#like i literally mean it as WHO THE FUCK WAS I TRYING TO BE

[the-silliest-stiltwalker]

WHAT THE FUCK. ME TOO. I LITERALLY GOT INTO A TRIBUNAL AT MY LOCAL ARMORED COMBAT CHAPTER BECAUSE OF THIS. THE DOCTOR WHO STYLED RANDOM DECORATIONS??? A WALL OF FUNKO POPS?? CATAN??? BURLESQUE BUT LIKE, BADLY DONE NOT SUBVERSIVE AT ALL JUST A STRIP ROUTINE WITH SLIGHTLY EDGIER MUSIC???

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERES MORE OF THESE PEOPLE.

There was a couple who my other friend met at a local comic con and felt they were neat and I got introduced. We all got along well and they would occasionally come to my practices (it was an open invite, we practice at a local park we have permits). They didn’t participate but started making knight/queen/king jokes and I’d always wanted to try poly, so I figured why not, right?

Turns out the why not is they, without my knowledge, both kept extensive records of how much time the other spent with me. Exactly how many texts we spent each other, the dollar amount for my dinners/drinks/ubers, including the time we spent during coitus and how long it took each of us to climax.

The ended up culminating as I brought my armor to their apartment to sensually repair (leave me alone armor is hot okay) and their son walked in and said I needed to leave because this was about to be an ugly fight. The son who to my surprise existed! The son who apparently was not kept away from this!

I walked out, only to be bombarded with texts and calls including actual spreadsheets. I noped out of this all and completely blocked them.

Only to be met by my battlemaster that some rando on instagram had been accusing me of fucking their dog. So.

They blocked everyone, cut contact and fled our local area so maybe you met them!

I don't know why this keeps happening but I keep meeting toxic heterosexual couples who experiment with polyamory and are heavily into funko pops, board games, Disney princesses and Burlesque stripping and the man is always a withdrawn bearded dude and the woman is always a passive aggressive control freak with an Etsy shop that sells lawn gnomes styled after Dr Who characters and they don't really even seem to like each other but they're always exactly the same. this has happened four times

[mimiiiiiiiiisstuff]

Girl I have so many questions about your story it’s actually ridiculous!

(I don’t want to overwhelm you though so imma hold back)

is reader becoming a snake person a reference to snakes preying on bats and birds?( and will the snake being joker’s be important?)

Is Tiffany going to have to put effort into pretending she’s the ✨perfect sister✨ now that reader obviously isn’t going to do jack for them anymore? (Because ungrateful families don’t deserve muffins 😒)

Is reader going to be a hero or villain, or maybe something in between?

will we be able to get an idea of why the batfam treats reader like they’re some sort of pest?( you’d think they’d be more careful since reader could easily expose their identities if they thought about it 😒😒)

and finally.

Tim had a very…different…reaction to reader ‘framing’ Tiffany- is that important?

-🚚

yay ok this is my first like real ask! Yall have been making me so so happy with all the love! It really encourages me! And don't worry about overwhelming me! I can take it :) i'm answering this and then signing off to go to bed because I have the worst flu ever.

Ok so yes! Reader becoming a snake-meta-person does have to do with snakes preying on birds, honestly that was a little easter egg for funsies. Im glad you caught it! reader's gonna eat those hoes up !!!!!!! ( and they'll lock her up right after)

Tiffany will for sure try to imitate reader at first but that will eventually lead to her downfall! she can only keep it up for 6 months and then she'll be discovered. she can't imitate the genuine love and care reader puts into these things so they'll always be off no matter how much she tries. the batfam will end up realizing what they lost and do whatever it takes to get it back.

And yes, the snake being the Joker's will be important bc he's the joker and is so fucking insane that even his snake has to be special! all powers have consequences and these will be heavy. it will put reader through it, but will really shape them as a person.

Im leaning more toward reader being a hero??? but with the snake being literally radioactive it might be a kinda venom dynamic. im still not too sure tbh. with all the angst and neglect and the troubles of being a teen, she might be a bit of an anti-hero! she might pull a jason (ironic, i know) and go around killing all the villians!

the thing about the batfam, is that they don't even realize what they're doing to the reader. they literally see her as irrelevant so they don't notice their neglect or how much it affects reader. she's not even on their minds enough to be perceived as a threat. the only ones purposefully being mean are Damian and Jason, Damian because he sees reader as less than/ a threat and Jason because he is trying to push the reader out his life and not 'taint' her innocence.

Tim's reaction is different because he's suspicious. he thinks he would've noticed if reader was capable of doing something so sneaky and underhanded. he's the only one who is suspicious because he simply doesn't think she's smart enough to do this. he's gonna be the first to see Tiff's true colors.

Goodnight yall!!! i'll be back tmrw morning! keep sending more asks! I take requests so if you have any ideas you want me to write just send them in! I'll yandere platonic or romanitc. SEND THEM IN!!!!!!!!

[parker-artio]

It was 13°F (-10.6°C) this morning. I’m from the north-eastern area of the USA. New Jersey is up here too. And it makes me wonder- is Bruce one of those people who can go outside in this weather with just a tshirt and pants? Jason? TIM??

So consider this:

It’s -7°F (-21.7°C) at night while Patrolling Gotham. Bruce is okay, the batsuit is thick. Jason is having fun, it’s cold but he’s used to it. He grew up in Crime Alley and would stay outside more than inside. Tim is okay, he ran around on rooftops as a kid. He’s great. Steph is having so much fun running around and seeing her breath.

Meanwhile Damian is complaining about the cold, sure he can withstand it easily, but that doesn’t mean he likes it. Cass, much like Damian can withstand the cold, but isn’t sneaking around or being as stealthy because her suit isn’t super thermal.

Dick is used to the weather having been living in Gotham since he was 8- but he still hates it. He definitely regretting not putting a cape on at least one of his suits.

(Duke is going to patrol during the day when the sun it out and it’s 16°F (-8.9°C) and that’s practically T-shirt and shorts weather.)

Like imagine they’re trying to stop a drug rink on this cold ass night:

Bruce: is everyone in position?

Damian: I’m frozen

Jason: shut up. Yes I’m in position.

Tim just wanting to mess with Damian: it’s not that cold, I’m actually sweating from moving too much

Steph: same

Damian contemplating killing everyone else: fuck you too

Dick who hasn’t moved from the same spot next to the Laundromat where the dryers are blowing hot air: it’s not that bad?

Barbara literally in the clock tower: yeah it’s nice and toasty

Damian: I hate you all

I was just outside yesterday in a tshirt and jeans in 16°F weather (-8.9°C) which definitely didn’t help my cold but it made me think of this.

