#Me thinks I'll give the kids individual tags

[mumblingsage]

I also think it's worth being pedantic about important things...and in that spirit I've spent like an hour writing and deleting various responses to this one (I found myself over-policing my tone and stopped that, so I'll just say right off I have no ill-will toward you and appreciate the contributions, even as I disagree on interpretation in several ways):

First, your tags - "for example a book can really kick off a delusion and set something off that can be traumatic." As I've said in another reblog thread, but it deserves repeating, triggering delusions, compulsions, or PTSD or adjustment disorder symptoms is not the same as causing trauma. We should try to accommodate people with triggers, and much of this accommodation will need to be individualized because the range of potential triggers is vast and often does not include things conventionally recognized as upsetting. I had a loved one make an irreversible error because of a delusion he had that was fueled by the due date on his library card being coincidentally the same as the date of his dentist appointment. That's not a reason for us to have a cultural conversation about the format of due date stickers. Though it could call for a discussion of how we can best support people who are experiencing delusional thinking or psychosis (we are currently doing very badly).

Re: vicarious trauma. Reading the Wikipedia article, I see that the examples given are of real life events reported on in the media, primarily social media and news coverage in the wake of terrorist attacks. I'm not going to get too deep into personal experience here, but let's just say this is not my first time hearing of vicarious trauma, and the important thing is that it is a real response to real harm and disaster. I wouldn't refuse evidence, but have not seen any, that it's caused by 13 Reasons Why or The Bridge to Terebithia or Outlander. (Bellingcat has useful advice for safety and 'metal hygiene' when engaging with firsthand sources of violence. I might use similar techniques when watching clips from a horror movie, but the stakes are not the same. Also, heads up that anyone who clicks through that link will read some text about distressing real-life events.)

"Books can have a significant impact on someone’s mind and outlook and that’s why they want them to be banned." < I agree and I think when people talk about how they don't want kids (or others) to read books about death, violence, sex, etc, they are participating in this. Authoritarians want us to have very particular ideas about these topics and resist any alternative information or thinking about them. When people go around saying "Learning or thinking about something upsetting is the same as being traumatized" they are doing the work of Christofascist Censorship Attempts, and I don't care if it's accidental. We don't need to compromise with them. (I don't have room to open this can of worms fully, but I also think too many people go around saying--for example--"13 Reasons Why traumatized me, I can't believe any library would let a kid read it" and thus send a message to the people around them with real-life experience with suicide, suicidal ideation, etc. that their experiences are unspeakable, untouchable. This social stigma is incredibly harmful.)

"I think it’s more productive to challenge the idea that a book that can potentially cause harm should be banned instead of the idea that books can potentially cause harm." < This is an interesting idea. I love its uncompromising stance. It's one I would adopt if I was convinced books can cause something that deserves to be called "harm" (the two of us may just have different definitions). I definitely believe we all have the God-given right to give ourselves nightmares and anyone trying to 'protect' us from that should be kicked in the fork of the legs.

I'm wondering if, as a society who cares about vulnerable people, we could stop saying "traumatize" when we truly mean "upset"?

I am sick of hearing sad books or movies "traumatize" their readers. I simply do not believe that happens. A traumatic experience might be adjacent to books (I have vivid memories of books I was reading around certain experiences and even how the contents of those books affected my processing of the experiences). But it's not caused by the book. And, y'know. The weather is Christofascist Censorship Attempts outside.

Meanwhile from the other side I continue to be surprised at just how badly people fail to understand trauma and traumatic experiences in general. Watering down the term isn't helping. Find other hyperbole to express that The Bridge to Terebithia gutted you, chewed on your heartstrings, and made you cry your first pair of contact lenses right out of your preteen eyes.

[nekropsii]

Small Atomic Ask Bomb!!

I've got a bunch of short asks that I'd hate to spam the dash with individually, so I'll just put 'em here, under the cut!!

Content Warning: Long, Brief Discussions of Racism, Misogyny, Grooming, Brief Mentions of Incest and Pedophilia in Fanfiction.

I've always been a hater, and I honestly don't really think it's a bad thing - not as much as everyone says, at least! I think being kind of a bitch about things that don't matter is good for you, actually. Gets the urge to be angry out in a way that's healthier than just snapping at people in critical moments. I also just think being strong and passionate in your convictions is good for you. Being a hater gives you a spine if you do it right, and it fires a gunshot and scatters people you don't really want to be around. It also has the funny side effect of people thinking I take things way more seriously than I do, just because I'm opinionated and will state said opinions clearly. Big fan of this meme:

This is me.

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I used to peek in there every now and then, just to be nosy. Incest at the top, always. Or straight up pedo shit. Sigh. Looked in the Mituna tag a couple times. CroTuna fucking nightmare hell dimension, always. Or KanTuna, which I also have gripes with. Or KanMiTula, which I have even more gripes with.

It is my understanding that the state of Homestuck fanfiction hasn't gotten much better since the 2010s. Everyone is wrong and no one is normal. Sad.

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I don't know if the mere act of only making Jade and Jake brown out of all the Kids is Racist on its own, per se, but it is kinda silly in the sense that, you know, John and Jade are siblings, so realistically they'd look similar. And... People absolutely do get racist about it. Like, making Jade and Jake uniquely huge, hairy, threatening, and oddly shaped - gangly in the context of Jade, buff as hell in the context of Jake. I've seen some SEVERELY racist drawings where Jade and/or Jake were the only hints of melanin in the Kid line up and... Oh my god. It can get to straight up caricature levels. Watermelons and everything. Just comedically racist.

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Genuinely one of the dumbest fucking things in the world. People will say literally anything. Saying Damara isn't Japanese is on par with calling Porrim a fucking Men's Rights Activist. It's a funny little claim people who are grievously wrong say as a condemnation of the Alpha Trolls for no reason. Why. To look smart? To fit in? Dumbass. Notice how they always have to invent bullshit lies to critique anything instead of just saying things that are true. It really frustrates me how 99.9% of Alpha Troll criticism just isn't at all legitimate when there's some real, genuine issues you could critique. It's stupid horseshit. I hate it so badly.

I don't actually care whether or not someone likes the Alpha Trolls, but at least hate them accurately. Come on.

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@sleepy-apparition

Everyone is so, so quick to turn a blind eye to just how violently misogynistic Kankri is, lmfao. Genuinely, I don't think I've ever seen anyone other than myself bring up the fact that he's an avid Slut-Shamer in the modern day. Other than that, I only really saw older Mituna fanatics bring it up over in the early-mid 2010s, but none of them are around these days.

Genuinely, some of the shit he says is so appalling, lol. Kankri FULLY deserves to get his ass beat.

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I have said this before but I'll say it again - I do not think a Red Romantic Relationship will fix Dirk, or even really help him all that much. Before he gets into a RedRom, he needs some therapy, a break, and mood stabilizers.

However, I'm thoroughly of the opinion that a good BlackRom could work wonders on him, way more than a RedRom would. I think a solid, established Pitch Relationship with, like, Caliborn would be genuinely great for him, both mentally and in a Character Development sense. I hold zero interest in watching Dirk and Jake badly fumble a traditional romantic relationship - that notion is painful to me. ... But I do think I could read a full Intermission's worth of Dirk and Caliborn fucking around and not get tired of it once. They have a fantastic dynamic. It'd be good for Caliborn, too, I think.

This has been my Dirkuu propaganda bit. Thank you.

Also, the Voyeuristic feel of how people handle his Mental Illness. It makes me uncomfortable.

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True. I don't have any other remarks to make about this, you're just correct. True.

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... Fuckin'... Why, though? What- what's the appeal? There's nothing there. I literally cannot conceive any way in which that would be compelling, and I'd say Hal and Kankri are pretty high up there in the list of Male Homestuck Characters I Enjoy.

People will do anything but pay attention to Female Characters for five minutes. God. Lol.

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It's literally just DaveKat 2. I don't think it even qualifies as a Crack Ship when it's just a variant of The Fandom's Most Darling M/M OTP. It's just a deeply mid RarePair. Crack Ship would be, like, Dirk Strider x Rainbow Dash.

Dirk x RD was a popular Crack Ship, sure, but it's still a Crack Ship on basis of being a Crossover Pairing.

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I can't recall any specific instances of seeing this myself, but I'll believe it. People will do anything except be normal about Vriska. People will fight the war against Vriska on the side of and against Vriska at the same time. People will call her a Huge 8itch but then call her pathetic when she stops being a Huge 8itch.

We love Misogyny, I guess.

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Well, he is based on Tumblr, after all. Particularly how dogshit the politics are on here. Of course he would. He'd do numbers on here, considering his Woke Hate Speech.

It's called Bubblr, by the way. Like, canonically. We do know what it's called.

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It's actually based on the Three Wise Monkeys. You know, that old Japanese Proverb that goes "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil"? That.

Kurloz is Speak No Evil, Meulin is Hear No Evil, Mituna is See No Evil.

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Great Question. My personal guess is that he's a little too nuanced for a lot of people to be comfortable with handling. He throws out too much surface-level Bigotry that people aren't willing to ignore because it isn't Racism for many to feel comfortable making him their Blorbo. When Dave says the N-Word and talks about how fucking Racist he is and it literally never gets acknowledged or resolved, that's fine and dandy, but god forbid Caliborn be a Misogynist in the funniest way possible AND have that get acknowledged literally constantly as a problem. The fact that Caliborn isn't a Fuckable White 13-Year-Old Twink means none of his crimes are ever forgivable because he's ugly and unshippable, or whatever.

