#i'm fully aware no one cares. this is just for my records. because as much as i'd love to write more fic i currently don't have the energy

[prozac-shaped-urn]

While I have a lull in this migraine imma try and plot out some shit to see if I can hit the nail on the head a second time in S3 of Hacks.

I forget where I saw a spoiler/hint interview with JPL back in fall 2022 but I remember Deb has a boytoy this season, so I'll be going down that train of thought first. And if I've somehow just made that tidbit up, then I've made that up but I still maintain this is the direction she's going, so fuck it.

Deb has a bit of a sexuality crisis in 204. Maybe crisis is a strong word. A questioning moment. She has a questioning moment at Ava's suggestion and follows through with it even though Marla was literally playing her to get a refund. At the end of the cruise, she's pissed and lesbophobic vitriol goes everywhere -- we all know the story by now. But regardless of whether or not she actually hates lesbians, she bought Marla a drink and enjoyed her company. 1 - 0 for the dykes.

In S2, Deb acquiesced and agreed bisexuality is a thing and that lesbians aren't terrible, hit on that one comedy chick by examining her hand size, and had a one night stand with Casper the Friendly Ghost. Oh, and she 100% realized she needs Ava to be ok, and ok means not having Deb in her life so she doesn't take up all the room in Ava's career. 4 - 0 for the queers.

So how and why do we get to the fucking boytoy?

In most late-life sexuality discoveries, things don't go in a linear direction. Unlearning takes time and it goes the way anything someone's uncomfortable with goes. You get to a level you are comfortable with then move on to the next one and so forth. And at this point, Deb is comfortable with a boytoy. If she went directly from Marty's bed to Ava's bed (outside of flinging the sheets off of her in a rage), that wouldn't be realistic nor healthy. It would mean something was so deeply disturbed inside her that she wouldn't be open with herself to acknowledge her true feelings one way or the other, and she would instead be hoping Ava would fix that disturbance, which is so totally not Ava's job. But. The fact she listens to Kiki and decides to take a chance and fuck Casper I mean 'follow the fun' means she's open to unlearning that one thing she's held onto since 7th grade when it comes to her sexuality. She's letting go and letting new ideas in, and she has a boytoy, which means step 1 of Deb's sapphic realization has begun, folks!

Onto fabulous bisexual disaster Ava Daniels.

Oof babes. She's head WAY over heels and Deb knows this. I don't think Ava actually realizes what's happened. She just knows she doesn't wanna be anywhere Deb isn't, and I think part of that is instinctual -- meaning she's feeling wholly and truly loved and accepted and seen by someone other than her dad for the first time in her life -- and part of it is likely due to her insecurities when it comes to The Business. I mean fuck! Deb has clout and connections spanning back 50 years. She holds conference with Liberace, the mayoress of Vegas and Wayne Newton without issue. She kicked the mayoress out of her mansion when she got too annoying ffs. Who in their right mind WOULDN'T want to take advantage of that! Never mind that this is precisely what I'm going through in my own life. Ava has a lot of growing to do in her career and in her emotional intelligence. She has as much catching up to do with that as Deb does with sexuality. I don't have any Ava hints, so I'll take a wild stab in the dark and guess Ava's doing really well professionally. Like reeeeally well. Almost unbelievably well. Unrealistically well. Like Deb's maybe pulling a lot of strings because she can't stand to see Ava fail. And maybe she'll be able to lure Ava back so they can have a stand-off in Deb's foyer or something. Just a guess. I'll honestly be stunned if this is legit.

As far as trajectory, I'm thinking we have some growing and moving around to do in 8 episodes and that's not a lot of time so it'll probably move fast. (The first ep is 60 mins, so like.... they're gonna pack a lot of shit into very limited time frames and we all gotta pay close attention because not everything will be dialogue. There are 8 eps this season including 301, so we got 4.5 hours of this season to work with folks.) Highlights of my thoughts are as follows:

Deb won't come out yet but she'll have some sapphic realizations she runs by Ava to see if they're actually sapphic and not some kind of weird 'what is this feeling' moments. Dearest Darlingist Momsie and Popsicle...

Deb will decide to be more open with Ava about how she feels in general but also how she feels about Ava! She'll want to be closer to Ava by the end of the season and we'll have more apologies and metaphoric funerals to look forward to with that.

Ava will have success in her career ventures even at the expense of her physical connection to Deb because Deb will truly support that growth and Ava will know she has "a home to come back to" n shit so she'll be more amenable to the idea of pursuing that goal. I suspect a solid attempt at success and a final separation from Deb by the end of S3. Think balcony scene all over again but with elated smiles instead of tears... except maybe from the fangirls.

Ava and Marcus will have a come to Jesus moment. One of them will win the fight for Deb's affection and it won't be Marcus.

Marty won't show up in person but he'll likely be referenced a few times, either in dialogue or visually (as in we'll see a shot of the Palmetto or Deb's special is played etc.) Same goes for Frank and flashback clips of Who's Making Dinner? or DJ telling a story about him etc. This will be to remind everyone of where Deb started and where she's going emotionally and with her sexuality.

Kayla and Jimmy are gonna be a riot this season. Pure unhinged comedy gold with these two. Paul and Megan are now series regulars, so expect more of this situational-physical comedy in coming seasons. ~My body is ready.~

Deb's Vegas residency will founder because that's just good dramaturgy. Ava may or may not come to the rescue on that. I'll be interested to see where she stands in terms of her desire or lack thereof to help Deb and whether it'll be from a place of genuine concern or out of guilt or out of spite or out of having something to lord over Deb's head. I wouldn't be surprised if any or all of that is her reason to help or not help.

Ava and Nina... Jesus h Christ on a stick. Yeah these two have some major bumps to work out this season.

Deb and DJ also have some major bumps to work out this season and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE DEB BECOME A GRANDMOTHER I WILL SOB UNCONTROLLABLY FOR A WEEK I AM SO READY AND I AM SO TOTALLY NOT AND I AM TERRIFIED OF NO LONGER HAVING KLONOPIN TO NUMB MY EMOTIONS AND BEING BOMBARDED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT DEB IS HOLDING A LITTLE SLICE OF HER OWN DNA WITH THE CARE SHE HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO GIVE IT BUT NEVER GOT TO GIVE IT BECAUSE OF HER OWN NEGLECTED EMOTIONS AND BEING SO SCARED OF OPENING UP THAT MUCH GAAAAADDDDDDUUUUHHHHHH never mind that this is precisely what i'm going through in my own life istg this show is a full body mirror and i am staring in disbelief

Storytelling style is likely gonna be a back-and-forth between Vegas and LA in every ep instead of every other ep. I'd be interested to see it come alive in a flashback style tbh but that would probably be too confusing for a comedic tone. Back-and-forth will stop once Ava returns to Vegas, obvs.

I'm still banking on Deb loaning Ava her LA mansion at some point. I'm also banking on a series finale that includes a song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as the end credits backing track. Paul saw that on my insta story a couple years ago. I have no idea why. But he knows my headcanon now, so if I end up meeting him IRL I will double down on that. And the biggest crocodile tears will spring from my eyes if it's "Our House".

What the fuck ever JPL and co. have to throw at me I WILL DEVOUR LIKE A RABID SQUIRREL HIGH ON THE FRUITS OF 400 YEAR OLD OAK TREES no questions asked.

Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk.

[sirfrogsworth]

So, ever since my dad started using an oxygen machine, my brain has grown accustomed to the mechanical white noise it emanated. We ended up putting the machine in the same room where I slept. And then I got so used to falling asleep with that white noise, I could not sleep without it. I literally get terrible insomnia if I don't have the machine running. I tried other noise. I tried a recording of it. I tried a box fan. But nothing worked nearly as well as the oxygen machine.

After my dad died, the rental company took the machine away.

So I bought a used one on eBay. I cannot get it any other way because you need a prescription for a new or refurbished one.

Unfortunately, these things have a limited lifespan. And the one I bought is starting to show signs of death. And because sleep is pretty much the most important thing I can do for my health, I decided to buy a backup unit.

This listing was from a well-reviewed seller. It said the unit powered on and it even had a video of the item functioning properly—but only for 30 seconds or so.

As you can see above, it says under the "condition" section that the item description would list imperfections.

When I got the item, I plugged it in, and after 3 minutes a loud beep sounded. And the beep continued for 20 minutes and never turned off. Every time you turn it on, after 3 minutes, this alarm sounds. The manual indicates a red light with a continuous beep means there is a serious system malfunction.

