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teehee-vibes · 7 months ago

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Guys, I think Grizzly hid lore in Dark Puckered Hole.

NOW JUST- JUST HEAR ME OUT. (Mieru, look away).

I’m not just talking about the potential purity culture of the Undersea being exposed through Finn’s self exploration… I’m talking RAFT lore.

In Chapter 69, “Behind Bars,” of Dark Puckered Hole, Finn Tidestrider is imprisoned “somewhere in the eastern sea” with another triton, who is on the brink of death. They fall in love and bang before the anonymous convict passes in Finn’s arms, but that’s not what I’m focusing on. Im focusing on the presence of another triton, an injured one, in the Oversea, especially the Sakura Ocean.

Historically in Mana, Finn Tidestrider was one of, if not, THE FIRST to leave the Undersea behind. A decade or so-so later, in modern day Riptide, there have been practically no other triton. Gillion, who was banished, and Edyn, who left to find and avenge him, are the only ones. Even more so, the only other Undersea characters are found in the Undersea (Unnamed NPCs in The Tank OR Felipe, a grung, being from Liquidus) or having left it behind for personal reasons a la Edyn (Caspian, a water genasi). When the Tidestrider siblings go around Allport, they have to wear cloaks to avoid standing out. There aren’t even other triton in Liquidus!

So how, why, is there another triton in the oversea? Finn himself is shocked by his presence. “In this prison, to find another man from the Undersea… my mind raced with questions.” He doesn’t dwell on this weirdness because his questions are drowned out by the sound of his blood beneath his skin, rushing downward, BUT it’s very bizarre, no?

Another detail: Why was the other triton on the verge of death? Of course, inadequate care, but could he have been thrown back into the cell like that? Whoever imprisoned them did not care about their lives. They could live, or they could die.

To go further, isn’t it kind of weird how Finn Tidestrider doesn’t specify where his imprisonment is? He is a very detailed author. He could have said one of the villages in Onawa Country or anything else to feed more detail into his writing, but he didn’t. I feel like the reason he wouldn’t be specific is because he himself was unsure exactly of where he was. He was taken in secret, likely kept out of sight while being arrested and transported to his cell.

I also have to wonder… who imprisoned them? I think you know what I’m getting at. I think RAFT did. RAFT has the resources. RAFT has the political sway. RAFT has governmental power. And it’s worsened by the fact that this imprisonment occurred in the Eastern Sea, the site of the Promised Bastion, where triton are imprisoned, tortured, skinned, and experimented on…

Judging by the fact that Finn refers to the other triton’s you-know-what as “a lighthouse to guide this lost sailor home,” Finn was likely a part of the Black Rose Pirates at the time. He couldn’t hide his presence in the Oversea as a crewmate for a pirate lord, let alone Captain Rose. Finn was on wanted posters, Finn was in newspaper headlines, Finn was a published author. I think RAFT had its eyes on him, but when they arrested or kidnapped him, it wasn’t for crimes of piracy… at least not on the surface.

I think this experimentation on Undersea people and gods has been going on for a long time, and Dark Puckered Hole could be evidence of this fact. Finn was intended to be a source of skin, of blood, and of magic for RAFT’s experimentation in the artificial leviathan and black ops projects. His lover was too, maybe already was (I say maybe because Finn doesn’t allude to the idea that he was physically ripped apart… that would have been unignorable). Finn probably only made it out because he’s that strong (in episode 82, when Drey is talking to and comforting Jay, he said Finn was terrifying when angry or passionate) or his crew came to his rescue.

I think political and military purposes against the pirates weren’t the only reasons RAFT wanted to ally with the Undersea. “Joining forces” with them led either to less suspicion as they funneled triton out of the ocean and to the recently abandoned Promised Bastion, or coming to dominate them allowed RAFT to simply take triton without enough pushback. Either way, without their Champion to rise against them (the one triton on the hooks accused Gillion of abandoning them), they’ve been taken en masse. And maybe Edyn’s collaboration with the navy permitted her some of this knowledge, and that’s how she knew to hide Gillion from prying eyes in navy territory.

Uhhh tldr: It’s weird that there’s an injured triton in the Eastern Oversea. I think DPH could imply that Finn and his lover were imprisoned by RAFT as test subjects for the artificial leviathan and black ops projects, proving the longevity of Fay Ferin’s plans.

#finn tidestrider #just roll with it #jrwi theory #jrwi riptide #jrwi thoughts #jrwi spoilers #jrwi riptide spoilers #I was just thinking about the band au and Finn as a songwriter… and it devolved into. this.#does this even count as a theory? like was this obvious? or am I going insane?#guys help I’m going crazy #Finn Tidestrider the man that you are…#he’s occupying a big piece of the brain rn #anyway #lmao

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salmonight · 1 year ago

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Free Title Ideas Pt. 1

I am always looking for new title ideas trying to find the perfect match for my meager amount of fics actually published ( I got a ton of wips mind you) so I have this little file full with title ideas I got from here and there and I thought I share them! Feel free to use them and all! I only actually used a few of them myself so theyre up for the take! Enjoy!

( I suck at categorizing mind u so take it however u want)

Low Mood:

Paint Splattered Teardrops

A Mournful Radio Song

The Quite Ivories

20 Minute Too Long… Too Late-

No Third Round Up

My Heart's An Artifice, A Decoy Soul

If These Walls Could Talk

Like Drying Paint on the Walls

Withering Memories

Bury Our Secrets Shallow

Isn't It Tragic How Far You Came?

