#i mean i am basically a wasp but still

[irishbreakfst]

I hate southerners so much, you walk among them thinking they're just like you and then you find out that they unironally have a family member they call peepaw and you just have to go on living

[bogleech]

In your general appreciation of nature, I am curious about your take on this - do you believe nature has reached "peak complexity"?

There was a time without flying animals. There was a time without land animals. There was a time without vertebrates, without segmented exoskeletons, without fur, without feathers, without complex social structures, without eyes. There was a time without plants, or any kind of photosythesis. There was a time without multicellular life.

But at this point, do you feel nature on planet Earth has evolved all "milestones" there are (and from now on, all additional complexity will have come from civilization, one way or another)?

I mean in terms of potential, assuming for a moment "nature" of some kind still exist during the next billion years or so.

Yes or No would be enough (lol), but of course spec evo ideas would be even cooler!

Nah I think there's absolutely infinite things nature could evolve some day that we can't even imagine. You really never know. Like it's 100% biochemically possible for something to "breathe fire;" there just has to be a sequence of mutations and the right competition to gradually make it happen, possibly starting with something that sprays boiling hot compounds like a bombardier beetle. I could also imagine a whole class of animals evolving like the modular people from All Tomorrows, because we already have Siphonophores. It's just a matter of something evolving to be a colony that can also come apart and keep functioning. I'm also obviously obsessed with the concept of a creature that weaponizes its own little symbiotic bugs, since I've used that a million times. Like maybe millions of years from now, a descendant of sloths will have upgraded from being full of moths to being full of tiny wasps? And then what if that's so effective they actually start diversifying like crazy and there's a whole era dominated by mammaloid wasp nest beasts ranging from grazers merely cleaned and guarded by their insects to predators who hunt with their assistance. Plant/animal physical symbiosis is also another thing that's not really taken off outside a few insects. Why shouldn't a plant some day decide it likes growing on some kind of animal's body? It's not a plant, but lichens grow on a species of weevil. It's so rare there aren't even photos, but I swear I saw video of one on BBC when I was a kid:

What if a moss adapts just to the shell of some big reptile and eventually the reptile starts to derive sustenance from it too?? Over time what if this evolves into basically real life Bulbasaurs, where the animal part can be sustained off sunlight? It'd just have to slow its animal metablism way, waaay down to meet the plant halfway. Maybe it hibernates for years and years at a time or spends decades developing like a cicada and then it emerges in pure mating mode, using up all the food it conserved as its flower finally blooms. I know most of my examples are now elaborations on something that's kind of almost already begun happening somewhere but you get the idea. Furthermore you never know if all life as we know it will die out one day while there's still a couple billion years left of the planet's physical existence. Then a whole new line of life could evolve that we can't conceive of at all, from the ground up. Like crystalline mineral trees that start talking to each other with laser light. Or maybe only bacteria are left but for some reason bacteria develop what they need to start sticking together and building a new kind of multicellular organism. What the heck would an equivalent to "animals" look like if the ancestor was a bacterium????? Holy fuck I'm mad I won't see it. Fuming and seething actually. This is the worst thing ever. Why am I doomed to die on regular animal planet with google bots and disney remakes. I wanna see salmonella animal planet. It's not fair.

[fangirl-in-general]

How would Rhys and Pierce react that reader who a friend of Ava is a witch?

OOOOO I love this idea!! Rhys and Pierce are not my number one characters so forgive me if I screw up their personalities a bit but here goes!!

Warnings: slight suggestive content, I am not a practicing witch so I intentionally left it a little vague when it came to actual practices, some language, slight violence in Pierce's oneshot, lmk if I missed anything!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhys

It hadn't been more than a month since Ava called me screaming and crying over some 'demons' taking over her life.

"Please you have to get them out!! They're driving me crazy!!"

"Get them out?? I'm not an exorcist! I'm a witch!! And a new one at that! I can barely cast a hex much less dispel evil spirits! Girl, call a priest!!" Aca and I have always had each other's backs, ever since high school. I was always the one she would call when she needed something and considering how lonely we both were and how hard it became for her to rely on other people, I felt it was an honor. Though she did overdo it from time to time.

"Spirits? What no! There's actually five men in my house claiming to be demons!!" Wait what...

"IT'S DAEMOS HUMAN!!! CORRECT IT OR I WILL!!!" The unfamiliar voice on the other end of the phone made my heart sink to the floor and I immediately grabbed my keys and a can of wasp spray and raced out the door.

That was about two weeks ago, and I haven't left Ava alone since. They don't seem intent on taking advantage of her 'hospitality', but I wasn't going to take any chances. Especially not with how comfortable she had grown letting them wander about her house unsupervised. One of them went through her bra drawer like a lunatic for crying out loud!!! talking about 'sources of power' and what not.

Creeps...

Rhys, the only one who seemed relatively well adjusted, came and sat next to me at the kitchen counter. I kept my eyes glued to the cards in front of me.

The Tower Upright...

interesting

"Excuse me, I don't mean to intrude. What are those?"

A distracted smile makes its way to my face as I continue to shuffle the cards, another pops out. "Tarot cards. And you're not intruding as long as you don't take them from me like Asch did."

The Chariot reversed...

Rhys lets out a nervous chuckle and continues to inspect my actions. "Do they...do anything?"

I steal a glance; his brows are pressed together in concentration and his eyes pass between expectance and curiosity. "More or less. They're kind of like a guiding tool. We can use them to better understand ourselves and connect with the universe around us. They can be a useful way to prepare for coming events, or to better handle current ones. But most people don't believe in it so it's whatever I guess."

He gasps slightly. "Intriguing. So you use them to see the future and read minds?"

The snort that came out of me was far from intentional, but I honestly had no other idea how to react to that statement. "I mean, sure something like that."

"Can you read mine?"

I turned to him. "You want me to do a tarot reading for you?"

He nodded with more excitement than I had seen from any of them besides the pink one. I shrugged and began to reshuffle the cards. "Fine but just a basic one. I'm still a new witch and I don't wanna hear anything mean or judgy from someone who doesn't even-"

"You're a witch??"

For some reason I felt my blood run cold. I felt like a bug under a microscope, and I couldn't tell if the gaze he had fixed me with was simply observation, or calculation. Similar feelings with vastly different intentions. But both managed to send a shiver down my spine and a reluctant blush to my cheeks.

All I could muster was a nod before forcing myself back to shuffling.

"That's incredible!! Why did you not tell us before! Ava told us she was a powerful sorceress but TWO powerful magic users working together is surely a force to be reckoned with!! You must tell me what you know! I want to learn everything!"

His words forced a smile to my face, and I couldn't help the blush that accompanied it.

His praises continued. "I knew you had to be quite skilled to be so close to Princess Ava, but this explains it all! You were simply trying to hide your abilities so that we wouldn't expect your attack if something went wrong!! How incredibly intelligent!" He leaned forward, excitement practically bursting from him. "Please read this 'tarot' I simply must see your skills firsthand!"

I let a chuckle escape and went back to shuffling the deck. Two cards fell out.

"Death, and High Preist reversed..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peirce

"You know what Leif!! One of these days you're gonna wish you kept your dirty little mouth shut for once!!"

Leif was (as usual) doing nothing but being the biggest menace he possibly could be. Stealing my phone, going through my things, screaming in my ear, shit talking, etc.

To say I had enough was an understatement. The only thing that kept me from wringing his neck was a large muscley arm wrapping around my torso and throwing me over his shoulder. "Hey! Wha- PEIRCE!!" My screaming didn't stop him from wordlessly lugging me to my room and tossing me onto the bed. Now I know what you're thinking 'omg that's so sexy this is totally about to get fun' well I thought the exact same thing the first three times this happened, and I'll admit the thought still crosses my mind the twelve times it's happened since then but NO! This is still a (mostly) family friendly blog after all (for now).

Anyway, I sit up with a groan and glare at Peirce who has made himself comfortable in the chair in the corner of the room. This happens so often that it's practically scripted at this point. Leif is an ass, I get frustrated, Peirce gets tired, carries me to my room, then babysits me so I won't go out and try to strangle the antagonistic fiend in the other room.

At this point I'm done. I'm so sick of Leif and his attitude and lack of consequences. Just because they think Ava is a powerful sorceress and they don't think I'm anything more than her confidant doesn't mean they get to push me around. Leif is gonna get what's coming to him.

I glance at Peirce who is sitting arms crossed, still watching me though his gaze is softer now. I jump off the bed and head to my desk. digging through the drawers I pull out some candles and begin flipping through the book of incantations I keep tucked under a floorboard. I used to store said book in my nightstand drawer but surprise surprise, the guys went rummaging through my things and I don't trust them not to mess with it.

