#i do know it was bc i wanted to try it out rather than a character decision but witch hunt made me think abt if it would make sense

[utilitycaster]

sort of an offshoot of that post about video game characters but I think I've mentioned before the third person v. first person split in D&D, namely, do you say "I attack it with my scimitar" or "Drizzt attacks with his scimitar". This is a well-known thing in TTRPGs, I'm sure you can find more intelligent discussion about it, but it's come up for me specifically in that a lot of old-school D&D players skew hard towards third person and often they are less interested in actual play, because they see D&D as a narrative tool. There's no self-inserts; they are narrating the exploits of a guy they made. And so the parasocial elements (which are not necessarily bad, it just depends, and that's another post) have no appeal, and even things like accents don't really.

I don't think third person vs. first person necessarily means "not a self insert vs. self insert." I switch between the two and often use first person. But I don't feel like any D&D character I've played is a self-insert. They have aspects of me, sure, because of course they do, I need to be able to play them and try to think like them, but I think in a game where death and failure are really possible and where you must collaborate and where your options are rather limited - because even in D&D, they are limited by the type of game it is - it's actually vital to separate yourself out from your character.

It comes down to something I've said a lot about so many things in fiction (but yeah, this does bleed into real life): are you able to accept a character who is not like you? Are you able to accept a character who might make wildly different choices than you would? Is your capacity to empathize or see a character as a person limited by them specifically hitting some demographic or philosophical targets you have constructed? Can you, even in a low risk, fictional environment, let yourself be different from how you are.

this seems very silly but I think I may have alluded to Justin McElroy talking about not being able to play fat characters in most games, and so he often just plays characters who do not look a thing like him. He often plays as a woman of color. (I don't recall where this came up? I think it might have been on an ancient polygon video or maybe commentary on one of the TAZ seasons? I'd love to find it again). And I think that's actually really great that this was his instinct. I don't want to diminish the importance of RPGs and TTRPGs for self-discovery; obviously it's been a place for many people to explore gender and sexuality, especially, and I do not want to take away the ability for someone to play as a woman in a game before you feel like you can live as a woman publicly in real life (and notably my issues with the BG3 and Inquisition player characters are not ones of gender/sex/race, ie, I think it is personality and background that might need to be more pre-determined). But yeah, if you cannot connect with characters who aren't like you that's a problem, and it does feel a little frustrating that we know that centering a self-insert OC type makes for a worse story and people still want that.

I've always been intrigued by pre-made sheets in TTRPGs where you are limited in some way, not in a dumb "oh my god you can't play a druid bc I'm a weird vindictive dude mad that your nature magic beats my weaponry" way but just as an exploration of having to walk a mile in other people's shoes and to be a person other than one that you created to exist within your comfort zone. Because a lot of people aren't Justin, and do play themselves or as close to it as they can, regardless of what is happening around them, and I think that is a mistake.

[middlingmay]

I come begging for some happy todcl headcanons bc I’d like to live in ur beautiful universe rather than my reality as an American 😭

I'm sorry, anon. I can't believe this has happened for a second time. Whilst I respect everyone's right to vote how they deem fit, I'll never understand their choice. Or how he was allowed to run in the first place.

Whilst where I live and our political parties certainly have their problems, I'm also living in a world with: workers rights including flexible working and a push against zero hour contracts and fire and rehire; tenants rights; buffer zones for abortion clinics; free period products; a push towards the Gender Recognition (Scotland) Bill; progress towards a circular, greener economy; the Muirburn Bill and protection for Raptor species; discussions on the Assisted Dying Bill; and free prescriptions and the NHS (which even in its worst and sorriest state, still gives me free healthcare). Scotland has a strong conservative bent as a society, there's no point pretending otherwise, and this absolutely includes misogyny, sectarianism out the wazoo and other religious intolerance and racism. But politically we are trying to expand rights, protection, and freedom of choices. Not restrict them.

But! That it not what you came to my inbox for! Happy TODCL headcanons, here we go:

We all know John likes to squeeze Gale's waist, but Gale likes to do it back just as much, if not more. He loves John's thickness. Not because it makes him feel small or anything, he just loves grabbing him and touching him and feeling something solid and soft and tangible under his hands. It makes John feel real to him, when he thought he was never going to get anything like their relationship in his life.