This seems like a malfunction that should have been disclosed.

And yes, it is possible that the issue was exacerbated by FedEx dropping the box. But it is not possible for that to be the direct cause of this issue. This item had to have already been in rough shape for something like that to cause a malfunction.

And it is also possible the seller was not aware of the issue. Perhaps he never turned the unit on long enough for this alarm to sound. But that doesn't mean he is excused from selling a damaged item without being responsible for it. The item cannot arrive in a different condition than shown in the eBay listing.

(But also... he knew. I'm like 90% sure he knew. And I think the following will give you that impression as well.)

I wrote to the seller...

Apparently after 3 days I can appeal to eBay. So hopefully I can get this resolved one way or another. But this seller hanging onto this technicality is so frustrating.

If it were me, I'd want to make it right. I mean, if I accidentally sold a broken item I would feel awful and do everything I could to take care of the person I sold it too. And it just sucks that not everyone is that honorable.

But the fact that he worded it like this and is using this defense so adamantly really makes me feel like he knew this was an issue. But I don't think any reasonable person is going to be satisfied with this defense. He's like those debate bros that think if you catch someone in a debate fallacy they automatically lose the argument.

eBay's rules say you can't deliver a damaged item without fully disclosing the damage. It just sucks he's going to make me do this the hard way.

[joshleyson]

Life Update + Postcards from Mount Pulag

If there's one thing I'm particularly proud of that I did this year in the name of self-care, it is using my Apple Watch for what it was designed to do and being mindful of closing my rings on the Fitness App, which includes meeting my Move, Stand, and Exercise requirements for the day.

Last weekend, I went on my first major walk this year, to Mount Pulag in Benguet, the majestic and highest mountain in Luzon. For the first time ever, I was able to set a *drum roll please* record-breaking 42K steps, perhaps more because my watch died in the middle of the climb. It never occurred to me to go on this ALMOST 10-hour hike until J, who by the way was a famous OG Tumblr influencer during the peak Tumblr era circa 2012 (if you know him, mag-asawa ka na hahaha), introduced me to the idea of going to Baguio (I haven’t been to Baguio since forever) and eventually having to explore Mount Pulag after. J and I have known each other for over 12+ years, but it was only this year that we began to see each other more frequently; he is also the person who introduced and challenged me to finish my rings on the Fitness app. I began this "ring" journey at the end of March, but I wasn't fully committed until I started seeing some, hmm, what's the word, "changes" when I started monitoring my InBody results, which show my weight, BMI, muscle mass, and even body fat percentage decreasing. Long story short, I'm making some small progress with trying to make my BMI normal again. Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to paint the typical fitness buff image with raging, strong-looking muscles, because that's not who I am, but I wanted to give myself credit also for losing 10kgs in just 4 months, and I'm not even pulling my hair out about it, just that awareness of "Did I close my rings today?" moment. Like I told J, I never expected accountability to feel this good. So I'm quite delighted with that.

Enough of the fitness thingee and going back to Mount Pulag, I'm so happy that we were able to pull it off this year. We started by staying in Baguio for 2 days which by the way the weather was THE. BEST. Having to walk around the city in layered clothes without breaking a sweat as a pawisin was HEAVEN. It was something that I missed when I went back to Manila. After 2 days, we headed straight to Kabayan, Benguet, where our homestay was located, and by midnight started our trek to Pulag summit. The trek was surprisingly easy. The quiet and quaint landscapes while on our way to the summit were something that I enjoyed so much. It was tiring and yes, the weather was extremely cold. Miss Hypothermia is REAL especially on the summit but with the right amount of clothing, it's no biggie. Just do a little bit of research before signing up for the hike and you'll be just fine. On that trip, we met and bonded with new faces which I hope soon will become friends because they're nice to be with which made the hike bearable. Being the beach person that I am which is very OBVIOUS on this blogosphere, exploring the mountains and the countryside was very refreshing to see and I kinda wanted to make that commitment to at least do this at least once a year. Let's see!

(No Light Pollution? Here's the Milky Way captured in the default iPhone camera app.)

Overall, the Mountain Province trip including late-night walks in Baguio, wandering to places and cafés and bar hopping walking side to side because we’re drunk AF, and then Mount Pulag was something I'm so grateful for that I get to check them out this year. There were "unplanned" and "down" moments on that trip, sure, but I guess that's just normal, especially since I'm with the person I wanted to get to know more, and J, if you're reading this, thank you. I feel like all the things that happened on that trip have a reason and I just wanna say thank you for being…you. I will not be surprised if one day that rough idea of a psycho-thriller slasher movie we kind of created while sitting on a bus will soon come to life. Write that fucking screenplay. PLEASE.

So that's my not-so-quick life update that no one asked about. I think I mentioned before in this space that the more I have something "major" going on with my life whether professional or personal, I am less inclined to talk about it versus in my heyday, loud, teenage years and I think that's what really living is all about. Touch some grass they say, and literally, I did that in the mountains of Mount Pulag, and those memories which I hope I could bottle, and that seeing something so beautiful is enough to remind me that everything's gonna be alright.

Siri, play Gravity by Sara Bareilles, JOSHY

(Mountain Province, July 2024)

[mj-iza-writer]

I’ve been thinking about caretaker saying “you’re not so scary anymore huh?” To non human whumpee being captive or in a lab

The whumpee may not be able to talk but caretaker can notice by their eyes and by their body language that they’ve lost the fighting spirit. So human caretaker starts to let down their guard and finally start taking care of whumpee

Anyways i love your writing so much❤️

I know I say this a lot, but this one was a fun one. Thankyou so much forbthe ask, and I'm glad you enjoy my writing.

Lab Whump.... again. I'm sorry it's such a fun trope. You can literally do anything you want. -MJ

Caretaker sat in their office looking over notes from a recent transfer to their lab.

The monster came from a lab a few cities over. It had to be closed due to malpractice, Caretaker's lab was the only lab trusted to take on the beast.

The more Caretaker read, and the louder the banging down the hall occurred, the more Caretaker regretted taking that thing in.

The vehicle it was transferred in had to be retired because of the welts that the monster had caused.

"I don't understand why they didn't tranquilize it before the transfer. Less headache and stress for everyone", Caretaker stood to leave their office, "I guess that's why they closed for malpractice. Absolute idiots", Caretaker sighed.

Caretaker walked past the door of the room they had contained the monster in. A type of quarantine until their room was finished.

"I hope that gets done soon. This door might not hold", Caretaker ran their finger along the welts, "that is reinforced steel."

Caretaker walked into the viewing room, and had the guards pull up the video feed.

"Oh, they've stopped banging", Caretaker watched the footage, "they must have gotten tired."

The guards nodded.

"What is its name again?", a guard turned.

"Uhm, Whumpee", Caretaker frowned, "I might try to sneak it some food while it's tired."

"You're going to feed them", another guard looked at them in shock.

"Yes, can't let them starve. They're here to be taken care of", Caretaker turned, "from what the notes say, they have been subjected to many test and abuse. They're probably terrified that the same will happen here. Maybe they will become more manageable if we get them comfortable here and with us."

Caretaker quietly opened the door to the cell and tiptoed to a table to set the meal down.

They saw that the creature was asleep and, against their better judgment, carefully walked toward them.

'I've not gotten a close look at you yet', they thought to themself, 'I don't even know what I'm working with here.'

Whumpee opened their eyes and looked right at Caretaker.

"Crap", Caretaker gulped.

They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Caretaker tried to walk backward to get away.

Whumpee was quick to get up and chase Caretaker.

Guards quickly opened the door, providing an exit for Caretaker.

Caretaker didn't escape unscathed, though. Whumpee managed to claw at their back before they got out.

"What would you like to do with them?", the guard slammed the door closed and frowned as Whumpee started to claw and bang, "we can't just let them do that."

"Absolutely nothing. I startled them, and they reacted. I should have not gotten that close, I knew that while I was doing it", Caretaker sighed, "I think I need med."

"They tore through your lab coat and shirt. You have four deep cuts down your back", a guard started to follow Caretaker to medbay, "your bleeding doc."

"Trust me, I am fully aware", Caretaker sighed, "nothing happens to them, but from what I just felt. That room needs to be finished pronto, and we need to make sure it is equipped to handle them."

The guards talked as Whumpee paced throughout the room until they finally found the food. Whumpee seemed to relax once they had a few bites.

"They must have been starving", a guard frowned, "we'll record and update Caretaker once they finish in med."

Caretaker sat impatiently while their cuts were treated with stitches and staples.

