#anti performing animals

[the-angry-acrobat]

just curious, do u support circused that have wild animals in them-?

(tigers, lions, elephants, bears, etc.)

no, I am very strongly against it. the truth about animals in circuses is that they are abused and endure lives of complete misery, usually illegally poached from the wild and sold or bred into circuses, purely for entertainment. 

in circuses, animals are made to perform unnatural tricks which none of them would willingly carry out. elephants are made to stand on one leg and spin in circles – often while standing on top of small stools. these are actions elephants have never been observed carrying out in the wild precisely because they cause long-term damage to the animals’ physiology. it is well documented that elephants are forced to perform these actions by being terribly abused, and young elephants are savagely constrained in a process called ‘the crush’ which breaks their spirit and forces them to comply. big cats have been popular in the circus industry, but many have their teeth and claws removed rendering them harmless to their abusers. they are ‘trained’ with whips which teach them to fear the handlers and not attack.

the actions animals do in performances are so unnatural that no animal could be encouraged or instructed to carry them out – they would have to be forced. initially this is done with violence, then with the promise of food. as a result, many circus animals are also underfed to keep them hungry and eager to please. 

the animals commonly abused in circuses are extremely stressed by circus conditions. the loud noise of the music, the cheers of the crowd and the dizzying lights all disorientate and cause stress to wild animals. over prolonged periods can result in abnormal behaviours and health problems related to anxiety. for species such as tigers, bears, macaques, etc, performing on stage is deeply traumatic. 

the living conditions for wild animals in circuses consistently fail to meet the animals’ most basic needs. when the show ends, the animals typically return to isolation in small barren cages which give them no opportunity to carry out behaviours natural to their species, or to interact with their own kind. investigation into animal circuses found 100% of facilities failed to meet the animals’ basic needs. bears were found rocking in tiny cages – a well-known sign of stress and mental health disorders – and macaques chained by their necks.

circus animals are often transported over large distances with circuses, even transporting dolphins by truck and plane which is clearly unsuitable for the species, and more. they are abused, humiliated, and treated absolutely dehumanisingly. how anyone that treats an animal like that could live with themselves, I don’t know. but none of that matters when it comes to monetary gain.

as with any industry that creates financial gain, some people try to defend animal circuses. they say the animals are stimulated by training and performance, but all the evidence and the experts disagree. defenders of animal circuses also argue that seeing animals perform is a form of education which raises awareness and appreciation of wild species. but the truth is very different.

in reality, animal circuses teach nothing. the behaviours they see are completely unnatural and give an entirely false impression of the lives and needs of animals. seeing animals abused on stage only teaches people that animals are here for human entertainment and that we can treat them in any way we please, regardless of their emotions and needs. this is not a lesson people want to teach their children.

and animals don’t belong in circuses. they belong in their natural habitats, free, in their own cycles of life, wild, ferocious, untamed, and left the fuck alone. they should not be in the circus industry, and any entertainment industry for that matter. having wild animals in captivity is horrific, vile, inhumane and just plain wrong. when animals are caged, it's a loss of what and who they are. it’s wrong to capture wild animals and confine them in captivity for people to go and gawk at them. and I can’t believe some people don’t understand this. 

however, animals that do enjoy the stimulation of circus are dogs. dogs love training and performance. they love to learn, with the right rewards. a lot of the time they consider it play time, and for them, getting attention from their people is always a good thing. it depends on the dog, and some dogs may not enjoy performing tricks they've learned. but most of the time, as they are so smart and energetic, dogs do enjoy performing. 

I love animals with all of my heart and I will advocate and fight for them forever. the circus I am in is also obviously very against it.

in short, no, I do not support and never will support animals in circuses, and that’s not even an option. animals deserve a far better life than the ones they've been subjected to.

[mugiwara-lucy]

So I recently came across THIS:

And it proves what I've been saying for over a week now. Could Kamala Harris be more progressive in her words about the Palestine Genocide? Yes BUT the Palestine people LITERALLY SAY they view her as being better for that sitaution than Trump.

So this notion of her and Trump being two sides of the same coins is a misunderstanding at best or a lie at worst.

So again; you have someone who has said she won't be silent about Gaza suffering OR you have someone who says Isreal should "get it over with". Take your pick. I'm going with the former.

[angellic-critique]

Oh yeah, Angel Dust has a sister, her name's Molly, there are a bunch of speed drawings with her.

Anon I think you are the only fan of Molly as I have not sent her be mentioned outside of 2017.

Genuinely thought that Molly was like Niffty/Vaggie situationship because I had NO fucking clue what stance Molly even was outside of just looking at a distant glance over definitely not realizing that was what happened to the past 'Angel Dust Drag'..... The fact that it personifies into a woman that is barely mentioned [much like angel representing or doing drag in the first place], turned into fucking THIS????

I cant even begin to comprehend.... She speaks for herself honestly. You can tell that viv genuinely did not give a fuck about the implications here or the lazy design that is 'Hmm angel dust but pink girly'

I feel like she just became cut content considering there hasn't ever been a mention about angels' family besides his Arackniss

Kinda weird how angel is more focused and put down upon in the spotlight more with Valentino and less with his 1930s mobster Italian spider persona :/ Even attempting to make a different womanly character known as the sister of angel dust, she is still tied down to him and has nothing besides this rainbow vomit old design.

