#but here's something!

[maple-writes]

WHG 19: The chariots

whg tag list: @concealeddarkness13 @pen-of-roses @ratracechronicler @knmartinshouldbewriting @clocksandchaos @forthesanityofsome

---

On Asher’s suggestion, I decided I would try and play nice for the stylists once we got off the train. He’d said it wouldn’t do me any good to cause trouble yet but the way they circled and eyed me up like stalking animals... I didn’t like it. They all smelled too strong like chemicals that were supposed to smell like roses but applied far stronger than any flower could ever smell. An artificial nectar. It burned my nose. I didn’t like it.  

One of them, the tallest and probably the leader, leaned in and I had to stop myself from gagging. “Now, what should we do with you?” 

He reached to tilt up my chin and before I could think better of it I snapped at his fingers, stopping myself just before it would have actually left a mark. He took his hand back and shook it out cursing under his breath but when he looked back to my surprise he was beaming. Smiling ear to ear.  

“Well!” He slapped his hands down on my shoulders and presented me to the others. “She’s got sharp little teeth. We might have a fighting chance at victory this year!” He whirled me around to face him again. “Keep that up my girl and they’ll love you!” 

I blinked, opening my mouth but failing to think of what to say. So... So they liked this? Was this the kind of things that the Capitol was into? I still hadn’t thought of anything as they sat me down in the makeup chair, chatting and poking and brushing. Maybe I should have bit him harder. Asher would never believe me if I told him they approved of it, but on the other hand... Maybe Asher didn’t need to know I’d already gone and done the opposite of what he suggested.  

The styling team sprayed glitter in my hair, a silver shimmer that ended up looking almost natural like it wasn’t plastic and aerosol. They styled it back smooth and slick and curling down around my neck and shoulders and dressed me in sheer, almost cellophane-like robes that drifted and shone like oil on clear water with a dark green slip dress below embroidered in gold patterns that I couldn’t decipher for the life of me. The way they seemed to be placed deliberately must have been supposed to conjure some kind of image, but I didn’t know what.  

“There, you’re all set!”  

The head stylist gave me a pat on the back that turned to a gentle shove towards the waiting chariots. Each had a horse, big and sturdy at the front in all kinds of colours. I stood and watched one of them from a very generous distance. How come they were so strong but still did what people wanted them to? Just looking at them they seemed like they would have no trouble trampling anything in their way so why didn’t they? Did they like pulling carts? Maybe it was fun? If only I could ask them.  

I didn’t talk much to the tributes sharing the chariot with me, from my district. I’d never met them before and they didn’t seem to know who I was either and I was fine with that. Besides... I gripped the front of the chariot and stared out at the gathered crowd. I might have to kill these two anyway so it wouldn’t do me much good to get close to them now. They didn’t know me. They didn’t have any reason to want me alive instead of themselves. None of the tributes being paraded around did. There were a lot of them this year too. Seeing them all spread across the clearing before the president’s podium... There were a lot of people who wanted me dead. Who I’d have to kill to live.  

I swallowed, shuddering under the noises and the lights and the shouts from the crowd gathered to see us all for the first time. Asher might have found his way into that crowd but I didn’t want to bet on it. There were a lot of people there and it didn’t seem like something that he’d like. He’d promised he’d meet me afterwards though and that was good enough.  

The noise died down and the president started his speech but I couldn’t understand most of it from the echoing of the microphone and the sound bouncing off the stands. It probably wasn’t very interesting anyway, and probably wasn’t even that exciting for him either. By now I doubt there was much new content to add to a speech he had to give every year.  

The only interesting part of the speech was when a seagull went from lazily soaring above the chariots to swooping low over my head to land in front of our horse to wander over the dirt and pick at items thrown by the crowds. I leaned over the edge of my chariot as it turned over roses, poked at fancy lace creations, and pecked at jewelry that might have be thrown intentionally or may have slipped off of fingers and wrists by accident. It wandered an browsed until one of the horse staff shooed it away, but not before snatching a shiny gold ring and flying off with it. Good for them. 

Music started up again and the chariot lurched into motion. The sooner it was quiet again the better but I couldn’t let the other tributes know that, so I kept my head up and even managed a small wave at the end. I could slump into a chair or a couch later once the excitement was over. 

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

License to Kitty.

