#one of the things i meant to get at with the Plato posting is that to advance intellectually you need to alieve that its both a fight

[mourning-again-in-america]

white just means a vaguely-germanic who caught the right kind of Christianity most of the time, doesn't it

[sassykinzonline]

ok i saw the post you guys meant when you were asking about platonic SNS aka "SNS should be platonic because that makes it selfless", heres what i'll say (some of these sort of rehash the ask, but with a more direct rebuttal to the specific point):

the manga explicitly shows how various types of love (platonic, familial, professional, romantic, sexual) can be "imperfect", therefore, the manga rejects the idea that one sort of love is implicitly "correct" or "selfless" or whatever ontological good you want to attach to the love of your choice

action/shounen's propensity to pose the love interest as the "reward" for the hero's journey not only doesnt apply to SNS (nor the naruto manga from an SNS lens), but this is also another example of attaching an ontological idea that is irrelevant to a concept. tropes are not what define a genre nor a story archetype, theyre simply a common device used within these things. for example, the "heroine as a reward" trope for the hero may be a device used to exemplify success, honour, or nobility. it likely stems from cultural patriarchal norms where what was "desirable" was a "brave" man with deeds to his name. the point of this trope is likely to inspire a reader to emulate the hero, thinking that they will also ~get the girl at the end of their "journey". but the trophy doesnt have to be the girl. the trophy can be riches. the trophy can be a title. the trophy can be peace itself. it can be all those things. why? because the core of a hero's journey is literally the hero's journey, how and why they get from point A to point B and what the effects of that are. and thats typically how you choose what trophy to give your hero at the end.

the naruto manga subverts this trope by making the "journey" the feelings themselves: do you have them, how to express them, are they enough, are they even appropriate to have, what does the other person feel, what can be done about that? thats why i said the trope doesnt exactly apply to SNS. by making the journey about the feelings, the "reward" of the heroine at the end is no longer a patriarchal holdover but a logical conclusion to a conflict. this is why i joke that naruto the manga works better as a YA novel from the twilight/hunger games era, because typically those kinds of books have room for this kind of complexity. this is also why "sasuke" is not primarily an antagonist, he is a deuteragonist. he is tangentially going through the same journey as naruto, he is not running counter to naruto's journey intentionally.

even if you wont agree that the feelings are the journey, and instead the journey is becoming hokage or uniting the shinobi world or whatever, by definition naruto's feelings have to change for the journey to be possible. otherwise theres no point in the journey, hed be able to be hokage at the start of the manga and everyone would agree on that despite him being weak. there is a reason why naruto's power-ups also come with some sort of emotional lesson, and that emotional lesson is what gets people on his side. every arc in the manga is naruto has to do something -> naruto has an idea -> someone tells him that his idea is immature -> he trains while pondering the idea -> he needs to use the idea to complete his training -> he voices his revised idea that he learned from the someone -> he wins. theres only one exception to this. i'll let you figure out why that is.

many people who make this argument about how "platonic love is better" are both understanding the point and not understanding the point. these people are taking platonic love to mean "friendship" and thats not what it means in the sense its used in the manga, nor in a classical sense. platonic love according to plato (the one its named after), is the idea that it is a love that transcends earthly ideas like carnal desire and physical unity and instead becomes desire for one's true essence and unity in the "truth" of one's being. this means platonic love isnt "love without sex" but "love that can be more than just sex". so these people understand that "platonic love" is above any other type of love, but not because its "friendship". platonic love is "better" because it is permanent and unchangeable. truth is inherent. a soul is inherent. thats why within SNS there are themes of reincarnation of souls, of sharing of pain, of cosmic unity, of reuniting after death, of inexplicable yet unavoidable attraction, of the recognition, understanding and acceptance of someone else's truth.

in summary: SNS' souls are having cosmic sex and thats what saves the world.

[the1975attheirverybest]

Matty, ATVB, Simulacra and Simulation

responding to a question that someone asked ( which @abiiors has been kind enough to pass on to me). Here’s a brief explanation that I hope makes some kind of sense. ( please easy on my friends yall. Their blogs aren’t means of contacting me🩷)

it’s all very ✨meta✨ and ✨postmodern✨ I’m not really joking this is the kind of philosophy that Matty is referencing when he calls things “postmodern” or “meta.” So, strap in. Grab a snack or a drink or a joint.

ANYWAYS!

The relationship between art/ media, and “reality” has been a hot issue of contention for philosophy going alllllll the way back to Ancient Greece where Plato argued that artists are “liars” who “copy” reality and try to pass it off as real. 

This obviously brings up questions regarding imitation, invention, recording, copying, representation, transcribing, etc etc etc. 

the book that Matty is referencing Simulacra and Simulation takes up these issues in the context of our current society (postmodernist, late stage capitalist society). 

The book argues that we have become sooo obsessed with media that we have replaced “real life” with it. We treat images, recordings, video, memes, etc as real as the things that they are based on (real life). 

In this way, what we know now as reality is actually a simulation of reality. 

According to the book, this did not happen overnight. It’s something that we moved towards over centuries. The real move likely started in the 1600s and it took until the 20th century to get us to the point where we are now. 

“Simulacra” is all the excessive media that we have used to replace the real world. Signs, symbols, ads, billboards, video, sound bites, etc. 

simulacra are NOT “pretending” to be real or “hiding” the truth. They have simply BECOME THE TRUTH because we treat them as true.

The book refers to this phenomenon as “hyper reality.” Like more real than the real. The thing that we started off simply recording or copying (“real life”) has turned into “less real” than thecopy of it (the video, picture, movie, insta post, etc).

The book makes a dramatic analogy of this by telling a hypothetical scenario where someone decided to make a map of a giant empire that is soooo detailed and accurate that it becomes as large as the empire itself. So people start to treated as if it ISSSS the empire. Not a map of it. 

Fun fuckin fact: this book came out in the 80s lmao. So before social media. Imagine how wild it would be today?

Why is Matty referencing this book? 

Well, let’s take a look at his Instagram posts (pause for a moment to consider the irony that he’s posting an Instagram story of a book about how everything is basically an Instagram story of reality. Peak Matty Healy? I think so. )

The first quote that he posted is

 Simulating is not pretending: "Whoever fakes an illness can simply stay in bed and make everyone believe he is ill. Whoever simulates an illness produces in himself some of the symptoms.”

As I said above, simulation is not meant to “trick you” its not covering something real underneath. It IS the thing now. It’s acquired the status of being real. So, if someone goes so far as to act sick, stay in bed, make themselves sneeze, cough, stay up all night so that their eyes are red and they haven’t slept and they’re super tired, they might as well BE SICK. in fact now they AREEEE SICK they’re not pretending. 

2. The second quote is 

Therefore, pretending...leaves the principle of reality intact: the difference is always clear, it is simply masked, whereas simulation threatens the difference between the "true" and the “false,the real" and the imaginary 

“Pretending” would be considered lying. Like there is a truth distinct from what you are portraying and you seek to hide the truth by portraying it differently. “Simulation” however doesn’t leave any difference between what’s true and what you show publicly, the two collapse into one another. 

What does this have to do with ATVB?

Well, Matty is taking us back to “If it’s method acting but what you’re acting is actually your real life then what’s acting and what’s real?” Right?

There are, of course, other ways to extend this conundrum in light of 2023. That is, what’s rhetorical difference between “Truman Black” and “Matty Healy”? What’s the difference between the public perception of Matty Healy and the “real” Matty Healy? (Is there even such a thing?) If he commits to a joke or a bit AI HARD is the “bit” even a bit anymore? If not, does it lose its effectiveness? Cuz obviously people do acts  BECAUSE they’re acts. They’re not reality. Except we now live in a world where all “acts” can and are indeed real. 

Furthermore: is there a difference between the first and the second halves of the show? During SATVB NA the answer was no most of the time. Because they blended the setlist. BFIAFL and greatest hits were no longer clearly separated. They played bits of both at the same time. 

If all of this is true, what then does it even mean to be “sincere” or “earnest” in a world where everything has an equal degree of reality all the time?

DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE TO ANYBODY AT ALL OR AM I INSANEEEE

[caffiene-fueled-fuckery]

I just read your post about attachment styles and love it, but I'm curious about when the stuff about Mulcahy is mentioned in the series. I'm a bit obsessed with him and I really want to know when this will come up. I'm only in season six, but I've already heard spoilers galore, however I hadn't heard about this yet

Hi!! So… This ended up being a lot lot longer than I meant it to be because I just ended up rambling about some specific things and how they relate to attachment theory but I promise there’s examples and episode names and such in here so please bare with me. Also, in case you don’t read this all the way through lmao, feel free to dm me or whatever bc I am also obsessed with him if you can’t tell by my blog and I’d love to talk about this more. There’s a lot more examples of this stuff or just moments that you might enjoy that I don’t mention here so if you want more stuff or just to like chat about it feel free :))

My ramble about Father Mulcahy and his attachment issues (lmao) is below the cut!

