#but also if i proceed to go to the blog and it's less than a month old and only full of self rbs of a fundraiser post

[lesenbyan]

i wish tumblr users a very vet blogs before you donate to them

[howtofightwrite]

So. There is no safe place (in the body) to be shot. There are places that are slightly safer than others to be stabbed (i.e. being stabbed in the meat of your calf is less likely to be lethal than your torso). For the purposes of an arrow wound, which feels like a combination of shot+stab for a swords n sorcery world, is there a “less lethal” place to take an arrow? My character is traveling with companions and gets into a fun little goblin skirmish. I need her to catch an arrow somewhere that will be concerning, but not immediately fatal. Magic Bullshit™️ will keep the wound from healing properly for a few days, but I’ve accounted for field wound care (cleaning and bandaging and such) as she’s being taken on horseback to get proper treatment.

Not deeply.

So, the problem with all of these is tissue disruption. If the injury gets deep enough, the chances that it will hit something vital (especially on the torso) increase dramatically. So, getting stabbed and having the blade catch bone, instead of getting in deeper is “relatively” safe. Similarly, getting stabbed (or shot) in the hand or foot is unlikely to kill you (though, those injuries are likely to result in permanent damage impairing the use of injured appendage.)

Arrows are a little different, in a couple of ways. First, if you get shot, you do not want to pull that off (nor break it off and push it through.) That will increase the risk of bleeding out. Arrows make fairly large holes in people, but if the arrow sticks in the wound (which, it should) it will actually limit the amount of bleeding. Effectively the wound has a partial plug in it. Pulling out the arrow means that plug is no longer there, and they can happily bleed to death on the spot.

The second thing about arrows is that they actually pin muscle together. Think of it a bit like holding two pieces of meat together with a toothpick. If the toothpick isn't there, the pieces can slide across each other without issue, but that's not possible when there's a wooden shaft running through them. Your muscles are a complex web of meat, that slide over each other as you move. Pinning those together means that part of your body will actually lock up. For example, if you're shot in the shoulder, you won't be able to adjust the position of your arm. It's been toothpicked, and it's not going anywhere.

Arrowheads can get wedged in bone. If it's a broad head, or hunting tip, that will be obnoxious to get out.

At the risk of reading too much into your setting, goblins often means poisons, or other nastiness. Though, really, even just getting a tetanus infection (it used to be called “lock jaw”) from their blades is a pretty horrific potential fate. Even if the wounds themselves were relatively minor (cuts and scrapes, maybe a graze or two), a couple days might still result in some pretty horrific harm after the fact.

Also, remember, it's unlikely that bacteria will be understood by the medical science of your setting. So, first aid would still run a real risk of secondary infections.

Depending on their skill in first aid, anything outside of a severed artery or catastrophic organ damage should be (technically) survivable, though the wounds could easily result in permanent impairments, depending on exactly what was hit. A punctured lung might not kill her, but it could result in permanent respiratory issues, such as a cough, and chronic pain while breathing heavily from then on. It could also result in pneumonia and death, which is also, usually, pretty permanent.

Some of this depends more on where you want to land on a spectrum between dark fantasy and swords & sorcery. The genres are similar (and potentially overlapping), but can scatter out into dramatically different works. But, you do have some options on how you want to proceed.

-Starke

This blog is supported through Patreon. Patrons get access to new posts three days early, and direct access to us through Discord. If you’re already a Patron, thank you. If you’d like to support us, please consider becoming a Patron.

[aibloomie]

Hello! I'm a fan of the way you write and I love your blog!

I noticed that requests were open so here I go-

Can you write headcanons on how Scaramouche, Diluc and Cyno would react to their s/o getting flustered and randomly hiding their face onto the characters body (neck, back, etc.)

Sorry if that is a weird request and thank you ♡

HIDING YOUR FLUSTERED SELF ON THEM

✧ featuring — scaramouche, cyno, and dilic x gn!reader

thank you for the request and for your patience on how long it took for me to write it </3 this was really cute to write and I apologize in advance if cyno is ooc, this was my first time writing for him 

one of scaramouche’s delights when it came to you was kissing you out of the blue just to make your mind go blank and proceed to then tease you over how easy it is to catch you off guard. it was so fun because not only does he get to feel your lips against his (which he loves way more than he’ll ever admit), but he also gets to see your dazed out expression once he pulls away, seeing that you’re in a mix of wanting more but also trying to remember what you were even doing before he had randomly kissed you.

naturally, you got a little bit fed up with the smugness in his face whenever he saw your flustered expression. you love him with all your heart, but if you saw that smirk one more time then you might just have to dropkick him.

so now, before you could see the amused glint in his eyes when he pulled back, you instead resorted to burying your face into the crook of his neck, which certainly left him the confused and flustered one for a split second. 

of course you couldn't see—but his cheeks blossomed with the prettiest shade of pink, he was taken aback. his hearstrings felt as if they had been tugged ever so gently. how was it even possible for you to be so cute? for you to make him adore you even more than what he thought was feasible?

“what are you-” it takes him a while to realize why you had done that. congrats, because your plan failed and the gesture made the boldness in his chest come back.

“my, my. are you going to do this every time I succeed in teasing you?” scaramouche asks, his voice oozing with gratification. “because if that's the case, I guess my neck will be your new home from now on.”

(he says that now but there will definitely be a time where he gives in and leans his head against yours, tilting his hat down when he feels his cheeks heat up, and he stays in that position with you in comfortable and loving silence)

cyno, who tried to soothe your stressed out self in the manner he believed to be the best when it came to balancing out the atmosphere in the room. yes, attempting to make you laugh. he sat beside you and looked at you seriously, which almost made you ask if something was the matter but he spoke first.

“your legs must be very tired,"

“wh-”

“because you’ve been running through my head all day.”

being his lover, of course you were accustomed to his habit of trying to lighten up the mood that stemmed from him wanting to be less intimidating. but they usually didn’t come in the form of a pick up line, and it left you momentarily forgetting about what was stressing you out in the first place.

you felt your face heating up as you started laughing before you hid your face against the side of his shoulder. 

“you’re laughing.” cyno noted, a VERY small (but pleased) smile formed on his face. “I guess my humor isn’t as bad as some people make it seem.”

but cyno could feel the heat that was rising on your face as you continued thinking about his gesture. eventually, your shaking body from your laughter came to an end and his interest was piqued. “did I make you laugh so hard you passed out?”

his question came out so matter of factly that it just made you laugh again. “not yet, silly.” your response was short, but he could tell from the way your voice wavered that you were off in la la land. he pieced it together and figured that the contents of his joke must have had an effect on you.

warmth spread through his chest at that new found knowledge. “hm, I’ll have to make more of these jokes in the future." he was surprisingly pleased by your reaction, and waited patiently for you to raise your head so he could catch your flustered state and relish the sight.

diluc was in bed with you, both of you turned towards each other as you guys talked about anything that came to mind. his hand reached over behind you to soothe your back, his touch along with the softened fiery eyes that stared into yours made fireworks go off in you. you paused midsentence.

he raised a brow, humming to indicate his confusion.

he caught a glimpse of your flustered expression, right before you wrapped your arms around him and buried your face snuggly into his chest. his cheeks flared crimson, and you could tell how he was feeling without even seeing his face because you could hear his now quickened heartbeat. 

“my love, are you alright?” his question came out a little awkwardly as he struggled with thinking of something else to say. he then placed one of his hands behind your head gently, honestly not minding the touch, and he wouldn’t be opposed to staying in that position with you for longer. 

your words came out muffled against his chest, and diluc found himself smiling at the sound and he regained his composure. he didn't make an attempt to pull you back or tease you, not wanting to embarass you in any way. his words were reassuring though, coming out like silk from his mouth.

"we can stay like this for as long as you need to.”

[nocturnalcharm]

NSFW Alphabet (Logan Howlett)

𐙚 cw: everything nsfw that you can imagine. i made logan SO fucking horny lol 𐙚 a/n: all of these are just my ~opinions~ so feel free to disagree w me lol also maybe a lil self indulgent so probs not v accurate to wolvie but its alr :,) 18+ blog!! you are responsible for your own media consumption. if any of the above makes you uncomfortable, do not proceed.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

— he helps clean you up, considering he goes like 4 fucking rounds and by the end of it, you can barely walk. helps you to the bathroom n all hehe

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

— hmm.. feel like his favorite body part on himself is his arms. and on you it’s your ass. he’s def an ass man.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

— so sorry but he cums a LOT. like a fuckton of cum, no pun intended.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

— he works out, not just bc of his job etc, but bc he likes to be able to throw you around like a ragdoll ohmygoshhh.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

—mhmm yes maam. he knows exactly what he’s doing, very experienced.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

— rly likes standing up, holding you under your legs. ALSO doggy and he pulls your hair, so your back is arched. ALSO ALSO,, missionary bc he likes to see your face

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

— def serious. never goofy. maaaybe if yall are drunk he’d be less serious but other than that.. nah.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

— he’s hairy for sureee. very hairy. keeps it tidy for you tho.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

— hahaha.. not romantic. he’s dominant and rough and mean. talks dirty, slaps, chokes

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

— tbh, feel like he doesn’t masturbate. like he’d 100% rather fuck you, and if he can’t, he’d rather just wait til he can.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

— dirty talk, spanking, lil bit of bdsm, likes to handcuff you sometimes, i could go on..

