#i did have to Google the chemicals though

[mushroom-through-the-stargate]

kids need whimsy, but they also need to learn about their world. so I propose that when a kid asks a question, respond with "do you want the science answer or the magic answer?"

for example "why are those flowers different colours?"

magic answer "because the faeries haven't finished painting them."

science answer "because plants have different chemicals that make them different colours. chlorophyll makes leaves and stems green. some colours come from anthocyanins, while most oranges and yellows come from carotenoids."

spruce up both answers with fun voices and analogies I'm just tired

[livwritesstuff]

Absolutely obsessed with your steddie dad’s verse!!! Everything about it is just so good, thanks for sharing!

I love Moe, Robbie and Hazel, and I can’t get this idea out of my head that probably doesn’t fit the vision of this verse at ALL but hear me out. What if one day all the upside down stuff became public knowledge? Somehow documents get leaked, someone talks, idk. And it’s suddenly all over the news. Would be so interesting to see how Steve and Eddie would react to this and how they’d talk to their kids (who just found out about their parents saving the world from the news) about it 👀

So here’s the thing:

Realistically, I don’t think the story would ever get fully leaked, for two reasons (probably more, actually, but two primary reasons).

It makes the U.S. government look terrible, and they do a good enough job of that publically to afford any more hits to their rep so they keep that shit on lock

Nobody would believe it. Maybe there are whispers about the truth of what happened to Hawkins, Indiana in the 80s, but the second the words “monsters” and “superpowers” get thrown in there, nobody buys it. That’s why the cover stories work.

What I absolutely think would happen is ✨conspiracy theories✨

Like, come 2014 there’s a rising interest in true crime and conspiracy theories and some enthusiasts stumble upon the story. A few devoted folks pull a Murray and start building a timeline and they quickly realize that there are some pretty serious holes in the narrative. It kind of takes off from there.

Robbie is Eddie’s daughter through and through, so she’s totally into that kind of stuff. Steve and Eddie have always been relatively upfront about what happened to them in Hawkins (relatively, in that they have the “here’s what you’ll find if you google your dads” conversation with an extensive Q+A, but to avoid dumping trauma on their kids they stay light on the details), so she’s more intrigued than surprised when not only is she suggested a YouTube video about her dads’ hometown, but the video also mentions both of them by name.

Here’s the problem – like most conspiracy theories, it's true that some pretty damning evidence has been uncovered that the government probably didn’t want circulating. However the story is still missing key details in a way that makes the resounding conclusion this close to the truth, but not quite there.

Hence, this conversation Robbie has with her dads after she watches the video:

“So is it true that Uncle Will was abducted by aliens?”

Steve’s eyebrows fly up.

“Are people saying it’s aliens? It wasn’t aliens.”

“Was he though?”

“Uh…kind of. I guess.”

“Is it true the government put a fake body in the lake and pretended it was him and then when Will came back they had to pretend it was another kid?”

“Yep.”

“That’s fucked up. Is it true that Russia used a mall in Hawkins to build a secret lab?” Robbie asks.

“Yes.”

“Is it true they were doing research on the aliens and then one of them escaped and that’s why the mall got destroyed.”

“Not even close.”

“How did the mall get destroyed then?”

“Bunch of people got possessed by a shadow monster and he made them eat chemicals until they exploded and reformed as this giant mass thing that cornered us in the mall. We attacked it with fireworks. I wasn’t there for most of that, though. Just the end.”

“Whatever,” Robbie rolls her eyes, fully convinced that her dad is bullshitting her, “Is it true the Hawkins earthquakes were actually the aliens invading.”

“No – yes…kind of? Not earthquakes. Not aliens.”

“I mean…technically they kind of were aliens ,” Eddie jumps in, “Technically anything from a land foreign to yours is an alien.”

“They weren’t aliens,” Steve insists, “They were monsters. They were big and gray and their faces opened up and they had all these rows of teeth like sharks.”

“Sounds like an alien to me,” Robbie replies.

“Monsters.”

“Is it true Dad was attacked by them and he almost died and you saved him, Pop?”

“Yes, indeed,” Eddie says proudly before Steve can respond, “He’s quite the hero, don’t you think?”

“In space?”

“Nope. In an evil alternate dimension, and he dragged me all the way out through the portal and everything.”

Robbie rolls her eyes again, “Nevermind, you guys are useless. You’d think you weren’t even there.”

Steve sighs, “God, I wish that were true.”

In terms of how Steve and Eddie respond to the story gaining some attention from the general public, they do family viewings of the conspiracy videos made about the situation and make fun of the incorrect narratives. Their daughters fully do not grasp that their dads are telling the truth because, again, the truth does not seem real.

[jedi-valkyrie]

how marvel characters would react to an extensive skin care routine

including: steve rogers, clint barton, natasha romanoff, thor odinson, sam wilson, loki laufeyson

gender neutral!reader and the headcanons can be read as romantic or platonic

warnings: swearing (just from me, nothing bad)

requested by: @weigheddownbyfandoms

a/n: as someone with a long ass skin care routine i feel seen and heard. but this one’s shorter! sorry i’ve been gone so long!!!

steve

i don’t think he’d have any strong opinion

he’d just sorta sit back and observe

he’d probably sit with you while you did it just hover around

his morning routine isnt short either so if you do it then it’s a very big staple of his day

main motivation for getting up is the fact that he can see your face get so focused as you use some weird roller wand

he likes the domesticity of watching your routines; it’s soothing

clint

okay so he’d pretend not to care, he doesn’t see the use in it

very much cold water splash kinda guy i think

but then he sees the fun stuff

the jelly masks and the weird circulation massages

and it becomes a shared activity

yknow those ipsy bags that have those samples of cute makeup things

he’d start buying them for skincare

not for you, obviously

but because he wants the weird bubble mask

bruce

he gets it. he doesn’t mind

he gets very wary of the chemicals though

if he sees a paraben or a sulfate, you can bet your ass it’ll be replaced by tomorrow

“i don’t care that it’s more expensive, it’s worth the extra 10 dollars”

he’s kinda the opposite of clint

he only does the stuff that seems relaxing

you’re telling me that he wouldn’t go to a spa with you? lies, he’d get the cucumbers on the eyes and everything

also he’d do a green face mask and laugh at himself way too hard

natasha

once again, doesn’t really care

she’s used to having to do shit fast so she’ll just kinda bask in the leisure of it all

she’s most like steve but she’d probably get impatient on occasion

she doesn’t see the value in it necessarily but it makes you happy so she doesn’t care

she makes fun of you with all of the little tools that you’d use

“it looks like a fucking dentists office in here”

thor

oh my god he gets so excited

he’s so interested

he’s always glued to your side anyways and the new colorful goop just heightened it

he is with you every step of the way

he’ll watch tutorials, he’ll google different products

he will incorporate every piece of you into his life, even if it means he has to scrub clay out of his eyebrows

he will do it voluntarily and without complaint

sam

sam likes to take his time

he already probably has some sort of routine anyways

but when you suggest that you start sharing the bathroom so getting ready isn’t a full two hour production

he practically leaps at the opportunity; free shared time and free fun products

he likes the relaxing stuff

the soothing washes and the moisturizer

he loves a good self care day

loki

my first thought was: snake, slimy

but no i think he thinks it’s too much.

watching all of the little trinkets probably makes him scoff or something

he’s one of those people (gods) with fucking perfect skin so he doesn’t understand the hydrochloric acid (or whatever you choose to use)

he just doesn’t see the point

but i think on some level he’d rather suffer through your routine then have to sit alone for that long

so he sits and he reads while you do your thing (was he silent? or was he silenced?)

