#and I would have rather been treated appropriately as an actual child

[llycaons]

that 'little stories about love' post is going around again and most of them are quite sweet but I have to say if my grandmother stalked me across the country and called me when I was on my vacation to demand attention from me I'd be not only pissed but extremely creeped out. I'm sure the submitter has a different relationship to that experience but um. I find that super invasive personally

[mothtoaflamee]

hello! if ur talking request, can i ask for asmodeus (helluva boss) x child! selective mute! transmasc! reader headcannons? i know it’s a lot to ask, so don’t feel pressured to do this request!!

Asmodeus x Child!SelectiveMute/Transmasc!Reader (Platonic)

(And a little bit of Fizz in here)

☽༺♡༻☾☽༺♡༻☾ ☽༺♡༻☾

Headcanons

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Well for one Asmodeus absolutely ADORES you

• I imagine in this scenario you’d be a hellborn, so he probably finds you out wondering one day and you catch his eye like “why is there a child just walking around the streets alone?” Asmodeus probably looks around a bit and when he notices you aren’t with any adults he approaches you and asks if you need help.

• He’s probably a bit confused why you didn’t respond but quickly catches on you are mute, if not just selectively mute.

• He says he’ll “temporarily” take you in and attempt to find your parents, but until then you’re living with him and Fizzarolli

• Let’s say you know some basic sign language, I personally think Asmodeus would know some and would most definitely learn more once he meets you, probably gets taught by Fizzarolli (since canonically he does know sign language)

• And if you don’t know sign language, Fizz would offer just as extra help so you don’t get frustrated when you feel you can communicate what you are feeling or need.

• You are going to be absolutely ✨spoiled✨ ask for something you’ll probably get it, food, treats, children’s toys, drawing books, clothes, you name it you probably have it

• Asmodeus is very understanding when it comes to Mute/selective mute stuff, he doesn’t view you differently from others nor does he judge in any way or try to force you to speak, overall he’s really good with it, never over steps your boundaries or treats you differently for it.

• Would 100% “lightly” threaten someone if they tried forcing you to ‘speak up’ or talk when you didn’t want to or just couldn’t.

• Asmo does cover up the ‘statue’ and other paintings that he feels you shouldn’t see at such a young age, he’s looking out for you

• it is the lust ring so he tries his best to somewhat shelter you from certain areas in the lust ring but will go on walks with you in the more appropriate areas when you need to stretch your legs or get some fresh air

• After about two months of living with Asmo (and fizz) he finds your not-so-kind parents and learns you were actually abandoned by them, so Asmodeus decided he’ll adopt you permanently since he’d rather not see you be put in an orphanage (if they have those in hell) or worse.

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• Now… I imagine you’d come out to him once you’ve been officially adopted and have been living with Asmodeus for quite some time, let’s say 2-3 years so you are now in like your pre-teens.

• He is soso happy and grateful you were comfortable enough to come out to him about, fizz is also super supportive of you and proud.

• It might take him a bit but Asmodeus will remember your pronouns and preferred name, if you choose to change it or not.

• Will make sure that everyone learns to call you by your pronouns, he wants to make sure you feel comfortable and not feel awkward trying to correct someone yourself (speaking from personal experience)

• Overall, super supportive of your decision and cares about you all the same no matter what

☽༺♡༻☾☽༺♡༻☾ ☽༺♡༻☾

Notes: sorry if this was a bit short! I hope you liked it anyways! Also!!!! Fun fact about me: I am a selective mute and ftm so it was really fun writing this! Thank you for your support and request 🪄✨

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Invaginies

Joe Koch: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the invaginies Stephen King: whoa joe that sounds kind of adult, is this appropriate for dean? Koch: oh it's fine, it's not like it's super adult Koch: or rather anything dean could parse as adult

King: this one might be a little rough dean, maybe you should sit this one out King: here, you can take these crayons and sit over there King: maybe draw us a nice picture of that spooky pumpkin you were talking about Koontz: i'm not a baby, steve! King: or maybe a friendly dog Koontz: oh yeah i could draw a dog

Dean Koontz: stop treating me like a child! Koontz: i'm just as grown up as the rest of you! Koontz: i'm an adult, goshdarnit!! King: dean!! indoor voice

King: sorry joe i really don't know where he gets it Koch: it's fine King: he's been hanging out with that grady Hendrix again, he's a bad influence Koontz: stop treating me like a baby! King: do you want your juice box, dean? would that make you feel better? Koontz: yes please

Joe Koch: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the invaginies Koch: open the nipple portal into the realm of the senses Koch: we are two caged animals, shitting in unison, our colons beacons of pain Koch: now we're polygons of marbled ham Koch: now you're a gestalt of bees nesting inside a dick Koch: tickling the inside of the dick with all your little bee feet

Koch: now imagine that you're a motorcycle Koontz: i can imagine that! Koontz: see? I can understand grown-up stories! Koch: now a gleaming black cube, compressed from the glittering bone dust of late capitalism Koontz: Koontz: oh i'm having more trouble imagining that

Koch: doctor, doctor! mister em dee Koch: can you tell me what's ailing me Koch: the varigated spines of pure pleasure Koch: the disease of the self is the topography of the other Koch: the anus is the door to entropy Koch: shoes for industry! shoes for the dead! Koontz: i Koontz: King: it's okay dean just take a deep breath

Koch: i did it! i did it! Koch: i listened to the whole story and i understood it all! just like a grown up! King: good job dean we're all very proud of you Barker: oh you understood it all, huh? how about you explain it to me then Koontz: Koontz: uhhhh King: you don't have to explain anything dean, we believe you King: clive leave him alone

Koch: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the bride of the rat bride Koch: this guy makes his girlfriend wear the rat mask from 1984 Koch: but the twist is Koch: there's rats in it Barker: is it like a sex thing? Koch: no it's bad

Koch: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call is the tale of the convulsive Koch: what if a caveman killed a woolly mammoth Koch: but turned out it was actually an eldritch monster baby fetus god sewn up inside a shambling mammoth carcass Lovecraft: oh i hate when that happens

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

In Defense of Vegans

I can’t believe I have to make this but after seeing how posts like the above still get thousands of notes I’m going to. While there are critiques of militant veganism I agree with as a former vegan, some people need to chill out. What’s aggravating about most people here is how much they hate vegans but less in the alt right conservative fashion and more under a guise of faux progressivism. All nuance is thrown out and people treat the vegan debate as a false binary of either eat local, humane meat or child slave soy.

I’ll start by saying I was a lot more anti vegan when I first got on this hellsite. Reblogging anti-vegan posts and picking occasional fights with vegans. I was a lot angrier and was letting off steam as someone who was a former vegan who had a hard time with it. Same with religion, I was a lot more anti religion when starting my blog due to anger at evangelicals. Being able to recognize how it just wasn’t my cup of tea has caused me to let go of a lot of that anger. I wasn’t happy doing it but that’s not a damnation of veganism or vegans.

What irritates me about how most treat vegans is that it’s often reacting to a stereotype or strawman of vegans rather than actually engaging with them. All these posts about how vegans are destroying the environment with their child slave quinoa, cashews and plastic leather, when being a vegan doesn’t require using that stuff. A lot of them are smarter than given credit for and do research what they buy. Many do eat local produce and use hand me down wool or leather. They aren’t just buying every hipster product labeled vegan. Vegans are forced to be put on the defensive and what should be a conversation about how no food is really ethical in this capitalist society turns into a shouting match and “no you” regarding who’s more “cruelty free”.

I can understand having beef with militants if you have faced bigotry such as racism or ableism from animal rights activists. But some people really are quick to hate vegans and justify it as woke or leftist. Sometimes, people won’t even check the source before reblogging it, like the video of that problematic new age hippie, appropriating Pacific Islander culture, claiming veganism is colonialism.

I think a lot of vegans get hate for being the wrong kind of neurodivergent in some peoples eyes. Many, including myself, do have hyper empathy and are swayed by emotional arguments such as documentaries such as Earthlings. They make one small mistake and everyone treats them as if they’re the worst even if they do apologize for it like @sobadpink here in the replies. Many of them do have trauma from the cruelty towards animals they’ve seen which is treated with little sensitivity by people who claim to be allies to those who are neurodivergent and/or have faced abuse or PTSD. While white PETA types need to be called out, many famous civil rights leaders have been vegan/vegetarian like Cesar Chavez or Corretta Scott King and people do a disservice by treating it as solely a white man’s ideology.

