#and i'm not good enough to add them in a way that doesn't hamper my enjoyment of the character

[hemlock-dreams]

have you drawn Wade breaking the fourth wall? bc wouldn't Wade know that Peter Parker is spiderman if he could?

love ur art btw, this AU has me obsessed

I feel like Wade's 4th wall breaking has usually been used for more comedic effect than to glean plot-critical information- otherwise he'd also know Peter's identity in the comic books.

I haven't drawn him breaking the fourth wall (as that and the boxes are not my favorite gimmick) but I have referenced him thinking things like "a group of mercs off-screen" to indicate that he's aware of the medium he's in!

[bunnyandcomet]

Thread 0: Blank Slate - Chapter 4

Attention All Employees

Thank you for your hard work today.

We would like to announce that due to Owner Suoh's leave of absence which you were notified of previously, we have decided to hire a new staff member.

Kou: ......I'm sorry you had to wait so long for me. I'm not supposed to accept personal contact details from customers.

Woman: Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone! You don't have a girlfriend, right?

Kou: Well, I don't, but...... ! Ah, he's finally here.

Mao: Sorry for making you wai......t. Whoa—

Kou: Good job today~! Mao!

Woman: Ahaha, a good job hug? How nice, you two get along so well.

Mao: ......Seriously, again? You don't have any left this month.

Kou: Sorry. I'll add on extra compensation, so please help me.

Mao: ......Haah...... ......Hey. Sorry, but if you're interested in Kou, you should give up. He doesn't want to actually date anyone except me.

Woman: Eh? Da......ting? The two of you?

Kou: Yeah.

Woman: Eh!? Wait, what......ah! When you said "I don't, but", did you mean you swing that way?

Kou: I'm sorry. But I'm glad you felt that way about me. Thank you. Well, goodbye. ......Ahh, you really helped me out there, Mao. Thanks.

Mao: That's the girl who came for lunch today. Hey, how many times do we have to tell you not to make moves on the customers before it sticks?

Kou: She gave me her contact details when she paid the bill. I didn't even message her on LIME, let along make a move. That counts as innocence, right?

Mao: If you're hiring a coworker to be your lover only when it's convenient for you, you're guilty.

Kou: Well, I guess so.

Mao: Haah......anyway, Kou. Have you seen it?

Kou: Seen what?

Mao: Chattas. It was shared in the general channel just then......

Akehoshi: ......Ehhh......so we're seriously gettin' a new person. Oh, Yura. You're up?

Yuragi: I only came to get a drink. Move.

Akehoshi: I'll grab it for ya. You want that whipped drink stuff in the fridge, right? Cool if I have a sip?

Yuragi: No way.

Akehoshi: Ahaha, just kiddin'. Got a cup?

Yuragi: Don't need one.

Akehoshi: Spoon?

Yuragi: ......Enough, I'll get it myself.

Akehoshi: Sorry, sorry, I'm gettin' it. Here ya go.

Yuragi: Haah......

Akehoshi: Anyway, Aporia. Someone new's comin', huh? Wonder what kinda person they are. You heard anything?

Yuragi: No. Either way, you won't know what someone's really like until you meet them.

Akehoshi: Yep, sounds like something you'd say. Though maybe you're right. Guess I'll just look forward to meetin' them. By the way, I'm goin' over to Soyogu-san's now for drinks. Wanna come?

Yuragi: I just opened a new candy, so.

Akehoshi: So not today, got it. If ya get hungry, there's fried rice too, but......

Yuragi: I'm fine with this.

Akehoshi: Thought so. I'll take it with me, then. If there's snacks left over, want me to bring 'em back?

Yuragi: ......Leave it in that basket over there.

Akehoshi: Okay, good night~ All righty, that's the end of my break. Time to get the dishes done lickety-split.

Taiga: Oi, Haruhi. The bath?

Haruhi: ......

Taiga: ......Haruhi! Get up!

Haruhi: I said, I'm getting there......

Taiga: If you can hear me then go quickly. I drew you a bath because you're the one who said he'd take one. Just how long are you going to laze around for?

