#honestly that's so fuckin REDUCTIVE

[gingersnaptaff]

Seeing somebody refer to Wales as 'foreign.' I'm beating them over the head with a fuckin SHOE.

[crqstalite]

also thinkin abt writing a post-mea fic where i get to write everyone at a nexus gala. i think itd be funny lol

[amidst-wonderland]

i don’t know if this is gonna ruffle a few feathers but there’s an account on twitter that’s basically going through a fuck ton of peaky fics on ao3 and a handful of tumblr ones posting sections and being overly pedantic about historical accuracy. which fair enough if it annoys you but dont actively take people’s work, post it elsewhere, make it incredibly fucking obvious what fic it is and be super snide about someone else’s entertainment that doesn’t harm you in any way.

i don’t necessarily think it’s reductive as there’s genuinely some discussion to be had with more sensitive topics, however it just feels real scummy especially because you just know the fic writers aren’t aware so aren’t getting anything constructive out of it.

the only reason i came across it was because it’s been happening in some of my other fandoms - people posting and “critiquing” fics on twitter to point and laugh at writers - and it honestly feels violating and it didn’t even happen to me (at least i fuckin’ hope not).

it’s fuckin’ ao3. leave people alone and stop posting their work without their consent.

[dapper-lil-arts]

Have you seen the 2017 My Little Pony Movie? If so, do you everyone was acting OOC in the movie? I've been seeing so many people say this. Like Rainbow Dash doing a Sonic Rainboom while in the midst of showing off to those pirates didn't really seem out of character for her, but that's my opinion.

Honestly i dont think its a matter of being out of character, btu rather character reduction. Every girl of the mane 6 winds up being reduced to the most core components of their character, be it catchphrases or just a basic way of acting. rainbow is cocky, pinkie is loud, rarity is vain, AJ is pragmatic and somehow, Fluttershy basically only ever whimpers in the movie. the camera turns to her and shes whimpering, lmao. That's all in character, completely. its just not creative or interesting or expressive. Pinkie being used as a distraction because she's loud and loves parties is almost a meta relationship with this, Twilight knows.

I think what also doesnt help the movie is how pointless of a roadtrip journey the movie is? Like. its a movie about going from point A to point B mindlessly, but there's no real defined purpose. The maggufin they find is just an orb that makes you into a water pony, why did twilight thing that was a tool that could be used against the storm king? Who fuckin knows. the hippogriffs dont help, its all won n the end due to teamwork. its funny that they in the end assault the castle by just... going there with the friends they made along the way.

BUT LIKE BITCH YOU ALREADY HAD FRIENDS. IN PONYVILLE AND BEYOND EVEN.LIKE DOZENS OF FRIENDS THAT WOULD GLADLY HELP Where's starlight and trixie during the fall of equestria?! Having gay sex?! smh

I also am not fond of how many bipedal characters are added in here, the ponies stand out so much in a world made for creatures with hands, and even the comics dont add this many. it feels weird bc they had so many species to pick from, from changelings, yaks, griffons, etc etc, and they just made a bunch of furry people that stand and slapped them in the movie. the hoppogriffs were a nice addition even if they dont do nothin. Maybe they realised a quadrupedal world with hands is just impractical lmao

Anyways I have a lot to critique about the movie but I feel like it just all bogs down to it being like... Kind of empty to me. Devoid of an usual flair or artistic vision some episodes and specials seem to have. Characters are there to do what they usually do, the princesses are kicked out of the way so twilight and her friend scan save the day, its pretty formulaic. Maybe I'm spoiled by equestria girls and how each movie has a diffrent and awesome vibe and every character has smth to do in it lmao.

Anyways tempest is cool but she stands out like a sore thumb and her not being in FIM or EQG is just sad. Also the comics do her justice and give her a fucking girlfriend, one of her childhood friends, its really damn sweet.

[alchemicaldesignquery]

Overwatch Design: Hazard

It's been a while.

Now that the 6v6 test is slowly winding down (a month and a bit of solid testing and queue times is more than I expected to get in, honestly) and the Dev team is looking toward the next iterations (Moth Meta Classic and Min 1/Max 3, both of which are going to be less ideal versions of the format), I thought it prudent to go into another deep dive about the most recent hero release, and lemme just say-

This fuckin' guy.

There is a lot to like about Hazard; predictable mobility (A Winston jump + fair Doomfist rocket punch) , limited kit application (Bone Spurs + Not-ridiculous Dmg Reduction), space making (all of the above) and with some quirky weaknesses (Wall climb's odd slow down at the tail end is perfect for sleeps/knifes/walling). Overall, a really strong foundation with few/fixable adjustment zones.

And then there's the God. Damn. Wall.

Look, I enjoy Tank. It's been my main since jump, back when I mistakenly thought Mei's Wall was as good as a barrier and kept blocking my team off from being killed and allowingtheenemytohealbehindmywallandcontesttheobjectiveforfree-

(I was a Reinhardt main and didn't know it yet)

So it stands to reason I'm going to be a bit more harsh about my Tank critiques in design. Albeit, the recent slew of Tank releases has also been a bit concerning across the board, but that's another discussion- especially given most of Hazard's kit is very solid with plenty of potential.

But I cannot stress enough how bad it is to provide a front line presence, who is going to be spending the majority of their time not glancing back at their teammates to see what they are doing?

A totem mechanic with collision.

There is a very very very good reason why Mei is not a Tank.