John often takes them on a drive just before sunset. He loves sitting there with the top down, Gale's head in his lap and his long legs dangling out the window, and watching the sun go down.

Crosby and Gale become keen penpals after Crosby moves away. He mentions Will in his letters sometimes, and Gale glares at those letters so hard, it's a miracle they don't burst into flame.

John is ticklish, but just on his feet. Gale discovers this when his hands gets too close in bed one day and next thing he knows he's blinking at the ceiling and John is peering over the edge of the bed at him, wide-eyed. Gale strategises how to make best use of this discovery.

Gale very quickly discovers he's got a lot of fantasies and a lot of thoughts that had just been waiting for the opportunity to come pouring out. John thinks he's going to have to guide Gale through the intimacy in their relationship but he surprisingly has to try to keep up with him.

I hope that at least makes you feel a little better anon. I have a bunch more but a lot of them are plot related and I don't want to give anything away.

[sutherlins]

im probably gonna be offline for a few days, neg shit under the cut.

ive been struggling big time with my mental health since (prior to, but especially after) my cancer diagnosis and it only got worse after remission when i realised i wasnt getting better. ive been dealing with suicidal ideation and just generally wishing i wasn't here/the cancer had won/id never been born. idk if it's the state of the world tonight and the people we unfortunately have to share it with, the pain flare ups ive been dealing with, family shit, or the fact cancer and its treatments have left me a shell of the person i used to be. or maybe its a mix of all of the above but i was pretty sure i wasnt making it to tomorrow with how i feel so based purely on guilt rather than my own desire to stick around i have put in an emergency appointment with my doctor in a little bit and i think i need to deal with this before im no longer able to fight this feeling. ive really tried to be positive lately to combat how i've been feeling, and spread positivity, and trying to be kind where i saw a chance/opportunity to do so, but im just too exhausted and it doesn't feel like my positivity makes any kind of difference anyway. i know whats likely to happen is they give me extra meds and a referral to a shitty mental health team with a wait time of 7 months and send me home bc i dont have an active plan but who knows. i think a few days offline might be for the best anyway, so if i am sent home with more meds i think ill spend a few days with my kindle and the internet off and hopefully i want to stick around again instead of doing it out of obligation to people who in all likelihood would be better in the long run without me.

love you guys

[mikuyuuss]

Sorry to bother! I hope you don’t mind me adding on the topic of Giyuu and Mitsuri because. I made that comic about Giyuu and Mitsuri friendship before, and It got pretty popular. I also fear that it may have caused some misunderstandings. I made that comic because both of them are my favs and I want them to interact even if it was an unpopular pairing at that time. 

I hope you don’t mind me rambling (in case there was a misunderstanding) that the idea wasn’t to make it seem like Mitsuri is Giyuu's older sister figure or that he only sees Tsutako in her. It just so happens that my comic focuses on how he was reminded a bit of Tsutako through her. Sometimes people do feel endeared by others when bits of them remind you of a loved one, but it doesn’t mean you actually see them as that person. Also, about Mitsuri being younger than Giyuu. Tsutako’s age wasn’t clear and it’s possible Giyuu has already outgrown her. 

Besides that, I can imagine them bonding over other things too. How Mitsuri, like Giyuu is also a lonely person, even if it isn't obvious at first glance. They are also both awkward too. I also didn’t want to make it seem like it was only Mitsuri who was “helping” Giyuu (I should have shown Mitsuris pov more, but comic paneling is hard orz) The idea is that Giyuu was also looking out for her! She messed up her hair so Giyuu is helping her fix it. Mitsuri is very insecure about her hair, so she probably worries that Giyuu finds it gross, Instead, he not only fixed her hair, but even give her a cute hairstyle. She was touched by it! I tried to subtly show the difference between Mitsuri and Tsutako here too. (Mitsuri wearing a pink bow instead of red, her hair being on the front rather than the back, her expression being more energetic etc)

I just like it because Mitsuri, while younger, does have the temperment of an older sister, while the inverse is true for Giyuu, and It reminds me a bit of Tanjiro and Giyuu. It isnt about trying to assign them in big sister/little brother roles, but more on me basing it from my own IRL relationships (I am also friends with people who are a bit younger than me but had an older sibling temperment, and I find them to be comforting to be around) I feel that Giyuu could also find Mitsuri comforting if he got to know her a bit more.

