#id really like other's opinion on this because i think i genuinely want to write something about it.

[dogwhizzer]

straight men really fascinate me. why do they love being gay with each other

[propheticclown]

Just finished playing Mouthwashing and I just wanna leave my character opinions in this post. OBVIOUS SPOILER WARNING!!! Curly: Lovely character. I adore his characterization of being unable to do anything until it's too late. He stood on the sidelines for too long and was only given the option the stay on the sidelines for the rest of his life. That moment when he goes to confront Jimmy and the screen starts lightly shaking and starts flashing the "Kills 99.9%" to signify his utter rage and contempt for Jimmy at that point? Adore it. I don't think he's as horrible as people say. He had no malicious intent, but that ironically caused his downfall. He was too passive and that led to the failure of the crew and became a victim to Jimmy's twisted delusions. Swansea: MY GLORIOUS KING!!! I love his whole roundabout character. He's so three-dimensional. I adore him for accepting his flaws and genuinely being able to "Take Responsibility". His relationship with Daisuke, being the hardened man scorned by the world and wanting to make sure Daisuke didn't end up like him was so beautiful. The fact that he doesn't get mad at Daisuke for crawling through the vent and getting hurt because he knew he just wanted to help made me tear up. He's so incredible. Plus he can canonically throw it back, which is always a plus.

Daisuke: What an amazingly tragic character. A kid who feels useless and wants to help in any way he can, even if that means putting himself in harm's way. I love how he attempts to remain positive and cares about the other crew members. Even in his one moment of grief where he discusses his fear of disappointing others, it's never about himself. In his couple last scenes, he even talks about his mom and hopes she won't feel guilty. It's incredible. Anya: Oh, where do I even begin with Anya? I love her. Her whole character is tragic, but those profound moments where she's with Curly, where she's comfortable and we get to see her true self come out, it's so beautiful. She jokes around, gets intense about board games, and is even a bit energetic and passionate about nursing, but most of all, she's just a sweet person. She's incredibly skilled at keeping Curly alive after his incident. She keeps everything calm while Jimmy is away. Her grief and response to Jimmy's actions towards her are sad and I will absolutely admit that I cried after I found out she died and had to step away for a bit because she just was such a genuinely beautiful person. I wish we got to see more of her and I really wish we get to see more of her in the future. Easily my favorite character. I love her so much AAUGH!!! The fact that her and Curly's ID cards are always covered by Jimmy's in that ID card segment is so sad. I could make a whole post on Anya. I love Anya. 11/10. Need more Anya. Jimmy: Wonderfully written. I have never hated a person, let alone a fictional person, more in my life that when this fucker was on my screen. A horrible person. A genuinely irredeemable asshole who does nothing but bring the crew down with him. As much as I would adore making a whole rant post about him, it's 2:00 AM as of writing this and I wanna sleep. So basically; Fuck Jambalaya or whatever his name is.

[amalthearespawned]

i honestly find it beautiful how love/attraction can transcend the 3D. like, imagine being in love with someone from another reality and knowing that they love you too? isn’t that lovely??

for example, i wasn’t planning on ever having a s/o for my dr. i was planning on just shifting to my dr and living life normally, possibly without interfering with the plot of my dr.

then, a month or so after i started writing my script, i started getting signs from her through my social media feed and through content related to my dr, so i decided to learn more about her and such. i didn’t officially add her as a s/o to my script, but i had written down that it was a possibility. i didn’t know what i was walking into, and didn’t know if it would work out.

eventually i took a break from shifting, id say almost a year. didn’t look at that dr script often or interact with content about my dr. in 2023 i decided to start shifting again, and almost immediately i started getting an influx of content related to my dr, primarily of my now s/o. i didn’t really look at the script for my dr and instead focused on another one, with another s/o.

id never get signs from this s/o. it was always her :> i knew that my old s/o was a quiet and reserved person so i figured it was related to that, but since i had come out i didn’t want a male s/o anymore and no longer shift to that dr. so i started focusing on her/my dr again. (this is just my personal opinion but since i identify as a lesbian i didn’t want to change my sexuality for someone else, this reality or not. just what i’m comfortable with.)

and then.. the signs just got more clear. constantly i would see things related to my s/o- her name, her nickname, things related to my dr, tarot readings that resonated with us both, and more. atp i started associating the angel numbers 111/1111 with her simply because they would always show up with signs from her.

started channeling her shortly after, but i’m still trying to get the hang of it so i prefer sending her letters instead :> usually i’ll ask for her to show me something as a sign or use it as a yes/no sign, but i just like updating her on how i’m feeling. and yes, she tends to deliver with signs. as of now she’s impatient since i haven’t channeled or reached out in a while, so she’s needing attention :> i think she’s also been impatient since i haven’t shifted yet but have gotten very close to, since this week every reading i’ve done/had done by others has said she needs attention and that she misses me a lot.

but, i think it’s genuinely crazy that i wasn’t planning on having a s/o or anything similar. the only reason why i do now is because she reached out first 😭 otherwise i’d be bitchless right now. shifting truly is a lovely thing.

[copperbadge]

Hi Sam. A potentially stupid question. Image descriptions for screen readers. Do they work the same way for audio and video? As in are they needed or helpful? I'm finding conflicting answers when I search for this.

Not at all a stupid question! I think sometimes it can vary by community, to be honest.

Screen-reader users, visually impaired folk, and others for whom IDs are particularly relevant, feel free to chime in; I'm going to ramble and you likely have more useful stuff to say. Remember to do it in reblogs or notes, as I don't post asks sent in response to other asks.