Haruhi: I'm making arrangements for a collab next week, but the other person is slow to reply to every single message. Right, Okoge?

Okoge: Meow.

Taiga: Don't blame other people. In the first place, if you're having a work discussion, you should sit up straight.

Haruhi: Even if I do, it's not like they can see me.

Taiga: Don't quibble with me. It's a matter of mental preparedness. For example, in the near future, you'll have the opportunity to meet the deputy owner. If you behave like this then, I'm going to hit you.

Haruhi: Okay, okay. Ahh, what a pain.....I'm meant to go take a bath, right, a bath......

Taiga: Put your dirty clothes in the hamper properly.

Haruhi: What are you, my mother?

Taiga: I don't remember giving birth to a child like you.

Sei: ......Fufu.

Taiga: I swear, it's every single day when it comes to him...... Sei-san, do you still have coffee in that cup? I can make you a refill.

Sei: Thank you, I'm fine for now. I'm glad that the two of them are getting along as well as ever today. Okoge, you think so too, don't you?

Okoge: ? Myan.

Sei: Fufu. Yes, that's right. It's best when everybody is getting along. ......I hope we will be able to do so with "her" as well.

Taiga: ? Were you saying something?

Sei: Ahh, don't mind me. Just some small talk with Okoge.

Okoge: ......? Guaa......ah......

Takeru: Haaaah......! Humph. Pardon me.

Shizuka: What was that?

Takeru: A yawn?

Shinobu: And what an epic one it was~!

Soyogu: Did you not sleep, Anego?

Takeru: To be honest, I was up until quite late yesterday drinking. By "quite late", I mean until morning.

Shinobu: It's amazing that you can still want to drink today too.

Takeru: The alcohol just won't let go of me. An alluring sin, indeed.

Shizuka: That’s the alcohol talking. Mainly, the bottle that you embrace as you sleep.

Takeru: I don’t remember. But they say that waking up with no memories of the night has a certain refined spontaneity to it, you know.

Soyogu: Ha. You’re not wrong.

Takeru: Well, I remember a little more than Soyogu, at least. Anyway, what were we talking about again?

Shinobu: Ahaha, good question. We were saying that Akke should be coming soon, and then...... Ah, that's right. The new staff member! Is it true that it's a woman?

Shizuka: Yeah......

Takeru: Seems like it. She's the first one since Ai-chan took over, right? She'll be part of the Main Office, and I don't think it really matters if she's a woman. I'm sure there'll be a lot of things she's not used to at first though, so let's all give her a hand.

Soyogu: Hopefully we can help her out enough that that bastard's pickiness doesn't make her quit.

Shinobu: Are you talking about Ai-san?

Soyogu: Who else would it be?

Shinobu: Actually, Gucchi, you're the only one who can talk about him like that. You really don't get along......

—Ding-dong

Shinobu: Ah. He's here? I'll get the door. Comiiing!

Kiho: Welcome.

Kyoya: Pardon the intrusion.

Previous | Index | Next

[luimnigh]

In regards to your answer about penny death not being for fridging what the reason you think she died?

Well, obviously this is just speculation, but one very good argument I've seen is that she died for her own development.

Throughout Volume 8, Penny repeatedly brought up the prospect of sacrificing herself. From raising the idea of going along with Ironwood's plan, to asking Ruby to kill her to keep the Staff out of Watts' hands. That she would suggest it in the finale was pretty well-built up.

And it's not just Penny. Self-sacrifice has been a theme since Volume 2 at the latest, though it became much more prominent in the Atlas Arc. And RWBY takes a dim view of it. At best, it's portrayed as a tragedy. At worst, it actively makes the situation worse and solves nothing.

Penny's coming back. That much I'm sure of. I've been sure she was gonna die and come back since the mechanics of her resurrection were explained in Volume 7, and I'm pretty sure I even called Winter being involved before the Volume 8 premiere.

Now, they've been clever about it. They destroyed Penny's robot body, the original means of resurrection, but it was never gonna happen in the same way twice.

So, if we accept the premise that Penny is coming back, then "who is affected most by Penny's death" becomes obvious:

Penny.

