#I don't bother with aesthetics/cores much

[shortcakelils]

What is your “core”/aesthetic? Why?

I'm not sure tbh??? I never really thought about it and if I did I can't decide aesthetics, so I guess whatever you guys think fits me then that's what I am (as long as it's not too weird)

[bambisspeckles]

Stowaway ✿ Poly Pirate!141 x Reader

*pics for aesthetics only!

Summary: You accidentally sneak onto pirate crew 141's ship CW: Inaccurate depiction of pirates, poly!141, fem!reader, ghost and price are kinda assholes (for right now), soap is well soap, gaz is an angel sent from heaven, reader is held captive (ish), stockholm syndrome core but like in the way beauty and the beast is, no romance yet (sorry, but don't worry it won't really be a slowburn), self-edited! WC: 1.8k

It was a mistake, honestly you should have just stayed put. You have no idea why you thought it'd be a good idea to sneak onto any ship, at all, ever.

You suppose this cruel fate is karma for your actions.

It started in the early hours of the morning, when many passenger ships were docked. You had decided to pack a small bag with your most important belongings and sneak into one of the ships cargo holds. In theory it was a good idea, you figured most of the crew we be pretty occupied tending to passengers needs, therefore your chances of getting caught and thrown into the ocean were slim. It's a shame you the ship you decided to board wasn't a passenger ship.

You should have known, it didn't look remotely like a passenger ship. There weren't any nice amenities, only one small dining room, not nearly enough beds for the amount of people that come to and from your island, and there were too many suspicious looking locked chests. There was a voice inside your head screaming for you to get off the ship but the adrenaline being pumped through your body was too high, and the yearning to escape the hell your home brought to you overruled almost all your sense of logic and reasoning. When you found the cargo hold, you didn't even think twice before making your way inside, quickly scanning your surroundings to find the best place to hide. You decide to hide behind some unmarked crates, figuring they'd be bothered the least. You squeeze your body behind the boxes, maneuvering so all of you can be hidden well.

It feels like you're there for days, realistically you know that's not true, but you're so close to leaving this island and never looking back. No matter how tempted you are to bolt, you keep yourself firmly planted behind the crates. Finally, you hear voices, it doesn't seem like there's very many people and that makes your anxiety sky rocket, but it's much too late to sneak off and try to find another ship to become a stowaway in. Pushing your knees further into your chest, you take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm your nerves. For hours you hear voices and footsteps above you, but no one seems to have any suspicions. In fact it's been so calm the rocking of the ship has your eyes fluttering shut, you've been fighting sleep but nothing has transpired for so long maybe a few minutes of shut eye won't hurt. As your mind battles between alertness and staying asleep you hear something.

Footsteps. Coming down the steps, right into the cargo hold.

Your heart drops into your stomach and your breath hitches. You squeeze your body into itself in an attempt to make it smaller, one of your hands coming to clasp your mouth shut. The footsteps get louder and louder until you see a large figure standing in the archway. You go rigid as you get a better look at him. He's no average sailor, he's a fucking pirate.

"Great." You think wryly. "If he finds me then I really am dead."

He's moving around some boxes, you're not quite sure why, and for a moment you think he has no clue you're there.

Unfortunately for you, that's where you're wrong.

In the blink of an eye he grabs you from behind your crate wall, holding you by the scruff of your neck like a naughty kitten. The look in his eye is dark, and the rest of his face is covered by a mask, a skull print adorning the fabric. He says nothing, only staring at you for a moment before throwing you over his shoulder and walking back up the steps, presumably to bring you to the rest of the crew.

Oh. you're totally fucked now.

The mans footsteps attract the attention of his crew as he walks across the deck, when he stops walking, he practically throws you onto the ground, forcing you to kneel before three other men.

"Wha' a bonnie thing she is… S' what tha' noise was? Was startin' worry I was finally losin' it." A man, Scottish you think, says as he stares at you. His thumb dragging down the side of your face as a devilish smirk graces his lips.

You flinch under his touch and the Scotsman quickly removes his hand but his touch is soon replaced by another, a man much more imposing than he. Rough hands gripping your face, forcing you to meet his gaze.

"Was wonderin' why it sounded like there was a rat down in the cargo," A dark glint flashes through his eyes, but it's gone as quickly as it appeared. "Now tell me, stowaway, wha' the hell are ya doin' on my ship."

Tears well in your eyes as you struggle against his grip, and you can feel his impatience growing as he waits for you to respond. After another moment, the final man turns to speak to you.

"Captain asked ya a question love, best answer him before he gets angry." His voice is surprisingly gentle, and when you meet his gaze, soft brown eyes stare back at you, eyes filled with pity.

The look in his eye breaks you, and fat tears begin rolling down the apples of your cheeks.

"I'm… I'm sorry!" You choke out your words between sobs, your body taut under the piercing gaze of the Captain.

A beat of silence passes before the Captain of the ship releases you from his grip, your body crumbling into itself.

"I didn't know! I didn't- I don't… I just wanted to leave! I promise I didn't take anything a-and you can drop me off at your next stop, just please don't hurt me…" Your words come out watery, your voice hoarse and snot coming out of your nose, ugly sobbing as these men surround you.

The man with the soft brown eyes crouches down next you, his gentle hand wiping tears off your cheeks.

"You poor thing, you're all outta' sorts. M' sure you didn't mean any harm…" He looks towards his Captain but his head is still angled in your direction. "Go easy on her sir, poor thing is trembling."

The Captain scoffs, his arms folding over his chest as he studies you, his gaze scrutinizing, piercing through you.

"She shoulda' thought of that before sneaking onto my ship." He gives you another once over before ordering you to stand on your feet. You figure it's best to do what he says so you rise from the ground, knees almost buckling under you.

The group of men stare at you for a while, seemingly unsure of what to do with you. After a few moments, a deep voice from behind finally speaks, you turn to look at him, his skull mask making your spine tingle with terror.

"We should just throw er' off the ship, no bloody reason to keep the thing around." You wince at the way he refers to you, objectifying, dehumanizing.

"Now, now, Ghost, nae reason tae make such a hasty decision. The kitten's completely harmless! I say we keep er', it'll be so nice to have a bonnie thing on board." The man, Ghost, scoffs.

"We don' need liabilities layin' around Johnny. Sides' got no use for er'. M' sure Price is inclined to agree with me." Ghost turns his head towards Price, presumably waiting for some type of agreeance on what he said.

Before the Captain can even get a word out, he's interjected.

"M' inclined to agree with Soap- for different reasons," He pauses shooting Soap a look, but he merely shrugs back. "But I agree all the same. I mean look at er' poor thing is terrified, I doubt she came to pillage our goods Captain."

Price sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he mulls over his, limited, options. Everyone, including you, waits for him with bated breath. Selfishly, you hope he'll keep you around a bit longer, at least then you'll get a chance to make an escape plan.

Finally, the Captain speaks.

"She can stay, for now. We can keep er' in the cellar until I figure out wha' the hell to do with her." His words carry a tone of finality, a fact that has Ghost scoffing.

"You're jus' pickin' sides cause' Gaz wants to keep er' around." He motions towards the man next to you, bitter venom coming out alongside his words.

Gaz rolls his eyes, blowing out with an irritated sigh.

"Price isn't picking sides, he's doing what's right. Just cause' you don't agree with it doesn't mean that-" Price puts his hand on Gaz's shoulder, interrupting his sentence. A silent way of telling him "settle down."

Gaz relaxes under the Captains touch.

