#sleep is also extremely unsatisfying

[autisticlee]

everyone likes to tell me "exercise and you'll get more energy!" but I exercised for maybe half an hour 2 days ago and haven't been able to get out of bed or do anything since then. i'm so tired and everything hurts. why didn't it work?!

[arijackz]

PICK A CARD: Your FS' Secret Kinks

❦ “She lowered her lashes until they almost cuddled her cheeks and slowly raised them again, like a theatre curtain. I was to get to know that trick. That was supposed to make me roll over on my back with all four paws in the air." - Raymon Chandler, The Big Sleep

Disclaimer: This is a general reading, take what resonates. This is a gender-neutral reading, change any pronouns to apply to you.

p1 → p2 ↙︎ p3 → p4

✦ Pile One ✦

Poor lil pooh pooh. This person struggles to “fill their cups up” so they get off on denying themselves pleasure. They secretly like the feeling of hitting whatever rock bottom looks like to them. Honestly, they want to be saved. They are wallowing at the bottom of a well, waiting for their savior to swoop in and throw them a rope. 

In a more literal sense, they want a person to be their reason to live. Their reason to feel daylight on their skin again. Everyone and everything around them is unsatisfying and “fake”. They want something real to coax them out of their hell and entice them with all the thrilling things life has to offer. 

However, they also like this dark and brooding side of themselves. They have a bit of a corruption kink.

They fantasize about a virginal angel coming down to save them, but they end up convincing the angel to sink down to their level. 

They like exciting, spontaneous people who are willing to jump up and run out the door to do something fun at any moment, but think innocent fun. Like going to the movies to theater hop, and getting away without paying. Or, running around the Target parking lot in shopping carts and trying not to bang into cars. Maybe even steal a few street signs. 

Innocent childhood fun that you’d see in early 90s movies. But add a sadistic twist to it that only they are aware of. 

You would be the innocent virgin (doesn’t have to be true, it's their fantasy) who is unknowingly leading this beast (also not true, they are just extremely self-deprecating) to your pretty little happy places which they plan to desecrate.

They want to fuck you in your family home and make a mess of your childhood bed, making you scream so loud that you’re family starts to look at you differently. They want to take you to your favorite movie spots where you usually chill and hangout with your friends and turn it into a place where all you can think about is them covering your mouth in the back of the theater while you’re squirming in their lap, trying to escape out of their grip as they edge you to the new Marvel release. 

They have a kink for turning all of your innocent, fun moments into their very own filthy fantasies.

Ps. Fisting came out of the blue so lube up!

Come To Me, My Senseless Angel

✦ Pile Two ✦

I don’t believe this is a future spouse, to be honest. This might be a situationship you need to move past. They seem emotionally immature, or at least this is a side of them that exclusively comes out when they’re aroused. 

They can be quite abrasive and feel like they are constantly under attack so they’re incredibly defensive. They have a history of lashing out at their loved ones when they feel overwhelmed and get so blinded by their emotions that they disregard their affection for their partners and say really unforgettable, harmful words which permanently alters the connection for the worse. 

They carry guilt from these actions and are in a constant state of regret. In this state, their sense of pleasure is a little twisted. They get turned on by causing a genuine issue in the relationship. They like the idea of pushing you to your limit where you’re this 🤏  close to your breaking point and at your absolute lowest. It’s when you reach your rock bottom and realize the need to move away from this person and you scream out, “I DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS.”

They like to grovel. You know that cycle where somebody fucks up and then they’re in the dog house buying flowers and being extra fluffy just to get in the victim’s good graces so they can do the same thing over again. So far, pile one and two’s respective partners like to feel like shit. They secretly like the moment where they completely fuck up a relationship and have to beg on their hands and knees to get their person back orrrrrr they get off on emotionally tearing someone down to the point where they get on their knees to bed for this person’s attention. 

Either way, there's a lot of fucked psychological issues underneath this fantasy that I’m not unpacking here because it differs from person to person. 

In its best light, this person glorifies struggle love. At its worst, this person is purposefully emotionally abusive with the intent to tear their partner down for their own sexual gratification. 

They’re conscious enough to know their actions are toxic but don’t have the emotional maturity to work past their actions. They’re at the phase where they’re just aware and are like “I know I’m shitty but that’s just who I am. If they stick with me and the sex is good, it’s meant to be.”

I’m honestly getting twitter relationship hypotheticals with this one. Iykyk.

They’re also an edgelord. Less in an internet cockroach way and more in a witty- can be funny if done well- way, but they get pleasure from shocking people nonetheless. This energy can be directed toward you to piss you off and annoy you with the intent of getting in your pants later. 

I’ve been guided to switch the conversation briefly: If this resonates and is someone you are dealing with. It is time to move on. This person gets gratification from hurting you and will not get past that high of tearing down a relationship and then having a messy recovery. They have their own issues to work through and cannot see how they are hurting you. There is no future with this person, they came into your life to teach you a lesson about your self-value. That cycle has run its course and it's time to move on.  

To be honest, I’m not a fan of this person and don’t even want to list the explicit kinks that came out but I will just in case this message is for you but you’re not sure.

Random messages: Hot tub/pool sex, hair pulling, break down crying, interracial, milk, broken condom, “i fucking hate you”, “whore”, mirror, drunk sex, complaining, smack a bitch, twitter

P.S. You’re too sexy for the bullshit! There is bigger and greater out there, you just need to believe that for yourself!

This person will not get a mood board out of me.

✦ Pile Three ✦

Okay, so this person has some deep religious guilt. This is a male presenting person. I am being clear with their sex because it plays a role in this reading. They have some majorly repressed feminine energy. They may even be attracted to the same sex. 

This is a fs reading, so they are likely bi, pansexual, or trans. Either way, their family is close-minded and is not supportive of them. They were forced to leave home so they could finally live their truth. They have lived their entire life fitting somebody else’s narrative. They were the hypermasculine bro type to “cover up” their femininity. 

So, they have a kink for hyperfeminity. It’s almost to the point where they obsess over the caricature of girlhood. I see lots of pink, high heels, full-glam, all-day mall shopping, pinup curls, flashy jewelry, sleepovers, day spas, that scene in Scott Pilgrim where that girl is like “SHE’S PROBABLY LIKE 25!”, and everything else that gets associated with “girlhood” nowadays. 

They fantasize about you in your receptive energy, being waited on and cared for hand and foot. They like to observe the way you move. Everything about you and your feminine aura is incredibly alluring to them. The way with each breath your breasts fall, your hips swaying with each step, the cute way you match your accessories with your outfits. They notice everything about you. 

You know those paintings of wealthy women lying on their sides and being fed grapes? That. They’re not in the serving role, they're the painter. Their kink is capturing you in those everyday moments where the world seems to be waiting on you like you’re the collective’s queen.

They see femininity in a higher light than the general population. They see women as automatically deserving of this type of care, they also want this care. 

They have a secret hard-on for pregnant women and women with swollen breasts. They have a lactation kink. They fantasize about cumming in you over and over again. They see you as a Goddess, so they want to see you masturbate at church on an altar, like you're waiting to be worshipped. 

A lot of their fantasies, they’re not even included in. It’s just you looking God-like and being worshipped by the world around you. This person may hate when you wear clothes. They act like the fabric is committing a sin by covering your body. They just want to capture your essence. Like an admirer and a student.

P.S. Dick game goes CRAZY. They watch a lot of women-focused porn to study what gets a woman off. Like Maddie in Euphoria, he is there to study.

Pretty In Pink

✦ Pile Four ✦

WE GOT A PLEASURE DOM IN THE BUILDING Y’ALL STAY CALM. As my mama would say, they love your dirty drawls!

You could do no wrong in this person’s eyes. They’re the golden retriever type. Head empty, leading with heart and IN LOVE>>>>>

You are the pot of gold and the end of the rainbow they’re chasing. They appreciate a good fling but they’ve never felt this before. The emotions you stir in them are unprecedented, this is puppy, sandbox love that most people lose touch with after life jades them.

This is raw love at its most unprocessed. I taste honey. 

They have a kink for the power you have over them. It’s like you have a carrot on a stick and they’re the pig being led to a love den they can’t escape. And they’ll happily be the squealing pig in every lifetime they get with you. This is a soul yearning. 

You will know this person because they will proactively pursue you and they will have no doubts in their mind about it. They are really attracted to your physical form, your curves. Even if you’re on the slimmer side, they like your structure and the dips in your spine. They’ll stare at you when you’re talking and zone out, thinking about how attractive they find you. 

They’re not used to having to try to get someone to sleep with them. They have to put effort towards you and they like that. This person is downright thirsty and craves intimacy with you.

Their fantasies aren’t even dirty, they’re passionate. They want to put you in a mating press, with your knees pressed all the way up beside your ears. They want to penetrate (could be with a toy) deeply and touch that gooey part of you that makes you see stars. 

They want to see an imprint of them in your lower belly. Any position where you’re in their arms is a go for them because they like having you. They want every moment to be just you and them away from the world. So very sweet and intimate. They also love marking you, expect lots of hickeys.

Ignore them from time to time too (healthily, these conditions should be discussed beforehand)! They see you as the ultimate prize, so if you delay their satisfaction, they’ll feel like they’re chasing again, which gets them off. They like to feel like they’re convincing you to sleep with them. You both are consenting, but they like the idea of you having better things to do and they’re trying to convince you to stay and party with them. 

