#and you get to see how my brain works with weird analogies

[nostomannia]

Thinking about old AUs Sol had, there was a spinoff one with Perse.phone in Sol's body. While Sol was "asleep" for the most part, and Seph controls her body, but Sol basically immediately takes control of her body when she is awake. With Seph in her body, it's a loophole in her deal with Deity because she isn't alone, there's a whole other person inside her body. It helps Seph would probably blast Deity out of existence. But it's a temporary solution to Sol's problem.

There's another one that I won't talk on too much just bc I don't talk to the person who I had this au with anymore, but through killing a deity, Solita inherited that deity's power, and replaced them. It became a permanent solution to Sol's deal with deity, as it severed her connection to them, and she eventually hunted the shards down and destroyed them.

Solita's "spirit" is very possibly stronger than most deities. Cheating since for one, it's an Origin soul since those are a commodity in it of themselves, the "roots" of an ever-growing tree. On top of that, she collects the souls of herself unwillingly every time she dies, and those souls eventually amalgamate, and eventually there's only small blank souls that hang around her. Like a big bunch of balloons, and a bigger balloon is hidden inside of the bunch.

The amount inside her body can almost consume most curses and more spiritual magic people may try to use on her. It's just Solita is human, not originated from a world where magic truly existed, and not equipped to handle the power that's in her body, and the souls can more or less retaliate against her body and kill her from the inside because everything inside her just has nowhere to go. And since she has absolutely no basis, trying to get into it now that there's SO MUCH going on, is near-impossible.

Imagine trying to use magic to light a candle. Sol attempting that would probably blow up the entire house.

[wildemaven]

first anniversary | dieter x poppy

A Sweet Creature

Ava Greene sits down with actor and friend, Dieter Bravo. Hollywood’s new leading man gets candid about life in front of and behind the camera. He talks about his latest movie, his commitment to his sobriety and his newest role— husband?!

Ava Greene: You're approaching three years sober now, how are you feeling?

Dieter Bravo: Probably the best I’ve felt in a long time. Sobriety is a day to day progression that I take very seriously, and I try to not lose sight of that even when I’m having bad days. Though, I’m grateful bad days have been few and far between at this point in my sobriety. I can attribute that to the support system I have built for myself through friends, family, my sponsor that I still work with and most importantly my wife who keeps me grounded daily. They all continue to keep me in check and remind me how awesome my life is, especially right now. Staying clean is a full time commitment, and it’s really a beautiful thing.

AG: You followed in your famous parents footsteps by going into acting and your career and struggles with sobriety have been well documented but your parents have rarely commented publicly, are they supportive of your work and your journey?

DB: For me, I don’t need them to make a show of it by commenting or sharing their thoughts publicly to know they support me. There was a point in time where they did all they could do for me, but ultimately it had to be my choice to make the decision to get clean. Thankfully, we’ve been rebuilding our relationship over the last few years. And being in the public eye for most of our lives, the last thing we want is for outsiders thinking they have a say in our lives. In short, yes I have very supportive parents in all aspects of my life and I’m so happy for that.

AG: This is your second project since rehab, are you viewing this as a comeback or a fresh start?

DB: Comeback? I didn’t know I left… Kidding! Sure, some might say it’s a comeback. A fresh start. Whatever analogy best fits the narrative is fine by me— and I don’t mean that negatively in any sense. I mean, you’ve known me long enough to know I just try not to focus on any of that stuff, messes with my fucking brain waves. I just see it as me doing what I love with a new perspective and a different approach to choosing what projects I’m going to give my time to than I have in the past.

AG: What can you tell us about this project and the character you're playing?

DB: I had the best f*ckin’ time while shooting this film— sorry, but the emphasis was needed. I was really drawn to the vibrancy that this script evoked, even with the serious nature of the storyline and characters. I couldn’t stop thinking or talking about for weeks afterwards. I’d sit with my wife at breakfast and we’d discuss the script and my character for what felt like hours. I knew after I heard her feedback that I needed to be apart of this film— she might have said I’d be stupid to say no to it, in her own loving way.

The film is really about the process of rediscovering yourself. Navigating the challenges that come along with being at your lowest point and leaning on the ones who have been there for you. It’s about finding love in its purest form when you never thought you were deserving of it.

I found bits of myself in this character as we were filming, it was very much a cathartic experience for me. I guess you could say it was art imitating life in a weird way.

AG: There's already been some buzz about this year's award season, do you think this is finally your year?

DB: Ooooh! Is it too presumptuous for me to say yes?! I’ve started dusting the spot where I plan for it to go. I sound like some sort of pompous idiot! Now no one is going to go see it!*

I take it back!

In all seriousness, ‘cause I’m sure Poppy and my agent will be rolling their eyes when they read this. If all I get is a couple nominations, that alone feels like winning. A shiny statue would be nice though— just saying.

AG: You've talked often about your love of art and you recently purchased a gallery. Are you planning to publicly pursue other creative endeavors?

DB: I won’t be joining American Idol anytime soon if that’s what you’re asking. Oh, you weren’t referring to my ability to hold a note during our many karaoke nights— noted!

How did you put it? Other creative endeavors? I’ve got a few art pieces in the works right now that I’m itching to dive back into when I get home. I’ve got a major gallery in LA lined up later in the year for an artist spotlight exhibit, they’ll be housing some of my work through the next year. Shoutout to my wife for getting that all lined up while I was away shooting this film.

AG: What's next for Dieter Bravo? Any other projects lined up you can tell us about?

DB: I’m looking forward to some downtime I have coming up. Poppy has the summer off, so we’ll get to finally live that newlywed life. Settle into the role of doting husband while she does her thing at the gallery.

AG: Off the record, if you got married and didn't tell anyone I will kick yours and Poppy’s ass!

DB: We’re celebrating our one year this month actually. We eloped quietly last year right after we got engaged— wanted to keep it to ourselves for a little while. Which reminds me, you and Bryony should hop on a call with Poppy after this. Seeing as I let the cat out of the bag and this is our announcement— surprise!

Huge shoutout out to @gnpwdrnwhiskey for allowing me to borrow her Ava from Conversations with a Movie Star for this. Ava was so gracious and even wrote the questions herself. I’m so grateful for Lellen and all her support and advice she had given me throughout the writing process of Sweet Creature!

Sweet Creature Celebration

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

I like that your art looks like a reheated pizza that was put in the microwave for too long so its all bubbly and melty and such

The analogy makes sense and that's an observation I can really appreciate. As a pizza fanatic however please use a toaster oven if you have one. I only reheat my pizza in a toaster oven, using specific settings that ensure bread is made crispy and the cheese melts again, but without much bubbling or the bread charring (There are settings on mine that switch between "Warm" to "Bake" to "Toast" to "Broil", etc, and what I do is set it to Warm, then the temperature knob to 400+, and then the timer to 8 minutes for one slice, 10 for two, and 11 at most three. Depending on your tastes, the type and quality of the pizza's dough you're working with, along with the type of toaster you yourself use of course, you're likely going to have to experiment to achieve optimal results.). But seriously like I need you to understand you're speaking to someone with "eccentric Jojo side-character" levels of specificity when it comes to reheating pizza and I needed to physically withhold myself from responding with "IN THE MICROWAVE?? FOR TOO LONG?? WHO" which is somewhat hypocritical since I also used to use the microwave before I figured out toaster ovens, and reheating food with the microwave can be very difficult to get right, if possible at all. And it's also presumptuous of me to even assume your own practices since you're just giving an example, and not stating specifically how you individually reheat pizza. A weaker Hydro would take this as an insult but I want to stress that I do know what you mean. I know i also sound insane but there's so much context behind my response and I feel a compulsion to write out this response to its fullest for you to understand the weird places and leaps in logic my brain just went through My brushes definitely have a blobby look to them, especially when viewed close up, so I totally see what you mean. I also think people should reheat food however way they want and there's definitely no wrong way to do it

[flowercrownmickey]

every reference and easter egg in how to disappear (or at least all the ones i can remember)

how many did you catch? Massive SPOILERS under the cut!!

baba yaga (Barbara Yaga, her ownership of the house ian rents is one of the few things carried over from the original wilde life au concept that i was going for in the first chapter)

i wanted to name the town in Oklahoma something weird and a little creepy but not use a real place. the thing is Oklahoma already pretty much has towns named with every weird creepy combo of words possible (seriously, go skim a map sometime, you will see some wild stuff). In the end i decided on Owl Creek because it's a real name but it's actually not one place, but the name of multiple waterways all across the state. 👍

the rainbow fuck you socks are real socks (i used a photo of them as the cover for the how to disappear playlist) that @michellemisfit sent to me as a gift, i couldnt resist using them in the story.

Glenchad's technique for haunting/traumatizing Ian is inspired by the x-files episode How the Ghosts Stole Christmas

Glen himself is based on and named after Glen McReynolds from one of my favorite movies: Everybody Wants Some!! (the little inside joke i have with myself is that Glenchad hates Ian because Glen in the movie hates pitchers, and in one of my favorite fics, Love is a Ballfield, Ian is a pitcher.) (yeah it gets pretty convoluted inside my brain lol)

the infomercial ian watches on one of the local tv stations is a real product that i found by googling for the weirdest products sold through infomercials

the channel LOCAL 58 is of course an easter egg for the analog horror series by Kris Straub (of whom im a big fan)

the title of the fic itself is also a reference to another work by Kris Straub, a book of short psychological horror stories called Ichor Falls: A Visitor's Guide

mickeyism nickname "livestrong" is of course a reference to famous cyclist Lance Armstrong

Norma's is named for Norma Jennings, a character from Twin Peaks who owns and operates the Double R Diner, a major location used in the TV series.

I was a huge Newsies fan and had a crush on half the cast of the movie as a tween. Christian Bale wasn't my personal favorite but I figured he'd be the most recognizable reference for the general audience!

mickeyism nickname "Cowboy" was the newsie-name that Christian Bale's character went by in Newsies.

Ian and his Taco Bell drop off: I searched food delivery reddits for common horror stories from delivery drivers and turns out the prank of telling a driver there is a cash tip tucked somewhere on the front porch and then watching/filming (and possibly even posting to the internet) the person searching fruitlessly for the tip is disgustingly not uncommon.

the "old-as-fuck British sitcom set in a department store" is Are Your Being Served? - a show i simply remember being on all the time on the local PBS stations back when we still had TV and would just have to watch whatever was on!

Mickey refers to Oklahoma City as "The City" which is the way many locals refer to it.

I had to include Ian getting an order for Subway as a little homage to one of my absolute favorite fics of all time: Intro to Quantum Dating by @spoonfulstar

Ian is flying down the road on his bicycle bearing a single meatlover's footlong. - this is a joke about Ian's giant penis. But he is also actually delivering a meatlover's footlong.

"John D" - is short for John Doe because of course they wouldnt register for the grubhub app with a real name.

the werewolf pack was a little bit inspired by the Hale family from Teen Wolf, the werewolves from grizzly hills in world of warcraft, and the aesthetic of the broke-ass snobby british aristocrats from The Gentlemen TV series.

