#I mean in conclusion it was a fantastic read very true to what it was playing off of and also I have problems LOL

[gilliebee]

finished reading An Unauthorized Fan Treatise and like around chapter 24 I figured out the twist that the epilogue would go on to imply so I figured it was headed in that direction but when I got there I just felt??? so sad??? and defeated about it?????

[shychick-52]

Louie and Della's development (long post)

In honor of Louie and Della Day (which I'm a day late for), I thought I'd post my favorite scenes:

I always found it very interesting that in 'The Secret of Castle McDuck', Louie was the most upset and affected by Dewey keeping his investigation and findings about their mom a secret (and I love how it clearly sounds like he's holding back tears; fantastic reading by Bobby Moynihan).

"You kept a secret about Mom."

"That is not ok."

And when Della came back in 'Nothing Can Stop Della Duck', he thought it was way too good to be true, thinking it was "a trick, or a curse from Magica, or a parallel universe" (and it was perfect how the most street-smart and shifty triplet was immediately on his guard- because like he said in another episode, "You can't outcon a con"- and the thing is, his concerns were totally valid and not that farfetched after everything they've seen and experienced with Scrooge):

And I love how he couldn't keep up his reservations for more than a few seconds before tearfully embracing her with his brothers:

"Mom!"

And... ngl, that's why I hate how Louie immediately goes back to being skeptical, reserved, and forcing himself to be emotionally distant throughout nearly the rest of the episode, even after Della spoke from the bottom of her heart (before she began trying to bond with them):

"Boys, I don't know what to say. Except that I am so sorry I ever set foot on that rocket. I never meant to leave you... or miss your first steps... or potty-training..."

"What I'm trying to say is... for a decade, I have fought to get back to this family. And I will fight every day to be a part of it, if you'll have me."

Louie is still uncertain, and starts to say "I- I-" but the others eagerly embrace her and declare them to be a family again.

It always bothers me that Dewey had to force Louie's hand on top of Della's.

*Still speaking from her heart* "I missed you so much! You deserve to have the best mom and I'm going to be the best mom, starting right now!"

And YES, before anyone says it, I do get why Louie felt the way he did, especially being the most independent and cynical triplet:

"Hey, look, don't get me wrong. Of course I'm happy to have Mom back. I don't know, it's probably my fault... I've gone so long without a mom, I guess I don't really know how to have one?"

His feelings are absolutely understandable and valid, and she was still basically a stranger to him at that point- I mean, Donald kept them in the dark about their mom and her legacy (their whole family legacy) all their lives, and it took finding out their brother was secretly investigating her for him and Huey to find out more about her and the Spear of Selene- but it still disappoints me after how upset he was about Dewey keeping secrets about her, how he was so quick to emotionally accept her right after being so instinctively skeptical at first, and after her emotional, earnest speech to them.

It bothers me that it took her risking her life to save Louie to prove herself to him, or to realize she truly does care. Like, not only is she a veteran adventurer, but she's their mom- ofc she'd do that without thinking twice about it!

But I absolutely love her end speech and Louie's response. It didn't feel like a rehash of her speech from earlier in the episode, when you think about the conversation she overheard about them struggling to come to terms with having her in their lives (especially how Louie was the most skeptical):

"Huey. Dewey. Louie. I know you're not used to having a mom. And I am not used to being one. But I'll figure it out as we go along."

Louie: "We all will."

And I always get emotional during their conversation in the season 2 finale, "Moonvasion". It felt like not only a perfect conclusion to Louie's arc in that season, but the development of his and Della's relationship (including after all unfortunate drama starting in 'Timephoon') . Scared for their future because of the Moonvasion, Della is sadly humming her old lulaby as she looks at her drawing of her boys. Louie notices she's alone and apparently not doing so great, and actually feels comfortable enough to approach her about it:

"Hey, Mom."

"I drew this back when I had to imagine what you boys looked like."

"I think you really nailed Dewey."

"On the moon, all I could think about was being your mom. The adventure, the fun. I wasn't prepared for... all this."

Louie: "Look, I hate surprises. I like seeing every angle of a situation so I can take control of it. But you can't plan for everything... sometimes a robot boy uses you for a pinata."

Della: "I think I'm losing the thread here..."

Louie: "But sometimes the mom you thought you lost comes back. And that's a surprise too. So, you deal with bad surprises because they may lead to a good one."

"But what if Lunaris succeeds? What if I lose you again? What if-"

"You know, when I'm terrified- which is often- I try to remember this old song:

Face each new sun with eyes clear and true.

Unafraid of the unknown-"

Della: -"Because I'll face it all with you."

"I wrote that song before I got lost. How did you hear it?"

"Well, Uncle Donald used to sing it to us when we were little."

Not only does it beautifully fulfill the development in their relationship and allow them to move past the drama between them, not only does Louie reach incredible growth in his maturity, but it's Louie being the parent to Della... comforting her and offering her reassurance (and I love Louie showing a moment of weakness/vulnerability in admitting he often gets scared, which is not easy for him). A perfect way to conclude the second season, Louie's arc, and the development of Della's return to the family.

Thoughts?

[avatarofcuriousity]

Why YOU Should Vote For Solomon In The 2022 RAD Popularity Contest!

YOU. YES, YOU! YOU are sleeping on Solomon!

He doesn't like that, MC.

So I am making this post as a fellow Solomon enjoyer!

1. Much Character And Development (Very Cool!)

Solomon is an immortal sorcerer. So, he's not a demon or angle. He's different like that, a bit quirky if you will.

He's lived a long time. He's very lonely. The RAD program was finally a place where he could find his found family. Doesn't that make you feel bad? Don't you think he deserves more love to compensate for his very much lonely life? I am guilt tripping you, you are being held at gunpoint, MC...

To elaborate more on his character, please allow me direct you to these AMAZING posts (that are actually serious and put things in way better words than I ever could lol) to explain why he's SUCH much character.

@books-and-catears Quick read of his Birthday Event and all the details of how amazing he is!

@3vocatio 's Analysis Of Why Solomon is a Consistently Written Character AND The Devs FAV (CANON???) (REAL, NOT CLICKBAIT) (😱) (😍)

@yourboyhack 's reblog of Solomon's B-day Character Card and how it mentions the obvious and is so very based

2. He Just Loves You So Very Much

As evident by his constant praise and affection! You're his darling apprentice and is very proud of you! 💙

Example shown here in @books-and-catears post!

He is absolutely your soulmate, MC. No, I'm not gaslighting you, MC, what do you mean?

He is determined to show you how much he loves you! He's open and honest. All he wants is to be sincere with you, as also evident by ANOTHER @books-and-catears post (They're so fucking based, one of the biggest Solomon appreciaters ever) and @he-calls-me-kitten 's reblog!

Conclusion?

Solomon is a very amazing and fantastic character. Especially after his Birthday Event, it's clearer than ever he's one of the best written characters! He deserves much more fans and appreciation. And the Devs ESPECIALLY deserve to know how much we adore his character! And even if you STILL don't like him or prefer another character?

Do it for the bit. That's right. If nothing I said reached you, at least do it for the funny.

And THAT is why you should vote for Solomon in the 2022 RAD Popularity Contest!

VOTE NOW!:

(NOTE: You can vote as many times as you'd like! (If you go into Incognito Mode 😏👀) Vote your true fav, but I encourage you to go vote for Solomon as MANY times as you can in Incognito and go HAM.)

[eorzeashan]

stolen tags from @frauleiiin (sorry for the tag) I've been stewing over this and yeah! I do think his ultimately strange view of the world and people at large is what makes him unique. I described him before as both open and narrow-minded, because on one hand he's very quick to accept whatever is in front of him. On the other....he has a lot of internal biases that dictate what that means to him exactly, which can lead to either a completely unorthodox, honest view on the situation or one that's just off the mark, as best characterized by his interpersonal conflict with Keeper.

Eight is...not good when it comes to people. He knows this. At the same time, he possesses a gift that lets him see exactly what others are thinking at the same time-- this is the ability of his species. So when you hear people say one thing, but their body language says another, what do you learn to believe? The verbal truth, or the unconscious? It's in this that Eight falls back on his first bias: that of an Echani. He relies on body-reading first and then that of the spoken language. But because of this, he sees things according to their tradition, and thus, adopts their beliefs. For that, his verbal skills can be lacking, and he does not perceive the spoken word immediately as truth.

It's also for that reason that he fears being perceived by other Echani, who would instantly be able to see right through his facade and see him not as an honorable warrior, but a killer who does naught else. This too, is one of his major insecurities that warps his view of those close to him, who he fears will eventually come to the same conclusion about him and abandon him in turn regardless of whether or not that is true.

His training as an Imperial Agent comes second...and so does that of the unemotional, compartmentalized mindset of a Chiss operative, given who he was both raised and mentored by. For many years, Eight had only his mentor Nosta to rely on and seek guidance from. But Nosta was hardly the picture of a saint: she depended on him for her mental stability, yet could not find it within herself to make form that vulnerable connection with a child who needed a parent more than he needed a teacher. It's in this that Eight learned to set aside himself, his priorities, his own emotions to fulfill the goal, and ultimately serve as a tool by her side rather than be a burden, so to speak.