I'm missing a key piece to the puzzle. "Hey Peirce?"

A hum can be heard from the corner.

"Could I talk you into stealing some of Leif's hair for me?" I turn and give him the sweetest least guilty smile I could muster. He rises slowly and stalks over to me looming as he stared into my eyes as if inspecting for a motive. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't realized how much larger than me he was, because I had defiantly noticed, and it was absolutely something I thought of frequently.

He let out quiet grunt and left the room. I was probably imagining the blush on his cheeks, but the image was going to stay in my head for a painfully long time.

"Peirce w- OW!!! YOU PRICK WHAT THE HELL!!!"

Leif's screaming was nothing new, but it almost made my heart swell to know that Peirce was willing to potentially start a confrontation just to get something I asked without any context at all. 'I should definitely kiss him for that'

He came back into the room holding a suspiciously large chunk of blond hair and handed it to me. I smiled at him, and he nodded before following me over to my desk.

"What are you doing?" His voice always caught me off guard. It was a beautiful, gentle, sound that filled my ears like a deep breath after drowning. I wish he would talk more but I didn't ever want to force him.

"I'm gonna hex him."

"Leif?"

I hum a confirmation and turn to the desk with the supplies. He continues his questioning. "On Daemos it takes a very skilled witch to perform such a task. Are you a skilled witch?"

I nod. The 'skilled' aspect was more or less true. My mentor was very skilled, and I'd been training under her for almost two years now, but I still had a long way to go, and she'd probably scold me big time for simply attempting this... but who said she had to know.

"So you are...magic?"

I turned to look at him. He stood next to the desk, eyes fixed on the task before me, and I couldn't help but smile as I responded. "Yea, something like that. Why?"

A flash of concern passed over his face, but it was quickly replaced with a soft smile that almost melted my heart to the floor.

"It's good to be powerful. I'm glad to know you can keep yourself safe while I can't." Pierce's words shot straight to my heart and tears instantly welled in my eyes.

"Thank you...Pierce." The blush that filled his cheeks at my words was enough to distract me from the fact that I had already lit the candles and was now burning the hair I held in my hands. "OW! SHIT!"

The hair fell from my hands right onto the carpet below us causing a mini panicked stomp dance to shake the room and probably the downstairs neighbor's entire apartment but that also probably the least obnoxious thing they've heard from up here so what can you do I guess.

Welp...there goes that hex...

Pierce begins to walk out the door. "I will bring you more." and despite the screams from the other room, the only expression I could muster was a flustered smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed!! Please feel free to send feed back, this whole blog is an attempt to work on my writing skills so I'm completely open to suggestions and constructive criticism!

Hope you all have the best day!

[astaraelthesnek]

Kabaneri theories by two biology nerds

Ok, I am rewatching Koutetsujou no Kabaneri and my friend is watching it for the first time with me, and we are both biology nerds, so we are trying to work out how exactly the kabane, and therefor kabaneri, work. I will be posting our thoughts and theories one episode at a time, so please keep reading these. And if you haven't watched this anime, it's great, so watch it as the fandom is too small.

Right, so in episode one we basically were just trying to work out if it is a virus/bacteria, or a parasite. We don't think it would be a virus or bacteria, as those tend to kill the hosts pretty quickly, and some of the kabane have been alive for decades. They also often make the host physically weaker, and that is clearly not the case.

So we are onto parasites. Firstly, we needed to determine if it was a parasite or parasitoid (parasitoids kill the host and parasites don't). Despite what you may think, we actually think that it would be some type of parasite, as although kabane are basically zombies, parasitoids don't stay in their hosts, and don't control them. As far as parasites go, there are many instances of parasites, animal and fungal, latching onto the hosts brain and controlling them, like the cordyceps fungus, or the tarantula hawk wasp.

So, we've determined that it's a parasite, now what? Well, how is it transmitted. Obviously, through bites, but how does it do that. We decided that depending on if it is animal or fungus based, it probably lays eggs/spores in the saliva glands in the hosts mouth, which then get into the victims bloodstream when bitten. This also means that the parasite is unlikely to be in the kabane's blood, which makes sense, as steamsmiths don't seem too worried about cleaning blood off the trains.

When a victim is bitten, the eggs/spores are released into the bloodstream, causing the infection. This then explains the slow infections, as the smaller the wound, the fewer eggs and the slower the infection. The parasite then targets the brain in order to control the new host, as well as protecting the heart. This makes sense, as the parasite would more than likely be secreting chemicals into the hosts bloodstream in order to keep it running, and give it the superhuman strength, and in order to do that, it needs the heat to work.

This also explains why they are so hard to kill (we haven't tried to work out the heart cage yet). If the parasite keeps the body running off of its own chemicals, the host doesn't need to eat, so its organs can shut down, meaning that shouting it anywhere other that the head or heart will have no effect, as the kabane doesn't need anything else to function.

The parasite theory also helps explain why Ikoma succeed in turning himself into a kabaneri. If it was a virus, as soon as he stopped cutting off the blood supply to his head, it would have continued to infect him. But with a parasite travelling through his blood, if it can't find his brain, then it might assume that it is in the wrong place, and either shut down and hibernate, or die.

Ikoma still would have gone through some physical changes, as the parasite likely releases chemicals as soon as it hatches in the bloodstream, which would permanently alter his body, sending him through the initial changes that a kabane goes through. But without the right place to live, the parasite shuts down and stops releasing chemicals, meaning that not only does he keep his mind, changes such as skin colour would likely be reversed, as he no longer has the foreign chemicals in him.

That's all we have for now, but I will keep posting our theories as we watch it, so keep an eye out if you're interested.

Part 2 is now up, pls go read it (:

[alatismeni-theitsa]

This might be a weird question but I’m first Generation Greek diaspora in Canada and I often feel disconnected from my culture. I have found out that I’m non-binary in some way and I want to change my name because it’s a very feminine name. However, it’s also a very Greek name, and I feel like erasing it in place of some WASP or USian name would make me feel even more disconnected from my culture. I’ve been looking online for Greek unisex name lists but they always have names that no Greek actually has or are not unisex. I know that we have a problem with naming people the same thing, I think like 50% of the Greek girls I meet are named Maria or some variant of it, but I have met some cool names people. Still, I want to choose a name that reflects my culture and my identity and I haven’t come out to my family yet so I can’t ask them. Anyways, I was just wondering if you could think of any off the top of your head or if you could recommend a baby name list. Sorry if this is hard I don’t mean to stress you out, I just don’t have many people who I can talk to about Greek culture

Hi! Perhaps you could go with Χάρις which is feminine but also sounds like Χάρης, the masculine name. ;) Or some other modern Greek names that end in -ις. (Which.... tbh I can't think of anything atm 😂) But feel free to check some and come back to ask if you can use them nowadays.

I am not non-binary and I don't have the energy or time to go to queer Greek spaces although I belong there 😅 This is to say that I am not aware of any solution that the Greek ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+ community has found for this. And that anyone who knows what's going on can fill us in.

The explanation/context:

It's true that Greek names are gendered so I cannot find anything from the top of my mind to suggest :/ I was about to suggest some more "powerful" Greek names (like Alexandra) but that would also suggest that there are "masculine" and "feminine" traits that belong only to a certain gender. I don't want to imply that war or physical power is strictly a "masculine" thing ya know, or that a "Maria" is automatically feminine and cannot be assertive or even fire a gun. Traits don't have "feminine" and "masculine" vibes to me, they are just human traits. After all, Greek women are known for their resilience and toughness, the ability to terrify anyone with merely a stare and a slipper/stick, and their fierceness when they make it into military ranks.

Tbh I think Greeks experience being non-binary beyond names. Names can be irrelevant. E.g. you can have a feminine or a masculine name and still be non-binary. English speakers often make a fuss about what names are masculine and feminine but I haven't seen Greeks care much about it. Greeks don't argue about what names are "more feminine". That's not how we see names and that's not how we connect them with gender. No one cares if they call you Melina and you have 100 piercings and ride a motorcycle. So in this society there's no thought to get rid of your name if it doesn't "match" your actions or basic expression.

Ofc you can change your name for whatever reason. I am only speaking on the Greek mindset about names and gender. The Greek non-binary people I've met in Greece go by their gendered baptism names. In online spaces only they go by English names, or just by their initials, as the English trend is.

