#They don't have key pieces of their identities anymore

[saltpepperbeard]

david. *crawling through his window* david. the fact that ed and stede have both experienced harmful effects from monotony/having to live the same existence day after day after day is going to be a significant plot point/source of emotional conflict in the third season isn't it. david. that's why mary gave that whole speech to ed and stede isn't it. david. stede was so depressed having to go through the motions, and ed was so depressed having to do the same, so the idea of that happening to their relationship is probably going to be a terrifying concept for both of them. david. david can you hear me—

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

I don't trust Joanne at all.

I don't get why people use Joanne's words and motives as part of trying to figure out Amanda, Wooly, and Hameln.

Now let me clear this up now: I do not think Joanne is a bad person. She is willing to do anything to save her brother. And I think we need to understand that that anything is not within our best interests.

First off, I'm probably a bit biased considering I didn't trust Joanne from the very beginning. We meet this masked stranger who is somehow in our aunt's house. (Seriously, how did she get in there? Kate may have given her the keys but... why didn't she tell us about Joanne at all? If Joanne is helping Kate, shouldn't she have said that Joanne might help us too?)

I mean, I think it was a bad idea for Riley to just go into Joanne's car (and sleep in it no less) considering Joanne hadn't yet given us any real proof of her identity or even her name. Like Riley, stranger danger?!

Like if she had turned out to be someone from Hameln coming to kidnap Kate and/or Riley then this would've been really bad. I know she isn't, but at that point Joanne could've been anybody. And we just... went with her without question.

Then we break into the library with her. Like... even if she had Kate's keys she's not an employee there... so that's breaking and entering.

Then let's talk about Joanne's speech. Kate died because of her. Because she was willing to do anything to get her brother back... because she pushed Kate too far. Joanne admitted that this was mostly- if not all her fault. Now, I think she could be blaming herself a bit too much... it's probably not all her fault. But she also admitted that she used us. For her own gain. Not for Kate or our best interests.

But I think the interesting thing about this is that even though Joanne admits that she did all this... it doesn't stop her from doing it again.

In that Cassette tape, Kate was telling us what she wanted... she wanted us to stop. She wanted us to escape and never deal with Hameln's wrath. But instead of respecting Kate's wishes, Joanne goes directly against them, telling us to fight Hameln.

Once again, I'm not saying Joanne is evil or a terrible person. Just that she's working purely for her own goals... our safety and best interests are not on their radar like they were on Kates.

The whole scene of the Wooly monster killing her could mean anything, not just that it's siding with Hameln. I mean, it could definitely be siding with destroying the tapes... it could also be protecting Riley and Kate from a person who clearly dangerous to them specifically.

That night she screamed at Kate to give her those tapes... and I imagine she was probably pushing Kate really hard to find a solution. Kate and Riley are the only two known characters working in Amanda (and to some extent Wooly's) interests of escaping the tapes and ending the show so it can't hurt anyone anymore.

In the "Do you feel safe tape" Amanda warns us about strangers, and also seems to stop trusting us when she hears Joanne's voice. Remember, Joanne is not working in Amanda's best interests which seem to be our best interests as well. She doesn't want to save Rebecca, she wants to save Jordan. Kate probably knew that destroying the tapes would hurt Amanda and Wooly, she probably would have told Joanne this, but Joanne doesn't care. Amanda doesn't trust Joanne. She has every reason not to. We have every reason not to. For she is someone who is willing to sacrifice anything to save someone she loves... and as noble as that is... that includes us. Kate, Riley, Amanda, and Wooly. If it meant saving her brother... she probably wouldn't think twice about doing something that would bring them harm.

What I'm saying is, both demons recognized Joanne as a threat. Now does this mean they are both working to protect us? I have no idea. But Joanne being a threat to Riley and Kate is an interesting piece of the puzzle to consider.

I don't trust Joanne because she is only in it for her goals and not ours. Not that she's a bad person for doing so, plenty of people could probably imagine being willing to do almost anything to save someone they love. But with a person like that... you just can't trust everything they do and say.

Wooly warned us about strangers. Amanda warned us about trusting people. They were probably warning us... about Joanne.

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Yet again, it’s time to indulge in one of my favorite new year traditions: my ten favorite new-to-me films of 2024!

Every one of these movies got under my skin in one way or another and made this difficult year that much brighter. If you like, consider this a strong endorsement for each of them.

Same rules as always: no movies from this past year (2024) or the year prior (2023). Every other year is fair game.

01. Close-Up (dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1990; Iran; 98 min.)

"Tell him The Cyclist is a part of me."

Every now and then, you watch a film for the first time that knocks you sideways, that reminds you of the power and beauty in cinema, that lives up to every expectation you had for it, that works its way into your bloodstream to take up permanent residence as a part of you.

That was my experience finally watching Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up. While retaining his empathetic gaze, Kiarostami uses a real-life incident to crack open the very ideas of performance, escapism, identity, truth, and storytelling. Is it a love letter to cinema or a condemnation of its ability to distance people from reality? Is it both?

That this film exists at all is a miracle. Hossain Sabzian's performance (as himself) is miraculous in itself, too. There is simply nothing like Close-Up, and I am so grateful to have experienced it. I can't wait to revisit it for years to come.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

02. Paris, Texas (dir. Wim Wenders, 1984; West Germany/France; 147 min.)

"I wanted to see him so bad I didn't even dare imagine him anymore."

I mean this in the best way possible: Paris, Texas was not what I expected it to be at all. For years, I've heard it spoken of with reverence, and I've seen shots from it, and I generally knew the premise, but I didn't expect a film that was as nakedly emotional as this. Paris, Texas ripped my heart out over and over and over again, and I was grateful for it every time.

Everything about it is superb: Robby Müller's cinematography, creating poetry out of the neon-soaked desert; Ry Cooder's haunting guitar; Sam Shepard's enormously moving screenplay; Wenders' patient and precise direction. And then there are the performances! I waxed poetic about Harry Dean Stanton's performance yesterday in this post, but in short: it's a landmark performance. Nearly equally impressive, and with less screentime, is Nastassja Kinski, the key to the film's mystery.

This is an exquisite piece of work. What begins as an almost unbearably lonely film grows into one of bittersweet reconciliation, of healing. I'll be thinking about Travis and Hunter walking together on opposite sides of the street for a long, long time.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

03. Barton Fink (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1991; USA; 116 mins.)

"I tried to show you something beautiful."

I know I'm late to the party here (isn't that what these lists are all about?), but my God, what a major work. Barton Fink is every bit as dense and as literate as No Country for Old Men and as gripping and darkly hilarious as Fargo. John Turturro's performance is the perfect anchor, a twitchy live-wire with dueling inferiority and superiority complexes falling headfirst into a nightmare. He's matched (haunted?) perfectly by John Goodman, giving one of his best performances, using his folksy charm and twinkling eyes to terrifying effect. 

Again, though, the film is primarily an incredible achievement because of the Coens. Between their writing and directing, Barton Fink pulls at so many threads and juggles a number of conflicting tones to create a singularly hellish vision of Hollywood and an entertainment industry caught between World War II and the rise of McCarthyism. It's a marvel. I can't wait to watch it again and again.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

04. Hoop Dreams (dir. Steve James, 1994; USA; 171 min.)

"That's why when somebody say, 'When you get to the NBA, don't forget about me,' and that stuff. Well, I should've said to them, 'If I don't make it, don't you forget about me.'"

Hoop Dreams is every bit as monumental as its reputation suggests, both a masterpiece of non-fiction filmmaking and the blueprint for the next thirty years of documentaries. The editing work alone here is unbelievable, with the film starting life as a 30-minute PBS short and growing into a three-hour-long epic.