I'm not visually impaired, and I don't use a screen reader and thus am not really able to speak with firsthand authority. In the past, when I've asked, I've heard that in-post text is better than alt-text for images; even if that stops being the case, I prefer to use in-post text because there are people who aren't screen-reader users who also like the IDs. I do too, actually. And generally I've heard that video as well as image should be described. I don't do straight audio generally, but when I do, if it's a song I don't bother because the title is there and lyrics are googleable, if it's speech I like to see/give a transcript.

I like when videos have descriptions especially, because I am almost never in a position to play a video I see on my dash. If the video doesn't autoplay I don't want to hit play because then it will load with audio and I'm usually either a) somewhere I can't have audio or b) already listening to something and unwilling to turn it off. If the video autoplays it's muted, but if it's audio-heavy there's the same issue. So if someone posts a video without a description/transcript, unless it has captions, I can't engage.

There are a lot of guides out there for how to write IDs and I kind of think, based on conversations I've had, most of them are bullshit by people who don't use screen readers. In my experience, which is not universal but is relatively comprehensive, people who can't see an image often do not want a precise objective description as we're instructed to provide.

There's a great essay that touches on this, Against Access, where the writer, who is Deafblind, talks about how he doesn't want a diagram, he wants an emotional evocation.

Why are you telling me, telling me, telling me things? Your job isn’t to deliver this whole room to me on a silver platter. I don’t want the silver platter. I want to attack this room. I want to own it, just like how the sighted people here own it. Or, if the room isn’t worth owning, then I want to grab whatever I find worth stealing.

I've had people get shitty with me about putting "feelings" into my IDs, but the majority of people for whom those IDs are necessary have told me they like it because, for example, saying "She looks like she's about to commit violence" is a subjective opinion but conveys something that "A woman is standing with arms upraised and a frown on her face" does not. And if you're describing an image but there's not a ton of meaning to it, describing it in clinical detail is wasting time. A paragraph describing a fortysomething white guy and all the clothing he's wearing and the room he's in is not as helpful, on occasion, as simply saying "This is a photograph of me in my bedroom." It depends on context, which is your call to make, and the only way to get good at that is to do it.

But again: this is my experience with my readers, and even John Lee Clark, quoted above, doesn't speak for his whole community. So I would suggest that the best way to get an answer for this is just to ask your readers what they'd prefer. If you have friends who use screenreaders, ask them. If you don't, or if you don't get a response from your readers, I would do what you feel is best until someone tells you otherwise, and then be gracious and discuss it with them so you can better understand their needs. In my experience, when someone is genuinely trying to make a more welcoming space for disabilities -- as opposed to making virtue-signal attempts to Be The Perfect Ally -- they get a lot of slack when they don't get it exactly right. It is better to make a welcoming space for people to feel safe telling you that you fucked up than it is to pretend you're never going to fuck up.

So yeah, as someone who is more or less fully sighted, that's my two cents, but if you really want to know what your readers want, you know...I'd ask them. :) Good luck, either way.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Curious what you'd say about Soap for the character ask game. You haven't really spoken about him as much as the others so I'm curious :O (id love to hear about every single character tho i wont lie to you but i have a feeling you'll get asked about those lol)

@nekrosmos asked for Soap too.

Honestly? There is unfortunately a reason. I lingered around fandom for a good few months before I got involved at all. I saw some behaviour from his fanbase that I didn't like and so I made the conscious choice that he's not a character I'd probably be creating much for. I love the art, happy to support creators, etc. Besides, there are so many delicious, delicious rarepairs to love and create for and plenty of gallant, productive, devoted Ghoapers.

He's quite compelling though, and I've got quite a few thoughts and headcanons, and I'm happy to write prompts with him. A few friends on Discord really love him and I like to create for them too, cause happy friends give me the fuzzies. So, you know, a story idea might grip me by the balls and I'll wack out a long form thing.

favorite thing about them

His journals.

Reading those finally gave me a connection with his character that I hadn't developed previously. But they really show how driven he is, how much he wants to be the best he can be, so he's not a burden, so he doesn't let anyone down. He's constantly striving to earn his place to the point that it kills him in the end.

I think he genuinely struggles with wanting to be liked (as part of 'earning his place'), and I think he is often too much for people. Ghost giving back as good as he gets is a comfortable relationship because the line for Ghost is way, way in the distance; Johnny doesn't have to worry like he does with 'normal' people. Neither of them is fuckin' normal.

Price giving him a chance would have been the first step towards the hero-style worship he has for him. "What? Me? Ye want... me? Aye, aye I will be the best fuckin' dog ye ever had, I will bite my own leg off for ye." Everything Soap does is to prove that Price didn't make a mistake. That he was a good investment. And Price, the sly fucker, knows it. He sees himself there.

least favorite thing about them

I wish they had given him a stronger accent and leaned more into that in the games. In fact, I wish that for all of them.

I also think that Soap has capacity to cause great harm without even realising it. Like, we get glimpses of it; he's nearly court-martialled for punching out a copper. In his single-minded pursuit of something, I reckon there could be a lot of collateral damage.

He lacks confidence but will cover it up by being an arsehole and doing arsehole things (such as smuggling a girl on base to impress The Guys). I say I like "least favourite"; I think this makes him compelling as a character. He's not all sunshine and rainbows. He's just as gritty, professional and flawed as the rest of 'em.

favorite line

"You sick bastard..."

"My kingdom for a suppressor..."

