#it's also kinda like a genie in a bottle in a way

[m4itreyi]

kenzie solo 🤭

[derangedanomaly]

I’ve just seen that you did my request and I love it, ty!! (I was the one that requested the weird sleep scenario)

I’d like to request something again, bad sanses + star sanses with a gender neutral skeleton reader that sorta has powers like a genie. They can float, turn invisible, (still has most of the powers a usual sans has) and are very mischievous. The way they can grant wishes is giving someone a marble looking thing and when that person makes a wish, the marble will break and they’ll have to repay reader with something (can be either something shiny or some bones to chew on) they also don’t have a bottle, that’s the only genie thing they don’t have lol

Can i be 💤 anon?

Ah! Hello again anon💤! :D

Yes, that request was quite fun to write! Ok, since there are so many characters, they're probably not gonna be very long, still, I hope you'll enjoy this!

(Sorry for taking so long!)

Au Sanses x Genie reader

(Nightmare, Killer, Dust, Horror, Error, Dream, Ink, Swap)

Nightmare:

Nightmare actually found your powers quiet mesmerizing at first.

He interrogated you about the powers, and pronounced that your powers aren't very much helpful to him..I mean, yeah, you can grant wishes, but what exactly can- OH MY GOD IS THAT THE LIMITED BOOK HE WANTED BUT COULDN'T MANAGE TO GET?!

Keeps you around simply just for granting wishes 💀 (Asshole)

Doesn't really like the way your powers operate, but can't really do anything about it 🤷‍♀️

Please, don't try to scare him by turning invisible, he might just kill you.

Your relationship has a very rocky start...but you both slowly started to get along.

I swear...he has a constant headache just by your friendship with Killer.

He would do anything in order for you two to stop pulling these stupid pranks on him.

Sometimes likes to stare at you while you're floating around. He just finds that really cool. (Bitch is not gonna admit that 💀)

He hates how much he loves you 🥰

Killer:

THE BEST OF FRIENDS

Killer always felt like the odd one among the bad sanses...they all had their own perspective best friend, but he didn't have one.

Until you came along.

Killer's so clingy towards you after you became best friends...

You guys do a lot of stuff together! Many of them include pranking the others though..

Killer keeps on flirting with you in hopes of scoring a date with you. And if you don't get his flirting, then he'll just cover it up by saying that it's just a friendly banter. (It breaks his nonexistent heart though :(

The first time you scared him by turning invisible, he got very angry, until noticing it was you. Then his whole mood shifted as he just laughed it off. (Bro is a simp)

He was, and will be, so confused that you don't have a bottle. Like what do you mean that it doesn't work like in Aladdin?!

He likes to bother you with very useless wishes, "I wish for that remote on the table to appear in my hands." It was in front of him.

Bro is BROKE ASFF!!! His wallet cries after every wish he makes.. he could repay you with something else than money..but he didn't like to give his stuff away.

Dust:

Dust is a closeted nerd...so of course the first thing he does is whip out his book and write down everything about you.

It's his first time seeing a genie. Of course he's gonna ask a lot of questions!

He loves to study you, to the point where you felt like a wild animal in the Zoo.

He's silently sitting on a nearby chair as you grant Horror his wish, staring at you.. studying how your powers work.

It's gotten to the point where you're getting kinda creeped out..

You, at first, thought that he wanted to make a wish or something, but when he denied it just as you asked him.. you got confused even more.

Bro is staring so much that he eventually stops studying your powers, and is instead studying you.

He now notices even the smallest things about you.

Is getting a little obsessed, not gonna lie, but it's cute. So you'll allow it ;)

Horror:

His reaction to you being a genie is actually very wholesome.. (surprisingly). He wishes for his Au to not be in deep starvation..and for them to finally get out of the underground. Basically, kinda resetting everything that's happened after Frisk left.

You sadly can't grant this wish of his, which leaves him sad and angry. But you do give him a giant meat. (Which made his mood a little better.)

You started to feel sad for him after this moment, so you started to talk to him regularly. Which he enjoyed.

Horror's not much of a talker, so he'll just listen to you most of the time.

It's also partially because he likes to listen to your voice.. ❤️

Horror likes the sound that your powers make whenever you grant a wish, so he's always nearby whenever you're granting wishes. (It's just a little bell that sounds off)

Becomes attached to you, very quickly.

Defends you from Nightmare to the best of his abilities.

Horror's the tallest of the Sanses, (my HC) so he'll be so mesmerized when you float up higher above him. He won't lie, he likes this change. Having to look up for once instead of down.

He likes how your powers operate. It seems fair to him. 🤷‍♀️

Error:

He immediately took advantage of the fact you can grant wishes.

He wished for so many things! Such as; getting Classic's autograph, make Ink disappear, have a popcorn maker, wishing for chocolate,...

He actually doesn't like how you can float. He can't wrap his strings around you and pull you along now! >:(

You're getting on his nerves by being friends with Killer though.

After Nightmare, Error's your next target. Every.time.

Seriously sick of it. If he could, he would seperate you and Killer.IN HEARTBEAT.

He really, really.. really wants to hold your hand, but his Haphephobia doesn't allow him to 💀

Please, don't try to scare him by turning invisible. He WILL crash.

Dream:

He thinks that you must carry a big burden on your shoulders, if you're a Genie. So he gets really concerned if anything really.

He tries to pull you away from granting any wishes, every.time.

He's so cute.. dragging you away to hang out with him to forget about your work.

But he does want to see how your powers operate.

Finds it amazing that you can float, turn invisible... everything really!

After your long persuadation, he gives in and makes a wish.

His wish is really sad...he wishes to have his brother and Au back. He wants to reverse time! Which, as we know, you can't do. It's against the rules to change what was already done. So you politely decline, explaining him exactly why.