[rebelwhodoesntknow]

Obligatory Aikatsu disclaimer

I’ve completely ignored Aikatsu Academy for a hot second, uh sorry if you were looking for updates on that. Life happened. My Chemical Romance also happened. BUT I CHECKED BACK IN NOW AND BOY WAS IT A GOOD TIME TO

After doing a collab with some other vtubers I don’t know about, each of the girls has released their own solo song!! So obviously that means it’s time for me to review them!! And also post them here because some deserve a listen.

Mieru’s song is titled きらー☆ちゅー ん which google translates to "Kiraa☆Chuun". It’s certainly a cute song, though I think it doesn’t quite fit into the Aikatsu song I’m looking for. It’s like if Mio tried to be a cute and pop idol at the same time which is… confusing. Mieru sounds good as usual, I just don’t like the vibe they went with here. Too modern sorry Mieru :(

Pairin’s song is ホップ・ステップ・ポップコーン which google translates to Hop • Step • Popcorn. Again, very cute!! I think it slightly fits into more recent Aikatsu songs, and at the very least certainly sounds pop!! It reminds me of some other random songs I’ve discovered on YouTube that I like so I like this one better. Side note in her most recent singing stream she did pretty damn good on So Beautiful Story (skipped the bridge key change) which is impressive! Anyway

EVERYONE GO AND LISTEN TO MEH’S SONG RIGHT THE FUCK NOW I MEAN IT. YOU WANT A NEW GOTHIC AIKATSU SONG? YOU FUCKING GOT IT OH MY GOD. It’s called 幻想ナイトメ ア which google translates to Fantasy Nightmare and I love it so much. Men’s voice perfectly fits the song, creepy and doll-like in the verses with a bit more of an edge in the chorus and that’s saying something considering I have not liked her voice like at all!! You want instruments? Guitar? Violins? YOU GOT IT BABY PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS. Immediately going on my playlist AW FUCK IT’S NOT ON SPOTIFY YET. Also if no one puts up a romaji lyric video for this i might teach myself how to read hiragana and katakana for the sake of singing this…. After finals are done.

If you take nothing else away from this post please at least give it a listen it’s so good. PLEASE I’M BEGGING

[itz-kiniz-blog]

Xanders survivors guilt, and a theory about Chariton!

Honestly I don’t see enough people asking; what exactly happened in chariton?? It’s what most believe was the thing Xander has survivors guilt for- but what even happened??

I personally have a theory. 

Spoilers for the second bonus episode below!!

During the episode, it’s evident that Xander has done research on the incident and even mentions that it was on the news. This makes It seem like this was a big incident. Considering Chariton is a poorer town. I can support this off how unnamed classmate mentioned that anyone in chariton barely had money. And the way unnamed classmate worded it, makes it seem like they might have known xander back in chariton (?) but that’s for another day. And it’s most likely a small town due to how the nearest hospital it’s literally miles away. Now, too, how they died. It’s evident at least one person but most likely the entire town of residents within chariton died. Xanders description of this is “rotting from the outside in. Your limbs would stop working before your organs did, and you would sit there and feel yourself die, and not be able to do anything.” I don’t know about you, but you know my first guess? *poison*. So, I googled it! The first result I get? Strychnine. What’s that you ask? Oh! It’s an ***odorless, white, bitter powder***. However, it can be mixed and used in solution. The effects? 

“Strychnine prevents the proper operation of the chemical that controls nerve signals to the muscles. The chemical controlling nerve signals works like the body’s “off switch” for muscles. When this “off switch” does not work correctly, muscles throughout the body have severe, painful spasms. Even though the person’s consciousness or thinking are not affected at first (except that the person is very excitable and in pain), eventually the muscles tire and the person can’t breathe.”

Or in other words, it stops your muscles and causes severe pain until you suffocate to death.

Doesn’t that sound like rotting from the outside in? Now, we can bring out one of the big boy questions of the hour. How were they poisoned? Simple, the river. It’s specified that it’s charitons only water source, and easy to access.

Boom. Also strychnine is commonly spread through contaminated water.

No one can recover because no one could afford medical treatment. Boom!! Dead chariton. But who poisoned the river? Who has the ability and access to strychnine so that they could poison the river? ***Duke Spurling.*** I believe that he did. He has obviously high status, and he’s known to xander as selfish. I believe that Duke spurling had a big influence on chariton, and then got tired of it. Saw it as a waste of time, so he dumped the poison within the river. This is also evident in a few other things. 

1. It took weeks to move the bodies.

While it’s understandable why they were understaffed, why couldn’t they make a funeral service? Why did it take them weeks? Unless someone was saying not to mention it. Hell, the episode's name is “visiting graves” so they had the materials too. So why didn’t they? Who told them  Not to do anything? Duke spurling.

2. The fact that he has the title Duke is suspicious. A high class title could give him high access.

3. Duke spurling can be connected to the country, since of the same last name. So he has a rich asset.

4. The chariton incident was only released to the public a MONTH after it occurred.

I believe this was done purposely so that no one would figure out how to save anyone within chariton. To make sure they die. However, who could manipulate the media? Maybe a million dollar company could pay off a few people. Keep ‘em silent. 

Also, this isn't the first time Strychnine specifically is used in DRDT. It’s Charles’ motive weapon, as mentioned in ch 1 ep 1

And that’s my theory!

Source of definition:

https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/strychnine/basics/facts.asp

Bonus episode:

https://youtu.be/IbIxj5_kPCI

[yuukei-yikes]

It’s me back in the ask box again for another super important question:

What “cringe” fandoms would the mekadan have been into as kids. Like we know Marry was a black butler girlie but I need to know the rest. Who was deeply invested in the fnaf lore, who was cosplaying as homestuck trolls, who was shipping creepypastas. I am desperate for answers only you can provide.

EXCELENT question. i ADORE this question.

ayano is into homestuck. used to role play warrior cats. loves the marvel cinematic universe, and just any superhero comic book stuff in general. canonically into jojo.

kido's is BANDS. specifically bands considered emo back in 2013 or something. my chemical romance. blink 189. black veil brides. that was their shit. also im sorry but they were a superwholock. sorryyyyyy i also think they'd be into medical dramas like grey's anatomy and dr house LMAO

i dont think seto did or does fandoms. i think seto goes outside too much. he's the only one who has no idea what being in a fandom is like, also the least online definitely (I'll get to mary)

kano would be into youtubers/celebrities. he's so into celebrity gossip it's impossible to talk to him he knows of names youve never even heard of.

like u said mary is a black butler girlie but i guess she could like other mangas... i also think she'd watch medical dramas with kido. BUT she doesnt internet so she has no idea about any of it she just lore dumps everyone instead about any book she's reading. she finds out black butler is actually animated and forces everyone to sit down and watch it with her

momo was the one shipping creepypastas btw. i also think she's a sims girlie she's obsessed with its lore and loves making ocs in there and ends up obsessed with her own sims families (commissions haruka a bunch)

shintaro is into magical girls animes. like any of them. but i also think he'd like some popular cartoons like steven universe LOLLL he was probably furiously defending pearl online. also i think he used to make youtube poops and sparta remixes when he was like 14

haruka and takane are the fnaf lore guys especially haruka i seriously think he arrives to school one day after he stayed up all night watching fnaf lore videos and told takane all about it. they're the ones lining up for the movie rn. they also probably roleplayed undertale together in highschool. also i think takane likes analog horror which is horrible for haruka bc i think he hates horror but he's also weirdly fascinated by it so he's watching through his fingers anything takane puts on lol. they tend to share their fandoms especially in hs because haruka was furiously googling anything takane mentioned to have conversation topics with her

hiyori's obviously into idols. i think like kido she loves bands too but she's from the directioner bts stan vibes. and hibiya i LOVE to make jokes abt him being into whatever 12 year olds are into (fortnite, among us, fnaf) and seriously i do love that and i think gamer hibiya is possible with the power of him making the effort to learn to use his phone and the internet bc all his friends live far away and in the process learns abt all that. but before that he was like seto he has no idea what it feels like to be in a fandom and cannot understand hiyori's visions. he's still not SUPER online though

i loved this question. more questions like this i beg

[momamistilllyoung]

klance as me and my bfs on a festival of colors! (but make it even gayer)

1. (12pm, mall, furniture shop)

Lance: Lemme show you a pic of a wallpaper I saw recently, it's dark blue with white flowers, a bit Japanese style-

Keith: I'm into one-coloured walls... and it's either just white or just black.

