#but also i don't remember are they really related

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Ok so I’ve had this question for a while and I feel like you’ll be able to give me a good answer. I understand that we’re absolutely not supposed to support anything JKR does monetarily and I never intend to do so. However is engaging with Harry Potter media *at all* also something I should not do or is it only things that give her money?

Like, would there be anything wrong with me playing Hogwarts Legacy if I pirated it? Is fanfiction and fan art ok to consume? Or is engaging with the IP at all going to be harmful in a way that I don’t see atm?

Thank you for your time!

I don't really think a cis person is the right person to ask about this, but I also know that trans people are sick to death of having to field these questions so I'll do my best to answer this, if everyone who reads my answer will promise me that you will NOT use anything I say in this post as an annoying argument against a trans person who has a different opinion on the matter. Remember whose opinions are actually important here.

And look, number one, you can do whatever the fuck you want. Nobody can stop you. If you, in yourself, in your soul, feel morally comfortable consuming Harry Potter by some convoluted method of Ethical Consumption™, then go and do that, and own it, and have the strength to be judged for your decisions.

Trans people might not trust you - hell, I'll probably not trust you either. They might get angry at you, and criticize you, or roll their eyes and call you a fucking loser. If you have the moral conviction that what you are doing is right, and that you are acting in accordance with your beliefs and you are not doing harm, then stand by that conviction and face the consequences. Have that strength of character.

But if you feel the need to go around posting and arguing that it's unfair, that you shouldn't be judged, that you should get to be a special exception and people are unreasonable when they get mad at you... then that is evidence, proof positive, that you are a fucking loser. That you are cowardly, and you don't actually believe that what you are doing is right, you just want the world to affirm your fragile ego while you enjoy your little treats.

To be clear, I am not accusing you of doing this (you seem to just earnestly be asking for guidance), but there's a hell of a lot of people who do do this, and you don't want to be one of them.

So that's number one. Do whatever the fuck you want, and face the consequences with a spine.

Number two is... just fucking drop it. That is my earnest advice to you. Just fucking drop Harry Potter. They are children's books from the early 2000s, they just are not that fucking good or important. The Hogwarts Legacy game is live service slop; the movies are passable at best and their quality comes from the actors being better than the source material. Just drop it. Harry Potter has nothing to offer that you can't get elsewhere from better media with better authors, or problematic authors who have good grace to at least be dead.

Don't waste your life thinking about complicated ways to circumvent the moral problem of JK Rowling's rancid transphobic hate-aura at the center of the franchise, don't waste your finite time on Earth trying to thread that stupid needle. Harry Potter isn't worth this. Rowling is old, and shriveling from hate and mold fumes, at the very least just wait for her to fucking die, and for her political project to fail, before you pick that world back up again.

I speak as someone who read the first book at age 11, hyperfixated on relating to Harry, and whose entire cultural life was consumed by the franchise for over a decade. It is not worth it. You don't need it, you don't need the stress of trying to navigate how or whether to engage with it ethically. You almost certainly have an enormous backlog of other books, games, movies and TV shows you've been meaning to get around to, so just go do that instead. I promise you it will be infinitely more rewarding, and infinitely less compromised by stress and guilt and cognitive dissonance.

And while you're at it, send some money to a trans charity and go scream invectives at a transphobic politician some time.

[icyculturekingdompanda9989]

The death threats ("you should solve your "still alive" situation as soon as possible", "#but that's my favorite character/series!" die in a fire motherfucker", "#HP consumers need to fucking die torturously slow immediately now", "Actually I belive that as a community we should run over all Harry Potter fans. This is a serious political belief of mine. We must kill ALL Harry Potter fans. With busses", "Burn your fucking Harry Potter merch or be burned with it.", "#hp fans kys im so serious") aren't helping, either. Also doesn't help that the person who'd said "you should solve your "still alive" situation as soon as possible" went on to assert themselves (complete with ending their sentence with "baby") when called out by someone who otherwise agreed and added "stop being a coward".

Also, @sed1ment, why you leave these in the tags?

#going in the woods to read harry potter like a witch practicing black magic #I think jkr gets enough publicity from her own actions #I don't think Deborah who works as a second grade teacher buying her books from a flea market really impacts anything #like I swear to y'all we have bigger fish to fry than arguing over the morality of reading harry potter #like yes jkr is bad and you shouldn't support her but like shes also rich and is not going to go broke because you aren't reading her books #like if you boycott her stuff because you don't support her actions and don't want to feel like you are aiding her very good for you #however yelling at people online for not doing the same ultimately achieves nothing but making you angry and tired #fuck jkr tho #just to make that clear #I don't really give a shit about Deborah tho

And you, jenndoesnotcare same question?

#one of the most interesting things about Harry Potter #is that it is so ubiquitous and so many people know the stories #and have fond childhood memories of them #that sometimes I have a real moment of having to decide #(as a person who deeply loved the texts andengaged with them in both study and enjoyment for years) #how much do I ruin their childhood? #so I really like parking all my assumptions at the doorand asking: #what did you love about these books #the answer is invariably related to how those storiesmade people FEEL #sometimes it's rooted in nostalgia #and sometimes it's about how being a kid is such a powerless and terrible time and you have so little autonomy #that we all want to believe we're important and can contribute #so many people who aren't terminally online just...genuinely do not know that jk rowling is a terrible transphobe #they read the books as kids and then grew up and had kids and wanted to share that #or they're much older and remember that it was a Big Deal #and so get it for grandkids or niblings or whatever #there is so little MALICE in it #so I tend to believe people don't know the full extentof jk's terrible personal politics and her awful reach #and I do my best to gently redirect parents and grands toward Diana Wynne Jones or Susan Cooper #(other amazing British writers who write magical questing middle grade fiction) #and I don't immediately judge people who have that tender and distant fog of nostalgia #because probably? they don't know. #I do know #but that doesn't mean I get to go around thinking people who aren't terminally online are just terrible people #like. people in the world literally do not know! theydon't know!!! how awful she is!!! #oh! some of my favorite answers from the question of what did you love about it: #it made me feel safe and cosy' #they got to have adventures' #'my mom and I read it together' #tl;dr: people are mostly good and probably more ignorant than malicious

Well, as long as you're not forcing those other books/authors...

