#it depends on a lot of outside factors right now as well as my own feelings and even ability to keep writing because of it.

[angeldrawsstuffs]

Hi Angel back again to offer her unsolicited meta opinions about Lego themes (specifically Dreamzzz).

So, because of recent leaks, I’ve seen some speculation online Dreamzzz is going to come to an early end, possibly not making it past 2025. Now, before we go any further, let me make something extremely clear:

That is all rumors and speculation based on different rumors/alleged leaks about a canceled large set. To my knowledge, nobody who has actually worked on the theme in any capacity (show or sets) has said anything in relation to either of these. The information about the canceled big set came from leakers and the other speculation derived from that. This is ALL hearsay from the past 24-48 hours. Nothing is official, take it with a pinch of salt.

Ok now that we’re on the same page about the validity (or potentially lack thereof) of the claims/speculation, time to get into a mini rant/ramble I have so Buzzfeed-ishly titled:

Why Dreamzzz Being Cancelled Would NOT be a Good Thing AT ALL For Lego (and why even non-fans should care!)

So, you may ask: “Angel, why would you say this is a negative for Lego as a whole? Themes get canceled early all the time! In the hypothetical-and-currently-unsubstantiated-scenario Dreamzzz is canceled, it wouldn’t have that much of an impact!” well, nonexistent strawman I made up because I suck at making my point, it has to do with the way original Lego IPs are currently set up. Like it or hate it (or in between!), the beginning of Dreamzzz, even a before that, one could argue, was the start of a new era for how Lego handles their IPs. Gone are the days of getting multiple new themes a year, each lasting a planned 2-3 years, before entering a mapped out and anticipated retirement, maybe being cut short or extended a bit depending on sales. From what I’ve observed, it seems the priority is longevity of a theme over quantity of themes. Another factor is this is the ideas from those many themes over the past few decades have been slowly merged into other, larger themes like City, Friends, or even Ninjago. So, back in ye olden days of the 90s to the 2010s, a theme (specifically an original IP) being cut short was no big deal because there were like- 3-4 others running alongside it and several more in the foreseeable future. But, currently, that’s not the case because Dreamzzz is the only new IP to release and be running in the 2020s. Think about Lego’s currently running original IPs, not original themes as a whole (Icons, Creator, Ideas, etc.), but IPs (Ninjago, Power Miners, Atlantis, etc.). As of right now there’s really only four:

City, Friends, Ninjago, and Dreamzzz.

Take Dreamzzz out and you’re left with three. As much as it sucks, Dreamzzz being canceled won’t bring back the old format of IPs, in fact, I personally believe it would push back any return of that format or a similar one even further. Why do I believe this? Well, unfortunate as it may be, we’ve seen this song and dance before with plenty of other brands. New, original thing fails, executive people have to look at the “why”, and the conclusion is that people just don’t want new stuff and we should rehash the same stuff over and over and over again. Obviously that’s the very WRONG conclusion, but look at Disney and Pixar as a prime example of this. Of course I have a LOT (like- a lot a lot) more faith in Lego than I do the mouse, but do we really want to run that risk?

Also, circling back to my point about IPs being cut earlier than planned wasn’t as big a deal back then because there were a bunch of others already out and planned for release that could fill that void quick. But now? With the new formatting for IPs? As far as we know, there’s no new Lego IPs planned for the foreseeable future. Unless Lego’s somehow kept some new IP under such wraps that not a single person outside the company, not even online leakers, have found anything out about it, even its existence, (which very rarely happens to my own knowledge), there’s nothing currently planned. If Dreamzzz goes, there’s nothing to take its place or keep new IPs chugging along.

So then, hypothetically say Dreamzzz is canceled and doesn’t make it to 2026 (which, I am going to say I do not think will happen, I personally believe, if the big set being cancelled is true, it may be to make room for smaller, more affordable sets, since that’s the most consistent criticism of the theme as a whole). What then? Well, if the path most other companies have taken of “nobody wants new things” comes into effect, then that would probably mean not getting another new IP for a while. While Ninjago, City, and Friends all have a lot to offer, it’s clear people want something new. To be clear, it’s not the guaranteed path in this hypothetical-and-currently-unsubstantiated-scenario.

What’s my solution? Well, I’m a teenager on the internet with no business knowledge or expertise in any kind of related field so OBVIOUSLY I’m qualified to talk on this (/lh /s). But, in all seriousness, the best I can say is make criticisms known, but with the stipulation of that the theme should be able to continue and buff out the dents, as I would argue we’ve seen happening. I believe Dreamzzz has potential, a lot of it. But losing that potential to an early cancellation could possibly spell trouble down the road for Lego’s original IPs.

Once again, this is just a sleep deprived Angel spewing her opinions onto the internet. Hope I made my point clear enough and that this isn’t a totally incoherent mess of a post. Also, I’m personally not looking to debate/have to defend my thoughts here, as shallow as that may seem, so if you disagree vehemently with every word: that’s alright! I’m just not interested in an online back and forth about it (especially cuz I’m a terrible debater, lol-). Anyway, thanks for reading this long-ass post if you’re still here, have a wonderful rest of your day/night, and wear your seatbelt! /ref

[sketch-shepherd-art]

Alright so I’ve finally finished all of Make Your Mark on Netflix (I have no interest in Tell Your Tale) and, well… I certainly have thoughts. Unfortunately I felt MLP G5 (even including A New Generation) was pretty weak. I don't HATE G5 of course, but it certainly has problems. Not counting the ton of continuity errors and plot holes and retcons from G4, most of the episodes + specials on their own I found flat and boring.

And yes I KNOW that G5 deserves to be its own thing and shouldn’t rely 100% on G4’s popularity but come on… a sequel series still needs SOME connection to its predecessor, and G5 has so little of it?? And the worst part is that the super sparse FIM references were for legal reasons, which makes me even wonder why bother setting it in the same universe as G4 instead of just making a complete reboot. And yes I’ve heard that the G5 comics actually go deeper into the lore, but important worldbuilding details should be included in the show proper, not in supplemental materials. 

So yeah, that only inspired me to make even more changes for my MLP next gen AU. Starting with a bunch of different ideas I have for Opaline. More details about my revamped design and backstory for her under the cut

First off, her canon design is way too gaudy and takes away a lot of her intended scare factor, so I redesigned her with multiple variants. For all versions I removed her blue eyeshadow and the braids around her ears (too ridiculous-looking and difficult for me to draw), and made her hair a bit more asymmetrical. 

As for my version of her backstory, rather than Opaline being over a thousand years old and having known Celestia and Luna when they were fillies, I made Opaline a former student of Twilight who became her successor as the next Alicorn Princess. Only Opaline didn't do a great job as a ruler which caused Twilight to drain her of her magic and banish her to the outskirts of Equestria.

But after Twilight died of old age (don't ask me why Twilight didn't find a new successor, still working that out) the magic shield locking Opaline outside Equestria faded and allowed her back in. So she was the one who caused disharmony between ponies all over again (yeah kind of a repeat of the Nightmare Moon situation but), and additionally kidnapped Misty as a filly to use her as a spy and do tasks to help Opaline get her powers back, including her wanting to steal dragon fire to become a fire Alicorn like in canon.

Made this change for two reasons 1) the whole “ancient villain who knew Celestia and Luna back in the day escaped now and is planning to wreak havoc on modern Equestria” has been done a hundred times already in FIM, let a new villain form literally during Twilight’s reign 2) it would keep the rejection aspect of Opaline's canon backstory but give her more personal beef with Twilight which is why Opaline targets her

so my AU wouldn't just have all ponies restore unity and then have Opaline just come as a threat right after like A New Generation + Make Your Mark did. Achieving harmony between pony AND non-pony kind would be done over the course of a series and not just one movie, with Equestria being restored + Misty being freed after Opaline's defeat. The Unity Crystals still play a role in my AU, with Twilight having created them as a new alternative to the Elements of Harmony rather than just a macguffin to stop Opaline specifically.

Also if it were up to me I like my #3 redesign the best, the blue hues would probably fit the best for a fire-based villain (fire being blue when it's hottest and all) but that depends on if/when I wanna draw my AU Opaline in the future

[invinciblerodent]

I know this is a hardish question bc probably depends on game factors, but as it is rn you the brain sauce

Do you think Emmerich notices right away that Tristan isn’t alive in the same sense as pm everyone else? Or is he like quicker than others to notice? I assume Tristan isn’t quick to explain the full truth of his… condition.

(Sorry if I seem obsessed, bc I kinda am. I blame my adhd for the hyperfixation. Love the whole idea! )

Oh absolutely no worries babe lol, I'm just happy that you find the big fellow interesting! ❤️❤️

Have a song I've been listening to a lot over the past few days and have kinda started associating it with him-

(this, as well as "Ghost" by the same guy, very Tristan-coded to me, only this one also has that soft, deep-voiced crooning in "Orlesian" in the middle there that's. Very A+.)

I honestly feel a bit more "free" headcanoning and rambling on about this guy and this story than about anyone else, specifically because the base idea is kind of on the sillier side? Like, I feel fairly confident ~~hazarding a guess~~ that there's not going to be a subplot in the actual game about the main character needing to hide that actually, they're kind of, sort of a zombie, lol.