[nvr-pass]

uugh can we stop trying to squeeze everything in a dichotomy already? (condolences to op, this is more @ the additions)

yes, there is a trend in media that is concerningly similiar to targeted advertising. media is treated more and more like a product(/"content") and less like art, and that sucks!

okay. that's no reason to act like "thinking about what you audience will think" is in and of itself the enemy of art. miyazaki's approach is cool and should be respected but there are many many other way to make art. you can make art that directly adresses the audience or plays with the audience's expectation, maybe using it to mislead or directly opposing it to create a certain effect. the concept of symbolism kind of relies of the audience bringing their own associations into the piece. meticulously planning when what information is revealed to build tension is technically "caring what the audience will think"! and it's basically the foundation of readymade sculptures! putting a urinal in an art gallery is not marketable, it pissed people off. duchamp's fountain is an influential piece that inspired unending discussion about the nature of art and if you take audience reception out of the equation your missing the point of the piece entirely. adjusting your piece to get a message across or piss certain people off does not necessarily mean you care about its marketability.

this is all in line with empowering artist who want to whatever the fuck want, whether that includes incorpating audience reception or not! both approaches need people engaging with new and unfamiliar art pieces on their own terms!! yes!! herein lies the call for audiences to be conscious of their own approach to media, which i also agree with. if you're whining about stuff not being tailor made for your comfort, you need to examine if you approach media as art or as content. stop consuming and start connecting with something.

the enemy is marketing. (again, correctly identified but unnecessarily associated with "caring about the audience"). authors are usually not in charge of marketing. this push is coming from the production companies, who care about what the audience will think because it affects profits. this struggle between creators and producers in the media industry has been going on for literal decades. (alex hirsch posting the ridiculous production notes disney gave him about what jokes were "appropriate" were everywhere at some point.) most authors very much would do whatever they want without worring about marketability, but unless they are as successful as miyazaki and can found their own production company, they have to put up with their producer pushing changes in the interest of profit. if anything, recent trends indicate that we're losing that fight, because huge companies have all the money and artists need to make rent.

there are of course creators who do this on their own, in which case they are kind of both the producer and the creator and are fighting against themself. usually it's either to suck up to the system by self-censoring before they can be censored or it's small creators who do actually have to do their own marketing. especially if your relying on social media and get numbers thrown at you all the time, it can be hard not to slip into the producer mindset. but if you're working on a passion project: please dont try to win capitalism at the same time. let the creator win.

you can't always tell who's a gleefull capitalist and who is just trying to make rent but on a societal scale it sucks to see this development. and it sucks that we let capitalism do this to our art.

tldr; kill the producer in your brain that tells you to be marketable! but also ... telling artists to be themselves will not make capitalism disappear from the industry.

fuck an "intended audience" how about we normalize engaging with new and unfamiliar art pieces on their own terms

[hanniebaeee]

Disagreements

Hyunjin x fem!reader

Warnings: kisses? Other than that, nothing!

Genre: established relationship, fluff, angst

Summary: Hyunjin misses an event important to you, and an argument ensues. He says something he didn't mean, and he'd do anything for your forgiveness!

You stormed into the apartment, throwing your bag on the kitchen counter. The door shut behind you with an audible thud, and you heard Hyunjin sigh before he opened it and stepped inside. 

“Baby, I said I was sorry!” he exclaimed, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and desperation.

“Hyunjin, do you even know what you’re apologizing for?” you snapped, crossing your arms and glaring at him. 

“For -” He gestured vaguely at the air between you, eyes darting everywhere but your face. “For not being there?”

“You stood me up, Hyunjin! You missed a work event I’ve been talking about for months - one I explicitly told you was important to me!” Your voice cracked, and you hated yourself for it. “It wasn’t just any event - it was my event, and you didn’t show.”

Hyunjin’s shoulders slumped, his hand running through his hair in a frantic motion.

“I didn’t mean to, okay? I thought my shoot would -”

“Your shoot? Oh my God, why is everything literally about you all the fucking time?! You couldn't have made it work, for just once?!” Your anger boiled over. “Do you have any idea how…of course you wouldn't, because I am always there. I never leave you hanging. And you just take me for granted-”

He winced, his lips parting to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he scratched the back of his neck, eyes darting around like he was searching for a hidden escape hatch.

Hyunjin usually got away with everything. He was so used to being babied by you that this sudden outburst was scaring the hell out of him. And he really didn't have an idea how to work with it. 

“God, you’re impossible,” you muttered, turning away. “You don't even try, do you?”

Hyunjin stiffened. Because now that wasn't true. He tried. He really did.

“Is that what you think?” His words rushed out so fast, he couldn’t stop. “You really think i don't try? Oh my God! How could you say that?!”

“You proved me right, Hyunjin!”

“Babe, this was one time -”

“It's literally always-”

“If that's how you feel then maybe you should just  break up with me.”

You froze, a tear trickling down your cheek. And the silence was suffocating.

Hyunjin blinked, looking absolutely shocked. His eyes went wide as if he had only just registered what he said.

“No, wait, no -” His voice cracked. “That’s not - oh my God, I didn’t mean -”

And the sight of you staring at him with wide, tear-filled eyes - your lower lip trembling - killed him. 

You said nothing. Nothing. And that? That was Hyunjin’s undoing.

“Oh my God,” he gasped, his face contorting as he covered his mouth with both hands. “Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.”

A sound escaped him, a weird mix between a sob and a wail, and before you could blink, he launched himself at you, wrapping you in his arms so tightly your face collided with his chest.

“I’m sorry!” he bawled, voice muffled against your hair. “I didn’t mean it - I swear I didn’t mean it. I’m such an idiot! Oh my God, baby please don't hate me! You’re perfect, and oh shit, this is a disaster -”

“Hyunjin -” you tried, voice muffled by his shirt.

“God, I hate myself!” he cried, pulling you even closer. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I said break up?! Who says that? Who even thinks that?”

His sobs grew louder, chest heaving against yours as he clutched you like you might disappear any moment.

“Hyunjin -” You sighed, hands moving to rub slow circles on his back. "Breathe, baby."

“I'm such a horrible person” he wailed, lifting his head to look at you with tear-soaked eyes. “You’re comforting me when I’m the one who hurt you! Why are you so nice?!”

You stared at him - this gorgeous, ridiculous golden retriever of a man standing in your kitchen and sobbing  - and you couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up from your chest. It burst out of you, uncontrollable, even as tears welled in your eyes again.

Hyunjin froze, his brows furrowing.

"Are you laughing at me?” he asked, sniffing because his nose was running from all the crying. 

“You're such an idiot!” you wheezed, clinging to his shoulders for balance.

“That’s not fair,” he whined, pouting as his bottom lip jutted out dramatically. “You’re supposed to be mad at me. I deserve it.”

“I was mad at you,” you said, calming enough to meet his gaze. “But then you just…baby stop crying, please, ‘cos now I don’t know whether to kiss you or roll my eyes forever.”

“Can you do both?” He sniffled, his pout softening into the faintest of smiles.

You reached up, cupping his tear-streaked face as you said, “You’re lucky I love you, you big baby.”

And before he could respond, you pulled him down, kissing him firmly enough to silence whatever self-deprecating comment was surely on the tip of his tongue.

When you pulled back, he gazed at you, eyes shining like you’d just handed him the moon.

“You hurt me, Jinnie, so yeah, you're still in trouble,” you said, arching a brow. “But maybe I’ll forgive you. Eventually.”

He beamed through his tears.

“Eventually sounds pretty sexy to me.” he said with a shrug. 

“Don’t push your luck, Hwang.”

Hyunjin watched you closely as you got ready for bed. You can literally hear the gears turning in his head. 

Hyunjin’s grin widened as your eyes met, the sparkle in his eyes returning with alarming speed. You climbed into bed narrowing your eyes because you just knew that this menace wasn't going to leave you alone till this whole fight was out of the way. 

Hyunjin couldn't sleep through a conflict. You loved that about him, because any disagreement was sorted by bedtime and your home was so damn peaceful because of this one thing. 

