#maybe it does have 300+ teachers

[inkskinned]

in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).

you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.

you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.

you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.

the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.

you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.

but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.

all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.

the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.

and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.

after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.

[dw-flagler]

something that always bothered me about the worm fanfic scene is that they always try to cram everyone together. There's always the scene where taylor meets lisa in a coffee shop or whatever. I get it, it's a fanfic, you can't just make up a character for her to meet.

But one of the things i always liked about worm was that it stayed away from the comic trope of making everyone connected. Like, if Worm was a comic book, Armsmaster would be her teacher, She'd end up being friends with Kid Win, Cherie would attend Winslow, Annette would end up being still alive and a secret agent for Cauldron but with amnesia or something, over-the-top soap opera shit, right?

What I always liked was that in Worm, Taylor's just some girl. She only knows one hero out of costume, and it's the girl who ruined her life. Her dad's just the head of hiring for the union. Her mom was just a college professor. If you asked the mayor about Danny Hebert, he'd say "who?" A lot of fanfics have him be like seinfeldian rivals with the mayor, but like he just writes petitions. If you asked Lustrum about Annette Hebert, she'd have no clue who you're talking about, because Annette was just like a member of her organization.

What I'm trying to stress, is that in superhero comics, everything's connected. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone's a super genius, or met at The Science Expo, or their dad was a famous crime fighter. Comics have all these sorts of big dramatic irony reveals. In comic books, there is never a character who's just some guy.

This sort of thing is great for making everything feel connected, and it's good for keeping out extraneous exposition.

But Worm doesn't do that. It's all just like. They're just regular ass people. Of course they don't know each other. They live in a city with 300 thousand people, none of them would have ever met each other if it weren't for capeshit.

And, I mean, it does remove a lot of the potential for shenanigans but it really does a lot to make everything feel more real.

There's also something there about capeshit being a metaphor for shared trauma where like these people would not know each-other were it not for shared trauma.

The undersiders, the great team, the bestest friend team, they don't meet if not for capeshit. They have no connection to eachother outside this. These are kids who would have never met, they would never have come within 20 degrees of separation were it not for the fact they have powers. This is integral to worm's worldbuilding. It's maybe the closest you ever get to a positive aspect of gaining powers, and yet for so many capes there is no undersiders, just the fighting and loneliness and eventual violent death.

[thethirdromana]

So Mina later says:

"Lucy is to be married in the autumn, and she is already planning out her dresses and how her house is to be arranged. I sympathise with her, for I do the same, only Jonathan and I will start in life in a very simple way, and shall have to try to make both ends meet."

Could this indicate that Mina also has spent hours planning out dresses and arranging the house, and maybe likes that stuff (but cannot go as all out because she and Jonathan have to "start life in a very simple way")? Note I am not very good at English.

Yes, that's exactly it. She's making the same kind of plans about her future life as Lucy is, only on a much more modest scale.

That said, I'm inclined to read more differences into this. I picture Lucy - with a household income that could be in the region of £5,000 or more - doing this a bit like she's making a pinterest board. Her dresses (plural!) surely can't need all that much planning, and "how her house is to be arranged" is surely also a bit up in the air - is she planning on rearranging Ring? Are they going to rent a house in London, and if so, does this mean Lucy is mentally decorating and furnishing a house that doesn't yet exist?

Whereas at this point Mina anticipates living off a fraction of that income; Jonathan would be doing very well to be earning £300 annually at this point. Any planning she might be doing is surely of the more practical kind, of what kind of house they might be able to afford to rent and what that means for their grocery and clothing bills. Because Mina will have to quit her job on marriage (teachers weren't allowed to be married), her lifestyle isn't going to improve on marriage and she might even feel worse off in practice.

I find it quite sweet that Mina is happy to see their situations as alike at this point in time, given that there's such a gulf between them.

[dairyminki]

woaahh congrats on 300 followers hun!! could I request jongho x reader fluff, maybe where he tells mc he loves her for the first time? that'd be lovely <33

✨️part of my 300 milestone event 🪄

title: i love hue

pairing: choi jongho x fem!reader genre: fluff, established relationship

warning/s: none

wc: 1.1k

a/n: tysm anne!! hopefully, i was able to deliver your request well ahhh <33

* reblogs and feedbacks are much appreciated!

—

It was a lovely Saturday for Jongho—he's sitting on a wooden stool, an easel stands in front of him holding the canvas he's currently painting on with a picture of—wait what is he exactly painting?

He's quite not sure, to be honest, because as he let his dominant hand gently drag the paintbrush across the canvas, he can't stop himself from sneaking a few glances at you every chance he gets.

By chance, he means, everytime you're not looking in his direction, but rather, you're smiling down and talking to the young students who enrolled in your weekend art class.

Jongho looks back at his own painting, tries to scrutinize it and then look back at the paintings done by the others, in an attempt to compare them. He then chews his lip, frowning, when he realizes that his painting sucks and that the kids around him are doing a much better job at painting fruits, houses, and stuff.

One kid was even painting a unicorn with a carrot horn. Also, Jongho thinks he just saw someone painting a yellow sun with eyes, nose, and lips.

Jongho didn't know painting pictures would be this frustrating, especially for an adult like him. Has he lost the power of creativity or imagination already? Because the beach he imagined is way off better looking in his head than on the canvas in front of him.

The more he looks at the blue paint with the thick shaky strokes he made in the center the more it mocks him in the face because it certainly isn't pleasing to the eye, instead, it looks like someone spilt milk in the middle of the ocean.

Jongho was about to throw the brush when he hears laughter behind him.

"Well, it certainly looks like you're having fun." He hears you say, and when he looks back, it was like he was staring at the sun itself.

How could someone look so radiant and resemble a goddess even when they're covered mostly in paint splatters?

"I didn't notice you there…" Jongho says, one of his hands rubbing at his nape, a shy smile decorating his lips.