"Mother Selene" referenced by the pack leader just before the werewolves transform, refers to Selene the Greek goddess of the moon. There's heaps of history from all over europe on the origins of the werewolf myth. for my werewolves i chose to go with the ancient Greeks since "lycanthropy" is a greek word and i had decided that in this universe, the greek gods were fey. Selene was a powerful fey who created lycanthropy and tied the malady to the moon, she made herself the center of a cult of worship and used her werewolves as a vicious personal army to torment and control the humans who lived in what she considered to be her domain. When Ian reaches the center of the hedge maze, the statue he climbs is a statue of Selene (ian mistakes her crescent moon crown she is usually depicted with for horns).

ian in his mind refers to the werewolves as lunatics, just a little tease as the etymology of the word is a madness caused by the moon.

i decided vampires are one of the few things in this universe that dont exist, Mickey references the myth as originating from Bram Stoker's Dracula (though he doesnt specify this), a book that one could argue is about real estate. which is both a joke but also please read this incredible post by @gardenerian because its also...not not not a joke.

as a huge fan of Two of Your Earth Minutes by @the-rat-wins, i absolutely HAD to work in a joke in which mickey calls Ian an alien

in chapter 4 the vibe i wanted to capture for Norma's was that of Merlotte's Bar and Grill from True Blood, and many of the characters are based off of or named after True Blood characters.

Eric is named after Eric Northman

Dawn and Tara and Jessica are all characters who at some point were waitresses at Merlotte's. (Though later I realized Dawn and Tara are also iconic Buffy characters, which I happily retcon as being an extra reference)

Glen being a fan of China Beach is a reference to Jenny Nicholson's incredible feature length video essay about the vampire diaries tv series

the fey named paula is named after canon ian and mickey's PO from season 10

the fey named cooper is named after agent dale cooper from twin peaks

aunt barb trades her chickens for an RV - a convoluted reference to the myth of baba yaga having a hut that can move around on giant chicken legs.

ADDING ONE THING: in chapter one Mickey implies Ian is a delinquent and in chapter four Ian calls Mickey a miscreant. this was important to me for some reason but i dont know if its a thing anyone noticed 🥲😆

okay....i think that's it?? for now anyway~ xoxo

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Just One More

I love your SaSi fics! Might I request some touch-starved analogical? No pressure tho! *disappears in a poof of smoke, leaving a plate of cookies for you* – amateurmasksmith

hello! i'd hate to be a bother but i love your writing so much and would love to see some more logan hurt/comfort? Any type works but there isn't enough highschool au!Logan overworking himself and the others not noticing until he's completely burnt out and realising that Logan is a lot more damaged than they thought in my opinion <3- anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: overworking, burn out

Pairings: analogical

Word Count: 2377

Just one more. Just one more. Just one more.

It's been just one more for the past hour and a half, but that's beside the point. If he thinks about how much he still has to do, he'll get so overwhelmed he can't do anything but stare at the mountains of work piling up in front of him. But if he thinks about it as just one more, then he can do just one more. And he'll do it over and over and over again until there aren't any one mores to be just.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. He's getting lyrical again. Anytime he starts to wax poetic he knows Roman's overworking tendencies are rubbing off on him again.

Now, that's not to say that Roman always overworks, it's just that out of their friend group, one of them has this habit of pulling all-nighters and downing coffee as though it could replace the blood in his veins if he tried hard enough, and one of them has a color coded schedule that marks out just how much he can get away with before he has to take a break to drink water, eat food, or recover some semblance of sanity before he loses it to equations and spreadsheets beyond number. Said schedule might have been, ahem, put off for a little bit too long in order to allow for such repeated actions as just one more, but that's beside the point. Beside several points, actually, and he'd rather not think about it right now when he should be focusing on the just one mores.

His pen scribbles down the answer and without blinking, he picks up the page and flips it over so he can start working on the next problem. He's already broken down the respective equations by the time his brain catches up to the fact that this is not, in fact, just one more.

Just one more.

What time is it? He doesn't know. He doesn't particularly care. He has work to do, that's far more important. Besides, it's not as though he'll suffer egregiously if he works a little later than he's supposed to. He's the one who allocates his time, if he has an issue with how he's spending it, he'll take it up with himself later. After this one. After this next one. Just one more.

He blinks. Oh, his eyes were closed. That's annoying. How is he supposed to work with his eyes closed? His gives his head a good shake and promptly cries out from the pain. That's bizarre, when did his headache get so bad? He's supposed to drink water every fifteen minutes to keep his fluid intake constant, and that helps keep the headaches at bay. He reaches out blindly for the water bottle and gropes thin air. That's weird. His water bottle should be right there. He turns his head to look—

He cries out in pain again. That's not right. Why is his neck so sore? He's supposed to take breaks to look around to make sure his muscles don't get too stiff from staring at the same place all day. Come to think of it, he's also supposed to be doing his eye relaxation too to make sure he doesn't focus in too hard and risk losing his peripheral vision. Granted, that is more common in fields where attention to fine detail is much more common, but it can't hurt to be cautious. In this case, it's hurting him not to be cautious. Perhaps he's focused in too deep…missed the forest for the trees…and now it's hard to see…isn't it a challenge to be free?

Now he's rhyming.

What time is it?

His hand flops uselessly down to the side. It's burning. Is it burning? No, pins and needles, that's the term. That's the term for when his circulation isn't making it all the way to the end of his fingers, why is that? How can that be? It hasn't been that long, has it? He has work to do, he can't have been so careless with his time that he's forgotten he has work to do? No, he'll rally himself to do just one more.

Just one more.

His hand clatters uselessly against the desk.

Just one more.

His notebook slides off into his lap and splays out on the floor like a corpse.

Just one more.

His eyes slide shut.

Just one more.

He falls forward.

Just one more.

He hits the desk and something is—is—

Just one more.

***

Alright, Virgil's getting nervous.

Not that it's a wild thing for Virgil to get nervous, but it is wild that it's Logan that's making him nervous. Logan's like the beacon of work-life balance, which is why it's fucking weird that Logan of all people isn't here, at breakfast, like they planned last week and confirmed literally every day up until yesterday. Yeah. That's weird. Logan's not here and he's almost a full hour late and Virgil is getting pretty fucking nervous about it.

The clock keeps ticking. And ticking. And ticking.

When it ticks over to yep, Logan's officially a full hour late, Virgil muffles a curse and gets up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The wind billows around his hood as he hurries across the street, ducking cars and avoiding other people walking around as the sun gets higher and higher and higher. Logan's street isn't far from here, just a few blocks over. His fingers itch at the sound of many passing conversations but he squeezes his hands shut.

No time for music, not right now. Not when he's on a mission.

Logan should've texted if he was running late. Logan always texts when he's running late. And the fact that he hasn't texted saying he's running late means that something is wrong with Logan or something's wrong with Virgil's phone. And given that their group chat has been blowing up all morning as Roman and Janus argue about some video game franchise and who's hotter and who's overrated means that Virgil's phone is working just fine.

So something's wrong with Logan. Which is making Virgil really fucking nervous.

He doesn't even realize his feet have carried him all the way up the stairs to Logan's house until his hand is raised to knock on the door. He does, shuffling a few paces back and waiting until the footsteps on the other side get closer.

"Oh, Virgil," Logan's mom says as she opens the door, "it's good to see you, honey. Are you and Logan still going out for breakfast?"

"Yes, uh, yes, ma'am. I think so, at least."

"You don't need to call me ma'am, honey, you can come in." She waves him inside, smiling kindly when he mumbles something along the lines of I want to 'cause you're always so nice to me, and turns up the stairs. "Logan! Logan, sweetheart, Virgil's here!"

No response. Yep, getting real nervous.

"Do you want to go up, honey? He'll react better if it's you getting him than me."

"Is—is everything okay?"

She looks at him for a moment, her mouth twisting from side to side, before she sighs. "Honestly, I think you've got a better chance of dragging him out of there than I do. He's very reasonable, isn't he? Always coming up with the perfect explanation for what he's doing."

"Uh huh."

"Which is why I think you've got a better chance of just dragging him out to go to breakfast, hm?" She winks as Virgil splutters slightly. "I'm only teasing you, honey. But on a serious note: please, if you can get him out of the house just for a little, I think some fresh air would do him good."

"I'll do my best, ma'am."

"That's a good boy. Go on, now."

Virgil quickly makes his way up the stairs, down the hall, right to Logan's door. Remus made them all signs for their rooms that indicate whether or not they're cool with having people come knock on their doors and for the most part, everyone's parents and siblings have respected them. Logan's has four different markers: Out, In – Disturbable, In – Not Disturbable, and Asleep. The pin is still listed next to Out.

Yep. Yep, yep, yep. All signs lead to being real nervous.

He knocks on the door. "Logan? Hey, L, it's, uh, it's Virgil."

Nothing.

"You, um, you didn't text saying you were late or anything, so I, uh, I got worried."

Still nothing.

"Logan? Logan, I need some sort of sign of life, buddy, or else I'm gonna come in."

When there's yet another round of nothing, he grits his teeth and carefully opens the door, preparing to meet an angry Logan who was just about to text you, Virgil, there wasn't any need for this, or a sleepy Logan who accidentally overslept—it happens, it might have only happened, like, once, but it is possible—or even a Logan who's just about to put his coat on and rush out, but…

But not the Logan who's passed out on his desk, his glasses still on his face and his notebook on the floor.

"Holy shit," Virgil mumbles, rushing over, "Logan? Logan, are you okay?"

He carefully lifts up Logan's arm to get his glasses off his face, wincing at the puddle of drool. The movement makes this high-pitched noise happen and he only belatedly realizes that's Logan making that noise—Logan's still asleep, somehow, but he's—oh, god, Logan's in pain.

"Hey, L," he calls quietly, giving Logan's shoulder a gentle shake, "hey, you gotta wake up, buddy, it's just me, okay? C'mon…"

"V-Virgil?"

"Hey, yeah, you got it, it's me—" he crouches down so Logan can see him— "hey, there he is."

Logan blinks. He's all bleary-eyed and sleep-mussed, his hair sticking up in the wrong places and a crease from where he'd been leaning against his shirt. He blinks a few more times, wincing at the sunlight slanting in through the window, before he cringes and brings a hand to his neck.

"Whoa, hey, what's going on?"

"Hurts."

"What hurts, bud?"

"My head," he whimpers, fuck, okay, Logan's really not okay, "my head hurts."

"Okay. I'm gonna go get you some water, okay? Can I go and do that?"

"Don't leave—wait, please—" a hand grabs his arm as he goes to pull away and Logan lets out another frightened noise— "it's so cold. You're so warm."

"I'm—I'm the warm one? Whoa, hey, hey, hey, I didn't mean it like that," he says, softening his tone when Logan shrinks back, "I just meant that—you know, I run cold as hell and you're…"

He trails off when he sees the tears bubbling at the corners of Logan's eyes. He comes back immediately, going to wrap his arms around Logan's shaking shoulders, muffling a curse when Logan just starts crying harder.

"Hey, hey, buddy, hey, it's okay. I'm right here, I'm not gonna go anywhere, I'm right here. I've got you, you're okay. You're all good, buddy, you hear me? Everything's gonna be okay, you're gonna get all of this out for me, I'm gonna go get you some water and painkillers for your headache, and then we're gonna go get breakfast and have a good day, yeah?"

"I'm sorry—I'm so sorry—"

"Hey, don't worry about it. You know how many times I've been late or missed something? I don't care about that, L, I care about you being okay." He runs his fingers through Logan's hair and Logan shudders. "You…you seem really sensitive right now, bud, have you…have you been dodging Patton's hugs again?"

Logan's silence is telling. Virgil sighs, his breath warming the top of his head, before he pulls away just enough to hook his arms around Logan's waist.

"C'mon," he grunts, lifting Logan up—yes, he is still strong enough to do that, thank you very much, Princey—and carrying him over to the bed, "you need a good cuddle before we go anywhere."

