#not my best work but I don't hate it either ^^

[harbingrs]

I used to feel really awful that I couldn't explain to my cat WHY I couldn't pet/cuddle/play at the time, so he'd know I wasn't just rejecting him.

What helped was watching cats interact with each other. A cat will tell another cat it doesn't want to cuddle or play by walking away at best (or a good smack at worst to get the message across). They don't have the ability to explain why to avoid hurt feelings - and they don't have the need to. Action IS communication, so I communicate I can't/won't cuddle right now by not cuddling, or by moving away.

So I hope this means cats don't take it personally, either. The idea of "it's rude or offensive to say no unless you explain why and clarify it isn't a personal rejection" is a very human one, based on our capacity for social communication and theory of mind, where we speculate and worry about what others think of us.

For a cat, their whole justification for not wanting to cuddle or play is 'I don't feel like it'. If my cat is tired of being pet he'll just gently swipe at me or walk away with no explanation needed.

So I like to think that's how my cat sees things when I can't pet or play with him. I may feel bad that I can't explain to him that I'm working and I would if I could - but he's not even speculating about my reasons or taking it personally. To him we're just practising cat-to-cat communication, and if it's not time for cuddles, it's time for chilling in the same room together instead - because he can't verbally ask "is it a good time to sit on your lap right now?" in advance either. The conversation happens through the actions of him trying to sit on my lap and me putting him down again.

To the extent that he CAN speculate on what I'm thinking or feeling, it's based on a projection of himself. His cat brain doesn't have a concept of "it's rude to say no without a valid explanation" (or even that explaining one's reasons or motives is a thing). I'm communicating just fine by his standards, and as long as I'm still giving him all the usual affiliative signals (like speaking kindly to him, giving him a little pet before getting back to work, chilling together in the same room, etc) he's not going to think I hate him or feel upset about it. I've just communicated kittystyle that I'm not keen on cuddles or playtime right now, just like he communicates that to me.

My cat has always had the worst timing. He'll jump up on my desk to cuddle at the very moment I'm about to get up to urgently go to the bathroom. He'll try to curl up with me in bed the very instant I need to get up and refill my glass of water and put some vaseline on my dry, sore lips. He'll ask me to play just at the second I need to end my break and get back to work.

The poor guy, right? From his perspective, he approaches me for love and I immediately get up and leave. I feel awful about it. I try to reassure him first that I love him and he just has bad timing, but I know it can't feel nice, and also he's too big of a dumbass to understand that me getting up and walking away isn't triggered by him coming to say hi.

Except today I realized something: Yes. It is.

I was sitting at my desk watching a video and up jumps the boy with a mrrp, head positioned for pets, when I realized I urgently had to get up and go to the bathroom. As I opened my mouth to say "bad timing again, buddy," it finally occurred to me that... I definitely already had to go. I for sure did not "suddenly" have an urgent need for the toilet out of fucking nowhere.

I didn't realize I needed to go because my brain is piloted by angry gremlins and they were more interested in watching the video than letting me know about an important bodily function.

My cat coming to say hi is a regular trigger that pulls me back into my body from whatever bullshit I'm hyperfocusing on. And that's when I realize all the warning lights are flashing on the dash. Need water. Need food. Need toilet. In pain: need to change position. Holy shit look at the time, need to get back to work!

I now wonder how much worse I'd function if I didn't have a furry little guy in my apartment to regularly remind me that I exist in a physical form which requires maintenance and also that time passes.

I do still feel bad for walking away from him every time, but I have started just inviting him to come with me. Hey bud, sorry, I have to stand up right now, but come follow me while I get a glass of water. You coming? Come on! And rewarding him with pats for following. It's better than just walking away, I think.

Anyway cats (or other pet of your choice that requires frequent attention)? 10/10, strongly encourage having a little guy to bother you now and then, especially if you have ADHD and live alone.

[followthebluebell]

Who are the current roster of residents at your work? I know Roomba is, and that there are at least two Persians, but I can't keep them straight in my head. Q was a resident but then got adopted?

My current residents are:

Roomba (bengal - 13-15? years old, blind, female)

VERY LOUD; loves kittens, waffles wildly between loving adult cats or absolutely hating them. Sometimes to the same cat. She adores Maddie the most and will try to cuddle up to her as much as possible but since Maddie has been going into the Impossible Zone (the couch upstairs) lately, Roomba has been cozying up to Pookie.

Has lymphoma but we're trying to make her time comfortable. She's got a severe sensitivity to poultry and fish, so her food has to be beef, venison, lamb, rabbit, pork, or goat. Her favorite is lamb. On her good days, she likes to play fetch with her favorite purple plastic ball or green spring. I don't know why those are her favorites. She just plays with them longer than any of the other plastic balls or springs.

She's usually found in the office/kitchen.

Butterscotch (persian - 3? years old, blind, male; misaligned jaw)

Looks ancient, is actually a young man. He is permanently scrungly. He likes to play with pieces of garbage. He's got plenty of actual cat toys to play with, but he just wants to play with the little plastic wrap that comes off the tops of bottles and such. He's VERY sweet to people; he mostly ignores other cats. If another cat sleeps by him, he's fine. He just doesn't really seek them out.

His jaw is misaligned, which makes his face look even stranger than a typical persian's. We're not sure what happened to it. It may just be a birth defect, it may be a broken jaw that never healed right. It doesn't seem to bother him TOO much, but it does mean his face needs extra cleaning.

He doesn't like any wet food, except for sardines. Otherwise, he likes the cronch. He likes to sleep in exclusively uncomfortable places.

Pookie (british shorthair - 1 year old, female, FIV+)

VERY playful and outgoing. She likes to greet anyone who walks in. People are delighted by her. They think she's the best thing either (they are not wrong). She's cat social, but doesn't really want to play with other cats. She just likes to exist around them.

She's a menace in the office. She's learned that if the phone goes off, someone will sit down at the desk and she can annoy them until they pet her. She knocks things off the desk too and thinks it's a lot of fun to play with and rip up pages in the appointment book.

