#free lessons time to shitpost

[guinevereslancelot]

i never spoke or understood a target language better than when i was unemployed and just spent hours bingeing tv in that language

[crowttore]

Genshin characters as ways animals court and mate

Welcome to another round of (hopefully) the weirdest biology lessons you'll ever receive. Essentially a shitpost, someone should take away my writing privileges. There could be better suited animals out there, I just chose from the ones I know.

Characters: Childe, Xiao, Xinyan, Dainsleif, Diluc, Albedo, Ganyu, Ifa

Not seeing your fav character? Find more here

Tags: nsfw in the way a national geographic documentary is, there are no graphic details but proceed at your own discretion

Childe / Ajax / Tartaglia - Vulpes vulpes (red fox)

Am I pushing an agenda here? Absolutely. Childe gets excited when he notices that you're beginning to pay attention to him - however sparse it may be - and does everything he can to interact with you, making sure to keep it fun and engaging (both for himself and you). Bright and cheerful while courting you. Childe is generally very easy-going but doesn't take kindly to others getting too familiar with you and he can, in those instances, turn quite territorial. Has a habit of disappearing for long periods of time on missions, but when he's there, he's very devoted. Male foxes get aggressive towards other males around breeding season. Courting includes loud calls and frolicking around with a chosen mate, typically play fighting and nipping at each other. Male foxes stay to help raise the pups, letting the female stay with the pups for the first weeks while he fetches food daily.

Xiao - Drosophila spp. (fruit flies)

This one isn't exactly a calculated move on Xiao's part, and he'd prefer that this wasn't a byproduct of sexual intimacy (intimacy of any kind really). Due to his karmic debt, Xiao affects his surroundings and 'taints' them. On his partner, this means that for a time after being with him, they experience mild symptoms akin to those you'd experience after being in close proximity to old god remains. The emotional effects last a couple of hours and make others less likely to engage in any kind of social behaviour with you. Drosophila males use a pheromone to mark a female as unattractive after mating, reducing the chances of his sperm being outcompeted. Some evidence suggests that the pheromone has mildly harmful effects on the female.

Xinyan - Cebuella pygmaea (Pygmy marmoset)

It might not come as a surprise that the courting (or dating) phase isn't particularly long with Xinyan, after all, you lose every chance you don't take. She has little care for norms, if she likes you, she'll let you know first chance she gets! Through music, Xinyan has a multitude of ways to convey her thoughts and feelings, be it with or without vocals. No matter her way with words, writing songs couldn't prepare for standing in front of you and getting the words past her lips, but she'll figure it out. One thing you hadn't expected is the way she slowly adopts your way of speaking (as you do hers) allowing you to develop what might sound like a completely new language to outsiders. It makes both of you laugh from time to time while spending quality time together, realising what you're saying sounds like a load of nonsense. Pygmy marmosets have incredibly complex vocal calls and a great intuitive understanding of how sound travels and interacts with things around them. Pairs will 'sing' together to strengthen their bond, and new pairs will rapidly adjust the sound, length etc. of their calls to create new and unique ones to use with their partner.

Dainsleif - Antechinus spp. (Marsupial mice)

Dainsleif yearns. And he lingers. His love is vast as an ocean and just as deadly- he knows (thinks) it will drown you both the moment he lowers his guard. For this reason, you're kept at arms length for a while, unsure if he wants you gone or not. It's impossible to tell with his tendency to appear for a moment and be gone the next. Every time you think yourself free and healed, he appears again to drive the blade further into both your hearts. When he finally caves, in a moment of weakness, the love he shares is passionate, the ferocity of a starved beast, keeping you awake throughout the night, crying out his name in pleasure. When you awake next, there's nothing but a scribbled apology next to you. Dainsleif doesn't return after that, but you swear he still lingers in your periphery. Marsupial mice have uhh interesting mating habits. Males are ready to breed a few weeks before breeding seasons start and females enter ovulation. Mating is intense but has a narrow window of opportunity. The males funnel so much energy into maximising reproductive capabilities, using up all energy storage, that a vast majority of males die off after mating. The level of free corticosteroids increase in the males during mating, which suppresses the immune system significantly.

Diluc - Pygoscelis papua (Gentoo penguin)

Once Diluc finds himself ready to settle down, you can rest assured that plenty of care went into that decision. After hovering around you for a while, slowly finding that he doesn't wish to be without your presence (I could write so much about this turning point for Diluc whew) he presents you with two seemingly odd items. One is an old-looking key, the other a locket containing a few grape seeds. The key is for the back-door to the winery so you can always come and go. The locket belonged to his mother and the seeds inside are for you to plant. He hopes you're as ready to settle down and build a life together as he is. Gentoo penguins build their nests out of rocks and males will essentially present a female with a carefully selected stone to signify "I would like to build a nest with you". Gentoo penguins are also known for being very strictly monogamously, to the point that sleeping around or attempting to can get an individual kicked out of the colony.

Albedo - Siphopteron quadrispinosum (sea slug)

This is dedicated entirely to you Petal <3 And to everyone else, sorry. While Rhinedottir did everything she could to make Albedo, he's lacking in certain places. Which was fine. Until he met you. But that's fine, he has a solution to that. He's spent weeks fussing over creating everything that would be needed, a bottle of pheromones to get you properly prepared and a perfectly shaped rod for insertion, the tip sharpened for piercing your skin of course. A lot of sea slugs are hermaphrodites and will, after feeling each other up, stab the other with a penile stylet and inject their fluids. Some of them do it directly into the other's head. The penile stylet regrows.

Ganyu - Capra spp. (Goats)

Sweet docile Ganyu absolutely adores it when she gets to cuddle up to you, especially if your arms are wrapped securely around her. At first, you find her tendency to bury her head into your armpit a bit odd, but it's pretty endearing to be honest. Xianyun clearly makes sure her daughter is dressed to impress, and although Ganyu flusters easily; especially when you grin happily upon seeing her, you have no doubt she enjoys the compliments. Each sweet word is rewarded with a little kiss to your forehead (why her smile always looks a little sad when she pulls away is something you'll have to ask about, maybe she's still insecure around you?) Oh I promise you dear reader, this particular behavior is not a sign of insecurity. Goats are self-anointing animals, meaning they make sure to smell. For goats, this behavior includes males urinating on their forelegs and his own face, which combined with a secretion from glands located at the base of his horns, ensures a seductive scent. Some females have been observed to completely refuse mating with a buck who's had those glands removed.

Ifa - Giraffidae spp. (Giraffes)

When Ifa has to travel, he makes sure to always stop by your place every chance he gets. Some might call him clingy (and they would be correct) but he simply can't stand being away from you for more than a week at a time. There are, of course, certain benefits to dating a vet (what are humans if not animals as well) and Ifa is always looking out for you, running a few tests here and there, and making sure you're in top condition, he's quite the attentive partner! Back to the 'needy' point, Ifa can't keep his hands off of you. In fact, he can't keep his tongue away either, always licking at your skin before inevitably nudging your legs apart to have a taste. Male giraffes roam while looking for opportunities to mate, with them going into rut approximately every two weeks. They determine if a female is in oestrus by tasting her urine. If the male moves on to courting, he will start licking the female, attempting to rest his head against her, and occasionally give a little nudge with his ossicones.

[welcometothejianghu]

Top 10 of 2024

All right! It's time to count down my favorite Asian media things I watched in 2024 -- and sure, most of them came out way earlier than 2024, but whatever, I'm slow. Longer rec posts linked where applicable. If you wind up watching one of these on my say-so, let me know! I'm always happy to know I've been an Influencer (ha ha).