"That beast may be better off being put down. This is insane", the doctor frowned.

"I have considered putting in the request, but it just doesn't seem fair to do it to them. They went through a lot of things at the last place. I would love to give them a better quality of life here", Caretaker sighed.

"Well, you need to think about yourself too... if the guards hadn't been there, you could have gotten hurt or even worse", the doctor tied the last knot, "consider this their warning to you. They are not to be messed with."

Caretaker nodded, "I'm going to get a new lab coat now."

The guards stormed the room Whumpee was in. Their guns raised, ready to fire.

Whumpee was shot several times with the tranquilizer darts.

"I told you all only three darts maximum. Are we trying to kill them?", Caretaker took their stethoscope out and listened to Whumpee.

"I don't even know what a normal read is for them", Caretaker sighed, "I hope that's normal."

Whumpee's new room was a bigger space for them to move in. It would be separated from the door by metal bars so people could get in and study them closer, but safely.

Everyone groaned as they rolled Whumpee onto a gurney.

"That's solid muscle under the fur", a guard commented as they looked at Caretaker, "you should have helped."

"Yeah, and pop a stitch... do you want the doctor to kill me", Caretaker smirked.

"I would like to weigh them before we get them situated. We really have no information on this one. I need some base levels to work with. Urine and blood would be nice, but I'm not going to push it."

"Uh, do you need a stool sample from them? I think I just stepped in one", someone grunted in disgust.

"I'll come back for it", Caretaker chuckled, "sorry about the shoe. Good luck cleaning it. Can I ask you to wear one of these so you're not dragging feces around the lab", Caretaker handed them a shoe cover.

Whumpee was left inside of their new cell. It was slow for them to come out of their unconsciousness.

"Yes, definitely way too many darts. We definitely shouldn't have used that many. Next time we start with one and add more if needed", Caretaker watched from the cameras.

Whumpee moved around the room to investigate.

"They seem comfortable", Caretaker marveled.

"Maybe they like the openess of the room a bit better. The holding room probably felt cramped. This is a little more roomie", a fellow scientist commented, "they may even realize that this is for them."

"Maybe", Caretaker agreed, "I think I'm going to go sit with them for a while. They do need to get use to our presence, but they also need to learn they are not here to be hurt."

"Just don't do anything dumb. I already know about your back", the scientist smirked.

"Yes sir", Caretaker winked.

Caretaker stopped by a vending machine to get chips and a drink. They missed lunch because of the room change.

Whumpee looked up and growled when Caretaker came in.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you. Just thought you'd like some company", Caretaker was pulling in a chair, "for the sake of my back, I'll be staying on this side of the bars", Caretaker laughed.

Whumpee kept a trained eye on every movement Caretaker made.

'Who is this strange person', Whumpee leaned up against the wall, far away from the stranger. They didn't trust anyone in a lab coat. To many people hurt them while wearing one.

A bag started to rustle, causing Whumpee to back into the wall even more.

"I'm sorry, it's just a bag of food", Caretaker saw how frightened Whumpee was, "just some chips."

Caretaker held a chip up, "see, they're really crunchy", Caretaker tried to talk in a soothing voice.

Whumpee cocked their head to the side and lowered themself to the floor.

"Do you want to try some", Caretaker pulled one out and went to the edge of the bars.

They reached in and flicked the chip toward Whumpee.

Whumpee looked at it for a few seconds, contemplating what to do. They watched Caretaker turn and walk back to the chair.

In that moment, they got up, ran, and grabbed the treat, then back to their spot.

Caretaker had heard them running, and by reflex, they braced themself tonbe attacked again.

Caretaker was quite confused when they heard the chip being munched on.

They turned and saw that Whumpee was looking at them with amusement.

"Oh, you think it's funny, hmm", Caretaker smirked, "do you want more?"

Caretaker reached for the bag of chips and walked back to the bars. They then knelt down.

"You're gonna have to come get them if you do", Caretaker reached another chip through the gate, "let's build some trust between the both of us."

Whumpee looked at the chip, then at Caretaker. They slowly stepped closer and closer, taking constant stops to reassess the situation.

Finally they got close enough and stretched for the offered treat.

They never remembered the other white coat wearers offering snacks. They even finally had constant meals again.

Caretaker smiled while Whumpee munched on the chip.

Whumpee saw another one was offered, they inched even closer and grabbed it.

Caretaker started to reach for another chip when Whumpee reached out of the bars and grabbed the bag.

"Wait", Caretaker tried to grab the bag from them, but they were too late. Whumpee was already at the other side of the room looking at the bag happily.

Caretaker watched as Whumpee studied the bag for a few moments before sticking their giant clawed hand into it.

"Try to dump it into your mouth", Caretaker watched as they struggled.

Whumpee looked at them sadly.

"Like this Whumpee", Caretaker acted as though they were pouring chips into their mouth.

Whumpee still tried to pull chips out of the bag.

They huffed and grunted in frustration.

"Come here, I can help you", Caretaker sighed, "don't worry, you earned those fair and square. I can help feed you."

Whumpee looked at the bag again in defeat before cautiously crawling to Caretaker and handing them the bag.

They looked down shamefully while Caretaker straightened the bag out and started to put chips through the bars.

Whumpee carefully took each chip and munched away. They seemed to be completely relaxed for the first time since arriving.

When the bag was emptied, Caretaker gently folded it a few times before slipping it into their pocket.

Whumpee looked at the pocket longingly before giving a pitiful, doe-eyed look to Caretaker.

"Those were pretty good, hmm?", Caretaker smiled, "we can have more tomorrow. We need to probably set to work on a diet plan for you."

Whumpee looked around the room, then yawned.

"Yeah, are you sleepy?", Caretaker smiled, "you probably are. This has been stressful for you, I'm sure."

Whumpee's eyes connected with Caretaker's again.

"I wonder if you'll let me", Caretaker cautiously slid their hand through the bar and held it their.

Whumpee sniffed it a few times to see if there were any treats left.

Once satisfied that the treats were gone, Whumpee sat back down a few inches from the hand and stared at Caretaker.

"Well, I'm not currently being gnawed, so thats a plus", Caretaker started to pull their hand away but was surprised when Whumpee seemed to follow their hand.

"Did you want me to leave my hand in the...",

Whumpee suddenly nudged into the hand and rubbed their head up and down and side to side.

"Oh", Caretaker smiled in astonishment.

Whumpee rubbed more vigorously when Caretaker shaped their hand to scratch Whumpee's head.

The guards watching the video feed almost jumped from their seats with excitement.

Whumpee stopped and looked at Caretaker with relief.

"I'm sure that felt good. I don't think you have the movement capabilities to reach that spot very well", Caretaker smiled, "do you want more?", they opened their hand again and smiled as Whumpee started to get close.

Whumpee laid down against the bars and looked at Caretaker expectantly and hopeful.

"Oh, you just want all of my attention now", Caretaker started to pet and scratch on Whumpee, "you're not so scary anymore, huh?"

Whumpee sighed in relief and contentment.

After an hour, Caretaker could hear Whumpee snoring. They gave a few soft pats to Whumpee's side as they sat down and started to note what had happened.

They noted several spaces they had felt for observation, and even upon closer inspection, they noted possible growth of horns on Whumpee's head. They grew just above Whumpee's ears.

"What was that?", everyone turned to Caretaker when they walked in.

"An amazing breakthrough", Caretaker grinned, "I couldn't believe it, but they definitely looked relieved. Their are definitely some areas we need to follow up on, but I think we can build trust and get them back to health."

Caretaker went back daily with bags of chips. As they interacted with Whumpee, other scientists and doctors were able to get close looks over the beast.

It wasn't long before proper medicine could be administered.

After weeks, Whumpee seemed to be so much happier. They didn't fight anymore. They became like a lab pet almost.

They could often be found following Caretaker down the halls or sleeping on a bed in Caretaker's office while Caretaker worked.

Normally, an opened bag of chips or other treats was nearby.

Caretaker would always watch over Whumpee now, so happy they didn't change their mind or decide to put them down because of their difficult start together.

This was so much better for everyone involved.

Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.