"Maybe because you were so busy trying to fight your painting. If it helps, I think it looks pretty," You say, and Jongho knows that you meant it, though he can't help but scoff.

"Now, if I didn't know you all too well, I'd say you're just faking nice."

"It's a good thing you know me then." You smile at him, and Jongho senses you were about to say something else, but then one student was calling out to you for help.

Jongho only nods in understanding. Smiling, he says, "Go. Your student needs you, teacher Y/N."

"I'll be back later," You say, patting him on the shoulder before you left to attend to your student.

As soon as you left, Jongho doesn't even dare on going back to painting, he just simply puts the brush down and ends up looking at you who's now crouching to teach the kid how to paint Spiderman.

And then something happens, and it came to him like an eye opener.

"I love you, Miss Y/N," The kid exclaims, kissing your cheek after.

Jongho thought he'd be jealous, but it turns out that a kid stealing a kiss from you is the least of his worries. Because at that moment, all he could see was how your face lit up in joy, making you more radiant looking than just moments ago.

Before Jongho knew it, every single kid in the room was shouting the exact three words to you. His heart beats loudly at the sight of you, who looked like you were at your happiest.

And then Jongho comes to realize that he still hasn't said those words to you ever since you two ventured into a relationship. Well, he does remember you both coming to an agreement to take things slow. However, right now, he can't help but wonder when will he finally get the courage to say it to you because deep in his heart, he knows he does love you, more than anything.

—

"Thank you."

Jongho hears you say softly, so soft that he had to ask you to say it again.

"It's no big deal, actually. It was fun seeing you in your element," He says, squeezing your hand that was clinging to his left arm. The both of you were on your way back to your apartment, and you figured that walking would be a better option since it is a lovely day after all.

"You have no idea how confident you made me back there, really. I mean, you already know I'm not that good with kids right?"

Jongho feigns a gasp, "Really? Because it seemed to me like you were doing a pretty good job handling and teaching them, love," He says and stops walking to face you. "You did a great job today, Y/N. I mean it." Jongho smiles and gives you a few pats on the head.

And then you start to cry.

"I- why are you crying? I didn't even get to say I love you yet!" Jongho says in a panic that he doesn't even realize what he just blurted out in the first few seconds. But you did.

You heard it loud and clear.

"S-Say that again?" You said with a sniff.

"Say what?" Jongho chuckles awkwardly. "I didn't say anything."

When he attempts to look and walk away, you say, "Say it or I'll charge you with that art class earlier."

Hey that's not fair? Jongho thinks. You were the one who offered him to attend for free because you badly needed his support in the first place.

"You'll never let me live this down won't you, unless I say it again?"

"Yes."

"Fine." Jongho replies, almost sulkily, meanwhile, you're trying your best to suppress a smile.

"I've been really meaning to say this to you, but I didn't know when would be the perfect timing. And, uh, earlier, when that kid said it to you—"

While Jongho's explaining, your giggles reach his ears, and he can't help but eventually smile too, his nerves, starting to loosen up.

"I love you, Y/N, for quite a long time now," Jongho says, taking your hands in his. His eyes never left yours, patiently waiting for your reaction—if it will be just like when those kids said it you earlier or—oh.

You're crying, again.

"At this point, people will start to think like I'm being mean to you," Jongho chuckles, all the while he wipes your tears.

"Well, you are being mean to my heart, Choi Jongho. And for the record? I love you too."

[docholligay]

Dr. Holligay Tries Things That Aren't Running: Cycling

In the most technical sense, I have done cycling before. That it was 8 years ago and once did not seem to even cause me a moment's pause. I have done this before! This is fine, and then I will get my little sticker to help me win my unbelievably stupid kitchen item.

So I walk into the cycling room, and I set up my bike. I don't remember anything about how a bike is supposed to fit, except maybe something vague about the seat hitting at your hip, which I manage to do, and then set up my silly little water bottle, and sit on the bike, waiting.

This place is PACKED. Everyone else is either also trying to win a kitchen item, or whatever other prizes they have that I have completely ignored, or, they have actual goals for their lives that are not about saving 300 bucks at the specialty kitchen store. Most alarmingly, everyone else seems to know what they are doing, while I'm sitting here hoping nobody notices my eyes are wandering desperately about the place.

The lights turn off, replaced by various LED strings in green and purples, as a woman with a pixie haircut* and a bright smile walked into the room and immediately switched the music on. All of a sudden, we are in the club. It is loud and thumping through my chest. I know I complain about noise a lot, and it is very true, but there's something I very much like about music so loud that you can feel it in your body and most importantly, you can't hear anything else. A lot of what annoys me about noise is the crowding of it. Anyway, you don't care about that, but I immediately start warming up a little faster.

So deep was I in this clubbing moment that the instructor, she of the pixie haircut, who I'm going to call Straight Country Lena, which will tell you how the rest of this is going to go, SCARES THE SHIT OUT OF ME by appearing at my side and going, "Chocolate espresso bean?"

I damn near jump off the bike, and she starts laughing. Her smile is huge, and her nose wrinkles when she does it.

"Sorry! I know the music is loud, it's loud because...it's my class and I like it loud." another peal of laughter. "Amanda teaches it quieter, if you like that. Oh! Let me bring up your handlebar, it's too low. Espresso bean? They're chocolate."

All of this has happened over the span of less than 30 seconds and suddenly my handlebar is up, and I gratefully accept an espresso bean. She offers everyone in class a bean, and then goes up to the front and puts on her mic.

"Hi there! In January I try to remember to introduce myself. Letr's do a warmup, yeah, alright, my name's Lena, lots of new faces toiday I love that--parking was awful today, wundnit? God. But you know what?" ANother big smile, "Oh, stretch out your back right now--I was thinkin, I hope every person who's here in January is here in July. So I can share the lot. It's okay if you didn't get your favorite bike. Right, good story Lena, I'm Lena! I teach cycling and early morning group power, I'm a little bit yeehaw, so there's other teachers, I won't take it personally. Let's go!"

