#my followers will surely appreciate this

[surrealist-dreamer]

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY AND I GOT A MOTHMAN

I NEED NAMES IDEAS FOR THEM

[wellfine]

Hey I found ur art uncredited on tik Tok

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMreQSnaw/

They said they "found it on Reddit" so they just decided to steal it and post it ig?? Ugh!!

Wow, that's a whole other repost to the one I thought it was going to be, lol. It's been reposted to TikTok once before, and I'm also not surprised this person got it from Reddit, where I doubt I was credited either.

At the end of the day I appreciate the heads up but there's nothing I can really do about it. The most helpful thing anyone can do is to leave comments on the reposts to provide credit,* because if artists ever try and comment then we pretty invariably get attacked. Don't be mean or aggressive, that just builds their animosity towards the artists, but I do think people respond positively to outside pressure to do the right thing 🤷

*Remember to make sure there's enough context - eg. something like "art by @ landegart on Twitter" is more searchable/useful than "artist is Landeg" to someone on TikTok who has no idea who I am haha

[total-drama-brainrot]

ophe when’s the alecody essay (HARD /J HERE LMFAO) /nf

As far as Alejandro ships go, Alecody is probably one of the most viable ones out there.

That's not to say it's the most viable, or the "best" Alejandro ship, because quite frankly I don't think there is such a thing as a "best ship", but from a purely canonical standpoint if Alejandro were to end up with any of his castmates, I'd say Cody would be a strong contender. Again, not the strongest, but also not entirely out of left field.

Which is mostly because he's one of the very few people in canon that Alejandro has A. interacted with more than once without issue, and B. not screwed over entirely to reach his goals. Not that Alejandro didn't screw Cody over - there are a few instances wherein Alejandro intentionally does something that directly affects Cody (most notably feeding Sierra's wedding delusions), but Alejandro doesn't do anything in terms of the competition at large that'll get Cody himself eliminated. In fact, he takes the finale tie breaker quite seriously; it's one of the few times Alejandro gets someone eliminated fairly, and Cody himself readily accepts that.

Cody's also one of the few characters who Alejandro has shown conditional kindness to, who actually survives said kindness without facing an elimination. Or without immediately contrasting that kindness with hostility behind his back (like he does with Owen and, to a lesser extent, Izzy), or using said kindness as the tool that'll get him eliminated (via flirting). That has to count for something, since Alejandro isn't the type to form friendships/aqquaintenceships that don't benefit him, and yet any sort of relationship with Cody is unbiasedly bereft of any notable benefits outside of the rapport itself.

The alliance he tries to secure with Cody is, objectively, entirely useless to Alejandro. He knows that Cody will only ever vote for Sierra, just like he knows that - out of the remaining four - Cody is the weakest contestant, and yet he still does his best to keep Cody on his side despite there being negligable benefits of him doing so.

So despite the fact that they had to duke it out in the tiebreaker, Alejandro and Cody have surprisingly little beef between them.

You could argue that Cody utilizing the nickname "Al" against him is indicitive of some resentment on his part, but I'd argue that Cody only really does that because he's a little shit (and rooting for Heather) and doesn't have the same level of resentment towards Alejandro that the majority of the cast harbours. If any at all, since Alejandro was nothing but cordial towards him.

So it's entirely plausible that Cody and Alejandro could meet each other outside the context of the competition - likely after All-stars, if we're going by strictly canonical guidelines - and spark a relationship from there.

Neither holds and lingering dislike for the other, and they've got a shared history of medical suffering under Total Drama they could bond over, and Cody's already seen Alejandro at his worst moments so Alejandro doesn't even have to live up to any false pretenses around him. Cody himself isn't the type to judge a person too harshly on their actions in the competition (which is backed by his canonical forgiveness and acceptance of Sierra despite her actions towards him) and would probably be thrilled to learn that the seemingly infalliable Alejandro he knew in Total Drama is, in fact, a giant nerd. (Just like him!)