It's possible that Giyuu and Mitsuri being besties still doesnt make sense to some, and that’s fine. These are all just my personal hc that I want to share. I sooooo agree that Mitsuri deserves to be seen as her own person. Just because she doesn’t have a super tragic backstory, doesn’t mean that she doesn’t deserve to be comforted and validated too. In general, I definitely agree that female characters shouldn't be treated as only being a source of comfort for troubled male characters, especially bc Giyuu is a grown man himself.

I’m not super into KnY these days but I follow you and seeing yours and EVERYONE’S thoughts about the woobifying of Giyuu and how using Shinobu and Mitsuri as mother/big sis figures to him is a mischaracterization of him and his relationships was positively refreshing.

I don’t have much to add other than the fact that turning Shinobu into a mother figure when her trauma involves her forcing herself to grow up insanely fast feels disrespectful to me. Yes she is a medic and caretaker but she is that as her JOB, not her core personality (which is more vengeful and angry/frustrated, imo).

So thanks to you and all your followers for putting that stuff on my dash!

ahhh it was really fun to see the pov of someone who isnt as invested in demon slayer! makes me feel less nitpicky and insane haha

i really appreciate your addition to the convo! i completely agree that these interpretations feel like a huge disrespect to shinobu’s character and mischaracterization of giyuu!

with this i think ill stop talking about it, at least for now. everyone has provided really wonderful feedback and im super glad im not the only one bothered by it!

[luuxxart]

leaks from the anime post bnha 430……. #REAL #NOTFAKE

[swordmaid]

i am wide awake thinking about that post canon jb au again when I should be sleeping …!!! such is the nature of the jbrainrot…

[bunnihearted]

ཐི ₍ᐢ. ̞.ᐢ₎ ཋྀ

[ganondoodle]

i am being so brave trying so hard to hold back writing a rant about that 'minimizing narrative noise' comment on totk sage concept art bc its actively flying around in my head like the worlds most annoying fly

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

pictured: WIP friendship with a young giant spider :)

Was reminded that i made Var'renan a ranger when playing Witch Hunt, which was mostly a gameplay decision, but i like to think that they learned it through Morrigan! They might not be able to shapeshift but she did teach him a thing or two about how to connect with animals :]

[moeblob]

Anyway they can change between being tiny and human sized. And when they're tinier they can only be seen by the other fae or their selected humans. So if you just passed Noll on the street while Shavuli was perched on his shoulder chatting away you wouldn't see or hear her.

[martyrbat]

habeas corpus – detective comics #1086

(ID in alt!)

[pollen]

i've been diving a lot deeper into adhd symptoms and comorbidities and misdiagnoses and whenever i tell my boyfriend something i learned that sounds like me he responds with something like

[iknowwhereyousleepatnight]

pro tip: if a doctor is saying shit and you’re getting weird vibes you can stare dead at them until they shut up and/or call them out and watch them scramble

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Yangchen and Aang: *trying to hold onto what Air Nation qualities they have while still performing their duties* Disha, to Roku: You are a spirit of NO Nation. Me: ??????

[unnamed-atlas]

Finally finished sweet tooth s3. Having incredibly mixed feelings

[bulldagger-bait]

When it comes to hygiene tasks and self care with disability and chronic illness, its pretty much a constant case of: don't let perfect be the enemy of the good.

Basically: it's better to do something, than to do nothing at all.

TLDR: Just because you can't do something "properly" doesn't mean you shouldn't do it at all. Do it half-way. Do it shitty. Do it barely. Do it on a technicality. But do what you can. Just try, because doing something will help you.

If you don't have the energy to scrub your body with a sponge, just rub soap over your skin with your hands.

If you don't have the energy to wash your whole body with soap, just hit the places where sweat accumulates, or where you're smelliest.

If you don't have the energy to wash with soap AT ALL, just sitting in water is better than nothing. It will wash away dirt and oils.

If you can't bathe or shower at all, a warm wash cloth is your new best friend. If that's too much, then try bath wipes. They're a bit bigger than regular wet wipes, and a bit more heavy duty. They're designed to help keep bed ridden patients clean in hospitals.

If you don't have the energy to dry yourself after a bath or a shower, just put on a bathrobe and get into bed. If you don't have the energy to get dressed afterwards, just don't. It can wait until you can.

If you don't have energy to brush your teeth for two minutes, honestly, just a cursory scrub is better than not doing anything.

