#but whatever your flavor

[cinamun]

I am literally begging you to get to know songs that are, at the very least, ten years older than you. Feed on them. Sweat them out of your pores. Trust me on this. When I listen to songs from the [redacted]'s, it just feels right.

[stump-not-found]

Sorry if this has already been answered, but does Ford celebrate his birthday? I know its pretty hard to keep track of time when its ... nonlinear in the multiverse but I feel like Bill would know. And to ford every once and a while Bill demands his attention and he comes back to the pyramid to the wildest (worst) surprise party. The cake is human skin, candles are those really long wisdom teeth. Ford hates it.

i'll call out that a main plot point of chapter 4 is the fact bill gets ford presents on his b-day so yah its a regular thing, but they celebrate the day after his b-day

first birthday together bill probably does the skin cake thing but ford just rolls his eyes and sighs . bill almost fucking shoots himself after that response

[tackykachowch]

What's so funny about Jinx smelling Vander's jacket to me is not even that it's inconsistent with the story at this point (i. e. Vander is alive so there is no reason for her to smell his jacket, plus she didn't have a close relationship with him anyway), but because we already had a coat for her to interact with that was established IN SEASON 1 FINALE. SHE TOOK SILCO'S COAT OFF OF HIM. WHERE DID IT GO????? And most importantly why Jinx doesn't care about it at all despite her still coming to his office to "talk" with him? Like. You would think that Jinx, who still keeps keepsakes of her lost loved ones, would take some of Silco's things to remind her of him, but nah. We need a stupid thing with Vander and Silco's jackets where she doesn't even properly interact with the right one.

[aroaceleovaldez]

Your blog is the only blog where I feel safe enough asking this question. What do you think of Percy Jackson fans who feel as though they and the series have a moral superiority to Harty Potter ? Obviously, Harry Potter and its author are laden with questionable and sometimes straight-up hateful takes and views. But the way PJO fans constantly compare the two, its authors (even though RR is far from flawless), and the two MCs (ignoring how the two both share similarities in the fact that they are both traumatised, abused, angry teenage boys). I'm sorry that this ask got so long, but this has been annoying me for a while now.

This is an interesting question - for one, fandom fights over superiority is a concept that has been around for ages and has never been constructive. PJO and HP fandoms have been fighting in that exact way (and it has gone both ways!) for literal decades (remember, PJO turns 20 this year) so this isn't new, it's just taken on a moral flavor. Let's go over some things though (but please keep in mind i never got into HP and never read the books or fully watched the movies so my knowledge of HP is primarily pop culture absorption/secondhand from my family and friends):

Are either series perfect? No. HP absolutely is full of hateful sentiments and JKR is a hateful person and I do not respect her for that. Disney's marketing recently has absolutely fully leaned into trying to put Rick above her as a moral paragon and emphasizing how progressive he is and his support of diversity in middle grade series, despite some failings to reflect that in the actual text. Are Rick and JKR equally bad? Definitely not. Rick has had tangible good influence on adhd/dyslexia awareness that very directly impacted people like me as a neurodivergent kid going through school in the 2000s. JKR meanwhile has directly negatively impacted trans laws internationally very recently.

Rick absolutely isn't perfect, but he's vocally supportive, has made a lot of effort in the past to be inclusive, and still attempts to do so. Most of his issues simply stem from his own unaddressed internalized bigotry/biases and his research on varying topics not being great (plus poor management decisions such as not hiring a sensitivity reader actually fit for the story he's trying to tell). But he's not hateful. JKR is. JKR is very vocally hateful and bigoted and this is absolutely reflected in her work as well even in earlier HP. They are comparable in that they are both middle grade authors of easily two of the most popular middle grade fantasy (or specifically hidden world fantasy) series out right now. They are not equivalent in the slightest in their bigotry or tangible damage.

In terms of Percy versus Harry, I personally don't think they're very comparable. They share some similarities, but mostly just in that they're both the protagonists of their stories and thus serve protagonist purposes. Beyond that their use within the narrative is pretty different functionally. Their worlds' magic systems are not comparable. The hidden world aspect in both their universes isn't even comparable, since in PJO the "hidden world" aspect is very different from most hidden world fantasy formats because the entire point is that it's functionally not a hidden world. The characters themselves are very different as well - Percy's personality and the way he behaves and reacts to his environment is absolutely nothing like Harry's.