So while I'm intentionally keeping my girls vague (beyond "very autistic bisexual elf rights activist", "viking pirate lesbian(?) dwarf", and "tiny dommy mommy"), I'm like, fairly sure that I was gonna need to do extensive rewrites and annotations to the game to make this one work anyway, so I'm not super concerned if I end up needing to "retcon" something I think about now.

What I was thinking so far is that Tristan, as of the beginning, could count on one hand the number of people he's told about his "condition" over the past two decades, and of those people, he's not sure if there's even one still left alive. (Maybe a fellow Warden healer, someone who's patched him up enough times to catch on that something is fishy? Maybe the longest and most serious relationship of his adult life that ended tragically one way or another? I'll have to brainstorm that one)

So as a Grey Warden, Tristan spends a lot of his life traveling alone (which suits him just fine), and quite often, the preternatural survivability and even the unusually thick blood can be reasoned away with "it's a Warden thing, don't worry about it, we're all like this". Most people will believe it, and aren't very quick to jump to conclusions that shouldn't be possible.

Except maybe those who are intimately familiar with death, spirits, and the undead. And are, yknow, actual professors of the occult.

So I think it's not exactly a closely guarded secret, but one Tristan wouldn't reveal unless absolutely necessary- and for as long as possible, none of the companions would know, but Emmrich would absolutely suss him out on his own.

Regardless of whether there's been any light flirting before then, I like to kind of imagine there being a singular moment --perhaps after a hit taken too close, maybe in defense of him, when the odd, stale, almost slightly mildewy scent of Tristan's blood hits Emmrich's nose the first time-- when their eyes meet, and there's this Moment of mutual recognition. This "oh shit, I know what you are."- "oh shit, he knows what I am.".

I of course don't know, like, the particulars of his character, but from his tone in the blurbs and the short stories, I assume that if pulled aside afterwards and asked sincerely, Emmrich would be willing to keep it a secret- and that he would immediately feel intense scholarly interest.

I mean, Tristan is an anomaly: by all means, he should not exist. The undead of Thedas are created via possession, and his body has not been possessed by any spirit, and isn't being controlled by anything. He seems whole, hale, and himself (not a darkspawn, either), he breathes, eats, sleeps, heals and bleeds pretty much as normal, and the things that aren't quite normal, are still not outside of the realm of possibility: many completely normal people breathe and blink slower than average, many people prefer their meat on the rarer side, many people have troubles falling and staying asleep. Nothing about him on its own is indicative of anything strange, and yet he is intelligent undead! Just the fact that he can speak in a way that is convincingly human is incredible!

I want to believe that Emmrich (like many of us are about our blorbos) would immediately kind of be like "I want to study you under a microscope." (paraphrased ofc) (Is he the playful kind? Would he jokingly paint studying Tristan as repayment for his silence? Who knows! It's fun either way!)

And at first, Tristan would be hesitant (it's awkward, to be under such scrutiny, and to have his whole Situation upended and dissected like that, especially by someone he probably already considers somewhat intimidating, in a handsome, charming sort of way), but even if it's not suggested, he'd consider it repayment for keeping it a secret, and agree. And if I can make it work, I'd really enjoy for there to be an opportunity for a moment between the two of them that has Emmrich kind of like... "I have been around enough bodies, both dead and alive, naked and clothed, to not be affected by anything corporeal. I know flesh well, I know what lies under it, and my interest in this particular body is purely clinical, scholarly, and in no way romantic or sexual. This dimly lit office/surgery is not in any way romantic, nor does any sight of his body arouse anything in me. .......... oh, his nipples are pierced. That's not a good thing for me."

("oh, strong muscles shifting enticingly under inked skin." "oh, the big man is large in every way." etc.)

Something something hearing an otherwise abnormally sluggish heart suddenly beat faster at a touch, something something intense examination of all bodily reactions making them both feel both flayed and more naked than it should be possible, intense eye contact, oh in this kind of light his eyes do look reddish and eerie but I can't look away, and from there on I think it can kinda progress however it's going to progress in the game.

I am havign SUCH a normal time of it, man!!!!!!!

[gilgil-machine]

I definitely agree that besides his mood varying from the time he's summoned/whether he's incarnated or not, he's also affected by his Master. Kirei also wanting to bring about angra mainyu works well in Gil's decision to cull the world, but I really wonder what would happen if he was incarnated in the modern day with Hakuno as his master. I wonder if she'd be able to reel him in from going off the deep end

That's an interesting question to which I don't have a certain answer and also it depends about which universe we're talking about. About Hakuno's universe or our universe?

If we're talking about Hakuno's universe I can't say too much since we don't know too much about what kind of world it was and what people were doing before it got corrupted by BB since all of the events were happening in the cyberspace outside the Holy Grail War and that cyberspace serves more like a "purgatory" or maybe "limbo" for lost souls that cannot exist outside this cyberspace. Plus Hakuno is not technically a human and also mostly amnesiac during their journey and we don't know much about them, their past and their true wishes and goals and why they got into Holy Grail War and also everyone is collaborating for the same goal even after getting back some of their memories instead of getting on each other's throats. And since Gilgamesh was mostly cut off from those triggering factors he's acting more chill and reserved.

But if we're talking about our universe and our modern world I don't think that Hakuno would help too much and won't really change his convictions since he would still mostly be affected by his surroundings because first and foremost he's the king and an arbiter of this world and the world became more messed up, I mean, it already was but with technological progress it became more wicked and twisted.

And as we know Gilgamesh is not against technological progress and all that stuff, he fully welcomes it and supports it but what bothers him is what people have become while he was "away" and how a wish granting tool became cursed because of greedy and wicked nature of humans.

He's bothered how human life became worthless in this world and also (I failed to mention it in my post) how greedy and gluttonous people have become. And sure he might hate that just out of jealousy since mongrels are now allowed to get the privilege that only king has but I also think that he wants to give humans that are blinded by greed, gluttony and other sins a lesson that if they won't change their ways of living it would lead them to their doom and the best lesson is to make all humans without an acception feel their own evil with their own skin.

Also this quote. I think a lot about this quote that fits just perfectly especially right now.

So I think Gilgamesh would act the same way with Hakuno like he acts with Tiné since there's not much to do since it's not his job to parent humans and lead them by the hand since he wants humans to be independent in their choices and learn how the world works by themselves and, well, humans themselves are already doing a pretty good job in punishing and destroying themselves even without his help, so he would just stand on the sidelines and watch the world burn. But still he would give them some guidance (in his own way) to make people understand and maybe learn their mistakes so there's a small chance of his intervention if things would get out of control but still the result won't be pretty for everyone.

[catgirltoofies]

i am of the opinion that all human bodies are inherently beautiful in their own special ways, and also of the opinion that any person should be allowed to change their body however they want it to be, no matter what that change may entail. if someone wants to change the way they look to feel better about themselves, that's great! the way i feel about it doesn't factor into the equation at all.

with that said. i try to encourage people to be healthy. i always think people should make good and healthy choices about their bodies, but i place no shame on people who don't.

for one example, i have never smoked, i don't ever want to smoke, i don't think anyone should ever start smoking, and i think anyone who does smoke shouldn't. it's obviously never that simple, but perhaps more importantly, if someone is a smoker, i place no shame or disgust on them. at most I'll feel pity or worry, depending on the situation, but i have no negative feelings towards people who smoke.

in a similar vein, I've never been very fat. i have been fat, and I'm less fat now than i used to be (and have the stretch marks to prove it), but I've never been fat enough to be called fat outside of the doctor's office calling me overweight. i think fat people are beautiful. i think thin people are beautiful. i think average people are beautiful. i truly don't care how much a person weighs or how tall they are or how much muscle they have or anything like that. every aspect of every person is uniquely beautiful. but if someone who is fat wants to lose weight, i think that's great for them! i wish the best of luck to any person trying to lose weight, whether it be for health reasons or just for personal appearance reasons. if someone is fat and doesn't want to lose weight, that's great too! live your best life! your weight doesn't affect me at all, so i have no right to dictate how you should live. i wish you the best of luck in finding a doctor who doesn't immediately dismiss any health concerns as a result of fat.

for a final example, i brush my teeth twice a day, and floss once a day. i think everybody should try to at least do each once a day. but i don't care about the color of your teeth or the smell of your breath. the former is an appearance thing that i don't care about and which can be colored over if you need or want that for anything, while the latter is only relevant if we're going to be in extremely close proximity. to me, that's irrelevant in most cases - i tend to avoid close contact, as a rule. i think everyone should brush and floss because doing so helps prevent a lot of pain and expense. over the last few weeks I've been getting fillings done and these things cost hundreds of dollars apiece. that's hard when you don't have insurance. and that's to say nothing of the pain - even with anaesthetics, it hurts, and it will hurt for a while after. instead of going through that, though, you can buy a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and a 50yd spool of floss (i use waxed dental tape - it comes in a 55yd box) for less than $10 total. they'll each last at least a few months, with probably the toothpaste needing the most replacement, but it's a far cry better than spending a few thousand dollars to get fillings, or worse, living with constant tooth pain until you finally go to the dentist and discover you need a root canal, which will cost even more and be even more painful.

not sure what my point is here. live how you want to, and try to live well

[reallyintoscience]

Trope Game

Tagged by @notallsandmen 💖

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

* -10 -> very dissuaded

* 0 - don't care either way

* 10 -> very enticed

* nope -> if it's a hard no and you'd never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you'd insta click out of the fic if it wasn't tagged

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it's conditional.

