#purely for the sake of consistency and organization

[pippin-katz]

Merlin's Last Name

I have a dilemma. My OCD is super mad about the tags for Merlin posts, but I’m gonna tackle things one at a time, starting with Merlin.

I currently use Emrys because it’s the most common, but it’s frustrating to me because I know it’s not a surname.

Ambrosius is the second most common because I believe it’s one of the names used for Merlin in Arthurian legend. I’m starting to lean towards using it instead, but I’m not sure.

So what do you think? Spread this around please, I want to hear people’s thoughts on this.

[abyssalzones]

Hello! I really love your work in general and your OSDD Ford analysis, I have read it in full at least three times. There’s a line near the end about his different selves possibly becoming more organizing/appearing at different intervals, but you stop there for brevity. Would you care to share any further thoughts? (It’s fine if not.)

Thank you!!

Hi! Really glad to hear you liked it, wait did you say three times? that's nuts. god damn.

I could definitely elaborate, although I want to note that while in part I did stop there for brevity's sake I did also stop there for the sake of making a more unified point- and, importantly, I didn't want to drift too far into the realm of speculation. Or "just making shit up." I often have a hard time positing something if I don't feel it's being elaborated on from a textual basis... which might be kind of goofy when we're talking about a fanbase that was mostly AU content at one point but whatever I've chosen to die on this hill. Anyway.

All my thoughts about OSDD are highly influenced by my experiences with it obviously, therefore my thoughts are probably going to conflict with someone else's, but I think any "organizing" that would happen with separate parts would be heavily influenced by everything in ford's life calming the fuck down and not requiring a rotating cast of coping mechanisms. For example: a good chunk of clarified parts in real DID/OSDD experiences can be classified as introjects. Despite what you commonly see in online subgroups (no judgment, obviously) these introjects are often of real people that might be influential in your life.

repost of funny little comic I drew for effect ^

in my experience these things work on like... the basis of when they're Needed most. if ford is living in a healthy consistent environment with people who love him and can already provide assurances, I think the need to supplement that with any sort of internal coping mechanism would subside. then again, people are vulnerable when they're still trying to settle in a safe space after trauma, it's possible to invent an internal threat to, paradoxically, make circumstances feel more "predictable." coughs loudly. bill already existed functionally in ford's head 90% of the time so it just kind of feels par for the course that a shadow of him is going to stick around. maybe that seems sad or foreboding but I think it's just a normal part of coping with something that haunted you for half of your life. idk.

do I think these mental aspects would manifest outwardly? as in, like, fronting? not really. However I think if anything was noticeable it'd be a difference between like, "panic mode" ford(s) and "normal human citizen on earth" ford. I could definitely see a distinction of perspectives and ability between a self that exists out of pure survival (and probably still thinks he's in sci-fi hell or whatever) and the self that just chills and writes detailed notes on supernatural plants in his journal. there's also something to be said about [the entire fucking thing I wrote about dead alters and the perception of traumatic events as a type of death] and whether or not a part can actually meaningfully "die." sometimes the part of you you thought was a ghost is actually just scared as fuck and when things get less scary they start to come out of hiding. to put it vaguely.

all of these things can be attributed to other aspects of ford as a character: his c-ptsd, potential hallucinations and delusions, broader themes of death and revival irt trauma recovery, etc. but I think of any OSDD analysis I make as like, an extension of all of those things, if that makes sense.

to close off on a meme that nobody has used in years:

[beansricejc]

JOHN WICK x READER - The Courier

part 4!

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3]

summary: John sneaks into your apartment to surprise you when you get home, and asks for you two to become official. Then y’all finally get steamy in the bedroom, where he talks you through it the whole time. Female reader, 3270 words.

author’s note: thx for following so far! if you’re new here, I’d recommend reading the previous parts but it is not necessary! feel free to lmk what you think! I love reading what u have to say! thx 💕

warnings: cursing, p in v, relationship talk, breaking & entering, alcohol, implied organized crime, significant age gap. 🔞

Your condo was surprisingly easy to break into. Well, for John that is, and John’s the best there is. It’s no surprise that getting into your place without a key is a walk in the park to him. 

It’s been about a month and a half since the pair of you began to see each other. People John’s age would call it casual dating. People your age would call it a situationship.

One of the biggest challenges was John trying to keep up with your lingo, and then whenever he’d try to use it in a sentence, he’d fail drastically. 

Enough of that. 

John’s lurking around in your living room. He’s been here a few times before. Dinner, drinks, movies, and gaming nights, you name it. John’s Casanova identity was slowly being torn apart by you. He had developed feelings for you that he was convinced would never appear again after the death of his wife. 

The last place he thought those feelings would come from was a young crime boss. The sheer idea of it almost made him laugh, even if it was true. 

Tonight, he’s going to ask you to make it official. A public romantic relationship, between a budding crime lord, and an infamous hitman. 

It sounded ridiculous, yet it was all John wanted. 

-

Meanwhile, you’re driving back home from a very frustrating work meeting. 

The title of work meeting was a very loose term. It mostly consisted of you berating some of your workers for fucking up a decent sized delivery. Two of your employees had totaled their motorcycles, and were suffering from road rash, and the other one forgot to fill up on gas before the job.

Fucking idiots.

That didn’t matter now, you were blaring some A$AP Ferg just to let out some frustration, your Audi R8 was a fantastic car to speed down the highway in. You, of course, specialized in riding a motorcycle but fall was on its way, evident by the chill in the air. 

The plan for you tonight was to get home, drink half a bottle of Plum Sake, and pass out to some sort of Netflix Original playing on your tv. 

You thought about shooting John a text since he had messaged you a few hours ago. You decided you would text him once you got home.  

-

John was admiring your home aesthetic, he had complimented it a few times. You really had the 70s vibe down to a T. The nostalgia was almost overwhelming to him, you were a 2000s baby, and John was, well, not. 

John was surprised that you hadn’t said anything to show that you hated the age gap you two had, except for the occasional old man diss. 

John took a closer look at some pictures that were in frames on a shelf. He didn’t know exactly what they were. If he was a betting man, it would be a high school graduation photo with friends, vacation pictures, and then some competitive Motocross racing images.

“Damn, badass.” John chuckled, it was interesting getting an insider look at your life since you are a crime lord after all. 

-

You parked your car in the garage and made your way to your condo, a few floors up and a few doors down. Your stupid key was so hard to find in your purse, and you almost gave up looking for it out of pure exhaustion. However, you managed, sighing as you opened your door and kicked your shoes off onto the rack. 

You didn’t notice John at all. No one ever did. He was an expert, and experts act like ghosts when they need to. 

You hung your purse up on a hook and immediately went for the kitchen and into the fridge, searching for sparkling water to chug. You didn’t know why but the burn of it going down your throat was really great feeling. To you at least. 

As you grabbed a can, you could tell something was off. You weren’t that dumb. Any normal person would have gone about their business as usual, you picked up on a presence in less than two minutes. Impressive. 

“Hey, cutie.” John’s voice suddenly appeared from your living room, his tall and menacing figure emerging from the shadows of your dark condo. You jump, grab your gun that’s in your back holster, and stop abruptly after you realized it was John. You went into panic mode from hearing his voice and gasped to settle yourself down. 

“Shithead! Oh my god, you scared the fuck out of me!” You exclaim, there are actually a million other things you’d like to say right now. 

“Asshole!”

“I’m gonna knock your teeth in.”

“Holy shit, you’re hot as fuck.” 

Those were a few examples, of course, you didn’t say any of them. They were still going through your head though. 

John was cackling from the living room while he stepped towards you, you put your firearm down on your kitchen counter, fuming at the fact that he somehow broke in, and almost gave you a heart attack. John absolutely loved teasing you, watching your face getting frustrated or flustered really did something to him that he couldn’t explain. 

John joined you in the kitchen as you were calming yourself down, the danger you were in being a false alarm. He gave out a throaty deep chuckle, looking down at you with those menacing brown eyes. 

They were never menacing towards you. John couldn’t even imagine the thought of doing something to hurt you or to even intentionally scare you. Over the past month, he’s grown to like you more and more, a thought that scared the shit out of him. He’s gonna do it. He’s going to ask you to be his girlfriend. 

