#contrary to what is probably popular belief based on the contents of my blog i swear this game isnt just a bat whump simulator

[thegreatyin]

sooo... fallen london.... how does one get into playing

you can find the official website right over here! that's actually pretty much all there is to it!

it's free and browser-based, no downloads or purchases required. all you need is to make an account and the game will guide you from there.

i made my own list of tips and tricks a long while back, and i highly recommend the wiki beginner's guide if you feel lost and need some direction! don't be afraid to spam my inbox with questions if it comes down to it. it may come as a shock, but i am slightly autistic about this game (i know, i've been really really really subtle) and any and all opportunities to talk about it make me see red

[detransdamnation]

hey, i'm a transgender person who came across your blog while looking through some tags. i don't necessarily agree with much of your views (i'm very much not a gender critical), but your posts have given me a new perspective on detransitioners. i didn't hold any animosity towards them before (or much of an opinion at all really), but my understanding of them didn't have much depth. i just wanted to say that i feel a great amount of empathy for you. transitioning might have not been the answer for you, but i hope someday your dysphoria dissipates and you're able to find peace. you aren't a freak for pursuing a path that didn't end up being right for you, you simply tried to alleviate your dysphoria in the only way you knew how to. i'm sorry it didn't work out. and i'm sorry so many of my peers treat detransitioners with vitriol when we really should be extending our support to them. i apologize if this came off as me pitying your situation. i'm not good at conveying words through text, but i just want you to know that my sentiments are genuine. i'm sure this is kind of a weird thing to get in your inbox (probably even weirder coming from a transgender person, sorry). i suppose we're at odds with each other, but i hope you are able to find happiness and someone who will love you for you.

Thank you so much for this message, sweet. One of the driving forces in my decision to publish my mostly unfiltered turmoil in relation to my dysphoria (beyond the fact that I just need a place where I can drop it and forget about it) was/is the wish for people to gain this very perspective through my blog. I find that a not-insignificant portion of the gender-critical community consists of people who (self-admittedly) do not actually experience long-term dysphoria to the degree that I and many other transgender people experience (meaning they're just parroting talking points without a personal, in-depth understanding of what it is actually like to hate yourself and your body to such a degree and be so fucking desperate to just make it stop), while the wider detransitioned community (contrary to somewhat popular belief) do not actually criticize gender identity as a concept, and in fact, often continue to find comfort in upholding it post-detransition. I also find that the ways in which dysphoria is approached and talked about in both communities can be a bit... shall I say... missing-the-forest-for-the-trees in that there is so much emphasis on "curing" dysphoria (whether through the means of transition, therapy, or simply "growing out of" it) riddled into the ideologies that when they come across someone like me—someone who has continued to have severe, persistent dysphoria through transition, detransition, and pretty much everything under the sun—they, very often, have no idea what to do or say because I exist outside of the plane of generalizations they have based their beliefs off of. I believe, if you want to have an honest conversation about mental health, you have to acknowledge that you can do everything "right" and still suffer—I am living, breathing, walking proof of that shitty fact. I choose to be pragmatic about it, to show that both "solutions" to this internal nemesis have caused me pain in different ways, because I think it's way too easy for people—including myself—to forget that real people's stories are often much more nuanced and complicated than mere theories would have you assume. Maybe that's cliché, dramatic, pessimistic or self-defeatist of me. But it's messages like yours that show my decision has made the intended impact.

You have nothing to apologize for. I don't read your message as your pitying my situation (and even if I did, I'd totally understand, considering the content of some of my posts lmao). I'm so glad to know that you have found some value in what I have shared here, even more so that you read through my blog and came to a place of compassion instead of defense. I'd go out on a whim and say we're not so at odds with each other, seeing as how I do still live my offline life as a transgender person currently, although I understand how many would disagree with me on that considering my perspective. Especially in this past year, it can be very hard for me to not look at this clusterfuck of an issue and want to throw back all of the anger and hatred that the trans community has shown me in the past, I'll honestly admit that—but through it all, I try to hold out hope that we will move past this weird timeline of extremism (on both sides) and we will all be able to come to a place of mutual understanding that will benefit all dysphoric people who precede us.

[captainkurosolaire]

~ Mass Update ~

Mainly going into future plans and intents alongside ideas below cut.

Ton's of things I've in store this will prove difficult to vent it all out. But here we go... First off rehashing and appropriately learning to tag and organize things better on my blog. Each category will have their own corresponding content, I seek to bring or share. [Tales of Goldbrand] -- I intend this to carry a Compendium of all my writes soon that'll have everything neatly in-order including a glossary, so it'll have highlights of stories that even matter or the best stuff. I've written here for a very, long time, there's been many shifts. I want to make it more accessible. While coloring what matters for people who want to learn Captain or his Crew with less chapters. While also giving choice to find it all easily. This is essentially a step-above master-lists. I'll be doing that after the Saga I have going on, right now is done. [Captain] -- Will provide you strictly with Captain screenshots, gifs, photo-sets. This is still his blog despite the Crew thing's will sort of make this a scuffed Multi-Muse blog. I've few more things to edit and tag fix to get all his stuff though. [The Wild Crew] -- Afterwards this story is done Immortal Age Saga, It's something that I mainly wrote as a passion project within three days to get my warm-up process fixed. It's to allow me to get a feel for all his Crewmates and casts, in combat, in-general, to feel their presences. While also giving a bit of their backstories. At any point, I can go back and polish or tweak things in. They're NPC's but... not entirely. All will have their own 'Dreams' and their own 'Disapproval's' they have their own missions even. These things will factor eventually, they might set seeds, to betray or disagree with something, but that's all angst and more stories to be created, but overall, they'll probably always be Crew, eventually. -- I plan on making character-profile sheets of them and putting them in this Tab, it'll have their screenshots, their likes/dislikes. Some RP partners or people can also be shipped with them, but they'll all be monogamous and originally start off probably Pan. This allows them to figure out what they like on their own stories. I've always been someone who likes organic-flow. Although this one story contain all 16 characters or more, the rest will probably be shortened to a Squad of 4 and dispersed when on adventuring missions. Until I do a War Arc, that's my main goal to build too. [Roster] -- Will contain this Crew in just screen-sets dedicated to them, I'll probably randomly produce those. I've PC players among this Crew too. I may not be done either adding more, but this Crew is mainly built around Quality. Most pirate crew's mainly, have hundreds, thousands. Even Fleets. This Crew has personalities, monsters, people who are living life's that exist with piracy. He's an particular leader that had PC players the same way, he's had split-personality serial killers aboard, tribal chieftains, succubus, all sorts of various people once on a Crew. It's often an outcast style, pirates default are chaotic in nature, so this really isn't any different, it's a Fantasy version of it. There's humanization characters aboard too though, so this cast is really decked, everything and person is vital, they matter because they remind or covet something that others can draw upon. If ever played (Three Houses or Mass Effect / Dragon Age Origins) A lot of things like that are relatable too this structure and format. Which, Is something I want to be able to give when RPing. I want a genuine feel of this new world someone else's muse will be the main-character too. Depending on what's interacting everything they'll be scale appropriately to follow the genre they're in and environment even. [Aesthetics] -- Already explainable what you'll find here. [Asks] -- Same thing. [Prompts] -- Trivial things I was tagged too, I plan on compiling later. [Writing] -- Another alternatively to randomly go-down and it works right now. [Logs] -- Will have more individualistic master-lists and posts there, my poems from Sheik Sphere the Bard, etc.