"Gaz, Soap, take er' down to the cellar, we'll keep er' there for now. Ghost, come with me to my quarters." Ghost mumbles something in response, but his words are muffled by his mask, something you're sure he's grateful for at this moment.

You, Soap, and Gaz watch him for a moment as he follows Price like a kicked puppy. When they're finally out of view, Soap and Gaz turn their attention back to you.

"C'mon kitten, yer gonna ave' tae be a bit uncomfortable tonight, the Captain didnae plan for any stowaways.." He chuckles at you playfully, something you'd find much more comforting under different circumstances.

You suddenly feel a hand on your back, the skin a bit rough even through the fabric of your clothes. You whip your head to look behind to see Gaz, his soft brown eyes still filled with that same look of pity. He and Soap begin gently guiding you towards the ships cellar.

"It's alright love, The Captain can be a bit cruel but he won't hurt you. Even pirates have their limits… Besides, I assure you we're not nearly as bad as some of the other pirates out there. We'll get you sorted out in the morning."

You have no reason to trust these men, all you've known is that pirates cause pain and destruction everywhere they go, but the only thing you can do right now is trust them. So, you nod timidly, letting them guide without resistance.

Hopefully you can escape at the next docking place.

[drferox]

@scarfanon said: Can you give us some tips on how to recognize when a channel's stories and narration are AI-generated, so as to better avoid them? I increasingly believe one channel that I've been following for years has gotten into this, but I don't know for certain.

It’s kind of hard, because while some narrations are definitely human, picking the difference between a novice writer or someone within less experience and something AI generated is harder. Features can increase the probability of a narration being one or the other, but there are no guarantees.

These are some of the guidelines I use, or things that make me suspicious of AI.

Features that increase the likelihood of a story being written by a human:

Has an authors name/credit

Is part of a series or has recurring characters

Has a theme, or a core message. Not just aesthetics.

Features that make me think the fiction is AI generated:

Story is about something trendy

Seems to have a lot of aesthetics, has the vibe, but doesn’t have the point

Ends up feeling like a detail is missing

Leaves you wondering why you bothered

Now it’s entirely possible that a novice human writer, especially one that’s exposed to a lot of AI writing instead of good human authors might end up mimicking an AI style. But these are just guidelines for suspicion.

For the voices, I think they’re more likely to be human if:

There is a video clip of them talking at any point

They change their tone and way of speaking for different characters

They’re at they speak is different in the ‘please subscribe’ tagline at the end of the video

And I become suspicious of AI if:

There doesn’t seem to be much variation in the tone or pace (though this is far from a good indication

They get common brand names or proper nouns wrong. Eg Nike, Dalek, Klingon

They get words with a non-English origin wrong, eg vague, Eloise

The tone doesn’t match what’s happening in the story

They use the same speaking voice for wildly different characters.

Now admittedly a human narrator could have all those faults, but when they have a lot of them, consistently, I start to get suspicious.

I’m never 100% certain, but too many features out of place start to feel uncanny so they are the kind of things I look for.

[bonny-kookoo]

Does cherry jk and Mc go further than just analyzing her tattoo? 🥴

A/N: Obv warning for NSFW. set right after the last drabble, it's basically a continuation of it.

He's torturing you. This is legitimate torture, and you're not sure if you'll survive this- and if you do, you'll probably die later because if he's already getting you to a point like this from simple touch alone, what else is he capable of?

Maybe it's the fact that you got a major crush on him that's making you more sensitive to things like this. Or maybe you've just never been treated like this.

He seems truly enamored by your body, most of all your tits that he's currently occupying himself with, lips and tongue combining with his hands, never staying in one place too long. You never really thought about a situation like this- typically, in the past, your chest had been nothing but aesthetics to past partners, something to maybe grab on during the act, but never really anything of importance.

Never something to focus on. Sex isn't about that- or at least it wasn't, back then, and it makes you wonder. What exactly does Jungkook get out of this himself?

But you fail to really concentrate on that topic, as he suddenly puts his teeth into the mix, gently biting one of your by now horribly sensitive buds to pull and let go, chuckling when your back arches off the couch. He's licking, kissing, now even biting- and you're by now convinced that you are one of those who can indeed cum from just this.

Maybe? Or maybe not? You're unsure, and you're also getting impatient. Your underwear must be soaking by now, thighs rubbing together unashamed. He's already sucking on your tits- there's really nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Wanna eat you out." He breathes over your chest, hands still fondling your soft flesh, and you whine.

"Please..!" You ask, because at this point, you can't take it anymore.

"Do you have a hairtie or something?" Jungkook wonders up at you at this invitation of yours, leaning up again to collect his hair with his hands.

"Uhm.. here?" You wonder, offering your wrist where a simple black elastic is resting around, one he takes with a grin, tying his hair back. You're not sure why exactly, his fingers brushing all of his hair back to collect as much of it as possible, getting most of it out of his face.

"Thanks." He grins, before he moves back to push down your shorts to let them fall down this time, hands moving over your thighs. "Hm.. what if we put some ink on those too?" He purrs, palms moving in between them before he changes his mind, leaving your fluffy overknees on after struggling a bit with the straps holding them up, which are connected to a lace garter belt. "Really pretty by the way. You like lingery?" He wonders casually, finally figuring out how to unhook the straps from your socks to be able to remove your panties, and you nod.

""I.. like to feel pretty.." You admit a bit quietly, and he smiles brightly at that, pulling down your underwear- and for a second you're confused why he stuffs your panties in the pocket of his sweatpants, but you don't get to question it for long, as he pulls your legs over his shoulders, body leaning down to dive in.

You don't care how he seems to know so well how to use his tongue and mouth- all that you do care about is that you're way too worked up to last very long.

Especially when his fingers join in and push inside you, you can't help but curl your toes as you summon all of your strength as to not push your legs closed. What you don't have any control over is the way your hips move- but it doesn't seem to bother him much, as he starts to suck, one drawn out lick with the flatness of his tongue enough to suddenly make you come undone.

His face leaves your core, but the heel of his hand gently helps you ride out your high, fingers leaving you after, the way you clenched around the digits giving him ideas for future endeavors-

and also enough material to make up scenarios in his head for days.

You can see him adjust himself in his pants a little, tent fairly evident- and you're not sure what you think of it. He's not asking for it- but isn't it something you should do?

Maybe the main reason you want to is both curiosity, and the fact that he doesn't immediately demand anything in return. He's nice.

You like him.

And you also want to see him- all of him.

"Hm?" He asks, wiping his mouth with his hand, before you sit up, cringing a bit at the wetness between your thighs. You slowly look down at him, gaze focusing on his obvious boner, and he chuckles. "Wanna see? We don't have to do anything, I can just rub one out later in the shower, no worries." He casually says, but you shake your head.

"I want to do something." You say. "But.. I might not be good at it?" You worry, and he laughs.

"Practice makes perfect." He shrugs. "If you wanna, you can." Jungkook offers, moving down his pants before he pulls himself out of his underwear.

Everything he does is always so.. normal. As if this is nothing special at all- but in a good way. There's no pressure to make things as perfect as possible. It's comfortable.

When you touch him, he hisses a bit, even his dick twitching a bit, as if startled. "Sorry- your hands are cold." He laughs, and you giggle along.

"Sorry." You apologize as well, moving around to see what makes him feel good. It's not like you've never given a handjob in your life- but this time you actually don't feel like you have to, and it's making you wonder how you can offer him the same as you've received.

But your next move surprises even yourself, because this, you haven't done before.