"Price?... This belongs to you, sir."

brOTP

Gaz & Soap

OTP

Uh... none really. Ghost/Soap?

nOTP

Don't have any strong feelings on any.

random headcanon

He's really bad at team sport. He showed no interest in any when he was growing up. Gym? Running? Swimming? Anything where the only competition is himself and his own limits? That's where Soap's head is.

unpopular opinion

Honestly? I don't know which of my opinions would be unpopular. Probably the 'not sunshine and rainbows' one, maybe?

song i associate with them

favorite picture of them

[teddystealeaves]

robyn’s tiktok ab ppl being pissed ab feminine sirius just cracked me up dude IT’S SO TRUE!

“canon sirius would never wear that” Y’ALLLL this is fanfiction😭 i’m sorry to break this to you but canon sirius is NOT REAL BRO HE DOESN’T HAVE AN OPINION

i think it’s funny to think about how more canon compliant interpretations of the characters would react to fanon as like a THOUGHT EXERCISE but why is sirius in a skirt hurting your feelings rn

the main argument i hear about it is that it’s reinforcing heterosexual norms for wolfstar & like i kind of get where ppl are coming from w/ that ig but also i’m sorry I DON’T CARE! the marauders is such a gay fandom i really don’t see why people are hurt by people exploring sirius’ gender expression. idk i’m having trouble putting into words exactly why that argument doesn’t sit right w/ me but it really doesn’t. there are just so many different gay experiences out there to write about & if you want to read a different dynamic for wolfstar there’s plenty out there! it just feels like a lame excuse to hate on people.

maybe i just need someone to explain it to me in depth more but i struggle to see what the harm in writing a fic where the wolfstar dynamic resembles a lot of heterosexual relationships because that is a thing that happens in gay relationships & it doesn’t make them any less gay?? i feel like i must be missing the point of the argument but i also think a lot of people making the argument couldn’t even elaborate on why it’s a problem. i’m sorry i feel like some people are just repeating what they’ve heard online because they want sirius to match their own hcs.

okay that last paragraph might be a bad take i’m just genuinely confused BUT I THINK A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE TOO! & that doesn’t stop them from leaving hate comments on beautiful fan art where they think sirius looks too feminine for their taste😭 id love to hear someone who has like a fully formed opinion speak on this though

[huellitaa]

𖹭𓂃 ࣪˖ saying no

something ive struggled with for pretty much my entire life 😭

𐙚๋࣭ people pleasing:

a person who consistently strives to please others, often sacrificing their own wants or needs in the process.

trouble with saying no to people often comes from insecurity. when you feel bullied into things or backed into a corner too often it can lead to agreeing with everything and anything just so people will like you.

1. take small steps

getting out of habits like this are not easy whatsoever and take lots of time. taking small steps to implement getting rid of people pleasing tendencies is the best way to go about this; for example, just blocking someone who bothers you and starting from there.

2. fake it till you make it !

confidence is something absolutely essential but not easy to attain; thats where this skill comes in handy. ive been doing this since i was little and i wont lie and say it melts into real confidence because it doesnt, its just a shield to hide behind until your are genuinely confident and id definitely recommend this 100% to anybody starting or struggling to try and break this habit. act like youre fine & unaffected in front of the people who put you in this position even if you arent. dont show your weaknesses when you know they can be used against you.

3. valuing yourself

value yourself over all else. you are the most important person in your life. validate, support, and value yourself. trust your judgement is right and prioritise the protection of your peace above all else because that is the most important thing.

4. body language

ok as a girl with an incredibly infuriating tendency to turn red over the tiniest thing i feel a little bit of a hypocrite writing this but this is very very very important. if you find yourself in a position where you feel unable to refuse something or anything of the sort you do not show that.

🩰 ─ even if your cheeks turn red act like they arent. ik its sosoosos embarrassing n ur screaming inside but act like its nothing. bcs it is nothing. ok so theres a tiny bit of colour in your cheeks. and? stand your ground.

🧸── back straight, shoulders high, face blank. you dont show anything on your face. show you are completely stubborn and set on your choice/opinion.

🎀 ── if they try to embarrass you or say smth what i do is i literally just blink at them like okay. i dont care. do whatever bro idgaf

5. no hesitation

for the love of god do not second guess yourself. if something makes you upset or uncomfy or anxious or anything like that you leave them you walk away from them you block them you do not second guess yourself and think "but what if" no idc. if it costs you your peace its too expensive.

6. does this help me?

ok obviously when i say to say no i dont mean to like everything. only to the things you do anyway even if you dont want to. if youre not sure what to do when faced with the option to do something you ideally wouldnt really want to the first question you should be asking yourself is "does this help me?" think of it only from your perspective and how it would help you. ask yourself if its really necessary and if its serving you in any way to do this. if its just to fit in with someone else even if you dont really want to then do it then dont do it. why isnt your own presence enough? your peace is the only priority you should have here. what would you tell someone you love in your position? think about it for a sec instead of panicking.

conclusion; people pleasing is useless. you are the centre of ur universe. your peace is the only priority. people are stupid. you can do this. dont let anyone make you feel less than you are. i love u 🫶🩷

[trinkerichi]

i wrote another big rant earlier today about character analysis again but tumblr refreshed on my phone and deleted it all. ah well

‘twas all about Max this time and the whole “id vs superego” thing they had going on cuz in my humble “took a semester of psychology and child development” opinion I think that theory isnt the greatest but it makes for such interesting character analysis 

So Max is always described as “a being of pure id” while his superego is literally locked in a dark room cut off from the rest of Max’s brain. left so ignored that it manifests itself into a weird little man that Max saw on tv (because it’s this series and of course it did). The fact that Superego apparently HATES Max, seems to barely know anything about him and wants him dead... like WHAT DOES THAT IMPLY? It’s the inside out dilemma all over again but way darker. Max has very infrequent vague allusions to the fact that he’s got some kinda mild depression but I don’t think he genuinely hates himself like that. The most I can see is that he’s got a very weak sense of self preservation. He’s apathetic to his own safety, but again that’s more because of the id thing. 