Penny's issues around taking the world on her shoulders, about self-sacrifice, her working alone- all recurring issues among the Atlesian cast, I might add- were contributing factors to her death. They hampered her at every turn, they helped set up the events of the finale.

So the obvious next step in her character development is to overcome them.

Now, you think these issues contributing to her death would be enough, but... well, her conversation with Winter doesn't really betray that sort of attitude. As of that moment, she thinks she's made the right choice.

Which means she's probably gonna get a front-row seat to all the pain and trouble her sacrifice will cause.

For example?

Well. Let's be honest here. There are easier ways to develop a character out of self-sacrificial tendencies than killing them.

So the story going forward needs Penny dead for more than that reason.

And aside from all the emotional trauma it's causing her loved ones, the other big narrative change created by her death is that Winter is now the Maiden.

Winter being the Maiden is a necessary plot point, at least for the time being. And I can't help but think, with Winter Maidenhood being a destiny forced upon her first by Ironwood, in a series that does not like such things, that Winter Maidenhood is going to be a negative experience for Winter.

It saved her life, sure. But with great power comes great responsibility, and Winter is already suffering enough without making her think she needs to take the world on her shoulders any more than she already does.

(Which is why I'm very much a propenent of the Winter Maidenhood being split between them: relying on each other to help shoulder the responsibility, protecting each other, acting as a team? That's a pretty damn good resolution to their issues.)

As I've said before, Penny's issues are recurring issues among the Atlesian cast, and Winter is no exception. So by seeing her exact issues play out in Winter, and seeing them as a problem? Might make it easier for Penny to see those issues in herself.

Meanwhile, narratively, Winter being crushed by the weight of the world will cause problems in the world of the living. What problems? I don't know. But probably something our villains will try to exploit.

TL;DR: My theory, my speculation, is that Penny died for her own character development and also because Winter needs to be the Maiden for the next section of plot.

[planettnibiruu]

Asmo x reader, washing your curly hair (there's a mention of a scarf/bonnet & oils/creams)

It's late in the evening, you've just finished your 3rd shift this week at Hells Kitchen. But what cloud you do, you needed money and that ment you needed work. Plus, leeching off of the brothers was getting tiring.

As soon as you walk past the front doors, you make a beeline for the kitchen. Working around food for hours and not being able to eat makes a person hungry. Not to mention the fact you've been constantly busy since you left for RAD this morning.

You quickly find something simple and easy to eat, a yoghurt and a p posion apple. It should be enough to tide you over until breakfast tomorrow.

"Oh, Mc! You're back!" A cheery voice sings from behind you, you quickly feel a body sliding up behind yours, wrapping arms around your waist.

"Asmo, I'm all gross n tired. I don't really feel like hugs right now." You say, putting the spoon for your yoghurt down. You pat his hand for a bit or reassurance.

The demon quickly lets go of you. He gently turns you around, his hand cupping the entire left side of your face.

"Sweetheart you don't look to good. Would you like to have a bath in my room? I'll put all the nice soaps and salts in. Oh! I can even wash your hair! We both know grease weighs down your pretty curls." He starts twisting his fingers in the coils.

A warm feeling spreads over your body. A hot bath with nice scents and a head massage sounds sooo good. You haven't been able to wash your hair due to your schedule, thinking about it makes you feel lighter.

You nod and asmo wastes no time pulling you to his room. He gives you a small box of chocolates as he starts to run the bath.

"Sweets, would you prefer citrus or berry salts?" He asks, holding up two bags. You point to the one you like the best and he hums.

Once the bath is all hot, bubbly and silky, asmo helps you undress. Pulling your work uniform off and dumping it in his hamper. "This uniform does make you look nice, but it seems uncomfortable." He comments, before lifting you bridal style.

He sets you on the edge of the bath, letting you slip into it at your own pace. You audibly sigh when you do, all the tension and soreness seeping out of your body. You feel asmo sitting behind you, legs snugly beside your shoulders.

He starts by putting a mild smelling shampoo in your hair, something light but efficient. You feel him massaging it into your scalp, swirling his fingers in little circles. Once he's decided that you hair is adequately smothered, he dips his hands briefly in the water, moving to massage your neck.