Dream's a really understanding person, so of course he doesn't mind it or isn't angry.

What was past...is past. What matters now, is that you're here in the present. Nothing else should matter. ^^ (his words)

Ink:

Immediately, Without hesitation, nor any filter, he asks; "Can you make me feel emotions?"

You don't grant his wish -> he sulks.

He's a forgetful shit, so he'll forget that you're a genie at times.

It's like he's on repeat at the start of your relationship. He finds out you're a genie -> wishes to feel emotions -> you decline -> he sulks -> forgets 💀

Be prepared for this at times.

But after knowing you for awhile, he finally remembers and stops asking you that damn question.

He doesn't have much opinions about you tbh. He's seen some shit, so he's not all that fazed from you being a genie.

The part that shocks him the most is that you don't have a lamp. (His reaction is similar to Killer. Bro confused you for Aladdin 💀)

Y'all have a rocky relationship 🤷‍♀️

Don't worry though, after you get to know each other a bit more, he'll cling to you like a Koala.

Swap:

Similar reaction to Dream. He feels concerned for your mentality.

Everyone's always going to you to grant their wish, but Swap's soul is too kind for his own good. Instead of wishing something for himself, he asks you; "What do you wish for?"

You cried that time. (He was scared that he did something wrong 💀)

You started treating him as if he was some precious gold. Which got him flustered.

He treats you as if you were his queen. Brings you food, helps you out a lot... You name it.

He just feels so much love for you, it's unbelievable.

Doesn't mind your little pranks with Killer. He just sees that as your little escape from work. Which he feels happy for. :)

He just smiles softly whenever you prank him with Killer in tow.

He's so patient and kind towards you😭

Doesn't mind you floating around or the fact that you can turn invisible, you're you, and that's something he never wants to replace.

[ghoulgeists]

Character Ask #s 10, 19, & 20 for Destreza, please~?

Since you asked sooooooo nicies... I will spill my facts for you... (and also give you a little doodle)

Everything is under the cut!

10. What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

SO... in brief his story when I made him as a dnd character was that he had been disowned by his fabulously wealthy family for wanting to bring his lover of no renown back from the dead and then pacting with a genie to get his way, and forced to find other ways to get by. After his game fizzled I took the bare bones and put some different meat on em lol!

So in his story as of right now he's still been completely disowned, but it's because he accidentally (on purpose) set into motion the release of an ancient and terrifying genie from her shackles and decided to help her enslave the entire world and then set it on fire, to rebel against his awful parents and potentially save his siblings from the same powerlessness he felt growing up. YES this involves killing his mother and father spectacularly in front of the world, YES that is a part of his good ending. Violence is okay if it is against politicians, for legal reasons I'm just talking about my fantasy oc's parents right now.

I'd like for him to have a happy ending where he bottles up the genie he released and fixes his relationship with what's left of his family, but I also think it would be very fun if he accidentally made everything worse for himself and brought about the downfall of humanity... so I'm of two minds about it! In the meantime though, he's trying not to think about the fact he agreed to let a vengeful elemental spirit destroy the universe and is just figuring out how to love people deeply and honestly.

19. What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

Tbh I have a love/hate relationship with his design and his unique features lol... I love that I made his horns heart-shaped and I think it's a really fun feature, but drawing it or asking other people to draw it worse than torture sometimes agdhdgd... I guess the answer to what my least favourite thing about him is that I maybe made him a bit too unique lmao

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

GODDDDD I miss his game so bad. I miss his game SOOO bad. His group was so much fun, I met them all in person in college and then covid hit so I couldn't hang out with them and the game died... it was a huge hit to me personally so I've been really attached to Destreza (and Artemis, who came before him with the same group) ever since and I refuse to reroll them in another game to. Idk. Avoid moving on lmao. I kinda wanna just ramble about the party and what little bits of wdh we got to play 😭

I think probably my favorite bits from the game were the times I'd crit fail any attempt to avoid gaining a point of exhaustion (the party traveled a lot and he would always fail at least ONE exhaustion roll), or any time he was asked to pay for something and immediately broke out the bedroom eyes to get out of it, didn't matter who was asking. He was also in a weird situationship with a funny elf girl who exiled herself in solidarity with him. They had like zero chemistry but I think they would have banged it out anyway to alleviate boredom.

I have so many fond memories of the other party members despite the fact we only played for like, less than 10 sessions. We had a rogue who kept failing his mind checks (wisdom/intelligence) despite arguably being the most level headed member of the party, a monk(?) who was some retired underground pit fighter... I MISS THEM MAN. THE SERVER IS GONE!! I CAN'T SAY HI TO THEM ANYMORE!! CRIES 1000 TIMES AND DIES

[omegastation]

Once saw someone describe ME as copaganda and honestly... I feel like that's a 100% accurate statement. It honestly dampens my enjoyment of the saga. Genie is out of the bottle, as they say.

Open contempt for civilian agencies, check. Repeated instances where they present fascism as a Good Thing Actually, check. Cops and military almost unilaterally depicted as correct and just, check. Ones like Harkun are treated as merely bad apples and hand-waved away whereas any and all politicians are treated as incompetent at best or outright corrupt/malevolent at worst. Not to mention the whole thing with Khalisah al-Jilani.

Idk. It all just feels so dim-witted and mean-spirited.

There are a lot of good things that make me love it with all my heart, and things that are not so good. I try to do my best to acknowledge the bad stuff and remain critical. So yeah, I do agree that some elements of the trilogy should be analyzed closely because it's kinda fucked-up.

Genie is out of the bottle, I find that the expression explains a lot. Because Mass Effect is a product of its time and place, and /insert the speech from LOTR/ the world has changed. I don't mean to say that it was never this bad, because I think it was, but we now are getting images, videos and live updates all the time showing us exactly how bad it is. We see so much suffering and injustice. And it's us "outside". Some are inside, and they're the ones showing us how bad it is. So... It's harder to see specific themes, stories and characters that are unchallenged. It's harder to see injustice being portrayed, even if the content doesn't always condone it.