Because if you thought getting walled off from shooting the enemy was bad, having your sightline artificially blocked so you can't heal, help, move, or adjust due to the same is worse. Significantly more so when it's your own teammate (even if unintentionally 99% of the time) doing it.

Where you go, I can't follow

"Drop the Wall!"

Totems are mechanics that can be deployed to produce various effects in the game. Some examples:

Baptiste's Immortality Field

Illari's Pylon

Soldier's Biotic Field (technically)

Symmetra's Teleporter/Turrets

Barriers

Most of these function quite well, with some allowing for destruction, and thus, interactivity between heroes. Totems play an important role in design, allowing for the detachment of some of a Hero's kit potential, into a separate component; an avatar representative of some of their potency, at the cost of a more simplified (and counterable) interaction or-

Totems can be destroyed, blocked, avoided, or misplaced depending heavily on player interaction and input

But when a Totem possesses collision, the stakes increase to a rather significant degree; there is no longer room for error, as the totem's very existence represents both resistance and obstacle to everyone in the match.

This isn't to say Collision Totems can't be done well?

Mei's Ice Block, for instance, is a fairly balanced and well executed example. The context here is that Mei converts herself into the Totem, removing the potential for the rest of her kit in favour of achieving a more resilient state. That transformation comes at such a significant cost, that the scenarios in which it is useful are isolated, even niche. This gives the ability Texture in a way many other mechanics in the game can't hope to achieve.

And Mei's Ice Block can still severely hamper her own teammates.

Collision Totems need to be handled carefully and the why of it all comes down to a sticky topic where Player Input (or Skill if you want the gameplay translation) is concerned: Precision.

A player's ability to be precise is a huge measure of Player Input, allowing for fantastic gameplay moments, highlights, and unmistakable expressions anyone can recognize-

-but when mechanics like Collision Totems are highly dependent on precision to achieve even nominal success?

You've gone and created a situation in which even just learning the hero, is going to frustrate players. Learning is, by nature, imprecise and the road to minimizing how detrimental your gameplay is on your teammates is going to build an unnecessary level of frustration onto the hero.

There's a reason people referred to Mei as Satan in Overwatch 1.

Broad MMR is filled with people learning; not just the hero they are playing, but heroes they are playing against, and with as well. To climb in ranks, MMR, or just Player Input, you will make a lot of mistakes.

In a game like Overwatch, with a boatload of variance at every level, that learning could take (has taken for many of us) years.

Hazard's Wall represents, not just a Collision Totem, in the same sense as Mei's own Ice Wall, but a super-amped up version of it that multiplies the frustration for all.

I really hate that Mole Hill

It isn't as big as Mei Wall. It isn't as imposing as Mei Wall. It isn't as confusing as Mei Wall (multiple pillars each with their own health pools but no distinct visual effect to represent this before being damaged)-

-but hooooo boy howdy does it do a lot more than Mei Wall ever could!

Persistant knockback on contact

Burst Damage on contact

Anti Mobility on contact (no wall climb)

Omni-placement (not land-locked)

And that's in addition to the standard blockading effects of a Mei Wall. As a Totem, Jagged Wall provides far more impact when on the battlefield against enemies, to the point it can be considered as useful and engaging as a Torb turret, which is to say-

Jagged Wall's effects are broad enough in application that it must be considered in every teamfight at the same level of detriment as powerfully automated totems like Immortality Field and Turrets

Trying to operate outside of that paradigm, makes it very difficult to navigate a teamfight (especially from a Divey Tank with mobility to boot) given it can appear very suddenly to ruin plans, engagements, and retreats.

But that...was sort of the design goal. It's frustrating playing Tank and having an inanimate object counter large portions of your kit, but we've got experience with that. It's a familiar frustration at least.

It's when the Hazard is out ahead or mixing it up with the enemy (as one does when Tanking) and you are attempting any of the following as his teammate:

Healing (him or your fellow teammates diving with him)

Supporting (discords, immo fields, suzus, life grips, etc.)

Tanking (6v6 format makes duo with him a significant gamble)

Finishing off low enemies

Sniping

Trying to navigate narrow corridors or tight confines

Free movement/Mobility in a teamfight

That "appear very suddenly to ruin plans, engagements, and retreats" becomes an unacceptable level of frustration in the design.

A Collision Totem appears, decreeing that the engagement has now changed and/or ended, not because the Hazard was purposefully trying to end it, but because the Wall appeared and blocked off LoS for any number of the possibilities listed above.

Wall takes the agency of your teammates and puts it as a secondary priority to a Tank who cannot afford to look around and take into account the dozens of ways in which his teammates might be trying to leverage their own mechanics, kits, and Roles, to achieve success.

A Hazard is more likely (and well within expectation) to Wall himself off from an enemy trying to kill him when he's low, than rely on the healing from his teammates. It just so happens to, inadvertently, interfere with many of the other possible plans his teammates might have had for engagement purposes.

And, to reiterate, this is less of a problem (but still one) the higher in 'Skill' or Rank one gets, but learning takes time and mistakes happen while you learn, which is a far far closer experience to the vast majority of the Overwatch Playerbase. The fact it's going to cost your teammates their own opportunities too is what makes it bad design.

So what can be done?

Honestly, removing the Wall entirely could yield some really positive results.

