#if it sucks hit da bricks that's what i always say

[whysopasta]

drew about 7 pages of part 3 before deciding i want to do something else, so it'll take a little bit longer for that to come out

[gatheredfates]

How To Win Friends and Influence People: Dawntrail Edition ☀️

I swear the title is a joke.

Listen, we all know I'm one to furiously and viscously encourage people to venture outside their box and meet people, and today is no different! With the launch of Dawntrail, we're likely to see a lot of cool new people in the community, so these are a couple of affirmations I employ to myself when reaching out. Feel free to use them to your benefit!

That little voice telling you the person will think you're annoying is probably a liar. In all the time I have reached out to people in this community, I have never once heard a complaint about being annoying, overbearing or too much. As long as you're not inappropriate, respect boundaries and go in with pure intentions, it is likely to be reciprocated.

If people don't want to interact with you, that is their loss. Rejection sucks, but you cannot let the fear of it rule your intentions. Don't hyper-fixate on the loss; simply block (if needed) and move on. Not only will you foster healthy relationships with people who reciprocate your efforts, you will avoid drama by respecting and enacting your own boundaries. Trust me when I say this will improve your whole experience.

You don't need to message people right away! Start by leaving nice tags on their gposes, writing, etc.; make conversation and comment on their posts. Work up to a message first if you're shy.

I don't know what kind of comment to leave, you say? Easy! Find one thing about what they've done that you like. For example, I'm often like 'wow the x colouring in this is amazing! i love how it makes the character pop'! It shows engagement with their work beyond the superficial. Trust me, when i get these kinds of tags, it makes my day.

Remember you get out of a community what you put into it. If you have a cool idea for a space/event/roleplay concept, promote it! If you think your character's story would bolster another persons', offer to write with them! Reach out to other places with similar or adjacent concepts and see if you can work together. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, so they say.

If it's within your blog's scope, reblogging other people's outreach posts/commissions/gposes/etc is a great way to engage with the community in a low-stakes way. If you need to make a sideblog for promotional stuff, do it! I prefer tags, personally, but you do you. The more approachable you look, the more people are going to contact you first.

Befriend people because you earnestly want to get to know them. "Popularity" is a farce. There are amazingly talented people who have a small group of friends because they're shy.

Eat food, drink water and take your medication before you do any of the aforementioned. Actually, just cover all those basis before you do anything. If you start dooming and glooming your efforts, have a nap (trust me, it worked for me last night!).

A couple of things to keep in mind on the other side:

You are not obligated to reciprocate someone's efforts.

"No." Is a full sentence. It's always preferable to be kind, but know your worth.

If that shit don't stick, hit da bricks!! You can leave!!

Always try to assume the best intentions of people.

Tools of moderation are not drama-mongering or nasty; they simply tailor your experience to what you want to see/experience. You don't need to justify your reasonings, you don't need to explain yourself to anyone; block and move on!! You don't need to make a big deal about it.

If anyone has anything else they want to add, please do! But this how I operate and it's never done me a disservice. ✨

[goldensunset]

yeah idk i didn’t mean to imply that you can’t criticize the way kh has structured its overarching story. maybe i should have clarified that. trust me i have plenty of gripes of my own with kh3’s attempt to tie a thousand plotlines together (although i think it was pretty much doomed to fall short of fan expectations for a myriad of reasons but it is what it is). and as far as i’m concerned it’s valid to wish they had gotten to kh3 and capped off the story in a simpler way earlier

but like.., the writers aren’t obligated to cater to you is the thing.., they wanted to keep making kh games and the way to do that was to introduce new plotlines in games before it that would thread through kh3 and lead into the future. wonky? sure. not trying to say it’s always flawless. but like they’re not milking the franchise for cash or whatever they’re clearly passionate about this and shouldn’t be hindered. they got more ideas and had to establish more lore and sometimes change some older lore, as is the nature of writing sometimes

if you dislike that, believe me, i’ve been there. we’ve all been longtime fans of something that was fundamental to our childhood but then took a turn we personally didn’t like. i know it sucks but the solution to this is to simply leave. hit da bricks. reminisce about the glory days with other people who agree with you but mannnn responding bitterly to people who clearly are enjoying the new thing is going to do nobody any favors. does hateposting even make you happy??? for your own sanity find another place to go

[34saveme34]

HEADCANONS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

considering you didn't specify, I might just talk about my mainies! That being. way too much 34, more than a sane person should think about them, then some Mario, Meggy and Saiko, though not a lot, I'm really living up to my username oops

first of all, even though I'm not like, a shipper of mar34 (like what I stated before about ages being Weird and the fact that only PV managed to break my aroace Mario hcs and nobody else) I really like thinking of them in the Sun-Earth-Moon way

Sun Mario, Earth 4 and Moon 3

Sun Mario because he's the center of it all in the end, the world we know here wouldn't exist without him, just like if the Sun dies, we lose the world as we know it. Although he isn't exactly a leader in that way I think it still fits him well enough

I went on hard about Earth 4 and Moon 3 before but the way they connect that way- but the way how Moon and Earth are built of similar material, the same way how these 2 idiots are a lot more similar than they realise, even if the looks can be deceiving

also how neither would be the same without the other but especially 3

the way how our Moon even came to existence has angst potentials with the 2 just- ough

also the moon phases feeling like 3's stupid emotions in a way

like the tides, their relationship isn't exactly the most calm thing either

So you uh. see what I mean? Paragraphs for a headcanon

anyways, a short one, I like 4 just Saying Things, like he won't say super insane stuff but he'll say kinda gay things and other stuff without fully thinking about it. It doesn't happen all the time but it does when he panicks or doesn't think about it.

I also really like both 4 and 3 being not only self centered, but also cringe. That's pretty much canon. Even their classic versions were both cringe- the self centered part I don't remember right now. But genuinely, this is why I think it's funny when people hate them for being cringe, which, okay, whatever, but for BECOMING cringe, when they've always been. And I think they do worse things. In that one episode, I think it was the SMG4 are you okay? where they were playing dolls? I think they would do that more regularly than we're shown. It would definitely get chaotic and kinda gay honestly. Not because of the playing part but because they'd many times just make their dolls kiss or some shit like that and then like immediately stop

3 also has the vibe of like- If it sucks hit da bricks, except there's too many exceptions that stops him in that, maybe even too much to consider it fully- like money, when he's in a tight, perhaps trapped situation- or sometimes when it's about 4. He isn't always super lenient with him but in the end he always helps when 4 asks and he's not proud of himself for it. 4 has similar feelings in that regard, although he's a tinge bit more willing to help 3 when he needs to, referring to inspection for example where he only questioned 3 once really

bi 4 and pan 3 (with male pref) a classic but a classic for a good reason. Cuz it fits

I think they can. both wear heels but 4 never really finds the occasion to wear them and 3 just prefers platforms most of the time. Though neither would wear actually high heels, 3 doesn't even like thinking about it, 4 does but he's like, scared of it. 3 catching him watch videos of people people walking in high heels with an upset expression

that reminds me, 4's emotions. He expresses short term stuff really well. Cries easily. An emotional man in general. But if he gets like, Big Trauma moments, man bottles up. He might cry about it for like the first few days but it kinda stops helping him so just. doesn't bother. He hides it well, maybe a bit too well. Forcing himself to rest when he needs to, probably with ASMR in his ears so he has something to focus on instead of, Idk, the time when his biggest flaw almost got him and his guardian partner killed! It helps in the moment so that he can sleep. He will have nightmares sometimes but doesn't like to mention it to the others. On especially bad days though, he stays in bed a lot longer. But he never really lets it go too far, considering a certain person dressed in purple will bust his door down with his usual coffee, questioning if he's doing good in a not so nice tone. While it's comforting that 3 cares, it's not fun to be flipped out of bed by him so on days like that he reminds himself to get out or 3 will make him fly.

