#anyways I have an essay to work on what do you mean I can't use the laptop omg

[gay-artificer]

Okay I might not have anyone here whos able to contribute to this question but, in the past, I have used 'Hermaphrodite" as a purely scientific word, with heavy stressing that it is not to be confused with the definition of intersex or used to describe actual human beings under any circumstances. This is in part because I've never actually found a good term to replace it, as a lot of suggested terms are... unfitting or somewhat mismatched in a strictly scientific/biological sense. A lot of the suggested terms from more worldbuilding-focused individuals are used more (or strictly) for plants, or at least in 99% of contexts tend to be used for plants or describe slightly more specific things than just "Animal with both sexual systems at once." Plants as a whole have like... god, like ten different terms for various sexual setups because they can be stupidly complicated in a way that you just aren't likely to see with most animals, which tend to be more simplistic (at least slightly, lmao). There's also the slightly more niche issue that a lot of suggested alternatives address the topic from the strict goal of 'replace the word' and thus haven't yet spread to cover some of the specific forms that can apply too, although this would probably be a pretty easy fix if everyone can agree on a term, but at least as it is I still seems like everyone is split 5 different ways on which to use. In terms of fiction/casual use I've generally been defaulting to duel-sexed, which isn't an actual used term as far as I know, just because its pretty self descriptive and also wouldn't have some fringe specific scientific use- which is an issue I'd think you'd only really be bothered by if you were dipped in a lot of discussions about fringe animal biology- which is where I think a lot of suggestions from individuals more on the intersex activism side tend to fall when the terms they raise clash against niche situational biology things. Ive also used non-gonochoristic which is both clunkier and less easily picked up by less familiar individuals, but is also basically strictly 'animal' in use. Recently I've seen cosexual, which admittedly I seemed to have missed because yet again its a term where 99% of its use is isolated to plants, although it seems like there is a handful of uses cases that applied it specifically to animals (But still ultimately fall back on the other term in order to clarify the specifics). At least in terms of recent suggestions its probably the one I think would be most likely to pick up traction as a replacement, but its definitely still mired in the problematic terminology (In that basically everything I've seen use it only commits to using it alongside the other term, rather than attempt to replace it) and also still heavily plant related. Although not to the degrees of some of the popular suggestions like 'monoecious' which is a fairly common and well known word- but its specific relationship with other plant terminology makes it feel ill-fitted for the role when its not going to mixed with plant bullshit. Seriously look at this:

I've also seen bigenital suggested recently, which I frankly think is a much worse/weaker word both in terms of just, terminology and also its finer application. And then a handful of terms that just very blatantly have too much crossover with other things. Also a dozen other words that I've seen floating around over the years, but they definitely exist as mostly peoples personal suggestions/solutions and not ones with any real traction. It's a problem I've seen repeatedly brought up, but have yet to actually see any sort of formal correction take hold. And I think part of that is almost certainly a bit of a clash between nerds trying to maintain the specific definitions of things in an area where theres already a lot of confusing overlap, Activists who rightfully want get things changed but aren't clued in as hard to more niche scientific terminology concerns like "This is specifically for plants who have a specific type of reproduction system organization with their flowers, and thus doesn't quiet work for something that doesn't have multiple sets of genitals in different arrangements as most animals do" and well meaning scientists who want to avoid the word and try using alternatives but ultimately fall back on the one people know and that they know scientifically describes the thing they want to describe even if it also carries a historically negative connotation with it. Which is where I'm realizing I've kinda been sitting, because things really haven't shifted once you sit down and read the stuff that gets put out, and unlike some... other words its specific use case is a bit less easily swapped out with synonyms. So you just fall back in on the less ideal but accepted within the bubble youre working in term. So I guess the question is, has anyone here actually seen something make some ground past just sort of 'this would be a nice replacement'? I'd frankly love if I've just somehow missed a big shift in language in the scientific community, but so often I just see people claim that one term is the new standard when its like... standard in that its used heavily in botany, and there generally is a split between botany and zoology in terms of terminology that people would want to maintain. (God don't let anyone tell you 'male and female' are the only options or bring up that stupid 'its 1st grade biology' bullshit. The world is so stupidly complicated and this would not be an issue if it was so simple but unfortunately we need terminology for all the weird shit exclusively found in three species of cactus) Anyway, I typed this whole thing up kinda just to see if anyone else had yet more terms they've seen around or even used actually properly in a scientific paper, and its a whole mess thats been bothering me with specbio for years and at the end of typing this I'm honestly just hoping more that cosexed/cosexual catches on. I think it forms a nice trifecta with perisexed/intersexed/cosexed. And hey, maybe it has caught on more in the sex and gender side of things (let me know if so, if you happen to be more familiar with that) cause I certainly am more clued in to the non-human biology stuff which is where you get weird things one single species of rose has decided to do we now have to name. On a lighter note. God I hate plants. They give me headaches.

[strawberry-cowmilk]

shoutout to the hero cotton scrunchie in my college bag that absorbed like half of the water that got in there because my water bottle decided to leak

[eggfriedricedwasian]

Duke comes home one day from school looking down in the dumps and a bunch of paper work.

"Hey Duke, what's all that paper work for?" Dick asks from the couch as Duke sets the foot tall pile of papers on the coffee table.

"Oh you know, just, bullies making me do their work." The whole room freezes.

Bullies?

"Duke, you're being bullied?" Duke seems to realize his mistake of words. Instead of the excuse he made up to tell them about how he missed a lot of work because of Signal work, he said the truth which was the fact that he had bullies.

"Erm-"

"Duke, why didn't you tell us?" Dick nearly whines out, hurt his foster-brother didn't tell him about having bullies.

"No- guys, it's okay. Seriously. You don't have to do anything about it. Seriously." He eyes Bruce from where the man was about to type in *probably* the school's number to complain.

"Why not? We can deal with those punks for you. Are they being racist or some'n?" Jason crosses his arms, standing in front of Duke with a raised brow.

"A little. But seriously, it's nothing I can't handle."

Bruce rubs his temple.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yes."

"Thomas, just know, we can step in whenever." Duke turns a smile towards Damian, and places his hand on Cass's when she hugs him from behind.

"Hey- it's the weekend. Let me handle those papers since I've got nothing to do and I'm ban from case work." Tim says, holding his hand out.

"Uh- okay?" Duke hands him the stack, thinking nothing of it, because it's Tim.

Tim takes a look through the papers, scrunching his face a bit before shrugging, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Uh- should I be worried?" Tim looks at him and waves him off. "Nah, don't worry 'bout it. I got this handled."

Uh. Okay?

------------

The following Monday, Duke shows up and puts his stuff in his locker.

Or at least he was until it was slammed shut.

"Hey Thomas. Got our work?" Turning around, Duke faced his three bullies; seniors Clint Rodriguez (the "big dog" as he called himself) and his lackies, Arion Centry and Pete Swinez.

"N-No.."

"No? Where is it, bitch? I told you to have it done by Monday." Rodriguez held him up to the locker. "Oh you mean these papers?"

Turning around, there stood Timothy Drake-Wayne; two three time nepo-baby and the biggest reputation in the school. The real life Regina George and Heather Chandler. He was with his two best friends, also big popular kids and his two Gretchen Wieners, Karen Smith, and Heathers.

"Drake." The mere face of him made the trio seethe. "Hah! You should see your face right now. Anyways, I did your college essays for you, hope you enjoy them. Would be a shame if you had to repurchase the papers for them."

Tim tosses them in the air, and everyone watches as they all fall to the ground.

"What the hell did you do."

"Oh, ya know, the basics of what you should put. Also, this your girl?" A girl, a cheerleader, goes and slides herself under Tim's arm.

"Babe!?"

"Sorry, Clint, but I have a reputation, people can't know we dated. Also, Tim's better looking and a better kisser." Morgan Letto, another popular nepo-baby in Gotham High, turns and kisses Tim right in the hallway, before stalking off.

Tim's trio laughs at their faces.

"Hey! You should probably pick these up, ya know, since they have your names on them. Wouldn't want to get sent to the principles for littering the school. Bad reputation means you can't go to Princeton." Bernard says.

"Or Oxford, or Harvard. See ya losers!" Ives laughs along with Bernard and Tim as they walk through the halls.

As if a bomb dropped, the three seniors scramble to pick up hundreds of papers worth of applications.

" "I'm racist towards black people because they're below white people like me" " Someone reads off of one paper down the hall.

" "I use grades that aren't mine that I bully people into doing for me." " Another person reads nearby.

"Give me those!"

Duke is left standing there, struck by the scene that just unfolded before his eyes.

He didn't know what to say, do, or act.