I know it's a unique mechanic for the Tank Role (even if not for the game itself), but the isolated potential wrapped up in that Totem could be repurposed towards large portions of his kit, expanding both his mobility, engagement potential, and Texture to make him an ideal Tank.

Without Wall, there's room to increase Violent Leap's versatility, both in the initial Leap as well as the Slash (both of which are separate activations). Increasing his ability to change directions or linger in the air between the two stages of the ability, could significantly refine his engagement potential, while allowing for a stronger knockback the longer he lingers between each stage (and maintaining the counter element of it) or activating Spike Guard briefly to absorb enemy CDs/Burst hits before the slash.

His Wall Climb as well, would benefit from a versatility and potency boost; losing the wall means losing the awkward use of climbing it to reach higher ground...which feels like a waste of the ability where other Tanks with similar mobility can achieve most high grounds just fine off a single CD.

Allowing him to perch on vertical surfaces, or gain further height at the cost of climbing slower, or even resetting the first stage of his Violent Leap at the apex of the climb would all be beneficial to his gameplay.

Give his Spike Guard knockback, for isolation and space-making potential. Heck, allow Spike Guard to add temporary increased Knockback for up to 2s if it damages an enemy.

Give his Ultimate a little extra root time.

Allow Bonespurs to persist on the field for upto 1-2s (this....might be too much for the engine to take, but the idea is still solid theory).

All of it is plausible and clarifies his uniqueness as a Tank-

-if you just. Get Rid. Of the Damned. Wall.

Overall, it's superfluous to the rest of his kit, with very little kit cohesion and can be removed without impacting the rest of his gameplay much at all. It's a bit of bloat that is very easily snipped off in favour of cleaner, adjustable changes that make his gameplay more unique.

And you also get rid of the overly frustrating elements that were never meant to go on a Tank to begin with.

[intersex-support]

i am https://www.tumblr.com/intersex-support/756014826153771008/i-knew-i-was-intersex-based-on-medical-care-i-got?source=share this anon what was done to me seems to be the kind where they tuck the phallic tissue into the public bone like this (warning medical diagrams of genital surgery): https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Surgical-techniques-of-clitoroplasty-A-recession-clitoroplasty-without-reduction-of_fig1_355550660 at least it was not completely amputated, i guess prior to even knowing this, i had complained to sexual partners after feeling frustrated/unsatisfied many times, that it "feels like my dick is buried in my flesh and i cant get to it, and i have to masturbate in a really weird way for it to work, you have to press spots that arent intuitive" now i'm finding out that is literally what is happening, and its feels crazy in some way i'm interested in if theres any way to undo that too. i want my fuckin dick back and accessible. some people have mentioned there's surgical stuff to undo it, but i don't know where to begin researching, and i don't know specifically what was done to me in order to account for every detail; it seems near impossible in some way.

content note: continued discussion of genitalia, surgery, and sex

Hi anon.

That must have felt absolutely surreal to have described your genitalia in that way to your partners and then to find out that literally was exactly what had happened, and that your intuition and description had been right. Like holy shit, you literally basically described what happened before you even knew what happened.

It's so fucking hard to come to terms with what doctors do to us and how that can affect the rest of our lives and how it can influence things like intimacy, relationships, sex. It never should have happened to you and more than anything I wish there was a way to undo it and get it back.

From what I know about surgery to try to undo it, a lot of it is very dependent on the individual and on what surgical techniques were used, what kind of scar tissue you have, and things like that. Some things are not reversible, because there might have been tissue that they removed that doesn't grow back. But sometimes, there are surgical options that might help with function or sensation. I've really struggled to find resources about this because from what I've seen, it just all is so dependent on individual situations. I have one friend who ended up getting a surgical consult with a surgeon who does gender affirming surgery for trans people who was able to give them an idea for what their particular options would be, and there was a few options in their particular case. But I know that a lot of us just feel like fuck no, we don't want to go to another surgeon and don't even want to explore that as an option which is SO reasonable.

If this isn't helpful for you definitely feel free to ignore, but I think something that helped me come to terms with some of the impacts of medical abuse and navigating intimacy as an intersex person was reading just a bunch of stuff from other intersex people talking about sex. I'll link a few articles here in case that's helpful for you or any other followers. Content note for in depth discussion of genitalia and sex in all the articles, as well as mentions of surgery.

What intersex people want you to know about sex from Teen Vogue

I'm Intersex. Here's how that affects my sex life by Mark Hay.

Honestly I wish I had more resource suggestions for how to figure out how to cope after surgery, possibilities for undoing, how to actually figure out exactly what was done to you. I feel like that can be honestly another layer of injustice that there isn't this information, that we don't have these resources. Coping with medical abuse has definitely felt like a grieving process for me at times, because it is just so, so hard to come to terms with what was done to me, what was irreversible, and how it changed my life. I wish i had better advice or suggestions to give to you, but know that you aren't alone + that I share your anger + that I hope you're able to figure out a way to cope/process/heal in whatever way makes sense to you.

sending so much solidarity and support 💜💜💜

[gibbearish]

Yo this is a dumb way to do this but my brain is fuckin toast at the moment, so let not the medium distract.

I intend to respond to you properly, but barring the ability to string enough brain cells together to do that I just want to say: I'm sorry that my response came off as rude and condescending. It's not what I intended for it, nor how I wished it to be received.