On that regard, 3 likes to usually check the secret cam in 4's room at times like these. As in each time something out of the ordinary happens. 4 thinks it's the cosmic link, which is only the weaker part of the equation. Like yes, 3 gets a feeling but like, 4 is sad a lot over the dumbest of things and the link isn't good at showing if it's the Chronic Sad coming out or if it's 4 crying at a random Dharmann video.

3 is, by nature, a really touchy person. However, the way his life went, he doesn't show it a lot. He gets really touchy with 4 because he's the first person he actually go comfortable with. He starts to mind it less from the crew in general though, BUT it takes a long time for him to admit that to them directly. They OBVIOUSLY know at that point.

Honestly, 3 in general has a hard time admitting things, sometimes even to himself ("me and 4 hugged in the igloo" HUGGED???? HUGGGED???? HUGGED???? sure BUDDY) and somehow only manages to confess things at his breaking points. Telling 4 how much he cares while drowning in goop, straight up calling himself 4's friend while dangling to his death, reaching his breaking point about his cafe not doing well ONLY in Trash Friends, you'll note he doesn't mention to anyone that he isn't doing well until then. I think he actually partly started writing in his notebook to try and admit things to himself. Besides obviously the emotional value of putting down your feelings on paper, I think it did help him. But not enough. At least he didn't need to be dangling at a cliff to admit that his cafe is not doing well. I also think he has a very similar relationship with his romantic feelings which I'm pretty sure he's aware of at this point.

my biggest hc is probably the love-hate at first sight, especially on 3's side. Like destined rivals in love or whatever. They don't actually realise it though. 4 gradually realises it over Perfect, and slowly gets comfortable to the idea but then catches himself- like genuinely I think he only calls 3 rizzless or insults him in that regard whenever he has the chance, especially with his thoughts in the Elevator ep, is BECAUSE he thinks 3 is hot and I think if someone asked him if he thinks 3 is hot, he would not give you a straight answer, in both ways. He would start bringing up excuses and sound really stupid. However if it's 3 asking 4 just rolls his eyes, reminds himself that 3 may but hot but he doesn't want to inflate his ego further.

They both have self worth issues tho. canon

3 has a problem with committing to things. Not just as in not doing them but doing them so actively it feels unhealthy and then never doing it ever again. For this reason, his streaming schedule is also really bad, catching him streaming is hard. Also gets the same way about spying on 4, which we've seen him do 2 times at this point.

I will only say this in short and will not elaborate so I don't have to put a community label on this thing. Power bottom 4

both 3 and 4 are rizzless, but 4 is way worse. Bad at flirting when he does it on purpose. The closest he comes to flirting is flustering 3 by being a bit too sincere about how important 3 is to him

4 really really likes to consider 3 his partner. Not even in the romantic manner but just like, his right hand man. Also the reason I think he made 3 his cohost in the News ep. Also why 3 is somehow the first person he will ask for help when something happens.

4 has sensitive skin in general. These 2 will cuddle and 3 can just. smell the typical sensitive neutral shower gel smell on 4 after he showers. Perhaps grows attached to it because him. He hates that about himself, thinking he's softie little bitch for doing that. Takes a long time tellling 4 and he wouldn't even have done if it wasn't for 4 asking what's up and even than, 3 is really rude about the way he tells him, calls 4 stupid and the smell of him meaningless. Which hurts 4 to hear but he would know better at that point. Would definitely immediately tease him about it and get decked.

4 is very careful when it comes to 3 but still fucks up. He goes from barely thinking about what he's saying to I Have To Google How To Apologise To Not Fuck This Up. But when he gets it right, he's careful, he's gentle, he figures out the right things to say to get to 3. Later on would probably play mindgames with him to get him to say how he feels if he's really refusing.

They're both night owls. Another reason why leading the cafe is hard for 3. Always looking groggy and lowkey pissed, people are usually more polite for this reason in the mornings when he has costumers, nobody wanting to piss 3 off too much, considering they're in a place with a fuck ton of explosives.

3 is the type of the wiki surf, he likes to read about random stuff. Has some seemingly useless knowledge which others get surprised at when they get to know.

neither really likes horror movies, however 4 is more likely to choose one for a movie night with 3 in hopes that they can be close and intimate but then they're just both scared and there's nothing intimate about it, they're both losers. They would also often argue about what movie to watch, wasting a lot of time with it as well.

3 is a theatre kid. canon. Also gets pissy about shittily made movies. Comments on technical things mercilessly. 4 likes to listen to him rant though.

4 is stupid in the kind of oblivious way. not about everything. basically canon. example for the first: him asking where he is when he's at the obstacle course with 3 in Forced Hold Hands, 3 doesn't. 4 is slow to catch onto things. However he will immediately notice when 3 is being soft. And teases him, obviously. Not in the "I want to humilliate him" way but in the "Aww he cares about me and I'm happy about it but I can't be mature about it because I have my own demons to fight"

4 bad posture. should be canon. we should be hearing him whine about back pain. then getting called old for it.

3 getting pain in his legs from moving around too much in the cafe. Like. it's a LOT more active and also something you need to standing up, while caring for memes and being a streamer isn't.

both 3 and 4 are ambiverts where they like to talk to people and being social but once their social battery runs out it becomes Pretty Hard. 4 gets more uninterested and silent while 3 just leaves like a brooding lone wolf.

Anyways, I should probably talk about other characters as well, huh?

Mario, he's.... so........... I love his "many" intellence 0 wisdom. Or at least very little. He's the type to scream and cheer when the DVD logo hits the corner perfectly. He has a bit of a shipper brain.......... he def also played dolls with 4 before. His wavering mental state which can easily change by circumstances + his will and determination basically endless make him great opponent.

hates cardio. canon

therapy Mario..... not even just 3 or 4 but literally the whole gang. If it appeared more, I think he would often be the guy to listen to his friends' concerns and fears.

great sense of smell and hearing but it can easily be overwritten by desires. For example, his desire of tasty tasty spaghetti eating making him not notice he ate trash in Trash Friends. Only doesn't bring up the igloo incident to others because the last time he brought it up off screen it didn't end well. He can also be nice sometimes, as a treat.

uuuuh Meggy! I like the idea of her being sort of the Prepared friend, as I wrote her in Sever the Ties. She just has Things when you need them, especially if it has to do with sports or kitchen accidents. She is very similar to 3 in that if something turns into a competition, they both have their common sense overwritten. 4 is also like this. Meggy is realy the only one who doesn't cause this, the other 2 do it all the time. She definitely has anger issues and isn't the best in general with handling such intense emotions. She's a lot more chill about love because she's mostly good with relationships. She will get nervous about dates and stuff, and becoming way too serious about which might scare away people who don't get her. Her determination in general can be a turn off for a lot of people (then there's.... certain people..... who admire her for it.... man I sure wonder who I'm talking about)

anyways, another random- Saiko. aro, sorry I just. I can't see her any other way. Loves her friends but just can't get down with love at all.

