#like so many people who talked about this had the experience of people just. stopping to engage with them

[jenroses]

In third grade my evil teacher told the class that Columbus discovered the world was round and I said, "No, the Greeks figured that out way earlier," and she got mad at me and then I brought in my source and she still punished me.

That wasn't what made her evil. What made her evil was that she provoked the entire class into ostracizing me every time I was successful on a pretest and sabotaged me at every turn in every activity possible. Like literally I needed edmr to stop having panic attacks just thinking about third grade and when we did the edmr for that, a whole lot of later trauma got easier to think about too because she had literally caused a cascade of issues for me that lasted decades. Because I had loved my teachers prior to her and I never knew what I did wrong.

(the answer was she didn't want a handful of bright third graders in her "normal" fourth grader class and we were "inflicted" on her as a surprise on the first day of school. Evil. I talked to another student as an adult and her experience was 100% different, she had fond memories because Elaine Carlini was so nice to her. Evil evil evil. Fascist behavior tbh.)

She was a very young teacher, but I was a better human being who treated people with more respect than she gave me when I was 8 years old than she was at 24-ish. Scapegoating a literal child as an adult? Evil.

The fact that I still remember her name at 53 when I have forgotten so many others is telling.

I once offered her a flower and she refused it. Who does that?

Anyway that was all part of being in a weird educational experiment in the 70s. It was a program trying to integrate white students into a mostly Black school but it ended up being a program getting more money that was harder for Black students to get into than white students so irony racism. Most of the teachers were fine but man when things went wrong...

when i was a kid i got a 90% on my kindergarten "what are your favorite things?" test because for the question "what is your favorite animal?" i wrote down "puma" and it got marked wrong because my teacher said a puma isnt even an animal its a kind of shoe

[irregularcollapse]

Hey, I'm so sorry to hear about how you feel about the mota fandom and what happened to you :/ I meant to send a message earlier but life got in the way. I hope you're feeling better now, and I can only tell you that your fics and writing are some of my favorite in the fandom. Just by reading your stories, I can tell the care that was put into choosing each word to best convey the story and the characters' feelings, and it is really somethinf I admire :) I hope I can be as good a writer as you someday ❤️ And for the mota fandom, I totally get what you and that anon said! If you'll allow me a bit of a rant, to me, the mota fandom is full of well-intentioned people but I found that one of its problems is that, as much as there is enthusiasm, it is going in circles. Many have said it and I've noticed it too, but some have a tendency to jump on other people's ideas without giving credit or even asking if it's okay to expand, and on more than one occasion I found one of my ideas in someone else's inbox just a week after I'd posted it which threw me off posting any kinds of hc or random ideas, I only post full fics now because I'm scared that people will see an idea/au that they like on my blog and decide to expand on it without my consent or even crediting me for the original idea :/ To me that sucks because what I love about creating is the interactions with people, but because of the seldom posting except for full fics I don't get much 😂 And I know I could post snippet or hc, but the overenthusiasm bordering on no fandom manners that I've noticed stops me from doing that. Also, as a writer, it is quite discouraging to see people constantly reccing the same 5/6 fics/authors. Don't get me wrong, those are GREAT fics and authors, but babes, there are over 1,000 works in the clegan tag on ao3, why are we constantly reccing the same fics as in summer 2024. It feels like people only read the fics with the highest hits count, and from an outsider's pov, you'd think there are only 10 writers in the mota fandom 😭 I don't if it's bc the mota fandom is new so there are a lots of people from tiktok/that weren't on tumblr/in fandom before but it truly feels like fandom manners are getting lost, despite the plethora of incredible creators in the mota fandom. So there's this opposition between the enthusiasm over new ideas that seems to die down as soon as a story is posted, except if if it's one of the big fics from the summer. Imo the actual recognition of fics doesn't follow the enthusiasm of ideas and hcs, which is a bit of a shame I think, and to be quite honest, it made me lose my motivation to write for mota bc it just feels like I'll post a fic, it'll get traction for maybe a day or two, and then it'll be forgotten somewhere when people sort ao3 by number of hits or kudos

Anyway that was quite long I'm sorry, you don't have to answer this at all, I just needed to get this off my chest, but I really hope you know that even if it may not feel that way, you are an amazing writer, who clearly loves your stories, the characters and the words you use, and that is translated to the ao3 page <3 You truly are one of the most talented fic writers this fandom has, and I'd support you and your stories in whatever fandom you may be in ❤️

I assure you, anon, that you're not the only person to feel this way! I've had quite a few private conversations with friends and mutuals about really similar experiences and observations, and how disheartened and uncomfortable it's making us feel.

I guess people don't say anything because they don't want to be seen as sowing discord or being mean. I know that there are going to be people who might see this and interpret it as me "fuelling fandom discourse" or "fandom wanking" or "being a cunt" but actually I'm just talking about how we treat creators in online spaces, and the way that people en masse have apparently forgotten that creators in fandoms are people.