[zytes]

this manatee looks like it’s in a skyrim loading screen

[emjaydoubleyou]

this post is fearmongering. the results of this study are concerning and should definitely be a matter of public discussion, but this is certainly not the conclusion the researchers came to.

the point of the study was to assess the risks of exposure to toxic metals- something one of the co-authors notes are “ubiquitous” fwiw- via menstrual products. Their research confirmed that these metals are indeed present in tampons, but no further conclusions are drawn. it is possible the metal entered into the cotton from the soil, which is a well-known phenomenon; cotton is so good at lifting heavy metals that it has actually been suggested as a part of the solution for revitalizing polluted ground.

the authors conclude with an acknowledgement that the study should be repeated- their sample size was 60 tampons- and a suggestion that further testing ought to be done to indicate whether or not these metals can even leech out of the tampon in the first place, let alone whether or not such leeching could occur at levels deleterious to human health.

there is, in fact, a body of research- too small, for sure, but much larger than this single study- indicating that long-term proper tampon use has no observable negative impact on health. i am grateful and thrilled that more research is being done and i hope that this study is the first of many on this line of questioning, but i am really frustrated at this post and the response it got.

obviously, if this study alters your approach to menstrual health, more power to you. consumers should be informed-risk-takers, and menstrual health is double-obviously a very personal choice. but it definitely wasn't the researchers concluding that you ought to “avoid using tampons at all cost," only this tumblr user did. the lead author of the paper, in fact, specifically says that she hopes people do NOT panic about the results.

(the notes of the post were disappointing. people affirming that they knew they were right to be suspicious of tampons all along, or even recommending alternatives that actually have very little to no research regarding the safety of long-term use, etc. it’s a different conversation, but categorical distrust of tampons is old-school misogyny. you certainly shouldn't wear them if you don’t want to, but there is nothing inherently scary or wrong about them, and people who prefer them are not being reckless or crass.)

((if you're really worried about exposure to heavy metals, you may want to turn a critical eye to fast fashion, as an aside))

[abisalli]

Jason but he wears this helmet 😼

[planefood]

rules for thee and not for me

[lonelyroommp3]

yesterday my flatmate asked what my "olympics schedule" was in terms of what i was planning to watch and when and i was like i can't explain to you how much of a foreign concept that is to me. you don't have an "olympics schedule" in my household you watch whatever happens to be on tv whenever you have a minute of free time and get insanely invested in whatever sport you end up watching. maybe down the line you get so caught up in an event that you start going "i'm sorry i need to have the tv at 8:45pm next tuesday because i need to see the men's sport climbing finals or i'll kill myself" but it's something that has to happen organically you know. that's half the fun

[gibbearish]

love when ppl defend the aggressive monetization of the internet with "what, do you just expect it to be free and them not make a profit???" like. yeah that would be really nice actually i would love that:)! thanks for asking

[chloesimaginationthings]

Happy 10th anniversary to FNAF!!

[pigswithwings]

above all else a trans woman is a person. above all else a trans women is a woman who goes to the same grocery store as you and buys fruits in the same grocery cart as you and goes home and eats her dinner the same as you. above all else a trans woman is a woman who dresses like you do and talks the same way you do. above all else a trans woman is a woman who wants to be cared about the same way you want to be cared about and a trans woman is a woman who makes friends the same way you make friends. above all else you should care about trans women because they are people. treat her as such.

[mynnthia]

was talking with a friend about how some of dunmeshi fаndom misunderstands kabru's initial feelings towards laios.

to sum up kabru's situation via a self-contained modernized metaphor:

kabru is like a guy who lost his entire family in a highly traumatic car accident. years later he joins a discord server and takes note of laios, another server member who seems interesting, so they start chatting. then laios reveals his special interest and favorite movie of all time is David Cronenberg's Crash (1996), and invites kabru to go watch a demolition derby with him

[canisalbus]

✦ Freshly ordained ✦

[sunsestart]

My only offering this year for let Papyrus say fuck day

[chiptrillino-art]

(ID in ALT text) i gotta admit, start of this year was mostly me drawing a bunch of outfits (don't ask me if sokka or suki got the most... i think sokka) if you like these, check out my zuko here as well! these are still influenced by @ranilla-bean fic the iconoclast fic.

[ptr-sqloint]

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Dog Meshi.