#depending on the day. and other times its the other main host and a few fragments. i think both me and the other half try to keep everythin

[fog-covered-sekai]

im probably a system, at least it always feels like theres others in my head with me

h111 you dont know me but 1 was tell1ng one of my fr1ends about your sysfuyu post(1've become aware of a d1fferent presence? person? 1ns1de my head so 1've been look1ng 1nto th1ngs) but then they started to share some ant1 system thoughts w1th me like deny1ng the poss1b1l1ty of sysfuyu because theres "not enough alters" "that fandom 1s too young to know what they're all talk1ng about" "mafuyu doesnt even have the r1ght trauma to be a system" and 1t's been really upsett1ng.

1 dont want to start d1scourse on your blog, 1 just d1dn't know where to talk about th1s. 1 haven't been able to f1nd enough stuff to tell my fr1end thay they're wrong yet...

-Ra1nbow anon

Yeah your friend is full of bullshit and lets start with each one

1- "not enough alters" there's not a right way to be a system. We have 100+ alters (only about 20/30 front frequently) and have been invalidated for it, we also know systems of only two people, the definition of a system is "more than one personality". It doesnt matter how little.

2- "that fandom is too young to know what they're talking about" who made that post is 22 and is on college+know im a system for 4/5 years. I know what im talking about

3- "mafuyu doesnt even have the right trauma to be a system" there's no right trauma, our trauma was loneliness, and you can also be a system without even having a trauma, although you cant be diagnosed then. Doctors dont know everything about the human brain, so the possibilities of systems is unknown. Plus its literally a headcanon for fun who said it needs to be accurate?

I.. believe your friend is a sysmed, people who tends to think there's a right way to be a system, i dont think that would change even with stuff telling them otherwise, qnd im sorry you had to deal with that, i think if you try to change their mind start small, like not going straight for the trauma part becayse that.. theres a lot of syscourse around that, but the not enough alters could potentially change, if they get too angry though its best to just not mention it anymore.

And its fine, generally i dont like discourse but you're fine with this one anon

[eldragon-x]

Game recommendations for In Stars And Time fans

There's only four of them but honestly I think each one of these is good enough of an excuse to recommend it to ISAT fans. All of these are more or less in order of how much I recommend them from most to least.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (Nintendo 3DS)

I am a huge PMD fan, being as it's a largely story-based spinoff where you yourself play as a Pokemon. And I believe fellow ISAT fans would get the most out of this entry of the series.

Gates has the strongest cast of characters in the series and largely deals with themes of nihilism, hope, the importance of community, and how negativity can consume you. The core cast of characters develops a very lovely dynamic and go through compelling character arcs.

Heads up, as much as I adore this game, it has the most frustrating gameplay out of the spinoff between limited Starter Pokemon choices, being only able to take one mission per in-game day, and unskippable slow dialogue. Watching a playthrough instead of playing the game yourself is a valid way of getting into it.

Additionally, the game deals with suicidality. This also applies to parts of the other PMD game on this list, but it's especially present in GTI's main story.

The Dark Queen of Mortholme (free on itch.io)

The creator of TDQoM describes it as an "anti game". You play as the final boss, a Queen who considers herself eternal and is challenged by the Hero over and over again.

This game is very short (maybe ~20 minutes for one run) and has a few bittersweet endings depending on how you engage with and fare against the Hero. I believe this one might appeal to ISAT fans for its themes about change and in how the Hero always comes back in a gameplay loop, stubbornly trying to defeat the Queen over and over again.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (Nintendo DS)

First of all physical copies of this game are expensive so consider emulation. Or getting Explorers of Time/Darkness instead, just know that Sky has additional story elements.

That aside, Explorers is the most popular entry in the PMD series for good reason. I don't think the cast is as strong as Gates', but I agree with the sentiment that the game has one of the best stories that has come out of Pokemon.

The premise you're presented with is that time all over the world is starting to freeze because artifacts that keep time flowing in different places are being stolen, which would lead to a frozen paralyzed world. But the plot gets a lot deeper at a certain point, and the situation becomes a lot more tragic than previously anticipated.

Detective Beebo: Night at the Mansion (free on itch.io)

Honestly I'm mostly putting this at the bottom of the list because I played this just recently, have yet to see all endings, and don't have very strong feelings about it at this point. That being said, it is a free game, just six hours long, offers several endings, and I've seen several ISAT fans fall in love with it. I def think you'll find something of value here if you like ISAT.

The premise is that you're playing as a private detective, Oliver Beebo, who was invited to a party at a mansion. Oliver seems to be trapped in a timeloop, first triggered when the party's host kills him, but Oliver has no recollection of the previous loops.

He gains a companion in Àngel, who does remember the loops, and both of them try to investigate the purpose of this party and why the loops are happening.

Heads up for child murder, as well as unreality and unsettling imagery/scopophobia at later points in the game. There's also endings that contain suicide and body horror.

[midnight1nk]

⭐️A few days ago...⭐️

Wow, what a wholesome episode! "The rosemary to my bread", dude, I hope my future partner will say that to me one day. Now that I had my weekly dose of silly, time to check the Puzzlevision website! Eh, I bet it's going to be the same as...

[*SCREAMING*]

WOTFI 2024 PREDICTIONS REVISITED

⚠️ DISCLAIMER IN INTRO POST ⚠️

An eye for an eye...

How are we feeling, SMG4 fandom? It's that time of year and many have speculated about WOTFI as well as what might come afterwards. Myself included with my previous theory posts, suspecting that something big is guaranteed to happen. And we didn't have to wait long.

On the 14th of September, just a few days ago, the channel's latest episode, 'SMG4 and SMG3 come up with an episode' was released. But what truly made the fandom lose their mind was the sudden change of the Puzzlevision website. If you need a refresher, here is what it looked like before:

It had:

[puzzlevision.tv] being the site title and URL

Mr Puzzles' logo

A central image that transitioned between a webp to a gif file and vice versa on certain occasions

(after choosing Save As option) the image already labeled as Now Airing

Now, there was talk about this that wasn't left originally, stating that the image (that used to be larger) now had a black border around it. At least, at the time. As someone who has worked with web design, there's actually a number of reasons why this is.

Depending on the resolution/zoom setting on your device, it might alter the site's layout.

As said earlier, the image alternated between a gif to a webp. All websites require a background color underneath all of its assets so the change in image/file size may have shrunk than what was originally. Especially if you are attempting to make it look seamless between the transitions.

Long story short, It's simply how web layouts are: formatting gets a bit wonky from time to time.

Anyway, as I already mentioned, the website has changed to this,

(supposedly someone said the password was "carnival")

Then, to this:

Changes include:

The title "War of the Fat Italians 2024" with a similar URL [www.wotfi2024.com]

SMG4 logo

A whole new layout design (obviously) which just gives off 'Greatest Showman' energy

And now we've come to the present day: fans have already submitted their minigame challenges and preparing for a carnival-themed adventure. For me and other theorists, though, we're having a field day. From the clues I gathered on the website and a few past episodes, I might be able to put together what the channel has for us this year. Let's revisit my "WOTFI 2024 Predictions"!

I already covered a lot in depth in my "Puzzlevision 2: Now Airing" theory [link] and I'll be referring back to it here, so I recommend looking it over if you haven't already.

THE WEBSITE

I was honestly surprised that I was right about a couple of things. The main one being about the website itself.

The people behind SMG4 didn’t need to put this image in, they didn’t need to keep this website on. But they did.

Well, past Ink, you nailed it. And according to Cube (FM), this is the same website host.

"don't read into it too much"

Cube, with everything going on, I might as well interrogate a website for memes' sake.

Wait, what's wrong with it?

The fact that the website is used for WOTFI of all things is what's so strange. All the previous WOTFI'S asked the fans to submit their challenges through the comment section or social media. No other option was involved until now.

Maybe they wanted to try something different like what they did for WOTFI 2023?

That's a good point. It was stated that they wanted to be more experimental with their episodes. But even then, the '23 stream they hosted was on their channel, on Youtube.

Maybe they didn't want it to go to waste? After all, sites can be expensive.

Again, it's a good point. Depending on the domain they used and the apps connected to the site, it can be costly. However, I do want to iterate what I said earlier: they didn't need to keep this website up. Better yet, if they didn't want to raise any flags, why not keep the site how it originally was with the "That's all folks!" image? Why the change? Which brings us to our next point,

WHO IS THE REAL SMG4?

Let me explain...

After the change of the website, we got this post,

This brings up a lot of questions:

Who sent the letter?

If we can assume that's Four's hand, why did the post say "you" as if there is a narrator?

If Four had no idea about a carnival coming to town, then why would he ask us to submit challenges for a carnival he's supposedly hosting?

Well, they're pretty easy to answer. We already established that Marty would come back to be the most likely antagonist for WOTFI. I mean, this cardboard cutout managed to own a pizza shop, a casino, an airline company, and a spaghetti sauce brand. It wouldn't be a surprise if he also happened to own a carnival. But as I said in previous theories, Marty isn't working alone.

He's working with Mr Puzzles.

Mr Puzzles was the one who sent the letter to SMG4 just as he did for Wren in Western Spaghetti (indirect or not). It hasn't exactly shown if the letter had his seal on it. Not that it needs to anyway, they would recognize his logo and know they can't trust what's inside this envelope.

Remember how I said in my previous theory that one of the ways Mr Puzzles could control SMG4 was for our blue meme lord to be his eyes and ears? In the latest episode, SMG3 comes up with the idea of a carnival coming to the showgrounds for a week, and SMG4 wanting to go on the baby teacup ride.

Mr Puzzles was there, listening to every word they said to each other. He has been since "SMG4: Inside Out".

Could it just be purely by coincidence and just something out of improv? Sure, the SMG4 & SMG3 side episodes aren't really connected to canon. But like, c'mon, the channel knew what they were doing. Everything has to be put into consideration.

If that's true, the narrator could be Mr Puzzles, the second voice inside his head. Or, for those who love the goop!4 theory, the voice could be the demonic goo slowly taking over.

Now, back to the post!Four and site!Four. If we can assume the Four from the post is our Four, then the one impersonating Four would be Mr Puzzles, once again controlling the events in WOTFI. This time, using his website. Like Cube said, Mr Puzzles is the same website host as before. Also, look at these two:

It would be too obvious if we see a PNG of Mr Puzzles on the website again so why not impersonate his narrative foil. Well, at least look dapper while you're at it.

Or, even better, Four does know about the carnival but either the goo or Mr Puzzles are erasing certain memories.

A GAME OF WITS

Speaking of the website, let's analyze the description:

Step right up, WOTFI is coming to town and we need your challenges but this time...WITH A TWIST! We're doing a carnival theme this year and we want challenges named like a minigame and a description of what they are! For example "Whack a Bob - Who can smash bob with a hammer first?" OR "Pizza Pie Peril- Survive giant pizza's raining form the sky' Guidelines - Please only 1 challenge per person - Nothing inappropriate - Please add your internet profile name in the 'name' field below Thank you and see you soon!!! -SMG4

Carnival theme, huh?

Well, last year's theme made sense. Three's notebook was stolen and was risked of getting leaked. With the casino being heavily guarded, Four and Three had to sneak in. A secret mission to take back a secretive object.

If this WOTFI has Marty and Mr Puzzles working together, then It would make sense for a businessman and an entertainer would come up with something like a carnival. The best of two worlds: fun and capitalism. Besides, the Showgrounds would be a perfect place to host it since it used to be an abandoned carnival and Mr Puzzles having something to do with the land ownership.

[SMG4: Our New Home // timestamp: 5:38]

Now, what is peculiar is the use of the term "minigame".

Ink, it's a carnival. You have to stick to the theme of carnival rides and games.

