#i have so little interest in socializing.

[candidenigma]

I fully appreciate the point that this post is making; this is just a personal reflection.

I sometimes find myself in the awkward position of having other people think I am this when in reality I am anything but.

The problem is that I like many things which are considered too "normative" by the standards of the people with whom I share political allegiance. However these things are also what I liked in early childhood, or interests that developed from what I liked in early childhood. I am fundamentally the same person that I was as a little kid, just more informed and more experienced. This is in spite of the fact that everyone I interacted with (with the significant exception of my parents) felt uncomfortable with who I was then. Why was that? Because, in their perception, I was too mature. I behaved too much like an adult, and a very old-fashioned and serious one at that. People were constantly pressuring me to be more like my same-age peers - even like the socially awkward nerdy kids. But I knew who I was, I liked who I was, and I had a level of self-confidence that could knock people flat when they weren't expecting it.

Fast forward to young adulthood and my attempts to meet other people whom I could relate to. I learnt the hard way that the LGBT+ community and the haunts of self-identified leftists were not the place to do it. The same tastes, interests, mannerisms, and ways of being that had me called "weird" all the way through school were now called "normative" and even "repressed". The implicit message was that all these things were not authentic to me but conditioned behaviours that I had to break free from to be my true self. I have never felt so much pressure to assimilate than in the company of people who called me an "assimilationist".

Henceforth I am now cautious of anyone who uses words like normative too liberally, or compares maturity to the loss of childhood joy and authenticity. The things which gave me joy and a sense of authenticity in childhood were considered non-normative specifically because they were supposedly too mature.

Perhaps you (whomever is reading this) can recognise the difference between someone who is at the "goldfish level" and someone whose dreams and unique desires just aren't what you expected, and whose empathy has been continually tested by the astounding lack of it in others. Perhaps you wouldn't give me the sad, hollow, patronising look that says "you haven't discovered who you are yet, have you? you haven't finished becoming a real human being, like me."

you ever see someone so coked-up on adulthood that they've replaced every shred of interiority with a regurgitation of normative power structures

[wtfaniii]

Little Cheater

Summary: You are twelve years old and you accompany your father to work, there was no one who could take care of you so he had no other option, there you meet a new friend.

Warning: Nothing, just something outside the series to focus on this wonderful man with purple hair, also, there will be some non-canon things.

Based on this request!

Choi Su-bong (Thanos) x little friend

Your eyes continued to watch with curiosity and interest the huge screen in front of you that showed a bunch of people dressed in the same uniform playing "green light, red light."

—¿Why can't I play with them? —You asked, pointing at the screen while your father put on a black hood and the mask with the square figure depicted in the center.

—They are not children's games —He responded without much encouragement while putting his gun in his pants pockets.

—That's just what it is ¡You see! —You said with irony, getting up from the bed you were sitting on —¿Can I go play?

Your father snorted under the mask, seeing you with the arms crossed. ¿Why did he bring you here to begin with? Your mother was probably hooking up with some other idiot and he hadn't been able to get a babysitter in a matter of hours, you shouldn't be here and yet you were standing in front of him demanding that he let you into those games.

—No, Stay here, I'll be back in a couple of hours.

It was him last thing he said before leaving the room but you were disobedient, you were definitely not going to stay there watching adults having fun playing while you were sitting on that bed.

So you sneaked out of the room and walked without stopping until you managed to find a door guarded by two pink guards with the triangle symbol emblazoned on their respective masks.

—¿Can I come in and play? —You asked with a wide smile showing your white teeth.

That gesture always worked to get the adults to do what you wanted but these guards remained silent without moving an inch.

You sighed and took a wad of bills from your dress pocket, money you had secretly taken from your father's wallet.

—¿Can I come in?

Once again the guards remained silent for a few seconds until one of them took the money and opened the door for you. "Walk until you reach a blue metal door, ask the guard to let you in" He told you seriously. You nodded and walked even further into the facilities until you reached said door where they finally allowed you to enter.

Inside there were many beds and the players were scattered talking or simply sitting without much encouragement, you didn't understand why but you didn't care and you walked among them, you walked until one of them caught your attention a guy with purple hair who seemed to be rapping sitting on a ladder with another player next to him.

You walked towards him and put on your best smile.

—Hi... —You greeted quietly but keeping your smile, you were curious and quite intelligent but when it came to socializing with others you were very shy and that was because your schoolmates picked on you.

—Hey... —Thanos looked up at you with a curious look —¿What are you doing here? ¿Did they bring you here too? ¿What kind of debts could a girl your age have?

—I have no debts —You said walking towards him softly while you also looked at him with curiosity —¡I like your hair!

Thanos nodded and continued making movements with his hands while he continued rapping under your attentive gaze. He believed that you would leave if he didn't pay attention to you, but when he saw you fascinated with his verses, he had greater motivation, considering you his small audience.

You laughed with some rhymes until another black-haired player with the number 124 approached you.

—¿What are you doing here girl? —He crouched down to be at your eye level with a mocking smile —¿Aren't you afraid of being here?

You stepped back, seeing him judging.

—¿How old are you? ¿eight? —Again he mocked, taking a step forward to intimidate you.

—¡I have twelve!

He laughed at your response and was going to make another mocking comment but before he could do so, Thanos snapped his fingers, drawing both of attention.

—It's not cool at all to bully a twelve year old girl —He said, motioning for you to sit next to him, to which you quickly went with him —Señorita, don't let this moron scare you, he's just as nervous as everyone here, ¿Right Nam Su?

—It's Nam Gyu —He corrected him making a nervous movement with his hands.

—It's the same —Thanos continued playing with his verses while you listened to him.

You also tried to rhyme a few times but when you couldn't, he laughed at your failed attempts.

—¿How do you do it? ¿Will you teach me? —You asked frustrated after several failed attempts.

—This is an art, little lady, and don't learn it, are born with it —He says, puffing out his chest with pride and moving his hands in front of your face in an exaggerated way, making you laugh again

—¡You're funny!

He smiled at you genuinely, everyone say that all children tell the truth and if you managed to empathize with him in just one hour that means that he is a great man and that fueled his pride.

—¿Do you want to play with me? —You asked with a shy smile as you played with the fingers of your hands.

—¿Play? —He asked curiously, the drugs had diminished considerably from his system so he was already calmer sitting next to you

—¡Yeah! My dad gave me this so I don't get bored, I play solitary but now you can play with me —You said excitedly, taking out a game of cards from the pocket of your dress.

Thanos nodded and settled in his place to be in front of you, his mind still did not fully understand how a girl your age was here, you were not wearing a uniform and you looked so calm that he doubted that you really knew what was happened in this place.

Still he kept his mouth shut and started playing with you after dealt the cards, you was adorable and very friendly, in a way you reminded him of himself as a child.

As time went by you were winning in each round, he was surprised.

—¿How do you know how to play this so well? You're barely twelve —He asked with a frown while scratching his head in frustration for not having won a single round.

—Dad taught me once —You were intelligent and you memorized things quickly, that's why you also knew many things about this place even if your innocence proved otherwise.

He continued playing against you, he was not going to give up until he won a game and that led him to complain and accuse you of being a cheater after each round lost due to a large difference in points, causing you to only laugh.

Lunch time was announced and Thanos went to pick up his food along with his team, leaving you on the stairs while you put away your cards with the intention of continuing to play later, however a guard approached you.

—Your father wants you to leave immediately and return to the room —Said the stranger sternly.

—But I don't want to go yet.

—I don't think you have a choice.

You pouted and looked towards Thanos and the guard randomly forming a plan in your little head.

After a couple of seconds you smiled innocently and ran to where your purple-haired friend was, you knew there would be consequences when you returned to your father but for now you wanted to continue in this place, it was the first time you made a friend and you didn't were ready to leave him so soon.

The guard was going to follow you, he had clear instructions and if he let you go the punishment would probably be for him but as soon as he took a few steps the boss's voice sounded in his earpiece.

"Leave her" Your father said in an authoritative voice and giving the order to the guard to leave, he was not happy to leave you there and even less so with that specific player but he did not want to make you unhappy either, he saw you laughing and talking to someone unknown, someone other than him and your mother and that was somehow encouraging, if player 230 could help you socialize more maybe he could overlook this lack.

Although he himself would also put his authority at risk with the frontman

—Hey, ¿What happens? —Thanos asked when you suddenly arrived and hugged him around the waist while pressing your right cheek to his stomach.

—Nothing, I just like you —You said with a triumphant smile as you watched the guard leave.