"So much—I had so much work to do, I hadda—I had to finish it, I'm sorry," Logan babbles into Virgil's shoulder as he situates them on the bed, "I didn't—didn't wanna be late, didn't mean to fall asleep, I—"

"Shh, shh, hey, calm down, it's okay. I'm not mad. You're okay, bud, I'm not gonna do anything." He coaxes Logan's head to the crook of his beck. "You're just gonna get some of this out for me, okay? I've got you, you're okay."

"But I gotta do my work!"

"You gotta not let yourself be a wreck first," Virgil points out, not unkindly, "you're stressing yourself out too much and it's gonna be okay, but you gotta—sheesh, Logan, just lemme cuddle you."

"…okay."

It doesn't matter that they end up going to brunch instead of breakfast, not when Logan's finally smiling again. A little sniffly, maybe, but he's at least smiling and his mom ruffles their hair and tells them to order whatever they want—she'll pay them back. No, it's much better because Logan isn't stressing too much about work but instead he's happy and letting Virgil take them on a long walk around the park until they can meet up with the rest of them and Patton can give him a big hug because letting yourself get touch-starved just so you can do your work isn't healthy, Logan. And then of course everyone else wants to hug Logan because Logan's just so huggable.

"Aw, just one more," Remus pouts when Logan says they're all hugging him too much, "just one more?"

Logan looks at Remus, looks at the rest of them, and rolls his eyes fondly as he holds out his arms.

"Just one more."

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[turbo-virgins]

Okay I know we give BioWare crap for handling their fantasy Catholicism faction with kid gloves compared to other in-game religions, but I do have to say the whole “crisis of faith” Harding has during one of the regret discussions really frustrated me because it’s just so… shallow and hand waved away with a few lines of dialogue?

Putting the rest below a readmore because this rant got kind of long oops

To recount the scene:

Harding (with Neve’s input) points out Solas imprisoned the Evanuris in the building and makes the connection with the Golden City/Black City visible from everywhere in the Fade.

She then quotes the Chant of Light (a record of Andraste’s visions from the Maker) and goes “oh well if the Golden City was actually an Elven thing then… :(“

To which Lucanis jumps in and says “yeah it sounds like we just disproved the entire Andrastian faith.”

Harding goes “did we???” And then there’s a moment for Rook to respond with several options (I still believe, this doesn’t matter, I’m sorry this hurts, don’t let it shake you, etc.)

I’ve seen criticisms of Rook’s responses all being positive to varying degrees and I think that criticism is valid. I was also frustrated by these options because, as someone who was raised religious and later deconstructed, a crisis of faith is like… a big deal? I’m talking like ‘standing at the precipice of an unending abyss’ levels of existential dread. And I think what I found difficult to swallow with Harding’s reaction was her complete lack of attempting any apologetics or platitudes that would have been taught to her by the Chantry or people who shared her faith.

Like, this can’t have been the first historical or logical inconsistency that Andrastians have encountered and tried to smooth over somehow. We see it happen multiple times in Inquisition. Characters like Leliana and Cassandra question themselves, their faith, and the Maker, and they always have a way to smooth it over with reasoning ingrained into them by the church. For example when it’s discovered it wasn’t Andraste that saved the Inquisitor from the Fade- that it was a pure coincidence the Inquisitor happened upon Corypheus’s ritual- I believe it’s Cassandra who says something along the lines of “well I still believe the Maker’s hand is in this even if it doesn’t appear as directly involved as we first thought” which seems to be a Thedas equivalent to “god works in mysterious ways.”

So as soon as Lucanis and Harding insinuated the Golden City not being hand crafted by the Maker = the whole Andrastian faith getting tossed out the window, alarm bells started going off in the religion-wired parts of my brain. Because no, it can’t be that simple can it? Or rather, why would Harding let it be that simple?

Granted there’s no real world equivalent to a giant city floating in a magical realm we can look to as evidence of the Bible, so the closest analogy I can come up with is the book of Revelation which, similar to the Chant of Light, is an account of visions sent from god. Some believers see it as a literal guide for signs and advice on how to survive an impending apocalypse and do incredible amounts of mental gymnastics to ignore any historical evidence to the contrary. That’s a more extreme example, but I would argue that most religious folks are primed to do some form of mental gymnastics at all times (no disrespect to religions btw, I also maintain my faith in some capacity even after deconstructing). Even Christians who don’t believe in a literal interpretation of Revelation still have their faith in it as part of the word of god.

Idk I just found it really weird that in that moment Harding would look to Rook (who is possibly a non-believer which makes it feel even more weird) for help with regaining and/or realigning her religious convictions. It feels like something a child or a teenager would do, not a grown woman immersed in a religion since she was a child. I didn’t have an issue with Rook’s response of “well, the chant of light could have been altered for political reasons or the original text was modified over time” - it just felt weird to me that Rook had to be the source of that perspective. And regardless of what you tell her, the topic of her crisis of faith never even comes up again as far as I’m aware. When, you know, during an actual impending apocalypse it feels like being able to lean on something like faith would be really important for maintaining your sanity. But who knows, maybe that’s what the little camping retreat into blighted Ferelden was for.

[ohii-san]

UNKNOWN HOLY NIGHT AND NIGHTHEAD - BLACK CAROL 1

Tomoya: (The cuff of my shirt's been grabbed… I’m frozen in place!)

Rinne: Oi oi. I don’t care how bad you don’t wanna see me, don’t just run away the second you see my face!

Tomoya: (Why why why why!? This is definitely wrong. No matter how I think about it, I’m the only one out of place.)

(Anzu-san, maybe this time was also a mistake? I mean, that’s it, right? Please say it was~?!)

Yuzuru: That’s right– Mashiro-sama. Setting aside the others, didn’t we have a bento showdown together?[1]

Ibara: Ah-ha-ha. You could sense the shitty malevolence hidden behind Yuzuru’s smiley mask, couldn’t you?[2]

Yuzuru: Rather, it’s likely because Ibara’s words are hypocritical and hide malice. No matter how hard he tries to blend in with society, it's impossible for him to hide his shady nature.

Yes, that’s it, Mashiro-sama must be scared because of the way Ibara is picking fights with me all the time.

Rinne: Really though, isn’t both you bastards’ fault? If I was stuck with seniors like that I’d be scared as well, you get what I’m saying?

Tomoya: Eek?!

Rinne: What’s the issue. I didn’t do anything!?

Yuzuru: You didn’t “not do anything”, you grabbed him by the shirt and intimidated him. I don’t think it’s strange to be scared.

Subaru: Excuse me~☆ Yahoo, yahoo. Let’s work together today~

—Nn? What's everyone doing?

Tomoya: Ah– Akehoshi-senpaiii! Thank Goddd!

Subaru: Eh, what? What’s wrong? You’re hiding behind me…

Subaru: Ah~. So everyone was bullying Tomoya-kun, is that riiight~? Don’t bully your cute junior, okaaay~?

Rinne: I didn’t do that. Rather, why’re you so scared even though I didn’t do anything?

Tomoya: Ah, s-sorry. The pressure was just so great, it was just a conditioned reflex…

That is... I came in here thinking this would be kinda like a petting zoo, with cute animals. But actually, it’s more like a cage full of wild beasts?

Ibara: What’s with that weird analogy…

Tomoya: Ehehe. It kinda just exceeded my brain’s capacity– It’s okay now. I’m starting to understand the situation.

Ehhh. Everyone here is a member of the same “Shuffle Unit”, right? At least, that seems to be the case.

Yuzuru: Well, I can understand Mashiro-sama’s confusion. Indeed, I have doubts as to why these members are here… and whether we'll be able to achieve synergy with one another.

Subaru: Eh, really? But on the other hand, wouldn’t it be more interesting if we didn’t know what chemical reactions would happen?

Rinne: An overreaction could lead to a big explosion though, right?

Subaru: If that’s the case then I’d like it to be a big, beautiful explosion like a firework~☆

Rinne: Just what kinda big-shot are you trying to be. Well, it’s not like I hate that sorta thing, though…

Ibara: Hm? Let’s allow Anzu-san to explain the rest. iIt seems like she’s just arrived. 

Subaru: Ah, Anzu! Yahoo, yahoo ☆ Nah, all’s good. We were all just talking.

Ibara: Now, could you please give us an overview, Producer-dono?

Tomoya: …?

Rinne: The hell’s this…?

Tomoya: ? Excuse me. No matter how you look at it, all that’s written in the board is “we’ll do something amazing”.

Is it a trick or something I can’t see through? Like a code or something…

Rinne: Don’t worry. That’s what I’m seeing too.

Yuzuru: Is this… supposed to reassure us, perhaps? I feel like this is going to be a big problem…

Ibara: … I have a headache. Anyway, Anzu-san. Could you give us some details?

Yuzuru: Let me think… In other words, you mean that one of the producers of the “P Association” disappeared, and they were the one in charge of the “Shuffle Unit” project?

Rinne: And then? There’s nobody left to take over because there’s not enough staff to go around, huh. Anzu-chan came here to explain, but she doesn’t have the time to be able to take care of us either.

Subaru: Hmm. That’s why Anzu wants this “Shuffle Project” to be led by us idols.

Tomoya: Idol initiative… But isn’t this project a big one? Even though we have ES to back us up, is this really something we can do alone?

Ah. That’s right! Saegusa-senpai also works as a producer for CosPro, right? If that’s the case we could ask for Saegusa-senpai…

Ibara: If I could do it myself, I would… But this is headed by the “P Association”, so that happening would be impossible.

Tomoya: Eh? Why?

Ibara: This project is a cross-office project, so in order to keep it fair, producers who belong to other agencies cannot be involved.

Well. If they were to turn a blind eye to my presence, it would be possible to carry out production operations in secret!

Yuzuru: Ibara. You’re causing trouble for Anzu-san.

Ibara: Right, yes. In other words, this time it is necessary that I devote myself to being an idol.

Subaru: Mhm! Besides, it would help Anzu as well! She’s been apologizing for a while– it’s not like it’s even your fault, though, Anzu!

We will all work together and do our best, so rest easy! ♪

Yuzuru: I agree. If this is considered work, then I’ll do my best too.

Rinne: Yeah, that’s right. Problems like this are inevitable in this industry.

Tomoya: (Eehh!? Wait a minute…! Why is everyone so positive!? It’s impossible for us to do the project alone!)

> [1] referring to science

> [2] tomoya's sprite has been visibly terrified, that's what's being referred to here

[wirewitchviolet]

People really need to shout "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT!?" at bigots more often.

So I just kinda absently clicked a link to a super post of those comics with the stick figure and the "pills that make you turn green," which was neat since I only knew about the original. And I'm scrolling down through them all while also doing something else on my second monitor, sort of on autopilot, and ending up not only down in the comments but deep enough into them where the weird bigots start showing up and I see this quote from a weird bigot (skip the bold quotey bits if you don't want this garbage in your life):

BIGOT: "I feel like this is a major over simplification of what it's supposed to be an analog to. By all means, if you're happy transitioning, i won't stop you. But it's a procedure that is irreversable, and i believe it should only be taught to kids at the same age that they're being taught about the birds and the bees at the parents' disgression Any earlier and its edging on, if not, is teaching the birds and the bees to Minors"

RANDOM NORMAL PERSON: "teaching children about trans people isn't enforcing anything on them except hopefully empathy and knowledge, and acceptance if they are indeed trans"

BIGOT AGAIN: "while you're not wrong, you shouldn't teach them about it till they start experiencing puberty. Which is around middle school, which happens to be when they teach sex ed at the Parents Discression

My qualms come with teaching it to kids younger than that. If you want to teach your kids about it from a younger age, do it at home. But you shouldn't do it for the parents before then and even after you do it at the parents' discretion."