Honorable Mention: Heaven and Hell: Soul Exchange

This was originally going to be on the actual list, but a last-minute contender hopped in and bumped it off. Still, I loved this weird genderfucky body-swap murder mystery romp enough that I couldn't leave it out entirely. This baby sits right at the Hump of Compelling Mediocrity, where when it's good, it's good, and when it's bad, you can't stop thinking about how you'd fix it. I want an American remake of this so Bryan Fuller can rub his butt all over it. [full rec post here]

10. Hotel Del Luna

Did we watch this for Yeo Jingoo? You know it. And yet, we wound up falling for all the characters in this show about a bunch of dead (and one living!) people sending other dead people off to their afterlives. Meandering at times, it falls into a lot of K-drama tropes, but it still manages to pull of something special and occasionally profound.

9. 3 Will Be Free

Ah, here's the last-minute spoiler from Thailand! We showed up expecting something dumb, fun, and horny. What we got was something way smarter than it has any right to be -- but still fun and horny! A bisexual trio of incredibly sexy people (and some fascinating side characters) fall in love while semi-haplessly on the run from a whole bunch of people with guns.

8. Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko!

This goofy tale of dumb lesbians was wacky and fun from start to finish. How long can you keep up a gag about two co-workers each convinced that the other one isn't into her? Exactly the length of this tiny, funny comedy. And as a bonus, there's the manga, which is equally short and sweet. [full rec post here]

7. Story of Yanxi Palace

At 70 episodes, this (rather speculative) historical drama is not for those with short attention spans. Even so, it's a treat for anyone who likes period pieces, lavish costuming, and high-quality acting. Watch as a completely insane young woman leverages her insanity to become the most powerful pretty pretty princess in the Qing Dynasty! [full rec post here]

6. The Rebel

And speaking of well-acted period pieces! At the risk of quoting myself: Do you feel like watching a beautiful man have a terrible day for 43 episodes straight? Then this Republican-Era spy drama is for you. Zhu Yilong bounces off some gorgeous costars in a gripping tale of brave Communist misery. [full rec post here]

5. Legend of Fei

A great example of how a boilerplate YA story about a bunch of teens who save the world from eeeeevil adults can be elevated by leaning in to its inherent sweet, melodramatic goofiness. I wouldn't call it a comedy, but it's a very funny drama held up by delightful characters and charming romances. I have no idea what the plot was, nor do I care. I was too busy watching Yibo smile. [full rec post here]

4 Otoko Meshi

This show is silly. It has a completely preposterous setup: an injured yakuza boss moves in with an unemployed twentysomething, cooks him dinner, and teaches him life lessons. It has all the subtlety of a piano dropped from a great height. All the acting is completely over the top. And yet, it manages to be sincerely heartwarming? This ten-episode food-based comedy is entirely worth the effort you may have to go through to find a way to watch it. [full rec post here]

3. The Spirealm

Yeah, this one grabbed my ass good enough that I've made a whole meta-and-shitpost sideblog (@thirteenthdoor) for it. I will say, though, that the show wouldn't have done it alone -- my love for it is compounded by how I fell even harder for the book it was adapted from. Both of them together tell a gay-ass horror story about love and loss through several terrifying, deadly worlds. [full rec post for the show here; full rec post for the book here]

2. The On1y One

Just ... damn, man. What a piece of art. I was not expecting much out of a Taiwanese BL about two high-school boys falling in love, much less a beautiful, well-written, amazingly affecting tale of complicated family dynamics and gay feelings. It had better get a second season that concludes the story, is all I'm saying. [full rec post here]

1. Kinou Nani Tabeta?

I have now watched significant portions of this ... four times? Because I keep showing it to other people, because it keeps being that good. The slow, cozy, food-centric tale of the daily lives of two aging Japanese gay men makes you feel happy -- but when it rips your heart out, it rips it right out. I get that it's a little Too Real for a lot of people, but oh, it was just what I needed. [full rec post here]

What will 2025 bring? Who can say! I hope it's gay, though.

[fictionvssleep]

(How to) Study the Blade

I love all the medieval weaponry jokes and shitposts on here, and in case folks are interested in trying out historical European martial arts (HEMA) but aren't sure where to start, you're in luck! There are a lot more opportunities to learn swordfighting than you might think (or related weapons like spear, polearm, axe, and dagger, but swords are definitely the main) (sword pun intended).

First: How does one buy a sword and essential gear? Unless you're at a tournament, the answer is usually online. There are a lot of vendors, and in terms of price point, safety (blades need some flex to not hurt the other person), and being up to tournament standards (so if you ever want to enter one, your sword has you covered), my go-to is Purpleheart Armory: https://www.woodenswords.com/

In general, you can get a longsword or rapier for somewhere between $200 and $300. There are a ton of decisions to make, like what length works for your height? What weight? Ring guard, complex guard? Schilt or no? Do you want to venture into dussack, messer, saber, buckler, parrying dagger, greatsword? There's a vast number of opinions, and asking around (see info on joining a group below!) or checking out people's thoughts on Reddit can be incredibly helpful. It is possible to get sharp blades, but you have to be so. goddamn. careful, and don't even think about using it near anyone else. I'll just recommend the usual steel that you can get, where it's historically accurate and properly weighted and wants to move, but the "edge" is more like the handle of a butter knife than anything else.

When choosing what to get started with, feel free to go with whatever seems coolest or most fun to you, or what you can find guidance for. Longsword and rapier are what you'll run into most often (especially if you misgauge your distance HEYO). While people may assume that it's heavy and slow, only for big and buff people, a longsword is just ~3.5 lbs, which is lighter than a lot of my favorite doorstopper fantasy books (and they're just so f'in cool). And once you're familiar with one weapon, it's amazing how much translates over to others, and even between one-handed and two-handed ones.

If you want to just do solo cuts and drills, a sword is all you need! But as soon as you want to study techniques and historical fencing, the next things you want are head protection and hand protection. These are incredibly important, and depending on your partners/group and how careful they are and how hard they hit, more or less intense gear may be needed. And then a fencing jacket and leg protection get you all the way there. Some jackets are more intense but hotter and limit mobility more, and others are more comfortable but less protective- historical fencing is full of these kinds of tradeoffs and decisions. Note that no amount of gear, no matter how expensive and well-made, can leave you fully protected. You need to be able to trust your partner to keep you safe and keep them safe in turn. And even then, accidents can happen, so it's important to have a plan and a just-in-case first aid kit on hand.

Second: What materials can you learn from? There are historical treatises and manuals out there (Liechtenauer, Meyer, Fiore...), modern books that cover the same bases with visuals added in, and a number of people have put their own guides and lessons online. Especially helpful for more intuitive visual learning, there's a lot on YouTube. For getting a feel for longsword cuts and solo drills, I love Björn Rüther's channel:

Third, while it's possible to have a great time and develop some skills solo: There's nothing like learning from other people. Joining a club or at least stopping by and trying it out is a game changer. This site catalogs every documented HEMA group: https://www.hemaalliance.com/club-finders

Look at this! It's crazy, right?? There are so many clubs! Note that some are full-on businesses with a full-time rented space and professional coaches, lots of classes every week, and dues to cover those expenses. Others may be just people who regularly gather to learn from and teach each other and spar, which keeps costs low but may limit how often or where you can practice. For a number of groups, you can drop in to try it out without needing to invest money in equipment first.

But very importantly: Groups vary a ton. Many are full of the kindest people you've ever met who will be so excited to show you the ropes. But some may have a gross atmosphere of toxic masculinity, some may encourage hitting hard to "teach people a lesson" about failure, and some may be really into glorifying European culture in a way that gets white supremacy-y. So when you're seeing what groups are around you and checking them out, pay attention: Is this a group where women feel comfortable? Queer folks? People of color? People of varying ages and mobility? And: Is there a member conduct policy or agreement? Is there a protocol for what to do if someone makes others feel unsafe or hurts them? Being ready to answer the hard questions to protect everyone's safety and following through are a green flag for a group.