Being a vegan isn’t easy and a lot of people’s anger here is fairly reasonable in my opinion. Many are ostracized by their families, can hardly find any food while on the go and struggle with people not understanding or refusing to understand them. Correcting misinformation from vegans is one thing and then there’s just being a jerk about it. A lot of anti vegan people here are the latter. You can say it’s self inflicted but many do think they’re doing a good thing, even if the meat industry is more complicated than just “vote with your dollar”. I would be a bit defensive myself if people treated me like a racist, ableist colonizer who hates migrant workers the moment I mentioned what I eat for lunch.

Call me a bleeding heart or ARA if you want but I think a lot of vegans here deserve more charity than they’ve been given. It’s like this site, when it comes to this issue, is stuck in 2015 as I’ve seen vegans try to explain their side, offer different perspectives and correct misconceptions but nope, another post about slave labor quinoa or plastic wool gets made every week and gets thousands of uncritical notes. People claim those posts aren’t about shaming vegans but that’s sure not how they come off as. Even a lot of the big “anti vegan” blogs here have admitted they went a bit too far and have mellowed out. I don’t agree with everything hardcore vegans have done or said and I can understand why some who’ve been hurt by them may dislike vegans but I think tumblr is way too harsh and intolerant of vegans despite claiming to be the leftist weirdo safe space.

[goodqueenaly]

It's like poetry something whatever but also comparing and contrasting Ned and Illyrio in their approaches to Jon and Aegon, respectively.

(Obviously, this post is based on the ideas that both Jon is the biological son of Rhaegar and Lyanna and Aegon is the biological son of Illyrio and Serra, as well as the notion that Serra was herself a descendant of the Blackfyres.)

Ned’s outlook for Jon centered on embracing Jon as his son, to the absolute exclusion of his birth identity. Whatever Lyanna’s exact dying words had been to her brother, Ned certainly seems to have interpreted the promise as one to keep Jon safe, without the revelation of his biological parentage. From the first, Jon would know himself only as Jon Snow, with all the implications the name carried; with Jon’s surname designating his (ostensible) bastard status and his first name reflecting his (ostensible) father’s own personal history, Jon’s identity would be wholly defined by and linked to Eddard Stark. Yet Ned would not merely craft a surface-level identity for his sister’s son; he himself would actively, indeed fiercely embrace his own role as Jon’s “father” in more than just assumed genetic paternity. Far from fostering Jon with a pliable aristocratic family elsewhere, Ned installed Jon in Winterfell even before the arrival of Catelyn and their own son and sternly defended that position to his new wife. Jon would grow up as an undisputed (at least to Ned and the Stark children) member of the family, educated by the same maester, trained by the same master at arms, present for the same hunting trips and political responsibilities. Never would Ned hint that Jon belonged, at least by ancestry, to the royal dynasty which had ruled Westeros for three centuries (and dominated in Valyria for millennia prior); Ned would treat Jon only as his son, relying on the firmness of his decision and Jon’s own Stark appearance (inherited from Lyanna, but easily attributable to Ned himself) to maintain the assertion.

For Illyrio, however, his son Aegon has represented not the chance to accept a paternal role but the opportunity to invent a grandiose dynastic destiny for him. We cannot know, at least for now, if Serra sought a promise from Illyrio regarding Aegon’s future, or if Illyrio himself believes that he is acting as Serra would have wanted, but it seems highly improbable that Serra asked that her son be raised to believe that he was in fact the child of the last Targaryen crown prince, and take the Iron Throne as such. Illyrio’s decision to do exactly that may therefore represent a sort of betrayal, perhaps spiritual if not actual, to Serra’s (again, I think probable) Blackfyre origins, and a distinct contrast to Ned’s choice with Jon: aware that Aegon’s female-line Blackfyre credentials would earn him little if any political support in modern Westeros, Illyrio has instead appropriated a false identity for his son that Ned saw in truth for Jon but rejected - that is, the boy as the son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, a would-be heir to this father’s legacy. If Illyrio raised (or, perhaps more accurately, oversaw the raising of) Aegon as a young child in his own Pentoshi manse (evidenced by those musty children’s clothes and Illyrio’s old knowledge of Aegon’s favorite candy), such (relatively) hands-on rearing I think ended rather early: Varys brags to the dying Kevan that “Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk”, and (politically charged boasting aside) Aegon’s extensive education certainly suggests Varys may not be exaggerating too greatly here. Illyrio, unlike Ned, not only found (alongside or thanks to Varys, of course) a willing, indeed eager Westerosi aristocrat to act as the hidden Aegon’s foster father (with that figure even giving Aegon a name derived from his own, likewise fabricated, alias), but clearly specified that the disguise was to remain a surface-level illusion: Aegon is well aware that he is (so he believes) a Targaryen prince, and that his life on the Rhoyne is no more than a secret training ground for his eventual Westerosi royal inheritance. Where Ned remains the central figure of Jon’s life - not only as his (again, assumed) father, but the only parent he knows - Illyrio functions little if at all in the thoughts of Aegon: he is the faraway benefactor whose chests contain the gold to fund his expedition, the unseen planner whose schemes are derided by Tristan Rivers. Each boy may have inherited his mother’s looks, but where Jon’s Stark features only underline the connection between himself and Ned, Aegon’s Valyrian appearance only serves to enhance Illyrio’s argument that he is, in fact, Rhaegar’s son.

[hyperpotamianarch]

Well, I would like to conclude my experience with His Majesty's Dragon. I do not mean by that that I don't intend to read farther entries in the Temeraire series, but rather that this is a conclusion to the thread I started on it. I have some things to consider before deciding whether or not I continue, mostly if I want to actually buy them (as my local library only had the first book.

That said, let's go over my impressions from the book. Firstly, I'd like to say that the climax kind of passed me by. I know, it's a weird thing to say, but I kind of only realized it was the climax in hindsight? It seems obvious enough now, but for some reason it didn't when I read it.

As my retroactive excuse, I'm going to claim that the plot of the book and the climax aren't really as connected as they maybe should've been. Basically, most of the book focused on Laurence and his adjustment to the Corp. There was the plotline about the handler who dehumanized his dragon (I know it's kind of a weird thing to say. Depersonalized might be a better term), and in general I think that the plot focuses on that? Honestly, I think I wasn't completely clear on what type of book I was reading, which contributed to my odd reaction to the climax. After all, the Napoleonic invasion was very clearly in the background all the time, but for some reason I wasn't really sure when to expect it. Something in my mind simply refused to believe it was going to be the important, climactic event... I really don't know.

A few more tidbits: when Laurence first meets Celeritas, he thinks that this explains why the Corps care so much even about wild dragons. Then we find out that Celeritas is technically bound? I'm not sure I'm using the correct terms, and perhaps I'm too used to books like Eragon and Pern where there's a magical side to bonding a dragon. I mean, I guess wild dragons are simply dragons without handlers? Who are less likely to care about humans?

This kind of leads me to the next point: while it's made clear that at least in the Corps everyone considers their dragon to be a person (and if you don't, you're an outcast I won't even bother typing the name of. Because I forgot it and decided that it's appropriate punishment for someone who denies the personhood of another). But they're still sometimes treated like beasts. Like when that Captain suggested that Temeraire could switch handlers. The way they handled that didn't seem like transferring a person - it didn't even really seem like transferring a child between foster homes, which might be the closest equivalent considering Temeraire's age, because they literally choose to lie to him in order to get him to cooperate. Oh, and did I mention the breeding program? Like, really. They're fully sapient creatures, but they have freaking breeding programs. How would people react if someone suggested that smart people should only breed with each other, to create a superior race of really smart humans, Homo Sapience Sapience, if you will? (Yeah, I know this is the actual category of modern humans, bear with me.) Does that not sound just a little bit disturbing? And yet, that's exactly how Temeraire's species was created. Dragons are also not considered equal citizens - quite possibly not even in France, right after the revolution. But why?