Things of that nature, I'll probably add still. It's where a lot of my creative writing is summed. [Gems of Hydaelyn] -- My main #tag for other characters and artists, creationist. Lot of amazing people easily to find their zones or follow them optionally if you like. Ton's I intend to support and bolster, be a lot less unspoken. I'm never the type who's been strictly inclusive. But I'll do that when I've time to even explore the dash, I'm always still planning ahead with things and projects. [CKS] My original character-sheet it's outdated on something's but not too terrible. I'll give him polishing someday, I swear? [21+F-List] -- Just purely degenerate stuff of Captain. I'm a pirate blog. I will represent that with openness and furthermore. I'm never projecting you some false-image. I started off a smut-writer by stripping that, I no-longer represent the same aura and identity. But those are strictly his stuff and kinks, I'm effective in executing them but they're not all relatable to me OOC. This blog will always be 18+ containing crude or dark material sometimes, romantic things, this Captain is blunt, will literally put his cock on the table in conversations. Swearing and being censored would be too uncommon and displace most of him, but there's more about him then all this. [Other] -- I pay homage to a lot of characters, I originally am a Concept Designer. Which mean's I make characters and ideas like my addiction. Bad characters / villains or other little things I like to share in designs, I'll put there. Some villains might get little photo-sets, even if they died. Just cause I like their design, or maybe I'll give them an AU, where they won. When I've wrapped up things. [Collabs + Ships] -- Is a new project idea. This isn't going to be something limited too romantic only ships. It'll contain, platonic, romantic, friendships, rivals, frenemies, family, PC Crew, all ships. I am desperately working on improving my gif, screenshot, posing game so I can supply 'Screen Stories' this is not only a way to RP that's accessible with even people who are upon time-crunches from work, It gives visual-representation. To impactful stories shared with others and establish bonds. That are all-valid and impactful matter. Lot of people take a lot of their characters attributes into them and are them dialed up, I work with that and bit more, differently. I'm disconnected from my characters and they'll get hurt and injured and killed by me, that's my duty as their Author to give them conflicts and struggles. I'm their major antagonist, but that doesn't mean at-all, it's always SET that way. The characters I like to make have their own life, they live in this setting and are abide by it, they're often nothing, nobodies, and by the interacting with others, they slowly gradually building, more... Through emotional impacts, they alter, these are REAL people by all their beliefs. Each person they come in-contact with are legitimate and treated like that too. They've always impacted or given them insights to grow, or represent more. Otherwise it'd be criminally disrespectful if I allowed any emotional I felt OOC be the grudge to something IC. Captain in-particular is set on defying me. I cannot have that. ...But I can't stop him. He's met and encountered so many people and lived so many scenarios based on the actions of others, he's giving a chance right now to actually do things a lot further than impossible. The more people he meets and encounters, experiences, the more I lose. These stories are emotionally interactive where everything is a factor and adds to the dice, where the other people are the one who get to roll the dice for him, not me. That's something I want to color in. People range in emotions, they have their down's, ups, their own wholesome-grounding people, spending time with your favorite people, there's nothing more cherishing than that, being in your own comfort-zone or 'safe-space' these are all treasures that we live under, today. Contrary if what people assume of me, I'm not another 'blogger' that's came

before, who's wanting to force a harem, then constantly is bewildered when that falls to pieces cause of selfishness or a lack of communication, or the skeletons they have in their closets and beliefs they hid behind and swindled fooled everyone. I'm not looking to be popular or anything really, I just create stories and want to share in those, and I want to also boost others included, upward with me, especially those who make me. There's no ego in anything I do, this is purely love. I've never cared about being replicated or duplicated, I've had stalkers, I've gone through more then anyone would imagine, I've been used OOC and abused, just for my writing and cold-harshly told, i'd never amount to anything other then that or vice-versa. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion. That's all I got and am anymore. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion is the hardest thing to keep. It's something that can be stolen, quite effortlessly. Few words of discouragement, a bad negative representation, a lack of confidence, or small amount of time, there's many thing's that can put that flame out. Once you lose it. The difficulty to reattain is hundred-times harder than climbing any mountain for real. I've watched the greatest creators crumble from under the pressure, from beaten down by others. I watched many of them do it to themselves because they put a grand vision of needing validation of another and once lost, felt uncompelling to press onward. But passion also can be given BACK and drawn. It can be shown and encourage others, with a soft-triggering, that pushes them. That motivates, that constantly sticks to it. There are many that fuel me. If I ever quit, I let them down, I spit in the faces of people who're better than me in every-way. Or people who've came and given me their precious Time. That have given their character's or dedication to the abundant stories and community-driven things I've done. There's ONLY things you can do, create, give and provide. It cannot ever come to life without YOU. This is a fact. ...I swear, If you let your creativity soar, you'll be amazed by the heights you get. Constantly polish and learn and hone the best you, challenge yourself day after painstaking day, to draw better improvement on something, no matter how trivial or unfamiliar you are. You'll find a confidence only you can give yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Future Plans --------------------------------------------------------------------- For me, I've got so much more stories to give and also explore, I might be taking up soon some other artists and more skilled people from community and hire them for some of my future writes, to up my game or cause something thing's can't be done in-game cause no background carries it. I also got a lot of-set up things and more angst stuff I want to practice, plus I'm adamantly on that grind to produce screen-sets with the intent's to some sort of improving daily. Additionally more people I'll be reaching out too soon for these collab's ideas and things. I look forward to shaking your hands, giving some hugs, show you my respect and admiration, then creating some enchanting stories and giving plots light. Feel free to reach out to me, I get scattered-brain but I'm working on getting better about it. Eventually will get to you though, my goals, if uninterested just say so when I poke, no bites, unless you kinky. Anyways, cheers hearties.