I had another anon tell me that someone laid claim to one of their ideas in the tags of their headcanon post, and I don't think you're the only person whose idea has been stolen and passed to another writer. I'm really sorry that's happened to you, and you're so right to not feel like posting anything because of it! This is truly the kind of stuff that makes people not want to participate or put themselves out there. Sometimes it's even writers doing the stealing, blatantly and without credit. It makes me think that a lot of people haven't shared creative spaces before and don't know how to be polite.

I also 100% agree about the fic rec thing. It's really disheartening to see the same fics passed around over and over again, not only from a writer perspective but a reader perspective. Something that seems to have emerged in fandom spaces over the years is deifying certain authors of popular fics - fic authors being treated like celebrities, the concept of a "must-read fic", even people only reading fics and authors that are already seen as popular/successful. I get that some people don't want to spend time scraping ao3 for niche fics, that's super understandable, but that's also why it would be nice to see a bit more adventure and variety in fic rec lists!

There is a low-key competitive feeling which a few people have mentioned to me - the feeling that there are people who want to "win" fandom or be the most popular/most reccd/most recognised writer, or whatever it may be. I just feel like anything that makes people feel like they're better than others is... come si dice... not good. I think it's a shitty way to treat people you're sharing a creative space with, to view them as competition and commodity.

Writing for consumption or writing for audience approval isn't something I've ever done, but I feel like it's cropping up more and more in fandom spaces too - not just MOTA, either. That's sort of a different discussion, but I do feel it's related to the copying/stealing in a way as well.

Now I also have to apologise for this getting too long! I'm glad you got it off your chest, and please feel free to come off anon at any time, because you've got an ally in me (and others too, I assure you). I think that everything you've said here merits consideration from everyone, at the very very least! It's in the interest of pursuing a more inclusive, supportive fandom space.

Thanks heaps as well for saying nice stuff about my writing! I only ever want to tell stories, and to give people something to enjoy that has clearly been created with care and consideration. I write to express things I want to express, and so it means a lot to me when other people see what I'm trying to say and pick up what I'm putting down. Truly madly deeply, my most boundless thanks!!! ♥️♥️♥️

[satancopilotsmytardis]

Drabble-A-Thon 3 Prompt 10

Pairing: Shigadabi

Rating: Explicit

Prompt: From @dahvampire Tomura orders around and humiliates Dabi at V... with some puppy play?

Contents: Exhibitionism, Puppy Play, BDSM, Sex Toys, League Won the War

Going to V is always an experience, even if they don't get to do it often anymore. The fact that his lover had missed the club so much that, after they'd won the war, he had put aside time and energy to create a spiritual successor to La Vénus once their new government was in place had been absolutely insane and more than a little funny at the time. It was kind of even funnier when people caught wind of it and realized that this was the only personal project that he had taken up even though the rest of them were constantly working on a variety of their own, from civil stuff to just... getting to live their lives for real when they all had been denied that for so long. It took him a year to be convinced to stay alive after finishing off his father, and then another year of Ujiko's experiments to stitch his body back together so that he would be able to stay once he'd decided it was worth it. But he isn't about to fall apart anymore, his nerves don't scream at him constantly when he uses his quirk, he doesn't cry blood when his lover works him up so much that tears are the only recourse he has for relief. 

And all of that is particularly good because for their visit today, Tomura has decided that he didn't just want his second, or his sub with him, he wanted to see his, "Come here, puppy," His voice carries over the din of the music and Dabi's face heats sharply. The bone gag in his mouth was placed there almost as soon as they arrived. They'd headed straight for the lounge because there were sections of the floor here that were soft and padded for pets to crawl around and for subs to kneel, but his lover had immediately run into someone that does work for some sector of their government and had been open to talking work for a bit while forcing Dabi to wait. Of course his lover didn't have any trouble chatting with them, he was wearing dark red dress pants, and an intricate red lace chest harness underneath a sheer black dress shirt. He looked good, he could fit right in at any trendy club that Toga and he go to when she wants to dance. Dabi, on the other hand, was in a tiny set of shorts that left very, very little to the imagination, especially given the cutout in the back so that the soft custom black and blue tail could hang outside of his body, the heavy metal plug already making him warmer as it pulls at his rim from the gravity of the appendage hanging outside of him. The matching ears, paw gloves that made it so he couldn't use his hands, leash, and collar had completed his outfit, and he wanted to try to save a little bit of face by participating in the conversation. Instead, his lover had gagged him and sent him over to one of the couches to be pet by anyone who wanted to come over and see him. 