Fair, but this is WOTFI we're talking about here. If you win a challenge, you get closer to the end and win a point for your side. For WOTFI '23, every choice impacted the story and therefore the ending. If the SMG4 crew plays and wins these minigames, what do they get in return? And if they lose, would there be a punishment?

It will entirely depend on how WOTFI would play out, in three scenarios:

Marty is revealed to be behind the carnival at the beginning of WOTFI and the Crew learns that, in order to reach him, they have to win some mini-games.

Marty isn't revealed until the near end. The Crew only came because they wanted to have some fun for the day but learned that this was a sort of trap created by Marty (along with Mr Puzzles but they don't know that yet).

OR BONUS SECRET OPTION

Both Marty and Mr Puzzles revealed themselves to be the ones hosting the carnival, meaning it's less likely that Puzzlevision 2 would happen unless something else happens.

Then, there is the phrase "WITH A TWIST". Sure, it could mean that it would be different than our regular old WOTFI, just as it happened in 2023. But WOTFI 2023 also revealed the twist that Mr Puzzles was actually the one orchestrating the whole thing, sending the fax to Marty about the secret recipe and his theme scattered in the background in multiple episodes. We might get a twist by the end of this year's WOTFI as well. Bonus points if we hear a version of his theme again.

Back in my Puzzlevision 2 theory, I predicted that the final battle with Mr Puzzles would happen back where it all started. With the carnival coming into the Showgrounds, it comes back full circle.

ONE STEP CLOSER

There isn't much to change from what I predicted:

Karen would be a key character for WOTFI this year. Maybe Karen just wanted her kids to have fun for the day, or even the corporation, her former workplace, gave her a tip that Marty would be there.

The Crew would have to find Marty's absolute weakness since he's technically invincible.

And possibly Pedro coming back to assist the Crew somehow.

But now I have a new prediction, based on the latest episode:

SMG4's and SMG3's relationship would change to a whole new level. That Four may need Three for something or if Three realizes something about himself, it would change their dynamic regardless.

It's really similar to how it was for WOTFI 2023 with small bits here and there all coming back to a single episode. (The notebook, the duo's meme guardian powers, Four's forklift, Three moving out of the Internet Graveyard, etc.)

It's still too early to confirm anything, but at the very least, we now have some idea what WOTFI may be about as well as evidence to back up some of my theories.

Will we get goop!4? God, I wish. I was listening to "Friends on the Other Side" and I was just imagining scenarios of Mr Puzzles taking complete control of Four with the goo. If it doesn't happen for whatever reason, I'll write it myself.

Oh well, we would just have to wait and see. In the meantime, that’s just a theory…

AN SMG4 THEORY

🎶Thanks for dropping by🎶

[vesanal]

₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊The 4th Day of Writemas₊˚｡⋆❆⋆｡˚₊

Wahoooo00oo! Another day, another WRITMAS!!! (it’s still Dec 4 for me, trust me <3) For those of you who don’t know about it, here is the invite post again!!! And here are the prompts for today! 

Prompts used: 

(only 2 today lol)

Narration: The knife trembled in their hand.

Feeling: Aching

Today I am focussing on a character that hasn’t gotten any attention yet. So get ready to meet Idalia Maeres! 

Read about the WIP here!!

Here it is for y’all!

------------------------------

It hurt worse in the winter. Nothing could dull it. Sometimes she had to just live with a poorly dealt hand. Idalia pushed herself off the bed and onto her feet, where she fell onto the nightstand trying to keep herself upright. Putting on her coat and gloves, she picked up her crutch and hobbled out of her room. Across the room she saw her crew members. All gathered, intensely conversing in a huge clump in the main hall, probably cutting up about whatever stupid inside joke they had this week or poking fun at all the rookies messing up the simplest of things. 

Eyes narrowing, Idalia walked herself over to the hoard of people, swiftly pushing herself off the ground with each stride. Surely, they could take on some more work. They seemed to be free enough to stand around. Maybe lighten the load for herself. All of those years of experience should amount to something. Hot steam rose up within her, boiling in her mind. Milev depends on us. We can’t risk their livelihood so we can sit on our asses and let them die. Idalia paced her breath back down to steady tempo. She took one final, sharp breath in to prepare her for some lecturing with such children.

“What are we doing here? No, no. Let’s break it up, we have jobs to do.” Idalia chastised them with a stern yell, then adding,  “Why are we up so early, anyways? You didn’t have night watch last night.”

All heads turned towards Idalia. Every face that looked at her had a twisted, confused expression. What’s going on? Why am I always the last one to know about things? Idalia thought, unsure as to why all of her employee’s eyes were latched onto her.

“Ma’am, do you not know what happened this morning?”, Her second officer rushed over, securing his hands around her arm to hold her steady. Warm hands like his made the pain seem so far away, even if it was only for a moment.

“No. I don’t know anything about this morning. Now, I am still your boss so, you lot better tell me what's going on here.” 

Bodies shivered across the room when she questioned them. Silent sobs broke out. A few crew members fell onto each other for support. Idalia blinked a few times looking around the room. She had never seen them act this way. Something serious was up.

“We found this.” a young rookie said, shaking. They held out a strange object in their hand towards Idalia.  As Idalia inspected it further, she began to recognize familiar patterns all over it. The knife trembled in their hand as they handed it over. Taking it in her hand, Idalia felt the curvature of the blade with her worn fingers. Feeling the smooth hard wood of the hilt curl around the circumference of the handle before meeting the glistening, black metal that reached beyond it. The blade itself coiled, too. Three sides of iron, all swirling around in a cylindrical shape, sitting firm where the cross guard laid. Everything about the blade was twisted. Twisted, like its owner, the Bone-Binder’s. Idalia closed her eyes and slowly sipped in air through her nose. Why was he here? Why has he returned?

------------------------------

(PLEASE tell me if you wanna get added to a tag list here because I genuinely don't know who to tag lol. I'll edit this and add you in!! <3 )

TAGLIST SO FAR: @sunflowerrosy @seastarblue

@thebookishkiwi @viridis-icithus @corinneglass

Our wonderful host <3 → @agirlandherquill Have a lovely day everyone!!

[bogusavathepit]

(S4) Pleasure Work Career Pack

[Non Modern]

The world runs on two things: money and pleasure. The latter esp on the most...personal. Under several power structures with their own unique hierarchies, there is always an industry of skin to cater to all walks of life and their mild to taboo fantasies. Perhaps with its own developed "hierarchies".

THE CAREERS

Pleasure Work (Full Time)

For material compensation, you practice "pleasures" for the body for any number or type of clientele at the your discretion...or elsewho's. Or "pleasure" is simply part of the actual main entertianment services depending on the circumstances.

Levels

"Part-Time Path Pacer": You take time out of your day to sell physical pleasure when you can as you do other non-pleasure services to keep yourself alive. You do not have a contract and thus you "sell" in the "streets" and by word of mouth rather than openly to protect your clients' identities if they are high-classed or high-reputed enough.

“Brothel Worker”: You have found a brothel to take you in through a contract. Any client that walks into the door and has interest, you must make sure to keep happy, especially if the owner of your contract--the current brothel owner--demands you to. The only exception is when you are already with another client.

"Top Pleasurer": You bring in the most money for the brothel and have been granted certain privileges. But there's always higher....

Branches

“Ownership”: Sims who have taken control and the documents needed to officially own the pleasure establishment. Depending on the social circumstances, they likely also have the slave or work contract of those who work at their establishment.

“Independence & Companionship”: Like a entertainer, these pleasure workers may entertain clients with conversation, knowledge, artistry on top of physically, however physical pleasure is a critical & expected service, they are unaffiliated with any brothel or pleasure establishment as they are sponsored by a patron or by the city, municipality, government, etc. where they live, AND more often than not they will have only one or two clients. They live alone and may have one or two servants or a huge residence of many, thus also becoming the heads of their own households. They do not perform on stage. Some may not can be universally known as just a prime beauty and be solely known as that even with their talents having brought them to that position. These are the pleasure workers some entertainers accompany as instrument players. Many even become concubines of important players in society if they become so beloved. "Independence" is a bit of a misnomer as their lifestyle is dependent on their patron or lover's happiness with them, but this is the position with the most freedom they may get.

Pleasure Work- Private Entertainment (Part Time)

Unlike ordinary pleasure workers, more often than not, these sims either do not sell pleasure physically at all or to just a few clients. And if they don't they service artistically, intellectually, etc.

Their main role is to professionally entertain clients, usually at parties in restaurants, teahouses, plays, symposiums, etc., but they also perform at festivals and on stage singing, playing instruments, or dancing. At times, they may play various instruments for pleasure workers. They sometimes are also expected to be proficient conversationalists and hosts by keep guests entertained by playing games and making witty conversation. some may even have similar access to high artwork and literature to be able to discuss such to their clients, thus some might have long term relationships with clients.

Base Level: 

"Entertainer": You have amazing skills in conversation, music, art, or literature and accompany pleasure workers for their client's entertainment. Usually you do not provide those same physical services, but....the lines can get blurred.

Go Check it out or Download

[dissvicious]

⛓ METALCHAINSAWKILLER ASKS REPLIED ⛓

a few days ago I hosted a Q&A session about Nina on my Instagram, there were several interesting questions so I decided to repost them here with the answers

Would Nina sell Kidd for a beer?

If he pissed them off, totally.

Favorite candy flavor?

Bubblegum

Fav food?

Corn dogs

Hobbies?

Tomb raiding, causing mayhem, dissection, comic books

Height?

5' / 1m52

Fav weapon?

A chainsaw called pussy slayer

Is she a "fight first, ask questions later" kind of person?

It mostly depends if she's on unhinged mod or not. She's pretty calm and reserved, almost shy usually. But when bloodthirst hit? Yeah definitely.

How did they adopt Zap?

They found him in a dumpster at Thriller Bark, badly injured, with a missing paw and a missing leg. They immediately fall for it and decided to rescue them. Zap virtually never leaves Nina's side, earning by Kid and Killer the title of "cockblock"

Does she have a family? What's her story before Thriller Bark?

She was basically raised by Hogback, the same way Perona was raised by Moria. Hogback adopted her when she was about 13 years old. She didn't have any parents (dead mother, absent father, classical pirate shit), and at the orphanage her morbid fascinations and anger issues dissuaded any potential adoptive parents, until Hogback found her - she basically saw him as a savior at the moment. In the main time, she started developped romantic feelings toward Perona, her only real friend back in time, and the two of them started dating.

When she did a burnout because of everything that was happening at Thriller Bark Hogback basically just... Threw her away. Completely broken she begged Perona to leave Thriller Bark with her but Perona refused. Nina developped severe abandon fear & trust issues after that.

How did they start dating with Kid & Killer? Who was the first?

Kid & Killer were kinda already together when they met Nina - even if they were in MASSIVE denial at the moment ("is it gay to spoon your bro every night? IS IT GAY TO [redacted]?? - you see.)

Kid, being Kid and basically an hormonal teenager dry humping on everything who can consent, obviously immediately tried to get in their pants. She wasn't really interested at first, trust issues and stuff. Feelings start to grow between them as they learned to know about each other - Nina's opinion about Kid changing when he talked to her about Victoria, mostly.

On the other hand, Nina almost immediately crushed on Killer. His devotion and loyalty to Kid and the crew, combined with his soft and caring side made wonders on her relationship issues. On the other hand Killer's protective instincts kicked in when he saw how vulnerable and fragile she was behind the sass.

They started to date and OBVIOUSLY Kid was pissed off because 1) "EH I CALLED DIBS" 2) "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T SUCK KILLER'S DICK ANYMORE?!!"

things went REALLY messy between the three of them for a while before they realized that

"Eh! the three of us love each other! why choosing!"

What's their relationship with Osha?

