#i rather have a smaller community if it means i get to be personal and hear their comments too

[thomine]

just a short notice that i'm not a very number person. this means that likes + reblogs (with no comments), although appreciated, are not as favoured as people commenting or letting me know what they think.

[hero-the-meep]

Why is the Doctor making Donna a cup of coffee so significant?

Well, he is trying to impress her, to get her to travel with him again – like he tried to do by using the TARDIS to make it snow at Christmas the first time he asked her to travel with him.

But he got that attempt wrong. Donna doesn't like Christmas, and the Doctor having the power to make it snow "scared her to death."

A cup of coffee, just how she likes it, is (on the surface of it) a smaller gesture to show that he remembered the little details about her. A cup of coffee is what brought them together all those years ago.

But it's what Donna told the Doctor about what Lance making her that cup of coffee meant to her that the Doctor really listened to and remembered.

"I was temping. I mean, it was all a bit posh, really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought, I'm never going to fit in here. And then he made me a cup of coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. "And Lance, he's the Head of HR, he didn't need to bother with me. But he was nice, he was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So, that's how it started, me and him. One cup of coffee, and that was it."

Donna fell in love with Lance because he made her a cup of coffee. So used to being unnoticed and uncared for, something as simple as an 'important' man taking the time to make her a cup of coffee meant everything to Donna.

She thought it was a sign that he was kind, that he was nice. She thought it was a sign he noticed and cared for her.

And the Doctor sees how it devastates her to learn the real reason why he was making her coffee was to drug her for his own ends. Despite their differences, he's gentle when he breaks it to her. And it connects her to him in a shared grief.

So when the Doctor makes her a cup of coffee after she regains her memories, he's not just telling her that he remembers the little details about her like how she likes her coffee, but the big things too.

He's showing that he sees her, that he cares about her thoughts and feelings, that he wants to care for her after all these years when he couldn't. That he knows how important this is to her.

But that's not all.

In the alternative timeline, Donna never meets Lance. And yet, when she is upset, and afraid, she asks Rose Tyler for a cup of coffee. Steam rises from her mug as they stand around the console inside the dying TARDIS, and have the most honest conversation they've had yet about the Doctor and their feelings towards him.

In the proper timeline, the person we see Donna drinking coffee with is Wilf. In moments of joy and moments of upset they bond over coffee. Before she finds the Doctor again, Donna brings Wilf a thermos to escape Sylvia's criticisms.

Wilf is the only person in Donna's life who she can be herself around, who has unconditionally cared for her, and who she takes joy in caring for back.

Even in the alternative timeline, Wilf has held onto not only the telescope but the exact same thermos Donna brings him coffee in when he's up on the hill.

For the Doctor to remember how she takes her coffee, we know they must have had moments together like this off-screen too.

So when the Doctor makes her a cup of coffee, just how she likes it, he is communicating he remembers not just the small details of her but that he remembers all these things that she associates with making someone a cup of coffee – kindness, acceptance, being noticed, caring for someone and being cared for, home, and family.

It's possible, for the Doctor, there's an apology in that cup of coffee too.

But wait, there's still more.

Did Donna spill the cup of coffee on the console on purpose?

The slight of hand was rather obvious. And it came at a time when Donna was trying to convince him not to leave her, to come back home to her, if only just for a visit.

He'd not said no, but she'd easily seen through him the first time he lied about coming inside to have dinner with her family that first Christmas, and likely saw through him again – the avoidance of eye contact, fiddling with the TARDIS, the wane "yeah, maybe."

She also rather clearly wanted to go on another trip with him (she never wanted to stop in the first place), and was only saying no because of her obligations to her family. It's possible she was buying time by spilling the cup of coffee – just one more than one last trip, without it being her "fault."

She had, after all, just dropped a cup of coffee on a computer and lost a job she'd probably hated, knowing Donna. And before things had gone really wrong, she'd definitely been enjoying herself.

It's also possible she's still quite angry with the Doctor, but unable to fully verbalise this yet.

He connects the cup of coffee to remembering every detail of her. She has not been able to remember any detail of her life with him. The last time they were standing around the console together, he took her memories against her will. He says it killed him; but she – or that version of herself, the one she actually liked – was arguably the one who was killed.

And she might be remembering Lance, another man she truly loved and trusted, and how a cup of coffee seemed like a kindness but was in fact a lie, a violation.

The Doctor quite possibly also suspects something like this is what might have happened, given his level of anger at her.

Despite the fact that this Doctor is more able to admit his feelings, we don't see what happened between them when he took her memories ever properly resolved in words.

Instead, there are a series of proxy arguments that stand in for it – Donna's anger that she gave away all her money because of him, that he sees taking the slow path, living a life day after day as such agony when he made her do it, his anger at her faith that he will know how to defeat the Toy Maker.

And their most emotional proxy argument of all – who is at fault for stranding them at the edge of the universe? Is it Donna, who spilt the cup of coffee, or the Doctor, who she couldn't stop from wandering off?

Thematically, however, there is some resolution. The Doctor lets Donna decide to regain her memories, even if it means she'll die. The Doctor knows Donna enough to save her from being left to die alone, even if it is at the very last moment. The Doctor admits he used to think he knew everything, but now he knows he doesn't.

Donna gets to tell him it's not all about him saving her, gets him to stop, finally gets him to come home with her.

And in their last scene, it's the Doctor who is having the cup of coffee.

[sillygoofyqueer]

You know what I'm in your inbox for...

Can I get some JiuYuan route for LeviathYuan? Pretty please??? 🥺

It absolutely does not need to contain cucking I prommy. If everyone is happy I'm... also happy, as long as it also contains JiuYuan 🤭

For you, my first wife, of course I have a JiuYuan route for our freaky demon Leviathyuan <3<3<3 Before I start, I want to mention that this route of Liu Qingge finding Leviathyuan occurs before Luo Binghe comes to Cang Qiong Mountain, so do with that what you will (also, I can make another route as well if you want Shen Jiu being the one to find him :3) Okay, so I kind of set up a perfect JiuYuan route because I was expecting this ask to come eventually - sooner rather than later - and it starts with Leviathyuan and Shen Jiu being in close contact with each other because Shen Jiu is of course trying to teach the demon human language so it can properly communicate its feelings and needs. (He's not doing it for those reasons exactly, he is once again doing it because he was goaded into it.) Of course, Shen Jiu hates people being in his private space, so they start out their lessons in Qing Jing's library, because it makes perfect sense for such things to take place there. However, Shen Jiu notices that there is an influx of disciples from other peaks using the library around the same times he hosts these lessons (he can only assume that they know about the schedule through rude and invasive means (they asked the Qing Jing disciples)), so it's obvious that they're spying on the lessons between him and the demon for some fucking reason, and he gets increasingly pissy about this matter as this goes on. However, he's not going to back down and throw them out of the library, because that would imply that he was doing something wrong. Meanwhile, Leviathyuan doesn't have a clue what's going on with these strange humans, but he does notice that the scowly green robed human becomes more tense and agitated whenever there are tiny humans with robes that aren't green in the place where they store all the paper with symbols on them. We all know that aquatic animals, as well as communicating through sound and such, can actually communicate through body language as well, so Leviathyuan is honed in on such things almost naturally, and that's how he's been getting a read on the people around him. He views Shen Jiu as a possessive, territorial animal and adjusts his own body language accordingly so that he isn't viewed as a threat (becoming small and unassuming). Shen Jiu, who is a possessive and territorial person, feels rather at ease around Leviathyuan because he's rather pathetic out of water, all curled up and naturally smaller due to his strange posture (imagine the animalistic body language actually soothing you, L!!). While he views Yue Qingyuan's patheticness as being pity or guilt driven, Leviathyuan has no reason to react in such a way, and therefore can only be natural! (Note: he has not talked to Mu Qingfang about Leviathyuan's humane biology, his opinion would completely change about the demon being pathetic and weak if he knew). While it's obvious to Leviathyuan that the scowly human is uncomfortable with people encroaching on his space and knows how to adjust to that, nobody else seems to, and so he takes it upon himself to find a way to get the intruders out of Scowly Human's territory. How? He acts nervous and works worse around those wearing different coloured robes, therefore giving Scowly Human a reason to kick tiny humans off his peak because they're affecting Leviathyuan's learning, which is counter-productive!! Shen Jiu notices this - it's obvious in how Leviathyuan was absolutely fine with disciples from other peaks being around until Shen Jiu became visibly more frustrated (he knew from the start but he didn't realise why until later) - and is rather...flattered. Of course, he's offended that the demon thinks that he needs its help or anything to feel at comfortable on his own peak, but he's never had someone go out of their way to appear weak and vulnerable to others for nothing but his benefit. It's a strange feeling. It's irritatingly nice. (Let me know if you want me to keep yappering about this one, because I veered completely off my notes and am having fun with this one!)

