itself varies, but multiple NHL players said somewhere in the range of $50,000 for a year-end party is a fair estimate.

Gudbranson noted how after the team’s head equipment manager, Jamie Healy, logged his 2,000th professional game on Jan. 29, the team dipped into the fund to purchase him a gift.

Ultimately, many NHL veterans view the money they can raise through the fine fund as less of a benefit to the team than the practice itself.

“Us veteran guys have to hold the young guys accountable more,” McDonagh said.

Gudbranson is adamant: The practice of good habits in the NHL has been “lost a little bit.”

The argument that fining young players heightens standards of professionalism league-wide is rooted in history. Gudbranson recalls his rookie duties while playing junior hockey for the Kingston Frontenacs: Unloading equipment from the team bus, mopping floors and helping out with laundry. These duties were not rituals to make players feel beyond uncomfortable, a practice that has no place in hockey. But, according to Gudbranson, understanding the benefits of working for the team is a concept that should be applied in the NHL. And if those concepts, such as respecting the dressing room, are forgotten, Gudbranson believes “the fine system can help with that.”

“You move away from home and your parents aren’t there to parent you anymore. Those little things, they teach you a lot,” Gudbranson said.

Of course, no young NHL player is going to be asked to mop the floor as a form of punishment.

But if fining young players for otherwise asinine offenses maintains a level of professionalism in the NHL, then veterans like Gudbranson aren’t going to be afraid to remind young players to have a credit card nearby at all times.

“You’re a professional athlete,” Gudbranson said. “You’ve got to act the part.”

[raveszonee]

Raveszonee Roleplay

W e l c o m e🕸️ - Feel free to ask questions if you want, read as much information as you want as well and read the rules very carefully.

L o c a t e💬 - I usually roleplay on discord, I’m more active than I am on tumblr and threads. My discord is, (( toji.fushiguuro ))

M D N I🚫 - I don’t want minors here because as an adult, I am not comfortable with roleplaying with anyone younger. I also write smut and thus does not make me comfortable enough to write with anyone under the age of 18. If you’re under 18, please leave.

S M U T🔞 - When writing smut, do not be shy to vocalize what you wish to see during a smut scene and what you don’t want to see. As smut should be comfortable for everyone, kinks you aren’t comfortable with should be listed so I can avoid them from happening.

ROLEPLAY LIST HERE!

Rules - OF - The Blog

No Racism - This is common sense but some people find this okay. This does not stand right or okay with me in the slightest. I have seen so much hate to oc's and writers, mainly the black oc's and writers. Black oc's and writers are welcomed to this blog, completely. As well as everyone else. Everyone is welcomed, keep it that way or get blocked and called out.

No Homophobia/Transphobia - Many oc's and the writers are welcomed here regardless of sexuality and how they identify themselves or their oc's. I have shipped with many oc's. And I am not uncomfortable with it at all. This is a safe space to truly be who you are. You also do not have to give up your identity to me as a writer, I have no desire to dig into your life, as it's fine to be cautious about who you tell.

Triggers - Respecting triggers is a must, I do not want limits passed and uncomfortable aura falling into our talks outside of character and in character. Please vocalize your triggers, this helps me prevent certain events that may trigger you or myself. Triggers are important and everyone should consider them. I do not want to trigger anyone.

No debates - This is something that happens in spaces that aren't open for it. I'm not open for debates. I do not mind you having your opinion, but no political debate is worth losing fun. I want to roleplay to help other people have fun, I really don't like war zones, as everyone has their own opinion and the chances of everyone seeing eye to eye, is slim.

Religions - I don't mind everyone having a religion, it's completely fine, be mindful of someone that might have a Religion they live by. This is something worth considering, and be mindful of some oc's who possibly have strict lifestyles to live by as well as writer. And, don't be afraid to educate me on your Religion if you feel I'm overstepping it or not understanding it. I would love to learn more.

Have fun - Roleplay is meant for entertainment, having fun is something I want you to do. Be open with your ideas and never be afraid to send them to me, or ask me how I feel about them. We can always plot together, have fun!