"Your so perfect. You work your job, go to school and still manage to spend time with me and my brothers," He mutters to you, "I don't anyone else in the three realms would be able to make me feel the way you do." He adds on sweatly.

You chuckle, "Even Solomon?"

"Even that old sarcastic oaf." He replies as you sink further.

Your body is completely relaxed, hot steam clearing away any tightness in your body. The water lightly laps on your stiff body, ebbing away any stress and soreness. The salts and oils in the water smell lovely and the bubbles give you modesty while you're vulnerable.

Asmo moves his hands, now picking up a small cup and rinsing your hair. The process repeats with another layer of shampoo, then conditioner, he even slips into the bath to help smother you in fresh smelling soap. He slips in some oils and creams to your hair, raking them through and kissing your nose once you're done.

The strawberry blonde demon pulls you to his chest. He slips far enough into the water so you completely submerged, but also so that the eater doesn't come close to your mouth or nose. Rubbing your back as you settle agaisnt him, he heaves a sigh.

Asmo runs his fingers down your face, chasing the slopes and angles. He then leans down, kissing your nose, forehead and each cheek, smiling at your gigglew. In all the time bes been alive, he's had plenty of lovers. One night flings, pacts with benifits (Solomon 👀) and even weekend romances, but never in his life has he seen someone so special.

Once you've had enough, the gentle demon helps you out of the water, wrapping you in a towel and bringing you straight to his bedroom. He scrunches your hair with a t shirt to remove the extra water, then slips on a pretty bonnet or scarf. You quickly slip on a pair of his boxers and an oversized t shirt before you all but collapse into his bed.

Asmo slips in beside you, already finished his skincare routine. He cuddles you the way you like best, body radiating heat. In that moment you've never felt so content. You could die here, and you'd be happy forever.

Asmo now realises everything was worth it. The fall, the war. All so he can meet you. He'd do it a thousand times more just to get a glimpse of your pretty smile. He understood Lilith now, more then ever. Asmo would be forever hideous if it ment he could bask in your quiet beauty.

///

I was gonna write smut but I decided to do simthin fluffy. This is pretty self indulgent, I want asmo to wash my hair after work istg. I'm a slur for money but working as much as I do, WHOO

[torterrachampion]

A completely unhinged discussion about every one of Chloé's outfits and how I feel about them:

under the cut because it's too long

First up, Chloé's childhood outfits. I will admit the details are hard to make out. In the first image she's pretty much covered completely in a cloak. All we can really see of her dress is the sleeve but I think the sleeve is cute. Solid 5/10 Chloé outfit. Nothing noteworthy but perfectly serviceable and I think she looks cute bundled up in a cloak.

Then we have the dress she's wearing while her father promises to make her human. I like dark colours on Chloé and the dress does suit her but again, not many details that can be made out. I like the collar that can be seen briefly in one panel but I'm not a fan of the headpiece really. It's cute though 6/10

Next up, this outfit is only seen very briefly in one panel. It's what Chloé wears at her father's bedside when he dies. Chloé's wearing a light shawl/cloak and a dark dress, neither of which can be seen particularly clearly. 0/10 this makes me sad and there aren't even any cute/pretty details.

Then there's Chloé's mourning outfit after her father's death. It's a simple black dress and a veil. I really like the veil honestly, it looks super pretty in my opinion and the dress isn't bad either, I like the detail on the collar and the little white ruffles at the sleeves. It's probably Chloé's simplest outfit and that makes it stand out as quite unique and interesting. Still, -100/10 this makes me even sadder than the last outfit I never want to see her wear anything like it again.

Next up the dress she was wearing when she met Ruthven! I love when she has ribbons tied around her neck so that the ends can billow dramatically behind her! Top notch for when she's being more threatening. The ribbon does lose points though for looking potentially scratchy/uncomfortable according to my sensibilities anyway. Of her outfits this looks like one of the warmest ones, potentially because she's carrying a really lovely shawl most of the time when wearing it. I like when she looks comfy and the shawl is very good for that! Maybe this is just a manifestation of my desire to wrap Chloé in a warm blanket? Anyway, the details on the bottom of her sleeves and around the white part at her shoulders are a nice touch that I'm really fond of. I like the puffiness of her sleeves too and the little flower on the front of her dress is cute. 8/10 great outfit, very pretty.