Y'ALL.

I am a woman of intense energy. I am reasonably athletic. I have nothing on SCL. She is riding her bike at 100 rpms or better, and every once in a while, she glaces down at her resistance and goes, "Okay, I'm at a 22, so figure yourselves out from there!" while I'm dying at a 13. We're huffing and puffing and she's singing along, and dancing on the bike. She's cheering for individual people who are obviously regulars.

We get into a part of the class that's like, sprints, and she goes, "I went to school on a rodeo scholarship so we're gonna BARREL RACE**" which by the way, is bearing down for a sprint as HARD AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN for a solid 20 seconds, while she--also doing it, by the way-- is telling you to push! that!! pony!! At the edge of every sprint she'd go, top of her lungs, "YEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAWWWWWWW!!" and the regulars would do it right back though I have no idea how.

Some other quotes from her rambling while also doing a huge, athletic workout.

"I have to teach a chunk of classes every morning or my husband'll divorce me" laughter, again, "He says I'm a sheepdog and need too much activity"

"Don't mind me I just keep talking sometimes. Some people have verbal diarrhea but I've got Montezuma's revenge up here"

"Every year I say I'm gonna get ripped and then I remember I have a kid and drink beer."

"Do we all like the music? Tell me what you like and I'll work it into next week. Unless I hate it."

*My personal favorite, after someone asked her if something was dangerous* "Well, you gotta die of something."

And then she capped off our final sprint by running around the room, up and down every row of bikes, ringing a cowbell over her head and occasionally jumping going "last push! last push! Let's do it! Then you can join me for the core class next door after!"

The woman was insane. i loved her. I will not attend cycling again as it is is everything I find hard about running and none of the things I like about it, only also add weight to your legs, and while I'm sure it would be great crosstraining for my legs I also hated this class while being able and willing to join her cult at a moment's notice. I want her in my ear when I run.

But I got my sticker, and I am definitely going to her core class.

*There IS a difference between a men's haircut and a pixie haircut. I am very femme, sure, but I have a men's haircut I can pretty easily style feminine. This woman had a pixie haircut which never looks masculine at all to me.

**The minute she said this, I went, "Oh obviously" she was built exactly like a barrel racer, small, but solid

[lloydfrontera]

weird i thought lloyd would be in textbooks for generations to the point students will curse his name for making their tests difficult/it's this guy again types of questions but nope he just vanished from history and only a handful knows him

speaking of does his summons, skeleton corps and yongyong still exists and with him?

weird i thought lloyd would be in textbooks for generations to the point students will curse his name for making their tests difficult/it's this guy again types of questions but nope he just vanished from history and only a handful knows him

i mean. do you remember the guy who revolutionized the history of civil engineering and architecture in your country?? the guy who changed the history of building construction and sewer systems a couple centuries ago??

like. personally i am not very informed about that topic cause it's not part of my daily life! i imagine it's different for, y'know, people who have to study the topic and will make a career out of it.

for all we know lloyd is still very known but just to the people the system told him he would be remembered by: engineering and architecture students and teachers.

[Hell's Top Talent] [Title Level: Hero's Journey] Okay, it's time to study the railway of the past. Open your History of Modern Civil Engineering Book to page 359. Yes. That's the famous Pantara Railway, which I'm sure every one of you knows. Student in the front row. Could you briefly walk us through how this railroad came to be? Excellent. That's correct. The Pantara Railway, just like what the student said, is a masterpiece built by Lloyd Frontera, who received an order from the Magentano House. Hahaha. Are you all bored? It's Lloyd Frontera again. Look at this section, and you'll find Lloyd Frontera. Move on to the next part and you still find him. I, too, am sick of him. Had it not been for him, we would only have one eight of what we will study this summer. But what else can we do? That son of a gun set the groundwork for the civil engineering of our empire. So, it would be unfair if we were the only ones to suffer, no? Let's hit the book. Come now. Let's study harder, create new theories and make it harder for the students who'll come after you all. All right, so the Pantara Railroad introduced the switchback system for the first time in the world...

again. does this sound like something the every day person would be studying?? yes, lloyd did leave a very big mark in history, one that will last for centuries, but it doesn't mean literally everyone will know about him. just... the people who are most involved in the field he worked in.

who's to say there aren't a bunch of students in the background of rakiel's shenanigans, cursing lloyd's name or making little altars in the back of their classrooms every time a test comes and they have to answer insanely complicated questions that only exist because lloyd did a bunch of stuff 300 hundred years earlier??

we just don't get to see it because it wasn't relevant to rakiel's journey </3

also. the sequel is mostly from rakiel's perspective. and rakiel is busy. he hasn't traveled to a lot of places where lloyd went. his field of work is extremely separated from lloyd's. he has no reason to really think about lloyd and yet he does! several times! he hasn't been forgotten he's just not relevant to rakiel's daily life.

just because you're famous in one field doesn't mean everyone will know of you! just to the people invested in that field and maybe a couple adjacent ones!

speaking of does his summons, skeleton corps and yongyong still exists and with him?

the summons yes! lloyd himself confirms that he has ppodong and the rest of the gang with him in heaven. i don't remember if he has mentioned the skeleton corps or yongyong yet, but lexi is working with javier so?? it's unclear.

[chronicallyuniconic]

Why we need to stop blaming survivors who take years to come forward:

*TW: Childhood Sexual Abuse*

[In light of Kevin Spacey being in court, I'm seeing alot of horrible discourse & I just want to add my exp so I don't scream profanities].

It takes years to report for so many reasons and I'm here to describe my personal experience, and just why it took so long to come forward. Only now 25 years after it started, am I able to write about it with some clarity instead of confusion.

I was just a child when it happened, in my formative years, considered one of the most important times for a developing child. I did not know, not fully anyway, how wrong it was, what happened to me, that it was a crime.