The triumph of Hoop Dreams is a reminder that documentary filmmaking is an act of sculpture. Director Steve James collected 250 hours of footage over five years of shooting, which he and his Oscar-nominated team of editors, Frederick Marx and William Haugse, whittled down to a single, thrilling experience. The film is long, but not without reason. By the end, you feel like you've lived William Gates' and Arthur Agee's high school years with them.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel and HBO Max.

05. Out of Sight (dir. Steven Soderbergh, 1998; USA; 123 min.)

"It's like seeing someone for the first time, like you can be passing on the street, and you look at each other for a few seconds, and there's this kind of a recognition like you both know something. Next moment the person's gone, and it's too late to do anything about it. And you always remember it because it was there, and you let it go, and you think to yourself, 'What if I had stopped? What if I had said something?' What if, what if... it may only happen a few times in your life." "Or once." "Or once."

Call it a crime thriller, call it a neo-noir, call it a rom-com, call it whatever you like: Out of Sight is all of them, and it's extraordinarily good at being all of them at the same time. Every aspect of the film is perfectly realized: Steven Soderbergh's impeccable command over tone and genre; Scott Frank's charming, intelligent, complicated screenplay; the unstoppable movie star charisma of George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Everything that makes Clooney such a compelling actor is on full display here, and I'm not sure he's ever been better. Same goes for Lopez: she hasn't gotten nearly the respect she deserves for being such a remarkable screen presence, even in movies that don't deserve her, but she's luminous in this. 

And, my God, Anne V. Coates' editing -- the brilliant story structure feels like it might fall apart at the seams if she hadn't held it together. Between a legend in the editing room and a legend in the making in the director's chair, Out of Sight seems to come together effortlessly. It's as graceful and entertaining a film as you'll ever see. I loved everything about it.

Currently available to rent on demand.

06. Punch-Drunk Love (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002; USA; 95 min.)

"It really looks like Hawaii here."

This one really is magical, huh? Between the cinematography (Robert Elswit, a legend) and the music (Jon Brion, a legend) to the beautifully funny script by director Paul Thomas Anderson, just about every individual aspect of the film sings. This is true, too, for the performances -- Emily Watson is always so lovely, and Luis Guzmán should probably be in every PTA film ever made, but especially Adam Sandler (who, Uncut Gems be damned, has never, ever been better), and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who makes a three-course meal out of minimal screen time.

I feel like I've seen or catastrophized the worst possible version of a movie like this so many times -- an off-kilter indie love story between two #weirdos, the kind of thing that aimed to replicate this film or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- but the experience of actually seeing Punch-Drunk Love knocked me out. It's just so funny and romantic and sad and sweet and winning. It's a thing of real beauty.

Currently available to rent on demand.

07. Female Trouble (dir. John Waters, 1974; USA; 97 min.)

"This is so exciting! Just think of all the little horror stories that go on in other people's lives!"

What a terrific vehicle for Divine. What a brilliant continuation of the Dreamlanders' work. I certainly appreciated Pink Flamingos, even if it made me genuinely sick, and I understand why it's still seen as Waters' masterpiece, but to me, Female Trouble almost feels like a more complete, more precise, and more vicious variation of the earlier film. As a hit job on the sensibilities of good taste, its aim is deadly.

The film's look and sound is more polished and impressive than in Pink Flamingos, too, particularly Van Smith's astonishing costumes, Vincent Peranio's production design, and the horribly catchy theme song. The whole film feels like a fever dream, and it would be very easy to imagine this as a straight-up horror movie if there wasn't such a relentlessly funny rebellious spirit to it. Even still, the final act is genuinely disturbing. "Who wants to die for art?"

It's horrible. It's wonderful. It's kind of a masterpiece in its own sick way.

Currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

08. Memories of Murder (dir. Bong Joon-ho, 2003; South Korea; 131 min.)

"What did he look like?" "Well... kind of plain." "In what way?" "Just... ordinary."

At the risk of saying something extremely obvious, Bong Joon-ho is a really great director, huh? Purely looking at how he manages to make Memories of Murder -- one bleak, bleak, bleak film -- both extremely funny and extremely upsetting and, in multiple sequences, genuinely frightening, it's clear that Bong is a generational talent. 

The cast is stacked (of course) -- Song Kang-ho holds the whole thing together beautifully, lending the final shot its gravitas, but he's flanked by the likes of Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha, Byun Hee-bong, and, most memorably, the chilling Park Hae-il.

It's just kind of a knockout on all levels, from that gorgeous golden hour cinematography at the beginning giving way to the muted grays of the procedural to the way Bong milks an overwhelming sense of dread out of something as mundane as a rainstorm.

Currently available to rent on demand.

09. The Long Goodbye (dir. Robert Altman, 1973; USA; 112 min.)

"It's okay with me."

A neo-noir crime thriller with the vibes of a 70s hangout movie, The Long Goodbye is everything you could ever want from a Robert Altman/Philip Marlowe movie: grimy, rambling, uncomfortable, and very funny in its own bone-dry way. The soundtrack consisting of just one song? Inspired.

Elliott Gould is the perfect center for the film, giving a wonderfully relaxed, effortlessly cool performance. Altman's naturalistic conversation style mixes beautifully with the genre's stylized dialogue (and every other character tells Gould how cute he is, and you know what? It's true!). Also, it's got one of the great movie cats.

I'm positive I missed some of the inner workings of it, but it washed over me like a wave at the beach, and I loved every bit of it.

Currently available to rent on demand.

10. Crooklyn (dir. Spike Lee, 1994; USA; 114 min.)

"Ladybug, you turned out pretty good considering you were raised in a house full of ashy, rusty-butt boys."

Maybe it's just how inundated we currently are with this subgenre -- Esteemed Filmmaker Reflects On Their Childhood, à la Belfast and The Fabelmans and Roma -- but I can't help but feel like Crooklyn would become something of an awards darling in 2024. Like the best of the subgenre's newer films, Spike Lee's look back isn't really about him. He's definitely there (or at least a spectacled Knicks-loving stand-in is), but Crooklyn is primarily about growing up from the perspective of his sister Joie -- or rather, her stand-in Troy.

It's also more generally about the dynamics of the family and, by extension, their neighborhood. In both regards -- as a portrait of Black girlhood in the early '70s and as a memory piece of a family on the precipice of a major turning point -- the film is a triumph. The cast is tremendous, from the parents played by Alfre Woodard and Delroy Lindo, to the miraculously well-cast group of kids. Their chemistry together is magical (and my God, they are all so cute -- the scene of them singing along to the Partridge Family is instantly iconic to me).

There are so many well-observed slice-of-life moments in the film: all of the scenes of the family spending time together, RuPaul(!) in the bodega, Aunt Song (a very good Frances Foster) singing Christian songs while Troy stares at her. And, because it's a Spike Lee joint, Crooklyn is a stylistic and technical achievement. It has one of the most audacious aspect ratio changes I've ever seen (and honestly, I'm not sure if it's successful, but I admire the swing!), plus one of the funniest uses of the floating dolly shot in any of Lee's movies.

A supremely lovely film.

Currently available to rent on demand.

