#other than a short rant here and there when I'm overwhelmed

[conspicuous-clown-car]

what a morning,,,

here's a rant about the pressure community

I've been kinda lurking on pressure twitter for the past few weeks while all this shit went down and i just gotta say... jesus fuck.

I practically had a heart attack as soon as i opened my phone when i woke up and saw zeal was trying to sell pressure. Considering how he changed his profile last night to a strictly corporate one and then this? It seemed like a really hasty decision, and something serious was going on with him.

And yknow what, with all the hate being directed at him right now i don't blame him one fucking bit. I'd probably end up doing the same thing if i was in his shoes. Being autistic as well, i would just want to completely distance myself from this overwhelming bullshit. I think that's why he started to distance himself from the community in the first place (which unfortunately is kinda what led to some issues getting overlooked).

The tweet was deleted and pressure isn't for sale anymore thank GOD, but I'm honestly more worried about the actual people behind pressure than the game itself.

I agree that there's issues they need to fix, but its not an entirely black and white situation, and its pretty fucking complicated. With the sheer amount of people in the community its crazy to expect them to handle and manage everything themself, especially since they blew up in popularity in such a short amount of time, how the hell would they know how to deal with this???

Yes, there are certain things they need to actually address and take responsibility for that they sort of haven't, but attacking them to where it gets to this point isn't the fucking answer.

I wouldn't blame any of the devs if they never touch the game again, the way the community has treated them and has completely blown things out of proportion is insane. I feel like the main issue is the discord server itself but that's just me. From what I've seen its mostly just the community self cannibalizing, attacking each other, sending death threats, and doxxing people over shit that literally doesn't matter at all.

I'm not one to really delve into fandom drama, but this whole issue with certain possessive Sebastian fans and those who took it upon themselves to attack those fans is the stupidest fucking conflict I've ever seen in any fandom. Especially when this stuff reaches the people who work on the games who have nothing to do with it.

I agree that this is something the devs need to talk about head on with full transparency, no matter their feelings on it, because a main problem I've seen with them is lack of community management.

But again, y'all are forgetting the devs are REAL FUCKING PEOPLE, people who are bound to make mistakes, and get overwhelmed, and not know how to deal with suddenly having a giant fanbase. Harassing them and sending death threats is going way too fucking far and wont solve anything, because clearly all its done is made things worse.

Also god forbid they have boundaries and don't want to see certain things in the discord server. I'm not gonna get into the specifics, but as a queer trans person I think some of y'all are reading too much into the things they don't allow, seriously.

Reminder, I'm saying all this as someone who self-ships with Sebastian, and who's not entirely thrilled about him being canonically married. BUT PRIORITIZING A FICTIONAL CHARACTER OVER REAL PEOPLE????? THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YALL???

And to the people I've seen disappointed in zeal's response to all this on twitter, I'm with you, not seeing whats happening in the community doesn't mean these problems don't exist. But think about the shit he's going through, put yourself in his shoes and genuinely try to understand how fucking overwhelming this whole situation is, for him and the rest of the team. Especially after what's happened in the past 24 hours.

Tangent, but am i the only one who's seen a drastic change in the way fandom communities operate in the past few years? Like after lockdown fandom spaces have gotten more and more hostile, and people are just being so fucking mean to each other over the most trivial shit??? Listen I Get being chronically online, because i am, but at a certain point you just gotta log the fuck off and touch some grass, man. christ.

I really hope the devs take a break, they need it. I was excited about the update that was supposed to come out this month but I don't think it will now, and I honestly don't think we deserve it.

TL;DR: Pressure fandom, do better. Speaking from both points of view, no matter the various mistakes the dev team has made, the majority of this is on y'all.

And lastly, I'd honestly rather keep pressure exactly the way it is with no updates and no new stuff ever again than for it to turn into roblox slop like most of the games that are sold off on that platform.

[obey-my-twisted-logic]

Truth Spilled : Prefect is not the perfect extrovert they're assumed to be - not at all. Idia Shroud x GN!Reader (may be slightly fem leaning, apologies in advance if I missed anything like that)

Synopsis : post book 6, after Idia shows his skills, Prefect decides to take him aside when he seems overwhelmed by the people, leaving Ortho to entertain those who remain. As they reassure and comfort him, the cracks show and the shell reveals a close guarded secret.

Warnings : crying, mental health confessions, ptsd and beyond. Occasional cursing on both ends. Basic proof reading, potentially missed grammatical or spelling errors is higher than you think. Angst is real, but there's some playful fluff in the end. Only platonic in this blurb.

Authors Note : very self indulgent. How I personally have been feeling as the game progresses as someone with severe PTSD and anxiety. Had I been in a dorm, definitely would have been Ignihyde 100%.

---

After the impressive amount of prowess and just cocky amount of game play by the usually introverted dorm leader, you decided to rescue him when the nervous sweating kicked in. The initial adrenaline had worn off, and you knew the only reason he hadn't bolted was because Ortho had never looked happier, getting to interact and be normal with a group of friends, and making sure his big brother got to join in the fun.

Big brother was all "fun"d out, and as a good host, and just sympathetic anxiety riddled bean, you take him upstairs with the excuse of needing assistance with some older technology you had been relying on.

After gently steering him up the stairs and to the furthest guest room, you hold on lightly to the sleeve of his jacket to guide him. Nothing too invasive, but still a comfort, despite his initial flinch, he seemed to accept the action and looked almost grateful for the escape.

"Here we are. Furthest back and best insulation, trust me." You say leading him in and closing the door quietly. "Sorry for the white lie, but you looked like you needed the break, so I thought-" immediately your cut short by a nasty look and a huff as he dropped onto the bed and fell back.

"What would you even know about how I feel? What was I not cheerful enough for your liking? Perfect Prefect, of course you'd notice. Why'd you bring attention to it?" Idia snapped giving you a dirty look. Now Ortho would be upset and think he hadn't had any fun.

Sigh escaping your lips you take a seat on the floor and lean against the closed door. Eyes closed you steady your breathing the best that you can. Despite your best, tears streak gently and slowly from each eye. You can hear him shift panicked on the bed, assuming he was sitting upright and staring. You decide to keep your eyes closed, more amused by the expression in your mind and not wanting to embarrass yourself further.

"Idia, I know you're smart, I know you think you know all that there is to know about everything." Slowly you open your eyes, ignoring the tears, allowing yourself this moment. He wanted to know why you did it, why you interfered, well he'd certainly find out today. "You're not near as smart when it comes to any information you think you know about me."

"I grew up in constant survival mode. As soon as I begin to heal from the nightmare my life has been, I'm ripped into a world that I've never known. Most memories have been ripped from me of my old world, and I was dumped here with only my survival instincts keeping me from truly breaking down." You wipe some tears away, just to clear your vision to catch his gaze. He looked guilty and chewed at his lower lip.

"I've been nearly killed by half the damn people I call my "friends" and honestly, I do love them all, but the only reason it's even been possible is my desperation for survival." You laugh coldly and stand, the rant and your breathing becoming more erratic as it all comes tumbling out.

"Perfect Prefect? I don't have any other way to protect myself. Idia I didn't even have a phone until the THIRD overblot. THREE of the most powerful students on this campus had to try killing me for the fool of a headmaster to give me this... technological piece of shit." You toss your phone next to him on the bed. "I may not know much about this world, but I know about technology. It's different but very similar to what I used to work with in my old world..." Catching the surprised look on his pale face you can't help but laugh. "Yes yes, pitiful, magicless human knows how technology works. There's a reason that my grades keep Grimm an honor student, I'm far from stupid."

The crying resumes and laughter is mixed in as you give him a pathetic look. "Even he's attacked me, and Grimm's the closest I even have to a family in this hellscape. Idia I'm so tired." You choked up a sob and sank to your knees, back pressed against the wall now.