Sometimes I also suspect that there are differences between what feels non-binary for a Greek and what feels non-binary for a Canadian. I might be completely wrong here, but I am letting this thought out there to see if there are indeed different perspectives. For example, I've felt a difference between local queerness in some cases, like when USians see a Greek woman with "αγορέ" short hair and...average person movements (not feminine or masculine I mean, just a person existing), and immediately switch to "they/them". Meanwhile for Greek society this person naturally falls into the "default woman" category and we wouldn't see any reason to not use she/her. (I'm talking about cases where the person also doesnt say anywhere that they are non-binary or that they use they/them pronouns.)

In aaaaany case, our societal norms, our histories, and presentations are not the same and for this reason I also applaud your decision to choose a name that reflects your culture and identity. As people we are a mix of many things and our characteristics carry a cultural flavour.

Given all this, and driven by practicality, I would say that it would be better to go with a feminine name (because of your physical presentation) but choose whatever feels better for you. Don't think of Greek names for females as "more or less" feminine, since that's not the Greek way of thinking.

More suggestions:

You can choose a name that honours your values, or a characteristic that you want to have or you are proud that you have. You can choose names that express concepts, like "wisdom" (Σοφία), "love" (Αγάπη), "freedom" (Ελευθερία/Ρία), "hope" (Ελπίδα), "salvation" (Σωτηρία), "reign" (Βασιλεία), "happy/beloved" (Ασπασία), grace (Χάρις).

Just because these words are feminine, it doesn't mean that they are feminine traits. They are feminine GRAMMATICALLY. Something that English speakers might not understand is that gendered language doesn't mean that you assign gender to things. Heck, even the chair is a feminine noun in Greek but no one suggests there's any feminine about a chair 😂"Dick" (yes the genitals) can also be a feminine word. (η πούτσα) Like, the feminine pronoun doesn't mean anything.

Sure, the connection between names and sex is strong in Greek, but not in the sense English speakers (or people who speak neutral-gender languages) might think. We can recognise Greek sexism and separatism but at the same time I think it's important to understand that each society sees different traits in the sexes and genders.

You could also choose names like "farmer" (Γιωργία, to suggest that you like to work the earth), or the name of some Greek goddess, or some Greek saint to show that you have their attributes. Or the name of an empress, or the name of an emperor but in its feminine version (e.g. Κωνσταντίνα). Maybe the name of a Muse, if you are a creative.

That's it from me 💙 Sorry to have delayed this answer but I needed to think a lot, and life doesn't let me think or answer to asks a lot these days. I hope I managed to help even a little bit.

=====================================

As I said, I am not non-binary, and I don't want to speak over non-binary people. I am answering this because you said that you don't have lots of people to talk about these things, and perhaps it's better to have someone queer say some stuff about it. As always, more opinions are welcome in the comments and reblogs. I don't have all the knowledge in the world.

[kirby-the-gorb]

reply roundup!

man apparently these are still hard even when I'm not Literally Dying anymore :v

the sad sale went great, thank you for all the support everyone <3 I bought shelves and makeup and paper star papers and stickers and a new blanket, plus it's helping cover my allowance until my wife starts getting paid. I am already thinking I might do another sale in november just for fun lol

my wife has started orientation at her program and she's having a great time, our partner and I are gonna go down to visit her in a couple weeks :) I also finished rearranging all my furniture now that her furniture isn't here and it only made me terribly ill once!

I am really enjoying everyone singing along on [live and learm], I love enthusiasm <3

on [stars] @korattata said: HEY THATS WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING ALL DAY!!!!! i just started learning last night! its a nice break at work to stop looking at the computer screen. they all still look a bit wonky and i think one of the sheets of paper is too thick but i'm just using paper i got from the supply closet and cut with the paper cutter lol

aw that's so cool! the ones that are like actually packaged for making paper stars are usually a bit thinner than printer paper, like other origami paper, but that also means they tear a lot more easily in the first step if you're not careful, so it's always a tradeoff. what a fun coincidence :>

on [hallway] @thesilentpotato said: the first thing i thought of was the "da dee la da dee la da" krabby patty zoom in scene from spongebob

lol I hadn't thought of that until you said it but you're so right (she is referencing [this scene] from the krusty krab training video for anyone unfamiliar)

(side note thank you to folks who put pronouns in easily findable places so I can refer to you correctly even if I don't know you <3 )

on [birthday] @joekingv1 said: *asks baby what gifts they received and if they would like to read/watch Komi Can't Communicate*

I never really got into komi because one of the side characters really squicks me out, but I have a friend that really loves it, so maybe they've watched it with her! I think they probably got to go somewhere fun for their birthday like a theme park or a zoo, and get a souvenir plush while they were there -u-

on [sheep] @ceylonsilvergirl [added] a different line for kirby, which I still think about regularly lol

on [pills] @minty-spice said: op i hope your health improves and your empire of pills eventually shrinks

thank you <3 honestly I'd be happy with just the first one, I don't mind all the pills so much as long as they're actually helping.

on [crackers] @amatsuki said: made a bunch of cold noodles today with cucumber carrot chicken & sesame peanut soy sauce. the only actual cooking i had to do was boil water and steam chicken

oh hell yeah cold noodles are a fantastic example of a basic food to go feral over. now I want noodles too.........

on [thinking] @adrawrable said: hope you're cozy op

not right now as I type this because it is Computer Work Time, but in general I am So Cozy these days, I have a whole queen bed to myself so it's full of big stuffed animals and fluffy blankets :) (tbh even once my wife moves back here we may just all have individual beds we all seem very comfy this way lol)

on [slam] @jeaniechibi said: we'll be right back ➡️ shshgdtsudtdidh why is every bit of art with a blurr effect so damn funny 🤣

it truly is, I love a thoughtfully applied motion blur (or perspective blur can be funny too) (altho tbh I don't use the perspective blur tool for those I just use separate layers and gaussian blur) (for anyone unfamiliar this is a reference to the eric andre show meme)

on [beehive] @galacticnova3 said: me @ wasp nests minus the frowning, little fellas doing their little fella activities. sometimes they squabble. the thinking man’s reality tv drama

true, true, gotta love little fella activities. personally I feel better observing from a safe distance, but we had a lot of wasps around my childhood home and I didn't really know how to get friendlier than not actively making them mad lol

anonymous asked: That profile is amazing

for some reason I don't feel like I understand, but thank you!

on [sale] @milkymoon-ramblings said: gahh why do so many people have so many cool probducts, the queers are tempting me with their cool swag. however I need to save money for my own cool swag (digital art)

I just love the phrase "the queers are tempting me with their cool swag", so relatable lol (also no worries to anyone who couldn't or didn't want to buy anything, it's not like I needed it to pay bills I just wanted treats :v )

on [solstice] @jaune-chat said: Definitely, the sun can fuck right off. I break into a rash if I get too much sun, and I can't walk outside without full body coverage to some degree or be itching for WEEKS! In order of preference, is fall, winter, spring, summer.

oof yeah my mom gets a bad rash from sun exposure too! I'm fortunate to not have that specific symptom, but dang it seems so inconvenient, especially if you're also sensitive to heat so being covered up puts you at additional risk. personally I rate winter a little higher than fall but otherwise yeah total agreement lol

on [rollerskates] @nexus-nebulae said: @ prev tags i used to daydream constantly about being able to roller skate everywhere because i would constantly think 'rolling would be way easier than dragging my feet everywhere rn' and it took me two months of constantly thinking about that before i realised OH i need a ROLLATOR that would help (<- i am not smart) i haven't actually tried roller skating bc i don't own skates but i have used a skateboard briefly and that also feels better than walking. i wonder.... if the roller skating rink nearby would allow me to use a rollator in the rink with skates on........ probably not lmao

honestly it takes so much to actually realize like "oh a mobility aid might help with this" which is like, a bad thing, but we're just gonna focus on the funny part for now happy disability pride month :v and tbh I think maybe they might let you do it??? cuz like at ice skating rinks they usually have those little penguins or just straight up plastic lawn chairs for people to support themselves on, so I don't think it would be that crazy to go out on the rollarink with a rollator? but also that's just me and I do not run the place or get paid minimum wage to keep people from breaking the place sooo lol

[plasterhound]

hi (gets you) 5, 6, 13, 24, and im stealing free question as well for. kolibri.....the one in the library or just in general. have fun. also free question assign that thing an animal extinct or not BUT NO BIRD reptiles are ok though. make it into something else ok thank you :]

ROSIEEEEEEEEEE AYIN SHOULDER GRIP IMAGE WHEN I FUCKING GET YOU.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Not a song but its audio so its the same thing basically. The magnus protocol 22 mixed signals its SOOOOOO kolibricore or maybe im just making shit up. Im gonna draw something w them based on that episode soon