@villainsandheroes @the-beasts-have-arrived

@sacredwrath @porschethemermaid

@monarchthefirst @generic-whumperz

@bloodyandfrightened @freefallingup13

@notpeppermint @cyborg0109

@idontreallyexistyet @painfulplots

@whumpbump @everythingsscary

@skittles-the-whumpee @expressionless-fr

@theforeverdyingperson @legendarydelusiongoatee

@candleshopmenace @whumpanthems

@lavndvrr @ivymyers

@starfields08000 @a-living-canvas

@lumpofsand @watermeezer

@indigoviolet311 @whumpy-mountains

@3-2-whump @risk606

@electrons2006 @paperprinxe

@whumprince @kaz-of-crows

@mis-graves @decaffeinatedtimetraveler94

@sausages-things @sunglasses-in-the-bentley

@isikedmyself878 @daffyduckcommittedtaxfraud

@valravnthefrenchie

[akookminsupporter]

Namjoon gave a good interview to Vogue Spain and in it he said a few things that I thought I'd share with those of you who may not understand Spanish.

This was at the end of the article but I want to write it first:

One thing that needs to be made clear about this album is that, no matter how much the rumour mill is trying to spin it, it is by no means the end of the successful band. "Oh, I'm not leaving BTS. Absolutely not. This is the first time I'm launching a solo project like this, so I'm trying to stand up and take my first steps. But I'm ambitious and I have willpower. So I don't want to miss the opportunity to do both. So I will try my best not to lose control and steer these two ships at the same time. A lot of bands split up and fall apart, but I hope that doesn't happen to BTS. I just love the music, I love my job, I love the band members and I love myself. If I can keep both projects going, I think it can be something legendary in the long run".

Other important parts of the article:

"The k-pop industry hasn't stopped growing since we debuted with BTS [in 2013]. It's become a lot more complex and has brought a lot more people into its structures. I think there are a lot of lights, but also some slippery shadows. Many of us started our careers very early as a group: we slept and lived together as teenagers. We became a real family, which is great, but this culture has also affected me a lot, because sometimes I find it difficult to be treated as an adult who has autonomy in his decisions. I'm perceived as just another cog in the crew, in the context of a mass phenomenon",

Did you ever feel like you were getting completely lost in this delirium of success? "I used to think so, but the funny thing is that I am fully aware that it was my own choice to devote myself to the k-pop industry. Nobody pushed me into it. But yes, I have lost myself at times. Although perhaps saying this is an excess of 'self-empathy'. There is no answer. Except that, if k-pop is about recharging the batteries of a mass audience and I'm responsible for doing that recharging, then I have to keep my feet firmly on the ground. As an adult, as a musician and as a human being. And these ten years of my career have helped me define who I am and learn to love myself. But I'm still in that process, you know? All these internal struggles will be recorded on records and videos," he explains.

"Music is really necessary for the world, but, when it comes to my music, sometimes I feel like I'm producing something unnecessary. If I were to die tonight, I don't think anything would change. It might matter to some people for a while, but a farmer or a street sweeper is more relevant to the functioning of society. When I ask myself about the role of our generation in historical terms, when I look at all the digital platforms and communities out there, I am overcome with confusion. There are a lot of people who don't want to think. They have frenetic lives and turn to music or television to escape, so the last thing they want is someone trying to lecture them from a pedestal. In that context, I wonder how I can make my music matter. I haven't found an answer yet, but I keep trying to bring my own perspective to it.

As to whether he is afraid that the army he has on Instagram (42.4 million followers) might one day turn against him for a silly mistake or a blunder, RM answers bluntly. "Yes, it scares me. It scares me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When I was younger I tried to come across as a cool guy who doesn't give a shit what other people think, but I don't think that's right anymore. I care about the publicity dimension of my career and the influence I can have on others. It stresses me out, yes, but I think I can handle it. That's why I don't retire or do things like go out and drink the night away and then drive drunk. I'm human, I can make mistakes, but I will do everything in my power to be the best version of myself. One of the keys is to treat this job for what it is: a job. I don't think artists have any special rights or status.

Note: if you would like me to translate another part of the interview, let me know.

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Forgive me Peter, my lost fearless leader In closets like cedar, preserved from when we were just kids Is it something I did?

This sounds like a person she'd written about reverently, capturing the memories from their youth and put away for safekeeping, too delicate to be out year-round and exposed to the elements that cause wear and tear.

(I know people have opinions on who the songs are about and everything, I'm just offering an interpretation.)

Putting under a cut for those who don't care for muse talk which I've generally tried to avoid on main lately for reasons

That could obviously be applied to any number of muses we know about, but it to me, put this way, it strikes me that that sounds like how Joe figured in her music over the years.

Joe entered her discography as an honourable man, the one who was high above the whole scene, who stood by her and liked her for her, her port in the storm and the bright spot in a very dark time in her life. And those memories are now recorded for all time in her music. Their coming of age has come and gone and their youth is preserved forever in albums like reputation and Lover.

But, just like that wool sweater you put away after winter or the wedding dress you can't part with, those memories had to be delicately cared for, put away in the cedar closet to prevent moths from chewing through and the fabric from disintegrating. Or, in other words, what's saved in the music are moments of time, the dreams spun under a set of circumstances that couldn't last yearlong.

And what also couldn't brave the elements was the painting she created of their relationship. The man who was her guiding light in a storm withered away to one who resented her and lost his way in their relationship. She once looked to him to help orient herself and their life together, but somewhere along the way their ships found different paths. Perhaps as though someone who once stood by their convictions as a guiding force somehow retreated into themselves and their demons.

The "is it something I did?" always kind of gets me, because it's the "what if/what happened?" questioning of herself that's found in so many other songs. (Namely to me, How Did It End?) What is she wondering? Is it something she did that caused him to lose his way? Is it something she did that made him never meet her where she was? Was there something she could have done to hold on longer, or make the candle burn brighter? There's so much said in so little and you can feel the sorrow seep through even in just a few lines.

I'm fully aware that the song can be interpreted in so many other ways about other muses so I'm not saying I'm right by any means. (For instance, I know it's also interpreted to be about a long-lost love which applies to... someone else. Which is fair!) It's just how the song struck me! And now I've said my piece and am ready to slink back into a muse-free zone lol.

[otakusheep15]

My (possibly controversial) Twisted Wonderland Opinions

I see a lot of these on TikTok and such, so I wanted to make my own. Remember that these are all my own personal opinions, and I do not claim that any of these are canon or factually correct. If you don't agree, that's fine, just remember to be respectful.

Just as a fair warning, most of this is me being pissed off at the fandom for how it treats certain characters/players, so if that might offend you, I'd suggest scrolling past this one.

The fandom as a whole really tends to mischaracterize Kalim and I'm pretty sick of it. He's actually a very intelligent character with a deep, tragic backstory. Kalim is not your "small cinnamon roll" or "precious baby," he is a teenage boy with serious mental issues. The only reason he is so kind and bubbly is because he wants people to like him. If people like him, they have less reason to try and kill him. That is why he tries to be so nice. It is for his own personal safety. It's the same reason as to why he tries to salvage his relationship with Jamil so hard. Yes, he does still care about Jamil, but Kalim is fully aware that Jamil is the most trustworthy person in his life, and without him, Kalim could be put in serious danger. Kalim is a good person, but he is also very selfish, and does things so that people will like him more, and I'm tired of the fandom pretending like he's some innocent cinnamon roll when he's much deeper than that.

The way this fandom treats male/non-binary players is honestly so horrible, especially when Yuuka was first introduced. I have seen countless posts of female players being rude and disrespectful towards non-female players simply because they were hoping for a non-female protagonist in the anime and mangas. It's annoying and disrespectful, and I wish we could all stop fighting and just enjoy the game without the negativity. Not every female player is like this, but I see it enough that it needs to be called out.

I need certain members of this fandom to realize that most of these boys are minors. The majority of the main cast are 16-17, and only a few of the students are 18+. It feels like so many people in this fandom forget how young some of these characters are, and it shows in the way said characters are treated. It feels especially weird when I see people in their 20s and up simping after the first years, who are all 16. I don't really mind people who age them up for things like fanfics, but it's still kind of creepy to see.

Rook has been such a creep in this game since he was introduced, and people still treat it like it's a non-issue. He has such a track record of stalking students, being weird or creepy towards them, and making unnecessary comments. There was even a side story where he body shamed Vil because he put on a little extra weight. This man is not a good man, and more people need to realize that his behaviors are not okay and they are not justified, especially when several other characters have mentioned how freaked out they are because of him.