I also think we are more critical in general. We are, unfortunately, used to specific issues so it's easier to recognize when they appear in fiction. I can really see that in the way people talk about specific characters. People idolize less, and I honestly think that's an improvement, because idolatry, at least how I see it, is not about seeing characters or stories as they are, but putting them on a pedestal. Characters are complex and flawed, and that's what makes them interesting. Real growth happens when characters change and adapt and rethink their position. Sometimes it means they have to look inside themselves and see the ugliness, and that means we get to see the ugly too. Not only that, but we can also contemplate what is ugly inside us, and see what we can do to change and grow. But not so long ago, before my hiatus, it was really hard to step away from "this character is a god" or "this character is flawless and if you don't see it you're not a fan" and "no no i can't see this issue at all, doesn't exist, lalalala" talk. Now it's harder for people not to see the issue. But the issue was always there.

You talked about Khalisah. I saw a meme on FB recently that says that if we can't hit someone like Khalisah in the new Mass Effect, we shouldn't bother playing it, which to me is 1. disturbing, 2. missing the fact that wars need journalists and reporters, even someone like Khalisah who is not always playing fair. I don't understand the option to hit her. I've ranted about it enough here. If you don't hit her, you get to encourage her and reassure her. It's obvious she's falling apart and she needs to be reassured. One of my favorite quotes in the game is what Shepard tells her: "Keep asking the hard questions." That's what is needed in a time of war. And sure, this one beautiful interaction and line won't take away the fact that some choices can feel mean-spirited but to me, it means it's not black & white. I see the ugliness, I do, but I also see the beauty.

IDK where I'm going with this. I guess that Mass Effect was never flawless and unproblematic, and in a way, I think it's a good thing that issues are seen and we can have a critical look at the worst parts of the trilogy.

But what is very specific to you, anon, is what you can tolerate, appreciate or enjoy. Some parts of the trilogy make me sad and or angry but it doesn't stop me from really enjoying the whole. If you find that you don't get to enjoy it anymore, because too many elements make it difficult to appreciate and it's now a real dislike, don't forget that you can step away. I'm not telling you that you have to do it. You can do what you want, but don't forget that you don't have to force yourself to love something. It's okay to move away from things because you now find them disappointing.

[harrywavycurly]

Eddie Munson x Not A Genie!Reader Part 2: Do you like it?✨

Part 1: Here

Tag List: @storiesbyrhi

A/N: I’m not sure what to call this series/story because you’re not a genie in this series because you don’t grant wishes BUT you do live in a bottle and help Eddie out whenever he needs it, but anyway enjoy!

To say Eddie is overwhelmed is an understatement as he looks around his living room. When he left for work this morning he had a sad excuse of a sofa, a coffee table that was one bump away from collapsing and a normal sized television that sat on an old dresser he used as a tv stand. But when he opened his front door after a long shift at the garage he all of a sudden had a brand new couch that looked more comfortable than his bed, a coffee table with random magazines and a vase full of flowers on it and a tv stand with a giant television sitting on it along with your bottle that had the lid off it letting him know you were somewhere in his apartment.

“Oh good you’re home!” Your voice is bubbly as you walk out of the kitchen with a cup of iced tea in your hand. “How was your day?” You ask as you hand him the glass and begin taking off his jacket for him so you can hang it on the coatrack by the front door.

“Uh it was good.” He answers making you smile as you grab his free hand and lead him into the kitchen. “You’ve been uhm…busy I see?” Eddie feels his eyes go wide when he looks at the table and sees its full of all his favorite things to eat.

“I didn’t want to seem useless while you’re at work and your couch wasn’t very comfortable so I replaced it but then it didn’t go with your coffee table so I had to replace that as well and next thing I knew your whole living room was…uh well what it is now.” Eddie doesn’t know what to say as you pull out the chair so he can sit down. “Do you like it?” Eddie hears a hint of nervousness in your voice making him turn his head so he’s looking at so you can see him nod his head and give you a smile.

“Yes it’s uhm…it’s great I just…how did you do all of it?” He asks as he watches you begin to make him a plate, that’s when he looks around the kitchen and notices your redecorating didn’t just end in the living room, he has a brand new refrigerator and oven as well as a whole new black plate and bowl set.

“I just make things appear…I figured you like the color black so picking the colors for your new dishes was easy…I almost picked pink but didn’t want you to be upset.” Eddie knows you’re joking by the way you giggle to yourself as you scoop some mashed potatoes onto his plate. “Just wait till you see the bedroom.” Eddie raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his tea you handed him when he walked in the front door.

“You redid the bedroom?” You just smile and nod as you put a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on his plate. “What does your bedroom look like?” He doesn’t know why he asked but he’s been curious as to what the inside of your bottle looks like since you appeared in his living room two days ago.

“Oh uhm…that’s kinda private.” Eddie can’t help but enjoy how your cheeks go a little pink as you politely tell him to fuck off, in your own way of course. “Maybe one day I’ll give you a tour.” You add, worried your previous answer was too rude.

“That would be cool…uhm so mashed potatoes and a peanut butter and jelly with a side of…Mac and cheese huh?” You grin as you put his plate in front of him and take a seat in the chair next to him.

“I also made apple pie and chocolate pudding for dessert.” Eddie can’t help but feel a sense of joy as he looks at you, it’s as if your emotions are so strong they overflow into whoever you’re near and right now you’re extremely happy. “Oh I’m sorry…let me just get that for you.” Eddie rolls his eyes as you reach over and begin cutting the crust off his sandwich.