He brushed it off and kept you by his side during the line despite Nam Gyu's protests, Se mi and Min Su also liked you but you were more attached to Thanos.

As night fell... He was barely settling into his respective bed when he saw you sitting on the side and leaning against the wall.

—¿Aren't you going to sleep?

—I'm afraid to sleep up there alone —You admitted looking towards the bunk beds where there was an empty bed on top that had been left for you.

He wasn't going to allow you to spend the night on the floor, you weren't going to sleep well and seeing you nod off from exhaustion he deduced that you were also more asleep than awake.

He got out of bed and went to you to carefully pick you up and place you in him bed where you quickly fell asleep, Thanos covered you with the blanket and placed the pillow under your head.

A small laugh caught him attention and he looked up to find Se mi with a hand on his mouth to muffle his laughter, watching him with a tender look.

—Looks like you made a friend —She said smiling, caressing your hair.

He smiled softly, she was right, you were his friend but he wasn't going to say it out loud so he answered the following.

—She is the leader of my fan's club, I have to be good to her —He made sure you were comfortable and sat on the floor next to you, it would be a long night for him without a bed but he put your comfort first.

Anyway... you would tell him what the next games were going to be at dawn, you were going to cheat but it was inevitable, you grew fond of that fun guy.

And without realizing it, that affection he got from you could be a possibility to get out of that place alive.

[ducksido]

Leona Takes Someone on a Date (Not clickbate) ((THEY KISS?!)) Leona's Valentine

(i wrote this and the rest of savannaclaw at school)

It started with a single sentence.

"Oi, herbivore. Be my date."

Leona Kingscholar wasn’t the type to ask nicely. He wasn’t even the type to ask at all. But there he was, standing in front of you outside Ramshackle Dorm, arms crossed, looking as though he'd rather be anywhere else.

You blinked up at him, processing his words. "…Huh?"

"Tch. Don’t make me repeat myself," he grumbled, his tail flicking behind him. "I made a bet with Ruggie that I could take someone on a date and not have it be a total disaster. Figured I might as well pick someone tolerable."

Oh.

You should have known it would be something like that.

Still, your heart did a funny little flip.

Leona, the Leona Kingscholar, was asking you on a date. Sure, it was because of a bet, but…

"Alright," you said, shrugging. "Where to?"

He raised a brow, as if surprised you agreed so quickly. "Monstro Lounge. Azul owes me a favor."

The Monstro Lounge was as extravagant as ever, the dim lighting giving the restaurant an intimate atmosphere. You and Leona sat at a booth near the back, away from the noisier parts of the lounge.

Just as you were about to take a bite of your food, a shadow loomed over the table.

"Leona-san, I had no idea you were capable of romance~"

You sighed. "Hello, Floyd."

"And you brought little Shrimpy on a date, too! How cuuute~" Floyd Leech cooed, leaning down and resting his arms on the table.

Leona clicked his tongue. "Beat it, eel."

"Aw, don't be like that, Kingscholar," Jade Leech's smooth voice joined in as he approached with his ever-present polite smile. "It's quite rare to see you engaging in such… social activities. We’re simply intrigued."

Leona scowled. "And I'm simply not in the mood for your nonsense."

You chuckled, watching Leona's tail flick in annoyance. "You guys sure seem interested in Leona’s love life."

Jade hummed. "We’re interested in anything profitable."

Floyd grinned. "Yeah! Maybe we should start a betting pool on how well this date goes~ What do you think, Shrimpy?"

"Do it, and I'll drown you," Leona deadpanned.

Floyd pouted but backed off, and Jade followed with a knowing smirk. "Enjoy your meal, you two."

As soon as they were gone, Leona exhaled sharply. "Damn eels… always stickin’ their noses where they don’t belong."

You laughed. "They’re not wrong, though. It’s not every day you ask someone out."

Leona scoffed. "Don't get used to it."

Still, despite his gruff attitude, his ears twitched slightly, and the corner of his mouth lifted in the smallest of smiles.

After dinner, Leona walked you back to Ramshackle Dorm. The night air was cool, the stars twinkling above as you strolled side by side.

"…Had a good time?" he asked after a moment, voice quieter than usual.

You smiled. "Yeah. It was nice."

He smirked, fangs peeking out. "Tch. Guess I win the bet, then."

You rolled your eyes but didn’t argue. "Congrats, Your Highness."

As you reached the front door, you turned to face him. "So… was this really just about the bet?"

Leona paused, golden eyes locking onto yours. Then, with a lazy grin, he stepped closer, tilting your chin up with a single clawed finger.

"Maybe at first," he murmured. "But now… I kinda like the way this turned out."

Before you could respond, he leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to your lips.

When he pulled away, his smirk widened at the dazed look on your face. "Heh. ‘Night, herbivore."

And with that, he turned and walked off, tail swishing behind him.

You stood there for a moment, stunned, before a slow smile spread across your lips.

Yeah. You could get used to this.

[simmerianne93]

[Simmerianne93]Portrait_poses_18

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Hello everyone! How are you today? Are you enjoying the sims and the sims 2 or are you still playing the sims 4 above all? haha unfortunatelly I can't afford any of them haha so it'll have to wait, but I hope you are having a pretty good time!!

Here you have another "Memories" posepack!! Or that's what I would have called it if I were naming my packs with proper names xD but as I'm basic, this is a new "Portrait" posepack for you and your pixel families to create memories for the wall.

I was going to bring this pack on the 30th, to end January, but I decided to wait a couple of days because of the rerelease thing and all the hype. And actually, this was a pack that i was planning for december as part of the family collab but I was short of time and I couldn't do them.

Anyway, my idea now on is to bring one family portrait pack each month (or each two months), 'cause I received more ideas than expected when asking for them for the collab... I want to make all the suggestions (and my own ideas as well) 'cause I feel like there are a lot of "basic" poses with 1 or 2 children... sometimes 3... but variations are kind of missing.... so lets see how it goes and if I can make all the poses you suggested...

The poses that I made this time I made them for my own use... If you follow me on bsky (and even if you don't) you may know by now that I'm playing the events with my simself, and she already have a fam... I was looking poses for 2 toddlers and 1 infant / 2 children and 1 toddler to make some memories befor the little ones grow up... and I couldn't find ANY... so... it was time to work on them... and this is what i got.... now you have a family posepack for those cases when you have twins and then an unexpected (or not XD) infant... haha

Althought... now my simself is having a 4th child xD so maybe I'll need to make another pack with 2 children, 1 toddler and 1 infant.... it never ends.... hahahaha maybe that's the pack I''ll bring at the end of this month....

And... talking about the month... its february.... and you know what it means, isn't it?.... VALENTINE POSES!! I have a few ideas in mind... and I hope I can make them all... keep in touch to have all the next packs!! I don't know if I'll be able to share the "coming soon post" but I'm telling you already that there's a few interesting packs coming this month!!

Thank you for always being there!!

Enjoy these poses!!!

Dag, dag!!

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What is on it?

2 Trio poses (one with 2 toddlers and 1 infant/ one with 2 children and 1 toddler)

5 Groupal poses for 5 sims (2 adults, 2 toddlers and 1 infant)

5 Groupal poses for 5 sims (2 adults, 2children and 1 toddler)

--- What do you need?

Andrew poses player.

Teleport any sim by Scumbumbo or Mccc by deaderpool.

Invisible infant mat replacement  by mcrudd  (OPTIONAL FOR INFANTS WHO HAVEN'T LEARN HOW TO SIT YET)

"The hipster hugger" sofa from Basegame (or any 3sits-sofa or 2sits-sofa, tho it can glitch a little bit depending on wich sofa you choose and depending on the pose)

a double bed (I used a bed from Seasons EP but the poses may work with others)

a dinning chair (I used one from Cat and dogs EP but the pose may work with others)

———

Instructions in the original post.

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TOU

Do not claim my creations as your own.

Do not re-upload or modify my creations.

Do not make money of my creations.

Do not include my creations in Mods folders to download.

Please follow my Term Of Use.

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Download it now here — [FREE FOR EVERYONE]

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If you want to support me:  Patreon | Ko-fi

All my poses overview: Pinterest |  Wix | Tumblr

More in-game preview pics of all my poses: Instagram

My socials: Twitter | BlueSky | Instagram | Tumblr

Lives and videos: Youtube

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I really hope you like them and I will say in advance: Thank you so much for using them.

@ts4-poses

--

[alittlebitofloveliness]

Darry Curtis was always gay- the musical just makes it more obvious.