Educating is okay!

This has to be said! Do not be afraid to educate me or anyone else if you feel no one is understanding your oc. I have shipped with oc's who are blind, deaf, autistic, depressed, etc. They sometimes even have adhd, sensory processing disorder, ptsd, etc.

This stuff is not forbidden to educate one on, if you have an oc you feel you can't use due to this being a lack of education for some writers. Do not be afraid to text me information regarding this. This will help me fully understand your oc and so I can work with writing and shipping with them without making them or you uncomfortable.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! You can roleplay with me through my discord! I am mainly active there but do not be afraid to text me here if you have questions! I hope you enjoy!

[dravidssideblog]

"Do I really HAVE to reform them? This is such a pain." "It would be a lot easier if you had kept their soul together." "They're PREY, I don't bother holding onto my food's soul." "Okay, if you're going to live here, you seriously need a lesson on vore etiquette." "Etiquette? I'm a predator, I eat people, there's no etiquette for eating people." "There is here, and it's the reason why prey is so easy to catch. It's also the reason why there's no consequences, so unless you want this to be a repeat of what happened back at your home town, you're going to learn it." "Ugh, fine, whatever, I just gotta reform any prey I eat, right?" "Yes, absolutely, but there's more than just that. For one, you can't hurt prey while eating them, so next time watch it with the teeth and claws." "What?! That's ridiculous, how am I supposed to subdue my meal?" "You don't have to, because the prey can't hurt you either." "… Okay…" "Second, you can't keep prey for any longer than a week. Doesn't matter if you digest them or just keep them inside, after a week, you gotta reform them or let them go." "Eh, that's fine, I guess. Not much of a long-term guy anyhow." "You can't eat someone with a prey in their belly." "Wait a sec, that means that if I catch a prey, no one can eat me? That sounds pretty nice! Hanging out with other preds was always too risky before…" "If you eat a prey who's with a group, you have to offer to eat the rest of the group too." "Wait what? Offer? This one does make sense…" "Well, if a group of friends are hanging out together, it'd be rude to separate one from the rest. You can still eat them, of course, but if the others want to join their buddy in your belly, you have to eat them too." "If they… want to? That's common enough that there's an etiquette rule about it?" "Yeah. Reformation is guaranteed, remember? Makes prey a lot less opposed to getting eaten." "Huh… And to be clear, even if they don't want to, I can still eat the whole group anyway right?" "Right. Another thing, you can't break into someone's home to eat them. Well, you shouldn't break into people's homes in general, that's rude, but I felt like I should specify to you. Homes are a safe zone." "A safe zone, huh? Sounds annoying… What if they invite me in? That's not breaking in, right?" "Yeah, if you invite a pred into your house you're kinda accepting the risk of getting eaten. But if you're just relaxing in your house, you shouldn't have to worry about someone sneaking in to eat you." "… Yeah. Yeah, that sounds nice. Okay, what else?" "Uh… Oh, some prey and preds here have committed relationships." "What, like, preys dating preds!?" "Kinda, except instead of dating its dinner." "Dinner dates." "Yeah. Anyway, you can't eat someone's committed prey without the pred's permission. The pred also can't eat other prey without their prey's permission, but I doubt that'll ever come up for you." "Couldn't a prey just lie and say 'oh yeah I totally have a predfriend, they're from another town, you wouldn't know them, but yeah I'm taken sorry!'" "How did you know they're called 'predfriends'?" "Wait that's actually what they're called? Dude I was joking!" "Well, anyway, a prey lying about that would also be a break of etiquette. If you really think they're lying, I guess you can call their bluff and eat them anyway, but don't be surprised when their pred comes to punch your lights out." "Yeesh, alright, fine. Hey, you mentioned before that prey aren't allowed to hurt preds trying to eat them? Are there any other rules like that?" "Yeah! You mentioned, like, lacing clothes with chemicals or something to stop preds from eating you by making you taste bad? That kinda stuff isn't allowed." "Niiice." "There's also rules about when it's acceptable for a prey to force themself down a pred's throat, but-" "There are prey that do that!? That's awesome!" "Yeah I figured you wouldn't mind that."

