#Literally typed this out in 2 seconds because I needed this out of my system ASAP

[cringe--is--dead]

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝔻𝕠 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕐𝕠𝕦’𝕣𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕔𝕜

Incl. Umemiya, Hiragi, Tsubakino, Choji, Togame

Umemiya

Having grown up in a group home, Umemiya knows how to be the best care giver ever

That being said: he’s also insanely clingy and affectionate on his worst days

He’s attentive to a T

With Kotoha’s help he’s bringing you homemade soup, full of fresh veggies from his garden

He’s making you tea and keeping water bottles near by whenever you even mention wanting a drink

Sends his four kings out to watch over while he’s with you because he refuses to leave your side until your healthy— doesn’t matter if it’s a cold or the flu

Still cuddles with you, despite you telling him he’ll get sick— he tells you his love and affection will make you feel better

Whenever your fever spikes he’s quickly getting a wet cloth, laying it on your forehead and humming a wordless tune or telling you stories softly

He’s there to wake you up whenever you have fever induced nightmares, and holds your hair back if you rush to the bathroom to be sick

If you even feel the tiniest bit insecure because you feel gross and greasy he shuts that down: by telling you:

“In sickness and in health!” “That’s— those are wedding vows?” “Ha, yeah! But think of them as…pre-engagement, pre-wedding vows now! Hey— your face is all red, did your fever spike again?”

If you’re far enough into your relationship he’ll help you bathe: his hands are gentle as he washes your hair, no wandering touches as he helps you clean your body

He’s so soft you nearly fall asleep in the water, lulled into a serene peace by his soft voice and gentle touches

He combs your hair once it’s dry enough, braiding it to keep it out of your face and wrapping you your freshly washed sheets you have no idea when he had time to clean

Overall; 11/10 to take care of you when you’re sick

Even if he does end up getting sick himself after

Hiragi

You probably got sick after he warned you to bring your coat with you or not to stay up too late let’s be real

Dad sighs and twitching eyes

But he’s buying all the best meds and electrolyte drinks

I personally believe this man knows how to cook so he’s making you homemade soup, congee and other things his mom used to make him when he was sick

Brings a type of lemon “candy” that helps with your throat, knows they work because he keeps them on him in case Kaji needs them

He stays with you, but he gives you space

1. Because he needs to make sure he doesn’t get sick— he has to take care of you firstly, and secondly he cannot let Umemeiya free of him for too long

2. Because he knows you’ll want space occasionally; to sleep, to rest, to regenerate your social battery

While you nap he’s cleaning around; washing and folding clothes, doing dishes, organizing your mail— he’s completely husband material

When you want him near he’ll have you lay your head on his lap, and he’ll run his fingers through your hair and read to you— literally any book you choose he’ll read without hesitation

He’ll be so attentive and supportive when you’re sick, and he makes sure to continue to give you vitamins even after to help you avoid being sick again

But even when you are he’ll be there again

15/10 he’s just so HUSBAND MATERIAL

Tsubakino

LOOK

if there’s one thing anyone knows about me it’s I am a Tsubaki stan first and a human second

that being said

I imagine him taking care of you being sick is, while sweet, also a bit panicky

I imagine he has this weirdly insane immune system so he’s hardly ever gotten sick, and he’s also an only child so this isn’t super familiar territory

but he tries

does so much research he might go a bit overboard

“My darling! I got cough medicine, fever reducers, cooling masks, some cough drops Hiragi suggested! I got some water bottles and Suo-chan suggested different teas— I wasn’t sure which one would be best so I got all six! Nirei-chan said to get electrolytes so I got different flavors of those! And Kotoha-chan made soup! And congee! And I can order more, in fact I have a few different soups on the way!”

he just hates seeing you feel so bad

he’s a ball of nerves around you, always checking in on you and asking what you want, what you need, what you’d like

you can’t even be annoyed he’s so sweet

he helps you bathe, much like Umemiya, he’s sweet and attentive

he brings over his own stuff too; bathbombs, shower steamers, hair masks, face masks

he can’t make the illness disappear but you’ll at least feel clean and good on the outside

he takes his time with your hair and face, and he’s basically your personal masseuse in the bath

you’re never felt so relaxed despite being as sick as a dog

even though you’re sick he’s still quick to press kisses to your cheeks and forehead, face red from fever, embarrassment, and lipstick stains now

paints your nails while you rest with a cold press on your head, tells you about the latest debacle between Umemeiya and Hiragi and Sugishita and Sakura

by a miracle he doesn’t get sick

and he stores all the leftover meds and electrolytes (there’s a lot) between your place and his so he’s prepared next time

overall: 1000000/10

realistically: 10/10 (but always 100000/10 in my eyes)

Choji

oh boy

o h b o y

let it be known you try to hide the fact you’re sick from him for as long as possible

read: you fail

he’s showing up at like 7am, waking you up and charging in

did he bring anything?

of course

he’s brought snacks

not healthy ones

you’re not hungry because you’re nauseous, so he just stores them in your fridge and comes to cuddle you

he’ll wait on your every command don’t get me wrong

want water? he’s grabbing you a glass

need to go to the bathroom? he’s helping you up and walking you there, waiting outside the door and helping you back

bored? he’ll tell you all the thoughts in his head! and there’s a lot!

hungry? he’s grabbing those snacks for you!

he’s attentive and sweet, but he definitely is spoiled by Togame so much he’s not entirely sure how to take care of a sick person

but he’s strong so he’ll just beat your illness for you!

he’ll hold you while you rest, turn your fan on when you say you’re hot, turn it off when you’re cold

he tries to braid your hair while you rest, it’s messy but he tried

he ends up getting sick before you’re even better yourself

now Togame is tasked with coming to your place and taking care of both of you

overall: 7/10

he tries he really does

but he charges in with no instructions and just love

which is great but doesn’t treat the flu

Togame

he probably has taken care of an ill choji (^) so he knows what he’s doing

the patience of a saint holy—

he comes to see you when you’re asleep, and he’s silent as he unpacks stuff from the nearby convention store

you wake up startled at him just chilling, probably drinking a ramune and reading something

he keeps his voice soft as he asks if you’re hungry or thirsty

helps you sit up as he hands you a water bottle, and if your hands are too shaky he’d holding it for you to drink out of

he won’t even let you open your mouth to apologize before he’s giving you that stupidly soft smile and telling you he’s happy to take care of you

he keeps the curtains shut so the light in your room is dim, and he brings in candles with your favorite scent so the lights don’t hurt your eyes and the scent helps you feel calmer

not much of a cook himself when it comes to specific food to help you, but he grabbed take out on the way and heats up the perfect portions whenever you’re hungry

not too much so you leave food on the plate but not too little so you’re still hungry after

the man that he is

can definitely see him massaging your hands, your arms and your shoulders cause you’re tense from feeling ill

keeps a bucket or a bag nearby in case you get sick and can’t make it to the toilet

does a little braid to keep your hair out of your face, jokes about how he learned how to braid his hair so he’d he perfect at it for you

tries to brew you tea, and either burns it or under-steeps it

you both opt for just water for the time being

doesn’t get sick, but definitely sleeps for an entire day after you’re healthy

you both do actually— a long sleep cuddled up together

overall; 13/15 i think i made myself fall more in love with him

[loquarocoeur]

PLEASE make a list. For research purposes ofc🫶 (to further my obsession with yoursverse lestappen)

Sighs dreamily

Just off the top of my head this morning, I'll say some Max-isms that Charles finds cute are:

• Smacking/kicking/elbowing Charles every two minutes when Charles says something stupid, but it's so gentle it wouldn't hurt a fly

• Him saying 'Charles' at the end of every second sentence for no reason other than just to say it

• His lying voice

• His 'I'm so done with Charles' voice

• His embarrassed voice

• His voice in general

• The way he says his S's and T's and R's

• How much of a typical boy Max is

• Him being obsessed with video games

• Him checking out his own biceps in mirrors when he thinks Charles can't see him

• Him not knowing how to decorate/interior design to save his life

• Him not being able to put together a decent outfit that isn't red bull shirt and jeans to save his life

• Him not knowing what SPF is and not believing in skin care and hair routines even though he lets Charles do it for him and hasn't bought 2 in 1 again

• His wrinkly forehead when he's confused

• The crinkles at the corners of his eyes!!!