Most of the anti-HP-in-general sentiments stem from wanting to cut off JKR's notoriety, which I think is valid to want to do. And I do think there are a lot of issues with continuing to support JKR's work especially in ways that functionally promote her work or support her financially. Obviously, we will never be able to scrub HP from the cultural zeitgeist. It's just not feasible and I'm very anti-book burning so I do think it's important to acknowledge the role HP has had in pop-culture alongside acknowledging its harmful materials. HP is a text you absolutely can't death-of-the-author your way out of because a lot of the vitriol is baked into the text and worldbuilding in very overt ways - and there are plenty of other pop-culture staple novels like this. But fandom in general, at least true fandom and not mainstream fandom, is so obscure most of the time that I don't think, so long as people are not ignoring negative themes of the source material and are being thoughtful as they navigate engaging with it, that it is an inherently bad thing for HP fandom to just exist at all. It's never going to just stop existing no matter what people do. And HP fandom are not the only ones who should be thoughtful about how they engage with their source material - PJO fandom is not exempt from examining some of the problematic aspects in our own text and figuring out how to be respectful with those topics. It's just a lot easier for PJO fandom to tune it out without it being noticed because there's less of it and it's (at least sometimes) less overt. Honestly if HP fandom decided to go more down the path of a fandom like Warriors or Miraculous Ladybug, where the average sentiment is more along the lines of "Oh god no don't read/watch the source material it sucks/we stopped paying attention to it year ago and it's not relevant at all to what we're up to. We're over here functionally rewriting everything from the ground up/doing our own thing" I would very much support them in that endeavor. I do think there is merit in limiting promotion of the HP source material as much as possible, though.

Hopefully that all makes at least some amount of sense.

[quinloki]

I just CAN'T stop thinking about

Having your hands tied over your head, and they're tugging at your waist band. Just

so slowly

pulling it down.

Inch, by frustrating inch. And each little shift in fabric is that much more skin exposed. That much closer to the treat they want to devour as much as you want them to devour it.

And there's that one moment. So brief. So long. Where there's nothing left. The next tug is going to be it. Their gaze finds you, and you're holding your breath in anticipation, fingers flexing in whatever binds you love.

There's not going to be anything between you and them and that first

kiss lick nibble

warm huff of air as their breath rolls over your shivering skin.

The sweet sounds pried from your wet lips is such a delectable treat. The perfect thing to whet their already raging appetite.

[perilegs]

one of the things i'm most disappointed about is that da:tv will sell well. it's been designed to bring as much new players in as possible, and apparently a lot of people disappointed in it will still buy it on launch day. and ea will keep producing absolute steaming garbage with some ip slapped onto it just because it sells. theyre treating the series with as much respect as netflix originals with their medias.

[tennessoui]

girl your hanahaki au is absolutely wrecking my shit i--- I don't ever read ongoing fics and this is why. I just cannot wait?!? But the waiting somehow makes it better too?!? I'm literally dead bro I can't I love it so much

hahah omg thank you !! I’m really happy to hear you took a chance on this wip and that you like it so much!

not to get on my soapbox or anything but you have given me a great corner to shout from

as a disclaimer I totally understand why people will choose not to read wips and I truly think you know your mental health and what you can stand to wonder about/think about/obsess over/NEED to know a conclusion for better than anyone else

BUT as a writer who almost exclusively posts in wips, people reading them before they’re finished is my life blood and I am so grateful and it makes the writing process so much more fun for me because I know at least someone else is invested in my brainworm of a story?? someone else is enjoying it and thinking about it and I’m putting a small amount of good into the world??

the best analogy I’ve been able to come up with is like:

when you read a finished fic you’re eating a whole meal and that’s great that’s so amazing (especially if you tell the cook you liked it after you’re done). and you’re literally always welcome to eat that meal whenever you want. finished fics are like standing dinner invitations: I am always happy to have you and I mean that very genuinely

but if you read a wip, you’re keeping me company in the kitchen while I cook. and that’s sort of priceless. in some instances, you can even tell me the food needs more spice and I’ll think about it and listen!!! you’re sitting on my kitchen counter as I bustle around my space and we’re talking about what I’m doing and also how I’m feeling and maybe how you’re feeling and it just feels like community more than anything else I’ve experienced in any fandom. like you’re with me in my space as I’m creating food I hope you like. we’re both invested and it’s amazing

and I think in general that’s why wips are a lot of fun and also maybe why the waiting between chapters is fun for you - you’ve suggested that I add paprika to the pot and you’re waiting and wondering if I will, and I’m laughing and hoping you like the soup either way but also wondering if paprika will work with the recipe, and if I can add a bit to it just for you while staying true to the dish I envisioned at the get go.