“You don’t have to do that.” He mumbles but he knows it’s useless because you enjoy doing things like this and he for some odd reason wants to keep you happy so he just sneaks a look over at you and smiles when he sees the look of pure joy on your face all from cutting some crust off his sandwich.

[mossadspypigeon]

this is a little harsh but I agree w you that people need to see the evil death ceremony that hamas did. I know the families didn’t want it to be shared but the genie’s kinda out of the bottle on that. the footage is everywhere. last night cbs news ran it unedited and explained what the labels on the coffins said. it’s terrible but the world should see it. why are we helping them hide their crimes? Yarden wants the world to know how his babies were slaughtered. the world needs to see how they celebrated that slaughter too.

💙 thank you. unfortunately it has to be told and talked about. it can be done in a respectful way. in fact, talking about it IS a way of honoring both the victims and the survivors, by not hiding what their perpetrators do or have done.

also i have some shit to say no one will like again lmao so SORRY YALLLLLL:

the entire thing with the bibas family seems complicated and like a difference of view between yarden and his extended family.

like this:

“yarden and the family”…hmm. the family WAS officially told. now that yarden is back from captivity, he is the one informed by official channels, not his extended family. the government does not have an obligation to inform ofri or the cousins or extended family now that yarden is home. family officially means yarden. he is shiri’s husband and kfir and ariel’s father. aka immediate family. that is generally how it works. in his absence, the extended family would be told.

i think we need to keep in mind that we dont know these families intimately. they are our community because we are in the same tribe, but their relationships and dynamics could be more complex than they seem at first glance. 🤷 yarden said he wanted it told and posted about it as well. his family doesn’t really have the right to negate his word. they are doing so from a place of agony and mourning though, so i understand. they are also shiri’s family. that is why i say we don’t know them personally or what may be going on (i dont mean that as a dig against the family btw). who knows too, yarden could have reconsidered his original statements and that’s okay too. we don’t actually know.

the thing i also understand but still don’t personally like is that every statement made by the extended family has, in some way, blamed the government vs hamas. i empathize with their pain, but i also take a step back. it is very clear that hamas targeted our more peacenik border communities for a reason. they studied israel and knew who many people would hold responsible.

so i fully respect the entirety of the family and their views (i can respect and disagree etc. complicated feelings what what), i just keep some things in mind when i read their statements while trying to walk a cliff’s edge between what i share to spread the truth vs respecting their wishes. they don’t deserve to be hurt anymore than they already have.

i will also wait for more to come out directly from yarden himself.

💙

[system-comforts]

Hello again. this is the same alter as the previous ask about the host (it/its) being absurdly far in denial. I appreciate your kind words, a lot. I really do. I just am still in a bit of a mess. I’m not sure if it will ever accept what I am and I am afraid of what may happen if it does. I have tried damn hard to get it to accept what I am, but no luck. The amnesia makes it even harder.

There is a reason I’m the only alter. It has been incredibly hostile to the idea of being plural for a very long time. In-part because being plural would be a massive problem for what it wants to do. It’s not hostile towards the idea of plurality in-general, just that it is plural. it found out today that both of it’s partners are plural (it knew about one, the other told it today). I worry that if it starts to accept what I am, that it will try to get rid of me. either by pushing me out, or merging, or whatever.

I’m considering taking some kind of drastic option. I already kinda did one (which I massively regret doing), but it just does not remember me doing it, despite or because it is kinda very similar to major abuse that it has gone through… I wasn’t thinking at the time. I don’t know how to make up for it, but I guess that’s just my cross to bear since it just doesn’t remember me doing it. Now, the other drastic option that I’m thinking about is reaching out to one or both of its partners and explaining the situation. It has told me that if I do that it will try to get rid of me, and that’s also just a genie that can’t go back in its bottle. If I do that, I would definitely need to go about it in a way that uses the amnesia to my advantage, but it’s still a massive risk.

The other option that I can think of is similar to how its girlfriend found out she was plural. With her, she basically had friends that noticed how different she would be in arguments. I have come around multiple times in arguments. But my problem there is that it is obscenely non-confrontational, especially around the people that would notice the difference between it and I. And also, there was a point in time where I was in front when its girlfriend was visiting in-person, so I don’t know if she would notice anyway.

I don’t think it will accept me without some kind of drastic measure. It already went through the phase of questioning if it was plural, and came to the conclusion that it is not. That question from a few months ago about alters not knowing languages was it! I don’t fucking know it’s second language (which it is fluent in), or the tiny bit of the third language it was trying to learn. But, it no longer considers itself to be questioning, despite me taking front multiple times, with it noticing. We talk whenever we’re both around. less than we used to, but we still do. Fuck, we’ve talked about this specifically, and it is still in denial. It knows I exist and has actively interacted with me. It just is deeply in denial about what I am.

But… part of me does wonder if me going away is the best case scenario anyway. Or just going back to more of a peanut gallery role than what I am now. Me existing is genuinely dangerous for its future plans. It’s not really feasible that I be around for, really any significant part of its life. I kinda have my own goals and wants, but they’re not nearly as developed as they could be. I barely have my own voice. I just haven’t had the chance. I don’t even know what I like to do. But I’m not sure if that really matters anyway. It will probably try to get rid of me at some point.

Like I said, there’s a reason I’m the only one. It is extremely hostile to the idea of being plural. To my knowledge, I am the only time it has ever given the chance to split, and that was a complete accident. It probably says something about how healthy it is that it split literally as soon as it got the chance. It would probably resent me at best or hate me at worst if it stops being in denial. I warn it whenever it starts to get in the mindset of possibly splitting again (which has happened a few times recently. it’s not doing very well, but that’s a different thing). Even though it’s in denial, it must know on some level because it listens. I just… I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with this fucking mess of a wolf in the way I do (it’s a wolf therian too. that’s a whole different thing). I love that wolf, I really do, but fuck me this situation is a mess.

