#more than $200 if we're being honest

[soaps-mohawk]

I'm going to be honest

I'm having a genuinely hard time making this post. I've been fighting with it for a couple weeks now, but I think it's time I finally make it.

I'm not having fun on this blog anymore.

It sounds bad, but honestly, it kind of is.

I think a lot of it started from the very beginning with the precedence and expectations I put on myself. I've always tried to respond to every comment I get. Even from the beginning. It's just a polite thing to do since those who leave comments took the time to write out what they think of my fic, even if it's just a keysmash. I've always felt the need to thank those who leave comments or reblog my writing or (now that tumblr has it) replied to my fics. It worked fine before because none of my fics were particularly popular. Even my most popular fic (at that time) didn't get as much attention as CRCB has. I've never had a "big blog" before, nor a fic as popular as CRCB has gotten.

It was fine at first, responding to everyone, engaging with everyone. I was riding that high of omg so many people are reading and enjoying my fic! I've never had anything quite like this before.

Now...it just feels more like a chore. I set this precedence on this blog that I respond to everyone and I know a lot of people have said that they're surprised I responded to them and to everyone, and now I'm getting why a lot of writers don't. I'm exhausted. I feel like I've just been robotically saying the same thing over and over trying to respond to people now. I used to love seeing asks in my inbox and reblogs and replies but now? All I feel is dread because I have to respond to all of those.

Turning anon off was a big help. It lessened the sheer volume of asks I was getting a day. And while I do feel bad for all of my anons who prefer to stay anons, with everything that happened (the multiple incidents) with anon that kind of started to suck the joy out of everything. That paired with the obsessive need to constantly have my inbox cleared and make sure everyone gets a response...I can understand now too why big blogs will have 200+ asks in their inbox. It's hard and it's exhausting and I'm burning out.

First it was the fic that was burning me out. Things have gone on far longer than I planned and I just wasn't prepared for this fic to go on and for a while there it was dragging. I'll admit that. If I could go back, I'd speed up a few things, but it's done, it's posted there's no going back. I kind of hoped I would have the mental capacity to upload more than once a week too, but I just couldn't. I still can't.

I've come to dread posting chapters because I know I'm going to have to reply and respond to everyone. The only thing keeping me posting is the fact that we're in the part of the story I've been excited about since the beginning and also because I keep leaving everyone on cliffhangers and I love torturing y'all with all of them.

So that being said, this is in no way to shame anyone for interacting with me, anyone leaving comments or replies or sending asks. Don't feel bad about doing it please. I appreciate all of you that have engaged with me and it really means so much to me. Honestly, earlier this year, if I didn't have this fic and everyone on this blog, I might not have made it to now. It's been a really rough year and it's still going to be into next year. It's just getting to the point where I need a break.

I've needed a break for a long time. I thought taking days off the blog would help, and it did for a couple of weeks, but now even on the days I'm supposed to be on the blog and engaging, I just find myself queueing stuff up and just being offline most of the day still.

I'm tired. That's the best reason I can give. I'm tired and burned out on life and I'm tired and burned out on this blog.

So...I think I need a break. I need to not keep responding to every single reply and reblog every chapter. I need to not force myself to answer every ask right away, no matter how much I want to. I feel bad, but I know everyone would rather have me here and enjoying the blog than forcing myself to interact to the point where I'm dreading it and just robotically repeating myself over and over with every reply and answer and comment.

I won't be pausing the fic, I won't be not uploading. I'll still be posting chapters, I just might not be interacting as much as I have been. It's just putting such a mental strain on me still, even with anon off, even with days off. And with things getting busier for me, it's going to be too much to try and deal with irl stuff and write and try to be super active on the blog. There's going to come a point where I have to sacrifice the writing or the blog and I'd rather sacrifice the blog to keep myself sane, and also to keep trying to finally get this fic done. I love this fic, don't get me wrong, but I'm just burning out.

I'm already burned out in a lot of ways.

I was planning kinktober this year but honestly I'm considering not doing it because I know interaction is going to be insane and it's going to be a lot to keep up on. Plus trying to write that many fics is hard and I'm not sure I have the ability to do it. I have a few done but now I'm just like...is that something I want to do on top of irl stuff and CRCB.

There's just no joy in it anymore. It's not anyone's fault but mine. I put the pressure on myself, I held myself to that standard for this long despite the fact I knew it was draining me. I've tried to push through when I should have prioritized myself. I feel so guilty not responding to everyone. I feel so guilty being a day or two late responding to everyone.

I want to be here and interacting and responding to things but I just can't bring myself to anymore. It's no one's fault, and this is not a drag on anyone, or an attempt to make anyone feel bad or guilty for interacting or sending asks or anything. I'm just airing out the truth and saying what I need to say because I feel like I've been so robotic and lifeless with my responses these last couple weeks and I feel like I need to explain why. It's nothing anyone has done. It's my fault. It's 100% my fault.

Things have just gotten to be too much and it's my fault for forcing myself to be so active. The social battery has dropped into the negatives. I'm not a social person. I can only handle so much interaction and I've pushed so far beyond that, that things have gotten to this point. I want to be here and I want to have fun and I want to use this as an escape but I just don't feel that way about it anymore. It's a chore for me, a job, something I feel like I have to do and it's my fault that I feel that way. It's my own standards and expectations I set on myself, and my expectations on what I think my followers want and deserve and now I feel like I've gone on too long like this that I can't change things without hurting anyone's feelings. I don't want people to think I'm ignoring them in favor of others because I know there's writers out there that do that. They only respond to a certain group and ignore others that comment and reblog. I don't want to make anyone feel like I'm doing that to them and that's now led me to here.

I'm forcing it and I'm tired.

It's been hard these last few weeks. The life has just been draining and draining continuously. The joy and the love I have for this blog and my followers and the interactions and the fic. The last anon bullshit that happened was just kind of the last nail in the coffin so to speak. The straw that broke the camel's back. Things stopped being fun. It made me feel bad (and not in the guilty way, though that was a part of it) and I'm honestly just over it. I'm over the blog, I'm over interacting, I'm over life at this point. August is a hard month for me and every year it seems to get worse and worse. A lot of it is unrelated to anything online and I was going to make a post about it but honestly I just don't want to. Those that know, know. Those that don't...it doesn't matter.

I'm getting annoyed by the blog, I'm getting annoyed every time I look in my notifications and see an ask or a reply or a comment. I'm getting annoyed by some of my followers and that's not fair to you. Everyone always talks about how nice and kind and patient I am when I'm really not. I'm not the person I present myself to be on this blog, the way I mask myself so I can present myself as being a normal, kind human being. The mask is coming off because I'm so tired I can't keep it up anymore. It's happening here and it's happening in real life. I'm tired and I'm frustrated and I'm angry at a lot of things and the last thing I want is to start taking it out on my followers. You don't deserve that, especially when it's not your fault, it's nothing any of you have done. It's all me.

It's not you, it's me.

So for the sake of not burning this whole thing to the ground, I'm going to take a break. I'm not replying to everyone, I'm not responding to every reblog, I won't reply to every ask I get right away, if at all because sometimes I just don't have anything to say in response and I need to learn that's okay. It's nothing against you. It's not aimed at anyone specifically, I'm just trying to put myself first and stop things from escalating. I need a break and I'm going to do something selfish and I'm going to take it.

Don't apologize because it's not your fault. Don't apologize because you think you might have contributed to this because you didn't. It is no one's fault but my own.

I'm the one that needs to apologize to all of you because I've just not been myself because I've been forcing myself to be someone I'm not. I've been very unfair to a lot of people over the last seven months that this blog has been active and I've held a precedent that is not sustainable in the long run and made everyone believe that I was capable of maintaining that kind of interaction when I'm not.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been putting everyone through this. I'm sorry I've been so detached and robotic and ingenuine. I'm sorry I led everyone to believe I'm someone I'm not. I'm sorry I've dragged this on this long that it's gotten to the point that I have to make this post.

I considered just disappearing but that wouldn't be fair to you either. I don't want to put you through that, so I'm pouring all of my thoughts out and making you read through this fucking novel of a post. If you've made it this far, then congrats I guess. Gold metals to you who bothered reading this far.

Anyway, all of that aside, I'll still be posting chapters. I'll have them scheduled and I'll probably come on and add links places to keep things current. I'll respond and reply and answer asks when I feel like it. You don't have to stop sending them, but just don't expect them to be responded to right away anymore. I'll probably still be here reblogging things I want and doing things when I feel like it.

I just need a few weeks to myself. Time I don't have to care about the blog at all and keeping up with it. Anon will remain off for the sake of keeping asshole trolls away, and also so I don't open tumblr and have 200 asks in my inbox after a week. Sorry to my anons but it's just the way it needs to be right now. Maybe once this break is over and I've dealt with irl stuff, I'll consider putting it back on. I just can't after everything I dealt with recently on anon.