Oh yeah, to reiterate a point @fortunes-haven made and why I reblogged from them specifically:

I don't like being preached to about morality, even regarding a cause I agree with and an action I'll be taking anyway (I haven't had interest in anything Harry Potter in well over a decade). So if this thread gets that response from me, I don't think it's going to be effective with anyone else either except similarly devout members of the consumerism-as-activism choir. And it will likely turn off people who might otherwise have been convinced.

ETA this from @chelonianmobile, who according to their bio is nonbinary:

I really don't think that's how things work. People do not function in such a manner that they can erase large parts of the cultural zeitgeist from their memories at a whim. Even if every fanwriter stopped tomorrow, people would still know who the JRK was, and even if they didn't, that wouldn't take away the money she already has. She also isn't the only TERF in the universe - one solitary person, no matter how rich or awful, did not enact this law.

And @sinners-lastparadise's response via tags:

#yeah. #I hate it when people forget about nuance #and not just immediately agreeing with every post they see #that supports someone or something #no matter how important it is to them #critical thinking skills guys.

And here's an archived (in case it gets reported) link to a post by @sticksandstones: https://archive.ph/CsUzC, as well as one by @nervousnerd (also an archived link in case someone gets report-happy): https://archive.ph/LJsfC

Oh yes, and this archived screenshot (both in case it gets deleted & because of how looong this post is getting but I'll be damned if I increase the number of notes) of @skypalacearchitect's additional tags: https://archive.ph/NUQZt

to summarize: you have the moral backbone of a flatworm if your response every time harry potter comes up is to make it about your inability to give up a book

[venussaidso]

Also. People still thinking sidereal Aries individuals act like this extroverted interactive stereotype is what's making them confused. And this is why I couldn't fully relate to my Aries placements in tropical. I'm not super expressive like that. Yes, it turned out I was Pisces in sidereal. But I still have major Aries placements. Major, major Mars influence. Mars Atmakaraka. Mars in 1H in Bharani with Ashwini ASC.

I am private and internal, my mind is the most active but I'm outwardly passive. I seem intense and confident in my blog, but irl I'm withdrawn and I prefer to be alone — I don't speak much and I master a lot to say something, words are used a lot on my blog but I'm not much of a talker unless I'm being intentional. I can be charismatic and influential because I've watched a lot of movies and stolen certain mannerisms and personality traits which resonate with me. I know how to make a room chuckle. I've often been told I'm good at speeches and talking, even though I'm quiet. I'm a brooder and the mysterious label has been used on me, or I'm labelled as ‘shy’. I see so many Ashwinis like this, even the unstable ones. And this is why it's so easy to discount many possible, potential sidereal Aries Moons too. “Cillian can't be Ashwini, he's too introverted and Ashwinis are very insane intense people.” Forgetting that Ketu co-rules Ashwini. Ketu causes introversion, detachment... I spoke of this. Ketu is also related to ethereality, otherworldliness. Ketu nakshatras are known for their inclination to absorbing and consuming knowledge, making for some book-ish people. I remember the first time ever when I claimed that Tom Hiddleston can a possible Ashwini Moon on here. I shook a lot of followers of mine. I think I was the first person ever to suggest this here, but I was just contemplating a lot of things that time and it personally resonated (and not because I'm Ashwini myself, it was just intuitive? Still, both Cillian and Tom are unconfirmed).

My point is, stop perceiving sidereal Aries people from this limited lens. I don't see them in the way people describe Aries only. The chaos and intensity usually manifests privately, or artistically. The Ketu rulership means the natives are supposed to be a distant mystery, they're enchanting, but they're out of reach. That is Beyonce.

Even Bharanis are different outwardly. Although I talked about themes of aggression, violence and superiority when it comes to Venus nakshatras, they don't always come across that way outwardly. Their fire element doesn't always show for us. Venus can come off sentimental, even romantic. Jamie Campbell Bower, with Bharani Moon, comes across fashionable, fanciful and chill, for example. The nakshatra lord is often influencing the outward perception of the sign.

Daniel Day Lewis has Ashwini Moon. He is just like Beyonce actually. Very private, hard to track, INSANE WORK ETHIC, and in interviews he's extremely calm, controlled and even seems like an introverted shy sweetheart. With Ketu especially, everything is not what it seems. We don't know Beyonce, we don't know her internal processes. But these are ARIES natives. Ketu makes for passivity, an out-of reach or withdrawn person, so of course she won't come off as what we think Aries is! But if you actually pay attention to all of her works, she is intense and incredibly passionate and Martian. "I'm a Martian, they wishin' they equal," she definitely wrote that lyric knowing she's an Aries Rising.

Ashwinis make for really, really intense artists. Hello?? Daniel Day Lewis?? Again with him. He does not come off like an Aries, but if you have followed his acting career, you can just seeeee the fire. The art reflects inner processes. I repeat, art reflects inner processes. Pay attention to the art, not the fucking visuals, I mean the messages, the portrayals, the energy and the effort they put in their work. Your basic knowledge of Ashwini should be from all the copy pasted facts found in many websites about Ashwini which states that those born under Ashwini influence have the strength and stamina of horses. Have you people seen how thoroughbreds run on that field and train? Beyonce's stamina and work ethic for her performances reminds me of that exactly.