Many of the characters in this game have severe levels of depression, but the fandom still shits on them despite this. Leona and Idia are two good examples of this. People are constantly hating on Leona because he's rude or lazy, but most of his personality shows clear signs of depression. It's canon that he was neglected for pretty much his whole life, and, after a while, he just gave up on trying since no one cared. This is clearly depression, and yet the fandom treats it like this was all his own choice, which is annoying. Same with Idia: he's very clearly depressed and still struggles with Ortho's death, yet the fandom continues to make fun of him and bully him for it, and it pisses me off. What makes it worse is that the same people idolize other characters like Cater, who also shows signs of depression. They love him and can clearly see his signs just fine, yet they choose to ignore it in other characters.

And that's all I have for now. If I think of any more, I'll either add to this one or make a part two, whichever I feel like in the moment. If you were offended by any of this, I apologize (but you're probably someone who needed to hear this anyways). If you disagree with any of this or want to share your own opinions, feel free to (politely) do so in the comments or tags, and I will gladly read them all. Any rude behavior will be deleted and blocked immediately, so don't try that shit with me.

[beevean]

I think the reason I keep getting distracted to write short one-shots is that at least the input (effort) equals the output (feedback).

It's one thing when something I wrote in 20 minutes, or even a few days, gets little to no attention: it's the equivalent of venting, who cares. It's another, and much more soul-crushing, when it takes me weeks to write a piece of a chapter, and I get ignored.

I think that in this sense, art is more convenient. It takes effort, absolutely, but at least I can imagine people look at it, even if they don't say anything. Writing gets glossed over because it requires effort to write, and why would you put any effort in reading something you don't care about? I'm not fishing for attention, far from it, I understand.

Art can also be doodling without any context, which is far less taxing on the brain than coming up with a story no matter how simple. This is something that weighs on me with art trades. Alas, I'm far from the level of being able to show my art. Maybe one day.

This is also why I swing between "everything must be perfect and you must waste minutes just to choose the right word, otherwise you're just stagnating and wasting your time" and "just write shit, it's not like anyone else will care, at least you can get it done - besides, you're nowhere near as good as you believe, stop thinking you have high standards to uphold".

But I can't let go. I can't lower my arrogant standards that low. There is only one person that needs to like my writing, and that is me. If I don't like re-reading what I wasted so much time on, why am I even here?

And this is the reason I keep yelling into the void. Because my brain might be scared of opening a doc, because I'm fully aware that it's nothing productive, but I do have fun in choosing the right words and metaphors and ways to subtly imply details, even if I think the end result is mediocre. I have fun playing games with the language, and I have fun dissecting a character on the operation table lol.

So yeah, writing is a thankless job, but I'm too deep into this to be stopped by loneliness.

It's kind of like bench pressing. No one cares about it, because c'mon, a woman lifting weights? You're just ruining your body. But I find satisfaction in improving my record and learning new techniques.

[mulling-over-milgram]

My current Remi theories

Agghhh I’m very late….but here we go ^^;

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡���ੈ✩‧₊˚₊

TIMELINE SPECULATION

Okay so first of all again starting with a timeline. Now Remi’s recordings seem like they could be over the course of multiple years? So since as far as I’m aware we don’t know what year tsumigram takes place I’m going to be referring to the first paragraph of recording one as year 0001 and then if I believe the year changes 0002 so on and so forth so keep in mind I’m not actually referring to the real life years 0001 , 0002 , 0003 ect ect.

“Summer is ending. Let's stop already, how long are we going to chew on this cold food?” End of august

“Spring is ending. We part and come back together, this must be a form of true love for you; though as for me, I'm not so sure.” End of may

“Winter is ending. Closeness never matters; they switch their opinions in an instant, and always, always, always, always choose someone else instead.” End of February

“Autumn is ending This was a game of play-pretending for everyone but me; right, I wanted a place I and others could belong to, but as I've seen through lies, I'm burning down the theatre..” November/December

“Summer is ending. You simply disappeared without a word; I didn't care, did I care? Too many people, I get lost.” End of August again

Now there are two interpretations since the memories from this recording if my research is correct :

-1) the memories take place over the corse of five years which explains why we start in august the 8th month of the year and then go to the 5th , 2nd , 11/12th and finally back to 8th assuming the recordings are chronological then this is the only answer that really makes sense

-2) the alternative would be that the paragraphs are in reverse order so then you’d go 2>5>8>11/12>8

but I personally lean more towards them being in chronological order because there feels like a progression. In paragraph one Remi asks the other why they are still in this relationship? The relationship to borrow Remi’s metaphor had gone cold then in the next paragraph they seem to be on better terms but still not great then 3 we are back to the relationship being strained and getting worse…it won’t make alot of sense for us to start with “you simply disappeared” and end with “how long are we going to chew on this cold food? = how long are we going to prolong this dying relationship?

The only thing really giving me pause is that its such a long time. 5 years! Remi is 18 thats just under 1/3 of her life time…it makes me feel like I’ve made some mistake in my research….

moving onto the second memory

“Year by year, I look back and feel all the same, let me out of this, let me out of this loop! I wonder what kind of person I used to be before. Is it your fault? Changing me so much. Cherry blossom petals, a wave of crystal water covering my ankles, tender girly laughs from all sides.” CHERRY BLOSSOM’S SAVE THE TIME LINE YET AGAIN :D because cherry blossoms were blooming that places this paragraph around late March and early April.

“Ah, my first ever wish made on New Year night was to meet a true friend. I imagined my own friends, and this is how I became a writer, slowly but surely. I met real friends to grow up with, slowly but surely, but all of them were condescending, and I got trapped in a small box of expectations. “ because its new years eve December 31st

“Warm snowflakes falling from the night sky, the stars are never seen in the city; I watch myself looking up from the sidelines, holding onto the lantern as my last hope.” Now personally I interpret the warm snow flakes line as describing the stars rather than actual snowflakes as warm snowflakes is a contradicting description and the fact the next line literally talks about the stars with that in mind the lantern is the only clue as to wear to place the memory now I’m not fully sure on this but the main Japanese lantern related thing I could find was Toro Nagashi now I’m a little iffy on this since from my research Toro nagashi is mostly about the dead and guiding dead souls but I did see a few places mention wishes “Toro Nagashi is a summer tradition in which people make wishes and float paper lanterns down a river” again I’m really not sure about this but its the best connection I could find so far…this slots (assuming the toro nahashi connection is correct) this memory at the 13th - 16th of August or July.

“Running through a chilly meadow, sun rising and I hold your hand, catching lavender clouds as I stay at home.” Chilly = cold // cold = autumn? September December???

“You're squeezing something heavy with your hands, water covering your eyes, so you can't see what's there; sun’s warmth is on your back, a chill feeling spreading over the body.” Warmth = summer???

I’m quite shaky on alot of the conclusions but my overall interpretation of the time line is.

The trial starts possibly some time in December due to 003’s birthday being soon after T1 starts???

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡༻ੈ✩‧₊˚₊

FULL TIMELINE THEORY

0001 / august / ?? Summer is ending. Let's stop already, how long are we going to chew on this cold food?”

0002 / march / April / ??

“Year by year, I look back and feel all the same, let me out of this, let me out of this loop! I wonder what kind of person I used to be before. Is it your fault? Changing me so much. Cherry blossom petals, a wave of crystal water covering my ankles, tender girly laughs from all sides.”

0002 / may / ?? “Spring is ending. We part and come back together, this must be a form of true love for you; though as for me, I'm not so sure.”

0003 / February / ??

“Winter is ending. Closeness never matters; they switch their opinions in an instant, and always, always, always, always choose someone else instead.”

0003 / December / 31st

“Ah, my first ever wish made on New Year night was to meet a true friend. I imagined my own friends, and this is how I became a writer, slowly but surely. I met real friends to grow up with, slowly but surely, but all of them were condescending, and I got trapped in a small box of expectations. “

0004 / August / ??

“Warm snowflakes falling from the night sky, the stars are never seen in the city; I watch myself looking up from the sidelines, holding onto the lantern as my last hope.”

0004 / September / ??

“Running through a chilly meadow, sun rising and I hold your hand, catching lavender clouds as I stay at home.”

0004 / december / ??

“Autumn is ending This was a game of play-pretending for everyone but me; right, I wanted a place I and others could belong to, but as I've seen through lies, I'm burning down the theatre..”

0005 / august / ??

“Summer is ending. You simply disappeared without a word; I didn't care, did I care? Too many people, I get lost.”

0005 / August / ??