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

This ones for the kolibri in the library . We're both alone ❤️ and we Dont Like It. She drives me nuts. I mean if my family got turned into zombies i too would join them idgaf i got nothing left. Fuuuuuck. Theyre still together and I am here outside and they wont let me in........ i feel that. cant even put into words

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

i think theyd use 🙄 a lot lmao i dont think theyd use emojis at all just 🙄. now for them its kinda hard. 📻 is kinda ugly. 🐦 <- reminds me of them cuz shes 🤏 this size. the fruit emojis too but thats because i read a fic where they had names based on fruits. Thinking real hard rn i need to give them an emoji my life depends on it. 🔊? 👥? 🪻🐦? (or any other flower) cuz in brazil theyre called flower kissers.... EDIT THESE SIGNS TOO 🚳🚷 not these specifically but u get it. kolibricore whatever that means

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

This one is hard cuz im really really sure theres some bitch out there w the same vibe as them that i also liked but I CANT REMEMBERRRRRRRRRR the only one that i remember rn is tiphereth lopcorp . i loooove this trope of characters who are so close theyre basically the same person (or really are the same person) and then one of them. fucking dies. like god. how do you even recover for something like that? essentially, you died, and now you need to live even though youre dead. you were never supposed to be alone and now you are. fucked up if true

OHHHHHH ROSIE YOULL NEED TO WAIT A SECOND CUZ I DIDNT SLEEP AT ALL TODAY I CANT THINK RN IM GONNA REBLOG THIS W THE PICS LATER i instantly thought of a bug but I have no idea which one. something like a wasp maybe but not a wasp? not bees theyre too cute. Or maybe, even better. Not a bug. Instead, heh... tilts my head slightly so the light makes my glasses glow ominously... a pterosaur

[onesaltyerik]

Deranged Ramblings of A Technoblade fan

Ok I don't know how to blog for shit and I've not slept in two days so yall are now gonna suffer as I throw out my thoughts to the universe.

Technoblade, the character, is often depicted as wearing a corset and while I've not seen anyone complain about it being "unrealistic" because lets be real here the SBI is made up of a perpetually tired bird man, a bard with a habit of destroying countries, a vaguely anthropormorphised to straight up anime elf prince pig depending on the artist, and a Tommy; a corset is the LEAST of one's worries ya know?

Anywho, corsets on a warrior. Being a semi-qualified art historian and an enthusiast in fashion and medieval armour, it is ACTUALLY plausible!

As the common discourse goes, a PROPERLY FITTED and NON-TIGHTLACED corset is actually very comfortable to wear. They were literally designed to support the chest and help with posture despite the common modern idea of the corset being cruel and blah blah blah literally everyone who's worn a proper corset can vouch that it's actually quite comfy. (Myself included, shut up men can wear corsets too.) And depending on the type of corset, they can be very flexible to allow for movement. The type of corset would be the one to look at when determining realism, in this case we got full corsets that are kinda like vests, underbust corsets, and mid corsets. Your full size corset provides the most support as it distributes the weight of the bust around your waist and shoulders, with some types of underbusts doing similar. Seeing as unless c/Techno has a bust size in need of support, this probably isn't gonna be the one worn most in battle as, while corsets can be moved pretty easily in, they were not made in the intention to be worn into battle.

An underbust would be more flexible and still provide any sort of support, and a mid-torso corset probably wouldn't provide the same amount of support but would still help with supporting one's back, especially when riding a horse or walking for a long time and trust me good back support is a BOON when you're wearing armour. On that front, while a corset that has boning made of baleen, metal, or bone might provide some protection to slashing attacks, and distribution of impact to an extent, against an arrow/axe/well placed sword strike, not great. That's the point of wearing a gambison and armour in general. A gambeson acts as a means of keeping armour from touching the skin and chaffing, as well as providing an extra layer of squish between the body and the weapon. You can actually just wear a gembeson when fighting in a pinch, it won't exactly protect against an axe or flail or mace or arrow, but much like a corset slashing damage will be diminished.

So, as for wearing a corset while also wearing armour, to look fashionable but still provide protection, I would say the best way to do so would be to wear a mid-torso corset with a gambeson style interior, and a crop top style gambeson over the top and half-breast plate over that. Would I wear it into battle? Absolutly not. Would it provide protection during a display of power in a parade? Yes. Is it better than nothing? Also yes. Am I going to draw this at some point? Absofuckinlutely! The more likely form, and one that would be very interesting to see that I have yet to see any artist (so far) make, would be a wasp-waist style of breastplate armour. At that point you basically have a full on metal corset that's way more effective than just wearing the weirdly layered bits of corsetry and armour that was previously mentioned. Anyways, I am sleep deprived and have definitley missed a few points but I hope whoever has read this enjoyed the ramblings ok goodnight.

[ulquiorrapleasecallmetrash]

Raven (A Dia Akedia Imagine)

○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○

Summary: When Dia sees the reader's room for the first time and secretly gets jealous that people had given her things for her collection, he couldn't help but tease and give her a cute nickname.

Admin Wisteria: Just to let you know this fanfic is mostly Me coded meaning the reader looks, and acts like me but if you like vulture culture, and look and act like me then great! This is basically just a self indulgent fanfic for me but if you enjoy it then you can like it. I appreciate it but I won't be offended if you ignore it.

Status: Friends

○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○

Dia's POV.

She was certainly an interesting person.

I never met anyone who had this kind of interest before. Collecting dead things and keeping them in a little collection. It was an interesting hobby and it still had intrigued me.

I had always seen her in the forest from time to time, staring at the ground and picking up certain things and placing them in her bag for her to take home.

I suppose it isn't any different from my mushroom collecting.

"We all have our niches, you have your mushrooms and I have my cool weird dead stuff." She would smile and joke. I couldn't help but chuckle back, she did have a point.

I picked up a raccoon skull, smiling at it and examining it's features. It did look interesting, I had to admit.

"I found that one nestled between two pretty oak trees." she states, then she picks up an abandoned wasps nest. I gently set the skull down and took the wasp nest in my hand, it looked...off putting but I couldn't help but stare at it in awe. It was somewhat...captivating, seeing all the holes that were made by the wasps. She smiled brightly, her eyes shined as she told me exactly how those wasps nests were made.

"That must take so much time." "Indeed it is so fascinating!" She exclaims, completely excited to tell me. She then picks up a a lilly pad seed pod and shows it to me. "Sherry found this one in invidia, there was a pond where she stays and she thought that I would find it cool. I was so happy when she found it for me!"

There slight pang of something in my chest when she told me what Sherry gave her. I didn't like how excited she sounded about it.

"So people also give you these little tricknets as well?"

She nods her head, "Sometimes, yes. Rio found me a pretty four leaf clover, Toa found some pretty seashells from the time he was at the beach and even Avari of all people found some cool looking volcanic rock he thought I would find interesting."

There goes that feeling...again.

"Oh, so you were happy when everyone gave you them?"

"Of course, no one is obliged to give anything to me but I most appreciate it." She smiles brightly.

I nod my head, looking at the various of skulls, bones and other nature related things she keeps on her shelf, deep in thought.

"So, If I were to find something interesting in the forest, you would be happy if I give it to you?"

"Of course, I would be happy. Especially if you spend so much time looking for it."

I nod and chuckled at her, "You certainly are like a raven. Collecting interesting, shiny things to hoard."

She blushes but then smiles back, "Maybe I am~ I am not offended one bit by that comparison." I took a few steps forward, placing a hand on her cheek, "Ah but there is much more to you than just that." She lifts an eyebrow, more intrigued. "Oh really? Do tell~." She smirks at me, "Your eyes, They are brown and almost black, just like a raven's." She nods, staring into my eyes, a blush slowly creeping on her face. "Go on..." She says, trying to hide the fact she was flustered. I took my hand and begin to twirl my fingers around her soft, curly hair. "Your hair is black and soft just like a raven's feathers." I said softly, still gently rubbing her pretty black curls between my fingers. Her blushed deepened much more at the comment.

"Flustered, are we?" I teased.

"Shut up." She frowns, looking away. "Anything else?"

"Yes, you can be loud, noisy and talk too much, just like them." I said, bluntly.

"WHAT?!" She exclaims, clearly offended by what I said.

"You just proved my point, Raven."

"Oh NOW you are calling me that?"

"Yes, it fits you perfectly. You wear all black clothing, collect random shiny , weird things, you have dark eyes and black hair and you are loud and you talk a lot."

She scoffs, and crosses her arms, a pout clearly shown on her face.

"I thought you aren't offended by that endearing nickname, Raven."