Age gap: -8 ( -10 — +5)

Oh this does open with the difficulties doesn't it.

I don't care one bit either way about age gaps.

I care very much about emotional experience gaps, which sometimes but not always correlate to age gaps.

It's all about the awareness and the agency. Would the younger/less powerful character be able to understand the situation and would they feel able and willing to say no? Would the older/more powerful character respect that? If yes, no problem.

Because this dynamic can squick me so hard, it is occasionally a kink, because brains do be like that.

For instance I'm totally insane about Anonymous' Lucy Locket, where Dream the Prince of Stories loves to play pretend with Hob in the form of an exploited sugar baby. Key here is that Dream and Hob are roleplaying and this isn't their whole relationship. (CW: CNC warning applies for Chapter 5.)

Codependency: +5

I love it when the pairing is a matched set, particularly from the perspective of an outsider. It's really fun if the character's don't realise themselves how much of a set they are. But I like this best when they *can* function well enough on their own - they usually start out as lone wolves, it must be said - but they are *miserable* without their person. They can survive but not thrive.

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +10 (0 - -10)

Toxic trait to love toxic traits in my fiction? Oh well, here we are. I want my guys feral for each other and I want them to love that about one another. I'm here for the making each other worse.

Buuuut not if one of them is being controlling of the other. I hate that and I'll drop it right away if that dynamic shows up.

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): 0

Neutral. I do tend to end up with this kind of pairing but it feels incidental rather than the instigating factor.

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +7

Okay so I need for my pairing guys to like each other, to enjoy one another as people, but the absolute best version of that? Is when they really really don't want to like this dick. Or this dick, if you know what I mean.

Friends with benefits: +10

I love this because I'm like this but my favourite flavour is when this is the most important relationship each of them have even if they do not treat it as romantic. They might have other hookups this is Their Person.

Sex to feelings: 0

Neutral. I like it fine but don't seek it out.

Fake dating/relationship: +8

I like it but the reason I like it is that it frames two of my favourite tropes very well: pining, and "we're a team against the world". But the setup has to actually make sense, and not have everyone around them holding the idiot ball.

Friends to lovers: 0

Neutral, it's the setup for most fic I read just because there's where we start off.

Found Family: +5.

I love this in a very certain dynamic, my lone-wolf, everything-is-my-responsibility characters finding community and acceptance. But I love it when it manages to stay close to canon, and it's hard to do this with a lot of canons in a convincing way. There has to be a large enough cast of characters that I care about, and being a picky little creature as I am this isn't often the case.

Hurt/Comfort: 0

Eh. It's fine, but I don't like whump and depending who's tagging sometimes h/c is whump in disguise. More comfort than hurt pls.

Love Triangle: -5.

Very rarely does this exist in a satisfying way and when it does it's not a triangle anymore, it's a threesome. Now, if one of the characters *thinks* there is a love triangle and they're just so very wrong actually, aka the love is requited they're just idiots, then that's fine.

Poly, open relationships: 0

Open relationships tends not to work that well with my "totally feral about each other" kind of favourite dynamic, but it does work with the friends with benefits but still ride or die for each other kind. Poly is just fine but it depends on the fandom. The longer I'm in a fandom, the more OTP I tend to get. I start out shipping my One True Character with half the cast, and then I find the OTP and that's that.

Mistaken/hidden identity: -8 - 5

I *hate* mistaken identity, it gives me second-hand embarrassment. I will read it if the rest of the tags check out but I'll read it through my fingers and I won't enjoy it the first time. Once I know how it turns out I might love the story on second read but waiting to find out how someone is going to be Found Out As An Imposter is my horror story actually.

Hidden identity can be super fun though.

Monsterfucking: +10

I am a proud monsterfucker and I will read pretty much anything with this.

Pregnancy: -10 (+10)

Okay so I have a pregnancy squick and I do not want to read pregnancy or kidfic ... except if it's Dreamling and then I have a huge kink about it? I've been in fandom 28 years and I have never liked it and NOW. This one ship. I dunno.

Second Chance: + 4

The mutual pining and planning here can be really good. Depends why it didn't work out and what's changed to make it different this time.

Slowburn: +8.

Yes please. Build up those feelings until I want to yell at them, go on.

Soulmates: 0 (Meh)

I kind of love the kind where one half doesn't have a soulmark or has a bizarre soulmark, and thinks they are ~alone forever~ but actually it's supernatural shenanigans. That kind is fun. And I enjoy all the different sorts of worldbuilding that go into soulmate aus, when they're properly thought through.

Tagging @seiya-starsniper, @beatnikfreakiswriting, @ml-nolan , @chaosheadspace , @beholdme , @beholdingthegaytimes, @honeyteacakes and anyone else who feels like it!

[sharpteethdomme]

Time and time again, surveys show that adult dommes are more attracted to domestic service than causing pain and humiliation. This could just be because women are burned out and tired of doing chores, but I don't think that's necessarily the case.

Women, especially adult women in their 30s and beyond who may have been married/cohabited with male partners that don't do as much of the housework, know how shitty it feels to do chores and planning day in, day out for very little appreciation. To demand this of a partner seems... massive, more terrifying even than causing physical pain.

Where I am right now in my life, requiring household chores of a sub is a soft limit for me, even as I would enthusiastically throw myself into more "hardcore" kink. I would have to really trust a partner to discuss that territory. My parents' marriage fell apart for many reasons, but my father not contributing to the everyday running of the household was a major factor. I'm sure many people with divorced parents can look back and see something similar.

Kink is where we play pretend and prod at our psychological bruises for our own satisfaction. The terror I feel when household chores aren't apportioned Perfectly Evenly means I'm not really ready to get into that now, but maybe one day, with the right partner, I could. The more taboo something is, the sexier it is. If that right person came along, I think I would feel a lot of catharsis.

When men see surveys that show dominant women want service kink the most, I expect some of them may be disappointed that women don't "really want to dominate men, they just want to because it's convenient/he'll do the housework." To me, it's a sign that women are just playing with different taboos and hangups due to their different life experience.

I over-generalize gender in this post. But the surveys I'm referencing have been in very cis and straight-oriented communities/blogs. People who fall outside of this binary in femdom are going to experience this differently. The degree to which you were expected to pitch in and perform housework, especially during your formative years, depends on so many factors besides gender as well.

[mylittlesecrethaven]

More Thoughts On Abortion (Probably Gonna Be Very Very Controversial)

If you're gonna say that my post is dumb, tell me how it's dumb or I will delete your comment. (I love constructive criticism, so I'm hopeful I get some)

This post is gonna be a lot.... so....

(Also, this post is about the new abortion laws in place in Texas. I honestly don't care what you think is the wrong times and right times to get an abortion. As long as it's your body, I don't have a say and I don't want a say)

Welp, you chose to read this so here we fucking go.

Look, I was looking into what counts as actually living.

And one of the big things I found was that to be classified as living, you must be able to 1) Respirate in any form, 2) Grow, 3) Be able to react to your environment, 4) Be able to reproduce or at least have the intention to have the capability to reproduce without relying on a different species, and 5) Require something to actually stay alive.

So, as you can tell, there isn't really anything regarding brain function.

Y'know why?

Cause ✨trees✨

Basically, trees don't have a set brain.

Their entire root system and all inside of themselves is a type of brain, but not really.

A brain is one organ that controls everything about an organism, and is actually the thing that the organism is trying to keep alive. The rest of an organisms body is just a fancy holding tube and nutrient supplier for the brain.

But trees in their entirety are a brain, in a sense. (Besides their outside, but technically that is part of their "brain") However, their "brain" also counts as a circulatory systems, so it's not technically a brain in its true definition.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand regarding little fetus nuggets.

Well, actually, one little segway.

Regarding reproduction, you'll notice I put a lengthy ass thing right there. "Be able to reproduce or at least have the intention to have the capability to reproduce without relying on a different species."

Basically, if a creature has or had reproductive organs and these reproductive organs are there with the initial intention to maybe be able to have young (but may not actually be functional for whatever reason) and the creature does not need help from another species outside its own to reproduce, it counts as that lengthy sentence from before.

Why did I make this such a lengthy explanation?

Cause I know somebody's gonna pull out the "what about people who can't reproduce since birth?" "What about mules?" "What about Ligers?" "What about bees?"

To which I say, "Those people were born with the reproductive organs (though they may not all be present due to several genetic factors, but there is still something there) that had the original intention to maybe have young." "Mules follow the same reason as humans, they are just infertile." "Some Ligers are fertile, but same reasons as before." "Worker bees have less functional reproductive organs, but they have the same original intention."

If y'all have any more examples for me to make a stance again, lemme know.