I know it was never Hinton’s INTENTION for any of her characters to be perceived as queer, she claims she didn’t write them that way, and that’s fine. In fact, I think reading The Outsiders as a group of straight men who have the bonds they do is actually a really great critique of toxic masculinity, in that we would see the contrast between their interactions one on one or alone with the group, compared to their macho, hyper masculine personas they showcase in public. HOWEVER, I think it’s incredibly hard to read it that way because Hinton accidentally and completely unintentionally made Darry Curtis one of the gayest characters in modern literature. It’s not far fetched. It’s not a stretch. I’m saying that if you have even a surface level understanding of subtext that it is obvious. Darry’s queerness is as open  in the novel as he is in his life- that is, it’s never said explicitly, but it’s VERY easy to see the signs. In fact, the way it’s threaded into the narrative but very talked around leads me to believe that even though Darry wasn’t out, it might have been an open secret within the gang- or at the very least they probably had some suspicions. 

For one, in the book Darry is never mentioned even once to have had a girlfriend, or even to have gone on dates, but we know he was popular and well liked. You can’t convince me that a handsome, popular football player, whose peers liked him enough to vote him Boy of The Year, didn’t have more than a few girls interested in him, but Pony’s narration never even alludes to Darry having been interested in one. For all he talks up Darry’s achievements, the scholarship he won, the future he could have had and everything he gave up, women/a girlfriend were never a part of it- which, given the time period and Darry’s reliance on hyper masculine social scripts, seems highly uncharacteristic unless there was a plausible explanation for his complete disinterest (ie. being gay). Now, examine this hyper masculinity a little further, and you can see it for what it is, a) a defence mechanism (because it separates him from stereotypes of what a gay men are like, so if he’s ‘manly’ enough no one will ever suspect or discover what he is) and b) the unfortunate complete opposite of that. Just like how hyper femininity characteristic to femme lesbians is off putting to men, the same is true to some degree about hyper masculine men being somewhat off putting to women. Not to the same degree, and probably not as obviously, but Darry’s  over the top masculinity might be the one thing effective in keeping (some) women away for reasons they can’t quite put their finger on. Point is, Darry was never a ladies man, to a degree that is very not heterosexual, especially for the time period.

So, now that we’ve established Darry’s complete disinterest in dating women,  his hypermasculine personality and it’s possible implications, let’s turn to other textual support for his queerness: his relationships with other male characters. I’m not talking about the gang- his interactions with all of them are very friendly/familial-  but he has a bond with Tim Shepard that is clear on the page but left largely unexplained (their weird eye contact and high mutual respect, the fact Tim was at their house once with no explanation), and his homoerotic run in/fight with Paul at the rumble. Both these relationships have plausible deniability- they’re not explicitly gay, but they’re also not NOT gay. Again, Hinton didn’t intentionally make Darry gay, but he very much is, and as far as closeted gay characters go, he’s a fairly well written one, because the subtext is very much THERE if you know what you’re looking for, but the queerness of his interactions is shrouded in this very real this COULD mean nothing characteristic of a lot of closeted queer interactions. 

Having said all this, I think the musical making Darry and Paul’s fight (somehow) even more charged and homoerotic than it is in the book was a wise choice, because a lot of the rest of the subtext was changed/missing from the musical adaptation. I’ve seen the ritfr analysis looking at the lyrics as they relate to Darry’s queerness, and I do think they follow the veiled/subtextual theme, but I don’t think they’re as explicitly gay as they’re touted to be. However, I do think the musical does a good job of highlighting Darry’s queerness given the medium they’re working with, and the actors do an amazing job portraying it without saying it outright, making it more obvious than it is on the page- but Darry was canonically gay in the book too, and let’s not pretend otherwise.

(Lmk if you want to see my analysis of the other Curtis’ queerness as it related to the book + musical).

[covid-safer-hotties]

So I have an opportunity to write an article for The Sick Times, and I need to interview some people from Southern/rural places about their covid caution/long covid experiences where there's little-to-no resources or social support. Drop me a DM if you're interested! If they like what I write, it could be a series. BIPoC and long covid folks go to the front of the line, but the more voices I hear from, the better my article will be.

[blackmagecat]

Guys. I mean this with all the love I can muster: we need to stop defending the Democratic party. Yes, it's not their fault the Republicans have gone full-tilt Nazi. Yes, it's not their fault that a slim majority of voters chose racism and sexism over their own civil freedoms and liberties.

But please understand that we are way past "purity politics" with these criticisms. We are facing constitutional crisis after constitutional crisis and the Democrats are learning ALL the wrong lessons from their defeat. Republicans hold a very slim majority in Congress, and even with that, Democrats (particularly leadership) are obeying in advance and seem to be more interested in capitulating to Trump and so-called "bipartisanship" rather than offering up any meaningful attempt at opposition. And there is a very specific reason for this:

The Democratic Party is not a party. It is a corporation. It functions primarily as a fundraising arm to maintain solid blue seats and little else. As an organization it is completely captured by capital in the opposite way the Republicans have been and at this stage of the game (fascism) they are literally being paid to lose. That is not to say there aren't individual members of Congress who care deeply, of course there are, but none of that is enough to override the specific fundraising and consultancy apparatus that keeps the Dems as a middling, ineffective opposition to Trump.

The Dems are going the way of the Whig Party and fast. And unfortunately, iirc, the collapse of the Whig Party occurred as prelude to the Civil War. This was an opposition party which refused to take any meaningful stance for or against slavery. They were utterly captured by notions of seniority and decorum despite their growing unpopularity and social unrest and upheaval in the country and were perceived at the time as the party of the urban upper middle class, uninterested in the plights of the farmer or unskilled worker (sound familiar?).

Unfortunately, I don't think we're going to have the benefit of a third party's rise like that of Lincoln's Republican Party to come and save us from this disaster. The two-party binary is so entrenched that it is probably impossible at this stage to unseat this century's Whigs.

Primary every Democrat. Ask your reps what they are meaningfully doing to oppose Trump and fight back against Musk's hostile takeover of our treasury and all our federal agencies. If they can't give you a solid answer or plan, or even a stance that is unequivocally "fuck these Nazis," PRIMARY THEM.

“But two weeks into the Trump administration—which is just as lawless, destructive, and inhumane as anyone who lived through the last one could have imagined—it is clear that Democrats on Capitol Hill are failing so spectacularly to confront a constitutional crisis (which their own political incompetence helped create) that I am willing to channel the anger coursing through my body and finally put my country before my own personal well-being.”

— Primary Every Democrat

[ballroomblitzzzz]

So I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, about wicked, because of course it's about wicked.

Specifically Glinda and her relationship to sorcery. (Hold tight this one's gonna be a whole ass essay) I find it interesting that the film really tries to make it clear that she has, not just little power, but none at all.

Because in the book she does have magic! Like there's this great scene where her, Nessa and Elphaba are talking about sorcery and she explodes a sandwich in their faces to prove a point.

This isn't relevant at all I just really like the scene. Point is, book Glinda's magic ain't too shabby. And in the musical (unfortunately I've only seen it once so apologies if I've read this wrong) I kinda saw it as she did have magic, but just didn't really get good at it before act 2. But in the film it's clear she doesn't have any. Like in NOMTW she pushes a pedal to make the bubble instead of using her wand, similar to how the wizard uses mechanics to fake sorcery. So why is it different? I hear you ask.

Well my curious child, I'll come to that in a minute (promise) right NOW I wanna talk about why Glinda wants magic in the first place.

And this is something that's had me stumped for a while, I mean it's not like she needs it. She can easily get whatever she wants from social manipulation, and yet it's still her heart's desire to become a sorceress.

And it's SUCH a big part of her character that couldn't just go around not being able to answer that question now could I?? And guys I think I figured it out.

So she's always been jealous of Elphaba, right? Right. And the thing about Elphaba that she envies, is that she's powerful without having to rely on other people. Glinda doesn't have that. She gets to the top because people like her. She said it herself, 'its not about aptitude it's the way you're viewed'. She knows the way to truly succeed is to make sure that you're liked. And she's very good at that, so she doesn't need sorcery, and YET she wants it. And to me this proves that Glinda hates the reason that she's liked. She wants people to love her for what she can do, not for the shallow persona she presents. She wants to have a power all to herself. She doesn't want to need people. She wants to be the kind of person who hops on a broom and overthrows the government at the drop of a hat (pun intended) but that's not who she is.

Of course she doesn't go with Elphaba. Elphaba can be strong on her own but without the public on her side Glinda is powerless.