• His beauty spots, especially the top lip one

• His tendency to speak before he thinks, so even if his face wasn't expressive enough to be an open book Charles hardly ever has to wonder what he's feeling

• His tendency to hide his face in his hands when he's laughing

• Also his tendency to hide his face in whatever part of Charles he can reach when he's embarrassed

• Or how he sometimes just smacks his forehead into Charles' shoulder when he's done with Charles' antics, but he'll let them happen anyway

• Max's talent for finding things in life to be mad about

• How much Max laughs and smiles without even noticing

• How much Max is obsessed with kinder chocolates, tomato soup and carpaccio, like he will eat anything, but it's like his eyes are magnetically locked onto tomato soup and carpaccio on the menu at literally every restaurant, you can physically see when Max found it as an option and there's no hope of him eating anything else

• His love/need for forehead kisses

• The override button he has for being embarrassed to talk about his feelings whenever Charles is even the tiniest bit upset

• All the ways he tries to coax the cats into giving him attention when they just want to live their lives

• His insistence that Leo is Charles' dog and Charles' responsibility, but he keeps finding Max cuddling him where he thought Charles wouldn't catch him or teaching him new tricks which isn't working because Charles is feeding all the pets too many treats for them to still work as a reward system

• His panic response when Charles starts crying for literally any reason including sad movies, honestly even happy ending movies, any kind of tears just give him a panic oh god how do i fix it response

• Max always feeling the need to explain to Charles again that he does hate the crying, but he also doesn't want Charles not to cry because he's allowed to have all his feelings

• T-Rex typing

• His innocent look when he's trying to pretend he has no idea what Charles is talking about when he wants to start a conversation Max won't like

• The thin layer of fat Max never loses over his stomach. He likes it especially in the off season when Max gets to eat lots of chocolates and things

Idk, there are probably loads more, maybe I'll keep a list in my notes app

[ceaseless-watchers-special-girl]

you guys. you guys you guys. i think i know what i want from the final season of the penumbra podcast. i have spent the past ten minutes pacing around my room. yesterday i read up to chapter 17 of prydon's fic separate but syncopated (https://archiveofourown.org/works/30943430/chapters/76417991) which let's be honest, you've probably read already. it's phenomenal. if you haven't, you should.

so i've been thinking. i just really want to go back to brahma. i want to go back to brahma and take down the guardian angel system.

the thing is, the junoverse is a very character driven storyline, and i love that about it. the second citadel is more event driven i think, and it was more difficult for me to get into that storyline and stick with it (i'm weak i'm sorry). for example, although the first season focuses a lot on juno solving the whole martian artefact doodah, back then the penumbra crew were still finding their feet.

then junoverse season 2 happened, and the entire point of that season was basically "get juno over his trauma" (that's why it was so long oh my god). sure, there was a whole plot with ramses and the theia souls, but i think we can all agree that was secondary to juno's character development.

next, season 3. season 3 is definitely character driven, you literally can't deny it. it focuses on each member of the carte blanche in turn, and it uses the plot, finding the curemother prime, as a secondary tool to further the true point of the season: getting to know the characters.

season 4 i'm a little less certain about because i'm typing this post straight into tumblr fresh out of my brain (if anyone wants to help out with the analysis i'd love that). but i think the point of season 4 is to test and showcase the bonds of the carte blanche with each other, and juno rescuing them all is not only a good story, but also a good way to show off the relationships they built in season 3. his relationship with nureyev is shown through periodic reading of the journal, and juno's copious inner monologues (i say like i'm one to talk when all of these thoughts are swirling around in my own head).

then, season 5. the point of this season mirrors that of season 2, but this time, we need to get nureyev over his trauma. this is way trickier, because we're not inside nureyev's head, we're still in juno's. it's still character driven because the aim is to help nureyev, but the plot is given by juno having to chase him across the galaxy. hence, juno's hesitation when he finally finds nureyev.

well, steel, you've caught him. now what the hell are you going to do with him?

there is no plot to drive the character study anymore. our goal was to help nureyev, and juno (poor juno) has done all he can. the ball falls squarely into nureyev's court now, and juno has no say in the plot of the rest of the story. this is why i have been chewing myself alive since the last episode — we know what's next for the characters emotionally, but we have absolutely zero idea what's happening next plot-wise. it's killing me.

(what was the point of this post again?)

OH WAIT I'VE GOT IT. so. since our whole thing for this season is helping nureyev, and we all want him to go batshit fucking insane, i really want nureyev to go back to brahma, and finish what he started two decades ago. i think it's the perfect circular story arc to keep them occupied while nureyev heals emotionally from the fallout from everything going on with slip.

also, sorry to get real for a second, but i've just been tearing myself apart being morally outraged at the world we live in, and the fact that i'm barely able to do anything about it. maybe one day i could, but until then, it would be nice to see my favourite space gays set an example.

now, i know there's complications with this. nureyev refused to take the guardian angel system down in the first place because of the damage it would cause, and i'm willing to bet he hasn't excised that moral core just yet, no matter how hard he's trying. but i'm sure they can find a way to make it work. they have rita, after all!!

they're definitely hinting at a homecoming arc for juno. i think nureyev needs one too, is all.

[lover-of-mine]

i saw someone suggest this, so i was wondering what you think...what if eddie does break up with marisol in this week's episode, but she makes a reappearance in 7x07, which is literally titled a ghost of a second chance and eddie has to reconsider whether he wants to get back with her or not? obviously he doesn't in the end, but it would force him to think about some things. i just don't think him doubling down with marisol makes sense, even if it's supposed to be a parallel with BT, because eddie is not actually buck. he doesn't double down out of panic or fear of being abandoned...he only doubles down out of a misplaced sense of duty or obligation. he let shannon back into their lives for chris' sake...he wanted to rekindle things after he found out she might be pregnant...he wanted to stick it out with ana because he thought it was what's best for chris. unless he's learnt absolutely nothing from dating ana (and chris is a teenager now anyway) i highly doubt he feels obligated to stay with marisol for chris' sake so...

Anon, baby, I need to tell you that this ask settled so much in my soul, I actually managed to calm down last night because of it, so I can't thank you enough. Okay, I did type out this before I saw this, about the patterns with their love lives and the way Eddie doesn't have a Taylor. I do agree that Eddie wouldn't double down on Marisol out of fear of being left, or for Chris, but Eddie did have that whole "we have time"/"we're all gonna die alone" arc last season that went nowhere, and I kinda do see Eddie doing the stupid thing from a place of hurt? Because for a really long time, Buck was his main support system, I don't wanna say asking her to move in is something that actually makes sense for Eddie to do, because in the end it doesn't, so far we only saw her as a babysitter, but Eddie tends to have extreme reactions, and this fits the category. That being said, the thought that they will break up now and have a chance to get back together that Eddie doesn't take can work really well. Because if you have Eddie "questioning his place in the world" to make the wedding episode something where Eddie lets loose while single, just to get a chance to get back to the "comfortable" relationship he had with Marisol is interesting. You can even add the "Taylor" aspect of it by having her break up with him and then come back. But since Eddie wouldn't go back to something he's not sure of it just to have someone. I mean, even proposing to Shannon again was more about Chris and theoretical child #2, not trying to hold on to her specifically, and like you said, he doesn't have to double down for Marisol. So to put him in a situation where he could reconsider getting back into that relationship, would be interesting. Even more, if you consider the way all his relationships involve someone coming back to his life in a sense. And if you put him in that situation and have him be like "no, this is not what I want" would be nice, even more so considering he literally asked out the first girl who gave him an opening after repeatedly saying he didn't wanna date, see him find that balance that he doesn't have to be in a relationship for the sake of being in a relationship is a nice thought.

[fuckentoastybitch]

My VN List!

I'm listing them according to ones I've played and ones I plan to play (as well as brief notes about either my opinion on the game or why I'm interested in them, formatted like this.)

This is for my own personal collection tbh, I just need to put them all in one place.

A. Have played:

The Arcana. Played since I was 16, all time favourite and Julian is my husband. This game shaped my interest for fantasy settings and magic. BUT! As a long time fan I must warn new players that trying to get the full experience for this game is difficult because of its coin system. The only reason I manage to keep playing for years is because I literally take a year's worth of breaks in between routes and logged in every. Single. Day. to collect coins and keys. It's literally been 6 years and I still haven't 100% the game yet cause I simply didn't have that kind of energy and time to do that anymore, but I still love the characters very deeply till now.

Blooming Panic. Second all time fave. Fell for Quest first, fell for Toasty hardest, for some reason is obsessed with xyx. I've revolved my entire personality around BP since 2023.

ERROR 143. Fun! Micah is technically not my type but I really like the general aesthetic and humor of the game. Iirc there are still more content to come to the game so I am very excitedly and patiently waiting.

3 Seasons. This was short and sweet. I think what I liked the most about this was the unique character designs, especially Rye and Briar's. I heard the dev's are working on more content on the current LI's + Briar's route, I'm really excited for those.

Our Life: Beginning & Always. Our life was INCREDIBLE, to put it simply. The entire game and story was very well thought out that it even made me reflect on my own life at each phase along the game. It gave me a really strong sense of nostalgia and reminded me of my own feelings during every change I had experienced. I actually wanted to make a whole post about OLBA but I got busy and already forgot everything I wanted to say, ehe. I still have to play the DLC and get the remaining locked CGs though.

Assignment Due: Project Blue. THIS GAME IS ADORABLE. I already made a blog post about what I like about it and I will again emphasis on how this game felt like it was made specifically for me. I love Asher so much aaaaa. I heard rei, the dev is working on another game for Eden, I'm looking forward for that, too.

Coffee Talk. Coffee talk was so so good! I need to play more non-romance VNs too cause this was so enjoyable in terms of its storytelling, setting, gameplay and design. Every character had such a nice story that tied up nicely, even the MC who's supposed to be just an observer throughout the entire thing. Also the cozy vibes and music is a 10/10 would recommend.