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

— bed or shower. he likes the shower for easy cleanup heheh. but tbh will fuck you anywhere if he’s horny enough

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

— lingerie. and when you sit on his lap!! also when you touch him a lot in public, doesn’t even have to be dirty, just like holding his arm, rubbing his back,,,, oof

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

— cuckholding. he’s way too possessive and jealous. not that you’d want another man to fuck you bc he does such a good job.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

— definitely likes eating pussy. feel like he can cum JUST from eating you out. you love sucking his dick too though. 69 often.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

— starts out nice & slow, so you can get used to his cock, but once you’re good, he is a fucking jackhammer; rough and fast.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

— i feel like he fucks whenever and wherever he can, no matter the time limit. he is horny. like all the time. so yeah he likes quickies.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

— likes to experiment. normally it’s you bringing up a new idea and he’s always down to try it, but if he’s not a fan, he will tell you

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

— oof.. multiple rounds. that man has STAMINA. like 3-4 rounds, or more depending on his day. typically ends with you begging for him to cum bc you can’t take anymore.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

— he doesn’t care for toys, just prefers you and him alone together. but wouldn’t be opposed to trying it if you really wanted to try something

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

— he loves to tease you; loves to watch you squirm just from his words

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

— he definitely does dirty talk and isn’t against moaning/grunting but he’s not loud.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

— just imagining you in the middle of fucking and you ask him to slap you, and he’s a lil hesitant at first bc he doesn’t want to hurt you but you both end up liking it ughhh

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

— he’s big girl… very girthy, and like 8 inches long.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

— HIIIGH. extremely high. can go multiple rounds, but it’s good bc you can too

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

— he falls asleep like right after, soon as he and you are cleaned up, he’s knocked out

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Taglist:

@figsnpassionfruits @marcybug @sacred-holy-light @keigohawks @rockytheluver @parasiiite @iluvstrawberry @18lkpeters @daydreamin1220 @hoesformenotforyou @ninuwrites @chaoticpaintsplatter @red-jay @sweet1squash @here2bawl @silversprings-mp3 @leathargic @issylovessharks @serenewrote @jakegyllenbaalz @whore-for-marvel @cookiesandcreammoolkshake @what-did-you-just-say @demitralover @midnight036 @lanassmarty @sugarrushbell @kitomon @lysmeadows @halpin4 @rebelmarylou @jupitersiberis @ginamcflurry @dilflover-420 @blubobbi @midsommarmayqueen911 @popsickle1235 @jairmi @maxx205 @kmc217 @callmejod @bellaaa32

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The Cory Doctorow Humble Bundle

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then San Francisco (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

It's been 21 years and 29 days since Tor Books published my first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. In the years since, Tor has published every one of my novels, sending me around the USA and Canada to talk about them. Now, they've teamed up with Humble Bundle to sell 18 of my ebooks on a name-your-price basis, with part of the proceeds going to benefit EFF:

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/cory-doctorow-novel-collection-tor-books-books

I've been associated with EFF even longer than I've been published by Tor! My first novel came out while I was working EFF's first-ever booth at CES. I split my time between the booth and my motel room, where I paid $0.25/call to dial up to Earthlink's local number and manage the launch-day publicity. Over the years, I've benefited immensely from Tor's editorial and publicity departments, working with brilliant publishing people like Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Patty Garcia, Dot Lin, Laura Etzkorn, Elena Stokes, Sarah Reidy, Lucille Rettino, and of course, Tor founder Tom Doherty.

But I like to think that it was a two-way street. Tor and I have come a long way together on ebooks: most visibly, they allowed me to publish several novels under Creative Commons licenses (my first book was the first ever CC book, coming out just weeks after the licenses themselves launched). As my editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden said at the time, "Ebooks have the worst hours-in-meeting-to-dollars-in-revenue ratio of anything in my publishing career. Why not?"

https://craphound.com/down/download/

Just as important – but less visible – was Tor's willingness to let me insist that all my books be published without DRM, meaning that anything you buy on say, Amazon, can be moved to any reader program if you decide to start getting your ebooks elsewhere. This worked so well that in 2012, Tor became the first major publisher in the world to ban DRM on all its ebooks, flying me, John Scalzi and Charlie Stross to New York City to announce it this at a big, splashy event at Book Expo America:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130512022634/https://tor.com/blogs/2012/06/tor-books-announces-e-book-store-doctorow-scalzi-a-stross-talk-drm-free

Tor's unique status as the sole major DRM-free publisher in the world was well timed! That same year, I curated the very first Humble Ebook Bundle, which was very top-heavy with Tor titles, and raised more than $1,000,000 for the writers, publishers and charities associated with it:

https://web.archive.org/web/20121017215636/http://www.humblebundle.com/

That opened the floodgates to a series of Humble Bundles, tempting other major publishers to dabble with DRM-free, including Simon and Schuster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-I5QyAfglU

And Harpercollins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHMLfeCrCrE

Now, 12 years after that inaugural Humble Ebook Bundle, I find myself honored by being the subject of a bundle of my own (it helps that I've written a hell of a lot of books in the intervening years). Included in the bundle are (nearly) all of my Tor novels and novellas: The Lost Cause; "The Canadian Miracle" (a Lost Cause story); Red Team Blues; Radicalized; Walkaway; "Party Discipline" (a Walkaway story); Pirate Cinema; Rapture of the Nerds (with Charlie Stross); For The Win; Makers; Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town; Eastern Standard Tribe, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Little Brother, Homeland, Attack Surface, and "Lawful Interception" (a Little Brother story).

(The sole exclusion is The Bezzle, which came out two weeks ago and is already a USA Today national bestseller!)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle

Also included in the bundle is Poesy the Monster Slayer, my 2020 picture book for the littlies:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627/poesythemonsterslayer

All these books are delivered as DRM-free epub files. The Bundle runs for the next three weeks, and the minimum buy-in is $18 – that's just $1/book (full retail value is $187). Of course, you can name a higher price, and, as with all Humble Bundles, you can adjust the final split to share out the money between me, EFF, and the Humble folks.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/03/humbly-bundled/#eff-too

[azure-firecracker]

The X-Files Season 2 Review (First-Time Watcher)

We made it! I feel like I spent forever watching this season. First my dad was hogging the tv and then I went away to summer camp, but I got there eventually (and what an ending to get to! but that’s for the individual episode reviews).

And wow. For as much as I enjoyed Season 1, I LOVED season 2. I feel like the show took everything I loved about Season 1 and turned it up to 100.

I said somewhere in my Season 1 Review that this show is at its best when it makes darker episodes, and this season certainly realized that because I feel like it was a real tone shift from season 1. The atmosphere felt less campy, much more grim, a lot gloomier. Worse things began to happen, to Scully and Mulder but also to the bystanders, and the stakes felt much higher.

Having watched this season, I’m going to amend that statement and say that this show is at its best when it makes intense episodes rather than dark ones (with the exception of one specific episode. Y’all probably know what it is). For the most part, this season towed that line between intense and dark well, but there were a few times where I thought it was unnecessary gruesome. We’ll get into that in the individual reviews.

The best part of Season 1 was undoubtedly Mulder and Scully dynamic, and oh did this season capitalize on that! Their relationship this season, from the beginning but especially after Scully’s abduction, felt so much more centralized in the story. Entire episodes focused on their bond, how important they are in each other’s lives, and the lengths they would go to for one another. This season was packed with amazing, emotional, often trope-y moments, and kind of read like a high-quality sci-fi soap opera! I was 100% here for it.

This season also had several episodes that I considered phenomenal and very few that I took issue with. The like:dislike ratio for me was definitely much higher than in Season 1. Of course it wasn’t perfect, but I don’t think any television season this long can be perfect, certainly not with the time and budget they were working with.

I only have one big problem with this season. If you’ve been around on my blog, you probably already know what it is. I want to make an entire post dedicated to this so I won’t go too in-depth here, but I was frustrated by the saving-each-other ratio between Mulder and Scully this season, not necessarily because of pure numbers, but because of the way it was done. I’ll make a longer post on this topic in the next couple of days, so if you want to debate me about this, I will politely ask you to wait until I flesh out my thoughts further.