I did take it to come from the very present context of specifically not wanting to support tumblr financially because 'the site is already there', and not as the context of capitalism is the scourge of humanity. I wish I were being reductive about that reason above, but I have very literally seen that exact take a few times. That is not what you explicitly said and it's my poor form to have presumed.

So, I will respond in full, because you took the time and I'd like to return the courtesy but I wanted to make my apologies more promptly than I'm able to engage on the topic fully

aaa thank you for sending this, i really appreciate it. to be fair i definitely made some assumptions there too, i thought ur angle was more like the "nothing can ever be free, everything must cost money forever, the free market is the lifeblood of the economy and capitalism is the nature of man" type stuff cause that's been the main response ive seen to general unhappiness with the state of the internet rn. and i will say honestly if i saw someone genuinely saying since the website has already been made there can't be any costs involved in keeping it up i would probably react the same LOL

[katyspersonal]

FUCKING THANK YOU jesus christ i was literally just thinking the other day "if i see one more 'bloodborne is about womanhood uwu' take i'm gonna rip my fucking hair out." altho i personally took it more as a social/class commentary than a statement about playing god so to speak, but i do think there are elements of all three- it's just that saying "it's about violence against women" is extremely reductive and ignores like...half of the game (and so does saying it's just a criticism of religion imo, which is also a take i've seen)

POV: You hoped for the better than puddle-deep takes on such an interesting game:

fdshsgdfds Honestly, I did want to add that themes of mob mentality and corruption of elitists and power of any kind are also very prevalent in the post :^) You think good, and fuckin huntsmen screeching at us for being a beast when they are themselves halfway transforming into one over this hostility, Beast Patients shown covering in fear before raging Old Hunters, Djura's character whole point, Suspicious Beggar's whole point... yeah, all of this is a brilliant commentary on humanity. There were plenty of reasons for the nerds of the setting to deem human nature "beastly idiocy" and wish to transcend (if not discard) it, after all! Soulsborne games love rubbing salt in the wound about how you're losing no matter what and you just choose to what extent you want to struggle for your own dignity as no matter what humanity has is imminently going corrupt. And attempts to pull the rest of the society with you towards "the better way" just will never, ever, EVER end well, no matter how sympathetic your motivations are!

Bloodborne is about several things at least, and whichever you see as a focal point, it should be something to prompt debates and more observations! I talk very confidently about my understanding of the story sometimes, but this search is never really over- like you can see even more questions prompted right here, right in this reply! But unfortunately some people don't like to have a discussion, they only like being "right" and act petty and codescending. Because their self-esteem as fans is supported not by their passion, but by their delusion of "being the only one with media literacy in the trying times of poor stupid uneducated fandom that is yet to learn what harm they're causing on society by not seeing a masterpiece as one-dimensional in the worst way possible". The 'Bloodborne is about horrors of misogyny uwu' squad is the most vicious, though, because THESE guys' attitude goes onto territory of personal attacks and stirring up petty dramas, if not gatekeeping the source material from ""wrong"" type of demographics. In a way.. THEY are those half-beast huntsmen screeching at anyone who isn't from their circle. xD

All in all, it is a matter of both 'arguements towards reducing the story to something this simple don't work' and 'there are other themes that are much more prevalent' 🤔 Also please don't rip your hair out anon dfshfhd

[menlove]

wait hi i’m so confused i thought only lesbians can reclaim d*ke and only gay men can reclaim faggot? so how can you use both esp if you’re masc? IM CONFUSED IM SORRY this isn’t a hate anon or some shit i’m just so behind on the fuckin. ‘rules’ of tumblr and what the general consensus on slurs are i barely know what i can reclaim my damn self

hi you're all good! and honestly that's part of why I made the post and why the modern lgbt community frustrates me so much bc there is a huge prioritization of "rules" over community, solidarity, lived experience, and just. loving each other. not a diss at you obvs just that it makes us all so nervous about what we can and cannot reclaim and makes others really hostile about it

anyway!

several different answers...

by current lgbt tumblr/tiktok/twitter "rules" a lot of ppl have expanded those to include wlw and mlm, not just gay men and lesbians. I mean say two women are walking down the street holding hands, someone that would call them dykes isn't going to pause and ask if one or more of them is bisexual before using it. as I'm both a wlw and a mlm I'd fit into both. however I don't really jive w this explanation bc it hinges again on "rules" of conduct that I find reductive

another one I've seen that I find a little more nuanced is that if you have had slurs thrown at you and used against you, you can reclaim them. I've been called a dyke and a faggot more times than I can count. but again, I don't jive with this one as much bc does that mean a gay man fortunate enough to never get called a faggot cannot say that word?

the one I find to be the most resonating To Me- for decades and decades of the queer movement, queer women have been saying faggot and queer men have been saying dyke. it's only like really extremely relatively recently that it has been made taboo/wrong/crucifiable for the other group to say it. but if you look it up, there's a lot of early pictures and even well into the 90s pics of men holding up signs along the lines of faggots supporting dykes. and vice versa. this fear of saying these words in our community v much comes from the critically online crowd who doesn't actually go out and interact with their community (not saying you or everyone obviously just the people that push this shit really hard). they would rather squabble over words and slurs and labels than actually doing anything worthwhile.