Not really the best with her emotions. Although not as bad as 3, she can still get rather aggressive. She's also the person in the crew who would complain in a restaurant. Probably doesn't have the best hearing considering the fact that not only is she in a band but it also isn't the calmest of music that they're playing. She also sometimes still misses having a chaotic life. I'm sad it hadn't been brought up since her last major appearance

can't really think of anything else right now, my mind became rather empty after all my rambling about 34 oops-

[blorbocedes]

please give tips on how to grow thicker skin as a(n alleged) villain fucker... saw something the other day going "so-and-so and their [insert insulting string of words i've genuinely blocked out of my head ha ha] fans are [redacted]" and i've just been going back to it in my head like damn.... i genuinely just found this man hot.... i'm sorry if that has any bearing on my moral leanings.... this is the interwebs and even worse the Hell Site. please help i've seen you're one of the more steadfast people here on Liking Villain(ised) Characters (because lbr those are all characters of the drivers/etc framed by media)

first of all don't go on f1 twitter. the hivemind is amplified and everyone follows and repeats and regurgitates popular opinion and therefore if you like X it means you're evil and reflects your morality as a person 😶

curate your spaceeee. you don't need to participate in wider fandom if they make you feel bad or just aren't to your interests. fandom can be you and 3 friends. i do understand the pressure to fit in esp in a fandom as large as f1, but always put your own peace of mind first. unfollow/mute/filter tag/block LIBERALLY. hate your blorbo? blocked. annoying opinion blocked. fandom is supposed to be Fun, if it sucks hit da bricks!!!

i promise there's someone for everyone. maybe ted kravitz' dad bod gets you 😮‍💨😮‍💨 pfft there's like 5 of those on my dash at any given moment. my wife is universally cancelled and yet we're 6 whole nicologists strong here ✊✊

don't try to argue or fight even to defend your blorbo, don't look up what others are saying about him cause it'll inevitably make you feel bad. it's digital self harm ☹️ instead remember most people are neutral ab any given driver/f1 person and it's only the loudest people you're seeing. instead be unapologetic about enjoying your blorbo, don't be embarazzed. soooo many people have told me they hated max/nico but came to enjoy/be neutral about them bc I'm so enthusiastic about it. how can we lose when we're so sincere!!!

don't feel bad about being sensitive. I've been told I have the skin of a rhino, and I feel bad all the time!!! but ultimately, fandom is a space to have fun and you get to choose what you're expending your energy over. important to also accept that it's a sport, haterism is integral! I'M a hater! someone's gonna hate your blorbo/look down at you for it, but you can't worry about what an imaginary person is thinking about you.

and finally, this is a sport for money laundering and sponsoring shady ass corporations and greenwashing the biggest polluters on the planet (hi shell...), there is NO morally perfect person, and even the best of them are self admitted hypocrites and tax evaders. we're ALL rooting for the villains here.

[seasidewanderers]

I really believe in being kind to people even if they're not kind to me back. it doesn't mean I'm always nice; I also believe in being a petty vendicative little bastard on people who wronged me. but I always try to be kind and understand where they're coming from, and resort on being a petty vendicative little bastard if the other person is a) committed (as in: they're doing it on purpose) to misunderstanding me, and b) they make me feel like I'm hitting a wall and like tearing my hair out in frustration of trying to talk to them

then I'm gonna explode them in my mind and play darts with a picture of them in my bedroom. in reality it's more likely that I'm gonna leave the conversation and they're never hearing from me again and I'm also paying them 1000$ to fuck off

what I'm saying here is there is often no point in trying to talk to someone who's just gonna twist your words and use them against you. but there is a point in being kind and understanding whenever possible. and if that's not possible you can just leave. if it sucks hit da bricks. you know

[ettadunham]

hi! just yesterday i finally received the confirmation that i got my very first Real Full-Time Job (have been working and doing internships since i was a teen tho), so if you got any advice to survive in the capitalist hell, especially in the beginning, i'm all ears 😭

Anon, I now feel intense pressure to not lead you astray (is this what an older sibling might feel? I'm new to the experience 😂), so I'll start with a disclaimer, like any good little capitalist organization trying to deflect blame: none of what I'm saying might apply to your situation or be helpful in any way.

To be more specific, my advice should not be considered much at all if you're working at a state-funded job instead of a private one, and only maybe partially if you're working at a small business or the service industry. I've only ever been working at corporate jobs because I live alone with my cat and I need to pay rent somehow, so that's all I can speak for.

Okay? Okay. Let us proceed.

You can always just leave.

This truly is the number one rule in a neoliberal hypercapitalistic system. You are already regarded as a resource rather than a human being, so anyone telling you that you should have "company loyalty" or anything the like can shove it up their ass.

Of course, you do still need to consider your own situation. Even if you have enough support to get by for a few months, 9 out of 10 times I'd still advise actually getting a new job offer before handing in a resignation, because then you have more leverage and can be more picky about your new job.

However, I also did the thing that you're not supposed to do when I resigned from my first job personally, and I never really regretted it. It did force me to eventually apply for the same type of job that I didn't initially want to do, but it was a much nicer company and an enormous improvement on not just my mental but physical health (I was literally diagnosed with high blood pressure while working at my first job), so... yeah. If it sucks, hit da bricks, as long as there's a support system behind you.

2. Actually... you should consider quitting every 3 years.

In the corporate landscape, it's actually beneficial to switch jobs from time to time, because they will not raise your pay as much as its value goes up in the job market. This is a fact everyone is aware of, as well as how it actually costs more to hire and train new people every 2 years instead of just keeping the old ones, but alas, it's how shareholder capitalism works. All that matters is the next quarterly report.

That being said, not all of us like change, in fact, most people would prefer to have a stable job where they can just go, have a coffee with their old colleagues at the water cooler, do their shift and go home. Corporate propaganda will have you believe that workers just simply prefer to bounce from one place to another, but in reality, it's more of a necessity that comes from stagnating wages, changing expectations, and a general uncertainty about job security.

So... yeah, it's a bit more depressing when I put it that way, isn't it? But the point stands, especially if you feel like your job might not be secure, it's worth looking around. Maybe even look into adjacent positions where you can develop other skills if you really want to be the bestest boy (gender neutral) at capitalism.

You can of course also just move within the company you're working at if they have the flexibility. They love hiring from inside because then they can underpay you compared to new hires while keeping your knowledge in-house. But, I mean... you get new skills and don't have to change much about your environment? It's all about the symbiosis between worker and corporation where you're always the one getting leeched from anyway. <3

3. Drain them for all their worth.

Chances are, your corporate overlord might have some benefits for you. Make sure to look into it and use all of it. I know that for Americans healthcare is a big issue, so definitely look into what your corporate package offers on that, but also see if there's anything else. Can you go on business trips so you can travel more? Do they offer 20% off on gas? Reimburse you on certain purchases? Can you use your company's money to learn some programming to help you apply to your next job?

Have no shame about coming back with receipts every two weeks. If it's part of the package, it's part of the package. It's already in the company's budget anyway, they do not care.

4. Get along with people.

This is both more important and more complicated than it might look at first blush. Or maybe you're already seeing all the potential problems with this point.

Your workplace is much like high school where you're locked in and forced to interact with a bunch of strangers that you otherwise wouldn't choose to talk to. And you gotta do it every. single. day. Even just thinking about it exhausts my smol undiagnosed authistic heart.

But! I would venture to say that trying to get to know and get along with all those people is the most important thing you can do at your job. Sometimes even more so than actually doing your job, lol. Obviously, the most important part is your own team, but if you're at an office, talk to people at the coffee machine. Ask them about what they do, have small talks, etc. Make the effort to socialize a bit. Go to events if they're during work hours, and use your judgement if it's after work hours. Don't let yourself get sucked in into the whole 'we're a family' company culture and let it take over your life, but if it's something you'd enjoy (e.g.: we have a monthly board game club where I work currently), then it's a good way to build solidarity. And... *sigh* connections.

I did say it's like high school, didn't I? It's all about who you know baybey.

That being said... It's all easier said than done if you don't fit into the status quo and stick out in any way shape or form. Shocker, I know.

People also just have differing views, and you need to learn to deal with that somehow. Sometimes it turns out that whatever seemed like an end-of-the-world division on the internet is not all that important of a difference in reality. And sometimes it's much worse.

The thing you need to keep in mind here is that corporate culture generally loathes disruption, so you're not likely to encounter people saying slurs. Well, you're also not supposed to punch people for saying slurs though. It's all about the delicate balance of whatever is acceptable in polite society, and as long as that line's not crossed, you can either bite your tongue and sell a bit of your soul to the neoliberal gods for your survival, or push back mildly. You know. In a "polite" way uwu.

In any case, if you feel like the environment is too hostile, see point 1. Hit da bricks. Some workplaces are infected by assholery and mismanagement. Use your judgement, etc. If you're like me, living in a protofascist nation right now, you might just resign to the fact that more things are acceptable in polite society than you'd like, and you need to pay your bills instead of arguing with a middle manager about immigrants.

Okay, are we depressed enough about general corporate culture already? Cool. Let's see some actual useful tips then.