Should he laugh? Play it off? Call Bruce? Or Tim? Or anyone? Get picked up?

It's fine. It's just one day. Right?

------------

Lunch time rolls around.

Duke is sitting at his table with his friends eating. They were prime targets for Clint and his group.

As if on cue, the three stride up.

"Hey Thomas, got Tim Drake to do your work for you, huh? Well guess what?"

He was spun around and picked up by the collar, his two friends being held back by Arion and Pete.

"You ain't getting away with it here." Clint grits out. Of course he chose the cafeteria, the pretty much only place teachers don't monitor 24/7 and is void of any supervision, even with every grade in there for lunch.

Clint set Duke down and lined his fist up ready to punch him. Duke flinched as the fist came swinging.

"Hey loser!"

Cheers and shocked 'Oooh!'s were heard from around. He squinted one eye open and saw food fall from Clint's red face and a tray in Tim's right hand.

"Woops! Sorry! Guess my hand slipped!" That got a laugh from the crowd. Tim set the tray down and pat Duke's should before stalking towards Clint.

Duke saw behind them at the far wall where everyone could see Ives and Bernard setting three trays of food down (The senior trio's trays).

"You'll pay for that, Drake!" Clint took a swing, which Tim dodged easily and side sweeped him onto his knees.

Ives and Bernard did the same to Arion and Pete.

The three took the seniors by the hair and dragged them to the trays the two laid out previously.

Cameras went up and Duke watched in muted awe and terror at what Tim was doing. Was Tim really like this when he still went to high school? He was a junior now and he dropped out sophomore year? Was he like this as a freshman?

The three pushed the seniors faces into the trays.

"Since you're the big dog maybe you should eat like a real dog then, bitch. Here's some kibble. Dogs enjoy this one!" Tim poured dog kibble onto Clint's tray, seeing as his face turns redder and shows more humiliation than he's ever seen on anyone.

"Eat it, bitch! Like the dog you are! Or start barking and begging for forgiveness!" Tim says it through his teeth in such a grueling tone it sends shivers down Duke's spine.

"Hey Arion! If you actually did your work, you'd know that your name is a horse in Greek Myth. So maybe you should neigh like one too! Neigh, neigh. Get to eating horsey! You should start prancing for the rodeo. Giddey'yup!" Ives mocks him pushing his head into the tray over and over.

"Swinez? More like Swine-ez! Oink-oink! You stink like a pig. And you're eating like one too! Ewwww! Disgusting. Hahahahhaha!" Bernard's name change made the whole cafeteria roar in laughter.

What made the laughter stronger was when the three brought out collars with leashes and attached them to it.

"Come boys! Start walking like the animals you are!" Tim called, pulling on Clint's leash, dragging him mostly until Clint got up and started crawling in front of him.

Everytime they tried to get up, the three juniors were behind them to push them down to the ground again.

Almost everyone was recording.

"Look everyone! Look at our new pets!" Ives called out.

"If you know any better, you three better keep your collars on. You should better than to make your owners mad!" Bernard barked out a laugh.

"I think, you guys should start speaking in woofs, neighs, and oinks from now on. Especially, when we make you ask forgiveness to those you bullied." Tim said, grabbing the collar and forcing Clint to look at Duke.

The bell rang, lucky for those three.

"Woops! Looks like the fun's over! You better clean up for mess! Wouldn't want to make the janitors work more." Tim walked off. "Or look like complete idiots with all that gunk on your face." Bernard said as he and Ives followed Tim.

------------

Later, when Duke got home, he was silent. Bruce was silent too, despite him being the one Duke expected to ask about the bullies since he slipped up and told them.

"Hey Duke, how was school? Did they mess with you again?" Dick asked.

He looked at him, then at the rest of his siblings, noting Tim wasn't there, swallowed and shook his head.

"N-Not really."

"Not really?" Jason looked confused, as did the rest of them.

Before Duke could explain more, Tim came in laughing, tossing his bag on a couch before hopping on Bruce's arm rest.

"Bruce! You won't believe what I did today." Bruce looked at him and smirked. Smirked.

Tim relayed the entire story of what he, Bernard, and Ives did to Clint, Arion, and Pete. Bruce looked proud and the rest looked shocked.

"My reputation still stands even after I've been gone a year!" Tim seemed very proud of that.

"Atta boy!" Bruce ruffled his hair. "Yes, here's the tray of cookies you were promised all to yourself, master Tim." Alfred handed him a whole plate of cookies. "Thank you!"

"What!?"

"Hold on! He gets a whole plate of cookies for that? Why isn't he in trouble!? When did you enroll back?" Jason was beyond furious.

"Tim had a reputation in school for being like that towards bullies. Which is why no one bullied anyone with him around. Guess they all came back when he was gone. Duke didn't want us doing anything, and he didn't expect Tim to do anything because you all think he's a goody two shoes, so I sent my calvary in." Bruce explained.

Tim laughed at their faces.

"Oh please! I'm just getting started with them! Just wait till the end of the week. Then! I'll be done with them and they won't ever come back to the school."

[merakiui]

OHSHC AU where reader breaks a precious arrifact from one of the dorms maybe all but instead of repaying the huggeeee debt with hours of labour she has to pay with her body and can’t refuse :)

every kink in the book is used as she’s pleading with the dorm leaders for mercy, crying about forgiveness but all they can hear is that her mouth is very wide open and needs to be replaced with a cock or gag </3 poor reader doesn’t have time to take birth control! and none of the students at nrc know what condoms are oopsies!! imagine savanaclaw in their heat … oh boy rip her pussy! she’ll never know a peaceful day until graduation but even then one of the dorm leaders might take her with them to spend forever with them

Omg yes,,, ohshc au, but it's freaky and full of sex because those scheming boys now have a girl in their debt and that opens so many possibilities. Their methods in dealing with you would all be different, of course, but in the end you're probably getting dicked down either way. <3

I think Riddle's punishments are probably more old-fashioned. If you can't fix whatever it is you broke, then you will write lines stating that you will be more careful, that you won't break anything again, etc. Or he'll make you write an essay detailing why exactly you're sorry, why you ought to be forgiven, etc. T_T really, these are just punishments his own mother gave to him in order to push him to do better in his studies. Riddle doesn't know any better.

He thinks differently when someone like Ace or Cater offhandedly and jokingly remarks how unlucky you must feel. Good thing their Housewarden isn't some pervert, otherwise he could totally force you to give him blowjobs whenever he wanted all under the guise of "repaying your debt." Riddle is appalled. He would never stoop so low! This is Heartslabyul, not Octavinelle. >:( still, the basic concept is just a little appealing. So maybe he's got a small crush on you, and maybe it would be easier to get you to spend time with him if you had no other choice. He makes you join him for tea parties in the gardens, for games of croquet, etc. His hope is that you'll warm up to him and not feel so rigid around him. orz

Leona probably doesn't care as much about the artifact as someone like Riddle might. It has no sentimental value to him personally, so why should he be worried? Besides, it was pretty old anyway. But that doesn't mean you can get off completely innocent. You're the reason he's got more work on his plate now, what with having to deal with the Headmage squawking at him about it. He allows you to choose between two punishments: either you become Savanaclaw's errand girl and do much the same work Ruggie does around the dorm, or you spend every night literally warming his bed (i.e. let him use you as a pillow if you're going to be good and still and quiet). If you want an easy way out, you'll choose the latter. Besides, his bed is comfortable, big enough for two. And as long as you aren't a pain, he doesn't mind. (You are definitely going to be warming his bed in other ways. The innuendo in his words is not lost on Leona.)

Azul...... of course he's slimy and sleazy about it. Oh, you poor soul. How is he ever going to get over this dear, priceless artifact that you have so carelessly broke? Jade is there to oh-so-helpfully inform you of its market price and what it could currently go for if sold. And Floyd's there to poke fun at the unfortunate predicament you've found yourself in. But Azul is a resourceful octopus. He makes a grand show of contemplating what he should do with you just to watch you squirm nervously, as if he hasn't already planned it out from the very beginning. He'll capitalize on your being a girl and have you work the floor in the lounge. There's always an increase in tips and sales when you're serving the customers, and why wouldn't there be? A cute, helpless girl in a school full of boys is an appealing sight.

He's irritating, but he isn't callous! Jade and Floyd are there to look out for you in case any of the patrons get it in their heads that they ought to appreciate you through touch instead of simply staring. Your uniforms change with every new event Mostro Lounge holds. Azul knows his target audience well because he also fits into that same group LOL. So maybe the sight of you in frilly uniforms is appealing. Sue him. >_< he wants you so badly, and luckily (with you being indebted to him) he has you all to himself. :) after hours are a very fun time at the lounge.