You lean down to take his tip into your mouth, causing a faint 'oh god' to breathe past his lips above you, hand finding your head as you circle your tongue over the head, feeling the rest of him twitch on occasion. You fail to really take him and deeper, so you instead let go of his cock to spit in your hand, unsure how else really to make movement any more comfortable for the both of you.

He groans at that. It sounds almost pained.

Hopefully your hands are now warm enough as you move, lick and suck, trying to judge from the way his balls seem to tighten in your palm how close he might be-

When his hand pushes a little, fingers digging into your hair to grab tightly, head and upper body leaning back on his unoccupied hand keeping him somewhat upright as he cums, thick seed filling your mouth in several spurts.

He breathes loudly, before he lets go of your head, surprised face clearly showing a hint of worry as he inspects you, thinking he might've hurt you as you cringe a bit. His hands hold your cheeks, eyes darting around to judge if he's been a bit too rough with that push, when you look at him.

"It's bitter." You complain, and he laughs in relief, resting his forehead against yours, grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.

"God you're cute!"

[quimichi]

It's me the little guy Fae >:3 and I'm here for your match up event

Fandoms

Honkai and/or genshin

Pronouns

She/they

Hobbies

Illustration, crochet, embroidery, watercolor, gaming, TTRPGs (tabletop role-playing games) like DND, putting my characters through absolute hell (writing)

Gender preference

With fictional characters I prefer men but I love me a tall sexy evil Woman

Personality

Don't listen to what my hobbies say about me, I'm actually a chaotic little shit who runs circles around my friends. I do my best to give support when needed whether it be mentally or with a technical issue but I'm sure you knew this stuff before because we are friends on here. Though I will say I am depressed and that may impact the character I may or may not get matched with.

Fun facts

I really like foxes :)

And jellyfish :))

While it's not common enough to be a hobby I do know how to sew

My favorite colors are pastel pink and yellow

Well I prefer a cottagecore aesthetic for myself I actually don't prefer that in a partner.

I'm not a Neuvillette main but my autistic ass will go off about water (different bottles of water have completely different tastes you cannot change my mind)(also cold water tastes sharp and warm water tastes round I will not be taking criticism on this)

I don't have a green thumb per se because all my plants are suffering but they stubbornly cling on to life no matter how much I neglect them.

If you need more you know where to find me

A/n: I'M SORRY BESTIE BUT MY HEAD WENT "DOMESTIC" THE ENTIRE TIME---

ARLECCHINO

@ NO CAUSE HEAR ME OUT

@ you loce cottage core, and your hobbies are stuff like crochet and watercoloring. Its cute and i feel like Arlecchino matches that somehow??

@ listen, she is much more softer than she looks. She loves the kids and does really care about them, i think this cute little domestic life would fit her and would also be a dream for her

@ although she grows the kids into the fatui, she loves them dearly, can't show it tho-

@ but anyway--imagine sitting side by side near a fireplace while she reads a book and you do your thing beside her. No talking, just enjoying each others company

@ loooves to do domestic things with you, like cooking together, baking a cake, reading a book, crochet or bathing together.

@ i think she can do embroidery and crochet but not so good-teach her, she will actually listen. She's a little tsundere but she'll listen and she will learn pretty fast.

@ it's important that the twins and freminet like you, they visit quite often or she visits them. If they don't like you, or any of the kids in the house of the hearth, she would be quite skeptical about you then

@ lucky for you cause...they love you, duh?? Who wouldn't.

@ you're very parental, you give great comfort and you like to play with the kids.

@ and Arlecchino loves to watch lol

@ now to your depressed state. She will take it very seriously and will tell you so many times to rest and take care. She would give you the best tea from liyue, only the best watercolors from Fontaine, and the best baked goods so you can relax.

@ she would also leave you your space if needed. It wouldn't really bring her down, she would just be worried about you, but as a strong woman she wouldn't show it to you, that would only bring YOU down.

@ so dw, daddy Arlecchino will take care of everything. And if someone bothers you...well...you know...

GEPARD

@ listen it was hard for hsr ok---

@ for some reason I see you with Gepard---

@ also for the same reasons as Arlecchino, the little domestic life won't go out of my head for you-and Gepard also fits this

@ like-he comes home from work, also brought some goods from the bakery so you both can enjoy some sweets after dinner (which you both prepare together) and then after dinner and dessert you both cuddle on the couch while watching the snowflakes dance outside Belobog

@ if you ever decide to crochet him idk socks or something, he will wear them with pride. Even if they're pink with glitter, he ADORES them.

@ wears them under his gear lol. Like Belebog is cold he appreciates any warmth that he gets. And what is warmer than your love~♡

@ (I'm disgusting-)

@ super shy, we all know, so it took him a bit to gain the confidence to ask you out- I can see you being friends with Serval so--Imagine asking out the friend of your sister?? Yeah I'd piss myself too-

@ but Serval was pretty supportive sooo dw, it all worked out very well

@ ans Lynx is also not complaining with you so the relationship is blessed ♡

@ helps around the house, he was raised good :)

@ also, if he has every a free day and you have to work, he takes care of the things at home and cooks for you ♡♡♡

@ also runs you a bath. Spends his entire day making you smile when you come home.

@ very overprotective too. Can't stand seeing you sad or having a bad day or depressed episode, so he does everything in his power to change that

@ even if it means for him to act like a complete idiot just to see a smile, cause trust me, he would

[agentgrange]

Hey, I know the core Delta Green team’s politics aren’t all great, but I feel like the take that the take that their work is pro surveillance state is pretty uncharitable. I feel like a core theme of the modern setting is that the horrible actions of agents defending against the unnatural aren’t justified, and you can pretty easily draw that over to real world actions of our government “protecting” us from criminals and terrorists not being worth the human cost of the war on drugs and the war on terror.

I'm definitely a lot more cynical toward ArcDream for a few perhaps overly-specific reasons, and I've struggled to find a way to concisely articulate this vibe I've had about it. I think I'd like to do a more detailed breakdown /retrospective series on the more recent campaign and scenario guide to really get into the weeds of it.

The short of it is that you aren't wrong, but I think a lot of modern Delta Green's issues with the security state comes from this uniquely American idea of being "apolitically anti-authoritarian, anti-big government." It never makes the leap to being anti-imperialist or understanding how all these post-9/11 systems were just the mechanisms of global intervention and counter-insurgency turning inward. Having high speed low drag operators from the Program salting the Hindu Kush canoeing the Kandahar Giant in between skirmishes with the Taliban is badass, but spying on Americans or having those same teams operate domestically is bad. There are things that we do over there that we shouldn't be doing to American citizens over here.

Add to that the fact that the differences between the Outlaws and the Program, which could be fertile ground for saying something interesting, mostly comes down to "do want to play the old way like the 90s version where you have a shoestring budget or do you want to be a kitted out marauder with close air support?" It feels like there's an ideological contradiction at the heart of Delta Green that should imply nuance, but when you go looking for it you'll be hard pressed to find much substance-- hell at times it goes out of its way to distance itself from any idea of a real political conspiracy. Its a game about government conspiracies, that seems embarrassed to talk about government conspiracies. They just want to use it as an aesthetic backdrop to tell a story set in the mythos where you can blow up a Shoggoth with an AT4

Look, I don't need every piece of media to conform uniquely to my personal politics for me to enjoy it. But for me Fall of Delta Green feels like it walked away with all the more interesting ideas that made the original 90s game compelling, and demonstrates a more clear picture than modern DGs amorphous "spying is bad but so are terrorists and political extremists are also bad. The system is flawed but also you have to work within the system to save the world." Fall of Delta Green revolves around this central idea of "yeah you are a piece of shit, and all this shit catches up to you in 1970. But for 10 years you can do whatever you think you can get away with so don't even bother taking your foot off the gas." It tells you, very explicitly, how the story ends and what all this interventionism is heading towards before you even start the game. Add to that Fall of Delta Green's Grant-Morrison-esque off the rails worldbuilding about syndemes that's not afraid to get really high concept and... I don't know. I just prefer it more, personally.