She's generally found in the office or on the front couch.

Penelope (persian, 2-3? years old, female)

Also outgoing, but much more relaxed. Penelope mostly wants to sit on someone's lap. Her favorite toys are crinkle balls--- the little cellophane ones--- and tunnels. She likes to sit at the edge of a tunnel and bat at feet as people walk past. She also likes pens, especially if someone is using one.

She likes to sit in the office chair. I think it's because she knows someone will sit there eventually and have no choice but to let her sit on their lap, but also she doesn't have very many brain cells, so I'm not sure she can fully conceptualize that sort of plan.

She tends to pick a new Favorite Place every week.

Maddie (persian, 12-13? years old, female)

Winner of the 'Are you alive...?' contest two years running. She's a picky eater and will only eat things that she sees Roomba eating. I'm not sure they recognize the other as 'alive'. Maddie adores people, as long as they aren't trying to brush her. Then she grudgingly tolerates them for a few minutes at a time before deciding to go somewhere else.

She's permanently snotty. She's been tested for many, MANY things to ensure it's not contagious--- the vet's guess is that a fungal infection caused a severe allergic reaction which resulted in nasal polyps. Combined with her very tiny nostrils, she's got some permanent drip going on there. It's... unclear whether or not surgery is a wise option. She's a senior cat, a persian, and already has breathing problems :/ We might just have to wipe her face frequently.

She's not a fan of that either, for the record.

I'm hoping that Penelope and Pookie will go up for adoption one day. There's literally no reason why they could not be adopted and I'd prefer to keep the office pet slots for cats that cannot be rehomed for behavioral or health reasons.

[universalrainbow]

The mask = muted player idea is so funny to me for some reason.

Like

Poppy: "did you really think I was just ignoring you the entire time?"

Player, casually: "idk, I just kinda thought you hated me."

Poppy: [suddenly looks very sad]

Player: "oh. Oh no, please don't be sad, I didn't mean it like that-"

Also, with how chatty player is now, imagine the others wondering just how much they missed out on. Player always seems to have something to say, be it a quickwitted joke, an inquisitive remark, or an exclamation of delight.

Given the grab pack, I assume there wasn't much hand gesturing to convey conversation (and the mask probably obscured eye movements), but there still would have been some moments. Player looking and tilting their head, jerking their chin at something as if making a comment, rapid nodding or shaking.

Thinking back, the others now recognize one sided conversations.

Player is still (playfully) sad their witty commentary went unheard, but it might be for the best. Now any impulsive dumb comments are unknown, and any angry or startled swearing has gone undetected.

(I feel like Player would have been spitting the foulest swears and threats for the doctor after the first freeze incident with Doey. Seeing the poor guy in obvious pain awakens vengeful, protective rage in them. That kind of cruelty Will Not Stand)

Poppy: "did you really think I was just ignoring you the entire time?"

Player, casually: "idk, I just kinda thought you hated me."

Poppy: [suddenly looks very sad]

Player: "oh. Oh no, please don't be sad, I didn't mean it like that-"

doey: "wait so did you think all of us hated you?"

player flinches a bit knowing where this was going: " well..... kinda? its nothing against you guys I swear! its just from my point of view.....no matter what i said, did, or tried to explain. Nothing was really acknowledged. I mean despite only working on the first level as a gift shop employee-"

doey : "wait hold on gift shop?? You weren't a scientist or idk a caretaker??"

player confused: " no? I was a broke newly orphaned 18 year old with no college degree. I was paid dirt wages, while getting yelled at by parents. I wasn't really qualified for either. let alone morally corrupt enough to go along with it."

Toys: newly orphaned....

player casually: oh yea my mom died a few months before my dad, heart disease. Then dad didn't take care of himself and just went in his sleep. Thankfully I was legally an adult at the time.hehe

Toys squeaking to each other: ....Are they more traumatized than us at this point???

player oblivious: Anyway wanna hear about the time my coworker tried to push me into a toy machine because i accidentally ate their sandwitch?

toys squeaking to each other: yep they definitely are.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the factory, players responses.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

mommy long legs explaining the wack a huggy game.

player: Dear god, they just had kids wopping these things without a second thought? What the F**k?! why were the supposed brightest people alive testing fate! This is how you get killed in horror movies. This is what horror shows and games warn about! the warning is dont be a massive D**K for no reason to things clearly more powerful than you!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

player on the first train, scared S**tless: "WERE GOING ON A TRIP IN OUR FAVORITE PEICE OF S**T GOING 95! IM GONNA F**KING DIE!!!!!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Player falls into pianasorous pit

pianasorous notices them

player full of dread :"clever girl"

Doey appears and eats pianasoros.

player : "OH WHAT THE F-"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

player going to fight the prototype

player: Im sleep deprived, hungry, and all out of F**ks! You think YOUR SCARY! I EAT PIZZA WITH PINEAPPLE ON IT!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

player after winning against the prototype: huff........huff i have made the metal one pay for his crimes.

[zionistgirlie]

you can call people who dislike you anti-semetic all you’d like, it doesn’t make it true. people could just dislike you because your personality is garbage? have you considered that? zionism is the ideology that perpetuates a genocide, you are furthering an agenda that bombs innocent children, at minimum. “never again” unless you’re the ones committing the atrocities, right? it’s cool now because it’s not happening to you? grow up

if the roles were reversed and palestinians had you in an open air prison you’d be the first to scream that it’s a genocide, but you’re not. how quickly you forget.

oh, also, jewish does NOT equal zionist. they are not synonyms. there are jews out there who have a heart and some basic human decency, btw.

Appreciate you took the time to write this detailed, yet ignorant, rant. Would that you'd spend as much time looking for a job...