Kalim doesn't see what the issue is. He's not mad, so please don't cry!!! 🥺 you'll make him cry if you're not happy... Jamil is just about ready to pass out while he calculates just how bad this is. And here Kalim is, not caring in the slightest! T_T but Kalim is more sympathetic towards you, not the vase you broke. Besides, he can just get another one. :D no harm done at all! There really isn't any punishment to be had. If you insist on repaying your debt, Kalim tells you it's all water under the bridge.

Jamil is the only one who insists this is a good idea, and if Jamil thinks it's fine then Kalim agrees. So now you're sort of,,, there in Scarabia. Jamil puts you to work when Kalim isn't around, but when Kalim is there he spoils you rotten. The complete opposite of a punishment. There's definitely dubious shadows to this, though. For all of the delicious foods and alcohol you consume, you wake with hazy memories, only ever recalling you looked into the eyes of...something before you fell. Was it a snake? Maybe... but Kalim is always there in the morning to smother you in affection, so maybe it's not so bad.

You are Vil's newest pet project. He goes in with metaphorical fork and knife and cuts into you with his criticism, all of which is completely valid. You were clumsy when you broke that artifact. You weren't paying attention to your surroundings. You were completely oblivious, so in your own world. Epel would feel bad for you, but finally he gets to relax just a little bit now that Vil's eyes are mostly off of him and centered on you. Vil is going to put you through a reformation of sorts. You will come out of it your best, most elegant self! A wonderful improvement from your earlier carelessness. Only then will he forgive your previous transgression.

You and Vil get on like oil and water. That is, you don't mix at all. You are subjected to curses left and right because Vil is so strict. Suddenly, you can't eat certain foods and if you try to sneak them you find they've all been cursed (courtesy of Vil). If you try to slack on the work he has you do, even when you know he's not around, somehow word gets back to Vil. That creepy hunter always seems to know everything you do even when you're alone. It's troubling. Vil likes to think his heart is an iron fortress, so it's impossible to fathom when he falls for you first (and so hopelessly, at that)!

Idia doesn't put as much value in that artifact as he does in his own anime collection. If you broke something from his collection that was limited edition, he'd be far more upset (and then proceed to pull out the second one he got as back-up for this very specific moment). But this is an easy fix, really. He has the technology to make it good as new and, if that can't be done, he can always build a new one. Upgrades are important and necessary in some cases, especially when things get too outdated. It's a little awkward having a real 3D girl in his room all the time, though. >_< kick his ass in the twst equivalent of Smash and he's looking at you in a completely different light (hearing you trash talk him is so arousing; he's never been more hard).

Let's say the thing you broke in this case was a gargoyle. You're not sure how it happened, but it's headless now and Malleus is just staring silently at you. You can't read the emotions on his face, but with the way Sebek is shouting at you to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness you think you're about to be burnt to a crisp. It's so uneasy and awkward, and all you can do is apologize profusely, insisting you didn't mean to break it. It's Lilia who comes to your rescue: "Now, now, Malleus. You'll scare the poor child if you keep frowning so. Mistakes happen, do they not?" Silver also comes to your aid, adding that it wasn't your intention to break this gargoyle. It was an accident.

So now here you are, the second member of the Gargoyle Studies Club, accompanying Malleus for club activities while he teaches you all about gargoyles so that you can gain a better appreciation for them. It was Lilia's idea in the first place. He is Malleus's unofficial wingman. One way or another, you're going to find yourself alone in the woods with Malleus while Lilia is in the bushes belting out "romantic" love ballads from the old ages. T_T someone put peepaw to bed... at the very least, it lessens the awkward tension between you and Malleus, and it even gets the both of you laughing.

[giuseppe-yuki]

rancher!oscar piastri x reader headcanons

random headcannons for my fic come over, baby! (shameless promo 😔) *headcannons might not make total sense without reading aforementioned fic

the farm

after The Situation™, mama piastri is more than welcome of your presence at the family home

door has to be OPEN during the day though (she sends basil to guard the door)

you and hattie become besties and bond through bullying oscar <3

you hang out on their family farm during breaks from college so much nicole has assigned you chores to do as well

namely watering the garden and collecting the eggs in the early morning

oscar loves tagging along (only so he can take the chance to make out with you behind the chicken coop cause he can't when his sisters and his mother are in the house with y'all)

y'all are banned from the atv to travel around during morning chores because.. yeah.

when fall comes, apple picking in the family orchard!!!

although you may be a city girl, you know how to make a bomb apple pie

nicole makes cider :)

its nice to drink, curled up in oscar's bed with a classic movie illegally streamed on his laptop.

(most of the times, the movie doesn't get watched, anyways)

the apartment

your parents live in a fancy schmancy apartment in the city

they're always away on business trips or vacations so you basically have free reign to use the apartment when they're away

when you invite oscar for a "sleepover" in the apartment when your parents are in malibu for a random vacation, he gets excited at the prospect of seeing how you grew up in the city

baffled of your lack of backyard

no fresh eggs 💔 ? ?

"jesus christ, can the cars SHUT UP?" - oscar at 12am

he likes to watch the shiny supercars that sometimes pop up on the streets below rev their engines and zoom past your balcony

gets a little sick from looking down from a high height though, since the apartment is located near the 20th floor

"holy cow, do you think this is what being a cloud feels like??" - oscar leaning dangerously precariously off your balcony

college

when you both are not at oscar's house for break or your family apartment in the city, you both are at school

oscar studies engineering (duh)

since you study a whole nother field, you are located on the other side of the campus, which is kind of annoying

he likes to walk you to your classes even when that means he is going to be late to his own lectures.

(he knicks the notes off of his mate lando, anyways)

commonly sends you stupid videos in the middle of your lectures

often takes you out for lunch in his banged-up weird-orange pick-up truck that most likely has engine problems

study sessions in the library!! (he gets overwhelmed by your flashcards and you almost cry looking at his physics problems)

when essays are written and worksheets filled out, you sleep at oscar's dorm (the RAs in your female-only dorm crash out if they find out - god forbid - a boy is in your room)

oscar likes kicking his poor roomie (lando) out for a few hours when y'all get more intimate lmaoooo

a/n: lil headcannons to fill in the time while i work on my full fics :)

as always, my inbox is open to all your thoughts, headcannons, or questions for any of my works! (no fic requests please!)

[animentality]

not to be such a boomer, but I think chatgpt is fucking this generation over, at least in terms of critical thinking and creative skills.

I get that it's easy to use and I probably would've used it if I was in school when it came out.

but damn.

y'all can't just write a fucking email?

also people using it to write essays ... i mean what is the point then?

are you gaming the educational system in pursuit of survival, or are you just unwilling to engage critically with anyone or anything?

is this why media literacy is so fucking ass right now?

learning how to write is learning how to express yourself and communicate with others.

you might not be great at it, but writing can help you rearrange the ideas in your brain. the more you try to articulate yourself, the more you understand yourself. all skills can be honed with time, and the value is not in the product. it's in the process.

it's in humans expressing their thoughts to others, in an attempt to improve how we do things, by building upon foundations and evolving old ideas into innovation.

scraping together a mush of ideas from a software that pulls specific, generic phrases from data made by actual humans... what is that going to teach you or anyone else?

it's just old ideas being recycled by a new generation.

a generation I am seriously concerned about, because digital tests have made it very easy to cheat, which means people aren't just throwing away their critical thinking and problem solving abilities, but foundational knowledge too.

like what the hell is anyone going to know in the future? you don't want to make art, you don't want to understand how the world works, you don't want to know about the history of us?

is it because we all know it's ending soon anyway, or is it just because it's difficult, and we don't want to bother with difficult?

maybe it's both.

but. you know what? on that note, maybe it's whatever.

fuck it, right, let's just have an AI generate "therefore" "in conclusion" and "in addition" statements followed by simplistic ideas copy pasted from a kid who actually wrote a paper thirty years ago.

if climate change is killing us all anyway, maybe generative ai is a good thing.

maybe it'll be a digital archive of who we used to be, a shambling corpse that remains long after the consequences of our decisions catch up with us.

maybe it'll be smart enough to talk to itself when there's no one left to talk to.

it'll talk to itself in phrases we once valued, it'll make art derived from people who used to be alive and breathing and feeling, it'll regurgitate our best ideas in an earnest but hollow approximation of our species.

and it'll be the best thing we ever made. the last thing too.

I don't really believe in fate or destiny, I think all of this was a spectacular bit of luck, but that's a poetic end for us.

chatgpt does poetry.

[seraphinitegames]

I'm in love with the immersion, world-building, and characters of your writing. I can't help but gush about how talented you are with your you are as it's obvious how much love you put in your work.