They are very action-oriented and love movement. Anything that involves an adventure together, they are down for. 

PS. Surprise them with a bubble bath together, they’ll love that. And tease them while pulling their hair a bit!

Ode To My Darling Sun

[helloanthy]

🗒️ 24.06.2024 ⋅⋅⋅ 🐈‍⬛

uncolored version of yesterdays anthys bc im unsatisfied with how they came out even tho i spent so long on them lmao ......... unfortunately day later i still think they looked better before 🥲 sleep did not fix my eyes also an extremely crunched up giffy of bby anthy bc tumblr wont let me upload the full size 🫠

[galaxymagitech]

For the ask game!

🌈 & ☔️

Thank you for the ask!!!

WIP Ask Game

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.

Most of my works are Hurt/Comfort, so in my WIPs...I haven't gotten to the comfort yet. But this is kind of soft on its own, even if the context around it is angsty:

“He believes in me,” Duke decides. “I don’t need him, but he believes in me. Even when he didn’t know he was Batman, that I was in We Are Robin, he still believed in me. I was just a smart-alec kid at the Youth Center, and he believed in me.” He looks up, meeting Alfred in the eyes. “You believed in me.”

“I did,” Alfred says. “I do.”

☔ Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

Yes! Okay, so this one is a bit dark (TW for discussion of Jason and Talia sleeping together, memory issues), but it's something I would write if I thought I had any ability to actually do it justice. But I don't think I do. I can write about families and death and self-loathing and memory issues, and I can write about teenagers with crushes, but I don't really know how to write this specific topic.

So, one of the most interesting things to explore about Lazarus Pit Side Effects is, in my opinion, is the concept of memory loss and loss of reality. Like, I personally often have a difficult time keeping a full hold of what memories are real or not or even just remembering things at all, but I am almost always able to sanity check things (except when it comes to my mom, but that's another story). But I enjoy writing about the idea of Pit Madness making that process of sanity checking extremely difficult, the false memories highly vivid, and erasing the forgotten memories more thoroughly. I've explored this in the Telling Tales series, and more tangentially in other fics, but almost always in relation to either Jason not trusting his own actions or his memories of Bruce.

There's also a sort of meta concept of using a mostly fanon thing (long-lasting Lazarus Pit Madness) and using it to combine fanon concepts with canon concepts in a way where neither the characters nor the readers can determine what's real. If Jason asks, "Did I do this?" and can't recall, we might know that he did it in fanon but not canon, and thus never have an answer either. It's a good way to add ambiguity and doubt to a fic set in a universe where we all know many of the objective truths because they're there on-panel.

Which brings me to Talia.

In fanon, she's a motherly figure to him. Either a manipulative one or a supportive one, depending on who you asks. In Red Hood: Lost Days, she slept with him.

So my idea is that we have a Jason whose memories are a wreck. He remembers everything multiple ways and can't tell what's real or not. So, he remembers all three of these versions and doesn't know which is real.

And then he has to have a conversation with her, but he doesn't actually know what context that conversation is taking place in. There's no one else Jason can ask for this one. And Talia has no incentive not to lie.

This would lead Jason to several conversations with other characters that sort of pull on the reader's awareness of various retcons/re-retcons/fanons/debates (did Talia drug Bruce? where did Bruce's batarang land? did Jason slit Tim's throat? which of Jason's many backstories is real? what was Jason's hair color before the Pit?) without giving any real answers.

I don't know if it would end with an answer. In my heart, it wouldn't. But that's unsatisfying. If there was an answer, it wouldn't be a good one--I don't want this to be a story where Jason is verifiably "just making stuff up" because that idea makes me kinda nauseous. But I also don't like Talia's writing during this time period, so I usually only use it when it's extremely plot necessary.

But. This is a topic that I really have no relevant experience for, other than just sometimes having a poor grasp on my memories, so I don't think I could write it very well. And since it's neither pleasant to write about nor cathartic, I don't think I'll ever actually write this.

[quetzalpapalotl]

Anyway, headcanons for how I think TGCF characters would be like in bed

Hualian: putting them together because they would only have sex with each other and we have a canon answer to this already. Xie Lian gets flustered easily but goes along with Hua Cheng who is insanely good. They are definitively having the best sex of everyone bc they're hualian.

Feng Xin: I like to hc him as ace and after that one time he never tried again. If he has sex, he kinda needs to be told what to do but is good at following orders.

Mu Qing: Would not have sex, but if he had sex he would suck at communicating if he did.

Shi Qingxuan: Can be careless but is enthusiastic and genuinely invested in both of you to having a good time, which is always nice.

He Xuan: His skills are good but the experience you get is entirely dependant on what clone/identity he's using. I'm not sure he would have sex as himself since he's still mourning his fiance, would probably be really cold.

Pei Ming: Let's be real, he is extremely good. Too bad for his personality but unfortunately some women are into that macho attitude. I don't think he could live down leaving a woman unsatisfied.

Ling Wen: I don't know when she would find the time to get laid, but she's too tired. Like, she will put in the effort bc it isn't like her to half-ass a job, but her heart isn't in it. The sex is probably a way to get better sleep tbh.

Shi Wudu: He strikes me as a selfish lover and the kind of person who thinks that just the fact that he is having sex with you should be enough.

Jun Wu: He is good and knows how to figure what you like, but if he's having sex with you is certainly part of some ploy so um, good luck.

Lang Qianqiu: As per revised, would not have sex. If he had sex, he would fluster and try really really hard to please you and it's kinda cute.

Quan Yizhen: Lacks finesse and is too rough. You may need to tie him but he would probably be okay with it if you asked. Really you just need to communicate clearly and directly and is fine, you can be assured that he will tell you if he doesn't like anything.

Yin Yu: Adequate.

Qi Rong: ...no

Jian Lan: I mean, it is her job. I would assume he has picked many skills in 800 years.

Xuan Ji: Not sure she would sleep with anyone on account of being obsessed with Pei Ming, but if you managed to get her into bed, she still wouldn't shut up about her ex. I honestly think she was a pillow princess when she was with Pei Ming.

Mei Nianqing: He would not have sex. If by some miracle he had sex, he would find every excuse to nag at you, also is probably projecting the Wuyong Crown Prince onto you.

Yushi Huang: By the time it's over, you have fallen in love with Yushi Huang, but it just didn't mean that much to her.

[theshadowrealmitself]

The reason I haven’t been making Vulcan posts lately is because other than the fact that I’ve been obsessed with this one fandom lately that has. incredibly unsatisfying (to me) fanfics (so much of it is either ambiguous/unhappy ending, not tagged as such, and also a ton of the pairing ones are actually just “implied” pairings), I’ve been obsessed with this one idea that I have no idea how to articulate, but my stomach hurts rn and I can’t sleep till it stops so I’m gonna try rn:

Old-ish Vulcan, def old by Human standards, not so much by Vulcan standards, getting their life saved by a Human child, and the Human kid is like,, the epitome of like,, a very specific type of sci-fi show protagonist, like it’s just this tiny kid with a ray gun getting into impossibly large situations and always finding away out of them with their can-do attitude and snark at adults, and these really are horrifying and traumatic situations but the kid just!! always makes it out of it!! (Indomitable human spirit or smth idk)

So anyways, they meet the Vulcan, save the Vulcan’s life out of a situation the Vulcan thought 100% would kill them, and then leave into the night

And they just keep meeting like that, just this Human always going in blazing, uncovering plots, saving lives just because it’s the right thing to do, and then leaving just as quickly

So by now, the Human is an adult and is in Starfleet, trying to sniff out a traitor amongst the crew, and the Vulcan is there for unrelated reasons, but sees the Human there and can already tell that something is up, but trusts the Human to handle it

And there’s this sort of little assumption the Vulcan is making, I mean, the kid (now an adult but it’s hard for the Vulcan to look at them and not see the tiny child they first met) gets out of every scrap practically unharmed, always shows up to help, and always just leaves without being questioned afterwards, so obviously, they have to be working with some organization (maybe not as a kid but definitely as an adult), trained to do all this, and this is all sanctioned by the organization

But nah, they’re a lone wolf, technically breaking a shit ton of laws, but when they get found out that they lied to get into Starfleet, the older, well-respected Vulcan vouches for them, so no one even questions their presence, everyone just thinks they’re a. extremely secretive spy hired by Starfleet.

Idk it’s just all funny to me

Edit: And yes, the Human is from the past, cryogenically frozen and woken up in what’s considered the future for them, and they’re just crashing their way through life, somehow living a nonstop action adventure, barely understanding what’s actually happening some times, just accidentally living a really chaotic life

[ammoknightsofficial]

Kendrix apathy tonite 👀

Kendrix apathy tonight king???

Kendrix apathy tonite 👀

(i wanna know about kendrix's apathies)

Kendrix's general Apathy towards almost everything is one of his most defining traits, though it's not one most people interacting with him on a day to day basis would realize. There's not a tragic source for his general aura of Emotional Detachment, it's just one of the ways his Autism manifests. He was perfectly fine ditching everything and everyone he's ever known as a child just to save Panopticon, because Panopticon's the first thing he ever found himself really, truly caring about. No, his own family isn't on that list. That's just... How he is.