Fact check:

Gaza isn't and wasn't an open air prison. Even Gazans admit that. Also, you're aware they have a border with Egypt, too, right? A border closed by a wall the Egyptians build to keep Gazans out. Egypt wouldn't take sick kids to its hospitals, grown men to work or random kids to the beach. The Jews did all those. Yet— "GaZA is aN oPEN aiR prISOn" and it's the Jews' fault. This double standard is a bit antisemitic if you ask me. And we WERE in open air prisons, thank you very much, they're called concentration camp. Don't know if you've ever heard of those. (Also our brothers and sisters are currently held in Gaza in closed-air tunnel captivity and your reluctance to mention them is very telling)

Zionism is an ideology calling for the Jews to have a land in their ancestral homeland. There is no genocide in Gaza and even the antisemitic UN admits that. Gaza's population actually grew during the war*, so that's a very bad genocide if that indeed was our goal. The combatants to civilians ratio was 1:1, which is about the lowest in modern history (it was 1 combatant on each 10 civilians in Mosul, Afghanistan, just for comparison), keeping in mind that Gaza is a dense, urban area, and the IDF are either crazy precise or really bad at genociding. Yes, civilians die at war, collateral damage is always heartbreaking, but maybe less kids would die if Hamas stopped hiding behind them in mosques, hospitals, schools and children's bedroom. Whilst Israel does the best of its ability not to harm civilians, every "Palestinian resistance" movement made it their goal to hurt as many civilians and children. If I believe a genocidal ideology, what does it say about you? Remember the seventh of October? Would you condemn Hamas for it? Only a couple days ago we learned the Kfir, Ariel and Shiri Bibas, the two youngest hostages, aged 9 months old and 4 when they were kidnapped, and their mum, were murdered in captivity. Are you okay with kidnapping two babies and killing them in captivity?

90% of Jews support Zionism, and that number sky-rocketed since the seventh of October. When you call 90% of all Jews heartless and claim they have no human dignity, that's a little tidbit antisemitic. Would you be okay if I said 99% of Gazans support Hamas or other Jihadist groups, hence they're heartless and have no human dignity? Didn't think so. Maybe you should unlearn that double standard and antisemitism you defend so fiercely, and maybe speak with some actual Jews.

"Maybe people hate you because your personality is garbage" well first of all, it's not "people" but two bored antisemitics constantly sending asks (why u so obsessed with me), and second, how much do you know about my personality? The only things you know are that I'm a religious Israeli Jew who's a raging zionist. Hating me for that is a tad antisemitic. But sure.

"Grow up" babe I'm not the one constantly harassing people anonymously whilst they're trying to study for their college exams...

🥱🥱🥱🥱 2/10. Highly recommend getting a job.

*they admit it themselves:

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY WYNNE - PARTY BANTER *  assorted banter from dragon age: origins

you must know that murder is wrong, i assume.

i feel guilty for having ever spoken to you.

i am going to walk away now. calmly. coolly. this is to save you the pain of having your brain forcibly removed through your ears.

please get to the point.

cherish this. it may not last.

you were watching her. with great interest, i might add. in fact, i believe you were enraptured.

wait... why do you have that look on your face?

what are you thinking about now? no. i don't want to know. i feel dirty. do not speak to me.

i have a name. we all do.

you do speak your mind, do you?

it was a serious question.

must you be such a child? are you incapable of a single, serious conversation?

have you changed your mind yet?

enough. i am ending this conversation.

i am going to walk away now.

we are not having this conversation.

perhaps you could save a life, instead? one for every life you have taken.

it is not a game. you either know right from wrong or you do not.

i once had my portrait painted by an artist in the square here. it wasn't very good.

now that you're in an intimate relationship, you should learn about where babies really come from.

i like you, [name]. you deserve to be happy.

you go ahead and rant, and i'll just not my head if you like.

what exactly are you implying?

be careful who you flirt with.

it would not be the first time i woke to a younger man in my bed.

you have a barbed tongue, [name]. tell me, why do you speak to others this way?

there are good reasons for the world to fear mages, even despite our best intentions.

touch nothing! i don't think they clean the surfaces in this place very often.

everyone's gone... or dead. i fear the worst.

this cannot continue.

these people don't deserve what has happened to them.

i thought it was a legend.

i could not have asked for a greater honor than to be here. i will never forget this feeling.

many enter this forest and are never seen again. let's hope we don't join them.

there's something about this place that makes my skin crawl.

i didn't expect it to be this crowded.

what hideous habits you've picked up.

can't you mend your own clothes? why do i have to do it?

stop fussing with it. you'll make it worse.

[name], if you open that wound up, i'm not going to heal it again. you can just treat it yourself.

if you decide to slaughter me out of hand, i'm sure you would at least inform me first, no?

what makes you think i have any children at all?

i suppose i'll take that as a comment on my demeanor and not my age.

why thank you, [name]. i am quite touched. i like you, too.

those who do not heed to lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.

you are dangerous, [name]. dangerous, cunning, and thoroughly deceitful.

when the end comes, i will go gladly to my rest, proud of my achievements. while you... you will see how empty your life was. you will realize that because you never had love for others, you never received love in return. and you will die alone and unmourned.

i suppose i should be flattered.

very well, let's have a taste.

what are you... never mind, i don't want to know.

i never looked at you. definitely not in that way.

i bought you a towel, a bar of soap, and a razor while we were at the market.

i am not interested in your innuendos, your propositions, or your bodily emanations.

no! keep it to yourself! i'm serious!

i do what i do because i enjoy it, because i enjoy teaching others, helping them.

i do not seek recognition for my works.

i heard you were quite happy there.

i think you're missing the point.

it is precisely this kind of talk that made them wary of you. opinions that differ from your own are always threatening.

it is sometimes so hard to believe that you have been through so much at such a young age.

i do hate being compared to wine. or cheese.

thank you, i was wondering where it got to.

do not worry for me, or for yourself. death will take us when it wills and 'til then, we shall live. truly live.

it's much warmer where you're from, isn't it? don't you feel cold?

i didn't mean to stare.

i can't even begin to tell you whats wrong with that idea.

you can stop flinching. i'm not going to harm you.