The superego is supposed to be your sense of right and wrong. It’s your morality and logic system that keeps you from doing things Max does, like screaming in public and attacking people and stealing things. 

I think in the context of the intentions while writing this game, the superego is essentially a more pretentious word for the Max’s conscience. Like a Jiminy Cricket that’s stuck in Pinocchio’s head and can’t leave. Max ignores his conscience, and his conscience is forced to watch all the stupid stuff Max is doing while ignoring any sense of morality. So he’s like “ok screw this guy all my homies hate stupid id bunny”. I think the superego only manifested once Max found the psychic toys since they’re what caused Max’s brain tumor and other such nonsense. Max couldn’t have had that tumor from the beginning because past Max is fine. 

Id is your baseline impulses. Max at his core is constantly acting on impulse and only seeks immediate gratification.  Even his love for Sam doesn’t really contradict this. Sam has ALWAYS been his best friend and protector, so keeping Sam safe and happy will keep Max safe and happy. Max isn’t intentionally mean or selfish, and he’s not stupid either. But his mind works in a very direct thought pattern and he doesn’t think through anything he says or does. And Sam kinda does this FOR him if necessary so he’s never really had to develop that part of himself anyway. Plus they’re both self aware toons, so consequences don’t apply! 

That being said, everyone we’ve seen with “the gift” that uses the toys seems to be doomed in some way, like the toys themselves are cursed with bad luck. Sammun-Mak, Maximus, the brain in the ship, Skunkape, and Max all met their ends indirectly because of the toys. 

Uh i lost track of my point here. just, It’s totally up to interpretation if the superego REALLY is a part of max that resents his own lack of ambition and power, or if he’s just literally detached from Max and is his own disgruntled entity.

[hanasnx]

some updates while i’m here. i miss you! whether you’re a casual enjoyer of my blog & i see you in my notes, or my mutuals, or my followers, i’ve been thinking of you :) rare vulnerable moment i do cherish this blog and all your well wishes. thank you very much. i was right, typing is a huge strain and taking a break has been very good for my hands, so i’m going to keep at it.

some things:

don’t be afraid to keep sending me asks! they’re a great joy to me, i love seeing a notif in the inbox. i’ve gotten a fair few already that i’m excited to respond to when i can come back.

i did post a fred weasley drabble and not that i have to explain myself but i wanted to say i’ve been watching the harry potter movies. i’ve never seen them in their entirety, and the earlier ones have always been christmas movies in my house so to speak so i figured id give them a fair shot. i did read the books, and i’ve seen bits and pieces of the movies (hence my interest in fred weasley when i was a tween, but seeing him again made me wanna write for him for the first time in years)

also! a very kind anon told me earlier that my response to someone wrongfully making an ai chat bot of my content was an overreaction. it was “not that deep,” i believe was the colloquial term used. so the inherent content theft of ai invading free creative spaces is solved everyone! well done! very special thanks to the anon that let me know i was overreacting towards something i am passionate about and had a strong feeling towards! wow :) i never would’ve seen it like that. genuinely i am sorry anon that you’re ugly irl and your mommy doesn’t love you, which is why you feel like you can’t have a backbone over certain things. maybe you should stop consuming the free content creators provide on tumblr because you feel so secure in criticizing the selfless service <3 it’s giving: “im an old bigot that thinks ppl must be talentless and stupid when they work at mcdonald’s, but i’m still going to eat the food from there.” you’ve been blocked btw so you’re not offended by my use of free will when making free content on the internet for your grubby little hands to get a hold of and your smooth brain to criticize my right to share my personal opinions.

because the internet is the way it is, getting “hate” online has never really bothered me since i’ve always been a person with a large enough platform for years. it’s very easy for me to ignore and block and never answer whoever has decided to send some worthless hate message. which is probably why i almost never get hate anymore but it does happen occasionally. this was different since it wasn’t an attack on me per se, more so someone trying to admonish me for having a fair reaction towards something offensive. so i’m here to tell you it’s alright to treat strangers on the internet as strangers. you’re allowed to reinforce boundaries. you’re allowed to tell people you do not appreciate their actions towards you, and don’t leave room for argument. i am a very direct person, which means i told that person firmly that they needed to delete that ai chat bot they made of my au without my consent. and i did it without remorse. and i was told “it wasn’t that deep.” well it was. and it is. it is that deep because it’s deep to me, and i know it’s something that happens to others and it is that deep to them too. so what’s the problem in it being that deep? there is none :) let things be deep. be sincere. it is very important.

also if you make ai chat bots without creator’s consent when using their content you’re a piece of shit and doing a disservice to the very person you’re trying to exalt. take a step back and reevaluate how ai harms your interests rather than progresses them as well as the creators you claim your respect and cherish. you’re a victim of propaganda, my friend! and i prolly wouldn’t have made this post if anon hadn’t said anything. so maybe they should’ve kept their mouth shut since they didn’t wanna see shit like this so bad lmfao

now that that’s out of the way, i am sending wet fat sloppy kisses to everyone’s lips tell me when you receive them

[clatoera]

id love to hear more about the period where Cashbaria were friends in your au & how they realised they both had genuine feelings and id LOVE to know how you picture their first kiss

Have you ever listened to Red Wine Supernova by Chappell Roan because-

I'm kidding i'm kidding not entirely go listen to it but anyway I paused writing chapter 8 (?) to answer this ask because I was thinking about it allll day okay anyway.