This one only appears in a few very small panels but nonetheless I am unreasonably fond of it. It shares some elements with the previous dress but is clearly a different outfit. The sleeves of this dress are pretty, I like any that have ruffles at the bottom and the neckline of her dress also pleases me. The shawl is nice and again plays on my desire to see her rugged up and safe. I am extremely in love with the little bow around Chloé's neck, it's incredibly appealing. 7/10 love this but can't see enough of it to rank it higher since these are the only panels it shows up in.

Next outfit! From the time she met Jeanne and one of the outfits she was most consistently drawn in! Point one in its favour, it's dark and I've already stated that I'm biased towards dark dresses on Chloé. Really I love everything about this to be honest. The necklace and choker combo is so pretty and it may be my favourite of Chloé's many neck accessories. I like the lacy collar of her dress and the bow with the rose in the middle too! I absolutely adore the sleeves on this dress, they just look so cool to me! The sleeves are potentially my favourite thing about this outfit ngl. I also think the dark cloak she wears on top of it briefly looks quite nice, it seems really soft and warm. Also there was a very brief flashback that I think involved this outfit (based on the sleeve) in which Chloé was wearing gloves and I don't know why but I'd really like to see her wearing gloves more clearly now. I just think she'd look cool. Overall this outfit is 10/10 perfect I am incredibly enamoured with it.

I've said I like darker colours but regardless I still think this one suits Chloé perfectly well and am not docking points for colour. First off, my favourite Chloé shawl, it's so big and flowy! Looks warm and is still very pretty. The skirt of this dress is really nice. I love all the bows and the way the layers are separated. It's beautiful! Chloé's choker is one of the ones I'm less fond of. I think I just dislike the beads over the top of the fabric? Not sure. It's still very pretty regardless. The sleeves on this dress are awesome too! I like how wide they are at the ends but also the beaded bits higher on the arm that match her choker. This outfit is very well coordinated and it looks amazing! 9/10 superb

Next we have an outfit that upfront is being judged more harshly because it is solely associated with Chloé in one of the worst states she's ever been in and therefore gives me bad vibes. I enjoy the cape attached to this dress, it's very dramatic and adds a cool flair to this. Also stands out because neither Chloé nor any other character has worn anything else quite like this to date as far as I can remember. I like the bow around her neck and all the bows running down her chest too. They're cute! But also they may be a bit much for me? Makes the front of her dress look very busy. The sleeves are top notch though. I love them. Some of the prettiest sleeves Chloé's worn. Not sure if this is just me but something about this dress doesn't feel Chloé enough. It looks good on her but somehow feels like it suits her personality less than some of her others. 7/10 gorgeous but the vibes throw me off.

Next up is pretty much all she's drawn in throughout the part of her backstory connected to JJ. The only instance in which she wore this without a cloak was when she was still putting it on to go help Jean-Jacques after he became the Beast but I haven't included that panel. She wore a few different cloaks with this outfit that looks pretty similar, though my favourite has to be the one with the ruffles on the hood. I just love it! Though the one with the soft looking hood and bigger bow is a close second. I enjoy the sleeves on this dress, the ribbons tied around them are cool and I'm partial to how they flutter around. The dress itself is pretty, I like the darker part of the skirt in the middle and the details at the bottom of the dress. The bodice of the dress is also nice, I appreciate the buttons running up it. I don't have any particularly strong feelings about Chloé's choker in this outfit but I like how it matches the rest of what she's wearing. A strong 8/10

We have three panels of Chloé in her nightgown and all of them make me sad. It looks cute and the detail around the collar part that I can see is nice. Unfortunately, this is hampered by the fact that Chloé was in a terrible state of mind while wearing it and there aren't any super clear pictures. If Mochijun ever drew Chloé in a nightgown again and she didn't look horribly depressed it would go up the rankings greatly because it would be very cute and I'm weak for Chloé looking cute. For now though 2/10 is the best I can give it because it upsets me.