“So…you said eventually?” He asked as you settled on your side of the bed.

“I did-”

“So, if I kiss you a few more times -”

“If you think your soggy kisses are -” You didn't finish that sentence because he obviously attacked you right there. 

“ - say, here” He leaned in, brushing his lips against the corner of your mouth. “and maybe here-”

His lips skimmed the edge of your jaw, lingering just enough to make you shiver

“Do I speed up the timeline?” he asked, and you really wanted to smack him across his gorgeous face. Oh you did. But also, you wanted to grab that very face and kiss him senseless. 

So you bit back the smirk that was threatening to show up, tilting your head ever so slightly.

“Do you think flattery is going to work on me right now?” you asked. 

“Not flattery, babe. Strategy.” His voice dipped into that low, teasing tone he knew you couldn’t resist, and his hands slid down to your waist, pulling you closer until your bodies were pressed together. 

You narrowed your eyes again, ignoring the way your pulse quickened.

“Hyunjin, seriously, your seduction strategy is just bullshit.”

His laughter rumbled against your chest.

“Okay, first of all, I personally think it's working just fine. And second, you’re dodging the question. Do I get forgiven faster if I make you feel like the goddess you are?”

His lips were already moving again, trailing slow, deliberate kisses down the side of your neck.

You tried, really tried, to maintain your composure, but his mouth found that spot just below your ear, and a traitorous little gasp escaped you. 

“Jinnie -”

“Mmh?” He hummed innocently, his breath warm against your skin. His hands roamed lazily up your back, sliding under your shirt. “You were saying?”

“I was saying -” You inhaled sharply when his teeth grazed your earlobe. “You’re not getting off that easily.”

“Oh, trust me, I wouldn’t dream of getting off easily.” he chuckled, his lips curving into a devilish smirk. “But I can definitely make this more interesting.”

Leaning down, he nuzzles your nose like the puppy he was.

“I'm so sorry, angel. I tried. I really did. Even Chan hyung did. But some things are just not up to me…I hate that, and I know you don't deserve it. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” he said, his voice soft. 

“I know baby…I know,” you whispered, your fingers tangling in the fabric of his shirt. “And you're  already working on it, so-”

“And how am I doing?” He tilted his head, eyes twinkling. 

“You’re at a solid…” You pretended to think. “…six out of ten.”

“Six?!” His jaw dropped in mock offense. “After all that neck kissing? I’m hurt.” 

You shrugged, biting back a grin. “Step it up, Hyunjinnie.”

“Oh, you asked for this,” he growled playfully, rolling you over so that you were under him in a second. You yelped, holding onto his shoulder tight. 

He hovered over you, his hair falling into his face and his grin as wicked as ever. 

“Ready to upgrade me to a ten?” he murmured, lips brushing against yours. “Because I'm going to grovel. And you're gonna wish I didn't.”

You laughed, looping your arms around his neck.

“Oh groveling sounds good.”

“Oh, baby,” he purred, closing the gap between you. “Challenge accepted.”

Divider: @saradika-graphics

Tags: @moonchild9350 @velvetmoonlght @eastjonowhere @pixie-felix @sailor--sun @chancloud8 @captainchrisstan @hansmic

[evelyns-envy]

𓂃୨ 🎀 ୧𓂃 daisuke smut hcs 😼

overview! - you and daisuke love having competitions to see who can last the longest... if 'ya know what i mean ;)

warnings! - SMUT, pegging, other crew members overhearing daisuke get fucked out of his mind, multiple rounds, seeing who can last the longest, and idfk how to do ts

• young, and COMPETITIVE.

• likes to try and see who can last the most rounds/climaxes

• since you’re both young, there’s a LOT of stamina between you two

• it depends on the day on who wins said competition (it’s usually you 💋)

• you two probably start out with a heavy make out session, most likely w you palming him through his jeans bc he’s so pathetic

• he cums once from that, and then the fun begins 😼😼

• now… riding him is a whole other story

• writing your name with your hips, while making sure to not stop bouncing

• daisuke is a whiner, whimperer, and sheet grabber argue w the wall

• he’s meeting your bounces halfway as he makes the prettiest and most ungodly noises you’ve heard

• he finishes like twice from you riding him, and he thinks it’s over and you’re tired

• *comically loud incorrect buzzer*

• pegging the mf.

• daisuke literally isn’t even on earth anymore. moans and whines play like a broken record as you stroke him in time with you thrusting into him

• he’s mumbling “wait- nghhh.. shit slow down- mmmm..”

• fucking him absolutely DUMB

• at one point you do slow slightly, but he looks absolutely fucked out of his mind and you can’t resist speeding up (if that’s possible damn)

• hitting his prostate on every thrust

• cums once more from the pegging, and it was is first dry orgasm

• lowkey concerned abt why no cum is coming out lmfao bro is not experienced (argue w the wall once more)

• pulling out of him slowly, and wrapping the EXHAUSTED boy in your arms

• shyly asks you to explain wtf happened on the last orgasm

• you have to tell him what a dry orgasm is and bro is astonished

• he eventually grasps the concept and his eyes suddenly go wide

• “i just realized that these walls are really thin…”

• realization sets in that everyone on the shit show of a ship js heard daisuke get fucking wrecked

• oopsies (he cannot show his face again omfg)

(hehehehheheheheh i've never actually written smut i apologize if these are a wee bit questionable lmfao forgive me)

[esoanem]

Unlike the Leviticus verses, which do have legitimate linguistic oddities allowing other good-faith readings (albeit ones spoken against by the extreme consistency of the traditional interpretation of it prohibiting male homosexuality), the Corinthians verse is extremely hard to interpret any other way without extremely tortuous reaches

The Corinthians verse was almost certainly originally composed in Greek, and we have the relevant text. The two words in question are:

μαλακοὶ malakoì "effeminate ones" (literally "tender ones", and well attested as meaning "receptive sexual partners", especially homosexual ones, i.e. "bottoms"). Given

ἀρσενοκοῖται arsenokoîtai which is the one with a disputed sense because it's a hapax legomenon only found in this verse

That said, it's constructed in a readily understandable way that doesn't leave much latitude for interpretation

The first component is ἀρσενο- arseno-, the genitive stem of ἄρσην ársēn "male"

The second component is κοῖ- koî-, a stem of κεῖμαι keîmaI "to lie"

The last is -ται -tai, the nominative plural of a 1st declension suffix, almost certainly -της -tēs, a masculine agentive suffix (i.e. "-er"), but strictly also possible is -τη -tē used to form various feminine abstract or instrument nouns

As all the other nouns here are masculine, and refer to people, the masculine agentive is almost certain

The sense of κοῖ- koî- as sexual seems pretty certain given the exact parallel formation of ἀκοίτης akoítēs "husband, male bedfellow", and the regular feminine counterpart ἄκοιτις ákoitis "wife, female bedfellow" (both with the alpha copulativum ἀ- a- "together")

So we have a form roughly translatable as "male-fucker". I'm principal this could be a "male-[fuck-er]" (i.e. a male person who fucks) rather than [male-fuck]-er (i.e. a man who fucks males), but ἄρσην ársēn isn't really used as a prefixed adjective in this way, meaning it only really makes sense with ἄρσην ársēn as the object

As such, it can only really be reasonably interpreted as "one who fucks males"

