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ask-de-writer · 1 year ago

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FIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

(Part 58 of ?)

18+ readers only (sex scenes)

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FIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

Making Fiends and Influencing Ponies

An Anthro *Tail* of the Mane Six

Part 58 of ? (Work in Progress)

De Writer

63566 words (story in progress)

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This story is age restricted to 18+

years or older!

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights. They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact. They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story? Read from the start HERE

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Rarity stepped up and joined Pinkie. “That sounds utterly delightful, my sweet Kin. Do include me as well. I have heard that Saddle Arabian dances do more than just tease.” She paused for effect before adding, “They are great exercise too!”

Both Kin and Pinkie giggled at her jest. Kin though did nod, “In fact, that is exactly right, if humorously put, Love. Shall we adorn ourselves in your lovely costumes?”

Pinkie slid into her wide satin dancing belt ornamented with rich gold looking fringe trims and row after row of light gold or silver colored coins. The others were getting into theirs as well, filling the room with a light chiming and tinkling from the many “coins.”

Kin and Pinkie were taken by surprise by a part of the costumes that had been concealed under the wide belts. Black lace topped fine fishnet hose! As Rarity was unrolling and pulling hers to fit snugly, with seams straight up the backs of her shapely legs, she informed the others, “I know that these aren't traditional at all, but I really was not thinking about the costumes being used for actual dancing! That's why we have garters for these hose and no panties at all!”

By the time that she had finished, Pinkie had hers on, the garters fastened neatly and was fitting her hooves into soft dancing slippers. Lastly, she had taken her dancing bra that was of matching satin and ornimented the same as her belt. That left a skirt made of colorfully dyed sheer gauze in two panels, both reaching from the belt to mid calf.

A quiet realization dawned as she examined the panels. “These tiny weights go to the bottom? How does it fasten? Oh, I see. These are meant to come off, aren't they?”

Kin nodded seriously, “Correct, Pinkie. While they are on, the weights will help the skirts to have the proper sway and swirl, while showing off lots of leg between the front and back panels. Later, we remove them one at a time for some seriously great looking veil work. You will see when I have given you the dance's reflexes and moves.”

Pinkie nodded, “I sort of know what you mean, my mare. I have seen a few demonstrations of Saddle Arabian dance. Rare made these outfits for more fun than just dancing!”

Her busy fingers twiddled with her bra's left shoulder strap. Most of the cup came away in her hand, leaving only a shelf under the now nearly bare pink boob. Her nipple stood out proud.

Without batting an eyelash, Kin gave a lewd look as she snickered, Saddle Arabian dance is not a strip tease! No reason at all that it can't become one though!”

Pinkie nodded thoughtfully as she re attached the bra cup, “We don't have a Saddle Arabian number in the big strip show. We ought to get Foamy and Clarice to look things over. It could be a fun thing to have in the show.”

Kin nodded briskly, “It really could but first you should learn to dance this way, so that we can show them. OK?”

Pinkie, snuggled up close simply nodded. Kin began what looked almost like a massage starting at the back of her head and working gently down her spine to the middle of her back.

Letting Pinkie go, she told her, “There, you are all done. You will still need to learn how to use those things that I have given you, but which you cannot feel yet. Wait for the music, then you will understand.”

Holding her arms out to Rarity, Kin invited, “Your turn now, my Sweet Love.”

Rarity snuggled close in her arms, enjoying the simple pleasure of contact with her. Kin repeated the same gentle, almost fondling dance of her hand from the back of her love's head, down to her mid back.

Releasing her, she told them, “Pinkie, put away that mirror! Now, finger cymbals (these are called zills, by the way) at the ready, pose like this for your starting position!”

As she was stretching into position, a look of comprehension drifted across her face. “Oh, so that's how it goes! Uh, Kin, I was inviting Foamy and Clarice to come and watch. They've never done choreography for Saddle Arabian dances and really want to see it!”

Kin nodded, “I'll let them in when they get here, Pinkie. Now, music!”

A pattering drum line began, with a flute joining in over the rhythm! All three mares began to sway in time, their zills clattering in unison with the music. The others were watching in awe. Kin's smoothly practiced hip lifts while holding her upper torso near perfectly still as she turned about were nearly entrancing. And this, they knew was barely the beginning!

Both Rarity and Pinkie, still keeping up the rhythm of their zills almost instinctively, began to get the hang of starting the back sway that the hip lift forced to happen from the bottom of their ribs instead of using the whole torso.

With looks of delight, both students got it at almost the same moment! Their movements became suddenly fluid in a way that they never had before! Pinkie began to work in moving her now vertical upper torso from side to side as she danced around in slow turn.

Rarity thoughtfully lowered her upper arms to nearly horizontal and, using only her shoulders, still maintaining that vertical rib cage, doing shoulder lifts, counter to her hip lifts!

Pinkie saw what she was doing as she turned to face Rarity and laughed with joy as she began working her shoulders too!

They both saw their mentor smiling with pleasure at the progress of her pupils. They then noticed that her tail was not a simple flag behind her, wagging to her hip movements! She was managing to keep it from side to side movement at all as it swished almost perfectly up and down! As soon as she was sure that her students were following her tail's movement, she added a side to side flair that resulted in her tail becoming a flowing circle, moving counter to the motion of her hips!

As fast as her eager students absorbed the movement, she smoothly converted it to a side to side swish. She began using the short time that she was on a hoof or the other during the hip lifts, to begin a spin that brought her skirts out in a flair about her! Kin spun about, not pausing any of her dance, shoulders, back, hips or tail! Her legs that had been flashing and showing briefly earlier were now on full active and sensual display!

The others after only a few tries got the moves down pat!

Kin slowed to a hip wriggling, belly rolling stop, facing them as she began to first, twitch slowly and then faster, make her tits shimmy side to side, while back to the basic hip lifting but accompanied by her tail swirling about first into a circle and then flowing smoothly into figure eight!

Just as the others got the whole set of moves flowing smoothly and, admittedly erotically, there came a tap at the door. Kin used her magic to open it without stopping the music or the whole dance!

It was not the expected Foamy and Clarice. It was a drop jawed AJ! She made a production of shutting the door before speaking, “Durn! Can't turn my back on you guys for a minute! What you doin' there sure look like fun! Wish that I knowed how to wiggle like that there!”

Kin had allowed the music to stop. “Come on in, AJ! Watch out what you wish for around here! That could easily happen! Neither of these lovely mares knew a single step of Saddle Arabian dance less than an hour ago!”

Adding a happy grin, she went on, “I see that you are wearing some of those fun “play clothes” that we made you!”

“Ah has. You give me this here sexy bod and them fun clothes. Added what Pinks there done mention about just walkin about making stallion balls blast, Ah had to try it!” She snickerd, cheeks blushing some behind her freckles. “She was right, sort of. Wasn't just stallions, neither. Three mares done propositioned me. I could'ave made three hundred bits!”

“That's neat, AJ, but why come here?”

“Ah wanted to thank you fer it all. Ah done discovered two things just lately. First, Ah likes Mares a whole lot, but second, Ah likes bein' the center of attention too. That there shy was 'cause cause Ah didn't think Ah was really purty.

“Was you serious about showin me how ta dance like that? Yeh, Ah really would like ta be able ta do that. Watched through the window a little 'fore Ah knocked. Ah sorta 'spected something like that from you, Kin, bein' who you are, but Rare an Pinks? That blowed me away!”

Rarity clattered her zills for attention and pointed to the work table. “You want to learn, AJ? Got you a costume right there. Let Kin do her thing to help you learn the reflexes and how some moves work. The dance will grow on you like you are remembering it. It's amazing, really.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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#FIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #Part 58 of ?#age restricted 18+#MLP Fan Fiction #Written by De Writer #WORK IN PROGRESS

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gamesception · 1 year ago

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Sception reads Cass Cain #6

Batman #569, September 1999 written by Janet Harvey, pencils by Sergio Cariello

So here we have the first instance where Cassandra is the main character of an issue, and the primary focus of its story, but the lead creatives aren't her primary team of Peterson, Puckett and Scott. And for a mainstream comic hero that's a big test. Harvey takes a different approach to writing a non-verbal character than Puckett, one that's maybe less innovative and experimental, but that's so easy and obvious that I really have to wonder why I didn't see the same approach taken more often. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The comic starts with a non-super-villain affiliated gang trying to kick this Sanchez guy out of his gas station in an area they've claimed, presumably to take whatever gas and supplies are left there. And in blue boxes we have some faux noir-esque narration of the type commonly employed throughout bat books from the dawn of time, both for exposition and for letting letting the audience in on the main characters' thoughts. I'm not a big fan of the gimmick generally, and one of the things I liked about Cass, especially in her early non-verbal days, was that her book focused more on storytelling and characterization through the art on the panel. I know "show don't tell" is a bit of an overused cliche, but imo it invited the reader to empathize more directly with Cass since you didn't have this layer of text in between you and her.

But not every writer and artist were up to that - and Cass's faceless costume design made it that much harder. Most back book writers had been relying on their narration blocks for so long that they didn't know how to tell a story, let alone a bat story, without them. As a result, it seemed like most of the bat book writers just didn't know how to use Cass, and so she showed up sparingly in other books, and when she was just this silent shadow that none of the other bat family characters could meaningfully relate to.