The Best of the Worsts

Your Wings Are Failing, Icarus

Let Your Wings Carry You Away From Here

Cry For Reflection

The Scream of Winter

Much Madness in Divinest Sense

Family Doesn't End in Blood

In This Castle Of Glass

All the Same (Once a Liar, Always a Liar)

Crack:

Law is Where You Buy It

Miles from Normal

Stop Screaming - It's Me

Between Two Liars…

Lost My Soul and All I Got Was this T-Shirt

Dude, Where's My Soul?

When Life Hands You Demons Make Demonade

Demon-Blend Straigh From Hell

Nothing to See Here Officer, Just a Bunch of Blobs

Hey Kid, Wanna Buy a Blob Ghost?

Gingers Have No Souls

This Little Blob of Mine

Feral Goose Hunting: A Beginner's Guide (Just Don't)

10 Ways to Connect with Your Feral Goose by Robin

A Guide on Ruining Your Life

It IS and Idea (Just NOT the Brightest)

I Am totally NOT the One to Blame for THIS

Dead Men Won't Shut Up

Encryptid

Cryptid Crash Course

Shakespeare Has Nothing on Me!

[insert name]'s Observation Diary of the Weirdest Boss(es)

The Devil’s Eyes and His Voice of Reason

Romance:

Makeshift Chemistry

Stargazing, Coffee and the Mystery of You..

Play Love Like Killers (We All Fall)

Good Vibes:

Sunshine Riptide

Come on Baby, the Laugh Is on Me

Fair With Some Rain

Star Light, Star Bright, First Arrow I See Tonight

Bitter (?):

Ah, Lay Waste to it, then Laugh at it

Believe, We Were Never Gonna Lose Control

Die, but too Blind to See

Too Latte for Smiling (yes thats a pun there no miss typing)

And as the Scribe Said, Mark Me Up With Words

Vodka Shots in the Dark

What Lingers, What Waits

Dr.Sunshine is Dead

Action:

Swing 'em Sword, Comin' in Swarms

Droppin' Guns all on the Floor 'till it look like River Styx

Black on Black at Night

Rifles, and they're Useless in this House

Dropp the Dagger

Watch Us BURN

Death:

Leave Your Body and Soul at the Door

Dead Man's Party

'Till the Reaper Call

'cause the Hangman's Waiting

A Night in the Ice Box

Stars Fall Underground

Can't Reach the Stars from the Underworld

Dance on Your Grave in All Whites

I Will See You Down Below

A Toast to the Passing Lights

I am a Ghost, but Only If You Remember

A Forray into Thanatology

Do You Want to Build a Snow-ghost?

In the In Between

Deceased When Last Seen

They Only Murdered Him Once

Colder Than These Bones

A Ghostly Collection of Stories once Untold

Dearly Departed

Hopeful:

City of Last Hopes

Bright Foggy Skies

This Bird Has Flown

A Bard's Tale, so Bittersweet

In the Winter, the Van Keeps Rolling

Oh Raven (Sing Me a Happy Song)

A Light to Call Home

Lost and Found

Towards the Sun

Khmm I have quite a few ghost/death and Dc related ones cuz I mostly wrote DC and DP fics so I looked for tittles for those. Those who know, know those who don't can ignore them.

Pt 2 |

#writing #writing resources #free to use #free title ideas #title ideas #book title ideas #fanfic title ideas #crack title ideas #angst title ideas #title list #title suggestions #titles #story titles #fanfic titles #fic titles #crack titles #angst titles

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flawseer · 1 year ago

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WoF Reference guide - #01: Turtle, Squid, Pike

Preamble

I'm rather fond of the way characters are rendered in the Wings of Fire graphic novel adaptation, so whenever I draw WoF stuff, I like to lean into that style.

A problem I often run into there though, is that while the dragons in the comic are very expressive, members of the same tribe are sometimes difficult to tell apart, especially in close-ups. Reading the second one in particular is a bit of an undertaking, with a lot of Seawings that look very similar.

So to help myself out with that, I've started doing a style guide for my own reference that attempts to diversify the designs a bit while hopefully still keeping the basic principles introduced in the comics. Just a collection of my own headcanons really.

I wasn't really intending to publish any of this, but then I showed some of my friends and they said "This is cool", so... I suppose here we are. I've done about 20 of these by now, but I'm going to have to polish them a bit first so I don't just throw my dirty sketches at people.

Okay, that's probably enough talking, let's show something for it.

Flawseer Headcanon Refs

Build is somewhat heavy-set/chubby; hates exercise and tends to get second helpings during meals.

Facial structure very soft, round, and smooth; big nose; upper lip ends in a slight point like a little beak.

Eyes are bright, warm, and friendly.

Forehead fins are round with no sharp angles, average distribution of gaps.

Horns are smooth and curved backwards, with a small upwards barb at the end.

Luminous patches in face are polygonal, orderly. Ventral patches are roughly square and relatively large. Patches on limbs, back, and tail are polygonal and tend to cluster together and interlock, like pattern on a turtle shell.

Neck plates angular, slightly reminiscent of turtle shell.

Very petite and underdeveloped frame; scrawny, light-weight build with barely any fat or defined muscle.

Small head; youthful face; somehow nose is always wet.

Eyes are large; expression usually either guilty-looking or close to bursting into tears.

Horns are nubby and curve upwards, dull ends.