He cares about his Work and his Little Monsters. That's just about it, really.

You can't pull a "but it's okay, he cares about his friends!" to soften the blow of the topic. He's Aplatonic, he doesn't really have friends for the most part, and he doesn't really feel the need to acquire them. The only times he will acquire a friend is through happenstance, too - it's not something he seeks out, and seeking out a friend in him actively, especially if you make a whole thing of it, is a great way to make him leave. He isn't Cruel or Asocial, however - he has a lot of fun being around people, and he's known to be quite a nice guy, he just doesn't tend to progress any relationship past the Casual Acquaintance phase. Everybody knows him. but nobody knows him, you know?

His brother, Mateo, does not understand him, and he never will. Mateo cares a lot about the connections he's made in life, and maintains them quite thoroughly. It's one of his main occupations, even. Not too big a fan of being alone, that one. But Kendrix can drop that all on a whim and fuck off to the middle of the Tundra for weeks on end with no contact with the outside world and not go insane. He could move to an entire different country without telling anyone and not feel any real regret about it. Kendrix is a professional at burning bridges and feeling nothing about it.

Kendrix is Aromantic, also, so he doesn't tend to find himself partnered with people. He's tried in the past, but it always lasted two seconds due to Kendrix immediately getting weirded out by the whole thing. It's always such a whole affair. The expectations they always bring have always felt deeply unsatisfying to him, and the process of courting - the intentionality of it all - kind of just gives him the hives. He's definitely done a good amount of casual sleeping around - he's a fan of bars, and is decidedly not Asexual - but that's about as far as it ever usually goes.

Kyle kind of threw a wrench in all this. He managed to make Kendrix really, really care about him. Extremely rare of Kendrix to care for a person on this level, but Kyle managed it by just happening to be around Kendrix a lot, and acting like a huge bitch the entire time. His self-sabotaging aggression, ironically, let Kendrix feel more comfortable approaching him, because he wasn't going out of his way to get up in his business in the way most people try to do. It was happenstance, and Kyle was trying to project massive amounts of Hedgehog's Dilemma in his direction instead of trying to get to know him or, god forbid, trying to court him into any kind of relationship. So, he just, like, won.

One funny note I could make to explain the sheer extent of Kendrix's Apathy - He is not Gay. He isn't Bisexual either. I also wouldn't call him Straight. I wouldn't call him anything, actually. He just cares so little about all of this that he does not care about the gender of who he's coupling with at any point. Especially considering they're usually one night affairs, anyway. Why should he give a shit? He doesn't need a set orientation. This isn't something he has any angst over. He feels nothing on the matter. If you tell him he needs to, he'll just crinkle his face at you and go "Why, though?".

He just doesn't really care about anything. Good for him!

[underland-posting]

Long ass rant about why I think people don’t like The Underland Chronicles

I saw a conversation on Reddit about why TUC wasn’t nearly as popular as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and all other fantasy novels about kids fighting against great evils and somebody presented a really good point.

TUC is incredibly realistic. They are realistic in the sense of the effects of all of those awful experiences aren’t cured by the power of friendship. When the adventure ends, that doesn’t and didn’t mean it’s all okay. A lot of Suzanne Collins’s stories are extremely realistic when portraying kids in these horrible situations— The Hunger Games is her most notable example. But we’re not here to talk about her other works— Gregor is who we’re here to analyze.

I read through the entire series a couple of times these past few weeks (I swear I’m normal) and the more I look at it, the more I really realize just how much being in this war messed up Gregor. He was 11 when he first went down, and 12 going on 13 when he left. He fought a war and killed sentient beings, witnessed murder, witnessed a literal genocide, and had all the scars to prove it. He was a little boy.

To get to the point, I feel like the reason this story is so much less popular than it should be is because it never gave that happily ever after everyone was used to. His story ends in uncertainty. He is scarred, hurt, has extreme PTSD, and he’s supposed to just… go back to normal after all of this? Even in Virginia, far away from New York, how could he go about his regular life again? Mrs. Cormaci even equated him to her late husband, who was a war veteran— whether it was Vietnam or WWII I can’t tell.

There was no clear ending. Gregor lived a lifetime and a half at only 11 years old. There was no joy, no celebration, just a scar-covered child in his tiny apartment bedroom with his baby sisters who will never quite know what he went through. And I feel like that’s an uncomfortable reality to present readers with since a lot of people are conditioned to believe that there’s going to be a happy ending after we get through the chaotic scary part. But that’s not how it works. It just doesn’t.

That trauma has completely changed Gregor— he is a different person with a different life and different perspective on the world. He is not the same and he can’t go back to what he was before. And a lot of people who haven’t experienced that or just don’t know how it works find that unsatisfying or disquieting. The idea that trauma isn’t just something that can be cured with a couple days of R&R after a rough patch doesn’t compute. That’s something he has to live with forever, and it’s also something that it seems a lot of people don’t like.

I could go on and on but I’ve been rolling around these thoughts in my head like a little freak for days. Of course, all of this is just an opinion (one fueled by poor sleep and a shitty med schedule) and none of this is to be taken as fact. These are based off my experience and things I’ve seen others say that just makes sense to me.

Addendum: I almost went into how much I relate to Gregor as a character just in general. How much of an impact it has that his story feels like it’s over as soon as he has to live a normal life again, how he already knows it’s impossible for him to be normal, how he’s already withdrawing from his family because no one else gets it and there’s nowhere else he can be or go: it makes me so evil I swear I’m okay I’m so normal

[gregoriaofnyssa]

On the Higher-Critical Method of Hermeneutics

It is exceedingly trendy to devour religious information of all kinds through the lens of secular scholarship, for either the sake of general knowledge, or for the sake of an artistic adventure. For either of those purposes, and certainly for the purpose of actual religious learning, the higher-critical approach fails on every level. The biggest perpetrators of this online are Genetically Modified Skeptic and Religion for Breakfast; the biggest print perpetrators are Bart D. Ehrman and George Harris. This method fails to accurately describe and convey the concept of religious orthodoxy, and therefore fails to accurately convey controversies within religions; it also fails to anthropologically contend with religions in a way that is honest and charitable; it denies not only the very concept of truth, but also the very concept of literary analysis. 

Much of the basis for this argument is rooted in vintage anthropology-- I preface “vintage” because anthropology has changed a great deal in the last 100 (even 50) years, and has come more and more to reflect the higher-critical method of hermeneutics, of course applied to secular cultural artifacts. In the past, anthropologists did not seek to study other cultures as a way to change their own, or as a way to frame their own. They studied it for pure passion. They studied it for themselves. An anthropologist doing similar good work today is Daniel Everett who wrote the sympathetic, raw, and amazing book Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle. A main reason why Everett’s work is so effective is because it takes the word of the Pirahã people (the subject of the book) as true. This makes the book strikingly intimate, especially because it is told from Everett’s own perspective. We thus get a greater understanding of the culture-- a highly mysterious and un-understandable culture at that. He writes, “‘I mean, what are you going to do to him for shooting your dog?’ ‘I will do nothing. I won’t hurt my brother. He acted like a child. He did a bad thing. But he is drunk and his head is not working well. He should not have hurt my dog. It is like my child.’ Even when provoked, as Kaaboogí was now, the Pirahãs were able to respond with patience, love, and understanding, in ways rarely matched in any other culture I have encountered.”

A key problem with the higher-critical method is that it applies a hermeneutics of suspicion, rather than a hermeneutics of trust, as vintage anthropology did. The passage above would read much differently, and be much less revelatory, had Everett followed the encounter with an insistence that the Pirahã must not actually be so compassionate, and must, in fact, be putting on a show to fool outsiders for more canoe money. Just as that is unsatisfying, so too is a hermeneutics of suspicion that insists Jesus said to care for the poor in order to manipulate starving Jeudeans into joining his “movement”. Not only is it unsatisfying, but it makes no sense. The higher-critical scholar must invent new motivations seen nowhere else in the text, or in adjoining texts of the day, to justify what is essentially a headcanon. It assumes too much, and what it assumes is an insult: people do not say they believe what they do because they believe it-- they have ulterior motives. The higher-critical method demands you see all people as charlatans.

We should notice that this is an anti-historical method as well. Historians do not make a habit of assuming primary sources are lying unless there is extremely good reason. I’ve studied the writings of Ibn Fadlan on the rituals of the Vikings, and not once did a professor or a critic write that he must’ve been making up the horse-killing for the sake of making barbarians appear worse than Muhammadeans. 

The method is also unliterary. It is possible for an atheist to read the Bible (or any scripture, for that matter) and encounter it as a complete work of fiction, whilst still applying the usual rules of textual analysis and letters. It is possible, even in the context of “fiction” for interpretations to be baseless and wrong. We hear in school there is no such thing as a wrong answer in literature, but be assured, there is. There are analysis, conclusions, and summaries that are disconnected from the text so to have nothing backing it up for any kind of merit. For example, if someone were to say, “The theme of Hamlet is that love conquers all,” that would be a conclusion so wrong you’d probably assume the speaker was pretending to have read it. The same is true with the Bible, and with all other scripture. The theme of Maccabees is not that the oppressed should take their torture lying down and there is nothing in the epistles to suggest the Apostle Paul was gay. The latter is fanfiction and the former is active subversion-- look out for that. 