The routes that I've been going through with my mc and his love interest between Adam and Mason was intriguing, funny and sometimes left me flustered and secretly yearing for more as although the difference between the two is like night and day, there is also a sense of familiarity the two of them share as well such as when it comes to the people they cherish and how they can react when they're threatened especially when it comes to the mc when picked as a love interest.

My favourite moments in the series would be from your most recent book, book three. I was pensive and aching to reach out towards Adam, as I wanted him to realize that it's okay to feel vulnerable every now and then, and that it doesn't make him weak as I desperately tried to reach out to him, and how when I was about to confess that I had fallen for Mason until Felix came out of nowhere, cockblocking me, which led me to furiously mutter under my breath and mind "GOD F@#*ING DAMMIT, FELIX!!"

My heart also ached for how much Sin was in pain who didn't want to hurt anyone but felt like he had to, resigned and trapped with no way out. I didn't hesitate to find any way to help him in anyway I could to free him. That's why near the end of the book I let him leave to live his life the way he wanted to. I couldn't stop imaging about giving him something to not just remind him of our budding friendship, but to also remind him to stay true to himself, and remind him that although he did do some terrible things, they don't define who he is, and that he has the right to been and feel happy as well when the guilt of his actions starts to consume him, whilst I'll also run and shout towards him when he flies of and leaves as I wave with a smile, "Goodbye! Stay safe!" I wonder how he'll react towards the mc doing this.

I can't wait for book four, as this time the stakes are dire, and the mc can even fall for the villian! I can't wait!!

Sorry for my ramblings, but I truly love the series that you've created and I cannot wait for what you have in store for us all. I hope you have a wonderful day. 😊😊

Aah, what an incredible message! I honestly cannot even begin to tell you how much it means to me to read this! <3

It's interesting you saying about the similarities of A and M—It's kind of why it's always fun writing them when they end up paired off for a mission or something.

M is very honest with A (as can be seen with that rather cutting statement by a BFF M to a romanced A at the end of Book Three! But A kind of…gets M in some ways more than the others un Unit Bravo, and it's the same for M. They both know how in pain they are—emotionally or physically—and there's a very deep understanding and bond between them because of that.

I could go on about the unique bonds between each member of UB forever, so I'll stop not before it turns into an essay, hehe! :D

But yeah, I think Sin would love to hear that from the MC. No one has ever looked out for him or cared to before, so having someone they barely know do that for him would make a very big impact—and it does depending on your ending with him!

Thank you so so much for your wonderfully motivating message! <3

[daenysx]

Hi! This sleepover has come just in time for finals season! I Hope November isn’t treating you too badly. Could I request 10:30 (pm) with poly!wolfstar?

I was thinking maybe reader is overwhelmed trying to manage schoolwork and the approaching holidays and the boys help her unwind? Unless you have something else in mind which is totally cool too!

10.30 PM | POLY!WOLFSTAR

"sorry, but i'm still thinking of my essay."

sirius looks at you with a cute pout, you wanna kiss it off his face. he's dramatizing things now, but deep down you know this is not a very nice thing to say. they've been trying to distract you since dinner.

"i'm sorry." you say with a frown. "i'm trying, but it's just- there are so many things to do, i just wanna catch up."

"we know what you mean, dove." remus says, he rubs your thigh with slow fingers. "you're right to be nervous, but it's not like you'll be very productive even if you start your essay right now. you need to rest."

"you know, there's this lovely thing called procrastinating things until the deadline, maybe you can try that for the first time." sirius teases. he's wearing a thick jumper, his chest looks broad and soft, you think maybe you can crawl in there like a cat.

"actually i'm procrastinating, but that's even more stressful than the actual work."

remus pulls you from your shoulders and his mouth finds your forehead. he kisses your frown off. it's actually really nice to be away from your laptop for an evening.

"don't listen to him anyway, sweetheart." remus says. "at least one of us needs to be a responsible person."

"that hurts me, dear moons." sirius puts his hand on his heart. "i think you should make it up to me."

"kiss!" you clap your hands. remus lifts his head, his eyes sparkle with cheekiness.

"that's the least he can do."

"come closer then." remus says. "i can't move."

"if this is making it up to me, then why am i doing the entire work?"

his words get cut at some point because remus has a long enough arm to pull sirius to himself. it's absolutely attractive, the way he holds you on his chest with his one arm and pulls sirius gently with the other one.

sirius gives him a sound kiss, you smile. their chemistry warms your heart.

"that was really hot." sirius admits. "you are forgiven."

"thank you."

they somehow manage to distract you. you don't think about your eesay anymore, you only crave to be squished between them in bed as they coax you into sleep. remus looks at you with a fond gaze.

"i'm gonna fall asleep, i think." you say slowly. remus keeps rubbing your back.

"that was the whole point, angel girl." sirius whispers. "we were trying to trick you into sleeping early."

dreamer girl sleepover ♡

[lastoneout]

I was too high last night to formulate this into proper words but something plagiarists(and by extension AI techbros) don't get about people who make things out of a love for that thing is that they are, consciously or not, doing it because they enjoy the process itself. Yes, it is easier to have a machine make a mug or painting or essay for you, or to steal someone else's, but again, people who actually like making stuff don't want someone else to do it for us because you have fully removed the thing we enjoy: the process of making a thing.

Like sure it would be nice to have a finished Gundam model or a trainset, but people who build gunpla kits and trainsets don't WANT someone else to do it for them, they want to do it. The sculptor or painter doesn't want a machine to just give them finished works of art, they want to MAKE that art themselves. The home gardner can just buy fresh food at the store, the tailor or knitter can buy a finished shirt or sweater whenever they want, but they don't because the act of gardening and sewing and knitting itself is what they enjoy.

Plagarists and AI techbros don't get that because they do not enjoy these processes. They enjoy making money and having social clout, and so they are perfectly happy stealing and automating things so that they don't have to do an ounce of real work while still getting all of the benefits of having created something. It really is all about finding the fastest and easiest way to get someone to hand you money or elect you god-king of the internet.

And the reason these two groups have such a hard time understanding each other is because of that fundamental disconnect. People who create things can never understand someone just wanting to press a button or copy-paste their way to having art because we want to indulge in the joy of creation itself, and those plagarists and AI dudes can't understand artists because to them it's just a means to an end so ofc it's in their best interest to make it as easy as possible. They don't get why someone would do this, or anything, if not for the social capital and/or actual capital it brings. Ofc it's better to automate it or steal it from someone else, that means you can make money faster and spend your time enjoying actual meaningful things like being wealthy and looked up to or w/e.

Plus creators(for lack of a better word) know keenly what it's like to BE stolen from or at least know people it has happened to, and so we are generally anti-plagarism by default.

Anyway yeah thats why to anyone who creates the other group seems so soulless and empty. It's because they kinda are. Because they don't value art or artists or care about creating things, and they certainly don't have any ammount of respect for the people they're hurting, they just want money and for "lesser" people to bow down as they walk by, and they are perfectly fine stealing to get there. It's the same mentality you get from people who pressure you to monetize your hobbies, they only see skills as an opportunity to make money. And it's really fucking sad.

[verysium]

I’ve been seeing some discourse around twitter about the blue lock boys and whether they’d be a loyal bf or not 😭 Curious to know who do you think would be more inclined to cheat or who just wouldn’t at all!!!

I saw someone say sae would 100% cheat like whattt I feel like he wouldn’t even bother looking at anyone else if he already has someone (Cuz I mean dating him would likely mean you actually mean something to him) but I digress

ok anon you had me pulling up a whole argumentative essay here cus WHO TF SAID SAE WOULD 100% CHEAT??? 😔 that mischaracterization is so painfully inaccurate. twitter really took the whole emotionally unavailable itoshi archetype and ran with it. let me just clear the air here because my man deserves some explanation.

sae itoshi would not cheat. as in capital N and capital O. he took nearly an entire decade off his life just to work on his own issues and finally form a functional and healthy relationship with another human being. and you're telling me he's just going to let all that wash down the drain for someone else? 😒 twitter logic really be showing its illogical side here. apparently a man can be loyal to a professional sports career for eighteen years, but he can't be loyal to his significant other.

i think this misunderstanding probably happened cus of shidou. people read the manga and saw that sae dropped rin for a bug-eyed freak and automatically assumed he was disloyal. 😑 let me just say two things here:

(1) sae and shidou's relationship is strictly professional. imagine being stuck in an god awful corporate office with coworkers who bore you with their weaponized incompetence and a boss who annoys the living shit out of you. and then one day, the company hires a new recruit who is probably the most unhinged and debauched creature known to man. you're probably left wondering how he even got hired in the first place. but then you find out...he's useful. he takes risks and gets a high return on what he invests. it's impulsive and stupid, really. but at least it's unconventional and outside-the-box. he has your interest piqued. that's basically sae and shidou in a nutshell.