The person who did it, was fully known to everyone around me, and everyone loved (and still love) that version of the person they knew/know.

From about age 6, I was silently questioning if I'd dreamt it multiple times, or maybe what happened to me was just something that was supposed to take place. Did every _____ do this? Does every daughter have this happen to them? Is it all children my age maybe? I just couldn't make sense of it. In some ways, I still can't.

I didnt know the word pornography at such a young age, but the magazines my abuser would leave for me to find, left me confused, what are those people doing?

As I chug into my teenage years with these mixed memories, feelings, and now hormones, I spend more time with a friend, my best friend and later became my first girlfriend at 14. She had a similar thing happen to her too, multiple times just like me, except when she told a teacher she was taken from her mother and sister, into foster care. And that's how our relationship ended.

I didn't want to be separated from my younger sibling, of which we are immensely close. I have to protect this from happening to them, to us. A month later, I find out I'm going to be welcoming another sibling in 6 months. I sobbed at the thought of another sibling having to endure what I had, I have a baby to protect soon and it's not mine. I spent my teenage years with them as much as I could.

It wasn't until I turned 17, I realise the predator living around me, is only into girls. They continue watching me through cracks in the door, walking in when I'm in the bathroom doing anything, secretly going through my phone, taking me for driving lessons, keeping up work in the community, all the while dropping towel when I walk past the bedroom.

Somehow, I kept my wits about me, and at 18 left 300 miles in the opposite direction to University. My sibling could protect themselves now too. I had to say goodbye to my mum, she was still involved with him.

After 10 weeks at University, I was alone and isolated, I struggled to make friends, noone on my course lived anywhere near me. I was suggested to go to the University counsellor, where after 12 weeks, I had told her more or less everything.

It took me another 2 years and a failed relationship to summon the courage to ring the police, and now also explain why it had taken me so long and why would I go on driving lessons with the man that did this to me? And even now looking back, there were things I'd left out in my report. Because repressed memories really do exist and they're still affecting me to this day.

If you have ever felt the rushing wave of a memory you never had before, suddenly appear, I'm giving you such a big hug, because it's awful. It's like drowning where you stand and I've spent too long questioning my reality.

The next time you wonder why it took someone so long to speak up, it's not just about that. It takes years of mental torture and so much silent work to undo damage that should have never been there in the first place.

Standing with the men who are speaking up💜

[the-monkey-ruler]

so according to the rules and from what I understand, if you are the child of two powerful demons or a powerful being, it doesn't matter, you have to achieve everything yourself because the skills and magic will not be inherited to you, maybe only the strength, but beyond that, you inherit nothing and must achieve it for yourself.

I understand that Chenxiang, being a demigod, only inherited strength but had to train anyway. Are there exceptions, or is this the case for everyone? What about Redboy? Or the son of the white snake?

Well in a sense. I have said before that it does affect on what pieces you are that also affects what kind of power you are inclined to have. Like the Scorpion Demon having poison and the Yellow-Tusk Elephant King being able to use his trunk. The same could be said with demon offspring if they have any genetic effects of their partners. Red Boy most likely got his fire performance from his mother Princess Iron Fan having her cave located on Flame Mountain and being able to control them with her wind powers. But when it comes to things like gaining power then YES they would have to train for that on their own. It's like that they are born with the POSSIBILY with being as great as their partners but they are not born automatically with that power, they must train, which could be easier for them in all honestly.

Chenxiang had more natural strength but he didn't know how to use it and thus, in his earlier versions, accidentally killed another boy. He had to be trained by the Thunder God (or Sun Wukong now) in order to master his strength and have the skills and techniques to save his mother. A bow and arrow are a strong weapon to someone with perfect eyesight, but useless if they don't know how to draw the string.

Red Boy is said in the text that he trained with his powers as well, took him 300 years to master his Sahamdi fire, he wasn't just born knowing how to use it. He had strong parents and thus had an advantage but he still practiced long and hard.

Xu Shilin is a later addition to the Legend of the White Snake as the story usually ends in tragedy with White Snake and Green Snake being caught by Fahai who trapped them in a pagoda. It is in the later version does White Snake gives birth to Xu Shilin and he grows up to become strong enough to save his mother from the pagoda. I cannot find anything that really gives a clear story on how or if he was ever trained but from what I gathered that "His filial piety moved heaven, and What Snake was able to get out of the tower and see the sun again." Hard to say if he had anything magical powers to really aid his saving mother or just that his spirit was enough to do so.

From this we can gather that Red Boy, who received formal training in the span of 300 years, is so strong not because of his heritage solely. His parents being power demons does gives him that greater potential but he was only able to live up to that potential because of his hundreds of years of training, making him a threat to even Sun Wukong. Chenxiang was given far less time (I've seen him training from 1 to 3 years) BUT IN THAT TIME he was able to go head to head with Erlang Shen, one of the greatest fighters in heaven. I would like to note that Chenxiang did have both his Axe of Pangu and the Lotus Lantern on his side and perhaps those heavenly treasures were able to help his fight as well. Xu Shilin has such little information and no formal training despite being half-demon half-human. Most likely he would have great potential but I cannot find any stories of him fighting Fahai head-on or not and thus cannot say how powerful his true strength can be. What I can say is that without a teacher he was given no feats of strength or anything of physical or magical powers. To be this suggests that without proper training he could not live up to that potential.

From this, we can gather that having cultivated parents can give you a potential boost, but without former training then it cannot be utilized. Erlang and Chengxiang are prime example of how having a cultivated parent can increase your potential, Erlang Shen being one (if not the) strongest gods in heaven, and Chenxiang being able to learn and cultivate in accelerated speeds. Both being quite young in their training to save their mothers. Red Boy having two powerful demons was able to utilize his potential though it took far longer, centuries at that (we don't see a lot of natural-born demons and I personally believe that it is harder for demons to conceive a child with other demons compared to having a child with a human, hence why they are target more often for spouses (that is just a theory)). And sadly I have no examples of what power Xu Shilin could have had as he had no formal training and thus what potential he could have can only be speculated.

