#I did my best y'all

[daydreamerwonderkid]

Holy shit, my inbox is finally empty again O_O

[problematicfavecompetition]

Problematic Fave Bracket

All right, here is the bracket for the Problematic Fave Competition (or the Problemacket as I have it saved in my computer lol)! There are 64 characters competing hoping to be picked Most Problematic Fave 2k23! The bracket is incredibly hard to read with so many names on it, so the four rounds are listed beneath the readmore!

Round 1A:

Goro Akechi (Persona 5) vs Eichi Tenshouin (Ensemble Stars)

Bakugou Katsuki (My Hero Academia) vs Lime (Witch's Heart)

Ansui (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) vs Yura Beletsky (Parties are for Losers)

Teruhashi (Saiki K) vs Dabi (My Hero Academia)

Felix Fathom (Miraculous Ladybug) vs Sasha Waybright (Amphibia)

The Astronaut (Steam Powered Giraffe) vs Aravaros (Dragon Prince)

Knight Commander Meredith (Dragon Age 2) vs Signora (Genshin Impact)

Catra (She-Ra) vs Boscha (Owl House)

Round 1B:

Jasper (Dragon Quest X) vs Envy (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Dr. Carmilla (The Mechanisms) vs Kuvira (Legend of Korra)

William Afton (FNAF) vs Kano (Mortal Combat)

Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia) vs Rio Ranger (Your Turn to Die)

Fenris (Dragon Age 2) vs Berkut (Fire Emblem Echoes)

Kenny (Telltale's The Walking Dead) vs Hanako-kun (Toilet Bound Hanako)

Layla Winton (You, Me, and the Apocalypse) vs Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Patches Ito (Purrfect Apawcalypse) vs Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Round 1C:

Edelgard (Fire Emblem Three Houses) vs Kylo Ren (Star Wars)

Dottore Genshin Impact) vs Kokichi Ouma (New Danganronpa v3)

Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death) vs Jinx (Arcane)

Shiori Takatsuki (Revolutionary Girl Utena) vs Sukuna (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Silco (Arcan) vs Light Yagami (Death Note)

Illumi Zoldyke (HunterxHunter) vs Midori (Your Turn to Die)

Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto) vs Alphys (Undertale)

Makima (Chainsaw Man) vs Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe)

Round 1D:

Skeksil the Chamberlain (Dark Crystal Age of Resistance) vs Emperor Belos (Owl House)

Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond (Steven Universe) vs Ianthe Tridentarius (The Locked Tomb Trilogy)

Anders (Dragon Age 2) vs Jurgen Leitner (The Magnus Archives)

Scaramouchd (Genshin Impact) vs Donatello (TMNT 2012)B

Adam (Sk8 the Infinity) vs Chloe (Fire Emblem Engage)

JD (Heathers) vs Moash (Stormlight Archives)

Vriska (Homestuck) vs Nagito Komaeda (Super Danganronpa 2)

Luther Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy) vs Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones)

[broteinshake69]

Medical discussion and analysis on Ruben

@seradyn​ Since Shinji Mikami and the team at Tango did such a piss poor job on covering the plight of burn survivors in a game that dehumanizes one - Ruben - based on his (untreatable, let’s be honest) mental illness and actions as a serial killer, I’m going to attempt to shed some light on some details that they tried and failed to explain through vague ass flashbacks and Ruben’s character design/appearance/disfigured posture. We’re not here to pat Ruben on the back and say he’s a good person, he isn’t, but what we are doing is acknowledging that Ruben never had a fair chance at a normal, productive life, and stability, and that his disfigurement was the symptom and reason - aside from Laura’s death - for why he spiraled. It was the reason his father rejected him and locked him up, it was the reason he hid himself from the rest of society once free after almost a full decade of abuse and neglect, and it was the reason his mental health deteriorated when he was isolated. I apologize if my tone is patronizing and rude in this discussion, I’ve had to swallow so much hateful, opinionated idiocy and bullshit from the people I’ve roleplayed with (and even just new and old fans in general) over the years, and yeah. It’s made me a bit bitter and I now realize how ableist people are about Ruben. People are horrible and shallow - surprise! Medical analysis and explanation starts below.