Very complicated actually. Due to their past, Nina tends to be VERY insecure & possessive when it come to its boys, with impressive and explosive jealousy outburst, so when Osha got closed with Killer, she didn't take it well AT ALL. When they saw how Osha were commited to Law, they started accepting it and let them have their fun with Killer, but it's still complicated and ask them a lot of willpower.

[allvalleyskillschallenge]

All Valley Skills Challenge FAQ's

What is it? The All Valley Skills Challenge is a monthly event designed to encourage all forms of creativity within the TKK/CK fandom.

How does it work?

Each month, we will select a theme and post 3 correlating moodboards, which will serve as visual prompts. Choose the one that inspires you the most - or choose them all! - and get creating! Whether it's writing, art, or other forms of media, the goal is to inspire creativity and community participation, in all its many and varied forms. What's the time frame? The theme and moodboards will be shared on the first day of each month. You will then have the entire month to complete your creation(s). If you wish for us to share your work, please make sure you have submitted a post by noon, CST, on the second to last day of the month. This should give mods enough time to reblog any submissions before the start of the next prompt. We will schedule deadline reminder posts for each month and include the deadline in the moodboard posts. We reserve the right to make adjustments to the schedules depending on the amount of submissions, we will post updates whenever any changes have been made. Be sure tag us so we can reblog it here. How do I tag you?

@allvalleyskillschallenge and #allvalleyskillschallenge Sometimes, things slip through the cracks on this hellsite, and sometimes life just gets in the way. If we somehow missed your post, please feel free to shoot us a politely worded message and one of our mods will take care of it as soon as possible.

What kind of fan works are allowed?

This is a skills challenge, so it's time to step onto the mats and show us what you've got! Our goal is to showcase all forms of talent and creativity in our badass little fandom, including but not limited to:

Fanfiction

Fan Art (Digital or Traditional)

Comics

Meta

Edits

Playlists

Moodboards

Mixed Media/Arts and Crafts

If you have any questions about the eligibility of your submission, please feel free to message us and one of the mods will be happy to clear things up.

Does it have to be CK/TKK specific? 

Generally speaking, yes. We ask that all works be connected to TKK/CK in some way. Any TKK/CK character, whether major or minor, is fair game. AUs, crossovers, and actor RPF are also welcome.

What pairings are allowed?

All pairings either directly or tangentially related to the TKK/CK universe are accepted. This means that if you wish to include a character from a The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai actor's other projects (i.e. Shootfighter, Naked in New York, Blue Beetle), we'll accept those works as well.

To make things easier on our mods, please make sure to tag all pairings accordingly. Include the names of the characters, the actors and the shows/movies they originate from.

What ratings and types of content are allowed?

Works of all ratings are allowed for this challenge, as are works that contain sensitive content, provided they do not violate Tumblr’s Terms of Service. But please be courteous and tag your works appropriately.

Please note that the mods reserve the right not to share or promote works that ignore these guidelines.

What about NSFW Art?

We recommend that any uncensored NSFW Art be posted to ao3. Please be advised that if you are sharing explicit art directly to tumblr, it should cropped/censored to abide by the community guidelines. We have also created an ao3 collection for your submissions. If you would like to add your fanworks to this collection, you can find the link here.

How should I format my submission?

Along with your submission itself, please state which prompt(s) inspired your work, the rating, the main characters/pairings included, and any valid content warnings.

If you do not wish to use warnings, please place your content under a Read More link.

To keep things neat, we also ask that any writing longer than a few paragraphs be posted under a Read More, along with all NSFW content.

If your work is hosted on another site outside of Tumblr (such as ao3), please provide us with a working link, along with a brief summary. Is there a word count minimum for written submissions? Or a maximum?

The minimum for a written submission is 100 words (or haiku length for poetry). There is no maximum. From drabbles to epics to in-depth meta, feel free to write as much (or as little) as you want. Just keep in mind that your work must be submitted before the end of the month in order for us to reblog it. Can I submit more than one thing? 

Yes, absolutely! Our goal is to inspire you to create!

That being said, we will only reblog 6 posts per participant, per month. This is mainly to keep from spamming everyone's dashes.

So if, for example, you choose to write multiple drabbles or connected drabble sequences for a prompt, keep this limitation in mind. Consider either posting them to ao3 as a collection and sharing the link, or condensing them into one tumblr post.

Again, please only @ us in 6 posts per month. Posts that exceed this limit will be disregarded.

When will my post be reblogged?

Our current plan is to reblog your submissions in batches, twice a week. There will be one drop in the middle of the week, and another over the weekend. So if your post isn't reblogged right away - don't worry! We will do our best to make sure everyone gets their time to shine.

We are also currently working on creating a tagging system to keep things as organized as possible on our end. We ask for your patience while we sort things out.

One last thing!

Remember, this a challenge, not a competition! The goal is to further develop and showcase your skills - and most of all, to have fun!

We know it's a slow time for the fandom right now, but we hope this event will encourage participation and foster a greater sense of community. Reblogs and comments are encouraged! It is our dearest hope that you will support each other's efforts and cheer each other on!

That being said: While we will do our best to tag ships and any sensitive or potentially triggering content, please remember that this is a fandom-wide event. Any and all pairings and ratings are allowed.

This may include content that you are not personally comfortable with. But while you are free to explore themes of intolerance or bigotry within your work, hate speech and harassment directed toward your fellow participants or mods WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Under ANY circumstances.

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To paraphrase Mr. Miyagi - our root karate might be the same, but we all choose our own way to grow. Everyone's form of expression is unique. So please be respectful when engaging with creators and their works. Anyone found to be harassing their fellow challengers (or the mods) will be banned and disqualified from participating in future rounds.

If you have any other questions, comments, or suggestions for future themes, please feel free to contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can! Our asks are open. And if for some reason you need to contact a mod directly, your senseis mods with their inboxes open and ready to answer questions are: @desolateice and @wicked-jade.

[defensivelee]

I have created. another AU. as you may have noticed, most of my AUs are just general vibes in my head BUT THIS ONE. NOT THIS ONE. like Alien Alien, this one has an immeasurable amount of worldbuilding and dynamics already figured out partly because I was turning it around in my head for like a month or so and I think it’s too developed to not yell about it here

it was inspired by a variety of Japanese music videos, mostly by TOOBOE’s “Tablet” and then a ton of MASA WORKS DESIGN’s stuff. if anything MWD is like. the soundtrack for it i actually made a playlist if you wanna see (it’s literally all MWD oh my god)

anyway read on for screamings about the weird modern fantasy mafia AU called Six Lives Won’t Make You Happy, or if you don’t have much time, Six Lives.

This is a world completely different from ours. Once upon a time, devils from an unknown realm ruled the world, but once humanity began to assert itself, they went back to wherever they came from. What they left behind were their descendants, crossbred with humans that continued to spread throughout the globe. To this day, their descendants carry on the legacy of the devils.

The main story takes place in the city of New Amsterdam, and as to what the name refers to is up to interpretation. This is also in the modern day, or at least some kind of modern time...it’s definitely not ours.

Humanity

About 60% of humanity is descended from the numerous devils of antiquity. What they have to show for their devil ancestry are their tails, horns, markings, and other features on their bodies that weren’t seen on humans before the devils. That’s all pretty normal to see on a human, but not all descendants of the devils have those features, so it’s not always easy to tell the difference between someone who came from devils and someone who didn’t, and to see exactly which kingdom they are descended from is even harder.

Of course, they’re the dominant species now, but absolute deference to the devil ancestors is expected. However, the devils aren’t worshipped so much as the Allies are.

Allies

As revered as they are reviled, these are humans bound to the souls of actual devils, not descendants. It is required, in fact, that the human not be a descendant of a devil, otherwise that would make the whole soul-binding event more difficult if the devil had to fight against the rival devil blood within the human.

Today, what some devils need to keep surviving is a human host, but they do not take over human bodies fully. Far from it, actually. A human will seek out a devil that has now been freed from their recently deceased host, and if this human successfully conquers the devil in battle, they will receive the powers of the devil. These greatly vary depending on the individual. The devil essentially lies dormant in the human body until the human dies and the cycle repeats again. The surefire way to tell if someone is an Ally is to look if they have tear-like markings under their incredibly dark eyes.

Allies are worshipped in this society as devils in the real world, and once a human becomes one with the devil they defeated, they become the revered image of that devil. The devil itself is not worshipped, the human is. They are called Allies because they “close the gap between humanity and its ancestors.” There are about 200 Allies in the world at one time, and they receive prayers from all around the world to them. What these Allies do is...really nothing, a few hours a day they’ll sit around and receive visitors to hand out blessings and advice, and of course receive “donations.” As the world has developed around them, so too has the mode of worship, and these Allies have become more like celebrities than anything.

Of course, some still try to do their job, but others really get into it for the fame and money. That is why in most countries their existence is heavily regulated and it is usually politicians that are the Allies. Even then, they must have “handlers” around them at all times, known more accurately as devil tamers, who know how to neutralize their powers should they lash out for any reason.

Not everyone worships the Allies for the reason that they are dangerous, and the fact that many of them are frauds. Many organized crime groups have Allies under them and use them simply to win more money, and not just with donations. With what is essentially a domesticated devil under their control, the possibilities are as endless as they are bloody!

Dwaallicht Spirits

Also known as dwaallicht remnants, these are lower-class devils that are much more abundant and older than their more powerful counterparts. They come from the ancient energies that created the universe and world itself, known as dwaallichten. Over time, the dwaallichten faded away, leaving only remnants that continued to create demonic life on the surface of the Earth.

These spirits vary even more in power and appearances than the greater devils do. Some are only as intelligent as fish, others can impersonate humans. Some lasted only a year, others are immortal. Some can only be classified as “breeds”, and still others are famous throughout history for their numerous interactions with humans.

What they really like to do is mess with humanity, tricking them and scaring them, sometimes even killing them. Thus they are seen as pests more than anything, as they are much easier to get rid of than the greater devils, and whole companies exist that promise to do exactly that!

Overlifers

The Overlifers are not allowed to live. These are humans who have made contracts with devils and took on numerous challenges to gain six lives, five more than anyone else. They are easy to spot with their eyeliner-like markings around their eyes and the curling marks on their cheeks, if you knew that that was what those markings meant. Their name is a portmanteau of the words “overdose” and “life.”

Overlifers are typically associated with leading crime organizations and terrorist groups such as the Disciples of Restoration. They can live for a very long time if they preserve their lives carefully, as aging is significantly slowed down until they reach their sixth life. They are generally more powerful than normal humans and that power can swell greatly if they train it enough, which is part of why they're illegal.

Not much else is known about them, but they are thought of as having incredibly irritating god complexes, so much so that it is common to jokingly ask someone who is acting perhaps more arrogantly than they should, “Have you received your six lives yet?” This isn’t entirely wrong.

Whoever dares to defy even the Allies themselves by gaining what is most certainly an unfair advantage towards them is probably a very, very terrible person...

Character List

Mary II: One very popular streamer with adoring fans and a not-so-adoring family. Strangely, she has no features of her devil ancestors, leading to her father calling her an angel constantly. Despite what her internet persona may display, she is very aware of whatever darkness her father runs and in fact may be a willing participant in it...

Anne: Was put in charge of discovering who murdered her uncle against her will. She’s not sure she likes what she’s finding. She’s aware that it’s sort of a wild goose chase when the murderer and his accomplices keep chasing her into dead ends, but out of defiance she’ll keep looking, if only to topple the leadership of the Disciples of Restoration once her suspicions are confirmed.

Charles II: The joyful leader of the infamous Disciples of Restoration! He ran it pretty well (as well as you can run criminals, anyway), and his mysterious death (that isn’t actually so mysterious) is the inciting incident of this universe. Stranger still was that as an Overlifer, he technically had three lives left on that night.