5. Talk to the people on your team and be a united front.

Does your company have a union? Then you should join that first thing, but as I've never really had that, I can't tell you much about that experience. What I do know, is that you should always form a united front with your immediate co-workers.

For instance, do you and your team members do the same thing? Then ask them about how much time they take to finish a task. If they say they take a day for something that in reality takes about 4 hours, then do the same. Don't be the asshole telling your boss that you finished it in 3 hours. And most importantly, never snitch on your teammates.

(Speaking of that example, you should also just overestimate how much time something would take. That's just good practice anyway. <3)

But yeah, the bottom line is that your teammates are your first line of defense against any kind of higher up shenanigans. Help each other out, discuss wages, stand your ground together. If you can build solidarity outside of your team, that's even better, but your teammates are the ones who can immediately step up for you if needed.

Obviously, realistically you can only give back as much as you receive. If your team doesn't feel the solidarity juice quite as much as you do, there's not much you can do about it other than give an opening and then adapt. At the end of the day, corporate culture incentivices individual achievement over collectivism despite all their empty slogans like "team work" or whatever.

Speaking of which...

6. Advocate for yourself.

So I am going to go completely against my previous point by saying that you need to speak up and advocate for yourself individually. If you want a raise, then call up your team lead, and tell them that you want a raise. Bring them the facts about your work, your achievements, if you have some of those juicy KPI numbers and they make you look good, then read them up, talk about how long you've been at the company, about inflation, the company's self-proclaimed growth... Give them an expectation even, and be prepared to talk in detail about how you are in fact the most bestest at your work actually, and politely imply that you might need to look elsewhere otherwise.

That being said... It's also just good practice to talk about your team's achievements as well. Last time I did this, I actually managed to get all of my team a small raise, even without trying all that much for a collective bargaining. In a healthy team environment, you should be able to talk up each of your team members in one way or another. You might be told that there's a limited amount of money going around for these raises, but it's not like you were ever gonna get more of it. Corporations will pay you as little as possible at every step of the way.

See point 1 and 2 again.

So, yeah. Make sure to advocate for yourself, especially if you've been at the company for a while (the time period here might vary, but bringing it up after a year is a good start if there's been no raises), or heard that you were getting less than your coworkers. Be your own hype man, while not talking down the rest of your team. Otherwise they might "forget" to pay you any of your deserved compensation.

This also goes in other aspects as well. If you're at a chill workplace, you can always bring it up to your boss if you hate your current work, and want to do something else. Employers are usually more accomodating for these types of complaints, and might even help you find other tasks or even a different position in the company, depending on the opportunities. (They might just try to give you more work at first though, lol, so be specific.) And if they're not chill... well, there's not much to lose, because you should already be thinking about point 1 again.

7. Work less, bullshit more.

This is it! This is the point that we are here for.

How to do as little work as humanly possible without getting at the top of the firing list. The true mysteries of the universe. We'll be combining some of what we learned in the previous points for this.

First things first, no, you should never bring your 100% for a bullshit corporate job. You might think that they'll appreciate it and you for it, but the truth is, whatever bonus or raise you might be getting is not gonna be all that much. And it's not going to worth all the effort you put into it.

Remember, corporations will always pay you as little as possible and toss you away at the first sign of inconvenience.

No, all that work is going to do to you is burn you out, and infringe upon your family or social life. If you're doing grunt work especially, then make sure to keep your boundaries. Keep a table about your work hours, even if it's not kept by your workplace, and make sure to keep it always at 8 or whatever your required hours are. Don't answer your email or phone outside of that window.

Even when it comes to your work hours, make sure to take breaks, take your time with your lunch. It's actually kinda unhealthy to work for 8 hours straight anyway, your brain is gonna be a mush by the end.

And also, as we talked about it, make sure to coordinate with your co-workers if they're doing the same or similar jobs. Find the optimal way to do your tasks in a way that's going to stay consistent with the expectations.

If you have a kind of job, where you have set goals, try to reach those, and if you have a bit of downtime, use it. You can ask for new tasks eventually, but don't rush it, if you have the opportunity, take a breather.

There are workplaces that might try to monitor your work, especially in home office, but as long as things are done, most workplaces do not care how much you napped during your work hours. However, if you're worried about seeming inactive on your laptop for instance, there are workarounds on that too. I have a powershell script that presses the capslock button every minute for 2 hours (for legal reasons, this is only for those times when I'm running a python script through a VPN connection, which standby mode would kill otherwise 😂), but I've had a friend who just opened word and put something on her space button. The human ingenuity when it comes to avoiding work is boundless.

The only consideration here is that you should still try to check your chat from time to time, but that can also depend on your workplace. Most people don't care if you reply them 2 hours late, no one's available 24/7.

That all being said, you might still want to secure your job a bit more other than doing the bare minimum, but the good news is, having all that downtime actually means that you can think about other things too if you choose! Maybe even ways to improve your job as it is. Or maybe just talk with someone at the water cooler. Never underestimate the power of talking to people at the water cooler tbh.

Also consider this: if you're doing your job too well, your reward most likely is going to be.... more work! And it's gonna be unpaid work at that. I know, because I somehow never managed to avoid this one, despite doing my best and napping as much as possible.

In conclusion, Bullshit Jobs™ deserve Bullshit Work. <3

[bigsnaff]

ough 12, 17, and 20 for Dokks from the OC ask game!!!

x @/scourgeblooms

OC ASKS

12. Generally, what's most people's first impression of them? + What impression do they *want* to leave on others?

It largely depends on whose first impression it is, because it tends to go either one of two ways:

They warm up to him very quickly! What's there not to like? He's charismatic, he's thoughtful, he's energetic. His presence pretty much immediately lights up a room.

His upfront friendliness reads as over-familiar or offputting, sometimes even infantilizing. I don't think he comes across as disingenuous by any means, but I can see how he would seem overbearing.

Either way, Dokks doesn't tend to put too much stock into first impressions of himself. He's had his fair share of people figuratively (and sometimes literally) turn away from him for his demeanor, but for as incredibly warm of an individual he is, he's also not a people-pleaser. He never has and never will change himself to be palatable to individuals that can't take having this oldie dad them. If it sucks, hit da bricks!!

17. How talkative are they?

Dokks is VERY chatty when given the opportunity! Don't get him wrong, he can read the room; he knows when saying his piece may be inopportune or out-of-place, depending on the circumstance. But he's the type of guy to stand there for hours chatting away with someone by his side, even if the only indication of them listening is the occasional "Uh-huh," or "Really?". Walk out of the room and you'll still hear him talking away in there for the next hour!

And this is a two-way street! Dokks is happy to listen to others, ecstatic even! Join him in his workshop one day when you need someone to vent to; he'll always have some advice or words of comfort to offer, and he very much enjoys the company. Ignore it if he accidentally bangs his head on a bar. It happens.

20. Any song(s) that you feel represent your character best? (bonus: would *they* like this/these song(s)?)

THIS little track has been in my head for years as Dokks' theme. I generally associate synth-heavy songs with Dokks anyways, but this was the first! It has the energy to it. It's the type of song I've imagined him bouncing his head to while working on a project of some sort. ...So I imagine he would like it just because of that, haha.

As for a song that has actual lyrical substance to it, Unity by Shinedown really really really gets me for him. It highlights the most significant parts of his character; his family, both past and present, the ones that are gone but he continues to live for, and the ones that are still with him and he is holding onto with everything he has. I think he'd really like the song just for the message it carries alone.

[grandpa-cephalopods]

(I made a poorly recreated diagram of the DLC levels I hate since I bought it yesterday.)