(2) just because sae gave shidou his number after the u-20 game does NOT mean he would do the same to any other person who would try to encroach on your relationship. and let's be real here. sae would get one text from shidou and block his contact.

anyways, here is my analysis on the bllk boys in general. introducing the anti-cheating to pro-cheating spectrum:

(A) cannot cheat under any circumstance (as in they already hate the fact that they live on a planet with 8.1 billion other people who are not you):

itoshi brothers (atp they don't even have the physical or mental capacity to entertain a third party), ness, reo

(B) cannot cheat due to physical incapability (literally cannot pull anyone within a five-meter radius to cheat with):

ego, igarashi, raichi, bachira (not that he's in any way unattractive...it's just...i feel like he would purposefully act weird to drive off people who aren't you)

(C) could not cheat (basically option A and B but less problematic version)

yukimiya, barou, kunigami, noa, loki, gagamaru, chigiri, niko, hiori, karasu (baby boy literally felt inferior cus his crush was the cutest in his class), kurona (head empty, just you)

(D) would not cheat (on you but everyone else is not included)

isagi (unintentionally a homewrecker to others but would never let anyone homewreck his relationship with you), leonardo (idk why but i just don't trust him entirely)

(E) could cheat (depends on what they get out of it):

kaiser, shidou (honestly what did you expect when you willingly dated a blonde man...)

(F) would cheat (either proven by canon or they accidentally fucked up somehow):

otoya, oliver, nagi

[rainbowvally]

♡Little Chat About Broppy♡

☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆ To start things off: They are literally so cute my gosh. I love couples where two opposites come together so much they're literally just the best. I absolutely love seeing their dynamic evolving or just in general on screen whether it's the movies, specials or the shows from the bits I've watched so far. They're just so adorable. 😭

With that said, I do want to just chat about them a bit. This isn't really gonna be an essay thing where I go into a dive on their dynamic and stuff, more so just my stance on a specific thing with the couple and where people want them to be. It's just another one of those things I want to get out somewhere, so you do not have to agree or anything~

To start it off: I do not understand why some people were I guess actually mad that they didn't get married/engaged in band together? Just over 15 minutes in the movie tells us out right that they've only been together for a month so, I just feel like that'd be crazy? Even if this is a dream works movie. Like I know Shrek and Fiona for example, get married in the first film. But then there's HtTyD too, which doesn't really rush things like that so? (As in it didn't for the duration it had. It also very much did huge time jumps)

Anyways: On one hand I understand them becoming friends over the first movie, it kind of just worked. Poppy had obviously been pushing for it for some time now, and Branch was more so putting up a barrier than out right not wanting it. Then they had that whole trip together of course, even if it was only a few days, with the added background there that we didn't see, the growth works. Him immediately being happy and seemingly just over his issues by the end maybe doesn't, and they reworked that a bit so we won't go into my opinion on all of that. Plus, from what I know, even if they aren't technically canon, the first 2D show kind of goes over him getting back into things more, which I absolutley love, I would have taken a whole movie about that but that's besides the point. This is about them together, not Branch. ☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆ Them then getting together romantically by the end of the second movie also fits in a way? We don't really know how much time has passed I think, but Branch already had a crush on her from what I remember so. It just makes sense to a point. Maybe I would have liked to see more on Poppy's side BUT it is what it is, and I'm not against what happened. It's cute, and then we got HiH so likeee I can't be mad. ☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

Moving from that point, I can't personally rationalize them getting engaged this fast though. I feel like they still have so much to figure out and go through where they are as a couple I guess? They are by no means perfect, there should still be hurtles for them both; there's like clearly still trama to work through on one end and that shouldn't be settled in one go but I guess I do also understand that I'm talking about Trolls here.

Also, I think this is the first time they've both been in a relationship right? That alone makes it feel like something that definitely needs more time from a character development point of view too? Show me more of them figuring this stuff out together. Really dive into them as a pair who still isn't perfect for longer.

The way Poppy went about stuff in the 3rd film alone did show that they are still figuring it out I guess; I want to see more of that from both ends going forward. Cause she was like highly dismissive for most of the movie to be honest? Branch wasn't really being super open about it all on an emotional level too, but he does make it clear that he hasn't seen them for 20 years early on. I feel like that + his general reactions are a big indication that his relationship with all of them is rocky, and that it was important to acknowledge his feelings and not just dismiss them. I mean she also generally knows what happened to him following that too so. It'd be hard not to think them doing that also effected him and it's odd that she never really seems to consider that with how hyper she is about wanting siblings, and with her views on what siblings should do/be. Yes they did have to go or Floyd literally would have died, but I think there was a better way to go about it, and that one part alone already tells me they aren't ready to move past this stage. In the end he does technically make the choice to do it himself at least but yeah. ☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡• She then keeps doing this through the movie. It's almost crazy to think about the fact that it seemed like he was almost going to apologize during the moment on the pool floaties for expressing frustration. Then a bit later she convinces him to sing with them when he doesn't want to at first. She wasn't willing to understand why he felt the way he did and kept pushing the fact that he should be happy without taking time to understand why he wasn't. So in a way, I do feel like she still struggles with listening honestly?? She was so caught up in her views on siblings, how much she wished she had one and even just how cool it was to meet his brothers that she doesn't hear him until the breaking point you know? Yes the scene that follows after he walks out was wonderful, and she was supportive and knew what he needed to hear. I wouldn't say that was enough with in the context of that whole film to make me feel like they were ready to go further though. It wouldn't feel earned to me if they're dating for that one movie then suddenly they're getting married in the next in general I guess. ☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆ That's enough of that though. I could probably talk about the 3rd movie for hours if I sat down and thought through it scene by scene, but you've heard enough from me with the Viva post as is. (Love you but you have so many little issues Band Together-)

I will say, It's not like I never want it to happen, though I can admit I'd prefer it as a "This is it, the end" sort of thing. (And I personally am for Poppy being the one to ask-) We already got a wedding sequence too, and I don't think we know how long it's been since trolls 1 so they've likely been together longer? But also it makes sense for those two in my head anyhow even if it hasn't been that long? While it just doesn't for these two.

At the end of the day maybe it's me not wanting them to take that huge step cause I have weird issues with change, or I just really can't imagine them married right now, or maybe it just doesn't really hit for me on a story telling level? I just know that I really really want to see more of them together in their current stage. In no rush in the slightest, I want to enjoy them going on more journeys where they are.

I need to see more of them figuring stuff out together, cause it's clear they have work to do, and identifying stuff with in their current relation ship that needs attention. I just need more time with them as a couple that's not ready for anything like that yet. (Maybe I also just weirdly prefer dating dynamics???) I do know for sure that I do not want to see much beyond that point though. Like I personally think the fankids I see are cute but it's not something I need to see happen in canon. Branch and Poppy are just not a couple that I want/need to see followed through to the end in a way? Not to that extent at least. I will be devastated regardless when they conclude things for good, but not going past a wedding wouldn't really bother me. It feels like a good place to end their story, if it has to end. ☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆ I guess I maybe also like stuff that's just stuck in limbo in a way. I'm more focus on the characters and their dynamics with in each given story, as well as over all, but not in a way where I have to see time fly? For whatever reason I guess it just pains me more than it brings me joy to see growth/change/steps in a relationship happen super fast. I like when it's slow and we get alot of small moments; I don't need the big leaps as much personally. I want these characters to be able to live in their current situation and breath for a while. I'm more invested in the dynamic walking then I am seeing it run? Maybe part of it is also that there's just way to many other things that need attention that also adds to it all for me as well really. They both need to still have time as characters on their own. They both still definitely have problems, and so do other characters that we barely scratched the surface on. (Maybe it's also just me not really seeing marriage as a necessity for a love story in general? They could never get married and their love would still mean a lot, and be just as wonderful/meaningful.)

I don't know. The idea of them canonically getting married just feels like a story closer to me, and not really suitable to their dynamic but I can't fully articulate it all without this long drawn out wall of text, talking in circles kind of thing happening. I just know it's not something I want to see for a long time, if ever, which is just a personal stance obviously. I still love them either way~ ♡ I thought I had a concise train of thought when I started this but I guess I kind of don't ahh I really do adore these two though, genuinely. Please do not take this as me hating on them, it truly isn't. If anything they apparently mean so much to me that I feel like, entire mood shifts when thinking through this all. 💀

Agree or disagree, thank you to anyone who actually read literally any of this~ ☆ I quite literally have no one to rant to about any of this stuff to be real so I might do this on occassion. Just know it's always out of love for these films though, regardless of whether I'm talking about something I liked or didn't like. ☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆•♡•☆

[baronessblixen]

Eyyyyy, saw your tags! :DDDDD

I will say: knowing more about an actor doesn't change my perception of their work; but I know a lot of people-- older generation, mostly-- who do think the way that he does. To them, the more they know, the more they can't "forget" the actor/actress in a role.