No defined chin barbels whatsoever, but a few nubby points growing out the back of the jaw.

Luminous patches on face, limbs, and back are thick, swirly spirals with splotches dotted around, or small clusters of 2 to 3 splotches by themselves; ventral patches are ring-shaped and look similar to suction cups, tail thus looks like a squid's tentacle.

Ventral fringe is very small and wispy, dorsal fringe made up of small leaf-like shapes that are oddly spaced out.

Build is somewhat runty and small; lean with wiry muscle; overall reminiscent of a draconic chihuahua and about as noisy.

Pointy face with sloped forehead; furrows on nasal ridge from excessive scowling; jaw juts forward with a bit of an underbite.

Eyes somewhat angular but still open; expression serious and dutiful.

Forehead fins angular; frayed with lots of gaps and blemishes.

Horns are bendy and pointed; smooth but covered in numerous small scrapes and blemishes.

Chin barbels are pointy and sharp-looking, but soft to the touch.

Face and body show a few small nicks and scars everywhere; little cut across the side of the mouth; ears are nicked and frayed. All of these accumulated from training accidents and reckless behavior.

Luminous patches on face and ventral side are small, flecky, like shards of broken glass; patches on limbs and back are large and pointy, shaped like spades or arrowheads.

Ventral and dorsal fringe pointy with small nicks and tears.

And that is it for now. Next batch is probably going to be... I don't know. Webs, Nautilus, and Riptide maybe.

#wings of fire #wof #wof art #wof turtle #wof squid #wof pike #seawing #dragon #digital art #flawseer ref guide #flawseer talk

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dreamerwriternstargazer · 12 days ago

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It Ends With Us… Or Does It?

In the wake of Blake Lively’s stoic fight against Justin Baldoni for his alleged sexual harassment and aggressive PR campaign to ruin her image and reputation, it’s perhaps important that we all take a step back and consider the new era of MeToo and its decomposition in the digital age.

In case you, reader, are one of the few sensible minds closed off from the noise and chaos of popular social medias such as X, Instagram and Tiktok, you may not be aware of the recent “drama” between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni regarding their summer film release, It Ends With Us. The film in question had a large spotlight on it due to the fact it was an adaptation of the popular Colleen Hoover novel by the same name, in which the protagonist Lily Bloom goes through and survives an abusive marriage to love interest Ryle Kinkaid, roles played by Lively and Baldoni, respectively. To put the drama in layman’s terms, the two were feuding; it was reported by the Daily Mail (1) that Baldoni was unfollowed by Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover and that the rest of the cast appeared to be avoiding Baldoni at the US premiere as well as mention of him in press interviews. This was quickly brushed under the rug however as Blake Lively’s behaviour on the press tour took centre stage - in contrast to Baldoni who chose to highlight and discuss the abuse narrative of the film in interviews (2), Lively appeared more lighthearted in front of the cameras, focusing on emphasising the floral, feminine aesthetics through her glamorous outfits on the tour and promoting her drinks company Betty Buzz, as well as launching a haircare line Blake Brown and promoting it alongside the film (3). Such behaviour is hardly unusual for movie press nowadays and it seemed to be following the precedent that Margot Robbie had set in promoting Barbie by highlighting its feminine themes and aesthetics, however it escalated quickly with fans of the film and book commenting and putting pressure on her to talk about the darker themes of the story. Lively’s responses to questions on domestic violence ranged from polite yet ignorant (such as in interviews where she chose to talk about her love for Lily and how empowering of a character she was to play rather than domestic violence) (4) to outright insensitive by joking sarcastically about sharing her address and phone number in response to a question about how fans who cared about the abuse themes could begin a conversation with her about it (5). As a result, she has been vilified heavily on social media ever since, with many taking the opportunity to criticise her brands, mock her through comedic skits on Tiktok, and even digging up old interviews in which she acted coldly and rudely towards the interviewer (6). The tide seemed to have turned incredibly strongly on Lively, typically accustomed to popularity due to her highly publicised relationship with husband Ryan Reynolds, now suffering a riptide of nastiness as the new mean girl of pop culture, drowning her in a sea of cruel comments and hate characteristic of our online cancel culture.

And then, come Saturday 21st December 2024, a new narrative was broadcasted across our screens; Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer were the bad guys, as laid out in the 80 page legal complaint from Blake Lively published by the New York Times (7), allegedly responsible for a slew of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour towards Lively and further members of the cast and crew, as well as hiring a PR team specifically to manufacture the social media campaign against Lively. The claims listed are a nightmare to read, from sexual, objectifying comments directed towards the female cast during filming (p.17-18), to Baldoni and Wayfarer’s CEO Jamey Heath directly intruding on Lively when nude or exposed in her trailer and refusing to grant her privacy (p.19). Further disturbing claims made were on how “Mr Baldoni ignored well-established industry protocols in filming intimate scenes, and exploited the lack of controls on set to behave inappropriately” (p.13). This claim goes on to illustrate how Baldoni was allegedly making inappropriate, sexual comments towards cast after shooting intimate scenes (p.16) as well as not hiring intimacy coordinators, improvising on said scenes and pressuring actors to make either more or make them more sexual with little to no notice, and failing to hire “nudity riders” who could “[spell] out the parameters of nudity or simulated sex scenes” (p.13). Consequently, Blake Lively made moves to set boundaries through a meeting with Baldoni and Heath on January 4th 2024 accompanied by her husband Ryan Reynolds, and all parties allegedly agreed to the terms presented by Lively, allowing the film to still be made (p.2).