[rwby-redux]

Deconstruction

Worldbuilding: Overview

If you were to ask me what my main reason is for running this blog, that answer would probably be worldbuilding. If it wasn’t apparent from the table of contents, I have a lot to say on this topic, so let’s not waste any time.

To give you some context, the very first book that was ever read to me as a kid was The Fellowship of the Ring, so you can imagine where I might’ve gotten that enthusiasm from. From my childhood onward, I was enthralled by the craft of building living, breathing worlds; of designing places and people so detailed, so immersive, that until you lift your head out from under the waters, it’s easy to forget that they’re not real. To roll with the analogy, worldbuilding is a coral reef you glimpse through a glass-bottom boat—a place of beauty and curiosity, a place that for all its haunting familiarity, isn’t your world. And yet, as you stare into the abyss, watching the light catch on the frills and fronds of coral, at the sleek and mesmerizing living kaleidoscope of shoaling fish, you long to leave the boat and slip beneath the surface.

Worldbuilding, at its heart, is the art of creating a world that we can never originate from, and yet want to belong to on some level—tourists, who stay long enough to fall in love with a foreign place, until we must eventually pack our bags and return home; until we have but souvenirs and photographs to remind us of the people we met, and lessons we learned, during our many travels.

But if elaborate metaphors aren’t your thing, here’s a technical definition:

Worldbuilding is the construction a fictional world, usually with the purpose of supporting an intended story or characters who belong to that setting. Many constructed worlds (or conworlds for short) range in detail and depth, with histories, geographies, ecologies, societies, cultures, biodiversity, and scientific laws (such as magic systems, or fictional periodic elements). Some creators even go so far as to construct entire languages for the worlds their characters inhabit.

Worldbuilding is the skeleton, or scaffold, upon which your story rests. It provides a supporting structure for your world by grounding it in a believable reality. Contrary to popular belief, worldbuilding doesn’t exist exclusively as an outlet for justifying the gimmick of your story (like wanting to create a fantasy setting to justify the inclusion of elves and dwarves). You could have a story that’s just Earth in an alternate timeline and you’d still need to include at least several hours’ worth of worldbuilding, for one very important reason—stories don’t exist in a vacuum.

To quote a passage from Seven Deadly Sins of Worldbuilding, by Charlie Jane Anders:

If your pitch is, "It's just like our world, except everybody can turn invisible at will," then you've already failed. Because if everybody could turn invisible at will, it wouldn't be anything like our world. Especially if this power had been around for more than a few months. Whether you're creating an alternate history or a secondary world or a far future, any technology or power you introduce is going to have far-reaching effects — not just first-order effects, but second- and third-order effects, too. Going with the "invisibility" example, you'd have people using it to spy on each other — but you'd also have a huge boom in heat sensors. We'd start redefining the whole concept of privacy, and pop culture would be massively transformed. There would be whole art forms based around invisible performers, and it might be legal to shoot an invisible intruder on sight (on smell?). You could be here for hours imagining all the ways that the universal power of invisibility would change the world, and you'd probably still just be scratching the surface. [1]

So not only is worldbuilding potentially fun because of the creative opportunity at play, but it’s necessary, and I think this pretty aptly explains why. If a writer takes their time in creating that backstory, the quality of their work tends to stand out. If you want great examples of worldbuilding done right, look no further than J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, or Michael DiMartino’s and Bryan Konietzko’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra. There’s a reason why The Hobbit was published in 1937 and we’re still talking about it almost a century later. There’s a reason why A:TLA is widely-acclaimed as one of the greatest animated works of the twenty-first century. You could argue that Tolkien set the precedent for fantastical worldbuilding, which is why he’s often regarded as the father of the fantasy genre. Fun fact: the LOTR legendarium was actually designed after he wrote his numerous languages (and I do mean numerous). Similarly, A:TLA is often said to have set the benchmark for what defines not just good worldbuilding, but excellent worldbuilding. A:TLA’s setting is rife with cultures, politics, and geography that informed how the story unfolded. Never mind the simple yet comprehensive magic system with its well-implemented limitations and constraints, which didn’t hinder the narrative or plot.

But I’m getting off-topic. How does this all relate to RWBY?

Let’s go back to that quote I mentioned earlier. In RWBY, characters have the ability to unlock Aura, and by extension, discover their Semblance (a magical superpower unique to the individual, which consists of a single, vaguely-defined skill). Semblances are useful for fighting off Grimm, but as the show has repeatedly shown us, these skills can be weaponized against humans and Faunus.

So how does RWBY’s worldbuilding address this in-world problem?

Simple: it doesn’t.