I think the main factor that would hold this ship back would be Cody's inabily o recognis th at at hid cor e he little mome than a bxi eia; dis st t and Ale j a dn tro is evnrn mor so. T her s e t o lon ers coul nd t inf ds a h ela g t h r altio nanhip if i etr jjmupec ut anf u bt them on t h e f ace.

aacoridngt oal known laws of actia thes i s no way bbe souhle be a bl e to s fly its win s a e tto smal to get ist fa tlitr el bod y tsoooff hte geuihnd the bbe of c our se flie s anywa y becas e bes ont c re ha t s hu man sns thij ksi imposacp ible

[dailydegurechaff]

Today's Daily Degurechaff is… Tanya Circulation

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

The West Passage

medieval fantasy set in a giant crumbling palace of traditions with forgotten origin, ruled by giant eldritch Ladies

when winter weather comes in the middle of summer, and a beast below the palace begins to rise, two teens from Grey who have suddenly gained a lot of responsibilities set out on separate journeys to the other towers to find a way to stop it, and meet all sorts of strange people and creatures along the way

world where pronouns/names are based on people’s roles

tons of cool medieval-style chapter illustrations by the author

[spotaus]

If I have energy I want to draw out some designs for an au I'm spontaneously writing.

(Medieval times, there's a Prophecy. Nightmare rules over this kingdom and is supposed to complete this prophecy, he refuses to because it would harm the people. Dream was sent away and banished by Night because he was dis-illusioned into thinking the prophecy was a Good Thing abd what he was raised to complete. Night collected his Knights (Killer, Dust, Horror, and Cross most recently) and trains them and tells them the truth of the prophecy. They're loyal to him. One day the magic of the prophesy (Apple Magic) leaves Nightmare unexpectedly, returning him to the state he was in before he accepted the mantle. This puts a target on his back and gives Dream a huge advantage in maybe making a comeback. The Knight's decide that their King (newly a young lad and variably scared and frightened) must be protected and they run the kingdom as he normally would, while also ensuring he survives and that the prophecy can't be completed.)

[straycalamities]

just caught up on what i could see of the truffula flu tag on tiktok

it’s insane how much of a fandom there is over there wtf??? i’m glad yall are having fun with a silly rp a little friendgroup did a decade ago

it lifted my mood like seriously

all the edits and the art and the passion it’s rly appreciated and endearing 🫶

shout out to the entre fans 💜 rly glad yall like my fucked up little man

[noyin]

not enough byrne appreciation on here

[watermelonsloth]

So I’ve recently rewatched My Adventures With Superman and I wanted to share a qualm I’ve had with it. That being its use of Superman being an alien as an allegory for immigration and racism. It’s not the execution that I have a problem with—this not being the only idea explored and how the characters and the villains’ motivations are written largely save this from hurting the series—but rather the idea because it forgets the same thing Zootopia and Detroit: Become Human’s allegories forgot: racism is fundamentally irrational.

Even if there are differences between cultures, no group is more or less capable of violence than another. No individual from any group is automatically stronger or more weaponized than an individual from another. Thus fearing a specific group’s capacity for violence is absurd, irrational, and ✨racist✨. Now, with that in mind, is it irrational to fear Superman? I’d say no.

Maybe you could argue that after a certain amount of time there would be enough evidence of him putting himself on the line just to help people that it would be harder to defend fearing him, but if we’re talking about a Superman who’s just starting out like in MAWS… well… Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of some random person in Metropolis. Some random guy from a planet we’ve never heard of shows up one day saying he’s here to help and he wants nothing in return. He never gave us a name and we have no way of knowing where his similarities to humans end or if he’s lying. All we know is what he’s told us, what he’s done, and that he has a laundry list of extremely powerful superpowers with little to no weaknesses. Now maybe y’all are saints compared to me, but I tend to be wary around strangers—especially strangers I know are fully capable of killing me without consequence—and when I hear someone say that their motives are exclusively altruistic, I assume it’s an act. If I was in Metropolis and I didn’t know Superman personally, I’d, at minimum, be concerned about him one day becoming resentful of doing so much for so little. So from my perspective, fearing Superman and wanting to have countermeasures on standby isn’t exactly what I’d consider irrational.

(When you take into account all of the universes with “evil Superman” this perspective makes even more sense. I just didn’t bring that up because the average person wouldn’t know about that.)

My point is that maybe instead of using Superman, an alien with godlike powers, to tell a story about immigration and racism, we could just use a superhero who’s an immigrant or a person of color. Or we could make a new character. Or we could at least make Superman an actual immigrant (he was created by Jewish immigrants, we could make him a Jewish immigrant). I’m just saying that if you want to write about racism, you should use race to talk about it.