“You're squeezing something heavy with your hands, water covering your eyes, so you can't see what's there; sun’s warmth is on your back, a chill feeling spreading over the body”

0005 / December / ??

milgram

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡༻ੈ✩‧₊˚₊

THOUGHTS ON HER CRIME

Now moving on to what I think remi’s crime is…..I have not idea! That is the reason why this is so late because I am completely lost on what it could be :)

clearly remi was in some sort of unfulfilling relationship were she felt she was giving more then taking , felt neglected and like it was dying for a long while before it actually ended. So her victim is probably that person?

as for the description

“You're squeezing something heavy with your hands, water covering your eyes, so you can't see what's there; sun’s warmth is on your back, a chill feeling spreading over the body.

It's not the time to listen to yourself. It's never the time, remember?

Your knees and hands seem to hurt, but you keep on pushing, can't give up — now or never”

ummm it kinda gives me the vibes of drowning? Like keep pushing = keep pushing the head under water??? Water coving her eyes could be because she’s also under water…? But I feel like “something heavy with your hands, water covering your eyes,” thats gotta be tears right? Like yes it could be a large body of water was involved if so probably the one implied here “a wave of crystal water covering my ankles,”

Her murder location does look like a lake surrounded but trees to me? But that could just be the distortion. That what go me started down the whole drowning train of thought.

(Gorgeous diagram I know)

but just overall I don’t have a strong theory (this seems to be a reoccurring theme….)

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡༻ੈ✩‧₊˚₊

RECORDING/UNDER COVER IMAGES

Once again moving on. Time to tackle these two images , her memory recordings and her undercover.

Starting with the memory recording this is alot more abstract then hotaru’s so I feel like the symbolism in it can be read into more. Remi is in space and I feel like space is probably a metaphor for her relationship. Space is cold and a vacuum you can’t speak or be heard in space (without special equipment and the whole no speaking thing is more that if you open your mouth you die and boil/freeze alive but lets put the logistics to the side for a minute) she is surrounded by other planets (possibly reproductive of the other people like the other people implied by lines like “ tender girly laughs from all sides.” / “I wanted a place I and others could belong to” / always choose someone else instead“ ect) and how planets and other celestial objects go in set orbit going round and around on the same path could be seen as similar to how remi describes the relationship “So tiring. I need to break the cycle.” There’s falling star’s in the bg which could refence wishing stars or possibly the concept of star crossed lovers? Or wishing

I attempted to map the planets from the art to our solar system which again not sure if its ment to be our solar system or just a general space setting but if it is our solar system then perhaps we could read into the fact that in this context remi would be on the outer side of the solar system far away from the sun and in the colder part of the system.

unrelated observations that the shape on the side kinda looks like a wave or maybe thats just my conformation bias talking…?

And this art could also possibly reference a magical girl transformation ??? I feel like I’m reaching to much with those last two points tho…

As for the undecover frame we have already seen remi liken her relationship to food “Let's stop already, how long are we going to chew on this cold food?” So relationship metaphor???

there seems to be strawberries in the picture which according to google in japan has symbolism of love and is a gift on valentines day in japan….? it is also apparently a symbol of the goddess Venus which links it back in with space but idk

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡༻ੈ✩‧₊˚₊

MY CURRENT THOUGHTS ON VOTING

I really don’t feel like I know enough to vote her anything….? I went with victim in the end because I didn’t really feel like I had any strong concussion on her situation but I feel like I gotta be missing something cuz it was 50% predator when I originally wrote this section.

[maris-27]

an update of sorts

long post but necessary ! check tags for content warnings before reading

Ok fine hiii helloooo yes i am aware i've been gone for a million years and i also know most who follow me mostly likely do not care and / or have completely forgotten about this blog (which is completely fine i promise, i'm being lighthearted and /pos). That being said, it didn't feel correct to pass by, post the silly and disappear into the wind this time around, so here goes.

Although i've always loved to post only and exclusively when i fell like it and want to, and this is a fact that does stay true even right now, there have been mayor life factors as to why i've been 99% gone. The main one, very genuinely and very simply, is me being very busy with uni. I've been studying animation since 2020, and i'm currently on my 5th out of 6 semesters before graduating. I like to keep things separate (personal art and "uni art") so I've not been sharing a lot about my journey. I feel like i owe you all more content because of this, and i may post thesis-related content once i'm more free or when i feel comfortable doing so. I've been creating parallel to all of this but i just have not felt the itch to post, the same way i've left aside social media almost entirely. To put it bluntly, it did not do me any good, and it connects to the other reason/s as to why i've been radio-silent…

On the other hand, 2023 was an entirely different level of low for me. I will not trauma-dump on you all, but i've been struggling on-and-off with my mental health virtually all my life. Intrusive thoughts since i was a child, GAD, DPDR, etc etc. During my most active years here (2016-18) i was using art as a main coping mechanism and it did help me a lot, but the bad periods only got worse since then, as they do. Once you learn to cope with a level of "severity", next time you'll need to learn to cope with a harder one, and so forth. Not always ofc, but it was like that for me and still pretty much is. Just how the fluctuating nature of my mental health is. The ever changing downward spiral that started in 2020, a year i have genuine real trouble remembering at all due to how dissociated from reality i was, hit new records each year after that. '21, '22, and finally '23 where i almost fully gave up. twice.

I'm doing a LOT better nowadays, i am not in any risk and i'm no longer a danger to my own well-being (i promise) thanks to my beloved therapist and loved ones, but '24 has been an entire year of recovering and mostly coming to terms to what has happened to me not only last but these past few years, inwards and outwards. Life has been gentler on me, and that's mainly why i got inspired to post this.

Anyways, thanks for reading if you have. Cannot promise I'll be more active but what i can promise is that i'll be around. Have a great week everyone, wherever y'all are.

[aerisleis-fics]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤

<333!

I've got two of you! which means I guess I have to do 10 fics and 10 writers we'll see if I can make that happen. Favorite fics I've written is really hard bc I tend to go through phases where I really hate my writing and never really fully am sure what to grab onto. I'm also restricting myself to only my main ao3- Aerislei.

BUT without further ado, in no particular order 10 11 recs from my writing under the cut. MOST are FF7 SephZack bc Im sure that's what you're both hoping for lmao but I do have a few other fandoms and non sephzack selections!

Captured in Wutai FFVII

Written for the Sephiroth Bang and while there are things I would different given the chance I LOVED this fic and how it came out. It meant a lot to me to write (mostly) true to how I wanted it to be even though it was kind of gritty and dark.

In the depths of the Wutai War, Sephiroth is assigned a young Second Class SOLDIER, Angeal’s protege, Zack Fair. Sephiroth doesn’t pay the boy much mind until the pair of them are cut off from the rest of their unit behind enemy lines. Injured and aware that the clock is ticking, the pair must work together to survive. Things get worse long before they get better, seeing as Wutai forces find them first. From there, it’s holding on long enough to try and find a way out - or for help to find them - whichever comes first.

Secrets and Fears FFVII

(Or: What if the scar from Modeohiem was the start of Zack Fair's healing factor beginning to break down?)

Friendships Forged in Fire FFVII

Incomplete but a Very fun concept and I'm working on the next chapter! Hopefully soon!

Prompt: Sephiroth is gravely wounded while on a mission with Zack, hindering him from being able to properly protect himself from the enemies/monsters they are fighting. Their friendship has been mending and blossoming ever since Zack disclosed what happened at Modeoheim, but now it’s the ultimate test of their bond as Sephiroth must put all his faith in Zack to get them home safely.

Pause, Rewind, Restart FFVII

Cloud and Marlene are visiting the church when they find themselves pulled backward into the past. With no way back home, Cloud sets himself to doing the best he can to make sure that this future goes better than the one they came from because he can't just do nothing.

Recordings for Sleeping FFVII

At first it had been disheartening - was he that boring to talk to? But over time, Zack had come to understand that it wasn’t that it was boring. It was that Sephiroth had come to associate Zack talking with a sense of peace and the fact that things were okay, so he could relax - and, subsequently, could rest. It was incredibly touching, now that Zack understood it better.

Saving the Hero FFVII

A pair of scenes centering in on Sephiroth saving Zack, and Zack - in his own way - saving Sephiroth in return.

Taking Care FFVII

A handful of short snapshots in which I attempt to depict Zack Fair and Sephiroth growing closer, slowly, through the lens of taking care of one another post-lab sessions.

Moments in Time FFVII

Five snapshots of times Cloud and Zack shared spaces together, threading together as their relationship develops.

Unrealistic Expectations FFXV

After nearly failing the trial of the Tidemother, Noctis stands precariously balanced between his duty, his emotions, and his body’s need for rest. The Prince fails to heed Lunafreya’s warning about taking it easy, and his friends find the hard way that Noctis hasn’t been truthful with them.