And lastly: You don't have to be crazy fit to get started! Whatever may feel like a barrier to entry, something you think you have to be able to do first- "No, I need to be able to run five miles and do 50 push-ups before I could ever start something like that" - NOPE! It's important to listen to your body, not push to the point of pain, and rest and stretch as needed, but you can always start. And there's nothing like doing something incredibly fun and that requires a lot of focus to make exercise joyful as hell.

NOW GO FORTH AND STAB

[silme-lorien]

intro & masterlist⋆⟡˚⏾

hi everyone! i am silme-lorien

☆ i have many interests, but this blog is dedicated to the lord of the rings and the silmarillion.

☆ my pronouns are she/they and most people call me slime on here

☆ i write fanfiction ! here is my ao3, my miscellaneous writing tag and my fic tag. check out my masterlist under this intro. i also take requests, but please be respectful of my boundaries. i create art and headcanons as well, but about 80% of my content is dumb jokes and shitposts

☆ this is my main blog. i have a personal sideblog where i post anything non-tolkien related @the-cool-cats-pajamas

some other notes:

☆ if you have a fic request, go ahead and drop it in my ask box! i’ll write for lord of the rings and the silmarillion, but i likely won’t do x reader fics, ships i’m uncomfortable with, or ideas that i dislike. please be respectful and remember that i am writing for fun and for free :) headcanon requests, art requests, ideas you have, or other things are also fine to send over! i will definitely do my best to answer you. same goes for my dms, they’re always open!

☆ if you tag me in a tag game that is not tolkien related or writing related, i’ll do it over on my personal sideblog to keep my main more organized <3 i’ll let you know it’s me though !

☆ please do not repost anything i make without my permission! everything i post on here is my own original creation unless i say otherwise so please just ask if you want to repost my work

☆ here is the official blog for the event #samfrosummer (which i co-hosted) where everything is compiled!

masterlist below⋆⟡˚⏾

ship fics ⋆˙⟡

sam x frodo:

☆ The World Held its Breath: A flashback to better days in the shire while sam and frodo are on mt. doom (2.1k words)

☆ Coffee-Stained Wildflowers: multi-chapter modern coffee shop/florist au (kind of vague time period); getting together + the subsequent events (21k words, 8 chapters)

☆ Polished: cleaning up together after one of bag end’s famous parties (1.5k words)

☆ Freckled Echoes: frodo develops freckles, and sam remembers the past (~900 words)

☆ Stars of Antiquity: stargazing and history lessons (~800 words)

☆ Change of Heart: 1970s au where the universe pushes them together and they keep being idiots (1.5k words)

☆ Berry Pie: a drabble about sam’s cooking (200 words)

☆ The Privilege of Boredom: a quiet day in valinor (1k words)

coming soon:

☆ 2 more samfro summer fics!

☆ Lothlórien: a (very ambitious) attempt at filling in the gaps of what happened during the month that the fellowship stayed in lothlórien. sam and frodo centric

☆ untitled túrin and beleg angst :(

☆ untitled faramir and èowyn ficlet

☆ Your Music: sam and frodo university au in which they are in a university orchestra

☆ untitled celeborn and galadriel first meeting

☆ untitled lúthien and beren in old age ficlet

platonic/family/single character fics ⋆˙⟡

coming soon:

☆ Guiding Lights by the Water: elrond takes estel to the beach and teaches him about the wildlife. kidnap fam flashbacks >:)

☆ From Above: eärendil and elwing watching over arwen from the skies.

☆ untitled angsty spooky maglor fic

requests ⋆˙⟡

currently open!

[raayllum]

i desperately need your sweetest headcanons of ez and rayla being Siblings

Mandatory Rayla&Ezran brotp tag drop here & first some rambly meta cause like, a lot of this is based on the concept(s) of Ezran and Rayla fundamentally being more like each other than either of them are like Callum

Like they both grew up friendless (whereas Callum seems to have a lot more ease in actually interacting with new people & I've always HC'd him having less friends out of choice, cause those potential ppl didn't get along wit his brother) and feeling perpetually different, they both (like Claudia) take on their parents' previous paths and feel the weight of it. They also tend to have a lot of similar esque insecurities and hangups ("I feel like I'm letting everyone down" 3x03 —> "I failed them, I let them all down" 3x04 / "It's not fair you have to go through this alone" 5x02 —> "I knew I had to be strong alone" in 5x04 / self blame tendencies with "You knew? I'm an idiot! I should've figured it out" 2x08 —> "Ugh, I'm such an idiot. I should've figured it out" 1x09) and are both very much bleeding hearts. They're also willing to pivot away from prior missions (bringing Zym home) for causes they see as more worthy in a lot of ways — going home to rule (the individual collective) and freeing Phyrrah (the individual stranger) — even if that separates them from others and/or puts them more at risk, cause they're just loyal to causes and ideals and self-imposed responsibilities tethered to those concepts like that? I love them

Like they both are like Callum — Ezran is emotionally open and inclined towards vulnerability, like him, which Rayla is not, and Callum and Rayla, esp in arc 1, take on responsibilities that Ezran do not & all their stuff with adoptive dads and communication etc etc. — but they're also more similar to each other than they are to him. More on that here & here + bonus S5 hammering that in more than ever (Rayla going with Ezran's plan in 5x05 anyone?)

Now onto the actual headcanons

Rayla doesn't have a lot of patience for games (cards, chess, etc.) and will be a sore loser/give up when playing with just about anyone else (including Callum) but she can never say no to Ezran over it, and he's so earnest/having such a great time she can never be a total grump when they do play games together

Ezran is the one who primarily took care of her Shadowpaw, for obvious reasons, in the castle stables until she returned, hence why sweetie pie was waiting for her & ready for the Lux Aurea trip

The little archangel lunaris on his backpack was absolutely chosen with her in mind <3

Both Rayla and Ezran possess an abundance of faith in other people, and this is shown best when they're being supportive of or defending one another ("She'll know what to do" —> "He can do this, we have to believe in him" —> "She's alive. And wherever she is, she loves you too")

Rayla weaving a little braid into his hair and having Ezran weave one into hers as well because braids are for love and family, and they are certainly both to one another

This shitpost, which is really just them getting stuck on and continually adding to dumb bits for each other to laugh at

Playing pranks back and forth on Soren and sometimes on Callum

Mostly they just tag team chores like "making sure Callum has eaten and slept and left his study recently" / keeping their favourite mage out of his head

Rayla giving Ezran stealth lessons and Ezran having Rayla bake jelly tarts with him

They always insist on being on the same team when it comes to snowball fights at the Banther Lodge

Ez loves to infodump about certain things and Rayla loves to let him, especially since his trains of thought and ramblings are a bit easier for her to follow than his brother's (most of the time)

Rayla having Ezran teach her how to notice things about illusion animals so she can have an easier time telling the difference (Soren teases her about it and she socks him in the stomach)

This isn't really so much of a headcanon as it is a canon observation but in battle sequences Callum doesn't really usually focus (outside of when he's using said magic to protect Ezran) on getting Ezran away from the danger, instead trusting Rayla to do so — and she always does (1x06, 1x08, 1x09, 2x04, 5x09)

Because she's just his friend and not his subject (or for now, an official member of his council the same way), Ezran finds himself seeking out when he just needs to have dumb kid fun, and Rayla is always down to help him

On that note she's very good at knowing when he needs space vs when he's okay being fussed over (Callum, Opeli) and telling people that even when he may not be able to express it himself because non-verbal times / feeling overwhelmed

Whenever they go on roadtrips in the future, Rayla does her best to bring special snacks around for him (and teach him how to forage, which animals can help him with too)