Last up Chloé's main outfit. I love the ribbon at her neck that billows behind her dramatically and I'm equally enamoured with the big bows at her shoulders and waist. They're so pretty and they blend in with the rest of the dress seamlessly. The lacy parts around the sleeves, the bottom of the dress, the neckline, etc. are really cool, I like how they flutter around and they just generally look incredible. I love the skirt with the little roses and the slightly lighter coloured parts that break up the blackness. The rose on Chloé's chest is also very pretty, I adore how Mochijun coloured it in the volume 6 inner cover. This outfit also has the best Chloé shoes, I love her boots so much (no, I did not talk about the shoes in her other outfits. Yes, I could have. But these shoes are the only ones that matter!). The sleeves on this dress are top tier as well! I like how they flare out at the bottom and the bits at the shoulders. It's just so pretty! This outfit is stunning, jaw-dropping, the pinnacle, 100/10 I am in love with it. Is it boring to pick the main outfit as the best one? Maybe, but it simply is the best. Objectively. Because all my Chloé opinions are correct.

[polyamorousmisanthrope]

📷I took five minutes to vacuum my closet the other day. It was part of my routine cleaning, no big deal. It was just a quick thing to check off on my cleaning list. I removed some boxes of stuff in the bottom, a few pairs of slippers, and vacuumed. I replaced the stuff and went on with my---

No. I didn't.

No, I looked at the bottom of the closet in a state of shock and burst out laughing.

I have spent a large portion of my life trying to get organized. When I was a child, "cleaning my room" really did mean tossing everything I could think of where to put it in a closet so that it looked tidy when Mom poked her head in. I was the child with the cubby under the desk in grade school so stuffed with papers and junk that it was simply impossible to add or find anything.

This level of disorganization bothered and embarrassed me. It really hurt and made me feel like a failure.

As a teenager, my backpack also became a mess of papers, random items, books, and paraphernalia (no, not that kind. In many ways, I was hopelessly square)

As an adult, it wasn't much better. My desk was full of bills to be paid, papers I didn't want to face, things that were vaguely sentimental but not enough to display anywhere. My closet?

That was still the place where I hid stuff I didn't have a place for but wanted the room at least to appear a little tidy.

How long from a stuffed closet to a tidy closet?

It took about thirty years.

I wasted a lot of that time, though. I addressed it in cycles. "Starting now, I'm finally going to get organized!" I'd spend several hours a day over a few weeks cleaning, organizing, and playing possessions Tetris with my home. After a month or so, know what? The house would look great!

Then, inevitably, the house would no longer look great. I'd clean the kitchen well enough to prevent food poisoning, but more than that? Not so much.

Ever done that? C'mon, it's okay. We all have.

Being tidy over time is all about consistent action.

You can, indeed, get the house clean with heroic effort, just as you can work really hard to train for an athletic event.

The problem comes in when you do something intense for a short period. As I mentioned in my last post, heroic effort is unsustainable.

Several of my favorite housekeeping systems (Flylady and Unfuck Your Habitat) talk about starting very small – shining your sink or making your bed. They are so right!

It's not about getting tidied or organized quickly. It's about developing consistent habits. For a lot of people, that's enough.

But for some…

Executive dysfunction can interfere with consistency.

If you have organizational or distraction issues, habits may not be enough. Autism, ADHD, and a host of other neurodivergent issues centered around executive dysfunction make it hard to do things that seem pretty obvious to the neurotypical person. What? You need to wash the dishes after a meal? No kidding. Go do it!

As I was writing this article, I broke for dinner. Guess what is in my sink right now?

I thought about it, got up, scrubbed the pan a little, realized it needed to soak some more, and sat back down here to write. Sure, sure, I'll get to it after I finish this, no biggie. But if my sink was full of dishes other than that pan, if I had laundry on my sofa, a desk drawer full of unaddressed bills, and my phone beeping that I needed to get up and get my car to the garage to get the brakes done, would I be getting back to that pan in any reasonable amount of time?

*Hollow laugh*

People with executive dysfunction issues can find their problems painful.