This could neatly lead to Napoleon. I didn't really have strong emotions towards him as an antagonist, which might strengthen my previous point about how the story is more character driven and less focused on the war. He also participates in dragon depersonalization when he wants to abduct Temeraire even after he hatched. An understandable desire, certainly. The rough comparison might be, say, a Russian royal baby abducted and raised by communists, then a royalist supporter attempting to reabduct them after they are already teenaged. And yes, I could've just swapped Russian with French and Communist with Revolutionary, but for some reason this was in my mind. Either way, it's still abduction of a sapient person who frankly doesn't want it. So yeah.

Here I want to delve into a slightly less related topic - mostly persona; musings. You see, I only thought of reading His Majesty's Dragon because I've read another book by Naomi Novik - Spinning Silver, which I was recommended for its Jewish representation. Now, I knew coming in that this book doesn't contain any Jews. I just assumed that if I enjoyed Spinning Silver, it probably wasn't just because it felt like pretty much the best Jewish representation I've seen in a book. I still took a second or two to think about whether there might be something interesting to explore about Jews in this world. Plus, I thought about my opinions towards the historical Napoleon, which are definitely informed by my Judaism.

Regarding the first point of those, I'm afraid it's unlikely for Jews to be really affected in an interesting manner by this change in the world. Dragons do appear in Jewish folklore sometimes, but not really a lot and it really depends on your definition of dragons. There probably was, at some point in history, a Judean dragon force - but it was destroyed long ago, and any possible Jewish traditions on dragon handling were likely lost to history. During the time the book takes place, emancipation for Jewish people around Europe is barely starting. Jews served in the French army at the time, I think, but as there still was a degree of antisemitism in France, I doubt any of them was allowed to be a dragon handler. If they were, one of the possible results is the British Corps mocking the French for having Jews among their dragon handlers. So... yeah.

I could write a thing or two about Napoleon and the Jews here - mostly, the guy wanted them to assimilate to French society, which was appreciated by some Jews but unappreciated by many others. I don't think I need to elaborate much, though, as it's not all that relevant. To be honest, I'm rather indifferent to the man.

Do I have anything more to say? I don't know. It's an interesting world, I guess. Maybe I should talk about the details, like the type of dragon Temeraire actually is, or how Laurence's first love got married to someone else due to the conflict with his station as a dragon handler, or Napoleon's fascinating plan - most interesting because apparently it was never attempted before. It was an interesting book, which I may have misunderstood because I was focused on too general worldbuilding? That doesn't really sound right, but it might be a part of it.

I can probably be persuaded to buy the next book, but I actually think I may have bought too many books lately. I don't have a nice budget for that, considering I am yet to have regular income, so I do need to consider my financial decisions better.

Anyway, adieu! Until next time! Thank you for reading.

[pyrofilth]

I completely understand that some people do not want kids now or ever. That is completely fine and I will support their decision completely. However, what I will not support is the dehumanization of children. Calling kids "crotch goblins" is genuinely weird. That is a person, they are learning about the world and have not been in it for very long, but they are still a person.

It baffles me that people look at kids and are just disgusted that they exist, viewing them as some "creature" rather than another human being like themselves. Have you all actually looked into why you do that (referring to the people who are child-free and dehumanize kids)? I'm not saying it's going to magically change your mind and make you want to be a parent but holy fuck. Can we treat children with respect?

Despite a somewhat popular belief, being a kid is stressful and hard. How much autonomy do you truly have as a kid? How stressful is it to have to be assigned homework and be expected to learn a bunch of new information pretty much every day? How about dealing with other kids, who can be quite mean and leave lasting trauma?

You were a kid once! "And I hated myself then too!" Well, one, I'm very sorry to hear that you had a negative view of yourself as a child, I genuinely hope it has improved. Two, why does that mean you get to bash on them and treat them as unimportant? Do you not wish maybe adults were kinder to you when you were a kid? Feeling as though your voice actually meant something?

And again, I'm not saying you need to love being around children and want to work with them or take care of them. All I'm saying is that you should treat them as you would another adult, with respect. And yes, I know there is a huge asterisk on that previous sentence, but I hope we all have enough common sense to know that I don't mean anything problematic and for it to be age appropriate.

Fuck, man. Is it really that hard to just be kind?

[merryfortune]

I Scream for Ice-Cream but You Scream For Me

Written for the Rarest of Rare Pairs Fic-a-thon on Dreamwidth

Prompt: Any: Any/Any(+) - Sticky situation

Title: I Scream for Ice-Cream but You Scream For Me

Ship: Sharena/Nerþuz

Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes

Rating: M

Word Count: 1,675

Warnings: Choose Not to Warn

Tags: Food Kink, Food Play, Sexual Content, Smut, Consent Issues, Kissing, Groping, Licking, Size Difference, Inappropriate Behaviour, Semi-Public Lewdness, 

   Always dress for the appropriate occasion!

   Sharena had been told that over and over again since she was a child. 

   She had always been something of a ball of energy, hard to direct into practical means and typically a little clumsy. Sharena had plenty of fond memories of being scolded by her mother for what she wore and what she did in her clothes. Whether it was for dragging her good and pretty little dresses through the mud or trying to argue that she ought to wear her play clothes to a fancy dress gala, Sharena had been a handful. Her Mother’s ire made her chuckle in recollection but her wisdom continued to be pertinent.

   For example, her work clothes which marked her as the heroine princess of the Order of Heroes was not appropriate beachwear. Even if she had foregone her armour and scarf upon learning the agenda for the day.

   Waking up, putting on her clothes, Sharena paid no attention to if it truly matched the day’s intentions. It was a day in, day out humdrum beat of her schedule. Perfectly normal so she wanted to wear something which was comfortable and practical. Even if it ended up being a “take the day off and go check on the new Heroes who are celebrating all things fun in the sun” kind of day and Sharena thought… Yippee! Too easy! She loved the beach and she only had to say hello. After that she could do anything she liked and she thought maybe she would enjoy having an ice treat from the side lines.

   Yes, well, about that…

   Just as much as Sharena hadn’t thought about what she was going to put on to wear today, she had thought equally as little about how she was going to take it off. Wrongly assuming it would occur closer to her bedtime rather than the middle of the day.

   Five new Heroes had rolled up for a wonderful beach day: Olivia, Hríd, Gullveig paired with Seiðr, and oh… Nerþuz!

   It was always lovely to see Nerþuz, of course. Even if Sharena was, ahem, very surprised to see Nerþuz in such… little clothing. But this was a beach, it would make sense for her to wear swimwear. The colour and cut of said fabrics really suited her, however, not that Sharena was examining her or anything. Just an innocent and harmless observation.

   Honestly, wearing a swimsuit and chat about the warm, balmy weather was one of the more normal things Nerþuz had ever done in Sharena’s presence, actually.

    Things had been off to a strange start with her, Sharena would be the first and fastest to say, but she now considered Nerþuz to be a dear friend. She was a little eccentric, yes, but seeing how she was able to get Olivia out of her shell was proof that deep down, Nerþuz had a heart of gold. Her head was just a little in the clouds.

   With the other Heroes greeted, Sharena happily allowed herself to get drawn into Nerþuz’s infamous atmosphere. She was so peculiarly easy-going and relaxed with a certain charm to her, a glint in her eye, she was utterly alluring vision of the summertime divine in this instance. So, Sharena kept yap, yap, yapping with Nerþuz whilst the other Heroes opted to socialise amongst themselves or with the Summoner. 

   Sharena had all of Nerþuz’s attention and vice-versa. Which made sense since Nerþuz had something that she wanted to show Sharena.

   “Tada!” Nerþuz said. “Isn't it cute? I have been wanting to show it to you all afternoon.”

   “Wow, it's me.” Sharena gawked at the ice-cream that Nerþuz had thrust closer to her.

   A very strange and one of a kind ice-cream given that it was imbued with a certain power to allow Nerþuz’s transformation in battle but still an ordinary ice-cream in that it was, well, ice-cream. A chilly treat perfect for a warm afternoon, vanilla soft serve piled high inside of a thick paper cone and dusted with raspberry sherbert. The curves of the ice-cream were adorned with crunchy, edible pearls that shone in the sunshine, a berry flavoured madeleine, and a sugar cookie which looked just like Sharena.