His personhood was deeply affected by the fear that he would be discarded if she saw any potential for failure in him, and so his innermost identity remains rather repressed compared to most other individuals. Her tutelage ultimately molded him into a fantastic spy, but the pieces left behind of his younger self were never quite mended, and it shows in the way he interacts with the galaxy at large. His lack of vulnerability, his refusal to engage with his feelings, his priority of becoming a weapon in any situation rather than be an individual. ...And a sense of alienation towards those who don't adhere to such training. That is not to say he is always and foremost a sword in another's belt; he often clashes with himself and does things even he can't explain. Sometimes he denies himself the right to feel. Others he follows his impulses and instincts to do what he knows best. And like any person who longs for connection no matter how long they've lived without it, he still seeks companionship. It is another of his people's beliefs that an Echani should never be alone; the sign of an isolated individual is a sign of sickness. But alone as he is, he can only feel that he is flawed in some way for being unable to readily form those bonds like others. In summary, Eight's view tends to be colored both by his background of culture and training, but also by his deep insecurities. This got a little rambly, but.... I do think understanding his background mentality explains why he thinks certain things. He's constantly asking himself if he should make decisions based on his heart as a warrior, or his mind as an agent, or even-- just himself-- and it's never easy.

[frooogscream]

So David making the show gayer and listening to his collaborators... is a bad thing. Even if you weren't twisting his words, you're not making the point you think you are.

I did never say anything like that, what I sad is that the show was never supposed to be so queer in the beginning and that pretty much all of the queer details about the characters came from the queer actors. My conclusion was not “David Jenkins bad because he didn’t want to make a queer show”, my conclusion was “it is beautiful that these queer people poured their hearts into it and created something with a lot of meaning for other queer people”.

Yes I also used phrases like “we were never even supposed to have what we got” and “This show was NEVER supposed to give us beautiful things and treat it’s queer characters with “kindness”! It was NEVER supposed to be for queer people!”, implying that I personally felt like s2 made some choices that I, with my personal experience as a queer person was disappointed in (such as cutting all the poly scenes and killing of the older queer characters right after giving him a coming out arc, in doing so removing an actor who is very vocally supportive of trans people which I, as a trans person appreciate and used the opportunity on convention panels to talk about queer rights and removing the only of the three most central characters in s2 actually played by a queer person, etc.).

But that was just a tiny and implied undertone in an overwhelmingly positive post, in which I praise the cast of the show. And for the record, I DO think that it is great that DJ made these adjustments, I work in theater and occasionally in film and know that it is also not uncommon or bad to make changes as the project evolves and actors flesh out the roles more. I simply pointed out that he is not the one who originally had the ideas to make it this queer and that he originally didn’t plan to let the main queer love story end with a happy ending. Firstly this is not a bad thing, there are a lot of shows out there that aren’t queer, no body is “required” to make queer shows. Secondly where the hell am I twisting his words, he LITERALLY said all of the things I listed as changes towards a more queer show himself and you can find all the interviews linked in the source I gave in my post! Again the over all tone of my post was “oh my god, look what crazy info I stumbled upon and isn’t it fucking fantastic that these gorgeous queers have turned this regular show into something that means so much to us”. And that you manage to take that positive post and read something sooooo negative into it, just because someone dares to say that maybe David isn’t this amazing queer rights activist that some fans make him out to be and didn’t plan on making a revolutionary queer show, is honestly baffling to me.

I am also not “trying to make any point”, this is my personal block with barely 30 followers where I described my personal feelings towards factually true information and my personal feelings are:

I fucking love Vico, I fucking love Con, I fucking love Kristian (also Nathan and every queer person who worked on this behind the scenes) but I’m not gonna kiss David Jenkins feet for something that wasn’t even his idea, I don’t “owe” a cis straight guy who dosnt understand half of why the things his queer cast came up with are so important, gratitude. I gladly and freely extend a big fucking chunk of gratitude to queer actors who put their heart and soul into their queer roles way more then they are required to. Hope this helps.

[bluef00t]

thoughts on the ironhide storyline?

Knights of the Golden Circle: the Atomic Robo arc so peak that it's singled out in the site preview blurb.

Well, I'm assuming you mean that, and there isn't an Ironhide RSA I missed. (I'd read it! I prefer the spinoff genre characters to the real-person teams, which may defeat the purpose of the title Real Science Adventures, but whatever.)

"Thoughts." That's vague. Well, I love the bonkers set-up. There are other arcs that can absolutely only be done once (Ghost of Station X, Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur, Vengeful Dead), but only this one has the quality of Brian + Scott leaning in like "Okay. We know. We swore that causality is sacred and there will be NO time shenanigans, and that's STILL true. But just this once we're going to bend our own rule slightly, because we really, really, really want our robot to get to be a cowboy. Thanks for understanding."

The art's fantastic. I'm glad this one made it under the wire for the era of pencil-lined Robo volumes because the subtle textures really complete the grungy dusty look. The colors, too. Robo's electric blue and vril's crystalline pink stand out like alien intrusions in the sepia-toned world. Mwah.

My first time reading, I felt like it was a cop-out on the stable time loop to make Ironhide real in his own right. But since then my opinion has reversed! It cultivates a real air of Old West legend for Robo to be preceded by whispers of a reputation so shrouded in mystery that he doesn't even know it. I now actually think it should've taken Robo until maybe his dozenth public superhuman feat to realize I May Be Contributing To The Legend Somewhat.

Robo's initial interest in Ironhide strikes me as a riff on kids latching onto representation in comics. Especially when characters "like you" are stereotyped or absent, so you imprint on someone who isn't supposed to be like you, but represents your personal experience way more. But I'm probably projecting there.

Paradoxically to my RSA opinions, I like historical cameos in Robo proper. Holliday + Reeves + Robo are a really fun trio. Helsie is a fine "final boss", but I'm glad more time was spent on Caldwell's gang to get our fill of saloon shootouts and train chases first.

As an aside—pulps have a tendency to pick a villain from an "anti-American" political group with little thought put toward their underlying ideologies. (Which is how you get "our blonde superhuman can out-punch the Nazi ubermensch, so there" and incoherent Soviet/Nazi team-ups.) I point this out to say that the writing in Robo is generally better than that. It may tiptoe around historical politics a little (Helsingard is a Nazi collaborator, the Knights used to be Confederates), but the pulpy cyborg plot keeps at least one throughline: these were people in the human trafficking business for power and profit. And of the legends of the old west, Bass Reeves would have some very strong convictions about that.

Honestly a weakness here is that the story gives you a lot of hints in place of explanations and just trusts you'll work it out. Like the FIFTEEN YEAR timeskip. I only NOW, writing this, realized that the dates on the wall (which make no sense as "where am I in history?" guesses) are probably reactor lifespan calculations.

It's a better problem to have than agonizing infodumps or actual plot holes, but in some cases I liked my initial assumptions better than the real answers! Like, I first thought he was using his own heart to power his gadgets, and that's what was killing him so fast. Would've been metal if true. (I guess he did rebuild himself to make that possible later.)

Well, even minus that. It's a tasty cowboy trope for the protagonist to know they're already dying (or I've just listened to Streets of Laredo too many times) and a great time travel trope for the ending to be a foregone conclusion and our protagonist to still fight like hell to the bitter end. Yesssss.

In a way, this is already how readers experience the historical stories, trying to piece together the cost for this preordained victory with scraps of historical knowledge and faith that it will all make sense eventually. But this time Robo's in on it, too.

[kyoxyukiforever]

The Science of A/B/O

Part 4 - Mating

Part 1 (The Basics), Part 2 (Heats and Ruts), Part 3 (Scents and Pheromones), Part 4 (Mating), Part 5 (Genetics and Presenting)

Warning: sex ed that no one asked for and all that that implies, discussions of knotting, slick, mating bites, semen, ejaculation, sexual anatomy and physiology of both humans and animals, and the most PG diagrams I could manage to find on the internet

MATING BITES

It seems like the reason A/B/O fiction depicts a scent gland as being on the neck is for the mating bite. The mating bite is based on an actual phenomenon that occurs in nature. Plenty of animals will bite their partners while mating, from cats to weasels to spiders. That said, mating bites in nature aren’t a way of forming or strengthening a bond. Instead, it’s considered one of many behaviors in nature that are classified as sexual coercion. When mating bites occur in real life, it’s to prevent the other animal from moving, escaping, or attacking the one delivering the bite. There isn't even a scent gland there - at least not that I could find in any of the animals I researched who exhibit this behavior.

Now, I'm just reading through existing papers and studies and applying them to the tropes that exist in A/B/O, mostly so you guys don't have to wade through hundreds of pages of densely worded scientific prose, but I don't have the expertise needed to invent new science, which I would need to do in order to explain mating bites in A/B/O.

Luckily for me, someone else has already done that.

@brainsforbabyjesus also did an in depth dive into the science of A/B/O over on AO3, which I highly encourage you to check out!

I actually wish that I had come across it before I did all of the research for these posts, but oh well. On the bright side, there are now two pieces of literature on the science of A/B/O for your perusal, each of which resulted from completely separate research methods, which means if you read both, you'll have a wealth of information coming from totally uncoordinated sources!