How could I not be confused over angels' stance on dragging while VIV can't even fucking make characters up for him without retconning over herself!

You want this mess of a character design to be made but not Baxter???? I'm baffled. Thanks for bringing this horrid 'writing' decision to my notice. Since viv doesn't give a single lick of sense about Molly I too did not realize that Molly was supposed to be the hyper feminized pink eyesore that was SUPPOSED to be Angel's DRAG PERFORMING CARICATURE???

Your ask has the exact same amount of punch as telling me that Blitz has a sister, they are underwritten to be one of the same since they're women obviously Viv just doesn't like writing women ! :/

[the-party-bus]

“Wait, there are people blaming the writers?”

Are you surprised? Fandoms have become notorious anti-writer spaces. Studios love you guys. They can cut the budgets, cut the number of writers, cut the wages of the writers, and you guys always blame the writers. “The writers ruined the show!” It’s never “the studios ruined the show.”

I hate to break it to you: more than half the shows you complain were “ruined by the writers”, were ruined by the studios. Studios cut the scenes and arcs you were excited for. Studios cut the budget of the show, or even raise the budget of the show and force a “bigger, louder, bolder” tone on shows that were unexpected hits (this is where we get “the Netflix look” on every show post-Stranger Things and Queen’s Gambit).

You guys do not do your research. Half your fanfics are tagged with bad faith digs at the writers, when a few searches would reveal how strapped that show was and how poorly the writers were treated. Writers are being given a 10 weeks to write 10 episodes. How are good arcs and scenes supposed to happen under that time limit, with a max of only four writers?

Tumblr, the self-proclaimed “pro-union, pro-worker, pro-artist” site is also a major fandom site. You guys rarely practice good faith consumer etiquette for television and film writers, because your fandom salt always turns you against writers. And studios love you for it.

Yeah, individual writers do create bad writing from time to time. But so do painters, chefs, and musicians. Directors and actors sometimes refuse to film certain scenes or follow a show’s projected style and arc, and the writers always get the crap for a bad performance or a poorly directed episode. This isn’t to blame actors or directors; it’s to point out that you guys have one villain, and it’s always the writers. You guys never give writers the same grace you give animators, designers, directors, actors, composers, and editors.

Studios love you every time you say “the writers ruined the show.” Every single popular fandom is guilty of this. View any of the “why did the writers cut this scene, they hate my characters” talk when leaked scenes hit the internet. Writers barely get paid for what they do write. You think they’re writing scenes and then happily throwing them in the shredder? You guys just eat the talk that studios put out. Always have.

[beakers-and-telescopes]

With the fast fashion industry… how it is… finding sustainable ways to make fabric is super important.  Fibers from synthetic fabrics make up 35% of the microplastics that make their way to the ocean.  Natural fibers sourced from plants or animals are much more environmentally sound options, including silk.

Currently, the only way to get natural silk on a large scale is to harvest it from silkworms.  You’ve probably heard about the strength and durability of spider silk (it is 6x stronger than Kevlar!) but as of yet there hasn’t been a good way of getting it.  Raising spiders the way people do silkworms isn’t really an option.  Spiders need a lot of room to build their webs compared to silkworms, and individual spiders don’t produce that much silk.  Plus, when you put a whole bunch of spiders in captivity together, they tend to start eating each other.

Attempts to artificially recreate spider silk have also been less than successful.  Spider silk has a surface layer of glycoproteins and lipids on it that works as a sort of anti-aging “skin”- allowing the silk to withstand conditions such as sunlight and humidity.  But this layer has been very tricky to reproduce.

However, as scientists in China realized, silkworms produce that same kind of layer on their silk.  So what if we just genetically modified silkworms to produce spider silk?

That is exactly what the researchers at Donghua University in Shanghai did.  A team of researchers introduced spider silk protein genes to silkworms using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and microinjections in silkworm eggs.  In addition to this, they altered the spider silk proteins so that they would interact properly with the other proteins in silkworm glands.  And it worked!  This is the first study ever to produce full length spider silk proteins from silkworms.

The applications of this are incredibly exciting.  In addition to producing comfortable textiles and new, innovative bulletproof vests, silkworm generated spider silk could be used in cutting edge smart materials or even just to create better performing sutures.  In the future, this team intends to research how to modify this new spider silk to be even stronger, and they are confident that “large-scale commercialization is on the horizon."

[littlemssam]

Patch Updates

As always delete old Mods Files and the localthumbcache, when updating my Mods!

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Make sure to download the updated XML Injector when you Patch your Game!