And now back to the fetus nuggets.

Now, what does this all mean?

Well, let's look at the facts.

Reparation. Isn't noticeable until around 10 weeks.

Grow. Well, a fetus grows the entire time, but it isn't recognized as growth until maybe week 5.

Reacting to its environment. Also depends, but usually seen around 16 weeks.

The entire lengthy reproduce sentence. I'm using when the reproductive organs start forming so I can give those who want the six week abortion law to still be viable because I know they'll be upset. The organs start forming at 8-9 weeks, but aren't fully formed until 16.

And requiring. Basically, any sustenance it needs to survive. Also to give a little lenience to the anti-abortion people, let's just keep this at week 0.

So, all in all. For a baby to be classified as living (by these standards), it must have started reacting to its environment, which is week 16.

If you want some more lenience, let's throw that out the window and just go with respiration, which is still 10 whole weeks.

Y'know, not the fucking impossible 6 weeks.

Because most people don't find out until 5-6 weeks or later.

So.

That's my entire stance on this because I felt like I had something to say for no reason.

(I'm not gonna lie, I did around 4 days of research for this post. I don't usually do that much research for posts, but I wanted to be correct about this.)

Anyway. If you have something to add, lemme know.

:3

(Sincerely, a person who doesn't want children.)

(A few more things I thought of later on. I know the argument most of the time is "It has brain function!" or whatever the fuck it is. And I know I'm gonna get the "humans aren't trees," but we are all living organisms pretty much bound by the same rules. So ✨trees✨ motherfuckers. Also, imo, once a person is not able to do any of the things about that make a thing living, they are no longer living. So, if they are unable to continue breathing naturally, are unable to grow (or make new cells), or not able to respond to their surroundings, they are dead. Cool? Cool.)

(however, if a person stops being able to do one of these things, but then is able to do these things again later on, they're alive, but they were dead.)

:)

[dashawfrostart]

So I Completed The GOG Survey, And It Made Me Thoughtful... (a.k.a. Artist's Rant)

... And everybody knows that I become scary when I'm thoughtful, because hello yet another one wall of text 😎 But if you're here, it means you love 'em. Otherwise you would've never come over.

Perhaps, I've already mentioned that before somewhere around here, or maybe not (Frosty does not remember absolutely every single post she writes), that the primary purpose of playing videogames for me is to draw inspirations for my own creative stuffs. I really wish I could signify that in the survey, but alas, I did not have an opportunity to do so, for there was no extra "other" field to fill out. This way, the absolutely biggest factor that drives me to play videogames had to be left out from the survey. And this is very sad, because I would really love to share that. This is not a secret to anyone that I'm very much into the development of my graphic novel right now, to the point that I sacrifice some other activities or aspects of other creative works I really enjoyed earlier (for example, as the pinned message says, I virtually stopped working on greeting cards designs, and I hardly ever do totally random artworks anymore - all for the sake of fetching out a bit more time for myself to further invest into "Time & Again", for that is my priority... and... I stopped assembling papercraft models in my leisure time as well). I have my ups and downs working on "Time & Again", too, so it does not always go smooth as I expected. Sometimes my creative spark needs a push - a thoughtful or an emotional one, or a little of both. That's especially when the videogames come into play for me. Depending on my choice of a game to play, what kind of inspiration I'm seeking, it might be incredibly impactful - sometimes even empowering! I most certainly see videogames as a form of art, there's no denial. An interactive form of art that is - and I treasure that way more than movies that usually require zero involvement from the viewer when it comes down to the story itself. (but overall, my superhuman-proportioned cringe towards movies is a whole another topic, so we'll keep that outside this post for now) I've been playing videogames since childhood - back in the day I used to have a NES/Famicom console, but soon I became a PC gamer. I truly believe that was one of the factors that contributed to my creativity and endless curiosity in visual arts, and perhaps also something that turned me into a thinking person. And by the way, I learnt a lot of interesting stuff about the world through playing videogames, heheheh!

While, perhaps, being purely a form of entertainment to some people (and I don't deny that by any means), I think over the years, with the development in the industry, video games have evolved into something more nowadays, something that can be taken more serious. Art always contains a certain message. Videogames do contain artistic messages, too. Since my priorities have been shifting ever since I started working on "Time & Again", I often think about all of that. My paradigm has cracked and now rearranges itself in a most peculiar way. In fact, I perceive videogames as a form of art more than anything else now. Because this is what it is to me. And I draw inspirations for my own projects from the other people's art. It's really that simple. Art is an experience. I want to experience art - including videogames, for this is one of my favourite forms of art - to feed myself emotion to process and thought to ponder on, that could potentially lead me to the expansion of my own artistic horizons. I think this is truly magical. People's creations inspiring other people's creations is quite possibly worth living for. This way we share our experiences and pass them on to the others. I'd say this is very precious. I could talk about this stuff for hours and hours, but I will stop here, for there's something else.

There is another one interesting point that I wanted to reflect on after completing the survey, and during the last couple years - and the last year especially - it has become fairly important to me. I am incredibly disappointed with the fact that buying a PDF artbook for a game without owning the game itself is not even an option on any of the videogame stores. That is frustrating, and honestly - it doesn't make any sense. The reason is that the artbooks are usually distributed as DLCs for the games. Logically, DLCs DO indeed require the base game, for the additional content usually is something that you can use within the game, such as an extra level, or a skin, or a weapon, etc. But artbooks are neither of those. Most of the artbooks are just separate PDF documents you can read on your desktop computer or a mobile device... and they most certainly do NOT require a base game to be owned. (the only exception to that I've seen so far was the artbook for Atomic Heart that was actually incorporated onto the game and was accessible through the in-game menu. That is, I must admit, an excellent way to prevent people from just "redistributing" (e.g. just a sophisticated word for STEALING, cough cough) the PDFs illegally in the internet - and oh boy, let me tell you, people really love doing that!😅) So why not make them purchasable separately, in case if the user wants to support the artist, but does not necessarily want to play the game (for whatever reason they have - it doesn't matter)? 😁 I was fairly disappointed when I discovered on GOG that I could not buy a Yooka-Laylee comic (that was discounted at the time, and I've been specifically waiting for it be get discounted for a long time) because I didn't have the game on my account on GOG... sadly, I actually do own the game - but on Epic only. I usually prefer to support GOG with the idea of DRM-free content, but that time it just didn't work out for me. So I ended up buying it from Epic anyway. But that's for the game I actually owned. There are plenty of other games that I don't think I will be able to play for different reasons, so I don't wanna buy them - but I sure DO wanna buy the artbooks, to support the artists (and developers, too). But I can't. Because I have to own the game first. The game that I might never play anyway. 🤷‍♀️ Working on my graphic novel sure changed my understanding of the value of art a lot, and also my views on what's important and how my works impact the others, including the fellow artists. Starting last year, I found out that the presence - or absence - of an artbook as a bonus content was one of the main deciding factors for me if I really wanted to buy a game or not. Majority of my last videogame purchases had artbooks included, usually with deluxe editions. It means a lot to me as an artist - aside from simply appreciating the art in those artbooks itself - because I relate quite well and I understand the amount of time and work put into the game development AND development of all the visual materials for the games, breathing life into something that your mind have created and materializing it through the means of pen and paper and/or digitally. And let me tell you: it's not easy at all. One might say that I'm going a bit too hardcore on this whole topic, turning it into some great issue of sorts, etc. But it is what it is. This is what's important to me, and I want to uphold the values.

A shellfish request of mine: I would've really appreciated the videogame services to allow me to search specifically for the games with artbooks as DLCs 😁 And THEN allow me to buy the PDF artboooks separately, pls 😤 That would make me very happy.

I suppose, that would be enough for today's random post on the topics that are very important to me. So I bid you farewell for now and go back to working on my story about crazy Lothar. 🙌

UPD (Oct 2024): I have realized a bit later and forgot to update the post. Shortly after I wrote that post, I have discovered that GOG actually DOES allow you to browse through the games that include artbooks! And that makes me sooooooo happy, you cannot even imagine! It's always small things that make us happy 😉 Ever since I have made that discovery, I've been often browsing GOG sales by the "artbook" tag. Now I'm just waiting for everyone to allow people to buy the artbooks without owning the games 😁

[moshieldeastcharlotte]

Mosquito Shield of East Charlotte

When it comes to keeping pesky mosquitoes at bay, hiring a professional mosquito control service can be a game-changer. However, navigating the world of mosquito control services can be a daunting task, as each company may have its own unique approach.

From evaluating your property to selecting the right approach, and ensuring long-term effectiveness, there are several factors to consider.

In this blog, we will delve into the process of professional mosquito control, explore the elements of quality service, and provide you with valuable questions to ask when evaluating different mosquito control services. By the end, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to make an informed decision that will help protect your family from the annoyance and potential health risks associated with mosquitoes.

What is Mosquito Shield?

Mosquito Shield® is a brand who professionally applies spray products that kills and repels mosquitoes and ticks from your property. Our vector-trained technicians treat your common use areas such as pools, decks, patios, and swing sets.  They also pay special attention to where mosquitoes and ticks breed and congregate. This helps with mosquito control as well as tick control.