All that said, @brainsforbabyjesus seems to have a better understanding of applied biology than I do, and they invented a way for mating bites to work!

I'm not going to linger on it here, because you really should check out their work using this link or the link above (yes I linked it twice, go read it - mating bites are in chapter 4!). I'm just going to do a very bare bones rundown of their theory in order to continue on with my own research.

They suggest that there are three glands located on the back and either side of the neck (plus some surrounding nerves) that they call "the coniguim glandis (literally marriage gland)" and that during a heat/rut, either during or immediately following an orgasm, a "bonding enzyme" is produced inside an alpha/omega's mouth. When this enzyme is introduced to the coniguim glandis, the bite recipient literally gets their biology rewritten.

If that sounds fantastical, it is, but it's also firmly based in real world science, and if you want to understand it more in depth, PLEASE go check out their work. They also offer explanations for true mates and the trope of dying when one's mate dies. Happy reading!

Back to my own research and conclusions: the production of an enzyme in the mouth isn't the only interesting thing that happens to alphas and omegas during or immediately following an orgasm (although I will take this opportunity to posit that maybe the enzyme has anesthetic properties to make the bite hurt less).

That's right folks! We're finally getting to...

KNOTTING!

Let's just... let's just do this.

Knotting is something that happens in real life, specifically in canid mammals like dogs and wolves. You probably already knew that, but let's get into specifics. The knot, or bulbus glandis (pause for laughter) is an erectile tissue structure at the base of the penis, and not actually a gland. Immediately before ejaculation, this knot does exactly what you would expect erectile tissue to do: it becomes firm and engorged.

The purpose of this structure is to lock, tie, or knot the two animals together. This ensures that the penis remains in the vagina for the entire duration of ejaculation. Now uh, for humans, this isn't actually a difficult thing to accomplish, seeing as the average ejaculation duration of a human male is 4.2 seconds, or 10 seconds at the very most. Canids, on the other hand, will remain knotted or tied together for anywhere between 2 and 45 minutes, and ejaculation lasts the whole friggin' time.

I know that there's a pretty big gap between two and forty-five minutes, and this is largely down to the specific type of canid. Since I'm sure you're wondering: in wolves, the tie, or coitus entrapus (yes, really) typically lasts between 15 and 30 minutes, although it might be as short as 5 minutes, or as long as 40 minutes. Yet again, the timing isn't really narrowed down much further. So why is there such a huge disparity?

Well, when a wolf's knot becomes erect, it stays that way until literally all of the sperm is gone.

For comparison, a human ejaculates an average of 2 to 5 milliliters of semen, with each milliliter containing about 100 million sperm. Dogs? One milliliter of semen contains 300 million sperm, and they can ejaculate up to 30 milliliters. If you are remarkably quick at mental math, you might have calculated that this amounts to a total of nine billion (9,000,000,000) sperm for a single ejaculation, and you'd be right... mathematically speaking. In actuality, it only comes to about 2 billion, even at the 30 ml mark.

Obviously, the math doesn't add up. Why? Because ejaculation, in both humans and wolves, occurs in stages. As far as wolves go, the general consensus is that the first 30 seconds of ejaculate come from the prostate gland, followed by sperm-rich semen for a couple minutes, and then more from the prostate gland for anywhere between 6 and 45 minutes. With humans, because of how brief our ejaculation is, we tend to think of semen as everything mixed together all at once, but prostatic fluid does cleanse the urethra for the sperm before it makes its journey in humans as well.

So the reason there aren't 9 billion sperm in a dog's ejaculate is because not all of the ejaculate has sperm in it. Still though, 2 billion is nothing to sneeze at. What does this mean for our alphas?

This is another thing that is up to author discretion. The amount of ejaculate correlates in part with how long it has been since the last ejaculation, and for dogs, whose females are monoestrous, the males are really saving up for the whole house. Meanwhile, humans are paying monthly rent in a crappy apartment complex. Basically, human's tend to be a lot more wasteful of their genetic material. Dogs wait until they're already tied before ejaculating in order to maximize their odds of reproducing, but humans will settle for a hand and a computer screen.

So presumably this means that an alpha would have a shorter ejaculation, but uh... not necessarily. Remember that a dog's semen is only sperm rich for one or two minutes. Most of the semen is composed of prostatic fluid, accounting for up to forty-five minutes of the time the animals spend tied together.

In humans, prostatic fluid accounts for 20-30% of the semen ejaculated - significantly less than a dog. Here's the thing, though: human and canid prostate glands are pretty much the same size, and it isn't out of the question to suggest that when an alpha successfully achieves a tie, they might expel a comparable amount of prostatic fluid to dogs. This almost certainly wouldn't happen without a tie - although I suppose that physiologically the body could be tricked into it by using a sleeve of some kind. Without having successfully knotted, the alpha's ejaculation would likely look exactly the same as a normal human's.

That said, an alpha's ejaculation doesn't need to look like a dog's when they do knot. They could just as easily have the 4.2 second one normal people have, followed by a knot for some duration of time determined by the author, no further contribution required. Regardless, the amount of sperm in a male alpha's semen would be the same, no matter how much prostatic fluid you decide to include. Human sperm takes 74 days to mature fully, and completely emptying your, uh, bank account the way dogs do would leave you completely infertile for 74 days following a single orgasm - not exactly a reproductive advantage.

Now you might be thinking that coming for 45 minutes straight sounds absolutely insane, and sure, it has the potential to be very hot and very messy, but at what cost? I feel like I'm getting a cramp just thinking about it! Luckily for the alphas in this scenario, they don't have to do all the work themselves.

That's right, we're finally gonna talk about omegas, and how they contribute to the mating process!

Now before I get to the slick (yes, I hear you, just hang on a sec), I want to introduce you to a little something called the constrictor vestibuli muscles. These are a series of muscles just inside the opening of a female canine's vagina, and they are literally designed to clamp down around a knot and milk it.

The constrictor vestibuli reflexively (involuntarily) clamp down when they detect the presence of a knot, and once they have, they will contract and release around the knot repeatedly to help the male remain erect and continue to ejaculate. Just like how you can't stop yourself from ejaculating once you've started, the constrictor vestibuli are going to do their job, regardless of what the animal (or omega) they belong to might want. I thought this was an important thing to bring up, since I haven't really come across it while reading A/B/O fanfiction. It's interesting to me that both alphas and omegas would have these reflexive reactions while mating.

Okay, let's get to the important thing.

SLICK

In A/B/O, omegas produce slick, a form of natural lubrication, while they're in heat. Human women also produce natural lubricant using something called the Bartholin's gland (which is called the Cowper's gland in men and is actually what produces precum), but the way slick is depicted in fanfiction tells us that it's something... more significant, let's say.

We can once again turn to animals in heat to figure out how the natural lubricant really works and what it is. Animals start producing 'slick' during their preheat, or proestrus phase, and it's not coming from the Bartholin's gland. Instead, it comes directly from the cervix.

The technical term for this 'slick' is cervical mucus, which doesn't sound nearly as appealing. What is appealing about all of this is the fact that humans also produce cervical mucus. That's right! Humans produce slick just like animals do! In fact, women trying to get pregnant can identify when they are at their most fertile by the texture of their cervical mucus.

Cervical mucus serves two different purposes at two different parts of an estrous/menstrual cycle. If it's not a good time for fertilization to occur, it will be dry, tacky, or sticky. This texture of mucus is too thick for sperm to swim through. Sorry guys, this uterus is closed, please come back during regular business hours.

If it is a good time, then it serves a different function - the complete opposite one, in fact. Two days before ovulation in humans, or the beginning of preheat in animals with estrous cycles, the mucus changes to a creamy, yogurt-like consistency. By the time the body is ready, or when heat begins properly, it will be slippery and stretchy, resembling raw egg whites. This type of cervical mucus is ideal for sperm to swim through, maximizing the chance of fertilization.

Also, don't blame me for comparing the textures to foods, it's just what doctors and scientists tend to compare them to in the relevant literature. The egg whites in particular were brought up in nearly every paper I read with shocking consistency, so uh. Yeah, slick is egg whites, I guess.

One last thing before I leave this part of A/B/O Science - we talked a lot today about prostates. Like... a lot. I just wanted to address something:

Could male omegas have prostates?

You might remember that way back in the very first part of this series we discussed how certain body parts start off as the same thing in utero and become different things as the fetus develops? The example from back then was the gonads, which become either the ovaries or the testes. Well we have something similar with the prostate.

In females, the Skene's gland is homologous to the prostate in men, and it functions in much the same way. It stops you from pissing yourself (yeah, fun fact), and it produces prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which in men is designed to "water down" the semen so it can travel more easily through the urethra. The PSA produced in the Skene's gland doesn't have any sperm to deal with, but many scientists believe that PSA is what 'female ejaculation' actually is. So it would seem that the answer is no, male omegas can't have prostates...

...or can they?

Trans men who have been on testosterone for long periods of time can actually develop prostate tissue. In fact, after being on T for 43 months, seven out of eight trans men had some prostate tissue growth. 69% (heh) of the tissue was even shown to be producing PSA!