The funny thing is, looking back now at this issue for the first time, from before her solo book even started, Harvey had already figured out how to put the circle through the square hole.

Because the blue text blocks are Cass's thoughts, or at least describing what she's thinking, even if in universe she isn't thinking these things in words exactly. In the same way that a comic might write out a foreign character's dialog in English, and then just tack a note that in-universe they're speaking French or whatever.

Which, yeah, is just the obvious solution to the problem? If you're writing a Cass story but don't know how to do that without your typical narration boxes, then just use your typical narration boxes.

Oh, also I love that close up in the middle panel there, with her big smile - drawn right through the mask the way I keep saying artists should do. Because it's ok to cheat in comic art. Spider man cheats by having the eyes on his mask change shape to show his expression all the time. But anyway, yeah, with that big smile you can feel her easy confidence and excitement. She's enjoying herself. She's having fun. This is play to her. That idea, that she /enjoys/ being Batgirl, will be important when we get into some of her issues with guilt later in her own book, so it's great that we're already seeing that side of her here, an aspect of her personality that is entirely lost when she's portrayed as just Batman's silent ninja enforcer.

But yeah, that's Cass right there. That's our girl, that's who we're here to see.

We also see that her instincts are dangerous - she was taught by an assassin - trained to kill. No matter how much fun she's having, she can't just cut loose, can't get carried away and lose focus. She has to actively restrain herself. She starts to have fun flexing her fighting skills, but then she remembers what those skills were originally meant for, what she was originally meant for, and the fun is over.

Mr. Sanchez is in high spirits after the rescue and very chatty. Cass gets annoyed by this, which I choose to read as reflexive insecurity about not being able to communicate verbally herself.

Cass signals Bat HQ that she's secured the gas station. Apparently there had been a plan to send extra help to get some gas for the hospital (the hospital is still functional? Why isn't Dr. Thomkins there then?), but it's too dangerous at the moment so Cass is just going to have to hold the station by herself overnight. Which is framed as a tough mission, a test of her competence.

There's a flashback to a few hours earlier when the mission was first assigned, and we get to see how excited Cass is to be useful, how eager she is to please Bruce in particular. Especially nice since we get to see her emoting without the mask in the way. The scene is nice, and it emphasizes both her youth - she's still just a teenager - and her motivations. We also see Barbara both vouching for Cass's ability and worrying about her safety, which fits the big sister/surrogate mother role she'll serve in Cass's ongoing.

Meanwhile, Bruce still isn't completely sure what to make of Cassandra. He trusts Barbara's recommendation, and has seen first hand Cass's martial skills and her commitment to finding nonlethal solutions to problems even where none seems possible, but yeah, this is very much a test.

Cass gets frustrated with the chatty Mr. Sanchez and heads outside, where we get a bunch more of the narration blocks and some art I don't especially care for, with weird comic woman proportions and spray-painted-on costume and weird boots. The ruined city background art is pretty nice, and none of this is terrible looking. Just not particularly great. I like the way the artist draws Cass's Batgirl outfit when she's just a lurking shadow, just a silhouette, like in that first panel there, even if it's small, or this panel from earlier that I didn't grab before:

Yeah, good spooky Cass silhouettes. But when the details fill in, not as much.

Anyway, the thugs come back later with a rocket launcher, there's some fighting, but while Cass is able to save Mr. Sanchez, the gas station is destroyed.

Which means Cass failed her mission. Failed the test.

Failed Batman.

Cariello does a fantastic job portraying how fucking pissed Cass is in this panel, and how terrifying she is in her anger. Again, when he's rendering her as a spooky silhouette it's great.

Again Cassandra risks gets carried away - this time by her anger rather than having fun - and her restraint slips, letting the lethal training her father drilled into her come to the surface.

Sanchez talks Cass down, and she turns away just as Bruce shows up, and thankfully there was a separate stash of gas they can take to keep the hospital generators running.

....

Overall this was a pretty good issue for our girl. While I might not like some of the art or some of the writing choices as much as if this issue had been done by Peterson, Puckett, and Scott, this is still very much a Cass Cain Batgirl story, the kind you might have seen in her solo book. The tone is right, the themes are there, the interpersonal dynamics between her, Bruce, and Barbara. Her character and personality comes across well.

Given how badly her solo book drops off later on, her disastrous villain period, the mess that followed after, how I never really felt like she found her footing again... over the years I've kind of built up this idea in my head that, as great as Cass was in her prime, maybe she just wasn't a good fit for the collaborative, factory format of mainstream US superhero books. Like only one team could ever get her right, which made her a bad fit in a medium where creative teams are constantly shifting and a shared universe where characters are regularly crossing over into each others stories.

But this book stands as an easy and very early refutation of that entire thought. Harvey isn't writing this book like Puckett would have, and Cariello isn't illustrating like Scott would have. This is a book that looks and reads much more like typical Bat book fare, and yet Cass is working fine here. That's very recognizably our girl. And this right after the previous issue I looked at, where she worked pretty well as a side character.

If multiple creative teams outside of her own could get her right this early on, why did others fail - and fail so very badly - later on, when the character if anything should have been more well established?

#sception reads cassandra cain #cassandra cain #batgirl #batman #dc comics

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dickens-daily · 2 months ago

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CHAPTER VII—HACKNEY-COACH STANDS

We maintain that hackney-coaches, properly so called, belong solely to the metropolis. We may be told, that there are hackney-coach stands in Edinburgh; and not to go quite so far for a contradiction to our position, we may be reminded that Liverpool, Manchester, ‘and other large towns’ (as the Parliamentary phrase goes), have their hackney-coach stands. We readily concede to these places the possession of certain vehicles, which may look almost as dirty, and even go almost as slowly, as London hackney-coaches; but that they have the slightest claim to compete with the metropolis, either in point of stands, drivers, or cattle, we indignantly deny.

Take a regular, ponderous, rickety, London hackney-coach of the old school, and let any man have the boldness to assert, if he can, that he ever beheld any object on the face of the earth which at all resembles it, unless, indeed, it were another hackney-coach of the same date. We have recently observed on certain stands, and we say it with deep regret, rather dapper green chariots, and coaches of polished yellow, with four wheels of the same colour as the coach, whereas it is perfectly notorious to every one who has studied the subject, that every wheel ought to be of a different colour, and a different size. These are innovations, and, like other miscalled improvements, awful signs of the restlessness of the public mind, and the little respect paid to our time-honoured institutions. Why should hackney-coaches be clean? Our ancestors found them dirty, and left them so. Why should we, with a feverish wish to ‘keep moving,’ desire to roll along at the rate of six miles an hour, while they were content to rumble over the stones at four? These are solemn considerations. Hackney-coaches are part and parcel of the law of the land; they were settled by the Legislature; plated and numbered by the wisdom of Parliament.

Then why have they been swamped by cabs and omnibuses? Or why should people be allowed to ride quickly for eightpence a mile, after Parliament had come to the solemn decision that they should pay a shilling a mile for riding slowly? We pause for a reply;—and, having no chance of getting one, begin a fresh paragraph.

Our acquaintance with hackney-coach stands is of long standing. We are a walking book of fares, feeling ourselves, half bound, as it were, to be always in the right on contested points. We know all the regular watermen within three miles of Covent-garden by sight, and should be almost tempted to believe that all the hackney-coach horses in that district knew us by sight too, if one-half of them were not blind. We take great interest in hackney-coaches, but we seldom drive, having a knack of turning ourselves over when we attempt to do so. We are as great friends to horses, hackney-coach and otherwise, as the renowned Mr. Martin, of costermonger notoriety, and yet we never ride. We keep no horse, but a clothes-horse; enjoy no saddle so much as a saddle of mutton; and, following our own inclinations, have never followed the hounds. Leaving these fleeter means of getting over the ground, or of depositing oneself upon it, to those who like them, by hackney-coach stands we take our stand.

There is a hackney-coach stand under the very window at which we are writing; there is only one coach on it now, but it is a fair specimen of the class of vehicles to which we have alluded—a great, lumbering, square concern of a dingy yellow colour (like a bilious brunette), with very small glasses, but very large frames; the panels are ornamented with a faded coat of arms, in shape something like a dissected bat, the axletree is red, and the majority of the wheels are green. The box is partially covered by an old great-coat, with a multiplicity of capes, and some extraordinary-looking clothes; and the straw, with which the canvas cushion is stuffed, is sticking up in several places, as if in rivalry of the hay, which is peeping through the chinks in the boot. The horses, with drooping heads, and each with a mane and tail as scanty and straggling as those of a worn-out rocking-horse, are standing patiently on some damp straw, occasionally wincing, and rattling the harness; and now and then, one of them lifts his mouth to the ear of his companion, as if he were saying, in a whisper, that he should like to assassinate the coachman. The coachman himself is in the watering-house; and the waterman, with his hands forced into his pockets as far as they can possibly go, is dancing the ‘double shuffle,’ in front of the pump, to keep his feet warm.