It'll be the same on Ao3, for those that follow here and read there. Comments will probably sit for a while. They won't be answered right away anymore unless I get the energy to burn through them. Even then I won't try to answer them all at once like I did this last weekend.

I'll try to reblog something every day so y'all know I'm alright. I don't want y'all to panic and it's not fair to put you through that, especially those that might not see this or bother reading it. Those that follow simply for the fic and nothing else. I'm here, I'm just not...here.

This week's chapter is in the queue to be posted tomorrow as usual. Chapters will still come out as planned since I'm not stopping writing, just taking a break from the blog itself.

Thank you those of you who stuck through to the end here. I appreciate all of you so much. You have no idea. I'm sorry I let things get to this point and I'm sorry to anyone that I've gotten rude or snappy with because I couldn't be selfish and put myself first. I'm sorry to anyone that got a robotic, repeated response to something they were probably excited to share. I'm sorry I've been so unfair to everyone and I hope you can forgive me.

Take care and I'll talk to everyone when I have the energy to.

[astarion-obsessions]

Spoilers for Astarion romance, act 2

I finally got to the Hug Scene with Astarion a few days ago, and it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought the choice to hug him would come without a second thought, but in all honesty... I wanted to do and say all of the possible choices. I mean, look at them!

He just poured his heart out, was honest with us like never before and then all Tav manages to respond is "I care about you" and a hug to prove it to Astarion? My Tav is a bard with 17 charisma, godsdammit. She would have had all the words to convince him of how she truly cares about him, even though he just wanted to use her initially.

All of the options alone just didn't feel like they're enough. Just hug him and say nothing at all? Only spending a bit physical comfort and that's it? Or just insist that he's important to you while keeping an arms length distance? Or even better, don't react to his insecurity about your feelings towards him at all and just ask him a question in return?

... Timing, Tav, timing. *sigh*

I would have wished for another option of dialogue while hugging him. Imagine.

Astarion waits for your reaction, most probably thinking you don't truly care. You take a step closer, he is instantly defensive, shying away from you.

But you're determined to show him - with physical and verbal affection - what he means to you. You dare to ignore his defensive gesture, finally pulling him into a warm hug. You feel that he is overwhelmed by your reaction, but you give him all the time he needs to understand what is happening.

After a few long moments he finally has it in him to return the hug hesitantly. His grip tightens around you, as if he's in desperate need of convincing himself that this is real.

He buries his face in the crook of your neck, then you mumble: "You are worth a great deal to me, no matter what you are going through, Astarion." You press him harder to your chest to emphasise your words. "I'm not interested in doing things you don't want to. We can be together without sleeping together, for as long as you need. And on the way we can figure out what it is that you really want. Together."

Now that's what I wished for. It's just a mix of the existing options, but the words hold so much more meaning when said during a heartfelt hug and vice versa, instead of letting all of this stand on its own rather awkwardly.

And his reaction afterwards is just too cute to bear.

"You... You are full of surprises, aren't you?"

He looks so relieved over our reaction...

"Honestly, I have no idea what we're doing. Or what comes next."

... that this is the first time I recall seeing him express such an almost boyish excitement, which makes him seem like a giggly teenager, who just got his first girl-/boyfriend. I mean, we're probably the first soul in two fucking centuries to be genuinely kind to him. I can't even imagine what that must have been like. Of course he would be unwilling to just believe us that we care as if it were nothing. Because this is everything to him. Of course he would be all excited about his first friend and maybe even serious love interest in 200 years.

Then he slowly extends his hand, inviting us to reciprocate the gesture. And this is such a drastically different approach to physical intimacy than whatever we had before this. Until then he'd throw around sickly sweet lines of shallow desire and present himself as sex object who just wants to have a little fun. Whereas this moment is so slow paced, tender and heavy with cautious hopefulness. And it shows that he still likes touching and being touched, yet in a completely different manner now.

"But I know that this?..."

Then he gives us this serious, almost pained look when he dares to talk about this. For me this is the expression of someone who fights to accept the thought that someone actually and truthfully cares about them. He dares to show this vulnerable side of him despite being utterly afraid of rejection. He dares to believe that this is real and he truly wants to make this work.

"... This is nice"

And finally his expression relaxes. He smiles so genuinely, so hopefully. This man deserves all the nice things in the world, especially after all he's been through. It's so beautiful to see that he doesn't abandon the unwanted feelings for Tav, but instead chooses to take the risk, to be honest with himself and Tav, and just try to learn to trust again. All of this takes so much bravery to just overcome his insecurities about this new and intimidating situation.

I recall what it was like when I was a teenager with my first crushes and then even deeper feelings for a friend of mine, who I never confessed to. It was hella intimidating for me, and suffice to say that my situation didn't compare to what Astarion was going through to any extent. I really can't grasp the entirety of overcoming this hurdle this must have taken in Astarion's case. I'm so proud of him.

I just love everything about this.

Except for my limited options to react to him ingame of course, but that's what fanfictions are for, I guess, lol.

[fourraccoonsinacoat]

The beautiful subtleties of the Astarion scar scene, and why this is that headcannon scene where Tavurge draws Astarion.

***Trigger Warning for discussions of body autonomy and sexual trauma.

And we're back for yet another midnight dissertation where I over analyze the F out of a video game character romance, because I can't stop thinking about how amazing the storytelling is. I need help.

So we all love that Astarion romance headcannon where Tavurge draws/paints/does-something-to-show-Astarion-his-face. It's a beautiful headcannon and I adore it. But, allow me to convince you that Larian did, in fact, give us this scene. And it's the scene where Tavurge draws Astarion's scars.

Jump in the car, here we go:

The song playing in the background of this scene is "I Want to Live." I think that's a very deliberate choice, as that song is very tied to Astarion. So much so, that you can stand on a rock behind his tent and suddenly the full song starts to play, lyrics included. Music reminding us of the one thing Astarion wants more than anything else?

Astarion wants the freedom to live a life he chooses, he wants his choices to matter. He's been living 200+ years, but can't remember ever feeling alive until now. He is so deathly afraid of what he has being ripped away now that he's had a taste.

Because every other time he ever felt hope, Cazador tore it away and punished him. Cazador has caught him before when he ran, and locked him in a tomb to starve in darkness for a year. There's a reason the game makes it clear that this is his worst memory. It has to constantly be haunting him, fearful that at any moment Cazador is going to rip this away, too.

So, Astarion sleeps with Tavurge and is suddenly told that the design Cazador drew on his back is written in Infernal. Infernal being the language devils use to write Infernal Contracts. Astarion has to be out of his mind with fear that whatever is on his back binds him to Cazador in some way. Maybe in a way he doesn't know about.

I need to say something about body autonomy trauma, so trigger warning for those who struggle with these subjects. Sexual and body autonomy trauma both play into why this scene is powerful. I struggle with both and there's a reason his story hits particularly hard with me.

****Trigger For Description Of Emotional Response to Trauma: Having control of your body taken away leaves you with a type of deep, primal fear that is very difficult to explain. It's ridiculous and cliche, but the honest-to-best way to describe it is it, feels like a hole deep in your chest where something used to be. And it was literally wrenched out of inside your body, a place where nobody should be able to go because if your body isn't safe then where the fuck is? So keep that in mind.****

Not only has Astarion not had control of his body, he can't even see it in a reflection. Let that sink in.

To add it all up: he has something written in Infernal on his back that he can't see, but that could mean the one thing he's dreading = being bound to Cazador and having all of this ripped away. Again. And then he'll be punished, doing nothing but thinking about what he only just got a taste of.

This is why the cycle of abuse just crushes hope out of you. Because things hurt so much worse when you're hoping for them to work. At some point you're just hurting yourself by hoping.

He's terrified and he can't even look at his own body to see what someone forcibly mutilated into his skin.

So, Tavurge approaches Astarion from behind, just like in the mirror scene. Except this time, Astarion can't see them approaching.

Tavurge surprises him, in what's already a vulnerable moment, and surprises him from behind. A position of weakness. We'll hit on this more in a moment.

Astarion snaps at Tavurge due to being caught in a vulnerable moment. But, he quickly slides back into his charm and apologizes. Mask back up.

He explains what he was doing and the dialog choices here even throwback to the mirror scene. You can tell him you'll be his mirror in this scene.

He's hesitant about the idea. He's not comfortable with vulnerability, and outright tells Tavurge this isn't their problem. This is an extremely vulnerable thing, especially for someone with body autonomy issues. You're turning your back on someone and asking them to show you what's on your own damn body! What if they lie?