Maybe some people laugh and think it's cute to be disorganized. It never felt cute to me. It hurt because I had a hard time doing what I wanted to do. I was utterly desperate to get my life under control. Completely and utterly desperate from the time I was nine years old. That's a heavy load.

Jokes about executive dysfunction aren't cute.

I know the whole "squirrel!" joke about distractibility is mean to make people feel better and okay with themselves. I never wanted to be okay with chaos. I wanted the chaos to stop. It hurt. It interfered with accomplishing what I wanted to. It was exhausting. It used up time I wanted to spend on other things. I wanted a clean canvas so that when I jumped from obsession to obsession to obsession, I could feel like I was using that time intelligently rather than as a distraction from things that were bothering me.

Late fees, court cases, and lost jobs aren't cute, either.

There's an ADHD vlogger that I really like named Jessica McCabe. She's brilliant and adorable, and being a little bit of the manic pixie thing is part of her brand. It gets people to listen to broad issues of executive dysfunction. People will accept and listen to that stuff sometimes and find it palatable if someone is small and young and cute. (She's a LOT older than her looks or mannerisms would indicate, by the way).

So, the brilliant part. Quite sure McCabe knows what she's doing with that because sometimes she drops the adorable thing. The pain of being disorganized or having a hard time directing attention is very, very clear. If she weren't so cute, it would be unlikely as many people would listen to the important things she is saying. There's more to her than cute by a long shot. (And don't get me started on the sexism of it).

But that whole "cute" thing about disorganization. It's not so cute when unpaid bills land you in court. That has happened to me. With money in the BANK, that has happened to me! (Or without money. *shrugs* That, too). It's not cute when you have to buy a car at interest rates that are close to what you'd pay on a credit card. Yeah, that's happened, too. That we're in good financial shape now is a miracle.

There is a cultural narrative of *giggle* *giggle* "I'm so distractable!" to try to ameliorate the pain of being disorganized. Know what? It's not funny. It hurts.

Proscriptive solutions won't work.

I use a Bullet Journal just about with the out-of-the-box method that Ryder Carrol posted in that first video he did about it. I tried it, and it clicked.

Know what wouldn't have clicked? Someone making me do it when I was fifteen.

This is where you, if you have problems with executive dysfunction, might wonder if I can provide an answer for you. Know what? I can't.

I can say, "You need a Bullet Journal." I mean, I'll think it. I wouldn't say it. Know why? It won't necessarily work for you.

What I will say is that you need to find methods that work for you.

"Okay, smartybrat," I hear you cry, "if you can't offer a solution, what do I do?"

Create systems that support you

This is going to look different depending on how you think. Does a beepy reminder go bing! and prompt you to do stuff? Do you like to have a menu of tasks that you choose from depending on how easily they grab your attention in the moment?

What primes you to take action?

What plans have you followed through on (c'mon, you do have some if you're alive past 20), and what about them made you feel good?

My husband doesn't use a Bullet Journal. He plans his day using a calendar app. If there's an interrupt to a task, he'll move it to another free time. When you first try this, I strongly encourage you to multiply your estimation of task time by at least four until you get good at estimating how long something will take. If you have executive dysfunction issues you're struggling with, I'd bet at least a nickel that you're not good at estimating how long things take yet.

What stops you from taking action? Can you remove the interrupts?

A simple example would be to take the dirty clothes hamper's lid off if that's enough to discourage you from tossing your clothes in the hamper. Still, I'm not talking about "Tips 'n Tricks" here. I hate tips 'n tricks! They're like taking a Tylenol when you cut off your leg. You need to extrapolate that to life systems to support how you want to live.

Your system is useless until you define "good enough."

I could skip the next two or three times I need to vacuum my closet, and I wouldn't care. If I get to it every year or so, it's absolutely good enough. "Good enough" means I address my paperwork file once a week and clear it out. I don't have to do it every day unless I feel like it. "Good enough" is walking for five minutes on the hour around my living room until I get my 10,000 steps in. I don't have to walk for three miles unless I want to. "Good enough" is spreading up the bed and tossing the shams at the head. I don't have to bounce a quarter off the damn thing unless I get a wild hare to do that sometimes. Don't give yourself an image of perfection you have to attain, or you'll do nothing.