   “It's so well-painted, it looks too good to eat.” Sharena laughed.

   “Indeed.” Nerþuz agreed. “But, it is very tasty.”

   She ever so elegantly plucked the sugar cookie off its perch atop one of the mid-to-lower curves of her ice-cream cone. She was ever so careful as to not touch the cookie in a way that her fingers never obscured Sharena’s face in the painted cookie. Such care, portrayed ever so effortlessly by Nerþuz, made Sharena nervous. And rightfully so.

   Nerþuz put the biscuit towards her mouth and she bit hard through it. The face of the Sharena cookie shattered, spooking the actual Sharena as Nerþuz ate coyly. She cared not for crumbs as they scattered over her plump lips and even atop her breasts. 

   A shiver ran down Sharena’s spine as she made long and sultry, sustained eye contact with Sharena. She chewed, like the masticating animal she really was beneath her unearthly glamour as a goddess then swallowed lasciviously. Sharena watched as her throat showed a slight lump as it travelled down before she smacked her lips together contentedly.

   “It makes me curious though, is the real deal as delicious as it?” Nerþuz wondered aloud as she finished swallowing.

   “Ah, well, um-!” Sharena squeaked as Nerþuz surprised her.

   She swooped in and kissed Sharena’s cheek. She bent down and swallowed all of Sharena’s vision, causing her to go red in the face. Her lips trailed against Sharena’s skin, even the pale hairs along her jawline and made them stand on end as a sudden intensity spurred between them.

   “Mmhm,” Nerþuz murmured to herself, “just as sweet but… so much softer, oops-”

   Nerþuz interrupted herself as she oh so accidentally got ice-cream all down Sharena’s front. She had to bend down so far to meet Sharena, a mere child of Midgard, and then acting like a child herself, she purposefully worked the ice-cream into Sharena’s clothes - and her body underneath.

   “Hey, st-stop it, that’s cold.” Sharena squeaked, embarrassed. “Wh-What if someone sees us?”

   Shiver after shiver ran down her spine as her body reacted to being touched like this and being smothered in freezing cold ice-cream. It smeared down her front and with the mess guided by Nerþuz’s hand, the sticky sweet cream found its way onto her skin as well. 

   “That’s okay,” Nerþuz whispered, “I’ll clean you up. No one will even notice.” Her voice was silky smooth as she tried to console Sharena who buzzed with all sorts of pent-up, nervous energy.

   Sharena tried to lean away but Nerþuz followed her, utterly unfazed. She got up nice and close and personal with Sharena, licking her intently and kissing her afterwards. 

   The meeting of their lips was messy, a clash of mismatched and engulfed Sharena in how ravenous Nerþuz was in her pursuit of all things sweet. Her lips were plump and greedy, she stole Sharena’s breath away as she was kissed and kissed again. Nerþuz’s taste was stained with the sweet sensations of vanilla ice-cream and flecked with buttery crumbs. It would have been delicious were it not so forceful but Nerþuz wanted what she wanted and what she wanted above all was Sharena.

   Sharena buckled underneath her own embarrassment and closed her eyes hard. She was entirely unconvinced that none of the other Heroes wouldn’t notice her being all but molested by Nerþuz in the shade of the far tree at the north of the beach. Sure, all of them had gone further down the shoreline in search of the Summoner but still! It's not like they were completely alone out here even if the seagulls had ceased their crowing in this part of paradise. 

   Nerþuz began to unwrap Sharena from her clothes. Sharena shimmied out of them in some vain attempt at helping. Or if only to get the smashed to smithereens madeleine crumbs off her or the pearls now lost in the folds of her clothes. Nerþuz pulled and grabbed and groped at her, Sharena moaned lewdly as she was manhandled by the goddess.

   With her white shirt pulled off and tossed into the sand around them, Sharena only had her mini-skirt for chastity. Oh, it made her knees knock. The beach breeze tickled her and caused her nipples to pebble underneath her bra but her bra came off soon as well. Completely bare, if she hazarded a look down at herself and Nerþuz, Sharena saw the extent of how she had been painted in ice-cream.

   It was soaked in and smeared between her small breasts. It left a sticky residue on her but it wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, just humiliating. What if someone saw? The pair of them looked an unusual sight with Nerþuz coming down to her knees and placing herself at Sharena’s chest height, licking her clean of the mess that she had made of the mortal.

   The late afternoon heat intensified through the lens of Sharena’s reddened embarrassment, causing the ice-cream smeared on her to melt faster than it may have otherwise. The sherbert once powdered atop the soft serve now tingled upon her skin and Nerþuz licked it all up with sexual glee. Her tongue was textured with an unusual and inhuman roughness but Nerþuz appeared mindful of that as she was gentle with how she used her tongue. She appreciated the softness - and the sweetness - of Sharena’s body and the ice-cream, too. 

   Nerþuz lapped at Sharena’s chest incessantly, with her eyes alight with hunger. She sucked Sharena’s left nipple noisily and pinched her right, massaging Sharena’s small breast with the rest of her palm that cupped her flesh. Sharena panted, her heart raced and her earnestness made Nerþuz’s dessert all the more delicious to her. 

   And, of course, confirmed to Nerþuz that the sugar cookie Sharena was far, far inferior to the dulcet perfection of her precious and most favourite child of Midgard. 

[weaselbeaselpants]

The different shots/alt dialogue from the James and the Giant Peach script

Because this kind of stuff is interesting and YEAH I'M SHARING ALL OF IT!! Find the full script here.

James has a bit longer dialogue with Miss Spider.

Glorious Sponge hatesink goodness.

Alternative to the final film, where James doesn't realize he's been stop-motionized until in the actual peach in the original script he did in fact notice he was changing. More importantly, his initial literal fall-in on the bugs and being scared at them because they're in the dark and clearly inhuman was always one of my favorite in the movie. It worked because it actively plays with how scary giant talking insects would realistically be and how uncanny their designs can especially feel in silhouette, just like my beloved pin-collection.

Also, there's alternate dialogue from Earthworm and Centipede about escaping the hill and Spiker and Sponge. The disc of each other bugs, while accurate, is so hilarious to read typed out.

Centipede was going to threaten to beat James up. Good times.

Centipede is both more and less direct on his hitting on Spider. Besides that this extended bit offers moar Grasshopper and Earthworm twittering, though no "LET'S GET OUTTA HERE" from Centipede or "Marvelous Pigs in Satin" from Glowworm.

Earthworm was GOING TO talk-sing more?! YOU MONSTERS!

Also, someone on the script clearly wanted Centipede to mention how he wants to get plastered all night.

Spiker and Sponge rn.

Earthworm being sarcastic is such a mood. Literally my muse.

Even though it can be reasonably assumed given his accent (which is why it was probably cut) Centipede straight up calls New York his hometown. I'm not a New Yorker myself so I don't know for sure but I thought different Manhattan-ites say they're from different cities/towns rather than treat Manhattan like a single town. Y'know?

Grasshopper meanwhile is a killjoy intellectual all the time through the shark scene

Lol Centipede speakin truths.

Cut the line in Eating the Peach from Centipede specifically and changed Glowworm's line.

Spider hitting in some different zingers at Centipede than in the final film.

James's nightmare is completely different than in the final film as is James exact waking up and realizing they're in the North Pole. Though the squabble between Centipede and the other bugs is the same, mostly, the resolution of Centipede happily deciding to get a compass from the ships is different. Appreciate the change. Good bit of back-and-forth visual storytelling.

In a bit that's rather OUT of character, none of the bugs protest James jumping in freezing water after Centipede. In fact, because Spider says 'get on my back' first it kinda makes it sound like she made James come with her rather than offer to help as another adult offering to look after a child who's putting themselves in danger.

Also, even though the outcome is the same, it looks like the entire skeleton pirate scene was different and Centipede didn't talk during any of it and was a jackass about his stealing which is very out of character for him and led to the skeletons come alive. I like tho that at no point in time does the script say "Jack Skellington-faced"-pirate which is good on them and proof that it really was a cute cameo/reuse of puppetry and I'm still not over Jack getting top billing over the main characters in this movie's merch.