Maybe it's an older generation thing? A thought process left over from the world of 90s-and-before-media, before the advent of smartphones? Or maybe it's a broad audience thing: the type where people aren't so invested in someone's career or anyone in particular, and just want to go to the movies on a Friday-- the normies that fund most of the ticket sales. I do know I've been hearing a lot of sentiment lately from others who are over-saturated with celebrities talking about their opinions rather than marketing the product... maybe that's the modern day equivalent? Maybe that's what he was trying to articulate. (Sometimes he communicates in half measures when trying to work something out.) I think so, anyway.

But today's landscape is also so different: people are selling themselves-- branding, as he called it-- their personalities to sell their products. It just is that way. Hopefully he doesn't feel the pressure to do so, as well (I don't think he does, or would care. But it's a thought.) Maybe there's pressure there, but there's also freedom (or can be): the landscape for his professional fears have changed... but they've also changed in ways that are, to him, a net negative. So. XD

Hope you have a great weekend! :)))))))

When I read your ask, I realized that most people I know - regardless of age - don't care about actors' private lives 😂 that's slightly different though than not wanting to know as it might skew the viewing perception.

I guess it makes sense. DD was born in the 60s when Hollywood's star system was breaking apart. Back then the actors were brands too - though different than today. The studios gave them new names more often than not and a personality. They needed them to be certain types to lure the audience in.

The history of the star system is really interesting. Back in the very early days, actors didn't have a name. Audiences didn't know who these people were - but they wanted to know. Same with the first magazines. They'd be about movies originally, but people wanted to know about the actors instead. That's not at all a new thing.

So I don't think it has anything to do with social media and smartphones and more like you said with the broad audience. Before social media, tabloids were HUGE. That was the only way to glimpse more into the private life of your star. I just don't think any of it is new. The means are just different.

There's middle ground between putting your whole life out there and being private. It's not just DD, but one thing I've noticed with celebrities saying they're private is that usually, they have no problems talking about their kids or their family - people, weirdly enough, who didn't choose to be part of this life. Then when it's about their romantic life they're like, oh no, I'm private. That seems like a cop-out.

This is already half an essay but don't get me started on celebrities becoming a brand these days. Why do celebrities need to sell us products? That is a trend I really hate. Maybe I'm too old to get it and thankful for every celebrity who doesn't feel the need to create a drink/food/candle/skin product.

Hope you have a great weekend too 😁

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

how to not let your autistic inner child win (or how to write an if) by the secretary

[id: a student with glasses being pointed at and mocked by two students on screens, and two more offscreen with only their arms showing. the central bullied student looks sad, and everyone else is laughing. end id]

Ruhoh, is this another secretary essay? Well, yes it is! The gender politics one will eventually come around when I feel like it, but this one, as the title suggest, is about how to write an IF. And since I'm presuming most of you are on the spectrum (or on a spectrum), it gets a little tongue-in-cheek.

hehe

Anyways, if you have autism, you have eternal swag. It's just true! But having so much swag makes it a problem when writing, or doing any sort of project. This is something I've noticed from people who don't have evil autism. Those not afflicted by the rare autism version of evil autism (my autism) will often be really bad at just... doing things - despite having all the abilities to do so! I think it might be a adhd thing or something too. Anyways, I love helping people, (this is my evil autism), and I'd like to share some girl tips on how to kill your inner child :)

I think something I've noticed from people making any sort goals- online, real life, job, working, etc - is it is straight forward. ie: I want to graduate from high school, I want to make a video game, I want to journal everyday. These are all achievable using your abilities that you learn and gain through your life, and failure doesn't exempt you from trying again. Thing is, this specific thing I just described (straightforward goals) is something I think a lot of autistic people struggle with.

I deeply remember sitting down in the corner of my high school, looking like the hottest girl who played pokemon on her ds when someone who had +1% more autism than me told me that, one day, he was going to make the most cool pokemon game ever where you could date other characters and have babies and have your children go on adventure too. As a 14 year old, I thought to myself 'bitch, shut up' but also, 'this is so unrealistic, but he really believes it, uh'. And he did! And you know, I think that's okay. I think it's okay to believe that you can make things that you cannot do at the moment - I mean that's just how life it. We didn't go on the Moon thinking we couldn't

But... the guy didnt know how to code, or how to make games, or how to program, or how to develop stories, or how to make art, etc etc etc. He didn't know these things, but he wanted to make these things. And I see this to a certain degree quite a bit when it comes to creation. I want to say: it's a very important of the process but simply one part.

I think being able to imagine what you could do if you have all the resources in the world, all the time, and all the help is important - but it is even more important to look within and go 'alright with all this in mind - what can I do?'

And if you're in the field of IF, well, what can you do? Coding, storytelling, character design, plotting arcs, etc. I think the skills can be learned by anybody (sidenote incoming)

If anybody ever fucking says that art is innate, they're fucking lying. It's a skill you grind out. You work it out. You work even if you feel not creative. You write words even if they don't come to you naturally. You draw even if the images can't be conjured. You work you work you work and you make something. You cannot always make art when feeling creative because you aren't always creative. you must be willing to die for your art, yes, but you must also be willing to create without any creative sparks! If you want to be an artist, you better work bitch.

(sidenote ending) and with that in mind, you need to develop restraints onto yourself. In IF, it's actually to create restraints, and here are some I suggest for all of my fellow autists who might struggle with them. I love you guys, truly, anyways. here they are:

restrain characters.

Make three characters + a main character. Write a couple of scenes with them. Is that your maximum? Is that too much? Go up and down until you find the right amount. You can add more character when your writing is better. Stick to a minimum per scene. If you have ideas for 30 characters, you can easily melt them into 10. Seriously. Put the heat on maximum and start creating new fun dolls to play with.

2. restrain scenes

You cannot write 500 per interaction. This is a bad idea because a) you might do the thing where you run out of creativity which you need to learn to do without but it is hard and b) interactions are time limited and time sensitive. not everybody will go through them. if you have a 30k update, but most people will only see 1k... are you really writing a game for them or for yourself? I made my wife do this format:

youll gain the ability to gauge if a scene is important or not eventually, I'm sure.

3. restrain area

I recommend writing like a murder novelist. You have a closed circle, and the player cannot leave it. they can only be within that space. That space that exists within that specific story is the only thing they have access to. it can be a school, a city, a bedroom - but its limited. you create setpieces that players interact with. some set pieces are the same with just a different coat of paint on.

anyways, i believe in dreaming big, but i also believe that we have little time on our hands to create. when wanting to make something, restraint yourself. its always way more fun to find ways to break out of our bonds then just roaming free, right? I mean... maybe not. I'm not your mother, you know.

[nabi-unveiled]

Catching Up: Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Ep 8, part 2)

Other Reacts: Ep 1 Ep 2 Ep 3 Ep 4 Ep 5 Ep 6 Ep 7 Ep 8p1

We're now in the home stretch of this show. I have now had time to think about the line I was having difficulty processing in the wee morning hours.

And yeah, I was just overthinking that one. He's basically talking about not wanting to deal with what he had done in the past, and who he feels he is as a person. He was hiding from Ju-yeong. He was hiding from himself. He thinks he's come to terms with himself now, but my man really needs therapy. These dialogue lines are still showing an internalized message about who he "thinks" he is as a human being and person, and they're not positive.

Anyways, we left off on Hyeon-ho wishing Do-hoe a "happy" life in the future. There's really a lot of weight in this wish. You know Hyeon-ho loves Do-hoe in his own way, and he knows what Do-hoe has been through.

I know this line is closure, but I'm not sure where Hyeon-ho sees himself in Do-hoe's life going forward. Will he stay by Do-hoe's side? Will he mostly remove himself? Honestly, I don't think it would matter either way to Do-hoe. That decision will have a huge impact on Hyeon-ho though. I actually can't decide what would be best for him either. There's a lot of history here.

It looks like Hyeon-ho is going to help Do-hoe at least.