With all that said, let’s get into the individual episode reviews! Some episodes deal with some pretty intense themes, so if you’re not familiar, proceed with caution, or if you have a specific trigger you want me to warn you about, shoot me an ask or a DM.

Little Green Men: A very strong start! The end of Season 1 left me wondering how they were going to stay together, and of course the answer is that they’re going to ignore all the rules and do it anyway. This episode had Scully breaking SO MANY RULES. Character development! And so much MSR. The first time I watched this, I was shocked by how much closer they seemed. Like, what happened in that between-seasons gap? It was also an excellent hook with its alien lore. 9/10

The Host: A decent enough monster of the week, a couple of cute MSR moments. It’s harder for me to get invested when Mulder and Scully aren’t together. Their banter often makes the show for me. I’ll give this a 6.5/10

Blood: I could not take this one seriously. Time has not helped it. The score was SUPER dramatic in this episode, but the threat was…grainy words on a computer screen. Also very little MSR. 3/10

Sleepless: Very solid! Interesting idea with the soldiers not being able to sleep and being killed through their nightmares and guilt. Negative points for lack of MSR and also because I think the Vietnam War elements could have been done better. Still a 7/10.

Duane Barry: And this is where the season took a turn and never went back. I always love the human villains the best. Hostage situations are a great way to build tension and this one was flawlessly executed. I loved how we, the audience, knew Duane was a risk but didn’t know if he was right about aliens or just a liar. And of course, the ending cliffhanger had me screaming. 10/10

Ascension: This was so tense. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The stakes have never felt higher. Mulder has never been this unhinged and it’s incredible. I wanted to strangle Krycek through the television. I will say the mountain is very obviously NOT Virginia and it’s hilarious, but still my heart was pounding and then breaking along with Mulder the whole time. 10/10

3: All right, so the incomparable @actual-changeling encouraged me to view this episode solely through a character-focused lens. And I tried to, I really did. And I could see the point it was trying to make about Mulder’s self destructive behavior and how lost he gets when Scully isn’t there. But also…Scully wasn’t there and I missed her! And the plot did make no sense. It was hard for me to enjoy this even though I tried to. I’ll give it a 5/10 objectively for the character work but subjectively I was at more of a 2/10.

One Breath: Remember when I said this felt like a soap opera? This is what I meant, but in the best way. Like Ascension, the tension here was top-notch. I can’t imagine watching this live and not knowing if Scully was going to be okay. When Mulder started crying, I was crying too. Plus the moment when he visits Cancer Man (is that what we call him?) points his gun at him, and his voice breaks as he asks why her? Perfection. Cinema. 10/10

Firewalker: This was jarring for me as a West Wing fan, to say the least. That aside, I thought this was pretty solid. All of the MSR moments were great (I might have liked a little more follow-up to the abduction arc, but that’s what fanfic is for!) and the volcanic spores were a decent enough threat. It did feel a little bit like Ice 2.0. Not as good, though. 8/10

Red Museum: I think this episode needed to be two parts. There was SO much going on, from the kids going missing and the vegetarian cult (whom I was rooting for the whole time! Animal rights!), the Purity Control and the guy who killed Deep Throat coming back. The pacing was just so rushed, and the climax lasted for like, 2 seconds. All of the ideas were pretty good though, and we did have the barbecue sauce rib date, so I’ll give it a 7.25/10

Excelsis Dei: What the fuck was this? 1/10

Aubrey: A VERY solid episode. It’s not stellar but it also has no flaws that I can find, you know? An interesting monster of the week, some excellent agent-ing from both Mulder and Scully, and a very nice, tense climax (with an excellent score!) Also my mom’s nickname is BJ so that was hilarious. 9/10

Irresistible: I already wrote a whole post on how much I adored this episode. You can read it here. I was also immediately inspired to write a post-episode fic. You can read it here on Ao3. 10/10

Die Hand Die Verletzt: Remember when I talked about intense versus dark? This is what I meant. This episode felt like it was throwing on horrifying detail after horrifying detail without a purpose. Like, we already had the satanic cult. We did not need the teenage girl talking about CSA and then getting murdered. And it wasn’t even clear how real that was, so why even bother? This was also another episode that should have been two parts. 6.5/10

Fresh Bones: I’ll admit this one had a hard time keeping my attention, but I think I was just sleepy when I watched it. Any episode that tries to get political is always a bit dicey for me (not on principle, I just think txf in particular isn’t the best at it), but this one managed to be decent enough. Overall a perfectly fine episode. 7/10

Colony/End Game: SO MUCH PLOT! But it was two parts so it worked! We got so much alien lore and it actually kind of made sense! The Bounty Hunter was an excellent villain, too, and our agents really felt out of their depth. The dread was real! But none of that is even the point because the entire Samantha clone plot line was totally heartbreaking. I had a feeling it wasn’t really her, but my heart broke right along with Mulder, especially when he was apologizing to his father and he started crying. UGH. And it totally makes sense that being so distraught would prompt him to make some incredibly rash decisions, but luckily he has the actual best partner on the planet. Scully saving Mulder at this point in the season was super refreshing, and the ending scenes in the hospital completely melted my heart. 10/10

Fearful Symmetry: Like Season 1’s Roland, I couldn’t get through this. I’m a vegan and a softie, and seeing animals suffer is always rough for me (rougher than humans for some reason). It felt like maybe they were trying to make a point about animal abuse but it didn’t go far enough. It was weird and not at all enjoyable for me. Objective 2ish/10, subjective 0/10.

Død Kalm: My friend the amazing @theswisscheeserag (check out her Ao3! She’s a great writer) phrased it best. She said “I felt the episode was too ridiculous in execution for an attempt at being so serious.” Right on the money. It’s still Mulder and Scully though so 6-6.5/10

Humbug: The one exception to the ��intense episodes are best” rule! Who knew this show could be so funny? They should do this more often! I laughed so much. “We’re exhuming your…potato!” I DIED. I also liked Scully getting to be like “Yeah it’s this insane thing because xyz it’s obvious” and Mulder being like “Girl idk what you’re talking about but you’re a doctor so okay.” A nice role reversal for them! Anyway 10/10

The Calusari: Example number 2 of “this didn’t need to be so dark.” The family curse was plenty! We did not need the dead toddler! Not quite enough humor in this one, which makes sense given the subject matter, but I feel like this whole episode was just unnecessarily cruel. I watched this directly after Humbug and got whiplash. I’ll give it a 6/10

F. Emasculata: Super solid standalone episode! I liked the parallel looming threats of the plague in the prison and the escaped convict potentially spreading it. I especially liked the moral dilemma of what to reveal to the public, and how Mulder and Scully fell on opposite sides of the issue. I like when a show presents me with a moral quandary I can’t answer! 8/10

Soft Light: Despite the pretty dark vibes of this episode, I was kind of zoned out for most of it. Maybe it was because the villain wasn’t malicious, but I don’t know, the threat never felt imminent. It didn’t hook me at all, but then the ending came out of nowhere and it was HORRIBLE. Too horrible! I didn’t need that! I don’t care if it’s supposed to add to X’s moral ambiguity. I don’t need to see that. 3/10

Our Town: This one is tricky. I have many thoughts on it. I’ll try to be somewhat concise.

First of all, I really enjoyed @mulders-too-large-shirt’s review of this episode. We had a lot of the same grievances. You can read her review here (and she also liveblogs every episode! It’s awesome! Check it out!)

So in isolation this is probably a 9/10. Genuinely horrifying villains, some good MSR moments, a SUPER tense climax. All good things! But in the light of the whole season this irked me, because this was the fourth time Scully got kidnapped and also the least necessary to the plot. You could have flipped Mulder and Scully’s roles and it really wouldn’t have changed anything. (In fact, I did! Read the fanfic here).

With that aside, this episode feels like it has a lot of wasted potential. The cannibal cult using people’s bodies for their own ends is another clear parallel to Scully’s abduction, and the show just…didn’t do anything with that. And we know they can do great things with these parallels because Irresistible exists! It just bugs me because the material was RIGHT THERE and there was SO MUCH they could have done with it but THEY DIDN’T.

TLDR: Objective 9/10, subjective 7.5-8/10

Anasazi: This was so hyped up to me that I was worried it would be a letdown but IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Oh my God. Zero flaws. I always say txf reads like a fanfic, but THIS EPISODE READS LIKE A FANFIC Y’ALL. Like I’m sorry, but Scully taking care of Mulder while he’s in shock and delirious with fever melted me. His puppy energy was at 1000000000% this episode and it was amazing. And I was SO worried when he started acting weird because I didn’t know what was wrong with him! But of course Scully figured it out (like I said, best partner on the planet). She absolutely carried this episode and I was very grateful for it. I think she’s right that Mulder would have died if he’d been arrested for murder. Good thing she knew what to do! She’s actually perfect y’all.