And just think it's soooo fucking interesting how Elphaba and Glinda's different kinds of power can be seen as just another metaphor for their sense of self. Because Elphaba has had to trust herself, to have a strong enough identity to know that she's better than what people say. But Glinda's entire identity and self worth are tied to what people think of her, she's only as good as people say.

So of course she doesn't go with her.

But here's where she changes (for good hehe). And of course, it's down to Elphaba. Because Elphaba has always believed that Glinda is powerful outside of other people. And, back to sorcery now because yes that is what I started talking about, it's Elphaba who invites her to sorcery class, it's Elphaba who asks Glinda to come and meet the wizard with her, it's Elphaba who asks her to come with her in defying gravity and (SPOILERS FOR PART TWO!!) its Elphaba who gives her the Grimerie. Because Elphaba has always believed Glinda was strong even when she wasn't.

Glinda always wanted to be a sorceress but it was only Elphaba who had faith that she could do it. And this is what makes Elphaba giving her the Grimerie so symbolic and so, so fucking sad. Because Elphaba's showing her that she's better than she thinks, she just going like 'hey, you got this'. And srhstjdyfkvhlvukflyyc. And so the way Glinda's viewed doesn't change at all, but the way she sees herself does, and so don't mind me while I go cry in a corner.

And you know maybe all this was obvious to literally everybody who watched the film and I've just mansplained lesbianism to everyone but I just really needed to write this down because I've been going insane about the power dynamics and I can't shut up about it.

And dude these characters are so complex I just wanna peel them all like onions, but oh boy does it make my eyes water.

[malsmind]

more than we thought

a bsf!mat xbsf!reader series by @ 𝓂𝒶𝓁𝓈𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹

chapter 1

warnings: swearing, slight flirting

wc: 1.5k

english is not my first language!

unexpectedly, you and matt met on the east coast, where you both lived a few years back, making your first actual and geniuine bond of friendship with the triplets when you were fifteen and they were seventeen. you got along with his brothers, then they inroduced you to matt. it just clicked. the both of you got along instantly, the same interests you shared along with your and matts mental health, dealing with similar problems just made you feel understood, and he felt the same.

who would have thought that about four years later, you guys would share a bond thats even stronger, a friendship that you'd never want to lose.

creating content on the internet, making youtube videos.. it was a job that wasn't your cup of tea, but your closest friends loved it. you always supported them, every step of the way til this day, you were happy for them, it made you happy to see them so happy about it.

even when in 2022, when you were seventeen, and they were nineteen, they moved to Los Angeles.

they came to visit, obviously because of their family and friends. it was weird at first, not hanging out with them during the summer, not getting to go for late night drives with matt when school was draining you again, but it wasn't the worst. you knew you'd join them soon after you graduated, that's how you always planned it to be. when that day finally came, you were beyond excited, and so were nick, matt and chris. eventually, you did find your passion in making content on social media. not fully commited to it, but you still did your occaisonal little vlog, posted tiktoks, instagram dumps and appeared on your friends youtube channel every now and then. it was safe to say, you were happy in life. highschool sucked for you, you had friends, sure, but none that you'd actually feel happy around. no real friends, no friends that'd actually have you feeling like you had someone you could trust, laugh with, share memories with. so moving to LA to where your real friends were, getting your first own apartment, growing independent felt like a dream come true.

you were currently sat on matt's bed, looking for some decoration and furniture for your apartment. you moved in almost a year ago but you didn't get the chance to fully furnish and decorate your apartment yet. decisions on what you want and the various options making it harder than it needed to be.

"i can't find a good coffee table. they all just look the same." you sighed, throwing your phone aside and flopping down into matt's pile of pillows.

he turned around from where he was sat at his desk, playing fortnite with chris, taking a look at your phone display layed out with pictures of coffee tables. they indeed all looked the same. "well, you got any idea what you want specifically?" matt asked you, turning back around to face is screen. "anything that doesn't look like those right there. they look too modern and it's just not for me." you picked up your phone again, trying your luck on facebook marketplace, vinted, and other second hand places. vintage was always your way to go. the aesthetic fitting your personality just right. at the end of the day, your apartment was like your safe space, so your goal was to make it look cozy and feel like it too.

noticing you were now back into focusing on your deep dive on furniture, matt didn't say anything more. you scrolled for what felt like ages until you finally found your dream coffee table for your living room, a perfect match for the couch you had bought two months ago. you apbrubtly got up from matt's bed, holding your phone for him to look at your find. "oh my god. tell me this isn't the most PERFECT coffee table you've ever seen" matt turned his head, shoving his headset off on one side to be able to pay you more attention, his eyes squiting at the picture in front of him. "how much is that?"

"$200" you smiled, happy with your find.

"$200 for that old thing??" matt frowned at you as if trying to ask you if you were seriously going to spend that much money on it. "it's a fair price, dude." you returned his expression, turning your phone off and shoving it into your pocket. matt shrugged "you gonna go pick it up?"

"yup, you wanna come along?" you asked him, fixing your hair from laying on it for the past two hours. "yeah, lemme just finish this game" matt said, putting his headset back on, letting chris know too. you made your way out of matt's room, sitting down on the couch next to nick while waiting.

"nick look" you squealed, proud and happy of what you're about to pick up. nick looked up from his laptop, grabbing your phone and swiping trough the pictures. "oh my god, that's PERFECT for your living room!" nick exclaimed, matching your excitement. "literally what i said. i think plants by the wall next to the couch would look SO good with that coffee table in the room." you said, picturing it. nick agreed, handing you your phone back. "you wanna come along with me and matt and pick it up?" you asked nick, typing out a message for the seller to let him know you'll be on your way soon. "i gotta edit our friday video, sorry. but i'll come by when you got it!" nick offered and you nodded. "no worries."

matt's door opened and he walked up to you and nick, stretching. "you ready to head out?" he asked, nodding his head at you. you got up with a yes, waving goodbye to nick and making your way downstairs, matt following close. matt had picked you up earlier today, so your car was back at your place. he drove to the location put into the gps of the car, bobbing his head along to whatever song you put on aux. you were restless with excitement, admiring the pictures of the piece of furtniture that you were soon to call your own.

you arrived at the sellers place after about 15 minutes of driving, getting out of the car with a slight jump of happiness. matt shook his head with a chuckle, locking the car and following you. the coffee table looked just like it did on the photos, just perfect. after getting it into the car and driving to your place, you and matt carried it up into your apartment, placing it down on the rug in your living room. just how you imagined it, it looked perfect. you loved it. "it's so fucking perfect i'm gonna cry!" you chirped excitedly, hugging matt's side tightly. he hugged you back, matching your happiness. "still can't believe you spent $200 on it though."

"one hundred precent worth it and you know it" you smiled, proudly looking at your finally fully furnished living room area.

...

the soft sound of your spotify playlist coming from the TV filled the room, along with conversation between you and your friends. you were laying between matt's legs on the couch, the back of your head resting against his chest while talking to nick and chris. "i mean, it's technically the same fuckin' thing, no?" matt huffed, shrugging. "kid, no. a TV show takes so much more effort to like, get trough." chris spoke. "not really to be honest. if you fuck with it it's not gonna feel as dragging like it would when you don't, obviously."

"nah but still, i'd rather just watch a movie than dedicate a whole day to grinding episodes. like you fully plan your day out around watching a whole season of a TV show" chris argued.

you and nick both exchanged looks, trying to hold your laughter at the meaningless conversation between the other two. the argument about what's better to watch kept going on for a little while longer until it eventually died down.

for the late evening, all of you decided on doordashing some food, eating it while watching a movie. when the movie finished, everyone got up, matt tapped your shoulders that his hands were rested on, urging you to get up so he could too. you got up, stretching, matt matched your movements. "i'll probably be out tomorrow but i can swing by later on." you let them know and they nodded, making their way to the front door of your apartment. hugging you goodbye, nick and chris made their way to the car. matt hugged you, "text me when you guys get home" you mumbled into his hoodie, hugging him back.

you said your goodbyes to matt for the night, closing the door and making your way into the living room, cleaning up the empty cartons of pizza and cans of sodas.

finished with your nightly routine, wiping off your makeup and doing some skincare, you got into bed, picking up your phone.

series link (everything you need to know)

taglist

@grace-sturnz @rcklessheavn @sofia-is-a-sturniolo-triplet-fan @chrissturniolossidebitch

[iloveelvisss]

In Came Sunnie

Summary: Based heavily on Girl of my best friend. Cassandra Barlowe, budding film star, gets her breakout role in Kissin’ Cousins. Playing the youngest of the Tatum girls, her character’s name is Sunnie. Elvis takes an IMMEDIATE liking to her, and upon introducing her to his intimate inner circle, she becomes extremely close to one Jerry Schilling. Can Elvis knock his own feelings for the sake of his best friend’s happiness?