[crumblinggothicarchitecture]

*Define Cultural Impact*

Taylor stans: " Well it made a lot of money and it charts."

I pray for them to understand the difference between commercial success and cultural impact.

And dressing like her, RIGHT NOW isn't impact either. She's one or the biggest popstars at the moment. Of course some gonna cosplay as her. Talk to me if anyone does this 20 years later. I can GUARANTEE you no one will be doing that.

And OF COURSE businesses will try to captilize of her name. As if they wouldn't suck up to her to gain cash.

What impact has she DONE with her MUSIC? Her ART? Has she done ANYTHING that hasn't been done before? Did she push any boundaries? Did she risk anything?

Preach-

You have no idea how stressful I find it that most- if not all- young people are consistently conflating the idea of material success with cultural impact.

Capitalistic Hellscape American Dreams are literally rotting out the core of the human experience-

Not to be too overly dramatic- but Taylor Swift is literally the poster child for the vapidity of conflating materialism with cultural presence.

To be honest- now that it has been roughly 6 months since TTPD release- I don't really see much impact from the album at all.

In fact- I barely hear it played on anything except the most obnoxious Tik Toks you've ever heard in your life. Do Swifties think that having an impact on Tik Toks is the equivalent of making an impact as an artist?

I wonder- about this a lot since I've been reading so much on dialectical materialism, ancient aesthetics, and Marxist philosophy-

It's getting weird inside my brain.

It is an interesting question at least- to wonder, are we culturally influenced by the most vapid, shallow aspects of capitalistic music production; or is art mainly beholden to aesthetics?

Does the modern pop music captivate us for aesthetic purposes? or does it captivate our impulse towards distraction in an era of increasingly short attention spans?

Either way- I am rather sick of the banality Swift is propping up as "genius"

I don't know- I fell down a rabbit hole the other day at the crosshairs of neurobiology and aesthetics-

Some scholars of Ancient Greek plays argue that the unique rythme and prosody of employed by the playwright had the ability to affect the mind- and further our ability to empathize, think critically, and engage with reality. Some of the theories relate- of course- to the Aristotelian idea of catharsis- so imagine my surprise when I realized there is a real neuroscientific basis to that ancient theory.

I really enjoy thinking about this stuff- if you can tell; mainly because I know that Taylor Swift was aiming for classic Greek Tragedy aesthetics and missed it by a mile, simply because she is not a good enough writer to employ the tactics of catharsis in her work.

Not that I want to fall into a neo-fascist trap of glorifying past art as the pinnacle to which we should all aspire because it represents some past "pure" age- free of corruption. I do, however, think that we live in an interesting era- one which nearly demands that we pay attention to what slips past our attention, and what is missing from our periphery of attention:

What is missing from art? Where are the neurobiological cathartic impulses- the aesthetics of critical engagement? Where did it go? Is it actually missing- I think, at least, for some more mind-numbing music (like Swift's) it certainly is.

And, of course, a follow up question from people who would no doubt play devil's advocate with this topic: Should we even bother with emotionality and cognitive engagement for the purpose of creating good art? Does good art have to make people think or feel? Is that the purpose of art?

Relating it all back to cultural impact vs material success- Why do people think that material success is indicative of any further artistic depth? I don't have an answer- it is actually confusing to me.

You pose a really thought-provoking discussion in your ask, and I thank you for it.

I will be returning to writing about aesthetics- I am sure of that.

[sheydgarden]

Question: I am ethnically Jewish, though not culturally (complicated family history). I read your book on the roots of Antisemitic origins of Solomonic magic and wanted to ask:

If working with the Ars Goetia as entities themselves may be problematic: could reframing and restructuring the paradigms to re-imagine the listed demons and create new demons to work alongside be a better solution? I do enjoy the recent demonological work I’ve started but seeing some of the origins, it makes me wonder if my workings could be adjusted by basing my rituals in values I personally have and reframing it away from the work found in Solomonic Texts.

You had said in your Zine you yourself had worked to strip the Antisemitism from the Solomonic Imagery and parts of the practice and I was wondering if you had any advice on that process because I do find it fulfilling to ritually work alongside entities like this but am wondering how to do it in a better way?

hi! i'm gonna answer this one publicly so that i have something to refer folks to here when they ask me this same question (which i've gotten before), hope that's cool! also, apologies for the length of reply, but that's what happens when you open this particular box with me, haha.

i'm just gonna give it to you straight (and this is my opinion, of course, i know there are plenty who disagree with me! but you asked me) - i don't think there's anything you can do to "Solomonic" magic to render it not antisemitic. the antisemitism isn't a nasty veneer you can scrape off to get at some good stuff underneath - it's baked in. the entire premise of a book about a "powerful Jewish magician" who worked with Christian demons (who themselves are just a mish-mash of names & concepts from various cultures) is antisemitic. in the case of the Lesser Key specifically, we're talking about a book most likely written & distributed by Christian clergy (that's who had access to the education & tools required!) who were at the same time actively contributing to Jewish genocide. it's the foundation of the thing.

when i talk about my sigil artwork that uses grimoire-inspired imagery, i'm talking purely about holding onto an aesthetic, a visual language of lines. i can take out antisemitic visual signifiers easily because i'm only working with an image out of context. i don't think it's possible to remove antisemitism from the concept or the practice of Solomonic/ceremonial magic, at least not without completely altering it at its core - and then why bother basing anything on it at all? (i'm a Jew, not a western occultist, so i haven't tried)

i think really considering what exactly it is you've been getting out of this might make things clearer for you in terms of how you want to proceed. if it's the "Jewish" flavor, there's a whole world of actual Jewish folklore & mysticism, complete with demons of our own - you mention having Jewish ancestry, but not being culturally or religiously Jewish, so i would definitely recommend making a connection to Jewish community & learning a lot before you dive into any kind of Jewish spirituality. if it's just the concept of calling on entities via ritual work - why these? why not your own inventions? the demons listed in the Lesser Key were pretty much invented during the Renaissance, even if some of their names come from older sources. occultists combined, embellished & invented them to fit into a Christian theology, using a faux-Jewish origin story in order to lend them both more credibility (in a time when Jews were literally equated with demons!) and some spicy exoticism. i'm pretty baffled as to why so many folks still want to base a spiritual practice on that, beyond the fact that they're considered cool and/or sufficiently edgy if you grew up Christian.

if i'm being more blunt here than i was in the zine, it's because we're solely in "personal opinion" territory, and my honest opinion is that whatever folks find enjoyable about ceremonial magic could be better put to use in a framework that leaves Judaism alone entirely (and either honestly calls itself Christian - which it historically is - or creates a new cultural/religious system to operate under). i hope this was helpful - thanks for taking the time to read it!

[project-sekai-facts]

the post about the characters' in universe attractiveness got me curious about something kind of similar; what about the characters' in universe physical strength? the only character that i can think of to have their physical strength actually stated is honami, due to her having muscles from drumming. i believe akito is also stated to be pretty strong? though i can't really remember. and emu has always read to me to be one of the more physically strong characters due to her various stunts where she Jumps From High Places And Is Perfectly Fine. toya, meanwhile, is stated to be one of the weaker characters i believe.

these are the only few that come to mind for me right now but there are probably more that i can't remember right now

You'd be right about Akito. In fact, he is depicted as unnaturally strong, though I'll give a free pass for the fact it's meant to be part of a funny scene.