Other films I loved (in alphabetical order): After Hours (dir. Martin Scorsese, 1985); Aguirre, the Wrath of God (dir. Werner Herzog, 1972); An Autumn Afternoon (dir. Yasujirō Ozu, 1962); The Bad News Bears (dir. Michael Ritchie, 1976); Baseball (dir. Ken Burns, 1994); Big Trouble in Little China (dir. John Carpenter, 1986); Blue Velvet (dir. David Lynch, 1986); Burn After Reading (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 2008); The Cassandra Cat (dir. Vojtěch Jasný, 1963); Eyes Wide Shut (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1999); Green Porno (dir. Isabella Rossellini, 2008); Heaven Can Wait (dir. Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, 1978); High Hopes (dir. Mike Leigh, 1988); History is Made at Night (dir. Frank Borzage, 1937); The Hunt for Red October (dir. John McTiernan, 1990); I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (dir. Patricia Rozema, 1987); The Insider (dir. Michael Mann, 1999); It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1963); Joy Street (dir. Suzan Pitt, 1995); La Haine (dir. Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995); La Roue (dir. Abel Gance, 1923); Leave Her to Heaven (dir. John M. Stahl, 1945); Love Letter (dir. Kinuyo Tanaka, 1953); Marnie (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1964); The Match Factory Girl (dir. Aki Kaurismäki, 1990); Miller's Crossing (dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, 1990); Morning for the Osone Family (dir. Keisuke Kinoshita, 1946); Oslo, August 31st (dir. Joachim Trier, 2011); Querelle (dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982); Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World (dir. Shirley Clarke, 1963); RoboCop (dir. Paul Verhoeven, 1987); The Salesman (dir. Asghar Farhadi, 2016); Seconds (dir. John Frankenheimer, 1966); The Shop on Main Street (dir. Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, 1965); Simon of the Desert (dir. Luis Buñuel, 1965); Spellbound (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1945); The Thing (dir. John Carpenter, 1982); Tokyo Godfathers (dir. Satoshi Kon, 2003); Tokyo Olympiad (dir. Kon Ichikawa, 1965); Twister (dir. Jan de Bont, 1996); The Unknown (dir. Tod Browning, 1927); Walking (dir. Ryan Larkin, 1968); When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (dir. Mikio Naruse, 1960); Wooden Crosses (dir. Raymond Bernard, 1932)

And finally, some miscellaneous viewing stats:

First movie watched in 2024: The Cassandra Cat (dir. Vojtěch Jasný, 1963)

First movie seen in theaters in 2024: I Know Where I'm Going! (dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1945)

Final movie watched in 2024: Asteroid City (dir. Wes Anderson, 2023)

Final movie seen in theaters in 2024: Interstellar (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2014)

Least favorite movie: Viva Zapata! (dir. Elia Kazan, 1952)

Oldest movie: How a Mosquito Operates (dir. Winsor McCay, 1912)

Longest movie: La Roue (dir. Abel Gance, 1923 - 413 min.)

Shortest movie: Stellar (dir. Stan Brakhage, 1993 - 2 min.)

Month with the most viewings: February (54)

Month with the fewest viewings: October and November (7 each)

First movie from 2024 seen: Drive-Away Dolls (dir. Ethan Coen)

Total movies seen in theaters: 30 (including shorts)

Total movies: 246

[cryptidcorners]

Could you write something about Mike comforting his trans significant other?

Understood - Mike Schmidt x Trans!Reader

Description: After a long day of work, Mike returns to find you sitting in the dining room alone trying to process your long awaited phone call, and he comforts you through it.

# requested by anon

Media: FNaF!Movie

Character: Mike Schmidt

Tags: Trans!Reader (Identity is not specified.) Angst to Fluff, Comfort, Encouragement, Established Relationship, Private Setting, Loving Comments/Affection, Emotional, Cuddling, Cheering You Up.

Warnings: Mentions of Transphobia, Self-Loathing, Coming Out Gone Wrong, Depressive Thoughts.

read my TOS + Mike Schmidt Masterlist

Your nails lightly dragged across the tabletop, eyes wandering across the dining room as deep firefly light from the sunset began to decay. The neck of the telephone was inches away from your fingertips and your thoughts were as fast as an infuriated beehive. Unpredictable and wild. You wanted to fist in those digits again, spit through the line and give that horrid character a piece of your mind.

Yet, your eyes were warm with fresh tears and melancholy. You doubt you could choke up whatever was brewing in your head despite it all. You couldn't take it anymore—You didn't want to feel pain like this, all you wanted was for everything to be simple. Why was it so hard for her to understand? To understand you? To understand why? You tried to hold a tough face and wallow miserably in silence. But, you ended up hunched overead rested on the wooden surface with a quivered jaw and soaked face, trying to hold back your winces and gasps.

You had no sense of time until you heard the familiar twist and jingle of the front door opening. You straightened up immediately, messily cleaning your face with a low rasp. Mike's keys sang within his grip, and collided together as he fished them out of the thin design of the lock immediately. His eyes were narrowed, "You wouldn't believe what happened, we—baby?" His whole figure shifted. You had never heard his tone change that dangerously before.

"It's fine. I'm fine," you immediately defended yourself. Mike dropped everything and rushed towards you, bent on one knee as he gazed up at you. His gentle hand was on your leg, stroking it gently. "What happened? Baby, look at me. Are you okay? Did–" Mike read your face and his sight concluded to the telephone. His face turned into something stormy as he whispered, "You made the call?" His breath slowed instantly.

You nodded with tears in your eyes. You couldn't help it. Like some bottle filled beyond the brim, you started sobbing. Mike stood up and pulled you to his chest, hugging you warmly as your tears seeped into his uniform. Everything spilled, and you were lucky to have Mike there to hold you through it. You swallowed harshly, "She said I was killing her by doing this. She said she'd never see me this way. What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing." Mike grabbed your face, "Baby, you did nothing wrong, you understand? She doesn't decide who you are, nobody does. You do. Only you." He explained softly, "I'm so sorry this happened, but I need you to know. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not hurting her, okay? Baby, look at me in my eyes. You—are perfect. Nobody can take that away."

Your breaths began to ease. Yet, there was still some sort of pooling guilt in your gut. "I can't just—leave her. She was so kind to me, I just . . ."

"She isn't somebody worth your love if she just treated you like that." Mike told you, "Please, don't talk to her. She doesn't deserve to see you after this. You are loved. And I understand. I see you."

"Thank you." Your breath grew jagged at the sheer emotional impact of his words. You rubbed your thumb in circles, melting comfortably within his touch. "Thank you so much, Mike."

Mike had led you back to his room after a couple minutes of silence. He was hugging you tightly, saying how perfect and beautiful you were, kissing your tears away. He took your hand, and pressed his lips against your knuckles. "I love seeing you smile, baby. More than anything. You're perfect."

You rested your forehead against his with a content expression. "I love you too, Mike." Comfortable silence filled the air. "Thank you—for being here for me . . ."

Mike caressed your face, "You deserve someone to be there for you. No matter what. Besides, it's the bare minimum. " he kissed your cheek once more. His face grew serious, "By the way, if I ever see her again, I'm kicking her ass."

"You don't need to do that, Mikey." You assured. Mike sighed, "Alright, fine. I'll respect your wishes." You could tell he was lying. But, you didn't have the energy to correct him. Regardless, you wouldn't be upset if he did end up making her lick her own shoe. Suddenly, his warm hands found their way to your waist and he rolled on top of you. Kissing your neck gently and making you squirm and giggle. You couldn't ask for anything more. And neither could he.

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

Oh for crying out-

Yall I'm so for real right now, if I have to see one more person say something like "a Lesbian can't date a Trans man, it's disrespectful to both identities!" I will lose my goddamn mind.

The problem here is that you are conflating "Lesbian" with "only likes girls" and Trans man with "guy who previously identified as a woman". And these are both true, however there is one very important aspect you forgot while piecing these together.

Sexuality and gender identity are both fluid.