Everyone knows who he belongs to, and everyone knows that being given permission to touch means light strokes of his hair, petting along his neck and chest, teasing their fingers over his stomach and the tops of his thighs, but that anything more bold would probably result in their hands being reduced into ash or dust. He knows that his master won't ever let anyone else play with him, but being pet and cooed at by so many helps to make his head hazy and make it harder for him to remember that he didn't want to embarrass himself. He slips off of the couch and gets on his hands and knees, crawling over to his master on limbs that feel weak from how hazy he's already getting. His jaw is sore from the bit, the silicone soft between his teeth, but stopping him from swallowing properly from how it pushes down on his tongue. He's drooling. Supposed to be the second most powerful person in the entire country and he can feel eyes on him as he drools on himself and crawls on the floor like an animal to his lover. 

Tomura's hand finds his face as soon as he's close enough to reach him, laughing when he sees the slick all over his chin and making Dabi whine as his body gets hotter from hearing that sound. "Oh, puppy, it's only been an hour. Surely you aren't so pathetic that a bit of petting has gotten you so worked up?" He couldn't answer even if he wanted to, and Tomura shakes his head slightly before he reaches for the strap that is locking the gag in his mouth. He wouldn't have been able to keep that in his mouth without tearing staples a year ago, but now the smooth black skin of a nomu where his burns used to be have made it so much easier for him to receive the treatment he wants from his master. 

Dabi is able to relax his jaw, and that constant low-level discomfort slipping away from him somehow makes his head even hazier. 

"I think my puppy needs a drink." 

Dabi perks up, thinking that might mean that he's either going to get a real drink, or he might get to suck his master's cock so that he can keep the ache in his jaw going. So it's a startling humiliation when, instead of his lover drawing him closer or offering him a glass, he takes a silver dog bowl from the table with Puppy engraved on the front and he puts it at his feet and fills it from a water bottle. 

"Sit pretty, puppy." 

Dabi's face is bright red, he knows it has to be across the skin that can still blush. Tomura's eyes narrow on him when he doesn't immediately shift, and that has him moving with a thin whine. He wants to be a good boy, it just... it makes him so embarrassed to have to do this in front of so many people. He shifts to tuck his legs neatly beneath him, his paws against his thighs, but doing nothing to hide how the angle of the plug shifting inside of him and knowing that he's being looked at as he does this is enough to have started to make his cock stir. 

"Drink." Dabi reaches for the bowl, "Puppies don't have hands." His master scolds him lightly, making him even more embarrassed. He knows that. But-- Tomura is watching him with cooling red eyes, so Dabi forces himself to dip his head and try to lap up the cool water in the bowl. He can't do it gracefully and the sound of his tongue trying to scoop the liquid into his mouth is far too loud and damning in his own ears. He manages a few sips to satisfy his owner before he sits back up. "Good boy. Heel." 

He's happy to do that, at least, moving right next to his master and sitting pretty beside him. He even gets pets after a minute, Tomura stroking his hair and letting him lean his temple against his thigh as he turns his attention back to the people he was speaking with. Dabi tries to calm down and be patient, but he is still so hard, even more so now that he actually has his master's hand against his body. His prick is aching in his thin shorts, straining the tight fabric and creating a wet spot that glistens under the lights of the club. He manages to stay still and not whine for all of five minutes before he can't handle it anymore and he starts to whimper and nose at Tomura's thigh. 

"Quiet." His tone is so stern, but when he looks down and sees that his cock is straining in his shorts, he sighs before he addresses the people he was speaking with. People who are watching him like they're vultures just waiting to swoop in and take any scraps his master leaves of his dignity once he's done shredding it into pieces. "My puppy might be in rut already. Heel," he tells Dabi again as he hooks his leash back around his neck and stands. Dabi gets to his hands and knees too, hoping that he's going to lead him over to some of the low couches and play with his tail or fill him up himself. He should have known it wouldn't be that simple. Instead Tomura brings him over to one of the other play areas, finding a breeding bench and then making him wait as he requests something from one of the workers. 

It only takes a minute or two before Tomura has finished setting up what he wants now and Dabi is swaying slightly, trying to shake his tail to show his master how excited he is to be bred like his bitch. 

"There, now my puppy can try to show everyone that he isn't an inexperienced, needy little mutt." 

Dabi doesn't understand, but as Tomura moves, he pulls on his leash and lets him see that he's set up an onahole in the bench. He whines loudly as he realizes what he wants him to do now, his whole body heating even more sharply with his humiliation. 

"Up." 

He doesn't dare disobey, and when Tomura pulls his shorts low enough that he has to feed his tail back through their hole as his cock is aching and visible to everyone else in the club, he fears he's not going to be able to last long. He can hardly hold out when he gets to hump his master's leg in their room. The pocket pussy will be so much more stimulating than that. He whimpers, but he doesn't protest when Tomura tears open a packet of lube and dribbles it along his cock. 

"Now, let me see if you can be a good boy or if you need more training, puppy." 