Lance: Oh, you know, I like the style where it's one wall in a different color or one's with a wallpaper-

Keith, at Lance's phone: no... just no for me...

Lance, wanting to get off the topic: okay well maybe a similar couch but longer-

a few hours later

(sw before 7pm) The two talking about how's life for them, Lance almost falling asleep on Keith...

Keith: you know what's the only wallpaper I'd agree to?

Lance, eyes sparking up, his back str8 up: yeaA??

Keith, showing Lance his phone with the image googled: minecraft wallpaper.

Lance: yeahahah! oh! a screenshot of the sakura trees in the newest update!

Keith: yea, okay, we can even take sakura trees:)<3

2. (near 7pm) Some middle-aged lady asked Shiro to take a picture of her and her family all in the colorful powders. Lance runs up to Shiro with his hands full of purple powder, and grabs Shiro's tits trough his not-anymore white t-shirt, making the family burst out laughing. Shiro loves all his kids and forgave him.

A moment after that, Lance and Keith sat on the side and discussed their future dream house together, though they're just a pair of dumb teens now. They sit facing each other and just spitting out ideas. Lance is covered head to toe in the purple festival powder, while Keith is clean cuz he has to run some errands just after the party.

Lance: Hey, you really think we will be able to afford all this?

Keith, putting his clean hand on Lance's purple cheek: No, but we can dream

Keith sees his palm is all purple now, so he shakes it off with the help of his other hand.

Lance, putting his purple hand on Keith's clean cheek, receiving a death stare: yeahahaHAHAH

3. (after 8pm, alr dark) Once Keith's back, they all meet him with festival powders ready. Allura pulls him into a hug and sprinkles a blue and a green one over his back and hair. Keith protests and slips out before she can load out the whole packs on him.

Keith, letting Lance pull him into a hug: Hi, sunshine

Lance, slowly sprinkling the neon yellow one on Keith, like Allura did: Hiiiii-

Allura makes the most of the moment between boys and attacks them with the rest of her packs. Lance is blinded cuz his shades are now wholly blue, gives them to Shiro to clean (on his not anymore white shirt) and they're off chasing Allura with their packs.

BONUS, didn't happen but it reminded me of Klance:

(10:30pm?) Lance and Keith splitting ways after the festive, they've been hugging for about 5 mins now.

Lance, kissing Keith's green cheek, getting the powder on his lips: mm it's actually tasty-

Keith, kissing Lance to try it too: Uh, it's not and wHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT EATING CHEMICALS AND GLITTER-

Pidge, pouring out a neon powder straight into their mouth: no, it is actually-

(anything's good to Pidge after Keith's cooking)

[wednesdaythesecond]

dooooo you think travkey would get married? whats their longterm ideal life with eachother look like?

I've been thinking about this for a longggg time and yes!!!! Yes, I do think that Travie and Mikey would get married. I did some googling about transgender rights, specifically marriage rights, in the 00s and apparently, as long as your marriage started out as legally heterosexual, it'll remain legally binding. In 2007, there was a trans man who legally transitioned to male after divorcing his cis husband and was taken to court about it. The judge ruled that since they were married as a man and a woman, that doesn't annul the past marriage so the cis husband still needed to pay his ex alimony. Back in the 00s, if you wanted to change your sex marker legally, you needed to have physical, medical proof that you had changed your sex– which means bottom surgery. In my travkey universe, both of them want bottom surgery but holy fuck, it takes forever to get it. I won’t get into the depths right now but bureaucracy is a son of a bitch, baby. 

So yes, Travie and Mikey would get married <3 then I think Mikey would get bottom surgery first and then Travie cuz doctors are lunatics about the procedures involved with phalloplasties. But yeah, peace and love on planet couples sex change surgeries. 

Okay cool, we have now established that transgender marriage is legal but what about the rest of their shared lives together? I have a few general themes and ideas for them (it varies from AU to AU) but my big one is NO KIDS. They're not doing sperm and/or egg donors, they're not doing surrogacy or IVF, they're not doing adoption and they're sure as SHIT not doing it naturally. No kids. None. That's not happening for Mikey and Travie. They don't want kids and they don't need them and they’re not having them. I do see them having a future with cats though <3 Mikey will forever have at least one beast of her own and Travie can be the cat dad who stepped up <3 

I also see them being at least somewhat involved with each other’s bands. Like if Gym Class Heroes has a song that mentions a woman then you might see Mikey show up in a music video, Katy Perry style. Or Travie will do something art related for a My Chemical Romance album– I know in my heart he would do beautiful things with the whole Danger Days aesthetic. Also I would kill and die to have Gym Class Heroes and My Chemical Romance tour together for more than just two weeks back in the summer of 2005. 

So yeah <3333 I see them living their best lives together in a cute ass house full of Travie’s art, Mikey’s nerd shit, and with an ensuite bathroom with his and hers sharps disposal boxes <3 

[sleepytime-fics]

Whatever You Do, Don't Get Attached - Chapter 2

Warnings: N/A

Summary: You just wanted to get through the day. Why did your friends dare everyone to try that fruit?

Maybe it had chemicals that made you hallucinate. Yeah, that has to be right. There's no way that you're in a kids show about mutant turtle teens that just so happen to be trained in ninjitsu. Yeah. Definitely.

But life liked to throw curveballs at you. And now you're stuck. Now all you have to do is not get attached. Because they're not real.

And maybe.... You're not real anymore, either...

Previous 💚 Next

To say you were lucky was an inexcusable understatement.

As it turns out, being literally knocked out would leave you with some pretty shitty side effects afterwards. Without your phone, and handy dandy Google to use, you didn't know exactly what to expect after you were knocked out for who knows how long. You just had a feeling you were incredibly lucky that you only got a headache from that. Cartoon logic, you guess.

You're currently sitting at the dinner table, chowing down on the once again delicious food that Parker made. Dale was sitting across from you, quickly finishing up his homework while eating.

As you finish your meal, Parker comes out of her tiny bedroom and hands you your school bag, ready full of everything you'll need.

"Oh! Thank you, Parker!" You say, surprised that she put your stuff together. But you really shouldn't be surprised, this is Parker you're talking to after all.

"Oh it was really no problem, dear! School is important, you know, and I just want you to have the best opportunity possible!" Parker tells you with a smile, "Speaking of which, you two better be off to school now! You don't want to be late, would you?"

Dale nods as he quickly stuffs his homework into his bag, and you put on your bag, ready to go.

"Have fun you two! Bye bye!" Parker calls as you two leave the apartment.