(I also have some side order tips I shared with friends since I'm now 3 weapon completions in but my strategy is pretty biased to being slow and steady so I'll put them under a readmore)

-puts crinkled tissue paper notes on table- general SO notes

-Defense up gud, especially if you go above 1.0

-Before you do a run, hit ZR on weapon select to check the weapon's preferred colortype. For example, if going with Marina's umbrella, you're going to want pearl drone hacks to benefit it's drone upgrade palette. Without them, palette rng will be a crapshoot. Pearl can equip as many bombs as she has slots, in order of importance I'd say: Splat > Mines > Burst > Wail > cooldowns > Sprinkler

-Lucky cards are actually REALLY good if you can snag the 7s chain upgrade. With that, bomb drop, and special drop +Pearl I was basically popping reefsliders every 5 seconds in floors 20-30 to clear rooms with suboptimal dualies. With the rates + 7s duration, I come to find that 3% is a lot more like 30%

-Ridiculous and silly strats have done better for me so far than standard main damage buffs. The numbers just aren't high enough without too much investment :(

-Keep an eye on what level types screw you over. I'm pretty bad at hard/ruthless enemy spawner levels so I try to avoid those even if they have "good" upgrades sometimes

-Poison ink + Sticky Ink + Hazard Ink god tier for damage builds. Speaking of, most spawners in floors 1-10 will not spawn more than a first volley, so just coat the entire floor for good measure. As long as they don't spawn sprinklers or minnows, it's free real estate

General boss- Almost always deal with the mobs first. If you ignore them, they're going to chip at you enough for the boss to finish you off. Think of it like salmon run, kind of.

-When your armor breaks, hide in ink as much as you can manage. It restores faster

-Remember you can always stall the hell out of these bosses, there's NO time limit. If it sucks hit da bricks

Octowhirl: Coat the entire floor (You're going to hear this from me a lot, it makes the spawned mobs a non-issue) He'll just sit there and wait most of the time, if he charges you make sure the wall behind you doesn't have a bumper and keep inking until you have the whole field coated. The other reason to do this is to keep up with him in his later phases where he starts to disco ball

Agent 4: Coat the floor before/between waves. Did you know these guys basically have octoling hp and ai? With poison ink alone, I managed to kill 3 without even engaging them, they're fragile and they turf worse than you. They're most dangerous at short range, but you can minimize the trouble by keeping their feet slowed down by your ink. Most of them spawn on the far side, so try to keep your side of the field inked to retreat when it gets bad.

Topman's revenge: Coat the whole floor. When you start inking, ink the little corner near the wall and hide behind the wall when the searchlight passes you, then follow behind the searchlight and ink in a counterclockwise direction until you reach the middle, hiding behind a wall whenever the light catches up. When you actually go to fight it after inking everything, you can stop it's aggro mode attacks by swimming outside of the inner ring, which will return it to searchlight mode. You can kind of fuck around with the ai by flipping between aggro and search mode quickly, which is what I do to keep the fight under control in phase 3

uwu: The outer sides of the battlefield are easy to ink for good reason. Whenever it starts looking nasty, retreat to the outer edge where your ink will remain intact outside of mob spawning. I can't offer any direct advice for this one because your damage output is going to be dependent on where your build snowballed (specials, drone, damage, ect) but the one constant is keep ink control of the field during his shield phases so you can always bail if it gets too bad. Shield Phase 3 has a lot of adds so it may be better to blitz when you get to that point

Personal bias tips: -Bombs on enemy splat are ALWAYS helpful -Main saver and turf ink spread also always good -Ball Levels feel the easiest in difficulty compared to the other three types (probably to prevent them from being impossible with mob spam) When you get them try to sink the balls at the same time to avoid enemy reinforcements

[firethekitty]

for the ask game: 10, 20, 29, 49!

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

i would say pokemon moon

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

always phone notes app 🙏 personally i find that if i sit at the computer and open google docs and say I’m Going To Write Now it feels super forced and i won’t get anything done, so the notes app is great bc it’s always around whenever i get The Urge

29. best way to bond with you?

honestly just talking to me 😭 especially about my special interests/hyperfixations but literally just knowing someone is thinking of me enough to reach out means a lot to me

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

IF IT SUCKS HIT DA BRICKS

[moe-broey]

One thing is I like making comics bc I think there's things you can Only communicate in a visual medium, or certain things have SO much more impact, but. A lot of little details kind of get lost too. So here's some thoughts behind the Alfonse Does Some Fucked Up Shit and Everyone (mostly just Moe actually) Was Mad About It comic:

Big part of the comic actually was, reconciling with the fact that Alfonse will bold faced lie as he deems necessary. Something that has been consistent and present within his character, but this feels like the first time the player is caught in the crossfire/has to deal with the consequences of it. A very interesting part was determining where the line of "as necessary" would be, for him -- initially, it was unclear if he was telling the truth here!

Some Moe characterization notes that aren't made explicitly clear in the comic -- you're only left with it's reaction, but not the reason behind it beyond surface level (which works fine too, but. Def one of those things where, that reaction would hold A Lot more weight if you had more context/if Moe was an established character and not blorbo from my mind LMFAO)

Fleshing out dynamics, unfortunately I think some of it was lost translating to paper and working w the limited space I do (sketchbook small LMFAO) -- other parts, like the core of the comic I think I was able to portray well though!

Slight but adjacent topic shift, I have a continuation/conclusion concept which I'm unsure if I'll draw out (lowkey want to, but also, I have. Soooooooooo many projects LMFAO and idk what I wanna focus on rn actually)

But I think it adds more context on Moe as well

Moe is the type of guy who will be like "You can always just leave. I love leaving. It is always a huge relief when you just leave. It's awesome if it sucks hit da bricks" and it'll be curled up cozy in Alfonse's bed as it says that. It'll have an iron grip on his hand as it says that. It'll be at his heels like his shadow as it says that. Which isn't to say there's no truth to its words, but. Well.

[valentinsylve]

Tagged by the beautiful and many-faceted @feudusang :)

favourite colour(s): I love blue, all the blue! Especially swimming pool or cobalt.

favourite flavour(s): strawberry, mango, coffee, pistachio.

favourite genre(s): I like blends, for example horror/mystery (ex: Death Is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury). I enjoy comedies that are smart/silly like What About Bob. I'm also into documentaries. I'll try a lot of stuff but will hit da bricks immediately if it sucks. I unironically enjoyed Dude Where's My Car but turned off Hot Tub Time Machine 5 minutes in.

 favourite music : Old School goth, funk, r&b, expansive choral music, auteurs like Joni Mitchell & Leonard Cohen, 60s and early 70s psychedelia, atmospheric noise, New wave, French pop music from the 20s on, gay dancey stuff, Grace Jones (who covers a lot of genres), Guided by Voices, Swans, Bongwater, also the song "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain whips ass. Some of my favorite live shows and albums have been by my IRL friends as well. I am a volunteer radio dj and music is a big deal in my life.

favourite movie(s): I love Fassbinder a lot. My next big DVD purchase will be his Berlin trilogy. My sister actually got me Berlin Alexanderplatz for Christmas one year because she is the best. It's hard to say a favorite movie of all time but Lola is up there. Non-Fassbinder, i just saw Fire of Love and it blew my ass away.

last song: "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

last movie: I just watched My Scientology Movie, and I found it interesting at first, but about halfway in I became pretty sure that I never want to be anywhere near Louis Theroux and that he would be useful against one's enemies.

currently reading: The Gods of the Greeks by Carl Kerenyi, and Labyrinths of Reason by William Poundstone. Slowly. Also a bunch of Hannibal fic because of course.

currently watching: Abbott Elementary and M*A*S*H*.

currently working on: aghhh my creative brain passed out for a month, but I have a couple fics in progress. I'll always be happy to talk about them.

Thank you for this!

Tagging @divinecruelty @bedeliainwonderland @celta-diabolica and anyone else who'd like to play :)

[lampmanliveblogs]

Well. This ain’t good 

Kikimora saw that one meme, you know the one with the skeleton that’s like ”If it sucks… hit da bricks!!” She saw it and took it to heart. Because she left with Hunter and left everyone else to come cause problems in the next episode. They just gotta get past Odalia first.

The kids put out some good effort to stop Kiki though. Amity slowed her down, Willow’s power was so great that Kiki had to use hunter as a human shield, and Gus tried to blind her with a shadow spell. Sadly, the power of the abomatron combined with a healthy dose of pragmatism lead to Kikimora deciding that she could just leave.