A Date with Death. This one's so cute too! I played only one route last year and just picked it up again recently. I have only one route left to finish and the new DLC!. Anyways yes the Grim Reaper is very babygirl I can attest to it.

seekL. THIS IS SO GOOD. SO SO GOOD. If you didn't see the one week phase where I basically went insanely obsessed with seekL, you missed out. Hacker man save me.. save me.. hackerman..

B. Want to play:

Lost in Limbo. Really pretty art and interesting concept. The theme seems very fantasy/magic centric which really pulls me in. But this game is still a WIP iirc

When The Night Comes. Technically I'm currently playing this one, but only the intro and hadn't touched the game in months cause I've been busy. Again, the fantasy setting caught my interest aaand I just met Ezra but I already love him. Will continue this as soon as I can!

Infinite Blue. I've played the demo! Very mysmes reminiscent lol. The game looked very cute so far and Brooklyn reminded me that I'll never run away from my old man liker allegations. It's already out so I def gotta play it soon.

Coffee Talk Episode 2. Don't really need an explanation for this one except that the new characters I've seen so far looks really cool.

Tavern Talk. D&D inspired Coffee Talk! If it's not obvious already, I LOVE fantasy settings so even though I've never played D&D, it is right up my alley and I wish I could play it someday. I've been eyeing the production of this game for a while so I'm really excited that it's finally out!

Obscura. This one looks really REALLY cool but I haven't actually read into what it's actually about. The art alone looks good enough to get my attention. Really curious about it, I hope I'll play it soon.

Intertwine. Just from looking at the 2023 Otome Jam entries overall I thought this one looked most visually appealing to me. I love the color scheme, and the aesthetic reminds of the string of fate myth (that probably is the theme)

DATA BR<3ACH. I'm usually not a fan of cyberpunk setting but this one seemed pretty intriguing to me visually!

Innerlog. By Jenny V Pham! I enjoyed Error 143 so I have no doubt I'll enjoy this one too.

Andromeda Six. My impression of this one is "space D&D" lol. I can't believe I haven't played this one yet.

TOUCHSTARVED. I can NOT believe only the demo is out cause the quality looks like it should've been a long existing popular franchise. One thing I'm a little hesitant about playing this game is because it's goth themed and in case you haven't noticed, a lot of the media I like have a softer, more pastel aesthetic. lol. But that's a personal preference and yet I definitely need to play it sometime soon.

Cupid's Chatroom. There's really not much to say. Pink aesthetic? Mysterious chatsim that appeared out of nowhere? My cup of tea 100%

Na Daoine Maithe. I've played the demo of this one and it is sooo interesting. I like myths but I've never really read into Gaelic ones. The art is so pretty and the story so far is very intriguing. I can't wait for the full game.

Swiped!: Double Shots of Love. FINALLY AN INDIE VN WITH OLDER MALE LOVE INTERESTS DFKJFDSJKD I played the demo, it was really really cute! The professor LI was made to call me out lol

Wake Me Up If You Need Me. A game made by rice! Someone who I've seen around in the fandom and who's really talented at making songs and audios. I had no idea they made a game but I just found it recently and I have to play it.

Keyframes. It looks really good but I'm interested mostly cause I found out Charlatean (Toasty's VA) is in this kjsdhfgkjd

Rekindle. I follow the lovely artist that's creating it and the DEMO IS OUT!. I saw one (1) art of Jules and he is EXACTLY my type so I'm already looking forward to this game.

Our Life: Now & Forever. Baxter's OL game! I already loved Cove's so I'm really really interested in this version of the game. Plus, I actually really like the autumn aesthetic compared to Cove's beachy style.

Hummingbird's Crown. Has a very interesting premise: a time loop mystery. I'm definitely interested in this one for its story potential rather than the romance, I love me a good mystery.

Aaand that's it. Thankfully "( – ⌓ – )

There's actually a few more that I added in my twitter bookmarks but those are relatively new and I haven't decided if I really want to play them yet. I'm following the devs though so that interest might grow over time. These lists are long enough as they are already, haha.

[lookinlikeaking]

Lmao this was so crazy I need to type it up. Here was my like 40 hours of travel that I went to just to visit my partner during a very stressful time:

- first flight is at 7 am, wake up at midnight to finish packing and show before going to airport at 4am because it's been ultra busy recently and I don't trust TSA guestimates

- luckily it was only kinda busy, takes about an hour to get past tsa, but that means I have time to get a coffee

- everything looks fine, agents arrive at the gate to start setting up

- literally the minute they arrive the flight has been delayed for four hours. They don't know why. There's no reason given. But now it's four hours later.

- I get my connecting flight automatically rebooked because I would have missed the connection. Cool. But now instead of having a 2.5 hour layover, I have a 45 minute layover, which means I will be running through the entire airport to catch that flight

- I also look up the new flight path and make a guess that the reason for the reschedule was to avoid the weather, since the new flight path dips underneath the remnants instead of going the usual arc.

- they start boarding the plane four hours later, I decide to check my bag at the gate because then I can run faster to hopefully catch my flight

- everyone boards plane. We sit there while it's being loaded with luggage and fuel etc. we are told the original delay was because the AC broke and they had to fly in and install a new one from the warehouse but we're good to go now

- there's constant vacuum noises??

- still sitting there waiting for the food truck, as we are told by flight staff

- food truck arrives... And we are still sitting there

- eventually told that the flight is canceled because IT'S INFESTED WITH BUGS?????

- the vacuum noises I kept hearing was them trying to vacuum up all the bugs but more and more kept appearing in hoards and they don't think this will be solved today

- we're told they already have a bunch of agents set up for us to immediately look into getting rebooked within the hour

- get off the plane to be told that there's no agents at the counters we need to go back out of security and go to the original ticket counters at the front

- there's like 4 people at the counter. The line moves at a snails pace. They didn't foresee the issue of non bug-flight people trying to check in either, so instead of having two lines or asking the line of bug-flight people to relay something like "go to the premium line" to anyone asking about check-in, they occasionally send someone out to look for those people, slowing everything further

- there was a mum and two kids in front of me and after about 2 hours in line, the mother goes "oh no what are we gonna do for supper?" And her 10?? Year old replies "Supper? More like SUFFER" and the entire line felt that in their bones

- after four hours of waiting I get to the front of the line and have to explain to someone who just clocked on everything happening. (I'm kinda glad I was her first person from this line, there were many who at this point were not being nice.)

- since I was so far back of line, there's no more flights today for me to be on. OR TOMORROW. I'd have to wait ANOTHER day to get there through the regular route

- since time was more important to me, I asked if I could be booked on a flight to a different airport tonight instead and then I'd just get a rental car and drive the rest of the way. OKAY WE CAN DO THAT, IT'LL JUST BE A DIFFERENT AIRLINE. she gets me booked and then sends me over to the second airline counter to be checked in and given my actual ticket

- wait another hour in that line

- get my boarding pass, am told that since I'm going on another flight today that the baggage will automatically go through the system to the new plane just fine. But if I lose it, go to baggage claim and have them search it with the original bagcheck number. This is was last ticketing person told me as well.

- because we are now at the height of rush hour, even tho my flight isn't for four hours, I know it'll take an hour or more to get back to the airport, an hour or more to get thru tsa, and that doesn't count variance of who knows how long. So instead I just decide to wait at the airport.

- go thru tsa again, takes about an hour and a half

- buys myself lady yum for standing in lines for so long

- go to wait at my gate. Eat at the sit down right next to it because for once I'm in a situation where flight insurance will reimburse me.

- this flight is delayed too but for like normal reasons and only by 30 minutes. Finally I'm on a plane, I got a nice exit row window seat, I can try and sleep

- end up not sleeping because every time I started to dream it'd be a nightmare of standing in lines at airports and I'd wake up from worry that I'd miss my flight because I'm in the wrong line

- watched Suzume instead, idk if it's a good movie but it sure is aimed directly at me so I liked it.

- get into airport at 6am. Of course my bag does not show up, but the baggage office doesn't open until 7am. So sit and wait for that.

- when baggage does open, it's staffed by the most unhelpful person in the world. I don't think he was supposed to be working there and just was sitting at the desk because someone needed to, but his answer to everyone and everything was basically "I can't do anything about it"

- my stuff in particular he was like nah it's impossible you gotta go thru the original flight people for that. Even though I was super told not to.

- kept saying that some guy named Patrick would maaaaybe be able to do something?? And that he'd show up soon.

- hour and a half goes by, no sign of this mythical Patrick. Desk guy still refuses to do anything, not even open a claim for people who have their tickets. Eventually we convince him to let us write down our information in case the bags show up so we can GO DO STUFF. (There were a set of parents in this group also who had three little kids and were desperately asking to just open a claim so they could y'know go tend to their kids needs. Nope.)

- important note, airline site has no contact information on their baggage claim page because it says you MUST IN PERSON report and open a claim at the airport you arrived in.

- finally catch the bus to the car rentals, bus guy looks at me and seems offended that I don't have a prior reservation

- go inside and ask them about a rental, everyone is like hmm don't know if we have anything ready OH EXCEPT FOR THE EVS. ARE YOU GOOD WITH AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE?