"See ya, Parker!" You reply.

"Bye mom! Love you!" Dale adds. You close the door behind you, and both you and Dale begin to walk down the stairwell.

"So, are you excited?" Dale asks you, smiling, "It'll be nice to be able to show you around!"

You nod, "I'm sure school will be fine." You say.

"Oh! There's some people I gotta introduce you to! Like this one girl, her name is April, and she's so cool! She always speaks her mind…"

You begin to tune Dale out unconsciously as you board the subway, nervously waiting to arrive at the school as you get closer and closer to being late. You watch as people go on and off the subway, both confused and amazed that these people seem to just know the subway system like the back of their hands.

Dale continues to chat with you as you finally get off the subway, and make your way to the school. Just like the other day, it seemed just… too clean to be an actual high school. Holding in a small breath, you and Dale enter the school.

Your first impression is strange to say the least. The halls were busy, but not in a bad way. Some students were leaning against a wall, doing stuff on their phones, some were getting stuff from their lockers, and the rest were just walking in the halls. They were all walking at a normal pace too, even the talkers!

You take a glance at Dale, and he seems to get the idea. He tells you to follow him, and you both head over to the guidance counselor's office. Dale had to leave rather quickly though, since he had his classes and all that. Gulping, you walk up to the counselor.

"Hello sir! I uhm… I'm new here and I need my schedule..?" You say, a bit nervous. The counselor perks up, and immediately begins shuffling through his desk drawers.

"Ah yes… what's your name again?" He asks, and you tell him. He nods, pulling out a few sheets of paper.

"So this is your schedule, and it's rather simple to understand! The first number represents the floor number, and the next numbers are one through one hundred going north to south on the building!" He explains with a smile, handing the papers to you. The papers included some class syllabuses, bell schedules, and a map of the school. Before you knew it, you were standing outside his office with a bright orange pass and only the hope to find your way.

…

Cartoon school was absolutely nothing like normal school.

Sure, yeah, they did try to teach you stuff, but it was just… too easy, in your humble opinion.

For example, in English you had to write a 500 word paper all class. The prompt? How English is used everyday. You were shocked, and was left wondering how this school even functioned at all.

At lunch, they served you literal slop. You gagged at it, and sat next to Dale to immediately pick at the pile of mush. Not only that, but Dale called April over to introduce you two.

When you looked up, you two made eye contact. April quickly got a nervous look on her face, and even started to nervously sweat. You simply looked back down, deciding that the pile of mush on your plate would be better than talking to her then.

The strangeness of this whole school ordeal was making your brain hurt, and you decided you needed a little alone time after school. So, that's exactly what you did.

Once school let out, you let Dale know that you were gonna head off on your own for a little while. Dale nodded and walked off, saying that he was going to the library anyway.

So, you were alone again.

You were now walking along the vast streets of New York City, that seemed just as confusing as the first day. The air is shockingly clear for a busy city as you breathe in, trying to decide your next moves.

As if fate, the light of the sun seemed to shift towards a craft store, and you nearly rolled your eyes. You didn't know how close together the episodes were, but you knew for sure that the Foot Clan, also known as the paper thieves, would for sure take their stock if they haven't already.

But at the same time, maybe you could make something for Parker and Dale, as a thank you for homing you. You shrug, figuring that the chances of running into the Foot was little to none, so you took your chances and entered the store.

…

The store was warm and cozy, with painted flowers on the walls. There were shelves of yarn, different kinds of cloth, sewing supplies, and anything else that you'd ever possibly need all in one store.

You walk around the store, browsing the various crafting supplies they have. You brush your fingers over various soft clothes that hang around the store. You keep an eye out for anything that Parker or Dale would like.

As you listen to the quiet, calming music filling the store, there's suddenly a loud crash. You whip your head around, and your eyes widen as you realize that the Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant were standing in the entryway. You hate your luck.

You quickly hide behind a shelf, holding your breath as they ransacked the small store. You heard the crashing of the shelves as they took any and all paper. You knew you shouldn't be in any danger, they were only stealing the paper, but you were still cautious.

It felt like forever until you felt safe, or at least safe enough to come out. You slowly crawl out, letting out a small gasp as you see the damage done to the tiny shop. While keeping in mind where you were stepping, you crept out of the shop. You exit the now ravaged shop, but your bad luck didn't end there.

You were painfully aware of the amount of yelling you heard, and you looked around just in time to see Raphael crashing into his brothers from behind. You wince in secondhand pain, seeing the brothers stumble. And of course, before you could sneak away with the Foot, their attention turned to you. And like in the show, their emotions weren't particularly positive. With a silent sigh, you walk up to them.

"Are you guys alright?" You ask, gently and hesitantly reaching out to Mikey, since he was closest to you. Mikey looked up at you, frowning.

"Did we really just get schooled by paper thieves?!" Donnie exasperated.

"I don't swoop like a boss! I swoop like a noob." Raph added, clearly distraught.

"This seemed like a really cool idea until we didn't succeed at it…" Mikey said with a frown, and you knelt down beside him.

"Woah woah woah woah, " Leo said, about to hype them up, "Where'd my brothers go? Mikey? Where's your… l… legendary optimism?" Mikey simply groaned.

"Raph, where's your.. You know your…, " Leo grabs Raphael by the shoulders and shakes him."Go - getter attitude? And Donnie?" Leo continued, walking over to Donnie and holding his shoulders.

"Where's your… your thing! Your… emotionless passion?"

"...here…" Donnie muttered, the barking of dogs in the background.

"We can still catch these lame-o paper crooks, and be heroes." Leo said confidently. Although Leo was trying his best, and you knew he was going to convince them, you still felt the need to chime in.

"He's uhh… he's right, you know…" You start, unsure of what to say. Everyone turns their attention to you, curious.

"Just because you failed one time, doesn't mean it's over…, " You continue, scratching your hand nervously, "You still have another chance. Don't let failure hold you back… ya'know?"

Leo and Mikey seem to perk up at that a bit, but Mikey does more so. He smiles at you, and you can guess it's because you haven't run away or anything like that.

"Well, that's going to be hard, that was the last paper store in town." Donnie says, still disheartened.

"Hmmm or… was it?" Leo says, lifting a finger up to his chin.

"Yeah it was uhh, I literally just said that."

…

You don't know why, but you ended up helping them set up the fake paper store. You and the turtles set up the makeshift store. Maybe it was because it was entertaining, or maybe it was because you were already there and it would be rude to leave. Mikey had worked with you for a little bit, but you had been so reserved that you let out a small breath of relief as he went to help Leo put the salami paper together.

You weren't really listening, not until April entered.

"Hi! I'm here for the job… interview… ah no," April said, looking around the "store", and Mikey popped out from behind the desk. You looked at him, wondering when he got there.

"Man! I knew it was weird to have a job interview at midnight." April said, making her way over to you and Mikey.

"Ah miss… O'Neil!" Mikey said, shifting his fake glasses, "Doh, customers!" He exclaimed, now hiding behind the desk.

"April! You're hired! Take this sale script, and remember the customer is always right UNLESS they're a psychotic paper thief!" Mikey said, and then he promptly shoved you out next to her. "Meet your coworker! You two do well!"

"Uhh, okay. Sorry man!" April said, looking at the note cards in her hand, then you.

"Eh, I had nothing else to do today." You replied with a shrug.

"We'll be in the back!" Mikey finished, shoving himself in a tiny box with his brothers. You question how they fit even Raphael in there, but cartoon logic answered that.