[castlebyersafterdark]

i think youre right about the bi/gay debate (sorry to bring it to you... im not bringing it in a Im New Here way, but rather an I've been here a while and youre someone i feel safe asking about this, sort of like sitting down at a kindly hot gay wizard's knee and asking for wisdom way hehe.)

HOLY HECK i did not even see the slideshow length, 300?! i know we celebrate the boys here, but when youre compiling like that it starts to feel like compensating for something. and you're right - so far (im about halfway through) ive been asking myself things like 'but why does that make mike bi?' on every other slide. theyre detailing the plot of s4 from mike's pov; things that all bylers agree on, gay and bi truther alike. none of it so far is evidence for bi mike. at one point they say 'theyre not compatible in a romantic relationship, but mike likes kissing her as we can see here...' and this is what has me respectfully yelling HOW CAN WE SEE THIS PLEASE because so much of these discourses is about opinion and subjective interpretation. im about to sound like a nerd: it really makes me miss school. and uni. and debate club. and seminars. with actual discussion and evidence. hell, i even miss english class and writing essays. make a point. provide evidence. follow up with explanation. the teachers actually called it P.E.E.

PEE. amazing.

but youre right, because its ok for everyone to have their interpretations, especially as the show is unfinished! maybe im just endlessly confused by people's need to justify and be right. what is gained? i think i expected too much from the fandom lol, i expected academia. i feel like i get that open-mindedness from some places though, and from you (plus many other treats heh heh). i think i would love to have had you in my uni classes, vinny! youre so interesting and kind.

and im endlessly interested in the sexual attraction vs. love thing, because ive definitely seen people say that sexual attraction isnt needed. aromantic gay folk, etc... i must be honest and say it gets beyond my understanding and i cant form an opinion on that

footnote 1: im gonna finish the slideshow because today i was reading about the Sunk Cost Fallacy and want to be masochistic (only 150 slides left! its ok though, the vast majority are screenshots of the show itself that illustrate... nothing lol)

Hope you two anons don't mind a little three-way action combining this conversation 🤭 just so my blog isn't dominated by this topic with redundant points! I totally don't mind the topic if it's open and friendly and analytical rather than fighty. All good here. Under a cut since this is long and if people want to skip this topic:

"sitting down at a kindly hot gay wizard's knee and asking for wisdom" - Firstly, love that, obsessed with you. And YEAH the number of slides made me irl do that slow blink meme gif, we know the one. I wasn't very compelled. Am I too staunch and biased? It's not that "oh this character must be gay because I'm gay and like Byler" - no? A lot of people like Byler and aren't gay at all. I've been in fandom culture a long time and don't need to project. I just see what I see. I've shipped many things where I knew the characters weren't queer but I liked the idea. This is the first time in a long time that I feel the shipping and analysis collide and can actually be one in the same, a fandom rarity in my opinion and taste in media.

Anyway. A lot of the points for bi Mike overall from many sources of discussion never strike me as evidence he's bi. They could so often go both ways (HA SORRY) to bi vs gay points. And then the gay points tip the scales. So much of the argument is subjective, for sure. But there is coding and hints and arcs that lend solid evidence. His LACK of attraction to women just feels so clear to me when we have soooo much of that with the other male characters? He just acts differently, abrasive to certain concepts. And his relationship with El is a mess. I will feel so odd if we've all analyzed that wrong. All the points about Mike's weird expressions, his awkward physicality with her as opposed to Will, never really seeming all too enthused. It's almost looks like panic sometimes. A lot of what he says that's read as romantic feels like a performance for other people around - MIKE is the one overcompensating here, truly. His defeated facial expression before he says he loved El in the monologue is such a giveaway to me. He's about to lie for his life and hers.

This is what I mean by life and death. Guilt over his new friend dying for them season 1. Anger at Hopper hiding her while he missed her and felt guilt over what happened. Season three conformity and puberty confusion arc, getting mixed up from growing up and trying to be normal. The excitement that yes, I can be normal, this girl likes me. Changing his personality to fit, and overcompensating for not knowing the difference between platonic and romantic feelings for this girl - he struggled with the platonic because he feels he can't have that so his relationship is messy and too physical, not emotional. His mind and body and heart are all at odds. He and El aren't really friends because they haven't had the time or allowed their relationship to be anything but this need to have it be romantic - El's issue, too, with not really engaging with society in a meaningful way. Rambling now. But it's not hard to see if we're paying attention. Haven't even touched on anything to do with his behavior in regards to men or Will - this is already too long.

I think a lot of people will continue to ship what they want regardless of the outcome and honestly - that's fine? What if the worst happens and Mike ends up with El? I will still be a hardcore Byler fanboy until Stranger Things is not a fandom I'm interested in engaging with. I don't really care. I'll forge my own reality through fanfic. I believe those who still want to engage with Mlvn will do so. I can understand why people choose to see Mike as bi. His sexuality isn't canon yet (as opposed to Robin and Will). It's what they're into and HC since we do not know 100%. I'm not so blinded and delusional to not admit that.