[syn0vial]

people seemed to like my post about boba fett's characterization and personality traits in legacy of the force and find it helpful.

now i'm wondering if i should do another post in a similar style sharing my observations about his reaction and attitude towards physical touch in the same series :|a

[youredreamingofroo]

everytime im like "man why tf do people even follow me" i remember that most of you are just here for my stupid ocs *flails hands around Roo and Leo too ig*, another chunk of you are here for my renders, and a few of you are either here because you like the shit i reblog or you followed me during the boopening

[vorgoths]

i can't believe 2023 is almost at an end, and to me, that means that it's been about 2 years since i remade my tumblr. with that said, i wanted to take this time to express how much i appreciate all of the mutuals who decided to continue following me on this second tumblr account plus all of the new mutuals that i have met since then.

when i first joined tumblr back in october 2010, i really did not expect to have any followers or even mutuals, especially since i tend to keep to myself most of the time. but then i met so many wonderful people on this website whether they shared the same interests as me, posted amazing creative works for their fandoms ( and even inspired me to dabble with gifmaking again, oh and please support creators on this website by reblogging their work! ), or brought absolute joy on my dash.

to my mutuals, even if we haven't talked once or i haven't checked in with you, please know that i love you, and i'm thankful to be a mutual of yours. thank you for your messages, tagging me in your posts, and just being lovely all around. i honestly don't think i would have created another account after losing access to my first one if it weren't for all of you. you guys truly deserve all the love and praise in the world 🖤✨

so if you haven't already, please consider checking out my mutuals' tumblrs and following them! i'm wishing everyone all the best in the new year 🎉

( part 1 of 2 ) @ad-astrah | @aemondtragaryen | @alcottts | @annacoleman | @benoitblanc | @binickmiller | @blackpnk | @bladesrunner | @bo-kryzze | @buckleys-diaz | @calkestis | @camila-morrones | @cardigan | @charles-beckendorf | @cheddarholt | @cuteskywalker | @daenerys-targaryen | @daughter-rhaenyra | @dadralt | @darcylewish | @dearemma | @deepshadows | @dindjarism | @doctor-donnaa | @dramatical | @dreamersmagician | @elsewherelove | @esterexpositio | @eva-greens | @fenrysmoonbeam | @fireplceashes | @galeofwaterdeeps | @ginasporter | @guinevereslancelot | @gr-ogu | @heroeddiemunson | @huntbastian | @itsmellslikeinfidelity | @jesicajones | @jynerso | @kalemakar | @katecastle | @kazsbrekker | @kenobismullet | @keyfili | @kiss-evans | @krystalgoderitch

[lovesodeepandwideandwell]

y'all are great. tonight I will be displaying my huge competence and level of productivity by Going To Bed without completing my to do list

[etchetceteraart]

When I say I’ve “gotten into dark shadows lately” what I really mean is I’ve watched 70 episodes in 5 days (I’m sooo normal I’m so normal don’t worry about it)

In my defense, the episodes are only 20 minutes each and there’s 1,225 episodes total so really I’ve only watched a tiny amount of it so far

But. Yeah. I’ve definitely gone a little unhinged for it.

It’s kind of difficult finding people to talk with about it because, understandably, a soap opera from the 1960s with over 1000 episodes doesn’t appeal to everyone.

There’s something about it, though.

I don’t know if it’s the “flaws” that make it so charming—it was shot live, so actors frequently forget their lines, say the wrong lines and have to improvise, accidentally say each other’s lines, even forget their own character names. At one point an actor’s dress accidentally catches on fire during a scene and she finishes the damn scene because the show must go on. Improv acting ability is almost more of a necessity than regular acting ability in this show.

The soap opera format requires recapping each episode, but there are episodes where they recap scenes that just played in order to stretch the story out. The earlier episodes (and I started at 210, so I’m talking about even past that point!) are glacially slow at times.

The characters are either incredibly boring or a lot of fun. Willie Loomis is one of the best takes and best actors of the Renfield type that I’ve seen, for sure. Big beaten dog energy. Did you know they received a censor note warning them they were getting close to implying Willie and barnabas were in a homosexual relationship? It’s definitely a dark one, but I can see it. Intentional or no, the dynamic is Juicy.