I don't think I'd ever use this show as an example when trying to point out writing issues, because it would ruin this show for anyone who hasn't watched it. But this show is such a strong example of excellent writing. This show has employed partial viewpoints superbly. It also takes a good script to get you from "Ugh. I hate you frenemy." to where we are now without it feeling forced or that there was inconsistent characterization along the way. Hyeon-ho hasn't really changed as a person. He's grown and matured certainly. He's realized consequences of his actions. But he's still not Ju-yeong. He's still the one offering to exchange an innocent kid for Do-hoe's well-being. But you feel for him. His morals are still questionable, but you understand and in some ways can support every decision he's made (as an adult). His motivations along each step of his journey are clear. I also find it interesting the comparisons/contrast between Hyeon-ho and Do-hoe. However, that feels like an entire essay, and I really do need to get back to work. There's writing of a different kind to be done.

I love this shot. We just left Hyeon-ho (in black) in his car alone. We now have Ju-yeong (in white) in the cafe watching Do-hoe closely. Do-hoe in grey. These are the same colors they wore earlier when Ju-yeong confronted Do-hoe. Back then, Do-hoe and Hyeon-ho were a team together. Do-hoe stuck by Hyeon-ho's side. I said then that Do-hoe was in the middle. But now he's made his choice. He goes into the cafe, and Ju-yeong is all smiles. I actually love the change of expressions on Ju-yeong's face here.

Do-hoe is smiling, and there is an easy familiarity between the two.

Yes. Please. Let's eat rice. Rice is home. Rice is a great symbolic food. Plus, I just love rice, and it carries a lot of personal meaning for me. That's a story for a different day though. The meaning I derive from rice doesn't really fit this vibe here.

Actually, I take that back. It might actually fit the vibe. Ju-yeong doesn't like rice. Bread works too though. Bread is also a symbolic food. It's nourishment and the basics needed to sustain. More importantly, the chapstick is back!

Whoever picked the book knew their assignment. It's a great choice for Do-hoe in terms of meaning. Figuring out what's important to you and focus on the simple things. It's in some ways about choosing "voluntary poverty" so that you can have a richer life. In a lot of ways, that is what Do-hoe has done at this point. And I am now FULLY on board with the bread. You said PIZZA bread? I'm there. I want. Maybe I should have ate my lunch before watching this show.

I love that they're relearning each other, and we now have this shot of their wallets. Ju-yeong is still using the old one. But it no longer matters. Do-hoe has let go of his pride in some regards. He's no longer trying to pretend to be something he's not. At the least, he's fully accepting Ju-yeong.

I'm glad that they're not overlooking the fact that these were indeed crimes. Do-hoe still has to give up all his money and go to prison, but it's a reduced sentence. I don't really want him in prison, but I do wonder if he needed to be there a bit for his own mental well-being. In some ways, I feel like he's the type that would be upset if he didn't think he had "paid" for his crimes.

Hyeon-ho and Do-hoe are going to go eat together. Ju-yeong is coming right? I mean, I guess I would be fine with y'all eating alone now. 🤔 Let me think on that.

Yay! I don't have to think about it. Ju-yeong is here, Do-hoe has the giddy smile when he sees him, and Hyeon-ho is still rolling his eyes. Ju-yeong still feels muted to me. It's growth and maturity. He doesn't need to be a sunshine all of the time. But I'm going to need his free spirit to shine through some time before the end of this episode.

Hyeon-ho goes and kicks the snow. Because there IS snow on the ground. I'm not sure how I feel about this framing honestly. The snow is dividing Do-hoe and Ju-yeong. Frenemy is in the middle. I love that there's snow. Maybe it's a sign that there's still obstacles to overcome (like prison time), but they're not real obstacles since they're covered in snow? Yeah, it's a stretch. I'm going to go with it though to keep myself happy.

My guess is a job or that Ju-yeong has put his severance pay into some type of venture to help build a life for the two of them. Yay, Ju-yeong is acting a bit playful.

I was wrong. I guess Ju-yeong's severance pay was eaten up by the car after all (unless he'll use it to pay for Do-hoe's school). I do love that Ju-yeong is not letting Do-hoe stop dreaming. He'll be his support no matter what he chooses.

I'm going to cry, but I know it's personal. Some may see this as Ju-yeong pressuring Do-hoe. I don't. Do-hoe needs someone who isn't going to let him give up on himself. (Side note - this is 100% what is scaring me about watching the ThamePo finale. Based on the GIFs I saw, I KNOW I'm not going to see it the same way as most.)

I love that the support is reciprocal here. A simple life together doesn't have to mean sacrificing who you are.

I appreciate that they're not pretending Do-hoe is going to change his mindset overnight. Do-hoe still wants the version of success he saw for himself when he was younger. He still wants to pass the exam.

Sorry. I'm not writing a lot. I'm too busy crying. "No matter what you do, what kind of person you are, and how you turn out - I like it all." The thing is - I believe him here. These lines often come across as naive to me in shows. Most of the time the characters don't have enough experience to back up these statements. This pair does. How am I supposed to focus on work after this?

Do-hoe proposes living separately for a year since he won't be able to help him. Ju-yeong responds "Are you serious?"

Thank you Ju-yeong. I need you to smack (not literally) some sense into your man's head. We're stronger together. We stick together. Let's repeat it - TOGETHER.

Ju-yeong is telling Do-hoe that they need to start over. Don't be greedy. You just need a comfortable place to sleep. Is this the book that Ju-yeong read during the cafe date? It's been too many weeks, I don't remember. I do find it interesting that sleep is coming up again. If I think back on it, sleep was mentioned several times in their teenage years too. I didn't really focus on it, but there's enough evidence to argue it's another connecting thread.

I love the playful way that Do-hoe says this line, but it also shows you what he thinks of Ju-yeong. He really does think he's better because of Ju-yeong. I wish Ju-yeong had responded "you don't need fixing". But that'd probably be too on the nose for this show.

"I'm just a loser with too much pride". Do-hoe is always going to struggle with these things. I'll state again that I'm glad they're not glossing over the fact that his mindset won't have changed.

Do-hoe asks Ju-yeong not to "abandon him". Excuse me Do-hoe. That's Ju-yeong's line.

Girl, I still don't like you. But I do like this exchange. You can also see how much Do-hoe is amused by this in some ways. It's yet another reminder that Ju-yeong did miss him even if he seemed okay. Ju-yeong is dying in embarrassment. If they weren't together, this wouldn't be funny. But it feels okay in this context. Maybe.

After his father's funeral, Hyeon-ho asked Do-hoe this question. He replied something like "I'm not." But the answer has changed.

This conversation is fun. Ju-yeong stumbles when Do-hoe admits that he was his first kiss and first love. I've said it before, but it's those small physical cues in the acting that make things feel natural.

Dang. I'm at 30 images already. Let me go back and edit a bit.

Do-hoe is explaining himself to Ju-yeong.

Ju-yeong reassures him yet again. Honestly, this is the type of exchange they'll probably have 1000s of times going forward. Do-hoe is going to need constant reassurance that he's enough. Ju-yeong is going to need reassurance that Do-hoe won't abandon him again.

Ok. That particular line is a bit much for me. I'm always going to be one for the simple "I love you" over these sweeping declarations though. I'd rather you show, not tell. However, I do feel like words of affirmation are very important to these two. So I'll allow it.

I was just getting ready to type that Ju-yeong was still reading muted to me, but then he came out with this line and you could see a little of that rapscallion energy show through. As adults, we do often become more muted. Honestly, it makes sense that Ju-yeong isn't "happy-go-lucky" after what they've went through. And it's GOOD that he no longer feels like he has to mask. But I still need his mischievous energy to show through a bit more in this last ten minutes. Otherwise, it's going to feel like he's masking/hiding in a different way. He's still healing though. I get that.

They're teasing each other now. That's more like it. Apparently, tones/registers of speech is in play here too. Ju-yeong sneaks a kiss and runs away. There's my rascal. 🥰

We're driving to Seoul together AGAIN. Driving together is now just something we do.

There's a lot in that statement. Do-hoe sees Ju-yeong as family. The thing is...Do-hoe is Ju-yeong's family too. We still haven't seen his parents as a part of his adult life.

I get studying. I really do. If there's one thing I understand in this life, it's studying. There is still time for kisses. But maybe that's me. I'll forego a lot when I need to work/study. Kisses aren't it. That said - I like that Ju-yeong is the one now cooking and taking care of Do-hoe (even if it's a bit burnt looking). As a teen, Do-hoe was the one that cooked.

I WANT THESE PJS! They look so cute, soft and comfy. They're now matching and "happy".

LOL. Do-hoe really doesn't like water dripping in the bathroom. Apparently, that's just a personal peeve. Unlike Hyeon-ho, he's comfortable enough with Ju-yeong to scold him about it though. It's yet another side of himself he shows Ju-yeong that he refused to show Hyeon-ho. Actually, they have shown several other times that Do-hoe really likes things clean. It's a good thing he isn't at my house. I'm a terrible housekeeper.