Yet, apparently this was not enough of a resolution for Baldoni and co, as displayed by the fierce and aggressive plans of attack from the PR company TAG (The Agency Group PR LLC) “to engage in “social media mitigation and proactive fan posting to counter the negative” as well as “social manipulation”” (p.5) an illegal style of PR called astroturfing*, of which consequences on Lively became the foundation for the complaint now publicised. The fight now made transparently clear to us is her challenge against Baldoni and co for the social destruction wrought on her, and with this publicity she has garnered support from official figures, fellow actors and actresses and fans in just a few short days.

A win then, for #MeToo?

I don’t think it’s that simple.

What is truly concerning to me about this latest Hollywood scandal is not the extent of the sexual harassment Lively and others allegedly suffered, but the complex and aggressive cover up launched by TAG, a cover up that quite frankly…. Was watertight. It’s been noted online by Lively’s supporters how TAG’s involvement should have been a red flag signal to us, as they are most notably associated with Johnny Depp and the alleged online smear campaign against Amber Heard during the 2022 Depp vs Heard trial (8), however that case had a very complicated coverage with most average viewers not aware of the intricacies of the trial, let alone in possession of hindsight towards the coverage itself. As someone who could have been termed “chronically online” during the trial, I myself was completely ignorant to the nuances of the case and certainly the PR tactics used by both sides, and at the time sided against Heard due to the oversaturation of voices against her. Even now, I find it difficult in looking up anything regarding the case to find clear information removed from fanaticism for Johnny or hate against Heard, so then how can the involvement of this same PR company ring the alarm bells for me?

This may seem like a minor complaint, one that you, dear reader, could find fault in me with, for not educating myself properly, but that is my exact point. We live in a supposed “age of information”, the digital age with knowledge at our fingertips… and yet a woman’s reputation was so easily and thoroughly torn to shreds, an extremely popular woman at that, often the apple of social media’s eyes due to her aspirational relationship with Ryan Reynolds and friendship with Taylor Swift, pop idol of millions. And how was she torn to shreds? Through our supposedly superior digital media. Through the information we all receive daily. Through every source available, fake online users overwhelming posts and forums with negative comments and “start[ing] threads of theories” (p.5) about her, third party contractors “who weaponized a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed, and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums” (essentially influencers who were directly involved in promoting anti-Lively content) (p.9), and tabloid and broadsheet articles fed and corrupted by half truths from TAG. What is terrifying is that this woman’s reputation and her case against the powers that be, her stand against sexual harassment and her #MeToo moment was almost and could still be lost to the void because of the reality of our media today, where all sources of information rather than just unofficial ones are dubious and questionable and are used to their fullest to obscure anything resembling truth. Already Baldoni’s legal team has been quick to defend him by publishing an official statement in the New York Times against Lively’s complaint, claiming that her accusations are “false” and “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film” from which the “internet generate[d] their own views and opinions” (9). It may not withstand the support Lively has already amassed, and the thorough, detailed publication of the events on set, but what is concerning is that the seeds of a counternarrative are already being sown. A counternarrative that has and will likely continue to be used to vilify victims of sexual assault, and scare them away from speaking up, making an example of someone as powerful and popular as Lively in a manner that makes me fear for the rest of us. It appears that the sword of misinformation and what I can only call propaganda is no longer exclusively wielded by the kings of industry and government.

Something that strikes me as so insidiously wrong in all the triumph from the supporters of victims of online campaigns, is this unwillingness to admit the potential for mistakes in information, in people’s conclusions or characters. Instead, there’s this mass celebration of having been in the right camp in the first place, of having said the right things and supported the right person, without making a single misstep.

Ironically, this righteousness characterises the case, as Baldoni’s stated intent behind the alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate comments towards Lively and others was in the pursuit of “making the Film “through the female gaze””, as well as to reflect Baldoni’s more progressive political views around sexuality and consent and his personal growth. The motivation behind the PR campaign against Lively too was highly centred around Baldoni’s desire to retain his image as a feminist ally, to remain righteous and so weaponised politically correct language and “survivor content” to draw audiences’ attention. It’s even mentioned in the complaint document that Baldoni proposed an “offensive move showing [ his] neuro divergence and some of the attributes that come with it," to explain that “anything that [ he had] been ‘accused of’ [was] social awkwardness and impulsive speech....", a move that appears to be consistent with recent interviews he’s had discussing his ADHD (10). Baldoni notably has been co opting politically correct language or topics in pursuit of concealment of his alleged wrongs, working to uplift his reputation as someone who talks the feminist talk, while apparently failing to walk the feminist walk.

It’s interesting then, to view this same adherence to faultless views and language to be reflected in the loud majority of Baldoni’s critics that I’ve observed. Such people appear to affirm their righteous status as having “always known something was off” and everyone needs to “believe women”, but appear to have failed to support Lively actionably, evidence their views, or beyond that, dissect the case and the powers that made it possible. Rather than an acknowledgement of any of the issues that forced a woman into a corner; that we are beginning to have a very serious problem in finding the truth; that more people than ever are choosing short form content and information over long form; and that a reactive, blameworthy culture has festered online, there’s instead a slew of self satisfied sycophants congratulating themselves because their political purity is unblemished.

