#I know this is not a thing that affects...I think basically any of you but you're following me so you get to hear me bitch about it

[anamainiac]

I wanna share an experience that happened to me here on tumblr just in case it happens to someone else too. I’ve personally been on the biggest hiatus ever due to several reasons, but what keeps me motivated to at least try again is seeing a good fic and the comments on said fics. One day I logged on and noticed I couldn’t comment on a fic I had found nor reblog it. I thought, “huh, they must have blocked me.” But they hadn’t! We were mutuals! It was odd, but I continued to look through my fy page and went to comment on several pieces of art and not a single post would allow me to comment or reblog.

I knew that I couldn’t be blocked by literally every single account on tumblr. So why was that happening? Because tumblr sometimes likes to shadow ban people. It doesn’t affect your account in any way other than basically shutting you out as if your account isn’t there. If you have this problem, blow up tumblr support for them to fix the problem.

I hated no commenting or reblogging things I loved. If this isn’t an issue for you then please comment, like, reblog! The amount of times I go back to old works just to read the comments because I remember how much they made me laugh or smile is a crazy huge number. I’ve taken screenshots of some comments that just melted my heart or made me cry from happiness because looking at them on a bad day just helps in ways you can’t imagine. Even if you think it’s a little cringy or that the comment isn’t on par with the creators writing, or even if you think it’s not gonna be seen, write it cause you never know. That comment might just save an author from giving up.

A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.

My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.

My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.

This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.

Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.

So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.

[twst-hottest-takes]

I cannot stand Malleus's involvement in the main story. And I don't mean in Book 7, since every overbloter goes with their respective book, or Book 6 since they need to set up the plot for Book 7. However in every other Book, I HATED Malleus being there. Mainly because he wasn't necessary.

I know that some might think "But in book 2 he's the whole reason Leona hurt so many people." And yeah, I will admit he is important to book 2. However if I were a writer for twst, I would not have had the Diasomnia dorm even make an appearance in Book 2. It was WAY too soon to introduce them, now if they were just mentioned, that would be fine, but to have their models be actually there was pretty ugh to me.

I also didn't like him showing up to Ramshackle, this is mainly because again he didn't need to be there, and it kind of ruins Book 7. This is because 1. Yuu already has friends, 2. There are no gargoyles at Ramshackle dorm, 3. Yuu is now literally his friend, and 4. It gives too much away about Malleus before it's his time to shine.

I will expand on 3, and 4 because they affect Book 7 the most. With Yuu being Malleus's friend it really makes it weird Malleus is so upset with Lilia leaving, since he has Yuu, and there's no guarantee Yuu is even going to go home soon. I say this because Crowley is unreliable. And with having Malleus talk with Yuu about his interests, and himself it made me feel like I didn't really need to read Book 7. It's like if Yuu talked to Idia, and before we got to Book 6 we found out that his brother's death made him not want to explore, and highkey gave him PTSD.

I also feel like having Yuu talk to Malleus doesn't really have any world building. In my opinion I think that Rook should have talked to Yuu at night instead of Malleus. This is because 1. He would be totally interested in Grim and a person from another world, 2. He could explain the twst world, and 3. He's not a main part of Book 5 besides the voting thing.

I've always said Malleus is too important for his own good.

(He's probably too important for anyone's good.)

But seriously, his importance to the story and basic writing mechanisms require him to have effective setup and substantial preliminary involvement.

You might not like Malleus. But this is TWST sticking to the absolute bare minimum of what constitutes passable writing. We talk about that a lot on here and Malleus is one of the characters they actually tried with. So no, replacing him with a less featured character doesn't make sense or improve the writing.

I'm not going to dismantle this take piece by piece unless someone really wants me to. For now, just know that I acknowledge your hot take and leave the rest to the reblogs and replies.

Thank you for your take.

[crescencestudio]

๋࣭⭑ Devlog #45 | 12.02.24 ๋࣭⭑

well, this is more like a half devlog if i'm being honest

Hi everyone! Man, it's been a while since we last talked, huh? Somehow my last devlog to you all was end of August, and now we're all the way in December. It's crazy to know I was in my cave for that long LMFALSIDJF

I don't usually do devlogs starting the last two months of the year---usually because I end up getting busy, and with it being the holidays, I just give myself the devlog off as my one little "holiday treat."

This year, it's a bit different since I haven't given you all a devlog in quite a while. I have exciting and boring news to share with you all this month! First off for exciting news, as I'm sure you've all heard....

I'M A DOCTOR!!!!!!

That's RIGHT. The step away from Alaris was everything I needed to be able to crunch my dissertation and graduate this semester. To say it was painful would be a complete understatement. For context, people usually spend about 1 year writing and defending their dissertation. Since I last spoke to you all, I ended up analyzing, writing, and defending my entire dissertation in the span of about 2-3 months. Basically every moment that I existed as a living being was spent working on my dissertation (if I wasn't working), and even a month after I defended I'm in disbelief that I was able to pull it off.

But here I stand before you all, finally free from the confines of academia after a grueling 4 years.

I have worked on Alaris the entire time I've been in PhD school, and so there's literally no one here who knows me outside of being a PhD student. So it's crazy to enter a new chapter of game dev where I no longer have to balance work, PhD school, and Alaris. And instead, I can be a normal person that just balances work and game dev.

That being said...

I know I had told you all I would be back in the Alaris grind in November since that would be around the time when my defense would be. And while I've literally tried my damnedest to get back on the game dev horse, it's been a Fckn Struggle, everyone.