Given that it immediately follows μαλακοὶ malakoì which appears to refer specifically to bottoms, it seems extremely likely that this is intended to refer specifically to tops (who were not generally subject to much prejudice in Greek society, and generally understood as just normal, possibly explaining the lack of other attestations). Even if not interpreted that way, it seems that it would have to be interpreted more broadly as gay men in general (or potentially anyone who fucks men, including women who peg men)

Whenever I've seen people try to defend alternative readings they don't even bother to actually provide an alternative analysis, and instead just throw their hands up at the fact it's a hapax, but if you are aware of one I'd be happy to see it, because as I say, it really does seem pretty unambiguous to me

[woolywerebear]

we do the same intracommunity discourse every month and its really annoying so here's my spicy hot takes

i don't think anybody is going out of their way to maliciously 'make therianthropy into a trend'. even if it is just a phase and all the tiktok therian kids grow out of it, so what? and also, i don't think the kids over on tiktok would so much invest money and effort making masks and such just to spite and mock us.

i don't get the animosity towards the gear and quads trend on tiktok actually. i think its cute, some of what people come up with is awesome. communities on social media develop their own little subcultures and so on. tiktok happens to be focused around gear and quads, hence why that content is more popular. do you think tiktok have wet beast wednesday? /lh

this is solely because i saw some dumb shit on a therian confessional account but no, we are not under attack by people doing fucking "furry roleplays" and we don't need to be defended by you. fuck you talking about 💀 also furries are based why are you trying to beef with furries. those are like our cool older cousins. furries get behind me.

every good faith alterhuman identity is valid actually. even if its influenced by neurodiversity or mental illnesses. even if its just for fun. there isn't one way to experience nonhumanity that makes a being more 'legitimate' than any other identity.

your validity shouldn't hinge on how much you suffer. you can enjoy being nonhuman. it can be silly and fun. if your own experience with nonhumanity is painful and you have awful species dysphoria then i have lots of sympathy for you but that doesn't mean that should be the standard for everybody else. sometimes people just see a thing and go 'that's me' and that's fine.

"i'm a therian but this is too much" or "i'm a therian and we know we're human" speak for yourself. i am a bear. also, antis see us all the same. othering yourself from 'cringe' members is pointless and they won't like you any more than any others.

the line between voluntary and involuntary identities is arbitrary. labels are opt in. it's also none of your business why somebody identifies the way they do. exclusionists need to mind their own business and gatekeeping terms is really cringe.

term discourse is stupid imo. its literally not your place to tell somebody they should be using a different label because "techically it fits better". labels are made for people to describe themselves, not for you to impose onto other people.

'i despise those uwu cutesy therians who are making my identity into a trend." where have i heard that before. you probably would've said the same thing about nonbinary ppl and gnc trans men a few years ago.

"don't call yourself a kinnie it makes you sound like you're KFF." found the lord mayor of frown town.

i understand misanthropy to a point but no, humans are not a 'plague on society' and calling any group of people that is fucking weird and suspect, point blank period.

personally i don't care how long you've been in the community. i don't care if you're a greymuzzle. it doesn't make you objectively right about things or mean you have any sort of authority over newer members.

i'm not even gonna comment on the packer discourse because that's how stupid and nonsensical the whole thing was. just please stop throwing life ruining accusations at people.

you don't need to experience shifts, species dysphoria, believe in past lives, or have a 'deep intrinsic connection' to an animal or anything else to be a therian. you are a therian if you identify as an animal. i have chronic apathy so i physically can't have a 'deep connection' to anything and i don't experience dysphoria or shifts and i don't believe in past lives and i'm still a bear because i say i am. there are no rules. promise.

notice : these are all personal opinions. i understand that people are bound to disagree and so i am happy to engage in a polite conversation with beings but i will not accept rudeness or hostility and i will block people who purposely take anything i say in bad faith.

[artsninspo]

COUNTERFEIT - one

➨ rio's library - good girl nbc

「 ✦ full library & archive ✦ 」

🍒 author's Note: back with another story! this is a multipart story. formerly known as cherries. it's a mix of the drinks series and forgiveless. Rio's more 'gang-friend' in this one. Enjoy ♥️

🍒 pairing: Rio (Good Girls) X Faith (Original Character) All my characters are black women.

🍒 word count: ~1.7K

🍒 summary: bad days lead to bars, friends, drinks and strangers.

🍒 one ~ cherry margaritas

If one more person calls me ungrateful I don't think I'll ever stop screaming. I shoot my sister a glare and her voice catches in her throat leaving her mouth open with words that will be left unsaid. Traitor. My anger is clear as day, and Char knows better than anyone that I've reached my limit. Amber, our ‘friend’ stops too looking up at me as I stand. I didn't invite Amber over for an earful, I invited her over for support. For fucks sake. The stare down comes to an end when Char closes her big mouth, swallowing.

“Faith” her tone is what it should have been all along but its too little too late. The call comes again but I'm halfway down the hall and to my bedroom. I walk into my closet angry at myself for thinking my sister would back me. I grab a coat and slip into a pair of baggy jeans. I kick my pumps from this evening's date night aside and grab a monogrammed bumbag.

“Faith” Amber says, wearing on my thinning patience.

“What?” I respond, casting a look over my shoulder.

“It’s not that we don't think you're great - I mean of course we do your the life of the party, you're so smart and funny”

“I’m glad I provide entertainment for you Amber” I respond and she places a hand on her chest. I brace for the perpetual state of victimhood that follows nice-nasty and outright mean.

“I didn't mean it like that!” Amber says. Whether it's fact or fiction makes no difference to me - my goal was to shut her up and when her nostrils flare I know I've achieved my goal.

“Don't be like that Faith, Jason is – being bored isn’t a reason to leave him. He literally worships you” Char continues. I wish her position was disappointing or surprising but it’s what I expect from Char now that she's been fully indoctrinated by our mothers social climb. Years of private school, country clubs and tennis lessons have her disillusioned.

“It’s fine, I don't expect you to understand” I snap, pushing past the both of them. 

“Where are you going, do you want me to come?” she asks, eyeing my casual attire.

“No, finish the wine and talk about how ungrateful I am” I respond slamming the front door to our condo. I rush to the elevator hoping they won't follow me and call a cab once I'm in the lobby. The wait is less than a minute. I turn off my location, blocking my sister, Amber and Jason for the night.

I’m too young to be so stressed, I've felt like I've been drowning for weeks as Jason turned the intensity up in our relationship in all the wrong ways. Trying to become bffs with my mother and Rick. Talking with the future, talking about expectations and children and houses. Why would anyone think I would sign up for a lifetime of the one I didn’t choose. The one Ma laid on her back and threw away everything she knew and held dear for. I’d never so eagerly trade my autonomy. I rate the driver five stars for the much appreciated silence and smile as my feet touch the pavement. I smell cigarettes and weed as patrons partake outside the bar. I can see it’s busy when I head in. Unlike anything in the heart of the city D’s place is truly one of one. Traditional wood counters, stools, a pool table, a jukebox, booth seating on one side, open space in the middle and a few table configurations for those who want to sit and talk. Everywhere is full tonight and it makes me happy for my friend as I head to the bar a man getting up to give me his stool. I look around for Diego smiling when I find him.