Dabi doesn't care which it is as Tomura tugs his leash and guides him up, watching him from the other side of the bench as he rubs his cock against the soft silicone of the toy. He just knows that it feels so good to hump his cock inside of it, and that he's too much of a stupid animal to remember how to behave.  

Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to participate in the event, consider checking out my Ko-Fi here!

[waywardsalt]

the only minecraft movie i want to see is the one i found on yt several years ago and have been trying to track down again ever since

edit: i think i finally found the video i was looking for. win

[somnus-lucis-caelum]

Aerith’s wishes were all… so very reasonable. There was no longing for grandiose tasks or demands of him to elevate their titles beyond what they already had. She did not wish for him to go into war and expand her queendom. She did not order him to maximize their luxuries and riches…

She simply wanted to be recognized. With all her likes and dislikes. With what was important to her. She just wanted one thing from him: decency.

It painted a little surprised look on Somnus’ face, tilting his head slightly.

He would not have to recall her list and memorize it – because he had already planned to do these things. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to. And maybe that was what made all this seem so confusing. Who, in their right mind, would not want to do these very little most basic things to make Aerith feel appreciated?

"That can not be all, right...? This is the most basic kind of respect you could even ask for... of course I will do all that. And more. Am I not already? I knew about your fores banquet within a few days..."

Somnus would not even question that she did the same in return.

And it made him feel… weak. Warm. Defenceless and vulnerable in her eyes. But not mixed with the usual wariness and fear. There was a tinge of that left over still. She still did not know his darkest secret… and a part of Somnus hoped he would never learn about it. Because… what if then she was as repulsed as others?

His fingers shifted slightly beneath hers, Somnus looked down to their hands instead of her face. As if he did not want to see her reaction directly. His own list? That was… foolish.

A vague grin pulled at his mouth, though it looked forced this time.

“I… do not have a list.”

That was true. He had not even thought about it up until he had stumbled into this conversation. But now that he had started their little game of unveiling and opening up, Somnus guessed it would be unfair of him to pull back. And had she not already proven herself to be kinder than anyone else he had known up till now?

“I would like you to listen.”, it was sudden, how that wish came out of him. It had lingered beneath his mind for years. Even if the wording sounded strange. Somnus knew he had to elaborate. A small sigh, before he continued.

“Not in the way of… listening to what I demand or order. No. In the way you listen to what others say. What they experience… and feel. Many people only listen to one side and then stop. I wish that you always listen to my side, too. And to only then judge what I do. Or how I am. And talk to me. Always.”

There it was again. That feeling in her chest, it wasn't so much a nervous flutter as it was her heart leaping for him. All it took was a curious look, a smile that was almost-there and for Somnus to turn and give her his full attention.

Aerith felt drawn towards him. To him. She didn't fully realise how she turned, how her feet pointed in a direct line to where he now leaned. Their gazes remained locked now even as the conversation gently changed from something light and teasing to a tone with more serious weight.

It wasn't playful banter. It was an important conversation, the kind that some couples in their arranged situation probably never had. But with him... she felt like she could speak her hopes and her expectations out loud. She did not have to guard herself.

"I will be part of your family, and you will be part of mine. We won't be divided. You will be interested in me when this is no longer new, when I'm just another part of the day to day routine. You will remember the important things, name days, rituals, seasonal foods that I like and the ones that I don't like so there aren't any shocking surprises, and if you forget something important I will accept an apology but brushing the important things off as nothing is unacceptable."

There was a brief silence that hung in the air. Her hand gently reached to touch over his, where it laid on the railing. For a moment she pursed her lips and her eyes searched his face. She probably sounded... like a lot. But so was love.

"I am opening my heart to you. I hope you will do the same. I don't want to have the kind of married life where we ignore each other and live separate lives, or worse, one where we are both miserable." Her thumb affectionately brushed over his hand. "What of your list? Your adoring wife wants to fulfil it."

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

I don't know which blog to put this on since it is so related to both things but I need everyone to know that what is happening here between me and Cars and Good Omens is literally the equivalent of having a dog(or whatever anology) that you would put yourself on train tracks for before letting anything happen to them and then receiving a new puppy and now so much attention is getting diverted to the New Puppy and New Puppy Things to Disover and aaaaaaaaa

[balkanballad]

had a day that made me think oh that was a bit heavy on the symbolism, wasn't it

[jubileebloom]

I aspire to be a lover not a hater. but

[thenaphantoms]

Today is Valentine's Day, but it also marks one year since Miraculous Ladybug re-entered my life!

I discovered the show a bit before the English dub released back in 2015, watching it mainly in Korean with subtitles. It was so exciting seeing more and more people talk about this obscure little french cartoon once the dub came out!