Eventually when Ezran is a little older, Soren needles him about learning how to defend himself, and Ezran dreads having to hold a sword and initially refuses. But Rayla plops down beside him and talks him through it and reaffirms that they just always want to make sure he's safe, and that's what gets him to come around to the idea

Ezran and Rayla both being physically affectionate people — Rayla slinging her arm along his shoulders, Ezran often grabbing her hand as a sign of support (most often the one she was going to lose to the binding) and squeezing gently, like a reminder that they're both still here and everything's okay and/or going to be alright

Rayla tears up when she realizes that Ezran is finally taller than her, much to his mild annoyance and amusement

Ezran helps Rayla with her proposal to Callum, and does not tell her (or his brother) that Callum is also planning to propose lmao

[generative-adversarial-nitwit]

what are you using/studying to learn japanese? I've always wanted to learn but duolingo is famously bad for learning.

if you want sort of a firehose of knowledge, this doc from reddit was super helpful to me for sorting through strategies and resources and picking a few ways to start. it’s definitely worth checking out to see what sticks for you. most of what i’m using now actually came from there!

my main goal for right now is to be able to read decently. the “tangible” (sort of a joke, but somewhat genuine) goal is that if i look at a japan travelogue video on youtube, i want to be able to read the restaurant menus/signs haha

i’m currently using a combo of: wani kani (for kanji/vocab), duolingo (mostly for drilling kana), and Genki textbooks (grammar).

honestly duolingo is perfectly fine for kana, if a little slow. i’ve also found that i don’t need to be hardcore fast on the draw with kana just to be able to proceed with stuff like wani kani, and doing those things in tandem with kana practice helps to strengthen my memory of the kana.

wani kani is like a much more approachable, curated version of SRS utilities like Anki. it has a built-in curriculum that focuses on teaching kanji radicals (the building blocks of various kanji), then teaching kanji that build off those radicals, then vocabulary that use the kanji. since it has a built-in schedule, this is the main thing i’m structuring my learning around. typically i’ll do a review, then set an alarm on my device for the next review that’s at a reasonable hour, and then repeat, so i remember to do them. i do kana and grammar learning to pass time in-between.

i really like wani kani; it has a very friendly interface and will programmatically determine how strong i am on a given “card” (this is one of my hangups with anki, which depends on self-evaluation). the built-in mnemonics can seem silly at first but are genuinely helpful. more than anything i think the focus on radicals REALLY helps with efficiency and retention in the long run rather than rote memorization of JLPT vocab. the drawback is that some of the kanji/vocab might end up being a little esoteric in practice. it’s also slow to start — you have to keep at it to get a fuller review schedule. wani kani is also completely free until level 4, which is legitimately very chill of them because 3 levels is a crazy amount of knowledge to get for free and many people will quit well before that point. they also have an active community and a public API which means extensions and apps galore if you want to customize the experience

genki is good to read through at your own pace for at least the grammar. it can be found at a variety of booksellers or maybe other ways if you don’t have the budget. it has practice activities you can try if you like! i personally like to read through a lesson and then practice typing out my own sentences using the vocab and concepts that it introduces, but i’m not stressing too much about doing each chapter top to bottom. i really like having it as a reference text. the illustrations are cute also

listening/immersion can be anything you find interesting. in particular i like dogen’s channel because the dude writes/speaks very eloquently and is also just very funny (the thumbnails might seem a little bit annoying. the content is good i promise). he’s a foreigner who’s lived in japan for a long time and he has pretty insightful commentary from that perspective, which he delivers as like… comedic rakugō shitposts. he’s also a good introduction to the idea of pitch accent. my personal favorite of his is Uncle Magnet

OH also jisho.org is a very good dictionary resource. ok i think that’s all! がんばって!

[heartfullofleeches]

Thembo Shark Reader...

Just this massive behemoth who clears out entire beaches in mere seconds - because they smelled raw meat cooking at one of the pits.

Shark Reader can't catch a break. They're hunted by schools of merfolk, fishermen, and royalty at sea - pursued by life guards and people they've dragged to shore on land. Shark Reader is a passive giant just looking for their next meal and resting place. It's easy to pick up on their docile nature within a few minutes of meeting them - unless they got something in those chompers and asking their new companions if they see the cause of their parallel. That exact scene is what lead to them gaining their little following of merfolk who tailed them from coast to coast. While the meats and other good had been a fine meal, plastic coolers weren't the best thing for a shark's diet and had gotten stuck in their gums. They reworked a net conveniently cast out to sea into floss, freeing the distressed goldfish in the process. They were prepared to swim off and go about the rest of their day - ambushed by the teary eyed school the mermaid belonged to. It's easy to keep their big lovable shark around by catching a couple fish or luring humans out to sea. As long as they fillet their catches properly - Reader can't tell the difference.

Some shitposts under the cut

Yan Sea Captain: Today will finally be the day I catch that beast. A new frame will hang on my wall when its finally mine.

Crew Mate: You mean like that oil painting of you and it in your bedroom.

Yan Sea Captain: Another word and you'll be the bait

-

[Shark Reader carries a surfer back to shore and sticks their board in the sand]

Shark Reader: Not Safe that far out. Sharks

Surfer: o-ok... [frantically searches for that "lifeguard for hire" poster they saw at the entrance to the beach]

Yan Lifeguard, standing on a boat: Are you ready for your first swimming lesson?

"n-no?"

Yan Lifeguard: Fantastic! [yeets their victim into the water and swims back to shore waiting for someone to notice]

-

Yan Researcher: All that time wasted. Had I know this would be the way to win your heart, I'd have done it the day we met, my love

Shark Reader, on their twelfth tuna sandwich and fifth raw steak: I thought it would be pretty obvious

[al-numbers]

After a month of work, I have finally finished perhaps my most ambitious project!

Backstory: I have a Discord friend, @ra-tutubixi who loves to make long effort-posts about Mesoamerica in various chats and servers. In particular, he loves to delve deep into sources, old and new, and talk about how the various cultures of the region conceived of gender, sexuality, ecology, and papermaking.

After some time, I decided to save all the knowledge he has freely given to so many people. Discord isn't a history archive, and some of the stuff that's said are worthy of being remembered.

That was also the start of my many problems.

For one, Discord posting isn't mistake-free and there were a number of spelling, grammar, and paragraph oopsies my friend made in his long posts. Thing is, those errors sort-off add to a charming scrappiness and so I decided to not correct them. Unfortunately, that also meant I have to manually check 200 pages to see if spelling error no. #35 is my mistake or my friend being a spelling shitposter.

The process took me weeks.

Another issue was making the covers and spine. In my arrogance, I thought I could do a variant of case / bradel binding and just... make the covers first before making the spine. That took me on long hours pasting thin mounting boards together to make a solid "book board" and designing a good paper print to cover the front and back covers.

One painful lesson of using liquid glue is that it causes air bubbles and stretching on the printed paper later. One usage of liquid glue to paste printed paper onto the boards, and I was scrambling to rip the bubbling paper off before it permanently sticks. I had to use glue sticks.

Then there was the book spine which was fully made from layers of cardstock and red color paper - took me a while to get all of them to stick together. Also, The paper endbands were almost too big! I made them out of twisted paper from a shopping bag and didn't realize how thick they would get.

The book cover also took me by surprise. I intended the cover to feature either Maya or Mexica / Aztec writing glyphs, but my friend cautioned against doing so as that would perpetuate the idea of Aztequismo (a pop-culture thinking that everything in Mesoamerica is about the Aztecs only).