Neither the show nor its creators have ever established how Semblances are regulated (if they even are at all). In a world where people can develop the power to turn invisible, cast mass illusions, telekinetically move objects, create tangible clones, summon the shades of fallen Grimm to act as thralls, and run at superspeed, how does the general public ensure that Huntsmen aren’t turned into living weapons? What happens when trained Huntsmen go rogue (like Raven Branwen), and use their powers and fighting skills to aid bandit tribes? Are there technologies like infrared security cameras that can scan a person’s Aura and detect whether or not they’ve unlocked their Semblance? Would technologies like that be controversial because they infringe upon a person’s boundaries? In a world where Auras are manifestations of the soul (therefore making souls more analogous to organ systems than metaphysical/philosophical constructs), would that be considered an invasion of privacy? Do Huntsman need to have a background in law enforcement like a police officer in order to legally arrest someone? Is four years at a Huntsman Academy enough time to learn the ins and outs of all four kingdoms’ legal systems?

What about outside the kingdoms? If settlements like Kuroyuri eventually intended to gain autonomy and become a recognized self-governing kingdom, does that mean the laws of Mistral don’t apply to it? Are Huntsmen’s authority legally recognized in all of the kingdoms equally? What about non-kingdom nations like Menagerie, which doesn’t have a Council or Huntsman Academy? Are Huntsmen forbidden from operating there? If a Huntsman licensed in Vale commits a crime in Vacuo, which kingdom do they answer to? Do all of the academies maintain a registry of active Huntsmen that includes what their Semblance is? Would a list like that be available to the public upon request? If a person with a Semblance has a criminal record, are they legally required to disclose what their Semblance is when applying for a job (especially if they used their Semblance to commit the crime)?

RWBY answers none of these questions. And to give you some context, all of these hypothetical scenarios I just pitched? I came up with all of them in less than thirty minutes. In a brainstorming session. With one other person.

And these are all questions that pertain to just one of RWBY’s core worldbuilding elements. We haven’t even touched on the issues with Dust or Grimm.

At the end of the day, my issue isn’t that RWBY has a weird magic system—my issue is that RWBY hasn’t taken the time to explain the rules of that magic system, and how those rules affect the world that the show inhabits. Questions like these can seem tedious and time-consuming for writers to have to think about, but the payoff is undeniable. Because then you won’t have pedants like me going over the franchise with a steel comb, trying to figure out how the hell RWBY’s script managed to get past Rooster Teeth’s staff without a single person raising their hand and asking, “Hey, don’t you think we should fix that?”

With the right attitude and the right amount of research, a writer can make their audience believe anything. BioWare’s research into physics and chemistry made Element Zero in Mass Effect believable. (Seriously, read the Codex. The devs did their homework.) Bethesda’s research into virology, radiation, and atomic weapons made Fallout’s post-apocalyptic wasteland believable.

This is why good worldbuilding matters. With it, your story is immersive, and allows the audience to suspend their disbelief. Without it, your audience becomes aware of inconsistencies, and it makes it difficult to have any real investment in the stakes of your story when rules can change on the fly. This is a theme we’ll be revisiting time and time again, so keep that in mind.

Here seems like a good place to stop, as we’re now 1,600 words in and I haven’t even scratched the surface. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations, and thanks for bearing with me.

Glad we got that out of the way. Now let’s move on to our first topic.

-

[1] Anders, Charlie Jane. “7 Deadly Sins of Worldbuilding.” Online article. Gizmodo. August 02, 2013. [https://io9.gizmodo.com/7-deadly-sins-of-worldbuilding-998817537]

[benedictgolde]

8 Lessons for Modern Living.

Day 8

Contrary to popular belief, drizzle is an amazing weather to run in. When it’s cold it can be a slightly different story, but if the temperature is playing ball then allowing yourself to get soaked on a soggy and wet 8 mile run is an invigorating way to start the day! Whilst treading along the river this morning, I had an idea about how I can decipher all my interests across my YouTube channel.

The goal is to create and upload weekly videos; some of these videos will be music/song based: #SongChallenge videos, some of these videos will surround my athletic endeavors: #AthleticChallenge, and the others will hopefully resemble travel style/adventure vlogs: #TravelChallenge. How does that sound? The whole point surrounding this is that I upload more of the content that I create. I want a good reason to put it into the public domain and not let it fester deep on my computer hard drive as I have been doing for so long. “What is a product if nobody knows about it?”

(The video from yesterdays post.)

As for today’s post - in my Steal Like An Artist logbook, the task was to steal a book title and write your own story under that title. I went on bookdepository.com and looked up the best sellers; it came up with a non-fiction book called 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. My best interpretation of that title was to list lessons I feel are useful in modern life. The result concluded that 21 lessons were too many. The list I wrote out ended up being 7 lessons but I have decided in light of it being day 8 of the daily blog, that I shall write 8.

So, without any more delay, here are 8 lessons for Modern Living:

1.    Socialising online is a lonely place. No matter how realistic the virtual world gets, nothing beats a real interaction. I would go as far to say that even a negative interaction is better done in real life – it’s no shock that arguments are often much easier to settle in real life. Meet up with your friends, limit texting and messaging and make the undivided time for family. Real life is always better.

2.    Learn to be excited about the moment. Modern living means we are constantly thinking about the future, planning our next move and figuring out later days. It’s easy to get excited about future plans but remember that once upon a time, past you was planning the present and might have even been getting excited about it. I always try to get excited about there here and now, even if its excitement over my coffee as I drink it. The best comparison is that to running a race; you look forward to that finish line but if you don’t take in the moment then it’s over and done before you’ve had a chance to realise what it is you’re going through.

(my morning espresso)

3.    Have set times for your phone and emails. I read a really sad obituary once about a CEO who died of cancer. Not the cheeriest of subjects to go over, but within it was an anecdote about how much regret went into prioritizing emails and texts instead of being in the moment. Not giving conversations with loved ones undivided and full attention, and instead having your head buried in what seems like the most important text or email, could end up being your biggest regret when it comes to your death bed. Keep that in mind.

4.    Do something for long enough and you’ll get good at it. This is something I have to remind learners all the time. In a world where instant gratification is becoming the norm, people seem to be forgetting that to be good at something or to have attained something good, you have to put lots of time and effort into it. Human beings love the idea of a quick fix; it’s why all marketing is based around the ‘get rich quick’ schemes or ‘6 pack abs in 2 weeks’ diets. Its bullshit. If you want something then prepare to be at it for a while. It’s the same with learning; you can’t just turn up in France and expect to know fluent French.