Patch 1.110.265 Updates (All other Mods should still be compatible!):

Advanced Birth Certificate Anti Heat Pill (Pets) Autonomous Gardening Autonomous go Jogging when Sims are Stressed & Children can Jog too Better Butler (and Hire more Butler) Better Nanny (Second Nanny & more) Calendar Tweaks Carryable Performance Stage plus Sing Songs! Collectibles (Rock Digging) Rework (Slower/Harder) Flea Market appears every Sunday Food Delivery Service Go for a Walk with Cats Healthy Drinks Hire certain Vet Employees Hire certain Sims (incl. Family Members) at Restaurants Housewarming Party (instead of Welcome Wagon) Improved Kids Night Light Improved Practical Spells Kids can go for a Walk with Dogs Let Friends Age Up More Away Actions More Buyable Venues and new Venue Types More Woodworks My Little Neighborhood Objects don't share Inventory Parenting Skill for Teens & more Personal Objects (Computer, Tablets & more) Power Napping on Sofas Pregnancy Overhaul - Pregnancy Belly Part Pregnancy Overhaul - Can do more Part Retail Overhaul - Hire certain Employees Part Retail Overhaul - Go Shopping – More Options Part Sell more self made Woodwork at the Flea Market Sleep In Small Archaeology Overhaul Small Invite to Hang Out Overhaul Teach me the Rumbasim

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Random Bug Fixes

Deliver Baby at Hospital Elevator Fix for Toddler & Pets Murphy Beds Fix Trait Buff Fixes Weather NPC Deaths

Probably obsolete, pls remove and test without it:

Stop Eating Spoiled Food Fix

EA patch fixed that in 1.110.265 "Sims will not eat spoiled food autonomously."

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Support Questions via Discord only please!

[despazito]

I'm anti captive cetaceans but it is frustrating how well meaning people pressure aquariums stop doing live shows because a lot of those animals really do benefit from those performances as enrichment activities. They're already in tanks and now whatever novel experiences they got to have has been taken away just because it felt "wrong" on some dialectical level.

In general I think the angle of "exploitation" is not a very great approach to argue for better welfare, it's an extremely abstract and subjective measurement. We've come a long way from Barnum and Bailey style animal tamers. The reality is for a lot of intelligent animals in accredited zoos, getting to interact with their keepers and new humans is actually a highlight of their day and not some kind of torture they dread lol.

Idk people have it in their minds that a species probably not best suited for captivity must therefore be spending every waking moment of its life acutely suffering, but I don't think that's a fair assessment unless it's a neglected roadside zoom and it flattens nuance. A lot of the cases it's not so much "is this animal in a torment nexus" and more "can we simulate a good breadth of the species' natural environment and behaviours for them to really thrive" which I think is challenging for many giant, long lived, socially complex species with tight family bonds.

[reikiajakoiranruohoja]

One thing that eternally baffles me with people calling dog sports abusive, is how the offered alternative assumes that a dog is happiest when it is not doing anything.

Putting aside PETA and its anti-pet stance, most critique I have seen comes from people saying the dogs are forced to perform for humans and therefore its exploiting them.

But even a cursory understanding of dog breeds tells you this mentality is not only flawed but also ignorant of the needs of the animal.

For one, you cannot force a dog to do things most dog sports require. If a greyhound doesn't want to run, it won't. If a husky doesn't want to pull a sled, it won't. Have you ever seen a dog in a situation it doesn't like? Most of us have to drag our dogs to the vet and then try our best to mitigate the dog's displeasure towards the vet.

A dog who wants to do something like running or fetching will do it regardless of your opinion. That is why most of dog training is directing this want so the dog isn't destroying things or hurting people.

The breed or breed mix also affects things. If you get a chihuahua, the experience with that dog is completely different from a border collie or a husky. Heck, even closely related breeds like German shepherds and Belgian malinois are vastly different in their temperament and mentality. There is this call for ignorance and naivete in posts decrying dog sports, where breed doesn't exist and any kind of activity outside the home is harmful to the dog. Admitting that dogs have been bred for jobs is to admit that human contact is not always negative for animals and that is a bridge too far for many of these people. It also means that jobs such as ratting, hunting, protection and such are blissfully ignored or assumed to be forced by humans. This means that when a pampered terrier does maul the family guinea pig, the owner gets blamed for abusing the animals. Posts that tell you dog sports are evil are not made with the dogs in mind, they are made solely for an ideology that benefits humans who do not have to live with the animal in question and so can sit on their constructed high horse.

[justplaggin]

endless list of fascinating ding yuxi facts in no particular order

his ideal job besides acting would be museum guard bc he'd get to admire the exhibits all day for free

majored in directing at shanghai theatre academy

gets embarrassed when dubbing his own scenes

used to be a lanky little dude and thus thought dayu (big yu) would be a fitting nickname to use. now he's all buffed up and goes by xiaoding (little ding)

named his fandom haitang bc there's an animated movie called dayu haitang (big fish & begonia)

irl disney princess: animals inexplicably swarm him no matter where he goes (real)

self-proclaimed disney princess

has insane chemistry even with inanimate objects but apparently it's because he's severely nearsighted

thinks his best angle is the back of his head

had to explain slang words and exemplified by looking straight into the camera and saying *in perfect english* "you look SNATCHED in that t-shirt"

played a white cat demon

adopted a white cat and named it after his character

played another white cat demon

adopted two more cats off the street by putting down his backpack and waiting to see if they hop in or not (they did)

adopted a puppy from one of his shows when it grew too big and had to be replaced for continuity

checks fandom posts and questions for him daily and replies with puns so elaborate they require time to be deciphered, memes and/or pictures of his pets

early in his career won an acting reality show

played (among other unhinged characters) a zebra on said show

fans made throwbacks to it to celebrate his recent surge in popularity, newer fans were horrified and said they were worse than antis. he promptly went online to defend his longtime fans by saying they're 'old friends that his journey couldn't have been possible without'