Unable to, refusing to look weak, you dry the tears beat you can as you answer his initial question. "What do I know about how you feel or why I interfered?" You let out a low and sad chuckle and look up to him. "Because I so desperately have needed to be saved, to be rescued and taken somewhere quiet so I could breathe that I couldn't just leave you like that. I couldn't just ignore the panic you were in." You let out a sigh and hug you knees unable to stable your breathing as much as you'd like.

"Feel free to leave or stay, do what's best for you. I'm just going to be here." You say after one minute stretches out into several. "I'd appreciate if-" Once again the Idia interrupts you, but in a much more surprising and soft way.

He embraces your trembling form, kneeling to be on the floor with you and just embraces you. He mumbled a genuine and quiet apology, stroking the back of your head. His hair provided a soft and safe warmth and glow.

You look up nearly sobbing again, and question him "Idia, will you be the friend I can be myself with? Will you give me the space to be pathetic and cry my anxiety away?" The sobs came out choked and desperate, pleading for him to be your safe space.

"Of course." He replied gently, never breaking the embrace. He gave the bed a dirty look. "First things first, we're getting you a new phone. Immediately." He grumbled unlocking his own to put in a rushed order. "There's no way you're going to be able to play games with me on that thing." He growled clicking his tongue, distaste for the headmaster evident on his face.

You burst into laughter and hugged him back, burying your face against his neck. You ignored his embarrassed noises, he didn't pull away or push you away, so he must be fine with it. "Sounds good to me." You mumble out, feeling a genuine sense of comfort from someone who finally could understand at least some of what you've been feeling for the entirety of your life.

[lixiesfreckless]

below is my general reaction/review of part one of because even then, I knew by @catboyieejeno . contains SPOILERS

not to mention I did betaread/edit this fic, so it may not have all of my first reactions(and I reread this on call with carina LOL)

"When he was 7 he fell in love."

sorry this is just the most endearing and relatable thing I've ever read. I had my first crush at five years old, pretty much the second I entered elementary school, and the concept of loving someone in a way that differed from how I felt about my parents was so all encompassing and overwhelming, that when my best friend spilled the beans to him, I had never felt more rage towards a person than I had towards her in my entire(albeit, short-lived) life. crazy how things become magnified before you reach adulthood lmaoooooo

"Why can't he stop looking at you?"

I can't get over how insanely human this feels. It's such a humbling feeling, having your apprehensions about something and nevertheless veing drawn to it all the same. Especially when that "thing" is a person. The juxtaposition between "I swore I'd never" and "why do I keep running into this" stirs some kind of critical thinking in all of us that I CANNOT get enough of ughhhhhh

"Seokmin found himself looking forward to seeing you every single night from then on"

not much to say here my heart just hurt a little bit remembering what that felt like. it feels so innocent, and you try to find other reasons for your selfish actions, but sooner or later you admit to yourself the real reason why you do what you do and it's so. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO

that part where seokmin dreams about how you'll thank him for returning your phone and also readying himself to stand "he didn't forget, he just wanted to sound nonchalant"

painfully human. I have to applaud you for how relatable all of these emotions are. and it makes me kind of happy how obvious it is that in this story, I'm seokmin instead of y/n YIKES

"And stop moping. You're making the flowers sad. They feel these kinds of things"

LITERALLY JUST READ A MINGHAO FLOWERSHOP AU WHERE A SIMILAR THEME WAS PRESENTED UGH I LOVEEEEEE

"Are you still sulking over the pretty girl from the bus?"

ngl I would die of embarrassment here lmao there is no way he just got outed like that lmao

"Simply put: you were not her."

ahhhh subtle but appreciated emotional maturity. that's hot

"he starts counting down the hours until he can see you again."

TOOOOOO REAL I WANNA BE IN LOVE AGAIN AHHHHH

"I wanted to."

THIS. why is it casual honesty that feels the most attractive to me? my ex's close friend had told me that honesty is intimacy and I think she might be right. the vulnerability has to be somewhat attractive to me but MANNNNNN it's always gonna get to me isn't it?

"This is me"

never ever EVER getting over this double entendre. "this is me" meaning that that is your bus stop, but also that that song was just the embodiment of you. and seokmin not only accepting but LIKING that part of you is more than wholesome IT MAKES ME WANT TO RIP MY HAIR OUT

"You don't have to, even if you brought it all the way out here. It's up to you."

as someone who plays guitar, this is so reassuring. a lot of time the pressure/nerves of playing in front of someone gets to you and it feels too daunting of a task, so the reminder that it's up to us is genuinely so kind

"Have you always been this lovely, or am I just starting to see it now?"

stood up from my bed and clapped(in my head)

"A little embarrassed but somehow happy to be caught."

"happy to be caught" THE WAY I COULD WRITE A WHOLE E S S A Y ON THIS

"What's this doing all the way out here?"

no bc an american penny all the way in seoul is kind of magical. like it was meant for them. ughghgshghsjdhsdgjs

"your hands anchoring each other"

the way this is phrased is so beautiful but I honestly just needed a minute to rant about the entire karaoke/kiss scene. as someone who has lived through that kind of love-drunkenness, it is insanely well written and accurate. the unexplainable gravity between the two of you, the not wanting to be far from each other, the inability to find reasons to leave each other, the reluctance to look away, everything. that kind of stumbling down the street with stars in your eyes love is something that I hope everyone who reads this fic experiences one day. it almost hurt a little bit to relive that, knowing that my heart is similar to dk's in the sense that it's apprehensive towards feeling it again, KNOWING where it leads if everything goes wrong. ITS SO COMPLEX but the scene is so sweet I just wanna lie down and cry

I'll post a separate one for part two <3

[moonjxsung]

hi star, it's currently 10:55 pm for me as i write this, and im scared to think we're only an hour and five away from 2025.

2024 has been an intense year for all of us, and im sure you took it pretty hard as well. i remember first finding your blog early to mid 2023 ish and then finding the courage to send an anon ask on your tumblr blog back in 2023 around late november for the first time, and i've been sticking with you since. it felt surreal going into 2024 headfirst, and it was even more surreal when you came back after your break in january, and i feel like we've built a pretty decent bond for the time we've known each other (it's been over a year now, holy.) star, (i swear this isn't some suicide note or marriage proposal as much as it's about to sound like one) from every song recommendation or speech and debate rant, or even just picture dumps ive sent you on discord, you've always replied back with such enthusiasm and effort that i absolutely love and adore. you have one of the most beautiful souls to exist, and please don't forget that through every harsh moment or happy tear. i truly mean this as a compliment when i say this, but i picture you as such a raw, unpolished human being. as much as it may feel weird to hear it in your perspective, but i feel like you're the epitome of an hidden uncut gem in it's most finest definition. you're not sugarcoated or too brutally honest, but your personality gives off some vibe of an in-between, and i mean it as a good thing. you are genuinely one of the most beautiful human beings i believe i have ever met, and i am so glad to have been able to know you for the time we have. your writing is absolutely gorgeous, and your very replies and enthusiastic messages are always filled with effort and passion. i think your talent to put things into words is genuinely stunning, because even your tumblr replies seem to have so much of your personality drained in them. it's hard to see people put genuinely this amount of pure effort into things, and it's so motivating to see you do it. you seriously give me a zeal to live. 2024, has been a rough year for all of us (i'm sure) and i know for a fact it wasn't too smooth of a ride for you either. so i'm here to hope that as we face the new year (for the umpteenth time!) as time strikes down to it's very last seconds of 2024, we're all able to reflect back on ourselves and so much of the world around us and face another brand new year together. this is the second new year i face with you and i'm so glad to be able to share this moment with one of the most beautiful souls i know. thank you soso much for the 1+ year we've shared together, and i hope there's more to come. i'm looking forward to anything and everything yet to see for 2025! happy new years. ~《☘》 finished 11:19.

My sweet dear lovely clover anon. I’m replying to this as my animal crossing villagers celebrate the new year on my island, and I’m fully in tears at this message. I could not have wished for a kinder message to ring in the new year.