He's carrying Tsukasa while running a reasonable distance at a high speed. Akito is very athletic and plays a lot of sports, but Tsukasa also has dance training and does stunts so presumably has a reasonable amount of muscle mass on top of being around average weight (he is a big eater as well but he seems to burn a lot of it on excercise so how much his appetite adds to his weight is debatable). I won't bother you with all the physics and sports science to keep this concise but there is a lot of force being exerted onto Akito's knees in this card, and this would genuinely be impossible to accomplish in real life.

Rui is pretty strong. He carries heavy machinery around constantly, and carries a shitload of stuff with him camping in Exciting Picnic, including a weighted training device that Nene struggles to use but he carries about with a whole backpack full of other things no problem. In Island Panic, he carries Tsukasa who already has Emu on his shoulders and Nene on hers, in order to reach some bananas. He ended up taking most of the weight since Tsukasa started to sneeze. In his card story from Pandemonium he also packs way to much stuff in his bag but says that it wouldn't be a struggle to carry. He's probably where Wonderland SEKAI MEIKO gets her strength from.

Adding to that, Emu is pretty strong. She carries Nene on her shoulders in Island Panic as I just mentioned, and she does loads of sports clubs such as gymnastics and swimming, so her overall strength is probably pretty good.

As I mentioned, Tsukasa is probably pretty strong, since he does a lot of training and stunts and was able to lift both Emu and Nene in Island Panic. That said, there is this area conversation:

hopefully this is readable, I just screenshot it out my drafts because it's been sitting there in case it ever came in handy. So he might not be that strong? The Island Panic scene is more played for comedy so it may be exaggerating how strong he actually is. At the very least it seems like he has weaker core strength. Though as mentioned, he does do a lot of stunts and already had dance and stage training prior to WxS, so he's probably still above average.

also I want to point out what Rui says in the 5th panel is like. kinda bullshit. not entirely but. kinda. bodybuilding is more for aesthetics and while building muscle = building strength it only works to a certain extent with bodybuilding and if you want to work on strength actual strength training is far more practical. it's a joke i know it's a joke and i shouldn't take it this seriously.

we can assume mafuyu is pretty strong because she's good at everything and is stated to be pretty athletic. not the most reliable claim but the game does like to bring up the fact that she's good at everything. she also does archery which requires a lot of upper body strength.

kanade is not strong at all but that should be self-explanatory.

toya isn't that strong either i don't think. more specifically he's not very athletic but these two things tend to cross over a bit (Kamiyama Sports Fes shows he's terrible at throwing things). he probably has pretty good stamina though.

haruka does weight training you can spot some weights in her room. you can also spot some smaller weights in airi and shizuku's rooms. Makes sense because you need to have good fitness for idol work. Shizuku also does archery with Mafuyu so her upper body strength is pretty good.

i think that's everyone there's evidence for.

[skaruresonic]

Oh boy, more bullshit. My favorite.

Ngl, it really sucks to be an SA2 fan these days. Between the hype and the hype reactionism, it really seems like no one's giving the game a fair shake.

I feel like I have to either defend the game from people who deride it as utter trash that you'd have to be nostalgia-blind to appreciate (because that's not insulting at all), or pop the hype bubble for people who can't bother to remember its most basic plot points.

Both of these stances ignore what SA2 actually is in favor of some strawman version of SA2. I shouldn't have to painstakingly list its flaws to be allowed to love a janky game without people assuming I'm huffing nostalgia.

I don't understand why people always say "high-speed sections only make up 1/3 of SA2" as if that means anything. Folks assume it's just a given that the game's only worth lies in the Sonic/Shadow stages.

Never mind how, according to those standards, SA1 boasts a greater mediocre-to-quality ratio for only featuring speed-based gameplay for 1/6th of the game.

If you don't like the treasure hunting and mech stages, you don't actually like SA2. Which is fine, different strokes for different folks, but don't go around assuming your experiences are universal.

By now, you guys probably know how I feel about the "hasn't aged well" argument; it's a bunch of semantically null bullshit that borders on revisionism and neglects the historical context in which games are made. It doesn't impart any objective metric of criticism; it's just a reflection of ever-fluctuating audience taste.

No one can predict the future, much less game developers. In that vein, it could be argued that many aspects of SA1 have aged just as poorly as SA2.

Don't really see the point in comparing the two because despite hosting the same title, they were aiming for different experiences. Both have merits and flaws as unique titles.

Sonic fans don't saddle their endearment with caveats about how much they know the series sucks, actually.

The underlying implication that SA2 fans appreciate the game for the aesthetics is actually pretty insulting to me as well.

The introduction of Shadow and the Crush 40 songs certainly don't hurt, but they're not the only reasons I could possibly ever like the game. To imply otherwise is to imply I'm nostalgia-blind and lack discernment.

Shock and surprise: I like the game because I enjoy the experience that it offers, rough edges and all. It's one of those games where its idiosyncrasies are inextricable from its identity.

"Slither" of good?

Once again, your argument fails on the basis that it could easily be turned against SA1 by only having 1/6th of the game consist of high-speed stages. You are also assuming your experiences are universal, which they are not. While many prefer SA1's treasure hunting stages, I actually prefer SA2's treasure hunting stages.

I hate how Knuckles controls in SA1, I hate the radar (what does blue even mean?) and I hate how the level layout is literally copy-pasted from Sonic's level design. SA2 at least offers you unique stages.

I also literally do not understand what, exactly, there is to complain about the treasure hunting aside from an unwillingness to engage with the stages. Rouge and Knuckles control just as tightly as Sonic and Shadow, and the objective of their stages largely remains the same: achieve your goal in the fastest time. You are, by design, intended to master the stages until you can memorize them.

You're allowed to dislike that, but if you do, you'd also have to admit you dislike a core design conceit of the game: replayability.

The point of a treasure hunt is to hunt. If you don't like the exploration aspect coupled with the speed-as-mastery angle, that's fine, but your subjective tastes not aligning with the game's design is not inherently a fault of the game. It's unfair to portray it as such.

And it's weird because I actually agree that some hints are needlessly obscure.

"Take an age to complete" sounds like a skill issue, bud. Most, if not all, of SA2's treasure hunting stages are designed around three tiers orbiting a central hub. The layout is not that complicated.

Honestly, I feel like the same kind of person who criticizes the mech stages for being "slower" than the Sonic-Shadow stages would also complain about Marble Zone taking place after Green Hill Zone. They simply don't get that Sonic games use the feeling of speed as a reward for mastering the game. That is to say, speed in and of itself must be earned; the games don't instantaneously grant it to you.

And you are lying through your teeth if you don't think racking up combos in the mech stages is fun. real SA2 fans complain about the shitty kart racing instead

Like... do Big, Gamma, and Amy's gameplay styles fare any better? Gamma may have been more floaty than Eggman and Tails' mechs, but that didn't make his stages any less stressful.

Hmm. Can't help but notice a conspicuous lack of Big fishing nestled amongst all this "SA1 was soooo much better you guys"

"Many boss fights are just the equivalent character from the opposite story" - wow it's almost like SA2 built its mechanics around themes of dichotomous rivalry and mirror reflections. gee it's like ST incorporated those themes into the gameplay or something. golly gosh, how incredibly odd and strange.