Barnabas is fun to watch whenever he’s on the screen, and the slow story gives his characterization and turn from villain to hero time to really breathe. I’m kind of obsessed with how he’s stuck in the past and the trauma and darkness of it and bringing it forward into the modern day because he doesn’t see any other way to exist and everyone is suffering for it….

Maggie is a fun modern gothic heroine. And Liz and Victoria and Carolyn and roger and Burke and Joe and Sam and McGuire are….well, they’re there alright!

Anyway. Episode 280 now and I cannot *wait* to see what the next 800-odd episodes bring

[codecicle]

If you don't mind me asking how did you get top surgery at 15? Not that there's a problem with that! Its just really cool thay you were able to, i dont think ive heard of that before

Ah, really it was all the work of my wonderful amazing mother! In all honesty, I would never be even CLOSE to being this happy if it wasn't for her and everything she did to keep me safe and let me transition. Short answer: I got lucky with living in the transgender shield of New York because my parents are rad and moved us up there

Long answer: Quite a few things actually! For starters, I was lucky enough to live in a state that allowed it, and I had proof of being dysphoric from a young age through therapy records and mental health checks. (<- not Necessary, but definitely helped my case! the government LOVESS the mentally ill lmfao) Really when medically transitioning, you need a few things on a list.

1: A letter of recommendation from a therapist (I've been through Several, so no problem there! Just need proof from a mental health professional that you are who you say you are, and you're not going to regret the change)

2: A letter from your general practioner/medical provider, signing off on the surgery (this will actually happen Several Times. but you need one to start off the whole thing)

3: If you're a minor, proof that you're fully developed puberty-wise, through a physical exam with your doctor!

Then, you take all of those to a plastic surgeon. I had an amazing doctor that took wonderful care of me and did a perfect job with the surgery, and I'd really recommend doing a metric shit-ton of research on whatever surgeon you end up choosing! The best bet most often is whatever other trans people recommend. This surgeon will then sign off on it, and you'll book some dates. In my case, there was 2 pre-op meetings! One where they looked at my chest and decided on the best procedure to use, and one where they had my mother fill out consent forms and book the date of the final surgery. (Again, assuming it's a minor like me going through this process, it's likely they haven't been through a surgery before! So there might be one more appointment with a doctor where they check your general muscle strength and how well you'll recover from the anesthetic/surgery in general. Really easy check-up, that typically functions as a less invasive physical)

It's a long, time consuming process that's very fuckin expensive lmao, but I promise you it's worth it. It's so very very worth it. I could go into all the little details of every step of the process and all the hoops I jumped through, but it can and will vary from person to person! Again, I just got very very very goddamn lucky with a family that supports me and was willing to help me as much as they have. Im the luckiest guy on the planet I'm pretty sure. Everyday I get to wake up in the body I've always wanted to have and feel amazing about it.

[spicehill]

inescapable paths of purpose, meaning in meaninglessness

or: why the path of nihility suits jiaoqiu so much better than abundance ever could, and it's fitting that his kit has no added healing. warning ahead for......... kinda rambling and talking in circles about this guy lmao. does this even make sense?????? help???????? uhhh... a tl;dr:

ah! would you look over there, it's my shameless favorite tv trope article happening off-screen in his backstory, break the cutie!

honestly it's kinda funny that both jiaoqiu and the emanator of nihility don't have a sense of taste anymore. the spice really is just to feel something. anything

somehow I didn't get to talk directly about him having like 4 different hats he wears and the fascinating psychology of role identities. how.

tried to get tf out of this field and they keep pulling me back in.

ms. arbiter general feixiao please one chance ( to prevent me, your loyal and devoted retainer jiaoqiu, from falling into utter and unending despair now that i've invested any remaining sense of purpose I have in this life in your survival )

jiaoqiu's character stories start and end in the same place, with him on the shore of rainsoar lake: the setting is the same, the environment the same, the beautiful details that paint the picture of a welcoming, pleasant place are unchanging.

the only thing that has changed is jiaoqiu.

he does not bother with the rain that runs down his ears now, he does not find anything to appreciate in the mild, sweet taste of wild rice. and even though he now sees his time here in the lake as serving a new endeavor, one that pulls him away from the pain and pointlessness of medicine, he is about to start anew on the path that he tried to leave in the first place: a single new patient, one with an affliction more challenging to cure than any wound he ever saw on the battlefield.