You saw the labels and logically thought "well Lesbians like girls, therefore being interested in a Trans man would be invalidating to his gender identity". But you forgot that key factor. We don't choose who we are attracted to. It's what we've been saying this whole time while the hets tell us to choose straightness.

Nobody ever falls into labels perfectly. If they did, history would be much simpler. But nobody gets to choose the way they feel. This is how these labels were formed to begin with. You think there was always a word for Nonbinary? Nope. But people explored, they learned about themselves and realized they didn't fit the bubbles that were already made.

Hell, I've had a Lesbian friend confess she had feelings for me even while I was a guy. To look her in the eyes and tell her that she's not a Lesbian anymore, that she needs to find a new label because this one isn't for her? That is what's disrespectful to her identity, not her own feelings.

I'm not saying these words don't have meaning, they do. And the distinguishment between them is very important. But like all things, they are still fluid. There is a difference between man and woman but that doesn't stop yours truly from being here.

If the fluidity of these things did not exist, many of the labels you like to force people in would not either. And once we begin adding ridged borders to what dictates who people can be, we become the same as the people who would have us dead.

[pannman]

I have a angsty and fluffy request for you to write. Post season 1 finale; Vaggie painfully transforms into a humanoid and sentient Weremoth during one particular blood moon, and Charlie happens to walk in during the midst of it and tries to comfort Vaggie the best she can. What happens next is up to you!

Hopefully this is within the guidelines.

You're good. I'm not too experienced with angst but I love a challenge so here goes

The Other Secret

Cw: Angst, violence, body horror, hurt/comfort

Vaggie had become very good at hiding her secrets. Her being an Angel unfortunately came out. But her other secret was still hidden

She mostly kept this one hidden for other's safety. (She also thought she looked hideous when she turned)

It was very strange but since she had fallen to hell she was at first shocked her angelic appearance had changed very little. It wasn't until her first blood moon that she discovered her "curse".

She was so afraid for Charlie to find out. Even worse if she accidentally hurt her. Her memory was in pieces like a broken mirror and a bit out of order but she remembered seeing her own appearance. She was a monster

And now even though Charlie had accepted her past as an Angel. Something still held her back from telling her about this. Maybe it was protectiveness, maybe it was insecurity, maybe it was the fear that having one big secret you haven't told your partner was bad enough but two... what if Charlie didn't trust her anymore?

She just had to continue to disappear every blood moon. She found an excuse somehow every time and would go into hiding and chain herself to the walls of an abandoned warehouse

This time though something went awry...

It all started when she told Charlie she was going away for the night to practice her fighting skills. Her skills were getting rusty is what she claimed. Just a late night training session and she promised to try not to stay out too late. (Spoiler alert she was going to stay out the whole night) she could deal with a lecture about self care from Charlie in the morning

Charlie believed her skills were sharp as ever but still decided to give her girlfriend some space and let her go out and train. Vaggie made her way to the warehouse which was still empty it seemed. She went inside and began the process of chaining herself. She placed a lockpick close by. In her monster form she couldn't use them so it was the perfect key

She sat and waited as night fall came. She wasn't excited for this part. She felt her bones shift rapidly... painfully. She felt her body contort like a million muscle pains and her insides burned. She screamed out an agonized scream that transformed into a monstrous shriek.

Her arms and legs extended and thinned out like giant insect legs but with wolf like feet and claws. Wings grew out of her but they were Moth wings. Her face and skull began to stretch painfully into a wolflike snout. A third set of arms sprouted out of her body pulling her skin like a rubber band.

Her teeth became canine like. And her eyes rolled to the back of her skull and then turned blood red. Her ears stretched and shifted to the top of her head becoming pointy. Her senses heightened and her self awareness and sense of identity had left her mind

In this new form she felt claustrophobic and panicky. She forgot where she was and who she was. She she needed to get out. Somewhere! Anywhere! She struggled in her chains. Lashing out angry and scared

Suddenly her head snapped in the direction of a voice

"I thought I heard something in here"

Then another voice

"You told me this place was abandoned! We can't do deals here if there's a squatter in here!"

The other voice talked back

"Relax, well just kill em"

Vaggie yanked on the chains feeling a wave of panic and confusion. She screeched loudly as two sinners came into vision

All she saw was a threat...

"What is that thing?!?"

They pulled out angelic knives

"I don't know but it looks like it's all tied up"

The other seemed scared

"Let's get out of here!"

While the one had a dangerous look in his eye

"Or maybe we can use it to our advantage... hey! You! You want outta here you gotta do as we say"

Vaggie only sensed danger, lashing out and before she knew it the chains snapped...

Charlie was getting worried at how late it was getting. She had texted Vaggie a hundred times. Maybe her phone was just turned off... Charlie had a bad feeling. She knew Vaggie needed space sometimes but she also sensed a growing distance between them. It hurt and she knew Vaggie was keeping something from her. But she couldn't imagine why. Especially after she knew she was an angel now. Of course she had been upset at first

Maybe her reaction is what made Vaggie feel the need to keep more secrets from her. Had she been too harsh? Did she make it hard for Vaggie to trust her? Was this all her fault?

Charlie couldn't just sit there anymore. Her thoughts were just bubbling up too much. It's time she just talked to Vaggie about these feelings. After all communication was the key to a healthy relationship

She left Alastor in charge while she went out in search of her girlfriend. She wasn't quite sure how she was going to find her. She hadn't quite thought this through

Suddenly she heard screams coming from a distance. This was usually a sign that one should stay away. In hell screams of pain and terror were kinda normal. But what if Vaggie is over there? In danger even!?!

Charlie sprinted off in the direction. That's when she saw it. A large mothlike beast with some canine like features. It screeched and howled and tore a man apart, ripping him into ribbons. Charlie had never seen anything like it in all her years of hell

She got up close, manifesting her pitchfork in hand. The creature lashed out at her... but then it stopped. It looked afraid and it looked sad as soon as it seen her. Like it recognized her. Charlie didn't know how she knew. She just did.

"Vaggie...?" She reached out. Vaggie pulled away, backing up. "Grrraaugh..." it sounded like her voice was trying to break through "grraahhh don't look at me errrr" her voice was echoey for some reason

"Vaggie, is this what you've been hiding?" Charlie asked with not a hint of malice nor judgement in her tone. Only concern and love. "I'm a monster" Vaggie growled tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I'm hideous!" she cried.

"Vaggie, I love you. I love every part of you. Your strengths and your flaws. I'm here for you" she spoke soothingly. She reached out again. Vaggid pulled away for a second but then stopped. Charlie placed her hand on Vaggie's cheek. She then pressed her forehead onto Vaggie's

"You're always so hard on yourself. You always treat yourself like a burden... but my life wouldn't be the same without you. And if this is something you suffer from, I want to be there for you. Just like you're always there for me" Charlie caressed Vaggie's face and wiped away her tears

It was then that the full moon finally set as the sun began to rise. Vaggie transformed back. It was as painful as before in reverse. She collapsed into Charlie's arms. Charlie scooped her up and began to carry her. "Let's go home" she whispered with a soft kiss to her temple

"We'll talk more when you are awake"

[elfhunk]

it's so funny that this stupid tumblr blog is paying a key role in the re-socialization of my fucked up brain.

below the cut because it's a sentimentally hopeful bummer but still indeed a bummer about some mental health brain stuff.

like. most of you do not actually... know me? i am making no effort to separate this blog from my actual identity.

but you do not have the context of me working my ass off for four years in art school, hitting an art block so severe that it sent me into a tail dive so severe i did not draw for several years, to my life being blown up and pieced back together at least three times now. it was a perpetual cycle of adrenaline fueled sprinting and cataclysmic disaster that i intentionally hid from everyone until it was too late.