First off- I can’t believe that this is our second new year together???? It’s hard for me to even fathom that I was on this blog in 2023. The time is slipping away from me and every so often I’m reminded that I’ve been here for a little longer than I can properly remember now. What a blessing and a lucky little thing to be able to call you a friend. From hearing about all your speech and debate tournaments, receiving all your pinterest selfies (guys, TRUST ME when I say clover anon is beautiful), hearing about all your final exams and getting the loveliest messages on my blog from you, it’s been nothing short of completely fulfilling to have you in my life. I am so blessed to have crossed paths with you in any capacity, and I’m even luckier to have the established friendship we now have. I truly think that you came into my life for a reason, and every single message we exchange only solidifies the overwhelming love I have for you. I am so, so, so lucky to know you.

It’s been a hard year for sure, and sometimes I’m scared at how quickly the time progresses. I often find myself wondering what this blog will be like just a year from now, what the state of my fangirl life will be, even if I still opt to write fanfiction later down the line. But what I do know is that the friendships I’ve created on here are forever, even if my blog is not. Please know that I’m always in your corner to lend an ear (or receive pinterest model selfies), in this year and the next and hopefully a lifetime after that. Unfortunately you are STUCK with me.

I have no doubt that this is going to be your year. Academic success, financial success, friendships, love- you’re so deserving of all those things, and you’re somebody who put out so much good this year. You’re bound to get it back tenfold. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you in 2025 ♥️

I love you endlessly- thank you for every little interaction we’ve ever had and for being the most remarkable human being. Here’s to an amazing year full of love and light. I love you my clover, you know where to find me always 👼☘️💓

2025 clover anon’s year. I’m calling it now !

[ophidianoccultist]

Serenity

Garreth Weasley x GN!Reader

=====================

hi this is a short little fluffy thing for 🎉weasley wednesday🎉, hope you enjoy :) also i dont know if scotland gets soupy but i need to write and rant about how fucking hot it is where i am so shhhhh

Prompt: It's peak summertime, and you and Garreth are in the Forbidden Forest gathering potion ingredients. But the heat is overwhelming, so you take a break in a creek you come across.

Word count: 584

Walking outside in the heat was like walking straight into a bowl of soup. It was thick and humid, the air seeming to weigh more than the trees themselves, and making anyone walking out in the open feel like sinking into the ground to escape the sun. Garreth and Y/N were certainly feeling the mid-August heat as they trod through the forest collecting toadstools and fluxweed and other tidbits they came across for his asinine potion experiments. They both walked carefully over the roots and mossy stones that littered the ground of the Forest; one could never be too careful when venturing through. The pair also carried mildly heavy sacks with them, the weight of which only made them sweat more.

Merlin, the sweating.

Y/N sat on a large root to rest, and started fanning themself to cool off. The two had already undone a few buttons on their shirts and loosened their ties, but when it was this hot outside, there was nothing much else one could do. Their hair clung to their face and their clothes clung to their bodies, and they had even considered at one point heading back early. Garreth sat down beside his friend and took a long breath before complaining:

"Merlin's beard, I feel as if I'm about to melt. And you don't look any better than I do, Y/N."

"Oh come off it, Weasley, I always look better than you do."

Y/N snorted, but what had said was true. The two were drenched in sweat and drowning in the grating sound of cicadas to add to the ambience of it all. The two sat for a moment before Y/N heard water running and stood up to look around. Not too far off behind them, was a decently sized creek, which looked cool and crisp and oh, so enticing.

"Hey Garreth?"

The ginger pushed his hair back and looked up at his companion, who was pointing over at the creek. They simply exchanged a grin as they set their supply sacks down and jogged over to the creek. It was just deep enough to lay down in without inhaling water, but that was good enough for them. The two laid down on their backs across the hard, but cool stones as they enjoyed the sensation of the fresh water lightly rushing over them. Y/N closed their eyes, taking the time to absorb and take relief in the atmosphere. The tepid water, the gentle sound of it rushing by their heads, the sound of nearby frogs that had the same idea as them. The sound of the croaking frogs was quite soothing, until one landed right on Y/N's face. That definitely pulled them out of their relaxed state.

"Eugh! Am I not already slimy and gross enough right now?"

Garreth sat up and looked down at his friend, with a grimace (and also frog slime) plastered across their face. He giggled before gently saying:

"Here, let me get that for you..."

He cupped some of the clear, cool water in his hands and gently let it pour over Y/N's face, using his thumbs to wipe away the sticky substance. When it was all cleared away, Y/N opened their eyes and stared up at the best friend, smiling. Garreth may be a goofball and a klutz, but he was brilliant to have around at times like this. The tenderness and care that he showed could make someone fall for him...

[ryuichirou]

I know you said you won't rant about Vil anymore BUT YOU ALSO SAID YOU DIDN'T WRITE _EVERYTHING_ THAT YOU WANTED TO

sooooo... can you please still do this? I'm begging you on my knees orz You are literally one of the very few people here who engage with Vil as a character thoroughly whithout dumb him down or seeing him as one dimensional egoist (wich is an extremely weird take)

Dear Anon, I am super super super SUPER late, I’ve received your ask a couple of weeks ago already… I really hope that both Vil and you will forgive me lol Thank you for enabling me to talk about him more though!

Also, I am very happy to hear that you think my perception of Vil is thorough; he is a great character, and the fact that he is so misinterpreted only makes him more interesting to dissect and explore.

I’ll start with a hot take: I think that Vil is the nicest housewarden after Kalim, despite also being one of the super strict ones. I briefly mentioned it in my previous reply, the rules he sets for his students make much more sense than the ones in Heartslabyul, and as a housewarden he isn’t driven by his own gain (like Azul, for example). He also isn’t manipulative or backstabbing, not because he wouldn’t be able to pull that off (like Kalim, for example), but because he just has no interest in it. Vil genuinely wants people around him to better themselves, and not only in a physical appearance sense.

Which, of course, could lead to conflicts, like the one he has with Epel: Vil believes in his own principles, he is certain that he knows better because it’s his lifestyle and his perfect work ethics that gave him everything he has in life. And since all of this is pretty normal to him, he might have it difficult to adjust to other people’s pace, or might not even want to do so.  

Vil is amazing, but he isn’t absolutely flawless (shocking), but this is exactly why his character works so well. His better traits lead to his negative traits; they’re tied together, like it always is in any human being. He is super hardworking, but he also expects others to be ready to work as hard as he does. He is very focused on achieving his goals, but by doing so he might ignore the fact that others are overwhelmed with his pace and intensity. He knows his own worth and is very self-confident, but he also has very high standards for himself and is his own worst critic. He is creative and inspiring, but he also can overthink things in search of this perfect artistic expression that he wants to achieve.

I also find it fun that the idea of Vil being misunderstood comes up several times: he really seems to be perceived as some sort of cold-hearted elitist, at least by Epel. Like in the book 6 (..spoiler warning?), when Vil kisses Rook and Epel (and Yuu), there is this vibe of “what, you thought I wouldn’t be happy to see you and want to kiss my boys who came to save me?”, and yeah, why wouldn’t he? To Vil, showing affection isn’t an unnatural thing, he just doesn’t do it when it’s inappropriate: i.e., when he’s acting as a housewarden. In fact, just before he kissed the boys, he scolded Rook for being a horrible vice-housewarden and leaving Pomefiore unattended, but still, showed his gratitude in a gentle and loving way right after that.