The fact that he's Mentally Disabled doesn't help. People can't fucking STAND IT when a character is Mentally Disabled in a way that isn't Cute and Consumable, much less a character who is Unconsumably Mentally Disabled AND Complicated. It's just not allowed!!

[py-dreamer]

...soo...

ok um technically this doesn't count at least in my timezone cause over here its already past midnight... um...

regardless...

weee!!!

I figured I'd make each of these mofos like individual post rather than make one really long reblog making it kinda hard to sort through and just list them using one tag instead.

So I suppose technically y'all get a double whammy today! Just gotta wait quite a while for it, heh...

So with this one I definitely did focus more on cake than the outfit. But hopefully you guys can still see the skrimblo

Anyways those are kiwi fruits, if you couldn't tell, don't @ me pls this is like one of the few times I've drawn fruits. Oh, and that black thingy? It's a tapioca pearl from bubble tea!! I think it's possible...

At first I wanted a more vibrant teal/green for the frosting and a lighter cake color similar to Mk's slice but that bright teal clashed hard with the kiwi fruit so I switched it out for the light light teal instead. Idk what flavor it'd be maybe like a more minty whipped cream.

Cakewise, it is darker than Mk's so I imagine it to be less airy, possibly more dense. Maybe like a ginger? Give any suggestions, but probably something funky for our funky girl!

Those 3 blobs with the weird cookie face on it is meant to be grape tanghulu with a dragon cookie on it! The rest of the cookies are as expected, good ole sugar cookies, though with the gold dragon I was having some trouble since Idk where to put the balloon since it left an empty space so I had to fill it with another cookie that would barely show, so yeah. That was fun

As for the dollops of frosting, I thought Mei is spunky fulunky, and a rich girl to boot! So let her have some pizzazz! I thought it appropriate

I think the balloon and dragon came out nicely, had to look for a reference for the dragon though. They're meant to be a paper decoration on a toothpick originally like Mk's cloud but at this point I leave it up for interpretation

Not much to say about the outfit, pretty similar to Mk's.

I know the KNY girls in their arts had skirts but my friend and I both thought Mei would look better in pants. (Not that she can't wear dresses, she slays in anything just that we thought she'd wear pants in this situation)

And I did try adding a little green skirt but it looked wonky and I didn't want that, bleugh

So I settled for compromise, making her like overcoat/vest thingy longer/ wider and gave her leggings so she also doesn't blend into the cake lol

And um life updates! I had like 4 tests today, I'm not kidding.

Good news is, tests for now are over!

Bad news is, still have an assignment to do...

Again, I'll do my best to keep this up. They are very fun and get my creative juices flowing I feel but no promises!

[littledesertfox]

intro, I guess?

hii! I figured I should make a post like this even though I have a feeling it will be like super messy xD

I've had an interest in history, specifically World War II basically since I was a kid. It was only recently though that I found out that there's a community for it! I've always had a thing with expressing my interests in ways that may seem slightly odd to other people, so it feels nice to see that there are others who seem to experience this in similar ways :3

I want to make it very clear that I am NOT a nazi or rightwing in any way, and I don't want actual (neo-)nazis to interact with my blog, get the fuck out! Similarly, I don't want racists, lgbtq-phobes, ableists, religious extremists, pedos & zoos or people of similarly disgusting kind to interact! I'm literally queer and neurodivergent (undiagnosed/suspected bc getting a therapy place is hard :/), this is not a place for you!

+++

I've been a fan of the Downfall parodies on youtube when I was younger and recently relapsed into this fixation😭 I don't know if this fandom even really exists at this point since it seems that many creators have left in the meantime, but I'd love to talk about it, maybe I'll even get to write fanfics at some point. Also a short disclaimer that when I talk about historical figures that play a major role in the Downfall parody universe (such as Fegelein, Krebs, Burgdorf etc), it will usually be about their parody selves, not the real people! I'll try to clarify that individually if needed though.

I've also started lurking a little in the reichblr tag with a feeling that I'd describe as "indimidated fascination". Currently I'm mostly interested in some members of the Wehrmacht, but other historical figures that I had or have an interest in might come up as well. Overall any stuff that I post will probably go more into the lighthearted and humorous direction, but I'd love to bring in some more educational stuff as well.

My inbox is always open if you want to gush or ramble about your favourite historical figures or Downfall characters (both from the parodies and the movie itself) and such! Please talk to me about our shared faves😭🫶

+++

I get crushes on fictional characters and sometimes historical figures too, but that doesn't mean I support, condone or defend their worldviews or actions in any way (this applies especially to real people of course)! These "crushes" usually stem from a place of fascination with who they were behind their public appearance, I want to know more about them as a private person, like their hobbies, favourite food and other mundane things like that. Often it's also simply that I feel physically attracted to their appearance because I think they're handsome, either that or they give me massive gender envy (or both lmao). I don't really control on who I fixate like that, it just happens, but I hope that this will be a place for me to express those feelings in some way and find like-minded people. Though I also want to point out that not all my fixations are automatically also crushes! Usually I will mention whether they are or not, or you'll probably notice based on what kind of posts I make about them lol.

Current main historical fixations:

Erwin Rommel (I can't help it I just think he's cute ._.)

Fritz Bayerlein (he's the dude in my pfp lol, there's barely info about him but idk I just think he's kinda interesting😭 also yes he was actually bi)

Current main Downfall fixations:

Hans Krebs & Wilhelm Burgdorf (the otp ever)

Wilhelm Mohnke (ngl Downfall!Mohnke is kinda fine❤️‍🔥 ... idk maybe I'm just finding the actor hot though😭)

+++

If I encounter things that make me uncomfortable I follow common fandom courtesy and block tags or blogs accordingly. This is nothing personal, I'm just curating my own online space. I don't want to see any harassment here, neither towards myself nor to others!

Anyway I guess that's it for now? Idk if this is any good as an intro post but for now it'll have to do I guess😂 I'm generally not really sure yet in which direction to go with this blog (should it be more Downfall or reichblr focused? is there a lot of overlap between the fandoms? do they even get along? help😭). I also don't know how active I'll be in general, I'm also constantly jumping between thoughts like "yee this is gonna be fun" and "dafuq am I doing here I should feel ashamed about myself" but I hope to meet people who share my interests :3

[lilacmingi]

ALICE IN WONDERLAND AU: JIMIN’S ENDING

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Tweedle!Jimin x fem reader

Word count: 1,390

Note: There’s no tag list for the separate endings. If you haven’t read the series yet, you can find the intro here or find it on my masterlist which is linked at the end of the imagine

Every single one of them were amazing and beyond perfect, but your heart seemed to be pulled towards one of them in particular.

Your eyes were drawn to a certain mochi-like individual who had a worried look on his face. Seeing his expression broke your heart a little. It seemed as if he didn't think you were going to choose him. He was sorely mistaken.

"Well?" Hoseok urged. "Who is it?"

"Jimin." You spoke.

The man's large, brown eyes widened, glimmering with elation.

"Really?" He asked, grinning so widely his eyes crinkled up into tiny crescents.

"Yes." You chuckled, beckoning him over.

He wasted no time running towards you to embrace you in a hug, lifting you off the ground and spinning you a couple times.

His hand slid around to cup the back of your neck, gently pulling you forward, allowing your lips to connect. It all happened so fast you couldn't comprehend what was going on, nor did you have time to stop him. Your eyelids instinctively slid closed as you reciprocated his actions, feeling him smirk against your lips.

Before the kiss could get any more heated, Jimin pulled away. Your cheeks were set ablaze instantly when you realized the both of you were still right in front of the other guys.

"Sorry." He giggled cheekily.

Jimin hadn't meant to show such a public display of affection in front of everyone, but he never got the chance to kiss you properly earlier and now that you had chosen him to be with, he wanted to indulge a bit and get a little taste of what the future held for him.

"Get a room." Jungkook teased through a chuckle.

"What did I tell you about respecting your elders?" Jimin scolded.

"I'm kidding."

"You'd better be." He huffed.

You said your goodbyes, promising Taehyung that you and Jimin would show up to one of his tea parties for a visit and began making your way to your new home.

You still weren't very familiar with Wonderland and how to navigate it, but that was something you'd learn eventually. A part of you couldn't help but look forward to the day when this place truly felt like home.

Jimin's fingers intertwined with yours as he gently swung your arms back and forth. "I'm really looking forward to showing you my place. I think you'll love it."

"I think I will too." You smiled. "I think I'll love this whole place."

"And you've hardly seen any of it. I can't wait to show you around one day. We can go exploring and I can give you a personal tour of all my favorite places."

"That sounds wonderful."

After a few minutes of walking, you arrived at a tiny house with a simple exterior that was pleasing to the eyes. Jimin led you to the front door, pushing it open and guiding you inside. Your eager eyes examined the interior of what would be your new home, surprised by the decor. Despite the structure being in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mushrooms and ferns, it was decorated like a city apartment

"You like it?" He pushed the door closed behind him.

"I love it." You beamed, turning towards him. "It's more modern than I thought I would be."

"I'm quite the interior decorator, aren't I?" He beamed pridefully.

"You are. I'm impressed."

Jimin hardly gave you time to check out the rest of his home as he walked towards you with this hungry look in his eyes, a small smirk painting his plush lips while he grabbed you by the waist.