Ranges from 1964 and onward.

Pairing: Elvis Presley x female OC- Cassandra (Sunnie) Barlowe

18+ so minors dni

Chapter 1: In Came Sunnie

Warnings/Triggers: mentions of sex, cussing, references to a slight foot fetish?? If you see anymore, lmk!!

*****************************************************

Cassandra Schilling. Elvis hated how it sounded. He couldn’t even bring himself to say it out loud, in fear of quite literally making himself gag. If he would’ve known that this would be the outcome, he would’ve never invited her to the Perugia Way house after filming wrapped.

He thought it would be like any other time he’d brought home a costar. They’d hang off him and reserve their attention for only him. But fuck if Cassandra was just the opposite. She’d almost immediately branched off from him to socialize from the second she’d entered the home. And by the end of it all, she was perched comfortably right beside Jerry. And damn it all if Elvis couldn’t bring himself to intervene. Jerry had been so lonely lately, and was finding it hard to find a girl who’d talk to him for the soul purpose of, well, talking to him. They’d always used him to get to Elvis. But Cassandra was different, she seemed genuinely interested in Jerry, and Elvis just didn’t find it right to take that smile from his friend’s face.

And now here Elvis was, holding himself together miraculously as he stared at the newly placed engagement ring on Cassandra’s finger. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear the guys hollering over Jerry and congratulating him for finally finding the balls to propose, but he just couldn’t break away from his deafening thoughts. Why the hell was he so stuck on this? He’d only wanted to sleep with Cassandra when he made the choice to bring her over that night, so why was he so physically ill over her being engaged to his best friend?

“EP! Ya good?”

Elvis looked up to find Charlie standing over him, a look of concern on his face.

“Yeah, man. Where’s ol’ Jerry boy at?”

*

She was gorgeous. Her smile was something out of this world. Elvis had the single thought that her character’s name matched her extremely well. She looked like sunshine.

It was strange— the stirring in his stomach. He’d only felt anything of the sort when he’d met Priscilla, but even then, it really wasn’t this prominent. Elvis had the most intense want— no need— to fuck Cassandra Barlowe silly.

And the rest of filming went in the same fashion. Elvis undressing her with his eyes, and to his knowledge, her not having a clue. She was just sweet, laidback and happy to do whatever entailed the most adventure.

“I think ‘m gon’ call ya Sunnie,” Elvis stared at her as they were supposed to be going over some lines together. She was splayed perfectly against the porch set of the Tatum’s cabin, giving him an amazing view of her legs— and not to mention her cute little sooties. Such perfect sooties, he thought to himself.

She gives him a small smile, “what? Like my character?”

Elvis nods. “Mhm. I think it suits ya, plus I give nicknames to a lot of my friends.”

“And I’m your friend?”

“Yes. Well, I- I- if ya wanna be,” He nervously scratches the back of his neck, a habit he’s had all his life.

Sunnie just smiles, and Elvis notices how her eyes sparkle when she does so. And then he remembers something. “Ah, shit.”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

He looks away, suddenly finding the fake water well very interesting, “One o’ my pal’s name is Sonny. Can’t exactly be callin’ ya that, I don’t really wanna think ‘bout him when ‘m talkin’ to ya.”

Sunnie looks up at him again, quite obviously holding back a giggle. And Elvis feels the corner of his mouth quirking up at her expression.

“I don’t mind. Just so long as you specify that I’m the better Sunnie.”

Elvis finds himself grinning for what felt like the hundredth time in the span of ten minutes. He sticks his hand out for her to shake, “Deal.”

*

After congratulating Jerry and giving him one of his many cigarillos, Elvis finds himself trying to quietly slip away to his bedroom. He didn’t want to celebrate the impending union of the girl he planned on making his in a way and one of his best friends. He’d much rather just down his drug cocktail and will sleep to take him.

But he stops short. A voice, the voice he really didn’t want to hear tonight rings out softly behind him as he climbs the stairs in the kitchen.

“Elvis?”

There she was, all glorious sunshine and hairspray. His Sunnie. Damn her and her ability to make him soften the second he sees her sweet face. “Hi there, Sunnie. Whatcha doin’ in here?”

“You know, I could ask you the same thing. Did ya not like the party? I- I could ask Jerry to move the party somewhere else…”

Elvis shakes his head, his eyes crinkling as he gives her a soft smile, “No, ‘m jus’ fine. Jus’ gon’ head on up to bed. That alright?”

Sunnie returns the smile. And in the dim lighting of the stairwell, Elvis thinks he sees her eyes flash. But in a split second it’s gone and she exudes that golden shine she’s known for. “Of course. Thank you for letting us use Graceland for this. Good night,” and with that, she turns and leaves him where she found him.

He finishes his journey upstairs and collapses on his bed, and he’s still in this position an hour later when he decides maybe it’s time he give that little girl he met in Germany her very own diamond ring. The Colonel and Cilla’s parents had been enforcing the idea for months anyways, and maybe in doing so, he could finally get that sunshine smile out of his head.

*****************************************************

Very short first chapter because I really just want to know if anyone would even read this if I kept writing it. But I already love my sweet Sunnie girl, so if this at all caught your eye, PLEASE lmk!! Enjoy, much love😙.

Tags: @queenstarlight @jhoneybees @atleastpleasetelephone (lmk if you wanna be added)

[petermorwood]

I'm surprised to see a How-To like this dated to the 1950s, when I'd have thought rotary dials weren't exactly new tech, but @dduane suggested It might have been because small US communities still relied on party lines and switchboards, where a number, PEnnsylvania 6-5000 for instance...

...was asked for rather than dialled personally, and actually using a dial phone might be an unfamiliar experience.

Oddly enough, this How-To doesn't actually explain how to USE the dial (on another page, probably) so here's how.

UK dial left, US dial right, operating principal the same.

Lift the earpiece or handset, put a fingertip into the appropriate numbered hole on the dial, drag it around to the finger-stop, remove the finger and let the dial rotate back to start position.

(Don't force it, auto-rotation is what sends the number as a series of electrical pulses so forcing it confuses things. Voice of long-ago experience.)

Repeat for the remaining numbers, then speak when the call is answered. End the call by putting the earpiece / handset back in place.

*****

Aspects of outdated but still-in-memory social history fascinate me, partly because they were part of my life though now they seem to be museum exhibits, and also because various details are useful bits of info for fictional world-building.

For instance, in a small town or village it was common knowledge that the switchboard operator - not a government tapper, just a person you or your family might meet every day - could be listening to any phonecall, so sensitive subjects were avoided or worded with care.

Read on.

*****

I grew up with rotaries and the first I ever used - standing tiptoes on a chair - was one just like this wall-mounted contraption, which had been in my Grandad's grocery shop since about 1930, when his phone line was first connected.

Grandad was an earlier adopter. I've got a shop receipt stamp showing the phone number back then, which had only three digits. Numbers in the same town are now eight digits...

The "candlestick" phone (far more common in historical movies and TV dramas) had most of the same working telephone parts, but needed a table or desk to rest on and its connection box with bells mounted on a wall, whereas the wall-mount has this box built-in behind the dial and mouthpiece.

Also, since typical style of use involved two hands...

...if only to brace it on the table (they were top-heavy and could overbalance)...

...it was a lot less convenient for making notes or taking down orders.

NB an interesting little detail in that first photo - a sandglass egg-timer attached to the phone for timing calls.

*****

Writer Side-Note 1: the hooks for the earpiece have a spring. Take the earpiece off and it snaps up to make the connection, put the earpiece back and it drops down under the weight, breaking the connection.

I sometimes wonder (and should probably find out) if early phonership being higher in the US than across the Pond influenced why US light switches work the same way as the phone hook, up for on, down for off. UK / Irish ones are the opposite.

Certainly those hooks are why "pick up" means answering a call and "hang up" means ending it, even if nowadays both are done by tapping an on-screen icon.

Indeed, we still "dial" a number even though actual dials are long gone - unless they've been put back as an app, see below... :->

"Ringing off the hook" suggests a phone so busy that bits of it are jumping off - but also, that it's so busy it won't shut up even when disconnected.