But with increasing popularity came...other things. Art theft, harassment, young kids not really understanding how to behave in fandom spaces, and then Astruc himself replied sarcastically to a comment I'd made under one of his tweets (though in retrospect what he said was actually pretty funny). Then I had to end a really big friendship with someone I'd met because of the show, and I found myself in a weird position. Keep watching the show I loved, even though doing so made me uncomfortable due to those negative associations, or drop it entirely?

So I dropped it entirely. I put all the dolls and action figures somewhere I wouldn't be able to see them. Started a new account where I could engage with other fandoms. I stopped writing and reading Miraculous fanfic, stopped making Miraculous fanart, and forced myself to fixate on other things.

Years passed, and eventually, the thought of the show stopped making me feel so uncomfortable. I still couldn't bring myself to watch it, but I started a rewrite project, trying to fix the things I remembered not enjoying about the first two seasons of the show (which was all I'd seen at the time). I bought a couple of the new Miraculous dolls, super jealous that Kids These Days are getting so much better merch than I had when I was a fan of the show. Got some of the kwami blind bag kwami figures too, and I developed a habit of keeping one with me in my bag when I went to work.

That rewrite project never went very far, since I was hoping to do my own take on the episodes, and most of the episodes had become a distant memory by that point. In fairness, it had been like 6 years. I'd have to rewatch the show, and I still wasn't ready for that.

Then, on this day last year, something happened. I was staying at my parents house after an especially stressful work week, and I was browsing Netflix. And what would be on the front page, but Miraculous Ladybug: The Movie.

I had vivid memories of binging the show on Valentine's Day as a kid. I used to really associate the day with Marinette and Adrien, so Valentine's Day felt a bit like a nice opportunity to appreciate a ship that made me so happy.

So I watched the movie, justifying to myself that it wasn't like I was watching the show, it was just one movie and it would probably suck anyway.

But it didn't suck. It very much didn't suck. In fact, I LOVED it. It brought back so many memories, the love square was so sweet, the kwamis were such a cool idea, Hawkmoth was so fun, the akumas were so creative, Marinette and Adrien were so cute! It reminded of all the things I used to legitimately love about the show, rather than the stuff I didn't. When I was watching the movie, I wasn't thinking about that friendship that ended, or the art that got stolen. I was thinking about these kids, how much I loved them, and how much I loved their story. And I realised something that, in retrospect, should have been obvious.

It wasn't the SHOW that made me uncomfortable. It was my negative associations related to it. The show did nothing wrong, it was always fun and always made me happy. It was my bad experiences themselves that tainted it.

So I thought it over, and decided to continue the show from where I left off, even if the thought of doing so made me feel kind of sick and uncomfortable.

And I liked it. No, I didn't just like it-- I LOVED it. It was so fun?? And interesting??? And--wait oh my god is that PLOT?! Wait wait wait Marinette is overwhelmed???? I've felt like that!!! And--oh!!! Who is this Félix guy?? He's a reference to the pilot!! And he's so fun!! And Kagami? I remembered her being a boyfriend stealer but she's actually not at all and she's actually really sweet??? And Alya!!! Ride or die bestie Alya!!!

Needless to say, I couldn't stop watching after that. I binged seasons 3 and 4 in the span of I think two days, then immediately moved on to season 5, and I had a wonderful time. I was also a lot happier in general. It felt like I'd regained a part of myself that I'd lost, or rather, willingly left behind.

I know there's a lot of discourse online about whether or not the show is good, about if its even worth watching, but to me, that stuff sincerely doesn't matter. Miraculous Ladybug makes me very happy, which is why you'll never see me engage in Miraculous Ladybug salt discussions. I can critique it sometimes, but I've spent enough time looking down on this show. I'd rather love it for what it is and appreciate the joy it's always brought me.

So yes, today isn't just Valentine's Day. It's the anniversary of the day Miraculous Ladybug came back into my life, and the day I regained a piece of myself I'd long forgotten.

I loved the movie so much, I started binging Miraculous Ladybug for the first time in a long time, and I'm having a blast, so I wanted to draw something! It's actually based on a piece I drew in 2016 and then redrew in 2017. I think I've come a long way as an artist, and I'm so proud of the improvement!

Bug out!🐞

[halfricanloveyou]

“hey so we’re gonna need you to focus up and pay attention and not talk for 3 hours straight. and no you can’t look at your phone or ask brief questions or think out loud and 98% of what will be said won’t apply to you.”

“also i know you have adhd and that you said your adderall wore off but so do i. you just have to learn.”

do you seriously think i am capable of that. what if i blew you up with a cool wizard beam attack? what if the beam was purple.