[yanderes-galore]

Naruto Uzumaki romantic Headcanons if you please~😊

I'll try! I haven't finished Naruto but I think I have a good grasp on his character. Enough to give him general HCs at least.

Yandere! Naruto Uzumaki Concept

(General Concept - Shippuden Era)

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Manipulation, Clingy behavior, Stalking, Delusional behavior, Fear of abandonment, Violence, Possessive behavior/Jealousy, May be canonically inaccurate, Kidnapping, Isolation, Biting, Forced relationship implied.

Naruto, like most protagonists or heroes, falls into the protective yandere category.

He has expressed a want to feel validation by his community.

He's also rather dedicated to saving people, even if they used to be foes or have become foes.

Hell, most of Shippuden he's trying to find ways to save Sasuke.

While Naruto is often loud and mischievous, he's very caring.

I imagine, towards a crush, Naruto is naive/childish.

He hasn't actually been in a relationship and spent most of his childhood hoping Sakura likes him.

So when he gets a new crush, he's still relatively new to the idea of actually being in a relationship.

Naruto is insecure about himself and his strength to protect at times.

That and he may also be nervous about his obsession not liking him.

Naruto's a sweetheart, don't get me wrong.

Although he tends to work extra hard to impress his obsession.

In his youth he was used to competing for attention.

Any attention was good attention, which is why he pulled all those pranks.

With his obsession, even when older, he still feels he has to compete to have your attention on him.

Which leads to some passive aggressive, if not hostile, moments with other people.

He's competitive in nature.

He was always like that when he was younger, especially with Sasuke.

Overall he's a competitive yet protective yandere that would do anything to be acknowledged by his crush.

Although, I'd also argue he can be possessive due to Kuruma.

A personal HC of mine is I think, due to him having the nine tails inside him, he expresses animalistic behavior when worked up.

I believe we actually see this in the show when he gets worked up, he ends up tapping into the fox's chakra.

So, imagine if he snaps, he does the same thing?

It could be anything from you getting hurt to someone taking you from him.

Maybe it involves the Akatsuki, or some other threat.

That or maybe it can happen on a smaller scale where his pupils change and he growls a bit when jealous?

Either way, times like those are terrifying because he can drop his restraint just enough to cause damage.

After he drives off someone he perceives as a threat, he no doubt has some blood on his clothes and skin.

Not only that but no one can pry you away from him once he latches on.

Naruto is dedicated to protecting since he's scared to lose you like he did with those closest to him.

There would be times when he defeated a foe or even multiple foes to protect you.

By the time someone found you two, Naruto would be tightly wrapped around you, growling at those who get too close.

It's hard to ignore those orange pupils of his, ones so much more animalistic and feral than his usual blue.

There's times when Naruto can be an animal when it comes to protecting you.

He's lost too many close to him and hates the idea of being alone.

It's natural he'd cling to you, right?

As I said before, Naruto would try to be sweet with you.

If someone else was hitting on you, he'd try to do it better.

Someone else giving you a gift? He can do it better!

Someone inviting you to hang out? Well, he's already made some plans!

Naruto may even be a bit delusional.

For example, if you invite him out to eat or train... He'd take it as a date.

He'd be so overjoyed, too.

You want to date him! Yes!

He's been waiting for so long.

Although, if you try to clarify later, he ends up giving you puppy eyes.

"What do you mean we aren't dating!?"

He'd be so distraught... he may even get you to attempt a date with him just to make him happy.

Naruto also seems like a very affectionate yandere.

He'd want to hug you and kiss you all the time, nuzzling into your neck whenever he sees you.

I can't help but think he bites, too... only when upset, though.

Would Naruto kill over you...?

... perhaps.

I think he'd only make any sort of attempt at that if they were a threat and were going to kill you.

Even then, he'll have to snap for that to happen.

He doesn't kill out of jealousy.

He more just ends up aggressive, growling at those too close like some sort of feral fox.

Would he kidnap?

If he's scared he'd lose you, I can see it.

He'd probably start by saying he's keeping you somewhere for your own safety...

But, surprise!

Now you're chained to a bed and he's already asking excitedly about dates or even marriage.

He's so delusional at times he doesn't realize you dislike the situation.

He's so busy cuddling you and "protecting" you that he doesn't realize you're scared.

That or he ignores it.

All Naruto wants is to be loved and protect the one he loves...

He'll do anything to have you all to himself...

If it means trapping you in a shared home to protect you... or if it means getting blood on his hands... he doesn't care as long as you're all his.

[tarotwithavi]

3 things you need to let go of in order manifest your dream life

1. Fear of Rejection

Do you realize that your fear of rejection is holding you back from doing so many things? Also why do you fear rejection ever thought about that? Yes we all fear something and rejection is a really scary word. Nobody likes rejection but the truth is the fear of rejection is what is holding us back and those who have let it go of this fear have achieved great things. Everybody is afraid of rejection so to say but what kind of rejection? Societal rejection that the society won't accept you for who you are, romantic rejection that your crush won't like you back or rejection from your own self? Why do you reject yourself? Why do you reject your thoughts? Why do you think that you are not capable of what you desire? This may not be a big thing but in order to evolve and grow you need to go through these questions and ask yourself why you fear rejection.

3 things to do to let go of this fear

Understanding Impermanence: Recognize that rejection is a part of life, and it doesn't define your worth. People's opinions and circumstances change, and rejection doesn't necessarily reflect a permanent state.

Focusing on Growth: Embrace rejection as an opportunity for personal growth. Learn from the experience, adapt, and use it as a stepping stone towards self-improvement.

Building Resilience: Develop resilience by realizing that not every rejection is a personal attack. Building a strong sense of self allows you to withstand setbacks and move forward with confidence.

2. Expectations

Sometimes you expect too much from people and from yourself too and when you cannot fulfill those expectations you feel upset. You have a great heart and there is no doubt about how pure and innocent your energy is. You do your best in everything you do, if you love someone you love them from all your heart and you will do everything for them. You expect others to do the same for you, expecting is not a bad thing but being upset over others not fulfilling YOUR expectations is not good. You need to let go of those expectations. And you don't have to live up to others expectations also. As a human we always expect others to do something for us or we just expect something in return. It's in our nature. You don't have to fulfill others' expectations and others don't have to fulfill yours. So you just need to let go of “expectations”.

Mindful Awareness: Be conscious of your expectations and question whether they are realistic. Sometimes, expectations can set you up for disappointment if they are too rigid or dependent on external factors.

Embracing Flexibility: Cultivate flexibility and openness to different outcomes. This doesn't mean lowering standards, but rather being adaptable to the twists and turns that life may bring.

Communicating Expectations: Clearly communicate your expectations to others when appropriate. This reduces the chances of misunderstandings and aligns everyone involved.

3. Self-Doubt

We've all been there, right? Dealing with self-doubt is like a universal thing and is a common human experience. But, let's be real for a moment, when did we let that self-doubt become the boss of our lives? Like, where did it even come from? Because, let's face it, it's not like self-doubt runs in the family or is scribbled into our DNA. Nah, it's more about what others toss at us. I used to doubt myself and still do actually(sometimes). But hey, I'm putting in the work. The more I do, the clearer it gets why the wise ones always say, "Who cares what anyone else thinks?" It's like, do you, be you, and forget the noise from the peanut gallery.

Positive Self-Talk: Challenge negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Focus on your strengths and past successes to counteract self-doubt.

Setting Realistic Goals: Break down larger goals into smaller, achievable steps. This allows you to build confidence gradually and see tangible progress.

Seeking Support: Share your concerns with trusted friends or a mentor. External perspectives can provide valuable insights and encouragement, helping you overcome self-doubt.