Thing is, I already pasted a glyph design onto the boards, so I had to cover that with black construction paper before adding another layer of printed paper. The flowers on the cover (Plumeria, Agave, Waterlily, Marigold, and Aloe) were used prominently by the many cultures of Mesoamerica and still are used today by many peoples from Mexico to Central America. After some thought, I decided to use the flower-cover design. I ain't perpetuating a cliche.

All in all, the entire editing, printing, and binding of this book took me over a month, but it is well worth it!

Special thanks to @ra-tutubixi for his many many insights into a part of the world that deserves more recognition in world history. Along the way, he has given me much help in referencing and footnoting the text. His Tumblr even has a post on the Mexica / Aztec that I included as a "secret chapter" that doesn't appear in the index!

Seriously, if you all have any Mesoamerica questions, ask him out!

P.S:

A friend who can drop a meme that you know will make future readers so bewildered, you have to make a footnote about it... is a friend that should be treasured.

[iturbide]

thinking about the multi-lingual headcanon’s so fun because it doesn’t need to apply to just Robin

Tharja gets so done with Frederick’s bullshitTM that she starts speaking only Plegian whenever he’s around just to mess with him.

Henry almost immediately joins in because he’s also done. Robin takes a bit more time, but eventually reaches the end of their rope and starts doing it too.

Frederick walks into the barracks? Tharja looks him directly in the eye and says something shitpost-worthy in Plegian that makes Robin and Henry do spittakes.

this spreads to the other Shepherds. Gaius knows some Plegian (enough to comfortably hold a conversation anyway) and joins the “passive-aggressively call Frederick out on his shit” club. the club ain’t Plegian-exclusive either. you speak Chonsinese, Valmese, ancient Archanean? sure, why not, you’re invited. can’t speak anything other than modern Ylissean? that’s cool, as long as you don’t condone/promote what Frederick does, you’re invited. and hey, free linguistic lessons!

Chrom and Lissa decide to dust off their old foreign language textbooks just so they can join in on the fun.

the Shepherds start to feel more comfortable speaking languages other than Ylissean around each other; people start learning other languages, and as they do so, about other cultures. eventually everyone celebrates the cultures they represent with everyone else.

tl;dr Tharja accidentally started a “fuck you, Frederick, we’re multilingual/multicultural now” club and everyone else is invited

(btw i don’t totally hate Freddy, but i also don’t feel bad about bullying him lol.)

the idea of Tharja spiting Fred by openly speaking Plegian in front of him. kinda spiraled woops

I do love the multi-lingual promise of the Shepherds, it's so under-utilized. We've got people from Plegia, Ferox, Valm, Chon'sin, Roseanne...being able to celebrate one anothers' cultures and languages really isn't explored enough. Picking up at least a few different words, like greetings or cheers and curses, let's be real, everybody's gotta be able to swear in as many languages as possible is something that should happen, without question, and I always want to see it.

I definitely see Tharja as the kind of person who would express her dislike of someone by shifting over to a language they don't understand, and Frederick is definitely someone who warrants that treatment in her book.

Henry, though...I can't see Henry expressing his dislike of people in sidelong ways. He's very direct: if he doesn't like you, he will make sure you know it, probably by hexing you. (He joins Tharja in the Plegian only because it's his native tongue and he'll answer in it when addressed on instinct -- and probably ask later why they switched over, not realizing it was a dig at Frederick).

Robin, while certainly vindictive, I can't see being that petty. As much as they dislike Frederick, they would insist on keeping the conversation in a language Frederick can understand for the sake of politeness. (As soon as Frederick's gone though they would absolutely trash talk the man in Plegian to blow off steam though because good gods Frederick drives them up the wall). When they're fully done with Frederick, they will tell him to his face, likely publicly, in a language Frederick knows so that he understand just how fed up Robin is and how unacceptable they find the great knight's behavior.

It's worth mentioning that Frederick does hold a position of power in the Shepherds -- he's not the Captain, but he generally seems to take charge of day-to-day affairs. Tharja couldn't care less if she pisses him off and gets scolded for it -- but other people, who do care about their position in the Shepherds and can't risk potential dismissal, might not be comfortable sticking it to him so brazenly. Sharing languages is one thing -- using them to spite someone in a position of power is another entirely, and could even be dangerous: Gaius, who has already been to prison and left branded as a thief, probably wouldn't want to take the risk despite his discomfort with Frederick's behavior.

Which is kind of a long way to say that I'm always a fan of the Shepherds embracing their multiculturalism, but I'm not really a fan of them using it in such a petty, spiteful campaign against someone, no matter how much he tends to deserve it for how prejudiced he is. It should instead be called out directly and dealt with.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

L e s s o n t i m e .

-Lesson 48 Anon

@lesson-anon

LESSON TIME!

As Usual;

• Links (to screenshots and theories) are in bold!

• Dialogue is HEAVILY paraphrased & the events are HEAVILY summarised/edited so this is in no way a substitute to playing the actual lesson

• Each paragraph represents one chapter of the lesson, I write each paragraph immediately after playing the chapter and so in one paragraph I might theorise what's gonna happen in the next chapter/paragraph

• Solely gonna focus on "Mammon's Route"

LESSON 66 SPOILERS

Lucifer-Solomon-Mephisto are arguing about their clue (aren't yall grown ass adults!?), Thirteen says they should solve the riddle in the meantime. Raphael says it sounds familiar and MC tells him it's a Japanese poem, to which Raphael says he's heard Simeon talk about it before. He then wonders why only their team got a riddle, MC suggest it's because they'll be at each other's throats trying to solve it and that the actual answer will be very simple. Thirteen at this time is gushing about her "octopus trap" and yeah you know where this is going. Raphael realises that to make the answer simple it's possible that instead of the actual metaphor behind the poem it literally means a trap shaped like an octopus and that Lucifer's team is after them. Obviously these idiots are being loud af and Lucifer's team overhears them. (Foreshadowing)

This is one of those chapters that I can't possibly hope to explain it's so fucking chaotic (the three LIs)  ,   (In which Raphael is the golden child)   ,   (in which Raphael is still kinda pathetic)   ,   (Solomon & Thirteen's rivalry). Thirteen fires her trap (Mephisto is pathetic too help) and Raphael asks MC to bind Mephisto (Mephisto vs Lucifer)   ,   (Mephisto vs Lucifer shitpost)   ,   (dicks out).  After lucifer frees Mephisto, MC's team runs away only for Solomon's team to teleport and cut them off. Solomon asks them to hand over Thirteen's trap, Thirteen refuses and MC and Solomon start fighting using magic and holy shit that's so cool????? (Solomon is of course very proud of his apprentice) and (Thirteen gets jealous???) , (theory about Solomon and Thirteen). Thirteen fires a weapon, Solomon pushes MC out of the way, the weapon blows a hole in the side of RAD and Lucifer starts trying to murder Thirteen for it, Solomon goes back to engaging with MC to stop them from going and calming Thirteen down (and Raphael is desperately trying to stop everyone from killing each other). Mammon comes running, yelling at them all to stop

Mammon comes running (Raphael, you bitch) in telling them they need to resolve their problems without fighting and that all they're gonna do is destroy RAD at this rate. Since it's a sports festival he suggests a "demonpede" race where they everyone in a team ties their legs to each other and races the other team. There's some initial suspicion as to why Mammon who wasn't interested in the sports festival at all is suggesting this and Barbatos says that Mammon wants to win and pester Diavolo for a prize. So the two teams agree and Mammon ties their legs together and then he enchants the rope, laughing about how they all fell for it and how the spell and the rope can't be easily broken (Mammon, my beloved)

Mammon steals Solomon's book of incantations and starts gushing about the prize he'll get from Diavolo. Solomon & Barbatos try to get him to calm down and check if it's the right book because they don't think two teams will be sent after the same thing but he's too caught up in his head and runs off. MC can't break the ropes through brute force (remember they kicked down Levi's locked door) or magic. (MAMMON WHY ARE YOU JUST ME)   ,   (Mephisto being a fucking hypocrite)   ,   (Solomon starts planning out his will after millions of years of being alive)

Raphael asks if they really were looking for the same book because Mammon was talking about a "book of incantations" while they were looking for a grimoire. Mephisto asks Solomon to let them go and Solomon seems disappointed that they're not going to actually race. He can't remove the ropes either because they've been elaborately reinforced. Lucifer & Raphael start reminiscing and when MC mentions  they seem close and Lucifer says they've known each other a long time Raphael gets quiet (satan's influence). Solomon remembers he told Satan how to reinforce the ropes but is surprised that he did them so well (Lucifer's proud of his kids). Done with all this shit Mephisto tries to chase after Mammon and ends up falling and pulling Lucifer and Solomon on top of him (Diavolo's a protective boyfriend apparently). Thirteen starts trying to run after them too and falls over and MC can either catch Thirteen before she pulls all of them down (Thirteen's personality) or grab Raphael and fall and end up straddling Raphael.