Quickly both Foot Brute and Foot Lieutenant stormed in, and April nervously began reading the script.

"Welcome to Leo's paper hut! Can I interest you IN A-" April was cut off by Foot Brute shoving a hand in her face, and yours was quick to follow. You and April were lifted up and tied together from an extension cord, then hung by a pole connecting across the alleyway the "hut" resided in.

"Outta my way!" Raph huffed as the box burst open, shoving all of the brothers out.

"April! The other one! The salami paper! It's gone!" Mikey cried out, kneeling down to the ground where the salami used to be. Leo ran up to the "door" as the Foot sped off.

"No way!" Leo exclaimed angrily, kicking a sign down. Your eyes widened as the cord began to loosen, and both you and April fell to the ground.

"Owwww." Both you and April said at the same time. As the turtles began talking, you and April freed yourselves, and she turned to you.

"Hey, sorry about this whole mess, we didn't mean to get you wrapped up in this! Ya know?" She said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh, it's fine!" You replied, "and besides, it was kinda fun!" You bit your lip as you realized you already said too much, and that was reinforced by April perking up.

"I uhhh, better get back home now… But thanks! I'll probably see you later?" You continued, hoping she would forget.

"Oh yeah, totally! I'd love to hang out more!" April said. You smiled, and she smiled back.

You need to stop right now. They're not real. But you just… can't help it.

They're too good.

[pbandjesse]

We are just now leaving Jess's soupsgivings party. It was such a nice evening. And it's been a pretty great day.

I am wildly full right now though and pretty uncomfortable. But I will be okay. I am glad we should have a fairly quick hour drive home.

I didn't sleep amazing. I woke up with a nose bleed. I had had such a nice time watching shows with James and felt really happy but physically it is starting to be consistently hard to find a comfy way to sleep. I'm trying really hard to not toss and turn and just stay in one orientation. But man. It is tough to stay comfortable, and on top of that I can't breathe? Not fair.

I didn't wake up enough to hug James but I do remember them kissing my cheek. Love them so much. They had moved the car and unloaded some stuff so we would have room for what Jess was giving us this evening. And I appreciated all the things they do for me.

When I woke up I made the bed, and took a shower, washed my hair, and tried to feel ready for the scary Ticketmaster queue.

I have never bought tickets for something that may sell out, something people describe as a war. All I have heard was about the app or website crashing and scalpers getting all the tickets. And I had resigned myself that it may not happen. I felt like I have to be emotionally ready for that.

At 945 I realized that while I had attached my PayPal, I had not attached my credit card to my account. So I quickly did that. I would get that done one minute before the waiting room lobby opened. I was basically trembling with nerves.

I would be in the lobby for 9 minutes. And then I was in the queue. With almost 16,000 people ahead of me. I was stressed. I was doing all of this on my phone and was very afraid of closing the app, in case it made it restart or crash. So I was also on my tablet googling things.

This is a stadium tour. I checked how many seats are in citizen's bank stadium. About 50,000 seats. So I figured with the behind the stage seats not being available, but the field being available, I was probably in a good spot. And the time would slowly ticket down. I was in the queue for a half hour but then it was my turn.

No thoughts when into this. I grabbed the first two tickets I saw. $93. Some of the cheapest tickets they had. I was thrilled. And even with fees they were only $127. And then I had them! I didn't even know where they were in the stadium. I would check later and was fine with them. Like they are high up, but a baseball stadium is set up to see a tiny ball so there aren't actually any bad seats. I was so excited.

My chemical romance has been one of, if not my favorite band since I was 13. I have never seen them perform. I never thought I would get to see them perform. I feel so lucky that I got tickets. I didn't even try last time they were in Philly and I have regretted it for years. I am just thrilled. Like I don't even know if this is going to be a full album playthrough, new music, or what. But it for real does not matter. They could just play covers of other bands and I would be so excited still. This is going to be such a good time. Can't wait for August.

I was in a great mood after getting the tickets. And the day wasn't even over yet. I still had soup to make!

And my soup went really well. I was proud of how it came out. I wrote out the recipe in a post earlier. But in the moment it was mainly off the top of my head. Loosely based on Liz's chili soup from back when I was in bronze casting classes at community college. I always loved when it has lots of bell peppers. And so that's what I do. And I added orange bell peppers this time and not just green. I could have minced the garlic a little more maybe but it was a valiant effort for something I hate doing (cutting garlic and shallots).

It took me about an hour to make my soup. And once it was done I had a bowl, and put the rest in jars to bring to the party. I was also just texting with my dad and talking about music. He told me that him and his brother saw Led Zeppelin for $8. Wild.

I would spend some time resting. Just hanging in bed. It was nice to just lay down. I'm 22 weeks pregnant today. Baby is the size of a papaya. She's finally reached a pound. At least statistically. The last ultrasound they said she's 29th percentile so she's just a little small. But I am feeling very round. My organs already feel squished under my ribs. But I am doing okay. I'm more comfortable in some ways, and way more uncomfortable in others. I'm just taking it a day at a time.

Eventually I would go for a walk. I went to the CVS down the street and picked up some cereal. It was nice outside but I got a sharp pain in my leg and didn't want to walk more then I had to go get back home.

When I got back home I had a bowl of the cereal. Hung out on the couch with sweetp. And eventually went upstairs to gather myself for heading to pick up James to go to Jess's party.

I got a flannel for James. And packed up my soup. When I got to the car I realized that I couldn't put the seats down because of the wagon behind the passenger seat. So I took that back to the house. Jess said she had a bunch of stuff for us so I wanted to make sure we had the space.

And then I was off. I would get to the musuem a little before 4. And I was just happy to sit with James behind the desk. It's been kind of a hard week of work on James. I hope that my presence brings them some peace.

I told them about my day and getting the tickets. And it was just nice being together.

We would finish up at the museum and start the journey to Jess's at 430. And it was a fine drive. Not much traffic and at all and got to her house right at 6.

We beat the other guests. But it wasn't a long wait. In the mean time James helped Jess bring a box to the attic and loaded up all the baby stuff she had for us in the car. And then we were just waiting.

4 other people were coming. And I was looking forward to trying the soups. Besides my chili soup, Jess has made a cauliflower, Kelly made a pickle soup!!, Rex and their partner made a gourd soup, and Chuck made a Thai noodle soup. It was so fun to get to try all of them. Jess also made an excellent salad and tiny bread bowls for each of us. The conversation was good, though I was feeling really tired which made me feel withdrawn. I have been feeling very withdrawn lately and it's hard to hold conversations. I feel like I'm making a really big effort every time. But I still enjoyed the conversation. I liked sitting next to James in the bench seat. And I was just feeling happy and warm surrounded by the holiday decor.

We stayed for the ranking of the soups and then dessert. The pickle soup was a favorite of basically everyone. I liked my chili best but no one should be surprised by that. All of them were good though and the bread only made it better.

But I was feeling wildly full. Which was just not comfortable and I was struggling finding a way to sit. If I crunched up I hurt my back, but if I sat straight I hurt my belly. I couldn't win. Jess let me try her new back massager thing but I found it a bit painful. But really it was just time to go.

We said goodbye to everyone. Jess yelled at my belly to try and get baby to hear her. And then we were off.

We're about 40 minutes from home now. And I am very much looking forward to bed. Tomorrow should be a full day. With the market and then an educator event in the evening. I believe that's a wedding. So it'll be a busy day but I hope to get some rest in the middle. And hopefully I can make some sales and just have a good time.

I hope you all have a good day too. Taken care of yourself. Goodnight everyone.