Creativity and analysis overall - to anon #1's point. Yes!!! Glad to be enrolled with you at Stranger Things university. I got my little notebook out, overly caffeinated but I'm there for class. I'm the annoying guy interjecting. But I feel like you'd be sitting next to me in lecture backing me up.

and im endlessly interested in the sexual attraction vs. love thing, because ive definitely seen people say that sexual attraction isnt needed. aromantic gay folk, etc… i must be honest and say it gets beyond my understanding and i cant form an opinion on that

I find it fascinating, too! Which is why I try to learn more and more and always try to consider different viewpoints. It's a broken record, but these orientations are totally valid and props to anyone finding what works, figuring themselves out. I don't think everyone is ever going to completely understand every aspect of human sexuality. I don't. I'm always learning. I'm gay and both a hopeless romantic and a guy with a high sex drive so maybe certain realities and lifestyles I don't fully understand the intricacies of - but that's ok. We don't have to walk an authentic mile in each other's shoes, but we do need to respect each other and leave room on the path!! 😁

And a secret 3rd anon appears!! You said please don't post so I won't. But thank you for filling me in on fandom lore. I didn't know all that!!! Yikes babes. I don't like those vibes!!! 🙃 But, that is not my energy, we're all chill and into fun and discussion here. We don't personally have to give weight to every character interpretation but we also don't have to get at each other and blatantly fight. I'm just vibing 😌❤️

[dumbasswhatever]

Responding to your unrecomendation, mine would be scum villain self saving system. It's a Chinese bl novel. It's about a reader, Shen Yuan, who got isekaid into the novel he hate-read, as the villainious teacher, Shen Qingqiu, that abuses the protagonist. Ofc he strives to do the opposite within the limits of ooc. So why it would be my unrecomendation is three point:

1. Resolving the protagonist dilemma.

So the protagonist, Luo Binghe, in the og novel is a tyrant with 300+ wives so he's kinda fucked bc of his childhood trauma. He's a paranoid, power hungry and lust hungry. So ofc Shen Qingqiu tried to treat him better in this one. Except that the author doesn't extend more than that. This kid has no friends other than his childhood bestie. Where's his other friends? Classmates? Bonding between children that can help foster good emotional connection and be a normal teenager? ZERO. Author wrote him to only rely on Shen Qingqiu emotionally and never addressing his previous trauma under the og villain. It's still there!! And it effects the whole novel!!! He's emotionally unstable.

Luo Binghe was so obsessed with him he literally kept Shen Qingqius corpse in his bedroom for five fuckin years, while SQQ junior tried to get him back for a proper burial. When he did find SQQ, Luo Binghe feed him a parasite that can track him anywhere. WTF.

2. The harem.

In og novel, all women are his wives. So what happened to them in this one? Well. They do get mentioned. But barely. One was an airhead but she got more sensible and thats it. Thats all??? I know bl has issues with how they treat their female casts but damn author you could've made them lesbians at the least.

3. Shen Qingqiu himself.

Personally I see him as someone who views the protagonist as a son/student so when people said "oh the characters said that SQQ is mourning for Binghe like a widow mourning for his husband >><<" i get pissed cause father mourns too!!! Teachers mourns as well!! Does platonic relationship means nothing?? Also even if Shen Qingqiu is an unreliable narrator, I can still read that how he views Luo Binghe. Definitely not romantic. Also the fact that he was forced to became Binghe's stay at home wife when he's literally THE Head of Scholarly Peak?? Who loves to explore and record weird plants and animals? Sir. What's the damn difference than a normal het novel then?? Other than no baby and pregnancy. What's the damn difference than the og protagonist having 300+ wives who were shut in his palace than this Binghe with a man who became a shut in? HEAD IN HANDS

I have so many grievance with this book cause it could've been better. Not even counting the teacher-student relationship and many other red flags that are flying actively in this book. I am tortured with visions. Everyday im gripping the sink, saying "It could've been better. But it DIDN'T."

Definitely do not recommend 0/10 dont do this don't read this book. Its better to read other things like a textbook maybe. Sorry if this is long i can only hope that you're entertained. Best regard.

i am very entertained holy hell thank you for the essay. also this book is O_O huh. the basic concept (like making a story/character happier out of spite) sounds like it could be a very fun read but then every single other detail you listed is like hoooooooly shit. this guy's got 300 wives and doesn't have a single relationship with any of them

[valkyrieofsmut]

If they tried, how many pullups/ pushups could each of the boys do in a row?

Ok, this is all based on actually trying, and not using any magic.

Classic- 5 each. He doesn't really do this much, but he can do a bit.

Creampuff- sooooooooooooo many! He loves working out!

Red- 50 each.... take a break.... another 25 each.... another break.... another 50 each..... another break..... another 25.... and then some cooldown easy weight lifting. Man has a weight set in his room and uses it...

Edge- He likes to show off. He can do 50 each. He doesn't want to do much more than that, though, because it starts to change the shape of your body.

Blue- He counts to 100 each, but could probably rotate through the two to get about 250-300 each. He takes pride in actually being strong and not 'cheating' with magic.

Stretch- He can do a cool 50 each.

Black- He usually uses his magic to work out, because he believes you should use every talent you have... so he can do about 15-30 each. With magic, he can keep up with Blue.

Mutt- 100-150 each.

Axe - If he doesn't forget what he's doing he can get up to 50 each, since he's building back his endurance and such.

Bun- None... his body doesn't like moving that way anymore without pain...

Dusty- He's not really into that, but he does have strength... maybe 15 each straight, but not much more.

Break- Not to toot my own horn.... but he can do 100-150 easy, though he's really more of an agility and skill guy.

Shi- This man. Is a full body dance teacher. .... He can keep up with Creampuff.

[aliasrocket]

Two things, one Rocket is a stranger in his body. Two, any advice for writing? I struggle with descriptions and describing dialogue and I overthink it because it sounds dumb. So any advice? 🥺

Yes. Rocket definitely feels a dissociation between himself and his body. I can understand how that feels to a certain extent.

As for advice for writing, I feel honored that you came to me for help! I hope my ‘guide’ will help you!

Advice for descriptions and describing dialogue!

Actively do the things you’re trying to describe.

This is especially useful for beginners because once you get into the groove of writing your imagination gets stretched over time to the point that you know what you want from a scene but anyway, what I mean by this is if let’s say there’s a character that struggles with their body image and they have a closet with a mirror, instead of just saying “he walked over to the closet and saw his reflection. He hated it.” You can try to go over to your closet and pretend you’re looking into a mirror.