Omg okay so a lot of this is reading between the lines/subtext type stuff. But there is some stuff that’s talked about! There an episode later on… I think it’s in season 10, called “Heroes.” Basically it’s about a fighter (I’m assuming a boxer but I don’t know for sure), who comes to visit the 4077th but he ends up having a stroke. The guy was a real asshole but Mulcahy seemed to worship him and got testy whenever anyone said anything about it, likely because later in the episode he says he only ever had two heroes in his life, that guy, and Plato. There’s a scene with Mulcahy near the end in post-op, and he’s alone with the fighter and tells him about the hero thing. He was talking about how he liked Plato’s “Ideal Plane” because his own life wasn’t ideal. He said he was small with thick glasses and was an easy target for other kids and he never even tried to fight back. But when he was… 12, I think? Something like that, he said his father dragged him to his first fight and he watched the guy who had the stroke fight another guy. By the end the other guy was really hurt and the fighter was just wailing on him, and Mulcahy said that everyone around him was telling the fighter to end it, and his dad was one of the loudest. But the fighter took a step back and told the ref to stop the fight because the other man was already hurt badly enough. Apparently that’s the first time Mulcahy realized he could defend himself without giving up his principles. Maybe by itself that doesn’t say much for attachment, but it got me thinking… He clearly was getting picked on by other kids all the time, beat up and thrown around and whatnot. I don’t remember when he says but I believe at some point he says that both his parents drank. That’s the only time I remember his talking about his father, and it’s about him loudly yelling for the guy to get this shit beat out of him. Doesn’t give a great impression, does it?

Another time was during one of the interview episodes when the reporter asks him if he wants to say hello to his family back home. Everyone else says hi to specific people, but Mulcahy just gives a half-hearted hello. The only person he corresponds with from home as far as we know is his sister Kathy. He seems very fond of her, and I have my own headcanons about their relationship and childhood and whatnot, but we know at least that he loves Kathy. But why is she the only one he ever talks to or about? Likely he doesn’t have a good relationship with his parents. And once he mentions having brothers, as he had to share a bed with them growing up, but he never talks about them either.

On that same note… Philadelphia isn’t a great area. And based on the comment about the bed and other things he’s said here and there, it seemed liked he grew up in poverty. That puts a lot of strain on someone, and especially familial relationships. There’s issues of food insecurity, lack of safety, living in likely a very small space given having to share a bed… and I’ll elaborate a bit more on this later but it seems like his parents were potentially abusive. Feeling unsafe growing up and especially like your caregivers can’t or are unwilling to protect you (or are the ones causing the harm) can affect your attachment relationships for the rest of your life.

Omg this is such a rant I’m so sorry. I have more.

I think it’s in season 2 or 3, there’s an episode where Henry and Mulcahy get trapped in the bombed out latrine. Maybe you remember it? They pull Mulcahy out and he’s dazed, potentially in shock, and doesn’t really know what’s going on. But he’s telling a story about himself and presumably Kathy, where she wanted to take apples from the yard or something and make apple pie because she learned how in the Girl Scouts. They made the pie and ate it before dinner or something and their mother came in and was like “what the hell is going on,” or something. He looks at Klinger (who is in a dress) and says it’s the first time he ever heard her swear. Presumably she was mad, which I mean makes sense if your kids made and ate a whole pie before dinner but he doesn’t go into much detail about it. This by itself wouldn’t have piqued my interest much, HOWEVER. This is a spoiler, but you said you don’t mind spoilers so… I’m just gunna go on with it. In the finale, Mulcahy loses his hearing. In AfterMASH (yes, I know a lot of people don’t consider it canon but it’s Mulcahy gold for me okay so hear me out), he turns to alcohol to cope with basically having nowhere to go and no job, and Kathy calls Potter to help him because he’s depressed, an alcoholic, etc etc. Potter got him in for a surgery to restore his hearing (I’m a bit salty about how this happened and all but it’s the next part that’s relavant). After the surgery, when he’s all loopy from anesthesia, there’s an inner monologue about his parents and some other things. He’s apologizing to his parents for something, I don’t remember what, and then wonders if someone (a she, but I can’t figure out who he’s talking about) hit him because of the drinking. But the past and present seem all mottled… I can’t really make sense of a lot of it. There’s something in there about someone being so angry when the bomb went off and he went deaf and he’s apologizing to his parents for going deaf (well actually he says he hopes they aren’t angry, he wasn’t supposed to be on the back of a street car but why are there bombs on streetcars anyway). It was a whole thing. But it just made me think like that’s twice now that the first thing he thought of when he was loopy af was his parents being angry… and that just doesn’t sit right with me. Maybe it’s the psych major in me but it doesn’t… it feels off.

Long story short… he’s got some sort of insecure attachment. There’s the main theory of attachment by Bowlby and Ainsworth, but there’s also so many bits that build off of this, such as splitting avoidant attachment into fearful and dismissing, all of which is based on interpersonal models and the scales of view of self and view of other, etc etc. I don’t know exactly which category he’d fit into because some of his hesitancy/not getting close to people is because of his job, right? But I definitely think it’s not all that.

You don’t often see him reach out for help. Securely attached people reach out for help when they need it and seek proximity to attachment figures when distressed/ill/etc, even in adulthood. Mulcahy doesn’t do that, except to Kathy. The odd time he’s told Potter he feels useless and there’s a whole plot line about that (Dear Sis is the episode, it’s my fav episode of the series, in season 10), and he doesn’t feel like he’s any good for anything if he’s not needed or helping others. That could come from needing to please people (like his parents) to avoid being punished or because he had to help raise his siblings bc his parents were absent/neglectful/abusive/etc. Again we don’t know much about his family, but the snippets you get here and there aren’t great. Anyway my point here was that Mulcahy typically only seeks advice/comfort from very select people (Kathy, Hawkeye) and always seeks to please. Always. He’s also always looking for some sort of validation, likely because he has a negative self-view and anxious attachment and needs that confirmation that he’s doing okay and is actually useful.

I… I have so much to say about him. And his attachment issues. I created a mash oc that initially was supposed to be his best friend and as I was going along with it I was like “oh my god he’s so insecure in his attachment” and just like…he’s always the one taking care of others but never lets anyone help him (ex. The hepatitis episode). And again some of that is his vocation… but what drew him to that vocation in the first place?

No matter what attachment style you have or who you are or what your job is, humans need attachment figures in their lives. Some people deny it, some people are scared to be vulnerable, but whether they realize it or not attachment figures and the attachment network are necessary to be healthy. That’s why the attachment system exists in the first place, to provide us with a feeling of safety and security.

I could literally ramble about this for forever. I have notes actually from class today that made me think about this even more so I could probably make this a bit more coherent if I looked at them… maybe I’ll do that another time. Idk.

[etoilesombre]

Flintmadi 2? Say more

For the WIP game, ty for the ask!

So this is the second chapter of By Faith of my Body, first chapter here. Truly it's the flintmadi bookclub fic. It is working toward OT3 but very much focuses on the flintmadi relationship, with developing bdsm fealty kink dynamics. The premise is that Madi's early resentment toward Flint is based at least partly in the fact that she assumes silverflint are fucking, and that Flint is not particularly good for him. They work through the misunderstanding, Flint opens up to her about his past. Basically, they talk about things filtered through the shared context of history and literature. So the first chapter is classical lit and history, they talk about the Iliad, Alexander, Plato, the burden of leadership etc etc.

So this, the second chapter: there is some silverflint tension, Flint goes back to Madi because he had felt so calm and understood in her presence. She suggests that he in fact open his mouth and talk to Silver. He basically says that would be a distraction and not end well, we need to focus on the war which is the important thing. This time they talk about it through the context of Le Morte D'Arthur, or, story of an ot3 that ended really badly. Discussions of political vs personal, and resistance, and how stories get used and changed. This is also the chapter where the fealty stuff gets real. Flint has such knight vibes, and Madi is such a worthy queen, and kneeling is so relaxing actually.

Ok I haven't opened this document in forever actually. Let's see what's lurking in here for excerpts...

This is a lot rougher than what I usually post, especially the second bit, but I think these excerpts capture the spirit.

“You know, the story of their affair is only a distraction.”  Madi raised an eyebrow. “It seemed a great deal more than that.”  It was Flint’s turn to smile. “A distraction to the reader. From the stories that should matter.”  “What, the quest for the grail?” Madi asked, with thinly veiled disdain. “Surely you cannot credit that tale, nor find much value in it.”  He smiled, refreshed by her casual heresy. “Indeed not, highness. Both stories are appealing, tales of romance and adventure, scandal and chivalrous pursuits. They also pose no particular threat, and suit England quite well. I imagine that’s why this is the version that was written down and printed, although as you can see it is as much French as our own.”  Madi listened with rapt attention, and Flint was proud to have so captivated her. He hadn’t considered the history of his own people before, when he thought of resisting the empire, but perhaps it wasn’t so different. Excitement grew in him as he spoke. “There are older stories, that the crown likes rather less. Of an Arthur who resisted conquest, and fought off the encroaching Saxons. England has not always been as united as she now appears.”

