#just as a grounding technique

[spoonie-girl-next-door]

[syn0vial]

another headcanon i have for "alan fishes tronzler out of the poisoned sea and brings him to the user world" AU is that, because the grid was devoid of any natural textures, such tactile stimulus is useful for pulling tronzler out of traumatic flashbacks where he thinks he's back on the grid again.

basically, imagine alan noticing tronzler starting to disassociate, and then just very gently and concernedly placing a pine cone into his hands. and it works

[dawnthefluffyduck]

I think i doubt my ability to work faster under stress too much

[temscraft]

the world building, foreshadowing, character development and storyline of parkour civilization is genuinely so fucking good

[dchuntress]

breathing exercises stress me out even more if i'm feeling anxious or having a panic attack. am i stupid?

[remncntss]

just fell to my knees thinking about gwenmiles forehead touches post-fights where they’re breathless and exhausted and it’s not safe yet to take off their masks but they need that reassurance the other is okay. it’s a moment all to themselves

[skeletalheartattack]

[antrea]

just looked over and saw the silliest frosty faceoff

[gammaraydeath]

WHY does self confidence need to come from within. it's! so! hard! to! do!

[the-mountain-flower]

Spoiler warning for the webcomic Aurora

So I've had this theory for a while (since somewhere during early/mid Daybreak page releases) abt Erin's tattoos in relation to how he uses magic that was more of a headcanon than an actual theory, until in a reread I noticed smn. (Bear with me, it's a little long bc I tend to over-explain to avoid misunderstandings 🫠 and also I got excited)

So Erin usually touches his tattoos when using magic, right? Which can range from grabbing his arm to just with the fingertips for a second before casting.

This makes sense in the context of another theory I've seen going around- that I agree with so far- that Erin's tattoos are a sort of disability aid. That they're there to assist with something like malformed or incomplete magical links.

So it was strange to me when I noticed that Erin did the same thing when using Void magic. This isn't something that is applicable in the same way his tattoos are, as his void-connection is something done to him as opposed to something he was born with, and there doesn't seem to be any indication of disability in that particular aspect.

This makes sense from a characterization standpoint, since he's used to doing it and it makes sense he'd resort to that habit, especially for a type of magic he's never used before. But it got me thinking.

While we haven't seen many examples of mages using tattoos outside of Erin, it doesn't look like touching them is required for casting the same way he does. It's also interesting when you consider that we've seen rune tattoos on the forearm, wrists, and hands as opposed to a specific area. That, in combination with how it looks like magic links work, makes me think that the placement either doesn't play a role in how the tattoo channels magic OR that it does so differently depending on where. Adding to that, why would touching the tattoo be necessary when it's already there on the skin?

Furthermore, it's established (mainly here, also implied here and here) that Erin touching his tattoos is necessary for his spellcasting.

Now the detail that got me thinking about this while rereading: when the Void Dragon is possessing Erin, he doesn't touch the tattoos before casting. And while it's possible that he does and we just don't see it onscreen, it seems odd that throughout both sequences where VD is using Erin's magic, we don't see him do this, or even any indication of it. Which is interesting when you consider that he's directly influencing Erin's actions through his soul, and when casting, through his magic links.

Now, if the action of touching the tattoos is what enables Erin to do magic, how come VD can do it through the same channels without doing that?

My theory: it's not physically necessary for using magic, but mentally necessary. It's possible that Erin uses the action as a sort of grounding technique, which makes perfect sense if these are something that is directly linked to maintaining or stabilizing his magic. The tattoos make it possible, while the action of added contact while spellcasting makes it easier. It's something that he has associated with doing magic, and without it it takes longer or significantly more effort to make it work.

Any thoughts?

[screambirdscreaming]

Thinking of the number of artists I've seen people go crazy for on tumblr, who I've also met at local art fairs,

And also the amount of grumbling and complaining I see about going to craft fairs and finding them to be full of just stickers and acrylic charms

And so I must give you this advice: go to really bougie art fairs. Do it. Will you be able to afford anything there? Probably no, maybe a print. But you will see SO much cool art. And often get to talk to the artists also! If you do any kind of overlapping craft yourself, or just ask in a friendly way, people are often really happy to talk process and technique and inspiration. It's great. I've learned so much cool shit this way.

The REALLY swanky art fairs will charge for tickets just to get in, unfortunately. Sometimes it's just a suggested donation though, and there's at least a few annually near me that are actually free.

Presumably it varies what kind of shows are around, and you probably need a big city nearby to have any luck. But see what you can find!

[charaunderwood]

taking a neighborhood walk while listening to the pikmin 4 credits music and looking at the way sunlight filters through tree leaves is singlehandedly keeping my joy and whimsy alive rn, would totally recommend if you're able

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

Packing ice cubes in an insulated bottle to attempt to schedule the near-inevitable dissociative episode today. We deal with trauma LATER when I don’t have MEETINGS.

[dailykugisaki]

Day fourty-one | id in alt

Kugisaki looks so wack Everytime she's not paying attention, she's thinking of shopping, meaning a friend or a third more sinister and bad thing.

[middlechildwhoescapedthebasement]

It's a have "A Lost One's Weeping" on repeat kind of day

[phagodyke]

never stops being funny to me how everyone at the gym assumes im FAR more competent than I actually am without question. went to a roped sesh w one of my clubs bc they asked for novices to come along so the ppl training for the climbing qualification could get some hours in teaching ppl the basics & I wanted to learn. two climbing friends ask me if I've memorised the handbook for the assessment yet and are genuinely surprised when I tell them I'm not on the course. the instructor running the qual course (again, who I'm friends with) goes around and points out who's on the course and who's here as a novice to the assessor who had just dropped by, gets to me and goes oh yeah you're on the course too right? nope. then he goes ah but still they're a competent climber. nope again. pure novice. literally here bc I don't even know how to tie in and belay mate, u know that bc you've rope climbed with me before and had to fill out a supervision form bc im not signed off!! theres not even that many ppl DOING the course i dont know why he associates me with it. the first time I rocked up at one of the rope sessions the same guy (who, btw, has a hyperfixation on climbing safety & gear and is a fucking stickler for it & calls literally everyone else out abt it!!) asked if I could lead belay him - IM NOT QUALIFIED. TO LEAD CLIMB LET ALONE LEAD BELAY!!!!! then today they move on to gear and everyone is surprised I don't have my own belay device or harness. IM NOT SIGNED OFF. TO BELAY. I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW. THATS WHY IM HERE. I EXCLUSIVELY BOULDER. YOUVE NEVER SEEN ME DO ANYTHING ELSE. WHY WOULD I OWN ANY ROPED GEAR???? also bear in mind I'm a solid 10-15 years younger than the instructor & most ppl doing the course like where the hell are u getting this impression from guys 😭😭