- guy says I don't need to worry about filling it up with gas and confirms it will get me where I need to go with a full battery. I say yes then because I want to make the drive before the tired catches up with me.

- I'm bullied and rushed through the rest of the agreements, am not allowed to ask any more questions (or I get a response of 'just Google it you'll be fine') and end up getting into the car with no idea if I had just paid 78, 178, 278, or 378$ for the one day one way rental.

- I did glance while being forced to hit a million I Accepts that I actually do need to fill up the battery before returning it! The way the guy phrased it before sounded like it was some offer they had to get people using EVs... But technically all he said was I didn't need to pay for gas. Ugh. People with high mithridacy stats...

- also she didn't even let me have a receipt when I asked for one. It's not like there was a long line behind me either I was the only one there

- but ok I have a car. Time to drive. I quickly learn I don't like this car. (It's a Kona) There's a built in nav system so it wouldn't let me Google maps it... And the pronunciation of stuff was weird. Also sometimes it just called roads the wrong thing, like said a route east was a route west but it Def was east I was going on.

- managed to do the entire drive no problem though, did make it on 2/3rds battery, was able to stay alert and awake the entire time, there wasn't even anyone angrily honking at me for going the speed limits.

- oh heck I have to fill up the battery. Managed to find out that I should do that at the circle K because of people writing negative reviews on all the major brand change stations in town lmao

- luckily there was an older fellow charging his EV there already and he was able to help me figure out how to charge the car

- sit in the sun for an hour waiting for car to charge. Also while having an allergic reaction to the sunscreen I bought and slapped on before this BC I was expecting to be in sun

- when I try to get a receipt it just tries to force me to download and sign up for the app, which I refused to do. So idk how much I paid actually, it doesn't give you a total on the screen

- TAKE CAR AND RETURN AT LOCAL AIRPORT I WAS SUPPOSED TO ORIGINALLY FLY INTO. THIS PART WAS ACTUALLY FINE AND EASY AND HAD NO ISSUES

- go to the desk there to ask about my luggage just in case it like... Never got pulled from it's original flight path and maybe just happened to end up here.

- desk lady tries so hard to help me with it (even though she also repeats the same thing the other two said, that the new airline I took was responsible and that in theory the desk guy or mythical Patrick could have used my original tag to find it.)

- she can't find anything though so I leave information with her in case it shows up

- I try to call the airport I arrived in office, since it was late enough I expected new staff to be there and not the same guy

- TURNS OUT THAT OFFICE IS ONLY OPEN FROM 7-9AM AND 5-6PM EVERY DAY. THAT'S IT.

- it's 3pm by this time, I debate waiting for two hours to call

- eventually Google enough to find the number for the baggage office in Seattle, and decide to try them. After all, perhaps the bag is just sat there in Seattle still.

- ACTUALLY GET SOMEONE HELPFUL WHO OPENS A CLAIM NUMBER FOR ME WHICH IS V IMPORTANT BC YOU GOTTA DO THAT WITHIN 24 HOURS OF YOUR FLIGHT

- shazz and I go by target because I need at least underwear and some clothes so I can get out of these now two days full of sweat clothes

- we finally get home and I p much immediately pass out. At this point I had been awake for around 39 hours.

Good news is my bag came into the local airport so that issue is actually resolved. But gosh. What a time. I am guessing the bugs happened because they had made a nest in the warehouse, and when the machine was turned on suddenly went Oh No and started escaping.... Wild that this wasn't caught sooner though

[anonymous-dentist]

I went through a midnight binge on your superhero deli au and its so good!!!! i would love to know more ab a lot of thing but first thisngs frist!

1- In the junior superhero program i was wondering how are the kids? i want to know more ab Juana, Tilin, Trump & Bobby and their day to day life or just simply their powers lol

2- I love the whole schtick w Vegetta being Lobo Nocturno!!!! funny shit we love that.

3- What kinda taco shop does roier work at its important!! (/j)

4- Is Slimecicle a Villain? are he an Mariana partners in crime similar to Philza and Missa?

5- FRENCH SNIPER LETS GOOOOO fucking love pomme shes so cool. I also need to know ab Etoiles what is that man doing, he must be upto something,,,,

6- Wilbur a Federation Sanctioned rock star lol? on a federation sponsered world tour? or just a rehgular guy?

7- Quackity my wet cat where are yoou???? Is Elquackity involved too? twins? one a villain and another hero? or not at all?

8- are you thinking of integrating the newer members? migth be a hastlr tbh but its a cool though

9- Cellbit's powers are pretty inch identyfy and modulate fear right? that is so fucking cool dude id never woulve though als any thoughts of bringing his whole "not a cat" bit from the server?

i thonk thats all of my midnig ramblings so far if i think of any more at a amore decent hour ill let you know

muah besitos x repsonder msi preguntas saluditos chayito tqm

Okay, long post!

Here's a few posts I've already made on the kids: - Arrival - Qualifications - Names - Abilities Other than that, they kinda just do... hero things. They do go to school at the FoH headquarters- basically homeschooling tbh. But they do patrols and they go out on fights and it's dangerous. They aren't usually all friends because it's a very competitive environment, so it's usually pretty lonely. Either your teammates hate you or they're dead.

Yeah lol, he's an alien prince and he will Not go back home now that he's got a family

Full disclosure, I've never even had a taco before so I didn't even know there are different types of taquerias, but the one Roier works at is lowkey his? Like his dads are rich af so they bought it for him as a birthday present when he turned 18, but he was like "Dads nooooo I wanna make my own way in the world!" so he works as a server and cook and lets other people take care of the business side of things. Is it practical? Considering he's also Spider-Man, it works for him! 4. So Charlie is kinda nothing, but he's been heading down a steady path towards villainy since his daughter, Flippa, was taken from him and put into the Junior Hero Program. He can't control when he Geggs out, though, so he kinda just sits in a sewer and mopes. Meanwhile Mariana was so bad at being a hero that the FoH literally kicked him out, and now he's also. In a sewer missing his daughter. But tbh the two of them will probably end up as partners in crime as soon as Charlie figures out how to purposefully Gegg all over the place 5. Etoiles joined the FoH entirely willingly because he fully and totally just legitimately wants to protect the city. But he lowkey hates everyone in the FoH and is like two seconds away from quitting and turning to vigilante-ing because he knows that the entire system is corrupt. But he wants to keep his daughter safe, too, so he's waiting to quit until she's just a bit older. Then they can be the father-daughter vigilante duo they've been planning to be since Pomme was, like, three 6. Wilbur is a rock star who can make flowers appear out of thin air, and his ability is so useless that the FoH can't even use him as a spokesman for the organization. All he does is make pretty flowers for his daughter and leave to go on tour, but that's fine, everyone loves him, anyway 7. So Quackity and his identical twin brother ElQuackity don't speak to each other. Quackity is an ordinary dude working at a coffee shop downtown with a shapeshifting ability that he uses exclusively for pranks and bullying. Meanwhile ElQ is a former villain who was "reformed" by the FoH. He works for them now, and he's the guy in charge of the Junior Hero Program: Dr. Duck, how scary 8. Yeah! Everybody's real in this au! I don't think any of them except Tubbo and Mouse and Bagi and maybe Willy and Rivers would ever appear in a proper big role because the story would focus on Cellbit and Roier and the people they know and work with yk? 9. Nope, nothing with the cat stuff this time. I'm focusing more on what the actual q!Cellbit is like in this au, what with the literal fear rooms and the spooky vampire castle and the fact that he's out here calling himself a vampire lol

[ileftherbackhome]

Is it okay if I plan to vote Third Party and try to convince people to vote third Party without emotionally manipulating them?

Okay, here is why it is not a good idea to vote third party DURING FEDERAL ELECTIONS only. thank you for asking this question and i will do my best to explain my thought patterns and what i hear from actual activists in my local third party rallies and meetings.

1. None of the third party candidates are on all 50 states, this means voting third party in the FEDERAL elections will not ever be feasible under the electoral college but especially in 2024.

2. Jill Stein is a russian plant. I mean this literally. She takes money from putin and other russian players only to split the democratic vote. there is a reason her "policy" is basically leftist utopia.

3. The way the third party works in the FEDERAL elections is that it works as a vote against YOUR second choice. This is why Jill Stein only shows up during FEDERAL elections with a leftist agenda. it is to make sure YOU don't vote democratic. because the way it is set up in the electoral college is that a VOTE FOR THIRD PARTY HURTS YOUR SECOND CHOICE.

4. Even if you managed to get a third party candidate into the presidency (see point 1 for why you cannot), they NEED THE FUCKING CONGRESSSSSSSSS to pass bills. this is why it is important to vote blue up and down your federal ballots because the goal is to get a president who is the executive branch (they execute the laws, they DO NOT WRITE THEM, the president is the equivalent of the monoarchy in Britain) and a congress who is the legislative branch (they write the laws) that are in agreement with one another. What is a third party candidate going to do with ZERO members in congress? nothing. the answer is nothing.