[cathalbravecog]

final daily high roller before april toons! see you tomorrow at the show! ;)

did not expect myself to pull off a "fancy drawing" today, and yet here i am! sappiness below, i suggest my friends read at least parts of it! i apologize beforehand for how long and personal it is.

well by cog, it's been another year, hasn't it? i can't describe how nervous and excited i am for tomorrow! or rather. today. it's 5 am. yeah, this was a bit of a crunch. but i managed to pull it off!

i actually intended 2 smaller pieces (the other being frostroller/selfship based.), each with different messages underneath and meanings. but i guess i'll put a compressed version of both in here. it certainly isn't a massive dedication piece as my dedicated piece from last year - but considering how special this all is to me, attached to this piece - i'll use this place as my Ramble Zone. note, i am very sleepy. if this makes less sense, gimmie some slack! ;p

high roller is like the ultimate representation of corporate clash to me. bold, chaotic, unique, new... something created by the hands of passion. breaking the limits of what can be toontown, just for the sake of it! for fun! to create. to play!

and as we all know by now, corporate clash (and high roller especially) mean a lot to me. but i want to make this more about clash in general.

i never expected myself to get this attached to toontown, or this server for that matter. it's possibly the most intense interest i have had, staying on top no matter what. interests come and go for me alongside it, sure... but toontown i figured is just where i feel safe.

now now, i do have conflicting feelings about the fandom/community that i am vocal about. but by safe i mea just... this game as a whole. the characters. the toons, the cogs. the silly world. and most importantly, as cheesy as a big cheese as it is, the friends made along the way!

i can talk about how much an escapism and comfort media this little world is to me. but it genuinely would not be the same without my friends. the dear friends i made thanks to corporate clash. genuinely some of the best people i have met in my life, that i cannot imagine my life without now.

i cannot even begin to describe how thankful i am. and this is why i want my friends to read this - you!!! all of you. i love you so much. i know i can be a lot, but i cannot thank you enough for... just being there. for being my friends. for existing! you are truly incredible people and have helped me so much.

from being shoulders to cry or vent on, to someone to share countless laughs with, to someone who i just hang out in vc for hours doing nothing at all, to someone who will listen to my passionate infodumps. or someone to help me train drop on an alt. good lord.

i am sure i would have crawled out alright even without any of this. with just the people i knew before, and some other hyperfixation. but i'll tell you out right. i am so happy my life has lead me to these moments. even if it has been genuine torture at times. i would not change it at all just for the fact i get to be friends with incredible people.

i would have been a different person, for sure... and i am just so glad i am who i am right now. there's still so many flaws, but i know i got my friends with me. and it's all thanks to clash! all because i decided to play on a very specific time that allowed all of this!

and now if i may, i'm going to get a little sappy about high roller, as i haven't quite yet. i don't have much time to type left (sleepy.) but i have to gush about my f/o a little bit. obviously, i did not go into clash for high roller. hr happened after and was just... the perfect bundle of chaos and themes for me to get attached to.

i've been a little crazy since day one, but i've hid my feelings behind a lot of shame and fear. but over time, i allowed myself to let these feelings blossom (for better or for worse) and open up more. through this, and the support of my friends, i have learned to be less shameful and... be myself more!! do what i want. i have always been one for that, but sometimes shame just gets you.

high roller as a character makes me very happy, and is The Guy In My Head Who Comes To Me In Clutch.

i am very happy a character like this exists. who matches me and my energy. (or, at least when i am not anxious over something, and have energy. LOL. suppose vibes is the better term! :P)

representation for someone like me is... pretty scarce to find. i know many of this is projection but... seeing a canonical character who kind of just fucks with gender, is typically masc leaning, and is just... ALL OVER THE PLACE? CHAOS INCARNATE? CONFIDENCE INCARNATE? not only is it tropes i like. but it's also just... how i feel like? (hell, frostbite is a lot of those things, they are a flawed, extreme representation of how i'd like to be, and highlighting some of my good traits! while also just... being a fun character. Anyway.)

now i am not going to go into explaining my identity, and my headcanons and how that ties with the canon for... this non canon character. but just what we have makes me so happy. it makes me seen. i don't feel seen like this almost... ever. hr being the way she is, is very encouraging and comforting for me. and entertaining! (well. it is a show host after all!)

it is no surprise that with all this genuine comfort, feeling of being seen, sheer entertainment and his charming nature, i became infatuated quite quickly. if i was less tired i would have more clever words for this. but i just want you to know how much this character means to me. a lot of it IS just. difficult to explain Mental Illness Attachment.

there's one thing that is quite private for me that this character has helped me process, that i bubbled in for my whole life. it is trauma related so i wont go into it. but i cannot believe this is what did it for me. and yknow what? i am thankful.

thank you, clash, my dear friends, and high roller for... just dragging me through shit. keeping me confident. having something to look forward to. because god. life has been hell. unironically one of the main things keeping me going IS looking forward to april toons.

there's definitely more words i wish to say, but at that point i would be repetitive, and my tiredness and brainfog would be obvious. so i'll take care of myself and end it here! pat on my head for being brave about typing all this.

that being said. i love you, clash. i love you, all my friends i have made from this game (and all others!), and of course, i love you, high roller. cant wait to drop 10000 pianos on you. die forever 10000 years That Dumb Duck That I Hate (kiss yaoi sloppy styl I HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO NOT CONTINUE THIS SENTENCE

... oh, you're still here? well alright. you get something, too! have an early work in progress version of the piece!

[7ndipity]

Fights with them

Ot7 x Reader

Summary: what they would be like during fights/arguments

Warnings: a lot of angst, not proofread

A/N: after days of struggling to work(hello executive disfunction) I got this request, and my brain decided to jump back into gear and I wrote this in like an hour, as well as half of another request!? 🤷idk, I'm not gonna question it, I'm just glad I'm writing again.

Masterlist

Requests are open

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Seokjin: as much as he bickers with the members, I think he has a rather avoidant personality when it comes to real conflict. He's said he allergic to seriousness, which can definitely become an issue if not careful, as it can one off as indifferent or dismissive. I think he usually ends up snapping and saying something short but pointed, and then walks away before things can escalate further. Always comes back all apologetic, and tries to work through things more calmly.

Yoongi: He's very upfront and sometimes blunt, and he's said before that he hates getting angry/fighting, so I think most issues would be resolved before they can turn into a full blown fight. But I also think he might have a tendency to ignore/avoid smaller issues until they build up. In the moment, he's not that loud, but he's very sharp with his words. Immediately regrets saying anything that might have hurt you afterwards. Definitely needs some time to himself to think and get his emotions under control, but would want to apologize and resolve everything as quickly as possible.

Hobi: He's almost to open too let a fight brew properly. He'll see it coming be like, "wait, let's step back and sort this out" before it gets out of hand. When they do happen though, he's loud only for a moment, and then the rest of the time, he's unnervingly quiet. As I said in his dating HCs, fights almost always culminate in tears because he can't stand y'all being upset with each other. Like, it causes him physical pain. Makes up the fastest out of all the members.

Namjoon: tbh, I think I would fight with him the most out of the members. He's soo stubborn and passive aggressive. Tries to dismiss the issue to de-escalate the situation, but that almost always backfires. Gets loud and slams things/doors, then gets mad at himself for letting his emotions get the better of him. Definitely needs time to cool off before coming back to talk to you; could be an hour, could be three days, depends on the situation. But he does always come back to talk it out with you.

Jimin: I know several of the big fight stories involve him, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's overly combative, I just think that when he feels strongly about something, he won't back down, which can be a good thing, until it isn't. If it's a smaller argument, he'll just say something snappish and then move on like nothing happened, but in bigger fights, he can rival Joon on volumeand intensity. He can also hold a grudge like you wouldn't believe, so communication is a super important part of resolving the issue so nothing brews into bitterness.

Taehyung: He has a tendency to get very wrapped up in the moment and take things personally, so even small fights can snowball into something bigger if you're not careful. Yells and tries to put up a tough exterior, but starts to crack pretty quick and will want to leave before his other emotions show too much. Another crier(same). Ultimately, can't stand being away from you for too long, the type that will climb in bed and hold you, but not speak because the wounds are still fresh. Will probably talk it out with you the next morning.

Jungkook: He's such a emotional and overly reactive person, so I see fights being a common occurrence with him tbh. With smaller fights, he stays pretty calm, but when things escalate, he's all over the place. Definitely an angry crier. For some reason, I don't see him really yelling during fights? He's more like Hobi in that, if he does, it only happens in bursts and the rest of the time, his tone is just slightly raised(like when he scolds ppl during lives). Does not like to walk away and wants to sort things out then and there, even though that's probably not the best idea, but he doesn't want to let the tension drag on longer than it has to.

[smilesatdawnmain]

ETERNAL LMK AU (Part 6) (Interactive Story)

Time for some answers

The rules are simple.: I will give the written passage, and then at the bottom there will be a vote on how the characters act next!

Story: Eternal Au

Ships: Shadow Peach

Digging his heels into the dirt to try and slow his speed, realizing the farther Wukong went so did he, Macaque called back angrily to the collectors,

“What is going on? What isn't good??" he demanded.

The collectors cringed, glancing at each other. Rushing to keep pace with Macaque, wearily eyeing the sky in case somehow Wukong did spot them, they nervously smiled. Normally they would never fear, but that golden vision of his- it was rumored to even view the dead if he was looking close enough.