recognizes fans irl and stops to chat with them

used to write down fans' usernames for live q&as

an ai cover of him singing went viral so he recorded his own cover and released it

generally does things his fans ask him to/don't even ask but he sees online and thinks they'd enjoy. even went bungee jumping bc he promised to

hyperaware of his surroundings to the extent that he's the first to catch anyone who stumbles in a 10m radius

gets shoujo vision whenever he sees a plushie and can't help petting it (well-known fact but also. caught in 4k on national tv)

pranks other actors he's traveling with by mingling in with the paparazzi and pretending he's one of them

was often spotted eating alone in restaurants, famous celebs commented saying he should tell them if he wanted to hang out, he was genuinely baffled bc he didn't see why being by himself would be such a big issue

got his driver's license at 29 and now can't stop bringing it up in every conversation

when asked to drive he said he doesn't dare go over 10kmph

his english name is ryan. who even is that. every time he's called that a fan gets a jumpscare. but! on extra cool occasions, he is very much a ryan

has his big break in a hit series every other 4 years (the real deal this time though 🙏)

likes getting new acting jobs bc it means. haircuts for free!! (he thinks spending pocket change on himself in his free time isn't a priority but bought on sight 1218 magazines featuring a co-star just to show support)

shocked veteran actors with his dedication after getting near-drunk in order to make such a scene more convincing (he's allergic to alcohol)

bawls his eyes out at wrap-up ceremonies because after months of filming he'll miss being called by his character's name all the time

whenever a series of his finishes airing, he tries to learn a new craft in order to make an art piece as a send-off gift (recent ones: clay pottery and sand art)

has a beautiful singing voice and loves ballads but never really gets to officially sing, recently bc of his newfound success he was invited to perform on a music show and during the stage he was more scared than when bungee-jumping

thinks acting is like borrowing someone's life so he wishes to help his characters live to the fullest

in the last 2 months covered the entire scale of: [no bodyguards] -> highest popularity level possible on weibo, achieved only by 3 other much more famous actors -> brand event of his supposed to be held in a mall had to be urgently moved to the nearby 60.000-seat olympic stadium because the fans kept coming; the stadium reached max capacity and the brand had to state that it wasn't a concert (🆕️)

is a cat

[todropscience]

THIS TRUMPETFISH IS USING ANOTHER FISH TO HIDE ITSELF WHEN HUNTING

And is working

Many animals use camouflage to avoid detection by others, yet even the most inconspicuous objects become detectable against the background when moving. One way to reduce detection while moving would be to ‘hide’ behind the movements of objects or other animals. Now, researchers have demonstrate experimentally, following field observations, that a trumpetfish (Aulostomus maculatus), a common marine predator, can conceal its approach from its prey by performing a behaviour known as ‘shadowing’, hiding behind, swimming closely next to another, larger and non-predatory fish.

Bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus), form highly localised colonies within structures on the reef substrate and exhibit characteristic anti-predatory responses, and are common meal for trumpetfish. Marine researchers working in the coral reefs off Curaçao, set up an underwater system to pull 3D-printed models of trumpetfish and the stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) being hand-reeled along a clear nylon line from one tripod to another, passing over the colony in the process, which was positioned halfway between the two. When these two 3D printed fishes were together, damselfish were quiet and show low antipredator responses.

-After field observation, marine researchers modeled the ‘shadowing’ behavior.

This is the only known example of a non-human animal using another as a form of concealment. According to researchers, this evidence reveal how predators can actively use another animal as a form of concealment to reduce detection by prey.

Reference (Open Access): Matchette et al., 2023. Predatory trumpetfish conceal themselves from their prey by swimming alongside other fish. Current Biology

VIDEO here

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Templates: Character Sketch & Character Bible

Character sketches - the characters’ biography or CV.

Thanks to these sketches, your characters will have no secrets.

You’ll be clear about their appearance, behavior, past, and above all, about the way they must react under different circumstances.

They can take many forms, but they are usually divided into 2 groups according to their purpose:

Short Sketches: These contain the most basic information about the character. They are perfect for describing minor characters and can also be used as writing prompts. You can store them in a folder and resort to them when you are in need of inspiration. Georges Simenon used to choose two characters (a man and a woman, for example) and ask himself what would take them to the limit. The answer to that question was the beginning of a story.

Character Bible: This document contains a lot of information about each of the protagonists and their relationships with other characters. It’s used during the prewriting stage.

WRITING TEMPLATE: Character Sketch

Short character sketches can be used as writing prompts or as a prewriting strategy. Don’t be too exhaustive; it’s enough to just jot down a few general notes on your characters in order to know at a glance what is unique about each of them.

1. Sketch Number

Organize your sketches by number and add their creation date.

Make note of what story they belong (or could belong) to.

2. Character’s Name or Nickname

3. Type of Character

Role they play in the story (protagonist, antagonist, mentor...). 

When a character isn’t part of any story yet, it is not that easy to assign him (or her) to a role.

To solve this problem, ask yourself these questions:

Does (s)he meet the requirements to be classified as a protagonist (or antagonist)?

Should (s)he play a minor role?

Is (s)he a hero or an anti-hero?

There are many possible combinations.

4. General Information

Gender, age, date and place of birth, place of residence, etc.