The servant-girl, with the pink ribbons, at No. 5, opposite, suddenly opens the street-door, and four small children forthwith rush out, and scream ‘Coach!’ with all their might and main. The waterman darts from the pump, seizes the horses by their respective bridles, and drags them, and the coach too, round to the house, shouting all the time for the coachman at the very top, or rather very bottom of his voice, for it is a deep bass growl. A response is heard from the tap-room; the coachman, in his wooden-soled shoes, makes the street echo again as he runs across it; and then there is such a struggling, and backing, and grating of the kennel, to get the coach-door opposite the house-door, that the children are in perfect ecstasies of delight. What a commotion! The old lady, who has been stopping there for the last month, is going back to the country. Out comes box after box, and one side of the vehicle is filled with luggage in no time; the children get into everybody’s way, and the youngest, who has upset himself in his attempts to carry an umbrella, is borne off wounded and kicking. The youngsters disappear, and a short pause ensues, during which the old lady is, no doubt, kissing them all round in the back parlour. She appears at last, followed by her married daughter, all the children, and both the servants, who, with the joint assistance of the coachman and waterman, manage to get her safely into the coach. A cloak is handed in, and a little basket, which we could almost swear contains a small black bottle, and a paper of sandwiches. Up go the steps, bang goes the door, ‘Golden-cross, Charing-cross, Tom,’ says the waterman; ‘Good-bye, grandma,’ cry the children, off jingles the coach at the rate of three miles an hour, and the mamma and children retire into the house, with the exception of one little villain, who runs up the street at the top of his speed, pursued by the servant; not ill-pleased to have such an opportunity of displaying her attractions. She brings him back, and, after casting two or three gracious glances across the way, which are either intended for us or the potboy (we are not quite certain which), shuts the door, and the hackney-coach stand is again at a standstill.

We have been frequently amused with the intense delight with which ‘a servant of all work,’ who is sent for a coach, deposits herself inside; and the unspeakable gratification which boys, who have been despatched on a similar errand, appear to derive from mounting the box. But we never recollect to have been more amused with a hackney-coach party, than one we saw early the other morning in Tottenham-court-road. It was a wedding-party, and emerged from one of the inferior streets near Fitzroy-square. There were the bride, with a thin white dress, and a great red face; and the bridesmaid, a little, dumpy, good-humoured young woman, dressed, of course, in the same appropriate costume; and the bridegroom and his chosen friend, in blue coats, yellow waist-coats, white trousers, and Berlin gloves to match. They stopped at the corner of the street, and called a coach with an air of indescribable dignity. The moment they were in, the bridesmaid threw a red shawl, which she had, no doubt, brought on purpose, negligently over the number on the door, evidently to delude pedestrians into the belief that the hackney-coach was a private carriage; and away they went, perfectly satisfied that the imposition was successful, and quite unconscious that there was a great staring number stuck up behind, on a plate as large as a schoolboy’s slate. A shilling a mile!—the ride was worth five, at least, to them.

What an interesting book a hackney-coach might produce, if it could carry as much in its head as it does in its body! The autobiography of a broken-down hackney-coach, would surely be as amusing as the autobiography of a broken-down hackneyed dramatist; and it might tell as much of its travels with the pole, as others have of their expeditions to it. How many stories might be related of the different people it had conveyed on matters of business or profit—pleasure or pain! And how many melancholy tales of the same people at different periods! The country-girl—the showy, over-dressed woman—the drunken prostitute! The raw apprentice—the dissipated spendthrift—the thief!

Talk of cabs! Cabs are all very well in cases of expedition, when it’s a matter of neck or nothing, life or death, your temporary home or your long one. But, besides a cab’s lacking that gravity of deportment which so peculiarly distinguishes a hackney-coach, let it never be forgotten that a cab is a thing of yesterday, and that he never was anything better. A hackney-cab has always been a hackney-cab, from his first entry into life; whereas a hackney-coach is a remnant of past gentility, a victim to fashion, a hanger-on of an old English family, wearing their arms, and, in days of yore, escorted by men wearing their livery, stripped of his finery, and thrown upon the world, like a once-smart footman when he is no longer sufficiently juvenile for his office, progressing lower and lower in the scale of four-wheeled degradation, until at last it comes to—a stand!

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#sketches by boz #sbb #charles dickens

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jeanjane · 4 months ago

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Best Cat Toys for Indoor Cats: Keeping Them Engaged and Active

Indoor cats require a stimulating environment to stay healthy, happy, and active. Without the natural stimulation they’d get from being outside, indoor cats can become bored, stressed, or even overweight. To counteract this, it’s essential to keep them engaged with toys that spark their hunting instincts, encourage movement, and provide mental stimulation. In this article, we’ll explore the best cat toys for indoor cats and how they can help maintain your pet’s well-being. We'll also touch on how dog toys and services like pet day care can play a role in their enrichment.

Why Cat Toys Are Essential for Indoor Cats

Cats are natural hunters, and even indoor cats retain their wild instincts. Without the right outlets for this energy, your cat may resort to destructive behaviors like scratching furniture or overeating out of boredom. Cat toys provide both physical and mental stimulation, keeping your feline friend entertained and in good health.

Benefits of Cat Toys

Physical Exercise: Regular activity helps indoor cats stay fit and prevents obesity, which can lead to a range of health problems.

Mental Stimulation: Toys challenge a cat’s brain, keeping them sharp and reducing stress and anxiety.

Bonding: Playing with your cat helps strengthen your bond, making your relationship more fulfilling for both of you.

Natural Instincts: Toys mimic the hunting experience, satisfying your cat's innate need to stalk, chase, and pounce.

Types of Cat Toys to Keep Indoor Cats Engaged

Not all cat toys are created equal. Some are better suited for certain activities, while others are designed to mimic the behaviors cats naturally enjoy. Below are some of the best categories of toys to keep your indoor cat active and entertained.

1. Interactive Toys

Interactive toys are a fantastic way to engage your cat in active play, mimicking the movement of prey. These toys often require your participation, which can make playtime even more engaging for your cat.

Laser Pointers

Laser pointers are a classic example of interactive toys. They encourage cats to chase the elusive red dot, providing great physical exercise. However, always make sure to end the game by letting your cat “catch” something physical, like a small dog toy or feather, to prevent frustration.

Feather Wands

Feather wands are another excellent option for interactive play. These toys simulate the movement of birds, appealing to your cat’s predatory instincts. Move the wand in unpredictable ways to mimic real prey and keep your cat guessing.

2. Puzzle Toys

Cats are intelligent animals that thrive on mental stimulation. Puzzle toys challenge your cat to solve problems to earn a reward, such as treats or kibble. These toys are perfect for cats who tend to eat too quickly or those that could benefit from some mental exercise.

Food-Dispensing Toys

Food-dispensing toys like treat balls or puzzle feeders encourage cats to work for their food. As your cat bats the toy around, kibble or treats are slowly released, providing a rewarding experience that stimulates their mind and satisfies their hunger.

Puzzle Boards

Puzzle boards feature hidden compartments or sliding panels that require your cat to use their paws or nose to access treats. These toys are a great way to engage your cat’s problem-solving skills while keeping them entertained for hours.

3. Catnip Toys

Catnip is a herb that many cats find irresistible. It triggers a euphoric reaction in most cats, making it a fun and natural stimulant. Catnip toys are perfect for encouraging even the laziest cats to get up and move.

Stuffed Catnip Toys

Stuffed toys filled with catnip are a simple yet effective way to stimulate your cat. These toys come in various shapes and sizes, from small mice to larger plush animals. Watch as your cat wrestles, kicks, and pounces on these scented toys.

Refillable Catnip Toys

For long-term use, consider refillable catnip toys. These allow you to refresh the catnip as the scent fades over time, ensuring that your cat remains interested. Refillable toys often feature pouches or Velcro openings for easy refilling.

4. Ball Toys

Balls are timeless toys that encourage physical activity in cats. The unpredictability of a rolling ball simulates the movement of small prey animals, triggering a cat's hunting instincts.

Lightweight Balls

Lightweight balls, often made of plastic or foam, are easy for cats to bat around. Some varieties come with bells or rattles inside, adding an auditory element that makes playtime even more exciting.

Electronic Balls

For added excitement, electronic balls can provide hours of entertainment. These battery-powered toys move on their own, simulating the erratic movements of a mouse or bug. Some electronic balls even light up, making them perfect for night-time play.

5. Scratching Toys

Scratching is a natural behavior for cats, and without the right outlets, they might turn to your furniture. Scratching toys allow your cat to indulge in this instinct while keeping your home safe from damage.

Scratching Posts

A classic cat toy, the scratching post, gives your cat a dedicated place to sharpen its claws. Look for scratching posts made from durable materials like sisal, which withstands heavy use and provides a satisfying texture for cats.

Cardboard Scratching Pads

Cardboard scratching pads are another popular option, especially for cats who prefer horizontal scratching surfaces. Many cardboard scratchers come infused with catnip for added appeal, making them irresistible to your feline friend.

Can Dog Toys Work for Cats?

It’s not uncommon for pet owners to have both cats and dogs, which may lead you to wonder if your feline can also enjoy dog toys. While some dog toys can be suitable for cats, it’s important to consider the size, texture, and function of the toy.