You may believe I want only the Bible to be interpreted in such a way. But this would be wrong. I am frequently disgusted by the mistreatment of other sacred texts; in the HCM, this is particularly suffered upon the Quran. My insistence against the HCM is not only religious, but born of an anthropological conviction. I love people; the whole world is my people. I love to study them, to learn about their experiences, and to read what they have written. It breaks something in my heart when even documents I disagree with are encountered as if they are intentionally lying. The Quran was written by a man, and I believe that man believed what he wrote to be true, and I believe that those who believed him really did. I do not like to be taken for a liar, and I assume the feeling is the same through all people. 

It weakens the position of the opponents of any text, because in order to argue against something, you must actually know it. You must understand it, and you will never understand something you don’t trust to be the words someone once believed.

[sleepvines]

PerLa introductory post

This might be a little all over the place since some of this is copy pasted from a lore doc.

An old headworld I used to post about here, Chasm, is actually alive and well! but it's transformed dramatically since 2020. It's since taken on the name Perpetual Legacy (PerLa) and shifted more towards being private because the sheer amount of difference and information felt too big to ever explain/share online. And I'm only half of the equation here, @acewarden is the other author of this setting. It wouldn't be the same without them.

This drawing from 2022 is super out of date as you can imagine, but it illustrates what happened over time (I was unsatisfied with the bird people, then the 2021!drebyl, and now I'm happy with my bugs. yes the cats are bugs.)

PerLa's differences are exceedingly numerous, so its best to treat it like a new setting altogether.

SO WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

As the lore goes, the forebears of this world, the people of the ancient civilization, were known as the Advancers. Advancers were ambitious and innovative by nature, borne from eusocial insectoid creatures. They tinkered away and invented new machines, formed a network of cities, and made miracles out of biomechanical engineering. Eventually they found a biological substance they called CFM, or Conductive Fusion Material, deep underground inside of a colossal unidentifiable mineral deposit. This substance could attach to both flesh and metal, forming a strong, seamless interface between the materials. It was also highly conductive when manipulated right, and became both a "glue" for new biotech innovations, and an extremely versatile conductor. Lastly it could store information through a complicated biological "encoding" process. This material became extremely important.

(A handful of advancers, 2022)

They used CFM to create biological tools by grafting mechanical parts and computational devices onto organic beings. Sometimes all they needed to use was the CFM itself to change an organism’s behavior and function drastically. The problem was, when the biological component died, the mechanical parts couldn’t sustain a grafted creature for long.

(CFM 2022)

So using this material they built giant machines they called S.E.R.A.s (Static Electric Recycling Amplifiers), in an attempt to create an ambient "charged" field to power their tech and biotech without the need to stop and recharge manually. It was their try at a perpetual energy machine. The idea was that they could use the conductivity of the material to bump up the level of static electricity in the air of their cities to a safe, livable degree, passively charging machines and artificial creatures. Recycling lightning strikes and solar power, it seemed like an efficient way to keep things running hands-free.

Unfortunately, SERA were only seen working in the low-voltage prototype phase. Due to a catastrophic, unforeseen consequence of the SERAs’ function, the voltage spiked and killed off the ancients via mass electrocution.

(A SERA and a drilling site 2022)

The CFM material, they didn't realize, was the grey matter of a long-deceased organism's brain, and they had just created a super network that could simulate unconscious, undreaming, REM sleep cycles. These fatal pulses of static electricity have since become a regular force of nature in the area, and organisms of all kinds have had to adapt over the many, many years the advancers have been gone.

From the lore doc: "THE HAZE: Electricity lingers in the air on the surface. Almost routinely, there are waves of heightened energy that agitate the ambient static electricity, and create shock-storms that pass through. These storms are deadly, but brief, and temporarily activate the dormant machinery the ancients left behind. The periodic haze storms occur due to the electrical activity occurring in the unconscious CFM within the SERA, much like a brain in an REM cycle."

The age of the Successors rose from these ashes. Terrestrial animals in the area fled to live subterranean lives, touched by the Advancer's technology or not. A trio of sapient creature species, the Successors, all have one thing in common: CFM has changed them, and they know they are not the first ones here.

(various successor drawings, 2022)

The drebyl are catlike beings with stingers at the ends of their tails and mandibles in their mouths. Their tie to the ancient civilization can be traced to precursory individuals getting trapped in biotech "programming" mechanisms, and emerging with injected CFM coding. These individuals were compelled to avoid areas marked as dangerous or prohibited for animals, so they had a higher survival rate. Culturally, they're known for taking it easy, indulging in the arts, and developing a modern written word based on what they can find of the advancer's ancient texts.

Syrels have a direct tie to the ancient civilization as escaped novelty tools. Previously known as SigRels (Signal Relayers), the advancers used them as an inefficient, but cute, means of communication. Imagine you could send a voice message or broadcast to someone that would arrive on four legs! They have feathery antennae, bald, colorful faces and scales, and a rodlike tail used for identification. They have the unique ability to communicate via their own "broadcast" waves, and catch decaying signals from even the advancers time. As such, many syrel groups believe they're hearing ghosts or spirits, and have developed a fascination around old audio logs and transmission equipment left behind by the Advancers.

The gul are the most nebulous of the trio, having a more indirect tie to the Advancers and originating from the underground already. Due to their inclination to dig, they stumbled upon open CFM deposits left accessible from abandoned drilling sites, and preyed upon creatures that had eaten the stuff. Now it expresses itself in the form of powerful electro reception that makes them more effective at hunting, and at sensing when the Haze will begin. They are the largest of the successors, with bulky bodies, thick claws, and large protruding horns. Some groups have a reverence for the Haze, feeling in tune with the electricity and performing burrowing rituals that leave only their horns exposed during a storm. This rite of passage is one of the most painful experiences a gul will ever have.

(gul sketches, 2022)

The successors have spread far and wide across the landscape. They have developed various settlements and communities all over the place, and travel between them frequently. Most time spent on the surface involves teams breaking into the ruins of dead cities and scavenging materials, tech, or just studying what they can find. Only when the Haze is dormant they can venture out safely.

(A syrel exploring ruins, 2023)

That's all for this world introduction, though. Thank you for reading if you got this far, I'm excited to finally share this world and what we've made so far, answer any questions, etc. I hope this will help us get in touch with it again.

[livsteas]

my year of rest and relaxation review

this review does contain spoilers. this book is also undoubtedly 18+ and no minors should be partaking in it.

i want to begin this review by talking directly to those who dislike it. there were many mixed reviews from what i saw about this book before purchasing it, and most just cited the fact that the main character is awful as a person and horribly depressing. well, that is true. she is definitely that. but a bad main character doesn’t make a bad book. she’s still very well-written and captivating as a narrator, even if unreliable. if you prefer books where the main character is a good-hearted heroine, i promise there is a whole world out there for you. but if you are still willing to read, i would absolutely 100% recommend this book to you. holden caufield in “the catcher in the rye” is just as miserable, but apparently that book is a classic, i guess (i really had no pleasure in dragging through that one in high school.)

the premise of the book is super simple; she pretty much just wants to sleep the whole year, following feeling unfulfilled in life, and wanting some sort of rebirth. this summary makes it sound incredibly boring, but there is never a dull moment in the story. nothing my eyes wanted to skip over. i was hooked on every word and paragraph. Moshfegh writes in such a beautiful way that was simple (and a good break after reading sense and sensibility) but powerful, as if the main character herself was furiously scribbling into a notebook every time she came back to consciousness.

you never truly feel sorry for the character. she is a total asshole. a complete entitled, self-centered, rich asshole. but her thoughts are still expressed in a way that can be relatable. i think that’s what makes it so captivating. even though she exhibits extreme behavior, it is still relatable on a base level. being unsatisfied with the career you’ve chosen. the death of family to suicide, to cancer. a love-hate relationship between long time friends. wanting a fresh start.

i do also think Moshfegh picked the perfect time period to place this book in. 2000-2001 are very simplistic but complicated years. the emergence of new technology yet still just primitive enough. the joy of the VHS player where she watches movies on repeat makes it so thought dialogue is better concise, but she is also not scrolling for hours upon hours on social media distracting herself and putting herself to sleep that way.

the lingering theme on 9/11 is also pretty haunting. you can see from my updates that it was constantly on my mind, but the book truly has no reason for me to think that way. Moshfegh simply slips in unnerving details about its potential future presence, like Reva being moved into the twin towers for work, or how each date after she wakes up during her hibernation is explicitly listed. i thought for a second it would just cut off before 9/11. but the final one-page chapter is as well placed as i hoped it would be.

read this book, but don’t find yourself relating too much with it. don’t allow yourself to wish for similar events. i guess that is the problem many people have with it. but it is possible to read a book at base level and just appreciate the story. you don’t have to absorb it into your very soul. it’s fiction, after all. it’s not meant to be taken 100% seriously. enjoy yourself.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this did conclude my reading challenge for the year as well. i had set it very low at the beginning of the year because truly i didn’t expect to read at all! and then suddenly i’ve finished 3 books in the span of about a month, which is so wonderful. if you’re interested in being friends on goodreads (i have none 🥲 say yes pls) it’s linked in the pinned post on my profile.

in the seventh chapter, she mentions that she read “war and peace”, and i’m taking it as a solidifying sign, as that will be my next venture for what will probably be the rest of the year. now that will be a long, intense review. and i’ll see you at the end of the year for that. <3

[powerofthesunau]

Clan Guide: SHADOWCLAN

Even though ShadowClan is seen as vicious and secretive by the other clans, the clan holds cunning and bravery as its highest virtues. This appealled particularly to Tawnypelt where her old clan judged her for what Tigerstar took from ThunderClan, ShadowClan wanted to see what she could offer them.