how did he get here?

bear with me through a short personal anecdote -- it grounds a lot of my perception of finding purpose -- a vivid memory I have of a conversation when I was younger with my father concluded with him telling me something. not everyone feels the need to find their purpose in their work, and that's okay. it's more strange to need your work to fulfill your life's purpose than not. and he felt that was important because, as the child of educators, I had only ever known adults who derive a deep sense of meaning and purpose from their work and the way they help others.

medicine, like education, is a field built of devotion, compassion. it is a selfish selflessness: by merely participating in it, you are seeking meaning and purpose. and as the child of prominent alchemists, I wouldn't doubt that jiaoqiu had never really known any adults who didn't help others while growing up, either.

that's kind of where his character stories start: the first time he's at rainsoar lake, he's young, enthusiastic, pleasant, hopeful. at the start, his demeanor isn't a diplomatic mask: its genuine, along with his desire to help others who need the most help on the yaoqing, cloud and verdant knights who face countless battles. maybe at this point in his life, several centuries prior, he would've walked the path of abundance with ease.

but that is not the man you meet now: the one we meet in-game wears politeness and pleasantries as a front most of the time, worries and plans almost-constantly, and really doesn't even think well of himself. jiaoqiu a harsh critic of his own shortcomings and mistakes, and isn't a stranger to feeling like a mistake or shortcoming of his own has happened. the contrast between the way he treats others ( pleasantness, gentleness, patience ) and the way he treats himself ( criticism, frustration, disappointment ), I think, is one of the first big hints we get outside of his character stories for traits that actually suit the path of nihility well.

to the next point, and circling back to his character stories: I always found it interesting that the drip marketing released for jiaoqiu portrayed his initial departure from medicine as being due to a broken heart.

this doesn't seem like it was a mistranslation or miscommunication with the localization, even though brokenheartedness is often associated with romance or love for another person of some kind. heartbreak is also when something is soul-crushing; heartbreak is falling out of love against your will with something you deeply loved once before. heartbreak is also irredeemable loss, often unsalvageable and irreversible. jiaoqiu's brokenheartedness stems from losing his passion for healing, his sense of purpose, and losing his sense of taste, all three of which were always deeply intertwined and interconnected.

character story details seem to suggest that his loss of taste may actually be physical more than psychological due to exposure to the lux arrow bombardment in the third abundance war: he was close enough to the impact that killed the previous arbiter general of the yaoqing while rescuing feixiao that it's almost like he has taste loss due to radiation exposure. combined with the building sense of pointlessness in his work as a military healer, seeing all his effort to help others and ease their suffering wasted again and again, he left healing after that -- seemingly to start a restaurant, which he called rainsoar eatery -- to try to salvage the little sense of purpose he has left after years and years as a healer made him feel purposeless.

the funny thing about cooking is that it's also a profession of compassion where your work is meant to help others -- cooking makes people happy, makes them feel warm, full. it's more temporary than medicine, but is a form of medicine of it's own right. in a way, jiaoqiu was still searching for purpose and meaning in his work, but now his scale and sense of personal impact was much smaller, much more temporary. he doesn't seem to believe at this point in his life that he's still capable of a larger impact. thus, in lost and adrift, the order of magnitude in which he describes impact are two extremes: either saving one person ( easy ) or saving the world ( impossible ). this is another signature conundrum of someone who has lost their way when their sense of self-meaning has been derived from work of compassionate service: what's the point of doing the hardest work if I can't really make a difference?

seeing pointlessness in effort spent on helping others is nihilistic, though it seems like jiaoqiu is still holding onto some hope for meaning.

so when his master from the alchemy commission comes to find him again years after the third abundance war at his restaurant near the lakeshore, he came with the purpose of persuading jiaoqiu to take on one more patient. just one, who his master promises will help him understand a healer's purpose -- and she's perhaps the most impossible person to heal in the world.

but he's saving all his medical effort for her: genuinely healing you is effort poorly spent. you're no longer part of his sense of purpose. thus far, I think working for feixiao has already redefined some of his sense of magnitude of impact, working to try and cure feixiao -- saving one person, in this case, is very important. and maybe the impossibility of the task is part of the point: it won't stop him from trying everything he can anyway.