No Spiderpede kiss on the cheek, sadly. Her exclaiming her happiness is such a different vibe than her cute like "I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you" schpeal. This was the 90s after all--although, even though it is like this in the final movie anyway, the image of Spider pulling him up onto the peach all domestic-hero like while he says she saved him? That's cute. I liek me some malewife (it's appropriate in this case, shut up) Centipede.

The failing-to apologize dialogue between Grasshopper and Centipede was better in the final film. The characters have such a different way of talking to each other and it's much brisker and nicer and shows his newfound respect for Centipede that Grasshopper immediately just trusts Centipede with navigating again.

Dialogue's a little bit different as the peach-goers see New York for the first time.

Most importantly, the climax with the Rhino is different. No "I'm not afraid of You", James protecting the Bugs by telling them to get into the threads, which more directly separates them.

The dialogue of the New Yorkers thinking the Peach is a bomb or aliens is a nice reference to the original book, where that's exactly what happened there.

Alt. headlines for the ending newsreel stories. I'm gonna be honest I like Earthworm's gig in the subway a bit more than in the final film where he becomes a skincare tycoon. The idea that he just loves the subway in all it's dirtiness is adorable.

It is, however, very cute to see Centipede and Spider took up dancing together and became as popular a duo as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers.

And finally, we have a kind of disturbing note to go out on with Spiker and Sponge going crazy and treated as zoo animals. I think their punishment is enough as is and has enough disturbing conotations no less. No need of the mental breakdown.

[fideidefenswhore]

I'm really tired of the locket story in Tudor shows and books. But wasn't it from Jane Dormer? Who is Fuller?

I used to feel that way, too, but I've come to accept that it's such a dramatically effective, potent story that ofc it will be used, and ofc it's unlikely its staying power is going away anytime soon (although I did find it hysterically funny when some accused the scene in AB2021 of 'copying' The Tudors...it's a 17th cent source, bruh...it was in the 1970s version, too, so how do we know Tudors wasn't 'copying'--). I read a Tudor novel set in 1536 that didn't include it recently and was actually shocked, I think that's the first time that's ever happened (but then this novel was very faithful to the primary sources, of which this is not one).

Obviously it's frustrating that it's treated as if it was a contemporary source, though.

So actually the story comes from both Jane Dormer and Thomas Fuller (Fuller includes the locket and Dormer doesn't, but besides that they're similar); in pop history this tends to be where the claim the specific incident is corroborated by 'multiple contemporary sources' comes in, despite both these sources being 17th century (it's possible that they were aped and revised to some extent from the version that exists in Sander's Anglican Schism as well, as that came first and he would have certainly been in Dormer's circle). Dormer being portrayed as an 'intimate courtier' to this period is also disengenous, she certainly was to Mary I, but she was not even a zygote in 1536. Weir explains the chain for the story as having been Jane Seymour ---> Mary --> Jane Dormer, but to believe that you have to believe Jane thought this was an appropriate story to divulge to her stepdaughter. You know. That one that begins with her sitting on her father's lap.

What's actually frustrating to me (although I believe The Tudors probably remains the best version) with recent productions is that okay, I get wanting to use this story (even if it stretches claims of authenticity and 'only following the AB Bible' as the AB2021 production claimed), but if you insist on the creative choice of this particular 'historic moment', then don't cherry-pick it.

The king seeming to affect Jane Seymour, and having her on his knee, as Queen Anne espied, who then was thought to be with child, she for anger and disdain miscarried, as she said, betwitting the king with it, who willed her to pardon him, and he would not displease her in that kind there-after.

And then, this is generally attached, as well, although it's not actually mentioned that it's what happened with this specific incident, it's in the same text (Dormer):

For he, carrying her up to the Court, placed her with the Lady Anne Boleyn, the Queen, in whose service the king affected her, for which there was often much scratching and bye blows between the queen and her maid.

It does actually say 'between', not merely 'from', but we never really see Jane so much as defend herself (beyond, er...hiding behind the chair, Tudors, and running away, BSR) in any of these portrayals so, that's...food for thought on what they're trying to portray, and the sort of archetypes these women are generally placed in (Weir rather disingenously insists that this is a reliable source but that the 'between' is wrong, ie that it was one-sided:

Lots of sources tell us that there were scratches and blows between the pair. It was a queen's privilege to physically chastise her maids, and from what we know about both of their characters, I don't think it was Jane doing the scratching.)

'Lots of sources' is interesting because Fuller doesn't claim that, the 'scratches and blows' bit. This is the Fuller account:

It is currently traditioned that Queen Anne [...] espying a jewel pendant about her neck snatched thereat (desirous to see, the other being unwilling to show it) and casually hurt her hand with her own violence [...]

Anyway, so of the Jane Dormer account (the bolded is what's been omitted in the last two depictions); it's interesting insofar as what is kept in and what is kept out or 'revised'. I still contend The Tudors' is the best for portraying the emotional complexity (although it includes the 'peace be, sweetheart' that is not actually in either of these sources, and seems it originated in Strickland and was later misattributed as coming from Dormer by Weir); but The Tudors isn't exempt (it also suffers, imo, from having gone with the Retha Warnicke hypothesis). What does it tell us about what we believe will appeal the most to audiences, what is kept and what is left out? Jealousy, betrayal, women getting into physical altercations with their rivals, and in the case of AB2021 and BSR, Henry's reactions of either apathy or disdain/anger after some form of reconciliation and renewed rapport gives contrast; but importantly is placed immediately after the jousting accident, and thus seem to suggest that he is no longer 'all there'.

This is where, narratively, we struggle, the question is, why? Why include only these aspects, and not the other? This is where Foxe's 'mystery' of Anne Boleyn's fall comes in. The story is unbelievable and inconceivable in many respects, but knowing the ending, knowing the audience knows the ending, is just too tempting. Any inclusion of that last part (asking for her forgiveness, making any promise, however false, perhaps even the suggestion of guilt on Henry's part) would just complicate the picture.

And that's revealing about how we sort of try to make history digestible, but narratively, it's pretty disappointing. All the flash but none of the substance, none of the pathos, at least not of their bond. Anne is alone and she's going to die alone and once she does, her rival will triumph, and they have to telegraph that, and she's not allowed any hope.

Arguably it doesn't matter if it's inaccurate anyway, but that's my point entirely-- they've decided it's important enough to include, but for the most part, have only kept the pieces that lend to shock value. In some ways that's rather damning.

[ultimateaclrecovery]

I have maybe found a horse to buy?!?!?!?

I tried her for the first time on Friday and am now working out the process of a deposit/short term lease to hopefully end up buying her! For 500 dollars I get to ride her up to five days a week (current owners want to keep her for two) for three weeks, and then if she passes the vet check and i still want to buy her, the 500 goes to the 9.5k purchase price.

Her name is Luna and She’s 11 and has had a lot of training, especially dressage training, and she is actually a pony. As in she is actually large pony sized and omg she is so tiny. Especially working with her on the ground, I am just like you are so small. I am just 5’4” and she didn’t feel too small to ride, but she’s definitely at the bottom of what is appropriate for me size wise. And because my barn mostly goes to hunter/jumper it’d be awkward to do the hunters with her because of striding. I’m not like big into showing, but I do want to go to the local ones and I do want to get the pretty ribbons. But then there is always the jumpers where it doesn’t matter. And I’d probably rather do the jumpers anyway. Or just eventing where her dressage training would come in handy

She has done a fair bit of jumping, and has supposedly gone up to 2’9” and could probably do 3 feet, which is solidly above where I have Ben jumping to provide more than enough runway to move up realistically. And seems like she’s pretty happy and confident at the two foot 2 3 range which is where I am more or less at now. And she’s the first horse I’ve tried that I’ve willing to try jumping on. And it’s nice that she has had some solid dressage training for if I do want to eventing with her.

She gave me my favorite ride since I’ve been back in Denver. She was a mostly easy ride, but not like fully push button and she would go better if I rode more correctly, which is always lovely. But I felt confident and capable on her which I haven’t felt in a while. And she was way more fun then the couple of school horses I rode.