Our three-pronged approach kills mosquitoes, masks your CO2 (which attracts mosquitoes), and repels them away from your property.  The spray adheres to foliage, wood, stone/brick, and other organic materials. This creates a vertical barrier that strengthens with each visit.

Only Mosquito Shield uses  spray technology to maximize effectiveness. We monitor both mosquito population and weather conditions and adjust our location based program as needed. By rotating control products, leveraging proactive scheduling, and using resistance management strategies, we are able to deliver superior results and satisfaction.

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A polymer, which acts like a rain shield, is added to each spray, helps the product withstand light to moderate rain and allows the barrier to remain in effect.

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[beazt]

@dywgh yes. I saw this reply and then read my post and I was like “what the fuck am I on about” bc I posted this at like midnight or whatever and did not remember writing it at all and it took a hot minute to get in the headspace to remember what the post was going to be about

but yes the irony of this being a review of reviews… I was totally oblivious….

idk I said it’d be a ramble but I actually do want to make this well-articulated at some point. but then again I may just be completely showing my own ass (in that I do not understand much outside of STEM academia. and this very much includes the meta of pop culture.)

but anyway the premise of it is. I fucking hate numeric (as in, X/10, X/5 stars, etc) reviews that are not… transparent, consistent, and nuanced. which to my standards do not exist. I guess those are the best words to describe what I’m talking about. particularly,

I want to know what went into the numerical rating that was assigned. what elements of the game were considered? quality? what elements of quality? novelty? in what areas was it novel? how do those areas of novelty stack up against other areas where it maybe isn’t so novel? Is there a bidirectional spectrum between classic and novel? is the middle area of the spectrum “bad” or neutral? or does that depend? does novelty in some areas cancel out classicness in others, or do they compliment each other? I want mind numbing amounts of detail because vague overarching categories and adjectives confuse the hell outta me. it’s the biology brain. I see everything in a taxonomic hierarchy. I wanna know what’s inside it. I will not elaborate at this time

I wanna know what those individual elements are weighted as in the semifinal ratings (such as the rating of quality/novelty) or the final/overall rating and how interconnected the individual elements are to each other, like does one element amplify another? does one element detract from another? do these overall interactions affect the overall beyond influencing each other, when considered together?

does this weighting change between different pieces of media being reviewed? is the weighting weighted by impact of each factor?

I want to pick apart reviews into the tiniest possible elements and study them. like a bug. question everything. get real philosophical about this shit probably. study the meta of reviewing media. found out how this shit ticks. And I haven’t even gotten into the part about “what makes this a 4 vs a 5” yknow?

but I KNOWWWWW even if I changed my career path to DO research in this specific area, 1) funding wouldn’t be difficult to acquire but my funding sources would likely demand a lot of control over the directions I take the research, 2) the research would take ages to get anything significant out of, when it comes to the minutia I’m interested in, 3) the research findings would 1000% be used to feed the greedy capitalist machine into writing formulas for top-rating media. reviewing would either become meaningless or it would evolve to be unfathomably (for me) different, even if just subtly different, criteria. I feel this would also either lead to a collapse of AAA game studios by everything becoming bland and predictable, or it would evolve them, as the criteria were exposed particularly in regards to novelty and how it is weighted, and AAA game studios have to decide what areas to take risks in, etc etc, im getting too deep in the weeds here to even explain the fried exploding mess that is my brain right now

and I’m not saying necessarily that this isn’t already going on to some extent. I am willing to bet that AAA game studios have proprietary formulas and research and stuff for how to make a top rating game. and that there are always upsets and uncharted territory and that really the way reviews happen are already evolving to compensate for these things.

I just dont think it’s happening on the absolutely precise scale I am interested in. especially because public reviews do Not go into that level of detail very often. if ever. even if it is, we as commoners will NEVER see that data.

and it’d also be a particularly tricky area of research (on the minute scale I am talking about) to gather and quantify data in, and that’s part of why it has intrigued me so much, it is like, throwing a pumpkin of goat meat into my research-focused problem-solving brain’s enclosure

someone remind me eventually to go on a rambler about how I feel about reviewing (as in giving a rating and commentary on the quality) media

[peninkwrites]

do you think you'll be continuing your fic? ofc its okay to not know yet!! /gen /nf

Tbh, anon, I don't know yet. I'm a firm believer in separating character from cc and have thought so since the early days, but I don't really know if I'm comfortable continuing just yet. At the very least there will be a pause.

I'll share my current thoughts, but fanfics are low on my priority list right now when supporting the victims takes precedent. (not that I mind you asking!)

The Mafia AU I am more inclined to continue because his character is much more minor, while Wake Up is a bit harder to puzzle out. If I choose not to continue, I'll at least share what I had planned.

For now, I'm just going to leave things on pause, both for my own comfort and as to not go on 'business as usual' considering the severity of the situation. While I'm here, I'll just make my stance clear: I do not support Dream or any of his actions. I won't go into detail beyond that whatever the outcome, I'd rather temporarily support a 'liar' than support a powerful man who abused that power.

Hope everyone is doing okay. I don’t want the horrible actions of one person to destroy a community that has thrived independently of its source material for ages before, and I’m proud of this community for being able to choose the right thing over the easy one, and I hope we can continue in a way that does not support him.

tl:dr

Right now my fics are on pause as supporting the victims is the most important thing, I do not support Dream, and I have no intention of leaving this community in its entirety.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Baby Makes Three // C.B.

Request: hello and congratulations on 7k followers!! 🥳🥳 could i please request “i didn't want to tell you until i was sure, but... i'm pregnant.“ from the sacred romantic moments prompts for colin bridgerton? thank you so so much!!! 💗💗 - @flowercrowns-goodvibes

A/N: Thank you so much for the request, and for being so patient with me!

Warnings: pregnancy, female reader, mentions of children and babies, female typical titles, established relationship, married couple, lots of fluff - so much fluff, dialogue heavy, a mention of alcohol, humour

Word count: 1063

There were many words that Colin Bridgerton could use to describe himself: funny, handsome, adventurous. However, the one he uses the most right now is: content.

He’s content in every factor of his life. His family are all happy in their individual ways; his mother filling the role of the adoring and devoted grandmother as if she were made for it, and his siblings carving out their own path for themselves as he did for himself shortly before he met you.

Colin was most content when he was with you. There were no pretences, no falsities. With you, he could be the version of himself that he liked the most, and that was what counted to him.

It was this version of himself that had him stopping at the florist, putting together a bouquet of your favourite flowers that were in bloom. Colin would be the first to admit that he was over heels in love with you. Married for just under a year, Colin’s heart still raced when his eyes landed on you every morning, stupefied at the fact that he gets to spend an eternity by your side. Loving you, holding you, being there for you – a finer purpose he could not find on this earth.

With the finest flowers in all of London in hand, Colin continues his walk back to the home he shares with you. He hadn’t wanted to leave you since you weren’t feeling too well – nauseous and dizzy - but had some pressing matters at his publishers that could not go unattended to. Colin could only be relieved when the matters didn’t take too long to resolve.  

His contentment quickly turns to worry as he spies a carriage pulling away from the curb outside of the home he shares with you. Bouquet gripped tightly in his hand, Colin presses forward, all but running to his front door.

The house is silent upon his entry. He drops the flowers onto the entryway table, not giving them a second thought as he takes the stairs two at a time to the bedroom where he knows you’ll be.

Colin refuses to think. He doesn’t want to think of the countless reasons for Dr. Ward’s visit. Colin could only kick himself for leaving you this morning; he should have argued more, but the reassuring kiss you had given him had fooled him into think that you were alright, that nothing was wrong more than an upset stomach that could have a thousand causes.

“Darling?” Colin calls, his tone giving away his concern. “I’ve just seen Dr. Ward leave in his carriage. Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

You greet your beloved husband with a small smile, not missing the worried look in his eye. Coming forward to meet him, you press a hand to his cheek, your thumb across his cheekbone in a comforting motion. “Take a breath, my love. Everything’s fine… I think.”

“You think?”

“It all depends on your reaction if truth be told.”

“I need you to tell me now before my mind starts conjuring up the worst ideas imaginable.”

You take a deep breath, holding the blue-eyed stare of the man you so wholly adore with every fibre of your being. “I didn't want to tell you until I was sure, but... I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Colin repeats, his legs giving out from under him as he sits back onto the bed. “You’re sure?”

You nod, a hand slipping down to cradle the bottom of your torso. “Very sure. Dr. Ward checked everything twice.”

“But how?” Colin murmurs, more to himself than to you.

“Colin Bridgerton!” You gasp, a laugh escaping you. “If you want the finer details of such an act, you can go and offer the good doctor some whiskey!”

A startled laugh leaves Colin before that laugh turns into something greater. Unadulterated joy seeps through him filling every single nook and cranny until there’s room for no more. “I’m going to be a father!” He crows, rushing to his feet. “I’m going to be a dad.”

“You’re not upset?” You ask somewhat timidly.

“Why on earth would you think I’d be upset?”