[uwukillmenowowo]

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥 [Tokyo Debunker X F!Reader]

[ 5 | Quiz] 『❓』

Key's for the story: Insert - Narrative - And then she stared at her reflection in the mirror [Insert] - Author speaking - [Eyyy there- wazzup readers] "Insert" - Talking - "Hey there!" [But can also be air quotes] 'Insert' - Thinking - 'Dame he's cute...' "Insert" - Whispering - "I- I messed up..." [But can also be an emphasis on a word/phrase, or flashback] (Insert) - Inner mind..? - (Deadass doesn't know how to explain it here) *Insert* - Action - *Sighs with their head down*[INSERT] - Magic - [OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!] or [IGGNAIM!]

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫: [ 4 | Academy] 『🖤』

━━━✦❘༻🔮༺❘✦━━━

[Book 0] The Academy of Ghouls

[Chapter 5] Time for the Dorm Quiz!

━━━✦❘༻🔮༺❘✦━━━

{Your POV}

~~~~~

After both Haku and professor Nicolas left, it was just me and professor Hyde. "Do you remember the anomaly you encountered on the train?" I tilted my head. "Anomaly..?" The professor gave me a surprised look. "Wait, no one gave you the brief yet? How'd you get here?" I hummed and explained. "Um... A monster attacked me on the train, then a a red haired boy... I believe his name was Taiga? Yeah, he showed up."

The professor nodded. "Right." Then I continued to explain, "Then he attacked me too for some reason, but Haku saved me..." Professor Hyde became even more surprised. "No way, Taiga did what? Sory, gonna have to pretend I didn't hear that part... So then you rode the Galexy Express all the way to our hallowed halls of learning without a clue, huh?" I nodded.

"Well, if you've seen that much, this won't take long. All the weird stuff you just described? They're all what we call anomalies." I asked more about what anomalies were. "There are things in this world that defy the rules society has deemed common sense. The kinds of things people call the occult or paranormal phenomena or cryptids. We're a global organization that searches out anomalies so we can study and regulate them. Darkwick Academy is our cover, as well as our training facility. In other words, we're the Japan branch of a heroic organization that defends world peace from the shadows."

I just blinked twice and nodded slowly. "Okay..." At least half of what Professor Hyde said went over my head... But having seen the anomalies he was describing with my own eyes, it was difficult for me to refute it. 'It's hard to believe but I guess this means that anomalies are the same as phantoms...'

"And not only am I a professor at Darkwick, I'm also one of the world's leading anomalous researchers~ I'm sure you've figured this out already, but I'm brilliant, so just lay back and spill all your secrets." 'I'd... rather not' I thought and sweatdropped. "Come on now, no need to be nervous! Let's get down to business." Professor Hyde sat back and called out merrily.

"Hodge! Podge! It's counseling time!" That's when two floating hands came in, holding a typewriter. 'Surprisingly... that's not the most shocking thing I've seen.' "I'm going to ask you some questions. All you have to do is answer truthfully. Don't overthink it." I nodded and the floating hands started typing. 

"Your said you encountered an anomaly covered head to toe in flowering plants, correct?" I nodded, "Yes, I did." "Did you see it's eye?" "An.. eye..?" I thought back to when I met the flower monster. "Yeah... It had one big eye where its face should have been." "Did you make eye contact?" He asked to which I nodded again. "I see... That's a shame. Hodge, Podge, write "Confirmed""

The sound of the letters being inscribed into the paper echoed throughout the quiet room. I laughed nervously. "Hmm? Oh sorry, are they distracting you? They like to people watch. The right hand with the red ribbon is Hodge. The left hand with the black lace glove is Podge." I just nodded again. "Don't worry. We just want to understand what happened to you." The right hand with the ribbon waved and me and I waved back. Meanwhile, the left hand tapped its index finger on the table somewhat impatiently.

"All right, let's take a peek inside your noggin next, shall we? Hopefully it didn't mess around in there too much. Take a look at these questions and pick the answer that vibes with you most. Just go with your first instinct."

[This does not really affect the main story. But I'm getting you Frostheim because of Kaito and Luca. But I personally got Jabberwock.]

Some photos were shown: The Tokyo tower, gothic setting with candles among red roses, friends holding up champagne glasses, clear blue skies among free green grass, wisteria trees, an aurora over a lake, and an hourglass. 