"Now, where were we?" He asked in a sultry voice before swiftly closing the small space between your faces, latching his lips to yours.

Now that you were alone, you allowed yourself to let go completely and give in to your desires. You leaned forward to be closer to Jimin, wrapping your arms around his neck, your fingers moving up to card themselves through his silky and fluffy hair while he gently guided you into the kitchen where he lifted you up onto the counter.

He made himself comfortable by standing between your legs, his hands roaming up and down your thighs as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

Jimin's duality blew you away. When you first met him he was both endearing and charming, but right now he made you weak in the knees.

"I never got to give you a proper kiss when we first met." He said when he pulled away, his breath fanning your cheeks. "This should make up for it, right?"

"Yes. Yes, definitely." You breathed out, still in a slight daze.

He smirked at your response, moving back in to reconnect your lips.

Two weeks later

The morning fog floated along the landscape that stretched for miles, the fine mist continuing as far as the eye could see. You stood out on the small, stone-paved landing outside what you now called home, sipping on a cup of tea. It was early in the morning, which was unusual for you, as you hardly ever got up early. You sported one of Jimin's cozy sweatshirts, which was just big enough to be considered oversized. The sleeves partially covered your hands, which helped while holding the hot mug full of tea.

Wonderland sure looked beautiful in the morning. The sun was rising up into the sky, dew had settled on the variety of mushrooms and strange plants, not to mention it smelled so nice, the natural, earthy scent surrounding you like a blanket.

A pair of arms wrapped around you from behind, briefly startling you. Jimin rested his head on your shoulder, giving you a back hug while his nose tickled the skin below your ear.

"Good morning, love." He rasped, trailing kisses down your neck.

"Good morning." You sighed out, leaning your head back.

You set your tea down on a nearby patio table, forgetting about the beverage the second it hit the metal surface. Jimin's hands grabbed onto the fabric of the sweater you were wearing, rubbing the fabric between his fingers.

"You look so good in my clothes." He hummed. "I'd even say alluring."

He turned you around to face him and started peppering kisses all over your face, mumbling I love you's between each one. You slipped your arms around his narrow waist and let the palms of your hands glide up and down his bare back, feeling the warmth of his skin on yours.

Finally, after a few blissful moments o this ravishing your face with kisses, his lips latched onto yours. Your eyes closed immediately, enjoying the feeling of his full and pillowy lips massaging and caressing yours.

His head tilted to the side and he leaned in further, pressing your mouths closer together. He took your bottom lip between his, surrounding it in momentary warmth that had butterflies erupting in your stomach.

He parted ways with a dazed expression, looking at you with those adorable brown eyes of his that were swirling with immense adoration.

"What are you doing up so early, sweetheart?" He asked, brushing your hair back.

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so I made some tea."

"Well, I'm still tired." His plush lips stuck into a pout. "Would you at least come to bed and cuddle with me?"

"Of course."

How could you possibly say no?

You carried your tea back inside and drank the rest of it before discarding the empty mug into the sink to wash later.

Trailing behind Jimin, you returned to your shared room where the both of you crawled back into the bed, which was cooler due to your absence. The warmth had long escaped its plush confines, but you knew yours and Jimin's shared body heat would warm it back up in no time.

Said man immediately latched onto you right as you got yourself situated, his legs tangling themselves with yours. He pressed a couple kisses to your shoulder, never able to keep them off you for very long.

"Come here, babyboy." You cooed as you pulled him close to you and started playing with his fluffy hair, the strands like silky ribbons passing between your fingers.

He hummed in satisfaction. "I love you, Y/n."

"I love you too, sweet Jimin."

Masterlist ᝰ

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

[anantaru]

Hi! Long time lurker here with some words of wisdom if you will. Gonna apologize in advance if it's too cutthroat, but know it's not directed at you with malice.

It's not your responsibility to cater to every person on the internet. It's not your responsibility to curate an image that makes other people accept you. All you can do is be yourself (whether that be actually you or your internet persona if you have one) to the best of your abilities. At the end of the day, who gives a fuck if someone is triggered by some offhanded comment? You kinda just have to think, "Sorry you experienced some unpleasant things, but I don't know you or your history."

Not your monkey, not your circus.

The issue with the internet today is that too many people are so fucking sensitive about context and self-imposed perceptions. Too many people have a victim complex with a snowflake mentality and it makes me want to blow my brains out everytime someone has a freaking melt down over something so little and once again self-perceived. To be honest, you shouldn't even have to apologize, but it's kind that you did.

From this moment onwards, I want you and anyone else who may read this to remember that it's literally not your responsibility to make anyone comfortable on your little corner of the internet. It's yours, post whatever the fuck you want. Anyone who attacks you is just a fuckin loser who can't cope with navigating life like an adult, or staying in a kids place if they're a minor.

I'm tired of seeing all this unnecessary discourse like we're a bunch of highschoolers or even worse, middle schoolers, jesus fucking christ. On that note, I hope you feel better, I'll be rooting for you from now until you decide to leave. Thanks for all of your hard work, and try not to let the bullshit bother you so much.

hello! 💕 i wasn't planning on answering any asks regarding this situation anymore but this ask really woke me up. i for one, totally agree with you and i have always had this mindset as well, like there's been plenty of times where i would scroll through social media and something would catch me off guard or even trigger me (which happens so rarely), but honestly guys, i don't care when this happens lmao, i just kept scrolling and forget about it in two minutes like i have so much on my mind in real life with my profession, i do not need something online to force itself into my peace and it's the internet, you will stumble upon something that might upset you.

I believe if you are on any social media site, you cannot expect everything to go according to plan, even considering you take the necessary steps and block certain tags (for example on tumblr) it can very much happen that you will still be exposed to it. at some point you have to realize that this world is not accustomed to you, nothing is, wether in real life nor online, you have to accept that there will always be different views and opinions that will piss you off or not align with you, make you mad or sad, but what you should never do in this situation is send hate or make it seem like a person is this awful individual.

you are not a good person if you bully people, and even if you show us all the awful things you had to go through in your real life, it is not an apology to bully people and you can attempt to make us feel bad, but i don't have sympathy for bullies, even if you were bullied yourself, especially then you should know how it feels like.

again anon, thank you so much! 💕 i was really questioning on how to behave on this blog anymore, it's a huge blog and i have found it to be a little overwhelming, but then I remember that my readers are the sweetest people out there and I know I have the best little corner on the internet here, with them by my side 💕 you really brought me back to reality, thank you nonnie.

[ironwoman359]

A Thief's Gamble - Ch.1:

No Risk, No Reward

Next: Ch.2 - All Eyes on Us Fic Masterpost

Summary: Brynjolf is certain that the only way the Thieves Guild will return to its glory days is by bringing in new, talented members. Unfortunately, Mercer doesn't agree, and it's not like Brynjolf's latest attempts at recruiting have gone well. But when he meets a stranger in the marketplace one morning, he's willing to take the risk and bring her on board....only time will tell if his gamble pays off.

Content: Brynjolf POV, Thieves Guild quest spoilers, game typical violence

Ships: Brynjolf x Dragonborn OC (slowburn)

Word Count: 2,781

Check the reblogs for a link to read on AO3!

AN: I have nothing to say for myself other than that Brynjolf is one of my favorite Skyrim characters, and this is an excuse for me to flesh him out both as an individual and in relation to the player. Has this probably been done a thousand times? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not. Thanks for reading! (and let me know if you want to be tagged in updates, I'll do so if you like!)

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Brynjolf had a headache.

He’d had a faint one building behind his eyes for most of the day, but after listening to Keerava complain- loudly- that the Guild was asking more than she could afford for protection and that if he knew what was good for him he’d jump of the pier…his head was well and truly pounding. 

“Want me to top that off for you, Bryn?” 

Brynjolf blinked, and looked up to see Vekel looking at him expectantly, a flagon in his hand. 

“Sorry lad, what was that?” 

Vekel chuckled, and filled Brynjolf’s tankard with ale. 

“You’ve been distracted lately, my friend. Better not let Mercer catch you staring off into space like that.” 

“Now there’s an earful I don’t need,” Brynjolf agreed, lifting his tankard in acknowledgement before taking a swig. 

“Well, go on then,” Vekel prodded. “Tell us what’s going on in that big brain of yours.” 

“It’s nothing lad, just a headache,” Brynjolf said, but Vekel shook his head.

“I’m not just talking about today, Bryn, you’ve been off ever since you pulled that job on Brand-Shei.” 

“Have I?” Brynolf asked, and Vekel nodded.

“You have. Which doesn’t track,” Dirge piped up, walking over to the bar. “Because you said that the job went off without a hitch.” 

“So if you’re not thinking about the job, what are you thinking about?” Vekel asked. 

A face came to Brynjolf’s mind unbidden, bright eyes and sharp features framed by dark hair, but he pushed the image away. 

“You know as well as I do that the Guild’s seen better days, lads,” he said, taking another sip. “Just trying to work out how to bring her back to her former glory.” 

“Aaaah, so that’s why you’ve been distracted these past few days,” Vekel said knowingly. “You think you’ve found another recruit, don’t you?” 

“So what if I have?” Brynjolf demanded, arching an eyebrow at the barkeep. “If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: what this outfit needs is some fresh blood.”

“Except the last three recruits you tried to bring on board washed out before they could make any serious coin,” Dirge pointed out, and Brynjolf frowned.

“At least I’m actually trying to solve the problem,” he said. “If we ever want to get back on our feet, the Thieves Guild needs to actually employ some master thieves.” 