“Hey” I wave, and he comes over with top shelf tequila.  Smiling at my presence he makes a show of making my favorite drink a cherry margarita and tops it with five cherries. “Thanks” I beam saluting him before my first sip. “Perfection” I wince and he laughs.

“What’s up?” He asks and I chew on one of the cherries pushing the rest of them into the liquid in the hopes they absorb some of the liquor.

“Nothing much, I can help you bartend if you drive me home…” I suggest.

Diego dries a glass. “I don’t get off until three” 

“It’s fine” I shrug while having another swig.

“Doesn’t Jason usually get tickets to the big games? I was looking for you court side” He asks, looking up at the mounted TV in the bar.

“We broke up” I confess and he frowns, pausing his task.

“What’d he do? Do I need to fuck him up for you?” D asks, ready for war.

“Nothing, it just wasn’t going to work.” I admit taking another cherry. D gives me an unsure look before manning his bar. I watch the clock run out and drain the liquid from my glass, then I get behind the bar and get to work. Diego and I grew up together on the same block as kids. He spent a lot of time with me and my sister before the whispering started. People thought it was poor parenting to have him sleeping in a room with two girls. D would’ve never laid a finger on us. He moved away when I was ten and we reconnected after college. He became the big brother I never had. Now, he has his life together and I’m the wreck.

Time goes by when you’re having fun and D and I are an excellent team. Working, being busy, accomplishing something and being around D is grounding for me. There’s nothing we want from each other or hope to gain from our association and honestly it’s refreshing. D really has put everything into this place and it’s a pleasure to help him keep his patrons happy with good drinks and excellent customer service. It’s a sausage fest and the flirtation is harmless. Almost all of them are regulars and regular guys here to drink a few beers and watch the game. I make a show of eating the cherries from my glass gaining an audience, extra tips and looks of disapproving amusement from D. It's harmless rebellion, the kind of thing that Jason would spend hours scolding me for - not understanding I’m just joking around. Having a bit of fun. D’s bar is the kind of place that would make Jason itch. There’s no VIP seating, back room or slipping someone extra money to get better service. Honestly that behaviour may lead him to a black eye and pressing assault charges for his uppity ways. The thought makes me smile as the patrons file out,  I have so many tips there's no more space in my pockets so D gets me a jar. 

 By the time it’s three AM I’ve forgotten all about my breakup. D and the security clean off the tables and put the chairs up. I get the mop ready and clean the floors to save them from sticky floors when they come in later on today. The bell rings and the door opens to three men walking in. I wait for someone to tell them we’re closed but no one does. The tall slim one in all black sits at the bar and the other two go into the back. My heart rate slows as I look around for D, when I don't see him I keep my head down mopping until D comes from in the back. He greets the man and pours him something top shelf.I continue mopping until I see Diego motioning for me to come over. I do and he looks nervous. He hands me his keys. “Go wait in the car” he says handing me his keys.

“My coat” I remind D, and he nods, getting it from behind the bar for me.

“I don’t remember hiring you,” the guy drinking at the bar says, stopping me in my tracks. His voice is smooth and his eyes are too easy for him to be anything but trouble. The tattoo on his neck tells me he’s bad news, as well as how rigid D’s posture is behind me.

“She’s a friend, came to help me out” Diego says, being oddly submissive. I look up at him confused. He has at least a hundred pounds of muscle on this guy and he’s afraid of no one. The guy turns to face us and his hands go in his pockets as he gives me a slow once over. He’s hard to read.

“I didn’t know we needed help and I don’t remember getting a text that you’d have someone else closing with you” he adds. His speech is slow and calm which adds to the sense of danger about him.

“I was headed home, came by for a drink and it was getting crazy in here. I just wanted to help out” I explain and the man gives a half smile but it only makes me more uneasy.

“There are health codes, forms, certifications and things we need in case something comes up or a by-law officer stops by.  I need to know who’s behind my bar. Who’s serving my customers.” he doubles looking at D.

“I said she’s a friend,” Diego grits in response. The man’s jaw clenches but he turns around.

“Shit hits the fan, you’ll have to deal with it, not me” he says going back to his drink and I hurry out of the bar. I have a million questions but I don’t ask any the entire ride home. My mind goes to a hundred scenarios, landing on one every time if D needed money why didn't he ask me for some. If it was for protection didn’t he know better than to get mixed up with men like … whoever that was? The car slows to a stop in front of my condo and he puts it in park handing my tips.

“Take care, and if Jason needs a clue let me know” he says before kissing my cheek.

“Thanks” I smile and he hands me another jar. I smile when I realize they’re tequila soaked cherries. “Sorry for the trouble” I apologize.

“My cousin is OCD about people,” he shrugs.

“Ok” I nod wondering why I don't know this one of Diego’s cousins or that he was the bar owner. I don't push, instead I hug my friend and trust our bond before heading into the building, into the elevator and into the apartment I share with my sister.

authors note: well that's all for now folks. see you around for the next part. don't forget to ❣ Like, ❝ Comment, ↺ Reblog

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tags: @meadows5 @wnbweasley @becauseimher @ariiaeltheedonn @woahthatshitfat @miniaturehideoutmentality @kokobells @ffenthusiastt @sowhatariyana @1xtral1983 @theegoddessofmelanin @fictionalreads @roxytheimmortal @fairytale07 @rampsen

[pachu09]

Shifter AU

The Panther had just shown up a week before out of nowhere. Tobirama who was perched on the Gingko tree his Brother had grown in the middle of the Senju Main House Garden hissed in displeasure.

The panther had been trying for a week to make Tobirama’s cat instinct activate to...play. He sniff haughtily. Just because his animal form is that of a house cat it doesn't mean he doesn't retain his Human logical side. He's not an idiot to let an unknown shifter play with him. Besides, he's not really the type to play in his animal form.

( He ignored the thing where he literally make weekly plays with his student Kagami and the little Uchiha in his panther cub form delighted in pinning him down whenever he can. )

He stood up, stretched and circled the spot he was lying on again. Great, his nap time was interrupted again. He narrowed his eyes at the Panther that was still looking up at him. It's deep purrs...only made him more annoyed. He turn his back on the other shifter and laid down again. He'll ignore the idiot for now. The next time it visited he'll chase it out with his Human form. Hashirama crying about Countrymen Brotherhood? Sisterhood?..be damned...

The sound of claws being dragged across the concrete made Tobirama jumped up in alarmed from his place. He hissed in anger as he saw the culprit behind the sound. The damn Panther was scratching it's massive paws on the Senju Compound concrete fence. He spat and made his fur stand on end...

" Be gone you damn beast!. " he meowed in severe displeasure.

" Let's play, little kitten. " Tobirama nearly slip off the tree branch he was perching on. He wasn't expecting to hear let alone understand the damn Panther's words. Only shifters with familiarity with each other can understand each other's Languange. He scrunch his face in confusion. Who?. The only shifters he had understood when they talked in their animal forms are his Brothers, his Mother, Touka and Kagami....

He hissed loudly making his fur puffed up, indication of his severe animosity at the Shifter.

The Panther stood up from it sat. It growled, it looked like it's patience had finally run out. " You don't want me dragging you down there, Tobirama. "

Tobirama recoiled at the tone of the Panther's voice. He knew that tone...or rather the owner of it...

" Madara?. What the fuck? " He yowled in sheer surprise. The Panther merely wave his long tail and lick it's paws.