In fact it would shut up if that happened, and gave rise to another phrase which nowadays has a slightly different origin and meaning.

Lifting the earpiece off its hook and putting it to one side without making a call meant anyone phoning the number would get a busy signal. Thus "off the hook" meant "can't be contacted", often with an implication of "doesn't want to be contacted."

Nowadays the phrase owes more to fishing than phones, so "off the hook" means "avoided a threat / got away" - though perhaps there's still a telephonic echo in "isn't caught". YMMV.

*****

Writer Side-Note 2: older phones didn't have a dial. Instead, lifting the earpiece made a connection (indicated AFAIK by a light) at the local "switchboard exchange", indicating that someone wanted to make a call.

The "telephonist" (usual term for working with an office network) or "operator" (usual term for working with a public network) would reply, find out which person (office) or number (public) the caller wanted to reach, and make the connection by hand.

The usual conversation went something like this:

"Hello, caller, which number do you require?"

"Mr Brandybuck's office, please," or "HOBbiton 3-5-7-9, please," or "Bywater police station, quickly!"

"Thank you, caller. One moment, please. Connecting you now... You're through."

The operator could also listen in to any conversation and, at small local exchanges where they weren't too busy and knew one or maybe both callers, they often did.

In fact and fiction this habit made them a useful source of gossip, information and evidence, and callers' awareness of it also meant that any "interesting" phonecall would be framed in guarded or oblique language which might sound a lot more suspicious than it really was.

*****

Whenever a caller in "Downton Abbey", "Peaky Blinders" or whatever rattles the hook of a phone up and down, it's because they're trying to get the operator's attention that bit faster by making the switchboard signal light blink.

Anyone who's pressed the call button on a lift several times to make it hurry up, even when that button's lit to show it's on the way, will know exactly what I mean. However, an old-style phone linked to an old-style switchboard might actually have had an effect. With lifts, not so much.

*****

Rotary phones got a lot sleeker as time went by...

...though they still had spring-loaded switches - those two little black nubbins - to open and close a connection. These too could be jiggled to "speed things up", though by this stage the exchange was usually automated so it was no more effective than prodding lift buttons.

Despite that, "picking up" and "hanging up" remained a fairly accurate description, especially with wall-mounted phones.

This style of phone, or at least their hand-set design, still provides the basis for phone icons in many / most smartphones.

*****

Rotary phones went out of style in favour of push-button designs, including cordless ones...

This carried over to mobile phones, first big...

...then not so big...

...then small, then smart and getting big again...

Smartphones also started with push-buttons before going over to touch-screens, and now what goes around comes around, with apps for those touchscreens to simulate both push-button and rotary phones.

To complete the retro experience there are (or were, anyway) vintage-phone charging docks with working handsets.

Install a rotary-dialler app in this, and it's back to the future.

Especially if there are cradle switches to jiggle so the cell connects faster...

:->

“How to Use a Dial Telephone” 1951.

[amethyinst]

I've been getting worse and worse youtube recommendations so I was wondering about what kind of videos do you enjoy and like to watch! I miss watching content that is actually informative and interesting :(

oo ok here's a list:

if you like longform content: fd signifier, folding ideas and jenny nicholson are the only three 'video essayists' i still watch, video essayists in general are kind of intolerable to me LOL 90% of them have nothing to say and theyre also very unfunny (or whatevernot my style of humour). but jenny does interesting topics with unique insight and fd and dan olson have great social insight.

all of fd signifier's videos are great but i'd recommend his kanye (pt 1, pt 2, epilogue), nicki minaj, drake or kendrick vs drake videos as a starting point, or his videos on black conservatism (pt 1, pt 2) the obamas (pt 1, pt 2) and the manosphere (pt 1, pt 2, pt 3). folding ideas' videos on NFTs, the Metaverse, and the Gamestop short squeeze, are an excellent pseudo-trilogy that, despite the jargon often rife in the crypto/stock space, are made easily understandable to the audience. recommending jenny nicholson on tumblr feels redunant but the bronycon video is particularly great.

if you like jenny nicholson's theme park content defunctland is fun. love his recent documentaries on fastpass and disney animatronics are great. huge backlog of videos to watch from him

oh also climate town if youre interested in climate change and the weird little ways tha corporations rule our daily life, and also notjustbikes for weirdly fun and interesting and existential videos on moving away from cars and urban planning and car-dependance. idk where to put him but jay foreman makes great videos on weird stuff about london, england and maps. idk how to recommend him well but he's super fun.

for science (some also long form): angela collier makes videos about physics and the state of physics academia, and bobbybroccoli makes excellent documentaries about science and science-related frauds. nilered is sort of a mad scientist and does great chemistry content. speed up his videos though and you gotta get used to his speaking cadence lol.

for history: historytime makes great history videos, long and about stuff like the bronze age. histocrat does as well, i particularly like his video on the voynich manuscript. im careful about history youtubers cos theyre often stupid and fash but these two are great. stefan milo is great for neolithic and paleolithic content, he's wonderful at making this ancient history feel human and real.

tasting history with max miller makes great videos on cooking historical recipes and talking about the history behind it. nuanced and super fun!

im not into gaming but ahoy makes great gaming related content mostly about the history of gaming and retro games, i rewatch his video on the polybius arcade game myth all the time. and jacob geller makes great video game video essays that make me, a person who does not play video games, interested.

fredik knudsen has a great 6hour behemuth on eveonline and his other content has gaming stuff and a lot of internet rabbitholes. warning his stuff also includes like, lolcow sort of content. not specifically doing lolcow farms stuff but he does talk about it.

if you're into mysteries/internet rabbitholes/crime: lemmino is a pioneer in the genre basically everyone is aping his style, barelysociable is the best of the lemmino disciples and his video on the silk road drug market is great, vuldar is another "lemmino clone but he's good"if you like lemmino" sort of guy, same with abstract, blameitonjorge does lost media stuff. oki's weird stories makes well videos on weird little stories like jacob wohl (pt 1, pt 2)

missingenigma does missing 411 cases and presents them in a MUCH better light than the rest of youtube, basically discusses strange missing persons cases that are in fact perhaps not so strange. insomnia tv does icebergs on cryptids, history mysteries, true crime etc. hes a small youtuber and i dont always agree with his ideas on like bigfoot or whatever but he's super fun i love his southern accent he's great to put on while im cooking and cleaning

if you like animals: antscanada makes these dramatic videos about his huge terrarium super funny and fun to watch theres like three seasons of it, robert e fuller makes great videos on native british wildlife like documenting the parenting habits of owls, octopus lady does fun ocean content

if you're interested in other cultures: blondie in china makes videos about her life living in china, little china everyday also does china content, africaeveryday makes fun videos about his daily life in nigeria in the style of atomicshrimp who i also recommend if you're interested in the daily adventures of a british man. kiun b makes videos about living in yakutia in siberia, tatiana haina is super underrated and makes great videos about living in ghana

foodieland makes videos about korean food like restaurants and stuff, no talking just documenting

if you like reels/shortform content: uyen ninh is this vietnamese woman living in germany and makes great reels and also videos about her culture and about germany. eoin reardon is an irish carpenter, meditations on the anxious mind is another irish guy who makes hilarious little videos about subcultures with added philosphy, gunnar deatherage is a fashion designer who has done some looks for chappell roan

There's so many more i watch that are great but this already took me like an hour to compile so ill end it here, but you can ask me for more specific recs and i can give them ^_^ kisses

[animentality]

I've always harboured a mild dislike for x reader stuff. I never really held it against people because I don't have the time to antagonise them, but it was so upsetting when every time I opened the fandom tag and all I saw were posts and posts and posts of bland x reader stuff that clearly is ooc with no real substance to them at all. So many of the RP blogs seem the same way.

As someone who tries to make analysis posts and art for the same fandom, it is disheartening when I spend hours and hours on an analysis post about a character and it maybe hits 120 notes while an OOC x reader of the same character soars to the thousands. Maybe it's selfish of me to say but I say it anyway.

The fandom is full of youngsters and I never felt comfortable voicing my opinion for the same because it just felt wrong to tell kids to stop existing in communities. But the amount of times I've been put down for shipping characters with each other rather than myself is an honestly surprising number.

Um. I don't really know where I was going with this.

But your post definitely opened my eyes a little bit on even why I dislike x reader so much. It's sinking in a little bit. My hatred for OOC stuff seeps into this, I suppose. So I wanted to say that. Yeah. I agree with you.

Thank you for saying it.