We also got so much new information! Like what a lore dump! And WHAT A CLIFFHANGER HOLY SHIT! Like, imagine waiting a whole year for that to get resolved. Just wow🤩🤩

Obvious 10/10, I don’t go higher on principle but like, I would.

Anyway that’s all for this season! I’ll be back with lots of fic and reactions and analysis but I love meeting y’all! This is such a friendly fandom:) Always feel free to come by and say hi, ask me stuff or give me writing prompts! Let me know if you’d like more analyses or anything different posting-wise when it comes to Season 3.

[tvuniverse]

hello! Do you know of any good source blogs/blogs for 9-1-1, looking for more of that.

hi! i'm probably the worst person to ask this because i follow less than 30 people but i'll try my best.

some of my favourite blogs that are primarily 911: @buckleydiaz, @bilosan, @doeeyeseddie, @saryasy, @diazly, @thatbuddie and some that are a bit more multifandom but still have some 911: @eddiediaaz , @ayo-edebiri , @henwilsons

a few source blogs: @911verse, @911women, @henwilsondaily, @eddiediazsource

If you like knowing what's going on behind the scene and/or just stuff like synopsis, episode titles etc then there's @911bts

there are also a lot of great fan artists and fic writers and gifmakers so try some of the tags like #911edit, #911 fic etc. and if you're god's strongest soldier you can always try the main tags like #911 abc or #911 spoilers or any ship that rocks your boat, but you might come out of it all bloodied and changed as a person so proceed with caution.

[days-until-potp-50th]

⌁⚡︎₊˚✮.THURSDAY UPDATE.✮˚₊⚡︎⌁

Hey! Weird Bird here. I have......not had the spoons to run this blog properly lately 💀

SOME EXCITING NEWS:

Yesterday marked one month until the 50th Anniversary Event. Yippee!

Also, a happy belated birthday to Jessica Harper, who celebrated her 75th birthday yesterday!

Also, a happy belated birthday to Brian De Palma, Paul Williams and William Finley, who celebrated their birthdays on the 11th, 19th and 20th and of September, respectively....... whoops D:

Not Just Songs: A Phantom Of The Paradise 50th Anniversary Zine is 28 days away from its planned release on Halloween! Proceeds from the zine will be going to Girls Rock Philly. Below is a little sneak peak of one of the pieces I have in the works for it. Follow @potpzine for more!

There are less than 200 tickets available for the matinee show!

Kevin Smith Gets Winnipegged is having a FLASH SALE! For the next 48 hours, tickets are $35 apiece. Grab 'em while they're hot!

For anyone travelling from outside of Winnipeg needing to book a hotel reservation, the cutoff date for the Alt Hotel's POTP promo deal is October 14th!

Regarding the future of this account following the 50th anniversary... stay tuned for an announcement towards the end of the month!

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

Hey, big fan of the blog. Hoping for some advice with a developing situation i find myself in.

I made a new friend recently and we hit it off really well. We've been talking pretty much every day since then, and we're starting to realize we might have some mild Feelings for each other. We're both ace, they are allo and I am aro (or I thought I was; this may change some things). We're trying to figure out how to proceed and the possibility of a QPR has been raised. I think it would make us both pretty happy and I can't deny that I really want to see where these feelings go.

However, there is a catch.

We're both adults, but in very different life stages, with me being the one with much more life experience. I don't want to mess them up or skew their perceptions or otherwise do anything to hurt them inadvertently. That said, I know that QPRs are different than dating and can be whatever you want them to be. (And can I just say how frustrating it is to finally understand what i actually want from a relationship only for that relationship to have a strange complication) I'm looking for any kind of guidance with this, because if I do the wrong thing, I could really mess them up. And yes, we're talking honestly about where we see the relationship and we're both aware of the huge gap in life stages between us.

Do you have any thoughts or advice on how to approach this?

So these types of things can be really complex, and a lot is going to depend on the details. Not every relationship where one person has more life experience is necessarily a bad one, though it is a good idea to take an active look for potential power imbalances and be aware or correct them where possible. It's also a good idea to think about boundaries and if there's any you need to be aware of. One common example of this is if you're at a place in your life where you're making more money (note: this is just an example, I'm not saying this is or isn't the case for you), if you end up spending a lot more on them than they are on you it may make them feel more beholden to you, even if that's not your intention. So it might be a good idea to create a boundary where you're both spending about equal amounts of money on each other based on what they could comfortably afford.

My biggest no-gos would be if you're in a position of authority or trust (for example boss/employee, medical professional/patient, etc). If there's an age gap, those can be really complicated, but I would say in that case it matters less the difference between your ages than it does how young or how emotionally mature they are in general. And if you feel like you're in too much of a position of authority based on their age/maturity level, it probably won't be a good idea.

But if it's more an issue of you're more established in your life and career, have had more experiences, etc. but they're a mature adult, I would worry less.

One question to ask that may help too is if you do have a relationship and it ends, do you think it's likely they'd be in a better position for having had the relationship or no?

QPRs are also highly variable and can affect things too. For example a QPR where you're both more independent is less likely to cause issues than one that's more codependent. But it is one of the advantages of QPRs that they're heavily customizable and you can purposefully aim to set something up that you feel is less likely to cause issues. Remember there's no rules with QPRs, it can include or not include whatever you want. And as always good communications, and making sure both of you feel free and open to discuss any concerns, to voice when you're uncomfortable, etc. will go a long way too.

Hopefully this is helpful. I'd also encourage doing your own research as well on power imbalances in relationship to get a better idea of what those look like and how to create a healthy dynamic.

All the best, Anon! Good luck!

[avaferin]

Ooc Post:

Hey pookies, Astrid here, I just wanted to hop on and say that I'm not sure how active this account is gonna be from now on. I love role-playing Ava especially in the hypothetical that she's alive and in some pretty cool like network of spies gathering intel to fix the world she low-key kinda fucked up. But I just don't feel really in the loop and I'm kinda stuck on how to proceed.

Basically I'm just a little burned out and not sure how to expand on the story here without some grand event but I'm also really anxious. So talking to people both in and out of character is really hard, especially when a lot of the blogs around me have their own thing going on that seems more involved in their story than what I'm doing here. And that's ok! I wanna make that abundantly clear. I know that Ava is sorta an odd ball to throw into the realm of RP for JRWI, and I enjoy it. I love telling stories, but I don't think she fits anywhere.

Autism makes it hard for me to really engage with things that I don't quite understand or know of. And catching up is hard when I work throughout the week, on top of that, it's again, an anxiety thing. Reaching out into asks to get involved makes me feel anxious because I'm scared of interrupting people's stories and the plots they got set up, I don't wanna get in the middle of people's plans by accident. So I'm kinda just, here, as Ava. Which is chill for the most part.

All this to say, if the blog becomes less active, it's less to do with a dying fixation and more to do with the above. I've had lots of fun and I'm really grateful and happy for the people who participated in the blog and the antics. And who knows, maybe in a few days I'll come back with some Ava plot and this post will be irrelevant. Maybe I just need to step back. But all in all, I wanted to let y'all know what was going on.

Thank you for reading

Astrid

[give-grian-rights]

did you see the statement against Majo- Ellen's actor, it's...a lot to take in

https://x.com/artistz93/status/1724168049480085988?s=46

i contemplated not posting this, but I know there's only so many other blogs that'd do so.

I am disgusted and appalled by the behavior shown in these screenshots. It is incredibly frustrating to see yet another individual come out of that sphere of people and be horrid. I was already familiar with the depravity of Yuki, and the quiet allegations posed against them.

I do not have my own experience along the same lines (much less with a creator) but I do believe that bringing some of this information to enforcement might be for the best. I understand that this is easier said than done, due to either online anonymity, family, etc., and as such respect and understand the lack of involvement with law enforcement.

I'm so fucking sorry to any of the people who had been affected by Ellen, and I hope that you guys can find some sense of closure from this. Out of my own experience with his lack of maturity and inability to reasonably approach these matters, I would like to say to any of the parties involved that I would not recommend bringing this to Sam.

While I am not saying he would support these actions, I am willing to assume he likely would not care, nor is there any responsibility he could really claim, outside of giving Ellen (and Yuki) the means to start a platform.

really fucking shitty way to end the night. fuck Ellen, Yuki, and Sam How I will go forward with YHS: I have taken a break from posting about Ellen, as both he and Yuki truly do not deserve any sort of positive affirmations regarding their past work. While I'm not sure how long this break will proceed for, any further communications involving their fictionalized characters will likely be altered, and I'll likely change aspects of their characters.