James II: The leader of the Disciples of Restoration after his brother’s death. He intends to preserve all of his lives very carefully, but Jimmy doesn’t always get his way. He also intends to actually carry out the vision that the Disciples always had in mind, but never really get around to doing it: unite the devils and humans under the rule of the Overlifers.

Maria Beatrice: One of the few women involved with the leadership of the Disciples, mostly because her husband leads it. She has the rare ability to control and summon anybody linked to the devils, even the devils and Allies themselves, which is infinitely useful to James. However, she despises the Overlifers for their defiance towards the devils and doesn’t believe in the authority of the Allies, instead looking to the ancient devils and even the dwaallichten for guidance.

Duke of Monmouth: A dwaallicht spirit who was taken in by Charles an Undetermined Period of Time ago. He can shapeshift into a variety of animals, but mostly presents as a human that takes more or less after the appearance of Charles. One of his favorite things to do as a spirit is wait by the entrances of houses and if you happen to forget anything as you exit, he’ll attack you. James finds this increasingly irritating.

William III: A secret Overlifer who holds the greatest power humanity may ever know, if only he knew how to harness it. He’s technically not a politician, just a guy with interesting opinions and a platform. He’s also the leader of the Devils of Orange-Nassau, which more or less has the same motivations as the Disciples except it’s William’s smarter, but no less violent, edition.

Hans William Bentinck: New Amsterdam’s newest Ally, associated with loyalty and honesty. If you want a faithful partner or a good friend, he’s the guy you pray to. Unlike most Allies, he tries to do his job as best as he can, despite only becoming an Ally at William’s urging. He’ll try to advise you as best as he can without a degree in psychology. One of his powers as an Ally is the ability to deliver a bite that can paralyze and knock you out before you even realize what happened.

Anne Villiers: One of the Ally Bentinck’s regulars and a slightly less popular streamer than her friend Mary. She’s no stranger to the things Mary is involved in and has more than once assisted her with the tasks James demands of her. She puts her faith in Bentinck most of all, the truest Ally there is...but surely he would never look at her the way she sees him. Does he even know her name?

John Churchill: A famous actor as well as a beloved Ally, associated with bravery for the many dramatic roles he has played. Technically he’s not supposed to be an Ally, but the authorities can let it slide for a celebrity like him. Less known are his associations with the Disciples of Restoration. He’s also surprisingly easy to kidnap, if anybody ever wanted to do that for some reason.

Arnold Joost van Keppel: An ancient and famous dwaallicht spirit that can disguise himself as a fox, or as a human with fox ears and a tail. The reason he’s famous is because he’s said to give you five years of life if you kiss him, ten if it’s on the mouth, and twenty if you sleep with him. That’s probably true, but you would have to find him first as he’s constantly on the run...and once you do, you have to make sure he doesn’t take all your remaining years first.

Louis XIV: A devil that refuses to submit to the will of the Allies! Rather than giving willing humans his powers, he regularly possesses human bodies and gets around that way. He’s looking for a way to bring back the authority of the devils, though it’s mostly just his. He just has to get rid of a few pesky Overlifers first.

That's all I have of this AU for now, if I were to write for it I would hope to publish it here or on ao3! And honestly I do hope to write for it because I have so many ideas for everyone listed here BUT WE SHALL SEE...........

[rabbitcruiser]

International Day of the Nacho

While tortillas have been around for thousands of years, nachos are a much more recent invention. Learn more about and celebrate the fun of this Mexican food by participating in International Day of the Nacho!

History of International Day of the Nacho

The inspired idea of slicing up corn tortillas and frying them in oil, then piling salsa, meat, cheese and other goodies on top seems to have occurred in the early 1940s.  

The story goes that Ignacia “Nacho” Anaya was the chef in a restaurant along the northern border of Mexico. When some American soldiers came in late at night, the chef was low on ingredients. So he tossed some tortilla chips in with shredded cheese and pickled jalapenos, and the dish was a hit. Of course, it was named after his nickname and it wasn’t long before “nachos” became a household term.

Nachos gained popularity in the 1970s, along with a variety of other foods of the Mexican and Tex-Mex influences. Moving beyond just Mexican-style restaurants, a quick version of nachos began appearing at concession stands in places like state fairs, sports stadiums and more, topped with hot, melted cheese.

When famous sports announcer Howard Cosell talked about nachos on the air during a Dallas Cowboys game in 1978, the media bump caused nachos to go wild. Nachos expanded to movie theaters, convenience stores and even school cafeterias.

International Day of the Nacho embraces and promotes everything to do with this simple and tasty food that now brings joy and delight to people all over the world!

International Day of the Nacho Timeline

7000 BC Corn tortillas are invented

During prehistoric times, corn tortillas are a staple food in what is now Mexico. 

16th Century AD Salsa is invented

Prior to this time, Aztecs may have invented salsa by mixing tomatoes with chilies, but it doesn’t make history until the Spaniards conquer Mexico during this time.

1941 Nachos are invented

Nachos are credited as the brainchild of Ignacia “Nacho” Anaya, who was a restaurant owner in Mexico. 

1947 Salsa makes its way to American homes

Creating a now common condiment for nachos, David and Margaret Pace begin making salsa in Texas, calling it “picante sauce” at the time.

1993 First Chipotle restaurant opens

In Denver, Colorado, Chipotle opens and begins serving their famous burritos as well as nachos, which are on their “secret menu”.

How to Celebrate International Day of the Nacho

Get on board with the fun of International Day of the Nacho with tons of different clever ideas about how to celebrate! Start with some of these ways to get inspired, and then create some that are uniquely yours:

Go Out for Nachos

Depending on the location, nachos are often an easy-to-access, readily available menu item served at loads of different restaurants. Try out a fast and fresh restaurant like Baja Fresh or Del Taco. Or choose a sit down place like Chili’s or Applebee’s for a full-on pile of nachos to share as an appetizer or enjoy as a main dish for one person.

Host a Nacho Party

Grab a few friends, family members or neighbors and get ready to host a party in honor of the International Day of the Nacho! Not only are nachos an easy to make dish that can serve a crowd, they are also a great party dish because it’s easy to ask each person to bring a different part to contribute!

Have one guest bring the tortilla chips, another one bring the jalapeno peppers and a different person can bring the beans. The bigger the guest list, the greater the options for the different recipe items to be brought to the dinner party!

Don’t forget to decorate with various Mexican and Tex-Mex themes, and guests can even be invited to wear a sombrero or serape in honor of the day. For dessert, feel free to serve a Mexican dessert such as churros, sopapillas or individual dishes of flan.

Learn Some Fun Facts About Nachos

In an effort to raise awareness for International Day of the Nacho, remember some bits of trivia about nachos that can be shared with friends or coworkers. Start out with some of these fun facts:

In Mexico, “Nacho” is actually a nickname for the male name Ignacio. The dish that Americans call nachos is actually referred to as “totopos”.

The first recorded appearance of the word “nachos” in English is dated from 1949 when it appeared in a book called The Taste of Texas by Jane Trahey.

Nachos are truly “Tex-Mex” because they were invented just right over the border from Texas in Piedras Negras, Mexico.

Create a Music Playlist for International Day of the Nacho

Take International Day of the Nacho to the next level by making a list of music that goes along with the theme of the day. It can even be played at the previously mentioned party!

Of course, considering the dish’s origins in Mexico, perhaps choose some culturally themed music – perhaps by a Mariachi band or another Latin American group. Get started with some of these popular, classic songs:

La Bamba by Ritchie Valens (1959). One of the most well-known Mexican songs in the US, this one only went to number 22 on the charts when it was originally released, but the film related cover by Los Lobos in 1989 was super popular and went number 1 for three weeks.

Historia de un Amor by Carlos Eleta Almaran (1956). Part of the soundtrack of a film of the same name, this song, “The History of Love”, was written to encourage the musician’s brother after his wife died.

La Cucaracha by many different artists. Originally recorded in 1934, this song, written as an ode to the cockroach, is a classic folk song whose true origins are actually unknown.

Oye Como Va by Tito Puente (1963). Another one of the most recognizable Latin American songs the world over, the most well-known version was recorded by Carlos Santana in 1970, which stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks.

Compete for the Largest Plate of Nachos

The record for the world’s largest plate of nachos was set by the University of Kansas in Kansas City in 2012. The dish consisted of a pile of chips that were 80 feet long, two feet wide and ten inches deep, weighing more than 4600 pounds! Toppings included 860 pounds of ground beef, 860 pounds of nacho cheese, 1200 pounds of beans, 315 pounds of jalapenos and more.

Don’t worry that this much food went to waste, though! Portions of nachos were dished out and sold to people attending a track and field event, in an attempt to raise money for charity.

Those who are interested in competing to top this massive amount of nachos might want to consider creating an event and accomplishing this goal in honor of International Day of the Nacho!

International Day of the Nacho FAQs

Are nachos Mexican?

Yes. Nachos seem to have originated in Northern Mexico, just over the border from Texas. 

Do nachos have gluten?

Nachos are almost always gluten free, as long as they are made with corn tortilla chips and the spices used in the meat do not contain gluten.

Does Chipotle have nachos?

Although they are not necessarily listed on the menu, it’s easy to ask Chipotle to make nachos instead of a burrito or bowl. They’ll happily comply! 

Are nachos healthy?

Most of the ingredients in nachos are highly processed, making them less healthy than some foods. But if fresh vegetables are added, as well as beans as a source of protein, they can be made healthier.

How to make nachos?

A super easy snack or meal, nachos are made by piling toppings, such as cooked meat, cheese, salsa or beans, on top of tortilla chips and then baking them.

Source

[findingloveondirdumlane]

Frequently Asked Questions/Introduction

Hello and welcome to the official Tumblr blog for Finding Love on Dirdum Lane: An Eddsworld Dating Simulator! I'm the creator of the project, and I'm happy to see ya here!

Let's jump right in!

What is this?/What is the game about?:

Finding Love on Dirdum Lane is a FAN-MADE, NON-PROFIT Dating Simulator based on the characters and setting of the popular webseries, Eddsworld. I am not affiliated with the Eddsworld team nor do I claim to be the owner of any of the characters. They belong to Eddsworld and the estate of Edd Gould.

The game is a dating simulator wherein you, the player, have moved from America to England for unknown reasons, and found a cheap place to rent; 26 Dirdum Lane, Bittensborough, England. You happen to catch the attention of your neighbors across the street by complete accident; shenanigans and romance ensue.

Why is Tom black/Why are the characters different from OG Eddsworld?:

The designs I've used for the game are those of my own personal headcanons, including surnames and certain familial bonds between the boys.

Who is datable?:

Right now, only the main four (Edd, Matt, Tom, and Tord) are datable characters, but depending on demand and time I may include other routes for other characters like the Neighbors (Jon, Mark, Eduardo) or certain side characters/OCs as separate projects. I am one person doing pretty much everything for the game; I know my own limits and capabilities.

Where will the game be hosted when it's finished?

The game will be hosted on itch.io when it is complete. I'll provide a link to the site when it goes live.

Where is this in the timeline/Where's Matt's hoodie/Why are the boys OOC?:

The timeframe of the game is set in Classic/Goulden Era Eddsworld, only a few days after Breakfast, but the player has been there for a few months. However, I have decided to include what I hope is a balanced mix of both Legacy and Classic/Goulden characterisation for the boys.

Who are you?

Call me "Admin D." You might recognize me from other Eddsworld projects here on tumblr.

When is the game going to come out/How far along is the game already?:

As of today (July 20th, 2024) The Day One demo has been released on itch.io! You can find the demo here. Work on the next portion of the game is still happening, but may be a bit slow due to work. This blog is to house updates and other such things.

How do I report bugs with the game?