And:

“And would you kneel before me?” “Highness?” [uneasy, but interested] “Why not? You appear to me as a man who needs to do penance, James Flint. There is something… quieting, about being on your knees. You are a man so clearly made for service, yet with no god nor king before whom you may kneel and keep your honor. If you meant what you said last night, if you would follow me as the ruler of our new world, then it is only proper that you should kneel.”   [he does so] “James. My loyal knight.” She touches his head, a blessing morphed into a caress. “And yet, we both know that I am not the one for whom you wish to be on your knees.”  Flint was made uneasy by her familiarity, even as he wished to pursue it. “Highness,” he said, warning in his voice  “That is not to be, and I would not be ever reminded of a desire that I must forsake.”  “But why are you so set upon forsaking it?” [Curious, warm.] “I am no jealous king, and we’ve no god to fear for the pursuit of such love, if your Thomas is to be believed.”  [She touches him again, he tries to get a read on whether it’s sexual] “Why turn from such love without ever having pursued it?” Flint wondered if this was a test of some kind. Pride and bitterness bid him keep silent, but he owed her this. Penance. Humiliation. “Is it not clear? He gives no indication of returning my sentiments. I would not make myself more plain, if for no other reason than that, with so much resting on our partnership, I fear he would not feel he could refuse me freely.” “So desiring of my Guinevere, and yet too loyal to pursue that desire.” [touching him more overtly, fascinated.] “Up there alone every day with him, knowing that he comes to lie with me after, when you have no such recourse yourself.” [Flint thinks about her hands on silver instead, how intimately she touches him and he wants to kiss her palm even just for the echo it holds.] “Do you intend ever to be so close, and yet to deny yourself? This seems to me equally likely to provoke disaster.”

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

Hi! Sorry, I really mean no harm and I don't want to start any discourse at all, but I saw your Platoria post from a few days ago, (wait, December 4th?! And it's December 11th now?! How time flies! *cry*) and saw that you said, it was one of the most underrated ships in the fandom. Sorry, but it seems like it's one of the most popular! I know it's the third most popular ship on ao3. So I was just wondering what you meant by that. It's a great ship tho!

hi hon!!!

honestly ty so much for asking this, and you're so polite about it, which means a lot lol

so i talked about it a lot here (which may or may not have been the post you're referring to!) but i really appreciate you asking me to elaborate, because yes, from glancing at the AO3, i absolutely can see why you would think it's one of the most popular!

and before i get into this post, i first want to say that i am in NO WAY bashing the ships that i am mentioning. i love all of these ships, i think they're wonderful, but i also think it's important to recognize this issue. so please do not come for me saying that i'm shitting on people's ships.

going into the Platoria tag on Ao3, however, the top stories aren't even Platoria-centric. It's either gen pairings listed first (like non-ship), or it's Tuggoffelees or another major pairing. Or the pairing is part of a larger work, like a bunch of one-shots compiled together!

(and i will be the FIRST to admit that i do that, where i list Platoria even if it's a secondary ship in my stories!)

and honestly, saying that Platoria is the third most popular ship on Ao3 really doesn't mean that they're one of the most popular ships.

the Platoria tag has 76 stories.

The Cats the Musical fandom has 1,361 stories (as of when i'm making this post).

That means that the Platoria tag takes up less than 6% of the Cats the Musical fandom page on Ao3.

and like i said, that tag has stories that aren't even Platoria-centric, they're either a background couple or have a few stories within a collection of one-shots that also have other pairings.

While Victoria is a very well-beloved character in this fandom, Plato is almost always forgotten about. He's surprisingly one of the most underrated characters, which is a bit understandable, given that we barely see him in the second act of the show due to the actor needing to be in Macavity makeup + costume for the majority of the act.

also there was a whole thing a few years ago within this fandom where i saw a few people basically making Plato out to be this terrible manipulative character, JUST BECAUSE HIS ACTOR ALSO PLAYED MACAVITY, so i think people just don't think of Plato that much, which is so unfortunate.

and i know i always mention her when it comes to discussing this, but PLEASE go check out @munku-collar's posts about biphobia and bi erasure within the Cats fandom. it's incredibly pertinent to when i say that Platoria is underrated (as well as other m/f ships like Demestrap and Casslonzo).

m/f ships are either completely disregarded, ignored, or added in as an afterthought. Bringing up Ao3 again, Tuggoffelees has a whopping 404 fics (taking up about 29.5% of the Cats Fandom page), whereas the next biggest ship only has 198. That ship is Demestrap, which takes up about 14.5% of the page. I love Tuggoffelees, everyone knows that, but Demestrap is literally as canon as Cats the Musical can get. Yes it's wonderful when actors confirm that they're playing Tugger and Misto as a romantic pairing, but that's not how they're played all the time. But Demestrap is pretty much ALWAYS played as having romantic undertones, so I think the fact that the CANON m/f ships (Demestrap and Platoria) have less fics combined than Tuggoffelees says quite a lot.

Demestrap, Casslonzo, Platoria, Tuggelurina, those are all ships that are often pushed aside in favor of ships like Alonzostrap, Victeazer, Tuggoffelees. and i've seen instances within this fandom of people getting asks claiming that they're being homophobic or other wild accusations the SECOND that they say they prefer an m/f ship over one of the more popular m/m or f/f ships.

so from the outside, yes, it looks like Platoria is one of the most popular ships. but when you really look at it, it isn't.

[impeccablebackside]

so wicht jellicle love using sex toys

I would like to defer to this post, which is going to be much more inclusive about the use of toys, as well as have fucking machines discussed. I am still in the mindset that if someone wanted an outlet for their horny, they would simply find someone to fill or get filled by. As also mentioned in that linked post, I am not fully subscribed to the idea that sex toys are even a thing in universe. That is not meant with any negativity though. I also prefer the intimacy of two (or more) people over a person and whatever toy as well.

However, you asked for an answer and I will give new thoughts. We shall discuss which queens use toys during sex with a lover rather than solo.

Here is by queen, so strap in:

Victoria will sometimes use a vibe wand when Plato is fucking her, and it always makes her cum very quickly. Typically with him giving it to her while she is on her back, legs spread so that she has access to her pussy. Resting the wand on her clit, she will give pulses at first that send little shocks of pleasure before going full on and losing herself in a hard orgasm. Between her mans and the wand, she is puddled after and needs some time to recover.

Rumple will insert a vibrator when she is giving head, letting it buzz through her while she is occupied with somethingone else. She does not give a lot of blowjobs, but makes they most out of it. The little whines that escape her and the pleasure that builds lends her to be more eager with her efforts too. With eating another queen out, the same approach does happen as well, but she sometimes will surprise her love by fucking them with the same vibrator or . Rumple is attentive when she is pussy licking, and knows when to give an extra bit of attention that will makes someone squirm.

Tanto does not use toys, or at least nothing that would be considered a toy specifically. Much preferring just having moments between her and another person where they can share their bodies without the need for anything extraneous. The only caveat to any of this is strap-ons. While being an almost gold-star lesbian, she still craves being fucked by a 'dick' from time to time, and her partners are usually happy to oblige. While a strap-on is technically a toy, she sees it as an extension of one's ability to pleasure someone else. While there is fun in that, it is all business at the same time.

Cass uses toys as a way to flex on her lovers. Allowing them to fuck her with a dildo rather than themselves, she will get them desperate for her body. Seeing her get pleasure make anyone begging to be the one fucking her instead. It all works into her joy of have some power / control over whomver she is with.

Deme, when with another person (or you know, Munk), does not use any toys. They both much rather enjoy being with one another like that, and not involve anything else.

Bomba may choose to ride a dildo while giving a blowjob, but she does not indulge in that often. She also prefers to limit distractions. Though if she did have a strap, you know she would be a force, and make Tugger a bottom for once if he is into it (he is into it).

Jenny uses a dildo when she needs to be double penetrated. Having someone fucking her, while she has something in her ass feels wondrous to her. Since she is also into bondage, she will consent to being tied up and fucked by a her lover with toys or have a higher powered vibrator pressed against her pussy while she squirms and wriggles at the sensation.

Jelly uses toys as a way to be teased by her partner. Either playing with herself while she is being degraded for her weakness to succumb to her body's need for pleasure, or having her partner tease her with a toy while still degrading her. Sometimes a vibing toy is used instead. There have been moments where a massage gun with a larger ball end is used on her, sort of to mimic slightly aggressive fisting, and Jelly absolutely loses it.

[dasklaus]

There's this thing where the popularity or renown of a thing is vastly disproportional to its value. I first noticed this with music, and how arbitrary the relationship of quality and success is, shaped not by market forces of prevailing merit, but by actual market forces, i.e. some guys deciding what to produce and what to push and then radio stations playing that stuff on loop for months. But it happens in other fields, too, with anything that is media in the widest sense. With celebrities, with memes, news, fun facts, and science.