What a juvenile term, he felt much too old to even use that word but what else was there? 

John hadn’t exactly figured out how he was going to ask, one thing was for sure, it would happen tonight. 

He didn’t know why but tonight just felt like a really good choice. 

John’s long dark hair is slightly draped over his chiseled face, his eyes peering through the strands directly at you. 

“Sorry, angel. You’re just so cute when you get scared.” John tells you. You’re currently putting on the biggest pouty face you can manage right now, just to show your disdain for his prank. 

You can hardly be mad at the man. He’s just so damn attractive. He’s even wearing a tee shirt, you have never seen him wear one before. John’s toned biceps are peeking out of his short sleeves. Your eyes can’t help but drink in the sight of his bare arms. Multiple scars and bruises are sprinkled throughout his skin, ones you have yet to hear stories of, or even see. 

You snap out of your fan service moment when John takes his large hand to ruffle your hair. He loved the feeling of your thick and soft hair against his skin, and the smell? He had no idea what type of shampoo you used, the smell of it was embedded into his memory and only associated with you now. 

Raspberries, and coconut? That was probably the closest he’d get to guessing the scent. 

“I should upgrade your security here, it took me like 20 seconds to get in. I expected better from a criminal mastermind.” John tsked at you, playfully disappointed. 

He takes the chance to lean against your kitchen’s island, crossing his legs but his gaze has yet to leave you. 

You’re such a beautiful creature. 

The sight of John’s casual lean stirs something inside of your chest. 

Christ, can this guy get any sexier? You think to yourself. 

“Sorry, guess I haven’t looked into that yet.” you stammer. John waves you over, and you take a few steps towards him, laying against his body and setting your head on his chest. You press your ear to him, listening to the soft thuds of his heartbeat, the organ doing its job to keep pumping blood through this lethal man. 

“Hey, uh, let’s talk for a sec.” John says suddenly after about a minute of mutual silence. You scrunch your eyebrows and peer up at him, curious. Why did he sound so serious all of a sudden? He looked nervous almost. 

“Yeah, sure, what’s up?” you ask. 

John is quiet for a few seconds, it looked like he was trying to find the right words to say. You’re really enjoying laying against him since his body is so warm, and definitely not because of the muscles you can feel against your own. 

“So.” He starts. “What do you say we make our little situation exclusive?” 

Your eyes widen. No way. Absolutely no way. Was John fucking Wick asking you to be, oh Jesus Christ. The deadly playboy was being serious, and you can tell based on how his brown eyes are soft but with anticipation growing inside of them. 

Oh my god. 

You were clearly interested, even if both of your schedules clashed with each other. You two were well-known workaholics in the criminal underworld, the few times you got to see him a week were very romantic, however, short-lived. 

With this in mind, your time spent together was amazing but as far as the physical aspects, you two were taking it slow. You of course were doing it unintentionally, work tired you out, you haven’t really done anything sexual of the sort in years because of your painstakingly busy work life, and so on and so forth. 

John, on the other hand, was becoming a bit sexually frustrated. He really loved your wholesome time spent together, he did! Just, sometimes the way your pants fit around those hips and ass of yours, his mind tended to, wander, to say the least. 

“Are you asking if you can be my boyfriend, Johnathan?” you inquire, walking your pointer and middle finger up his chest to fidget with the hem of his black tee shirt. You were attempting to calm yourself down but were failing miserably, just the sight of John looking down at you in that idyllic gaze of his was driving you absolutely nuts. A soft but low hum escaped his lips. 

“Or maybe, I’m asking you to be my girlfriend,” he whispered down at you. 

You don’t really know why but you laugh. 

“Same question, different fonts.” you giggle. John huffs in amusement at your statement. He still doesn’t know where you come up with these things, or really how internet culture works. 

“God, you guys, and your memes.” he sighed. “You can’t leave a man hangin’ like this, angel. What’s it gonna be?” 

You haven’t had a real relationship in years, and it seems like John is in the same boat as you. He’s mentioned his late wife only once to you, obviously, it was a sore subject. He was serious about starting anew with you it seemed. 

“I wouldn’t want to be anybody else’s.” you murmur to him. 

John’s immediately filled with glee, and he squeezes you in a death lock of a hug. You eyes bulge as you attempt to hug him back but your arms, or anything really, are unable to move. 

Well, it’s official. The two of you shared an excited kiss before he goes to your living room, revealing the very nice bottle of wine he brought to celebrate the occasion. 

It seemed like he was betting on you saying yes. 

You’re quite flattered by his confidence, and grab two wine glasses from your liquor cabinet before you two sit on your orange couch and share the bottle with each other. 

Fun conversation ensues. You two are a fantastic couple, you guys found that out a few hang-outs in. John thought you were hilarious, and he definitely had his moments. The man was a total flirt, even after you two had been dating for the past month. 

Conversation turns into joking, joking turned into play fighting, and next thing you knew he was laying you down on your couch, your legs wrapped around his waist as he pressed his hard on in between your thighs. 

“We have too many clothes on, can we change that?” John asked as he stripped his shirt right off of his torso. 

What a sight to behold. 

Despite John being in his mid-forties, he has stayed in shape for the sake of his career, and it shows. Toned muscles have been revealed above you, and you’re honestly shocked. It’s the shape he’s in and the scars that got you, John noticed as your eyes dart to the different marks on his body. 

“Do I rock the bad boy look?” he slyly asks, his hands wiggling under you and lifting your body up and over his shoulder as he brought you to your bedroom, despite your gasp of surprise and hysterical laughter. 

You’re finally at an angle where you can see his tattoos, you didn’t know he had any. His back is covered, you can make out a Latin phrase and, a wolf. Was that a wolf? Guess he was Team Jacob all along. 

You squeal as he plops you onto your queen-sized mattress, and your lips crash into each other, desperately craving the other’s touch. John’s hands assist you in peeling off your shirt and jeans, tossing the clothing to the wooden floor. His breathing seems to heighten at the image of you in only a seamless bra and a thong, your soft skin, curves, everything is better than he had ever imagined. 

He’s going to absolutely ruin you. 

Minutes pass, and the sting of John’s beard dragging along your inner thighs is a sensation that is completely unfamiliar to you. Your hands are grappling at your duvet from underneath your now nude body, as John’s tongue is sloppily circling your swollen clit, and some inhuman noises are erupting from your throat.

“H-holy, fuck!” you shriek. You were no virgin but you haven’t been intimate with anyone for a few years. 

John couldn’t say the same thing. 

You knew what good was even if it has been a long while, and this was fucking immaculate. John dips two long fingers into your core, his eyes boring into yours while he was devouring your cunt. 

“You’re such a good fucking girl,” John mumbled into your pussy as he continued to lap you up with his mouth, the vibration of his words almost sending you over the edge. John’s using that signature come here motion with his fingers inside of you, and your hips buck, legs wrapping around his neck and squeezing to force him to stay in his current position. 

He had honestly forgotten how strong you are. 

He’s fucking obsessed. 

His other hand is stroking his completely erect cock, making sure he’s good and ready to claim you as his. 

You’re strong but John’s stronger. He’s able to easily push past your thigh’s grasp, you’re almost seeing double from the pure ecstasy he’s been so gracious to gift you. His mouth and chin are slick with your juices, his tongue dragging over his lips while he smiled down at you to savor your taste. 

You can barely think. Holy fuck, was this actually happening right now? Did John Wick make a deal with the Devil to have the ultimate skill of giving head? 

You blink a few times and catch a glimpse of John’s erection. Jesus Christ, it’s way bigger than you had ever pictured it. 

“J-John, that’s not going to fit!” you cry out at him, as much as you want him, that thing is fucking huge. John tilted his head of sweaty, messy, long hair, raising his eyebrows and giving you a chuckle. “Seriously? Baby girl, how long has it been for you?” John questions, spitting into his palm and giving himself a few more tugs to hold himself over. Somehow, your face becomes redder than it was already. 

“Uh, a few years,” you admit, embarrassed to even say it out loud. “Just, don’t really have the time.” 