Her owners are selling her because she doesn’t like small children and does not enjoy being a baby sitter. She has bucked them off many times to the point where the dad won’t let the kids on her on anymore. And will buck to get out of doing lessons or boring work. So that’s obviously a bit concerning in terms of sass and potential for things to go wrong. But I am not a small child. And I would be doing more with her than just riding in circles. You can’t tell though that she’s a bit of a busy body and wants to always be doing something, or she will find her own thing to do and you probably won’t like it.

But she was a perfect angel in my lesson on Friday. She was really adjustable and didn’t get fussed over my questionable jumping position or occasional miscues. I just rebalanced and fixed it and she rebalanced and fixed with me. And you can tell that she likes jumping and likes to work. And she was so cuddly. And has the most gorgeous long flowing mane and I just want to braid ribbons into it. She was just so sweet. (And def a treat hunter but then you just cuddle and it’s fine).

So on the positives we have fun and easy to ride. Well trained. Could fit all the fun and tacky sparkly pony gear like saddle pads and boots and blankets. Shes cute and cuddly. She’s also relatively cheap, and she lives out in a paddock at my barn which is like 80ish cheaper than a stall and there she doesn’t need turn out which is 120, so that makes keeping her easy. She’s a welsh cob which tend to be easy keepers, she only has front shoes and she hasn’t had many issues.

Cons: she is tiny, which would make placing well in the hunters interesting, and adds a challenge to jumping higher (but probably less of a challenge then dealing with a green horse. Also less far too fall). Her potential for easiness and bucking, will have to sus this out over the next month. She does have a bit a club foot but doesn’t pose any/much problems. She has kind of a hard to fit back so I’m going to have a struggle finding a good saddle for her.

So I just have to sort out how much I like riding her verses potential sassiness. And sort out how I feel about how small she, weighing the cute factor versus potential competitive and resale issues, vs not far to fall vs how she feels as a mover and takes up leg and working with on the ground.

And then deal with the logistics of getting s vet check and searching for a saddle and bridle, and all the rest of the gear. (But since she’s owned by a barn family they’d let me borrow their tack for a while, while I’m getting my mine. Which a plus but then the minus there is their kids will really miss having her as their pony and will still want to let which could be okay and maybe cute or could be annoying and potentially problematic.)

So many thoughts and stuff to sort, but I mostly have a plan and a path forward! I am excited about the possibility and also feeling very overwhelmed.

[whentranslatorscry]

Hitagi Honeymoon

022

"I understand every detail, Araragi-senpai. You don't need to say anything else, and you don't need to worry about anything. All your worries rest on my shoulders now. I swear on the name of Tokugawa Ieyasu that I will find Shinobu-chan. So please, Araragi-senpai, continue on your way to Senjougahara with Araragi-senpai."

"But, Kanbaru..."

"In all honesty, I implore you not to abandon your honeymoon here. Of course, if there was an imminent danger to Shinobu-chan's life, there would be no room for choice— but that is not the case. If you still insist on leaving your bride to search for Shinobu-chan, then you may as well shoot me dead."

I didn't have a gun on me.

Nor should an ordinary guy like me even possess such a thing.

"We aren’t some high school kids skipping school to search for her anymore. It's time to grow up."

You’re one to talk.

Still a student yourself. 

But she was right. Much has changed since the time when I ran around town trying to find Shinobu as she was on her journey of self-discovery. Now, I find myself lost in an unfamiliar land without even a sense of direction.

Wandering aimlessly could make me the one who's lost.

And the god of lost children was far, far away.

"Besides, if I am granted Araragi-senpai’s permission to move on my own, I have a method that could drastically improve the chances of finding her compared to if you were to search for her yourself. Please understand that I don't say this out of any desire to prioritize Araragi-senpai. I know how important Shinobu is to you, Araragi-senpai. That's why, in this instance, you should leave it all to me."

I couldn’t keep track of whether she meant Hitagi or me, but... it seems she had a way?

I thought it made sense that I should be the one most attuned to finding Shinobu, given our spiritual bond and master-servant relationship. But I couldn't find her on my own back in high school. To my frustration, I had to wait for her to come out of hiding on her own accord.

In the first place, it was rather irregular for Shinobu to break free from my shadow... Maybe it hadn't been wise to let her drink a considerable amount of blood before inspecting the stone.

That might have temporarily allowed her independent action.

Metaphors about parent and child didn’t seem appropriate anymore… But maybe like a Bluetooth smartwatch?

Even so, it was still daytime… Ahh, I see.

The heavy rain helped too. Even in a place named after sunlight such as Nikko¹, there wasn’t a single ray of sunlight right now— that could be considered dangerous, though.

What if the fickle mountain weather changed again...? Neither of us knew the area well. Actually, Shinobu was worse off. At least I had a smartphone with a map app, but unlike Kagenui-san, who treated her Shikigami like a little sister, I hadn't even given Shinobu a kid's cell phone.

Because she wasn’t my daughter. 

No, it's no use; I just can't sit still any longer. 

"I guarantee it. Also, if you move, it's highly probable that our strategy will fail. The best thing for Shinobu-chan is for you to go with Araragi-senpai to Senjougahara."

"I trust you wholeheartedly. If you say it is necessary for me to wear a Naoetsu High School girl’s uniform to find Shinobu, even at my ripe age of twenty-four, I will gladly do it. However, if you say not to do anything, I'd at least like to know what you're planning."

"I'm gonna do something that you'd stop me from doing if I told you. That's all I can say."

It was tempting to point out which of us it was that hadn’t changed since school, but I suppose we were both alike in our stubbornness. The wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature— including the fact that when I look straight into the eyes of my devoted junior, I can’t help but concede.

And that was certainly a hint.

She'd revealed as much of her strategy as possible, just barely toeing the line.

Even I, who wouldn't hesitate to employ any means necessary to find Shinobu, would be compelled to stop what she had in mind.

"……"

Ah, so that’s it— she would ask that conman for a hand. Not the monkey’s paw, at least.

I had come to know of it only after becoming a cop to apprehend him, but through her mother or her aunt, Kanbaru had a direct connection to Kaiki Deishuu, the infamous conman who wreaked havoc in our hometown. It seems that even during high school, unbeknownst to me, she had met with that man.

He had suddenly vanished from the public eye at some point (which might be a natural consequence for a criminal), so I had assumed her ties with him had been severed as well. Even the free-spirited Gaen-san seemed to have decided against approaching the Kanbaru family— but it was quite surprising that she still kept in contact with him.

Right, he might be very skilled at tracking down a runaway girl. In this particular field, his expertise, annoyingly, may well surpass that of Gaen-san. 

Even though I am well aware that the world doesn't always run on justice and righteousness, and even if I tried to put aside personal feelings, as a police officer, it irks me to rely on a criminal's help in a tough situation. But, as Kanbaru said, the chances of finding her were the highest this way.

In fact, there was no one else to lend a hand. Not even a foot.

Even if I disregard our history, as an agent of law enforcement, my presence would undoubtedly put that conman on high alert. And as for assurances, the notorious criminal would never deceive Kanbaru—no matter how reckless an illicit investigation may be, her safety was guaranteed.

Certainly, a decision had to be made.

A painful one.

"Got it. I'll leave everything to you. I grant you carte blanche. But I'll bear all responsibility. Even if things don't go well, you don't need to worry. So, without feeling any pressure, please do your best."

"Leave it to me! Now hurry up and go, Araragi-senpai. There's a minivan waiting for you in the parking lot. From here on out, it's just the two of you. Just a return to the way it should be, the real honeymoon."

It was really paradoxical to think that not pursuing the runaway Shinobu would be best for her. As baffling as it may be, when urged like that, I knew that my mission was clear— to make my way to Oku-Nikko as soon as possible.

Without waiting for me to leave fully, Kanbaru took out her smartphone and began pushing a number on the touch panel that she seemed to remember by heart. Had I gone back on my word and arrasted that conman who played a big part in my motivation to become a police officer, it would not have been impossible. But such betrayal was out of the question.

Actually, I was glad I didn't.