The fact of the matter is, no matter how many of you are posting “I stand with Blake Lively” and talking about how you always believed her because “ugh it just seemed like another hating women cancel culture issue”, there is no merit to your virtue in weathering a storm of misinformation, despite what you may think, because its nature as misinformation and social manipulation was completely and utterly obscured in the first place. Blake Lively really did fail to talk about domestic abuse on her press tour, she really did avoid all questions on it or handle questions in a tactless manner. Baldoni did talk about the film’s series themes as he was applauded for. All it means then, is that you ignored the available information in favour of suspicions and personal preferences, and that in this particular instance you happened to support and condemn the correct parties… What will happen then, the day your gut is wrong?

So let me say something radical - I fell victim to the propaganda. Not significantly, not in any way that mattered, but my perception of Blake Lively was changed, I believed that she was the “mean girl” as she was painted by the media, my opinion of both her and her husband changed because “ah seems like they really are some rich entitled folks”, when hearing about his supposed involvement with scripts that he technically from what I could judge, had no right to be involving himself in. I didn’t care enough to comment on it, to hate at all, but I am guilty of believing all of it.

Why? It was the only information out there.

What was exempt was the story behind the scenes, the fact that Lively had fought a battle against alleged sexual harassment and reprehensible working conditions. The fact that her husband’s involvement was due to the alleged transgressions in the workplace. The fact that she was under contract to promote the movie as “a story of hope” (p.26) and to highlight the feminine themes and aesthetics. The fact that she was doing her job to avoid talking seriously about abuse because PR is still an act and obligation, and was doing her job to promote her brand which was preplanned by her and the companies involved. And the fact that Baldoni’s more impressive, serious interviews were a way to uplift his image in anticipation of the exposure of his alleged crimes.

It was not my fault for not being aware of the stage outside of the spotlight.

It is the fault of every internet user who perpetrated the wave of hatred and cancel culture, who fanned the flames of the witch burning of another woman, for participating in a culture of cruelty and condemnation. It is their fault for going to extremes and using snapshots of publicity through years of media to define their perception of a person, and using it to bully, mock and attempt to sabotage a woman’s career, ironically becoming the villains of the same story they demanded some profound commentary on. Not only becoming the villains, quite literally becoming complicit in the real life scenario of sexual harassment and abuse that their precious film was oh so important for. Trading a story’s importance for a real person’s life.

What is our fault is allowing and normalising this online behaviour.

On page 9 of the complaint document are screenshots of messages between Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel and TAG crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, the woman responsible for running the alleged PR campaign against Blake Lively. Nathan states “[ t] he majority of socials are so pro Justin and I don't even agree with half of them [sic] lol." (p.9).

It remains evident to me that the only reason this campaign was as powerful as it was was due to the audience unwilling to take it with a grain of salt, as the phrase goes, and who then went on to unwittingly become the biggest agents of it.

How then, is it a victory that people who ignored all information and blindly combatted it, or perhaps silently supported Lively but did nothing to substantiate it, were on the right side all along? How is that considered a victory when we now know the very successful machinations of social media manipulation, and the vicious extent they were taken to, to discredit and hurt someone?

You could be on the right person’s side every day of your life. What good does it mean if there is every avenue for misinformation, manipulation and abuse?

What good is there if you can’t help others stay on track with the truth?

What good is it if the good people you support end up suffering regardless, because of our culture’s habitual negligence of respectful, measured behaviour online, and lack of critical thinking.

Ultimately, it was not our fault for being fooled.

It remains, however, our responsibility to take a step back, re-evaluate our conduct, and search for the truth, to have minds open enough and humble enough to be able to change them. To accept the magnitude of information out there and the flux of “truth” presented in the media, and to rein in our intense impulse to react cruelly in the face of human error, in ourselves or those on the plethora of screens we’re surrounded by.

Without that understanding, any social movement, #MeToo or otherwise, will lose their efficacy and strength as they have started to in the past years, lose credibility in favour of reactionary social media usage, and the victims of abuse, sexual assault, discrimination or any other kind of injustice will once again be suffering. Pyres of the stakes we built to keep ourselves cosy, warm, and ignorant of the cold, grey, digital world around us.

*Astroturfing - the deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign in the guise of unsolicited comments from members of the public.

Sources (I’ve ensured to include links to an accessible archive version of the NYTimes articles):

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13727789/it-ends-blake-lively-justin-baldoni-feud.html

https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/justin-baldoni-it-ends-with-us-interview-rcna165792

https://www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/it-ends-with-us-blake-lively-justin-baldoni

https://www.tiktok.com/@cbsmornings/video/7400806313539718442

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blake-lively-cruel-response-ends-154520069.html?guccounter=1

https://youtu.be/F2-2RBi1qzY?si=hViBatehgTMOvxVA

https://web.archive.org/web/20241221211059/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/12/21/us/complaint-of-blake-lively-v-wayfarer-studios-llc-et-al.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/justin-baldoni-hires-pr-crisis-manager-melissa-nathan-it-ends-with-us-1235973715/

https://web.archive.org/web/20241221160802/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/12/21/us/statement-to-the-new-york-times.html

https://people.com/justin-baldoni-reveals-he-was-diagnosed-with-adhd-at-40-8756535

#blake lively #colleen hoover #justin baldoni #me too movement #it ends with us #articles #journalism #star writes

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simplegeneral · 2 hours ago

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HC: 14 years into the future of the DoD

Always disappointed with how little time passes in WoF, I decided to build a few headcanons of how the DoD are living at their 20 years old, 14 years after they ended the sandwing war.