That admission throws John completely off. It doesn’t stop him from rubbing his bare tip against your slick and swollen entrance. “Don’t worry, angel, I’ll change that.” he smirked down at you, his eyes are all over your nude body below him on the bed. You only reply with a small squeak in response to the sensation of his tip on you. “Just, trust me, princess. Can you do that, trust me?” John asks, leaning completely over you so he’s just a few inches above your sweaty face. You nod while he pushes into you, and there’s a lot of resistance to him, despite the several minutes of foreplay he had provided you. You grit your teeth and grip his back. 

“Hey, hey, you’re tense.” John murmurs, grazing your cheek with the back of his hand. You two maintain eye contact as he’s gently entering you. “Can you take a deep breath?” 

You listen to him, taking a deep breath, and even you can tell the difference in feeling down in your core. “See, look at that, you just need to relax for me, baby girl. Take another one for me.” John orders you sweetly.

You oblige. 

John lets out a deep breath, your tight cunt is almost overwhelming to him. After your deep breaths, your pussy is letting up and welcoming him now. 

“See, you feel that? You’re taking me in all by yourself now, good girl.” John praises while you respond with unintelligible whimpers, his lips peppering kisses onto your sweaty forehead. 

You can feel his entire length inside of you at this point, he’s so deep, you swear you can feel him in your cervix. You gasp before he continues, sliding in and out of you at a gentle and steady pace, nipping and sucking onto your neck and collarbone. This is sure to leave marks later but he could care less. People should know who you belong to. 

“You like that, baby?” he asks as he thrusts at a faster and deeper rate, you moan affirmatively, you can’t seem to respond in English at the moment, only squeals and whimpers that he can’t help but be attracted to. One of John’s hands travel to your cunny, skillfully rubbing his thumb over your tortured clit. You let out a small scream, your nails digging into his muscular back, he’s doing the same to your hip, so the feeling was mutual. 

John can feel your cunt tighten around his fast moving cock, he wasn’t going to last much longer like this, especially with no condom on. 

You were in the same boat though.

“J-john, fuck! I wanna cum so bad!” you mewl out, John throws a dark chuckle your way. The timing was spot on.

“You want me on your stomach, face?” He asked. 

“Just, just, do it, I don’t care!” You gasp, approaching your climax while he continued to rub your clit as he pounded into your tight little cunny.

“Don’t care, huh? Interesting.” He grunts. “I’ll make you my little Twinkie then, alright?” 

You’re quite literally in the middle of a tear jerking orgasm while he says this, so you really don’t have time to react to the absolutely ridiculous phrase. Your trembling legs and shaky grasp on his body is what sends John over, he cursed and grunted, releasing all the way into your cunt. Ropes of cum shoot into you, and you twitch at the sensation. 

You’re both trying your best to catch your breath as he pressed his forehead to yours and chuckled. 

“Did you just call me a fucking Hostess snack?” you huff out, and he can’t help but burst out laughing. 

“Yeah, I think I did.” 

[novastarrart]

Banban/Devil Headcanons

Just wanna get my thoughts out there so here goes. It's a lot so, there's your warning lmao

*Note: For simplicity's sake I’ll refer to normal Banban as Uthman and the actual researcher/genome donor as Dr. Uthman*

Banban/Uthman:

All the mascots seem pretty tall so I hc him to be like 6'5"?

His tongue hangs out of his mouth constantly, it was done this way to make him more appealing/cute to kids.

That being said, When he's aware, he can keep his tongue in his mouth, usually to talk. But absentmindedly it just sorta lolls out.

He has a form of body dysphoria, being that he sees himself as a human, even when looking in a mirror.

This is why he hates being called Banban and not by his "true" name Uthman (or Adam if he knows you well enough).

However, he doesn't get too angry if you don't know about all that in the first place. Still, he'll correct you with some annoyance (Like he did with Bittergiggle in part V).

He has some memory problems, due to his own memories mingling with Dr. Uthman’s. Sometimes he’ll forget who another mascot is (Like when he referred to Nabnab as “That thing down there”. Or when Sir Dadadoo first appeared: “Hey is that a friend of yours?”)

The party hats hide his horns, this was partially his choice, and partially the researcher's. They were worried the horns would scare the children, so they decided to hide them with something “fun”. He doesn't mind them though, he wants to look as human as possible.

His voice is very apathetic and monotonous, he doesn't have much control over this, it's just natural at this point. Whether or not his donor, the real Dr. Uthman, spoke like this, I haven't decided on. He definitely has an accent of some sort, which he picked up from Dr. Uthman.

He's actually a lot more emotive than he is in the game! Although he does usually default to that goofy smile

He doesn't really blink! He can close his eyes, and has eyelids, but for some reason he just cannot blink. He does not realize this at all, and it unintentionally  scares others.

Thanks to his donor, he's very intelligent and can actually perform a lot of different surgeries and has a vast knowledge of medicine. He obviously uses this to his advantage to uhh open up victims.

He can consume human food and drinks, but it really doesn’t do anything for him nutritional wise, this is more than likely why he feels consistent pain near his abdomen

Hellish Banban/The Devil:

So comparing the models, bro is taller than regular Banban, so he's probably like 7ft tall

Definitely more muscular and stronger, has better endurance too

VERY FERAL. He relies on pure animalistic instinct in this form, although he is still capable of speech if he needs to speak.

Loses his "human" side and gives in to his more monstrous side. Any human memories are probably just gone at the time.

Speaking of which, If you call him Uthman, he'll probably just laugh and rip you apart. He does answer to Devil/Demon or just Hellish for simplicity's sake.

As said before, this feral side is triggered by adrenaline. Usually triggers when Uthman is about to die or is severely hurt (sorta like a Bruce Banner/Hulk sorta relationship).

His horns grow longer and sharper in this form, as well as his teeth. This is... probably pretty obvious why.

He seems to lose his pupils in this form? Uthman's eyes turn all white when he's turned or about to turn.

And that's an indicator you should start running!

Relies more so on his sense of smell, then his sight to find his prey. I like to think his tongue is like a snake which he uses to pick up scents/vibrations (another reason it hangs out).

He can DEFINITELY smell human's organs/blood/etc.

He can probably also pinpoint if something is medically wrong with their organs too (Diabetic, kidney failure, heart problems, etc.). This would be very useful, however he's not really thinking of helping you right now.

He's a lot tougher and can handle being banged/smashed around (Like that fight with Jumbo Josh). He’s VERY hard to kill.

He'll eat any organ honestly, Pancreases are just his favorite! (Maybe they're sweeter due to them producing insulin? Who knows!)

Still has some intelligence, but this is mostly overridden by adrenaline and instinct to eat and kill others. Overall, he doesn’t think correctly when in this form and will do things that are harmful to himself and others without much thought.

Aaaaand that's about it for now? Let me know what you think if you want!

[gachagon]

I like Noel Noa a lot as a mentor character. While he's not my favorite mentor figure ever, I do think he's still a really cool character and that's simply because as time goes on we learn through what he says and does that he himself doesn't really view himself as "The worlds best". That is just some title that all these other people have generally pushed onto him.

Like when you first start Blue Lock you're of the opinion that Noa is this unbeatable god of a soccer player, and that nobody can ever be on his level. But then there are times where even putting Noa in the game isn't some instant win for his team. The people Noa is surrounded by are just as amazing if not more so, than he himself is.

And I think this quality of his, to be so ordinary amongst the extraordinary is why he gravitates a lot towards Isagi, because he is also a pretty great player among even greater players. And yet all of the other players want to beat Isagi, just like how all of these top soccer players are pretty much still vying for Noa's spot as number 1.

This whole match has really been about what it takes to "stay" as number 1. Not just what it takes to reach there, but what you need in order to keep your spot. We see Kaiser trying to beat Isagi but failing because he doesn't understand what makes Isagi tick, there's Lorenzo who believes he can become number 1 and stay there as long as he has the most money out of all the players on the field, we have Snuffy who is using an entirely new method that goes against the egoist theory that Ego created for Blue Lock and so much more. All these players are trying to beat someone else in one or another, and the biggest mystery is trying to figure out what they need in order to truly be number 1.

I like that this arc, despite being so slow and sort of mundane, has introduced new ideas about egoism in general and even went against the main egoist theory that's been persistent in the series so far. But not in a way that yells "Actually teamwork DOES work" because that's not how Snuffy's theory works.