So when can you vote third party? good news, it's literally EVERY OTHER ELECTION POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE ONLY AFFECTS FEDERAL ELECTIONS AND CHANGE HAPPENS LOCALLY. IT'S A BOTTOM UP SYSTEM WE HAVE NOT A TOP DOWN SYSTEM.

this is actually a good thing in theory because we have the numbers to NEVER go republican again. we have enough registered voters democrat to win EVERY SINGLE ELECTION EVER if we all voted at over 90% in our communities. MOST PEOPLE AGREE WITH US. WE ARE THE 99% AND WE HAVE THE POWER.

1. local elections!!!!!! these happen 2x a year basically maybe more where you live idk how the system is set up in every county. it is super easy to find out where your local elections are. just type in local election my county into google.

2. state elections. this is won by POPULAR VOTE!!!! but nobody votes in the state elections because of REPUBLICAN PROPAGANDA during federal campaign season. YOUR VOTE MATTERS. USE IT!!!!!!!

3. We DO have third parties in government. Bernie is a socialist. AOC is too im pretty sure. There are others. But they understand that you need people on the inside of the system to do anything within the system basically. We need to vote locally and statewide every year as democrats or leftists or socialists or anachrists or whatever. this is how we get enough people who think like us to gain political power to change the system.

4. this is very important because i want you to understand "the system is corrupt" is true but it dehumanizes the humans that make up that system. there is no social system that is not made up of humans. the system we have is corrupt because we are letting corrupt individuals gain too much social power. while we have the ability to vote, we NEED to vote so that the majority can rule over the society.

Anarchy just means removal of hierarchical thinking. there is no reason why we cannot have order and respect for other human beings in anarchy, right? we respect that we are all human beings and none of us have any superiority over the other. Thus, we listen and we make decisions as a group to decide who we think will be best to do what we want as a group socially. does that make sense?

if you do not like the idea of voting, if you think you should just be able to tell people what the right thing is and they will automatically agree with you if they are "good" people, you are engaging in fascist thought patterns.

voting is good. third parties need the representation within the LEGISLATIVE branch of government in order to make and pass laws. the president is a monoarch, the power comes with parliament aka congress.

vote third party candidates in for local and state elections, not for federal elections while the electoral college still exists.

[holfelderwrites124]

Thanks for the tag @illarian-rambling

Writer Questions

What is your absolute all-time favorite idea you’ve ever had?

It has to be sczhieldengoethe. It's a torture spell, that imbues the victim with intense magical pain just by gentle touches from the spell-caster. It causes no immediate damage to the person, and won't transfer along a blood shimmer link. It will eventually start to fry the nervous system of the victim, however, and can leave the victim with intense pain spasms and lingering chronic pain. Why is this my favorite idea? Because it's the idea that spawned me writing original fiction again. I was struggling with fibromyalgia at the time and wanted to torture my blorbo with something that was similar to the phantom but deadly pain of fibro. Once I wrote 65k in the fanfic universe, I decided that I adored the story and needed it to be original. Thus, Euwenn Gilmore was born, and the Unbreakable Series began! (Get The Curse and some fun stickers here!)

Is there a question you’ve been asked in the past that really stands out to you, and you still think about sometimes?

I can't think of a question that really stuck with me, but I can think of a question that spawned an entirely new book. Does that count? A beta asked me if the genders and sexualities of my characters really mattered in terms of the plot, because it felt unnecessary. This caused me to 1) recognize that not every beta is correct for every story, and then 2) to write a prequel. Because in truth, their gender and sexualities are important, just not to the second book. They are integral to the prequel, though, and to how the characters get together and become who they are by the time they reach the second book. (Check out Severed Threads, the result of this comment!)

What is your favorite part of being a writer? What parts could you take or leave?

Favorite part? Literally everything. I adore pantsing the hell out of my stories, plotting out scenes in my head to determine, even the actual typing. I find tippy-tapping, as my wife and I call it when I'm writing, to be just as therapeutic for the physical clicking and clacking of the keyboard as it is for the creative process. I think the one thing I would get rid of is the "oh I wrote a thing and now I have to market it" bullshit. Why can't I just let my children fly into the world and that be enough????

What is your greatest motivation to write/create?

Writing is extremely therapeutic for me. I find delving into characters and plots allows me control in a way that I understand I can't have IRL. I can project onto my characters, let them experience and heal from trauma. Plus, creativity is soul-cleansing for me. If I have done nothing else in the day, but I have created? Then I have done something worthwhile.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever read or been given as a writer?

There's a reader for every story. No matter how niche your story is, there's someone out there who needs to read it.

What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out writing?

You're actually pretty good at this. I started writing as a kid. Somewhere around 15 I decided that I was terrible, wasn't going to make it as a writer, and that having my friends in my head was "bad". (Baby me had some Issues.) Around ten years later, I got back into fanfic, and then eventually, original fiction. I recently reread the story I was working on (the original iteration of the Severed Threads gang) and I was like .... for a 15 year old? That shit was good. I wonder where I'd be if I had kept practicing and writing and exploring those lost ten years?

What is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? Link it if you’d like and can!

Honestly, right now it's got to be Finding Home. It's my most recent publication and I just love the story. Check out the back cover on my website, search it on amazon, OR OR OR buy it on my website and get some themed stickers and a bookmark :)

Which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? Why do you say so, and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

Uhhhhh ... probably one of my villains, tbh. Most of my main characters are pretty non-controversial. I mean, I'd probably say Alabaster, since she's my main villain in the Unbreakable series trilogy bit (The Curse, The Rescue, and Alabaster's Revenge). I'd say she's a bit controversial because she's been wronged. She's been wronged by the plain (non mangical) police, who killed her son. No one has listened to her pleas, her ideas, her desires. But the way she takes that and twists it into reasons for revenge and murder ... well. Yeah.

If you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

Oh, she would be THRILLED. I always wanted to be a writer, to do something with this huge imagination that I have. :) She would be so excited for me!

I'll tag (no pressure -- only if you want to) @lofiyaketyblr, @frostedlemonwriter, and @goodluckclove and anyone else who wants in :)

[the-writer-of-spells]

What is Numerology?

Numerology is a pretty old technique that uses numbers to assess the character and destiny of any given person. It can also be used to check the nature of a new pet, business, and anything else with a name and/or a start/birth date. This can also be paired with a simple form of astrology for more accurate predictions, or used on its own. A simple search on the Britannica website for ‘numerology’ will give you an extremely short article. But, I pulled the following quote from there: “The theory behind numerology is based on the Pythagorean idea that all things can be expressed in numerical terms because they are ultimately reducible to numbers.” 

However, numerology was practiced in Ancient India (in the Vedas) and China (in the I Ching) which were, coincidentally, before Pythagoras/the Pythagorean Brotherhood’s time. But, since the way Pythagoras taught his method of using numerology seemed to have truly stuck with most other cultures around the world, this way of numerology is the most accessible. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Hebrews also used number systems based on the letters of their alphabet; but the numbers we have today came from the Arabs.

Let’s get to the fun part!

How do I use Numerology?

So, Numerology in my opinion, is the absolute easiest form of divination. Just remember to take notes as you go, and you’ll be fine! 

Or, you can reach out for help from someone you trust that knows numerology; or you can reach out to literally anyone on the internet willing to teach this, but be careful with that one… I believe knowledge should be free, but that’s not the case with a few other people, I’ve heard. So if they ask for a payment, make sure you’ve truly looked at their blog/page. If their vibe doesn’t sit right with you, don’t do it. Money can make good people funny. And not in a good way.

Okay! Let’s get back to this topic. How do I/you use numerology? Super easy. There are two SUPER common types of numbers, and they are usually the first thought in people’s head when they think about Numerology as a whole. They are the Destiny and Life Path numbers!

The difference between these numbers is that the Destiny number shows your life’s purpose and the pattern by which you’ll achieve that, and the Life’s Path number is usually used to make forecasts about one's future. 

I’ll make a separate post on what the numbers 1—9 mean, because that’s what we’re going to be working with for right now; but in the meantime, let me explain what you’ll need to figure out your numbers!!

Materials:

Your Full Name

Your Date of Birth

Pen/pencil

Paper

Calculator (optional)

It’s not a super complex mathematical formula that we’ll be using, just some basic addition!

Also!! If you are transgender, or nonbinary; or you’ve changed your name for any reason—PLEASE use the name YOU HAVE CHOSEN for yourself! If you’re comfortable with it too, you can also use the old/dead name to compare the potential outcomes of your life! If you’re not too comfortable with that, don’t sweat it!

Okay, so you’ve got your materials; cool beans, now what? You’re now going to assign the letters of the alphabet numbers!

Instructions: 

Write the numbers 1—9 across the width of the paper. So you’re going to write out:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, making sure they’re spaced out enough to write in columns beneath them and not have things overlapping. For ease of reading!

Put the letters beneath the numbers in the order I have listed:

A,J,S under 1.

B,K,T under 2

C,L,U under 3

D,M,V under 4

E,N,V under 5

F,O,X under 6

G,P,Y under 7

H,Q,Z under 8

I,R under 9.

Now, spell out your FULL NAME!! 1st, middle (if you have it), last and anything after that! You’re now going to add up the numbers! I like to keep my number in three separate rows, so my first name has one, middle the second, and last the third line.. Just for the sake of keeping things readable/not too overwhelming.