Kanbaru probably thought I'd moved far away when she began the call, but just like how Shinobu regained the power to temporarily break away from her shadow seal, my five senses, too, were enhanced— sharper than they had any right to be. Just as I was tiptoeing through the dark, I could barely make out the familiar voice of my junior from over a dozen meters away.

"My name is Kanbaru Suruga. My special skill is the double jump."

Are you still saying that?

Maybe she had matured since she refrained from saying anything about Araragi-senpai—but she was no criminal, and I had no intention to eavesdrop. On the contrary, I wanted to quicken my pace so as not to overhear, but I couldn’t go faster than the speed of sound— in between the rain's cacophony, I could just make out Kanbaru's next line.

"Sorry to bother you while you're so busy, Sengoku-chan, but I need a bit of your help— it's not about a doujinshi, no. Not as a manga artist, but as a specialist…"

Prev Chapter | Next Chapter

日光nikko=sunlight.

[magicalgirlmel]

Anime finished this year 19: Buddy Daddies

8/10

Transcript under the cut 

I can totally see why people looked at this one and dubbed it "we have Spy X Family at home", however, I think that this show does enough to differentiate itself and stand on it's own.

One thing this one does really well is the whole idea of found family. By the time the season comes to an end, you do really feel like these three have become a family and care about each other. That's something that is surprisingly hard for a series to pull off. Some of this might be played for comedy and a bit over the top, but it undeniably works here. I care about these people getting to stay together.

It also does colorwork really well, the series feeling bright and poppy for most of the runtime until those moments where it doesn't need to be, where the palette takes on an appropriate tone to those situations. Overall, it's a wonderfully beautiful show. Even the comedy is accented by that, with the comedic expressions that the animators threw in really bringing some scenes over the top. 

However I'm not so happy to report that there were a few small elements that hold this back from reaching some of the highest accolades that it could. For one, the handling of Miri's mother in the back half of the series really rubs me the wrong way. I don't have much of a problem with her changing her mind from where she was at at the start of the series since she was clearly in a bad place then. However, the way she's handled in the second to last episode felt like it was just for cheap shock value rather than actually adding anything to the story. And given that she's one of only two adult women given any prominence in the show, it's disappointing to see her treated in that way.

Miri is cute, but she's also a little annoying, which is a bit of a problem. There are times where I really love her and times where I wish she would just zip it. Sure, that's the way real kids are and I like that she's not some little perfect radiant sunshine perfect child, but there are some edges that could have been smoothed down.

And finally, while the last episode mostly sticks the landing and wraps everything up in a satisfying way, the way it wraps up does feel like it comes about just a touch too easily. It's something that, given everything we've been told, I don't think that the leads should have been able to resolve so neatly without ongoing problems for them. It's just a case where it likely could have used one more episode of breathing room, which we might have gotten were it not for the recap episode partway through the season.

[desultory-suggestions]

Hello, um, first time I'm actually asking for advice on a blog so I'm very sorry if this is breaking your boundaries in any way.

I've suspected that I've had an eating disorder since I was a teenager due to various reasons, but every single doctor shrugged me off and that it's good that I'm thin. I've known that since I was a child I've felt...self-conscious about my weight, but not in the expected way: I feel too thin. I've known for years my eating habits are unhealthy and there's no one but me to support me through this, with all my friends wanting to become thinner and doctors ignoring me.

Self-awareness in time has allowed me to try and change my habits, try and eat more, and although I struggle I've somewhat consistently eaten recently even if money is hard to come by nowadays. But a few weeks back I had to undergo two heavy surgeries to fix worrying issues with my mouth, and now that I stopped the antibiotics I've been incapable of eating enough due to pain and fear of messing something up and have lost significant weight. I feel ashamed that I feel so thin when everyone around me, especially coworkers I don't know very well, are praising me for looking "healthier" when I can barely communicate and getting back to my usual work routine is still difficult in post-op recovery. It scares me.

Is this actually a thing? Maybe I'm not looking hard enough but I can't find anything on "feeling like I'm too thin with a suspected ED" in my own research. Is it just body dysmorphia?

Hello dear,

It is absolutely okay to ask for advice and support, that’s why I’m here! I’m so sorry that you’ve been ignored for years and years because of others people’s perceptions. Prejudice, fatphobia, and body shaming run so deep in our society and medicine, and radiates into everything we try to do. It is deeply upsetting that those around us equate thinness with health so much so that they would praise our illness.

We often reduce eating disorders to a person becoming obsessed with losing weight. However, there are a myriad of different eating disorders that happen for vastly different reasons. It’s a disorder about eating, so at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what causes the issues. If your eating is consistently disordered, you have an eating disorder. It is not uncommon to struggle with feeling too skinny, in fact many people ask me about the same concern. Body dysmorphia isn’t defined by thinking you are fat, but by having an altered perception of your body. So it is absolutely possible and even common to have dysmorphia surrounding feeling too thin.

NEDA is always a great resource for learning about eating disorders and seeking the right help. Here are some articles that may help:

When it comes to the issue of self perception, it is treated much the same as it would be if you were struggling with feeling fat rather than thin. There is no moral weight, the fear comes from around us and within ourselves. Therapy is incredibly helpful, as are support groups. However, even just small changes in mindset build up. Practicing affirmations to change the mindset around your body and eating is important. You don’t need to eat to gain weight, you need to eat to sustain yourself. Intuitive eating is your friend!

It sounds like your struggles with eating are an ongoing mental health issue, however with your recent surgeries it seems to have been heavily exacerbated. The immediate concern is eating at all. Consulting your surgeon will be vital, ask what is safe and appropriate to eat when and start making a sort of meal plan. The approval of the surgeon may help ease some anxiety. If all you can comfortably get down is protein drinks than so be it! That is still nutrients for your body. However it will be important to practice pushing those boundaries of fear. As someone who just underwent a major surgery, it’s so scary to do anything that could mess it up! But it also isn’t nearly as easy to mess up your results as you feel it is. Trying to gave liquids like smoothies or soups is great, then eating small pieces of food or mashes, then working up to bigger bites and meals. It will take time but it’s worth the effort.

Overall, seeking professional care will be important. It’s not always easy, but there are ways you can find support. I’m here to chat if you ever want to or need some advice! Take tender care.

-Evan

[strawbqby]

Greetings I love your blog theme!

Anyways, I'm aligned with RQ beliefs but due to complications about the community I don't consider myself RQ directly. Since I get a lot of questions already when explaining RQ stuff I'll just share the main points I end up talking about.

So starting off with TransIDs, the reason I support them is pretty simple; You can't control a lot of things and that often includes insecurities, desires, and even how you visualize yourself... And you should be allowed to put a word to that feeling!

The two main issues people have with transIDs tend to be... 1) The use of the prefix Trans is offensive/transphobic, 2) The idea that identifying with marginalized groups or similar when you are not "cis" something is offensive, such as being able bodied + transabled.

For the first, I already support having a word to put to the feeling, why don't I support changing it? Because that would create a cycle and there would always be a new "issue" with the new prefix. And trans is not a bad prefix (and is also not owned by transgender people, never has been). I also tend not to think of transness as just "transitioning" but rather a general line or connection from one identity to another. That line can stand for anything, including transition, but can also just stand for a desire or dysphoria.

And of course, the idea that trans means to transition is transmedicalist/transphobic.

So with that there's of course more complex opinions I have on what transition is appropriate, who can be in "safe spaces," etc... But thats the basics of my support of TransIDs (note my main reason for supporting labelling like this is to build a community that can understand and support, but others may find it important for other reasons)

And of course, paraphilias... This one's even simpler. Nobody really decides what they're attracted to. If they could, everyone would take the easy route that wouldn't get them treated poorly. And I will also always hate the "keep it to yourself" rhetoric regarding attraction and fantasy; we are a social species, its completely illogical and heartless to demand people not talk about such. Additionally... Discussing fantasy doesn't mean intent to act. And thats all under the assumption you don't literally act on an attraction; MAPs should be able to discuss their feelings with one another without being assumed as child predators... Yk, so only actual predators get labelled that way... And not just people who have an attraction they didn't choose who don't have/choose the option of repression, isolation, or silence.