I think it's so cool that Blue Lock managed to take the idea of "teamwork" and morph it into something that's still very inherently selfish. Instead of thinking for yourself, you think like a machine and just go through all the motions with the help of one person who is truly going to take credit for a lot of these plays, because he literally invented them for this game. Now in this match "Teamwork" isn't something that bonds them together, they aren't working together for the sake of making their own goals, but of purely winning and beating the other side.

They're all still separated by some wall like separate cogs in a machine that make it all work together. And they're going up against people who all have their own goals in mind, people who haven't turned their brains off during the game to just "play' and win, but to do other goals.

And Raichi is literally the perfect wrench to throw into this machine to break it's flow. Raichi has done such a great job of doing what he was told to do from the beginning, and he's been the one constant in their game. In order for them to get on a more even playing field, they need to have some level of consistency to their own play style. They need to be slightly organized to get on the level of a machine.

[lunaneko14]

I swear, it would've been easier for Kishi to just have Karin be Sarada's biological mother — myopia being hereditary from an immediate family member is one of the biggest telling signs; two of my cousins have bad eyesight and they got it from their dad/my uncle — and, for gods sakes, Karin still has the umbilical cord after all these years — and, I don't know, maybe Karin thought Sarada would have a better life being with Sakura in Konoha (and maybe she assumed Sasuke would return with Sarada to Konoha) than with her in Orochimaru's hideouts. Something, anything, instead of making Sarada a SasuSaku baby. Because, based purely on genetics and biology, Sasuke and the entire Uchiha clan (before they basically became extinct) never had myopia, and Sakura and her non-canon parents (per the famous 2014 post-manga interview with Kobayashi, Kishi deliberately made Sakura's parents not canon because he hates her and Japanese fangirls told him they hate her) also do not have myopia. Based on just that alone, logically, it makes so much more sense for Sarada to be a SasuKarin baby, because Karin has myopia and, lo and behold, so does Sarada. That's not even getting into how Sarada literally looks nothing like Sakura, yet even without her glasses on, she looks like a SasuKarin baby.

And then, IIRC, since it's been so long since I last watched the Boruto anime, Karin and Sarada have met at least once, and their interactions that one time felt far more organic and natural and loving than any of Sakura and Sarada's conversations put together.

Then, as you and I and many others have stated, Kishi has made it clear, post-manga, how much he doesn't like Sakura and how he treats her as just some side chick who was created solely to be a failed love interest after NaruHina was created. Why bother putting SS together when he clearly doesn't like Sakura, and he consistently shows Sasuke to be miserable around her and Sarada and/or deliberately keeps him away from them? How does Kishi go from consistently giving NH a lot of positive development (as a few anons pointed out recently: even as early as Chapter 42, Naruto admitted to himself that he acts like a big shot in front of Hinata — bear in mind that this was way before Chapters 77, 80-81, and 98-105) to, well, the way he consistently drags SSS into the mud with all that negative development?

I totally went on a swerve there, sorry, I just had a lot to get off my chest 😅💁🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

No you right.

Someone needs to tell Kishimoto to stop forcing Sakura to be Naruto’s Bulma, she’s not.

He purely wanted that SSS family because it would look off (at least to him) if just the boys had kids plus it would put her in the same place as Tsunade in a more pathetic way (because at least Tsunade was loved, her lover was just killed in battle. They could’ve very well had kids had he not died.) rather than have her surpass her master (Naruto had love and family unlike Jiraiya and with Sarada, Sasuke would be rebuilding his clan and turning good).

Kishimoto wants so bad to make Sakura the new Bulma except he has no heart in her. Bulma is an actual useful character. She was boy crazy but she left that to her teen years and she didn’t put up with men disrespecting her like Sasuke did to Sakura and look what happened, Vegeta kisses the ground she walks on now and they have a second child. Vegeta even quit training to be with Bulma for the birth of their daughter while Sasuke wasn’t even busy and he never came in for a birthday.

[ambersky-art]

Fan Reference Project: Masterpost

A masterpost of all the drawings I make for this project!

But what is this project?

This Fan References project is my goal to draw every (or nearly every) character from various fandoms. For some fandoms, I also plan to draw specific species if they're unique enough from irl creatures. The plan is to create a simple reference for each character consisting of at least one fullbody and flatcolor sketch, a color palette, and the character's name and the media they're from. These references will be posted daily. If you'd like to scroll through them all, every drawing will be posted under the tag wip: fan references and I will update this post as I go.

Included Characters

You can find a list of all the characters and creatures on this spreadsheet. Characters in white cells have already been drawn, though it's likely that if they are not linked here, then I have simply not posted them yet. I'm very willing to take suggestions, however, I make no guarantee of getting to it quickly/there's a chance it could take a long time for me to get to that character.

How will it work? What is the point?

Every day from January 1 (unless I specifically post that I am going on hiatus) I will be posting one of these references. At some point, I might increase the number of characters posted each day. I will be drawing these characters alphabetically, and they will be posted alphabetically. I will also be numbering each character in their post, both for the fun of seeing just how many characters there are and for organizational purposes. I wanted to do this for two reasons. The first is because I feel it would be good practice in drawing characters that aren't mine. I always feel like when I draw fanart based purely on grabbed images from media, there's always something off. Hopefully with a reference in my own style, it becomes easier to draw these characters. The other is so that I have my own clear reference for these characters, with an established color palette, so that I can draw the characters consistently.

Other Notes

This post could act as a notification post. At this moment (12/21) I'm unsure if people would want that. Just let me know if that would be a good idea, and I can post in the replies with a changelog of sorts once a week with which characters have been posted. All timelapses of these drawings are posted on my Instagram (@/ambersky0319) - at the moment (01/08) I don't intend to post them here.

Character Links

Below the cut is the actual masterpost portion with all the links. Unlike the posts themselves, which are posted alphabetically regardless of fandom, below the characters are organized by fandom. The fandoms are organized by character count, the fandoms with fewer characters first for the sake of scrolling.

Nimona (10)

Alamzapam Davis || Ambrosius Goldenloin ||

Buddy Daddies (15)

[characters]

Arcane (26)

[characters]

Danny phantom (34)

[characters]

Soul Eater (40)

[characters]

The Arcana (43)

Aisha ||

Carmen Sandiego (50)

Agent Zari || Amara || Ambessa ||

AFK Journey (53)

Alpha Bear || Alsa ||

She-Ra (54)

Admiral Scurvy || Adora ||

Avatar: The Last Airbender (75)

Aang || Admiral Zhao ||

Minecraft Diaries (82)

Aaron || Abby || Aerith || Alexis || Amber ||

Tangled the Series/Varian and the 7 Kingdoms (92)

Adira || Amber ||

The Owl House (99)

Adegast || Adrian Graye Vernworth || Alador Blight || Amber || Amelia ||

Nanatsu no Taizai/The Seven Deadly Sins (100)

[characters]

Stardew Valley (103)

Abigail || Alex ||

Total Drama (114)

Alejandro ||

Voltron (123)

Acxa || Adam || Alfor || Allura ||

How to Train Your Dragon (145)

Alvin ||

Hilda (161)

Abigail || Abigail's Dad || Adeline || Agnes Bragga || Aldinn || Alfur Aldric || Aloysius || Alvin ||

My Little Pony (Gen 4) + Equestria Girls (506)

Ace Point || Adagio Dazzle || Ahuizotl || Amethyst Maresbury ||

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (588)

BotW characters + enemies, a few TotK characters (NOT npcs like villagers, stable people, etc.), and most TotK enemies (must have differences to BotW counterparts)

Aerocuda || Agus || Aji || Akrah || Aliza || Amali ||

[liquidmodernmusic]

In Pursuit of Intellectualism

While I'm no longer a teacher, I still hear from some of my former students from time-to-time informing me about their studies, asking questions, or with words of gratitude. This one in particular hit my inbox with an intriguing question today.

Would love to hear YOUR opinions on the topic, too!

STUDENT'S QUESTION: Do you think America is more anti or pro intellectual today ?

"Short answer: Yes. America is INCREASINGLY anti-intellectual.

Long answer: Kind of.  There are a lot of nuances that don't allow the matter to be so easily defined.  Like most issues (racial, social, sexuality, etc) there are things that are better and things that are worse when it comes to intellectualism.  