I may also cover the damaging psychological effects that long-term solitary confinement cause in adults in another post. I doubt I’ll be able to find much literature on children, since Ruben was 10 years old when he was forced to live alone, so we can just assume that in children, it’s even more devastating. There are so many things that go wrong internally from massive burn injuries like Ruben’s, and there’s too many to cover, but I’ll try my best... We already know that Ruben has chronic migraines, seizures, thermoregulation issues, and nerve loss, which are all the caused by burn injuries, but things like muscle growth, bone density, and hair growth, are all effected, as well as the development of nervous system disorders (seizures, headaches), impaired digestion (metabolic issues), recurrent infections, and loss of mobility to name a few, and the list goes on. Ruben has them all and the fact that it doesn’t get discussed anymore tells me that people don’t know or care. But I guess it’s easier (and more appealing) for some people to dumb him down and look at him as just a homicidal ghost...but anyway. Before I really get into it, it’s also important to consider that in the 1980′s, the time when Ruben would’ve been “treated”, that medical technologies and therapies for burn wounds would’ve been lacking compared to now. Ruben also lived rurally, and in the middle of nowhere, which would’ve created even more complications. So, one of the most notable things about Ruben’s appearance next to the massive patches of burn scarring will no doubt be his hair loss. His eyebrow hair, which was sparse to begin with if you note his child model, is completely gone. His scalp hair is gone, also. Since Ruben was a child when he was burned, the changes to his hormones were drastic, and though it would appear he did develop, physically, as well as his voice getting deeper as he aged, in my understanding his situation is different from adults who are burned. Children who are still developing will obviously have a different physiological response to severe burn scars. I did some reading on burn alopecia and it does seem to affect hair regrowth. 

There’s a lot of literature available on this topic, including alopecia in children, not just related to burn injuries. According to some articles I read, PTSD and trauma can cause alopecia. I would say that such is the case for Ruben, and that he suffers alopecia as a result of extensive burn injuries, and that due to being a child, his system was effected and the stress placed on his body and system from massive injuries, Laura’s death, and the psychological trauma of disfigurement are the reasons for his baldness/inability to grow hair. The other notable thing about Ruben is his poor posture—WHICH IS NOT HIS FAULT, don’t get mad at me, guys. But your neck is not supposed to slope down and forward like that, there’s a medical reason for this. He always has his head bowed, his neck is usually lowered in an unhealthy position. In burn survivors, this is caused by burn contractures (a medical term used in diagnosing burn injuries) which is when the burned area tightens up, loses elasticity and becomes hardened, thusly putting strain on the surrounding healthy skin, and making natural movement difficult and sometimes impossible depending on where the scar contracture occurred and how the burned flesh fused. For example, if Ruben’s chin was against his collarbone during the burn injury, he would’ve fused to his collarbone, creating a fused burn contracture. I’m sorry for that description, but it’s either that or I post a picture, which I’m not going to be doing on here for obvious reasons. In general, Ruben’s posture is called “forward head posture”:

You can see where the skin under Ruben’s chin has become warped and has fused with his neck, and how the skin appears thicker and swollen, which is what happens with burn injuries unfortunately. Luckily, his skin isn’t fused in a problematic position for him, but he still suffers from burn contractures and this position causes strain, too, but perhaps not as much as fighting it would. Continuing on the topic of burn contractures, they’re a problem around the major joint areas (ankles, knees, pelvis, wrists, fingers, elbows, neck) and a reason why Ruben needed the aid of a wheelchair. Contractures also impede fine motor skills such as writing and something as simple as holding a fork to eat. If you look at his hands, you can see that writing and using his hands would’ve been difficult for him. Keratin loss (responsible for toe/fingernail growth) is also a side effect of burn injury and in Ruben’s appearance, you can see that he lacks toe nails and doesn’t have much left of his fingernails as a result of his burns.

Alright...I think that concludes the discussion, but if guys can think of anything else or just feel like chiming in with your own thoughts, please, feel free to do so! I might even repost this and make it shorter, or go more in depth. The physiological ramifications of burn injuries are huge and varied, especially considering childhood development, and I think that should say enough, too, but I know it really doesn’t. That’s why I thought I would go over some of the physical evidence of Ruben’s issues. Thanks for reading, guys, and take care!

[yangjeongin]

HYUNJIN | 241005 LIVE

[kokokoula]

when it comes to you, tsukishima finds himself being protective of you without even trying.

he hears your worries about the same friend for maybe the hundredth time, about how they got mad at you for something incredibly harmless and for you being you. he rolls his eyes at your friend's overbearing insecurity and their lack of taste in people as he seemingly reads his book. he had suggested you find a better friend, but you insist they make you happy. he scoffs at that. he himself already makes you happy, why would you need someone else who can't even give you half the joy he does? he doesn't say that though, instead he insists in turn that he comes along with you the next time you two meet. he can already imagine yamaguchi surprised at him for volunteering to go to a social gathering.