One of the collectors, a stout figure with a chipped jaw and a nervous twitch, cleared his throat. “You see,” he started, his voice wobbly, “That connection you’re feeling? And uh, seeing? It’s… complicated.” He shuffled back a step as Macaque glared, spitting out words like venom.

“Complicated? Explain! I don’t have time for riddles while that fool flies off with me!”

The second collector, a more slender figure, leaned in closer. “It’s the bond,” he whispered, as if saying it too loudly might make his presence known to the flying King above. “Remember before how we said souls can get held up from moving on? One being, their soul is stuck or trapped like yours was?"

“Okay?” he grumbled, slipping his hand just a tad through the ropes these collectors insisted on keeping to hold onto him. Shifting between them he grasped the golden string around him. As much as he tugged and wiggled, it wouldn't loosen. It felt hot to the touch.

It felt like Wukong- his very essence and power.

It gave a strange sense of both comfort and discomfort considering Macaque’s own emotions were torn by the man.

The burly collector continues, "There are other reasons that can stop a soul from moving on. The other two are they have some lingering connection to this world that is preventing them from leaving. Or... a living connection is tethering them down. Honestly, it could be both cases for this one." the two nodded knowingly to each other.

"What does that mean?!" Macaque snapped, standing to try and pull and remove this rope from him, only to gag as it dragged him further rightward to follow after Wukong.

The Collectors followed, “Soulmates,” they summarized.

Macaque blinked, confusion flashing across his features before morphing instantly into indignation. “Soulmates? Are you out of your minds? Wukong and I?” He spat the name like it was poison. Such a thing would once thrill him. Perhaps even now it… still kind of did.

A soulmate was something rumored in the demon community. The thought of something so pure and wonderful was a dream he himself had when he was just a cub. But now, tainted by blood and betrayal, the very idea sent a shiver of revulsion coursing through him. It was horrible. It was impossible!

Something so sacred couldn’t possibly be. A soulmate came once. Not just in a lifetime. As the name implied, it was the one intended for your very soul. To find this person took more then luck.

Wukong was his soulmate??

Wukong was… his?

And he didn’t want you.

The thought made him seethe to avoid the pain that followed, “If that fool is my soulmate, then I’d rather be bound to the netherworld!” With every protest, the golden thread seemed to pulse brighter, almost as if responding to his anger. The more he wrestled against the bonds, both physical and ethereal, the stronger the connection felt. It tingled through him—a sensation that flickered between distaste and a kind of reluctant warmth. Ignoring it was becoming increasingly difficult.

"Well this doesn't often happen with mortals but well uh- demons are a little different." the smaller collector admits weakly, "Certainly makes our job harder, let me tell you. As a demon you live a long time, thus the connections you make are always stronger. Sometimes the magic of demons and their soul mates even mix together making a literal tether-" they gestured to the rope.

Macaque slowly looked down, his eyes flarring. NO.

No no no.

“What does this mean for me? Is there any way to remove this?" he couldn’t be Wukong’s soulmate. He couldn’t continue to be forever tied to that King- that jerk. The man who cared so little for him he would choose everyone else over him!

One of them shrugged, nonchalant to Macaque’s despair, "Soulmates are tricky? Honestly, maybe not until he moves on."

"Moves on??" Macaque repeated. "That doesn't- eleborate!" he barked, kicking his feet.

They held up their hands, "Chill! Chill man." they sigh. "Regrets, lingering desires, many of these things some people can let go once they come to terms with their death. A trip you never got to take, a hobby you never got around to trying- simple things that could easily be put aside. Love and soulmates, that is where it gets tricky. People could mourn all their life and never truly move on or let go of those they have lost. A person soul knows who they are destined to be with, and tend to have an issue with letting go."

Macaque's mouth felt dry. "What does that mean for me?" his mind was reeling, "Are you saying that until Wukong "lets me go" or whatever bullshit like that, I can't move on?"

The two stepped back out of Macaque's range when he tried to swipe at them, "Basically?" they offered sheepish smiles. "Same could be said for you. Sometimes those who are dead can't let go of the living people they are leaving behind.”

Macaque felt his face heat, quickly barking, “I have no issues letting that man go!”

They blinked once, then at each other, not believing him for a moment. “Rightttt.” they trail off. “Either way, usually this problem can be solves by the person eventually moving on, or... the person keeping the tether dies."

They all glanced at the very much immortal Monkey King. Macaque's eye brow twitched. He rushed over to Wukong, yelling, "Move on from me you son of a-!!”

The diyu collectors covered their ears as Macaque let out a long set of slurs.

"I wait and wait and wait- and you never had any problem letting me go before! Ditching me for years- and NOW suddenly you got an attachement issue?!"

He held onto the string attached to his waist, feeling it pull him in different directions like a puppet on a string. Peng had always made fun of him, asking if there was anything Wukong could do to break his grip over him. Well, murder sure felt like it should have done the trick!

So how was he possibly still tied to him??

….he knew how…. But he would rather not say.

Previous

Next

[tarraxahum]

This was gonna be a reply to a reply but I thought maybe I should just make my own post. Yes this is about Vi again.

It's no secret that "Vi should've fought for Zaun" and the expectation of her being Vander's prodigy and feeling like the plot dropped the ball on her in that regard and the betrayal at the fact that she's living comfortably in Piltover now are. Frequent sentiments in the fandom. Which I get, but also I feel that this line of expectations is. Diverging from who Vi actually is by the end and what she was realistically capable of.

Vi in season 2 is basically running on fumes and because she has no other options. It is a well known thing in irl activist spaces that to participate in any kind of fight for justice you need to take care of yourself, otherwise you won't have the energy to be any kind of useful to your community. Ekko also says this - "It's not enough to give people what they need to survive, you have to give them what they need to live". Vi has been surviving and not living in any shape or form for years, she's exhausted and broken in places. That's no mental state to fight for Zaun or make any kinda change. I think it's extremely realistic and human and hardly a flaw of writing or the character if by the end the only thing she was able to do was collapse into the safety and peace she was offered for the first time in forever (aka Caitlyn). It's clear that in her last scene she's still recovering mentally - Cait seems to be excited to have any sign of life (singing) from her at all, and the "Are you still in this fight?" question is very loaded. (But it's indicated that Vi is very much still in the fight, so? It's really anyone's guess what she'll do once she's healed and remembers how to live. And don't bring up LoL's Vi brutality thing, it's clear they're different characters).

I think in wanting to see Vi stand up for Zaun or be Vander's prodigy we often deny her the flaw of being a breakable human and forget just how much she's held together by duct tape. Just because she was full of this 'fuck Piltover' fire as a kid doesn't mean she is still capable of matching that energy. Sometimes after lots of trauma humans grow up into tired adults who just want to sit down and feel safe regardless of where it happens and how questionable it might look (re: living in Piltover). Not to mention, that even as a child Vi's main reason for fuming at the Topside was wanting safety for her family and herself. Well, now she's all out of family, she's estranged from the community of Zaun thanks to being in prison for 7 years and Silco changing the place so much, and the only person who's offering her safety and not more fighting (which she's exhausted and thoroughly burnt out from!) is Caitlyn, so. How is where she ended up any kind of surprising or a failure of her writing/character?

Yes, a lot of people wanted a revolutionary, no, Vi isn't one. Dare I say, never really was one. At her lowest, when she's got no one left to protect, she's not trying to fill in that void by taking on protecting Zaun and becoming a vigilante or something, no, she spirals. That is not something on her radar, that's not something she's visibly cut out to do, she cares so so much but on a smaller scale. Even the whole shimmer factory debacle was less about Zaun and more about her desire to hurt Silco personally for what he'd done to her family. If Jinx agreed to run away with her back at the tea party Vi would ditch the entirety of Zaun (potentially leaving it to Silco forever since he's still alive at that point) in a heartbeat to keep her sister and save Cait in one move. She puts on an enforcer uniform BECAUSE she cares for Jinx (through convincing herself that at the very least she should take her out of her misery herself rather than leaving it to people who don't care, yes) and Cait both.

Perhaps a hot take, but not becoming a leader despite being good at taking hits to the head and caring about people in general and being a daughter of one does not make Vi a badly written character or a bad person. It just makes her a person. And a character whose arc culminated in choosing herself. And choosing yourself sometimes means leaving the fight to others (perhaps temporarily, considering the final dialogue). And that's okay.