On the  side, our country is increasingly MORE educated as post-secondary education is kind of a requirement for most job fields but education isn’t necessarily intellectualism.  While college used to be all about intellectualism it has now devolved into glorified job training.  University used to be about pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge, gaining a broad understanding of a wide array of specialized concepts, and a free-discussion of differences in opinion; that is simply not the case in the modern day.  Most students are forced to go there by parents, have a fear of future debt (and therefore don't want to spend extra time there), and face a VERY polarized world which doesn't truly value critical discussion. 

We also have the wealth of human knowledge at our fingertips and searchable within a few keystrokes, but fewer use this in an intellectual way than use it purely for self-gratifying entertainment.  While there is nothing wrong with people choosing to use their time in the way they see fit, echo chambers, social media bubbles, and disinformation make the average person ill-equipped to advance their own intellectualism unless they have been trained to do so which education/society are not great at possible because a pacified populace is easier to rule than a thinking one.

Education is NOT interested in intellectualism in the modern day.  While individual teachers take up this mantle and do the best they can, the system wants docile test-takers who think in a formulaic fashion so that their thoughts are equally formulaic which, unfortunately, turns those interested in furthering intellectualism off.  In my 12 years in education, I witnessed the degradation of the public education system at the expense of quality education, meaningful discourse, and student growth.  There are a million reasons for this (most political, sadly) but at the end of the day, education is a business that employs many people and is focused on public image and metrics rather than actually promotion intellectualism and therefore will be maintained no matter the cost to society.

Finally, it’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of any body that seeks to tell people “truths” about “myth” in order to control their behaviors and thought.  And while religious ideas (“God”, order to the universe, rules of decency) are a wonderful concept, the pushing of them at global and governmental levels is damaging in my opinion. Organized religion is, at its root, anti-intellectual (believe the text, what the “teacher” of it says, or bad things will happen) and since we indoctrinate youth regularly to it (against their will) it is one of the leading factors of our anti-intellectual society.  If you are taught that every answer goes back to “because God” that IS anti-intellectual.  

So, yes.  A LOT has changed since the 80s, some good, some not-so-much.  But isn’t that human history?  We tend to think of the world as a steady progression from “dark ages” to enlightenment but I look at it as more of a dense fog that becomes a little less thick over time yet never fully lifts.  While old problems have improved, new ones have stepped in to replace them and none of them ebb or flow at consistent rates."  

[ihavetomakethisblog]

Controversy comparison

Nothing gets more controversial than a United States election, baby!

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the president elect Donald Trump has been to work picking his cabinet members. and also to the surprise of nobody, people have problems with them. I decided to take opposites and run with it for the sake of this and grabbed a story from Fox news, commonly associated as a farther right news organization, and CNN, the democratic news strong hold who consistently fail at delivering any quality news. Despite my comments towards CNN, I also find Fox news to spout some unbearable nonsense, the only difference is that Fox at least doesn't want to make me switch the channel every time its on.

So, what did CNN have to say? a lot and it wasn't the best. Immediately I noticed something about CNN. They give the bare minimum info and refer to everyone as in relations to Fox news. Not everyone is defined by being associated with Fox news. For the love of God, CNN gets way with spouting the bare minimum and it works because people believe them. Honestly, look at who we're getting, compared to what we have. The only reason anyone remembers Biden's cabinet is because he claimed it to be the most diverse cabinet of all time. Other than that, there really isn't anything notable happening up there. Overall, terrible news article and incredibly unprofessional to the people its talking about

Now then, Fox news, it wasn't much better. However, I will say that everyone was treated with the dignity and respect their career demanded. Fox showed respect to the picks and didn't label them some mindless, insulting dribble like CNN did. Now that could be because some of them are associated with Fox, regardless, they didn't focus on the pointless stuff, they focused on what the readers should hear about the cabinet picks. Fox doesn't do much else except preach the good things about them, I'd like to see a middle ground. And that applies to CNN too, they only preached the bad stuff. Show some respect, but also, just tell the neutral truth. That's it.

So, is the truth discernable? No. No it isn't. Every person has a bad side, this true regardless of political orientation. However, it really makes me mad when people paint the democratic cabinets as pure saints and the republican cabinet as a crime against humanity. to find the truth about someone on trumps new cabinet, just look them up by name. CNN will paint them as an evil tyrant, whereas Fox news will treat them as the king of the land. Both aren't good ways to look at this. So take initiative, do the work yourself on a topic like this, like I had to.

[greniza]

One of the consistent elements of Human Domestication Guide is that the setting's core kinks are, in-universe, institutionalized and enforced to a greater or lesser degree depending on the story. To many people, those kinks are strange or off-putting, and the premise of being forced into such a situation is (understandably) horrifying. My first introduction to the universe was the original story, which can be (and was, by me) read as a character's life and mind being wrested from her control and sculpted by a malignant and alien entity with total technological and social power, transforming the previously defiant main character into a puppet whose new master could play with or discard as she saw fit. This is not to say the story is problematic -- fiction is fiction -- but it left a lasting impression of the canon that I'm sure others share. Such is the bitter taste present in-universe.

There are people that, upon hearing someone say "I like this" about anything, will turn around and say, "Wow, you like this? You want everyone to have this? I don't want this, and therefore you are a bad person for wanting to force me to have this." These people fail to appreciate that someone could conceive of having different preferences from them. The "but" is that, as mentioned before, the bitter institutionalization of the human domestication guide universe loads the statement "I want to live there" with subtext of allowing the HDG universe's subjugation upon the unfortunate listener so long as the speaker gets to live there too.

The speaker's belief is that the subjugation of the HDG universe would be an abhorrent experience. I would agree with previous' post that it is about control, and that evaluating control and self-determination as moral goods isn't necessarily correct. I propose that while seeking control or it's simulacrums may be irrational, it is a survival instinct. If I had the ability to wave my hand, say "abracadabra," and cause anything material I imagined to come to pass, I might not be happier, but I would definitely never go hungry, and things that I noticed hurting me would evaporate. With more money, more time, more this, more that, one is necessarily able to do more. In previous's example, they trade their choice of food for automatic, free, and instant preparation; this is an increase of agency for previous and a loss of agency for another. So, previous would opt in, and someone else wouldn't.

This survival instinct extends to hypothetical considerations of the HDG universe. "What if," a skeptic might ask, "I was assigned an affini who's just sadistic and likes it when I suffer? In-universe, I'm powerless. I have no recourse! That would be awful!" and that skeptic would be correct! They would have no recourse. Such is necessarily the framing of the setting. The problem, reassures canon, is the premise of the hypothetical. There are no evil affini. All are very long-term thinkers with the happiness of the organisms they care for as the top priority. There are no need for checks, balances, or anything that could impede them, as they are as pure as angels while working in groups. This is almost paradoxical; the affini are characterized as big, weird-looking plantpeople, but still people. People, as you or I know, tend to suck and be awful, to take things for themselves at the cost of others. They’re so like us in some ways that they must be like us in every way. Furthermore, the individual characterization of affini often comes to friction with this overarching premise, as individual affini are clever and good, but still undeniably people and still undeniably flawed.

Truthfully, subscribing to the paradox of affini being both comprehensible and benevolent requires effort and a willingness to suspend disbelief for the sake of fiction. If the affini are truly people with flaws and shortcomings, as compelling narratives often require them to be, then they cannot be perfect in the way that canon demands they be. But, in order for canon to not be a narrative idealizing giving "good-intentioned" authoritarians unchecked power, the benevolence of affini must be the case. To quote, of all things, the Federalist papers, "If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."

HDG critics do not have investment in the setting sufficient to justify upholding suspension of disbelief in the face of narratives they view as unsettling, while fans of the setting are able to justify this suspension due to their enjoyment of the works therein.

Is HDG problematic? Again, it's a work of fiction with a subjective interpretation. The setting explores a reversal of the survival instinct to seize control, with payouts to protagonists for doing so. Equally, the setting explores a universe where throwing oneself prostrate at the feet of an imperialist conqueror yields great rewards. It serves as a vehicle for critique of the modern system where your choice is to either submit or suffer; a system which advertises itself as at least having a choice. Ultimately, though, the core of Human Domestication Guide is the kink. It's fiction, not reality. Judging engagement with a fictional work, especially one centered around kink, is silly.