Whose experiments get famous? Who labours in obscurity? Some discoveries were shunned when they were first made, being controversial, but some were just disregarded, nobody knew about them at the time even though they were groundbreaking. The things that make research results gain momentum aren't necessarily the things that make them important, or interesting. And once momentum is gained, there's popularity effects. When most people know a thing, you can expect that knowledge and build upon it, so you use it as an example, for comparisons with other experts, and once it's used in that way, you need to teach it to new students, too. I used to think authors of schoolbooks picked an example from a rich stock of possible examples, but no, there's go-to examples for every concept, their fame vastly disproportional to their significance. That is a problem, especially when the example ceases to be a good example - if it doesn't replicate, perhaps.

Correcting or excising something so entrenched in any sort of canon is hard. Beyond its original usefulness as an example, or as a groundbreaking new thing, the popularity effects are still in place. People reference the thing, general media keeps presenting the thing as a fun fact, it can be found in curricula and throughout the writing and thinking of all the people who learned about thing before. And to understand those, it's really useful to still learn about thing! It's now legacy knowledge, historical baggage, and the best you can hope for is it being framed as just that - something you only need to know about for context, not because it carries useful information in itself - or that it falls out of use when the thing it was meant to exemplify ceases to be relevant.

Time solves that to a degree. The songs we remember from the 80s now aren't the same that were in the charts back then. Many were, but we forgot a lot of the others that were, too, and remember some as noteworthy that weren't. Much of the early science in an emerging field is crap, wrong or plain weird. We remember that which turned out to be weird crap pointing in the correct general direction. On the other hand, time can also cement some things in canon. We will never get over Plato, who was wrong about everything, because of how big a role he played - not even in his own time, but in two thousand years of Western thought.

I imagine a kind of target popularity, an optimal level of attention for every thing. How can we make things meet it, and not less, and not more? How to stop momentum when virality threatens to cause overshooting that target? There's posts that feel like they should have 500 notes, and some that feel like they should have 50, or 500 thousand. But it's impossible to calibrate this. Some posts breach containment and suddenly invite Discourse from people who were never the target audience. Most much-hated music is perfectly fine, and just overshot its target so people hate on the overvaluing. Cool science facts are often not facts at all, or not anymore in the form they took on when transforming from dry, complex paper to misleading soundbite.

Or maybe it's not even wrong. Maybe it's just that one study that got lucky, and the thousand others doing similar work at a similar time of similar significance will forever remain ignored. But if every school taught a different one of them, people could then discuss concepts and share their go-to examples, leading to a deeper, less biased understanding overall, in which the ideosyncrasies of the one popular thing weren't taken to be a defining thing of everything it stands for. Maybe that one hit isn't a sign of a new trend, maybe it's just that this one unusual song happened to be good, and if radios played primarily local music, the supposed trend wouldn't hold - particularly because trends are made by people guessing at a pattern where there may or may not be one, and tabloids proclaiming it, thereby causing it. My most popular tumblr posts are not my best but those that were reblogged by my (1) follower with reach, so they represent their taste more than my output.

I guess on some level things need to be working out reasonably well anyway. At the ends of total obscurity and extreme fame you get less accuracy, but presumably the middle field of popularity is pretty reasonable, be it number of reblogs, spotify plays or citations - at least I feel like the factors that cause discrepancy between actual and target popularity aren't much at play here. The lesson might be just to be wary of the distorted extremes.

[deanismysavior]

Oh holy shit okay so y'all know I've been working on a theory tying Stranger Things to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, and I will cover full detail on that, but I couldn't wait to post about this because it's too much.

Now if you don't know about Plato's Allegory of the Cave, it essentially explains that people trapped in the Cave have an altered perception of truth, as they are tied down and their reality is being manipulated, and only once you're able to leave the Cave and step into the light can you reach knowledge, enlightenment, and truth.

So in Hopper's Letter at the end of season 3, we get his referring to living his life without love and understanding as a "cave" he couldn't get out of, and we get these lines where Hopper says he's been feeling "distant from you," which refers to El here, but cuts in between scenes of Mike looking devastasted watching the Byers leave and Will crying in the car.

We get this really great parallel narratively in this scene where Mike is sitting in Will's bedroom as he's apologizing. He says that he feels like he "Lost" Will. Meaning that Mike felt as though he was in the Cave in Hawkins without Will.

Similarly, in the van scene, we see Will saying that he felt so "Lost without [Mike]." Even though he uses El as a veil here, we're meant to understand this is about him. So Will also feels as though he's been stuck in the Cave without Mike.

Both Mike and Will are each other's way out of that Cave. They view the other as their guiding light, and this is going to be so important for next season because if we understand the Upside Down to be one of the many Caves present in Stranger Things, as an alteration and distortion of truth, then this means that one needs a guide out of that distortion.

We see during Mike's monologue confession scene that El is struggling to fight against Vecna. Will tells Mike that he needs to spur her to fight with his words, because Will believes that the love between Mike and El is genuine and that Mike's words will be able to break through the influence of the Cave on El, but we know that Mike's words don't actually work until Mike starts telling El to fight, which is after she sees Max in danger. From El's memory montages of Max, we are meant to understand that Max was El's guide out of the Cave, and not Mike, because Max reminded El of who she actually is as a person while Mike's words no longer reflected how El views herself. Mike's view of El here is part of the distortion, and therefore cannot act as a guide out of the Upside Down, because Mike is not expressing his truth in that monologue.

So when we get to this scene in Hopper's cabin at the end of s4 and Will and Mike are on the couch, Will bathed in light and Mike shadowed in darkness, this not only reveals to us the truth that it is Will's feelings for Mike that will spur Mike, but that Will will lead Mike out of the Cave and into his truth.

Also shoutout to this tweet to helping me form this take:

[koraki-grimoire]

Witchcraft in Hellenismos

Disclaimer: This post is non-exhaustive, and though I'll try to equally spread my focus, it will inevitably lean towards the kinds of magik I personally practice.

Often, in modern pagan circles, people are under the impression that Ancient Hellenismos either didn't have or despised witchcraft. This is largely from three causes. The first is simply misreading, or failing to come across witchcraft in the Hellenism they research. Second is only reading about or adhering to branches that didn't like witchcraft (usually due to it being perceived as hubristic) and therefore assuming that's the most popular opinion. Finally, sometimes people apply their assumptions based on Christian and Germanic culture to Hellenismos, and assume it carries the same attitudes.

In actuality, the view of witchcraft was historically more neutral. Witches weren't typically seen as hags, but maidens, respectable men, priests, and more. It should also be noted that, frankly, "witch" is a slightly tonally incorrect translation usually applied to the word "pharmakis."

For historical attitudes towards witches, we can read works surrounding mainly Medea and Kirke, as well as Hekate if we go past pharmakeia.

But pharmakeia and nekromankia (necromancy) are far from the only forms of witchcraft or magik--which in Ancient Greek would be "mageia" or "goeteia" depending on time and place, but will simply be called "magik" here.

So, with that very long introduction, let's get into types of magik.

Pharmakeia - Herbal Sorcery, Witchcraft

Pharmakeia is perhaps the most recognizable form of magik in historical Hellenismos. As mentioned, it was associated with the heroine Medea, as well as the goddess/nymph/hero (it's complicated) Kirke. This was magik performed using the aid of herbs, and both historically and now blends magik and science. It includes brewing poisons, casting curses, potionmaking, transmutation, and more. Kirke, famously, used pharmakeia to transform men into swine, whereas Medea tended towards poisoning, but both had variety in their craft.

Generally, when pharmakeia is translated, it's done very broadly compared to other kinds of magik. For example, pharmakeia is usually translated, especially in the Odyssey, to "witchcraft" or "sorcery." Pharmakis--the word for a practitioner of pharmakeia--is usually translated to "witch." This often leads to misconceptions of witchcraft in Hellenismos being specifically oriented around herbs and transmutation, when that's only a small piece of the picture.

Nekromankia/Nekromanteia - Necromancy

Nekromankia is far more famous now in its Anglicized pop-culture form, but it was most certainly present in Hellenismos. It's important to clarify that in Ancient Hellas, nekromankia was magik pertaining to the dead, not things such as zombies and raising the dead. In Hellenismos, the maintenance of good relationships between the dead and the living is of great importance. There were plenty of festivals devoted to placating and celebrating the dead--not to mention the monthly Attic holiday Hekate's Deipnon, devoted to honoring Hekate, goddess of nekromankia. So, unsurprisingly, there were witches who gravitated towards this as a craft.

Multiple Hellenic deities were associated with nekromankia, the most notable of which being Hekate, but also Persephone. Though, of course, any khthonic deity--especially khthonic theoi who also had non-khthonic aspects--were relevant, such as Haides or Hermes. A practitioner of nekromankia would be referred to as a nekromanteías.