(Running takes time to get good at - do it for long enough and you addicted just like me.)

5.    Ask people for help, and help them back.   This concept is so obvious and you’d think it silly for being on my list. However, the age of the internet means we can help ourselves out most of the time by just googling problems, watching how-to YouTube videos or asking a computer for advice. The problem? It is never reciprocated online. If you help out a human being, seeing that they aren’t somewhat of an a***hole, then they’ll help you back. It might be easier to look online but (refer to lesson 1) you’ll miss out on all the human interaction and emotions that go with receiving and reciprocating help. “It’s who you know, not what you know.”

6.    Go on the holiday. So, you want to travel and there’s a weekend free but you just ‘can’t get around to booking it’. Suddenly it’s that weekend and you’re wondering why on earth you’re sat at home spending money online that could have been that fine authentic Italian cuisine in Napoli (or wherever it is you’re thinking of going). You always wish you’d gone on the holiday, rarely do you regret going once you’re there. Go on the holiday. A time out of the normal routine will always be more memorable.

(Me up Helvellyn, along striding edge, on June 9th - I remember because I was there. I don’t remember June 15th, I was probably at work...)  

7.    Move more than you don’t. This is easily said as a runner and somebody who finds it hard to sit still. Though, even on a long run day where I’ve churned out 13 miles, done a full-on strength session and rode my bike to and from the shop – I still make sure I get up and walk around every 30 minutes or so. Movement keeps the blood flowing, which in turn gives you energy and that helps you think, work and generally function better. It’s so simple to do - you stand up and walk about. The disruption also helps stop you from going into mindless internet browsing and getting lost in the virtual abyss.

8.    Lists of 8 are better than 21. Imagine if I’d written 21 of these… I don’t think either one of us would have been able to carry on.

This was written straight from my log book with minor edits. There’s other lessons I could have added or perhaps swapped out, but I thought it would be more authentic to just write them as they formed in my mind.

Hopefully you’re all enjoying the Kendrick Lamar video. Expect another video next week. Peace & love. BG

[daughterof-chaos]

There She Goes

Author’s Note: A Happy Lowman imagine based on Point at You by Justin Moore. This is the second imagine for Music Monday #2, and it ended up a lot fluffier than intended…hope you don’t mind. Let me know! Oh and I’m sorry that it’s on the short side, it just felt right to end it where I did.

***Update*** This is my work–originally posted to my old blog @callmemrskozik which is no longer in use. Just wanted to put it out there so people don’t fill up my inbox accusing me of plagiarism.

There She Goes

-XX-

I’ve always been one of them boys Rollin’ around in jacked up toys Making noise on small town Friday nights Red light running, good time chasing, Guess I’ve earned this reputation Probably never shake it but that’s alright I’ve got a rough side, a wild side At least a country mile wide A fightin’ side after a few If they wanna see my sweet side My soft side, my best side I just point at you Yea, point at you

-XX-

His eyes track the flow of people coming through the club doors, the purpose of his watchful gaze serving two purposes. One, he’s getting a head count for Gemma on how many people will need to be accounted for at all times for this lockdown, and two, he’s keeping an eye out for Liv. She’s running behind. Crazy woman always is.

But when he sees the familiar flash of dark hair, he actually smiles, and stepping on the bottom rung of a nearby barstool to boost himself up and over the crowd his brown eyes catching her laughing hazel.

“Sorry Hap,” Liv’s voice is light as she manages to get through the crowd, and then her arms are around his neck, her face nuzzling into his neck.

“You were cutting it damn close baby,” his voice is soft as he presses his lips to her hair, comfort replacing the anxiety that had started blooming due to her absence. She links her hands together anchoring them at the nape of his neck and grins look up at him.

“Better late than never, right?” she laughs and when he presses a kiss to the tip of her nose he catches the sound of stifled laughter from behind him, and tucking Liv tightly to his side he turns towards the noise to find a couple of prospects, the humor quickly draining from their faces when they see Happy looking at them.

“Something funny?” he demands, his gravelly voice piercing the air and with their head shaking quickly back and forth they suddenly decide they have better things to do than stand around and laugh.

-XX-

Girl I ain’t sure just what it is That’s got me all tore up like this Your kiss done melted down this heart of stone I still like to get a little crazy But something about your loving baby It breaks me down and makes me wanna haul ass home I’ve got a rough side, a wild side At least a country mile wide A fightin’ side after a few If they wanna see my sweet side My soft side, my best side I just point at you Point at you yeah

-XX-

She sits at the bar nursing a single beer as she listens to some of the other women talk. For the most part the conversations are boring, just everyday gossip that she has no interest in. She’s bored; and checking the clock she wonders how much longer Happy is going to be. She debates going to check on his herself but she decides against, acutely remembering the last time she watched him fighting in the ring.

She handled it well, until a sneaky right hook caught his cheek bone, spitting his skin. She doesn’t remember much after that, from what she was told she got up to go in for another drink, made it two steps, and then she was down.

Happy lost that fight because of her; not that he cared, but the embarrassment follows her to this day, so whenever her Old Man gets the urge to pound on someone in the ring she steers clear, content to play nurse when he’s done.

“Another one Liv?” one of the prospects, Phil, asks her and holding the bottle up she considers.

“Why not?” she says with a smile as Phil collects the bottle quickly replacing it with a fresh one, and holding it up she toasts before taking a long drink.

“I have to ask,” Phil says after a few beats of silence, “you and Happy? How’d that happen?”

“What do you mean?” Liv asks feigning confusion. She knows exactly what he means, because it’s the same thing that seems to stump everyone who meets them. Not that she doesn’t understand it. She understands it on a deep level because it’s the same question she asked herself in the early stages of her relationship with Happy. He was so rough, cold even, unless angry, in which case he runs hot, and now that she thinks of it he runs hot in bed too, but that is nobody’s business but theirs, but something about him is sweet, soft, and that mix of dark and light, it drives her absolutely insane in the best possible way.

“It’s just, you are not the type I imagined Happy’s Old Lady to be,” he says giving a shrug of his shoulder and she can’t help but smile.