I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what will happen if it stops being in denial. I’m afraid of what happened to any past alters if there were others before me. I’m afraid for its future. I’m afraid of it resenting or hating me.

Sorry for this being so long and disorganized. I just needed to get it out somehow, and I don’t have a lot of good options at the moment.

Hi there, anon. We appreciate hearing from you and always welcome those sharing their hardships.

I think it's understandable to feel how you do. Not feeling welcome or recognized is difficult. It can affect our self esteem and really bring us down.

I don't think there is any "right" way to prove your plurality to someone. Also, I was a bit unsure from your ask, but it seems like you have talked to the host quite a bit. Like it mentioning it will "get rid of you" if you talk to it's girlfriend. Importantly too, no one can "get rid of" system members, they may go dormant or be difficult to reach, but they can't go forever, particularly through coercion. How does it explain being able to speak with you while also still claiming to not be plural? I'm curious if this point might help them be more accepting.

I also think that sometimes people don't feel ready to accept their plurality, or they aren't in a situation where they can explore it. You mentioned how it feels that being plural could be dangerous for its future plans. What kind of plans? How might you be able to help in these plans? How could working together make you all stronger? I'm curious if that anxiety and other anxieties are what are holding it back from being accepting of their plurality. Ultimately, speaking with a professional may also be very helpful regardless.

I wish you the best navigating this situation.

-mod pluto

[repldemiurge]

Four months.

The honeymoon period feels like it's over - and July was kinda teh suckz0rs in general. Not even related to gender stuff, it was just a kinda bleh month. I couldn't really see or feel any physical differences since the end of June, which is frustrating. That's not to say I'm having regrets or second thoughts, God no. Just that HRT has become daily life I guess.

Meanwhile, I've been having this nagging feeling of a catch-22 where I'm kinda stuck between:

A) Feeling like I'm not even a human being anymore - just a tgirl, and whatever aspects of me that are outside of my gender are difficult to express, or feel hard to engage people with. (Didn't fucking Halimede make a good post about this???)

B) Being myself obsessed with my gender presentation, in no small part because I relish the attention and support that I get for talking about my gender

I think this is a pretty fake problem outside of my head, but it does leave me stuck where I want to just bombard people with talking about being a girl, because I'm socially rewarded for it, but also feeling awkward that I have nothing to provide to my relationships besides being a girl.

This probably speaks more to more general social issues I have, and the desperation, hell, borderline obsession,,, I tend to approach friendships with. I still have a lot of self-image problems with feeling like I'm too intense, come on way too strong, and impatiently overcommit. I feel so, creepy all the time. I'd avoided this issue for the previous couple years by just...not really having friends? To no surprise, having friends is universally better, but I wonder how capable I am of being friends outside of only. Being trans at people.

But ahhhhh I like being trans at people! And people are very nice and positive to me when I am! And heaven knows I'm addicted to hearing about other people talk about being trans!

A very tense situation.

It's all exacerbated by me breaking my longstanding "no net only friendships" rule, but I've met some like. Miracles of people this year, so. No putting that genie back in the bottle.

Good news is I at least have gotten better about being someone who messages first. Folks seem to dream about people like that, so I can internalize that fantasy I suppose. And I've gotten more comfortable with different people's responses to it. Some people take my message toy and are very playful and conversational, I just have to get the ball rolling. Others take it and just slow blink at me, but I think it's still appreciated. These are both fine and good.

This doesn't really feel like it has anything to do with HRT anymore I've kinda lost the plot. Oh well. Classes start up again at the end of August so hopefully that structure will help me organize my time a little bit better, when compared to this incorporeal July

[blueikeproductions]

The reason why gender is such a mess in IDW is mainly because of Simon Furman stubbornly refusing to let go of his old Marvel G1 belief that the Transformers should be a genderless masculine presenting race. Which, I'm sorry Furman, but you can't put that genie back in the bottle. The girls exist, and it doesn't do you any favors to throw a tantrum and do weird shit with Acree's origin every time Hasbro forces you to write her.

Oh I’m acutely aware, I was there at ground zero, but my problem in IDW was less Furman, though he didn’t help by introducing Arcee as the result of a forced gender reassignment procedure, it was the countless retcons and asterisks other writers felt compelled to fix and only made it WORSE. It would’ve simply been better to just let Arcee’s trans roots be ignored and instead focus on having her become a better character, something IDW did at least attempt but I don’t know if they succeeded.

Like to Furman’s credit, the comical Prime’s Rib at least still showed Arcee to be strong, smart, and capable (what the feminists in story CLAIM they wanted), with most of the humor being Prime trying to appease stereotypical feminists and only making them angrier because they could only see Arcee just being pink and having an interest in men (because she did show an interest in Hot Rod). As much as some don’t want to hear it, the story aged all too well because of the current hyper political environment we’re stuck in now, with even stuff like IDW and EarthSpark being somewhat the result of appeasing radical groups rather than being entertaining to all ages and groups. And IDW lost the license, and EarthSpark had failed on all fronts, only sticking around out of a weak desire on Hasbro’s part to have something on for the 40th anniversary. They’ve otherwise moved on to TFONE and Arcee in Skybound is having a much better time.

I do think Furman may have let it go though, he wrote the Terrans just fine in EarthSpark’s tie in video game, and the tangibly related to Transformers in concept, Astrobots, that he writes, features several main female robots who are strong, capable and smart. Their origins in their race not being dwelled on beyond some handwaved human involvement if I recall correctly.