“Aaaand, the last few kids you pulled into this mess were ‘master thief’ material?” Dirge asked, and Vekel snickered. 

“Give it up, Brynjolf,” he said. “Those days are over.” 

Brynjolf sighed.

“I’m telling you, this one is different…” he began, but Dirge scoffed.

“We’ve all heard that one before, Bryn! Quit kidding yourself.” 

Brynjolf opened his mouth to reply, but paused. Beneath his friends’ ribbing and the quiet clinking of cups on tables and forks on plates from the Flagon’s few other patrons, there was another sound. The sound of boots on stone, the steps slow and cautious as they approached. 

“It’s time to face the truth, old friend,” Vekel said. “You, Vex, Mercer…you’re all part of a dying breed. Things are changing!” 

Brynjolf turned, saw exactly who he’d hoped he would, and a smile spread across his face. 

“Dying breed, eh?” he repeated. “Well what do you call that then!” 

The woman was slight, an Imperial by the looks of her, and she had a bow drawn, one arrow knocked loosely on the string.

“Well well, color me impressed, lass,” Brynjolf said, nodding to her. “I wasn’t certain I’d ever see you again.”

The woman’s eyes flitted around, lingering on Dirge for a moment before eventually slinging her bow over her shoulder.

“Getting here was easy,” she said, stowing her arrow in its quiver. 

Brynjolf chuckled.

“Reliable and headstrong? You’re proving to be quite the prize. The name’s Brynjolf, lass.” 

“Ariene,” said the Imperial.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Brynjolf said. “So... now that I've whetted your appetite with our little scheme at the market, how about handling a few deadbeats for me?"

Ariene frowned, shifting her weight.

“Deadbeats?” she asked. “What’d they do?” 

“They owe our organization some serious coin, and they’ve decided not to pay,” Brynjolf explained. “I want you to explain to them the error of their ways.” 

Ariene nodded thoughtfully.

“Sounds good…who are they?”

“Keerava,” Brynjolf said, ticking the marks off on his fingers, “Bersi Honey-Hand, and Haelga. Do this right, and I can promise you a permanent place in our organization.”

“And…how do you want me to handle it?” Ariene asked carefully.

Brynjolf sighed, his mind drifting back to the insults that Keerava had thrown at him that morning.

“Honestly? The debt is secondary here. What’s more important is that you get the message across that we are to be ignored.” He frowned, and looked pointedly at the bow strapped to Ariene’s back. “A word of warning though…I don’t want any of them killed. Bad for business.”

To his surprise, Ariene’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, and she nodded.

“Will I get a cut?” she asked, and Brynjolf laughed.

“Of course you’ll get a cut. We take care of our own.”

“Then consider it done.”

“Alright then lass, get going. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

The woman nodded and turned without another word, heading back into the ratways the way she came.

Brynjolf grinned, and turned back to Dirge and Vekel.

“Anything to say now, lads?”

“Sure, she made it down here,” Vekel said dismissively. “But that doesn’t make her a master thief. A hundred septims says she’ll turn out just like all the others.”

“I told you Vekel, this one is different,” Brynjolf insisted.

Still, as he sat back down at the bar, it was hard to ignore the facts. He’d been trying to breathe new life into the Guild, but Vekel and Dirge had a point. Previous recruits hadn’t stuck around long. Some didn’t keep up a high standard of work, others realized how poor the Guild’s standing really was and abandoned it. A few had even been caught and either killed or imprisoned. 

Brynjolf knew Mercer was running out of patience with his attempts, but he didn’t see any other options. They couldn’t rely solely on Maven forever, and the way Brynjolf saw it, their dwindling reputation and cash flow needed to be addressed, or the Guild, and everyone in it, would be history.

You’d better come through for me, lass, he thought, bringing his tankard to his lips. Because I’m putting my last bet on you.

--- --- ---

Despite his high hopes, part of Brynjolf was worried that the woman would simply take the money for herself and disappear after shaking down her three marks. After all, it’d taken her several days to reappear in the ratways after the job on Brand-Shei, and Brynjolf had been doing this for a long time. 

His gut told him that she would pull through, but having a contingency was just as important as having good instincts. He’d put the word out to his contacts within the city guard to alert him if an imperial woman fitting Ariene's description tried to skip town, and he had a few others keeping eyes on the docks and weak points in the city walls in case she tried to slip out that way. 

Mercer had given him the usual grief about wasting manpower, but Brynjolf knew that if the coin came through, he’d let the matter go. And as the day drew to a close and no runners came bursting into the Flagon to tell him that his recruit had killed one of the marks or vanished with his gold, the more sure he became that this had been a good call. 

“I still don’t know about this, Bryn,” Delvin grumbled. “Even if this new recruit of yours is as good as you say, that don’t mean that the curse ain’t gonna affect them, same as the rest of us.”  

Brynjolf rolled his eyes. 

“Mentioning the curse in every other conversation isn’t going to make more people believe you, old man. It’s just going to make them think you’re crazy.”

“You can call me what you like,” Delvin said, shrugging. “Don’t change the facts.” 

“Brynjolf,” Dirge called, and Brynjolf looked up to see Ariene walking towards them, a sack of gold in her hand. 

“Well well, look who’s back,” he said, shooting a smug look over his shoulder at Delvin, who just shook his head and took a sip of his ale. 

“So lass,” he said, getting to his feet. “Job’s done, and you even brought the gold.” He spotted movement behind her, and saw one of his runners slip into the Flagon. They flashed him a quick hand signal, and he smiled. “Best of all, you did it clean. I like that. Dumping bodies and keeping the guards quiet can be expensive.” 

Ariene nodded, and held out the coin purse. 

“Here’s what they owed us,” she said, and Brynjolf took it. 

“Well done, lass. And it would seem I owe you something in return.”

He turned and picked up a few potion bottles from the table behind him. 

“Here you go, I think you’ll find these quite useful.” 

Ariene took them, examined them for a moment, then nodded, slipping them into a satchel at her side. 

“What’s next, then?” she asked.

“Well,” Brynjolf said, hefting the bag of coin in his hand. “Judging from how well you handled those shopkeepers, I’d say you’ve done more than simply prove yourself.” 

He looked back at Delvin and raised an eyebrow. The man nodded, and Brynjolf smiled at Ariene. 

“We need people like you in our outfit.” 

Ariene looked around, and Brynjolf saw her eyes linger on the rickety tables, on the grime covering the tankards, and the empty seats covered in dust. She looked up at him, and after a moment of meeting his gaze, she nodded.

“If there’s more gold where that came from, then I’m in.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Brynjolf said, grinning. “Larceny’s in your blood…the telltale sign of a practiced thief. I think you’ll do more than just fit in around here.” 

Brynjolf turned to lead her to the cistern but she hesitated.

“Before we go, I have to ask…” she trailed off, and looked around the room again.

“What’s on your mind?” Brynjolf asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Word is your outfit isn’t doing…well.” One side of her mouth ticked up in a half smile, and she gestured vaguely around them. “True?”

Brynjolf chuckled. 

“You’re a sharp one, lass. Aye, we’ve run into a bit of a rough patch lately…but it’s nothing to be concerned about.” He let out a sigh, then flashed her a small smile. “Tell you what. You keep making us coin, and I’ll worry about everything else. Fair enough?” 

Ariene nodded slowly. 

“Fair enough.” 

“Now, if there are no more questions? How about you follow me, and I’ll show you what we’re all about.” 

Brynjolf led Ariene through the back room, sliding away the false panel in the storage cupboard and stepping through to the passageway beyond.

“So everyone in the tavern back there, they’re all members?” Ariene asked.

“Not everyone is,” Brynjolf explained. “Vekel owns the Ragged Flagon, and Dirge works for him. Tonilia, well, she’s got her own business. But they all work closely with us. We keep coin in each other's pockets and watch each other's backs.” 

“And you lead the Guild?” asked Ariene, and Brynjolf scoffed.

“Me? No, lass. I’m just a lieutenant. I keep things running as smooth as I can, but I’m no Guildmaster. Mercer is the one who makes the decisions around here. And speaking of…”

He led her into the cistern, where Mercer was waiting for them on the dais in the center of the room.

"Mercer?” he called. “This is the one I was talking about...our new recruit."

Mercer sighed and folded his arms.

"This better not be another waste of the Guild's resources, Brynjolf," he said. 

He turned to Ariene, and looked her up and down slowly. A frown spread across his face, and he folded his arms.

"Before we continue, I want to make one thing perfectly clear,” he said, addressing her. “If you play by the rules, you walk away rich. You break the rules and you lose your share. No debates, no discussions... you do what we say, when we say.”

Ariene raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, mirroring Mercer’s pose.

“Do I make myself clear?" Mercer demanded, and Ariene glanced over at Brynjolf. 

“Rules?” she asked, looking back to Mercer. “We’re thieves. What’s the point of rules?

Mercer took a slow step forward, stopping only when he was mere inches away from her face, and Brynjolf grimaced. 

“I'll let that comment go because you're new here,” Mercer growled. “Ask things out of turn again, and we have a problem. Now, are. We. Clear?" 

Ariene, to her credit, didn’t react beyond a slight tensing of her shoulders, and she nodded once. 

“Crystal,” she said evenly.

“Good,” Mercer said, stepping back. “Then I think it's time we put your expertise to the test."  