Will do more with the Jade Winglet, but idk about Pantala, I don't have much ideas for that crazy place.

Clay:

Out of the dragonets of destiny, without doubt, Clay had the roughest entrance to real life. From an uncaring mother, to a nonexistent father, all he truly had were his siblings. Clay taught self-defense classes at the Jade Academy until the queens decided they would eventually replace him with more proper teachers of their choosing. Unfair as it was, Clay at that point only had Sunny and Starflight occasionally working there, thus his decision to leave it was a harmless one.

Clay would camp with his siblings through the land, ever curious to explore the world rather than live in one place, he was followed eventually by Peril, who would get together for a while, after officially becoming a couple only recently, as both of them had much to work in terms of their minds and souls.

Clay eventually would find work at the very organization which he started in, the Talons of Peace, not underground anymore and an official institution of peacekeeping led by Riptide. He would join them gladly, together with Peril and his siblings, working as an artist and publisher for them, Clay was finally where he wanted to be, at peace and working to spread the message of peace.

Sunny:

An inspired orator, Sunny would bath in the glory of having ended the war with humble aspirations. She founded the Jade Academy so every tribe may gather together and learn about each other, and while reality had hit harder than she could have predicted, she demonstrated that her spirit is not easily crushed by outside forces.

A principal, a teacher and a caring ever hopeful soul, she demonstrated her academy would survive the test of time. After an abysmal year in 5012 AS, 5013 AS had begun with inspiring news, Starflight’s project to demystify lies, stereotypes and harmful beliefs had brought credibility to the academy, and while ever doubtful of her abilities, Sunny constantly proved everyone wrong by working harder each time.

By 5025 AS, the Jade Academy is now the most prestigious institution of learning of all Pyrrhia, making even the most well-known icewing learning centers small in comparison.

While the other dod may have found someone in their lives to complete their halves, Sunny remains alone. The hope that she is building the future fulfills her heart, plus her life is incredibly busy as of now, being a former dod, she participates in the queen’s summit, frequently visits the sand palace as an adviser of queen Oasis II and still is a principal of the academy.

She is always somewhere, and everywhere at once! Some would ask if she is ever tired, and her response always is:

“Tired of helping the world heal? Pfft. Never!”

Glory:

Glory had faced her entire life the stereotypes and beliefs that her tribe was inferior to the rest, lazy worms who couldn't even inspire to be something in life... Yet she proved one rainwing can make the difference, all of them, change the world.

Going from a former DoD to a princess, and now main representative of the rainwings worldwide, Glory has worked tirelessly as much as Sunny to rebuild her society into the pride of Pyrrhia they once were, introducing writing, scrolls, printing machines and other technologies that were quickly revolutionizing the rainforest when mixed with local costumes and traditions.

RainWings by now have the highest scores in most subjects studied at the Jade Academy, thanks to their exceptional memories and learning abilities, mixed with almost uncanny calm and persistency. RainWing healers now work at almost every healing center and hospital of Pyrrhia, and traders from the rainforest are famous worldwide for their most exotic foodstuffs.

As of 5025, Glory rest easy as she tirelessly worked against discrimination of her tribe and the efforts have brought the RainWings and the world together once more, while she never found anyone that would complete her other half, she now passes her time wondering what the great RainWing queens of the past would think of her efforts, as she dives deep into their culture, after living her whole life as an outsider to her own people.

Starflight:

Starflight have had rough times since the second nightwing exodus out of their former island, suffering severe injuries due to the volcanic explosion, but nothing his nowadays self couldn’t handle. In time, he became the head of the library and begun realizing that the scrolls he once relied so much on his life were either incomplete or downright falsehoods he could only see through after the travels he had with the DoD in their fun adventure to end a war.

As the head of the library, Starflight felt personally responsible for the information they would pass down to future generations and sought to correct mistakes of the past, launching his partner and later wife Fatespeaker into expeditions across Pyrrhia to obtain first-hand information for the next series of books to be released and studied.

Whenever he is not in the library nowadays, he is at the queens’ summit as a former DoD and adviser of foreigner affairs and diplomacy of queen Greatness, although the later job he had honorably retired after the stress of the second exodus. Rarely though, he made visits to Renewal, the new capital and city of the NightWings outside of the rainforest, either visiting his step-sister Fierceteeth and her family, or despite being overall seen as an outsider by his nation, honorably as a DoD, being allowed a proper nightwing marriage ceremony with Fatespeaker.

Tsunami:

Tsunami had the welcoming home she always dreamed when she returned home in 5011 AS, but realities are often disappointing, after realizing her mother tried to murder her friends, held her sisters on a leash and was a braindead goose easily manipulated by Blister, she decided that enough was enough, challenging Coral and killing her mother, becoming the new queen.

With the tales of murdering both her mother and father, Tsunami saw herself in a situation simply too equal to the ones of her considered enemies, a monster. Even though she had the support of Anemone, and now had Auklet under her care, she decided that her redemption would come through helping the DoD from her now strong position.

As they ended the war on their terms, Tsunami was now a proper queen of the seawings and begun restructuring the queendom, undoing the severe mess her mother left it in, ensuring proper dragonet education, undoing Coral’s impressive propaganda system, and often using it on her favor to gain popularity among the common folk.

Now Tsunami, despite all, had grow solitary and tired of ruling, being ever pressured, after years of ruling, to find a proper king to announce successors of her own blood. While Riptide was on the line, the reality of both of their jobs, as well as the distance, made them merely exchange letters for so long until eventually they went their separated ways.