I don't think I realized how hard I was working myself until this past month rolled around and I entered recovery mode. Admittedly, I actually think I was working myself harder when I was balancing Alaris with work and PhD stuff than when I was crunching a 1 year dissertation project into 2 months. And this might not be a new revelation to some people---even earlier this year, I remember getting comments of like "wow, you're working so fast/hard!" "omg how are you getting all this done?" "you need to be nicer to yourself, i don't think you realize how much work you actually do" etc. etc.

But I think because I enjoy game dev so much, I didn't see it as working myself hard. Now, though, after getting some clarity and seeing how much that was affecting my physically, I really want to make it a point to take care of myself better and not push myself too hard (life is too short and healthcare is too expensive LMALSDF).

So, while this isn't me saying Alaris is going on hiatus or anything scary like that, I do hope you all can extend a bit more of your patience and understanding at least until the end of this year for me to get back into the swing of things. I have genuinely been thinking about Alaris a lot---the script and scenes I want to write, CGs I want to draw, etc. But I just haven't had the physical energy to do it.

I'm hoping writing this devlog will help me get back into the swing of things this month. But I do want to be transparent that the holiday season tends to get busy for me, so I don't want to make promises of working on Alaris at any kind of full capacity.

Luckily, a lot of Alaris is done. If you all remember, the only route that needs to be written at this point is Aisa's. And half of the routes have been programmed! While Etza and Kuna'a's routes do need to be cleaned up and edited, a lot of the foundational work, which is most time-consuming for me is done. So I do still hope to get Alaris to you all (at least the Central routes) in early 2025!

Thank you all as always for being patient and understanding. As I get back on the Alaris horse, I also hope to get back into answering your messages <3 Hope you all are staying warm and having a restful holiday season.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

On today‘s episode of „moments in the show that confuse me“, s5ep19 has a piece of dialogue that goes something like this

Marinette: (about how Gabe doesn’t approve of her) He thinks I‘m one of those fans who follows you around everywhere, showers you with gifts and knows all your (Adrien‘s) middle name days

Kagami: Isn‘t that what you used to do Marinette?

Marinette: Yeah but I did it out of love

This scene is so odd because it feels weirdly self-aware but at the same time it really isn‘t? To me it seems like the writers sort of admit that Marinette‘s crush was written like a celebrity crush, but then this doesn‘t go anywhere? It‘s basically just „it‘s the same as a celeb crush but it isn‘t actually🤪“

Like what kind of writing is this? I know I‘m again beimg nitpicky but hey I love hearing your thoughts on the show so do you have thoughgs on this?

I'm honored that you enjoy my rambled! And, yeah, I have a few thoughts on this one. To begin, here's the full quote for proper context:

Marinette: Oh, hey Kagami! How are you? Kagami: Hello, Marinette. I'm fine, thank you. Adrien: I'm sorry, Marinette, it's my fault. I just couldn't talk to my father. Marinette: No, don't apologize! It makes sense that you didn't make it work because that's you! I mean, not you, you but you, as in, not me. Your dad doesn't have a problem with you anymore, he's even become super cool, making you pancakes, giving you all the freedom you need. He's come such a long way and that's amazing. But he does have a problem with me. He feels worried and I would be too if I were him. He thinks I'm one of those fans who follows you everywhere, showers you with hand-knitted gifts and knows every single one of your middle name days. Kagami: Isn't that what you used to do, Marinette? Marinette: Yes... except no! I mean, yes, but I was doing it out of love and, besides, I've changed a lot. Kagami: You are correct. Marinette: Really? You think I've changed a lot? Kagami: No. Well, not that much. But you're right to want to talk to Adrien's father.

This is not a terrible piece of writing. There are pieces of media where this would be genuinely funny. I've previously talked about the fact that Marinette's crush on Adrien is written like a celebrity crush and not a crush on a real person or even a proper stalker obsession. In that post, I also discussed media that features a fan getting to date their celebrity idol:

Whenever stories do the thing where someone meets their celebrity crush and actually gets to know them, there's normally a noticeable shift in their behavior as the character mentally goes, "Oh shit, you're real now." They lose the freedom that came with this being a mere fantasy.

That is the type of story where this dialogue would be funny. A story where Marinette started out as a fan or former fan with an idealized view of Adrien, but ended up viewing him as a real person by the time they started dating. A story where her view of Adrien shifts, but the things she does to show affection don't because it's not exactly weird to want to know everything about your significant other or to want to shower them with gifts. The only concerning thing on the list Marinette gives is "following him everywhere", but she doesn't actually do that in the show, so we're going to ignore that one and focus on the actual problem here.

The problem is that Miraculous never gave Marinette a reality check. There is no point where dream Adrien vanishes to be replaced by real Adrien. The Adrien that she starts dating in season five appears to be everything that she's ever dreamed he would be. He is #boyfriendgoals where he only exists to make her happy. He never shows off his more annoying behavior (and let's be real, Chat Noir can be pretty annoying at times) or spouts any bad puns that make her roll her eyes in a mixture of annoyance and amusement. He is perfection and it's terrible. This is not how you write a solid romance. There's no learning about each others flaws or even meaningful personal growth for Marinette.

We spent four seasons watching her struggle to ask Adrien out only for the resolution to be that he asks her instead. She never has to overcome that personal hurdle. After that, her biggest struggle is being brave enough to tell her boyfriend that she loves him even though he has showered her with love and affection, proving that there is literally zero risk involved here. It's a deeply unbalanced relationship that feels totally unfair to Adrien.

To be fair, there are stories where the Marinette-can't-say-nice-things-to-Adrien plot point could work. However, they're stories where a lot of focus is given to Marinette's trauma and her journey to overcome it. Miraculous didn't do that. Marinette's trauma and Adrien's response to it are handled horribly by every metric because of course they are. This is a formula show that can't handle a plot like this with delicacy and grace.