“Wait a moment,” Brynjolf said, frowning. There was only one job going on at the moment that Mercer was concerning himself with…a job that Brynjolf had not intended for a fresh recruit to try and take on all alone. “You’re not talking about Goldenglow, are you?” he asked, and Mercer nodded. “Even our little Vex couldn’t get in!”

Mercer just raised an eyebrow. 

“You claim this recruit possesses an aptitude for our line of work. If so, let her prove it.” 

“Goldenglow?” Ariene repeated, and Mercer turned back to her. 

“Goldenglow Estate is critically important to one of our largest clients,” he explained. “However, the owner has suddenly decided to take matters into his own hands and shut us out. He needs to be taught a lesson. Brynjolf will provide you with the details." 

He turned, clearly signaling that the conversation was over, and Brynjolf folded his arms. 

“Mercer. Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Hmm?” he looked back at them, and Brynjolf looked pointedly at Ariene. “Oh, yes. Since Brynjolf assures me you'll be nothing but a benefit to us, then you're in. Welcome to the Thieves Guild.”

He turned and strode away, and Brynjolf blew out a breath before smiling at Ariene with what he hoped was a reassuring expression. 

“Well he’s cheerful,” Ariene said quietly, a grin playing at the edge of her mouth, and Brynjolf tilted his head.

“How much of that ignorance was on purpose?” he asked, and she shrugged. 

“I wanted to see how he’d respond to confrontation. Evidently, not well.” 

“Well, I could have told you that,” Brynjolf said with a quiet laugh. “But never mind that now. You’re in. Welcome to the family, lass. I'm expecting you to make us a lot of coin, so don't disappoint me."

Ariene nodded. 

“So how do I get my cut of the spoils?” she asked. 

“Simple,” Brynjolf replied. “Do as you're told and keep your blade clean. We can't turn a profit by killing.”

“Fine by me.” 

“You should talk with Delvin Mallory and Vex. They know their way around this place and they'll be able to kick some extra jobs your way. Oh, and talk to Tonilia in the Flagon... she'll set you up with your new armor.” 

“Speaking of the Flagon, I could use a drink,” Ariene said. “Let me buy you one too…as an apology for upsetting Mercer.”

Brynjolf shook his head. 

“I told you lass, you just worry about making us coin. I’ll worry about everything else, and that includes Mercer, alright?”

“Well then...consider it a thank you,” she suggested. 

“A thank you?” he repeated, and she actually looked a tad sheepish.

“I can tell you were taking a chance, bringing me in to all of this,” she said, her voice quiet. “It was a risk; a risk that you didn’t have to take. And I…appreciate that.” 

Brynjolf smiled.

“Well, I suppose I have time for a quick drink. A drink, and a toast to the newest member of the Guild.”  

Ariene brightened, and turned to head out of the cistern and back into the Flagon. Brynjolf went to follow, but glanced back over his shoulder. Mercer stood at his desk, leaning over a set of plans with a frown on his face. 

“Tell you what lass,” Brynjolf said slowly. “You go on ahead, introduce yourself to the others. I’ll join you in a moment, and we can discuss business.” 

Ariene nodded, and Brynjolf watched her go, waiting until the door to the Flagon closed behind her before turning and striding across the room.

“Mercer!” he said, and Mercer glared up at him. “We need to talk.”

--- --- ---

Next: Ch.2

[valeriianz]

a get to know me game!

found this in my drafts, whoops! tagged by @gabessquishytum <3 thanks :)

-----

Were you named after anyone?

not named after, but my name means "Christ-like" which is so fucking cringe of my evangelical parents (and my middle name adds onto it like a full on biblical phrase. i hate my name and is mostly why i just go by Kris now)

Do you have kids?

no and i never will.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

i used to joke with my staff that im "practicing my sarcasm" because working in restaurant kitchens surrounded by sarcastic ass, misogynistic men, i had to play by their rules to get any semblance of respect. but im quite bad at it and when im using sarcasm it nearly always comes across bitchy, so i've toned back a lot.

What's the first thing you notice about people?

their mood for sure. ive been managing and working with people for a while now and have gotten pretty good at gauging people's individual tells and how to best approach or keep my distance.

What's your eye colour?

brown.

Scary movie or happy ending?

hey some scary movies have happy endings, this is a bad question lol (both. both is good)

Any special talents?

not really, but i've worked quite a few odd jobs. i was a professional theatre critic for 2.5 years and also worked in a detail auto shop so ive been professionally trained to perform glass, wax, and leather treatments to cars, as well as general interior cleaning like salt extraction and steaming as well.

What are your hobbies?

im desperate to try and get back into hobbies. im in a rut in my life currently where i sleep, work, and on my days off i stare at my computer screen... its really fucking depressing. i wanna try getting back into video games but MOSTLY i am dying to do something with my hands, get my eyes off a screen (and i'll take suggestions, honestly).

Have any pets?

i currently have one black cat, his name is Dante :)

What sport do you play/have you played?

kickboxing! lol is that a sport?

How tall are you?

5'6 (167cm)

Favourite subject at school?

english

Dream job?

i dont think i have a "dream job" anymore. whatever it is though, i'd be working for myself and not giving my time and energy to something i don't care about.

tagging, if y'all want: @ml-nolan @delta-pavonis @kemurai6-dominion-of-dust @beatnikfreakiswriting @notallsandmen

[nocturneworld6]

Hello :3

I stumbled across your blog yesterday while searching for ao3 tags and discovered that you are the author of 3 wonderful diabolik lovers fanfics that I plan to read in the near future. I only got introduced to the game series after watching the anime a few months ago, and I've already played the first two games myself, but it wasn't until a week ago that I joined here to learn new and new things. Since you are a fan of one of the most complex in character and personality of the triplets, at least for me, I would be glad if you could tell me a little about him. Like why exactly he of all caught your attention, what exactly makes him different from his brothers, what mental disorders do you think he suffers from, his fears, and that weird obsession he has with Cordelia. Since I want to delve a little deeper into the character of all the brothers and Mukami, I've been doing a lot of research lately on the types of mental issues, but there seems to be very little information on Ayato despite being such a well-liked character.

(Sorry for the huge novel I just created, if you don't want to or don't have time for that you can ignore it).

I think I've answered a similar question before, so I'll keep it brief... Ayato suffers from huge abandonment issues and has obvious mental scars from the torture he has suffered at the hands of his mother. Most of the kids have but the way he internalised that trauma is interesting. He didn't drown his sorrow in sex like Laito or become totally unhinged like Kanato, didn't shut himself like Shu or Become overzealous about success like Reiji... And even though he does have self loathing tendencies like Subaru it's not nearly as serious as him. He decided to become a crybaby who wants and seeks constant attention and validation. Don't mind me making fun of my favourite Diaboy. Jealousy isn't an attractive trait but it surely is an interesting one.

Regarding his obsession with Cordelia... Have you seen Reiji's obsession with Beatrix? The man tries to resurrect her multiple times just to torture her in the games. I guess Ayato's obsession is rather tame compared to his brothers, but I would say all of the brothers are somehow in a trauma bond with their mothers. I'm not a psychologist/psychiatrist and I'm totally making a huge generalisation but, it's not far from possible. So saying someone is more interesting than any other isn't truly giving any justice to the characters. You know what character I hate the most in the game? Kou! Is he a loved character? Yes! Do I dare say that he's interesting? Yes! But does he interest me in particular? No. Every individual tends to have their own quirks and I wouldn't say any particular character is more complex than the others. They're all complex and there's something about Ayato that I particularly like.

Tbh I simply ship him with Yui and my personal favourite is Reiji, but I wouldn't tell you that. :) Also... Regarding the psychological aspect... I wouldn't mind you diving deeper into it, but I think since they're pretty different from humans, the Sakamakis and Mukamis aren't really characters we should view with the lens of human psychology. What is normal to us isn't normal to them.

[some-teeth-in-a-trench-coat]

Ok so I was gonna go more in-depth about the timeline and try to figure some things out, but I got a little sidetracked and time got away from me so I might continue this later but for now I need to go to bed. Please enjoy this infodump about the apocalypse in Moth Wizard (my post-apocalyptic fantasy setting) and the origin of magic.

(Content warning: war, religion, death, extinction)

When exactly canon diverges from our timeline is not determined yet since I've currently placed the apocalypse really taking off "sometime in the near future" and I don't know how much of the bad stuff may or may not happen in real life. We live in scary times. Ideally I'd keep it "in the near future" for a while though, like I don't know when (if ever) I'll actually Make The Show, but I'd like for it to still be in the future when I do. It would make the "this could happen to our world" part of the "this could happen to our world and while you individually cannot save us from it, it is entirely in the hands of humans to stop it and turn things around before then" message of the apocalypse, y'know, still apply.

As I mentioned recently in a very excited tag ramble, the apocalypse has several components. I think the main ones are war, climate change, and similar corporate greed consequences like pollution, unsustainable hunting, and destruction of habitats. All of it is human in origin. This is important to me, because if it weren't humans, then it would be Hashem (G-d), and He promised never to do that again after Noah and his family survived the flood. What Hashem did was give humanity the magic that allowed them to survive (and which now fills their world with wizards).

I like to think of this as kind of an inverse of the story of Noah. Hashem did not raise the tides, it was man, and man did not create the means by which life was able to live on, it was Hashem. Are we even now? Probably not, I wouldn't claim to know whether "being even" is even an applicable concept, but I do think that this event thousands of years later changed something forever. A circle has been closed. Life on Earth will never be the same.