Uuuugh, she’s gonna take Hunter to Belos….. I don’t wanna see that….. the only time I wanna see Hunter and Belos in the same place again is if Hunter is hitting him really, really hard with a stick.

This exit is way cooler than Odalia deserves.

Did I just witness a divorce? I feel like I did. I mean, the legal proceedings are gonna have to wait until the after world is saved, but still.

…

…

I have been tricked, backstabbed and quite possibly bamboozled.

The screenshot I made fun of? Gus had some spell circles activated. I noticed and thought ”huh, that’s kinda weird, I wonder what he’s trying to do.”

…

Right after Kiki tells Luz that Belos knows about the plan to stop the draining spell? Luz whispers something to Gus. I should’ve known, I should’ve remembered, I should have seen it coming. But I didn’t, because I am a terrible livebloger. I should just delete this whole thing right now and move to the mountains where I can’t hurt anyone else.

Luz took Hunter’s so Belos couldn’t hurt him and so she could go help Eda and the others. Luz, you stupid, brave, good witch. 

And so comes to and end episode 20. There is no music, we travel in silence towards the end.

You know, I was thinking that this episode wasn’t all that mindblowing. It was good, yes. I loved it, but it wasn’t the punch to the gut I was expecting. Right up till the very end. Well played creators, well played.

I made my way through this episode surprisingly quickly, this ”only” took me a few hours.

I don’t feel like talking on length about this episode. I did do my usual rewatch and here are a few things I didn’t notice or didn’t talk about the first time through:

•Kikimora said that the Emperor has eyes everywhere. That kinda implies that there might be a spy in the CAtTs. though I’m not sure who that would be. I think it’s safe to discount Eda and Darius. Eberwolf is… I dunno. Steve is most certainly NOT a traitor. That leaves the BAtTs, which… meh? •I suppose that someone on the streets of Latissa could have overheard them through the open doors on that balcony, that’s also a possibility. •Willow saw Hunter was in trouble and proceeded to summon up the biggest mass of plant vines we’ve ever seen her do while looking absolutely demonic. Good stuff •Oh, but let’s not forget that Hunter’s first instinct upon seeing Kiki in the mech coming to crush them was to push Willow out of the way. •There was a brief shot during the struggle against Kiki’s abomatron where Luz is holding out her fist in a weird way. That’s because that’s actually Hunter holding his staff, made invisible by Gus’ spell. •There’s a similar moment right after Kiki takes off, while the gang is surrounded by Odalia’s abomatons where ”Luz” is seemingly just… staring at her open hands. Which is actually Hunter holding Flapjack.

I loved this episode, Obviously, I finally got my ”Alador joins the good guys” theory confirmed, so that was nice. We had a bit off action which I’m always up for. But obviously, the one big stand out moment was the Lumity kiss. It literally could not have been done better. Absolutely perfection.

That’s pretty much all I have to say for now, so I’ll just get into the next episode. It’s the season two finale: King’s Tide! I will see you tomorrow. Until then, take care of the planet Earth and remember that anything can happen in space!

[silvery-bluish]

1, 4, 13, 23 for ocs of choice for the edgy/misc ask meme 👀

Questions from here!

Thanks for the ask :) gonna answer half for Ars half for BB 'cause I did 13 and 23 for Ars already--

Ars

1.What memory would your OC rather just forget?

Arsinoe clings so damn hard to their memories they're actively talking themself out of thinking about the fact that their memories Probably Aren't Actually Reliable, due to the telepathy and trauma and Meddling. But it's probably just. Parts of things, parts of the Second Farm Stay. Or if they could do Precision Edits-- they could stand to not relive the physical pain and the terror in their dreams, t b h. But that's about it. If they forget about the bad things that happened to them and those they care about, in their mind, that'd be-- giving up, or saying it doesn't matter?

Of course, the degree they cling to it all uuuh definitely isn’t healthy, but. They’re made of memories and if they remember it it’s theirs and they’re (mostly) keeping it!! Museum-perfect frozen, as much as they can manage.

4. When scared, does your OC fight, flee, freeze or fawn?

Arsinoe "if it sucks hit da bricks" Becerra is, about 75% of the time, a Flight Reflex Kinda Guy. They're outta there!!! skedaddling at a moment's notice!!!!! They'll err towards freeze if they don't want to draw attention, or fight if they're backed into a corner, but their first reaction is pretty much always flee.

Bailey/BB

13. If you met your OC, would the two of you get along?

I. Probably?? BB’s used to steering conversation and also wearing a Chill Dude mask at almost all times. The Easygoing persona isn’t like. Entirely real, but it’s real Enough. I don’t think we’d be Actually Friends, but like. Work friends energy. He doesn’t let a lot of people close in a genuine way.

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

Bailey doesn’t Get like. Genuineness, if it’s aimed at him. Honesty doesn’t make sense, where’s the hidden agenda, the meaning-under-the-meaning? It can’t be real, that’d be stupid.

He’s very good at compartmentalizing his own emotions, for the most part, expressing something more palatable instead, something that’ll get the reaction he wants. Something more deliberate. But he’s been doing that for so long, bridging that gap to actually express his own unfiltered emotions is. Difficult, and doesn’t always work. How do you take off the mask when you’ve been wearing it so long it might as well have fused with your own flesh? What do you even look like, underneath?

[maldito-arbol]

HELLO CHAPTER 7 HELLO WHAT DIE

“Run, Marcy, run, while you still can. She is not worth the risk. Strength is not worth…” (HELLO!??!?? BESTIE NO PLEASE IM GOING TO CRY)

She can only take Witney in her hands and hold her tight. (HOLD HER SO SO GENTLE PLEASE SOBBING)

A little cold, solid form presses against the side of her curled fist. 

 “Marcy,” she whispers. “Hold me?” (Hello i am a broken man now i cannot deal with this)

Witney trembles in her palms. “Marcy,” she says again, she must like saying her name now, and even that hurts. “You cared about me.” And it sounds like she’s crying too, even though she has no tears to do so. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” (Hi did you know i hate everything forever and ever now)

She holds her out to just look at her, as if to look her in the eyes despite only one existing between them.(shkfifhshdbgkjdhshd)

“You wish to protect…me?”(witney‘s fav hobby is saying the most fucked up things like they’re so so normal i think)

“It-it—has been so long. So long and hard and painful. I hadn’t had a vessel in so long, I…I almost thought, ‘it’s okay if they continue to hurt me. It’s better than being alone.’”(guys what if i just go and become a marcy kinnie instead and just hold her so so gently forever and ever and tell her i love her all the time and protect her from everything ever)

“I know you loved Heart,” she begins, nervous, careful. “But did you…ever love Strength too?”

 There’s a grunt that sounds angry. “That was one of my many, many mistakes.” (This is the one time k will accept any Strength slander. Its funny and Witney deserves it i think especially after it calls her stupid so much)

. “Lovesick little idiots, the both of us.”

 “You cannot call yourself an idiot.”