Since we watched Harveston's Kelkkarotu event, I also wanted to mention something about it. Long story short, Epel didn’t want to ask Vil (or Rook) to come with him, because he really didn’t want Vil to boss him around and force him to act politely and cutely in front of his grandmother. Now, I am more than happy with the team Epel ended up with, god it was a fun event, but I can’t help but feel a little bit bummed out because we didn’t get to see Vil’s and Marja/Maruya’s interactions. The thing is, I actually disagree with Epel. I think it makes perfect sense for his character to think that Vil would’ve acted this way, but I feel like Vil is the “When in Rome, do as the Romans do" type of person. Why would he force Pomefiore standards on Epel while he is in his hometown? They aren’t in Pomefiore anymore, and Vil wouldn’t be a housewarden at that moment: he would’ve been Epel’s upperclassmen and (hopefully) a friend who is visiting him in his hometown. Vil’s told a bunch of times that one needs to behave according to their position, circumstances and occasion, so there wouldn’t be a point for a strict housewarden Vil to boss Epel around: he has no authority there, Epel and his grandmother do.

This is purely a speculation based on my perception of Vil, of course. But still, I would’ve loved to see Vil (and Rook!) there with Epel lol

Also, I can’t write a post about Vil without mentioning Rook, so I’m sorry, I’m going to talk about the end of the book 5 again.

I really love the fact that despite feeling hurt enough to cry when he found out that Rook had voted for Neige, Vil wasn’t petty or even angry about it. And for someone who’d literally tried to poison Neige like an hour ago, he accepted Rook fanboying over him quite easily, because he knows Rook and trusts him enough to know that he wouldn’t backstab him just because he is a Neige fanboy, and that he (Rook) probably has other reasons. Which is surprisingly mature for someone who just went through an emotional roller-coaster, if you ask me. I don’t think anyone would’ve blamed Vil if he got angry and even more upset with Rook, but the only thing Rook got was “what a cruel man you are” or something among those lines.

I actually think about this line a lot. Imagine being so un-petty that even when your closest person and biggest supporter (seemingly) backstabs you and exposes himself as a fan of a boy who’s pretty much ruined your entire life, instead of saying “yeah fuck you too, asshole” simply out of emotions, you just say this. “I know this isn’t why you voted this way, I am not an idiot”. The trust he has in this man, god their relationship is good lol

(OtomeAyui translation and official translation)

So, yeah. All I’m trying to say is that Vil isn’t stupid or egotistical: he is in fact quite wise and mature, also respectful when he needs to be.

Sigh…

In case you haven’t noticed yet, I love Vil a lot lol

[sunset-a-story]

Writer Q&A Tag Game!

I got tagged by @touloserlautrec on this one and you can see their answers here.

I'm not sure who hasn't gotten this one yet but I'm no pressure tagging @squarebracket-trick @captain-kraken @vsnotresponding & @tisiphonewolfe (and open tag)

1. What motivates you to write?

The whole absurdly-large scope of Sunset is going on in my head whether I'm writing it or not. You know when you have a song oppressively stuck in your head and the only thing that helps is to listen to the song all the way through? It's like that. If I don't write it out, my brain just churns it over and over on a loop.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

Ooo. Hrm. Here's something from Arc 2.

Gerrit's heart sank. The idea that this sort of attack was more than a sporadic phenomenon was a dreadful, heavy thing that he didn't have proper words for. But that was the benefit of telepaths--he didn’t have to. When Gerrit would normally have needed to look away, attempting to grasp his fingers around some sort of words that even remotely fit the gravity of what he was being told, instead he just looked at Penn and felt. Penn held his gaze for a moment and Gerrit felt a gentle nudge of his telepathy. Penn understood. “Go.” Penn clapped him on the back.

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

It's tough to pick! I'll say Marek just because I enjoy his antics and stalwart refusal to be a "serious corporate adult" while being one of the most competent people in the Corp. (Plus he and Baguette are a package deal.)

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

I guess I'd have to say planning/mapping the big picture. Sunset covers a lot of threads that all branch out to affect others down the line with cascading consequences. It's all connected somehow and I feel like I do a decent holding it all in my head.

(That and I think I can write some pretty damn funny dialogue to break up the tension of the rest of the story.)

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

The people! It's so amazing to meet so many supportive writers and get to get excited about everyone's projects. Listening to other rant about their oc babies brings me so much joy.

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I've been using StimuWrite 2 which has been a great motivating tool. It's a program helps to keep me focused and I can create a mini fake coffee shop background with it.

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I love our take on telepaths because it's not a matter of just hearing thoughts or seeing them like on a movie screen. It's synesthetic and young telepaths have to learn to translate this internal language.

Each telepath's experience is different. Penn's is heavily smell-based like information he takes into his body from outside. Jake's is more external with sounds and physical sensations pressing themselves onto his skin, wrapping around him. Reeve's is more internal with tastes and colors that flow from the backs of his eyes and down his throat like a liquid--so if his knack gets overwhelming it can make him feel like he's choking or drowning.

I like to think that how telepaths perceive their knack has an influence on them in the same way that what knack someone has will influence who they are. (This also makes conflict between telepaths really interesting to write!)

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Allow yourself to have fallow times where you aren't writing. That's part of the process. I think the saying is something like anything in nature that is producing endlessly without rest or renewal is dying.

Don't give up on your projects, write that shitty first draft, but don't beat yourself up with guilt when your brain needs a break.

[sweeteacrummble]

Ayo!

Ayo! It has been a while. I haven't posted any art for a while now (which I will get back to doing soon).

Where have I been

For the short answer:

I have been busy. College, Home, and being a Christian

Now for the long answer:

I am going to break it up into parts while I rant cause it gonna be a minute and there are a few things I need to let off of my chest.

College Update🏫🎓:

I normally don't like sharing how I am busy with other things than art, but now I am at the point where I have a voice and I need to use it for once. Yes, I go to College for a degree in Animation. So most of the time my hiatus is because of College, especially Finals. Yeaaaaaaaah! Overall I have been busy with work. I would love to post my progress but I feel as if it is not my best. Oh well.🫤 After, I will be able to have a break in the middle of May so their some good news there.

Youtube Update📽️📺:

For my YouTube Friends/Viewers out there and newcomers joining the party, breathes THANK YOU! THANK! YOU THANK YOU! SUPER! DUPER! OH SO MUCH FOR SUBSCRIBING TO MY CHANNEL!!! 🤗😍😄😆THANK YOU LORD AND THANK YOU ALL!!! YOU ALL ARE THE BEST! I started with 7 subs and I never thought I could get 50 subscribers. But now 641+ SUBSCRIBERS!!!!! I wanted to make a special video for when I got a 100 but the numbers quickly kept going higher and higher and I was happy and yet overwhelming. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to share goofy goobers stuff with you. 🤗😊👍. Now with the question. Am I still going to do YouTube you haven't really posted any new videos yet? Yeah, I know. But Yes! I am still going to do YouTube. I am working on 2 new videos, so I will have a poll ready for you guys to vote on which one you want to see first. I finished 1 video now I am about 60% done with the 2nd video. Until then you can Vote on which video you want to see first while I do some catch-up.

link to poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxdoxchkFP1fHQr6LfhVp_z21IbWmKqrBm

Social Media Art Update📲📳:

I will be posting art again BUT I will stop posting in some social media accounts. For those who want to be an artist, I definitely recommend doing 1 website and then expanding if you can. But not just that, if you are a beginner/new artist and you want to know what place to post your art, Firstly I recommend posting on sites where your favorite artists post. Most of the time They have some good pointers on where to go about posting art. Secondly and MOST IMPORTANT, post art in places where you can look it up AND it will show up on Google or Bing. For instance, If you look up Mario fanart on Google and click on images, (I know it's fanart but hear me out), The sites you will see are mostly Twitter, DeviantArt, Pinterest, Reddit and sometimes Tumblr will show up. Others like Artstation too. But not much of Instagram or Facebook. That's odd? The number 1 website for artists, from what people have recommended me, is NOT showing up on Google. Well, not a lot. Why is that? IDK. All I know is that should have been a warning sign that my art wouldn't be shown to the masses in the degree I was looking for. So when I post on Instagram, It does feel like I am posting to an endless void of nothingness. Your Artwork is valuable and should be treated as such so everyone can see it (unless you don't want to).