[dailykugisaki]

Day 228 | id in alt

And so my crimson heart bleeds onto your golden eyes freely.

[hellscupboards]

I love useless headcanons. I love assigning favorite bands or deciding that they would enjoy a particular brand of shampoo. I love looking at a menu and deciding what they would usually order. I love sprinkling headcanons through fics like glitter you're still vacuuming up weeks after the party. Glimmering and unexpected and a little annoying to people who don't like sparkle. I love useless headcanons.

[splatbastards]

hey btw stop sending me asks that are just "draw [insert thing here]" it makes me feel like I'm being bossed around rather than presented an idea. I like getting asks as a way to interact with y'all and play with fun concepts that you tell me about and just being told what to do sucks the fun out of it.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

HELLO AGAIN I'm here to say that If your art was any type of food it would be a really, really, REALLY fancy 5 course meal with perfectly cooked food and dessert, BASICALLY WHAT IM SAYING IS THAT YOUR ART IS SO GOOD ITS WORTH EATING :3333 (I love looking at your art everyday 🤤)

AWWW thank you so much !! that's so lovely of you to say (❁´◡`❁) !! i always look forward gettin to draw stuff, so i'm happy to hear my stuff's as enjoyable for others as it is for me to make !!!!!

[shilo-sumac]

Reblog for a rare Enigma Berry!

anyone want some enigma berries via mystery gift or pelipper mail? i got an extra big harvest that i dont wanna go to waste!!!

enigma berries are unique since they taste unique to every person! some people say they taste based on your personality (salty, sweet, ect), or the essence of greatest wish, or your childhood favorite food, or rootbeer strawberries and sadness

OOC:

((Thought it would be fun to offer these to people, the idea is the mun can choose the flavor! It can be anything, random, or maybe symbolic or nostalgic to your character!))

[darkstarofchaos]

In the wake of TF One, I have finally figured out why I have less interest in MegOp with every new piece of media I consume, and it turns out not to be because of the way Megatron is written like I'd assumed (there are no TF One spoilers here, the movie just triggered the epiphany).

MegOp for a lot of early series (G1, Unicron Trilogy, TFA) was Enemies To Lovers, aka, one of my favorite relationship dynamics. They only knew each other as enemies, but something happened, they had to work together or get Married For Peace, homoerotic undercurrents of being rivals, whatever. Point is, they eventually had to interact for an extended period as not-enemies. And then they fell for each other and boom, relationship. Messy and complicated and very, "I used to hate you, but now that I've gotten to know you, I don't want to hate you anymore."

Modern MegOp is either set before the war, or it's Lovers To Enemies (and sometimes Back To Lovers). One of my least favorite dynamics, because it feels like a romantic dead end. "I have seen the darkness in you and I reject it". "I have seen you at your worst and your best isn't worth it". "I will set myself against you forever because I am opposed to your desires on a fundamental level". It's a good tragedy, but if you've seen both their good and their bad and rejected them, that's... That's it. There's no path forward without a redemption arc (which is a dynamic I have a love-hate relationship with, but we'll get to that).

If you've read much of my work, you probably know I'm a big SkyStar shipper and are very confused by the above. The thing about SkyStar, though, is that I didn't ship it. It was a bit different from the usual Lovers To Enemies dynamic in that Starscream was functionally a stranger to Skyfire after millions of years, but it still had that vibe of "I knew you and reject who you've become". All love lost, no path forward.

I didn't start shipping SkyStar until reading @grayseeker's Under His Wing, which starts off establishing them as... enemies. Because even though Skyfire still misses the Starscream he knew, he doesn't know this Starscream, and he rejected this Starscream (this is in stark contrast to other SkyStar fics I was seeing at the time, where Skyfire pined for Starscream like he was the one who'd been rejected, and would take him back at the drop of a hat. Also, a lot of those fics just kinda gave him "his" Starscream back, instead of asking either of them to figure out how to make things work if they still want to be together. But I digress).