[curiouslycaffeinatedcephalopod]

entry 03

do not be afraid to use technology if using paper based methods of note taking, planning and scheduling and journaling.

when i first started my research project i was afraid of using only applications and software such as Notion, drives for storage, Microsoft Word AI grammar assistance etc. I was afraid because i was told (and anxious about it myself) that i could lose my data and information if i didn't have a backup on paper.

this resulted in me not quite meeting my weekly deadlines with tasks and goals because i was spending time "backing up" all my data, planning, schedules, meeting notes, everything.

Whilst i definitely agree with others that you should have a back up, a lot of these applications and software are so well developed and have really well functioning servers, there is such a minimal chance of just losing everything. it would be more logical to make back ups on other storage platforms/drives than keeping everything in paper AS WELL. this is so time consuming and sends you in a panic every time you need to upload data, write notes, prepare documents, edit documents, review data and leaves you with notes you made hastily (and anxiously) which often times never even helped me as the notes were illegible because i was in such a rush.

of course, a paper based method for laboratory notes is a good idea as devices are not recommended in the labs if you're working with biological matter/chemical substances - pencil down your notes and then you can go home if you have the time and the need to write it onto a notion page or type up a document so that you can review the protocol and how you performed during and the outcomes, any changes you may need to make etc.

you can use notion for your research scheduling and planning and just keep a very simple bullet journal/notebook for day to day notations and planning. i had been told to make sure i have a paper based record of everything i wrote on my notion but i think you can keep an abbreviated version and rather keep a copy pasted document of this and/or screenshots and store that across multiple drives (or one if you're not an anxious academic like me, haha).

if anyone tells you how you should do something so intricately personal to each student/researcher because they do not like the interface you use (yes, i was told i should not use the one thing that has worked for me because it was too difficult for the other party to understand or review), it is obviously nice and kind to try and provide things a format they understand, but do not stop doing the thing you enjoy and that actually helps you reach your goals.

context for number 3:

i found notion through various content creators in the research realm, with mixed recommendations ranging from yes it works well to no not for me. i struggle with planning and procrastinating and academic challenges so i decided to give it a go. honestly, the fact that it was aesthetically customisable was a big plus. that is just simply something that makes me want to work. the next thing was its cross compatibility with other apps and software i used, primarily google. it helped me keep track of upcoming meetings, events and urgent tasks and provided a way for me to visually see my progress. but someone i was wokring with, whose opinion mattered very much to me, had mentioned that they were not a fan and that they did not have the time to use the interface, even though the interface was not our primary mode of communication regarding my research project, it was simply a way for them to see how i was spending my time or planning to as a student of theirs. needless to say, i gave up because their way took way too much time already. it is not a problem or a topic that requires someone to blame, i just was in the midst of an already overwhelming time in my project and had to just do what i needed to survive (lol).

anyways, the lesson i learnt was, after falling a couple months behind because of poor planning and compatibility with how i was going about my most important component of my research was that you really need to prioritise the thing that works for you. whether that is paper based or digital.

but you cannot spend every moment fearing that notion will drop off the face of the earth with all your notes and plans along with it. i wasted so much time stressing and creating paper and digital back ups of EVERYTHING. i have now had to spend essentially a month organising things across multiple emails and drives just to get a start on my next big project. the most important lesson will definitely be that you need to train and teach yourself to know what are things that require a back...

you do not need 17 backups, paper and digital of plans passed and plans to come, you will quickly be reminded or be able to recall most such things as they will stress you out and haunt you so much anyways.

however you certainly do need a sufficient back up of data that belongs to the university as part of your project, or any personal methods of tracking such things.

anyways, sorry for the long rambles i post, i am using tumblr as a way to have a blog until i can actually get a website and publish better and more concise posts. i hope you still enjoy reading or at least find some solace or advice in between it all!

[ivoryminitower]

Echoes of Home: 12 - Tsu'na ("test subject")

Echoes of Home: FFXIV AU OC – WoLs on Earth

I am less angry with Husband today than I was yesterday.  Time and sleep and thinking help.  They also help me understand myself, and why I was angry.  I do not know the word for it.  I think there must be a word for it if it is something people do.  Googling "word for getting me to do things without telling me why" did not give me what I was looking for.  But typing it helped me think about it.

We were camping in a tent yesterday near where we planned to gather crafting materials.  The sleeping bag helped in the tent, as well as Husband's warmth, but I still awoke more stiff than I have felt before in this world.  Husband says people often sleep in tents, so there must be something we need to do better.

I was able to use the latrine without falling in.  Husband says there are "chemical toilets" that can be carried with us, but that they smell and need to be emptied and cleaned and cost money.  Husband knows it is silly to think of making inventory space smell, but he thinks about it anyway.  I can understand.  A latrine is a hole we can simply walk away from.

Husband showed me last night how he makes a fire with "matches", little sticks that make a small fire when rubbed on something hard.  It seemed slow, but perhaps it is how people here get heat without fire shards.  I have never needed to make a fire before, so I tried to make one of my own using a shard, but the wood did not burn easily. Husband told me to use smaller pieces of wood first to make the bigger ones burn.  That did work.  I will try using thaumaturgy next time to save shards.

We found enough iron yesterday to make an alembic, so we used it as a kettle to make tea on my fire.  Then we swept the new area for botany and mining sources.  I started with botany and Husband started with mining, then we switched.  We had better luck finding grasses such as rye and wheat than anything from mining, though Husband did find clay.

When we stopped later to eat I saw an animal coming out of the woods.  It had four legs and a long neck and head, like a horse or an antelope.  "Husband.  Is that an antelope?"

"Hm?  No, it's a deer.  Same family, I think."

"So it might work with antelope recipes?"

"Worth a try, sure."

I switched to my bow and shot the deer.  It fell with my first shot.  "It is that weak?"

"You're a level 80 Bard, my love.  There's probably a lot of things on Earth you can kill with one shot."

I got deer meat from the kill.  We did not have the other ingredients for antelope steak, so we saved it for later.  We have enough aldgoat steak and sauteed spinach for a while.

Later I saw the deer respawn and stood to shoot it.  Husband said, "What's up?"

"The deer respawned.  We can resupply."

He looked at the deer. "You sure that's the same deer?"

"No, it is not.  It is a respawn.  What other deer would it be?"

"Deer wander around looking for food.  It could be some other deer."

"But...does it not get crowded if they wander into other deers' respawning area?"

"They…"

He sat there and stared at the deer.  He looked like he was trying to say something, and like he was in pain.  It worried me. "Husband…?"

He took a deep breath. "You're right.  We should stock up.  Go ahead."

I shot, and again the deer went down.  "Deer hide this time.  We can try to use it for antelope hide."

"Sure."

He kept looking at where the deer had been after the body faded. I asked, "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for the respawn."

"To see how long it takes?"

"Sure."

We sat and waited.  It was a few minutes before the deer respawned.  Husband kept staring at it.  I waited for him to speak.  He seemed confused.

Finally he said, "I have never seen an animal respawn on Earth before."

"You have never been hunting here?"

"Well...no, I haven't, but that's not it.  I...didn't know it could happen."

"Where do deer come from, then?"

"Same as people.  They mate, they breed, baby deer grow up.  Lather, rinse, repeat."

"Lather…?"

"Not important."

"What happens if something kills all the deer?"

"Then there are no more deer."

"But this one respawned."

"Yes."

"Because I shot it?"

"Maybe."

"Then you should try."

"Yeah."  He stood, switched to his bow and aimed at the deer. "Yeah."