Here is my tier list of the Social Media I use daily for entertainment and posting as a creator on these platforms.

Update:: okie….. sooooo….. about the Mario fanart thingy. Apparently, Google has been overhearing me rant (literally) and rolling in Instagram and Facebook art on Google images which wasn’t the case before. But at least they are taking measures. But even though Google is allowing Instagram to be more recognized, I'm sorry but THE APP itself still has problems that Google can't fix. (Unless they bought it of course)

Besides YouTube, I can recommend Twitter, DeviantArt, Pinterest, Reddit, and Tumblr, just because you can post without feeling like you have to be a pro artist to be considered good, and you can grow and share with a community. And the best part is if you're an introvert (like me) You can post and worry less. I like to comment when someone comments back to help build confidence for myself but you don't have to if you feel shy. It takes small steps so don't rush yourself or your art. Another thing I would like to add is that if you love making GIF Art, you can do it on all the other platforms except…

Instagram. 😒😠😤

A literal sweat job with an inconsistent indiscriminate rate of changes left and right. Make reels, Make stories, Make post, all at once, every day, AND BOTS. Even watching reels about artists struggle just seems unhealthy to me, but Instagram loves this apparently. I mean, yes, we are struggling and there are plenty of underrated artists out there, I know it. But how are we helping them by promoting reels about art struggles and ways to get big on Instagram, instead of exploring new art techniques and trying new things when creating art. It also doesn't help that it is hard for me to refresh my feed from scratch. My bad Instagram for liking 1 Sonic fanart post, I just like 1 okay. I don't mean for you to give me all of them. Sheesh 😤There are just too many negatives of this platform I can't even begin with. Kinda like Twitter but at least Twitter hashtags work "sometimes". It is hard to trust a platform when you have bots swarming to your page and when you think that a live PERSON responded to your post BUT it is a bot recommending you to give them your art for the bot to share it. What kind of place is this? At the time I was trying to figure out where to post my art, I searched on Google, Reddit, and even YouTube, and most of the art videos I saw at that time all recommended Instagram. Well, I am here to say DON'T USE INSTAGRAM! This is a warning for someone who first uses this as their first art account. DO NOT USE IT PLEASE!

Man, this is the most negative thing I said but I'm just tired of thinking that this is okay and I need to put up with this and I don't.

In short, I will not post any future art I make on Instagram but the page will be open for those who want to see it. I may even come back to Instagram, but changes must be made for to make that move again. For now, I am happily posting on all the other platforms for now.

Being a Christian⛪✝️:

I am a Christian. I have been a Christian But I am a Sinner. I know I have done things wrong and I know I deserve hell, but I repent, repenting constantly for God to forgive me of my sins.🙏 I know I am sounding a bit Biblical but I am being serious. Heaven is real. Hell is real. And if both of those are really real then that must be God is real and the Bible is a history recorded for use to read and learn and hear from Him. No, I am not trying to convert you to Christianity, this is more for me than anyone I suppose. I have been dealing with doubts in my life and some things I just can't explain. But I know there has to be something beyond this life. There are just too many signs pointing in that direction and it is hard to keep quiet about. I know God saved my parents. I have seen it multiple times. But at the same time, I tend to forget and lose faith in Jesus at times which is sad. Is Jesus coming back again? If so then sign me up I will do my best to be closer to Him. It's just that I don't want to go to hell for all of eternity, so if I don't want to go there I need to believe in Jesus Christ. It is a lot easier said than done but I also want to share the good news with others that Jesus loves them but I don't want to offend anyone if that makes. But I guess I can tell you if you don't mind.

Jesus loves you! 💖💝

Yay, I said it! Oh I forgot to add that I don't want to rush anything that I do moving forward and take it easy. But don't worry I still draw fanart of my favorite video game characters is just that I am adding one more layer to what I post that's all.

Oh

You're still reading this?!?

...

uuh

I don't have anything else to say

I guess I can end it off like VeggieTales did

God made you special and He loves you very much

Buh bye👋😊

Happy Blessing

Sweeteacrummbles

[callioope]

I want to scream into the void and rant about offline stuff, but I also feel this huge hesitation of posting too much detail on the internet, so, here's as short and vague as I could pare it down to:

just basically feeling super overwhelmed by "adulting" offline stuff including: buying a new house, moving but taking several months to actually pack/move/unpack, selling the old house, shopping for more furniture to fill the new house, being constantly ill since early October, researching and choosing new doctors (including primary care and OBGYN), having a rough stretch of OCD and anxiety ickiness, having to stop fencing for medical reasons (not related to fencing, i did not get injured, i just have Other stuff going on), and experiencing the general holiday fatigue of gift shopping and event hopping

I spend my free time handling the above items, on top of the usual daily chores of, you know, laundry and cleaning and "what do you mean i have to make another meal again i just ate"

and i haven't really had any time to connect with my creative outlets -- posting on tumblr, writing, playing the uke, even DND to a small extent (not enough time to put into character building between sessions) although DND has been like the ONE thing still happening

and it just sucks and I want to write but when I finally do get time I'm just so tired, so i just ended up scrolling mindlessly on tumblr or watching dumb youtube videos -- if I'm lucky instead I'll watch an actual play show but for a bit I was caught up on CR and Fantasy High and didn't know what to watch next because the next season comes out so soon so I don't want to get caught up in something else

[side bar: been working my way through one-shots, finished the amazing Escape from the Bloodkeep and I'm almost done with Mice and Murder. Mice and Murder has been super fun and entertaining and I kinda want to play a clue style rpg now -- side side bar but i collect clue variations -- and with the RO anniversary on my mind I've been wanting to read like a clue or sherlock holmes style AU but i have been having trouble finding one? like it can't have been 7 years with no sherlock holmes type rebelcaptain AU? maybe i need to try different AUs or search terms or filters? anyways. would also read a shadowgast murder mystery AU too, still mostly reading shadowgast fic anyways although EVEN FIC I haven't been reading as much either, but the RO anniversary had me thinking about Them again a little bit]

anyways i kinda felt like posting here would help me feel a little bit more connected, i guess, to the creative side of myself? since this is sort of my primary creative outlet, or used to be, if that makes sense.

also i saw a post about something called get your words out, which had some writing goals that looked attainable even for me with all the Stuff happening, and that has felt a little bit like -- something to maybe look forward to, to maybe help me get back into things... I don't know if I'll pledge yet and maybe I'd just do something for myself in that vein but yeah. something more interesting to think about than searching my insurance website or shopping for shelving or chairs or sofas...

gonna go back to watching Mice and Murder. thanks for reading this rant.

[iszzyb]

I just need a place to rant

ahahhahahahhaha guess who need $691 to get her wisdom teeth removed 🙃

I finally worked up the courage to go to the dentist , and no insurance but found one that had discounts and a free consultation. I've been trying to save for a trip to see friends so i been working more ( i do uber eats n have applied to others but no ones hiring mee imma go through my resume tomorrow and redo it again) , but shit keeps popping up and i only have like $60 towards that. ( its in Oct so i still have some time but i was trying to at least get the flight tickets by next month )

I might just have to take a train or drive??? up there idk both would be like a 24-48 travel time.

back to the dentist i need wisdom teeth removed ( one has a hole both are impacted ) there's 2 cleanings which are some what affordable to me and than filling last . ovb not all at once but the wisdom teeth need to come out asp. The total price is like $4,491 ( with a 30% discount what ever it could be applied to ) I signed up for a credit plan that will help cover$3000 ( with me paying $149 a month to pay it off after the op ) but that covers most the extraction and leaves $691 for me to pay towards it ( the wisdom teeth extraction is $3691 in total)

I been on the phone and chatting with dental insurance all this morning and the main things I would need cover I wouldn't have acess to untill 6 months ; which is too far for what i need done asp . My mum has helps a bit by telling me and getting me a meeting with a possible free option ( they will be calling me Friday , so hopefully i qualify for that)

Mentally I been doing ok , not too deep of depression mostly lonelyness here n there cuz well everyone is busy or depressed them self right now .