Another person whose brain works comes along and is baffled at this person talking about having sex when the subject is... children being aware that trans people exist. But you know, passively.

BIGOT REALLY GOING MASK OFF NOW: "it is a sex thing. You are going through the act of irreversably changing things about your body that are inherently sex related. Therefore, they should be taught alongside other sex related topics in the appropriate manner and time"

Now, the real thing to do here is as soon as this person starts foaming at the mouth and screaming gibberish, you ideally have them removed from the conversation/venue for being a weird violent hatemonger shouting nonsense, but since you can't do that in every possibly context, sometimes you have to engage the person. Here's how that should look if someone pops off like this face to face:

BIGOT: "I feel like this is a major over simplification of what it's supposed to be an analog to. By all means, if you're happy transitioning, i won't stop you. But it's a procedure that is irreversable-"

YOU: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

Because see here we have the first instance of this weird bigot shouting baffling nonsense scare words that make no damn sense. What "procedure" is this crackpot here even talking about? You stop them dead, and refuse to let them move on until they explain what they mean. Having seen enough of these in the wild, I will tell you right now that this is almost certainly operating on the deranged bigot logic of "if someone says they are trans they are a crazy man pretending to be a woman and if they say they are transitioning that means they convinced a doctor to cut their genitalia off with a giant pair of scissors and there's no way to ever sew that back on!"

This of course has absolutely no basis in reality whatsoever. This is like... "if you listen to rock and roll music you'll be possessed by the devil and do drugs and get pregnant!" levels of crazy nonsense you can't just say out loud in public without revealing you're some kind of crackpot who doesn't live in reality. You just hold them to this and get them to admit that they are spewing absolute nonsense that makes zero sense in context and hey, nobody else in earshot is going to take this creep seriously and they might even be cowed out of moving on to their next propaganda point.

In this particular case you can also point out that in this specific context (and most other times this comes up, honestly) people are quite specifically talking about a comic metaphorically talking about how silly it is that when people start HRT we have to sign a big huge scary looking consent form that goes "hey, you do realize that if you take this combination of medications that makes your body produce less of these chemicals and more of these other chemicals your body is going to gradually change to be like everyone else's with that ratio right?" And that uh... totally is reversible. If you don't have enough estrogens and have too many androgens, you take one of these things to block production of the latter and these other things to supplement the former. Other way around? Just supplement the androgens, they conveniently suppress estrogen production at the right dosage. If for some reason you decide you don't like that new ratio (or you're freaking out over how people react), just... stop doing that. If it turns out your body fell out of the habit of producing the right ratio somehow, supplement accordingly. It's not really a big deal?

OUR BIGOT IN A HYPOTHETICAL WORLD WHERE BEING SHOUTED DOWN DIDN'T MAKE THEM STOP: "i believe it should only be taught to kids at the same age that they're being taught about the birds and the bees-"

YOU: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

Again, just cut this weirdo off. Don't let them keep rushing feverishly through the propaganda bullet points. Demand to know what, exactly, they're worried about being "taught to kids." Like... are we in fact just talking about the concept that trans people exist out there in the world? Because that's a completely absurd and indefensible position to hold. You don't even need to argue back against that one. Being trans is roughly as common as people having red hair. Fairly rare sure, but common enough that if you want to treat that as some sort of forbidden knowledge you're gonna have to keep that kid on like some sort of cult compound with no media access and like... why would you even want to do this?

Maybe they're willing to play the cards on the table that what they really have a problem with is letting trans kids know that being trans is a thing, and that they have options on the table that will allow them to actually lead a good happy life. Again, a pretty damn weird thing to object to, that kind of outs someone as a crank. You could maybe drill deeper on that. Does this person have a kid they suspect is trans? Are they in denial about that and abusing their child to try and "fix them?"

For taht matter, are we still in a world where this person is really conspicuously emphasizing this weird desire to live in a world where sex education isn't taught to children until after they hit puberty? And then only at their parents' discretion, like they kept repeated over and over when given free reign? Because that is a whole other can of worms that someone should really be opening up and interrogating the hell out of.

Like hey... the whole point of sex education is to make sure kids have some basic idea of what sex is prior to any situation where they might be taken advantage of sexually, contract an STI, and/or have some sort of pregnancy scare. You kinda want to get on that as early as you can reasonably expect the kid in question to comprehend what you're even warning them about, and it's kind of a huge red flag when you see people going "only if their parents are OK with it though!" Because like... why the hell wouldn't you be OK with it? The only reasons I can think of are A- you are sexually abusing your child and don't want someone to explain how these things you are doing to them are Bad Actually and they should tell someone, or B- you are confident enough that you have such complete control over where your child is and what your child is doing at every moment of every day that there is no way in hell said child will ever be involved in anything sexual without your direct approval. That one is also abusive, to be clear, and also stupid because we've already established your child is in public school, so, NOT, in fact, under your watchful eye at all times.

And of course, there is again no reason to let a bigot ramble unchecked long enough to get to this point, beyond this being tumblr and moderation being hard to come by of course, but it should go without saying there is absolutely no connection at all between being trans and having sex. It's just a weird association bigots have because A- they are constantly trying to paint trans people as sexual deviants, and B- there is a... really alarming overlap between people who hate trans people and... people who I... don't want to discuss when I'm trying to keep this fairly light... but uh... see option A in the previous paragraph.

Anyway this is all getting way off topic but hey, I'm all for small children being aware that trans people exist and people making it known to young children that being trans is a thing they maybe are, in the interest of... you know, NOT forcing little girls whose parents really badly want them to be little boys to fake it, fail, and get beaten to a pulp by their peers for being weird, and vice versa, and little enbies from also dealing with some variation of this, etc. Let'em all be themselves, and let their weird parents get over it.

But yeah, bigots. Cut them off when they start talking. Interrogate every point as they bring them up. Don't let anything fly. Force them to either admit the horrible agenda they're trying to push today, or the fact that their beliefs are too awful to state in polite society and flee. And be rude and angry about it.

[spotsupstuff]

"scrambling for her puppet" (in the ask about Moon learning Pebbles is in the works now) YOU GET IT YOU GET IT the puppet may be a personification but it's not the iterator's main body ! (Unless the whole structure is caput like Moon after the collapse)

I love it when the puppet is more akin to a body part the iterator must not forget to use when conversing with smaller organisms !

oh you are going to LOVE Notos and some of Haboob's lore when the big oc post comes out. and also Zephyr (who gets her puppet mangled into almost unregonizable mess of machinery and organic mush during her collapse but still lives n can Somewhat very minimally move the pieces of the gore). and Fish with his torn off head and half a torso in Saint's time..... i LOVE fuckin around with the puppets

BUT YES YES!!!! the puppet is just. another fucking organ, yea. which is so weird to say... i think of the puppets as fetuses from time to time because of the whole "umbilical" arm and "umbilical" cable business

perhaps the puppet bodies could be directly almost completely organic but hollowed out of mind and individuality in a manner to allow the iterator to plug into it and project their consciousness through it. it wouldn't be too outlandish for the Ancients to create a being for the sole purpose of causing it brain death upon its birth and then shoving the body into a box for a hivemind to claim. for fuck's sake afterall, those things that make up Metropolis might be very much alive too but not quite sentient enough to do much about their existence

(side note: i REALLY fuckin love the idea that Ancients are here like "oooOooOo iteratoooOoOOors you need to find an universal solution to mass ascension of the entire world, we cannot let anything suffer the curse of LiiIIiiiIIife boohooo waaaaah wah" while creating Living things that PHYSICALLY don't have the slightest chance to enjoy their life but only basically existing as bricks with karma. if we assume everything living possesses karma. this is also fun to think about when you know a bit about the buddhistic reincarnation system)

the fetus analogy is also kind of fun besides disturbing though, i'll say, what with fetuses not really being able to live outside of womb and also with the way the iterators look canonically... and that they are so small as well (das why i REALLY like the short iterators thing for canon). squishy ass fetuses, p sure if that shit got severed it would just kind of spasm, shrivel up, die and rot

i've had an idea cycling around my brain for so long of Nish giving a spook to one of the Ancients' children about how an Iterator is a hivemind given singular name and goal to be a singular being instead of millions. he says it in a joking way to wig out the kid a little but it's absolutely 100% true for once

i like to think that Sometimes the main body of the iterators (the superstructure) gets minimized into just "the can" by itself because the iterator gets a bit Too into seeing the puppet as their personification/self, to the point that they start to view That only as them despite their superstructure being alright. this results in one of the many kinds of madness an iterator can fall into - basically the cabin fever amped up, with their literal body causing them this mental decline

i've a post in my drafts for like over a month now that's just me playin with the iterator designs a bit more n the main thought is basically

umbilical ARM taken literally

[mephinomaly]

[TL] PYSCHOBREAK/Chapter 6

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Time: That day at night

Location: In a training room in ES

Rei: Wanko~♪ Do you want the ball~?

Go fetch~ ☆

Koga 2: Ruff ruuuffffff ☆

Adonis 2: …(Fidgeting around like he wants to play too.)

Rei: Kukuku. He looks human but in reality he’s a newborn baby, such an adorable thing ♪

Kaoru: You get on surprisingly well with the fakes which is pretty good.

—But is that really a good thing, Rei-kun?

Rei: Okay, it’s Adonis-kun's turn now ♪ Why don’t you try to catch this piece of string? You can build up physical strength whilst having fun, isn’t that the best?

Adonis 2: ...♪

Kaoru: I’m happy you’re getting on but hey, are you listening? Can you not ignore me please?

Rei: Of course of course. I will never again allow my gaze to be ripped away from my beloved children who adore me.

Kaoru: Who adores who, did you say?

Rei: —I’ve been thinking.

Kaoru: Hm?

Rei: No matter how much I desire it, I can never be an omnipotent, benevolent god. I suppose that’s clear as I could not predict this situation unfolding.

However, I am slightly older than you all, and it is not as if I spent all my time overseas playing around.

I’m just a tiny bit more experienced onii-chan than you all.

Kaoru: What are you trying to say? You just want to brag about being older? Or do you hate being seen as an old hag?[1] Is this a type of power harassment?

Rei: Kukuku. It’s weird for me not to, Kaoru-kun. Well, there’s nothing I can do in this situation.

We must keep our minds as tranquil as a mountain peak. If our juniors see us seniors fumble, it will create anxiety for them.

Kaoru: Uhuh. Being a senpai is hard work.

So? What are you thinking about?

Rei: Umu. I have no evidence regarding this, all I can do is make guesses on the sequence of events that brought us into this and why it even began to start with.

I have an overall understanding of this situation.

In other words, we now know the truth behind this mysterious set of circumstances.

Kaoru: Wa～, well done! You’re an amazing detective ♪

Rei: Kaoru-kun could have guessed it as well. You are the son of a wise scholar after all.

However, you are a pragmatic child. This case is a bit of an anomaly, and contains unrealistic aspects.

Kaoru: Unrealistic, hm… Ah, I guess that describes it well.

Rei: Umu. Now the question is; how do we escape this situation?

You will understand this analogy, but we are in a locked room. There is only one exit and entrance, and a specific key is required to open them.

However, the key is hidden amongst an endless amount of objects scattered around said room.

Kaoru: It’s like a super difficult ‘escape the room’ game.

Rei: There aren’t any hints though. Unfortunately, there is not enough time to carefully examine each and every item in the room in order to find the key.

We must somehow escape, before the reality we live in warps and breaks down.

Kaoru: Since it’s you, I’m sure you’ve come up with a way to get us out of here. I say that half jokingly ♪

Rei: Umu. I must respond if someone asks something of me, as superstar Rei Sakuma-senpai.