“Well Phil, I take that as a compliment, I do hate being predictable,” she laughs taking another drink, “I guess it just happened. Contrary to popular belief, he does have a soft side.”

“Soft? Happy? Really,” his tone is incredulous and before she can reply Happy’s walking in, an arm swung around Tig’s shoulder. They are both covered in sweat with streaks of blood on their faces.

“Drinks for everyone, Tig’s paying!” Happy calls out and he’s met with loud cheers.

-XX-

Oh girl I wouldn’t blame ya if you tried to change me Lord knows I’m hard to hold But I guess you kinda like all of my sides And I ain’t letting you go Cause my best side is holding me close Point at you, yeah I’ve got a rough side, a wild side At least a country mile wide A fightin’ side after a few If they wanna see my sweet side My soft side, my best side I just point at you Oh baby, I just point at you Girl I point at you Oh babe my best side is you Girl I point at you

-XX-

Liv gently presses the ice pack to his face, cooing under her breath as she takes in all of the damage done. Of all the times he’s gotten into the ring with Tig, this was definitely one of the better bouts, and with a smile he leans back against the bar, letting his woman take stock. He knows whatever she can’t soothe right now, she’ll soothe later in the privacy of his dorm, in fact he’s counting on it.

“I’m going to get some more ice,” Liv says taking the half melted pack from him, and as she gets up he snags her hand pulling her close so he can press a kiss to her lips, and finally letting her go he watches her walk away, head tilting to take in the way her jeans hug her ass.

“Liv says you have a soft side,” Phil says from behind him and with a grunt Happy takes the beer he holds out to him, and pointing it in her direction he smiles.

“And there she goes.”

[rottenrevelry]

What is #actuallydivine? What is #divinekin?

Big Big Big Disclaimer: These are my own definitions, and my own understanding of other folks' definitions. If you have any information that I missed, edits you would suggest, or corrections to what I have said, please do not hesitate to let me know!

If you agree with this post, I'd love a reblog, but don't feel pressured to use these same definitions that I do. I'm just like, a little tired of people (Antis? Sealions?) asking the same questions over and over.

In his post, I'm going to address two types of terms: actually_______ and _______kin; within these groups I will address actuallydivine, actuallyangelic, actuallydemonic, and actuallydeific/actuallydeified --- as well as divinekin, angelkin, demonkin, and deitykin/godkin.

This is a really long post, by the way. It’s sort of an essay and it’s like, over 2k words. There’s a pretty tongue-in-cheek tl;dr at the end, but you can probably absorb most of the information by skimming it.

ACTUALLY__________ :

Usually, if someone uses actually_______, rather than ______kin, they are probably purposefully distancing themself from the general 'kin narrative. I think this can sometimes be misinterpreted as a (literally) “holier-than-thou” attitude, but in my experience, it is almost always deeper than that.

Actuallydivine, as a tag, was started by a person (who I will not tag unless they would like me to) who had delusions* of being a deity due to their mental illness. The tag mimics other tags intended to form community between folks with the same/similar mental illnesses, such as a.ctuallya.utistic or a.ctuallyps.ychotic (censored to avoid cluttering these tags). It is not appropriative of these tags, because the origins are the same.

*The DSM V defines “delusions” as follows: “[F]ixed beliefs that are not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. Their content may include a variety of themes (e.g. persecutory, referential, somatic, religious, grandiose)”

Note that this definition differs from the DSM IV definition, “A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everyone else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary,” which bases “external reality” on the popular belief.

Initially, the tag was intended to be used exclusively by deities, and not by otherkin. The creator initially requested that posts not be tagged with both actuallydivine and divinekin, or other forms of cross-posting. The fact that it’s been taken over by otherkin has irritated several of the non-’kin folks who use the tag, especially those who have been using the tag for a long time.

Actuallydivine has also branched out somewhat to include religious beliefs that involve self-deification -- that is to say, those who believe that they are gods for personal religious reasons. This is where I fall, as well as most of the actuallydivine folks I’ve had extended conversations with. These religious beliefs are, understandably, quite intimate and individual, but are often characterized by meditation, self-worship and autodevotional acts, and forming community (if not organized, then at least supportive) with other actuallydivine folks, even if the specifics of their religious beliefs differ wildly.

Actuallyangelic is a newer tag which is a subset of actuallydivine. It is characterized as a mental delusion or religious belief that one is, predictably, an angel. Most often, this refers to angels and angelology within Abrahamic religions (ARs). However, this can also refer to angels from Non-Abrahamic religions (Non-ARs), or even angels that do not originate from religious faiths at all. “Abrahamic” is a bit of an umbrella term, used for religions which originate or identify with the figure Abraham. The most common Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, although there are others. You can read more here (Wikipedia link).

It may be appropriate here to define “angel,” given that it’s a fairly fluid word, despite its fixed cultural image. Here, angel is presumed to mean a spiritual or celestial being, who is partially or fully immortal, who acts as an attendant, servant, messenger, agent, or envoy to a deity or concept. “Angel” as a word originates from the Greek “angelos,” meaning messenger.

Actuallydemonic, as might be expected, is similar to the above, used by those with mental delusions or religious beliefs that they are a demon. This can also appear in an Abrahamic sense, usually as the “opposite” of an angel, as an unpleasant or evil spirit, or the servant of an “evil” or devilish deity (namely Satan). However, just as angels, demons can have beliefs stemming from Non-ARs as well.

A demon, in this case, is defined as a baneful or chaotic spiritual servant to a (similarly baneful or chaotic) deity or concept, much like an angel. Also like angels, the word  “demon” originates from the Greek “daemon,” meaning a supernatural being either personifying a concept, or occupying a divine space between gods and mortals.

Finally, actuallydeific, or actuallydeified, is a very new label, reaching back toward the roots of the actuallydivine tag. It is a subset of actuallydivine, encompassing the specific mental delusion or religious belief that one is a deity. It was created, perhaps in protest or perhaps in abdication, of the influx of actuallyangelic folks and angelkin in the actuallydivine tag. This is where I stand, specifically, and I mainly interact with other deities.