He did not shoot.

"You have never hunted in this world?"

"No."

"Have you ever killed anything in this world?"

"Not to speak of, no."

"You eat meat."

"From stores.  Which comes from farms.  Where other people raise animals and kill them."

"You killed a lot of things in Eorzea."

"I didn't...think of them as real."

"I am from Eorzea.  Am I real?"

He lowered his bow and looked down at me. "You're as real as I am."

That did not answer my question.  I know he has been thinking about these things since we came here.  I wondered how much he thought about them in Eorzea.

We kept looking at each other.  I decided I needed to ask. "Husband.  Is there something you have not been telling me?"

He got smaller somehow, like he lost strength or energy.  He sat down and looked at the ground a while before speaking.  "Lots of people in this world talk about scientific law.  They think things work in a certain way, and that stuff's impossible because it'd violate scientific law…

"But a guy named C. S. Lewis who wrote a lot about religion said that scientific law is just a body of observations...that all scientific law is like, 'I pointed my telescope in this direction on this date, and this is what I saw.'  People observe patterns, test to see if they can predict things based on the patterns, and write equations.  Which means scientific law is only as good as the observations.  The first time someone sees something that doesn't fit, scientific law has to change."

He looked up at me. "I grew up in this world.  I grew up with ideas of what is and isn't possible.  There's stuff we did in Eorzea, that we're doing here, that I might've said wasn't possible before I met you.  So I'm a little afraid of saying 'We can't do that here'  or 'That doesn't happen here', because if I do it might mean we won't be able to do those things.  Maybe because we never try to do them, or maybe because we think they won't work.  Make sense?"

It did.  It explained some things I had noticed, like how he let me do something first and followed after.  "But you know you cannot do a thing, and yet you do that thing."

"After I've seen you do it.  You don't know it's impossible, so you do it, and then I see you do it and know it's possible.  It's...weird, sure, but it works in my head."

"I am your tool again."

"No, my love, this is science.  You're my test subject."

I was unhappy and I did not know why. "Your test subject is going to try returning home now.  You can observe."

I used Return.  It took me to the spot in the woods outside of Wyatt.  I walked back to town.  I went to the Hartman house and showered and cleaned, then I went to the diner and ate and cleaned.  The Hartmans did not ask why I was early for work or why I was alone.

I thought about what he said.  It made sense.  It made more sense as I thought about it more.  I was still unhappy about it and still did not know why.  Because he did not tell me what he was doing?  I could see that that could affect things, make me doubt.  I will probably doubt now.

I wanted things to have happened differently.  I do not know how else they could have happened.  I wanted to understand Husband and work with him.  I wanted to slap him.

The Hartmans did not speak to me as I worked.  I think I looked like I was trying to kill the floor with the mop.

Husband came to the diner after sunset.  He had fifteen pieces of deer meat and ten deer hides.  He said he looked for different deer to see if they respawned too.  They did.  He observed the pattern.

We did not talk after that.  But we did go to sleep together.

[n0phis]

5 (im gonna send u a few for the ask game)

5. estimate how much art you post online vs. keep to yourself

honestly theres only 1-2 things a month that don’t at least get posted in the server! i don’t tend to draw for myself. most wips aren’t posted to my socials necessarily, but i still send them to friends and in the wips channel of my discord lol

7. a medium of art you don’t work in, but appreciate

all of them tbh, but particularly normal traditional drawing! i have textural issues that make drawing on paper really uncomfortable, but a nice pencil sketch always looks gorgeous and i miss being able to do it. music making, pottery, sewing and carving are others that i can think of off the top of my head that i wouldn’t do myself but love watching!

11. do you listen to anything while drawing? if so, what?

lonngggg youtube videos that don’t require much attention! i can 100% follow a described narrative and can usually focus better when drawing, but a sorry boys video would obviously require my full attention. vods are kinda in between. i tend to gravitate to interesting, niche video essays most of the time though! nuclear reactors, plane crashes, chemical tier lists and jacob geller stuff generally, but a good commentary essay or dissection of old internet dramas or communities can never go wrong.

21. art styles nothing like your own, but that you like anyways.

i love disney style furries, and most more cartoony or exaggerated warrior cat style artworks! i try to go more of a lineart-heavy, detailed and slightly more realistic style for my own work (though my fanart tends to be more bright and happy than i intend) but i can still appreciate the nostalgia and appeal in cartoony or aesthetic cat designs, or zootopia critters.

24. do your references include stock images?

uhhh whenever i use references i tend to just google body part/animal/expression, stare at it for a bit, and then work from memory back on my canvas. i guess that’s mostly stock images?

30. what piece of yours do you think is underrated?

bold of you to assume i remember my works. but i think an old cranboo piece i did! love it a lot. enderwalk (ill attach it here) i need to paint more again LMFAO

[fridayyy-13th]

get to know me

tysm for the tag, @ollieofthebeholder :D

𖦹°‧★ favourite song(s): far too many, honestly. some particular favorites are "Never Meant to Know" by Tally Hall, "Cendrillon" by SignalP, "Blood" by My Chemical Romance, "Tangerine" by Glass Animals, "I Miss the Misery" by Halestorm, "Mr. Roboto" by STYX, and "Time Machine" by Miracle Musical.

𖦹°‧★ favourite colour(s): green!!! also yellow and purple :)

𖦹°‧★ currently watching: just reached season 3 in my TMA re-listen! and i've been snatching episodes of Doctor Who whenever i'm over at my friend's house because i don't have HBO Max and she does (i did find a few collections of Classic Who on archive.org, but i've yet to poke through those)

𖦹°‧★ last movie: honestly, i can't remember which i watched last. it was either Disney's Aladdin (1992), Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

𖦹°‧★ sweet, spicy or savory: savory! though all are fantastic.

𖦹°‧★ relationship status: single; mildly wishing that wasn't the case but also i'm not interested in anyone, so. shrug lol. it's chill

𖦹°‧★ current obsession: surprise surprise, TMA still has my whole heart <3

𖦹°‧★ last thing i googled: youtube

tags (no pressure!!): @three-magpies-in-a-trenchcoat @winterswrandomness @icariancarrions @cornmazehater

[lowlaif]

Konpeito

never seen a star up close.

kinda wanna eat one.

and no, not one of those starlets hanging out in ridiculously overpriced LA villas - now finally available in "sustainable" minus an ecological footprint rivaling the size of their range rovers. the owner will fly in from two towns over so they get there early for their yearly yacht trip and ill activate adblock so palantir cant pester me with 50-euro airline ads to the maldives because shit, money is going to be a bit tight this month

i want to eat a star. actual heaps of gas and space dust and heat and whatdoiknow, im not a scientist, id rather not belie my words by googling the exact chemical configuration of something thats just bright and pacifying to me, something thatll melt on my tongue. 'm not even gonna chew. just gonna swallow it. the way i ate chocolate as a kid because relishing in something meant enough time for it to be taken away. the way i drink medicine because - if you gulp it down really quickly, it doesnt have time to taste bitter: anything can be honeyed milk if you clench your teeth hard enough

did you know thats what galaxy means anyway? milk? i wonder what galactical honey would be, then. whether id think its sweet or spicy, whether id like the taste or want to spit it out. if itd go down with well-rounded corners or lodge itself into my throat and stay there. fishbones. i also wonder whether astronauts ever feel scammed when they set foot on the ISS and realize theyre not going to bear witness to a sky made out of sparkling lights and silver threads and golden spots and rainbow clouds but rather just a sea so inky black it's going to make breathing difficult not just by lack of oxygen alone. earths much too reflective for any other luminescent object to be visible to the naked eye, ive been told, hence why youd just be looking at a planet so bright it surely hurts to stare at it, and i wonder what it feels like, being up there and gazing down only to be blinded when youre so used to looking up and squinting?