 “Sure I can—„ (so true bestie. I dont know wjat it is about this bit but. Oughhh

“Marcy, you are the greatest library I have ever had.”  (🥺)

 

And maybe being a good vessel shouldn’t be some kind of an achievement, but…right now it feels like she’s winning. (Marcy: i got a good grade in gem vessel, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve)

“Why would you instigate your own death when you can just run away?”(witney: why die when you can just run to another country and change your name. Just leave. If you dont like it hit da bricks)

SO TRUE WITNEY im glad she gets to enjoy marcy shit talking barrel as well good for them both

“I think,” Marcy murmurs, hugging herself now. “The general consensus we can come to here is that nothing went our way and everything sucks.” (So so true bestie i got it down oat Everything Went So Wrong In Every Way)

If you thought Marcy’d blame herself for my injuries, imagine what’s going through her head when you say shit like whatever the fuck that sack of turds was that you just spat at me.”(That Certainly Is One Of The Explicatives Ive Ever Heard. Definitely A String Of Words Huh)

I think that witney and marcy should get to have fun and be silly. Theyre sl cute i love themmmmmmm. I swear if this goes south fucking immidiately im going to cry theyre so happy rn with their silly little library ideas,,,,,,,,,,,,

HOLY SHIT BRENTON IM SCREAMING THIS IS SO COOL

SOBBING THE BELOVEDS

WITNEY PROBOUNS WITNEY PRONOSUDBDJHSVSVDBFB

“That’s what it always seems like at first,” he snaps quickly. “You get lured in by that protectiveness, that surface-level kindness, and then when it’s done with you, it’ll drop you like dirty laundry.” His tone is devastating, but somehow, with this new information, Marcy feels even more implored to defend the pink gem. (You know what maybe i Will become a Marcy kinnie. Super nice to Witney all the time and holds him so so gently. Defends Strength. Gets headaches from a hole in her mind. Shes just like me frfr)

WOAHHHHHH the mentaö image of this library is So Cool- OH NO EVIL EYE KILL IT

“Isn’t it remarkable what you can accomplish when I bully you into it?” Brenton tells her with a smirk. 

 “You’re a dick,” she shoots back, playfully shoving him.(abkfjfhshshjdjfjd witney,,,,,,,,, i think that witney deserves to be alittle bit of a dick sometimes. Hes earned it)

So what, you just gonna keep being Brenton now?”

 He hums through more laughter. “I did miss it. I think I’d like to stay like this a little longer.” (POV ur witney and i get ur first taste of gender euphoria from a plant)

K MART SO REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Salom,,,,,, that such a cute name,,,,,,,,,

“In fact it was Barrel’s fiancée who taught me how, and she taught me to read his little secret language too.” (🥺🥺🥺 THATS SO CUTE WEIF BELOVED I LOVE THEM )

“By the time I grew knowledgeable enough to comprehend the content of this book, I could no longer bring myself to read it.”(TRADGEDY STRUCK NO SAD BABY :(((((( )

He simply sighs. “Well. Me and Heart did.” And this is news to Marcy. “Before Sasha, Strength only had one vessel. And she was a frog.”

 One?

 One vessel? Witney had 58 and Strength only had one? (hmmmmmmmmmm. I may. Come back to this later. This one got me like 👀 . Im gonna be so normal about this one bestie dont WORRY about it)

“I am to blame for the way Strength lost her.”

 There’s a silence. This time, Marcy knows not to ask. She won’t make a peep. 

 “I don’t think I regret it,” he admits, shamefully. “But I also wonder sometimes if anything would have changed had I not pushed her over the edge.” (WHAT HELLO WHAT I AM 👀👀👀 IM. Bestie i am THINKING. What did you do to weif i am going to Kill you)

They meet her eye, the fire in it boring a hole into their blue oceans. “I…” they start again, dry, hesitant, terrified. “…I’m sorry.” They just barely manage to get it out. Marcy nods vigorously, a gesture to keep going. “Very. For a lot of things. And I…love…you…?”(SCREAMING CRYING GOING TO BREAK A WALL RIP EVERYTHING TO SHREADS HOLY SHIT. HEART?!!??!!! WHY IS IT A QUESTION IM GOINH TO KILL SOMEONE FUCK)

He he. Silly word association. Dont mind me having a little giggle over the fact Heart says theyre the agile one when we had Agility as a Wength kid…

“I am yours. All yours, always and forever.”

 Her head shakes. She begins weeping all over again. “You’re not.”

 “what—”

 “I cannot tell you that, Heart,” she fires back, a sob in her throat. “I am your love, not your king.” (SCREAMING CRYING STABBING YOU RN. I am going FREAL right now Heartney My Beloveds hnnnnnnnnnnn)

Oh hmmm i forgot about the spell pouches. I was gonna be like i wonder what thats like on the gems side but theey just kinda wake them up so they can take control dont they. Nvm.

Uhm on second thought maybe theres more to it then that what rhe Fuck just happened. Side note Anne‘s unconcious body is just In The Field now what are they planning to do to get her back to bed. Im sure this will work out perfectly

Nooo WAIT BUT IF IT GETS RID OF HEART THEN WHAT ABOUT WITNEY TOO NO WAIT BUT WITNEY BELOVED NO COME BACK

WAIT. Wait is it. Wait hold on gimmie a second o don’t remember what maddie or valeriana look like hold on. I feel like tje dots that are in my brain that im connecting right now theres a good chance im wrong but. The dots that are in my brain they are connecting.

hanjdhsgsgshshw well in glad Heart didnt Say anying about the fact its *incredibly* obvious who Sprig‘s ancestor was

“I did no such thing.”

 So this whole time they’ve been blaming Heart for the antler it…wasn’t even them at all?( hmmmmmmmmmmm iiinchressstiiiinnnhhgggggg. Also the bit about the fact Heart has claws and etc. being because of Anne… OH AND THAT WHY ANDRIAS DOESNT GUYS IM CONNECTING THE PIECES)

“Everything I had with him got in the way of what I wanted with them,” they say with venom. “I was so convinced I could only love him, I didn’t allow myself to love them. When I knew I did.” They chuckle sadly. “I want to love them so badly.” (Wow did you know il insane now im never going to be normal again ever ever again this is my life forever now)

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHERE IS WITNEY NO WITNEY NO WJAT WAIT NO- NO WAIT STOP NO WAIT

NO U

GOOD. CRY

If I don’t make Marcy hold Witney gently very five seconds then I’m doing something wrong

See what I mean

That was the intention

I’m so funny guys. Haha. Remember how. Remember how Marcy only has one eye

It’s because he’s spent her entire life going through fucked up things and therefore doesn’t realize they’re fucked up.

You are welcome in the Marcy Kinnie Community, we have trauma here.

Witney can have a little fun at Strength’s expense, as a treat.

I’m like Marcy. I used to be so smart in school but I am such a dumb of ass when it comes to socializing and the like. And I just keep getting dumber the older I get.

THEY! ARE! SUCH! BESTIES!

Dude literally

More people should think like Witney. Just run away from all your problems.

Shit-talking Barrel is always a great activity for your mental health.

Everything went so wrong and I am so here for it. What fun would this story be if anything went right?

I was having such a hard time coming up with a good line there and I concluded that I am simply not good at it at all.

Let them be silly so true bestie

Bro you have NO idea how excited I was to include Brenton in this, or how HARD it was to keep it secret for seven months. It is truly maniacal.

AND NOW WE CAN TRULY START GENDERING WITNEY

Please come join the Marcy Kinnies. Also I love the whole “defending Strength” thing. Marcy has actually met and had important interactions with Strength, and now that she realizes that, she has her own impression of it. She can’t see how it would be capable of doing something that would spark such hatred on Witney’s part, and more than that, Witney won’t tell her what that something is. Having Marcy and Witney disagree on the matter is very important to me.

This library would be so much fun. And it’s such a perfect place to show Marcy all the different kinds of people Witney has been a part of. Hehe eyeball. You like what I did there?

I MISS Witney’s sass-mouth. Let him be a dick. She has the capability.

LITERALLY

I WILL NEVER LET GO OF K-MART

such a cute name for such an off-kilter little guy.

Dude Leif teaching Witney how to read is one of my most favorite things ever. They have so so much more to their relationship than what was shown in the Heart chap and I’m SO excited to show more of it in the upcoming gem chaps.

Poor Witney having to revisit her tragic backstory :((

ONE VESSEL ONE VESSEL. GGRRRRRR THIS ONE ALWAYS GETS ME SO BAD. If you ever wondered why Strength acts so differently as a gem and why I keep pointing it out, it’s because of THIS.

What I did to Weif? What do I always do to the pink/green relationships??? You can’t tell me you didn’t see this coming.

Oh Heart. Immediately trying and immediately failing to start things back up with Witney. At least Witney is the last person who would judge Heart.