I'll uh, definitely consult a rabbi about this at some point though, because I'm mostly making stuff up that sounds right and fits what I have in mind for their world. I'd like to make sure it's at least not actively contradicting anything.

Anyway, so we have the nearish future timeline deviation, I hope, where everything gets worse, billions of people die in world war III and countless species go extinct. Every single country on the planet is either at war or caught in the crossfire. If not for the gift of magic, it would have been the END end of life. How long after this does the story take place? I haven't decided. It's hard to put an accurate number to things.

Let's say hypothetically, magic is introduced in the year 5800, nice round number in the nearish future (a bit over 15 years).

As I've mentioned before, the first people to discover magic were kids probably aged 12-17, because of how the magic system works. To use magic, you need to try and truly believe in it, recklessly, and I don't think anyone is better at recklessly believing in undiscovered magic than teens, speaking as a former teen myself. Too young and the line between make-believe and reality won't be the right shape, too old and they'll have lost faith in undiscovered mysteries. Teens inhabit the sweet spot where the world seems just strange enough that maybe if you really really tried, you could fly.

And suddenly one day, the teens were right.

Sidenote but what I really love about this part of the magic system is that it comes with built-in explanations for why small children are not blowing up cars on accident (it has to be fully intentional and separate from playing pretend), and why not everyone uses it enough to call themselves a wizard (it's hard to believe recklessly and intentionally enough), AND gives good excuse for why anyone desperate enough could do it in a burst of emotion (recklessness is easy if you have nothing left to lose, the exact boundaries of possibility don't seem so important anymore). It's great.

It takes a while for people to believe the kids who discover magic. Obviously this footage going viral on TikTok is faked, and now there's a whole trend about pretending magic is real. And anyone who tries while under the impression that it's fake will of course fail, they don't believe at all. But the news don't have to spread via social media, it's much easier to show people in person. And do you believe it when you see a flying car on the news? You thought this was a reliable source, why would they buy into this obviously fake nonsense? And then you meet your 11-year-old cousin who claims she can make animals talk. You don't believe her, of course, until she points to a squirrel and the squirrel addresses you by name. The world is already in chaos, and now this?

Within a year, I think, it is generally understood that magic does exist. The exact mechanics are still unclear and everyone has their own interpretation, but the fact that some people are genuinely able to do things that until a year ago were definitely impossible is hard to deny now.

Somehow, magic seems to favor saving lives over taking them. This is not actually because magic itself has morals, but because it favors vulnerability and cannot be controlled the way guns can be controlled. Governments try and inevitably fail to create magical armies. You simply can't command someone to use magic. They would need to raise such soldiers from children surrounded by cultish propaganda in order to control their faith to such an extent, which of course they do to all their citizens, that's how they ever got anyone to kill another human on command, but they didn't have the foresight to include "you will be a wizard" in their programming starting 10 years ago. And now they won't get the chance. Their time is about to come to an end.

Oceans rise. Nations fall. The world we know dies screaming.

[imaginependergast]

Angel of Vengeance: The Hot Take

I don't know if I'm okay. Details & spoilers under the cut. As usual, for the next two weeks any posts that involve spoilers will be tagged spoilers:AoV. But I gotta be honest, I don't think I'll have any Imagines that will need that tag.

I think I liked this more than The Cabinet of Dr. Leng. But does this mean that the cases D'Agosta and Coldmoon were trying to solve were just setting? If so that's a bit lame. Reminds me of that newsletter story about Constance and Pendergast finding the gemstones symbolizing Diogenes eyes that never turned into anything (unless I'm just misremembering the initial newsletter and it was supposed to be a weird one off and not a tease to something more). No, I will never shut up about it because it was so juicy and had so much potential as a full story.

Having the prologue was excellent including the knowledge that Diogenes just spies on Pendergast and lived in the walls of Riverside Drive.

I really liked the dynamic between D'Agosta and Joe. Also great was D'Agosta taking charge since Pendergast cannot talk to a kid. Did we know that Vinnie's son died? I don't remember that. I thought they were just estranged.

I love that Diogenes is hammy. I think his quip about how not having electricity is shitty but it's nice to not have discovered lung cancer is one of my favorite lines in the book.

Related, I love how we got to see Pendergast and Diogenes interacting and it not being entirely antagonist like in previous books. I loved their alliance. Something that I would really love to see later, but I don't think we'll get and would dredge this book back up (see my last few bullet points for what I mean by this), is Pendergast having to deal with Diogenes being gone. Aside from his son and nephew, this was his only relative and his last connection to his lineage as it was split between insanity and sanity. Understandably he didn't have time to make a big fuss of Diogenes deciding to stay in that moment but even for Pendergast, it seemed a bit unemotional. Yes, he surely knows his brother is going to make a fine life and, at the very least, won't need to look over his shoulder wondering if Diogenes is out there scheming, but I think it would be uncharacteristic if he doesn't give this more thought. In Wheel of Darkness it was the mental manifestation of Diogenes that helped him when he was trying to shake the magic douchbagery overtaking his soul. Even if he finds peace knowing that, despite being the catalyst for Diogenes becoming a deeply damaged individual his brother was able to find happiness, I think there's more to it than just telling him goodbye.

Relatedly, I like the parallel between Leng and Diogenes. They both have very strong, negative feelings about the inhumanity and cruelty of man. But at least Diogenes is a product of that cruelty and distain for humanity and isn't just looking down at the human race from a place of superiority. In the past he won't live long enough to see most of the atrocities that would presumably come without intervention, but he still makes it his mission to stop them for the betterment of his timeline. This is really big picture thinking because, presumably, the Diogenes that will be born in the 20th century will still go through the Event so it's not like he's saving a version of himself or even his brother.

I loved the argument between Constance and Pendergast where he laid bare that she wasn't as in control as she thought. I love when Pendergast gets challenged and can't just coolly play it off or automatically come out on top. I love that Constance called him out on being so chaste. Yes, this is a rehash of the same argument/ issue we saw them have at the very end of The Obsidian Chamber that we've seen revisited in Bloodless but I'm a sucker for it. Yes, it seemingly never get resolved...

...And, still, I don't think it did...? Second biggest question next to what happens to Diogenes: did they fuck? The chapter ended in a passionate embrace and Constance seemingly spent the night with him. When I read that I assumed yes, especially given the description of the bowls filled with water for post-coital cleanup. If it wasn't those two, it was probably going to be Diogenes and someone given the company in the other room. But then at the end when Pendergast is carrying Constance to bed and looks at her somehow not quite paternal or fraternal. Her words, thanking him for taking her home plus telling Leng it was her and Pendergast's home, make me think something at some point happened between them to make her believe she belongs in the current time with him. But I'm pretty sure I said that between other books, too. Even if they are actually intimate it wouldn't be obvious but would, probably, be more signaled by Constance not bringing up how she wants him and how he doesn't give in to wanting her. That, or just a lot of innuendo. I like that one.

Mary being alive shouldn't have shocked me like it did. No shit the ashes could have been or were likely fake. You got me.

Pendergast referencing Dr. Strangelove was good, Leng, of course, not getting it was great.

I love knowing Proctor has a gym in the mansion.

I love that we got Mime back. I missed him. I was just thinking it's been a while since him or Wren were on the scene. I hope we get more of Mime.

I think the wrap up with D'Agosta and Hayward was a bit weak but I also don't fault it. Either she was relieved to have him back or this was the final straw and she left him for choosing Pendergast. I'm happy it's the former and I don't know if I could have expected anything much meatier.

I don't know how I feel about Diogenes. I think it was pretty obvious that he was going to stay in the past although I did have hope he would return to the present. I guess since this was said to be where he learn his ultimate fate it was most likely A) he stays in the past or B) he dies. But I still feel... conflicted. I love Diogenes and it is upsetting that he's functionally dead. If he was brought back to the current time there would at least be some hope that, even if he wasn't going to be a villain, he might get roped in as an asset. I'll also fully admit, I feel like Livia was a bit forced. I know she would never be able to get the most character development and it isn't uncharacteristic that Diogenes would find someone and that someone would be Constance-like (if not slightly superior given how she is the only one of his company he doesn't need to constantly be teaching in the broader scheme of things). I'll admit, I think a lot of my conflict, especially surrounding him finding a partner, is down to how I feel about the character. That does make it a bit harder to swallow than just him disappearing into night. Again, these are very "me" thoughts and dissonance. I guess I'm happy that Diogenes found happiness with someone and is going to spend his life traveling the world, maybe having a family, and satisfying his darker impulses by murdering the ancestors of dictators and those who would go on to commit the worst atrocities of the 20th century. Personally, I think he did end up reforming like Constance wondered at the end of Crimson Shore, just in a decidedly Diogenes way.

I do like the subtle way the authors told us that Diogenes fucks (a lot) and that for once he found someone who's teaching him tricks in the bedroom. Not gonna lie, that also makes my thoughts more complicated. Again, "me" problem.