—There is one thing I want to do.

However, it is a dangerous gamble. I am concerned that there may be burdens on the mind and body, primarily on the brain.

Kaoru: Don’t you dare say something all stand-offish like “so that's why I’ll handle it by myself.” If UNDEAD has a problem, then it’s all of our problem. We should share that burden together.

Rei: Kukuku. That’s something old Kaoru-kun would never have said. Now we have been reminded of our past selves, those words deeply move me.

Kaoru: Don’t make fun of me. So, what’s this thing you want to do?

What should we do to get out of this weird situation?

Rei: We need to dream.

When I investigated the AIIE experiment facilities the other day, I happened upon the machines we were connected to, the manuals on how to operate them, and the drugs we were prescribed.

As one could expect, the manuals contained a lot of technical lingo, but with help from a family member who is good at those sorts of things, I was able to come to grips with how it works.

Therefore, if we desire so, we can dream of those days once again.

Visit the memories of when Deadmanz disappeared, and us, UNDEAD, arose.

I suspect our answers will be there.

Kaoru: It’s embarrassing to see me back then being so uptight, but if there’s nothing else we can do, I suppose I can comply.

Rei: Kaoru-kun is still an inexperienced cute boy, hm? I am but a lump of shame.

You may be ashamed of your past self now, but in ten years you may feel the same about your current self.

Let’s do everything in our power now so we do not regret anything in the future.

Will you help me, Kaoru-kun?

Kaoru: Of course I will. I’ve said this a lot already, but this is all of our problem.

Rei: Wonderful… This is also just a guess, but I believe I am the cause behind everything.

Seeds from the past left unwatered grow out of spite. I must reap what I sow, before they can grow anymore.

So this doesn’t happen again. So that I don’t lose anyone again.

[ ☆ ]

Kaoru says 年齢マウント. Not sure if we have a word like that in english but it’s when the eldest of a group of girls (whether idols or just friendship groups) is seen as an old woman despite only being slightly older than the others

Chapter 5

Chapter 7

[sanvirtheobserver]

SMG4 Fanon: FOOD WARS, The Second Course

I officially bring to you my first fan-written episode, as well as the prologue of my new fanfic Taking Flight.

Hope you enjoy!

____________________________________________

We begin in the gaming room, where we see Tari on the couch playing Lies Of P, Luigi playing some pong by himself for some reason (and somehow still losing), Bob and Boopkins playing that weird ass version of Monopoly they like, and Mario on the computer ordering some Pizza.

Pizza Chef: What kind of toppings would you like?

Mario contemplates the meaning of the question for a moment, wandering deep within the wrinkles of his brain in search of an answer. But that didn't work so he just resorted to smashing the keyboard and bury the digital chef in toppings until we are left with an abomination of an order that will be ready shortly.

Mario: PIZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

And he's off to go get the goods, zipping by Meggy who has entered the room with her own box of goods in hand. Surprisingly enough, we also see Whimpu and Belle tagging along.

Belle: Whats got him all worked up?

Meggy: Eh, you know how Red is around food.

Boopkins: Oh! Ko'nichiwa Whimpu-sama, it's been a while.

Whimpu: It is good to see you too, my Furui Yūjin.

Belle: Oi rags, I got the vials. Bushmaster's blend.

Bob: Oh hell yeah! I'll get the vase!

Belle: Aces.

As Bob go gets the "vase" and the weebs start catching up, We see that Tari has just beaten the Puppet King. She collapses into her seat in releif as Clench starts cheering. And it only took them 35 tries.

Clench: THATS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THE MVP! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THE GOAT! THE GOAT!

Tari: *heh* Oh, hey Meggy.

Meggy: Hey Tari! Guess what I goooooooot.

She then noticed the box Meggy's hands, which was more than enough to get her on her feet.

Tari: *gasp* Is that.........?

Yep, within the box was none other than Gnomeson's gourmet candies. We look to the window seeing Gnomeson himself.

Gnomeson: TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHER******!

Tari: Oh my gosh, you actually found him!?

Meggy: Yeah, we met up at the gym and he hooked me up.

Tari: Then what are we waiting for?

Meggy takes a seat and they both......um.....I'm struggling to find a cigarette analogy to describe this. Anyway, they both take a lollipop.

We then shift perspectives to SMG3 and SMG4 as they begin to head out.

SMG4: Oh C'mon, Three. This'll be fun! ...........Y'know, as long as you behave yourself.

SMG3: I will, I will! Geez, you're the closest thing to a mother I've ever had.

Just then, Mario triumphantly returns with his bounty of 10 whateverthef*** specials. Nice and piping hot.

Mario: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- Hm? Oh, hi SMG4! Hey, where are you going?

SMG4: We're heading over to Bloopersville to meet up with FM and X. Apparently they got new looks sometime after the whole Lawyer Kong thing.

SMG3: Yeah, I can't wait to see how dumb they look now. Just wait until they get a look of me.

SMG4: Yeeeaaaah. Anyways, we're gonna be gone for a bit. Don't you have TOO much fun, now! Heh heh..........also at least TRY not to set anything on fire, okay?

Mario: Pingas.

SMG4: Close enough. Let's go.

Now they're off on their ~~honeymoon~~ trip, leaving Mario with an...........idea.

That's right, IT'S HOUSE PARTY TIME!!!!

The main hall is a buzz with games and laughter. We see Bob and Rob cheering on Kaizo as he bobs for corn, Chris and Swag playing Pin The Tail On The Teletubby with Luigi, Boopkins teaching Jub Jub how to play Bakugan, Shroomy doing some target practice, and Whimpu showing off his cool rock collection to impress the ladies. Well, more like lady since Melony is the only one who's actually paying attention to the shiny things.

Whimpu: And this is Neodymium glass. It can actually change colors depending on the lighting of the surrounding environment.

Melony: Wooooow! That's so cool. What does that one do?

Whimpu: Oh, this is just Mahogany Obsidian.

Saiko: It's a wonder how she's still awake.

Belle: Honestly, I can't blame her. It's like a Spanish soap opera. You don't know what the hell they're saying, but then you start to piece together what's happening then your hooked.

Saiko: You really have gotten a lot softer, haven't ya.

Belle: Oi, Pot. You got something to say to the Kettle?

Saiko: *chuckles* Alright, alright. Forget I said anything.

We see Tari and Meggy headed to the party table with their Gnomish Candies..........where Meggy noticed Mario with his Pizzas coming over as well. Mario then takes notice of the girls and their Candy. It was when their gazes met that thing's started to get quiet. Everybody took notice of the two staring each other down at the party table.

Meggy: Hey there, Red. What ya got there?

Mario: Pizza. How about you?

Meggy: Oh, just some candy.

Mario: I see.

The energy has changed. Meggy turned her gaze to her fellow Sweet Tooths, and Mario turned his gaze to his fellow Greasy Bois. The line has been drawn. The board is set. All the pieces are taking their places. Their gazes meat once again. A fiery determination glowed within both.

Mario: So................what happens now?

A rhetorical question. You know what happens now. Brace yourselves people, for you are about to witness a...........

Mario & Meggy: FOOOOOOOOD FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!

And here we go! The main hall is a Frenzy as sweets, spice, and everything completely unhealthy roars through the air. Kaizo and Bob clash blades, their movements as swift as lightning as sugar and grease flake off like sparks with each strike. Whimpu lays down suppressing fire with a fan of Pretzels as Belle showers the room with a hail of Doritos. Shroomy is blasting condiments in all directions, Saiko's KFC hammer shakes the earth with every impact. Chris and Swag take artillery positions, raining down rock candy artillery as Melony retaliates against Luigi's Unicorn Lollipop Lance with her Pizza Sword, all while Boopkins, Jub Jub, and Tari act as field medics for the Sweet Tooths. We then pan over to Mario using his Pizza Shield to deflect the projectiles of Meggy's M&M16.

Meggy: It's no use, Mario! I have the high ground! Surrender now and we can end this quickly!

Mario: You wish it would be that easy.

Mario throws his hat, but Meggy dodges into the air. She aims down sights towards Mario. All she needs is one clean shot and-

BAM!!!! A surprise sideswipe sends her skidding. Luckily, Tari was able to catch her. Both were shocked to see none other than Pepperman! Mario catches his hat and plops it on with a smirk.

Mario: Thank's for the save, Peppino.

We pan over to see Peppino Spaghetti and his whole crew tipping the balance of the battle. It looks like Mario called in backup this time around, leaving the Sweet Tooths outnumbered by the Greasy Bois.

Meggy: Dammit.........FALL BACK TO THE CAFE!

And so, the Greasy Bois are victorious as the Sweet Tooths are pushed back to SMG3's Café. A Pizza Tower is placed on top of the Castle as proof of their dominion. An impressive win, but this was just the first battle in a war that has just begun.

Behind the Cafe's doors, the Sweet Tooths have regrouped and are now planning their counter attack. Boopkins and Jub Jub are preparing what appear to be makeshift candy explosives. Once the prep work is done, they gather around Meggy as Tari lays out a map of the Greasy Bois' Pizza Tower.

Meggy: We're never gonna end this war if we can't retake the Snack Table, and we can't take back the Snack Table without getting through that Tower.

She points to four different areas of the map.

Meggy: Mario and the Greasy Bois have the Table stashed at the top of the Tower. They may outnumber us, but we'll have a better chance if we can deal with each floor without alerting the floor above. Once we've reached the top and all the ICDs are placed, we deliver our last payload to the Table and bring the whole thing crashing down.

Tari: We lost our last battle because we couldn't take them all at once, so this time we'll need to take them on one floor at a time. It is crucial that we stay together in order to have the numbers advantage against each single floor, so no slacking behind and no rushing in alone.

Luigi: The ICDs are ready for transport Ma'am.

Meggy: Excellent. Any word from our scouts?

Chris: Front door is a no-go. Too heavily guarded. Swag had to stay behind to cover our escape. God be with him.

Bob: Our best chance is to enter through the window of SMG4's room. That will give us the clearest path up stairs.

Meggy: Alright then. Remember to stick together and stick to the shadows. Do not engage unless I give the order. You need to take someone out? Do it quietly. Everybody ready?

The whole team nods in agreement. Meggy turns to Tari, who gives a confident smile.

Tari: We can do this.

Meggy: Then what are we waiting for? Let's give em a good ol' fashioned Sweet Tooth Surprise!

And so the Sweet Tooths are off, preparing to make their move under the cover of night. Kaizo notices them mobilizing as he scouts from the roof of the Castle.

At the peak of the Tower, we see Saiko and Belle dragging Swag to the foot of Mario's Pizza Throne. By his side is Peppino, watching down upon the interloper with a judgemental gaze.

Saiko: Kaizo saw this one skulking around the Main Lobby.

Peppino: I see. What exactly were you doing here, hm?

Swag: Oh, nothing. I was just waiting on a date.

Peppino: Is that so. And who exactly is this date of yours?

Swag: Your mom LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

And just close that, he was sent to THE PIT! Which in reality was just a kiddypool full of Extra Hot Marinara Sauce that REALLY stings when you get it in your eyes. It was then that Kaizo had arrived to deliver the news.

Kaizo: The Sweet Tooths are making their move. It looks like they plan on taking the fight to us. We should act now.

Belle: HA! I say let the Gutbags try.

Whimpu: But if they get here, they could take our table and all will be lost!

Peppino: Indeed. Without the table, our Golden Crispy Kingdom will be lost forever! We must mobilize and-

Mario: No.