I do understand his confusion, why do a race of robotic beings who don’t sexually reproduce need females in THAT context, but having them in general doesn’t seem to be an issue beyond that to him. The problem remains is he dwelled on it too long, explained it in a jokey way in Marvel UK that honestly was pry the best way to explain it back then in THAT universe, then tried to explain it in a cooler sci-fi way in IDW and got backlash from EVERYONE that it seemed to have humbled him enough. That said, some ideas are still clung to via Earth Wars, where he gleefully makes fun of both Dreamwave & IDW, and kinda rightfully so in SOME areas. Deathsaurus, with the threat of being sent to Dreamwave’s universe, is horrified at the idea (probably didn’t want to be drawn by Pat Lee among other things). The Prime’s Rib story having a spiritual successor where the Autobots find Melody has written romantic fan fiction about Drift & Prowl, and while they say as a species they don’t romantically pair off and poke holes at the Conjux terminology they don’t even have, they don’t really have too much of an issue with what Melody was doing. If anything they were more confused why she paired Drift with Prowl, and then playfully teased a clueless Prowl about it. Melody is also the main Autobot ally in the game and she and the Autobots get along just fine too.

[pureiceblue]

If you could have weird custom controllers for your games what would they look like

THIS IS THE PERFECT ASK.

I am basing most of these off the really weird controllers for PC games because they can get more wild than the ones for console. Just look at the Barbie Genie Bottle Controller.

Lily's Well would have an entire fucking well with pressable bricks that relates to each action. So there's an examine brick, check rope, take, etc. Of course there'd also be a number pad for the two instances where you need one. You probably have to crank the well controller before going down the well too. It'd be stupid and great.

Lost Cartridge Cold Read is a tougher one. I think I'd go with a controller that looks like the payphone. Like the Lily's Well controller it'd have buttons that correspond with actions, but it'd be cool if the actual phone could produce static noises if a chaser was about to spawn. There could even be exclusive controller user only scares. (Yes this is just The Calling for the Nintendo Wii)

I Cannot Drown is getting the virtual boy headset. It's the only way to make the game even more nauseating to the senses. (I kinda regret putting though nausea frequencies in the game)

Allegrezza Harmony is getting a big old girly keyboard plug-in toy. This is the only true way to play visual novels.

[partygirltune]

TUNDE IMANN WRITING CHALLENGE DAY 4 🐉🤓

Prompt: Genies must return to their lamps once their masters make their third wish. Normally this is not an issue, but one genie and its master have struck an unlikely friendship that has lasted several years. Two wishes have already been used up, and a dire situation will force a choice to be made. (WP: from Goblin_Crotalus on Reddit)

In the land of Kanekalon, genies, fairies, werewolves, vampires, and dragons live in “harmony.” By harmony, I mean they decided to drop the beef after a 1000-year war. I kinda get it, you know? If I were practically immortal and you stole my gold, I’d hold a grudge for a millennia as well. Emin Romyln was a young (100-year-old) vampire from a city in Kanekalon called Rose Trench. He and his best friend, Mo Genie (every genie in Kanekalon’s last name is Genie and they all share a common ancestor, but we will expand on that another time).

Emin and Mo met when Emin was just 100 years old and finally reached maturation. To celebrate his birthday, Emin journeyed out of Rose Trench to…

On this journey, he met a merchant with an extensive collection of ancient goods from the time before peace in the lands. When he saw the gold “tea pot,” he was drawn to its energy and just knew it was meant to be his. The merchant educated him on the… and let him know that it wasn’t a teapot but actually an Al Lamp. Basically, a vessel that can contain a magical being that grants you three wishes.

Emin was overjoyed about his find, as he wanted to find herbs in distant lands that would help his bewitched mother back home. A “random” sickness fell over her, and she was slowly deteriorating. Nothing other than magic seemed to be the cause, and even the family’s most trusted high priestess, Sana, was stumped on how to reverse it.

Emin’s mother, Clarissa Ayla Romyln, was the most beautiful dragon in all of Rose Trench, some say in all of Kanekalon. When she married his father, Kiran Romlyn, beings from far and wide came to see their holy matrimony. Even though the beings live in peace, dragon blood was still sold on the black market to vampire elites. This marriage was a testament to a new era for Kanekalon. Many disapproved of the pair; dragons hated the idea of one of their own—a jewel in their community at that—being with a vampire, let alone a Romlyn. The Romlyn Crest, before revamped (see what I did there 🤓😏), was a symbol of death and fear to many beings, especially dragons.

Giving myself only 45 mins sucks because I really want to expound on this too. Like, the ideas that are coming to me are so good. I’m thinking Emin and Mo travel together; they become best friends from the journey, and I already have plot twists in mind. After Emin finds out Mo goes back in the bottle after 3 wishes, he refuses to use the third one. And that’s why Mo accompanies him on the journey to find Cato but also just things along the way that break the curse put on his mother.

Lore: Emin enjoyed watching Sana work; she was an ardent student, and books were always being delivered to the castle. Her master was none other than Cato Michiko, the oldest mage in Kanekalon. He spends his days in the mountainous region called Madina. He’s the type of man that isn’t found unless he wants to be, and Emin is the type that is relentless and accomplishes EVERY goal.

[pyrocortex]

Having just completed the barbenheimer double bill I have some initial thoughts

The first is that the experience is peak cinema. The rest are mildly spoilery so they're below the cut.

My near immediate thoughts on Oppenheimer is that alot of my almost critisms are kinda muted (for lack of a better word) by the fact the film was called Oppenheimer. It didn't delve nearly as much into the more board strokes of the Manhattan project (like Los Alamos itself, or the bombings, or the people who suffered and died due to the three bombs he directly oversaw, or the long term impact of mass nuclear proliferation) but also... The film wasn't called the Manhattan Project, or Los Alamos, or Trinity, or Little boy and Fat man, or Nuclear Fallout or any other number of titles that would indicate a focus on the nuclear aspect of the second world war. It's Oppenheimer, a complicated biopic about a complicated man that begins some time in the 1920s and ends some time in the 1960s and is alot more about the man than the war he "won".