There's also the issue that, for this plot to work, the romance needs to be way more balanced. We need to be shown why Marinette is an amazing partner for Adrien who just has an area where she's struggling. We need to want them to get past this trial and be together. As-is, it's impossible to support this relationship because there's no substance to it. They're barely even friends before they get together. I have no idea why I should want Adrien to struggle through helping Marinette or why I should want Marinette to work through her issues with Adrien. There are other fish in the sea! Now that the identities are out, she can go back to Luka who she had no issues with!

This all feels very badly written YA or New Adult drama and there's a reason that I don't read those! I don't enjoy wildly unhealthy couples whose main draw is their endless drama and baffling sexual tension. I want couples who I love but, at this point, I can't even summon mild enjoyment for the canon love square.

[leapingbadger]

Beautiful banner by @blackseafoam

This gift is for @dreamsight73 for the @galactic-gift-gathering

I'm not sure this is exactly what you're expecting but I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you enjoy it and thanks so much for the great prompt!

Interrogation

Hunter let out a yawn as he boarded the steps of the Marauder. The soft breathing of Omega in the gunners mount would have been drowned out by the roaring snoring of Wrecker for anyone but him. He yawned again before making his way to the cockpit and his brother, Tech.

“Ah. You have returned. Were you able to secure the needed data?”

Hunter collapsed into the copilot’s seat and ran his hand through his hair. “As much as could without drawing suspicion,” Hunter said, smiling at his brother who was adamant about avoiding eye contact.

Tech pushed a button on the console in front of him and the cockpit doors slid closed with a hiss.

“Well? Are you pausing for dramatic effect or do you require additional prompting?” Tech said, finally turning his eyes to his brother, pressing his goggles up his nose as he did so.

Hunter sighed, trying to recall the extensive conversation he’d had on behalf of his younger brother.

“Shep said he met Phee about fifteen years ago in a war-torn area. She was looking for an artifact and he had some knowledge of the local area. They hit it off and he joined her on a few expeditions.”

“This is presumably before Lyana was…ah…”

“Yes,” Hunter interrupted as his brother stumbled over his words. It was a rarity which proved to Hunter just how uncomfortable he was with this kind of subject. Tech turned back to his datapad but nodded for Hunter to continue.

“But then he met his wife, they fled to Pabu with Phee’s help and Lyana was born here.”

“So, there wasn’t any…ahh,”

“As far as I could tell he and Phee were never together. Does that satisfy you?”

“it’s no concern of mine whether…”

“Then why did I have to concoct an excruciatingly convoluted conversation to get the information you asked for?” Hunter asked. “It wasn’t until Phee joined us that I started getting somewhere.”

“Phee joined you?” Tech said, suddenly sitting up straighter. “You didn’t let her know you were inquiring for me? What exactly did she say? Tell me verbatim, I don’t trust your hyperbole in these kinds of situations.”

“Of course I didn’t say it was for you.” Hunter said with an eye roll, “you know Phee, she doesn’t need much encouragement to talk,”

“Hmm. I suppose you are correct.” Tech said to himself.

“Still, I would prefer to hear how the conversation went. I know there can be physical cues in these situations that may be missed. Did she…” Tech checked his data pad, “touch her hair or make physical contact with Shep during the conversation?”

“Tech, you can’t be serious?”

Hunter looked at his brother with amusement. It wasn’t rare to see Tech out of his comfort zone, He struggled with basic interactions that came easily to Hunter and Wrecker, but to see him delve into these unspoken feelings for Phee was unusual. He’d never asked for intel on anyone who wasn’t a target before. Let alone interrogate him about the subject matter. Hunter tried to turn a laugh into a cough. The last thing he wanted was for Tech to think he was making fun of him. He knew his brother was struggling and wanted to help.

“I do not know what you are smiling about, brother, but I am sure I do not appreciate it.”

“Have you ever thought about maybe telling Phee how you feel?” Hunter asked gently.

“No.” Tech said simply, raising his eyes questioningly at his brother.

Hunter put his head in his hands, shaking his head.

“Tech, she obviously likes you. We’ve only been here a couple of days and you’re the only one she’s asked to accompany her into the archium or go for walks on the beach. You know she likes you in a romantic way, right?”

Tech shifted uncomfortably in his seat. And lowered his eyes, “I am aware that she has assigned me a nickname out of affection and that this act hasn’t been extended to the rest of the squad. However, I do not think there is any definitive data to say she is interested in me in a romantic fashion.”

“She’s interested in you, Tech!,” Hunter said louder than he intended. He pursed his lips and brought his eyes up to meet his brother, “sorry,” he said, “but you need to figure out what you want to do about it because if we stay here, things will come to a head.”

Tech blinked rapidly; Hunter could almost hear the gears turning inside his head.

“I do not know what to do,” he said finally, an admission that Hunter didn’t think he’d ever heard come out of his mouth before. “I am aware that you have had dalliances over the years. You are the closest I have to a subject matter expert. How would you approach this situation?”

“Tech I really don’t think…”

“Hunter,” he interrupted. “I am asking for your help. Please. What should I do?”

Hunter looked at his brother with a great deal of sympathy. There wasn’t much Tech didn’t know or couldn’t figure out on his own but connection, interaction with others was the one thing his giant brain couldn’t comprehend.

“I’m no expert, Tech. But if you like Phee and want to spend more time with her I think you should tell her how you feel in your own way. We all see how you are around her. You smile more, you seem happy. Just let yourself be happy and if you’re unsure where you stand, just ask her. She’ll probably find it charming.”

Tech nodded thoughtfully. “So, what you’re saying is that additional research is needed, and I am the one that needs to do it?”