For this I chose: The Tokyo Tower

The next was asking my greatest fear: People thinking I'm boring, People thinking I'm ignorant, People thinking I'm a failure, People thinking I'm a bad person, Being surrounded by constant conflict, Being abandoned and alone, and Being powerless.

For this I chose: I'm a failure

Next, Which animal best represents you: An eagle, A lion, A tiger, A wolf, A cat, A bunny, and a snake

For this I chose: A lion

Which birthday gift would you want the most: Custom-made birthstone jewelry, Money, Tickets to my favorite museum, Handmade scrapbook of memories with friends, A plane ticket to my happy place, Luxury car, or something practical from my wish list.

For this I chose: Custom-made birthstone jewelry

How do you want people to remember you: Powerful, Open-minded, Trustworthy, Brave, Unique, intelligent, or successful.

For this I chose: Powerful

If you could have any superpower, what would it be: Shapeshifting, Never have to sleep, Time travel, Extreme luck, Make people follow my orders, Elemental powers, or Gravity control.

For this I chose: Shapeshifting

On a Saturday night you can be found...: Writing or drawing, Learning a new skill, Fundraising for a cause I'm passionate about, Boardgame night, Walking along the beach with a friend, Hosting a party with an exciting theme, or unwinding at a hip bar.

For this I chose:  Learning a new skill

What is your greatest flaw: I'm a perfectionist, I'm obsessive, I'm manipulative, I'm a pessimist, I'm anxious, I'm self conscious, or I'm complacent.

For this I chose: I'm a perfectionist

What food makes you happy: Pizza, Steak, Wine and cheese, Cookies shaped as cats, Pancakes with cream and fruits, or dessert with tea.

For this I chose: Steak

"All done!" Professor Hyde said as he grabbed all the photos and notes. in one hand and peered at the typewriter on the table. He read the words rapidly appearing on the paper and whistled. "Interesting, so you value success, huh? You're self-confident and relentless in the pursuit of your goals. In my experience, you'd do well in Frostheim House." I blinked twice. "Frostheim..?"

"Oh, they're going to draw it for you now. Don't waste any time, these two............. Looks like they're done." Then, Hodge and Podge gave me a card. "That's a Frostheim Warding card. It's their gift to you!"

I awed at the beautiful scene on the card. "It's beautiful!" The picture was far more impressive than I had anticipated, considering how quickly it had been drawn. Hodge extended its palm toward me, as though requesting a handshake. Wanting to show my gratitude, I  gripped the floating extended hand, and gently shook it.

We then got up and left. "Let's walk and talk. Wouldn't want to keep the chancellor waiting." I nodded as we walked out of the room. "I'm surprised that the cut on my leg is gone thanks to that medicine." I mentioned. "Hmm. Professor Nicolas knows his way around a mortar and pestle. Embarrassing in a fight though." I giggled. "Does he get in fights often?"

Professor Hyde shrugged. "You saw Taiga fighting that anomaly, didn't you?" I nodded. "It's pretty common for encounters with anomalies to result in a bit of a scuffle. The Warding Card Hodge and Podge made for you is handy in times like that." I hummed. "This card?" I asked and held up the blue card. "You got it. Each one has a different when you carry it with you. They give you certain advantages in combat. Not that you'll be fighting any anomalies, but FYI." 

"What's this picture?" I asked as my finger traced over the stairs. "It's a painting of the house I said you'd do well in. All students here have to belong to a house. When they go on missions, they usually form teams with other students from the same house. *Tch* Not that any of them actually do what they're told."

'Yup- This practically is Night Raven's College...' I thought and sighed. "By missions... Is that where they go looking for anomalies, like you said earlier?" "Investigate, capture, manage, research... the whole bag" Professor Hyde explained. "Students do all that? Impressive." I awed.

"Ahaha! Being here might change you definition of elite" I chuckled internally, comparing Taiga and Haku to Tsunotaro and Lilia. "And here we are, the very place from which our mighty lord chancellor rules over it all." I bit my lip as we entered. "Your humble servant has returned, chancellor."

Over Professor Hyde's shoulder, I caught a glimpse of a winding spiral staircase and an opulent chandelier. The chancellor's office exuded an air of dignity that turned outsiders away at the door. 'It's much more beautiful than Headmage Crowley's office! Bigger too!' I awed and looked around the place. "I brought the witness. Come over here." I nodded and stood beside Professor Hyde. "Um.. Hello..." I greeted.