Don’t make me think about Aggie I’ll get sad

HEARTNEY ANGST SO GOOD

Ahh the spell pouches. If you remember from way back in IBYBF 5 when we actually got to see a POV of a spell pouch doing its work,

A sudden blast of purple materializes between her and the gem, filling the water with the hue and prompting the vine to release her leg at once. 

“Aw, leaving so soon—?”

The gem disappears in the cloud, and Anne’s eyes go wide with the realization. 

One of the bundles has gone off. 

Heart quite literally disappears into the cloud of purple. Furthermore we can see with this passage from CMTO 7,

“Do not use anymore of that magic stuff on me,” they demand softly. “It hinders my connection to Anne, and she is expecting a status report. I will return to my realm peacefully. Do you have any final questions before I go?”

Essentially, the pouches work to sever the connection between vessel and gem for a brief period of time, meaning communication and possession become impossible. It muddies the dreamscapes as well, filling them with the purple void and further confusing and disorienting all parties. Now I want you to sit back and come to the understanding that Heart and Anne both spent all of that morning trapped in the void and unable to find each other until Maddie put the incense out. And have fun with that information.

Yes just as it works on Heart, it also works quite well on Witney.

DONT WORRY ABOUT VALERIANA YET

I originally didn’t have the gems react to Sprig’s likeness to Leif because I hadn’t yet fully developed the gem backstory and didn’t know what their reaction would be,, but now I just think it’s SUPER funny that they still don’t.

You’re doing great sweetie. And if you recall, Heart only starting growing the branches and that ‘rhinoceros horn’ in Andrias’s calamity form when they tried to suffocate Leif.

This is also my life forever gODAMMIT I love Heart sm

Hmmmmm where is Witney? I wonder :^)

[tiredassmage]

🌙 Moon, 🪤 mousetrap, 🔫 pistol for Tyr!

These are literally SO delicious, I LOVED these ones even if they made my head run like a motor trying to shake answers out of him. Shakes him up like the Scrabble dice.

OC Emoji Asks

Moon - What is your oc's greatest wish? How far are they willing to go for it?

There was a time where I would’ve been inclined to say it’d be officially working for the SIS. No more double agent, just straight up “you can leave! If it sucks, hit da bricks!” [kazoo noise] Anyway, meme for my emotional distress aside, why I was “was” is because that has been… complicated by having the Alliance to consider.

Probably now more than ever before, Tyr can’t help but weigh that his actions reflect on the entire group rather than just himself, and risking taking out the Alliance for his “vengeance” isn’t a gamble he’s willing to make. He’s willing to put himself up on those stakes, no hesitation, but… the fate of the entire Alliance? Filled with people that maybe weren’t disloyal a second of their lives, but would be branded traitor by association? He’d rather not, thanks.

I can’t even say he has an escapism dream because he… largely does not think too hard or too long about getting out, fucking off to some remote edge of space and settling down. It didn’t strike him as realistic, so he put it aside. It’s one area where he falls far short of being an idealist.

Nebulously, he hopes it’ll just be worth it. That something will come out of all of this. That whatever he manages to do will be enough, even for a second. Genuinely entertaining ideas of slipping quietly into the abyss of time is something only just perhaps slipping in - if only because he’s starting to get too bloody fucking old for this bullshit. It’s been what, twenty some years with all the expacs now? Man’s going into his late forties. All this spy shit is probably wearing on the joints, lol.

But, that said, he hates to leave a job unfinished. And I think we've established that "how far" is ah... pretty damn far, depending on just what the objective is.

Mousetrap - What will always lure them into certain danger? A loved one in danger? A promise of something they are always searching for?

I sort of got into this in Deryn’s ask, but Tyr seems almost incapable of sticking his nose anywhere but in immediate danger if it spares a comrade, collegaue, particularly someone he cares about. For as much as he plays Twister to dodge me calling him even a little bit selfless, most of his steps where he puts aside “better judgement” to speak up is to intercede on someone else’s behalf.

And he just cannot leave well enough alone when it comes to fighting back against the Empire. The biggest balk he had with Jonas asking him to turn on the heel and go back to the Empire to report double agent style was siding with the Republic on Iokath. Sure, additionally, he’d rather never see the place again, but it’s first and foremost because he hears that, hisses a breath through his teeth, and can’t help but at least mentally point out isn’t that a bridge we sorta burned? Is that really the most effective cover? But then he gets back into the thick of covert work and it’s all old hat. There’s almost a comfort to how old hat it is. It cropped up again to me on Ruhnuk that he thrives when he’s out of that spotlight, when he’s allowed work as an operative more than Commander. There’s at least a part of him that did genuinely enjoy the work. It’s what he’s good at.

But he’s not a thrill-seeker. It’s not about the adrenaline. I think it’s conviction. Tyr commits to what he believes is the most effective and right course of action. He’d still more than likely walk into something even if he knew full-well it was a setup because he doesn’t leave people he cares for behind. He doesn’t throw those people to the wolves. And it’s almost that he’s loyal to that ideal more than any specific person, which kinda takes me to part of the next question.

Pistol - Do they trust people easily? How easily will they turn their back on someone? Have they been backstabbed before? Will they betray someone given an ultimatum?

Starting with what’s related to where I left off - it’s actually an absolute yes. Perhaps no surprise for an actual saboteur, but I think what hooks me on this being such a delicious question is Tyr will do this with people he loves if he thinks it will protect them in the long run. So, would it be a full technical betrayal? Maybe not, but that’s sort of the other half of this question-

Tyr doesn’t consider for even a second to hold Nathema against Theron. They’re agents. It’s what they do. Stars, if anybody in the Alliance could understand Theron’s motivations and reasons, it’s Tyr. Was it still reckless and kind of stupid and did he want to smack him upside his head a little? Yeah. Tyr doesn’t say ‘I understand because I would be willing to do the same,’ but he knows it. I don’t think anyone else really does. It doesn’t exactly come up for him to hint towards and he wouldn’t want to if it did. Tyr does not see Theron in that scenario as a traitor, in the end. He did what he had to do. Tyr respects that. He gets it. He was more worried about getting everyone back home in the aftermath.

That all stabbing me in the feelings again, Tyr did trust easier than I might have expected - before the Castellan Restraints. That doesn’t just break whatever tinted image he may have been trying to hold onto about working to better the Empire where they could, it makes it incredibly difficult to trust for… a very long time after. He even gets hesitant about trust he already established. Nothing changes with Vector, but Tyr’s changed. In accepting Ardun Kothe’s offer to go double agent, Tyr knows he’s… really playing. He doesn’t believe the vast majority of his crew would ever agree with it. Hell, he’d half expect some of them to turn him over or save the Empire the trouble and do the deed themselves. Vector’s the strongest exception, but it’s still difficult. In that sense, Hunter really did keep the promise to take everything from him. He’s in a precarious position with the Empire and a lack of Imperial Intelligence backing his movements. His trust in himself and his own operatives is tested. It’s hell on the nerves, even though he rarely - if ever - admits it or lingers on it.

Theron Shan is the first new person that he feels any measure of relief from those burdens with. It’s a bit nerve-wracking at first on Manaan, but the time spent on Rishi… Tyr sees him as more an equal than he’ll see Lana for… ever, actually. Because while they eventually repair what missteps they have early on and become friends, their dynamic is inherently different. She’s eventually his sort of brutally honest friend, but she’s tough love and Tyr has already been masking and moving on for literal years, so… It’s not exactly the answer to actually processing anything he’s been through, lol.

Tyr still doesn’t trust all that easily - not wholly. He still keeps most people out at certain distances, different layers, only keeps a small inner circle. Theron, Lana, Vector… They’ve all been through some of his lowest damn lows with him as well as the highs. They’ve been there for the fallout and stayed. He does not give up on people he lets that close that easily - the Minister and Ardun Kothe as examples. Both people that absolutely tried his trust that, ultimately, he still respects greatly. His loyalty is certainly not a commodity. It’s hard-won and he fights tooth and nail for it in return. Even if that means making sacrifices. Even if he’d have to go behind their back to do it.