Clan Lifestyle

ShafowClan sleep during midday when prey are not in the open and are most active at dawn and dusk, often intercepting other clan's morning and evening patrols. Once the chores are done they socialise and train at night.

Intelligence is valued in the clan and a cat can improve their reputation through smart techniques to trap prey or scare off enemy patrols. This once included what were considered barbaric practices such as lacing their claws with juniper berries or hiding stinking prey in rival territories to lure unwanted pests. Various leaders have phased out these practices to improve relations with other clans. During desperate times warriors may resort to questionable practices such as singlimg out apprentices during battle.

Unlike other clans ShadowClan has less of an emphasis on blood purity, being more open to loners who are willing to commit themselves to a ShadowClan lifestyle. Traits like bravery and intelligence is valued within the clan with suffixes like Fang, Heart and Claw being common, as well as cats being named for a trait they excelled at during their apprenticeship such as "Eye" for being detail-oreintated or "Leap" for quick reflexes.

ShadowClan cats are loyal to ShadowClan first, then StarClan, willing to bend the warrior code or StarClan's will for the sake of their clan. Despite this they are very superstitious, not holding cermonies during stormy weather and paying close attention to omens in their prey. ShadowClan also believe their ancestors are somewhat isolated from the rest of StarClan, sometimes taking the forms of birds to watch over their ancestors.

Scars, when not in excess and pelts still taken care of, are seen as extremely attractive, particularly ear nicks (not shredded being a beauty standard).

.

Notable ShadowClan Traditions

Initiation

It is not uncommon for apprentices to be named warriors after a particularly spectacular feat. If not after 10 moons of age an apprentice becomes eligible to do their warrior assesment in carrionplace. They can either earn their warrior name in combat or once they feel they are capable to contribute to the clan as a full warrior. The assesment is known as "Initiation", they are tasked to at night, kill a rat using their wit and bravery, potientially risking their life in the process. Although seen as barbaric by the other clans, Initiation is proof to the clan that a cat is willing to lay their life in the name of ShafowClan. This tradition was once only used for adult outsiders willing to join the clan but was eventually extended to apprentices. Initiation was put on hold during the Great Sickness of ShadowClan but ever since the Battle Against BloodClan.

(above- an apprentice has completed their initiation cermomy and will be named a warrior at dawn)

Funeral Rites

Funeral traditions are extremely important in ShadowClan as cats believe that unsatisfied relatives will continue to haunt the living. Cats who die in combat to protect ShadowClan, particularly against foxes/badgers or against rival clans attempting to invade their territory. They are celebrated through funeral songs.

Storytelling

Telling stories is an important part of ShadowClan's social lives. Usually extremly exaggerrated, fables are used to honour brave fallen warriors and boost the sense of community. However the other clans often take these stories at face value and guillable apprentices really do believe that ShadowClan warriors can turn invisible or spy on the other clans from the trees above.

.

Prey

ShadowClan are oppertunists, hunting a variety of prey including rodents, amphibians and even grubs and fish when other prey is scarce. The Carrionplace is used to hunt rats. Roadkill is also scavenged during the worst of times.

[witchhaunts]

VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU : VAMPIRIC TRAITS

vampires are creatures that exist within underworld. i take inspiration from various media &. folklore for how vampirism operates within this setting.

GENERAL TRAITS : these are things that occur when embraced &. are typically physiological.

RETRACTABLE FANGS : vampire fangs are not visible until they want them to be. it can be involuntary as well such as when experiencing very strong emotions ( more common among fledglings ) or when very hungry.

UNSETTLING BEAUTY : once embraced , vampires become supernaturally attractive in a way that is strangely alluring. nothing drastic changes about their appearance but there is something about the quality that fundamentally changes in an almost faelike way. vampires hunt better when their prey is intrigued by them.

TECHNICALLY DEAD : a person must die to become a vampire , &. their body reflects this. they are cold to the touch , have no heartbeat , etc. when it comes to doing things they could while living ❝ there is no relief tied to the action ❞ a la one of the only valid things to come out of tw*light. vampires can eat but everything tastes like ash. they can breathe but there is no satisfactory sensation like when they were mortal &. alive. they can sleep , but have no need to save for avoiding sunlight which can be circumvented as well. however , drugs &. alcohol do affect them somewhat , but both are stronger when someone they feed on has recently partaken.

DRINK BLOOD : an obvious one but vampires often sustain themselves on blood. animal blood is an option , but it is extremely unsatisfying &. surviving on it only requires near constant feeding. drinking human blood is generally required at minimum every few days. if one does not feed they begin to take on a slightly more monstrous appearance ( more reflective eyes , veins turning black , visible fangs , etc. ) the quality of the human effects this as well : someone who is well off &. thus able to afford to take good care of themselves is a better meal than someone who does not. blood from a blood bank is only marginally less effective than a live human to the point it almost does not matter. a vampire can feed on other vampires but it is very difficult to do so. energy vampires also exist , though extremely rare. they feed off of the emotions of others like fear , despair , or , even rarer , happiness. just as with classic vampires , a person can be drained completely of their energy &. it can kill them. draining someone entirely is the only way to fully satiate hunger &. stop the ever present burn in your throat but it does not last long and runs the risk of discovery.

VENOMOUS SALIVA : there is essentially a toxin within vampires that allows them to better survive. whenever they bite someone , there is momentary pain in their prey that is quickly replaced by a very pleasant &. pleasurable feeling. it makes victims docile to allow them to feed &. the lingering effects leave them almost intoxicated for a little while after. it is with this same trait they can close the puncture wounds. &. create other vampires.

EMBRACE : as is typical with vampire lore , the only way they can ❝ reproduce ❞ is through the bite , referred to as embracing. someone must be almost completely drained of blood &. killed before they can be turned into a creature of the night. once this is done , the sire must feed their potential creation some of their own blood to complete the process. this means that having been fed upon does not automatically make someone a vampire and even then the toxin is ❝ cycled out ❞ after a few days anyway. the embrace is a very intentional act &. why there is not an overabundance of vampires.

POWERS : additional abilities that vampires have along the more supernatural line. nearly all of these powers increase in strength as a vampire ages , &. can weaken if one has not fed enough recently.

IMMORTAL : all vampires are undying , able to exist in perpetuity at the age they were embraced. they are already dead &. there are few ways for them to meet a true death.

SUPERNATURAL CHARM : vampires are not just physically alluring but literally so. they are able to take over the mind , to varying degrees , of other creatures. their very presence can become more attracting , intimidating , or compelling with magical emotional manipulation. they can alter minds as well , confusing &. altering memories , dominating any who can be influenced. other vampires are more resistant to these effects , &. few humans can without proper magical protection. when these powers are used , a slight tinge of red enters the iris coloring.

SUPERNATURAL PHYSICALITY : even if they may not look it , all vampires have enhanced physical abilities. this includes supernatural strength , speed , reflexes , endurance , toughness , &. senses. a vampire can will these abilities to exceed even vampiric basic standards in some cases at the cost of growing hungrier. for example , being fast enough to cross large distances in a moment , strong enough to stop a moving train , etc. though all of these obviously run the risk of mortal exposure. the state of a person during life when they were embraced does have some influence on the proportional vampiric abilities.

RAPID HEALING : already difficult to damage , when a vampire is injured their body heals very quickly. a broken bone can typically be fixed within minutes.

WALL CLIMBING / WALKING : vampires can walk or climb on vertical or upside down surfaces. they do not need to remain in motion &. could theoretically sleep laying on the ceiling if they feel like it.

THRALLS : in addition to being enthralling , vampires have the ability to create thralls. these are creatures , typically mortal humans , they are compelled into loyalty bordering on obsession in some cases. thralls must be created by feeding vampire blood to the subject continuously over time in addition to repeated exposure to the mental manipulation of enthrallment.

WEAKNESSES : a list of weaknesses that often fatally affect vampires.

SUNLIGHT : the sun is fatal to vampires , though the burning process is not instantaneous. it takes a minute or two until it completely dissolves a vampire to dust. vampire hunters can be especially cruel &. leave a vampire tied up to meet the rising sun to draw out the true death. however , there is one way to prevent this from happening : an enchanted object of personal significance. vampires have the ability to do this process themselves , but more often than not they require the assistance of a warlock or enchanter. once the enchantment is complete , the object must be carried or worn &. the vampire is able to walk in the sunlight. the moment it is removed from their person they can be burned. only natural sunlight can kill a vampire ; manmade items like sunlamps do nothing.

BEHEADING : removing the head results in immediate true death for a vampire. due to their supernatural toughness , this is very difficult to do.

FIRE : while not an immediate death , fire is incredibly dangerous to vampires. it can burn them almost as quickly as sunlight &. it impedes their regenerative healing significantly.