Toy Size and Durability

Dog toys are often larger and more durable than cat toys, which may make them less appealing or harder to use for cats. However, smaller dog toys, like soft stuffed animals or small balls, can work well for cats that enjoy wrestling or chasing.

Caution with Chew Toys

Chew toys designed for dogs are usually too tough for cats and could pose a risk if your cat tries to chew on them. Stick to cat-safe options to prevent any injuries or dental issues.

How Pet Day Care Enhances Toy Playtime

If your indoor cat spends long periods alone during the day, consider the benefits of pet day care. Many facilities offer enrichment activities, including playtime with a variety of toys. This can help break up the monotony of your cat’s day and ensure they get the exercise and interaction they need.

Social Interaction and Stimulation

Pet day care provides an environment where your cat can interact with trained professionals and possibly other pets. This type of interaction, combined with the use of engaging toys, can help your cat burn off energy and reduce boredom, leading to better overall behavior at home.

Variety of Toys and Activities

At a pet day care facility, your cat will have access to a wider variety of toys and activities than they might at home. From climbing structures to interactive toys, these facilities are designed to keep your pet active and stimulated throughout the day.

Conclusion

Investing in the right cat toys is crucial for keeping your indoor cat healthy, active, and entertained. From interactive toys that mimic prey to puzzle toys that challenge their minds, the options are endless. While some dog toys may work in a pinch, it’s important to choose toys specifically designed for your cat’s needs. Additionally, services like pet day care can offer even more opportunities for play and enrichment, ensuring that your cat leads a happy and fulfilled life indoors.

By incorporating a variety of toys into your cat’s daily routine, you’ll help prevent boredom, promote healthy activity, and strengthen your bond with your feline companion.

#Pet Day Care #Cat Toys #Dog Toys

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wonkysews · 1 year ago

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Vest 2

the yardage & dress. the yardage was a beautiful cotton/wool from miss matatabi that i accidentally tortured in the washing machine. it looked even worse before i stretched it back out as much as i could. now it is a very interesting cotton/felted wool crinkle plaid. i liked the pockets on the dress and figured i could incorporate them.

I realised the dress was a trapeze cut so I took apart the panels, squared them off, and sewed most of them back together to make an on-grain (mostly... its linen and I'm not great at this) rectangle of fabric

i quilted the linen to some batting (just a few vertical lines - i didn't want to sew through the pockets or have a quilted 'look' to the linen side. we'll see how that pans out; i'm not planning on washing this beyond some spot cleaning so it shouuuuld be fine. i then laid the yardage on top and safety pinned the three layers together.

doubled up and patched together the pattern* so i could lay out the whole thing with as few seams as possible (just shoulder seams!) for this vest, I didn't have enough black linen for bias binding and none of my remnants looked good against both the yardage and linen to me. so i decided to try cutting the linen side with enough of an allowance to double fold over and sorta self bind the edges. this is stupid and doesnt work very well, but perfection is not my aim and the yardage is fucked up beyond belief anyway so what are a few more weird wrinkly bits? * This purl soho pattern, which i've modified heavily in length and shape, especially the front

basted the edges like so. i rolled with any folds/pleats needed to make the edge of the yardage fit into the linen layer neatly. i left the back neckline and recut it a couple of times to try to fix a fit issue (it helped a little but i think i need a redraft or darts to fix it properly)

i knew my sewing machine would not be able to evenly feed the crinkled yardage even with a walking foot, so i tried something new and cut off the shoulder seam allowance entirely and instead joined it with a strip of linen i wrapped around the entire seam that i would fell down on either side. i also left the hand basting in underneath to give it a little extra strength.

all basted. all i had to do from this point was make the ties and fell everything down! didn't take photos of the tie process but i just sewed a tube, used a loop turner to turn them inside out, folded one end in and hand stitched it together to close them off and hide the raw edges.

shoulder seam felled down.i'm not an amazing hand sewer but i'm getting better, especially thanks to resources like this one. when i got to felling down the parts where i wanted the ties, i tucked the ties in between the folded over linen layer and yardage, tacked them to the yardage & batting inside the seam allowance, and then continued felling down the linen over the ties.

finished vest! not pattern matched, you can see where i was more successful stretching the shrunken fabric back out, odd tension where the 'binding' fights the grain of the fabric... but i'm happy with it, especially the pockets. i'm glad to get some use out of my stupid mistake with the wool/cotton plaid yardage. i might pick stitch/ hand quilt some areas eventually but for now i'm gonna leave it.

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xxstarryxeyedxx · 1 year ago

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{The Horizon}

(manhwa) 21 chapters 2016

Author and Artist : Jeong ji-hoon

I stumbled across this manhwa a week ago.The hell that is TikTok kept recommending me slideshows of some of the chapters and right from the beginning I knew it was something extremely sad and intense.I tend to stray away from these sort of media,especially nihilistic and pessimistic ones that are depressing just for the romantization of it or for the sake of just..being depressing.But TikTok really wanted me to read this manhwa as it recommended it to me over five times back to back.So I gave in.And I am so greatful that I did

Right off the bat I have to warn you this work deals with extremely heavy ,mature themes.War,loss,death and survival are prominent things in this manhwa and it does not hold back.As well as a big trigger warning for attempted SA ((even though in my opinion the themes surrounding it and the way it was handled is very calculated and careful))

In an Un-named post apocalyptic world,where war and disease have overtaken most of humanity ,a boy and a girl find themselves all alone,having lost their families and homes,with no choice but to keep moving forward in a long unknown road.They encounter many different people as they go,shaping their story and their experience of the horrors of war,through the eyes of two kids who have no one but each other.What absolutely blew me away is the story of these two and countless others presented in just 21 chapters.The commentary on war,child soldiers,the philosophising of the meaning life and death take in such a setting and most importantly,hope, perseverance and love.A diverse cast of characters,even though the story is much more focused on the illustrative part rather than the dialogue.I do not want to spoil much(as always) as I did end up crying continously while reading it after it had reached the middle.

For a story based on it's illustrations I wouldn't say that the character designs or the way the artist draws their figures is the strong point of it's art.Rather,it is the amazing backrounds,the panelling,the use of big and vast spaces and the coloring of them and most incredibly,how the art style switches in these crazed pen strokes,mad scribbles and lines to convey intensity,hopelessness or sadness that really manages to strike a cord in your heart.The message is absolutely direct and scarily raw emotion is brought by those images.

It is a very short read,it took me about two hours.One that I recommend wholeheartedly,while always being aware of it's themes.

personal rating 9.5/10

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bubbalove9610 · 1 year ago

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Ok so I used to work at a theme park called Scandia awhile back, as Freddy Krueger. And an idea popped into my head for a story. Now I won’t spoil anything, I’ll just jump right in the story. I hope you guys like it. This is gonna be in parts/chapters so let me know in the comments if you want more.

The theme park was quiet. It had been shut down a long time ago. A group of kids wandered the park, admiring all the rides and old buildings. “So I have to ask, which horror icon would you wanna have a one night stand with?” A girl asks. She had blonde hair, and wore a crop top and shorts, she had icy blue eyes, and was about 5 feet tall. A boy walking next to her look at her surprised. “Katy! What kinda question is that?” He asks. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He wore gym shorts and a tank top, with sports sneakers. Katy giggled and replied, “Come on Chris, you’ve had to think about it at least once,” she says. Chris shuddered, and shook his head. “No thank you,” he said. Katy giggled and they kept walking, trying to find everyone else. “Where’s everyone go?” Katy asks, and Chris shrugged. “I don’t know, Alexis and Yazmine probably went to go fuck somewhere. You know how high their sex drive is,” he said. Katy looked at Chris and blushed, and he caught on to that. “You ok?” He asked her, and she nodded quickly, too quickly. Suddenly Alexis popped up, scaring the shit out of both of them. “My god girl, don’t do that!” Chris said, and Alexis laughed, out of breath. “Sorry, but you’re gonna wanna see this,” she said, she was tall, with half her head shaved and purple streaks in her hair, she had brown eyes and wore a leather vest with an AC/DC shirt and skinny jeans. She waved at them to follow. Chris and Katy ran after her into the old circus tent, excited and curious. Yazmine walked out from one of the rooms, buttoning her shirt, and Chris looked at Katy as if to say, “Told you so.” Katy had dark brown hair, with green eyes. She wore blue tshirt with a purple skirt, and green tennis shoes. They all walked into the back of the tent, and Chris saw a floor panel open. He looked in and saw a giant room, with pillars shaped like bats. “What is this place?” He asked, and looked at Alexis, who shrugged and smiled. “I don’t know, me and Yazmine were…cuddling, and we saw the carpet looked funny,” she said. Chris chuckled and went to the ladder, climbing down. “Be careful,” Katy said, and Chris smiled. Alexis went with him, climbing down, smiling to herself. She walked next to Chris and he broke the silence, saying, “You know I could hear you two moaning from outside,” he said, and Alexis blushed. “Sorry,” she said, “Yazmine’s wild when she’s in the mood, she rides hard-“. Chris put his hands over his ears, “Ok I don’t need to hear the details,” he said. Alexis cleared her throat, saying, “What about you and Katie? Have you guys done….that yet?” She said, and Chris shook his head. “No, she’s coming over tonight for the Conjuring marathon.” Alexis stopped, her mouth open. “She’s coming to our movie marathon? Dude if you don’t bang her tonight i will,” she said. Chris looked at Alexis, rolling his eyes, and said, “Maybe, we’ll see.” Alexis scoffed and they stopped before a giant vault. “What the hell is this?” She asked, and Chris shook his head. “I don’t know, but it’s definitely not locked,” he said, pointing to the lock that was melted off. They walked in and saw books of all kinds, but at the far end sat an old comic book, and it had a picture of some butcher, titled “The great theme park showdown of Halloween.” Chris scoffed, “What a weird name,” he said, opening it. As soon as the pages opened there was a giant burst of wind and maniacal laughter could be heard, but it died out slowly. All the books fell off the shelves and caught fire, spelling the words, “Thank you for freeing me, my pets.” Alexis grabbed it, slamming it shut, and put it down, saying, “I’ve seen enough horror movies to know, don’t touch the secret books or whatever shit they have.” Chris and Alexis both walked out and slammed the door, and climbed up the ladder, slamming the trap door. “What happened?” Yazmine asked, and Chris leaned against the wall, catching his breath. “You don’t wanna know,” Alexis said. They ran from the theme park, too scared and exhausted to do more, and drove home.