Hunter laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Tech nodded again, deep in thought and turned back to his datapad.

“I’m going to get some rest. Wake me when it’s my watch.” “Of course.” Tech said, not taking his eyes off his datapad.

The cockpit doors opened again, and Wrecker’s snores now sounded like bomb detonation.

“Hunter?” he heard tech call softly behind him.

“hmm?”

‘“Thank you,” he said with a nod of appreciation.

Hunter nodded and smiled back. He yawned again and crawled into the spare rack. He thought of Phee animatedly talking to Shep about his brother on one of their missions together. They would be alright, he thought before drifting softly to sleep.

[crazylittlejester]

Wait so is your modern au Sky also epileptic? (Sorry if this has been answered before XD) And if so, what kind and how do his symptoms manifest? (Full permission to yap ! I'm invested in this au /gen)

No worries! I honestly can't remember if I've talked about it or not for this au, but yes my modern au Sky has epilepsy too :)

(sorry this is a bigger yap than i intended it to be aljdlsljdld, you awakened my inner yapper. also my bad for typos if there are any)

The meds he takes to help stop him from having seizures so frequently (they don't stop them completely) make him pretty tired, he doesn't have as much energy as his friends and this makes him upset a lot of the time because he's had to sit out on a few activities. He also has to make sure he gets enough sleep and doesn't stay up too late or he'll risk triggering a seizure, so he can't stay up with Twi and Wars and sometimes it's hard for him to not feel like he HAS to exclude himself. Twi and Wars are both incredibly understanding, especially since they've known him for so long and have listened to him rant and tried to help as best as they could, but sometimes it's just exhausting for Sky to argue with HIMSELF. He knows his friends aren't excluding him and go out of their way to make sure he can join them, but he gets a little jealous when he has to go to bed and can still hear the TV on in the living room (and this is also why he can get a little snappy when Twi and Wars want to play video games all afternoon. It's not their fault and Sky feels bad for getting upset about it, but he PHYSICALLY cannot play with them, he can't share that with them, and he can only handle watching them for a little bit before he has to stop watching the screen. Twi and Wars don't have a whole lot of time they can play together because Wars is so busy and has like no free time, but they REALLY try to only play if Sky is out at work or actively asleep because they wanna spend time with him too)

One of the most outwardly noticeable signs he's about to have a seizure is that he'll get a bit of an energy boost and act a little hyper for HIM, which can sometimes be hard for friends to notice because when he's hyper his energy level basically just goes up to 'average young adult with unmedicated adhd', which is like half his friend group so he's just acting like the rest of them. Sometimes they don't notice because Sky suddenly being a little more energetic fuels the group's chaoticnes and they just rile each other up [This is EXACTLY what happened in Secrets (Un)known, which isn't a fic for this au but it was the first fic I wrote specifically about Sky having a seizure and just a good example of the situation I'm trying to describe aldjhkd] Things right before that SKY will notice include things like getting super anxious and suddenly feeling really heavy and like everything is slowing down. He'll also feel nauseous and like he's overheating.

His meds can also make it hard for him to focus and when he first started taking the ones he's currently on they'd give him headaches, though he doesn't really get headaches from them anymore, which he's super thankful for because the migraine auras he'd get would feel similar enough to seizure auras that he'd end up working himself into a panic attack thinking he was about to have a seizure, or, on the flip side, he'd tell himself it was just a migraine and then try to push through what ended up being a seizure

He can't drive, which has really affected his mental health because he gets frustrated that he can't be seizure free long enough to be able to learn how and he's got to rely on his friends to drive him places (granted he does live in a city, which is where both his job and college campus is, but sometimes the weather is bad and it just isn't walkable, or he has to go to an appointment which is a bit further away). The entire reason he's an english lit major who plans to become a teacher is because school was SUCH a struggle for him, between being unable to focus and having seizures and then missing school because he was simply unable to go, and because his grades were sometimes poor his teachers and the education system would make him feel stupid and it frustrated him to NO end. He'd get called sleepy and lazy, and 'no wonder he failed he doesn't pay attention in class' so he became HELL BENT on not letting another generation of kids with disabilities suffer like that. He's not stupid at all, he's so so smart and he has so much to say about the books he loves, and he wants to be able to help at least ONE kid who was taught to think they were just stupid realize no, their brain is just a little different. (Wars also played a part in this. He has unmedicated ADHD and couldn't pay attention well in class back in high school and his grades suffered a bit and he genuinely thought he was just stupid because the teachers would make fun of him and tell him he needed to spend less time thinking about his appearance and more time paying attention, and Sky got so genuinely fucking mad that Wars to this DAY believes he's just a pretty face that he snapped a bit and decided he was going to take his passion for literature and helping people and channel it into becoming an english teacher)

At THIS point, Sky's meds are helping ENOUGH that he won't stop taking them but he can't increase the dose to help more because of the side effects. He has focal impaired awareness seizures most commonly, which looks to the outside person like he's just zoned out. He'll usually blink quickly or sometimes his hand will twitch for about a minute and then he'll be a bit confused for a little afterwards, and it can sometimes be hard for him to talk immediately after. If he's really stressed out he can have a couple of those a week, but usually he'll have like 3-7 per month (though sometimes it can be more than that). It's RARE he makes it through a week without having a seizure at all

The main reason he's worried about changing his medication is because this current one has really decreased the number of big, dropping to the ground convulsing seizures he has per year, and he's scared to start trying other things because he doesn't want to risk those becoming more frequent. When he was younger he'd have several tonic clonic seizures per week, and now he'll get them like once-ish per month (again it depends on stress, sleep, and making sure he avoids flashing lights or fast moving videos. sometimes they'll happen more than once a month, sometimes he'll make it a full month without having one (and then get a little anxious about it))