Manteia - Divination, Oracles

It should be noted that manteia is heavily contested as being a form of witchcraft or even magik in Hellenismos, but it certainly meets the qualifications. The main reason this debate exists is controversy around magik in Hellenismos in general, since as most Hellenists know manteia is so central to so much of our religion, and those who dislike magik are insulted by it being considered that. Additionally, the definition of magik is constantly in flux--it's debated in modern magik circles, and it's even harder to apply a definition we can hardly agree on to an ancient culture with its own independent definitions.

Manteia is, most simply, the power to give prophecies, divination, and the use of oracles. It's the power of the Pythia (Delphic Oracle), it's in the Olympian Alphabet Oracle, it's every single seer and prophecy and divinatory method known to us.

Someone who practices manteia is called a mantis (usually translated as "soothsayer" or "diviner") or a khresmologos ("oracle"), depending on station.

Heliomanteia - Solar Magik

Heliomanteia is hard to find detailed historical information on, but most simply, it's magikal invocation of the sun. This is generally done by attempting to harness the power of the sun, or by requesting the aid of solar deities (namely, Helios).

Interestingly, Helios had many associations with witchcraft and warding off evil. It could be assumed that, due to the qualities attributed to Helios, heliomanteia would be best used to reveal truth, ward off evil, harness the power of fire, promote life, and similar.

Presumably, a practitioner of heliomanteia is a heliomantis.

Goeteia - Magik, Charms

Goeteia (in modern times "goetia") is a term for magik that fell out of style for general magik around the 5th century BC in favor of mageia. It, additionally, was shoehorned into a dichotomy of theurgy (divine, "professional," and virtuous magik) and goeteia (low, malicious, and fraudulent magik). This was largely due to political and social overhaul. The name became associated with fraudulent and harmful magik, and talk of goeteia in Ancient Hellas is a major source most anti-witch Hellenists use.

The goes (practitioner of goetia) was maligned, seen as hubristic and either trying to go against the power of the gods or intending to scam others. Plato famously portrayed them as malicious frauds, and he was not alone. Since the term "goes" is generally translated as "witch," it's not a leap to figure out why this lead to a lot of anti-witch Hellenists.

However, before this (and technically after), "goeteia" simply meant magic, charms, and similar. As a unique practice, and not simply an umbrella term for witchcraft, it can be considered channeling, a relative of nekromankia, or baneful magik, depending how much one leans into the later definition.

Theourgía - Deity Work, Divine Magik

Theourgia (in modern times "theurgy") quite literally translates to "deity work" or "god(s) working." It is ritual, sometimes magik, done with the intent of invoking one or more of the theoi. This was the ritual magik often performed by priests. In fact, it could be considered the mainstream magik of Ancient Hellas--assuming, of course, that one considers it magik.

It's not only historic magik that was central to the religion, but sets historical precedent for the controversial phrase "deity work." The existence of theurgy as the "higher form" of magik in Ancient Hellas is singlehandedly enough evidence to prove the phrase is not and would not be considered inherently hubristic. It should be noted that this form isn't inherently superior, but if you asked Plato, he would disagree.

There are certainly more forms of mageia in Ancient Hellas--For example, I skipped over amulets (periapta), which were almost incontestably the most common magik in a lot of Ancient Hellas, since they could technically fit under some other crafts and because they're the easiest to research on your own. It's a similar case with potions, too.

One important takeaway is the hard line between magik, religion, and science is a fairly recent invention. Pharmakeia could act as medicine, not just sorcery. Many potions were also medication. Frankly, the more women were involved, the more practical it tended to be, with 'spells' often being genuine aids to childbirth and/or birth control. This didn't make them any less magikal, and the magik doesn't make it less real.

And I hope I made it very, very clear, but witchcraft has always been in Hellenismos, and isn't inherently hubristic. That is a myth, and is rooted often in historical (and modern) classism, misogyny, xenophobia, or similar. Always consider your source's incentive to stigmatize before discounting all Hellenic witches.

[brother-hermes]

GOYIM AND KABBALAH

Look. This is going to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever tried to explain because my very being- my opus- is involved.

As I sit under the light of the full moon, back to the tree in my front yard, the very pulse of earth is moving within me. I am accutely aware of which trees have sprung from the seeds planted by the parent tree at my back. The night is still and yet it’s teeming with life. It is Ru’ahh- the breath of G-d I feel moving through all things but how did this happen? At what point did I become aware of Her presence and abandon all else on my journey? Where is the line between Christian and Jew in my mind? At what point did I cease to be Catholic?

The library unearthed at Nag Hammadi completely changed my perspective on the life and message of Christ. His own promise of the gift of Ru’ahh HakoDesh sent me within. After all, didn’t He urge us to sit in a closet and pray? Then a Rosicrucian text written in 1923 quoted the Gospel of Peace 30 years before its “discovery.”

Years of meditation- constant recital of the 72 triplets- later and The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz was given to me. A Frater from my order handed me his personal copy full of annotations and footnotes. This seemingly simple doctrine follows a similar pattern of the one found in the Apocalypse of John, what Christians know as Revelations. In it he speaks of communing with Sophia- Solomons Woman Wisdom. This mystical experience is one I recognized instantly having long since meditated in Her presence. I sought Her like silver just as Solomon suggested and found Her within.

Anyways, as I read of Christian Rosenkreutz taking this spiritual journey I couldn’t help but notice how blended the Rosicrucian path actually is. Here is a doctrine where the spiritual journey is divided into a seven day journey-referencing Genesis- to attend a Wedding on an evening before Easter- referencing, not only the Gospels, but the Wedding at Cana as well. It’s Alchemical in nature urging us to remember Hermès teachings and alludes to Platos Cave- the metaphysics behind Greek philosophy. He cuts the bread. That only happens in 9 books of the New Testament. There are also 9 Lords in attendance at this Wedding.

Genesis is tied into the story as a way to connect the dots between these seemingly different paths- all of which lead to One. “G-d said” appears 10 times. “G-d made” appears 3 times. “G-d saw” appears 7 times. The word G-d is used 12 times. 10 sefirot. 3 horizontal paths. 7 vertical paths. 12 diagonal paths. This is the Tree of Life. It serves as the basic framework for how Christian Rosenkreutz made it to this Castle- what I understand as a mountain Temple- to commune with the Creator.

There are Four Paths mentioned that one can take to achieve this goal. Couple that with several references meant to imply a connection between the Emerald Tablet and the Tree of Life and it’s no wonder I set out to understand why. Why would a Christian mystic explain how movement from Yesod, Hod, and Netzach moving from below to above correlates to the three step process of the Emerald Tablet? I mean, even the first day of Rosenkreutz journey ends painting the 4 step descent, 3 step ascent, and the one step re-descent. Why? What do the Emerald Tablet and Kabbalah have to do with what Christ taught? The question drove me mad.

The Wedding at Cana was the first of 7 miracles to be taken as signs of the Messiah. Specifically, the lawful Union of man and woman- or the reconciliation of polarity. The same polarity reconciled after 6 days of Creation through use of duality described in Genesis. It’s an allegory. Christ was teaching us how to reconcile our seemingly dualistic nature. The changing of water into wine implies the integration of our vehicles of consciousness- body and mind, waking mind and Spirit.

Even the number of disciplines outlined by Rosenkreutz isn’t merely a play on the 12 disciples. It’s 12 disciplines in three groups of four. Emanation, Creation, Formation, and Action. There’s no getting around going from below to above requires merkava- vehicles of consciousness. At the level of Assiah/Action, it’s easy to see this vehicle because we touch, taste, see, smell and hear with it, but as we move beyond that it gets decidedly more difficult. When we approach Atzilut/Emanation where we have no vehicle of consciousness because we are consciousness, what then? Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh. That same “I am” that manifests in the first word of the 10 commandments is the Divine expressing itself in the metaphor of Creature. That was Sophia/Chochmah manifesting within. Years of meditating at the Temple within my heart had taught me to trust the breath of G-d beyond anything else.

There was no escaping this truth. Prayer. Meditation. Study. Living a simple life. All of these disciplines had moved me to a place where I needed guidance. The Hermeticists of my order had much more in common with the Sorcerers of Kemet- Biblical Egyptians- than they did with those faithful to the Law. What could the descendants of Isis cults who genuinely believe we can reach the point of being gods teach me about ascending to the throne room of the one true G-d? Nothing.

Now I never abandoned Christ in all this. Even as I dove into deep meditative periods with heavy study almost never touching the Bible- Christian Rosenkreutz bridegroom I was still aware of how Christ is involved. See, if Chochmah/Wisdom is waves of energy, Binah/Understanding is form. With Christ as my template- the One manifested in the World of Formation- I chose to live in love. To be “the light that shone in the darkness.” But what Church would understand this journey? What Christian could hear this tale and not label me a heretic? Aside from one Anglican priest I had been completely isolated from the entire realm of Christianity.