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

Actually sickened right now

[marzipanilla]

I read your keep reading break as my keep reading break and this whole rant almost showed up, ass out for the dash xD

I do my best to be like 'yeah that's a kid, limited experience/perceptions whatevs' but also... that is a fictional character written by an adult. At the end of the day if you fail to make me feel anything but annoyance/rage at the character, I will unapologetically dislike them and age is not a limiting factor lol Plus you have so many opportunities to not make him obnoxious (or at the very least justify his obnoxiousness) and then you don't it's like ?? Then you pile on the added factors of why the fuck is Debbie his main parent, and are we ever going to address why Nolan felt compelled to actually produce another child in the middle of his suicidal depression after fucking up his last one- like... Not only is he a plot device to make Mark think about shit that he has plenty of other plot devices making him think about anyway (his dad's 'we're better than them' speech, finding out every other version of him is a prick- like Oliver saying 'what if dad is right' is SO pointless bc it's a thought that should have already occurred to Mark and been faced and- dealt with or not - we didn't need this specific character to talk about it!) so Oliver just basically fucks up other characters arcs/personalities in the process of asking a question THAT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN ASKED.

I WILL sit down and write Kregg or Lucan using toddler purple boy as a bludgeon against Nolan's head and him having to sit their with his dead son's brains in his mouth and actually face the immediate consequences of his actions instead of getting to run off to a secondary location and decide how to approach it from a distance. Literally NO ONE had to die on Thraxa Nolan. You could have just left.

Yeah the purple-ness is BS. It's like 'Nolan has red blood, Andressa has blue skin... those two colors make purple!' like SIR ??

It almost feels like the characters personalities have been retconned a bit. Like. Mark guilt magnet 'I must control myself' Grayson absolutely failing so hard at that or even apparently caring at failing so hard at that. I already had my secondary post ranting about Debbie's parenting thus far this season lol Like, do these people not remember anything that happened to them previously ?? The trajectory was wobbly, but you had a trajectory! Mark TRYING to get in control and finding it harder could have been a thing ! But no, he just had strength training and now murders his way through his problems ?? Maybe Debbie overcompensating because Nolan WAS a murderer so she put too many heroes vs bad guys shit in Oliver's head ?? but no ?? they're just ?? acting weird ??? instead ??

Nolan disproved that viltrumites aren't inherently incapable of experiencing empathy! He just had to learn it ! And Oliver was definitely raised in a situation where he should have been learning it ! SO WHERE IS THIS ELITISM COMING FROM. WHERE WHERE SHOW. Did his thraxan mom kissing him on the forehead and calling him the specialist boy ever (worth the destruction of her planet!) fuck up his head?? we ever going to talk about Andressa again?? ever?

So like how you talked about not wanting to read the manga while watching the anime bc it changes things- I am unfortunately anticipating way too much and it's kinda throwing things off for me lol I genuinely wonder if I will like this season a lot more on a second watch bc I won't be spending the entire time screaming at the screen about things almost happening. Like. I knew who was the king of Earth in the future, so, the slow ass build up to it just made me fucking impatient. Not to mention my future comic knowledge of how that story line comes around at all just makes me roll my eyes at everything that happened there- tho at least show Mark points out that Immortal could have just, y'know, STOPPED- something his comic counterpart never seemed to realize was a valid thing to say. Like dude. Suicide by Mark is still suicide. Throw your ass into the sun! You met Mark and Kate at the same time, but you remember him and not her? You've had hundreds of wives? Get this man a pocket pussy, apparently he can't experience any empathy for living things unless his dick is getting wet on the reg. Like. Immortal just annoys me so much. Enduring while everything around you dies is an interesting story ! Somehow every time he tries to bring it up I just hate him.

Though he is just another example of something that I think Kirkman had done a few times- which is it doesn't seem to occur to characters that they can say no. Nolan, bud, maybe DON'T become emperor of the people of a planet you know nothing about ?? Did it ever occur to you that would be a BAD MOVE ? You can help out and not be their ruler. Same for Immortal. Not to mention future Mark being so into dictators he assigns one to Earth is wild. Kirkman just seems to really love dictators.

I think Nolan's almost execution and the break out was done SUPER well. Love watching that pathetic man try and drown himself in regret like this bitch doesn't full on have two kids he is escaping responsibility for in the process. Sir. It is time for you to use your punchy punch powers to maybe start punching things back together.

I thought the reveal that Viltrumites were almost extinct was going to happen at the end of last season, so, to say I have been waiting for this news is an understatement xD I also thought one thing I was super worried about got addressed to never come back to haunt me, only to realize it is still VERY possible for it to be brought up and I just have so much anxiety about that- that until I know one way or another my enjoyment of what is in the eps is SO limited. Like, I NEED TO KNOW so I can know whether or not to be mad and just deal with it, or I can be relieved and just enjoy what comes next.

Fun fact, we now know more about Rae- and have seen her in civilian clothes- then we do about Kate. WILD.

I like PFT but having the narrator come back was so unnecessary. They tried to push the comedy so hard this ep, and I imagine it's supposed to be a breather before more oncoming shit hits the fan but.. Allen is enough comedic relief. I don't need a random voice.