Mephisto yells at them to get off him but their legs are too tangled up. Thirteen yells at Raphael to do something but he tells her they shouldn't just rely on angels when it's convenient for them. Lucifer finally gets pissed off and transforms and tears the rope off with brute strength, snarling about hanging Mammon up when he finds him. MC uses magic to break through the barrier and the rope and Thirteen is impressed and happy. Lucifer demands Thirteen's octopus trap and she refuses, pulling another upgraded octopus trap to fight him off but MC teleports the traps to the coloseum where Mammon and the book are headed

So yeah Mammon took the grimoire instead of the book of incantations and when Diavolo says it's the wrong book and disqualifies their team he just decides to peace out and toss the book aside. The book however has a summoning spell & drawing for a chimera tucked inside it, on q piece of paper and the impact activates the spell. The book lands beside the upgraded octopus trap and it makes the chimera summoned even fiercer. Solomon is very impressed by it all. The chimera goes to attack Simeon and both Lucifer & Barbatos yell and rush to him. Mammon asks why though because an angel like Simeon should have no problem stopping a chimera before realising that Simeon actually can't seem to use any magic, and he ends up trailing off with wide eyes

As the Chimera goes to attack Simeon, Raphael yells and defends him and then worriedly asks if he's okay. Mammon asks why Simeon couldn't just use his magic but Raphael deflects saying it isn't the time for questions. Lucifer tries to rally Barbatos & Solomon to attack the chimera but Diavolo stops them. Raphael says that since it's the octopus was theirs, his team shares the blame for what happened and that they should take care of it. He also wants revenge for it going after Simeon (aww but also aren't you supposed to be angel? But then again they said he was more like a demon when pissed so....). Raphael takes the leadership role - commanding both MC & Thirteen. He asks Thirteen to use the octopus trap (a new one called 2.5) to make an illusion of what the chimera desires the most to stun it (the same thing that happened to Mephisto earlier) then Raphael finds out it's weakness is water (because angels have the ability to find out the weaknesses of others and isn't that terrifying) and asks MC to attack it with water and then bind it. He then summons a load of arrows and yeah...Thirteen says it vanishes but I'm 100% sure they all just murdered it. Diavolo is impressed by how they all worked so well as a team (so I'm guessing MC passed the first trial) and in the commotion Lucifer hands him the octopus trap and his team wins the race which immediately leads to Raphael, Thirteen & MC arguing about whose fault it was that the other octopus trap was just left lying around for Lucifer to pick up. Diavolo laughs happily about how the exchange students are getting along so well and Lucifer side eyes him.

About Simeon & Raphael I really like this theory by @raphaaelism , I don't know how much I agree with it but it also makes a lot of sense right now. Though I don't know how active God is, I figured he was like the Demon King. And about the prejudice the angels still have - since they're reaching out they probably do want peace (or at least not to go back to a war) but a lot of what they do is still really shady (hiding Lilith's death from the younger angels, straight up lying to them about the causes behind the brothers' Fall, still seeing demons as wholly wicked and being surprised when MC by association isn't wicked) and moving away from literal millions of years of prejudice will be hard and Raphael still comes off as very self-righteous (meaning the older Angels' attitudes haven't changed either) which is why it's still being passed down to younger angels. And even if Raphael really is working against Simeon (because Simeon seemed nervous around Raphael in S3)  their past is probably really long and complicated so even if he believes it's best for Simeon to be stripped of his powers he wouldn't want him to actually get hurt.

The locked lesson is Satan & Belphie plotting about the rope

In the hard lesson they show Mammon's team. Levi runs past them sobbing at the top of his voice about how he can't take MC to the finish line, then Asmo, Luke, Belphie and Beel run past chased by a pissed off demon form Satan. Mammon stops Satan and calms him down until he goes back to his human form and then he steals the rope Satan has and runs after MC's team to find Solomon. Barbatos & Simeon chase after him too. Satan reveals that the book of incantations that Mammon's team is looking for is with him (Mammon & Satan)

Overall thoughts of the Lesson

[mcklunkers]

Welcome to day 5 of random Star Wars shitposty headcanons!

Y’all ready for todays mess? Let’s GOOO:

-When Eli first met Thrawn, he taught him music in the empire. But Eli was biased and taught about his favourite first i.e Country music. This led to Thrawn wandering around his quarters in a cowboy hat singing “baby lock them doors and turn the lights down low” at various points in his career despite not fully understanding the words.

-The officers in charge of the security cameras on the chimeara watch with popcorn when it happens. Whole ship viewing parties because honestly? That shit is glorious.

-Grogu translates to Greg. That’s it, that’s the whole headcanon.

-Padme likes cheesy horror movies, Anakin likes musicals. They can never decide what to watch.

-Kallus used to figure skate while at the Academy to “help with his fighting.” He was pretty good, and still likes visiting ice planets to show off with his friends.

-Wolffe will bite his brothers without hesitation if he’s losing during a spar.

-Kix did Jesse’s tattoo and Jesse did Kix’s. When he wakes out of carbon freeze, Kix keeps his hair long because the tattoo is a constant reminder of his lost brothers.

-Thrawn had a manbun at some point in his life.

-When Obi-Wan cut the mullet, he told people it was to look more professional. It actually just kept getting in the way, but when he tied it back it reminded him of Qui-Gon and he couldn’t deal. Plus it got in his food and that was not a vibe.

-Qui-Gons hair was long because Dooku kept talking him to cut it and he grew it out of spite. He also wore shades, cargo shorts and flip flops at every possible opportunity. The one constant in his off time is that he will wear the most obnoxious, disgusting brightly coloured horribly patterned shirts he can get his hands on. Because he could. I just imagine Dooku walking around in a fancy suit with this long haired hippy gremlin dressed like a Woodstock attendee at he beach, wishing he picked a different padawan.

-Like Jedi go to the crèche, clones teach lessons to little clones when back on Kamino to “help train the future of the GAR.” The thing is though they just play with them. Fives and Echo compete with each other to make the cadets laugh, Wolffe sits and helps them with homework, Bly will doodle with them. Cody and Rex will tell them stories - never about the war though, always about dumb shit their brothers got up to. It was one of these days that Rex and Fives first met Hardcase and Tup.

-Maul can’t drive for shit, so Savage has to drive him around all the time.

-Ahsoka runs all of the temples social media. It’s supposed to be glorified propaganda, but it’s actually just pictures of Jedi doing dumb shit. Kit Fisto doing pull ups in just shorts, Quinlan Vos getting slapped by a local after he flirts with her husband, Yoda eating weird stuff, Mace Windu conked out in his council chair just sprawled out completely. Anakins weird faces when he falls over, clone troopers having impromptu dance battles as obi-wan drunkenly sings karaoke while on leave. Support for the republic gets a lot louder while the accounts running.