Point is, Skyfire and Starscream became enemies under unusual circumstances, which leaves them a path forward if Skyfire is willing to get to know the new Starscream, and meet him where he is now instead of where he used to be. You can hit some Enemies To Lovers beats with this pairing if you try.

MegOp doesn't have that weird breakup situation. When one of them rejects the other, it's not after an extended separation during which one of them changed dramatically. It's more "I never knew you at all". It's, "I've known you for so long, and as recently as five minutes ago, I never would have thought you'd be capable of this". They hit the wall together, in real time, and have to confront the fact that they know this person who hurt them so deeply. Which, again, it's a great tragedy and a great breakup story, but it ends the romance. There's only one way they can possibly move forward from this, but in the case of MegOp, I do not think it works.

Let's talk about romantic redemption arcs, I guess.

So here's the thing about redemption arcs: I don't like them. Mostly because redemption is always treated as a good vs evil thing, where a reformed villain makes up their bad deeds to the people who used to be their enemies, but they never have to face the things they did to their allies (yes, I am talking about canon Megatron redemptions). The only upside to Defection = Redemption is that it sets the scene for an Enemies To Lovers story, but honestly, it doesn't feel the same. I want "drawn to each other despite their fundamental differences", not a relationship that doesn't even start until one character changes on a fundamental level.

In general, the only time I enjoy romantic redemptions is when it's not about what faction you're a part of, and more about whether you can accept the other person for who they are. SkyStar is one example, but a better one would be MegaStar. MegaStar as I prefer to write it is a relationship where both parties have seen the other's worst traits and did not reject each other - but their worst traits also feed on each other, so they're stuck in a sort of relationship purgatory until one of them either lets go or changes. And if Megatron decides to change (they both have issues to work on, but Megatron has to change, it can't just be Starscream), and he succeeds, that is a redemption arc. And it's a redemption arc I would enjoy, because I'm not asking one character to change their entire personality and moral standing; I'm just asking they choose kindness, not cruelty (yes, there is an entire conversation to be had about morality and abuse, but that's a whole post all on its own, so I'm not going to get into that right now).

Anyway, that's why a MegOp redemption arc wouldn't work for me. They have seen traits they didn't like - maybe not even the worst the other person had to offer - and one rejected the other. Reconciliation requires one or the other to change on a deep, worldview-altering level. And I'm not into that.

Enemies To Lovers says, "I have seen your darkness and will brave it for a chance to bask in your light". Lovers To Enemies says, "I have seen your darkness and am compelled to snuff it out".

Granted, my preferred take on MegOp is "I have seen your darkness and am compelled to snuff it out". But like, less "I will stand against you forever" and more "I will shape you to my liking". But whatever.

I should probably throw an unpopular opinions tag on this thing.

[smile-files]

i don't know if ralsei is a transfem or transmasc i just know he is trans

[averysmolkirbo]

Ok so im not sure if this is an autism thing or a white people thing (probably both lets be honest) but my hottest food hot take is that bland food is GOATED. i love you white rice. I love you white bread. I love you unseasoned chicken. You never hurt me. You're always there for me. you're like that friend that jjst LISTENS to you and doesnt try to offer you the trendy remedy of the week. I expierience enough stimulation and flavor in my life from just Being Alive. i do not need need my food to yell at me and attack me and be in my face. i want it to be like a warm soft blanky for my mouth.

is this weird or is this like a semi normal neurodivergent thing?

[quietwingsinthesky]

Drabble 193/366 - Doctor Who

She does understand.

She’s lived too long not to. She’s felt Graham’s grief despite her lost wedding ring. She remembers playflirting the way Ryan does when she was a man.

She knows what the look in Yaz’s eyes means when it falls on her.

Too early, too late. She feels like the awkward rut in the road. Trapping Yaz, herself ground down. To escape she’d have to tell the truth, break Yaz’s hope, and offer comfort for her unrepentant hearts’ regeneration: for the love she can’t feel and the friendship she can.

If with anyone. But not her. Not her.