"you won't scare them off?" you make him promise and as much as he wants to make them feel sorry for ever hurting you, he sighs and promises. on that day, he stands right behind you, keeping an eye out for every single interaction you have with your friend. you introduce kei, and his looming expression doesn't change. he sees their uncomfortable smile and avoiding of his gaze, and couldn't help but smirk. you nudge him with your elbow, and tsukishima ruffles your hair. "don't worry, pipsqueak." he says, keeping his voice low.

tsukishima isn't a fan of any sort of pda, but throughout the entire time, he makes sure to have some sort of physical contact with you. it could be an arm around your shoulders, or just rubbing soothing circles on the back of your hand. the last thing he wants is you feeling anxious about your friend, despite you assuring him you were perfectly ok. you know of his well intentions, and at the end of the day when your friend has left, you treat him to strawberry shortcake.

"what's this?" he asks as he digs his fork into the cake. you intertwine your fingers with his free hand.

"just for you being, well, you." you grin and he melts like he always do when you smile at him. he gives you the first bite.

"you're gonna be the death of me, love."

[psychologicalwarclaire]

Wu trained Morro at the same time that Garmadon was training with Chen which MEANS that Misako was around to see what the pressure of wanting and training to be the Green Ninja could lead to.

So later when she had Lloyd and KNEW that he would be the legendary Green Ninja, do you think she thought of the child Wu had once trained? The kid who became so obsessed with proving himself that he put himself in danger time and time again? The little boy who ran off into the night and never came back?

After seeing that, is it any wonder why she didn't want to leave her son-- the actual Green Ninja-- to be trained by Wu at such a young age?

Maybe a boarding school for bad boys would never make him want to be a hero. Maybe it would keep him safe from the destructive power of destiny. Maybe Darkley's was the only way to save her beloved son, Lloyd Garmadon, from himself.

Maybe Misako remembered Morro. And maybe, just maybe, she knew it would be best if her son never turned into someone like that.

[the---hermit]

how I take notes on non fiction books

I recently made a post on my study method, and decided to make a whole separate post on my note taking method. The structure of the notes I write doesn't vary too much from my lecture notes to things I might have to read. A couple of useful informations you might want to know before I start actually talking about note writing is that I am mainly focused on studying history (tho I have had other humanities exams in my degrees), and that I study for oral exams in which the material is mainly composed of non fiction books, but sometimes include articles as well as lecture notes. Somehow I have also failed to mention that I am speaking about HANDWRITTEN NOTES. I only do handwritten notes, I don't work well digitally, so keep that in mind. And with this being said brace yourselves for a very long post. The bullet points I will be making are not really in a specific order and I will be including a few pictures too.

The first step when I am working on the materials for an exam is to figure out in which order I will be reading (and writing notes) the books. This hasn't really much to do with the notes themselves, but it's important to know which of your materials is more general and what other things go more in depth, so that you don't struggle too much while studying. Another plan related thing I always do is to write down each chapter of the book I have to study on my bullet journal and how many pages it is so I can plan my studying more comfortably. If the chapters are very long, and divided in subchapters I sometimes also write those down.

The goal of the notes I write is to fully take the place of the book, so they tend to be very detailed and long. I do this because the very act of writing is part of my study method, and working on things I have written down in my own words is just much better for the type of learner I am. So basically I read the book only once, then it goes back on the shelf and I work exclusively on the notes. This means my notes need to be detailed and well organized.

My method is to read a chapter, underlining important stuff as I am reading, and then right after I am done reading I work on the notes for that chapter before moving onto the next. I do this because it makes the note writing more effortless, I am fresh with informations I just read and I basically just need to skim over what I have underlined.

On underlining, since it is so important. I underline everything I will be including in my notes, it might seem much as sometimes it consists of full paragraphs, instead of key words. But this is okay because my notes I don't just copy and paste.

To create useful notes you need to be re-elaborating the informations. You need to read, understand what you read, and be able to write it down using your own words. That way the notes will be easier to review, they will often be composed of shorter sentences, and by doing so you are also actively making writing part of your studying and not just a mindless activity.

Personally I don't work well with full pages summaries, I need the text to be visually broken into sentences/small paragraphs, and I use a lot of symbols as well as abbreviations.

Symbols and abbreviations are in a way part of your very own language when you are writing notes, you tend to develop these with time, but they are so useful. I personally use different types of arrows, all caps words, position of the text in the page, different methods of highlighting and abbreviations (usually for words that come up often like country names, for example Italy becomes ita, France becomes fr, etc.).