This is a major trust moment for Astarion. If you ask later to talk to others in camp about his scars, he is quick to say no.

He's not ready to trust that much. He just was vulnerable with Tavurge and that took too much out of the vulnerability reserves to push for more. Got to let those reserves build back up by seeing more reasons that show it's okay to be vulnerable.

This man does not want to turn around. He keeps his head down and grimaces, closes his eyes to brace himself. Think about all the triggers he must have about turning his back on people. He wasn't exactly bringing the morally upright back to Cazador. And Cazador, himself, obviously took advantage of his control to force Astarion to turn his back to him. Thus the scars.

Given all of that, he still turns around in an act of consent.

I love that you can just choose to quietly draw. You don't tell him how bad it looks, you don't try to comfort him by saying it's not that bad (which he would likely only hear as patronizing in this moment), and you can choose to not make a joke. I feel that's meaningful.

He turns around and can finally fucking see this thing that's been on his back for over two centuries.

At least he got to see his face, even if he can't remember almost anything about it. At least he can touch his hair, touch his face to get an idea. He can't even do that with the scars.

This means a lot, guys. Tavurge has drawn something that I argue is more meaningful than Astarion's face.

Tavurge has drawn a significant key to his future. The future he wants more than anything.

He needs to figure out what the hell this is before Cazador possibly activates it and Tavurge just made that significantly more possible.

And then, Tavurge has the option to call the two of them "we" for the first time in a way not tied to sex. Telling him "we will figure this out" and not asking for anything in return or giving him a hard time about it - at least not too much. The "shut up and turn around" dialog is one of my favs, and I feel Astarion appreciates the candor.

He's definitely sus when you say "we".

That is the face of sus.

But also...amusedly hopeful?

I like that he calls Tavurge "sweet" here. It makes me think of him calling them "cute" in the spawn ending at the grave with the flower.

I think Astarion really picks up on small things. Things people say and do genuinely, and I think it both amuses and confuses him, and in the beginning (here) still makes him uneasy and suspicious. He even asks it as somewhat of a question. Like, are you really actually this genuine?

I also would like to make an argument to the court that this is a significant moment when Astarion starts to realize he !FEELS! something for Tavurge and it's wigging him out!

They're making him hope again, and that's scary.

So, there. That's my evidence for why this scene is the drawing Astarion scene that we all love in our headcannons.

Tavurge is drawing something of extreme significance here. And I love how incredibly subtle this scene is in not blatantly pointing that out.

It's beautiful writing and that is all, your honor. Midnight dissertation - but also I may be in court - over!

Thank you for reading any of this nonsense.

[skyfallscotland]

Ok, more thoughts on House of Sky & Breath, here we go ✨

(fuck this book drags compared to book one)

• "Niklaus Fendyr, the first of the Fendyr line." What in the Vampire Diaries crossover is going on here? 😂

• Juniper is being such a bitch, like...you were not going to get anywhere without someone powerful saying something for you, that's obviously what happened for little miss 'promoted in two years'. We were literally just told everyone knows you're the best and now you're claiming people are too dumb to see the difference between talent and nepotism? Shhhh!

• Also, Fury you can shut up too, you literally dropped off the face of the earth for two fucking years, you're in negative friendship points still 🖐

• AND DON'T START ME ABOUT DANIKA! Every SJM heroine is comically bad at picking friends, seriously. Like Nesta did it best and it was basically against her damn will!

• CASE IN POINT!!! Baxian is the best, stop being mean to him. "I want in." He's not talking about your little rebellion, he wants to be friends 😭😭 he's just a babyyy

• Lidia literally tossed a white stone down and then the merpeople magically appeared. Put 2+2 together to get four Hunt you dumb fuck. That's going to be embarrassing if I'm wrong.

• This whole Sophie and Emil thing appears to have been so fucking pointless which is really annoying because this book is so fucking long 💀

• I like a smutty book as much as the next person, but honestly...this is just intolerable. Hunt and Bryce are like two horny children having sex every five seconds and maybe it's just that I don't find them compelling as a couple, or him as a person, but I need some decent PLOT. You can't coast by on sex and blowjobs and cunnilingus alone, babe 😭

• I'd rather read a whole book about the frat house than this to be perfectly honest.

• Bryce stop complaining about douchey-dad changing your name, just be glad he didn't show up to tell you he has cameras in his fucking library, because that's what I thought was going to happen.

I'll stick this out I guess, because we're already here, but like...fucking hell I'm over this book. Please tell me it gets better...soon. Is this subplot (phoenix chick) even relevant at all in the end or could we have just removed about 200 pages and made the whole thing more tolerable? This is an SOS 🥴

I'm not listening to anyone who claims ACOTAR isn't her best series ever again, honestly. Been there, done it, read them, bought the postcards. Sure the world building in it is her weakest but in overall readability and enjoyment factor if you're a romantasy fan, ACOTAR wins out every day of the week.

[asherlockstudy]

I was watching the newest podcast and it was a little bit like a cold shower in terms of how I (and I suppose fandom in general) tends to romanticize certain aspects of their creative process and how it plays into their relationship. For example, I was taken aback with how much they emphasized the collaborative spirit and their team's contribution to Wonderhole and how being part of that whole team was one of their filming highlights, as well as the fact that the idea for the second episode (and their living together 200 years into the future) was suggested by their team because of an opportune festival. It made me think that I tend to romanticize and exaggerate in my mind the intimacy their creative process has, and although, obviously, shipping is one thing and reality can eb quite another another, I still found it a bit disappointing. Do you ever have moments when something they say or do contradicts ideas you have firmly in your mind about them (your head canon basically)?

Yes and no. This is a great question. There are definitely a lot of moments when I tend to romanticize things and then I have to go back and reevaluate, which is unpleasant if we're being honest. At the same time, I also tend to be a cynic and quite a few times I have believed something bleaker or more emotionally removed than other fans / shippers. As a result, I feel like my conclusions balance out each other. But to others I may look like a rollercoaster lol

I want to explain how I feel and what I think in relation to what you are asking about Wonderhole and any of the scripted videos but in order to do this I think I will have to do some analysis of their latest EB discussion. I hope this is okay with you because at times I might inevitably diverge a bit from your specific question. Also I have reasons to add this answer to my One Story masterlist, if that's okay with you.

On the making of Wonderhole

The main point I will try to make here is that the key so that you can always be one step ahead and not get too disillusioned is to tell apart the things that you have to believe without question from the things that you can question and the ones that are not untrue but are not giving the full picture either. (Rhett and Link usually fall in the third category.) Okay I realise I sound like some self-proclaimed guru but I am just explaining what I try to do, I am not saying I am perfect at doing it.

So, one thing we should never forget is that everything Mythical produces is part of the business, it needs a lot of technical interventions, it needs budget and production, it needs editing, it certainly needs things Rhett and Link can't or won't do on their own.

Perhaps you remember that I expected more "significant" things to happen in it before it aired. You know the moment I realised I was romanticising stuff? When they presented their Wonderhole product line in the Mythical Store. Then I realised it wouldn't be anywhere near as risky or groundbreaking as I deemed possible because I thought they woudn't risk making a product line for that. (Then again, never underestimate Rhett and Link's determination to milk everything but regardless if this was a right reasoning or not, this is when I realised we were getting something mild.)

We should also remember that they sustain a huge company of 100 employees. No matter how much they say they pursue creativity and expression, you can hear it in their words that they dedicate an artistically unacceptable amount of consideration to the algorithms and the baiting youtubey titles, to the point that they and their employees committed some surprisingly juvenile and enormous mistakes in the way they promoted their show. I have never worked in the entertainment industry and yet I could tell that the mistakes they did, putting a hole in the office in the trailer, promising a series with a cohesive premise were absolutely crazy coming from people working in this industry for so many years. And even though they did not admit that, this means there was also serious half-bakedness in the way they made the show.

This must feel now to you like a massive impersonal project that kind of lost its focus due to all those people meddling and not a deeply driven vulnerable work made by Rhett and Link in earnest. I get it but I believe this is not correct either. Rhett and Link do want to do exactly that but at the same time the necessity or desire to also make something technically professional and profitable inevitably forces them to compromise hugely. There are ways to tell that there is indeed something deeper beneath the surface that does not get effectively channelled.