If you do happen to find an issue with the game (when it is eventually released) or its demo, feel free to reach out to me here on Tumblr via DMs, or via sending an ask or submission. If you have screenshots of the error, that’s lovely, if not just describe the issue to me as best you can. I’ll try to fix it as quickly as I can.

And now that we have all of that out of the way, if you have any other questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to drop in an ask and I'll get to it as soon as I can!

-Admin D.

[thehungergamesblog]

The Hunger Games blogging project.

The grim reality of Panem.

"The Hunger Games" is a famous book written by Suzanne Collins, later adapted to an equally succesful movie.

The book starts describing sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, the main character, her mother and her dear younger sister Primrose. Katniss and her family live in the Nation of Panem, once called North America, which is made up of twelve districts that are completlely dependent on its authoritarian government. Katniss lives in district twelve, once referred to as "Appalachia".

The Capitol is where all the power concentrates, keeping the districts in line and shutting down any chances of a revolution; one example of this is the deletion of district thirteen after a failed revolt. Most people live below the poverty line, the so called "Seam". Starving is not uncommon in the Seam, people have to manage to find ways to make a living, sneaking out of districts into the woods and hunting is one of the many ways to do so. People prefer to risk being shot in the head by a "Peacekeeper" rather than starving to death. The peacekeepers are just as hungry as the rest of the population; therefore, it is not difficult to bribe them with some of the hunted game.

For most people, leaving their districts, or even Panem is only a thing they can dream of.

The day of the reaping arrives, where a teenage man and a woman are chosen in each district to fight in The Hunger Games.

Katniss' sister is chosen, she is just twelve years old, which leaves me wondering how can a nation allow such heinous acts. Luckily Katniss herself does not let Prim participate in The Hunger Games; when the host asks for an applause nobody complies, showing the disapproval of the people towards the vile Hunger Games.

The chosen teenagers say goodbye to their friends and family, in a luxurious building where few people can enter, making me realize that the only times district 12's citizens' can experience some sort of pleasure is by having someone about to face a hellish experience, filling me with rage and giving me a growing need to punch the governors of Panem; such situations also make me sad, when the teenagers get into the train that takes them to the Capitol they enjoy the most delicious meals, probably the last ones they will ever have.

Katniss and Peeta, the male tribute, arrive in the Capitol. Both of them and I are shocked by the city's technology and extravagant customs that their inhabitants hold. Their prep team make them go through a transformation for their debut at the Tribute Parade, they wear head-to-toe black unitards that appear to be on fire which is based on the district's theme of coal mining; this immediately catches everybody's attention, such groundbreaking outfits give them a higher chance of having sponsors.

After the parade, all tributes enter the rigorous phase of training. They spend three days practicing their survival and fighting skills under the eyes of the Gamemakers. Katniss' ability with the bow and arrow stands out during these sessions, but the most shocking highlight was when Katniss, frustrated by their lack of attention, boldly shoots an arrow at the apple on the mouth of a roasted pig the Gamemakers were about to eat during a private session they were holding. The previous act startled everyone, including me, but when the tributes' scores where being televised we were even more shocked and relieved when Katniss got the highest score; we all appreciate unexpected turns.

Katniss's bond with Peeta is not so strong anymore after he asked to be coached separately, which kind of makes me disappointed, but that's not so bad after all since they must try to kill each other when the games start. Haymitch, one of the former winners of district 12, prepares them individually for their interviews using different strategies, Peeta is being likeable while Katniss will just try to be herself since Haymitch couldn't help her that much. I'm rooting for Katniss and Peeta!

Katniss can't stop thinking about home, her inner turmoil is more and more noticeable, the moral implications of our actions and the desperate need to protect herself and those she cares about in such dystopian situations can make anyone go crazy. We can not help but get furious at the social and economic differences, the opulent capitol and the impoverished districts. Every page that I turn makes me more anxious, the slightest decision could mean death or salvation.

By: Santiago Luis Cristaldo Bernal.

[progressivemother]

Our Halloween and The Other Traditions Our Children Are Taught During This Time Along with The History of Halloween

What are the traditions of Halloween? Every family has their own little thing but I think the main tradition is dressing up and trick or treating. It depends on each family on if there is more to it.

As mothers, we are expected to take care of the costumes, treats, and decoration. It can be stressful but not nearly as stressful as Christmas. But it depends. We have seen some elaborate decorations. As minimalists, we do not go crazy. We put few small figurines up, black fabric on the television stand, and put up wreaths. We do not put up yard decorations or lights.

Mothers can make our children's costumes or buy them. We switch up, depending on what is going on during that year. This year, my daughter had a dress up that she really wanted to wear so it made it easier on me. Don't let anyone judge you if you don't make a costume. Sometimes a hardworking mother needs to be able to make her life easier.

Every year, we make pumpkin pancakes in Halloween shapes. It's a lot of fun. The kids get to create their own pancakes. Then each night we go trick or treating. We keep it simple. When they get older, maybe we will have a night of scary movies or a campfire with scary stories. Maybe, we will allow then to have Halloween parties. Small ones.

I know wonderful mothers who handle Halloween in a host of different ways and I think that what really matters is that we take a little time to think about what we really want Halloween to be for us and for our kids and then plan accordingly. We got ours through trail and error.

We had a pretty fun yet simple Halloween. Our family tradition is to carve pumpkins the night before Halloween. The kids always have a lot of fun doing this. My daughter hates removing the guts because it's "gross" but as a little artist, she very much enjoys the carving part of the night. This year, she was Nezuko from Demon Slayer. It's an anime where they kick demon butt and she loves when bad guys lose. We only went trick or treating in her grandparents neighborhood. We didn't want to go too crazy and we didn't want her having too much candy. We didn't get my step son this year, sadly. Hoping for next year.

As for the history and other things celebrated during this time.

The ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, which occurred on November 1 but kicked off the evening before, is considered the earliest known root of our secular Halloween traditions. It marked a pivotal time of year when seasons changed, but more importantly, observers also believed the boundary between this world and the next became especially thin, enabling them to connect with the dead. This is also where the history of Halloween gains its "haunted" connotations.

The early pagan holiday of Samhain involved a lot of ritualistic ceremonies to connect to spirits, as the Celts were polytheistic. While there isn't a lot of detail known about these celebrations, many believe the Celts celebrated in costume (granted, they were likely as simple as animal hides) as a disguise against ghosts, lit jack-o-lanterns, and enjoyed special feasts. The lighting jack-o-lanterns was to ward away evil spirits.

Later, Christians took on this holiday, turning it into their version of the holiday. Celebrations of Christian martyrs and saints date back to 4th-century Rome. In the early 7th century, Pope Boniface IV put All Saints' Day on the calendar when he dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to the saints, but the day was May 13. In the next century, Pope Gregory III changed the day to November 1 when he dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica to the saints. Yet another century later, Pope Gregory IV added All Saints' Day to the universal Christian calendar, officially extending the celebration from Rome to churches everywhere. With the Christian celebration of All Saints' Day on November 1 came All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween, on October 31, as well as All Souls' Day on November 2—a three-day holiday collectively called Hallowtide.

During the Middle Ages, as the Christian Roman holiday of All Saints' Day spread to other Christianized areas, Hallowtide traditions merged with local cultures. In Celtic regions that formerly celebrated Sahmain, the local Christian Halloween traditions that arose included jack-o-lanterns, bonfires, and costumes. An early precursor to trick-or-treating is believed to be "souling," the tradition of going door to door asking for "soul cakes," a treat similar to biscuits, in exchange for prayers for the dead in purgatory. The tradition also involved dressing up.

The Scottish practice of guising, a secularized version of souling, swapped the prayers for tricks. The costumes evolved too, taking a scary turn when young Scottish and Irish pranksters got the idea to spook unsuspecting neighbors.

The holiday almost didn't make it the the United States. The Puritans were disapproving of the holiday's pagan roots, so they didn't want it to be apart of their community. Again, Pagans were not any fun. Ever.

It was not until the second half of the 19th century as Irish and Scottish immigrants began to arrive in America in greater numbers that the holiday took hold as part of the national zeitgeist. It's estimated that by the early 20th century, Halloween was celebrated across North America by the majority of (candy-loving, costume-wearing) people.

Eventually, this evolved into the tradition of trick-or-treating in the United States. The candy-grabbing concept became mainstream in the early to mid-1900s, during which families would provide treats to children in hopes that they would be immune to any holiday pranks.

Now for the religions.

We make sure to teach our children about all religions. Our family is mixed with them. Everyone chooses what to believe in as they grow into who they are. It is the same for our children. We will keep that tradition alive. Through this we teach multiculturalism, combat hatred and ignorance, and help them grow into great people.

That is why today, we remind our children to celebrate our Pagan friends and family. They are learning to understand what this holiday means to others while they trick or treat and dress up.

That is why tomorrow, we remind them of the tradition from South and Central American cultures.

Both traditions are to honor and remember our ancestors. They are actually great holidays. Honoring and remembering those who died is a wonderful thing, whether or not it is apart of our belief system.

[idontblushsrry]

Uhh may I make a request for Ouran High School Host club? Just a headcanon for how the host would react to meeting someone how is a big time animal lover. (Like they pretty much live there life like the Irwin family)

A/N: I was thinking about how I’d write this and my brain just went ‘they lost their shit at the sight of instant coffee’, so uhh I hope this is to your liking. I tried to get as much animal variety as I could even though I didn’t really touch on marine animals that much)

Warnings: Like 2 swear words (pinky promise), slight drug mention(literally so small you might not even notice it), spoilers (minor) for Tamaki’s mom

Word Count: 1292

General

So this is under the assumption that like the Irwin family, Reader (or their family) has access to a wide variety of animals (from domestic to wild)

All of them respect the passion you have for animals

While they all might have various feelings on animals (see below), they can’t deny that you truly do love animals

Your family’s sanctuary focuses on healing injured animals and rehabilitating them so they can go back into the wild

Of course, your family has many sanctuaries around the world and some focus more on conservation while others focus on research

The one closest to the school focuses mainly on conservation and as such, is massive and functions like a zoo ( in terms of having people come in and see the animals)

Anyways, the host club is very supportive and often helps you with organizing donation events

Oftentimes, your family will collaborate with them and allow them to rent out parts of the conservation center for events

Aside from the conservation center though, your family owns a few ranches and farms (not for commercial profit, although yall have sold a few animals)

The farms and ranches are relatively small scale but they make great venues for the host club and a great place for getaways/vacations

Your main house is where you keep most of your favorite animals

You have an aviary attached to your room (connected through a hallway that connects to your room) as well as a butterfly garden in the backyard

You also have an aquarium tank, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 snake, and a hamster that visits on weekends

You had to be stopped at some point

Tamaki

Tamaki loves animals

He was never really around animals growing up because of how sensitive his mom’s immune system is

So when he sees that you’re an animal person, he’s super excited

Like this man is already planning playdates between Antoinette and your pets/animals

You love his enthusiasm, just one small problem

It’s a little too much enthusiasm

Yes the animals are well trained, but how would you react if a 6′0 giant with long arms came barreling towards you screaming showing its teeth?

So yeah, Tamaki tends to set the animals off/ make them nervous

Because of that he’s only allowed around certain animals (ex. certain monkeys, certain birds, etc.)

He’s happy that he’s allowed around some animals but he still pouts every time there’s an animal he can’t be around

Kyoya

This man

Kyoya does not fuck with animals. Like at all

The first time the host club went to your house, you were holding a hamster and Kyoya moved back about 10 feet

When you asked him what was wrong, he just said “Rats are carriers of many of the most deadly diseases”

You told him that you were holding a hamster and that while hamsters were rodents, the worst he’d get sick with would be salmonella

He doesn’t believe you, but yeah sure whatever

For Kyoya it just gets worse after that

The first time he sees you holding a tarantula, he loses his shit

“Look how cute it is Kyoya!”