"You're late!" My jaw dropped as I saw a boy with a cat eared hat. 'THAT'S THE CHANCELLOR?!'  "A-A-A kid?" I questioned in shock. We were almost the same height after all. The small boy with his hands on his hips and his cheeks puffed out stood glaring up at Professor Hyde. "I did a counseling session with her first. We won't get far without knowing the cause, will we?"

"But I'm the chancellor! You're supposed to consult me first!" I sweatdropped and almost gasped. 'He really is the chancellor?!' I took in a deep breath and continued to watch his and Professor Hyde converse.

"Right, right, my bad. Here's the results." "Not an inch of you thinks it's your bad, does it? Honestly, it's like you make my life difficult on purpose..." Muttering to himself, the boy took the papers from Professor Hyde and turned his back to us. "That's the chancellor of Darkwick Academy. Not what you expected, eh? He may look like he just graduated from diapers, but hes actually-" "I can hear you, Professor Hyde." "..... a very important person." I giggled at the professor's nervous remark.

"It's wonderful to meet you, [Y/n]! My name is Cornelius. Welcome to our humble Darkwick Academy!" I nodded and bowed a bit. "Nice to meet you. I must say, you're very young for a chancellor, aren't you?" The chancellor chuckled. "Aren't you sweet? I get that all the time!" I hummed and thought, 'I guess the staff at elite schools are just as unique as the students... At least he isn't like Headmage Crowley...'

"Meow! meow!" 'And this is a lot of cats...' "Hush, everyone! I have some important business with our guest." The chancellor smiled as he spoke to the cats. "Break time's over- back to your posts. Go on, off you trot!" "Meow! Meow!" Upon the chancellor's command, he cats dashed up the staircase and, one by one, leapt through the window. "All right, that's them dealt with. Please, take a seat." I nodded and sat down. "Thank you..."

"I'll head out too, then. The materials on the anomaly are over here, Chancellor." "All right, thank you!" The chancellor thanked professor Hyde. "He's a little long-winded, but hand in there. Bye-Bye!" Professor Hyde waved to me with his hands folded behind his head, then strode unhurriedly from the office. "Honestly, that man just does not know when to shut his mouth... Anyway, had a rough time of it, haven't you? Let's take a look at your counseling results... Wonderful! No psychological interference." 

"Sorry... What exactly is this meeting for?" I asked, tilting my head. The lack of explanation was making me increasingly anxious. "Ahem... Well.... this is awfully difficult to say..." All of a sudden the chancellor stared at me with a serious expression.

"You've been cursed, and in one year's time, you will die."

𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫: [ 6 | Cursed] 『😈』

[bambiraptorx]

Back in this poll I did, Wall of Handprints and gargoyle lore tied for an infodump. The Wall of Handprints info is here (it's basically a communal art piece in the Hidden City that's been continued for several centuries), now on to the gargoyle lore. (Gonna be completely honest, I forgot which of the seven different phone documents I use for writing fic stuff I originally wrote this in, so it took a while to find.)

Huginn and Muninn's species (which I've named pygmy gargoyles due to the fact that all other gargoyles we see are HUGE compared to them) live in large groups, called warrens or hives, usually anywhere between 50-200 members. As a species they reproduce asexually, basically through enchanting rocks to create a sentient lifeform, not unlike a homunculus. In fact, certain parts of the scientific community argue that pygmy gargoyles should be considered homunculi, but since classification as homunculi would seriously mess up their legal status as something of an independent colony not directly governed by the Council of Heads, most pygmy gargoyles don't like the term.

Doing the enchantments to create new gargoyles is actually a very intensive and complicated process, usually involving the whole warren, because enchanting rocks to bring them to life takes a lot of mystic energy (and since gargoyles are maintained as living beings purely through mystic energy, they don't have much to spare). They tend to do these enchantments in batches for the sake of energy efficiency, so the vast majority of gargoyles are automatically born with same age peers that they call hatchmates. Usually these groups are of about 4-7 new goyles at once, but they occasionally are larger for warrens that do the enchantments less frequently (usually ones that have a larger population).