Keep the Home Fires Burning RWBY

PolySTQ, Summer returns to find things are not exactly the way she left them. Still, arriving in Atlas to the threat of open war with Salem with her daughter at the center of it all wasn’t what Summer expected. Qrow and Taiyang must face the fact that Summer has been returned with no explanation of where she’s been or why, all while navigating the tangles of their own feelings with each other, and the war with Salem.

Bonus:

The Draconian's Grace FFXV

Noctis asks for - and receives - a unique chance to go back to the beginning of his journey and change things (hopefully for the better). He's not alone in his journey, and it's that alone that gives him the courage to move ever-onward.

[aressida]

Australia News: 24.3.24.

1.) "The Australian dream of owning your own home - Albanese style. Coming to a city near you."

2.) "Media Shame File: Journalists show their economic illiteracy daily when it comes to immigration, but even so it's worrying that the political editor of The Age doesn't seem to understand how unemployment can fall during record-high population growth."

I'd say they were fully aware of what they were doing.

3.) QLD HOMESCHOOLING CRACKDOWN ->

https://youtu.be/TudVFaYc36A

Make a submission: https://qldparlcomm.snapforms.com.au/form/eetsc---education-general-provisions-and-other-legislation-amendment-bill-2024.

It is highly likely that other governments will enact similar harsh laws if they succeed in Queensland. Do not let them.

Also "Our main points of concern:

we do not want to be restricted to using the Australian Curriculum.

reporting to EVERY area in the plan and PROVING educational progress is too much and not even required in schools.

determining if home education is in the best interest of the child is a parental right, this power doesn't belong with the Education department."

Parents should have the freedom to decide how best to educate their children because education is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

4.) NDIS - What is myplace?

"Just a heads up for all you MyPlace people. There are already trade marked companies in Australia using that name.

Be warned you may be in danger of copyright infringement and court action.

I'm telling you this because I care that you don't get sued, and also because you really should not use someone else's business name. Be original rather than just copying someone else.

The MyPlace brand in Australia is to do with Government, Monitoring, Professional Sports Sponsorship, Public Education and The NDIS. Do you really want your name involved with that?

I wouldn't.

@roobsaussieflyers."

5.) Australia Immigration ->

"Record immigration is causing a housing crisis that’s now a human catastrophe

The more serious governance issue is Labor federal government lying last year saying it would reduce immigration

One Nation exposed the Lib-Lab Uniparty “big Australia”

People want immigration cuts." - Senator Roberts uncensored - Telegram.

6.) "Getting a COVID jab is safer than taking aspirin."

"Currently appears on the University of Melbourne website.

“The risk of rare side effects from COVID-19 vaccines like AstraZeneca are greatly exaggerated as they are far safer than many medicines people are taking every day.” "

- @PeoplePowerAus.

[bijoupreciieux]

𝟑-𝟓 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐄 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘.

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS:

confidence / self-love. she never feels the need to be in a relationship, she enjoys it when she is in one and she's a wonderful girlfriend but she's perfectly happy on her own as well. she would marry herself if she could.

ambition / drive; she is a slytherin after all.

fiercely protective over her friends & loved ones.

upmost pride in her craft and in her work on stage and in her personal solo career.

"borderline crazy" competitive at times. she can get intense about it. she feels the need to excel at everything she does. her achilles heel is cooking, she can make toast but that's about it.

QUOTES:

❝ i don't care who he is, i've been told by multiple girls that his behavior is inappropriate so fire him and find someone else. i won't have anyone here that makes the women on stage or behind the scenes feel unsafe or uncomfortable.❞

❝ and why does it make you so angry that i'm fully aware i'm beautiful? and that i'm aware i'm more than just that? ah because you want me to base my confidence on what you think? how pathetic.❞

❝ i do have high standards, how could i not? my papa treated me like a princess as people say. let me clear, i don't mean that he let me get away with whatever i wanted. but he treated me like i was so so precious, something to be fiercely protected so i expect from my relationships now. ❞

❝ i love women, i just love women so much. i feel like women are so connected to each other on a spirtual level even if we don't know each other. have you ever been in a girl's bathroom at a nightclub? i still think of this gorgeous red-haired witch i cried with and cuddled with because her boyfriend broke her heart. i never learned her name. we were very drunk. ❞

COLORS:

black

purple

gold / silver

pink

SCENTS:

expensive floral or sweet-smelling perfume.

ATTIRE:

high-fashion monochromatic looks; high heels or thigh-high boots. fur coats, expensive jewelry. designer two-piece outfits. classic sixties cut-crease style makeup neutral tone or colorful.

black and/or amethyst haute-couture dresses or outfits worn for every award ceremony, an homage to her beloved meraxes.

pretty full-length dresses with multiple layers underneath; with corsets adorned with hand-embroidered flowers & dragons.

perfectly defined curls, half-up half-down hairstyles with space buns.

OBJECTS:

a sleek black grand piano, very expensive and beautiful. sheet music is enchanted to turn page without her having to move her hands from the keys.

an entire large room for her clothing & accessories. bureaus and wardrobes with expanding charms to house even more clothing than initially meets the eye. a vanity adorned with beautiful perfume bottles and luxury makeup.

a painted portrait of her and meraxes.

her solo records: dragon's daughter / star quality / love, val / and songs for saturn and their alternate covers.

curio cabinet with her awards including her chocolate frog + card and some gifted souvenirs from her shows. framed photos of herself and her fellow cast members on stage or goofing around behind the scenes. a photo of her father giving her flowers backstage on an opening night.

BODY LANGUAGE:

perfect posture, head held up high. "resting bitch face" / "unapproachable" but actually very sweet and warm. her fans know this so are usually never afraid to say hello to her in public.

unable to hide expressions, she wears her heart on sleeve. her expressions are animated. she is a talented actress on stage but in real life she has no poker face.

AESTHETICS / IMAGERY:

the stage of a world-renowned theatre boasting breath taking architecture build centuries before her birth. valyria standing there wearing a beautiful gown singing her heart out, moving the audience to tears.

valyria flying with meraxes in the night, surrounded by a sea of stars. sometimes she falls asleep curled up on his back, lulled by the moonlight.

stolen from: @rhaegore

tagging: whoever wants to do it

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

https://at.tumblr.com/justanotherdamnedweeb/why-there-is-so-much-more-to-dazai-angos/7l3meuzki819

What do you think of this take?

Hey, anon! Thanks for the ask.

...I'm going to be perfectly honest with you: I know you probably are just curious because of my latest posts about Ango but I do feel a little uncomfortable with being sent a direct link to someone else's meta when I haven't interacted with this person. Metas can take a long time to write and involve a lot of passion about the source material - I just don't want to give unwarranted thoughts or replies on someone's post who didn't ask for it and potentially dampen that enthusiasm in any way.

Idk, maybe I'm just being weird about it... ugh. You guys can of course continue to send links to other metas and ask for thoughts just... be aware that I may choose not to reply. Okay?

Having said all this, I do have a few things to say about this meta - number one being:

It's definitely worth a read! I thought the idea that the Division covered up the Mimic incident was pretty much implied since any sign of collaboration with the Mafia would've been a huge scandal (I mean, Mimic's presence in Japan was bad enough already) but 55 Minutes confirms it, and I don't think many people have actually read that novel. And yeah, it would definitely have to be Ango who was directly involved in, if not in charge of, the cover up, being so intimately connected to everything that happened. Of course, this has little to do with who ordered it (it certainly would not have been Ango himself).

I will admit, I forgot about the line in Dark Era that tells us Oda's grave was unmarked - it appears my memory was overridden by the anime, so I was glad for the reminder. And putting all this together - yeah, it seems very likely, if not a given, that part of the Mimic clean up involved wiping Oda's records and existence from the public.

Which is. Yeah. Undeniably shitty. And a very valid reason to hate someone if that person who got erased happened to be your best friend.

Ultimately, I think the degree of sympathy that fans of the series feel for Ango really is going to come down to the degree of autonomy you think he has. The more autonomy he has, the less sympathetic he becomes.

I'm personally inclined to think his choices are quite limited. This meta actually makes me think that even more so. Ango, when he first joined the Mafia, had an elaborate cover story that involved hacking and being on the run and then being given a chance to work in the Mafia due to his skills. You'd think this would have him laying low for awhile and watching his moves carefully so as not to draw attention to himself or cause a scene but that's... very much not what happened.