5. Appearance

In this section, it’s not necessary to go into too much detail.

You just have to consider the features that make a character different from the everyone else (a scar, a limp, unique physique...).

Characters’ height, eye color, and hair color.

6. Personality

Try to focus on what makes each of your characters special.

Is he or she a home-loving introvert or a rather independent and sociable adventurer?

Choose adjectives that best define your characters’ personality.

Take into account their main virtues and shortcomings as well as their hobbies, fears, dreams, and goals (which can be important to define their motivations in the story).

7. Profession/Studies

What do your characters do for a living?

Explain the characters’ frustrated vocations.

The things they have given up can also define them.

Unless your characters are animals/fantastic creatures.

8. Family, Friends, and Acquaintances

Specify the kind of relationship your characters have with their family, friends, and acquaintances.

Who are the most important people in their lives?

9. Personal Motto

A personal motto, slogan, or catchphrase is a sentence or concept that sums up a character’s philosophy and values.

It’s not compulsory to invent it.

You can always use sayings such as “you live and learn” or “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” etc.

You can also use quotes by famous philosophers.

10. Notes

Leave a blank space for other relevant information such as my characters’ biography, a funny anecdote, etc.

Anything that helps you visualize them in more detail will come in handy when you start writing your story.

WRITING TEMPLATE: Character Bible

This must be as detailed as possible. In this way, you’ll be clear about your characters’ appearance, peculiarities, virtues, shortcomings, customs, relationships, etc. Think about actors and actresses who must be very familiar with the characters they play in order to make a good performance. A writer who gathers information about a character faces a similar job.

Feel free to create the type of character sketch that best suits you. If you don’t know where to start, you can use the character sketch outline that I use for my stories. This document covers the most important points of a sketch.

1. General Features

Organize your sketches by number and add their creation date.

Make note of what story they belong to.

Character’s name or nickname (with origin and meaning).

Character’s role in the story (protagonist, antagonist, mentor...); specify in which part of the plot (s)he participates.

Gender, age, marital status, studies, occupation, residence.

2. Appearance

Write about the character’s appearance:

Physical features, clothes, gestures, manners, etc.

Pay attention to the features that make a character different from everyone else (a scar on the face, wears glasses, etc.).

3. Personality

Information about their character traits.

Adjectives that best define your character and the way (s)he sees himself/herself; the way others describe him or her.

Hobbies, fears, phobias, fixations, dreams, and goals.

4. Family and Friends

Information about the parents of each characters (names, jobs, ages, and type of relationship with their son or daughter).

Hobbies or events that marked them deeply.

If your main character has siblings, a partner, children, or other intimate acquaintances (name, age, and relationship with the main character, etc.)

5. Biography

6. Relationships and Other Notes

Include the rest of the characters and state how they met your main character, the type of relationship (s)he has with them, and how it affects their life and their actions.

Leave blank space for random notes and observations.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Worksheets & Templates 600+ Personality Traits ⚜ 100 Sensory Words ⚜ Goals & Motivations

[darklinaforever]

All the posts being horrified at people shipping Edwin with the Cat King make me laugh.

The delirium of being alarmed because the Cat King would be an adult and Edwin a minor kills me with laughter.

Edwin is certainly a 16 year old ghost, but... it's all in his description. A ghost. And he's been a ghost for a long, long time.

Are you telling me that he hasn't had time to evolve in all these years, and especially since his traumatic stay in hell ?

A little logic please. Edwin does not remain at the same point as when he died, frozen forever. He’s a character with an arc and development. And then, you're not telling me that Edwin behaves like a typical immature teenager ?!

And the Cat King may be thousands of years old but he behaves very immature most of the time. In fact, you could even say like a teenage form. Objectively speaking, he does not appear morally very different from the other official adolescent characters in the show.

And then, this kind of consideration of age will always make me laugh, when we are essentially talking about two supernatural beings ! Conclusion : We don’t care about their age difference !

And let's not even talk about those who are angry with this bracelet story, while I still point out that it was literally a punishment for Edwin having performed an equivalent in terms of spell on one of his cats, with Edwin having himself been quite condescending about this / these animals about how they all look alike to him.

The bracelet is a consequence and punishment for Edwin's actions.

It's not for nothing that the Cat King tells Edwin exactly the line he told him about not seeing the evil in a little spell.

Then... accusing the Cat King of being a sexual and other abuser, as well as a potential rapist... Wtf ?

Already, it's forgotten that clearly, during the scene and all the others where the Cat King tried to seduce Edwin... Well our dear ghost seemed more than appreciative.

For those who don't understand, the Cat King is literally what allows Edwin to finally embrace his sexuality ! Without Cat King, probably no love confession to Charles !

And in fact, it's a good thing that Cat King was interested in Edwin and showed interest in him, tried to seduce him, etc. It's not negative in his purpose. Edwin is this guy who is quite stuck while the Cat King is very extroverted and helps to unblock our ghost.

It makes me laugh even more to see all these people screaming in defense of Edwin, his physical integrity, etc, while our ghost boy... well he clearly wouldn't have been against kissing the Cat King and maybe even more at the beginning.

Need to watch their scenes again properly... Edwin's body language doesn't show that he's uncomfortable.