After the goyles are 'born', a small handful of adults will take responsibility for raising them (this is determined before the enchantment is started so that only gargoyles interested in becoming parents will become parents). You have easily three to six direct caretakers--parents--and the rest of the community steps in as needed, something like uncles/aunts, grandparents, or cousins. Gargoyles are not born able to fly, and not all of them develop that ability. For the most part, though, it's a marker of development similar to puberty that they develop around their adolescent years. As a result, gargoyle children are most often called walklings, then flightlings as they start learning how to fly and gradually get better at it.

Pygmy gargoyles, as a rule, address the adults most involved in their upbringing with parental terms, and other less involved adults with familial terms. However, the exact titles are up to the individual kids. One might call someone 'Mama' and one of their hatch mates might call that same person 'Aunt'. Also, it's not uncommon for a kid to switch the terms the use for a given caretaker, so someone might be "Dad" one day, and "Uncle" another. Again, there's no biological connection, so the exact title isn't super important, but more or less indicates a level of closeness.

When gargoyles reach adulthood, they have a coming-of-age ceremony where they pick a new name for themselves. Hatchmates do not always have this ceremony together, as 'adulthood' is defined fairly nebulously based on several factors (flying strength/skill, educational level, social skills, etc), and in fact it's more common for them to have individual ceremonies over the course of several months or years. This ceremony is usually attended by a gargoyle's parents, hatchmates, and close friends. Huginn and Muninn had theirs together, so they picked matching names.

Some random facts: as inorganic beings, gargoyles don't have all the needs as organic ones. Yes, they can eat, but they don't need to. They also aren't capable of truly sleeping; it's more like napping, zoning out, or purposely ignoring the world around them. Most of them have a very good sense of direction (usually as a result of some magnetic material like magnetite or hematite being included during their creation). Also, they do have their own flight-based language, but this post is already massive so I won't go into that right now.

[archivalofsins]

Gonna be real, and it may seem hypocritical to some folks.

People who try to speak for everyone are kind of annoying. The types who are just so committed to their way of seeing things that they're like everyone should do things this way. It would just work if everyone just behaved this way and end up falling into black and white thinking. Putting people into camps of right and wrong. Then creating rule books on how to treat certain things or people.

That they then frame as common sense advice on how to engage with things. It just comes off conscending and full of oneself. It feels deeply rooted in this hollow idea that no one is different from I am. So, of course, this will work. This is what I want so everyone else will, too. Like I didn't start writing about Milgram because I thought anyone would agree with me or I wanted to be right/prove myself right. I did it because I wanted to talk about something I enjoyed.

Not to win some imaginary debate. A lot of the ways people talk about anything these days is to just win that imagined debate. To shoe I'm a good person, I'm a civil person, I'm a progressive person, I know how to treat marginalized individuals amd am a safe space for them. Yet people like that are usually the unsafest. They usually have this narrow idea of what a marginalized looks like and it's usually conveniently framed as someone beneath them in every way.

An individual who they can speak over, white knight for but never really have to take seriously. If they start advocating for themselves or disagreeing with what they're saying they're suddenly stripped pf marginalized status. They aren't the sort of person they're making a safe space for anymore. They got uppity when they should've have just shut up and let the people who know better protect them.

I've experienced it a lot this sort.of mindset it's the same one that makes it easy for cops to turn a black person from the person who called them to a threat. The same one that makes people look at the person who was attacked as the aggressor. It's in every if you didn't want that to happen you shouldn't have talked back, you shouldn't have been combative, you shouldn't have been hostile, you shouldn't have done anything or vocalized an opinion in the slightest.