[kitts-mechanix]

Exactly! The fact that so many people are leaving the fandom is....it's tragic. Just about everyone I know is gone at this point. I've spent an entire decade teaching myself how to draw, creating entire worlds, writing immersive stories, things I hope people could love and appreciate the way I love and appreciate their works. So many things that I've yet to post even. I think one of the reasons this fandom used to be one of the safest, kindest fandoms is because we all knew what it was like to be put down, bullied, ostracised by others for loving "the weakest Pixar franchise" and especially Cars 2 AKA "Pixar's most hated movie". And the community was active and supported each other. Most of us were never famous, but that was okay because we did all of this for fun, not fame.

I honestly feel guilty, and even like a whiny baby, when I lament about no one comments on anything anymore. I can't recall the last time I got a meaningful comment on my work, or a comment about how the chapter of a story made them feel, details they loved, etc. I don't want to sound entitled, but I miss the days when people took the time to write out thoughtful comments and read. And the fact that no one really does that anymore, honestly just makes my writer's a block a lot worse. Why slave away on something no one will read? I'm not going to stop doing what I love. But it's harder now than it ever was before.

There were so many people in this fandom I loved who have moved on. Some were like sisters to me. Fizz was my inspiration too, and I've always appreciated my interactions with Blay. I lost two online sisters (I won't name them) who both fell down dark paths and cut me out for no reason. (A major FU to CC for turning one of them into Anakin Skywalker). I remember talking to people like Asphalt, RMS Olympic, or Fizz, or Eclipse, or Shadow and it felt like I was meeting a celebrity! I especially freaked out when I became close friends/sisters with some of them. This was back in 2017. I could have never foreseen what would happen after 2021....

And speaking of 2021, I think the reason we were so darn blessed to have one last year of what we once had, was because of one thing: Cars 2 10th anniversary. The diecast collection was exciting again. People made content and interacted again. We all had a renaissance. I had THE best Christmas since 2016. I thought this was the dawn of a new era. And then my 22nd birthday was pretty incredible too with all the cool Cars stuff I got, best one since my 16th! But that was the last spark. With one final burst, the fire had died out. I have not been able to rekindle it since.

And yeah I know about that monster being back, I really hope that petition will make a difference (last I checked it just needs 20 more sigs). I am slowly re-uploading my stuff (although a certain OC is probably never going to see the light of day again) but if things get too crazy I will honestly lock it behind "members only" for the sake of my mental health. I feel the fandom is either less welcoming to diverse people now or the welcoming sides are very extremist, neither of which I ever saw in my old days in the fandom. And while I'm not a fan of yaoi ships personally, I do believe people should have the freedom to create, express and share things like that. If people don't like something, they need to learn they have two options it: go back, or if you must, block it. It's that simple.

Anyway sorry for the ramble. I'm just glad someone gets it, you know? Honestly, I've been holding these thoughts in for a LONG time and now I just....I can't hold it back anymore.

I love this series and its characters with all my heart. Nothing could ever take that away. This franchise saved my life in 2015, just like G1 Transformers did back in August. But I cannot deal with what this fandom has become anymore.

RIP Cars fandom. 2006-2021

Fandom Problem #7581:

I hate how normalized harassment, bullying and overall being a dick has become normalized in fandom spaces. What's sick to me is that these people will harass and dox someone over the dumbest shit and then try to make themselves seem like they're morally right to do so, it's like it's a game to them. It honestly makes me feel like there's no point in being in fandoms at all if I could get harassed off a platform for the dumbest thing

[dragonshoardofworks]

Reincarnation Everlasting Trio Part 2 (DPxDC)

(The flu is kicking my ass, so I decided to fight back by publishing this! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ ...At least I'm at home and not at work? Small victories... And please don't hate me...!)

Part 1 | Part 2 (you're here) | Part 3

Gotham's second third best kept secret after the locations (and their related secrets) of the BatCave and Danny's resting place is the Stolon.

In the most hidden crypt under the corpse of the oldest greenhouse ever built in the gothic city, there's a thick net of roots and vines that cover every inch of the marmored chamber. Like a protective shell or a vegetal Fort Knox, the crypt enshrines Undergrowth’s (the Ancient of the Flora) most precious gift to the Green (their living offspring): the Gynaeceum, a cocoon-like structure capable of generating either an offspring or an avatar for the Green to inhabit and walk on Earth.

But since Professor Pamela Isley is an excellent avatar for them already, the Green doesn’t feel the need for a body at the moment, buuuut… conveniently their Parent loaned them a soul to look after recently and Poison Ivy deserved a reward and, let’s say, an incentive to keep pursuing her beloved Harleen Quinzel…

So, why not incubate the loaned soul with the DNA of both Pamela and Harley in the Gynaeceum? It’d be a huge success for everyone!

The soul, however, wasn't agreeing very much with the idea (like the rebellious goth child that she still is) and had to be coaxed through the stages until proper development, let's say until puberty begins to kick in for a standard human body, so around 8-13 years old, so the body had to stay in the cocoon until that age.

So after a “natural” test tube pregnancy of 10 years, Antheia was born as a pre-teen, right before the newly wed Pam and Harley, who were called there by the Green.

The two Sirens were taken aback by (but not averse of) the gift after the shock settled and they got an explanation as to why and how all of this happened.

(The only reason they didn't go apeshit on the Green for basically doing the same thing Lex Luthor did with Superman to make Connor was that Pam knows that the Green doesn't have the same set of morality and values that humans do, plus they don't even think in the same way, so she understood even if at the beginning she was a bit miffed for not being asked. Harley, since she trusts her wife, suspended her judgement until Pam explained the Green's reasoning and way of thinking. If she also can't hate the child because she somewhat feels familiar, it's another thing that she doesn't voice to anyone… And… she's so disappointed for having missed so much of her new baby's life! They could have visited during the gestation and human contact could have made the soul more cooperative and so have it latch earlier on their new body and so get birthed earlier!)

Antheia was mentally on the level of a newborn, but catches on quickly and in just 2 years or so she’s already behaving like (and with the knowledge of) her physical age. 