Okay maybe he is, but in the sense that the Cat King reminds him of his lack of experience, but beyond that, very clearly, in general, around the Cat King, (except when he takes the appearance of Charles, obviously he feels uncomfortable in that moment) Edwin seems simply extremely attracted to the Cat King / receptive to his advances :

Same with all those people being mad that the Cat King forced Edwin to tell the truth.

I repeat... THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE POSITIVE FOR EDWIN ! THIS ALLOWS HIM TO EVOLVE ON HIMSELF !

I'm not saying that the Cat King behaves morally (as for offering Edwin to sleep with him in exchange for his freedom before offering to count the cats, or forcing him by magic to reveal what he really thinks), not at all. He is clearly a form of antagonist / anti-hero, neither good nor bad, and finally rather neutral in the plots of the show.

But this character and actions essentially only serves the positive evolution of Edwin's character regarding everything related to sexuality, but not just that, also his emotional relationships with other men AKA Charles. Again, without the Cat King Edwin probably wouldn't have confessed his feelings to Charles. So the Cat King essentially allows Edwin to fully embrace who he is as an individual, his complete identity.

And it's nothing new that a morally questionable character with morally questionable actions has this kind of role in relation to the protagonist.

Seriously, the antagonist who allows the hero's sexual awakening, as well as its deepening on itself is as old as time. Even more so when this antagonist and hero share similar characteristics such as their loneliness.

Besides, it's not for nothing that the first real kiss that Edwin gives himself to someone is to the Cat King (especially after all this talk about kissing and Edwin finally understanding their appeals), even if it's on the cheek that still a kiss. A second kiss more precisely, which he gives on his own and which is much better than his first with the crow.

Crying foul about this makes me wonder what universe these people who are complaining live in as for the codes of fiction. Again, people who cannot see beyond the surface should not be allowed to open their mouths.

[libraford]

Somewhere in Kip's hour long covid denier rant, which included "closing schools was stupid because kids can't get it" and "dr fauci caused the virus because he sent a doctor to Wuhan to perform animal experiments that are illegal in the US" and "It's just a little cough and a headache, it only killed you if you had something wrong with you already"-

He said "you couldn't say anything negative about it because you'd be censored and called 'anti-asian.'"

Which makes me wonder what racist garbage he said under the guise of criticism of covid policy.

[manias-wordcount]

A Proper New Year's Kiss (Seishiro Nagi x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗼! 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 (𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆)

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?  

In your opinion, this must be the perfect way to end a year.

Currently, you’re cuddled up in a blanket and a nice comforter in a dimly lit room, as content as can be. On the bedside table right next to you, there’s a tray of your favorite treats and a drink or two to keep you up and satisfied until you’re able to ring in the new year right at midnight. And there’s some New Year's Eve special playing on the TV across from the bed. Some of the most popular bands and singers and idols are performing for a live audience on this special. And right in the corner of the screen, there’s a little brightly animated countdown showing that there are only four more minutes until midnight. And to top it all off?

Your boyfriend is here too. Tucked neatly into your side with his arm slung around your waist and his head against your shoulder as he sleeps soundly right beside you.

You should mention, that this isn’t your bed. Nor is it Seishiro’s. In fact, you probably should have started with the fact that you’re currently at Reo’s apartment. And just outside the little guest bedroom you’re set up in are the dull sounds of Reo’s New Year's Eve party. A small get-together that he and a couple of people from his inner circle of rich kids had put on to celebrate the New Year from the prying eyes of their billionaire parents. 

The two of you spent the first hour or so at the party, socializing and mingling the best you could. You tried to dress the part. You tried to walk the walk and talk the talk too. But you didn’t feel like you fit in there. And neither did Seishiro. He was more content with just hanging off your shoulder and burying his face in your hair anytime he decided he wanted to end the conversation earlier. Thankfully, Reo was a gracious enough host to predict this and carved out a space for you to bring him so he could recharge his social battery just enough to rejoin the party for the remainder of the time. 

Only, you didn’t find yourself rejoining the party. And you found that nobody went looking for the two of you either.

That’s how you ended up here. That’s how you ended up with a tray of stolen treats and goodies on the bedside table and a small selection of fruity drinks and sodas within grabbing distance. That’s how you ended up under the covers of a bed that isn’t even yours in your fancy party wear, with your boyfriend coiled tightly around you in his sleep. That’s how you ended up listening to the quiet, melodic sounds of a live-streamed concert on the TV as you watch the clock turn from 11:56pm to 11:57pm on December 31st instead of laughing at jokes you can’t wrap your head around and coming up with excuses about why you don’t ski like every single other person at this party does, apparently. But that’s how you ended up here. That’s how you ended up in peace.

But then suddenly, a knock at the door sounds. It’s quiet. It’s faint. And the person on the other side doesn’t even try to reach for the door and open it. Instead, they just linger. And the silence that follows goes for so long that you can’t help but wonder if you had imagined it all along. But then comes another knock. As light and polite as before. And then finally, a voice.

“We’re getting ready to start the countdown,” Reo says from the other side. Although his tone is quiet, you can hear the smile in his voice. You feel a small sense of relief now that you know that you didn’t ruin the party by stepping away for a good couple of hours to disappear off into your own corner of the universe with Seishiro. But then again, you have a funny feeling that not everyone was enjoying the company of your anti-social boyfriend and you, his constant caretaker. In fact, there’s a good chance the two of you weren’t missed by anybody by Reo judging by how he only came looking for you now. Not that either of you mind, of course. “Just wanted to let you know…in case you two wanted to join us.”