If you can't brush your teeth twice a day, brush in the evenings. It will help take away the build up of food from the day.

If you don't have the energy to brush AT ALL, honestly, just take a cloth and wipe the plaque off your teeth. Rinse with mouth wash after if you'd like. Something is always better than nothing.

If you can't floss twice a day. Try once. If that's too much, try a few times a week. If that's too much, try setting aside a day once a week as a goal. If you can't keep a schedule, do it when you're able to. Hell, I keep some floss next to my bed so that if I forget and don't have the energy to go get it, I can just reach over.

If you can't iron your clothes, don't bother. Wrinkles are fine. Wear jumpers over wrinkly t-shirts. No one will know, and honestly, most people won't even care. If it's really wrinkly and it's A Big Deal And It Needs To Be Ironed, here's my life hack. Step 1: take a spray bottle, and spritz the item of clothing (while you're wearing it is easiest) until it's lightly damp. Step 2: use a hair-dryer on the clothes until they're dry. It gets rid of creases like nobody's business, it's easier than lugging out the iron and ironing board, and you get to have nice toasty warm clothes afterwards.

If you can't fold your clothes, try just hanging them up. It's less commitment. It's quicker to do. Granted, you need to have the space in order to do this, but it is also good at helping you downsize, and lets you visualise exactly what you have.

If you can't put your clothes away, invest in a couple of laundry baskets, and then just keep your clean clothes in the baskets. You can then separate washed clothes into underwear, pants, and shirts baskets. You can just leave them like that. I'm giving you permission to never fold your laundry again if you can't. Just leave it unfolded. Who's going to care? Something is better than nothing. If you can, try to put those baskets into your closet so that you can keep the clutter out of sight, and give yourself a more restful environment.

If you can't separate your clothing out into different categories and wash them "properly" (whites, warm tones, cool tones, darks, delicates / switching between hot & cold washes / paying attention to laundry instructions on the label) then just don't worry about it. If you cold wash your clothes, colours won't bleed. Maybe gradually over the course of dozens of washes there'll be some changes in hue, but it's really not as high stakes as the One Red Sock In The Whites Turns Them Pink trope makes it out to be.

I've pretty much come to the point in my life where if a piece of clothing can't survive the washer and dryer, then it's just not meant to be. I colour separate my clothes, and if I have the energy/remember I'll take my bras and jumpers out of the washing machine to drip dry. But otherwise, I leave it to the universe.

If you can't separate out your recycling, then don't. If you have a large amount of rubbish you need to get rid of but the idea of separating it out properly is stopping you from doing so, then just don't worry about it. I know it's not ideal, but if you have garbage in your room/house and you need to get rid of it, please just get rid of it. Don't let the problem get bigger and harder to deal with. Don't let "doing something properly" get in the way of keeping your living spaces clean. Please. Give yourself understanding.

If you can't wash your dishes, get paper plates. Obviously, it's not ideal, but it is better that you eat food than skipping meals. It is better that you have a clean kitchen, rather than having dishes piling up and making it harder to look after yourself.

If you can't prepare meals for yourself keep making the tasks easier and easier. If you can't do recipes, then simplify. Use pasta sauce from the jar instead of making it. Eat canned soup. Buy food you can just stick in the oven. If you eat fish fingers and microwave veggies every night, it's better than not eating anything at all. It's better than having to fork out money on take-out. If you need ready-made meals, then get them. If you're literally just eating a raw cauliflower for dinner; 1) I see you, 2) me too, sis, 3) something is better than nothing.

These are the basic things you need to do every day to function as a person. They are your activities of daily living. Brushing your teeth. Bathing or showering. Using the bathroom. Getting dressed. Eating. Drinking. Sleeping. Keeping your environment clean. You don't need to do these things perfectly, but they need to happen in order for you to have a decent quality of life.

And it breaks my heart, because I know that so many disabled people can't do these things every day. I'm not saying this to guilt or judge, I'm saying that these are basic needs; you deserve these things. These things bring dignity. If a disabled person is unable to do these things, it diminishes their quality of life. It robs them of dignity.

If you need help to do these things, Its okay to ask for help. It's okay to need help. But if you can't get that help and you have to do these things by yourself -- or you just plain want to be independent and do it without help-- then don't hold yourself to standards you can't meet.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Even if it's not perfect. Even if it's not done well. Do what you can.