Pam and Harley absolutely love her to pieces and don’t-call-me-by-my-full-name Thea shares the sentiment. Both women have different connections with their daughter, tho: Ivy through Green’s powers and shared beliefs on nature and Harley by being fiercely protective of what they consider their own, not accepting (anymore) abuse by anyone.

[After failing to “cure” the Joker and falling into his clutches/partial insanity in her origin story, Quinn did kill people, but only criminals, as inexplicably something always stopped her from harming civilians and innocents. And while the Joker did punish these lacks, he still considered her useful, so he used her only where she was able to act. When and why did Harley finally manage to renounce everything about him, then? During the nth escape from Arkham, on a whim she went and checked her mail kept in the asylum deposit during the years. An enthusiastic letter from a girl in Illinois struck so many chords in her that made Harley say to herself: “Wtf am I even doing with my life?? This isn’t what I wanted to be!” And so proceeded to go and beat the everliving shit out of the Joker as he was starting to do the same with the newest and second Robin in one of Gotham warehouses, where the latter had been lured to. Having called Bruce (since she had figured out his identity a while ago because of knowing each other in med school), he rushed Jason to the ICU (remember the kinder timeline I mentioned in the previous post?) and managed to save him in time and the Joker got back to Arkham for a while longer than usual…]

The attitude that Thea inherited from her mothers (once 12) leads her to at first trying to sneak out and follow them in their night time activities of “anti-heroes”, but thanks to the Green, she always gets caught. After one too many times of that, the Sirens cave in and decide that it will be better to teach her the ropes and make her their sidekick, since it’s safer than letting her go solo and they can’t really stop her (much like Bruce does with all his Robins, tbh. (≧∇≦) )

During one of these escapades/missions, it was inevitable that the latest (the fourth, since it's been a while since Harley saved Jason) Robin and Thea (codename: Blossom) meet… and pick on each other like cat and dog.

The rest of the BatFam places so many bets on them, with Steph and Dick comparing them to Bruce and Selina, but with violence as a love language. Jason and Tim just hope that they won't tear each other out (since they got the burnt of Damian's hostility back when he came at the Wayne Manor, but without the canonical murder attempts, since Jason is still in rehabilitation and Tim had openly stated from the beginning that he was subbing in for the Robin role until the former got better to get back on the street if he wanted).

(Tim, in this, prefers to be the tech guy much more, with only some brawl in the mix, like Oracle’s assistant that does what Babs cannot anymore. The timeline is still kinder, since, while Babs won't recover the 100% of her functionality, she can still walk with a cane.)

Then it all changes when Phantom, or better, Danny joins in the mix. He and Damian!Tucker have so much to catch up with that they're practically joined to the hip and that leads to not meeting Blossom while they’re on patrol since they take different routes than usual.

Hearing the rumor of a new meta vigilante and the sightings of him only with Robin, absolutely doesn’t stir any jealousy in Thea (note the sarcasm) and so to set things straight with her rival, Blossom calls a favor with her mom to arrange a meeting with Batman and Robin. Harley is super amused by the whole thing, so she accepts only on the condition of chaperoning the whole thing (plus B wouldn’t come ���just for Blossom”, she has to be there as well!)

In order to keep things civil (as a contingency plan agreed by both B and Harley), they meet on the roof of a Batburger (the highest one where no one could overhear them and it’s away from the plants), only the four of them. (They get Alfred distract Danny by asking him to do chores with him since “he’s getting old” *cough*BS*cough* and our boi is so eager to help/people-please.)

Blossom and Harley are already there when the Bats arrive and the former is already glaring at the boy.

“So? Where did you leave your new pet?” Blossom demands, looking around.

“He’s not my pet!” Robin snaps, hackles raised.

“Then how come he’s following you around like a puppy, uh? Bet he’s at your beck and call” 

“Don’t talk about him like he’s a thing! His parents already did that enough back when they were alive, so don’t you dare, allochthonous species!” Blossom gasps in outrage, since it’s an (ecology) insult he learned from her.

“So this is just a crusade to fix the new stray while forgetting your duty? Where were you when we busted that exotic animal smuggling ring? You abandoned us!” 

Hit hard by the guilt trip, Robin is quick to recover, though. “You managed just fine, didn’t you? I couldn’t leave him, as there’s no one other than me who’s able to deal with his breakdowns!” He snaps, then centers himself and frowns at her. “What’s your deal, by the way, dudette? You didn’t act like this when I collaborated lengthily with Superboy Jr.”

Getting the whiplash from the unfamiliar slang mixed with formal language, Blossom recoils, as a wave of vertigo hits her. Wtf was that?? She focuses back on the topic, steeling herself. “That ‘Supersons’ thing was nowhere near what’s happening here. You changed so much that I can barely recognize you. So don’t feed me this BS! What happened that made you leave me behind?”

Oh. That’s the crux of the matter, isn’t it? Before Danny’s return and the subsequent recovery of his memories as Tucker, Robin and Blossom had been vigilante partners whenever they teamed up, sometimes even more in sync than with Batman. But how to lay out gently that she’s partially right but he hasn’t meant to? It’s then that Tucker Foley’s famous nonexistent mouth-filter strikes, subverting anything Damian Wayne has ever learned about tact. “Hey, it’s not my fault! You would change too if the guy you like kissed you out of the blue!” He blurts.

(In the background Batman facepalms, hard, Harley gasps and the BatFam cackles in the comms, as Oracle is making them eavesdrop.)

“...So that’s how it is.” A pause, then rage. “You led me on!”

“Wha- Never!” The Tucker in him is still on the reins. “Circumstances changed and I swear I didn’t mean to stop thinking of you! It was a blast from the past, literally, that I had no idea it was available to me!”

“Oh so now it's because of your tragic backstory that you're dumping me? I thought we were partners in crime!”

“We still are, it doesn't have to be mutually exclusi-” Damian!Tucker begins, hotly, only to be interrupted by an alarm going off in the comms.

Everybody tenses as Oracle starts to interject. «Arkham just noticed that the Joker has escaped, they have a hole of two hours in the security tapes!»