It's okay for "good enough" to change

Remember how it took thirty years to get to vacuuming a closet? There was a time when that chore wasn't on the "good enough" list, and ya know what? That's fine. Have your "good enough" be slightly, but only slightly, ahead of what you're currently doing if you want to make improvements. Incremental improvements over time, and I mean decades, are pretty dramatic when you look back.

Good enough can stay good enough

My exercise parameters have me getting in an average of 10,000 steps a day as measured over a month. That is never going to change. If the Spirit moves me, I'll do more. But I'm not going to keep raising the bar over and over and over. This is it. I'm good. I'm maintaining.

It takes decades to get your life in order. What small thing will you do today?

[lastoneout]

“He just joined up with like Starfleet Black Ops, that’s still technically the good guys, right???”

I don’t watch Star Trek media save for lower decks, but aren’t black ops SPECIFICALLY meant for shady stuff (if not utter fucking atrocities) that can’t be connected to the military/navy/etc. for fear of sullying their “respectable” reputation? That’s pretty evil (maybe I’m just paying too much attention to the evil laugh).

Also lower decks has been sending the not so subtle message of “twust the systewm uwu”, and consistently portraying star fleet (space navy? Idk) as the “good guys” which just seems like bullshit to me, but then again this is just my two cents as a non-trekkie.

Nah that's fair, I haven't really seen a whole lot of Trek that portrays Section 31 so I'm not entirely sure exactly how they operate, it's entirely possible Clone Boimler is gonna be getting up to some Morally Grey shit, it's just that when someone says "oh he's evil" my first thought was "he's a spy or traitor or not even actually a transporter clone" not that he just joined a different, less squeaky clean branch of Starfleet.

Especially since like, his story still doesn't add up?? There's no way Boimler of all people, clone or otherwise, could have made it out of that situation so quickly or like...at all? He was trapped under rubble and there were Packleds 2 seconds away from stabbing him to death plus the exit was blocked?? Lower Decks had set up the expectation that even the little details are important in the previous season, so having such an obvious plot hole just led me to believe it was on purpose and Clone Boimler was going to turn out to be evil, especially with all the "what's going on with the Packleds really is someone helping them behind the scenes" plot line set up. It's genuinely disappointing for them to just be like "yeah nah don't think about it to hard he's not evil/fake/a spy" when anyone with a brain can see that his story doesn't add up.

And the rest of season 2 kinda gave me the feeling that the writers were like, suffering under their own format's restrictions? They seemed to WANT to tell deep, intriguing stories with drama and plot twists and character conflicts that lasted more than one episode but they couldn't because they were a comedy cartoon that only gets ten twenty minute episodes per season. And sadly in this season it kinda feels like their solution has just been to more or less give up.

(And yeah in season 1 they really had set up the idea that this show was going to be about, in part, how Starfleet ISNT perfect and how they do fuck up a lot and that seemed to be an integral part of Mariner's character, like what it was like for someone who was disillusioned with Starfleet due to something in her past, but that also hasn't really gone anywhere which blegh. I liked the concept of a character like Mariner who takes issue with Starfleet fundamentally but still sticks with it, but they gave that up in favor of her just needing to rely on her friends more, which is development, but not really as interesting as what they initially teased.)

But that's just my take, yeah Section 31 is still shady so Clone Boimler def is more morally grey than Original Boimler, but the show hasn't done enough to make Starfleet seem morally grey for me to believe he's really Evil(tm). And hey overall the episodes are still enjoyable(except for the Peanut Hamper one god I hated that episode so fucking much) and so if this is the status quo I can live with that. It's just all turning Lower Decks into a show akin to Miraculous Ladybug, where I'm more in it for what it could be, not what it currently is, you know?

I just wish Clone Boimler was actually a spy or something. That would have been cool.

Edit: also not a fan of how this season it making it seem like the solution to Mariner's likely very legitimate, fundamental issues with the way Starfleet operates is that she just needs to just blindly trust authority more. Like...ehg feels kinda weird :/