Arcane is tragedy about flawed people, not a feel-good story about a successful revolution and rich people paying for their crap, and it was never going to be. Ergo one of our main character isn't an upcoming hero in shining armor who was allegedly robbed of her potential. She's just a broken young woman who barely knows how to keep her own little life together and her biggest victory by the end is allowing herself to take a breath and live for once. Yes, while her home down there is still in shambles. Yes, that sounds selfish. For some people a bit of selfishness is the greatest thing they can ever learn for themselves.

[hyperlexichypatia]

This survey of why parents are estranged from their adult children is such an interesting illustration of how neurobigotry functions in society and interpersonal relationships. People accuse their estranged family members of being Mad/neurodivergent, because Madness is synonymous with being at fault in a relationship. It's considered inherently Reasonable and Justified to cut ties with a Mad/neurodivergent person -- especially an untreated-by-choice Mad/neurodivergent person -- because to be Mad/neurodivergent is to be inherently wrong, inherently unreasonable, inherently burdensome, inherently the one who is not abiding by the social compact.

Or as one of my friends put it, "Mental illness exists as a sociopolitical concept of ontological wrongness."

One of the pervasively enduring aspects of neurobigotry is that people who have been abused by neurobigotry will, instead of rejecting neurobigotry, simply accept it and turn it around on their abusers. People think they're really onto something with "No, it is my abusive parents who are mentally ill and need therapy" or "No, it is the people in power who are mentally defective" or "Racism/capitalism/bigotry are the real mental illness!"

But you can't dismantle the master's house with the master's tools. Pathologizing your parents doesn't correct the power imbalance of being pathologized by them, and using pathologization as a way to convey wrongness is still reifying pathologization and neurobigotry.

The context of family estrangement reminds me of this thought process I started about the construction of "cults." When the anti-cult movement began, it was centered on family members of people who'd joined new religious movements. The premise that people who joined religious groups their families didn't approve of were victims of "cult brainwashing" who needed to be "rescued" and "deprogrammed" (against their will, of course) was a tool of controlling families trying to deny their (usually) adult children's right to freedom of religion and general life choices. The idea that "cults" caused family estrangement was an integral aspect of the moral panic around them.

But over the decades, the stigma on "cults" has shifted. The contemporary anti-cult movement is fueled by people who grew up in abusive religious communities and chose to leave. It's applied as often to older, larger, established religious groups as it is to newer, smaller ones. While the original anti-cult movement largely centered on parents trying to control their adult children, the newer anti-cult movement largely centers on adults who've broken away from their parents' control.

Except. Except. It still uses the pathologization framework established in the 1970s. It's still a reversal -- No, it is you, the parents, the church, the authority, who are the Mentally Ill, the cult, the deviant, the ones in need of being fixed -- rather than a rejection or reframing: Actually, young people should be free to choose their own path in life.

It's not only applied in relationships between parents and children -- it's even more commonly invoked in breakups between former friends or partners. People feel the need to establish which party was Mentally Ill and Needed Therapy as a proxy for which party was At Fault in the breakup. In reality, breaking up doesn't necessarily mean either party was At Fault, but it's more socially acceptable to say "We had to break up because he's Mentally Ill and Refused To Get Help" rather than "We just didn't get along." Discussions of bad and badly-ended relationships are just constant rounds of uno reverse allegations of Madness/neurodivergence.

One of my least favorite examples is trying to "rebut" the neuromisogynistic trope of "Women are crazy" with "Men cause women to become crazy." Why are you validating "Women are crazy" by trying to "explain" it? Why are you accepting the premise that "crazy" is a bad thing? Why are you reifying the idea that being "crazy" has to be "caused" by something "bad"? If a man says "I broke up with my ex-girlfriend because she's crazy!" why validate the neuromisogyny with "No, you're crazy!" or "You must have made her crazy!" instead of challenging it with "What's wrong with being 'crazy'? What does that have to do with anything?"

If someone says "I stopped speaking to my child because they refused to seek therapy," why validate the neurobigotry with "You're the one who needs therapy!" instead of challenging it with "Why is their choice whether or not to seek therapy any of your business?"

[ultra-force-au]

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go and Pitch Pilot Comparisons

I've been meaning to do this since the pitch pilot for the show was found, but I figured it was best that I do it on this blog because it's pitch pilot related. I want to make a compilation of differences between the pitch pilot and the show, along with what got reused later on.

This is kinda a long one, so buckle up.

Biggest changes

Names

Getting the most obvious one out of the way first.

The monkeys have different names, instead of actual names they're referred to by color. Monkey Black, monkey Blue, monkey Green, monkey Red, and monkey Yellow for Antauri, Gibson, Otto, Sprx, and Nova respectively. It's possible that they were simply placeholder names until the series got picked up, which is my guess. Chiro, Skeleton King, and Thing stayed the same name wise, though Thingy was referred to as "Thing" and "little thingy" but it's relatively the same.

Shuggazoom City is referred to as Pachinko Town. While it's obvious that the name got changed later on, and how it might've transferred to the Sheenkos in a similar sounding manner, it's interesting to note that pachinkos are a thing. More specifically, it's a Japanese word (パチンコ, pachinko) for vertical pinball like machines that are typically used for gambling, but are shown in arcades as well.

Interesting to see the Japanese word usage this far back in the show's roots, considering some Kanji is used in the show at some points, as well as Super Quasar calling Chiro Chiro-san, a Japanese suffix/honorific to show respect to the person they speak to (think of it similarly to using Mr. or Ms./Mrs. for individuals), at least from my understanding anyways as someone who doesn't speak Japanese. Makes me wonder if there being an arcade was always planned because of that little detail…

Ranger 7 is referred to as Ranger 6. Small in comparison, but interesting to note regardless.

The Super Robot is also referred to as Super Robot Battle Base Headquarters as well.

The Power Primate seems to have a different name too. Power of… Ape? Power of something, I genuinely cannot figure out what that particular word is.

Voices

This is obvious enough. A good few of the voices were changed between the pitch pilot and the show itself. Yellow and Chiro are the most notable ones. Black and Blue sound the same as they do in the show, though Blue doesn't seem to have a hint of a British accent here. Skeleton King seems the same voice wise as well, same with Red, but I'm not the best when it comes to voice acting so they might have different VAs that sound very similar to each other. It doesn't help there isn't anything saying who the voice actors were here.

Designs

Skeleton King is the most different from what I noticed.

Chiro's, of course, different as well but it's nothing too different from when we see his little self in the show so there's not much to note there.

The monkeys designs are a little different, but the art style doesn't help in any capacity. Their tails might be purely organic rather than cybernetic but because they're drawn as just lines, it's hard to determine that for sure.

The planet looks pretty different, though it could be because not a lot of it was given much detail. The same could be said about Shuggazoom City compared to Pachinko Town.

Miscellaneous/smaller differences

Chiro doesn't have a communicator on his regular outfit, not a visible one anyways. He also transforms into his Hyperforce mode by flipping his hat, at least it appears that way.

One attack name hasn't been used in the show itself outside of the pilot, Chiro's Stingray Boom(?).

The monkeys share a singular room rather than their own individual ones as we see in the final product. Chiro's room also looks different here.

The inside of the Super Robot is, in general, different looking.

Red was possibly gonna be the British and/or Australian monkey of the team instead of Gibson being British, having used "blimey" and "crikey" at different points in the pitch pilot.

3D/CGI appears to have been used for the Super Robot and its individual parts. Nowhere in the show itself has there been any of that used, and if there is, it's not noticeable.

What's been reused in the show

The general Thingy plot has been brought over and refined into, of course, the season 1 episode "Thingy."

The line where Yellow says "This place makes my fur itch" has been brought over to "Magnetic Menace" word for word.

Some plot points in the pitch pilot has been brought over to "Chiro's Girl," mainly Thingy being used by Skeleton King directly to Jinmay being used by him and Sakko, and Chiro using pictures of their time together to help bring them back to normal.

Furthermore, the fact that Chiro has an ID has been taken over from the pitch pilot as well. Show version is a blink and you'll miss it thing though since it doesn't linger on it and it doesn't show it in detail. Even I missed it a good few times.

Chiro's younger design was brought over, albeit for a brief moment with his old clothes being in Skeleton King's lair and for most of "Night of Fear" with Chiro being turned younger.

His Hyperforce outfit is the same in both with it being brought over, just the face mask/makeup is slightly different.

While there's at least one attack that's different in the pitch pilot, there's some that's been brought over, at least name wise. Those being Boom Boom Wakeup, Magna-Tingler Blast, and Psycho Chopping Doom Spin.

Chiro's space/underwater suit remains the same and has been brought over.

The names of the Super Robot parts have been transferred over as well, however with the added addition of everything being numbered 1-6 rather than Fist Rocket 1, Fist Rocket 2, Foot Crusher Cruiser 1, etc. Placements of who goes to what is also the same.