So I did the only thing I could do. I turned to the source of this Ancient Mystery and joined a Kabbalah study group. I am a Gentile amidst the Chosen seeking Wisdom above all. Am I treated differently within the confines of said group? No. I came to this path after decades of prayer and meditation and it is doubtful this is the first lifetime I have spent in such a manner. I didn’t wake up yesterday and say “let me jack this culture and make it my own.” They know that because mystics are measured on what’s within more than they’ll ever be measured by appearance, race, or…

Trust and believe that every post I write comes from a place of love and I never intended to hurt or offend anyone. Mysticism had never been a game or a fad to me. This life cycle is one of dedication and servitude to G-d and humanity. That is the fulfillment of the Law- to love G-d with all of my mind and soul and to love my neighbor as I love myself. Humility may not always be my strong suit but my approachability runs high. You can always reach out to me with questions and ask why or how. Even in the mix of frustration I will gladly address anyone with the respect and dignity I would like to receive. Hehe. To receive.

That’s all I got.

[symeona]

Could you talk/explain a little bit about homosexuality in Ancient Greece? I fill like it’s a subject that gets thrown around a lot but not everyone understands how the Greeks viewed homosexuality (me included😅), like I know about Sappho, and pederasty, but could you elaborate on that, like talk about how they viewed it in different time periods and regions,, cause everyone is going crazy over Patroclus and Achilles, but I’m pretty sure these kind of relationships where commonplace back then

*gay gasp*

***Disclaimer: everything I say can be found in the books from the prev post***

Okay the earliest depiction of the ghei, that I know of, is the Minoan bull leaping fresco:

Typically women were colored white and men were colored dark brown. That's cause women were doing all the government work and men all the labour work).

In this fresco however nobody knows what's what. Either way, at least one man there is colored white which is........ interesting.

After that we have the myth of Caeneus, a trans man.

Everything in Ovidius's poems is a hot pile of Roman scheiße full of HUBRIS. In the Greek version Poseidon liked him and gave him impenetrable skin and a man's body per Caeneus's request.

(Poseidon really wanted the Argonauts to go do some scheiße, so Caeneus was a tool for him, idk why the Romans had to turn the myth into That™)

You mentioned Achilles and Patroclus. The Myceneans (who ruled most of Greece at that time) were super ghei. Or super accepting. All the ghei stuff gods did, all the lovers of Apollo, all the lovers of Artemis, all those myths were created during that period. So, socially, it wasn't a big deal at all. And yes, Achilles was fully in love with Patroclus.

(Yes Artemis had gay lovers btw, 'virgin' didn't mean that weird Christian thing it means now, it just meant 'not married to a man'. It's closer to saying "I don't want kids rn".)

Pederasty was NEVER accepted. I don't know who's the weirdo that went out of their way to translate things like that??? I don't even know what their sources are?? The easiest way for me to debunk this is with the famous trial of Socrates.

Socrates was accused of sleeping with minors without ANY proof, and I'm not saying it like that cause I know he didn't do it, I'm saying he was going to be EXECUTED over allegations! Over the mere idea that he could've done that! It's the whole reason why Plato was so bitter about democracy. Plato thought the justice system had failed his teacher, big time! So no. Pederasty wasn't even accepted in the later periods that I think suck ass.

Sappho (sap-pho) was the og Lesbian. I've read MANY of her poems, for research purposes. She was soooo in love with this one girl, she bugged Afrodite about her constantlyyyy. And btw I read her poems with a teacher who was like, OH look at her singing about her PAL'S boobies. Like ye ok big man.....

Anygay, I don't know of any credible books that speak ONLY about this subject. But most archeologists don't shy away from mentioning the ghei in their books.

And there's so much gay.....

You can't swing a dead Patroclus without hitting something gay.....

I'm sorry.

[inkbyajm]

Bottled Up

pairing: C.H. x fem!reader

category: angst, fluff

warnings: yelling, crying, insecurities

word count: 2.2k

notes: apologies for the tardy post, i wrote and rewrote and re-rewrote the whole angsty scene because i didn’t know if it was written well enough, i wanted to make sure you guys could feel the emotions that i vividly visualised and tried my best to put into words  :( i did send it to a friend to check and she seemed to like it, so let me know how it goes for you, my loves. the angst for this one was inspired by 2 different songs - hold me while you wait by lewis capaldi and i will run from you by cemeteries. it’s not necessarily about the lyrics, but more about the melody and the mood you get into listening to them (they go in order). give those a listen :) also, beware of the upcoming philosophy references, i did study philosophy last year, hopefully no one gets triggered lmao

< previous    next >

Is a person’s scent something a normal human being picks up on before taking into account the rest of their features? Would a normal human being remember said scent and be able to recognise it in a crowd full of strangers? Corpse wasn’t too sure about the answer, but one thing he did know, is that she smelled delicately sweet, like cherry blossoms, and that ever since he had noticed it during their game night a few weeks ago, he simply couldn’t let it go. It was intoxicating, but in a calming way. 

━

Corpse and (Y/N) each lay on their beds in their own homes, going into the third hour of their call. He couldn’t exactly fall asleep, so he had decided to see what his dear friend was up to, and even though she was this close to succumbing to sleep, she said nothing and stayed up to keep his busy mind company.

“Okay, hot topic: what do you think about soulmates? More specifically the romantic type?” the girl asked, not knowing how much of a risqué question it was. How was he supposed to answer?

“I don’t really have an opinion on it. Why?”

“I read Symposium by Plato the other day and it presented an interesting concept about human beings. Basically-” Of course she fucking read philosophical books. How were they even having a conversation with each other? Why were they even friends? She was on a whole other level of smart. “-so this guy says that humans were like androgynous blobs, so they’d come in two sets of everything a normal person has. But those humans were so powerful, the gods were literally shaking in their robes, so Zeus decided to cut everyone into two to weaken them. But then humans became so miserable, they spent their entire lives searching for their other halves. In the end, Zeus kinda felt bad and said fuck it, I’ll give y’all dicks and vaginas for every time you wanna hug each other. And that’s the oldest explanation there is about the idea of soulmates.” she sighed, finished with her rant.

“That was...not at all the story I expected to hear.” she heard him mumble on the other side of the call. “Yeah, Greek philosophers were up to some reeal freaky things, you would have loved them,” he laughed at her joke, “I honestly think it’s cute. Not the whole cutting people into two thing, but like, longing for someone and then finding them because you finally feel complete. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a strong independent woman who doesn’t need a prince in shining whatever to sweep me off my feet. But it does sound nice, that ideal comfort, a person you’re just...meant to be with, I guess.”

There was a moment of silence that neither of them really minded, before it was Corpse’s turn to ask the second bold question of the night. “Have you found that person yet? Your soulmate?”

She’s never thought about it before, but she hasn’t really thought about soulmates that much either, it was a spontaneous thought she had said out loud. “I’m not sure, actually. (B/F/N) could be one, I guess.” (Y/N) shrugged in return. Wasn’t she going to ask him about it? She probably didn’t care that much. Understandable.

“My favourite quote about love is «You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.». It’s by Sam Keen, the American philosopher. It maay be the hopeless romantic in me shining through, but I do very much agree with his statement.” Did this mean anyone could have a chance with her despite their fuckups? So if he were to try, would she-?

“Obviously, there are some things that just can’t be ignored or avoided, but at that point it’s preferences and personal tolerance. Depends on the person, ya know?” she swiftly added, unaware of the effect it had on him. Sick. Some people were just meant to rot alone.

The final question was posed by (Y/N). She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at all curious. This little crush of hers had been steadily growing with every hang out, every laugh, every hug and every glance. There are rarely ever moments where one could casually discuss a topic this personal with friends, at least there weren’t with friends one had feelings for. This was the perfect opportunity.

“Corpse?”

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever been in love?” her voice was soft, her approach gentle.

“Well, I’ve been in relationships before, so I guess, yeah? It’s been so long, I don’t even know what love feels like anymore.” he let out a breath resembling a chuckle. Lamest fucking answer ever. But it was true. He hadn’t thought about love in that way in quite a while.

“A lot of people describe it as having an intense range of overwhelming feelings. Lightheadedness, slight shakiness, heart palpitations, some people have even reported losing their appetite. Crazy how human bodies work, huh? Oh! Speaking of chemicals-”

She had continued on to ramble about...chemistry? Eyes? Corpse couldn’t really hear what she was saying anymore, let alone concentrate on her words, as he pieced everything that’s been happening for the past few months together. The nauseating feeling. The pounding of his heart so fast it felt like he was about to die. The urge to make as little eye contact with her as possible, because otherwise he’d turn into a furnace. The obsession with her perfume, like he was some fucking creep. The fool was falling in love. And it was at that moment that everything had come crumbling down.

━

(Y/N) and Corpse hadn’t talked for a couple of weeks. Or rather (Y/N) messaged the 23 year old many times, but he’d either claim to be busy or just not answer at all. There were two possible reasons for the sudden lack of contact: he was indeed busy with his musical projects and couldn’t allow himself to be distracted; or something much more serious was going on. It didn’t matter, for she was already in her car, on her way to his apartment.