A critique I've seen of HDG is "you'd have no control over your life" and idk, I feel like I have so little control over my life now.

the main difference is here it's due to capitalism, ableism, and transphobia and I have to largely take care of myself. Whereas in HDG, I would be fed, clothed, my disabilities accommodated for, my transition would be done in a week And I'd have a large hot plant person caring for me the entire time.

If I'd have no control over my life, at least HDG is safe and sexy

[priyanshisingh]

Kojic Acid Market Is Expected To Generate A Revenue Of USD 72.9 Million By 2030

The latest market report published by Credence Research, Inc. “Global Kojic Acid Market: Growth, Future Prospects, and Competitive Analysis, 2022 – 2030. The global demand for kojic acid was valued at USD 62.5 Million in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 72.9 Million in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 2.20% between 2023 and 2030.

Kojic acid is a natural compound that is widely used in various industries, primarily in the skincare and cosmetics sectors. It is derived from different sources, most notably from fungi during the fermentation of rice for the production of sake (a Japanese rice wine). Kojic acid has gained popularity for its skin-lightening and anti-aging properties, making it a sought-after ingredient in skincare products.

Kojic Acid Market Key Growth Trends paint a promising picture for the future of this industry. Kojic acid, derived from various natural sources such as fungi and fermented rice, has gained significant popularity in recent years due to its remarkable skin lightening properties. The market is witnessing a surge in demand as consumers become increasingly conscious about their appearance and seek effective solutions for hyperpigmentation issues. Additionally, the rising awareness regarding the harmful effects of chemical-based skincare products has steered individuals towards more nature-derived alternatives like kojic acid. With an increasing number of manufacturers incorporating this ingredient into their product formulations, the market is experiencing steady growth across regions around the globe. Furthermore, technological advancements have facilitated large-scale production methods that ensure consistent quality and purity of kojic acid-based products.

Skin Care and Cosmetics Industry:

Kojic acid is primarily used in the formulation of skin care products such as creams, lotions, serums, soaps, and masks. It is known for its ability to inhibit the production of melanin, which is responsible for skin pigmentation, thereby helping to lighten dark spots, freckles, and other forms of hyperpigmentation.

Skin Lightening and Hyperpigmentation Treatment:

The skin-lightening properties of kojic acid have led to its use in products targeting hyperpigmentation issues, such as melasma, age spots, and uneven skin tone. Its natural origin is also a selling point for many consumers seeking more organic or natural skincare options.

Global Demand:

The demand for skin lightening and brightening products has driven the growth of the kojic acid market. This demand is especially high in regions where fair or lighter skin is considered desirable.

Regulatory Considerations:

In some regions, there have been discussions about the safety and regulation of kojic acid in skincare products. Some concerns have been raised about potential skin irritation, allergic reactions, and the long-term effects of skin lightening products.

Competitive Landscape:

The kojic acid market is competitive, with numerous manufacturers and suppliers offering kojic acid as an ingredient to cosmetic and skincare product manufacturers. Companies involved in producing kojic acid may include both large chemical manufacturers and smaller specialty ingredient suppliers.

Research and Development:

Ongoing research and development efforts are focused on improving the stability and effectiveness of kojic acid in cosmetic formulations. Researchers are also exploring ways to combine kojic acid with other ingredients to enhance its skin-lightening properties and reduce potential side effects.

Browse 228 pages report Kojic Acid Market By Grade (Pharmaceutical Grade, Cosmetic Grade, Food Grade, Others) By Type (Normal, Ultra-high Pure) - Growth, Future Prospects & Competitive Analysis, 2016 – 2030)- https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/kojic-acid-market

The Kojic Acid market presents both opportunities and challenges. To navigate this market successfully, stakeholders are advised to consider the following recommendations:

Firstly, manufacturers and formulators should prioritize rigorous research and development efforts. This includes enhancing the stability and effectiveness of Kojic Acid in skincare formulations, as well as exploring innovative combinations with complementary ingredients to maximize its skin-lightening benefits while minimizing potential side effects.

Secondly, maintaining a strong focus on safety and regulatory compliance is crucial. As consumer awareness of skincare ingredients grows, transparency in labeling, clear communication of potential risks, and adherence to evolving regulatory standards will foster trust and confidence among customers.

Thirdly, differentiation and diversification strategies should be explored. While Kojic Acid has proven efficacy in addressing hyperpigmentation, the market's appetite for natural and alternative solutions continues to evolve. Exploring novel botanical extracts, peptides, and sustainable ingredients can open new avenues for product innovation and market expansion.

Furthermore, market players should stay attuned to shifting consumer preferences and cultural sensitivities, particularly in regions where fairness standards are evolving. Adapting marketing and communication strategies to align with broader societal shifts will resonate positively with diverse customer bases.

Collaboration across the value chain is another key consideration. Building strong partnerships with raw material suppliers, manufacturers, and distribution channels can optimize production efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance product availability, ensuring a competitive edge in the market.

Why to Buy This Report-

The report provides a qualitative as well as quantitative analysis of the global Kojic Acid Market by segments, current trends, drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and market dynamics with the historical period from 2016-2020, the base year- 2021, and the projection period 2022-2028.

The report includes information on the competitive landscape, such as how the market's top competitors operate at the global, regional, and country levels.

Major nations in each region with their import/export statistics

The global Kojic Acid Market report also includes the analysis of the market at a global, regional, and country-level along with key market trends, major players analysis, market growth strategies, and key application areas.

Browse Full Report: https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/kojic-acid-market

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Related Report: https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/polychlorotrifluoroethylene-pctfe-market

Related Report: https://www.credenceresearch.com/report/polybutene-market

Browse Our Blog: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/kojic-acid-market-analysis-demand-statistics-top-revenue-singh

Browse Our Blog: https://medium.com/@priyanshi_97937/kojic-acid-market-analysis-with-size-revenue-growth-drivers-and-forecast-to-2030-a5cef27aba1f

About Us -

Credence Research is a viable intelligence and market research platform that provides quantitative B2B research to more than 10,000 clients worldwide and is built on the Give principle. The company is a market research and consulting firm serving governments, non-legislative associations, non-profit organizations, and various organizations worldwide. We help our clients improve their execution in a lasting way and understand their most imperative objectives. For nearly a century, we’ve built a company well-prepared for this task.

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[wayfares]

#𝚆𝙰𝚈𝙵𝙰𝚁𝙴𝚂  :   a  selective low - activity   western multimuse   sideblog  for  characters  featured  in  the  rockstar  games  red  dead  redemption  i  and  ii.     very  private  and  headcanon  heavy.     an ode to lost souls,  self recognition and self love through the other,  the kindness of strangers,  bloodstained hands chasing waterfalls ;  man and their appetite,  and the knife’s edge of love and greed.     made  11/13/21.     performed by jean,  23,  they/any,  cst.

documents.

dash rules. . .

you do not need to be following my main  to follow and interact with me over here.     however,  i do require that i be following you from there before interaction.

001.     activity

hey there !!    i’m jean,  23,  white,  use they/any pronouns,  and i write pretty sporadically.     this goes for ic and ooc interactions.     i un  /  fortunately work 40 hour work weeks,    and only get every other weekend off,  if that,  so my schedule makes consistent muse difficult on top of my focus.    sometimes i’ll be able to get out a couple drafts a week,  others merely once,  or not at all. if i haven’t replied or answered something in a while,  please know it’s nothing personal !     i’m just taking my time until i feel good about what i can put down.     i have other rp blogs i try to run as well,  therefore i might be very slow on this one at times.     i can be quite the flaky rp partner,  so i apologize in advance for that and completely understand if my antics   [  or lack thereof  ]   result in an unfollow.

002.     selective  

because of the previously stated,  i’m also highly selective with who i rp with.     i want to not to bite off more than i can chew,  and for the sake of pacing myself,  my activity will be reserved for mutuals only.     i reserve the right to drop threads with  /  unfollow  /  block anyone for whatever reason  ;  i won’t be exercising this left and right,  but it’s for my own comfort.     ocs  /  crossovers  /  duplicates are always welcome <3   [  duplicates let me know if you need me to tag same - muse posts and i’ll be happy to !  ]   mains are allowed,  as are exclusives if it happens organically,  but so far it’s not common if that’s a concern for any !