Stop limiting yourself to perceptions of vanity, beauty and outward “personalities” to one thing only. My goodness. This is why I support people making fun of astrology lmao. Allow yourself to see the layers and nuances to one nakshatra. Ashwini energy can be hardass and chaotic but the natives can also be internally hyperactive — though outwardly cool, calm, calculating and collected. And I explored this aspect before.

In this post, I talked about the differences between how Rahu and Ketu is perceived. I clearly gave more examples of Ketu nakshatras having one appear introspective and shy, while Rahuvians are perceived as a lot more polarizing, controversial and outwardly passionate. But that's just the nodes causing distortions because fundamentally, the rashis are what signify the underlying temperament. Ashwini and Swati are vastly different temperamentally. Also, Rahu wants to be seen, so Beyonce being Swati makes no sense. She is extremely quiet, distant and private.

[shipfishwrites]

i can't find my blogthoughts :( maybe i didn't blog them. maybe they were just thoughts. i've cobbled together here some notes from personal correspondence on the topic:

i think dragons and whers need a certain type of mind to be sane, to keep from instinctively going between in some kind of existential pain that's unimaginable and i think they are [in canon] beasts, animals, who can't reason and look for what they need... especially when they're newborn. so they just look for something close. and they grab onto the mind they find and they dig their little claws in and change it all in one go. that's what the joy of impression is for. it's flooding you with dopamine and serotonin to help ease your brain into accepting its new existence which has sheared half of it off an replaced with with a dragon. that's why you can make broad generalizations about, say, greenriders. greenriders at like that because half their brain is green dragon, they literally cannot be different. that's why bronzers all act like they have 12 inch dicks. that's why goldriders are always about madonna/whore and maiden/matron.

and additional thought that i remember thinking but can't find where/if i wrote it: this is horrifying for the bystanders moreso than the riders. having a friend or family member, someone you know intimately, turn into something else... something that's not them, something that you can see copied over everyone who shares their color impression... they use the same words to describe their bonded. their laugh changes; the way they hug changes. it reminds you of others of their rank. they're distracted -- unable to relate to you anymore. half of them has been paved over and replaced and they don't even seem to know it -- they describe the event as joyful, overwhelming, a blessing.

wild.

i think this is a great thing to think about because it's really truly fully 100% canon-compliant. it works because it's a watsonian analogue to the "true" doylist explanation of why certain colorriders act the way they do -- ex. bronzeriders fill a certain narrative role including tropes of headship, masculine ideation, etc., and, even in the cases where they aren't 'model' bronzers, they have to respond to that narrative role.

machismo comes for free with the bronze. you might also forget how to smile that way that your mama taught you, but you'll never know you did.

Everyone clap for non consensual body modification everybody loves a character whose body has been altered against their will

[thewritingfairy]

🪷 is here again. I hope I'm not bothering you but I have some more ideas.

1. Imagine something happens and when Alfred tells the reader "your mother will be disappointed" when they stand up for themselves reader snapped at Alfred. "She will be disappointed. Yes. Disappointed in *you*!" As they looked at him like his noting anymore to them. As that last shared of love they have for him die.

2. Imagine reader got really sick one day, where Alfred was not around and they collapsed in one of the abandoned parts of the manor. Get found by Bruce or Jason, as he sees them crying in their sleep. And as he picks them up to take them to their room he sees how sick and underweight they are. Saddenly as reader cry in their sleep they cling to him as they whispered something like "I'm sorry...mom I'm sorry...I didn't protect it...". And as he (Jason or Bruce) tries to put them in their bed they hold his hand as they whisper in their sleep (or maybe they are half asleep and too sick to know what is going on) "don't go...". {I want them to see more of the damage they made}

3. Alfred or Bruce sees the reader standing up for themselve to someone who is not from the family and feeling proud only to realizing the irony of how they feel proud of reader for standing up against someone who hurted them in a less way than how the Batboys did.

4. Dick meeting reader friends and them being cold towards him. I can imagine one of them chuwing him out. It will be best if it's another older sibling.

5. When Jason destroyed Reader's room the Batfamily saw all the broken awards they won, ripped books and art pieces and were truly surprised by how talented the reader is. And now they sometimes keep remembering the things they found and how they have something in common with the reader. Maybe they kept some of what they found in reader's room. "I mean, they don't need it. They have a replica." They tell themselves.

Jason finds a book reader that is an old diary of someone from the past. As he reades it he found small papers between the pages that have notes written by the reader about the person. He can't help but read them. Finding some of the jokes funny. Finding inner jokes both reader and that person did read (maybe Jason did read some of them or will read them).

Damian finds ripped art pieces that can't be replicated. They are so beautifully made but oh so wrecked. have so many emotions in them. And the more he peace the peaces together the more he sees.

Bruce found a book he remembers his mother reading for him when she was alive. He can't help but open it up to see the pages. Only to find it signed by the reader's mother. Some pages are ripped, but tankful he can fix it. He did put it in Reader's (new?) room, but. cant take his mind off it and off the reader.

Tim finds a hand clock he fixed. Looking at he he found that it seems that its parts were taken out and cleaned before being fixed. Realizing that the reader can tinker. He also found himself impressed by its old machinem, because it's more complicated than normal watches. Or maybe he found an old music box. He gave it back to the reader.

Related fic: 04.1 Jason's crime

You aren’t bothering me at all, but I will be honest, the only thing I would consider is Tim, one of the next chapter of the main fic will be about Tim (and cassandara). Tim is the only one that you have a cordial relationship with, he’s a child of neglect himself, he knows what you are going through but since you aren’t involved with the night business he sees it as a necessary evil. He’s observant like Cass, but unlike Cass he wouldn’t ignore your pain. He would try to help you, but he would do so invisibly.