Arriving at her destination, she used the spare key he gave her months ago, a sign of absolute trust, and allowed herself into his humble abode. Silence reigned in her friend’s residence. She thought maybe he had gone somewhere, and though that was unlikely, it wasn’t unprecedented. The door to his recording room was closed, and while she was tempted to check if he was in there, she refrained from doing so, knowing that specific room was not to be entered unless he was around to give permission.

“Corpse?” she called out just to make sure. There was no response for a few minutes, which made her assume she had the place for herself, until she heard a door open behind her. Turning around, she saw his figure emerge from said recording room in a white t-shirt and black sweatpants, his curly hair disheveled.

“Hey, how are you d-”

“Why are you here?” he spoke flatly, interrupting her. “Well- You weren’t, um, answering your messages or any of my calls, so I thought something had happened.” she replied, suddenly nervous, fiddling with the rings on her fingers. “Nothing happened. I told you I was busy.”

The air around them seemed colder as tensions rose. (Y/N) could tell he was irritated, but she couldn’t exactly figure out why. She had never seen this side of him before. “Okay. Tell you what, I assume you haven’t had dinner yet, so why don’t I go ahead and start cooking something up while you-”

“Get out.”

She blinked a few times, not quite registering the words that had just left his mouth. “Sorry?” Her voice was quiet. She was taken off guard.

“Are you deaf? I said get. the fuck. OUT.”

Corpse shouted the last word, making her flinch in what appeared to be fear. Good. Run away while you still can. Heart pounding, (Y/N) took a second to remind herself whom she was speaking to. “I see that you’re angry, but at least give me a reason why-”

“You want a reason? I just don’t fucking WANT you here!” Anger grew inside of him like a tumor, but it wasn’t intended for her. She had simply been caught in a storm that had been building up for years. “Do you understand that?! I can’t fucking be around you without feeling like I’m going to EXPLODE.”

His words hit her like paintballs. They were only words, plain and simple, but they dug deeper and deeper into her skin with each hit, until, eventually, it broke. Eyes burning, she felt the tears slowly welling up in them.

“Why are you doing this to me?!” her own voice grew louder with frustration, but mostly, confusion.

“Maybe because I can? Because I’m a goddamn asshole?” 

“Don’t say that.”

“How?! How can I not say it when it’s the truth!” He wanted to stop. His mind told him to cease whatever it was that he was doing. However, blinded with resentment towards himself, he only spilled words he would regret after it was too late. 

“I can’t function like a normal fucking human being. I can’t be a good friend, son, or whatever the fuck else, and I sure as hell can’t love you.”

The paintballs had turned into a singular sword. A very long, very sharp sword that had found itself plunged deep inside her chest. How did he found out? When? Had she been too obvious? Had she been pushy? Clingy? Way out of line? The woman before him was unable to conceal her shock, as tears came rushing down her hot cheeks. Her voice brittle, she tried defending herself. She couldn’t leave it at that. She had to try. Try to have him see reason. “You don’t love me, that’s fine. But you didn’t have to deliver it this way-”

“But I did.” breathless with fury, Corpse clenched his fists so tight they had turned cold, yet they were still trembling. “You can get so naïve and dumb, you won’t understand things unless they’re spelled out nice and fucking bold for you.”

He closed with (Y/N) until their noses nearly touched. He noticed the way she silently shook, her eyes which shed endless tears never leaving his gaze. Unable to make a single sound, she felt the man’s hot breath on her face, his aura domineering.

“Now get. out.”

Her body wouldn’t cooperate as she just stood there. Staring back at him, her inner brows raised. Corpse wanted to hug her. Envelop her trembling figure with his and tell her he was sorry, that he meant none of it, that he had lost his mind. But he couldn’t bring himself to do anything. And with his own tears threatening to spill, he created a distance between them. He needed her gone.

“Leave! GO!”

His yelling was enough to jolt (Y/N) out of her trance, and, in a hurry, she sprinted towards the entrance. The door closed behind her, she felt a sudden urge to fill her lungs with much needed air. She jumped at the resounding scream that emanated from deep within his soul, letting out all of his pent-up rage.

Feet carrying her all the way to her car parked outside of the building, the young woman managed to climb in, and this was the queue for her body to break down. The night was young. The street empty. No one around to hear her long-lasting wailing. She clutched the steering wheel for support, fingers wrapping around the leather in a tight grip. A headache was creeping up from the back of her skull. Her ears pulsated in response to the heavy pounding of her heart. Clumsily, (Y/N) inserted the key into the ignition, felt around for the gear stick, and drove away. She didn’t know where she was going or how long it was going to take to get there. She needed to get out.

What went wrong? When did it go wrong? She couldn’t help but feel guilty, feel at fault. She had never seen that side of him before. He had never treated her that way before.

It was the hugs, wasn’t it? He had to have noticed the way she held on for a second too long to enjoy the smell of his cologne. Her vision blurred as she resumed softly weeping, her salty tears staining her top. Or it might have been the touchiness, she would practically glue herself to him during their movie nights. Unaware of both her actions and surroundings, (Y/N)’s breathing quickened, becoming ragged. Maybe he didn’t like the way she called him three times a week. Her hands were slowly losing control over the wheel, over the vehicle she was driving. She invaded his privacy. That was definitely it. Fuck. How could she have been so damn blind, selfish, ignorant, FUCKING STUPID.

Lights. Something was moving towards her- MOVE.

With a sharp turn, she dodged the approaching car just by a hair’s breadth, but as she had avoided one accident, another came just as quickly. 

[dopaminerjic]

(002) *cocks water gun* Dr sexy dream therapist please

[disarms you of your water gun using the power of my quantum vibes, chugs the contents like it's water (because it is water), then answers all your questions anyway]

sexy dream therapist doctor guy albert my beloved:

he is a sexy dream therapist doctor guy and he is my beloved. he could kill me and i would probably thank him. speaking of, why is he so polite all the time. he literally kills people but i keep looking at him and going "such a nice young man :)". i think he should step on me

ok u know what i lowkey lied earlier or just wasnt specific enough. cuz what i meant to say was personally i just cant rly see vincent being romantically interested in albert (i mean maybe i could if i stretched but it just would not be my first interpretation i guess fdgnkdf) HOWEVER i can absolutely see albert being romantically interested in vincent. 100%. i was so busy focuising on vincent that i straight up forgot how obviously albert is sitting there pining for him lmfao

do i have to say it. help

he's TRANSED GEDNER

i want a twdak sequel where he and taylor are besties. "character who is like a normal person somehow ends up befriending this really unhinged morally grey person and just like goes along with it" is such a good trope and also i just really want them to be besties ok. also for him to show up in vtsom dino pls

i mean i guess it would have to be kruecent. lmao.

..the first thing that popped into my head was "albert x me from real life" and then i remembered what self shipping is. HELP. i need help. literally that one reply from that very wrong and false and bad and slanderous "albert is unfuckable" (not true btw) post that's like "id say you guys need therapy but that would just be giving you what you want" 😔😔😔

that hes transed gedner. also autistic as well. i kinda have this semi-crack hc that he and vincent both used to be in the rmu neurodiverse students groupchat at one point. if you asked vincent why he stopped being in it he'd tell you that he had to leave because albert's marine biology infodumping simply became unbearable. what actually happened was that he started responding to alberts fish facts by aggressively copy and pasting large chunks of plato's republic, and this just went back and forth until vincent got banned (albert did not get banned.)

send tweet <3

[dramioneasks]

Hi! I’m the one who asked for dramione based on the Mummy. I meant similar storyline and characterisation. I like how they go on a quest and how its set in Egypt and deals with ancient mysteries. The female lead is a librarian but the guy is very knowledgeable about the ancient stuff and they have to find these lost cities. Even the villain is very similar to Voldemort.

Thanks for getting back to us!

The Secret History of Armand Malfoy - HeavenlyGingerlily - M, 16 chapters - In the last few days of her eighth year at Hogwarts Hermione Granger discovers a piece of history that will change her life. The Malfoy family had a secret and Draco Malfoy was prepared to go to any lengths to keep it. Dramione set in Hogwarts ‘eighth’ year and in part eleventh century Britain.

Distance - In_Dreams - M, 39 chapters - She’s a novice Unspeakable trying to earn her stripes. He’s a shafted Auror desperate to prove himself. When they end up forced together on a shared assignment, neither is willing to back down. But when the mission pulls them into an ancient world of mystery and adventure, they find themselves depending on each other in a race against time. EWE Dramione.

From Wiltshire, With Love - MistressLynn - E, WIP - Hermione convinces Draco to spy for the Order and she becomes his handler. But what are Draco’s true motivations? Hard to say when he’s still figuring that out himself. A story of reaching adulthood during war. …………………………………………………….. Draco cut her off before she repeated the question. “Granger, you may have my wand, but you are not in control of the flow of information here. It’s not your life on the line.” Granger bristled at his assertion. “My life is on the line every day.” “So. Is. Mine.” He growled at her. “Give me my fucking wand and don’t be so bloody obvious when you contact me.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I already told you I would be more careful next time.” She better be. “One more thing.” “What, Malfoy?” she said impatiently, still angry that she hadn’t gotten the information she wanted. He pointed his finger at her so she would understand how important this was. “You need to learn Occlumency. If you’re captured, I’m dead.” She stared back at him defiantly. “We both are.” He couldn’t argue with that. She tossed his wand to the floor and Disapparated with a crack.