I'm not the most active or frequent when it comes to commentary and fan content involving YHS, due to quite obvious reasons. However, it's still something in the back of my brain and something I don't intend on straying far from with my fan creations. For better or worse, it shaped a part of me. Quite frankly, in ways it never should've.

EDIT: I did not feel satisfied with this my original posts as my thoughts were generally disorganized due to the fact I was beginning finales at the time this situation was brought forward to me. I also broke it up into how I will be going forward with their characters, and my message to anyone involved as I do not want to make this about me. It is not. It's about the gross behavior displayed, and I hope that everyone involved in these situations are able to move forward.

[quincyhorst]

Fermín Sánchez and Basque Legends: A mythological coincidence.

Just to clarify, this entire post is most likely 100% speculation. There's barely ANY chance that any of the associations I'll make on this post were made on purpose by Level 5. These are just some curious connections that ableit most likely uncanon, give an entire fresh view to an otherwise "dry" character. Thank you.

Hello. So far in this blog we've talked in detail about Querardo and Samuel, two characters connected with the "heart" of Spain: The bulls. However, there's one last character to cover from said heart, and is the main keeper Fermín Sanchez. He's... Just a bull, that is. He's designed after one, his profile describes with the behaviour "like a bull at the arena", AND his hissatsus also reflect that. He's a pretty simple character and that's about it, not neccesarily with any profile change like captain and his forward buddy.

....However, there is something curious that I've discovered: In many ways, Fermín is quite similar to a certain mythological creature from the iberian territory: The Zezengorri, or literally "red bull" from its original language (euskera).

Want to understand this connection further? Feel free to proceed..

First off before we start, allow me to clarify one thing: The reason why I say "mythology from the iberian territory" and NOT "spanish mythology" is because the Zezengorri belongs to the culture of the Basque Country or Euskadi, an autonomous community whose debate of their independence from Spain is still discussed to this day; similar case as Catalonia and Galicia. But we are going to cut it here with the political talking; just keep in mind that what Euskadi contains is different from the rest of Spain, such as culture, people, and even language. And in this post, I want to respect it as such.

Either way, let's start now. To give a brief description, the Zezengorri were described to be cave-dwelling creatures (or subterranean genies according to other sources) that adopted the form of a red bull. To add more to this comparison, these bulls had powers related with fire, being able to spit it themselves, or even appear with their horns and tail burning.

Fire red bull, huh...? NOW WAIT A MINUTE.

Moreover, the Zezengorri's main function were to be protectors of these caves (A refuge of the Basque goddess Mari); acting aggressively to those who disturbed the peace of these places. In a way, a soccer goal IS quite similar to a cave... Isn't it?

However, let me add another interesting funfact that surprisingly adds even more to these comparisons. Although a mythological creature, the Zezengorri weren't invented 100% of thin air: It is most likely that they were based on the Betizu cows, which are semi-wild and also live near the Basque mountains.

I'd like you to pay attention to their horns shapes, having a stretched 'S' form in both sides. Have you realized something too?

...Yes, yeah. Fer's "horns" look less stretched and curved at their extremes, but they still look similar to the Betizu's ones. I think this one similarity is more important than it seems, because while Fermín's has always been compared to a "bullfighting bull" (Belonging to the Toro Bravo/De Lidia) by everyone -and even by Level 5 itself-, its quite ironic how he's more similar to a peaceful cattle that lives tranquil. Afterall, "Betizu" means "shy cow", a name given because of the fearful behaviour of these animals. Another yet another contrast to add to the list.

(NOTE: Bullfighting bulls CAN have horns that are similar to Fermín's; which are denominated "Cornivuelto" or "Cornipaso" according to BF dictionaries. However they are one of the many shapes that these horns can take, and PLUS they are not the most iconic either way).

However, that's not all the Basque Mythology has to offer when it comes to Fermín. The Zezengorri belongs to a group of many shapeshifting animal spirits, and within this group there also exists the Aatze or the Beigorri ("Red calf"); which seems to be more popular (Kind of). I think the main difference between these two creatures is that 1- The Zezengorri is more specific, only being described as a bull, and 2- The Aatze can be either a bull OR a cow. Plus, in some occassions, it has even been given the name "Etsai", but it apparently seems to belong to a more malicious creature.

There's a whole deal going on with the Aatze overall, though the mixed info that comes through sources can be confusing when getting a picture of this creature. I've read that this spirit has more of an active role, actively chasing wrongdoers or liars and punishing them by itself. The true identity of both the Aatxe/Zezengorri is confusing, too. Some sources call them just genuises, others see them as the possible forms of the Goddess Mari (I dobut it), and there's even few ones that say the Aatze is his lover instead (Also dobut this one, since Mari already has a well-established lover too).

...So, is Fermín a Zezengorri or an Aatxe... I'll leave up to you that. But before we end, let me tell you an interesting fact. In the info I've found of the Aatze (And in some sources of the other creature instead), apparently its shapeshifting powers allow it to turn into a human, as to punish those who have hurt him.

I wonder who on RM angered this spirit, then...

---------

Sources

First off: Shoutout to @//beautiful-basque-country, the main blog I've been using for information regarding Euskadi. It's been unfortunately a long time since I researched deeply about this place (Unlike 2023, when this draft was originally written), buuut I still really like this blog and I recommend reading this as to learn more about the Basques' history, language and culture. Eskerrik asko!

Here's the rest of sources (Keep in mind "el arte taurino" is a website related to BF):

[cidthesquid]

What's next for our Styling Star? | Style Savvy : Styling Star #06

[Previous Post]              [First Post]              [Next Post]

Alright, so we're back after a bit of a break, and I've been really wondering what I'll do with this blog after I finish this game... Sure, I could finish Style Savvy DS, but there's not much to talk about there, and it feels a bit too soon to going back to play more trendsetter/Fashion Forward. I've considered writing about new topics that are not style related (have a few ideas) But I honestly think it would be just better to make a second blog for that.. But I guess I still have plenty of time to decide

Anyways, I forgot this game has a harvest moon style clock, so while writing that above paragraph, the day actually ended up advancing. We're nearing the end of April, and it looks like we have a new arrival in town! And it looks like the day starts off with her event:

It looks like the new girl is being chased by someone!

(Also I meant to ask, How does the dual photo layout look on mobile? (Do you find yourself having to open each one to read the text?) (Would a single image looks better? Even if it makes the post longer?)

They head into an alley, so we follow... and they stop in front of a cafe

(I have a feeling this is NOT what it looks like) The man begins speaking with her, and she tells him to 'stay back' He replies that this is not a topic for discussion, and grabs her arm. Then the girl (Yolanda) does some kind of martial arts move, knocking him down.

She apologies, mentioning that she make have taken this too far, (obvious were 'practicing for a move flag') And Fortman replies, complementing here black belt grade judo skills. Yolanda apologizes and mentions that she can't leave as there's still something she needs to do in this city. And that she'd like some time alone.

Fortman Says she can have 30mins to settle whatever affairs she has left, and they need to leave right after that. And she agrees.

After Fortman leaves, The waiter is clearly a bit rattled by the display then proceeds to offer her a seat to take her order.

The game then proceeds to spoil her backstory a bit with her character card:

I then go up and talk to her, and overhear her mention that she only really bought the drink to be polite, but she ends up enjoying it more than she expected.

She mentions that she likes the café, and gives a slight hint to her wealth, mentioning that the café would fit easily in to the parlor at her home. She then asks if I'm local, and if she could get help with something... Conveniently, she'd like to know if there are any boutiques nearby. How every convienet that we just happen to be the manager :)

She then mentions that she'd like to vist our shop to get help with what she refers to as "a small fashion dilemma" I guess we'll see that entails..

But we're then interrupted as fortman mentions that her time is up,

We also get a little more background on why she's here in the first place:

(maybe I'll just put text heavy images, one at a time, and double up on text-less ones, again, any feedback is welcome) She then mentioned that she only snuck out, and came all this way, so she could visit the cafe. And Fortman seems a little confused as to why she would come all this way just for coffee, and asks that she doesn't do it again. He mentions that she is in a bit of what he refers to as "a rebellious phase", and says it's time for her to return, as her mother was worried. And they then prepare to leave.

Yolanda mentions that Fortman is her bodyguard, and asks that we don't tell him about our conversation, and mentions that she intends to meet us again. Well, that was an... interesting event. I may have been wrong with my initial read of the situation, but it seems they went with the 'rebilious kid from a rich (controlling) family' trope.