Your notes need to be useful for you, they don't have to necessarily be comprehensible for another person (which means you can and will fuck up sentence structure because sometimes skipping a couple of words makes the notes shorter and still understandable), and they do not have to be pretty. They should be as tidy as possible, but again that might change from person to person, I have some very messy looking notes that make total sense to me. With time you'll learn what works best for you.

I have a visual memory so as I mentioned titles, highlighters, all caps, the placement on the page and other similar things are very important in my notes. I cannot fully exapain some of these things because some definitely only make sense to me in the moment (like the words I choose to write in all caps, or the way I highlight things).

I like to have a clear chapter and subchapter break (so that in case I need to refer back to the book it's super effortless). I like to write those with a red pen, usually the chapter title is in all caps and the subchapter in coursive, but it really depends.

I use only two highlighters in each set of notes yellow for dates, and the colour I associate with the book/the subject of the book (I have synesthesia I don't make the rules when it comes to colours). This of course might change depending your preferences and on the element of your notes you want to focus on. I like to have spacific colour for dates and time periods, because of course while studying history that is a fundamental element. If you are focusing on other subjects you might want to have a specific colour for names, or other elements.

I like to leave a big side margin to add either key words (especially in lecture notes since they might be messier and jump around informations more often), or additional information in a second time (sometimes it happens, after you read another book, or attended a particular lecture you have to add a couple of sentences and I rather have a blank space that never gets used rather than no space at all for emergencies).

I honestly mentioned everything that came to mind right away, but since note writing is now basically a mindless skill I have been practicing for years I surely forgot about something. I might end up adding to this post in the future or write another one. My note-writing method has also changed a lot thought the years from high school to university, it's a skill I have been perfecting for the past decade. This to say that depending on what you are working on things might change, and by experimenting with different things you might find out things that work very well for you. If you have any questions on specific things I didn't mention or that wen't clear my inbox is always open and I am more than happy to help.

Since this post is already very very long I am adding the pictures below the cut

Example of a page of notes before and after highlighting

Example of symbols and structure of the notes and the way I highlight things (in which you'll hopefully be able to understand my handwriting, and in which there might be some spelling errors but alas that often happens in my real notes as well so if there are any it's for the sake of accuracy lmao). If I end up adding informations on the margins I always use a pen of a different color so I can tell which informations I got from what source (ex. main notes from lecture, colorful notes from additional article).

Example of messier notes in which the main text in black are the notes I took during lectures and the additional colorful text was added while writing the materials (I rarely do this, it usually happens when the lectures follow a book precisely, which happens when we have to study books or summaries written by the professor). As you can see I often use post it notes to add more writing space, and sometime I even use them to create visually separated sections. If I end up adding some drawings I also usually like to have them on post it notes so they stand out more (and if you are wondering why the hell would an history student need drawings it's usually either because I need a map or a region/state to mark things out, or when studying for archaeology exams I often needed visual references, for example to identify different types of vases or decorations).

[maharellasa]

me selecting a lavellan inquisitor who romanced solas and promised to save him during the story selection mode in cc

[pkmn-go-to-the-polls]

Just wanted to say, thanks for posting that last poll tournament! Hanamusa was basically my gateway back into the wider Pokémon fandom (I’ve still played most of the core games bar Sword/Shield, but I dropped off the anime around the middle of X/Y), so I’ve got a lot of attachment there, but I learned a lot from seeing all the different pairings and it was really fun seeing people championing them (and I’ll always be an Appealshipping cheerleader!).

I know setting up these polls is what you set up this account for, but I also know it takes a lot of work and setup, so thanks!

THANK YOUUU ;_; THIS MEANS A LOT!! im so happy that people have been enjoying the tournament!!

[cinamun]

I feel accomplished so I'm documenting this now in case my game breaks into a billion pieces.

Game updated

Mods updated

DX11 batch fix complete (that bitch ran for 3 hours)

TS4 folder currently copying back to where it belongs

Story updates in the drafts for Tuesday & Thursday

Now we load the game and wait.

[elitadream]

Sorry you've been feeling poorly. Hope you feel better soon ❤️‍🩹

MY HEART. WHY, YOU INSANELY TALENTED AND CONSIDERATE HUMAN BEING-!!