like. i literally don't know how to draw anymore. not consistently, anyway. people joke about not using their degrees but i have taken it to an unexpected extreme. my friends have honestly (very nicely) begun teasing me whenever i say that i am bad at drawing because of how patently untrue it is.

anyway, if any of you have been wondering why i'm so delightful?

it's because something is deeply wrong with me, in a way that i am only starting to understand recently.

i now know that i am (probably, adult diagnosis is complicated!) autistic, i know that i have ADHD, and i know that i have experienced certifiably CPTSD level trauma. my therapist even confirmed for me that these things in combination do in fact result in me meeting diagnostic criteria for BPD, which is fun. did you know that entire diagnosis is under contention? it's a whole thing!

anyway, i learned that there was something deeply fundamentally destructive about the ways i was using tools like twitter or tumblr.

when i was using social media ages... what, 13-25? i was effectively a roiling ball of overstimulated receptors seeking to be everything to everyone in the desperate attempt to have my existence acknowledged. i saw that art that i made for myself didn't get me attention, so i stopped making it. i became a terrifyingly self-critical ball of nastiness that saw no point in doing anything unless it was perfect.

i saw no point in existing unless i was perfect. when i stopped making art, it began to bleed into the rest of my existence. my job performance had to be perfect. my etiquette and attitude had to be perfect. my body had to be perfect. my skin had to be perfect. my hair had to be perfect. if a flaw was identified, it was buried immediately.

this whole "delightful prince charming" shtick i've ended up adopting just sort of gradually became the safest way i knew how to navigate the world. it was a character i got extremely good at playing. it was turning into a perfectly lovely way of living life exclusively in service to other people. everyone thought it was so admirable and good of me. but then the gnawing evidence of my flaws continued to build up again. and everything blew up again.

because, dear reader? this is a terrible character to try and occupy in all waking hours of your life. the mask is going to fall eventually.

so, that brings us to this tumblr. this silly little place.

i am 28 now, and things are very different. i still have a lot of problems to figure out. i still have emotional flashbacks of varying intensity to an age where i am not even verbal and do not have words to articulate what i want or need. it's wild. i didn't even know that could happen. don't get traumatized as a baby, y'all.

but i do know what man i am trying to be. i do know that people really like that man. he's cool and interesting and sexy as fuck. i need to afford him more space to be imperfect, because i am the only one expecting perfection from him.

so that's why i am kind of digging this blog. i still get to play that character. i still get to enjoy existing in this weird way that i've carved out for myself. but i don't need to obsess over it being perfect all the time. i don't have to care what you think of me. i don't know you.

you're a goddamn stranger passing in the train station.

and i am a silly little horse doing a dance. because damn this silly little horse loves to dance. and he's doing it for himself.

[wintergale27]

Another random group of background characters!!

This time, it's Batwing, Bugberry, and their kits. The cave colony's #1 dysfunctional family.

(Rambling character info + a bonus piece under the cut!!)

Batwing (she/her) is the head of camp for the Cave Colony. She's always been a bit prickly, often disagreeing with the cats around her. She met Bugberry through cooking duty, as he likes to experiment with making sauces out of berries (hence his namesake). They were an unlikely couple, with little in common, but they eventually grew close enough to announce that they had become mates.

Bugberry (he/she, transfem) has always been kind of just...mediocre. An alright hunter, good enough at fighting, passable at crafting. But she's always been kind of lonely. Even after joining the colony, his mother's advice of how a proper, respectable tom-cat should act stayed in his head. So when the gorgeous she-cat working the fire beckoned him over, who was he to say no?

Their mateship started out decent. They both were getting what they wanted out of it, and the other's company wasn't so bad, really. But a few moon cycles after Batwing delivered their kits, Bugberry started having some thoughts about himself. He wasn't so sure that "tom-cat" entirely described him anymore. But when she tried to get Bat's advice on the matter, Bat didn't exactly react so great.

She called off the relationship right there, declaring that Bugberry was no longer the tom she fell in love with. Bug tried to talk it out, but, there wasn't much she could do. Their kits were confused by the change, where was Mama going and why does Papa flinch when they call for him?

Elk (she/her) is the oldest of the litter. At 8 moon cycles, she was enjoying training under the colony Heads with her brothers. Was being the key word here. Lately it just seems like...somethings off. Her body doesn't quite hurt, but it definitely doesn't feel right. Why can't she remember what she was doing before Ma came in to yell at her for slacking off?

Web (he/him) has a lot of pressure on his shoulders from Batwing. As he's nearly identical to her, she picked him out of the litter to be her "perfect son". She expects too much of him, and when the Heads report that he needs more one-on-one work to get the hang of his training, it nearly sets her off. He can't be anything less than perfect, and that definitely shouldn't include the longing looks he sends at the new cross-colony trainee.

Quail is...forgotten most of the time. Even as hard as Baba tries, to Quail it feels like sometimes she still sometimes overlooks him to go to one of his siblings. He's perfectly average! Better than Web at everything, and he's almost caught up to Elk in hunting practice. Driftingcloud even called his trailmarker perfect the other day. But neither of his parents are there with encouraging words. So when Greywind offers for him to come along to deliver a message to the Ridge, he jumps at the opportunity. This unfortunately (perhaps? It seems that there are two ways this could end) leads to Quail being taken under the wing of Grass, a trainee from the Ridge that has a bit of a reputation for being a bully. They bond over their shared experiences and find solace in each other's company.

While Batwing and Bugberry co-parent the three, it seems like Bugberry is putting in most of the work. But some of the cats around Bugberry don't quite understand her, and despite the cave full of company, she has never felt more alone.

All in all, they all have very little role in the main story of Eye of the Storm. But, I like to develop each of my characters, no matter how minor they seem, so here they are. I like to image that I might make some mini comics or writing blurbs about the background stories happening.

Anyway, to offset all that teenage angst, here is a little piece of the siblings enjoying themselves.

[rametarin]

Publications and journos lost their power because of the internet.

In Ye Olde Days, communication on behalf of a teeming mass was key. Whom got to speak and be heard and understood largely depended on whom owned the podium. That often depended on whether one was a legitimate representative of an elected institution, or a journalistic paper of repute for the interests of the proprietors and the people that back it.

This also gave journalistic papers and other things a kind of big headed attitude that they got to dictate TO the little people, their interests, in the name of their interests, and it made them prime targets for infiltration by the kinds of people that think they know best for you and the public at large. It gave them the opportunity to cherrypick articles and fine tune and condition their audience by choosing what information to publish, what information to suppress, and to spend an inordinate amount of time with their own ulterior motives speaking as if their axes to grind are the community they represent.

People needed a way to orderly and efficiently get their message across, be seen, and for others to see and hear it, because maybe they never thought of it that way before. That's what community Q&A questions are at town halls. But they're usually woefully inefficient, or they pick people that don't have good questions, or they choose plants to avoid being asked any meaningful questions- or, for example, it's just full of Trump hats that just ask, "SO HOW DO THE LIVES OF ABORTED FETUSES TASTE, YOU MURDERING BARBARIAN?" and that helps no one and nothing.

We no longer require organized publications in order to properly represent the voices of the people in a democratic fashion. Journos are no longer the defacto voices of the people or fandoms they claim to represent. And that power they have to act like parents over dependent children is not necessarily required anymore.