Wars and Twi have kind of mastered the very fine line between taking care of Sky and pissing him off, because they're well aware Sky doesn't need their help with anything and if he does he'll ask for it, but sometimes when they notice him getting a bit worked up over something (like a school assignment or exams) and they've had to get really creative about helping distract him and calm him down without making Sky paranoid they're treating him like a ticking time bomb. They do not baby him, they do not treat him like he's about to explode, but Sky went through grade school and teachers who've all seen him start to get stressed and gone "Why don't we take some deep breaths?" in a SUPER condescending way, so it's become a bit of an instinct to lash out if he feels like he's being treated differently. The little things Wars and Twi do to help him just take a deep breath and relax a little are the same things they'll do to each other or any of their other friends when they get stressed, like make him some tea or offer to help him study by asking questions so he can see if he remembers the answer. They'll just get his dinner for him so he doesn't have to worry about it or get him a little treat at the store, sometimes Wars will literally just use a laser pointer to send one of his cats into Sky's room

He's been looking into seizure alert dogs, because he thinks one could be really useful and help him feel a little more independent and also help with his stress, but they're expensive and he lives in an apartment, so he's hesitant to get one

(full disclosure, I myself do not have epilepsy but a close friend of mine does and I've talked with her as well as someone who has a family member who experiences seizures and I've done a TON of research, however that does NOT make me an expert and if i do make any mistakes i would greatly appreciate kind corrections. representation is important to me, and i don't want to accidentally spread misinformation)

[g3abbeybominable]

Okay, I pretty much just use this tumblr to lurk and look at posts, but I have some genuine issues with the response to 431. I think a lot of things have been really blown out of proportion and I guess I just want to express some of my thoughts. Keep in mind while reading this, this is not an attack on bkdk shippers, I ship them as well, this is just about confusing plot points I see spread and strange responses to character decisions. I would also like to note that it’s okay to be disappointed and upset! A lot of responses and discourse are just confusing to me

1. I am genuinely confused why people are so upset about Deku turning down Bakugou’s offer to join his agency. I understand that they dreamed about it since they were kids, but things change. They still get to be heroes together! Deku just wants to keep teaching since he found out he loves doing that. I’m sure when Deku is doing hero work, he’ll still primarily work with Bakugou just as a hero without an agency. And Bakugou was mostly bummed out, but he understood. I thought this was actually a good moment for both of them as characters. Deku is able to voice what he wants to do, and dreams of his own while Bakugou was able to experience disappointment and negative emotions without blowing up. ALSO when Deku realized Bakugou was inviting him to his agency, he felt bad that he was so happy while turning him down. I think villainizing Deku for this is weird.

2. They are not saying goodbye forever, I am confused by people saying Bakugou is losing him. They literally made plans and said see you later. They clearly spend a lot of time together!

3. I think there’s been a lot of strange things being said about Deku that I just personally find to be somewhat out of touch. I think a lot of the “he rejected Bakugou after everything he did for him? He almost gave up his life for him. He’s so selfish for doing this.” type of comments are upsetting. This is my least favorite part of the response. Deku, or anyone for that matter, doesn’t OWE someone something because they did nice things for them! Relationships with the people you love, platonic or romantic, should NOT be transactional!!!! It paints Bakugou as this weird Nice Guy who is owed romance or affection because of decisions he made. Beyond that, I would like to point out that Deku ALSO almost died for Bakugou. People just ignore it since DEKU DIDN’T HAVE A CHOICE!!!!! OFA basically ripped away his ability to be on the sidelines or stay out of harms way. So people don’t see it as an act of devotion or love since they ALSO just expect that out of him. It makes it seem like it was easy for him to be fighting battles, to see the people around him get hurt while also hurting himself. So I don’t want to hear ANYTHING about how he somehow “owes” him something. It’s ridiculous honestly

4. This point is gonna be pretty unserious. But to me, IzuOcha is only canon if you want it to be. Listen, I’m not oblivious enough to miss the romantic undertones, but also they didn’t do anything that explicitly makes it romantic. Straight people have been ignoring the romantic undertones of gay pairings and saying “um, they’re just friends” for ages, so I’m taking the radical approach of doing that to a m/f pairing /lh. If you want it to be romantic, cool! If you want it to be about reconnecting as friends, cool! At the end of the day the point is to step out and try and reconnect with people after isolating yourself. A few years ago I went through a period of extreme tragedy and shut people out. I didn’t have any big fights or anything, I just stopped responding to texts and stopped showing up at get togethers and eventually things just drifted apart. Now when I see them post on social media or run into them places, I think to myself “do you even know how much I miss talking to you?” so the longing to reconnect with people can be applied to many situations

Anyways, this probably made no sense. I typed it while getting ready for work. Just wanted to get it off my chest I guess. I’m sure people will flame me and say I’m doing insane coping. My response to that is: okay, since when is it a crime to interpret an ending the way you want to interpret it? That’s the fun part about fiction!

[luca-the-creature]

1. when did you find out you were a dragon?

roughly a year ago. back then i thought i was a feathery-furry arctic dragon.

2. what kind of dragon are you?

tropical, sirenic, semi aquatic, earthly.

3. when did you join the dragonkin/alterhuman community?

when i found out i was one, i joined, then i left 8 months ago. then i rejoined a month ago.

4. what are some unique features of your dragon self?

i have 3 eyes, a beak, no wings, dont fly or breathe fire. i may have a siren song/am a creature that likes singing or long, song-like trills, clicking and squeals. i'm anattractional but do enjoy my soulmate as a non-sexual, symbiotic romantic partner (+ im fatestromantic). i do not have sex organs. i can not reproduce nor would i exist as the product of another creature(s) reproducing.