Also Mark, your mom has had some serious traumatic experiences with people breaking into her house- maybe don't sneak people in and not tell her about it. Maybe. Yes haha funny moment (and I was full on waiting for Debbie to be like 'tell Eve I said goodnight' through the door) but I will still sit here and be like stop lying to your mom about stupid shit! Let her know whose in the house so she wont be freaked out by it!

And to jump back to previous ep- Mark faced consequences for once, Immortal? The kid who got a mace through the gut? Almost died to his father? Had to go to Atlantis by himself to face the crimes his father committed? Who almost died getting sent on a mission he had to tell Cecil he would be a good dog for ?? Whose mother and brother almost died bc of a guy who escaped the aftermath you IMMORTAL were supposed to be cleaning up? You think Cecil blowing out his eardrums was the first time he faced consequences?? go fuck yourself. Mark was being stupid but that response is so dumb. 'for once' SIR. you have just been dead and depressed you haven't been around. fuck off.

Mark agreeing to go hang out on a beach w Debbie instead of refusing and the beach is Beach City (am now officially thinking too much about this crossover lol)

The way I got caught up on our back and forth I almost forgot this, lol! AND OH MY GOODNESS, IMAGINE? I forget exactly what which point Debbie makes the beach offer, but I’d love when exactly in SU/SUF-timeline they’d go? There’s something so fucking funny to me about them going during the SUF-timeline and always narrowly missing the strange, Steven-shaped mental breakdowns in the back. I know those don’t occur in a single day, but it’s tickling me. How could they miss anything? I don’t know I just think it’s funny.

Though, post-SUF is interesting if Gems can see the similar “world on your shoulders”, Mark has going on! Steven can shunt the narrative in the Gems’ minds, which I think is neat, if I’m not misusing the phrase since the guy’s on the road far away. Or maybe it’s just before Steven goes and they stumble into each other. I’d kinda love Pearl and Debbie interacting, honestly, if they could talk about loving someone who hurt you, hide things from you, even when you thought you knew them so deeply, and they left you to raise a child. Pearl being in a well adjusted space, and Debbie still grieving.

Honestly, the gems could help train Mark, they’re got experience and similar-ish powers in strength, sturdiness, and they can jump/run fast enough for flying to be vaguely similar enough to lecture about, I think. Or Lapis Lazulis, haha! Peridot with her trash can lid! Garnet, I’d love to see if she told Mark anything about his future in vague, well meaning advice. Or even giving relationship advice considering Amber. Or, importantly, how to convince an entire reign to end their colonizing ways, lol. Is Mark perhaps willing to start a war, take advantage of being related to any leaders, or fake his own death to varying results?

In general, there’s something so fucking funny to me about Nolan, in the sake of comparison, being Pink Diamond coded. Like OH, did an important or well respected of the colonizing empire come to earth and learn the beauty of its people and nature, including faking/lying/omitting things about his identity and background to being in, only to feel conflicted when his responsibility still remained, and he tried to free himself from them? Yikes! We’ve been through that before! Like gimme Pink Diamond and Nolan outfit swap rn. This is tickling me so much oh my goodness.

[andromedasummer]

i stand by my view that video game piracy is shitty unless you are downloading EA games or Paradox Games because nobody should have to pay $1,000+ dollars to get a full experience in a game

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

This one goes out to all the bitches who love some good Safehouse Era Horror. It's me, I'm bitches. I want Jon and Martin to be fucked up and eldritch but I want them to be fucked up and eldritch and loved

(Notes under the cut because I can't help myself. Heads up, I do go into some detail of how Jon gets injured so I can explain my thought process for how I designed his scars. All canon-typical and fairly clinical in tone.)

Here's how I picture Safehouse Jon!

He doesn't need glasses anymore by this point, so he should just be wearing empty frames, but I drew this before I settled on my glasses headcanons. This drawing looks better with the reflection anyways.

He hasn't gotten a haircut since before his promotion to Head Archivist. He doesn't love the weight of it on his neck, but he also uses it to fidget, and he really doesn't want to go through the whole process of cutting it. He's disliked haircuts since he was a kid (People: Bad. Small talk: Bad. Touching: Bad. Loud sounds: Bad. People talking all at once: Bad) and since his time with the Circus he's only grown more reluctant to go and get it done.

At this length his hair is naturally pretty curly but he is. Not taking care of it. I actually put a lot of effort into trying to make it look brittle and tangled (I have a lot of experience lol, my hair is quite thick and I've always hated taking care of it. Yes I am also projecting my feelings about going to a hairdressers onto him why do you ask.)

The various scars were a bit of a strange task, but anyone who has seen my takes on The Bad Kids knows I'm not averse to selective realism in my fiction. Easiest one was the neck, I always pictured Daisy making a vertical cut based on "through the voice box". The larynx is longer than it is wide, so I think Daisy would go for the method that dealt damage across the largest total surface area. Yes I am aware that I'm speaking the same way Martin does when he explains his corkscrew.