I've seen this background dozens of times by now, it was really popular in the late 90's early 00's, So I hope they do something interesting with it. ----- Alright, I'm gonna have to cut this post a little short, I started playing a few days ago, but ended up getting busy with life stuff, I wanted to at least finish off the day, but that would delay this post even longer, so I'll just give some final thoughts on this event, and end it here. So, it's really starting to feel like they traded off the 'town npc' from Fashion Forward, for the 'multiple story lines' that we're seeing in this new game. I'm still not sure how I feel about that change, but at the same time, Fashion Forward still exists. And changing it up really makes both games stand alone with their own distinct identities. I'll reserve my judgment on what I think is better till I complete the game, and for now I'll just try to accept this game for what it is! Thanks for reading! <Next Post> ----- As always, all comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! (I'm also looking for feedback on this new style, how's the formatting?)

You literally can't bother me, (unless you go out of your way to be a jerk), so post whatever you need to say!

[creepy-feathers]

I never thought I’d see a creepy pasta t-word blog :0. Can you maybe do A-Y (unless someone already asked) for Tim/Masky? He really needs to smile more :’)

Yeah, unfortunately there aren't many out there 😞

He certainly does! I love the idea of Masky losing his shit lmao.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

A: Aftercare | What is their aftercare like after a heavy round of tickling?

If you just got wrecked by Tim, chances are he'll feel enough morality to at least give you a sweet pat on the head in silent commendation for surviving his attack.

Masky, however? You'll be lucky if he even stops before you pass out entirely. He'll utter some snide remark to remind you why you should never screw with him, then he'll walk away to go on about his business.

B: Bondage | How do they react to bondage, do they enjoy it and if yes, what is their favorite pose?

Bondage? Uh-uh, absolutely not, no thank you. Tim gets exceedingly anxious when he's unable to move, and Masky is just... He likes being in control of the situation. Which is why neither man will ever ever ever enjoy being restrained in any way.

C: Chase | What are their chances in a chase, both as a lee and ler?

Considering both of them are the ones usually doing the chasing, I'd say they'd be naturally inclined to keep that up when they're looking to pounce on someone. They're rather good at it, too—the ler would be doomed.

On the other end of the stick, however? I imagine Tim would be able to find a place to hide without much trouble, due to his history of running from imminent death. Masky would refuse to be chased at all and then proceed to gut-punch whoever was attempting to pursue him in the first place.

D: Death Spot | What is their most ticklish spot?

Thighs, no questions asked. A close second would have to be the neck. Either of these areas targeted will have them writhing in 10 seconds or less.

E: Expression | How do they express their wish to tickle/be tickled?

Tim has to be feeling very playful to get the urge to tickle someone, and since he isn't exactly a physical person by heart, chances that he'll actually go through with it are unlikely. The same goes for when he desires to be tickled, which, dare I say, is even rarer than the latter. If he craves it badly enough, he'll probably just outright say it. With reluctance and awkwardness, sure, but he doesn't like beating around the bush.

'Violence' is the one word that goes through his head on repeat throughout the day; it is the solution to every problem he can think of. It really is no surprise that touching someone without intending to cause them intense agony is a foreign concept to him, and an unappealing one at that. Simply put: the only reason on this earth that he would ever consider tickling someone is if he actually cares about them and wants to bring some form of torment that won't result in serious injury. As for the being tickled, aha, never in a million years will this man let his guard down long enough for someone to be successful, nor will he want to be touched in that regard. Try it and he will commit homicide.

F: Fight | What is their behavior in a tickle fight like?

Tim is a strong dude, so unless his weakest spots are being honed in on, he will have the upper hand. Thankfully, he practices mercy, so it usually isn't a time to panic—plus, he'll let up every now and then so his opponent feels like they're actively contributing to this 'fight'.

With Masky, there is no fight. There is just plain torture. He will pin you solidly and not relent until he is satisfied. 'Nice' is not in his vocabulary, apparently.

G: Gentle | How do they react to gentle tickles?

This man— He will snort if you brush your fingers against any remotely ticklish spot. He'll also squirm, which is an amusing sight.

Pretty much the same reaction as Tim, but he's much more aggressive with his squirming.

H: Habits | As a lee/ler or both, do they have specific habits when it comes to tickling?

This only applies if the two of you are romantically involved; if Tim's feeling affectionate or clingy, he'll nuzzle your neck or any sensitive, accessible area with his beard just to hear the giddy sounds you'll emit.

Pure roughness. He's left bruises on every lee he's ever gotten his hands on and lingering pain for sometimes hours, but somehow this violence is equally effective at drawing the rawest shrieks and highest-pitched laughter. It's unbearable in literally every way. This is a talent he doesn't even consider a 'talent'.

I: Interrogation | How well would they handle a tickle interrogation?

Tim would have the capability to last quite a while, even if his worst spots are targeted. But he would break eventually, and quiet, half-stifled giggles would break into full-blown cries for mercy. He tried.

Masky doesn't beg. Like whatsoever. But he also wouldn't put a lot of effort into hiding his raspy laughter, no. Instead, he would writhe relentlessly and spew threats at his progressor while losing every ounce of self-control he formerly possessed. He's a very loud lee.

J: Joy | Their absolute favorite thing about tickling?

If he had to choose something, it would be the way it bonds him with his loved ones. Before all the Slenderman crap went down he'd always use tickling to connect with his little siblings and cousins, and occasionally for his friends. He and Brian got into it a few times in college; the former won, but Brian was a worthy opponent.

Masky absolutely does not care.

K: Killer Move | As a ler, do they have special skills to use against their lees and drive them crazy with?

This isn't really a skill, but he'll start to laugh along with his lee after a few moments and that always seems to heighten the lee's nerves so they laugh even harder.

Like I said previously: stone cold force. He will attack your weakest areas without a bit of remorse, and he'll do it till you're on the brink of passing out.

L: Laughter | What does their laughter sound like when they are tickled?

Normally, it's pretty raspy due to all the smoking, but there's this sweet—extraordinarily rare—kind of giggle you can pull from both of them, but it takes incredible precision and the exact amount of pressure. Go for the side of the ribcage with firm yet tender claw-like scratching and watch them unravel in an instant.

M: Mornings | Their tickle behavior during mornings?

If you are anyone other than his romantic partner, do not try this or he will straight up bitch slap you. If you are dating him, however, feel free to wake him up with benign pokes to the stomach and/or tickly neck kisses. It will put him in a blissful mood for the rest of the day and he may reciprocate, even in his sleepy haze.

Do not touch Masky. Seriously. The only thing keeping him going right now is a mug full of coffee. If you even threaten to do something he will snap your finger in two.

N: Nights | Their tickle behavior during nights? 

At this point in the day, this man is completely exhausted and is looking for some downtime. He would need to be exceedingly close to a person to participate in tickles, and it wouldn't be for long periods.

Masky is done, man. He's so freaking done. He's put up with everyone's shit the whole day and dealt with his own problems and is not in the mood to be all physical and lovey-dovey. You best pray he doesn't strike at this interval because he's probably out for blood.

O: Online | Text messaging and social media, do they have some kind of online tickly behavior to tease their lee or ler with?

Not...really? Both of these dudes kinda just live in the moment. Tim might shoot a text every once in a while for shits and giggles but that's about it.

P: Partner In Crime | If they were to go after a lee and accept the aid of a tickle partner, who do they prefer to join hands with and why?

For Tim, it would probably be his s/o. If he doesn't have one, he'd go solo.

Masky also typically works alone, but if he's feeling vengeful enough he'll get Johnny to join him.

Q: Question | Their response to the question ‘are you ticklish’?

"Um, heh... Isn't everyone?"

"You'll never get close enough to find out."

R: Role | Lee or ler, what is generally their main role?

Both lers to the core, but if either of them were to be swayed it'd be Tim.

S: Safeword | If they were to suggest the safeword for a tickle session, which word will it be?

Tim is the kind of person that has always been very serious about safewords and consent in general. He will deadass go completely still if you say 'stop', not wanting to push boundaries.

Safewords are not a real thing to Masky. He will go for however long he wants to go and there ain't no arguing with him.

T: Teasing | Their most favorite methods of teasing their lee/ler?

Sometimes he'll drum his fingers against their torso with a certain mischievous sparkle in his eyes that drives the lee crazy.

Rapid, harsh scribbling, especially when he figures out what spots make you scream. No mercy.

U: Unusual | Do they have some unusual tickle spots? Where?

Their thighs. Also sorta ticklish on the upper back.

V: Victim | As a ler, who is their favorite lee and what makes this person their ultimate victim?

His s/o or Sally, but only occasionally.