I hope this makes at least a little sense! I am willing to clarify if it doesn't.

🦈 Love to hear that you love the aesthetics!! 🫧 I'd like to let you know that I read to the best of my ability seeing as how I have trouble understanding long texts, I apologize. So! Just a little question! Does the RQC consider themselves (for example) transautistic because they feel like they should have the disability?? As a disabled person, I find that a bit controversial and slightly harmful. But of course, that's a personal opinion and I'm still very willing to listen! Get back to me when you can! 💙 Remember that life is like an ocean, it goes up and down. 🪼

[obsidianmama]

HGP REVIEW- Section 2: Maya Method

I'm switching to summarizing this book in sections. There's a lot of anecdotes and repetition, and I just don't feel like each chapter merits its own individual review. The good news is, we're finally into the part I'm actually interested in: the parenting advice.

In chapter 3, "The Most Helpful Kids in the World," we get introduced to a concept that's core to this section: acomedido. As Doucleff explains it, "The idea is complex: It’s not just doing a chore or task because someone told you to; it’s knowing which kind of help is appropriate at a particular moment because you’re paying attention" (53). That sounds like an extremely valuable skill for any person living and working with other humans to possess, and Doucleff is going to explain how to teach this skill over the course of the next 3 chapters, mostly based on her experiences observing Mayan families, with some references to other groups such as the Inuit and the Nahua-heritage people (she never calls them Nahua people or Nahuas, she only ever says things like "Nahua-heritage moms," and I do not know enough about Nahuas to know if this is how they prefer to be referred, or if the people Doucleff interviewed about this are descended from Nahuas but not affiliated with any modern Nahua communities, or some other thing). So, let's see what Doucleff's takeaways are on the matter of getting kids to willingly contribute to the household.

There are apparently 3 steps to instilling this value in children. Chapter 4, "How to Teach Kids to Do Chores, Voluntarily," describes the first step, which I would summarize very simply as "modelling and inclusion." Modelling is probably a pretty familiar concept to a lot of parents already going the respectful parenting route: it's simply allowing the child to observe you doing the behaviors you want them to emulate. This is helpful in everything from chores, to emotional regulation, to communication, due to mimicry being a core tool of childhood learning.

However, it's also stressed here that it's important to not only let the child observe, but participate unobstructed.

This chapter made me realize I hadn't really been doing enough in this area. I do well at it with some things: L has always been my laundry helper, since she was about a year old. She has always been invited to be part of that process, and she is a competent and enthusiastic assistant in this task. In others, I am prone to dismissing or only briefly tolerating her assistance, as with sweeping, because it tends to slow me down insufferably or make a bigger mess. And with others, like the dishes, I send her to play by herself, or sit her down with a screen if she won't.

But as Doucleff says on page 61, "...if you constantly discourage a child from helping, they believe they have a different role in the family. Their role is to play or move out of the way."

After reading this chapter I immediately adjusted my approach, and I've been inviting L to contribute much more often, even if she makes a mess or a mistake that must be cleaned or corrected before the task is complete. Children are naturally motivated to be included in adult activities, including cleaning, and experience satisfaction from contributing. This hypersocial instinct is the reason for our species' overwhelming success, and denying children the opportunity to observe and participate without lecture or judgement suppresses the natural drive to work constructively with others. It also removes a considerable amount of a child's autonomy.

So, now I'm learning from and starting to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, my feelings about the next two chapters are more mixed.

Chapter 5, entitled "How to Raise Flexible, Cooperative Kids," is essentially about welcoming children into the adult world, rather than keeping them in this separate little bubble from the rest of humanity. In principle, I'm on board with this: by treating children as equals who are learning from you and from whom you might learn, you are treating them as fellow people. If you allow children to join in you in your work, without lecture or bossing, and accept their contributions even if you must make some adjustments before finishing the task, they will learn at their own pace and their intrinsic motivation to build competency and contribute will be nurtured.

Doucleff argues in this chapter that as part of making children part of the adult world, parents need to stop entertaining their children. No more playing event manager, packing children's days full of crafts, playdates, and children's museum excursions in order to keep them busy; no more child-centered activities, period. You can do fun things, like going to the zoo or playing board games, but they should be for everyone's benefit, not just the child's. Otherwise you are, once again, teaching them that their role is to be entertained.

I think there's some merit to this. I enjoy playing with L sometimes, but too often I find myself putting off whatever I'm trying to do by acquiescing to her demands that I play with her. When this happens, I don't enjoy it. I'm irritated and resentful. But I don't necessarily think that this means I need to throw away all her toys, as Doucleff actually recommends in this chapter (she even recommends that parents threaten to throw away a child's toys that they do keep, if the child won't keep them tidy to the satisfaction of the adult. This is, at its least disrespectful and damaging, still a dick move). I mean, we're overdue for a declutter, but I think the issue could be solved by better boundary-setting and a willingness to try to problem-solve with her, rather than either giving in to her demands or requiring obedience to my own. But Doucleff thinks parents should start taking a break from entertaining their kids as part of easing them into the adult world, to the point of ignoring them when they say they're bored. Again, I would rather help them do some problem-solving than act like their feelings don't matter to me. But I can get behind the idea that time spent together should be meaningful for both adult and child, and if the grown-up is miserable, then maybe there's something better they could be doing instead.

I will say again that I appreciate Doucleff's transparency about things that a lot of parents are afraid to admit for fear of judgment. In her introduction to her TEAM acronym (Togetherness, Encouragement, Autonomy, Minimal interference), she admits that when she first heard about the concept of togetherness, she thought it "sounded like hell" and that she found being with Rosy to be exhausting. I've seen plenty of parents who are trying to break cycles say the same thing, usually with an enormous helping of guilt. For parents who are struggling with that feeling, Doucleff's candor about this probably feels like a relief as they hear that they are not alone, and it's possible for things to change for the better.

Anyway, that was step 2 of teaching kids to be helpful: make them full-fledged members of the team. Now we're on to the last chapter of this section, chapter 6, or "Master Motivators: What's Better Than Praise?"

Praise is actually a topic I'd been thinking about making a blog post about for a while, because How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen kinda blew my mind about it. Doucleff's approach to praise is... similar, but worse, I would say. Both books point out that praise as we usually understand it- things like saying "good job!" and "yes, that looks very nice"- actually has quite a few drawbacks, including undermining intrinsic motivation and inspiring rivalry between children, especially siblings. It actually does far more harm than good. The HTTSLKWL approach is to use "descriptive" praise, which is exactly what it sounds like: describing what the child has done without any value judgment. Here in HGP, the recommendation is to specifically acknowledge the child's contribution. Which works, if you only care about training them to do work, I guess. It's good advice, but it doesn't really tell you what to say if your child shows you a crayon drawing, you know? At this level, it really is the same as the HTTSLKWL approach, but only interested in labor. It's narrower in scope, and maybe suggestive of a difference in the author's priorities, but at this point I'm basically fine with it.

There's some specific advice in here that I take issue with, though. For example, connecting contributions to maturity and growing up. I mostly like that, but I'm not a fan of "big boy/girl" talk, and I'm outright vetoing calling children babies when they're being unhelpful. Don't call your kids names, are you kidding me right now? I should not have to tell grown-ups not to insult, demean and belittle children for not doing what you want. Similarly, I think you have to be careful with pointing out unhelpful behavior. I think it's one thing to say, "When food gets thrown on the floor, it makes a mess. Messes have to be cleaned up." I think the example used in the book, "The rest of us are working hard. You need to try your best too" is just shaming and guilt-tripping. Don't emotionally manipulate your kids to get them to do what you want.

There's a couple more examples like that, but I think I've made my point. I get the sense that despite going all over the world to gain perspective from other cultures, Doucleff still hasn't fully freed herself from the punitive mindset of our own society.

But with that, we've reached the end of this section. The 3 steps to teaching kids how to be helpful are Practice, Model and Acknowledge. This section was eye-opening in some parts, and concerning in others. I'm hoping the next two will be better, but I suspect that the lens through which Doucleff is viewing the lessons she learned remains distorted by growing up in the most carceral country in the world. So far, this is not a book I would recommend without many caveats.