I think some of the future side chapters might disturb some of you tbh (honestly maybe me too)

[lemotmo]

I still hate it. I get it from a business standpoint and this makes perfect sense. But he's dad and I'm devastated.

Q. He just signed the death certificate of his own show.

A. I'm going to preface this entire reply by saying I don't think he's really dead but I'm going to answer this way too dramatic ask from a pragmatic standpoint. So for the sake of this reply he is dead. AGAIN I DO NOT REALLY THINK HE'S DEAD BUT SOME OF THESE TAKES ARE INSANELY OVER DRAMATIC SO IM GOING TO REPLY TO THIS AS IF HE IS TRULY DEAD.

Instant reaction being raw and angry is understandable and relatable but the argument that no television show has ever done anything like this and survived is a frankly absurd argument. This is not new for television. It's definitely not new for ABC. In fact if he is truly dead I believe it was an ABC decision and not a Tim decision. There is a legitimate argument to me made for the long term benefit of killing a character like this off. Lots of shows that have run as long as 911 has need a reset at some point. This is an insanely expensive show to make. It will be going into its 3rd season on a new network which means there were probably several cast members who were due for new contracts and given the show's current status on the network those new contracts most likely came with pay increases. If you're a suit in the financial position at ABC it makes sense that something would need to give. Angela and Peter are the two most expensive cast members. And if the choice was between Peter Krause and Angela Bassett you're keeping the movie star every time. That's business. We can all hate it but it is.

As for the people yelling at me that I willed his death into existence by saying he was overused, I cannot help you. There is a drastic difference in saying a character desperately needs a rest and killing the character off. If you don't understand that, I don't know what to tell you. Tommy did not serve any kind of major role in this event. Stop that now. He is a helicopter pilot. They brought him in to fly a helicopter as a distraction, which is what his character was for his entire run of this plot, hello! and to allow Buck to verbally state the EX part out loud. I do think we will get a scene between him and Eddie next week, which I still think was the real reason he was brought back in the first place. Being pissed off at him getting a reaction to the death over Eddie is legitimate, understandable rage. That was inexcusable on every level. And I'm glad even the media is pointing that out. For one the man cannot act. He is incapable of emoting and looked constipated more than anything else. It was bad all the way around. The other problem was it was legitimately not a great episode in general. The plot was absurd with even the slightest bit of critical thinking applied. But moving characters and plotlines along with the use of grief is a media staple. That is common practice so people acting like the show basically has to start over from scratch because Bobby died is ridiculous. I cried hard last night. The dialogue was moving and did its job but the plot overall was absurd and does not feel real in any way. In conclusion I don't think it's real BUT if it is there are legitimate arguments to me made for doing it. We don't have to like it but that doesn't make them less true. I do think hell be alive and back by the season finale though. 🩷🩷

Thank you Nonny!

All right, this is the last ask I'm answering tonight. I'm tired and I need a break. 🥱

I thought this one was fitting to end on for today. 😋

I still hate how they went about this and I'm also still very much in camp 'HE ISN'T DEAD', but yeah... if he is we will have to deal with it in some way.🤷‍♀️ It'll hurt, but I'll get passed it because I still love this show too much to give up on it. ❤️

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[spacemothsota]

Cassette player from Cassette?

You know, I love cassettes in Transformers. (I love them so much that if you woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me what cassettes Soundwave and Blaster had, I could probably list them all by name.)

Many people underestimate them because of their size and the fact that they transform into cassettes and they are often reduced to the "children's" equivalent, but listen.. Just listen. In my mind, cassettes are not children at all, no, not at all, to go through such a war and stay alive, you know guys, they are definitely adults. Maybe teenagers close to becoming adults or this stupid period when you are kind of an adult, but you still need a "More adult adult". Moreover, in the comics, Rumble and Frenzy were actually miners, so let's keep that in mind, okay? In short, cassettes are quite adult and independent, this will be useful to us in my subsequent words.

In general, it seems like the show and comics have never said how strong this connection is between the cassette host and the cassette. What kind of connection is this? How do cassette host and cassettes work? Like… I don't remember it being said directly, but obviously there is a connection. (Remember how Soundwave feels pain from Ravage's death, or from Rumble's injury? Obviously the connection is strong, but what kind of connection is it?) How do cassette players and tapes work? HOW?

How the fuck does this work???

Well I have a couple of ideas about it actually, it may seem unusual, but here are a couple of my ideas.

It's pretty obvious that it's similar to symbiosis, where one species helps another in some way. While symbiosis can be parasitic in nature, I'm guessing that for Cybertronians it's more like a mutually beneficial phenomenon. Usually, creatures of different species enter into symbiosis, be it clownfish and sea anemones, or butterflies that feed on animal tears (they need it to get sodium). I think that cassette player and cassettes are more closely related. Aside from the obvious symbiotic relationship, where the one offers the cassette safety, care, and a secure life in exchange for some services from other side (like recording information, spying/intelligence activities, etc.), it seems to me that this could have a deeper evolutionary mechanism, for example for survival purposes?

Ever wonder why there are literally only two Cassette Host in the show and comics? It's literally just Soundwave and Blaster (Soundblaster doesn't count, he's a clone. Sorry, fans of that guy). It's also not really clear what niche they occupied in the caste system the Functionalists founded, but it's probably not a very high one since Soundwave was found on the street by Ravage. I think the fear here might be precisely because bots like them are capable of this type of symbiotic relationship. They don't need mods for it, they are designed to share their space and path with trusted Cassettes. This connection itself must imply that you understand each other on some deeper level. Maybe like Gestalts, a common type of internal connection that other bots can't recognize? I think that makes sense. You're basically slightly in each other's heads. The Cassette Host not only takes on the responsibility of providing the cassette, but also of regulating this internal connection, both emotional and physical. In return, the cassettes provide an unlimited ability to store and accumulate data (I think this is connected to their altform, that is, Rumble and Frenzy can be quite smart, they just don’t need it. A striking detail in this regard would be Rewind and how he helped Tailgate reduce the bomb’s radius, but there’s a lot that can be said about him). Understand? This increases the likelihood that the Cassette player and the cassettes act as a single, well-coordinated organism, it’s no wonder that the functionalists were afraid of this. This symbiosis can resemble from the outside both a family unit and a business gang, where there is a boss and cronies. In any case, here’s another thought of mine, what if…

What if, under certain conditions, a cassette tape could become a cassette player?