A great telling sign for this was something that was discussed last year when they were analyzing the Digging a Hole video. They had already gathered this small team which works for them only for the scripted videos. So one employee offered the idea of Rhett and Link digging a hole. Meanwhile, Rhett claimed he coincidentally had seen a dream about digging holes around that time and it gave him the very same idea for the video. When he heard the employee who was unaware of Rhett's dream suggesting this, he was mystified and approved of it. But here's the interesting bit; Rhett suddenly sounded irritated and defensive when he said that he didn't know what possibly triggered this idea in the employee's mind and "he didn't care / want to know". I am not conveying this very well but it seemed like there was something bothering him about it, even though he did approve of the idea. In other words, I think he had this idea that he knew it was a good allegory for his message but he was concerned that a seemingly unaware outsider came up with the same idea for them. Like "Okay I have my reasons I came up with this but what is it that you think you know about us that makes you also suggest this?". But like he said, he decided he did not want to know.

This was proof that there is a deeper intent that Rhett and Link are not sharing exactly with their team. Also, notice how they have said multiple times that this team is "tiny" and separate from the rest of the crew. Maybe this is partly because they don't want to employ too many people in a financially risky project but I can't help but think it is also for reasons of confidentiality in case the project becomes vulnerable. Whether these employees suspect something or not, nothing is uttered openly. I think Rhett and Link ask them for ideas for premises and settings and then they themselves know how to adjust the idea so they can put inside what they care to add. In short, the very core, the essential meaning is theirs but they ask for more and more new ideas to apply it in. That's what the employees offer but because Rhett and Link do not share their deeper intent for this show and they don't make the employees' job easy, this inescapably leads the final work to seem a little "lost in translation".

The "lost in translation" element was obvious even in the podcast. Link admitted they did not have a premise to share, to the point he had to lie in actual promo interviews about it. All that despite saying for one year that it will be one show with one story coming in episodes that will make everything (including the old videos) fall into place. Another huge mistake. The problem is there is one thing that brings this all together (ahem ONE STORY PLUG -> also insinuated in the final multiverse reel in the last episode) but they haven't even shared it with their trusted team it seems, let alone the audience. That's recipe for disaster. They ask from the audience to "get" something they refuse to disclose openly.

You can usually detect what is made by Rhett and Link and what the additions of their team are by what truly matters and what not. They said it themselves; all of the work is fictional but there were moments and plot points which changed as they went or that had unexpected consequences but they always knew where this was supposed to head. For example, the Rhett and Link gummies did not matter, the destruction of the truck mattered. The red and blue experiment methods did not matter, what Rhett and Link ended up doing because of it mattered. Anything in the futuristic scenario and the treasure hunt did not really matter, Rhett and Link's merging of the consciousness and kept secret in a box forever mattered. Anything in the flight simulation did not matter but the fact that they ended up all alone in an island and what they did there mattered.

Speaking of which, I am curious what was the breaker in the first episode that had Rhett change it drastically, because he was so uneager to share it. He said: "there's no need for you to know everything". Why? How bad could it be to know? For him to not want to share what that apparently huge flaw was, perhaps it was not something minor like a technical issue but rather something contextual, either something that would give away the plot (what plot?) or something vulnerable that would give away the deeper intent. Don't forget that the first episode was already heavy in implications and imagery...... Unless it was a technical issue that could have legal consequences and Rhett realised it, I don't know. That's the truth, we have to consider everything, even the boring cold possibilities.

Rhett nailed something; his evaluation of Link's versus his own acting in the futuristic scenes, especially towards the end, when they fight and then Link dies and Rhett grieves. Rhett says Link did some fantastic acting there while he cringed with his own. He's totally right. These were my exact feelings when I watched this episode. Aside from the fact that Link is overall a better actor, do you know why Link was that good and Rhett was that bad? For the same exact reason: it was deeply personal and it hit too close to home. Link shines in such occasions because he is a person who wants to express himself desperately. The fight they had, they have such fights, especially THIS fight, where they have opposite opinions on "which direction to follow", those were real frustrations Link is actually experiencing. On the other hand, Rhett is so scared of expressing himself. He could not bring himself to be as vulnerable and real as he should be in order to act convincingly like he had just lost Link. This is another piece of evidence that no matter how many other people are involved, you can tell it is a very personal, very real project for them when Link brings out his raw self but Rhett struggles and fails to.

All in all, as you see, just because other people are involved or there is a strict protocol about how they work, it doesn't mean necessarily you are wrong about certain ideas you may be entertaining. Remember, for everything they choose to share, there is just as much or more that they do not. You just have to weigh in everything they say because they are not all equally significant or equally truthful.

*I wanted to talk a bit about the truck segment too but this would diverge too much and I will include it in the post I will eventually make about the last Wonderhole episode.

**Can't believe I made a huge post about this EB episode and I did not find an opportunity to mention the alternative title "Rhett and Link are doing it" (which albeit being funny and baity, it was also very consistent to the ultimate point of Wonderhole.... as if Wonderhole itself is less sexual but anyway..)

One Story Masterlist

[minerwarfare-suzuya]

A Scam and A Spiteful Client?

Mobox87 is a scam. Why do I say this? Well if we go back to previous posts talking about Mobox87's prices on her OCs and her Patreon subscription. We can recap some stuff that has been nearly lost when this blog almost got taken down from false reports made.

Now before further discussion. I do wanna state that these are old posts I'm linking. Some of these are likely dated and might not hold up well since Mobox87 likely changed her prices as time went by, which I'll be going over those changes.

Anyways let's bring up-

OC adoption price scam:

I have to say during the time that has passed. Mobox87 has made a better approach in selling off her OCs with prices now and I think this was something she took a good understanding out of the criticism thrown at her.

But of course, I still think the biggest gripe is the characters being sold in designs that look alike... Though that's not my only issue about these OC adoption sales.

My biggest issue has to be OCs being sold twice and I've been catching on to that with Miles buying OCs. I think it should be stated that once you buy that OC you should get the character completely and not have to be sold just one variant. Every version of that character design should be sold to you.

Except one thing I want to clarify is that Mobox87 didn't charge Miles $200. Miles offered her that amount and begged for the OC to be sold to him.

Honestly, Mobox87 should've already given him the character design prior to the first purchase of Oliv but no she took the cash because "She really loves money" (Who doesn't? Lol).

Other than that I think the biggest elephant in the room is still Mi-

Her Patreon subscription overpriced:

Okay, this obviously remains unchanged and I think it'll remain like that. Her Patreon is basically dead and it is currently left with an unfinished comic. Plus, you can just subscribe or donate to her Kofi for $5 and that's a far more affordable option that offers more considering Mobox87's activity on Kofi.

Either way, making only 1 subscription tier $70 for access to a patreon that has very little posts and an unfinished comic isn't worth it. You would totally need a lot more locked posts or content shared to want to pay that amount.

So-

We've talked about the issues with Mobox87 being a scam and we kinda do see that there's been some changes regardless of how Miles spends his money carelessly. Despite one thing-

The Spiteful Client

Yeah, I shadow dropped a post on Miles and made it private for awhile for a certain reason until now. I just think it's time to be full on more open to the fact that no one really accepts Miles'apology at all. I don't need to fake the funk with anyone and it's better to be honest about it.

Miles has not changed at all and has gone out of his way to bully people in private through direct messages.

To put matters even worse. Apparently he has resorted to now buying Mobox87's OCs to spite others from buying them. He has not done this one person but with two people which ironically Mobox87 knows about this and has taken Miles side.

It's no darn secret that Mobox87 would keep supporting Miles'bad behavior because his money is what gets her to hustle online.

So, there's NO POINT in announcing on the Affinity blog that you're selling OCs when it's basically being treated as a bid and that you let Miles still get the upper hand in buying your whole stocks.

There's no fucken sale going on at all! It's clear that your only buyer is going to be Miles and I think it's better off that you're honest about it.

Anyways, I think until then. This will be the second to last time I'll mention Mobox87 in drama since I do wanna talk about her in a more important post because there are some things that thegoldfiles (Moboxcritique) blog doesn't really talk about.

Until then I'll catch y'all later on talking about Arion since there're far more important things to talk about.

[millenniumdueled]

hey I know there's already so many posts going around d asking for help so I feel really disgusting doing this again, I feel like I don't deserve it when other people are suffering too but im

drowning

I had to call in to work Wednesday and call our emoloyee help line because I was feeling so suicidal over financial stress and now I'm once again unable to stop crying. I just got the paycheck that I was leeching off of during my time off and

I can't afford to pay my rent. I'm $200 short even after taking my savings down to the minimum of $300 I have to maintain to not get charged a fee. I have less than $2 in my emergency checking.