My numbers, just because I don’t want to give my full name out on the internet; are:

24, 29, 29. But! We need one number between 1 and 9. If you do 24+29(2)=82, you can then simplify my numbers to: 8+2=10, 1+0=1.

What we did here was we found our Destiny number. Pretty neat right?

Let’s do our life path number as well.

Get your birthday written out, it doesn't matter if you use the UK, US, or any other style of writing out dates, because they will always add up to the same number!

Mine is: 12/20/2003. I’ve got it pretty easy, because there’s a bunch of 0’s in mine and I’m working with small numbers.

1+2+2+0+2+0+0+3=10, 1+0=1. And BOOM! We have our life path number as well. 

So, before this post gets crazy long; I hope you have a wonderful day, and I’ll be posting the meanings of the numbers 1—9 with three posts; because I have a lot to say! Bye!!

Further Reading/my Sources:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "numerology". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 May. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/numerology. Accessed 1 October 2023.

[thewardenofwinter]

This or That? Tag

I was tagged by @crowandmoonwriting and @writernopal ! Thank you both so much, you an find their posts here and here. I'm actually working on the other tags I've been sent but some are taking longer than others so I'll hop on this one really quick! I am also behind on the rest of them haha I've been quite busy with life for the past few days so this is a welcomed break!

Historical or Futuristic

I am far too dimwitted to understand the idiosyncrasies of curating a futuristic universe, nor am I smart enough to understand when other's write it. However, I do enjoy 'future-past' type situations, like with the Fall Out games and Attack on Titan to an extent.

I am also an almost certified pirate historian at this point so historical fantasy all the wayyyyyyy.

Opening or Closing chapter

While I do love leaving a bit of a cliffhanger, my chapter endings tend to fizzle out and die than crash and burn. I also LOVE hooking people in the beginning of a chapter with some batshit crazy opening line.

Light and Fluffy or Dark and Gritty

Light and fluffy bores me to death. I need drama, I need blood and gore, I need major character deaths to keep me entertained. I'm sort of like a Roman emperor in the colosseum. Why would I want to see a man pet and befriend a lion when he could be mauled to death by it in front of his wife?

I am, of course, exaggerating. While I do enjoy light and fluffy from time to time when my own life is dark and gritty, having an outlet in my own writing to emulate my current circumstance on a beloved character always cheers me up.

Animal Companion or Found Family

Animal companions are far too Disney-esq for me personally, though I do appreciate a little mascot or beloved animal side character (I write them frequently myself.)

Horror or Romance

Mix those bitches together, throw them in a pot, add some monster in there and I'm sold. I want to the see in's and out's of giving yourself over to someone wholly portrayed as a horrible, gruesome endeavor that is in the end worth it to watch the person you love the most feel joy in your presence.

And for your information, as Guillermo del Toro enjoyer, I am a monster lover not a monster fucker. Also Crimson Peak >>> Shape of Water.

Hard Magic system or Soft Magic System

No magic system at all! Only vibes. But in all seriousness, I do not care for hard magic system in literature but I do prefer them for shows, like Full Metal Alchemist or Avatar the Last Airbender. But for me, who has severe aphantasia, having a hard magic system really puts a damper on my already lacking imagination.

Stand-alone or Series

Depends on my mood, sometimes I enjoy reading a one off book with no further consequences and other times I want to delve deep into a fantasy world with characters I enjoy and grow with them as books continue.

One Project at a Time or Always Juggling 2+

You should see my google docs page...

One Award Winner or One Bestseller

I like money.

Fantasy or Sci-Fi

Fantasy for the same reason as the first question, science is absolutely not my strong suit and it quite literally makes my my brain hurt. Though, human sciences on the other hand intrigue me, but when it comes to space and planets? Hell to the no.

Character or Setting Descriptions

Though I do fancy myself a gothic literature enjoyer, setting descriptions quite literally pass through my mind without taking any of it into account. I can barely handle remembering what characters look like, how the hell am I supposed to know the exact wood cut of the grand staircase that leads into the second foyer?? Again, I have severe aphantasia so if you do not describe your character in heavy detail, I assure you I will not picture anything, for your character. Like a floating [REDACTED] symbol speaking now and then. (Which is the very reason all my characters are described in EXCRUCIATING detail. It's more for me than you.)

I also LOVE writing and reading character descriptions because, while I do not agree in real life that you should judge based on appearances, in literature a character's looks can tell you so much about their personality, culture, and past. Whether it be a strange scar, a specific head covering, or just the way a character smiles, all of those things can show you so much about this character's inner working and I find it so interesting how people weave it into their work.

First Draft or Final Draft

First drafts all the way! You are literally willing something into existence that has never been done before (hopefully) and it never has to be perfect! The most important part is getting your idea down onto a page or computer screen, you need not fret about things like chapter headers or sentence structure quite yet.

Love Triangle in Everything or No Romantic Arcs

Some works just... do not require romance in the slightest (in fact, as a person on the ace spectrum, I would argue that most works do not require romance, but I digress.) That being said, I do like writing romantic arcs in my works but mostly because I enjoy writing character interactions and romantic chemistry offers fun banter.

Constant Sandstorm or Rainstorm

Two of my WIPs take place in Seattle which is also where I want to live so... yeah, rain all the way baby. (Insert Rain When I Die by Alice in Chains)

Gently tagging some amazing folk! @captain-kraken, @ryns-ramblings, @elshells, @lyssa-ink, @rownanisntwriting and @zestymimblo. Sorry if some of you already did it, I'm still working through some old posts that I missed from mutuals.

Here's the blank list that I stole from Nopal:

historical or futuristic

the opening or closing chapter

light+fluffy or dark+gritty

animal companion or found family

horror or romance

hard magic system or soft magic system

standalone or series

one project at a time or always juggling 2+

one award winner or one bestseller

fantasy or sci-fi

character description or setting description

first draft or final draft

love triangle in everything or no romantic arcs

constant sandstorm or rainstorm

— M. Warrin

[malbecmusings]

Juneau, Alaska

July 26 & 27 - A warning that was stressed over and over and over by guides we talked to while planning this trip: DO NOT underestimate the bears. A grizzly has a sense of smell exponentially better than a bloodhound. With the ability of said 1,000lb plus behemoth to hit 40, yes f-o-r-t-y, miles an hour for up to 2 miles nonstop, shit could hit the fan faster than you could imagine. The prep we've done, including for a potential unfriendly wildlife encounter could be a book in itself. We're all carrying bear spray; the boy scout and I are each carrying a different type (potency/volume vs range). Everyone is also carrying chest holsters with big bore handguns, and yes, praying we don't have to use them.

My first thought this morning was one of of gratitude for not having any large, nosey critters come into camp in the middle of the night. My second thought was about how good I felt. We spent for-effin-ever trying out different tens, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads before we found a combo that we liked. Although it was in the 50's we stayed warm and didn't wake up feeling like we had spent the night sleeping on rocks, which is exactly what we had done.

Half our party was already up having coffee around the fire when I unzipped the tent to assess the world. The clouds were pretty low so there wasn't a need to get in a hurry. While everyone primarily responsible for flying is instrument rated, meaning we could get up and call for a clearance to fly into Juneau.... why?

Instead of rushing to get everything packed up, we decided to make a big breakfast and chill while we waited for the weather to lift. There wasn't as much concern about cooking this morning because we'd all be up and *might* be able to see or hear something coming. Our resident chefs went wild and made the biggest, best tasting breakfast burritos and pancakes I've ever had. My contribution to the feast was virgin Bloody Marys which were almost as good as the high test variety.

The ceilings lifted by the time we finished breakfast, got everything cleaned up, and the planes packed. We flew upriver in search of more gravel bars to do touch and go's on. I made two full stop landings in a slight crosswind that even I was proud of. It pays to sleep with know a good CFI.

Juneau holds the distinction of being one of only two state capitols that are wholly inaccessible by an outside road system. In addition to being a government town, it's also tourist central, with a yearly average visitor count of more than a million tourists. That's a lot, especially considering the metro population is barely 36K. But, it is stunning. Turn in any direction and you'll find mountains, the ocean, glaciers, and wildlife within arms reach.

We got lucky and found a VRBO big enough to house all of us rather than staying at a hotel. Bonus points for it being close to the airport. Our host was quick to recommend the Salmon Bake for dinner. Her instructions were to dress warm and go hungry. Imagine a rustic outdoor Cracker Barrel buffet. It was a bit very touristy, but isn't that the point? You can belly up to the bar, chill around a campfire and roast marshmallows, pan for gold, shop for stuff (of course), and enjoy an "Alaskan experience" while feasting on pretty decent food. Two tips: get a table by the creek if you can and get the glazed salmon.

Juneau Part II: We had a chill night and crashed early because we had a fishing charter scheduled this morning. Another cool, beautiful but wet morning. To hopefully minimize the risk of a lung issue flareup, I broke out both the layered cold weather and foul weather gear. It took two boats to haul all of us and the better part of an hour to reach the fishing grounds, which looked an awful lot like ALL the water we passed before reaching that spot. Our guides were amazing though. Between us, we caught a literal boatload of halibut, salmon, and rockfish surrounded by some of the most mind blowing scenery imaginable. The guides are going to process everything except what we saved for dinner and ship it to us when we get home.