Ango starts off his story making sure the memories of people who lost their lives stayed alive, and ends it by erasing memories of others from existence - including that of a very dear friend of his. That much is stated in the original meta.

However, it's also important to note that the original Mafia reports for the DHC victims were a result of at least some degree of stubborn defiance. Ango put those reports in Mori's hands personally, even though Mori was initially annoyed and never asked for them. He literally risked pissing off the boss of the organization he had just started his undercover mission in. And yet, he didn't bend the rules to preserve the memory of someone he cared deeply for? Or those soldiers who will be forever forgotten and disgraced? Idk if I fully believe that simple compliance explains all of this. It almost seems to me that Ango expressed more of his own opinions and values in the Mafia than he ever did in the Division. That's... weird. At least, it is to me. (I have another meta coming out on Ango's relationship with the Division in which I will elaborate on this a little more.)

Also it's worth reiterating that Dazai was already furious with Ango for the initial betrayal - though I'm sure the cover up just added more salt to the wound. (To be clear, I've said Dazai's hatred is illogical - as in, it's not a reaction the cold-blooded "Demon Prodigy" would have. I never said it wasn't an understandable emotional reaction on Dazai's part (or at least that was not my intent!) - that's why I actually like that continued animosity! Dazai has a strong capacity to be very cruel to others. But this time he's cruel because he's hurt. That's incredibly human of him and it makes their dynamic very compelling to me.)

If the op of this meta sees this and feels annoyed or just doesn't want this here for any reason, I will gladly take this down.

And anon, for what it's worth I hope my response here didn't hurt your feelings either. I really enjoyed getting to read what you sent; it gave me lots to think about! I'm just always a little worried that I'm invading other's boundaries and whatnot. My initial reaction to this was more of an anxiety thing on my part, I'm afraid.

[armesstein]

Billy Idol's Cyberpunk album didn't deserve the hate it received...

As a long-time fan of his, I feel like my preferences for which album is my favorite doesn't boil down to any specific choice. I love them all from his debut album to his most recent. Some songs are hit or miss, but ultimately are great compositions in their own right even if I don't fully feel the initial hit. I can still appreciate them for what they are.

The same can be said for the Cyberpunk album from the 90s. While it does deviate away from Billy's original material, I can honestly say that this album is FAR from bad for several reasons that isn't solely about the music on it, but what inspired them in the first place.

As many people are aware by now, Billy Idol suffered a leg injury after his motorcycle accident. From what I've looked into, apparently one of his doctors came in and made a comment during his hospitalization about the metal rod in his leg, phrasing something along the lines of "Now you're cyberpunk!" And from there, the idea clicked.

That's the gist of what I've gotten from diving deep into some sources online. He got fascinated by the subculture, read the books (Yes, that includes Neuromancer which IS a song on the album), and I have to give the man props here for this one: he learned to code. For recording the album, he just used a computer and some software at his home studio, which I have to say is hella impressive at the time.

Sometime after its release, it received a lot of pushback and flack that I felt wasn't deserved at all. I say all of this from a non-biased standpoint and more on the appreciation for what inspired it, and the clear passion that went into making it.

A lot of computer elitists slammed him about his coding methods, to which I retort with a fervent FUCK YOU. Who the hell cares. People apart of the subculture didn't appreciate the album and assumed he was capitalizing off of the subculture, which isn't the case here.

Listening to the album, in my honest opinion, I get immersed into a world that portrays the punk aspects of the cyberpunk genre. Especially in the song "Shock to the System", which is a song based on the LA riots that took place around the time the album was in the creation phase.

The interludes 1-5 feel like I'm a human being that is gradually becoming a machine throughout the album's running time, which is a neat poetic touch if I'm being completely honest here. To me, that is where the 'cyber' part in 'cyberpunk' takes place within the story Billy Idol is trying to tell.

Power Junkie obviously relates to mega corpos/politics and how too much power can inflate someone's ego on a massive scale. Again. That's cyberpunk.

Mother Dawn is probably one of my favorites from the album, and most don't know, but it is actually a cover of a song by the same name sung by Durga, a member of Blue Pearl. It's one of their singles. (I love her version of the song just as much, her voice is so rich omg).

So, what I'm trying to get at here is... what's the problem? The album in its own right is amazing, and I think it portrays the cyberpunk genre very well. Billy Idol clearly did his research, he grew fond of technology and has stated recently he still is rather fond of it. I see the album's creation as a win not only because he nailed the genre on the head, but because his passion undeniably shines through.

It's there in his interest to learn coding, his newfound love for computers, his appreciation/love for the genre, and the music inspired by it. I'm sorry, but I can't bring myself to hate him for it. While I do feel the cover is a little 'meh', I DO get what he was trying to convey with it, and as such, appreciate it as well.

A work of art can be the most unappealing thing you've ever come across, but that doesn't make it automatically 'bad' or 'undeserving of appreciation'. In fact, I think people should normalize appreciating things that can be viewed as subpar to the human experience (Music, art, etc.). It makes the connection to the piece much deeper and enriching when it isn't observed only from a critical standpoint.

Those are valid, too, of course. But what a lot of people forget about criticism is that you have to look at it not just from a negative standpoint alone; it's when you can spot the good with the bad and form a genuine opinion of your own.

And, that said, in my honest opinion, Billy Idol's Cyberpunk album didn't deserve the hate it received. People absolutely are allowed not to like it and have their own opinions about it. For me, it was like I was part of a bigger story, and that's something I rarely get from listening to an album outside of Tobias Sammett's Avantasia.

There are times I can only imagine what abysmal thoughts/feelings he suffered subsequent to the hate he got as well as trying to explain himself to the haters. In that regard, I sympathize wholeheartedly. Would I love for Billy Idol to make another album like Cyberpunk? Hell yeah!!

But whether he will or not is another matter and is highly unlikely. Still, I can dream, can't I? Meanwhile, I will continue to listen to his music and get inspired by it. Those are my thoughts. Feel free to disagree if you want. This has been something on my mind for a long time, and I felt the need to get it out in one go.

[insecateur]

Lysandre is most averse to taking from others, but he wears a leather suit and wears fur on his collar. In other words, he is indirectly taking the life of a Pokémon in order to be fashionable.

What do you think about this?

i've been thinking about this question since you sent it bc i have like two answers which are not actually related to each other

to begin with i'll preface this by saying that i usually tend to not touch too much on this in fic and otherwise bc it's just such a nightmare to think about imo - i write lysandre as not eating meat but the like. ethics of eating meat or wearing leather in the pokémon world are side-stepped so weirdly by canon i'm reluctant to get into it myself i guess. which actually brings me to my first answer which doesn't actually have much to do with your question--

i feel like where meat and "animal" products come from is becoming so muddled in pokémon gameverse canon at this point LMFAO, they added sandwiches in scavio and as the ingredients you can pick (which were also a curry ingredient in swsh actually if i remember right) there are like. regular, real life sized eggs? like who tf is laying those? pokémon eggs are fucking yoshi eggs those are wholeass CHICKEN EGGS. WHO IS LAYING THE CHICKEN EGGS. i know it's pokémon they just don't care about it making sense but it's keeping me up at night. at the same time they do reference eating pokémons clearly in canon so you know. anyway this is a tangent but this ask reminded me and sent me down this nightmare mode rabbit hole again

NOW RE: YOUR ACTUAL QUESTION:

i think lysandre's hypocrisy is a big component of his character, actually! he's even sometimes self-aware about it - in pokémas he has a line of dialogue that references this:

"I have no intention of believing that what I do is always for the sake of absolute justice. If that were the case, Pokémon would never have to go through what we put them through."

he's usually too self-righteous to be fully honest with himself that he only compromises in ways that fit his worldview, though. when you face him in his hq in xy he even admits outright that he's decided that he has to take from others in the end because he's the only one who can make things right. (note that he's also unilaterally decided that things have to be made right by him in the first place.) a lot of his character is about appearances, too, so in that respect it makes sense that some of this characteristic would be reflected in his choice of attire.

...in reality though i'm not even sure it was taken into account when designing him LOL. the fur on his collar is clearly meant to evoke yveltal, and you could argue there's no proof his outfit is actually leather, just drawn in a way that makes it look like it is (for the record i am #TeamLeather though.) i also genuinely am not sure tpc even think about how fucking weird this is in the context of the pokémon world, especially considering how they've been in recent games irt food...

BUT... i do like it as a way to highlight the disconnect between him and his ideals, similarly to what i've already pointed out regarding the team flare grunts. i think it's interesting and i do enjoy seeing it explored 👍