“Get that vermin away from me!”

I could go on and on about how much Kyoya doesn’t like animals (even domestic ones like cats and dogs)

He hates going to your house, but he often has to go there in order to set up events for the host club, what a nightmare

While he doesn’t care for animals, the business side of his brain can’t help but think of a marketing opportunity

Mori

Is one of two hosts that are going to be chill about it

He doesn’t feel one way or the other about animals and thinks it’s cool that you’re interested in them

Only thing is; if Honey’s afraid of your animals, he will have to ask you to leave he won’t hesitate to step in “harm’s” way

Surprisingly though, that actually makes him the chillest with your animals

Much to your surprise (and Tamaki’s sorrow), the animals love him

He just has this calming vibe that sets the animals at ease

It also helps that he smells nice and is super tall

For most of them it’s like sitting on a giant tree

He’s not really complaining though, it makes his job of protecting Honey that much easier

Honey

Oh boy

He might actually be the worst with animals

It’s not even an issue of being unable to defend against aggressive animals (Honey could probably solo a grizzly bear)

It’s just he has a very strict “cute” animal policy that changes wildly depending on his mood, the temperature, the angle of the wind, the humidity, etc.

He’s very bougie when it comes to what animals he will tolerate and what animals he will refuse to see

The general safe choices are rabbits (especially bunnies), kittens, cows, tits (the bird species), and baby animals of almost every domestic mammal species)

Him and the hamster you see on weekends are best friends

Also, you have had issues with him trying to feed the animals sweets

Explaining to Honey why rabbits can’t have carrot cake was not an easy conversation, nor was it one you thought you’d need to have

Because of how specific he is about what animals he finds cute, you likened him to a crocodile (because of how sensitive they are to temp. changes in egg)

Needless to say...he was not pleased

Hikaru

So him and Kaoru don’t really care for animals but they try to relate to you in somewhat similar but different ways

Hikaru is always trying to get you to do/recreate stunts with the animals

“Hey Y/N, we should-”

“No Hikaru”

“You don’t even know what I was gonna say”

“No you cannot use the dolphins for hoop tricks, no you cannot teach the gorillas how to roll blunts, no you cannot “bribe” the koalas with eucalyptus...”

Yeah he’s a menace

It’s mostly all in good fun though

Hikaru doesn’t really care for animals but he does find it hilarious that the animals like him more than Tamaki

Also, completely random but Hikaru definitely send you those “horse-sized duck vs duck sized horses” memes

Kaoru

Kaoru also tries to use animals on the internet to relate to you, but he’s a lot tamer than Kaoru

Kaoru is kind of like the parent who learns one thing you like and is like “that’s your entire personality right?”

Poor bby is trying his best

Anyways, whereas Hikaru tries to recreate memes, Kaoru sends you them

They range in quality and format; from top text, bottom text to “is this a ____”

At least once a day, Kaoru will send you a meme or picture of an animal with a caption that says ‘this reminded me of u :)’

It’s so endearing that you can’t even be mad about it

Haruhi

Is the only other one who’s kind of cool about the whole thing

She’s really only been around animals in the park or the occasional pet store

Growing up, she didn’t really have the time (or money) to go to the zoo, that and the fact that Ranka doesn’t care at all for animals (she thinks they’re weird and gross)

When Tamaki hears this, he works himself up into a frenzy, torn that his “daughter” has never been to a zoo (even tho he hasn’t either)

But she likes the fact that you’re so passionate about animals

At heart, she’s a scholar, so she loves learning new things she didn’t know before, she could spend all day just listening to you talk about animals

Not to mention the fact that you’re basically giving her a free informational tour  every time you see an animal

[mostlymovieswithmax]

Movies I watched in July

Once again I’m doing my monthly round-up of movies I’ve watched. This was a good month for the cinema getting back on track and seeing new releases including the new M. Night movie, Old and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Pretty sure Marvel put out a new movie also. I’m hoping that this list can help in guiding a decision about what to watch (or what to avoid) and introduce people to movies they may otherwise not have heard of or bothered to see. These short reviews are my own subjective opinions on each individual movie and maybe a more informal approach to movie criticism can help include others who are just passing through. Here is every film I watched from the 1st to the 31st of July.

Bridesmaids (2011) - 4/10

Off to a good start. I won’t say Bridesmaids is a terrible movie but I don’t think I’m exactly the target audience. As far as I know, this is a beloved comedy but I just can’t get on board with all the boring, juvenile humour; with Maya Rudolph shitting in the street, with Rose Byrne and Kristen Wiig trying to one-up each other at a toast that went on forever, with Melissa McCarthy shitting in a sink… the conflict is so done to death and makes the movie feel unspecial. I do understand the appeal of the film, especially for women in that before this movie the likelihood of seeing something like this, where women play up the more crass and gross side of comedy, was probably few and far between. But the story is very tired and while I did appreciate some moments, namely a couple of decent jokes and some of the more intimate scenes, for the most part it felt like they wanted to corner a more quiet type of line delivery in a way that was supposed to be understated but very funny so as to not rely on over the top body language or musical cues, and it ended up being super dull.

Spectre (2015) - 7/10

As far as I can tell, a lot of people don’t like this instalment of the James Bond franchise… but I really enjoyed it! I’ve really taken a shine to these Daniel Craig-era Bond movies and while I can’t say any of them are the most amazing thing, I have a lot of fun with them. The biggest problem I have with Spectre is the villain being utterly pointless and uninteresting in basically every way. The idea of every villain Bond has fought before being tied to this one organisation controlled by this one guy is ridiculous, and what makes it worse is that the villain is barely in it! There’s so much that doesn’t come together in this but as it goes, I still had a really good time. Daniel Craig holds the whole thing together; he is excellent as 007 and the main reason I’m up for each of these movies is because of him. Sam Mendes directs again after the previous instalment and for what it’s worth I do think he does a good job with some of the action set pieces and the locations. I’m so ready for No Time To Die.

Shazam (2019) - 7/10

Shazam is a genuinely fun superhero movie that doesn’t take itself seriously at all. I was having a great time throughout and while it could conform to some of the same tropes we’re used to with these kinds of movies, it still remained playful and used the character of Shazam to his fullest potential in a way that showed an understanding of just how silly the idea of a kid who can turn into an adult and shoot lightning out of his hands is.

High School Musical (2006) - 6/10

So as you may or may not know, I co-host a podcast: The Sunday Movie Marathon. It’s a film podcast and every week I get together with my other co-hosts and watch movies. For episode 38, we watched the High School Musical trilogy. This first movie blew me away. I was really surprised with just how much fun I had, and if you want to hear more of my thoughts on the film, please listen to episode 38 of the podcast.

High School Musical 2 (2007) - 4/10

We then jumped into the second and while it’s certainly not as good as its predecessor, there are still some brilliant songs that manage to top the last movie. Again, more of what I have to say can be heard on episode 38 of the podcast.

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008) - 3/10

Senior Year was pretty hard to get through. I don’t remember it being as bad as it was, but then I didn’t really remember it anyway. It did however have one redeeming quality, which you can discover on episode 38 of the podcast.

The Piano Teacher (2001) - 9/10

What the fuuuckkkk. The Piano Teacher is horrendously affecting and I was so upset when it ended, maybe not because it’s not what I wanted but because it’s just so fucking dour and unrelenting. This is the second Haneke movie I’ve seen (after the original Funny Games) and I’m so impressed with how well executed it is. Following a woman who teaches piano, we get a glimpse into the life she lives, how sheltered she is from living with her mother at an age where you’d reasonably expect a person to be living alone or with a partner or friends (even going so far as to be sleeping in the same bed as her), and how repressed she is sexually. It’s clear she’s never experienced any kind of sexual interaction or romantic love with another person, so she goes out of her way to take control and make that happen. The upsetting nature of it comes from just what she does in pursuit of it or as a result of her repression, and what is done to her. It is by no means a movie to recommend to your parents but The Piano Teacher offers so much in terms of the ideas it presents (and I’ll admit there seems to be a lot more going on than I think I picked up on a first go round) about women in modern society, and about the portrayal of sex and expectations of people when it comes to how that is represented in a person’s character depending on their gender. I really enjoyed this movie but it is not for the faint of heart.

Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011) - 1/10

My podcast co-hosts decided it’d be a right laugh to add Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure to this episode and that might have been a fun idea for them because they got to watch it together, but I was just watching it alone. Just a 24-year-old man watching Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure alone and having a miserable time, I might add. But for a short and sweet ramble on what we all thought, please listen to episode 38 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

Dr. No (1962) - 6/10

A lot of very iffy parts of this movie. A lot of discomfort arising from how black people are portrayed that really didn’t sit right with me. As far as a Bond movie goes, this first instalment in the series is one I’ve seen before and it’s not wholly engaging but it plants the seeds for the rest, with Sean Connery breathing life into the role and making an otherwise lacklustre plot bearable.

Black Widow (2021) - 6/10

I think probably the best part about Black Widow is the experience I had while watching it. It was great being back in the cinema with a couple of friends in a packed theatre. The energy was high and I’m sure for a lot of people, this is the first time they’d been to the cinema since Endgame. For what it’s worth, I did have a lot of fun with Black Widow and I’ve explained more of what I thought about the movie in episode 39 of the podcast.

The Climb (2020) - 10/10

The Climb was added to Now TV recently and I already knew I loved it, having seen it in an empty cinema theatre last year, which I had an absolute blast with. The Climb details the years of a rocky friendship told over scenes filmed as one-shots. Not only is the presentation something to gawk at, but the performances by the two leads playing these friends with a terrifically dysfunctional dynamic is truly captivating. They’re both trying to figure out their own lives and where one can come across as being rather selfish, the opposite is true in his counterpart, whom everyone loves. This is a truly funny and heartwarming movie with a lot to say about how we choose to live our lives and who we choose to be with. It’s a shame the distributors of The Climb didn’t do a very good job because if not for it being available on Now TV, it would be near impossible to watch without forking out more money than is necessary to purchase a film.

From Russia With Love (1963) - 5/10

The second Bond movie. I thought perhaps I’d change my mind on it with another watch, having seen it for the first time maybe a year ago. But no, it’s still largely boring and it treats women like absolute garbage. From Russia With Love is one of those movies I forget as I watch it, and I was trying very hard (in the middle of the day!) not to fall asleep.

The Good, The Bart, and The Loki (2021) - 1/10

I don't usually talk about the short films I watch but for this I'll make an exception. As we all should know, Disney owns The Simpsons now, through their acquisition of Fox, so, coupled with another of their properties, that being Marvel, they decided to make a six-minute animated film wherein Marvel’s Loki is stranded in Springfield. This felt as though it was a minute long due to the horrendously jarring pacing; it is a movie that feels adamant that it needs to exist, while trying as hard as it can to be over as soon as possible. It serves only to stare the audience directly in the face and say “look, characters from The Simpsons are dressed as Avengers”, shit out three credit scenes, then end before you’ve even processed the atrocity you just bore witness to.

Russian Ark (2002) - 8/10

For this next episode of the podcast, we watched a few Russian movies, starting with Russian Ark, a film shot completely in one take as the camera moves about a luxurious museum in a first-person perspective as this main character watches what is happening around him, seeing people moving about the place but unable to interact with them, guided only by another man who seems to be just slightly out of his own perception of reality. This is a tremendous feat in filmmaking and more can be heard about what I have to say in episode 39 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

Ivan’s Childhood (1962) - 7/10

For my own pick of Russian movies to discuss on the podcast, I chose the debut feature from one of my favourite directors, Andrei Tarkovsky. It’s amazing that while this is not his best film by far, Ivan’s Childhood is still such a stellar debut, jumping around in its timeline as it details a child’s experience in the second world war. Again, I do go into more depth in episode 39 of the podcast, so be sure to check that out.