Imagine taking issue with the rivalry mechanic when the boxart juxtaposes the characters next to each other. If you think this is a legitimate criticism that can be leveled at the game in good faith, then nothing I say can help you.

"which is pretty dull since you can just spam leap on their head." - Yes, because being forced to fight Chaos 4 three times in a row is so much less tedious.

"They aren't mandatory to play as" unless you want to beat the game. Tell me you haven't beaten SA1 without telling me you haven't beaten SA1.

You can switch between Hero and Dark stories anytime you want in SA2 as well, goofball. You can also jump to any cutscene once you've cleared a Story, which you cannot do in SA1.

Jesse.

Whyyyyyy do people act like Knuckles doesn't move just as quickly as Sonic in SA2? I don't get it, man. Based on the way people talk, you'd think he moved like molasses.

You would only be entering the Chao Garden after each level if you picked up the Chao key in the stage and held onto it. And it's not like those Chao boxes are absolutely in your way and you have no choice but to pick up the key - you'd have to go out of your way to track them down.

This is such a "you" problem, dude.

I don't know. In hindsight, it's weird how Sonic got sidetracked from looking for Tails following the Tornado crash, to escorting Amy around town, to looking for Amy after Zero abducts her, to not finding her, and then serendipitously stumbling upon Tails in the process. In the two hours or so since losing Tails, we almost forget about him.

It's funny because, as iconic as Speed Highway is, it doesn't really have much reason to exist in the overall narrative. I'm just saying, weird pacing and stage placement are not solely SA2 problems.

Just because SA2 lacks a hub world doesn't mean there is no connective tissue between stages; it's just incorporated into background elements instead.

Knuckles comments on feeling gravity shifts in Meteor Herd, which only occurs because Sonic is concurrently throwing gravity switches in Crazy Gadget.

"People are looking back with rose-tinted glasses" - my brother in Christ, you just wrote an entire piece praising SA1 without mentioning Big's fishing stages even once. Perhaps don't call the kettle black?

"it isn't weighed down by gimmicks" - What gimmicks? The same ones SA1 has? How come you don't consider the inclusion of the Chao Garden and kart racing gimmicks when SA1 does them?

"The only thing it's missing is Shadow" - Fuck all the way off with that. Don't you dare start.

SA2 is gimmicky trash, fine, whatever. You're entitled to your opinion. But do you not understand how insulting it is for other Sonic fans to assume you only like your favorite game because there is nothing to appreciate about it other than aesthetics and nostalgia? That we're too stupid to recognize that this 23-year-old game "hasn't aged well"?

At this point I'd really rather folks just rip the Band-Aid off and call me a rube instead of espousing this "huehuehue you SA2 fans don't even know how trash the game really is, you probably like the buttrock, don't you" rhetoric. It'd be so much less condescending.

[smile-files]

rant alert!!!!!!!!!!!

something that's been really bothering me lately is how capitalism is hardcore exploiting our generation's desire to explore/create identity

like aesthetic culture is nice on paper but in practice it just means buying a butt load of stuff that we don't need. like, say i like cottagecore, and by extension the strawberry shortcake franchise. it isn't enough for me to just say i like them aesthetically, or whatever -- i have to buy clothes and merchandise or what have you for that part of my identity to feel tangible. i need to be able to embody this aesthetic in every part of my being for it to feel real

and i've interacted with enough brand instagram accounts (such as the strawberry shortcake instagram) to know that companies are all over creating aesthetic, nostalgic nonsense to sell to us, knowing we'll buy anything cutesy that panders to us and the things we like. and we can't help but feed into it. and they act all relatable and gen-z-core too which doesn't help

consumerism drives me nuts, all the more so because i actively partake in it. i love collecting stuff, especially stuffed animals, but adding to the collection with new items involves spending money on a bunch of plastic and polyester things that take up space and will end up in a landfill someday. like, sure, i like them, and people know for sure that i love stuffed animals when they know i have over 100 of them and keep buying them, but if i'm being completely honest i don't get as much out of them as i'd like to think i do. i'm considering making a photo/drawing catalog of all of the plushies i have now and donating the ones who'd do better in a different home! the same applies to all of the toys i have as well

when i was little i used to collect rocks and sticks and pine cones... things in nature that are just as cool and give me just as much joy as my stuffed animals and toys but a) don't take up a huge amount of space b) don't cost money c) don't hurt the environment and d) don't feed into the capitalist, consumerist black hole that's quickly eating us all

honestly... and this might be a hot take... but the whole concept of "aesthetics" that's been on the internet in recent years that has compelled ourselves to shape our wardrobes and possessions in favor of a pretty, inhuman ideal that supposedly affirms our identities is likely just a project by Big Consumerism to get us to buy more stuff that we think makes us feel more like ourselves. like yeah we all deserve to have our own style and our own tastes but that should not necessitate buying 15 billion new outfits from your local target to prove to yourself or anyone else that it's your style and tastes. buying a dropshipped mushroom nightlight off of amazon does not make you any more of a cottagecore girly than someone who doesn't. we shouldn't all be trying to fool each other over instagram reels that we all perfectly fit this aesthetic with our cool clothes and knickknacks and random decorations and be constantly jealous of each other

and it all just feeds into fast fashion and non-sustainably-made products and all that... like if companies know we'd buy anything that fits our aesthetic they'll throw out any notion of making lasting goods that aren't made of plastic and garbage and the blood of innocent baby animals or whatever. we keep eating it up. and we keep buying more and more of it to create an every-expanding hoard of objects that supposedly reflect every facet of our soul

(and i know it's the companies' fault at the end of the day! but i do think we, as individuals, have to think about how we happily succumb to it!)

i'm starting to think that my happiest life would be one lived with a small handful of cool clothes (as it is, most of the clothes i find cool are old ones my aunt sends me or ones i thrift), a small handful of stuffed animals i have a genuine love for (e.g. barry, any homemade plushie), and a gargantuan collection of nature stuff like rocks and sticks and pine cones. i can't help wanting to collect -- i'm like a dragon! but what i can help is what i choose to collect, what system i choose to feed into. i have a huge love for stuffed animals, but if anything, i'm doing a disservice to them and my appreciation for them by repeatedly buying new, low quality ones which i ultimately don't care much about -- and having fewer of them by no means diminishes how much they mean to me. one should not judge a fan by the amount of merchandise they've bought, after all

we are trying to live vicariously through our stuff, which isn't surprising given the hellish socioeconomic landscape, but it only makes us languish and look at devices all day and buy useless stuff and not try to make our lives actually good. this is what capitalism wants!!! augh!!!!

also... folks can't buy sustainable stuff because it often costs more and is less widely sold. but whose fault is that? capitalism!!!!! they could make wool cheaper than polyester for all they cared!!!!!!! they could get rid of money altogether!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i don't really know what i want to say in all of this... but i care about nature and i care about being genuinely happy and digging my own grave in an aesthetic landfill does nothing for that

[theboardwalkbody]

Took advantage of the Fare Holiday and did go to see Twister in 4DX.

The theater was really cool, aesthetically. The 4DX experience was really awesome. The seats moved and jostled (significantly, like a small rollercoaster). For Twister it followed a lot of the movement of the vehicles and some other things. It did feel like you were in the car with them because the seats matched the visuals of the cars movements. I was hoping for this going into it. It is undescribable how happy it made me to feel the bumps of the road during parts where the focus was on the Barn Burner so it actually felt like I was riding along with Dusty. ❤️

There were also vibrations for thunder and knocking (such as jo banging on the roof of beltzers van) and vibrations and jostling during the collapse of Aunt Meg's house. Extra lights flashing with the lightning. There was wind (sometimes a light breeze sometimes aa little stronger) and rain! The rain was light, otherwise we'd all be soaked, and obviously the wind effect couldn't be too strong but it was great. During the final tornado scene they moved the seats in a circular movement to go with the movements of Jo and Bill. Plus some other movements and puffs of air around your head as things on screen flew by (like debris flying toward the camera).