Finally, she turns her head towards me and grins, leaning forward and says, " I'm not..." She leans in to whisper in my ear, "Especially if YOU are the one to call me that." My eyes widened, my heart stopped for moment. She then pulls away, "Who's flustered now?"

I couldn't say anything else to that.

○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○○•◇•﴾♡﴿•◇•○

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers West Coast #52: FRAGMENTS of a GREATER DARKNESS

December, 1989

Master Pandemonium reveals the untold secrets of his origin and -- the shocking truth about the Scarlet Witch's children!

Buddy, neither of those secrets will make you look less ridiculous with the lopsided, partially filled in pentagram hole in your tum tum or your ridiculous baby hands.

And I think John Byrne realized that the baby hands didn't quite have the impact he was hoping for because he makes them more grotesque imps on the cover but still look like babies attached to this man's hands in the inside art.

Mistakes have been made but stubbornly we preserve even when we shouldn't.

Speaking of mistakes: a little note to myself. I really should have done this issue to finish up the baby hands saga, then done Atlantis Attacks, then Avengers 311, then Avengers West Coast 53, then Avengers 312.

Sorry. Byrne writing both books means they're vaguely more interconnected than ever and then you have back to back company-wide events. I got mixed up.

And yeah, Wanda goes right from all of this baby hands stuff to being kidnapped and engaged to a snake elder god and then right into Acts of Vengeance. She's having a really bad life.

So last times in Avengers West Coast: Vision disassembled by the government. Put back together but loses his emotions. Wanda tricked by Texas college and pumped full of evil ooze that makes her racist. Later, she brings the robot Human Torch back to life in a fit of pique. Demons attack the Avengers West Coast Compound and while she's fighting Master Pandemonium, her babies get kidnapped. Her teammates don't seem to care but eventually agree to go with her to rescue them. When the Avengers track down Master Pandemonium, they see that he's jammed Wanda's babies onto his arms to be his hands.

The last time summary basically reads as 'shit keeps happening to specifically Wanda.'

This is supposed to be horrific. The previous page describes it as "a heart-wrenching tale of ultimate tragedy" but I am incapable of taking this seriously.

This man -- who was already kind of ridiculous as a character -- jammed babies onto his elbows and declared it makes him unbeatable.

This is his master plan. He is so proud of his accomplishment.

... Is he just going to use tiny baby hands for all manual dexterity tasks from now on? Is he going to pick up a sandwich with their tiny hands and bring it up to his mouth to eat? Is he going to hold a toothbrush with a baby hand and then brush his teeth? Actually, all hygiene tasks are going to be awkward and horrible like this.

THIS IS WORSE IN EVERY WAY THAN JUST HAVING NORMAL HANDS.

Wonder Man cautions that they'll need to be careful fighting Master Pandemonium since he has Tommy and Billy as human shields but Master Pandemonium laughs that Tommy and Billy can't be harmed because they're part of him and he's unbeatable.

Then he makes Tommy hand shoot demonfire with his tinier hands.

Don't try to make me like this through sheer ridiculousness, John.

Iron Man tries blasting Master Pandemonium with a strong enough repulsor blast to destroy an office block but the guy no sells it.

Master P explains he just wanted to use the baby souls to replace what was missing from his (and he chose these specific babies because?) but coincidentally they happened to be two of his missing soul pieces!

Ain't that a lucky break for specifically Master P!

Anyway, he does the thing he does and shoots dozens of demons out of his arms. And guess what? The demons are buffed compared to before because they benefit from him getting 2/5s of his soul back!

Sure, okay.

US Agent orders the Avengers to leap into action and Wasp thinks he sounded almost as impressive as Captain America there.

All he said was "Well, don't just stand there gaping! Demons they may be... but we're Avengers! Lets show 'em what that means!"

You're too easily impressed, Wasp.

Anyway, she shoots at a demon with her Wasp's Sting but the demon explodes into a hundred smaller demons. So Dr Pym pulls out a needle gun and shoots hundreds of needles to shred the wings of the hundred demons.

Damn, Pym. Brutal.

Vision strolls through the horde of demons, confident that his intangibility makes him untouchable.

Then a demon breaks his neck.

Damn. That'd be brutal if it wasn't Vision and if Wonder Man didn't explicitly state in the next panel that Vision can recover from that.

Wonder Man manages to make his way through the demons with less neck breaking than Vision and tackles Master Pandemonium.

He tries to pin Master P's arms at his side so he can't use Billy and Tommy to cast spells but one of the baby hands twists out of his grasp and bites his entire head.

Back on Earth, the Robot Human Torch flies above the Avengers West Coast Compound.

This is. A weird trend, actually. The issue after he was revived, I think he was introduced flying above the Compound and then landing. When he appears in Atlantis Attacks, he's flying above the Compound and then landing.

Is this stock footage?

But in this instance, he was making sure there were no more demons left. He also sees a weird tiny cat dashing into the bushes when he lands but he dismisses it as something to ask about later.

... Did Tigra get out? Dammit, Hank!

Jim Hammond, Robot Human Torch, heads back inside and sees that Agatha Harkness is just staring off at nothing.

So he decides to recap Master Pandemonium's whole deal to Ann Raymond, since she's around and doesn't already know.

You know the deal. Martin Preston (who has the same initials as Master Pandemonium? Wow) was a devil worshiping movie executive (retcon from being an actor) who drunk drove his way into a bad accident that cost his arm. He called for demons or whatever to save him so Mephisto appeared and replaced all of his limbs with demons. For laughs. He also took Martin's soul, ripped it into five and scattered them around the universe. Also for laughs.

Jim Hammond's recap calls the star-shaped hole in Master P's tum tum a "star-shaped scar" and bullshit. That is a whole. It has a suggestion of depth. It was a fight choreography detail that Wonder Man punched through the hole when he was trying to deck Master P.

It's not a scar, John. It's a star-shaped hole in his tum tum. GOD.

Anyway. Ann Raymond says cool story but what the fuck does this have to do with anything? Why is he kidnapping babies?

Agatha Harkness rouses from her weird trance to deliver some retcon exposition.

Remember when Vision dry-humped babies into Wanda because she was channeling a ludicrous amount of magic through her and through magic all things are possible, including spontaneous pregnancy?

Fuck you. Only god can create life.

(It is so fucking weird for Agatha Harkness of all people to say that only god can create life. She's been burned at the stake. Multiple times.)

Anyway, Agatha says that all along, Wanda's babies were "manifestations of Wanda's will. One small step beyond illusion."

How come Dr Strange never noticed if he oversaw the birth?

Stop asking Agatha Harkness questions. She has stuff to do.

To get Jim to shut up with his concerns about the Avengers, she reassures him that she has her cat familiar keeping an eye on them so she'll definitely know if they need help.

Cue the montage of the Avengers needing all the help.

Let's see. Hank has been grabbed by the ghoulies. Wasp is being eaten by a Murloc. US Agent is... blobbed? Iron Man is being bear hugged by an electric vantablack thingie. Scarlet Witch is holding hands with a horrible troll (because she needs to gesture to do stuff). And Wonder Man is being eaten by the baby hand.

Which still looks ridiculous.

Hm. But that might solve the question of how Master Pandemonium is going to eat with toddlers for hands. Maybe he can just eat through them.

Master Pandemonium decides that since absorbing some babies worked out so well, he's going to power up his baby hands by feeding them Wanda's soul.

He's just doing whatever pops into his head.

Dr Pym interrupts and tells Master Pandemonium that there's a huge inconsistency with his story. He says that Tommy and Billy are two of his missing soul pieces but then how come they were born before Master P met Mephisto?

Which... I guess is a date that Hank knows?

Because someone always has to be spying on the Avengers and Immortus already said he can't for this story, Mephisto is spying on things play out. From his throne of agony.

Mephisto smirks to himself that Master Pandemonium has no idea what's really going on.

SO HERE'S THE REAL STORY.

Narrated by Mephisto to No One In Particular.

So, Franklin blew up Mephisto once, back in Fantastic Four #277. I have no idea why the Fantastic Four were fighting A Devil. But Mephisto was eventually able to mostly recombobulate himself.

But missing five pieces of his essence.

(Do you see where this is going?)

Him jamming demons on Martin Preston's limbs and making a star-shaped hole in his tum tum wasn't just for laughs. It was to trick specifically this dude and only this dude no other dudes into searching for the missing Mephisto pieces while thinking it was his own missing soul.

In fact, Martin never lost his soul at all.

Master Pandemonium reacts badly to the news (from Hank, he can't hear Mephisto). He accuses Hank and Wanda of lying.

Anyway, then a portal opens and Jim Hammond the Robot Human Torch strolls out with the last two missing pieces of Master Pandemonium's soul but actually of Mephisto. And he promises to just give them to the dude if he promises the Avengers will be released unharmed.