5. what do you think of the representation of dragons on earth?

I don't care much honestly. my only issue is why they're represented that way. dragons are often objectified as something men need to overcome or are seen as nothing more than something cool and visually appealing, which is disturbingly superficial and offensive to me.

questions/answers 6+ under cut

6. do you have memories of being a dragon in a past life or concurrent life?

no

7. what do your shifts look like, if you have any?

third eye shifts are like a pressure between my physical eyes. I've had an astral shift or two where I feel like a monstrous thing + cameo dream shifts of other dragon species

8. what does your species' diet?

herbivorous/omnivorous. I may eat fish that are already dead, but I am not a hunter. seaweed and green coconut water. (rasp)berries.

9. do you have a breathe weapon?

probably not

10. do you know your dragon body's size?

6-9 feet tall, 11-17 feet long. give or take

11. do you hoard?

yes. anything I find outside, including rocks, feathers and flowers, things from abandoned houses like crystals and jewelry, or bought things like suncatchers.

12. how does your draconity influence you irl?

I have a very hard time connecting to people. i also tend to be very magically inclined. i also have my dragon code of honor.

13. do you feel species dysphoria sometimes?

perpetually. mainly over psychological traits, my feet, and my face.

14. what did/would your habitat look like?

tropical, sunny, lots of clear shallow water, moss, rocks, caves, mountains.

15. are you territorial? can be a place(s) or other beings.

yes, I'm possessive over my soulmate. otherwise i just don't like my personal space invaded and try to keep my distance.

16. what do you think about the dragonkin/alterhuman community?

there isn't much to think about it. it's very diverse tho

17. do you use special vocabulary related to your draconity?

no

18. does your species have a special language or alphabet?

i am not part of a species because im a unibeing. thus i would not. i imagine i wouldn't talk much but would learn to understand basic words from actual languages.

19. do you have a pack/clan or are you on your own?

on my own

20. where do you spend the most time? outside in nature or in your cave (at home)?

inside. mainly because of depression and lack of activities outside+wrong weather and temperatures

21. what is your favorite dragon media? is it a book series, a show, a video game or something else?

dragonwatch: book series by Brandon mull. first 5 wings of fire books. On drakon (he's a dragon): a movie. I have a love hate relationship with house of the dragon.

22. have you ever met a dragon like you or similar to you?

how similar? *vaguely* similar sure, but actually like me? no

23. do you consider your identity spiritual, psychological or something else? do you use these labels at all?

at my core, spiritual. but it's also psychological and physical. I think having a nonhuman soul affects my psychology, and I think my psychology and spirituality both affect my physicality.

24. do you have any other identities aside from being a dragon?

no.

25. do you have any gear related to your draconity?

nope.

26. how does your species communicate primarily? do you use speech, sounds/vocals and/or body language?

again not a species but primarily body language

27. is your dragon self animalistic/feral or sapient?

both. sapient so I can learn and critically think and be artistic. feral because I'm wild, lack technology, and don't have a human-feeling mind/the feeling itself would be feral but I'd still possess sapience.

28. do you have a visual description of yourself or something that looks similar to your dragon body?

kind of...

29. do you have any body modifications?

no

30. are there any dragons/other dragonkin who inspire you?

the rainwing tribe from wings of fire (minus Glory). none irl

31. free space

wrong its not free it's 5 dollars (ps i think it's cool me aurora are a similar size, i feel like im a short dragon lol)

dragonkin ask game

hey there! since this year, the year of the dragon, is getting to its end, i decided to come up with some questions for dragonkin and other draconic beings in the alterhuman and plural community. these can be used for personal use in blogs and are free to use for "draconic question of the week" pings on discord, for example. i will explain the reason for those and what i plan to do with them below the questions after the cut. i hope you will have fun with those.

questions under the cut

1. when did you find out you are a dragon?

2. what kind of dragon are you?

3. when did you join the dragonkin/alterhuman community?

4. what are some unique features of your dragon self? can be related to your body, your powers or your behavior.

5. what do you think of the representation of dragons on earth?

6. do you have memories of being a dragon in a past life or concurrent life?

7. what do your shifts look like, if you have any?

8. what does your species' diet?

9. do you have a breath weapon? if yes, which one?

10. do you know your dragon body's size?

11. do you hoard?

12. how does your draconity influence you irl?

13. do you feel species dysphoria sometimes?

14. what did/would your habitat look like?

15. are you territorial? can be a place(s) or other beings.

16. what do you think about the dragonkin/alterhuman community?

17. do you use a special vocabulary related to your draconity?

18. does your species have a special language or alphabet?

19. do you have a pack/clan or are you on your own?

20. where do you spend the most time? outside in nature or in your cave (at home)?

21. what is your favorite dragon media? is it a book series, a show, a video game or something else?

22. have you ever met a dragon like you or similar to you?

23. do you consider your identity spiritual, psychological or something else? do you use these labels at all?

24. do you have any other identities beside being a dragon?

25. do you own any gear (tails, horns, jewelry etc.) related to your draconity?

26. how does your species communicate primarily? do you use speech, sounds/vocals and/or body language?

27. is your dragon self animalistic/feral or sapient?

28. do you have a visual description of yourself or something that looks similar to your dragon body?

29. do you have any body modifications (tattoos, implants etc.)?

30. are there any dragons/other dragonkin who inspire you?

31. free space

the reason i made this ask game is because i will try to answer every one of the questions during the last month of the year of the dragon. this is a sort of "dragonkin ask game/challenge", and you can try it too, if you want.

thank you for taking a look <3

[melancholic-fig]

For me, the episode was a mixed bag - I felt like the duet was slightly odd and that they needed more time to build up the trial. I had no worry that either of them was gonna die so the emotionality all fell off.