The internet provides a way for people to cohesively and comprehensively have some variety of an identity that is a pseudonym, say their piece, and it not be buried under a billion spam notifications. It can be posted and reposted ad nauseum. It can be seen by everybody at the assembly across time and space, and verified to have existed, so it can't just be swept under the rug or power pretend it never saw it- the public can hold them to account and make sure they see it.

But Journos are no longer necessary for groups to be represented, or have someone speak for them whose integrity is important to represent their interests, and are susceptible to compromise and fall from grace.

We're not beholden to them as a facet of society so people can make organized sense out of the noise that is hundreds of millions of voices all crying out in discordant nonsense. They can still be important filters, but they aren't endowed with that monopoly anymore.

And they, similarly, don't get to determine what we want or need, or convene to others what we really think, different from what we're saying.

[purificide]

Development - Basic room

(Descriptions to screenshots are written underneath the screenshot being quoted)

The basic room is the most common room, it is used as the logic to procedural generation and took the most work.

(Basic room)

(Big room)

First the room creates a reference to the player to be used later, then simultaneously checks if it needs to spawn a key, determined when the room spawns, and at the same time, using the "spawned direction" variable the room knows which direction it has been spawned from, so it removes the direction it was spawned from as a possible place to spawn a room and sets one of the doorways to an archway to match the hallway that is connecting it to the previous room.

After those initial settings, this piece of code is run, the game mode is cast to in order to get references to the amount of rooms still left to generate. The "spawning direction" integer map variable is shuffled, with each integer corresponding to an available direction for a room to be spawned in, in order to randomly select a direction to spawn a room, next, a custom for loop with an added delay is used in order to prevent lag from spawning large quantities of rooms at once, after checking that there is rooms left to generate, upon true, the requirements to spawn a big room are checked, if there are more than 20 rooms left to generate and a 10% chance is returned true, a big room spawns, otherwise another basic room spawns.

After the for loop with delay finishes, the remaining doorways that weren't used are turned into walls.

Spawn Logic

When a room is spawned a function is triggered using a specific enumerator (enum) determining which direction the room is supposed to be spawned in, the function uses this enum in order to determine the location and rotation of the spawned room and hallway. Similarly to the main room, a line trace is fired in order to check if the space is occupied or not, if not, a room is spawned 75% of the time for more randomness, at the same time a calculation is done to determine whether all keys have been spawned and if enough rooms have been spawned in order for a key to be able to spawn, under right conditions, the room it is spawning will spawn a key inside it. Next, multiple variables are managed in order to ensure the next room has the correct room spawning logic, after which a hallway is spawned connecting the newly spawned room and this room and this room is told that a room has been spawned in this direction by removing a variable form the unset doorways variable map.

Basic room enum

The Big room spawn function works almost identically, with a few more variables and line traces to account for its size and amount of rooms.

Big room enum

S= south, W = west, N = north, E = east, T = top, B = bottom

Spawning enemies

For the first time when the player enters a room, enemies spawn.

When the player overlaps a trigger within the room which is impossible to dodge, the tick for the room is enabled and navigation is updated within the player, allowing nearby AI to pathfind to the player and the doorways are blocked and enemies are spawned in the 4 locations within the room.

When doors are blocked, blocker static meshes occupy preset positions and their materials are set if they are in an archway and not in a wall.

Since tick was enabled, the room is able to use its event tick event which checks if all enemies have been killed (if there are no enemies), if that is the case the doors are unblocked.

Unblocking doors simply sets the static meshes of the blockers to nothing so they don't exist anymore and sets the tick back to disabled for performance reasons.

The game also includes a big room with 16 doorways instead of 4, however as it uses the same logic with only mild changes its not worth presenting.

There might have been better ways to do procedural generation, and I definitely would have benefitted from having some kind of way to track the positions of these rooms, however I am nonetheless happy with the outcome of how they are generated.

Surprisingly there weren't many problems except minor adjustments when creating this system except for rooms and hallways spawning on top of each other, however that was solved by changing the spawn override settings and by putting hitboxes in hallways that deleted other hallways on top of them.

[snootlessimperfectworld]

Silly Goofy Alignment Charts

No particular order, just as they come. Corny, outdated, just goofy

Key: A- For Aten H- For Hades Purple M- For Maxlar Green M- For Malvo Blue D- For Devon Magenta D- For Dot Yellow C- For Cyrus Dark Blue T- For Troy Gray T- For Titus

More information: Troy and Titus are twin brothers and are vampires. Titus is a normal dude, kinda, and Troy is a feral punk guy. They don't get along much any more. Cyrus is this really cool werewolf dude (he's got the sickest dreads too). Kind of an enigma to his friends, as well. I mentioned briefly about Dot on a post I reblogged from my main

One of the few things Malvo accomplishes when he disappears for long periods of time

Malvo is definitely still an asshole, but more reserved. Yes, he's intentionally somewhat in the evil category. He's a Demon you guys

Maxlar, an actual parent; a child! Aten: NO

Hades is just too anxious to babysit alone, and because Aten cannot be trusted with that job (he's too chaotic, it'd end in arson), he almost never watches the Whishling kiddos. Devon is just better at being the cool uncle than babysitting. Malvo is surprisingly good with kids. This fact breaks my heart :')

Dot and Devon are both smart just not always. Aten is very cunningly smart

Hmm yeah, pretty straightforward.

Malvo's a Demon. If I had Troy, Titus and Cyrus it'd be Cyrus on knows a few recipes, Troy is banned, and Titus made toast once for someone else

Devon and Dot being the biggest sweethearts <3 Malvo aggressively telling someone "Go to therapy" in that neutral yet condescending voice of his just hits different

Titus: *is a cop* His twin brother that would be identical if he wasn't a punk: ROB THE RICH Cyrus is just a cryptid, actually. They affectionately refer to him as their little wolf cryptid

Devon, a big intimidating dude just wanting to be kind, but everyone is afraid of him Hades: *on his last legs of sanity*

Hades: *has crippling anxiety/social anxiety* Malvo: *just simply hates everyone* If I had Troy, Titus, and Cyrus: Troy and Cy are Eat Ass, Suck a Dick, and Sell Drugs. Titus is there with Malvo

Hades: *struggling to run a kingdom in the midst of war* Dot's kindness is often mistaken for her liking them Devon is once again struggling from the cons of Scary Dog Privilege no one wants to talk about

Titus once again being a literal cop. Hades: *on the verge of tears because of this incident* Maxlar showing off his actually good musical skills The BoysTM are supporting him

Something about Aten being labeled as simply "piece of shit" makes me giggle every time I see it

Devon is my himbo and I love him so fucking much Hades experiencing ~trauma~

They all want to be optimists (except Malvo) but they've seen too much/been through too much to be chaotic about it :(

Without Dot because she is the opposite of problematic Maxlar: *is the reason there is an interdimensional war* Hades, Malvo, and Aten: *have some fucked up shit going on in the background*

Aten and Hades are both cold-natured so they almost always have the heat on and have so many blankets that Hades, rather than changing one of those things, just abandons pants. Aten abandons clothes anyways because of his wings and stuff. He's the big spoon :)

Maxlar and Troy being passionately stupid will never not be funny to me. Titus does not give a shit anymore. His fucks are all gone.

Maxlar isn't suicidal by any means but he's had a really fucked up life and he's probably reached a point where his death being confirmed would be a relief. Same with Hades, only he'd say this internally. His outward reaction, as a King, is to say "Give the orders" Troy knows what the word means. He's just a shit.