Overall I thought this book was a winner but left me feeling extremely... conflicted really is the best way to put it. I'm happy we have the main characters back and it's nice Constance was able to save herself and siblings in one reality and set them up for a good life (and I really liked Murphy and glad he's set along with them). But as much as this is about Leng and Constance it also feels like it's a Diogenes story and belongs in that trilogy because it concluded his story. There's a concept called parasocial breakup which is the negative feelings one can experience when a character they feel bonded to dies within the story or when the story ends for good. The adventure, the bonding, is over. That's what I'm feeling. And I'll admit, some of that is mixed with a bit of jealousy over how he found his happy ever after (not because I don't have a great partner and life with him, but I feel strongly toward certain characters- Diogenes included. And after all these years I've accepted Pendergast & Constance as a ship and can play some mind games with myself about how to reconcile that with my own feelings toward Pendergast). I think this was solid, but I don't think I can read this one again and when I think about the characters I'm going to think of them before Constance left for the past, including Diogenes in tact, but off somewhere and we don't know if he's plotting revenge or quietly assimilating into some type or normal. So don't expect any 1880s Imagines.

[taralen]

Information

𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕪 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘!

I am a fantasy artist and writer based in the USA. This blog is mostly for my art and for sharing others' art. Sometimes, I'll post writings, musings, or theories about a work of fiction that I think warrants some in-depth analysis. I don't have any separate blogs, as I don't see the point in making them. I struggle with a lot of mental health conditions, so I'm really unstable but congenial. Hope you don't mind! Trust me, I am no threat to the public at large! I love making others laugh and smile, so why not just laugh at me, with me? The subject of this blog is primarily art and writing. I do not repost memes if they have nothing to do with either of these two categories.

If you're looking for specific tags, please use this guide:

#my art - Use this tag to filter posts showing only stuff drawn by me

#my writing - Similar to the above but just for writing I've done.

#musings - Random thoughts, journal posts, or ramblings, aka actual "blog" posts.

#merch haul - Posts related to collectibles I've obtained that I want to share with others.

#not my art - Filter posts to only show art I've reblogged by other people.

You can find me in a few other locations, but I'm only going to list my active ones here.

DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/taralen For most of my completed pieces. The only sketches you'll find here are for clients who commissioned sketchy pieces.

Myfigurecollection: https://myfigurecollection.net/profile/Taralen For my figure and hobby-related stuff (doujin, merch, etc.) I sometimes build my own figures (aka Garage Kits.) I've been collecting valuables since I was a kid, so you can consider me an experienced collector. Have questions to avoid getting scammed? I'm the one to poke!

Pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/3540237 [[JP Only. Also 18+ but censored.]]

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/taralen Uncensored 18+ options, Hi-res versions, process compilations, and original pieces (usually concept art) I don't upload publicly.

Discord: [[Private]] I love meeting new people, but I would rather speak to someone privately on here first before I share this. I'm extremely chatty, so be warned!

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Taralen I'm the least active on here, but I might as well include it.

DNI IF YOU: Nothing offends me. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) JK I am a very curious and open-minded person. If you have views that don't align with mine, we might not have the best conversation, but it can certainly be an enlightening or interesting one! What are my views? Well, we learn these things from each other through polite conversation. Exposing myself to different lifestyles and opinions is enriching. Who knows? Even a hateful individual might change their mind when speaking to someone with kindness and understanding. I'm open to being followed, messaged, etc., by just about anyone, even people who I vehemently disagree with, UNLESS: ❎ You've committed or condoned acts of animal, child, elderly, or disabled person abuse/assault. We don't need slimes like that anywhere. Anyone that harms real innocents is a piece of human scum, regardless of whether or not they fit the categories I listed. ❎ You're just trying to sell some sex service to me. Sorry, but I am not interested. ❎ Condone or committed acts of necrophilia on deceased humans or animals. Seriously, what the $%^& is wrong with you? ❎ You are a stalker. Kind of obvious, but I had one in the past, so don't act like I forgot. 8^)

If you have similar interests, feel free to message me or ask me questions. I am lonely, so it's nice to talk to new people now and then. If you think my ideas, "headcanons," or interpretations are stupid, then that's fine. I don't expect everyone to like them. It is what it is.

Any and all reblogs are appreciated. If you repost my stuff like, say, on Reddit, please give credit and link back to the source, whether it be here or somewhere else. I always like seeing my work shared.

[saketoge]

bias tag game !

tagged by @lee-minhoe and @ambivartence 💕

rules: you're going to pick 10 of your biases (or as many biases as you have and then fill in the rest of the spots with idols you like) and number them 1-10, then answer the questions below. try not to look at the questions before you make your list!

tagging (if u want no pressure ofc!): @chanrizard @gnanii @snug-gyu @changbeens @jikyu @lunetual @minchanz @jinniebit @jwoongz

continued under the cut :)

bias list !

lee know (skz)

dk (svt)

jaehyuk (treasure)

taehwan (vanner)

mark lee (nct)

jinyoung (got7)

bang chan (skz)

soobin (txt)

donghyun (ab6ix)

mingyu (svt)

questions !

1. Between 7 and 5, who did you bias first?

mark was first; i got into nct in like late 2019 and i didn't find skz/chan until late 2021 i think?? mark is like , my second or third bias in nct though lol

2. Between 2 and 6, who are you more attached to?

deekay babieeeeee <333 don't get me wrong i LOVE jinyoung but seokmin ...... that's my number one dude, my boy of all time, if u will

3. If you were to spend the day with either 3 or 1, who would you choose and what would you do?

OMG LEE KNOW OR JAE 😭😭😭 i'm gonna give it to lee know tho (nobody's shocked). similar to mel's answer we could go on a lil stroll through the woods then stop for coffee after. we go back home and i'll watch him make lunch for us and then we binge watch spy x family for the rest of the day bc i still haven't finished it yet and he would not have that .

4. What is your favorite physical feature about 9?

donghyun my bestie my bee eff ?!?!! honestly probably his cheeks he has the most squishable lil face like look

are u kidding </3

5. What is your favorite part of 6's personality?

PARK JINYOUNG MY BELOVEDDDDD 😭 he is so passionate about what he does - singing, dancing, acting, he is putting in the work and it shows!! didn't think i could love him more and then i watched he is psychometric DUDE 🥺🥺 that's not even the one he won an award for but like dang bro he was good !!!! also i feel like he has a good balance of being silly goofy and like . being serious/chill/more reserved??? idk he's a virgo so he def takes himself seriously but like , not too much u know ??

not to rant but i love how he loves his members too . he is so kind like he really loves them and cares for them and wants them all to succeed, regardless of how often he says they're annoying (yugbam the problem children fcdjhdvjk) he's rly just the mom (yugyeom's specifically) of the group and it's very sweet <3

6. If you were to tell 8 anything you wanted, what would you tell them?

soobin!!! i would tell him he's doing a great job being the leader to his hooligans and that i get "bye guys!! hi ladies!!! mwah!" stuck in my head at least once a week 🖤

7. Between 1 and 2, whose closet would you raid?

between lino and dk hm ... i think they're both pretty similar (casual, comfy, boyfriend-y) but if i had to choose i'd say dokyeom. he seems just a little bit more adventurous in his style i feel like he likes a good pattern

8. What is a style that you want to see 3 try?

hm for jae and also for the rest of the group i think something in the vein of seventeen's home;run era could be fun .. all the funky colors and retro-y fits ! 🤔🔮 i'm seeing jae with dark hair and a patterned collared sweater .. and pearls ofc 🔮

9. Between 5 and 4, who are you closer to in height?

i think mark and taehwan are the same height (5'9"/175cm) so neither ! hfdkvfjfd

10. Between 10 and 9, whose music do you like the best?

individually, i'm sorry gyu i'm gonna give it to donghyun i looove his vocals ! venus ??? so smooth so ethereal 🍯 in terms of their groups though, i love my yeppis but it's gotta be seventeen for me dawg they're like all time for me we're rly in this carat shit for life 💎 i can't find the words to explain how much i love them and their music literally the only thing coming to mind rn is when dk said "it's love, of course" and like !!!! yeah !!! ykwim !?!!

[jewelsrulz]

@virtie333 I'll give this a go.

Do you make your bed? Most of the time...no.

Favourite number? Don't have one.

What's your job? Don't have one at the moment. I've worked in retail and hated it. Stayed home to raise my kids. I've been having trouble finding work since we moved because I'm not willing to work every single weekend. That's time to spend with my husband who works long hours during the week.

If you could go back to school, would you? I did! I went to university at the ripe old age of 53, graduated four years later with a bachelor of fine art.

Can you parallel park? Yes, but I'm very out of practice. I don't come across the need to parallel park very often.

Do you think aliens are real? I do believe that there is life out there in the big wide universe but it won't look like us. It will have developed to survive in the conditions present on the individual planet.

Can you drive a manual car? I have in the past but I haven't for decades so I'd probably screw up the shifting.

What's your guilty pleasure? I don't have any guilty pleasures. I enjoy whatever I enjoy and refuse to feel any guilt about it. If others have an issue with what I enjoy that's their problem, not mine. Feeling guilty comes from conforming to other's expectations about how we should live.

Tattoos? Don't have any but I have considered getting one...or two. @phoenix-rising-starbird-one has some tattoos I admire and I'd probably have to get permission from her tattoo artist to be able to get them done on me.

Favourite colour? Purple...any shade or hue.

Favourite type of music? Totally depends on my mood, I don't have one overall favourite style. Sometimes I want the instrumental guitar of Jesse Cook but other times I want the German industrial metal of Rammstein.

Do you like puzzles? Yes....doesn't matter whether it's word puzzles or jigsaw.

Any phobias? Heights and falling from them. Don't want anyone touching me if I'm high up. That irrational part of my brain is convinced they'll push me. Also...clowns and flying.

Favourite childhood sport? Wasn't sporty at all in school, was always picked last for teams, unless it was floor hockey. Then I was picked first. I played goal and my nickname was Billy Smith...you came in my crease and I slashed your ankles.