—————

And that's probably everything, unless I missed or forgot something, which is likely. Same with if I messed something up. If I did miss anything, I'll compile more for a second part or reblog typing out each addition + mentioning whoever points out what I missed.

I would've shown off more images to show the differences and whatnot, but Tumblr's stupid with its 30 images per post limit.

I thought everything was just so interesting and I couldn't help but compare and contrast it all. I'll admit that everything took me a while, mainly because of doing other things and not going through the show in a while. Still haven't outside of getting screenshots.

[ridiasfangirlings]

How to buy K merch in the Year 2024

I got several asks about this so rather than do each individually, I’ve decided to just make one big How to Buy K Merch in the Year 2024 post. I’m going to skip over the more obvious western sites like eBay and focus more on Japanese sites here. Because there hasn’t been much new K merch in some time keep in mind that most of what you will be looking for is secondhand, which means availability will vary.

Shopping Services

For some of these sites you will need a shopping service, so we’ll start there. This is by no means a comprehensive list of available shopping services, just ones I’ve used and liked. 

FromJapan - This one is very straightforward — copy and paste the url of the item you want into their search bar. For anything in certain sites like Rakuten this will pull up a page that will give you the item and its price in your currency and you can just click add to cart. For other sites you may need to request a price quote, there’s a small form to fill out and they’ll get back to you on if they can order it. Timing depends on when you make the request. The nice thing about FromJapan is they will hold items for you for 45 days, so you can collect multiple purchases from multiple sites over time and have them all shipped at once. The bad side is that after 45 days they will discard your items, so keep an eye on when your oldest item arrived (you can see how long it’s been at their warehouse on your account page, and they will email you as the deadline gets close too).

Treasure Japan - Treasure Japan is a much smaller service than the others on this list but also the one I’ve used the longest. Being a smaller service means they tend to be more able to purchase items that might have seller restrictions, particularly from places like Mercari. Some listings when pasted into other shopping service sites will have a ‘cannot purchase from this seller’ warning, because some sellers don’t want to deal with shopping services. I haven’t had much trouble with this merchandise-wise, but when I’ve run into it with j-fashion Treasure Japan has been able to order when the bigger services couldn’t. Their site is set up so you will input different sites in different sections, there’s one for auction, one for ‘flea market’ (this will be places like Mercari) and one for shopping sites. 

Buyee/Tenso - Buyee is a shopping service, Tenso is a forwarding service. They’re owned by the same parent company but are separate sites and you’ll need a separate account for each. Buyee is directly integrated with some sites like Mercari and Yahoo Japan, you can put in the url into their search bar and get a listing that you can buy immediately. Like FromJapan, any sites outside of the ones they’re integrated into will require you to request a quote (I found this more difficult with Buyee than FromJapan, personally) and they will sometimes be unable to purchase items. They will hold your items for 30 days at no charge, and you can request to consolidate packages for shipping.

Tenso, as I said above, is a forwarding service and somewhat more complicated. Basically when you sign up they will give you a Japanese address (presumably one of their warehouses) and you can then buy directly from Japanese websites, inputting the address you were given in the address field and paying with your own credit card. The items will be shipped to Tenso and from there you can have them sent to you. Obviously this is more complicated than a shopping service. I’ve used it mainly for things that didn’t involve an item being shipped (this is how I signed up for Fan Clan back in the day, for example, though my lottery goods were sent via Tenso too) or sites that require you to sign up to purchase from. I wouldn’t recommend it for any marketplace type site unless you’re fluent in Japanese, since sellers on those sites may try to communicate with you. 

Stores 

AmiAmi (no shopping service needed) - AmiAmi is mainly for new goods but I’ll mention it here anyway, in case K ever gets more merch. AmiAmi usually sells out on preorders, you place your order and they will let you know when the item arrives. You pay at that time. They do sometimes get used merch though so you can keep an eye out there, sometimes there will be decent deals on items that only have small flaws like the box being damaged. 

Amazon Japan (may or may not need a shopping service) - Did you know overseas people can buy from Amazon Japan? You do now! You will need to make a new account, even if you have an Amazon account in your country. Whether you need a shopping service or not depends on the item. Anything sold directly by the company will likely not need a shopping service — the majority of my K manga and the stage plays were all bought directly from here, and when I was supplying raws for Countdown and LSW I was buying the magazines from here as well (I’ve also used it for Pokémon plushies and sewing books). If the item is being sold by a third party seller though you will likely need a shopping service. The site will tell you when you try to check out.

Surugaya EN (no shopping service required)/ Surugaya JP (shopping service required) - This is a secondhand shop and a great place to find merch. The main difference between the English site and the Japanese one is that the Japanese site has a larger selection (particularly doujinshi, and even more particularly spicy doujinshi). The English site periodically has free shipping sales so keep an eye out. Surugaya also has physical stores and will sometimes share merch between the store and the site so keep that in mind too, I have had items canceled before because they sold out in store and the listing hadn’t been updated yet.

Mandarake (no shopping service needed) - Another secondhand shop similar to Surugaya. I have not actually purchased from them myself and am not fond of their interface but I know people who have bought things from here. Like Surugaya they share stock with physical stores so something you want can sell out even after you’ve purchased. 

Lashinbang (shoppng service required) - More secondhand shops. Lashinbang is rather small though so they don't always have much stuff, at least not for K.

CDJapan (no shopping service needed) - This is also better for new merch than secondhand but still worth a mention. I’ve found their prices tend to be worse than a lot of other stores though, this is more of a last resort for me.

Otaku Republic/Goods Republic (no shopping service needed) - Otaku sells doujinshi, Goods sells merch. The main draw is that these two are easy to search if you’re uncomfortable dealing with Japanese sites. I haven’t used them in quite a while but when I was buying from them they would send me free gifts with every purchase (my S4 cup came from them, as well as a bunch of clear file folders that I didn’t take pictures of because they’re being used as sewing pattern storage right now). The main downside is that while shipping is free over $50 they massively mark up the base prices to make up for it. I eventually stopped using this site because the shopping service was cheaper even with shipping and fees, you are paying for convenience. A lot of their ‘inventory’ is just listings from other sites including Surugaya, so check there first.

GoraShop (shopping service required) - This is Gora’s direct bookshop! They only have the season novelizations and Idol K books right now, as well as some Ayaka stuff. 

Kinkurido (shopping service required) - This is the King Amusement Creative shop. All Memories was sold through this shop but is currently sold out, if they ever restock Gora will likely announce it on their Twitter. They do have some other small K goods available, including some CDs and artbooks (and Sarumi body pillows). 

Marketplaces

Mercari Japan (Shopping service needed) - If you’ve ever used the English version of Mercari, here it is again but Japanese edition. You can find a lot of good used pieces here but prices are set by the individual seller so be wary of overpaying the first thing you find. Be sure to use a translator to look at the description in case you're buying a damaged item. Sometimes shopping services can try to negotiate the prices if you ask. 

Yahoo Japan Auctions (shopping service needed) - Similarly as above, if you’re familiar with eBay this is fundamentally the same thing. Some shopping services will allow you to place last minute ‘sniper’ bids, and most will let you set a maximum bid and keep bidding on your behalf until that max is reached. 

Shopping tips and things to know

The good news about buying from Japan right now: the yen is weak, so you can get deals! In the US, anyway. This may depend on your country so if you’re unsure on the exchange rate you can google “[your country’s currency] to yen exchange rate” and it should give you an approximate.

The bad news: shipping is killer. Keep that in mind, especially if you’re buying heavy items like bags or shoes (yes, K has those, there are several SuperGroupies collabs. If you want a S4 purse or Yata Misaki shoes keep in mind you will probably be paying through the nose for shipping). For the European types, you may have additional taxes too so be aware of your country’s import laws. Ditto when it comes to customs. For my fellow Americans, I have never had a customs issue even when buying fairly pricey dresses so you’re probably okay on that end but I can’t speak for other countries. 

Character tax is real. Basically, more popular characters will likely have more expensive merch because there’s more demand — for example, Fushimi and Yata merch tends to be more expensive than, say, Silvers merch. Keychains and pins are usually cheaper than larger items like figures and standees either way though. 

Most of the Japanese sites will need to be searched in Japanese. For character names, I suggest going to the K wiki and grabbing your favorite character’s name in kanji and using that to search. For pairings, while marketplace sites like Mercari may have listings under the pairing name sites like Suruga will use the two individual character names so you’ll want to search under that. If your browser doesn’t have an add on to translate that’s very helpful to grab in order to make your experience easier. For K itself, in general this is really the downside of having a favorite series with a one letter title. However, using ‘Missing Kings,’ ‘Return of Kings’ or ‘Seven Stories’ can be helpful here but will likely mostly turn up merch made for that specific season/movie. 