and just on a personal note, like I said, I'm both a "wlw" and "mlm" although I find those words a little hallow. masculinity =/= sexuality and while I may be butch, that doesn't equate to manhood. even if it did, that's not entirely precluding me from finding community with others I relate to. but I grew up experiencing love for other women as a queer woman. I still do, even though I'm transmasc and use he/him pronouns in every day life (not on here and it's not misgendering to call me she or they, but for my safety I don't advertise any of that irl) but I don't mind being seen as a queer woman, that's deeply a part of how I learned to love in this world. and it got me called dyke. a lot. both when I was identifying as a lesbian, and when I wasn't. on the flipside, however, I am transmasc and butch. I present to the world with a masculine name and most strangers call me "sir" and use he/him for me. my boyfriend is a gay trans man (loosely, they also identify as nonbinary and his relationship to gayness is complicated but that's not my post to make). we are both on hrt and he's had top surgery. when we go out in the world together as a couple, most people see two gay men. we've been called faggots over it (shoutout to the bartender in Detroit for that one). is my experience materially any different than that of a 100% binary trans man getting called a faggot? is the way I present precluding me from being able to say I identify as a queer woman (and man) that loves women in a very queer way? if you look at me, a masculine individual with a beard that gets called a man by strangers and you say I cannot be a woman, what does that say about trans women? if you look at me and say the way that I present to the world doesn't count and doesn't matter, and the way me and my boyfriend conceptualize our relationship isn't right, why is that your business? again, not personal you but general You.

tldr gender is super fucking complicated and messy and so is sexuality and boiling it down to who can say what slurs is honestly really detrimental to our community and all of this is kind of The Point of my post.... and that is not an attack on you at all you're very lovely and I appreciate the message and how sincere it is! and you do not have to agree with me in fact I suspect many people won't. but that's okay. at the end of the day, this community isn't about agreeing with everyone. it's about protecting ourselves and our siblings from harm and loving each other.

[treestargarden]

i got obsessed with the idea of building out teams for some of my fave bnha characters, so below the cut is an incredibly detailed post about the 8 gym leaders and the elite 4 members. read the tags if u wanna know who is in it

this is literally based on purely aesthetics n the most arbitrary knowledge of the pokemon in general do not come at me about “workability” n “technicality” or whatever. idc.  also if u make art of this plz tag me :O if you can figure out good movesets on any of the teams, also plz lmk would love to run it in a game 

Gym Leaders

Shouto’s Ice-Type Team:

Ninetales (Alolan variant): Ice/Fairy

Glaceon: Ice

Frosslass: Ice/Ghost

Aurorus: Ice/Rock

Chien-pao: Ice/Dark

Commentary:

Sho’s team is basically the most regal-looking ice types I could think of

Both he and Touya have Froslass on their teams to reference their relationship. Froslass is a dual-type pokemon (Ice/Ghost), so it links them very well

If the character’s typing matched an eeveelution currently available, I tried to fit them on the team

He has one regional variant, one eeveelution, one fossil pokemon, and a legendary

Eijirou’s Rock-Type Team: 

Golem: Rock/Ground

Rampardos: Rock

Coalossal: Rock/Fire

Lycanroc (Midnight form): Rock

Commentary:

He enjoys the classics, so I strayed from fancy forms or variants

Except for Lycanroc’s midnight form, because its red, and he’s RED riot

Also I think a wolfish pokemon really suits him anyway

He likes heavy hitters, but if he plays their movesets smart, they can become the fastest bunch on the field too (especially Golem and Coalossal)

Katsuki’s Fire-Type Team: 

Charizard: Fire/Flying

Flareon: Fire

Houndoom: Fire/Dark

Talonflame: Fire/Flying

Commentary: 

Like Ei, also likes the classics, so I didn’t give him flashy forms or variants

Chuffed that Ei opted for only 4 pokemon, rather than 5

Unwilling to be bested, he also opted to only use 4 pokemon, because how dare Kiri outshine him

Says he didn’t want a flashy team, but has a Charizard

But it matches his attitude 

Ochako’s Fairy-Type Team: 

Azumarill: Fairy/Water

Togekiss: Fairy/Flying

Sylveon: Fairy

Tinkaton: Fairy/Steel

Iron Valiant: Fairy/Fighting

Commentary: 

Of course, she fits the fairy aesthetics very well

All fairy types are super cut and pack a punch (just like my sweet girl)

I think she has an impressive range of typing 

Iron Valiant is a tribute to her internship with that one pro-hero who taught her how to fight lol

Hanta’s Bug-Type Team: 

Beedrill (Mega form): Bug/Poison

Yanmega: Bug/Flying

Galvantula: Bug/Electric

Araquanid: Bug/Water

Pheromosa: Bug/Fighting

Commentary: 

Honestly, I think he just wanted a gag team, but ended up with a really fast bunch

It would be really fuckin annoying to battle. There’s plenty of opportunity for speed set ups/reductions, poisonings. His battle style is definitely more in line with stalling and waiting until your out of options before he slowly chips at your team’s health and morale

He has a really great type coverage for a bug team

I was gonna give him Surskit for the interesting dual-type, but then I remembered Araquanid existed and replaced him instead. 

Also I think he just really loved the arachnid pokemon. For obvious reasons.

Has Pheromosa because he has definitely seen NSFW art of the pokemon and wanted it on his team. 