They even had some stuff during the trailers. At one point there was a snow scene in one of the trailers and they actually had snow falling in the theater.

Additionally, it was great to watch my favorite movie on the big screen for the first time since, obviously, I missed it in 1996, being 5 and all. Even better was hearing people laugh at the jokes and funny moments (and Dusty making so many people laugh filled me with so much joy I felt like I could explode) and hearing their reactions to so many other moments (like clapping after the debis scene where Bill and Jo drive though the house and even cheering for Melissa for realizing her and Bill weren't fit for each other and choosing to leave for her own sake).

The only thing that bothered me about the audience reaction was laughing during the part where Melissa overheard Bill and Jo on the hill and realizing they're still in love with each other. IDK if it was because they were laughing at them 'arguing' yet again or being overheard again or at the fact that poor Melissa is standing there soaked and being annoyed (which really she was scared) at first. But at one point she was clearly upset so I don't know where the laughter was coming from at that point. But, from experience, there's always going to be someone laughing at a touching/sad moment (possibly because it goes over their heads - example: midnight priemer of the avengers when Bruce says "I ate a bullet and the other guy spat it back out" it was definitely not meant to be funny, because it's definitely him admitting a S* attempt, but still some people laughed).

I'm sure there were other people there who've seen it before but I definitely heard a bunch of people who, based on their reactions (like worrying about Toto and then the sigh of relief when he was ok), were seeing it for the first time. It was really such a blast and I'm so glad I decided to go and that I got the opportunity to. Core Memory for sure. And my inner child is over the moon (and I couldn't stop smiling during the movie).

I'm sure I can keep gushing about this. Can you tell this is my favorite movie ever? 😅

[lady-lauren]

HELLOOO💫💫 I CAME HERE RUSHING WHEN I SAW THE POST

Also I love the new blog look it's so good aaaahh

But onto the matchup! I'm a Virgo sun and Scorpio moon and rising who loves quality times.

My aesthetic is kinda all over the place and I've been told that my style changes so much day to day that I give people whiplash (or that I look like a grandma one day and a slutty secretary the next which is one of the best things a friend has told me) but all tied up by a resting bitch face and sharp eyeliner.

Atm I enjoy crocheting and doing my nails when I'm not reading fanfiction or studying (and sleeping, like a lot of sleeping) but I try new hobbies pretty frequently.

Lastly I don't mind either male or femal character and you can throw in all the smut you want💫💕

Love youbyee🥺💕

Bonny, I can't help myself– I would love to see you and Robin together.

First, Robin is the queen of changing her style but not her core self, just like you. Some days she looks like a slutty cowgirl, other days she's the historian in a sweater covered in book dust. Your changing aesthetic would match hers, you're both go with the flow, match your feelings, do whatever feels right for the day. And no matter what you wear, she's going to think you're the most beautiful thing to step into the Grand Line.

Robin appreciates the person underneath the clothes, underneath the aesthetic, underneath all the walls we build. She looks for the sweet heart, the pure intentions, the kinky things that make up your inner self. She appreciates the details of people, and she would appreciate all the little things that make you.

Robin is an Aquarius– she's cerebral and curious, assertive and truthful. She helps draw out the strengths of your Virgo sun, which can tend to be kind, modest, and reliable. She enhances who you are, gives the confidence to paint your nails a bright color and shine brighter than before. She's an enabler, a pusher, someone who will look into your depths, find the goodness, and encourage you to express yourself in ways you haven't before.

Robin can be private and mysterious, so she would be one of those lovers who likes to keep you to herself. You are hers and hers alone. Some PDA doesn't bother her every now and again, but truly her desire is to get you behind closed doors and pry open your mind and your body just for her to enjoy.

[skydigiblogs]

i totally forgot to even mention that i read through all of digimon next, i think bfhjsdbfjhsdbfs

i mean i also didn't mention reading through all of v-tamer but i feel much less negatively about v-tamer than i did about digimon next

i can go into more detail if people want i guess but at the end of the day i think you're gonna need to go into next with more critical thinking pants than v-tamer (which i would argue requires maybe only critical thinking shorts), and that has to do in main part with two very large parts of their plot.

this is gonna be long (but i mean, that's what you come to this blog for lol), and, unfortunately, i have a lot of not-so-fun gripes with digimon next.

characters with disability (and how that disability is portrayed or discussed)

train kid yuu's disability is functionally cured in the digital world, and a large part of his arc has to do with him getting the courage to have heart surgery. i don't think this was handled with the kind of nuance that could have made him more interesting to me, especially with yuu calling himself a "weakling" at one point (internalized ableism is a thing, but i don't think it was written well with yuu).

folks familiar with v-tamer might ask me what i think about rei, and i feel similarly that it's a little weird to have a disabled character lose their disability in the digital world. however, i at least like that rei seemed to acknowledge it beyond mentioning surgery to get rid of it, and multiple times it was mentioned that despite being able to use her legs, she had no feeling at all in them while in the digital world.

neither of these portrayals are particularly good pieces of representation, and signify to me that the authors really didn't know how to fit someone with disabilities into their story without it being for the purpose of angst.

barbamon

barbamon just. is a whole essay i don't want to write at the moment because of how extremely antis*mitic its design is. if you don't know what i mean, look at barbamon's mask. guess what? look at barbamon's concept art, too. that huge nose is a mask in the final design, but the fact that at one point the demon lord of greed was considered to have that be its actual nose is uhhhh.

bandai what can i say but yiiiikes.

digimon next had an uphill battle the entire time almost entirely thanks to picking barbamon as its antagonist. when you use an antis*mitic caricature as your antagonist, it's going to be really hard not to pull on antis*mitic tropes, too! or at least, that's what it really felt like with next, considering barbamon's whole plan is literally some great r*placement theory "kill all non-aligned digimon and control birth itself" bullshit.

while destroying/conquering the digital world is textbook digimon antagonist bullshit (every series has one), the elements and aesthetic of barbamon in next particularly bothered me because they really do not reflect well when paired together.

i'll remind you too that barbamon in next has a notably militaristic army in "the commandments." this also isn't foreign in digimon--- a few years after next, we would see troopmon in bagramon's army, as an example. but like, again, one of these antagonist leader digimon is a caricature.

i am assigning homework for anyone who read(s) next, and that is some literature on antis*mitism and what it looks like in media.

"sky, if you hated next so much, why are you posting about it?"

first off: because it's my blog and i can, lol

second off: because i wanted that sweet sweet yggy lore

as much as i have my issues with digimon next, i think it introduced some very fun tools that could be built upon. yggdrasil, and the fact it just sent its girlsona to the human world because it was worried humans didn't like digimon enough? EXTREMELY funny on paper, yes, but also a fascinating idea!

in next, we see that yggy is able to detach its consciousness from its core, and i think it would be fun to see that explored further. what if, instead of someone external taking control of the core, we see something similar to, say, a split (yes i'm bringing plurality into this). that's to say, yggy mitosises off its girlsona or something, cloning its consciousness to assess the situation beyond its core's reach. yggy core and yggysona, however, are split up because yggysona needs to go collect data. what if there was conflict between yggy core and yggysona because the data retrieved just doesn't make sense with the data yggy core started with?

furthermore, we see some interesting ideas with yggy's kernel, where it's guarded by a magnaangemon (who we see both fall and quite easily reclaim their status as magnaangemon). the implications of this are that yggy can sometimes be the god that angel digimon serve, and that it is possible for fallen angel digimon to become unfallen.

and then next drops NEO on us, calls it "a power beyond yggy" AND REFUSES TO ELABORATE? NO, GET THE FUCK BACK HERE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOD IS MADE OUT OF THE COLLECTED MEMORIES OF DIGIMON SPECIES? that's such a cool concept to me (and i am also a sucker for chimera characters, so uhhh), especially read with a metaphorical lens. like. the idea of god being our experiences has endless thematic storytelling potential in a series that is all about its characters Having Emotional Experiences.

anyways uh

digimon next, huh?