I know this might sound weird, but just hear me out. You know, I often come across the idea that cassette hosts can create cassettes, and that's a possibility, because my idea is based on that. Could a spark of such a bot be predisposed to create smaller sparks to provide security and support for those cassettes that don't have the ability to become cassette players? Look, we have a cassette host, it can have its own cassettes that it created, or those that were reformatted into this altform and taken under its wing. If the host is hurt or killed, cassettes can remain destitute and forgotten until they die, but what if, due to the symbiotic relationship of these Cybertronians, they have some kind of evolutionary mechanism? What if one host has enough cassettes that it realizes that it strains the internal communication and does not allow time for each? Then one or two cassettes created by the bot and having a predominantly humanoid form and also access to comfort and resources, begin to gain mass of the protoform, form a cassette deck and so on. They become new cassette players, provided that they have always been in this altform and have not been reformatted, I think the second type of cassettes is not capable of this mechanism. Why is this an evolutionary mechanism? Well, because perhaps earlier these two types of Cybertronians really belonged to different groups, but in the process of millennia and millions of years they were simply close for so long that they turned into one group. You know what, in essence, cassettes would be like an axolotl from our world (like… Have you seen an axolotl? They are actually not an adult version of an ambystoma)

This mechanism would essentially explain why we know only two cassette hosts and so many cassettes. Probably, before the war there were a sufficient and diverse number of them, but during the war many could have died and Soundwave and Blaster essentially picked up the destitute, deprived of communication and scared cassettes. None of the cassettes had the necessary level of comfort, fuel and other factors that would contribute to the evolution into a new host, you understand? In essence, this means that Soundwave and Blaster were loaded with an additional level during the war (that's why they look tired, taking care of so many charges is tiring…)

I can just see how after the war, with the improvement in the quality of life, one of the cassettes finally decided that the conditions are good enough, but there are too few hosts… It's time to evolve into an adult version and become a cassette player.

I hope Soundwave can rest and this won't be another world.

[soradayone]

“Before she can get any farther, Rangi snatches her wrist, brings her glistening fingers to her mouth, and starts to suck them clean.

Kyoshi’s breath gives way to a choked gasp. Her mouth falls open, eyes wide with adoration and lust as Rangi swirls her tongue around her fingers.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56977657

This is by far the LONGEST I have ever spent on a drawing in such a long time. Honestly, I have to stop here because any more and I'll start becoming exceedingly critical when this was meant to just allow myself to practice incorporating color into my art with the intent to deepen it. I do want to segway into talking about this scene because to put it plainly: I was not expecting it. When I first read this, I had just finished Stay Close, Float Home and was still sort of in between a state of euphoria, inspiration, and disbelief. It was a lot, but I've already talked about why that is so I'm not going to elaborate further to save anyone reads this some time. So then I clicked on the author's profile to see that there were other works and I happened to click this one next about a few hours later (I saw the tags, I never clicked so fast in my life).

Honestly, this wasn't even the wildest thing to happen if you take into account what happened before this. For some reason, I didn't anticipate what would happen next because I was so focused on visualizing this that when I did read this part, I physically put my hand over my mouth. Flabbergasted, surprised, shock, whatever synonym you can think of, think of that because it quite literally took the breath right on out of my lungs and I don't think I've ever stopped thinking about it. And it's been, what, a little over four weeks now?

I have many more thoughts but I'd rather transition over to discuss how this started as a sketch in my sketchbook since it suddenly came back to my mind but then the sketch just wasn't enough. I wanted there to be the soft purples, yellows, and reds that I saw and felt when reading that passage specifically. Yellow was the biggest color for me in this illustration not only because the setting was a hot day, but because of how there was a song I had listened to over and over again when making this that SOUNDED yellow to me. The song is called Crème Brulée by David Archuleta and it's this very sweet, groovy, airy sound (it's also very breathy and sensual so you can see how it's kind of related). It's definitely not subtle on what it's about but it was such a perfect blend of sound and colors that made this piece so much fun. If there's anything I've learned about myself in this last month alone after getting back into art and music, it's that I didn't realize I listen to music in color (it almost feels like I can taste it sometimes haha). Anyway, this wasn't meant to be too long of a read but who am I kidding, I could talk about this all day because when you've fallen back in love with the art of creating, it's just this addictive feeling that just doesn't really stop burning. So I write this with the intention to remember it. So that when the eventual and inevitable artist block hits again, I can remember what it felt like to overcome it.

[wlwsoccerfics]

Too much (TheMatildasXReader)

A/N: i hope you like it. I know it's short but i really hope i put everything in you suggested in the request.

Warning: blood, injury

Summary: you don't Deal well with blood when it comes to other people.

You certainly didn't think that the Game against the US Womens football Team was gonna end like it did. At least for you. Because the rest of your team was able to continue playing.

But let's start from the beginning. It was the Game against the US. You always loved international Break because you also got to spent it with your older sister Macie who is a medic for the Matildas. Which you and your girlfriend of a year Teagan played for. Teagan was a Goalkeeper. You were a Striker. Your Cousin happened to be Kelley O'Hara. She was watching the Game in the stands. She used to play for the US. Now she was there to enjoy the Game.