Not that this renders the movie free from criticisms on that front. Honestly I feel the movie is maybe too gentle on the man and his apocalyptic body count, and is probably not as strongly anti-war as the movie thinks it is, especially without any examination of whether Japan would have surrendered without the bombs. Plus the additional angle of "making a biopic about Oppenheimer that glosses over the real people his invention hurt" is, while a choice that makes sense on paper for the sake of keeping the movie right and focused, does take away the weight of what he did.

Then again, as a friend pointed out, having the only presence of Japanese people in the movie be nuclear irradiated corpses would be in poor taste at best and probably qualifies as exploitative at minimum. Plus, as Truman (or at least, Oppenheimer's Truman) points out, Oppenheimer and his team may have built the bombs, but he (Truman) ordered them dropped. Raises the question who deserves more blame, the man who builds the gun, or the one that shoots it?

Honestly I think the movie did an impressive thing in making me both sympathize with Oppenheimer's reasoning for building the bomb (once Fission was achieved, the obvious application for the energy output being a bomb, the Einstein-Szilard letter only doubling down on this fact, it being viewed in 1942 not as a question of whether nuclear bombs would be built, but who would build them first the Americans or the Nazis (Oppenheimer, a Jew, really understandably would rather it not be the fucking Nazis)) and also have me lose that sympathy as the Trinity test neared (once Germany surrendered, it felt like the "arms race" excuse was lost and the reason Oppenheimer kept going was just pure momentum, especially as the humanitarian concerns built and built and built). And in the end, Strauss was probably right about Oppenheimer, he was a man trying to put the genie back in the bottle without regretting having let the genie out in the first place. Complicated man, not necessarily a good one, but one that maybe I understand after watching the movie.

But that end scene... It gave me fucking chills make no mistake. Even if the rest of the movie probably didn't quite have the strength of that scene's conviction.

As for Barbie... She's everything.

No seriously, while with Oppenheimer I'm having complicated thoughts about whether it's possible for that movie to be truly anti-war if it never shows war, or anti nuclear proliferation if it never show a single victim, with Barbie I'm just like... Hell yeah this is cinema.

It probably also shares some of Oppenheimer's flaws, not quite going all the way when it comes to its themes but also shares the fact it was made with buckets of talent, buckets of money, and with an infectious love of movies as an art form.

Possibly I'd have more thoughts about Barbie if that had been the movie I'd seen first, and had more time to stew on it, but as it is trying to understand a Nolan film might have fried my brain for the day.

Broad strokes though: loved the camp, loved the singing and dancing, loved the humour, loved the heart, loved the examination of gender and society, wish it was more queer, wish it had more bitting critiques of corporations, Barbie is everything.

[saivii]

Omg you're doing music asks too

How about 15, 18, 20, 30?

i basically wrote some mini essays bc there are a lot of songs i love shfjskl

15. “this woman’s work” by maxwell is a cover that i really like. for a long time i didn’t even know it was a cover!

18. ooh 1999 was a pretty good year for songs. i think i have to go with “genie in a bottle” by christina aguilera but i have to give honorable mentions to all star by smash mouth, no scrubs by tlc, and i want it that way by the backstreet boys. i’m lowkey bitter that hanging by a moment by lifehouse was released on fuckin january 1 of 2000 bc i love that song and it’s so close to being a 1999 song 😭 there’s also a funny song called “hey leonardo (she likes me for me)�� which is basically the singer humble bragging while making a bunch of references to late 90s/early 00s pop culture lol

20. “i just wanna stop” by gino vannelli sounds like it could either be about someone thinking about how everything in life ends eventually, reminiscing over a breakup, or mourning someone who’s passed away. there’s also “american pie” by don mclean, who won’t say what it’s about (and it’s so cryptic that i feel like it could be about almost anything lmao)

30. ohhh man this is hard bc there are a lot of them…on the one hand i’d say the songs “grey street” by dave matthews band and “calendar girl” by stars bc of my experiences with depression but on a brighter side “video” by india.arie kinda reminds me of myself because i’m reminding myself that perfection isn’t realistic and i’m realizing that imperfection can actually be beautiful! y’all should listen to that song, it’s kinda healing 

sorry ik i was supposed to pick one song and i picked several instead 😅

these are super fun to answer, so feel free to send me more if you want! 😊

[spectershaped]

My current evaluation of Astro City is that it's not quite what I'm looking for but it's got a lot of merit to it and I think it's at least gonna be interesting to delve deepersee where it goes

I think Busiek is at his best there when he's not in full-on Morality Play Mode (especially given the grating tic of casting the eye of judgment upon ordinary downtrodden folk and also the extremely 70s/80s obsession a number of superhero comics writers have with the specter of Gang Violence and Looting)

It's just, like... in terms of storytelling "registers" or modes or whatnot, the quasi-mythic, anything-goes larger-than-life superhero zaniness kind of scrapes against the social realism stuff with a dull whinge for me. Like, you have this storyline where an attorney tries to use the anything-goes nature of the universe as a defense:

And the thing is that it kinda... doesn't seem to go anywhere with this? The story focuses more on the attorney himself and his attempt to grapple with a situation there seems to be no way out of other than basically becoming the Mob's underling, and I think it's really clever to juxtapose those two senses of the ordinary systems of justice no longer holding sway or maybe never having really done so; but by the end it seems like it's become a nonissue? Maybe in the next arc there's gonna be something, but the narration seems to imply that the boat more or less righted itself in the end and people's doubts subsided, which isn't, like, an incorrect way to end a story but it just feels like trying to put the narrative genie back in the bottle

I very much like bits and pieces and elements of AC - I especially love, quite predictably, when the ordinary and the extraordinary touch in ways that leave both kind of transformed - but I continue to feel like there's something missing there