This will get your brain to start thinking about how it would feel to look into a mirror and hate what you see. You’ll also get to see stuff that you do by instinct so your writing comes out much more humane, if that makes sense? For example, maybe you touch the mirror out of pure instinct. You could write the character doing that and it would give more life to your fic because it’s something we would all probably do.

Show, not tell.

This one is basic english writing 101 but this quote has saved my writing. Let me give you an example.

She turned around in the middle of the argument. She exhaled and inhaled, the situation getting her anxious and her palms sweaty.

This is good! But “the situation getting her anxious” is telling the reader that she was anxious, instead of showing the reader. So whenever you write, there should always be a lot of questions in your head, like what happens when someone gets anxious? Both in their head, and to their body? Once you get this instinct, you’ll be able to come up with stuff like this.

she turned around in the middle of the argument, and she felt her head swing around with her. Her hands were tossed above her head, her sweaty palms cooling to the ventilation above as she exhaled. She swayed left to right, almost like she was trying to cradle the heart that was pounding against her ribcage.

I mean I’ve been writing fanfic for years so take it one step at a time. I recognize this instinct isn’t easily acquired so just try to remember if you want the reader to feel what the character is feeling in that scene and you aren’t able to feel yourself filling the character’s shoes in that moment, then maybe you’re ‘telling’ more than ‘showing.’

It’s okay to use ‘said.’ Dialogue is simple most of the time.

I cannot stress this enough. Teachers in school always say ‘said’ is such a bad word for a dialogue tag because it does nothing to describe the way someone says something but sometimes, people just say things. It took me years to accept this face.

But obviously if it’s a really emotional scene and someone is begging someone to stay, then ‘said’ would be horrible. But if two people are just talking, especially if it’s a calm setting, they’re more likely to just say something more than anything else.

Now let’s say you do need to describe the way someone says something. Dialogue is one of the simpler things to describe in writing, it’s just a dialogue tag and that’s it, really. Everything else you use to describe the way someone says something just goes back to the two points I mentioned above, because their actions play a huge part in the dialogue too.

Now if you’re struggling to find more complex dialogue tags, besides Thesaurus.com, I also like to use these websites :

This is also good for any other simple word you’d like to replace with a more complex word, too.

This is more suited for dialogue tags and has saved my writing multiple times.

I hope this was helpful!

[guppygiggles]

You know, I would love to learn how to skateboard and maybe I will, but I feel like Casper could be a good teacher. What do you think?

Hi again!

Like most things about Casper, the skating is life-accurate. I do actually skate, and I've helped my niece learn how, too!

I should mention that I do not skate "traditionally." I ride a longboard that is meant for carving. It does not have a tail, so it's not meant for tricks, and I don't really have a desire to do tricks, either; I'm thirty, and learning how to do anything on a skateboard involves falling -- a lot -- especially learning tricks. There is always some risk with skating, and I don't want to increase that risk, especially at my age.

That said, here are some tips I can give you, if you want to learn how to longboard like I do.

1. Always wear a helmet. Bones can heal, but TBIs are for life. Never skate without one.

2. Always bend your knees, never be rigid on your board. It's hard in the beginning, but always keep it in the back of your mind. You will have the best reflexes if you are loose and relaxed. Skating is all about weight control, shifting your weight between your feet to do different things. It's hard to be light on your feet when you're stiff.

3. Learn to footbrake. Again, non-negotiable. If you can't stop, you can't skate. When you're learning, brace the inside of your brake foot against the deck and slowly lower it by bending your opposite knee.

4. When you're riding, if you're afraid, your instinct will be to lean back away from danger and put your weight on your back foot. That's how you fishtail and crash. Always keep your weight on your front foot.

5. Don't get some cheap piece of shit board off Amazon, do some research and expect to spend between $200-$300 at least. Again, this is a safety thing, don't risk your life on some crap deck that's going to fall apart when you need it most and get you hurt.

I have a 33" Landyachtz Dropcat, which has been amazing to learn on and I would recommend to anyone. I am 5"5 and I have a short stance, so the shorter version is perfect for me, but they also have a 38" version if you are tall.

Hope that was helpful! I love to skate, and it has been fantastic for my mental and physical health.

[etoiloeuf]

(Sylvestre is another oc)

It had been a while since Aether and Paimon took in this random stranger they found in a cave underwater, overtime they got pretty much used to his presence. He didn’t know much but conversations with him were still nice when they managed to have one. They brought him along to most of their commissions, he was able to help at the ones monster unrelated but they had to find ways to keep Delmore from followed them to monster camps without him getting too far or lost. The excuse ranged from a requested to find firewood (after explaining him what it was) to finding a Paimon shaped rock. As long as he was occupied long enough for them to finish the job with him safe and sound, it was fine.

Neuvillette started searching more about this cave they found, while waiting they headed to Sumeru with Delmore. For now they were able to somewhat explain and teach things to Delmore however they thought maybe proper teachers could be of more help, that’s why decided to head to the nation of knowledge in attempt to find someone more competent for the task. And so they ended up at the akademiya, explaining the situation to some of the researchers while Delmore watched his surroundings with confused curiosity.

"It would be nice if you could help him !"

"I think we would be able to do that, simply teaching day to day vocabulary isn’t a complicated task for us but first we’ll have to evaluate how much he already knows. He’s not a child after all and he did seem to know a few things when you found him and it’s easier to know where to start when teaching a student." One of them answered.

And so they took Delmore aside to make a few test to know the extent of his knowledge. They waited for them to be done, a few minutes, then twenty minutes..m then an hour. Surely it can’t take that long to evaluate his knowledge knowing he knows little to nothing ? Yet it did as they seemingly endlessly waited, Paimon whining about how boring it was and Aether quietly agreeing. Still, he was curious at what exactly is taking them so long. Some researchers finally came out, approaching the two.