003.     etiquette

the basics  ;  don’t be an asshole,  any transphobia,  biphobia,  homophobia,  racism,  whitewashing,  pro - shipping,  incest,  etc,  will be blocked on sight.     no godmodding,  please cut your threads,  continue asks in new posts,  etc,  and no stealing of any personal concepts of mine.     loose inspiration is fine,  of course,  but if i see repeated similarities,  i may or may not approach you about it.     formatting - wise,  here is an example of my prose style.     i primarily use big ol’ text and static or no icons,  but feel free to format however you like and i’ll try to match you somewhat.     when following,  i generally keep an eye out for decent prose.     it doesn’t have to be anything fancy !     but if there are a lot of typos  /  missing commas  /  inconsistencies,  i will probably be less likely to follow back.     this is purely preference on my part.     if icons are used at all,  it will mostly be for primary muses,  otherwise i generally go iconless.

004.     shipping  

i’m all about exploring meaningful dynamics,  whether they be platonic,  familial,  antagonistic,  pre - established,  etc,  so feel free to shoot me a message if you’d like to plot something out between our muses !     while the mun of this blog is 18+,  smut just really isn’t my thing  ;  referenced  ‘ offscreen ’  as it were is fine,  as are nfsfw headcanons and such,  maybe fade to black  /  time skips,  but for the most part,  you won’t find any roleplayed smut on this blog.     this of course is muse dependent and does not apply to any underage muses.     romance is fine to some degree,  but again,  if they are a child,  anything beyond lighthearted and innocent experiences are off limits,  no exceptions.     if i see you’ve aged up a minor character for shipping purposes,  it will result in an instant unfollow.     if at some point i flesh out adult verses for them,  these shipping rules will not change.     on that note as well,  i do prefer to rp with muns who are also 18+.     i don’t see your age somewhere in your rules or pinned,  it will affect my willingness to follow.

005.     memes

memes from anyone,  anytime,  for the muse or for the mun,  are always welcome,  and often a go - to ice breaker of mine since starter calls make me nervous.     please don’t hesitate to send a good handful since i try not to cage myself into answering ones i just don’t have muse for.     i find if i force stuff,  i’m just less likely to ever actually get it done,  so don’t feel like you’re overwhelming me if you send more than just a couple for me to choose from.     asks from mutuals will be prioritized,  and i’ll most likely only continue threads with them as well.     please remember to specify which muse your asks are for unless it’s to one of my sideblogs.     if you want to start a thread from an ask,  i greatly encourage it !     i just ask you start from a new post to keep things tidy !

006.     triggers  

many of my muses have canonically been through some messed up stuff,  as well as leaning horror - adjacent to me in many ways,  and this blog will be portraying that accordingly,  including trigger - heavy content such as  :  depression,  ptsd,  panic attacks,  violence,  murder,  kidnapping,  self harm,  smoking,  abuse  /  neglect,  animal death,  horror elements,  cannibalism,  torture,  brainwashing,  death  /  resurrection,  religious imagery,  etc,  but i will try to tag it as  ‘ trigger // ’.     on that note,  please do keep in mind  :  any abuse present on my blog will be in headcanons or backstories,  never actual threads.     if i’m writing with villain muses,  physical harm may be present,  but i refuse to roleplay any domestic  /  animal  /  harm or abuse in any form.     my personal triggers are visual eye gore,  visual self harm,  and visual vomit.     please do feel free to say something if i forget to tag a post and i’ll try to tag it for you right away !

thank you for taking the time to read my rules,  and rest assured if i follow you,  that means i’ve read through yours as well <3

007.     blogroll

* enslaughts.     a low activity horror - heavy multimuse. active.

* dvrast.     a selective slow jesper fahey. active.     follows from enslaughts.

wayfares.     a selective low activity western multimuse. semi - active.     follows from enslaughts.

* vigilaent.     a selective low activity dc multimuse. active.

greatloss.     a selective slow five hargreeves. hiatus.

clericlost.     a selective slow william byers. hiatus.

mindsflayed.     a selective slow mind flayer + vecna. hiatus.     follows from clericlost.

[controlyourspendings]

Learn how to Manage Your Money Comfortably

stop wasting your money

The way you manage everyday life and money can be relatively evident on what you manage your job or business in addition to lifestyle as a man. You may be enjoying some promising career immediately or in the middle of creating your business for far more profits or simply asking yourself how you could get around your current financial complications and obtain financial versatility in the future that all one should need to know in the first place will be the proper way of dealing with your money for a whiter future.

stop wasting your money

Think spine of the way anyone handle your money while having college years. Capital management during these yrs may seem different to kids since they came from various family cultures along with backgrounds. You may have your privilege to live your college life rife with fun and comfort compared to other trainees who work to fork out tuition fees to get themselves and other fees involved that you may not really be aware enough about how important is adhering to a tight budget. Anyway you may be into, you have to know and practice efficient money management patterns for a successful temperament and lifestyle.

Truthfully About Managing Position

Money, like hard work, could be preserved, misused or duplicated to be able to endless amounts according to how you handle this. You may come from a good rich clan by using pure money success along your way or simply from a poor household but both of you possess choices on how you can actually make more money in the long run to create financial freedom.

Anyone maybe rich sufficient to look for a career right after college or even to go to further studies in any way but if you only just spend all your funds for fun together with pleasure during your junior and never think about the extensive course of life, you will soon realise you are having little or no revenue at all that your past recourse is to get funds or even more serious be drowned in arrears. No matter how full you are if you will not likely work or look into ways to maximize and additionally duplicate your information a hundred fold and stay lazy all the time, then you certainly will definitely get a flavor of poverty in fact.

On the other hand, if you are members of the group of being employed students and lessen class families however , with a strong willpower to succeed and solely practice the best way around handling money problems, then you have a improved chance to succeed and grow a multi-millionaire subsequently or be no less than financially free.

Anyone has equal privileges to become rich. The facts revealed here is how well you practice this points outlined less than for fame in addition to money for more success.

The ultimate way to start with your money organization journey is to pay back your bills timely each month.

Aren't getting so many credit cards designed for luxuries' sake. A couple important cards unavoidable to your business have to remain but slash your spending routine to a minimum.

Have your expenditures consolidated in one lending product to avoid higher apr for more advantage.

Get a funding that works to suit your needs each month to avoid jogging out of funds consistently.

Get your directory expenses and revenue in a very realistic mode and find more strategies to maximize your income despite the fact that minimizing your payments.

The key factor in obtaining financial freedom with one of these tips is in route we deal with much of our lives, career, organization and other habits. Very own preferences and private attitudes determine a person's level of success inside getting stable capital management patterns. Self-discipline yourself very well along with carefully follow a tips shown at this point and you will soon be aware of the reality of all these materials for lasting results and happiness.

[faint-petrichor]

not being the ultimate beneficiary of imperialism does not mean you still aren't being paid off to condone it! if you're recognizing it harms you anyway then you're getting closer to the truth but you have to keep going. you need to learn how the material wealth (not simply dollars, but commodities and infrastructure) of the global north is built on the extraction and exploitation of the global south.

it is a fundamental contradiction: even if the "greedy oligarchs" went away, the global south would still have to be exploited ruthlessly to sustain the standard of living your country has come to expect, even as that standard of living declines. the productive forces of the entire world are currently funneled towards the imperial core, leaving workers of the global south even less of a beneficiary of their labor than you are. fixing this inherently requires a substantial reduction in the availability of commodities in the global north.

if you say "I don't care about that, I just want health care and food and housing!" then realize any abundance of those is still currently built on the same exploitation. raw materials are extracted from the global south by workers who are enslaved or in otherwise despicable conditions. your farms are tended by immigrants with no rights, barely paid and brutally exploited. it's hard to acknowledge, but this is the current reality. this is happening to your fellow man every day, and whether or not you like it, you are in some capacity enjoying the fruits of this pilfer. if it makes you feel sick it should!

it doesn't matter if you have x or y when others don't, but making excuses to justify your complacency in the exploitation and deprivation of others is pure chauvinism. this is exemplified the most by how you have framed solidarity of the global north working class as something global southerners must earn, rather than something that should be unconditional by principle.

if anything, it is global northerners who need to prove to the global south that they care about them—something they have consistently failed to organize on the most basic level. it's not enough to look after yourself and 'your own', as that clearly means you are willing to throw others under the bus for your own sake.