You begin to pace back and forth, wringing your fingers together as you start to explain. “We haven’t been married long, Colin. Barely a year. We’d never truly discussed the idea of children; we just knew that they would happen one day. I wasn’t sure whether you wanted to wait a while before we began trying for children, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to simply enjoy my time with you before we needed to start thinking of children.” You take a deep breath, steadying yourself, “But here we are.”

“Here we are,” Colin whispers, mystified as he takes sight of the barely there bump. “We’re going to parents, darling.”

“In five short months, we are.”

“You’re already that far along?”

“So it seems,” You smile, a breathy laugh leaving you as your hand flattens against your stomach. “Do you want to feel?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Colin states in a single rushed breath, dropping to his knees before you as he gently places a hand to your lower stomach, feeling the small bump that has only just begun to show. “You and me and baby make three,” Colin whispers, his nose pressing to thin fabric of your dress.

Colin pulls away, tears lining his eyes as he takes in the news of the morning. He’s much relieved to see tears shining in your eyes when he gathers the courage to meet your stare. “I never knew I could feel so happy,” Colin whispers, coming to his feet and gathering you in his arms. “I thought I’d reached the peak of my happiness on our wedding day, but here I am, being proven wrong, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

“Oh Colin,” You sniff, hiding your face in his chest. “You always know exactly what to say.”

Colin chuckles. His arms wrap around you tighter; rocking you both slightly from side to side as you press your face into his chest. Colin Bridgerton could use many words to describe himself; content had been the latest and the most accurate to date. However, after the news of the morning, and the feel of the love of his life in his arms, he feels that the word ‘elated’ holds much more significance.

********

Bridgerton taglist: @heloisedaphnebrightmore​ @dreaming-about-fanfictions​ @now-its-time-for-a-breakdown​ @janelongxox​ @sexysirius​ @wallwriterstuff​ @magicallovdrms​ @darkestbeforethedawn16​ @gryffindors-weasley​ @spideysz​ @iammirrorball​ @joyfullymulti​ @nuttytani​ @freyathehuntress​ @odetostep​ @pinkcloxds​ @lovesanimals0000​ @flourishandblotts-inc​ @blankspaceblankday​ 

[mc-lukanette]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6]

—————

A few days had passed since Marinette had burned the Adrien photos, and Luka was relieved to note that they hadn't come back since. Marinette seemed equally at ease, their daily calls becoming more and more relaxed with each time she told him about her still-empty wall. He did wish he could do a little more concerning the red string around her neck, but his mind was drawing a blank and she was happier than before regardless.

The main problem however, was the relation to the miraculouses. Everyone knew that Ladybug wasn't interested in Chat Noir, a fact that made the knowledge of the red string even worse. He wasn't sure if the red strings were tied to the miraculouses or not - or how if they were indeed connected - but he speculated that it was about more than just talking to Marinette about Adrien; Chat was a factor as well. He couldn’t imagine the societal pressure of Ladybug and Chat Noir being a couple, and no one had to do much research to realize that Chat Noir was okay with it while Ladybug was very much not.

He'd have to take on the red string from both sides of the masks, and it took one particular day for him to get his chance.

"You want me to go on patrol with you?"

Ladybug nodded, balancing herself on his windowsill as she replied, "If you'd like to. Chat Noir is busy tonight, so the position's opened and you're one of the people used to having a miraculous."

Luka caught himself before he could start smiling too much, knowing that it was Marinette under that mask and she wanted him to go on patrol because they were friends.

"I'd be honored to."

She beamed at him, and after the snake miraculous was on his wrist, he was transformed and the two set off for the rooftops together.

—————

Viperion glanced left and right as he went along with Ladybug. He'd been called enough by then to have gotten used to superheroing, though it was his first time actually on patrol. Given the situation they were in, he was thankful that Adrien was busy that particular night with what Viperion could only guess was Gabriel's orders.

The red string was still dangling around Ladybug's neck, though Viperion'd grown attuned enough with his fate sensing that he could stop focusing on it and simply see her if he chose to. It didn't stop him from thinking about it, but it helped.

Ladybug seemed to know the route to take, so he mostly followed after her, but it was partway through where she'd decided that they should take a break. Paris was always quiet right after akuma attacks, meaning that they could afford to take it easy since there'd been one just that afternoon.

They leaped buildings until they reached the Eiffel Tower, scaling the monument until they reached the top platform. He didn't miss that she'd avoided using her yoyo for the job, possibly to put them on an even playing field.

Letting out a breath, Ladybug leaned against the railing and she gazed over the city. Gesturing to the view, she explained, "We'll have a good vantage point from here in case anything happens."

Viperion chuckled. "You really do think of everything."

She blushed faintly, but took the compliment casually. "I'm just doing my job." She turned her hip to more easily grab her yoyo, then opened it and reached inside. "Anyway, are you hungry?"

He tilted his head in curiosity, then grinned as she pulled out a bag of macarons from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It wasn't anything suspicious given that it was known as the best bakery around.

"Thanks," he replied gratefully, taking one of the macarons she offered him.

She grabbed one as well and they took a simultaneous bite of their respective treats. He was a little surprised to hear that she brought along snacks, but supposed it made sense if breaks during patrol were a common thing after akuma.

They settled down on the ground, Ladybug placing the open bag in-between them so they could pick them out at equal leisure. Tossing him an apologetic but teasing smile, she added, "Sorry, but cushions wouldn't fit in the yoyo."

He raised his brows at her, then glanced down at the hard ground below them. He snorted at her joke, noting, "It's nice to see you outside of akuma battles, where you can relax and play around more."

She smiled shyly at him, in a way that was so Marinette that he couldn't believe he hadn't figured her out sooner. "Thanks. Chat says I have no sense of humor."

He frowned, replying without hesitation, "Chat's wrong."

She waved him off, though he could tell that she appreciated the comment. Hearing that Chat had told her something like that was news to him, despite all the research he'd done into their relationship. Granted, he imagined that anything could be said off-camera and he couldn't have known.

"Does he say things like that a lot?" he asked, hoping he wasn't prodding too much. There was just something about how casually she'd said it that unnerved him.

"Huh?" She blinked, thrown off by the question, then rubbed the back of her neck. "Well... most of the time, he flirts instead. It's..." She hesitated, like she wasn't sure that she could talk about it. Glancing at him, then back to the open sky, she relented and added, "—it's a lot sometimes, but he does his job well enough, so it’s not like it’s a serious problem. I don’t know, it’s not like I’ve never wondered about the what ifs of having someone else, but whenever I think about it, I just—"

She squinted at nothing, Viperion's gaze flickering down to the string, which had became visible now that he was focusing on it.

It had tightened, pressing into the black of her bodysuit in a way only he could see, and he found himself squinting just like she was.

"—I can't imagine being Ladybug without him," she said.

He pressed his lips together, trying to suppress any reaction to the comment. He'd suspected it for a while, but actually seeing it was something else entirely.

The red string demanded dependency on Ladybug's part. He wasn't sure how much it pulled Chat on the other end, but judging from what he'd gathered from Marinette's luck and fate's blatant favoring of Adrien, he could guess.

Ladybug peeked up from her macaron when he remained silent, confusion passing over her features. "What? You look like you have something to say."

"Ah—" He looked down, brows furrowing as he hoped even more that he wasn't pushing boundaries. "—just... I know that he's been with you since the beginning, but I don’t think you need Chat Noir to be an amazing Ladybug."

She straightened, dropping her treat in surprise and then fumbling to catch it. Perhaps she hadn’t caught onto what her words implied, or had said them without thinking due to the string and was now facing it head-on.

He continued, "You've dealt with akuma plenty of times without him, and you work well with all your heroes. I'm sure you could make the best out of any partner you had." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Maybe Chat Noir only seems as good as he does because he's at your command."

Ladybug's cheeks tinted red, nearly matching her mask, as she ducked her head at the high praise. She raised the macaron back to her lips, chewing on it as if that helped hide her face.

It was only after she'd slowly nibbled the treat all the way down and swallowed that she replied, "T-thank you."

He shrugged, having only been honest.

"Chat Noir..." She cleared her throat. "Well, Paris would disagree with you."

"Paris is wrong too," he replied in the exact same tone as when he was discussing Chat. After careful consideration, he asked cautiously, "Do you mean how—"

"Yeah, the—" She frowned and waved both hands vaguely in a gesture that no one but him would've understood. "Yeah."

So she was all too aware of their status of a "couple" in the eyes of Parisians. It made sense with everything he already knew, but he hadn't wanted to be right.

The phrase she'd used when talking about Adrien resurfaced in his mind: made for each other.

He clenched his fist. She was being pressured on both sides of the mask, towards both sides of Adrien's mask.

"I don't like it," she admitted, "but Chat drinks it up and I guess the public is into the idea of this superhero couple. They see us like celebrities."

"It's not right," Viperion hissed, and Sass would've been proud of it. "You save Paris every week and you deserve to be respected."

"There's nothing I can do about it," she told him, almost in defeat. "Besides, Chat... he needs a pick-me-up every now and my pep talks don't always work on him. He pouted when I brought in a male hero for the first time."