I don't really expect anyone to help. it's my own fault for using time off work as an excuse to go to the bar one night and to eat out twice and I knew damn well I had no business doing either of them I just got caught up wanting to go out since my mental health has been really, really bad and I've been really, painfully unhappy every single day. I hadn't gone out since emo night in February and I don't know how to make irl friends without going places that cost money. I'm so lonely and depressed I just really wanted a chance to make a friend and get to spend time with someone in person again. and I did, I had a great night and played pool and made a friend and we're planning to meet up again but

it feels so much like it wasn't worth it and I knew I didn't deserve to go out and have that fun and I did it anyway

I'm rambling but owning my own mistakes and actions is important to me. I want to be honest that I didn't get fucked over with bills, I did something stupid and selfish and ungrateful and spent almost $100 during a week off work just for funsies. it's why I hate hate hate HATE myself for having to ask for help. I should have to suffer the consequences of my actions so I don't do it again

I have a hair appointment this month I'm already going to have to cancel because I can't afford it. and that's fine, even though it means risking being blacklisted by the only hair salon I've ever not been disappointed or traumatized by

but with student loan repayment starting up again very soon, I can't. empty my savings. I can't lose my entire next paycheck transferring it early to pay my rent.

I can't take any commissions. I have one big one I've been putting off since January bc I'm scared of starting it and it never being good enough. I've been working on another "simple" commission for a month. I don't want to make promises that I can't keep. maybe in the future I can take some more, but I'm not even entertaining the option until I finish what I started.

my pay pal is @MRheuble and venmo is @jupitertrash, or I have tips set up on my personal blog

[umlewis]

Every Traveler Needs to Try Lewis Hamilton's Hotel Hacks [part 1/2]

The F1 driver has mastered the art of resetting his body clock and getting comfortable on the road.

Lewis Hamilton first stepped into the Mercedes-AMG Petronas car over a decade ago. Before his signing, Mercedes was struggling to produce as a team, but with the young, cunning Brit behind the wheel, things changed. Since then, Hamilton has scored the record for most wins, pole finishes, and podium finishes in the most competitive motorsport in the world. No matter how gifted the athlete, leading the pack like that doesn’t come solely through natural ability, and the driver has found a formula for success that follows him across the globe. Men’s Journal spoke with Hamilton on how he prepares to drive circuits he’s never seen before at speeds over 200 miles per hour, his favorite cross-training activities, and the travel routines that keep him at the front of the pack.

Men's Journal: F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix has a start time of 10p.m. PT. How are you prepping for a night race—any hacks? Lewis Hamilton: Preparing to drive a new track means as much simulation work as possible to get a feel for the course. I have two full days that I’ll do in the sim before I land in Vegas. It’s important to adjust your internal clock, so before we get to Nevada, the team is spending some time in Los Angeles. I’m already adjusting my mornings to waking up and going to bed later to fit with the schedule of a night race. I’m also making sure my meals and nutrition intake fits the new schedule. The key is adjusting the light I’m taking in—using different bulbs with different brightness so I can maintain a good circadian rhythm. Since we travel so much, I always make sure the rooms we’re staying in have blackout curtains so I can get a deep sleep at any hour. I like to keep the room cool, which makes the bed more welcome. The bed itself is also crucial, I like a firm pillow because I like to sleep on my side. The ones I have at home are Tempur-Pedic. Do you struggle with sleep? I’ve never been a great sleeper. For years I would go to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning and sleep for about five hours. But, to be honest, that worked for me, because our days are leading up to the the main event, which is later in the afternoon. So if I wake up at 5 in the morning, I’m probably peaking a lot earlier in the day than if I wake up at 8. So I’m sticking with waking up later, though these days I’m trying to get more like seven hours of sleep a night. The Mercedes Benz team has a partnership with Marriott Bonvoy and The Ritz-Carlton, which seems like a smart one given how much you travel. How do you make a hotel feel like a home away from home? One of the most important amenities is a coffee machine in the room, because I like to have coffee when I wake up on race day or any day for that matter. I love to play music, it calms me so I’ll have my music equipment in the room as well. I have a keyboard that folds in half so it’s easier to travel with. I really want that hotel space to feel like home. The Marriott team takes that to another level, and sometimes they’ll even have a picture of my dog, Roscoe, on the nightstand. It’s also about what I have them take out of the room. I have them take out all the snacks and anything from the minibar, because when you're working strange hours your body can crave comfort. The easiest way to get that is from food, so I want to eliminate any temptation I might have to deal with later. Instead, I’ll make sure the fridge is filled with healthy snacks like fruit. What’s the most challenging part about being a Formula 1 driver? The Formula 1 season is very challenging for all the drivers. We're going to 24 different countries, maybe more throughout the year, sitting in planes all the time. Rest and recovery is a huge part of making sure we're on point when it comes to showing up to the races ready. There's an immense amount of travel involved. My mindset is greatly benefitted by meditation, so I try to prioritize it. I don’t always get to, and I can feel the difference, but the schedule can get very hectic. I always do better when I can put that focus into my mental game. I like to start my day with positive affirmations, no matter what state I’m in, and focus on the things I want to do. That’s where things like playing music comes in handy. Competing has become very serious business, and we work hard, perhaps too hard. There’s immense benefit to smiling to the body and mind. Exercise is also a great way to help me stay sharp, on top of being critical to succeeding in motorsports.

[cornfields-td-nonsense]

I'm also AUTISTIC autistic gimme the TD timeline

*cracks knuckles*

let's fucking do this

SO. for the sake of arguments we're going to assume that the first season takes place in 2007 because that's when the show premiered. that's our starting off point. at some point in the summer of 2007.

we know that TDA starts mere days after the end of TDI, so we're still in 2007. I'm gonna say that's a total of about three or four months. so beginning of TDI to end of TDA = early summer to beginning of autumn in 2007. simple enough so far.

but TDWT is when things begin to get fuzzy. we know it's been a while since Action, because we had an entire Celebrity Manhunt special about what the cast had been up to between seasons. so it's been way more than just a couple of days.

BUT we do have a concrete date for the end of the season. in the Drumheller episode (I believe - it's one of the last few), it's Cody's birthday, and we know his birthday is April 1st. so the season ends in early April.

and fortunately, since we're in a different country every episode, weather does not factor into judging which season it is! so I'm going to say that World Tour begins in February 2008. begins in February, ends in April. why Chris had his summer camp show happen during this timeframe is beyond me, but who knows why Chris does anything.

now Revenge of the Island doesn't have any dates to adhere to, BUT. the next season does. Congrats, All-Stars, your existence does have a purpose!

so in TDAS Alejandro says that he was stuck in the robot suit for a year. we can be a little flexible with this since he probably didn't mean exactly one year to the day, but we can safely say that about a year has passed between the end of World Tour and the beginning of All Stars. or should I say, April 2008 and early summer 2009.

And just to keep things nice and tidy we can say ROTI takes place in summer 2008, just a few months after TDWT ended.

right, so we're in 2009, All Stars has ended and the island sank into the lake. awesome. now what do we do about Pahkitew?

well, I'm not sure exactly how long it would take to build a fully working mechanical island complete with waterworks, artificial flora, animatronic creatures and weather settings. but I'm assuming it doesn't take a few days. oh, and speaking of which, since the weather on that island is artifical, I also don't need to take weather into account when determining when this takes place. so since I don't have a concrete time frame for Pahkitew, let's allow the general ballpark of six months to a year. either way, we're in 2010 now. woohoo!

now let's go on a bit of a tangent and talk about Chris.

because in this season, Chris tells Topher that he's 30. if he's 30 in 2010, that would make him 28 in 2008, when TDWT takes place as we established.

although maybe he's not necessarily 30 exactly. maybe he just rounded off his age to sound younger (which is in character for him tbh). so he's 35 at most. which would make him 33 at most in TDWT.

um.

in that season, Sierra says Chris was in a boyband in the 80s. as in, the 1980s. as in from 1980 to 1989. if he's 33 in 2010, he was 12 in 1989. if he's 30 in 2010, he was probably BORN in 1980.

either way, he was in a boyband before he was even a teenager, possibly before he was ten years old. what the fuck.

hm. to be honest, being exposed to the celebrity world and cheesy tabloid fame at that age would explain a lot about him. remember Geoff's corruption arc in TDA when he becomes the new Chris? who's to say Chris didn't have something like that happen to him, but at an even younger, more impressionable age?

...either that or he was lying to Topher about his age. which. honestly might be more likely lmao. but I still think about the boyband thing sometimes.

anyway back to the timeline!

so TDI and TDA take place in summer 2007.

TDWT takes place from February to April 2008.

ROTI takes place in the summer of that same year.

All-Stars takes place one year later in spring or summer 2009.

Pahkitew takes place six months to a year after that in 2010.

(and if we're adding Nautilus to this thing, let's say Pahkitew takes place only six months after TDAS in January-February 2010, and Nautilus takes place in summer 2010. if Zeke was 16 in 2007, he'd be 19 in 2010.)

and just to wrap it up, we already know the time period for the reboot. it takes place fifteen years after the first season, and fifteen years after 2007 is 2022. I doubt a full year has passed between the first and second reboot seasons, since not much seems to have changed, so I feel confident in saying we're still in 2022.