-The account got taken down though after she posted a selfie with Plo Koon that accidentally had Ventress sneaking around in the background on one of the ships without anyone noticing.

I need to find a hobby? But enjoy, and if you have any shitpost-y thoughts or criticisms, feel free to let me know lmao 😁

[gxmonth]

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Month 2020

IT’S ON!

We start on August 31! I realize this may be a bit short notice for some, so I’ll be sure to get the word out earlier next year. Just do your best, take breaks when you need to, and most importantly have fun!

Draw/write/create, it’s your choice! All creativity welcomed!

Please remember to tag you posts with #gxmonth2020. If I miss a post please let me know.

And special thanks to @crystalbeastruby​ for creating the awesome banner!

Day 1 (August 31): “Game on!” It’s Judai/Jaden Yuki’s birthday today! Let’s celebrate!

Day 2 (September 1): “Red, Yellow, Blue!” Ah, the tier system at Duel Academy. Which dorm is your favorite?

Day 3 (September 2): “Rule the School” These kids might be saving the world, but they’re still students with homework to do and exams to pass. Celebrate the school life today!

Day 4 (September 3): “Sometimes I Can’t Believe We’re Related” 10Join! Today is all about the iconic brother-sister pair, Fubuki Tenjoin/Atticus Rhodes and Asuka Tenjoin/Alexis Rhodes!

Day 5 (September 4): “Pass The Salt” No story is perfect. So what is something you wish you could have seen in the story of GX?

Day 6 (September 5): “Going Down With The Ships!” You know what I’m talking about. We all have an armada parked in the bay, but there’s that one ship, that one ship, that you would die for. Today is all about OTPs and OT3s!

Day 7 (September 6): “Bring the THUNDER” Ichi! Juu! Hyaku! Sen! Chazz it up! Today the world does in fact revolve around Jun Manjoume/Chazz Princeton.

Day 8 (September 7): “The Power of Friendship!” Favorite dynamic duo, two characters you think would have been friends if only they met, how friendship saves the day, or maybe a friendship fail. It’s up to you!

Day 9 (September 8): “Born to be Bad” Inherently evil, brainwashed, misguided, or misunderstood. GX boots a colorful cast of villainy. Who’s your favorite bad guy?

Day 10 (September 9): Free Day/Introductions Tell us about yourself and your GX experience! Your favorites, why you like it, how you got into it. Or leave the day open to do whatever you want!

Day 11 (September 10): “Cyber Legacy” No Yu-Gi-Oh! show is complete without a pair of brothers. Today’s stars are Sho Marufuji/Syrus Truesdale and Ryo Marufuji/Zane Truesdale!

Day 12 (September 11): “But What If We Had Bikes?” That’s right! It’s time for the GX crew to rev it up on their very own D-Wheels/Duel Runners!

Day 13 (September 12): “And You Are...?” Got a favorite OC? Or one you’ve been hiding in the closet? Introduce them to the world today!

Day 14 (September 13): “The Perfect Formula” He duels with the power math and science! Today, show the world that you still remember Daichi/Bastion Misawa!

Day 15 (September 14): “Insert pun here” It’s meme day! Recreate your favorites! Make some shitposts! Be the troll you’ve always wanted to be!

Day 16 (September 15): “Creation and Destruction” The Gentle Darkness and the Light of Destruction. The eternal struggle. And also the Darkness that tried to drown the world. Huh. Feels a little unbalanced.

Day 17 (September 16): “Putting the D in Destiny” Pro duelist by day and crime fighting vigilante by night. Today is Edo/Aster Phoenix’s day!

Day 18 (September 17): “In Another Life” It’s AU day!

Day 19 (September 18): “I Was Here Too!” GX has a vast array of unique characters, some of which we only saw once. Pick a “one shot” character and show them off!

Day 20 (September 19): Free Day 2/Support Fellow Creators Show some love for your favorite creators, or leave the day free for whatever you please!

Day 21 ( September 20): “Prehistoric Predators” The dino duelist with a fossil in his leg. Today is all about Kenzan Tyranno/Tyranno Hassleberry!

Day 22 (September 21): “Stop Blowing Holes In My Ship!” Some ships are popular and some are...not. Today is all about rare pairs and crack ships! Give those underdogs some love!

Day 23 (September 22): “And For Today’s Lesson...” The teachers at Duel Academy have their work cut out for them, but they still take care of their students. Show the DA staff some love today!

Day 24 (September 23): “Legend of the Seven Gems” Resurrect the greatest light in history today with Johan/Jesse Anderson and the Crystal Beasts!

Day 25 (September 24): “For The Glory of Academia!” We got to see Asuka/Alexis and Edo/Aster over in Fusion Dimension, but what about the rest of the cast? Show us some Fusion counterparts today! What are these dorks up to and what part do they play in the war?

Day 26 (September 25): “Dream Team From Overseas” Austin O’Brien/Axel Brody, Jim “Crocodile” Cook, and Amon/Adrian Gecko. Today is all about them!

Day 27 (September 26): “Duel Monster Spirit Day!” The world of GX is full of spirits. Do something fun to celebrate your favorite!

Day 28 (September 27): “Gold Eyes in The Darkness” Today’s all about the Supreme King! Unleash the Darkness and create your content!

Day 29 (September 28): “Don’t Forget Me!” Have an underappreciated character you wish you’d seen more of? Give them some love today!

Day 30 (September 29): Free Day 3 Share anything. Anything at all. It’s free game.

Day 31 (September 30): “Gotcha!”  The series ends with Judai/Jaden running off another adventure. But where is he going? Today’s the day to share your post-GX headcanons!

[luminecho]

Vios wurmple/cascoon/dustox is such a funny concept to me because in your essay you made him sound like a "no thoughts brain empty only love" kinda bug but now, after hating Shadow and getting dunked on by the colors i started to imagine him as a Angery Boyo who hates everyone but Vio

No thoughts head empty no room for love only rage and spite /j

Ok but in all seriousness I never reeeeally figured out a personality for him, but I know for certain that I want all of Vio’s pokemon to either compliment or contrast him in some way.

Allow me to use this opportunity to use the shitposts to turn this into character analysis <3 dropping another essay on yall

So Wurmple starts off as very much the former. “No thoughts head empty only love” because… well, he hasn’t seen much else. Once he’s with Vio for a bit longer though, a bit of resentment starts to settle in towards Blue and Green specifically. Red is the odd one out. I think it would be hard for a pokemon to not like him. But I digress.

Being Vio’s only confidant from pretty much the very beginning, Wurmple probably grows pretty protective of Vio pretty quickly. Vio confides in him because talking to a pokemon is infinitely easier than talking to a person, especially when admitting your own flaws and vulnerabilities.

Now, Wurmple may not be capable of very complex thought right now but even it can acknowledge that Vio closes himself off around pretty much everyone. That makes him a little sad, because he likes it when Vio is super excited and geeking out but recently it seems the only thing Vio’s been has been aloof and calculating. So maybe it’s a bit of the world’s fault.

All things considered, he doesn’t… hate Green and Blue. Aside from the relentless teasing and the playing-Basketball thing and Blue’s tendency to be rude and push the others around, they’re not the worst people ever. Besides, Vio seems to care about them, for some inexplicable reason. Cascoon has always loved people and tried to have a positive outlook on humanity. But Cascoon are naturally spiteful creatures by instinct and he can’t help but feel that revenge would be so, so sweet.

Red, on the other hand, may have contributed to the teasing at first, but he very quickly starting doting on Wurmple/Cascoon and he treats his own pokemon well and, just like Vio does, it finds it hard to stay mad at him for long.