Master Pandemonium agrees but as soon as Jim hands over the glowy things, he reneges.

Master Pandemonium: "With my soul fully restored, I need not be bound by the promises I give mere mortals! By turning the fragments over to me, you have signed your own death warrant!"

But when he places the last "soul pieces" there's still a piece missing. The center of the star.

And Master Pandemonium gets sucked into that hole.

Somehow.

In fact everything gets sucked into the pentagon shaped hole in his tum tum. The lair, the demons, everything but the Avengers. Leaving them in a blank void.

With Mephisto.

He tells everyone that all the soul pieces - including Billy and Tommy - have been restored to their proper place, ie Mephisto.

Then Agatha's cat digivolves into a bigger, scarier cat and everybody stands around narrating action that's just off-panel.

It is literally that scene from Gravity Falls.

John Byrne is a good comic artist.

Agatha Harkness contacts Wanda MAGICALLY. Wanda frets that Mephisto is going to destroy Ebony but Agatha dismisses her worries because Eboy is made of stronger stuff.

But this is all just a diversion, to buy time for Wanda to resolve this plot.

Agatha commands Wanda to open her mind and soul to her and then I guess something happens.

Something sure happens.

And everybody is back at the Avengers West Coast compound. With Mephisto defeated? Gone? Gotten bored and wandered off? Like, he only showed up two pages ago and he wasn't even starting shit. Ebony started shit.

This isn't a great victory against the devil. This was Agatha slamming the 'end story' button.

It's time for Agatha to Explain It All.

You see, by absorbing Billy and Tommy, Mephisto left a weak point in his defenses because the kids were still tied to Wanda by the spell she used to create them.

AND THEN AGATHA GAVE WANDA MAGICAL AMNESIA ERASING HER MEMORY OF BILLY AND TOMMY

And this, for magic reasons, caused the devil to poof. For a little bit.

Agatha says that Billy and Tommy were never real. Just a hysterical pregnancy that was magically amplified and snagged two of the missing Mephisto pieces as a basis to make imaginary babies out of.

Wasp points out how fucked up it is that Wanda is going to wake up and learn that her babies are forever gone because they were the devil but, see, the amnesia takes care of that.

No pesky questions about missing children or crying over missing children or going on fruitless quests for missing children.

US Agent points out how fucked up it is to make a mother forget her children and Agatha says she's basically a mother figure to Wanda so she knows best.

I don't like this story in all kinds of ways.

Even if I only hated the plot and character direction, the art on this issue is bad. And lazy. Hiding an entire devil vs cat fight scene off-panel and having talking heads just tell us how it's going? For shame.

The action was lackluster. Having the entire team just get rocked by Master Pandemonium instead of being able to put up a fight like previous times.

And it was less interested in telling a good story than undoing previous stories.

The issue ends with a tease of Atlantis Attacks, so Wanda is going to have a terrible time immediately after having a terrible time immediately after having a terrible time immediately after having a terrible time.

Either John Byrne doesn't like Wanda or he's the kind of guy who breaks the things he likes.

I already covered Atlantis Attacks, whoops, so next week more Avengers West Coast as Wanda has a terrible time in Acts of Vengeance.

Follow @essential-avengers to psychically send Wanda Maximoff well wishes and maybe a beverage of choice. Like and reblog to make me happy.

[teaveetamer]

U will be shocked to learn that "white people" aren't a singular monolith and not everyone that traces their ancestry back to Europe has the same history

I’m not shocked to know that lol. Whiteness is an inherently arbitrary category defined by exclusion. It can, and does, change on the whims of the people in power to consolidate power. For that to happen there must by definition be distinguishable differences among people in the group.

Like a century ago Irish, Italian, Greek, Jewish, etc. people were not considered white and were discriminated against. Then it became more politically convenient for WASPs to include them in whiteness (because they were worried that if they kept discriminating against them they would hop on the civil right’s movement and link up with Black Americans to REALLY mess up their consolidated power). Currently conservatives are trying to integrate more white Latino people into whiteness, too, to try and shore up their power in primarily southern red states.

I think the thing you don’t understand is that whiteness is an inherently homogenizing identity. Because whiteness in America is broadly viewed as a lack of culture, that means if your group has strong cultural characteristics (e.g. language or rituals) when they become included in whiteness then they are expected to either give that up or allow it to be assimilated into the broader white “non-culture”.

Like, how many Italian Americans can still speak Italian? There's 15 million self-identified Italian Americans, 700,000 speak Italian, and 350,000 of those are over the age of 65 (AKA Would have been around before Italian-Americans were broadly considered white). But how hard has Italian food been broadly incorporated into white culture? You probably eat a million things you don't even realize are Italian.

Some folk, like Jewish folk, hold fast onto their identity and culture independent of whiteness, but that also makes them the most obvious target when it comes time to start excluding people from whiteness yet again. Their difference is only tolerated so long as they are useful. Assimilation is the only way to guarantee you keep your spot (and sometimes not even then).

And in fact if you go to any actual European and say “I’m German-American” as in “my family came over from Germany five generations ago but I don’t speak the language or know any of the customs or history” German people will prrrrrrrrrobably laugh their asses off at you and say “no you’re not you’re just American”. Cuz you are functionally closer to basically any white American than you are to any German, because so much of actual German culture has been abandoned or conglomerated.

Obvious disclaimer that I’m talking about America because America views race a little differently.

So like, yeah I'm not talking about this because I think all white people are the same lol. It's a very nuanced topic, but I gather from your anons that it's not a conversation you're interested in having. So I am wondering why you continue to bother.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC Review: Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman

4/5. Releases 8/8/2023.

For when you're vibing with.... a Regency romance that isn't! all about WASP-y types, reverse Cinderella, horny heroines, and "princesses don't marry kitchen boys".

In order to maintain her claim on her late father's business, heiress Isabelle Lira needs to marry as soon as possible. She needs someone respected and connected--but finds herself drawn to Aaron Ellenberg, the poor synagogue custodian she's enlisted to suss out the loyalties of her suitors. The more time Isabelle and Aaron spend together, the harder it becomes for her to imagine marrying someone else...

A well-written, sweet, and funny historical that takes a look at a community you see represented in this subgenre practically never.

Quick Takes:

--Up front: I am not Jewish, and I cannot speak to the historical accuracy or representation here. However, I can say that the writing does a remarkable job of pulling you into a world that doesn't have a "setup" laid out by the conventions of historical romance. Yes, it's still Regency England. But let's be real, the vast majority of Regency romance novels center on Christian characters (or characters that really have little religious interest, but are implied to be Christians).

What I found really impressive about Grossman's writing is that she centers Aaron and Isabelle's religious and cultural backgrounds as something they share... While at the same time making it clear that there are huge differences between the way they live their lives. When an ill-informed historical romance author writes about a community they haven't bothered to even research, you can tell--there is one "type" of person in that community. The characters are homogenous. Here, we see through Isabelle an inside look at this exclusive, upper class Jewish community, while Aaron is basically barely scraping by and is looked down upon by many. They have a connection, but even the way they speak and present themselves is vastly different. Class here is emphasized more effectively than it is in so many other interclass historicals I've read, and it adds to the world immensely.

--You have a good balance of stakes and sweetness here. Aaron and Isabelle ultimately have a very sweet, romantic relationship. But that doesn't mean this is just some "friends fall in love" story (for the record, I wouldn't classify this as friends to lovers, as there's an immediate mutual spark when they meet). Isabelle is dealing not only with her father's legacy, but very real grief and the threat of a rival family.

--The sense of humor here is honestly quite charming. Isabelle is not an "easy" heroine; she's a little demanding, a little haughty, a bit of a... challenge. And Aaron is basically along for the ride, overwhelmed and bowled over. If you're into the "whirling dervish of a woman knows sensible man off his feet" thing, this is the book for you. And there's a reason why I referenced my favorite Anastasia moment above--you really do get the sense that Aaron believes he and Isabelle are impossible due to their class difference. She can't be with him! This beautiful, wealthy, headstrong girl can't lower herself to be his!!! I'm trash for it.

The Sex Stuff:

Here's where I'll admit I was... not let down, but confused. To be clear, this book is explicit, and stuff and things are done. But other stuff and things are alluded to, but for some reason are not on the page...? I was a bit uncertain about what exactly happened, and it feels a little cut short. This is not a closed door romance, and there are definitely discussions to be had about what constitutes sex in m/f romance novels; but the contrast of content on the page to content discussed but not depicted just didn't quite make sense to me.