If you want to look up something specific like a plush but don't know the Japanese word for it, Jisho can be helpful. Look up the kanji for the word you want and then copy-paste into your search. The downside is sometimes there are multiple words for the same thing or a word may be in kanji but people use the hiragana more often and you won't know, but it should get you on the right path to start.

On buying spicier goods: most shopping services have it in their terms that they will not buy adult items. In practice, however, this depends. I've had FromJapan refuse to buy perfectly tame G-rated doujinshi. Treasure Japan has in their terms that they won't ship adult items but like 70% of my doujinshi collection was purchased through them, with an R18 Sarumi book purchased as recently as last year. I've heard Buyee also states that they won't ship adult items but it's hit or miss if they turn down your order, and if you buy directly using Tenso they likely won't even open your package. Keep your country's laws regarding importing in mind, especially if you think customs might be likely to poke around in your package. Don't get in legal trouble just for spicy drawings.

Buying secondhand is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes it takes a while for what you want to show up, so just keep looking! When I was collecting my nui set I literally bookmarked the search for “K ぬい” (nui) on Mercari and checked every day or so, which may be more obsessive than you want but it does get the job done (I was molded in the merch search mines of trying to find lolita dresses that haven’t been sold for 10 years, so I’m used to this kind of thing). If you keep looking you may even find things you didn't know you needed, like this Sarumi bedsheet I forgot to add into my collection post.

Happy hunting!

[fairyminnie444]

Hey! How are you?

I just wanna ask something

A lot of people say that everything is possible in loa especially these things that seem impossible like changing the past, dna, manifesting superpowers and etc. I do believe this is true but i have these doubts, and i like to see people telling their successful stories with these impossible manifestations.

The thing is ive never seen anyone telling such a story, especially when it comes to appearance which is the thing i see people wanna manifest the most, but unfortunately all the stories i see of desired appearance are changed like you manifested for your future, and i WANT to see a people who actually manifested things that changed their past, their reality, like if they changed their appearance and it also changed in their past photos.

Do you know any successful stories like this? because im getting tired of just seeing everyone saying its possible but not seeing a single person who was able to do it

Why? It Honestly seems like you're looking for an excuse not to start applying the law, looking for something to doubt. There are many success stories, many indeed, I've even talked here about how time doesn't exist and you can actually review your past mentally.

You will only win by applying the law, there are only benefits so I don't understand why there is all this doubt but it’s normal, u just need to change your focus.

Why Stories Like These Are Rare?

1. Uncommon Focus: While many people focus on manifesting appearance changes or desires tied to their present and future, not everyone targets rewriting their past explicitly. This could make these specific success stories less visible.

2. Lack of Sharing: People who achieve profound shifts often don’t share their journey publicly due to fear of judgment or disbelief from others. Changing the past, DNA, or appearance in old photos sounds “unrealistic” to most, even in LOA communities.

3. Subtle Shifts vs. Drastic Proof: Often, manifestations feel subtle once they materialize. For example, someone who shifts their appearance might not even notice their past photos changing because they’re fully living in their new reality and have no reason to look back.

Does This Mean It’s Not Possible?

Absolutely not. Manifesting changes to your past is rooted in the idea that everything exists in the present moment. Your consciousness creates your reality, so by shifting your assumption, you can influence your past to align with your new story. Just because these stories aren’t widely shared doesn’t mean they don’t happen.

Test It Yourself: Start with “smaller” (I don’t think small/big exists but for start) manifestations tied to your past. For example, assume you always had a great memory or a specific skill and watch how people respond to this “new” story.

Look Beyond Traditional Stories: While success stories of changing photos or DNA might not be common, focus on the principles behind other LOA success stories. If people can manifest health recoveries, wealth, or SPs “out of nowhere,” the same principles apply to changing your past or appearance.

Instead of needing evidence from others, become your own success story. Your belief and persistence in assuming your desired reality are what create results. Trust in your power rather than relying on external validation.

You don’t need proof to make it possible—it’s your belief that turns the impossible into reality.

[ode-to-arecibo]

Sapsippers, the third species to join the empire and the only hive mind as of the war.

Sapsippers are a hive mind that communicates between members via tapping on the ground. That has a lot of ramifications.

We're not talking about one of those weird unrealistic queen mind controlling everyone hive mind. I mean ants. A gestalt consciousness. An individual sapsipper isn't really a person, and one that gets isolated will freeze and hope someone will come pick it up. Get six of them together and they start to resemble a person. Six or more sapsippers communicating in one place are called a thrum. There's no limit to how large a thrum can get, though in practice subthrums form once you can no longer fit everyone in one room. All this communication is done through vibrations in the ground, and partially pheremones, which resemble emotions.

Sapsippers can also form a thrum over their internet (which is made of flesh), by standing on pads that transmit their tapping. Each sapsipper planet often consists of a single massive thrum which outside governments often treat more like a lect than a country.

A lot of their tech is made of flesh. Because they don't have genes, rather their protein equivalent also acts as genes and self replicates, just injecting a foreign protein alters their genetic material. This is true of everything on their planet. The hardest part of genetic engineering there is purifying the proteins. And then figuring out which proteins and how much will give you the desired result. But they were trying as soon as they figured out glass. Their spaceships still have to be metal though.

They use D-glucose like humans, so you can bring a thrum to a restaurant and order sugar water for them. They can tolerate most alien substances, though high sulphur drake food tastes terrible, so there's a culture of trying things like honey and maple syrup among smaller independent thrums.

Sapsipper philosophy has two "souls" or minds or personhoods or consciousnesses. The tatik is contained within the body, each individual sapsipper has one and it contains whatever their expertise is. A tatik can be trained to do specific things, just as different parts of your brain do different things, and it will contribute it's skills to any thrum it joins. Some optimize for pure processing power, some for specific knowledge, usually at least one per thrum knows Universal and has a translator implant to let them pronounce drake phonemes (all drake phonemes except the mandible clicks can be pronounced by humans, but humans invariably have horrible accents). The eidika is the soul of a thrum. It only appears when at least six tatik get together into a thrum. It's consider the more important consciousness, and it's the closest sapsipper concept to what a person is.

Thrum intelligence scales continuously with size, but there are two main classifications who hate eachother. Massive thrums the size of a planet or space station act similarly to lects. Huge gestalts that manage a ship and engage in many conversations at once. Talking to these things is like talking to an AI or a call center. The other kind is more common, if only because it doesn't require hundreds or thousands of bodies to form. Talking to the smaller sort is like talking to a human.

All crimes from minor theft and vandalism to mass murder are considered being cancerous and punishable by death. Or, well, they kill the tatik that isn't cooperating. Something like theft is indicative of a general lack of cohesion and a sapsipper that can't or won't merge with the thrum around it is treated like a tumor that must be excised.

They don't worry about death so much in general, and medicine is only considered important for queens (who limit population size) and queenless thrums like on many smaller ships (that can't repopulate on their own). Sapsippers only live 6 to 12 years, but since the eidika is more of a person than the tatik, a dead worker just gets replaced no problem. At worst, that was the body with the translator implant and you won't be able to talk to non-sapsippers until you replace them. Bigger thrums have more redundancy built in.

Sapsippers have also had about a dozen wars total in their entire existence, counting the kinds of wars neanderthals could have had. before the bomber plane, any two colonies that got close enough to kill each other would merge into one whether they wanted to or not. After the radio, the homeworld was all one big thrum and fighting anyone would be like fighting yourself. People often hear this statistic and expect them to be pacifists. No, they love war, they're quite aggressive and generally consider violence to solve most problems. If not for the Empire being one big alliance they definitely would have taken over someone's homeworld.

They invented written language in 2050, after drakes and kaledevids tried to write down their language and did a terrible job. They didn't need it to communicate among themselves as one, they have terrible vision, they wouldn't be able to read 12 point font while sitting on it. And two, whenever they get close enough to another thrum, they merge, so they'd only use a written language for street signs in unpopulated areas, and sculpted maps work better for that.

[nownahc]

tokens of appreciation | jww.

exhibit three | read the interview?

▶• ılıılıılılıılıılı. welcome and goodbye by dream, ivory

chapter summary. y/n and anna celebrate y/n's achivement. our two main characters about to be mutuals? the magazines interviews are finally released... wait, is that a change of heart?

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WRITTEN PART UNDER THE PICTURES

LOMOGRAPHY LABS

@/phowonu interview

Hello! Please introduce yourself to the Lomography community.