I think it's important to like realize sometimes these things happen like these feelings sneak up on you without you realizing it or processing what those feelings are which really is the case. So Enobaria is about 16 when she wins, the next year she is 17 when Gloss wins (at 16) and then When Cash wins she's 18 (Cash is 17). And so naturally she knows Gloss first and remembers the things he did and how like..hollow he looked when he returned to the like room where the victors hungout because of the depths he was going to get sponsors for his sister. Enobaria doesn't have a sister (or brother) so like she can't really fathom what he's experiencing right now. By the time they properly meet when Cashmere is on her victory tour they're probably 18 and 19. And like...I don't know if you ever had a codependent friendship at 18/19 but if you have you understand that theres like a depth and fine line you don't really know. Like you are SO close with this friend that you don't really worry about dating people becuase like you have your little bestie why would you need a man. And So I think from the time they're like...20-22 thats what it is. They see each other relatively often in the Captiol (because despite popular opinion I don't think Enobaria just escapes the victor abuse, like theres masochistic men who want to feel those teeth). That being said the kind of clients Enobaria get want to be like..degraded but the ones Cash get want to put a pretty girl in her place and truly just..abuse her. So that being said for years they're just like..they see each other a lot. They don't think about it. Cashmere wonders to Enobaria's room/floor after a bad night when she doesn't want to be alone and feels like someone's after her.

Have you ever like...realized you developed feelings for someone who you just considered your best friend. Thats what my first boyfriend (in HS AND College both) was like. It's just a line you don't realize you crossed until it's too late. Like you aren't aware until it just hits you one day thats what it is. And thats what I can only imagine it was like for them too. Just one day oh! Thats...thats not a platonic feeling.

And when it comes to who kissed who first it was Cashmere. I think it was some time around the 67th? games I think. Like neither of them really had skin in the game at that point. They're alone. Just a little drunk. It involved a conversation about even after like 5 years she sometimes still like cuts her own lips on her teeth and Cashmere's like oh you wouldn't hurt me and even then I'm not scared of you and just like..goes for it and the rest is history!

Anyway stream Red Wine Supernova

[sickknotdoom]

I've seen you pop up in the #sparkletag quite a bit recently, and as both a Patron and as a friend of Kneeby, I think I've had enough of your antics.

It's really depressing to see someone dedicate their entire online presence towards hating someone. It's extremely creepy and weird to obsess over every single thing kit does like this. I urge you to go find a better hobby, and I mean it. This kind of parasocial behavior is toxic and only serves to hurt everyone including yourself. Take a break from this and use that time to reflect on yourself and what you really want. Do you want to dedicate all of your time constantly rambling and raving about everything kit does online? Does that sound like a productive use of your time? I don't think it is.

all my posts boil down to "the pacing and prioritization of this comic could use a lot of improvement + i find it weird that the creator isnt raising awareness to a literal genocide going on rn" and you react by writing an angry essay. your ask seems to boil down to "you cant criticize my favorite comic because it might hurt the creators feelings" so im gonna respond with an angrier essay

there are good things about sparklecare, obviously. i resonate with it in some regards. but that doesnt mean its perfect, as nothing is. i dont even tag my shit under the main sparklecare tags (apart from the stuff about kneeby not raising awareness towards palestine) because i know people like you are gonna get upset if you see a conflicting opinion on your dash. the only tags i tend to use are #sparklecriticism and #sparklecare criticism, none of the main tags. block those tags if you dont wanna deal with me.

my criticism is valid (i think) since yeah. the comics writing has a huge problem when it comes to letting things happen naturally instead of rushing them, which results in kneeby having to explain things on the blog (which 99% of the time you have to scroll deep into since the main blog is constantly reblogging the cometcare one) rather than having the comic clarify it on its own. thats a genuine issue in storytelling so i feel like it should be addressed and worked on.

i have way more of a presence online than this blog, obviously. i just dont want this blog connected to my real identity for a wide variety of reasons (mainly not wanting to be harassed even further than i already am)

if youre a friend of kneeby then i think you should tell kit to actually DO SOMETHING to raise awareness to the genocide going on in palestine and other targets, PUBLICLY. not just an announcement in a private discord, a public statement, or AT LEAST reblog the fanart of uni waving the palestinian flag. all the social commentary ive seen (yes im still taking the social commentary into account since the comic was described as such until my blog popped up) has come across as performative to anyone besides the clowns themselves, id love to see kneeby talk about issues that dont just apply to kit.

i know damn well the sparklecare blog is kits biggest platform, kit should use it to raise awareness, i dont care if the topic makes kit sad, it makes me sad too, but i still retweet as much shit about it as possible whenever it crosses my mind because i actually care about issues that dont involve just me and i actually want to do something to change the world. im a teenager and i do more to raise awareness than a group of adults.

im just a kid with opinions

[obm-avenquire]

extra luke thoughts i couldnt be bothered to edit

my tone in more edited writing often ends up sounding a bit. melodramatic and over-think-y, but i dont really perceive luke as a sad character! he's someone incredibly resolute, and even if his surface level opinions seem harsh, they're brittle and easy to break through. i think luke worries too much about being fragile, when that fragility can just as easy become /flexibility/. i believe this flexibility built on his foundation of genuinely strong morals will make him - already makes him - incredibly strong as a person. 