STAKE TO THE HEART : whether it be wooden or not , being staked does not kill a vampire. instead , it paralyzes them until it is removed &. the injury takes time to heal. some of the oldest of vampires go through the process of actually removing their heart , at the cost of deadening their emotions &. morals , to prevent this possibility.

SILVER : also not fatal though still dangerous. it does not burn them or anything as with werewolves , but it is easier to wound a vampire with silver weaponry. silver is also a metal that takes to enchantments very well. like fire , it impacts their ability to rapidly heal their bodies after sustaining damage.

MYTHS : a list of other popular vampire lore that do not apply , or apply differently , to this setting.

HOLY PLACES / OBJECTS : such things do not affect vampires , no matter the religion. there are supernatural wards that exist though , &. have often been applied to holy places or objects , hence the prevalence of this myth.

ALCHEMY / MAGIC : magic of the more physical than innate sense typically belongs to the realm of witches. however , vampires are capable of following the same practices and in fact are better equipped at grasping this talent than humans new to witchcraft &. some other supernatural creatures. more specifically , vampires are able to take to blood magic very quickly if they are taught or learn it themselves due to their propensity for sanguine elements.

RUNNING WATER : vampires are not affected by this in any way.

INVITATION : there is nothing stopping a vampire from coming into your home. again , the wards that exist are often the cause of the belief in this limitation.

SHAPESHIFTING : vampires cannot turn into bats , rats , dogs , clouds of mist , turn invisible , or anything like that.

ANIMAL AFFINITY / FEAR : animals are not able to be specifically commanded by vampires , but they are more susceptible to their ability to compel other beings. animals do not innately hate vampires but they may act suspicious or confused by their presence.

GARLIC : this does not work as a vampire deterrent.

MIRRORS : vampires do have reflections.

[yourbestpalpercy]

Mr. Grizz sighed a tired breath as he pushed his way through the tiny doorway into his office. The doorway had a few cracks and crevices in it, evidence of years of Mr. Grizz pushing his large self into his office. Mr. Grizz knew he had told the construction workers to get him a wide doorway but, without a clear idea of just how large Mr. Grizz was, they ended up getting it wrong, making the doorway to his office just barely big enough for Mr. Grizz to get into his office.

Mr. Grizz’s office was luckily more fit to his size, giving him enough room to walk around and not bump anything off of the shelves. Mr. Grizz sighed again, setting down the fish net full of today’s golden eggs, and took his coat off, placing it gently on the nearby coat rack before he picked the net up again and sat down in his chair, setting the bag beside him.

Today’s catch wasn’t nearly as good as it normally would be if the team was actually paying more attention like they were supposed to. Mr. Grizz was just disappointed in them. Oh well, Mr. Grizz supposed though. At least they got some golden eggs unlike their first shift where they got literally NOTHING.

As Mr. Grizz reached into the net and pulled out an egg to stare at its gleam, his phone began to ring. No one called him besides maybe the complaint desk to tell him that his employees were unsatisfied with the job. He had heard every kind of complaint at this point and personally predicted that today, it was going to be about Mr. Grizz’s disappointment in the team today.

Mr. Grizz was pleasantly surprised though when, instead of hearing the complaint desk worker’s droning and dead voice come through, he heard his business partner’s voice. Commander Tartar.

Mr. Grizz remembered when he was floating about in space, defeated and hurt, and randomly got a call. Mr. Grizz remembered being panicked and..also confused before answering. Mr. Grizz remembered becoming even more nervous when he first heard Tartar’s voice…but then settling and being relieved as Tartar explained its plan to get Mr. Grizz down from there. He liked talking to Tartar…

“H-H-H-Hey Grizzy!” Tartar’s voice was always nice to hear in Mr. Grizz’s opinion. It was almost always friendly and today was no different. Though, Mr. Grizz did notice how buggy and glitchy his voice was today. Mr. Grizz often had to remind himself that Tartar was a fairly old android and had a habit of not getting repairs or even fixing himself! Mr. Grizz should probably continue work on getting that update for Tartar finished.

“What is it this time, Tartar?” Mr. Grizz answered the phone, now anxiously messing with the golden egg in his paw. His voice was still gruff like it was with everyone but it was noticeably gentler when talking to Tartar.

Mr. Grizz shot up and to attention immediately, slamming his paw down on his desk. Tartar had to just be playing a weird joke on him, right?! Everyone knew humans were long dead! “That’s literally impossible, Tartar. They’re all dead! Long dead even! Are you absolutely sure it’s not an Inkling, Octarian or some other creature?” Mr. Grizz started to get up from his seat, placing on his coat again and getting ready to head down to the metro. He had to see this for himself.

“Extremely sure. They sleep like a rock so I was able to check for anything suspicious. It’s a human for sure. It’s honestly amazing how they’ve evolved though. Interesting even…” Tartar got that sound to his voice when he was thinking about malicious things before his voice went back to being excited, “I-I don’t know whether to think I’m going crazy or to be extremely excited!” Mr. Grizz could already tell Tartar was bouncing up and down on the other side.

“...Fine, I’ll be down in 15 minutes, don’t forget to be careful. Remember, humans are just as dangerous as anyone else. My wolves almost went extinct at their hands. ..Though I guess it doesn’t matter nowadays…” Mr. Grizz grumbled before realizing that Tartar had already hung up. “Oh for the love of Cod…” Mr. Grizz face palmed as he placed the phone back where it was supposed to be, “Tartar, please tell me you understand the risks…” Mr. Grizz grumbled as he left his office.

Commander Tartar placed its phone back on its rack and turned towards the human as they mumbled something in their sleep. ‘Stop bouncing! You look ridiculous!’ Shouted its thoughts before it grabbed the human’s hand and checked for a pulse. “Ooo, yes! You are still alive. Don’t know why I just had to check but you never know!” Tartar pulled away and readjusted its black bowtie as it did. Tartar had to look its best.

Tartar’s sharp, metal claws were at least a little hidden, right? He couldn’t imagine how this little human would feel if they saw just how sharp his claws were.

Oh, she’s waking up!!!

Tartar brushed their outfit off and watched the human stir and stretch. “god…I’m an idiot..falling asleep in the middle of a…dark metro??” She started to slowly stand up, rubbing her eye. “Did I not learn a thing from Mother- Fern?” The human slowly looked up, seeing Tartar. She froze, allowing Tartar to speak.

“Ah! You’re awake, gre-!” Tartar cut off when a sharp pain exploded on the side of its head. It hit the ground rather hard. Great, now it was dazed. Cod, what even hit it?

“Who are you!?” The pain in Tartar’s head was taking forever to ebb away. He slowly looked up at the human, she was wielding a golf club. Wh-When and where in the world did she get that!? How did he not notice she had it!?

“I SAID WHO ARE YOU!? Don’t make me strike you again!” The human pointed the end of the golf club at them. Tartar quickly kicked back, shouting “C-Calm down! H-Hold your horses! Take a dam chill pill!” As they did. Tartar held up their hands. The human stepped forward, closing the distance quickly and raised the golf club again, aiming for Tartar’s horn this time. Tartar had to think of something to say, now!

“I-It’s–,” It scrambled to get the words out, “I’m just a t-telephone! Th-That’s m-my name actually! Telephone! Just calm down!” Tartar scooted away quickly from the human, a little more angry that the first human in forever attacked it.

“...” The human glared at Tartar harder and stood taller to try to look intimidating. It was honestly kinda funny. Finally, she lowered her club slightly, keeping it up high enough so that Tartar wouldn’t forget what it could do to him.

“Good enough, I guess,” The human scoffed, still disgusted with Tartar. “Why were you watching me sleep?” She continued, pointing her golf club at Tartar’s face again..

“W-Well, you probably already know but all of humanity is extinct! I haven’t seen a human in the last 12,000 years! ..Which intrigues me..” Tartar finally stood up and leaned over the human, placing a hand on their chin; getting a curious look in their eyes. “Where did you even come from…?” Tartar got a little closer to the human. Too close for comfort apparently.

The human jabbed her club under Tartar’s head upon it getting a little too close. “And tell me why I should tell you ANYTHING!” Aggressive much? Geez.

“I’ve been trying to bring back humanity? It’s what I was made for. Seriously, stop being so hostile,” Tartar pushed its hand down on the golf club, forcing the human to lower it. The human’s glare toughened more before a cruel smirk came to her face.

“Ha!” The human scoffed, “You’re made for transmitting calls. No idea why anyone would give a telephone a body but whatever. You’re a phone for a reason,” The human glared at Tartar, her smirk becoming smug. “I don’t see why I have to lie to you. You’re a human! I’m your ally and allies do not lie to each other,” Tartar clenched his hand, showing off the sharp claws as a threat. The human looked uncomfortable upon seeing them.

“Let’s see…I have that dam monologue prerecorded somewhere…” Tartar started to crack their handle and make strange noises trying to find it. “Monol-?” Tartar held up a finger in a ‘one moment’ motion. The human scoffed softly and crossed her arms with a huff.

“[DISABLING CONTEMPORARY SPEECH MODE]” It was sudden to the human judging by her flinch.

“I am TARTAR, an AI construct created 12,000 years ago by a brilliant professor. My prime directive is to pass on humanity’s vast knowledge on to the next worthy lifeform. When your kind became self-aware,” Tartar cracked its lever again, stopping the recording in its tracks. The human seemed curious now as if interested about hearing the rest of the monologue. “I don’t believe anything else is really important in that recording.”