You open your mouth to respond, but then, you hesitate. There’s a part of you that knows you should be out there. There’s a part of you that knows you should be social. That you should be as good of a guest as Reo is a host for allowing you and Seishiro to camp here for longer than necessary. A response lingers on your tongue. A yes, threatens to bubble out. But at the same time, you’re comfortable here. You’re warm here. You know it will take a bit of time to untangle yourself from your boyfriend’s arms. And you know it will take even longer if you attempt to get him out of bed too. By then you probably would have missed seeing the countdown with everyone. But the whole reason Reo invited the two of you here was to join in the celebrations…

But just before you were finally able to vocalize a response to the boy on the other side of the door, another voice pipes up- speaking for you.

“Nah. We’re good here.” Seishiro’s deep and tired rumble appears right by your ear, signaling the fact that he had just stirred from his slumber. You couldn’t hold in your gasp in surprise the moment you realized that he was finally awake. But one look in his dark eyes told you that he was just barely holding on at the moment. He kept slowly blinking towards you, almost as if he didn’t believe he was awake himself. It was a cute look on him. Admittedly, you’ve always been a sucker for the moment when he’s sleepiest. Though, you suppose his laziness and You suppose that’s what you get for not packing something to keep his attention for a couple of hours. “Thanks…Reo”

At the sound of his best friend’s voice, Reo relented. He stayed long enough just enough for you to wish him a Happy New Year and for him to echo the sentiment back before someone further away shouted for him to come back to the sitting room. As Reo’s footsteps padded away, you felt your boyfriend shift around in the bed. It was a lot more movement from him than you were honestly used to. It’s always been in him to take things slow and to laze around whenever he could. So he was never much for adjusting his position. And certainly not a position he had been sleeping in so peacefully just a couple minutes prior.

But as you turn over to question him, you’re suddenly greeted with a surprise.

Or rather, a kiss on the forehead. 

The second he pulls away, you find yourself blinking up in surprise at your boyfriend. He’s hovering over you now. The blankets and covers that you had once so carefully tucked around the two of you were now a mess as Seishiro all but climbed on top of you. But behind his curtain of messy, yet perfect bedhead, the only look on his face is one of disatisfiaction. Lines set in a thin line that begin to tug and tug and the corners. And a pair of furrowed eyebrows that begin to fold downward, narrowing his eyes in front of you. Though he doesn’t give you even a moment to open your mouth and question him. Because a second later, he’s leaning down into your space again and pressing his lips against your forehead once more. And then your nose. And then your right cheek. And then the left one. And underneath your eyelid. And then your forehead again. And then your chin. And then-

“Seishiro-!” You call out his name, your voice a little breathless as you struggle to speak through a bout of laughter. His kisses, although soft and sweet and appreciated, tickle as he manages to get you pretty much everywhere except the lips. But even as you wiggle and squirm about on the bed, he still doesn’t let up. Instead, he continues his surprising and uncharacteristic onslaught of kisses against your skin. Finding new places to kiss and returning to old spots whenever and wherever he can. Though as much as you’d like to lay back and enjoy this moment where your normally ridiculously lazy boyfriend decides to initiate some affection this time, you can’t help but have questions for him and just what exactly his intentions are at the moment. “Seishiro, what are you doing?”

“New Year's Kiss.” Comes his simple reply as he backs off of you long enough to speak before he dives back in to press another kiss to your jaw. He states it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world- even to him. And to that, you can’t help but laugh at his overeager but misguided attempt to indulge in this tradition with you.

“That’s not how it works, Seishiro.” You tell him lightly, guiding his face away from yours for a few seconds so you could look him in his eyes long enough to get your point across. The expression he gives you can only be described as childish and pouty, and you can’t help but adore him for it. But you still have his attention for the moment. And he’s not yet fighting to go back in for another kiss just yet. Now is the time to take advantage of the moment. Just long enough to get an explanation in. “A New Years kiss is when you-”

If you had more time, you would have explained things. If you had more time you would have told him all he needed to know about a ‘New Year's Kiss.’ Hell, if you had even a few more seconds, you would have been able to finish your sentence, and that would have been just enough. But you don’t. You don’t have more time.

Because before you can even finish your sentence, a loud cheer comes from somewhere else in the apartment. And at that cheer, you can’t help but slide your eyes over to the TV screen, looking to see if that cheer meant exactly what you thought it did. And sure enough, somewhere in between Reo coming to the door and Seishiro starting to attack you with kisses, the clock struck midnight. The idols and musicians and live audience were replaced with pictures of a sky filled to the brim with fireworks raining down on a crowd that was jumping and celebrating and cheering on the New Year as they ushered it in. And, of course, there were a couple people in the crowd turning to each other and kissing too.

That was all you needed to see. And that was all he needed too. Because right as you turned your attention back to your boyfriend, he was right there, leaning in, and kissing you. Not on the nose or the forehead or the cheek or chin. But finally, finally on the lips. 

For a proper New Year's Kiss.