__________KIN:

The definition of “otherkin” varies based on who you ask -- their communities, their age, their politics, and their particular kintypes. For the sake of my post, I will use the simplest and most common definition I have run into: “One who identifies as partially or entirely nonhuman.” This leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and can be used to convey almost any related belief -- psychological, religious or spiritual, family lore, and even very straightforward literal beliefs. One may believe they were a dog in a past life, that they have generations-old fae heritage, or that they are an alien who was put in the place of a human child in infancy, and all of these could count as “otherkin.”

As such, one who is divinekin may have countless reasons for believing so. Many divinekin believe that they have either died and been reincarnated as a mortal, or that they were sent to earth for a particular reason. Using the given definition, those who classify as actuallydivine may also classify as divinekin. However, there is a sizeable movement to distance the two, as many people in the actuallydivine community do not resonate with the general image or narrative associated with the divinekin community.

Angelkin are, in my experience, one of the more popular divine kintypes. These are folks who identify, either partially or entirely, as angels -- again, most commonly Abrahamic, but many from Non-ARs as well. This can range from anyone who fully believes that they are the Archangel Gabriel incarnate, to those who are kin with a fictional angelic character from media, to those with whom an angelic aesthetic simply resonates deeply.

Similarly, demonkin identify as fully or partially demonic -- that is to say, as one who fits the above definition of a demon.

godkin, or deitykin, are people who identify as deities. They may be full incarnations of these gods, or “shards” -- small pieces of the full deity inhabiting, possessing, or being possessed by a mortal body. It is notable that shards are likely far more common than full incarnations, as a human body There are many different kinds of deities, and not all deitykin identify as gods that you might recognize. While some deitykin identify as gods which are mentioned in surviving mythology found on earth, others are deities whose myths have all been lost to time, who were worshiped remotely or unofficially, who were not recorded, or who were never even worshiped on earth to begin with.

MISCONCEPTIONS:

Angels, demons, and deities are the only types of divine beings.             Nope. A real definition of who “counts” as divine would be impossible. This varies culturally as well as personally. Many considered their royalty to be partially divine, or sanctioned by the gods. Prophets and oracles, and other channels/vessels of the gods, are sometimes considered divine, and sometimes not. Some people consider all Fae to be divine, some consider no Fae to be divine, and some believe that the Fae have their own structures of religion and government. Whether one is “divine,” actuallydivine, or divinekin, is up to them.

All divinekin want worship.             Nah. Many divinekin are pretty uncomfortable with the concept of being worshiped here. Some do want worship, yeah, but nobody is required to do that. Yeah, it’s pretty unhealthy to ask for worship of others, and most divine folks will agree. If you see a post that says “WORSHIP ME,” there are a few things it might be. It may be a vent post, not intended at anybody, but expressing a feeling related to divinity on somebody’s personal blog. It may be a troll pretending to be divine. And, potentially, you may have found a person who is genuinely asking for worship. In any case, it’s best not to interact with the post at all. And, hey, some folks like to perform devotional acts for their friends. That’s for them to discuss together as consenting individuals, and you don’t need to be a part of it.

Divinekin are going to hell.             Probably not. Some of them, maybe! It really depends on your religious beliefs. If you thing that anybody not of your religious belief is going to hell, then sure, you’re probably well within your rights to include divinekin in there. But that’s on you, not them.

Divinekin are hubristic / divinekin insult my religious beliefs.             Again, this is more dependent on your religious beliefs than on theirs. If divinekin thought that they were going to be punished for hubris, they wouldn’t be expressing themselves in that way. The thing is, gods aren’t usually punished by other gods in the same way that mortals are. Their religious beliefs are as valid as your own.

Divinekin think they are immortal, or better than others.             Yet again, some, yeah, but not all. Most divinekin, like otherkin, are aware of the limitations of the body they’re in. The belief that one is literally immortal is often associated with mental illness, by the way, and even if a person thinks they’re literally, physically immortal, is it really your business to tell them otherwise? Unless you are their doctor, no. It’s not.             Divinekin sometimes think they’re better than others. If that upsets you, you don’t have to engage with them. It will make both of you feel bad. A lot of divinekin also struggle with some serious self-worth issues. Again, unless you are their doctor or their friend, it’s probably not your business to deal with.

All divinekin are a particular way (young, white, trans, mentally ill, unmedicated, uneducated, unstable, bullies, etc.           Verifiably incorrect. Looking through the tags immediately yields sets of selfies from divine POC. You will find posts from divine beings over 20 (such as this one!), even over 30, 40 years -- remember that around 40% of tumblr users are under 25. You will see the blogs of divine folks who are trans and cis, of all kinds of genders, including cultural third genders, intersex... the list goes on.            The point is that we’re a varied group. Many divine folks on tumblr are seeing or seeking psychiatrists, taking medication or in the process of receiving prescriptions, or don’t feel the need to seek out this kind of support. My therapist knows about my religious beliefs and agrees that they’re a non-issue. If they were contributing to self-harm in some way, she and I would both want to change that. But the fact is, they don’t.           There’s this common misunderstanding that all divinekin are cruel. This is perpetuated by personal stories ( “I had a friend who was divinekin and they wanted me to worship them, and when I didn’t they [blackmailed me/self harmed/abused me/accused me of abuse/etc].” ) which, while these are often at least partially true, and very very unfortunate, and worthy of sympathy, they’re passed around as a scare tactic in order to demonize (haha) people’s mental illnesses, spiritual beliefs, or personal identities. Most of the divinekin I know would definitely not participate in this kind of abuse. Have I met some divinekin who would? Absolutely. But I’ve also met plenty of abusers who weren’t divinekin. The two don’t seem to correlate significantly.            At the end of the day, whether somebody is any particular way is not your business unless it’s directly and actively harming you -- at which point it is not your responsibility to change that person, but to keep yourself safe. If you have negative experiences with a person who is divinekin, you have every right to get away from that person, but you don’t have a right to say that every divinekin is bad because of your experience with that person. And that person has a right to retain their personal beliefs, but they do not have a right to continue abusing you or others because of them.