Now, because this prostate tissue isn't attached to the urethra, it doesn't contribute to the semen. It may or may not enter the bloodstream as inactive PSA, which is perfectly normal and happens to a portion of the PSA produced by a prostate belonging to a cis man as well, but there's no data on that yet. This discovery is actually very new, so there's a lot left to learn. What we do know is that this tissue appears totally harmless. None of the individuals shown to have this growth have gone on to develop prostate cancer or any other related issue - although many people will have a cancer scare when this tissue first appears, as it can easily be mistaken for a tumor at first glance.

Since we determined early on that male omegas would have a normal amount of androgens (the stuff that gives you chest hair and makes your voice drop) for a human male, we can also assume that they would see growth of prostate tissue. In fact, some intersex people have the exact same growth, although it is often further along than you would see in a trans man, because they've had those androgens for longer.

Scientists took tissue samples, and 100% of this surprise prostate tissue expressed androgen receptors. Basically, it's safe to assume that androgens, the same stuff that would make a male omega grow chest hair and have a deeper voice, would also cause them to grow a prostate.

That said, the Skene's gland would still be fulfilling the function of the prostate. Any prostate-specific antigen that occurs in ejaculate would be made there. Also, because omegas aren't producing sperm, their ejaculate wouldn't be nearly as thick as ejaculate with sperm in it. Instead, it would look and feel pretty much like milk. Also, if you want alphas to ejaculate for forty minutes, most of it would be milky as well.

This has been your PSA PSA for the day!

Next up on A/B/O Science: GENETICS AND PRESENTING

Part 1 (The Basics), Part 2 (Heats and Ruts), Part 3 (Scents and Pheromones), Part 4 (Mating), Part 5 (Genetics and Presenting)

[sophieswundergarten]

@nobody33333333 I got all of this one to fit on Tumblr!!

Sophie's... Commentary? on Chapter 18 of S.O.S. (You know the drill, go read it) Now with less property damage because I was too excited to think of good threats!!

MADGE MOMENT!!! Fantastic start. I love he seriously she’s taking everything

AND SHE MISSES SQ. I WISH HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN A LETTER FROM MADGE :( 

Oh boy, Constance is set out for Revenge. Someone might want to stop her!!

But, seriously, the way you write her thought patterns and how she comes to such conclusions is amazing. It’s very in-character, and though she is gifted and has experience in this, she’s still a child, and she doesn’t have the full perspective the adults do

I love how casually the host moves on from betrayal and war crimes to “This dude is going to seize control of an abstract emotion. Perfectly reasonable and not at all something to be suspicious of” /s asjdfjdsjdjd

But he still feels guilty about Dr. Garrison :( 

Ahh. And it’s not just that Curtain has hurt her family. It’s that she can relate to him, and she’s scared about what that means in Mr. Benedict. She probably feels like if can take Curtain down personally, then she’ll have also conquered that part of her that she feels is “bad”

Sometimes I forget that all the other adults disappeared and left Rhonda in charge of Constance for months(?). I’m really impressed with her

And she’s still in the mindset of grownups underestimating her!! I mean, of course all of the kids are really worried about the Curtain Problem, but the treasure hunt game was supposed to be fun and challenging! They know who these kids are, they wouldn’t just throw together some asinine, patronizing time waster for them

“the second worst thing that had happened to Number Two that year” 

Adjkdfjkd I simply adore how you write her

I really enjoy how Nicholas thinks he can just… wander off and Number Two isn’t going to stop him. How many times has he pulled this stunt? Probably too many to count, and at least once on a train adsjdj

And the poor man. He’s not jealous necessarily, he wants to continue his fight for the truth but he also is desperate to get his brother back. That’s a lot of conflict for him to hold inside all of the time

And on top of that there’s still the “He’s my brother and I need to smack him over the back of the head because he’s being a nuisance and mean”. It would be really hard to keep bouncing between viewing “The Sender” as this unpredictable, out of control supervillain, and knowing “Nathaniel” as his ridiculous and overdramatic brother

And some more hints at Number Two’s siblings!!

WHOO!! You’re so good at mirroring the visuals from the Show in words, and without giving anything away :D 

Ahhhh Kate not knowing how to be parented versus Milligan not knowing how to parents hurts me so much

ASJDKDJKF STICKY IS OVER HERE HAVING TO DEAL WITH HAVING TOO MANY FRIENDS??? THIS KID. THIS CHILD. He really got thrown into the mix with no preparation, didn’t he?

But, as always, I love how you explain and detail his experience at Boatwright. I wish we could have seen it more, and your take on the situation delights me

And Reynie’s having the opposite problem. Which is ironic, because he’s the most personable out of the kids, so while they may not be deep friendships, he’d probably be able to get by. However, he’s scared (Probably at least in part to the kids at the orphanage), and he really misses his first and only true friends

BUT MISS PERUMAL WAITS WITH HIM!!! THREE CHEERS FOR HER BEING SUCH A GOOD MOM

MARLON /loathing

OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO

Gahhh I’m on the edge of my seat because you write SQ’s hesitance and Curtain’s (un)subtle forcefulness so well!! It’s a perfect storm :( 

OH AND YOU TIED IN THE PAINTING SCENE. GENIUS.

SQ. CHILD. YOU’RE A LOT SMARTER THAN YOU GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT FOR. YOUR DAD JUST IS GASLIGHTING YOU. PLEASE TRUST YOURSELF

ALSO. EVERY TIME CURTAIN BLAMES STUFF ON GARRISON I AM REMOVING A FAN BLADE FROM YOUR HOUSE, BODS. AND IT WON’T ALWAYS BE FROM THE SAME FAN. BE PREPARED.

Come on, SQ!! You’re almost there!!! I’m really scared about what will happen if he keeps pushing his dad, but he’s getting closer to the truth!

Begrudgingly, I will admit that “an outreach program designed to provide employment to individuals suffering from neurological conditions that resulted in memory loss and cognitive impairment” is a pretty good answer to smooth over the topic of the Helpers. Great writing!!! Horrible decisions by the character

HEY, CURTAIN. BUDDY. IF YOU ARE GENUINELY SHOCKED BY YOUR CHILD HAVING AN ORIGINAL OPINION.YOU’RE PROBABLY DOING SOMETHING WRONG

IT’S NOT BETRAYAL, YOU IDIOT. IT’S YOUR KID BEING HIS OWN AWESOME UNIQUE SELF THAT YOU’VE BEEN TOO WRAPPED UP IN PARANOIA TO SEE

OH BOY HERE WE GO

(And the tie-in with his art is so powerful and awesome!!! It’s just a fantastic literary device)

SQ. I KNOW THINGS ARE BAD BUT YOU SHOULDN’T BE READY TO GIVE UP ON WHO YOU ARE LIKE THIS

THE “it’s a binary choice” LINE AAHHHHHHHHHH

Curtain battling his delusions about wanting to believe this is genuinely a good idea and ignoring the consequences are so well written. I’m losing my mind

AND THE MEMORIES ABOUT SQ’S MOM!!!! AND SQ GROWING UP!! AND BEING LIKE HIS PARENTS THAT CURTAIN MISSED SO MUCH BUT HE STILL LOVES HIS SON AS HIS OWN PERSON

MARLON /disgusted

Oooh, he yelled at him with his full name. This is not going well

WHY ARE YOU ASKING MARLON FOR ADVICE AT ALL????? LET ALONE PARENTING ADVICE

ALKJSFKJHDSGKJHDFS STOP SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY IMPAIRED YES-MEN AND MAYBE IT’LL DO SOMETHING FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND SANITY, MY GUY

Milligan just pulling random, very useful skills out of his backpocket is amazing

And you illustrate the difference between this and their last mission so well!! They had no other choice last time, but now it is completely possible and genuinely desirable for the kids to stay as far away from danger as possible

However. The kids don’t exactly see it that way.

Constance taking advantage of her tiny child appearance and throwing people off is very funny. I love how you write Milligan and Rhonda’s reactions

(Also, something something something, both Milligan and Kate making plans because they know the required distance for someone to be out of earshot…)

FAKE TAXI

“What sort of person would pay money to install a fake window crank?” YOU ONLY KNOW ONE PERSON WHO WOULD GO TO SUCH LENGTHS NICHOLAS, COME ON

Oh, Number Two imitating her mother when she starts screaming?? Ah goodness. Once again, lovely beautiful writing detail, feeling concerned about the in-story consequences for the characters

Mr. Nicholas Benedict. PLEASE HAVE A SINGULAR OUNCE OF SELF PRESERVATION FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE

I feel so bad for Milligan. He can’t really be fully honest with Kate, because she’s a young child and he’s an adult, so they have different priorities and viewpoints that are sometimes incompatible. BUT HE JUST WANTS TO HELP. HE’S TRYING HIS BEST. AND KATE DOESN’T WANT TO TRUST HIM YET BECAUSE SHE’S SCARED

ASkjdfkjdfskjdfskjd

BODS

The music notes confused me SO MUCH at first, and then I just started full-on cackling. You’re amazing

OH NO IT’S THE WATER POLO PLAYERS

ASJFJDSJ

OKAY

IT’S NOT THAT RHONDA AND MILLIGAN ARE BAD WITH KIDS

BUT THEY’VE BEEN DUMPED WITH SOME HALF GROWN ONES. SO IT’S REALLY FUNNY WHEN THEY ARE CAUGHT OFF-GUARD LIKE THIS. BECAUSE AS ANYONE WHO HAS RAISED KIDS TO THAT AGE FROM A BABY KNOWS. TEN SECONDS OF SUSPICIOUS SILENCE SHOULD BE SETTING OFF ALARM BELLS. 

IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT THEY WERE LEFT WITH SOME OF THE MOST CRAFTY AND GIFTED KIDS EVER AND NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Not to mention THE WHOLE OTHER CRISIS GOING ON AT THE TIME

I feel so bad for these two. At least Mr. B, Dipika, even Number Two had some experience being around kids before and watching them grow up. I supposed Milligan did too, but he seems to keep forgetting that Kate is his child and will also do crazy dangerous stunts with no supervision.

Alright, sorry for ranting, but I just love how well you can define and develop all of the different relationships going on. Because there are a lot of them. And you are doing impeccably with following through on natural character growth and allowing them to “learn lessons” before they master a new concept, as it were. You are a very detailed author

The complete and total irony of Curtain “believing” that Marlon’s reassurance means anything, and then two seconds later considering how he doesn’t have to be vulnerable anymore because everyone around him has been brainwashed

Ajjdsjdf Marlon is broken out of the Happiness (However temporarily) because he’s a judgemental jerk. Outstanding

HE KEEPS CALLING HER “associate”. I FORGOT HOW MUCH I DESPISE HIM FOR THAT

(But, once again, you’ve managed to sneak a tiny spec of sympathy in because we know why he’s doing it and why he’s angry about Nicholas considering her family. Darn you, Bods /j /lh /just playing you’re really good at writing this stuff)

HE’S TRYING SO HARD TO MESS WITH HIS BROTHER. TO TICK OFF HIS FRIENDS.

OKAY OKAY OKAY. BUT THE ISSUE HERE IS THAT THEIR PERSPECTIVES HAVE FLIPPED. IN S1 NICHOLAS WAS DESPERATELY HOPING THAT NATHANIEL WAS A PAWN, THAT HE’D REGRET HIS ACTIONS, THAT HE’D STOP. AND CURTAIN WAS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT DETERMINED THAT NICHOLAS WAS OUT TO DESTROY HIM

BUT NOW. NICHOLAS HAS FINALLY ACCEPTED THAT HIS BROTHER WAS/IS WILLING TO HURT A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY ONES NICHOLAS LOVES, TO GET WHAT HE WANTS. BUT CURTAIN HAS TURNED IT INTO A GAME. SOMEHOW, THE STAKES ARE LOWER FOR HIM NOW, AND HE’S JUST TRYING TO MESS WITH HIS BROTHER

DO YOU SEE HOW THIS IS AN EMOTIONALLY CONFLICTING ISSUE????

One thing I loved about S2 is Miss Perumal and Milligan going through really similar concerns about their kids, but also Kate and Reynie present what they're dealing with in a very different way externally. I like seeing them help each other learn to parent

THE PARALLELS, BODS. THE PARALLELS

I also did really like that all three of them acknowledged that this is who they encouraged the kids to be. As adults, they viewed it as a one-time necessity in the middle of a huge emergency situation of imminent danger. But the kids took it to heart because they’re those kind of kids and that adventurous, independent, self-sacrificial attitude has been incorporated into who they are. And that bit of the Show specifically fits really well with your style and message of writing, so I was excited to see it in your words

“control is the key” NO IT’S NOT. GO TO THERAPY!!

Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no

I REALLY WANT SQ TO BE SAFE AND AWAY FROM HIS DAD’S LUNACY BUT ALSO THIS IS REALLY SCARY

AS I’VE SAID, BODS, WE’RE OUT OF CANON HERE. YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT /fear /excited /fear

Also, this little italicized voice in his head is very interesting…

(I really like how you describe SQ’s thoughts in particular. It is a very neat example of your writing skills)

The fake violets!!! And the Ivanhoe!!! Also the photos got me really excited

SECRET BOOKSHELF HIDING PLACE YEAH!!!!!!

(How dare you legitimize the stupid fake bookshelf /j /affectionate)

AND YOU USED THE “CONTROL” KEY

I WAS REALLY HOPING IT MIGHT POP UP AND YOU DID NOT DISAPPOINT

AMAZING

“The S.O.S. For Ledroptha.”

SCREAMING SCREAMING SCREAMING SCREAMING SCREAMING

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The stuffed bird!! I love that bird :D 

Ooh, and you used the “Bon Voyage” sign off again!!!

Also

KID. YOU BARELY KNOW HOW MONEY WORKS. I DON’T THINK YOU’RE AS PREPARED FOR THIS AS YOU THINK YOU ARE. YOUR DAD’S BEEN PROTECTING YOU FROM A LOT. PLEASE DON’T GET SCAMMED OR KIDNAPPED OR END UP DEAD IN A DITCH AS SOON AS YOU STEP FOOT IN THE “REAL WORLD”

Ooooooh I’m terrified. He made it!!! He did it!! He actually left the compound!!! But who knows what’ll happen next…

And I really like how the chapter title initially seems like it's just reffering to the Society (Which is expected), but it's actually including SQ!!!! (Which was not expected)

OH MAN. What a wild ride. This was incredible from start to finish, as usual, and I am Just So Full Of Screaming Right Now. I am really excited to see where you take all of the new developments in Season 2, even though I'm sure there are going to be a ton of twists. Ajdsfkjsdfkhjdsfkjhdsfkj I just don't gots the words to express how amazing this is. Bods, you are a wonderful author. Your floorboards that Katie just reinstalled are mine now. I am really happy that I got to read this so soon after it was published!!! I was unfortunately quite busy the day you updated, so I made a note to make time for it as soon as I could :)

Thank you once again for being amazing and sharing your skills with us, and good luck with classes and being busy and everything!! Please remember you are under no obligation to write or create if you don't want to. You're a human, you've got your own life. Take care of yourself

AND DRINK SOME WATER

[roobylavender]

i read your post about a potential harvey murdersueicide and while that is a fantastically tragic idea i cant help but notice you always believe bruce should meet his demise early😭 as in, he doesnt get to experience true old age.

its not actually that i disagree or even not understand where youre coming from. i feel like, since dc insists batman has to exist and has to be a big player, the main character, gotham can never truly improve. because stories need to be told with him. theyre stuck, the city is stuck, and thus bruce is stuck, he only continues because he feels he is needed. in order for him to retire i think hed have to look at the progress hed made and go, yes ive done enough, but that will never happen because books need to be sold.

i think there could be potential for him to reach this conclusion and retire in a more limited series like a show or movie series, but do you think hell ever get to a point where he feels comfortable naturally retiring, and if so what would you think needs to happen?

i should probably clarify the reason i'm so invested in the idea of bruce dying early is bc denny o'neil said that by his early 40s bruce would either be married to talia or be dead and since he vehemently opposed the former i imagine had his editorial stint continued that he would have led us to a conclusion of the latter. so in my case it's less about a supposed impossibility for him to ever escape the life he leads as batman and more me being morbidly intrigued by this ultimatum denny set for the character. i'm not sure what his intended end for bruce might have looked like but ig in my imagination i either love the potential drama of the bruharvey murder sewercide or the sheer inconsequential nature of bruce dying while saving a life. not anything too grand or complex but simply being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and dying as anyone would, while doing something he wholeheartedly believed in. like a car crash. the dark knight rises for all of its faults has a few plot decisions i dearly love, bruce's retirement and passing on of the mantle being one of them, but i think that's a development that, complementary to what you said, works more in a medium where things have to end. the trilogy was finite so it made sense for bruce to move on. comics however are never-ending. and even beyond that ig i don't think bruce would be the type to retire even if he did sort out a lot of his emotional issues or feel like the city was on the right path. he's a very stubbornly selfless person and so long as he has a working body he'll be putting it to use. in that sense batman beyond definitely took a logical path in that bruce only gave up the mantle when he could no longer physically maintain it. the only problem there was that the timmverse's bruce is progressively depicted as an isolated loner so his retirement feels almost like a defeat that is subsequently revived once terry enters his life. and maybe there is a world where bruce could sort out his issues and retire of his own volition instead but for some reason i find there to be more meaning in bruce dying doing what he believes in. and maybe he's happy and gotham is on a path to being better bc he's reconciled with his children and maybe he's slowly trying to dedicate more of his time towards abolitionist work on the ground rather than encompassing all of his spare time in vigilante work. but i would like to think if he died in the mask at a point where his life is like that that it would still be meaningful. bc the mask would no longer be a prison. it would be what it was always intended to be: the truest representation of himself and his desire to help others

[gothicprep]

have u ever listened to maintenance phase - in my experience they actually do their due diligence in terms of researching things and they do a really fantastic job of debunking and deconstructing diet culture bullshit

i won't lie, i've avoided maintenance phase for two reasons – the fact that i find this subject matter really draining, and the fact that i have a pretty low opinion of michael hobbes as a journalist.