We were planning to hike up to Mendenhall Glacier when we got back but pulling all these fish up from the bottom of the damn ocean wore us out. Instead we built a fire in the fire-pit, had a few drinks, and enjoyed a chill night. Tomorrow we head north again for another few nights off the grid. Our first stop will be the town of Cordova where we'll refuel and provision before heading to a Forest Service cabin on Hinchinbrook Island.

[presumenothing]

ZHOU SHEN: UNCONDITIONAL SURVIVAL

translated from 《人物》 magazine, part 2 of 5 | previous post

Zhou Shen in his daily life | Image from Zhou Shen's Weibo

A Shy Ambition

It all still comes back to that gracefully floating voice. Back in 2015, Yin Yue had been searching for a suitable singer for 玫瑰与小鹿, a song she had written the lyrics for. That was a song with fairytale tones. In January of that year, she was working in Europe with a show crew, and on a long drive between locations, she played Zhou Shen's performance of 贝加尔��畔 at The Voice Of China over the bus' Bluetooth system.

The snow was heavy in Europe that day, and the crew's bus had just passed through the Tunnel du Mont-Blanc to arrive at their destination. Yin Yue wanted to continue listening to Zhou Shen's voice for a while more, but the hotel room didn't have suitable acoustics. Locating a clear crystal glass, she placed her handphone into it to amplify the volume. Zhou Shen's voice emanated from the crystal glass into a world of ice and snow, as transparent and delicately clear as this landscape itself. Yin Yue thought to herself that she had found the most suitable voice.

On whether to participate in The Voice of China, and debut as a singer; Zhou Shen had hesitated over this for a long time. When singing on livestream platforms as 卡布叻, he'd never shown his face, or even posted a photo. "I could anticipate what it'd be like if I sang in front of people, so why would I want to magnify such feelings? Because I've always thought that one big difference between me and other singers is that I might need to walk an additional road to acceptance, compared to them."

The show's director reached out to him over three years, and in the first two years Zhou Shen kept not agreeing. The reason he finally relented was the dozen-odd 60-second voice messages the director would send him every day, even going so far as to say they'd go pick him up at the airport when he came back from his studies. Zhou Shen felt that if he still didn't agree, that would really be causing too much trouble for others.

While communicating over WeChat, Yin Yue felt that this young man on the other end of the line typed swiftly and spoke quicker yet, with the obvious style of a 1990s-generation online fan. When Yin Yue returned to China, and the two met in the recording booth: "My first impression upon seeing him back then was that of a fallen leaf, trembling unstoppably – not metaphorically, I mean literally trembling, he was especially nervous."

During breaks, Zhou Shen shrank into a corner of the recording room, and barely dared to speak to anyone.

This was the first time Zhou Shen had entered a recording booth to record his single; every part of the environment, equipment, and people was foreign, and like a touch-me-not plant he had immediately shut himself tightly closed at a touch. Unconsciously minimising his very presence as far as possible was the safest way, to him. The professionals in the recording room could hear that his voice was indeed good, but they also knew that he was falling completely short of the state a career singer would be in. Experienced singers would have consciously exercised and vocalised before recording, and even started preparing one month in advance, to ensure that they could be in an optimal state on the day of recording. But on that day Zhou Shen was bundled in thick down garments, suffering a severe cold, and sounded nasal even when he spoke. The record button went on, and even as Zhou Shen still sang in the recording room, the initial producer for this song was already saying in the control room: "This kid is still an amateur, we can probably pack up for the day already."

In those few years after his debut, he was in a state of always not knowing what he wanted to do. In his daily life, he was an introvert with few social interactions, who wouldn't really go to places with too many strangers. Even on going out for a meal, if handed a menu, he still wouldn't know what he wanted to eat an entire afternoon later; he'd say, "You guys just order, don't bother with me, giving me the menu would just be a waste of time."

Later, Zhou Shen would go overseas to record 大鱼. From the perspective of Yin Yue, who'd participated in its production, this was a song especially well-suited to making the most of the unique qualities in Zhou Shen's voice, and yet after recording for three days, not even a single take was usable. Yin Yue was baffled; she felt that she'd already thoroughly explained to Zhou Shen what this song intended to convey, and the two of them had also exhausted every skill in their arsenal. "I asked him, where did all that beautiful uniqueness and colour in your voice suddenly disappear off to? I just found it incredibly odd."

On the fourth day, anxious for any improvement at all, Yin Yue burst into the small isolation booth used for recordings to try on the singer's headphones, and only then did she discover that the voice part in these headphones was abnormally soft. Zhou Shen's self-esteem at that point had been so low that he dared not face his own voice directly; he had been forcibly recording for three days while "singing blindly", without being able to hear his own voice clearly, and hadn't dared say anything to the recording staff from overseas.

On his desire to sing, Zhou Shen remained steadfast, but his dire struggles with social interaction made it hard for anyone to sense this. In a dormitory of just twenty-odd square metres, as assigned by his company, he stayed put for six years. Even wanting to practise his singing at low volumes would draw security staff to his door, saying that someone had complained because of the poor soundproofing. In the most difficult times of that first year, he could only sing in large collective concerts for a meagre share of the performance fee, and occasionally not even get a cent for the whole season. Back then, a livestream company did invite him to return to livestreaming, so that he could at least get some income that was assured regardless of the situation, but still Zhou Shen turned them down. In the times without performances, he listened to music and watched movies every day, and worked little by little on strength exercises; when the weather was bad he would run up and down the dormitory's stairwell to build up his lung capacity.

In 2018, Zhou Shen went to audition once for Singer, and the same situation from 大鱼's recording occurred once more. He was the first singer to audition in his group, and the equipment hadn't quite been well-tested; midway through singing the headphones' power supply got cut off and the sound went mute. At a loss, he finished singing, the next singer came in swiftly after, and thus the audition came to a close amid this dull gloom. He could only say jokingly to friends: "I was just there to help test the sound for the subsequent singers."

Afterwards Zhou Shen went through a senior to indirectly ask the show crew's thoughts on this audition. The answer that the show crew gave was that they felt Zhou Shen didn't have enough ambition.

This answer wasn't the kind of judgement criteria they'd been anticipating, but it wasn't unreasonable either; a competition-style show would naturally more keenly welcome those contenders brimming with ambition, who could set themselves fully free onstage without restraint. They saw no such potential in the Zhou Shen of that time."I did ask myself if I had any ambition, and I do, I really do." As the flight departing Changsha was about to take off, following his failed audition, Zhou Shen sent such a message to Yin Yue, who'd also been part of the song selection: "I really like the stage, I want nothing more than to conquer it, to keep learning how to get along with it, and I really want to conquer the audience too, and have them conquered by my singing. But my fragility in real life – or maybe I should say weakness – isn't compatible with the stage, leaving me unable to focus myself. I find this part really difficult."

[redheadbigshoes]

🌻 here, why is that one anon commenting on an anon'd ask that doesn't even say what people or posts its talking about lol

Yeah it's messed up no matter what to fetishize black folk, do we even see the post? know who is being talked about? have any evidence of anything at all? they seem pretty eager to jump on a trans woman mentioned tangentially through an anon ask...

Anyway I wanted to weigh in on the gender segregated sports with adding that we hear so often from conservatives that big strong scary trans women will win all the womens sports but people don't know I guess that hormone therapy for transfems literally atrophies our muscles lol.

I used to play american football in jr high and high school and I worked out regularly in college and I've lost pretty much all of that strength over the last 5-6 years of taking t-blockers and estrogen. I lose arm wrestling matches with my butch lesbian cousin lol. Trans women on hormones have absolutely no difference to our body capabilities than a cis women. Which doesn't mean they'd be weaker than any given man or anything, given that anybody can still work out enough to build strength to compete in a sport, but my point is we hear about trans women having 'biological' advantages in sports so much cis people forget what the reality is for trans women who compete.

I honestly think it is sexist to segregate sports by gender, given that women can absolutely beat men in anything in the world, I know a cis women that is 2 feet taller than me who could be a basketball star over any man if she wanted to, but that brings up the fact that sports aren't totally fair even within gender segregation, since sports inherently favor people with specific body types. So if you wanted to be truly egalitarian you would segregate sports by weight classes, or something like that.

But you are right that in any co-ed sports in our current society there will always be misogyny, its the reason why we have a seperate chess league is because one of the sports with no body favoritism which anyone can pick up and learn and practice and plenty of women become amazing at chess, they are still systemically repressed from being able to compete and practice like their men peers do. They face increased scrutiny and barriers that men dont, which is why trans women competing in women's sports is important for us in this current setting. Women can compete in any sport that men can, but misogyny is prevalent in every sports space, as well as transmisogyny, so a trans woman barred from women's leagues has basically no fair and safe space to compete and enjoy a sport.

-🌻

It’s complicated whenever minorities are involved because the other anon (the one who made that comment about the first anon’s ask) didn’t have the context about the situation nor the specific post the person was talking about, so it really seems that they got defensive about it because it’s probably a sensitive topic for them.

Meanwhile, like you said, they were eager to jump on a trans woman without even knowing exactly what they were talking about.