All eyes turn to Mario as he walks to the edge and turns his gaze to the Showgrounds below.

Mario: Let them come. Let them see our glory and try to stop us. These Grounds are just the beginning. We shall soon spread across the Mushroom Kingdom. Then the country. Then the world. All shall know the glory of the Greasy Bois! AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Well that escalated quickly. Though, I've seen worse paths to world domination than a house party turned civil war.

Anywho, the Sweet Tooths enter through SMG4's Room Window, with Meggy and Bob quickly dispatching some Pig Cops.

Bob: I love myself some fresh ham. So good you could ea-

Meggy: Bob I swear to Greg I will actually murder you.

Once the room is secured, the rest enter and Tari is the first to enter the main hall, her Candycane Crossbow at the ready. Luigi and Boopkins are right behind her as they make their way up the staircase. At the door, Luigi uses his Astral projection to peer into the floor above. Apart from a few Cheeseslimes, the coast seems to be clear for the most part. He returns to his body after locating the entrance to the tower.

Luigi: Alright. We should be clear to proceed.

Clench: I don't like this. It sounds like we're walking into a-

?????: Going somewhere?

The trio quickly turns to see Saiko, Kaizo, and Melony on the edge of the balcony. Boopkins quickly aims his Dessert Eagle as Luigi readies his Unicorn Lollipop Lance, but Tari is frozen in fear with her back to the door desperately trying to get it open.

Saiko: Well well well..........

Saiko makes her way towards Tari as Kaizo and Melony face off against Boopkins and Luigi. Tari raises her crossbow as Saiko approaches.

Tari: Stay back! I'm warning you!

She fires a Candycane, but Saiko catches it with ease and crushes it in her hand. She then rips the Crossbow from Tari's hands and pins her against the door by the shoulder.

Clench: Hey, watch it! It takes hours to get a jacket looking this good.

Tari: I.......I'll never surrender to you!

Saiko: Come on, Tari. You can be so much more than this. Just come with us, and we can have a little talk.

Their talk is interrupted by a boot to Saiko's face, courtesy of Meggy. Saiko tries to retaliate with a swing of her hammer, but is intercepted by Bob and sent flying off the balcony with a well timed parry. Chris arrives, pulls Tari aside, and blows the doors wide open with his FR-GL.

Chris: Come on you apes! Do you wanna live forever!?

Bob: Keep going, guys! We'll hold them off!

Tari snaps out of her shock and makes her way through the door alongside Meggy, and Chris. They all make their way to the entrance of the Pizza Tower, where they encounter Shroomy with his dual condiment cannons.

Shroomy: Stop right there! No sugary treats are allowed beyond this point.

Chris: Don't worry. I got this.

Tari looks over to Chris preparing something. He swiftly slides a can of sugar frosted sardines right at Shroomy's feet.

Chris: Wait for it.

Shroomy: I will now require your immediate and unconditional surren-

Suddenly, a bear rips it's way through the woodworks, scooping up the sardines and thrashes Shroomy around before dragging him screaming below the floorboards. Looking back on it, I realize having so much unguarded food in a location surrounded by woodlands that are full of wild animals *probably* wasn't the best idea.

But enough semantics. It's time for our PIZZA TOWER ANY PERCENT SPEEDRUN. Our trio blitzes through each floor with breakneck pace Meggy's aim is swift and true. Chris' explosive ordinance blankets the battlefield, and Tari.......well, she's too busy trying to keep up while also setting up each ICD within the tower. Their progress is interrupted with the arrival of Peppino along with Pepperman, Vigilante, and The Noise. The battle is intense, as each side throws everything they have at one another.

Vigilante: Ya got moxie, kid. But ya'll need more than that.

Meggy simply smirks as she notices Pepperman coming in hot from behind trying to get in another sideswipe. But as Vigilante unloads a hail of bullets, Meggy expertly dodges and Pepperman ends up passing right below her. He gets riddled with bullets as he crashes into Vigilante, taking them both out.

Meggy: That enough *Moxie* for ya?

Pepperman/Vigilante: My scrotums.

We then cut to Chris facing off against the Noise, who isn't really fighting him so much as trying to bore him to death with an "intimidating" speech.

Noise: I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire PT armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my-

Chris just pulls out an RPG and blows his ass to high heaven. That just leaves us with Tari setting up another ICD before being confronted by Peppino, who uses his signature beyblade attack. Tari panicks as she frantically tries to avoid getting ripped up, but is driven into a corner.

Peppino: Give up, blue girl. Your gaming skills are no match for the Spaghetti Family Swag.

It is then that Tari notices a crate next to her labeled "Materiali Pericolosi". Seeing no other option, she quickly rummages through the crate as Peppino goes in for another attack. But right in the nick of time, Tari manages to force feed him a freshly baked pizza. With Pineapple. The crime against Italy is too much for Peppino to handle as he collapses onto the ground screaming and defeated. Tari very awkwardly steps around the suffering Italian man and regroups with the others as the trio makes their way to the final battle. They make their way to Mario's Throne Room, where Bell is ready with her Takigun and Whimpu is using Rob as a Spear as they guard the Snack Table.

Belle: C'mon ya Muckers! Ya feeling lucky?!

Whimpu: Surrender now if you value your lives.

Rob: Please put me down I am very tired.

Meggy: Let us handle the goons. You just focus on delivering that payload.

Tari nervously clutches the last ICD as Meggy and Chris lock and load.

Chris: This is for Swag, you Greasy Bitches!

Chris kicks off the fight with a barrage from his FRGL, while Belle and Meggy exchange hails of gunfire. Tari makes a break straight for the Snack Table. Whimpu is in hot pursuit, rearing Rob for a surprise attack but is then intercepted by Chris's boot.

Chris: Keep going! I'll cover you!

Whimpu proceeds to swing Rob around like a hammer at Chris, much to Rob's motion sick dismay. Belle is still preoccupied with Meggy as Tari see the table. But right as she is about to set the device...........

Mario: Hey stinky!

Tari looks up and is shocked to see Mario standing on top of the massive floating Pizza with a sinister face.

Mario: Your pathetic resistance ends now, Sweet Tooths! Me and Pizzaface here are gonna show you what's for! With our combined pow-

But just then, Pizzaface flips around and flings Mario straight into the floor.

Mario: HEY, WHAT THE F***! We're supposed to be working together!

Pizzaface: YOU THINK I FORGOT OUR LAST MEETING, MARIO? THE ONE WHERE YOU ATE ME?

Mario: Oh.............I sense I've made a mistake of some kind.

Pizzaface then goes on a rampage, crashing into everything in sight. Belle is unfortunately caught in one of Pizzaface's attacks, knocking her unconscious. Whimpu drops rob and heroically catches her in his arms before running away to safety. Chris and Meggy open fire on him, but are then sent flying with a whip from his green pepper mustache. Meggy is flung towards the balcony, hanging from the edge, whereas Chris is flung into the PIT where Swag is.......chilling, for some reason.

Chris: OH GOD MY EYES AAAAAAAAHH!!!!

Swag: Oh hey Chris. I just made some Bloody Maries.

Tari is petrified in fear as Pizzaface stares her down with a sadistic grin. She crumples to the ground, clutching her head as she braces for the end. But just as all seems lost........

Clench: Hey, Tari........

Tari turns her attention to her robot arm.

Clench: We have a mission to complete. Remember?

Tari: I......I don't know what to do. Everyone's down and everything is falling apart. Clench.........

Tears begin to well up in her eyes.

Clench: Listen to me. I know you're scared, but that hasn't stopped you before, has it? Remember that time Waluigi turned everyone into zombies and tried to take over the world, and you saved everybody by beating him at a fighting game?Remember when Meggy was abducted by that lizard weeb guy, and you joined the assault on Anime Island to save her? Remember when that Zero guy tried to recycle the universe and you joined the fight to beat him? And surely you remember the time you were stuck in some kind of bootleg Westworld and created your own pocket dimension to save everybody? Those were all scary too, weren't they?

Tari contemplates Clench's words. Those moments WERE scary.......yet that didn't stop her from helping her friends when it mattered the most.

Clench: You don't need to be fearless to be brave, Tari. You just gotta do what needs doing.

It was in that moment Tari felt something. She got back up to her feet and gazed defiantly straight into Pizzaface's Pepperonis. Her fear didn't disappear......it just didn't matter anymore. Clench was right. You don't have to be fearless to be brave.

Just then, Tari's eyes lit up with a vivid azure hue as a surge of energy coarsed threw her. Meggy managed to pull herself up just in time to see Tari levitating in the air. From her back emerged a pair of translucent blue wings crackling with energy. Tari then flew into the sky, breaching the clouds as the first sight of dawn broke. She then rocketed back down at Mach speed, her robotic arm crackling with power as it made contact with Pizzaface's cheese. The two crashed through the tower's floors, before breaking through the Castle's roof. Both Greasy Bois and Sweet Tooths present ceased their fighting as a massive crash shook the foundations of the Main Hall. When the dust had settled, they saw a crater in the main hall riddled in Pizzaface's mechanical remains. At the center of the crater was severely mangled Pizzahead and an unconscious Tari.

We then cut to later in the morning. SMG3 and SMG4 return to see the Castle abuzz with activity. The war was over, the Pizza Tower was destroyed, The Sweet Tooths and Greasy Bois have reached a truce, and the festivities had resumed. We see Kaizo bobbing for corn as Bob, Rob, and the Noise cheer him on. We see Boopkins, Jub Jub, and Melony sitting down as the Vigilante tells them the story of how the military once bombed his buddy Keith. Whimpu is once again showing off his rock collection to Belle, who seems to be actually paying attention this time. Chris and Swag are laying back and enjoying some Bloody Maries as Shroomy arm wrestles Pepperman. At the foyer we see Peppino and Mario spinning pizzas and playing tunes on the turntables. The SMGs make their way to the Gaming Room where they see Saiko and Meggy watching over Tari as she lays down on the couch.

SMG4: Looks like we missed quite the party, huh?

SMG3: I'll say, judging by the hole in the ceiling. And the Crater in the main hall. And the ambulance outside. And the tower pieces every- WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?

Meggy: It's a long story. How you holding up, soldier?

Tari: Just fine, captain. A little dizzy, though.

Saiko: I have to admit. You did quite a number on poor Pizzahead. I didn't think you had it in you to even fight someone, let alone.........THAT.

Tari looks down at her robot arm.

Tari: Yeah. Neither did I.

SMG4: Well, the Castle is still in one piece for the most part, so I guess it's fine. It's definitely gonna delay the second floor, though.

Saiko: Hey, how was your trip to Bloopersville?

SMG3: ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSING! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT FM GOT ABS AND I DIDN'T! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!?

SMG3 continues to be a deva as the camera zooms out from the Castle and into the woodlands, where we see.......something........moving in the trees as the screen fades to black and the credits role.

[astercontrol]

I was thinking some more about that one reblog where I tried to analyze the concepts of "objective quality" and "personal enjoyment" in the context of the different Tron movies.

And my brain kept getting stuck on my claim, near the end, that some things seemed "forced" to me in Legacy, but nothing seemed "forced" to me in the original movie.

Which I realize may be a hard feeling to explain.

Because the things that feel "forced" to me in Legacy are such little tiny inconsequential things (mainly little details that are put in there just to call back to earlier parts, like Quorra saying that she's "a rescue" in reference to Sam saying that earlier about Marvin). They're things that throw me just slightly out of the story, because I have trouble parsing them as things the characters would actually do or say, rather than parsing them as things that I can see the scriptwriters sticking in there to fill a particular narrative purpose.