«I’m tracking his goons as we speak, it seems that they gathered so much C4 that they could celebrate the Fourth of July!» Hiereus (priest in Greek, helper of the Oracle, new name I choose for Tim instead of Red Robin) informs them, sound of the keyboard being smashed in the background. 

“Where are the bombs?” B demands, tense, ready to grapple at a moment's notice, while the other three get ready too.

«Still searching, still searching… here! All the Batburgers’ roofs.» There's a pause of appropriate horror, before they all register the sentence. «B get out of ther-»

You know what they say about any kinder timeline?

The more you have to lose (the taller they stand)...

BOOOOOOM!

…The harder you (they) fall.

[spireofdeceit]

I'll just make a half coherent post so I don't have to haunted by it for another week. I'll reiterate ideas about beasts I've been saying here and there, in it's own post.

As of now, the story with the beasts and ancients is nearly the best Devsisters have worked with. Weirdly, they took a very popular trope of a good guy having an evil version of them, and then. Understood the assignment. With some misses, but mostly hits, Beast Yeast has been an absolute banger, and I've got a lot of excitement for the story I didn't think I'd ever have for cookie run again.

So. As of right now, with Shadow Milk's chapter conclusion, we have a quite solid pattern of writing Beasts and the conflict with the Ancients. Instead of dancing around it, I'll just bullet point what seems to be the main themes:

Mortality and immortality: Beasts were made into immortality, ancients were not. That leads to fundamentally different experience that either party had. Unlike ancients, who earned their immortality (then godhood), Beasts ARE gods who were unable to understand cookies they were made to serve.

Nihilism and hopefullness: Beasts had lost their hope in cookiekind, falling into bitterness, hatred and despair. It is a sign of being unable to cope with very human, mortal experiences (loss, conflict, desires, greed, love), unlike Ancients who had lived, loved, lost, grew, and who will not lose their hope for people and the better future and will keep fighting for it.

From the above comes out the point I'm gonna call I WAS DESTINED TO LOVEHATE YOU: Beasts believe that Ancients genuinely stole part of their power, instead of being punished for going rogue on their purpose from the witches. BUT. Beasts believe the Ancients are just foolish for standing with their beliefs, as Beasts have seen the truth, the reality of things, they """understand""" that Ancients virtues are futile - and they WANT to change their mind, get them on their side or destroy them in the process, prove them wrong. Whether you want to admit it or not, they're factory made narrative foils who were destined to understand each other like nobody else, but never going along on the same path, see ⬆️.

I HATE MY FOLLOWERS: Beasts do not care for their followers as much as followers care/worship their beasts. Re: Nutmeg Tiger is a general upholding a status quo based on strength and authority, believing in Burning Spice representing her worldview; however, Burning Spice does not care for neither her, nor the wild spices, or the showmanship of power; Candy Apple and Black Sapphire find entertainment in trickery, rumors, lies that hurt people, for which Shadow Milk, actually, doesn't care that much - what Shadow Milk wants ultimately is a perfect world where lies and truths cannot be told apart, BECAUSE cookies lie, because truth hurts, because he hates Knowing; as far as his henchmen can entertain him, they are the kinds of people that made him "open his eyes" to the cookies "true" nature.

Friendship: Beasts, I don't think, actually were ever friends. Part of a pantheon, sure, but not comrades the way you imagine friends to be. Ancients met, got to know each other, care for each other, and that care is being used against them (especially in case of White Lily and Dark Enchantress being used as a mockery of their friendship). Beasts who may have cared for something before, have not actually experienced actual real friendship.

As of right now these are the main things that seem to be consistent with the Beasts, and I'm looking forward to how true it stands in the future.

I'll put my Silent Salt and Eternal Sugar speculations and ramblings below.

So, most of us agree Eternal Sugar is the next beast, right?

ES had a virtue of Happiness that turned into Sloth, and Hollyberry will be opposing her, with her Passion. It's very interesting concept to play around, her unyielding love and trust in people, her protectiveness.

In one of my nuked forever to be lost posts I've considered the idea of Eternal Sugar being based on Dionysus, and as of rn I still Sorta stand by it, telling what Exact inspiration for her is is hard. She kinda looks like a Muse to me, too.

Possibility is, Happiness is very often borderlining with exhaustion, overexposure to things that make you happy Can ruin your life, whether it's food, hobbies, people, too much of it will hurt you in one way or another if it's all you focus your life on - no good thing can be eternal. But what if you just keep trying anyway? Never stop the happiness? Turn it into a fatigue?

Keep getting sweets until you can no longer take it. You can have as much sugar as you like, never ever ever stop it, be happy, stay, don't move.

It can come to the point of not bothering at all. Happiness is in sloth.

Why would you bother with saving anyone, Hollyberry cookie? Don't you see they're happy in their fatigue? If they stay, no danger comes to them. Stop trying. Give up. Just rest.

As for ES followers, we can get a cookie themed around hedonism, not saying no to your wishes, persuading our heros to give in to their desires. Maybe some cookie based off of greek myth, a Titan, that would be neat. The point I expect is for them to be unapologetically unbothered and enabling ES's spiral like the rest of the followers do.

As for Silent Salt, I had my assumption on some myth but I don't remember what it was. I remember it was a nordic god. Their virtue of Solidarity was turned into Silence, which is incredibly scary and exciting. They oppose White Lily's Freedom.

I have high hope for them to have a connection to Shadow Milk in a bit of a more meaningful way than the rest of the beasts do with each other. The matching theme of a knight and a jester generally just kind of tracks.

I think it's interesting the way Solidarity and Freedom seems to often correlate, but that's not the case.

My assumption is that Silent Salt was a warrior that stood for the interests of the people, for peace and righteousness and justice, solving conflicts among cookies that couldn't solve them on their own. Why it turned into Silence, I wonder.

Could be the fact that you will never please everyone, there will be betrayals, back stabbers, liars. Can you truly stand along with someone for a common goal, can you truly find a common ground with someone when you feel like your needs are going ignored.