Just let the people who know better tell others how to treat you. Just let the people who have told everyone how you should be treated all your life keep telling people how to treat you. It's easy to see as a black woman because that's mostly all of life for a black woman. Having a lot of people who claim they no better telling people how to treat you and as soon as you say well actually I'd like you to ask me how I'd want to be treated being laughed at, actively harrassed, or told you aren't black enough to be able to contribute to that conversation.

A lot of the ways people talk about issues online is similar to that. It's not different or more progressive it's the same slop where someone is trying to dominate the conversation on how marginalized individuals should be treated. They try to create cheat sheets or checklists for people to try out on their resident marginalized test subject. Something that feels gross, annoying, and no different from anything from the past to me.

That's why I tend to be rather antisocial in online settings. One of the things getting into Milgram made me acutely aware of is hoe this mindset continues to be applied in concersations around mental health in online circles. At my kindest I'd describe conversations regarding mental health online as presumptuous and downright displays of self-centered indifference at my worst.

Where people literally just say stuff that has only ever worked for them or would be nice for them but would actually make me want to drop kick a mother fucker into the ground if done to me. Then, in response to criticism of said points, will more than likely go,

"Well, has anyone considered it wasn't referring to everyone. Maybe this person doesn't even have x or it's less severe for them than others. I was talking to soecific people not everyone."

I believe the phrase some may be looking for is in my experience, from my perspective, or any variation. They all go a long way. Mostly people who phrase things in that fashion aren't talking for everyone or even attempting to. They're trying to illustrate something that they believe would be helpful for others because it helped them. They're just expressing that in an overheneralized sometimes inflamatory manner because thats what gets attention.

Because that's what people pay attention to. Everyone wants a short cut for communicating with others who may think in ways different from theirselves. Yet, communicating isn't meant to be easy. Sometimes a person is going to have to do heavy lifting and mess up to get it right.

Sometimes, there's no convenient article that will lay out how to talk to the neurodivergent people in ones life or any particular individual who deviates from what is considered the societal norm where they are. There isn't supposed to be sometime the only way to properly communicate with someone is to just straightforwardly do that eye to eye or on an even level. No bullshit or gimmicks.

The only thing trying to create a one size fits all solution does is exclude the people that size ends up not fitting. It further divides and isolates marginalized individuals from community and creates unwarranted scrutiny when that advice doesn't work. It makes people once again question if that person is really what they are because if they were, then that would have helped, right?

It makes people more comfortable with pushing through on their own because no one ekse will understand. It becomes easy to go, "I'm fine with living in ambiguity if it means I don't have to affiliate myself with people like that." Or "I dont do x so I definitely can't be y."

That's the price of presenting things as monoliths. It becomes less about helping all people and more about helping certain types of people.

Then the most wild thing is how easy it becomes for the people who need the most help to not bother with seeking it out. For them to stop caring people or groups consecutively portray the things that impact them as monoliths that only work one way. It becomes easy because those people are already used to being overlooked, systems failing them, and being excluded.

So it's easier to just go, closed minded doesn't even cut it. We might as well start calling some people's brains Fort Knox because nothing is getting in there. Or not bothering saying anything at all. Because it's not like anything is going to change if one does. This is pretty much what Yuno's mindset in her second interrogation feels like to me.

It's frustration in k owing that regardless of what you say you won't be heard because everyone around you thinks they know more about you than you do. It was.impressive how it embodied that feeling.