“...Oh, well then,” The human now messed with their golf club, brushing some dust off of it. “Don’t expect me to tell you my name. You haven’t earned it yet…” Tartar’s eyes flickered to blue for a moment, quickly scanning the human while she wasn’t fully paying attention. It was honestly super funny to see her snap back to attention and look at Tartar.

“Wha- Wait! What did you just do!? I-I felt that! You- I-I felt a tickle–,” The human pat herself down quickly, accidentally dropping her golf club in the process.

“Hmm, not very good at keeping your guard up around potential threats, are you?” Tartar placed his hands crossed behind his back with a smug smirk before saying, “You’re Everest! No middle or last name interestingly. You’re a week away from turning 18 and are officially an adult! That sounds exciting! You’re also Applicant 10,009 for The Promised Land! Though, something tells me you’re not interested in that,” Tartar stood straight up again and folded his hands together with a smile, “Having scan tools and being an AI is rather helpful.”

“...Don’t you ever do that again…” Everest growled and pointed at Tartar again. Her amber eyes glowed with distrust but..lenience most interestingly. It was like Everest wanted to trust them. “I don’t think you understand that I don’t wish to hurt you, kid. I’m the Messenger of Humanity, not the Mass Murderer of Humanity,” The poked Everest’s nose. “Boop! As the kids say nowadays.”

“Oh back off, you invasive thing!” Everest brushed her nose off quickly and placed her hands near Tartar’s chest to push it slightly, not that she moved it much.

“My point is, I want to help bring humanity back. I’m not here to harm anyone besides the scum, bile and seafood that have evolved to conquer the world left behind by the humans,” Tartar adjusted his bowtie and even redid it as it had gotten messed up when Everest hit him earlier.

“...” Everest didn’t seem to trust Tartar’s intentions (‘Smart cookie,’ Tartar admittedly thought, proud of her distrust and smartness even though they knew they would never harm a human.). She muttered under her breath, glaring at a nearby pebble as she did, “I should’ve stayed in the mountains…”

“The mountains! That’s where you’ve all been hiding, hm?” Tartar placed its fingertips together excitedly, unable to stop a dopey grin from spreading across its metal face.

“They wouldn’t take too kindly to a weird, telephone man..” Everest’s eyes shot back to look at Tartar’s then back at the ground just as she finished, adding, “Not like I’d ever go back there.”

“Oh it won’t matter! I-I can change my form! I take on this form though because it looks most like an Octarian. Shocked you haven’t seen one yet, they’re everywhere underground..”

Everest started to back away at this point. Tartar worried that he was stressing Everest out and making her feel a little overwhelmed with how excited he was. “Humans are nothing special, so why the bouncing and cheer talk?”

“I haven’t seen a human in YEARS, centuries, decem millenniums!” Tartar exclaimed. “You’ll have to excuse how excited I am!” Tartar grabbed Everest’s hand with their own, freezing cold talons. “Hey-! Let go!” Everest yanked back, glancing at her club which laid on the ground just barely out of reach. “Take a chill pill, I’m not going to hurt you! How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Take a hint, Tartar!” Ooooh, she used its name! “If you’re trying to trick me into bringing you back to the village, the answer is no! I’m never going back there again!” …Dang.

“What??? No! I- ha! I wouldn’t do that. Totes wouldn’t. You’re crazy, my dude. Absolutely bonkers, my cold homie!” Tartar tried to laugh it off, hoping to hide his panic. Maybe Everest was a little more observant than he had originally thought.

“Oh please, you started using way more slang, I know a trick when I hear one. You’re not going to the village and I’m not taking you back there unless it’s to help me wipe that place out!” Everest pointed back behind her.

“Humans are so cool though! Why would you ever want to wipe them out??”

“I ran away from that place for a damn reason!” Everest suddenly shouted as loud as she possibly could, snapping Tartar straight to attention, “I’m not going to listen to their culty BS about bowing down to The Leviathan anymore!” Everest swept her hand across to get her point across, “Its spawn stole this planet from the humans of yesterday and I’m not going back so I can hear more of,” Everest laughed, mocking one of the villagers presumably, “‘If we keep sacrificing sheep to The Leviathan, it will allow us to leave this cliffside’. I’ve grown tired of that STUPID CULT!!” Everest grabbed her hair tightly, heaving now. Her eyes shook and she was clearly panicked, causing Tartar to panic a little too, “THEY DON’T–! They- they don’t–!” Everest took a shaky breath, tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked so…suddenly weak. Weak and hurt.

“I-...I’m not going back…” Everest’s voice was weak and her arms dropped to her side. She sniffled again and wiped her few tears, as if hoping that Tartar hadn’t seen anything.

“A cult, hm?” Tartar approached Everest slightly, holding their hand out.

“Yes!” Everest met Tartar’s eyes again, “A cult based around the bile and spawn of The Leviathan here! I don’t ever want to go back, it would be better if they were all wiped out!” Everest slammed a fist into her palm, “The amount of people I can imagine I’ve eaten unknowingly in stew that were sacrificed to ‘The Leviathan’-!!” Everest grabbed her head again, staring out into space again as well. “The Leviathan doesn’t even EXIST!” Everest placed her arms over her head.

“Hmm…” Tartar watched a few more tears slip from Everest’s eyes and trail down her face. “Y’know, maybe you don’t have to go back,” Tartar noticed Everest’s sobs calmed down a little to listen to what Tartar had to say, “I’m willing to give you a sneak peak on my plans. I won’t even lay a finger on you if that’s what you’re scared of…” Tartar slowly and gently took Everest’s hands. They made sure they weren't poking the sharp tips into her hands. Tartar then began to slowly guide Everest over to a hidden hatch in the ground. They would retrieve Everest’s golf club later.

Everest slowly raised her head a little to look at Tartar’s hands and watched wearily before allowing Tartar to lead her slowly. “None of the sanitized octarians should harm you,” Tartar mentioned, reaching down to lift up the hatch in the ground. The hatch led to a white corridor. The Kamabo Co. Labs.

“They follow my orders exactly,” Tartar continued, carefully pulling Everest down the steps and closing the hatch behind her, “If I tell them not to harm you, they won’t.”

“What do you mean by sanitized?” Everest finally looked back up and took her hands away from him.

“Simple, I’ve created a primordial goop that will create the ultimate lifeform! I should’ve let 8 go. No one was going to believe an octarian about the crazy telephone who tried to kill them. I acted in panic and anger. But this time, it’ll be proper,” Tartar grinned and clenched its fist proudly, “No one will figure out until it’s too late. Especially with Mr. Grizz on my side, we’ll restore Earth to its former glory together!” Everest stared at Tartar with an unreadable expression. Tartar decided to pretend that Everest liked the sound of its plan.

The inside of the lab was rather bright and the buzz of talking echoed through the hallways. There were a few signs of struggling, making it clear that not everyone here came here willingly. There were also dried bits of pink ink dotting the walls. When Tartar saw it, he looked disgusted and quickly ordered a nearby Sanitized Octarian to please get rid of it.

Tartar couldn’t believe that CQ somehow missed a spot. Especially such a bright and noticeable spot! Maybe they needed to hire another janitor to help CQ… He was getting rather old after all. Just newly 7.

“What’s wrong with it? I thought the shade was…rather nice honestly,” Everest told Tartar, watching the octarian splat different ink over it. “No I-...” Tartar trailed off, seeing the octarian smile back at it and wander off. Tartar face palmed, “...I’ll just leave it for now. Don’t want to hurt their feelings…” Tartar turned away to keep guiding Everest down the hallway.

“I think Fern would find me even more disappointing than she first thought. I thought that interaction was rather cute!”

A laugh slipped out of Tartar as he commented, looking back at Everest, “Didn’t know such a tough kid could express such feelings!”

Tartar soon guided Everest to a room with a large blender in the middle, full of sanitized ink. This room didn’t require lights. The glow from all the sanitized ink was enough to light the room up. Tartar noticed Everest stumble a little and almost look sick immediately upon seeing the blender. Tartar brushed it off. Maybe it was the smell. There wasn’t much of one but it was at least noticeable.

“...You don’t do what I now think you do…right?” Everest glanced at Tartar with clear sickness on her face. Her voice was still a little weak.

“Well, tell me what you think I do first,” Tartar replied in a rather smug tone. They began to walk backwards, arms behind their back as they did. Tartar suddenly spun around after that and climbed up and sat on the top of the blender. Their legs kicked slightly as they stared down at Everest.

Everest looked a little more sick and worried as she responded, “Uhm..well- there’s a blender for one…uh..” Everest was clearly thinking of…something, “...Please don’t tell me you pick off the octarians around you and…sacrifice them to..” Everest pointed a hand at the blender. Tartar felt a little offended that Everest would think that admittedly.

“Nope! Well- eh, close,” Tartar shrugged before using a hand to gesture to the whole lab, “The octarians around you are ones that have failed their tests. All or most of them have failed their tests with a few of them being weak scraplings I kidnapped from Octo Valley when no one was looking. I select carefully. What you see here,” Tartar stood up, staring down at Everest, “Is a blend of everyone who’s succeeded in their tests! Only the most brilliant and greatest octarians end up here. It’s a blend of the most superior is what I’m saying. No one gets sacrificed. I’m not doing this for some make believe god. I’m doing this to create a lifeform on the level of humans!”