I Still have the goal of moving out ( well getting a car 1st) but that would come after getting a more stable job( dentist stuff and trip). I appiled to about 7 diff jobs so far and got a " not selected by employer " on 4 of them ( come on sam's club or lib job!!!) (as for the bakery position I'm pretty sure i just don't have it cuz they have just left me hanging )

Good things :

Ive gotten better at setting boundaries & taking up space. I'm still working on it but i am not minimizing myself as much

( although they are not helping) I'm able to call insurance company sand job search with out getting to overwhelmed. I've been pacing myself pretty well lately and am able to get a lot more thing done on a day to day basis.

I haven't been streaming/gamming as much but i have been consistant with content creating ( mostly been uploading shorts on youtube & tiktok) , not to become n influencer but just to create / show others that its ok to have multi hobbied and be weird, ect . just having fun online . I feel like its helping me out with my anxiety.

& at home me and my mum have come up with a non verbal day , where we don't really speak to each other . If its an emergency or warning each other then yes we do speak but no causal convo. This helps me not feel so overwhelmed by her and this gives mum some time alone(kinda). Honestly it helps slowdown the weird co-dependency we have going on here; its just been super nice having a quiet day once a week ( still plan on moving out when i can)

[mihhkael]

Yk...lately I feel mentally overwhelmed. not that this is from a few days or weeks ago. It's been a long time since I've been satisfied with my art style or my painting. you can see this with my constant changing of little things in the drawings. some have more details than others. the painting changes frequently...I can't do something that makes me comfortable and that keeps me at it for a long time.

I feel like I need to change what is not good at my eyes. Whenever I finish a drawing and a little time passes, when I go back to look at it again, it's not as good as it was when I was still working on it. I wanted to change that...

I try to improve everything in my own way. adding little things here and there that I think are cute or sexy[???] but in the end it's not enough.

I wanted my painting to be as beautiful as Kawanocy's. I am inspired by the paintings in his drawings to create my own.

I wanted my lineart to be impeccable like that of many artists out there. but it never turns out perfectly the way I want. It seems like I'm always so close to achieving perfection but at the same time I'm so far away...

I don't know if I'm taking this "perfection" too high to the point that it's impossible for me to reach it at the level I'm at now or if it's because I really don't have the capacity to reach it.

In fact, I don't know if this is perfectionism or obsession...

I know it's a bit complicated to compare how much I know today with how much Kawanocy knows. all the years of study he needed to achieve the style he has today and everything. but it's so difficult not to compare myself... and I feel like I need to do that. I don't know why but I FEEL like I need to compare myself and be inspired by him and other artists so that, one day, I can leave where I am now.

but, why everything I study, all my effort. In the end, isn't enough?

I want to reach his level one day. I want to learn with him. learn with my mistakes and successes. with the mistakes and successes of others peoples too.

Something that really complicates me is that I want to do this in a short period of time. I know it's practically almost impossible to achieve something like this. even for someone who learns reasonably quickly like me and several other people who are also in this strange dilemma like me now.

I've been thinking about this for so long. I can't do something new. my creativity is acceptable. (To a certain point, I think?) You know... the slightly disturbed ideas I have sometimes. sometimes I think they are good. but they're not enough.

Perfection is something that's kind of difficult to talk about because the concept of perfection is individual and I think I have my own. but I can't verbalize or recreate anything that comes close to that perfection. the only thing I can do is feel whether or not I'm close to reaching it. this distorted thing that leaves me in a bad mood because I can't reach it lol.

But why do I only see that a drawing is "perfect" when I'm about to finish it but after a few hours the drawing is no longer "perfect"? It seems like a weird illusion. like those potion effects in Minecraft. All the magic you feel when you taste it disappears when the time is up. I feel like a child unable to make and enjoy something unique that they made themselves.

This feeling is strange... I make a sketch that, sometimes, is initially impeccable. but when I go to do the painting, rendering, those things. It's not as good as I expected. I know, I know that maybe I'm pushing myself too hard. that I shouldn't be... I don't know... creating too many expectations? but I can't. it's confuse.

Sorry for my strange way of expressing myself. communication is not one of my strong points :p

ugh... Anyway, this is just some weird girl's rant. ;3

I don't intend to give up on improving. of course. as much as I often wanted to.

In fact, I want to reach a level that I don't yet have the capacity to reach! I want to improve more every day. I want to get my basic skills to their maximum level!

I'm not going to give up on this so easily. I've already come so far...

Drawing is one of the only things I'm "good at". I just hope that my future self doesn't change the way I think today. I hope my future self isn't disappointed.

I just hope that all the effort I make today to learn and evolve, one day in the near or distant future, will not be all in vain...

[mitochondria-larson]

[MASSIVE SPOILERS I'M BASICALLY GONNA AIMLESSLY RANT ABOUT THE WHOLE ALBUM GO LISTEN HERE, I KNOW IT'S THREE HOURS LONG, BUT IT'S REALLY COOL I SWEAR]

Like, it's all an enormous narrative that shows the perspective of a rabies victim that within the spam of 4 days is hospitalised as their condition worsens.

That's a bit evident if you look around for some info. But, I haven't ever heard something quite like that.

With the nice beginning of day 1, composed of mundune and calm music, only sounding a bit odd a couple of times. Hell, you can even hear the protagonist going for walks.

But when day 2 hits, it all starts going downhill. A constant feeling of sickness, anxiety and paranoia, surrounds your every tought, hearing whispers and practically everything at a higher volume than normal. At the end, it all goes down while watching TV, turning into an extremely loud and abismal amalgamation of sounds that aren't quite there just got it to be interrupted by a blaring alarm clock.

Day 3 is utter chaos, everything is loud, everything hurts, everything scares you. You cannot comprehend other human voices anymore, only long periods of garbage noise that crumples around your eardrums and forced a weak and I'll state of mind. The exhaustion is too great, this is a fight between you your ill mind, and you clearly are about to loose it all. Every nice memory from a mere couple of days back is non existent, the constant discomfort and pain is way too strong. The brian is being fried with an inmense sensory over-stimulation and feelings that aren't there. In the end, it all comes down to the hospital.

On the day 4 whatever remained of hope is completely lost. The mind is feral. Every single sound in the room booms with echo inside the head, making awful spirals of broken and distorted noise that'll never go away. Nit as long as you're awake.

Then. It all turns calm. The overwhelming layers of sound are mostly silenced, an ethereal humming now acompanied you at every moment. Are you even dead? The mind travels across the cosmos in awe, still hearing those awfully loud and jarring remnants of daily life, now left behind.

But then, the humming insifies more and more, until you wake up. It's the hospital.

After having ran right into hell and nearly past death, you're greeted by silence. Wonderful quietness, only greeted by the faint beeping of medical machinery, and a familiar song entering the room as you come back.

It's just so strange to sit there for three hours, hearing all the marvelous synth of the second half of day 4, acknowledging that this all started in such a mundane way. Now the mind is wandering the cosmos while you remember that three days ago, it was all about going out for walks at summer's midnight as all the cricket chirped in unison. With all the pain, discomfort, paranoia, and fear having expirience in such a short time.

It feels.... Fake. It feels unreal to be expiriencing such an incomprehensible feeling when it was all normal and then pain a few days back.

I also didn't even remotely expect the hopeful ending. Dare I say, it was really nice to hear the soften beeping of hospitals at the end just when a familiar airy electric guitar comes back for one more time. It's a really big feeling of comfort and satisfaction. But, it's now, when the silence itself sounds too unreal, I mean, it's three hours long, and you can kind of zone out, maybe getting too inmersed.