Hitoshi’s Psychic-Type Team: 

Hypno: Psychic

Espeon: Psychic

Metagross (Shiny form): Psychic/Steel

Gothitelle: Psychic/Dark

Lunala: Psychic/Ghost

Commentary: 

I honestly just gave him psychic pokemon I think would act like cats

Tsu’s Water-Type Team: 

Vaporeon: Water

Lapras: Water/Ice

Politoed: Water

Samurott (Hisuian variant): Water/Dark

Golisopod: Water/Bug

Commentary: 

Lapras was originally on Sho’s team, but I decided I wanted Ninetales on the team instead (they don’t have a dual-type crossing, but I just liked the idea of spreading out the generations of the individuals on each team)

Politoed is here because I think its a good homage to her canon quirk. There are a lot of frog pokemon, but I think Politoed is the most... in-line with Tsu’s personality

Samurott is an homage to her internship as well. I forgot his name, but he’s here lol

Kyouka’s Dark-Type Team: 

Umbreon: Dark

Mightyena: Dark

Sableye: Dark/Ghost

Thievul: Dark

Meowscarada: Dark/Grass

Commentary: 

Honestly, I just wanted her to have dark pokemon that looked like they would be part of a bank heist

Elite Four Members

Rumi’s Normal-Type Team: 

Eevee: Normal

Slaking: Normal

Lopunny (Shiny mega form): Normal/Fighting

Diggersby: Normal/Ground

Bewear: Normal/Fighting

Commentary: 

Wanted the E4 to have really hard-to-beat teams, so I put in alternate forms, and at least 1 mega on each team

I’m tickled by the fact that she leads with an Eevee and makes you believe you have this battle in the bag from jump

But then she has an absolute unit of a team behind it

Lopunny is here because why wouldn’t I give the bunny girl a bunny pokemon

Also Diggersby is basically the unofficial Lopunny cheerleader so I had to put him here, too

Kai’s Poison-Type Team: 

Nidoking: Poison/Ground

Gengar (Shiny mega form): Poison/Ghost

Scolipede: Poison/Bug

Toxtricity: (Amped form): Poison/Electric

Grafaiai: Poison/Normal

Commentary: 

He’s the poison E4 member because he’s a germaphobe. Made sense he would use a poison team on unsuspecting challengers

IDK argue with someone who cares

Also has a very nice type spread

Touya’s Ghost-Type Team: 

Drifblim: Ghost/Flying

Froslass: Ghost/Ice

Chandelure: Ghost/Fire

Mimikyu: Ghost/Fairy

Gholdengo: Ghost/Steel

Commentary: 

Touya’s was probably the funnest to put together

Ghost type is an homage to his canon backstory

Drifblim has an ability called “Aftermath.” When you kill it, it explodes and weakens your pokemon on the field. I think this pokemone especially fits the trajectory of Touya’s arc in canon (if it goes the way I want it to)

Mimikyu envies Pikachu. Its name is literally “mimic you” and wears a sheet with a Pikachu caricature on it. Considering Touya’s showdown with Sho and the phosphorous technique being copied, I figured this pokemon was in line with that canon

Chandelure is a dual Ghost/Fire type (ghost for the backstory, fire for the quirk)

Froslass links him n Sho

Gholdengo was supposed to be a gag. I just wanted a gold pokemon in his team to reference his manga colors. Its still a Ghost type though

Doesn’t have a pokemon with a mega evolution form, but he does have a legendary, so I guess that makes up for the lack of a team gimmick

Keigo’s Flying-Type Team: 

Pidgeot (Mega form): Flying/Normal

Ho-Oh: Flying/Fire

Salamence: Flying/Dragon

Noivern: Flying/Dragon

Flamigo: Flying/Fighting

Commentary: 

He likes the fast and strong pokemon, so I gave him a mega, a legendary, a pseudo legendary, a dragon, and a gag pokemon that’s actually really good?

He seems the type for trickery

Also I think Ho-oh is supposed to be a Phoenix parallel or something to that effect IDR

[catty-words]

So, I was scrolling in your ao3 profile for the thousand time, as one usually does, and playing with the filters to see if there was any nhie fic I hadn't read before or if I was in the mood to reread any of my favs, when something kinda surprised me: apparently you wrote 34 nhie fics and devi is a character in 29 of them and ben is a character in 30 of them, even though you claim devi is your fave. Just wanted to point that out cuz it made me laugh, especially bc my mind immediately pictured them bantering about it like ofc they would bicker even about who is the most featured character in cori's fics xD

so many points i want to respond to. first - someone suggesting that my bestest blorbos, ben and devi, would care about being the most featured in my fics is possibly the cutest thing ever said to me. top contender, for sure!

second - gahh, i know, i haven't posted anything since last fuckin year, and even then, late last year was pretty quiet on the fic front. i haven't been reblogging prompt games or indulging any of my 'quick' one-shot ideas because inspiration has been very touch-and-go for the last year and i am stockpiling it for 'a lie away from getting you into the mood', the longer installment of the bitty spark 'verse. at the pace i'm moving now, there's a reasonable chance i'll start posting around june. which probably sounds like a long ways away to you, but will be a monumental feat of will on my part - if i pull it off.

thank you for reading my work. thank you for rereading my work.

third - the implication that devi being tagged in fewer of my fics than ben points to her not being my favorite character is reductive. the context matters.

that said, the opportunity to be obnoxious about my fic catalogue is invaluable to me. again, i thank you.

forth - let's get obnoxious!

fics tagged ben but not devi:

- double vision, in a rose blush (three times ben unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a daydream about devi and the one time it makes perfect sense to him)

- birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it (howard gross does two things right: eats pussy and gives useful sex talks)