There's a story here with Cracker Barrel Also, ignore Malvo trying to kill children. Don't worry about it. Devon believes in aliens because "I'm technically an alien, and I believe in myself so there!" Hades believes in the same thing but applies it to Aten "he's technically an alien and I believe in him" Dot is a secret cryptid hunter

[sunnydayjackass]

Hi! I love your posts! Got any possible headcanons if S/O ever discovers Jack's real identity? Maybe one day they call him by his real name Joseph and show him a 'MISSING PERSON' report of that year

Deflect. Deflect. Deflect.

Deny. Deny. Deny.

If you expressed any interest in looking into Jack's past, he'd do everything he could to shut it down. He's told you where he's from-Cloudy Town, he's told you about his friends and family from there, he'd thought that'd been enough. It isn't entirely a lie either but he's content to stick to it to keep you from prying.

Jack would assure you that this is who he is, who he's meant to be and always has been. There's nothing else to it, Sunshine, don't you believe him?

Naturally the production company and studio kept most if not everything under lock and keys. Keeping the information tightly secured under coverups and NDAs so a lot of your trails lead ultimately to dead ends. Jack just figures you'll tire out of it and give it up. He's here with you, in this moment, isnt it enough? It's a tinge frustrating but Jack doesn't have it in him to be upset at your curious nature.

Should you find a missing persons report or a photo of Joseph Cullman/Haberdae- Jack will absolutely flat out deny it. He won't even look at the photo. "Gosh, I mean...I guess he kinda looks like me I suppose but you know my name, silly." Jack will brush it off, saying that they even look a little similar is as close as you'll get out of him

Internally- mans is freaking the fuck out. That's not the person he is anymore, that's the real ghost in all of this. He's clean and free now, he's a better man, the best man. He isn't some troubled vagabond in tattoos and will even show you his arms and chest to prove a point.

"See? I told you." He chuckles, trying to choke down the anxiety. "Not a mark on me, Sunshine. I told you he's not me. I'm me. Poor guy though. Maybe someday they'll find him if he wants to be found." Never.

After the song and dance, if you accept Jack's points and drop the interrogations and research- it's an IMMENSE relief. Hell, he's thrilled to help you get rid of all the materials you collected. After all, the paper shredder makes it all look like confetti! And there's something just so satisfying about seeing Joseph's face go through the shredder and come out in teensy little pieces.

But if you still press, continuing to pepper Jack with questions instead of kisses or staying late into the night online or at the library, it'll take a different turn of tact.

"...why don't you believe me, Sunshine? Have I done something wrong to betray your trust?" It's that hurt turn of voice and aching look on his features as though very wounded by you not beliving his answers. "I know you're just trying to help, it's very sweet but...you can't help this man. Not all people want to be found." Again- not entirely a lie. "Sunshine, this fixating isn't good for your health. That's enough screen time, let me help you get ready for bed."

He doesn't want to fry your computer. He doesn't want to hide your library card or materials. But he will if he has to and he'll absolutely insist that he didn't. You don't have proof he's this man you seem to think he is and you have no proof of him blocking your efforts.

Really, Sunshine. It's better to let the dead rest.

[lupinusalbus]

Whitewashing of DT in Fanfiction

I don't read a lot of fanfiction, although there are a few I've enjoyed thanks to the references I've seen on this site. But I recently have looked at a couple of Jon/Dany fics which rewrite season 8. I was curious, so I took a look at them.

In these pieces, Dany has been totally transformed into a sympathetic character by making some changes from S8 such as:

Changing her motive for being in the North with Jon from what was presented in her ambiguous conversation with Sansa in the library at Winterfell. In fanfiction Dany's motives are being presented as "selfless." Her lines about her ambition for taking the iron throne are softened and deleted.

Sansa is presented as being grateful to Dany for coming North. Their relationship is friendly and cordial, with Sansa happy that Jon has "found someone."

Dany is apologetic to Samwell Tarley for executing his father and brother. She tries to gain Sam's sympathy, explaining that she was mistreated by her brother and sold to a warlord.

When the truth about Jon is revealed, Dany is grateful that she is "not alone anymore" as a Targaryen.

Sansa thinks Jon only needs time to "come to terms" with his sexual relationship with Dany. Then all will be well between the two of them.

I skipped around a lot, but DT usually survives King's Landing, and she and Jon end up ruling together. I don't think any of this is ever going to happen in the books. As much as I disliked some of the show's twists and turns, there's no way that D&D would have changed the ending from GRRM to this extent.

Something I find really interesting is that all of this acknowledges that the character of Sansa is very key to the Jon/Dany plot. It is necessary for Sansa to either be made into a ruthless, vindictive villain, or else for her to be totally sympathetic to Dany in order for these "fictions" to function. I think it likely from what was presented on the show that Sansa is going to reveal Jon's identity as a way of destabilizing Dany and of protecting Jon from himself. Jon will choose Sansa and the Starks. That "thread" from the show strikes me as being very authentic. The consequences for Jon and Sansa are something they will both have to grapple with.

[v01dcha0s]

Spirit guides 101 - brief introduction to working with spirit guides

Working with spirit guides is probably one of the best (imo) way to start developing your spiritual self. They know you more then anyone and so, by building a relationship with them you can get a poverful insign on yourself and your everyday life stuff. Everyone has a higher being watching over and helping them, even if we don't acknowledge them.

When I first stated working with my spirit guides, there was so little information on them, that I had to simply try everything out on myself. Please, keep in mind that those informations are based on my own experiance and thus they may or may not be accurate to your own path.

What is a spirit guide?

To put it simply, it's a higher being that was a) assign to you since birth or b) assign to you for a period of time. They could come in many numbers, shapes, forms. They can be a part of some religious or spiritual practice. They could be a deity, daemon, ancestor, souls from your past life, angel, folklore spirit, elemental spirit, spirit animal or a simple spirit (honestly, I can't think of anymore types but there is probably more). Their type doesn't influence their work but you migh have to take some different approach to different beings while working with them. Do your reaserch as much as possible.

q: my spirit guide/s tell me that their are (insert type of higher being) and then they change their identity to (insert other type of higher being). Why?

That was my first ever "wall" I ancounter while starting to work with my spirit guides, and it came to my attention that many other people have the same issue. Determinating what type of spirit is never easy at the begining. It might feel like they're just messing with you and doesn't take you seriously (it felt like to me). The answer to it is simple. You get mixed signals becouse their energy is new to yours. Imagine it like this: you found a new radio with brand new funcions that you never had experiance with. You turn it on but the wave get's distorted so you can't understand many signals. You realize it's just that the handle for changing the wave fequancy is fragile so it takes you some time to get a feel to it. Take some time and don't sweat much. Talk to them and with development of your relationship the communication will become clearer.

How to meet your spirit guide/s?

There's few options to choose from and every single one is not better from the other. If you're a begginer, try everything a little bit if you can and want to but don't push yourself to do something because it's what this post tells you to do.

Meditation - you can try guided meditation or meditate without it; usually you meet your spirit guide/s in astral plane so take your time since astral projection is not easy at the begining (there's so much more to say abt astral projection so maybe I'll write a post about it)

Pendulum - quite easy to use, just use a pendulum board with it (then your answers will be more accurate). Just hold a pendulum above the board and then ask the yes or no type question. (The board doesn't have to be from wood. I use a piece of paper)

Tarot - this could take some time if you never did tarot readings (but don't let this discourage you). You could ask them for a card that represents them or that has the same energy as them (or similar)

How to communicate with spirit guide/s?

You can use methods from above, since they are quite universal. Communication with spirit guides is not so easy at the beginning but with time it gets better. What is the key to building a solid communication and relationship with your spirit guides is consistency. Try to talk to them once a day, if you have more time then meditate etc. Ask them questions (about you or them) or ask for help/clarification if you are in need of it. Be open minded and don't push anything. Be patient.