Inheritance By: bifmonzo - M, 31 chapters, Words: 190,240 - Draco is an Auror. Hermione is just trying to do her job. Neither of them are prepared for what happens after she wakes up hungover in his bed. And someone, but there’s really no telling who, has a secret that threatens the reality upon which their entire world is built. Dramione, nine years post-war.

Finding Kallipolis - Canttouchthis - E, 44 chapters, Words: 157,303 - One difference in the past has led to a completely different world, where magic is no longer hidden. In the uninhabitable zone, Hermione Granger, Corps Lieutenant, finds a passed out Death Eater a half-kilometer from her home. Meanwhile in London, Harry Potter, the youngest wizarding representative to the WEA parliament, navigates politics and an attempt on his life. Beneath the politics and the secrets, the silent threat of a falling birth rate weighs heavily on all humanity. [Kallipolis: Greek for ‘the beautiful city’; Plato’s theoretical utopia]

When in Egypt - LightofEvolution - M, 9 chapters - On his mission to discover the potential of the Egyptian magic, Draco is sent to Alexandria by the Emperor himself. Accidentally, he stumbles into a woman’s home. A woman who, upon closer inspection, might be exactly the person he is looking for.

It Happened in Egypt by Bionically - T, 24 chapters, Words: 158,685 - Wandless in Egypt: Draco’s stranded in Egypt, but luckily, there’s a Granger in sight. Now, if only he could prevent from strangling her. Fun times abroad: It was supposed to be a leisurely solo trip down the Nile. Hermione didn’t factor in one blond man from her past and all his drama. Then, of course, there’s the fact that everyone’s after him. Much hilarity ensues. Maybe.

- Lisa

Edit: Sure!

misdemeanor1331: Ope. Can I add mine? Technically an Indiana Jones remix, but it hits the requirements. "The Search for the Sun Disc" - https://archiveofourown.org/works/7868791

FOKID95 SAID: NOTORIOUS BY BEK_48 TOO! ARCHIVEOFOUROWN.ORG/WOR…

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

Uppast's Cats Tour Comments: Act 2

act 2 for my tour comments! this finishes the show, though i'll make another one or two posts about specific characters!

Moments of Happiness

Deut just... walked out with about 5 minutes left to intermission, and it was the best. I got some good Deut pictures because of that!

Coricopat and Tantomile greeting Cassandra was precious

I definitely get the vibes that Coricopat and Tantomile are Deuteronomy's "advisors" or something like that, because they're ALWAYS around him.

Ugh, Brianna has SUCH a sweet voice for Sillabub.

Tugger laying on the oven, he likes being tall 😌

The part where they all jump up and stand frozen??? Chills, literal chills.

Gus the Theater Cat/Pekes and Pollicles

The babies love storytime with Gus!!!

Plato was sitting behind the Kitten Squad, and I got massive big brother vibes from him, he just needs to make sure they aren't getting into trouble!

Demeter and BOmbalurina were on either side of Old Deuteronomy with Munkustrap standing behind them, and Mistoffelees was sitting on the pipe!! Family photo!

Tugger's still on the oven, i love it.

I love Kayli as Jellylorum! She's got the mothering personality down perfectly!

John is SUCH a great Gus, I love how dramatic he got.

Tugger and Mistoffelees exchanging a look and having an exchange with one another during the song, i love them.

OH OH SO once Munkustrap leaves to take over "Pekes and the Pollicles", Tugger goes to sit with Old Deuteronomy. He is literally having SO MUCH FUN during the play, he and Old Deut are so proud of Munkustrap.

ALSO DEUT WAS GROOMING TUGGER'S FUR HE'S SUCH A GOOD DAD

Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat

First off, Christopher is Skimbleshanks. Just... he's Skimbleshanks.

Okay, so Skimbleshanks waved to Jennyanydots because she was up on the scaffolding watching, and my heart exploded.

Tugger was having the time of his life. He didn't steal the spotlight, but there was one moment where he was straight up headbanging and I couldn't stop laughing.

Christopher's mannerisms as Skimbleshanks were just perfect! He got the Skimble vibe down!

Tumblebrutus being blown away by Skimble's glass green eyes, RIP Tumble

Macavity/Macavity Fight

OHHHHHHHHHH HERE WE GO

Macavity costume? Perfection, no one can tell me otherwise.

As soon as Macavity showed up, Munkustrap IMMEDIATELY went to shield Demeter from him. He had his back to Macavity and everything, and was looking down at her making sure she was okay.

Macavity attacked Munkustrap before kidnapping Old Deut, and the positions changed! Demeter crouched over Munkustrap, and Bombalurina and a few other cats went to check on him as Macavity left.

Lauren and Chelsea's vocals AGAIN!! Lauren's Demeter was perfect, she was bitter, a little reminiscent, but you could TELL there was very bad blood between Demeter and Macavity. Chelsea was such a good jaded Bombalurina, and their dynamic was amazing.

I love the idea of Sillabub being the youngest at the Ball, so she has to be shown what to do, follow the leader style, so she was the last queen to join the Macavity dance!

So I don't think we were meant to see, but right after "Macavity the Mystery Cat" ends, Macavity sneaks past Munkustrap to stand amongst the queens, most likely to surprise them. But I really love the idea of Macavity using his magic to surprise everyone by just appearing.

HOOOOOOOOOOOO BOY THE FIGHT

THE MUSIC

THE CHOREOGRAPHY

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SCENES IN THE SHOW

Everyone has their choreography, and Demeter was the ONLY one who wasn't in unison. She was crouching on the edge of the stage, watching the fight, and it was SO well done.

Also the Fake Macavity (while Macavity in the Deut Suit... haha) had a Macavity mask that was actually kind of terrifying.

Mr. Mistoffelees

SOFT DEMESTRAP SOFT DEMESTRAP SOFT DEMESTRAP

Okay, but I ADORED the way they included the "Don't scoff" line. Tugger begins introducing Mistoffelees, everyone's kind of like "this isn't going to work", and they all start to leave the stage, and THEN Tugger says the line, almost pleading, and everyone's still a little hesitant but they listen.

Munkustrap wasn't very sure, but he listened

Zach is such a perfect Tugger (y'all i'm going to have a WHOLE post on him), and he and Paul just played off of each other so perfectly!

During the little mirror dance at the beginning of the number, Tugger just started doing his own thing, and it was the cutest, dorkiest thing.

They did sort of a strobe light thing, where the lights went off and on for like a second, and every time the lights went on Mistoffelees was in a different position, and it was great.

I love Cassandra's light-up costume!! And Tugger got so excited when she changed colors!!

I just really enjoy the lighting during this scene, it always makes me happy.

OKAY OKAY OKAY

SO

RIGHT AFTER MISTOFFELEES BRINGS BACK DEUT AND RIGHT BEFORE THEY DO THE LINE THING WITH THE HOLDING HANDS

TUGGER AND MISTOFFELEES DO A LITTLE SHIMMY (THE FUR SHIMMY THAT TUGGER DOES) AND IT'S VERY CUTE YES

BUT THEN THEY NUZZLE

LIKE FULL ON, NUZZLE THE FUR ON THE HEAD AND THE MANE

ADKJGABDVKSLDB GOODBYE

Anyways, Paul is such a perfect Mistoffelees, 10/10 would want to rescue me from an insane magical cat.

Memory (Reprise)

Everyone's touching each other right before, like reassuring each other, it was so sweet

Sillabub is tall!!! She's adorable!!

Everyone's turned away from Grizabella except for Deuteronomy, Munkustrap, Victoria, and Tumblebrutus!

Tumblebrutus looked SO nervous, but he didn't stop looking at Grizabella until she made eye contact with him. Then he looked down, but he looked back up. After that, everyone started to turn!

Taylor's voice is OTHERWORLDLY WOW

her emotion is just spot-on

"Touch Me" made me cry, as it always does

It looked like she was walking towards Tumblebrutus, but then she paused and reached behind her for Victoria! Tumblebrutus was the second one to touch her though!

Journey to the Heaviside Layer

Grizabella being accepted by everyone!!!

Old Deuteronomy, Coricopat, and Tantomile bowed to her!

Before they got on the tire, Grizabella held her tail, almost like a security thing T_T

For a hot second I couldn't breathe because of the fog machine, I was fine though

They didn't do the harness, which I was super happy about! They brought back the shiny Fancy Stairs, and that was SO cool.

The tire still flew, but the stairs came straight out, and then Grizabella stepped on and went offstage.

Ad-Dressing of Cats

I do have to say, this has never been my FAVORITE number.

I do really love seeing all the cats lined up though!!

Everyone's reactions to the food mentions were great, you could tell that they really thought about how they'd react.