"So, what’s the results ? You’ll be able to help him right ?" Paimon wakes up from her half sleep caused by boredom.

"Well, you were right about his vocabulary for the most part however he knew mathematical terms who are much less known than simple words he had no knowledge of like ‘bird’ for example. So we ran a few more tests and curiously enough he seems more talented than average at mathematics. But that’s not all, he also knew names constellations and seems skilled in astrology and astronomy as well, he talked about a method of observing the sky through a mirror"

"A mirror ?"

"Yes, however it’s not the first time this technique is mentioned. It’s quite old, it was created by a group called the Stargazers, they followed an angel kicked out of Celestia for teaching astrology. Said mirrors were created by the angels, while common mirrors flips their reflection those mirrors were said to show the truth. Nowadays the Stargazers have disappeared after their master was casted away and finding even a chunk of those mirrors is near the impossible. We’ve tried to replicate those mirrors but nothing worked. If even you two talented travelers didn’t know about this, you can imagine our surprise when the one who doesn’t know what paper is seemed to knew it better than us." The researcher explained. "We think he might be a Stargazer with some kind of memory problem however the last trace of the Stargazers is from thousands of years ago so this might not be it…"

Back at the serenetea pot, Aether and Paimon watched as Delmore played with some puppets gifted by Sylvestre. They shared a glance like reading each others mind and looked back again at Delmore.

"Del, what’s 300 + 4" Paimon asked, skeptical of the researchers conclusion, how does he knows what numbers are but not what a cat is ?

"304, why ?" Delmore answered pretty much instantly… seemed the researchers were at least a little right about it..

[someinstant]

So it's the week before Spring Break, and that means that my students are currently INSANE, and also I'm an AP teacher so we're in the final sprint towards College Board exams, and also most of my students are seniors and are Going Through It in terms of college acceptance and scholarship drama right now, and also I'm the faculty advisor for Beta Club and I'm doing all the paperwork for new memberships (sidenote: did you know that it costs more than 3k for 100 kids to join National Beta? because it does. discuss), and my six week grades are due, like, NOW, and also the air here is 90% pollen right now so I don't think I've breathed in about three weeks. Yesterday my lunch was literally half a Pop-Tart, because that's all I had time to eat before the kids came back.

What I am trying to express is: I am a little overwhelmed and stressed right now. So when my mother texted me on Monday saying that a friend of hers had some furniture she was willing to give me for free, did I want it?, my response initially was: yes, but I am incapable of organizing anything else this week. And then she sent me the pictures, and--

GIMME.

I mean, did I then have to scramble and find a truck and movers, because my mother's friend needed it out of the apartment by Friday? Yes. This is because I couldn't take time off this week to move it myself because (a) TOO BUSY and (b) days before vacations are deemed "critical days" and have to be approved by admin at least a month in advance unless it's an emergency and (c) writing sub plans is actually worse than being absent and also (d) we have no subs right now and everyone is having to cover classes and I don't want to be That Person to my colleagues if I can help it. And the movers cost me, like, 300 bucks, and I had to get my mom to coordinate the pick up and my sister to coordinate the drop off because I was teaching the whole time, and then I had to move my old dresser and a chair to the guest room and clean everything in preparation.

But all things considered-- worth it.

Now. I just need to make it through the end of the school day tomorrow and I'll be okay. Maybe.

[transvampireboyfriend]

@pikween replied to your post “went to the front desk at the emergency room to...”:

wait what do you mean she sees auras

​sssoooo. im SO sorry im going to use this to lay down all i know of my mom's "clairvoyance" stuff (because i have this thing about documenting our family) so it'll be super long. but tl;dr she sometimes sees light around people and sometimes those people die within a week of that.

this has happened like 5 times so far and she's about 50 so it's not a common occurrence at all. those 5 times, she's received news that someone in town died and my mom has said that she knew they were going to die because the last time she saw them she could see the person's aura, which she describes as a bright white light surrounding them. when i asked her to describe it she said this picture of me reminds her of those auras.

This has happened both with people she loves and with complete strangers. She says she doesn't know when it started, she thinks maybe she was able to see them when she was a child, but she didn't know what they were so she didn't pay much attention to them.

The first time she realized was when her grandmother died, my mother was in high school, the same day my mother saw her aura, she died. Then it happened with some lady she saw across the street and the next day the lady was dead and it turned out she was the mother of one of my mom's acquaintances and that's how she found out that that stranger had died.

Then it happened with a couple kids, which is extremely sad, but my mom is a teacher, she sees about 300 kids every day so to me it makes sense it would happen with kids too, even if I can't in a million years begin to imagine what she must've felt with those.

And then it happened with my dad's mom too.

My mom also has had some very detailed visions and tons of instances of "bad feelings" that materialize a day later as bad news in our lives. Though she also has this with good news and she says she's seen auras on people (including kids) that don't die the next day or week; so when it happens she tries not to immediately expect a death.

and now for the debunking asdfghjks no, i'm a hugely skeptical person but for some reason i believe her about this. however, i have to say, she does lie, constantly, like waaay more than average, for many reasons. also migraines are known to show auras, not around people but it could be that? she says she doesn't have migraines but she's known for minimizing her symptoms. and last but not least, our family is like the poster of generalized anxiety disorder all the way up to that grandma who died in the third paragraph, so we're kind of always waiting for bad stuff to happen. so, yeah, all of these might just be coincidences.

my mom also is an extremely religious catholic but she does not link religion to any of this, which i guess is why i believe her, in part. i at least believe that she's seeing what she's saying she's seeing. my sister has some stuff like the visions and feelings as well. i sometimes know big news hours before anyone tells me about it, but i choose to believe it's because i am very observant lol

anyways. if you wanna hear about one of the visions, or feelings, or the news i know hours in advance, or what my mom is like in an abandoned asylum, shoot me an ask :)