Anyways, corny shit coming from me. Sorry gang, had to write this down somewhere, but I kinda know that no one will read ALL of this. I'd like to talk about some parts in more detail, because I think I may he missing the point here (srry if I kinda do), but I don't wanna big y'all.

G'night gang.

Alright gang, rn I'm listening to the full Milwaukee Protocol album bc I've just discovered it due to a video n all that. So I wanted to check it out.

[atmyhiraeth]

semi-hiatus notice ( ??? ) 

[uboat53]

All right, something has come up that has sparked a thought that I need to get out of my head. Specifically I need to tell you exactly why the "take care of yourself" individualistic approach we've adopted toward Covid and toward disease in general here in the United States is a terrible idea. LONG RANT (TM) time!

WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?

Recently, as you may have noticed if you have kid(s), infant/child Tylenol is in very short supply. It's not a coincidence that this is happening at the same time as outbreaks of RSV, Flu, and other respiratory and inflammatory illnesses are hitting kids hard and sending many of them to the hospital.

As far as the individualism, it's the general American idea that people should take care of themselves. We don't have a universal health insurance program, you have to buy it yourself (or, if you're lucky, get it through your work). We don't have a universal health care system either, people are asked to navigate a highly decentralized system of hospitals, urgent care centers, and private providers who may or may not be covered under their insurance; even the same provider for a different procedure.

Where these come together is in terms of drug distribution. You see, in many places if there was a shortage of a drug there would be a centralized system to collect and distribute it according to need. In our decentralized system, individuals are responsible for getting their own drugs.

HOW DOES THIS CAUSE PROBLEMS?

So let's think of this in terms of market forces. If something is plentiful you're not going to worry about it; you'll just go out and get it when you need it. If the supply is restricted for some reason, or if you think it might be, you'll probably try to stock up when you have the chance to get it.

If enough people stock up on it who don't actually need it, they can actually end up causing exactly the problem that they fear. Enough people buying and stockpiling can create exactly the shortage that they were buying and stockpiling in order to protect themselves against. This is known as "panic buying".

Of course, if someone who hasn't pre-emptively stockpiled the thing needs it, they may be out of luck.

THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW

After several years where respiratory diseases weren't much of an issue due to measures taken against them (masks and social distancing worked guys!) they've suddenly come roaring back. RSV, Flu, Covid, and others are now hitting kids particularly hard for a number of reasons and have overwhelmed pediatric wards in much of the country.

Even kids who don't get sick enough to go to the hospital are still getting sick and their parents are doing what we all do, giving them cold and flu medication to help ease the illness. More importantly, parents whose kids are not sick (yet?) have heard of the shortage of kids cold and flu medication and are stocking up in case their own kid gets sick.

What this means is that there a lot of parents whose kids are sick who cannot get any medication for them while some parents whose kids are not sick have medication they are not using.

And I want to be clear, this is not the fault of any of those parents. I'm one of them, I have extra Tylenol in case my own kid gets sick. This is the fault of a system that shifts responsibility for a society-wide issue onto individuals.

MARKET FORCES

Understanding the issue is best done by understanding some of the theory behind it.

Let's say that, in normal times, X amount of a good is made. When something happens to increase the demand for that good, those factories have to increase production to X+Y amount. This takes a certain amount of time. You have to secure additional raw materials, additional labor, and, if necessary, additional equipment.

In the meantime, while production gets up to speed, you encounter a potential shortage. If more people need the good than what was initially able to be produced and especially if, in addition to that increased demand, people who don't immediately need the good are stockpiling it in fear of a shortage, you can quickly run out of that good until such time as the factory or factories can increase output to meet the new demand.

In the case of something that isn't immediately necessary, this isn't terrible. If, for example, string cheese were the product in question, I think we'd all agree that it's okay and we can survive until production gets ramped up.

In the case of medication, however, this situation can literally cost lives. Children's Tylenol isn't exactly the kind of thing that will cause you to die immediately if you don't have it, but a lack of it will cause the symptoms of some children who don't get it to escalate to the point where they will need to go to the hospital when they otherwise wouldn't. Once at the hospital they will take up other resources which are also limited and which another child may die without. In other words, the lack of children's Tylenol is causing shortages of other goods which are more critical.

I should point out that none of this section is controversial, even those who promote market and individual solutions over government or centralized solutions acknowledge that these periods of adjustment occur under their proposed systems, they just believe that the benefits outweigh the costs. I simply disagree.

CONCLUSION

By making each American responsible for their own individual outcomes rather than making even the slightest effort at providing some form of centralized assistance we have created the conditions that lead to enormous market inefficiencies whenever a scarcity exists or even if one is feared to exist.

Ordinarily these are just annoyances, but when it comes to medication these inefficiencies can cost lives. There are some goods that simply need to be available when they are needed.

In a rational system we would acknowledge that some goods cannot be simply left to market forces, but our current system leaves us vulnerable to market swings when unexpected events force changes to supply and/or demand. In this way, our dedication to hyper-individualism is quite literally killing us and it would be wise of us to think about the things that we could make better instead of leaving each person to fend for themselves in a system that we know will kill some of them.

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Go Go Nekoma! Push it, Push it Nekoma! Coaches Chemisty (pt. 1)

Warnings: Angst, breakups, mention of virginity loss, Swearing

⚠️THIS FIC IS 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI ⚠️

Word count: 6000+ (split into 3 parts)

"I'm really sorry Y/N. I just don't see this going anywhere. We are both leaving for college soon and going to different schools at that" your boyfriend of the past 2 years, Naoi Manabu said as he looked down to the ground kicking the dirt below his feet.

Your eyes watered as you drown out the words he's saying.

"B-but we can make this work. I can come see you on weekends and we can still see each other over holidays and school breaks" you plead trying to save a relationship you know is doomed.

The past weeks had been rough to say the least. Manabu had been growing distant from you. Making excuses and staying later for volleyball practice to avoid walking home with you. To say it hurt would be an understatement. It broke your heart.

"Y/N I'm sorry, I just can't do this" Manabu said as he looked up seeing tears welling in your eyes.

"I love you. Doesn't that mean anything?" You say sternly as tears roll down your cheeks.

"Y/N-" he starts saying as you place your hand in front of his face.

"No. Don't. I gave you everything. I stuck by you through it all! I stayed late to walk with you home from volleyball practice. I came to as many games as I could! I stayed up late helping you study! Fuck I gave you my virginity!" You scream.

The emotions are just too overwhelming.

"Y/N-" Manabu tries to say as you turn.

"No. I'm done. Good luck with your life Naoi" you turn away letting the tears flow as you start to jog away.

Almost on cue the sky opens up and rain pours down on your head. This is just like one of those awful romance novels. The girl gets dumped by the love of her life only for rain to continue to dampen her day. Just fucking fantastic.

This was quite literally the worst day of your life.

*8 years later*

"Y/N darling can you please water the flowers outside. I forgot to have Vee do it this morning" Your boss asks you politely with a smile.

"Of course! Let me just finish this arrangement and I'll get to watering. You can head home if you like Bella. I know your poor husband must be starving waiting for you" you giggle as Bella rolls her eyes.

"Let him die. No good worthless piece of crap. Couldn't even take the garbage out last night like I asked him too" Bella huffed as she walked over to your table.

"Stay single Y/N, trust me getting married is for the birds. Sure you meet some handsome young man and he charms his way into your life but the MINUTE he says 'I do' its all down hill from there" Bella says to you as she sternly shakes her finger.

You can't help but laugh. Bella is in her 70s and has been married to the same man for 50 years. He's really very kind and helpful in the shop when he comes and visits. Sometimes you think Bella expects too much from her husband but she's quick to shut you up.

"If you don't establish dominance Y/N, these men will walk all over you! You are young and beautiful. You don't want any man. And if you do, find one who will worship the ground you walk on. A man who will lay his coat over a pile of manure for you to walk. A man who will put your pleasure before his own" she says as she lectures you for the 10th time this week.