However, the domestic ending did it for me. Blitz is so soft and warm, it makes me think he must really resemble his mom. I’ve been the Blitz when my partner was fighting his dad’s cancer diagnosis and I know it’s tough to care for someone that basically gave up on life. Also, my man won everything in one day, I hope he keeps on winning.

Stolas just started his redemption arc from all the mistakes he did. He’s basically getting a very cold shower and suffering a massive shock, because he lost custody. I made jokes that he “abandoned his daughter and life for his situationship” but then I saw people being serios with this take… You guys know he mist have realized this whole time execution was the price for lending the Grimoire, right? He just thought both of them would get the same treatment, because he’s autistic enough to believe the law as written down, but he KNEW. Even in a “correct” trial Blitz would still get a death sentence. And it would be on Stolas, because he could have taken his book back and forbid Blitz from using it at any moment - destroying his business but saving his life. He has risked it all because he was so desperately lonely and depressed his only reason to live was a monthly shagging. This doesn’t make him horrible because he most probably didn’t expect the law to ever get acted on (as it does for most Goetia) - but the option to let Blitz die for his mistakes was off the table. He would have been more of a villain if he said the true story and let Blitz take the axe and would still have Via. There is such a thing as fairness even when your kid is on the line.

And he’s going to make up with Via sooner or later. He’s going to live among the lower class and get a massive reality check - learn that he was sheltered from the fabric of Hell reality all his life. The good and the bad of it. Then because of these realizations he’ll be able to stick it up to Andy and Stella and get custody of Via (or she comes of age, gets his powers permanently and does as she pleases forever). It’s a character arc, Stolas starts off completely unaware of anyone but his own fantasies and ends up self-aware and humbled - for which the story rewards him with his daughter back. Just like Blitz learnt to express love for his family and got rewarded with public admiration and everyone’s affection this episode. It’s not like this is a subtle show. Bird boy is on his first touch-grass day, he’ll get his due. And Via’ll learn what happened sooner or later, no worries

[valleymyristica]

Well I saw your post about the Fop series. Honestly most of the stories I read about Dale are related to Perry and personally I don't like Perry when he's older he was cute when he was a kid in the original series but that's not the point I want something related to Dave and Dale only not from Dale's side but from Dave where he suddenly has enough courage to show his love for his father but it has nothing to do with magic I don't want any magic in the subject well here's what Dev decides to be affectionate suddenly with his father and hugs him suddenly and quickly walks away Dale won't care much about what Dev does so Dev starts to get Dale used to these sudden hugs where he hugs him almost every day and this starts to annoy Dale a lot but he gets used to it and when Dev doesn't give his usual hug he misses Dev's presence because Dale doesn't know how to love or give affection Dev teaches him himself because Dale doesn't hate Dev basically he only sees him as a little child and no one can make Dale give Dev his only child love and affection that he has never known or even experienced because Dale's life is just work not that he doesn't care about Dev but he doesn't know very well what his only son wants basically and he doesn't have time or this is what he thinks is right to sit with His son and he just talks to him without doing anything because physical touch and physical affection change a person and break down his walls and turn him eighty degrees and also I hate or get annoyed when most fans involve Perry in the relationship of Dale and Dev. Dev can change his father if he tries himself only there is no need for Perry in all this

My English is not very good. I apologize if there are spelling mistakes.

The important thing is that I want something new, realistic topics, far from the excessive and broad imagination in the relationship between the son and the father.

I do find something so unnervingly wrong with the thought that it is somehow Dev's responsibility to fix Dale.

He's a kid, he should be allowed to be a kid, should he not?

Parents can make mistakes, that is true, and there may be many things that they have to work through. Still, despite it all, it should never fall on the kid, it's not their responsibility.

Dev is just a kid, he deserves to be happy and just be himself. He deserves to have friends who like being with him because he is who he is. He should be the one he wants to be, not someone that fits into someone else's fantasy.

The universe is cruel, people don't always get what they deserve. Some don't get happiness, love and care. Some don't get anything to share.

While others get an abundance of it all.

But, regardless of the case, it shouldn't be the kid who takes the fall.

I've had this one for a moment, and I'm not fully sure on what I should tell. I can inform that you don't have to worry about your spelling, it was very good. Though you did write "Peri"'s name as "Perry" and "Dev"'s as "Dave" at times.

What you should be more concerned with is your formatting. I put an example of how you can do in the first dividers image description. Do hope that helps. Mostly, just make sure to divide things up in paragraphs and remember to use periods. It helps. Trust me.

Additionally,

I'm not sure which post you were specifically talking about, I'm thinking maybe [this] one? Unsure.

Might also be good to inform that the answers I give are in regard to my story "What it takes", the first chapter doesn't really have any Peri. It's mostly just a Dale and Dev interacting, realistically.

Unnervingly so.

So, in that regard, maybe you'll like the first chapter?

Honestly, I'd be really curious to hear what you may think of it. Who knows, maybe you'll even enjoy the Peri parts, cause, he sure ain't doing well.

Wouldn't you want to see the one you despise, suffer?

[ You can read "What it takes" [ Here ] ]

Now, to actually tackle what you wrote,

From what I can understand you are looking for a story with only Dev and Dale, where Dale gets attached to the hugs that Dev gives him. Then gets withdrawal when Dev stops, so to keep getting hugs, Dale starts acting like a proper parent.

I get the feeling you are looking for something happy, sweet and kind.

But trust me, those are not the ideas that come to mind. There is destruction, despair and an unnerving amount of fear. Let me make it clear.