" Hn. Come down, Tobirama. It's not fun to know you let Kagami play with you and not with me. "

Tobirama glowered down at the other Shifter. " You do know Kagami is my student, no? "

The Panther look up at him with a confused look on his face. " So?. I don't care about that. I just want to play with you. "

Tobirama look up towards the sky and pray for the mental strength to tolerate the other's bullshit.

" Madara. Did you forgot, you actually hate me? You'd probably eat me whole if I ever dared to come near you in my Shifter form. "

Madara's Panther face miraculously managed to convey to look pissed enough that Tobirama felt he'd bolt for a second if the Uchiha becomes suddenly violent.

" Who the fuck told you, I hate you?. Sure, I held a grudge a few months after Konoha was built but I don't hate you now Tobirama. "

Tobirama gape uncharacteristically. Madara doesn't hate him?. Since when? And why didn’t he even noticed it?...

Madara yawn and licked his lips. " Let's play Tobirama. I promised I'll give you some of my personal stocked fish after. "

Tobirama perked up. He heard from Kagami that Uchiha's had some of the most delicious fish delicacies. Maybe just this once he could indulge the Uchiha. Afterall, its a once in a lifetime to have the chance to eat such expensive foods. He deliberately made the Panther wait for a few more seconds before he agreed to his demands...in return Tobirama made Madara promised he'll give him at least two crates of his fish stocks.

Later in the day, Tobirama grumbled internally that playing with Madara in their Shifter forms is quite disadvantageous for him. Being a house cat while being chase by a damn big Predator is like a Civilian running away from a blood thirsty Shinobi. There's just no chance in winning in a game of hide and seek. Madara can easily find him no matter how much Tobirama finds a perfect spot to hide in. And when he refuses to come out. The damn Panther would literally tear apart whatever hiding spot he had stuck himself in.

He yowled in displeasure as Madara licked his whole damn face. He spat and batted away the snout that keeps trying to clean him up.

" Goddammit, Madara. Get the fuck away from me. I don't need you cleaning me up!. " the Panther wasn't faze at the white cat's protestations.

Tobirama froze as Madara's large tongue licked a path across his fluffy belly and happily down near his genitals. He yowled more loudly and in a blind panic managed to scramble out of the Panther's arms, ran down the Uchiha Main House Hallways and burst out of the Compound Gates as if Death himself was nipping at his heels. The Uchiha that witnessed a white cat streaking in a panic across their Compound could only blink in confusion. But when they saw their Clan Head practically running after the small cat they assumed Madara must have found a new playmate...one who hopefully would be a permanent one...

Izuna blankly stared at the place where his Brother and Senju Tobirama once laid down. He massages his eyelids. " Fuck you, Aniki. I so did not want to see you licking Tobirama’s balls in his cat form you fucker. "

[hollowed-theory-hall]

I've been reading your posts for awhile now and I genuinely enjoy reading your takes especially with Harry's characterization. so I've been wondering what are your thoughts on the lupin family? especially with teddy? although I still kinda dislike his parents' relationship i still think he's an interesting character and i wished people talked about him more outside of shipping. What would his relationship with harry be growing up? Also Lyall's death was never really confirmed, only hope's was so do you think he and Andromeda raised teddy instead of harry? It still feels odd that remus chose a 17 year old to be his son's godfather surely there were other suitable candidates than a literal teenager.

Thank you so much 💕

So, this is like entirely in my headcanon space since I did not watch/read Cursed Child and I'm not planning to. I don't consider any of the post-book material canon at all except the Quidditch World Cup in 2014, which I accept since it's fun and doesn't go out of its way to ruin established characters. I enjoyed reading it more than the epilogue, so that's something.

That being said, I often prefer to ignore many aspects of the epilogue and the World Cup article when headcanoning post-books events. I also don't engage much with next-gen stuff since I'm more interested in Harry's generation, but I do have some thoughts about Teddy.

With all this out of the way, let's talk about the Lupins.

So, I like Remadora, I think they're alright for the little we see of them. Tonks just deserves so much better than Lupin in my mind. I mean, he wanted to leave her, after he got her pregnant, for his own sense of inadequacy, guilt, and allergy to taking responsibility. Harry was so justified in ripping Remus a new one.

Now, I mentioned here, how I think Remus didn't make Harry Teddy's godfather because he thought Harry was ready (though Harry is more mature and responsible at 17 than Remus is at 37, so...), but as a way to promise Harry that he isn't going to push him, or Tonks, or anyone who loves him away anymore. It was Remus trying to apologize in a weird way that didn't really land. Especially since he goes and dies right after. (can you tell Remus is my least favorite marauder?)

Now, I find it really hard to imagine Remus as a father for Teddy had he lived. Like, I can see Tonks being a cool mom and her and Teddy matching hair colors when walking together and messing with people (and I think she could become more responsible had she lived longer). Remus is a harder one for me to envision as a parent. I mean, I think he'd be relieved that Teddy wasn't born a werewolf, but whenever he'd look at Teddy and Nymphadora, I think Remus couldn't help but feel sorry for himself and like he doesn't deserve them. While making Harry Teddy's godfather was meant to be a sort of promise, I can't see Remus fixing his habits so quickly. I mean, he'd try. But I can also see him, trying to up and leave a few times only to be talked out of it by various characters.

I think his behavior is going to put a lot of stress on Tonks too. Like, While I think they do love each other, I don't know how well their relationship would work in the long run if Remus doesn't bother to work on himself and get his fucking act together.

But in the books they both died, so Teddy is spared the mess his parents' relationship likely would've been and is instead stuck with a different mess of being an orphan with a 17-year-old caretaker. (This kid cannot win. Maybe because both his parents were kinda irresponsible and didn't quite get a grasp on adulthood when he was born)

So, post-DH, Remus and Tonks are dead, Ted Tonks is dead and we are left with a grieving Andromeda who lost all her family (again), a grieving Harry who just keeps losing people, and a newly orphaned barely a-year-old Teddy Lupin.

I think Teddy is an interesting mirror to baby Harry and Neville in a way. His parents died/couldn't take care of him because of Voldemort/his followers and he was left with only a godfather/grandmother. Teddy got both and his godfather isn't in Azkaban, so he has it a little better.

I like to imagine Harry makes sure to be super involved with Teddy's childhood, but I can't imagine a 17-year-old (almost 18) Harry post-war and maybe going back to Hogwarts for 8th year (depends on headcanon) being in a state to take care of a baby full time. I like to think Andy helps out in that first year a lot. I think Andy needs someone, some family to get her through loss. And I think Harry could enjoy Andy's company too. I'm sure she has plenty of stories about a young Sirius, and maybe even a young James, and in my headcanon, Andy somewhat adopts Harry as an extra son too.

Which means she ends up seeing way more Weasleys than she ever expected to. I think the Weasleys, who just lost Fred would understand a lot. I mean, both Andy and Molly lost a child and other family. I want Andromeda be more involved with all of them post-canon. That's my wish.

So Harry is Teddy's official guardian, but he spends loads of time with his grandma and the Weasleys growing up probably. Like, I don't mind him and Victoire being together, though I wouldn't necessarily have been my preferred choice, but I don't really care. They're probably childhood besties because they grew up together.