#Halloween #adventure #smut #scary #horror icons

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posterdrops · 2 years ago

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Reposted from @bottleneckgallery This Tuesday, @glenbrogan and @big_squid_man take to the mean streets of Gotham! Glen’s print for Barbara Gordon’s time in the cape and cowl is an awesome ode to just some of the storied mythology behind Batgirl. Glen’s great cartoon aesthetic paired with some eye-popping coloring makes this print a bat-must-have! We’re teaming up with the mysterious (and feral) artist known only as Squiddy for their first BNG release! Squiddy’s Batman features such bold shapes and outlines and really confident art that incorporates comic paneling. We’re thrilled to finally work with Squiddy, and we hope our Batfans appreciate a different take on the classic character. Glen and Squiddy’s prints will be available for purchase on Tuesday (1/31) @ 12PM ET on our homepage, Bottleneckgallery.com. (at Bottleneck Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoE_84MuLyv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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lizseyi · 2 years ago

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5 Of The Best Valentine’s Gift Ideas From Our Online Shopping Channel - Zawzor

Picking out a great Valentine’s Day gift can be tricky, especially with this significant date coming so soon after Christmas. Even if you have been with your sweetheart for many years, you might know their preferences well, but it may already feel as if they “have everything”.

So, why not allow our team at Zawzor to be at hand with some great gift ideas for men and women alike this Valentine’s Day? Below, we’ve identified a few items you might not have thought of.

A sexy black bodysuit

As we’ve touched on previously here on the Zawzor blog, there are certain things you will need to carefully think about if you are looking to purchase lingerie for someone. You will need to be sure about her size, of course, to avoid any frustrations and embarrassments, and you should also be familiar with the colours and styles that she likes.

But if you are confident buying someone lingerie for Valentine’s Day, this gorgeous bodysuit from the Yes X brand could be just the thing, with its stunning black mesh body and floral lace side panels and straps.

Cricket bat tie clip

While tie clips do serve a practical purpose of helping to keep a tie in place by securing it to the wearer’s shirt placket, there’s also no doubting that they can have a lot of style – especially when you take your pick from the Zawzor range of tie clips.

This particular high polish tie pin, for example, has been designed to resemble a cricket bat, so could be just the thing for a cricket-fan boyfriend this Valentine’s. And you won’t even need to make much effort to package it for presentation, given the classy Artamis gift box it comes in.

Football mug in a tin

Coming up with a gift idea for a football fan can be challenging, given that yes, you know they’re a huge fan of the club they support, but surely, they already have the latest shirt, and all the other obvious merchandise from the club shop. So, what could you get them that they would actually use?

This football-themed mug in a tin could be a fine idea. As well as quotes referring to “the Beautiful Game” and its “ability to bring the toughest of men to tears”, it comes in a gift tin that means, again, you won’t have to do much to make it presentable to your beloved as a Valentine’s present.

Heart-shaped compact mirror

Well, it’s a Valentine’s-themed blog post, so we had to mention something heart-shaped! And this compact mirror, with its inlaid purple Paua shell, is very much beautiful. It consists, in fact, of two mirrors – a standard mirror and a magnification mirror – and measures 70mm.

The drawstring pouch really completes the pretty look for this item your sweetheart is likely to really appreciate in her everyday life.

Hand and body wash

If you’ve come to think of hand and body wash as something dull, but important that we all had to use furiously and often during the pandemic, it’s perhaps time to get back to just how fabulous hand and body wash can be.

That much is demonstrated by the hand and body washes we have in stock from the Peppermint Grove brand, with lightweight formulas available including lemongrass and lime, patchouli and bergamot, and freesia and berries. So nourishing are all of these variants to the skin, that they’re great gift ideas for men and women alike.

As has always been the case here at Zawzor, we can’t guarantee how long any of these items will remain in stock for – so if you see something you know your beloved would like, be sure to grab it while you can! And from everyone here, we wish both of you a very happy Valentine’s Day.

#gift ideas for men

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mcmansionhell · 5 years ago

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Coronagrifting: A Design Phenomenon

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled content to bring you a critical essay on the design world. I promise you that this will also be funny.

This morning, the design website Dezeen tweeted a link to one of its articles, depicting a plexiglass coronavirus shield that could be suspended above dining areas, with the caption “Reader comment: ‘Dezeen, please stop promoting this stupidity.’”

This, of course, filled many design people, including myself, with a kind of malicious glee. The tweet seemed to show that the website’s editorial (or at least social media) staff retained within themselves a scintilla of self-awareness regarding the spread a new kind of virus in its own right: cheap mockups of COVID-related design “solutions” filling the endlessly scrollable feeds of PR-beholden design websites such as Dezeen, ArchDaily, and designboom. I call this phenomenon: Coronagrifting.

I’ll go into detail about what I mean by this, but first, I would like to presenet some (highly condensed) history.

From Paper Architecture to PR-chitecture

Back in the headier days of architecture in the 1960s and 70s, a number of architectural avant gardes (such as Superstudio and Archizoom in Italy and Archigram in the UK) ceased producing, well, buildings, in favor of what critics came to regard as “paper architecture.” This “paper architecture” included everything from sprawling diagrams of megastructures, including cities that “walked” or “never stopped” - to playfully erotic collages involving Chicago’s Marina City. Occasionally, these theoretical and aesthetic explorations were accompanied by real-world productions of “anti-design” furniture that may or may not have involved foam fingers.

Archigram’s Walking City (1964). Source.

Paper architecture, of course, still exists, but its original radical, critical, playful, (and, yes, even erotic) elements were shed when the last of the ultra-modernists were swallowed up by the emerging aesthetic hegemony of Postmodernism (which was much less invested in theoretical and aesthetic futurism) in the early 1980s. What remained were merely images, the production and consumption of which has only increased as the design world shifted away from print and towards the rapidly produced, easily digestible content of the internet and social media.

Architect Bjarke Ingels’s “Oceanix” - a mockup of an ecomodernist, luxury city designed in response to rising sea levels from climate change. The city will never be built, and its critical interrogation amounts only to “city with solar panels that floats bc climate change is Serious” - but it did get Ingels and his firm, BIG, a TED talk and circulation on all of the hottest blogs and websites. Meanwhile, Ingels has been in business talks with the right-wing climate change denialist president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. (Image via designboom)

Design websites are increasingly dominated by text and mockups from the desks of a firm’s public relations departments, facilitating a transition from the paper-architecture-imaginary to what I have begun calling “PR-chitecture.” In short, PR-chitecture is architecture and design content that has been dreamed up from scratch to look good on instagram feeds or, more simply, for clicks. It is only within this substance-less, critically lapsed media landscape that Coronagrifting can prosper.

Coronagrifting: An Evolution

As of this writing, the two greatest offenders of Coronagrifting are Dezeen, which has devoted an entire section of its website to the virus (itself offering twelve pages of content since February alone) and designboom, whose coronavirus tag contains no fewer than 159 articles.

Certainly, a small handful of these stories demonstrate useful solutions to COVID-related problems (such as this one from designboom about a student who created a mask prototype that would allow D/deaf and hard of hearing people to read lips) most of the prototypes and the articles about them are, for a lack of a better word, insipid.

But where, you may ask, did it all start?

One of the easiest (and, therefore, one of the earliest) Coronagrifts involves “new innovative, health-centric designs tackling problems at the intersection of wearables and personal mobility,” which is PR-chitecture speak for “body shields and masks.”

Wearables and Post-ables

The first example came from Chinese architect Sun Dayong, back at the end of February 2020, when the virus was still isolated in China. Dayong submitted to Dezeen a prototype of a full mask and body-shield that “would protect a wearer during a coronavirus outbreak by using UV light to sterilise itself.” The project was titled “Be a Bat Man.” No, I am not making this up.

Screenshot of Dayong’s “Be a Batman” as seen on the Dezeen website.