when hobbes was still working on the "you're wrong about" podcast, he and sarah, whose last name i can't remember for the life of me, did an episode on stephen jiminez's "the book of matt". if you haven't heard of it or read it, it's a product of a 13 year long investigative journalistic effort into matthew shepard's murder, which is thought of as an early instance of a homophobic hate crime in the US attracting a lot of media coverage. bill clinton flew out to wyoming for this one. jiminez was reporting on this in the 90s because he wanted to make a documentary special, but stuck around after catching onto how fishy this version of events was. spoiler alert, through very convincing evidence, he concluded that this was a drug-related murder.

jiminez is also a gay man, and it feels silly that i feel this is necessary to point out, but you need to know that this isn't a case of some straight dude being dismissive of anti-gay violence. but the way hobbes framed this on the episode grossed me out a bit. i'm paraphrasing, but his reaction was something like, "well, who cares if this isn't true? we got some good legal protections out of it." and it just got under my skin that a journalist would be so dismissive of the facts of a case. you can say that you feel conflicted about how legal wins came out of this, while also noting that jumping to conclusions is bad reporting practice. we have something in this country called "the first amendment," which means you can admit that something is a mixed bag and not be arrested for that, which is pretty cool.

and there are my reservations about the topic of diet culture broadly. i think diet culture is mean-spirited, noxious, and judgmental. i also feel a bit clammy when people hardline in their arguments against it to the point where they inadvertently play defense for big agro and food colonialism. a lot of it operates on western bias, and i want to yell, "surely you can't think that what happened with nauru is morally excusable?" but it never comes up. it blackpills you a lot when you realize that an island nation was stripped bare to mine phosphate – ironically, a crucial ingredient in many fertilizers – and is sold junk "meat" like mutton flaps and turkey tails because you can't farm on coral that's stripped bare.

the wellness industry is awful, but the food industry is too. like i said, i've avoided this podcast, but if they manage to be equal opportunity haters, i may reconsider my snap judgment.

[walmart-sekai]

Okay I finished Leo/Need. Final thoughts below the break.

Stuff I liked:

It feels very realistic.

I mean not the part about hatsune miku taking you to a pocket dimension created by your feelings, but like. I remember being a lonely teenage girl and, in many ways, Leo/Need captures that experience very well. The conflicts, the characterizations, and (with a few exceptions) the dialogue all feel very familiar.

The end wraps things up nicely.

There are some Project SEKAI stories (cough VIVID Bad cough) where the end feels a little rushed or anticlimactic, like the writers were fighting against that 20 episode format.

Leo/Need, on the other hand, felt very satisfying to finish. The band is back together, Honami has come clean to her other friends, Ichika told the others she and Saki have written their first song. They’ve tied up the loose threads while still leaving a lot to be explored in event and side stories. It’s very “the end of this chapter, the beginning of the journey,” vibes.

Saki’s fucking fantastic.

I love, love, love Saki. Her design, her characterization, her motivation is everything to me. The other characters I needed a bit to warm up to, but they do a very good job of making Saki bubbly, energetic, and endearing from beginning to end. She was, hands down, my favorite thing about this story.

Stuff I did not love:

It feels very realistic.

“But Walmart, you said you liked the realism! Why would it be a pro AND a con?” Well gimme a fuckin second here, let me explain.

Leo/Need is very true to the depressed teenager experience. There is miscommunication, there is weird, illogical snap decisions, there’s jumping to conclusions. It’s true to life—but that doesn’t mean it’s interesting.

For many of us, myself included, being a teenager was/is frustrating. It’s confusing, and lonely, and honestly, very annoying. It was annoying to live through and as much as I hate to say it, it was annoying to read.

There is no conflict.

The opening of Leo/Need sets you up to think these characters have had some huge fight. It’s heavily implied that Ichika in particular said something to piss Honamori and Shiho off. This would explain why she’s so hesitant to tell Saki what happened, because she doesn’t want her friend to see her as the villain.

The problem is, nothing happened.

There was no fight. There was no huge, explosive event. There was just three teenagers miss-communicating. This is supposed to be a twist, but it reads like a cop-out. It’s boring.

Again, this isn’t unrealistic—I’ve seen friendships fall apart over miscommunications and good intentions like this, especially when I was younger. It happens in real life all the time.

It’s realistic. But that doesn’t mean it’s compelling storytelling.

Saki’s fucking fantastic.

“Wait, you already did this one too, why did you put two things in both pro and con—“ shut up, it’s my list.

Saki’s great. She’s interesting, she’s multi-faceted, she has an in depth backstory.

Her returning to school is the catalyst for the entire story. I’m nearly every episode, her actions are what drive the narrative forward.

So why isn’t she the main character?

Reading from Ichika’s POV gives us a lot of flashbacks from when Saki was gone, but since the conflict is basically nonexistent, these flashbacks are arguably unnecessary.

Imagine this story reframed from Saki’s POV. Imagine hearing her inner monologue when Honamori and Shiho brush her off when she gets to school. Imagine her practicing that song to impress Shiho, knowing she’s pushing herself too hard, but thinking getting her friends back together is more important.

Imagine getting this sinking feeling in your gut knowing she’s going to push herself too far, knowing somethings going to happen. Then imagine that scene where she collapses from fever while they’re playing hitting that much harder, because you’d been dreading that moment happening.

Cool, did you imagine it? Did it make you feel stuff? Did it feel compelling and heartbreaking?

Cool, so I ask you again, why didn’t we get that?

Final thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Really, I did.

Is it my favorite PJSK main story? No. Do I have a lot of criticisms of it? Yes.

But I like it. I like Saki, especially. And I think with the way the last few episodes wrapped up, I’ll enjoy the event stories a lot.

So yeah. If Leo/Need is your favorite, I definitely see the appeal, no disrespect at all. I didn’t come here to start shit, just sharing my thoughts.

[smalltownfae]

Ok, I managed to do a top 5 current favourite books. It’s not accurate because if I didn’t decide to include only one book per series this would be just Realm of the Elderlings. I looked at all the books I put in my all time favourite shelves and tried to see if I would replace any of these 5 by the ones I left behind and I wouldn’t. I think an organized top 10 would be harder to do. I am pretty sure about my top 3 at least for now.

1 - Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb

There is no doubt in my mind about what my favourite series is. Sometimes I have doubts about what my favourite book in that series is, but ultimately I always end up picking Fool’s Errand because it features so many good interactions between my favourite trio (Fitz, Fool and Nighteyes). Plus, it’s adventurous, fun and also sad. It is also pretty self contained so I think it’s perfect in cases I have to name just one book. The writing is beautiful as usual and it makes me feel a lot of emotions. If I was being truthful, both Farseer and Tawny Man would be in the top and those are two trilogies, which would take over the first 6 spots already.

2 - Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling

This author doesn’t have the beautiful prose I usually enjoy in my favourites. In fact, her style is a bit messy, but it works for the kind of fun story the Nightrunner series is. I mean, the second book did made me cry a bit and then there is this fourth one, but in general the books tend to be adventurous and fun. This fourth book is very polarizing because the series took a left turn from the fun adventures into complete misery and pain territory. Turns out that that is my preference so I felt blessed. The fact that the story started here has an awful conclusion in the following book kind of makes it lose points, but I can also pretend the series ends here (even though there are two other books after that terrible 5th). I would have preferred it, to be honest. There were two characters introduced here that had spectacular interactions with the main ones and no one will ever know the chills I got from the sentence “My price, little Haba, was you.” The book ruined me and I keep thinking about it still (recent read).

3 - Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Just so much fun and it forever will be my favourite comfort read. The dynamic between Sophie and Howl is just *chef’s kiss* I can’t get over how funny and brilliantly plotted this book is. The opening line is one of my favourites. It starts in such a fairytale-like way and it’s beautifully done. A true masterpiece in such few pages.

4 - Dawn by Octavia E. Butler

I usually pick my favourites due to how they make me feel more than other merits so this one is probably the most clever in the way it addresses some societal topics. It is still a product of it’s time and I am sure some changes would have been made now to accommodate that, but I still think it’s fantastic and for once I enjoyed a book with aliens and spaceships.

5 - Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

I debated between this and Hogfather, but ultimately I picked this one because Hogfather still has one or two scenes that I didn’t care much for while in this one every character was fun and interesting to follow. It goes really in depth into the witches of the Discworld, especially Granny Weatherwax, and those books always tackle some feminine issues that are still relevant.

[daydreamgoddess14]

Media Relations pt. 2

MASTERLIST

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

It had been a couple of weeks since the photoshoot. The online article and accompanying photographs were due for release at some point during the following day, with the physical magazine out at the end of the week. The only sneak preview Rebecca had seen was the image on her own phone. She had fingers and toes crossed that the others were equally as good. She'd planned a re-read of the article for that evening with Keeley in preparation of a quick chat with Ted during 'Biscuits with the Boss'. Keeley poured the wine while Rebecca opened the article.

"Right babe, which bits are worrying you?"

"The bits about Ted."

"All of them? There's... a few?"