Signed,

A fellow analyser / artist / fanfic writer lmao

— @lunarcloak

I get you, man.

I know self shippers have always existed.

I don't mind them. If that's how you enjoy the media, then fine.

However.

I just don't think that the sudden rise of self shippers over fan analysis and shipping is a good sign.

I think it comes from a lack of media literacy and willingness to actually engage with a piece of fiction. At least shippers and fan analysts actually talk about the world and plot itself.

self shippers imagine themselves dating a character in an au that is completely disconnected from the story, and acting in a way that's not even close to how they are in canon.

which to me is like... you have a creative writing prompt but it's not a story you're actually engaging with. someone showed you a picture of a handsome man and said write a story about how he'd kiss you.

and it's like... ok. there's no crime in just being horny, but... when that's all a fandom is... I don't consider it a fandom, it's just a masturbation fantasy.

I thought the whole point of fiction was to dive into the human experience and try and understand ourselves better. See the perspectives of others. Live vicariously in another person's shoes.

Fan analysis about themes? Perfect. You're thinking. You're feeling. You're articulating. You're growing as a person as you decide what you like or don't like, or try to put together puzzle pieces so that the whole picture makes sense. Shipping? You're imagining scenarios. You're bending canon to fit your interests. You are developing your own ability to write characters, and growing as an artist and a writer.

But self shipping...?

Eh.

You're writing, I guess, but when you reduce yourself to just... idk, some generic girl that Gojo decides is the Bella to his Edward... I mean I'm glad you're happy and all.

But how happy are you

Are you happy at all, or are you frustrated by this aching loneliness deep in your gut that you just don't understand, and it never quite feels whole bc you keep cramming nothing into it.

And it's not the loneliness or the social awkwardness that I'm criticizing here ok, shippers and fan analysts can be just as lonely. I just think that the human relationship to art should be confusion and appreciation.

you should be trying to understand others or yourself.

you can insist well what's so wrong with escapism? why does everything have to be an intellectual exercise?

it doesn't have to be ... but there's a reason people feel so hollow watching marvel movies.

art without substance is consumption. it's a distraction from your own humanity, it is not anything more.

not to you, anyway.

and I don't know.

that's really sad.

I've made so many friends through ships and babbling about canon and gushing about narrative beats.

I feel like I got something out of fandom, if other people force me to see the world in another light. I feel like a story has done its job if it's made me feel something. and it's really done a great job if I feel invested enough to hope two characters smooch.

but self insert?

eh. so you just like the character and think they're hot. that's fine.

not that interesting to talk about either. requires very little analysis on your part.

they just provoke sexual feelings or romantic feelings , which are easiest for you to process, and then you can move on to the next pretty boy you can turn into a Dom.

it irks me, man.

just a tad bit.

[kotton-kandy953]

❏ 𝐓𝐄𝐘𝐕𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑 !

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 love interest ꒱ . . . yandere ! xiao ! high school ! au x fem ! reader

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 format ꒱ . . . headcannons

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 warnings ꒱ . . . stalking, yandere themes

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 authors note ꒱ . . . dear lord have mercy, xiao is hot. I just want to eat him || teyvat high school simulator homepage!

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🔪 word count ꒱ . . . 0.5k

Xiao would wear his uniform very nicely will almost always be seen without a uniform jacket on. No matter how cold it is outside.

He’s very athletic and good at most sports, he just doesn’t care enough to play competitively or for any team.

He’s a straight A student, but if someone were to ask him for help on a certain subject, he’s not the best tutor. Although, if you ever called on him for help he would gladly assist you. It may just be blatant favoritism, but he doesn’t seem to mind helping you out.

Due to his lack of social skills, if Xiao has a crush on you, he wouldn’t know how to deal with it. Resulting in him following you around (without your knowledge) like a lost puppy — all the time. At this point, it has to be classified as borderline stalking.

Speaking of you, Xiao tends to get a bit… jealous when he notices you spending a bit too much time with another student. Even if you two aren’t in an established relationship yet. Like, jealous to the point were the thought of harming them invades his mind. Of course, he quickly dismisses the thought. But maybe I a little warning wouldn’t hurt, at least not too much.

He plays the clarinet in band solely because it’s a wood wind instrument. He loves being in band, but doesn’t prefer all of the attention he gets while performing on stage. (at least you get to see him in a suit)

Not only is he in band, but art as well (along with Kinich). His favorite thing to do in there would have to be sketching.

His favorite subjects are art and English (do they even take English? Idk).

He WILL cover his notes/desk with doodles of the most random things in certain classes rather than listening to the lesson. (he’s so me) He’s gotten in trouble for this multiple times but it doesn’t stop him.

He’s also gotten in trouble for drawing fake tattoos on the back of his palms/arms.

On the topic of art and drawing, he will claim that’s he’s not good at it, but anyone who’s around him will beg to differ.

I feel like if you ever were to compliment him on any of his talents, he’d probably just stare at you wide-eyed for a few seconds then immediately change the subject like nothing ever happened.

The introverted kid that always prefers to sit in the back of the class.

Due to his secluded and pretty cold personality, other students either fear or find him interesting. He, himself, has not even come to understand the latter.

That is, believe it or not, the number one reason why he struggles to make friends. It’s hard to believe that he doesn’t hate everyone, which (isn’t entirely false) makes him all the more unapproachable.

He’s probably one of the last student’s picked for group projects if he doesn’t already have a friend in that class.

[shaded-or-shades]

Meet FungusClan, a definitely normal clan with no issues whatsoever.

(Based off @exocynraku’s clan generator)

(If I’m being honest, I just saw Frightstar and went “yea, I’m using it” but then I noticed more interesting things.)

(1. So. Many. Red. Cats. 3 apprentices out of 6 are red. 2. All ‘queens’ are male. Trans cats and malewives go hard. 3. Sootkit and Sootlick. And Sootkit looks like potential Sootsplash.)

More information about cats under the cut.

Frightstar (she/her, leader)

Frightstar was always a leader. Nobody remembers her as anything else but a leader. The first memory about Frightstar anyone remembers saying goodbye to her as she went to get nine lives and greeting her once she came back. Nobody remembers her as deputy, warrior, apprentice or even a kit. Undeniably, she’s a good leader: other clans never attacked FungusClan when she was a leader, however also clans around FungusClan closed their eyes countless times when some foolish FungusClan apprentices crossed the border and hunted on other territories, which raised suspicions from all clans, but leaders always shrug it off: “Those are just apprentices.”

Elders love to gossip about what possibly could’ve been Frightstar’s previous names: ones say that her parents were cruel for naming their kit Frightkit, but others say leader changed her name when she became a warrior.

Antwood (she/her, deputy)

Ant was always strict and orderly, believing that her ways were the best. She may not be very compassionate or social, but she’s a good tactician and knows disturbingly a lot about her clanmates, even if they never spoke to her. Originally, her sternness began when she was a kitten, and even though a lot of cats shrugged it off as her just being bossy or “just a phase”, it never ended.

Mauvebee (she/her, main medicine cat)

Mauve is a very kind and generous medicine cat, feel free to ask her for anything! She may be blind, but her paws hold skill which no other medicine cat before her could achieve. She received her full name Mauvebee because she always seems to have sixth sense on where to find bees and get honey. Even though she’s amazing tracker, she still has trouble getting the honey out of hives due to her blindness and quite often needs a seeing cat to help her.

Peanuthare (he/him, medicine cat)

Peanut used to be a very calm and polite cat, however, once apprenticed to Mauve, he visibly became more anxious. After all, who wouldn’t be terrified when your mentor brings you to look at corpses as your first outing as an apprentice? But Mauve, despite her sweet as honey words and encouragements seemed to be a little too exited that now she didn’t needed to wait whenever a warrior was free to go out, she had her very own apprentice to go on adventures with! However for some reason, Peanut always returned with a scratch and bristled fur.

Stonewing (he/him, senior warrior)

He’s a very calm cat who always seems to seek solitude and peace, quite often wandering away into foggy gorges or sneaking away to look at stars. After countless attempts, his clanmates discovered that it’s impossible to cheer him up, so they just let him sneak away, because in these moments, he looks a little happier.

Ponderingseed (she/her, warrior)

Ponderingseed, despite philosophical name, loves simple things and pranking cats. Her most famous prank is leaving seeds in nests to look if they’re going to sprout. She’s formerly a loner, but she refuses to talk about what happened to her before she joined FungusClan.