Soon after, every artist, architect, designer, and sharp-eyed PR rep at firms and companies only tangentially related to design realized that, with the small investment of a Photoshop mockup and some B-minus marketing text, they too could end up on the front page of these websites boasting a large social media following and an air of legitimacy in the field.

By April, companies like Apple and Nike were promising the use of existing facilities for producing or supplying an arms race’s worth of slick-tech face coverings. Starchitecture’s perennial PR-churners like Foster + Partners and Bjarke Ingels were repping “3D-printed face shields”, while other, lesser firms promised wearable vaporware like “grapheme filters,” branded “skincare LED masks for encouraging self-development” and “solar powered bubble shields.”

While the mask Coronagrift continues to this day, the Coronagrifting phenomenon had, by early March, moved to other domains of design.

Consider the barrage of asinine PR fluff that is the “Public Service Announcement” and by Public Service Announcement, I mean “A Designer Has Done Something Cute to Capitalize on Information Meant to Save Lives.”

Some of the earliest offenders include cutesy posters featuring flags in the shape of houses, ostensibly encouraging people to “stay home;” a designer building a pyramid out of pillows ostensibly encouraging people to “stay home”; and Banksy making “lockdown artwork” that involved covering his bathroom in images of rats ostensibly encouraging people to “stay home.”

Lol. Screenshot from Dezeen.

You may be asking, “What’s the harm in all this, really, if it projects a good message?” And the answer is that people are plenty well encouraged to stay home due to the rampant spread of a deadly virus at the urging of the world’s health authorities, and that these tone-deaf art world creeps are using such a crisis for shameless self promotion and the generation of clicks and income, while providing little to no material benefit to those at risk and on the frontlines.

Of course, like the mask coronagrift, the Public Service Announcement coronagrift continues to this very day.

The final iteration of Post-able and Wearable Coronagrifting genres are what I call “Passive Aggressive Social Distancing Initiatives” or PASDIs. Many of the first PASDIs were themselves PSAs and art grifts, my favorite of which being the designboom post titled “social distancing applied to iconic album covers like the beatle’s abbey road.” As you can see, we’re dealing with extremely deep stuff here.

However, an even earlier and, in many ways more prescient and lucrative grift involves “social distancing wearables.” This can easily be summarized by the first example of this phenomenon, published March 19th, 2020 on designboom:

Never wasting a single moment to capitalize on collective despair, all manner of brands have seized on the social distancing wearable trend, which, again, can best be seen in the last example of the phenomenon, published May 22nd, 2020 on designboom:

We truly, truly live in Hell.

Which brings us, of course, to living.

“Architectural Interventions” for a “Post-COVID World”

As soon as it became clear around late March and early April that the coronavirus (and its implications) would be sticking around longer than a few months, the architectural solutions to the problem came pouring in. These, like the virus itself, started at the scale of the individual and have since grown to the scale of the city. (Whether or not they will soon encompass the entire world remains to be seen.)

The architectural Coronagrift began with accessories (like the designboom article about 3D-printed door-openers that enable one to open a door with one’s elbow, and the Dezeen article about a different 3D-printed door-opener that enables one to open a door with one’s elbow) which, in turn, evolved into “work from home” furniture (”Stykka designs cardboard #StayTheF***Home Desk for people working from home during self-isolation”) which, in turn, evolved into pop-up vaporware architecture for first responders (”opposite office proposes to turn berlin's brandenburg airport into COVID-19 'superhospital'”), which, in turn evolved into proposals for entire buildings (”studio prototype designs prefabricated 'vital house' to combat COVID-19″); which, finally, in turn evolved into “urban solutions” aimed at changing the city itself (a great article summarizing and criticizing said urban solutions was recently written by Curbed’s Alissa Walker).

There is something truly chilling about an architecture firm, in order to profit from attention seized by a global pandemic, logging on to their computers, opening photoshop, and drafting up some lazy, ineffectual, unsanitary mockup featuring figures in hazmat suits carrying a dying patient (macabrely set in an unfinished airport construction site) as a real, tangible solution to the problem of overcrowded hospitals; submitting it to their PR desk for copy, and sending it out to blogs and websites for clicks, knowing full well that the sole purpose of doing so consists of the hope that maybe someone with lots of money looking to commission health-related interiors will remember that one time there was a glossy airport hospital rendering on designboom and hire them.

Enough, already.

Frankly, after an endless barrage of cyberpunk mask designs, social distancing burger king crowns, foot-triggered crosswalk beg buttons that completely ignore accessibility concerns such as those of wheelchair users, cutesy “stay home uwu” projects from well-to-do art celebrities (who are certainly not suffering too greatly from the economic ramifications of this pandemic), I, like the reader featured in the Dezeen Tweet at the beginning of this post, have simply had enough of this bullshit.

What’s most astounding to me about all of this (but especially about #brand crap like the burger king crowns) is that it is taken completely seriously by design establishments that, despite being under the purview of PR firms, should frankly know better. I’m sure that Bjarke Ingels and Burger King aren’t nearly as affected by the pandemic as those who have lost money, jobs, stability, homes, and even their lives at the hands of COVID-19 and the criminally inept national and international response to it. On the other hand, I’m sure that architects and designers are hard up for cash at a time when nobody is building and buying anything, and, as a result, many see resulting to PR-chitecture as one of the only solutions to financial problems.

However, I’m also extremely sure that there are interventions that can be made at the social, political, and organizational level, such as campaigning for paid sick leave, organizing against layoffs and for decent severance or an expansion of public assistance, or generally fighting the rapidly accelerating encroachment of work into all aspects of everyday life – that would bring much more good and, dare I say, progress into the world than a cardboard desk captioned with the hashtag #StaytheF***Home.

Hence, I’ve spent most of my Saturday penning this article on my blog, McMansion Hell. I’ve chosen to run this here because I myself have lost work as a freelance writer, and the gutting of publications down to a handful of editors means that, were I to publish this story on another platform, it would have resulted in at least a few more weeks worth of inflatable, wearable, plexiglass-laden Coronagrifting, something my sanity simply can no longer withstand.

So please, Dezeen, designboom, others – I love that you keep daily tabs on what architects and designers are up to, a resource myself and other critics and design writers find invaluable – however, I am begging, begging you to start having some discretion with regards to the proposals submitted to you as “news” or “solutions” by brands and firms, and the cynical, ulterior motives behind them. If you’re looking for a guide on how to screen such content, please scroll up to the beginning of this page.

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If you enjoyed this article, please consider subscribing to my Patreon, as I didn’t get paid to write it.

#architecture #design #coronavirus #dezeen #designboom #capitalism

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ficforthought · 4 years ago

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On being SO DONE with M*sha, a rant a decade in the making!

After giving this some thought I'm going to go ahead and give my opinion on Misha and yesterday’s situation in public for the first time ever. I was going to just post on Twitter but since this has been 12 years in the making I have exceeded the number of tweets I can put in one thread! There’s A LOT in here, so my summary is also long. I'm aware that I will lose followers over this, I'm not looking to offend anyone but it will inevitably happen. I wish anyone leaving all the best as fellow human beings.

TL;DR - having kept quiet for so long I’ve finally reached my limit and it’s all come bubbling out. I’ve never been a fan of Misha, I’ve been ambivalent for the most part, but have never criticised him in any hateful way, that's not who I am, but after all these years of putting up with his bullshit, attention seeking and troublemaking I am DONE. Deleting his tweet containing the word Wincest and replacing it with an APOLOGY just to pander to his Minions and save face is the straw that broke the camel's back. He has consistently pushed his ship on not only fans but on other actors (despite Jensen's discomfort, and him having repeatedly made his feelings known on it), he has stood by while his Minions/Hellers have harassed, victimised, doxxed and sent death threats to people based on their FICTIONAL ships. He has pandered to their gatekeeping, constantly demanded attention in obvious and not so obvious ways, and to the best of my knowledge never criticised their actions even though he's aware of it in a very real way. Some of his Minions have now taken their shit into The Boys fandom and created negativity for Jensen before the guy has even got a foot through the set door, and how is that supporting one half of your ship?

Misha has claimed to be a victim of targeted harassment from Wincest/brother fans (not only shippers) yet his fans have said and done the most despicable things on his watch, all in the name of what he must think is entertainment, or even his idea of a ‘joke’.

Any respect I had for the man based on his humanitarian work has gone because I can only take so much hypocrisy. He and his pandering because of a desperate attempt to be woke and wholly inclusive (which is actually impossible, no matter how good intentions are) are beyond pathetic. Whilst I have never seen why people think he’s so great I have friends IRL and online who genuinely adore the man, yet they have been shocked and upset by his contempt for half of the fandom that made him somewhat famous. It's disgusting and I'm not scrolling by any more. Misha, I hope to never see you on anything J2 related in future because none of us need that kind of negativity, *especially* not J2. Be gone, foul fiend!

OK, so to the too long part. Please be aware that these are my opinions as a fan of the show, of Sam and Dean, and J2, not only as a shipper. I can separate canon and fanon, and can view canon from a gen or shippy PoV. Whether you agree or disagree with my opinion let me be clear that I do not condone constant bashing and hate of a person or character so this isn’t the start of a regular thing for me. It's possible to have an opinion and not show the same vitriol that has been following this man around for years, and that’s what I’m doing. I've not posted this to prompt more negativity, it's simply to get it off my chest and make it clear how I feel. I stand by my philosophy of ship who you want to ship, enjoy it, but don't force it on other people and don't be a dick about it…hmm, that kinda sounds like familiar behaviour, though, does it not?!