About the gender segregation: people don’t even take 2 seconds to look up how there’s a general rule that trans women who compete in the women category (when it comes to sports) need to be on hormone blocks (idk if that’s the right term) for at least a year before competing from what I know.

Yeah like I said on the reblog: what’s most stopping from segregating everything into gender categories (not only sports) is misogyny. I think if we want to stop dividing things into gender categories the first thing to do is to think how it will be able to do that without women being negatively affected.

[meat-the-sullivans]

ok ok but how does Cade deal with being sick? he doesn't seem like the "man flu" kinda guy, more "I'll keep going and act like nothing is wrong until I literally physically can't anymore"

would he let Candy take care of him? 🥺

also

Sully should tell Cylas about his medication trouble, maybe new ones will just appear

not stolen from the hospital or anything, of course

Sully isn’t an idiot, once his head is clear when his meds are back in his system, he’ll know exactly what happened to those pills, and how they conveniently showed up again only after Cade came back home.

But he’ll for sure send a text to Cylas telling her what happened. Probably hoping to meet up to vent. He’s starting to think he really can’t raise these kids alone. Which sucks, but he can’t control Cade and it stresses him out to unimaginable levels. He knows Cade can survive Juvey just fine, in fact in anything he’s concerned for the other kids locked up in there. But he doesn’t know how Dipper would respond to her uncle being taken from her.

And he WONT allow that to happen, no matter how pissed he is at his little brother. But he will have to come up with a punishment. Probably no Candy outside of school for 2 weeks. He can’t exactly ban Cade from going to school, the new principal just lifted his suspension and that wouldn’t be a good look if he just didn’t show up, or was calling in sick right away.

Cade’s also banned from babysitting duty for at least a month, until Sully can trust him again. Because we all know he’s not going to apologise for it. So he’s only allowed to go to school or to the shop with Sully, so my boy is gonna be extra irritable for a while. Probably crazy enough to sneak out and break into Candy’s room just so he can watch her sleep. That way she wouldn’t have to lie to Sully about “seeing him” after hours, she technically didn’t.

As far as being Sick though. It’s very rare with how vigilant and on top of things Sully is, that he lets any of them get sick. Well is Dip’s case, more sick than she already is. The second he hears a sniffle, he’s there with cough syrup and whatever else may help. If he did need a certain antibiotic that he can’t get because we all know Cade will NOT be going to a doctor, not if Sully wants to leave there without blood on their hands. He fucking hates doctors and hospitals. He would call in that favour with Cylas and ask her to steal some for him.

It’s very passive the way Sully takes care of him, just leaving the medicine or instructions on how to take them in places he knows Cade will be. Because Cade does not like being doted on, or having the attention on him.

He for sure denies being sick for the first few days, until it gets bad enough he can’t ignore it anymore. And I would say he’s “whiny” it’s not quite the right word. He’s genuinely just a pissy little brat about it. He has punched a hole in the wall before because he was so frustrated his body was “betraying him”. He thinks sickness is weakness, and we all know how Cade feels about weakness.

Surpassingly, I could see him going to Candy for comfort. Just depends on what type of sick he is. Regular Flu or cold, or migraine, she might have to initiate and tell him he can come to her, or that she wants to help. Candy is his “comfort item”, if that makes sense. But he’s too stubborn to admit he needs comforted half the time.

But if it was something like Covid, or he got diagnosed with something. He’d go to her first. He wouldn’t even know what he was doing until his legs already carried him all the way to her. He would be concerned about getting her sick. But if she insisted, he’s just crawl into bed with her and lay his head on her lap. Letting her soothe him, give him his meds, make him eat or drink water (still will be a baby about it, but he’ll listen to her more than Sully), hot water bottles, cool rags…

That sort of thing. If she or her mother made him soup. Internally he’d be so grateful. He’d try his best to express it, but we know how he is with expression too. He’d repay her by doing the same for her if she was sick. It might not be as tender, as he’s not used to caring for another living thing. But he’d try his best. Looking things up online, asking her mother, or possibly even Sully how he can help her.

Cade is almost half a year into his transition by now. But sometimes he does still get his periods. Those for sure he will go to Candy for, cause she understands them. And he knows she wouldn’t make him feel weird or dysphoric about it. She’s be very willing to distract him. He hates that it’s a constant reminder he was “born wrong”. And Sully should probably save to get him a hysterectomy as soon as he can. Because this idiot is dumb enough, that during a really bad spell of dysphoria and his mental illnesses flaring (because he refuses to take medication, unlike sully. He’ll only medicate for physical ailments) he would try and rip it out himself.

He also gets migraines and nose bleeds frequently because of his mental health. His brain is working overtime sometimes and he has episodes of what he calls “short circuiting” where his head is just screaming in searing pain, and just constant nose bleeds and tremors.

He wouldn’t be nearly as willing to go to Candy or ask for help if it was a mental ailment. Like I’ve said, everyone in the family has OCD. But Cade as ASPD and BPD on top of that. His brain can be very, very unkind to him. But he’d rather suffer that alone than ever admit he’d bad enough to need help.

I do think eventually if she really tried, or expressed how important it was to her. He would consider medication. (Maybe once he realises how much they do help, or or make you feel worse, he’ll have a new respect for Sully for choosing to stay on them despite how numb they make him feel sometimes.)

Candy is fully and honestly one of Cade’s obsessions. He can’t remove her from his mind no matter how hard he tries. He has constant impulsive and sometimes even intrusive thoughts about her. He didn’t mind the intrusive thoughts at first, until he went and fell in love. And now the thought of hurting her makes him physically I’ll. it can flare his migraines, he’s thrown up before after walking from a practically gruesome nightmare where Sully forced him to kill her.

He’s just a love sick puppy. She couldn’t honestly make him worse if she wanted to, and he wouldn’t even mind. He’d just accept it, as hell do whatever makes her happy. Sure it’s unhealthy, but he doesn’t care. He never wanted to feel this feeling, but now that he has, he’s addicted to it. Loving her, caring about her, feels nice. He doesn’t know how to express that in a “chill” or “normal” way.

So to answer your question, yes he would let Candy take care of him. Might take a while for him to open up to the idea. But he’d drop everything to take care of her without hesitation. He just needs to understand she’d do the same for him.

Tag: @shonkgobonk @bluecoolr-main @queer-and-utter-chaos @mothmans-kingdom @myers-meadow

[undeadorion]

I am once again starting a spite project. And it's all Inkblot's fault.

This site is a developmental nightmare. There's horrible misalignments everywhere, zero accessibility options, a horrible color scheme, and it's very clear they're not even looking at the code they export.

In literally any framework that isn't just basic HTML, you have the ability to make very modular layouts. Even in basic PHP, if there's a feature of your site (like a header) that's going to appear on every page, you code it in one file, then import that file everywhere you're going to be using it. Across every structure, you're going to have your base file (often called "layout") that includes all of your header and nav information. Sometimes your footer will be separate (like in PHP), or if you're using a beefier templating engine (like Twig or Jinja2) you're just gonna have a bit of code that says "page content goes here."

You then go on and create various views. Stuff like the skeleton for profiles, feeds, notifications, individual posts, every other page type you'll need. Each of them referencing those basic elements from the layout.

Only Inkblot hasn't done that. For some bizarre reason. All 3 screenshots above are different pages across Inkblot. The explore page, showing their "default" header. The "home" page that looks like they forgot what they were doing and made a sidebar instead of including the header. Then the "categories" page where the header is horribly squashed.

Also, for some bizarre reason, they've disabled any ability to use keyboard navigation on the site. This is offered by default by the browser, you don't have to do anything. Arrow keys, page up/down and the spacebar all scroll for you. Having that disabled is a serious accessibility issue.

All I know about the "team" behind this mess is just 1 developer and a handful of people helping to moderate it all. And I am determined to prove (to no one, really), that a single developer is not an excuse for this absolute tragedy of a website. It's a shambling mess of poorly strung together templates and plugins, with way too many things linking to other websites.

YOUR ABOUT PAGE SHOULD NOT BE ON A DIFFERENT DOMAIN AND LOOK LIKE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WEBSITE! FUCK!

My goal is to include as many features as I can that are found on Inkblot (minus monetization). I will also be drawing inspiration from older art gallery sites like Fur Affinity and 2010's DeviantArt. It will be 90% built from scratch using Django (instead of Flutter), only implementing plugins and code that isn't my own when 1) it can be properly sourced and 2) can be seamlessly integrated.

If I can find people to help me test alpha versions and moderate content, I will hopefully one day launch it as a real website. Otherwise, it will at the very least be a functional demo as part of my portfolio.

EDIT: If this were just someone's personal website, I wouldn't care. Inkblot's design infuriates me on so many levels because for starters, they're charging money for a "premium" version. Not just a patreon or a tipping system, but an integrated "premium" system. And second, they're handling your personal data. Part of why I'm not even sure I'll launch mine is web security is a HUGE deal. You can't just fumble your way through it and assume you'll be okay. Look at what Pillowfort did. If someone is making absolute novice mistakes like squashing images horribly out of proportion, they cannot be trusted to handle your passwords or other information. Period.