But they aren't big, structural problems. If you changed them or took them out, you'd still have a story of pretty much the same shape.

Whereas in the original '82 movie, there are what seem like HUGE gaps. Things that… may not be exactly plotholes, but they demand explanation that isn't explicitly there, and they require imagination from the viewer.

Like why does Dillinger have such a laughably stupid password, and IS that why Flynn broke in so easily? And why does the MCP hide the incriminating evidence instead of destroying it? (Was it only to save it for the blackmailing-Dillinger purpose that he mentioned later? And if so, what did he tell Dillinger the reason was, prior to that?) How does poor nervous Crom start acting so confident by the time he's pitted against Flynn? Why does sweet gentle Ram seem so gleeful about killing his Lightcycle opponent? Did Flynn actually even play any important role in their escape, since Tron was the one who made the hole in the wall? …And so on.

And I'm not saying there aren't things like that in Legacy, too! But to me they somehow feel more smoothed-over, like they don't stick out as noticeably.

Maybe it's my own bias. Or maybe it's just how aesthetically polished Legacy feels to me.

Anyway, I think the best way I can think to express it is just to go back to my "car vs painting" analogy…

So, in that post, I argued that I don't see any actual difference between saying "I enjoyed it" and saying "I think its quality was objectively good." …Even though I know there are things that people sometimes describe as "objectively good quality" in a work of art, even if they didn't personally enjoy it.

And I know that some of the "polished" feel of Legacy-- the smoothness of the special effects and cinematography, the neatness and symmetry of the plot-- would fall into that category of things.

And when I was trying to explain why I don't use the term "objective quality" for this kind of polish… I said that to me it feels like "comparing the aesthetics of a Ferrari to the aesthetics of a Dali painting," and that I like paintings better than cars, and I like how a painting can be chaotic, but a car has every part forced into serving a specific purpose in its structure.

And I think that's probably what I meant by parts of Legacy feeling "forced" in a way that doesn't appeal to me.

The way I imagine it is, suppose you're building a car. And some of the materials you've chosen aren't actually that well suited to fitting into the car you're trying to build. But you bend them a little, turn them around into weird positions, squeeze them in and make them fit.

And at the end you've still got a car, and it's pretty much the same shape you planned for it to be. And it's still clear to everyone that your intent was to build a car, and to build it in a pretty normal car shape. And you've succeeded at that... well enough that the position of the few weirdly-placed parts is a small nitpick that most people wouldn't care about.

But suppose you take all the same materials, and instead of trying to build a car, you build a big chaotic weird sculpture out of them.

Maybe you've planned out some aesthetic themes, arranging the parts in patterns of your own design-- maybe some of those patterns are even set up to call to mind the idea of a car, or something of a car's aesthetics. There's a design in what you've built-- it's just not quite as specifically clear WHAT the intent behind it is.

And if some of the materials you chose don't end up fitting your original plan, you have more leeway here. You can even set them up in a weird, jarring way that sticks out from the rest of your pattern-- and the beauty of it is, your audience is not immediately gonna say "You did that wrong."

They're going to try to interpret it. They're going to try and come up with an understanding of why you chose to make it look that way. Because it's not a car, and it doesn't HAVE to have a certain shape, and as an artist you get the benefit of the doubt that however you made it look is probably how you wanted to make it look, and you did it for a reason.

Hell-- even if you WERE building a car, and you decided to make some parts stick out in an obviously weird, jarring way-- even then, if it was an obvious enough choice, viewers might still begin by trying to think of possible reasons why you chose to do it like that, instead of just yelling at you that it doesn't fit.

But if you squeezed the not-fitting parts in as inconspicuously as you could, and tried to hide how they don't fit-- Well, then maybe most people won't notice it, and maybe most people will think your design is objectively better than others.

But those who do notice will probably interpret it as a covered-up mistake, not an artistic choice. (And honestly? the same goes for painting and sculpture, a lot of the time.)

And my point is not that one movie's better than the other. It's that neither one is, because "objectively better" isn't a thing.

Every design has people who like it, people for whom it brought joy into the world. And all the technical analysis of what makes something good or bad-- well, it might help explain the number of people who like or dislike a thing, but it won't do much to change how those people feel.

[shmothman]

ooh x for the nsfw alphabet? I know you have a whole post about it but I really love your ideas and I wanna hear you talk about it more!!!!!

SFW/NSFW Alphabet Prompts

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

nsfw below the cut, in case you couldn’t guess 🤣

As you can tell by my fics, I’m fond of swapping out his genitals (as millionsvash said, “like legos”) based on little more than “what I feel like writing that day.” This post goes into my main “flowery” version: external petals, internal structures that resemble a cock and cunt, which takes inspiration from different flowers—and also slugs, because gastropod sex gets pretty wild and love darts are a thing that exist, for real, in the world. (As always, I lament the fact that I’m a much better writer than I am artist—but I tried my best.) Some additional details to this that I didn’t touch on much in that post include: because these structures are internal most of the time, they’re self-lubricating—and well lubricated at that. He’s very wet and drippy when he’s turned on, and his slick is similar in viscosity to like… aloe. (No, I didn’t buy aloe drinks at the store to see if the texture was what I expected, and then find out that the drinks are basically just sugar water with chunks of aloe in them. And no I haven’t been buying aloe everything as my own personal inside joke. [lying.]) Plus, he’s sweet! Because it’s my fictional boyfriend and I can say his cum tastes good. And I haven’t touched on this at all, but I picture that his slick is… kind of difficult to wash off. It dries very sticky and hydrophobic. You’re gonna be sticky and slick for the rest of forever, good luck!

As you can also probably tell by my fics, I am a fan of tentacles too—so in a case where I’m still giving him something analogous to a cock, but I don’t feel like writing the detail required to describe All Of That, I picture him with something long and tapered, that unsheathes itself from a slit between his legs—not really connected to either the stampede flower imagery or the 98/max wing imagery, but hey. I’m just having fun with my alien boyfriend’s junk here. I like a man whose genitals I can write as writhing, whether that means fleshy petals and tendrils or drippy everting tentacles.

Other times, though, I want to write him as more specifically trans—more of a classic plantussy vibe. Because alien pussies are just as fun as alien dicks and deserve just as much love. How I’ve written that so far is still in the context of petals—basically like my flowery design, just minus the internal petals that twist together to form the cock, and with the addition of a wiggly clit, more like the stamen of a flower (…mixed with a tentacle. Again). No matter what I’m giving him, though, I tend to picture him as externally closer to looking like he has a cunt. (Hello, I’m trans, it’s what I do.) Also, now that I’m reading max, I want to try writing a more feather-inspired design: I’ve seen a lot of really wonderful art that’s all been mixed together in my brain, and I’m picturing something more pussy-adjacent, surrounded by a sort of downy fluff, with a—again I’ll use the word writhing—clit that sort of… swells a bit.

Really, the important thing for me is to do something fun with it. I’m always looking for novel ways of expressing the idea of pleasure, and I have fun coming up with structures that could experience pleasure in strange ways—like the petals of his cock being able to open up and reveal even more sensitive areas, or the tendrils and their hormone secretions. The nice thing is that there’s no shortage of inspiration to be found in my line of work; invertebrates have some absolutely wild reproductive structures (or structures that have no reproductive function that I can look at and say “yeah, I can make a weird dick out of that”). I have a lot more ideas on how I can Make Him Weirder, from shit like “literal sex pollen” to a bit of a knotting fic that I’m working on currently. I’m just going where the vibes take me!

As for what’s going on beneath the rest of his clothes, I’m always using 98/max Vash’s body/scars as my reference! (And I only give him one nipple lol)

(Vash’s canon grey sweatpants my fucking beloved.)

[palash-12-22-blogs]

Cinephiles and Movies

Cinephiles have been around for decades. When cinema first started, cinephiles came along with them. It’s like when you buy one pack of chips, and get a soda for free (I know, a very weird analogy, but my brain isn’t the best of places while I am writing this bit for my article.). movies have been around for a very long time. We love them, we see glimpses of our daily lives in them. We relish them with all our being. They are a form of escape from our very real realities. What can be better than that? To be in another world… a very different, much better world than the one each one of us currently inhabits. A world where everything works out your way… a world where you are the main character, and the very fact is accepted by all who inhabit this imagined world of yours.

Truth is, this compares to not even a fraction of the real pleasure it gives us watching movies. And watching them in theatres is the best. After all, theatres have been created for that very purpose: a day off from our daily hectic lives, just to enjoy the life of a character in a form of media which is on average 90-130 minutes long, play out in front of our very eyes. Quite the dreamy life, isn’t it? The ones those characters live… their own world, where they are the stars, nobody else there to steal the limelight… and even if there is some competition, the entire situation is set up to favour the side which we all want to see winning in the end. After all, that’s how it has always worked out, right?

Well…. Not… really.

In recent times, movies have started to shift focus from depicting an absolutely optimistic picture of their reality to a more realistic-yet-positive picture of the world they have created. There isn’t the usual trope of overly positive characters, nor every situation being light. Instead, we get to witness dark and brooding moments too, moments when the main character is kicked even when he is down. Movies of today have started to make character development kind of a big deal. How is the character going to evolve in the face of the most horrible of adversities? What will be the change that we see? Is this change something which correlates to the world we see around us? That’s what makes the movie worth watching... according to me.

There are some movies where the protagonist, or sometimes the deuteragonist, undergoes his/her “villain arc”. It basically means the goody hero now wants to forsake all his principles that kept him in line, and become a man driven by desire and emotions. There are also horror films, where the main actors in question are subjected to an environment where they are constantly terrified and a dark entity/force follows them and torments them. At least that’s the general trope. There are psychological thrillers as well, which explore the similar theme of horror, but of the psychological type. The horror is present, but there is no physical manifestation of it as such; it’s all in the mind of the person experiencing it, and of course, the viewers; a.k.a us, see all this unfold, along with the physical manifestation of the psychic creature that is tormenting our protagonist. Its kind of fun, in a sense, seeing the thrill… and it’s also terrifying… the very concept of something which we can’t see and yet it torments us is a chilling one, no doubt. That’s what makes these kinds of movies great to watch; they employ the crux of their story in a beautiful way, giving justice to the film/show which has been made.

There are superhero films as well… I like them more than other genres… I mean… they are supes, who doesn’t like a human with enhanced physiology and a badass repertoire of powers? You have to be living under a rock to not like these kinds of movies. I mean… they are just pure awesome! There is a main character, the “good” one (the definition of good for a hero has changed over the year. Now it’s the man who does may/may not do good but always has good intentions behind his actions. There are other things as well, but I am no expert here. Not my department.) and there is a villain; the hero foils the villain’s plans and does traditional hero stuff. That’s all there has been to it… but there are movies based solely on the hero’s perspective too; his origin story; how he came to be the way he is, what did he face to develop this kind of personality and sense of altruism in him. Some heroes don’t have this sense of altruism… there is an ulterior motive behind their actions too, albeit not a very self-centred one. Every movie has its own perks, and something to tell. Some movies… hate to admit it, but they are a waste of time. If you keep on repeating the same tropes over and over again, people lose interest, and if you oversaturate a concept, it’s all the worse.

Its getting tougher to make good movies now-a-days. People don’t get ideas easily, and there is hellish competition in terms of ingenuity and good ideas. If somebody strikes upon an idea, either a movie has already been made on it, or it’s already being made, or it can also be that another group of people are making a similar movie based on the same idea you struck upon. It’s like a battlefield out there. You have to do something big to make an impact, or you are buried six feet under the piling competition. It’s harder to make original good movies due to a lot of them being similar in idea, so many focus on making their movies better than the ones they are getting the idea from. It has worked till now; take the latest film twisters for example. The sequel to the 1995 box office hit Twister, the movie initially got a lot of earnings, riding on the brand fame, but the movie itself is a nice one; all the elements of a disaster film are there; there is plenty of thrill and excitement watching the chasers as work, and the impact of tornadoes on peoples’ lives has been shown in a nice manner. There are other such examples as well; I won’t mention them in order to keep my blog short and within acceptable limits.