Outlaw (2019) - 1/10

The third movie chosen for this marathon is apparently the fourth Russian LGBTQ+ movie ever made. I’m unsure of the ultimate goal of this movie but what seems to be clear is that it hates the LGBTQ+ community. This is perhaps the worst film we’ve discussed on the podcast to date, so listen to episode 39 to understand exactly why it’s such trash.

Almost Famous (2000) - 7/10

I too love heavy music and also studied journalism so it stands to reason that a movie about a teenager who makes his way onto a band tour, following them through America and interviewing them as they hang out and play shows is going to be a premise that resonates with me. This certainly did. I enjoyed Almost Famous a lot; this kid is living the dream and I was so along for the ride, seeing a lot of myself in what was being portrayed. That said, the story itself is at times a bit by the numbers and I really would’ve been more on board if the visual component was more interesting. For what it is, technically it’s fine enough but nothing in that department ever jumped out at me.

Minari (2021) - 8/10

It’s crazy that this didn’t get a theatrical run where I live in the UK. It feels as though I complain about film distribution all the time but I really don’t understand the process by which a movie gets no cinematic release and yet, months later will pop up on the front shelf of hmv, taking pride of place. But of course I got the blu-ray straight away. Minari has a lot to say about the immigrant experience, specifically in America as a family comes over from Korea and tries to start a business and make something of themselves. You get to see a lot of what you might not think twice about when you think about immigration: the hardship of coming from a place where you know everyone to somewhere rural and sparsely populated, having to make friends with locals and integrate within the community; the strain it can put on a family and on a marriage where this idea is presented about the importance of making it on your own in order to live and not just survive, while also taking into account why you’re doing it in the first place and the value you place on being part of a family that you decided to make because that was more important than money, than economy, than proving you were good enough to make it in a place that gave you very little advantage from the offset. This concept of the promised land, of the American dream is a construct. There are times when it’s not pretty, when you have no running water, or you’re in debt, or a family member is dying and it just feels like you’ve been dealt as bad a hand as you can get. But it is better to know you’re not facing all that alone.

Roma (2018) - 10/10

This was my recommendation for the podcast episode on Alfonso Cuarón movies. Roma is as beautiful as it is heart-wrenching and I would recommend listening to episode 40 of the podcast to find out more about my thoughts.

An American Werewolf In London (1981) - 8/10

In all fairness, London is enough to make anyone a little crazy at the best of times. An American Werewolf in London showcases some fantastically grotesque effects, akin to something like Carpenter’s The Thing, in showing the dead brought back to life and a horrifically gory transformation scene. Although the film is from the perspective of an American protagonist, directed also by an American, the depiction of British culture and climate is something I’ve not seen many films pull off quite so well, and I was pleasantly surprised at the more comedic tone the film has overall, which is something that works more in its favour than straight horror would.

The Party’s Just Beginning (2018) - 6/10

Karen Gillan’s directorial debut is… pretty good! There are a lot of ideas I like in this movie: a woman living life and through convenient circumstances, is confronted with death in many ways. Gillan obviously knows her homeland as well as she can, imbuing the whole thing with an intensely Scottish vibe (though maybe not in the same vein as something like Trainspotting) that makes it a bit more unique than a more run of the mill movie of this ilk, backed up in no small part by her own main performance. The plot itself is no great diversion from the kind of story I’m used to with these smaller movies and for something that’s trying to include messaging about transgender issues and suicide, it probably could have been handled better or done in a different way.

Solaris (1972) - 9/10

Another Tarkovsky joint, one I thought I’d revisit to see if there was indeed more to get out of it a second time. Well, it’s no surprise that yes, there was certainly more to get out of it. Solaris is a crazy trip of a movie and I would liken it to Kubrick’s 2001 in terms of how grand the scale of it feels. Yet this is a film that comes across as deeply personal, choosing to focus on a specific character as he goes to a space station to help those on board who are experiencing some kind of emotional crises, only to feel the effects of the planet, Solaris invading his own mind as it has the crew. To many, I can see this lengthy Russian sci-fi being a tad slow but my personal experience is one of deep engagement. Solaris pulls its viewer in a lot of different directions and it is always doing something unexpected in terms of where its narrative goes. There’s a lot to think about with the movie and thankfully it’s no chore to watch again.

Y Tu Mamá También (2001) - 9/10

Another recommendation for the podcast episode on Alfonso Cuarón movies. This is a very relaxed experience, following three young people as they go on a road trip, visit different places and have sex. Listen to episode 40 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast for more of my thoughts.

Children of Men (2006) - 10/10

My favourite Cuarón movie, one that never stops being tense as its characters are constantly moving towards the end goal. Set in a future where humans are infertile, the oldest living person is 18, and London is the last city in the world that’s still keeping it together, somewhat. This is masterclass filmmaking. Listen to episode 40 of the podcast for more insights.

Minority Report (2002) - 5/10

I’m really not the biggest fan of Spielberg… Minority Report is an interesting movie in terms of its concept of stopping crimes before they happen by way of prediction, but I just didn’t connect with the heart of it. The colouring is way too overexposed in a way that’s supposed to be eliciting a futuristic vibe but instead feels so early-2000’s in the worst way. My biggest problem with Minority Report is just how long it is, clocking in at two hours and twenty-five minutes which allows for a lot of meandering, all while never quite developing characters enough for you to care about.

Caché (2005) - 9/10

Oh god! Another Michael Haneke movie! Here we see a couple periodically sent video tapes featuring hours of footage of the outside of their house. The anxiety ratchets up and the mystery gets deeper with every minute. There’s always at least one moment in any of his films that have so far made me realise just how out of my depth I am. Caché is no exception, and I won’t spoil anything here because I think it’s better just to watch the movie and see for yourself. He is a director that wants the audience to know something and that something is never what is explicitly shown at face value; it is pressed into the fabric of the film - plainly evident, yet hidden. Caché is so stupidly clever in displaying its themes and messaging - making reference to the Siene Massacre of 1961 as well as a deeper study of colonialism - and there’s no way to change a single detail of it without risking the Jenga tower crumbling to the ground. It all works in tandem. It is passion and fury and haunting.

Coco (2017) - 7/10

Pixar had a string of around seven forgettable movies before this point so thankfully Coco emerged to show the company still had something good in them. Coco deals a lot with themes of death and legacy, remembering those who are gone in order to preserve them and while its plotting is quite basic and there are certainly moments that either drag or cannot escape the same Pixar formula, most of what the movie has to offer is a lot of fun, with creative, colourful animation and emotional beats that resonate the way they’re supposed to.

Incredibles 2 (2018) - 5/10

Oh, they almost had it! There's a lot here that could have been explored in far more interesting ways. Setting Incredibles 2 directly after the events of the first movie was not a good idea. If it had taken place five or ten years after, the characters could have been in different places in life and it would feel as though they'd actually changed and developed. But instead of trying to be a film that actually cares about its characters and the journeys they go on, a lot of the film is wrestling with the idea that Bob isn't supportive of his wife and Jack-Jack has to fight a raccoon… They have to shoehorn in a villain that in no way compares to the genius of the original. The ending of the original introduces another antagonist that gets wrapped up within this film's first ten minutes, except they don't catch him and he's never mentioned again. It's a real shame because the animation is fantastic and the acting is superb and there are great ideas sprinkled throughout. It just doesn't come together.

Toy Story 4 (2019) - 6/10

I was rather reluctant to watch Toy Story 4 because from the get-go I’m not really here for sequels being made just for the sake of it. Everyone loves Toy Story and making another one is a sure fire way to make money. This is the first time I’ve seen Toy Story 4 and for what it’s worth, I did enjoy it. The animation is immaculate and that alone feels like a huge flex from Pixar who tend to step up the game when it comes to animation in film, despite not having the best track record for films generally at this point. While it was nice to see these characters again, I found a lot of them to be side-lined (namely Buzz) in favour of a story that focuses mainly or entirely on Woody, who I just don’t like as much as in the previous movies. Generally the movie is good and decent enough but there’s no real antagonist and the plot is quite loose… it doesn’t feel as though it needed to be made from a story point of view.

Onward (2020) - 6/10

And with that I have seen every Pixar movie. And Onward is a fine one to go out on. While I don’t think it compares to the likes of earlier Pixar it’s still pretty fun. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for a medieval setting filled with bright colours and magic! Speaking of which, the animation was super and the medieval quest element is something that hooked me with the film. Again, plot-wise it does feel very familiar and I don’t know, maybe I’m past the point now of expecting Pixar to mix it up where their formula for story-telling is concerned but the movie is quite predictable. Nonetheless, while I’m not rushing back to see Onward I would hardly turn it off or refuse if someone wanted to watch it.

Old (2021) - 3/10

Oh boy! New M. Night movie dropped and my word, was it fun! For more of my thoughts on this… masterpiece (?) of a movie, please direct your attention to episode 41 of The Sunday Movie Marathon podcast.

T2 Trainspotting (2017) - 5/10

Trainspotting is perhaps one of my favourite movies and I had never bothered with the sequel, 20 years on, because the ending of that first movie is so conclusive. T2 felt more an excuse for these guys to get together again and in that, I probably would have preferred a couple of pictures on Twitter of the main cast and director, Danny Boyle having dinner or something. This is a fine movie - very arty in its presentation but meandering and dull in its story that doesn’t offer much in the way of proof that it had to exist.

Taste of Cherry (1997) - 9/10

What makes life worth living? This is a central question and theme of Taste of Cherry, and one that leaves such interpretation not only up to its central character but to the viewer as well. This film got me thinking about times in my life when I truly have had no answer to hard questions. Because it’s hard to convince people of things they are so adamantly against and harder still to rationalise what you believe if you’re not even entirely sure why you believe it in the first place. We are all of us alive and in recognising that, does that make it precious? And if indeed living is not a happy thing, why then should we fight so hard to preserve it? I felt upset as I watched this movie because I’ve been asked these kinds of questions before and it makes me feel stupid when I’m unable to answer. But the only real answer I can give is, everything. And if you can’t see the point then you’re not looking hard enough. Taste of Cherry is beautiful in its exploration of these topics and in its overall presentation, offering some of the best visuals in any movie I’ve seen - fitting for a feature with so much to say about the beauty of life - and an ending that as much pulls the rug out from under you as it does pull you out of the dark and make you realise just how lonely you’ve felt.

Bones (2001) - 2/10

Snoop Dogg is Jimmy Bones! This film is super funny but I’m not sure it’s trying to be and I really didn’t love it overall. But I do talk more in depth about it in episode 41 of the podcast.

The Duchess (2008) - 5/10

Another recommendation for the podcast. The Duchess was pretty much exactly what I thought it was going to be and there’s a lot to like about it but generally it’s a bit sparse. For more chat on the movie, listen to episode 41 of the podcast.

The Man With One Red Shoe (1985) - 1/10

This was another one for the podcast and man, was it awful. We had to watch it at 1.5x speed towards the end because it just wasn’t getting finished otherwise. To find out more, make sure to listen to episode 41 of the podcast.

The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) - 7/10

Pull the lever, Kronk! Haha! Slays me. I do quite miss this era of Disney, where the animation was hand-drawn and the stories were actually compelling and funny. The Emperor’s New Groove is vibrant, it’s got great characters and memorable moments that will forever be ingrained in the memory of culture. All in all, it’s just a solid flick that doesn’t waste time, developing the standard fall from glory type of arc but smoothly and in an entertaining way.