"That's not your fault!" he argued. "Chat needs to be confident on his own. He can't keep relying on you or make you feel like you can't do anything without him doubting himself. You're under enough stress as it is, and—!"

He caught himself, his mouth shutting tight before he could reveal exactly how much he knew. Ladybug blinked at him, seeming puzzled by the outburst but not suspicious at least.

He took a breath, reminding himself to stay calm. Reaching back, he grabbed hold of his lyre and brought it in front of him, strumming a few notes and letting them settle the discordant song that was playing in his stomach.

"My point is... Chat shouldn't be someone adding onto the pressure. That's not a partnership."

Her shoulders relaxed, her eyes darting around as she processed his words. She looked conflicted.

"...I'm sorry," he added, settling his lyre in his lap. "Not for what I said, but—I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"No, no." She shook her head, pulling her knees to her chest. "It's good that you did. I've actually—" Her voice grew quiet. "—been thinking about it lately."

"About what?"

She made the same vague gesture from before. "All of that. There's been a lot going on and it's given me a lot to think about."

He knew immediately what she meant.

"It's... frustrating," she groaned. "I don't like Chat that way. I mean, maybe sometimes he said or did something that I found charming, but that's just—not enough for me, you know? To only feel something like that for a second or two." She averted her gaze, growing distant. "Everyone seems to think we belong together, and... I hate that they might be right."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Well, I'm a hero; a permanent one. I need to be there all the time. Every akuma, every purification, every Miraculous Ladybug. Only I can do it." She hugged her legs closer, burying her face in her knees. "I want a relationship. I want someone to date and be close to, but I can't have it. I'm always running away; always going somewhere with some excuse so I can go deal with the akuma, and I can't tell anyone! Can you imagine how that'd make my date feel?"

He opened his mouth, but a thought occurred to him at the last second that gave him pause.

"You... so you think..."

Once again, he hoped to be wrong. He wanted so badly to be wrong.

But Ladybug looked up, her expression pained as she confirmed, "There's only one person I could be with where it wouldn't have to happen."

His blood ran cold, he felt sick, and the memory of the red string flashed in his mind, wrapped around Adrien's ring.

Fate didn't just tie her to him; it wanted to make her believe that he was her only choice.

Viperion's grip on his lyre tightened, his teeth grinding together behind closed lips as he tried to maintain an aura of calm. He wasn't just angry anymore, he was livid, and he silently wished that the face on the other side of the butterfly miraculous was the universe so he could give it a piece of his mind.

How could you do that? How could you take a girl who's always worked so hard and tried her best, and treat her like she's nothing? No, not nothing, because then at least she'd be left alone. How could you treat her like a plaything, as if she's some prize for a guy to win no matter what? How could you manipulate her to think that everything's her fault, just so she never thinks to fight back against the ones putting pressure on her?

What's love if it's gotten through such force?

"V-viperion?"

A hand falling upon his jolted him back to reality, his head snapping up to see Ladybug there, her pupils shrunken in and her brows knitted in worry. Whatever his face had looked like, it'd scared her.

His first instinct was to feel guilty. He was supposed to be comforting her, not making things worse by letting all of his emotions show on his face.

His second instinct...

He tossed his lyre off to the side, Ladybug's gaze briefly following it until his hands fell upon her shoulders. Her eyes widened, and she let out a squeak as he pulled her onto his lap and into a hug.

The only thing he was grateful for in terms of her superhero status was that he could hug her as tightly as possible without hurting her.

"A-ah..." She seemed tempted to say something, but fell silent soon after and hugged him back, burying her face into the side of his neck. He felt her strength in the way she squeezed him, like she was starved for his affection despite them being in a similar position not too long ago.

He understood. Before, they were tackling her problems when she was Marinette, but Ladybug had never had someone to personally confide in concerning Chat.

She'd needed this.

"You already do so much," he whispered. "You should be allowed to be with whoever you want, and you shouldn't have to settle when it comes to love."

She sighed against him, like she knew deep down that he was right. "You don't know how bad it could get. Some hypothetical boyfriend wouldn't deserve that kind of treatment."

"I get why you'd feel that way," he said, "but I'd hope that this hypothetical boyfriend would know that you're worth it."

Her fingers twitched against his spine. "...You don't even know me."

"I know that you're creative. I know you're smart. I know you work harder than anyone else to keep Paris safe. I know you have a right to feel however you want, and if you think you need to earn being with someone who's not Chat, then you've more than done that." He slid his hand up to squeeze her shoulder. "I also know that you'll find a way to make it work, if you put in even half the care into it as you put into Paris."

"Vi—" She paused, her voice softening. "Luka..."

They stayed like that for a while, the bag of macarons going untouched an arm's reach away. Viperion just held her, sensing that she was feeling out what he'd said and that they didn't need words for it. That was fine with him; her love life was none of his business. He only wanted to help her have the choice to live it.

A breeze blew by, their bodysuits protecting them from the wind chill factor as their hair was lightly shifted by the gentle air. Ladybug stirred, letting out a noise like she felt personally slighted by the wind, then pushed herself up, her hands on his shoulders as she pulled away from him.

"We...we should get back to patrol," she admitted.

He offered her a small smile, noting that she seemed to be in better spirits at least. "Alright." He let her out of his lap, leaning over to the side to pick up his lyre.

He heard her retreating footsteps, along with a light, "You can keep the macarons."

He glanced up at her, surprised. "Are you sure?" he asked, knowing that he was mostly responsible for them not eating all of them. "Is that what you usually do on your breaks: let Chat have them?"

"Oh." She stood awkwardly in place, looking off at the sky before dropping her gaze to the ground. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she grinned sheepishly and replied, "Actually..."

He tilted his head, curious.

She peeked over at him, eyes half-lidded as she told him, "I've never done this with Chat."

He raised his brows, as if that would make her clarify, but she simply turned away from him and started doing a few stretches, clearly prepping to head back out.

Pursing his lips in thought, Viperion turned his back to her, giving attention to the little plastic bag resting neatly on the ground. Even though it was open, the little ribbon that had held it shut was still around it, suddenly feeling more special now that Ladybug had said something so... cryptic.

He looked out at the view they had, then Ladybug, then back at the bag, feeling extremely slow on the uptake as his brain pieced things together based on what information he had.

Then, suddenly his brain supplied: Wait... was this a date?

He buried the thought just as quickly, shaking his head and scolding himself for jumping to that so fast.

"Are you ready to go back to leaping rooftops?" Ladybug asked behind him, her tone light even if she was still in her own head.

"Yeah," Viperion replied, picking up the little bag like it was something precious. Hoping to lighten things further, he then added, "I'm new to this, so I might lag behind."

She chuckled. "You might. Apparently I'm a really amazing hero according to someone I know."

He grinned to himself. Even if she was just teasing, it felt good to hear her compliment herself in a way.

He had just tightened the ribbon to seal the bag back up, listening to the sound of Ladybug's foosteps, when he felt a sudden niggling sensation at the back of his head, or—behind him? He turned, puzzled, then leaped up as he caught sight of a teal wisp in Ladybug's path.

He rushed over as she yelped and tripped over what would seem like nothing according to her. Catching her just in time, he also realized belatedly that it may've been an overreaction, given that she was in superhero form; he could only blame it on reflex.

Ladybug stood up with a start, covering the lower half of her face in shame. "Ugh, that was so embarrassing, I'm sor—"

"It's not your fault," he hurried to say, not explaining further as he grew lost in thought, staring silently at the place where the wisp had formed itself.

He hadn't just seen the wisps this time; he had sensed them. That was new, and he wouldn't have questioned a new addition to his fate sensing had it not been the fact that he hadn't particularly done anything as Viperion; it usually took an instance or two of him using his power for something to manifest, but here...

He glanced up when he realized that Ladybug was looking at him curiously. Debating with himself for a moment, he ultimately trusted his gut and met her gaze, asking,

"Do you mind if I talk to Sass again after this?"

[kagender]

and there is no size fits all for character design either, it all depends on a variety of factors - what kind of setting does this character belong to? do you feel referencing that setting within their design itself is important? what are your limitations - is this character meant to be animated, in what medium? are they just made for static art? how often do you plan to draw them? setting - i think that, if youre making a character that exists in a certain era, a certain type of terrain, a certain country, etc. its good to reference as much as you can, so that the character does not feel out of place in their own world. you wouldnt really see a purple haired girl in a hoodie in some ran down medieval village - unless the point of your story is for her to contrast the setting she has found herself in limitations - i think this is very important, for me, but doesnt have to be for other people. your limitations determine how much you need to simplify the design. think - if youre making a 2d handrawn animation all by yourself you wouldnt really like working with a character that has 20 individual stripes on their face alone, would you? youd have to knock that number down to like, 5, 4, maybe less. otherwise, youre gonna have a lot of trouble keeping the character consistent as they move on screen, or even finishing your work in a reasonable amount of time. and simplicity matters even in a professional setting - your design is going to be drawn by multiple people, even traded back and forth between different studios with how outsourcing has been on the uprise, and 1) you dont want to break the animators hands 2) youre probably working on a deadline, and its gonna be harder to meet when more work has to be done keeping that unnecessary detail in check and 3) the details... theyre gonna get lost between artists, some artists might not be able to follow the characters model precisely, etc, and audience is gonna notice.... ok you get it by now right. i think this is a bit different for rigged animation and especially 3d animation, where you have to model a character only once, BUT with 3d you do need to consider your limitations when it comes to rendering. more detail adds more hours into that process. eek! albeit, i am not well versed in 3d animation all that much. outside of animation, you want to make sure that the design you make is something youd like to draw over and over, there are plenty people who might enjoy drawing very detailed designs.... but some just dont! i dont. which is why you see me making relatively simple designs, i have very bad memory when it comes to character designs that have more than a few elements and colors and i wanna make sure i am able to draw my guys from memory. i think thats a good way to test yourself - can you draw your own character from memory, while keeping them relatively acurrate? TRY IT ON YOUR PHONES NOW!!! uhhh wait this is very long i am just realizing that. post cancelled

unfortunately for everyone, i have character design autism

[softprincesso]

✨HOW TO BECOME A WEALTHY MIDDLE-AGED MAN✨

PT.2: Overview to understanding different saving/retirement methods, investments, and forms of income

2.1 Savings and Retirement

Welcome lovelies to (what I hope will be) a helpful series on gaining wealth and becoming financially literate and independent!