I have always been fascinated with movies; they show something which everybody wants in their lives. The fascination soon turns to an obsession; we want to be those characters in our own lives. I have thought that this is maybe due to the very good acting on behalf of the actor who plays the role. They do an awesome job at it. Personally, I like actors who can pull off the most hard of roles, like there is William Dafoe from the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, RDJ from the Iron-man trilogy and the Avengers series of films, Cillian Murphy from Peaky Blinders, Oppenheimer, 28 days later, and many other names which deserve to be mentioned, but I don’t have the mental memory to remember all those at this moment (I know. The human brain sucks.)

I would like to end on the positive note that movies are a great pastime for true cinema lovers, and the best way to watch movies is by going to a cinema hall. Trust me, nothing beats watching a movie in a cinema hall, not even watching them from the comforts of your home. I will take a cinema hall over OTT anytime and anywhere. Movies are meant to be watched in theatres, the place where there is the most immersion, and a place where movies are truly able to shine.

[thefallenangelsgang]

Seeing as I just got tagged again in something similar by the lovely @victoriouscabaret, I probably should wrap this one up lmao. Unfortunately I'm about to show y'all how horrifically baby I am (as if the incessant Gen Z style posting and vocabulary wasn't telling enough 😭)

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Do you make your bed?

NO. The most I do is straighten the sheets (because I have yet to meet a sheet or life hack secure enough to beat my slumbering form. It's actually comical how easily I can pull a sheet off the corners) and shake out my blankets when they have more than the usual amount of cat hair on them. Sheets and pillowcases go on after wash and blankets get dumped in a pile on the foot lmao.

Favorite number?

Anything devisable by 5. Looking back on it actually a miracle no one diagnosed me with OCD sooner. I have childhood memories of compulsively counting things by fives and I have an abnormal interest in the way time breaks down by fives. The fact that you can use the analog clock face to do 5s multiplication tables is also a fun fact that still amuses me to this day. That probably only marginally has to do with OCD though.

What's your job?

I'm a student in university for History and Theater and maybe Poli Sci (except for this last semester, which I took off to reign in the burnout I've been nursing since I was way too young to be experiencing burnout on that scale). I have a summer job as a Housekeeper at a local nursing home. It is far from my first pick but the pay is very good for my area and it puts the compulsion to sterilize everything to work relatively well. When I'm on campus I work in the Theater's Costume Shop.

What I want to do is a different matter. My dream will always be to Act but the stressors are a lot and I am far from marketable to a common audience. I am aiming for a day job in Museum work (exhibit design or educator) with contract night work in Theater Tech (lighting, sound, or costume design) or even finding a way to fully do tech work in a stable manner.

Can you parallel park?

Yes but in nothing bigger than a small SUV and only in spots that are obviously much bigger than my car. I refuse to putz around with tight spots. I'll walk my disabled ass if I have to.

Do you think aliens are real?

I have no strong opinions. I am never going to say "absolutely not" cause history is full of hypotheses being disproven. This is also my rule when dealing with the concept of god and cryptids. Oral histories and folklore meets phenomena our brains have trouble comprehending and I am never going to say something is impossible just because our meaty overlords (that being the brain) fills gaps.

And also shit gets weird in the Appalachian Mountains. Between the chemical poisoning from generations of mining operations, waste sites, the dense vast forests, and unmapped cave systems, I'm never going to 100% say "that cannot happen."

Can you drive a manual car?

This is the one that babies me significantly. No. Though I am interested in learning!

What's your guilty pleasure?

I love taking pitch black showers. In the cooler months (before every day gets up to 70°F+) I like them piping hot. It drives my father up the wall because he's a 5 min shower kinda guy and I need to take 45 minutes in the sensory deprivation chamber or I am a bitch.

Tattoos?

None yet. I want some, I've got plans for at least 4, but I am weary of getting them right now. It's a pipe dream, but I filmed a short film that will be hitting major film festivals in 2025. I don't want to commit to the map of the Shire thigh piece I want or the vertebra on the back of my neck on the minuscule chance something big happens. The other 2 are smaller but I'm struggling with placement because I do want them to be hidden.

Favorite color?

Deep jewel tones. bonus points if the word "velvety" describes them. Real slut for royal blue and forest green. Also the washed out sort of khaki green color.

Favorite types of music?

Folk, both traditional and the stylized modern stuff, and Alternative, mainly from the 2000s to the 2010s. I am also into Musical Theater. Anything with a solid rhythm pattern or an emotional sound can very quickly become my favorite.

Do you like puzzles?

Logic games, yes. I don't find traditional puzzles all that relaxing. I am okay at Sudoku and word games. I have the white man hubris that i would kill at escape rooms despite never having done one.

Any phobias?

Spiders. IRL spiders I can mostly handle. They gotta be fuzzy though, those smooth bitches are not friend shaped. The reason I hate smooth spiders is because any kind of fake spider or spider-adjacent creature from any kind of visual media, but specifically very large cgi spiders in film and video games, are my main trigger. Giant painted spider in a fantasy book? no thank you. Spider in video game? Please god let there be an arachnophobia mod/setting. Spider-like creature done in CG or with practical effects? Tell me when this bit is over I feel like I'm going to be sick.

I genuinely think this stems from my childhood fear of real spiders (I was much more weary of them as a tot) and my parents showing me LotR at way too young an age. Shelob was not a suitable visual for a 7 year old to see in the dark.

Favorite childhood sport?

I played Basketball in middle school. I was not very good handling the ball outside of passing but I was very good at seeing and widening openings. I usually played one of the wings on offense and covering the wings on defense.

I was a little terror on defense but you had to be in my area. For some reason the local girls basketball scene was full of teams who fought almost ridiculously dirty. Nearly got in a fist fight with a girl on the court because she was literally two-handed shoving me while we were running a play and I gave it right back. She did not take it well. To highlight how normal that was, the Ref clapped his hands and simply said "Okay girls, fight club is on Tuesday" and didn't do ANYTHING else.

Not to mention my very first year, the girls team only had 5 people on it (that is the MINIMUM number you need). I was a 4th grader playing full games with our only breaks being the hard baked ones (half-time and the short breathers between quarters) and our Time-outs. We once had a difficult game where we were neck and neck with the other team and in the last quarter (so we were in no position to just forfeit) and the Refs saw my tiny ass and the rest of my poor teammates absolutely dying and started using their timeouts (which is a rare occurrence, refs only do that if they have a call to discuss). I think we won that game too.

I miss it from time to time but I'm no longer as spry or are there teams that play that kind of game around me.

Do you talk to yourself?

All the time. Too much probably and some of it barely makes sense lmao. I'm sure it drives my family up the wall.

What movies do you adore?

Oh boy. I don't even know where to begin. The Sound of Music has been a favorite since I was a child and my eyes just recently been opened to the majesty of The Birdcage and To Wong Foo. The LotR movies are up there. Rocky Horror, A League of Their Own, It's A Wonderful Life, and White Christmas.

Essentially anything that celebrates something that society tries to ignore for various reasons (Dumplin' is another example), or is nostalgic to me (Bedknobs and Broomsticks! I can't believe I forgot that movie!), or is made with so much love it bleeds out of the screen. I have a soft spot for old Hollywood films that feature some of the greats of dancing at the time.

Coffee or Tea?

Tea. I despise the taste of coffee. I'll drink espresso on occasion and have suffered through a heavily doctored cup of joe when I need the kick of caffeine but I am a tea person through and through.

I don't like anything particularly bitter and prefer fruity and herbal flavors. I REALLY like mint tea.

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

Labor and Delivery Nurse like my mother. We would visit her before bed when she was on night shift and I remember the nurses station of that unit like it was yesterday. Those are some of the only pleasant memories of a hospital ward I have and I've been in a LOT of hospitals and a LOT of different units over the years.

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Tagging some people I want to know more about <3 (no pressure though!)

@helena-bug (shhhh I know we've known each other over a decade stfu lmao)

@fablewritesnonsense

@just-another-wasteland-merc

@tcustodis

[rin-and-jade]

hii !!! I'm the temp caretaker of our system (unsure of role yet) and we're having some difficulties trying to manage things because host has still not fully accepted that we're a system and stuff. so he often fronts, and when we see him tired, we offer to front in his place. he either declines and sacrifices his rest or leaves in a very short period of time and comes back. he says he doesn't trust us or what we could do while he's away because he's paranoid our cover would be blown. how can we convince him? we have school coming up and we need to get our inner bearings together before we go there. thank you in advance! ^_^

tkdr;; host doesn't trust us to front and takes the most time in front, resulting him to be tired. how to convince him to take a break and let *us* front?

Alright, as a part who also struggles with paranoia and have been actively fighting to strive some progress,, i can define it in one analogy to better understand the situation, and i'll add some extra things to say after it:

A person is tasked to do a trust fall with someone, that person is you (host). You're looking 180 degrees away, and then something had struck your mind that goes, "I think this guy will let me fall over on the floor on purpose if i don't keep an eye on it" so you halted the task and tried looking face to face. Thought it could make you feel better, and as it was about to be performed,, another one came "No wait even if im looking at the dude, it can just not catch me, or trick me into doing the trust fall and quickly retract the arms-- bro wants to make me fall and get hurt" and it'll literally just be never-ending.. wether you got assured, or not assured, and the weird thing is that you are in a room with an observer and the said person who is tasked to catch you so why are you worked up about it...? I'll explain why

I'm not here to explain how paranoia manifests as or comes from because its not 'bout the topic, so,, fast forward to how it's damaging and creating an endless loop that can be broken by ONE move. One move thats right,, it is true that people have a healthy amount of skepticism to keep them safe but when we're talking about paranoia.. it means endless doubts and suspicions. When we talk about too much of the good stuffs it literally translates to bad,, this is something we all should know before taking a step.

It doesn't matter how you get an answer to relieve the doubt, its like a kid that kept asking why after why in every answer and you just had to break out of it right?? You can, by rationalizing the situation. Because i can say, paranoia (atleast for me) is the one being irrational-- it detects green flags as red flags, it also misses a lot of details and creates false alarms that is then flagged as threat. Paranoia can be stopped (or atleast slowed down) by rationalizing the situation,, back to the trust fall example, "this person won't dare to hurt me because someone is keeping an eye on us" or putting yourself in their shoes, "I have no reasons to hurt the person who will do the trust fall, so i wouldn't even plan such thing at the first place and do what's right". Thats how.

I'm also adding that by shooing the kid (paranoia) once will not instantly fix it, this kid will come back anytime something catches it's eye (things that has the chance to let doubt in) and you have to actively tackle with it on a daily basis like me. Surely, the brain will un-learn that and adapt from "everyone out here will ruin my life" to "i guess no one even has time to ruin my life when they're busy with their own" (or in this case, systems are correlated with cooperation, it is very unlikely to betray, or do something bad, as the whole body is shared, more like prefer to grow together and bond)

It's best to take it easy (building trust and addressing the fear) as well as proving that you (caregiver and others) is responsible enough to be left at front because concrete proof beats paranoia better than other things, imo.

So i hope this is enough, i went overboard on accident (word-count wise) and this might help the situation,, goodluck guys.

- j