"I know. So I need to explain my rationale around each one for my own sanity when I tell Ted tomorrow just how much he's featured." Keeley nodded. 

"And are you sure you don't just want to tell him it's because you fancy him?"

"I have never once said that Keeley."

"You don't need too. This article might as well be a love letter babe!" 

"Shit. I know, I know. We were talking about how things had changed for the positive, how much happier I am, all the good team stuff and it all just links back to Ted. I can't help that. Nor can I deny that everyone seems.... better just because he's around. Leslie has never been so jovial - look how much Jamie has grown up!" Rebecca's voice tailed off. Keeley had stopped listening. 

"Oh my god babe, this bit about everything being mediocre is so funny, you sly bitch!"

"I guess when you've put up with mediocrity for so long in your life, everything becomes mediocre. My marriage, my sex life, my wardrobe. And then that feeling became true of the club - the players weren't exactly setting the pitch alight, the leadership was stagnant. It was a disease through the team which carried right though to the kit man. Literally everything in my life was a bit 'lay back and think of England', or the shopping list, or whether I should go swimming or to a pilates class. Boring and mundane. Then Ted came along and it was like the club had been struck by lightning. I don't think he knows what mediocrity is." 

"I mean... it almost sounds like your shagging Ted." Rebecca finished off the wine. "Have you been shagging Ted, Rebecca? Because I swear I'll set Roy on you if you've kept this fantastically dirty secret from me!"

"Of course I'm not, Keeley."

"Let's talk more about your sex life."

"Let's not. There's nothing to talk about. Rupert was practical and simplistic. Nothing exciting, nothing wild and as long as he got what he wanted that's all that mattered."

"Shit, that is boring. I wonder what Ted's like?" Keeley suddenly had a faraway look in her eye. Rebecca didn't bother to stop her - she'd already wondered the same thing on more than one occasion. "Selfless, relentless... I bet Ted could really fuuuuuuuck!" Keeley had reached her own conclusions which were very much similar to Rebecca's. 

"That's enough of that - I do actually have to talk to him tomorrow, and try to convince him that when he reads this article he must understand that I'm not in love with him."

"You are really, super convincing babe. But I think you might struggle with that. At this point I'd suggest showing him those topless yacht photos as a diversion. Oh! I bet he's already seen them, dirty dog!" Keeley was ramping up to 10 with excitement the longer this conversation went on, and the more wine was consumed. 

"I'm going down to his office - first thing. I want to speak to him before the article lands. I need to nip this in the bud."

"And then he can nip you in the bud. Waheeeeyyyy!" Keeley shrieked with delight. 

********

The locker room was buzzing with the gossip of the impending article. Most of the team had seen the preview picture and they were all speculating on the rest of the photoshoot. 

"Bet she looks fit man."

"Mate, did you Google those drone photos? Holy shit, man. I couldn't look her in the eye for a month!" 

In his office, every passing comment reached Ted's ears until he'd had enough. 

"Gentleman, I want your full attention please. Jamie, phone down. I want you listening - every single one of you. I want you to remember exactly who you're gossiping about. What she's done for you - for all of us. I don't give two hoots what these pictures are gonna look like and neither should you. You will have the utmost respect for Ms Welton at all times and if I hear one of you manbabies say a single word outta line, you'll be running the line at the next game. You all hearing me? You are not nosey Nellie's down at the bingo hall. You are not teenage boys with their hands in their tighty whiteies. You are grown men and you will act like it, or so help me you'll see Led Tasso on your ass before you know it!" Ted spoke so firmly that every player looked to the floor. 

"Sorry Coach" they all muttered in unison.

Ted pushed a hand through his hair and turned back to his office to see Rebecca in the doorway. Saying nothing, he held the door open for her before slamming it firmly shut behind him. At Nate's old desk, Trent kept his head down, the door between the two offices slightly ajar.

"Sorry about that boss. Sometimes those boys are more like kindergarten kids."

"Thank you Ted, it was sweet of you to remind then to respect my role."

"Nothing to do with your role. They should know better than ogling you and gossiping about it. Far as I'm concerned, unless the other person is a willing participant then you keep those kinda thoughts for when you're alone." Rebecca was almost certain her fingertips blushed. She didn't dare presume that she featured in his thoughts. But she was starting to hope it was the case.

"I wanted to talk to you about the article. It'll be out later and, well," she leaned against Ted's desk and fidgeted her hands with the edge, the cord of his desk phone, the green matchbox soldier. "You featured quite heavily during the interview. I wanted to warn you before you see it. The interviewer has woven a bit of a 'love story' thread that I certainly didn't approve of and it appears that you've had quite an effect on the club, and me, if the article is to be believed."

"And is that true?" Rebecca moved on to toying with her manicure.

"It's not a lie. It's just that the article makes it sound like I'm... infatuated with you. Which I'm not."

"Of course not. Infatuation is for teenage girls and the Internet. I'm sure it reads just fine, I promise I won't go crazy over the details."

"Good. Fine. Thank you for that."

"No probllama boss. Now, if you don't mind, I should get to training before Roy makes the boys cry." Rebecca waved him off, lingering by his desk for an extra minute before sighing heavily and retreating to her office. 

******

[theforcast068]

The Forecast Volume 1-Issue 1

Monday October 7th, 2024

Link to the PDF Copy

No They/Them?

In a recent change noticed by many in the community, Cloud has changed the pronouns in the Cumulonimbus private Instagram account. from she/they to she /her /hers. When asked why the seemingly sudden change Rimer answered, “It is something I had been thinking about for a while. Last semester I felt similarly and decided to start going by all pronouns to see if I just didn’t care about them so much.” Rimer says that she discovered that she did still care, she just no longer felt what she described as a, “clawing ache” to distance herself from femininity. She now asks that everyone use she /her pronouns, although, of course, she understands if mistakes are made.

Keep reading below the line for more!

What Does This Mean Gender Wise?

What does this pronoun change mean in regard to Cloud’s gender identity? Is Cloud a woman now? Was Cloud ever non-binary to start? Was it all for attention? When asked these questions, Cloud resented the idea that she was never non-binary. She said, “Gender identity is fluid and ever changing. I was 100% truly non-binary when I identified as such, and now I am a woman, it is quite simple to be honest.”

Rimer suggests to everyone that is questioning their identity, “not to push themselves too hard to come to a conclusion, all that really matters is to be true to yourself and to do what makes you happy.” Cloud acknowledges that this might feel like a big change for some people but stresses that this was a long time coming. She explains, “I’ve felt this way for a while, but wanted to wait to make sure.”

Buckle Up for the Ride of your Afterlife

On Sunday October 6th, 2024 Cloud Rimer accompanied Albion College’s APSIO to a showing of the musical Ride the Cyclone performed at The Downriver Actor’s Guild. The musical is about six Canadian high school choir members who ride a carnival ride called The Cyclone, and it crashes, killing all of them. The choir members are caught in between the land of the living and the afterlife where Karnack, a fortune telling machine, tells them he can bring one of them back to life. The catch is that they have to decide unanimously who is brought back to life, and that they have to decide by midnight, but one of the choir members does not remember who she is.

The musical is very fantastical and over the top, while remaining very simplistic at its core. There were pieces of the show changed for modern audiences, like a reference to RuPaul’s Drag Race, which was not in the original show. There was a couple of parts changed for practicality, like the Jane Doe in this show was not suspended by cables and instead a mannequin of her body was swung around while her decapitated head was singing from the stage. Overall this rendition of the musical was very entertaining, 10/10.

Max in Korean?

On Saturday night, October 5th, 2024, Jillian Bentley, Cloud Rimer, and Nat Wilson were watching hit tv show The Last of Us on the Max streaming service when at the start of the third episode the group noticed something was awry. The previously English show was suddenly in Korean! The group spent upwards of thirty minutes, and even called in Cloud’s former roommate Tichael for help but could not return Max to English settings. After trying and failing to solve the issue many times, Bentley, Rimer, and Wilson watched the third episode on Rimer’s computer and promptly retired themselves for the night.

Victory Park Picnic

On Saturday afternoon October 5th, 2024, Jillian Bentley, Cloud Rimer, and Nat Wilson ventured to Victory Park in Albion, Michigan for a studying / reading session. Rimer was sat atop a tall rock reading their favorite book, “The Blackbird Girls” by Anne Blankman while Bentley was reading an article for her history class, and Wilson was writing a first draft for their philosophy class. They worked from two pm until five pm when Rimer suggested that they pack away their things and get dinner from Albion College’s Baldwin Hall. After some deliberation they left.