The Game was in your Teams favor, at the Moment you were leading against the US, It was 2-4 for the Matildas. And the Game was almost over. There were only 5 minutes left. You passed the ball to Kyra and saw one of the opponents slide into her. Making her fall. Getting the elbow of the Player in her face. Which resulted in Kyra having her a Cut between her left eye and nose.

Your sister and the other medic ran over right away. Checking on Kyra. You looked from a few feet away. Noticing the blood. Your Cousin in the stands frowned softly. She knew what was about to happen. Macie looked over to you quickly and remembered as well that you couldn't see other people blood without fainting. So she tried to warn Mini and Caitlin who were standing close to you.

"Catch y/n!" She yelled cause she saw you swaying and looking Pale but before they could react you were already on the ground. Head hitting the ground.

"oh Shit!" Caitlin said and kneeled down in front of you. Mini looking around for help. Your girlfriend running over as fast as possible.

"Babe!" She yelled out. It was pure Chaos.

Your Sister quickly fixed up Kyra. Putting a Bandage on her head, giving her an ice pack. The US medics went to check on you already cause your teammates were panicking. Especially Teagan.

"we have to get her inside." The opponents medic told your girlfriend and teammates. Kyra was able to continue playing . Teagan wanted to go with you so Macca was subbed in.

They walked down the Tunnel with you. Your Cousin Kelley already waiting for you in the medics room. It did help that she still had Connections.

"why isn't she waking up?" Your girlfriend asked the medics.

"probably a Concussion." The medics answered. You slowly woke up. Letting out a small whimper.

"god my head hurts!" You admitted. Slowly blinking. Trying to open your eyes.

"you passed out when you saw Kyra bleeding!" Teagan explained.

"she should have told you and the Team that she struggles with seeing other people bleed. Her own blood is fine though. A little amount is also sometimes okay. But Kyra...that was too much." Kelley explained.

"i am sorry i didn't tell you." You answered. Looking exhausted. Teagan kissed your hand gently after intertwining your fingers.

"i am just glad you are awake." Teagan let you know. Smiling a bit.

"me too!" Your sister said, walking into the room with some of your teammates.

"she still should get a Check up at the hospital." The medics stated.

"i will drive her there." Macie replied.

"i will come with you!" Your girlfriend answered. Then Zorah spoke up. She was new to the Matildas and usually plays for Liverpool. She tried hitting on you but you let her down nicely. Zorah didn't take it well.

"who knew that some blood could take out y/n. Good to know for when my Club plays against Arsenal again." Zorah said and laughed softly. No one found it funny though.

"try that and i will let Arsenal score on purpose!" Your girlfriend grumbled.

"this Is not funny! We don't laugh at eachother for things we struggle with! We are a Family!" Mini almost snapped.

"yeah what Mini said!" Steph agreed. Zorah ended up apologizing when she felt the heat of the others telling her off.

You did get a Check up at the hospital and was only allowed to leave cause your sister offered to watch over you and so did Teagan. A month later you played again on the field. Only for like the Last 5 minutes to slowly get back into the game. After the concussion had taken you out.

[ilovepersephoneprice]

this theory is becoming increasingly more popular and i want to shut it down before it starts over here (which I know you guys would never do because you think more critically about a piece of media than tiktok hunger games fans)

MRS SNOW (Coriolanus' mother) WAS NOT COVEY.

I'm really passionate about this (Snow family lore, especially Coriolanus' mother) and I mean it when I say it consumes my every waking thought (autistic special interest things!) so I can say with full confidence, Coriolanus' mother was not covey.

I use the name Junia to refer to Mrs Snow because as much as I understand the literary purpose behind not revealing Coriolanus' mother's name (so we have to refer to her as Mrs Snow or Coriolanus’ mother, meaning she is only remembered and "known" for her connections to men in her life (her husband and her son) and how wonderful women can get lost in history because of their relation to awful men) I think it's much easier to use a first name, especially since at the time we will be speaking about her, she'll either not be Mrs Snow yet, or if she is, not Coriolanus' mother yet. Junia. remember that. I understand it could get a little confusing

I've wanted to write this for a bit now and I finally am, at 5:33 am with 3 hours of sleep, having woken up at 4 am (finished this at 7:09 am)

I wanted to fully debunk this so I have thought of reasons for my opposing beliefs and possible stories for how such could work, and debunked those as well

I'm a thorough bitch. and this is my shit so let's get on with it

there are 3 main things I see people reference when reasoning how

1. her singing

2. we don't know her name (put our thinking caps on with information I stated previously and this will already be reasoned away)

3. and her compact (which can be wishy-washy but once again, debunked)

Let's start with 1. her singing

let's get one thing clear, singing ≠ singer/performer. I sing, and I'm not Taylor Swift. same way someone who plays guitar isn’t Brian May, someone who raps isn't Eminem, or someone who played piano isn't a relative of Mozart. The Covey are not the only musical people in Panem. This is why the ban on music is so stupid. Coriolanus loved music, not only demonstrated with the Covey, because his love for the Covey's music comes from his mother, his mother's love of music. Music is part of being human. It's why, across countries, before there was any easy way to contact someone so far away, people were making similar music. Same with Panem. But because he's bitter and mad about Lucy Gray leaving him, he's glad all music is gone. Even the fond memories of his mother's. Which adds more into how much like Crassus he's become, abandoning all things of his mother's.

" "And the valley song was, like you told me, maybe a way to get food," she [Lucy Gray] said.

"It was beautiful," he [Coriolanus] said. "It made me feel like when my mother . . . she died when I was five. It made me remember a song she used to sing me." " - page 88, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

is the quote I think people are using most as reference or idea for this theory.