I have ABSOLUTELY NO ISSUE with other people liking Misha, Cas or Destiel when it’s for the love of the characters and the ship. What I *do* have an issue with is people who are the true definition of a Heller. I don’t see that as a generic term, don't be ignorant and think I do because I know the difference between actual ship fans and the crazies, both ships have ‘em and I want no part of either of their venom. If you are reading this and class yourself as a Heller then you are part of the problem so run along and as you are all so fond of saying, 'get help' and take your bestie king with you.

I’m stating my opinion in what I feel is the most mature way I can, because unlike many people on SM, I am an adult and can act accordingly, with forethought and without resorting to temper tantrums and bullying of other people to get my point across. I am able to tell the difference between reality and fiction, I don't tar everyone with the same shipper brush and I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinion, but as we know opinions are like arseholes, we all have them and sometimes they stink. Unlike some, for the most part in life (online and offline) I *do* stand by what I say and don’t backtrack or delete things to appease the masses. I have spent a lot of time writing this out to be as clear as possible without being intentionally hateful. Bear with me jumping between actor and character where relevant, at this point they're conjoined. I will say this before I go any further, it doesn’t end well for Misha, I don’t mince my words and if you don’t like seeing facts and opinions laid out, this isn't the post for you.

I’ll say right off the bat what most of you have surmised - I’ve never held Misha (or Cas) in high esteem but I have never *hated* on him. I have shared mild criticism of his actions and opinions on Cas over the years but never, I feel, in any way that has made me feel I have something to apologise for. I have said several times I've been unhappy about Misha crashing con panels, taking attention away from J2 when at those cons *most* people paid their hard earned money to see the STARS of the show they love, first and foremost, and anyone else is a very nice bonus. The odd appearance here and there crashing a panel is fine (and Misha isn’t the first or last person to do it), maybe take up a few minutes then leave, but when someone commandeers an entire panel, that's just not on. It's not only selfish, rude and attention seeking but also disrespectful to other actors, fans and to the organisers who work hard to make sure everything ties in to give us the best con experience we can have. Everyone gets their turn on stage, there's no need to try and hog any more of the limelight, Veruca Salt style. Oh, and if you’re reading this and not getting that reference, (a) you shouldn’t be on my blog because you’re far too young, (b) look it up, and if you still don’t get what I’m saying… well then please refer to point (a). Thank you, kindly!

There was a time in Kripke's era where Cas was - I feel - intentionally used as a pawn by the writers to divert *canon* from the ‘questionable’ relationship between Sam and Dean, i.e. Wincest focus. Prior to that people (other fans) lightened up and just accepted the fact that Wincest had been there since day one in terms of the writing of the show and the fandom. All the cast and crew knew - J2, Kripke and JDM in particular - and made light of it, never judging, never shaming and often encouraging it because they understand it’s a fun part of fandom. Wincest was present enough to be part of the not so subtle subtext, as I said people just accepted it. Kink tomato was alive and well, so was ‘don’t like, don’t read’ and we all just scrolled over things we didn’t like without turning everything into a personal vendetta and excuse for bullying others who didn’t share our views. When the angels came into the plot I think most of us Wincest fans gave the Dean/Cas innuendos the small laugh they deserved and then turned back to the focus of the show which was the brothers, as it had always been intended. Misha, however, milked those moments as much as possible which was amusing at the start but got old *very* quickly, not just for fans (shippers and non shippers alike), but for other actors, in particular Jensen who is on record MULTIPLE times showing his dislike for Destiel. He told people outright that's not how he was playing the relationship between the two characters and CATEGORICALLY said "Destiel doesn't exist" but did it end there? No, it did not because neither fans or Misha let it go, in fact Misha only pushed more, goaded fans into flogging the same dead horse as much as possible. He’s never stopped, not even when there was so much discord in the fandom, a huge wedge was driven into it because of ships, which IMO he heavily contributed to.

Fast forward to over a decade later (a decade, seriously man, let it fucking go!) he didn’t even stop when Destiel did partially go canon. I have never doubted that Cas loved Dean (Sam, too) because in SPN lore angels are made to love, even rebellious ones. I, along with many others, liked that about Cas because who doesn't love a rebel, especially one rebelling for very good reasons, and because of those two wonderful men? Sam and Dean allowed him to see beyond what he'd been brainwashed to believe his entire existence. The fact is that although the nature of that love changed for Cas, it never did for Dean and was CANONICALLY UNREQUITED because Dean was incapable of loving anyone else as much as he loved Sam. All that mattered to Dean, even when he saw other characters as "family" was still Sam…ALWAYS Sam, every step of the way. Again for those who have too much Misha shaped wax in their ears, that’s canon. Whether people choose to see that love platonically or romantically is up to them, soulmates don't always have to be romantic, either way, brotherly love won out above all else on the show. No amount of Misha screaming ‘hey look, Destiel!’ changed that, but it sure didn’t stop him trying, did it?

So now that the obvious has been stated, here's something else we all know - never once in all of the years on the show did Misha drop rallying of the troops to his precious, ego stroking ship. Never once (that I am aware of) has he called out his Minions and Hellers on their continued harassment of everyone involved in the show and other fans despite the fact that they have bullied, victimised and wished bodily harm, rape and death on people who don't see their ship and because didn't get the ending to the story that they wanted. Not once has Misha shown any remorse for the trauma his "fans" have caused, and I’m taking REAL trauma, here, not the kind Twitter stans see as ‘triggering’ - people have been driven to close SM accounts, attempted, and in some cases succeeded in taking their own lives. These Minions have openly mocked Jared’s struggles with depression and anxiety, and Misha - who claims to be friends with J2 and be supportive of them in every way - has stood by and let it all play out, knowing full well some of the goings on, if not the full extent of how toxic these people are. We know he sees things being said online, and I have absolutely no doubt he spends time online searching his name for things that are relevant in some way to him in an effort to insert himself into a current conversation, or even start one so that attention is on him. Gotta stay relevant, somehow, right, Mish?

He has actively encouraged bullying by his actions of enabling the behaviours above, both by the flogging of the aforementioned dead horse, AND by not objecting to unacceptable behaviours. Remember when Minions and Hellers were slating J2, particularly Jared, for not posting on SM about BLM and other topics? Yeah, he didn’t ask them to stop doing that, either, even when he was tagged in things along the lines of ‘If Misha can post why can’t J2?’ etc. There have been some token protests, con vids I've seen have show his 'objections' which IMO have been done in a very tongue in cheek way, meaning that those people who needed to be pulled aside and told to change their ways just carried on, because their evil overlord didn’t explicitly explain it in terms a three year old could understand that bullying and forcing your opinion on others is WRONG. Not all of his cult are young and impressionable, not by a long shot, but many of the more vocal and vitriolic ones are.

As a father himself I wonder what Misha would do if he found out that his kids were behaving in ways his Minions are? I’m aware they’re young, but kids are cruel and bullying doesn’t just happen online. Even at whatever age they are, would he laugh it off the way he appears to have done with all of this fandom toxicity? Not bloody likely! I wonder if he’s as desperate to gain the approval of his family, friends and colleagues as he appears to be for that of his Minions/Hellers? I would certainly hope so, but that question can only be answered by Misha, himself, and I can and will not presume to speak on someone else's behalf on things in their personal life. For the record I would never presume I know what J2's answers would be on anything, however I do feel that after 15 years I have an accurate gauge on what kind of people they are so would be confident that any opinion I had on a matter aligns with their morals and ethics. As much as J2 have shared of themselves with us - willingly and under no pressure to do so, I might add - we don't *know* them, but we know enough to have an informed opinion. I can’t say the same for Misha because based on the behaviour he’s repeatedly displayed, things I've heard about from other fans as well as people I know IRL who have had direct dealings with him through cons or GISH (including some very actively in the early days when it was GISHWHES) he just hasn’t seemed like a person I wanted to follow on SM. I’ve never watched any of his solo panels, though I have watched ones with both or one of the J's, mostly being left irritated because of his behaviour. Watching the J’s put up with that shit is painful, and it’s a testament to how good they are as actors that they managed to hide at least some of their disdain for as long as they did. Microexpressions give them away, particularly Jensen, and they certainly have faces I have spent many years watching closely. Beautiful faces to go with beautiful souls, both of them! <3

I have precisely ZERO interest in Destiel as a ship, very little interest in Cas as a character anymore (though I did like him in the early days,and his relationship with Jack in late seasons) so I have absolutely no reason or desire to follow anything Misha does. That said, I've obviously been peripherally aware of some things he's been involved in because of friends, from things I’ve seen on SM and general fandom stuff. Despite the things I've already mentioned about his behaviour, up until now I have been able to maintain a level of respect for him as a person because of the humanitarian and charity work he's done. He seems like someone who really does want to change the world for the better and I am in full support of that fact, so much so that I have supported TWO campaigns relating to him. I bought one of the Super Good t-shirts for the campaign he did with Michael Sheen (a true angel!), the SPN/Good Omens x-over to help homeless charities, and I chose the design with text only and not artwork of Michael and Misha on, basically because I didn’t want to be wearing something with Misha’s face on it and I make absolutely no apology for that, whatsoever. I also bought Alex's #TheEndHasNoEnd shirt, which some of the profits went to Random Acts who do great work, so again, despite not liking Misha I still willingly contributed for a cause bigger than me, and to support Alex, who I absolutely ADORE. I'm aware that Stands aren't popular with some of the fandom, however since most of the cast of SPN are happily affiliated with them then I don't feel it's my place to either judge, or to discuss topics I know next to nothing about. But I digress, as a decent human being I have shown support tangentially to a man who I don't care for out of respect for the work he does outside the fandom. Telling you this isn’t to paint myself in a good light - I don’t need your approval, I’m a big girl, unlike some I don’t need constant validation! - only to provide background on how I’ve actively *not* hated on Misha.