Do you talk to yourself? All the damn time!!!!

Tagging @phoenix-rising-starbird-one @waywaychuck @badwolfandtimelords and anyone else who'd like to give it a go.

[tacroyy]

okay. i'm going back to teaching tomorrow. i think i'm going to try to keep track of how things go so that i can carry less of it around with me. i'll use the tag #eedutalk and put things under a read more.

it has been a Very Good summer, perhaps even a Great one, and thus i have some resolutions for the upcoming school year. the vast majority of these, frankly, i am doing already, but i think it's a good idea to verbalize them.

always prioritize children over adults (parents/guardians, other teachers, administrators).

work to the fucking contract. do not overwork yourself.

if you don't finish something or are behind on grading because you have chosen to work a ~mere~ forty hours a week, do not hate yourself for that. your society has chosen to underfund education and not give you enough planning time. it is not ethical to do work that you are not being paid for, especially considering the amount of free work you have already done. you do not give your students homework. do not give yourself homework either.

use your notebook for 1) dates, meetings, notes, etc and 2) leaving things behind so that you don't take them home with you.

prioritize the educational experiences of students of color & disabled students.

remember that for many kids, structure is freedom from anxiety and uncertainty. it is good to enforce structure in a developmentally appropriate, compassionate, equitable way. it is bad to enforce structure purely for structure's sake. the structure must be flexible enough to allow for the needs of the individual student.

do not allow the attitudes of other adults to sway the expression of your pedagogical ethics.

when you are in pain, express it, feel it, and live in it rather than denying its existence.

take your thirty-minute lunch break every single day and eat lunch during that time. do not work on your lunch break.

if you are sick, stay home.

get reimbursed for shit!!! submit your fucking expenses and meetings on the fifteenth of every month!!!

continue to be an example for your students and peers in these ways: be queer. be disabled. be weird. discuss, teach about, and interrogate white supremacy, racism, and imperialism. answer all questions. apologize to children. let kids go to the bathroom. talk about and explain the mistakes you have made. show kids how to google things properly. never talk down to anyone. if you must enforce school rules that you disagree with, explain why. be patient. be interesting. be calm. don't yell in anger. explain the things adults don't want to talk about. use the real terms for things. be flexible. be active. be gentle. see lashing out for what it is. respect kids. listen and watch for signs. ask follow-up questions when you are suspicious.

remind yourself of the truth every day: children are people.

[ltwharfy]

"Bob's Burgers" Season 11 Episode Ranking Rewatch (Long Post)

So, I've been rewatching "Bob's Burgers" from the beginning and ranking the episodes using the spreadsheet that @babsvibes created! If you want to know why I'm doing this or how I view the 1-5 rating scale, you can check out my Season 1 post! If you want to check out any of the other seasons, I've been using the "bob's burgers episode ranking rewatch" tag for all of them.

Now, on to Season 11:

Average (Mean) Score: 4.09

Mode (Most Common) Ranking: 4

Ranking Breakdown: 7 5s 10 4s 5 3s

Season as a Whole Thoughts:

This is the lowest rated season since Season 1. I don't by any stretch think it's horrible (I don't think that about Season 1, either). After all the way I use it a 4 is basically like a B, and a B season isn't that bad except, maybe, when compared to all the As that came before it.

For me, this episode just had a lot of episodes (the ones that got the 3s) that I found kind of dull. Not awful, just not that interesting to me personally. A lot of very small scale, "slice of life" type stories in this season. Some of them resonated a bit with me ("Steal Magazine-olias") others didn't ("Some Kind of Fender Benderful", "Tell Me Dumb Thing Good").

That said, you'll notice in some of the individual episode comments that some of these episodes grew on me upon rewatching, so maybe that'll happen with some of the other ones too!

Some thoughts on specific episodes (and feel free to ask if you want my thoughts on an episode I didn't comment on):

"Worms of In-Rear-ment": I think this might be one of my most controversial takes in this whole project but, I don't hate this episode! It seems to be one of the least popular eps of the show, but I enjoy it. It has quite a few funny lines, the hamster slide subplot is cute, I love all the Belchers' different ideas of what appropriate symphony attire is, I enjoy the Louise and Linda conflict. and Linda's motivation in this episode makes me think a lot of my own mom. I can get how no one in fall 2020 wanted to watch a story about an epidemic, but I'll be honest that I don't quite get why some people seem to think this episode is "too gross". Yes, Gene eats a tater tot that's been on the bathroom floor. We've previously seen him eat a taco on the toilet and eat breakfast naked. The kid's kinda gross, it's part of his charm. (Personally, Bob bleeding everywhere in "Heartbreak Hotel-oween" grosses me out more.)

"Fast Time Capsules at Wagstaff School": My favorite episode of the season- maybe the only episode this year that I remember loving straight away as soon as I saw it. This episode has it all: tons of Wagstaff students and staff, Louise and Tina conflict and reconciliation, silly competition between Bob and Linda, Louise's crush on Boo Boo (my favorite running gag), Henry Haber saying "and my regards to the morning zoo." Just wonderful! it also inspired one of my favorite jokes in one of my fics (the idea that "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote a "Someday We'll Spoon" parody called "Someday We'll Zoom" about how he hates video meetings.)

"Bob Belcher and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Kids": This episode reminds me of "Paraders of the Lost Float", in the sense that I was pretty sure I'd give it a 4 for most of the episode, but then the ending is so feel good that I bump it up to a 5.

"Diarrhea of a Poopy Kid": i generally love the "three story" episodes, and this is no exception. I particularly enjoy how this episode gives Bob a chance to tell one of the stories and the episode centers Bob and Gene's relationship and how they bond over food. Also, I love to use of the supporting characters in the stories, especially Courtney and Rudy. And the line "Chief of Cats Mr. Business" will always crack me up!

"An Incon-Wheelie-ient Truth": I just love the fact that they told the story of what happened to the Wheelie Mammoth! I also enjoy how this episode emphasizes that Al and Gloria's lousy parenting is part of why Gayle turned out why she did. And this episode just has a lot of little gags that crack me up, particularly in the flea market scenes (I love the different movie posters at the booth that has Wheelie.)

"Mr. Lonely Farts": The "Gene home alone" plot is a great exploration of his character, but what really puts this one over the top for me is the Bob, Teddy, and Louise adventure to Adam Appliances. I love the way they play off each other and the fact that Louise sort of convinces two adults that this boring dude who sells appliances online might be a murderer.

"Fingers-loose": This episode has really grown on me. I remember my reaction when first watching it was basically just "huh? A story about finger dancing? Ooookay..." Then when I first rewatched it, Tina's film noir-esque narration really amused me and I enjoyed the episode as a whole much more. In rewatching it for this project, I really appreciated how well it centered an aspect of Tina's role in the family dynamic- usually being a part of the crowd watching Gene and Louise rather than being the star- and realized that it's actually a really great Tina story- and all around episode!

"Bridge Over Troubled Rudy": This might be the episode of the show where my opinion has grown the most. I was kind of disappointed by it when it first aired: my reaction was essentially "Finally! Another episode centering on Louise and Rudy! Oh wait, it's just sort of a rehashing of 'House of 1,000 Bounces'..." It was only when I rewatched it first (probably as part of my "all Rudy episodes" rewatch) when I noticed that rather than being a rehash of "House of 1,000 Bounces" it really shows their friendship growing beyond where it was in "House of 1,000 Bounces". In "House of 1,000 Bounces" Rudy keeps his unhappiness with the bounce house heist kind of quiet until he explodes when they are in Ranger Jail- and Louise then fixes everything through a grand gesture but never actually apologizes. In this episode, Rudy is much more direct, much earlier on about his unhappiness (literally his second line of the episode is saying how stressed he is), and Louise comes up with a grand gesture...but also realizes that the grand gesture is kind of dumb and she should really just apologize to him. And I love that. It shows them growing as individuals and as friends. Rudy is not always the best at standing up for himself and Louise is not always the best at caring about others' feelings or letting others know that she cares about them, but they both step out of their comfort zones and grow a little bit because they care about their friendship. (Have I written a ridiculous amount this episode here? Yes. Am I capable of writing much more about it? Yes )

"Steal Magazine-olias": Very much a "show about nothing" plot ("Gene steals a magazine from the dentist's office? That's the episode?") but I think it's sweet. Not funny enough or moving enough to be a 5 for me, but I think Gene's motivation here is really touching, as is the way it resonates with Dr. Yap (one of my favorite recurring characters...in the Non-Wagstaff School Division, at least). Also, Tina's infatuation with the sexy fox scientist is SOOOOOO in character and hilarious, and I also enjoy Teddy in the bird poop subplot.

Random thoughts (stuff that doesn't affect the ratings):

-One of the things that this rewatch has really made me appreciate about the show is that there's basically nothing about it that I flat out hate. Even a character I dislike, in a meh episode can be a source of amusement. Why am I mentioning this here? Linda's parents are my least favorite recurring characters. "The Terminator II: Terminals of Endearment" is a very meh episode, in my book. And yet, there's this moment in that episode where Louise tells Al they have to go inside and he responds: "Oh good, I like going inside places. Like a big shot." And that made me laugh and stayed stuck in my head and for the next week or so, whenever I went into the building where my office is, I kept thinking "Like a big shot."

-That's all for this season. See you in Season 12! Until then, my regards to the morning zoo!