God knows why Owen still looks 16 at the age of 31, though. Maybe the makeup department made him look younger to make him as much like he was on the show, to... increase marketability or something. I do have my own personal conspiracy theory that the guy who showed up in the baking challenge in season 2 of the reboot wasn't actually Owen, but who knows.

anyway I did it I nailed down a solid(ish) timeline for this show. you're welcome anon.

*passes out*

[dalekofchaos]

I hate Trump and I hate Harris and I just want this election done with

I'm tired of Donny Dipshit and I am tired of the lesser evil.

I can't believe we're doing this again. Once again Trump is threatening democracy and human rights, only this time he's bringing a theocratic nightmare and Kamala is the "nothing will fundamentally change" status quo. I'd rather take the status quo, but for fuck's sake can we NOT do a genocide? Can we have Universal Health Care, Affordable Housing, Education, protected reproductive rights and LGBTQA+ rights and protections? Is that too much to ask for?

Apparently so because our would be "savior" is more concerned with getting the Republican vote than her own voting base. Even bragging about being endorsed by Dick Cheney and 200 Republicans.

Translation: She’ll govern like a neocon because she is a neocon. She’ll govern like a banker because the bankers own her, and the two-party system. Bipartisanship means the elite wins, the rest loses. That’s not democracy. That’s not healthy.

If you're bending over backwards to get Republicans to like you instead of stop fucking sending blood money to fund and arm a genocide, not giving a single concession to the left, not endearing herself to black people, Muslims, the disabled, actually having a plan to combat PR2025, actually helping the LGBTQA+ community and apparently not the policies and strategy that shut them out. You're telling me not to vote for you.

That dumbass Nancy Pelosi during the first few years of Biden's administration said "we want a strong republican party" and it looks like Kamala is fulfilling that promise. Congrats, you gave us Roe V Wade being overturned and the Republicans realized what they could do and came up with Project 2025.

Like, I'm sorry. If Ronald fucking Reagan and fucking Bush of all fucking people can tell Israel to fucking stop or threaten to withhold funding from Israel and they got them to comply, and instead of actually listening to the people who she wants to vote for her, instead she's trying to cater to the fucking Republicans. Reagan and Bush ARE LEFT OF KAMALA. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

If your big selling point is "I got DIck Cheney and 200 Republicans to endorse me" you're telling me not to vote for you. Dick Cheney and Bush destroyed this country and you think bragging about The Butcher of Baghdad endorsing you is the thing to entice disenfranchised voters?

Trump is a piece of shit. But at least he's honest about it and he makes it clear he wants minorities oppressed or dead. He wants to strip everyone of their rights and keep white supremacy on top. He is on Epstein's client list and now owns his plane. He's a convicted felon, a rapist and a bigoted piece of shit. He wants Christofascism and he is a clear and present danger. I want him gone. I want him gone so I don't have to fucking worry my boyfriend, me, my brother and my brother-in law being killed for being trans and gay. I want him gone so I don't have to worry about the day where I find myself rounded up and taken to be euthanized along with every disabled person in this country. But even I know Trump would not last long if he won, cause they will oust him and replace him with JD Vance, or worse. Muskrat.

But fucking god....why is it everytime Trump comes back around, we always have to bring out the worst possible candidate to fight this piece of shit?

Kamala is a two-faced underhanded piece of shit. Her biggest selling point is she's not Trump, but she's showing us she is willing to sell out to Republicans instead of embracing progressives. Instead of embracing the policies of her chosen VP. Instead of embracing the interests and well being of her alleged voting base. We want health care, affordable housing, affordable education, clean energy, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights and protections and the disabled's right to marry without losing their benefits. Instead we're getting more fracking, the deadliest storms we've ever seen with only $750 while Israel and Ukraine gets Billions. Funding and arming a genocide, continued police state and embracing the republicans over the needs of your voters and your alleged party.

Malcolm X warned us of politicians like Kamala.

Lets forget that Harris is a top cop who fucked over a lot of black men. Let's forget she sent a trans woman to a men’s prison. Said trans woman was murdered in a hate crime within 8 hours by her male cellmate. Lets forget she's pro-fracking despite we're in the biggest fucking climate crisis and fracking is one of the many capitalist atrocities that got us here. Lets forget she claimed she would be "tougher on boarder policy than Trump" Lets forget that she said that she would make the US "the most lethal force in the world" and let's for once forget she's one of the biggest paid AIPAC politicians while her husband is an AIPAC prick and that she's going to continue to aid the genocide of Palestine and Lebanon and god knows what else Hitler's reincarnation has planned next.

Selling yourself out to the Republicans, the war mongers and the criminals of yesteryear and politicians who followed the two presidents responsible for destroying America in the 80's and set us down the path we've been on for the last 20 years. You are just showing me and the people who want to vote for you, the people who just want to vote to get Trump out of the white house, to stop Project 2025 or just want this nightmare to end. You are showing us that you are not to be trusted.

Chappell Roan was right. and she was attacked for standing what she believed was right. If you want your queers sanitized, women complacent and your artists fluently PR’d n spun., you want a boring and disinterested culture of unprincipled sycophants, I'm sorry but I'd rather my celebrities standing up for Palestine and Trans rights and holding politicians accountable than just blindly endorsing a politician.

Fuck Trump, fuck Vance and the Christian Fascists, but fuck Kamala, Biden and the democrats who refused to say no to a literal fucking genocide too.

So vote whoever you want for, vote for Kamala, vote Stein, vote West, vote for any independent. Anyone but Trump I agree, but use critical thinking and for fuck's sake, if Kamala wins, don't act like this is over. Demand better. Hold Kamala and her administration accountable. If Trump wins, don't blame Chappell Roan, don't blame Jill Stein, don't blame independents and don't blame leftists. Blame Kamala and the democrats for refusing to change. For refusing to fight for their voters interests. For refusing to stand AGAINST A FUCKING GENOCIDE!

Side note.

The Simpsons DID IT AGAIN

[animezinglife]

ACOTAR tag game 💕

Thanks for tagging me, @crazy-ache! Honestly, after reading your responses, I'm convinced we might actually be the same person. XD

Several others actually tagged me in this too, and I'm sorry to everyone for the delay. It's been busy and I've had company.

Answer the questions below & tag whoever you want, or make it an open tag!!

Who's your favourite ACOTAR character?

Lucien Vanserra. Back when I had no intention of continuing the series after the first book, I joked a lot about him having to be tired from carrying all of Prythian on his back.

Who's your least favourite character?

Ianthe. I still hope Stryga used her fingers as toothpicks.

Say something nice about your least favourite character.

She's probably objectively pretty.

Who's your favourite High Lord? (If you picked one for your fav character, then who's your second fav!)

I don't really feel like I know many of them enough to make the most sound decision. I think if I were living in Prythian, I would feel very at ease with Helion or Tarquin as my High Lord even if the latter is still a mere child of eighty and has his moments of naivete. He seems very honest and fair.

Helion I think would be similar, but less naive and more adept at seeing all the angles Tarquin might miss.

To be clear, I love Rhysand. I just think how I would feel about him as High Lord would probably differ depending on where I lived in the Night Court.

Favourite MINOR character?

I love Vassa. I think she has a lot of potential and is so cool. The image of her in her firebird form raining hell down on those Hybern ships was epic.

Jurian's fun, too.

Last but not least, Varian cracks me up. He probably has the most questionable taste and survival skills out of the whole lot of them and doesn't get nearly enough credit for just floating around to wherever his funky little heart desires.

Favourite ship? (Crackships included!)

Elucien has the potential to be my favorite and I'm already down bad for them. Of the ones who already are canon, though, Feysand.

Favourite court and why?

Of the ones we've spent time in, I'm not going to lie: I favor Spring for the way it was portrayed in the first book. Warm weather, green, gardens, pools of starlight, Tamlin playing his fiddle while people dance and celebrate, etc. It's very faerie.

That said, Autumn is the one I'm most intrigued by overall for all the usual and popular reasons. Autumn could very easily overtake spring.

Make up a brand new court RIGHT NOW, NO PREP JUST VIBES.

The Celestial Court. It's more otherworldly than Night or Dawn; more heavenly full of crystals and clouds. Its on its own plane of being entirely. The Fae there are known for their close connections to their gods and the High Lord and Lady are historically considered to be demigods. They would have an otherworldly glow/light to them like Tolkien elves; be a bit more unsettling. There's a lot of mystery around them and their power. I think of a lot of white or light clothing, fair skin, and long, fair hair. Unusual eyes that look like you're gazing into the heavens.

What relationship would you have wanted to see more of in the books?