The worm scars were easy because I barely drew any. There are a few marks on his cheek, but they're just surface bites. I picture most of his encounter with Prentiss showing on his legs, particularly on the right side, with enough damage there that he starts using a cane after the incident to keep weight off his right leg. More research to be done on this particular detail.

Finally the burn on his hand from Jude. This was the weirdest one to figure out just because of the nature of the injury. How do you quantify the damage done to an epidermis by a living manifestation of sometimes-boiling wax that can heat and cool at will? I settled on it being a second-degree burn that healed supernaturally fast, containing the damage to the space Jude had direct contact with. He'd probably have some mobility issues there as well. I know there are ways to help with mobility and pain after a severe burn, but I don't know how much of it Jon would actually. Do. Like I said, definitely further research to be done on these last two.

Hey so I'm gonna ask you to stop and consider the horror of the watcher. The helplessness. The guilt. The inherent terror of being a spectator, a participant by proximity but not by action. The horror of not being able to look away, of being a bystander. Jon forgets to blink sometimes. But wouldn't it be so much worse if there were no eyelids at all? That's how I interpret the description of The Archivist being "All Eyes" :D

I love a good Many-Eyed Jon, so I whipped up my own interpretation here. I think the more he Becomes the more he starts to resemble the thing from the dreams. He has a lot more control of it in S5, but it still creeps up on him and he has to consciously go back to a human shape.

[chronic-conjuring]

✨please stop playing the pain Olympics it doesn’t do you or anyone else any good✨

I don't know who needs to hear this but:

-"it only hurts a little" is still pain

-"I can ignore it" is still pain

-"I can cope with/manage it" is still pain

-"it's bearable" is still pain

-"I can push through it" is still pain

-"it doesn't hurt that much" is still pain

-"it doesn't stop me from doing x" is still pain

You don't need to be in agonizing pain to be in pain.

[moved-to-slayfk]

posting here because this just doesn’t feel right to talk about in the horseimagebarn voice but this is extremely important to talk about.

my partner and i have returned to our hometown to stay with her family and my own has gotten a hotel here too (they moved to the town we currently live in after we did) so we are all safe and out of the thick of it

however there are tens of thousands of people who are not both in my own town and in the many surrounding it. appalachia will take an extremely long time to recover from this and there are more storms on the way. all i see on social media right now is people asking for shelter because their homes have been destroyed, or people asking for help searching for family members who are missing. hundreds of trees have fallen. hundreds of homes have flooded. roads are literally falling apart. preexisting sinkholes due to shitty pipes are opening up and consuming land. dams are on the verge of bursting and the only way to stop it is to release water so quickly it floods whole towns. all but one of our cell towers are down, so only people with at&t have service and the rest can’t contact anyone. over half the town still doesn’t have power. a major water supply issue occurred and the entire town is on a water boil order with no electricity to boil with. people are trapped in their homes and workplaces or out on the street because they have nowhere to go. law enforcement is blocking off roads but trapping people in the process. people have to be rescued by helicopter. our animal shelter has no water or power and boarding facilities have been flooded. entire villages like chimney rock nc are gone, and entire cities like asheville are cut off from the rest of the state and are completely inaccessible. ALL OF THE ROADS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ARE CLOSED. 400+ roads are closed because they are unsafe . that is INSANE!!!

when people say that climate change isn’t real, they don’t know what they’re talking about. climate change and its father capitalism are only going to continue to worsen lives in every way possible. i live in the mountains and our infrastructure is completely unprepared to handle hurricanes and it’s only going to get worse. it’s such a strange and eye-opening experience to live something like this when you think that it could never happen to you because that type of weather shouldn’t reach you in your environment. climate change doesn’t care where you live. it’s real.

western north carolina and the rest of the southeast that has been hit by helene need help. more people need to be talking about this so that the government DOES SOMETHING because the government historically fucking hates appalachia and it still does!!! the major state institution near me took DAYS to respond despite being the only place in town with power and wifi connection because they had to wait for the state to approve their response—they could have allowed thousands of people to evacuate days prior to the hurricane hitting us but they didn’t do anything before or after until it was too late!!! it’s bullshit!!! PLEASE get talking about this because something has to be done. climate change is going to continue happening and our mountains and the people in them are going to suffer immensely. hundreds if not thousands are now homeless. please talk about this look at the footage online of the wreckage and look how quickly our infrastructure crumbled. we need better. the people of appalachia deserve better.

i’ll get back to posting horses soon. but for now this is a lot. my friends are homeless and my family had to get off the mountain or be trapped there without power and water for days. we’re all safe but exhausted. i hope everyone who has been affected by this is staying safe. if you are in western nc, dm me. when i come back, if you’re in my area, im happy to bring supplies. stay safe everyone