I will say that what we get is well-done. Again, Isabelle... is a strong-willed young woman, and she does not let up off this man's neck for anything. The dialogue especially is good in those scenes--the dirty talk in this one? At points hot and at points (intentionally) hilarious. I did fear for his life. Also appreciate the discussion of 1800s birth control, please and thank you.

Plus--for those who enjoy a bit of femdom... I wouldn't classify this as a femdom novel, but Isabelle definitely has some baby domme vibes, and Aaron is not mad about it--at all. I really appreciated that natural aptitude and interest of hers. Also, if you're into the "clothed hero/naked heroine" thing (which... you're right) then you'll find something to enjoy here, for sure.

A light-but-not-too-light, fun read. I will admit that I typically enjoy heroes who are a bit edgier, but Aaron is lovely and much more interesting than your typical "nice boy" hero.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[demi-shoggoth]

2023 Reading Log, pt 5

Is it obvious that my local library has lots of books about birds?

21. Penguins and Other Seabirds by Matt Sewell. This is a small book, hardcover, with color paintings of fifty seabirds and short informational blurbs about each. The blurbs are a combination of science and poetic writing, and are often anthropomorphic and occasionally judgmental (it’s okay gulls. I don’t hate you). The book is cute, but very short and faintly disposable. It feels like a gift book you get someone who you don’t know very well, but you do know likes penguins. Suitable for a bird-themed bathroom reader.

22. The Complete Language of Food by S. Theresa Dietz. This book baffles me; it feels like it was written by a space alien, or possibly a Dan Brown character. The “language” the title refers to is both symbolic and magical, and each of the foods is granted a laundry list of things it could possibly represent in a reference or a spell. These lists are sometimes nonsensical (or am I the asshole because I don’t know what “colorize” means in the context of magic?). Each entry is marked with symbols to tell if the plant has poisonous parts, or medicinal use, but said toxins and/or medicines may or may not be referred to in the actual text! The main text itself combines world cultural lore, magic and folklore, and recipe ideas in a seemingly random assortment. The book at least looks nice—good paper quality and color illustrations—and it actually has a bibliography. So it’s getting at least some of these ideas from somewhere. I am really confused as to the target audience, and what they’d hope to get out of it. I don’t think this book is for me. Although there’s at least two other entries in the series, so there is an audience out there.

23. Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps by Seiran Summer. This book aims to give wasps a reputation boost from “the insects that are assholes” (thanks to @screamscenepodcast for that excellent summary of the popular culture view of wasps) to the vital part they play in ecology, our understanding of evolution, and the services they provide to humans. The book talks about the evolution of the Hymenoptera, and how both bees and ants are really just subdivisions of wasps that evolved in specialized directions. It covers some of the great naturalist observers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, like Fabre, and discusses what they got right, what they got wrong, and what we still don’t know. And in a very amusing change of pace, it frames the comparisons and contrasts between social wasps and honey bees as a drunken dinner conversation with a resurrected Aristotle. It even brings up The Wasp Woman! If you can’t tell, I really liked this book.

24. Over My Dead Body by Greg Melville. This is a history of the United  States as seen through its cemeteries. The author is a big fan of graveyards, and each of the chapters is bookended with his personal experience of a visit, then talking about the history of the place and how it ties into greater themes in American history. Themes like colonialism, racism and segregation, the military industrial complex and the death industrial complex. The author blurb makes sure to point out that Melville is a “decorated veteran”, but any worries that this book was going to be jingoistic are dispelled basically immediately. He refers to Arlington National Cemetery, for example, as a beautiful, profoundly sad monument to the American god of death. I got this from the library, but I’m buying a copy for my mom for Mother’s Day. Because she likes cemeteries, not as some sort of weird threat.

25. Water Babies: The Hidden Lives of Baby Wetland Birds by William Burt. This is a photography book covering a hard-to-photograph subject. Baby water birds, including ducks, herons, terns, sandpipers and coots. The book is sorted roughly by taxonomic group, with pictures of each the juveniles and adult of each species, along with some commentary about the animal or the process of finding and photographing it. The book has a great sense of pacing—it’s arranged in a way that immediately hooks the reader (with grebe chicks, which are super cute and ride on their parents’ backs), and photos are arranged in space to allow for artistically pleasing contrasts (like turning the page from the scruffy chick of the purple gallinule to see the magnificent adult plumage).

[d0ntw0rrybehappy]

journallllll 5/21

now that i’m moving out it’s gonna be harder to see my mom cause i’m further away and she’s gonna be sooo sad. i worry about my mom bc inside she is the world’s most lovable sweetest well-meaning person but she has less self-awareness/emotional control than most people so people judge her rly hard. i always want to be like guys just roll your eyes and let it go and let her know she is loved, she just has some weird kind of like, specific mom dementia/brain glitch, and deep down you KNOW this so lay off. there are so few people my mom lets in or will actually listen to. she was this kid runaway who built a life for herself in the art world copping designer clothes and flying to paree like a fucking pirate and then she had me instead of getting married and i’m one of the like MAYBE 3 people she actually likes. lol. nails & teeth metaphor “you’re the only one she’ll listen to” or “you’re the only one who can talk to her.” i miss her friend jaime who was an indubitably brilliant depressive semitic russian translator who never once judged my mom and they had this kind of relationship where they’d lie feet-to-head on a couch and just chat chat chat. she was my favorite of my mom’s friends. she died from cancer and self-neglect basically. bullshit. shauna’s friend alex reminded me of her the last night and i was like ugh i miss jaime. i wish my mom still had jaime!!! what am i gonna do? i have to have my own life but i have to protect my mom. stupid WASPs be like “you can’t take on your moms problems” shut the fuck up WASP you don’t know shit. other kids be rolling their moms around in wheel chairs and don’t complain you piece of individualist propaganda. nails & teeth metaphor the ignominious but resolute fighter (the progeny) lol.

so anyway this isn’t a post about my mom this is a post about henry cuz then i remembered henry lives on the west side like my mom. henry whom i’ve been on two dates with and have a major crush on. not a normal crush, a “oh you’re about to buy a horse son” level crush. and i imagined when i come to the west side, henry joining me for dinner on the days i visit my mom. not because that sounded like oh so much fun to him but because it was a way for us to spend time together. there are ppl who are married who do that kind of stuff for each other. it made me want to cry bc that would mean so much to me. this is fantasy henry not real henry but probably he would. i’ve only been on two dates with him and everyone is like avaaaaa don’t have too many expectations and like I KNOW i know i’m in it like ?? what’s the phrase? in it like jarvin? lol. besides if he dumped me i would DESERVE IT!!! i got fuckin’ KARMA to pay baby i broke more than a couple hearts the past couple years THIS IS WHAT THEY FELT LIKE?!? THEY FELT LIKE THIS?!?!?? wow FUCK

um but yeah obviously i would survive and if we break up it’s cause we’re not a match and there’s nothing *wrong* with me, duh, duhhhhh, totally notttttt a completely unhinged and slightly unhygienic individual, plus now i know what to look for - kind!!! stable!!! people!!! people i have a lot in common with!!! smart!!! part of the same world as me!!! people with a vision, a goal, passions!!! who take care of themselves!!! okay there’s gotta be lots of guys like that. so if it’s not henry FINE. but guyssssss guys i could actually see a future with him wtf was i doing before??? wowww i played so many games without realizing. 

anyway so we’ve only been on 2 dates so far but i am fully smitten with him (with spells of crushing doubt) and if one more person tells me to play it cool and not have expectations i WILL bite bc bitch I KNOW can you give me SOME OTHER KIND OF ADVICE PLS i have obviously not TOLD him any of this so stop putting more pressure on me to act or feel a certain way trust me I GET IT. and i think it’s dumb this is the advice given to women anyway.

also i’m going to europe probably for an entire month and as long as i don’t lose my job i’m gonna have a fucking amazing summer. losing job doesn’t seem that plausible, however, terrifying thought, bc i’m on my own now and need the moolah. and was a little uneven the past few months but that’s just a learning lesson ig. plus there’s always more jobs. right??? right. *sailor moon handhold sparkle fx*

ok thanks for being witnesses to my online diary my friends anxietyposting on here actually kind of helps, really excited for the future, it’s amazing that i’m getting these opportunities and the reason i’m so anxious is bc i care and i have something to lose. !