- (you have become a) constant (without headphones and a proper distraction for the bus ride home, ben compiles a list of weird things he easily might have said to devi while drunk on grigio)

fics tagged devi but not ben:

- are you sure you want to delete this photo? (cute af daxton prompt fill)

- meet me where you are (on top of the world) (another prompt fill, one that asked for kamala & devi, but then mr. k spilled all over my inspiration)

fics not tagged with either of them:

- the two fabiola/eleanor ficlets i've written

what does it mean what does it all mean: devi's still very much a part of both 'double vision' and 'constant', but she's not tagged because the version of her that we're seeing doesn't exist outside of ben's head. i mean, that's truer of 'constant' than 'double vision', she honestly could have been tagged in the latter, and the devi that lives in ben's head is still very much a real aspect of devi. but since she's not devi on her own terms, it felt/feels disingenuous to tag her as a character in either fic.

so, that makes 'birds do it, bees do it' the only ben fic in my catalogue that doesn't have anything to do with devi. both of the devi-not-ben fics have nothing to do with ben.

if we're going to take away anything from this exercise, though, let's appreciate how my first fic ever, my entry into writing for the show - 'constant' - is about examining devi from ben's pov. it felt/feels most comfortable to me because i'm just as in love with her as he is. because she is undeniably my favorite character.

[seeminglyseph]

Big big dentist appointment tomorrow, and I’m neeerrrvous, lmao.

But also I will be so excited to have that stuff fixed when it all heals. But I’m also like. Aaaa. And it’s making me so very anxious. There will be a bunch of whiny pain blogging coming up I think lmao. But then after tomorrow only two more dentist appointments this year hopefully! Fingers crossed! If I keep up with my brushing and flossing and shit.

Then I have to get on my neurologist’s case that yes being on a waiting list for an MRI is worthwhile, even if it takes months, I know the medical industry has been gutted.

There are no surgeons for breast reductions accepting patients right now and the waiting lists are years long if they do eventually accept anyone. Fine. Hopefully my doctor will keep cycling through referrals.

“There are no doctors” “there’s no funding in the medical system” “hospitals are shutting down” “doctors are leaving”

It’s so fuckin scary trying to get medical help these days, honestly…

[somewhere-south-of-neutral]

#HOLY SHIT??? I LOVE THIS????#So many of the words are transliterations of the Dutch words! Like waterstof -> waterstuff (hydrogen)!!#I guess Dutch really did just name the elements and whatnot in its own language#So fuckin' genius#The core too... in Dutch it's Kern#here Kernel#some brain just vibes

@n0brainjustvibes that is basically what everyone did, including English (sort of). It's just that in English, due to a combination of this language's propensity for borrowing words and the strange obsession with Latin and Ancient Greek that academics have, this origin is obscured. Hydrogen is waterstuff because the word hydrogen is literally just the Greek roots for water and maker (i.e. it is the thing water is made of). Helium is Sunstuff because Helium is literally just Helios (sun) plus -ium (semi-arbitrary Latin-sounding suffix that was chosen to indicate that something is an element). My favorites are Ymirstuff for Uranium, Helstuff for Plutonium, and bernstonebit for electron. Ymir is a primordial being whose body forms part of the world in the Norse creation myth, Uranus is a primordial being whose body forms part of the world in the Roman creation myth. Hel is a part of (and also a god of) the Norse underworld, Pluto is a part of (and also a god of) the Roman underworld. The root of the word electron is the Greek word for amber, as the Greeks first described electrical charge through observances of amber attracting hair when rubbed against it, bernstone is the Germanic word for amber.

The reason that Germanic languages have words that match these is that they have fewer loanwords and calques than English. Honestly, that is the aspect of this that interests me most. While the meme of English as this Frankenlanguage is at best reductive and at worst directly misleading, it has its roots in the fact that English has more loanwords than most other languages, which somewhat separates words from their etymologies to English speakers that it doesn't for other languages. Anglish is a peek into a world where the connections between a sound and its meaning in English is clearer, and from a linguistic perspective I find it fascinating.

look, I know I've talked about this essay (?) before but like,

If you ever needed a good demonstration of the quote "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic", have I got an exercise for you.

Somebody made a small article explaining the basics of atomic theory but it's written in Anglish. Anglish is basically a made-up version of English where they remove any elements (words, prefixes, etc) that were originally borrowed from romance languages like french and latin, as well as greek and other foreign loanwords, keeping only those of germanic origin.

What happens is an english which is for the most part intelligible, but since a lot everyday english, and especially the scientific vocabulary, has has heavy latin and greek influence, they have to make up new words from the existing germanic-english vocabulary. For me it kind of reads super viking-ey.

Anyway when you read this article on atomic theory, in Anglish called Uncleftish Beholding, you get this text which kind of reads like a fantasy novel. Like in my mind it feels like it recontextualizes advanced scientific concepts to explain it to a viking audience from ancient times.

Even though you're familiar with the scientific ideas, because it bypasses the normal language we use for these concepts, you get a chance to examine these ideas as if you were a visitor from another civilization - and guess what, it does feel like it's about magic. It has a mythical quality to it, like it feels like a book about magic written during viking times. For me this has the same vibe as reading deep magic lore from a Robert Jordan book.