Elain and Lucien, obviously, but it's not time just yet. So, I'd love to see Elain making her own friends.

I'd also really like to see more of the Lucien and Eris dynamic, because we're definitely not being let in on at least a few things.

What's your unpopular opinion?

Every single ACOTAR book could be cut down about 200 pages and not lose any meaningful or relevant content. They're all entirely too bloated.

If you want a spicier take, I'm forever underwhelmed by Nesta as a character. I understand what the goal was and could still for the most part appreciate the story, but I never did get invested in her and what investment I did develop didn't last after I finished ACOSF.

What's your favourite headcanon/fan canon?

The best way to sum up many of my favorites would simply be Elain finding herself and her confidence in a potential relationship with Lucien. How it would be a healing journey, but also very much one of her coming into her element and power (and him into his, too).

I love the idea of them becoming completely uninhibited out in nature and to have this extremely deep connection that goes beyond other bonds.

If you were swept away to Prythian, what's ONE thing you would want to do?

Lucien (<- keeping @crazy-ache's answer here because I absolutely would if he'd have me)

"I want to experience all the magic. Just frolic through a field and really feel this fae magical world, see the creatures, witness the magic and spells, just be absolutely bewitched by it all." (<- keeping this answer, too, but I would add Helion's libraries to the mix).

If you could have ONE faerie ability seen in the books, which would it be?

I'd want to put a lot of effort into healing magic, but I'd love to be able to winnow or create water wolves. Winnowing would be ideal so I could see the world more easily and see my family whenever I wanted.

Thank you so much for the tag! Anyone who wants to do this, please feel free.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day...

This is not exactly a first-time playthrough. But I am ripping through yet another of one of my all-time favorites. Because apparently Fallout: New Vegas became a staple of Millennial trans culture and at times I do live up to stereotypes. You should see how wide-eyed I get at opportunities to use heavy machinery around the greenhouse. At least my PoliSci degree is useful here, because everyone knows the most fun thing in video games is complex political scenarios!

Seriously, we have a fun action RPG here but if I wanted that I'd pick up Fallout 4. Which I quite like a lot in it's own right. But there's something about the charm of New Vegas. Sorta become a Christmas tradition to play it while cooking my parts of the big get-together meals. How can you not love this beautiful concoction of 50s sci-fi B movie and old Western? Cowboys & Aliens shouldn't be just one random forgotten movie it should be an entire subgenre complete with it's own Samurai & Aliens analogue. World is bullshit sometimes.

Giant fuckoffty Gatling laser chem fiend build this time because I have spurs that jingle jangle jangle and usually rely on the Big Iron on my hip. Never done Sneering Imperialist in Honest Hearts before and yeah we're doubling down on the evil with enthusiastically supporting my original and current decision to the big question it all builds to. Who should Courier Six tip the scales toward in the battle for Hoover Dam? (Which I can never take seriously due to how many times I saw Beavis & Butthead Do America as a kid.)

House Always Wins bay-bay! And don't you dare sully the good name of this captain of industry by comparing him to Fuccboi Prime Elon Musk. Game gives you three factions and the choice to go it alone. The New California Republic, or the best candidate for the US government's successor on the West Coast. Caesar's Legion, a pack of Roman cosplayers complete with slavery and aggressive chauvinism while still being anti-drugs so like...wtf? Not a serious choice. If I have to endure a post-apocalyptic Mojave Desert I am going to make Hunter S Thompson look like Carrie Nation. You dorks managed to conquer Arizona, stop the fuckin presses (<3 you Piper).

Then you have Edwin House, an old CEO of a robotics Corp from before the great war on some kind of space-age life support for 200 years with a great big boner for Las Vegas. Yes, he's kinda a total douche but his goal is to mostly maintain Vegas as a city-state with his advanced robots. He's the one I lean towards because his resources at hand don't allow him to do much more than that and while he isn't perfect he seems content to operate through finding someone he can just pay. Doesn't seem too big on moralizing and honestly he's kinda funny. Like, recruiting tribes to fill out themed casinos is such a weird way of bringing "civilization" to the wasteland but...they did it willingly and it's been working pretty well. For all the shit Freeside gets even it's pretty stable by wasteland standards.

Obviously if you decide the main character Courier Six is a saint who'd never do wrong Wild Card where you do it yourself is the moral choice. But the kicker to me is that House and his agent sorta keep each other in check, especially if Courier Six has stuff like Big MT in their back pocket. House is ultimately doomed to fail because he only has so many of his big robots and his explicit goal is mostly about trying to get technological progress back on track. He can't really project power though. He's fine working with the NCR but they'll win in the very long game. Vegas staying a city-state that the Republic needs to sit down and stabilize if they want to oust is good for both sides and it'll get the Legion out. That's my view at least.

[demonqueenart]

Hey just one small note: people who have HIV and on medications are still immune compromised so they unfortunately aren't fully 'healthy" like everyone else ("they’ll be as healthy as anyone else") they are still at greater risk of getting sick / more sick from other things such as but not limited to covid.

I'm struggling to form the sentence but the medication makes the virus non transmitable but unfortunately there are still other side effects/ symptoms from having the virus.

But here are some other ways to protect yourself and others: have open and honest conversation with partners about STIs and status, use protection, if you amab look into PrEP options to reduce the risk of infection even further, it's so important to have conversations with partners and friends to get tested and get yourself tested regularly (and especially between partners) know your status.

I have a family member living with HIV, I really appreciate you writing this fic and thoroughly enjoyed it (looking forward to another part!). I just wanted to clarify and inform so I hope this hasn't come off the wrong way 🧡🖤

Hello, yes. Thank you for your concern and for reaching out to me. You are right with the points that you make (I’ll explain more)

Most people can have their immune cells recover to the point of Immuno competency, but that doesn't mean everyone does. According to this research, HIV treatment can greatly improves immune functions. Typically, the rate of immune cells (CD4) recovery will be most rapid in the first 3 months, followed by gradual increase over time, for at least a decade. While most individuals who's on meds can have their immune cells recover to the point of Immuno competency again (CD4 > 500), approximately 15-20% of individuals who initiates meds at a very low immune cells (CD4 count <200) may plateau at abnormally low immune cell count (CD4), making them still immunocompromised and susceptible to infections. In other words, most people will not be immunocompromised after being treated, but some may still be. Not every case will be the same.

And I'm aware of the side effects of the medications, and symptoms of the virus that people can still have. These are something that varies between person to person, meds to meds, case to case. It is possible for someone to not experience this at all, while others may have them mildly, some may affect their lives. Even people who take the same meds can have different side effects from each other.

But newer generation meds cause fewer side effects than medication used in the past. And overall, the benefits of HIV medicines far outweigh the risk of side effects. And health care providers are assigned to screen and manage these symptoms in the best of their abilities. (Cite 1, 2)

I do believe that as time has passed, the less likely people will get these side effects, as treatment will get better. Hell, a cure might even be available in the future, who knows!

I want to write this so that people won't be scared of the present and can remain hopeful of the future. Because despite of the limitations that we're still facing, it is inevitable that things will get better. I do wish your family well, and I'm so glad you found this fic helpful and a joy to read. I will publish the next part soon. I hope you'll enjoy it too ❤️❤️

[tmsstellison]

TMS Stellison Microfic Challenge Masterpost

Over on the TMS Stellison Discord Server, we have semi-weekly writing challenges: we mostly write microfics (200 words or less -- or more, if we're being honest) for any ship, based on a semi-weekly prompt, but the rules are more here to be played with than to be followed.

Come play with us if that sounds like something you'd enjoy! (We're currently into the TMS Holiday Fic-Fest, and we're still welcoming any ship.)

Here's what we wrote so far, and we'll continue to add to the list:

SAVOR/SAVOUR

Savoring the Taste Stella can’t stop thinking about his kiss.

Popcorn Stella admires a sun soaked Cory.

Savor "Nice restaurant!"

BROKEN

Unexpected The seconds after Stella shows Cory the vault article in ep 9.

Not Broken Yet After season 3's finale, Cory gets back home.

Not Scared Salma waits for Cory to come home.

'Til Summer Comes Around An unexpected guest drops by Salma's home.

CORY COOKING DINNER

Moments Between Just a cute little bit of life from the unemployed time post-season 1, when Cory finally has time to make use of his suite's kitchen.

Evergreen Cory hosts a small dinner party but everyone cancels, leaving Stella to attend by herself.

More Than Dinner "Maybe you'd let me cook you dinner. - What if I want more than dinner?"

Don't Go About a year and a half after they last parted, Bradley runs into Cory in a bookstore.

Found After Bradley shows up on his doorstep with her troublesome request, Cory tries to return Salma's bracelet.