How it could tie into Shadow Milk - is Silent Salt, perhaps, realizing the futility of their purpose, perhaps they know the ultimate purpose of cookies, and found it too overbearing to ever care for the cookiekind wellbeing. To Shadow Milk speaking too much, Silent Salt prefers to not at all.

Can't tell exactly what their perfect world could be. Probably a barren wasteland, or cookies hiding and never coming out - not to be eaten by witches, or be stroke by Silent Salts sword.

White Lily cookie found the truth that turned her into a grieving, bitter, furious monster. You could argue Dark Enchatress is White Lily's own beast form, separated from her. There could be speculation on how full White Lily feels as a person without that hatred and grief that Dark Enchantress took. But White Lily ends up being the bearer of guilt, overbearing, eldritch horror of Knowing - and how really free is she now, and if she dares to speak, how many people will stand with her in Solidarity? How many are standing with Dark Enchatress? And what that Freedom her half is fighting for has brought? Pain. Loss. Bitterness.

You are fighting for a world unachievable. Your beliefs are futile, and you have done nothing but bring misery to the cookiekind you claim to love by fighting.

Stay quiet. Let the knowledge be your own burden to bear.

Silent Salt I reallyyyyy struggle to imagine having any followers. Any epics we get on that event could probably be on the side of the heroes. Maybe ONE of them who knows their ways around the land of Silent Salt, but that's all.

[pretty-mik-97]

Daminette Déjà Vu: The Same Story, Over and Over

I'll be honest, when I found out that people shipped Damian Wayne (DC comics) with Marinette Dupain Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug) I was like: Why the hell would people put these two together?

Like canonically speaking, Damian Wayne is the LAST person Marinette would ever date. Baby girl don't like dudes who are rude and condescending, and that's basically Damian.

As for Damian? He'd probably be mostly annoyed by her.

So, in theory, this ship doesn't make sense since both of these two's personalities clash.

However

I was willing to give it a chance and let the fanfiction writers cook with this ship. I've read some ships that canonically don't make sense, but the fanfic writers made it work, and it made me like the ship.

So surely I was going to find some good Daminette fanfics thar actually made this ship work right?

.... kind of. There are some good Daminette fanfics that I've read, but there was one teeny tiny issue I had with them.

It's basically the same plot.

No, seriously. Reading A Daminette fanfiction on Wattpad and AO3 felt I was reading the same plot over and over again.

Here's your standard Daminette fanfiction:

Lila has successfully turned the entire school against Marinette by framing Marinette as the bad guy, and now she's getting bullied.

Alya is Lila's new best friend who absolutely hates Marinette's guts.

The whole class either goes to Gotham City for a school field trip where they meet the Wayne family, or Damian gets transferred to Paris.

Lila lies about having met the Waynes and either enviously dated Damian or that Damian has a crush on her.

Marinette is somehow connected to the Wayne family or is related to a DC character (I actually read a fanfic where Marinette is Lady Shiva's niece. Sabine is Lady Shiva's sister and was previously part of the league of assassins.)

Damian becomes the knight in shining armour and the person to expose Lila's lies and humiliates her.

Obviously there's some miraculous/akuma and DC Young Justice and Teen Titans stuff going on but that's generally the what I've seen from damn near EVERY Daminette fanfic I've encountered and read.

Well, except one. It's called Darkest Night, Bluest Stars and it's written by my best friend. It's on Wattpad and AO3. It's pretty good.

It's like people are just recycling the same trope over and over, but don't even bother to be creative or play around with it at least a little. And I ain't gonna lie, it gets kinda boring seeing and reading the same trope for this ship over and over again.

Like is the only thing Daminette is good for is to be an outlet for writers and readers to have this one character/plot device who can actually expose Lila and just happens to come from a rich and elite family and has the power and influence to do so?

Like I see some potential for this ship.

We can go for

Enemies to lovers where Ladybug and Robin are forced to work together because they share a common enemy.

Forced proximity/reluctant allies where Robin is forced on a mission to Paris and has to work with Ladybug instead of riding solo.

You want some non hero AUs? I gotchu

Academic rivals to lovers

Blind Date

Fake Dating

Arranged Marriage/Business Partners

Opposites Attract

Like give us something with this ship that does not involve the Bullied Marinette and Saviour Damian trope, please, and thank you.

[masked-switch]

Another prompt! This time it's for my favorite OTP as of right now: Soap and Ghost! I made it fluffy this time ^^

ler!Ghost, lee!Soap

"Stop kissing me there, it tickles!"

Even within the barracks, a place of damnation for many, one may still find the tenderness of love all around, one just needs to know where to look. Whereas many would only see the misery of forlorn soldiers, awaiting another day to succumb to orders of another, never carrying out their own will, within some rooms, one could find a certain domesticity only seen within those with nothing to lose. Such was the case between Ghost and Soap within the former's room.

A gentle and pleasant veil of darkness had enveloped England by then, but by no means would everyone give into the innate desire to curl up and sleep throughout the night. Simon was changing into a more comfortable shirt. Still black, a color he had been favoring ever since he had taken up his shtick of being an unapproachable lieutenant. He took a strand of his hair betwenn his index finger and thumb, eyeing it with misdemeanor. "Hair's gotten long again. Fucking hell." He unbuttoned his trousers next, opting for a pair more fitting to being worn in his own spare time, in his own room. Johnny watched his boyfriend closely, admiring his defined muscles. The way they flexed upon being strained a little bit was nothing short of fascinating to watch. Although not a soft spot, he would have loved nothing more than to place his head in Simon's lap.

Johnny snickered. "It's fluffy, though. Pretty sure I could pat it and it'd be silky smooth." Propping himself up with his arms on Simon's bed, he grinned as the lieutenant turned to face him, a scowl on his face. Even with the short distance between them, Johnny could tell Simon was trying his hardest to seem serious. Professional. The corner of his mouth lifting ever so slightly did not go unnoticed, however. Johnny sighed, pulling Simon's pillow closer to him. It smelled of his boyfriend. Cigarette smoke and some men's deodorant. Despite everything, it was pleasant. Sinking further into that smell, he closed his eyes, imagining it was his boyfriend he was holding. Simon huffed.