i do think there's some inevitable heartbreak that will happen - luke idolises too much for that to not be the case - but i don't think there is much that is unsurvivable for him. part of why i'm so irritated by a lot of the excessive infantalisation and chihuahua jokes about him is that like...he is the character who has received the most development in obey me. like he has changed a LOT throughout the story, and while i won't spoil anything there is a clear arc, and even WITHOUT that luke is already incredibly up there so far as strength in character (as a person, not as a literal character). the jokes just feel...so misplaced, i guess? like he's not some over eager annoying brat that wants everyone out of the way so he can take over, he's genuinely eager to learn, and his hostility to demons is completely understandable and the reasons he has for fearing them (being evil) is literally something a lot of the demon cast take pride in for a good chunk of the plot. 

admittedly i think a lot of my frustration also comes from chihuahuas being notoriously mistreated and boiled down to accessories (hence why theyre often aggressive and yappy. theyre small, their needs arent being met and they cant defend themselves any other way) because i sure do lack the parental/older sibling urges needed to feel like...protective or genuinely attached to luke in any sorta way. he's like bottom 3 on my list of charas to care about and thats not out of dislike, just out of apathy. but i also cant stand for slander and hypothetical injustice (/lh) so im gonna complain!!!

ANYWAYS if nothing else i think. lukes belief is important. like he really trusts that people like micheal and simeon are good, and will be good and keep that strength. by that same virtue he can have a similar confidence in himself, not arrogance, mind, just. yeah. hes good. he knows that!! he needs to learn to be better since the racism isnt ideal but yknow-

speaking of learning hes REAL determined like!! hes genuinely happy to keep working and trying. he doesnt want to be coddled because he genuinely wants to know and be better.  like. he DOES think like a child. he wants to grow up so fast, but he has so much time, so much more than most, but if he has all the time in the world then why not NOW? (course, waiting is easy for patience, simeon, someone who hasnt let time move for himself in centuries)

i think theres a sorta. inevitable conflict with simeon and luke coming whether solmare mentions it or not but like. dynamic wise. because simeon refuses to see change in others unless they dont let it be ignored, he needs everyone to be within his perception of them and the role hes assigned them in his mind. but luke is someone who WILL change, and is changing, and simeon can only infantalise him for so long before it genuinely becomes a problem, especially when it’s balanced/offset by the way that him and luke very much begin playing the roles of a struggling parent and over eager child. while luke is strong, and good, and genuinely skilled, he also needs time to be none of those things. everyone does, but it’s especially important for child development, even if said child is over a thousand years old. 

its something that id argue does give us way more insight to the celestial realm than a lot of other vague exposition we’ve gotten. while luke is considered especially talented, there never seems to be any indication that he is odd for an angel, adult or child. that combined with how vacant the celestial realm feels, how emotionally detached it is, gives some interesting extra details to the basis of the celestial realm not being holy and happy in the way it’s implied/perceived to be. which isnt a new revelation by any stretch, but...context, yknow? extra supporting evidence. idk! these are my rambles that i am putting out many of which are years old and some that i thought about literally yesterday!!!

[cherrynpxches]

the last time i was sunburnt was in high school,

and it lasted for years. perhaps i wasn’t nifty in applying sunscreen or i’ve been touching grass too much, but it was arguably the former.

title: sunburn - chloe michelle howarth

rating: 4/5

warning: spoilers ahead! proceed with caution.

while i’m writing this, i’m watching season 2 episode 8 of Bridgerton if you care to know.

on a side note, this book is the book of the month (july) for the sapphic book club discord that i’m in.

i’ve seen people referring to Sunburn as a “sapphic Call Me By Your Name” which i would wholeheartedly agree with, if not because of the ending. id have to concede that the summer fling played a large role in the development of the romance in Sunburn, as was in CMBYN.

the novel revolves around Lucy who feels as though she was an outsider in her own community. it is a queer, coming-of-age novel that those struggling with their sexuality and the pain of first loves would relate with. an ongoing theme throughout the novel was that she didn’t understand why she was so different from the people around her. she struggled with not being able to have romantic feelings for her guy best friend, Martin. there were so much expectations from the people around her that they would end up together and get married. even she believed it herself, but she couldn’t love him. not romantically, but only platonically. she finds herself struggling to fit in with her girl friends who, as they grow up are becoming more and more different.

following a typical ‘closeted teenager has a secret relationship’ storyline, Lucy’s mom caught her getting all handsy with her secret lover in her bedroom, causing both relationships to spiral. the novel touches on religious trauma, and mother-daughter relationships. i think that it hits home when she decided to pretend to be in love with Martin just to appease her mother, though it’s a bit overkill. honestly, if my mother ignored me the way that hers did it would’ve killed me inside too.

“Isn’t she clever? Doesn’t she know me well? Of course I like her. I like her so much sometimes that I wish the other girls wouldn’t talk to her or touch her, and that it was only me and her. Is that too much?”

when i read this, i felt like i was transferred back to high school again, experiencing what would be my first infatuation towards a girl. the novel managed to capture falling in love for the first time towards someone of the same gender. the obsession and jealousy, the uncertainty and the denial. we were able to witness Lucy’s obsession towards Susannah becoming more intense through her monologues and conflicting feelings.