[unfriendlyneighbourhoodbogwitch]

God its an embarrassing thing to be proud of but I'm proud of it so yall are hearing that I've finally booked in my dentist appointment! All by myself! My main new years resolution this year is to actually book in and go to the appointments I'm supposed to have - I've done eyes (needed new glasses), seen a nurse about my prescription, and got another Dr's appointment request in to try again with the chest reduction (if they say no I can ask for an mri to see what's actually going on with my back cos my legs have been going a little bit numb recently, but honestly solving the dysphoria comes first) but the dentist has been the most difficult cos its so fuckin expensive, but I've finally saved up enough for an initial checkup, called to get registered, and they have a plan for like £10 a month for regular checkups so. Hooray!

[akireu-13]

i really like this video on the b4rbie movie. i did like the movie, to clarify. i thought it was fun, i thought some of the feminist stuff was really good. spoilers ahead obv, but i really enjoyed the section where she has a breakdown and talks about all the contradictory stuff women are supposed to be. i liked the section where shes talking to ruth about wanting to be human and to be a woman despite it all. i liked that part of the message was that a lot of men need to fuckin get hobbies instead of their personality being Woman-Liker. i LOVED the songs being camp and mostly actually made for and about the film instead of using generic pop songs (tho the billie eilish song was jarring and took me out of it).

However. i did think it was pretty,,, superficial. some of that was because its a corporate product and there wouldve been restrictions on what gerwig could do. like she cant criticize the mattel board too much, because it would "make the company look bad." like mattel refused to call the movie feminist, and i think theres an aversion to calling the movie anything too concretely subversive, maybe because that turns the "ive been saying this for years!!" aspect into not relatability, but being behind the times, or worse, performative. which it is.

BUT i also think it really played into the Girlboss feminist schtick. like that in the end they went back to a matriarchy. i dont think the film was saying matriarchy bad, and im not even trying to say that it would be equally as bad as patriarchy bc i dont know nor do i care. but i do think it had that vibe of "men are stupid, right ladies?!? we know best with our woman power ;)" which feels a little weird tbh. even the little comments like implying that a president would NEVER dress like that or a woman would have to be BRAINWASHED to want to be a housewife is uncomfortable to say the least. the final gynocology joke at the end felt really reductive even with a trans woman in the movie. it felt weird for her to go to the queer-coded b4rbies to get help and then they stop mattering when they arent helping cishet b4rbie society. and no butch b4rbies, obviously.

it felt like they were going "see? woman power!! but dont forget to be respectable!!" despite halfway through talking about how hard it is to be respected as a woman. and this is most egregious when they have sasha going on an honestly reasonable and well-founded rant about the negative social impact of b4rbie which is then not really brought up in a meaningful way again. shes played for laughs and its only addressed as a "we hear your criticisms but theyre very silly bc barbie stands for woman power so there. 😊" like she calls b4rbie a fascist and thats a whole joke, which is really fucking weird tbqh.

but my point is that its ok to be critical of the way women are treated and what is expected of women, and its ok to be weird or ugly or whatever!! up until the point it makes you ACTUALLY ugly or tooOo much of a deviant (like dressing in revealing clothing as a professional, or criticising consumerism which is just a silly thing to do because why would you EVER-), in which case you just hate women and make the cause look bad.

anyway, i thought the movie was fun. it looked great, the soundtrack was fun, the casting choices were pretty good, and i liked the real talk about how hard being a woman can be. at the same time, it was a very long ad for b4rbie. it was corporate, and mostly sold a very girlboss, shallow look at feminism. a good entry point for like, men who think women arent oppressed but love their girlfriend enough to TRY to understand, or for middle aged women looking to hear something nice about their existence, or people looking for a fun summer movie with a few funny bits. not a great movie for film nerds or riotgrrls or trans people or anti-capitalists.

[stankycowboy]

Late Night Loitering

continued from x

“Well, you can’t expect me to fuckin’ whittle myself down to A, B, C, or D”. Severen’s logic is as flawed as the answer he gave, this not even being the first quiz they have passed back and forth from this specific magazine, and they have moved through a few in their time lingering amongst the literature. Clearly, it is not the reductiveness of multiple choice that has irked him, but this question in particular. His moodiness is mostly a show, more to dissuade @chainsawcutiie from pressuring him, hoping his bad attitude is threat enough. The truth being, he didn’t want to answer the question honestly.

“What’s it matter how many people I been with for a ‘love diagnostic’?” It isn't that Severen is genuinely embarrassed about only having had the sole partner in his lengthy lifespan, rather that he despised ridicule; particularly the strangely effective mockery of young adults in the modern age. The recollection of Mae laughing at him for marveling over her Walkman and collection of cassette tapes still stung, and he was sure that it would only draw more questions to admit that romance had never been something he had been keen on. Most certainly with one who was entirely smitten on the subject. “Just move on’na next one”, he snaps, popping out a piece of peppermint gum from its plastic square and tossing it into his mouth. A scathing look is leveled at him from a passing employee, missing his notice— or disregarded— as he pockets the unpaid for item. It seemed that though they did not appreciate his actions, they were not paid well enough to make it their problem as they moved onto the next aisle. Severen scans the other magazines in front of him, his eye landing on an issue of Harley Davidson. Although he has not kept up with any recent makes or models, he grabs it to flip through, admiring the metal beasts. At the very least it provides some cover so he might avoid anymore of Juliet’s needling glances. After living longer than a decade he had not expected the youth of today to be what bothered him most, he had to wonder if his age was finally catching up to him.