Tsunami and Anemone always considered Auklet to be the more proper queen of the seawings, growing without their vicious and uncaring tendencies, Tsunami intends to abdicate the throne in favor of her younger sister next year.

#wof #wof au #wings of fire #wof headcanon #headcanon #wof dod #tsunami #sunny #clay #starflight #glory #wof glory #wof tsunami #wof starflight #wof sunny #wof clay

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jeannereames · 7 days ago

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Master of Battles

Whoo-hoo!

I finished, in the wee hours of the morning (12:40am, in fact), the fifth book in the projected six-book series, Master of Battles. It seems like a good way to end the year!

I first started the series in December of 2019, and sailed through the first novel in a record eight months. (Covid may have helped.) But finishing book five on the last day of 2024 works out to about one book a year. The first book is only c. 101K, but the rest are all around 110K. Part of why what I originally envisioned as 3-4 books turned into 6 is the dropping wordcounts in publishing. 110K is now about the upper end of what publishers will accept.

No, Master of Battles doesn't involve Alexander. In fact, it's an anti-conquest epic fantasy. "When the Master of Battles becomes the Mother Peace, their world is remade."

Why am I not continuing Alexander? Well, Riptide isn't interested in the full series--they're a queer Romance publisher--and it took me a long-ass time just to sell Dancing with the Lion (which was cut in half). I'm loathe to work on novels that will take a decade (or more) to sell. Again. I anticipate that Master of Battles will market easier. If it does well enough, I may then be able to find a home for Alexander.

Because it's not sold yet, I'm unsure if the series title will change. And I may publish it under a pen name. (That's not uncommon when crossing genres.) So no, I have no timeline at all. But I've written (or plotted out) the entire thing in advance because I like my world-building facts (and plot threads) to line up.

#writing projects #Master of Battles #Master of Battles series

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plague-of-insomnia · 1 year ago

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The Promise AU: A Sebard Love Story

I’m very proud of this AU, and it’s very personal for me. I realized I couldn’t find a post for the first part of this series here on tumblr. So I decided to make a new post with links to all the currently published parts of this story. I would love if you read it and commented if you enjoyed it!

Please see individual pieces for their ratings and tags, as they vary.

Part I: The Promise

Sebastian pressed his head against Bard’s chest as if he were trying to meld them as one, letting loose a long, drawn-out sigh. “What’dyou do this time,” he mumbled, his breathing beginning to even out.

Bard held Sebastian, rubbing the other’s back in soft, soothing circles, rolling his eyes and scoffing. “Why does everyone assume I’m to blame?”

Relaxing further, the tall man began to grow heavy against Bard. “Tell me again, please?”

Bard wrapped a leg around one of Sebastian’s, as if his arms weren’t enough to keep his husband secure. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not today, not ever. I will protect you. I promise .”

Part II: Staying Afloat

Bard carefully perched on the edge of the bed beside his husband and linked his fingers with Sebastian’s far longer, more elegant ones, smoother, not covered in calluses and old burns. “We will get through this. Together. I promise.”

That made Sebastian smile faintly, even as tears struggled to break through. He refused to let them fall. Not now. He had shed more than enough over the past few weeks, and he was ready to stop wallowing in self pity and start trying to fight again. It was tiring being buffeted by waves constantly, but he wasn’t alone. He had someone to hold him when he felt ready to give in to keep him from sliding beneath the surface. Someone to help him stay afloat, to support and cherish him.

Part III: A Hopeful Halloween

“I got to cross ‘virgin’ off my sex bucket list.”

“Bard . . . I wasn’t—”

Shaking him subtly, as if to emphasize his point, Bard stared hard into his husband’s eyes, to leave no doubt that he was sincere. “You were to me.”

Sebastian’s lip and chest trembled. He slapped a hand over his mouth, but a sob burst through anyway.

“Hey, hey, shit. I’m sorry. I‘m an idiot. Forget I said anything.”

Sniffling, Sebastian shook his head emphatically. “Thank you.” He drew his fingers along Bard’s sideburn, scratching the stubble, making his husband shiver. “You never saw me as tainted, did you?”

Surprised, Bard replied, “Never.”

Part IV: Riptide

Kissing Bard always felt like coming home .

A home that Sebastian actually wanted. A home where he felt safe and loved. Licking his lips, savoring the taste of cigarettes and beer and Bard , he stared into his husband’s beautiful blue eyes. Eyes that had never looked at him with pity or disgust.

Absently, he trailed his fingers along Bard’s five o’clock shadow; he’d always loved the way the stubble tickled. A stark difference from the near flawless, hairless, overly-soft skin of his uncle.

Sebastian wanted to tell Bard out loud how much he appreciated and loved him, but the words caught in his throat.

Part V & Part VI: Coming Soon

Fan art originally by @geekeciel

#black butler #黒執事 #sebastian michaelis #bardroy #sebard #the promise au #fan art #fan fic fan art #riptide #staying afloat #a hopeful halloween #fan fic #modern au #poi writes #poi og

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pseudokap · 1 year ago

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my dear riptide oc has been redesigned look at him in his full sharky glory

gravel lore below (some taken from my old ref)

He is an artificer/druid cryptozoologist! Technically he is Sharkfolk based on a winghead shark but mechanically he is more like a Triton with an extra bite attack (because I haven't found a homebrew sharkfolk that I like)

He goes around researching and documenting cryptids!! He writes it all in his diary (the leather book, it's magical as well), makes artists impressions of cryptids according to the information he's collected and would probably be part of a cryptozoologist enthusiast club.