im homesick thinking of kids drawing earth into the upper right corner of their drawings. i dont actually know if theres stars up there though everybody tells me those pinprick lights are, and i cant breathe when im busy trying to figure out what exact level of depression the stale air around me tastes like. but something in my brain clicks when i think of shiny things and theres no empirical evidence that grabbing the sparkly stuff up above my head wont cure me so i want to, i want to, i want to. wanting always boils down to sinking your teeth into it and ive filed my canines far too often to fear the force of my bite now

people dance on the moon and i mimic their steps in my bedroom and though these are just small steps i dont know the names of the poor sods stuck on the ISS either, even though there's only been like 500 of them and they're all way better at living life than i am. my hands ghost over where i instinctively know the light switches of my flat are and wonder if up there somebody's got a nightlight, cheap plastic stars attached to their ceilings, one of those little projectors that put constellations on your walls. whether they ever have trouble sleeping and if yes, what the hell do they look up at then? who do they cast their wishes to?

never seen a star up close. never held one. but the concept is so familiar, so ingrained into whatever our shared consciousness is made out of, that i want with my molars. i itch to keep it in my tummy so it keeps me warm on the cold days and i only trust what i see so i want to look at it until my retinas burn, until the sound of the big bang echos in the confines of my brain. itll drown out all other unwanted thoughts and itll sing in the genetic make-up of my descendants long after my neighbours cant hear me sing in the shower anymore. ill cup my palms and pray into them. begging is easier when youre in position and im on my knees and i swear ill never run out of things to whisper to the radiant little ember in my hands because it is beautiful and because i like shiny things and because stars have always made us look up at them and

When I finally get my teeth on it and swallow it whole I'm sure a piece of the star will get lodged in my throat like. fishbones. in a last-ditch effort at vengeance. I'll spend the rest of my life attempting to choke it back up.

"I made it with love," I'll say after I finally managed to do so.

"Careful, it's hot."

[lotus-mirage]

Trigun Stampede episode 4 liveblog!

I had a bit of a double take at “plant-based meat”.  Come to think of it, are there any actual plants on this planet? Or are they talking about eating the irreplaceable technology that sustains them...?

Welp, there’s Wolfwood.  Wearing that big old gun cross.  Thing.

lmao that’s not a very dignified first look at the guy

Interesting that there’s only seven cities when they seem to be named after calendar months.

Actually huh. I wonder how big this world is anyway.  It feels like it should be pretty small, especially with the number of cities, but I have no idea how big those cities could be.

Those are worms?????

Also another kinda bacteria-looking thing after the bombs, huh.

NEVERMIND WHAT I SAID ABOUT THAT BEING AN UNDIGNIFIED FIRST LOOK. guy just went flying :0c

and now he’s just flopping around in the backseat.  fantastic. no notes.

Plant... outpost? wonder what this is.

Wait Wolfwood is like. actually religious? I kinda thought it was just symbolism.  I can’t believe he’s actually religious and lugging around a big cross on his back.  I can’t tell if that’s delusions of self-importance or just... dweebery.

...drinking from what may or may not be holy water.  My guy. I understand resources are low.

Oh it keeps going.

...I do not believe this man is ordained.

Okay “undertaker”... may check out more?? I have no idea what they might be expected to know in a historical or modern day setting, let alone space-fantasy. I wouldn’t expect them to have access to holy water though?

Actually wait I need to google the difference between undertaker and gravedigger.

Nevermind, they probably do! Alright then. 

okay all that aside - what is happening with the background music here??? It’s unexpectedly unsettling, kind of.

Okay I switched audio languages briefly to see if the additional religious allusions in like every line from Wolfwood was also reflected in the Eng dub (even more blatant actually) and got hit with “You did get hit by big-ass truck, after all,” which was unexpected enough to make me stop and laugh out loud.

Speaking of which I was kind of expecting them to gloss over that given the cartoony nature of that whole sequence, but huh.

ah jeez what now

...we’re going Dune now?? Alright, okay.

the bug things are also Worms?

“detached electrons” I have no idea what this is supposed to mean. That sounds like it’d cause chemical reactions, which doesn’t look to be the case?

“tool of the trade” as a gun or as a reusable grave marker?

oookay eating the weird glowy bug alive and raw. I mean I guess if they’re Worms, we know they’re edible like that, but uh.  yikes.

assassins that control Worms, huh. that sounds like a lost technology thing, presumably

“I can see it in his eyes” yeah yeah okay lay it on a little thicker oh my god

Roberto vanished while they were having a moment! I’m honestly sure if that was an intentional comedy moment lol

okay my prediction is either another bug or a more worm-looking Worm

there is also like barely any liquid, there is no way digestion is happening that fast

OH LMAO is that what’s been happening!? They’ve just been getting launched??

Okay nvm that doesn’t make much sense and also they’d be less likely to survive it than these two I guess

Ooh I really want to see the Worm’s whole design

I guess that makes sense that is an incredibly acrobatic child.

okay yeah that looks like it’d cause rapid digestion

oh yuck the floor

the cross gun has a fucking skull on it. I don’t have words.

it’s a machine gun

oooh that is a really cool creature design!

so like.  is the kid also a Worm or do they just have some sort of power/technological control over them?

it’s a machine gun that also shoots lazers

it also decently high-tech, but still not entirely sure where it falls in terms of technology type

side note, the consistent mild back-and-forth between Meryl and Wolfwood is great

and now the thing about deserving to eat is linked back to the deserving to cry thing from last episode. great. fantastic. ow.

come to think of it, why are they still travelling with Vash?  just cause they got lumped with him after the last episode, or after more info...?

okay I honestly expected the kid and Wolfwood to actually be two different factions. It makes sense but now I want to know if there are more groups out there.

hold up. narration??

okay. red glowing tubes with characters I can’t read.  that’s not an aesthetic that we’ve seen in this show yet I think?

“the gate that allows access to the higher dimension.” the WHAT

I guess this has to be the ‘Gate’ Knives mentioned last episode, but also higher dimension, what

“his morality and ethics are acting as a defensive measure” ???

oh wait no it is Knives’ group. huh.

those look like plants in the background, but all of them are red.  was it the blue one that was having trouble, then? I assumed blue = alive and red = dead, but that may not be the case.  they’re also markedly smaller than the ones in the town.

“more human than anyone” uhhhhhh not sure I agree with that on principle, but I get what they’re saying. sure, I guess.

lmao wolverine claws

End notes:

Hmm, not sure where to start! First off, I think pacing/tonal issues were more or less entirely absent from this episode! nice.

I think that’s our entire party assembled, aside from Millie, who as I understand it is less of a key figure in TriStamp so far, but not so in other versions?? Anyway.  Nice!  I think they did a good job of establishing the dynamics between the different characters.

I guess the main thing to really speculate on is the Gate thing.  So far seems like simultaneously a physiological thing and a psychological thing. He’s had it for a while, but can’t control it (isn’t aware of it?), but it’s a way to access a higher dimension, but it’s also affected by his state of mind.

Not much by way of explaining the key antagonists or their goals, other than now we have... I guess half a goal? Maybe a step in the process.

Step 1: Collect Plants

Step 2: Utilize Vash’s Gate, allowing access to a higher dimension

Step 3: ???

Step 4: Profit