Bella loved you like her own daughter. Her son had moved away years ago and wasn't around much. She often invited you and Vee to have dinner with her and her husband. The dinners were entertaining to say the least. Usually ending with Bella ranting about how naive women now a days are or how shallow men are.

You enjoyed your time with Bella and her husband even if you didn't share the same sentiment as Bella did.

You hadn't been on a date in over a year. Every relationship seemed to go the same way. There was never a connection. You tried hard through college and after to find someone but always managed to come up empty.

After you graduated college, you took a high paying job in Tokyo. While you were more than qualified for the job, it provided you with little pleasure. It wasn't until you stumbled into Bella's flower shop that you found yourself truly happy.

Surrounded by beautiful flowers and arrangements. It was like heaven. You returned to Bellas weekly to get a bouquet. Soon you found yourself becoming friends with Vee and Bella. It wasn't until Bella mentioned needing help that you made the decision to quite your job and start anew. While the jobs pay was much less than you had become accustom too, your lifestyle really didn't change. You sold your suits in exchange for overhauls, shorts and t-shirts. You got accustomed to dirt below your fingers rather than finely manicure nails. Sure it was a big change but you were so much happier.

You're days were long and busy. Often starting early and closing late. You didn't have family close by, and no significant other so you often took extra shifts and offered to help so the other two ladies could enjoy their husband's.

Both ladies knew about your past dating relationships and the "one that got away" as they so ironically referred to it.

You couldn't lie to yourself. You often thought of Naoi Manabu.

What was he doing?

You were sure he had to be married by now. It had been 8 years since you had last seen him.

After you broke up, you avoided the man like the plague. It helped you only had a week before school ended and you graduated. It didn't seem like he was too worked up over your break up. You had spent far too many nights crying over him.

You felt like you had lost the love of your life.

You, in fact, had.

💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐

"KENMAAAA" Coach Nekomata screams "stop running from the ball! We've been over this a million times!"

"I'd like to keep my limbs thanks" Kuzome Kenma whispers as he turns back to see Kuroo Tetsuro snickering.

"Kenma you act like you've never blocked a ball in your entire life" Kuroo teases the setter mercerously.

"Well I wouldn't have to if someone had read into the switch" Kenma glares at Kuroo who's smile drops.

"Alright that's enough" Naoi shouts as the boys return to their practice match.

He sits next to Coach Nekomata as he sighs "do you think they will be ready for nationals? We've only got a month before we leave. They've still got a long way to-"

"Naoi have faith. They will be ready. They are strong" Coach Nekomata smiles as he watches the boys continue to practice.

The game ends as the boys begin to pack up the gym.

Yaku Morisuke sighs as he finishes his stretches.

"Yaku what's got you bothered" Kuroo says as he kneels down to the team libero.

"I'm just thinking about Mai. I really like her but how do I even tell her. Confessing isn't really my strong suit" Yaku says as he rubs the back of his head.

"How about chocolates? Or maybe flowers?" Kuroo says with a smug grin "girls love flowers!"

"Tsk like you'd know Mr. Periodic Table" Kenma says non-chalantly as he walks by.

Yamamoto Taketora and Haiba Lev laugh at the rooster headed team captain as he glares at the 2nd year setter

"Are you even sure she likes short guys Yaku?" Lev laughs as the team shakes their head.

Yaku runs up to Lev kicking him straight in his back.

"Dumbass" Yamamoto shakes his head as he puts the remaining volleyballs away.

"Why don't we go check out that flower shop on the way home? What's it called like Bella's or something. It looks pretty nice" Kuroo says as he gestures to Yaku.

"Kai, you coming?" Kuroo says to his fellow third year and co-captain, Kai Nobuyuki.

"Sure I'll tag along" Kai speaks softly with a smile.

"Alright guys good practice! Remember we have practice this Saturday as well in preparation for nationals" Naoi shouts as the boys groan.

"And Kenma no skipping out. I'll have Kuroo drag you here if he has to" Naoi glares at Kenma who shakes rolls his eyes and huffs.

The boys showered and change, preparing to head to the flower shop as they wave their fellow teammates off.

Naoi boards the train heading home to his small apartment. To say things have gone to plan in his life would be an understatement. While he was doing what he loved, his love life was lacking to say the very least. He had tried numerous relationships, only to have them fail because he could never fully commit. He often found himself in a one-sided relationship where his partner would confess their love but he couldn't.

It became draining for the people he was with so he ultimately stayed single. He knew, in fact, what the problem was. The problem was that he had messed up the only relationship that mattered to him. He'd blown his chances with the only person whom he ever truly loved.

He had blown his chance with you.

When he decided to break up with you, he really thought it was for the best. He knew you had a bright future ahead of you and he couldn't help but feel like he was weighing you down. He thought it would be best to let go before it became impossible. Not that it wasn't hard to do. It broke him.

He found himself unable to date for years. You had been his first everything and you had been it. He eventually forced himself to move on. Having one night stands and short term relationships but never more. Commitment was hard when it wasn't you. He still kept the ring he had wanted to give you for your third anniversary.

Unfortunately he never got the chance to after he inevitably broke you heart. He often found himself staring at it, wondering how life would have been if he had in fact stayed with you.

By now you must be married with babies he thought to himself. It hurt to think about but he knew it would never be. You'd never be his. And he'd never be truly happy.

[theunaestheticstudyblr]

i loved your post on failing classes; it was really comforting

but how do i deal with the stress of trying to not fail a class anymore because if i do fail that class, then i'll lose my scholarship because my gpa will drop down too far?

Thank you!!! And I've been there. Lost my scholarship and everything. The stress is immense. At the time, it crushed me. But now, reflecting, there are several things I wish I would have known and done.

Talk to your teacher or advisor or tutor or mentor or someone. Professors want you to pass and reaching out can really help you.

Find an outlet. Healthily express your stress. Arts, working out, cooking, cleaning, whatever it may be, find a healthy outlet. Doing this helps you not only work out stress but gives you time to relax, think, and manage things better.

Analyze where you're falling short. For me in physics, it was when talking about combining forces and finding net forces and compound forces and such. Knowing this let me focus more on that subject than other subjects I already knew enough about to at least pass that section.

Join a study group. For example, my school has tutoring study groups that are led by a student teacher aid. See if your school offers something similar. If not, email some of your classmates and try to create your own!

Try taking walks. Studies show that the foot to floor motion helps increase blood flow. It also gets you outside and gets you moving which can not only help increase brain function but can also help decrease levels of stress.

Caffeine can also cause increase in stress levels. It definitely affects me a lot in that area, so when I'm stressed I avoid caffeine to prevent panic.

Spend time with animals. Talk to them about your class and assignments and work and topics. They won't judge you and will listen and still give you love. It helps you be able to process the stress and the topics in a safe and comforting environment.

Also know that losing your scholarship isn't the end all be all. I thought I would wind up failing out of university, my family would disown me, etc. In reality, things got harder and I have to work more, but I'm still in university. My family is still here. My teachers don't think anything less of me. And I'm slowly picking myself back up

If you can, maybe take a break from that one class and try again another semester. This gives you time to focus on other classes and get your GPA up.

Did you easily skate by in high-school? If so, you may be at a disadvantage. I never had to study in high school and still graduated with a 4.6GPA (3.89 unweighted). I never learned how to study different subjects and what works best for me. So I failed a lot of classes in university. This was really hard for me. I had no idea what to do or where to even begin. So it could just be that you're not studying in the most advantageous way for yourself.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, many colleges and universities offer free mental health resources such as counseling or therapists that you can talk to and they can help!

One weird thing that really helped me though was waking up earlier. By waking up earlier I had more time in my day and was happier and more productive overall as well as wasn't going out all the time like I was before. It helped get me on track real quick.

You got this! And I'm always here if you need any help or to rant or anything as well!! 🥰🥰 I just want you to succeed and achieve great things. I'm here for you!!