[clickbeetle]

rating my stepfather’s whiskeys

jack daniel’s tennessee honey: my favorite that i’ve had so far. it has a nice sweetness that i like, that’s not too overpowering. it balances out the sharp spiciness of the alcohol. i could drink this straight (in small doses ofc because i like my stomach and brain cells)

small batch 1792: kinda just tastes like fancy cough medicine. not much to say about it. i’m sure it would be better if it were mixed with something, but that can be said about most whiskeys, in my experience. i’m no expert.

templeton midnight rye: somehow stronger, yet also blander, than 1792. but not in a bad way. at first, it tastes like nail polish remover, but then that faded away into a kind of strong nothingness. this would be the best one to mix, especially with something sweet. it feels like the taste is purposefully missing something.

idk what the fourth one is but it’s in a glass bottle with his last name on it. maybe just a personalized bottle? i looked it up and it’s not an actual brand. idfk what this is. i don’t even have anything to say about the taste. it has the taste of whiskey, the burn of whiskey, idk its kinda just Whiskey and that’s it. nothing special. this one must have spawned into existence by a genie or something after my stepdad asked him for a drink.

petsitting for my parents this weekend so i’m stealing my stepdad’s whiskey like a teenager

[vulpes-ferus]

What can one expect if they were to throw their character at Miyako? Mischief? Death? <.< What does her tarot card readings entail?

Well, the short answer is: it's really about what the other person wants out of the interaction, whether it's a one-off scene, or a long-term RP.

Allow me to elaborate!

What I mean here is... while Miya is her own person, she's very much meant to further things for other people/provide a catalyst for others' stories! I'll start with - no death. (Unless, of course, someone wants to kill off a character? I doubt that, however, lol!) But mischief of all sorts - I sort of assume people are somewhat familiar with fae, and stories of fox's trickery, and trickster gods and spirits... and she's right up that alley for those tropes. Mischief, trouble-making - illusions, charms, seduction, abduction?, deal-making, spells, maybe potions even? I haven't thought about those...but rooted in nature-magic! Very chaotic-neutral, with dark tendencies - kitsune are accused of not only being harmless tricksters who use human guises to goof on people - but also of possessing people, and seducing people to devour their souls in real world tales, so...why not here, too? In XIV, I imagine it sort of translates to seducing people to try and snack on aether. Though, again, that's dangerous and obviously not something I want to cause OCs like...lasting harm with. Just angst. Also, only with consent! She also doesn't have to be successful! Or maybe you make her a better offer - or a more amusing one, or intriguing one... we're playing with fae/fickle-nature-spirit vibes, so you never know. Offer her something ridiculous, maybe she'll think it's neat and want to keep you around! Though that might also prove a problem...

Or just bully her? IDK, maybe it'll work. I hear kitsune have to keep their soul safe in a little ball/gem, after all. Sure wouldn't want harm coming to that! She doesn't have to be the antagonist! Others can be her antagonist if they want - whether it's because you know the tales of kitsune/nogitsune, and you don't trust her! Or because she's conned you, or hurt you, or you sense her aether is weird, or you spot her fox-tail while she's masquerading around in public and call her out on it because YOU know the stories, or maybe you're just a plain old villain, yourself! ....there are legitimately countless ways things can go with her - there's no saying interactions can't end up relatively friendly, too (especially if you're pretty attuned with nature, yourself)!

I'm always willing to toss her out to be a supporting character in others' plots - be it an antagonistic role, or otherwise.

Another fun point - she's been trapped for centuries! The world has progressed a lot...she's going to be pretty confused about a lot of stuff! That's totally an opportunity for lots of different interactions! Maybe she'll have a soft spot for whoever helps her figure out the modern world.

tl;dr she doesn't have to be the one with all the power in the dynamic - the tables can readily be turned if you're clever! She's old, but has spent longer in her magical prison, than out of one. There's a lot she won't know. (Do I want to say 'just think of Loki'? I mean, she's a trickster, but she's not really evil - but it doesn't mean you won't get hurt, either.) - I did, as mentioned on her LFRP post, have in mind a potential plot idea for someone finding whatever magical prison binds her - offering for a unique relationship with whomever the person/people are that do the releasing... or don't do releasing. Maybe someone finds her who slaps another magical restriction on her from the get-go (or tries to...). It's literally all up to what others want - but realistically, if there's no interest in that point, I'm willing to just jump into RP and say that the magic on the bindings finally faded and she freed herself.

The tarot section is under the cut, because I'm taking forever and this is a long post!

Tarot

I own several decks! I may have her offer up which deck the other person wants to have cards read from (I'll have to get pics and post them here maybe...), though I'm certainly more familiar with reading certain of my decks, than others...though that means more practice for me, personally! I'll probably keep readings from 1-3 cards per question (I'll probably keep it to one question at first, and see how readings go/how long they take), considering a bigger spread can take a long while to really write out in a scene - though it can be taken under consideration to do longer readings...hell, maybe a scene even calls for more of an insightful read. I figure that the 'how' of contacting her can be made-up on the fly, as well - I've long had the idea of using her apartment as a sort of...well, naturey pocket-dimension? The person could be idly strolling through the forest, wishing for insight one moment, and be in her bower the next! Or maybe it's intentional, and she's called on at a shrine. Or just call for her out in the woods. How does any tricksy magical creature just so happen to show up to appeal to exactly what you want/need in that moment? It probably involves being in something that could be considered her domain...so somewhere in nature, temperate forests in particular. Or even a garden, I imagine. She hails from out East, naturally, though I fully intend for her to be rather drawn to the Shroud... how could she not be? There's a lot of room for creativity, there. (If I do readings I'll also be down to send pics of the spread to the individual, if we're connected in some fashion out of game - ie Tumblr, Discord.)

The short of it? If you want to meet her, we can make it happen. She can turn up just about anywhere, and will want to go mingle in public and see and do and try new things, as well!