As for Teddy's relationship with Harry, I think Harry would end up treating him more like a much younger brother than a son. I mean, when Teddy would be 10, Harry would just be 27. Don't get me wrong, Harry could, technically, be his dad, but I think their dynamic is going to be different than that of Harry with his own children. Just because of how young and traumatized Harry is when he gets Teddy.

So, I think their relationship would have its tense points, but they'd also love each other. Like, you know Harry would do his best. He'd be super protective over Teddy, Andy would be, too. Like, no one messes with this kid.

But I also kinda want Teddy making a: "you're not my dad" joke/comment when Harry tries to send him to his room or something and Harry doesn't know if he wants to laugh or cry the first time it happens. But I think it would become a recurring joke Harry laughs from.

I think the first years would be the roughest. Everyone's grieving and trying to settle back into a semblance of normal life. Harry never really had a "normal life" he's gonna have no idea what to do with himself and I think Teddy could be a purpose he dedicates himself to. I think these two and Andy could all help each other figure their lives out. But as Teddy grows older and things settle down, it becomes easier.

While I think Harry and Teddy would end up really close, it's not going to be exactly the same relationship Harry and Sirius had. Teddy is going to have a happy childhood, Harry and Andy wouldn't let it be any other way, so he won't have the same grief and trauma Harry did as a child. Like, their dynamic would be less desperate, I think. Like, Harry wouldn't need to stay in a cave and eat rats for Teddy, their situation would be way chiller. Like, I think Harry would be constantly confused about how Teddy ended up being such a cool kid/teen because he doesn't think he could've raised him like that and he would joke about it with Teddy who'd be all sarcastic like: "Obviously, I raised myself here,"

Like, I imagine Teddy with his mother's punk fashion sense and goofiness (the goofiness I believe was 100% shared by Ted Tonks), Remus' voice and constant self-doubt, Andromeda's posture (he sits with his back perfectly straight, okay, Andy didn't let him slouch by the table), and Harry's sarcasm. He's like this mix of them and still his own person.

I think Teddy is likely to go through quite a lot of personal phases to try and figure out his own identity and how he portrays himself. Becouse everyone treats him as the godson of the famed boy who lived, but his dead parents were the last Metamorphmagus and a Werewolf. And he is very close to his grandma, who is a disowned daughter of House Black. Like, this is a kid rip for angst about who he is and who people see him as and him being a Metamorphmagus really leans into it.

Like, a young Teddy making sure to look like Harry in public because he's proud of the connection. Or Teddy mimicking Remus or Tonks' appearance from photos when he thinks about them and misses them or wants to remind strangers who his parents actually are becouse they seem to forget. Like, that could be super fun.

I think Harry's kids would really like Teddy. He's like a cool older cousin/brother who lives with them. Like, I can see them really looking up to him and Teddy would complain to Harry about being followed around by a 3-year-old that won't leave him alone and Harry would just find the whole thing amusing.

(I can also see a post-war Andromeda getting back in touch with Narcissa, so you could involve the Malfoys too if you felt like it. Though I feel like Teddy would just, not like Lucius much)

(Also also, I think Lyall is dead. I feel like if he was alive we would know, yk?)

[max1461]

I feel very bad and weird. I feel that something bodily is not working, uh. It's really hard to explain. I don't even know how to explain it. What it feels like it:

certain people's "identities" or "profile pictures in my mind" were deleted from my mind, so I still have factual knowledge of those people and I have memories featuring them, but they feel fake. They feel like people from a dream or something, not like they're real people, even though I know they're real.

The emotions associated with these people are still just as strong, but it's like they aren't attached to anything. They surge through me really intensely but find no place to rest. Uh it's like, I know factually who they're about but it doesn't "click", my brain can't find the person in its database or something so the emotion just comes up and then attaches to whatever I'm doing or whoever I happen to be talking to.

This was mostly just distressing and disorienting at first, but now that it's been two months I genuinely feel like I'm factually losing track of which feeling go with which people, because they keep coming up and re-attaching and it's confusing. I'm sad because I feel like I'm losing my sense of who my friends are, and I'm distressed because it feels very violating, like my relationships and memories are being invaded by whatever my brain happens to be thinking about at the time.

I'm scared that if this goes on long enough, I'll totally lose track and not be able to figure out what was what.

I don't know medically what it's happening. Everyone says it sounds like a TLE symptom but the problem is it's too consistent. It's not like I'm getting confused and then getting things a little more straight and then getting more confused, or whatever. It's totally black-and-white: these people's entries in my mental database have just been deleted, they're gone, there's no flux or whatever. That is not how I understand TLE to work, where confusion peaks after a seizure and then your mind kind of sorts things out, there should be an arc to it. Moreover I am not confused about anything else: it is literally just this, and things that feel like a knock-on effect of this. It feels very one-note.

MRI picked up nothing, which means no structural damage (there could still be damage but it would be micro scale). Also I wasn't hit in the head, this happened after anesthesia. So whatever happened had to be diffuse, right, it couldn't have targeted some specific region. And yet it feels like very specific information is fucked, and that's it. Everything else is fine, except for things that rely on this information (which, unfortunately, is a lot, because the people who's identities are messed up are people I think about pretty much daily, and with whom I associate all sorts of familiar activities and so on; there's pretty much no way to not think about it even if I'm trying).

WHAT is going on

[utilitycaster]

i keep seeing people say that OF COURSE Bell Hell's haven't grown or changed, it's only been 3 months in campaign! and it's been nonstop! and every time I see that, I gotta admit 1. okay so you admit they haven't grown, cool. 2. that feels like a watsonian answer to a not-quite-watsonian complaint. iirc, m9 were only a few months longer than BH by the time their campaign ended, and it's been pretty comparable irl time. Both bell's bells and m9 had significantly less 'in world' time than vm and the m9 grew and changed plenty.

Because there's a discrepancy between 'time in game' and 'time at the table' for actual play, using 'in game' time as an excuse for...anything, feels thin. Because it still FEELS like three years both to us and the players! Does that make any sense or am i losing my mind? cause every time i see answers like that I feel a little crazy for feeling like it's almost entirely unrelated to complaint they're trying to address

No, it makes complete sense. I discussed this here as well but on some level it's like ok so they haven't changed! Turns out they suck, and the fact that they haven't changed means we have a party that still sucks. Like, if your point is "I don't like this character trait", someone saying "well it makes sense for them to have it" doesn't fix the core problem of you not liking it. This is a repeated problem in discussions in this campaign. I think Liliana dying would have been narratively interesting; I literally give zero fucks whether it's deserved, because she isn't real and I'm not a believer in Calvinism nor instant karma in real life and plenty of people die for unfair reasons and I happen to really enjoy exploring that and how people respond to it in fiction. You can't have a conversation with someone who, when you say "I'm not a big fan of vanilla ice cream, do you have chocolate?" says "but vanilla is literally a complex flavor made from orchids?" (Also yes, the Mighty Nein are a great example of a party who were already more closely bonded about a month and a half in, following Molly's death; the entire campaign was almost a year long though a bit shorter in terms of time together due to Happy Fun Ball time dilation. For reference, Bells Hells have been together 4 months and 5 days, and the Mighty Nein, at that exact same amount of time, were exploring the second Uk'otoa temple, and a number of them were already rethinking their whole deal at that point.)