My name’s Jeon Wonwoo, I’m from Korea and I’m currently in my last year of college, in photography major.

How would you describe your photography style?

Like a lot of photographers, I’d say I lean more into the urban genre of photography. Buildings, subways, bribes of daily, mostly nightly life. I have a special liking to rgb lights, it reminds me of this cyberpunk aesthetic that I really love. Most of my pictures don’t really feature people in it but I have a reason for that. I don’t think I’m fit for portraits, or to photograph people in general. I feel like you have to have a special skill to fully grasp someone into a photograph so, I stick to inanimate objects for now.

How did you find out about the contest ? Why did you apply ?

My best friend told me about it. He begged me to apply but I kept on refusing, still, he applied for me. I’m not really mad he did though, first cause there’s no point in feeling this way, it’s done, and secondly because it’s far from being harmful. I’m really grateful to be honest, to see that he views my work as something worthy of being showed to the world and well, in this case published in a professional magazine. His opinion, and my loved ones in general matter a lot to me.

Tell us about the steps in your shoots ? Anything you’re picky about ?

Picky is the right word to define me, really. I tend to stay and think a lot before pushing the shutter button. Everything has to be to my liking. The lightning, the position, the angle, everything. I don’t see the point in taking a photo just for the sake of it. I want it to be beautiful and most of all to be worthy of being watched over and over again. I’m not really into the entire symbolism, meaning of art actually. I’d rather take pictures with striking lighting and good structures then a simple photograph of… something.

Which photo of yours is your favourite and why ?

I don’t have one. I don’t think I’ll ever have one, I’m really perfectionist and if I’m being honest, none of the photos I upload or take whatsoever, are good to me. I think I associate the concept of favourite with perfection and, as I don’t believer in perfection, I don’t believe in favourites either.

What are your personal hopes for the future of your photography?

To continue taking pictures I guess? I have no goals of being a professional, or being world wide known but, I think I like the recognition I get on a smaller scale. Maybe, in my subconscious, I hope I’ll find my favourite photo? I don’t know really.

From the other 3 contestants, which ones strike you the most ? Why ?

I went through the 3 contestants work before answering this. All are so different and totally not in the same universe at all but, if I had to pick one contestant that… stuck with me, it’d be y/n’s photographs. I’ll be honest here, at first I thought their work didn’t really belong in this magazine. They were nice family photographs to me but there was nothing… relevant about them right? After a few moments though, I had forgotten about the other’s photographs (sorry) and only theirs remained in my head. It made me rethink my vision of photography for awhile, it didn’t change it but, it made me think if you know what I mean. Because it looks like we’re on two very far spectrum of photography, it feels like our photographs are kinda… communicating in a way? Anyway, that’s my answer.

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to share with the Lomography community?

I don’t have enough of an ego to give advice or inspirational quotes but, I just want to thank everyone kind feedback I got from my entry in this magazine and most of all, I want to say thank you to my father, and Mingyu.

@/filmsbyyn interview

Hello! Please introduce yourself to the Lomography community.

Hi, I’m y/n l/n. I picked up photography thanks to my mom’s own liking to the art. There’s really not much to add about me. Oh, I have cat!

How would you describe your photography style?

A style? I don’t think it’s a style, many people take pictures like I do. I guess you could say I’m just an everyday style photography I guess?

How did you find out about the contest ? Why did you apply ?

My best friend, Anna just put the entry for me without telling me about it. I found out about it when I got tagged on Twitter, it was kind of funny actually, a very Anna move she pulled there. I love her, she’s my only and greatest friend, she’s the best really.

Tell us about the steps in your shoots ? Anything you’re picky about ?

There’s no steps really. I see something I want to cherish forever and I click.

Which photo of yours is your favourite and why ?

It might be stupid but, all of them. I shoot on a film camera and I like to think photographs as memories so I like to only shoot once and not multiple version of one moment. That’s why all of the photographs I take are dear to me, they’re a one time thing that’s now immortal on a piece of paper. I don’t take pictures because I think something is pretty, I take a picture because I want to remember this moment, because it means something. Wether it’s someone or a coin I found on the ground.

What are your personal hopes for the future of your photography?

That’s a tough question, I don’t really have any ‘hopes’ for my future photography, I don’t want to earn money nor recognition from it. The only thing I want maybe is to look back, once I’m old, on all the pictures I took and remember. That’s all I really hope for I guess.

From the other 3 contestants, which ones strike you the most ? Why ?

Jeon Wonwoo. You see, I live in a very small town so, seeing such city like photographs, with those lightnings and stuff, that caught my eyes. I really like the ‘vision’, if I can call it that, that he uses when taking pictures. It feels like it’s us looking through his lens, as if we had been there in the moment with him. It feels oddly intimate even though, there’s nothing personal (at least I think) about his pictures. Also, I always thought that taking pictures in a city setting would be more tricky because, there’s so much of it you know? So for him to find such cool place to shoot it is mesmerizing to me. It felt like he was the closest to my view on photography, among the other contestants I mean, closer to reality in a way?

Lastly, is there anything you’d like to share with the Lomography community?

I hope my nonchalance didn’t offend anyone, when I say what I say, I don’t look to belittle people who put efforts in their arts or those who thinks differently than me, on the contrary. I’m in deep admiration of photographer who puts their times, and skills in taking a picture, it’s majestic really, and maybe deep down, I wish I could do that too. Anyway, I hope everyone, in their own genre, style, and likes manage to make the art they always wanted to do!

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[wisdom-devotee]

Can we get some info on Odysseus and Penelope??

Sure! I don’t know if this is in reference to this ask game or not, but I’m going to treat it like it is. If you have more specific info you’d like on them rather than my personal experiences, please let me know!

When Odysseus usually shows up for me

I found two main instances where I feel Odysseus’s energy a lot. The first is whenever his family are mentioned (I’ve found this to include Penelope, Telemachus, Ctimene, Laertes, Anticlea and Eurycleia) and the second is whenever I’m being clumsy

When Penelope usually shows up for me

Penelope is the one most likely to show up when I reach out to them both together. I’ve kind of noticed that if I ask to do things with both of them, like tarot, only Penelope will respond? If I ask for Odysseus specifically he’s usually there, but if I ask for both of them, only Penelope shows up. Not sure why but I’m not complaining

What Odysseus is like for me

I most often feel Odysseus as a pressure on my shoulder, almost like his hand? When I feel it I like to pat my shoulder to acknowledge his presence. I always get the feeling that he’s very amused by everything that I do. I reached out to both of them because I have a lot of long-distance friendships who are some of my closest relationships that I have and I’ve found both Penelope and Odysseus to really like them.

What Penelope is like for me

Her energy is really warm, but I haven’t noticed a particular feeling I get with her other than that. She’s very nice to communicate with and I love her. I’ve noticed whenever I’m talking about these two, an online friend messages me, and that actually happened while making this post too. Thanks guys

How much have I bonded with Odysseus

A lot. Mainly getting to know him through reading the Iliad (and when I finish it I will also read the Odyssey). Me and my sister made a joint offering to him and I think he really appreciated that one because it made me feel way closer to him

How much have I bonded with Penelope

I’ve bonded with her through communicating via tarot and it’s been so lovely! I don’t know if I’m as close with Penelope as I am with Odysseus, we’ve communicated more but it’s been smaller interactions if that makes sense? I’m trying to build the relationship up more though! I’m hoping to get thread for Christmas and learn to make friendship bracelets and I want to dedicate that to her. We’ll see how it goes!

The most shocking thing about Odysseus

Like I mentioned before, when I reach out to him and Penelope together, he doesn’t answer. It’s that quietness that’s surprising to me, I think.

The most shocking thing about Penelope

I don’t think there’s anything specific about Penelope herself that’s really surprised me, every experience I’ve had with her Just Makes Sense, but I do find that some of the alternate myths (not written by Homer) are really… interesting. The way some of them just disregard all of her odyssey characterisation? Weird. I do not like them.

The least shocking thing about Odysseus

His closeness with his family. I mean, of course, right? Don’t even really need to elaborate on that.

The least shocking thing about Penelope

How much her nymph genes play into my worship of her I think? I’ve always been really connected to water and I feel very connected to that part of her, so most of the things on her Pinterest board have nymph vibes and that was also the inspiration behind the image I used for her playlist cover!

My opinion about Odysseus

He’s so great. I’m really intimidated by him sometimes but then like whenever I actually feel his energy he’s so nice. I admire both him and Penelope so so much

My opinion about Penelope

Like I said with Odysseus, I really admire them. They’re really inspiring. I find Penelope to be so incredibly calming and I always feel more relaxed after communicating with her.