Masky just targets whoever decided to royally piss him off. Though he must admit, Liu is quite a satisfying victim.

W: Word | What is their reaction to the T-word? Can they say it out loud or do they get embarrassed?

Tim moreso than Masky, but that only applies when he's asking to be tickled.

X: X-Over | In a crossover AU, which other fandom character would be a fitting tickle fight opponent for them and why?

Luna Lovegood and Tim I think would be a blast to watch. Luna would be super sweet yet good with her hands (plus there's the whole 'magic' that would definitely come into play), but she'd play fair too. She would push him out of his comfort zone to the point where he would be comfortable actually fighting back but it would all be in good fun.

Bahloo would be perfect for Masky because he's a literal bear and could just pin him down effortlessly and teach Masky some life lessons.

Y: YOU | Any personal self or reader-insert tickle fantasies/headcanons to share with this character?

Tim hated being tickled as a kid cause it was always a way to "make him feel better". It was nurses and the people keeping him in the hospital that would mostly initiate it.

Then he met Brian years later and realized how much of a playful person he was. His friend was the one that made him okay with receiving that kind of treatment again.

[wikipedie]

jisbon and attachment styles and why the pike storyline actually makes a lot of sense despite us hating it*

(* and also why they couldn’t be together until after Red John was dead despite us preferring they were together earlier)

In this post I will talk about attachment styles, Lisbon and Jane’s traumas and the likely reasons that they developed their attachment styles and how they manifest in their relationships, including their relationship with each other. (+ the reason they’re still quite careful with each other in S7 and struggle to be vulnerable with each other) This will be a bit in depth so I ask you to be cautious while reading - do not hesitate to ask for help or support if you can. There is a risk in here, as I will be talking about their traumas (particularly their childhood abuse and neglect) so if it is a potentially sensitive subject for you, proceed with caution (or not at all, I suppose.)

All my thanks go to @chakramchaser, this would not have been possible without you being both willing to ramble with me and continuing the ideas and connecting some excellent dots. I appreciate you.

[Transcript - Discord chat:

wikipe: okay so teresa is disorganized style while patrick is avoidant most likely. Which makes their dynamic fascinating, now that i think about it. Teresa has moments when she’s anxious, but mostly she tends to avoid.

chakramchaser:

ITS WHY IT TAKES LITERALLY A DECADE

CUZ THEY JUST AVOIDDDD

Also the serial killer in the way blah blah ]

For the purposes of this post, I will only talk about the disorganized and the avoidant attachment styles. (https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/four-attachment-styles/)

Disorgnized Style

The disorganized type tends to show unstable and ambiguous behaviors in their social bonds.

For adults with this style of attachment, the partner and the relationship themselves are often the source of both desire and fear.

Fearful-avoidant people do want intimacy and closeness, but at the same time, experience troubles trusting and depending on others.

They do not regulate their emotions well and avoid strong emotional attachment, due to their fear of getting hurt.

Avoidant Style:

The dismissing / avoidant type would often perceive themselves as ‘lone wolves’: strong, independent, and self-sufficient; not necessarily in terms of physical contact, but rather on an emotional level.

These people have high self-esteem and a positive view of themselves.

The dismissing / avoidant type tend to believe that they don’t have to be in a relationship to feel complete.

They do not want to depend on others, have others depend on them, or seek support and approval in social bonds.

Adults with this attachment style generally avoid emotional closeness. They also tend to hide or suppress their feelings when faced with a potentially emotion-dense situation.

Do these styles sound like some beloved characters we know?

Teresa Lisbon

(Season 7, episode 7 - The Yellow House)

[Transcript - Teresa Lisbon: Somebody had to be responsible.]

A disorganized / fearful-avoidant attachment style develops when the child’s caregivers – the only source of safety – become a source of fear. In adulthood, people with this attachment style are extremely inconsistent in their behavior and have a hard time trusting others.

"Driven to succeed to the point of developing an ulcer, no tolerance for superiors less sharp than yourself, shutting out girls that wanted to hang out with you, blowing off boys that want to get close. All the while, at every turn, wondering 'what is it I really want?' "

I will pull up her past with the help of the Mentalist wikia, since it is quite coherent and well said: 

“Her mother was killed by a drunk driver when she was twelve (Red Badge). In the episode Red Tide, it is implied that she had to take over her mother’s role and care for her family at a young age. In Little Yellow House, Lisbon tells Jane that she had to be the parent to her brothers after the death of her mother. It is implied that her family life was not an easy one even before the death of her mother. Lisbon tells her brother Jimmy that someone in the household had to be responsible because, "You know what Mom and Dad were like." After her mother’s death, her father's drinking either started or worsened and he ended up killing himself. It isn't specified whether he did this accidentally or on purpose. Lisbon said that he “damn near killed me and my brothers too,” leaving both possibilities open. It may have been something like another drunken car accident, or simply neglect. In Red Badge Lisbon mentions that her father used to be violent, as he once beat one of her brothers half to death and didn't remember doing so. Apparently her father suffered blackouts when he drank.“ 

That is a whole load of “source of fear.” She lost the sense of safety pretty early in life and I argue that she no longer knows what safety feels like. On top of the trauma of losing her parents, there is the trauma of parentification that is implied she’s had to do from a very young age, taking care of her brothers to the best of her abilities.

This style shows up in simple ways: She both craves the intimacy of relationships and rejects it, fears it. Stability feels foreign to her.

She breaks off an engagement with Greg, and she does not seem to have any serious stable relationships during her time at CBI. (“You’re too intense and particular for a man like that.” “Whatever happened to that guy from Narcotics?” “Jeff? He bit his nails.” “That’s particular.”)

She is wistful for a good and loving relationship but she doesn’t know how to keep it, runs away at the opportunity.

Through these lenses, the relationship with Pike makes sense: She is tired of waiting for a man who might never actually love her, she finds a good man in Pike, she longs for the stability and beauty that a relationship with him might provide, while also being terrified of it (and longing for Jane, of course). She is absolutely terrified when Pike asks for her hand in marriage. Of course, you could argue that it is sudden, unexpected, too soon and any woman would panic. But I want to bring up the fact that she doesn’t say “No” immediately, though. She wants to make it work, or to think about it. Or to see if Jane would care.  (And I am firmly convinced that she might have said no to the marriage regardless if she left with him to D.C.)

She says “Yes.” But she does it while running away from Jane, who lied to her and manipulated her again and hurt her again. She says Yes to Pike, but doesn’t even listen to what he says afterwards, just looks out at the hotel where she left Jane.

And then, in the end, she leaves Pike too. Pike looks at Jane in Season 7, tells him that he had a life and a family to offer to Teresa, but I think Teresa is just as afraid of them as much as she craves them. She does not know stability, she does not know how to accept to be taken care of or work through the issues of her relationships for most of the show. She also is not sure of what she likes or wants for most of the show. (Even as she seems that she does, burying herself in her work, the only stable thing for her.)

She learns how to do these things slowly in the relationship with Jane. In Season 7 she starts being more vocal about her likes and dislikes, even with minor things (such as randomly saying that she likes s’mores). Opening up also allows her to deepen her connection to her brothers, whom she had avoided as well for most of her life. She shares her struggles, realizes where she was short-sighted and tries to do better about opening up. At the end of Episode 7, she feels comfortable enough to tell Jane that she loves him, too. And at the end, she’s no longer running away. She’s waiting. “What do you need?” “Time.” “Okay, I can give you time.”

Patrick Jane

(Season 7, episode 3 - Orange Blossom Ice Cream)

[Transcript - Erica Flynn: Patrick likes to pretend that he's this lone wolf.]

Parents who are strict and emotionally distant, do not tolerate the expression of feelings, and expect their child to be independent and tough might raise children with an avoidant attachment style. As adults, these children appear confident and self-sufficient. They do not tolerate emotional or physical intimacy and might not be able to build healthy relationships. What’s more, in the workplace, they are often seen as the independent, ‘lone wolf’. It is, however, possible for these individuals to change and develop a secure attachment style.

There is less known about Patrick Jane’s past than about Teresa. Again, the Mentalist wikia says it better than I ever could: 

“He had a rough existence with his father, the only adult in his life, whose treatment and use of him was tantamount to child abuse. When Patrick refused to scam a dying girl and her grandmother, his father threatened him and forced him to do it. Jane later said that he never went to high school, presumably due to the nomadic carny life. Alex exploited Patrick for his skills, since he was very young. In Red John's Rules it is implied that Jane spent some time in foster care as a child.

Alex had a wedding ring on his hand, but Jane's mother was not mentioned in any flashbacks, so it is likely that she died or abandoned them.”