Now though, any respect I had for him has come to an abrupt end, the events of the past 24 hours has seen to that. Whilst I have been annoyed at his behaviour in regards to shipping, I don't feel it's ever gone this far, or at least not that I've seen first hand. This man has, IMO, contributed to so much toxicity in the fandom by way of things I've mentioned before, he's claimed - without actually saying the words - that Wincest fans weren't interested in him as a character when he came onto the show, and hasn’t felt included because of the fans’ love of the brothers. Um, hate to break it to you, love, but when you come onto an established show that is about two people, and you’re a *guest star* you can’t expect everyone to love you. Some characters we as individuals do fall in love with straight away (Bobby, Charlie, Crowley and Rowena are good examples for me), it takes time to establish a dynamic, so if that’s how he felt then it was incredibly naive of him as an actor to expect instant acceptance from anyone. Also, why wait until after the show finished to bring it up AGAIN … oh wait, yeah, that would be to step back into the limelight in a way intended to garner sympathy from Minions and INTENTIONALLY piss off bro fans and Wincest shippers alike? How fucking self centred, desperate and disrespectful do you have to be to shit all over the finale of a show that for the most part accepted you and kept you in paid work for 12 years? Well, Misha Collins levels of all of those things, obviously.

So, on the topics of self centred, desperate to stay relevant, attention seeking and being oh so needy, the tweet yesterday from Amazon mentioned Castiel. He wasn’t tagged in it, so I refer to my earlier comment about searching online, because how else would he have possibly seen that? It’s possible someone sent it to him, I appreciate that, but if we go off past behaviour it’s not any stretch at all to believe that didn’t happen. So, once again, having seen the tweet he took it upon himself to - oh so predictably - turn it into something relating to Destiel. When I saw it I immediately rolled my eyes and thought ‘here we go again’, but then also had a little smile because I really liked the fact that he explicitly mentioned Wincest, therefore seeming to accept that his poor old dead horse wasn’t the only one in the race. I actually mentally tipped my hat to him then because it appeared that he’s matured enough to acknowledge by name the ship that predates his inclusion on the show. Great, I thought, this is a positive thing in a sea of negativity surrounding the man and his sunken ship, because what followed was Wincest trending in the US (it may also have been other countries as well but I had to sleep!) … largely due to the fact that Hellers were responding to it, calling him out on mentioning the dreaded ‘W’ word. I’ll repeat that because it’s been a rare occurrence up to that point… the Minions were actually disappointed with their overlord for mentioning another ship. We all know what they think of it and I for one, don’t give a flying fuck about their opionion. Ship and let ship, it’s all fun (or meant to be) so we have different tastes, that’s life kiddiwinks, deal with it. I mean, you really don’t have much of an example set for you when your king has proven several times over to be one of the biggest obnoxious brats out there, but just give it a try for your own sakes, yeah? Awesome, good on you, besties!

An unexpected development - to my joy and that of other Wincest shippers - them doing that got the topic trending, only *kept* trending by the fact that were all coming online asking why it was trending. Wincest shippers barely lifted a finger, we just flooded each other’s timelines with lovely content and basked in the Hellers - and Misha - shooting themselves in the foot, which was awesome. But did the vitriol stop? No. Did he get the attention he so clearly craves? Yes. Was it in the way he wanted? Fuck no, so poor, emotionally wounded baby backtracked after seeing that his name was trending alongside Wincest because that’s *so* not what someone narcissistic to do it in the first place, wanted.

Now here’s where I could easily have just moved on with an unusually fond chuckle, giving him an ironic pat on the back and a ‘thanks, Misha’ for being the one to instigate hours of fun, but once again his despicable behaviour made that impossible. It’s been more than obvious for many years that he cares more about what his fans think than anything else to do with the show and the fandom in a larger sense, but to delete the tweet and APOLOGISE for daring to be so insensitive to the snowflakes’ delicate sensibilities for mentioning Wincest in the first place was absolutely disgusting. Stating , “I used a term that I had never really given any thought to other than, "that's a thing?! Yuck." is not only complete and utter bullshit, it’s pandering of the highest order.

We all know he has referred to Wincest on multiple occasions, so to say he hadn’t thought about is a flat out lie, which IMO is an insult to everyone, not just Wincest shippers. Does the man have no self respect at all, why would you contradict yourself in the face of such overwhelming evidence? Instead of either ignoring all the people calling him out, or addressing it with another tweet saying ‘yeah, that happened’ or something similar he chose, I repeat, CHOSE the route of claiming he didn’t realise he was being offensive to people who felt ‘triggered’ by him using the word Wincest. He basically shat all over an entire ship and large sector of the fandom in an attempt to appease his own fan base which consists of a lot of children (or those that act like children) who have no idea what RL is like.

Once again, he’s reinforced the idea that if you shout loud enough at someone just because you don’t like something they said, they will back down and apologise for something even when there’s nothing to apologise for. If he wants to be such a role model then he could easily have pointed out that a fictional ship doesn’t condone RL incest, any ACTUAL trauma people have suffered because of RL situations, and made an effort to make sure people understand that. He COULD have used it as an opportunity to do some good in the fandom by encouraging people to build bridges, to accept that people are entitled to their beliefs and that sometimes we see things differently but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t treat others with BASIC HUMAN DECENCY because of it. Instead he YET AGAIN chose to show that he cares more about what Minions think of him, keeping them onside to constantly stroke his unbelievably fragile ego in everything he does.

It is my understanding that Misha is big on (or claims to be big on) putting positive energy out into the world, treating people with respect, helping others and accepting people for who they are, not who you want them to be… all this after YEARS of consistently practising what he preaches only when it suits him. He sends out a message that it’s perfectly OK to bully, to spread hate, to draw attention to yourself at the cost of others, to throw colleagues and friends under the bus and at the same time use them to further your own agenda and get hits for your YouTube channel. Is this really the legacy he wants to leave? Is this an environment he wants his own kids to grow up in as well as future generations? Is this what he thinks is a valuable contribution as a human being? JFC, the arrogance, hypocrisy and the need for constant validation this man exhibits is nothing short of cringeworthy… actually it’s beyond that. It’s deplorable behaviour, it’s not new, and he will continue to act like this for as long as he’s being enabled and this harmful cycle needs to end.

I have friends IRL and online who are (now, possibly, were) big Misha fans, who have supported him from either the beginning of his run on the show, or since they started watching, and this is how he repays this behaviour? He’s willfully alienating decent people (including multishippers) all to make himself look good by being seen to do everything he can not to offend people. Spoiler alert, you DID offend people, you continue to do so time and again and we’ve had enough. I can’t imagine how exhausting it must be to be such a perpetual people pleaser, but let me say it’s not doing you any favours in any way, shape or form.

Misha, you are *not* a role model, you’re *not* someone to look up to when you can't live up to the ideals you preach. You’re spitting in the face of people who have supported you even after some questionable things in the past, who gave you the benefit of the doubt because we’re all human and we all make mistakes. The key to growing as a person is not to keep repeating the same mistakes over and over, understanding *why* what you said and/or did was a mistake and making a concerted effort to make changes. I don’t ever see you doing that, you will continue down this path of only caring about Minions under the guise of caring for people in general. You are transparent, you are sad and despite the fact I’ve never particularly liked you, I didn’t speak up because I didn’t want to get involved in the drama. Well now I have spoken up and I’m saying you’re a disgrace, you have no respect for other people and nobody is fooled anymore. If it hadn’t been this tweet it would have been something else, but I for one am glad it happened so soon after the show ended so we can finally be rid of the limpet-like behaviour. It’s over, let it go for the sake of what dignity you might have left, for the sake of your family and friends and for the sake of anyone who isn’t capable of seeing through your ‘it’s a joke’ mentality.

You have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Misha.

For anyone who made it to the end of my ramble, thank you. This has been a cathartic exercise and I’m drawing a line under it now, I don’t think I could possibly make my thoughts any clearer. I urge you not to get caught up in any petty squabbles with his Minions, let’s celebrate J2 and other cast and crew members who have shown us all respect and who I am proud to call part of the SPN family. There’s always one member of the family who needs to be frozen out for the good of everyone else.

#ficforthought speaks #sorry not sorry #i spent way too long on this #purging the poison

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