[adelarsims]

hi hello so i really wanna tell you my jeb headcanon: he's autistic and his biggest trigger is the sensory overload of having his head bare and feeling things against it like wind and rain and when he was little, he just pulled a paper bag over his head bc little babies don't know wtf is going on and his parents just...let him keep doing it without ever addressing it and just did the usual "oh jeb is just odd!" and so his autism has never been addressed (shoes can also be overwhelming for him), which contributes to his depression.

sensory overload is very possible, especially with bright lights - did you notice that windows in his room (if you can call it a room) are almost fully covered? dark room, covered windows, bag on the head. he does seem to not enjoy bright light very much.

i can totally see Jeb’s parents never addressing his mental problems. i don’t think they’re being bad and neglectful on purpose, or love him less than Gideon; if anything, i think in their view they’re doing a good parenting job by providing for their children and loving Jeb "despite" him being “odd”.

but i also think they’re the type of people who avoid acknowledging problems until everything goes crushing down. if something doesn’t work as intended in their house, but it still works somehow, they adjust to the way it works instead of repairing it. like, our bathtub is leaking? just put a basin under it every time you take a bath. the wire is loose? put a stack of books under it.

the same goes for Jeb: as long as he has a way to cope with his problems, his parents choose to believe that he's dealing with whatever bothers him just fine. unless you voice it right in their faces that you're not fine and you need help (which Jeb never does), they live in ignorance like ostriches with their heads deep in the sand.

in my storyline, Jeb also doesn’t have the best time in school. he transferred mid-term, he’s a quiet guy who doesn’t talk back, he’s a “weirdo with a paperbag” who doesn’t know how to dress like a city folk, there are also rumors about his family selling marijuana and fizzy juice (i fully accept the common fandom headcanon that it is true). add the fact that Jeb's parents are very thrifty. why buying new clothes when old ones are sturdy enough to serve you for some time yet and we can just patch them? why choosing trendy things when we can choose practical working clothes that you can also wear when you help in the garden? parents don't take into consideration the aesthetic side and the fact that Jeb's peers will judge him based a lot on how he dresses. schoolmates don’t bully him physically, but they always exclude him, they stop talking and laughing when he enters so it looks like they laughed about him or he just came in and ruined the fun, they make remarks about his parents, they say that he “smells funny”, and he’s always the last one to be chosen as a partner for school projects.

Jeb’s parents sympathize with him when he mentions that he’s being bullied – if he mentions it, that is, - but they just try to treat symptoms, not the core of the problem, because saying “just don’t pay attention, you’re better than them” and patting themselves on the back for being supportive is easier than being patient and acknowledging that Jeb might need more help than that. in my headcanon, he's not autistic and has other reasons for a paperbag (though i love your hc), but he is depressive.

[mortal-cupid]

♡ Breaking Down Big Emotions ♡

⚠ Please Be Aware This Post Is Meant To Be Used In A Safe And Loving Environment Where You Can Allow Yourself To Feel And Heal ⚠ PLEASE READ THE FULL POST IF YOU NEED, IT WAS SHORTENED FOR THE SAKE OF PEOPLE'S FEEDS!! ⚠

► Questions For Yourself

• Am I In A Safe Place?

• What Triggered The Emotion?

• Why Does This Bother Me So Much?

• Has This Happened To Me Before?

• What Happened Last Time?

• Is This Emotion Bigger Than It Should Be?

► Letting Yourself Feel

~ The Best First Step To Healing Is To Be Gentle With Yourself And Allow Yourself To Feel All Of The Emotions You Need To In A Controlled And Safe Environment ♡ Next Are Some Tips For Safe Ways To Let It All Out

• Journaling: Not Necessarily In An Aesthetic Pretty Way, Let It Out! Rant And Metaphorically Scream Into The Journal Letting Yourself Be As Dramatic Or Over The Top Or Messy As You Need To

• Crying: In A Safe And Loving Space, Allow Yourself To Sob It Out. Light Some Candles, Play Some Sad Music, Watch A Sad Movie, Grab Some Stuffies, And Let It All Out The Best You Can

• Draw Your Emotions: You Don't Have To Be Artistic To Do This ♡ Doodle Symbols, Scribble, Draw Yourself, Draw A Persona, Anything You Need To

• Letting Out Physical Energy: Running, Safely Punching Things That Won't Hurt You Or Break, Working Out In A Way You Can Handle, Jump, Shake It Out, Use Fidget/Stress Toys

• Scream: If Your Environment Allows It, Scream Into A Pillow Or The Woods Or Anywhere You Can

► Letting It All Go

~ Now That You've Let It Out, Let It Go ♡ You Don't Need It, Take What You Can And Let It Be ♡ Next Are Some Examples Of How To Let Go

• Cloud Method: Visualize Your Emotions, Your Thoughts, The Event, Whatever It Is. Then Place That Thought Onto A Cloud. Now, Acknowledge The Thought While You Breath In And Blow It Away With The Exhale. You Can Rest Now ♡

• Try A Guided Meditation, Allowing Your Thoughts To Just Flow By ♡ Don't Force Your Thoughts Away; Just Let Them Flow Out Like Water

• Try A Tension Exercise; Slowly Isolate Parts Of Your Body, Tensing Then Releasing The Muscles In That Area (Main Spots Are Hands, Glutes, Eyes, And Core)

• Write Down All Of The Stressors From The Situation, Then Rip Up The Paper And Throw It Away

► Healing And Self Care

~ It Is Very Important To Let Yourself Heal And Feel Worthy Of Love No Matter What Happens ♡ You'll Be Okay, You're Amazing And I'm So Proud Of You ♡ Next Are Some Self Soothing And Self Care Activities

• Eat / Drink Something Heavy And Warm, The Quickest Way To The Heart Is Through The Stomach

• Take Some Deep Breaths Or Try Guided Breathwork (My Personal Favorite Is Holotrophic Breathwork As Well As The 6-4-6 Breathwork, Feel Free To Try Out As Many Techniques As You Need)

• Make Yourself More Comfortable In Your Skin, This Can Be Done By, Taking A Shower, Bathing, Haircare, Skincare, Dressing Up For No Reason, Play Around With Makeup Or Hairstyles, Whatever Makes You Feel Comfy

• Do Something Mindless Or Comforting Such As Coloring, Hiking, Any Hobbies You Have, Petting An Animal, Read A Comforting Or Nostalgic Book

• Most Importantly!! Take A Second To Be Proud Of Yourself. It Doesn't Matter If You Used Any Of The Techniques Or Not; You're Doing Great ♡ It'll All Be Okay! ♡ You're Loved ♡ I Promise

♡ YOU'VE DONE THE BEST YOU CAN, THAT'S ALL YOU CAN EVER ASK FOR ♡