He also occassionally publishes his findings to like a small subscription magazine!! cryptid facts, sightings, stories etc.

Aside from cryptids, he also has done research on the species within Mana (e.g. documentation and studies) but his main interest is still cryptids.

He is very independent!! He has no crew and is usually solo so he usually hitchhikes on other pirate ships to get around and helps them out in exchange.

His damaged dorsal fin is actually from a run in with a navy battleship while he was on a pirate ship that did not turn out very well. Since he is pretty close with a lot of pirates he is indirectly also an enemy of the Navy government (he hates the navy anyway so its fine). I would consider him a true neutral.

He makes most of his artificer stuff out of bone because of the druid metal thing: he just paints it to appear metallic because he likes how it looks :]

fun facts:

- if you could not tell from the earring on the right: yes he is also gay

- he has 360 vision (like most hammerheads) and very good spatial awareness!

- his artificer subclass is alchemist but I still haven't decided the druid subclass. I am likely leaning towards circle of the stars or moon due to his ties to the water.

#riptide oc #jrwi oc #jrwi #pseudokart #gravel #i love him so much you have no idea #oc art

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venettus · 2 months ago

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⟡ — IS THAT TIPPI SAINT-JAMES I JUST SAW WALKING AROUND KILMER’S COVE? I HEARD THEY’RE A RESIDENT WHO’S BEEN HERE FOR FIVE YEARS. IT SLIPPED MY MIND, SINCE THEY JUST TEND TO HANG OUT AT THE CLIFFS . AT FACE VALUE, THEY’RE SAID TO BE DEVOUT AND GENTLE, BUT I DON’T KNOW… SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID THEY CAN BE QUITE STUBBORN AND ESCAPIST. JUST DON’T GET ON THEIR BAD SIDE, I GUESS! DON’T TELL THEM I TOLD YOU THIS, BUT I’VE HEARD THEY DO BELIEVE IN ALL THE GHOST STORIES AROUND TOWN. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THEM!

BIRTH NAME tippi elizabeth saint-james. KNOWN AS tips, much to her chagrin. AGE thirty. BIRTHDATE feb 2nd. GENDER + PRONOUNS cis woman + she/her. ZODIAC CHART aquarius sun OCCUPATION marine biologist & paleontologist, currently curator of tanya b. heady museum of natural history LANGUAGES english, spanish, latin

HEIGHT 5′ 5″ . HAIR blonde, styled in soft, voluminous curls that frame her face EYE COLOR green. HOMETOWN nantucket, massachusetts ACCENT a local accent of eastern new england english. SCENT mixture of honeysuckle, sicilian lemon and sea notes LIVING ARRANGEMENTS tba, living with her fiance PETS a white ragdoll that most resembles a ball of snow, named shelby CHARACTER INSPIRATION kya clarke ( where the crawdads sing ), danielle flinders ( submergence ), hedy lamarr ( for just how smart she was ) + marilyn monroe ( for her impeccable style )

an only child of two esteemed professors, a chemist, and a historian, weaned on science and the beauty of logic. an only child easily grows into a lonesome girl, especially on an island such as nantucket, which is no wider in length than the length of a dreamer's wish.

much of her childhood, she spent alone, raising herself in the family backyard, which was abutted on a body of water, whilst her parents traveled to and fro the mainland, too busy with work to truly and fully commit to their daughter.

say what you wish, as one always does, but it's the only sort of life that tippi has ever known. down by the water, where there are strong currents and shifting sands, she teaches herself how to swim and follow the riptide, and the first love that she finds, she finds with her magical touch, in the shape of seashells and conches — but here's the thing, everything is magic, except to the magician.

under her father's magnifying glass imported from england, she finds the first traces of an old life, but if only that were enough. she ought to know more and she ought to know the best.

at nineteen, she uproots herself in hopes of attending stanford, taking part in a dual degree program, which for she sacrifices and gives every inch and pound of herself. four years later, at only twenty-three, she begins her pursuit of her master's degree, and it's an odyssey that culminates at twenty-five, when she sinks her pearly teeth deep into the idea of a doctorate.

in need of something new, something better and entirely bored of california, she stumbles upon kilmer cove on her way back home, and the rest, as they say, is rust and seashells.

tippi's been a resident of kilmer cove for over five years now, and four of them, she spent working on her phd. she finally earned it last year, when she also got her promotion and became the curator of tanya b. heady museum of natural history. before that, she was one of many researchers working at the museum.

she has also published two books. one about the earliest known vertebrates and one children's book which is devoted and dedicated to the most notable extinct sea creatures. she sketched them herself of course.

she's currently working on her third book, though its theme and content are unknown to the public just yet — she's rather preoccupied with heading the museum and also planning her wedding.

loves an icy bath, you can catch her swimming always, regardless of the season and the weather.

known for her incredible personal sophistication and magnetism filled with warmth, though it's hard to get to know her beyond the surface. it's not you, it's the years she dedicated to science.

surprisingly a believer, but in a way that a scientist is. there's something that exists between people that just can't be so easily explained.

usually looks like she stepped out of a different era, since her style is greatly inspired by marilyn. that is, when she isn't knees-deep in mud.

her cat shelby is five and a half years old and tippi got her in hopes of avoiding further loneliness in kilmer cover, but that turned out quite differently in the end.

#kilmer.intro

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