Time passes, and Wurmple’s evolutionary line doesn’t take long to evolve, so it’s not long at all before Dustox is free from its cocoon.

First order of business: beat the shit out of Blue & Green. They learn their lesson pretty fast. All is fine again.

The adventure continues, Dustox can finally follow through with its protective instincts toward Vio because it’s no longer quite so helpless as it was before.

Then Vio is met by Shadow in the Lost Woods, and Dustox’s reality starts to shift.

Vio’s pokemon are the only ones who know that he’s planning something, know that he doesn’t intend on remaining on the side of the dark. However, knowing that they have a cover a keep, Dustox can’t help but despise everything about Shadow. By this point the shade has shown himself to be nothing but a nuisance who keeps hurting Vio and the others, and Dustox doesn’t trust him in the slightest. He distrusts him and doesn’t really want to be on the side of the dark at all, and he has no reservations with making that clear, despite Shadow’s strange and inexplicable fondness for him.

However, Dustox is one of the few that witness Vio and Shadow together and realize that the two are beginning to grow closer— far closer than Vio ever intended. Vio even admits to such one night when he’s sure the two are along and won’t be overheard.

Dustox isn’t sure where Vio’s loyalties lie anymore, but it knows its loyalties lie with Vio, regardless of what his choice will be.

He still doesn’t like Shadow, but it’s far less of a hatred than it was before.

I haven’t quite decided how much of an importance the pokemon will have over the overall story in either of my AUs yet, as far as fighting goes. So it’s unclear if the duel between Green & Vio will remain a sword duel or if it’ll be a pokemon battle. If it’s a pokemon battle, though, there’s a few key factors that would play into this:

Green very much has a Shogun Protagonist style of battling. Not quite to the level of “I’ll win with the power of friendship” that Red is, but it’s close to it. Vio, however, relies heavily on logic. He’s extremely thoughtful with every move he orders and he can be a deadly force in the arena for this reason because it’s near impossible to figure out his plans. So Vio would end up wiping the floor with Green’s team pretty easily.

Pokemon battle or not, the two would probably still end with a sword duel on Shadow’s order to kill him— which would be a lot more spontaneous this time around than it probably was in canon. Still, things play out the same, with Vio making it look like he killed Green.

This is a point where several of Vio’s pokemon stop listening to him out of protest of his actions. Some are more aware of the plan to betray than others, but Vio hasn’t exactly made his loyalties clear recently what with how close he and Shadow are, and now that it looks like he just murdered Green… there’s a lot of rebellion. Vio’s team is mostly full of incredibly smart pokemon, so it’s not a surprise they have minds of their own. Dustox is not one of these pokemon. It’s never been super intelligent and it’s never understood human morals. All it knows is that it’s loyal to Vio as long as he’s happy.

Vio figures telling them his pokemon truth would be too great of a risk right now, and all things considered he doesn’t seem happy anymore. If anything he seems stressed out. So Dustox isn’t sure how to feel.

Then the rest of the manga events play out. Vio gets caught trying to break the mirror, nearly gets sentenced to death by Shadow (which his pokemon break out of their pokeballs and try to protect him from, most of all Dustox, which doesn’t work out in their favor and they all end up injured for it), and is rescued by the other colors. They have their reunion, apologies are exchanged, pokemon are healed up, and they head up to the Tower of Winds.

The winds are too strong for any pokemon to be out of their pokeballs for long, and this has always been the heroes’ battles, not theirs.

Shadow smashes the mirror. Dustox breaks out of its pokeball in time for Shadow to reach out and pet it before disintegrating into light.

Dustox isn’t used to feeling very complex emotions. He’s not a fan of them.

TL;DR Dustox started off as “no thoughts head empty only love” and slowly became “hates everyone except Vio (and maybe Red) because the world is against them, so it seems.”

[basilesroom]

Check in tag!

thank you to @jungcinema for tagging me!!

1. Why did you choose your url?

Because Basile's my name and the idea was that this is a studyblr and I was gonna be doing some studying... that didn't happen..i should change my url. But it's meant to be Basile's Study, as in this virtual office where i could study and just chill out. I still like the idea

2. Any sideblogs? If you have them name them and why you have them

Yes! I have one where i just reblog whatever i want, its mostly whatever artist i'm listening to atm though.... its @royallynotoverit !

3. How long have you’ve been on tumblr?

oh boy i have no idea, 2018? I know its january 14 but if its 2018 or 2019 no clue

4. Do you have a queue tag?

Nope! If I had to add a tag i would simply never reblog anything

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

To motivate me through college!

6. Why did you choose your icon?

I just traced over a picture i took of myself i liked.

7. Why did you choose your header?

I fly planes and it's the sectional i used during my lessons so I thought it was fitting!

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

I think it's a dumb joke I made about writing essays in highschool vs college!

9. How many mutuals do you have

A lot! I should talk to more of you I love you all...

10. How many followers do you have?

13k!! which is AMAZING I still can't wrap my head around it

11. How many people do you follow?

752.

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

Depends what you consider a shitpost...

13. How often do you use tumblr each day?

I scroll through when i'm bored here and there

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? Who won?

Not any specific blog thankfully!!

15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

If someone tells me to do something then i won't do it so

16. Do you like tag games?

yes! I love them very much

17. Do you like ask games?

Yes, I want to share the love.

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

@problematicprocrastinator very much gives me those vibes

19. Do I have a crush on a mutual?

I love all my mutuals. Recently my heart was broken for the third time so I can’t feel love right now? Please feel free to talk to me though, I’m nice when I remember to/ have the energy to reply!

20. Tags?

@dingdonghun @problematicprocrastinator @rivkahstudies @staedyhan and all of my mutuals!!! (brain is mush i can't remember urls)

[natromanxoff]

Thank you so much for the tag 🥰 @sweetgcreature

1. Why did you choose your url?

Because I love Natasha Romanoff and had to add a ‘x’ somewhere between to find an available username haha.

2. Any side blogs? If you have them, name them and why you have them

No, I don’t have.

3. How long have you been on Tumblr?

About 5 years

4. Do you have a queue tag?

No, I don’t have one even though all my own posts are scheduled.

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

Because Tumblr seemed very much interesting to me to see what people share about stuff that I am interested in and like.

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

Because I love that man very much and it’s a lovely photo of him 🥰

7. Why did you choose your header?

Ditto. He looks very cool on that photo, by the way.

8. What's your post with the most notes?

The video which Hayley Atwell, James D’Arcy and Chris Evans lip-syncing to Another One Bites The Dust. I love that hilarious video so much but honestly I have never thought that it would get that many notes haha.

9. How many mutuals do you have?

Oh I don’t even know how to check this but I am sure there are many.

10. How many followers do you have?

1632

11. How many people do you follow?

536

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

I am 100% sure that I made it.

13. How often do you use Tumblr each day?

Whenever I have free time. That changes everyday, depending on how much I should be studying and how many lessons I have.

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? Who won?

Yes, I did. None of them had win/lose situation at it.

15. How do you feel about 'you need to reblog this' posts?

I don’t care about them at all. I don’t need or have to reblog anything unless I want to do so.

16. Do you like tag games?

Yes

17. Do you like ask games?

Yes

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is Tumblr famous?

Well, that depends on the meaning of ‘famous’. But if I got to say a name, it will be onegoldenglance 😌

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

No, I don’t.

20. Tags:

@an-abyss-called-life @silapril @onegoldenglance @39-yellow-daffodils @39-brian @thislookinyoureyes @letusclingtorocknroll @briroger @rockstarqueenie @scorpiogemini @mrs-ianto-jones @freddie-moments @innuend-o @a-froger-epic @imalososos @pleasepleasequeen only if you want to, of course ☺️