The Suicide Squad (2021) - 8/10

Oh, bloody hell! They actually made a good one! The Suicide Squad is not only better than the ‘Suicide Squad’ of 2016 in every way, it’s a genuinely great film! This time, James Gunn (director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies) is at the helm and it seems clear that Warner Bros. basically let him do what he wanted with the movie, as it doesn’t seem to bog itself down with the restrictions of a more family-friendly rating. The result of this is a far cleaner, colourful film with a clearer vision that takes from early Vietnam movies and uses that style to craft a superhero/villain movie that differentiates itself among the copious amount of existing films of the genre.      The Suicide Squad wastes very little time, introducing fun, crazy characters we’ve not seen on the big screen before and isn’t worried about killing a whole bunch of them, with standouts being Elba’s Bloodsport, Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2, Stallone’s King Shark (expertly rendered with fantastic visual effects), and Robbie’s returning interpretation of Harley Quinn.      A lot of Gunn’s trademark sense of humour is laced throughout and more often than not, it hits. The audience at the cinema were truly loving this movie and I’ll admit, I was right there with them. This mix of the gritty, gory and absurd is not something that should work as well as it does but the basic premise of the film is already so silly (and boy, do they know it) that it just works! Certainly one of the best DC movies since The Dark Knight and one I’d be more than happy to watch again. This is what the modern comic book movie should be: just balls to the wall fun!

[mimzy-writing-online]

Why I’m Blind and What I See

Someone asked: “How can you have functional color vision but not functional other types of vision? Does the color not create a sense of depth? Genuine question not trying to be rude or anything - sorry if it came off like that :/“

I would like to say that they’re not being rude (at least, not for me) because blindness is something I enjoy talking about and this blog exists to educate.

The question was first raised in someone else’s post asking for advice writing a colorblind character. However color perception is one of the few things my vision performs well in, and upon commenting on this in my tags, someone asked the question above. By the time I finished writing my answer it was quite long and to avoid hijacking OP’s post as well as make this accessible for everyone to read, I decided to make this its own post.

You can find OP’s post here asking how to write colorblind characters

So in this post I explain some reasons why someone might be blind but still have some functioning color vision, and then I discuss the three main causes of my blindness and how that personally affects me.

In the retina you have two kinds of photoreceptor cells: rod and cone cells. 

Cone cells pick up light from within the visible color spectrum while rod cells pick up light outside that spectrum. Cone cells have a higher population density in the center of your retina, making them responsible for your central vision. Cone cells pick up details of visual acuity. They work best in good lighting. 

Rod cells are responsible for your night vision because they perceive lower levels of light. Their population density is higher in the peripheral edges of your retina and makes up the majority of your peripheral vision. They are particularly good at tracking movement.

Of cone cells, there are two kinds of cells, one which manages red and green light perception, and one which manages yellow and blue light perception. Together they manage the full spectrum of color in between. There are a whole host of retina conditions one can experience but they all work differently and begin differently. For example, retinitis pigmentosa begins affecting the peripheral vision first, leading to tunnel vision. Macular degeneration affects the central vision first. The conditions experience different symptoms but there is overlap.

As for me personally, there are three major factors to my vision loss, but the primary cause is neurological.

I am nearsighted (myopia) and I experience exotropia. My exotropia is caused by weakened muscles around my eyes and for this reason my eyes don’t line up correctly and instead focus slightly outward, causing double vision. In my case it appears rather slight in that they only slightly don’t line up, so most people never notice. It doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with my eyes unless you actually test it. The problem is that everything I see comes in two images that partially overlap rather than separating into two separate images with one in higher focus than the other. So imagine two Rs or two Us that are overlapping horizontally and why that might make reading an eye chart more difficult.

The problem was first discovered when I was 19 in an eye exam when my optometrist covered one eye and observed how my uncovered eye jumped slightly inward. Covering the other eye, it did the same. With special prisms in my glasses it forces and enables my eyes to work together better. However, I am very susceptible to eye strain from those weaker muscles. Exotropia also compromises my depth perception so that without correction I cannot see anything beyond thirty feet. A building thirty feet away from me and a mountain on the horizon look the same distance to me. Everything within that thirty feet is still slightly altered and inaccurate, but more manageable.

The primary cause of my vision loss however is a neurological condition called visual snow (or called snow vision sometimes). What’s happening is that my brain is processing the information my eyes have given me and decided that’s not enough and decided to add extra stimulation in the form of static. Imagine an old TV with a low quality screen that has a slight bit of static overlapping the image. That’s me on a good day, and then on my worst days it’s more like that TV has been left on with nothing to play and all I see is black and white static.

That static doesn’t actually exist, and yet I always see it. Because it depends on visual stimulation in my brain, it’s more active in lower lighting with more noticeable static that is blue instead of black and grey, where each grain is much larger than normal and the density of the static is higher and moving at a faster rate.

Because of the static I perform at 20/70 or worse on eye charts, and that is at my absolute best in both situational lighting and day to day health.

A diagnosis is very difficult to get. Because it’s neurological, the cause doesn’t show up in eye exams like cataracts, glaucoma, retina degeneration, and detached optic nerves do. Nor does it show up on brain imaging scans such as MRIs as studies have shown.

To be diagnosed with visual snow, you must experience visual static for three months without it being associated with migraines and experience at least two out of five sub-symptoms. Here is a link to learn more about symptoms.

I experience all five of those symptoms but my most severe is photophobia or light sensitivity. My brain is over processing light at an exponential rate to the point that I experience severe pain in bright lighting. Because of this, my day time vision looks like a white field with shapes and little more. This is day blindness and to manage it I wear extra dark sunglasses. Unfortunately I can’t have both visual correction and extra dark lenses, so I have to choose between debilitating pain and nothing but white fields with moving shapes, or no correction and mild pain with my visual field being more grey and black from the lenses with some shape and movement perception.

So indoor lighting is the absolute best for my vision, and therefore why I perform as visually impaired and not legally blind in eye exams. 20/70 with static interference and mild pain from light sources is the best I’ll ever get. Outside of that, in both daytime lighting and night time, I am beyond legally blind. But by legal law, the best situation and best correction is what my blindness will be measured at, not my how it impacts my daily living.

For that reason using technology, reading indoors, playing video games, and perceiving color are still things I can experience. But my depth perception, my light sensitivity, my visual acuity is still fucked. Because the cause is primarily neurological, the only tests I perform well on are medical imaging of my brain or eyes, and my color perception.

So that is more or less what I see and why I see it. If you have questions you can ask either in the comments or in my asks inbox.

This blog is dedicated to educating about blindness and how to write accurate blind characters. Included is other writing advice, writing memes with image descriptions, more specific asks raised on the subject, advice about school, and talking about mental health and disabilities outside of blindness.

[ohshcscenerios]

I was wondering, how do you think the ohshc manga would've gone if Moriharu was the canon ship as it was supposed to be? Like what would Mori's character arc be like? Would've Mori gotten a sad, dark backstory Like Tamaki? How would the confession scene look like? Would Tamaki (and Hikaru) ever be truly able to get over it (I mean he would be dramatic as always but it would've made a good arc where he gets more matur or something I assume)? I'm curious to hear your thoughts:)

I apologize for the wait Anon, this big brain question needed a big brain answer and I didn't have a big brain for a while. Now I will try to tackle it as I empty out my inbox.

If Mori x Haruhi were canon I feel many aspects to the story would change. The love-interest focus would shift to Takashi instead of Tamaki but I feel like their love story's arc would be more centered around Haruhi's arc before they finally fall in love.

Takashi had a relatively normal childhood with Mitsukuni. He didn't suffer through unfortunate circumstances and traumatic events like Tamaki. However that doesn't mean he has nothing to offer. The main arc's focus would be on Haruhi considering her childhood traumas. This would allow Takashi to be her supportive aid throughout her self-reflective journey until one day she realizes he's been by her side through it all and that she slowly but surely fell in love with him.

The way I see it, Haruhi would still learn to enjoy life to its fullest thanks to the host club. She doesn't have to marry Tamaki to learn this lesson. The host club being her close friends and dragging her along in their adventures would help her learn that life is more than working hard and achieving goals. However, while her friends are having fun and getting into mischief, Takashi is there by her side protecting her, keeping her company, giving her a sense of calm amidst the chaos, carrying her when she gets tired, actively paying attention to what she likes/wants, and accompanying her while she explores at her own pace. Takashi would offer her safety, security, and a sense of independence while with her without judging or mocking her. He would genuinely enjoy her company and she would enjoy his.

This would allow them to spend more time together, helping them both to come out of their respective shells in trusting each other with their thoughts and opinions. They both love history so they'd probably have many discussions revolving around that subject before they eventually venture into more personal and intimate territory; discussing their families, their childhoods, their likes/dislikes, their fears, their desires, and so on.

In doing this, Haruhi is having fun with the host club, learning to enjoy her life again, and gaining a wonderful friend through Takashi. He'd help her learn to rely on him as well as others, he'd keep every promise made to her, and his kind nature and strong character would bring her comfort and strength.

Haruhi doesn't need her love interest to completely renovate her way of thinking and living. While Takashi is wise and would help Haruhi make better decisions in her personal life, he wouldn't want to change her. His personality naturally compliments hers so there wouldn't be a need to change either person to build a relationship.

While Haruhi is learning to trust in others, allow their aids in her times of need, and to enjoy her life again, Takashi is also learning to grow more independent from Mitsukuni and into his own man. Granted, they're already their own persons, especially in the manga, and don't have a strong dependency like the twins, but in falling in love with Haruhi and growing closer to her would encourage Takashi to act more selfishly for his own interests.

Takashi not only puts Mitsukuni first but also his friends. This is why he canonically didn't pursue Haruhi, he didn't want to step over his friends. If he were to seriously purse Haruhi then he would also learn to prioritize his own happiness, stepping out of comfort zone in the process. I feel Mitsukuni would root for him all the way since this would be a big important step for Takashi and his personal growth, to essentially put himself first for once.

As for the other's arcs; although Tamaki's arc is pushed from the spotlight I feel his dilemmas would still be resolved, it just wouldn't be the main focus on the story. Hikaru and Kaoru's arc would act similarly the same as canon. Hikaru and Kaoru confess their love to Haruhi and are still rejected by her. Perhaps Hikaru still pushes her to confess her love to Takashi, even more since he trusts Takashi as his mentor and knows she's fallen in love with a good respectable man. Perhaps Kaoru and Mitsukuni connive sneaky plans to push the couple together since they can't help but create drama.

Perhaps there's a scene where Hikaru's anger in being rejected would force him to confront Takashi, demanding to know why his mentor has "overstepped him" and this leads to Takashi finally defending his desire to purse his own happiness with Haruhi, that he is entitled to happiness as quiet and impassive as he is. That his stoic nature doesn't default him to sacrificing an entire future with the woman he loves. And in that, Hikaru sees how his senpai has grown, making him realize that perhaps Haruhi is good for him.

As for the confession scene, I'm not entirely sure what it would look like but I'd like to imagine it'd be a spur of the moment ordeal. No planning, no rehearsing in front of a mirror. The scene I keep coming back to is Takashi comforting Haruhi during a thunderstorm. At this point in their story, Haruhi has grown to trust in Takashi and doesn't feel awkward finding comfort in him when the sky erupts with thunder. Takashi knows how to soothe her fears, gently playing her hair with his other arm wrapped around her middle while her back is pressed to his chest. She sits between his legs and his shirt unbuttoned to cover her shoulders as they rest in a dark corner of an abandoned farmhouse waiting for the storm to end. His chin naturally rests on her head, completely encompassing her to act as her shield. As the rain patters on the corroded roof above them, completely lost in her warmth and the feel of her safely tucked in his arms, he whispers his confession. At first he's unsure if she heard him above the storm raging outside and a part of him hopes she didn't, but after a few long silent minutes she surprises him by nuzzling her head into his shoulder and saying she loves him too.