*disclaimer: while this advice can generally apply to many it will not apply to all. Everyone is in a different situation and should do their own research before they take what ANYONE says as fact or law. This is also coming from the perspective of a young, biracial, first generation female business student following a hypergamous lifestyle and who does sw so some advice may be specific to my like-minded ladies, but for the most part I just love money and want to help others find joy in their wallets as well. I am also operating in the US so things regarding accounts, stocks, and certain laws will vary by your country. Also, this is just a fun thing I wanted to do because talking about leveling up and learning and growing and money are my favorite past times. None of these pictures are mine, however I am using some links which may compensate me in some way, but I only used links which were mutually beneficial and would help you gain something as well, they are still just actual sources I use for myself.

✨THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND✨

Financial independence is different than financial confidence.

Financial Independence: “The most common sense of the term is that someone has enough wealth to live as they wish for the rest of their life without having to work.” -Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0611/declare-your-own-financial-independence-day.aspx

Financial Confidence: “We define financial confidence as having three aspects,” says Miler. “The first is awareness of how money can be a tool for helping you reach your goals and dreams. The second is financial literacy and understanding economic factors. The third is trust and knowing where to turn for financial advice.” -Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleyzalis/2018/06/16/women-money-8-steps-for-growing-your-financial-confidence/?sh=2175b65e2468

While the ultimate goal is financial independence, financial confidence should be the main focus. I’ll give an example why. Imagine there are two people: Rhonda and Jill. Both of them like nice things, love to shop, and participate in the occasional splurge. Rhonda works a regular 9-5 and has a decent salary. She doesn’t have much financial knowledge (translation: financial confidence), but she has a savings account at her local bank and puts a couple hundred into retirement each year and she thinks that's enough. Suddenly, Rhonda wins the lottery. Overnight she has become a millionaire, so she quits her job, moves to LA, and goes on to live life to the fullest. She would now be considered financially independent. However, Rhonda has no idea how to manage all that money. She puts a small amount into that bank savings account and takes the rest to do what she will. One day she tries her luck at a casino, in less than five hours she has lost all of her money and has to start back at square one with no job, only a few thousand to get her through, and no-good way to explain to employers that she just wasted the last 5 years spending money on handbags she now has to sell at a depreciated value. (BTW you would not last not working with only a million dollars in LA for that long)

Now, let’s look at Jill. Jill is an independent contractor and has a relatively steady income. She knows very little about finances, but she actively learns how to manage what she has and keeps up to date on the latest money news. The day that Rhonda won the lottery was just another Thursday for Jill, the only unique point for her was that she opened a savings accounts with a high APY (we’ll say 1%) and put in $5000.00. A little later she also opened a Roth IRA and puts in the maximum yearly allowance of $6000.00. Along the way she opened a brokerage account of her own and started trading in the stock market along with investing in real estate which has given her some extra income to play with each year. Unfortunately, another housing crash occurs, and all of the money Jill invested into real estate is gone. However, since Jill learned the skills behind her choices early on, she is knowledgeable and understands the ups and downs of the market and how to invest her money in other places in the meantime. And, that High yield savings account accrued around $50 more without her doing anything and she has that to fall back on, or worst case she can take out part of her principal Roth IRA contribution. 10 years from now Jill should start to see a steady increase in her Roth IRA that by retirement will be a little over 1 million and she should be comfortable and invested enough into stocks that she gains around $200-1000 extra each month.

I think you understand why you want to be Jill.

✨HAVING ADEQUATE SAVINGS = BEING YOUR OWN LIFEGUARD✨

As discussed in Pt.1 the first goal you should achieve is securing an emergency fund that could sustain you for a couple of months if things were to ever hit the fan, and starting a retirement fund should be in your top 5 goals to complete. The saying, “the rich get richer” is popular for a reason. Wealthy people know how to make their money work for them instead of them having to work for money. An easy way anyone can do the same is by opening the right accounts for your savings and retirement.

Savings: 

All of your savings should be in a high yield saving account or split between different high yield accounts. This is an account which will reward you some interest every period for having money in your account with them. This is incredibly easy to do. You can either research/ask your bank about their high yield accounts or do some googling to find some other bank. Then transfer your money and there you go! When looking at banks understand that the highest Annual Percent Yields (APY), or the interest they will reward you, are going to be from online banks because they have less operational costs than a brick and mortar, but they will also come with their own disadvantages, like less ATMs to access or the inability to use when outside of your country so make sure to look into that. IMPORTANT: Make sure that whatever bank you choose is FDIC-insured so if the bank were to ever collapse or lose your money you have insurance up to $250,000.This won't generate a lot of extra cash, but an extra $20 every year is better than $0.

Retirement:

These accounts usually go by your current situation and what you see for your future.

401K: Probably the most known (I believe it’s only in the States but there might be something close to it in other countries) and that’s just because this is what employers usually offer if they offer anything. It is a retirement fund that your employer will set up and you can predefine how much of your paycheck you want to automatically go into it every time. Sometimes, the employers will also have a match program, and if they do you better max out the money they will contribute because that is FREE money! Most advice that I have seen has said to really only focus on this fund if your employer has that match program, otherwise I would focus on one of the accounts below. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/retirement/08/401k-info.asp

IRA: An IRA stands for Individual Retirement Account. There are three kinds…

                         Traditional: This IRA lets you put in pre-tax money and lets it grow tax-free until you make a withdrawal. Once you make the withdrawal that money is taxed at the current rate of your income at the time. Your contributions are tax deductible so you can write them off of your taxable income of that year. There are limits to how much you can contribute depending on your income, status, and whether you have another retirement fund as well.

                          Roth: With this IRA your contributions are taxed, but when you withdrawal money later on it is tax free. For those of you in a lower tax bracket than you believe you will be in the future, this IRA makes the most sense as you will pay less taxes now than you will when you are 59 ½ (The official age of retirement in the States). There are limits to how much you can contribute depending on your income, status, and whether you have another retirement fund as well.

                           SEP: Simplified Employee Pension. This is also an employer-based plan and may also work better for my self-employed gals out there. I don’t really know a lot on this one so I’ll just leave a link you can look into if it interests you: https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/102714/how-does-simplified-employee-pension-sep-ira-work.asp

You can have both a traditional and Roth IRA as long as you are eligible for both. Anyone with earned income (with a job or can prove a steady income) can contribute to a Traditional IRA, however with a Roth IRA, as a single you can earn up to $139,000 and contribute. Personally, if you are just getting started with all of this just set up one IRA and as you learn more you can take steps to get another or switch accounts.

https://www.investopedia.com/retirement/roth-vs-traditional-ira-which-is-right-for-you/

There are a plethora of other accounts, but they are more specialized and the top four should get you started on the right path to saving for retirement. I’m guessing that the majority of the audience reading these are women between the ages of 20-30. Trust me when I say that I love to spend money as much as the next girl, but I also would like to be completely comfortable should anything happen in my older years that screws up my marriage or job, and no one is going to secure that for you.

Also, I’m sorry this is so US-based, but once again it is all I know. I believe IRAs are more widespread than a 401K, but all that takes to find out is a Google search on your part.

Either way, make sure you have a plan going into 2021 for your savings and retirement because this economic whirlwind is far from over and there is always a chance for another recession, depression, or disaster. (Wow O, way to keep the mood light)

This was getting way too long with the investments added so look out for Pt.2.2 on the overview for investments (where the actual fun begins and I can stop being such a stick in the mud)…

VOCAB TO KNOW/RESEARCH:

Financial independence

Financial Confidence

APY

Roth IRA

brokerage account

High yield savings account

principal

401K

Traditional IRA

Once again… if in these posts I ever give bad advice, F- something up, or am just generally ignorant PLEASE call me out! Remember that just like you I am a young woman figuring everything out and while I am confident when talking about money, I am by no means a genius (only in spurts) so any chance to learn I appreciate. I hope you all learned something new today and as always…

With Love,

O