Earlyfrost (she/her[AMAB], warrior)

Earlyfrost is a quite interesting cat, because despite having a white coat and having a lot of disadvantage when hunting, she was loved by FungusClan, because cats born with completely white coats are usually seen as good omens, a StarClan’s way of blessing the clan and telling them about upcoming events, which are usually new-leafs full of prey. Despite already being a blessing, Early has her eyes on certain scary she-cat who doesn’t seem to notice her..

Wildyowler (they/he[AMAB], warrior)

No cat knows much about Wildy, but he’s a generally nice cat who loves doing chores around camp, but loves even more to go on border patrols. They’re suspiciously close to some of the loners they meet, which a lot of cats think as normal because Wildy was a loner too.

Martenbound (she/her, warrior)

Marten, despite white pelt decided to build her reputation around her masterful hunting skills, and not imaginary holiness of her fur. She sometimes loves to wear pelts of her most impressive catches. A lot of cats consider her as a candidate to be next deputy, but Marten doesn’t have a heart to admit to her clan that she doesn’t believe in StarClan.

Pansybushel (he/him, warrior)

Pansy is a loving tom who quite often helps medicine cats in herb garden, sometimes even trying to grow his own plants in there. He quite often gifts his clanmates flowers, but he has no romantic feelings towards anyone.

Yarrowpaw (she/her, warrior apprentice)

She’s a very angsty kitty, who’s constantly unhappy and bitter. She’s quite unhappy that her name is Yarrow and not something cooler. However, she loves her mentor Ponderingseed, even if Yarrowpaw thinks she’s childish. In fact, Pondering quite often calls her Yewpaw, which is the only nickname Yarrow is fond of.

Ploverpaw (he/him, warrior apprentice)

He’s a very energetic, impulsive and lively apprentice, incapable of sitting still for long time or doing one task for too long. Which is why his mentor is Pansy, who tries to teach him patience, because it’s not only about waiting, but also knowing when to strike.

Murmurpaw (she/her, warrior apprentice)

Murmur is a quite secretive and mysterious apprentice who has a beautiful voice and love for perfection. Her mentor is Antwood, and despite Murmur formerly being an outsider, she quite often manages to impress her mentor with her dedication and determination, even if Murmurpaw’s favorite task is watching over kittens. She’s an incredible singer and has a knack for creating trinkets for kits to play with.

Driftpaw (he/him, warrior apprentice)

Driftpaw is incredibly fast cat, so if you don’t want to accidentally get knocked over, move out of his way! Drift may be obnoxious and bratty, but he has best intentions in his heart. His mentor is Stonewing, and he’s struggling a little because Drift is too fast of a learner.

Primrosepaw (she/her, warrior apprentice)

Primrose is a quiet sweetheart who prefers sitting on tall trees and looking how clouds pass by, sometimes terrifying her clanmates because she climbs very high up. Her mentor, Wildyowler is trying to get her to socialize more, but they might not be quite successful.

Hummingpaw (she/her, warrior apprentice)

Humming is a bit of a scary apprentice who unnerves a lot of cats. Humming’s birth was a good omen to the clan, she began changing a lot, so she was given Earlyfrost as a mentor. Despite both of them being white, they cannot relate to each other, being quite distant and never talking much.

Hailflicker (he/him, den dad)

Hailflicker was a permanent caretaker for a very long time, and being surrounded by kits all the time is taking a toll on him, with him quite often being too emotionally drained to do other activities or get out of his nest. He currently cares for Fablekit, Leopardkit and Stumpkit.

Spidersky (he/him[AFAM], queen)

Spidersky is a quite stern dad, believing that discipline is the only way to make kits behave, and is very frustrated when his demands aren’t immediately met. He currently cares for Milkweedkit, Blueberrykit and Sootkit.

Sootlick (he/him, elder)

Sootlick was never the same after his mates, Rabbitspeck died when giving birth to their son, Peanuthare. He claims that he started to see things from his injured eye, but whenever he tries to talk about things he saw, it ends in “go back to nest grandpa”, because he always says he’s seeing spirits, but not StarClan, and that his mate is among them.

Bearrise (she/her, elder)

Bearrise loves to tell youth about her golden days: that she earned her warrior name by fighting a bear at dawn, and as proof, she took smallest tooth from its jaws; or how she-cats were always falling in love with her due to her incredible strength. However, some cats suspect something because the tooth she has looks more like a fang, it’s too small to be bear’s tooth and it’s too curled to be a cat’s or wolf’s fang.

Silvertwist (he/him, elder)

Silver is kind elder, his warmth never fading away; even if you wake him up in the middle of the night asking to tell a story, he’ll gladly tell it. However, he lived for quite a long time, and it’s starting to unnerve cats how his pelt has no grey hairs.

Bumbleomen (they/them[AFAB], elder)

Bumble is the number 1 StarClan believer, thinking that stars are trying to speak to them in most mundane things, like a clanmates changing routine or new plant sprouting by the borders(they’re wrong). They’re the oldest elder, so sometimes Mauvebee doesn’t even bother curing him, knowing that most likely it’ll be just a waste of herbs.

[tgmsunmontue]

What to write weekend? 6-9th Feb 2025

I have four days ahead of me with no social engagements, just household chores, baking, gardening and family time. And WRITING.

Most of you know what to do here, however for the newbies to this blog - so that I spend time actually writing rather than just day-dreaming about writing, you can reply to this post, send me an ask (anon is on), or a DM - choose up to three letters/numbers from the blog's PINNED POST, or I have once again copy/pasted the ones I'm most interested in working on below. I will write 150-200 words per letter/number. I am aiming for 5k/day for the next 4 days.

Tracking is here for those of you that like spreadsheets.

Am working on the last chapters of Season to Taste, From the Top and Never Knew I was Missing You but you can still ask for them as well.

(Hopefully removed the tags from the people so they don't get notifications!)

1) Sagas of Solitude 18/21 - IceMav with side Hangster AU - angsty Nepo!Baby Bradley Bradshaw who has to keep his relationship with Mav and Ice a secret when he starts at the USNA. Featuring married Ice and Mav (but not to each other). Prologue He Remembers and Lonely Nights are both set in this verse. (Last updated 24th Jan)

2) Season to Taste 41/42 Celebrity Chef Bradley and Naval Aviator Jake Seresin who have a relationship spanning the globe before they realize how tightly bound they are to one another. Heading into this little world. (Last updated 31stJanuary)

A) Upon which our souls touch - 8/? - Hangster Fantasy AU (Last updated 1st January 2025)

B) Never knew I was missing you - 8/9 - Hangster AU with Jake a naval aviator and Bradley and A-list Hollywood star. They meet on a dating app. Famous and cat fishing that isn't cat fishing because online relationships are rife but...? (Tumblr idea) (Last updated 27th January 2025)

C) The Jake hits on Bradley at Ice's funeral AU...

D) IceMav with unknown about children because the US Navy is evil and produced offspring because of genetics being a THING. (Tumblr ramblings)

E) Cyclone/Maverick - Cyclone is struggling to deal with being attracted to the most annoying person he's ever met. Why does he like him so much?

H) From the top 5/6 - an Ice/Mav epistolary fic where Jake and Bradley matchmake them, not realising exactly who it is they've matched together. AU divergent ish. (Last updated 25th January 2025)

K) Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide - 13/?Transformers cross-over for help me @yeagrave is 110% to blame for me adding this... (related to this post) (Last updated 25th January 2025)

L) Hangster Sports Team AU with Hangster being ex-es (like stood up at the alter type exes) and the trade deadline coming in hot and Bradley being traded in and all hell is about to break loose... Ramblings and more here.

S) White hot - 3/? Jake is a blacksmith and artist and Bradley is a high school history teacher. (This will be a one shot on AO3 but I'll post it as it is written here). (Updated 27th January 2025)

T) A picture is worth 1000 words - 7/? - Hangster post-TGM events, Jake and Bradley becoming friends on Instagram through increasingly competitive thirst traps. (Tumblr post) (Last updated 4th February 2025)

U) Tracing Poetry with your lips - 4/? - Explicit Hangster - Jake vs Bradley kissing competition with no touching (tumblr post from @iprefervillains) (Last updated 24th January 2025)

V) Actual fleshed out "wrong number" AU from @caystar13star

W) The amnesia fic if @the-ace-with-spades doesn't mind me absconding with another of their ideas.

X) Bradley is a guy who lives for fun jobs and Jake the architect who builds him a castle...

TGBB) A mystery fic that won't be revealed until October but you can still make me write it. I just can't share any details. But it'll be complete and over 20k.