“...Will I end up in there some day…?”

“It’s a truly brilliant pl-...what?” Everest’s question caught Tartar off guard. Tartar looked over the edge, down at Everest. She looked terrified. The soft glow of the ink in the blender reflected in her amber eyes, giving them a burnt sienna shade.

Tartar had to scramble to think of something to say. This human was just full of surprises! “...N-No! Never! Absolutely not! I wouldn’t do that to a human!” Tartar leapt down from the blender, carefully holding Everest’s pale white hands again, “I-I was actually wondering if you’d like to join me!” Tartar grinned, “Take back Earth from those scraps of seafood above!”

Everest drew back from Tartar quickly, it wasn't grabbing her that tightly. “I-I’m not sure I can trust you yet. …What’s in it for me?”

Tartar was prepared for a reply like this. Way too prepared maybe. It wasn’t the first time someone had rejected his incredible offer. (‘3…’ His mind thought angrily) “Well, I doubt you wanna stay sleeping on that chilly and rock solid platform so I’ll make sure there’s a nice, comfy place down here to rest. I’ll make sure you never have to return to your mountain cult, hm…”

Everest started to think.

“I can’t let you leave after seeing this? No, that doesn’t make any sense! You don’t have anyone to rat me out to and you hate the citizens of that cesspool of a city too! Then again…you’re also the first person in years to strike me and land a good hit! You could find-”

“Stop. Stop. Stop. I get it. If I join you, I get a nice place to sleep and never have to go back to that crazy cult,” Everest waved her hand dismissively. Tartar looked over at Everest before they extended their claws a little.

“I mean, all you really needed to mention was getting a nice place to sleep. The mountain was freezing. I’m shocked no one got frostbite at all. At least, not that I ever knew of,” Everest’s bad attempt at a joke got Tartar to snicker. Everest slowly accepted its hand.

“PERFECT!” Tartar gave her hand a rough shake, “We’re in business, kiddo!” Tartar suddenly scooped up Everest and gave her a tight hug which she didn’t appreciate in the slightest!

“Mr. Grizz should be here so we can hopefully discuss more! Don’t worry, he might be a little intimidating at first but the bear’s a big softie! A total pushover at times even! He won’t hurt ya..” Tartar’s hug eased and it set down Everest, beginning to walk away already, “My little snowflake,” Tartar added with a smug smile.

“A-Aye…don’t call me that. We’re not quite at the nicknames stage,” Everest stumbled as Tartar left the room.

“Oh Leviathan, what have I gotten myself into…?” Tartar heard Everest mumble under her breath just as he opened the hatch and saw Mr. Grizz stood on the platform, waiting for his arrival patiently

[dzthenerd490]

File: A Nightmare on Elm Street

SCP#: AAW

Code Name: Freddy Krueger the Nightmare Demon

Object Class: OVM/ Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: The suburban town of [data expunged], Ohio has been destroyed by order of the O5 Council. It has been transformed into a Foundation Area for testing purposes. D-Class are regularly sent here to sleep for testing on SCP-AAW. Should Foundation staff get sleepy at the containment area of SCP-AAW they are to evacuate immediately. They will be sent to one of several mobile mini bases with comfortable bedding outside of the area of effect. Foundation staff that fall asleep within SCP-AAW's area of effect are to be evacuated at once. If they do not wake up within 5 minutes of leaving the area of effect, they are to be declared KIA and their bodies incinerated. There are no exceptions.

Description: SCP-AAW was the once suburban town of [data expunged], Ohio; cursed by SCP-AAW-1. When someone falls asleep inside SCP-AAW's area of effect, their consciousness falls into the domain of SCP-AAW-1. SCP-AAW-1 is the now deceased individual known as Freddy Krugger. He takes on the appearance of an old man with burnt skin, wearing a panama hat, a red and black striped shirt with grey pants and wears has gloves with blades attached to the fingers.

According to the residence during evacuation, Freddy Krugger was a sadistic child killer who was burned by the parent’s victims for his crimes. With a desire for revenge and still filled with the sadistic need to kill, he somehow trapped himself in the dream like realm to kill the residence of SCP-AAW while they sleep. SCP-AAW-1 has complete control of the dreams of his victims, fully able to trap them and kill them however he pleases. SCP-AAW-1 even has the ability to possess his victims, allowing him to kill in the real world and even temporarily leave SCP-AAW's area of effect. However, the longest he has ever been known to do this was 1 hour.

SCP-AAW was discovered in 1984 when a series of anomalous deaths and disappearances were reported in the suburban town where SCP-AAW exists. Foundation Field Agents were sent to investigate only to find nothing; however, after going to bed that night both agents were killed in their sleep. Their bodies were found to be cut up by a clawed being despite neither of them moving from their beds and no one entering the motel they were staying in. It was quickly concluded it was some kind of mental anomaly that can only attack its targets in a certain mental state, like sleep. 

Because of this the town was evacuated and all the citizens were given Class F amnestics as they and their families were relocated to different towns. It was only after extensive testing with D Class as well as interviews with the few who survived that the Foundation was able to know the true nature of SCP-AAW. Unfortunately, the foundation also learned that SCP-AAW-1 has grown furious with the evacuation of the town. This has led to SCP-AAW-1 becoming more tactical and experimental with his anomalous properties. Such as, possession his victims’ bodies and making anyone who enters SCP-AAW sleepy even when not tired.  

Unfortunately, because SCP-AAW-1 can only be interacted with during sleep and always tries to kill whoever he comes across, testing is extremely limited on the Foundation’s end. However, what has proven consistent during testing is that SCP-AAW-1 is unsatisfied with killing in dreams and wants to cross over into our world. It is for this and the unexplainable nature of SCP-AAW’s anomalous properties that it has been labeled Dual Object Class OVM and Euclid. The OVM classification is by no means an exaggeration as its quite possible for SCP-AAW-1 to cross over into our world and possess the same reality bending abilities he does in dreams.

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[forcefem-discussions]

Okay so been to antisocial lately lemme ramble out my thoughts on here to try and find some conclusion:

I've not been talking, with basically anyone? Been really inactive in all discords started zero things and been very "take it or leave" it with any steps other people have put towards me

Now the last week has simply been the first week of work startin back up, so that probably contributes to the extremity of all this

But it's been going on for longer I feel

And I really do love rambling

Reflecting on this aspect of myself got prompted since earlier today in my main social server (I haven't spoken in in like, a month...), someone I hold dear just pinged me "food for thought?" And I rambled as I do best!

And that was fun, and if we can get a conversation going I think I'd really enjoy that!

One of my biggest issues with discord servers as a whole is that I don't get pings in conversations I contributed to for bigger servers

I kinda wish I could make it give me a ping the next time someone sends a message or smt... I can try doing that by hand for now maybe? Or maybe even find a custom discord thing that does that!

Since this small issue has compounded to, what feels like a lot of guilt?

I start a conversation, say hi or something, see nobody respond, do smt else, and then I come back after an hour of getting distracted and realize someone who responded within 3 minutes didn't get a response back!

And I think a point to pull from that is I do feel a desire to be social (in a server environment) I just let the little hesitations get in the way of me... I'm very perfectionistic, and very worrysome in nature

Now about dms or one on one conversations, why don't I do those more

Or like at all...

I feel I do care to hear what people have been up to, and I enjoy sharing details about myself... A little? Honestly recently I haven't felt much joy in talking about work since it's so messy and I just want to segregate ot from enjoyment, not focus on it too much

But that's okay that can be communicated in those conversations

Further for deeper conversations, I had such a lovely lovely lovely chat about transgenderism and wolves and art a bit ago that I enjoyed so so much

I came out of it thinking "that was so nice, but I don't feel drive to do it more..." Which confused me at the time as well

Might be that it felt it took to long, or that it was "unproductive", or just because my sleep is bad?

Honestly maybe it was the middle one, I didn't really find the time to do the indepth writing or art I had wanted to do that day and ended it unsatisfied, I didnt regret the conversation in the slightest

Gosh this is odd

It does feel I'm antisocial by nature

But also I do love people? And I have like a minimum I'd need to reach to be satisfied

My social needs fulfilled!

And right now, I'm unsure if that is the xase

And there's another thing to be said about engaging in professional communities to further my art

Making friends with folks that draw good, program much better then I do, or design games or write or anything and everything

I've gotten pretty good at widgets in UE

Mainly because I sat next to someone really good at widgets, who loved explaining his findings! And I love to listen

I love to learn! It's something a lecturer once told me like it was this obvious thing, and it was both a massive revelation for me and a "oh wait isn't that the case for everyone?" Moment

I really enjoy learning, expanding my word view, attending lectures

Hearing the thoughts of those I respect

And I love giving presentations, going on rambles, feeling like the smartest person in the room for this one small thing

Im a bit of an attention whore despite my antisocial nature

Gosh...

I'm glad I typed this out, not sure what the take aways are...

I think I should just check up on the one server more and turn on pings whenever I say smt

Maybe

And in time I can try and find more "professional" servers for art or programming or design or writing to sink my teeth in too maybe

Though those are probably filled with... Non-queer,therian,awesomes folks so we'll need to see!

Love ya

Have a good day