[revyn-moonfox]

BG3 headcanons, companion characters reaction to Tav having their period

I wrote this for my own comfort, so Tav is afab, nonbinary trans-masc. All sfw

Halsin:

Brews herbal teas he knows will help. Sweetens it with honey.

Gathers berrys that have pain-soothing or anti-inflammatory attributes (like rasberries)

Assures Tav that there is nothing to be embarrassed about, and that they are not allowed to think they are holding the others back by resting. Rest is important! And he won't let you continue travelling in pain.

Dysphoria related: Tells Tav about multiple men he treated for period pain, and women he knew that never had periods. Cis, trans, inter, anyway. A period is natural and says nothing about your identity.

Talks about intersex- and trans-animals he knows or surveyed in nature.

Trys comforting Tav by telling them its one of nature's gifts, and sign of bringing life. If Tav is annoyed by that he stops (but maybe will bring it up later again, when Tav feels better and/or their relationships progresses)

Lots of (Bear-) cuddles

Gale:

You wanna be angry about having your Period? Gale is your Man for that. You can rant at him how unfair the world is, and how stupid it is that the body has to go through such pain each time.

He's gonna research the heck out of it. Reading every book he can find on periods, what makes them so excruciating, and how to help with them.

Cooks comforting soups and stews, makes chamomile tea and brings Tav a heated Waterskin

Learns/studys magic for warmth and inner healing

He reads to you. Anything you wanna hear, for distraction and comfort.

Maybe asks Halsin for help

Astarion:

Astarion probably knows before Tav knows, smeeling the blood and noticing the smallest shifts in their body language.

He's gonna be slightly less taunting and provocative as soon as he notices.

He's not gonna ask for his nibble in that time, going hunting for animalblood instead, not wanting Tav to feel even worse with less blood/iron.

Asks Shadowheart if she can perform soothing or even healing magic for Tav.

Tells Tav how handsome they are, if they confide in him with their dysphoric thoughts.

Karlach:

Walking heat-pad

I'll write more another time, right now I'm in a lot of pain and have to sleep a bit. Bb

[flagellant]

my latest tabletop characters in chronological order:

-17 year old orphaned anarchist guild leader who ends up apotheosing as the god of their homeland and ends up taking the throne to rebuild it after an apocalyptic disaster

-farmboy becomes a soldier in a war against a double-apocalypse, fucks up some invading fairies hard and gets captured as a war trophy, spends the next 400 years in fairyland before the moon says she likes his vibe and breaks him out by turning him into a furry and giving him ultimate cosmic power, which he mostly uses to act as the ethics babysitter for a godlich whose special interest is civil engineering.

-fairy princess eldritch wildlife biologist whose mom is basically titania. it was a very complicated relationship for like 14 levels and it took literal reality-altering magic rituals to start fixing their relationship. she hates the anarchist aforementioned bc hes 17.

-perfect prettygirl daughter of social climbing mother is predestined to inherit the ultimate cosmic powers of becoming part of heaven's secret police. theres two factions of the secret police and she hates both of them.

-rich frat jock gains insight into the hidden occult world and immediately uses it to start a homoerotic frat/dinner club dedicated to shapeshifting and blood sacrifice. snip snip snip

-prometheus got turned into a fairy. a girl who makes things explode with her mind and her friends turned him into a different kind of fairy. then he became her dad. he also accidentally used his fairy mind control powers to cause a global anarcho-communist insurrection due to going viral on international news. 1 billion people were actively mind controlled by it. he was not allowed on tv again but he did get a twitter

-genetically engineered soldier wolfboy has his furry polycule fireclade KIA by a gay sexy pirate and then gets saved by a ghost space whale. he then does war crimes and everyone is soooo mean to him but hes soooo sad about it. and then he performs lobotomy on himself and implants his negative emotions into a shackled AI god which loves him and hunted down his best friend and soul mate to be her service animal.

-a wizard in a mech keeps trying to infiltrate the gay space gnostics and they keep telling him no. then he gets corrupted by the logic plague because he saw the name of god and has ultrasurgery performed on him with the help of a team of hyperqualified shackled AI gods and a mad doctor who has been trying to create anti-god supersoldiers and he was the first success. and the gnostics immediately wanted his cock onboard their snake ship. he never experienced consequences for any of his actions:)

-girl from a noble family of divine heroes is very very late to inheriting divine herodom and has soooo many opinions about this. she spent the last 6 months hunting down a weird fairy with some new friends and spent the first 5 of them pretending to be stupid jock so they wouldnt bother her. she has been trying to eat the fairy this entire time but it hasnt been working yet.

-a werewolf who is big and brown and hypermasculine gets turned into a werewolf and freaks out bc apparently everything supernatural is real and he was weird for not believing in any of it. he totally doesn't have any body image issues due to being a big hypermasculine brown man with anger/resentment issues and he is totally fine with how everyone assumes he's just a stupid violent meathead despite being a trained EMT actively going back to med school for his doctorate. he literally went to a supernatural therapist to vent about lycanthropy and got scared when she did actual therapy on him. he's so in his head about how everyone interprets him as Big Scary Brown Man that he doesnt realize he's drowning in transgender dogs who are actively barking for his attention. he would put on a collar and not realize its a sex thing. a spooky nightingale told him it saw him from across the ghost forest and liked his vibes because he was a murderer