What spirit guides are for?

Clarification

Giving signs

Answering questions (only ones that concern your person)

Passing knowledge

Comfort

Help with decision making

Good companionship

Helping with witchcraft, spells etc.

Guidance for your spiritual path

If you have any questions regarding spirit guides my askbox is open :)

Lynxys

[o-wyrmlight]

Am I misunderstanding context or something or is White Lily suggesting 'Let's steal a piece of the Headmaster's soul' when it's very strongly implied that said headmaster is likely a being made entirely out of magic not like. Low-key sound like a suggestion to kill them, if nothing else? How else would you typically get somebody's soul? Because the way Pure Vanilla reacted sort of led me to believe that he thought White Lily was planning on killing the Headmaster, you know?

Also, I don't think that I was clear when I was talking about White Lily and the scenario around the school. I was by no means implying that she wasn't traumatized by the actions she took or the resulting aftermath--I was asking whether or not trauma was what led her to perform that action in the first place. I absolutely wouldn't be surprised if she were traumatized because of that experience, but initially I was referring to the concept of the Academy incident being a byproduct of either a non-existent trauma or a trauma that we are unaware of yet.

Because I've seen a lot of arguments where people use their trauma as a weapon to excuse toxic behavior, and I generally don't think that's acceptable nor should be normalized.

As for the entire incident being treated as if it were no big deal, I don't believe that. The immediate aftermath of the academy was catastrophic and White Lily spent years rebuilding the Academy from the ground-up as comeuppance. If we're going under the assumption that White Lily and Pure Vanilla were children or teenagers in their Academy days, then that means that an indeterminate amount of years must have passed in which Pure Vanilla crossed the Sugar-Free Road and found himself in proper standings to establish a kingdom.

The Academy itself isn't even used by students anymore. It's largely populated by ghosts. And if you ask me, Bachalomoth in particular always struck me as a rather ghost-like figure who came to accept what'd happened many years ago.

Granted it's been a while since I've seen the cutscenes, but to imply that the entire incident wasn't taken seriously is incredibly incorrect. White Lily had to spend years repairing the damage that she caused, accident or no accident. She suggested stealing a piece of Bachalomoth's soul, and while she might not have intended on killing them, would she have done so if killing them were necessary to do what she wanted? Because either way, stealing someone's soul probably requires letting that soul be free in the first place. And ghosts do exist in Cookie Run lore.

(By the way. Dark Enchantress and White Lily are literally the same cookie. White Lily is not Dark Enchantress, but Dark Enchantress is White Lily. Just because Dark Enchantress has changed over the years, it doesn't erase her identity as White Lily, and it's something we've literally seen her struggle with in the Vanilla Castle. And I think that's awesome and much more interesting than associating White Lily and Dark Enchantress as being two completely separate cookies or beings to begin with.)

[dioko]

RADICAL DRUNKS. | MHA MEN

how the guys are when theyre drunk lol idk

Characters — Bakugou, Kirishima, Denki, Sero, Shinso

Content — x gn! reader pairing, aged up headcanons, mentions of alcohol, drinking, literally iss just fluff/crack

A/N — I thought these panels of the boys were super cute -- enjoy!!

BAKUGOU KATSUKI.

— i would like to first say he boasts a lot about being able to hold his liquor

— i mean... he's eh, he's okay, can fake being sober for about half an hour

— then the alcohol HITS

— have you seen the way he is when he's calm

— that, now 1000x

— my guy is having an identity crisis in the middle of a party

— "'Tsuki? Katsuki, you okay?" Gently as possible, you shake his shoulder, but he doesn't feel it because drunk ignores it.

"Ngh," he groans back at you.

— Soulless eyes LMAO staring into absolutely nothing

— gets super touchy, but in a subtle way

— he just pokes your hand/plays with your hair

— I'm sorry he throws up real bad all the time, no matter how much he's drunk that night

— will remember pieces of his unsoberness the next day

KIRISHIMA EIJIROU.

— LOUD

— holy smokes, you didn't think he could get anymore riot-y

— jus imagine 7-foot-tall Red Riot losing it over a game of MarioKart PLSS

— keeps his quirk activated for absurdly long times for no reason at all

— if you try to touch him though, he'll immediately deactivate wherever you're trying to reach (ie. his shoulder) so he doesn't hurt you accidentally

— tells a lot of stories

— i don't know if it's this image in particular of him, but i get radical drunk party uncle vibes from him

— cries

— soooo cheesy

— "Ahh, baby," he grins cheekily, "you're so beautiful!"

"Thank you, Eiji. You're drunk, let's go."

"Yeah, just gimme a sec," he stops moving.

"What?"

"Wanna admire your face. M'so lucky to have ya," he slurs.

— it gives you butterflies hehe

— remembers everything that happened

— aware of drunkenness but not in full control of it

KAMINARI DENKI.

— the sad, philosophical drunk

— no like seriously, he says some thought-provoking things and talks too much about growing facial hair to actually look 27

— SMART DRUNK

— but then theres a shift and he starts crying sldmdkksks

— makes himself sad and gets super paranoid

— "Nononono, y/n, stay right here," he gestures to his side.

— forgive him, he just wants to keep you safe from the ever-intimidating fork on your table

— he WILL bring up his pet dog from when he was 11 and how it went to a farm 🙂

— but don't worry, he's adorable

— lots of compliments, and he doesn't really expect you to say anything back UNLESS he's saying 'i love you'

— "Y/n, y/n, y/n, y-"

"Denki, what?" You laughed.

"I loooveee you," he slurs, "now say it back."

"Say what back?" You toy with him.

He frowns, "say 'i love you, too'."

"But you already know I do!"

SERO HANTA.

— sober drunk don't even try to fight me on this

— the way Sero can hold his liquor- my god

— he can maintain steady conversations and you would never know he was drunk, except for the slight wobble in his steps

— he also stops filtering what he says and becomes weirdly honest

— the downside is he barely remembers what happens the next day

— "Hey, y/n!" He skips into your apartment like nothing; it's these days at 2 in the morning that you forget why you bothered to give him a set of keys.

"Sero - it's past midnight!"

"Yeah," he rolls his eyes, "why are you still awake?"

"I could ask you the same thing!"

He actually sits and talks to you for a really long time before he finally slips up and-

"Wait - Hanta, are you drunk?"

"What, you'd think I'd randomly drop into your house in the dead of night on a normal day?"

"Well, I mean - you're you!"

He thinks about it, "touché."

SHINSO HITOSHI.

— creepy quiet. like you think he's quiet normally? get ready suckers

— a man of many actions - becomes a lot more expressive when he's drunk

— scratches the dilf™️ stubble out of drunken habit

— it's so funny wtf

— HE DOESNT REMEMBER ANYTHING THE NEXT DAY

— lowkey he gets possessive

— "Yeah! So, then I tried going to-" you stop abruptly, feeling something warm squeeze your arm. "-'toshi? What're you doing?"

Without a word, he tries to pull you away from your friend.

"Wait, wait - sorry!" You shrug at them and follow the purple haired man, "Hitoshi, what are you doing?"

"Come."

— he doesn't know where he's going either lmao

— tells you to talk, he wants to converse but at the moment he's physically incapable of saying more than a couple sentences

— WILL answer any questions you ask him [get those secrets 😩/j]

— "So, did you pull me away because you were jealous, Hitoshi?"

He purses his lips. "Mhm... can't say."

"Yes you can! I'm trustworthy," you nod knowingly.

"Fine."

"So?" You urge.

"I... I..." he falls asleep. Passes out, whatever ya wanna call it.