"Even though we're average people without any so-called success, we're spending our life together..."

They show Ju-yeong's cross necklace in the trash can. I guess that's our confirmation that his adopted parents did indeed abandon him once he reached adulthood. Their duty was done in their eyes. 😒 I'd be angry, but it appears he's better off without them. (Edit: In case someone wants to bring it up. I KNOW this cross is a religious symbol as well. I'm 100%, very well aware of it. In the context of this show and the weekend I just spent, I cannot handle dwelling on that at the moment.)

LOL. I've definitely said this line before 🤣. Glad to know they're actually making time for kisses. The exchanges before were a joke, not a hard truth. I love that they're teasing each other. Ju-yeong getting petulant about "it's been a week". It just feels real and domestic.

Do-hoe finding all of Ju-yeong's past posts feels like a similar scene in You're My Glory. It's the evidence. The evidence of how much Do-hoe has always meant to him, of how much he has always tried to make Do-hoe happy, and of how Do-hoe hurt him.

And we close.

I'm definitely going to struggle to get work done now. It's a real ending. I don't know that I'd classify it as a "happy ending" (note: I don't require happy endings in my shows to be satisfied). I feel like Do-hoe's going to spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to Ju-yeong. And Ju-yeong is going to spend his life trying to convince Do-hoe that he's enough on his own. That's okay. I'm glad they didn't show whether Do-hoe passed the exam or not. Because that's not what's important. I'm also glad that we don't really know how Ju-yeong is earning money or what he's up to. Because it's also not what's important.

They're still broken people. But they're broken people spending their lives together.

I still feel like crying.

@lurkingshan Thank you for the recommendation. It really was a beautiful show. The finale was still my least favorite episode, but it was much better than most finales for me. You could even argue that I got three out of four of my "wishes" even if they weren't in the ways I had intended.

[nalesnik-z-morela]

Why is Aziraphale a hobbit?

Enjoys food very much

English vibes™

Has much circle-shaped stuff at his place (the entrance corridor, the main place where the ball was, the inside balconies of the 2nd floor, the spiral stairs)

Can't or simply doesn't want to catch up on things that go quickly with time (like fashion or technology), sticks to what he already knows, believes in old systems

Not only old-fashioned, he's simply satisfied with what he has and doesn't need new stuff or ideas

Has his favourite set of colours and will stick to it all life long

Uses stimulants

Probably doesn't like so called adventures

Loves his cozy home

Tries to be kind at all costs when he's talking to others

But at the same time cares the most about his own business (the Tchaikovsky record is to him what the spoons are to Lobelia)

Enjoys music so, so, so much (pls somebody show him this hobbit band)

If you still aren't convinced, watch The Drunk Scene. He's basically a hobbit. THAT'S ineffable.

Anyway here's more:

Why does Aziraphale remind me specifically of Bilbo Baggins?

There and back again (IM SORRY)

Likes to socialize once in a while, still manages to be socially awkward af

Can't tell his unexpected guests to get tf out

Has questionable moral system

Says dramatic and/or noble lines (Aziraphale: "Welcome to the end times", Bilbo about sitting at the door)

Gets attached to objects and takes care of them

Keeps managable mess around him

Daydreams but won't admit it (unless unconchously bc he's also naive and his mind drifts away fast)

Would be dramatic about forgeting his tissue

Forgets basic stuff when in stressful situation (Aziraphale and his books in 1941 explosion, Bilbo and the tissue)

Gets very much excited about specific things that are nostalgic to him (Azi when The Clues, Bilbo when Gandalf's fireworks)

Tries to be polite more than he can be

The way he breaks when at the limit of social skills and/or managing stimuluses (Aziraphale ringing that bell so everyone shuts up, Bilbo swearing at the dwarves when they start to place their orders about food)

Kinda does magic and thinks that's epic (Aziraphale doing magic tricks, Bilbo fkn disappearing in front of everyone)

Pays attention to words, remembers details and points them out when necessary (Aziraphale "but is it ineffable?", Bilbo and his fourteenth part of the treasure)

Down bad for bribery but only when all other means let down

Just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing (liking even?)

Other Aziraphale-Bilbo paralels that don't really add much:

Has a sword

Has a ring and carries it everywhere with himself

Has a grumpy friend who likes gloomy aesthetic

Long-lived (kind of)

Both ace and gay communities consider him theirs, although he doesn't work like this at all and probably wouldn't even get the concept of orientation at first

Probably thinks he looks cool in his reading glasses (i'm not sure if Bilbo has such but i like to think that way)

That's already a litany and i don't want to write a whole essay. I promise that there are more such characteristics, those will have to be enough for you now. And if they aren't just open those two books.

To sum everything up, considering all mentioned traits and my own experience, i surely can place a statement that all three of us are neurodivergents, thank you very much.

[transmutationisms]

can u talk a bit more about working as a bibliographer? like what does that actually entail?

so the bibliography i worked at was affiliated with the major academic professional society of my subfield, and the society sponsors the bibliography as a kind of sister publication to their journal. this means 1) we were almost exclusively grant-funded, and 2) the staff positions at the bibliography go to grad students. there are jobs in bibliography and related information sciences that are not exclusive to academics/grad students, but i can't really tell you anything about them personally; i had this job as a graduate research assistant (ie this was what i did to get my paycheck for two years instead of TAing).

anyway the purpose of a bibliography like this that's affiliated with a journal or subfield is usually to aggregate data on what's published in that journal or subfield. ours was aimed at capturing the whole subfield. so, the bulk of the staff job is to comb through recent academic publications (journal articles & books) and pull anything that's topically relevant. we add the abstract and metadata to the bibliography (meaning basically a searchable database) and then we do subject tagging. this is the most fun part because you have to think about how knowledge is categorised and what's most useful to a user and whatnot.

so like let's say i'm entering an article from the journal of the history of psychiatry. i already pulled the metadata from the online journal listing and put it through zotero, which then talks to the bibliography's back end. i do the authority control (link it with the author's other publications in our bibliography, and with some external identity profile like viaf or orcid). i link it to the journal in our database and make sure it has the right date, page numbers, etc. this article is about philippe pinel, so its main category tag is probably 'psychiatry - 19th century'. then i aim for 5–10 additional subject tags, maybe 'france, metropolitan', 'psychiatric hospitals and institutions', 'therapy and therapeutic methods', 'philosophy of medicine', 'nosology and diagnosis', 'pitié-salpetrière hospice', etc.

once this is all entered, the article is searchable by any of its metadata, by going to the author's profile in our database, or by those subject and category tags. institutions (universities, libraries, hospitals, etc) all have their own authority controls too. you can browse the database by data, by subject tag, by searching keywords, etc; it also has a few visualisation tools that show strongly associated subject tags, histograms of a person's or publisher's history of publication, etc. this all means that things are more easily discoverable than they might be, and once you've found them you can also browse related things easily, or look at some provisional info on the state of publications in the field.

because this bibliography was affiliated with a journal, we also used to publish a yearly print edition with the entries published in the last year (this was satisfying to hold but honestly way less functional than the online database version lol) and we also published a special edition of bibliographic / historiographic essays on pandemics that i worked as managing editor for. idk how common this would be at other kinds of bibliographic job positions; we used the same publisher as the sister journal, so mostly all i had to do was correspond with people and deal with typesetting. anyway once that was published we also added those articles to the bibliography itself too.

anyway super fun job tbh, like a lot of it is data entry but haggling over subject tags was honestly enjoyable if you like that kind of thing. i lost the battle to add "total institutions" as a subject tag but won when i said we needed to revamp our system for entries dealing with weight management; as a result those subject tags are now clearer and more useful, and capture scientific discourses about both 'underweight' and 'overweight'. our best tag imo was "controversies and disputes", which was like a catch-all for any time there was some kind of haterism in the literature. it kind of changed how i view knowledge categorisation (like, the process; philosophy-of) and because we spent so much time reading abstracts to tag them, we would basically have walking encyclopedic knowledge of recent publishing in the field.

some of this functionality can ofc be replicated in library catalogues or google scholar or whatever, but the real value-add is the subject tagging and the relationships between those terms; this is where the bibliography is useful both for finding things and for showing an additional layer of information about the field and publishing in it. lots of academic fields have some equivalent of this, although i will say that our database was generally better (in the sense of more data and useful detail) than others i've used; it was a well-funded project run by a very dedicated prof who's been doing this for over 20 years now, and that continuity and institutional memory is really paying off for it.

but yeah if this is generally something that interests you, like i said, this is really just one specific form of bibliographic work. definitely look into what else is out there (i dunno how much of this would require a degree like an mlis even) and see what you think :)