Remember, the Covey moved from place to place, before the war at least. They were performers. Junia enjoyed art, singing, everything the Covey was. And before they were villianised, rounded up into the districts for not being Capitol, I'm sure they performed in the Capitol. (THIS IS RELEVANT FOR A LATER POINT. THIS POINT IS REITERATED WITH HER COMPACT.) The same way mom's sing and hum their favourite songs to themselves now, and always have, Junia probably did the same. "The valley song" the use of the word "the" suggests it's something established, meaning the Covey had probably performed it long before Lucy Gray even knew it (which would have to be true to support another point that I also disprove). I've seen hundreds of videos of mom's or older sisters or whatever coming home from a concert, or just singing their favourite song to or around their kids/younger siblings/whatnot.

This does not make Junia Covey.

point 2, we don't know her name

see paragraph 3 of this post to have this debunked.

Us not knowing Junia's first name speaks less to an erasure of Covey folk (especially since the Covey genocide didnt happen till the war) and more to the ownership of women by their husbands or women's only revelance and supposed purpose to serve the men in their lives in a lot of societies. If we don't know her first name, we are forced to refer to her as Mrs Snow, which is Crassus' last name, therefore tying her to Crassus, or Coriolanus' mother, which is only her relation to Coriolanus. She could've cured cancer, and still, all of that praise would still be credited towards her connection to men. She could've been the loveliest lady around, but since she's only known as her connection to these awful men, she's forgotten for her kindess and known as this dictator's mother or this tyrant's wife.

This does not make Junia Covey.

3. her compact

Someone tried to connect Tam Amber to the lyrics engraved on Junia's compact. Tam Amber is, according to Hunger Games wiki, about 26 in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Meaning, at the absolute oldest, he would've been 13 when Junia died. We don't get a mention of him being a metal worker, at least that I know of, correct me if I'm wrong, until Sunrise on The Reaping. Why? maybe because he picked up that occupation when they were no longer allowed to sing. Trying to suggest Tam Amber engraved the lyrics on Junia's compact is like suggesting Jack Antonoff produced Elvis' songs. He was not there to do so. They're connected through generations in the same industry, sure, you can make that stretch, but he wasn't directly there. NOT THE MENTION THE FACT THAT I DONT THINK THE LYRICS ON HER COMPACT ARE CONFIRMED. ONCE AGAIN, CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG, I WILL CORRECT MYSELF, BUT I DONT THINK THATS CONFIRMED. So, IF there were lyrics on the compact, it is much more likely Junia got it engraved, ordered it to be engraved, or ordered it engraved from, I don't know, ONE OF THE DISTRICTS CLOSEST TO THE CAPITOL KNOWN FOR THAT KIND OF TRADE. Once again with a modern day analogy, saying Junia must've been Covey because her compact allegedly had Covey song lyrics on it, is not only one, ignoring the Covey's history, but two, like saying I'm Taylor Swift because I have a jumper with her song lyrics on it. and guess what as well? my mum made that jumper for me, not Taylor Swift herself. Are you guys getting it yet?

This does not make Junia Covey.

So, as my final point that proves it more than any of those debunked reasons, what's more likely?

Crassus fell in love with a Covey girl, like his idiot son, who can't stand on business for shit. like, look, I hate Crassus, but at least he stands on business. Crassus fell in love with a Covey girl when they were touring through the Capitol, swore she's be able to continue her passion of performing, luring her away with love and freedom (because if we know anything about Covey, it's that they dont love each other dearly and are free spirits and we're able to behave so at this point /sarcasm) then basically colonised her, erased her history, and "tainted" the Snow bloodline with someone who wasn't "Capitol pure." OR she was Captiol, black sheep of the family so felt trapped loveless, he promised her that, reeled her in, and ended up trapping her into a life with him. What do you think, guys? because I think people reciting this theory are forgetting how babies are made. and how strict Grandmaam, Crassus, and the Snows as a whole were on Capitol purity. Crassus hated being in the same room as a person from the Districts (Strabo), what makes you think he'd have sex, MORE THAN ONCE. LIKE IT WASNT SOME DRUNKEN HOOK UP THAT MADE CORIOLANUS. HE MARRIED THIS WOMAN. AND GOT HER PREGNANT AGAIN AFTER CORIOLANUS. anyway, what makes you think he'd have sex with a girl, and have kids with her, who was anything less than pure Capitol for as long as her family history was documented?

so, in simple summary, once again, Mrs Snow is NOT covey.

thank you for reading! I'm really passionate about this, and it feels better to rant to you guys about this than my mum or friends who I know it will fall on deaf ears with.

I wouldn't dislike the idea of Junia being Covey as a concept, but given the lore, I would dislike it because it doesn't make sense. A Junia Covey AU, though, would be super cute.

[basedhighsenberg]

Okay, story time it is.

Outside of what happened with one of my close friends, two years ago I was going through a hard time over the summer and doing a lot of self reflection and genuinely feeling very lost.

After a particularly bad few weeks, I remember I was going through some of my things in storage when I found an older bible, a paraphrased "Living Bible" that I'd had for a while and completely forgot about.

Years before this (probably a decade), I used to work in a library system when I lived upstate New York. Of the many jobs I performed, one involved processing book donations at the main library branch in my county. There was a loading dock in the parking lot, where people would generally leave boxes of books, and we would all (staff) sometimes pick through them.

The library had policies about what kind of books it could take (newer, no stains or yellowed pages, no heavy damage, etc) and would send ones it couldn't take to a recycling plant. And I remember one day, picking this bible out of a box of books because it was yellowed and was destined for the mulcher.

Going back to a few years ago when I found it in my things, I decided then that it was as good a time as any to start reading it and see how I felt. When I opened the front cover, I found my mom's name written in it.

By some bizarre twist of fate, she had dropped some books off at the library to donate years before, and I had picked through them without ever knowing they were hers. I had never opened the bible up to that point and just had it in my things for years, mostly forgotten.