[shadowfiredemonwolf]

on black sun and bb

its pretty clear to me that if everything about the ships remained the same but blake turned was a guy or  sun and yangs genders were swapped  a good amount of the people who shipped bb would be shipping blacksun  instead

for one of the main reasons they shipped bb is the lgbt rep angle ( which is a bad reasoning it doesnt matter if there are tons of shows where het ships become canon or if there arent that much lgbt representation  )

and to be frank all the times I see people claim anti bb people are homophobic or would have seen evidence if it was a het ship or going there are tons of shows where het ships become canon or there are other het ships in rwby implying we are mad about bb because its a same sex ship when its not  and it  comes off as projection

given how many times I have seen them try to use the fact bb is a same sex ship as a shield or specifying the genders involved when making the complaint 

going there are tons of feasible same sex ships but they didnt go that route ( just because a same sex ship is feasible to happen ( as in they didnt hint at it being romantic but they could have chosen to gone that route ) doesnt mean they need to do it just like with het ships just because its feasible to imagine going down that route doesnt mean they need to do it instead of a same sex ship) ( as said before as in they didnt hint at the ship romantically but you could imagine them feasibly going down that route  instead they chose to go down the route of the opposite ship)

“This though? Fuck this whole part. Many LGBTQ+ (wlw included) have been and are very vocal about their dislike and criticisms of Bumbleby, and neither you nor anyone else are in any place to assume that it’s mostly just straight dudes who are upset over Bumbleby.“

I think my initial disdain for the way Sun and Neptune are written came from how sick and tired I am of straight ships being forced on the audience when lots of us are in the lgbta community. Part of it was because my gay ships were sinking I’ll admit but honestly I’m just sick of forced straight ships especially in one of the only shows with enough well written female characters to /actually/ have believable gay ships. I don’t think I hate Sun and Neptune but I do hate how forced the ships are.

I think this is all the explanation needed(and all you need to dismiss people trying to take moral superiority over liking Bumblebee). Something the toxic side of the fandom loves to do is project and project hard. They cannot understand why someone would not think like them or like the things they do unless there's something wrong with them or they contextualize it through what they themselves would do.And that's one of them accidentally explaining how that relates to Bumblebee: wasps like it because it's a gay ship. They thought Black Sun was forced because it was not a gay ship. Therefore, since everyone must either think like them or be defective, clearly you think Bumblebee is forced because it's not a straight ship. You don't like it because it's gay.“

basically they are just calling blacksun forced because it was a straight ship if sun was a girl they wouldnt make that claim so I cant take anytime I hear someone try to pull the you would ship bb if it was a m/f pairing  or wouldnt be calling it forced if it was a m/f pairing for if sun was a woman and yang a man they wouldnt be shipping bb and would call bb forced

if whether you ship  a ship or not  is determined by genders involved  like say if two ships were paired against the other and what causes you to ship one over the other  the pairing  is genders involved  it is a shallow reason   representation isnt more important then good writing

basically you shouldnt ship a het ship over a same sex ship because its het  and you should not ship a same sex ship over a het one because its samesex 

I would still ship blacksun even if yang and suns genders had been swapped at the start

it doesnt matter that male yang x blake was feasible/believable  they gave femsun x blake teasing mutual attraction etc and the buildup given would have made me ship blacksun from the start just like male sun x blake and then proceeded to give it the v4-5 development

it doesnt matter that bb at the start would have been believable ship  since they didnt go that route they instead teased blacksun m/f route  if your basis for hating blacksun/sun is that there was a believable same sex ship that they could have went with ( believable as in there wasnt teasing but they could have chosen to do that) you are projecting when you claim people oppose bb because its a w/w ship

with blacksun it was given years of teasing mutual attraction and development since v1 to v6 goodbye scene which came off as romantic in how it was shownw

 while bb arguably began to be teased in v7 v6 finale at best though nothing was inherently romantic moment

(people who try to make the claim it was built or teased from the start are wearing shipping goggles to see the most minor moment as romantic because they want it to be true and ignoring framing and context like the v3 finale ignoring that adam said he would destroy everything blake loved which includes friends and family to try and claim it declared blake loved yang romantically when it didnt .

or act like blakes reaction to it had any romantic connotations

there was nothing for sun to see in that scene where blake held yangs hand  while feeling guilty that would cause him to think romance

“The way that this scene was framed means nothing. If you wanna talk about what “makes no sense”, it makes no sense for this one bit of handholding to signal to Sun that Blake had romantic feelings for Yang. Especially since he hasn’t been present for any other moments that could have potentially hinted to him that Blake had feelings for Yang. The very most he can learn from this is that Blake is worried for Yang, that she cares about her, that she’s sorry for what happened to her.“

also burning the candle isnt romantic  yang reached out and helped blake  they danced for a bit which we hardly saw and then yang gave blake to sun to dance with when yang didnt have any issue with that ) and ( blake chose to dance with sun she could have chosen not to 

there was nothing flirty there  ( yang winking at blake which she has done to other characters before even a wf grunt )  I have seen people try to use a renora or blacksun moment to argue we have to see the blake and yang moment as romantic because we saw the renora /blacksun moment as romantic ignoring the differences between them

with blacksun it was suns introduction moment

eight-of-pentacles . tumblr . com/post/651259837931569152/why-do-you-say-yang-winking-at-blake-in-burning

Because it’s about framing and context.

Sun’s wink is accompanied by a slow-mo pan of his expression, followed by the camera focusing on Blake’s slack-jawed attention, along with a literal choir singing in the background while she stares at him. This is his introduction— to Blake, but more importantly, to the audience. This is the first moment we properly meet him, and it’s through this very particular gaze.

Yang’s wink is precipitated by her trying to convince Blake to come to the dance for her own mental and physical well-being. There’s no attention given to any other motivation on Yang’s part during the exchange, or what Blake’s reaction was following.

One of these has clear romantic intent. The other does not. If I were to present these two scenes to a random bystander and remove the names from the samples, and if I asked them to tell me which scene they thought was meant to be a romantic one, my guess is that they would go with the Sun and Blake scene. Because again, it’s about the framing of the scene, and the context of the situation the characters are in.

I say that Yang’s wink is dubious evidence at best, because I acknowledge that it can technically be read as romantic— but a.) it’s extremely covert, and only noticeable if you’re looking at it to find romantic evidence in the first place, and b.) I’m highly doubtful that was the writers’ intent in the first place.

while with renora it was a plane moment where the way renora acted and bb acted with each other was different   not to mention the framing

renora was a private scene with the song about noras feelings playing nora did the lay head on shoulders scene  and moved to get closer. 

with blake and yang it was just part of a rwby moment and yang held blakes hand to comfort her reciprocating what blake did when yangs hand shook

(not to mention renora was teased since v1 ) 

[antlersacornsandallium]

Spring is an odd season for me. I love it - I'm a gardener, so this is the season where the waiting is over and the excitement begins. Spring is exciting!

I live in the southeast US, so my seasons are... Slightly different from the traditional wisdom. The suggestions to start your seedlings and garden plans now are about 6 weeks too late for me, and the suggestions to reflect on the first flowers of spring are useless when the trees have already shed their flowers for leaves.

It is, however, still cold. There will be more overnight freezes that mean I cannot put out the more tender plants to grow in the blessed sunlight.

It's a season in limbo; too cold to commit fully to growing, but the sun is right there, teasing, promising a warm spring. And a brutal summer.

Spring is lovely and a relief from the cold of winter. Spring is also the slow turn of summer around the corner with its brutal blistering heat and bugs that bite and sting. Spring itself is thick clouds of pollen and the first mosquito bites and bees and wasps waking up cranky and hungry.

I think it's important to remember, as pagans when we reflect on the seasons, that not everything is sunshine and peace. Spring is a sigh of relief, but it's also picking the tools back up and getting to work again. Spring is hard. All the seasons are, in their own ways, but spring is not all baby lambs and daffodils.

I've been struggling lately with my mental health. I have anxiety and what is probably PTSD and a smattering of OCD on top of it. For the most part, it doesn't stop my life. It's manageable. But these last few months it has been deeply unpleasant and has started impacting things I love. I don't have as much spirituality as I want to, and my explorations have ceased as I turn my limited energy inward just to maintain a basic level of stability and function.

Freyja has been tremendously helpful. It's only small things - I don't tend to actively speak with the gods or even ask for favors - but the small things have made an impact. In low moments, I am kinder to myself. There is a soothing voice reminding me that I do in fact need to eat healthy foods, and drink water sometimes, and wouldn't I feel better if I took a shower?

All this to say: spring is an odd limbo season for me. It's the energy of potential that hasn't yet found an outlet to fully unfurl. I'm in an inbetween state myself, caught between the place of safety and the place of growth with the pinching pain of being caught.

Be kind to yourselves this season. Find joy wherever you can, even if it is the small things. Let Freyr's warm touch thaw you as it thaws the soil, and let Freyja's kind words feed your spirit.