“It’s hard not be demolished by the thought of her, because I live in a body that has loved her and I see with eyes that have witnessed her. She is part of my muscles, my tissue, she is unforgettable.”

the way Howarth writes Lucy’s monologues about Susannah feeds the hopeless romantic inside of me. the letters, her thoughts… she worships the very ground that Susannah walks on. she has so much love for Susannah, but she’s torn between getting what she wants and what other expects of her.

i stand by my opinion that martin stays the best boy till the end of the story. he was a bit of a jerk in the beginning yes, but his reaction in the end says EVERYTHING. i feel bad for him but i love that he prioritized his friendship over his own feelings. i really hope that he finds a love big and genuine enough for his.

i’m sure that i missed a lot of details and how i feel about this novel but i hope that this provides some kind of insight for those interested to pick the novel up. these, however are my own thoughts and you are more than welcome to have your own thoughts about this novel!

have a good one, love <3

[juniperhillpatient]

Lake Laogai

It's not even remotely a secret that I'm incapable of being unbiased or objective about this episode. I love Jet, & I think killing him off was a huge mistake & a waste. I wrote a post explaining in more detail why I specifically think that Jet's death was a writing mistake HERE.

This re-watch has been interesting because it's really nice to re-watch a fave show & re-evaluate my opinions after spending a lot of time engaging with the fandom. I don't know, maybe it's just my annoyance with the fandom's pushing for a Katara/Aang/Zuko love triangle but this re-watch has made me take a firm stance that Jet should've lived, & become part of the Gaang, & dated Katara. "But Rose, don't you prefer Katara with girls?" I mean yeah, I like to write that more, but I'm talking about what I think should've happened in the actual show, which is entirely separate.

[ID: two pictures from different angles of Katara & Jet in the streets of Ba Sing Se]

Katara & Jet have the whole contentious complicated past & I'm always gonna be a sucker for the dynamic where the girl is violently angry & the guy is just like "I'm so sorry I've changed please accept me" like, I'm just being honest that's a good dynamic. Jet's already pretty strong redemption arc could've been concreted & we could've had a new, needed perspective in the Gaang from someone who was a victim of colonization in a similar way to Katara & Sokka but with a very different experience & reaction.

I will try not to spend this whole post being salty though, that's why I made a separate post. The brainwashing under Lake Laogai is very creepy, & it is one of the aspects of the show that stuck with me the most upon first viewing & for good reason. All the Joo Dees speaking in unison is genuinely terrifying. Long Feng is also a well-written villain. He's sly, manipulative, & just creeps me out.

The other thing that I wanted to ponder on with this episode is Zuko saving Appa, & Zuko & Iroh's discussion. I want to make it clear that I think Zuko's redemption arc is incredibly well-written overall. I only criticize Avatar because I love it so much & have thought about it so much. There are a lot of popular Avatar hot takes on Tumblr about how Zuko's redemption arc is poorly written, nonexistent, or whatever, & I simply strongly disagree. I have to get that out of the way & be clear about it or I'll worry I'm being misinterpreted. I also like Iroh, although I feel like I don't always understand what's going on with him & this episode is an example. That's another thing I wanted to clarify because I don't want to come across as anti-Iroh. I don't know, maybe I worry too much about how I come across lol but anyway -

Iroh: And then what!? You never think these things through! [Points at him.] This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!

Zuko: I would have figured something out!

Iroh: No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death! Zuko I know my own destiny, Uncle! Iroh Is it your own destiny, or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you? Zuko Stop it, Uncle! I have to do this!

This scene specifically & the entire framing of Zuko's unhappiness about the teashop is very interesting. I have said before that I dislike Zuko as Firelord in the end, but that's not necessarily a firm stance...I guess I just dislike the inconsistency with how it was built up. Others who are willing to be much harsher than I am have often pointed out that Zuko went from following his father's orders & vision to following Iroh's vision of his destiny, & I think there's some truth to that. But what bothers me more than that, is that we don't actually get firm foreshadowing on what Iroh's vision for Zuko's destiny even is.

This is the first time we see Iroh really yell at Zuko & go off on him but it's unclear what he wants from Zuko. I mean, okay, he wants Zuko to be happy serving tea. I guess that's fine, but it doesn't quite work knowing that later, Iroh completely does a 180 on this stance & it's sorta like...What happened? Ya know? It's just inconsistent. And characters can be inconsistent, people change their minds, but we're not really given much information about Iroh's internal struggle concerning what he wants from his nephew so it just comes across as confusing to me.

Zuko's character arc is all about discovering what it is that he wants & acting on it. I've said before that my issue with Zuko's ending on the show is that Zuko always wanted to be Firelord & then he....becomes Firelord. That's not really a change? This scene between Zuko & Iroh feels like it was building to something larger with Zuko's arc, but it really....isn't.

That said, I do love Appa's return! Aang & Appa's reunion & Appa getting to be a badass is just amazing.

[ID: two pictures of Aang & Appa hugging, one from up close & one from a bit of a distance.]

I definitely enjoyed Appa's reunion with the Gaang the most out of all the parts of this episode.

Well, I enjoyed Jet's parts up until his death too. I also wanted to point out that Sokka teases Katara about her thing with Jet, but doesn't seem that angry at Jet himself & is quite willing to give him another chance. And it's Aang who breaks Jet out of his brainwashing by reminding him that they are friends. So, Katara is not the only one in the Gaang with any connection with Jet. Again, they should've addressed --- ah, whatever, I'm done.

That's all I have for this episode.