I can't quite put the experience into words other than it felt like I was flashbanged by God. And if that wasn't enough, as I was reading it I was also reading the highlights and notes my mom had written in it and realized that she had been going through something similar in her life at a similar time.

While I was reading it and connecting to it, I realized that there had been something inside of me that had been longing for Christ for a long time. I don't really have a good explanation as to why I denied Him for most of my life other than I thought it was a expectation of a what a rational person should do, and because of some misguided adolescent desire to be non-conforming and different.

After that happened, I started attending various church services online- although infrequently. It wasn't until the passing of my friend last year that I started attending more frequently, both for a desperate need for comfort & peace, and because I feel like I experienced things after her passing, that cannot be... explained away rationally. Things that shook me to my core, that I've discussed with very few people, it made me feel like I needed to "get right with God."

I don't know how my experiences truly relate to other Christians. All I know for sure is that Jesus has saved me from more things than I can count, both things I didn't want and things I thought I wanted. I don't think I would have gotten through last year at all especially if I hadn't turned to Him, my thoughts and my heart had gone to truly dark places and I was on the edge of some truly heinous actions involving the individual who took my friend's life.

That being said, I believe that everything in my life had to happen the way it did and couldn't have happened any other way because He deemed it so. Even recent events involving a certain Tumblr harpy, although not fun, have helped bring me closer to Him.

I try to read my Bible regularly (I have 2 more now in addition to my mom's), I go to church every Sunday, I pray every day and every night. I'm not baptized- yet. I have zero desire to be performative or to engage in any sort of theological debate, and I do not claim to be an expert about anything Christian.

Nevertheless, here I am, and here it is. I can feel Him reshaping me proundly for the better, I do not feel like I am worthy of any of it, and yet He still is there for me. And I am eternally grateful for that.

What led you to Christ?

Numerous things in the past few years, more than I care to go into detail about.

But, the strongest was probably the murder of one of my best friends last year.

[starlingfawn]

as i watched you return from the rising water's edge

[remcadll]

Wow crazy how it’s been two months since mha ended. what the hell was that btw

[wewontbesleeping]

"I've never wanted to make an album full of happy songs. I don't think that's ever going to happen."

[startswith0]

Shinichi : these are a few of my favourite things!

Football/soccer!

Detective mystery novels!

Singing! Even tho he's tone-deaf

And, Ran Mouri! 🌸🌸

[saturnscherie]

༄ A Second Chance for Tsumiki’s Happiness

༄ An analysis on why I think Megumi *chose* this memory a second time, for his final moment before death.

When Yuji accepted Megumi’s wish to die, Megumi knew that he didn’t have to continue living because Yuji was finally going to get rid of Sukuna and take him down along with him.

But, when Yuji saw him again after that scene, he found young Megumi in the same memory that changed his life forever. The scene where he chose to become a sorcerer, to protect Tsumiki’s happiness.

I always implied that we see this memory a second time because it was supposed to be a representation of Megumi walking towards death to join Tsumiki in the afterlife.

I think this is what's being presented because, in the memory where Gojo finds Megumi, Megumi was on his way home to Tsumiki, who we saw later on, waiting and watching through their window for him to arrive.

This small but significant detail of Tsumiki waiting for Megumi is important because it seems Megumi wished to return to the day when he accepted Gojo’s offer to become a sorcerer.

After all, he knew that if he went back to that day he could just keep walking forward, instead of turning around; he could choose to join Tsumiki at home, instead of choosing to become a sorcerer.

(He even turns back around to face his home mid way through his convo with Gojo. It looks like a part of him wanted to just go inside instead of hear Gojo out.)

༄ Tsumiki’s Happiness

From my understanding, Megumi never wanted to be a sorcerer for his own sake. He only chose that path because it was his only way at the time, to bring Tsumiki happiness.

Megumi further proves this point when he talks about his dream life because he didn't mention being a sorcerer at all. He only mentioned wanting to create a world where Tsumiki wouldn't have to suffer and if he couldn't do that he wanted to at least be able to preserve their fragile life.

༄ Tsumiki was the first person Megumi truly wanted to save and not being able to do so, made him lose his will to continue living life, without her.

If you remember, at the end of the Shibuya Incident arc, Kenjaku said that they carefully picked every person they gave cursed objects. We find out later that Tsumiki became the vessel for Yorozu, meaning she was given her cursed object.

This implies that Tsumiki was specifically targeted to be used in their Jujutsu terrorism because she was involved in the world of sorcery, through Megumi.

I think Megumi understood that this was the case, and couldn't help but blame himself for becoming a sorcerer, even though it wasn't his fault.

In his mind, the day he chose to become a sorcerer is what would eventually lead Tsumiki to her downfall. Her death meant he wasn’t able to protect her happiness, the one thing he so dearly wanted to do, from such a young age.

At the end of the day, all he ever wanted out of agreeing to be a sorcerer, was to make his older sister happy. If Tsumiki was happy, he would be happy as well. A life without her had no meaning because ultimately, her happiness was his reason for living.

༄ Final Thoughts

Megumi returning to that same memory gives off the impression that maybe, just maybe there was a small feeling inside of him, where he believed that he could get a second chance at protecting Tsumiki’s happiness, by joining her in the afterlife.

He already knew that the life he lived as a sorcerer didn’t bring her happiness. Choosing to go home instead of choosing to be a sorcerer, would give him another chance to save her. They could both start over and continue living their life, together in peace, without being involved in the cruel, harsh world of Jujutsu Sorcery.

༄ I will make a separate post [Part 2], explaining why I think Megumi *chose* to turn around a second time, in the scene with Yuji, instead of joining Tsumiki at home/joining her in the afterlife. ♡