TL;DR for divine folks: You’re great! Learn the difference between actuallydivine and divinekin, learn about your origins, pay attention to each others’ boundaries and needs, and be good to each other!

TL;DR for non-divine folks, sealions, trolls, anti-kin, or anyone made uncomfortable by divinekin and actuallydivine folks in general: The block button exists. Other religious beliefs from yours exist. People in communities probably know more about the communities than people outside of them, and individuals probably know more about themselves than you know about them.

[freshmilko]

Okay so I can actually tell you exactly why the whole killing stalking shitshow went down. And why Yuri on Ice is related when it’s such a completely different genre. It didn’t come out of nowhere, it was just a bizarre series of events that has led to… This.. Disaster.

So basically what started it all was the godsend that is Yuri on Ice. Now I’m pretty critical about the fiction I consume and while I do have some issues with the show, I think they did an amazing job and its a huge step in the right direction for queer representation in media! And people recognized that.

So now you’ve got this show attracting all kinds of different people! Everyone loves an exciting, well balanced show, no matter their usual preferred genre. YOI had excitement, beauty, tragedy, and queer romance all wrapped up in one little single season anime. It attracted a Very Big and Very Diverse fan base Very Quickly.

There was so much love for this anime that EVERYONE felt inspired to create fan works for it! There was a huge influx of art, comics, fics, etc etc. And all of this was loved by the other fans who like and reblogged all these great fan works; so much so that a huge number of blogs basically converted to YOI blogs. And you have all these different types of blogs all becoming relevant to each other because of YOI, so people follow one another and there are all these new connections on blogs, which previously would never have interacted.

And then Yuri on Ice ends. It was still loved, don’t get me wrong, but naturally obsession faded and blogs returned to posting about what they used to post about. And in these post-YOI phase blogs there are also, of course, guro blogs.

Now guro is a pretty controversial subject, so guro blogs tend to keep to themselves and other guro blogs. It’s a pretty closed off and tight knit group on tumblr, for good reason. I’m an outlier, since I don’t reblog any hardcore guro and barely any of the soft stuff, but I follow a lot of these blogs. I personally saw the YOI phase in a lot of them! And I saw them return to previous interests. You know, guro.

But suddenly these blogs have a lot of new followers(many of whom are self identifying fujoshi ((which is a whole other rant))) who came for the YOI, and obviously don’t /mind/ the guro but these new followers don’t know the general philosophy guro blogs follow. Things like always having warnings and tagging potential triggers. Also warning off minors from R18 blogs. And a lot of the time these new followers ARE minors. Hell, I’ve been following porn blogs on tumblr since I was 13. I may be an adult now but I remember being that age and desperately searching for some validation for what I experienced. As an adult, I agree with blocking minors from R18 content for legal reasons, but sneaky kids will be sneaky kids. Especially on tumblr, it’s very easy for immature minors to lie about age for the sake of following this content. And usually that’s harmless, let girls read some josei or yaoi and become comfortable with their sexuality.

But now they have found guro. And all the interests that often go with it. Horror, abuse, psychological horror, you name it. Extremely triggering material for a lot of people. Extremely cathartic material for some (like me). Often kept to the sides of fandom by the use of warnings and tags. And killing stalking is gaining popularity in this little pocket of tumblr. It’s a good horror manga. It’s gross, terrifying, and full of horror. It’s good. But it’s good /horror/. That means it’s not a healthy happy story. Any decent guro blogger will tell you that yes, it’s a good horror, and yes, it’s gross and terrible. But that brings us back to the immature YOI fujoshi!!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all minors. There are definitely many adults who are doing this, too. Because many adults are immature, just like kids. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t hit a magic age that changes you. And you don’t suddenly learn what a healthy relationship is either!! Especially fujoshi and fudanshi who drown themselves in fetishized and romanticized yaoi. It’s these fans that are being exposed to killing stalking, and taking it as another cute yaoi couple that just maybe has a few issues they need to sort out. Such as breaking each others legs and poisoning each other. But they love each other right!!!!!!!!!

Wrong. It’s abuse. It’s horror. Horror loving fans know this, accept it, and when we recommend killing stalking to anyone else? We warn them. We tell it how it is. And we only recommend it to people we know are into this kind of media. The story and relationship are horrible. Horrifying. It’s horror.

BUT!!! It’s not just our little pocket of self aware weirdos anymore. Now there are immature people who “came for the YOI, stayed for the weird porn!!” And they don’t know or don’t care about warnings. They enjoyed killing stalking so why won’t everyone else? They also are so desensitized to abusive relationships in yaoi they think it’s normal. And because of this mindset they have, I see a lot of my favorite non-horror or even nsfw fandom artists and bloggers getting asks that just say “have you read killing stalking? It’s so good!!” And I just cringe so hard because A:this blogger doesn’t read horror and B:this anon did not give any warnings of potentially triggering material.

So now, killing stalking is being romanticized and spread as a “yaoi” to people who are expecting something different and in the first place do not want to read something so gross. And they hate it. And I feel for them. They should never have read something they aren’t comfortable with, and that’s on the anon that sent them the message and gave them false expectations.

But now it’s become a witch hunt. Just like everything else on tumblr lmao. People on tumblr have trouble recognizing the different between reality and fiction, and I have a whole other long rant as to why that is, but I’ll let it slide for now. The point is that these antis equate a person to the fiction they like, which is ridiculous. And so they condemn the people who like killing stalking. Regardless of whether or not the individual actually romanticizes it.

Basically what happened is that whereas before the “morally correct” side of tumblr could just ignore the “less morally correct” sides interests, now ignorant and immature fans are forcing “less morally correct” media to be consumed by people who Don’t Want It. So they blame all of us. And it sucks. But mob mentality is what it is and the only thing we can do now is hope idiots stop recommending the goddamn manhwa to random people and the antis get bored.

Ok so I hope this is coherent at all idk why I decided to type this at 6 am. I just find this whole thing super annoying but also strange and interesting. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

Tldr: probably that fujoshi culture is the worst sorry also children are terrible

Real tldr:WARN FOR ABUSE AND POTENTIAL TRIGGERS ASSHOLES