[therealslimshakespeare]

https://www.tumblr.com/precious-little-scoundrel/757804202511712257/its-not-a-throwaway-at-all-two-things-drive-it

Omg yes I agree with this so much

I see so much criticism of her character’s flaws (which is understandable - to an extent!) and little to no sympathy for what has happened to cause this behaviour. Like give the girl a break, if growing up her boundaries have been consistently disregarded how will she have learnt the importance of respecting other’s boundaries.

AND she’s a young woman in a pow camp! Just bc others have gone through what could be deemed ‘worse’ trauma and are coping better doesn’t mean her trauma should be overlooked and she should be expected to never mess up. At the end of the day you can’t expect everyone to have their shit together at every moment in these types of situations, Bucky certainly has his moments but people move on from that and have sympathy for him, I really think this same sympathy should be given to everyone regardless of any minor previous faults.

I do understand why people criticise Maureen and thats fine, everyone has a right to their own opinions - but! Maybe also have a bit more understanding and sympathy for the characters backstory and trauma.

Anyways so sorry for the rant lol

Nooo, don’t be sorry. Love that I called and y’all came a’runnin. ☺️

Like I said in a previous one, I think it was just risky to have an under construction character going. And then along with my non linear writing style, even more so. But we are all still having fun with it, it seems.

Interestingly I found MotA a bit curious with its lack of gray protagonists. Not that every piece of media needs one, but that was half of what felt rushed about the series to me. Where was your SNAFU? Your Wild Bill? of pacific and BoB? You’d have had them in the Air Force, we just didn’t have time to showcase more than fucker Crosby face planted into breakfast or Egan’s lapses of sanity and decorum as an officer. Which tbh, was a far bigger deal imo than most people seem to agree.

And that’s coming from someone who’d advocate for a silver star from that man and lick his feet clean.

Those dear anons who’ve answered regarding the other point of view have expressed themselves well. And I appreciate it, all this seems to be a genuine desire to understand her, rationalize her, etc. which I appreciate. Loads.

My little cry for help was that yeah, cool that yall are taking it into consideration but, how was I to know? Only thing coming into my inbox was a repeat of her bad behaviors. Which are intentionally alarming, so I get it but.

Yet I was beginning to wonder if anyone actually noticed some of the other stuff. Not as a complete pass to Maureen, nope not at all, just for the sake of this contextualization we all supposedly want with any person or character. But now I know it’s being taken into account.

Which is a relief.

But I just don’t know that because id not heard a peep of it before. So, it was helpful to clear that up a bit.

[latexjester]

I honestly don’t know what tags you’ve been looking through, because personally I’ve seen a lot of great posts regarding the characters in IHNMAIMS that fall way outside of the memes and other content.

With every fandom there’s going to be parts you don’t like, so then I’d encourage you to block those and not engage with them. Telling people to go die because you saw something /you/ didn’t like is just plain immature and really weakens your point about the fandom, because you’re contributing to the unlikable parts of it.

I’ve seen so much love for Ellen and Benny in particular, many people are very aware parts of the characters’ backstories and actions. Nimdok has rightfully gotten a hate for his backstory, as he should, and I agree that portraying him in something like a cosplay is insensitive.

Part of being in a fandom is having fun, and I personally think a lot of the “toxic yaoi” posts are jokes or memes, which will be present in every fandom.

But you’re so right about the AM human designs. In my opinion, he shouldn’t even have a human design, because the entire point is he will /never/ be human.

Just wanted to share my perspective on this.

i think your points are well worded and i will acquiesce that saying Die is a tad bit mean! however i do disagree with you because the majority of the content i have filtered - and blocked! - still gets through my filters. i shouldnt have to block every iteration of a tag for a work of fiction that i love because a bunch of people have decided the cool edgy thing of the month is now a short story that was written to illustrate the horror of humanity, morality, and inhumanity. i saw this happen with cry of fear - which i will say, it was wonderful seeing it get the love it deserved! buuuut then it just turned into simon/david. and thats the majority of popular tags. im seeing this happen with blood meridian! i saw this happen with the stanley parable, half life (and its spin offs), etc etc etc… and i know how this ends. people start callouts, they start doxxing campaigns, and then you end up with a tag so muddied its unusable. when i go into the ted ihnmaims tag, it takes me two dedicated minutes of scrolling to get past the x readers, the uwu softboi schtick, the spam tags now. this time last year half of these people didnt even know what ihnmaims WAS.

again, i see where youre coming from, and i am very much just a pissed off guy ranting about one of my favorite works of fiction, but when all there is is meme after meme after meme after meme…. dont you feel it waters down the source material? arent you tired of “fuck the author, these are MY characters now”? arent you tired of fast fandom, and knowing all these posts will be dust in the wind in six months when the Next Big Thing comes around? arent you tired of “human wheatley - i mean the narrator - i mean AM”? arent you tired of people who havent even engaged with the source material past “uwu flower boi” edits of AM coming in and writing prose about shit they dont know about? that they havent even cared about enough to read? i know i am! i was tired when i saw this happen in 2019/2020 with half life. i was tired in 2021 when it was resident evil. i was tired in 2022 when it was the stanley parable. i was tired in 2023 when it was cry of fear. and im tired now, seeing the same fast fandom people, who dont even care enough about the original work to read it, flood the tags.

tldr; man yells at cloud, i understand where youre coming from, but im tired of seeing niche works of fiction and art get churned into tiktok fads and edit audios and then get called cringe 6 months later. also send me the appreciation for ellen and benny, id genuinely love to see that as i feel theyre often looked over and sidelined