If you want it to be realistic, you will soon find how broken the broken can be. You'll soon find horrors you rather never want to see. And you'll soon find how pretty it can be, to live in a fantasy.

Terror in truth and beauty in lies

My own life might be a wonder, the dark may not scare me, I may find comfort in what would fill others with fear. Still, do understand, there is many reasons people may appreciate the moon more than the sun

The moon is there when they need it, the sun is not

The sun seeks glee and joy, the moon accepts it all

Also, If you find that you seek something you can't find. Make it. It might not be as perfect as you'd want it to be, still, it's there. You have an idea, go for it

Who knows, you might find people of similar mind, and then I'm sure you'll have a jolly good time

Plus, I don't think you want me to write the idea you hold in mind. Most simply as I would do as the universe does.

The idea in my mind says that Dev asked what could help him online, and someone joked about putting something in his food. So, being the kid he is with a bit more freedom compared to "our Dev", he buys what he needs though the O-pairs

Then a sandwich each day, making Dale tired and happy, and a simple hug to complete it all. If he's lucky, he might get a hug in return

The days goes by, Dev keeps at it and Dale starts getting more and more addicted to the "hugs"

Then Dev stops, thinking that his dad is "cured"

He is not.

And soon?

Dale gets withdraws.

Dev made a mistake, a horrible one.

Either he keeps at it, living in a crumbling dream made out of lies. Or, he faces the consequences of his actions.

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

if 9&10 were "dont wander off", and 11&12 were "the doctor lies", 13s rule #1 is "dont question me"

"have we not had a good time together" shes pointing yaz to the rule that yaz very well knows is there: we can travel if you dont ask me any difficult questions. yaz knows this is the rule - "because you ask too many questions", "this team structure isnt flat" - but she also was the one to invite the doctor into her home so im pretty sure she also knows shes not gonna kicked out that easily. she has some leeway. which she has been using between revolution and flux, which is why the doctor reminds her of the rules

i dont think she'd kick her out though. she wouldnt. i think it's just that the more you break the rule, the more unpleasant she becomes to be around, and eventually youre gonna walk out on your own. she doesnt want you to, she'd rather you stay and dont ask questions. but if youre gonna try to ask questions anyway, i think thats whats gonna happen

and yaz must think so too. because she does back off. because she doesnt want that to happen either. and it does anyway

[agabus]

the fact that ken came back today to watch us freak out about that update oh my god

[docholligay]

I don't know why the repro scene in the UK is so good, but man is it annoying that some of the very very most accurate reproduction vintage would cost me like 50 goddamn dollars in shipping and also would be royal mail so who knows if it would show.

And it's all "straight across." It's 90% straight-up, reproduction of shit that was made from the 1940s to the 1960s. Love that. Most of what we have in the US is a very twee, "pinup" take on the style. There is nothing wrong on god's green and verdant earth with wearing a fit and flare swing dress with a fuckin Fraggle Rock print, but that is not how I want to live my life. I want to look like I could have stepped onto the street in 1954 or some shit. (With some minor styling differences, I'm not a purist by any means, I'm just not into being CUTESY. I'm playing it straight.) And in the US, we just do NOT have the wide variety of options for that--we have shit like Modcloth, Unique Vintage, etc. Which in addition to being cheaply made, mostly, is all that twee stuff, or all fucking black.

I do not mind spending money on my clothes! The secret to my 'success' is I buy very few items of clothing a year and I spend MONEY on them. At this stage in my life, I am looking to refine my wardrobe, not build it. I am swapping out less nice pieces for better ones. But JESUS, does it make me choke to save up 90 bucks and then have 50 bucks in shipping on top of it.

And yeah, you actually can find the stuff I'm looking for at clothiers who do not specialize in reproduction. I got my Kitty Hepburn style pants and vest from Banana fucking Republic, really nice, thick 80% wool blend. Exactly what I wanted. But the trouble is *I* know the words I am looking for, but especially resellers DO NOT. I know what a dolman sleeve blouse is, but does Chaz in Boca Raton selling a silk blend top that I DO WANT? No! Not often!

And GOD, every time I look on ebay and see how AMAZINGLY CHEAP the resale market is on this stuff in the UK, I SCREAM. You are all so fucking spoiled cry cry cry.

[francisforever2014]

“i hate children but—“ is honestly such an annoying fucking way to start a sentence . even if it’s saying that you’re still kind to them etc etc it’s still so weird to me that people constantly have to express their hatred for a group of people that have no control over being “annoying” or whatever makes people “HATE” them. like that is just such an unnecessarily strong word to use against the most helpless people among us imo. you can dislike children you can think they’re a bit much sometimes you can not want to be around them bc they stress you out . its good for people to know their limits so they’re not in situations where their stress would harm children !!but to say you hate them is so??? like obnoxious to me idk. also maybe it’s just bc i was an observant kid and am around observant kids but i feel like if you profess that you hate children constantly but “act nice” around they probably feel that hate . bc children know when they’re not wanted and guess what . it fucks them up like why would you add to that even minutely. maybe work on not hating vulnerable small beings instead of being so proud of it . it’s just unnecessary and annoying to me like okay . good for you ig

[mars-ipan]

kinda funny when ur brain’s gut instinct is repression so you just kinda watch while your stress and emotions get bottled and corked and the whole time ur just like “that is going to bite me in the ass so bad later but i can’t seem to open the damn bottles without getting glass everywhere so! guess we’ll wait”

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also a special shoutout for real like wendy epic ableism moments when she stops talking directly to winston and expresses this is b/c he communicates too incorrectly (here too literally or whatever, once again whether he misinterpreted her or she misinterpreted him, it's put on him) and thus he doesn't deserve that