Brb. Gotta go lie down and cry. (;﹏;)

[java-dragon]

Bookbinding for Beginners by a Beginner

All of the stuff I've written thus far. [October 28th 2023]

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Five and A Half

Part Six [Added October 31st 2023]

Trouble Shooting Aside [Added November 11th 2023]

Part Seven [Added November 16th 2023]

Part Eight- and Final Post (Until I ultimately write more, cause lets face it, I've already started tweaking how I do things) [Added November 29th 2023]

[simplepotatofarmer]

Sixteenth Day Event Prompt:

Dream makes fun of Technoblade's style in prison

"I gotta be honest, Dream," said Techno, with a deep breath, rubbing his hands over his knees.

Dream preemptively rolled his eyes; it had been a week (or he thought it had been a week, Dream was counting the days based on when Techno slept which wasn't the best way of telling time but a lot better than his previous method of just guessing) and already he knew Techno's little tells.

"Your decoratin' skills leave a lot to be desired. This cell is not very welcomin' or homey."

"WHAT?"

In the same way Dream knew that Techno had been preparing to say something that would rile him up, he knew Techno's comment was bullshit. Techno didn't actually think Dream had been responsible for the decoration of the cell and he wasn't actually upset it wasn't homey, whatever the fuck that meant, but that wouldn't stop Dream from reacting as if he did.

"I'm just sayin', where are the personal touches?"

Dream rolled his eyes again, exaggerated, struggling to keep his mouth pressed into a straight line. The muscles of his face ached a little.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, "I'll get- I'll get right on decorating the cell I've been locked up in for months." Techno was nodding, face fake-serious, and Dream almost laughed. "Maybe I'll get a- a houseplant or whatever."

Techno was still nodding, fingers tapping along his chin. When his gaze flicked towards Dream, there was a sort of relieved sadness in his eyes. Dream studiously ignored that look.

"A nice paintin' would really spruce things up in here."

A snort escaped Dream. He was slowly losing the battle. His mouth curled upwards.

"Even if- Even if I could get a painting, I'm not going to trust you. Y-your style sucks, Techno."

"HEH??"

Now Dream laughed; the look on Techno's face was still mostly an act, he knew that, but it was a funny one. Goal achieved, he guessed.

"You're wearing a fancy ass cloak in prison. You have- You have a crown! It's actually ridiculous," said Dream, crossing his arms over his chest. The smile was still on his face and Techno still looked relieved beneath the feigned offense.

"Oh, I see, I see." The cell wasn't large. It took Techno three steps to stand next to Dream but he somehow managed to give the impression of ambling his way over. "You're jealous, Dream. I mean, you do dress like a weird homeless man so it's understandable."

Dream's eye-rolling muscles were getting a workout.

"You're so stupid. I'm not jealous."

"No, no, no, I get it, Dream. You don't need to pretend. We're best friends, right?" Techno's fingers brushed the back of Dream's head before placing his hand over his heart. "And because I'm such a good friend, I'm willin' to share."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Dream asked even though Techno was already taking off his cloak. It would have been too much work to move - Dream's hips were sore, his whole body was sore, and the obsidian hurt his knees - and moving wouldn't have stopped Techno anyway.

Draping the cloak around Dream's shoulder, Techno sunk to the floor next to him. The cloak was soft and heavy. It smelled like smoke and sweat and pine sap and dog. The fur tickled Dream's face. He rubbed the collar against his skin, cheeks going red when he noticed Techno watching him.

To offset the sudden awkwardness of vulnerability, Techno said with a groan, "I'd let you borrow my crown, man, but it wouldn't fit. Your head is kinda tiny compared to mine."

"Fuck off, Techno, my- my head is not tiny."

Techno laughed while Dream hid his face in the cloak.

"Sure, Dream, I believe you." Techno wrapped an arm around him, not caring with such ease when his arm was crushed between Dream's bony back and the obsidian wall that Dream wondered if that had been the plan from the beginning. "I believe you."

@sixteenth-day-event

[stood-onthecliffside]

album cover

title + track names release via billboards

website (better quality under cut)

concert ticket

the secret of us by @gracieabrams : an experience reimagined

[its-your-mind]

HEY. HEY.

HEY @re-dracula WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO HAVE JONATHAN ACTUALLY READING THAT PASSAGE OUT LOUD BEHIND SEWARD DESCRIBING THE SCENE, HUH? WITH THE TEARS IN HIS VOICE AND THE PAUSING AND THE SHORT LITTLE INHALES AND THE VOICE CRACKS? WAS IT TRULY NECESSARY??? I WAS ALREADY CRYING. I DIDN'T NEED THIS TOO. WHAT THE FUCK.

[cloysterbell]