HOW TO MAKE LIFE YOUR BITCH

Advice from Jillian Bentley and Cloud Rimer

Stop procrastinating. You’re only making more work or problems for yourself later. It is better to just get the work done now. - CR

Have fun. Everyday take some time to relax and have fun. Not everything has to be work. - JB

Get dressed up. Every day try to put some effort into how you look. It is easier to feel good when you look good. - CR

Set study habits. Have specific places or playlists to study in/to. - JB

Set a routine. Try to have some things that you do every single day to make your brain happy about there being a little pattern. - CR

Take ownership of your space. Take time to make sure that your space is clean and decorated in the way you want it-that makes you happy. - JB

Have sleep hygiene. Your brain doesn’t know your sleeping in because it’s the weekend, it just knows you’ve messed up the schedule. - CR

DRINK WATER. Your body is made of water. It needs it. There are so many things that are probably wrong with you that would be fixed if you had water. - JB

Be funny. Don’t be a bore. If you want to have and keep your friends, entertain them like a little circus clown, but don’t be weird or obnoxious about it. - CR

Be weird and obnoxious. - JB

The Games

Word Search 10/07/2024 and Sudoku 10/07/2024

[youareinlove]

I LOVE Emily Henry! I reread them all about 2 weeks ago. I think my ranking is

Beach read

funny story

book lovers

pwmov

happy place

In whimsy romance (what I call romcoms) there is a fine line of too corny to be true and fantastical enough to keep me interested. But ultimately, just because I like a trope, doesn’t mean the book sings. Because I can (and I want to) I’m explaining my ranking. Happy Place has fake dating, shared bed, and second chance but really falls flat for me because I think Harriet was working through a LOT and made 2 incredibly rash decisions at the end of the book. Idk the ending really soured it for me. I also am not a huge fan of the way they lied to the people closest to them like that (even if the friends knew).

Friends to lovers is my absolute favorite trope when done well. But even though they are friends their lives are so incompatible I had a hard time rooting for them. Also uChicago is an incredibly difficult college to get into and neither Alex nor Poppy give the vibe of Chicago students.

I love book lovers, but I fear this book suffers from “I just I like the other 2 more.” Also I don’t think Charlie and Nora are particularly romantic, so there is less whimsy in what I think could be an incredibly romantic small town. I do tend to love the rivals to lovers trope (as you’ll see soon).

funny story - I wonder if this is Taylor’s favorite. Miles reminds me of how I imagine Travis (though physically he’s more wyn from happy place). Feel like her writing really helped elevate this story and made the tropes feel believable. This book has my favorite side plots and location. The resolution to this book feels the warmest because everyone in their lives was also cheering them on at the read-a-thon.

beach read - my first of hers and forever favorite. Grumpy/sunshine, rivals with secret crushes to lovers, and forced proximity. And it’s so romantic. And I love their banter.

spoilers for all of these books ahead

ooh! my ranking is funny story > happy place > beach read > pwmov.

i think a lot of people feel the way you did about happy place and i agree that the ending felt a bit rushed and sudden, especially compared to the slower pace of the book up until the third act. things just suddenly move really fast in a way that's hard to keep up with as a reader, and it makes her decisions seem way rasher than the buildup to them would suggest. when it comes to them lying to their friends, i think it's understandable because the narrative explains why they feel the need to and their reasons make sense, even if they're misguided. but i do agree with your points overall, and most of why i enjoyed this one as much as i did was the friend group dynamic, because i think she did a great job of writing it

when it comes to pwmov, i really enjoyed how the narrative dealt with their incompatible lifestyles because to me, that was what made their arc interesting. figuring out how the characters were going to work through that inherent conflict and watching them grapple with it was a highlight of the plot for me, and i think pwmov actually addressed the "we have fundamentally incompatible hopes for the future" issue better than happy place did. the way poppy and alex settled on a compromise worked a lot better for me as well because their arcs justified the conclusion in a way that felt satisfying and not rushed. can't argue with your point about uchicago though, because i've never been to chicago but i'm sure you're right

haven't read book lovers so i'll have to get back to you on that one

it's so funny to me that you mentioned the similarities between miles and travis because i thought the same thing! they're so similar personality-wise and i absolutely noticed lol. i love funny story and i'm glad you did too

beach read is very cute! i've spoken very highly of it and i stand by everything i've said. i think it's a quintessential example of what makes emily henry's writing so great

[princeescaluswords]

This is a persuasive and powerful argument, and I think it is undeniably true. I want everyone to read it. But, with many apologies to @antianakin, I also want to steal it in its entirety for my primary fandom.

Because their premise is incredibly resonant to me. People who argue that it is only proper to recognize the Jedi's flaws -- or, more often, people who argue if you defend the Jedi from any accusation you think that the Jedi don't have any flaws -- are not being sincere. In the end they simply do not give a damn about the level of realism in Star Wars. As observed above, this is a strategy: to employ whataboutism and black-and-white thinking to protect the genocidal dark wizard and space fascist with which they come to identify, only to find themselves at odds with the themes and conclusion of the entire Star Wars cinematic universe.

My fandom, Teen Wolf, has a very similar problem. It is evident to the casual observer that the themes of this television program are that violence, while sometimes necessary, is not an effective solution to problems; that revenge leads to an endless recursion of pain and destruction; and that every life has value in and of itself. Scott McCall, as the lead protagonist, embodies these principles and carries the day through virtue, strength of character, and force of will. He is capable of great violence but he avoids it unless he has no other choice. He rejects revenge, even on the people who manipulate him, betray him, and violate him both physical and mentally. He fights for the right of everyone -- even the people who hurt him, even people who in other properties would be nameless extra -- to live.

The fandom despises this. Attuned to a world of urban fantastic horror, they cannot stand a hero who won't murder their enemies (except, of course, the hot white men whom they love), a lead protagonist who doesn't seek to punish the wicked (by which they mean the enemies of the hot white men whom they love), and someone who undergoes great distress to save people who they don't think are worth it.

Many in the fandom use Scott's mistakes -- part of his learning arc -- as evidence of his unsuitability. He once hung up on someone in trouble by accident, so he's a terribly selfish character. He once got tricked by a villain into believing his best friend had murdered someone, so he's irredeemably stupid and oblivious. He doesn't recognize that the trauma of hot white men gives them permission to act as they please, so he's an arrogant tyrant. And so on. When I or other fans of the show defend Scott McCall's heroism, we are with great regularity accused of "thinking that Scott doesn't have any flaws!"

This post made it clear to me that Scott McCall's flaws weren't the point of the show any more than they were the point of the criticism he receives about them. For the show, those flaws weren't meant to be dwelt upon or offered as a counterargument to his philosophy; they were meant to show that he was human and that even a flawed human being can stand against the forces that make the world a darker place. He made mistakes, he got up and he fixed them, while never giving up on what was important to the show's themes: breaking the cycle of violence.

I just have to remind myself to look closely when people about the flaws of the heroes in an intellectual property. Are they really wanting to think critically about the narrative? Or is this a way of protecting a hot white male character from the consequences of his actions?

I never, ever say the Jedi were flawed, and here's why.

It's not because I don't think people can BE flawed, or that I don't think GOOD people can be flawed, of course they can. Even people who are genuinely doing good things and making good choices and trying their best to be selfless and kind and compassionate can make mistakes and have a bad day.

But there's really only two reasons I see anybody bring up "the Jedi were flawed."

The first is from Jedi fans who are trying to stave off the Stanakins and the anti Jedi crowd by adding that in as a disclaimer. "OF COURSE the Jedi are flawed, but it doesn't mean they aren't good people!" It's a meaningless statement because the side saying it doesn't even really believe it to be true and the side they're saying it TO thinks the Jedi being flawed means they all deserved to die. This is the kind of statement that leads to people deciding that individual Jedi are okay but their culture needs to be completely reformed in order to allow people like Anakin to just do whatever they want whenever they want and then they can all live.

The second is from people who DON'T really like the Jedi much and will insist that "the Jedi are flawed" is part of the whole point of the narrative of Star Wars, especially the prequels. This is the kind of statement that leads to people like Leslye Headland INSISTING that George Lucas intended for the story of the Jedi to be one of failure and criticism and casting the Jedi as "the evil institution" in her interpretation of Star Wars. This is what leads to stories like the Ahsoka show insisting that the Jedi were elitist bastards whose arrogance led to their own genocide. These people usually try to claim they like the Jedi, but they'll still cast the Jedi as the bad guys in the story instead of, say, Anakin. These are the people who genuinely have no idea what attachment is and don't care to learn. These people believe that, at best, the Jedi THOUGHT they were doing good, but that they had completely lost their way and were truly not that much better than the Sith anymore and their destruction was necessary to create balance in the galaxy.

I have no desire to appease people who don't like my interpretation of Star Wars, and I don't think that "the Jedi were flawed" was ever the point of Lucas's story and I genuinely think it takes a lot AWAY from his story to say that it does. So while I am perfectly happy to admit that people in general, even overall GOOD and kind and selfless people, are always flawed and can make mistakes, I will never, ever say that the Jedi were flawed. The Jedi lost, yes, but not due to their own flaws. They lost because of EVERYONE ELSE'S flaws, so what does it MATTER if the Jedi were flawed or not? If you truly believe the Jedi were good people who did everything right and simply lost due to other people's selfish choices, then what does it add to the story to insist the Jedi were flawed? How does it change anything, for the better or otherwise? The Jedi were right IS the point of the story, so insisting they were flawed actually takes away from that by distracting from how the Jedi were RIGHT, and it's people choosing not to listen to them or trust them or act like them that brings about the downfall of an entire galaxy.

The Jedi weren't flawed. The Jedi were RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING and that is the hill I will die on.