SECRETS

Fire in My Veins A little Bradley perspective on her reactions to Cory in episode 1.

Learning from the Best Stella's thoughts on Cory as she leaves his office on the evening of the hack.

Checkmate Stella is always one step ahead of Cory.

A Secret Not Hers - It’ll probably come out in my emails: I was dating Blake Griffin last year. - Wouldn’t have guessed he’s your type. - He wasn’t. Anything of yours gonna come out? - Guess we’ll see.

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

Update on my feelings for the new upcoming family movies

Us DreamWorks fans are on the edge of our seats because we're getting a Chicken Run 2, Trolls 3, and Kung Fu Panda 4! Big day woohoo! The only thing is, I hope they do well (I know Chicken Run 2 somehow became property of Netflix because DreamWorks and Aardman aren't working together, that makes me angry). I'm also really excited for the new movie "Migration" and I hope that it's as good as it looks. I loved the new Super Mario movie, and I loved Puss in boots Last Wish, I'm SO GLAD that they beat Disney at the box office. However, I'm mostly here to talk about my thoughts on the live action Little Mermaid.

Okay, listen; I don't give a darn about her skin color, she's a MERMAID and it's based off a 200 year old fairytale that was pretty woke for something that's been around before my town was founded. I'm not here to talk about that, though! I'm here to talk about how I feel about the live actin and Disney on it's own. It really looks like this live action Little Mermaid is doing well, and while I'm happy for Halle, I have mixed feelings. I honestly think Halle's a beautiful woman and makes a very beautiful mermaid, and I'm a big fan of Jodi Benson, even though I don't care for the cartoon Disney Little Mermaid (I mostly like Jodi because of Camp Lazlo). It's mostly the story that I don't like! In fact, I hate the cheesy classic Disney romances. Am I the only one... or? Please tell me I'm bot the only one who finds them always portraying the underage princess as "sexy" and almost always making her fall in love with a "handsome" prince who just a stale, himbo who barely has any personality. I get they were a product of their time, but they're not really good for girls nor boys, or anyone for that matter (by anyone I mean people who don't identify as any gender, not adults). Yes, adults can rewatch those movies and enjoy them if they were apart of their childhood, just like how I cling onto cartoons from my childhood. It's just that, I don't think the older movies are very good for kids by today's standards. Not everything needs to be all romanticized and glamourous anymore, we like some realistic mishaps in family movies. I'd choose something like Duck Duck Goose or Early Man over a 40-70 year old Disney movie any day! In my completely honest opinion, I'd rather watch this live action Little Mermaid than the old cartoon one, but I don't care for either of those movies! I'm also personally not happy that Disney is being fussed over by everybody again, I'm still advocating for these smaller companies. If you grew up on a lot of non-Disney cartoons and movies, you would understand what I mean!

I also hate when people would call me "racist" for hating on the new Little Mermaid, when I hate the old one just as much, if not more! Racism is a horrible concept, and the word shouldn't be thrown around so loosely for hardly anything! I think they really scored themselves a beautiful mermaid when they casted Halle, but I'm still not a fan of the movie. I'm not mad because of the animals either... okay, well if it were up to me I'd swap out that singing crab for a tough pirate girl who helps teach the mermaid about human life but in all honestly, it's mostly the story that I'm not crazy about, plus the fact that I think Disney is still so overrated! I really hope that Trolls 3 and Migration both beat the live action Little Mermaid at the box office! As for Elemental, it looks pure cringe... heck, I even hope Little Mermaid beats that!

Another thing, if I had a friend who wanted to watch the Live Action Little Mermaid to make fun of it, we're not seeing it in theaters. We are going to watch it one of those free movie websites with the sketchy pop up ads (I use them for movies all the time anyway). I don't have Disney plus, and even if you do, but you wanted to watch one of the new movies, I suggest using one of the free movie websites because they're still gonna make money from Disney plus. Streaming services are run by people, and they see when people watch movies. If a movie is watched a numerous amount of times on any streaming service, that streaming service, as well as the creators are somehow notified and will continue to make movies that are similar. If you're genuinely excited about the new live action Little Mermaid, you can go see it in theaters but if you're just going to watch it to make fun of it, watch it on Actvid or Moviesjoy. Also, if you're a Trolls fan as much as I am (come on, I know there's a fandom here on tumblr! Where's my Trolls fandom at?) go watch Trolls 3 in theaters so that DreamWorks can know that us fans exist and it's NOT a waste of money to make another movie! Broppy shippers, I hear we're gonna get what we want, too! I also hope Illumination does well with this new movie Migration, because it looks adorable, as I said before in another post.

One more thing I forgot to mention; that Ruby Gillman movie looks pretty cute. It personally doesn't suit my taste, but I hope it does well. It's DreamWorks, and I'm a huge DreamWorks fan, but not everything from them is good. It's gotta be way better than Shark Tale or Boss Baby... and definitely **pukes** The Bee movie... (Oh gosh I wanna puke just thinking about the Bee Movie... and this is coming from someone who likes bees). That Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken movie definitely doesn't look as appealing to me as Trolls 3, but my bestie and I are gonna have ourselves a little movie night and give it a try, and then I'll probably review it!

Anyway, thank you for listening to my thoughts and I hope that after reading the whole thing, you won't jump to conclusions when someone says they don't like the Live action Little Mermaid. Not everyone who hates it is mad about the skin color thing, we just don't care for it! And if you're a Trolls fan like me, PLEASE drop me a comment! I'll be so happy to chat with you in the comments! Even if you're not, feel free to comment your feelings anyway!

[christmasintheloonybin]

so funny seeing right wingers discover what capitalism is and being opposed to it. I mean to say in the same way communists are, many American right wingers leaning towards libertarianism will say "hey, how come I'm making $16/hr on this job and my boss is making $200/hr for my labor?" the solution being, we all work for ourselves, we're all tradesmen and we all enjoy the fruits of our own labor. okay sure, on paper this sounds amazing, HOWEVER, you cannot be in favor of progress if you are opposed to capitalism. technological and social progress. the generally speaking great wealth and power of the United States only ever happened because of exploitation and capitalism. you need guys who do very little actual work investing money in other projects, expanding business, providing jobs etc. I'm not defending capitalism because I am also completely against progress. but the only way we could have a society of skilled workers who enjoy the fruits of their labor etc etc is in extremely small scale communities, which would be an extremely inefficient system if we are thinking in terms of social and technological progress.

also, let's be honest, most people do not have any kind of skill and have no desire to achieve a skill. most people are like animals in that they are content when there is a lack of physical suffering. they have no drive or will at all. what is to happen to them? should they starve? if we follow the principle of from each to each we would have probably at least a third of the population who have no desire to work and would only sit at home collecting rations (or whatever in a communist society). it could be argued in the soviet union or China "okay it's not great that we have to force all these people to work in factories but we are extremely underdeveloped and need to catch up with the west so for just a little while and then we can have real communism..." still this is not THE GOAL. but back to my point - then what do we have? exactly the same fucking thing in reverse! someone leeching off of you and making money off of your labor but without providing anything to the larger community. I think coercion to work is obviously a negative and unpleasant thing, but do you seriously think there is great fulfillment for the average dishwasher or sewage worker? these are unpleasant tasks that are only done because of CAPITALIST incentivization, and they NEED to be done in modern society. sure maybe a plumber or a cook or a blacksmith or whatever, a skilled laborer, is prevented today from reaching his full potential and when he can truly express himself and recieve the fruits of his labor properly then society will be fixed FOR HIM. but most people are not like this. even today in America welfare will guarantee you a quality of life that is MINIMAL, horrible for the western world especially in urban areas, but people will jump on it, why? because the labor they are coerced into doing is so unfulfilling, but this work is not only necessary for the functioning of a society but especially necessary for the PROSPERITY of a society like the United States. and in organized society the work now is much more unpleasant than ever before. in a natural setting it was maybe quite fun if tiring to gather firewood or plant seeds or whatever, and this was directly tied in with your life, but why should someone say "I'm going to go work sorting trash in a landfill just for fun." it's completely different, and maybe some people in theory really do care about society as a whole (I do not) but in reality only very small scale communities could compel the average person to give a fuck enough to do this unpleasant work. you see it. I don't want to clean up trash in the streets but I love my family and my neighbors and I want my community to look nice and be healthy. you see the results directly. but there is no real reason anyone with any sense would really be compelled to play some minute role in the production of something that would maybe better society but have no real impact on his life personally. ie capitalism AND communism, capitalism works because the capitalist will say "I don't care how you feel about it, you need to or you won't eat." the problem is not necessarily these two systems but MATERIALISM, LARGE SCALE SOCIETY, TECHNOLGY, AND PROGRESS.