Jane’s childhood is one of neglect and abuse, peppered with some happy memories. His father makes it clear that he views taking care of Jane as being Jane’s responsibility, and moreover, that Jane owes it to him because he’s taken care of him up until then. (“I’ve been carrying you for a long time and it’s not getting any easier, son.” - Season 2, Episode 10, Throwing Fire) He either helps his father with his schemes or he is on his own.

Therefore, in adulthood, he is on his own. He struggles to let people in, struggles to accept help and accept partnership. He considers himself the smartest person in the room because he has to be - it’s a way to survive and he has nothing else.

As seen when he loses all memory of his family, the original childhood trauma makes him more callous and uncaring, having no limits and no boundaries (nor caring about others’ boundaries). It’s only him and nobody else. 

It is likely that Angela was his moral compass. (as it is implied a few times that she was done with the carny life and the tricks) Even so, chakramchaser made a very valid point: “he still ran from it then - why else would he be running an empire of psychic cons. bro had way more money than he needed he just was addicted to the thrill. i feel like he thrived on the unpredictability.” 

Over the course of the show, we see that he begins to trust other people (mainly Lisbon and the main team). However, he still struggles to let them in, either in his life and in his plans. He goes by himself in most of his plans, informing the team of the minimum necessary for them to know in order to execute the plan flawlessly. He makes more of an effort towards the end of the show and especially after he and Lisbon get together, but his first instinct is still to do things by himself. He cares, but he struggles to convey this directly, preferring to buy them gifts (to show that he knows them), to offer compliments, help them or at the worst, con his way (tricking Lisbon into staying for longer instead of telling her that he doesn’t want her to go).

However, we can notice an important shift after Red John dies and especially after he and Lisbon get together. Despite the fact he still struggles to communicate his feelings, he tries. Opening up towards Lisbon allows him to open up more towards others as well. For example, he makes an effort to inform Abbott when he has a plan that could be dubious (and tells him that he won’t be informed of the specifics in order to have deniability).

Healing comes through the good relationships that we form and we can definitely see this with Jane.

Jane and Lisbon - their relationship

After more than a decade of a deep friendship, Jane and Lisbon decided to become a couple after Lisbon got engaged to another man and was about to be out of Jane’s life. The common perspective is that they could not get together until Red John was dead, because Jane was determined to kill him and in turn Red John was obsessed with picking on him.

That is half of the story. The other half is that they are an disorganized/avoidant couple, do not really consider intimacy safe and do not really know how to express it unless it’s in high stakes. (That being the main reason Jane confessed his feelings in a big “rushing-to-the-airport-and-telling-you-the-truth-as-you-leave” moment.) As an example, I will show the moment from S4 that everyone and their mother is familiar with. I will transcribe underneath the pictures and then I will write my perspective in regards to what they think and feel.

(Season 4, episode 24 - The Crimson Hat)

[Transcript:

Lisbon, not looking Jane in the eyes: So, that thing you said before you shot me.

Lisbon, looking down: What did you mean?

[Jane looks contemplative for a few seconds, before saying]

Jane, with a slight smile: What did I say?

Jane, no smile: I was kind of hyped up.

Lisbon, looking at him now and sounding relieved: Me too. I thought at any moment we were gonna get found out.]

My perspective is as follows: Lisbon has a disorganized attachment style (or should I say…Messy?).

(Season 1, Episode 14 - Crimson Casanova)

[Transcript - Patrick Jane: Messy women make good lovers.]

This means she desires both closeness and distance. She asks Jane what he meant by telling her “Take care, Teresa. Love you.”, but she cannot look him in the eye. She does not know if it’s a confession and she does not know if she wants it to be a confession. She is not ready for this.

Jane, who did not expect her to call him out on this, takes a while to figure out how to respond to this. He is definitely not ready for this kind of intimacy. Whether the confession was a slip or not, he did not intend to talk about this afterwards. Therefore, he decides to go with “I don’t remember what I said.” I think the presence of the smile and the serious face afterwards is indicative enough. He knows she will not say the words out loud.

And she doesn’t. Moreover, she seems just as relieved for this excuse, since she decides to look at him in the eyes now.

In the fanfiction that I’ve read, a lot of people interpret Lisbon as being slightly annoyed or even downright upset about Jane pretending to not remember telling her “I love you”, but I don’t think she was. I think the perspective was both enticing and scary for her (another example pinpointing this is Pike asking for her hand in marriage).

Now, how does this change when they are in a relationship? They start to communicate more and express their likes and desires more, as well as listen to each other. (“You wore a vest. I like it.”) Their early traumas still haven’t disappeared, but they work through them together: they still have a tendency to brush off their emotions and say “It’s nothing, I’m fine”, Jane runs away for a bit when he is trying to figure out how to deal with the idea of Lisbon dying, and Lisbon remains to be responsible and deal with their feelings. But - they talk. Jane confesses to being terrified of losing her, Lisbon remains clear that she loves both Jane and the job. What seems initially as running away turns out to be running towards. It is true that he could’ve told her before, but it’s likely that he didn’t know what was going on either until he found the house. Jane was trying to find a way to deal with his intrusive terror. And yea, my guy would’ve benefitted from some therapy, but a new hobby (such as renovating a house) is the next best thing really. He comes back to her.

In conclusion, I think a lot of their decisions and instincts and fears can be explained by their attachment styles. The way their relationship evolves is absolutely fascinating. Honestly I find it really beautiful that two terrified people used to running away decide to stay for each other and come back to each other and do better to each other and for each other. Their final perp catch is done as a team.

(season 7, episode 13 - White Orchids)

References:

https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/four-attachment-styles/

https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/disorganized-attachment/

https://www.attachmentproject.com/blog/avoidant-attachment-style/

https://thementalist.fandom.com/wiki/Teresa_Lisbon

https://thementalist.fandom.com/wiki/Patrick_Jane

[wonderwafles]

Cruelty and Creativity: A Forerunner Saga Exchange SIGN-UP!

Attention, all ye ravenous fans of an obscure book series written as the deep lore backstory of a first-person shooter game that hit its peak popularity in the mid-Aughts, whom are present on Tumblr! The day has come! Utúlie'n aurë, the day has come! Er, sorry. Wrong fandom.

What I should say is, aya. You are what you dare. Do you dare to sign up for this fandom exchange, in defiance of the strictest laws laid down by the Master Builder and the Old Council? What's that? You want to hear what it's about first? And what you'll have to do?

Ugh, fine.

The Exchange: This works sort of like a Secret Santa. Reply to this post confirming you're interested in participating! Sign-ups will be open from today (October 21, 2023) until November 4, 2023.

For the most part this exchange will be conducted on Tumblr, but if there is a platform you'd prefer to receive or give your gift on let me know in your reply. Also indicate if you'd rather have your gift given to a different blog than the one you're replying with. (NOTE: I will be participating in this exchange and you may be asked to make a gift for me.)

Gifts: Once sign-ups are closed you'll be asked to write up your preferences for both giving and receiving a gift; i.e. if you'd prefer to make art or fic, as well as what you'd like to receive. Here you'll also be able to prompt your gifter with the subjects or areas of Forerunner lore you're interested in. The deadlines for that will be decided as we get closer to the 4th. (I'll create a form for this when the time comes. I think.)

The area to aim for with your gifts is a roughly 1000 word fic or a flat, colored piece of art. These are not strict minimums, but probably don't do too much less than that. And of course, feel free to go beyond if you like!

Guidelines: In general I will be pretty laissez-faire about the topics and themes of your gifts; if someone wants an Ur-Didact pinup far be it from me to say no! But this is the big one: This is a Forerunner Saga exchange, not a Halo one. Although I won't disallow references or scenes taking place in other areas of Halo canon, the main focus of your gift and your request should be on events or characters or OCs or concepts from the Forerunner Saga.

Oh, and make sure your gift aligns with what your giftee asks for. Naturally.

Deadline: The... currently stated... release date for Halo: Epitaph is February 27th, 2024. I hoped to time this exchange so that we are all receiving our gifts shortly before the novel is released, as a kind of celebration of the Ur-Didact's return. To that end, please post your gifts on or between February 24th and February 26th.

If the book is delayed again, the current plan is not to delay the exchange. I want there to be some stability in the dates for this thing... as much as we can manage, anyway. But also, if enough people want to delay it as a result, I'll think about that too :)

Let's keep our fingers crossed the book will come out on time, and our celebration of Shadow-Of-Sundered-Star proceeds as planned!

Is that it for now? I think so. Remember to reply to this post on or before November 4th if you're interested in participating! If you have a friend who's not on Tumblr but is interested in participating, let me know, and we can work something out.

(Fun fact: This is posted exactly one year to the day from when Halo: Epitaph was announced at Halo World Championship in 2022 :))