I don't currently have any original posts to make re: criticism of Campaign 3 until next episode, most likely - I'm reblogging well-made posts I see, and obviously I'm answering asks, but I said this more briefly in the tags of another post earlier and I'd like to elaborate, but this has been a problem for me, at least, the entire campaign:

Campaign 3 has a small but loud contingent of fans who are utterly incapable of tolerating the idea that other people hold different opinions than they do and post them on their own blogs (often even not in the main tag). They respond to this with abuse and harassment; with a constant switching of direction to the point of self-contradiction; and with doubling and tripling down on statements I personally find to be bigoted. They are, in my opinion, small-minded, unintelligent, self-absorbed people who are so locked into, as I said here, an Us vs. Them mentality that so long as there is anyone who doesn't like them they will never be happy. They have gotten, narratively, almost everything they wanted thus far, but they'll never be happy so long as someone openly disagrees with them. Like, if the fact that your ship is the most popular one for this campaign on ao3 is so important to you, why are you so pressed about a few people disliking it? If liking Campaign 3 means you're a good anticolonial leftist and you're therefore allowed as a white person to mock the experiences of any nonwhite person actively dealing with the consequences of colonialism why do you need the support of The Bad People Who Don't Like It? If you can be broken by anything less than universal adoration, then, well. Break, bitch.

Essentially, think "the personality of Elon Musk in a broke 20-something whose main interests are cartoons aimed at a grade school audience, and a three sentence incorrect summary of Marxist theory that they use to justify whatever they already wanted to do," and you'll get the picture.

My advice therefore is that it's not really worth arguing, and frankly, there would be little to no discourse if they weren't so pathetically insecure that a post saying "The structure, pacing, and message of Campaign 3 are all weak and inconsistent, and Bells Hells have so little motivation they fail to be heroes, villains, nor antiheroes" sends them into an extended tantrum because the OP didn't append the words "I think" or "I feel" at the beginning of every statement, as most of us assume any reasonable adult would understand that a person posting on their own blog is posting their own opinions. (And, frankly, appending those words doesn't really help half the time because most of them are ultimately mostly outraged that someone would dare think or feel things that they don't.)

I am making posts about my thoughts on Campaign 3; I think most other people with criticism thereof are doing so as well. I will only be convinced otherwise by Campaign 3 itself being better, and I think it's probably too late for it to do so, and I will not be swayed nor intimidated by people who, see previous paragraphs re: my thoughts. My advice to you and anyone who's saying "wait a second" is to trust your gut; everything you said here seems like a pretty good assessment. If it helps, back away from the fandom and see what you feel without the influence of others (including me!) posting, and go with that.

[afantasyoffiction]

listen i support all irrational character dislike as well as all irrational character likes but like you cant deny eddie is conceptually the funniest fucking character ever? and therefore so is buddie?!

like wdym he grew up in the south and now represses his emotions and calls himself straight and we all pretend those things are unrelated

wdym he’s gets panick attacks when thinking abt long term girlfriends but literally baby trapped his best friend in a matter of days

wdym he takes all his anger out by fighting physically but he’s literally a paramedic so he has to heal everyone he hurts (except himself)

wdym all he wants is to be understood and his bestie makes it his life mission to understand the whole world wdym his whole thing is learning not to run away from his boyfriend who is learning not to hold on too tight and now we’re trying to see who wins this awful tug of war bc their son is elsewhere?!!!!

what the actual FUCK so you mean tim minear

eddie diaz is actually such a fun character. he's had three girlfriends in his whole entire life but still carries unimaginable drip. he was a teen dad but instead of seeing his son as a burden or regret he flourished under fatherhood. he's serious but also very very silly. his government name is edMUNDO. he doesn't believe in curses but has been plagued by saw traps for basically his entire adult life. he loves his bestfriend enough to give him his son. he wear chanclas around his house. he's the princess of LA. he's maybe even gay. imagine being racist enough to dislike this guy.

[ritualcaster]

Spoilers for objectified ep 68. Frustration

YIKES.

I'm just gonna start pointing shit out.

^me when im mad for no reason

Although i mean its probably just his starsheet advancing like in the release art and in his eye in the last panel

See but like its hard not to feel like this is still "his" character, like brandy has always felt like he was just a hair away from doing this shit.

Like when he broke minty's hand he just stares, it's not a process or even an emotion, just unfiltered reflexive action, thats what psychosis feels like and starsheet is just amplifying that.

And as for minty, although he cheated...

Yeah no I think he just needs to stop being so agressive thats like it

Brandy shouldn't have brought up his eye, something accidental, as if that was comparable to breaking his hand while minty was trying to reconnect with him.

Minty DID save brandy's life, and its not unreasonable for him to feel like he deserves recognition for that, even if he did it mockingly, brandy's reaction was telling if nothing else.

Brandy flicks back an forth between being sympathetic and apathetic with minty just, constantly, it's honestly hard for me to understand.

Looks like minty is ALSO confused.

Me when the guy who broke my hand asks me if i'm cold and now i have no idea what comes next (a haymaker)

Maybe brandys weird apathy has been starsheet the whole time, it would make sense why his actions are so inconsistent.

Also im mad it just ends there i hope next chapter picks up literally the same frame no timeskip, brandys reaction after this is really important cuz its like the deciding factor, like if he snaps out of it and wakes minty up we're well and dandy, but if he just steels up and goes to sleep, minty might actually have to like, lock him up. Like that means it will happen again and he won't be able to stop it i think. Like i just want to preface that that kind of outburst isn't fully tied to the matter itself, that anger is cold, and it makes you act.

If this forced proximity goes on too long, it could be sugarcube on the floor instead.

"I would love to see a heartfelt discussion of feelings!" I says to the horror webcomic "Knuckle sandwich.." Says the webcomic who's was actually the fuck you comic now

[phreakedt]

I was someone once... An adventurer.

(read more for me rambling about the emperor)

theres rarely any particular meaning or intent behind my art but i swear the emperor is literally my muse, so i thought id share my thoughts about what this piece means! i was listening to punish by ethel cain and couldnt get this idea out of my head… i feel like the line "i was an angel, but they made me leave" or the fallen from grace motif pretty well encapsulates the tragedy of balduran and the emperor and why he'll always be such a sympathetic character to me.

ultimately while there are valid reasons to believe the emperor's evil/irredeemable or whatever, its quite literally not his fault he became what he is. he never asked for his ceremorphosis (of course, he came to accept it, but that doesnt make it any less fucked up). its generally considered that mankind is capable of good and evil in equal measure, but if your humanity is literally stripped away from you, what is there to stop your descent? this isnt even to justify his actions but instead about how titles like "angel" and "demon", "good" and "bad" etc etc are so subjective and perception-based. like if it was the human(oid) balduran and not a mind flayer behind all his actions throughout the game, i doubt he'd be so universally hated. i mean, better a bad person than a literal monster, right?

there's also the "only god knows / only god would believe", or to me the idea that no matter how hard the emperor may try to exercise morality, he's so far departed from his former self that people will only ever see him as a villain, not a hero. its truly a damned if you do, damned if you dont situation. and most ironic is the fact that despite everything, he hasnt fully lost his humanity. he genuinely yearns for companionship and mourns what hes lost and who he used to be (to some degree). i think hes so well-written because he is just like you in the sense that hes simply playing the cards he was dealt, right or wrong. i could go on and on about this awesome character and song (especially its themes of perversion, punishment, and love) but that's the gist. thanks for reading ^^