His voice had gotten a little softer as he saw Johnny relaxing on his bed, his chest swelling with pride. "To say it in a language you understand as well: Haud yer wheesht. You know it'll just be shorn off in no time again." Pacing towards his bed, he took in the sight of Johnny's back rising and falling. Simon sat down next to him, putting his hands on Johnny's hips and leaning over the Scot. Johnny opened his eyes, looking at Simon, tears welling up in his eyes. Simon gently pats Johnny's hair, humming. With a breathy voice, he whispered: "It's alright, Johnny. I love you too. I'm glad we get to spend these moments together."

Seconds passed as Johnny leaned into Simon's touch. "I love ye too, ye old bastard." He hooked one of his arms around Simon's neck, pulling him on top of him as he moved to lie on his back. With Simon's face snugly nestled against his neck, he ran his fingers through the blond's hair. It was so light, he could hardly believe it. Simon always wore his mask, barely any sunlight touched that hair, and yet it was this beautiful. Soft. Smooth. Simon. Johnny kissed his head caerfully. One wrong move and Simon could shatter in front of him, leaving him with nothing yet again. None of this could be further from the truth, he was well aware of that, but sometimes you had to gently love your boyfriend.

Simon sighed, gently massaging Johnny's hip with one hand, his face nuzzling into his sergeant's neck. He had done this a thousand times over, yet every time he was astounded by how warm his boyfriend was anew. That terrible cologne would make anyone else cringe, but to Simon, it was a reminder that he was not alone. Johnny's warmth seeped through his body, reaching his very core. Oh, how he wished to consume him, become one with him forevermore. But alas, such wishes could never become a reality, and thus he opted for lying on top of his love instead. Simon ran his hand up and down Johnny's side. Eventually, he kissed the only patch of skin he could reach: Johnny's neck. Over and over again, small pecks, gentle, reverent, as though his lover was but a mere memory slipping through his mind. Johnny giggled.

"Stop kissing me there, it tickles," he cried out through giggles. Simon, more so than anything else, saw this as an invitation.

He spidered his fingers up and down Johnny's side, continuing to kiss him on his neck.

"Oi, ye bastard! Watch it before I get you too!" His hands shot up to Simon's ribs, prodding and squeezing. Simon froze, lips curling up into a smile. If Johnny had desired a war, then Simon was more than willing to give it to him, had he been more awake.

"Alright, alright, you win. Now get your hands off me."

Johnny ran his fingers through Simon's hair yet again, kissing the top of his head. "I always win, LT. There's never been a battle I have not won. Like, I won your heart, didn't I?" Simon could hear the grin in his voice. The pride before the fall. But that reminder of reality would come soon enough, as it was, Simon wanted to spend his time relaxing with Johnny instead. He sighed, snuggling more closely into Johnny.

The night, although young, was the prime time of soldiers. The ones looking to unwind, the ones looking to share a platonic bond with their fellow brethren, and the ones enjoying the quiet with their lovers.

[cepheusgalaxy]

I get it why people like Harry Potter. I hate it deeply but tbh I disagree with people that say it is a very poorly written series with shit characters and worldbuilding so why bother. I think the prose is pretty engaging, the worldbuilding is not the best, but it's endearing and interesting enough to grab a kid/teen's attention and the plot is fun. Jkr is not a bad person because she is a bad writer and Harry Potter is not bad because it is badly written (it does lack quality in certain aspects and plenty of times the author's despisable values show through her words tho).

I used to like it very much. That's why it kinda hurts to see it anywhere. The other day a kid a few grades below me was walking away from our school's book club with a HP book in one hand. He was smilling so much. It made me so deeply upset just to see the cover. I didn't say anything

It's just. It's not the best series. But it's just so twisted that it is the way it is. That every penny sent to the franchise is used to chase trans people off. To ruin their lives.

I used to read it over and over again when I had bad days. The basic and fantasy-y storyline of a boy having a bad time and then defeating the big evil in such a light and fun prose always made me feel better. I cried when Dumbledore died. I read all of the books more times than I can count and watched the movies with my family while we were cozy in blankets on our living room.

It feels like a betrayal. Like it was a lie. I cared about the books but it turned out the will that sewed them into life didn't think I deserved it. It wants me dead. It wants me bleeding out in the streets and it wants me to stop being myself so I can have a quiet and miserable end. And the woman who carries this will does it so eagerly and it's just—it's like being stabbed in the gut by someone you thought was your best friend, only to find out they had been betraying you for far, far longer than you even thought about trusting them.

It is not the best series, yes. I found Percy Jackson a few years later and it honestly made my whole year that time. You can find fun prose in many places. You can find the same tropes with better writing and more engaging perspectives of you look a little further. It is very hyped up but Harry Potter is not actually the best book series out there. The thing that hurts is that I liked it. It was my childhood. It was the book I found first. It was the movie I saw when my parents were together. It were the pages I would go through after having a bad day. It was the characters I daydreamed about when I was scared about the new presidency that I saw as my irl voldemort, because I was scared.

But every single thought I spent with it, every moment, every page, every excited chatter only served to make it grow a little more and to expand Rowling's platform and influence that she wants to use to hurt more people.

And that hurts.

[bleaksqueak]

I haven't been online most all day, and now I log in to see AI generated junk on the promotion radar. Ew.

[arolesbianism]

Everyday I look at my nuggets and go maybe I should let my gay men get bitches. And then I make more nugget yuri instead

[here-there-were-dragons]

i have to wonder what super hardcore militant vegans think should be done about obligate carnivore animals, because in all my painfully-rapidly-approaching-30-years i've literally never actually seen anyone give a clear consistent much less halfway feasible answer on that

[aberooski]

If I get yelled at for sitting down or have to keep doing everybody's fucking jobs with no respect and just keep getting nothing but flack or get patronized by another fucking old person one more fucking time I stg I'm gonna quit.

[adore-gregor]

Lol I keep on doing this, saying I'd come back to tumblr to only disappear again 😂😭