Honestly I feel like the internet in general is so USAmerican centrict because I once said only rich people have coffee machines, and a bunch of Americans called me poor. And like yeah maybe to them im poor because im from South East Asia but like im comfortably middle class here my parents dont have a coffee machine I don't either and none of my friends has a coffee machine. Everyone just uses instant coffee.

Like just because it isn't a luxury to YOU doesn't mean it isn't a luxury to the rest of the fucking world

I think what a lot of people are too uncomfortable to hear or face is that their baseline conditions are as good as they are at the expense of other countries. I think this is a reality that makes people uncomfortable, that what constitutes a minimum salary in the US would make you middle or upper class in various parts of the world. I think people are just really uncomfortable by that notion and they should be but it's also important that they face it

[92fs]

There’s a popular opinion that Mello’s rosary is a sign of going for “mafia aesthetics” rather than a sign of his faith, but I deeply disagree with this opinion. 

In this post, I want to discuss Mello’s crosses being a sign of his personal religion rather than the sign of his aesthetical leaning. 

There are multiple religious attributes that we see Mello wearing in the manga: rosary on his neck, prayer beads/bracelet with a cross on his wrist and a cross on his Beretta: 

The rosary Mello is wearing is a Catholic rosary with a pendant - a flat bead in the middle. The bracelet with a cross is not another rosary, but rather something that looks like a prayer bracelet with a cross. Both of these are religious attributes and while a rosary is very often seen as an aesthetical piece, prayer beads are not.  The cross on Mello’s gun also looks Catholic and might be there for the sake of “blessing for a good shot” if Mello’s religious. Otherwise, there’s not much reason for the cross to be on the gun handle. 

The opinion I often see is that these symbols are tied to the aesthetics Mello seems to follow, but this sounds like a reach to me. The reason is because we actually do have another character who wears crosses for aesthetical reasons - Misa. Let’s compare the crosses: 

It’s obvious that Misa’s cross and Mello’s one are drastically different. Mello’s cross is detailed, with beads and a pendant - obviously religious whereas Misa’s one is a simple chain with a cross-shaped pendant on it. She doesn’t wear any prayer beads or anything of the kind either. The creators knew how to portray someone with an aesthetical approach to wearing crosses - which they did not do when creating Mello. 

Now, a lot of people seem to assume Mello’s crosses are there for the sake of keeping up with the “Italian mafia aesthetics”, but the mafia in Death Note is never said to be Italian.  Officially, it’s a westcoast criminal organization with a man as the head of it - his name is Rod Ross. He has absolutely no religious symbols on him, is only shown wearing a chain, and it seems like a reach to assume that the mafia as portrayed in Death Note handles religious attributes as aesthetics: 

Not only that, but the gang majorly consists of people with German and American names, thus not fitting the “stereotypical Italian mafia” image people seem to impose on it.  It needs to be noted there are characters in Death Note with Italian-sounding names, like Giovanni or some names Light put down in the notebook, so the creators clearly knew how to create a stereotypical Italian syndicate group - but they did not. 

The gang isn’t even Mello’s, he’s simply associating with them. So, there’s no reason to assume that there’s any connection between Mello’s temporary association with a criminal group and his crosses. Also, it’s important to note that the creators likely had no idea what they were doing when creating this criminal organization. Judged by its members and by the way it functions, easily being dragged into helping Mello and treating him like a boss, it’s more of a criminal gang that a family-like structured mafia syndicate. 

Lastly, symbolism wise, Mello isn’t just shown wearing a cross or two. He’s constantly around very detailed, specifically Catholic attributes, crosses with and without crucifixes. It is even there when he is shown dead, which seems very important to me as there’s no reason to show something purely added in “for the aesthetics” in a scene as impactful and important as the character’s death. In LABB, he also speaks on “the Almighty”, comparing the shinigami to this deity he’s talking about - which also points out his religious standing. 

To sum it up, to me, it seems like Mello’s explicitly religious. With the gang that is not even his nor Italian, with Mello wearing other specifically religious objects, including a prayer bracelet, and with his differences from a character who was in fact portrayed treating cross-shaped objects as aesthetical means - I fully believe Mello is supposed to be Catholic.

This plays well into the plot as well as the dichotomy of Mello and Near being opposites of religion and Tarot-base spirituality. Treating Mello as someone non-religious, to me, is missing a lot of obvious symbolism and stripping him off a very important part of his personality. 

[oysteringofclamelot]

A Lesser-Spotted DinLuke Rec List

Hi!

I’ve noticed a lot of requests for fic recs lately (I know I’ve been wanting some!), but it seems like it’s always the same few getting recommended, and while I agree with those being good, I’ve already read those, and it feels like others have too.

So I set out on a little foraging quest with a few parameters laid down, in order to make a rec list that didn’t feature any stories that I’ve seen recommended before.

Those rules were:

1.       Completed fics only – this was for my sake as I didn’t want to be left wanting as I read these. 

2.       None of these were written by my friends, nor by me. I purposefully chose authors with whom I’ve never interacted, or at the very least, people whose Ao3 names I do not know. This list is based purely on the fic itself.

3.       No toxicity. No dark!character, no “possessive” behaviour, no SA, no rape, none of that. None. I don’t tolerate it.

4.       This is not an absolute list – and I urge you to take a deep dive into the tag. Want to avoid the Nasty Stuff? Here’s the link to the search I used, with the exclusions I used.

5.       Sorry, I didn’t rec fics that just aren’t for me and my preferences, again though, I urge you to take a look! There’s lots of treasures to be found!

6.       THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST IN ANY WAY! Go explore! Give some love to lesser-known fanfiction authors!

(Authors, if you don’t want to be on this list, please let me know, and I’ll remove you)

And now, my findings (under the cut):

5k and Under

Consultation – Jestana, G, 320 words, Pre-relationship, canon-divergence, discussions of the Force, short, sweet.

Devise – Rivulet027, T, 1k, pre-relationship, pining, crushes, discussions of being a Jedi, soft

Sunrise – Eccentric_Grace, G, 1k, fluffy, small hurt lots of comfort, Luke has PTSD, Din helps, very soft, very gentle, well written

Pink like the sun going down, maybe – SunshineAndaLittleFlour, T, 1.5k, Modern-AU, humour, slice of life, short but sweet

Organ Chords and Lightening – this_is_too_fyucking_much, T, 1k, Canon-divergence, sexual tension, competency is sexy, sparring, UST

bowie in the morning sun – bespokebones, T, 4k, Modern-AU, campy horror, mark Din down as scared and horny

the body was made soft to keep us from loneliness – torrents, G, 5k, Character study, canon-divergence, absolutely beautifully written

 6 – 10k

My Pain Fits in the Palm of Your Freezing Hand (Taking Mine) – Acespacedweller, G, 6k, Angsty, tbobf ep 6 feelings, Grogu’s choice, and whether he really has to make one.

Imposter Syndrome – motherofcorgis, G, 6k, Pre-relationship, crushes, self-doubt, what it means to be Luke Skywalker

winning love by daylight – sinkburrito, T, 9k, Sailor-Moon-esque AU, a delightful read, very fun, a little angst, action

 Over 10k

I have made this place around you – HeadOn_HelmetOff, T, 25k, Falling in Love, a little angst, pining, meet-cute, soft

The Way – 1am1ronman, M, 33k, Canon-divergence, Lightsaber training, beautifully developed relationship, Din Djarin Keeps the Helmet, (This is absolutely wonderful, a true gem)

 As stated above, this is in no way an exhaustive list, but I hope it provides a starting point for those who want to find more DinLuke, but are wary of where to look, or simply are overwhelmed by all the possible choices.

If you’re concerned about coming across works that are consistently untagged, incorrectly tagged, or cover subjects you dislike, I’ll direct you here to a post about how to block things on Ao3 using site skins.